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Hi everyone. Since the tittle is exercise I wanna mention how important is to exercise. I havent done my surgery yet but hope to be soon...maybe next month. Today I went to a meeting at WLS center at Newton Wellesley Hospital in Mass..and we spoke about exercise. How important it is not only for ur health but also to keep u motivated. And to those who thinks about cosmetic surgery after WLS, exercise is good because you will burn more fat and create muscle tone. You can tone ur butt, thights, abs and arms. I struggled with weight ever since 15(today am 26). I have always exercised but always was gaining and loosing weight. Now I totally decided to do the WLS. I still exercise because it makes me feel great, I sleep better, I enjoy my lifestyle better. So I tell you all start by little by little, but yes EXERCISE ALWAYS!!!

My doctors office has support groups once or twice a month, I don't go to them because they are mostly bypass/sleeve patients. I also feel out of place with them, it's very uncomfortable. To me it's a different journey with the band compared to the bypass or sleeve and we need different support. Just like when I went to my pre-op "class" I was the only band patient there, and some of the things they went over had nothing to do with me and I was getting confused with what I had to do and what suppliments I'd have to take. The people giving the class seemed to just assume everyone was getting the bypass or sleeve. I had to ask a million questions only to be told, "oh that doesn't concern you, you're getting a band, this is for bypass/sleeve patients" it was very frustrating. I could be wrong but most of the time it seems like its more of a struggle for band patients. My boyfriends sister had the bypass almost 3yrs ago, and lost most of her weight within the first few months without doing anything, but she also regrets getting it done. She has alot of health issues since her surgery, she said if she could do it all over she would have gotten a band instead. It may sound catty or ignorant but I'm just being honest, I kinda get uncomfortable and maybe even a little annoyed when I hear about how much weight they've lost in only a few months with no effort. I understand they are more at risk and some suffer from Vitamin deficiency and malabsorbtion but like seriously, I'm still working my ass off even after surgery to lose weight! Now I'm just complaining lol.. Anyway, this is what I chose and how I wanted to do it, but I feel the support groups should cater to all WLS patients and separate bands from bypass/sleeve patients as we have different needs.

I'm four month post-op and my band is adjusted perfectly now. I eat my recommended food allowance each meal and feel no hunger or cravings for at least four hours. There is nothing I can't eat, but I follow the rules well. I figure after going through the ordeal of surgery for weight loss, I'm not going to sabotage myself.

Altagirl is it possible after surgery/weight loss to begin to have periods when diagnosed in early menopause?

My first fill was 4 cc's, and I gained weight afterwards.....before my 2nd fill.... I'm a littler surprised he only gave you 1/2cc...although I know a few ther people whose Dr.s led them on that way.....

I started counting at my all-time high weight. Was down 30 or so prior to surgery.

JerseyGirl i totally agree!!!! as OP said (me too earlier) if parents "misfed" him before - let him eat whatever, fast foods too but such a quantity for a kiddo i can't imagaine to weigh so much curious if his parents are overweight?? its true - a 2 year old can't drive to kentucky fried chicken, taco bell et al parents are responsible unless there really is some sort of medical prob that allows him to keep gaining weight if the parents step up to the "plate" ............. teach him all the rules, Water, portions etc. he has a chance at his young age, if this lifestyle is instilled in him, that will be his new life (eating healthy and correct portions) hope his recovery was ok i don't know about this, some of us have problems with WLS - hope he didn't have vomitting issues et al kathy

This article has a bit more info and whatnot. Beware of the comments tho. They are, as usual, brutal and full of a bad fattitude. http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/20/living/parents-2-year-old-weight-loss-surgery/index.html?hpt=hp_bn11

Not a doctor, but I worked in metabolic physiology research labs for many years, and I disagree with this idea. Children grow. It takes enormous amounts of calories to grow, especially during times like puberty. Not to mention nobody has studied the potential long-term consequences of this surgery on children. It's possible he had a genetic mutation that prevents his body from making the hormone leptin. If this is the case, injections of leptin would have been just as effective (if not more so) than any bariatric surgery. Note: leptin injections are extremely effective for people that are truly leptin-deficient. The results are usually more robust than any weight-loss surgery. Turns out that most obese people actually do make leptin, so the shots wouldn't help most of us.

Scared but happy and excited to finally do something big in my life that will help nit only with my weight but with my health. Its going to take a lot a dedication but I'm ready! Take back control of my life and help start a wonderful future: )

I had 1cc removed when that happened to me the first time. I hate that for you, it's been a year and I haven't been able to get back to green since, so I've basically gained all of my weight back.

First things first. Congratulations on you fantastic loss and getting to goal! You did it! Now let's get your head straight.......... You mentioned that you are off-track. You're here telling us, which means you're looking for help. And you're going to get it! Support, some tough love, you'll get it all from your wonderful VST support crew! But you know that you are the only one who can do this and keep the weight off! You reached your goal in 6 months (fantastic), but that wasn't enough time for you to retrain yourself from a lifetime of bad habits! That's how you got to the surgery point in the first place. You need to continue with logging and counting for at least another year until it becomes second nature to you to watch what you eat and know what you're putting in your mouth. Then, after you've been stable at goal weight (+/- 5 lbs) you can get a bit less vigilant. You mention that you are losing inches still. That is normal, as you body is remodelling itself with the new weight. That is NOT a quick process! As I mentioned above, you need to be stable at goal weight and see how things "shake out" over time! Are you exercising? That could be some of the inches lost (muscle tone building, fat moving around, etc.). Even if you've been off-track eating, at least exercise gives you a bit of an offset. Not to mention exercise has many added benefits beyond a number on the scale...... Now let's talk about the scale. We all know it's our mortal enemy. When you started this whole process, it was with a goal in mind to lose X lbs. But what you really wanted was to lose body fat. A regular scale does not discriminate between fat and muscle and bone and Water. So you could lose 100 lbs and have lost mostly muscle! If you can, try to get a body fat reading (some scales do this and are not that expensive). You can get it done at a gym by a trainer (using fat calipers), or even possibly at your primary care physician. Body fat % is a much better indicator of how well you really are doing in your loss AND in your maintenance. Don't let the number on the scale rule your life, your mood or your motivation! Do you physically feel better? I'll bet you do! And that was the whole point of getting the VSG. Your health is exponentially better now. So use your physical body feelings to guide you. Are you tired? You might need more exercise to build stamina and muscle base. Are your energy levels fluctuating during the day? Look at your food intake and find out what causes the changes. Are you sleeping well? If not, try drinking less caffeine, changing your nighttime routine and hours of sleep. Rest is a key component of our health and gives us the energy to tackle the new day (including the desire to exercise and eat right!). You are driving this bus dear. You've completed a huge challenge in getting to goal. Now tackles the new challenge of living a full healthy happy life by using your new skills to keep yourself in this "happy place".

I had the same thoughts prior to surgery.......lets face it, if we could lose the weight and keep it off we wouldnt even be considering surgery..................I love my sleeve, it forces portion control! My sleeve is the food warden! You will love it!

How well does everyone post op do with the drinking of alcohol? I know you can't drink it all the time because it inhibits weight loss but is once in a while okay? How does everyone feel when they do drink? Does it burn?

I came onto this site today specifically lookn for this topic! Almost 4 months post op and stalling again. The weight is definitely NOT melting away. This is my 5th stall.

thats awesome! you had your sleeve a few days before me right? i had mine on the 10th.i started on full liquids today (finally)! this morning i opened up a can of broccoli cheese soup and put it in the blender with a little milk and it made 3 bowls, each 4 oz. i had one for lunch and was really satisfied compared to the last week of liquids, but i did not feel full. i guess its still a liquid so maybe something else will give me the full feeling. i did slip up a little today though. i ate one dorito and a bite of cake, im not really feeling too guilty about it but i know it was wrong. i love chili so maybe i will have to stop by quiznos in the future. how is your weight loss?

You need to find out why you are doing this.. All of the above are great suggestions but until you get a hold of why your mind is doing this you will continue to Sabotage yourself!! Good luck date of surgery 02/21/12 surgery weight 340 lbs. current weight 146 lbs

When I had my swallow test the day after surgery (3 wks ago), I overheard the techs discussing me. They said "soon people weighing 125 r gunna be having wls". It actually made me feel uncomfortable. That I didn't deserve it. Pre op weight was 174, but that was down from 250 4 yrs ago pre lapband. I don't think I would've gotten wls at 174 if there hadn't been a complication.

Hitting my 6 month anniversary, I'm so tired but after getting back on sugar and giving it up again, I am back to losing. It is my blood pressure that is the problem. I am tracking my BP and one example was 77/66 mostly its in the 90's/60's, so after keeping a log for a few days I called my cardiologist to see about lowering my doses. This is good news, but I am feeling a bit apprehensive about it all. My defibrillator hasn't shocked me in 3 years. Before that I was shocked at least 10 times, in 7 years. It doesn't sound to bad but it does cause some anxiety, well a lot of anxiety. One of my meds is a help you or kill you med that I may have to go inpatient to adjust. It is tempting to just gain a few pounds and maintain instead of take the chance while adjusting the meds. I'm happy here, it's just not the best I think I can do? I never set a number goal in my head, what you see on my timeline is 150 just because it sounded ok, according to my BMI I should be even lower like 135, I got there once but couldn't eat to maintain,I just want to be happy and healthy. I know what a problem to have, I could not have foreseen me ever thinking of maintenance this early. It sounds like such a major whiny baby topic. The doctor calls me back Monday with my changes, I am going to give it a shot and drop this last 20-30 pounds. If it gets to bad with my heart then I will at least know I tried. May make and appointment with my counselor just to work through the anxiety. Thanks for listening. Remember Fluid is even more important in the heat!!!

