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My 5th of 6th monthly dietician meetings is Wednesday, and I'm guilty of taking off a week or two after meetings. I've had weight loss every month, but I know the cheating ends soon.

Congrats on your decision. By now, the first couple folks have had their surgery. I hope all is going well. I had a lot of pain and my stomach was very upset. The intubations tube (in and out) was done while I was out because I don't recall it. Anyway, originally I said I would have extra skin taken off and a boob lift when I lose all of the weight. Two days after surgery I told my husband he will have to be happy with a saggy bag of skin because I would never have another elective surgery. Now that I am 13 days out, feeling FRIGGIN FANTASTIC, I say, bring on the weight loss and the excess skin and boob lift will happen.... Good luck to you all, we are all here if you need us...

Best thing I could suggest to to basically do the pre-op diet. Focus on getting protein in and cut out nearly all the carbs. When I did my pre-op phase before I got my sleeve it was 3 shakes a day plus some special protein soups/drink mixes that I got from my doc's office. If you can't get anything like that you could substitute with chicken broth or bullion. When you do low carb it takes a few days for ketosis to really kick in, but when it does it sheds a fair amount of weight quickly. Granted a good chunk of that initial loss is shedding extra water but every pound counts. You just need to be sure you're getting your vitamins in. Good luck to you!

During my physician supervised diet months I weighed myself daily, it helped me keep on track, but there were a lot of days where it'd be up, up, then back down. There were even a few days in there where I'd weigh 9-10 lbs more than I did the day before, usually it was just Water weight, and it'd be back down the next day. It's normal. =)

What exactly should i say when i call back? Maybe its me asking my question wrong idk. I just ask them if my policy covers weight loss surgery. Sent from my SM-G530T using the BariatricPal App

Resale shops!! Yes...we have two of them in my area. I went there and got great deals on clothes for my kids. I never thought of that for me. Sometimes they even have things that were NEVER worn. For the last 10 years I've bought the same brand of jeans because I got sick of trying to buy them in "regular" stores and they never fit right. I held most of my weight in my back side. The jeans I have now, that are too big, are size 20-22. The one pair of scrubs I did finally buy were size L and I had been buying XL(which were a hair tight). That was about a month ago and I've lost 12 pounds since then. My scrubs tops are so big that I'm ready to sell or give them away. Most of them are XL. I'm going to make it a goal to find time to go shopping this weekend and buy a couple things. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm also going to check out those websites that you suggested. Thanks for the tips!

I am the direct opposite of you "hating shopping". I absolutely love it when I'm in the mood to shop. Initially for me, shopping was not an issue as I had a closet full of mixed sizes from the last time I had lost a significant amount a weight, which was about 2 years ago. So I enjoyed shopping in my own closet for a while. Once I outgrew those, and had to venture out, I went to stores like Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshall's, Target (not so much), Walmart and Kmart (the last two mainly for jeans if I could not find at the first 3 stores listed). I have looked into some of the thrift stores in my area, but I did not see any thing worth purchasing. I need to venture out to the upscale resale or consignment shops. However, as I have come across awesome purchases in smaller sizes I have bought them so when I reach that point I will have something to wear for that stage of weight loss. I love looking at some of the new trends and thinking to myself, "that's going to look really good on me". The push for new jeans has just come recently as my best friend informed me that I had a "saggy butt" in the pair that I had on with a belt. So I have purchased 3 pair in my current size. Which as brought really nice compliments from my husband . The true issue that I am having at the moment are SHOES! I can't find many that I comfortable, because 1. I have developed arthritis in my toes in the lost two years with a foot surgery two months before I was sleeved, and 2. I am in between a wide and medium width shoe as well in-between sizes. It is a true hit or miss situation but nonetheless very frustrating. I actually walked out of a pair (just one) at work one day. Can you tell that was a big clue to stop wearing that pair? I'm also having bra fit issues and need to go get fitted and soon! Remember if your clothes are too big, you give the appearance of looking sloppy. Have someone snap a picture of you in your too big clothing and you will see what I mean. Show off your smaller curves, you've worked for them and earned them! Try not to stress too much about shopping and for now only shop as necessary. Hopefully, as you continue to get smaller you will learn to love the process of fitting clothes to your new shape. Best wishes!

Hello, I am 41 my start weight is 279. I just had my surgery on Dec 27th. Came home on yesterday from the hospital. Last nite was very difficult dealing with the gas pains. I could not get comfortable the gas pains were bad. I am going to walk today hopefully it helps.

