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How many days post op did you notice any weight loss?

My scale moved right away, but I didn't feel or notice a physical difference until now. I think some of it depends on how you carry your weight. I'm a classic apple body type, so I lost weight in my neck, shoulders, and back, but little to nothing from my waist/hips.

Maintenance. Definitely. The thrill of losing weight and NSVs are gone and everything gets tedious and boring and old bad habits start knocking on the door. Life still happens and now you have to deal with it without your old pal, food. All that other stuff is temporary.....Maintenance is forever.

Good question! My plan (subject to change LOL) is to never be on a 'diet' again...ever. I've been on them all and they don't work (well, I've lost a ton, but gained it back). I do plan to spend a lot of time upfront learning; how to eat healthier, exercise, counting calories, liquids etc., and yeah, I'll be stocking the cupboard with lots of low cal (shhh- yes, diet) foods. I'm going to TRY not to worry too much about what I'm losing or not during Bandster Hell (easier said then done...patience will be tested), and I've been saying since last year that I'm not expecting real restriction until the holdays this year (if it comes sooner then great!). I do plan to follow the Bandster rules, which means not drinking your calories ever (so no Protein shakes EVER once I'm past this pre-op time unless I'm running low on getting protein in for some reason. I don't get the banders who are drinking 2 meals a day years out from banding...why get a band?). I'm hopeful that eventually (maybe a year or less out) I'll be able to eat the same healthy foods my family is eating (leave out the less healthy ones, but nothing will be totally off limits- I'll just have to figure small splurges into the day) but just a lot less without having to count calories etc. (hoping I'll know enough that it's all habit by then). If I'm not losing I'll go back to counting calories for awhile just to figure out what I'm doing wrong. So in other words I plan to follow the Banding guidlines and make this a lifestyle change. I know I can live with a new lifestyle, but I can't live forever on a diet. Sound like magic to me...we'll see how it goes. I do think a plan like Weight Watchers is the kind of plan that people can incorporate into the bandster rules (you can do both together without breaking the rules) if they need the added structure to help them along the way and I know that's there if I need it.

I just walked for the first month, and then elliptical, light weights and slowly built up. But it was cool doing C25K and doing our biggest annual race in Oklahoma. (Finally, after saying next year I'll do it - again and again and again).

I have surgery the 29th. Went good I’m very healthy besides my weight. When I woke up said it went longer because they found a hernia or a hernia was starting to form freaked me out. THe rest of the 29th I basically slept. Woke up the 30th so so thirsty. I was having trouble peeing getting enough water etc. By that night I was in pain I could th pass gas I was basically like holy crap what did you do was this the right choice. I couldn’t sleep at all. I was so uncomfortable in bed. Finally they gave me some more pain meds me nausea meds that make you tired and I was able to get back to sleep. Pain has Lessened substantially. I’m able to pass gas I was noticing a lot of cramping and while it hurt to walk I know that was what would best help me. So I’ve been released I’m home now. Just wondering when you all started noticing your bodies not being in pain or uncomfortable etc. I have some pretty cool scars so that’s neat

I would go to your regular doctor with all your past medical records and with all the items that you have from weight loss programs and have him/her put that in your medical file and then when he does his letter to the labband doctor he can add those in. I can forward you a copy of a letter that I used that showed the weights etc. Do keep in mind like everyone says each insurance is differant on how they do things along with your doctor. You might also have to a 6month deal as welll. Also another thing would be any doctor you went to even when you did not have insurance Ie: OBGYN,ER etc.. I had that problem with a couple of years but was able to use some past information. I hope that this helps you out. If you have any questions just ask. Chris

I had been on a plateau for quite a while and I had stopped drinking protein shakes. I started them again and added a exercise that include a stationary bike instead of my usual 2 mile walk and the weight slowly started dropping. The weight loss is slow and it still goes up and down a pound or two so I do not claim to have the perfect solution. Some other threads have talked about the idea of a "set point" where your body gets stuck at a weight it might have been for a period of time, sort of a previous stable weight (though an overweight weight). The thinking is that you need to push past that previous set point and you will start losing again. I don't know if this is an accepted medical theory or not. Just keep trying. I would not stop the protein shakes, however. I do not think you can get enough protein without them. Just my opinion. John.P

