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I had the same thing up until a few weeks ago. Doc said it was normal, nothing helps but time.

I started my pre-op liquids on 6/21 and had surgery on 7/1. Beginning weight was 320, day of surgery 296. I currently weigh 250. I have had 3 fills, plus the original 4cc's put in during surgery, for a total of 9.5cc in a 10 band. I still do not feel that I have true restriction but I have been able to follow the rules well enough so far. From here on out will be the true test for me, I can usually stick with anything for 3 or 4 months then I fall off the wagon. I, too, feel like it has come off faster than predicted but I'm not complaining. :eek:

So my paperwork tells me I should be eating 1/2 for each meal. Sometimes that's fine, other times I can't get that in. Today I barely ate 1/4 cup of my lunch and I was in the bathroom thinking I was going to be sick. Should I be trying to force myself to eat 1/2 cup? I don't want to get sick from not eating enough either. Sometimes I can literally only take 2 or 3 bites before I feel the pressure of fullness.

Have you tried soy or hemp protein? I have to use those, not whey. Most people don't have any fill in there band until weeks after surgery, it's called bandster hell. Sometimes it takes several fills to get reaction. But be patient it will come.

Surgery date 5/31/11 1. Band came overfilled and stomach swelled shut - all Fluid was taken out next day in office. No restriction at all now. 2. Allergic to pain medicine 3. Allergic to whey Protein - lived off egg drop Soup and Boost for over a week. Already on mushy foods but have not lost any weight since surgery and regain of dehydration. Do you think the MD will fill my band at post op appt? Is no weight loss normal with no restriction after surgery??? I had lost 100lbs on my own but my body wouldn't lose anymore so my body is already used to eating 1200 calories or less a day... just curious if anyone else experienced similar issues and what happened and if sometime soon I’ll actually lose weight? Feeling discouraged.

Hi, I had mine on 24th April. I'm in same boat, feel great but get sooooo tired. Fluids are my main problem too. Pre surgery I drank 2-3 litres a day of sparkling water, so that is the only thing I miss. Not a fan of plain water, and can't bear sugar free juice, so am trying fruit infused water, and am also drinking loads and loads of milk, but not sure I'll be able to continue with that, as it's quite high in calories. Good Luck

Hey everyone!! I'm a little over 3yrs post OP (3/6/15)...wow that seems like a lifetime ago. I've had struggles over the past year and had a slight regain...about 20-25lbs from my lowest. But my concerns centers around GERD. I have to take omeprazole every single day. If I miss even one day...it's quite literally a fiery hell. I know that GERD is a side effect of complication from vsg, but I see a lot of people having revision surgery for it. So my question is...how do you go about that process? Is it self pay? Does ins cover it? If so, what ins do you have...if that's not too personal? I'm not going to lie...I would LOVE to regain my old restriction...but I'd love to get rid of GERD more. So does anyone have any advise out there? Thanks!!

I'm headed in to my Family doc to see if I can talk with him to get some more info from him. I LOVE my doc however I am fairly annoyed with his lack of notes on this. We have been talking for 3 ish years about my weight we have tried different meds and different diets and some would work and some would not but they never worked for long. I'm just annoyed that out of 3 years he had 2 appointments that he submitted to my surgeon.

I haven't had an adjustment yet.. i probably won't have one until the middle of march or so.. i am four weeks post op..

Banded 2/25/2010 :blushing: Ok, I have done my two week liquids and all has gone well... I'm starting week 3 and I noticed I did not have a food plan for week 3, so I call the doctors office. I was told not to start anything new until I have my first post op doctors visit which is next week. This was a problem... I was told don't eat chicken... Too late I ate chicken (Boston Market) I was told don't eat tuna... Too late I ate tuna (Canned) I was told don't eat chili... Too late I ate chili (Wendy's) I did not mean to do these things, but I thought I had a green light for week 3 as long as I was eating soft foods and chewed very well. My observations and experience: Pay attention to what you eat and how you eat it. While eating and being distracted, I ate too fast and got some food stuck (Poor chewing). Eat very slowly at every meal. If you eat too fast you don't allow your body to tell you its full and that's a very important sign to learn. Being too full will also feel like food is stuck. Wait before drinking when you feel full. Depending on what you eat, if you drink it might be painful if the Water is block due to food being processed thru your LAP-BAND®. This is the same pain as food getting stuck. Get your Protein. When your body is lacking protein and you are doing lots of activity, you body can not burn fat as fast as your using it and you will feel tired and listless. Be weary of being comfortable with certain foods. Even if you have eaten something before and all went well, the next time it might not. I had that experience with hard-boiled eggs. One day all went well and the next morning with the same routine all did not go well. Have a healthy respect for what you eat and use some common sense (I speak from experience lol). Understand the difference between cravings and hunger. These are different feelings and I notice that I may still crave things (which is normal) even though I'm not hungry. I have had to learn this and not mix the signals. Everyone is different. What works for some may not work for others such as breads, Pasta etc... Some folks can do salads and some cant, some can do steaks and some cant. You will discover this through trial and error, but don't be scared or discouraged, its just part of the process of re-adjusting your diet. I have come to realize how important food was in my life and today its just a source of nutrition. I admire the folks who took the steps to get the surgery done because it's a life altering event and that take a lot of courage. I have found this forum to be educational, encouraging and very supportive. I'm glad to be part of this group and I will try to give as much as I have received from this forum.

