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My BMI was 32.44 when I had mine, I'm 14 months out and no problems, weight loss has slowed down immensely. My bypass is just over 9'.

That happened to me. I had to get iv fluids a couple of times. But anti-nausea medicine helped (had to try a couple). They discovered I had an infection probably caused by thrush I didn't know I had before the surgery. After taking the medicine get rid of it things got better. The only thing is I actually think it is helping with my weight loss still because everything I ate that made me sick I don't want to best anymore- some of my favorites! Go to the doctor!

I had my surgery on 2/17/2015. I just checked my entries and I started back at the gym on 3/30/2015. I wanted until I spoke with my surgeon about being safe to go to the gym not only because of the physical exertion, but also because it is a hotbed of bacteria. I had a hematoma that had to be kept open and packed, so it took a while. When I was finally healed up enough to not worry about infections, I was told to do exercise as tolerated. I started doing only cardio, stationary bike, treadmill, and elliptical. Then I added light weights and simply moving my body around the core. As long as I didn't feel any pain, I would continue what I was doing or add something new. I have known the people that work in the rec center for about 7 years so I had no problem telling them that I had sleeve surgery. They recommended I start off on the ab machine so that I was using a lighter weight than my body weight. Now I am using the ball with a medicine ball in my hands held infront of my face to ensure proper posture while doing crunches. I don't remember what I started out doing, probably 30 crunches with 3 sets of 10. Now I am up to about 200 crunches a day. I also do oblique crunches to make sure I am strengthening all of my core and not just my abs. I have a little pattern that I follow. I start with the medicine ball and do ten "around the worlds" in each direction.Ball in left hand bring the ball behind you and pass it to your right hand. Bring your right hand around to your front and pass it to your left hand. Repeat 10 times. This is to keep my shoulders loose and to increase range of motion. I have to do this since I also had shoulder surgery and it is a hold over from my rehab days. Then I do 10 crunches on the ball with the same medicine ball held in front of my face. Next is what ever weight training I am doing that day. Shoulders and back, bi's & triceps, or chest. One set of whatever weight and then I go get a sip of Water from the fountain. This gives me the rest before I repeat the process and helps me hit my water goal for the day. On a shoulder day, I will do about 7 different exercises with 3 sets. In between those are sets of 10 crunches on the ball. Then I switch to the cable machine for 2 different oblique exercises. After I finish with the weight room, I go over to the cardio for 30 min to get a good sweat on. It took me a good two months to build up to that. I want to stress that I am not trying to build muscle though. Back when I was far more into weight lifting, it was all about muscle growth. I am only trying to stave off atrophy and muscle loss right now. I am not doing anything over 30lbs EVER! I am only 4 months out, you cannot gain muscle mass safely at this stage. Worry about gaining muscle and definition after you hit your goal. <edit> Woah, that turned out to be a book. Sorry about that, didn't mean to go all Steinbeck on you!

Eating more will probably increase your weight loss.

I plateaud at 55 lbs as well. That was before the holidays. I was really bumbed, because that's where I ALWAYS plateau, even before the band. In the past, I would finally get discouraged and start eating again. But I've lost another 10 lbs over the last few weeks, so I'm feeling good again. I am still going for a very small fill next week to perhaps get a bit more consitency of restriction. I am aware of the fact, however, that perfection can be the enemy of the very good, so I don't want to overdo it. Sounds like you are doing awesome! Keep in mind, too, that the exercise could be building muscle, leading to no weight loss, but lost inches, as you pointed out. Best of luck!

One thing that stuck with me is also not as much weight loss. At the seminar I attended he said they total remove the stomach with the sleeve and with the bypass it stays in. So later on with your older if by any chance you. Need a feeding tube then you still have your stomach

I've seen a few people mention this on various boards/pages but of course now I can find them. Due to PCOS I already have unwanted hair in unwanted places. I've heard that people with this issue should not take Biotin as that will cause ALL hair to increase. So for those also experiencing the same problems what have you done to try and help minimize the hair loss after surgery? Has anyone had any experience with Nioxin or other shampoos that claim to help? Rogaine for women? I'm willing to try anything when I get to that stage!

