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Did anyone get pregnant an still loose some weight? (doubtful at the end lol) Who all kept their fluid?

I'm 10 weeks out and seem to be doing really good with my hair. I did have the band for 6 years and had the revision to the sleeve so maybe that helps since it's not a total shock to my body. I took Biotin 500mcg before the surgery (1 month) and have continued that. I'm not big on protein shakes but try to get them in. Some regrets b.c I can't enjoy food the way I use too which is probably a good thing, and going out to dinner, yea forget that, it is so hard to eat or I can't eat it all. I know I am new and it will get easier to eat, but right now it is still hard to do. I wouldn't change it though. I use to be 300 the band took me to 185, I gained back some and ballooned to 235 b.c my band had to be un-filled and I'm not back on track at 196

For this stage, my doctor hasn't given any specific amount of protein vs carb. He just said make sure to have a protein at the 3 main meals. I know I had worried about the protein so that I won't lose my hair!! I did the Boost High Protein shakes during the liquid phase along with the soups and it seemed to work for me.

Weight loss is not merely a destination, the journey is so enjoyable too!

Mis, Thank you for your kind words. Just a ball of emotions but I'm trying my best not to gain weight!! Lol as sad as that is. Just don't know how to start over. Re focusing on my weight loss may help me feel better and distract me but I just can't control myself right now. Not having any restriction does not help!

Sparkles, I agree with the posters above. In addition, I am so sorry for your loss and understand how difficult it must be. Your surgeon will not judge you and is there to help support you. You have literally been to hell and back and it's time to pick up the pieces and put the beautiful smile back on your face. You have every right to grieve, just don't beat yourself up over where you are now. I had to get an unfill earlier this year as I was having difficulty getting even liquids down, I was having some other health issues and couldn't get a fill until I figured out what my other pain was coming from. Now that it's resolved, I need to get back to my doctor. I am 10 lbs heavier than when I saw him last and couldn't bring myself to face him, feeling like a failure. Yet, I knew I needed to as the band should be helping me and it isn't (no restriction). I went to my LB support group last night (happens to be run by my dr's office dietician). I outted myself for not making the appt and she said they are more frustrated when people DON'T come in because they could have helped before it got worse, so MAKE the appt. I made my appt today, now it's your turn.

Oh my goodness, my heart breaks for you. I am so incredibly sorry for your loss. ((hugs)) I have no great words of wisdom, I can only say you need to give yourself time to grieve. While you do, try to remember why you got the band in the first place and use that for a place to start over. You can do this. We believe in you.

Here is the before and about a month ago. My hair is up today so I don't have a good pic for today. The next time I blow it out I will post it. Don't let it stop you. I'm down 62lb and feel great. You would have been sleeved around the same time as me and I am a slow looser. No pressure and I'm not saying it to make you feel bad but time is short. I hope it helps.

Does anyone know if cellulite is reduced or less when you lose weight I have terrible cellulite and was wondering is it gets better with weight loss and another thing has everyones boobs drooped with weight loss

I thought with my weight loss that I would have cellulite showing up because the fat wasnt there to fill out my skin anymore however I have been blessed with good genes I guess and have nice smooth legs with no cellulite, the boobs however have reduced from a 46 DD to a 38 C, they need support... underwires etc. I dont know if they drooped because of just the weight loss or the weight loss in connection with me nursing 2 little ones when they were babies.

