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Just joined this group. I am an RN, I am having my surgery july 10 in Houston. My surgeon is Dr. Sherman Yu. I have a lapband that has slipped. I had the band since 5/09. I lost about 50 lbs and quit losing after about 2 mos. I had an ultra conservative surgeon who would not fill very often. Turns out to be a good thing I would have really had problems after the slip if not for the fact that the band did not have much fluid in. My slip was upward most like caused by a vomiting episode. Anyways glad to be having the VGS.

Sleeved July 17, 2014 Total weight loss in 4 months is 105 lbs. Number of stalls in that time frame: well over 10 I was told by a good friend who had gastric surgery before I did to "Expect the stalls. They are part of it." The key aspect to remember is that weight loss and healthy living is an aggregate measurement over the long term - stalls are temporary, short term pauses while your body makes a corrective change. Your job is to keep doing what YOU need to do to allow your body to help heal/shrink/repair/nourish itself. Don't sweat stalls...they are coming- just like your weight loss is coming. The only difference is the stalls are temporary and the weight loss is long term. You will do fine... relax and enjoy the ride

Hi folks! I am 6 weeks post surgery and having my first real stall- scale hasn't moved in 10 days. :-( I knew this would happen eventually (from these boards and my surgeon also warned me) but it is still bumming me out! Anyone have any tips to help get through a stall without getting too discouraged or anxious that it will last forever?

My preop plan consisted of 3-4 Protein shakes and Clear liquids for 10 days. I already knew i had a fatty liver from an ultrasound when i had my gallbladder removed 7 months ago so i made sure i stuck to the plan. After surgery, i asked my surgeon how my liver looked and he said PERFECT! So, the preop diet works plus you lose weight which is an added bonus:) Have you tried mixing sugar free Jello (powder) with your shakes? It really helped me during this phase.

I am hoping that after I am sleeved I can stop leaning. I have a bad back (actually having surgery on that in Decemeber) but I am hoping that also with the weight loss I can stand for more than 5-10 mins without having to lean.

I remember being where you are lol, my family was eating my favorite food Popeyes Chicken 🤦🏾‍♀️My mom is 10 yrs post op GB & she understood my pain lol, good luck you & see you on the losers bench

Congratulations. I was banded on 19 January. I have been on the liquid diet since 11 January. Rarely get hungry. The secret has been in the whey Protein supplements. They fill you up. Sometimes I have to remind myself to consume the next one. Afternoon Snacks and at night I am eating homemade Soups (creamed of course). God Bless the immersion blender! Best of luck!

Hey, its 12:54 april 24th 2006....i should be studying exams but i'm here doing my journal! I will start with what i did before getting into this, since i don't have much to say about the pre-op diet (i started 1 hour ago...its a 10 day diet consisting of yogurt and cottage cheese) So....around march i started thinking out of the blue...I need help, i've tried everything, I don't even know what clicked but all of a sudden i felt the urge to look up everything on the RNY gastric bypass. While i was researching that i found info on the Lap-band...which led me here. I was looking for forums where real people were discussing real issues. I started out just talking about it with my parents, they were ok about it but quickly warmed up to the idea. My mom did research and found someone in Toronto. This was the TCC (toronto cosmetic clinic) So i booked a consult in person for late may. I was searching the forum and found out no one really knew them and their reputation was not established, and their post-op care didn't add up. I opted for the TLBC (Toronto laparascopic band centre). Where i could do a phone consult which i booked for april 5th... Filled out the forms, did the consult, set the date....May 4th 2007. I spent countless hours on LBT researching, viewing threads, looking at before and after pics, reading horror stories about the complications. Now comes the real test...10 days, pre-op diet! I will keep you (if anyone is actually reading) posted!

I'm a slow starter/loser too. After 10 months I'm only down 25lb. I'm totally to blame. Denial was my middle name. :tt1: I've done some mental butt-kicking and think I'm on my way!

When do you go back to work? i have my surgery on 06/09/10 (wednesday) and only took off the rest of the week to go back to work tht following Monday.

I'm so frustrated I could scream. It's been almost 4 weeks now and I'm down between 2 and 3 pounds depending on the day. I'm doing everything right and it's not working. I'm not overeating, I'm not making bad food choices. Yes I'm thrilled to be down as much as I am, but I hoped at this point I'd be down at least 10-15 more than I am. My one cheat has been yesterday we went to Rainforest Cafe to celebrate some birthdays. I had fish and chips and ate less than a third of it, maybe 4 tortilla chips with queso, plus a itty bitty portion of brownie and ice cream (maybe 5 tiny bites). My breakfast and my dinner were each about 150 calories of almost pure protein to allow for my overindulgence at lunch so I came out fine on my daily totals, yet today, that flucuating pound is back. Even after going through all I have to get help, I'm failing. It makes no sense at all. I've gotten used to the 20-something pounds being gone and lost that feeling of being smaller and I just feel like a cow again. I guess after getting adjusted thursday it will be better, but honestly I don't see how I could eat much less than I am right now.

I just got this idea if you were banded between 1 june and 10 june, we would like to start a weekly weight check. Every friday we weigh ourselves and see who will be the biggest loser :drool: just a way to keep us running and help each other if you like it please lets start from here ......

So I've been on liquids for 13 days and I've lost 10 pounds. However, for days I've been thinking that I haven't cheated, but unfortantly now I'm wondering if I have. I've been drinking 3 shakes a day and have a small I mean small salad with olive oil and vinegar with like 2-3 strips of grilled chicken, I don't do the chicken everyday. I was also told I could have no sugar pudding and yogurt and low fat cottage cheese. Do you guys think I screwed up by having the small salad? My nutritionist said that I could eat as many fresh veggies as I wanted, so isn't salad fresh veggies, I just am worried about the grilled chicken and oil and vinegar. I also went out for girls night last night and my friends were so proud of me, they all drank and ate appetizers and I drank my Water and eat NOTHING!!! I was so proud of myself. I'm just scared now about the salad and my surgery is on Tuesday!! Anyone that can tell me their thought or opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Well, I am coming off my summer hiatus and am returning feeling successful after 11months with lap band and plication. My time away this summer has given me time to reflect and revise my plan as to where I want to finally be as far as my WLS journey goes. I just returned from a trip to Hershey Park with my 4 & 7 year old and am measuring my success in all new ways now. This is the first real get away vacation since I had my surgery last September. I went on rides and was much less fearful of the ride restraints not fitting….they ALL did! I was happy not to be that "fat mom" that I saw get off the roller coaster before the attendant came over to check that the restraint was locked….she could not get the restraint to lock and left her son to ride alone. I silently cried for that mom because that was me a year ago in Disney….but unlike her I was not brave enough then to even try that for fear of being embarrassed or embarrassing my kids. I am not judging her at all but I am glad that I am no longer in that situation, for myself and my kids. I often find myself looking at people (especially ladies and moms) and thanking the stars that I am no longer at "that point". I see myself in others now (the old me)…and although I am not judging anyone because I lived as obese for so so so many years but I find myself thinking…that was you….that is what you looked like…that is how you moved…that is how others saw you….it makes me feel sad at times. But as I look to the successes I've had Im happy to have lost 93 pounds in the past 11months. I look now at reaching that goal number I picked out of the air…off "those" charts that say what i "should" weigh given my age and height and I wonder if 140 is realistic for me. Although I haven't been online on this site I have been lurking around and reading all of these posts about stalls and not reaching your goal and its made me think….I've held the same weight for the past 3 months. I haven't been the poster child for lap band surgery….especially this summer….Im off for the summer and with that comes off schedule. I've enjoyed my summer SO much. I've eaten (sometimes too much and have felt it), good choices (although not always), I've even gained a pound….at first i cried and beat myself up over that pound than I got a grip….in the past…that would have been 10 pounds….i've basically maintained my weight for 3 months while eating and enjoying….what a success that is. People tell me I've lost enough and I look great. What they don't know is Im still about 190 lbs (almost 50 lbs from THAT goal number) and when I tell them that they all say "WOW--you look more like 160. I even had the plastic surgeon tell me how narrow I was…that was nice to hear. I watch people here torture themselves about getting to THAT number…and then they go below it and that is all and fine…but I realized that I am still successful w/o reaching THAT number. I want to eat like a real person and not worry that every morsel of food is going to put 5 lbs back on me. I want to live with food and enjoy it and not be in a constant state of panic….in my opinion there is WAY MORE to being successful than just reaching that number we assign ourselves. My successes lie here….. 93 pounds off my 5'4" frame Biking 12 miles Walking w/o knee or back pain anymore Going on amusement rides (even kiddie ones) with my kids and not feeling panic. Able to walk around museums/zoos etc for 6-7 hours w/o having to sit down every 10 mins. Looking in the mirror and LIKING who and what I see Fitting into size 12 pants and size 16 shirts Feeling ok w/myself to go consult w/ the plastic surgeon to remove the excess belly and skin Eating….good and bad at times Normal BP Not obsessing with the scale everyday Liking to shop for clothes Believe me…I could go on and on. Its been an up and down journey at times. And I don't beat myself up as much over my choices but its all still a learning process for me….and Im guessing it will be for quite some time. But it was nice to go off and live this summer…just to be me, and appreciate me, and cut me some slack….Im not perfect and I never will be…. BUT I AM A SUCCESS!! And it does not matter that i haven't met that ridiculous number that some chart tells me I SHOULD be. SUCCESS LIES HERE:

I was off for 10 days total , to be honest , most days I was out shopping and enjoying my family. So I could go back before than that... Totaly upto you..

This might be not valid but the first few months if I drank anything and ate at same time I'd vomit. I couldn't eat any solids until 10 weeks... kept to protein shakes. But healed well and no issues.

So my phone rang at work and it was the doctor's office and I immediately got excited, hoping they were bringing news of insurance approval. I knew that I would be hearing back either today or tomorrow about it. Well it wasn't that. I guess the doctor was looking at my file and he doesn't feel I have lost enough weight to perform the surgery yet. The PA at the office said he wants to see me tomorrow morning and he will decide if it will be postponed. I have lost 8 lbs since the pre-op started 10 days ago. I thought I was doing okay on it. Never once during my 6 months of nutrition visits was I told I needed to reach a specific number in order to qualify. So I am heading in tomorrow and will get all of my paperwork signed, hopefully the insurance approval will be in but if I don't have the surgery Monday, then I will be waiting at minimum until the 26th since the doctor is on vacation the 3rd week of the month. I was really upset when I was told that and felt like I wasn't completely informed not being given what the expectation was to start with. I am hopeful he won't cancel but I want to be safe too, i don't want to take any unnecessary risks. I already had the time off with work, everyone but one person thought I was taking "vacation" time and now to cancel at the last minute is going to seem weird. Not to mention it's really hard for me to take the first and fourth week off in a month so the two weeks in middle were perfect, I would rather not wait until the 2nd week of May. Just frustrated.

Hi all, I was sleeved in January 2011, and my weight has been fairly stable for the past 14 months (unfortunately I didn't hit my ultimate goal, and am not likely to with the level of exercise/diet I am able to realistically maintain). I had been putting off having plastic surgery with the idea of losing the last 10-15 lbs., and finally I have decided to just schedule my first surgery (breast lift/reduction) because the weight is really not coming off despite diet and exercise. I'm going to make a big push to lose as much weight as possible this month (amping up the exercise and cutting daily calories down to <1,000 per day) before my surgery but don't expect to lose more than 3-4 lbs, max. I do wonder, though, what would happen to my results if I were able to lose that final 10 lbs. after having my breast lift surgery. Has this happened to anyone, and what did it do to your results? I obviously don't want to spend $6K on a procedure only to be unhappy with the results six months down the line. Realistically, I don't expect to lose 10 lbs. after surgery, but in case it happened I wondered how it would affect my ta-tas. Any experiences you can share would be greatly appreciated! I am really excited to finally have my first procedure and looking forward to the "next phase" of life after WLS!

I had my Lap-Band surgery one year ago. After I had it adjusted a couple times and felt some restriction (around last December) I noticed some changes. One being that I have permanently dry lips. They are dry and chapped constantly! It's not big cracks like I used to get in the winter when I lived in Minnesota, but instead the skin on my lips is forever peeling off. I know this is graphic, but it's like they are shedding! All the time! I have tried every kind of chap stick and lip repair treatment, and nothing really helps. I still put chap stick on about every 10 to 15 minutes, and sleep with it on. I live in a very humid part of the country, so it's not like the air is dry outside. And none of the other skin on my body is dry, just my poor lips. I thought it could be a Vitamin deficiency, but I take a daily vitamin. Have any of you experienced this? It is embarrassing and unattractive, what can I do? Thanks

I definately wouldn't go as far as saying that there are no complications in Mexican sleeve surgeries. But I am quite confident in saying they are signifigantly less common. With surgery in Mexico, you are in direct face to face contact with your surgeon for 3-5 days after surgery, the immediate aftercare is much more thorough. If there is a problem, it is more likely to be found before you return home. Not to mention that top Mexican surgeons are far more experienced in this surgery than American or Canadian surgeons are, typically having performed as much as 10 times as many procedures as their counterparts. The typical stay after an American surgery is overnight, and I have heard of people leaving the same day. If by some slim chance you do have a serious complication on a surgery that was performed in Mexico, your choices would be to go back to your surgeon in Mexico, or if that is not an option then you may have to go to the ER. Most Mexican surgeons offer an insurance that in the case of complications it will cover all medical expenses incurred to include emergency flights back to Mexico. Most doctors don't make a habit f mentioning them because the insurance is so rarely needed. It really is more of a piece of mind thing than a good financial investment. The only way I would buy the insurance is if the fear of complication was so great that it was keeping you from getting the surgery.

I meant to say I had weight loss surgery (rny) 10/2009. and I take levothroxine.

OOPS! How am I coping? I try to stay busy, I know that sometimes that is so hard to do. I read books, take short walks, I really like to do Beachbody's Shaun T's Hip hop abs, and Rockin Body. I do that for 10-15 mins. I'm to tired to think about eating.

hey all, I'm 10 days out. On my 1week post op, my dr removed the steri strips from my incisions. Now, I have sticky gunk and what had stuck to it all over my belly in the outline of where the strips were. I tried alcohol on a swab and oil (very carefully as to not get too close to the actual wound) with no luck, any suggestions?

I am 3 weeks out now and weight loss is really slow ! I see so many people dropping 10 + lbs a week and here I am slow at only 2-3 a week. Is this typical of thyroid wls patients?

Hi All, I am almost 6 months post-surgery (6/19/12) and have lost 87 lbs. I am now beginning to have trouble finding good low fat high protein foods to eat. I do get weak and light-headed especially when i exercise, so i question my protein intake levels. Just hoping some of you experts had some recipes or good ideas on what to eat. I am not drinking any protein shake just trying to get in by foods. How many of you who are at my stage still drink protein shakes? Thanks for any info?