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My current surgeon actually told me that my weight loss probably was more to do with my behavior changes, etc than the actual Lap Band. Lap Band has is well known as an epic failure, doing more harm than good for the majority. So now I'm looking forward to an actual weight loss surgery that is more powerful and one that can get me to the finish line (goal weight). So I guess it all depends on which surgery we choose. I know the DS is a very powerful weight loss surgery. If you compare Lap Band to DS, one is not very powerful and the other is the most powerful, and all other weight loss surgeries fall between those two as far as how powerful they tend to be.

I agree with using all the other tools that helo those of us with weight loss surgery to include a nutritionist and a bariatric therapist. Sometimes I wonder how much of it is that and how much is the actual surgery since most of us do not do those two options until we are forced to in order to get the surgery. They are both VERY big components that contribute to success and they could help you without surgery as well.

True, weight loss surgery isn't for everyone. It's not a one size fits all sort of surgery. But it's better to find out before you have surgery than after. If you're going to give diet and exercise a try again, maybe medical weight loss can be a tool you can use, the same way weight loss surgery is a tool that others use. There's all sorts of newer medical weight loss options now, it's not like the phentermine only options from years ago. There's new drugs like glp 1 agonists (Saxenda, Ozempic, Rybelsus, Wegovy) they're often prescribed to help with appetite suppression. Best wishes!

Hello and welcome in. As @Arabesque says we rarely post when we are having no issues, So plenty of times I have posted when I needed help. I have had a really elongated rough ride. If you look at in context, I never post saying that I have had a good week with lots of weight loss. So its never balanced. Its like taking a grain of rice out of a pan full and saying ' oh its all ruined now, I will have to throw it all away'

We got this! I’m so glad my doc recommended surgery. I didn’t know it was covered by insurance. I haven’t seen 220 in over a decade! My goal is to lose 150 pounds. My highest weight was 285 and now I’m 265. I hope you get the surgery date you want. And survive Teacher Appreciation Week. What happened to being appreciated with some nice apples? 😂

Wondering if anyone else feels like they can eat more than others. I can easily eat 3 oz of chicken and 1 c of salad. Wondering if I stretched my pouch out already. My weight has stalled since mid-April and before that stalled from beginning of April to mid-April. I only lost 4 lbs in April.

Welcome. i’m very glad I had the surgery. I generally eat what I want & it doesn’t restrict me dining out or socialising with friends. There are foods I choose not to eat (sweet things, highly processed foods, etc.) because I want to maintain my weight loss. I know I will always monitor & watch what I eat & how much. Bad eating habits, poor food choices, cravings, etc. will always be there. The surgery doesn’t remove or stop them. It just gives you time to recognise what they are & why you’re experiencing them & find ways to manage them. There are some foods that sit heavily in my tummy & make me feel full sooner like bread, pasta, rice & potato though some eat them without issue. It’s just who we are as individuals. There can be other odd things you may not tolerate temporarily after surgery or less common long term but there are plenty of alternatives for food allergies & intolerances about these days. Personally, I’ve not vomited as such but have regurgitated a couple of times when I ate something too dry or coarse. It passes quickly & I don’t feel sick or have discomfort like after vomiting. I did have nausea from my vitamins & on odd days for no obvious reason except having a sensitive & fussy tummy after surgery & when losing. Don’t have it all now now. The reality is you will be eating a much more nutritious & balanced diet so your health will improve greatly. A gastric sleeve will (Mayo Clinic) reduce your risk of potentially life-threatening weight-related health problems, including: Heart disease High blood pressure High cholesterol Obstructive sleep apnea Type 2 diabetes Stroke Cancer Infertility Sure I have reflux, but I had it before surgery (managed it well with dietary choices). It’s not worse just different now. Had no comorbidities before surgery but they likely were just waiting to start. A lot of my big weight gain in the last few years was tied to being peri menopausal & then menopausal. I’d struggle lose 2 pounds & gain it straight back hard to fight your hormones & your body. You’ll probably find a lot of negative stories here but that’s because they’re likely looking for advice, support, etc. If things are going well, you tend not to post just reply. Having a support system is important whether family &/or friends. As is having a supportive surgeon, GP, dietician & therapist, if you have one. My surgeon, his associates & my GP are great. Still see my surgeon’s associate every three months for follow ups & blood tests. And my GP reviews everything with me whenever I see her. If anything looks unusual, they monitor & investigate further. That would be my only point to consider with seeking out of state or country surgery - the follow ups.

I'd love to be honest about it. The weight loss is nice...but I still have to be VERY DISCICPLINED in what I eat or I REGAIN weight. Also, I woke up from surgery with horrid GERD that has not gone away and HUNGRY. I still get hungry (famished) just like before the surgery. Long term GERD and PPI use have significant health issues associated with them. I have moderate anemia now (10 years post op), and can't seem to absorb enough through food. I may have to have Iron infusions. I have to have an endoscopy to check on things next month. I may have to have a revision to bypass. I hope it's not more serious than needing a revision (Please God, no Barrett's esophagus, or {gulp} cancer). Most times, I am OK and have come to acceptance for the most part...but other times I seriously regret having 85% of my stomach removed (I really didn't have any co-morbidities) and I get a little freaked out about what I have done to myself and what might happen as a result of this serious surgery (no going back). I was so desperate I was to lose weight. I gotta tell you... the biggest problem was a selfish, unloving, critical, abusive husband and my own lack of self-esteem. I was glad to get rid of all 180 pounds of HIM! Now that was the best and healthiest weight loss of all. I wish I had gotten rid of him first, because after he was gone, I started working out, lifting weights and got in shape. That was a game changer. I would encourage everyone to do their own research. Look up the rate of weight regain after the sleeve. Look up the risk of GERD associated with the sleeve. Look up the rate of hunger after surgery. Weigh the pros and cons. This is not a benign surgery. At least that is how I feel about it today

You should take all your measurements and find some online size charts. Then look up what body parts you want to emphasize (small waist) and what you want to hide. See what styles work with that criteria. Sounds like a lot of work but for so many years I spent hiding away because of my weight. You might find that shopping is a bit more fun now. More than once as I was trying on clothes long since hidden in my closet, I heard my husband (who I thought was asleep, ask, “Are you done playing dress-up yet?” Lol

I had my first case of dumping recently and it was from a cough drop that was sugar free ! I had diarrhea for a day and a half and couldn’t eat anything ! I’ve been straight liquids since the episode and am losing a lot of weight .

Hey everyone! I haven't been on here I'm quite some time. Because of that, no one knows that I used to have the lapband. Which when I had to get the revision surgery, they poked a hole in my stomach which cause me to get an abscess. 2 days after that surgery, I had to get my lapband removed. That was 9 years ago. I gained back everything I lost and right now, I'm 45 pounds over that starting weight. After that scary day, it struggled losing the weight. 2015 I tried weight watchers and joined a gym. I was 10 pounds more than i was when I got the lapband. I lost 42 pounds. My membership ended and I lost my motivation and gained it back! 2018 I tried keto. It works, but it was definitely too restrictive for me and the recipes weren't that get! Last year I was at my highest weight ever (I was 4 pounds above that this year) I tried eating the way we are supposed to be eating. I lost almost 25 pounds with portion control. I slowly lost focus, determination and I was becoming depressed because of someone I really liked. He was just crushing me. I of course gained it all back and like I said, and extra 4 pounds. It sucks! I remember coming on here saying I want to get the surgery, but everyone I told was telling me not to do it and telling me I don't need surgery to just eat healthier. I was told that everyone is scared that they will lose me and if they lose me then they'll probably lose my son. It's definitely a scary thing to think about, but you can lose me with the way I'm going now. SO, I think I said everything I wanted to say before I write what I've about to write and that is, I want to try to lose the weight before going through with surgery. If I can't lose about 85 pounds by this time next year then I will start up the process again. I know some people will tell me "surgery is the easy way out" and I know it's not any easier than losing it on your own. Now, I have a few questions. How much is everyone able to eat at each meal? What are foods you need to avoid? I'm planning on RNY, do you notice your insides being rearranged? How was your recovery?

Hi All. May 24th will be one year since I had my sleeve surgery. And June 28th, 2022 will be my revision to bypass surgery. I have lost around 25 pounds since May 24, 2021. At one point it was about 33 pounds. But Its been the same weight since August/Sept 2021. And now I have GERD really bad as well. So back to surgery I go. I am happy to read your progress and see you all are doing well. Continued Best Wishes!

Almost one full year later and I’ve maintained my weight loss from my sleeve. At one point, I was down 116 pounds, but that was too much. I gained 14 of those back and I’m in a good place. Unfortunately, back in January, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and had to have it removed along with some cancerous lymph nodes. I’m sure that will have some affect on my weight in the future as people who are hypothyroid tend to gain a bit of weight. I’m in a hyperthyroid state right now so my appetite is rather large. I’m still able to maintain though so I’m happy with that.

Which weight loss surgery are you having?

WOW! You all are doing AMAZING and I'm so proud of you all!! Congrats!!! I on the other hand will hit my 1 year anniversary on May 19th and still have at least 50-55lbs MORE to lose! However I HAVE lost about 74 since surgery and about 94 since last March. As most of you know I have been stalled since about October. No real new weight loss since then. So about a week, week and a half ago my doc took me off Metformin totally and onto Rybelssus. Just had my yearly check up with my surgeon yesterday and he agrees with this new change. Despite all of that, my surgeon reminded me that their goal, around the one year mark, for me was to be between 201 and 234. So, I'm not far off from that I guess technically. Just sucks that I've been stagnant for so long despite all the different things I've tried as per my dietician and eating correctly and exercising. Anyway, hoping this Rybelsus kicks me out of this stagnant phase and I too can see numbers under 200! Congrats again!!

No but I researched it myself. It’s from the leftover stomach backing up into the pouch. My leftover stomach was removed so I have a decreased risk (as was yours with the sleeve). If you have concerns I’d say just go with the RNY. I wouldn’t over analyze it bc at the end of the day, YOU control your weight loss and side effects more than which procedure you choose. You can bypass acid/bile reflux by not eating foods that cause it and you can control how much weight you lose by your determination to follow the rules of the surgery. My own father had RNY bypass and gained almost all of it back. Ultimately your determination to get healthy and stick with the program will matter more than which procedure you choose. 😊

I measured every Wednesday and it was one of my favourite pastimes back then, lol. And yeah, nobody noticed (or at least didn’t say so out loud) until I lost about 50-60 lbs. Which was fine because soon after that everyone and their mother would say something or other Every. Single. Time. for the next few months. Which got pretty annoying. Im 3.5 years out now, and me and my weight loss are now old news, thank goodness.

$1 a day is very inexpensive. There are tons of free workout videos but some people need accountability for success. My last go round with a large amount of weight loss I worked with a personal trainer and he whipped my ass right into shape. He kept me motivated more than any time in my life I had tried to do the gym on my own and he made it fun! Then he moved away and I got fat again.. but that is besides the point. haha

Thank you @Tony B - NJ @ShoppGirl @lizonaplane @FutureSylph and @acopas! My calories range from about 650-950. The higher days are where I made some poorer choices for snacks like pretzel thins and regular fat cheese. I think I will aim for about 750. I do get in all my protein and all my water. @FutureSylph we are literally surgery twins...same surgery date and type, same height, just about same starting weight.

I wasn't really sure how often I had planned to measure. Probably every few months, I can already see a drastic change in face in my body when I am naked. haha I even said to my wife the other day "It's kinda sad to be so fat that you can loose 70lbs and not one person even notice that you have lost weight".

I am actually feeling great. I am actually going to start riding my bicycle hopefully in the next couple weeks. Just gotta get it tuned up. I stopped riding over a year ago due to the weight gain and i was beyond the capacity of the bicycle lol. Sucked too because that bicycle was expensive lol.

Stalls are super frustrating and depressing to be totally honest. I have seen more of them after I passed 6 months post op than I saw before that. My weight loss is down to around 2-3 pounds a month as I get closer to ideal weight. I do get frustrated but I know I have more to lose so I just stay the course and sure enough, it breaks and I get a couple more pounds before the next stall.

Stalls can last up to a month. The closer you are to a "normal" weight, the longer they last, but they can last a month or more even at the beginning. Some people have more stalls than normal. This is a true head game - it's very frustrating. Sometimes eating different foods for a few days, or drinking more or exercising more, can help break a stall, but sometimes.... you just have to be patient!

Good advice! I can't wait to be at a healthier weight so that I can comfortably do all the fun outdoor activities our state has to offer!

1200 calories is not a lot, but it depends on 1200 calories OF WHAT FOOD. Are you eating protein and veggies, or are you eating cakes, sweets, and chips? You will not feel restriction if you are eating sugary or salty snacks because they dissolve into nothing, but if you eat lean protein, you will likely feel restriction. For example, I went out to sushi last night, but didn't eat the rice, so I essentially just ate raw fish - pure protein. I was stuffed! But then after I got back to my hotel I found a rice krispy treat and was able to eat half of it with no issues... oh well. I also have been hungry since day one! I was put on metformin and topamax (topirimate) by my medical team, and it definitely helps the hunger. So does tea and coffee, and drinking enough in general. Also, two weeks of not losing weight is totally normal. As far as exercise... gentle walking likely won't make you hungry (except if you're "expecting" it to). It is good for your mood and while it is unlikely to help you lose weight (you can't out-exercise a bad diet!), it is excellent for health and it is good for keeping weight off long term. Good luck!