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I've had to fight injuries here and there and for me it seems like diet/exercise is about 80/20 of weight loss. You'll still be able to lose about 80% of the weight you need to through diet alone. Also, when I injured myself I always found that completely resting whatever I had injured for several weeks always helped. Don't try to rehab something that is healing on its own. Those are valuable lessons that I have learned. Good luck!

I have blown out both of my acls and have no miniscus in either leg. Problem with no acls is stability. I'm pretty much recovered as its been awhile. As for repairing, most surgeons (except maybe sport surgeons) won't touch you around your age due to the fact that you havent got the circulation that you had when you were younger for recovery and unless you are a true athlete, they feel that the recovery time and effort which will likely be fruitless isnt worth the cost or what you'll go through. Plus recovery after acl repair is somewhere around 6 months of detailed physical therapy. I do have a friend that had repair at age 45 and did fine for a while though then damaged them again. As for what you will be able to do, I still do 3 miles on the treatmill at 4.5 mph. I'm short so thats not bad. I would never try to run cuz I'd probably hurt myself. I ride motorcycles and white Water raft and am pretty active. I won't say you wont be able to run, but be careful. You no longer have the needed support to keep your leg straight. Biggest problem with no miniscus, arthritis will likely set in possibly making it necessary someday to have total knee repair. Try to lose the weight as that is the worse thing on your knees. I know that is my biggest incentive, I'd hate to think my husband who weighs less than I do right now would have to lift me to put me on the pot. Also, running isn't good for your knees. At least, thats what my suregone and my daughterinlaw (who is his nurse) told me. Not saying you shouldnt do it, just consider the risks of it all. I hope I didnt discourage you. Bottom line is, don't stop living, but you have to keep this body for quite a few more years. Don't wear it out too fast.

Please go to or call your doctor. When the band is to tight it can cause aspiration. This could be the sound that you are hearing and the pain you are feeling. It is when the food comes back up into the asophogus. It can cause alot of severe problems. Remember the band isn't there to make sure we are NEVER hungry. The reality is that there is only so much liquid that can go into the band. As the stomach shrinks and fat around the stomach disappears the band gets looser. By the time we are at our goal weight we may never be able to get enough liquid in the band to feel the same restriction we do now. So it is so important now to learn how and what to eat and how to deal with hunger in a more productive way. Good Luck to you and I hope you feel better soon. Let us know how things go.

Welcome!!!! Congrats on the weight loss. This is a great forum that I used pre-surgery to get some good advice and encouragement. Overall there are a lot of great people here and it's great to encourage others as well.

Well, I'm a little late in commenting on this thread, but I had Dr. Takata, Dr Fuller's associate and was sleeved on Aug 22. I have been seeing Dr. Lee, the endocrinologist with Scripps Weight Loss Management group for some time and he spoke very highly of both surgeons. I thought the care at Scripps Green was fantastic. I hope you are doing well and had a good experience with Dr. Fuller.

Joined the land of the banded!!!!Yahoo beginning weight was 249 lbs. pre surgery, 139 day of surgery on presurgical diet for 9 days

Cucumbers and carrots have very little calories and the fibrousness of them makes you feel full quickly. Could help you out some. One other thing to realize is that will all the struggles we've gone through trying to lose weight, sometimes losing weight is uncomfortable. We've all felt that many times. We may still have to deal with that from time to time even with surgery. I know for me, if I go to bed too late I get REALLY hungry. I just have to bear it out and/or go to bed and just deal with it. If your surgery is still fairly new, then the hunger hormones may not be out of your system just yet. It was two months before I really lost my appetite. So- HANG IN THERE!! you can do this, and just try to keep yourself busy when you're too hungry. Suck on some sugar free hard candies. That helps a lot too. OH--and pickles have almost NO calories!! eat some pickles! (Just don't overdo it, there is a lot of sodium;) )

Hi Janel I haven't got a message that I can tell! But that might just be me :-) feeling ok, still feel as though I am bruised inside every now and again. Still bit concerned over feeling hungry and the fact that I could eat a whole plate of food! Haven't tried though, so guess that's a good thing. Went for a trip earlier, and walked around costco then had to have a lie down this afternoon. Had a bout of diarrhoea while in Costco and had to run to the bathroom. First time that has happened! Finally lost 2lb today, so hoping things have started moving now going to keep everything crossed! How you doing ? Feeling any better now? Hope your doing ok, how is your weight loss going? Bx

Hello everyone, My nickname is Izzy and I am happy to have found support as my WLS journey begins. I am 36 years old and have dealt with weight gain since i reached puberty. I have PCOS and hypothyroidism, metabolic syndrome, asthma and pre-diabetis. And with all these disorders I never thought I would have WLS. I was naive and thought it was an easy way out. Boy was I wrong! this takes a lot of courage, letting go, allowing support from others and I am sure I will find out what else it requires. Well after battle-ling with severe lower back pain,for 1 1/2 years, that made it hard to enjoy my life as before and gaining 30lbs that took me 4 years to loose, i finally listened to my doctors and decided to do this surgery. Its was a scary and hard road just to get all the tests. Now 6 days post surgery I am so happy and looking forward to a new life. I look forward to learning from others here. -Izzy

Hi everyone.....today is much better (day 4). I am quite comfortable and am moving around more normally today. I was able to finish my 30g Protein shake this a.m. and am sipping a chai latte now. It all feels quite normal. My sweetie and I even ran a couple of errands today and it felt good. I only slept in the recliner a few hours last night and then went to bed. I was really comfortable and slept soundly til this a.m. I think it's because my incisions are far less painful than they have been in the past few days. It really is remarkable how fast we heal up. Just want to report a surprise though: I checked my weight this a.m. and I GAINED 4 lbs since my surgery. What a shock!!!! I know it's just retained Fluid and no BM yet, but I wasn't expecting it. Still, I wanted a little reward. Hope your journey is going well. It is so encouraging to have the pain subsiding and feeling more normal.

The link that I posted says something about the old school BC's and weight gain. I wish I could go on Mirena (it's an implant that goes up in your biz, Katy) but I haven't had any babies. My OB won't put it in, something about the cervix not being dilated before. So, I'm on the Nuva ring which is low dose too.

Well I will give you some info about me. I weigh 360lb and I would like to lose 120lb. I have a bad back I have been living with for years (over 15). I have a herniated disc, degenerative disc disease and the cartilage is very thin to gone between a couple disc. My doctor suggested to go until I can't stand the pain any longer then look into surgery. I know even with weight loss im going to have pain but my nsaids really help me. My weight loss doctor is wanting me to get RNY to lose more weight faster. He suggested for the back pain take tylenol and water therapy. I know tylenol and water therapy won't help me so im considering the sleeve. Has anyone else been in a similar situation? I'm trying to decide between the two surgeries and its only two weeks away from surgery time

If your gonna do it go with gastric bypass. You lose more weight & have more restrictions on your body. Plus you don't have to revise it like many other ppl.

Hi Lindsey and survivingsleever, i relate to your nervousness about the surgery and pain. I was brave for quite a while but the night before the surgery it all went away. I had panic and was close to calling off the surgery. My fear was not making it out of surgery. I thought I know I am big and have lots of back pain, but i rather live this way than die in the operating room. Well my husband was able to get me to listen to him and remind me of why i started this journey. After that I calmed down, I was very nervous the day of the surgery, but I saw some of the staff while i was in pre-op. When I was wheeled into the OR my surgery team introduced themselves and told me their roles during my surgery. Then I was told they were going to start the anesthesia and i don't remember anything else until i was in recovery. The pain was very low, first because the anesthesia was still in effect for a day after the surgery, and second because I had pain meds through my IV. Once I was more aware i was given a morphine drip i could control. I truly suggest you use it and not let your pain get too high. If you do you will suffer more than necessary. After the drip i was on liquid pain meds and that was prescribed to me. When leaving the hospital i had to take them every 3 hours, now i am 4-5 hours apart. They did not make me sick and have helped keep the pain down so that I can be a little active. I can walk around the house i aim for 500 steps 2-3 X per day as my pain allows. Today i am using 2lb weight to get a little resistance for my arms. I would advice not to worry to much about the pain, our staff will be very knowledgeable and guide you through this. Focus on staying positive and doing all the doctors say to do. Good luck to you both and looking forward to hear about your experience. -izzy

Vent... having a difficult time getting bariatric doc office to submit to insurance. I did a 6 month nutritional program through my former insurance, gave release to doc office (still haven't requested it). I also did 10 months of Weight watchers from august 2016 - may 2017 and even had doctor visits in august, October, April, (and several others) where my weight was recorded and even nutrition discussed - though the visits were not specifically for that. I have talked to my current insurance several times and they are very much encouraging me to have my doc office submit for approval. Especially now since my medical tests revealed a hiatal hernia and gerd (i knew I had gerd) and that sometimes a waiver is given. However, the person at my doc office is being a bit snippy about turning it in for approval because she thinks the people I talked to at my insurance are wrong. I am trying to get them to submit but agh. (they also still have to request my ekg results since hospital was not theirs and get the online bariatric psych eval place to actually send my approval results). A bit frustrated. Just in case I started the 6 month nutrition visits through my doc back on the 6th

What did they do to lose this weight eat, and walk or did they do other things. Sent from my iPod touch using RNYTalk

I started the whole process in Jan 2013. Finished all requirements that insurance and dr wanted so he turned the paper work in on July 3 on July 11 my insurance denied me because of weight gain during the 6 months of pcp diet. On wed July 16 Dr. Eibes of Iowa speciality Hospital called and did a peer to peer with the medical director of Aetna and convinced them that the sleeve is what I needed. Dr eibes said it was a long call and pretty tough but finally they approved my surgery. Got home and got a call from Medical coordinator and dietician and got my date. Went on my 1200 calorie diet on Thursday the 17th and dropped 11 pounds. Had to do liquid diet sat and sun and surgery was on Monday August the 4th. My surgery was done in Belmond, Iowa an amazing hospital with a staff that did everything to make you comfortable. I felt like every person working was part of my team. They encouraged me with every step I took. We live 4 hours away from Belmond so they let us come to the hospital and stay Sunday night. We walked into our room and it was a hospital suite, we had a kitchen with table and chairs. In the main room was a sofa bed and and recliner that turned into a bed and the hospital bed which was extremely comfortable. They showed use where everything was refreshments for my husband, Snacks and food vouchers so he could go done and eat for free in the cafeteria. We slept good and were up and ready by 6 and the nurse came in at 7 and took us down to the surgical unit. Once we were settled I got undressed (everything) and into my gown. Two nurses were in my room prepping me Iv, blood work, questions, anesthesia Dr came in asked questions and told me what he was going to do told me that at times he can give a fat lip ( he did but went away quickly). I asked him to just take care of me and make sure I wake up and he said he would. The or nurse came in and explained more the dr eibes came in and asked if I was ready I said yes gave brad a hug and walked into the surgical room. I said hi to everyone and then told me to lay on the bed they unsnapped my gown I layed down, they put 2 warmed blankets on me and strapped my arms down and they gave me the oxygen and something good cause the next thing I remember was being taken to my room. Surgery was at 9 and I was back in my room at 10:30. The have this hover blow up bed that transfers you from bed to bed got me into bed and vitals and all were taken then I just slept. I had a pain pump so I pressed the button whenever I needed it and just went back to sleep. My mouth was so dry they gave me ice chips to moisten my mouth. They were good but made my stomach seize a little. My new stomach was not crazy about cold. Likes room temp the best. I wanted to go to the bathroom at 12 got up it felt like I had done 100s of sit-ups but was fine. So decided to go for a walk so off we went and we went every hour. First time 4 laps 2nd time 10 then they told me 20 laps was a mile so I started to do a mile every time. I had no GAS PAIN AT ALL! And I give walking the credit. I could have stayed in bed and milked it but I wanted to be up and going. Night was not a sleeping night bp cuff kept going off it was no longer on my arm they kept forgetting to shut the machine off. Then my fluids ran out, then my pain meds ran out, then had to have vitals taken so was a short night. At 8 they came and got me for the leak test. Ok this was the most disgusting tasting stuff! They make you stand up and step up on this platform it was quite a step and drink this yellow stuff as the dr took photos. They lay you down and almost invert you to get all angles. I could have gagged but knew I had to do it so I got thru it. Back to my room and they brought me Isopure, beef broth, Jello, lemonade Needed to drink the isopure and could go home if I did. So I did. Brad took my prescriptions to the pharmacy to get filled lots of them. Pain, nausea, spasm, gallstone, acid, happy pill, and blood thinner I have to give myself two shots a day for two weeks. We took off on our 4 hour drive home. I had taken a pain pill just to take the edge off I held a pillow and slept for two hours stopped so brad could get supper. I just drank my Water. Then homeward. We got home and went thru everything and took a shower and went to bed. Woke up feeling like I could throw up but it passed in less than a min. So on wed brad went back to work and I just focused on drinking. Didn't quite get it all in 40 oz water and 60 gr of Protein. Thurs dr Jon called to check on me and said make your water a priority we will worry about protein later. Did better Thursday got 64 oz of water in and my 60 gr of protein also. Had 5 bites of cream of chicken Soup and 5 bites of applesauce. With a baby spoon. And I was done. Tummy told me enough. Friday has been good have been off all pain meds for 24 hours had been passing gas and had 2 bms. Walked outside and have this great app called waterlogged it rings every 15 minutes so that I drink I have consumed 60 oz so far and it's only 3:30. Will have another Protein shake tonight and more water. Stepped on the scale and in 2 weeks have lost 17.7 pounds. Love my sleeve so far.

yeah, my thanksgiving was a little lonely too but today i am alright with that! because i just had my surgery too, my mom and step-dad flew up to be with me this week instead of the usual all of the kids flying or driving home to meet at their house. but i couldn't sit with them at dinner-- it would have been too hard! while they ate a delicious thanksgiving feast at the hotel they are staying at, i went to my apartment and watched the john and kate plus 8 marathon on TLC. i watched it for like.... 5 hours! but they are soooooo cute, so i didn't really mind. after they finished eating they brought me up a taste of mashed potatoes that i can handle, but i definitely got VERY full off of that. mostly i just stuck to my Protein supplement all day. i don't think i lost any weight, but i DEFINITELY didn't gain any! next year will be better... and even if i don't eat that much at least i will be thinner! :w00t:

Due to side effects including appetite suppression and weight loss, Adderall has also been used as an off-label drug for obesity. You aren't obese any longer. I have no clue how much more you need to lose but this drug you're taking seems to be working against you. I am sure you realize only a doctor can help you with this matter. None of us would ever want to steer you wrong. It doesn't seem normal for you to be going through this. Do the smart thing and see a nutrtionist maybe with what you are eating and maybe they can suggest your next step. That drug even talks about depression and maybe you are going through something mental that you can't put your finger on. Josephine

I was banded Monday morning and have been very bloated since. I know the gas and bloat are normal at first, but was so bad last night I decided to step on the scale. It says I am up 10 pounds from Monday morning pre-op weigh in. Is this normal? Should I be concerned?

Good Luck to you - I am sure your weight loss will be a success! Please keep us posted! I am also in Arizona and trying to go thru with the procedure by the end of the year, as I have met my deductible & would like to get it done. Good Luck to you!

My mom was a member of Curves for three years along with her group of lady friends. They went religiously but none of them ever lost any weight! I'd invest in a regular gym membership. You need good cardio options to lose fat. Jumping up and down for 30 seconds at a time just isn't going to do it. Best wishes!

I am 12 weeks out. Hw 250 Cw 197. ... actually 12 weeks plus 10 days pre op. I was averaging 4.6lbs per week. Then 3.5 now it is slowing and I'll be thrilled with 2 lbs per week. I use mfp and log my weight under food notes so I can see what I weighed on any given day.

I've lost the majority of my weight since 5/7 when I FINALLY hit my sweet spot. I will be dead honest with you. I can eat any single thing. I know, because I've tried. I can eat pizza. I can eat white bread. I can eat steak. I can eat chinese. I can eat macaroni and cheese. I can eat about 1 cup of "whatever" and then am done. If I PB it is because I didn 't chew well. I do not cut my food into tiny bites. I eat bites about 1/2 to 2/3 of what I used to. I chew each bite about 40 times. (I don't count each time...just occasionally because I'm curious by nature!) By then if it isn't mushy I spit it out (don't mean to be gross, just honest. Sometimes steak has gristle that won't chew up, or sometimes chicken skin is too gooey) I feel great. I eat out, I eat what my husband eats. Tonight I had baked fish and squash with parmesan cheese. It was really good. I find that if I choose more dense foods like steak, I stay full up to 6 hours. If I have something like a bean burrito (and I can eat about 1/2 of one) I get hungry sooner. SO...I usually choose things like the fish, or steak or chicken. BUT I can and do splurge sometimes. Some foods are "slider" foods (for me Cookies, nuts, chips) so I try to avoid them usually because they dont' keep me full long enough and cost too many calories. I can have them if I want, though. I think you may need to review the mechanics. Are you getting 64 oz of Water each day? Are you chewing well and taking small bites? If the answer to those questions is yes, then you are too tight. Get a SLIGHT unfill. try again. It took me a good deal of tinkering to get where I am. For some, 1 cup is still too much, but I'm happy where I am right now. I can eat anything, I get full quickly, I feel great. I can always tighten up when my loss stops. But the life you describe isn't one, IMHO. The band isn't supposed to force you to exist on yogurt soup and cheese. My doc said his goal was for us to be able to eat ANYTHING but eat less of it, and lose. He said some patients have trouble with white bread or stringy red meat or dry chicken, but most can eat anything. I'm the poster child for that. Your life would depress me. I don't think it's what you signed on for; get your surgeon and the nutritionist to help you. You've suffered long enough, I'd think!

I find myself cheating about every 3 days as if I deserve the bad foods I ate before. I know it is all in my head I just needed to vent and felt if I got it down in print maybe I would also take responsibility for the binges as well. I am not going hog wild just hitting around 1600 calories on those days and it has slowed the weight lost down.