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You can also click my picture and go to my website and find my first fill on video. Its day 27. So, you just had your first fill. Not so bad, right? For the remainder of the day on your “fill days,” you should stick to just liquids: clear and full liquids. The band around your stomach is a little tighter so it may take a day or two for your body to adjust, so taking in only liquids for the day can prevent the possibility of anything getting “stuck” at the band site. Everybody’s fill volume is going to be different. And the amount of fills you get will vary from person to person. So, don’t compare yourself to others, thinking “why does she have only 5cc’s and I’m at 7cc, etc etc?” It can take a while until we reach the sweet spot of filling your band with just the right amount, to where you can still eat but feel comfortable and satisfied after a small amount of food, and continue to lose weight. Which brings us to the rules of how you should be eating. It’s not just “what” you eat, but also the way you consume your foods and liquids. For the most of us, we’ve been raised in the Clean Plate Club of America, with membership only granted to fast eaters. That behavior has got to change. Remember: SLOW, SMALL, and CHEW THOROUGHLY. When consuming foods and drinking liquids, take your time and slow down. Where’s the fire? When we eat too fast, we often end up eating too much. And when we finally feel full, we’re grossly stuffed. Sound familiar? Being so full, we have to excuse ourselves, unbutton our pants just so we can breathe. If you eat too much, over time, you may stretch your pouch. And stretching your pouch leads to a larger stomach that can hold more food. More food = more calories = weight GAIN. It takes about 20 minutes for our brains to register satiety. Once you train yourself to slow down, put the fork down between bites, and savor the food, you may find yourself being comfortably satisfied with less food than usual. Try it. After a couple bites of food, ask yourself: Do you feel full and satisfied with the amount you just ate? If so, this is a good stopping point and it’s time to step away from the table. For solid foods and liquids, make sure they are in small amounts. No more pelican mouth. If you eat too large of a bite, chances are that you probably won’t chew it well enough. This increases your chance of food getting lodged at the band site. The next thing you should do would be to locate the nearest sink/toilet/trashcan/whatever receptacle because what just went down will most likely want to come back up. Think of a funnel. Only small pieces can pass. Too large of anything: food, liquid, pills can clog up your pipe. With each bite of food, chew thoroughly. Now that you’re reminding yourself to slow down and take small bites, don’t forget to chew your food up quite well. Your stomach shouldn’t have to do much digesting. The food should be broken down well enough prior to entering the stomach. By chewing your food thoroughly, you decrease the likelihood of food getting stuck and increase the ability to tolerate more foods like beef, chicken, bread, etc. And also, chewing your food thoroughly will help you slow down the pace. All of this will come naturally, it just takes some practice. Keep reminding yourself and you’ll realize why it is so important to modify our eating behaviors. Lin Lin Shao, RD LD Bariatric Dietitian

I only had a 3 month diet and I actually gained weight 2 of the 3 months. At my last appointment I lost what I gained but it was still over my starting weight. My insurance still approved my surgery even with the weight gain.

Hi everyone! I am in the six month pre-op period and have a dr. Appointment this week. I have gained a couple of lbs since my last dr appointment and am curious if his happened to anyone else and what happened...does the six months start over? Do they give you a pass as long as you lose weight the remaining months of the initial six months? I’m so extremely disappointed in myself and have had a stressful month (not an excuse I know)...this is just stressing me out even more. Anyone have any advice? Thanks in advance! :)

