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My sister had a Bypass, I got a band many years later. She had severe complications which resulted in about 5 surgeries to try to fix and almost died because of the complications. She is thankful she did have the surgery, however they do repipe your insides which if you eat things with too much sugar or something that doesn't agree with you then it can cause "Dumping"syndrome which is a massive case of diarrhea and it just comes out, or at least it did in her case. She also is not supposed to eat various foods, corn, sodas, and some other things too. It alters the absorption of both foods and medications, now when she has to be medicated it takes a Horse's dose for her to feel anything. Having the band, alot of people can eat whatever they want but you are restricted on the amounts. There are some that cannot eat certain foods, but for every one person who cannot eat something the other 10 seem to be able to. It also does not alter the absorption of medication or nutrients in your food. There is no repiping of your insides, it is just restricted which can be reversed if needed. She also after a huge depression issues overdosed on a medication intentionally. With the bypass they are unable to pump your stomach in this situation. The Gin she washed down the pills with is what saved her life because that somehow kicked her liver into overdrive to help her body burn through the medication. However she was OUT for several days. I will add that this was after the death of our Dad, her fiance cheating on her and dumping her in the hospital on two occasions (what a winner huh) and being told she would never be able to have children because she couldn't have babies. I will also note that she has son that will turn 5 in October!! With a band they can remove the Fluid in order to get to the stomach in case they need to pump the stomach.. however.. hopefully NObody needs this info.

At 30 days post surgery I was 9kg down from my surgical weight. At 3 months I was 16kg down. At 6 months I was at my goal of 60kg. At 10 months I’d lost another 9kg and have maintained between 50 & 51kg for the last 3.5months. That was my journey. Yours will be different because of all the factors @catwoman7 mentioned. Best advice is don’t compare your rate of loss with others. For every fast loser there’s a slow loser. If you’re determined, focussed & willing to make long term changes you will be successful. I’m very glad I had the sleeve surgery & I hope you will be too. Good luck.

Has anyone lost weight and had problems with the extra skin and your facing aging faster. That may sound stupid but I had a friend that lost 65-75 pounds and she looks 10 years older now more wrinkles - he body looks great but her face took a hit... (Not to sound mean). So what can I do before and after surgery to help with my skin to hopefully make it more "forgiving" Thanks for you help guys!

I am 10 days post-op (VSG) and I have lost 13lbs to date.

@@Hiraeth It is very possible you may have eaten them too fast. I too have to remember this when I am eating. Although we can only eat a small amount, it is still very important that you eat it over 30 minutes. When I am having meals for example lunch (cause I drink my breakfast) I take 2 bites, put it down, come back to it like 5 minutes later, have 2 more bites, back to my book or computer or whatever for 5-10 min and take 2 more bites. if I feel satisfied usually I'll just put it away and finish later as a snack. Since I need that Protein, I'll just keep working on it 2 bites at a time every 5-10 minutes until its gone (usually about 2 oz of meat). The rest of the meal (typically a veggie) will get put away for a snack an hour or so later. Also carbs tend to expand and fill you up quickly. Many members say they were advised no carbs (bread, Pasta, potatoes) for at least 6 months during the peak of your weight loss. Not the case for me (but prob not a bad idea) however, I was advised by my NUT to limit my intake. So I may incorporate a carb during my meal or snack twice a week particularly on days when I plan to be active and usually with a protein. For example I had roasted sweet potatoes cut into 1/4 inch cubes. I may have 6 small cubes with lunch or dinner but only after I've eaten my protein. SInce I still cant eat both... I usually end up eating it later as a snack. Even then, I will eat those 6 little cubes over 20-30 min. Or else I'm all nauseous and watering at the mouth and just turned off from food period. Be patient. It's an adjustment. I'm sure 10 months out or 2 years out it will be much better.

I am just coming up on 10 months post op and have lost about 73lbs. I've dealt with PCOS, Endometriosis, Adenomyosis, Insulin Resistance, migraines, etc. all my life. 10 years ago I was put on Metformin to help with those issues. Especially my PCOS, IR and it worked wonders for those things (and made my migraines disappear too). The Metformin kept me regular all those years, lessened my periods in days and volume, helped my cramps, etc. However, since getting the surgery I had my Metformin cut in half and I "think", I may be taken off of it all together eventually. But I have to say that since my dose was cut in half my periods have been heavier, come late/sporadically, stay super long, etc. REGARDLESS of the surgery. So, I don't know that surgery helped ME with those issues. But it has helped with my high BP and I am almost off of that medication too. I never dealt with acanthosis nigricans so I can't offer any info on that.

I have had a weight problem for over 10 years. It started out with just 20-30 pounds over weight but I grew older and stressed I ate more and more. I would lose weight but I never maintained the loss. The biggest gain for me started about 3 years ago when I made the decision to move away from my family for my career. At first I was okay no weight gain but as I began missing my family the more I pulled away from the life I had created away from home and dwell on how much I missed home. That's when I started eating more and more. Before I knew it I was 70 lbs heavier. I tried Zumba and walking to get the weight off but somehow I ended up with a cyst on my knee. Walking or even bending my knees have become painful. In Jan 2013 I made the decision to change careers and move back home. I started getting interview quickly and was able to obtain a job doing exactly what I wanted for a great company. So that brings me to now. I'm happy again but now I have all this weight that is still here. My blood pressure is only maintained with medicine. I received a call from True Results to check to see if I qualified for insurance to cover it. (I had tried once before but didn't have a high enough BMI). On July 30th I went in to my appointment expecting to go home disappointed but I left with the goal of an early September surgery date. Insurance approved my surgery late August for September 18th. I am not sure my goal weight yet I would like to be down to 140 from 269 but I'm not sure if that's too much. I am now 6 days from surgery day and I am getting excited. I have lost 7lbs since I started the pre-op diet. I have struggled with not eating and snacking but I have cut my portions down drastically. I have finally found some ways to make my protien shakes taste better. At first I thought this was going to be a hard time because no matter what I did I could only taste the protein in the skake but now I actually enjoy drinking a few of the flavors.

Hi - I just posted a response to this question on another thread. Copied here for your convenience: Essentially, you alternate between 2-4 different body weight exercises in an all out sprint for 20 seconds and then rest 10 seconds. Repeat for 4-8 minutes. You give those 20 seconds as intense focus as you can with as much strength as you can while maintaining perfect form. At home, my Friday workouts follow the Tabata protocol, but tend to last about 20 minutes instead of 4 by stacking together 4 routines with 30 second rest in between. I do it with body weight exercises like jumping lunges, mountain climbers, star jumpers, bouncing push ups and dive bombers. These build incredible strength and fitness over a relatively short period of time. For me, I have been doing these workouts at home for about 10 weeks now and the results speak for themselves. I plan to continue working out this way going forward and it is very easy to create new programs by choosing different body weight exercise combinations. On Monday and Wednesday, I do body weight exercises for about 20 minutes, but not in the Tabata protocol format. On those days I do timed sets and ladder sets. Both are still really effective workouts when compared to Tabata and, again, only about 20 minutes long. Sometimes my trainer has me do this Tabata protocol at cross fit (we do it about once a month), and again, it lasts about 8 minutes and leaves me with tunnel vision afterwards it is so intense. We do 20 second sprints followed by 10 second rest of body weight exercises like burpees, pull ups, box jumps and jumping lunges. This is just an example list of body weight exercises. There are 100s you can choose from. Cross fit for me is Tuesday and Thursday. Try it out and see what you think of it. It is hard at first, but as you get more fit, it becomes more fun to do and gives you incredible fitness and focus. Highly recommended!

The first few days ARE difficult! If you continue to be sick by day 4, consider changing your protein drink (if you are allowed). I WASN'T allowed, but did anyway. Sugar Free Carnation Instant Breakfast was my life saver. I still lost 14 pounds by the end of the 10 days. I would give it a few more days (sorry you have to suffer) and see how it goes. Good luck!