I started the process about a month ago. I went for a consult to see Dr. Artuso. 1st time meeting him. He answered all my 20 questions I had and said if this was want I want to do then I would be a perfect candidate. Leaving his office the receptionist who are amazing told me there was a openings to the needed consults the next day. I got my cardio and pulmonary consult done the next day. Received my letter of necessity from my primary on Friday of that week (talk about timing, when I called his office he was leaving that saturday for 3 weeks out of the country dr's without borders. ) I had my CXR that weekend. I had the echiogram done on Tuesday and a stress test on Wednesday. Saw my cardiologist on Wednesday and he said all is go and given his approval. Saw the nutritionist on Thursday and after a long chat she said I was an excellent candidate. I expressed a concern not getting approved as I do not have any comorbities. Not to steal someones quote but I too seem to be a healthy fat person. My BMI is 46.9 percent. My knees and feet hurt all the time. Even at night when I have them elevated. I work 2 jobs. One is a supervisor in a group for the state home. I often work over 8hours a day. Sometimes I am on my feet all day running around. My other job is a work as a LPN for a nursing agency doing per diem work. That is a 8 hrs of nonstop go go go. I barely get a chance to sit down to eat or even go to the bathroom. My decision to get the band came after a long thought of over 5yrs. I have had this dr. number for that long. I have talked to nurses who have had the gastric bypass. I dont know anyone personally who has had the lapband. I went 2yrs ago to a seminar at Westchester medical center sat thru it. Walking out feeling like you know what.. "I put this weight on by my own hand and mouth I need to take it off" I joined a gym days later. I would go to the gym 5-6 days a week and pound the hell out of myself. 2yrs later I had made little dent. I had gone to my primary and had routine bloodwork. Hoping my thryroid was to blame.. NOTHING. Back to the gym I go. Fast forward to this summer. In June I was at my sisters house. Wihin a matter of 1 hour I broke the stairs to her pool, and inflatable floatation device and 1 stair going up a set up steps. Thank god I was amongst family. I was humiliated. That was a breaking point for me. I am tired of living life not to the fullest. I would rather now sleep then go out shopping or stay at home watching tv. My feet hurt more often than not. So now I wait...:confused2:

I'm particularly impressed by your weight loss during your second year! I'm not familiar with the Loop DS procedure, but in my case (gastric bypass), it became very difficult to lose weight after the first year and I had to start watching my food intake pretty carefully--so you are clearly doing something right. I had a 20-pound regain fairly quickly in maintenance (the beginning of the second year). However, I actually lost too much during the first year and needed to gain about 15 pounds so I didn't look so skeletal. (Sorry.) I have found maintenance pretty easy by sticking basically to a high-protein, low-carb, low-fat diet. If you are getting 100 grams of protein a day, that's great! You can definitely eat more that 1300 calories without gaining weight. However, it really can be terrifying after eating so little for so long. As someone mentioned, it really is trial and error. I'm able to eat some sugar, have an occasional glass of wine and high-carb treat without too much trouble. You are clearly very disciplined, and you know your own body better than anyone. You'll figure it out. Good luck!

I workout about 5-6 days a week and usually get in around 900-1000 calories a day. After the workout the net calories are usually around 400-500. It's hard for me get in anymore. I've tried to eat a few higher calorie foods too. My weight loss and been pretty consistent up to this point. One thing I do for sure is get my Protein in daily. I usually average no less than 110 grams of protein a day.

Congrats!! I had my surgery the same day as you. I'm down 37# from 253 on 1/5 and feeling like I'm losing too slowly. I thought I would be down 50# by now. What was your weight on surgery day?

I weight in at 225.

Hi Kelly, I see that you go to Dr. Glasgow. I was just banded on August 17th by Arthur. Love them! While I haven't had your problem, I'm kinda freaking out about the weight loss. I lost 25 lbs between the preop diet and the immediate post op. The scale hasn't budged in 2 weeks! I'm doing the same think you are- working out a fair amount. I'm assuming my body is just adjusting.... Your 66 lb weight loss is awesome! At least they diagnosed the band problem right away! It's nice they have all the equipment right there. hopefully you'll have more luck with going slowly. I won't get my first fill for 2 1/2 weeks. Do you go to any of the support groups? Lisa