@@tssiemer i would rather be thin than worry about "excess" skin concentrate on the good results during weight loss don't dwell/fret over bad side effects from WLS you are pre-op best wishes with surgery good luck kathy

Everyone seems to worry about excess skin yet doesn't seem to understand that if you were really big before surgery that you will likely need plastic surgery to remove the excess skin after your weight loss. There's no need to have to spend the rest of your life carrying around all that extra skin. Depending upon your specific situation, you may need a tummy tuck or even a full body tuck, not to mention arms and legs. For me, I will be getting a tummy tuck and my chest done.

THANK YOU for posting this!!! I really needed to see it. Although my doctor says I am just about were I should be in my weight loss, looking at the OBESE tag and most recently OVER WEIGHT was depressing for me. Because of your post, I just updated my IDEAL BMI based on these standards.

I have a big sweet tooth, and I believe in indulging it often. I don't want to live in a world without chocolate. The difference is, now I eat 1 or 2 cookies instead of 12. I've been very successful with my weight loss. I'm not saying I won't have to buckle down a little when I start to plateau, but I think one of the great things about the band is our ability to eat everything, so long as it is consumed in moderation.

Hello all! I am just beginning my lap band journey. I have been researching the procedure for about a year, and have finally decided it might be the right fit for me. I have been struggling with my weight since I was about 8 years old (I am now 22) and am just no longer willing to accept living my life in misery. I have tried just about every diet there is, and have been the most successful on weight watchers. That said, every time I lose weight on weight watchers (or on any diet) I end up gaining it back within a year. I cannot seem to keep weight off for any period of time. Its so frustrating! I think the lap-band procedure can help me with this. Right now, I have a BMI of 40.5. I believe that based on this BMI, my insurance will cover the surgery. I have carefirst Blue Cross Blue Shield. Does anyone else have this insurance? I am interested to find out more about everyone's exerieces before, during and after the surgery. How hard is the lifestyle to stick to? What kinds of things are you supposed to be eating on a daily basis? I have heard I cannot eat coconut anymore after surgery, why? Also, what were your friends and family's reactions surgery? I have had people tell me they think its "the easy way out," but to me, it doesn't seem very easy at all. It just seems like a way to help, and even safegaurd your hard work at weight loss. Thoughts? Finally, does anyone live near Annapolis, MD who would be willing to talk more with me about the surgery? Anyone had surgery at GBMC in Baltimore? That's where I plan to have mine done. I am going in for an information session in 2 weeks and cant wait. Hope to hear back from you soon! Best, Brooke

I really worried about this and kept thinking I can do it myself. Then I realised, I was giving myself an "out" (I'm banded, not sleeved) - no band, then there was always the ability to overeat. THEN I realised, if I was going to lose weight and keep it off, I could never ever ever eat the way I was eating again. Ever. Either way, it had to stop. Weight loss surgery didnt seem so scary after I'd faced that fact. Really faced it. And then, once I was banded, I felt satisfied after smaller amounts of food. I didnt eat till I was utterly stuffed that often before banding, but I got the same feelings of satisfaction on 1/3 of the volume of food. So I've never felt, oh, I want to eat but I cant. And I dont think an occasional treat is a bad thing anyway. So if I really want something, i just have it.

I am currently waiting for an upper GI scope on 6/22. This will determine if I have ulcers. If I do have ulcers, I will not be able to have the procedure. If I don't then I will hopefully move on the fast track to getting everything done. I would really like to have the procedure before school starts in the fall because I don't want to miss any work. My husband goes in for his first meeting with the weight loss center in a couple weeks. We are really hoping to have the surgeries done at the same time. :thumbup:

I had 5 scars... I can now only see my port scar now... about an I" long... but it's very faint. Tom, Toronto Banded July 6 06 Wt. Loss: 156 lbs

Oh that would be hard with other people eating around you!! But, now you know you can do it, even with others around you not doing the same thing!! Congrats on the weight loss, what a great way to start the journey!!

I am new too. I was banded Feb. 16th. The beginning of hope when it comes to the weight loss thing. I have not been humgry at all since banded. it takes me all day to get down a watered down protein drink. I felt good about getting down soup broth tonight too. Am looking fwd to next stage but as of being hungry...NEVER

Hi there, Kaiser (SoCal) has a mandatory 24-week Healthy Options program pre-surgery where they teach you about the lifestyle from A-Z, and in that time frame, expect you to lose some weight. My Bariatric team specifically said that the 10% rule is out the window; and that Kaiser no longer requires that a medically supervised diet is followed. I am doing the full-food program since I already use a full-nutrition supplement 1-2 per day, and am adjusted to a partial liquid lifestyle. Currently losing about 1.5 pounds per week on my own, which puts me almost exactly at 10% total weight loss before my operation in late-December/mid-January. As I receive info, I'll post in the forums! Knowledge is power. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

You can actually get the weight loss surgery for dummies cookbook for free in pdf form! http://www.edu12345.com/fujian/shu/jfsssp.pdf

Glad things went so well with your surgery. Congratulations on your weight loss. You're doing great!

