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If you are a food addict like me - yes you will feel anger , out of control emotions, helpless, suffocated and panicky I'm 4 weeks out and I've processed all of these feelings. I'm learning to stay busy. I can't sit around and let the addiction take over. I hope with more weight loss to start jogging. I just need to keep propelling forward. Yes surgery was the right choice for me. 100% sure.

Thanks so much for your response. I was told 2 weeks or more just wanted to know thanks.

I've been dying to eat refried Beans with melted cheese (after reading posts). Not all that cracked up to be but it's substance. Funny- I made half cup of beans with 1/4 cup cheese. Need my Protein because I refuse to eat any more whey protein powders after this nasty rash. So at my follow up I'm still 14 pounds down all done in the first week - none in second. I'm ok with that. I feel like I've learned so much from these posts and my own research that I kinda know why and what to expect. So thank you veterans of VSG!!! Ummmm - oh they found a bunch of cysts on my ovaries and apparently also a nodule which was biopsied and it did come back abnormal. Oh oh. Gotta see a Gynochologist. I don't have one. Well I do now after her recommendation. Again- not really worried. Thank you all VSG-ers. This has been a wonderful journey. I had some very very minor bumps. I'm doing splendid. They were shocked today that when they pushed on my belly it want tender at all. They also took my staples out. I spazzed over that and they knew I would becuse I'm a freak. I didn't feel a thing! Hahahahahahahahahha. I crack myself up sometimes. Ok- on to finish what I can of these beans and then I must wait 30 minutes to drink. That will take some getting used to. 2 more weeks off of work. Love my doctor! She has been so wonderful!

I had my post op appointment yesterday and I feel soooo much better about myself. I was really having a rough time last week with the whole mental eating. Talking with the nurse made me feel great and a big weight was lifted off my shoulder. I've been drinking my Protein shakes, bought some bars and I can now have tuna. For now on it's ONLY protein for me! Also, I joined Curves today and will begin working out at lunchtime Monday-Friday. That's going to help keep my mind off food as well. :whoo: Just wanted to let you all know that I am feeling much better and I am not going to let bad foods try to take control again!!!

Go to USER CP, and hit EDIT AVATAR then upload a picture. Your pic shows up when I pull your public profile, but for forum posts and blog posts, you'll need to upload an avatar picture. Hope that helps. The Twinlab multi is supposedly a fairly small pill. I can take huge horse pills without issue, and my surgeon told me to not worry about Vitamins until I was on mushies. During the first couple of weeks post-op, his main concern is staying hydrated. I think Dr. Aceves rule for pills is that you can take them immediately post-op as long as they are no larger than a regular M&M candy. My surgeon had the same guideline. The chewable I have kind of tastes like the fruity Tums without all the chalkiness. I've taken them since before my band surgery so right around 2 years. The only reason I'm switching to the Twinlab is because our GNC on base quit carrying my Vitamin, and the Twinlab offers a bit more in some of the micronutrients than the GNC. Plus, the cost of the Twinlab is even less than the GNC when ordered from vitacost. You're gonna do fabulous, and one thing that I really liked was the chicken, and veggie bouillion cubes instead of the broth. I could adjust the flavor by adding more Water than the pre-mixed broth.

Well ... I'm 2 weeks post op & I haven't had to cook yet. Yippeee!! I've never been a fan of it + my guy is better at it hands down (I have nooo problem admitting it lol) However I am looking forward to trying all the new recipes I've seen though. In regards to pizza night I saw a recipe on someone named eggface's blog. You can have that so you're having pizza too. When I find the link I will post it. From what I remember it was made on a whole wheat tortilla shell with veggies & stuff on it.

I am having the same problem as you, i started out at 387 and now have hit 315. I was banded 7/23. I have had 2 fills so far and seem to slow down the weight loss just a week before my next fill. I have a 10cc band and now have 8cc added as my fills. i have been walking but not too fast because of my knees and hip pain. i think if you are feeling well and your Doctor is not worried you should be ok. My doctor is not at all worried about my weight, in fact he will prob. not give me another fill until the weight slows down. Good luck with you weight loss and may you enjoy your band.

Just as you can see from the above posts, everyone is different and every doctor is different in their instructions post-op. My doctor, specifically, said to sip slowly (only 1 ounce every 5 minutes). As I've gotten further into my post-op phase, I have been able to drink much faster (faster than my doctor requires) and I haven't had any problems. I don't do large gulps of Water, however, but I will take several sips at a time without hesitation. The only time I have slowed down (besides my initial post-op weeks) was after my first fill because of swelling. I've heard that drinking to fast can actually cause the pouch to stretch; but, just as everyone says, liquids pass right through the band, so who knows. Play around with it and see what you're comfortable with!

So I am on Day 6 post op and will return to work on this Thursday. I am a little nervous about what I should take to make it through this second week on liquids. My first week was Clear Liquids and starting today I can progress to full liquids. That is to include my Protein Shakes, strained pureed foods, Soups,etc. I need suggestions on how others have gotten through this. Interestingly, I am not suppose to lift more than 10 lbs and am also struggling with how I am going to carry my purse, laptop case and lunch without exceeding that amount. Funny huh?! I just need help!

I also have three meals and will have up to two Snacks if I feel particularly hungry that day!

So … I made it! I made it through my 2 weeks of liquid diet. My poor mate, he said he thinks he saw horns. I was on edge because I was so hungry, close to foaming at the mouth. Not quite, but it felt like it. It was hard, I cannot even lie. I read about those who are like “I’m not even hungry.” and I am like WELL GOOD FOR YOU!!!!!!! lol No, really I think that is great, fortunate even. I was hungry. In the second week it was kicking in, the urge to lick everything I saw my mate eating. BUT, I hung in there … knew it was the right thing to do for my health and well being and stuck it out. Now TODAY I had a boiled egg pureed with a dab of light Mayo and a 1 tbs of applesauce. I have been dreaming about that egg like it was Vin Diesal. Let me tell you, it was EVERYTHING!! I chewed 25 times and was slow. Didn’t get through all of it, lol had to lick my spoon in the applesauce just to get a taste because it all didn’t fit. I was stuffed. I know now the calling card of when to stop. Pressure on my chest and the sigh. lol I wish I stopped 2 baby spoons earlier. I took my left overs and put it in the fridge, but I feel great. So happy I stuck through my two weeks, just made my breakfast more delicious. Didn’t finish it all but it was enough, one step at a time but I feel like I’m getting there.

My protocol required two meetings. I ended up doing three. Pay attention at the first one. For some reason I had interpreted his comments about stopping tv snacking as a gentle suggestion. At my second meeting the following month, he told me he wasn't signing off because I hadn't broken the snacking habit. Boy was I p!$$3d. I got mad, and then I got busy. I broke that habit by the next meeting. That was in November. I have not tv snacked since. Only afterwards did I understand that he was right. If I couldn't or wouldn't change that behavior, no way would I succeed at WLS. I didn't realize until then that this process really requires discipline on my part. No easy fix here.

HELLO EVERYONE, I HOPE I'M DOING THIS RIGHT! I HAD MY LAP BAND SURGERY ONE WEEK AGO ON SEPT 3. IT WAS NOWHERE AS EASY AS LAPARSCOPIC GALL BLADDER SURGERY LIKE SOME COMPARED IT TO. I THOUGHT I HAD A DECENT PAIN TOLERANCE UNTIL THIS PROCEDURE BUT I'M SOME BETTER NOW. DON'T WANT TO SCARE ANYONE WHO'S CONTEMPLATING THE SURGERY SINCE I'M HOPING IT WILL BE WORTH IT ONE DAY!:omg_smile:

Thought some of you might find this interesting... 5 Ways Vitamin D Could Save Your Life 'GMA' Medical Contributor Marie Savard Explains the Best Ways to Get Vitamin D By RAQUEL HECKER Aug. 3, 2009 — Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin, and it has a lot of sunny benefits, but most Americans aren't getting them because they aren't getting enough of it. Between 50 percent and 75 percent of Americans get suboptimal levels of vitamin D, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Now a committee at the Institute of Medicine is meeting to determine whether the recommended daily intake of vitamin D should be increased. ABC medical contributor Dr. Marie Savard came on "Good Morning America" today to offer five ways vitamin D can aid your health and tell you how to get more of it. Why People Are Vitamin D Deficient Nature gave us only one good source of vitamin D, and that is the sun. We are meant to absorb vitamin D from the sun through our skin. When we lived closer to the equator and worked outdoors, we were OK. But that is not the case today. And food is not a good source of vitamin D, not even fortified food. Five Ways Vitamin D Can Save Your Life Promotes Weight Loss - You need vitamin D to effectively lose weight. Your insulin works better, and vitamin D helps you lose belly fat. Diabetes is also related to low vitamin D levels. Reduces Risk of Death - Your overall mortality is reduced. Fewer Bone Fractures - Without vitamin D, Calcium can't be absorbed. But if you get enough vitamin D, it can help you avoid osteoporosis, bone fractures and falling, which is a cause of morbidity among the elderly. Reduces Risk of Heart Disease - Vitamin D improves blood flow by relaxing the blood vessels and lowering blood pressure. Helps Fight Cancer - Vitamin D improves the functioning of your immune system, and that helps fight cancer. Five Ways to Get Vitamin D 15 Minutes of Sun 3 Times Per Week - You can get 10-15 minutes of high-noon sun exposure in warmer climates a few times a week. In the South you can do this all year long; but in the North it will work only in the summer months. But this is unrealistic for those who already wear sunscreen all day, or have been warned to stay out of the sun by their doctors. Fatty Fish and Cod Liver Oil - If you are one of those people who have been warned to stay out of the sun, another good natural source of vitamin D is fatty fish. In food, vitamin D is naturally found in fatty fish like salmon and in cod liver oil. Fortified Dairy Products - You also can get vitamin D in fortified dairy products. But you need to be careful. There are only 100 units of vitamin D per cup, so kids and most adults would need at least four cups of dairy products per day. You could drink four glasses of milk a day, but most people choose not to. Multivitamin supplements - Most Multivitamins have a substantial amount of vitamin D. Vitamin D Supplements - I recommend 1000 to 2000 international units of vitamin D supplements every day. It's cheap, there are no side effects or down sides. Although D3 is considered more potent and longer lasting, both D2 and D3 are acceptable. Copyright © 2009 ABC News Internet Ventures

Got a phone call last night. I was approved, which should be exciting news except there are a lot of tricks to this. Since my doctors have been prolonging things, my insurance is up on my birthday October 31. When i turn 23, This is the COMPLETE cut off date for Tricare. They are trying for surgery the 23rd. With no pre opt diet. Is this going to work? And if it does..... I won't have insurance until November after the surgery. Is this a bad idea? Should I just forget having the surgery? But if I don't have it, that's 8 months that I waisted away planning for this day. I'm so confused and alone right now!!!! I'm going crazy!! Not to mention, I have NO MORE TIME OFF left at work. Could I go back to work during recovery? I only work 4- 5 hours a day during the week as a bank teller.

I have had really good restriction since my second fill but for the past 2 weeks or so, I have days where my restriction is normal but there are others that I am super super tight and I pb alot or throw up. This is not like getting a bit tighter during the week before my TOM, it is totally random. Does anyone else have this happen, am I normal or a mutant?

I didn't really hv stages. I went from liquids three weeks to gradually adding mashpotatoes to relied beans to meat and whatever I could tolerate. Every doctor is different.

Hi! I could really use guidance from someone who has already walked the path I am heading down. I am a 40 year old married female, and live near San Antonio, Texas. My husband is very supportive but I need someone who has experienced what I will be inevitably going through. I am 5'1" and started my 2 week pre-op diet at 211lbs. I am currently at 204. My goal weight is 132 (my wedding weight!).

First....let me apologize.... :thumbup: Did any one have problems with the bubble guts? My stomach has been bubbling like crazy! I can tell it isn't hunger bubbles. I have been burping and (well sorry to say) tooting like crazy! It is a bit painful at times. Is this normal??? Gas-X has been my best friend for the past week. Any other home remedies or suggestions??:smile2:

I'm two weeks post op tomorrow and doing great. one problem, i'm in the most pain when i lay on my back. Anyone else had this issue. i can sleep on my side with no port pain, but as soon as i go to my back it seems like my port sticks out more and the pain is horrible. it hurts more than i ever hurt after surgery. like i said i have no pain when i'm up and moving or sitting but as soon as i lay down it is unbareable. i know your going to say so sleep on your side, but its hard for me to be on my right side contiually all night long. anyone else have this issue.

I am 1 week out and feel no pain from sleeving, but the pain from my gallbladder removal is terrible! It's the only thing that hurts.

What protein shakes are you using? Can you drink isopure or premiere protein drink I know I. Ouldnt drink whey and when I tried premiere and isopure I have had no problems and I am 7 weeks out each day does get better. Welcome to the losers bench .

I did experience a stall at 3-4 weeks after surgery that lasted almost 3 weeks. It was also accompanied by intermittent constipation. Started taking Miralax at doctor recommendation. Constipation resolved and stall broken at about the same time. I attend a monthly group meeting of sleeve patients and the consensus there is that stalls are real and can occur from time to time. Most say an increase in exercise or even attention to quantities being eaten can break the stall and get you on the road again.

Hello. I was banded two and a half years ago. I was 105 pounds overweight. I started out at 248 and now weight 176. I have gained about 6 pounds since January due to being too loose. I just went for a fill a couple of weeks ago. The problem I am having is I just can't seem to lose these last twenty pounds. I stopped losing right around 165 pounds. I keep gaining and losing the same 5 or 6 pounds. I have slacked a little on my exercise, but I am back on it. Before I was rapidly losing 1-2 pounds a week the first year and a half even by not really going by the high Protein low carb rule because I was just not hungry. Now it seems that no matter what I do this weight is not moving. My dietician told me that I should have no more than 25 grams of fat and 60 or under grams of carbs. To me this is almost impossible, being that most low carb foods are high in fat. I cannot exercise 6 days a week because I work a full time job and I have two grade school kids that need my attention. Has anyone else been through this and what helped you lose those last few pounds?:ohmy:

Not sure what you define as "a while", so I may not be what you had in mind :cool: - BUT, I'll give you my answer anyway. I've only puked once (two weeks ago) - I ate some chicken that was a bit on the dry side....let's just say, I hope to continue my non-puking streak - that was not pleasant. I do sometimes feel food just sitting there sort of stuck"ish", but it usually goes away within a few minutes so not sure it's a real stuck, KWIM?