I was banded late March. I feel my weight loss has been very slow, about 16 lbs. I eat all the right foods during the day but by 9:00 old habits kick in & I find myself in the kitchen even though I'm not hungry. I don't always eat but it's a habit that I have yet to break. I read every sheet the Dr gave me before & after surgery & read so much info on the net my head was spinning. I made the asmption once I had the surgery it would be so easy to lose weight & it would just fall off. Well, tonight I took a sledge hammer to that lying ( ) scale! So here's my issue. I've struggled with depession/anxiety all my life. It started to get severe a few yeas ago & it's taken control of my life once again. I take 2 different anti depressants & 1 pill for anxiety. i thought having the surgery would help because who could be unhappy if their skinny & pretty. i was soooo wrong. The mental aspect of the surgery never occured to me. I've tried therapy a few years ago when I started cutting but the only thing I got out of it was more medication. Is anyone else having the same issue? Im looking for real solutions from people that truly know what I am going through. I'm afraid I'm not losing much weight & how in the world do I make this band work for me? I started at 196 and currently am about 180. Does anyone think maybe I'm not losing very quickly because I only need to lose about 60 pounds? I had the surgery to get excess weight off due to a back injury. I had a spinal fusion in 2015 (screws & rods in my spine). Thanks in advance! Sent from my ASUS MeMO Pad 7 using the BariatricPal App

11-12 years ago I had an emergency gallbladder removal, I was in my mid-20s. I had been trying to lose weight with walking and trying to eat healthier because I had reached my highest weight ever and was embarrassed in school when my size 5XL scrub bottoms split when I bent to pick up a pencil. I didn’t even know that I had issues with my liver and gallbladder, I just figured it was really painful indigestion or something. I had to see a doctor before being able to move overseas with my husband (now ex) and they had me go to the emergency room and I had my gallbladder removed. It was crazy. I dropped 35 pounds super quickly. I can still feel pain in my liver area when I eat sometimes. My liver specialist recommended that I get weight loss surgery 7-8 years ago, but I was terrified about the idea and tried to lose the weight on my own. I got down to where I wear anything from Large to 2XL. Over a year ago my liver specialist recommended again that I should get weight loss surgery, but this time as my last effort to improve my liver health so I don’t end up needing a liver transplant in the next 5 years. I’ve spent over a year learning all I could and talking with friends that had weight loss surgery before and doing all my prerequisites for surgery. I know that I want to be around to watch my son grow up and raise his own family and I want to be healthy enough to play with my future grandchildren. So after all this I am finally having my surgery next week. It’s going to be a gastric sleeve surgery. I’m seriously hoping that my liver will finally get healthier. It’s so excellent that you are doing so much better! You look super fantastic!

I also feel for your loss. I both sympathize and empathize with you. My mother died of breast cancer at 41 when I was 19, so I know what you are going through. They say, "Only the good die young". I hope I can ease some of your pain by letting you know that it gets better with time. Your mother, like mine can never be replaced, but the one way to repay your mother for everything she did for you is to pay the debt owed to her to your children. If you have no children, then adopt the human race and nurture it.

Sooooo, I've been on here a a medium amount. Asking questinos, lurking, reading. Even tried to answer a few and be supportive to a few...although it feels that I still have no idea what I'm doing since I'm still new to all this. Yesterday was my month mark. I started at 242, only had a 1 day liquid diet pre-op plan (so no weight loss before surgery), ......and I have lost 23 pounds in one month. Now...to me, that totally blows. Because I have read where some people lose 50 pounds in one month. Should I be happy? Should I be disappointed? I mean, I know everyone is different......but still.

My name is Hutch - I have a tentative date of May 9th with Dr Aceeves in Mexi -Cali I am a truck driver and struggle with weight loss so I have made the decision to be sleeved. I am nervous but not scared. I have been 100 lbs overweight for the last 10 years and I have tried every diet imaginable - and they work for a minute and then fail. I have no one to blame but myself. I have diabetes, sleep apnea, asthma and planter faciatias in my feet which causes me alot of pain. I hope and pray that after the surgery with time these conditions that I mention will go away. I recently got married to a beautiful woman that was sleeved in Janurary,2010- and when she said that I needed to get a passport I thought she was excited about going on vacation but little did I know she had other plans - I am happy though because I feel that this is the best decision for me and for us to live a long and healthy life together. If you all will join me in my upcoming journey I would greatly appreciate all of ur help and support. Thank you and God bless, Hutch

Wow...Thank you Crystal and The Gamer. I needed to hear exactly what you are also saying. One..I am not alone. Two, Crystal...great tip and see the light at the end (today) of the tunnel. The Gamer..Very Informative. I didn't realize how common some of my symptoms (acid reflux) were. I'm no guru..yet! I am using Nioxin shampoo/conditioner. I read up on biotin...heard the same. One alternative med/sleeve site suggested zinc & iron combo to assist in hair regrowth. However, that's not what I've always taken zinc for? Thank you all kindly.

I haven't noticed any change in my dream state as a result of surgery. But on the other hand: As you lose weight, the chemicals and hormones that were stored in your fat cells are being released into your body. These will pass through your kidneys and are expelled in your urine or through your sweat glans. But they can generate a flush of hormones during the weight loss phase. They should simmer down once you transition into maintenance. It is important to meet your daily fluid requirements, because it take fluids to flush these hormones from your system.

What a wonderful idea! I love this - and you'll get to suggest any foods or beverages that are (or are NOT!) welcome at your party. I'm also thinking - if it were my friend or family member, I'd want to do a gift of some sort for the honoree, so be prepared to tell your parents how to answer that question when people ask. Maybe even choose a theme, like shops you can now go to, colors you now feel more comfortable wearing, massage, personal trainer hours, cosmetics makeover, hair re-do, or the like. And yes - GREAT incentive! Be sure to circle back and tell us all about it, Lisa.

I'm a fellow slow-loser. I'm approaching my 6 month mark (March 1) and I've "only" lost 44 pounds. Like you, I am highly compliant, but my body is just determined to lose weight at a set pace, no matter what I do or how I switch things up. Fortunately, my nutritionist hasn't put any sort of timeline on my loss and is much more interested in my remaining compliant. She's not even very concerned with my actual weight and prefers to focus on my body fat percentage. I am sorry you had to deal with people who are only looking at the numbers and not what's going on behind them. Stay strong and don't let them get you down. You know what you are doing and what is working for you. Maybe next time you will get to see your normal surgeon.

I am new to the forum, and just had a quick question, as at my six month checkup, I felt, for the first time, as if I had done something wrong. I am a by the book, numbers, write it down, everywhere and everything person. I have kept my profile on MyFitnessPal, my "guide book" given at my first seminar, and have now filled three huge binders of my own notes and journals, as I want to make sure no stone is unturned. I didn't see my normal surgeon, as he was away that day, but the dietician (who was all of 12, brand new when I started coming the second time...the first two times there were insurance red tape even down to the hour before surgery...that is a rant for another day) said I want making the progress she wanted to see, and the Dr. who did see me talked through not to me (God I hate that). I now have to come back for "monitoring" once a month to keep on track. Huh? I was furious when I left the office so I called back as there were no goals, just switch up food. Um why? I eat 90% Protein and drink 96 oz of Water a day. I take EVERY Vitamin, supplement, med, etc that was prescribed by then EVERYDAY. I exercise a minimum 4 days a week, varied workouts from cardio, to swimming, weight training, yoga, and now mini cross fit sessions. They said at this point in the game o should be at least 50% excess body weight lost? Um what? That is on NO book, lecture, seminar, support group, anything I have ever read, in fact quite the opposite. They say the average is 60% in the first year, will slow continued loss. I went from 292lbs at first consult, to 301lbs pre fast, 278lbs post fast, 273 day of surgery, 254 one month check up, 230 the month check up, and now 215lbs at six months, and they tell me it is not enough? I feel angry, frustrated & insulted. I bust my butt, do above and beyond 95% off the time (I am human and do make mistakes sometimes), but the only number they looked at was the actual weight loss, then lectured me failure rates??? I was fuming but embarrassed like I felt I was being shamed. Every other time I have gone, post op it has been a great experience, and ask my others doctors and primary care think so too, but I don't know now if I will ever go back. I hate being treated like I am some moron, who doesn't know what is going on. The world treats "fat people" like we are dumb & don't know right from wrong, so why are we getting this from the one place that should be safe. Am I crazy to think that for a sleever, not a bypass patient, that 50% excess weight loss in 6 months seems a bit of a stretch? Or am I over thinking things? Just stressed out. B~

Congratulations on your 80 pound weight loss prior to surgery. It will add to your total weight loss. Don't be too concerned about your Protein shake at this point. Your taste buds may dramatically change after surgery and what you find acceptable now may be terrible after surgery. So be open to experimentation. The goal is to find a Protein Shake that you can tolerate. The constipation may be due in part to the substantial weight loss you have experienced at this point. Many people use powder Protein shakes and blend them using a Ninja blender or equivalent with Water or milk. Blending shakes is appropriate and I would not be too concerned about the air caused by blending.

I am 38 years old and have been overweight my entire life. I have been on numerous diets loosing up to 35lbs but gaining it back within a few years. I hit my all time low last year when I couldnt stand to be in this body any longer. I began researching weighloss surgery as I have done so many times but this time I found a new one, VSG. The more I read the more I liked. The problem was, my BMI was only 38 (5 foot - 206lbs) which meant no insurance, I assumed. Luckily, I have a wonderful husband (of 20 yrs) that knew how badly I have wanted this for so long so we agreed to finance and get it done! I began looking into local Docs and found that most either didnt do it or have not done very many. I contacted a friend in Fla who has also truggled with her weight for a while and she said she had just had the sleeve done in her area by a very experienced surgeon and it was in my price range! I called, began phone interviews in July 2011 and set my surgical date for Sept. That may seem super fast and you are right. I had taken 2 weeks off work and found childcare for my 3 kids so that I could make the trip down. The docs office was very accomidating for out of towners. There was also the fact that I was self pay, no insurance hoops to jump through. I began my pre-op diet and had already read everything there was to know about the surgery not to mention my friend had it done by the same doc in May so she filled me in on all the goods. I was scared, but ready! With my kids and husband in NC, I drove down to JAcksonville, Fl and had my sleeve done on Sept 9, 2011 and it was a huge success! My doc was awsome, I actually drove back home to NC 3 days post-op. That was pushing it, but I had to get back to my kids, hubby and work. I went back to work 4 days post-op. :smile1: I was on high alert listening to my body to make sure nothing was going wrong. I began walking right away which was painful. The diet was the worst part. Absolutly no more cheating (or I'd regret it due to pain) and that was hard watching my family eat things I couldnt eat (1-2 weeks post-op). Now that I am 4 months post-op, I can eat most anything (which I understand is not true for bypass patients) and really the only thing I miss is diet soda. Everything in moderation (about 4 bites and Im done) and make sure each bite counts! My biggest problem to date in I did not keep up with my protein intake and my hair is falling out. My hair was thin to begin with so needless to say, Im being very diligent to take in as much protein as I can stand during the day. My secret is Rx Big100 bar peanut butter pretzel, and EAS shakes. That totals 50g protein and then add in my regular foods and I take in about 80g now. Cant say that I see my hair coming back just yet, but I think the shedding has slowed.

I was the same way until I saw this silly video on YouTube....It simply said...I AM WORTH IT!..I got to thinking..hmm what am I worth? I'm, worth $9888.00. That's what my surgery cost. I'm a single mother and grandmother and work for a non-profit organization that excludes weight loss surgery. So I had to self-pay. I went to True Results and I only had to come up with $4000.00 ( I had to beg, and borrow hehehe) and they financed the rest for me. $190 a month for 36 payments. YAY!!! I did it and would do it again. I already feel better and cant weight till next summer!!! Wish I would have don't it sooner!!! :wub:

You are doing swell! As for the tummyache issue, it might be lactose intolerance doing it to you. Try mixing Almond Breeze milk into the Protein powder to see if that won't help; soymilk might also work but it has more calories in it than the Almond Breeze--I get both at costco for reasonable prices, and also my protein out there is good, too. I use Muscle Milk lite in vanilla flavor to make my shakes with. Sometimes, I will add half of a banana to flavor it with--tastes very good! You could also try frozen blueberries in the shake which also is a nice tradeoff from plain vanilla. I think as you get farther along postop, you will do much better! I am 5-6, and right now weigh 186. I started this journey as a revision surgery patient from RNY to sleeve in May of this year--a first for the doctor I had. Normally, they do band to sleeve revisions. My bypass failed 5 yrs ago and I had developed hypertension that I cannot be treated for with meds due to severe allergies to all of them! Weight loss is my only intervention--I feel better than I have in years! My goal is to maintain at 145-150. My weight at the onset of sleeve surgery was 223.5 pounds--at the time of bypass surgery in 2001, I was 264. I never wanna see those 200s EVER again!!! It is great hearing from you, Dawn! Wishing continued success and keep me posted on your progress! Ronda I agree about the carbs, I try to avoid them for the most part and concentrate on the Proteins also. I saw the doctor for my check up today and I've lost 10lbs since my surgery. The doctor was happy with that and said slow loss is better for me since I have less to lose. I can't do the protein shakes. For some reason they give me a stomache ache. The doctor said to get my protein from my food instead. He also said that I can cut down the total protein from 75 grams to at least 50 grams. I am short only 4'10' and he said I don't need 75 grams of protein so I can stop stressing about getting so much protein. That was a relief for me as I have been feeling really worried about not getting enough protein. I also think that since I am not going to be eating constantly to consume so much protein I will see a better weight loss on my next visit. It is all a learning experience, but one that I am so glad to be working on.

Most in here have answered your questions very well. From my personal experience I love the weight loss my band has provided but at the same time it can be a pain in the ass. The constant tweaking to get to a good restriction almost always tempts people to get too tight with disastrous results. Let me list some things that annoy me about the band. 1) I can't drink liquids quickly. I can't tell you how much I would love to down a bottle of Water in a couple of gulps right now! Lol. 2) Can't go straight to bed after eating or it's very uncomfortable. 3) Veggies can go down slow and hurt sometimes. 4) Daily heartburn if I don't take Prilosec. 5) TIGHT DAYS...out of nowhere my band can tighten up like crazy...causes can be drinking alcohol, stress, exercise, dehydration, early in the morning. 6) LOOSE DAYS...sometimes I'm just loose and can eat more than normal and then I'm hungry. 7) Hunger. Yes. I get hungry. No I don't need a fill. If I get a fill I will be too tight and bad things will happen. 8) Fills can be annoying...I had to get over 20 adjustments to get good restriction. I currently have over 14cc in a 14cc band. 9) I can't sleep on my stomach. If I sleep on my stomach I get reflux. No I do not have a dilated pouch. 10) Sinus drainage wakes me up at night because the nasty Fluid pools in the back of my throat. Gross! This can wake me up choking and is quite disgusting. I'm sure operations like the sleeve has its own bag of nasty tricks but those are some that annoy me about this particular surgery and applies to me. Your mileage may vary. If I had the choice to make over again I would SERIOUSLY consider the sleeve. Would I get the band again? Yes. If I didn't think the sleeve was all people make it out to be after research then I'd get banded again. Getting lapband surgery because you think it is a 'gentle' surgery is a mistake. To anyone that thinks they don't want to get the sleeve or bypass because it's too invasive and they want a gentle surgery then you need to diet and exercise and stay away from a doctor with a knife completley. Surgery is surgery and there's no 'easy' way about it even with the lap band. Look at what a band does to a stomach after 5 years and it's not all daises and sunshine. Don't even get me started on erosion or a slip. Lapband surgery is SURGERY and alters your body. Don't choose it because you're scared of something else. That's not a good reason to make a decision in my opinion. Good reasons to choose lap band are that it's adjustable and you can control, to a point, the speed at which you lose weight. You can usually opt for sleeve or bypass if your band fails which is a plus. Anyway, I've listed reasons why it's a pain in the ass above, but you can still lose weight with it and that's what matters. Is it better than the sleeve? I don't know. All I can tell you is what I do know. Good luck with your choice.