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yes - log food and figure out how many calories you're currently averaging a day - and cut back gradually from there until you start losing again. Once people are out a ways from surgery, the number of calories it takes to maintain or lose varies tremendously depending on a lot of different factors, so you'll just have to experiment to find your range. I can maintain on 1700 and lose on 1500, but that seems to be on the high side for women. A lot can only eat around 1200 to maintain. So again, you'll have to experiment to see what level works for you. and yes - increasing exercise can help a bit (and is great for your overall health), but as they say, weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise, so you'll have to adjust your food intake as well.

There is transient depression as we heal. For no reason, you might wake up depressed, or have it descend upon you. It's important to know it's temporary and has a physical derivation caused by fluctuating hormones released from your fat as you lose weight, or as a result of anesthesia and having someone inside you messing with your guts. (Your guts produce neurohormones that regulate mood.) Hang in there. Deep breathe, drink LOTS of water, do comedy therapy on Netflix, walk a LOT, get outside into sunshine and nature, hug someone hard for a long time! Smile to your reflection in the mirror, get enough sleep, eat your protein and veg and all will be well in your world soon.

Im 3.5 months post RNY and have lost an amazing amount of weight. I've been extremely strict with myself! I went to a year end function and helped myself to a few Snacks as a treat.... Two days later I weighed in and had picked up over a kilogram / half a pound!!! It's coming off very slowly too... With ONLY shakes and lots of exercise. Can anyone shed any light or hope? Am I going to be on shakes for the rest of my life in order to maintain my weight? Sent from my SM-G900F using the BariatricPal App

Hi Tracy, I'm Becky and a new member. I also had the lap band many yrs ago lost 60 lbs never lost anymore but never gain either. My surg is sch for the 4th for the sleeve and just wanted to wish you good luck.

It's mostly on my inner thigh. My thighs are where i carry most my weight I think

Hey WLS family! I just finally posted my first video for my weight loss journey! I'm so self conscious and nervous so please watch it and subscribe and let me know what you think! I'm looking forward to sharing my journey with everyone!

I get the impression Rembo69 is a male, not a female. He stated, "My wife and I" when he posted, but I could be wrong. He probably won't have estrogen flooding his body. I like what you said about not comparing their weight loss to each other. Men and women do lose at different rates. I agree that I think they'll both be fine getting it on the same day.

Well I've been discourage becuz I am 6 lbs away from being in ONEderland and I cant seem to get there no matter what I do. I know I havent been eating the right foods, I cant seem to get into the exercise becuz I am not seeing any results. Just sore muscles and no weight loss. :biggrin: I dont know how to get back on the bandwagon. I am thinking about doing the 5 day pouch test. I know my band is working becuz things get stuck often. I dont think I am able to eat very much and I have to wait til like afternoon before I can eat something close to solid. All morning it's just shakes and coffee and iced tea. I think it's a combination of probably not getting in enough calories and not having the motivation to exercise becuz I'm not seeing any difference in my clothes or the scale. Has anyone else gotten down about their band and just stopped following the rules becuz it doesnt seem to be working. ??? Private msg me if u dont want to post on here. blessings to all and hope to get some support here. love and light dolphin

I'm curious to see how people handle taking these types of medications. I know this is a very personal question and there may be some who do not want to share. I understand completely. My curiosity is about how your stomach handles the medication. Are the pills difficult to swallow or mix with food? Do you still have the same kind of hunger as before? Some of my meds made me gain weight. Has anyone found it difficult to lose because of their meds?

Ok, let's take a deep breath....... Everything will be just fine.. Now, which surgery did you have? The RnY or the sleeve? I know that I had the sleeve and I don't have a pouch, I have a stomach that is still intact but just smaller..... When you get to goal, whether it's before the end of a year or after we just go into maintenance. Which means we follow our NUT direction and eat a few more calories to maintain a certain weight. No big deal. You can do this, just take 1 step at a time. Always keep the diet high in protein and low in carbs.

So much has happened to me since I had my VSG 3 years ago. I look back at the man I used to be with sadness in my heart. I used to hate myself. I was sick and tired of well .. being sick and tired. I had no energy so I slept all day. When I wasn't sleeping, I was thinking about what tasty treat I could devour to sooth the pain of my existence. I hated my job and hated socializing with people. I simply wanted to stay home in my protected bubble full of various electronic entertainment devices and a fridge full of goodies to dull the pain. At the time I was married for a total of 8 years. During those 8 years I continued in my lazy slothful and selfish ways. It is impossible to truly love someone if you do not love yourself. She has forgiven me, but sadly we have peacefully went our separate ways. There comes a point in relationships when too much damage has been done and no amount of effort can fix it. During those 8 years I had aspirations of becoming a Pharmacist. Year after year I talked about how I was going to go to college but never took action. As the years passed, the weight continued to pile on making my dream fade away. Deep in my heart I knew that if I could conquer my weight that the rest would follow. I was desperate and willing to try anything to get thin and healthy. After tons of research I came across the information regarding the VSG and knew without a doubt that this was the answers to my prayers. I began my fight. The first step was to figure out how to pay for it. After some investigation I found out that my insurance from work covered VSG after a 6 month required waiting period of seeing a Doctor and nutritionist. Of course I ended up gaining weight while waiting which luckily didn't affect my approval. Finally the day had come for my procedure. Everything went smoothly and I woke up in not too much pain. I remember it feeling like I did 1 million crunches and was super sore but not in agony. I did have very bad gas pain after the third day, but after lots of walking the gas was gone. I was now on my way to the promised land of the skinny. I followed all the doctors orders and dietary recommendations. I followed all the do's and the don't s to a tee. I was not going to risk screwing up this last chance at a new life. I picked my high school weight as my goal weight since I didn't really know which number to pick. After about 6 months I lost most of the weight. About 6 months ago I decided to really kick things up a notch and finally get to goal. I already exceeded my goal and weight 180 now. I did get an extended tummy tuck as the icing on the cake after all my hard work with my weight loss. I really wanted to be able to hit the beaches and not be ashamed to take my shirt off. Honestly the tummy tuck was MUCH more painful that the VSG. It was a pretty rough surgery indeed. I really recommend you not only reach your goal BEFORE getting any plastic surgery, but also be stable at your healthy weight for at least a year to make sure you can keep off the weight. Trust me - you do not want to have to endure a second tummy tuck - not fun. While my results look awesome I did lose most touch sensation around alot of my stomach especially near the bellybutton. I was a little dissapointed, but I have no regrets and was more than happy to accept the tradeoff. So now for the latest update. I have been attending college for more than a year now. I will be graduating from community college in August 2016 and will start Pharmacy school the following year. I have exceeded my goal weight and currently weigh 180 lbs and wear a size 32 waist and Medium to Large shirt depending on the style. I have experienced so many NSV's (non-scale victories) that I have lost count. I now have high self esteem and confidence in myself. I know that now that I have defeated Obesity in my life, I am an unstoppable force filled with drive and passion. There are no ladies in my life now, but I know one day I will attract the lady of my dreams. Matters of the heart cant be rushed. If you are debating whether or not VSG is worth it - for me it was a second chance a life. Embrace the VSG blessing and enjoy the incredible journey and absolutely life changing miracle that this surgery is. And now here is some before and after pics for you. - Be inspired - Shayne

Hello, I am new here, I am a mother of one and just recently got engaged for Christmas. I have been overweight since I was a child. I am now 33 and have tried many weight loss programs and i have lost weight but always gained it back plus some. So I thought the lap band would be a good thing for me and I just recently was approved for the surgery and the date is set for January 13th 2009. I am excited, I am now on my liquid diet and may need some support. This was one reason why I decide to join the thread. The second is the support after surgery. thanks in advance.

I was about 7mos post op, when I learned of my pregnancy. I'm now in my second trimester, I have not gained a pound. Baby is healthy. Prior to weight-loss surgery my hormones, thyroid and PCOS was all out of wack. Since dropping over 70lbs everything went back to normal, and so did my fertility. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using the BariatricPal App

My first couple weeks were rough. My stubbornness and determination that I put myself through surgery to lose weight kept me going! Good luck and it does get better! Thank you! It's been a loooonnngggg road, but when I look back the year went so fast.

I chose the band because it doesn't have the malabsorption issues, the weight loss is slower and more natural to me. The commitment to make sure I eat right will help both me and my family. I like that it is adjustable to fit my needs. I am hoping to have less excess skin with the slower weight loss. I was banded 11 days ago and am SO happy.

