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congrats hun... where are you located? I know when I went for my consult they told me BCBSNC changed a lot of stipulations for the better. I go back next week and I had all of my labs done . My appointment with the psychologist is next month I am very excited!!

I had gastric bypass on 09/09/2021 and I have lost 39 lbs. so far after 10 1/2 weeks. Is this a normal amount of weight loss for that amount of time? People will ask me how much weight I've lost and when I tell them they ask if I've been cheating. I have been following the plan but it bothers me that I'm not losing faster.

I'm just over three months out and wondered how much water other people can manage at one setting. I seem to be able to drink rather quickly these days. Is this normal? xx

The nurses seemed obsessed with determining how my "package" looked. So every time they'd reach for the drain, they'd try to take a peek under the blanket for no reason (even though it was sitting on top). My advice to him: Take some boxer underwear! More advice: Exercise aerobics like you're entering a triathlon! Nobody on the floor but me was walking, and I walked A LOT. My recovery time was exceptional, and I was working out within a week of leaving. Before going in (even the day before), exercise like 4x weekly, 1-2 hour HARD aerobics. It will greatly increase recovery time, and reduce pain afterwards. Just my experience.

The waiting game will kill you. My doctors office and myself called my insurance for a week and a half finally I got approved. I have tricare and they said usually it only take three or less days to approve. Im guessing they got tired of fighting and approved it. Im going in August 16!

Depends on insurance. I started the process the first week of January and I'll be having surgery later this month

I am on my 3rd day of the liquid pre-op diet. I really need a good tasting protein shake powder, at least 30g protein. I have Chocolate Premier Protein from Sam's Club and I have to hold my nose to drink it. The aftertaste is absolutely is disgusting. I don't know why they call it chocolate as it is really shi*. Any suggestions so I can get through this 2 week period? I am trying to think out of the box but am new to this journey. Thanks---

Congratulations on your success so far! That is awesome! I am 2 weeks away from being 1 year post-op. I would say that around 9 months post op I went through a little of what you are. I had pretty much reached my goal weight and began to let things slip.....snacking more, adding more empty carbs, etc. For me I had to continuing logging things religiously in myfitnesspal.com, but I had to become a "re-born" sleever. By that I mean, I went back to basics. I did a 3-day reset, going back to the pre-op liquid diet for 3 days. Then from there I stuck to my numbers as much as humanly possible (70g Protein, 35g carbs, 100 oz water). When I do this, I lose..... even if it's just .2 of a pound, I lose. It's not fun, but the longer you go without the sugar and empty carbs, the less you crave it and better you feel. Also, are you exercising? I run, and that has completely changed me as a person. Also, it gives me a goal to focus on that is not scale-related. And in all honesty, it is probably what kept me from gaining any weight back during that period of a few weeks when I was really slipping. Good luck! You can do this!

I had my psych eval yesterday and it all went really well. We spent the first half of the appointment just talking and then I did three standardized psych tests, the first two were just anxiety/depression screenings which he saw no concerns with and the third one was 175 true/false questions. FWIW, I feel bad for anyone with severe paranoia that has to take that test, holy moly it was making me paranoid! Anyways, I took it on paper but he said normally they do it via computer and the program wasn't working right but at a glance he said that I am super organized, a perfectionist with perhaps a touch of OCD, and that I was a repressor. When he asked how I handle emotions I told him I walk away and do something else so that last test just confirmed it. He also just wanted to hear my why for wanting surgery and what has or hasn't worked in the past. I was 100% honest with him on everything he asked and it went well. He said he gives very few no's for surgery and gives out either yes with no recommendations or yes with recommendations. He said I would might benefit from therapy in the future to help with leaning on others and letting them see emotion but it could also just be who I am and that's ok too. He said that because I'm a paramedic and in the health care field that repression might be completely normal and not detrimental to me psychologically but some therapy might be beneficial to help me share other emotions. So it sounds like I'm getting the green light from his side and I might consider therapy this summer when my schedule frees up a bit. One thing he said about my perfectionism and organization its that it helps to make the surgery successful long term so he said that's a big positive. So just be 100% honest if you're nervous about it. There are ways to still get approved. Just thought I'd share my story

I feel EXACTLY the same way!! I was banded three weeks ago yesterday. My doctor moved me to pureed foods on Jan. 2. I've been eating a four ounce jar of baby food for lunch everyday and a protein shake for supper (no breakfast). I have to stay on pureed foods until my next appt. (Jan. 27). My doctor said we would talk about getting a fill that day. I know he won't move me to solid foods until I've had my band exactly six weeks (Jan. 30). That's still three weeks away and I find myself panicking everytime I think about it!! I wish I had some words of wisdom to make you feel better, but I don't. I can just tell you, you're not alone!!

Thanks for sharing this. I have lost 73 pounds within the past year and three months. I did really well in the beginnng but lately I have been struggling. Reading your post got me feeling better and more realistic. I have been really stressed the past six months and have been falling back in to my old ways, including punishing myself for making mistakes and feeling defeated. I am going to start being active on this site again and working towards really losing weight again. I have done some healthy things, but not all the things I need to do an had been feeling sorry for myself. Thanks for your post.

I get that feeling too and it can be overwhelming. I try to just take it minute by minute instead of trying to take it all in at once and worry I also try to tell myself that I know it will be better soon. What has me so bothered today I probably will not even remember next week. I know all of this is easier said than done lol it just seems that without the proper mindset it is so easy to get overwhelmed. I hope things start looking up for you:)

Absolutely...stalls & patience. However, I look at stalls now as a way for my body to catch up to the weight loss~ I find it’s important to think about what our bodies are going through~ I already have some excess skin, however, I find that it’s not quite as bad after a stall. (Or maybe that’s just hope lol) Try not to focus on the scale, do NOT weigh yourself everyday, or several times a day! Stay focused on your path and new lifestyle, and improvements- keep moving forward! Don’t forget to do your measurements, as well! Often, the scale won’t be moving, however, inches will!!! (Woot woot!!!) My daughter keeps showing me pictures from last year, or sometime in the past to help me keep things in perspective....because I KNOW how much I have lost, etc., however, I still see myself as before- it’s difficult to let reality set in, I guess! I think we all agree that this place helps as well..no matter what you’re going through, whether it’s tailbone pain rubbing on your butt skin, the reactions of others, etc...you are NOT alone! Most of all...enjoy the process and the new you!!! ~xo~ Oh, and being able to sit at a booth or normal sized chair with arms on it without worrying about what I like to call “suck & tuck”, PRICELESS!!! Or, worry about if the chair will cling to you as you get up, making the dreaded scraping noise, while everyone turns to look at you. Keep going...and LIVE!!!

I am very glad I had the Lap Band Surgery in September 2011. My weight loss has been slow and, but in the final analysis, I am 55lbs lighter than I was a year ago! In what universe would I NOT BE HAPPY to loose 55 lbs in a year. I read so many forum posts where people are literally expecting so much that they are unhappy with significant weight loss, but it has slowed down, or they are no longer loosing 4 pounds a week like in the first weeks after surgery. The nasty secret about loosing weight is that once you loose a sizable amount of weight (whether you think it is good or not), your body adjusts, your calorie requirements just maintain your new weight go down, perhaps your metabolism slows down, and you need to to consume still fewer calories to loose weight. Also, it is very important to realize (and truly internalize) that the band is just a tool. You still need to learn how to eat less, not snack excessively, and learn to find other things to do when you have the urge to eat. As the psychologist at my Bariatric center says, most of the time we aren't really hungry, we just want to eat. And we live in a very toxic food environment, where high calorie, low nutrition food are around us all the time. The band has made it easier to not eat Snacks (hot dogs, donuts, croissants, pretzels), that I see and therefore want to eat during the day. I've pretty much been able to cut out between meal snacks during the day, but still struggle at night. I seem to still want to eat after dinner while I'm watching TV or working at the computer. So I've devised some strategies to resist that urge to eat after dinner. I guess I'm successful about 2/3 of the time, and the rest I just let go. I don't beat myself up, call myself a failure, or think about it. To me that is self defeating and makes me feel bad about myself !!!! I keep a wide variety of nutritious foods such as greek yogurt, hummus, etc so if I do eat an evening snack it is not the end of the world. I'm just thankful to realize that before my band, I couldn't even resist unecessary eating 100% of the time. To me 33% of the time that is tremendous progress! To summarize, the band is only a tool. T0 be successful in the long run (and that's what I'm interested in!), you need to figure out your triggers, and how to deal with them. The band will not do that for you. Naturally, your weight loss slows once you've lost a significant amount of weight, and your body gets used to the band. I consider myself a real (and continuing success) ! I have more to go, but i'll do it slowly, without making myself crazy, which only made me eat more. Also, the bariatric psychologist at my center has been a real help in my journey. I began to see her when I realized I did not have a healthy relationship with food (soothed me when upset or anxious, or even when I felt bad about myself). She tells me that in times of stress (like the holidays, family illness, etc), just staying even is a big victory. If your center has a psychologist, I highly recommend you utilize them. I really think she has been the difference in my success, not just the band.

Agreeing with clk,ya gotta lose the scale for now. I am 2 and a half weeks out. I dropped 14 lbs in my first week then stopped. Had to make my mom take my scale home with her the day b4 yesterday bc I was driving everyone,including myself crazy! My doctor quickly moved me to soft foods and I stalled at a week and a half out! But I am only getting like 350 calories a day and about 40-50 grams of protein,maybe 30-40 ounces of liquids. The weight has got to come off sooner or later! Just keep doin what you're doing girl. We will get there! Btw,I love my warm teas! So soothing to my sleeve! Love Chamomile. =)

It took me a lot longer to get to goal than a lot of folks and for the first six months or so I drove myself CRAZY comparing my results to everyone else's, changing up my diet every time I had a stall and basically just freaking out thinking that I wasn't ever going to get to goal. It took me 17 months to get to goal but I was within 20 pounds of goal for six months. So around ten months to one year out I was feeling very good about myself, considering myself a success and not too worried about getting all the way to goal. Getting here was S-L-O-W work my body really just didn't want to lose that last 20 pounds. At that point I wasn't willing to fuss with my diet too much, I just kept plugging away and the weight kept slowly falling off. Now that I'm at goal my body absolutely refuses to lose another pound. If it happens it will happen very, very slowly. I weigh daily to keep myself accountable (so I won't slip into denial about my eating habits or weight) and I'm anywhere from 134-137 on any given day (depending on my time of the month) and I think that's perfectly normal. Good luck, and don't let that scale own you. It's hard to get to the point where you can remain optimistic even on days when you don't lose, or when you have a small bounce up. Just stay calm in the knowledge that there is very little you could possibly do and gain weight at this point! Heck, I'm 19 months out in two days and there's very little I could even do to make myself gain more than one pound. ~Cheri

As a fill on Feb 27th, pretty tight. Super slow eating and can't eat a lot of foods I could once! Been experiencing heart burn since last Thurs, not too bad but noticeable! No burping or stuff coming out, just feel it in my chest! Does this happen! I was fine until last week, could it be due to band being tight! This was the tighest I ever felt it!!! I dd liquids n mushers for almost 2 weeks.

When was your surgery? Was it starting to roll off on its own? I would advise you to go to the drug store and get some more steri strips or a butterfly bandaid. As you apply it sorta make sure that the two edges are well approximated. That way you will heal with as little scare as possible. I have seen those return to the hospital because they didn't believe us when we told them to not pull off the steri strip to let it come off on its own.....and low and behold they had terrible problems resulting up to and including the entire incision line reopening and had to have staples, sutures and or packing because of the whole that was produced along with some infection. Don't want to scare you just want you to know that this can be a serious issue. However if it is like 3-4 weeks post op it will be ok and it almost healed and the bleeding was just from the scab coming off. Hope this information helps

Thanks for the info NurseTeresa. I didn't think I really had to call my doctor about it since there was a scab and all and since it was stuck to the steri strip when it came off, that would explain the bleeding. The bandaid was twice the size of the steri strip so I thought I would be ok. It's not even sore anymore, besides it was starting to fall off. I'm only 1 week post op today though. Maybe I heal fast. Who knows? But thanks though.

Well I was afraid to pull anything off, bandaids or steristrips and they were still there at my one week post op. Surgein pulled off the bandaids and some of the sterisstrips as well and told me to work on the others later that day. LOL. He said they needed air to heal faster

When did you all start eating fruit by itself? I'm going on my 7th week and I'm currently on solid foods. My doctor recommends eating at least 1 fruit of day with Protein. I've been adding a half banana to my protein smoothie in the mornings but wondering when I should start branching out and trying other fruit like berries, oranges, peaches, etc? A mandarin orange sounds so good right now!

I took off three weeks and this time I feel I really need the time. Starting to work again next Thursday. A two day week is nice to have for starters.

I had the duodenal switch, and my program allowed for 4 weeks off for it. I was very active after about a week, though, and restless, so I went back to work after 3 weeks. My girlfriend, however, had the sleeve done through the same program. They gave her the 4 weeks off as well and she took the whole time. She was a little slower on healing, though, and getting active, so she didn't really get more active for about 2 weeks. We both have desk jobs.

Hello im 18 years old. April 1, 2021 i had my gastric sleeve surgery.. im 5 days post op and on thursday i make a week. im wondering will i have excess skin is this something i should be worried about?

Scheduled for a mini gastric bypass this Friday, the 19th. Trying today to get a list together of everything I need as far as new foods and drinks so I can have it all in house by then. Confusing with so many different sites/people saying different things or mentioning different products. I would really appreciate any help or sites that kind of lay it out in simple terms. I've been given a lot of paperwork from the doctor and hospital and met with the hospital's bariatric person. Just ordered disposable medicine cups and case of Ensure Max Protein (suggested by Dr.'s PA) Also bought a bag of Bariatric Advantage Calcium Chews and Bariatric Fusion Multivitamins from them to start out on but will source out equivalent products that may be less expensive during my week off next week. Any tips or things to watch out for are welcome. Thanks in advance!