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Hi everyone . I just got banded yesterday.. i was so excited until the numbness and anesthia were off. The pain is as if i were hit by a bus. They give some serious pain medication at hospital which worked up to3-4hours then pain came back double... I was then released went home only to find the pain increasing. i took the prsecribe hydrocodone but really didnt help. Today my whole body from neck, shoulders, arms, of course belly and some weakness in legs. I feel like a gutted fish. And havent slept been pacing all night. Is this common.... <a href="http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/wmXcgkW/"> <img border="0" src="

The antioxidants in coffee are great for you! Black coffee is best for nutritional reasons. The caffine can affect your weight loss so keep it as minimal as possible.

How did everyone cope with loosing the favorite pastime of eating? This past week I feel like I've relapsed and have been snacking, thinking about my old friend food, and sometimes I feel like I am backsliding on the progress I've made. I started at 220 (ish), sleeved on 12/12/12 (196) and now weight around 155. I was making great progress but it's stalled. I have started to workout religiously but I like the food has me trapped. I know it all sounds crazy. I don't even know why I am wanting to eat all the time. I feel like I am at risk for failing.

food has been our friend, comfort and even confidante for so long that it is like breaking up with a lover! I think it's natural to grieve for this change in one of our most significant relationships in life - but don't forget all of the great reasons why you have made this decision. Try writing down a list of the reasons why you want to get healthy and what they will mean to your quality of life, your family, relationships and possibly even your career. This will help you to put the whole thing into perspective. Yes, you will have to made some major changes to how and what you eat, but continuing on the way you have been is what has you got you where you are now. Once you start eating post-band, and especially once you get some fills and feel satiety or restriction, you will work out by trial and error what you can eat, how much and whether it is worth the cost in terms of your weight loss. I love the fact that I can now dance all night, cycle 60 -80 km in a day without even thinking about, that I can buy clothes from normal racks, sometimes even with S for small on them! I love that my husband and I have become even closer and that he is my greatest supporter on this journey. I love that my career has taken off on a new trajectory and I don't doubt that this is because I have lost weight and am now regarded differently in the workplace. Hang in there and you will get through this!

Banded 2/10. Starting weight was 284. Now at 233. And I'm not worried about how long it will take. I just know it will happen!

Hello everyone. I will be celebrating my one year anniversary on June 4th. So far I have lost 84 pounds. The problem is within these past 5 months, I have gained 7 pounds. I keep saying I do not know what wrong with me, but I do know. I have fallen off my new lifestyle wagon and started back doing my old habits. I stopped going to my doctor's appointment, I am back to eating starch and coffee. I tried to make excuses but the reality of it all I have gotten lazy again. My family initially started being supportive and when I let my guard down and let my husband bring the wrong food in the house. I need help with a plan to get back on track.

Self-image is such a strange thing. I get more self-conscious as I lose weight, and it's always been the case for me, every time I have lost it. My husband doesn't get why I deflect any commentary on my weight loss, why I don't revel in the positive feedback. I don't know exactly, but I am definitely more critical of my appearance the smaller I get. The tummy bulges bother me more now because I can *almost* hide them, whereas before I just took them in stride because there was no disguising them. I've gained and lost so many times, and it's always like this. The last time I did a little better, and hopefully this time I can get comfortable with myself in a smaller body for the long haul. I've known a lot of women who've had bypass surgery and this outlook is less common than others, but definitely is not rare or unusual. We've just got to work on getting comfortable in our new bodies, for the long haul.

Wow! That's a good one. Congrats on your weight loss and keep on huggin' that beautiful girl!!!

What a fantastic day! Started with a bike ride with DH and 26 yo son who has taken up cycling like us because he wants to lose weight. Then DH and I spent several hours setting up our local hall for a charity dance we were hosting. We are doing a Lions bike ride over four days in April and need to raise $350 each. our dancing and other friends turned out and we reached our target - and danced all night! couldn't have done that pre-band!

So with all my newly acquired energy I have undertaken a Garage Sale this weekend. As I strolled through my house plucking pictures from the wall, clothing from my closet, knick-knacks, furniture, dishes, jewelry, you name I have it and I'm tired of it. Where in the world did all this excess baggage come from? My daughter made the comment, "Yeah Mom..you're lightening up!" As she encouraged me to get rid of the stuff she calls clutter. I'm going to start a new rule at my house that whenever I bring something in I must take something out. Hopefully, eliminating the excess clutter. The same principal can be applied to my weight. Keeping my calorie intake at 1600. No.. if,ands or buts, just period. Anymore calories and I must exercise the extra calories off in that day. Keeping myself in balance. This weight loss thing sure can hit you on very many levels of your life. Wish me luck on my "Lightening Up Sale!" Ollie

I can completely relate. Before, I accepted that it didn't really matter if I did my hair, fixed my makeup, dressed fashionably, etc. [or at least that's what I told myself] as I was still fat! I guess to avoid daily self loathing I got "comfortable" with the notion it was just me, and no fuss needed. Now that I've taken the steps to become thinner and healthier the "fuss" seems warranted, and now I have the disappointment of seeing "flaws" or at least things that I wish we better....saggy skin, bulge here and there, ruddy complexion, etc. Funny, I'm only just starting to see what others have been remarking on in terms of weight loss and I know its not realistic to think I'd go from blimp to supermodel, but it still would be nice to feel pulled together....

I don't get it. If she is trying to lose weight why would she go get a burger and fries? Bill

Congrats! I am 5 weeks pregnant with my second. I am really excited. I was scheduled for a removal and replacement last Thursday but found out I am pregnant -- I am so happy but concerned about the band. I have a dilated esphogas and a hiatal hernia -- it is going to be a long pregnancy! I had my first son a year out -- I had a slight unfill and no issues. (Hard to relose the weight you gain so be careful!) Rachel

Hey there ladies, I'm 1 year 5 mths out from surgery. I am 25 weeks pregnant as of tomorrow and have only gained 10 lbs so far. My doctor put a weight limit of 15 lbs. for the entire pregnancy because I'm still overweight. I have not had any of my fills removed, my surgeon says only if you have difficulty keeping food or water down will you need to have any removed. So far so good as far as that goes. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can keep my fills throughout my pregnancy. Good luck with your pregnancy. Hope all is well.

Hey there ladies and Gents.. WELL I MADE IT !!! TWO WEEKS WITH NOTHING SOLID TO BITE... UGHHHHHH... The "BAD PART" for this week. The second week without food was the hardest I have to admit. I got through the first week fine b/c it was hard enough getting down the shake and alloted amount of Water that I had no interest in solid foods. Come week two... OMG it was all I could think about. I kept begging my hubby " Just ONE BITE" it's not going to kill me. Well, I spoke with my nurse and one bite of the WRONG thing could have landed me in the hospital b/c it could have gotten stuck in my swelled stomach. SO I had to stay away from solids which made it that much harder. I thought about my "FIRST MEAL" about as much as I thought about my "LAST MEAL" before the surgery. I FINALLY crashed on Thursday and BOY did I knock out. Thank goodness I have a good understanding job. The stress from the whole past week and surgery finally caught up on me but other than that I have been FULL of energy like crazy !!! THE GOOD : I was no longer swollen and the only "sting" I felt was in my largest 2 incisions and that was because they were healing. I have been monitoring them like crazy b/c they are healing and are actually itching a bit. I just rub them lightly over my shirt and it goes away. The FOOD: Ok I cheated a few times in the past week. I had ONE Perogie and 3 small slices of Kelbasi. Went down fine but I had to chew it forever and ever. Tiny pieces worked ok. ( I used to have 5 perogies and about 20 slices of Kelbasi !!). I had half of a Dannon Lit & Fit and that went down fine, but I was stuffed after only 3 oz. I had 3/4 of ONE baby bagel bite and felt like I just ate at a chinese buffet. It was sooo gross ( the bread was too much) I had LITERALLY two " NORMAL" bites of London Broil cut up into 6 tiny bites and I thought I would DIE !! ! The "BEEF" was stuck in my esophogus/stomach all day until the next evening. I forgot we can ONLY EAT MOIST meats and when they say stay away from beef take their word for it. It is SOOOOO not worth it !!! FIRST MEAL !! lol : I chose to have Talapia. I chose a .94 oz pack of Talapia, froze half of it and made the other half. I swore I would eat the whole fillet and LOVE it. I sauteed it in a little butter with some flavor on it. I sat down all ready to eat it and don't you know... I could only finish 3/4 of ONE fillet. I was full before I knew it. Now I know I have to split up my mini little 3oz of Protein into a lunch serving and a dinner serving b/c it was too much at one time. WEIGHT: Well I wish I could say I lost another 14 pounds this week, but I lost only 2 pounds. BUT before you feel bad for me... my size 22 pants can now be pulled off of me with the button/ zipper closed.... my size 20 pants look like I am a baggy pants wearing rapper.... AND the size 18 pants that were so tight they stretched across my thighs now fit a bit big by the end of the day. SOOOO.. we can't always live by the scale. I can wear pants that I would NEVER have been able to fit in before AND I can see my toes without bending over. WOO HOO !!! That's an accomplishment in my book !!! Hope you all enjoyed my update. Any 2 week questions feel free to post.... OH my intake schedule to get it ALL in with Protein and water: I make my shake the night before so it tastes more like a pre made Protein Shake. Each item is approximately 3-4 oz. 7am shake with Multi-Vitamins, Actigall ( for gall bladder), Pepsid ( for acid ) 8:00 water 8:30 water 9:00 water 9:30 water 10:00 shake with Second Multi Vitamin 11:00 water 11:30 water 12:00 water 12:30 water 1:00 broth ( less fulling so I have water sooner after) with Calcium, Actigal, Pepsid 1:30 water 2:00 water 2:30 water 3:00 water 3:30 shake with Calcium 4:30 water 5:00 water 5:30 water 6:00 water 6:30 shake 7:30 water 8:00 water 8:30 water 9:00 water 9:30 sugar free ice Pop 10:00 water 11:00 Last shake with Calcium and Lyrica ( I have Fibromyalgia) By now you have consumed : 2 scoops of Protein powder in 15-16 oz 1%milk 63 oz of water (w crystal lite) plus water in broth and ice from shake PLUS one tasty Sugar Free Ice Pop treat !! Good Luck and Enjoy !!!

