Search the Community

My first checkup was great...this week I checked my weight, and I'm only down a pound (25 total for the entire journey). I wanted more, but then, that's my personality. :biggrin: I want it gone yesterday ...now that I can see the end of the 'obese life' I want it to be done and over with so I can get on with the new, healthy life I've planned for myself. Realistically, it will probably take the better part of a year. :biggrin: I'm shooting for a healthy 10 pound loss per month - I feel it's doable if I watch my calorie count and work out like I know I should. Winter is tough - my walks outside are getting a little harder due to weather. The only do-or-die walk I take is with my dog every morning. He can't take a day off - that's when he does his 'business'...and he's a great reason for me to get off my lazy duff and get out the door, no matter what. I do like the gym - that's one of my saving graces...even when I was younger, and eating WAAAY too much, I had the gym and physical activity to help keep me under some semblance of control. :thumbup: When I stopped being that active was when the weight really came on. That, and having children. I was heavy when I got pregnant with my son Ron, but only gained 15 pounds under doctor's advice. My son weighed over 9 1/2 lbs, so I did really well. Of course sitting around at home and gaining 50 lbs after he was born did NOT help...:eek: Now I'm dealing with the head hunger, but it's getting a little better every day. I've transitioned out of mushies and am getting slowly acclimatized to "regular" food again. I still don't do well with sandwiches, and I think I'm still drinking too much during the meal - though it's way down from what I used to do. It's a process, and I've got to be patient with myself. I have currently lost more weight since beginning this process than at any time in the previous 5 years...I've got to remember that, and not be too hard on myself.:wub: I decided on this process BECAUSE it did not promise "instant" results and BECAUSE I had more control over the process. Now I just have to relax a bit and let the process continue to work for me...

On Tuesday, I did a half mile. Yesterday I did a mile and a half. Today two miles, mind you this is on my hour lunch. Plus I came home and worked in the yard for two hours. Beats coming home to nap. Also even though I do not have a fill, I reached my full level today. If you read my blog, I am eating turkey patties and some turkey each night for dinner, I only have one meal. Today I had my patty, it was a little bigger than the others but not by much and I ate some turkey, well about half way though my turkey, I was full had that bad feeling in my stomach. You know with turkey you can feel it go though the stoma, well I reached a point that no more would go through. I got right up threw the rest away and begin walking to help ease the pain. Then begin belching and now all is good. Mind you this was just one turkey patty, I get four out of a pound of turkey and a slice of turkey breast and I eat with an appetizer fork so I won't eat too much. I may never need a fill. :smile2: I have not noticed much weight loss this week, but the inches are coming off, I now wear my belt on the last inside notch as opposed to the first notch. If your large get a LB.

Thank u all for the advice. All ready tried counseling. But I've been dealing with this problem for about 10yrs🕘 with this man. And yes 336Mike I did love him❤. I've been the one to give him the benefit of the doubt and have fought for this relationship. Especially since we have kids involved. But now like I said prior, it has gotten worse. 😢 My way of being had never changed. Always been a Happy 😁 outgoing person, and just to know I have to wake up too anger 😤 and insecurities at this point of our relationship, it just crazy 😵 to me. I just think the weight loss added more issues. Because that's all I hear now! But thank u all again for the advice 😘 truly appreciate it.

My story is probably very similar to many people on this site; fat guy can't lose weight, tries new diet, loses some, gains more back, rinse and repeat. Several people in my life have had bariatric surgery, to include my wife and daughter. After yet one more failed attempt to lose weight, I finally decided to go for it. My weight was averaging around 248 before going through the process; on surgery day I was 236. My BMI was under the recommended 40, but nature felt the need to bestow me with the quartet of comorbidities; high bp, high cholesterol, sleep apnea and diabetes (didn’t know I had this until they did the blood work for my surgery). I had surgery on 29 January 2014, and have been progressing at a really good pace. My doctor didn’t want to put me on diabetes medicination because I was so close to surgery; he wanted to see what the numbers looked like after. On surgery morning my blood sugar numbers were crazy high, 276, on 16 February, 18 days after surgery, my sugar levels were 90. I’m very happy about that. I’ve lost 24 lbs in 20 days, that also makes me happy. I’m also averaging 1 to 1.5 miles a day, walking, on the treadmill. Guess what. That also makes me happy. I know that I’m in the “honeymoon” phase right now; the plateaus will come, the weight loss will stop and my progress will be measured in months rather than days. That’s why I’m using the time now to do things right. I’m changing my eating habits, making exercise a way of life, and trying to change my overall mindset about food. This surgery isn’t the be-all / end-all of my weight loss struggle, its one arrow in my weight loss quiver. This is a lifetime battle that I’ll continue to fight. I’ll have my setbacks, they’re bound to happen, but I’ll keep moving. Well, that’s my story. I look forward to interacting with the folks on this site, it’s one more tool to help me succeed.

It's very normal to second guess. In fact, you'll be second guessing up until you start the anesthesia countdown What's worse than that, though, is for at least the first week (if not longer) you'll be asking what you've done to yourself! And no amount of knowing that you'll ask it will keep you from asking it anyway! Statistically, though, it's worth it. You've done very well so far, but you have to ask how likely it is you'll keep that weight off on your own. That's not to sound mean, or that you can't do it, but the numbers are always against us.

I am sure it's water weight. don't stress about this.You will lose. You can't help but lose!

So I'm currently on a business trip.....(first one in quite a long time). First, I was so nervous that the plane seat belt may not fit and I'd have to ask for an extension....but thankfully it fit, barely, but it fit. Both flights were completely full, I changed planes in Atlanta.... ...During both flights I kept thinking....dang! They keep putting the seats closer and closer together, and making them smaller and smaller!....I think that is true to some extent, but I've kept getting bigger also!!!.....both flights were absolutely miserable! But worse than that, was getting to my next gate .....I checked my main bag, but I did have a lap top bag I carried on......OMG I thought I was going to die walking from one gate to the next carrying my lap top bag....then I had to sit and wait...3.5 hours for my next flight! Again very very uncomfortable......Dear lord I barely fit in the chairs!!! To top this all off.....when I finally landed at my final destination....(Minneapolis MN)......All I can say, is this is either the biggest airport in the world......or I am just pitiful! By the time I got from my gate where my plane landed to the baggage claim area I literally had tears in my eyes! I really thought I was about to have a heart attack.....or at the very least pass out from exhaustion...now I'm sure it being after midnight had something to do with this............but the biggest contributor to all the issues I was having was my weight!!! If I had any doubt whatsoever about having this surgery.....this experience has made it very clear that I've made the right decision to get this done! I honestly didn't know how out of shape I am.....I am dreading the returns flights!!! Sorry this was so long but I wanted to write about this experience while it was fresh on my mind.......

I see so many posts on here of people looking for a quick fix. People who say I've only lost 25 pounds in a month......I've been banded for 4 months and I'm down 27 pounds. I've have been very good about what I eat and exercise a lot. Should I have lost more? Probably. But I'm still down 27 of which without the band I know I wouldn't be down any, if not up. So be grateful for small losses or any for that matter, and don't expect to lose a ton of weight quickly.

ocotillo brings up another good point...i also thought to myself "why the heck would i pay all this $$$ and go through such an operation and not be successful." it wasnt like starting another weight watcher program which i did 1,0000000000000 times before...i had alot more "skin" in the game both financially and physically. these are just some of the things that motivated me

@@magnificent2015 If you make serious lifestyle changes and stick to them you have lose all the weight you want. I have lost 170lbs in 16 months, started heavier than you. I think I can lose down to 150ish if I want but I don't think I want to lose more han another 20 pounds.

Hi everyone. Well, I had my first appointment with the surgeon on April 18 and all went well and quickly, which surprised me. The surgeon knows, and we discussed briefly, that I was diagnosed with NASH last year. He was non-plussed and said that would improve with weight loss, mentioned nothing about it posing a problem during or after surgery. However, a co-worker of my husband had the banding done, is having to have it re-done (whatever that means), and he told my husband yesterday that his surgeon told him that if he found a fatty liver that he would terminate the surgery. So then I went online to read about NAFLD and NASH (which is what I have) and gastric sleeve surgery. Confusing confusing confusing information..... A couple of research papers said it helps and doesn't pose too many complications unless the person has cirrhosis and/or portal hypertension. As of my biopsy last year I have neither of those. But other articles, etc say that the liver will "Shred" or "Tear" and bruise due to it's larger size due to the fat. There wasn't any mention by my liver specialist, nor was it in the copies of the biopsy results, that stated my liver was enlarged. BUT... which of the information is true??? Will my liver shred or tear if it's fatty and they try to do this surgery, or.....???? Anyone else have fatty liver, and if so... what was your experience?