LOL dork. :confused: just kidding. me too. When I go back to work it is going to take me another 4 hours to devour all the posts here and on the other 2 boards I belong to. LOL DH will never see me. He said one surefire way for me to lose weight...attach the laptop to the stationary bike. LOL

Hi there! I am 9 days post op and I gained 2 pounds as well. I feel as though as soon as I started the mushie stage my body was starting to switch out of the starvation mode it was on during the liquid diet. I think all our bodies need time to adjust (i hope) to the band. I mean, if I'm eating 700-800 calories a day, there should be no reason that I should gain weight right? It's impossible. Try adding more physical activity in your day? Today I went grocery shopping and felt like I had a work out because since surgery I've barely walked more than 50 feet in one day. You're not alone! Nicole

I think we all went through those feelings. But to run away; well, that will only get yourself further away from being healthy. I started my weight loss journey 2 1/2 years ago. I was afraid, too. I live in Wisconsin and went to Texas to have my surgery. I was lucky enough to find a FANTASTIC surgeon and I to this day, still fly down there for all my fills. You need to remember, the band is just a tool; it is up to you to use it correctly. But I think you're ready. Bless your little heart; I've been there and now how scarey it is. I started at 305# and now I'm at 127#. I will keep you in my prayers and hope all went well for you!! Michele

The official Inamed position is your Band should be deflated completely. However, depending on how much you weigh (usually the more the better for this case), many docs will play with your fill level in order to ensure that you don't gain too much weight, but gain enough. This is a decision that needs to be made by your surgeon and your OB together... so you really need to contact both of them. Even if they want to keep a partial fill in, many surgeons recommend unfilling during your first trimester due to nausea issues... and some will unfill just prior to delivery as well as one often vomits during transition. Please contact your surgeon and talk with her about it. The first trimester is critical for development... so this is not something you want to procrastinate about. You can unfill now adn then refill in your second trimester, if it seems like you are gaining too fast. Can you take prenatals? There are some chewable ones out there, or at least there used to be? If not, at least find a chewable with 600-800 mcg folic acid.

You go girl! You look great! How has your weight loss progress been monthly? How many pounds are you losing each month?

I am super new to this entire journey. Had my very first meeting with a health educator and referral-with strong recommendation for the weight loss surgery and next step to the dietician, scheduled meeting with surgeon all next week. I have no idea what to expect.

NSV = non scale victory For me it's being able to wear heels and more stylish clothes. I always felt it was hard to be feminine and morbidly obese. Carrying so much weight coupled with not a lot of clothing options just made me go for comfort. I'm hoping this changes this year.

I had surgery in October 2014. I hit a stall until I started going to the gym. I was very shy about going to the gym. I got over it. I go to the gym at 5am every morning for 30 to 45 minutes a day. I over indulge in slider foods and mini reece cups are my biggest weakness... and if they go in the freezer omg its heaven. I'm still losing weight and haven't gained any yet. I met my goal and then beat it but I'm still losing and working on that six pack for summer vacation so I can make all my relatives jealous. lol. I gave up the Protein shakes but maybe I need to start back on them. I think you have conquered this already... only gaining 8 lbs... I'd say you have nothing to worry about.

Hi Everyone, I use a CPAP maching for sleep apnea and I had heard that often people don't need one after lapband surgery if they have lost weight. Has anyone ever been able to go off the machine after losing weight? I would love to hear about it. Going off would be wonderful for me! I am going through the preop testing now.

Well, i'm probably not to first to say i've had a problem with dieting. Doctors always tell me . "you'll lose weight if you eat six small meals a day." Hrms six small meals eh? I can barely find time for one a day . I'm a single mother of 2 and i work alot. When i fix the kids food i make a plate for myself but by the time i get them fed and try to sit down and eat they are trying to either A. Eat my dinner or B. Trying to get up from the table so i just put my plate on the counter and dont even bother with it til they are in bed. Ever since high school some how i've programed myself to eat just once a day. I'm wondering how this is going to effect me after the surgery with the different types of food they want us to eat. Anyone got any suggestions or advice? Cause all they seem to serve at the casino is fast food stuf and i'm so tired of fast food i just dont eat til i get home. That is if i have enough energy to eat something. I'm hypoglycemic so when i feel my blood sugar running low i drink OJ or eat a sandwhich. I go through more OJ and water in my house then actual food, mainly cause i smoke so damn much to curve the cravings but smoking is about to be out of the picture.... I have one pack left and i'm forcing myself not to buy any more after this.