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Hello readers! I want to start off by saying I am writing you all my story in hopes that it will get rid of some of the emotions I am holding inside, and some of the things in my head that I've been wanting to say but didn't know who to tell. I was told by my doctor journaling is a good way to say the things that sometimes you are afraid to say, or dont know who to say them too. I figure by blogging maybe I can help someone else out with their weight loss journey along the way. So here goes nothing.. I guess I should introduce myself so you can better understand my journey. My name is Zoey and I am currently 24 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall and when I started my journey I was at my heaviest(weighing in at 310 lbs on March 1st 2011.) I have been heavy all my life. Myself as well as the majority of my family have always struggled with our weight. My doctor for most my adult life had said I should look into having surgery, as I've had countless failed weight loss attempts. Prior to having surgery I had tried just about every diet on the market and taken many different kinds of weight loss pills. Yet I couldn't seem to lose much weight. Everytime it was the same thing, lose a few pounds, gain even more back. I had done all the research, weighed all the risks and talked to numerous family, friends and online support groups before making my decision to have surgery. I knew just about everything there was to know on all the different kinds of weight loss surgeries. I knew that if I didnt make a drastic change I would end up living a shorter more painful life. I dont remember the last time I loved or even liked my body. I couldn't remember the last time I could say I weighed less that 200+ pounds. March 1st was the day that changed everything, the day I attended the required informational meeting at Park Nicollet that would forever change my life. I should probably let you know I along with all my research had also looked at many options of where and who I wanted to perform my surgery. I chose Park Nicollet after finding out that all my doctors would be under one roof and there wouldnt be a ton of running around. All the doctors, nurses, and staff knew each other, worked with one another on a dialy basis, and a good majority themselves had made the decision to have weight loss surgery. My journery started March 1st with attending the meeting. Just a short time later, May 24th 2011, I under went surgery. I know many people have told me that is a short amount of time from beginning to end but let me tell you it was one of the worse, most stressful 2 1/2 months of my life. I decided in the beginning that I was only going to tell the people most important to me about my surgery. I knew that for some people deciding who you are going to tell about your decision is even more difficult than the surgery and recovery its self. Its very emotionally and mentally draining to decide who you are going to tell or if you'll just tell everyone. After telling my parents, brother and sister in law, I told a couple friends 3 to be exact. I thought that would be good enough, that was all the support and stress I needed. I soon realized for me however, there were a few more people I was going to want to tell. I had some mixed reactions in telling my family, in particular my brother. I got the same reaction from him as I knew I would get from the majority of people. He wanted me to try another diet, try working out more, try eating differently. Being that he is not over weight and never has been, I knew this would be a likely response. I initially decided I was not going to tell anyone I worked with about it and was just going to say I was having surgery and leave it at that. Yet curioscity kills that cat every time and people would ask me "what kind of surgery are you having?" I soon turned to the excuse of a car accident I had been in June 2010. Most everyone at work knew I had been in a pretty bad car accident. Most people would ask if it was because of that. My response was always "yes its surgery to help with my back pain." Although this was a cover up, it was also some what the truth. My being over weight and having injured my back the year before did not work too well together. At first this was fine and it was an easy way to avoid tellig people the truth. After time it started to bother me emotionally because I wasnt being 100% truthful with people. To date I have extended my initial list of people to include the people I talk to the most at work, the people I eat lunch with at work, and my manager. I dont regret my decision to tell the people I did the truth. I know for me over time I will most likely tell more people. For me not telling people the truth is hard. I dont lie well and under pressure I generally crack. Thought I've told more people about surgery there are a number of people, my extended family, that I have chosen not to tell and dont plan on ever telling. My extended family, aunts, uncles, cousins, are not always the most understanding people in the world. Prior to surgery I lost right around 30 pounds. I am not quite at the one month mark yet from surgery but as of June 16th I weigh 255.5. Which means since March 1st I have lost 54.5 pounds. I don't know how this compares to everyone else's progress but I think it's pretty good. The biggest thing since surgery that has been a struggle is seeing how little I am eating and feeling mentally as though I am wasting away. It's hard to see yourself after so many years eat so little food. I have had a lot of nausea since surgery which hasn't helped one bit either. I am currently still on medication to get rid of the nausea but am finding each day that goes by it seems to get better and better. I have my one month mark check up this coming Thursday the 23rd. I am interested to see what the doctors have to say about my progress and am interested to see what I will weigh in at. I will try and update this when I can. I apologize if I rambled I just needed to put it all in writing and get it out of my head.

