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Thanks When I did my sleep test 2 years ago I was pregnant at the time I gained a lot of weight, (past 300lbs) I snored a lot, my breathing was out of wack along with my asthma and the Dr wanted to make sure me and the baby were both ok because I would pause during my sleep. The weight had a lot to do with it, now since I am loosing my breathing has been better so I no longer use it.

I went in for the sleeve and when i talked with my doctor just before getting insurance ok my doctor suggested the Switch for me. Thought I'd loose more weight and better chance of keeping it off. plus felt that i could come off meds and sleep apnia machine. I asked what the long term affects of the switch were. "What about when people are in their 80's, need to go to nursing home? " He said that there were not enough studies, but malnutrition would be a big concern. plus with the switch you can have all the Proteins you want but NO CARBS. I like my doctor a lot. Good guy. I said i'm not doing this for beauty reasons, he thought that may be one of the reasons. I said I have support for sleeve but didn't feel comfortable changing the procedure at this late in the game, i didn't want to go the rest of my life with No Carbs. The reason for my surgery was to be their for my grandson and family, ward off diabetes that is a real possibility for me and i already have bad knees. I've had bad knees since 18 years old, now 55. Sleeve has far less chance of malnutrition. My doctor had a great response. " It sounds like your convinced to go with the sleeve and have really thought this out, ok then the sleeve it is." I did thank him for bringing the switch to my attention and going through all my options. Doctors are not there to coerce you, they just really want you to be aware and see where your mindset is at.

Alexandra...you are sooooooo very helpful!! Thanks so much for the info !! I do have sleep apenia and arthritis but I just made the right BMI by a couple of pounds so I was worried. You are so right about feeling good..........it's not all about the right size, it's about being able to be you again !! All I want is to be able to climb stairs again easily, swinging a golf club again and fit into the rollercoaster w/ the kids this summer. I am at a time in my life that I am in search of a weight loss tool and I pray this is the one !! Thanks again !

insurance approved in less than a week. have first consul on nov 6. have started low carb diet, i make shakes and have two a day and a healthy high protein dinner. i feel so much better. started my diet oct 17. havent weighted but who knows, got my hair done and i feel good. there will be the real me come out of this cocoon one of these days i can hardly wait. by the way i live in tecumseh ok goin to dr nelson in norman.

Do you still act like a heavy person? what i mean is walk the same, stuff like that. i lost 30 lbs i lost alot of weight in my tummy area when i sleep on my side my arm falls it doesnt rest on my tummy. so i dont know where to put it i get neck pain and back pain trying to figure out my body

I have PCOS and need something since I getting pregnant would not be good for weight loss right now. I am 37 and plan to try to have another as soon as I get stable at my goal weight.

You don't get unfilled. You will need to go back once every 6 months or so for a minute top up, as some of it can leak out over time and if you don't get those top ups, you can end up with less restriction and put weight back on. Once you reach goal, you do something super special to Celebrate and then get on with living the life you always told yourself you would when you lost all the weight. Some people even give consideration to cosmetic surgery.

Sugar turns into fat. I lost a good amount of weight just cutting out the sugar.

Hello, im glad to have seen this site. I been reading on these forms for a week or so and i guess its time to let my presence known. Im not banded yet but am looking into starting the process as soon as i can. To tell a little about my self, im 32 years old come thurs. June 23 and am 450lbs+. Im about 260lbs over weight and need a lot of help. I have a loving wife and two great kids(a 1 1/2 year old boy & a 5 month old girl). I was a meatcutter purty much all my life untill Nov. 5th 2003 when i could nolonger work. I have 4 rupturd disk and a few other things wrong with my back. After finding this out, i went from 375lbs to 450 in know time. With my size, there is nothing too much that can be done to help. All the Dr.s i see say i have to loose a lot of weight before they can do anything, at the same time saying i need bed rest. Not to lift ANYTHING and take it easy. Man oh man, what a year its been. Well, My wifes Dr mention the weight lost surgery and well, after looking into it, i think im now ready to go for it. My wife will be doing the lap-band also for she is 100lbs over weight. But, im on bluecare-medicaid and knowone around here seems to eccept it. But im not quiting. I will be going back to the Dr on the 30th of this month and will be talking to him about it. I hope he can get me in the right direction. Well, i hope to be talking with yall more in the future and be getting my band one day :-)