Actually, it takes most people multiple fills before they have adequate Fluid in their band. Until then, we refer to it as "bandster hell" because your expected to eat like a banded person but still dealing with a lot of hunger. Plus, keep in mind the band doesn't make hunger disappear. Hunger is the body's natural way of telling you it needs fuel. You'll always experience hunger, just once the band has adequate fluid it's tamed considerably. As far as fills, how soon you can get another depends on your doctor. Just remember that fills aren't what makes you lose weight, consuming less calories than you burn is what makes you lose weight. The fills simply add fluid to the band to allow you to go much longer without hunger on small amounts of food. That may not sound like much but it really is. When you're not hungry all the time, you're far less likely to graze and over-eat because you're pre-occupied with hunger and food. Here's a great link: http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html Best wishes!

My surgery has been a personal journey. No family, friends, work are aware. Only my husband outside of medical staff. Therefore, I cannot share pics but wish I could. I started out in a size 16, BMI 35. Now I am able to get into some 10s, 12 very comfortably. As you must be aware, this choice is not exactly main stream accepted...yet! It comes with criticism about being lazy and just not trying hard enough, or taking the easy way out. This far from the easy way out. In one of the pre surgical meetings another patient said I didn't need the surgery. Granted her bmi was much greater than mine. An attitude I dealt with from many others during the pre surgical process. According to every weight chart I did qualify and I was the one willing to take the necessary steps to admit, and correct the fact that I was unable to lose and maintain weight loss on my own. Humbling. Having had enough, I looked her in the eye and told her it really wasn't a very fair judgement since I did not judge why it took her so long to make the decision for surgery. Borderline BMI or under 40 BMI patients face criticism from society and are not as supported for their decision both socially and by some medical staff. We tend to have to keep our choice for surgery hidden. Not fair, but true until care givers become more supportive and less judgmental. This surgery is becoming a very healthy cash cow so I anticipate a major attitude change in the next 5 years or so. Hopfully you are getting all the support you need and the criticism is minimal and easily ignored. Some criticize because they do not have the courage or the ambition it takes to do this. If you face any of those people, consider them jealous and stay on track. We have to stay diligent for the rest of our lives for lifelong success. I did this for a better health. If it is a choice for me between improving my health or someone else's opinion...they lose!! My almost 30 lb loss includes the lbs lost pre surgery. Post surgery it has been 20 & climbing. Stay off the scale daily. I was just stressing myself out. Once a week now. I have stalled in the past week but I know plateaues are to be expected. Eating all foods now. You will find what works best for You. Immediately following surgery egg drop Soup worked best. Goes down easy & high in Protein. I had trouble this week with chicken and pork tenderloin. Both came back up. Cooked the pork in the crock, shredded and chewed a lot but just too dense. Chicken was dry and just got stuck. I accept responsibility that I have to eat much more slowly. Lesson learned. Don't be scared to try things when it is time. Everyone is different. Even if it comes back up I is not like when your are illness sick. It comes back up, you feel better, done. Those 2 times are the only 2 times. Are you thirsty? I am and so was every other VSG patient in our post op group meeting. I believe this is different than the other bypass surgeries. Keep up the good work! I am thrilled I had it done. Hope your results are similar.

I'm also pre-op. My next appt is my psych eval on 2/5/13. Currently I'm experimenting with a crash diet for 7days I found on YouTube (diet by a vsg patient before surgery for 2wks n he lost 43lbs) it consist of 1protein shake, water throughout the day and a salad for dinner (salad can include whatever you like in it) before 8 pm. I haven't followed the diet to the T but I lost weight. I started Wed 1/16/13 @ 312 and this morning I'm @ 303. What I'm changing is if I get really hungry I eat sf jello or pudding or sf applesauce or 4oz cottage cheese mixed with crushed pineapple. I've only experienced headaches on the first day but since then I haven't. Its the 4th day n I feel fine sure I wish I could eat but its an experiment for me to prepare for what to expect when I'm given my pre-op diet for surgery, which I'm hoping will be March.

I used to get Sunday afternoon dread. I learned that it was the emotional weight of knowing I had to face work/people on Monday morning. It also came from my childhood history of Sunday being the very worst day of the week. So, I went to counseling for awhile and one of the things i learned was how to mitigate this. For one, I had to learn to "accept" feeling bad sometimes. I would wind up into anxiety over nothing but the bad feelings. Learning to accept bad feelings without wallowing in them was a huge step forward. It was also me being kinder to myself. A key anxiety trigger for me is that feeling that I "should" be doing more than I am able to. It took alot of work (and ongoing) to not let my mind get spun up into that. I also learned to plan fun or at least social things for Sunday. If I need a chore day, it can't be Sunday because I was prone to lonliness and sadness that day that i wouldn't feel on another day. I remember a couple of years ago being wound up like a top on a Sunday. I did a hard workout and still felt intolerably anxious. I decided, for the first time in my life, to take up my friends who always offered to "support me" and started calling. I finally got ahold of a friend who dropped her plans to spend the day with me horseback riding and we had a great time. Throughout the day, i got back texts and calls from friends who couldn't free up, or got my message too late, expressing care and concern. I called or texted everyone back over the next day or two and that whole experience made me feel very well supported. I will always remember that day - going from feeling so bad to feeling well cared for and pretty okay and all it took was to ask for help. Much counseling has been useless to me - but counseling that focuses on specific behavior practice has been very helpful.

I too was heavy my entire life like 2 years old on. 25 highest weight 304 , 5'7". My doctor and nut recommended bypass considering my obesity was life long Seminar 12/27/16: wt 304 Surgery 3/23: wt 287 6 weeks post op 252.4

Almost all have hit the stall at two or three weeks out. You body is just catching up. Take your measurements during this time and I bet you are loosing inches. Keep positive the weight will start coming off again. Put the scales away.

I wa there for about 1 hour. had to have blood tests no food for 10 hours before bloods being taken only Water. so was pleased when i could have a cup of tea.. had a ecg which to monitoir the heart. to see if it healthy enought for surgery. blood presure taken. then went to see nurse she asked load of questions and that was all. cant wait for the 30th then i can start to lose even more weight!!! already lost 2 stone since dec o7.. hope this helps :thumbup: Ann x

Ye we will lyd, its tough going esp when so many are loosing huge amounts of weight so quickly. It will be worth it in the end.

I am post op and feel your confusion/concern. We sure can put on 7 lbs in a weekend but cut our caloric intake by less than half and our body hangs onto the pounds....at first. Don't cheat and your body will finally catch up. What they failed to tell me was you gain weight immediately following surgery. You are pumped full of IV fluids and I found out later the weight gain is normal. I put back on 12 lbs! Go through the surgery and come out holding the weight I had lost pre surgery. After 2 days that dropped off a pound a day. 6 weeks later I am down almost 30 lbs and 2 sizes almost 3 from my highest. Feels great to feel in control of my health. Followed the pre op rules to a T. Had no nausea or vomiting post op. Up walking a couple hrs after surgery. No gas pressure in my back or shoulders. My only post op cheat is reg coffee. Keep it down to 2 mugs before work and drink lots of water all day. Good luck. You are going to love your new body!

Hello everyone I had my 12-week post op appointment with my surgeon today. As soon as he walked into the room and saw me he said "You look so different! I can see the weight loss... you look great!". Well, I am far from "looking great", but it sure did feel good to hear him say those things. Plus, he said that I was right on track, asked me how I was feeling, etc. After meeting with him I felt like jumping up and down with joy! I felt so encouraged. Next step is to have bloodwork done to make sure my Vitamin B levels and Iron level look good. Then I am to make an appointment with my dietician and just go over my daily eating habits with her and see if she wants to make any changes. Victories so far since the Pre-Op diet 2 weeks before surgery: 1) Dropping below 300 pounds 2) Going from a size 28 to a size 20 3) Losing 51 pounds up to this point 4) Being able to clip my own toenails 5) Taking a bath and being able to see past my stomach that used to stick out and hide everything 6) Putting on my socks and shoes without struggling or being out of breath 7) Now when my husband gives me a hug, he can fit his arms around me with room to spare 8) Being able to exercise more 9) My 2 incisional hernias that were so painful in my stomach don't hurt anymore! And I'm sure I am forgetting some things, but these were the things that came to mind at the moment. I am looking forward to even more victories! Just wanted to share.

Those are some great accomplishments!! Congrats to you and keep it up. I like that you focused on things beyond the weight but 51 lbs is awesome in 12 weeks!

Well, I must have been the luckiest bandster ever, or the doc just managed to deaden some nerve in my tummy - because I have had so little pain that it hardly bears mentioning. The gas has been present - occassonally a little pressure, but not painful or problematic. I have been reading about new bandsters with pain for a long time and I was quite surprised NOT to be one of them. I am generally such a wuss!:knockedou I went on Tuesday (2/21) to my two week post-op visit with Doctor Fox. While I haven't lost any weight officially, I know that my measurements are still catching up to the 16 pounds I lost on the pre-op diet. My clothes fit again - and my face is visibly thinner. I forgot about that pointy chin I have... While this makes me happy, I still need to get up and get back to the gym. Work has been so crazed lately that I have been very bad - I haven't been to the gym since prior to surgery! This weekend - it's the Treadmill or Bust. I have not been very compliant on the food side, either... I started eating things consistently a day or two prior to when the doc's diet said I could... Bad me. I have currently eaten everything except steak - including bread. I had a fish sandwich for lunch. I have the Vanguard band - and while I have some limited restriction during the day, I have little or none at night. So far, though, this has not distressed me too much. I am practising my chewing skills. Knowing how much I have to concentrate on this act, now, I guess I spent the last 40 years swallowing my food practically whole. Considering how fast I used to eat, that's not impossible. :yuck: I have to guard against getting hungry - since that is when it is very difficult for me to get the food fully ground up before swallowing. There have been several times when I knew that some not-quite-well-chewed bit got past me - and I was waiting for the pain - but it never came. The big band means that the food is pretty much just Pausing - and then moving right by. So far, I haven't had any major portion control issues - maybe just slowing down is enough that the stop signal gets hit. I am on the fence about getting a fill. My doc says I can have one after my one month visit on the 7th - but I am afraid. I mean, geez... I have no pain and I can eat anything I want if I chew it well. My bathroom scale said I was down a couple of pounds today - so do I really want one? But, on the other hand - I have already said that the food is only pausing - the big band is mostly worthless without a fill... and the danger of being able to eat anything is that I will eat everything. No restriction is too much temptation. I think I will have to get a small fill - whether I want to or not. I got this surgery for a reason, and no matter how nice it is to be spoiled, I better take the next step. *fear* I hate pain and I don't want any PB's!!! I really am in this for the long haul, though. I don't want to lose weight so fast that my whole body sags and I get that big wattle under my chin. I am doing what I can to stave off the panni problem - I wear a girdle 24/7. A comfy one to sleep in and a tougher one during the day. I started wearing it about 2 days after surgery. My belly flopping around was way more uncomfortable than wearing the girdle! I wish I had started doing it 10 yrs ago when the panni first started to hang!! I know I will have to have PS if I ever want to have a flat belly. It's just a fact. I am wearing a sports bra to lounge and sleep in, too. I don't want the girls getting bruised on my knees!! It's an adjustment to sleep with garments on - but I guess it will be nicer if I ever have to run from a fire in the night or anything. LOL! Thank goodness for Bestform. They make a lovely cotton-spandex sports bra that slips on over your head in big-girl sizes. No tags, no hooks, just soft support. Again, I should have started sleeping in one when I was 14. Oh well... I will never mess with the girls - not even if I have to roll them up to get dressed in the morning.... So far, this thing is working... I have evolved a little bit now that I have the official ok to eat real food. I was eating yogurt & cheese and soft things all day at work and then eating a little bit of whatever DH cooked for dinner. These last couple of days I have just been drinking my breakfast shake (min. 40 grams of protein + vitamins & calcium) and eating some small thing for lunch. Yesterday, I had a cup of Chili. Today I had the fish sandwich. I am pretty sure that my calories have gone DOWN by doing this... I was parcelling out about 800-900 calories worth of protein shake, SF pudding, cheese, yogurt, etc and just nibbling all day long - which was GREAT for keeping me from getting hungry - but with just the shake and one thing for lunch, I am probably at 700-800 calories instead - depending on the day and the phase of the moon. But DANG - you could eat a lot of stuff, if everything comes in under 70 calories! I think that I will never properly count calories - I mean, I hate that crap - but I need to keep in mind what the calorie counts on my food are. I imagine after my fill, everything will evolve again - which is fine, too. Ruts are bad. I don't ever want my body to "get used" to anything, except for exercise! I think I will have to boil myself up some chicken breasts and do like I used to do when I did Atkins - low carb during the week, anything on Saturday. Maybe banded, I can carb on Sundays, too. It's hard being pure around my beloved. But, I do lots better when I don't have to worry that I have the right foods. Chicken & cheese sticks with dipping sauce were a staple during the Atkins days. I just need to make them up again. If the food is here, and easy access, I will eat it... most of the time. I also know that, even with no fill, exercise would make the difference. It takes A LOT of calories to move my beautiful bulk... Now, if I could just get work under control again, so that I could consistently get to the gym, life would be good. The biggest problem is that before I was banded, I would work until 7 - get home at 8 - run to the gym, come home and eat at 9:30 or 10:00. That won't fly any more. Not only will I drop from low blood sugar; but I have to eat before 9 so I can go horizontal without a pouch full of food. I *might* have to try going *GASP* in the morning before work. (ICK!!! Did I just type that?!?) I am going to have to do SOMETHING - cause I have to get to the gym at least 3 times a week - and there are only two days in the weekend! LOL. Maybe a snack in the late afternoon and coming in a wee bit earlier to work. Hmmm. A little earlier to work seems easier to accomplish than actually working OUT before work - and the whole showering in public thing has never really worked for me. Yeah, that's the ticket. If I get in earlier, SUPPOSEDLY I can leave earlier. We'll see how that goes. I got here just after nine today. For me, that was early - by almost an hour! If you are not me, and you have read through all this blather, I love you too. I figure you must love me to read through all this personal sorting out. Hope you are having a great day, and that something more exciting than this entry happens to you, soon. (in a good way.) :]

