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Hi Carlie - Don't be so hard on yourself. Appreciate that most of the newbies on this site would think - if they weighed 180 - that they had died and gone to heaven. Thats why its called "OnederLand". The great news is that your body is set up to help you loose weight AND your mental state is that you have realized that there is a problem and YOU want to control it, not let it control you. So, reset your mind to back when you were sleeved, and do all the right things you did then. Don't worry about the past or yesterday - you can't change that. But, YOU are in complete control of what happens today and tomorrow. -RC-

ok, so everything went well yesterday, saw the psychologist, dietitian, PA, and a few other people. the dietitian told me that i should start getting 70g of protein now, and though i don't necessarily have to lose before the surgery, i should not be gaining more weight at this point. she helped me come up with a couple of goals for now about eating and exercising--started the eating part today, exercise starts monday after work. now i have to get the official referral from my PCP, wait to be scheduled for a pulmonary function test, which is supposed to only take 10 minutes, and i have an EGD, which is set for 12/21. so hopefully i can be in the january sleevers club!

I was wondering what the goal of the 6 month dr assisted diet is? If you lose weight are you no longer elegible for the band?

Hello, my name is Julie. I am a wife and the proud mother of 3 wonderful children. I am also a Lucky patient of Dr. Thomas Byrne at MUSC’s Bariatric Surgery Program. My journey truly began in 2010; I weighed in at 226 pounds. I had spoken with my general physician on several occasions about my weight and the attempts that I had made (weight watchers, Jenny Craig, etc). My doctor suggested that I call MUSC’s bariatric surgery program for a consultation. I went home that day and researched weight loss surgery. I called that same afternoon for a consult appointment. My first sign that I was doing the right thing should have been the caring voice of Lisa Jackson. She helped get my consult set up and all of my questions answered. My consult went awesome. Dr. Byrne made me feel so welcome and most of all I felt that he cared about me, I was not just another fat chick in his office telling him "I am fat, please fix it". We went over the three different surgery options available, along with the risks and benefits to each. We discussed my goals and expectations as well as spending a great deal of time going over my health history. I also got to meet with one of the Registered Dieticians on staff. After consulting with Dr. Byrne, we decided that the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy was my best option for me. I felt so prepared after this appointment; all I needed to do was to set the date. After several months of research and red tape with my insurance I had the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy surgery in August of 2011. I had a slight bump in the road during recovery but nothing that Dr. Byrne and his amazing staff could not handle! I had developed a small blood clot in my abdominal cavity. Dr. Byrne and his physician’s assistant Diana quickly had me on the mend with the utmost care and compassion! Every day was better and better! I am now 7 months post VSG; I must say that I have never felt better! I wake up every day thankful for Dr. Byrne giving me this amazing "tool" to help me to become a healthy ME. This "tool" has worked so well for me with the help of Dr. Byrne’s team of registered dietician’s as well, Debbie and Nina. I have learned how to make healthier choices at home as well as at the supermarket (thanks to the supermarket tours and monthly support group meetings). I can’t say thank you enough! Thank You!!!! I am so happy to say that I have lost 70% of my excess body weight! I have lost 75 pounds and feel amazing. I am riding my bike at least 3 times per week, I go to an awesome Zumba class (Zumba with Alma) two to three times per week, and I am doing the 10 minute trainer videos at home. I try to stay current with support group meetings and other activities when I can. They are so informative, even for non surgical folks. I will tell anyone that asks me; Dr. Byrne and his staff (Diana, Debbie, Nina, Lisa, and the amazing nurses) are the best!!! I have seen other surgeons talk about weight loss surgery so I can truly tell you that I would send anyone to see Dr. Byrne! I actually did send my mother and my sister in law. My mother had Gastric Bypass in July 2011 and my sister in law is planning to have VSG in the next couple of months.

Hi all, my name is Sylvia. I have been on thus WLS rollercoaster for about 6 mos now. I just got my date today. It is for 8/30/11. I am so happy that I can finally start counting down and I am no longer in limbo land. I have struggled with my weight my entire life. I have been considered "obese" since I was about 11. I have vloged my journey on youTube for quite some time now. My YouTube channel is beautyjunkie824 if your interested. I was encouraged my several people to visit this forum. I am excited to be able to have so much info at my fingertips.

I weigh everyday and log it in a monthly calendar. I try not to let the daily weights bother me, I look for a pattern of loss and calculate my loss monthly. I measure myself monthly and I haven't been good about taking taking pictures. Good Luck with your plan.

@ Thanks for your honesty. With weight loss surgery the work is never over..Right? Bravo to you for getting back on the horse. No point in beating yourself up over the weight gain. Push forward. We know you have done this before and you can do it again.

Had my surgery 3/17 (4 days) got on the scale and gained weight. Is this common? Is it possible I've only had liquids?