I'm not gaining YET, but after eating low carbs for a couple of weeks and then being on liquids, it's hard to imagine that I won't gain a little. I've read other posts where someone mentioned gaining a couple of pounds between her surgery and her first fill. I don't really know how the band is supposed to help you lose weight before your first fill when you're just as hungry as you were before. I hate to use the word "diet", but it feels like I really need to be dieting right now if I want to lose any weight.

I'm 9 days post-op and I'm wondering the exact same thing. I'm already on mushy food and I'm not losing anything anymore. I've been told that I shouldn't worry about losing weight, just healing, until my first fill, but I'm a little discouraged at how hungry I am and how much I can still eat. I'm anxious to hear what others have to say.

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I know exactly what you are talking about. Everyone I have talked to that has had the bypass has resembled that description. Too bad they didn't pick the sleeve. It may have taken a little longer to lose all of the weight but I really think it is much healthier to slow it down a little more. With the sleeve our body takes everything it is suppose to from food and theirs just can't.

Mine is not so,much worried about last minute forced weight loss with a liquid diet, he'd rather we have a balanced,low carb diet immediately prior to surgery. Surprised me too, I thought he would want the liver shrunk and the bowels relatively clear of fecal junk. Well you know what they say about assume my friends. Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

I have successfully loss large amounts of weight previously. Historically, I would reach a stall, and stop trying and then regain. Always around the same weight. 235ish. Didn't matter if I started at 290, 250, I would hit a hard stall at 235. Sure enough, here I am approaching 235, and I have hit a stall. My head is in a better place, but was curious if others have seen stalls hit around certian weights.

It seems to be the way it's done in the USA, but it isnt done that way everywhere in the world. We're not advised to follow low carb diets or put Protein first in Australia, just to eat sensibly, healthily and from the five food groups, avoid what doesnt agree with us and try to eat solid food, not too much mushy. I've eaten carbs all the way through and my stats bear me out that it is not necessary to eliminate carbs in order to lose. But I do think the overly carb focussed low fat diet that was pushed as healthy throughout the 80's and 90's has pretty much been debunked, I think overall to lose and keep it off you do need to lower your carbs and up the protein a bit - mostly by cutting out processed carbs - white bread, white rice, Cookies, cake, chips, etc. Of course you can have a treat now and then, but basically your carbs need to be good wholegrain low GI ones like oatmeal and good wholegrain bread etc. But our bodies need carbs for energy, the cravings when you cut them dont come from detoxing or anything, they come from the fact that you're witholding an entire food group! Which always makes you lose weight - scientific mumbo jumbo about insulin levels aside - NONE of that is proven. Its all conjecture. Being banded, I've found my carb intake has increased dramatically simply as a matter of course. Bread does become hard to eat and its no longer a food I'd say that I like much. You have to focus on good nutrients so the protein and vegetables tend to come to the fore, I do try to get in my dairy for Calcium and basically there's not a lot of room left for starchy things. I rarely would eat potato or rice with dinner anymore but I do love a good spaghetti bolognaise occasionally and I always always start the day with muesli, oatmeal or weetbix, something good and fibrous to keep my bowels healthy and to give me a good burst of energy for the start of the day. So overall, I think lower carb, different carbs but not NO carbs. I also dont like to eat out of boxes and packets. meat comes from the butchers, fish from the fish shop and fruit and veg come from the market or the fruit and veg shop. Packaged foods are too full of stuff that you dont need and higher in fat, more processed and just not as good for you. Learning to cook properly from scratch is a skill that will help your weightloss along remarkably. I managed to get carbs in after surgery by blending anything that was fair game! I even had Christmas turky blended up, lol.

If you don't have too many replies yet on your offer to be a bandster buddy, I would love your help. I was banded on April 3rd and have lost 62lbs thus far. I sure would love to have some insight on A) how to keep losing (I've had a bad plateau recently) :sad_smile: How do you keep the weight off and "normailze" when your goal is reached?