WHAT DOES PATIENT COMPLIANCE MEAN? The term “patient compliance” is a funny one for someone like me, who in some areas of her life doesn’t have the patience required for compliance. Maybe that’s just my funny little brain playing with words again. What does patient compliance mean? A compliant patient is one who follows or completes with their physician’s diagnostic, treatment, or preventive procedure(s). For example, John Doe’s blood work shows high LDL cholesterol and triglycerides (diagnosis: hyperlipidemia). He’s a compliant patient because he faithfully takes the medication his doctor prescribed, avoids eating saturated fats, and increases his exercise in order to lose some weight. His mother-in-law has high blood pressure (hypertension) and is recovering from a stroke, so in order to prevent the medical problems that challenge her mom, John’s wife Jane follows her doctor’s recommendation to reduce her own salt intake and join John for a daily walk. Their obese son Mark, who is scheduled to have bariatric surgery in two weeks, is compliant as he carefully follows his surgeon’s pre-op liver shrink diet to prepare for the surgery. Their sun-worshipping daughter Mary just had a suspicious mole removed and complies with her dermatologist’s recommendation to use sunscreen every day and give up the tanning bed. A highly commendable family, aren’t they? What about you? Are you a compliant patient? All the time, some of the time, or none of the time? Compliance is a practice that matters to me…does it matter to you? BARIATRIC PATIENT COMPLIANCE Most bariatric surgeons agree that the #1 cause of disappointing weight loss or other WLS “failure” is patient non-compliance with the surgeon’s protocol. In contrast, many adjustable gastric band patients (the disappointed ones, anyway) agree that the #1 cause of band “failure” (however they experience it) is that the band doesn’t work, no matter what (if any) protocol you follow. How can we reconcile such opposite views of WLS failure? What can surgeons do better or differently to improve patient outcomes? We already know what patient compliance means, so let’s take a look at the term “protocol.” In a general sense, protocol is a set of conventional principles and expectations that are considered binding on the members of a particular group, be it professional, social, or political. It’s also the formal etiquette and code of behavior, precedence, and procedure for state and diplomatic ceremonies. Protocol is a big deal to the British Royal Family, as witnessed by the flutter over the Queen’s order that Kate, the Dutchess of Cambridge must, as a former commoner, show reverence to the ‘blood princesses’. She is expected to curtsey to those born royal, such as Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie – both in public and in private. Although the media did a lot of speculating about Kate’s putative humiliation over this order, the importance of royal protocol can hardly be a surprise to a British citizen who marries into the Royal Family. In the medical world, the term protocol refers to the plan for a course of treatment – a physician’s diagnostic, treatment, or preventive procedure(s) like those followed by John Doe and his family. And like Kate Middleton, a bariatric patient can hardly be surprised over their surgeon’s insistence that they follow that protocol. Any surgeon worth his/her scalpel educates patients about that protocol from the time of an informational seminar to the day of a band patient’s first fill, with updates as time goes on. That’s why I feel impatient when I hear (very, very often) that new bandsters are shocked and vexed over the requirement that they follow a liquid diet immediately before and after their surgery, as well as after fills. “How can that possibly be a shock?” I ask myself. Did the patient sleep through their pre-op education, or were they so focused on the vision of themselves in a size 0 that they forgot the work that must be done to arrive at that size? Or (please say it ain’t so!) did the surgeon or other medical professionals in that bariatric program not spell out the details of their protocol when the patient was preparing for surgery? And then there’s the whole “Why does my surgeon say eat only ½ cup of food when my friend’s surgeon says eat 1 cup of food at a time?” dilemma. As I explained in Bandwagon, surgeons establish (and fine tune) patient protocols based on their own experience with their own patient population. If band manufacturers hired teams of auditors to ensure that every bariatric surgeon in North America used the exact same protocol, no one would be able to afford a gastric band, and very few surgeons would bother using the band for their patients. And a brand-new gastric band sitting in its package is completely useless until a trained and experienced surgeon implants it in a patient. Allergan and Ethicon Endo aren’t surgeons; they’re manufacturers of medical devices. So while speculating about the great variation in WLS protocols might be mildly entertaining, it’s not going to do a whole lot to get you closer to that size 0. If you choose a surgeon you trust and respect, you also choose to abide by their protocol, and enjoying that protocol is beside the point. I spent decades enjoying my own weight loss and weight gain “protocols” so much that by the time I was 54, I needed weight loss surgery. So whose protocol is healthier or more effective, mine or my surgeon’s? I lost 92 pounds by following a surgeon’s protocol. Is there a problem with that? I think not. OK, hang on a second while I climb off my soap-box. Ah, that’s better. Here I am again, standing on the ground, surrounded by living, breathing (if distant) WLS patients. It’s not fair to generalize about any of us, is it? But generalize I must in order to make a few more points. THE DOUBTING THOMAS I think some of us are by nature more likely to ignore, question, or defy authority figures, while others accept authority without voicing or even thinking a question. In the former case, we need to cultivate trust in the doctors who want to help us, while in the latter case, we need to cultivate enough trust in ourselves to dare to ask those authority figures for better or more detailed explanations of their instructions. I’m more on the defiant, or Doubting Thomas, end of the patient spectrum, but a few years ago I read a statement that struck me (out of the blue) as very true: SOME THINGS MUST BE BELIEVED TO BE SEEN I extrapolated that statement from a religious context into the context of my WLS journey (at that point in my life, I could extrapolate almost anything into the context of my WLS journey). When I had Lap-Band® surgery, I was convinced that I was a total failure at weight loss. Going into that operating room, I had to believe something I’d never seen myself do: that with the help of my band, I could succeed at weight loss and maintenance. And I did. Because truth can take a while to reveal itself, I think people like me need to ask ourselves, “What possible harm could befall me if I do follow an instruction whose proof of efficacy I can’t see right now?” Let’s go back to a previous example: your doctor tells you not to eat more than 1 cup of food at a time. You know you can easily eat 2 cups, so if you really want (or think you need) to eat all that, and no immediate negative consequences result from doing that, why shouldn’t you just go ahead and do it? Why should you blindly follow your doctor’s seemingly arbitrary and unreasonable instruction to stop eating after you’ve consumed 1 cup of food? It’s your doctor’s job to explain the “why” behind that instruction, but if she/he hasn’t done that to your satisfaction, and he/she isn’t sitting at the table with you and that plate of delicious food, I suggest that you consider what terrible thing would happen if you put away the extra cup of food for now. Will you starve to death? Really? What else might happen? Will you surrender your liberty, be forced to vote for your doctor’s favorite presidential candidate, or (worse) be compelled to clean his toilet every Saturday for the next 20 years? Oh, no. No, no, no. He’s your doctor, not your teenaged son, so let’s consider another, quite serious consequence of following his instruction. Maybe, just maybe, nothing bad will happen at all. Maybe even something good will happen. Just because your compliance doesn’t yield an instant reward doesn’t mean it won’t yield a future reward. What might that reward be? How about weight loss and the avoidance of side effects or complications? Doesn’t that sound good to you? Sure sounds good to me. I do much better at following instructions if I understand them, but I’m here to tell you that in almost 5 years of banded living, I didn’t truly begin understand my surgeon’s and dietitian’s protocol until I’d been following it for 6 or so months, and the scope of my comprehension expanded more over the next few years. In the meantime, I lost those 92 pounds I mentioned earlier. The lesson there is that you don’t have to completely understand or believe in a protocol for it to work, as long as you follow it