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I have to do protein mostly, but I can have lean meat and veggies. But they want me to have 4 of their products per day. I'm doing my best to do that. I have still been hungry. I want to include my kale to their shake, cause I don't want to be constipated. I want to be sure to loose weight prior to the surgery, but I don't want to be sick. I'm already starting to feel nauseous. I have to eat something. It's one thing if my stomach wouldn't allow me to eat, but I'm hungry. And with this band it starts to lock up if I don't eat. That's another reason I want this thing out.

I was told to take around 50-70g of Protein a day. What is ur protein target? I dint keep any expectation on what weight I want to reach in 3/6/9 month. I just have a general goal weight to get to in a year's time.. 70% off my excess weight. I try to keep active with house work n do got for yoga.. Try not to stretch the ankle a lot. I trying drinking at least 1.5ltr of Fluid a day but Water is still very hard on my stomach. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I heard someone else say they gained 5 lbs from the IV so I knew it was coming. I gained 5 during hospital stay but had lost the excess water in a day or two. Don't worry... drink plenty of water and you'll flush the excess through your system quickly.

Hi "Losing for me" Thank you so much for your reply. I would love to get together and chat or a coffee. I am open to both. I live in rural Onoway area. Let me know when you are available to chat. Evenings work best for me....I will be out of the country for a week and back on the 17th. Mondays and Wednesday evenings work best for me for chatting. Were you banded in Edmonton? Congradulations on your incrediable weight loss. I am so looking forward to a "new healthy me"

flower, I just put anti-biotic ointment on them, still do at 8 weeks. They are starting to raise up, so I'm thinking it's time for some Mederma to help them flatten out. Next time I'm at Wal-Mart, I plan to look for the Mederma bandaids. I can feel my port if I press on it. It doesn't poke out visibly. Some poeple do have pokey ports when they lose weight, but I don't think it's abnormal looking, really. Maybe those folks will post. Here are a few threads that might interest you... http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=6117 Scar Stages http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=6938&highlight=poke who can feel their port? http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=4268&highlight=poking wierd looking port Just a little research for ya, hope it helps.

I had Lap Band surgery in 2004. I can't eat fruits and anything else that is not soft. I have severe GERD and acid reflux. I would like to have revision to Mini Gastric Bypass, all that done in Toronto, Canada. What is that like, is it a good choice? What are the possible problems with Mini Gastric Bypass? How do you maintain weight since it is not adjustable?