Hi all, I'm new here, but have found all of your experiences and information on this discussion board very helpful as I consider this procedure. I am 29 years old and 5'2" with a BMI of 42 right now. In all honesty, I think I suffer from a delusion that I am a thin, active person, when I am actually the complete opposite. I love to cook and eat healthy and I really enjoy being active. I've run several 5ks in the past and love walking, yoga, playing softball and other team sports. But yet, here I am, still at almost 230 pounds. It's not until I see myself in photos or my clothes don't fit right that I realize how big I've become. I've struggled with my weight all my life and have been on WW, South Beach, Body for Life, Atkins, MediFast, etc. Most recently, I've been following the new Weight Watchers plan off and on since it launched in November with minimal success. I feel like I just need some help...a little something extra that will help me stick with it. I hope this is the answer. I checked into LapBand two years ago after a professional associate of mine lost 75lbs in four months and told me she had the LapBand surgery. At the time, my insurance explicitly said it did not cover the procedure and my BMI was not more than 40 (it was over 35). I don't have any complications...yet. However, my good cholesterol levels are low, and, last year, my running plans were put on hold as I nursed a heel spur (which I'm 95% sure was caused by my excess weight). I have family history of heart disease and high blood pressure. My husband also believes I might have sleep apnea. Long story short, I need to get this weight off. Not just for me, but I really want to have kids in the very near future. I want to have healthy pregnancies and be able to keep up with them as they grow. We've tried a bit already and I'm worried my weight is a factor (okay, I KNOW it is a factor). I'm registered to attend a seminar on April 15. I'm really hoping my insurance covers this procedure, as my husband and I don't have the money to pay for it out-of-pocket. Laura

Yea thats too much sugar. You'll double your weight loss post op if you eliminate the sugar..

Well guys, I wrote before that I had a Dr.'s appointment today and I think I may give this band one more try. I feel that maybe It was all my fault for not completely following all the rules. I think I ate more than I should have. but I never felt full and always hungry no matter how tight my band was. Always filled and unfilled for 3 yrs. I have been unfilled for the past 2 months now. The good news is that I only gained 1pound. The bad news is that he told me that the band has done all its going to do for me and that I have a dilated pouch. I had 80 lbs to lose and in all have only lost 45. I still have diabetes and still on meds for high B/P and cholesterol. I thought that being banded would get me in control of these things but its not going to happen. He did mention that my option now is to go without a band,be sleeved, or have pypass. I would think that by-pass may be too much since I only have 30-40 more pounds to lose. Please give me some feed back. Were any of you in this situation?

Much thanks to you all. Right now what I'm really thinking is that knowing myself I could never lose weight on my own. I've tried every diet out there more than once or twice. Having this band is of no use to me now and therefore there's no need to have it in my body. If the band goes, I will try hard to adhere to a strict diet plan and increase my exercise. After-all, that's what I have to do anyway at this point (all on my own) since the band is no more good to me. If I gain the weight back, then the choice for me would be the sleeve if possible. Thanks Guys!

If it's any consolation, you shouldn't be too hard on yourself. The band has limitations that people didn't know about the first few years it was out there. I read a few weeks ago where doctors are being urged to not even install the band into patients anymore because the long-term issues (weight re-gain, failure to loose, scarring, etc...) just are not worth it. The feds have sent subpoenas to Allergan about the lap band and expect them to testify about the low weight loss results and the complications. It was in the news back in May. If you are convinced that you'll regain, I think it's better for you to act proactively, especially with your co-morbid conditions. Why climb back up when you don't have to?

So sorry. I really don't have any advice other than asking your doctor to write another letter. I too have UHC and am waiting to hear if all is good. My surgeon's office told me not to be surprised if UHC asks for a 5 yr weight history. I know I will qualify, but it will be difficult to get the numbers since I have moved around a lot. I'd have to ask my OB/gyn since she is my most consistant doctor and ask for my non-pregnant weights. (I've had 2 kids in the past 5 yrs.) I do have my weight watchers weight loss history and would submit that too. Good luck and keep us posted.

What are you eating? You need to track your calories, fat, Fiber and Protein and see where you are. You also need to follow the band rules. Protein first, veggies and then carbs if you have room. Do not drink while eating or for at least 30 minutes after you eat. The band is a tool and if we don't follow the rules and eat healthier we won't lose weight. If you are doing all of these things and are still hungry and not losing then you probably need a fill. It is also possible that you aren't eating enough. I had to evaluate what I was doing and when I was honest with myself I know I wasn't using the band the way it was intended. After I adjusted my eating and added exercise the weight started coming off again. Remember just having the band won't make you lose weight. Come here everyday. The stories are inspirational and really help me. You can do it! Good luck!