12/10/15 i'm a little over 6 months out

1. Yes I would. I'm only two weeks out and that first week SUCKED BIG TIME but with every day I get healthier and stronger and happier. Don't let anyone tell you it is easy or not a big deal.. it is surgery. 2. I had the sleeve. I am happy with it so far. The sleeve was my first choice because I thought the RNY was too invasive and had too many ill-effects and I am not convinced the difference in weight loss would be enough for me. I absolutely would not trade my sleeve for non-surgical weight loss. I lost 30 lbs pre-surgery and it took me two years of swimming a kilometer three to five times a week, as well as calorie counting, meal planning, avoiding eating out, weight management classes, etc. to get there. Two years!!!!! And who knows how long it would have stayed off? The reality is the 5+ year "success rates" of non-surgical weight loss is 5% or less. For the 5% that it works for, awesome, but I've lost 20 and regained 30 lbs enough times in my life I know that's not me. Surgery increases my odds of all my good lifestyle changes actually sticking. If you have 10-20 lbs to lose, do weight watchers. If you have 80+, surgery is your best bet... as long as you are ready to commit to the lifestyle changes too. It's not surgery - healthy lifestyle, it's surgery + healthy lifestyle. I do just as much work now (actually more) as I did on weight watchers. Period. 3. I'm still immediately post-op on full fluids, but because I got the sleeve (and am otherwise very lucky LOL!) I have had no issues with food intolerances at all so far. The only thing that has changed is my appetite is smaller and sweet things don't taste as good (that will likely go away as time goes on, as far as I hear.) I do have to give up pop forever, as does anyone who has surgery, but considering everything I have to gain from surgery, trading a couple cans of diet pepsi a day has been a completely acceptable trade-off for me. I'm wearing Lululemon leggings right now frchrissakes! Buh-bye, pepsi! The one thing I DO miss is being able to chug an ice cold bottle of water when I'm thirsty. Gotta go slow now. 4. My social life is BETTER post surgery. I made a bunch of fellow gastric surgery friends my own age and we go out together all the time. We go bowling or shopping or we go to dinner and all only eat a third of our meals LOL. And now that I'm a smaller weight, I'm doing stuff like going swing dancing on the weekends and joining dance classes and planning on joining a team sport. I went from sitting on my fat lonely ass on the couch watching TV I don't even enjoy to being a person who does activities and has friends. I'm sure there will be moments I'm jealous, going to Vegas with my husband and not getting my money's worth at the buffet, or going drinking with my non-surgical friends and not being able to let loose like them, but eh, once again, worthwhile trade. It's about rearranging your priorities. Here in Canada the wait for surgery is around 2 years, and that wait period really helped me to wrap my mind around the thought of all the lifelong changes I would have to make. The thing to really ponder on is remembering what do you stand to GAIN? because once you start seeing those things, the losses don't seem like such big sacrifices anymore.

Good luck with your conversion. I had my band removed and the gastric bypass surgery on 10/19/15 (32 days ago?) I am down at least 20 pounds I have not weighed myself this week. So far so good ... My surgery was laparoscopic. I had 2 band surgeries prior. So I have 7 sort of stab wounds. I had zero pain except for a little gas in my jaw. I was up and walking immediately after surgery and only needed one night in the hospital. They gave me a scrip for Oxy but I only needed one Tylenol for the 90 minute car ride home. The incisions were a 1 on the pain scale. Lower belly ache about a 2.5. Best of all I can swallow pills with water and have no blockage! No burping or spitting no heartburn or reflux. I am never hungry and prefer svelte chocolate shakes. I am now eating fruits and cooked veggies which the band did not allow. Best wishes, Terry

Hi cc70, I was sleeved on 19th April and I can honestly say I've felt absolutely fine since day one really. I more or less slept for the first two days then came home and I've been ok. I'm absolutely amazed but I've had no pain whatsoever. I drove for the first time on Friday approximately 10 days after. I've no regrets whatsoever, the weight is coming off nicely and I'm looking forward to summer for the first time in years. Too early to say about loose skin. Where are you having it done?

Miss Robyn, I am also flying in and scheduled for surgery for September 10, 2015. I'm counting down the days!

Hi, I had my port flip too. On /11/13/2012, I had my corrective surgery and since then I have nausea everyday. After 3 days of the surgery, my Dr said it's normal to have nausea due to pain killer. However, I am 10 days post-op and I stopped the pain killer from the second day of surgery and still have nausea. Did you feel the same thing after surgery?

I would be doing cartwheels if I could loose 10-25 in a month...lol I get excited over a 1 pound weight loss.

My name is Elaine I am 61 and I'm 270 lbs. I have been so ashamed of myself I haven't left my apartment accept for Dr. APPTS. I have my first consultation on April 10 about the surgery I wish I could do it on my own but I can't. Can anyone tell me what that appt will be like? Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Allows you to cook fried foods with great taste but with under 10% of the oil/fat content of other fryers. e.g. (1) hot french fries in deep fryer , 150 grams/5 ounces = 450 calories e.g. (1) hot french fries in air-fryer , 150 grams/5 ounces = 240 calories

I am new here. I don't have the band yet. I am still checking into my options. I can't find a doctor near me to do the surgery. I live in UT. My BMI is 31. But I have been struggling with my weight for 10 years and nothing is working. It is like no matter how much I eat, I am not full. Just to maintain my current weight is a struggle, believe it or not. I think that mexico may be my only option to get the surgery, because of my low bmi. But I really think this surgery could work for me and help me reach my goals. I am considering Dr. Ortiz, but I am not sure. I have never been to Mexico. They said the surgery is $9,500. It sounds like Ortiz is a good doctor, but if I knew how much everyone else paid, I might feel better about spending the money. It is alot of $ for me. I am also nervous about the pain right after the surgery. What is it like right after? I have a little boy and couldn't stand much down time. Also, does anyone know a doctor in UT or surrounding states who will accept a MX banded patient for fills etc? Any comments, support, or suggestions would be appreciated.

This is a favorite of mine, from a Middle Eastern cookbook. It tends to be a hit at parties. It also seems to work out every time I make it, which can't be said for some of the other recipes I've tried. The dough is phyllo, so it's not very heavy and won't expand in your stomach and make you uncomfortable. You can make a big pie or just make a bunch of little single-serving triangles (like spanakopita). The ingredient list is long, but a lot of it is just spices. Ingredients: 4 small or 3 large chicken breasts 2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp cinnamon; another 1 tsp set aside for later 1 tsp turmeric 1/2 cup chicken stock some olive oil 2 leeks, chopped a handful of chopped parsley (about 1/2 a bunch) a handful of chopped cilantro (same) 2 jars artichoke hearts (canned in oil), chopped 200 g feta cheese, crumbled 2 eggs phyllo dough sheets (about a dozen for a large pie) butter, melted (about 2-3 oz) Bake chicken, covered at moderate heat with spices and stock, about 30 mins; chop the chicken into small chunks, reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid for later. Stir-fry chopped leeks with olive oil (about 10 mins, until they are soft). Combine chicken, reserved juices, leeks, parsley, cilantro, artichokes, feta cheese, egg, and the extra cinnamon in a bowl; mix well. Be careful not to let the phyllo dough sheets dry out (I roll them back up every time I take one sheet). Melt the butter; use a pastry brush to spread butter all over the sheet. Put the sheet into a greased baking dish, so that the edges hang over. Continue until you have about a dozen sheets, arranged all around the dish. Scoop the filling into the dish; fold over the edges of the pastry sheets. If the pie is not fully covered, butter up a few more sheets and arranged them in the middle so everything is covered. Brush the top of the pie with butter. For a large pie, bake for 20 mins at a moderate-high temperature (I usually go for 350); then for another 20 mins at moderate temperature (e.g. 300), until the pastry is golden.

Wow. funny. I've been kind of sort of wondering the same thing. I was sleeved 01/30/13. Some days I can eat 600 calories and some days (like yesterday) it takes me forever to drink a protein shake. Yesterday I barely got in 300 calories. I do notice that I can eat more on the days I exercise. I also read on here somewhere that drinking while eating (which I know we are not supposed to do) helps digest the food in our stomach faster so we can eat more. I haven't drank with my meals, but there have been times when I didn't leave 30 minutes before and after and I definitely noticed I could eat more. It is really weird. I just started on soft foods...so that might be the reason why I ate a whole lot less yesterday. I don't know if this is normal, but if it bothers you then definitely talk to your doctor. I have an appointment on March 4th and will bring this up. Keep me posted please!

Vegas I'm post opp n am on that same strict liquid only diet had my surgery 10/23 n I'm not only going CRAZY but I'm also STARVING!!!! u should b very proud of yourself:)

12/01/2008, early in the morning, I had my surgery. 12/01/2009 I wake up with 23 pounds towards my goal. I love the outdoors & am able to bike, kayak, hike, run & snow shoe comfortably. I don't dread buying / wearing the clothes for these sports or feel like I stand out because I'm the fat girl any more. Cheers to us all sharing this journey to ourselves.

For the first little while it can be hell, which is called lapband hell for a reason. You have to portion out food and becareful what you take in. Some of the hunger is head hunger, so is real. What I did what if I thought I was hungry I would drink 8-10 oz of Water, after 5 min if I was still hungry I would eat a small healthy snack. It's a work in progress and each min isn't easy, but it does get easier as you go. Hang in there!