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@@tbella67 I was the same as you when I first went to see my Doctor, I was going in for the Sleeve. They said I was a good candidate for the RNY Bypass. Scared me, it sounded so invasive!!! So I did my research, talk to people who had had all three from the band to the RNY bypass. After all my research & talking over with the Dr. who has done over 4000 Bypass surgery's I decided to do what he suggested was right for me, the RNY bypass. I had it done Oct.8th this year & have been very happy with the results & wasn't near as painful as I thought it could be. Much easier. If you have acid reflux they say the RNY bypass is a better choice. I have a friend who had the RNY Bypass, at the same time his 2 younger brother's had the sleeve. After they all reached their goal, his brother's who had the sleeve began regaining most of their weight. My Dr. said, what he has seen now after the sleeve has been out for awhile, that some people were regaining their weight more often than the RNY Bypass. I didn't want to go through the process again. Don't let this discourage you what ever you choose. Many people have been successful with the sleeve, as well as the band. I know the RNY bypass is working for me so far. I have lost 21 lbs in 7 weeks since surgery. I don't even feel like I have had surgery except no hunger & I get full quickly. Best of luck to you what ever you choose!!!

I just read in another thread about the same problems with weight loss. It was stressed there that if you are eating too little calories that your body could go into starvation mode and reserve all your calories thus little to no weight loss. 600 calories a day with such vigorous exercise seems like too little to me but I may be wrong. Ask your Dr. of course and dont get discouraged. It will come to you. You seem to be quite dedicated so I know you will experience incredible results. It does however require something I know I dont have much of...and that of course is patience:)

Hi! My name is Erin! I'm a 32 year old woman who has the pleasure of living in sunny Florida. I am lucky enough to live a busy life with great friends, a wonderful family and a job I absolutely love!! Unfortunately, I hate my weight. I'm embarrassed about my body image and even though I've tried for what feels like MILLIONS of times to lose weight - I always end up gaining more. I never really thought I'd be one to consider surgery but at this point, I feel like it's the only option that will actually work. I'm ready for my body to be able to keep up with the rest of me! I look forward to getting to know the people of this forum. I'm so nervous right now because I am at the very beginning stages and I have no idea if my insurance is going to cover my surgery. It -is- a covered benefit, but who knows if that means it will be covered for me! Wish me luck!

Yes poor eating habits will cause weight gain. This is the reason why everyone that decide on surgery should really think "are you ready for a life change"? this is not the so called easy way out or the fast way to lose weight. It's all up to the individual. If you eat pizza before you stop it completely or you can eat it once every 2 months a slice not a pie or a few slices. It's about mind control portion & if you are ready to change. I haven't gain any weight back even when I get TOM. I eat as healthly as I can because eating a lot & fried food is what made me fat. I want to live long & enjoy my life healthly not a fat woman not wanting to go out & have fun.

Good Luck! I work out 5-6 days a week. 2 days a week I do an intense boot camp thats a mix of cardio, weights, yoga, pilates, you name it! 2 day a week I do a Zumba class with is Latin/salsa aerobics dance class at my gym. The other days I work out with my friend doing just cardio. My trainer gave us tips on different cardio ciruits. We use 4 cardio machines (elliptical, treadmill, spin bike, and stairs). We rotate and do 5 minutes on each 2 times through the circuit. The most important thing I have learned frommy trainer is to ALWAYS switch it up! Your body will get used to the same old thing over and over and you wont see results. Dont just do cardio. You need to be toning also as you go. Good luck and hang in there. Working out is the toughest part but the MOST rewarding! It will become 2nd nature to you in no time!

In an effort to lose weight using Chris Powell endorsed Bod-e products by Vemma, I discovered the protein drink called Bod-e Burn. Has lots of good vitamin stuff in it and boasts 20 g of protein for 6 oz... comes premixed in a can. Really pricey, but I loved the taste (sort of mango/orange/little bitter). However, I am not sure it would be considered a "clear" liquid... tastes like a juice but can't see through it... anyone know what is a "clear" liquid? Also, it is slightly carbonated... would that be a no no?

Hi, Last week one of the pre-op doctors and I almost came to blows. First off I have an IUD and am 49 do not have a partner. But I had not taken a pregnancy test. We went back and forth and he said "do you want your date canceled"? So I went ahead and took the test. The next day I was sleeved, 6/8. They will find any little things including weight gain to make sure you are ready. So just hang in there and brace yourself for these things. And do not be like me and wait to kick caffeine. Going through recovery and having the headache from hell was not fun. So you will be able to breath and sleep better going forward after the having the study. Just do what they say and keep on track. I am so hungry right now it is crazy. Go ahead and eat something you really, really like not overboard and not same week of surgeryand follow it up with walking to burn the calories. If you gain even an ounce though they will stop you. Just be smart about it. Funny my daughter is 15 her name is also Mia, that was my screen name for along time MamaMia. Wishing you all the best, be strong! Walk, walk, walk! My start weight was 280.1 currently at 235 post-op. Still getting rid of the surgical gas that stays in your body. It is no joke it hurt my shoulders and neck but went away in a couple days. If you have any questions feel free to reach out. Good luck! Michele

I had my Nut appointment around 3 weeks, and my goal was 800-1000 calories. I couldn't eat much then, but in the last few weeks I am closer to and even exceeding those goals. My weight loss went faster once I was able to get closer to 1000 calories a day. That broke my plateau, and I guess let my body know it wasn't actually starving. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I think I gained an inch.

Hello beautiful ppl, so glad to see you are all doing well and have all been very successful. Well...I have not hit my 100 lbs mark yet, reason being I'm 6 1/2 months pregnant. Found out I was pregnant in January and it was a complete shock, although we are truly excited and very blessed. All is well, down 76 lbs since surgery in August of last year. When I first found out I was pregnant I weighed in at 219, today I weighed in at 214. Our little boy is growing well and all looks good. Once Sept comes around and he arrives, I will be back on my workout regimen to get to my goal weight. I've got about 40lbs to go and I know that with the dedication and commitment I had pre-pregnancy all will be well

Did you have bypass or sleeve? GB leads me to believe you had bypass but this is in the sleeve forum so wanted to be sure. Do you have a nutritionist? If so I would be really surprised if they said breads & rice were okay to eat this early out. For most people those things are big no-nos. Mainly because they are carbs, they're pretty much devoid of nutritional value, and they typically do not sit well in the stomach so close to surgery. Everybody is different in their weight loss, and while you may not be able to prove that the carbs you are eating are directly related to that I would get rid of them pronto.

First off, during the first two months post surgery, your stonach is still healing. Please be sure to follow the prescribed diet. Secondly, never weigh yourself the first month. Your body is in chaos and weight is a non-issue. Thirdly, many of those with 30lb losses in any month are either very high bmi, or had complications. The average first month loss is 15lbs, and 10lbs thereafter. Normal for you might be higher or lower. Stick to your plan, and you'll do well!

I can understand to a point what he is going through. I was only banded a couple weeks ago and have already had some issues with depression and saddness. Food has definitely been a "friend" to me over the years. It is also an addiction. And like anything else you can be addicted to, when you stop using it there is withdrawal, pain and saddness. I think it would be wise for him to speak to someone about his feelings. Is he having body image issues? I know for men that can be hard to talk about, but it can still be there. Manu friends of mine who have had dramatic weight loss feel a disconnect from their bodies. All they have known for so long is a large self and now they don't know how to live in the new shape. I hope this helps and just know he and you are bot alone in your feelings.

There has been some research recently on this topic. I read an article that talked about depression in bariatric surgical patients and indicated that a large number of patients suffer from severe depression in the first two years. People who have traditionally used food as a coping mechanism may be at a loss for how to deal with stress or negative feeling, combined with the loss of their comfort and "friend" they often find themselves very unhappy. One would hope the reward of weight loss would be adequate compensation for that grief, but it isn't. I would encourage you to get your husband professional help ASAP. Men who are depressed can often hide their more severe symptoms until it reaches a critical stage. The study I read was primarly about suicide rates in bariatric patients, which is much higher than the general population. Please talk to his (or your) doctor about this. He deserves happiness after all his hard work, and so do you.

Sorry I haven't updated lately. My son finally came back from Afganistan and between that, his wedding and my classes I have been swamped, but all is good. I have lost 62# and I feel so much better than I have in a very long time. Believe it or not the hardest thing for me was this past weekend, I had a yard sale and finally sold all my old fat clothes, in between clothes and stuff I just held onto because of my years of fluctuating weight. I was always afraid to get rid of it, because I may have to get back into it one day and didn't realize it was just preventing me from getting serious about my weight loss. But all the old is gone now and I have had a blast shopping for new clothes this past week. I even bought me a pair of skinny jeans:) Still trying to get used to wearing clothes that don't hide my shape, but it's getting so much easier now to embrace the new me. I still have around 30-35 # to lose but right now I am just enjoying the new me OH, and I even wore a dress at my sons wedding for the first time in 7 years since my own wedding. That felt awesome:) I'll update pics later when I get the chance.

There is this one guy in my office that makes me blush. You know the one; ultra good looking, nice, suave, the whole package. Anyway, he's been commenting on my weight loss for the last couple of weeks. Well yesterday, I was walking in a door as he was walking out. He stopped as he was walking out and was like 'Hi Julia' as I was walking away to my desk. He didn't just walk out quickly, he paused for a minute. I think he was checking out my fanny :blushing: I just said hi and kept walking. It's nice to have the fellas take notice again. J.

Hello Well I have finally decided to go for the Lap Band ( yeah me) I have been comparing the Lap band and the bypass and pretty much decided the lap band. So I have officially started my journey. I met my surgeon and he called and verified my insurance benefits, the only thing Im worried about is if I have to be on a supervised diet for 6 months because that’s one of the requirements ( Im hoping there is a way around that). I have to go visit my PCP to get the "ok" from her which I think will be no problem then on to my prerequisites for the lap band surgery which involves the pysch eval, etc. Im so ready for this weight loss tool because I have been on every diet you can imagine and always seem to fail. I do understand you have to change your eating habits so the band can work for you. I’m so ready for this, I’m ready to become healthy, happier, and able to do more without my weight holding me down. Well I have finally decided to go for the Lap Band ( yeah me)

Well, hello and welcome to my first blog ever. I got lap band July 20th, about 3 weeks ago in Monterrey, MX by Dr. Zapata. It was a very good experience and I do recommend Monterrey for such precedures. The hospital was exceptionally nice and I had the most attentive medical care that I have experienced. It was better than I expect I would have received in the US. Now that the band is in and I am trying to return to my normal rutine I do find it difficult to manage my eating. I am hypoglycemic and at times my need for food is critical. When I have low blood sugar my ability to make good decisions is diminised from the lack of energy to my brain, hence I eat quickly on whatever is easy to find - usually a bready carb of some type. Now that I have lap band I get clogged up and throw up each and every time. If anyone has any recommendations on this please let me know. When I am not having low blood suger I am making wise food choices and sticking to my food plan. I have lost 20 lbs now and I do plan on posting pictures that show the progression toward my goal weight of 170. My preop weight was 266. I look forward to all the health benefits of not being obese as well as the ability to be more active with my son and the additional life benefits with my wife. Fat people really are limited in every way. This will be such a liberation from a lifetime of limitations. It almost makes you feel unworthy when your family or friends will not be enjoying the same freedom, but everyone must make their own choices. I have chosen to start a new journey toward health and energy. God be with me, because it is a long road...

I've had bad cramps the day I get Tom also (minor cramps the 5 or so days prior). I had finally went to a gyn to get birth control to help it. I took it for a week and found it made me gain weight, feel more tired and hindered my calorie burn during my workouts (shown by my polar HR monitor) I stopped taking it as I did not like those effects. I'll go through one day of feeling like crap instead of the whole time having that. My mom recommended b complex and b6, so I'm trying that. Will see how it goes this month

