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I am separated and have not yet gone out on a real date since my separation 2+ years ago. Hopefully that is going to change this year! :-) I was just banded on Friday 4/16/10. I'm a ways away from this being an issue. But... I think my suggestion is- why not suggest non-food oriented dates for a while? Why does every get together people have always involve food? I recently wondered this when my father came up here from out of state to be with me before, during and post surgery. Every single event involved food with him and my other family up here. Why is that? Someone suggested that dinner is a god place to talk and get to know one another. Why couldn't something else be as well? Go to a museum. Or a bookstore. If you have dogs, go to the dog park. Go on a hike, a boat, or a bike ride (get exercise in too! LOL). Go bowling, or doing some other kind of sport that is friendly competition at the most. At the very least, meet for coffee/tea the first time. Or for Breakfast or lunch, where smaller meals are more common. If going to a restaurant is still your preference with so many people doing low-carb this or that (men AND women), I think you could reasonably say you are on a low-carb diet, if he asks why you avoid bread or other carb choices. And if you take half the meal home (or more), perhaps you should suggest that, like most restaurants (here in America anyway), the restaurant you went to had overly large portions and you prefer to eat sensibly. I'm not someone who keeps things to myself either, so I am more likely to share it early on than not. But...if you prefer to keep things to yourself, I think there are many ways to do so without rousing too much suspicion. Good luck!

I went in for my pre-op testing yesterday (Ekg, blood work & x-rays) passed all of these with flying colors, again much to their surprise considering I now weigh 331. Then I got to sit down with the surgeon Dr. Morton and talk one on one and ask questions. I really like him. Very personable. He was impressed with my pre-op test results and wanted to know how old I was. He thought I was in my late 20's. He said that I am really fortunate to be my age and numbers wise be this healthy. He had a couple of band samples there and he demonstrated filling one up through the port. That was pretty cool. he's done over a 1,000 of them now. His stats are better than the us average. He has only had 12 bands slip, all of which he was able to fix. he hasn't had any erosions and he's only had four that leaked and zero deaths, blood clots or any other serious issues related to surgery. Todd has taken three days off next week so I'll be well taken care of. As soon as I'm able to walk and swallow a small sip of water without it coming up I'll be able to come home. It's considered outpatient. He said within 2-3 weeks my appetite will start to go back to normal, and that is when I go in to get my 1st 'fill' to restrict the opening in my stomach. he said sometimes it takes 2 or 3 fills to get the restriction just right. He thinks within 4 or 5 years that I will end up around 150 or 160. I was quite shocked. I have a hard time seeing myself below 200, but I guess that's because I haven't been below 200 in 16 years. He also said I would lose the fastest in the 1st year then it would taper off and how well I did was up to me and how I 'worked the band' and exercised. My surgery is next Tuesday Feb. 27 around 9 or 10 a.m. I'm kind of in the surreal part of this experience so far. I feel fortunate that my family and friends are so supportive. Thanks guys, Tracy

I went in for my pre-op testing yesterday (Ekg, blood work & x-rays) passed all of these with flying colors, again much to their surprise considering I now weigh 331. Then I got to sit down with the surgeon Dr. Morton and talk one on one and ask questions. I really like him. Very personable. He was impressed with my pre-op test results and wanted to know how old I was. He thought I was in my late 20's. He said that I am really fortunate to be my age and numbers wise be this healthy. He had a couple of band samples there and he demonstrated filling one up through the port. That was pretty cool. he's done over a 1,000 of them now. His stats are better than the us average. He has only had 12 bands slip, all of which he was able to fix. he hasn't had any erosions and he's only had four that leaked and zero deaths, blood clots or any other serious issues related to surgery. Todd has taken three days off next week so I'll be well taken care of. As soon as I'm able to walk and swallow a small sip of water without it coming up I'll be able to come home. It's considered outpatient. He said within 2-3 weeks my appetite will start to go back to normal, and that is when I go in to get my 1st 'fill' to restrict the opening in my stomach. he said sometimes it takes 2 or 3 fills to get the restriction just right. He thinks within 4 or 5 years that I will end up around 150 or 160. I was quite shocked. I have a hard time seeing myself below 200, but I guess that's because I haven't been below 200 in 16 years. He also said I would lose the fastest in the 1st year then it would taper off and how well I did was up to me and how I 'worked the band' and exercised. My surgery is next Tuesday Feb. 27 around 9 or 10 a.m. I'm kind of in the surreal part of this experience so far. I feel fortunate that my family and friends are so supportive. Thanks guys, Tracy

Are you taking an antibiotic post op?I got thrush in my mouth post op but I was taking antibiotics for 10 days post op.Do get some meds for the thrush but start taking some sort of live culture (pills you can open and take directly on your tongue if you are not eating yet.)There is also drinking yogurt with live cultures in them that should help.