Why do you need to lose so much? What is your current weight and bmi? Sent from my SM-G900V using BariatricPal mobile app

Thanks for the advise. A lot of the problem foods for me now are proteins. And that's not good since protein is supposed to be our staple. I will keep plugging along. The thing that helps is the big weight loss.

Monday marks the day that I will sleeved 8 weeks ago. I am now in solid foods but just can't do it. I struggle with solid foods that I don't look forward to eating at all. I'm down 55 pounds and feel great except of a kidney stone I'm trying to pass. Anyone else just can't eat like myself? I want the soft foods but my doc says that's the gateway to gaining the weight back. The thought of some solid food just gags me.

I agree with all of the above posts. 1200 calories is too much, unless you work out a LOT and/or have a job/occupation where you are burning lots of calories. Now, for most folks who have WLS, its inherent that they don't get so much exercise or activity that we can't handle daily intake of 700-900 calories (a few exceptions). The other spot on comment is the carbs, at your post op point, you should be consuming less than 70 carbs a day. You also mention being hungry. Because the VSG cuts away 85-90 percent of your stomach, the chemical which produces physical hunger named grellin (sp?) is eliminated for 12-18 months post-op. At that point, your body figures out what happened and adjusts. Until then - quite a way downstream for you - there simply should not be physical hunger in play, if you are eating the right balance of high Protein and low carb. So, if you believe that feeling hungry is a component of your lack of success, then its likely that other factors are at work. The hunger issue is key. WLS is not a solution, it is a tool in the tool box. In fact, it serves a single purpose - to keep you from eating too much at a single sitting. But, if you eat small portions throughout the day (called 'grazing') you won't lose weight. That is a fact. Please do take these comments to heart, as all of us WANT YOU TO SUCCEED!!!!! -RC-

Argon, congratulations on your weight loss...I've been reading a lot of your posts and threads and you sound very inspirational and real.

Thank you ProudGranny!! Your weight loss is great as well!! 1300 sounds reasonable. I do have an appointment with my nutritionist next week so we will see what they say as well. I always have the fear of the weight coming back. Thank you for the welcome! Looking forward to everyone's support!

This is different due to my restricted stomach capacity and (at 18 months post-op) I'm still feeling the effects of reduced ghrelin (the hunger hormone). I do still feel hungry when I'm hungry. But the runaway hunger that demanded food now isn't nearly as strong as it was pre-op. Also -- and this is key: This time with WLS I didn't lose just 20 or 40 pounds, which wasn't even halfway to goal. I lost ALL my excess weight! And that has made so much difference. Because now my knees don't hurt and I CAN walk farther and more often and faster than I have in decades. My daily routine is so much more energetic -- housework, errands, fidgeting. All these things are self-affirming. My increased activity level keeps me calmer. The fact that I eat more Protein and complex carbs (and fewer simple carbs as a lifestyle, not just the weight loss diet) also reduces my appetite by keeping my metabolism burning steadier, not up/down. Finally, when you actually engage in healthy behaviors for 18 months, you actually do build new habits that, together, are a very different lifestyle that reinforces itself because it makes you feel so good. Habits are very, very powerful -- including the new habits you will build after WLS. Good luck!

Welcome to the group and Congrats on your loss so far! surgeversary 7/24/12, highest weight 267, surgery weight 262, current weight 216

I was the stallingest staller who stalled. I stuck with my program and it did come off, just at a snails pace some months. I never had a big drop after a stall, it was usually 1 maybe 2 pounds. Everyone is different. My statistics next to my name are a little misleading. I have lost 91 pounds, however that is from my highest weight 5 months prior to surgery. I lost weight while I was qualifying for surgery and had surgery at 204 pounds. I’ve lost a total of 69 pounds in 11 months, 16 of that alone has been over the past 2 months. I dug deep and got very serious about exercise the past few months. Here is a graph of my loss that might help, I have posted it before, it is from a month ago. My surgery was on 8/13 this ends on 6/3. I only entered data when I lost weight and omitted 1-2 lb fluctuations to stay sane. There is a thread called, embrace the stall on this board that is helpful.