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Hi, I am scheduled to start the pre op diet around the last two weeks of April. I am trying to figure out how this works. As I understand it, for two weeks I am only having shakes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and a cup of either vegetables or fresh fruit. No carbs or starchy veggies. The written instructions say "if you need it" I can have a snack of a piece of fruit. Now, after surgery, there will be no fills for at least 6 weeks. During that time I am mostly going to be on liquids and towards the end soft 'mushies". So that is two months of starvation with no assistance or restriction. If I can not lose weight on my own, how am I supposed to get through this? I was recently following a normal carb counting diet for diabetics and every night I went to bed with sharp hunger pains in my chest area. I kept thinking that the pre op diet is going to hurt worse. Herbal tea helps but really, I just dont understand how this works. Does the smaller pouch cause less hunger pangs??? I really need an answer because I am wavering and do not want to change my mind about surgery.

I thought I was in the clear with gas pains being I was 6 days after surgery. That is until last night, when it all seems to hint my, my shoudler has been killing me. I haven't had to take my pain meds until last night. I am surprised by the delay. Once I eat anything it starts hurting even more. AAHHHHH

Everyone is different. I couldn't drive for 2 weeks due to fatigue.

I had my lapband surgery done 3 weeks ago and I self-paid. I tried to use my insurance but they found a bunch of little reasons to turn me down and sent me a 2-page letter on how to resubmit. One of their reasons was that my doctor did not validate that I had been overweight for at least 5 years. (She has only been my doctor for 4 years, PLUS I have had the same insurance for 25 years so they should know how much a I weigh.) I didn't want to wait any longer so I paid for it myelf. Anyway, your question about the psych exam... Basically they just want to know that you understand that the lap-band is just a tool, that you still need to watch what you eat. They are interested in finding out if your know what triggers you to eat - - i.e. do you graze from dinner to bedtime, do you have to eat when you watch TV, are you addicted to ice cream, or potato chips? And what are you going to do to change that behavior since none of that behavior is due to hunger? All they are assessing is do you have the mindset and tools to be successful. In my exam there were questions about whether or not my family would be supportive or try to undermine me. Mine is supportive but if you do not have the support they help you understand that you will have to get it from somewhere else because this is life changing and you can not fight your way through it with a family that tries to make you fail. It's all the basic stuff you would expect them to ask. They are just trying to make sure that you are really aware how your life will need to change once you have the procedure. Good luck! I can honestly say that this was the best decision I ever made.

Advice: "No food tastes as good as skinny feels." I was told that pre op. And I tell you, every pant size and shirt size I go down, I'd trade a week of fast food for in a heartbeat.

Hey there!! I think this is awesome that you are on here to learn everything you can and are so supportive!! I'm only 5 months post op and have been married 5 years, however having your spouse supportive is a must in my book! I have been extremely lucky in the sense that I had an easy recovery and life was back to normal completely for me after 2 weeks (after the first 4 days, things got way better!). Feel free to ask any questions on here and people are more than willing to help! Good luck to your husband!

Okay just checked calendar and last nutrition appt is potentially 11/25. Can insurance get approved in time for a surgery within 2-3 weeks? Ideally my drop dead date for surgery would be the 20th which is oddly enough my bday! Lol. But would prefer the previous week. Is that doable? Sent from my SM-T567V using the BariatricPal App

Hello all! I am 1 year post op- did well lost 110 pounds but have stalled> i have been in the gym for 1-2 hours a day 7 days a week and logging my intake and nothing helped. The one thing I wasnt doing was sleeping, I would get about 3-4 hours a day on average. I work nights so I am up all night and then running with the kids all day. Finally I have been exhausted and sick and i laid out of the gym for a few days, came home from work and just went to sleep for a solid 6 hours. Finally started losing weight again!! For me 6 hours of sleep is a big accomplishment, i know some who say they cant function on less than 8 or 9 hours. I have 3 little kids, i have been functioning on 2 hours for years> just wondering on average, how much sleep does everyone get and do you notice a big difference when you get well rested vs sleep deprived??

I would try a three pronged approach. Obviously start with your surgeon. Ask for a referral to a bariatric therapist for some back up. I would also meet more regularly with the bariatric dietitian for hands on real tactics to feeling full. I would be tempted to go back to WW as well for group chat and accountability. I had to get a new hobby of crochet to keep my hands busy and give warm clothing to the homeless shelter to “feel full.” You will find your fullness and feel comfortable in your body too.

The first thing that goes is water weight and some of us carry A LOT of it..esp obese people. I had to do two week liquid diet prior to surgery and after the first couple days it really wasn't that bad and by the 2nd week i wasn't even hungry. Good luck!

I fly home July 5...staying for 2 weeks in their recovery boutique. Today is 1 week postop I can stand up straight now, walking is better back incision is very swollen and hurts to sit...I try to reposition in bed. How are you feeling at 2 weeks?? Curious how I will feel flying back...luckily flight is only 1.5 hrs+4 hr drive from airport.

So all went well with my appointments yesterday. The nutritionist visit was an eye opener. My pre-op diet will be 700 calories per day, and I'm expected to lose a minimum of 12 pounds during that 2 weeks. So what if I don't? Apparently my surgeon has actually taken patients to surgery, looked at their liver, and closed them back up with the instructions to do the 700 cal diet for another week or two. So I think I'll definitely be sticking to the 700 cal per day diet! I can't imagine the disappointment those patients had. The nutritionist explained the first 6 weeks post op to me. It won't be easy, that is for certain. But so many of you have done it--I can too. I go back today for the written testing with the psychologist stuff. I also have an appointment with the pain doctor regarding a pain pump, so it was really nice that they fit me in for the testing while I'm in town. Things are moving along! All sorts of emotions going on in my head. Am I sure I want to change my lifestyle so drastically? Do I have a choice if I want to get back to living a productive life?

I had vsg on June 15, 2010. My starting weight was 167 lbs. My goal weight is at least 115. And I have only lost 25 lbs since then. I've been at a stall for a few weeks and I was wondering if there is something I'm doing wrong. I would have expected to have lost more weight than this, but the scale doesn't seem to move! Ughhhhh! Will this ever end? Help!!!!

I'm back to using the Kinect to exercise. My husband (He Who Hates to be Named = HWHN) got it for me over a year ago after a party at a friend's house where they introduced us to Group Kinect. We had a blast competing to pop bubbles and other silly stuff. At that time, he wondered if I'd like the Dance Central game. He thought he'd get one of the exercise/gym games. Anyway, we did, and I stuck with it long enough to learn the dance routines to "Pokerface" and "Funky Town." HWHN had me try the exercise game a few times, but in truth, my knees couldn't take it, and with the extra weight, the fatigue factor from the MS just did me in. The routines are actually not bad, and HWHN had chosen a "coach" that was young, female, and curvy. I teased him about it, but he said he thought it would be easier to deal with a woman telling him what to do, since he's had lots of practice. (I threw a pillow a him) Anyway, it was only about six games later that he's yelling at the avatar. She even had the audacity at one point to refer to his performance in light of his age. I fell about laughing, and he said bad words. The next time he did the game, he called her The Witch. It stuck. Eventually, discouragement and fatigue caused me to stop doing Kinect at all, and HWHN went on to other things like online racing. Yesterday, we got out the Kinect again, and did the new adventure game we bought. It was great. We can play at the same time, and I am much lighter and in better shape generally, the MS being in remission. I remembered that the original exercise game had some good floor workouts, and one section that focused on abs, so I got it out again. Oh boy. After three sets, I wanted to commit acts of graphic violence on The Witch's person. Her perky, smug voice (enclosed in an impossibly perfect figure) says, "That's not quite what we were aiming for. How about if we take a break and try again? You can certainly do better." HWHN said more naughty words. Argh!!! How totally aggravating. "This is not quite what we were aiming for?" How does she know? And, there's no way for the avatar to understand the actual situation, so she can't adjust how she offers encouragement or support. I know enough about technology to do the things I need to do, but what I know about the Kinect and its controllers is confined to inserting and ejecting the disks, and waving my hand to get the program started. But I was determined to do something about The Witch, so I fiddled until I figured out how to change her. Next time HWHN goes to do his gym workout, he'll find The Witch has been transformed into a middle-aged man who looks suspiciously like himself... gray hair and beard included. Since I've already tried him out, I know that he says completely different things for encouragement, and he seems all enthusiastic that I'm even there, at nearly 50 years old, trying to get into shape. The perky little Witch is perfect for... oh, say, perky little witches. And that would not be me.

Looks great. The inner thigh lift is the last thing I have left to do. Today is 2 weeks since LBL, TT and BL for me. The swelling takes forever to go down on the TT and LBL. When are you flying home?

Me, too! I had my surgery on 12/26 and have lost 64 pounds but am stuck on a plateau for a long time. I am exercising at the gym 5 days per week and have lost 10 pounds of body fat in 2 months but the scale is just not moving at all. I am wondering if I have stretched out my stomach because I can eat quite a bit before I feel the restriction, depending on what kind of food I am eating.

Do you have one incision that is big compared to the others? That is where the port is. Mine is on the right side, directly below my breast, below the ribs. I am about 5 weeks out from surgery right now and can just barely begin to feel the port.

Hi there!! Congrats on your amazing progress (I read your stats!!!!)....So first off, I sent you an email through this system but I guess you never got it? It was detailed as to what info I have already found in turkey and was hoping you could share your experiences with me...pretty please :-) I am THRILLED that there is someone else in Turkey that has done this :-) I am currently in Turkey and will be staying here for atleast a year....so I am seriously looking into this. So far I found (researching now) three places that do this procedure (2 in istanbul and 1 in izmir).....what was your dr.s name in istanbul? Dr. Halil something? I saw a few things about him....? Do you mind if I ask how much the WHOLE procedure cost you? I have clueless in regards to pricing here in TR. Hoping you can tell me how things are going for you and if you're feeling like a million bucks!! I'm sooo glad I found you on here!! If you have some free time Id love to hear your details....and if you recommend the procedure here in TR? Hope to speak soon :-) *I'm in the middle of turkey- konya :-) Where are you?

My surgery went smoothly! I was in pain when I came to but they got me on some meds fast and that was better. I had nausea the 2 days in the hospital but only when I got up to pee..ect. I have a full bottle of nausea med I have never had to use since leaving the hospital. The first 3 days home were a little rough I'm not going to lie but once my surgeon upped my pain pills to oxycodone I was a-ok!! I stopped taking them at about 5-6 days. I haven't had any issues with foods or fluids it just takes time To get it all in. I have no hunger. I think the 14 day pre-op really prepared me for that! I took my drain out after 7 days (best thing EVER) and staples came out last week I take everything day by day, I don't live on the scale only weigh on Mondays. I'm down 28 lbs in 29 days so happy about that of course(including my Pre-op) I am ready and prepared for the plateau so I may not even weigh for the next 2 weeks just to avoid the stress.....keep it a "surprise" . If I could give some advice to a newbie I would say 1: make sure you have orders for all the meds you will need BEFORE leaving the hospital...ask about pain pills, anti nausea meds, anti-acids, your Dr may or may not prescribe them routinely ASK don't wait until you are sick and hurting! You may not even need them but then again you may! 2: surround your self with a good support system if possible. It's very possible to do it on your own but it helps to have people in your corner (like us) and last but not least: even when it's hard and maybe starts to suck remember the feeling You have now and how bad you really want this, why you wanted this, and have limitless goals! Don't underestimate yourself Or your body's potential. Don't stress! Your body has been through a lot,allow your body to heal Be patient, do what your suppose to do and eventually you will succeed Good luck!

I also had all the sizes from 14 to 22. I'm in a sixteen now - if I get smaller than a fourteen it's going to get expensive. Try higher end thrift stores. You can get some nice, brand name things for work in those places. My friend was assistant dean at UMass and got some of her outfits in places like that. Also clearance sales are good ways to find quality clothes for cheap. I buy work slacks in that awesome stretchy material everyone has now. I can get a couple sizes out of them. Macy's has a nice selection - I liked them so much that last week I ordered some from their website in two different colors and in two different sizes (M & L). And they didn't cost me a penny because I had returned a bunch of things that were too big and still had tags on them - I got over $100 on a store credit. :-)

Thank u. I have a pamphlet from my surgeons office but i wanted to get some more ideas since I'll be on this phase for four weeks.

I was banded on Aug 25th & my port was also placed just below my breastbone (sternum). My surgeon said he's found it easier for the patient because there is usually less fat in this area & easier to get to. Right now, it's the most painful of my incisions but I'm not even a week out yet. My friends who've had their ports placed around their waist area report painful fills & put off going to get fills because of it.

I was really sore there too for a couple of weeks. But now I never feel it unless I try to find it. My fill just felt like a bee sting for a couple of minutes. Good Luck to You!:biggrin:

Thank God your Mom has her band out! I'm so sorry to hear everything she has gone through, but it sounds like she is on the mend. When my band slipped it caused a total stomach obstruction and put into septic shock..I was also 38 weeks pregnant. VERY SCARY STUFF! I'm just so happy to hear she is better