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Good for you! Its awesome to feel so great, yeah? I was sleeved on Jan 19 and I haven't started real exercise yet because I have Lyme disease and am waiting to get my IV line out. Which may be on Friday, after 6 long months. But I feel ready to work out now where I haven't before so it must be about the right time. I hope I'll feel as good as you clearly do. Keep up the good work!

I was blessed to have people who supported (and paided) for me to get this tool...gastric sleeve in August 2009. I want to say it here and now, do not step away from this forum when you are feeling good and that all is done. Do not let the embarrassment, shame or even despair keep you away AND if you are new to the forum, please be aware it can happen and always, ALWAYS come back. So here is my deal, I have gained 57 lb. back...totally walked away thinking I've got this and then life continues to happen. I would occasionally come back to the forum; however, was embarrassed because there were discussions about putting 5 or even 10 lbs. back on which made me feel that I really really messed up and feeling like a major failure. So, this is my way of overcoming my first obstacle...my pride AND we all need to talk about the reality WHEN it happens. Now, I'm not saying it is going to happen to everyone...truly, I am only saying WHEN so for those of us it does happen to we have a place to come back and not be humiliated or called out. Does that make sense??? I use food to deal with stress, anxiety and all that other junk...LOL. I want to put a caution out there...I had the food sort of under control and then have come to the realization that alcohol was now my new friend and over a period of the last 3 years the weight started coming back on and then guess what, I noticed one day my eating habits were right back where I started. I am grateful for the ability to have an area to come and begin again. It is my hopes to not scare anyone, I'm not a negative nelly either! Most of my friends see me as being a very positive person and yes, that is pressure as well....LOL. Today, I am behaving like I had my surgery yesterday. I'm scared, cautious and freaked out about what I will put in my body...LOL. The beauty is I know I can do this...one sip at a time. Okay...enough for now, have tears streaming down my face, laughing and glad to be back here....

I personally have been doing Weight Watchers since January 2016. It kept me from gaining another 50 pounds that year but didn't help me lose. I had surgery in February 2017 and have gone to WW every week since. I find it much more helpful than my bariatric support group (which is focused on problems, not solutions) and it keeps me accountable and my mind in the game. I say try it and see how it works for you! I will probably never quit WW, and their new format is much better then when I did it 10 years ago. Edited to add: WW doesn't tell how you to eat anymore. You can eat literally anything you want, so it works with bariatric plans too.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Weight Watchers. Just like with anything, if you have the correct mindset, you'll make it work. Same with WLS. My sister ended up losing more weight than I did on Weight Watchers and has kept off every pound for years. I can't even say that, as I've fluctuated 10-15 pounds. I personally think WLS has screwed up my metabolism, but that's a whole other subject.

I used a small chopster food processor. Worked great and you can pick one up for about 10-15$.

I ev 1 I was sleeved dec 17 so I am 10 days post op. Down 25 pounds since surgery. My nut says are you getting down your protein shakes? Me: no they are disgusting. Nut: ok here is a brand that is fantastic!!!!! I swear you'll love it!!! It's called nectar protein. So I go to vitamin shoppe to get it and mix it with water almost threw up. As a matter of fact I started gagging. Now I'm turned off. But I need this protein any suggestions? I swear I wanna do right. So hard. But i am killing the crabs. Love love love it!!!!!!!!!

I have found tons of energy after losing around 30lbs. Actually energy to burn... I was content to sit still for the longest periods of time before surgery...now am not. My total weightloss with the sleeve should approach about 80 pounds (from roughly 258 to 178ish) and right now I am already at the midpoint of that loss (221 ( 37 lbs lost)). I am finding in my situation that as the weight comes off...it's almost like I can move better, and have a better center of balance....also my joints, my back etc all seem to funtion better.....am I 100% ...ready to run 3 miles? absolutley not... but a one mile walk now dosen't come with aches pains and loss of breath....I actually find it enjoyable. It really is baby steps to a life change... but you have to make that first step... Energy or not KC start with the smallest walk around the block... maybe 2 blocks tomorrow...stick on the headsets and go for a short stroll. I purchased a fitbit to make it more competative but today pedometers can start at as little as $10! A pedometer can get you to beat your step total every day up to the reccomended 10,000 steps a day.... good luck! oh and I am consuming around 800-1000 calories a day

Are delish! O fat, 0 sugar, 10 calories :wub:

Is it possible that doing crunches, etc can stretch the band??? I started a 10 week boot camp. Today was Abs...I come home & was able to eat at a normal pace w no problems?

i'm being banded in December. My doctor only told me to do a liquid diet 24 hours before surgery. He didn't mention anything about Opti-fast. I'm just curious why some doctors do that and some don't December 19 - Dr. Spiegel

tell me about it!! I am a bakery manager in a grocery store and having my surgery december 31st. i am hoping for a promotion where i will not actually be in the bakery every day but overseeing 20 of their bakerys. that way i wont be actually working in the bakery 8-10 hours a day!