as best you can. THE BELIEVER Now I want to talk to the folks at the other end of the patient spectrum, the obedient ones who wouldn’t even think of defying the advice of an authority figure. Their WLS journey can be bumpy too, even when they slavishly follow their doctor’s protocol, and here’s why. One of the problems with blindly following instructions that you don’t understand is that sooner or later you’re going to find yourself in a situation no one thought to warn you about. You won’t instantly know what to do, and you may waste precious time on unnecessary blood, sweat and tears. You may even end up doing something harmful. Without at least an inkling of the principles behind your doctor’s protocol, you’ll have a hard time coming up with a stopgap measure to help you survive a surprising and stressful situation. If you worry that any decision you make on your own will be the wrong one, ask yourself: “What’s the worst that could happen if I do nothing right now? What will happen if I do the ‘wrong’ thing?” Will you die? Surely not. If you’re able to breathe, ambulate, drink water, state your name and what year it is, and blood isn’t pooling in your shoes, you’re going to survive at least long enough to call your surgeon, leave a message, and wait for a call back. So unless the decision requires someone to dial 911 to speed you to the emergency room (if you can’t breathe, move, swallow, talk, remember your name or the year, stop the bleeding, or if something else life-threatening is happening), take a deep breath! And another one, and another one. Ah, that’s better! People on the Believer end of the patient spectrum are often reluctant to ask questions of their doctors because they’re afraid they’ll look stupid or make the doctor angry. I can only repeat the old saying that the only stupid question is the one you think but don’t ask. It’s extremely unlikely that your doctor is going to spank you if you ask (again), “Why can’t I take ibuprofen for my headache?” If your doctor seems irritated by a question like that, it may be because you’re trying their patience, or it could be because they’re having a bad day (worried or annoyed about something completely unrelated to you or their job, wishing they hadn’t eaten the whole pastrami sandwich for lunch, didn’t sleep well last night, etc.). It could also be because their bedside manner needs work. If that’s the case, you can set out in search of another surgeon, put up with the original surgeon’s rudeness, or do your part to lead that doctor towards kindness. If the answer to your question starts looking like a time-consuming project that your doctor doesn’t have time for right now, it’s perfectly okay to say something like, “Is there someone else in the office who could work with me on that?” or “Would it be better to make another appointment to talk about this?” THE DOCTOR Doctors, like other people, come in all shapes, sizes, and temperaments, and with varying communication skills. They’re not all made from the eternally patient, smiling, avuncular Marcus Welby mold, and not all of them are motivated solely by the desire to help other people. They’re often just as fascinated by science as by altruism. Like you and me, they work to earn money, and if their pay seems ridiculously high, just ask one of them how much money they borrowed to get through medical school, and how much they pay each year just for medical malpractice insurance. In many ways, I’m a “you get what you pay for” kinda gal. If 3 doctors quoted band surgery at a total of $13,000 to $15,000, and a 4th doctor quoted only $4,000, I’m not sure I’d feel safe with a bargain basement surgeon (nor would I assume that the $15,000 surgeon was the best). Last I heard, no courses in Bedside Manner or patient communication are required of, or even offered to medical students. Doctors must exchange important information with patients whose own communication skills vary greatly, and they must take a patient’s measure, choose a treatment plan, and explain it to the patient using a minimum of enigmatic medical terms, all within a matter of minutes before they rush off to the next patient or task. Doctors must rely on support staff to do hundreds of things to keep the doctor’s boat afloat, and it’s entirely possible that they have no idea how rude or careless or wonderful some of those people are because so much of that goes on in a way that’s invisible to the doctor. And which would you rather your surgeon focus on: the ink cartridge for the Xerox machine, or the pain in your abdomen? In medical folklore, surgeons are infamous for possessing a God complex, with big egos, enormous self-confidence, and an excess of superiority. When you think about it, it does take a lot of chutzpah to cut into another human’s flesh and fiddle with their innards in the effort to fix a problem., so it doesn’t surprise or bother me much that some surgeons have a hard time coming down to the lowly level (perceived or real) where their patients trudge through the mud of ordinary human existence. In many types of surgery, that’s not a big problem because the surgeon sees the patient maybe 3 or 4 times: the initial consult, the surgery, and 1 or 2 post-op follow-ups. Then the patient goes on their merry (we hope) way and the surgeon scrubs up and dashes into the operating room to cut into someone else’s medical problem. General surgery is usually a fix-it-and-go thing. If your diseased gall bladder gets tossed away and forgotten, do you really care if that also means your abdominal pain is also a thing of the past? But bariatric surgery, which treats a chronic and incurable disease that’s a highly complex tangle of physical, behavioral, and emotional problems, is a different matter. Successful bariatric surgery is not a fix-it-and-go proposition (and that’s reason #99 that I would hesitate to ever have surgery outside the United States, knowing that I have no local surgical back-up or support). Bariatric patients need far more education, aftercare and support than most other types of patients. I’m convinced that one of the causes of WLS failure (however you define failure) is inadequate patient education, aftercare and support. And on top of that, adjustable gastric band patients need even more education, aftercare, and support than most other bariatric patients. While I believe that too many general surgeons have been jumping on the gastric band-wagon without fully understanding the needs of those patients, it’s not fair to say that they’re all being careless or negligent when they fail to give patients what they really need. Unless they’ve had bariatric surgery themselves, they just don’t know what it is to walk in our shoes. They might consider the implanting of a gastric band to be an interesting and possibly lucrative addition to their practice without realizing that surgical expertise is only part of what the band patient needs. Doctors and other people with very high self-esteem can be hard for us ordinary mortals to deal with, but it’s a mistake to assume that they’re looking down on us. They may not be looking at or thinking about us at all, not because they don’t care about us but because their minds are so enthralled by and preoccupied with medical science. My father was a brilliant scientist whose head was so far up in the clouds that I often wondered what planet he was on. At the same time, I know he loved me when he noticed me (and I know now that nothing I could do would change that). In a sense, doctors who get heavily involved with their patients are doing those patients a disservice. The Hippocratic Oath exhorts doctors to “do no harm,” not to mop up your tears or hug you when things go wrong. If that seems harsh, consider this: doctors actually need to keep some emotional distance from their patients in order to treat them well medically. Without that distance, it would be very hard for them to make rational decisions about patient care. That’s why it’s considered poor practice for doctors to treat themselves or their loved ones. I’m not saying that it’s okay for doctors to be cold and heartless and should be excused for bad behavior. None of them are perfect (and neither are we, the patients) and you won’t find me worshipping at the altar of the AMA or the ASMBS. I’ve encountered some wonderful doctors and surgeons in my lifetime, and some bad ones too. The average American bandster might see 3-4 doctors on a regular basis (a few times a year): a primary care physician, a gynecologist (if you’re of that persuasion), a dentist, and maybe a chiropractor or a specialist like an eye doctor. The average American bariatric surgeon probably sees 20-30 patients a day (perhaps a few thousand per year). Since I’m not a mind-reader, and no one cares as much about my weight loss journey as much as I do, I figure it’s my responsibility to refresh my doctors’ memories each time I see them. I might wish that I didn’t have to repeat over and over again that (for example) I’m hearing impaired and need my doctor to look at me when he speaks, but that’s a minor issue compared to some of the bigger ones I face as a mature adult.

