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I am in the same boat but a little younger. I chose to get sleeved first just because I am in my late 30's and might get pregnant when I loose the weight. We have been trying for 6 years. If this doesn't help us I am going to start treatments in 2 years.

Anyone else having the issue with family and friends seeing weight coming off, but you can't see it yourself. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using the BariatricPal App

I too have waited many years thinking about WLS. I work in healthcare and see so many bypass complications that haunt patients for years. I don't see band patients though (I work in a bariatric hospital). I have the issue that even though I know I'm overweight I don't feel overweight. I'm very active and "see" myself skinnier then I really am. I lost 110 lbs in one year (11 yrs ago) doing Atkins/exercise.....kept it off for 2-3 yrs then it started to creep back. I've gained 60 back total, so not a total loss! I decided on getting banded this past fall, have done all the work for approval (lost 18 lbs too!) and got my surgery date today! April 16th will be here before I know it!! I wish you the best with your band and know that we are taking a great step towards healthier lives!!!

Hello Ladies, So im new here as of last week I've been doing research on the LapBand I never wanted to do the GBY since I think is an aggressive procedure so after all my research I think the best choice for me is LapBand. I have my Dr. Appt. July 24. I have greatwest and from my conversation today, they do approve it. So here are my main questions. Ok first off Im 30 years old and I weight 285 :confused_smile: (I have no clue how I've done this to myself) SO my main concern is do you really loose weight and does this really work. I mean all of us are here because we do not eat properly we overeat even when we are full at least I do. Im being honest!!! So those of you who have done the lapband please tell me your experience with it when it comes to cravings, feeling full. Ive read a lot of post saying they can still eat everything they did before but dont do it and the only thing I can thik is " Why have the surgery then, the whole point is so it helps you and restricts what you can eat so you dont over eat. Please HEEEELP

I had my band for two years, I lost weight after my band slipped because I threw up all the time. When I first got my band I was hungry all the time. Once I heal from having band removed I plan on having sleeve. That's just me.

Hi, I used to be a major yo-yo dieter before the lap band. Since I have had surgery I have lost all of my excess weight and have kept it off for 2 years. I wish I had done it earlier. Good luck in your journey. Mona

Like a lot of overweight people I do not have a problem losing the weight, I just cannot seem to keep it off. Especially as I get older. Just about any diet works for me as long as I exercise and keep lifting weights. It’s when I go back to my regular ways of eating that I gain back the weight. The good news is that as long as I am still lifting weights I do not seem to ever gain back as much fat as I have lost. I’ll lose 30 or more pounds and gain back 24. But I’ve also gained some muscle. I hope the Lap Band will help with this yo yo effect.

So far it has helped for me! For 2 weeks this month I ate everything in sight, but because it was such small portions I didn't gain any weight back. So when I started getting serious again I just picked back up where I left off. THIS is the very reason I love my band! It wasn't always like this though. I had to get my restricition right with my fills beforeI could do this. I did gain weight back in the beginning when I wasn't keeping up with my fills.

Welcome! I think it may vary by insurance. I know mine (SmartHealth) actually wouldn't approve you as is since your BMI is "too low". They require a BMI of 35 with co-morbidities, or 40 or higher for no-cormobidities. I would recommend calling your insurance company directly to see what all they require. I wasn't required to have any medically-supervised weight loss, but there were several people in my class who had to do 3-6 months. Good luck!

Ok, OK, I know everyone is different,everything depends on one's individual commitment, etc, etc, BUT one of the things I want to do for motivation is to get a couple "dream outfits". I've window shopped a bit and that's fun but I want one hanging on the closet door to keep me motivated...maybe more than one so I can swap them out. Now...what size do I pick? I was banded in April and have lost about 2 lbs a week...so on track for a nice sane weight loss. I'm looking for average size differences from those who have gone before me on this journey. I'm starting at the dreaded 2X; what was your dress size change at 3, 6, 12 months...or whenever you noticed it? I have found it hard to even visualize the way my body will look in the future, which I never expected.

Hi Bookleen, I'm in a similar situation as you. My BMI is 27.1, and I've hardly lost any weight in the last 4 months. I too discussed w my surgeon and he said the same as Coops just said above, it's not about BMI it's where you feel comfortable. I still want to lose around 10 lbs but I know I have to start working at it again, at the moemnt I eat and drink anything I want, I so excercise quite a lot, I think thats the only reason I haven't put on any weight. I could've written that post myself you know, I need to tidy up my act too and strat losing again before my 1 year anniversary. How far out are you exactly? Good luck, to all of us

We walked (2.6 miles) to the parents house and I used their scale. It said that I'm 1.6lbs from goal. So I'm excited to see what my actual weight is at the support group tonight. Hopefully they will have the scale there. I do have to go there early to pick up another binder, so I may just see if I can be weighed then. Since watching I Used To Be Fat, I've been motivated to eat right (better) and exercise more. But the exercising part backfired. I over did it or tweaked something b/c my back hurts like hell. I'm going to call physical therapy today to see if they can fit me in. For about a minute there I was feeling like I could do this on my own with exercise and eating right. But I don't think I can. I think I really do need the help of the sleeve. With how bad my back hurts right now, I know I can't exercise how I want to for the weight to come off until the weight comes off first. If I will even be able to exercise how I want to when I'm smaller. I know I'm stuck with my back problems for life, but I was really hoping that they'd get better to the point where I wouldn't have to worry about doing something and being laid up for up to a week at a time. Luckily I can still walk, but the way it feels, it could turn worse at any time. I just feel like without surgery I won't be able to lose the weight on my own since I can't exercise as much as I want to so even though I know I could lose weight on my own, I don't feel like I would lose as much as I want to because I'll need to exercise and right now that seems impossible even though I actually want to now. >.< Just wanted to share that before I start my day. I have to get ready, drive an hour, go to the dentist, go to my parents house, do laundry, do errands I can only do down there, go to support group, then have dinner with one of my besties. I'm kinda wishing I had bought the cupcake makeup bag from Tilly's. It would make getting ready to leave a little easier. Haha, I must share this too. So I got a pair of cupcake earrings on Sunday from Tilly's. Now I'm telling people that they're my favorite kind of cupcakes because they don't hurt me here *rubs tummy* or here *pinches tummy*.

Hello bluejay, Are you thinking about getting the Band? In your post it is not clear what kind of reply you are looking for. I have been very happy with my band. I can not eat like a delicate lady instead of a hired hand and not only have I lost weight, but i feel so much better about who i am. Being out of control around food was a monkey on my back. Now it's gone. San Diego must be beautiful. I heard once that it has the best weather in the states. Lots of chances for outdoor fun! If you have more questions, please ask. We lapbandsters are here for you.

I started doing 10 reps of arm exercises with 2 pound weights a few days after surgery. I firmly believe in low weight, high reps to reshape my body. My arms, back and thighs look great and I'm getting good waist definition and my butt has definitely reshaped itself. Now I do half the weight machines at my gym every day, plus 30 minutes of cardio. I keep changing it up, but the core muscles ALWAYS get worked at least 3 days a week. I also walk stairs and do circuit training a few days a week. So far, so good... and I'm not at my personal goal yet, although my WLS surgeon says that I've come as far as possible without surgery. I'm keeping my plastics consult later this month, but I'm also still working hard on sculpting and reshaping.

Yeah, when I started to really notice that I was losing muscle mass, I figured I would rather have too much protein intake than not enough. If my body was in the mood to make muscle, I wanted it to have the components it needed readily available. Yes, the excess would most likely be converted to glycogen/fat, but I was OK with that. I just didn't want to lose any more muscle. I tell you what, I am most likely the person NOT to follow, unless you want to work out a ton. When I was running 30 miles a week, doing a race every month, doing HIIT and weight lifting twice a week, I was consuming at least 160 g protein and at least 200 g carbs, daily. My calorie intake got as high as 1,700, on my best days. Not something you would typically see in a sleever. But, I was losing inches. I think in this phase, I went from a 35 waist to a 32, but lost less than 10 pounds. BTW, my excess skin is better, but it is still there. I am going to wait for my 2 year surgiversary for a plastics consult. I figure everything will have settled into place by that point. At a year out, I can still see things firming up in that dept.

So, here is what I know from my experience, FWIW. It was suggested to me that better endurance translates to easier recovery from major surgery. I had a membership to the health club for years, but did not go religiously. However, one month prior to surgery, I started hitting it hard. To increase my endurance, I did elliptical and spinning classes almost daily. 45 minutes minimum. Started low, but after the month, I was able to go for 45 minutes at a pretty high level. I would go over to the weights occassionally when I had time and was able to increase my weights by the end of the month. Day of surgery (I was outpatient in Vegas, baby!) after taking a nap back at the hotel, I walked around downtown Vegas for a couple miles and took the wife out to dinner. Next day, we were all over the strip walking at least 5 miles. Same thing the next day, maybe even more. I felt great. I knew that my cardio workouts played a large role in my being able to do this. At my appt with my surgeon before I left town, I told him all this and he just laughed saying how incredible it was to do what I was doing. He believed it was my preparation that was responsible for this. Now, when I got home, things were definitely reduced that first month or so. As Butter says, you cannot build muscle on a calorie deficeit. For starters, muscle can only be built from Protein, which is just about impossible to meet quota for the first few weeks post-op. Your calorie intake is so low, it can be tough to muster up enough energy just to make it through the day let alone take on a serious workout. Napping took priority over working out. Fast forward two months post-op and I add walking/jogging around the neighborhood to the workout regimen dropping elliptical in favor or high intenstity interval training. As you can see from my signature, I'm dropping weight like crazy during this time. Almost too fast, if truth be told as my excess skin is really starting to show up. I am sagging from places you just don't want to sag. I have definitely lost muscle mass, but I am lifting weights and taking in over 100 g of protein daily. Buuuut ... still only getting about 900 calories a day. It is just difficult to get it all in. 6 months in I run my first 5K and actually do really well. Inspires me to try to be a runner. I basically only run and do HIIT and weight lift about twice a week. I cheat the rules of the sleeve to get extra calories in (drinking while eating) to be able to support my running efforts. I'm still dropping weight, but at this time, I feel pretty confident all of my weight loss is fat as I am able to increase my weights on the lifting side of things. One year out and I've been at goal for several months. My exercise has been sidelined with knee issues, but I follow the sleeve rules pretty tight, so I am able to maintain. In my last 5 races, I have either won or come in 2nd in my division. I had never even ran a mile before in my life. Never had an interest in running, even hated it, to be honest. But, I don't think there are a lot of obese people who like running ... know what I mean? What am I trying to say? This all started with cardio endurance training 1 month prior to my surgery. I know this was the basis for my recovery and transistion to a healthier lifestyle. Weight lifting ... yes, but only after I completed my cardio. Good luck and keep us all posted on how you do.

Take your scale out back and smash it with a sledge hammer. You are sabotaging yourself. Seriously I never weighed myself throughout my losing process. I never had a stall or a gain. Always happy with the progress because I only got weighed at my doctors office. As long as you are following your doctors plan you will make it. You also have to remember you are still healing. Your body is under attack and it is trying to adjust. You are still flushing out the meds they gave you and your body is also starting to flush out the toxins you stored up. That does not happen over night. That will happen a long the way as well. But you are not in a place right now to worry about a stall or weight gain. As long as you are looking straight ahead and doing what you are suppose to do. You will be who you want to be. Okay hun!

I was cleared to exercise after week three and started doing weights (mostly chest and arms to start) and have been walking 2 miles a day since about day three.

Everything you eat in the first month feels like too much, but once you see the weight coming off you'll relax. I was most hungry during week 2 & 3. How full you get is definitely dependant on what you eat. Mashed potato vs grilled chicken for example Everyone is different and some people bounce back a lot faster and are able to eat more at first. Everyone else will catch up in a few months and be getting the same amounts down. Just feel lucky you are doing well! I could easily drink liquids so I ditched the protein shakes because they left me hungry and I was just drinking calories away. I switched them out for soft foods to make me feel full. Obviously stick with what your doctor recommends but just some information to keep in mind for later Sent from my LG-H850 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi Diona and welcome to the board. I started recently myself and must also do the 6month diet for insurance requirements. I have Cigna. Weightloss facility I am using requires a 3 month diet as well and would like you to lose 5% of your weight before they will sign off on a surgery date. good luck, Jim

In my job, drinking Breakfast and lunch is a great option for me. I am going to go the Protein shot route. Some type of fruit flavor, I am sick of chocolate or vanilla diet drinks. My instructions permit "protein shots" in propel (I guess that is water). Any suggestions on shot brands. I mean do you just drop them in there like a flaming Dr. Pepper, lol? It's hot and I want something that can be downed cold and quickly. I also can't lose a ton of weight they said. 7-10 pounds. Yet, they also said that I wouldn't be judged on my pre-op weight. HELP on both accounts plz, but mainly on the protein shots, there are a ton online, even a grape one by sunkist called sunkist grape 4200.

I have not had a fill since last November and am soooo over due for one.. I have one scheduled in two weeks and I can't wait.. I had maintained my weight really well this past year, (137-140 a good weight for me) but currently with almost no fill restriction and it doesn't help that I don't make good food choices and have tons of stress in my life. I have put on some weight, about 10-12 lbs, which is a lot. I feel miserable, I can't fit in any of my clothes and I refuse to buy a larger size and get comfortable there.. I just need to get my fill and get back on track.. I will definitely let you know how it goes. I have been reading up and trying to get acquainted with everyone.. I missed being on here and getting the support. It is such an important part of this journey.. Well, thank you for welcoming me back and hope to hear from you soon.

Welcome back.....(((((((((((((HUGS)))))))))) Take it a day at a time, try not to keep foods in your home or reach that are bad choices, we all have our comfort foods, not to say that's a good thing. You've done really well to maintain and ONLY gain that little bit back, congratulations for realizing there is a problem now and addressing it NOW.

Is your question that you are worried about malabsorption issues? I would be more concerned with sleeve issues such as heartburn and not losing enough weight. That's why I chose the rny. I figured if I'm going o do this, it will be once, no revisions for me. I chose the surgery that provides the most weightloss. A lot of bad stuff has been coming out about the sleeve in terms of results. I think with the sleeve you need to have much more willpower. The bypass is a lot harder, nearly impossible for some, to cheat on. My best friend had bypass and her husband the sleeve. She lost 170 pounds in one year. He lost 70 pounds and gained back 35 so only a 35 pound lost. He can and could eat around the surgery the whole time. She had dumping and major restriction. Given she was more motivated but he clearly needed a stronger tool to help with his weightloss. I don't think her really made the choice to lose weight and she did. But statistically people with sleeves don't lose as much. People with rny do get Vitamin issues along the way. Not everyone, but it happens. You have to commit to taking the pills for life. I feel it's worth it to get the health benefits of weightloss even if I have to have Iron transfusions some day. I was going to end up diabetic so I would have had issues anyway. The sleeve can give you heartburn and many end up with a revision. I didn't want two surgeries

Hello, I am looking for anyone from Eastern Iowa, Western IL. that had their procedure done at Genesis in Quad Cities? Look for some of your personal experiences. I am so contemplating this but when mention to my husband I get the "let's check it out" and then the attitude of "here we go again, another attempt, more money and no success". It doesn't help that we know people that have done gastric bypass and have gained everything back! So sick of being like this and having to struggle to get any ounces off! Please message or email me with your experiences. Thanks, Angie paankadu@msn.com