Search the Community

I don't have a pre op diet required. I am just on a balanced meal plan, but I don't have to change anything as surgery gets closer. We are expected to loose 5-10 pounds overall with the balanced pre op diet while all your appointments are being taken care of. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I was super freaked out a few weeks ago and had a few thoughts of not going through with the surgery. I had some of the same thoughts as you as I have always been a big guy, not tall like you, but big (5' 10", 325). I decided I would rather be too skinny than deal with being to large for plane seats, riding amusement park rides with my kids, being the biggest guy in the meetings at work, and the general health issues that come with obesity as I get older (40 is just around the corner). One huge motivating factor is thinking about being there for my kids growing up and being healthy enough to enjoy my grandkids to the fullest in my later years. I think a list like Lotte22 mentioned is a good idea to keep your goals in focus. I don't regret my surgery at this point, but I'm really early on just enjoying the scale going down for the first time in a decade.

Thanks Brant! And 19 lbs! That's awesome! Did you exercise frequently? Or was that from diet alone? I exercise after work that's why I ask. And honestly, that's dead on how it feels for the most part right now. So it's nice to hear that there's a light in a few days haha. I exercised about three times a week and walked and took the stairs when I could to add some extra exercise and calories burned. You will get there, and it does get easier after the first couple days. Honestly those first couple days were the hardest part of my entire journey (other than the emotional wrangling in my own head as I finally convinced myself that I could and should have WLS).

I had my operation on 4 Dec 19 and found the weight loss stalls at times too. I have found that doing 3 higher intensity type exercises a week keeps things moving along. I swim a kilometer at the local pool pushing myself so I am out of breath. I also log my foods daily in an app so I can keep an eye on any unnecessary calories sneaking in.

Well, working in a hospital, I can tell you that it is the LAST place you should think you will get rest. It's always noisy and they have to do their jobs, around the clock. As much as we try to be quiet, if we tip toed around nothing would get done. The first few days post op are the roughest. It gets easier. My first day in the hospital, an intern told me that I would feel like myself again in a week. Although that was a slight exaggeration, it was not that far off. I got to a point where I had to remind myself I had surgery just days ago, and I was often reminded with a pain here and there. Now 10 weeks out, still have had a few MINOR glitches, not chewing enough, stalls, and picking a wrong food, but I don't regret it. I'm averaging just under 5 1/2 lbs lost weekly. Things are continually changing and now people are NOTICING! I'm also finding distaste for a lot of fattening foods that I enjoyed before. Don't focus on the bad! Better days will come, try to enjoy the ride.

I am 3 days down and my surgery is June 10..... I just need someone to tell me again how much it is worth it.

Thank you so much for the information. My husband is terminal. In saying that he has NASH non alcholoic cirrhosis and liver cancer which they caught to late because the Dr. WOULD NOT do a ct after I begged for two years because of his family history. He doesn't drink and never has. He doesn't smoke either and never has. Two brothers and his Dad died of cancer. He is just 48 and he really looks so much older. My heart is broken and I am just taking care of him as best I can. He isn't in pain and we are Christians and we know where he is going. We take off 25 lbs of Fluid every week from his tummy. It is gut wrenching to watch him. First picture is us last August, then last week, last pic is when we met 10 years ago. He was diagnosed in Jan. :'( I can't even think of my weight. I was almost to goal and have gained 15 pounds back. Mostly from sugary coffee drinks and creamy fudgesicles at night. Just pray for us if you believe in prayer. Because we do. Thank you so much.

I made three months on 10/26 and so far so good I suppose. I am 25 pounds down and the last month has been tough. I only have alittle restriction so like you said its a slow process. I realize I need to get focused in the gym and it might help to speed the process along. Good luck fellow July bandster!

I doubt it....those boots are made for a certain leg shape, fat or not. My husband asked me to wear white gogo boots for our 10 year anniversary in Las Vegas and I ordered a pair online that were marked "plus-size". Yeah right! I don't think they'll ever fit. I am going to add some rivets and lace them up the back.