I was stuck for 2 straight weeks at the same weight about a month ago. I felt like a complete and total failure and loser. I got so depressed and annoyed that I didn't really know what to do. On the 12th day, I said "screw it... this isn't working, i'm going to binge". I told my wife to get some wings from wing zone with a bunch of sides. I was ready to tear into them and completely give up. I was able to eat one and a half wing pieces and half of a potato wedge. It was the funniest thing ever and completely lifted my spirits. That's when it became clear to me that the sleeve was not the answer to all my weight problems, but was an extremely useful tool to help me lose weight. My binge consisted of about 250 calories...total. lol 3 days later was weigh in day and I was down 3 lbs. I've lost another 15 lbs since. All you can do is make sure you are getting all your Protein, Water, exercise and Vitamins. If you are stuck in a workout routine, change it up. Do squats. Squats are super easy to do and they workout the largest muscle group in your body and you can get away with doing them daily. The more muscle you have, the more calories(fat) can be burned while resting. In any case, don't agonize. Be patient and understand that this is part of the process. Plateaus happen with weight loss, weight gain, muscle gain, etc.

I LOVE my Mirena. I got it for birth control, not bleeding problems, about two years ago, but I stopped having periods after about nine months and haven't had one since. It's fantastic. I know four other women with them and they all love them. It wasn't even painful to have it placed - more like, hmm, I don't think I'd much want to do that for fun, but it was OK. I would definitely give that a try before a hysterectomy! Much less invasive and can be done in ten minutes in your doc's office - not weeks and weeks of recovery from abdominal surgery. When this one "times out" in three years I will be getting another, and probably another until I don't need them anymore. Edit: Oops, I forgot to mention weight gain - I had none; in fact I was losing like crazy but I also had just given birth when I got mine. Mirena's hormonal activity is very localized; it releases progesterone only in the area of your uterus, not throughout your whole body like when you take the pill. Also, the pill contains estrogen - Mirena does not. I'm not aware of weight gain being a side effect but I bet their website would tell you more.

