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LOL Marie. Merry Christmas to everyone! Here's wishing you all a safe and happy holiday and a wonderful, LOSING New Year. (as in weight, I mean.)

I was banded on 5/3. I didn't have my first fill until 9/7. My weight loss hit a plateau a couple of months ago. But I ran into a couple of medical issues not related to the band, so they delayed my fill until 9/7. I had 3 cc in the band at the time of surgery. I really didn't feel that much of a restriction, other than I knew when it was time to stop eating. I lost about 25 pounds post-surgery before leveling off. My doc put in 3 additional cc during the fill. Drinking Water the first 2 days after was okay, but it took much longer than ever before. The same with Protein shakes. Unfortunately when I went back on solid foods I have not been able to keep anything down, despite the small bites I'm taking. Some even as small as the head of an eraser on a pencil. I get an automatic pressure build-up and then the pain begins. After about 40 minutes of belching..walking around..etc..etc..The stuff I ate comes back up. I'm going to call on Monday about getting some of the new 3 cc taken out. I'd rather do these fills in small increments to find what is the best amount for me. There are kickstarts to losing weight..and then there are kickstarts...Yes, I've lost 6 pounds in 4 days, but it isn't worth this pain and aggravation. Since I'm also a type 1 diabetic, I have to be able to eat something to level my blood sugars.

Ok, from the liquid stage to the mushy stage, is it normal to gain back a few pounds of lost weight? I figure it should be due to increasing your calories just a bit..heres what happened.. I was on liquids for a week and a half..lost 20 pounds. Went to mushies, and gained 2 pounds...is this normal? Perhaps im not watching the caloric intake as well as I should be. Ive only been on mushies for a weekend..but it scares me that Ive gained back 2 pounds. eep!

I had my surgery 12/12 and have lost 55 lbs as of today, 5/8! yea, me! but does anyone know where I can get statistics on this surgery in terms of effectiveness, weight loss, weight gained back, anything like that?

Im the same way Ive had about the same amounts in my fills and I dont feel very much restriction either, I feel like I can eat alot..Somethings get stuck while others dont and I can try to eat something agian that was hard to go down the first time and it may go down easy the next? Im confused as you are..I had my surgery on the 5th of Nov.2008- 6 mos in and only lost 25lbs. I get my 4th fill on the 26th of this mo. and hopefully will get some results! Im going to tell my doctor that I want a lot in this fill. Im getting discouraged and think that this was alot of money only for 25lbs. Dont get me wrong I have ate a cookie here and there but not enough to keep the weight on!

My bmi is close to 48 now, I have a ton of comorbs too but if they require that bmi history..I'm in trouble. Even though my weight has always been up, long term prednisone set my weight soaring to raise my bmi this high. Now I'm off of them and can't get the weight off. My doctors are supporting the surgery so I hope that will be enough.

I had my first consultation with Dr. K on March 6, 2007. I am very impressed. From the short phone chats with his office staff I was put at ease. They are all very friendly and won over my husband which is not an easy task when it comes to medical things. Dr. K was very open and friendly. He answered all of my questions and explained in detail the procedure to ensure I knew what I was getting into. He explained about the different from the lap band and other methods of weight loss surgery. I am scheduled for a phone appointment w/ the nutritionist today after work. Then my pre op appointment is set for Friday, April 6 and surgery on Friday, April 13.

What you are experiencing is not unusual. You do not yet have adequate restriction--so you are, indeed, hungry. The key to loss during this period of bandster hell is---well, discouraging. If you want to lose, then you have to eat as if you do have restriction. And that translates into dieting. The good news is that it is the LAST time you will be hungry in the name of weight loss. Right now, it's a great idea to practice eating the way you will eat when you do have restriction. Small portions, small bites, chewing carefully. Make wise food choices, stop before you're full, etc. As you approach restriction, you will find it SO much easier---I promise! But the discouragement is really typical of the stage you occupy. It will pass!

I had lost 14 lbs on the pre-op diet and when i came home yesterday I was up 8 lbs. I hope that will come right off, what a bummer to have that weight come back on.

