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I have learned your body is going to do what it's going to do. I'm 7 months out and am down 45 lbs when a lot of people have already reach goal. I'm also a revision patient, had the band in 2007 and converted to sleeve November 20, 2013. Just stick to the rules and you will lose, slow sometime and sometimes fast. I will give you an example, for the past 3 months I have not done anything as far as weight loss goes, I've bounces around with the same 5 pounds for months. Everyone says after month 6 it slows down and I was really worried because it was already slow but suddenly from month 6 to 7 my weightloss has done the opposite and I'm almost down 10 lbs this month, so everyone is different. Focus on you and your journey, that's what I have to keep telling myself as well because it's easy to compare yourself to others. Best wishes to you!

9.2 cc's in a 10 cc band? I'm going to guess with those numbers someone miscalculated...I know it's a 5cc difference, but still.... Have you ever had any restriction or feedback from your band?

after 100 lb weight loss, I wanted new picture for drivers license talked to clerk about my wt loss and WLS - he told me he had gastric bypass 5 years ago (small world)- and except for about 5-10 lbs he sometimes teeters with, he's doing great (water, Protein et al - doing terrific) - he lost 170 lbs and he looked great even though clerk didn't have the sleeve, its nice to see someone "long term" post WLS - continue to be successful i have heard some people do gain all their weight back, i guess that can happen to any of us (not to me of course!!! ) he called other clerk over, showed my old license to her - they both couldn't believe it was me!!! If i do say so myself ( and I do!!!) my new picture is pretty darn good - all modesty aside i DO look great - feel great too

I did things ass backwards because that's my style. LOL first I sought out the surgeon Google search, word of mouth, location to home, and everything I could find on this surgeon to see if he was a safe bet and then I looked to see if my insurance covered it. I have Aetna so I was able to look up my benefits online and see what all was covered and thankfully it was. They also fast tracked me to a 90 day prep for surgery program because I was well over 40 BMI even though I had no known co morbidities and because I went to a Center of Excellence, I only paid 10% of the cost instead of the standard 20% I would normally have paid. I made the reservation for the seminar and went in and got all my questions answered and really by the end of that night I had scheduled my first nutritionist visit and first surgeon visit because I knew it was the right thing for me. After that, I had 4 visits total with the nutritionist, 1 psych eval with the in house psych, and 2 visits with the surgeon over the 90 days and then it went to insurance and was approved within 3 days and I had surgery a week later. It all happened so fast I didn't have time to panic or obsess about anything, which worked out just great.

As far as payments, that’s going to depend on your surgeon’s office policies. For reference, mine wouldn’t accept payments. They wanted full payment the Friday before my surgery. Luckily my insurance covered everything so I didn’t owe a penny. Contact your office and they will let you know their expectations. For the approval process, my office scheduled my surgery a week and half out from when I completed all of my clearances then submitted all the paperwork to my insurance for approval. I had a pre-op class that Friday where I bloodwork done. Got approval from insurance that Monday and had surgery Wednesday. I definitely thought I’d have more time to mentally prepare for surgery. I had no idea that I’d be having surgery 10 days after I completed clearances. Again, this is all very surgeon specific.

I remember the 3 week stall but is there also a big stall at the 6-7 month mark. I am 10-15 from goal and haven't lost anything in about 3 weeks. Just wondering if everyone stalls or am I leveling off? Hw was 232. Sw 218 and current weight 155. DOS 3/26/13.

I'm on day 10 of a liquid pre-op diet..it's been better than I had feared but I'm still hungry. I swear this diet is eating away my brain cells! It's hard to concentrate! My surgery is at 7 am tomorrow (June 3) and I'm both excited and nervous. I want to lose this weight once and for all, but it's still surgery and a big change to my relationship with food. Good luck to all my fellow June bandsters! This time tomorrow I'll be banded!!

I would like to thank everyone for their sincere thoughts and prayers for my surgery Monday, December 16. I woke up from surgery in relatively little pain, the procedures ended up being very routine and uncomplicated. My problems came the day after surgery, when I attempted to take in any liquids. Any liquid going down, would cause my digestive system to go into painful spasms. My surgeon decided to keep me hospitalized for an additional day to see if they could convince by body to tolerate liquids and keep me hydrated with IV fluids. Muscle relaxers were administered to help with the spasms. Additionally, my blood sugar weirdly went up and I was administered 2 doses of insulin. Never before had blood sugar issues and no family history of diabetes. The second day after surgery, Wednesday, I was feeling much better, could sip without pain, and was cleared for discharge. That night, in my own bed, I slept an unheard of, for me, 10 hours.  I have had 4 previous abdominal surgeries, 1 open, 3 laparoscopic and this is, by far, the least painful. I have not needed any of the prescribed narcotic pain relievers sent home with me. Had to go back to the hospital Thursday for a blood test. There is history of DVT blood clots, so I have to be on injectable blood thinners for 3 weeks. The blood test was to check the therapeutic level of the medicine. I spent the first few days at home taking in clear liquids and soon moved on to full liquids. Today is my 4th day on puréed foods, and I’m doing OK. It was a bit difficult, mentally, during the holidays, but I made it through. Tiredness is an issue, but I have to be gentle on myself since I’m still healing. I’ve still not had any real pain except, when I accidentally take too big of a drink or a deep breath, I get a pain in my left shoulder. At my post-op appointment, the surgeon explained that the hiatal hernia repai must have irritated a nerve that runs through the shoulder. It should go away in time. I’ve also been dealing with constipation, but just started with Miralax. I get to go back into the pool for water aerobics on Monday (can’t wait), but was ordered back to the gym to walk, do the treadmill, and recumbent bike on January 1. Weight wise, I am down 16 lbs since surgery, 72 lbs since I started the bariatric program, and 129 lbs from my all-time high weight. I have no regrets. I go back to work Monday, January 6.

I want to be able to keep up with my 9 & 10 year old little girls. I want to join them at the park instead of watch from the sidelines. I want to ride roller coasters and not wonder if the bar is going to lock into place. I just want to live again! Sent from my iPad using LapBandTalk

So I just scheduled my first consultation for an arm lift, woo hoo! I have no idea what they cost and I am not traveling out of the country for it, so I will probably have to save for a good while, but at least I will know whether I am a good candidate and the price. My arms are the only part of me that needs some "professional" help, in my opinion. I have a bit of an issue with my upper thighs, but it is something that only I notice and not noticeable to others, even in shorts. I would love a bigger chest, but I am not willing to pay for it, haha. Luckily, my chest has only gotten smaller, but I don't have any issues with extra skin in that area. Considering I am between an A and B cup (yes, you read that right, a 39-year old that could wear a training bra, LoL) I don't think I have to worry about extra skin even if I lose another 10 pounds.

Yes, first be proud of your accomplishments. You have come a long way in a short time. You're edging in on halfway to goal and yes, every pound you've lost is one gone forever. That said, I get it. We all do! I'm at goal, I'm quite small and there are still days (particularly when I'm emotional or moody) where I feel like a fat person. Why? Because we've gotten in the habit of being mean to ourselves, we're incredibly hard on ourselves and sometimes, we have unrealistic expectations. I lost 108 pounds and yes, I hate looking in the mirror and seeing all that skin. What? Did I honestly expect to shed all the weight and still love my abused body? I'm at goal. I'm small. It's amazing what our damaged self-esteem can make us feel - I'm in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and I'm considered plus size here. I can look in the mirror and know that I'm small - but still feel BIG in comparison to the local ladies! When people stare at me here, I always feel self-conscious all over again, even though I know in my head that they're staring at me because I'm obviously not Central Asian or Russian, and because I have visible tattoos! It's weird the way our brains work and it takes a long time to get over some of these things. Hang in there. I was right where you are now in November of 2010. I was a few months out from surgery and down about 50-60 pounds. Yes, I was thrilled to be the size I was but honestly, I was stalled out for nine weeks around that time and felt like I'd never get smaller. It was right around this time that I was just starting to have people notice the loss, too, and it wasn't all the time, either. The reality here is that it really does take a lot of loss to start seeing size changes when you're plus sized. For me, I didn't lose the first pant size until about 30 pounds off - and then another after 20 more pounds. It wasn't until I was in non-plus size clothes that I could lose a pant size after dropping only 10-15 pounds. Once you start seeing a real difference both in the mirror and on your clothing tags, I'm sure you will feel a little better. As for whether or not people are considering you that large person I wouldn't be so sure. I was horribly self conscious when I was larger and always felt that anyone laughing or smiling near me was laughing at me. I hated going out in public and I felt like the fattest girl in the room every time. I was always looking around for other girls my size so I'd know how I measured up to the other women. After I shed a lot of the weight, I realized that it was all me. Nobody else had the issues with my size that I had. It was actually kind of egotistical of me to think that everyone was looking at me, anyway! I can say that if you hang in there and keep on working at losing the weight you'll recover some of yourself. You'll start to feel a bit more confident each time you see your successes and you'll hopefully shed some of the self-esteem issues. It might help you to talk to someone like a counselor, too. Take care, ~Cheri

Oh and an addendum - I checked the tag on those Gap curvy cut pinstripe trousers and they were size 8, not 10, wooh!

I don't have enough proof that this works, but here's what I try when I want to break a stall. High Intensity Training - giving maximum effort for a short period of time. My exercise routine only consists of walking, but at work, I have access to the stairwells. I try to climb 5 flights of stairs as fast as I safety can. My best time has been 1 min 26 seconds. My lungs and legs are burning by the 3rd flight and I take a 10 second break at the 3rd and 4th floor. If you are doing the same exercise routine, eventually your body is going to become more efficient at it. If your weight program consists mainly of free weights, try alternating with weight machines that force your muscles to work in a different way. If you're on the elliptical, pick a program that changes up the one you're used to. Alternate speeds, add in inclines or switch off to a Stair Master for a few exercise sessions. When I used to do the elliptical, I set up my music playlist to have one really fast, motivating song ( like Motley Crew's "Kick Start My Heart") every 4th song, and I would go all out for the duration of that song, then slow back down to my normal pace. Keep up the good work, you'll get there.

What's your budget? I may get myself a piece of jewelry with a diamond for each 10 lbs I've kissed goodbye. A more affordable option is one of the customizeable lockets with charms inside. You can get crystals in them, plates with "congratulations" or "believe", or even have your surgery dates engraved on the back.

Man, this might as well have been a post by me 13 months ago, or even just a week ago! I have BEEN there, I think we all have at some point. I have lost 128 lbs but there are days when I feel as fat as I ever did, there are times when I look down and all I see is my big fat gut, straining against my sausage tight pants and feel like it was all a waste, how warped is that!! It is easy to get lost in the weeds, to get fixated on still being fat because, I am still fat! Both Lane Bryant and Avenue carry size 12 pants, which is what I'm currently in, so technically I am still wearing plus sizes, after 18 months and 128 effing pounds lost! I am still the biggest woman in my yoga classes, still get referred to as voluptuous and curvy (nicer words from the nicer people) and it is incredibly disheartening to see my batwings and shriveled-balloon inner thigh skin. But! I just have to remember that this drama is playing out in my head, not reality. That I have a normal healthy body that does not stand out from the crowd for its size. When I was "only" 50 pounds down - and it took me 3+ months to get there!- I was wild with impatience. 50 is a nice round high number so when we achieve it we know that "real" weight loss IS possible, that this isn't going to fail like every other diet, and it is such a high number that we suddenly realize that maybe our dreams just might come true, and it is so thrilling and delicious that we just CAN'T WAIT, and it's torture. Right around 50 lbs is when I started obsessively visiting clothing retail websites and virtually window shopping, filling my cart with size 12's. It would be another 12 months before I would actually see that size, which might have depressed me had I known that, but here I am, actually wearing a size 10 today (Gap pin stripe curvy cut trousers) and just a year and a half ago I remember the thrill of pouring myself into a pair of size 20's, which had looked miniscule to my pre-surgery eye when I was a 26. So my rambling point is this, try to achieve patience, keep your nose to the grindstone with exercise and diet and even though it will feel at times to be like trying to run through molasses, suddenly one day you will be running without breaking a sweat, and you will be wearing clothes that are snug on purpose! Chin up, boobs out - it's showtime!! =)

I am so discouraged. I had my third fill this week for a total of 6.3 cc in my APS 10 cc band. I still have no restriction at all. As a matter of fact, if it were not for the 5 scars from surgery, I wouldn't even know that I had a band. I realize that I have a lower starting BMI than most people, but my numerous comorbidities (including severe acid reflux that was corrected surgically due to a hiatal hernia) made me a good candidate for the band. The surgeon told me immediately following surgery that the band was "just spinning there" and that I would probably have a difficult time with the post-op diet since I wouldn't feel restriction. But 2 months and 6.3 cc later I am still left to my own inner restraint/willpower, which has totally gone by the wayside. When I go in for a fill the nurse practioner always withdraws at least 1 cc to make certain she has correctly accessed the port before adding any more. This time I begged the surgeon's office into letting me come back for another fill in 2 weeks (they will only put in 3-5 cc each visit), but I am really wondering if perhaps I was really not a candidate for the band and it will never inflate enough to give me any restriction. Has ANYONE had or known of someone with a similar issue? This is REALLY troublesome, but the office's response is one of, "Oh, well... you can't compare yourself to others." I realize this, but COME ON! 6.3 and nothing?

Sounds all pretty standard which is a good thing. Just out of curiously how many beers can you get in during a single occasion? Also interesting to hear you wish they could offer doing a larger sleeve! After 10 months I have assumed that lots of people's sleeves have somewhat laxed and are mostly worried about having stretched it out. Thanks so much for your instant reply! Actually what got me into this thread was a search for Maytorena. Making sure I'll make it out alive (lol) and on a pain medicine IV post op.