I have had mirena 2 different times, once after my first son and then wanted to have a second child so had it removed after year & a half. then again after the 2nd child. It's been about 1 1/2 years now and i don't have periods. I don't even know it is there. I didn't have a weight gain (other than not eating right) from it. Mine is good for five years and then you go in and get it replaced with another. It is great birth control, my doctor only recommends it to married people usually, because of the threat of disease and such from people not being safe. But if I were you, I would definately opt for Mirena over the latter of your choices. It is at least worth a try. You will spot for almost 3 weeks or so at first but then your periods will get lighter and lighter untill they disappear. Good luck to you. Only you can make the right choice for you and your body but hope the above info helps.

Thank you! Prednisone is the worst drug I've ever had the misfortune of taking. If you look at the photos, all of the stretch marks are because of Prednisone. When it was first prescribed, I was on an ultra-high dose. I gained over 75 pounds in about three weeks. My skin never recovered. A couple of years later when the doctor said I needed to take it again, I said no way. That was when I opted for the first surgery back in 1995. It is the only drug that has ever made me rage. I was a mess when I was on it. Aside from the weight gain, I was so short-fused no one could stand to be around me. Once I stopped taking it, that all went away. IMHO, Prednisone is evil, plain and simple... As for the keto diet, I've tried it and the high fat made me ill and gave me acne really bad. I'm basically doing a modified keto, modified Atkins, which is high protein and low carb. It has helped so far.

I have Aetna insurance PPO II. In the requirements it says that there must not be a net gain. What exactly does that mean? Like no weight gain at all? Or you can't be more than the first weigh in? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hang in there! I know the waiting is soooooo hard. It took me a whole year to get my surgery between the requirements by my insurance company and two appeals. Don't worry too much about the extra weight gain. This is one of the most stressful processes I have ever been through so, OF COURSE, I was gonna gain. The good thing is that you will drop that extra weight fast after you get the band. I'm not saying go out and go crazy, but try not to stress too much about it. You have enough stress already. One thing I would recommend to help you pass the time is try to start making some changes already that will prepare you for after surgery. If you haven't been exercising already, start an exercise program now. Don't worry about losing weight by exercising... just do it to create the habit and figure out what you would LIKE to do for exercise. I did this prior to surgery and it was so valuable for me. It was the first time I was exercising just for the sake of exercising and not because I was obsessively watching the scale and trying to lose weight. It helped me to learn how to enjoy exercise just for how it makes me feel. Also, if you haven't been drinking at least 64 oz of Water per day, start working on making that a daily goal. And, 60-80 grams of Protein per day (or whatever your surgeon recommends). These are all things you can start doing now that will help you later, but won't make you feel hungry or deprived since you don't have your band yet. Oh, another thing I did to pass the time pre-band, is I had a friend come over and help me go through all my clothes (in my closet and old stuff I had in boxes). We went through all of it and she made me get rid of anything that I should never wear again (either too old, out of style, not flattering). And, we took the stuff to save and sorted it into boxes for 'stage 1', 'stage 2', and 'stage 3'. Stage 1 is one to two sizes below what I currently wear, stage two is the next two sizes, etc. That way, when I shrink out of my clothes, I have boxes of clothes organized and ready that I will WANT to wear. The 'stage 1' boxes sit right above my current clothes in the closet as motivation to me. The rest are in the garage so I don't feel overwhelmed w/how far I have to go. There is nothing in my closet or drawers that doesn't fit me right NOW. That is a great feeling! I'm sure you can think of some other ways to pass the time. Best of luck to you. You are in the home stretch!!!

Weight gain. I was 345lb day of surgery. Six months later was pregnant. Six months later had a baby girl. Abbey. She turns 8 march 29th. Then a year later had a son. Yes surgery for me was weight as well as the gift to a family. Now I am back up by 90pounds. Scared. Any thoughts.