Female Height: 5’ 6” Starting Weight: 250 Starting Clothing Size: 20 Surgery Weight: 228 Surgery Clothing Size: 18 Current Weight: 140 Current Clothing Size: 4/6 In the beginning: • I had a lot of restriction due to (I am assuming) increased swelling from the additional procedure of the hiatal hernia repair. I am comparing myself to 4 other family members who had the surgery with the same doctor and described their post-op experience as feeling sore and having the ability to drink 2-4 ounces of Fluid without difficulty. It was difficult to even consume 1 ounce. Week 1 post-op was what I called “hell week.” I was very weak due to the lack of ability to consume fluids/calories and remain properly hydrated. • The 6 week post-op diet was difficult, but I reminded myself that I ate whatever I wanted (and in copious amounts), whenever I wanted for many years. • Once I was released to a full diet, foods did not taste the same. Some of the things I use to think of as delicious, were now bland and without flavor. I read a study that links your sense of taste to your stomach lining. However, this “lack of tasting” does go away and food eventually does taste great again (uh-oh!). • I monitored my calorie intake. I did, however, have my ups and downs. I slipped and fell into crappy eating habits. Despite the food restriction, I found that I could slowly graze on things and that the “bad” foods tend to be the “sliders”. • However, I constantly caught myself falling back into consuming these bad foods and I would work on redirecting my behavior. I was constantly “checking and balancing” my eating habits; trying to change my way of living. • Exercise started with walking (1 mile, 2 miles, 3 miles, and as my endurance and ability increased, 4 miles in one hour). As the weight began to melt off, along with my increased endurance, I upgraded to intervals of jogging (I would jog the straight-a-ways and walk the curves at the local school track). I would also use my elliptical trainer at home and by the time I reached my 6 months post-op point, I could complete a one hour, high intensity cardio session on my trainer. Feeling great! 6 Months Out: • As the weight began to melt off (I was weighing 167 pounds at this point!), I did have that “fallen” face look. My skin was saggy and loose. So, I decided I wanted to fill up my loose skin with muscle. Weight lifting slowly trickled its way into my weekly workouts and—at first—it was about a twice-a-week affair. I also upped my Water intake and made hydrating my face, neck and body with creams and lotions a daily and nightly ritual (as hydration helps to increase elasticity in skin; my face doesn't look fallen anymore...it takes time, but it does retract!!!). • My ability to consume fluids and food had greatly improved by this point. I seemed to be able to consume fluid the best after a good workout. I could drink water faster and in greater quantities! I continued to monitor my calorie intake and tried by my best to refrain from eating bad foods. Even when I did succumb to eating unhealthy foods (which happened on a weekly basis), I stayed within my calorie range. • My Protein intake was still around 60-80 grams per day. I really like the Premier Protein shakes. They come in ready to drink 11oz containers, they are only 160 calories and pack 30 grams of protein. About 12 Months Out: • 153 pounds; size 10 • By this time I was lifting about 3x per week at home. I began to notice my skin firming up around the muscles I was developing. At this time I began taking pre-workout supplements (NO-Xplode), post workout supplements (Cell Mass) and I upped my protein (100-120 grams per day). My goal with the supplements was to create longer workout endurance, quicker muscle recovery repair. I knew that the more muscle I had, the more my calories my body would burn due, as well as a better a metabolism. Even though I wasn’t really dropping that much weight at this time, my waist size started to go down with the increased muscle mass. • A little after the 12 month mark, I went down another 3 pounds, but I also went down an entire size! Typically, before the weight lifting, I would see a size drop about every 20 pounds. So, this was awesome! • Still working on eating clean at this point. I probably ate clean about 80-85% of the time. Weekends were a killer for me! It was hard with the weekends off, kids at home, and being out and about. No routine! Now, 22 Months Out: • 140 pounds • Size 4-6 misses • I eat clean foods 90-95% of the time. “Dirty” foods tend to make me sick now. • I have one cheat day, and I still limit myself and stay within my calorie range • I consume 150-170 grams of protein (still drinking the Premier Protein) • 1800-2000 calories on my cardio days (twice a week) • 2200-2500 on my weight lifting days (5 days out of the week). YES…I do more weight lifting than cardio! And carbs (good carbs, not dirty carbs) are your friend!!! Key for energy retention/endurance and muscle building! I consume more on my weight lifting days. Key intake is about an hour/hour-and-a-half prior to workout. • I still have really good restriction • My skin around my face has firmed up! It doesn’t look fallen. I’m a high school teacher and I get mistaken for a student all the time! • I do have some extra skin (and very little) in my upper arm area, upper thigh/groin; however, it isn’t that much! The muscle I have built really helps! The belly area has a little “apron” and—of course—the stretch marks from weight gain and 4 pregnancies make it look like a very wrinkly old grandma; but other than that, my stomach is flat! I do plan to have a tummy tuck this summer… so bikini here you come! All in all, I LOVE my SLEEVE!!! I would do it all over again! They key thing—and most doctors tell you this from the get-go—you HAVE TO CHANGE LIFESTYLE for LONG-TERM SUCCESS! The weight will come off that first year, but once you’re in that maintenance mode you can easily put weight back on. Especially eating dirty foods that are higher in calories/sugars/fats. They slide through your restriction, they are full of empty calories (no nutritional value), and they will be your downfall. Does that mean you cannot enjoy a piece of cake, chips or some other dirty food? No, but you have to teach yourself to say “no” most of the time; and when you do say “yes,” limit yourself and eat in small quantities. Don’t make it a daily thing, make it a once-a-week kind-of-thing. EXERCISE! You don’t have to turn into a gym rat…in fact, you don’t have to go to a gym at all, but find some kind of active activity that you can engage in at least 3 days a weeks, for a MINIMUM of 30 minutes. It can be hard at first (grueling even), but before you know it—with consistency—your body will crave it! YES!!! Literally, your body will crave the activity! I wish all of your sleevers and soon-to-be sleevers the best of luck! I hope you find your success in this life changing journey!

