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I was banded and plicated june 2011. I'm down 83 lb, from 268 to 184. I'm happy with my decision, I think the plication has helped a lot. One main reason is that there are some days with the band that I can eat like im not banded. Anything and everything. The plication keeps me from eating a lot. I can way about the size of a kids meal if I'm not restricted by the band. My first fill was 4 weeks after surgery, I hit green zone at the third fill (possibly a little past green, but I like it tight).

My husband was scared to "break me" so we waited like 3 weeks. Even then he was scared to hurt me haha Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I drink from a straw all the time. Especially if out in a restaurant. If you have gas pains after stop and try again after a few weeks months as you heal. Everyone is different.

I am four weeks out and like the topic title states...I have been eating salad left and right! I would add diced boiled egg, avocado, fish, some cheese and drizzle it with a vinaigrette such as raspberry or balsamic. Are you a salad lover? I don't have restriction yet, but I have read and heard that many people cannot tolerate salad after getting fills..

I just posted about this on another thread, because today was my first day of soft foods, and I definitely felt full! Liquids and puréed foods never gave me this full feeling. I ate about 1 oz. of poached salmon, and a little under 1/4 cup mashed cauliflower/potatoes. Full, full, full! The protein made all the difference, because I'd had mashed potatoes a couple of times during my puréed week. Hang in there!

I'm 3 weeks out and I have eaten salad and done fine with it. It was nice to be able to eat salad. I had the band before I converted to the sleeve and with the band I could not eat lettuce. So far no problems with it now.

At my 6 week follow-up (oct 24) I think I will need my first fill. I am watching it but feel hungry between meals and feel like I can eat more than I should. I think these are signs of a needed fill. Do you agree?

Was banded on May 23, 2012. My surgeon says he gives everyone their first fill at 4 weeks. I've been on regular food for almost 2 weeks and I'm still losing weight (2-4lb per week). My question is if I'm losing more weight than is recommended per week do I really need this fill?

Several weeks after being banded , we went out for dinner fo the 1st time after surgery. I took 3 tiny bites of the inside of a quesidilla, 3 tiny sips of my hubbys margarita ( I forgot and used the straw ! ) Uh oh !!!!! Half came back up in the bathroom, half in the parking lot ! I dont know if it was the alcohol or the straw, but DON'T try a straw unless you're way out from surgery, and preferably home near a bathroom. Just sayin' .

I waited about 1 1/2 weeks. I had no pain from the incisions. Guess it comes down to position as well. Go for it.

I was told nothing strenuous for 2 weeks, so that's what I waited for sex.

So I'm back from my first fill. Oh what an experince. It took them five tries and three syringes to finally hit the port. It seems that my port seems to have moved a bit. so i'm at 3.5 cc.

I am forcing myself to stay on my feet. Thanks all for your support. I've been more productive today than in the last few weeks. I may even walk! Hugs!!!

Well I'm losing kinda slow now but I'm swimming like crazy feeling amazing , thighs and legs looking incrediable! Lol can't wait to get my new boobs! I'm not conceited or vien, but no matter how much I get down too I'm going to look my best, because life's far too short to be unhappy! Yay me, good luck to everyone in your journey!

Hi, There is no lifting for I believe 3-4 weeks. I have repeated this to my husband about a zillion times. NO LIFTING! My daughter is a mommy's girl and it's going to be really hard especially since I'm home alone with her all day. I'm going to have to talk more in depth with Kathy or Dr. Carroll about it before the surgery. Good luck! I've spent most of today reading and researching and I'm still worried. The slippage and erosion worries me. I have to say I'm a worrier by nature though.

I also have problems with eggs. I am 3 days away from 4 weeks post op and just started mushies this week. I had pain with the scrambled egg, so didn't go further with it (I also added milk to make it more moist), and I also can't handle a really runny egg over easy. I get a pain in my stomach, so I've decided to hold off on eggs for now. I am, however, able to eat a little bit of meatloaf. Just don't quite understand..........I would think the meatloaf would be a heavier choice than an egg. But, I'm grateful to get some food with flavor after 3 weeks of liquid/pureed foods. good luck with it all.

Before I had this surgery (which I still call a blessing btw) I used to have a salad everyday for lunch. I love romaine lettuce and grape tomatoes with just about any kind of Protein and other veggies that I'm in the mood for. I tried a small salad the other week, and I chewed it till it was almost liquid. It made me have the most awful heartburn. Yet, I can juice veggies, and not have a problem.