I eat 1200-1500 cals a day. I'm 10 months out and 95lbs down. My Dr wanted me at 1000cals from the beginning. Part of my calories comes from me eating regular, sweetened, full fat food. I don't use artificial sweeteners or low fat dairy (except milk, don't like whole milk). I get my protein in my meals and fruits and veggies for a snack. I eat almost a completely clean diet and feel the best I ever have.

Hello, i wanted to know if you're from NY ? This is last month of my requirement journey. ( my around visit with my surgeon on June 4th ) what is to be expected that day ? I'm just so nervous.. Millions of thought racing through my head and no way of putting them on here lol.. I'm just a little worried about the approval. Everyone tells me not to worry I'll be fine.. But heck there's always a little preoccupation ... What do you think .. I have Healt First. My BMI is at 47.. I weigh 253.. I gained maybe 10 lbs since I started in December.. Which I doubt would be a problem being that I need to lose a little weight before surgery..,

Today marks my one year mark from my gastric sleeve surgery. I cannot believe how fast this year has gone. So many things have changed for the better for me and my family. I am a happy participant in my life now, no more standing on the side lines watching life pass me by. All my labs are in the perfect zone, and oh I have lost some weight along the way. I still have 25lbs to go to reach my first goal of 175 and I hope to do that by my birthday which is May 5th. I was hoping to get below 200 by today, but I will take 200.4 and keep moving forward. This tool that I have been blessed with is such a god send for me. I am glad to still have restriction, so I am using this tool for all it is worth. I am confident I will reach my next goal.

Hi shy and welcome to VST!! I'm just wondering, you mentioned you are already feeling hunger... because TG I did not during the post op diet phase. Are you on any kind of Acid reducer or blocker? I think this helps a great deal with feeling hollow or hungry inside. I rarely even feel hunger to this day. I only eat because my brain reminds me it's time. Once in awhile my stomach will gurgle and feel empty, but really is not often. In fact that happened just right now. It's 10 AM and I'm just now finishing my oatmeal. I totally forgot to eat at my normal 8AM. Talk to your surgeon about this. I'm curious why not all Doctors prescribe this for post op Sleeve patients. If you are, then it could be you are curbing your hunger with mostly carbohydrates. You will get hungrier and much faster doing this. If you eat carbs, make sure they are high in Fiber. It does fill you up good and it will stick with you much longer. Either that or snack on Protein filled foods. Also, be very careful with eating foods that are not on your allowed foods yet. Your stomach is still healing and needs a chance to scar. You could very well get food particles stuck in your staple line. I hope this helps!! You have received some great info and help above too. Keep reading and posting on here. The advice and experience is truly invaluable.

I am scheduled for August 1, pending passing my stress test. I was 269 at surgeons office. He told me to lose 10 lbs get a stress test and he would schedule me. This morning the total weight loss is 9 lbs so I'm getting there. My stomach already has butterflies. My husband and two friends I've told are very, very supportive. Thinking the stress test is scaring me more than anything.

My name is Rachael. I am a mother, a nurse, and a very fat person. I was given my first diet pill at age 10 by my mother... I couldn't take pills so I struggled to get the huge pill down. I don't know that I ever did or that it worked or if I even really needed it! I see pictures of my self and I am a bit chubby but not obese at all at that age. I remember being teased about being fat and large at an early age. I remember carving the word fat into my arm at around 12 years old. I remember hating my body and thinking my life would be perfect if I weren't fat. Years flow by I am in high school I am 5 7 my wt a HUGE 155. In retrospect that isn't that tall or fat but at the time I felt unattractive. I had a period at age 16 were I had a lot of dates no sex but boys asked me out and told me I was pretty....... I did have big boobs and a full soft figure. I think I undervalued myself in some respects but was a fun, gregarious person. I met the man I eventually married he seemed to think I was attractive. We moved in together 2 years later. I did my first "successful" diet at age 20 . It was a liquid Protein diet run by a doctor. My dad paid for it and I achieved my ideal weight of 130 lbs. I bought a tiny bikini short skirts and tight jeans. I went to community college for 2 years then nursing school. By the time a graduated in 1983 I had regained the wt I lost plus 30 or 40 lbs. I married at age 22 wt 170 ish ....continued to gain year after year hitting 270 when I got pregnant for the first time. I lost wt during the pregnancy but regained during breast feeding. Rinse and repeat x 2 more kids over 7 years. At age 33 I was 300 plus lbs but active and healthy. Years flow by my life hits a snag or two my husband developed into an alcoholic and we have marriatal problems. We split for the first time when I was 38 wt 345 lbs 3 kids ages 12, 7, and 5. Living as a single mom for a year was hard we got back together kind of to buy a nice house in VA and be a family. The difference was we kept separate rooms. I had become used to sleeping by myself reading if I wanted to and did not want to hear my husband snore or reek of alcohol. Today I am thinking about why I decided to have the surgery. I have become increasingly UNABLE. I can not: walk up stairs, walk any distance comfortably, fly comfortably, ride a bike, get up from a sitting position with anything like ease, and take care of myself alone. I have a laundry list of things I want to be able to do a BUCKET list if you will. Chase my grandson walk up or down stairs without a rail fly to Africa on a mission ride a bike take a hike buy a small car and fit in it ride a motorcycle Meet someone and be attractive enough to attract them I sometimes want to do a skit like Jeff Foxworthy (not that its very funny) YOU MIGHT BE MORBIDLY OBESE IF you can't wipe yourself without hurting your wrist you can't climb a stair without a reinforced rail get up out of a low couch without assistance well you get the idea i have a million and they all make me want to cry life as a fat person in America is not much fun .....the ridicule is one thing ......the discomfort of chairs that bind you is another...... and the comments people feel free to make is yet another. Yes I am responsible for my situation I know that but it does not make me sub human or less valuable as a person. I know I have lost friends, one in particular that I relate to my weight and my inabilities. This makes me sad and mad. I am a disappointment to my children though they love me they worry about me when they should not have to. They miss being able to do things with me or having to do things for me. They want a Mom they can count on and not have to worry about. I want them to have that as well. That's why I am doing this surgery to be ABLE.

Today I am 3 months post op. Time sure does fly!! Sometimes I feel like I am losing so slow, but then I look back over only 3 months, its going by so fast and the pounds are just melting off. I cannot wait to get to my half way point! I will have to think of something very special to do for myself when I get there. I lost another 4 pounds this week... I seem to average that amount a week still. Sometimes I get upset that its not more, but then I tell myself at least its not 0. "Fingers crossed" I have never had a stall yet. Hopefully I am one of the few lucky ones that never does! I lost 2 pounds one week, that was my lowest week, but I was very constipated. If anyone is curious, here is my weight loss in pounds per week since surgery. Starting weight: 369 Surgery weight: 356 Today's weight: 282 Week 1: 17 Week 2: 6 Week 3: 7 Week 4: 4 Week 5: 7 Week 6: 6 Week 7: 2 Week 8: 5 Week 9: 4 Week 10: 5 Week 11: 3 Week 12: 4 Week 13: 4 Just thought it was kind of cool looking at it that way. I have been doing pretty well. Feeling great. I have been walking some, but need to workout more. My hair started falling out last week and its getting so thin. But thats okay! Here is a slideshow of my weight loss so far. http://smilebox.com/...a&blogview=true

The day I had surgery I weighed 230 and I am close to 5"8. You know the crazy thing is that a year before my surgery my highest weight was 215 and I had taken diet pills and had gotten down to 167. Look at how much weight I gained back over a years time plus even more. When I decided to have this surgery I began to eat all the time because I kept telling myself that I would never be able to eat like that again . I stopped weighing myself so I had no idea I weighed 230. I had never weighed that much in my whole life . I decided to have surgery bc I was sick of losing and gaining and losing and gaining. My surgery was in February 15, 2014 and I have lost 92 pounds. I weigh 138 which was exactly my goal weight. It has taken me 10 months . I thank god everyday for this surgery and wouldn't change a thing. By the way I can eat whatever I want just much smaller amounts so I never feel deprived. I didn't do this to be miserable and feel like I was on some crazy diet . I went to Mexico and I used Dr. Quinones and he was wonderful . Good luck to you!!!

I got my fourth fill (half cc) on Thursday (5/6/10) and they had me drink some Water right after. All was fine went down, no problem. So I go home and have some Soup (based on what the nut said, I could have soup as part of my full liquids for 24 hrs) After the 3rd spoon...I was stuck...on soup. I tried to just wait it out...you know, the sliming, and strange little contractions your stomach does to get the food to go one way or the other. But after 2 hours and it never going down, I allowed it to come back up. After that, stayed on liquids, everything was fine. Then went to mushies...had fat free baked Beans. They are soft...basically dissolve in your mouth. Got stuck after 6 beans! I have been on liquids since, but the problem is that I can go for awhile just sipping water or fat free milk, but if I go for too long just swallowing saliva, I'll get a minor stuck feeling - can't get any fluids down - until I spit up the stuff in my pouch. Which is usually just foamy saliva. What's going on? Should I be a trooper and hope that my swelling will go down? At what point do you give up and call the doc for an unfill? I realy don't want to do that again. For 2 months prior to this fill, I gained 4 pounds. UGH! :confused:

Just wanted to share something I found while at my local Wal Mart Supercenter in the grocery section. They are called Grilled Essentials. Low calorie and low in fat. I absolutely love how easy these are to prepare! Just pop them in the microwave for 60 seconds and walla! They are fantastic. Flavorful and absolutely delicious. Garlic & Herb chicken Breast: Calories 120 per breast, 1.5 grams of fat, 19 grams of Protein Grilled Chicken Breast: Calories 120 per breast, 2 grams of fat, 19 grams of protein Lemon Pepper Chicken Breast: Calories 120 per breast, 2 grams of fat, 19 grams of protein Italian Style Chicken Breast: Calories 120 per breast, 1.5 grams of fat, 19 grams of protein I am in no way affiliated with Hillshire Farm or Wal Mart. I'm just a banded individual that thinks she found something super awesome and wanted to share with her banded friends.

I can't believe I got my date for 2/19. I won't believe it until I'm in that hospital bed. Hopefully there's no bumps in the approval process. I'm guessing these people know what the ins companies need since they do this on a regular basis. I've even read on this site where it take several weeks to get an approval from the insurance company. Worried, happy, and scared all at once!!

Totally goes away! I'm 3 1/2 weeks post op and I had terrible hiccups the first 10 days. Plus the burps, my goodness where did they come from? That noise was something I'd never heard of and the length of the burp was down right impressive. But yes, it gets much better real soon. I still have odd burps, but that gets better ever day too. I think when the are doing the surgery they move the diaphragm enough to "anger" it! :rofl: Thus the hiccups.

I had my surgery one month ago today, and here are my basic stats so far: 1. I've lost 30 pounds from my highest point this fall 2. I've lost 14 pounds since my surgery date 3. I take in 700-900 calories a day 4. Two weeks into working out again-- about 4 times a week Overall, this has been a really positive experience. I was very lucky and had no complications and very little pain after surgery. I'm tolerating food pretty well-- I'm just not hungry! (Which was the point, right?) Maybe I've been reading too many astounding weight loss stories from all of you, but I am a little disappointed that I've only lost 14 pounds since surgery. I had hoped to lose 20 in the first month. But, I truly can't complain. That's not too bad considering that I had a 2 week stall in the middle of that. (I literally lost 2 pounds weeks 2 and 3 post op.) I would not have lost this weight without the sleeve. And as everyone says, it didn't go on overnight, and it's not going to come off that way, either. On another note, I signed up for my first 5K. It's 4/20, and I've started a 10 week couch to 5K program. I'm currently on week two. Working out is harder than it had been before, though, I have to say. I think it's because of my diminished calorie intake, but it takes a lot out of me. But I'm working through it, and it's starting to get a lot easier again. And, the loss of 30 pounds has really been good for my knees. I don't have as much pain as I used to after working out. So my next goals? 1. 215 2. size 16 3. Enjoying running (I really, really, really want to enjoy this. So far, not so much.)

I am 4 weeks out and I will have between 1/2 & 1 cup of food per sitting depending on what it is. Do you have a calorie mark that you have to hit? I was given a list of appropriate mushie food and these goals. Calories 800, Fat 22 grams, protien 68 grams. I haven't been able to meet them with what I am eating (I run out of time during the day) but am getting real close. This is my normal day 8oz protien shake 8am 4 oz carb countdown yogurt 10:30ish 1/2 cup tuna w/mayo and 2 saltines 1pm 4 oz applesauce or Jello 4pm 8 oz Soup or 2 oz meat and some vegtables 7pm I sneak in 1 cup of coffee some days and lots of Water everyday (except weekends - I am not on schedule then and do rather poorly at getting half of what I need) I should throw in another protien shake after dinner but I don't usually get hungry before bed (WOW, isn't that a change) Hope this helps,