We were warned in our pre-op class that gaining 10 pounds in the hospital was average. I only gained 6 pounds, but it did take a week to lose that.

I had a lap band 5 yrs ago I weighed 235 pounds I went down to 150-155 my goal is to stay at 155 I lost the weight in less than a year which was great I have gained 20 pounds which is a lot to me having a hard time staying on tract I went back for a fill 6 weeks ago I am going back thurs for another fill I do not feel the restriction I feel I need

Congratulations on your current weight loss and decision to get healthy. Sometimes it takes that one thing that will push you over the edge to make it happen. For me it was a diagnosis of stage 3 kidney disease. Unfortunately I waited too long and my health suffered but now I am down 96lbs and much healthier because I made this choice. I have never regretted it for one second. WLS gave me my life back! Good luck on your journey and if there is anything you need please feel free to reach out.

Can't lose weight even though I'm trying hard as I can and still not losing. What are some things that you done to lose weight before surgery? Sent from my 5054N using the BariatricPal App

I have excess skin, but would I call it an issue? No Do I have a lot? No I can pinch half and inch on my thighs and arms. About and inch on my hiney. My torso is where I held most of my fat as I think most guys do, so that is where I have most of my extra skin. I can pinch a good 2, 3 inches just about anywhere there. I also have the turkey skin under by chin. 2 years post op, I will assess where I am at with the excess skin. I am relatively young (45), but I was a smoker and have gained and lost weight over the years, which will cost me in the skin elasticity department. I'll wait until then to worry about what I am going to do, but until then, I am going to work out and get my fluids. There is a great post that has been stickied concerning excess skin. I'll definately take the turkey neck over the high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heavy breathing climbing stairs ...

Hi everyone, Some of you may remember me and some may not, but I thought it would be a good time for an update on myself and my daughter. I also have a question regarding VSG and diabetes. I had VSG in November of 2010. My highest weight was 251. My lowest weight was 104 (too low for my 5'5" frame) and now I am holding steady between 108 - 112 (has been this low for over a year now). My regular doctor still thinks I am too thin, but my labs have been great so he isn't nagging me too much. My biggest problem other than what I address below is that I have a hard time finding clothes that are small enough (yeah, I know - stop complaining). My daughter had surgery the same day as I. Unfortunately, she developed a leak and was in the hospital for quite a long time. She has since lost over 200 pounds and feels terrific. She has new-found confidence (she is 23) and is much happier than she used to be. She has always been beautiful, but now the way she feels about herself makes her even more so. Now for my question. I went to my PCP on Friday and he is concerned because he said that my blood sugar could be going too low. I "had" type II diabetes but haven't been on any medication since the surgery. So, I got a new meter and have been checking my blood sugar levels. They have been about as perfect as they can get, with the exception of me gorging on a lot of candy last night (I'd like to say it was an experiment, but I love candy and eat too much of it, too often). About 1/2 hour to 1 hour after eating a lot of sugary candy, my blood glucose level was 179. Within another half hour, it came back down to 103. So technically, if I had waited until the 2-hour mark after eating, my glucose level would have been fine. I don't like the 179 though. I have been craving candy, especially in the evening. It is almost as if I am a junkie and have to have my fix. But, once I start eating it, I can't seem to stop until I brush my teeth before bed! I've always had a sweet tooth, but never this bad. My husband tells everyone that I have a "tootsie roll pop problem." Also, if I don't eat candy, I start losing weight again. (Yes, I've tried Protein or good carb Snacks.) Anyone with any insight on this issue? One theory I have thought about is either that my blood sugar is going low so I crave sweets to bring it back up or that my body goes after sweets because I am so thin and it is trying to get me to not lose anymore. Or, something I don't like to think about - I am tempting my diabetes to come back and need to kick the sugar habit asap! Oh, and one thing I neglected to say - my current weight also includes my extra skin, which my PCP figures is somewhere in the 10-12 pound range. So, I'm actually a lot thinner than the scales say. Thanks. Marilee Quote MultiQuote Edit Report

My name is Stephanie... I started poking around here a couple weeks ago, and finally set up an account and decided I should do an introduction I have tried countless weight loss strageties and spent a lot of money trying to make it work. Frankly, I don't know what else to do to help myself, and so I began to look at the lap band. When I first went through my insurance benefits (Regence BCBS of Oregon) , the booklet said that they did not cover any type of WLS surgery (and this is for an actual employee of BCBS!!). I started to look into Mexican banding options, as I could not afford the $18k self pay quoted in Oregon. One of the gals from Oregon Weight Loss Surgeries said I should send my insurance info over anyways, and that sometimes with these companies you had to ask the right questions to see if you're covered, even if the book says you're not. Lo and behold two days later I got a letter in the mail saying that I could get WLS surgery under my insurance. The copay is $3750, and I do have to do a 6 month supervised diet through a BCBS program called "Turning Point." I'm so excited to be covered in the US, and I don't mind the diet program requirement My question is this: Has anyone from Oregon that is covered by BCBS Innova plan gotten the lapband with the 6 month diet requirement? What is the program all about (I am waiting on a call back from a health coach from Turning Point)? Has anyone purposely not lost much weight to stay in the BMI requirement? Has BCBS looked at beginning weight only? So many questions

My wii fit says i should be 145.5 *among other mean things* I'm shooting for 150. My curent weight is 268. My first goal is 250, then 225, 199, 170, then finaly 150. Do any pf you have wii fit and feel like its making fun of you? When i step on ot says things like oh and thats obease and in the one game it keeps saying fight that fat lol

Monday, August 11, 2008 CHICAGO - You can look great in a swimsuit and still be a heart attack waiting to happen. And you can also be overweight and otherwise healthy. A new study suggests that a surprising number of overweight people - about half - have normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels, while an equally startling number of trim people suffer from some of the ills associated with obesity. The first national estimate of its kind bolsters the argument that you can be hefty but still healthy, or at least healthier than has been believed. The results also show that stereotypes about body size can be misleading, and that even "less voluptuous" people can have risk factors commonly associated with obesity, said study author MaryFran Sowers, a University of Michigan obesity researcher. "We're really talking about taking a look with a very different lens" at weight and health risks, Sowers said. In the study, about 51 percent of overweight adults, or roughly 36 million people nationwide, had mostly normal levels of blood pressure, cholesterol, blood fats called triglycerides and blood sugar. Almost one-third of obese adults, or nearly 20 million people, also were in this healthy range, meaning that none or only one of those measures was abnormal. Yet about a fourth of adults in the recommended-weight range had unhealthy levels of at least two of these measures. That means some 16 million of them are at risk for heart problems. It's no secret that thin people can develop heart-related problems and that fat people often do not. But that millions defy the stereotypes will come as a surprise to many people, Sowers said. Even so, there's growing debate about the accuracy of the standard method of calculating whether someone is overweight. Health officials rely on the body mass index, a weight-height ratio that does not distinguish between fat and lean tissue. The limits of that method were highlighted a few years ago when it was reported that the system would put nearly half of NBA players in the overweight category. A number of experts say waist size is a more accurate way of determining someone's health risks, and the study results support that argument. Dr. Robert Eckel, a former American Heart Association president and professor of medicine at the University of Colorado, said the new research may help dismiss some of the generalizations that are sometimes made about weight and health. Study co-author Judith Wylie-Rosett emphasized that the study shouldn't send the message "that we don't need to worry about weight." That's because half of overweight people do face elevated risks for heart disease, explained Wylie-Rosett, a nutrition researcher at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. But, for those without elevated risks, losing weight "might be important only from a cosmetic perspective," she said. To arrive at the estimates, scientists analyzed nationally representative government surveys involving 5,440 people age 20 and over, and extrapolated to calculate nationwide figures. The new study, appearing in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine, used government surveys from 1999 to 2004 that included lab tests and height and weight measurements. Participants reported on habits including smoking and physical activity. In all weight categories, risk factors for heart problems were generally more common in older people, smokers and inactive people. Among obese people who were 50 to 64, just 20 percent were considered healthy compared with half of younger obese people. The results underscore how important exercise is for staying healthy, even for people of healthy weight, Wylie-Rosett said. The authors noted that fat tissue releases hormones and other substances that affect things like blood vessels, cholesterol and blood sugar. The results suggest this interaction varies among overweight and obese people, the authors said. The results also add to mounting evidence that thick waists are linked with heart risks. Among people of healthy weight in the study, elevated blood pressure, cholesterol and other factors were more common for people with larger waists or potbellies. This often signals internal fat deposits surrounding abdominal organs, which previous research has shown can be especially risky. Similarly, among overweight and obese adults, those in the "healthy" category tended to have smaller waists than those with at least two risk factors. Dr. Lewis Landsberg, a Northwestern University obesity expert, noted that the research didn't look at heart disease, and that not everyone with high risk factors develops heart problems. Still, he said, the study shows that waist measurements can help assess health.

