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Its been 10 days I had surgery and I'm feeling great!! Can't wait for next week I start on mushy foods ..... overall I feel great and feel happy.... Last week I was crying thinking what did I do? Today is a new day and I feel so so much better 100% better thanks to everyone that sent me messages encouraging me and telling me all was going to be ok )))

Hi Judy ~ try not to be discouraged!! I think honestly the huge amount you lost right away has a lot to do with it. I am May 20th so we are right on track with each other and I've lost 41 lbs, just in a different way. 18 first week, then 10 over the next 2 weeks, then 5, then I stalled for a bit, then 4, then 3. Every time you lose 20-30 lbs your body takes a while to adjust before moving on. If you really think you may need changes, examine your calories (should be 600-800 a day the first year) that's net calories meaning if you exercise and burn 200, then you should eat 800-1000 so that you net 600-800. You can always try upping your exercise also. I have been doing 30-60 mins 4-5 days a week. Just hang in there - it will work! Also congrats on getting off all the meds!!

Hi Kate i had my WLS because i had tried any all "diets" hate that word. I also lost a zillion lbs over and over, and then gained the weight back + congrats on loosing your weight again through proper eating & exercise if you think this is the time you can keep the weight off, thats great - no WLS necessary but...............if once again you are afraid you might regain the weight, the WLS sleeve is for you IMO the sleeve gives you alot of help to loose your weight, but.............you have to work with the sleeve by eating properly, small portions, following many rules, esp Water drinking before, during and after meal good luck DOS 12/15/11 235 lbs 10/15/12 145 lbs down 90 lbs want 10 more so i can join Lissa and others in the Century Club good luck on your decision

Personally, I'd tell the caseworker to suck it. Get that surgery done!! That said, if you are good with the new date, great! I would go to a consignment store and spend as little as possible. If you can make it in workout wear only, Walmart has great options at superlow prices. I find their workout clothes last the longest and at $8-$10 a pair, they can't be beat. They have full length and capri length, leggings and yoga (which is a bit looser).

Hi all needing some help again. I’ve struggled with vomiting after eating foods since I’ve moved on from the soft food phase, so much so that I’ve gone back to soup being my primary intake as that’s the best chance I’ve got of keeping it down. There are no patterns to the types of food I eat and which can result in vomiting and pain. i went to see my GP and my bloods are showing iron deficiency and further issues with my parathyroid (?) which they are investigating. Just wondering if anyone has any insight or advice? it would be much appreciated - thanks 🙏🏻

I was sleeved on oct 4. Ive only lost 11 lbs so far. I had gained 10 lbs during hospital stay so that was gone plus 11 lbs. I dont eat much. I get my protein in. Water is difficult to drink im trying but its hard. Why am I losing so slowly. I developped sciatica my worst episode ever and was bedridden for 8 days as walking painful. Will I be relegated to slow loserville. I had a bmi of 47 going in, and have 140 to lose. Im terrified I am failing. I try and usually eat under 800 calories. Help please im discouraged

Ok. .. Same pattern for the 3 months post RNY ! Everytime I go even a tiny bit past full, I must be tickling that Vagas nerve! My nose will just run for 10 -15 minutes! How crazy is this?? Anyone else have this one?

Hey everyone! I was trying to research it but had trouble finding the answer I'm looking for... What is the expected percentage of weight loss after surgery by month? I am about 10 months out and I was wondering what the normal weight loss percentage was at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 months were. I found many different numbers and was wondering what you all knew? I saw there is an estimated 60% extra body weight loss but is that after how long? Is that in years or months? How much have you all lost? What is your loss percentage = (Starting weight-current weight)/(Starting weight-goal weight)? How far out are you?

Jan 02 2006 302 Jan 31 2006 294 1st consultation Apr 27 2006 292 pre-op diet May 04 2006 296 pre-op consultation May 09 2006 289 surgery May 23 2006 275 post-op consult -19 (-27) May 26 2006 271 return to work -21 (-31) July 23 2006 266 July 28 2006 271 2nd surgery Aug 10 2006 265 follow-up visit -29 (-37)

