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I love my doc. His name is Dr. Minkin, here is hi web-site. Home | St. Louis Lap-Band Specialists, LLC| Bariatric Gastric Banding Weight Loss Surgery | Dr. Darin Minkin | Missouri Obesity Health Diet Clinic Good Luck!!!!

I was starting to get very frustrated because I was on a plateau for about two months where my weight and size really didn't change much. I almost started to fall back into my old mindset of "Screw it, I'm not losing weight so I might as well eat whatever I want.". I knew I had to do things differently, so I joined a gym, increased my protein and water, and kept careful track of my calories. Even then the scale was going down very slowly. I was getting even more frustrated, but I stuck with it anyway. Today, I hit a number on the scale that I haven't seen in years...180 lbs! I also tried on a pair of size 12 jeans that I got for Christmas that didn't fit...those zipped up! My wedding dress, which I bought a size too small on purpose two months ago and I was starting to panic because it didn't zip up... now it fits! So what's the point of sharing all this, besides being super excited? Plateaus aren't forever. Don't get frustrated and give up...you WILL reach your goals if you stick with it!

There are a few threads on this. Some people have a slight unfill, however I found my weight loss just petered out and eventually stopped and I began to maintain instead. I didnt change my food intake or exercise habits, its just kind of evened out. Thankfully that happened at a reasonable weight and not at 20lb overweight still! I went way past my original goal of 79kg (about 180lb) but that didnt worry me, at 5ft 10, I was still pretty fat at that weight and knew I didnt want to stop there. I always wanted to be about 150lb and its pure coincidence that that's where I stopped.

Wow thanks guys for the congrats! Betheboo, I found when I was tight and working out I wasn't loosing the weight that I did when I started eating at least 1350 calories hang in there just keep doing what you know you have to do.

I can't begin to describe how blessed I have been this year. Before I was banded, I was lost. I would wake up most mornings and just say to myself "where do I even begin to dig myself out of this hole". Yes I was referring to the massive weight gain that I had in the past 2.5/3 years. I was falling into a depression but no one knew about it because I was putting up this front that I was the most confidence "fat chick", because I had to...it was my defense mechanism. May of 2009 rolls around and I am desperately searching on the internet for a surgeon to finance my surgery because I am a part time employee and full time student with no health insurance. That's a different story though! The angels sent to me Dr. Webber at Harper Hospital in Detroit MI. This was the start of a new life for me, it was the end of my sorrows, the beginning of a lifetime of happiness. I wasn't going to be overweight for all of my 20's, I will enjoy the last 5 years of my 20's shopping in the same stores as my girlfriends...going to a party and not cry because I have nothing to wear, attract guys with my real confidence and not just a pretty face. More importantly I was going to live to get married and have children w/o any complications. So this Thanksgiving I want to give the greatest Thanks to my Dr. Webber, who without him, I would still be lost and in the deepest hole that I wouldn't be able to get out of. I want to give thanks to him for convincing me to have the surgery and reassuring me that it was going to be OK when I was scared and crying the morning of surgery and about to change my mind. I want to give thanks to him for keeping me safe when my life was in his hands for the 2 hours of surgery. I want to give thanks to him for being the person that saved my mind, body and soul! So thank you Dr. Webber I love you! I was banded May 22nd 2009 and 6 months later I am down almost 70 lbs!! I am happier than ever, and I wish that everyone reading this is as happy as I am and has the greatest success as I have had so far. Goodluck to everyone....and God Bless!

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Hi I just got done doing a testimonial for my weight loss surgery and I thought I would share it with the group. http://integrisok.com/weight-loss-success-stories Mark Thomas, Edmond Oklahoma

I had all the symptoms of happy1957. I have not lost much weight at all. I had my band removed in December 2013 and sleeved March 2014 and only lost 34 pds and gained back 13 pds. Now I've learned I'm battling hypoglycemia. I worked out hard over the past few years watched my fat intake and now I'm told I'm not getting enough fat in and to stop working out. Been battling dehydration for over year. I get headaches and acid feeling from my stomach which triggers headaches. I really regret this surgery. All of them

howdy everyone. was banded on 6/26/08. have had about 4 fills started out at 210 (height is 4'11) lost down to 191 my last fill was TOO tight throwing up all the time she had me do an upper GI to make sure all was well and it was i am NOT over eating and eating healthy things i am now up to 208 again 1 cup of coffee in the morning water all day, i wonder if i am retaining the water......i am SO bummed $15,000 for surgery not losing but also not exercizing shouldnt i have lost a LOT more in 7 months? someone give me some suggestions or advice. thanks!:confused:

My doctor recommends liquids for the rest of the day after the fill and one day after. Then 2 days mushies. He says the fill makes you swollen. Liquids dont have to be clear. I use protein shakes as well. Those 4 days, I lose weight so I adhere to it. Also I appreciate the mushies when i get to them and then food after that. Good Luck and ask your doctor what he recommends.

This is in my local paper...interesting. I may be driving xcountry until I hit goal. :biggrin: Life's a TripTraveling with Harry Shattuck

Hi Sassy, I had my surgery on Sept 7th 2007, Ive lost 20 lbs in total...for a while I was eating anything in front of me, didn't even seem like I was operated on....After my 1st fill, I felt more restricted, it's a better feeling..... be patient, b/c i really thought I was never gonna lose anymore weight since I stayed at the same weight for 3 weeks !

LOL, I have not had any dreams like that but I think I would like to! Great job on your weight loss and go have a bite of cake!

Well, it will be 2 years in October, anyway!. I've maintaned the same weight for over a year now (155 lbs) and really have no issues at all anymore. The only thing I've noticed that's different is that for the first year I could have gone with no food at all - I never cared if I ate ever again. Now I'm hungry alllll the time - or at least every 2 hours or so. However, with that said. Still 4-5 bites of "whatever" completely satisfy me. And my lifestyle is so freaking active that I'm constantly burning calories. August in particular is active because I participate in a fund-raiser Hike-A-Thon and so far this month I've hiked over 50 miles with over 10,000' in elevation gains. I feel like a success story. Right now I'm scheduled for my skin removal surgery on September 10th. Doing my thighs, stomach, and lifting up the girls back where they belong (but not "enhancing"). If I get some kind of teaching job this fall, though, I'll have to reschedule. Best Wishes, Soup-a-Woman edited to say: I started at 305 lbs, so I've lost and kept off 150 lbs.

Some people's idea of "tough love" is more self-serving than helpful. Sometimes they work out their own issues at your expense. Being brow beaten and demeaned for gaining weight is something you've done to yourself as well as receiving it from other "tough lovers" and afforded you no remedy but probably emotionally drove you deeper into the cycle of fattening. WLS patients obviously have a problem with gaining weight. A doctor should not be disappointed and frustrated as if it is surprising. Your observation of his insensitivity is correct as far as I am concerned. That being said, write it off and forge ahead. If he is an otherwise competent doctor knuckle down and get through this. Follow his advise and conquer yourself and your soon to be history excess fat. You can do it...take that to the bank!

I hate to ask this question but I am month 4/6 in pre-approval process. My whole life I have tried anything you can think of and I have been so very sure each one was the answer. I usually lose between 8-12 pounds each attempt and then stall. It's been the same thing pre-op. I did intermittent fasting with being gluten free since 7/31/19, no problem fasting 20-22 hours but when I would try to do alternate day fasting or 24 hour fasting I would gain with the lower calories. I have researched starvation mode and most experts agree it does not exist. I ended up averaging 19 hours and plateaued at 12 pounds after 3 months and then started gaining again even with the fasting. When I did my pre-op I was at one of my lower weights (my weight plot looks like shark teeth) and was told I was not allowed to gain at all during the process or my surgery would be denied. As part of my pre-op I have continued intermittent fasting for an average of 16 hours but I also gave up all grains, dairy, sugar, and soy. I have lost another 12 pounds for a total of 24 but cannot get any lower. I've played with calories, food types, anything I can think of. I track all my calories and activities and range 1200-1500 being mostly on the lower end of the range and get at least 30 mins of walking 5 days a week. I have no emotional issues with food and am very disciplined. I do have Hashimoto's thyroiditis but my hormone ranges are good according to my bloodwork. My thyroid is almost not existent except for a large nodule so my endocrinologist wants me to have me thyroid removed in addition to the sleeve. My big fear is that there is something weird with my metabolism and that I'll have the surgery and not be successful. It sounds crazy to even say that but this is a support group and that is my truth.

Congrats on your weight loss! I assume 2014 was a typo? Was your surgery in 2013?

That sounds great! Thank you all SO much for your very prompt responses. It feels really good to have a backup in this forum. I've gained a lot of courage and confidence from the stories I've read here to go ahead with VSG My blood work came back, I am now eligible for it and waiting for a date. (fingers crossed!) Thanks again! Cherry.

Anyone experience excessive fatigue after a small increase in exercise level? Had this problem since I was mid 30's. I added 5 minutes of eliptical machine to my 45 minute walking DVD yesterday and muscles are weak this a.m. I'm hydrating now and plan to gut it out and try again. I feel so strong mentally. This weight has got to go!

I had a one week stall at 3 weeks and it is fairly common and totally normal. I even gained a pound when I went to purees. Your body is just adjusting and will start dropping again. I had another one at 5 weeks (and i got frustrated again) but rationally i knew it would come off again...no need to panic. Stalls are all part of this. I'm not looking forward to the 2 month stalls I've heard about. 1 week is nail biting enough for me

http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/351046-embrace-the-stall/ Your body is still traumatized and pumped full of fluids and meds from surgery and usually you're lucky not to gain weight within the first week to 10 days. And the first stall usually hits around your third week. Your body has to take pauses every once in a while. No one loses weight steadily. Think of it as it needing a small rest break while it figures out whether this lower calorie/low carb thing is going to be permanent... it is? Well okay, guess we'll drop another few pounds and see what you're doing then. Still low cal/carb and adding in exercise? Well maybe it's time to build a bit of muscle and drop some fat so you won't see the numbers on the scale drop but you'll notice the difference in your clothing since a fat is way more bulky than lean muscle. Rinse and repeat for the next year with varying lengths of time spend in stalls. You'll be fine. Do read Inner Surfer Girl's post about Embracing the Stall and it will all make sense.

Great. I'm ten years behind you and very similar in beginning weight and goal. My journey just started but seeing posts like yours sure makes it easier.

hi i was banded on the 10th August this year. I am ok but still eating mush for food. I aint that bothered though. I am looking forward also to not being a 30/32 anymore. This is my second weight loss operation my first was too have a balloon placed in my stomach. This was done last year and during the 6 months of the balloon being in I lost 3 st and 6 pound. I have lost 1 st todate in 3 weeks from having my operation. How are you doing?

Shelly, i can't imagine people taking "Water pills" to make a dial on a scale move. The concept escapes me. I take a diuretic (what some people call a "water pill") because of congestive heart failure. My heart cannot keep up with the demands--many of them related to weight and being out of condition--being placed on it. What the heart "gives up doing" (because it can't do everything) is pumping the body fluids back UP the legs and arms. When that happens, I get edema--my feet and ankles are swollen, my knees get so sore they can hardly bend. Also, my fingers are swollen, rings and bracelets don't fit, and I can't hold a pen very well. It has been (before the band) so bad that the excess fluids "wept" through the skin on my legs. The diuretic I take is Demadex; it's a little more powerful than Lasix. And as I have lost weight, I have decreased the amount of Demadex I take. The diuretics have to be taken on a regular basis, but only as needed to assist the heart in doing its job. And caution is crucial. Many diuretics are NOT potassium sparing, that is, they deplete the potassium from your system which can cause immediate cardiac problems. Now, to the "successful" bandsters. I think they are wrong...and possibly not too bright. There is no cumulative weight loss from diuretics. All they do is make the kidney work harder, and nobody's lost weight from that. On a really bad day before I took a diuretic on a regular basis, I found myself puffed up and feeling like I was walking on sponges. I went to the doctor and took a 20mg Demadex. Within eight hours, I "lost ten pounds." But that was not "excess weight." That was about a gallon and a quart of excess water in my body, that almost kept me from moving. Ten pounds of "water." But NOBODY loses 100 pounds on diuretics. It's too bad--on several levels--that those "successful bandsters" believe that they are losing weight from diuretics. One reason it's too bad is that they are doing something right, but have failed to identify it. So they are not likely to rely on a good behavior they cannot identify. Another reason is that diuretics are tough on the kidneys and the heart. You absolutely have to regulate the body's potassium level when taking diuretics. They are not toys. Also, it's a wonderment to me that they have PCP's who would prescribe diuretics to people who don't understand why they are taking them. I'll look for a couple of links. Sue Edited to add: http://www.tmc.edu/thi/diurmeds.html http://www.gwu.edu/~cade/diuretics.html http://www.e-kidneys.net/diuretics.html http://www.healthcentral.com/mhc/top/001840.cfm

I know that pre-op diets vary a lot from doctor to doctor. This is the one my doctorb uses and that I'm on now. 3-4 low carb, low fat Protein shakes a day. I had the choice of several. Premier Protein Shakes as are good and available at Walmart, Sams and costco. I use unjury Protein powder but since I don't know when your surgery is, I don't know if you would have time to order them. I also can have 3 moderate servings of non-starchy veggies with no fat or "extras" added. It's not an easy diet but I have lost weight during the last 9 days