Hello! I just had the surgery (rny) on Thursday. Nov 8th. I lost 61lbs since july (low carb/walking) I am so excited that Ive actually gotten the surgery...i was getting so impatient and now that 5 days have past since it still hasn't completely registered that the surgery part is complete. Lol My surgery went extremely well and my overnight hospital stay went by smoothly. If your reading this and are pre-op definitely walk when the nurses tell you to- it feels SO good! Left the hospital friday afternoon..even stopped at cvs for vitamins. I finally started feeling higher pain levels on sat/sun but only every now and then. The only thing i ever needed help with is getting out of bed which i finally was able to do by myself this morning. Yay!! Everything has gone extremely well for me (knock on wood) however today the old me is craving salty chips or even just some bread and butter but luckily my stomach is telling me "what the hell are you thinking!" My cravings havent been this bad since july. Im asuming this is normal..i just hope my brain gets over the cravings! So anyways i thought id join and say hello. A little about me: im in san antonio texas. Dr Dana Reiss was my surgeon. My first weigh-in in july was 472lbs. My last weigh-in Nov.7th was 411 lbs. I'm 5'11" so i get the "wow you dont look like you weight THAT much" sometimes...but then again i dont go blabbing my weight amount too much. I still havent decided on a goal weight. Ive been overweight my entire life...i dont want to be too skinny but i definitely dont ever want to be this heavy ever again. My goal for doing this was 1) health reasons. I turned 33 in july and started thinking...hmmm...how many more birthdays will i be celebrating. 2) to have children 3.) Cute clothes and shoes!! I havent worn female shoes since i was a little girl. I cant wait to wear dresses and heels!

I REALLY like Cheri's post. Her comments are probably the most common sense posts that i've read on here for a LONG time. I'm a 'slow loser.' And I'm ok with it. Never have I ever felt so accomplished, confident and satisfied when losing weight before. I've lost 50 pounds 6 months, including pre-op, which my doc absolutely counts as part of the process, because it IS!! I know that weight is gone!! My doc says 15 months is about when our bodies stop losing weight unless we really push ourselves. He says at 15 months after surgery thats when our skeletal frame adjusts to the 'new lifestyle' or whatever you want to call it. So I still have 50 pounds to lose to get to goal. I was sleeved in August, so that means I have till next Thanksgiving to keep losing if I continue to work the program. The way I look at it, this is year for me to celebrate, retrain myself to eat & live a healthy lifestyle. No habits formed from years of practice are going to change overnight. So I'm ok with being a slow loser. It will be the LAST TIME I ever lose a massive amount of weight. (I feel like that Taylor Swift song: i'm never, ever ever EVER gonna see the fat again.) So I am not rushing thru this wonderful experience. Maybe this comes from being an older gal and I don't feel like i need to lose the weight to start my life. I'll accept that. But what I don't want to accept is docs getting down on their patients and upsetting them by putting meaningless and harmful labels on them. Hang in there.

My name is Cheryl and I was sleeved a little over a year ago. At the start of my journey I weighed 542 pounds. Now I'm excited to say that I only tip the scales at 330 lbs. Needless to say, life has been somewhat of an adventure over the last year or so. I have been amazed at the doors opened to me. Everything has changed that's for sure! I no longer have to sit on the side lines of life, for once I actually get to play in the game. Not really sure what else to say. I've never been on one of these before. So...I guess I'm just hoping to make some new friends that can understand what life is like following WLS. Got one question. Just curious, has any of you lost weight just to find that you've lost friends too. I've been kicked out of the "fat chick club." I just don't get it. I'm still fat! Fatter than most of them. I'm still the same person, just a more positive outlook on life.

Why would they kick you out. you need to talk to them and be up front about this issue. You need them now more than ever and they could definitely learn from you.. Maybe they are afraid you are going to lecture them about their weight. We can guess all kinds of things but you need to talk it out and get to the bottom of it.

Ell up to 12 pounds lst preop last test on the 10 then wait for insurance to approve

You lost 12 or gained 12? Good luck on approval. Hope it is quick for you!!

The prerequisites for surgery will vary from one insurance provider to the next. In my case I had to undergo 6 months of medically monitored weight loss and exercise program to qualify and it seemed like the insurance company fought me every step along the way.

LOL!! My surgery is May 3 in Bristol CT. I'm very excited but also nervous. I'm down 8 pounds on the pre-op diet but have stayed the same the past few days, but I think it's that time of the month. So I'm hoping for a couple more pounds before Friday, when I have to weight in at the doctors. Where are you having your surgery?