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I would suggest that you read some of the "My Story's", "Testimonials", as well as many other threads that you can. One can never have too much information. Then ask yourself the hard questions: 1. Am I healthy now? 2. Is my weight causing my major health problems? 3. Do I want to live the rest of my days in the state of health that I'm in today? 4. Am I a good candidate for WLS? 5. Have I consulted with my God, clergy, as well as my doctor? 6. If I decide to have WLS, how will I pay for it and where will I go to have it done.(sad to have to include this question, but it is what it is) 7. Do I have family/friend support? a. If not, am I strong enough of conviction to walk this path alone? 8. Am I ready for the life changes that WLS will dictate? If and when you are comfortable with the answers to those questions----GO FOR IT!!! We on this site are here to give you all the support we can muster--and we can muster with the best of them!! Keep us posted as to your decision/concerns/fears/anticipations/expectations-----often.

there is no average, unfortunately. It's dependent on which surgery you had, starting weight, how much you need to lose, how fast or slow your metabolism is, the balance of many different hormones, other medical issues, how much food and liquid you get in, exercise, etc. The list goes on and on. What was your starting weight, if you don't mind me asking?

That's a nice thought and thank you for your care but no. My symptoms are starvation related. Sweating and hot flashes was from being overweight. I'm constantly cold now because I'm not eating enough to warm my body. When you reduce calories for this long your metabolism slows down conserve energy and your body temperature is lower. Your heart also slows down resulting in poor circulation. I also have very low body fat! Racing heart is a symptom of dumping. Hair loss, cold, low heart rate, weight loss : anorexia. Also my legs went numb from the knees down last year but that went away thank goodness. Last year I only ate 100-500 calories per day. Now I'm eating 1000-2000. It varies a lot. As you can see I'm quite thin. No body fat left at this point. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

as for protien intake. are you logging your food somewhere, believe it or not a lot of food have protien in it you would be surprised. i also have a problem with getting in my cals im suppose to do 1200 i get 800-900 a day. but if you are jogging you really need more cals and protien. do you have a nut to talk to? i eat until i feel full or i feel bubbles or that feeling in the top of my tummy. i am almost 3 months out and lost 35lbs since surgery and i started lifting weights for my arms also they are horrible. lol reeally talk to a nut about your cals and as far as good food high in cal thats hard to find it either has to many carbs or fat.

It's possible you may not be eating enough calories as well. I'm 2 years out, 97lbs lost, and 10-15lbs from my personal goal. When I first started this journey my calories were anywhere from 900-1200 per day. Maybe even less. Add in exercise and the caloric defecit was significant. Now, I can't lose weight with such a small amount of calories. I actually have to eat between 1400-1600 calories a day to lose a pound a week, if that. If you don't have a lot to lose from the get-go, it's hard. My suggestion is to speak with your nutritionist. Definitely keep a food diary. The app/site myfitnesspal is great for helping you keep track of your calories. I've lost the past 50lbs with its help. I wish you luck! And hang in there!

I've had good luck with my Weight Watchers scale. It was only about 30 bucks and it calculates BMI and H2O, too.

Not sure any amount of lotion is gonna make our skin(s) bounce back at this point! I was a smoker too, quit almost 2 years ago..As far as my skin goes, both of my kids weighed OVER 9 pounds, beyond stretched.Oddly enough though, I have a tiny waist, and have always had..Not sure why.I can't buy pants without them bagging in the back.Also, depends on how much weight we have all put on too, it may be way to stretched out and age has alot to do with it too, and the most important factor is heritage..I have used face creams since my early 20's so I'm not too worried about that..But I am already looking into arm lifts..When I wave(which I rarely do) they keep right on waving,lol! They actually aren't as bad as they were but still got wings..If you or anybody finds this miracle lotion, please inform me too..LOL!

If you don't know where your port is, please make sure you find out where it for future reference. Today, I went in for my 3rd fill. (The Nurse Practicioners do them at my office). I laid back on the table, she numbed me up, and we were just talking and it was over. I drank the water to make sure it stayed down, and I went on my merry way. I made a couple of stops along the way home, and I happened to look at my stomach, and I was shocked to see that my band aid was NOT where my port is!! I knew that my port was not in the 'normal' location because my surgeon told me that mine is epigastric because I had a lot of scar tissue. I immediately called the office and they told me to come back. Luckily, I live close to the office! What she thought was my port was actually my incision, and she mistook it as my port because it was hard and got fluid out of it because it had a cyst!!! She drew the fluid out of the cyst and put fluid into the correct location of my port. Now, I'm worried and a little paranoid about future fills...it really makes me wonder if they're getting the right spot! What if they put a hole in my tubing or somehow damage my band? Will I have to get surgery again to correct a mistake that was made? So, know your port!! If I didn't know, I may have been wondering why I didn't loose any weight!!! Next time,I will also check things out before I leave the office!