Hello every one! This is a great post. I'have been on both side of the coin. From totally "Obsessed" with exercise & weight loss,only because of my obsession and fear of dying! I, went nut's on losing weight reading every thing I could find on weight loss and Nutrition. I, work out up to four hours aday 5 or 6 days a week one week 3days of lifting light weights & 3 days of walking running jogging in place with swimming, biking,carideo then would change my routine's. And I lost 120 pounds of weight in about a year half or so it almost killed me because I was over exercising and counting calories I was only taken in some times1500/ 1600 then burning more calories then I was taken in and that spelled starvation and my weight loss stalled! I wish I could find out the Lady who told me to go to bed and to increase my calorie intake It helped me to lose more weight at a slower pace a safer one! Thank God I lost the weight before I hurt my back! now all I can do is some walking and swimming, and count calories that keeps me in check with my weight loss! This may sound funny but please listen before you judge me! I had a fear or gaining lots of weight back, so I' took two months of from counting calories lots of pain meds in the process in a controlled experiment with my self I let my self gain weight "too lose the fear of weight gain" I gained twenty five pounds in weight eating lots of Ice cream. I started watching all of my calorie intake stayed at 1200/1500 and I very happy I have lost 16 pounds now at my own pace have no fear of weight gain any more and don't have to live by the all mighty scale. Now I check my weight twice a week count my calories and im in control eating lite and losing weight 213 pounds and dropping 16 pounds of new weight loss it will now take me 3 or 4 mounths to drop 23 pound and get back to 190 weight class, which the old way of over exercising I could of done that in a month or less the old way! Im very happy that I can control my weight loss, and very very happy that I have so many friends, who have helped me out many times in these past years! lbt is a great site. thanks again. John

I think the reason people tell the ones closest to them very simple are looking for approval that they are making the right decisions. Unfortunately, negative responses upset the person asking. Even telling most family doctors, the reaction is negative although that scene is changing slowly. If I had to do over again my decision, I would tell absolutely no one. The decision would be mine and mine alone. Negative responses almost turned me from having the band, thank God these negative people did not succeed. I find the band a wonderful tool. I loose weight when I follow the program, maintain or regain slowly if I don't. But the bottom line is I am loosing weight. People I told about the band make snarky remarks or hint at my "failure" or try to push food at me to make me fail. I feel I am not failing, I am just having a weak moment but the band will get me back on track where in the old days, three weeks and I was in free fall with weight gain and nothing to stop me. Again,my advice, don't tell anyone but your fellow bandsters.

...and I've decided that there is too much drama on OH, so I'm gonna have to bail from that forum for a while. Why all the venom when folks are just looking for a place to garner support for a healthier life? Crazy! Anyway......I'm down 38.5 pounds since December 1, including my 16 pounds from preop. I think I'll stop dividing the two weigh losses and just claim it all! I have my six week followup next week, and I just realized it is at the same time as I will generally have major PMS and weight gain...delightful! Things are going well, and I'm averaging about 650-800 calories daily, 25-45 carbs, and 65-100 grams of protein. I feel good about tracking and making healthy food choices. And, I'm getting in a two mile walk and a little on the elliptical each day. I hope to add some light weights next week to help with the flabby arms! I'm a little annoyed with my clothing right now. As always, I'm losing all upstairs, so seven people could live in the top half of my shirts, but the bottoms are still fitting. I have a closet of either too big and sloppy or still too snug around the ol' hips and booty. Sigh.....

In 24 hours I'll be banded...queue Europe's "The Final Countdown". I can't believe it's finally here. I remember the first time I seriously considered the band, last May at my son's little league pool party. One of his coaches (whom I considered to be a "guys" guy) told me he'd had the band for about a year and was loving it. Loving the time he was able to be more active in his son's life, the ability to get more out of life, how it brought him closer to his spouse, and I just remember thinking "if I would just swallow my pride and accept I needed help with my weight, I could be a lot happier". You see, my wife was already planning her lap band at this time and I fully supported her decision to get healthy and reclaim her life, but up until this point I had pretty much resigned myself to being a "fat" dad... the one who was a master at the barbecue pit during family cook-outs but who didn't get into the pool with his kids or play catch with them...because it's too hard. I know the band is not a magic wand that fixes all aspects of one's life, but for me most of my unhappiness stemmed from not having the ability to control my own issues with food to the point that it was affecting my relationship with my kids and my wife. Tony is 10, I have 8 years left with him "full time" and only about 3 more until he becomes his own person and starts socializing outside the home, how long before he doesn't want to do anything with me regardless of what I can and can't do physically? Josh is 4, if I keep going the rate I am I will die before I see him turn 18. 2005.. the start of my weight gain. In regards to my marriage, we had our kids very young. We've never had the time to ourselves to really be just a couple. We have always made plans to travel and enjoy each other when the kids are grown, but without a healthier lifestyle what are we going to be able to do? Watch Food network and visit every buffet restaurant in the state? I want more than that! I want us to climb a Mayan Pyramid and see top of the Eiffel Tower. I want to be intimate without fear of throwing out my back. And now here we are, 7 months later. one day away from go time. I have the usual nervousness and apprehension that comes with any procedure, but all in all I am ready. Ready to make the effort to change my life, ready to put my family and my own health as the number one priority in my life. READY. follow my whole blog at http://gerryslapband.blogspot.com/