I can relate. I was wearing a tight 3x tall shirt and I'm down to a large tall...hard to believe for me. Hoping it goes away so I can fully appreciate my progress and healthier life. VSG 10/11/17 HW = 360 SW = 292 CW = 225.6 GW = 220 (6'5")

When I started the process I was at 248 and standing at 5'6". I went into surgery at 228, and I am currently at 153. I'm wearing a 6/8 top (small or medium), size 8/10 bottom (medium; depends on leg room, I have thick thighs and the waist is usually huge due to the fact that I can't go smaller--but I'm not complaining!). My initial goal was 150, then I changed that to 145. From my starting weight, I've lost 95 pounds. From all the posts I've read on this site this past year, I'm not a fast or slow loser. Somewhere in the middle. As I've approached goal, it's gotten slower and slower. Everyone is different though (for example, my aunt was sleeved 1 month ahead of me and has dropped 160 pounds!). I incorporated a lot of cardio and weight training into my program. Now that I'm 8 pounds from goal and happy with my size, I've backed off of the cardio (3 days a week vs. 6 days a week) and I've upped the weight lifting sessions. I want to fill in the loose skin in my arm and thigh areas. They are not really bad at all and nothing a little muscle can't improve. I hope that helped! Best of luck to you!!!

I had surgery on 9/10 and went back for a half day Friday and back full today. I walked two miles last night and was tired but felt good. I hardly took any pain meds. Was pretty much ibuprofen by Wednesday. I am very healthy and pretty fit( as much as you can be at 120lbs overweight.). I an just getting tired easily. So when I need to sit and relax, I do. No manual labor here though. Just in sales.

My experience was nearly the same after fill #6. It sometmes took me 45 minutes to eat a small meal. My wife would finish her meal and go read or watch TV while I sat there waiting for my food to pass through the portal. Most meals where I was stuck I would wait 10-15 minutes for the first bolus of food to pass and then it got easier. But some foods like chicken or dry fish would take forever to eat. Some of the tricks you may learn are using low fat, low carb sauces to help these foods pass. Salsa is a good one. Also, spaghetti sauces may help some foods travel through the portal. Just make sure you aren't using it on all foods or they may become slider foods and you will eat toomuch. The upside to this phase is that you may lose a lot of weight but it's no way to live. I finally went back in for a small unfill. I was in the green zone before but now it's much more comfortable. tmf

Wow. I initially told my husbsnd and my best friend who is going thru this process also. Then my kids (10 &17).. I started educating my hubby and boys nonstop on it. This allowed them to learn about it, why its so important to me and to keep secret. It has worked. We are all eating better and they are soo supportive. Thats hard with teen boys. Now as far as work- as need to know basis. My boss , assistant, 3 coworers and HR ( thats me). They are all supportive .Now that my surgery is on 7/10 I announced to all staff I'm out but no details on why. There is that stigma of negative comments etc..I want to stay focused and positive. After who cares it is my choice. People smoke by choice and continue. People have plastic surgery by choice, etc. People choose many things in secret...they don't say it... my choice has a physical result.... lack of knowlege is ignorance. When there is ignorance lies confusion. They're just confused about this topic that's all. I chose who to tell on my own decision. But don't do this alone. There is atleast one person to count on. I found a great group here... I luv reading and sharing with you all!

Hello, all! I’m Alice, and I’ve just discovered this app! I’ve just begun my bariatric visits and am so excited to be on this journey. What I say next might surprise you: I’m 19 years old with a BMI of 62.5. Sometimes I can’t help but ask: how did it get this way? I’ve been overweight all my life but at this level, its hard to imagine any life at all. It’s very difficult for me to walk much, which poses an issue with the fact I work in retail. I heard about this surgery (the gastric sleeve) from a close family member, and was so excited! I understand this surgery is not meant to be a “quick fix,” but rather, allows the patient to lose with ease and get a jump start on their new life. While I’m very excited, I must admit I’m a bit nervous for this whole experience. I’m the type of person who avoids going to the doctors at all costs, and now I’ll be seeing them at minimum once a month. Any tips for a beginner?

Hello, I also had questions regarding the pros and cons of each brand of band. My surgeon stated that either one was fine with him. He didn't have a preference. I ended up getting the Realize band on 1/31 because I liked the interactive internet interface called "Realizemysuccess" where you can log your food diary and exercise and write down challenges and successes, etc. You can also monitor your weight loss. You can choose to allow your surgeon's office access to your logs so they can help if you have a problem or hit a plateau. I like the food diary--I am using it to help keep myself accountable for what I eat. The food diary has some limitations though--you have to choose items from their preloaded database--CIB isn't in there but the whole menu of every fast food joint on the planet is! I already wrote a letter of concern about this so maybe they will fix it. I also liked the fact that the port of the Realize band has a lower profile (it is flatter) but a little wider than the Lap Band port. I cannot feel mine yet. Also, since I am a healthcare professional, I emailed both companies for the package insert (this includes the clinical trial data, specific surgical procedure and any adverse effects experienced by patients). I reviewed both and there were few significant differences. Both implants were approved by the FDA based upon a sample size of around 300 patients. This is a small sample size and I was surprised. However both bands were used for over 10 yrs in Europe before FDA approval. The Realize band was called the Swedish Adjustable Gastric Band before so you may Google that and get more info. Hope this info helps!

I waited to hear from insurance for 3 weeks, they then sent a letter stating that they needed to have a 6 month medically documented weight loss attempt within the 12 months prior to appoving surgery. I have been persueing this since February of 06 when I went to the workshop. I had all of my tests in March and waited for 6 weeks for my DR to send in my weight and diet history. I got the stupid cpap machine for sleep apnea, my BMI is 44 and I have a herniated disk and sciatica. I am now seeing a dietician (which is what I am...how mortifying) to met the rquirements of my rediculous insurance company. While I am doing this though I have actually joined weight watchers again (for the 8th time in my life) and am loosing as I always do with them. I will be sure not to loose too much though, you can believe that! Why? Because I need to loose 140 pounds, not 25 or even 50 or 100 and I do not have the slightest amount of faith that I will achieve this without surgery...maybe 50, not 140. And 50 would put me 20 pounds below what I have to weigh to get approval, so I am shooting for 30, that would be a good head start. You see I am not one of those skinny since birth dieticians that I get to talk to in the hospital who say "you just have to listen to your body and you will loose weight". If I keep listening to my body I will be getting lifted out of my bed with a crane in 5 or 10 years! I am a dietician because I have had a life long obsession with my weight. Even when I was young and thin at 5'7" and 130 lbs. I thought I was a blimp, so now I don't know how to even view myself....as a older blimp I guess....any way, to get back to the insurance issue. I am 6 months into this journey...granted I have Medical Mutual of Ohio and they suck the big one. Most of you wont have this much trouble, so good luck and God Bless!:confused:

I am right behind you, I had my surgery April 27th. I am so obsessed with the scale. In December I was 265 and am down to 234. So everyday since I've been home I've dragged out my 20 yr old Health-O-Meter and stepped on looking for miracles. The first week after surgery I was getting on 2 times a day.. Woo Hoo, losing every-time. However in the past 3 days I have not only not lost anything but much to my horror, I gained 2lbs. God only knows how that is possible when practically nothing is going in. The good news though is that today it is gone again. I really have to make an effort to stay off that beast. Not only does it weigh 10 lbs and is a major pain the ass to drag out, but it's not doing anything for my mental health. I am driving myself crazy. I have decided that I'm only going to get on once a day. Wish me Luck

I'm so short that even a little weight gain/loss is very noticeable so my friends and family have all commented on it (they don't know I had WLS.) Unfortunately my driver's license photo is from 10 years ago when I was 21 and under my current goal weight......LOL

Oh wow mine is totally different but I like yours much better!!! I had 2 weeks of liquid diet...1 before and 1 after and then purée with no meat:( Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App yup...I am loving mine. we did have two weeks of liquid pre-op, but the ability to slowly incorporate food post op has been great. I haven't ventured to chicken yet, but scrambled eggs have sit well. During my one week follow up they mentioned trying chicken thighs highly moistened and shredded/pureed. So that will be my next meat. I am melting inches, but they note it will be 5 to 10 lbs of weight loss per month. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using the BariatricPal App I tried eggs my first morning for soft foods and they didn't sit to well but will try again with a different version. Good for you though! Thanks the above helps me too. Tried Lamb Burgers with Mint Yogurt sauce yesterday and they were tasty and sat well on stomach...whew! How much did you weigh going in? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I have done pretty well on my liquid diet for the past 10 days, but I have a question. I really and I mean REALLY enjoy my one cup of coffee in the morning. I use splenda dn 2% milk. I understand that for the first week it is CLEAR liquids only.... is it really going to hurt me to have that one cup in the morning? What if I switch to skim milk?