Starting weight: 200 Goal weight: 190 Expected Loss: 10

Hi all! I definitely can eat more but I make sure that I measure everything I can. I follow the philosophy "just because I can doesn't mean I should". I can probably eat 4 oz of dense protein but I don't want to stuff my new tummy. Do I still overeat at times? Yes. Do I still eat too often because I "think" I'm hungry? Yes.There are days when I eat closer to 1400 calories because I tend to eat out often for my business. On those days I try to work out a bit more. Please remember that I had a Lapband for almost 10 years prior to plication so I've had a lot of time to get used to measuring, chewing and eating this way. It takes time. I have been very interested in how naturally thin people live and eat. Some of the things I've noticed are they almost always keep a loose track of their calories, if they are going to eat out or eat a large meal then they cut back on calories in other meals and they are active on an almost daily basis. I am trying to live this way as well. My goal for the plication is to not only lose weight but to keep it off forever, something I didn't do with the band.

Hi Everyone, Why to first month is so difficult. You are about to change everything you know about eating and your body. Your brain for all of you life has been used to you eating almost anything you wanted and large amounts of food. I never stopped and gave this much thought, when I wanted to have WLS. All I was thinking was about getting the fat off my body and feeling healthy again. I spent a lot of year being fat and this was my chance to change the roller coaster of losing the weight and regaining it again. So for me I had to spend the first 10 days having nothing but Clear liquids. I could only have about a ¼ of a cup of anything when it was time to eat. I felt pretty good, but this first 10 days were the worst. There are only some many clear liquids. I had various kinds of broth—chicken was my favorite. I had Jello, white grape juice, apple juice, Water with Crystal Light, decaf tea—Earl Gray and my life saver was sugar free all natural fruit popsicles. If my stomach felt quizy this really seemed to clam it. I had problems finding a Protein Drink that was clear that I liked. I since have found some. They are made by Syntrax and they are called Nectar—all kinds of flavors that can be mixed with water. It is very important that you try to get some protein the first 10 days. These first 10 days are difficult because my brain is screaming at me “I am hungry.” We call these head games because your brain is trying to control you. Your brain can play some mean and ugly games with your mind and what you are thinking. You are NOT hungry; you are getting what you need for these 1st 10 days. You NEED to give your new stomach time to heal and that is why you need to follow exactly what they tell you to eat. The next 10 days is so much better. 10 days of nothing but creamy foods. I thought I was in heaven when I got to this stage. I could have my favorite Protein Drink. I love Premier Protein Drink—I get mine at costco. I have since found 2 other Protein drinks made by Syntrax that I also love—Mint Cookie and banana Cream. I could have cottage cheese, sugar pudding, yogurt, and creamy Soups. Some Creamy style Peanut Butter. I still could also have any of the clear liquids I was having before. Remember you are only going to be able to eat about 2 oz. of anything when you eat. Your new stomach can now only hold food about the size of your thumb. The next 10 days are getting a little better. It is 10 days of mushy food. I found this stage a little harder, but I became a little creative. I took some home made chicken Soup and put it in the blender, veggies worked great to make mushy, sweet potato was great instead of a regular potato. I also had applesauce at this point too. I tried to watch my carbs too—no more than 20 carbs per day. I always made sure I had my protein drinks at least 2 per day. I was told to have at least 70 grams of protein per day. Premier Protein had 30 grams per drink box. Another challenge I had was drinking enough water and getting the Protein Drinks down too. It felt like I was always sipping and drinking something. This is just what you have to do. Eating is like having a job and you have to do the best you can to get everything inside your body that you need. I had problems swallowing my medication during this time. I learned to smash the meds up into a power with a mortar and then mixed the powered medication with applesauce and that is how I took my meds. You may have problems with constipation too. I use 1 cap full of Miralax everyday in the morning. I put 1 cap full in with my Protein Drink and mix it in my Magic Bullet. I still use Miralax all the time. It is not habit forming and helps because we eat a lot of protein and that causes the constipation. Remember there is a reason you need to follow the diet that your doctor has given you. Different doctors have different things they may want you to be eating. These were what my doctor had me do. If you have any questions please feel free to ask me. Suzanne Sleeved 10/28/2008 Lost 105 lbs.