Well crap. So, I've been stuck at the same general area since October. Yes, there has been some movement, but it keeps going back up. Before leaving to visit family last week I had finally made it to 202.8 and was there for a couple of days. While away, I didn't weigh myself at all but I was doing fairly well about my eating. Typically, when I am back home, the stress of dealing with family BS makes me eat poorly. Well, when I got back home Tuesday night, I decided to weigh myself before going to bed. Well, guess what...finally onederland! 198.8 I didn't believe it, so I took off the PJ's and got back on. Still 198.8. Awesome! Logically, ince I had just eaten, that must mean I will likely weigh a little less or the same the next morning, right? Well, no. Wednesday morning I decided to weigh myself to see if there had been any change. Yes, there fraking had. 205.8. WTF!?! And tonight, 208!!! I am so f**king pissed right now. Bummed and eating horribly since Wednesday. Damn discount chocolate...I just don't know what the hell is going on. I work out and eat right, there's little to no movement. I eat farily well and don't work out, there's little to no movement. I imagine some of the weight gain in the passed few days has something to do with my period, but still...I'm just so sick of this. I need to go shoot something. Maybe my neighbors who blast their loud music in the middle of the night. Yeah...shooting them will make me feel better... Excuse me...I'll be back later. Okay...I'm back. How weird is it that this constant plateau has me feeling no different than how I felt before I had the surgery? It's as if I am still that 300lb woman who couldn't lose ten pounds to save her life. I look in the mirror or I look down at me and I see rolls. Not "smaller" rolls (because the fat rolls are smaller, of course), but just rolls of fat. I know these feelings will go away or at least die down once my period is over with and the hormones settle, but right now I just feel like crap.

3 month-down 43 lbs -stall 3 weeks - more hungry than I should be. @@emk101009 wonderful weight loss how do you know hungry you "should" be???? "it" varies for all of us some of us might never have lost their hunger issues others maybe at 3 months others at.............. stalls happen to most all of us Get Over It must be patient - it will pass (like gas ) time periods/stalls will vary from 3 weeks to.............. God Grant Me Patience, Just Hurry Up About It!!! We're all different we lose amount of weight in different time periods we lose inches at the beginning from different areas ie less boobs or less tushy!!! yogurt is not that filling but it is great, and has lots of Protein too you can never have too much protein during the day dense protein like chicken is wonderful - very filling you didn't chew thoroughly?? means you probably ate too fast too!!!! KNOCK IT OFF slow down with your eating and chew better that wouldn't cause you to stretch your sleeve after each bite, put your utensil down for a few seconds too use a baby spoon - that helps too i "think" many people at one time or another worry that they might have stretched their new little tummies as far as "stretching" your tummy eat wayyyy too much food, too fast all morning, noon, afternoon, evening & night in other words 24/7 grazing ALL day (like you/me did in the good 'ol days this will cause weight gain but as far as stretching the sleeve - don't "think" that can happen unless you "WORK" really hard to eat eat eat and then................ 24/7 for a long long time many good discussions about can/does your stomach stretch i don't have the right answer hopefully someone can explain better than i can ood luck 43 lbs down!!! kathy congrats

I agree with everything that has been said here so far - no one is the perfect patient. (Well, maybe this elusive unicorn is out there, but fear not, sister - you are in good, imperfect company!) I agree with other folks that have said that this weight gain is not really an embarrassment, so much as a hiccup. You absolutely DESERVE to get back on track. You are worth it, right? RIGHT. :-) The best thing to conquer the disgust you feel with yourself and your depression is to get out of the pattern of having no control over your band, and get some professional help! If your Doc or surgeon is not available, find someone who is. Make some calls, get on the web, do some research... the moment you begin to take this matter into your own hands, the faster a solution will present itself and the better you will be able to sleep at night. We are cheering you on! Keep us posted...!

Is it just straight caffeine or are you jazzing it up? I wonder because I'm drinking coffee now and I get dumping if there's to much cream in it. Not related to low sugar so do you know why your sugar drops? If it's not to personal, how's your weight now? I ask because you were so young when you had the surgery that you may not of had the benefit of having a nutritionist to help guide your eating. The stats show we're all susceptible to weight gain after a period of time, and if you have gained what's your thoughts about correcting it? Sorry for all the questions but when I started this journey I was full steam ahead and now that I know I'll be successful in the weight loss I'm looking at what to expect or try to prevent from happening in my future. Thanks for sharing your wisdom and experience.