Help! I have nothing from my Dr. or nutritionist that mentions seeds from fruit used in shakes. I have been practicing recipes for protein shakes with my Magic Bullet (love it!), but need clarification on this seed issue (raspberries, strawberries, etc). I plan to ask this question at my preop appointment this week, but wanted to get input here too. Thanks.

Sometimes it takes 2 to 3 weeks for a fill to realize its potential. Be patient it'll come.

By Elizabeth Goodman Artis (Shape Magazine) We dissect the science of fat to help you pick the smartest strategies for losing it. Fat is the ultimate three-letter word, especially the kind that you spend so much time watching your diet and hitting the gym to keep at bay (or at least to keep off your butt). But beyond making you look less-than-svelte, fat can have significant physical and emotional implications. We talked to Shawn Talbott, Ph.D., a nutritional biochemist and author of The Secret of Vigor: How to Overcome Burnout, Restore Biochemical Balance, and Reclaim Your Natural Energy, to find out a few essential facts that might surprise you. 1. Fat Comes in Different Colors More specifically, there are different types of fat that have different hues and functions, according to Talbott: white, brown, and beige. The white fat is what most people think of as fat—pale and useless. Useless in that it has a low metabolic rate so it doesn’t help you burn any calories the way muscle does, and it’s the predominant type of fat in the human body, encompassing more than 90 percent of it. In other words, it’s a storage unit for extra calories. Brown fat is darker in color due to a rich blood supply and can actually burn calories rather than storing them—but only if you’re a rat (or other mammal); certain critters can activate brown fat to burn calories and generate heat to keep them warm in winter. Humans, sadly, have so little brown fat that it won’t help you burn calories or keep you warm. The third type of fat, beige fat, is in between white and brown in terms of its calorie-burning ability, which is actually very exciting. Why? Because researchers are looking into ways to shift white fat cells into more metabolically active beige ones via diet and exercise or supplements. In fact, there is preliminary evidence that certain hormones which are activated by exercise may convert white fat cells into beige ones, as well as some evidence that certain foods such as brown seaweed, licorice root, and hot peppers may have the ability to do this as well. 2. The Fat On Your Butt is Healthier than the Fat on Your Belly It’s probably safe to say that no woman favors the fat on one body part over another, but it’s actually safer health-wise to be more of a pear than an apple, Talbott says. Belly fat, also known as visceral fat, is much more responsive to the stress hormone cortisol compared to the fat on your thighs or butt, so when stress hits hard (and you don’t find a healthy way to handle it), any extra calories consumed are more likely to end up around your middle. Belly fat is also much more inflammatory than fat located elsewhere in the body and can create its own inflammatory chemicals (as a tumor would). These chemicals travel to the brain and make you hungry and tired, so you’re more likely to overeat or eat junk food and not exercise, thus creating a vicious cycle and perpetuating the storage of more belly fat. The good news is that anything that helps you reduce inflammation helps reduce those signals to the brain. Talbott recommends fish oil (for the Omega 3’s) and Probiotics, which you can take in pill form or get by eating yogurt with active cultures. 3. First You Burn Calories, Second You Burn Fat The term “fat-burning” is thrown around willy-nilly in fitness circles, but as an expression of weight loss, it’s indirect. Before you “burn” fat, you burn calories, whether those calories come from stored carbohydrates (glycogen and blood sugar) or from stored body fat. The more calories you burn during each workout, the bigger deficit you will create and the more fat you will lose. You can also create a calorie deficit by eating less. The trick, though, is time, since it’s hard for most people to put in the time needed to burn enough calories to make a weight-loss dent. Talbott (and many other experts) advocates high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to burn as many calories as possible in as short amount of time as possible. This method, which alternates between hard/easy efforts, can burn double the calories in the same amount of time spent exercising in a steady state. 4. Fat Affects Your Mood Certainly there is no easier way to ruin your day than seeing you’ve gone up a few numbers on the scale, but having excess fat—especially around your belly—activates that inflammation/cortisol cycle, which studies show may be a factor in serious mood disorders like bipolar disorder. If you’re stuck in a stress/eat/gain/stress cycle, however, you’re likely to experience at least a perpetually low mood, even if you don’t have an actual clinical condition. To help break the cycle, try eating a square of dark chocolate, suggests Talbott; there is just enough sugar to satisfy a stress-induced craving, but the healthy flavonoids help calm inflammation that leads to more stress. Low-fat dairy products like yogurt can have a similar effect—the combination of Calcium and magnesium can help calm the stress response. 5. Even Skinny People Can Have Cellulite The dreaded c-word is caused by fat trapped under the skin (known as subcutaneous fat). The overlying skin "dimples" are created by connective tissues that tie the skin to the underlying muscle, with fat trapped in between like a sandwich. You don’t need a lot of fat to cause a dimpling effect, so you can be in great shape and have low body fat but still have a little pocket of dimpled fat, for example, on your butt or the backs of your thighs. Building muscle while losing fat (and the fat loss part is key—you have to have it to lose) can help minimize the appearance of cellulite; cellulite-specific creams and lotions can also help minimize the look of dimpled skin (though they can’t do anything about the trapped fat beneath).

Being nervous is perfectly normal. The days leading up to surgery were exciting and scary at the same time. I almost backed out of surgery the night before and the morning of surgery. On surgery day, I sat in admitting thinking "I could leave right now and I'll only be out $500." Then I looked over at my husband who was equally scared as I was. We didn't say anything to each other - I don't even think we made eye contact. I just looked at him and knew this was something I had to do. I made the choice to walk down the hall and get things started. I am so thankful I didn't let fear win in that moment. I'm 18 months out and am finally living the life I was meant to live. My weight and food no longer rule my thoughts and my world. I'm happy and content. I smile A LOT now. I am active in my own life and not just in the physical sense. I'm more engaged with my family and friends. I'm a better wife, mom, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, etx. I got a promotion at work - I don't think because I'm skinnier, I think because I carry myself a different way - I'm more confident, I'm not pissed off at the world all the time and I am more calm. I feel better physically - no more aches and pains. I do hot yoga 4-5 times a week, I hike, I work out at the gym, I like being active. I have a goal to do a 5K every month until November and I made a goal to log 1000 miles in 2015. I feel attractive to my husband - he never said anything about my weight, but one time I remember asking, "How can you possibly find me the least bit attractive?" Was it all sunshine and lollipops the past 18 months? Hell no! It was hard work filled with anxiety, second guessing my decision to have surgery, tears, anger, frustration, etc. It's been hard - I was not emotionally prepared to make this journey; I had not addressed my emotional issues towards food. I had to address those issues while recovering from surgery which was very hard. There are still days where I wish I could sit down to a bowl full of Pasta and awesome crusty bread slathered in butter and just go to town, but those days are fewer and farther between than they used to. This surgery is a life changer...for me it was one of the biggest decisions I had ever made in my life. Now, 18 months later, I know that short of marrying my husband and having my son, it was the best decision I could have made for al of us. Best of luck to you. You're down the home stretch! Let us know how you're doing...

So I work at a bank, and have moved up fairly quickly over the past few years. Our bank is in the process of purchasing another bank in an area of the state where we don't have a market presence. I got a call from my regional operations manager this morning asking me to be an ambassador for the bank and go to the other bank for a few weeks to assist with the transition. I unfortunately had to turn the offer down because the time frame interferes with my surgery. I am so sad about it because it's a huge honor to be asked. I know that my surgery is more important and I wouldn't even think of postponing it to accommodate the trip, but I still really feel like I'm missing out on something great. I know that the important thing is that he thought of me and I was asked. Sorry, I just really needed to get this off my chest. If only it was happening a month later! Ugh!

I'm pretty sure it's stable as soon as the incision /staple line is healed fully. (Maximum 6-8 weeks. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

About 2 weeks ago I started having lots of pain and vomiting while eating solid foods. At first I thought I was taking too big of bites or eating too fast. I have finally come to realize something is not right. Doc is sending me for Upper GI. Has anyone had a blockage before and can you tell me more about it. This is the most painful experience. Thanks, BB

Pre surgery is to prep you so they want you to start Vitamin regiment. I am now starting month 4. Vitamins consist of daily Multivitamin (women's one a day has iron), B12 (every other day), B1 (every other day), Calcium (3 x 500 mg daily), Vitamin C (every other day). For first two weeks post you will not get fruits in except what you can do is on Protein shakes add some banana. Avoid things with seeds for 4 weeks (you don't want seeds getting into the staple area until it mends). Weeks 3 and 4 you will have mushies including smashed peas, mashed potatoes, pureed soup (yes puree the chunky Soups that have vegetables). Fruits in Protein Shakes. It is easier once you get going, you will find lots of things to eat.