Many of us had the same feelings. I cried all the way through pre-op, wondering if I should get off the stretcher and leave the hospital! This decision is huge and definitely takes courage, but for me, one the best I've ever made. I have a brand new body and I am loving it every single day, with all the things I can do now. OK, so you have to commit to a new, healthy lifestyle! For sure! No shortcuts there. You have to reframe your thinking so that you see the new changes as part of your new, healthy life - not as deprivation.Yes, you have to give up the crap - but you get so much more in return. I started making these changes long before surgery, but have solidified them since surgery. I think a great motivator is starting to get the weight off and once you can start enjoying new things (like smaller clothing sizes, activities that you couldn't do before, etc.) it becomes easier and easier to embrace the healthy changes, because the payoff is so great. For me, those changes are: no wheat (I have been gluten free for years already), but now do not eat refined grains - only whole cooked grains. No sugar and no soda of any kind. No juice. These were biggies, but I feel SOOOOOO much better without sugar. It's not even a temptation anymore. No coffee or alcohol because I don't want to risk any irritation (I already have Barrett's esophagus with a pre-cancerous polyp removed, and as a GI nurse, I've seen the really ugly side of WLS patients who start drinking again.) No processed foods, period. If it comes in a box, it's not for me. Lots more veggies, low carbs, higher protein. Intermittant fasting is a very powerful weight loss and maintenance tool to use later on in the journey, Lots of exercise. For me this started out by getting 10,000 steps a day. (My step tracker never leaves my wrist and is my best little buddy.) Gradually, I've added a lot of other exercise components, and they get more fun and more motivating as I see strength and muscle definition increasing. This is a journey. You start out with baby steps and commit to follow the plan. Do not cheat. Don't let your mind even go there. Some people look for ways to flirt with forbidden foods or ways to game the system. This is a recipe for failure. Your determination to be successful is the greatest predictor of ultimate success in this venture. Develop some mantras to get you through the temptations.: "I AM NEVER GOING BACK!" "IT'S JUST NOT WORTH IT!" "I CAN'T HAVE THAT NOW, BUT I WILL HAVE IT LATER, DOWN THE ROAD." You can do this. Learn from the mistakes of others and be motivated to avoid their pit falls. The fact that your mom lost weight successfully is a good predictor of success for you. You just have to make sure you take your vitamins and keep on top of the nutrition.

You don't lose weight just because of fills. When you find a level of restriction you are comfortable at you might stay there for years- and still lose and then maintain. It is time to start walking. Start with 15 minutes a day and go slowly. You will feel better within a week, I promise. Get a friend to go with you. Your weight loss will steadier and you will be more confident in reaching your goals.

Understanding satiety I think is the key. If I'm doing anything right, it's that. And your weight loss is absolutely wonderful. Too many people are too hard on themselves or have unrealistic expectations. All that does is set us up for failure.

Now that I have lost all my excess weight, I have developed a new lifestyle....I still enjoy food now as much as ever...along with drink, parties, etc etc.... ...I can do all things, just nothing in excess...the WLS, specifically lap band for me, prohibits me and takes away the urge to be a glutton.... I don't need to eat to the point of being stuffed anymore, and frankly I have no desire to...take it or leave it. I don't worry about calories anymore, Diet is a four letter word I will never have to do again....the diabetes, cholesterol, high BP, etc, etc are all gone! I have no fear of ever being fat again.... I am enjoying life, and all it has to offer, more now than I have in a long time. (I'm 63 years old) All the result of WLS...something I could not accomplish on my own. Bottom line....over a 24hr period, I eat less, WAY less, ( a 1/10?) than I used to....what I do eat I try to make the most of nutritionally...and I stay as active as possible, a real health and fitness addict.......a new Lifestyle that feels great! Over the past few years, I have found this to be true for me, having been on cruises, vacations to foreign countries, business travel, weddings, parties, picnics, holiday family get togethers....I have no fear and enjoy myself at them all! It's a new way of living.....opposite from the way I was that made me Obese and unhealthy to death's doorstep There is life after weight loss!!! And you know what? I am not ashamed that it was EASY! Why should I not want to admit it?? (learning and breaking old habits was the hard part) I don't care what other people may think....When it comes to this, it's all about me.

I did not have a drain. And I ate food way earlier than you. Lol it's all dependent on your surgeon and their practice. I have a great one! My surgery was a breeze. By 2 weeks PO I was on purée/mashed and by 4 weeks my lifetime diet. My weight loss has been consistent and I take in 6-700 calories a day with ease at 2 months PO. Down 39 pounds. Just because it's not what your dr did doesn't mean it was the wrong way to do it.

I never got emotional with my NUT but almost did with the Psych. Whenever I get talking about my weight issues and what got me to where I am, I get emotional so don't feel bad. We all have those days! I'm not a Breakfast person either. Breakfast for me is coffee. On a good day I might eat a yogurt or piece of fruit but I'm just never hungry in the morning. This is why I tend to overeat later in the day. Since I know I have to have breakfast, the Protein shakes are perfect for getting something in my stomach without being that hungry. Coffee really isn't that hard for me to switch to decaf but I always have to have flavored creamer in it. I can't do fat free creamers, yuck! So for me, I will most likely just give up coffee altogether. It will be hard at first but if I can't have regular creamer in it, it's going to suck so I'd rather do without! LOL

Did anyone reach a "normal" weight around six months, or at least during the "honeymoon" period after surgery? How much more did you lose, and how long did it take for your weight to stabilize? I hit my goal weight last Friday, which is also a "normal" weight for my height, and due to ongoing issues I'm concerned about becoming underweight before stabilizing. My surgeon just told me "we've never had anyone lose too much weight even though we rarely have people lose all of their excess weight, you're still in the honeymoon phase, your body will stabilize eventually." Okay, fine. Then I step on the scale this morning and find I've lost 3 pounds since Friday. I lost 3 pounds last week, too. Argh.

