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I hate to rain on your parade, but a total weight loss of 50 lbs by Christmas sounds like a big stretch to me. Average weight loss with the band is 1-2 lbs/week, so 40 lbs might be do-able. And at any rate, you're doing great so far and I don't want you to conclude that you're a failure if you don't hit the 50 lb goal by Christmas. How many calories a day does your surgeon/nutritionist want you to eat? I wouldn't be panicking over eating 1000 calories a day, especially if those calories consist of healthy foods (lean Protein, complex carbs, etc.).

I too never could get an answer about how many calories I should be taking in. I am 4 weeks post op. It's easy for me to take in calories, I could easily eat over 1000 a day. I found that sticking to 700/800 calories a day right now works best for my weight loss. I aim for about 30 carbs a day.

I put my Multi Vitamin patch on sometime after dinner but before bed. This way no worries to hide it during the day or at work. I like putting it right on my upper arm/shoulder. I live in South Florida so a lot of sleeveless blouses. My NUT said all the Vitamins I need are in the Multi. I get my blood work in a couple of weeks. They only do them after two months, but I won't be home for another three weeks, so my two month follow up is more like 2 1/2 months. However, with that said, I had already purchased the B12 patch. I decided to use that also. That one must go on during the day (it may interfere with sleep if put on at night). Now that one, I rotate around in order to hide it. If I'm going to the beach or pool, I will alter the time of day as it isn't waterproof. I can attest, it doesn't come off in the Water, but I'm told it isn't waterproof. Let me say this, one time I had put my multi on my back shoulder over a tattoo. when I pulled it off, it hurt and caused some irritation. I have no idea if it was over a tattoo, but its been two weeks and still is sensitive. I won't be applying it there again.

Okay people I'm STARVING!!! I have 5 days left until I can go to the mushies but I'm going to lose it if I have another shake. Does everyone wait for 2 weeks before mushies? And what were your mushies? Thanks!

Well according to my "homework" list all I have left to do is get my PCP's medical release. She's been gently suggesting this surgery to me for the past year, so I'm guessing that it won't be a problem to get. Let me just say I go from "hell no I'm not doing this to my body" to "this is going to be such a wonderful thing for myself and family". The rollercoaster of emotions is wearing me down. I've become totally obsessed with visiting online forums and watching YouTube videos. I want to know everything I can about it....Good Bad & Ugly. I think I made a mistake yesterday by telling my 7 year old daughter a bit about the surgery. Let me go back and say she is so worried about my weight and I think it really bothers her. A kid at her school told her "You have a fat mama" last week......broke my heart..tore it up. I'm not the person I want to be...I have zero energy....and I know its for the best to go ahead with the surgery. Anyway, she saw my Protein drinks in the fridge and wanted to drink them. I had to tell her those were my special drinks I need before my surgery, but I'd be glad to get her something else. She said "Just what are they going to do to your stomach anyway?". I was lost for words...I didn't want to totally freak her our...so I just said "well, they are going to reduce the size of mommy's tummy so I can eat less and be healthy." Of course she wanted more details....so I told her they would remove a portion of it. Her eyes got big as saucers.....then she promptly said "Well, if its going to make you healthy then go for it"! Since then she has been asking lots of questions...the first one being "Maybe you can just go on a diet and loose the weight then you won't have to have the surgery??" Oh how I wish it were that easy. Maybe I shouldn't of said anything to her, but I feel that its important for my kids to know whats going to be happening. All of my kids are very healthy. I've been uber paranoid that my kids would/will have a weight problem so I make sure they have healthy meals and Snacks. I just pray they don't end up like me...on insulin @ 37..oral diabetes meds for 4 years..and 100lbs overweight. Fellow parents, how did your kids react to your surgery? Has your lifestyle change been hard on them? Thanks

Congrats... I am schedule for next Thursday. It seems surreal that I will be one day sleeve next week.

OK, so I have been good at making sure I get enough Protein in. I average between 80-100g a day. I had my annual blood work done a few weeks early and the docs office left me a message yesterday telling me up my protein intake. Anyone know what could come up on a blood test to show them this or how it could be that 80-100g is not enough? I'm confused, that's how much they told me to eat in my manual and I've been trying to follow it everyday!

Hello. I didnt have have to wear an abdominal binder after surgery. My gas pain last for a good week. Walking really helps.

Our guideline was every hour or two and in between have a Protein shot or drink , one or two hour food then wait 30 mins to drink and then wait 30 to eat vice versa ,you won't feel hungry I'm 7 weeks out , here's a guideline for what you have .. living4myself_gb1-21-13:

HI, I'm about 40 days out from my surgery (booked for Dec 17th) Mexico, self pay. I'm from Alberta, Canada. I'm one of those "Type A", "always be prepared", "most organized in class", kind of person. I do my research and apply what I've learned to make decisions. So, I have my pre-op diet (I've had it for months), and have been studying it ruthlessly over the last few weeks, trying to get the right Protein powders, buying my favourite flavours of Jello, preparing my husband on how he can help me cook food, etc, and reading multiple posts here on bariatricpal.com. Getting more and more nervous/anxious/excited as the days keep trucking along. Having mini "food funerals" along the way...while trying to develop better habits before going into surgery - drinking more Water, get more walking in being a couple of them. My pre-op diet is specific about when to start the diet/how long to be on the diet, and then when to start liquid diet based on your BMI. Trouble is, while I have gained weight since, I used to see a personal trainer who was trained to measure body fat percentage the old fashioned way, with the callipers and the millimeters.... at the time, her measurements were about 10 points or more below what my fancy Fitbit scale or the online calculators told me. My question is.... for pre-op diet reasons... do you believe the scale's reading or maybe drop some points off it? Do you use the well published chart that's based on height, weight and age? do you trust the online calculators? Any pre-op advice?

Online BMI calculator should be fine. I had a bmi of 44 and had a 2 week pre-op diet.

I started my cycle Monday of last week today is Friday, it's been 11 days and I am bleeding very have with large blood clots. I went to the ER Wen. and they just gave my birthcontrol pills to take inorder to stop the bleeding. I am concerned that I will loose too much blood to have my RNY, The birth control pills will cause my blood to clot more after sergery. I don't know why this is starting now, I was think that I could be my nerves, I want the RNY im excited about it as well as scared as *ell but, I'm going through with it. My mother told me that the woman in my family have a history of this type of bleeding at aroung the age of 40. I just made 39 in August so, I'm just in time for all the fun. Has anyone else experanced this or know anyone that has?

Of course that makes sense! For many of us, we are overweight because food is an addiction. Much like a heroine addict or someone addicted to cigarettes. It's in the same class of addictions. One is not better than another...they are all the same in that they all engross a person physically AND emotionally. We become addicts for mental reasons, not physical ones. I've been rather emotional since getting my band. I am entering an epiphany of sorts, where I can clearly see now where I went wrong in the past. I immediately turned to food (I always denied that I was an emotionally addicted eater). The reason I can see it so clearly now is that the first thing I do when I'm upset or confused or angry...is walk to the kitchen and begin pacing because there isn't much I can have anymore. Before, I would walk in there and build a huge pile of nachos, toss them in the oven and then soak my sorrows in glory as I ate the whole thing. Now that I'm medically and physically unable to do those things, I find myself almost lost...but please note that I said almost. I'm only 2 weeks post-op and this is by far the greatest and most severe life-changing event I've ever gone through. Even more so than having my children! That's saying a lot. That proves to me and shows me that having this surgery was THE RIGHT decision for me. Otherwise, I would have eaten myself into an early grave. Now I must find other things to turn to during moments of my emotional roller coaster. This is a long road for so many reasons. I have to change my whole way of thinking. I have to now learn to love myself more than food. I have to figure out another way to channel my emotional energy when the going gets tough. I can do it. I'd be so proud if I could one day call myself an exercise addict! It's true. Find a counselor or therapist to help you get through it. I don't have one right now, because I really feel like I have a handle on things. I even stopped taking my antidepressants before my surgery. I wanted to feel every emotional moment of this journey and maybe there are days when I really should be taking my Zoloft still...but I'm glad I decided to drop them the way that I did. Not everybody is the same and not everybody is as nuts as I am to be able to say that they are GLAD they are riding this emotional roller coaster. I really am happy about it. It means things are on the move...things are changing...I'm changing inside and outside...even when the scale doesn't say so, it's okay, because I know better. Best of luck...you are not alone.

Susie... my first post here. I could have been your band-mate but I'm traveling to a wedding at the end of may and didn't think I wanted to be just two-weeks post-banding for my travels. I'm currently scheduled one month behind you... 6/17 for my banding with Dr. K. I'm not from out-of-state but I could be... I live in the far southwest corner of Colorado, seems like a million miles from anywhere. Good luck to you.

I am a RN at a large Neuro Center. My job doesn't require heavy lifting. I am going to ask for 3 weeks FMLA and come back after 2 weeks if I am recovering well from RNY bypass. Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

I'm getting sleeved July 28, I work in a smaller but very busy and very high acuity ER on nights. I've been open about my surgery, we are a very close knit group and I'm sure I'll get plenty of help with the heavy lifting, which fortunately there isn't too much of. I'm planning on 2-3 weeks off depending on how I'm feeling, I'm agency contract so I don't have PTO, but I have freedom to take off as much time as I want (provided I can afford it!) previous surgeon was very confident I could go back to full duty 2 weeks post RNY tho. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

2 weeks post op pain and burning I am entering week 3 post op. Saw my doctor after one week said all was good and I started feeling better too, felt like I was returning to normal. Today I went to get out of bed and has a sharp pain and burning sensation on my Left side near where your stomach is, near my belly button. Sharp/ burning lasts a minute and then is extremely sore like a bruise. I called my doctor and I do not see them for another two weeks, he said I must have pulled my internal stitch but it just happened again this evening. I have been able to drink and eat my puréed foods with no issues. I am not running a fever either. I am just curious did this happen to anyone else, same location and feeling?

The first picture is about a month out from surgery. The second is last night. I'm 6 days away from being 6 months out. I'm 115 lbs down. I have my 6 month post op appointment tomorrow and I'm SO nervous! I want my surgeon to be proud, and I want my levels to be good. I went to my 2 week pre op, but missed my 3 month. Anyways... Fingers crossed! [ATTACH]18264[/ATTACH]

I didn't have a clear liquids phase , I had to drink 2 choc shakes before leaving the hospital ( I was in for 5 days for vomiting) I was on shakes for 2 weeks and had no more vomiting issues then I started full liquids and did okay with yogurts . Then I was allowed eggs and puréed stuff and was able to keep some soups down and some puréed tuna.. Eggs didn't sit no matter how soupy. Now I'm on soft foods and the only thing that never causes an issue is cheese. Sometimes I can eat something and it's fine and then the next time I try the same food it comes right back up. I'm cleared for all foods on Friday but I don't see that happening since I can't even handle most soft foods now. I'm going to try all shakes for a few days and work on getting in fluids because I've been dizzy lately if I bend over so I want to concentrate on rehydrating. The doc says everything is fine and just I'm a slow healer!! Hopefully back tracking a little helps

My doc says I can have a fill every 4-6 weeks. I am scheduled for my second fill next week. I have noticed that in the past week I feel a lot more restricted at breakfast which makes it hard because I am pretty hungry by lunch.

Not to argue but the average person weighing 250 pounds burns approximately 150 calories per mile. 150 x 6 miles is only 900 calories, a far cry from Three Thousand to Three Thousand Six Hundred calories. Maybe some of the problem is that he thinks he's burning more than he really is. I realize that people burn more or less depending on age, height, etc, but your talking a difference of 2,700 calories???

My first appointment is March 22nd and I can't wait. I wish I could have gotten in sooner, but every thing happens for a reason. I would have loved to get the process going like 3 weeks ago, but work pushed me back. So now I will probably not be able to get the surgery done as soon as I wanted. So any how moving on ... it sounds like a lot of shit to have to do before you can get this surgery. It makes me think twice, but I really need to just set my mind and go for it. Once I start going to all the appointments and figure out exactly what I have to do it may not seem that bad.

Mine changed. I'm still pre op, but had to do a trial 2 week liquid diet to "work any kinks out" before meeting my surgeon to see what I liked and if I could handle it. I was in the same boat as you with issues going, and I was worried. I just made sure to drink more and more Water. At about day 12/13 everything changed and I had no issues anymore, and everything was soft. sorry for the TMI, but I hope it gets easier for you as well.

I had my surgery last week. I didn't meet the doctor until my pre op class. he was nice.

Hi All- I went in for my 2nd fill today. I've lost 60pounds, I exercise 5 days a week. So my dr pokes me, and hits the side of my port. My port has flipped. I have to go in August 20th and have surgery to correct it. It's not a big surgery obviously, but it's a small set back. AFter surgery I will have to wait to be fully healed again before exercising. Second- I was on vacation all last week, living it up in Keywest & South Beach. I get to work today to have the District VP tell me that my position has been eliminated & that I have 30-60 days. There is really no place for me to transfer to inside the company b/c we are on a hiring phase. soooooooooooo it appears my day just can't get any better! Thanks for all who reads this, I just needed to vent. I'm past the point of crying.