Congrats on your approvals! HW: 321 CW: 278 GW: 180 Sleeve scheduled: 5/10/18

Hello, I am new. I was banded on 09/19/08 at the OCC in Tijuana. So far so good. Hubby was banded same day with me. I am on the other site too but thought I would come here to see what else I can learn from others. It has been an interesting time. I am still on the liquid diet and I have 6 days left. God I can't wait to eat. I want some chicken maybe even a salad. I know I have to be careful. Anyhow, just wanted to say hello. Thanks:thumbup:

Hi Dawn, I was 241 before I started the pre-op liquid diet (2 weeks of opti-fast). I lost 16 pounds on the pre-op diet, so that put me at 225 the morning of my surgery (May 22, 2008). I am now at 206. So 19 pounds in 2 months...I can't complain with that!!! My ticker is wrong. I have to get my hubby to fix it for me. Almost in one-derland!!!!! I can't wait. Good luck!!!

I too am scheduled for 12/10 at 7 a.m. Good luck to you.

Thanks for sharing about this; I'm scheduled for surgery on 12/10. They don't tell you these things LOL. I'm trying to absorb as much as I can from the people on this site

Hey Guys; My sleeve is scheduled for Monday 10/20 @ noon. Great to see guys (no disrespect meant to the girls). I look forward to following you and allowing you to follow me. I'll have to remember to check-in and report out regularly. Super excited about Monday. I'm a "surgery" expert, so this procedure doesn't worry me at all. At 51 and now single....YAY! Oh; sorry....lol....I feel this procedure is the start of my very lengthy "bucket list", of which, I am now completely in control of.....YaY! This is all about me....finally! Not the kids, not the Ex....just little old me....well, not little... I've been living the lifestyle since June 2014 and have lost a bundle of weight and feel great. I just might make it to my goal weight....as defined by the experts....of 155. I think I was last 155 in Kindergarten....lol. I'm spending this weekend getting my business in order.....cleaning my apartment, shopping for stage 2 foods, walking the dogs, listening to meditation/relaxation recordings, etc. Trying to decide what to pack for the hospital. But being a guy - I may just wear out - what I wear in....and take some essentials in a shaving bag sorta thing. Hey dtill1147 where did you get that scale thingy above? I'd like to have that for tracking/posting.

dtiller I emailed my Nutritionist this morning and also found this info online. I will compare what she says to this article. Just fyi in case you're interested. The optimum amount of Protein per meal for muscle building -- about 30 grams, according to one study -- is sometimes quoted as the maximum amount you can absorb, but the two are not related. Rapidly absorbed protein boosts muscle protein synthesis after exercise, but one way or another, your body typically absorbs most of the protein you eat. Dietary Protein Absorption Before your body can absorb Proteins, digestive enzymes in your stomach and small intestine break them apart into amino acids. As amino acids come into contact with the lining of your small intestine, transporters carry them through the intestinal lining, where two things can happen: They can gain access to your bloodstream or they can be used by tissues in your gut. Whichever path they take, proteins are now successfully absorbed. More than 90 percent of all the protein you consume is absorbed, reports the European food Information Council. Absorption Rate Amino acids are absorbed at the rate of 1.3 grams to 10 grams an hour, according to a report in the “International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism” in April 2006. A large percentage is absorbed because partially digested food is in the small intestine for hours. In addition to your overall health, several factors influence the absorption rate. Protein drinks are absorbed more rapidly than protein consumed with fiber-containing foods because Fiber slows down nutrient absorption. Protein hydrolysates, which are proteins broken into smaller pieces of amino acids, are absorbed more quickly than whole proteins. Whey protein is absorbed at a fast pace, while casein is digested at a moderate rate.

What are you doing to get protein in if not protein shakes? Our surgeon wants us on protein shakes as soon as we get home-like day 1 at home from hospital. It's important for healing, to keep your hair and to prevent your body from starving and start wasting your muscles and breaking them down for proteins to keep your body systems going. As for vitamins, we were told that we could use chewable a like 2 flintstones or chewable Bariatric vitamins or use nothing for the first two weeks until we were able to use the pills like 10-14 days out. Certainly after that point you want to be on vitamins because our bodies can't absorb what we need because of the rerouting of intestines and restriction(bypass), so it's important to your complete health to take vitamins then. If you were a sleeve, you'd still need to take vitamins to make up for what you can't get in due to the restriction, but the rules were the same. Chewable vitamins or nothing for first 2 weeks, then move to the pills or stay on chewables.

Here's some steps of things I did and I was using Insurance to pay: 1. Schedule and attend free doctor/hospital bariatric program orientation session to learn about their programs, doctors, etc. 2. Usually they give you a packet of information to fill out and mail in to them to see if you are a good candidate for surgery. 3. Check with Insurance company and find out specifically if they Exclude Bariatric Surgery including Adjustable Gastric Lap Banding and/or Gastric Bypass/RNY, etc. and what the qualifications are to get insurance coverage approved. What BMI and what co-morbidities do you have to have to qualify - i.e. sleep apnea, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc. being co-morbidity examples. 4. Many of the Insurances will require: Surgeon consultation visit to see if you are a candidate, 5. Cardiac clearance - most of us are overweight enough they want to make sure you are okay. 6. Sleep study/clearance - if you haven't been cleared for sleep apnea 7. Psychological study/clearance - its pretty basic but they want to be sure you are mentally and emotionally ready for this life change. 8. Diet and nutrition counseling - at least 1 pre-op session with the doctor/hospital 9. Primary Care Doctor supervised weight loss effort - as noted in other posts - sometimes 6 months consecutive evidence in the doctors' progress notes - not just that they weighed you but that you discussed weight loss issues. Some get by with 3 months - varies by insurance. 10. Any other 'hoops' to jump through the particular doctor gives you or their bariatric program for that hospital.

Wow, with a family history like that, I'd say banding is a really good investment in your health and quality of life. It IS hard. You dont get banded and then automatically lose weight for very long as you'll quickly work out a way to get calories in if you really want to. Look, you have to WANT to change. You have to be willing to do what you would always have had to do to lose weight, only the band will help you to be a lot less hungry. But its a tough journey, and losing 100lb in a year doesnt always happen, it took me 2 years to lose that much. Any weight loss at all, even 10% of your body weight can do marvellous things for your health, so I'd suggest to not be so fixated on a goal like that, Exercise helps enormously too. What do I eat in a day and what are my portion sizes?. I dont measure to be honest, early in the day I can eat probably a cup worth of food, late in the day its 1/2 cup as I tend to be tighter at night. I eat all foods, I dont avoid carbs, but I dont eat a lot of white sugary carbs. I try to avoid too many processed foods, preferring fresh, I have the occasional glass of wine, a treat every now and then and I run for up to an hour most days of the week. To lose 100lb in a year if that's what you really want to accomplish, then I'd imagine you need to be stricter with the measuring and weighing than what I am, keep to the portion sizes suggested to your by your doctor, adjust your band so that those portion sizes satisfy you and make sure you do regular exercise in some form or another. If you MUST reach that goal and you really do not think you can live with the restrictions the band places on you and the amount of work you have to do for a band to be effective, then there's other weight loss surgeries to consider, I know nothing really about them so perhaps others can chime in there. I can tell you that it doesnt stop when you've lost the weight, I have not changed my routine or exercise now that I'm maintaining rather than losing. I'll have to do this for the rest of my life. You've only got a little time, I see. Dont go ahead if you're not ready, you need to think about it. However, whilst its VERY scary to contemplate it really feels perfectly normal when you get there. But you must be ready to follow the rules. Good luck!