Okay so I am usually very upbeat. But today I am feeling blue. It's pouring rain here, there hasn't been any sunshine for days, I haven't walked this whole week, outside of going to my classes. I want to be in a size 14 sooo bad!! I can get them on up over my butt and but there is like two inches between the button and the hole. I keep having to put it in perspective, it has only been 8 weeks. I mean really! My double chin won't go away, and it is all that I see when I look in the mirror. My stomach fat is starting to really hang now, and my inner thighs, and instead of feeling prettier, I am feeling uglier. Everything looks bad in the mirror right now. People have said that the double chin won't go away, that the skin will just hang there. I am 40 and realize that my skin has lost is elasticity but I was really, really hoping that the double chin would disappear. AND I HATE TO EXERCISE. I am walking, weather permitting, and doing crunches a couple times a week, but I know I need to be hard at it EVERY day. So the bad habits are still there, although I haven't blown it with food. That has been the one constant for me, thank god. I am losing, no stall, I have been down 1.5 - 2 lbs every week and that is all i ever wanted was to have consistent weight loss. Today I weighed in at 236, that is down from 272, that is 36 lbs in 8 weeks, I should be so amazed by that. But today, I am not. I am feeling like a big fat cow, still. The voice in my head that tells me I am fat and ugly and not worth a shit, it is back and I am sad. I have the tools, I know what to do. I just feel frozen in this muck right now. Anyhow, I am so glad I have a place to ramble. Maybe someone has made it all the way through my pity party here, or maybe not. Thank you who ever you are for taking the time to read my feelings. Somethings I can say here that I can't say out loud to anyone else. My husband get's so nervous if I even hint that I am not GREAT all the time, he remembers all the depression and how bad it had a hold of me. So I don't want to burden him with these feelings. It is the middle of the semester as well, and it is the end of my junior year in college, I am tired on so many levels. I quit smoking when I had the surgery and I have not started since and right now I would really like some chocolate and a cigarette. Haha, well enough for now. Bye.

We were 14,110 feet up...got a little dizzy from the altitude but drank half a liter of Water and was good to go back down. I had forgotten how much fun I have when I go out and DO things instead of sitting around promoting fat exansion when I was heavier. Still have about 50 lbs to go so Look Out World when I get to goal! I'm planning a trip to China to Celebrate getting to goal weight. ; ) What do y'all plan to do to celebrate getting to goal?

Ok, I’ve been seeing people here and there with my surgery date of 5/10/18, but I’d like to kinda get everyone together in one thread so we can keep up with each other and cheer each other on. I mean I have family and friends as a support system, but I’d like to talk to the folks who are going through the same process at the same time. If you’re interested in forming a May 10th sleeve day group, hit me up. Good luck to everyone! HW: 311 CW: 257 SW: We’ll see on May 10! First goal weight: 191 lbs Second goal weight: 159 lbs Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

Wow... how high up were you... the view looks amazing and that includes how slim your legs are..lol... well done on your weight loss and achievements to date!!!

Congrats on becoming a vet! It is easy to get discouraged, not just by the scale, but LIFE. I think it is important to keep the perspective of focusing on how much you have acheived - both health benefits, mobility, looks etc rather than comparing yourself to what you envision as "ideal". You would be shocked at how many women at a "normal" weight despise their own looks. It really is a waste of energy. I was told by my NUT and found it to be try that as long as you keep "working it" the sleeve will keep working for you. You CAN continue to lose weight as a vet, just keep on keeping on. I know what you mean about sometimes thinking how long the journey is - for me, when i weighed over 300# it seemed impossible to get to a normal size/weight, but i did it. I too thought about the ladies who were "only" 75-100# overweight... but in the end that doesn't really matter. It only matters how I live my life, not how I compare to anyone else. I can be bad about Vitamins sometimes... and then get back on track, but I implore you to get your Protein in. As you are losing weight, adequate protein can help maintain your muscle mass. It can also prevent hair loss and other unpleasant things like that. Anyway, keep posting on the vet forum! Welcome!

