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We know it's not actually fat you're gaining, so no need to freak out. After a few weeks we go into a stall that can also cause a little bit of gain. Keep doing what you're doing and try your stay off the scale. You'll be pleasantly surprised if you can stay off for a couple weeks by what you'll see. The first month shouldn't really be weight loss time. It's more healing time. Try to remember that.

SW 358 CW 264 Sleeved on April 8, 2013 I just want to say thank you to all the people on this forum. This is my first post but I have been reading before I ever had surgery & you all have helped me so much.. I love my sleeve. I had never been able to lose weight & keep it off. I tried every diet until I made this decision. I've had very supportive friends, family & these discussions help me on this path. I feel so good about the weight loss now but it wasn't easy in the beginning..I had a lot of nausea. I initially regretted my decision but every day got better & now being able to exercise & fit in smaller clothes. I love my decision & only regret not doing it sooner. Thanks again for all the positive reinforcement along the way with your open & honest posts.

Good for you! And her, too! I am hoping to get my niece inspired. She has always hated to talk about her weight problems...and my sister put the kibosh on us ever discussing it with her since she was in her early teens. So now she is in her early 20's and has a head-in-the-sand attitude, but we all know what she must be feeling. I hope that being open and positive about the lapband will get her to thinking about doing it. This is one of the reasons i don't believe in keeping it to oneself...it needs to be out there to help others.

I have lost almost 60 and I have 100 more to go. I also stalled over Christmas and its been very very slow since. I'm going to have to pull up my socks and watch what I'm eating closer. I exercise a lot. I love cross country skiing and get out almost every day to do 7-10k. I got my husband to measure me the other day as we think I'm gaining muscle and losing inches - I hope??

I don't think there is an exact stall date for people. Generally it happens first between 3-5 weeks. I had one in my second week. I had a second in week 6. I wouldn't worry about jump starting anything- instead you should temper your expectations. If you go a month without losing any weight and see no changes is measurements or clothing sizes, then you may want to talk to your doc or nut. And stop weighing yourself every day. That will only drive you crazy. Two pounds a week is great progress for normal weight loss, so you are probably way ahead of the game right now.

Our starting stats are similar. I also CrossFit, and swim. I lose about 5 pounds per month at this point, punctuated by longish stalls. In February I increased my calories to 1200 per day and I eat up to that when I have a big workout. It knocked me out of a longer stall at that point. Even though my weight loss is not what some would consider impressive (which, incidentally, doesn't bother me overmuch because comparisons are kind of pointless) I have also been keeping track of my measurements. I was a tight 16W or 18 when this started, and I am wearing a 12 or a loose 14 now. The difference is becoming quite noticeable. I'd keep at it. I think we all have little catchphrases like "I didn't get this surgery to…" but the fact is, you got the surgery to turn your life and health around. It's a long term game, not a short term one. You're doing the right things and the weight will follow. Maybe not at the rate you want it to, but it will.

I am 8 weeks out, surgery was 1/22/14. I haven't lost a lot of weight. I was 235 before pre-op diet and 220 on surgery date. I weighed in two days ago at my surgeons office at 209. He was surprised. Asked me if I eat sugar. Which I don't. But I did struggle in the first few weeks with food. I ate soups that were higher in calories just to get through the puréed and soft food stage. I add syntrax to my water and drink a protein shake in the morning. I take my vitamins every day. So at 7 weeks I am able to eat more dense protein and vegetables. I just started being able to eat what I need to and ignoring the other foods. I was happy it was all coming together. I weighed 214 at my primary doctor's on March 18 and 209 at the surgeons march 27th. But after meeting with my surgeon I was discouraged. I have lost inches. My neck is smaller and my old clothes are fitting. But looking at everyone's numbers after surgery and 8 weeks out I definitely feel like a slow Loser. It has been hard work so far. I'm not going to give up. There is some science to all this right? I'm working on adding more water and fiber.:/

HI I was banded on May 10,2007. I lost about 18 pounds immediately from the all liquid protein diet but now that I'm 51/2 weeks and eating soft and some regular foods I seem to want to overeat at nite. I don't seem to feel that full from my band at all and wondered if anyone else was experiencing this too. My weight loss has slowed down considerably.

The hungry is called "Bandsters Hell". Try very hard not to give into it and eat only those portions that your doctor told you to eat. Try eating things higher in Protein and waiting longer to drink after you eat. Eat some white chicken in a can with a little olive oil mayo, Flaky fish (flounder, tuna, salmon), ricotta cheese, and All natural Peanut Butter. Those have helped me. As for the peeing, it's because when you lose weight it comes out as Water. It's nothing to be alarmed about. That's how your body flushes all of the toxins out of your body (toxins and fat). Also make sure that you ARE drinking at least 64oz of fluids a day. That includes your Protein Shakes. My nutritionist also allowed me to have 8oz of protein shakes 3 times a day instead of the 4oz. She said that I can have the 2 shakes and if I am really hungry, that I can have the 3 shakes. Ask your doctor.

Hello, I am in the process of meeting my ins requirements for the Sleeve procedure. Many unexpected feelings have emerged that I didn't expect and I wondered if anyone else has experienced the same thing. I have come to the realization than I am not just overweight but fat. I have long lived in a place where I never fully allowed myself to see me how others see me. Going through this process has forced me to admit just where I am with my weight and the reality of being obese. Now that I have come to accept these realizations, I find that I am having very negative self talk and I hate the way I look. I guess before I just lived in lala land and chose to not see reality but now that I have, I am disgusted. I am in the first month of a six month weight management class and because I am right at the 40bmi I am afraid to lose any weight. This is making me feel even more depressed cause I just hate how I look. Thank you all for contributing to this great forum. I have read hundreds of these threads to gather information and feel so thankful there is somewhere to turn. T

I, too, have attended my weight loss seminar. I have an appointment with Dr. Bruce Jones of Jonesboro, AR on Wed., Oct. 26th. If all goes well--after my two weeks on liquid diet---I will hopefully have my surgery either Wed before Thanksgiving or the Wed. after. I am super excited. I got out some old pictures of me at 19 and oh how I would like to be that size again(AND I WILL). My husband and one of my best friends from work went with me to the seminar. My husband is supporting me 100%. He has always been very supporting even with my size. I hope to retire a much healthier person and be ready to travel---because we love to travel!!

I have a BMI of 57 and I'm using Dr. Lopez/Dr. Osuna with A Lighter Me. They are a husband/wife bariatric surgical team. The main reason I chose Dr. Lopez is because he specializes in high BMI patients which carry a higher risk. I am, however, doing my preop diet now in the hopes of lowering my weight/BMI/risk. And the high BMI charge. Amanda Rae

Although I don't have Humana Insurance I had to have 6 consecutive months. Even if your doctor could not see you, maybe they'll have you come in and record your weight so you can present it to your insurance company. It's very frustrating but in the end, I am glad I took advantage of the 6 months because I took that time to learn as much about the lap band system as possible. I love my band. I would do it all over again if I had to. If you have to start over, it will be worth it. Hopefully you will not. I have Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Alabama. I did everything they required and had no issues. I wish you much success during your journey.

Am I the only non-losing loser? I am almost 6 weeks out with no fill. I only had some restriction for 2-3 days after surgery! I have been on my own, since that. I lost 5 lbs on the post fluid diet and have been teetering up and down that 5 lbs since. I see people loosing left and right, but no body with the minimal 5lb loss. I feel like a complete loser and one who will never be able to lose weight even after being banded. I am not sure if its because of my lower starting bmi (35) or no fills? I am starving and will get a fill next monday, my dr wont fill more often than every 6 weeks, to prevent slipping. Has anyone ever experienced this? Please share your inspirational stories if so. Thanks

anyone having problems with weight gain years after gastric bypass surgery? I need support! help please, we can do this together and lose that weight gain! Thanks in advance, Sharowna

My wife was originally planning on having WLS (specifically VSG) after watching my successful recovery with relatively minor complications and successful weight loss. She was going to wait 6 months after my post op to see how things are progressing for me before making a decision to attend a WLS consulatation. Regardless, her latest decision is to not have WLS for a couple reasons. 1. Slimes and throwing up: She didn't like all the slimes and throwing up I went through when adjusting to the solids phase. It was mainly my fault because I am a fast eater and it took me a while to learn to "hear" the full signals. I had to learn how much to eat, how fast to eat and what types of food my sleeve an tolerate over time. Regardless, she didn't like seeing me in the bathroom so much after eating. I am better now, but still have issues with eating stringy things like roast bean or string green Beans in addition to fatty meats. Truely, it feels like dumping syndrome. I do try to explain to her that not everyone slimes and throws up and most of the time, it was my fault. 2. Auto-immune disease: She has at least 1 auto-immune disease. The one that she has requires an infusion of remicade every 6 weeks. This is one expensive infusion. It is called Ankylosing Spondylitis. You can follow the link for more details. It is basically an auto-immune disesase that attacks all the joints and there is no cure. When we talked to the surgeon during one of my pre-op visits, he said that people with auto-immune diseases might have more complications, but did not go into the details. She might also have PCOS. We do not know yet and will find out soon. This is where I could really use some advise from others. She has about 150 lb to lose as we both ended up in the same weight range at our heaviest earlier this year. Maybe it is because of life stresses? Who knows. The fact is that her extra weight may be contributing to other complications like high blood pressure, pregnancy issues, lack of desire to be outdoors like walking and hiking and on and on. There are plenty of reasons here alone that would make sense for her to consider it. She has tried manu diets (as I have), but has never lost more than 10-20 lbs on them. Atkins, weight watchers, etc. I've had fairly good results from the diets because I am very focused when something needs to be done, but then I lose my focus and the weight comes back. Hence, WLS was the only tool left for me in order to stop the up and down of weight gain and weight loss. She used to be "thin" (size 12) in high school, so I am pretty sure she remembers what that is like. She was a pretty hot girl in her younger days. In college she was slightly overweight, but still very hot and sexy (we got married then). We both put on a lot of weight in the last 12 years of our marriage. I don't hold the weight against her (never have), but I would like her to be healthy to avoid future weight-related complications. The weight does not cause her to be unhappy about her life (mainly family is what makes her happy). She is usually in a positive mood and certainly brings happiness and well-being to my life. I would like her to consider WLS because it is life-changing and truely opens up a lot of opportunities that did not exist before. However, I don't want to push her into something she is against. Any thoughts?

It's been 2 years now since RNY. I have lost 180lbs. I am feeling great though i have had a few bumps I would still do it all over again. I did have a internal petersens hernia which caused me to have an intuspection and resulted in needing a bowel resection to get ride of some necrotic bowel. It wasn't fun but they said it was because I lost a lot of weight pretty quickly. I do a great deal of walking and now have more focus on working out with weights to build more muscle. I wear a size medium shirt and size 9 jeans my shoe size even dropped an entire shoe size.

So encouraged after today. They said I was the most educated patient they had seen. This is due to this site! Thanks to all for sharing. I also learned I have mild sleep apnea. This of course will be eradicated after surgery. So now just working on insurance requirements-- which is the worst part of all of this. I was told today that 3 % of the people who lose weight on their own maintain their loss. 80% of the people who lose weight with the sleeve maintain their loss. AMAZING, I want those odds!

How do I get my ticker to show both weight loss and BMI on the same ticker? I'm a newbie to the site. Surgery was on 5/23.

:thumbup: How is it going for you guys? I have really been a rule follower since I got my band. I have had a bite or 2 of sweet foods but mostly I have been trying to do the most with my band. I did well right up to lunch on Thanksgiving day and now it is 3 days later and... I am still eating sweets and things made with cream soups :wink2:!! I do plan on going back to the rules tomorrow (Sunday). There is one pie still hanging around the house but I expect my kids to take care of that. Anybody else nervouse about all the get togethers and eat togethers scheduled in their life between now and New Years day? I don't want to gain....heck I would like to lose a little the next month! Any stragies you would like to share? I would love to hear them!!

WELCOME to LBT! If you go to the home page you can do a search for opinions on LB vs RNY as there have been lots of threads asking this. You can also start a thread there if you want. Here's a copy of a post I answered awhile back with my reasons. Good luck on your decision! LB vs RNY I think it's all about doing research and seeing what fits you best, and there's no right or wrong answer...I think I could find success with several of them. My youngest sister is bigger than me, and with her food/diet pattern I'd suggest RNY or the Sleeve for her. This was my list vs. RNY. My reasons for the LB: - Safer surgery (no cutting other than the Laproscopic incisions, and fat tissue around where the band will go) - Unfill at any point needed and Reversible if needed for other health reasons - Less complications (dumping, hair loss, etc.) - Slower weight loss (easy to explain when you're not 'telling' everyone. I’m a lower BMI without severe comorbidities, so I don’t need to get healthy FAST. I have another sister who has diabetes and has had 2 strokes...I'd recommend RNY to her as she has life threatening obesity issues and would benefit from getting heathy as fast as possible.) - Easy to get proper nutrition- I don't EVER have to drink a protein shake and don’t have to take a ton of supplements. - Continued interaction/accountability to the surgeon (ie. I had to sign that I would continue seeing my surgeon for 5 yrs. post-op, he covers 6 fills as part of the package so it's not for more $, he really wants you to be successful long-term) - Continued adjustments to stoma for life (RNY/some others- can stretch the stoma, some need revision surgery) - I'm more interested in a slow significant weight loss and keeping it off than a huge weight loss...in other words, if I don't lose all 100 pounds as long as I get to healthy and stay there that's OK with me. It's the keeping it off I'm most interested in. - I need portion control, not reactions to bad foods. I already know I can diet pretty successfully (I'm a professional dieter, just can't keep it off and I feel like I'm starving) so I'm not worried about counting calories etc. (I don't think I need the malabsorption, my sister who can’t stick to a diet would need the help of malabsorption and the feedback of dumping). Talk this over with your doc and I'm sure you'll find the right fit for you...weight loss is weight loss...it's all good!

anyone have bmi like mine? i really cant loose weight before surgery. they told me if i was under bmi and on the operating table they would not pay. catch 22 really. i have to do a 3 month program thru them and for insurance. its such a fine line to walk. excited and scared.

I was banded on 7/31/07. In the first 13 months that i had my band I rapidly dropped weight losing 130 pounds in the first 13 months. Then I went for another fill, that I was hoping would land me at goal. It was done under fluro, but even still I was far too tight. I stayed with it for months being stubborn & foolishly ignoring the discomfort and other signs of a problem. Finally when I couldn't take it anymore I was unfilled and because I had hurt my stomach in the process ALL of my fill was removed. I regained about forty pounds before I was filled back up to my sweet spot again so I had to re-lose that weight. I learned my lesson and have been very careful with how tight I am. The pounds no longer melt off so I exercise even more then I had previously 6 days a week either doing cardio, elliptical, belly dancing, zumba or yoga. This past April I completed my first half marathon. :thumbup: I've had many NSVs, but landing in Onderland feels incredible!!! Goal here I come !!!

Girl you do not want to lose 100lbs in six months that is way too fast. Slow and steady is the lap band. If you want drastic weight loss like that then the by pass or vertical sleeve would be your way to go. Most likely it wont happen with the band unless you starve yourself. Some people get the misconception that hunger is not involved with the band but you will still be hungry. That is too much weight loss in six months you will be sick and unhealthy if you go that fast. I would not do that. Your hair will fall out too and you will have some sagging skin for sure.

I know I would normally be thanking my lucky stars for this problem, but about a week ago, my appetite completely disappeared. My band does it's job - it makes me control my portions. Because appetite is something I've always had. Now it's gone, I'm shedding weight FAST. I've lost over 7lbs in just 4 days and am still losing. I find everything unappetising. I start to eat, don't enjoy the taste, leave the rest. My band doesn't even get the chance to work, so I know it's not because I'm too tight either. In fact I'm due for a fill on Friday! My husband and parents have commented that I'm looking skinny. My husband even said my ribs are sticking out. I don't want to lose anymore. Has this happened to anyone else? Anyone have any suggestions on how to stop the weight loss? By my estimate, I'm not even getting 600 calories a day at the moment.