So I had surgery in July. So I'm about 10 months out. I'm down 88 pounds. I passed my goal weight and I'm hovering around 181-185. I went through some phases where I was very emotional at times. But I read that's just the hormones in your fat being released and that's just part of it. I've pretty well leveled out and feel normal. I eat pretty much whatever I want now. I avoid old bad habits. Don't eat hardly anything that's fried or much bread. I have a couple of beers from time to time when I get together with my friends. I don't push it though. I've lost quite a bit of muscle mass. I need to work out more. I wish I would have been taking in more protein shakes and doing more push ups, sit ups, and lifting weights over the past 6 months. I've also had some hair thinning. I think that's due to lack of protein. So drink/eat your daily protein! Super important. Vitamins are a must! Now I'm just trying to maintain my current weight. I don't want to lose anymore. Sometimes I wish I would have asked them to do a half sleeve or make my stomach a bit larger than they typically do. But overall I'm very pleased and don't have any regrets.

Fairysaddle, I purged my closet a few weeks ago, so I know your feelings. I was a size 22 at my largest, I am now a 14. I am an HSN junkie and bought some storage saver hangers. I don't know the exact name, but I took everything out with the intentions of just switching hangers. I ended up bagging up 3 - 33 gallon trash bags and donating them. I now go to Walmart, Fashio Bug or Good WIll to find a pair of pants here or a shirt there. I am not going over board on buying cloths because I am still losing. I buy just enough to get through to the next month or so. I have also befriended a seamstress. I have a few expensive suits I saved up for and my mom helped me buy for work. I have had them taken in. however the seamstress said she can't really take them in any more without having to completely take the outfit apart and re-make it. So those will be donated too. FInd a good seam stress for outfits you really like. They really are not that expensive. for minor alterations like taking in a pair of pants my seamstress usually charges about $5-10. Most dry cleaners have or know an seamstress. Great job by the way of losing the weight. Keep up the good work. and just think how good you will look in all the new cloths.

What you are going through is completely normal. For once in my life I don't want to shop for clothes, just shoes. I know how they will fit and what size will fit. Friends, family, and any significant others won't understand what you are going through. They will think you just be doing back flips. For me I realized that every diet I went on I would end up buying larger sizes versus smaller, so buying smaller clothes was a new concept to me. I too started out at 4x and now I am down to a Large/XL. I still tend to get looser clothing because that is what I am used to. The other thing is to actually try on the clothes as you are "purging" your closet. I thought I had cleaned out my closet and then my husband went back through it and came out with two more bags to donate to a shelter. I told him he was getting rid of clothes that fit me still so he had me try them on, and they didn't fit-they were too big. I sat there looking at the bags teary eyed and not knowing why. Its parter of the process of letting go. It can also be scary once you no longer fit into the "plus-size" stores. The day that I realized that they didn't have a size for me was really hard. That was where I was comfortable at and knew I wouldn't be judged. The thought of going to a "regular" store was new and scary and it still is. Just realize it is part of the process, part of growing, and it is normal to be emotional about getting rid of some of your comfortable items from the past. As far as cost goes I have learned to love second hand stores and now frequent good will because my clothing size changes as much as my 19 month old sons does which isn't good for a budget. Make sure to make a splurge when you can. Hope this helps.

I had surgery Tuesday afternoon. 268 and 6ft tall may not be that big but I have a big spare tire around me. I've been trying to lose weight for about 7 years now and it's been lose 10, gain 20. My best friend had it done and she was 5'2 170. She was thick but I didn't think she was a good candidate for the surgery but now she looks like a model. I'll post pics of both of us.

Hi. We should exchange email address so we can keep up with each others progress. Mine is sheila.pinkney@shaw.ca Luckily I do not have to do any pre-op dieting like the liquid diet. I have been doing nothing but pre-op dieting since November 30 and I have lost more than the required 10% and I am still following the 1 cup of food 3 times a day. Although I do cheat now and then. My surgeon said that changing to this diet from the very beginning helps to train you to prepare for life post surgery. Anyway, hang in there, our day will be here before we know it. Sheila

Thanks @@KindaFamiliar . I didn't believe for a minute that I could have gained 10 pounds of muscle so quickly -- I'd be happy with a couple but no way 10! I failed to do my research -- 1 pound/week on a proper regimen seems much more likely. Thanks for the advice. I'm happy to wait out the stall -- this too shall pass. BTW I am keeping my Protein in the 80-100 gram range though perhaps I'm not hydrating as much as I should. I keep forgetting to drink! I'll work on that.

Thank you. 135 by December. Sent from my XT1635-01 using the BariatricPal App