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No one knows how it feels to lose an excessive amount of weight. Even 50 pounds is difficult. Some here like me, want to lose MORE than 150. Those whose scales have barely fluctuated believe that it's all diet and exercise. I know that something in me isn't normal BECAUSE diets should have worked. I have a thyroid problem, that keeps my weight from skyrocketing, but it doesn't keep me from gaining slowly. Once Cushings Syndrome or Cushings Disease is ruled out, it is virutually impossible to get your metabolism to where a thin persons is. Something happened in all of us, a trauma, even a long car trip without stopping could mess up your metabolism, having children, getting married: who knows what, but it did happen. Is our obesity our fault. No one wants to be fat. No one would with it. No child says "I want to be fat when I grow up". I have to take responsibility for the food I put in my mouth and for how I ate whether it was right or wrong. I now have to take responsibility for what I have learned through my Nutritionist who I believe has my success as her goal also. My Nutritionist is thin as a rail. Although she deals with large people, even she has no idea what it's like, but she tries. And that's all we'd like from our supporters... to try an imagine how hard life is, and that all we want is our health back... getting thinner, looking sexier, if and when that happens, is a bonus. And if you want just a little devilish satisfaction, no one knows what those thin people will be like after they've had their first of third child. It took 5 years before my hypothyroidism was diagnosed - 5 years of gaining weight and eating they way I've always eaten. It took 10 more years of yo-yo-dieting to get me to my weight. Now, why would I want to weight over 300 pounds! After I reach my goal, I want to stick around and be supportive to those just starting their journey. Like people who've gone through cancer treatments need others who've been on the same journey and come out the other side. That's why this forum is so important to me. There are many people here who've come out the other side.

I had surgery on Wed 10/7/09. Today is Sunday. I am doing fairly well. Still in pain especially at the incision of the port. I intend to go back to work on Tues. Now that seems about right. We'll see. I have enjoyed reading about others's experience on this site. Mostly very encouraging. I'm excited about this journey that I have started, but also apprehensive. Will it work for me? I know I will lose weight. I've done it before. Dramatically, but alas it comes back and that is so so so discouraging. So my sincere hope and prayer is that this is a real opportunity for lasting results. I wish I could hear more current follow-up from folks on this site. I wonder why did they stop posting? Since I just dished out 15k for this surgery, it motivates me to get this weight off and KEEP it off. Thoughts?

Hi there. I am wriring on behalf of my wife.She just got banded on Friday,Nov.19.We are from Vancouver,BC,Canada. My wife is experiencing some gas pains.She was wondering how long that would last,also she is taking a week of from work,is that going to be long enough? Thank you very much for your support Concerned Husband

Well, this is my first posting. I was banded Thursday 4/6/06 after a year of researching. I am now a BMI of 29 (was 31 last week). I am very glad of the questions and answers on this site as I am sure I will have many and at least now I know where to go to find the answer. First question, as I am in 1 week post op, can I have sugar free fudgesicle or will this cause enlargement as well. Is this really a liquid if eaten prpewrly? I have hung tight to broth and jello and apple juice, but was getting sick of that and needed a little something. Also, should I still have shoulder pain? I am taking tylenol but about every 6 hours it comes back. Nothing too bad just alarming. I am also walking treadmill at lowest .09 (lol) speed about 4 times a day for 5-10 minutes. I appreciate any and all answers, this was a scary but positive step for me. Godd luck and God Bless all of you....

Weight loss does sometimes come to a halt after beginning an exercise program and that is the time to start measuring instead of weighing. Muscles retain Water while they are repairing (after heavy workouts/weight-lifting) and that is why the scale will not reflect your true progress. Before starting a program be sure to take measurements of your neck, shoulders, both upper arms, chest, waist, hips, both upper thighs and both calves. Take follow-up measurements every month. A few years ago I was 6 weeks into an intense weight=lifting program. My weight had 'stalled' but I persevered. I suffered a back injury and had to quit lifting entirely for a few weeks. During that time I lost 6 pounds in 10 days. Just shows you how much water I was retaining! A good program should include weights 3x a week and cardio 3-5x a week.

I dont really do much in the weigh of strenght training, just the very very basics two or three times a week becuase I hate it. But I find 45 minutes to an hour of cardio (running usually) five to six times a week perfect for me. I wouldnt want to do any more - because I dont think its necessary for fitness, it increases the risk of injury too much and I have other things to do. To save time, I combine cardio and strength training. I use my treadmill for this - 2 to 3 times a week instead of going out for my run I do the following: hop on the treadmill, walk one kilometre whilst doing fairly heavy (10lb) biceps and shoulders routine. Then I alternate running 200 metres (quite fast) with hopping off and doing 10 squats, 10 lunges each leg with a 40lb barbell, 3 times, that covers another kilometre on the treadmill, then I alternate running 200 metres with 30 tricep dips 3 times, then running 200metres and 30 pushups 3 times and then 200 metres with 30 crunches, leg raises combo 3 times. It takes about 50 minutes and is a pretty good overall workout. That's plenty I think, anymore is just really not necessary, except if you're doing it under supervision like on The Biggest Loser.

I have been very busy and haven't logged on in the last 10 days. I lost 5 lbs this past week for a total of 25. My exercise is still only walking as my doctor wants me to wait until six weeks before working out. I am really looking forward to my first fill and being able to work out. Godd luck and keep up the great work everyone.

I, too, have the hives. I'm scared to death because it's a Friday night! Ugh! But I'm not so sure it's the whey. I do take a bullet of whey every day for my 42 grams and the protein shakes I'm drinking are soy-based. I've used them for quite a few years now so I've never had any reaction to them. I've been doing the whey since I got out of the hospital. Haven't had a problem until now. It's only affecting my sides. I bought some over-the-counter Zyrtek because in the past (about 10 years ago) I did have a case of hives and that helped me.

Congrats with the changes and the weight loss i was banded 9/26 down 19 pounds. No troubles at all. Stay focused

Hi all!!! I was sleeved on 6/10 and recently began ursodiol 300mg twice a day. Although I shouldn't since I'm still in the early stages and fluctuating, I weigh myself usually everyday...my first weigh in after the medication I fluctuated 3lbs up..did anyone else notice if their gallbladder meds changed their weight or slowed the progress of their weight loss? A few people have expressed bloating and weight gain while others have said it helps to aid in weight loss as your gallbladder can breakdown cholesterol etc. perhaps my weight is attributed to the fact that I had about 680 cals compared to my average of 400-500. Thanks all!!! -Mike

Hi there, I am in the middle of my 14 day liquid preop diet as we speak, (10/20 is my big day) and I have 8 oz ones for the main three and 3 4 oz ones for Snacks. I have to use the Bariatric Advantage ones that I add sugar free torani syrup to so I don't get so bored with them. I can also have a cup of specific veggies with lunch and dinner and thats it. Hope this helps! I would check with your dr office/ nut and see what they say?

Yes I am. They tested my blood last night and have been happy with my breathing. Nothing points to anything else other than inner stomach lining bleeding which they suggested and we're not concerned about Sent from my HTC 10 using BariatricPal mobile app

Congratulations!!! I had my surgery on 11/8/10 and I am down 38 lbs since surgery, but, 48 lbs since starting this journey.....so excited!!!!! In fact today I got below 200....haven't been here in a lot of years. Everyday I get more and more excited! Best of luck to you!

Seemed like such a long wait is finally over! Went well, had a large hiatal hernia that was also fixed. Not a bad night until IV started beeping and needing new tube, etc., but otherwise doing pretty good. One thing is getting the hiccups when I drink just a little or a little air and then the pain throughout the chest is upped about 10 fold, but they don't last long. Love my ice chips. I just hope all those February sleevers I have been chatting with are doing equally as well and will talk more soon. So happy to be postop.

I'm now about 10 wks out....but I stalled at about 4 wks out. Mine lasted about 3 wks then I lost only 2 lbs! Then stalled again for another 2 wks and finally lost 3 more lbs! It sux but seeing the inches fall off made the stalls feel not too bad.thus past wk I was on TOM and lost about 3 lbs so I'm not stalled...Yay! keepin it real

I was sleeved 8 days ago. I have always had a high pain tolerance, but not this time. The pain wasn't gas either. I am doing everything I am supposed to be. I was feeling a lot better two days ago and went for a half hour walk (my surgeon had told me to start with 5-10 minutes.). Since then I have had excruciating pain on my left side, right around one of the incision sites. When I move certain ways it feels as though something is tearing inside and/or as if I have major bruising inside. I had a follow up with my PCP yesterday and also spoke with my bariatric coordinator today. They both said that I probably just overdid it on my walk. My question is this. I read about so many people saying that they had no pain at all. Is there anyone out there who has experienced something similar to me? If so, how long did it last?

...is hard! I'm up to 10 minutes at 5.5mph now, followed by 10 minutes at a walking pace (3.5mph/4.0mph) to cool down. I'm hoping to get up to eventually 30 minutes at 5.5-6.0mph, but I can tell -- it's going to take a while. That being said, 10 minutes at 5.5mph gets me dripping sweat, so it must be pretty good exercise for this middle-aged guy. My heart rate gets up to around 155, which is right between the "I can still talk" range and "I can... *pant*... still talk... *pant*". I'm just hoping to build cardiovascular strength and endurance, and burn yet more calories. <20% body fat, here I come! Edit: one thing I'm thankful for: now that I weigh 220 instead of 330-ish, I can actually RUN without, you know, blowing out my knees or crippling myself for a week!

My surgeon said no topical NSAIDs for my bad knee so will have to try menthol or other homeopathic options, or maybe some cold gel...but no NSAIDs for 10 days preop.

I did keto for a long time pre-op and even before I thought about bariatric surgery. My program is different, I guess, in that we don't do purees or full liquids and move onto soft foods like cottage cheese and yogurt, etc. on day 10. We are allowed chicken salad, even. She said to start with Greek yogurt, which I did.

This is exactly how I felt like 3 or 4 days ago - I even posted about it -- http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/39749-nervous-and-worried-i-wont-be-able-to-commit/page__p__352984#entry352984 Then a lot of people made me realize 3 things: 1. - Everyone who has done this was scared. There are no exceptions. We are at a precipice, at my current life path - I'll be dead in 10 years either through co-morbidities, or self-inflicted from the pain. Yeah - I've thought of taking the easy way out - -I figure even if I die doing this - at least I'll be done with the pain one way or another and then I'm not so afraid. 2. That there is a lot of support in this group and people will reach out to help you through this- you are not alone - not at all. We are all here for you. 3. Post-surgery - it won't be as much psychological as you think - for one foods you used to love may now make you super sick- at least that's what I've heard, -- and you won't be able to eat more than a few ounces at a time anyhow so even if you did cheat - you'll still lose. Yes we all need to learn to improve our habits.. that's maybe our whole purpose in this life. Once you see the weight dropping off you'll also receive increased Serotinin which will increase your motivation to keep doing it, plus if you exercise along with it- which you definitely should - then you'll also get endorphines - Seratonin plus endorphins are two of the biggest best drugs out there- in fact Serotonin I believe is released when you eat sweets - so you'll get the same effect from your new lifestyle - by doing good things. Gist: Everyone's scared, There's lots of Support here, You won't be as hungry/craving of sweets as you think you will be.

That always riles me a bit, although I know its not meant that way. But healthy weights are averages and 150 would not be "anorexic". It may not be the way you personally want to look, but its "normal weight", its FAR from anorexic - I've been 150 at 5ft 10 and I look normal and healthy, not terribly skinny. I think our vision of it gets skewed by being overweight.

I think a great deal of this could have been avoided if Star just came clean about her surgery. Everybody knew that she had the GB but she wouldn't admit it and appeared sneaky and as a liar. Therefore, the audiences got sick of her and wanted her out Especially when for the longest time she was always preaching about how she would never date a man unless he loved her fat and how she loved her fattening dishes. People loved her for who she was, fat or not. Since she lost all of her weight she got an attitude and that turned people off. If somebody asks me if I had WLS I don't lie. I am very happy about my results and inform people that I am eating less and exercising more and that no i didn't have the GB. It seems as though maybe Star is ashamed that she had WLS b/c she wanted ppl to believe she was happy fat for so long..Just my 2 cents ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 241/191/150 5'7'' DOWN 50 LBS TODAY!!!! :clap2:

I had read some advice on here and I wish I had taken it. Someone had said to make a list of why you were having VSG. And then after the surgery when you were struggling you would be able to give yourself a pep talk. I honestly didn’t think I would struggle. I have always considered myself to have a pretty high tolerance for pain. I thought I would come out of this thing famously. I went in on Monday for my surgery. They were not ready. I think maybe they had so many surgeries going on that day it was hard to find an OR for everyone. They took me back around noon I guess. There were 9 nurses getting patients ready for surgery. 8 of them were female. Naturally, I ended up with the one male. He was hot. And I had the great privilege of getting to admit to him that I had just started my period. Fortunately he was very cool about it. I did want to crawl into a hole though. They had two gown sizes. Twiggy- which naturally wouldn’t work for me…and apparently the second one was Godzilla sized. They had several students sitting in on my surgery. The recovery room was brutal. I was in so much pain. They brought me up to my room and promised that “Todd” would come and get me to walk in about 4 hours. I never saw Todd the whole time I was there. Finally around 10 or 11 that night I asked to walk. I didn’t have a problem walking. They took me down for my sleeve test on Tuesday morning. That doctor may very well be the biggest a*****e in the world. I have promised myself when I get back to normal I am going back to the hospital to specifically chew him a new one. Though, I would imagine when I finally feel better I will be over it. Apparently, I passed. Dr. Nease was up on the floor to see me as they were taking me down to take the test. I came around the corner and heard one of the nurses talking about me. They told him I was doing excellent and I was very alert. I came around the corner and he said “there she is!” I waved and went on to pass my test. Dr. N ordered a tray for me and told me to start on clear liquids. He said my surgery was text book and could not have gone any better. He said he could almost guarantee me that I would not have a leak. He also said I was doing so good I could go home Tuesday night if I wanted to. They finally took the cursed catheter out of me. I took a shower. Dealing with the JP drain in the shower was challenging. I barely drank anything. I ate just a bit of Jell-O. Then I asked if I could go home. I will admit- I may have jumped the gun. I just wanted the IV out of my arm so bad. I wanted to wear my normal clothes. I wanted to go home. In the handbook they gave us they suggested if we lived more than 10 min away from the hospital that we should stay in a hotel in town. I live over 2 hours away. Down some of the roughest curviest roads in southern WV. I let the hotel idea slip my mind. And at about 6pm they rushed me out the door hoping my pharmacy would not close before I got there. I made it just in time. My mom and I were both frazzled. I was in a lot of pain. All of the bumping and jarring and curves really hurt. We cleared the pharmacy got pain meds and made it home by 9. I crashed in the recliner. No sleep for me though. The pain meds which I was sure I wouldn’t need would keep me asleep for about an hour and a half at a time. Oddly enough my stomach started growling in the recovery room- and never stopped. At first that was a bit of a novelty. I haven’t heard my stomach growl since I was 16 years old. After several continual hours of it- the novelty wore off. It would growl so loud I couldn’t sleep. I walked like a mad woman. I was pacing the floors in the house like some sort of deranged elderly person. One tiny shuffled footstep after another. My bowels would rumble. It was terrible. I thought maybe I needed an antacid- they had given me one on day one of my surgery. So, at 3 am Thursday morning I popped half of a Prilosec. And then threw up. I threw up water- but it is sufficient to say that one spell was enough to make me feel that this was something I would never want to do again. I called my nurses office and left a message. Told her about my stomach and bowels and the whole Prilosec incident. When she called back I was in the shower. She told my mom I was experiencing gas from the surgery and it would pass. She said I needed to walk (which I had already been doing non stop). And she recommended that I try some gas-x. Thursday my step dad came over and worked in my yard. I am not sure why- but it looks 100 percent better. Thursday was also mom’s last day with me. She did a load of towels for me and cleaned up the kitchen. I don’t know what I would have done without her. I tried the gas-x and slept for the first time since getting out of surgery. This morning I am a little better. I still need pain meds on occasion. I can sit up in a straight backed chair for over an hour now. I have been walking a lot more. I do not get the 64 oz of water per day they want or the 60-70gm of protein. I am getting 8-12 oz of water per day and I manage a couple of tablespoons about 4 times a day of protein. I find that I am hungry. I was hungry coming out of the recovery room. When I attempt to eat (protein sugar free pudding- greek yogurt etc.) I can only manage a couple of spoon fulls then I am done. I have had moments of regret. They told us not to expect that everyone’s surgery would go the same. Not to expect that we would all have the same reaction. I am disappointed that I am not feeling that much better. I thought I would be able to go back to work on Monday. I thought I would feel much better than this. I am very glad I asked for that second week off I can’t wait to get this JP drain out of me on Tuesday. But that means a 4 hour drive. 2 hrs down and 2 back up. I am looking forward to that infamous honeymoon stage where everyone feels great and is losing a ton of weight. Right now, I feel bad. I hurt. And I miss food.

Some of you may think I am silly for my goals as many of you have said I wasn't big in the first place, but I think that we are only as big as we feel on the inside. I assume this thread is for everyone at every stage of weight psychosis and loss. Here are some fears/goals I would like to achieve. 1. To not wonder if the chair will break if I sit on it. 2. Feel comfortable having my husband pick me up. 3. Be more self confident so that I am not depressed ever 4. Not have to unbutton my pants while I drive to be more comfortable 5. Feel comfortable in front of my husband naked with the lights on (and maybe even intimate with lights on) 6. Wear shorts and not be self conscious about my legs jiggling as I walk 7. Be able to look at someone size 5 and not constantly think "man, I wish I looked like that" 8. Not have any rubbing pain from my ballistic vest rubbing on my back fat 9. Not own any items of clothing in the double digits at all 10. Not be self conscious so much around a camera or video camera

All of my paper work was submitted yesterday at 10:00 a.m. CST. I received a call today at Noon CST from the Insurance Director at the AIGB in Richardson, advising me that I am APPROVED for surgery and fills. Have my appointment with the surgeon on Tuesday, 10/17. I was told that surgery would most likely be scheduled a week later!!! One week of liquids.