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Ok! So I received my packet today from Kaiser. It comes with a 23 page booklet about the whole process. Also a Bariatric Pre-Program questionnaire. Im a bit worried from some of the stuff I have read in the booklet. For example, they want me to show proof I have been on a program for at least 6 months in the last 10 years. Well years ago my old doctor put me on Medifast and I went to some support meetings for it. I was able to lose weight over a course of 8 months but I gained it all back. They charted our success at the meetings, but I wasn't given any documentation on letterhead or anything like that. Ive also done HMR supplements last year and lost 25 lbs and gained it back. I'm worried I don't have the proper documents they are looking for. Also im a bit nervous with this questionnaire. I'm afraid if i answer wrong ill get turned down. It also says a BMI of 50 or 40 with 2 morbiditys. Im 38BMI and I have hypertention but it is not severe, and the booklet says severe. I do have gerd, sleep apena and joint and back pain. And some depression from my weight. Any advice you can give me if you have filled this out for kaiser before would be helpful. Id like to know what happens when I bring this in. I feel like its my only chance and I dont want to mess it up.

Ok sorry I should have explained. I am 10 weeks out 53lbs lost as of Monday and I'm on a 600-700 calorie diet. I don't eat beef or pork and I eat just 2 ounces of food around meal time. I am having a hard time with Protein and I've tried Protein Bars but I can't finish them. I need serious help this whole eating situation really depresses me.. Any suggestions?? Sent from my iPhone using VST

I'm 59. I had the band for 10 years. It was removed 2 weeks ago after a year of complications. It is a device and devices do not last. Read up on everything you can - all the stats on Bands. Educate yourself. I am looking into the Sleeve as an option, not another Band. You could check Facebook - Failed Lap-Bands and Realize Bands to ask any questions of members. Friendly and supportive group like this one. Good luck!

I'm 59. I had the band for 10 years. It was removed 2 weeks ago after a year of complications. It is a device and devices do not last. Read up on everything you can - all the stats on Bands. Educate yourself. I am looking into the Sleeve as an option, not another Band. You could check Facebook - Failed Lap-Bands and Realize Bands to ask any questions of members. Friendly and supportive group like this one. Good luck!

Hey Everyone. My surgery was June 8th at OCC in Tijuana. Gas was the most annoying thing out of it all. Well that and taking the nasty medications everyday. Everyday I felt better and better. Especially after the 5th day when they took my drainage tube out. Having that out of me made me feel so much better. It reduced the bloated feeling immediately and reduced the gassy feeling as well. For those who are only a couple days post-op- WALK! It truly makes a difference. Try to walk after every time you drink and never drink and then lay down. You'll regret it big time. I really didn't have any pain. Just the gas was uncomfortable. Day 10 was my breakthrough day where I felt almost normal besides my lack of hunger. Now at 15 days post op, the only thing I'm sick of is those daggon protien shakes! I'm so sick of the chalky, fake sweet milky taste! So now I'm done drinking them and have been getting my protien through yogurts and Skim Plus milk which has added protien. I can't wait to start exercising again next week at my 3 week post op date. So far, I'm down 21lbs (10 lbs pre-op). I think that's slow, but I don't mind. I'm just happy to be losing. Good luck everyone!

I'm 59. I had the band for 10 years. It was removed 2 weeks ago after a year of complications. It is a device and devices do not last. Read up on everything you can - all the stats on Bands. Educate yourself. I am looking into the Sleeve as an option, not another Band. You could check Faceb. Failed.Lap-Band.and.Realize.Bands to ask any questions of members. Friendly and supportive group like this one. Good luck!

Surgery was 9/27 for me too. Had lapband removal & bypass done. Though I had hiatal hernia repair done in 2008 w/ band, have had a lot of issues w/ acid reflux and spasms at the junction where the stomach pouch & intestine attach. With several new meds, it's helped. Still on Clear Liquids 4 more days though due to the issues. I'm happy that my issues have been minimal. Had nausea and certainly gas pain, but no vomiting so far! 9/27 - 240 10/6 - 219 (I'm 5' 5.5") Excited with progress! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My insurance didn't have a weight loss requirement. I did have 6 months of monitored weigh-ins but I was just told not to gain weight in that time. I ended up losing 68 pounds though. I did an elimination diet where the first month I cut down my portion sizes and didn't go back for seconds, the second month I cut out soda, third month I cut out rice, fourth month I cut out pasta, fifth month I cut out bread, and sixth month I cut out potatoes and beans. As for exercise, I have two back injuries so what I could do was really limited. I just walked 3-4x a week 10-30 minutes. It worked for me. Plus, it made it easier for me not to cheat and I was better able to prepare myself for how I would be eating after the surgery.

OHHHH dear one- the conversations we've had today on this forum about stalls!!! I am in one as well. Mine started at...guess when....three weeks!!! Yes, it's referred to around here as the "three week stall." I found a great explanation for it today from one of our seasoned sleevers. Check it out: (This was a post on another thread by "Tiffykins.") This is why you are in a stall. It's normal and expected. Your body will never go into a stall as long as you have body fat to burn: Weight Loss Stall or Plateau A weight loss stall or plateau is an extended period of time during reducing efforts where is there is no weight loss according to the scale and no loss of inches according to the tape measure. This is why it is so important to take your body measurements before surgery, so you'll have a reference as your weight loss progresses post-op. We suggest you take measurements of your chest, waist and hip, neck, upper arm, thigh and calf. Be aware it is very common for your weight loss to "stall" shortly after surgery. Diana explains the reason for this below. The Inevitable Stall By Diana C. A "stall" a few weeks out is inevitable, and here's why. Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of Water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store it -- voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet. As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy -- like, to outrun a saber tooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored. Breathe, and fuggedaboudit for a few days. What You Can Do About a Stall or Plateau If you are experiencing a post-op weight loss stall or plateau further out there are a few possible causes. First, check that are you really in a stall. If the scale has stopped moving you may be losing inches, so check your measurements. Too Many Carbs? Carbohydrates can start sneaking into your foods without you being aware of how quickly they are adding up. For more information on carbs, see our section onCarbohydrates. If you are struggling with your weight loss you may want to examine your daily carb count. You can try to keep your carbs under 50g a day and see if that makes a difference in your weight loss. Do not eat carbs before bedtime as it triggers insulin and initiates fat storage. There are some great web site resources you can use to keep track of what you are eating.

And don't worry. liquids and other squishy stuff will go down too easy but when you really get to solids you will focus on the Protein to get it in. I still have a Protein shake every morning (surgery 1/19). Just don't graze. I still follow a high protein low carb diet with a treat from time to time. Typical day is protein shake, cheese stick mid morning, Atkins or high protein lunch, yogurt or other afternoon snack and pretty much whatever the family protein item is with a spot of veggie for dinner. Good luck. No worries.

It's always a good idea to talk to your surgeon when you have more pain than expected and the swelling you describe so they can confirm if you need to be seen. I had my band out in August of 2019. For me, my incision where the port was removed was larger than when it was put in. I also had a small hard section there for a while - maybe the size of a ping pong ball --- my Dr. told me they pull the tubing and all out through that area. I also recall it taking a 3 or 4 weeks before the pain went away completely but it was never significant --- I didn't need anything more than OTC painkillers.

Going to be a slow go - I would say at most 10 days. Make sure you move and move around a ton right after surgery, It gets better every day! Its the law for medical leave so try and shorten your shifts down a little to 5 hours may be a lot easier, but wait to you see how easy 8 will be when you drop a 100 pounds

Also, I did my first big trip overseas at 10 weeks post op. I think for that one it was mainly protein bars, protein bars, and more protein bars. That one was also traveling with a large group of senior executives that I didn't know well, so the food situation was even more awkward than normal. It does get easier with both time and practice. Eventually you'll be able to eat more things and experiment (successfully) with local cuisines. It just takes time and patience.

I was sleeved on 9/10 and I'm down 69 pounds so far.

I agree @@Delta07!!! I made that mistake about 3 years ago. I had a triple fusion of my left ankle July 2013, left knee replacement February 2014 and triple fusion of my right ankle July 2014. Unfortunately this last one did not heal correctly and I will have to make a decision at some point if the pain is unbearable to have the surgery redone!! That is something I really have to think about hard since it means another 10 weeks of non weight bearing again.

Twyla I am in the same boat with you! It seems I sit in the mid 4-6 lb range for 3 weeks and then I will drop down ten pounds in a couple of days.... sit in the mid range again for 3 weeks then drop drastically another 10 lbs. Ugh! Right????

so - after thinking about this long and hard and doing alot of my own research.... maybe the sleeve is best for me. here is my thinking: I have dentures (due to years of chemo) 3 yrs ago and have NEVER been able to wear my lower dentures as all - I had all my molars and such pulled out 2nd year of chemo (over 10 yrs ago) and therfore the bone loss is pretty severe. No amout of adhesive can make them stay in place - so i have to have the surgery in 2 years to have the posts put into my jawbone and then get the new dentures (insurance dictates we can only do this every 5 years). My concern is - I cannot CHEW my food into mush....no matter how many times I chew, I don't have the tools needed to make it into mush. As it is now, when i eat chicken and such and if it's a bite that is a bit too big (trust me I cut everything into tiny bites) i get pain in my chest until it moves through. I can't imagine how bad it will be even with my esophagus being smaller than it is now.... waiting on call from doctors office to discuss this issue - as i have not brought it up before, I kept fooling myself into thinking I'll be able to make the food into mush....it is also very embarassing - although most people don't even notice that i don't have my lower teeth.....I'm self conscious now of how i eat, I dont' want to add to that misery.

Definitely sign up for a race! That's what really moved me from running a bit to lose weight into becoming a runner. My first was 4K, then I did a 7.5 six months later, then a 10, then a 14. I mainly stick with 10's now, that tends to be "my" distance, if I run more than that regularly I tend to get niggling injuries. 10's enough to keep anyone fit! But definitely having the goal gives you the motivation to get out and push every week. If you're anything like me I did NOT want to walk during the race! If you're more of a walker, that's fine, enter the race and set a time goal for that and gradually work towards time/distance. I think athletic goals are really really helpful, and there's NOTHING like the self esteem you get from winning a physical challenge - to me it beats actual weight loss hands down.

Just try and tell a waiter or waitress that you want NOTHING to drink. 9 times out of 10 they will bring you a glass of water anyway. I don't drink while eating but have sure noticed this. Kinda funny. Becky

You have moved me to tears, DeeDee. I have had the same yearning my entire life!! Right now, I have no husband. It was my conviction that my kids would 2 loving parents like I had. I was adopted 57 yrs ago. For 20 yrs I was raised alone, and then when I was a freshman in college, my mom reconnected to my birthmother and siblings. The rest is history!! I have 2 moms, had 2 dads, now I am auntie to 10 and great auntie to 33!! Life is grand!! BUT, I have not given up hope of having the dreams of a loving marriage, this time grandparenting some kids, and just feeling very healthy and "complete". Adoption is a worthy endeavor with special meaning. Keep us posted on the little one's arrival.

Im in the same situation Ive been waiting since d 19 of Nov. Im going crazy this is the worst part I dont know what to do or think. I feel like there taking forever and there just gonna say no at the end. What type of insurance do u have. Wish u d best of luke.

I laughed when I read you were going crazy without a scale while on vacation. I can so relate!! We spent a week at the beach this summer and I was going nuts. I finally made my husband go with me to a Walmart one evening (it was close by but I would never shop at a Walmart!) because I knew they would have some scales and I could weigh myself. I surprised myself and lost weight while we were at the beach. Hope you have a great time! Frankie VSG 3/22/10

It was a urinary tract infection due to being dehydrated. Spent 10 days on a nasty liquid antibiotic, but otherwise have had no problems since.

Hey everyone.....well here's the dilemma. I got my first fill yesterday because I was feeling like I could eat way more than I should! So I thought, I'll get a fill and then I'll feel some restriction and won't be able to get in as much. Not the case today. I went out to lunch with my husband and ate a good sized piece of salmon (maybe 5 oz) along with about 1/2 a cup of steamed broccoli and a small portion (maybe like 10) sweet potato fries. And I stopped myself because I figured I was eating way too much. I wasn't full at all. Now I'm feeling really guilty and wondering how I am supposed to know how much to eat?? :sneaky: I'm just not sure??

I was banded on 3/11/10 and I know exactly what u mean. All I can think of is that old habits die hard and this will be a difficult one for me to break because I have realized that I never just ate for hunger alone. The way I see it though....I stopped smoking 25 years ago and remember reading something at that time that said after the first two weeks of stopping a habit (including nicotine) it's only the psychological addiction that could hamper progress. If this is true (and I am tending to believe it), then I need to focus on what my stomach is really saying. That is what I've been trying to do....concentrate on real "stomach/need" not "taste/desire." It hasn't been easy, but the refocusing needs to be done and as with anything else continually reinforced. Hope this helps!