I am currently 4 months (16+ weeks) pregnant and had my sleeve in October 2013. (I was 14 months out and 3-4 months maintaining a 150lb loss when I got pregnant). I've had a very smooth and easy pregnancy. I had a Mirena IUD for years, had it removed 13 months post-op and got pregnant right away. I just had emergency gallbladder removal surgery as i had 4 gallbladder attacks (stones and blockages) in 3 weeks. I've always had stones since high school but a 150 lb weight loss and pregnancy exacerbated the condition. Baby and momma are both doing great. In reference to weight gain. I have actually lost about 7-8 lbs since I learned i was pregnant (i had gained 15 lbs from my absolute lightest). My doctor isn't concerned AT ALL. With constant nausea it is challenging for any pregnant woman to eat. I get constant bloodwork to ensure that me and my baby are getting the nutrients we need, which we are. No pregnant woman should be "eating for two". This is what puts women in the category of gaining too much weight during pregnancy. The priority is getting all the nutrients necessary, not eating bigger quantities. If anything i think my sleeve is letting me have a healthier pregnancy by not allowing me to gain too much weight, specifically fat. I'm sticking to my goal of 15-20 lbs weight gain by delivery. Meaning my weight gain will be primarily if not all baby and the extra blood, fluids, placenta etc. which should weigh around 15lbs. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. I am a first time mom and am 28 years old.

My experience with my Mirena is the opposite and I am on my third one. It keeps my period acne away and my PMS isn't as bad as it was on the pill. Once you are past the five years, your Mirena is no longer hormone releasing so there is nothing to chemically cause acne or weight gain. Th heavy periods are due to estrogen release from the fat cells. I'm experiencing my first bleeding periods in 10+ years. Ugh!

I had mine from April 04, until July 09. I know what you mean. I gained 40 or 50 lbs as soon as that thing came off. It actually felt good to eat again. I'll be totally honest though. I'll bet 2/3 of that weight gain was beer. I love the taste of beer. Once that was out, it was open season on Sam Adams. Of course I can't like something like Coor's light which is cheap and low in calories. I have to go for pricey and fattening LOL I'm telling you though, the first 2 years were ok for me. After that I was in nearly constant pain (apparently from the hole it was eroding in my tummy as I was "bubbly" all the time and doubled over with painful gas). I hated the food getting stuck and still being hungry. Once I started to have that gassy discomfort and tummy aches, that's when I started to put weight back on too. It happened to coincide shortly after I became pregnant with #3, but I honestly do not think one think effected the other. Pregnancy does not cause band erosion :wink0: I went on to have another baby on the band (2 band babies) and was uncomfortable every single day then too as well as for a year an a half after she was born.

38 pounds in two months is incredible! Who cares if the doctor says it's too slow, it's a loss. You by passed 3 major weight gaining holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas) and still managed to LOSE weight! Don't ever let anyone tell you it's too slow, not even yourself. You are doing amazing and soon you will be at your goal Congrats on the 38 pounds love!

FROM THE ARTICLE Re: Why dieting results in weight gain & will 5:2 be differe by carorees » 06 Feb 2013, 19:34 Hi Dominic I think the issue is not with the basic equation, which is of course correct, but that for most people who have lost weight the biological drive to go into positive energy balance is hard to overcome because our appetites are increased while the energy metabolised is lowered. Facing a lifetime of dietary restriction, most people fall off the wagon either intentionally (because the diet is too restrictive) or accidentally (because they did not realize that their energy use is lower than it should be for their height and weight). What happens as a result is that they not only regain the weight lost but a bit more because of the upward drift of the set point. Looking at the population of dieters it is not the weight loss that is the issue, it is maintaining the healthy weight afterwards for most people. The fact that the 5:2 lifestyle is sustainable indefinitely and the potential for it to have a different effect metabolically than traditional methods of calorie restriction gives us hope that it really will turn out to be the 'one'! I LIKE THE LAST PART!

Melody-- Thank you for being so positive--I've had people post me that pretty much made me feel guilty for getting pregnant so close after surgery, but I know this baby is God's will for my life, so I rejoice in that. I also believe that God lead me to get the lap band, so I'm confident that all will be well after the baby's born, and I'll resume my weight loss then. Sparkling, I know what you mean about the fatigue and lack of exercise. Before I was pregnant, I was jogging up to 2 miles/day and walking 2. At about 6 weeks pregnant, I was so tired, I couldn't do it anymore (and I have three children under the age of 5, so that makes me tired in itself ). Don't worry about your weight gain--just eat healthy foods and do the best you can... I think there are some signs to look for when dealing with a slipped band--more or less restriction (which I don't have much of at all because I have no fill), heartburn--I think that's the most obvious ones. I don't know. I just hope my band stays in place and works. I hope that I'm not stretching the top part of my stomach out too much...we'll see. Did you get a fill before you found out you were pregnant. I never made it that far...