Hello everyone, I'm a newbie and saw I needed to introduce myself here. I've been here a few times before when I first had my surgery and finally decided to join. I'd like to say thank you to the owners of this site and the members, because you helped me tremendously in the beginning when I first had my surgery even though I wasn't a member with all of the posts for post and pre-op surgery questions. I now refer this sight to anyone who is considering or have been approved for the surgery. I had my surgery 12/08 and have been doing pretty well since, lost approx 60 pounds so far. Look forward to all the information/support I'm sure I will continue to gain from here.

My experience is that sometimes something we wear regularly may stretch a bit as our weight fluctuates. Perhaps that is the case. The 18 may not have stretched.

Honestly, honey, the preop diet is the worst part of the whole thing. If you just remember that after surgery, you won't be so hungry all the time, and you WILL lose weight, that should get you through. In my case, I had waited so long to have the surgery (to be able to find a surgeon I could afford!), my excitement was enough to make me stick to the preop diet. Plus, many physicians will NOT do your surgery if you don't lose some weight beforehand. If you truly want the surgery and are happy that God has given you a way to stop being overweight for life, then you will be able to stick to the preop diet. As a medical professional, it sounds as though you might be experiencing some depression, which is common for many people. If you have not been treated for this, you may want to see your family doctor, who can prescribe something that will help. If you do have depression and your depressive symptoms do not improve, your surgeon will probably not perform your surgery at this time but will wait until the depression is under better control. Good luck to you, honey. :blushing:

it just seems funny, I guess that losing a shoe size never crossed my mind, when I thought about losing weight, or being "skinny/thinner"...

I can't comment on your specific insurance, but I had very similar stats and was approved by my insurance. I don't believe that high cholesterol is considered a relevant co-morbidity, but hypertension and pre-diabetes certainly are. At 5'2" and 130 pounds, you would have a BMI of 23, which is considered healthy. Once you reach your goal weight, you are in control. In order to stop losing weight, you will need to increase your calories at that point. (I happen to have just started maintenance and am increasing my calories to about 1,700 to 1,800 per day--and I will admit that it's not easy!)

Hope to have surgery end of Feb or beginning of march..sooner than I thought. .had long talk with my hubby today. .and he told me he will support me..can't wait to I get some of the weight off..I was shock today when speaking to my hubby. He noticed with the weight I have gain I walk different and slower.

Hi Jami! I have PCOS too! I was banded 9-20-07 and have lost 76 lbs so far. My weight loss has been pretty consistent but has slowed considerably. For a good bit of my banded journey I have tried to stick to a low carb lifestyle. I just recently switched to a low calorie lifestyle. I just joined the YMCA today and I start with my orientation tomorrow. I hope that exercising on a daily basis will help me get to where I want to be. I still have a long way to go, but I am very pleased with my results so far. Good luck to you.

You may, or may not obtain effective restriction on the first fill. The fill is nothing but an injection, just like any other "Shot at the doctor's" you have had. This may help you in understanding the restrictive mechanism of a Lap-Band. The INAMED protocol for Lap-Band fills calls for a six-week delay after surgery, prior to any fills. The purpose for the six-week delay is for the patient’s stomach to heal from the surgery, as well as allowing time for the Lap-Band to “Seat” or “Nestle” into the fat pad between the stomach wall and the interior wall of the Lap-Band. Prior to receiving an EFFECTIVE fill, it is VERY uncommon to have any restriction from a Lap-Band. Some patients will NOT lose weight, or may even GAIN weight until they have received an effective fill in their Lap-Band. Normal weight loss with a properly restricted Lap-Band is between 1 and 2 pounds per week. The normal cycle of fills, restriction and weight loss is as follows: 1. The patient's Lap-Band constricts when the patient receives a fill. Swelling for a few days after receiving a fill is very common. Many doctors require a patient to go on a liquid diet for a day or two after receiving a fill. A fill may have a “Delayed Action” of up to two weeks. A “Delayed-Action” means that the fill may not become effective for up to two weeks after the fill. That is why the INAMED protocol states that fills should not be performed on patients who will not have access to medical care for at least two weeks after a fill. 2. The patient's stomach capacity is lessened as a result of the restriction caused by the Lap-Band. 3. The patient loses weight because they cannot eat as much food. 4. The residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the outside of the patient's stomach reduces in size because of the overall weight loss in the patient. 5. The reduction of the residual fat-pad causes the Lap-Band to become loose again. 6. At that point, the patient needs another fill, because the Lap-Band is loose, and the patient has a loss of restriction, which allows the patient to eat larger amounts of food. 7. The patient receives another fill and the process starts all over again. Most Lap-Band patients receive several fills to adjust the Lap-Band as their weight loss progresses, and there is less and less residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the exterior of the stomach wall. Once a patient has lost all of their residual fat-pad, fills become less common. As the Lap-Band patient progresses in their weight loss, the effect of very tiny fills (Less than .2ccs) becomes greater and greater. It is not uncommon for a late-stage Lap-Band patient to experience a significant difference in restriction with as little as .05cc of fill.

I have drunk beer since being banded. It is important not to drink it to quickly and NOT to drink it straight from a bottle or can. This is true of soda pop too. If you DO drink anything carbonated be SURE that you have not eaten right before or shortly after - I find that the carbonation tends to make the gassyness of food increase sort of exponentially and that can be VERY uncomfortable. Everybody's milage varies on this count. The band does NOT mean you can never touch the stuff again, you just have to decide for yourself if it works for you - and if not if the discomfort is worth it. Keep in mind that beer and sugared sodas are liquid CALORIES and allow you to "eat around" your band in the caloric intake department. Even if you CAN you may not WANT to. My husband and I went on a long weekend to Prague and I gained SIX pounds in four days drinking the local beer and just generally taking a holiday from the band. I think a lot of that was simple Water weight but it made me RETHINK the whole beer thing, LOL!!!! The weight all came back off by the following week but it was a real eyepopping discovery the morning after we got home and I stepped on the scale! It is true about savoring the flavors of things when eating slowly. I find that if I have a SERIOUS chocolate craving I am satisfied with a single small piece - which I generally break up and nibble squirrel style. I try not to do this often, but I find I am MUCH more successful when I allow myself ONE daily treat of under 50 calories. I don't do it every day anymore because there are many days now that I simply don't have any urge for sweets and I am more interested in Proteins. That has blown me away really, I did not expect it to be so easy to give up my old favorites. These days I tend to find many of the things I used to like a bit too sweet. My tastes have ACTUALLY changed. I guess you can see that I am LOVING this band of mine. Don't worry. This band is NOT the end of all thigns you like to eat forever. You can succeed and still have the ocassional treat, you just have to learn to modify your behavior. This is NOT an all or nothing solution to your weightloss problem. You get out of it the effort you put into it. You know?

Thanks for the advice, guys. I guess I will keep working the program and worry about the weight loss after my first fill. The initial weight loss is a nice benefit though :smile2: I'm quite enjoying clothes falling off. They were already getting lose from my pre-surgery diet. I lost over 20 pounds on that one.

Yikes! So to all, confession....I was planning to have VGS surgery and then, canceled, postponed and rescheduled to have Sleeve Plication surgery..... I know the controversy associated with a "new" procedure, but everything was new at some point. I am excited, have spoken to Dr's and they've assured me the results are almost the same if not the same in terms of restriction and weight loss as with the sleeve, there's the hormone issue, but I can deal with that...... So here I go......I'm in the hospital, by myself, IV is in, tights are on, in a few hours I'll be "sleeved" Send good thoughts!

You can't target weight loss. You could do 1000 crunches a day and all you'll end up with is a nice six pack UNDER a layer of fat. The weight's going to come off where it wants to come off. The body is very stubborn that way. Toning through strength training only visibly helps when you have a very low body fat percentage. Trust me. I know a LOT about this. I have ridiculous amounts of weight on my hips and thighs. I run or bike 4-6 days a week and do lower body strength training 3 times a week. All my fat is still coming off places like my face, ribs, arms, back.....

hi there i also have serious PCOS and was banded in oct 07. i just had my 3rd fil and 3's a charm for me. the first 2 fills were ok but i think i hit the sweet spot. i have lost 50 lbs now. dont forget that everyone loses at a different rate so you cant really compare. i am thrilled with my personal weight loss and i would never go back! others who were banded before and after me some have lost more or less than me but everyones weight loss is a definite triumph! as long as its comes off! i really wish you the best! tiff

Good for you!!! I myself have struggled with my weight since an early age and I too tried all the "diets" and so forth. I was banded last September and have lost 30 lbs....although I wish it were coming off a little faster...I'm thrilled that for the first time in my life, I'm losing instead of gaining! Good luck to you in your journey and God Bless you.