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I wore a binder for about a week after surgery- it really helped keep me from moving in ways that would cause the incisions to hurt. I don't know if shapewear will help your body go back to where you want it. I bought some because some of my skin has gotten saggy as I've lost weight. I pretty much only wear it if I'm putting on something form-fitting. Krista

Thanks everyone for all the kind words an support im trying to stay positive still crying for no reason ive read a lot an it says people who have surgeries like ours an other one will cause depression so im hoping it passes soon an my life gets back in order ive had a lot more problems happen since last post its like everyday something more on my plate im like can I just go back to 2013 lol but god has a plan im sure of it an i just try n take one day at a time feeling good tho go to gym at least every other day weight isnt coming off on scale as fast as I thought but im losing inches my biggest trip is the 2 inches in my neck alone lol but now I have wrinkly skin under chin oh well an ive got major angle wings going on under arms but ive been on pain meds for many years for pinch nerves in neck an back but im almost off as of this week just take one a day from the 3 I use to take so thats great

First, stop reading (before you drive yourself nuts), you have all the information you need and you'll have an opportunity to ask questions at the seminar, and if your having surgery in the US more than likely your surgeon has a staff of support people available for you, pre and post surgery. Then come back to this form and only read the ones that are for a specific question you have. I highly suggest you look at a website I found reading post on this form. Kelly is an amazing, funny, and most impressive; honest person about weight loss. She brings up all the things we all feel, but think we are the only ones dealing with such issues. I too have done a ton of reading, and was asking the same questions as you. After reading several of Coffeys articles, my life makes so much more sense. Bad choices, bad habits, yup, I'm the only one who put the food physically in my mouth, but now I'm learning so much more. Go over and cruise her site www.strongcoffey.com I too have the same concerns as you. I know and know of people who have had some form of WLS,only to either not lose the weight, or gain it back. But I have a most critical eye, I saw, first hand these people over eating, eating everything in site, not "choosing" nourishing food, but eating and drinking crap! Surgery is only a tool. We have to learn the rest. This is what I am currently working on. My insurance doesn't cover WLS (bastards!) but I do believe things happen for a reason. So, I am taking this time to work on me. To learn how to handle situations better, how to see them coming and be prepared to ensure I'm taking care of me first and foremost. Please, be honest with yourself. Ask the tough questions, write them out, discuss them with your support person. What ARE YOU going to do differently once you have WLS? More importantly, what are you currently doing to start the process now? For me, I have started exercising. No excuses. I have arthritis in both feet and ankles. No longer an excuse. I am using free weights and a rebounder (mini trampoline). I listen to NPR while I bounce. Music disrupted my rhythm I am eating better. No processed food, none nada. I eat when I'm hungry. I eat fresh food and cook it myself. I allow myself 1 teaspoon of sugar in my one cup morning decafe coffee. Otherwise only Water for drinking and no other sugar. My body doesn't like grains. I try to avoid them. I pack my lunch and have healthly Snacks available when needed. Sure there is still not so healthly food in my house. But there will always be unhealthly food (to me) available everywhere I go. Its learning how to handle and react around those foods that are my goal. My family doesn't have to follow my eating "rules". But at dinner time, we all sit down to a meal that is designed around my plan. Tonight it was 4oz of Cod, with a big helping of steamed zucchini with a touch of olive oil and a dusting of parmesean cheese. I would already be on the surgery table had my insurance approved it. But I now see I need this time to process my decisions and make healtly choices to set myself up for sucess once I do have WLS. I am looking into Medical Tourism for my surgery. My insurance will cover consuling and working with a nutritionist, so I have started the journey before "hitting the table". I'm sure others will answer your post. Good luck on your journey....

I'm taking a very long time to get my weight off so its hard for me to keep motivated. I have months of success and then months of failure. I think right now I'm motivated because I joined weight watchers again and that coupled with the support of my friends and co-workers has put me over the top in terms of tracking what I eat and walking more.

