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Thank you for you replies. I am actually 6 weeks out. Surgery was January 8, 2015. I just never felt good and really had a very hard time becoming emotionally "detached" to food. I never really realized how I used food to hide/deal with my feelings until the food was unavailable to me anymore. I had an "EXTREME" bout with constipation and for the first time in my life even after having 4 children "Hemorrhoids" OH MY GOSH! Extreme chest pain and pressure 4 weeks out sent me to the ER only to discover that my gallbladder was inflamed and other issues that indicated that it needed to come out. So my gallbladder surgery was on February 13, 2015. The first of this week brought on severe depression, but through lots of prayer and love and support of my family I am better. I can say that I am down 38 lbs as of this morning. I do not allow myself to weigh but once a week on Saturday. I know that as time goes by and I lose more weight I am sure that the regrets that I have will turn in to pure joy. I am learning to deal with my emotions instead of eating them away or trying to anyway.

I loss 20lbs in two weeks. Does that weight loss stay continually while I'm doing only liquids? For instance I'm on protein for 6wks. Will I lose 60 lbs? If I continue liquid for 8wks will I lose 80 and so on?

Where I am having my surgery - Abington Hospital in Penna - there is a group meeting for WLS people 24 months and over. They even have a 6-week plan to get back on target for those that have gained back weight. I would check the hospital where you had your surgery at to see if they have any help for you. Best of luck to you!

Im researching my ass off, and honestly I want some serious answers from some people who experienced it. Im aware that i may have excess skin, but working out will reduce it, when i gain that muscle mass it will help with not only to get me to my goal quicker but I won't be loosing muscle mass as if I did nothing. So what Im really curious about is what is best for me to reduce the amount of skin Im left to deal with. Im 18 years old, so Im hoping my skin will be gracious, but I was wondering if any of you had any tips, suggestions, or certain workouts, that worked best for you on tightening those parts of your body especially the stomach where your left with that unwanted skin. :/ It's what worries me the most, being so young, and cosmetic surgery is so expensive!!! I just joined the gym today was my first day, and i did 25 min on the elliptical. I also have asthma so im going to have to work myself up, but i feel good....when im done!

This would require an additional surgery. From the looks of your weight loss, you are doing wonderful. Is there a reason you would want to add an addional WLS?

I spent a whole lot of time on discussion boards back in 2008 when I got my sleeve. I was surrounded by lap banders and bypassers. There weren't many VSG folks - but generally everyody had the same journey to discuss and many of us were in the thick of it. I have ot credit those folks for their help. They were critical in my initial success. I often wondered why I didn't see more people who were 3 - 5 and more years out from their surgeries on thos boards. Now I know why. I too left the boards when they were no longer relevant. I didn't want to read the posts that sounded exactly like my initial ones - I am scared, what do I eat? will my boobs droop? How come I can't poo? - and more of the same. I had lost my weight, retrained myself to eat with a sleeve, and was on an excellent regimen. By the 18 month mark I was working through the incredible emotional impact my weight loss had. Who knew that such a happy thing might cause a tsunami of hormones and depression. Over it now... moving on. Then in 2011 my life became VERY stressful on all fronts. Where do I go? Comfort food. Granted I can't do quite as much damage in one sitting as I used to, but there is no limit to how much chocolate I can take in during a day. There is apparently also no limit to the amount of shame I can carry. I still cope with food. I am now struggling big time with that feeling of a loss of control and my weight is creeping up. I didn't do this whole surgery thing just to be fat again. But what the surgery didn't do for me is change three fundamental things: I still turn to food for comfort when I am hurting I have not learned to enjoy any form of excercise - I have such a crazy career/commute/learning disabled child that I would have to make a huge set of changes to make time for something I hate. Doesn't bode well does it? Self loathing and body image is not fixed with weight loss - I just found new things to hate I am hoping that there are a few later stage sleevers on this page who may be facing this and who have something helpful to suggest. Anybody out there experienced the panic and shame of weight regain? Thanks - I hope I have picked the right on line community.

