Search the Community

There is no average or standard for how much people lose before first fill. Most fills take place 30-60 days post op. It can take several fills before you feel any kind of restriction or extended satiety. Fills don't make you lose weight. Eating fewer calories than you burn makes you lose fat.

I don't know the statistics but it depends on you if you become one of them. If you exercise and follow your plan you won't gain it back. If you slide back into old habits and make poor food choices, then the weight will come back. The surgery is just a tool.

I recently had my surgery on March 11th. I thought I was mentally and emotionally ready for the surgery, but was sadly mistaken. I feel like I am in my own hell. I miss food! I know I had the surgery for a good reason. I have a two year old son that I would like to be able to get out and play and keep up with. Every part of me just wants to pick up some french fries and chow down but I scare myself out of it. Did I really go through all of this just to go back to my old ways? Will I ever stop missing "the good stuff". I am so tired of greek yogurt, sugar free pudding and mashed potatoes. Not to mention the funky protein shakes that I can get about 75% in before I am ready to barf just from the taste. I am afraid to eat too much and I don't know if I have ever reached that "full feeling". I want pizza, hot dogs and FRIES! I miss my occasional soda, coffee with caffene (sp). My dad had the surgery three weeks before mine and all of this doesn't seem to bother him. Well, if it does, he isn't telling me about it. As you can see the food is my biggest issue, obviously or I wouldn't have had the surgery. I am pleased with the weight loss, just wish it didn't come to wls to get some results. Feeling down and depressed.

He should have the ut most respect for you. Saying he won't even discuss it. How disrespectful can someone be. You know that's not normal right ? After the surgery when you lose all the weight your eyes become clearer and suddenly you realise your worth. Perhaps he doesn't want that to happen. As you won't tolerate that kind of disrespect when you value your self more . Goodluck. I doubt he will come onboard with the prospect of his wife looking better than him as it sounds like that might be it. Sent from my Vivo 5R using Tapatalk

Have him attend an information session with you. When my aunt had WLS about 20 years ago, my uncle felt the need to start losing weight himself (even though he's never had an issue with weight) when my aunt started losing weight. So if your husband weighs less than you, that could be an issue, but I suspect the biggest worry from your husband is that he is scared about something going wrong. So I think having him learn more about WLS with you it will bring him more on board.

This journey is HARD. Pre-op diet and post-op diet especially are difficult, plus if (God forbid) you experience a complication, you are going to need support. My psych eval included ensuring I have plenty of support at home to help me with my recovery from surgery and help me stay on track. As much as it would be awesome to say "Piss off!" and just do what you want anyway (LOL) you have to live with this guy and let's be honest, that ain't gonna work. Your hubby is very wrong that this is the "easy" way out. As someone who's done WW, and lost and regained the weight a few times, I can tell you this is just as difficult. It's a hard decision, it takes will power and dedication, just like any other lifestyle change you make. He needs to be educated. Suggestions: Would he respond better if you wrote him a letter explaining why you feel the way you do? Sometimes if people see it in writing, it resonates better. Do you have a support group through your surgeon's office that you can take him to? Would he go to a meeting? Don't take this the wrong way, but a mediator or therapist could help, too. There is NO shame in it-- sometimes having someone in the room to push the conversation in the right direction (meaning, understanding each other on a deeper level) would be helpful. Just throwing ideas out there. I would also provide him information on how safe the surgery is. I'd be willing to bet he's afraid to see you go under the knife! Completely reasonable to be afraid, but the surgery is very safe, generally. Especially if you're young (you look it) and have few health issues. If he wants to keep you around for a long time-- prevention of health issues is best!! That's why I did it.