Glad you wrote about this. I had my band on August 14.I had my first fill today and it was a difficult procedure. they tried multiple times to with a two inch then three inch needle. I did have pain killer, lidacane which helped alot. We tried on my right side, on my back. Finally sitting up with my arm over my head worked best. My doctor says as I lose weight it will get easier. Yeah ! She also warned me I would be very bruised. I had 3cc put in today and will have another fill in 2 weeks. Liquids today, muschies tommorow and food on Wednesday. If they could not have gotten it I would have had to go to the hospital to have it done there. My nurse drew a map and put it into my files about where my port it located. Today I regretted every M&M and every chip I ever ate ! I am sure it will go better for you when you go in again. Carol

I am having lap-band surgery 12/17/08. I am super excited to get a NEW lease on life. I am 33 and have acquired a few health issues. I am ready to finally lose the weight I have fought my whole life. Out with the old and and in with the new life.

well as of tomorrow it will be 1 year & counting... It has not been without trials & tribulations....First i did not have my first fill till June and that was only becuz i wanted one not that i needed one...and when she tried 2 give me one she had a very hard time getting the needle in almost to the point where i passed out...than my mom had a surgical prob which i did not go back till aug which again the person who ws giving me the fill had an extremely hard time giving me the fill... i contribute a lot of my weight loss 2 head set & exercise 5 times a wk.....than when i finally saw my dr they fired the person who ws doing the fills he hd a very hard time doing the fill as well. i hd lost 63 lbs so far.....nov came and they sd my ring hd slippled or flipped....i wnt into emergency surgery they replaced my ring....than they told my my bladder hd prolapesed du 2 my weight loss so now i wnt into surgery on jan 24 which i also hd a hysterectomy done.. guess what my bladder had nt slipped but they did the hysterectomy anyways so now i cant exercise till march sometime.....i also incurr alot of slimming & pbing.....right now i can eat fine who knows what tomorrow will bring.....many friends say give up the ring i say no way I will nvr give it up it still limits me as 2 what I can eat & how much... I never want 2 go back 2 what i was I ws miserable.....I wish all of you who visit this site peace whithin yourself...you need to love who u r not what u look like.......:clap2:

It sounds like you are too tight. My patients can eat a wide variety of foods, including meats...and they lose weight to boot! They are happy! If you sat down at dinner with my nurse, you'd never know that she was banded. Best of luck, Dr. Vuong

Malvord...believe me when I say all those thoughts were in most of our minds. But remember why you took this path in the first place. Two weeks is one thing but, the rest of your life is another. i for one did well on new diets for about 3 weeks. Then I'd hit a plateau and go another week. If that scale didn't move I'd immediately quick and eat my way back to where I started and then some sometimes. I went the lapband route the first time around because I was afraid to cut into organs. It was a great tool but, in the end I had trouble with it and it had to come out...so after yet again gaining weight back I knew this is what I needed to do for myself, my health and my life. Believe me I had doubts a few weeks before, then again 3 days before...scared, worried but, at the same time excited. It's natural! Only you can decide if it's right for you though. Write the pros and cons of the surgery, do more research and search deep within you about whether this is for you. Good luck and thinking of you.

I was banded back on 10/13/08 and my recovery was very smooth. I'm down a total of 45 pounds from my highest, but only about 33 since surgery. Everyone says that once you reach restriction, it is a whole different world and many find themselves losing weight more easily. Ummm....well why isn't this happening for ME!! I faithfully went every 4 weeks for small fills until I felt good restriction. I've had one small .3 cc unfill because I was a little too tight. So why o why am I still at the same friggen fraggin weight? I don't eat that much and have fairly good daily activity. I wasn't too pleased that it took me about 7 months to finally get restriction, but I kept thinking that things will change once I'm at my sweet spot. These are those frustrating times I honestly wish I had chosen the sleeve over the band. Thanks for listening to my rant :grouphug:

I think everyone is different and it is important to start with where you are. To be fit, my understanding is that : aerobic capacity, strength, endurance, balance, and flexibility are all important. (I am not an expert so may be leaving something out). For me, I prefer Water exercise: swimming laps, water aerobics, water weights, and stretching. It might be a good idea to talk with a trainer or other fitness professional for an assessment of where you are and to talk about your goals.