Well. Here we are. You and Me, Me and You. I bet you're wondering how you let your life come to this. How could you end up in front of the computer at this ungodly hour reading a blog about someone that you hardly know, or at least thought you knew. I'll tell you how. Fate. Fate has been a cruel mistress, that is, if I had mistresses, but also a fantastic one. My life began simply enough. I was born to a Paramedic Father, and Nurse Mother, with one older brother. I grew up normally. It wasn't until I met a certain Argentine that things began to get obscure in my life. Dating a very talented Musician with a famous mother, and successful business man as a father would be any 16 year old's dream. Put the cherry on top with summers in Spain, and learning Spanish in that 'oh so sexy' Argentine accent and you have a cocktail for adventure. Truly it was an adventure, every minute of it. Probably the best years of my life so far. Until I graduated High School and life hit me like a ton of bricks. Realistically I knew there was no future for me living in Spain. I returned home, and my estranged relationship only suffered more, until under the weight of the stress it snapped like a fine weathered thread pulled to it's limit. I felt like life was pointless, and I packed up what belongings would fit into my mid sized car and hoofed it to SoCal. Land of renewal, land of redemption, land of a whole lot of Mexicans. There I settled into a good routine. Working, School, Sleep, Working, School, Sleep. But how much could I handle at the tender age of 19? Again I felt that thread begin to age, and the stress began to pull tight until finally it relented to the pressure, and I was on a plane back home to Michigan. Even then I still hadn't forgotten my years with the Argentine, but life was still moving forward at an alarming pace. Michigan weather began to cool, and the breezes were nipping at my new California glow, and the urge to escape this place of memory and heart break swelled in me once more. A chance meeting with a certain Doctor to be set my mistress in motion once more, and before I knew what was happening I was on a plane to India. The heat of North India was fierce. But the new budding relationship of this brother of a doctor to be was keeping my head swimming in cool water. Four months passed, and it was time for me to return back to that place that I had been trying to escape for so long. Back to the land of my parents, and grandparents. Life again, sat on that sting, I watched and waited for months. Idly passing my time with months on end in a small room, hoping that things would change, that life would begin again. I wondered how long my life had been in a stand still. Three years. College was a refuge, for a short time. It wasn't until I decided that I would begin again, alone, just me, just Miss Duke, and no one else. I would depend on myself alone for pushing forward, did things really begin again. Here it is, Four years later, I'm a Paramedic Extern, and soon I will be attending a very nice University in Detroit. Wayne State. Something came out of my trials and tribulations. I traveled the world, learned three languages, learned a lot about myself, about other people. I became conscious of other people. Something many Americans never learn, never attempt at, never imagine. Now that there is some understanding of who I am, how I am, and why I am. I can begin the blog that will help fill in the missing lines, and paint with broader strokes to elaborate this short explanation of a Legend.

I had lap-band surgery in October, 2007. It took some time (and lot’s of effort), but I managed to lose 110 lbs. Like many of you, I was thrilled with the weight loss, but, very uncomfortable in my own (sagging) skin. Specifically, my breasts. After losing the weight, my breasts were elongated, droopy and resembled deflated balloons. Very unattractive, to say the least. I’ve always had large breasts, no matter what the scale reflected. I decided to have breast reduction surgery, and started searching for a surgeon. My criteria was quite simple; must be board certified in Plastic Surgery, close to my home, easy to talk to (not all “doctor-ish”), and perhaps most important – results! I found Dr. Kasden in Southlake, Texas. He had a Web site with lots of pictures, and I immediately liked what I saw. I made an appointment, and within 2 weeks was in his office. I instantly liked him. He was very casual, yet professional. Exactly what I was searching for. At this point in time, I had lost about half my weight, still had quite a bit to go. Dr. Kasden was candid, and advised it was not the right time for my surgery. For optimal results, I should be within 10-15 lbs of my “goal”. He explained doing surgery then was not in my best interest. Breast size will change as a direct result of my weight, and doing the surgery while still planning to lose 50 additional pounds was not ideal. Although the news was disappointing, I appreciated his honesty. He then took measurements and we talked for over an hour. I left his office feeling highly motivated to lose the weight and come back as soon as possible! Fast forward 6 months. I did lose the weight, and made another appointment as soon as I hit the 10-15 pound range. Things took off very quickly! Dr. Kasden took measurements again, and my breasts hadn’t changed much at all. It was finally time to get the ball rolling! I met most of the criteria to have insurance cover the costs, and Dr. Kasden did all the rest. Within 8 weeks I was approved, and before I knew it, surgery was scheduled 2 days before Christmas! I met with him several more times prior to surgery. He explained everything in detail, answered my same silly questions over and over. I took my mom with me at one point, and she had the same silly questions. He addressed all our concerns and made me feel very confident and comfortable. The day of surgery is honestly a blur (luckily!). I have an extreme phobia of needles, blood, hospitals…. doctors in general. I was prescribed some valium to take before surgery, which helped ease my fears. Surgery went very well, and I was home that night. There was very little pain during recovery, and I’m a HUGE baby. I had a slight reaction to the antibiotics, and ended up calling Dr. Kasden Christmas night. I imagine my phone call was quite the intrusion, but, he was nothing but courteous and showed much concern. He opened his office the next morning to see me, and was diligent in aiding my recovery. It’s been 6 weeks since surgery, and I’m absolutely thrilled with the results! Although my scars are new and “fresh”, I’m still 100% satisfied with my new perky and proportionate breasts! Dr. Kasden says they’ll only get better from here. It can take up to 6 months for the final result. I was back to work within 2 weeks, and wearing sexy bra’s from Victoria’s Secret within 6 weeks. Unbelievable! For all of you wondering if breast reduction is worthwhile, I can say without any doubt that is most certainly is! I feel petite, and slender, and confident. My clothes look completely different, I walk completely different…it’s amazing! I went from a 38DD to a 34C. They fit my new frame perfectly. I can’t recommend Dr. Kasden enough. If anyone would like more information on Dr. Kasden, or, the surgery itself – please contact me directly. Best of luck to all of you! http://www.southlakeplasticsurgeon.com/

Good luck ladies! I will be going on my 1 year post op anniversary March 10.

