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It was so good stayed down n I was able to eat it all!! It weighed out at 2 ounces. I feel full the only issue I had was not being able to drink while eating!!! But I'm sure I'll get use to that also!! I drank right at the 30 min mark lol!! It's so weird how different doctors do so many different things for the same surgery!!! Some people just start soft at 6 weeks I see on here

I am having the same problem, I am almost six weeks out and am so sick to my stomach all day everyday it is ridiculous! I am consuming almost nothing because I feel so terrible. I am at the point right now where I am really regretting having surgery I feel so awful!

Hi all....hoping some of you can help me here as both my medical team & I are stumped by what's been going on with me lately. I have been experiencing nausea & vomiting in the mornings when I wake up. Without being too terribly gross, it's either bile or saliva that I am getting sick on. I take a Zofran afterwards and typically feel better a couple hours later. I'm getting my fluids, Proteins and Vitamins in post morning vomit. MD checked labs and EKG all normal. Had a crummy holiday weekend because I felt ill. Next step since still having symptoms is to have an ultrasound of abdomen to see what's going on. It's been 5 weeks since surgery. It's so bad, I decided to pull back from solid foods and go back to softs to see if it made a difference. Supposed to go back to work next week. I can't imagine doing that with how I feel now every morning. Has anyone else experience this? Thanks in advance!

I know how you all feel but rest assured it does get better. I regretted my decision for weeks and then after taking the motion sickness tablets for a couple of days I got up one morning and felt 80% better. It took me about 4 mths to start feeling better although some days I still wake up feeling blah but it's way better. I am now 6 mths post op and have been nausea free for 2 mths and don't regret my decision half as much. Feel free to contact me anytime, this surely isn't easy but together we can help each other

Sign up today at http://health.discovery.com/BodyChallenge/BodyChallenge.do?targetFrame=reg_welcome and receive 8 FREE weeks at any Bally's fitness center. Today (1/17) is the last day to register for those 8 FREE weeks. I took advantage of this offer Sat. and got a good work-out. Someone who shall remain nameless (ahem Kee)worked my abs like crazy, I'm still sore 3 days later:huytsao..but thas a good thing.:nervous I guess:tired

i have a buddy who i met on these boards who has the same surgeon i was origanly going with who got sleeved 3 weeks ago that i text and keep up with

hello everyone, So Im starting my pre op diet very soon and I am a lil confused as to calorie and carb intake.... Is there a certain amount of calories and carbs we should be limiting ourselves to during the pre op diet?? I was told to do one week of : 3 Protein shakes A DAY ALL THE Water I CAN DRINK ALL THE YOGURT I CAN EAT ALL THE broth I CAN EAT ALL THE juice I CAN DRINK NO PULP AND I CAN HAVE sugar free Jello AS A TREAT. It sounds as if there is no limit to how much..... I purchased the Ensure clear and it has 180g cals and 35gcarbs, seems to be a lot....does this sound like something I should be drinking on a daily basis?? also the Ensure clear only has 9g protein which seems pretty low, is there a certain amount of protein I should be getting during the pre op?? Should I get the Ensure shakes they have 25g protein also should I be taking the little protein shots during the pre op?? Also what about the 3 day laxative I hear that people had to take should I do that even though I wasnt told to?? I see that each surgeon has different requirements but I just want to make sure I am taking the best route to lose as much as possible. Any ideas/adivce would be appreciated thanks so much 17 days to go yay!!

Has your doctors office confirmed that you need to do 2 weeks of the liquid diet? I know everyone's Dr./insurance is different but I only had to fast the night before, no two week diet. If your sure you have to do two weeks I would start off with two shakes a day (breakfast and lunch) and a full meal for the first week so you can work yourself up to the two week liquid diet then in won't be so much of a shock. I started off with one shake a day for the first 3 months and then I did two shakes a day and a full meal for 3 months. I lost 15 pounds doing that. I am sure you will do great. Look at the reward at the end of all this.

I hit 3 months post yesterday. So far I'm pretty happy with the results. I haven't had any stalls. At least none that I know of.. I don't weigh every week. I'm eating regular foods. I can pretty much eat anything. However, I can't each much of it. I'm usually full after about 4 bites. One thing I want to mention is that i have been breaking out in itchy rashes. On my legs, neck, thigh. At first I thought it was an allergic reaction, but now I think it has something to do with the fact that I'm not getting all the Vitamins needed for my body. I no longer drink Protein shakes. And even though I try to eat pretty healthy, I still don't think I'm meeting my nutritional needs. I'll ask my doctor about it at my next appt

My incisions were all better no irritation no swelling after two weeks. The only one that still hurt was my port site and it stopped after four weeks. I would call the Dr. just to be safe. How do your scars from other things normally heal? If they take longer as well, then it makes since this would take longer as well. Good luck!

I am 12 weeks and have an unfilled band.. I have gained 1 pound is all. Just make sure you eat small meal or snacks that are healthy and make water your main drink and you will be just fine. My doc told me because of my band I may need a c section. Not really sure what's up with that.

The drugs to help with the trauma to your body as well as you being swollen will make you be more weight immediately after surgery. In fact I wouldn't start worrying about looking at a scale and tracking weight loss until you are a good 6 to 8 weeks post surgery. That is when you will really start to see it kick into high gear.

Come on you can do it...... I have 2 weeks to lose 10lb min only 1000 cal.... I have lost 7 in a week!!! you can do it. Just stick to the plan. I am using a white board on my fridge to track my calories so I know where I stand during the day. Hang in there!!!

I did a 3 week preop diet and lost 20 pounds during those 3 weeks. However I was definitely eating less than 1200 calories a day. 15 pounds in 3 weeks is probably doable though. Good luck!!

I have been following the 5:2 intermittent fast for about a month and it helps my restriction. Google it for some info. Basically to give you a simple summary, I eat regular healthy food aiming for 1200 calories five days a week. Two days a week on Mondays and Thursdays I do a modified fast. That means for me, nothing at all but water or coffee up to 1pm. At 1pm a lunch of 500 calories, heavy on solid protein. Then nothing but water or coffee until my normal breakfast the next day. That's it. Two days of 500 calorie days. No snacking. It snapped me out of a rut I was in and my weight loss started up again. I also feel much better restriction with doing this. Good luck.

My surgery is this week, and I went ahead and bought me some stuff to take to the hospital. Some mouth rinse for dry mouth, a robe, socks, slippers, some gowns, toothpaste and toothbrush. I'll find out more Tuesday about what to take and what to expect. The only really downside is I caught a cold on Wednesday and it hit me hard Friday and Saturday. Hoping this doesnt postpone surgery as getting LOA through work was a process. Undoing it and redoing it seems like a PITA but hopefully it will not come to that.

Hey all, I've spent the past 12 months reading blogs and posts in preparation for my own sleeve surgery. It's been an intetesting time and I've taken in a lot. This is my first contribution. I'd love it to be funny and lighthearted but its a kinda dull past, but the future looks so much brighter. I've struggled with my weight since teen years. It's felt like my life has been one seesaw between gaining and losing weight. Try as hard as I can to play the "it doesn't bother me" part, but of course it does. Always slightly out of place and awkward. I'm 47 and making changes. Look out! My start weight was 135kgs. I was sleeved on 4 March by Dr Ramsay in Coffs Harbour Australia. I did a two week pre op optifast diet (punishment for years of personsl health offence) and lost 7kgs - good start, and have lost another 8kgs since my surgery - woohoo still smiling . I learnt very quickly that nearly everyone on the forums are supportive and informative and there are many of us. Although we share common experiences, we're all on our own journey and shouldn't compare or be negatively affected by what others have to say. I've been lucky and had an easy recovery but feel that the hard work is still ahead. For now I feel no hunger and can resist temptations without the mental anguish. How great would it be to have that for the rest of my life. And then to get to the point where I love exercise (I've been told it can happen??). I can only hope in another 12 months time I am able to post that I'm still smiling, getting near my goal weight and it's been an easy year. So glad I'm on this ride. Wishing a safe, happy and successful journey to all.

Ok my surgery was on the 10th im suppose to be on puree foods but my dr says its okay to eat soft foods like fish n chicken n stop when satisfied actually monday is week three and thats n my book says soft foods IM MY OWN MOTIVATION

Hi. I am getting my lapband soon but i had a question. This center i went to for my consultation insists you buy the 2 week pre op and post op items from them. The cost is over $400. When i went on the site for these same products. The cost is only 150 for what they will give me. Also.. they told me my copay is 10% out of pocket up to 2k. When i asked them what my cost is so i can fit it into my budget. They only tell me i wont pay more then 2k but wont give me any actual price for the surgery.. they want me to schedule all the tests and phyc appt before giving me my actual cost.. this just doesnt feel right... Has anyone had these issues? Is this normal ? I am in orange county ca. Im thinking of looking at different centers

I go through a 12 pack a week. Love it! They are on sale right now 5 for 5 dollars at whole foods. And if you add 2 more after getting 10 you get the case discount too. Its under 11 dollars for 12. Insane deal where I live!

Hello! I posted about a month ago, asking questions about banding. From there I prayed, and researched (more) and decided the band is exactly to tool I need to succeed with my weight loss goals. I've so confused about all the insurance stuff. I called member services and they said the surgery is coverage and gave me a link to the clinical policy bulletin which reads... Aetna considers open or laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), open or laparoscopic biliopancreatic diversion (BPD) with or without duodenal switch (DS), or laparoscopic adjustable silicone gastric banding (LASGB) medically necessary when the selection criteria listed below are met. Selection criteria: A. Presence of severe obesity that has persisted for at least the last 2 years, defined as any of the following: Body mass index (BMI)* exceeding 40 My BMI is 53 (good lord), and I have high BP. It also says naturally that you have to over 18 and done growing, attempted weight loss in the past without success in long term reduction, and meet either criterion 1 (physician-supervised nutritional and exercise program) or criterion 2 ( multidisciplinary surgical preparatory regimen). I am working with a weight management and bariatric surgery center near me. I have to complete consults, and tests with all sorts of different people on the team including attending support groups, and lose 5% of my body weight before surgery - it's a 3m process. So I'm assuming this meets criterion 2. Aetna words it like this: Criterion 2. Multidisciplinary surgical preparatory regimen: Proximate to the time of surgery, member must participate in organized multidisciplinary surgical preparatory regimen of at least three months duration meeting all of the following criteria, in order to improve surgical outcomes, reduce the potential for surgical complications, and establish the member's ability to comply with post-operative medical care and dietary restrictions: Consultation with a dietician or nutritionist; and Reduced-calorie diet program supervised by dietician or nutritionist; and Exercise regimen (unless contraindicated) to improve pulmonary reserve prior to surgery, supervised by exercise therapist or other qualified professional; and Behavior modification program supervised by qualified professional; and Documentation in the medical record of the member's participation in the multidisciplinary surgical preparatory regimen at each visit. (A physician's summary letter, without evidence of contemporaneous oversight, is not sufficient documentation. Documentation should include medical records of the physician's initial assessment of the member, and the physician's assessment of the member's progress at the completion of the multidisciplinary surgical preparatory regimen.) Sounds like my program right? I called my Aetna AGAIN to be sure they cover this surgery and she again assured me that it is covered so long as I meet the criteria and to bring the criteria to my NP consult. I know I have to wait to be approved after all my testing etc, but I'll (like anyone else) be so gutted if I'm denied. Anyhow, I'm waiting for June 30th for my NP consult and I'm so excited!! I've been reading everyone's stories and looking at before and after photos and I'm so impressed with the lot of you!! So inspirational. :confused:

Hi, I was diagnosed with PE in 8/07 after a few years of birth control pills. Luckily I ALSO had kidney stones which is what drove me to the ER and after the stone had passed and I should have been feeling better, I wasn't and they decided to do a ct scan AND found the clots in both my lungs and discovered a DVT in my right leg. So I am lucky to be here today as this can be fatal:ohmy:. I was on coumedin for 6 months and they did blood work to determine iF I had a blood clotting disorder. That was proved negative so it has been determined that the clots were caused by the birth control pills. I was banded on 8/29/08 and the only condition that my hematologist and pulmonologist required were that I have the IVC Filter placed in before the surgery as a precaution. So on 8/28 they put in the filter and then the banding was done on 8/29 and then the filter was removed on 10/13/08. I was on Lovenox for 2 weeks then continued with Coumedin up until 10/6/08. I have been lucky not to have any other occurences. Being on coumedin for life is no fun!!! Miss Nikkie

Hola, I'm sitting in hospital now waiting to have my surgery in PV Mexico. I got weigh and I lost 10kg which I was very happy about. Good luck with you diet, The two weeks went really fast for me and thats saying something because I L O V E to eat and to eat JUNK FOOD. A Smile Prada.

Hi. Do you mind sharing which hospital you are using? I went through Lahey with Dr. Brams. I am 2 weeks and one day out; and things have been going really well. Due to another health issue it ended up taking me 8.5 months to have surgery. I am not a patient waiter. One thing to keep in mind is the more weight you loose up front; possibly the lower weight you will end up with at goal. I ended up loosing about 52 pounds from my first consult to surgery. Most doctors require you to loose weight before the surgery mine said 30 pounds. The way I look at it is that I have lost weight in the past (more than 100 pounds 3 times) but gained it back. This time I am going to loose it and keep it off. I actually started exercising (hour of cardio 7 days a week) and semi watching what I ate in November 2008 and am now down 94 pounds. One thing to consider is to find an exercise you feel comfortable doing. The more often you exercise the more it becomes a habit. I have knee problems so my Ortho told me to consider swimming. Due to Clorine allergies I always hated swimming. Well I got a snorkle (covers eyes and nose); and a Water proof MP3 player. Makes swimming so much nicer. Helps pass the time. Even with the individual TV's at the gym I would rather swim than do the cardio machines. If you can only do 15 minutes that's fine consider it 15 more minutes of exercise than you used to get. Exercise does'nt have to be epic it just needs to be something you can sustain. And I don't know if it's because I was so fat that I actually get a lot of support from people at the gym. I think they are astounded that I exercise every day. I even had someone stop me at a store one time and said they recognized me from the gym and wanted to congratulate me on my weight loss.

1-2 days postop- sf liquids, jello 0, broth, sf popsicles. 3-6 days postop- same as about but add milk,yogart,hot cereal,sf applesauce,pureed fruits 7-49 days postop- deli meat,fish,tofu,hot cereal,string cheese,cooked vegetable 8 weeks & beyond..more solids foods...protein first