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I was sleeved 9/14/2012, went from 232 to 154, and the only time I stopped losing was very recently when my water aerobics class (at the city pool) let out for the summer. I was doing a musical in community theater at the time, with lots of singing and dancing, and running around behind stage. After I finished that, bam...no more weight loss. I even gained a couple of pounds back...yikes. So, I just went and joined the Y today, because there's no way I can take a hiatus from activity for the entire summer like that. I can't walk outside when it's 105...just can't do it. Weight loss is slower now, but it's still happening.

Has anyone used Dr. Ian Soriano for weight loss surgery other than the band? I had my band done by Dr. Patel in 2009 and lost about 100 pounds. I felt amazing and was living the healthy life I wanted. Then we were blessed with another child! Around the same time Dr. Patel left the practice so I switched to Dr. Soriano. (I like him much better). Anyway, post baby #2 my band is just not working right. We've made adjustments several times and even when it is at my old "sweet spot" number I am not losing. It is now 9 months post baby and my ass is still the size of Texas. I am considering bypass or the sleeve but don't know if I qualify. I currently weigh 205 and am 5'6" tall. It sounds crazy but now that I know how much more full my life is at a healthier weight I can't imagine continuing in the unhealthy body I currently have. SO sad and looking for guidance.

I could SO relate to this post. I originally had the lap band because I didn't want my anatomy permanently altered. After my band slipped in 2009, I lived without it and maintained most of my weight loss. In 2014, I had some major stresses in my life and I reverted back to some really bad habits. As a result, I gained all of my weight back. It took me another 2 years to reconcile with the fact I needed help and I may need to have parts me permanently changed or removed. It's a process. You'll be ready at your own pace. I CAN answer the 3rd question: Most insurance plans allow the surgical removal of a defective implantable device (aka the lap band). I'm not sure what you mean by the "I have 2 more years before the ins will cover." Never heard of such a thing in the case of removing an implant. Talk with your surgeon, they have people in their office who do nothing but handle the insurance claims and they usually know their stuff. Depending on your insurance and your circumstances, you may be able to have the band out and have a conversion to sleeve/bypass in one surgery. It's more cost-effective for the insurance and unless you have medical contraindications that would make the dual surgery unsafe, you should be good. Again, consult your surgeon and the office.

I am seven weeks out but only 26 pounds down (out of a total 75 pounds that I need to lose). I'm frustrated - the weight is crawling off at a very slow pace. I am happy that I am moving in the right direction, but definitely thought that I would have lost more weight by now. I have an important event coming up in a couple of weeks and would like to do whatever is safely possible to accelerate my weight loss. Does anyone have any suggestions/recommendations/insights? Thank you very much.

I know it SUCKS to have the weight loss slow down..but thats normal and healthy! As others have said keep working your plan. You can start working on toning if you're cleared for exercise though and that may make a bigger difference in what you see/feel than the numbers on the scale.

Hello! I've been reading this site for a couple of months. I started my 90 days of the physician monitored weight loss yesterday. If all goes according to plan, I should be sleeved in mid-August. I'm so nervous yet excited at the same time!!!! I'm very excited to meet everyone who is going through what I am and/or has done it before. It's very comforting.

I'm four weeks out. I've been trying to decrease my reliance on Protein drinks and increase soft food intake. But now it is becoming harder to get anything down. two weeks ago, I could easily drink a Protein Drink. Now it seems to sit in my chest after every sip. So now I'm having trouble getting in all my Water and protein. I would have thought that this would go the other way around as I heal. Could I be experiencing blockage or will this also pass with time. Also with this change has come greatly reduced energy and a stall in weight loss. Any thoughts?

[quote name="Lisa ]Here's the thing...Diets don't work!! If they did' date=' everyone would be losing weight and KEPPING it off with them!! The only way to achieve success in weight loss is with a change in lifestyle....which is why most of us had surgery in the first place. The thing with diets is that they create a deficit. But it's like borrowing money from a bank...you can't expect to go into "debt" and not pay it all back plus interest!! That's the way diets work....you go into calorie "debt" and then, one day, you have to pay the debt back with "interest"!!! This is the reason that most people lose weight on diets and then when they go back to eating the way they did before, they gain it all back plus a little more. This is also what drives our "set point" up too...which is the weight your body wants to naturally be at. Immediately after surgery we are forced to "diet", if you will...but long term, I don't believe that long term weight loss can be PERMANENTLY achieved through severe calorie restriction. Our bodies need fuel (aka: food in the form of Protein, carbs and fat) to run efficiently. I was in a 5 month plateau (from Nov-March) and, for me, it was about taking an honest look at my eating behavior. I wasn't tracking and my nutrition was off balance. Now that I'm back to tracking my food and eating a balance of protein, fat AND carbs, my weight loss has picked back up again![/quote'] I'm new, 3 weeks post opt, but this is great information to know!

My drastic hair loss lasted about a month and a half. But it's different for everyone. Are you getting all your protein and vitamins in? That should help reduce it somewhat.

This is absolutely, positively INCORRECT. hair loss is the luck of the draw. Some get a little, some (very few) get none, but most get it. I've seen people getting 100 grams of Protein, take hand fulls of Vitamins a day, use Biotin shampoos and vitamins, and still experience hair loss. Unfortunately it's just one of the side effects of the surgery. You can't tell me 99% of the people that lose their hair are ALL getting poor nutrition? Bull hockey.

Your are singing my song. I was sleeved on 11/01 and able to drink anything and as much as I wanted. My doctor cleared me to foods also on day nine. I learned that we are always supposed to measure and weigh our 4 ounces per meal and eat that. Sometimes you will feel fuller before finishing in which case of course stop eating. I feel the same way. I wonder if your Dr used a larger sized bougie and maybe you have a slightly larger sleeve. My Dr used a 40f which is on the larger size. No worries though all the science shows that we lose as much if not more than our smaller bougie counterparts. I also can eat half a large size Wendy's chili. I think that is because it's in a liquid base. Liquids will go right through our sleeve. It's more dense Protein that will sit against the pyloric valve and cause fullness. I'm hoping their are people like us who have been successful in their weight loss. If you hear of any keep me posted. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

The American Diabetes Association has pretty good information. Here's a short article: http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/bariatric-surgery.html I also read their book: https://www.amazon.com/Things-About-Diabetes-Weight-Loss-Surgery/dp/1580406149 The American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery has a longer article: https://asmbs.org/patients/surgery-for-diabetes If you're interested in wading through medical studies, I'm happy to point you at some. I know that isn't everyone's cup of tea, so I didn't want to start there. The short version of what studies are finding is that many people (above a BMI of 35) experience a very fast improvement, so quickly after surgery that the drop in body weight can't possibly be the cause. There are a lot of theories about what the cause is, but there are enough pieces of evidence both in favor of and against each of them that it seems like the best answer is "it's a variety of mechanisms." No matter the reason, because of the speed of the change in people's diabetes after surgery, you might find that your current need for 100 grams of carbohydrates per day to keep your numbers stable may not be the case after surgery--almost certainly won't, in fact. (I'm not saying you will definitely be able to control your diabetes with diet alone -- it happens for some people, but some others are merely able to decrease their reliance on medications. Just, the things you know about your body will change.) Someone posted the Kaiser Permanente list of post-surgery foods on here, not long ago, which I only remember because they were throwing carbs in there right away, where my surgeon's nutritionists are very focused on protein, then vegetables and fruits, and only much later carbs. So different places will have different rules, and if you want a look at that particular set, to see how it matches up with your needs (keeping in mind that those may change!), that might be worthwhile! Anyway, best of luck in making your decision!

I started around 3 months, getting worse now nearing 4 mths. Get my vitamins, protein & water in. Just think the op is a shock to the body plus we cannot get the nutrients required for a while so the effects of that kick in. Hair follicles go through different hair growth cycles, not all growing at same time, so it will come back and thicken eventually...i hope hehe

I am nearly 9 months out from surgery and have lost about 75 lbs. I still have about 25 lbs. to go to get to my final goal weight, but it has been tough sledding the past two months (last month I only lost 3 lbs!). I am eating about 1,200 calories a day and exercising 5 days a week (primarily cardio ... walk/jog intervals or Zumba class or exercise DVDs). I have definitely stepped up the intensity and duration of my workouts the past month. My eating could be better -- I have been working to cut out Snacks. But, I am starting to worry that I will never get to goal. So, for those of you who are are 10+ months out from surgery, there must have been a point in time where your bod just stopped losing weight. Has anyone experienced that where the weight loss has stopped well short of the goal? How did you deal with that?

So as I've perviously posted my NP and I don't always see eye to eye regarding nurse to patient communication... While everyone is different, I don't like being lumped into the "normal" category. Is there really a such thing as consistency when multiple people with varying weight ranges have the "same" surgery...? Anyway! Off that soap box for a moment... I went to my 3 week follow up appointment, which was one day after a full 2 weeks post-op. At my last preop appt (which was like 3 days before my surgery), I weighed 305lbs. At my 3 week follow up I weighed 280lbs. My NP told me that at the point I was at out me at 17%, and they really liked to see patients, who were two weeks out at 20%. At first I was thinking percentage of weight loss...but 20% of total body weight would have been like 60lbs. Does anyone have any idea as to what she was talking about??? What does this percentage mean? And is 25lbs in two weeks not as much as I should have lost? Again... My NP is giving me a major complex...

Biotin is supposed to help prevent hair loss.

We were sleeved the same day. I'm sorry that you're feeling uncomfortable with gas. I can drink water fine (though I never get it all in cause its boring), I don't need to "sip" but I don't guzzle either. You can only sip? You're doing great with your weight loss!

I have AHCCCS Mercy Care as well. You can not gain ANY weight on the six month weight loss diet otherwise they will deny your claim. I gained 6.6 lbs during two months and then at the end I lost 14 lbs from my start weight to my end weight (20 lbs if you count that I also lost the 6.6 lbs I gained). I was denied for gaining weight during the plan. Don't let your weight ever creep up over the starting weight or you will have to start over. Right now I am going back to my highest weight during the 6 months and using that as my starting point so I will only have to do 3 visits more before we can resubmit it for surgery.

What has changed in my life since I have lost 105 pounds? I was thinking as my husband and I are planning a trip to Europe in September 2011 how much my life has changed in the last 2 ½ years. 5 years ago I would not have considered going on this type of long vacation. If you are thinking about having Weight Loss Surgery, these things don’t even hit your radar screen right now, because I had NO clue that so many things would change in my life after losing weight. 1. I always liked myself; I just hated the body I was stuck in. WOW I had no idea how different I would feel about myself after my weight loss. 2. I know I walked with much more confidence after my weight loss and I look people in the eye. 3. I have no problem standing up for others that I feel are being picked on or bullied, or judged by how they looked—their weight, their clothing, the color of their skin. I hate bullies and adult bullies are 10 times worse. LET’S STOP THEM OK!!!!!!!! 4. I wanted to give back something to my community and let others know that they could do what I hadn’t been able to do with JUST diet and exercise. I needed to have WLS so that I had the tool to achieve my goal. My tool is the restriction I have with “sleeve surgery.” 5. I am retired and went back and started teaching at an Alternative High School. So many of my students were from dysfunctional homes. I know without a doubt I have made a difference in their lives (they certainly have changed mine.) I am giving 2 of them scholarships to college. Maybe more of us can give something back, big or small. It all makes a difference. Your time helping kids really can make a difference. 6. I am willing to try to educate others about what Weight Loss Surgery really is. 7. I am here to support and encourage others on their WLS journey and I thought that would be a short term thing…now I know I will always be willing to help them in the years ahead. Pay it forward; you may change someone’s life by helping them with words and encouragement. 8. Life is very short, none of us know how long we will be here, and the time is NOW to have your weight loss surgery. This has to be ALL about you and NO one else in your life. It is nice if your family supports you but don’t count on it. And don’t let them discourage you. 9. I get up every morning feeling 20 years younger. 10. I know without a doubt that I will ALWAYS maintain my weight loss. Something I was never able to do before in my life. 11. Eating healthy is really fun. You can cook yummy healthy food that tastes great. 12. Exercise is something that I have always hated, now I want to exercise it actually feels good. 13. I have become a much better cook than I ever was before. The standard things that I am enjoying and they are all the things that you are thinking about if you are about to have WLS or have already had it: 1. Feeling and looking better. 2. Better health and I got off a lot of medications that you I taking. 3. New clothes, shoes, and shopping in places that I never could shop at before 4. Being comfortable and being able to move without my entire body hurting. 5. Wondering if you are the “one” person that WLS will not work on? I promise you it will work for you. 6. Having people notice that I have lost a ton of weight and being able to tell them how I did it. 7. Having someone call me SKINNY—what a GRAND feeling that was. 8. Going on vacations and walking every place I wanted to without having to stop and rest. 9. Giving away all my “fat people” clothes to a shelter where I know they will be need and use. 10. Getting hugs!:happy: Please consider how YOUR life can or will change if you have WLS. When I was considering this, I want the best doctor I could find who had done numerous “Sleeves” surgeries with great success and after all my research I knew it was Dr. Aceves. If you are going to do this WHY not have the best there is? Suzanne Sleeved by Dr. Aceves Oct 21, 2011 Starting Weight 225 lbs, Goal Weight 125 lbs Weight now 120 lbs

http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2015/05/why-diets-dont-work “Studies show that willpower, the thing we all blame ourselves for not having enough of, is in many ways a mythical quality and certainly not something that can be relied upon for weight loss.” 'Turns out, a good bit of Mann’s plan calls for external changes, like using smaller plates and taking smaller portions, a la Brian Wansink’s Mindless Eating. ' I read this with a smug look on my face..

I had 6 months of Dr monitored diet with a necessary loss of 10% body weight, visit with nutritionist, psych eval, endoscopy and sleep study.

what were the previous weeks like? Perhaps you had a big loss and then things stabilized a bit... or if the losses have been very low for a bit, perhaps you do need to consider lowering your calories just a little. But I'm guessing it's just a little water retention or something and next week will show a loss again. Hang in!

good for you, congrats on your weight loss and being able to move on with your life.

Just read the article cited - I am confused because it talks about pre-op weight loss - they don't require weight loss now, only that you go through 6 months of a weight reduction program. No mention of actually losing while doing the program...

Don't be discouraged......stalls do happen. Put "stall" in the search engine and read other folks' stories about their stalls. Everyone's journey is different so never compare your weight loss to others! You may not be dropping pounds.....but you may be dropping inches