I was hoping to lose >50lbs (given I did >40lbs with WW but then re-gained, I was really hoping to lose 70lbs). I barely have any restriction to speak of and can't really say I have much of a tool at all!

I don't believe any advertisements for stuff that says it burns fat. But I also watched this Dr Oz show a couple of weeka go and went ahead and bought some from Amazon. If I remember to take it I'm doing ok. Don't know if it's working or not. Haven't gained anything in the past week since my band has been emptied due to a slip. I was so afraid I'd gain a couple of lbs this next 2 weeks till it's filled again. Like I sai I don't usually believe anything that states that it burns fat, but I trust Dr Oz. So I thought I'd give it a shot. My husband is taking them too. I'll keep you updated on his progress. Marci

Apparently, Plixies have a much slower weight loss rate than those who have other types of wls. At least this is what I am reading. On top of that I happen to be a slow loser anwayway. It was my intention to loose 78lbs. So far, I have 48 lbs. So, Im sitting here wondering, will I really ever lose the last 30 lbs? I know that I will probably loose 20 more lbs, but I cant say with certainty that I will lose 30 lbs more. I say this because it has really been a struggle to do the 48lbs. THis surgery was nothing more than a tool. I still have to keep my eating habits at the fore front of my mind and really watch my food and Water intake. Im sure it will be like this for the rest of my life. Just the hand I was dealt. But in my heart, I really wonder sometimes if I will ever make my goal. I was expecting for this to take about 5 months and it looks like it will take about 8.5 months to reach goal. I know I chose the right surgery for me. Also, I realized that there has been little to no deprivation. I can still eat what I want, just not much of it AT ALL. How do you feel about your goal and has it changed since started to see results?

I went for my preop appointment with my Dr. today. My surgery was scheduled for the 19th and according to my scale I had lost 8 lbs. According to their scale I had lost 1 lb.... REALLY!!! Now my surgery is pushed back a week in hopes that I can loose the weight. I fully understand the reasoning behind the weight loss and the need to reschedule. My frustration comes in that I have been following what I thought was an appropriate preop diet. The nuturitionist at the Dr's office moved out of state and they haven't replaced her yet. (it's been a month) I went through all my information I had received before she left and found nothing on what to do for a preop diet. My Dr. requires a liquid diet for 2 weeks prior. I've been looking at the information for right after surgery and following that. Protein shakes, low calorie soups without anything in them, and no calorie drinks. I'v been keeping my calories at 800-1000 per day. Any suggestions would be helpful, Thank you,

Welcome Grateful Heart. Sounds like we're in similar boats; my internist in July told me to act NOW or I'd be a full blown diabetic by Christmas. I got my band today and I think I am going to love it! I have a large ventral hernia my doc didn't fix because he said it would just reoccur until I lost weight....but I think they do fix most hiatal hernias! You'll learn more as you meet your surgeon etc.

Hi everyone, I havent post anything since September. a recap, I was banded on July 3rd weighting 238, today 12/29/12 I am 209. My first two fills didnt feel much of restriction only lost 21 pounds in four moths. I had my 4th fill on 12/17/12 and I have lost 10 lbs since than.. It hasnt been easy for me, I've been vomitting almost every day. The past two or three day I ve been better, I just need to keep in mind the small bites and shew shew shew.. After all, I am very happy of my weight lost and focused to reach my goal before my year bandnniversary.. I hope all of you are having great results as well..

I guess at times eagerness to reach the goal weight gets the better of us, I constantly remind myself not to starve myself of calories.

I had my surgery today at 11:30 and I am so shocked at how very little pain I have! No nausea right now, but I haven't started my clear liquids yet. I'm walking and pulling 3000 on the incentive spirometer. I really just had to share this because its pretty awesome!!! I guess I was expecting the worse. I'm 5'2 #215, SW 195#. I followed a preop diet of strict carb/starch restriction to lose my weight. The Dr said by detoxing from sugars and starches and caffeine before hand is probably why I'm doing so well.