Hi Everyone! I have a long story so I will keep it short. I was schedule to have the sleeve 11 months ago. A week away from surgery my surgery was canceled. This was due to military issues and I had no control over them. It was extremely emotional going up to one week before surgery then not having it. I resolved myself to thinking it just wasn't meant to be. I thought I could do everything on my own. One large factor was my insurance did not cover the sleeve(long story about Tricare and milky base docs) and that was the only surgery I wanted. Fast forward 11 months and I have gained weight ???? I am now heavier than I have ever been. I recently found out that my insurance will pay for the sleeve????. So here is what I need help with. I have a co-worker that had WLS not the sleeve. She looks terrible. Her hair has mostly fallen out her eyes are so dark underneath and she looks ill. I do notice what she eats and it really is all bad food with no nutritional value. I am by no means in a place to judge but my fear is..if I have surgery will I end up like her? If I can't lose weight on my own how will I be able to do everything correctly so I don't end up where I am now? How do you guys do it? I really want to have the surgery and know I can do it in the beginning but what about a year down the road? How do you all handle your cravings?

I know many pre-op patients have questions about the process. Each one of us is different but I thought I'd share my experience around the surgery and recovery in case it is beneficial to anyone preparing to undergo VSG. Based on my BMI, my doctor put me on a one-week pre-op liquid Protein diet. This consisted of three Protein shakes a day and otherwise Clear liquids. The first couple of days were tough, but by day 3-4 my system had gotten over its carb withdrawal and I tolerated the diet fairly well. I also used this time to wean off of caffeine since my surgeon didn't allow any for 8 weeks post surgery. During the pre-op diet phase I dropped 8 pounts, from 285 to 277. On my surgery day, I arrived at the hospital fairly early. The nursing staff prepared me (IV, gown, support stockings, etc.) and I met briefly with the surgeon and anesthesiologist. I was wheeled into the very cold operating room. Shortly thereafter I was given the IV anesthetic and was fast asleep. I woke up in the recovery area. This was easily the most uncomfortable part of the process as I was coming out of general anesthesia, hooked up to everything and now had a wonderful (not!) urine catheter placed. As I came out of the fog, I remember trying unsuccessfully to negotiate with the nurse to remove the catheter as it was very uncomfortable. After 20-30 minutes in this area I was moved to a wheelchair (a surprisingly challenging endeavor) and was wheeled to my room. Once in the room the PCA pump was attached. This helped greatly with my comfort level. I was also allowed to start sucking on ice chips. I did experience some gas pains but they were manageable. The nursing staff got me up to walk within a couple of hours. My particular facility was absolutely wonderful. It is a small satellite surgery facility of a large hospital and is in the same building as the surgical practice. I think most of the patients are part of the weight loss surgery program. On my particular surgery day I think my nurse had two patients, so I was able to get as much attention as I needed. One key item they were monitoring was my blood sugar which was running low. This was surprising as prior to surgery I was a Type-II diabetic with a normal glucose of 115-120. They gave me IV glucose a couple of times and were monitoring it closely. I progressively felt better throughout the day and evening and walked a few more times. There wasn't much sleeping as it seemed like every 10 minutes someone was in the room to do something. The day shift nurse had been bringing me ice chips in a small medicine cup. The night shift nurse brought a large cup of them with a spoon (what an angel!) By about 3am I was able to get myself out of bed and move to a nearby chair, managing all of the lines and connections carefully. I found that the more mobile I was the better I felt. At 5am I was told that we needed to begin preparing for my discharge. This involved giving me a glass of ice Water which I sipped on. It also involved removal of the catheter and the surgical drain, both of which were momentarily painful. I did feel better after that though. One more walk, a visit from the surgeon and his assistant, and I was discharged a little more than 24 hours after arrival. We stopped at the downstairs pharmacy for the liquid narcotic pain medication. At home, day 1 post-op involved mostly sleeping and relaxing. I had to sleep in a recliner for a couple of days to limit suture pain. I used the narcotic pain med a couple times that day. I began sipping and walking, encountering a little pain but nothing unbearable. By day 2 post-op I was feeling much better. On day 2 I stopped the narcotic pain meds and switched to liquid Tylenol. I had been told I could drive as soon as I was off the narcotics, so switching to liquid Tylenol meant I wasn't tied to the house. By that evening I felt well enough to drive myself to a meeting of an organization I'm involved with. Moving slowly but without much pain, it was nice to get out a little. I noticed I had real challenges with capacity of my new stomach for the first couple of days. It seemed like it would only hold a couple of sips or maybe a teaspoon of broth. On day 3 this got better, and by day 4 I was able to drink liquids and even broth and Soup without much restriction. I think this was the post-op swelling going down a little. My surgery was on a Tuesday and I came home Wednesday morning. My first venture out was Thursday evening. I returned to work the following Monday without any real issues but I have a fairly sedentary office job. I have to say that my recovery was quicker than I expected with relatively few issues and no complications. I know this isn't the rule for everyone. I think it helped that despite weight and Type-II Diabetes I was in generally good physical condition which probably made things easier. I'm now about 10 weeks post surgery. I successfully transitioned diet from liquid to pureed to soft foods and then to regular foods. I've experienced two stalls (one early and one now). I've dropped two shirt and pant sizes and am almost ready for a third. I'm still learning how to manage my weight loss and diet while traveling extensively for business. I have yet to get locked into an aggressive exercise regimen but am trying to do so. But overall this has been a totally positive experience and a decision I am 100% happy with.

I would suggest you wait to purge your closet. I was still able to wear the same old clothes for about 2 or 3 months, even though I was losing weight. I am now at almost 6 months and I still haven't bought anything new, because I am only about 1/2 way to my goal. I did keep boxes of smaller sizes that I wore during my various diets so I do have clothes to wear. I felt like I was going to jinx my weight loss if I purged my closest too soon! Good luck to you!

I only told very few people including 3 close friends. They were all supportive before surgery. But one of the friends, after the day I had surgery has never once asked how I did, never checked on me after surgery, never commented on anything post surgery. Its been 2 and 1/2 years and 100+ lbs lost and she has not once commented or even said she noticed weight loss or that I look good. We saw each other regularly before surgery. (several times a week, phone calls and texting) I've seen her maybe 6 times in 2 and 1/2 years since. It's like she forgot I existed. We were good friends? She is overweight (not to the extreme i was though but short and stout.) My thin friends were fine. Coincidence? People have the strangest reactions. It's not YOU. Congrats of your surgery!

I know that there is a heading why are YOU fat, I feel that this should be a positive sight ---people want to change, so I personally would like to have positive headings _WHY PREVIOUSLY FAT? A heading as you have lost a significant amount of weight you can post on there as a positive reinforcement for self and others, yes iI know there is also a heading those at or near goal, but hec not many posting on there, hope all the now skinnys are not leaving this sight, but will stay to help others and reinforce to themselves that YES YES YES I DID IT _ AND I AM NEVER GOING TO BE FAT AGAIN. What I was doing wrong, okay you have heard it a million times before - yep I know, but I am going to say it anyway, yep I was lazy-did not excercise, i am not saying all overweight people are lazy,but I know I was, and the more weight I put on,the less excercise I would do. Also eating all the fattening foods, yep drivethrough -- got to go here or got to go there,can't be bothered to cook for myself, yet now I do not say I never have a hamburger but not like 5 times a week with double cheese, and yes I will have the scones ,yes sometimes a little cream,most times plain,not the way I use to do it before making certain every last drop of cream was on my scone,sometimes I tell you that was hard to do, because had to pile it on top of all the jam --- shivers my mentality was I paid for it I am going to enjoy it,gsh paid the same amount for the one scone with jam and cream as I could buy 6 scones in the supermarket for. I now make good food choices most of the time, and also get the extra excercise in hee and there, say when visiting a friend and it is a nice day -- hey why don't we go for a walk across to the shops, or go to the lake? And yes I was an emotional eater, eat when I completed or achieved something, when I was upset,stressed etc. Come-on all inspire me and others, this is like my weightloss maintenance site, and a sight where others can see we all been there and done that. May everyone achieve their goals, God Bless. We are all here for each other,to help each other ,what may work for one may not work for another, the weight loss speed is different, but certainly you will be able to relate to some users on this site, and yep we help each other.