Vain or not, it is a legitimate concern. I was worried about it too. We are close in age and my face isn't as tight as it was when there was a bunch of fat but it doesn't look saggy either and I am not too far away from goal now so I don't see it getting too much worse (due to weight loss anyway :ohmy:). Overall I look MUCH, MUCH better without the weight.

All the factors are unique for you. You're right, as an ex smoker, you've done damage to your skin but you may naturally have better skin than the next person. There's just nothing but time will tell how your skin is going to react to weight loss. One thing's for sure. Nothing you put on it will stop loose skin, but there's nothing but good to come of keeping your skin in great condition.

I have had great success losing weight without surgery. In fact, I've done it several times in my adult life because I have been unable to maintain it without this tool. I also had some success losing 40 lbs before my bypass surgery in August. But let me tell you, I know it was because I knew the end was in sight. I knew that this was finally going to be the ticket for me to not only lose the weight but have a significantly better chance of maintaining it long term. My doctor told me it was going to prevent me from getting diabetes (I was prediabetic), and prevent me from getting severe heart disease (runs in my fam). It's going to be work and regain is a real thing even after surgery. For me, the mental struggle has been the most challenging but having this tool has allowed me to feel optimistic about the future even when I was having a tough time. Keep talking to your docs, your support system and the folks here. Find out the answers to all your questions and you'll be able to decide if it's right for you. Listen to yourself rather than considering what others might think about your decision. I let my fear of losing weight the "easy way" (hahahahaaaahaaaahahaha!!!!!) prevent me from looking into this option for 4 years too long. I'm so so happy now. Good luck! Hope you find the support and answers that you need.❤️

I too have been able to lose 40+ pounds on my own before, but it inevitably comes back. This surgery might be the tool you need to make the weight loss permanent. But only you have that answer and know your body and how you've handled weight loss in the past. Good luck with your decision.

You are such a great inspiration.. I am also anemic and I know how you feel Brrrr.... I had a complete unfil in Oct and my first re-fil on Dec 3. I was able to eat anything I wanted to on Thanksgiving and boy did the scale show it, I was not happy with the weight gain but now I am losing again becoming more active in working out!! Congrats to you at almost being at goal weight!

That's the weight your body remembers and because it's emotional for you the stress doesn't help. It may take a little while for your body to lose this fight but just stick with your plan and your body will soon give up and you'll start losing again. I experienced lots of stalls in the beginning but they all broke eventually. At 7 weeks you're no where near done losing. Try not to stress out at every stall. Instead think of it as a gearing up for another rapid period of loss. Your body needs to re-group.

I am 7 weeks out from surgery and for the last almost 2 weeks my scale is stuck a 238... I have lost 60 lbs since my journey began in January(29 of those post op) but now I am stuck, and scared that my fat body is stuck being fat forever. When I was on one of my millions of diets before this was always the weight that I got stuck at. I am so frustrated, I have been getting all of my water in and exercising 5 days a week. I have been eating right, and getting plenty of rest. I am just so afraid at this point that I am going to be a size 18 the rest of my life no matter what (the size that I have been since high school). I have this irrational fear that the surgery did not work on me, and I will never make it to Onederland

Ok so it was a bit of an anti climax but still good. I had blood pressure, weight, and MRSA tests done by a lovely nurse called Lorna. She really made me feel comfortable. The I had an ECG and some blood tests. And I was home in an hour! No photos, phew. No dietician, no talk about surgery. I have to say once I saw the surgeon last August it has pretty quick and to the point. No great discussions. I was expecting lots of information and guidence. Thank heavens for LapBandTalk and everyones willingness to share. Without it I think I would have been totally unprepared. I have followed the restricted food diet for 4 days and gained 1.5 lb. I cant dwell on that point because I feel like giving up. I have, hand on heart not eaten anything that wasnt weighed and on the list so how I gained weight I dont know. But I am now switching to the milk only diet for the next 18 days. That has surely got to work????? I am under no illusion that it will be easy but now I have had the pre op I feel like its the final countdown and I have to make the effort. I am so looking forward to life with the band. :thumbup::thumbup::tt2::thumbup::smile2:

I've been looking for specific information on the Liver shrinking diet and the Physician's weight loss center liquid diet.:help: Like, what is it, what foods or drinks are used, what ever I need to know, etc. I used the Search and it brought up a list of different threads that gave mention to the two different diets, but nothing in detail. If it's no trouble, I ask that someone please give me the diets or at least a website where I might find the info. I'm at a loss. Thanks so much!