So I'm just over a year from my surgery day. And just under 2 years from when I made the decision to make a life change. In October of 2014 I attended my first class about bariatric surgery. This class is the initial class that helps you decide if it is for you or not.(or to at least go on to the next step) That first day my weight was 422, and I decided to go forward with the bypass. I had to then wait to be assigned to a class, a class that lasts 12 weeks. It tought me everything about the surgery and new life I would be expecting. This class began in January of 2015. Well after completion in March I had lost about 10lbs to 412. Then came the long waiting period. One that they made clear. "Don't call us we will call you!" So I waited, and waited and waited some more. Then got the call the 2nd week of August, 2015. And the wheels got going and fast! Less then two weeks later I was at the hospital on August 24th having surgery. On the day of my surgery I weighed in at 409lbs. The surgery went great. Afterwards I had little to no pain and was up walking immediately. The year has been a great journey. Today I weigh in at 208lbs and feel great. It has been a fantastic journey. I have no regrets and qould do it again without a doubt. I have been around temptation plenty. Several trips to Vegas including a stay for 9 days. I've been to winery's. All the time not touching alcohol and steering cleer of the food that ruined my life.I'm thankful for the tool I was given and plan on using it to the fullest. Best of luck to anyone thinking of having the surgery, and continued success to those who have had this life changing experience. As for me last year I changed my health, this year I change my job. Think positive???? Sent from my SM-G920V using the BariatricPal App

I was so sick with gallstones after having a 75lb weight loss many years ago. In fact it was so long ago that I had an open surgery to remove it vs. a laporascopic surgery. Anyway, I immediately felt better and I do mean immediately. I have never regretted it. Now of course this was before my bypass surgery so I cannot speak for that nor have I heard that it is more risky. Honestly because mine was removed I have not paid much attention to the risks. Maybe someone else can answer that for you. Good luck and don't be afraid. You will feel better!

I haven't had surgery, but my understanding is that it's normal for the weight gain. I'm sure you'll see weight loss soon. Good luck!

When I had my first fill on 9/14 it started out feeling very tight and then as I lost more weight with it it became more comfortable and I felt properly restricted . Then I started to feel as though I could eat too much so I made an appointment for a fill. I realize that this is all perfectly normal, and part of how the band works, but then the weirdest thing happened the last two or three days I feel very uncomfortably restricted again and had an icky pb-ing episode. Why would I go from feeling like I need a fill to just wanting mushies ?