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I have to rely on birth control pills to have a regular period. Otherwise I would have about 3 a year. I have been on pills for like 15 years and during this time, my periods have been consistantly regular, last 3-4 days with a little cramping. I have continued to be regular after my surgery but they are only lasting like 2 days and are rather light in comparison to what they were before the band. I also have more cramps and fluid retention. My doc has checked me for cysts, fibroids etc. and she says everything is ok. I was actually anticipating them lasting longer and get heavier with weight loss but I appear to be drying up.

I was looking for a post like this. My period is a week late as well. I know that weight-loss can effect your cycle and while I know I am not pregnant...I was starting to get concerned. Look forward to hearing the experience of others....

I have an appointment to see Dr. Curry this morning at 11:00am. I am excited, yet nervous. Last night I dreamed that he told me that I wasn't a good candidate for a lap band, and told me to go home and lose weight the "old fashioned" way. Well, THAT way hasn't worked for me at all. I've been fat ever since I can remember. My parents and three siblings were never fat, but I was. Mom started taking me to Weight Watcher's meetings when I was 8 years old. She gave me Ayds to chew on, helped me count calories, signed me up for gymnastics and dancing lessons in the hope I'd burn more calories and lose weight, threatened and cajoled me into losing weight, bought my sister new clothes but not me, in the hopes that I'd "straighten up" and lose weight, punished me other various ways because I wouldn't lose weight, had me on various liquid diets, including the Cambridge Diet, took me to a hypnotist for subliminal weight-loss messages, and paid for me to go to Diet Center. In my adult life I continued to life with family put-downs because of my weight and I finally topped out at 352 pounds. I stopped eating on July 1, 1998 and in 23 months I lost over 150 pounds. But that's only because I was eating about two cups of food a day, and mostly protein. Since that time I've tried to stay to two cups of food a day, but I cannot. I've steadily gained weight (big surprise) and am now back up to 247 pounds. At this rate, before the end of 2007, I'll be right back up over 300 pounds. I've calculated that I've lost and gained close to 200 pounds over and over again in my lifetime, and I'M SICK TO DEATH OF THIS STUPID HAMSTER WHEEL I'M ON!!!!!!!! Please, Dr. Curry............you're my last hope!

I have an appointment to see Dr. Curry this morning at 11:00am. I am excited, yet nervous. Last night I dreamed that he told me that I wasn't a good candidate for a lap band, and told me to go home and lose weight the "old fashioned" way. Well, THAT way hasn't worked for me at all. I've been fat ever since I can remember. My parents and three siblings were never fat, but I was. Mom started taking me to Weight Watcher's meetings when I was 8 years old. She gave me Ayds to chew on, helped me count calories, signed me up for gymnastics and dancing lessons in the hope I'd burn more calories and lose weight, threatened and cajoled me into losing weight, bought my sister new clothes but not me, in the hopes that I'd "straighten up" and lose weight, punished me other various ways because I wouldn't lose weight, had me on various liquid diets, including the Cambridge Diet, took me to a hypnotist for subliminal weight-loss messages, and paid for me to go to Diet Center. In my adult life I continued to life with family put-downs because of my weight and I finally topped out at 352 pounds. I stopped eating on July 1, 1998 and in 23 months I lost over 150 pounds. But that's only because I was eating about two cups of food a day, and mostly protein. Since that time I've tried to stay to two cups of food a day, but I cannot. I've steadily gained weight (big surprise) and am now back up to 247 pounds. At this rate, before the end of 2007, I'll be right back up over 300 pounds. I've calculated that I've lost and gained close to 200 pounds over and over again in my lifetime, and I'M SICK TO DEATH OF THIS STUPID HAMSTER WHEEL I'M ON!!!!!!!! Please, Dr. Curry............you're my last hope!

Protein, protein protein! I can suggest Gold's Power Bars that you can purchase at Walgreens. About 200 calorie and 23 grams of protein. I typically have one at Breakfast or between a meal. They are soft and go down great in the morning with coffee. If you have superb restriction have half for breakfast and the other half an hour later. Your hair should come back once you replace what your body was missing.

I am having the SAME problem. I have been assured by other bandsters it will stop and come back. I've been losing hair like CRAZY for 6 weeks. Thank god I HAD a full head of hair. But I'm down to a third of what I used to have. YIKES. Everyone told me to go on prenatals. It's the iron and vitamin B that's missing. And from what I can tell on the internet- it's true. I just hope it kicks in soon. It looks like a murder scene in my bathtub. It's soooo gross.

your receipe was great. i have been looking for ways to add beans and lentils to my day thank you dobber oh ya good job with your weight loss!

I had my first pre-op appointment yesterday. I am excited to say on the doctor's scale, I am down 16.6# since my last visit with him. While I am extremely happy with the weight loss...I am tired and weak. I am disappointed on how I am feeling. I truly need to look at my diet and make adjustments. I am finding it very hard to get in the protein, which I know I need to heal and stay healthy. I am a huge sweets fan but I do not want to taste another SF pudding, yogurt or protein shake. How does regular protein powder change the tastes of liquids? Thanks in advance for any ideas!

I've never been good at keeping up with a journal..........nothing has changed. My highest weight was 265. On surgery day I was 261. My lowest now has been 194. 70 pounds. Wow! The beauty of it is that it won't come back. I will never go over 200 again. I always said that when on previous diets and in the blink of an eye I would be back up there and beyone. Unless, God forbid, something goes wrong with my band I will not gain again. I had an unfill a couple days after Christmas and I've gained a couple pounds. I feel almost wide open and have been eating all kinds of crap. I am going back tomorrow for another fill. I want just a small one. The last one was bad and all the stress of David being in the hospital was a nightmare. I lost lots of weight but I also nearly lost my sanity. The lack of vitamins, protein, etc caused nasty things. My nails are a mess, my hair is dull, dry and lifeless. My skin is dull and has no elasticity. That may just be an age thing and I will live with it if I have to. I am wearing size 14 jeans and while I am not exercising, I still feel better than I've felt in years. I can breathe so much better. I don't wet my pants with the least exertion. It's all good. I want to go on to 150 if I can. I'm not desparate to lose now. I am not yet happy with my looks but I am so much improved. I can't imagine myself at 150. It would be cool just to see how I look. Later.........

Have you read the link that is in Butterthebean's signature? It's really helpful and explains the science behind plateaus after surgery. Here it is, if you haven't see it: http://www.dsfacts.c...or-plateau.html If you haven't been getting your protein, you will want to ensure you do so...you don't want your body to break down your muscle (which actually helps the weight loss) rather than fat. ~Kat

Flew from Atlanta to San Diego on 9/9/05 @ 6am. Picked up by driver in San Diego around 11:00 am then driven to Alma Hospital in Mexicali, Mexico (about a 3 hr drive). I was met at the hospital by Yolanda (Dr. Aceves' coordinator) which informed me of the things that would be taking place. Yolanda is a very lovely lady, very informed (was previous a professor at one of the colleges). I was then checked into a room and immediately they started running test for my surgery (X-rays, bloodwork, ekg, etc., I had elected to have surgery the same day I arrived). Dr. Aceves came into my room sat down and talked with me. He is a very soft spoken, kind, and very knowledgable man. He began to demonostrate the band (he had brought one with him), telling me how everything worked, the good and the bad. He made me feel very comfortable answering all questions patiently without making me feel he needed to be seeing the next patient. He understands English very well, but when he speaks you have to pay attention to get it all. Around 1pm I was taken into surgery, 54 min later I was in recovery. I stayed in recovery for an hour then wheeled back to my room. I was expecting lots of pain (according to everything I had read), but it was more "pressure" than pain (for me anyway). By that evening I was up and walking some. Dr. Aceves came by that night, before leaving the hospital to check on me and to ask if I needed a sleeping pill. The nurses checked on me continually throughout the night giving me pain medicine (through my iv) every 3 hours. The next day I walked a good bit because it makes you feel so much better. Sunday, after lunch, Yolanda came by, got the papers for me to check out and took me to the hotel. The driver picked me up the next morning (Monday) around 7am to go to the airport. I did not get back to GA until 10:45pm (a very long trip). The worse thing for me was the flight returning home; sitting that long with the seatbelt over that area was very uncomfortable, even tho I had on very loose clothes. Probably had the flight not been so long (7 hours) it would not have been nearly as bad. I had taken the following week off and basically I just took it slow. I have a 16 year old daughter that helped me alot, but within a day or so I was fine. I was on clear liquids for 2 weeks which actually wasn't that bad. The people at work simply thought I was just drinking tea or something. I had not told anyone at work because I simply did not want to hear their opinion about me leaving the country for my surgery. On November 23rd I went to get my first fill. They could not locate the port (done without fluro). I had to schedule another location a couple of weeks later to get the fill done under fluro. On December 12th/2005 I went to receive my fill (under fluro) and was given a 2.5cc. By the end of December I knew that my fill was too restricted, however, at their request continued to try to work with it. I basically drank my breakfast and often my lunch, sometimes I could eat something like soup for lunch and then by around 5:30pm I could eat like most bandsters do - protein, veggies etc. I struggled through January and February and was pretty much okay other than still unable to eat in the mornings. In March I received some very disturbing news about my daughter that was and still is very stressful. I started having acid reflux during the night; waking up strangling. I contacted the center and they still think I do not need to have a slight unfill; they want me to "work around" this problem. They did put me on medication which I have been on for 3 days now. However, it is only a 14-day treatment so after this I am not sure what will happen. The good news is that I have lost 45 lbs plus 18 lbs before surgery which amounts to 63 pounds. I am very thankful for the band; I would never have lost this much without it. :clap2: 3/16/06 I have an appointment to go get some of the fill taken out. Still having reflux pretty bad; the little food and little sleep is like waaay too much. 4/21/06 Drove to Nashville to have a portion of the fill removed and they could not find/hit the port (after 4 or 5 sticks...ouch). I was sooooo dissappointed after a 6 hour drive, the cost of gasoline, the cost of a hotel room etc. So...I now have an appointment in Tampa, Fla to have the fill completed under fluro. 5/3/06 - Tampa/fillcenterusa - Had fill (1.8cc), everything went great! No problems in locating the port, in fact the easiest one I've had yet. 9/06 - 1 Year anniversary - total of 71 lbs loss. 10/06 - 203 and still loosing, just slowly, but....that's okay. No hair loss, no loose skin etc., and that's pretty good for someone 51 years old. 1/2007 - 193 - total loss of 85 lbs....yeah. 3/2007 - 187 4/2007 - 180 (-98 lbs) yeah!!!

I saw the surgeon in a group setting prior to being a candidate, I think twice. Once I was a candidate, I saw him one-on-one, and got further info about what I needed to do, what to expect, and a chance to ask questions. He made a simple physical examination and asked me a few questions about my health, then I sat with the admin and signed a medical records release so I could obtain short term medical leave at my work, and yes, got a surgical date, in my case a little more than 3 weeks out from that visit. This is a very personal decision as it will be a big change, But for me it's a change I know I need to make - I am mainly looking to head off the serious health consequences of obesity, but also want to look and feel better, be able to enjoy more activities like biking and kayaking. I can almost feel the wind in my hair now! Thank you for your response! I'm so ready to have control over my life for the first time l. I've always been overweight, and it sucks. There are so many things that I've wanted to do, but always told myself no because of my weight. Plus, I know now that I don't have any other medical issues along with the weight, but they are bound to come, so why not try to prevent them. Especially since I've almost met my insurance deductible already this year. Sent from my SM-N920P using the BariatricPal App

I am there with you I lost about 60lbs and I have gained back about 30 and I made an appt to go back and see my surgeon and get back on track. I was banded in june 2009 and I feel like such a loser and I am so frustrated with myself. I still work out but my eating is the biggest problem and I have to get it under control before weight loss becomes a complete loss.

As of tomorrow, it will have been 2 weeks since I was Banded. I'm on "mushies" now and wasn't having regular BMs. From what sounds like is common, it took me 4 days post-op to have my first BM. Some people complain about diarrhea and others complain about constipation. Granted, post-op we are on liquids and/or "mushies" which don't give you much to 'output' anyway. And everyone knows that being "regular" is healthy and helps with the weight loss. Anyway... yesterday, I added a heaping tablespoon of ground Flax Seed (I purchased a bag from Costco) into my Protein shake ('Gladiator' protein in Almond Milk) and this morning I had a "normal, healthy" BM - like before I had the Band! WOOHOO!!! I am going to keep putting this in my shakes. Just thought I'd share in case it helps anyone else out whose having this problem.

Apparently women become very fertile - or at least I did... My six month post-op appt is next thursday and I have to tell him that I'm pregnant! Whooops!!! I think he is going to be mad - I'm scared.

Hi Danii, I'm in Perth Aust. My op was 18/7 so 5 weeks out for me. I've dropped 15kgs so far. I had dropped 15kgs in the first 3 weeks then put on 2kgs. My dr explained that was just the body rehydrating and now I've lost that too. But I noticed that even though the scales haven't been moving much the last couple weeks, my cms have dropped. So yeah I would say your loss seems great and very on par

I have had a lot of difficulty losing weight during my "evaluation phase" and I also scored poorly on psychological tests in the area of projected ability to stick with the diet post-op. Has anyone else struggled with compliance before being scheduled for surgery? I am working very hard at it and seeing a therapist and feel I am making good progress but I occasionally mess up and the weight stays on. Maybe I'm not ready for the surgery if I can't do this pre-op. I have been on strict liquid diets in the past (Optifast) and loved not eating at all and felt great but this has been difficult. Any encouragement or suggestions welcome.