Does he like any kind of juice? I poured the Isopure Fruit Punch over crushed ice with some cranberry juice. It helped the taste and texture. Some people just can't stand that texture. (oops, I didn't notice that he will drink the isopure! That's good! It's good Protein and he really doesn't need anything else at this point.) Have you tried some of the slimfast Low Carbs drinks or the Atkins? I'd take him to the store and tell him to find stuff that he'll drink. Allow him to drink anything he wants. At this point, the important thing is that he heals and allows the band to set properly around his stomach. Tell him that calories don't matter at this point, because they truly do not. It's more important to stick with the liquids and allow healing. He's 19 years old and he is now banded. He's going to have to start being responsible for himself and his nutrition. With some guidance from you, I think it will work. But you might have to push him to get serious about finding and trying some other things. Good Luck!

One thing I forgot to mention is you are only on the treadmill for a very short time ( I think 10 minutes or less). There is a lot of waiting during those 3 hours.

My procedure was at 10 am ... I slept until 5:30 pm! No pain pump or oral pain meds needed. No N/V. Ached when deep breathe, cough and IS. Went home fine the next day. I say I got lucky . Exercise, Protein and Water!

I am 5 days post-op, and I have almost no pain. Gas pain in the shoulder lasted three days, and at times it really sucked. Pain immediately post-op was minimal, and I would say it never got above a 4 in a 1-10 scale. I sleep on my side or stomach now, the incisions look ok, and I'm barely hungry. The only time the urge to eat REALLY hits is when I see other people eating food I used to love. However, that is slowly abating as well. The only thing I truly want right now is a change in taste and texture of food, as the liquid diet is pretty limiting. All the medicines and drinks I have seem to either be cherry or berry in flavor, and it's not the good flavored items either. I haev always hated fake sugar items, and it's going to take a while to get used to teh nasty taste and after-taste they have. Splenda may be my long-term friend, but I dislike it in the short-term.

I was banded in June and have been slow to lose weight mainly cause I didn't have restriction till my last fill (8cc in 11cc band) and now have better restriction. Up until 10 days ago, I wasn't getting hungry till like 4 hours after a meal, now it's more like 2.5 - 3. My question is if the reason we feel full is becuase our small pouch is full, and it takes one hour or so to empty the pouch, then how do we stay full for 4 hours? How do we feel full for hours when our small pouch empties out in an hour or so? Thanks!

For those who haven't been following my story............... I was diagnosed with an eroded band in November of 2011 and had it removed in March of 2012. I had to wait for six months before revising to the gastric sleeve as my surgeon wanted to wait for me to heal completely and do medical tests before confirming that I would be a good candidate for the sleeve. I have complete those tests and he was satisfied that I could have the sleeve. We also found that I had developed another hiatal hernia (the first one was repaired when I had my lap band surgery). My predetermination request for the sleeve surgery was denied. They stated that I needed to complete a six month weight loss program in order for them to consider my request. I asked my surgeon's insurance coordinator to appeal based on the reasoning that this was a repeat surgery for a lap band that had medically failed me and that I shouldn't have to complete the six month medically supervised weight loss program. She filed an appeal but no where in the letter did it address the six month weight loss program so of course they denied me again stating that we still hadn't submitted the records they had requested. Frustrated beyond belief, I took the initiative to write my own appeal letter. I used language from the BCBS-AL bariatric policy regarding repeat surgeries and their rationale for requiring the six month weight loss program and explained how I had met that rationale just by having a lap band for four years and that my waiting for six months before revising to another surgery was not conducive to improving my health. I just got off the phone with BCBS-AL and they have approved my surgery!!!!!! I am actually shocked that I succeeded in my appeal. I fully expected them to deny me and had already started the medically supervised six month weight loss program in preparation for that denial (and have lost 10 lbs over a six week period which is nice). I'm excited, relieved and nervous! I've been through this before so I don't know why but I am. I was very successful with my lap band (losing 94 lbs). I remember how wonderful it felt to be thin and feel good about myself and how I looked and not to be in pain anymore from carrying around all this extra weight (yes I packed the pounds back on after my band was removed). I can't wait to be there again! Yeah me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@@Fiqah87 Personally I use Fairlife milk and unjury chocolate Protein shake. I use 54 grams (two servings) and with 10 oz of the milk and the powder I wind up with 59.1g of medical grade protein that tastes like chocolate milk. It is absolutely wonderful. Certainly worth a try.

I had a c-section at midnight and was out of bed at 10 a.m. that morning and walking down to the nursery. I was back at work a little over 2 weeks later (teaching elementary school). Lap band surgery one morning, back to work half day the next day and then full-time after that. On a scale of 1 to 10 for pain....c-section was about a 6....lapband 1. Pain may be too strong of a word. It was more an uncomfortableness. I never filled my pain meds. Now, talk to me about paper cuts though. Those are a 10. .

I'm not long into this yet -- almost 10 months, and have already hit goal and lost 5 pounds below that now. Maintenance is new to me -- about 1-1/2 months now. For me, the difference seems to be: 1. Less hunger -- the "lot less ghrelin" factor has been a big deal for me. 2. Restriction -- that's still a big deal for me, too. As we all know, the restriction is less than it used to be. But it's quite functional at this point. 3. New habits -- boy, do I have a lot of good, new habits: eating slower, chewing longer, planning my daily menus, recording my food intake, weighing daily. I'm even grooming myself better -- brushing teeth 2X daily, doing better skin care, getting dressed every day, wearing makeup, getting my hair done on schedule, etc. 4. I can move more now -- and, boy, do I move more! Weighing 90 pounds less has made me MUCH more energetic. I simply could not move much at all a year ago. And all that moving is burning calories. I'm cleaning house, walking, exercising, gardening, shopping more, and everything else you can imagine. 5. Elevated mood. I'm not nearly as depressed as I was a year ago when I weighed 90 pounds more, I was in physical pain, I was a functional agoraphobic (I could fly cross-country, but refused to go to the local Wal-Mart). And now I'm simply not pissed, embarrassed, afraid, etc. I am so much happier. Skinnier Me = Happier Me = Skinnier Me. 6. Seeing a shrink has helped. I've never seen a shrink before, but at my PCP's urging started doing so when I started my WLS journey. He's helped me stay quite focused on the right stuff. No big trauma in my past has been uncovered. But I've explored the factors associated with my past failures in caring for myself in the past and ways I can change those patterns. That's all been very helpful. So far, for me, this has all been a dynamic dealio in that everything above seems to feed everything else. Put another way, when everything is working well, everything works well. When everything sucks, everything sucks. And according to my shrink, people who've reached goal risk regaining when they don't keep changing their goals, e.g., we lost weight -- now what? Get fitter? Leverage our new health to start our dreamed-for career? Human beings don't "stand still" very comfortably. ... anyway, those are some thoughts from my point of view. Kindle, I hope you can find some peace in all this chaos thrust upon you. I'd love to "poof" you better, but I can't find my wand right now. ;(

Hey! We are in the same boat. I am 3.5 weeks out and can barely stomach food. It's really catching up with me too bc I'm running around after two 8 year old twin boys, driving all over town, and my energy had plummeted. I was doing fine until this week. I cannot seem to get my protein in or all my water. Yesterday I was so fatigued and weak that someone asked me if i was ok to drive home! One trick that has worked, though it takes me forever to get though a mug, is that bariatric hot chocolate that has 15 grams of protein. I mix it with 8 ounces of milk bc cup of milk has 10 grams of protein so 25 grams in a mug. The taste is pretty good, it's just kind of rich and takes me about 1-2 hours to get through. As I write this though, not having eaten anything yet, the thought isn't appealing. (Who ever thought I would not want food??!!!) my biggest concern is losing my hair if I can't get my protein up-omg trading in one insecurity for another!!!! Last night we went to Thai food and I ordered soup made with coconut milk to up my calories and added soft tofu. I got a little down. I'm right there with you! I have even thought about puréeing a protein bar into my shakes. You should see my front room-Amazon delivered powdered peanut butter (PB2), bars and shakes. It looks like a protein store and I want none of it. Holding your hand from California! I'm here with ya! 5'7 HW: 256 SW: 248 CW: 235 At 2 week post op GW: 150 Fantasy GW: 135 Sleeved 8/7

My surgeon said I was able to do whatever I felt I could do cardio-wise. He also said I could do light weightlifting up to 20 or 25 lbs. He said just to take it easy and go slowly. This was at my 10 day post op. Only restriction is swimming (or any activity submersed in water) for 6 weeks or until incisions healed. Can't wait to swim!!

I as banded on Friday, December 19, 2008. I am hungry but managing quite fine. Just had my delicious lunch of chicken broth.:biggrin: I am anxious to get thin so ignoring the hunger. we shall see how long that works. lol

Yes. I gained 10 pounds or so. You are pumped full of fluids during surgery. Don't obsess about it; it's just saline (or something similar) and will "pass"