Greetings everyone! I just wanted to share my experience. I was banded first time in 2006 with a 4cc band. Everything went well aside from sliming, food getting stuck & vomiting. I figured this was just the price to pay to finally be able to lose weight once & for all. I lost 50 lbs (not quite goal) but I was so happy to lose weight successfully. At my lowest weight I started having horrible reflux at night. I would wake up choking on burning stomach acid (sorry for the gross factor). It was not only painful, but scary. Apparently my band had slipped. From what I understand this is common for the 4cc band. So the process of removal of fluid over months began until I had no restriction. The hope was the the band would correct itself which it did not. The decision was a new band. I got a 10cc band a little over a year ago and have since gained all of my weight back!!! I can't begin to tell you how discouraging this has been. I know that it isn't totally the band to blame because as my disappointment in my new band grew I stopped exercising and ate "bad" foods. Since may 2009 I have had several fills. At one point I was too restricted and could barely keep anything down. For some reason I cannot find the sweet spot with this new band like I did with the old one. I go in for yet another fill and I am going to talk to dr. about a sleeve. My insurance has been very good about everything so far, but we know how insurance companies are ;0. I know that there isn't a perfect surgery, but from what I can tell the sleeve offers the benefits of a band yet without complications of bypass (which I would never consider). Thanks for listening!!:thumbup:

I'm allergic to whey and since it seems to be in everything I don't handle shakes so well. I do make a shake with blended cottage cheese and yogurt tho and it's quite good. I can eat great or like a trashcan and it doesn't seem to matter. I fluctuate up and down two or three pounds. I need to gain back quite a bit of fat as I'm having the fat sucked out and put into my bum. I don't want bum implants so I gotta get some fat on the go.

I belonged to a group where one young lady had 10 fills...problem was her Dr. only gave 1/2 cc per fill.....and after a year she was upset her weight loss was so slow. I have only had 3 fills, and the first was 4cc's.... So it's not how many,...but how much....but many people cannot tolerate large fills, creating large changes to fast.

Thx guys I am at the dr now for the follow up. I cant even fit in the jeans i had before surgery I dont see any weight lose it might be a head thing. Seeing the shrink next wk thanks for listening

I am down to the last 20 myself . . . and I am still consistently losing. It is getting harder however and I find I have to "tweak" things regularly. I will stay on a particular "plan" for a week and if I see that my weight is moving in the right direction, I stay the course. When I start to stall out or don't see movement, I make changes to exercise, calorie intake, Protein intake, food choices, etc to change things up and hopefully make them move again. It seems like keeping my body "guessing" seems to be the best way to peel off the pounds at this point. I also do not keep my calorie intake the same every day to avoid a rut. I have very low calorie days (800-950) mixed with higher calorie days (but never above 1250 calories). I usually do two low, then one high but it is not always the same. At six months out, I have found that I stall at any calorie level if it is always the same. I also can stall if I eat the same foods every day (which is in my nature to do). This works for me, but of course our bodies are all different. I suffered through many plateaus in the beginning, and once I learned how to break them, I turned plateau busting into part of my regular routine . . . and it is working beautifully for now . . . who knows if it will still work the last 5-10 pounds to goal . . . or if it will work when I bypass my original goal and go for the smoking hot goal of 125???

Congrats on making a choice to improve your life. Surgery is just around th ecorner. Yes, you have alot of hard work ahead of you, and it is on ongoing process, but you will have a tool to help you get there. The liquid diet before surgery can be difficult so eamil one of us, or post when you are frustrated with it. It will do 2 things for you- 1 is kick start your weight loss and the 2nd is make surgery a little easier for your doctor- These are both good things don't you agree? since you are so close you make find some useful information at my blog including the 7 things I wish I knew before having lapband surgery - you can get to it here: http://sandisbandedliving.com/7-things/ Please let me know if you find this useful

G'day, all. I'm almost 6 weeks out, and the weight loss is going very well. I'm down 29# and about 2 sizes. My 18yo daughter is so excited for me, and so is my husband! She points out changes in my body, from "I can fit my arms around you to hug all of you now!" to "Your knees look different!" I am so blessed to have them behind me in this journey. Just a few negatives right now -- I still have to have a BIG nap (2+ hours) almost every day. I hope that improves soon. Also, just today, I'm having some nausea. I decided to go back to pureed food for a day to see if that helps, and it does a little bit. I'd love to hear from anyone else who has had exhaustion and/or nausea at 6 weeks . . . although overall this is SO worth it! Best of luck to everyone. This is not an easy journey, but by the grace of God, we'll all get through it!