I have high blood pressure and was not denied surgery. I take 160mg of Diovan and 12.5mg of hydrochlorothiazide daily to keep my blood pressure under control. On a good day my BP is 135/72 but it often goes higher. I agree about the consumption of caffiene...mine is much higher on days that I drink more than 2 cups of coffee. I would inquire about different blood pressure meds...as the first script that I had (can't remember what it was) wasn't nearly as effective as the Diovan. Are you exercising? Physical activity often decreases blood pressure. In addition to exercise you might want to decrease the amount of sodium that you are taking in and take note of any over the counter medications that you are taking. Causes of High Blood Pressure In most cases of high blood pressure, the American Heart Association says there is no one identifiable cause. This kind of high blood pressure is called primary hypertension or essential hypertension. It is usually a combination of factors, such as: Weight. The greater your body mass, the more pressure there is on your artery walls. That's because more blood is produced to supply oxygen and nutrients to tissues in your body. Activity level. Lack of physical activity tends to increase heart rate, which forces your heart to work harder with each contraction. Tobacco use. Chemicals in cigarettes and tobacco can damage artery walls. Sodium intake. Excessive sodium in the diet can result in Fluid retention and high blood pressure, especially in people sensitive to sodium. Potassium intake. Low potassium can result in elevated sodium in cells, because the two balance one another. Stress. Stress can raise blood pressure. Alcohol consumption. Excessive alcohol intake can, over time, increase the risk of heart disease. Age. The risk of high blood pressure increases as you get older. Family history. High blood pressure often runs in families. Natural Remedies for High Blood Pressure Lifestyle changes and natural remedies may help to control high blood pressure, but your doctor may also recommend medication to lower high blood pressure. It is important to work with your doctor, because untreated high blood pressure may damage organs in the body and increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, brain hemorrhage, kidney disease, and vision loss. See a drawing of a hypertensive heart. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) There is some evidence that the supplement coq10 may help to reduce high blood pressure. A 12 week double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 83 people with systolic hypertension examined the effect of CoQ10 supplements (60 mg twice daily). After the 12 weeks, there was a mean reduction in systolic blood pressure of 17.8 mm Hg in the Coq10-treated group. Another study conducted at the University of Western Australia looked at the effect of CoQ10 on blood pressure and glycemic control in 74 people with type 2 diabetes. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either 100mg CoQ10 twice daily, 200mg of the drug fenfibrate, both, or neither for 12 weeks. CoQ10 significantly reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure(mean reduction 6.1 mm Hg and 2.9 mm Hg respectively). There was also a reduction in HbA1C, a marker for long-term glycemic control. To learn more about CoQ10, read the Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) fact sheet. Garlic In a meta-analysis of seven randomized controlled trials of garlic supplements, three trials showed a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure and four in diastolic blood pressure. Researchers concluded that garlic powder supplement may be of clinical use in patients with mild high blood pressure. Garlic supplements should only be used under the supervision of a qualified health practitioner. Garlic can thin the blood (reduce the ability of blood to clot) similar to aspirin. Garlic may interact with many drugs and supplements such as the prescription "blood-thinners" drugs such as Coumadin (warfarin) or Trental (pentoxifylline), aspirin, Vitamin E, gingko. It is usually recommended that people taking garlic stop in the weeks before and after any type of surgery. To learn more about garlic, go to the articles about garlic. Hawthorn The herb hawthorn is often used by traditional herbal practitioners for high blood pressure. In a randomized controlled trial conducted by researchers in Reading, UK, 79 patients with type 2 diabetes were randomized to receive either 1200 mg of hawthorn extract a day or placebo for 16 weeks. Medication for high blood pressure was used by 71% of the patients. At the end of the 16 weeks, patients taking the hawthorn supplement had a significant reduction in mean diastolic blood pressure (2.6 mm Hg). No herb-drug interactions were reported. Fish oil Preliminary studies suggest that fish oil may have a modest effect on high blood pressure. Although fish oil supplements often contain both DHA (docohexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), there is some evidence that DHA is the ingredient that lowers high blood pressure. Learn more about fish oil. Folic acid Folate is a B vitamin necessary for formation of red blood cells. It may help to lower high blood pressure in some people, possibly by reducing elevated homocysteine levels. One small study of 24 cigarette smokers found that four weeks of folic acid supplementation significantly lowered blood pressure. Learn more about folic acid.

Weight Loss - Diet Ticker"> >

Hey there! I'm getting banded on 12/23. I'm really excited. I've been gathering tons of receipes together and reading everything I can. I'm 43 and I totally understand about the pounds creaping up. I'm 5'9 and a large frame so my weight didn't didn't really show much until I creasted 260ish. I've choosen to tell my friends, family and co-workers about my lap band decision. When I explain it I do stress that it is a tool and it will be work, just the band will make the work a bit easier and unlike all those other times I worked at loosing weight this time I will keep it off with the help of the band. I'm very fortunate to have wonderful people in my life that are supportive (life is too short to have bad people and their negative energy around me) I would say what you say and who you choose to tell is your personal decision...much like being banded.

So I had a consult with a surgeon to discuss surgical repair of my abs separating. I'm only halfway to my weight loss goal and told him so. Surprisingly he said that he thought the separation will close when I'm at my weight loss goal so no need to research further and plan for a surgical repair in the future. Has anyone else experienced their separation closing after weight loss without surgical repair?

Hello everyone, I am a 44 yr old guy, T2 diabetic, with sleep apnea. I am 6'4" now 300lbs, my highest weight ever. I blame my most recent increase, (it's never my fault) on two shoulder surgeries, and a knee surgery, and a recent severe accident in which I was involved, but not at fault. I recently attended a seminar, and have an appointment with the doc this month. Anyway, I have been battling weight my entire life. Some good results, but usually gain it back. I know of two women who have had Lapband, one with fantastic success, the other with good success. I have a few concerns, one of my crutches in life is caffeine, I can't drink coffee, so I get mine through Diet Coke. I have read you can't drive ANY carbonated drinks with a GB. True or false? Also read of problems with pills. I work outside, so in the summer, I drink a lot of Water, can I still drink water in large quantities? It would seem to be OK as water should not be effected by the band. True or false? Any other things I am over looking? Thanks, Tom

What is your BMI? It's more about your BMI than your weight alone. My insurance does allow high cholesterol as a co morbidity but I have normal cholesterol.

You are not alone. I did that last week. We had a party at our house and we had leftover cheesecake and choc cream pie. I had a small piece 3 or 4 nights in a row, instead of my usual SF Jello or glass of milk before bed. I am over it now tho. Sometimes I think we have to get those things out of our system. It is hard to go cold turkey and be perfect. So long as it isn't something that is going to do actual damage to your stomach, I think you have to have that treat once in awhile for your sanity. And - now you don't feel good after eating it so you likely won't do it again for some time. I am still not hitting 8 glasses of Water a day. It just takes me too long every day to eat and drink what I do get down. I am feeling fine and saw my doctor today for a routine physical. She is very proud of me for my weight loss. She even printed my weight chart! LOL I didn't drink that much before surgery tho either, so maybe my body is fine with less. Hang in there and don't beat yourself up. Tomorrow is a new day. Let it go and start over : )

The psychologist I saw for my psych evaluation had done a lot of bariatric evals and follow-up counseling and she said that she had seen a huge number of depression cases post weight loss. But a lot of her experience was in lapband, so I think she was referring more to the body image/not having adequate coping mechanisms/dealing with all the reasons we ate to begin with. For my own mental health, I'm planning on starting counseling soon and continuing with it. I know from experience that sometimes I fail in the coping strategies department and would like to be prepared.

GERD is a reflux of acid into your esophagus. It sounds like you have a different issue. Your band may be too tight for now (when you lose more weight you can continue getting more fills) since you cannot get food down relatively easily and have a lot of phlegm. The saliva thing is automatic when you're somewhat blocked because you ate too much food and it's not going down easily. You wind up having having what is called a "productive belch" which is a small regeritation of food that is backed up in your esophagus. You should talk to your doc or eat smaller portions if this is a regular thing with you. That shouldn't happen that often.

I would like to start by saying my husband is very supportive now, but when I found out about lap band 3 years ago he didn't think I should get it, he said I could lose the weight on my own, and that he thought I was taking the easy road, well now he see's how much I went through after surgery and how I still struggle to eat right, it's not a magic surgery, I have to change my life, I still have some day's when I feel like I'm never gonna get to my goal, and I need a support system..

When they say if you want better results, they are talking quicker result. The more extreme surgeries, sleeve and GP, and DS, are all very quick weight loss. However, five years out you will be the same as if you got the band. The band is slower, 1-2lbs a week. This is good in the sense as it doesn't shock your body. It also allows the skin to have a little bit more of a chance to bounce back. The results can be slower and really a bit more frustrating. So make your decision based on how you want your body to react. Just because you get the more extreme surgery doesn't mean that you can't stretch out your stomach later and just gain the weight back either. All the surgeries require a life style change. Good luck!

I'm only 5days post op. I'll be totally honest, even yesterday, I was saying to myself "why the hell did I do this!?" I'm sometimes still even saying it. I know everyone has already said it, but you just need to work hard in your pre op diet. It is so important to actually loose a little bit of weight before surgery to reduce risk from anesthesia. It's hard to loose the little bit of weight but you have to try. You need to get healthy in order to get healthy!!! Good luck!

The doctor is aware of her going to the nutritionist and still wants her to see the dietitian. I think it is a case where her doctor doesn't really want her to have the weight-loss surgery. The referral for WLS actually came from her cardiologist. I'm just concerned that her doctor will fail to do something that she needs done to get approved for surgery.

wtg on the workout sweet. well stall finally broke and down 6 lbs since Friday. 3 more and I will have lost 50 woo hoo. that is 1/3 of the weight about that I wanted to loose

That's all part of the addiction!! I'm scheduled for tomorrow morning. My husband just finished cooking his dinner and I want to go in, rip the lid off the pot and grab a big huge spoon. However, that is also why I need the sleeve - it's all about the portion and the reminder that I can no longer eat enough to feed 3 people. This is also the reason I think many of us go through the emotional ups and downs because for a while afterwards you may feel deprived. its really about learning a new "normal". You can do this if you want to change where you are today. Think about it, if you don't go this route where will you be in 5 years? I know for me I would still be struggling with my weight and life is too short not to be all that I'm meant to be!

hello, for my experience the pain of the surgery was none but the gas pain was hoorible worse than i have ever felt, i gave birth to three kids and this pain was not even close to having kids. it lasted for 2 weeks i did all the stuff the doctor said but really nothing helped thill it totally went away well sometimes i still get it after eating and its bad for about 1 hour,other than that pain wize is no bigge, but let me tell you i did not loose any weight the first 4 months because i could'nt eat any healthy food at all, the only stuff that went down was junk food wich freeked me out i was thinking to my self i spent 13,000 for this bad very discourage but arter a while i decided that not becausei could eat it i would. so i went back to basics diet,exercise cuz lapband is not a miracle at all if you dont change the way you eat and exercise you will not loose weight for some people weight just comes off for other like myself its ben very hard sometimes i feel that it was a waist of money becacse what im doing i could of done it will out the band,i wish i had reserched this surgery more and lissent to all the bad lapband stories out there. hope i dont discourage you that is just my personal experience, stay strog and do wats best for you.

Oh girl I know how you feel! I'm a nurse also and I hate to even tell my patients that they should eat better, I feel like such a hypocrite! We know the health risk, we know how to loose weight, we know the benefits of exercise, etc but it doesn't make it any easier to do just because we know the information! Stop beating yourself up and take care of you! Your not alone, there are a bunch of us on this site who feel the same way! I have so many people telling me that I just need to get serious about weight loss, that I can do it on my own and that I don't need surgery. Well if that were the case don't ya think I would have already done it! I'm a food addict, I need a little help!

well try to keep in mind genetics can play a part in cholesterol. That being said if it is not genetic perhaps take a look at the Protein or other supplements, some are high in cholesterol. If it is something that runs in your family weight and exercise my not be enough to help you manage it.

Hi Everyone ! My name is Mary, and I'm almost 3 weeks post-surgery. As of a week ago, I was down 24 lbs, but that included the weight I lost during the 10 pre-op diet period. I'm starting to feel pretty good, other than I get tired easily. That may be compounded by the fact that I have other chronic illnesses (hypo-thyroid, ulcerative colitis), but I'm glad to be getting into the pureed food stage ! Was anyone else bothered by the odd sensations of the gas exiting your body? It kind of made my left shoulder hurt a little....nothing major, just a discomfort. :thumbup: