Search the Community

I am about 3 weeks post bypass. The Water weight was gone within a week, and now am on the mushy food phase. I am losing weight very rapidly now, about 2+ pounds a day, and am not having any problem getting my Protein and other nutrients in. Strangely enough, my favorite mushy food is cream of wheat with extra vanilla protein powder/dry powdered nonfat milk mixed in it, with a packet or two of splenda. I made a salmon loaf today with well blended potato, green Beans, can of pink salmon, garlic, pepper, salt, basil, parsley, eggs --- all blended well and then baked. It was good and went down well. I aim for 65% pouch fullness --- several times the pouch filled up and immediately caused discomfort. You will lose weight -- with gastric bypass, in the first year, you will lose weight regardless --- after 18 months, a minority stretch the pouch and regain. In my support group there is one 4 month post surgery person who has started to gain weight but she was drinking lots of sugared soda, which rapidly stretches out the pouch, and then she added food capacity.

im only down 22lbs and i'm 3 weeks out so you are doing great! my 22lbs is with the 12 i lost before surgery

Tomorrow is my 6 week check up and I'm SO nervous about it! I am down 27 pounds after hitting a stall and I'm afraid th doc will think it's not enough. I've been increasing my Protein and finally started losing again but I feel like I should have lost more by now. Are these normal feel

Oh Boy, I must admit I'm a bit afraid to get on the scale this week. It seems that this entire week was filled with friends and relatives either going out to eat, or coming over to my house with a ton of cookies and candy. Just one bite of this and that, a chocolate whatever, some homemade pasta and a nibble or two. No time to exercise. Be afraid, be very afraid. I feel as if I've gained alot of weight, but I'm hoping its all in my head. (and not on my hips) Wish me luck as I approach the scale.

I've discovered since having my lap band surgery on Sept. 19th that a whole new world is really out there waiting for me...and I am quite excited by this! In 7 weeks and 5 days I have learned so much more about myself than I ever would have thought possible. First and foremost....I can eat to live and not live to eat anymore. This is a big one....as a constant food grazer for the past 30 or so years...who knew you could really just eat to nourish your body and mind and move on with your day....with your life. My band and I are forging a whole new relationship together and we are getting along fabulously....I'm learning to stop at satisfied, chew, chew, chew, and to eat slowly. When I do this I don't feel that pressure in my chest I experienced a few times when first back on solids. I eat when I'm hungry...this is a new one for me. I actually wait when my stomach begins to growl and really get rowdy. Why one might ask. Because I havent felt TRUE hunger in so many years its actually a nice feeling. It reminds me that this is the signal that tells me....Yup....time to put some nourishment in me....and that's it! Food is not all consuming to me anymore. I dont have any cravings. I dont know if its the band or the plication but I am loving it! I realized a week ago that I can eat something like a fun-size bag of peanut M+M's and the food demon of my past will not be unleashed. I thought for sure once I had that taste of chocolate...the taste of salty and sweet...the taste of goodness and comfort and joy that those M+M's used to elicit would cause me to slip back into old eating habits and patterns. You know what....IT DIDNT. Mind you, panic over this little "snack" did cause fear in my heart and soul as I ran around the house for the rest of the night telling my hubby that I surely released "the demon". Well, guess what?...the next day was like any other banded day for me. Eating breakfast, lunch, my little snack to get me to dinner and then to my last meal of the day- dinner. Now when I see that bowl of leftover Halloween candy, I glance at it and say ....aaahhh...and walk away and onto the next thing I was going to do. Moments like that I now say WOW to. At work, no one (well actually only one person---the wonderful school nurse who helped me when I fell outside of work right before my lap band surgery and i basically broke down because of the stress of everything---knows). One girl has said I've lost weight.....many others comment on how great my hair looks and they all love the shirts I'm wearing. I find it funny....not sure if they dont know what to say or this is how they are noticing it. I've always been a loose fitting shirt girl, always trying to cover up all my baggage and now my clothes are beginning to hang even more. I know I've got to get new stuff but the thought of not hiding stuff is all new to me. I will come around...for I must...but this part is the hard part right now. I feel good...I feel light....I feel faster...I feel more energetic. I love that my wedding/engagement ring are constantly twisting on my finger. I love that my watch needs a link taken out. I love that I can eat at home or go out to eat with my family and I CAN eat. Whatever I want....sometimes better choices than others but I can always eat everything. I DO NOT feel deprived of anything. I don't miss the constant grazing, the donuts by the dozen, the pints of Ben & Jerry's, the 2 or 3 helpings at dinner. I DO LOVE that my hubby is able to reach around me better when he gives me a hug....I can keep up with my kids better....i feel better about myself....i am happier than i've been in some time.....I'm healthier.....i've lost 46 pounds and this is just the beginning. I look out my window and see that whole new world that being thinner offers and at times it is scary and seems so unknown but I wont know how truly great it all is unless I continue to travel down that road and reach that weight loss goal that has eluded me for sooooo many, many years. So, watch out....'cause here I come!

try flintstone chewables they work great i m 2 weeks post op

The first four to six weeks are not for losing weight. Some people do, some don't. Now is the time to heal. Start monitoring all of your calories - use something like The Daily Plate. Get a fitness monitor, Fit Bit is $99 and offers online diet tracking and will monitor your activity. Move more and make sure you're not drinking calories. Eating what you're eating at 19 days out is totally normal and acceptable. Though doctors suggest liquids, mushies, soft, then adding foods gradually - you may drive yourself mad sticking to that. Just east sensibly. Two other things to note: Women will gain between 5-10 lbs every month just by biological nature. It comes off a week or so later. After starting back to new foods you may gain 1-10 lbs in Water weight (from the salt content) but you'll lose it within a week. You'll learn that when you eat very clean six days a week then indulge on that seventh day that you can gain anywhere from 5-10 lbs as a woman (men can gain 15-25 lbs) all in water weight. Within a week it's gone and you're likely down an extra pound or two. I hope that helps a bit.

So I went to see Dr Nutcase (the psychologist) yesterday for the first time. We went over past experiences, childhood, past relationships, etc. We talked about my anxiety and self esteem issues, as well as weight loss and lack of coping mechanism. She gave me a book on tape about this, called When food is Love. I started listening to it this morning on the way into the office. The author was an abused child and thankfully, I can't identify with this, but as for the food issues and dependency on people in my life/attention seeking, I can definitley relate. We talked about my insecurities regarding my relationship and my jealousy. I explained that I don't want to be a jealous person and that my husband has never given me any reason to not trust him .. quite the opposite. She said sometimes, jealousy stems from intuition. That caught me off guard a bit. I was expecting her to dismiss my fears - instead, she wanted me to investigate them. After thinking about it throughout the afternoon yesterday, I now think I understand what she meant. I need to explore the reason behind my feelings - whether it be reality, past experiences (ex husband cheated on me, dad cheated on mom, etc), self esteem issues, being alone (that's when I usually have these feelings), etc. I have homework this week, in the form of writing a 6 page autobiography about emotional pressure points throughout my life. She said to sit down with some wine and just let it flow. LOL .. when I drink wine, tears tend to flow, so this should be interesting. She's encouraged me to get back to meditation - something I've enjoyed in the past, that helps me identify negative or "tearing" thoughts for what they are. I picked up my old Happy For No Good Reason (excellent book if you'd like to learn to meditate) book last night and started reading it again to refresh myself with how to meditate lol. She's also encouraged me to get out and make friends. Easier said than done however, as I tend to get nauseous in those social situations. We'll work on that though. Anyway, just thought I'd let you guys know how it went. I go back next week. I've just gotten to the office, from the gym (yayy me), so I best get to work now lol.

sooo yesterday afternoon i ventured out of the house to go catch up with some family,,, i was a little nervous as i hadnt really hung out with any one other then my house mates since the surgury and they are used to my little after drinking and eating dances and faces lol well it actually went really well,, of course there were lots of questions and humour and support as my family are great that way, but there was a little akwardness when it came to stuff like offering me tea and coffee and what not,, but i guess thats to be expected cuz most people dont really know much about banding or how it works or what we can eat and stuff , but once we got past that it was all pretty normal and awesome,, it was a great feeling a lifted alot of fear from me about feeling out of place because of my eating restrictions, but it as quite easy to adjust,,, they decided on fish and chips for dinner so i just got one peace of crumbed fish and ate it slowly like we bandits have to and in the time it took me to eat my peace of fish they were all finishing their meals,, so it as alot less akward and such a relief i dont think they really even noticed how little i ate,, or maybe my family are just that awesome they just took it on board either way SUCCESS ,,, i even actually had half a glass of rum and coke,, naughty naughty i know but it was a bit of a reward for me,, but as i havnt been eating anything sugarly or fatty latly the sugar in that half a glass sent me a little hyper LOL,,,, which my family ( who all quit enjoy there alcohol) thought was quit funny,, i also noticed last night that my attitude and confidence has changed a little bit already ,, usually im shy and timid around my family , but last night i didnt have the usual feeling of not fitting in,, ive only lost 5 kg but the knowledge in the back of my head that i am making these changes and that i am GOING to do this ,, just that knowledge alone and the confidence and energy i get from having my band is boosting me so much and my family are noticing already,, so hopefully that lasts through out my journey,, i know it probably will waver here and there but again a perk of my family know and my close friends know is they can spur me on so yea great start to my second bandit week,,, tata for now

My high weight right before I started my pre-surgery diet was 250 on the nose. The first pic is in December of last year, three months after surgery, which means I was down to about 200. I've lost a total of 110 pounds in the last year, which is crazy. Don't be fooled by the black tights- there's a pool of saggy and baggy skin under there. Still, I'm in awe of the difference. I spend a lot of time looking in the mirror- not out of vanity but because I really don't recognize the person I'm looking at. It's a trip. It's confusing and exciting and rewarding. I'm in my goal range and seem to have leveled out as far as weight loss, but my body keeps changing still. It's weird to have a whole new host of body image issues to deal with. I can still very much be the girl who is terrified of taking up too much space and being fat and uncomfortable and unhealthy, and seeing a small person in the mirror can be very jarring to the image I have of myself in my head. That is slowly adjusting as my body does, but I struggle with seeing myself as a different person. I am so glad I made this decision- I feel so much more confident and healthy, I'm more active and eat healthier food, my back doesn't hurt- it's great! At this point in my journey the mental hurdles are the biggest ones to overcome, and it's fascinating to see how my mind tries to assimilate the knowledge of this "new me."

Your diet looks pretty good to me. You may just be in a stall. How long has your weight been stagnant?

Did the surgeon tell you which method was used to anchor the port? I remember how painful my port site became mid-2nd week post-op, doc said it was encapsulation. Hope all goes well with your procedure. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using the BariatricPal App

I am eating around 800 calories and getting around 60-80g of Protein...but the scale is not moving. I am six weeks post op....do I have too many carbs....I think its around 30 or 40g carbs...here is my day Muscle Milk (225 calories, 25 g Protein) 2 Babybels (140) Calories 10 g Protein) 1 Single serve Hummus (63 cal, 6 g Protein) 2 oz Turkey Laughing Cow cheese, 1/2 Dr. Kracker Cracker (17g protein, 130 cal) 1 Babybel Light (35 Cal, 6g protein) 1 2.6 Tuna Pouch with light mayo (130 cal, 20g protein) 1 Wasa cracker (30 cal, 1g protein) Water with Metamucil (50 Cal). Walking 2-3 miles a day...just started adding weights.... Should I cut out something out????

My mother is flying in to help me this week and will be here tomorrow evening to help keep an eye on the kids this week. My hubby is an offshore diver and will most likely be gone the whole week on a job. So, my mom is one of those unique mix of over enthusiastic and indulgant grandmas that let my kids do ANYTHING they want. It is my only hope that no one needs emergency care while she is in charge! It shocks me that someone who was so strict when I was a kid is so laid back now. Gotta love her but the women will drive me to hide in the corner of a dark closet while I quietly go insane.

I was banded on April Fools Day this year. It took me about 4 fills (had one last week) to get to where there was any restriction felt. I have a large band that holds 14 cc's and I now have 7 cc's. I started with 2cc's and got fills in 1cc increments. I have not been dropping weight very fast, but I think this last fill is enough to do it. Just be honest with your doc and they will increase your fill as needed. It's a process. You have to be patient

In my mind, based on my research, I am thinking it will take at least 8 weeks post surgery to get the bal rolling with the band. I watched a few YouTube videos of peope whio post every week and they all seem to have gone the 'Bandster Hell" period for an extended period of time. The all reached that frustration stage too where they doubt the band process. In the end they all lost lots of weight-lots! I am not sure how many fills you have had so far. But another Bandster posted that her doc. said it's like blowing up a balloon-once it has air in it -it only take a small amount (fill) to have a greater impact. .5 cc can be just enough-some people had that much taken out because of problems and it made a huge difference. If it was your first fill I woud say it's not enough...but if it's your 3rd or 4th fill that sounds right. Hang in there-your ride is just beginning and this time next year you'll be skinny!!

Hi exoticheart. Thanks for your reply. I haven't been told by anyone NOT to worry about blood clots, lol. That's why I asked how long after a surgery can one take that off their list of things to worry about. I'm glad you posted the info. I'm sure that it's not going to help much since surgery is in a week and 3 days, but after what you said, tomorrow I will not be smoking any more. I have a 7 year old that will be waiting for me to come home to him and take care of him so I'll do whatever I can to cut my risks down. Tiffykins, thanks for the info. I forgot about the ROSE procedure for RNY patients, great idea to post there!! Hope to hear from some more of you all!! God Bless! Krystal

I personally would do it. I wish I could go to every college in the U.S. and tell them our stories. You are so young and understand what people your age are dealing with. My daughter is 16 and has PCOS, she has gained 50 pounds in the past year. She takes Karate twice a week and works out at the YMCA 2 days a week. I feel so bad for her because I know what it feels like to want to wear the clothes that are in style. My daughter is beautiful. (I will post pics of her). Anyways I would pay for the VSG for her at young age in a heart beat. Its sad to watch her loose her confidence. Im not telling you that this is the best choice for you. Its just a reason I would do it. BTW who cares if people know you lost weight this way. Its not like you are on crack or killed someone. People will judge regardless.

Dr just called back and said I can get in the pool! I didn't think I could bc im still a week from making 1 month! Dr knows best I guess! thank u!

Thanks yes I had been doing them and hadn't and pain I was concerned because I was just starting to feel uncomfortable a week after surgery but my nurse explained how the body recovers slower sometimes I'm much better today

Okay well first things first this is my first journal.. To start things off my name is melia and I have been over wieght all of my life.Although i have never been as heavy as I am now... So anyways I had never even heard of this surgery until my aunt and grandfather had it done.. They look wonderfull!! So now they both have it done now and this is how it all started for me, last christmas my grandfather pulled me asside and gave me a book on the lap band and told me that this is something that he and my grandmother wanted to gift me with.. I was speechless I think for the first time in my life..lol.. So now here Iam 2 weeks away from getting my own band.. Iam having this done in everett washington because that is where they had theirs done ,and also because it is one of the best places in the us to have this done at. I got to meet my surgeon and he is awsome very open honest ans straight to the point..ok well I'm going to end this for tonight i'm really sleepy.

Hi everyone. I am just over 3 weeks post op right now and I'm curious if any of you started running or jogging for exercise after surgery and when you started doing so. I'm a runner (I love it) I have not been running for a couple months and I'm really missing it now. I would like to start back up soon but not sure when would be a good time. My doctors office said I could resume a regular fitness regime at 2 weeks post op just no heavy lifting for 4 to 6 weeks. Thanks in advance for the advice! Sent from my LG-H918 using BariatricPal mobile app

Yes, I am doing exactly that. From Thanksgiving to today I have eaten what I wanted but sensibly, keeping track of my calories about 1/3 of the days. I didn't gain, but I also didn't deprive myself of the foods I enjoy. I also overindulged a handful of times. I don't feel guilty and as of today I am following my program, wanting to lose another 15 pounds. Back to basics and plenty of protein! I haven't entered the maintenance phase either. I did this on purpose. I'm not sure if it was a good idea or not. We will see in the coming weeks.

So I am buying my 2nd week mark in 3 days but I feel like I am able to take in a lot more that what it seems I should be. I have no problem getting water down (some gas bubbles here and there but nothing painful) and same thing with my protein drinks. Now that I can eat yogurt I and able to eat at least 4 yogurts a day (they are 5.3oz each) I eat 4 which give me 60g of protein and I have been drinking my water. But I haven't any restriction or "full" feeling. Also once I moved to yogurt I haven't lost anything for 4 days now... is any of this normal?

I understand missing chewing completely!!! I am a day shy of full liquids and can't wait to have something heavier (been on clear for a week) but if I drink too big of a gulp or too fast I feel a "tightening" in my chest I assumed that was the restriction??? And I feel like nothing else will go down, if I try I will spit it up like a bottle of water full to the rim.