Hi sorry i miss understood your surgery was 2015 and the lowest you got was 196 in the 2 years? is that what your saying? that 6lbs weightloss will be alot of water weight from carb reduction but keep it up! its a great boost! But yes anyone having issues should go back to dense protein which is what works for your pouch. congrats I personally do not believe in all the resets, people gain from eating too much sliders, ( apart rom usual stall) stop sliders go back to just protein first and weigh your food alot simpler than a 'pouch reset that does not actually reset anything' and you will feel the restriction right from the start but good you found what works for you

They have protein shots too. Look like big test tubes, fruit punch flavor. 26 grams of protein, only 3 oz of liquid.

Tracey, protien is important, but it is still completely normal to be under goal at 2 weeks. Your primary focus now should be hydration. Also, be careful with protien shots. Almost all that I've seen so far use collagen as the primary source of protien. Your body simply cannot properly digest collagen Proteins. Also never assume by the name on the bottle what is inside. There is a huge trend of putting a tiny little amount of whey(the good stuff) in a shot of collagen(useless to us) and calling it something with Whey in the title. This is precisely what has happened with the "New Whey Protien" shot that advertises 42g of Protein.

At two weeks out my NUT was not worried about me getting in all my protein. I was lucky if I got in 20-30 grams a day at two weeks. It's more important to keep up your fluid intake and get in protein when you can. As you get farther out, you'll be able to add more and more protein in, especially with foods. I think it took me almost two months before I was getting in 60 grams of protein. Now, at three months out, I'm getting in 60-80 grams a day because you can eat more things heavier in protein like chicken, tuna, meats, cheeses, yogurt, etc. I also throw in a Quest or Simple Truth protein bar occasionally if I feel like I'm a little low on protein - especially if I am going to be working out later as I need the energy. While most protein bars also have higher carbs, they are okay in moderation especially if you are going to be active.

Okay, I want my sleeve revised or maybe not? I have to go through a 6 month process. I am beeing seen by one of the top bariatric surgeons. So here are some positives: (1) I have not gain all my weight back. (2) Having another procedure does not guarantee my GERD will be completely eliminated. (3) I will work with a specialist for WLS patients with GERD. (4) Following this lifestyle, I can get healthier and lose more weight. (5) I am willing to do this for at least 6 months. (6) My hernia will continue to be monitored. (7) I will increase my exercise. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using BariatricPal mobile app

Because this is an elective process my short term will not cover it. Also, I only have saved a week as far as time off. Have any of you gone back to work after a week?

Sorry about not posting sooner. Have been really tied up at work. its been 24 days since I have been sleeved. Feeling great, I wasn't feeling so great the first week (obviously right) week 2 was getting better and I think after week 3 I got back to my normal self. Protein intake is going great, I went to sams and picked up this box of 12 count 11oz Protein drinks. 30g of protein per serving. I have one during mid afternoon at work. I start my day with the powder 25g protein shake in morning with my prilosec. I try to get in some food with protein usually chicken breast (you can buy at wal-mart comes in 2 pack for $3.88, garlic herb marinated, you dont even have to warm it up) and i also pick up at walmart a box of chicken breasts in cut up pieces usually found near where the deli meat is, also very cheap and rich in protein, which I eat in small bites throughout the mid morning to mid lunch. Food is still in test mode, I do not get hungry that much anymore. the first two weeks - i was craving alot of food, especially since i was laying around watching TV, i never noticed how many commercials came on about food until then. Now i do not care for it, i am saving so much money by not eating out, because i eat healthier options, and the best thing is go to wal-mart and pick up their deli items. keep at your desk or at home and eat little bites throughout the day, i learned that if you eat little bites throughout the day, you feel alot better instead of trying to fill yourself up like we used to do in our pre-sleeve days. After week 3, I started the solid foods, I ate the whole chicken breast serving in one sit in and i felt so full and bloated and i felt like i was going to throw up the whole time. It took walking around and staying active to push the food down. I learned my lesson not to do that again. Now I just cut up the meat in small pieces and eat in increments throughout mid morning to mid lunch. Finally I try to polish off the day with another protein protein shake if I can. Have been slowly working out, nothing crazy. I go to the local park and walk the trail at my own pace. I get in about 2 miles everyday. I started lifting a little bit of weights every other day, havent had any problems yet. Have lost 25 lbs so far, I stalled for a week during week 3, but then slowly started to see 1lb lost here and there. Weight before surgery day was 250, now I am 221. It seems like the pace is about 10lbs a month, we will see in September how it goes! Hope your surgery went well, hang in there, it gets better I promise! If you need anything just post it!

