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Hi All... It has been a while since I have been on here.... but tomorrow marks my One year & 6 Months from surgery. As I look back at my struggles and achievements; the highs & lows,– I still am so very THANKFUL for my sleeve & giving myself the best gift I could have ever given/received. I am thankful for all the support I have had from all of you!!! I started out at 253lbs and currently 146lbs. There are days were I look in the mirror and don’t see the current me. I see the original weight/old self… which I know is weird since I am a size 6/8 BUT sometimes still see the size 20w… I started really beating myself up. I was feeling like I was going crazy, but according to my doc there are others that go through this… So I went to a support group meeting last week, and someone said “you have to be nice to yourself, stop beating yourself up over everything, learn to forgive and love yourself”. I give this advice so often; I don’t know why I haven’t given it to myself. IT was such an eye opener… We are with our self all day every day… We need to be nicer to ourselves… I NEED to be nicer to myself…. I am on day 8 of taking this advice, it’s a work in progress but I am trying. Hope everyone is having a wonderful HUMP day!!!

The same thing happened to me (and a lot of people). Just keep telling yourself that this too shall pass! I'm now six weeks post-op and I have been losing nicely since my five week mark (about week 2 to 5 was nothing and I even gained some).

Sleeved 12-19-2016 Hw-274 Sw-268 Cw- 203 Gw- 175 This forum is totally my sounding board.. lol Here I sit, almost, 5 months out of surgery, 71 lbs down from my high weight, and feeling bad about my progress... I feel like my lose has slowed dramatically. Only losing about 10lbs a month. Hair falling out by the handfuls. Still struggle with my protein intake. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE seeing the overall progress I've made, just the day to day is a struggle. Also, anyone avoiding buying cloths? I find myself avoiding buying cloths because I am afraid to try things on that may be too small.... I have been wearing the same pants to work since right after surgery. As you can imagine, they look ridiculous but I can't seem to give them up. In the back of my head, I think, "save them for when you're fatter again"..... surgery doesn't fix the mind.. that's all on us. I also find myself hating when people say I'm "getting skinny". My head says, "I'm nowhere close to skinny and never will be" and "Sssshhhh, don't jinx it!!" Anyway.. just ranting really.. I hope everyone is progressing and loving life!!!!

I had some complications pnemonia and a blood clot in my arm I am 11 days out and have been in the hospital a few times. Having said that I can say with 3 kids the hospitalization was hard but, the complications from surgery are nothing to the complications I will have in the future by staying heavy. I am so excited to think of all the things in 6 months when I've lost all this weight I am going to be able to do with them. It's worth it. Most people have small or no complications. Research YOUR surgeons complication rates and make that decision.

I have just started this journey and I am really happy. I can start to think and plan and do things that I would not before, because I was in pain, tired, or just because i knew i could not with my weight. It is not an easy path but i am so happy i did it. I can't wait to see what else it will bring. I also agree that as i shed the weight i am also shedding other parts of my life i see need changing. It is great. Good luck, stay strong, you will doubt and worry but if you feel this is what you need trust yourself.

Hi, I was sleeved August 21st. Since surgery I have lost 34 pounds. Over the past 3 weeks I have maintained the same weight... it might go down a pound or up a pound... but it really hasn't changed. Is this normal so soon after surgery? Should I do anything to kick start it again? I am eating regular foods again, mostly protein and veggies, taking all of my vitamins and trying to exercise more.

I have had good success with my band but lap band is not for every one and I have had several co-workers who have not done as well and one even had what they are calling band failure. She did not tolerate the band well and the restriction, she had her band removed after 2 years and had the gastric sleeve 2 months ago and has done very well. Typically you do not lose weight as fast with lap band and some seem to lose faster than others. The one thing you really need to focus on is, are you ready for WLS. The surgery itself which ever one you have only gives you a tool and the tool is only as good as it is used. It does make your stomach smaller, or as with lap band it gives you restriction, but what it does not fix is how we think and relate to food. That is the hardest part of the journey, developing healthy habits and truly making a life style change. If you are a bulk eater than you will do with WLS because it will limit how much you eat at meals, if you are a grazer and like to nibble on things off and on through out the day, you will struggle no matter what surgery you have. I strongly urge anyone thinking about WLS to have physiological screening and be totally honest with all your issues and continue with a few sessions for the first 6 months after surgery. Another key for success to support, family and friends can either support or sabotage you, make sure you have their total support. Your life does change after WLS and for me it has been a positive change. I am almost 2 years out with my LB and am 5 lbs from my goal weight. I have changed my life style, I eat healthy, I exercise, I weigh and measure everything I eat, I log my food everyday, I drink my water and get all my protein in. This has been a journey but for me well worth it. When you have your appointment with your MD, I suggest you discuss all your options, be honest about your commitment, how you eat and how much support you have. My husband went with me through every pre surgery visit and seminar. I wanted him to understand everything I was going to experience. For the most part he has been my rock but he also has went through some turmoil. He now has a tiny wife and I had been over weight and they past 10 years morbidly obese. WLS puts strain on relationships if you allow it because you both change and you must be honest with each other along the way. Good luck to you and I hope I haven't scared you off. But I want you to be prepared for all the emotions and obstacles you will have to over come in this journey. Good luck, Diane

:clap2:Well today is better. I went for my first office visit since my surgery on Sept. 27,2007. I was glad to see my doctor. I was not so happy with him. I was hungry and felt I had left 2 messages and no one returned my calls. I wasn't in the state of emergency, no fever, nothing I felt I should call him on his cell about. But all in all I had left 2 messages. Sweet as he is, He turned it all around and said u know no matter what you can call my cell !!! Well I couldn't give a response so...He is very likeable and cute so what's a woman to do. I had lost 10 1/2 lbs so he was pleased wth me. I go back in 3 weeks for my 1st fill. He really shoots from the hip, no playing around kinda guy. Kinda harsh buts says he can't sugar coat any part of this or we run with it. Simple we use any excuse in the world to make adjustments for our crazy life style. One thing that he told me the day before the surgery, which I have to say kinda made me stand up and take notice was... He was talking to 2 other women besides myself, all getting the surgery & says look all three of yall ladies are wearing slip on shoes. So you can just throw them on and throw them off. Saying yall have made adjustments for your obesity. Which while thinking kinda pissed me off, but I had to be real or I will never get to the bottom of why I was ever over weight in the 1st place. Like he mentioned grabbing a chair without arms. I guess things we never really take notice of. My thing was seems like every time I went there everyone was larger than me. Yeah like me being 257 lbs. was small. What a joke, so I was justifiing me being severly morbitly obese. Just another excuse to excuse my lifestyle. Like a drug addict, well I only smoke a little weed or alcohol, I drink only on weekends, I'm not on the streets making an a$$ out of myself or beating my kids or the cops being at my house cause someone was out of control. Just all excuses to justify why we do what we do. By the way I do not do drugs or drink alcohol, lol So I know 1 thing for sure I have to get down to the real facts of why I seemed t not be happy , which I have loads of fun, or just seem to want to destoy my life. One thing about all this surgery, yeah I want the fine body, but my health was falling so much, I just want to be lighter & live so much longer !!! Now there I said the real TRUTH!!! :clap2:

I weighted today and I am 40 pounds lighter [emoji6] I am super excited, and soooo glad I made the decision to have surgery. Meeting with my surgeon on Wed. So I hope he's as pleased as I am. I hope you all are doing great. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey everyone I'm feeling great. Been a big journey but I'm losing weight consistently. On average of 7lbs a week which I think is great. Seen surgeon yesterday he's very happy with me. Don't have to see him until 3 months post op. So far 12 weeks since I started my diet 88lbs gone. Surgery was 3 weeks ago 22lbs gone since then. I'm still mostly living off protein shakes with a little yoghurt not in an hurry to start real foods yet and the surgeon says that's fine take your time if you like. Fluids go down easily; water and shakes and a few cups of tea a day. No real issues at all I think I've been very lucky. Well for those who care this is my latest update. I'm planning to hit 100lb goal by Xmas Thanks again for all your support and encouragement. MIKE.

Also staying fully hydrated helps you pass things through your pouch and makes it "less sticky-ish." That was from Dr. Alvarez the bariatric surgeon. If you are at all dehydrated, it may take a couple of days to really replenish your fluid levels. To me, it makes all the diff in how I handle food and post prandial nausea. Also, if you're having issues with protein, use meat lube (low fat, low cal, low carb gravies, soupy stewpy things like your chili and for god's sake, don't overcook eggs! LOL.) Also soft cooked white flaky mild fish is usually pretty easy for most people, as can be soft scrambled eggs with yogurt or lite sour cream mixed in to make them creamy. Beans and cheese, or canned beans mashed with some yogurt or cheese go down easy. If it were me, I'd stay away from the obvious slider culprits. You're losing well now, but that habit is hard to shake and your weight loss WILL level off and you could potentially stall out. Sorry you are struggling.

I had my pysch eval a couple of weeks ago and was asked How much weight I expected to loose in the first month, 3rd month, 6th month and 1 year. I weight 270 and my height is 5' 3". Just curious if anyone else had to answer this question and how they answered.

I didn't set a 1-month, 3-month, 6-month timeframe, but I fully expect to lose 100% of the weight I want to lose. The psych who did my eval did not like this response; he believed me to be overconfident. (I asked him just exactly how confidence was a negative--he couldn't answer. Needless to say, when I went therapist shopping a few months later, he wasn't on my list.) I think I will be at or very near my goal by my one-year anniversary. But again, I am not sure; my rate has been consistent until now, but things are slowing down as I get closer.

Can you reschedule if need be? I'm scheduled for PS in January (I was 36lbs from goal when I scheduled), and am pretty confident I will be at goal weight before my surgery. My surgeon will let me reschedule, however, if need be. It was only a $500 deposit to book the surgery, which was well worth it for me to get on the schedule. Good luck, and join us on the Plastic Surgery board!

Hi everyone!! I posted a thread similar to the one I am posting now, but I posted it in the "Post-op" section of the forum. After many suggestions and AMAZING posts, I have decided to put this thread here also. I assume that many reading this are considering, scheduled or just general "pre-op" folks. If you are pre-op, researching or post-op and frustrated...READ HERE!! I am posting what to expect with weight loss and recovery post-op. I got so tired of addressing post after post of "2 weeks post op and frustrated" or "3 weeks post op and only "X" lbs lost" etc. I realized that many patients have no idea what to realistically expect post-op. Many surgeons don't go into detail as to what the bandster patient will go through post op (most notably...bandster hell). Which is why I'm posting here. Below are the MAIN points that are MOST misunderstood. I am posting ONLY for future bandsters to CREATE realistic expectations and have success with the band...I hope this helps anyone/everyone who reads it!! THE FIRST 4-6 WEEKS POST OP IS FOR HEALING NOT LOSING!!! Most post-op bandsters wake up feeling beat up and sore, but expecting the pounds to just melt off..this does NOT HAPPEN!!! YOU WILL NOT BEGIN LOSING A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WEIGHT UNTIL YOU REACH PROPER RESTRICTION...this on average takes 3-4 fills..or 3 TO 4 MONTHS!!! AVERAGE WEIGHT LOSS WITH THE LAP-BAND OVER 12 MONTHS IS 52 pounds. Some lose MUCH quicker...some lose MUCH slower! EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT!!! DO NOT..I REPEAT....DO NOT COMPARE YOUR SUCCESS WITH ANYONE ELSE!!!! You will defeat yourself without even knowing it!!! Everyone is a different weight, height and situation. There is NO POSSIBLE way to compare your weight loss with ANYONE ELSE!!! DON'T DO IT!!! Any weight lost is a HUGE success!!! I am 15+ months post op and have NOT lost 52lbs yet. I work my butt off in the gym every week and work hard. I do NOT compare myself with anyone..I am THRILLED with my weight loss so far. YOU WILL FEEL LIKE YOU MADE THE BIGGEST MISTAKE EVER IMMEDIATELY POST-OP...this will pass! Every single person I've ever had contact with has felt this way and so did I. Of course there are those that had a perfect recovery and never felt this way, but the vast majority of patients feel remorse immediately post-op..THIS WILL PASS!!! I know there are others with great advice to add...I just wanted to let you know the actual truth...you will NOT LOSE weight and could possibly gain the first weeks following surgery! SIGNIFICANT weight loss generally does not "kick in" until you've had 3-4 fills!! DON'T GET DISCOURAGED!!! THIS IS NORMAL!!! Many others will add valuable information to what I"ve already posted...if you have any questions or concerns, always consult your physician first. But for real-life experience questions from others..this is a great place to start!!

Tell your doc to stay out of the pharmacy. You are doing great. To lose 1.5lb/day you would have to run a 5250calorie deficit. I just don't see that happening especially at your start weight.

I too had surgery 1/21. I am able to get gas out but still have heartburn. Intermittent pain. Last night was really bad. I have really bad head hunger and want to eat food. I also keep drinking too fast which is causing pain. And to add insult to injury I haven't lost any weight

I had gastric bypass may 10, 2010 and lost 154 lbs-best decision I ever made for myself...but I've gained 30 of it back. I know a little weight gain is normal, but I've gone back to old bad habits!! Any post ops go through this?? And if so, HELP!

I'm 5 weeks out and only down 18. I promised myself u wouldn't be one of those folks that bemoans my slow weightloss, but it's getting hard to stay positive. I try not to compare myself to anyone else, but it's hard. At least I'm not gaining, right?

So today I got my sonogram and chest X-ray and lab work I am getting my sleep test done on dec 28th and tomorrow I go to my cardiologist and see a psych tomorrow. The only thing I am waiting for is my GI doctors test results and my weight history. Once I receive my new insurance and records they will submit it to insurance

Lately I have been feeling a bit discouraged by the lack of weight that I have lost. Seems like my body has stalled. I'm not eating a lot so why am I not losing? I have a small stomach and do not eat a lot when I do eat so why haven't I lost more? Do I need to eat more? Is that why? More times a day? I'm at a loss for what to do next.

I could be really wrong about this, but I get the distinct impression you don't know how much Protein / calories you're really eating. Advice from someone who reached goal (87 pounds) at 8-1/2 weeks post-op: Start counting your protein grams. And as long as you're doing that, count your calories -- at least for a while. You could be right that you're getting enough protein. Or you could be wrong. So why guess? P.S. You're losing weight like a house afire! I lost 10.4 pounds the first month post-op.

I have been using a cpap for five years now. Can't say I love it, but I get rest now. I recently came upon this sobering statistic: "You are THREE times more likely to die from ANY cause with untreated sleep apnea". I'd start using the machine. at least until you lose weight.

I got a machine 9 years ago and I won't sleep without it now. I feel like CRAP without the CPAP. It's hard to get used to wearing the mask but after a while it's second nature. My doctor told me that a majority of people are cured from sleep apnea after they lose their weight from the surgery. I hope that's the case for me. Cons I can say are it's a pain to lug around when you're sleeping away from home and of course it's uncomfortable to wear. Pros outweigh cons when the biggest pro is a restful night's sleep and lucidity during the day. Good luck.

How did a former athlete who was 9% body fat in college get to this point? Well I was born with a bad heart valve that wore out faster than my body did. In my early 40s suddenly I was gasping for breath, by my late 40s I was type 2 diabetic, at 50 I had surgery for diverticulitus and lost 4" of my colon which slowed me down more. At 52 I had open heart surgery where they replaced the valve and found a aneurysm which would have killed me. However, I came out of this unable to lift weights, play softball or baseball, with a right arm and shoulder with nerve damage in it and a bad knee and hip. Then the meds quit controlling my diabetes, the new meds added weight and now it is out of control, I have nerve damage in my feet and my wife has to look at them every night to make sure I don't wind up with an infection. I was approved as a metabolic Weight Loss Patient on the first go around. I am now on my second doctor because the staff of the first one frankly was incompetent. I was lied to when they told me that they had filed FMLA, and I was pre-approved by insurance, they hadnt submitted either one of them. So being the analyst that I am I checked and found out everything. Added to that the hospital that they wanted to have the surgery in didnt have the best reputation. I should have had the surgery two months ago to keep nerve damage to a minimum. I am very nervous, from my major surgeries I live with pain every day. I was told that while they can do the sleeve that the results are better with bypass. However, the horror stories with malabsorption worry me. I am doing this to be able to have a life again not just to trade one set of issues for a whole other set. So any feedback is appreciated.