I havea good friend who is interested in lap band surgery. I have been telling her about my lap band journey. She recieves dialysis 2-3 times per week for kidney failure. She told me that her kidney doc said it was ok her to get banded as she needs to lose a certain amount of wait to get on the donor list for a kidney. This doc is just her kidney doc and I am not sure how much he knows about weight loss surgeries. She is on fluid restriction and I would think that the amount of fluids we are supposed to drink daily is way over her limit. Not to mention I am sure that she would have some dietary issues. Are any of you aware of any dialysis patients being banded?

A couple things: first, you have a limited window (1 to 1.5 years) to work with where you need to get off all the weight you can because outside of that window it could be as difficult to lose weight as it was presurgery. This fact alone should make it a priority in your life. Two, you need to find an activity (ideally activities) that you enjoy. I discovered running. I have friends who bicycle and that would bore me to death. Running bores them lol! Third, I found that setting goals kept me motivated to continue. For me it was being able to run continuously for as long as possible without walking. This was too vague of a goal so I started losing interest. Someone mentioned doing a 5k (which I had never done) and I started training for it. I finally worked up the ability to run 3 miles without walking. The first time I did it I was on the treadmill in the middle of the gym crying lol! The next goal was to be able to do 10k without walking. Accomplished that! Now I am into week 4 of working on a half-marathon training plan. I'd like to do it without walking but the first one will be all about finishing (and getting one of those silly 13.1 stickers to put on my car (and possibly a tattoo of the same!). A frequent question at this point is whether I will ever do a full marathon. I refuse to consider that until I've done a half marathon or two (don't want to get discouraged by overreaching). Lastly, it's said that it takes 21 days for an activity to become a habit. Find your activity and keep doing it until it's something you do as a necessity without thinking (like brushing your teeth or putting on deodorant ever day). It could take you less than 21 days or maybe more, either way keep at it. Weight-loss surgery gave us a second chance - it's up to us to squeeze everything we can out of it.

Hey everyone I'm Arcana I recently just got finished with 6 months of nutrition classes I've seen my psych Dr I did blood work I did the EKG I did the swallow Barium test and so now I am just waiting on a approval because my first surgery request was denied so this is the second attempt I'm hoping I get approved this time I'm 31 years old I weigh 320 lbs and my BMI is 49 I desperately need the surgery but I'm also very nervous I don't have that much support from my family everyone thinks I shouldn't get it because I could die on the table but I told my family that I'm already dying lbs because I'm severely overweight and I'm not saying that weight loss surgery is my only option but I feel like this is the only option for me that's gonna work for sure I've been having second thoughts because of my family making me feel like I'm going to die if I have the surgery smh has anybody else felt that way before I just feel so upset because I don't have any support at all and I know for sure its what I want to do I have tried dieting and it never worked I never lost any more than 10 pounds in my Life I'm tired of feeling miserable and having low self-esteem about myself it's not fair to my daughter that I feel ashamed about going out to fun places where I know we both will be happy and enjoy ourselves the only thing we do is go to the movies get and go home I'm tired of living like this I have always been very self-conscious about my body and the way I look and I know I shouldn't be so self-conscious but I was never this heavy in my life i recently gained all my weight within the past 10 years I just want to become a better version of myself and feel more confident and most important get more healthier my family doesn't understand that I'm not as healthy as I should be

Ok.. When I first saw a dr put on my med chart " obese stomach" ..I was in shock. This was about 12 years ago. This comment stayed stuck I'm my mind for years to come at the meantime getting larger year to year. Of course..I would lose tons of weight between that time I saw this term and prior to sleeve surgery. For some reason that word "obese" pierced my heart. I had to talk through myself that it is only a word that the med profession uses for excess weight. But what I was really doing to myself ..I was in denial about my excess weight.. Only when I saw pics of myself ..I looked "obese". When I started having high blood pressure, high cholesterol ..it was a sign of my health condition..but even with these bad symptoms. I was still in denial about my excess weight. food was my best friend that I could not conceivably ever give up. I could not even fathom this concept and certainly did believe I could in myself to even consider this option. Flashback to Sept , 2013.. I heard that a friend of mine lost tons of weight with the sleeve..and finally keeping off her excess weight reheat she struggled to do for years. I was a classic replica,of her weight loss journey. Lose, gain, lose gain. After losing 65 pounds two years ago, just to gain it back immediately, I was literally exhausted with getting on diets.just to gain it all back. I had liposuction twice, I had the lapband, and went on too many diets to count . I was still no better in Sept 2013 ..improbably spend over $75,000 On weight loss efforts. (Could of used that money for a world cruise). I never , ever considered invasive weight loss surgery till Sept 2013. The gastric by pass, in my opinion, was too extreme, I researched the sleeve, spoke to my friend who had the surgery, and went to a consult with my dr. I vacillated whether to have the surgery. Changed my mind several times. I was also seeing a psychologist at that time for my "emotional" eating. This turned out to be invaluable and a real added plus to my current success. I still see my psychologist every two weeks. I knew deep down that getting on another "diet" of food deprivation was no longer a solution to my weight problem. I was completely exhausted to deal with my weight ..on to dec, 2013'. I had the surgery. I remember that 7 days after surgery, my reality that food can and will no longer be my friend was very humbling to me. I knew that my life changed forever with my relationship with food. I cried, I mourned..but I prevailed. To me that day was a turning point.. I could now accept that food was no longer my best friend. I cannot explain how profound that day was for me. Sadness , mixed with hope ..5 month later, today, I am living such an energetic life, with great joy. I don't obsess on food.. My tool, the gastric sleeve, has helped my in curving my hunger, big time. Head hunger still appears in my life.. But through my psychological sessions, I have more tools to deal with this. I now have connection between my head and my stomach..I had lost,that for years.. Never, ever checked,with my stomach to see,if I was truly hungry ..I would just eat and eat and eat and never felt full. Even though I had years of struggle with my weight..I have to accept that my struggles has brought me to where I am today. Getting healthier, and seizing what life has to offer. Eating to live not living to eat. I have greatly reduced the "all or nothing attitude " I do enjoy on occasion my favorite foods..but he difference now..the guilt feeling nah as dismissed. I don't binge because I had one bite of a "bad stuff". Eating in moderation what I do now. No more deprivation. To those who are considering wls..I would suggest to get help if you are an emotional eater. You need the tool of the sleeve or by pass to help you get to your healthy goal, but just as important, you need to deal with your relationship with food. I am now considered overweight.. I accept this term without harsh judgement on me. I accept the weight I am today.. I know I will slowly reach my goal ..I decided to set a goal of 150 pounds at 5'2". 60'years old. I am in a size 8 .. Which I am very proud of. 13 more pounds to go. I am grateful where I am today.

Hi Guys, I just got home from my dinner. I told my friend and not only was she extremely supportive, I found out that she has had several family members and friends that have had some type of weight loss surgery. Some have had success and some haven't. She is going to put me in touch with 2 friends that live near me that had the surgery within the past 2 years and are doing well. I've only known her for a couple of years so she was kind of a test friend. I've told 2 out of 3 of my really close friends and they have been really supportive. I do tend to be really good at convincing people of things. I've been told more than once that I should have been a lawyer. I am good at stating my case. The other 2 friends that i told were against weight loss surgery in general until I explained why I wanted to have it and talked about the whole process and the procedure. Now they are on my side. I only have 1 other close friend to go. She is one that I am kind of worried about but now that I have so much other support, I actually don't care.

I am 5'8" starting weight was 211. I just had it done 4 days ago and down to 205- spent most of my life in the gym and eating relatively well, with portion control issues. Looking forward to losing the weight for sure!

I am four weeks as of this past Wednesday. I was at 30 pounds then when I weighed I was at 29..is it normal to gain or hold at that weight for awhile? Time of the month makes it hard also I guess. Still finding it hard to get 64oz of liquid daily only getting around 30-40oz...will this cause a stall?...so frustrated at this point

Well I dont know if im setting myself up to just get knocked down but im 33yrs and I have been over weight all my life my bmi is 36.8 and I have Gerd,High Trigyecerides,Edema,Artheritis,and severe backpain.I have Cigna OAP INS. My question is do you think I have enough co-morbid conditions to be approved or do I have to have a BMI of 40 or more? Any info would be great.