I have to agree with both of you. When your in the medical field a long time (20+ years for me), you see how this all works. I was really impressed that my doctor never tried to talk me into a bypass, even given my high starting BMI. In fact, I was told I would do well and that at 2 years out, most of their band patients had the same weight loss as their bypass patients. Sometimes I wonder if all this negative talk about lapband success has much more to do with the poor lapband aftercare at some practices than it does with the lapband itself. Surgeons like to do surgery. They like to cut something and fix it on the spot. The lapband isn't like that and the aftercare is at least 50% of this process. A successful lapband experience takes much more than a beautiful placement of the band. If you truly want a lapband, understand what you are getting and how the entire treatment plan works, not just the surgery. See which WLS fits into your lifestyle, not which one the surgeon likes to do. Cindy

Marieze, yes basically to what you said. Even though one has a small pouch you can still make bad food choices, eat to often or past the point of full. I have never dumped and can eat all the same foods I ate before surgery. People have surgery for different reasons but if one has a food addiction and doesn't address that I could see how some can gain weight back no matter what surgery.

I hope you made the seminar. My wife and I both have had this surgery. It has done tremendous things for us. I am only less than a month post-op and already have lost close to 50 pounds, this is including the pre-op diet. I can relate to thinking that I was smaller when I was really bigger than I thought. Now, that I have been loosing and am on track to continue to lose more, I have already stopped taking many medications I have been on and will see my Primary Care next week to discuss stoping more. I have had more enegery and now am wearing clothes that I have not been able to for years. As far as everything you described medically, you should start seeing some improvements, should you decide this is the option, as you loose weight. Whatever option you choose, as weight comes off, the problems start to resolve. Glad you're here and looking at some options.

I've only had one fill so far (surgery May 18th) but he did 3 cc's and I have an 11 cc band. My surgeon said he goes fill by fill, no set amount schedule, and judges it by weight loss. He said he typically will do 3 for the first one and asked if I agreed (kind of surprised me - like I know the difference right now! It was a nice gesture though.)

I'm on the five-year plan. I've got the bad polyps. This is my year to get it done. I've never had trouble with the prep in the past, but now I have a little pouch. The prep includes drinking a massive amount Water along with a whole bottle of miralax and magnesium citrate. I asked the nurse (surgeon's team) and they said to ask the gastroenterology folks when I made my appointment. When I made my appointment, I asked about prep alternatives and they weren't sure. They asked me to check with my primary physician. Surely, I can't be the first gastric bypass person to get a colonoscopy at this rather large clinic in Minneapolis. Has anyone here had a colonoscopy done after they've had weight-loss surgery? Did you have an alternative to the prep or the procedure? I thought I would explore my options before writing my primary care physician an email. I will also google it, but do want to hear first hand from people about their experience (pros and cons). This way I could tell her which alternative I prefer. Thank you so much for your responses!

I worried about the same exact thing. YES, this is normal. It won't be long and you'll ge dropping weight like you never have before! GOOD LUCK

All I can say it do it do it do it as fast as you can I am a type one diabetic on the insulin pump I have been a diabectic for 26 years My diabetic doc was unsure but I found a great surgeon that has done the lap band on other type ones. I was out of teh hospital the same day I had no complaications A little red in teh healing area so they put me on meds that took care of it. I felt horriable before the band and I have a new life now I have lost 90 lbs You will face some different problems along the weight loss but it will all work out There is not much data about diabetics type one having teh surgery but I say go for it I would do it all over again if I had to I extended my life I have with my family because of the less weight and I have so much better controll of my blood sugars. PM me if you would like more info I am all for this surgery

Yep! I know that I can easily maintain my weight, while listening to my hunger cues, and eating smaller portions of pretty much whatever I want. That's a huge victory, compared to before surgery

I am trying to find out why an adjustment wouldn't kick in for a week or so. I had and adjustment a week ago tomorrow and am beginning to feel more restriction today than any other day last week. Why does it take a few days sometimes? Anyone else have this happen to them? I'm also slightly discouraged because I have only lost 10 pounds in 8 weeks. I guess it's better than gaining 10!