So I had my 2-week post-op appt. today. Saw Dr. Schram only briefly...he had more surgeries to get to and since I'm doing well, he didn't linger with me. He did say my incisions look great (still have most of the steri strips attached), my daily food intake sounds spot-on, and since I've lost 13 lbs., I'm considered to be doing excellent. Nutritionist came in and gave me the okay to begin purees. I spoke to her about my enormous hunger right now. She said it sounds like I healed uber-fast and although she would like me to stick to purees for at least 1 week, she said my 2nd week of purees I can begin soft foods...but not too many each day. After that I'm on softs and easing back into normal life. I'm okay with that. I did ask what the difference was between pureeing food before it goes in my mouth versus eating soft foods and pureeing them by chewing them down to nothing before swallowing. She kinda didn't have anything to say about that, which leads me to believe they are just worried that people won't chew well enough. So, I'll puree when I can, but if I'm in a place where I can't, then I'll chew down to puree. I think I've got this all figured out. Today's food: BREAKFAST: 1 peach Light & Fit yogurt smoothie SNACK: 1 large decaf coffee w/ cream LUNCH: 1 cup Cream of Wheat made with 1% milk No snack DINNER: 1 burger patty chewed to puree (no bun) w/ mustard & ketchup 1 TBSP baked beans 3 pretzels chewed to puree 1/2 cup milk SNACK: 1 chocolate-coffee ice cream bar 1 cup milk w/ 1 scoop protein Eh. I gotta do a little better tomorrow I think. For some reason, today's foods don't seem quite healthy enough. Getting used to all this is gonna take some time so I'm not aiming for perfection quite yet. I'm also worried because I have not lost any weight since last Sunday. Weird. On a diet like this I should be dropping like mad. Hopefully (maybe) it's because I'm still on my period?? Could be a bit bloated, although I don't really feel it. I'm going to begin working out 30-40 minutes each day. I'll probably just start with treadmill since I have my baby and getting time away from him to go to a gym is virtually impossible right now. He'll be 6 months old in a couple weeks! My daughter just turned 10 in October, so doing this all over again is wild. It's amazing how much you forget about the baby stage after your kids are older. :eek:

So I had my 2-week post-op appt. today. Saw Dr. Schram only briefly...he had more surgeries to get to and since I'm doing well, he didn't linger with me. He did say my incisions look great (still have most of the steri strips attached), my daily food intake sounds spot-on, and since I've lost 13 lbs., I'm considered to be doing excellent. Nutritionist came in and gave me the okay to begin purees. I spoke to her about my enormous hunger right now. She said it sounds like I healed uber-fast and although she would like me to stick to purees for at least 1 week, she said my 2nd week of purees I can begin soft foods...but not too many each day. After that I'm on softs and easing back into normal life. I'm okay with that. I did ask what the difference was between pureeing food before it goes in my mouth versus eating soft foods and pureeing them by chewing them down to nothing before swallowing. She kinda didn't have anything to say about that, which leads me to believe they are just worried that people won't chew well enough. So, I'll puree when I can, but if I'm in a place where I can't, then I'll chew down to puree. I think I've got this all figured out. Today's food: BREAKFAST: 1 peach Light & Fit yogurt smoothie SNACK: 1 large decaf coffee w/ cream LUNCH: 1 cup Cream of Wheat made with 1% milk No snack DINNER: 1 burger patty chewed to puree (no bun) w/ mustard & ketchup 1 TBSP baked beans 3 pretzels chewed to puree 1/2 cup milk SNACK: 1 chocolate-coffee ice cream bar 1 cup milk w/ 1 scoop protein Eh. I gotta do a little better tomorrow I think. For some reason, today's foods don't seem quite healthy enough. Getting used to all this is gonna take some time so I'm not aiming for perfection quite yet. I'm also worried because I have not lost any weight since last Sunday. Weird. On a diet like this I should be dropping like mad. Hopefully (maybe) it's because I'm still on my period?? Could be a bit bloated, although I don't really feel it. I'm going to begin working out 30-40 minutes each day. I'll probably just start with treadmill since I have my baby and getting time away from him to go to a gym is virtually impossible right now. He'll be 6 months old in a couple weeks! My daughter just turned 10 in October, so doing this all over again is wild. It's amazing how much you forget about the baby stage after your kids are older.

Here is a response I posted today in the forum regarding a fellow bandsters question about emotional changes encountered after banding. I think what I wrote makes a lot of sense and I'm really proud of this post. Plus, it just kinda came out. I didn't even know what I was writing as I was typing it. I got done and got a little teary-eyed over it. I think I've finally had my revelation and I put it into words for the world to see. Enjoy... ********************************************************** Of course that makes sense! For many of us, we are overweight because food is an addiction. Much like a heroine addict or someone addicted to cigarettes. It's in the same class of addictions. One is not better than another...they are all the same in that they all engross a person physically AND emotionally. We become addicts for mental reasons, not physical ones. I've been rather emotional since getting my band. I am entering an epiphany of sorts, where I can clearly see now where I went wrong in the past. I immediately turned to food (I always denied that I was an emotionally addicted eater). The reason I can see it so clearly now is that the first thing I do when I'm upset or confused or angry...is walk to the kitchen and begin pacing because there isn't much I can have anymore. Before, I would walk in there and build a huge pile of nachos, toss them in the oven and then soak my sorrows in glory as I ate the whole thing. Now that I'm medically and physically unable to do those things, I find myself almost lost...but please note that I said almost. I'm only 2 weeks post-op and this is by far the greatest and most severe life-changing event I've ever gone through. Even more so than having my children! That's saying a lot. That proves to me and shows me that having this surgery was THE RIGHT decision for me. Otherwise, I would have eaten myself into an early grave. Now I must find other things to turn to during moments of my emotional roller coaster. This is a long road for so many reasons. I have to change my whole way of thinking. I have to now learn to love myself more than food. I have to figure out another way to channel my emotional energy when the going gets tough. I can do it. I'd be so proud if I could one day call myself an exercise addict! It's true. Find a counselor or therapist to help you get through it. I don't have one right now, because I really feel like I have a handle on things. I even stopped taking my antidepressants before my surgery. I wanted to feel every emotional moment of this journey and maybe there are days when I really should be taking my Zoloft still...but I'm glad I decided to drop them the way that I did. Not everybody is the same and not everybody is as nuts as I am to be able to say that they are GLAD they are riding this emotional roller coaster. I really am happy about it. It means things are on the move...things are changing...I'm changing inside and outside...even when the scale doesn't say so, it's okay, because I know better. Best of luck...you are not alone. **************************************************************** Of course I also must track my food for today: BREAKFAST: 1 cup Weight Control banana bread oatmeal (made w/ water) = (320 calories, 14 g. protein) SNACK:

WEEK FROM HELL Hubby started new job Monday (YAY), he came home early from work Tuesday cuz he was barfing. I start barfing Tuesday night. HOLY HELL it HURT. My old stomache came up thru my new stomache and damn, did it hurt. The last thing I ate was Tueday around 7pm... yacking around 11pm. I was up all night sitting on the toilet, barfing in to a bucket (sorry for the visual). I didnt go to work Wed (neither did hubby). Back to work (for me) on thursday only to find out late in the afternoon that the hot water heater let go and we need a new one. Hubby HAD to go back to work on Friday, so I stayed home to wait for someone to come replace it. What really brings me here is the fact that I'm NOT losing weight. My last fill was good... til wednesday of that week. I got it on a sat and could eat without restriction on wed??? Thats not right is it? I had an appointment with the doctor on wed but was still way too sick to go and I havent called to reschedule yet (been a bit busy). Hubby saw his sister and came home and told me that something was wrong with me (duh). I dont know how much she has lost but she is in a size 12. I'd KILL for that. I'm not really jealous, just more concerned about whats going on with me. Granted, my fat ass hasnt exactly gotten on a treadmill but I am eating very well and 1/4 of what I used to consume. I went to my pcp for a physical and all my blood work was good. IDK. I just want something to work out for me here. I am soooo tired of constant disappointments in my life. SIGH

I'm so depressed!! I chose to have sleeve vs rouine-y at last minute and REGRET it!! I havn't lost weight in 2 1/2 mnths! I had my surgery May 23,2012 and I feel like I should go back and have the rouine-y now...does anyone know if this is possible? I exercise daily, eat right and still No more weight loss!! I didnt go thru this to still be 245# after 6 mnths. Any suggestions??

You have done a great job. I really appreciate you that you performed it. Can i ask, What kind of exercise and diet plan you follow to achieve your goal. It will be really appreciable and helpful to others who want to loss his weight.

Im a 26 year old that has stuggled with weight my entire life before getting married and a class 2 ac joint seperation pretty ruff sports injury i was on my way down in weight to 240 from 300 in 12 weeks time then the injurys and 3 kids later the sames things dont work .im scheduled to see my doctor on dec 27,2011 to set up my lap band surgery . im currently around 370 pounds . how fast is weight loss expected after the prcedure . and are contact sports out of the question.

Misty, I haven't been banded yet (2 weeks to go) but I do have PCOS. If you feel you have PCOS, you should try to get it diagnosed! I was diagnosed 15 years ago but was never treated. One of the complications of PCOS is insulin resistance. THis means you make enough insulin but your cells are resistant to it. This is ONE of the reasons we have difficulty loosing weight. About a year and a half ago, I was treated for my insulin resistance (I was given metformin twice a day) I lost about 25 lbs very quickly without changing my diet or increasing exercise. I've been stuck at my current weight for over a year now and decided to get a band to help me out. I'll let you know how I do! Marsha

Misty, I was not diagnosed with PCOS but Insulin Resistance...one of the lucky few who has regular periods... I've been banded a little over 3 months and am down 41 lbs...this has been the easiest thing I've ever done to lose weight...I just don't have the appetite, especially for carbs as I did before I was banded. To get diagnosed with PCOS or IR, most likely your physician will take a fasting insulin...if you exhibit any other of the signs, weight gain (which we all have) skin tags, excessive hair growth, acne, messed up cycles, etc, you most likely have it if your results come back with impaired fasting glucose. I was being treated with Glucophage XR (brand name of metformin) and that was working well for me...lost a few lbs in the three months I was on it but felt 100% better...I was having dizzy, sweaty, nauseaous episodes everytime I ate something... Just so you know PCOS goes hand in hand with obesity...it's the chicken and the egg syndrome...your more prone to PCOS or IR if you are obese and vice versa PCOS and IR could make you overweight...generally losing a small amount of weight can help resolve many if not all the symptoms of PCOS and IR. If you have more questions on PCOS or IR I highly recommend the website www.soulcysters.com. There is tons of information and extremely helpful people on this website for those of use who deal with PCOS and IR. I would also highly recommend you contact your physician to run some basic labs on you to determine if you have PCOS. Good Luck!

2 more weigh-ins left and sleep study tomorrow! Ahh getting close.. Random FYI: this month i actually lost some weight vs gaining. So scared ins will deny me. Maybe if i can lose a few lbs and be less than the initial weight it wont matter if i gained in between? I had gained weight (3lbs total over 3 months) due to a depo shot, but lost some weight since i stopped getting the injections.

I’m a previous lap-band patient gone haywire, thus causing it to be removed several years ago so I’m larger now than when I had it placed. I’m going to have surgery. Researching options and costs right now. How many of you would recommend the mini bypass? If so, why and is there a difference in percentage of weight lost and cost? I know that it has less chance of surgical complications. Thanks in advance.

I'm bummed that after a Year out I can now eat anything. Although it's smaller portions, I am losing control of the healthy life style. Argg. I was down from 220 pre sleeve to 147 today. But I was 143 and now I'm gaining. I try to stay under 1200 calories. Should I go back to my books and do the post sleeve surgery diet?

My heating pad has been my best friend! In fact I just put it in a drawer tonight and I'm 25 days post-op. HW 312, pre-op (lap-band) 294, pre-op (RNY) 255, surgery date 2/11/13, goal weight 154, current weight 231.4

Congratulations on choosing yourself and your healthy future -- weight loss surgery is all about that. Only you can decide what's best for you with the help of your medical professionals. The band has worked beautifully for me and I'm very happy with it but we are all different. I didn't want something too drastic surgically. I'm some one who ate a very healthy diet before, just way too much. It's been great to have my appetite dimmed so I can make good choices. It helped me to see a therapist to help sort out pre-surgery options and the process as well as to identify my triggers and address food issues. I was a restricter and a professional dieter. Very happy to not be on a diet now! I eat when I'm hungry and don't eat when I'm not hungry. The links below in my signature may be helpful.

Look, I thought I was too old 2 have this done & I have been loosing weight on their diet. So everyone wants to know why I can't do it myself. I'm having the sleeve on June 24th & I turn 70 on July 1st. I have been going for test & classes for 1 & 1/2 yrs. but I know that it'll be worth it. Sent from my SM-G900V using the BariatricPal App

You can google BMI calculator to figure it out for yourself, but based on the weights I've looked at for my BMI at 5'3" I would say you're probably around 36 or 37. Do you qualify? No one can tell you except your insurance company. Your card should have a number on it that you can call to verify benefits. Call the number and ask them what their requirements are. They can give you specifics about BMI and co-morbidity requirements. Even someone with the same insurance can't tell you for certain since your employer may choose to exclude some benefits (like weight loss surgery) in exchange for cheaper policies.

Neither did I until this morning. I was tired of reading the same old thing in the Lapband forum and decided to see what was happening in the general weight loss forum and to my surprise, we have VIP up in here up in here. LOL

Hi Im Bob. Im not required to do a liquid diet but am doing one anyway. I started yesterday(Sat) and my surgery is scheduled for Wed. the 10th. Im hoping 5 days is enough to help "shrink liver". Anyway I went to Walmart and bought a couple cases of protien weight loss shakes called "Equate", I believe theyre walmart brand and they taste very good, I bought chocolate and strawberrys & cream. Ive only tasted choc. so far, they also had fr. vanilla. It has 230 cals., 10 gr. prot., 2gr fat per 11oz can. The 2nd best part is it was only $5.00 a pack(a few cents/I believe 8 cans). Im very impressed with the taste. The label says"compare to slimfast", so its very similar.

Ok...I'm so worried I won't lose no more weight but I guess its just me feeling guilty for eating too much. My father n law is on life support and we drove to see him and everyone was so upset and I just been hungry every since. I think its all in my mind:(