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Congratulations on the 2 kiddo's. That is awesome for you!!! You lost quite a bit of weight! You sound like me. I had put on a lot though....about 100 lbs. In January, I drank Bariatric Advantage Meal Replacements 3 times daily the entire month. It worked. My restriction is back and I am full with about 3 oz. protein. Get back on the train and get a hold of the regain. You need to lose about 40 lbs. it looks like. YOU"VE GOT THIS!!! Please do it now so your 40 doesn't become 100. Joy

Having not lost weight for nearly two weeks after surgery, I was starting to stress even thought I had heard of the three week stall. I then read this article and discussed it with my husband who's a meat science who confirmed its accuracy. A breath of relief and kept doing what I was supposed to and weight started dropping quickly again. Thought I'd share if someone else was experience and wondering what was going on. Here's the link: The article I read

Hello Everyone! I am so excited to finally have begun my journey! I looked into banding about 3 years ago, and vowed that someday I would do it for me, for my health. BUT I didn't see a way that I could do this unless we had insurance. Two years ago, we got the insurance, but unfortunately my then 13 year old daughter was diagnosed with brain stem cancer, so obviously and rightly so, all of our financial and emotional resources went to helping our daughter. This year, I finally took the plunge and started the process. I started in June 2010, and things proceeded slowly, but finally got approval from insurance and the timing was finally right considering my daughters condition. I had surgery Dec. 9th! I am so thrilled that I took the plunge. I had a few jitters, but kept repeating the words that I read in my approval letter from insurance..."this surgery is medically necessary." I'm SO GLAD I did it! Including the weight that I dropped on pre-op diet and this week alone, I am down 30 lbs. I never would have imagined ME losing that much weight. All I've known is gain, gain, gain. It is so fun seeing the scale go THE OTHER WAY!!! The thing I'm battling right now is I did catch a cold/virus. I've got a red,raw throat and have been coughing like crazy. My port sight is SO sore anyway, but then add the coughing to it and I just have felt rotten. I called the doc office today and they told me to stay with consistent doses of my pain med as it also has a cough suppressant in it. Thankfully that has helped considerably. I have learned a lot just reading posts and replies from people. I think this will definitely help make this journey easier! BTW...how do you get the weight trackers into your sig line?? Thanks! Hairdoerbren

Whether or not you are in a serious relationship, Valentine’s Day means candy is everywhere. If he or she has not gotten the message that candy is not part of your weight loss surgery diet, your significant other may give you a box of chocolate truffles to Celebrate your relationship. That box of chocolates may be the least of your worries before and on Valentine’s Day. Your workplace might have candies out in the reception area and staff breakroom, and your friends and coworkers might pass around valentines with candies inside or a few batches of beautifully decorated cupcakes and Cookies. All those temptations can get to you, so how do you cope?

I was sleeved on Aug 29 I lost 7 pounds on pre op diet but when I got home I gained 15 Has this happened to any of you I did well after surgery but I look and feel bloated Any advic

Txgirl36: I was sleeved by the same doctor, same hospital, same day & I gained 10 pounds. No worries, they pumped us full of IV fluids with sodium in it. It will come off for sure. I have removed my scale & will wait for my post-op visit next week.

I'm looking for local banders in the Milwaukee, WI area? I would like to associate myself around postive, motivating individuals whom I can relate to not only regarind weight loss but life overall. Please response if your in the milwaukee area and would a banding sister....

I know the feeling, I cheated everyday for example I had a bowl of Soup that had a little bit of veggies in it. I had a V8 I had some salad, also coleslaw, no sugar no bread, I have lost about 12 lbs so I am doing my job as far as weight loss goes. It isn't even that I am hungry I just can't stand this taste in my mouth. So try and focus on the positive and what you can have. I know it is very hard. Good luck Kathy

Babbs has the best advice..... follow that. My surgeon said "if you do 80% of what I tell you to do, you'll be successful". And, know what your triggers are.....and avoid at all costs. This isn't a magic pill for weight loss, you have to do the work. My trigger (my crack cocaine) is sugar. If I eat one piece of chocolate, one cookie or one bite of cake, I'll eat the whole entire thing and want more the next day.... the sleeve hasn't changed that. I can have the occasional (maybe once a month?) piece of bread or potato............that I can control and it doesn't make me crave more. But chocolate or any type of sweet? I know I can't handle it, so I avoid it at all costs. It would be very easy to slip back into old habits. And make sure your head is right. I felt that losing the weight would solve all of my problems. I have a wonderful life "except that I'm fat". I have lost the weight and should have worked on my "head" the entire time, along with my body.

Well, I didnt feel like I slept much, its odd having someone watch over you when you are sleeping and monitoring your every move! Odd thing was, every nurse I came in contact with so far in my journey are so envious of my decision to have WLS and ask me a million questions. I tell them to log on to LAPBANDTALK and all their answers are right there! A lot of people at my work are also getting lapband. It seems like this is the "NEW WAVE" of weight loss. I hope I can be a positive example ! I am trying to document my whole process before and after in order to get the info out there on what to expect.. Be well and good luck!

I am glad I am not the only one wondering about this sort of thing. I just found out I was was pregnant the other day, but I have been eating a lot these past couple of weeks (I am almost six weeks) and I was worried I would need a fill so I don't gain. But according to my new what to expect, the morning sickness doesn't hit until around week six. So we will see.

It's a myth that it's ok to eat more while you are pregnant or that you need to eat more. According to research you should only be consuming 300-500 more calories when you are pregnant. It really all depends on you BMI. Coming from someone who gained wayyyyy to much during her first pregnant (over 50lbs to be exact) be congnicent of what you eat and the effects of what you eat. You'll pay for it later. You should be drinking for two not eating for two. Your water consumption should increase your calorie should only increase slightly.

@@shelleylester I am so sorry. I reread my post, and I think I was out of line. Absolutely having a piece of pie every once in a while is great, especially when you have been so successful in your weight loss. And finding one that is sugar free is awesome. Please accept my apologies for sounding so self righteous in my post.

So I got the lap-band ap placed on 2/17/12 weighing 269 on surgery day. I now weigh 280-284 lbs and will be having revisional surgery on 12-12-12 ... I never felt full with the band. It was either too tight and food would get stuck or too loose... im just happy that I will have a 2nd chance at weight loss and become healthy. Im a 25 year old wife/mom of two and cant wait.

I just had my revision on Monday. So happy I got it! I'm not hungry right now and I never had that feeling with the band. I was banded in 2006. I'm 34 and mom to a 3 year old and I can't wait to play with her without getting to tired or short of breath after 5 min. Pre liquid died weight wad 240 and morning of surgery was 229. I'm at 233 right now but they say its just Water rention from surgery. Good luck to you and keep me posted! Lisa :-)<br />surgery date: Dec. 4th, 2012

This may be in the wrong place so if so please move it! I just wanted to do this post as food for thought (oh yes picked that for a giggle lol) I think a lot of us try to “run before we can walk” with this surgery. I know I read for days about others both before and after my op what to expect at what stages how I should do things how I should eat etc etc I did freak out on a few things puking pain etc So what I want to really say is this STOP lol Its great to see what others do and how their journey is going but it seems the second we are home it’s a worrying stress fuelled time. Not drinking enough, not eating enough, pain, lbs not going fast enough, Protein, meds the list goes on and on. And in the first few weeks worrying about what you will be able to eat in 4 months or 6 or a year. For me when I stopped comparing myself to others and going by my own body I felt better. I read a lot of posts about people weighing there self more than once a day every day. This is not good for you it becomes a obsession- no joke people were stepping on the scales before and after Breakfast then later in the evening constantly watching the scale to see movement. Me honestly I do not weigh myself at home only at the hospital or doctors I personally do not want to become obsessed with the scale it can be very disheartening when you don’t see movement. If I have ever stalled I have never known about it because whenever I go I am always down from the last time so I never have experienced the feelings of that myself which suites me fine. Pushing the Fluid intake even if it hurt or taking protein when not told too. Follow your own medical teams advice on these things I wasn’t told to introduce Protein shakes for 1 month after my op I asked about the liquid ones he said I can if I want as its not milk but I am healing and not to worry just yet. Being told the general food/drink capacity is another we are all told this much at this stage this at this but end of the day your sleeve may not be the same size as mine. Mine is small more wasn’t taken away the same 80% as every other person having the op I just happen to start out with a smaller stomach to begin with so its smaller. After the op we can have sleeved stomachs ranging from a 4oz-10oz holding little thing that’s a VERY big size difference and it all depends on the size of your stomach before the op. The bigger sleeves are not even meant to test or push to see if its bigger and go by the recommended portion size regardless of it being bigger to actually lose weight. I know I try to be careful with advice yes I still give it but I don’t say do this or that this is what you should do as I did, I say what I did say I have a smaller sleeve and do what your told or your body feels is right for you- just be a little responsible with the advice and not do as I do replies. To sum up before I go off on a major what the hell she saying tangent don’t try to run before you can walk- don’t try to heal before your able to, drink more than your body allows be it food or Water, willing weight off wont help it will come. This is a day to day process for at least 2 years it gets easier of course you listen to your body and know what you can and can’t do/tolerate. To get to the end result you HAVE TO walk first and listen to your body and work out whats best and right to fit you. Anyway thanks for reading if it helps anyone I am glad I stood on my soapbox!

I too had great results with the Fen-Phen, then gained it all back. I can truly say that I am never really feeling hungry, just something seems like it would be good to eat, so it is a mind game thing. I feel thirst, but not hunger. Yes everyone is right that you can not overeat or you will have it coming back up, so just start training your mind to make the small meals count for your necessary protein and vitamin intake. If you choose to eat the wrong foods or liquids, the scales will not be your friend. It is truly amazing what quantities I can eat now and feel fine all day on that and not be constantly thinking of what to eat next.

fuel your body and you will see the weight loss.

I had my thyroid removed in Aug of last year. I am just now getting my thyroid replacement meds adjusted. I gained a lot because I went from hyper to hypo. I am on 225mg of Synthroid now and hopefully I've finally hit the right mark!

Hi Everybody! It has been 2 months since my plication surgery and I am feeling somewhat frustrated. I am physically feeling great and have more energy but find I am not losing weight as fast as I want to. I am now eating smaller meals but more of them spread out over time so my stomach is not too full. I am still a stress eater. I have gone down a size in scrub pants and tops. I am getting compliments that I look thinner in my face and stomach. I have given up diet soda. I am drinking Water, green tea and lemonade. I am staying low carb. I am not exercising as much as I would like but I did start walking again. I will start weight training as soon as my incisions heal all the way. Unfortunately my job as an RT has me bending, stretching and pulling too much for the incisions to heal faster. I have come to realize that my plication surgery is not a magic silver bullet where weight loss just magically occurs. Plication surgery is a tool. It is still up to me to eat less, exercise more and make healthier choices. It is up to me to analyze and correct what made me heavy in the first place. I can blame genes, circumstances and the environment but in the end I need to look at me. I need to take responsibility for my weight, make corrective actions and change my thinking. (Gee...why didn't I think of this before!!! I could have saved thousands of dollars and been much happier!!! I blame global warming.) Okay...okay...I will get off my soapbox. I am essentially writing this for me so that it serves as a reminder and motivator. I am still extremely happy I got the surgery done. I just need to do my part better! Take care everyone! Steve

Hello world. My name is Yonah, and according to the email I received when joining this forum, it's recommended that I post an introduction thread. I have been overweight/obese all of my adult life. The heaviest I have been is approximately 330 pounds, the least heavy has been about 280 pounds, but my weight has been pretty stable for the past few years at ~300 pounds. I'm strongly considering leaning towards getting a VSG, but I also felt this way a year ago and lost my nerve during the pre-operative checkups, so we'll see I guess. I am 25 years old, and living with my parents and younger brother in Rockland County, a suburb of NYC. The surgeon that has been highly recommended to me by multiple people is Dr. Ashutosh Kaul, who practices a county away from me (about 50 minutes driving). I met with Dr. Kaul and a few other surgeons and I liked Dr. Kaul and his team the best, so I am probably going to choose him as my surgeon despite the long trips to/from his office. If anyone can recommend some closer support groups, though, that would be great. I am working on getting a college degree (I got sidetracked due to some serious family issues that took over my life for several years), and I hope to move out on my own as soon as I can. I am very interested in science, particularly biology, and I love learning about pretty much everything. Anyway, that's quite a bit of information I've just thrown out there, so I'm going to end the post here. Thanks in advance for any helpful advice you guys may give

I had only told 4 of my close friends at work about my surgery. I was just standing around with a few people and one remarked how much weight i lost recently they were asking how i had done it and i was starting to say diet and exercise and. one of the people i told said oh yeah well she had surgery. umm gee thanks Jerky. great now everyone is gonna know. news spreads like wildfire in this place.

Tough situation but I wouldn't beat myself up if I don't get the exercise in. It just means your food choices will be very important. They say 80% of weight loss is what you eat anyway. Hopefully you can get some nice walks in on the weekends with the kids.

I was worried about this too. My BMI is 33.8 and my surgery is scheduled for March 6. My doc told me your body knows when to stop losing weight. And I have to say that from what I've seen and read, most people still struggle with their final weight loss, so I'm not as concerned.

Oye!! You'd think they'd get it, of all people! (HUFF!) (It's not the demand for pre-op weight loss I "huff" over...it's the being treated like a moron part. I HATE when doctors talk down to me like I just had a lobotomy or something. Doctors sometimes forget they are talking to people, not just "patients.")