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Im a little worried. I know im not supposed to compare myself to others but ive been reading the boards here and im worried i am able to eat too much. Some posts Ive read here say you have to eat fluids only for 2 weeks, then mushies for 3 months!! Wheras my Dr said to "build up to eating normally in the next month" . Ive also read that some peoples dr's have said no strenuous exercise for 4 to 6 weeks, wheras my Dr said i could go back to Rollerderby within 2 weeks... I know VSG is a new thing here in Scotland but still!! Im exactly 14 days post op and i can already eat fairly normally. Yesterday I had my Protein shakes/water, a chicken/sweetcorn tortilla wrap, a mini choc bar, some diet coke, some cornflakes and a yogurt. today, ive had my protein shakes/water, a yogurt, 4 chicken McNuggets, a couple of spoons of mashed potatoes, and probably some chicken/rice Soup for dinner.. Im a bit perturbed that i can physically eat these things quite happily (as long as i chew and eat slowly,a new thing for me!)..... i get hungry every couple of hours, eat a little bit, feel full, then a couple of hours later im hungry again (which is again new to me, i used to eat hardly anything during the day, not be hungry, have a huuuge dinner, then feel sick ) Should i just count my blessings and shut up? thanks

Just continue your pre-op diet and remember to breath!! I received my dietary tool on Dec. 23rd. The two weeks prior was my time to EDIT my pantry and refiterator. If you have a family and are responsible for OTHER meals, you probably should start preparing for how you want to handle your diet vs. preparing for others. I'm a single guy so it was a bit easier for me. I wish I had stuck with my pre-op diet instead of succombing to my LAST What-a-Burger, Popeye's chicken or Mexican breafast. While I lost weight, I just barely lost the required 10 lbs. Quite frankly, I enjoyed the 7:30 am call and the period of time prior to going into surgery. The staff can be very good at calming your nerves and they do start a pre-op IV to help the body prepare for surgery. Post surgery was great, too. No pain. That wore off around mid-Afternoon but was manageable. If you are having hiatal hernia, be prepared for a bit more pain [i didn't] due to the repair and the gas that they use to inflate the stomach. GasXX strips should be on hand and take as needed. I did one about every 2-3 hours and it helped. Also, I didn't lie down until that evening. Sitting, walking and do minimal activities. My niece had her's 2 years ago. She started dusting after her procedure. I did dishes and then a minimal rearragement of one the shelves in the utility room. Most of all...make it a celebration of what is to come. You are taking a great, first step and the medical staff are really there to make it happen. Be realistic...it will feel lilke someone punched you in the stomach but they will give you a perscription for pain. I barely used 1/4 of the liquid Tylenol. The strangest thing is that you will begin to feel liquid hitting the bottom of your stomach about 5 minutes after taking sips [or when the operating meds wear off] of Water. The craziest thing is I LOST my appeetite on Dec. 23rd and I still don't have it. The biggest thing I have to learn is that a full stomach trumps an empty plate. Good luck!

My thought process and still is "Just because I can doesn't mean I should". I could easily eat an entire bag of chips, but I choose not to do it. If you are staying within your calorie/protein/carb goals, then you aren't eating too much. But, if you evaluate what you are eating, and you see that you aren't hitting certain goals, and going over in other areas, substitute better choices. I measured my portions, tracked my intake and stayed on target to ensure I would hit my goal weight and change my relationship with food. If you don't want to track, and you want to eat like you did pre-op just in smaller portions that's the path you can take. You are completely in control of how you lose weight, and if you eating these foods, in these amounts are working for you and your happy with your results then you are doing what's right for you. I will say that at 18 months out, I struggle to get in 4 chicken nuggets, and can not eat a chicken wrap. If/when your weight loss slows down, or you stall, you might have to evaluate what you are eating. I chose to stay on mushies for so long because it was easier for me to get Protein in from food sources by sticking to mushy food. Also, I can eat twice as much now that I could at 2-3 months out so I'm really glad I learned new habits, and really focused on not eating junk food that didn't count towards any of my goals. It's way harder to make better choices now, but if I want to maintain, I have to make the best choice most of the time or I'll see a gain. I know myself well enough to know that if I didn't change those bad habits, I would not succeed long term so I chose to be more strict, watch my carbs, keep my protein up and not eat more than what was recommended by my guidelines.