Hi everyone I have a question I would like to throuw out to someone that might be able to help mke here. On the day I had my surgery I did not have this problem however once I got home the following the day I found that something was a bit off about me. On the top of my right foot in the area where your last two toes are and if you run your finger from the toe area to the top of your foot inbetween the toes and front on top of the foot I can feel sensation if I run my nails across it however if I apply pressure even a light pressure I cannot feel the pressure it is like numb and if I prop my right foot up I can feel like a nerve pulling from the mid part of the calf running down to the foot and now get this, I have been experiencing behind my right ear lobe a slight pressure and burning sensation, it comes and goes and I never had tese problems before going into surgery. When I was in the hospital I had to wear these things called foot pumps that attach to the feet and are secured by velcro and they pumped up air one at a times and then released air one at a time, I had to wear these while in bed. I exercise all the time and did so for years even before surgery so I know that is not the problem. I don't have any lower back pain like I had in the past due to a good weight loss, it used to be that my right leg would go numb once in awhile due to the lower back problem and behind my neck where the top of your spinal cord starts I call it the upper bump area well it has been numb for so many years due to an old injury and well now I have feeling back. Seems like my nerve pain is shifing for some reason. I will see my regular Dr. in the near future and tell her of this to see what she thinks should be done.

I wouldn't worry about dropping below 40. They want to know that you can lose weight. I didn't even start at 40--37.4 but with co-morbidities. All the best to you, Melinda

I feel better already (next morning). I have had a huge appetite since plastics so when i woke up starving I had a few triscuits, cheese and the other half of that ostrom stick. I am not super bloated or swollen and I just feelbetter. I think in my parania about weight gain and my big appetite I was restricting carbs and sodium too much - eating basically Protein and greens / low carb veggies only. Adding in a few more carbs and a little bit of salt seems to have helped. I drink vita Water zero but not gatorade. What does gatorade have that the vita waters dont? Gatorade many years ago upset my GI tract so havent had it since. My weight is dropping daily so the water weight gain post surgery is flushing out and I need to focus more on healing then the scale. I am down to 151 - came home to 157. I expect to settle at around 145+/- since my start weight was 150 and he removed 5.5# skin.

So I've been going to the gym walking for about an hour and a half no issues. Today I'm walking at 2.5 with a 1.5 incline. After 30 mins I was tired. How can I gain more energy or is this my body telling me slow down right now? How do you boost your energy? Is it more protein more vitamins?

As a guy i really dont care to much about the skin - However i have been using a cardio workout and light weight work out to tighten up - So far working for me but only down around 100 pounds and I carried it well - I was told by a trainer to do a light weight daily workout to keep tight. But I have lost a ton of inches and to me a ton of muscle, They say it was fat but i liked my beefy arms and legs better before

I think I will go the Salvation Army route...I'm nowhere near done losing all of the weight and I don't want to waste money.

Slowly but surely progress is being made. Starting Weight: 237 Surgery Weight: 227 Current Weight: 200 Surgery date: 11/20/12 5'7" Off all meds (BP, Metformin) and getting healthy every day. Good luck to everyone. Best decision I ever made!

In my case, I am going about half as much. Since I'm taking in less than half of the food I used to eat, it only follows that I'd be going less. Although it does make for some anxiety moments on the scale. I won't lose weight for a day or two and think I'm in a stall. Then I'll go to the bathroom and POOF! I'm down a pound and the weight loss resumes.

Okay…..so I am officially 3 weeks post op today, May 20, 2008 and am seriously ready to eat a cow :thumbdown:. I have been this way since last week and the doc, oh I love him but hell, told me that as long as I am losing weight he is not too concerned about anything. My issues, I am not eating the 4oz that is suggested, but more like 10-12oz, and he said that is fine because I am losing weight so long as I am not eating crap. :sleep: I must confess, I did have 3 cookies last week although totally drowned in milk, I did eat them and I told him this:thumbdown:. He asked if that was it and I honestly told him yes. I had not even eaten the recommended oatmeal, mushy cereal, in fact no breads, rice, pasta, etc. Right now, I want to dive my big ol but into a plate of nothing by carbohydrates or a greasy cheeseburger with some chips and queso, but I have refrained. :thumbup: Quitting sugar and, well hell the “good foods” (aka: fattening foods) the way I did was like telling a drug addict, alcoholic or smoker to stop cold turkey. I was told my insurance approved me on April 18 and I needed to start my liquid diets because they were scheduling my surgery for April 25, which ended up getting pushed back to April 29, 2008. Now, I am not ungrateful because I appreciate the opportunity to have this surgery, I am sure as much as any of you, but someone please tell me what I can have because right now I want to cave in and eat something that I know I do not need, should not eat and is totally against what this procedure is for. BTW……I have eaten the sugar free jellos and puddings, the sugar free popsicles and the yogurts, but I think it is the bread my body is craving as I have had ZERO of that (except those three cookies). I feel tired, worn out, not really wanting to do anything, which I am thinking is the lack of carbs as my intake is very minimal right now. Any suggestions would be most appreciated!!!! :thumbup: