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That's an amazing statistic! 10 pounds a month. It's jaw-dropping. Do people even recognize you? That's probably another pleasure you enjoy that isn't food related. Keep up the good work. I'm going to remember your story as I go forward. Thanks for sharing.

7 days post-op and also hungry. This isn't head hunger, I know the difference. Head hunger I can actually ignore, real hunger drags me out of bed at 3am for a yogurt just to stop the pain so I can sleep. I mentioned the hunger to the bariatric nurse when she called to check on me. She said the liquid phase is the worst and once I move to pureed foods, I will start feeling more satisfied. Maybe true but doesn't alleviate the disappointment we feel from being hungry after this operation when we are told that we won't be. On the plus side I have already dropped 6.5 pounds on top of the 10 pounds(!) of Water weight I gained in the hospital. I have never seen the scale drop so fast. Now to survive another week of liquids....

I have little flashes of it, I guess? (Sleeved 10/3/18.) When I was still miserable, post-op, was probably the worst. I didn't have the full-on "what have I done to myself?" reaction that a lot of people describe, but I was definitely having some feelings, not too many of them positive. I was only really miserable for maybe two days after surgery day, though, and the feelings receded quickly. Now I'll think about wanting to have a croissant, or something I enjoy, and be a little sad I can't. (I know that I will probably be able to have a bite or two of any treat I want again in the future, and some of those treats won't even be all that appealing, so it's really only a little sad. Certainly not sad enough to risk it so early, right?) Or I'll think about the future and about how there's a good chance I'm going to have trouble "blending in" at certain restaurants or in certain crowds of people, forever, and I get a little sad and think "maybe I shouldn't have..." but that's as far as I get, because of course I should have had this surgery. I had a comorbidity that made it pretty much a necessity. A doctor I respect once said (I'm paraphrasing) "Regret comes from indecision. If you're unsure of your decision, that's a recipe for regret." I think that's often true. If you're fully prepared (as much as one can be, just reading others' experiences and statistics and such) and really, really sure this is the right thing for you, I don't think you'll spend a lot of time regretting your choice. But a little? Yeah, I think that's likely, because, as Missouri-Lee said, it's an expensive and irreversible decision, and those always come with "what ifs."

p.S . you'll likely drop quite a bit the first month or two - but after that, it slows down quite a bit. Months 2-6 I lost about 10 lbs a month - after that, maybe 5-8 lbs a month. So it's not as quick as most people expect (esp if you've watched "My 600 lb Life" - those people lose fast because they start out way heavier than the average WLS patient). So whatever you lose beforehand you won't have to worry about after. I does get harder to lose the further out you get from surgery. So yea - lose some of it now if at all possible. Then it's G-O-N-E! P.P.S. the surgery seems to "reset" the set point. Mine seems to be about 158 these days because I have to really struggle to keep it under that My body seems to float up there if I stop paying attention for too long. Also, your comment about "starvation mode" and the surgery not working. "Starvation mode" is controversial - not everyone believes it happens. And the surgery WILL work as long as you stick to your eating plan and follow all the rules.

All of my paper work was submitted yesterday at 10:00 a.m. CST. I received a call today at Noon CST from the Insurance Director at the AIGB in Richardson, advising me that I am APPROVED for surgery and fills. Have my appointment with the surgeon on Tuesday, 10/17. I was told that surgery would most likely be scheduled a week later!!! One week of liquids.

Hey y'all! I've had pcos for 10 years now and was banded 5 months ago. It is the number 1 reason why I opted for the surgery.So far, I've lost 72 lbs!! I stopped taking my birth control pills 3 months ago, because I was getting horrible acne on my neck. I tried plenty of different kinds of birth control and it was in fact the reason why my acne was so bad. I'm super excited because I just finished my cycle for the 2nd month in a row. This is the first time in years that I've had a normal cycle that has lasted between 5-7 days and stopped. I still want to lose 60 more lbs before I try to get pregnant. stay away from sugar, eat small amounts (I still aim for 4 oz or less per meal per my dietitian), get 60-80 grams of Protein a day and get yourself addicted to working out at least 6 days a week. I started walking 1-2 miles at a pace i could handle 1 week after surgery and just tried to push myself a little harder every day.

I kept it under wraps at work, but I had to tell my supervisor what I was doing, and when I told her, her reaction confirmed....... keep it quiet until AFTER. I had my surgery was out 3 weeks, I told EVERYONE when I went back. I knew I could not keep it a secret as the weight will fall off........ it has been 10 mos, and I had a male co worker come to me and he said I do not want you to take this the wrong way but you look fabulous....... I then told him... you do know I had weight loss surgery, he said NO........ what kind..we then had a long discussion, as he is thinking about it, after having open heart, and he has diabetis... I told him who my dr was.........and he confiding in me that he was looking into it................ I told him it was the BEST thing I had done for myself............and I was there to support him! cannot wait till he comes to me and says he is going to do it................ I want to be an example for others that need it.......and know they can come to me for support!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i had my rny sept 19th but i wont lose too much. this was done due to a complication from the sleeve. ive lost 10 lbs and would love to lose 5 more.

Well I had the sleeve done - This is the story. Left for Vegas on Tuesday got off the plane and headed for my appointment for Pre-surgery - everything was a go. So my wife and I hit the strip and I played black jack and won.... not much but still won. We ate normal and I did not drink alcohol. Went to bed on time for a 7:00am surgery at a surgery center. We had signed up on one of those package deals where the hotel is included. So we were up and headed to the center (by the way rent a car it is better to have the freedom to go) I went in and filled out some more forms and headed to the prep room. Met the anesthesiologist he went through a few items and the nurses were wonderful. Then I saw my Doctor (Thomas Umbach ) not long after that I was being wheeled to the surgery room. I was give something that made me feel very sleepy but could understand everyone. Then told to breath deeply two breaths and I don?t remember anything except being woke up saying surgery went fine and it is done. This was about 10:30 or so I think. Surgery was about an hour and recovery 2 . I took some pill for pain and they started me walking. It did not hurt to walk so I kept going after hearing everyone on this site telling me how walking really helped. Dr Umbach also installed a pain drip system that hung around my neck and had some small tubes planted around where the surgery took place, with a big ball that would dissipate in 3 days, this provided a pain free experience. I was released at noon to go back to my hotel which I walked and slept and drank water (very very very small sips) the fist night I had some small discomfort felt like acid reflux so I called the doc on his cell phone which was nice about 10pm and he said I could get some pepto or any over the counter acid reducer I wanted. My wife drove out to get it and also got liquid Tylenol which I recommend very much. I burped a lot and had to raise my arms when drinking water to get it down. The doc said for the first day my stomach would be swollen and until it went down it would be a bit tough. It was, but by the end of the next day it eased up. Sleeping and walking is the trick and the Tylenol made everything right as rain. On Friday we went back for a follow up with the doctor, and everything was perfect so we said our good bys and we headed for the Hoover Damn wanted to see it. I even drove ? I don?t feel the surgery hardly at all it is the drinking that lets me know it is there. So we got back from there and got our flight out back to Kansas City ? Because I have traveled so much we both were in first class so that was nice, bigger seats if you know what I mean. This is the first day back home and since the 2 weeks prior with the protein shakes to today I am down 27 lbs. I am just starting to feel hungry this whole time prior I have not had a desire to eat. I have force the drinking because I know that is good for me. I hope this helps with those who have not taken the plunge yet. I plan to keep you up to date on the progress. My doctor told me to walk everyday so my wife and I are headed to the gym in a little while, course I will be on slow mo for a while. Thanks for listening and hope it helps someone else.

My number one recommendation for beginners is 1) get a 4 quart crock pot, crock pot liners(found in the aluminum foil aisle of stores) and check out allrecipes.com crock pot recipe section 2) Get a George Foreman grill (I have the GF 360), get the one with removable plates for easier, effortless clean up The easiest recipes for the GFG are meats marinated in either a dry rub, or Italian dressing. I use Italian dressing A LOT for chicken breasts. I slice the chicken breast (boneless skinless) into strips like chicken tenders, toss it in a big gallon size ziploc baggy with italian dressing, let it marinade for up to 24 hours. Heat up the GF grill, slap the chicken on the grill, cook for 7-8 minutes, remove and VOILA super moist, easy to eat, tender chicken. I make kabobs with red/green pepper chunks, red potato chunks, beef sausage links and chicken breast chunks. I marinade the peppers, chicken and sausage in the Robusto Italian dressing my WishBone. Take 3-4 size B red potatoes and quarter them, rinse, and fill a microwave safe bowl with Water, microwave for 8 minutes until the potatoes are semi-soft. I skewer the meat, peppers and potatoes on bamboo skewers, and cook them on the GFG for 8-10 minutes rotating once during that time to ensure even cooking. You can use any veggie you like squash and zucchini hold up in the marinade mix as do mushrooms, I just do not like any of those, but will make them for my family occasionally. Ground beef/turkey recipes are super easy depending on your taste, and again, I highly recommend allrecipes.com for recipe searching. I've posted several easy to make recipes that are more sleeve friendly that I've prepared for my family in the "food"/recipe section of the forum. With the crock pot recipes, you can toss everything in, FROZEN chicken breast work great and the meat doesn't turn to absolute mush, set it on low for 8-10 hours and when y'all get home, throw a side dish together, and your dinner is ready in less than 10-20 minutes. I buy a lot of the Green Giant Steamables like the broccoli with cheese sauce, and the mixed veggies with rosemary butter sauce are staples in my home. Any of the recipes that you find that call for sour cream, substitute non-fat plain flavored Greek yogurt, you cut carbs, increase Protein, and it doesn't change the taste of the recipe. Greek yogurt actually makes things more creamy in my opinion. If you like barbque, get a small 2-4lbs roast (pork or beef) work well. Trim all the visible fat from the roast, toss it in the crock pot with barbque sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, a little worchestershire sauce, set the crock pot on low for 8-10 hours, the fat that cooks out of the meat will be on top, strain it off with a ladle, pull the roast out of the crock pot and shred it with 2 forks, then toss it back in the crock pot to mix with the sauce. Any leftovers can be frozen for up to 6 months in a freezer bag, and up to one year in a vacuum sealed, freezer bag. I go through probably 20 cans of various creamy Soups per month. I buy all the reduced fat/reduced sodium soups, and these make great gravies, and makes meat super tender.

Well it has been some time since I posted to my blog. It probably has something to do with consistant loss of weight since then. Well I should say until recently. I guess I have alot to be happy about, but can't seem to be at this time. I guess gaining 4 pounds seems like alot at this point in time and it is impossible not to feel discouraged. I was filled to 7.6cc but had reflux and heartburn so I went back to the doctor and he took out a whole 1.0cc. I guess I should be thankful he didn't take the whole fill out:scared2:. Since then I have been so hungry it is driving me crazy, nothing seems to fill me up, or at least not before everything comes back up. I NEED HELP!!! My next fill is not for 16 more days, I am worried I will have gained 20 pounds by then if not more. I am trying to stay positive but it has been frustrating. I guess I should be focusing on the 70+ pounds I have lost, but I just can't seem to get past this hopeless feeling. I really had hoped to be down at least 10 more pounds than I am right now. I just need to refocus. Good luck to all on their journey. I am hoping this blog can help me put things into prospective.

So I am not on a liquid diet, but a no carb/no sugar diet for 10 days before my surgery. I was having the hardest time the first few days, but yeah, it starts to feel normal after a while. I'm glad you got to that point too!! Good luck with the last little while!!!

Cidmore- after hearing, watching and reading about what fast food restaurants put into their chicken and beef products, one would be smart not to touch those with a 10 foot pole. Eg. McD and their "pink slime" to make the chicken and beef safe enough for human consumption. Not to mention all the injection of GMO into the animals to make them grow bigger and faster. No thanks!

I'm one of those who can't eat much at a time, even now at 9 months out. I eat snack-sized meals several times a day. You'll notice that there's a lot of cheese and veggie protein--my sleeve is horribly picky about meat and poultry. Typical meals (not all in one day!): 1. Iced coffee with 1/4 c. milk and some chocolate syrup (sometimes sugar free, sometimes not) with 1/2 a high-fiber Breakfast cookie--I'm deficient in thiamine and the whole grains were recommended by my doctor. 2. An ounce or two of cheese. 3. A few corn tortilla chips with cheese melted on top and maybe some sour cream--five is my max; three is more typical. 4. A small salad (around a cup of loose lettuce leaves), a little dressing, a TB of cheese sprinkled on top. 5. An ounce of cubed turkey or ham; VERY occasional, as sleevie doesn't always like meat. 6. A cup of soup--I usually don't finish the whole cup; usually split pea, navy bean, or some other beany-type soup. 7. Three or four whole-grain crackers with brie or camembert. 8. A small palmful of almonds or almond/cranberry/cashew mix. 9. 1/2 c. of grapefruit in juice, unsweetened. 10. Three boiled shrimp with cocktail or remoulade sauce; one of my go-to meals for a business lunch--shrimp cocktail! 11. 1/2 c. beans--pinto, baked, white or red, whatever. I always have cooked Beans in the fridge for a fast meal. In a typical day, I usually eat numbers 1, 2, 4, 7, and 8. The other meals are occasional; I listed them here to give you an idea of amount and type of food. I confess I eat what I want when I want. Because my sleeve is tiny and picky, I know I'm not really able to eat things that are "bad" for me or too much of anything! I do stay away from fried foods, bread and other baked goods, Pasta, and most sugar (although I don't sweat it if I eat some). At this point, my weight loss is picking back up again after slowing somewhat over the Christmas break (hmm.... wonder if Mom's homemade shortbread had anything to do with that??) and I'm heading to goal--or at least to my "first" goal!! Definitely keep in mind that everyone is different--I'm super tall, but my sleeve is super small, for instance--and we can tolerate different types and amounts of food. I post my stuff here in case someone else is feeling like I was at first--I really worried that I wasn't getting in enough of anything--I never met my Protein or Water goals and felt like an utter failure because I couldn't tolerate the types or amounts of food that seemed to be most prevalent. But my blood work is great, I'm doing fine, feeling good, losing, healthy, so I'm posting so others can see that it's so very individualized--no worries, y'all. Do what's best for your body!!

Hello, I am a little concerned and I want to know if this is normal so early in my post-op phase? I was sleeved 10/11/12 (9 days ago) I am feeling kind of hungry all the time. I am on full liquids and am able to drink way more than 1 ounce 15 minutes, in fact I can drink 1/2 cup of broth in less than 10 minutes and a few minutes later I'll feel hungry (not head hunger) and I can consume 1/2 cup of yogurt (thinned out) like nothing. I am following Dr's directions and am consuming anywhere from 48+ ounces of Fluid a day and Calories between 400-600 and Protein between 60-91 grams (that has been my range) It just seems I am able to consume quite a bit of liquids with no problem and I am worried this won't work for me? Please any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!

So my surgery was November 19. I started my period yesterday. I didn't have one for about 3 months before the surgery. I have PCOS and so I rarely have a period. I suppose my body is playing catch up now, because I have the worst cramps of my life, and I am bleeding so much I can't even leave my house. I have to go to the bathroom like every hour and it's still leaking through everything. Has anyone else experienced this? I hope it doesn't last too long

Amazing results at one month!! Continued success on your journey!! BTW.. great tracking...I also track monthly, (weight, inches loss and a dated picture, to document my sleeve journey and one day make a video). I will wait initially until 10/8 my 6 week checkup.

Hi MArlee I stuggled with the preop diest as well, but I was able to eat real food 1 meal a day, and only had to do it for 10 days. I have not lost much for weight yet, i hope I am not one of those people that need 5 fills before i feel something. I had my first fill 1 week today, and I do notice that I stay full longer, but I think i could still eat pretty much as much as I wanted as long as I chew it and don't eat too fast. If I eat too quickly and dont chew I get back shoulder pain. Can I ask, are you self pay? if not how did you qualify in Winnipeg? Thanks , Tania

Okay Here we go! I am having my surgery on Tuesday the 22 here in Knoxville, TN. So the nerves have started. I feel very well informed, thanks to the people at my Dr.'s office and to the people on this forum. Still a little nervous. I have only lost 8lbs on the pre-op diet and I am hoping for 10 by Tuesday. I blew it today though I think partly nerves and the other is just that my will-power stinks! I have been exercising every other day and doing my deep breathing exercises too. Really I am excited too, Tuesday can't get here fast enough the waiting is is taking it's toll. LOL Dr. Stephen Boyce, Parkwest Hospital Pre-op 2/7/11 - 254 Surgery 2/22/11 - (hope) 244

My doctor's office told me it would take 2 weeks to get an answer. But I needed to schedule my surgery during the December holiday break because I work at a school, So after 4 days I called my insurance company. They said the paperwork should have been submitted to my medical group not to them. So I called the doctor's office and asked for the medical group's phone number. They put me on hold for a while. Then they came back and gave me the number. I called the medical group and they looked through the faxes. They said they got the request that day. I think the doctor's office kept me on hold while they faxed it over. I asked how long it would be until a determination was made. The said 2 days. Hmmm. So had I not called, the request might have sat in my doctor's office a couple more days. Now, I was in a hurry, so I pushed it. But I'm glad it did. I am scheduled for 12-19-11.

Your nutritionist might recommend a particular brand made for bariatric patients (mine just did). I take Vitafusion gummies (from Costco) right now, but she instructed me to double up on the dosage after surgery and consider switching to a different kind when I finish this bottle. I did pick up dissolvable Natrol Biotin tablets at Costco; 250 tablets to the bottle. The normal price on that looked to be about $10, but I snagged it while it was on sale at $7.50. I found NatureMade Vitamin B12 dissolvable at Walmart for $6.48. I got a $1.50 rebate in my Ibotta app after purchasing (if you have a smart phone I highly recommend downloading it to earn some money back; if you do sign up, feel free to use my referral code tkvqsct--it'll give us both a $5 boost after your first rebate redemption ). Coupons.com had a $1.50 off coupon for Citracal which I will pick up soon (gummies from Walmart about $12 which is what Costco was running). Walgreens, CVS, and Vons sometimes do buy one get one 50% off, but theirs seem to run at a higher price that Walmart, Target, or Costco, so I would check ads, coupons, and apps before buying there.... I strongly recommend signing up for Vons (Safeway) Just 4 U app if you have a smart phone, it'll save you a bunch (and sometimes they put free things in there). Receipt Hog is another good one to earn money back. It's doable, just be aware of your sales and check for coupons before you shop. It's worth it!

When I started this journey in july I only ate 1/2 cup of food. I measured everything I ate. If it fit into the half cup that's what I ate. No matter what food it was. Now I measure everything into 1/4 cup serving. When I go out to dinner I can't make a decision so I get coffee for refried Beans. Everyone else I know eats a lot more. I was just wondering if anyone else eats like me. No, I'm not starving myself!!! Surgery- July 11, 2013 Band is 10cc's 4cc's in 1cc in 1cc in .25cc in .25cc in .25cc in .50cc in .25cc in .25cc in Band Dilation.........All out...............because my esophagus closed completely because I had too much Fluid I was on liquids for 3.5 weeks. 3cc's in Everything is all good!!!! SW: July 11 250 lbs Size 18/20 XXL Top 38 weeks ago 209 lbs 32 weeks ago 199 lbs 21 weeks ago 178 lbs 13 weeks ago size 9! 8 weeks ago 169 4 weeks ago 167 Today -Size 7/8- M Top. My goal is 150 lbs Dr. Goal for me is 159 This journey isn't easy but I love it!

I had surgery 1/10/12, follow up was 1/16/12, and I started ZuMbA on on the 19th. (Yes my Dr. cleared me). I of course started out making major modifications as to be safe and feel "ok" while doing it. Now I'm full on for the most part. Absolutely LOVE it! I just started, so don't really have a weightloss correlation to tell you about, but I'll let you know!