I get a pain to . I'm 6 days post op. I don't know how to describe it. It comes and goes it sits right behind my sternum at the top of my stomach. It feels like the beginnings of a burp that never comes, or like something is going in and gets stuck even though I'm not eating anything. When it happens it's only for a few seconds like between 5-10. I can't take a deep breath and sometimes it triggers a hiccup. Its really annoying and uncomfortable when its happening. I'm not sure if that's what you're feeling but hope you feel better soon.

You are right tmf...you are not a woman and have no understanding...lol. I however, am a woman...I'm reminded every time I sit to pee...lol..and I understand what enjoy is saying perfectly. I too am 10 lbs. less than my doctor's goal of 150 lbs. I've decided to continue to eat as I have been and the weight loss will stop when my body simply is done giving it up. I'm in no danger of becoming anorexic...I love food too much for that. (Oh and I've been spoken to by friends who are concerned I might be headed that way. It makes me laugh inside...You don't know me vewwy well, do you?) For enjoy however, she is truly ready to maintain and wants to make sure the scale doesn't creep up. Here's my advice darlin'...add Protein to your diet. Not carbs, not garbage. ...and you know what I mean by garbage. Don't have a larger helping of potatoes. Don't drink another glass of wine...or a cocktail. Holy Moley...cocktails have so much sugar and calories, it's nuts. Keep up your exercise. If you stop or slow down, it becomes a slippery slope. Protein is easy to tweak. If you go up to 4 oz. for lunch or dinner and the scale goes up, then take it down a notch. I'm a carbaholic so it would be hard for me to be playing around with my Pasta. I so get you my control freak friend. We are sisters for sure. But at some time, we must give up some of that control and just try to live our lives. Let me know how it goes, feel free to PM me if you need to so I can talk you off the ledge if necessary..lol. Have a good one today. Hope the weather is beautiful in MO. It's gorgeous here in The Big Apple today.

I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you, if you haven't found a way to finance please look up the care credit. I wouldn't say its the lowest finance you could get - i do have a great credit score but I wanted it fast and it was the fastest route- I knew i would be able to pay it off in a year. Don't let lack of credit detour you from trying though. If you call them they will answer your questions about how much your monthly payment will be and so forth. It took me matters of minutes to be approved. Airfare is not included. I live in Michigan about 4 hours away from detroit. Did I loose fast? ok I'm in constant loss of weight but in the beginning it was a struggle because I didn't have the restriction so its not like you wake up and pounds just drop off. When I finally got restriction.......wow they fell off. Now my body is totally different therefore my mind is different (I feel so much better about myself) and I do sooooo many different activities (exercise does not mean u have to b at a gym it can be riding bikes, play ball ect.) but I want to do those things. I started out at 264 and I am now 182 (and still losing its been a year 2mo.) I'm 5'5" tall and am not a skinny minnie but I feel great about the skin I'm in now. I can go into a store and try 10 outfits on and they all fit-now its trying to decide what one to buy instead of just hoping one will fit right! If there is one point of advice I can give you is please get your fill every 6weeks until you reach your sweet spot. I didn't and I could've been further along a lot quicker. We are what some may call lap band orphans I've learned throughout the journey and a lot of my info comes from this site. I've fought my whole life with my weight losing many times each time gaining more than when I'd started. I would keep it off for 2-3 years then balloon up. You are so young I believe you would be so happy! I wish I had done it sooner. I researched it for 2 years b4 I made the commitment. Same reasons as you the finance. My husband and I stayed at the " hospital motel" I want to say it costs something like $14 or $17 under 20 anyway. I wish you the very best in this journey!!!!