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The only times I threw up was because I ate/ drank something too fast or had too much of it. Once you get a handle on it it'll be smooth sailing!

of you are vomiting a lot it could be a complication, or it could be that you are eating too fast, or taking too much food in with each bite. or both. or eating too much in volume. or not waiting long enough after you drink to eat. thats why its good to talk with your doctor's office. they can advise you if you need follow up with the doc. could be an issue or could be your learning curve.

I am religious about watching Biggest Loser - I look at those people and think....if they can do it, so can I! The lady who won was 48 - I know they lost it a LOT faster than we will, but did you see the flab on their arms and stuff from losing it so fast? Hopefully we won't have that because our bodies will have time to adjust to our weight loss. They looked GREAT and I will too in another year or so!!!!!! Keep your chin up!!!!

Good news is that I am not that far from my BMI ideal weight. It is only 40 lbs away and I have already lost 121 lb in 5 months. So it got me thinking abut what really is my target weight and when should I achieve it? Given that 10 lb a month is pretty standard, an easy calculations reveals that I wold hit BMI ideal weight in about 4 months, give or take a couple weeks depending on how slow or fast the scale weight moves. That is fine with me and places my target of 180 lb in the middle of feb. 2013. The question is whether BMI is a good goal to shoot for. My doctor, NUT and supporting staff have not talked to me explicitly about a target yet and I always assumed it would be BMI for my height of 5 ' 11 ". However, feb 2013 is the 9 month mark for me which statistically places me 1/2 way through my golden period of sleeve effectiveness. Should I stop there? What happens if I reach goal at new year instead because I have been getting pretty serious about exercise and weight lifting in the last month? My wife and mother in law have told me on numerous occasions that they think I might look unhealthy at BMI because my bone mass is medium to large and I have muscle on me. They might be saying these things with some self motivation. for example, my mother in law is constantly on a diet losing and gaining the same 10 lb. my wife is a candidate for sleeve, so may not quite understand the whole less is better attitude. not sure. I certainly feel good now and think 20 lbs more lbs would put me into a solid state of health, even if 20 lb over the BMI for my height. The last thing I want is to develop some kind of need to lose weight into the unhealthy zone, below BMI. Not saying this would be from anorexic tendencies because I am not starving myself in my diet nor am I doing crazy exercises ( max 1 hour a day, most of the time 45 min). However, I do see that I need to be careful to not lose too much and get unhealthy. I will continue to be active in my exercises, not just in my home gym but also running 5ks, hiking and other things. These will all contribute to my metabolism burning, burning and burning calories. I look pretty healthy in the mirror with and without clothes on. Not a lot of lose skin and am shaping up like a swimmer ( broad shoulders and narrow waist). My caloric intake is currently around 600-900 and consists mostly of Protein for 6 meals a day. I feel ok with this eating, am not hungry except to refuel and have a lot of energy from this eating, from exercise and also from coffee. Can I continue to eat like this? Not sure. I think I would like to eat more fruit and veggies at some point, eat more like a wholesome and natural Mediterranean style diet. That is a goal of mine for when I stop losing scale weight. It is going to take me a few weeks of transition time to moderate my eating patterns from high protein to Mediterranean style. Have not crossed that bridge yet, but know it is soon arriving on my journey. Appreciate the thoughts from others, especially mature sleevers that have "been there, done that."

Why can't you play volley ball? SOme people do not start loosing till they start eating regular foods, others loose a ton. Some people loose it fast others loose it slowly. All seem to stall for a while. The things I always tell people to check...... (and I need to recommitt to!) 1) are you gettingin all your Protein ? 2) are you drinking enough Water / liquids? 3) is your Fiber enough? (I have to take the special K fiber water.....it has 40 % and that always makes it go better for me) 4) are you getting 20-30 minutes of exercise at least three times a week? remember that stalls are normal and physics says eventually you will start to loose.......less in and more energy out means it will come off....just sometimes very slowly! (and we all hate that!) I wish you the best of luck and try to begin your knew life with the positive attitude, that your family is negative.....try to ignore that and go on and live your life!

Hello! Went to the drugstore today to buy ketosis strips to find out if I was in ketosis, I am. Okay do anyone have any suggestions on how to handle the bad breath? When my nutrionist put me on the post modified fast which put me into ketosis pre-op I could chew sugarless gum, I read that after WLS surgery chewing gum can fill your stomach with air. Does anyone know how long this Ketosis last? Should I just wait to see if this pass. When I return to work I do not want to have bad breath I work with a small group and we meet in a small conference room. Any advice would be truly appreciated. Thanks

I would call my surgeon if I were you. Never had that feeling. Better safe then sorry. I hope you feel better fast!

Hi - at first I wanted to keep everything private and told only my family but then they began telling people. I think I personally only told a handful of people but word spreads fast in this world. Everyone so far has been so accepting (at least to my face) and I decided not to care anymore. People just keep sending me good wishes for a speedy recovery. I didnt do this for anyone else but myself and I'm not ashamed of it. I had my surgery on 12/20 and I feel great. To me its not worth holding in anger or resentment. I needed it for a better quality of life and I got it - just like if I needed gall bladder surgery. But I understand how you feel. Maybe people will surprise you.

You know, for me it was definitely quantity. I never really liked "junk food" though certainly high caloric food. But even when I was making healthy choices, I ate for three!!!! LOL Especially at my age. I was eating as much as my teen aged son!!! Also, I tended to skip meals alot --i.e., not eat all day -- then really eat a lot, very, very fast at night, often a few hours before bedtime. This surgery has really forced me to change all that. I have to eat throughout the day. And because it's not much, I seem to be able to just have those few bites I need to fuel my body. One thing I do notice though is the amount of food people eat!!! It blows my mind!!! and of course, I am so very clear that I was one of those people!!! :-) But it's just weird now to really see the quantities!!! LOL

A lot of ppl can develop anemia. Get some blood work done. My anemia got worst after surgery and even though I still take an Iron pill I get light headed when I stand up to fast, Just ask you pcp or surgeon about it.

My skin is so dry and scaley... No matter how much lotion, vitamin e or olive oil my skin still drys up fairly fast and peels.. I hadnt had this problem prior to being sleeved in June. Is anyone else experience this? Looking for suggests on what can help...

Hello all I was banded on july 21st 2006 and have been doing ok since then but just in the past couple of days I have had a bad pain under my right breast and it hurt to take a deep breath it hurt to lay on my stomach. I feel full all the time like I over ate ( or should I say over drank ) but I do not think I have I am doing what I am suppose to maybe I am drinking to fast can this cause the pain I am feeling? Please has anybody experienced this pain and can give me some advice?? help a girl in need and pain :cry :cry

I didn't lose any weight for weeks after surgery and I was soooo upset because I was basically eating nothing and everyone always talked about how fast the weight comes off at first. For me, the weight didn't start to come off until I started eating more calories! My body was just saving them all instead. I know it sounds silly, but maybe that's what is happening to you? Are you getting in at least 1,000 calories a day? When I eat about 1,200 calories a day, I lose weight the best. You can also try upping your workouts just a tad. Like if you usually exercise for 30 minutes, try for 45. Or if you exercise a certain number of days per week, try adding one more day of light exercise or weights, just for a boost. My doctor told me lifting weights is an important part of a workout regimen because your muscles work to take the place of fat even after you've finished the workout. Try not to get discouraged!! This is a long journey and it will take time, but it will be worth it in the end. Keep your eyes on the prize

1. your in rants and raves (anything goes!). 2. You attacked lower bmi people, like they aren't deserving enough. 3. Lastly, you tell people not to post any help. You left everyone else in no other choices on a response. Now for my rant. It's nobodys fault you didn;t get covered. Your insurance can cover it unless your company says so. Your company doesn't want to pay the rider. You don't want to pay anything. Yes some people get lucky and some people don't. However in my personal opinion. If you don't want to spend the $17,500.00 or research any other alternatives then maybe the band is not for you. The band takes alot of effort, and if your giving up already then you won't put the effort in the band. One last thing. Other then "rants and raves" forum I almost never seen a hostile or belittleing post. And if there was one it gets moved or removed pretty fast.

Just thin it out and it becomes a full liquid. I ate it all the time during both periods. It was winter then and I found it very satisfying. the recipe I came up with was so good, I ended up having to make extra for my DH. Make it with one half water and one half vanilla slim fast. Add cinnamon, vanilla, a touch of salt. After you make it, add a half scoop of protein powder for a little extra protein. It's WONDERFUL. I put vanilla slim fast instead of milk or creamer in my coffee in the morning too. It's very good, and a little extra protein.

Sal- I STRONGLY recommend that you stick to full liquids for as long as your doctor tells you to. It's not about what will-or-won't go down... it's about letting your stomach heal. It can't heal if it has to work. It's swollen and needs to rest. I also couldn't wait to get through with the liquid stage-- a warm scrambled egg never tasted so good. But I still can't have any real solids-- I have to blend everything up to the consistency of apple sauce for the next two weeks. Then real solids. If you move forward too fast, you may cause a problem. My doctor's office said that it is only liquid if you can drink it through a straw-- tuna fish, mashed potatoes don't count there. (In my 2nd stage, I still have to blend up my tuna fish.) I know it sucks-- I did get some chewing gum in my second week. It may cause some gas, but it wasn't a problem for me (I was just a little burpy-- very ladylike! :wink2: I'm sure you can suck it up for a little while! (not trying to be mean, or anything... just heal well.) Edited to add: I would call your doctor's office and ask exactly how long they want you to stay on liquids. Maybe they only want 1 week and you could move on to mushies/blended foods. (You can blend any solids-- I had blended turkey meatloaf for dinner.)

There are lots of different sets of guidance that I've seen post-op, so it seems that each surgeon is different. For me, I was restricted to Clear Liquids only for 7 days post, then full liquids for 3...tomorrow, I start my second of two weeks on purees...on the 22nd, I'll start softs, moving into more solid food...my first adjustment is scheduled for the 31st. I had been told during my preop studies that, for my surgeon, from clear liquids to solids takes about 6 weeks total. That seems like a long time, but I know that the progression is moved slowly so that all of the healing can take place appropriately. For me, having had a hiatal hernia repaired at the same time, I'm glad for the extra "rest" in that area. Keep in mind that, when you start having fills, you will be advised to regress in your food types for a few days after each one...you need to be prepared for that. Advancing your diet too far, too fast at any stage is just setting yourself up for problems. The advice my nutritionist told me is "Just because you THINK you can eat it, doesn't mean you SHOULD!". I think those are pretty good words to the wise. Hang in there! V/R, Christine

Hi my name is Pamela and I had been very unhappy as an overweight person. I was always an obese person even as a child. In high school I was popular but I knew deep down inside I was just the "fat friend with the cute face". I graduated from high school weighing 190 pounds. I then went off to college and the freshman 15 (that is how much you typically gain during your first year of college) turned into the freshman 30. Even by the time I left college I was much heavier than I was in high school. With this being said I still was not to the point were I was fed up with my weight. I felt I could live with it and if no one else could, well that was their problem. I had gotten married in 2004 and became really comfortable with my life. I had a husband who loved me for me so I subconciously figured I could eat whatever and whenever I wanted. Well I kept this up for the next 2 1/2 years and ended up ballooning to the weight of 292 pounds :omg: . I thought to myself what the hell happened. Well the fried chicken, ribs, mac and cheese day in and day out happened. Not to mention the Reeses easter eggs (both in white and milk chocolate) and the Pillsbury deserts, you know the ones you drizzle caramel and fudge on top when you take it out of the . Well I had got to my "Ah ha" moment. I knew I was slowly but surely killing myself. I knew I had diabetes and hypertension that ran on both sides of the family. So I had to do something. I had heard about the Lap-Band procedure but knew nothing about it. So I did my research and found a surgeon by the name of Dr. Robert Quinlan :clap2: who is my godsend. I had a seminar in October of 2006 and was officially notified that I a candidate for surgery. Well this was the best news for me but I still had to go through the pre-testing such as the ultrasound, pschy, and various other testing to see if I could physically stand to have the surgery done. I wasn't concerned about the test results being that I was 27 years old and had no current health problems besides being morbidly obese (oh and the 3 three protruding "love" handles that were on both sides of me in addition to my "thunder thighs"). Well it took me six months to go through the mandatory testing to be approved for surgery. When the surgeons office finally called me to let me know that my insurance was approving it I thought I was going to faint. Six anxious months had finally paid off. And not to mention I had lost 12 pounds before surgery to decrease the size of my liver. I had my surgery March 29, 2007. The day I went home from surgery I weighed 280 pounds and to date (Sept 3, 2007) have lost 60 pounds (yay! :bounce:). I eat ABSOLUTELY nothing fried and no sweets. I figured that between unhealty food and my obsessive eating its what got me to this point in the first place SO NO MORE!! I exercise at least three times per week whether it be going downstairs to the gym, power walking outside (which isn't very fun in 90 degree weather) or turning on exercise tv and working out. I hate to exercise :whoo: but I know it's half (if not 60 percent) of the battle of weight loss so I force myself to do it. I love the band and have no problem tolerating any healthy foods even fibrous ones like broccoli. I want to at least get down to 150 pounds and plan on having a abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) done at that time. I would encourage anyone who has had repeated failures at weight loss whether it be Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, or Slim Fast (oh and can't forget about the Richard Simmons way of weight loss too been there done that), go to a lap band seminar and get the skinny on the way to a better life. Now I understand it's not for everyone but it really saved me from continuing to lead myself to an early grave.

What are you defining as a cheat day? I don't really do cheat days so much as I have rest days and I let my calories go over 2000 without going to the gym. But if you mean eating ice cream or fast food; then no, I don't do cheat days.

Wow good for you ........that was fast. You are a day ahead of me. I am self pay but wanted to wait until a convenient time to take off work. I will put you on my prayer list. Best Wishes and we can meet on the losers bench.

I've said before that I'm not great with numbers so if I'm a bit off from previous posts, please forgive me. I'm not trying to revise history, just not that observant on numbers. But I'm just now starting my 2nd year in this life and thought I'd share the markers. In mid-October 2010 I started my pre-op diet. I think was was right about 326. Strict program requires loss prior to surgery. In mid-April I started my pre-diet liquid fast. I was at 309. I was 100% faithful and it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. 10 day fast and I ever skipped two packets. I think my mind was on the future by that time but I was also going a bit numb. I knew I had to do it so I sort of went into denial which worked for me. I was actually sleeved the last week of April 2011. As of today, I am at 235. That's a loss of 92 pounds. It's not tearing up the track. I've seen others who have lost tons more but that's the main reason for this post and something I want people to understand. You body, if you stay within reason and safety in eating, will lose. It just might pace itself differently than others so try not to judge yourself by others. I lost horribly when I was in the 400 calorie a day range. When I moved to the 800 calories, it wasn't much better. But now, in these past several months, with being able to take 1200 calories a day and having the energy and strenth to pick up more exercise (and with almost 100 pounds less stress on my knees) my weight loss has become steady and consistant. As I've added more calories, and 1200 is very reasonable to live with, I am not stopping weight loss. My surgeon preached that if you didn't lose in the first year in his program you were not going to lose with the sleeve. He was 100% wrong with me. This is now my new normal and the key to that is that I no longer fight it because I've accepted it as my normal. It's no longer something that was forced on me to save my health but something I'm thrilled to have done to have saved my life. It feels like I was born this way. I stopped counting every bit of food about 3 weeks ago. I just got sick of it. I concentrate on Protein and take a good multi every day as well as my Calcium. In that 3 weeks I have become far less obcessed with food. I think of it so much less, eat only when I am really hungry (and I do still experience hunger). But now I'm just a human being who has a small stomach. Most days I love it. It's a relief. I had had a bout of depression but I'm also going through menopause, lost 2 brothers (both under 60) and my Mom is now terminal and these things are the tip of the ice berg.. I have never turned to food in stress. My stomach actually gets tight and hard to eat so I don't think the sleeve contributed any to the depression. But I'm not being a hero and getting the depression treated so I'm thinking I'll be better by year end. And at least 10 pounds lighter. Oh, and one more thing. One year ago rolling my trash can to the end of the drive was a challenge. The last several days I've walked a 1/2 mile trail behind my house. And I have very bad knees. So plan for the best. It's right around the corner for you.

I was encouraged to walk immediately after surgery. Within a couple of days, I was outdoors walking--albeit not as far and fast as preop. I was not permitted to do other forms of exercise until after my first postop check.

I am 5 1/2 months out and I am down 63 pounds. Everything is going really well but I've noticed I'm getting a little loose on the rules. For example I am eating too fast. Or not really wanting to wait a full 20 minutes before eating to stop drinking. Or thinking about the next meal the minute I am done the one one I am eating. So, I have decided go back to basics. My thinking is that this will be an ongoing life change and struggle and along the way there will be times to adjust and reevaluate. And this is my first one. Thanks for listening and providing any positive feedback.

Hello Hot Butter Fly. How r u doing today? I just called NYU to get all this going for me fast . Thank God the young lady told me I can get copy's of my MR. just waiting for an appt

I made a HUGE mistake. I'm now sitting in the waiting room of my surgeon's office waiting for my post op and hopefully to have my drain removed. The OBand center made the appointment for me last week. This morning I was so anxious for this appointment, I wore myself out getting dressed, cleaning my wound, hiding the drain, and then getting to the bus. I started not feeling well so instead of my cane, I took my walker. I have to go back a little further - yesterday my drain started to show a little pus around the stitches which is also a reason I so looked forward to this appointment. And yes, I did call when I saw it, but the nurse's response was "Well it's a good thing you're seeing the doctor". I was always advised before that you call for every issue, even if I think it's not a big deal. I felt like an idiot for calling. Fast forward to now, while I'm sitting in the dr's office an hour past my appointment. When I came in, I said good morning to the woman at the desk, who only side-eyed me before turning away (mind you, I've never been to the surgeon's actual office. I've always gone to the center for all my appointments). I signed in and sat down to wait. My doctor arrived at 10am, but seemed busy with calls. It happens, but after 45minutes past my appointment, I thought I'd check to see when they thought I might be able to see him. I asked, "I had an appointment with Dr Lyass at 10:15. Can you tell me how much longer it may be?" The woman at the desk, the one who side-eyed me, answered, "Talk to her". "Her" was another woman behind the desk. They exchanged words in a language I didn't understand, then "Her" went to get a third woman to speak to me, who I'll call "Three." Now Three is actually decent to me, and tells me that because the center made the appointment, they didn't put it in the system (wha'?). The doctor will just see me after surgery. Yes, that's what she said. But there's an update, because I take so long to text - I'm not young. His 11am appointment just went in. Yes, before his 10:15. If I didn't have a pus-y tube sticking out of my stomach, I'd leave right now, I'm so angry. Sent from my iPhone using VST