She's jealous of your journey to a new you. Sure, she's lost 10 so far...she might even hit a nice 50 pound loss - but we all know that it's going to eventually come back. She has shown you that she isn't a true friend. You supported her through her troubled times which shows character, but she can't support you through your exciting journey? Nah. You're better off without her and in the words of the great Maya Angelou: "When someone shows you who they are, believe them."

My surgeon is kinda strict. My 2 week pre-op diet is liquids only! ugh!! so far i'm on day 2 and i havent killed anyone yet! suprizingly. My surgeon has a 0 pound restriction, meaning if you gain weight from your pre-op testing to the day of surgery he can refuse to do the surgery. I asked the nurse how strict he was about that and she said that's really if you gain 10+pounds, not sure how you could do that on a 2 week liquid diet, but i guess if you did the fool and ate everything in site it's possible! LOL! Are you allowed to have food or just liquids. I'm sure cheating once or twice wouldnt be a problem, but i just wouldnt make a habit of it. I told myself this is my test before the band to see how serious i was(my own personal challenge.) I wish you the best!

I always catch a cold over winter, but geez not this early. My problem is I can't eat. I even tried forcing the protein shake down, but I feel full. I think it's the drainage, just taking DayQuil or something equivalent otc. I'm just exhausted and slept the entire weekend. I'm about 10 weeks post op, had lab work not too long ago and everything was fine. Any sleevers that are farther out or have been through something similar have any advice?

Hey Everyone! Wanted to share what I made the other night! Super yummy and easy! http://www.afterthesleeve.com/2013/01/turkey-meatball-squares.html

With kids that young you will need help for at least 2weeks if you can get it. Your pain level might not be great after surgery but you will not be able to lift the kids. You should not lift anything over 10 lbs for at least a month. Also your energy level will be up and down.

This is my first holiday season with the sleeve but I have gone through 8 holiday seasons with the lap band. Before my lap band I would have a plate of dinner foods, and then a plate of dessert foods, plus whatever I picked at on the appetizer table along the way. And whatever my daughter would take and decide she either didn't like, or was too full to eat would end up on my plate. A holiday party could easily be 3000 calories in just food, not counting any mixed drinks I may have had. Now I will have a bite or 2 from the snack table (usually cheese, or meat and cheese roll-up type things. And then a bite or 2 of the things that look good and seem like the best options to me (again meat, cheese, veggies) and then if I have room I will have a single cookie, or a 1/4 slice of pie and I if I drink at all it's a vodka cranberry 80% cranberry 10% vodka and 10% Water. (no one wants to have to carry me home lol) so in all I might take in 600-800 calories. And I don't think it's a problem to go over my calories once in a while. I have said it many many times, I didn't get sleeved to give up everything that tastes good, or to give up my holiday traditions. I will gladly modify what I eat, but I will not be miserable and end up resenting my choice, or those around me for being able to have a good time, and eat what they want. I don't use the holidays or "special occasions" to "cheat" or over indulge. I eat what I want, in moderation, and I have not only hit my goal, but I am actually under my goal by 5 pounds, and I'm still losing. I don't do fitday, or mfp, I decided to relearn how to eat, and that is what I did. I make good choices, eat only when I am hungry, and drinking plenty of fluids, and my primary doctor, surgeon and most importantly I am happy with my progress. I'm not saying eat whatever you want, and just throw good judgement out the window, I am saying look over your options, and make a healthy choice, eat only until you are satisfied, and then stop. This works just as well at holiday parties, as it does at the family dinner table. If I know it's only finger food and dessert I will eat before going, but I eat a few hours before, so I can still partake in the treats, but that's not my primary source of nutrients for the day. I also made my recipes just like I have done for years, I didn't try to reduce the calories, fat or increase the Protein, and I had a small bite of the ones that are favorites of mine, and was happy that I was able to have a normal, albeit small Thanksgiving meal. I will do the same for Christmas, and New Years.

Good luck to you. I think you've been given great suggestions. I am pre-op and on Clear liquids. Having surgery 12/19. So every Christmas party for me will be filled with Protein shakes.

That was a wonderful thing to read this morning. Thank you for sharing! I hope that I am in a similar place 10 months from now! Be well…

I was sleeved on 9/20 and I still feel it when the Water enters my stomach, and I normally burp too. But the best thing for the gas is to walk through it. I've been walking every hour for 10 minutes and I go back to lay down and the pain is gone. Also if drinking is that un comfortable try room temperature water and taking smaller sips. It might help. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App