I didn't lose a thing during my 6 months of nutritional counseling. I only started to lose weight during the 2-week countdown to surgery. My surgeon wants all of his patients to lose 5% of their body weight prior to surgery: in my case, 15 pounds. I managed to burn off 13 pounds in a last-ditch effort in the 2 weeks pre-op diet, and then they didn't even weigh me that day. D'oh! My nutritionist worked hard to motivate me, but at the end she shifted gears towards shoring up my resolve and plan for post-op rather than trying to get me to lose pre-op. The team told me repeatedly that there is absolutely zero relationship between pre-op weight loss and post-op success. The ability to lose weight during pre-op has no predictive value to how you will do post-op, according to the scientific literature. @@KarenLoh, I'd dig a little deeper into the psych eval that concluded you would have low projected ability to stick with the program post-op. Were there any suggestions on how to address that, or any particular areas of concern you can deal with or education elements you could correct? It seems like that might be fertile ground for further investigation. This is a great time to adjust your habits in small ways. Tackle one habit at a time, and take time to really nail it before moving on to the next one. My weakness is eating out, with particular risk of fast food drive-thru. I limited my stops to a certain number per week, then cut it lower and lower until it was gone. Same with Diet Coke (my kryptonite!). I switched to Diet Pepsi (blech!) to consume less diet soda right away, then limited it to certain times of the day, certain quantities overall, and then gone completely. Don't feel like you need to tackle every bad habit at the same time, or you will struggle like we all do with every other "cold turkey" approach to dieting. Good luck!

Acadia, Great analogy. I look down at my plate with its little 3 oz of Protein, 1/2 cup of vegies and 1/4 cup of rice or potatoes (maybe) and think, "geez...it's a fraction of what I used to eat. Why am I not losing faster!?" It didn't make a lot of sense to me until I plugged my stats into a calculator that said the caloric difference between what I need to maintain my current weight vs my ideal weight is only 500 calories per day. So if I eat 1600 calories per day, I can expect to lose 1 lb per week. If I cut my calories down to 1100, I'll get 2 lb per week. Now, I could also throw the exercise equation in there to 'maybe' get another pound per week but to be honest, 30 minutes of Tae Bo *maybe* twice a day is about my max. I detest exercise but at least this is fun. Plus...this all has to be done *consistently*. Not exercise 'here and there' or up the calories 'here and there' and it all adds up to stalls and slow weight loss cuz we're still filling up that tank a bit more than we need. .

Wow is all I can say, the sleeve is the best decision for weight loss. Dr Umbach Rocks (Las Vegas) To see the weekly pictures with the same pose check out my picture album and Weight Graph.

I have drank since a month out. I haven't slowed down weight loss wise at all; except for the stupid choices I make food wise. It's all good!! My surgeon says go back to liquids if you wanna lose again.

Your NUT might be talking about a product like I use called GNC AMP Wheybolic which is marketed along side of GNCs bodybuilding formulas. And it clearly says "not for weight loss use" (as do MANY other brands). I wish I had the opportunity to ask your NUT how I managed to lose 80lbs in 4 months postop using my GNC AMP Wheybolic every morning. My point here is I believe your NUT is trying to get you to buy her brand.

What a sad loss. It is truly tragic for her parents, family, friends and school. I hope they find the answers, and pary they all find some closure.

Good Morning all and Happy St. Pat's Day!! I was approved for WSL last March, went to the mass indoc session and walked out after the Doc was late arriving for the group discussion. Also was not impressed with the office staff. I am sure they are competent, but somewhat curt. In any case I figured I would come back when I was in a better mood, but never did. I also thought - in the back of my mind, that I could do the weight loss without surgery. Wrong!!! I went for my physical this past 3/1 and had gained more weight. My PA almost cried and said I was killing myself. I told her about leaving the indoc class and asked if WLS was still on the table. She said she would put me in again. Well yesterday I got the approval subject to Psyc and Nut evals. I passed before so should be ok this time. So today I will call and make the apts for the evals. This time I will not walk out on the prelim indoc. Anyway, I have a high school reunion 9/11 and I want to look good for my X-wife :scared2::thumbup:. Now don't jump on me, I am doing this for myself and my kids and current wife. Will keep you all informed. Regards Hal

A report in a scientifically based press source lists the following as areas for follow up studies to look at: "Previously suggested reasons for the association between bariatric surgery and the subsequent risk of self-harm include: permanent changes in body image, diet-related stress and unmet expectations of weight loss, which could increase mental health problems, leading to behaviors such as binge eating, substance misuse and self-harm behaviors. Changes in metabolism of alcohol could play a role, as well as changes in neurohormonal levels, which could lead to depression, addiction and suicide."