I experienced the pain on my chest and not my shoulder, they did tell me it’s Bc of the Gas that was used for the surgery but the Gas went away little by little after drinking Gas X. That helped me out a lot! It took me about a week in a half to have the pain away. I had hard time farting it out but I would burp it out. Try Gas X.

Stop whining about so-called stalls.... Did you know Diana Nyad eats up to 9000 calories per DAY!!! now admittedly, Diana is an extreme example, however, the formula remains the same.... If you are working out 2 active hours in the gym as some claim, you are doing your health a MAJOR disservice by trying to survive on 600, 800 or even 1000 calories. Stop worrying about a so-called Stall..you WILL lose if you properly hydrate & fuel your body. It isnt actually a STALL, your body is holding on to Water & glycogen for its dear life.... EAT THE food, MOVE YOUR BUTT and you WILL lose! ( which is why when some folks add in good fats that so-called stall is broken) By design, most VSG patients, let alone most non-surgical patients do not have the physical capacity to eat that much a day... you have to be SMART about your high caloric intake... Protein FIRST BUT CARBS ARE NOT YOUR ENEMY!! ( and I am SURE some folks will come reply or start a new thread indicating that because you are a VSG patient, you are some kind of special snowflake & this doesnt apply to you) Quotes to think about: It's probably true that inactive people don't require much in the way of carbs. But inactive humans simply aren't metabolically normal, so the correct solution isn't to go low-carb, it's to increase your activity level to the point that you rquire carbs. Don't fear eating carbs, fear not moving enough to not need them. (Melkor) - you do not need to train to swim to break Nyad's records...nor even train to participate in triathlons, duathlons. etc.... BUT YOU NEED TO MOVE, IN A MAJOR WAY!! I lost 100% EWL in 10 months.... I was 280 pounds pre-op. I am 153 pounds today... From size 22 down to size 6... basically 1 year post-op. the first 3 months were HELL... I was used to drinking most of my calories in a sugary way... I had trouble staying hydrated or eating enough food... I was re-hospitalized twice....Once I gave myself time to properly heal, it was ON!! I moved my body... and I ate the food required to do so... your needs will change as your weight and exercise changes.... At about 6 months, I was eating/drinking 1400 calories PLUS exercising 2 hours per day, 6 days per week.... 3 days of HEAVY weight lifting, 3 days of swimming, 3 days of running, 3 days of biking.... I eat fat, carbs and even sugar at times... My daily staples include chicken salad made with real mayo and cole slaw ( because Id rather eat the slaw and have regular bowel movements then to need laxatives to get & keep things moving) Despite all of that, on the weeks I did not make my caloric and protein & hydration goals, I did not lose....and by not meet, I mean, the weeks I ate LESS than 1300 calories.. Most of 2013 I was in training for triathlon...I stopped training in July when I was prepping for 2 surgeries... both have since been postponed/cancelled so Im back in train mode trying to get a race or 2 in before it gets cold on the East Coast.. Now that I am in maintanence, I eat 1600 calories a day when I do NOT exercise, more if I do....I cut back on training in prep for a surgery that has since been cancelled... I plan to bulk this winter so for next 8 weeks I will cut back to 1300 calories per day to get down 10 pounds... Once in Bulk Mode, hopefully before Thanksgiving, I will go to ~2400 calories ( adding in 100 calories per week) then only workout once per day, 6 days per week.... 3 days heavy lifting and 3 days cardio til I get to my new goal ( which is a size, shape goal rather than a numerical goal)...I currently wear a size 6.... too skinny for my liking....I want to be more muscular.... My plan will likely require some tweaking to get there.... More info on Diana Nyad, my Shero of the week: http://espn.go.com/espnw/features/article/6783740/how-diana-nyad-fuels-body this article is 2 years old and her needs have probably been adjusted some by now... another article: https://healthylivingmagazine.us/Articles/150/ Every hour and a half (or up to an hour and 45 minutes if Nyad keeps swimming until the second "come in now" whistle is blown) the boat idles and Nyad swims over. Bonnie Stoll, Nyad's best friend, business partner and "head handler," gives her the tube from a hydration pack filled with a carefully calibrated mix of water, sports drink, electrolytes and "predigested protein." Done with the fluids, Stoll hands over a tube of energy gel, then a single Clif Shot Blok. Then, a spoon with a bite of banana slathered in Peanut Butter is passed to the swimmer, who would invalidate the record she's hoping to set if she touched the boat. The bite doesn't provide much nutrition, Nyad explains, but even this small bit of solid food helps to coat her stomach when so much of her nourishment is coming from energy-compressed liquids and gels. But staying hydrated -- and properly fueled -- will be of the utmost importance ... Luckily, we know a lot more now than we did in the 70s. "You see pictures of when Diana did this 30 years ago and she'd stop and drink a Coke and eat a piece of cake," said Mark Sollinger, one of Nyad's drivers. "It's come a long way." Finding the right formula still took trial and error. What works for a marathon runner or cyclist doesn't necessarily work for Nyad. First of all, she's spending five, 10, 20 and eventually 60 hours in a prone position. Speaking of Snacks, her daily calorie count during training is 9,000 for non-swimming days and 3,500 when in the tank. Think it’s fun to be able to eat to one’s heart’s content? Think again. “It’s just too much food,” she tells a reporter. “Your stomach doesn’t want to take it in. I try to do some of it in Protein shakes and large three or four servings of Pasta for dinner.”

Could be acid? Are you taking a ppi like prilosec? My surgeon had me on 40mg for the first 3 months. Now reduced to 20mg daily and she will take me off at 6 months. You can also get the 20mg over the counter.

Hey All, About a week and a half ago I went for my 2nd adjustment...and I'm not sure if its too tight... I'm not sure I know the difference between restriction and too tight... it takes me about 35-45 minutes to eat about 1/2 cup of tuna... chicken breast even if well chewed gets stuck or comes back up... however weird things like baked tostitos and salsa go down... ice cream unfortunately goes down! But is that restriction??? Is that what I'm supposed want to happen? help please.... Thanks in advance!

I was told get 20 grams of protein 3 meals a day and no snacking. Still get about 800 calories. You are so not eating what u need if your getting under 500 calories aday

Ok, so I know there are lots of posts on stalls. I had my surgery 4.5 weeks ago. Lost 17lbs the first week. Weeks 2-4, it's been slow and I eventually lost 4 more lbs (but it's been up and down). On a side note, it's cruel that we see such a huge weightloss so quickly in the beginning and it slows down dramatically almost overnight and we get upset for "only" losing 1-2 lbs a week. I have to keep reminding myself this is a normal pace. Anyway, I know that even with the sleeve, it's possible to eat more calories than you think you are - darn foods are deceiving! So, I'm wondering if maybe what I'm eating is too many calories, hence the reason for the SLOW loss. I know I'm eating way under 1,000 calories, probably more like 500 calories (I know, I should track my calories better). Is this too many calories this early on? For example, I had about 1/4 cup of chicken salad with grapes (real mayo, can't stand fat free), and half an avocado. Tonight, I will have two turkey slices rolled with about 4 slices of pepperoni inside. This doesn't sound like a lot, but I know how food portions and actual calories can be deceiving. Should I be anything different?

My dr. told me that if you hit a stall to go back to liquids for a couple of days and the weight loss will be kick started again. Maybe eating more works the same way. I sure would rather eat more than go back to liquids. LOL

Thank you so much for your support! I was scared before doing this as I didn't find many reviews of VSG surgery for women with PCOS, but I took a chance and I never regretted it. I was scared of failure because I tried everything beforehand, and have very bad PCOS symptoms (the excess hair, hair loss, period issues, etc) and tried met/byetta/spyro without much success. It's unbelievable how my life has change so drastically in just 8 weeks. I may not be my goal "size" but I am living the life that I've been wanting to have for so long. I still sometimes deal with depression, but otherwise my confidence is so high and I feel so open. Random strangers seem friendlier towards me, I know it's not because of my weight, it's because of the positive energy/confidence that my body releases now. I was so angry and closed a few months ago, now I feel myself opening and slowly becoming the person I envision myself to be on the inside. I wish all of you the best of luck, especially those with upcoming surgeries! The greatest tip for anyone doing this surgery (but especially for those with PCOS) is to strictly follow the guidelines, and try to limit your "bad" carbs (the kinds that PCOS chicks have trouble with). I notice my weight loss severely slowing down if I have too many starchy carbs.