I'm 8 weeks post op and have been working out for 3 weeks now. I started with aqua aerobics and took it very slow and easy the first week. Just two days that week of that. Then at the beginning of the second week I went to the gym and tried the resistance machines, all at level 1 to get a feel for what I could do. That week I did the two aqua classes and added one day of resistance machines to the mix. At the beginning of this week, I tried the treadmill. I bought a stomach belt because it still hurts a bit when my stomach bounces. The belt works great and makes me sweat more in that area so double good news. I did intervals of walk/jog for a total of 25 min that day and that was it. That was Sunday of this week. I did aqua aerobics on Tuesday, resistance machines and treadmill (15 min) on Wednesday, and aqua again on Thursday. I'm going to rest now until Sunday. I've felt a dramatic increase in my energy since I started working out and am still dropping weight steadily. Good luck! SW 236 CW 193 Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am 5 weeks postop and I have a general feeling of fatigue and I get winded really easily. I live in New York City so I'm often running up and down flights of stairs for my commute. When I get to the top of the stairs I have to stop because I'm so week. I want to start exercising but I'm so exhausted by the time that I get home from work I can't even think about exercising. Will this start to get better? Will I have more energy soon? Or do you think I should start exercising now even though I'm exhausted and build up my stamina and endurance? I've just Never felt this way before. I've felt lazy and full from food but I didn't feel weak. I am dropping weight fairly quickly. SW 241 CW 208 Height 5'4 Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

You are so inspiring! I am one year out (in June) and feel like you. I haven't lost 100 pounds, but still feel the healthy, wonderful feeling that comes with weight loss. Keep up the good work and congratulations!

Twice, I was out walking this past summer,,I made it about 1/4 mile and it took me about 10 minutes to do that. I ended up in ICU both times due to respiratory distress because of a rare autoimmune disease I have..it sent me into a Myasthenia Gravis crisis. My muscles in my chest wall just couldn't do the work..not to mention the extra weight those muscles had to try and lift. Today,,I walked at 2 mph on my treadmill for a mile!!!!!..no distress, no pain,,just energy and enthusiasm. I just thank God that this is finally happening for me. Steroids put most of the weight on and by golly I'm going to fight to get this weight off and get well!!!

I got my second fill on the 17th of nov....its been 1 week to the day....im still on mushies because it hurts if i eat anything else....I dont eat much at all...im sorta nervous and dont know if i should stick it out and let the band loosen with my weight loss.....I lost 8 pounds this week....is this ok?.....would i be crazy to wait it out..im a liitle confused on what i should do because i just dont know...has anyone experienced this? and if so what did you do.....thanks for any advice...I neeeed it...lots of it...~April~:help: banded 8/17/07 @ 253 today ~209 goal ~160 4cc band 1st fill ~ 1.2cc 2cd fill ~1 cc

Hello! A bit about me, I'm 22, I have been overweight ever since I gained consciousness. (you know how its like you wake up one day and you're 14.) So about as far as I can remember, and according to pictures, even farther back, have i been obese. I'm 5"9. and 290lbs. I have PCOS in the worst way, and my doctor said that the testosterone cells are produced by fat, which I have a large quantity of. My insurance provider is FEPblue and from what I have read, as well as talked to the insurance company on the phone, it has wonderful coverage. I'm kind of terrified of my insurance coordinator, only because she seems very matter-of-fact and stressed out because she has a very hard job, and this whole matter is extremely sensitive and close to my heart and I find it scary to approach her and ask her things. So she gave me a sheet for a 3 month consecutive and 90 day doctor check in. But I had some out of town matters I had to attend to, so I got three dr visits in 90 days, but not consecutive months. I called my insurance and the lady said consecutive was not required. So I'm afraid that even though my insurance does not require it, my insurance coordinator will try to make me start all over and re-do the whole process because she doesn't want the insurance company to have any room to deny me. Also, my pcp..I like him, but deep down, part of me thinks he might not provide the accurate information to push this surgery along. I looked at the notes he has written online and he has brought up some things from when I was a minor that are troubling me. I don't know if he exactly wants me to have the surgery and I'm afraid he won't say the right things in order for the insurance to approve me. I don't know. I feel stressed out, and I'm losing sleep. and on top of all that, the financial part is stressing me as well because if I have the surgery by the end of this year, the insurance company will cover most of it because the deductible has already been met, but if I have the surgery in January then more out of pocket payment for me. Typing all this out has already made me feel better. But is there anyone who can offer some kind words of advice? i appreciate you taking the time to read this!