@@gowalking, I understand this. It's a body blow to me when it hits me how many years I kept my ostrich head in the sand. I found a "before" picture yesterday. Not my highest weight, but a candid picture that someone took of which I was unaware at the time. I was volunteering at an event, and helping traffic move along. The orange vest I had to wear as one of the traffic directors of course did not fit me. On top of that, my facial expression made it look like I was angry. I wasn't, but seeing that picture again reminded me how little I was aware of how I really looked. Yesterday, my well-meaning boss popped his head up from his cube, and said loudly in front of everyone, "How much weight HAVE you lost?!" I joked it off, replying, "A leeeetle bit". He replied, again in front of everyone, "Well you really look good. It's especially noticeable after you came back from vacation!" I know he means well, and his weight goes up and down 20 pounds frequently himself. Also, in our office, there has occasionally been a Biggest Loser contest over the years, before I was hired. They are almost all men, and it's a fun challenge for them. But lately, more and more people are commenting on my weight-loss at work. I have found myself literally physically dodging certain individuals. I really do not want to discuss the numbers. So I don't. I give a deliberately vague answer when I am flat out questioned about how much. The reasons for this are complex. But I know that a great deal of the reason is that I am ashamed of how much I have to lose. I don't want to be ashamed, but now that the blinders are off, it is hitting me full on. I can no longer ignore the fact that I was over 300 pounds. I know that this is something I will struggle with for a long time. I also know that once I achieve goal weight, I still will have to deal with these issues. I did not get to 302 by having high self-esteem. Of course I would never change a thing. The smartest thing I ever did was get banded. I know that no matter how hard these emotional hurdles are, this is what I needed to do. I am thrilled with my new body so far, and thrilled with what it can do. I vow to take good care of it for the rest of my life. But I have no illusions that this is only physical. If I don't get some "WLS" surgery for my brain, I am doomed to go back up the scale. I'm a little scared, because I think that will be the hardest part of this process. Thank you for always sharing the reality of what this process is and does. It helps immensely to know that we are not alone.

This is a pretty good one. http://lapbandtransformation.com/Adjustments.htm Overall.. the only thing I don't really do it drink carbonated beverages. and I TRY not to drink with food, I do occasionally though. I'm talking physical things.. not things like "don't have milkshakes" that should be obvious lol Everything else is really up to how you personally wanna lose weight... if you wanna do low carb or whatever.. that's your choice, but the band doesn't care..

This board is full of people that surpass the averages. Fingers crossed that we can join them, Fluff. I like to have a solid, realistic goal.. and when I get there, then move the bar lower. Who knows.. maybe we'll be thrilled with 170 or 180! Lol. What I don't want to do is convince myself that 150 will come easily, then beat myself up if I don't get there. Keep in mind, the nadir weights on that chart are at 28 months postop on average.. so weight can continue coming off for well over a year postop.

The only thing I was told not to eat again are things with certain types of seeds. Blackberries, Boysenberries that have larger seeds and seeds that are a strange shape like caraway seeds because they can get caught in your staple line. Everything else are just recommendations really. The sleeve diet was adapted from the RNY diet which is strict because they run such a high risk for complications. I will never drink soda or anything else with carbonation ever again because of a presentation I saw on how it affects your stomach. It literally bIew up like a balloon. I don't want to stretch it back out. I did have a little wine on Thanksgiving/Christmas but plan to only have that on special occasions. The truth is, with a sleeve you will eventually be able to eat anything. The bigger question is why would you want to? One of the great things that WLS does for us, is that it tames the hunger beast inside. You eat those old bad things and you run the risk of awakening it. That's why so many people put their weight back on. I personally went thru too much and worked too hard to lose the 104% of my excess weight to sabotage myself and out it back on! Good luck on your journey!

My NUT told me that some people (mostly women) lose weight as if they are stepping down stairs (lose and then stay the same for a bit, then lose and then stay the same for a bit). Others lose like walking down a ramp (basically lose the same amount on average every week). For some reason this picture made perfect sense to me and has stuck in my head. I am for sure a stair stepper and it drives me nuts but I keep telling myself that it doesn't matter if you are stepping down stairs or walking down a ramp you'll eventually get to the bottom So it may not be a true stall but maybe just the flat part of the step. Hang in there!!

This might be unrelated but.. My betterhalf's family would rarely talk to me during get-togethers, I felt as if I were jugded for my looks and that I had problems, they seem so fake. Now I'v lost some weight and inches and I'm looking better, they are speaking to me, I feel like screeming, I'm only excepted if I'm thin, people can be so rude. Its the person inside, your soul I try to see. Take care of yourself first!