So i dropped a lot of weight in my pre op diet but since surgery I seem to be dropping 1-2 lbs per day. Did anyone else do this in the beginning. I had surgery nov 22 my highest weight was 289. Before surgery I was 264. After surgery from swelling and fluids I was 272. I'm now at 250!!!! Not even two weeks post op!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

WOW! You look great!!!! Have you lost all 84 pounds in 14 weeks???? I am 13 weeks out today (3 months). My surgery was oct 4th. So, I am right behind you I too know what you are feeling, being obsessed with your weight. But I have a history of eating disorders, which I am sure most people here do as well. You just have to be super careful because it can just switch from one thing to another.

WOW... what quick weight loss you have had... amazing!! I too wish it was melting off me...lol =]

I have lost all weight since my surg. My ticker is wrong I am 10 lbs down from that. I have never had emotional eating issues, I was really always hungry due to hormone problems. So I am not used to these new issues at all! I have only been obese for 12 years, before that I was only sightly above a normal weight.

Hi, My name is Deb I am 54 yrs old , divorced, have 4 grown children, 5 grandchildren. I have battled my weight all my life( my grandfather and father decided I should be 25 lbs by the time I was 6 months) my highest weight was 302 lbs., I now weigh 279 lbs. I have fought diabetes, kidney disease, anemia, fibromyalgia and the list goes on . I take 20 different meds daily. I no longer work, ( I was a nurse for 36 yrs) . It hurts to walk, I try to exercise and end up hurting something else. I have looked into the weight loss surgery several times but was always told it " would kill me" because of issues I already have with my esophagus. I decided to check into surgery again since I obviously can't get rid of the weight by myself. This time they told me about the vertical sleeve and feel i can have this procedure safely. I have 2 more nutrition classes, then I will see the Dr and hopefully be scheduled. My insurance doesn't cover the procedure but the Dr is sure he can prove medical necessity and get it approved. I am hoping after surgery when the weight starts coming off, I will have less pain, and my kidney disease and diabetes will improve, and be able to get rid of that darn C-Pap. My 28 yr old daughter lives with me and is also planing to have the surgery sometime after I have mine. My brother and sister had the gastric by-pass several years ago and have done very well. I know I am still a high risk even with this procedure, but I am praying to God for him to guide and protect me as I start this new journey in my life.

Hi, My name is Cheri and I just got approved for my sleeve surgery! I have struggled with my weight for most of my life. I would lose 70 lbs then gain 80 over and over again. The one exercise that I found that I loved was weight lifting. I did that for a couple of years and was able to keep the weight off. I looked and felt great. I had just turned 42 when one day, my back hurt so bad, I couldn't get out of bed. Turns out I have adult onset of idiopathic roto-scoliosis, degenerative disc disease and spinal stenosis. All non curable and progressive. I've had 2 lumbar fusions, one failed and one cervical fusion with no pain relief. Needless to say, I was no longer able to lift weights and as time went by, even walking became a painful process. Over the last 9 years I have gained over 100 pounds. After A LOT of research, I decided on the sleeve. One of the primary reasons is I suffer from chronic pain due to a failed spinal fusion and numerous spinal diseases and was concerned about the absorption of pain medication. On top of that is the mal-absorption issue in general. I had heard that insurance companies (mine is Pacificare through Sharp Community) were still hesitant about approving this procedure so was all prepared for a fight when the day after my doc submitted the authorization request, it was approved. Yay! I am so looking forward to this new phase of my life. I hope that I get some pain relief, that I won't feel this gnawing hunger any longer and that I get healthy enough to enjoy going on vacation with my husband. Current stats - 5'6" - Weight 256 lbs - Surgery date 2/3/11 Hope I haven't bored you to death Here's to getting skinny - Cheers!

I'm having RNY March 16th. I am new to the forum and would appreciate any support I can get. My family and close friends have been great but they're 'normal' weight. What ever that is. I heard the first 2 days of the pre-op liquid are the worst. I also just started my monthly cycle so I'm totally stressing. Any words of encouragement that helped you please send them my way. Thanks

Yep, you have a tight fill! Either get a small unfill or choose very carefully. I am in the same exact spot as you-can't enjoy food without feeling that I may either get stuck or it will sit there and slowly work it's way down. I get hungry too-I know it's head hunger but sometimes you just want to eat! I am stickingto mushy type foods or making sure my foods ae wet with some kind of sauce. I got a chicken salad from McDonald's and could not eat the entire thing. I could only manage a tiny bit. I really do want to enjoy food at some point, but I also want to lose weight. I am hoping it loosens up because I don't really want an unfill. Good luck!

I am 16 weeks post op and I have dropped 85 pounds to hit my initial goal of 190. I plan to drop another 15 so I have some room to bounce back. I do not plan to live like a saint.

I had a VSG on 7/29/13 and was 310 lbs pre-op. It's now the six month mark and I've lost 135 lbs and feel comfortable at 175 lbs. My goal weight was 190, but I've now passed that by 15 lbs. I was curious to learn how some of you transitioned from being focused on the weight-loss to maintaining your goal weight (?).... How many calories are you consuming at the 6 month mark? What's your regular exercise routine? Do you still try to avoid carbs whenever possible? Any feedback would be appreciated!

I'm been work harder to down 300lbs since my gastric sleeve surgery last January 9 but almost down to 300lbs not yet! So I will see doctor in weeks how much I'm lose weight after my surgery.. I got over 300lbs since I was high school and I would work harder to lose 300lbs

Well went to my appt. My insurance change some requirements so now I will have to do 3 months consecutive medical supervised weight loss with my PCP. So I am looking at June or July before I can get the schedule funny thing is I was told not to lose much weight.

Please promise me that if I ever start a discussion about this surgery with my mother again that you will find me and b...h-slap me.....cause I would totally deserve it. Why does my mother feel compelled to tell me about the two people that she knows who had gastric bypass years and years ago that drank chocolate shakes 3 times a day and never lost any weight? Not once..but OVER and OVER again. She is totally supportive....which is great...but I only told her because I knew she would be upset if I didn't. I really don't want a running commentary on my life choices or really any conversation at all about this. Is my a$$ really so big that we need to discuss it for hours at a time with all my family? Can we just please discuss anything else? I have researched this surgery for like a year...so I really don't need your "expert" advise about what some lady told you that her friend's neighbor's son's girlfriend did to lose weight.....pretty sure it was surgery but might have just been one of those liquid diet things...but she looks great! Groan.

Hi italianlady13, I am not a seasoned sleever yet but I am a seasoned bander, LOL. I am having a revision from a band to sleeve on 06/23/11. The more I am reading it seems as though I am one of the MANY people having a revision from band to sleeve. I know there have been many people who have been successful with the band but from my experience I do regret it. I did initially lose 60 lbs. with the band but that was only because I could not keep any food down and I pretty much lived off of Soup. When they would loosen the band then there was no restriction at all. I guess they never really found that happy in-between. I have been having the band since 2006 and in 2010 I got pregnant. My doctor loosened the band just a little but I gained a whopping 80lbs for ny pregnancy. My baby is now 7 months old and of the 80 lbs I gained for the pregnancy I have been able to lose 20lbs. This puts me right back where I was before I got Lap Band. I went to have an upper GI X-Ray done 2 weeks ago and find out that my band has partially slipped and it can slip completely at any time which if that were to happen it would be an emergency surgery. So now I am scheduled to have this band out and a revision to the sleeve. I always thought that somewhere maybe 25-30 years down the road the band would have to come out, I just never thought that it would be 5 years later. I will be more than happy to have this band out and to hopefully be able to eat a small amount of food and be full without throwing up every single meal. Anyhow, I am sure that you will choose the best choice for you and again everyone is different. I just wanted to share my story with you. Best of luck to you!

Hi Everyone, My name is Lamora, and I'm considering starting my journey. I'm a bit on the fence, but I've read up so much on it, but I'm not sure if I qualify. I know my insurance doesn't pay for it though, so I'm considering doing a sleeve in Turkey (medical tourism). About me: I'm 5'2'' 230lbs. I asked my GP about my health status since I don't have any inclination towards anything, but he recommended I speak to bariatrics, but my insurance doesn't cover it, unfortunately, and I don't make enough for consult or nutrition consult. But I average a 1600kcal per day, and I work out 6 out of 7 days a week for around 60 min each day up to 2 hours a day. I actively run 5k's but I just can't seem to drop weight, which was why this has been suggested to me. I did an international trip when I was in college where they lock you up with a nutritionist and they feed you in a hospital and you work out on a CO2 machine, but no matter how much I ran or lifted I couldn't make the CO2 marks I needed to get. And my T3 and T4 are extremely off despite my TSH being borderline. My body temperature is a bit on the lower end at 92-94 F (33-34C). I kept gaining weight on 1800kcal a day with the nutritionist so I dropped back down to my normal 1600kcal a day and I got back to my normal 230lbs weight. The gastric sleeve was recommended for me since I've been having so many problems dropping weight, and when I run I'm starting to feel some knee and ankle pain as I inch closer to 30. I don't think I'm an emotional eater, but I could be wrong... But I do also have a lot of issues with my weight and overall self confidence because my family basically gave up on me. I'm just looking for support and opinions. I really appreciate it. And if anyone has any experience doing medical tourism/procedures and Turkey I would absolutely love your recommendations. Thank you!

I gained 5 pounds when I had my sleeve, all gone plus some the first week. I also just had my gallbladder out on Monday and gained 4 pounds- still waiting for those pounds to come off....

Welome and you gotta finish the statement "Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste" - always loved the Stones! I may not be a man of wealth - taste has been very important in my life, and that is why I am here also - lol. Know what you mean on the the pride stuff - up until my surgery 11 days ago, I would do 65 minutes on the elliptical machine at the gym, but if I did not diet - weight would still creep on till I was at a BMI of over 50. I was so embarrased about having WLS, I told as few people as possible that I was having surgery - and only 4 people (wife, mother, daughter and a freind who had gastric bypass) what the surgery was. The truth of the matter is - I do not think "normal" people have ever been as hungry as I got on a daily basis. While I am in a tough situation right now in my recovery (liquid diet phase w/ dumping syndrome - which is rare for sleeves, but not unheard of) - I still think I made the correct decision, just counting the days till I can start having pureed foods so I can get some decent protien. Good Luck and welcome aboard! -Kevin