Hi Marlena- I'm not a medical expert on the sleeve or the band, but I'm a former bandster who is also investigating the sleeve. To help with my research, I subscribe to the medical journal, Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases. As it's a medical journal, the articles are intended for doctors, therefore the language is sometimes hard for me to understand due to all the medical terms. However, it has been very helpful to be able to read about all the studies that are happening regarding WLS. In this month's issue, there is an article about bariatric surgery reducing the cancer risk in morbidly obese patients. I mention it in case you feel guided to buy the article or get an annual subscription. I paid around $148 U.S. for my subscription and it's been worth every penny. It's allowed me to gain a better understanding of the developments in bariatric surgery. I figure if I'm going to have pieces of my anatomy removed, I want to learn all I can about the process. Their web site is www.soard.org Wishing you well on your journey! Laurel

Well, I'm not sure how often I will post in this forum but it is great to see and read the stories of others. It will also benefit should I have questions or issues down the road. I anticipate none. I am a little less than one month post op and I feel better than I have felt in a very long time. I am sure like most of you, I have been overweight most my life. Yep, there were times I would loose weight but I always managed to put it back on plus some. But NO MORE! I don't have much history yet but I certainly get the bigger picture of how to eat. It is too bad it took surgery to do that for me but it is what it is. And I'm good with it because I am learning and I do not intend to unlearn. Of course nobody sets out to un-do what is good for them but it isn't often one gets the opportunity for a fresh start, a clean break in this way. I am more than grateful. I look forward to healthy years ahead and enjoy the simple things such as bend over and tie my shoes without it being a major ordeal. My beginning weight was 238 and I am now 212 which includes the liquid diet pre-op loss. I don't really count any of that....the bottom line when my doctor said I was ready for surgery, I am now 26# less and it has not even been 30 days. I know there will be times when it might become frustrating, when the scales stand still or I am simply weary of eating things that are good for me but I have made this decision and will follow through. I guess you might say I can be like a dog with a bone...I'm not giving it up. It is comforting to know there are many of you on this journey and we can become part of each other's story. Onward! May we all encourage each other as we travel this road!

Congratulations on the weight loss. That is great!!! So proud of you. I have about 60 to 80 pounds to loose...so maybe i should start exercising those areas to build muscle.

Since the day I was banded, I have been journaling. I do it the old fashioned way, with a pen and notebook. I write down what I ate, calories, grams of protien, what time I finished (helps for drinking and the 30 minute rule) and to gauge times between eating! I also mark Vitamins taking, cause I tend to forget, and minutes exercised! It really does keep everything in check, and becomes second nature after a while....if your working and don't really want people to know, just carry a small note pad in your purse, and transfer it when you get home. It really is a great way to keep track of your journey! I also write my beg. weight , todays weight, pounds lost, pounds to go, and goal. Good luck, and what ever way you do it, computer or notebook it will benifit you!

I had surgery 6 months after my orientation on June 6, 2007. My advice for you is to first get online and check for appointments on your Kaiser page. The only one that won't show up is the phsych appt. I didn't check to see if my actual surgery date showed up but they called me and trust me I didn't forget. LOL - That way you won't miss any appointments because of someone else's error. The second thing I would suggest is to be aware of what appointments you're supposed to have. You can then call on a regular basis and ask if they've had cancellations. They don't call people to try and fill those (except for surgery) so frequently they have them available. This should help you move along a little faster. Don't be rough on them, they are very overwhelmed. Loose the weight required NOW. They really like to work with people who get the job done because it demonstrates to them that you are willing to follow the program. As you have probably read on different pages, there is a vast difference in what doctors want from their patients. Kaisers attitude is "We don't have to work with the people who don't want to follow the program because we have so many people who are beating down our doors that are willing to follow it." Yeah, that's a quote. Other than that, remind yourself of how much you're saving by having insurance. There are so many people out there that aren't as lucky as we are. It's a pain to have to wait but it's worth it in the end. PM me if you have any questions I can answer or just ask on the forum and there are several people who can help you. Good luck on your journey. Vicki

Hi eveyone, I was banded in August 2008 and I've been very happy with my results. I've lost 40 pounds and have another 40 to go!!! I had SmartLipo on my abdomen and love handles last week and I'm so HAPPY!!! I thought I had to lose all my weight before I could have cosmetic surgery, but I was wrong. I had the procedure done in the office without having to go to sleep. The best part was the skin will get tighter because they used a laser thingy. Anyway, Let me know if you've had smartlipo so we can compare results! :thumbup:Thanks, KoolKat:thumbup: FYI: Dr. William Neal in Olympia Washington placed my Lapband system and their office did my SmartLipo too!!!

Hello! Last night, passion got the best of us so now I'm a little concerned about being prego so soon after my sleeve (April 2012) and my rapid weight loss (110 pounds). Are we considered to be a high risk pregnancy? I also had a vertical C section with my son 4 years ago, and I believe that plays a factor too. Anyhow, any input would be appreciated! (I know it seems like I'm worrying too far in advance, but I was a fertile myrtle before my surgery, I got prego on the Pill)

Angie, best of luck to you! How much weight would you like to lose? Do you have any other health problems? If so, you'll be amazed how they will improve.

I'm doing the same thing as you. I pretty much weigh every day unless I don't have access to my scale (ie: vacation) and I only record the losses (here and on mfp). I'm also tracking my loss in a graph in excel (I log my weight on the 15th and last day of the month) so I have a visual of the loss. I've lost 48 lbs in 9 weeks (including 3 day pre-op diet) which is an average of 5.3 lbs/week. If I back out the rapid weight loss in the beginning, I'm losing about 3 lbs per week now. That's pretty good (which I need to remind myself since I haven't lost anything in the last week!). Yes, stalls do stress me a bit but I'm trying to take them in stride. I was hoping for more but I'm happy especially considering my diet isn't super strict. I'm around 1000 calories per day and I exercise with a trainer at least 3 days a week but I do eat sugar (the real stuff - no scary chemical sweeteners for me!) and some days my fat intake is a tad high. I'm usually at 60ish grams of Protein per day and around 6 glasses of Water. I could be better but for now, I'm doing what's realistic for me.

Unless you have complications there is no reason you *need* to follow up with a bariatric surgeon. I don't know anyone who had surgery in Mexico who does. The standard advice I have seen is to see your PCP at 2 months, 6 months, and 12 months post-op. Have your regular blood and urine tests as well as vitamin and mineral levels checked. Weight and blood pressure checked and recorded. The lab work, without insurance, is what may kill you cost-wise. You may need to do some serious shopping around for that, but it's important. As far as food goes, I'm not much help as I tend to focus on eating for nutrition rather than to stave off boredom. I really don't care if I eat the same things over and over again, so I don't ever really think about "new ideas" for food. That said, here's mostly what I ate during weight loss phase: breakfast: chicken or beef roll-ups in romaine lettuce (with pickle relish, hot mustard, etc.) lunch: chopped chicken breast with green veggies and a little light salad dressing dinner: poached egg on refried beans, tuna salad bake, lamb chops, steamed curried scallops, steamed cayenne pepper shrimp, chicken breast baked in yogurt, turkey-spinach-goat cheese burger patty, sardines in mustard. Good luck!

I had the same situation! Had surgery march 6th and at the 3 week out mark i had gained 8 pounds!!!!! I cried, cussed, yelled i was so mad!! But it was all water weight and bowel! After week and a half later im way back down and am loosing again. It was the most frustrating thing ever!!!

I got on the scale this morning and showed a weight gain of 5 lbs from last week. I have not been overeating, but I have eaten foods high in sodium, have not had enough water and ran out of my water pills for my BP a few days ago, so I know it's all water weight. I'm picking up my script tomorrow so I've decided to wait until later in the week for my "real" weigh-in.

Time of the month, Sweets....it makes a lot of us put on and hold on to Water weight before our cycles, and during, sometimes, too. I can easily gain 3 lbs the week before, then my body flushes it all the week I have my period. I agree 100% that there is physically no possible way to gain 10 lbs of FAT in one week after this surgery. I am guessing a moody, picky scale, water weight, and like rootman said, solid waste retention, maybe, too....or all combined! I'll bet you'll be on here in a week saying that 10 is gone, plus two more!!

You can do it if that's what you want. It took me a while to want it, and then I could commit. I just started walking. I'm walking 3.5 miles outdoors. Doesn't cost me a dime, but I did get a heat rash in the summer and now I'm like brrrr, but I keep on walking. Get a walking tape for indoors if you really can't make yourself walk outside. I think walking sheds weight faster than most exercises. Exercises are good for building muscle which Im going to need to get to, but putting that off. If you are hungry grab some Protein, a piece of rolled up ham, cheese once in a while, fry and egg in pam, etc. I even have a box of SF popsicles in my freezer, not my favorite thing, but I do what I need to. I do admit to cheating tonight, went to a pizza party, but only ate one and a half pieces. I also skipped lunch to do it. Its will power and if you want to do it enough, you will.

well i need some inspiration and help from anyone and everyone. Im having the hardest time losing weight for this surgery. I'm pretty much done everything the hospital needed me to do except lose the 13 lbs im trying desperatly but i cant seem to commit and its very discouraging. :cursing: I want this so bad but its just so hard. anyone have any weightloss suggestioins? anything that people have tried that really did work? anyone else in my position? has anyone taken diet pills to help?any excersise program you have done thats fun and little money? If i could lose this weight ide be ok but its very hard. so any help would be nice thanks everyone

VerticalSleeveTalk Newsletter Hey, Sleevers!Thanksgiving is behind us and the holiday season is officially underway! Filled with holiday shopping, festivities at work and spending time with friends and family, this time of year is can be the most rewarding. It can be hectic, too, so paying extra attention to your diet and health is even more important than usual. Use this newsletter as a reminder and some motivation to be extra cautious with your choices so that you can keep seeing the results you want from your weight loss journey. Here’s what’s coming up in this newsletter. Member Spotlight: Meet Ms skinniness! Tips for the Season: Thriving at Holiday Parties! Member Challenge: Activate Your Party Action Plan! A Big Thank-You to Our Members as 2012 Ends We know the hustle and bustle of this season make your life busy, but we hope you spend part of your holiday season with us at Alex Brecher Founder VerticalSleeveTalk.com Member Spotlight: Meet Ms skinniness! This month, we’re delighted to feature Ms skinniness in our member spotlight! She decided to get the gastric sleeve after developing diabetes and hitting a high weight of 223 pounds at a high of 5’6.” Her surgery was in October of 2011, and she’s only 4 pounds away from her goal weight of 140! The journey’s been worthwhile for Ms skinniness! Her blood sugar is within normal levels each day, and she’s able to keep her hunger in check. She has tons more energy and is a lot happier now! Ms skinniness loves being able to fit into smaller clothes. She went from a size 1x to a size 8 – and was even forced to return some size 8 Gloria Vanderbilt jeans that were too big! Getting enough Water in each day is still a challenge to Ms skinniness. She’s also working hard on avoiding mindless eating and only eating when she’s hungry. She reminds us that food is an addiction that can take a lot of effort to overcome. Ms skinniness uses VerticalSleeveTalk.com for support and information, and she loves the positive people on the board. She suggests following your surgeon’s instructions, gathering information from VST members and also doing your own research on everything so you can be confident that you are making the right decisions for yourself. An example of something she learned from VerticalSleeveTalk.com is to use a PPI to reduce stomach acid and make her less hungry. Ms skinniness also uses VerticalSleeveTalk.com as a reminder not to slip into bad habits again. With her weight loss and satisfaction, her advice seems to be working for her! Thanks, Ms skinniness, for being in the member spotlight! Congratulations on your success! Please post in the Protein snack or two for yourself and eat it when it’s time for your regular meal or snack. You can also take a healthy dish for the host to serve at the party. Sip water. Carrying a glass of water around gives you something to do without adding any calories to your day. Another benefit of drinking water is that you know you shouldn’t eat solid foods when you’re drinking fluids. Avoid alcohol. Alcohol is a source of calories that you just don’t need. Worse yet is that it lowers your inhibition. That means that you’re less likely to resist unhealthy holiday foods. Member Challenge: Activate Your Holiday Action Plan! This newsletter’s challenge is related to our advice on holiday parties. The challenge is to choose a specific strategy designed to get you through the holidays without interfering with your weight loss goals. You can take one of the suggestions listed above, or choose your own. Some other ideas are to keep healthy Snacks at work so you’re not tempted by unhealthy snacks and to record each treat that you eat in your food record instead of pretending that it doesn’t count. Tell us in the Member Challenge Forum how you complete the challenge! Was it easy or difficult? What tips do you have for other VerticalSleeveTalk.com members? We also want to know anytime you go back and complete an old Newsletter Challenge, which you can find in the archived Newsletter Forum. It’s never too late to try a Newsletter Challenge! A Big Thank-You to Our Members as 2012 Ends As we close out 2012, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank each member. We truly appreciate your support. We value each member, whether you post many times a day and use all of VerticalSleeveTalk.com’s many features, or whether you log in infrequently to read just a few posts. You, the members, are essential to VerticalSleeveTalk.com’s success, so a heartfelt thank-you to each of you! 2012 has seen rapid increases in the number of members, the beginning of regular newsletters and the launch of mobile apps to access all of the forum’s features. Big plans are in the works for the coming year, and it promises to be an exciting ride. We’re glad to have you on board! Of course, we’re always open to member suggestions, so please feel free to contact any board administrator. That’s it for this month’s newsletter. We hope it was inspirational and helpful. Have a safe and peaceful holiday season, and take care of yourself and each other, Alex. ============================================================== If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: {unsubscribe}