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I am working with Cigna now. What kind of weight loss program or thing did you do for the 6 month supervised stuff. Did your Dr. just have a form that had to be filled out? I have done it all except, I'm at the end of month one of the diet stuff...aaarrggghh!!! Any advise? Thanks, Tracy

I am also 6 months out and have been gaining and losing the same 1 or 2 lbs for 2 months, Just yesterday I went town 3 lbs for the first time. Unfortunately I think stalls are very normal at this point and we just have to expect and accept them. I do plan to see my NUT for advice on reaching goal, but I know in my case I should be eating fewer carbs.

HappyHikerGal, I really appreciate you taking the time to respond. I was a little sad that no one had responded because every one on the forum seemed so chatty and supportive. I just sort of felt stupid. May I ask what clinic you chose? How has the whole process been for you so far? It looks like you are doing well losing weight so far!

Tell me how well you are complying with your post-op plan. Meeting your targets for calories, carbs, protein, fluids? Eating in the manner your doctor prescribed, not jumping ahead of your planned progression? Walking or other exercise if that is in your plan? That's the only way I can measure how you are doing. There is no schedule for weight loss, and if you expect to lose a certain amount within x days, or think that you "should" be losing more, you will eventually drive yourself nuts. In the end, you can't control the exact rate of weight loss, you can only do your best to comply with a sensible plan of post op eating and exercise. IMO that's what you should be focusing on, not the numbers on the scale.

Currently 2 and a bit weeks post op. Had a go at the gym with chest and shoulder presses, bi and tri curls and pec deck and it worked out ok. I had to go very light weight though. I also found my heart rate jumped much higher than normal, and once I finished, I needed half an hour for my stomach to settle before I could drink properly without discomfort. Whatever you choose to do, go slow and be careful.

Hey guys, I'm wondering how long after my bypass I should wait before I can start to do some mild upper body work with dumbbells? I've had a personal trainer for years up until about 9 months ago (when I had an illness AND moved country) so my technique is pretty good. I just want to do bicep curls, some tricep work, shoulder presses, some vertical rows - even with light weights. Any experience or tips from you gents? Cheers, J

We told no one except 1 daughter, 1 niece, and a nurse friend, because my husband said NO! 3 months post op and I am so thankful. All everyone wants to talk about is our losing weight (over a 5-month period) and I am sick and tired of it frankly. Ignore us like you used to when we were fat. Imagine if they had our surgery to talk about LOL. We are pretty quiet people and like sitting to the side and enjoy looking and laughing and being together. Please quit worrying about what anyone thinks. This is your life and its high time you take control of you if this is what you want. Do make sure you have at least one or 2 people for support. I wish you the very best!

What a cool post. What a cool mom! My mom made my dream come true too! I waited and dreamed about this for a year. Thanks Mom! You'll do fine on the pre-op diet because you'll know that it's not forever. We can do anything for 8 weeks, right?! And that 45 min a day thing? Um, I'd fall over dead trying! Start slowly. You'll be surprised at how quickly you can work your way up. And you can do 3 15 min sessions. Focus on eating chicken and fish for Proteins, with steamed or raw veggies, and raw fruits. Eat 1,000 - 1,200 a day and stay away from anything white, or contains sugars. Drink, drink, drink your Water. This is a no-fail formula. In eight weeks you'll already be so excited about your progress! Then getting the band will feel like a mini vacation! hehe I think is so awesome that you learned so much here. I have as well. Isn't it great to have a brain and that you use it?! LOL One last thing. I broke down too. It's such a huge mix of emotions. Overwhelmed by the idea of finally being "normal" again. Overwhelmed by the thought of such drastic changes in my life. Scared to death of it failing. Feeling extreme guilt over having to spend so much when all I have to do is get control of my stupid self and lose the weight. Oh, it went on and on. You're not alone. And prepare yourself, because it gets more intense as the time draws near. This is all perfectly normal. Like Jack said... buckle up and HANG ON! You're in for the ride of your life! I'm loving mine!

I am with you. I didn't want to be permanently altered and band was the only option for that. If anything happens to my band I hope it will be a scenario where it is replaceable. Erin, Hang in there. At least you are self aware of your upward spiral and is looking to do something about it. Weigh all your options and research the heck out of each and every procedure. It is such a personal decision to be made. At least you are catching it now rather then packing all the weight back on and a lot more. That would be rough and I lived through that and I still beat myself up about it from time to time. I wish you the best in what decision you make.

Yes to the weight loss and the thrill of it all.... but there is something about the simple victories and the internal feeling of success . Being able to cross your legs comfortably is amazing Take the little victories in too.... they are equally as fulfilling HW 242, SW 236- (Bypass 12/20/17) GW#1- 199 [emoji736] (2/11/18) GW#2- 175 CW 190 5’6”

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.

I'm still preop- but I've met all my insurance's requirements and now just have to get cleared for surgery by the psychologist, pulmonary specialist, nutritionist and physical therapist. Once the surgeon puts in the request for final approval from the insurance company, they say they make the decision in 2 weeks. My insurance only required me to talk with my doctor 3 times and get weighed- that was considered the 6 month medically supervised diet. No weight loss required. I also had to talk to a case worker with the insurance company's bariatric program every month. Once I completed the six months, I was referred on to the surgeon. I was in a situation a similar to yours- I had a baby and gained 40 pounds pretty quickly after he was born. I realized pretty early on in the six month "program" that I had developed so many habits to reinforce my dependency on food. I'm a chef by profession and used every excuse to eat and graze throughout the day, and never really have a meal, but ate nonstop after getting home from work. Now I have breakfast lunch and dinner, and track every single bite with My Fitness Pal. Even when I go 1,500 calories over my goal, I still track it. Who else am I lying to besides myself when I don't track everything? I'm trying to do everything I can to form better habits before the surgery so it's not so hard afterwards when I'm already struggling with my limited food choices. I see it as being nice to future me. Be proud of every good thing you do, and actively make good choices to reinforce that positive self talk. And most importantly, everything takes time. My surgeon requires Full payment of the copay before surgery.

Wow that is great and look at you..you have lost a significant amount of weight pre-surgery...way to go and inspire those who are following you in surgery!

I've lost the same amount of weight since my 5 day pre-op diet and had surgery a day after you. Personally, I think I'm killin' the weight loss game and you should too. It's a lot of weight in not a lot of time!

Congrats on the surgery and the weight loss. I too am a little worried about getting back on "normal" food and gaining the weight back. But since my surgery, I don't have that constant hungry feeling. I try to notice my hunger pains and decide if it is head hunger or my stomach is really empty. I think as long as I pay attention to my eating habits, I'll be okay. If you are like me, and eat 1 bite too much, your stomach is going to let your know. :-) I take very small bites (less than 1/2 teaspoon) and I've learned that after 3 - 4 bites, I need to stop. Good luck with your journey.

I was scared of sagging skin too especially my arms. As soon as I got clearance from the doctor, I started doing arm weight training. It has really helped. Good luck.

I've lost 200 lbs. Yep - I have sagging skin. But it's easy to hide. And I can tell you now that I'd take my saggy skin *any day* over weighing 373 lbs! Once you get your weight off, you'll wonder why you worried about it so much!

I am still waiting for my approval from insurance for my surgery, but I worry about sagging skin too. You are definitely not alone there. All the ladies above definitely just helped me see that I am worrying for nothing because the end result is the only thing that matters. I do a bootcamp class here in Texas called Camp Gladiator and it has helped me tighten up the skin I have from losing the weight I have when I started in January. Definitely weight train when you are able to. Wish you the best of luck with your surgery!

So im 2 years post op I had my surgery when I was 20! I lost 130 pounds and love it but the real issue lies in the boy problems I cant seem to find the confidence to put myself out there!! A year after my surgery I got in 2 horrible relationships were they cheated on me and in my head it automatically went too o it must be my weight! Any tips ladies? O and how the hell do I put a profile pic on this thing haha [ATTACH]2218[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]2217[/ATTACH]

OK, you are just having too much fun! Now it's time to get back to business and eat healthy. I doubt you have gained too much weight if any, but if you have, you can get it off.

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!

Hi Jeanetteramirez2! My preop with Dr. Sharma was really quick. Basically, they weighed me, the nurse came in and went over my medicines, and Dr Sharma came in and spent about five minutes looking over my chart. Then he told me to lose more weight and that was about it! I go Thursday for my final visit before Surgery on Monday. When are you scheduled?

I was sleeved on 8/15 and I stalled at week 3 until just this week. I didn't gain or lose but I lost inches.