Use that band to only control the hunger. If you're hungry - get a fill. Use your exercise to burn the fat off. Expecting to get anywhere near goal without intense exercise is probably Wizard of Oz stuff. And I'm a firm believer that exercise isn't always sufficient exercise. Your body, over time, will learn to become more efficient and stronger - you'll have to push harder and find new ways to challenge yourself to get the same results consistently. Just walking, in time, isn't going to cut it. And remember that less food is not always better. You need fuel to keep the metabolism fire burning. Keep your meals spread out and get sufficient Protein. I eat at or above 2000 calories a day, well spread out, and all containing sufficient protein. I'm intensly exercising 5+ days a week. I know this stuff comes easier for guys, but the same principle applies to women. Water intake is also a HUGE factor. When my metabolism is cranking it's hard to drink enough water to keep the pee running clear. I can drink near or above a whole gallon of pure water a day (aside from coffee/tea) and still have a yellowish tinge. (TMI I know)....... You have to keep flushing yourself out, not to mention your burning calories as your body is processing the water. Good luck and keep up the fight! Brad

For most people weight loss isn't consistent on a daily or even weekly basis. Not just for the first few weeks, but throughout. That's why it is good to only weigh once a month or at your post-op doctor's visits, if the lack of consistency is going to stress you out. You can also use a site like Trend Weight to get the bigger picture. A lot of people imagine their weight loss plotted on a graph will look like a smooth, straight line headed down to the right. Instead, imagine the outline of a staircase plotted onto the graph. And the staircase was designed and built by people who were drunk and couldn't see very well. As far as expectations as to how much you will lose -- please, I beg you, put that idea aside. It seems like every day someone is on here, posting that they are freaked out because they aren't losing as much as they expected, and they always expect some insane amount of weight loss. Just get rid of the idea of expectations around weight loss and focus on your own expectations of how well you are going to comply with your post-op program. That's really the only thing you can control, and therefore the only thing that is worth feeling either good or bad about. Good luck!

So surprised at how well I feel, bored, but good. I'm getting the staples out today and hopefully will not fell like such a prisoner. I have had ZERO tolerance problems. (rebelled and had a bite of my husbands scrambles eggs. No problem). Sticking to the blended program for about another 4 weeks and then good to go. I'm having one problem... I hope I know when I'm full. I feel like I'm always wanting more at the moment. Thank all for this forum it has been beyond helpful!!!

I didn't lose consistently. I would go through weeks where I lost a good 2-3 pounds a week, and then I'd get stuck for 2-3 weeks. As I remember it, I had surgery in Sep 2013...that Christmas I ate some junk so I maintained at the amount I had lost for about a month, then I lost consistently until that June, where nothing I did could get me under 167. I ramped up my workouts, ate less food, and started to lose again until about August where I was then stuck at 157. After that I had 3 plastic surgeries between Sep-March, during which time I lost slowly. I stayed at 134- 5 pounds above my goal weight- from about December to April 1, after which point I have mostly been between 129-133, although last October I ate too much at Halloween and hit 137, which I quickly spent the next month working to lose that weight to get back to normal. As of today, I'm 129, and it's been 16-months ish at goal. Ultimately, you don't ever lose consistently, but for me, the only way I have continued to lose and maintain is by weighing every single day and constantly staying on top of it. As soon as you get complacent, you get stuck, you stay stuck, or you start to gain. The only way this sleeve has worked for me is understanding that everyday I need to be aware of the scale. There are days I eat junk food, it's good, and then the next morning I get right back on the scale. If it starts to move upward, immediately I make the changes I need to to make sure I drop again. The only way to lose and get to goal is to be vigilant and to keep working even when it feels like you are getting nowhere.

I have a history of Vit D deficiency. I typically take 50,000 iu pills three times a week. My rheumatologist had me stop taking them a while ago, and low and behold I am low again. So I'm back to taking them. I have a history of Rheumatoid arthritis and Lupus, which may contribute to the deficiency.

I'm 21/2 weeks post op and I want to lose about 90lbs by my Birthday in January, so a little less than 6months. For those of you who have lost a lot and quickly how many calories a day did you consume, what was your secret for success? My nurse wants me to eat around 1,200 but it seems a little high and I don't think I can lose quick enough. I'm thinking that I need to keep it around 800-900 calories! One year ago today my LapBand slipped and had to be removed and I gained 100lbs in about 9months. Gaining all that weight back crushed my spirt and sent me into depression. Honestly, I'm desperate to get the weight off and restore my life. Too late to worry about stretched skin I already have it. I just want to reclaim my life!

Hi all. I finally got my first fill today! It was under fluoro and was as easy as can be. My dr. wasn't in the right spot last week. I feel restriction, which is good. I can't get another fill until March 18th, so pray for me that this one holds me for a long time. My band looks good. I was worried about heaving and wretching with the virus I had, but everything is okay. So, all good news. Now, let's get this weightloss going! 26 lbs lost, 74 to go!

I had mine out 4 months after my band. Talk to your surgeon and ask for a HIDA scan rather than an ultrasound. My ultrasound said I had sludge in the gallbladder and the Dr said that wasn't enough of a reason to remove it. I had to have 3 episodes where I went to the ER in severe pain. I am cheap and won't pay $150 co-pay just for a shot of Demerol so I toughed it out at home. I finally had a HIDA scan where they inject something that goes right to the gallbladder while they are doing the scan. The HIDA scan showed that my gallbladder was not functioning correctly and it was removed a few days later. I also had severe pain, vomiting and nausea for about 2 weeks before they finally did the HIDA scan. One note: the stuff they inject is some kind of radioactive stuff and I was given a note that I had to carry for 4 days in case I had to go through any type of security. They told me it was the same stuff that terrorists use.

Hi all. I'm a 34-year-old mom of 2, dd is 10 and ds is 7. I was banded in August of 2006. Immediately after my port flipped and needed to be repaired. THat should have been my first clue I made the wrong choice! I managed to lose almost 100 pounds with the band in the first 2 years, but it was s-l-o-w. At the end of 2008, my band surgeon said I should get a consult with a plastic surgeon about my huge apron of skin. It was horrible, hung down past my girlie bits, made me look a lot heavier than I was, my skin was constantly tearing and it gave me rashes. So, in Feb of 09 I had a tummy tuck and breast lift. Holy crap what a difference! He took off 16 pounds of extra skin and the surgery took 11 hours. The recovery was horrible. Because of the band, I've had problems with medication working right and it took a bit before we found an oral pain killer that actually worked. I was off work for 6 weeks and the recovery was horriblle. I managed to mess up my knee the day after surgery so it was always going numb and giving out on me. No one knew why. Then I got a stomach virus and puking after a tummy tuck, with a lapband, is it's own special kind of hell. Just as i was starting to feel human again I got scarlet fever. Which I thought went out of style with hoop skirts and mutton chops! Evidentally not though. My pcp said because my system was so screwed up due to the surgery, a strep infection just went haywire. That took another 2 weeks to recover from. I'd finally gotten to a weight that, while it wasn't as low as I wanted, I was happy with my body. I looked good, felt normal for the first time in my life and liked the way I looked in the mirror. I no longer walked into a room and got that horrible feeling of "Oh no, I'm the fattest person here". I felt like people noticed me and not my weight. A couple months ago I started having restriction problems, bouncing between too loose or too tight, and waking up at night with horrible reflux and choking on my stomach contents. Yuck! Had an upper gi done last week after an unfill didn't help matters and surgeon says the band needs to come out. It is extrememly tight, which he said makes no sense because it's empty and I don't feel like I have any restriction (which is why I've gained some weight back ). So, now we start the process of getting insurance approval for the band removal and revision to the sleeve. He said he'll push for the sleeve instead of bypass because bypass does not appeal to me. I'm already deficient in B12 and vit D and take injections and supplements for that. I'm afraid of what would happen if I had the malabsorption issues to deal with too. If insurance (Anthem Blue Cross) wil only cover the removal but not the sleeve, I'm hoping it will be cheap enough for me to self-pay for the sleeve. And I really want to get this done soon! The idea of being on a liquid diet over the holidays is not at all appealing. I've been reading all your stories since finding out I might lose my band and have gotten so much help from them! Thanks for sharing your stories. :001_smile:

Hi, I am unfilled because my band slipped. I also had no instructions other than try not to go crazy. I did lose 10 lbs in a week b/c of the slip and not keeping anything down. Since mu unfill 2 weeks ago today I have gained 13. I have been eating horribly, but also know the last 10 pounds I lost were not a healthy loss. I can't wait to be refilled after my revision and get back on track. Good luck with your test.

I had to do full liquids for close to 4 weeks. I got progressed a little sooner though because my blood sugar went insane. I've had the pain under the rib cage as well even 4 months out if I overeat. My mom and aunt who had gastric bypass have the same thing. I think it's fairly common from what I've read and experienced for pain to happen around that area if you do overeat a little bit. Talk to your surgeon, see what they say, but I wouldn't get too worried about it at this point. Good luck!

The machine they gave me is a self adjusting machine that records what you need to prevent the apnea episode each night. You wear it for 2-3 weeks. I slept really good with it. They picked it up Thursdayand said my average was almost 13. I was at a 10 before. I did not have a full sleep study. I will insist on one when I lose all my weight. I was able to do this through my PCP. About a month or so ago I started having multiple times at night where air would come into my mouth from the pressure in my nose. I would wake up doing little puffs to expell the air from my mouth. I was waking up a lot and started having headaches, yawning, feeling generally lousy. Getting up in the morning was becoming harder and harder. My mask with the little pillows in my nose does not seem to work any more with this machine, although I used the same mask with their machine and had no trouble. I also had sore throat and very dried out mouth upon awakening, so I must have been breathing with my mouth open. For the weeks on the machine, I slept good and felt good. I also lost excellent weight. Since they took it away, I am sleeping horrible again and feeling worse each day. I also have not lost weight since they took it back. Also feel mildly depressed. I am waiting for them to come out and adjust my machine so I can sleep again. I just can't figure it out as my husband says I am not snoring much at all.

Hi Everyone, I'm Linda, from Greenwood, Indiana. I first saw a doctor on July 3rd, just a consultation for anyone who wanted information about weight loss surgery, one of those group meetings. I had already decided I wanted Lap Band, so I stayed and filled out the paper work for insurance approval etc. I expected two or three months just to get approval or longer, then all the test that follow and surgery in 5 or 6 months. I got a call the last week in July from the surgeon, saying they had approval, and giving me a surgery date of Sept. 8th. I was in shock all day! I've already had the psych. eval. and go for pre-op Diet & nutrition consultation on Friday. This is all moving so fast! I'm a teacher and go back to work on Aug. 18th, then three weeks later I'm off for surgery. Not the best timing, but I'm putting myself and my health first this time! I'm wondering how fast I'll recover and be able to go back to work. What were your experiences????

I was required to do two weeks of shakes and then clear liquids my last day. For my shakes I did Bariatric Advantage as recommended by the surgeon's office. That was a rough two weeks. The last day I just went to GNC and loaded up on one of everything they had. I think I ended up living on tea, broth, and that gawd awful Isopure with 40g of carbs in the bottle for the last 24 hours.

Wow. So I was 11 months out when I found out. 10 lbs from my goal of 136. Being sleeved and pregnant has been a challenge. My husband wanted another baby but I was skeptical. Since finding out I am pregnant I have fallen in love. I so happy and hope we are having another boy! I am 10 weeks now. Morning sickness has plagued me as always. Hoping to get back to the gym soon.

I'm less than 2 weeks post-op. My chin is breaking out like a deep fat fried teenager. Acne to the sides of the chin is generally linked to hormones, which makes sense -- considering the changing hormone levels, body distress, etc. going on. I'm 36 and am broken out worse than when I was 14. In the span of 4 days, I've had 6 deep zits (the kind that just get big and red and never surface) pop up on my chin, and one on the little strip of skin between my nostrils. This bites.

I had a 5 week follow up appointment with my surgeon (with whom I've had a generally great experience) on Wednesday. I lost 10 lbs on my 2 week pre-op liquid diet, and 15 more lbs since surgery. Granted, I've been a bit surprised that I haven't lost more, given my size, but I'm not unhappy with the loss (especially if slow and steady loss gives me a better chance at not having to have plastic surgery). However, when my surgeon pulled up my chart on his computer, his comment was "Here's the line that shows your weight loss. That line still has a long way to go." Yet there was no mention of anything else I could try to get the weight to come off faster. Needless to say, it was a bit deflating to have what I clearly know and see all day everyday reiterated, when I'm following my post-op instructions faithfully and have very little control over how quickly or slowly the weight comes off. I wish I would lose a bit faster, but it seems my body has it's own timeline in mind. Sigh.

I had my surgery Feb of 2013. At first all was going well, I never felt any restriction, I didn't have any complications. My progress went great at first, until I started back on solid foods. I didn't have problems adjusting to a solid food diet afterwards, and little by little I started eating a bit more, and a bit more. I guess I've pretty much just hit a wall as far as the surgery is concerned. I didn't follow through like I should have, so instead of the usual "surgery failed me" posts, this is my "I failed my surgery" plea for any assistance. I had surgery with Dr. Kim in Colleyville, and after recent contacts from his staff as well as their "awesome" support group leaders, it appears unless I have a revision surgery I'm on my own with getting back on track. I've put on about 30 pounds back, I started at over 400 and I'm sitting around 330 right now, so there was some success, I'd just like to get back on track and get to my overall goal weight of 260. Anyone been in this position before, and what did you do to start things back up? I'm working out, I hike about 10-15 miles a week, and I mountain bike 20-25 miles a week (just started back up). I carry a pretty good amount of muscle mass from my powerlifting days, but have recently retired from competitive lifting so I'm not lifting as heavy weights, or as often.

My nephew just stopped in here and said his girlfriend's best friend called her the other day and said her side was hurting a little. She decided to go to the Doctor and have it checked. Her Doctor said she is full of cancer and had one week to live. She has a couple of small children (she is about 30-35) and told the Doctor she was going to take her children on a curise. He told her she better take someone with her because she probably wouldn't make it back. I have been so upset since I heard this, and I don't even know her. It just breaks my heart. My question is: Wouldn't she feel something before that? Or was she just denying any signs? That is pretty scary to think you could just get a small pain in your side and be told you have a week to live. Betty

This is a sad story, but it is not one of my family members. I have never met this person, it is just that my heart goes out to her. I just can't imagine someone telling you you have a week or less to live. I just can't seem to get her off my mind. It is funny how you can feel that way without even meeting the person. Thanks for you kind words. Betty

I had the same problem. My surgry was 4/16/12 I started at 213lds. Week before surgry all liquids lost 8lbs. After surgry I gained about 2 lbs, but then I started working out at the gym & home. I have a trainer he makes sure I work it off. Stay focused and you will lose. I weight 193lb. I am so proud of myself. My 1st visit is tuesday the 29th. I am here if u need support. I want to give back what everyone has been helping me.

So far I have went to a new patients group meeting and I have my meeting with the head of the weight loss surgery dept in a week... At what point do they go thru the approval process? I have BCBS-IL. The reason I ask is currently have PPO+ and I would have to pay almost 3k out of pocket, but we can change our health plan for 2018 and if I switch to PPO+ Premier, I would have no co-pay but a higher monthly cost by only 135