That will be Drs question to be on th safe side. In my case I was told: do not lift anything heavier than 20lbs for 2 months. 2 months (time it takes sleeve to fully heal /s seal). After 2 months I started with low intensity cardio. By the 3rd month I started doing weight training. Again check with your doctor first. Good luck

Tomorrow will be 7 days on my liquid diet and I've already lost over 12 lbs! This has been feeling amazing, I've lost a bit over 20lbs total since my highest weight in September! I'm determined to get through this, especially knowing the scale will be going downhill from here! So far so good, there was one day I started liquids late and got a headache and another day I realiZed I just missed chewing! Thankfully that was only an hour before bed and I slept that off! Can't wait for Jan 6!

I had my surgery on Nov. 25, 2008 and have lost 30 pounds. The weight loss has been very slow but I'm trying to stay optimistic. Thought it would be nice to have someone to chat with who actually understands all the ups and downs of living with a band. I'm a teacher and out for summer right now. I'm one of those "eat when you get bored" kind of people. I've had 8 adjustments so far. I've had an annoying pain in my right side every since the surgery. It comes and goes. My doctor says that it couldn't be related in anyway to my band. It's not "female" related because I've already had all of that checked out. TMI! (too much information) Anyway, just wondering if anyone else has had similiar aches and pains.

So, yesterday I drove all the way from my job in Stockton to my surgeon's seminar in Roseville--that was about a 90 minute drive in busy traffic. Dr. Waldrep is very informative and didn't make people feel like they asked stupid questions even when they did. He showed videos of band surgery and also explained bypass. The room was a mix of prospective bypass, band, and undecided patients. A woman there was supporting her husband; she was a former bypass patient of Dr. Waldrep's 'she'd lost 185 pounds. SHe told her story and that she had just run the California International Marathon 2 weeks ago--very inspirational. When we were leaving, I ended up being on the same elevator with her and thanked her for sharing. It was a long walk to the parking lot. She said to me, "Remember how you feel walking right now, and don't ever forget how this feels to you." I said, "I'd like to forget it right now." And she said, "But don't you ever forget. A year from now when you're thin, remember this walk so you'll never go back." Those words will probably stay with me a very long time. Dr. Waldrep's staff are also very efficient. I'm a bit annoyed because I have to redo blood work I just had done last month because they have a lab slip with all the blood tests and urine tests, etc, preprinted. What a waste of time to have a pregnancy test. For crying out loud! I'm 45 years old, the lining of my uterus was burned away in a uterine ablation and my husband's had a vascectomy. If I'm pregnant, that would indeed be a sign from God! This end of things is a bit conveyer belt -ish, but I guess it's their way of making sure everything is done. They have a very extensive website at www.salsa.md/ We began the meeting by getting weighed on a fancy machine--gave all sorts of body fat analysis reports and other inforamtion to make you want to cringe. Then they took the humiliating "before" picture" front and side views--not pleasant. I envisioned myself a year or two from now, with my "after" picture--me all made over, with a new hairdo, cute clothes, make-up, and high heels. My before and afters in a magazine or commercial for Lap Band. More likely, though, in my wallet as a reminder of where I was and how far I'd come. I weighed 2 pounds less than last week when I was at my doctor's. I don't think I necessarily lost weight as much as this is a kinder scale. So to date I have done my EKG--a non-eventful experience at my PCP--healthy heart :biggrin: Psych eval is on the 29th; nutrition eval is on the 23rd; I will get my new lab work and chest x-ray during Winter break, and my mandatory group support meeting, which is on Saturday. After that, I will be ready for my one-on-one with THE DOCTOR:biggrin:. Only a matter of weeks now before I get my surgery.

When you lose weight you are shrinking fat cells, you never lose them just shrink them. They are full of all sorta of things not just "fat" they are full of hormones especially estrogen and progesterone. Both of these will mess with your period. My period has yet to be regular like it used to be. I had the mirena taken out after my husband had a vasectomy so I am all natural now. Good luck.

Im in week 34 & im 1 year an 7 months post op my food intake is greater than before pregnancy i find myself always hungry , ive been working out daily at the gym an have gained 30lbs so far almost done with this pregnancy any tips for dieting and losing baby weight gain afterwards? Well wish me luck