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Go you! Cycling is awesome. I used to cycle a lot before I gained so much weight. Can wait to get sleeved and lose enough to return to it! I will cycle vicariously through you for now. Good luck.

Thanks for that! And actually since i posted this my friend accidentally did it again. So I tried something different. She was having a conversation about some guy she just met and naturally her weight insecurities came up, she seems to think that if a guy is interested in her, therefore he must have a big girl fetish. Long story short i said, stop thinking that way, he's interested in you for you, embrace it, it has nothing to do with your curves. She actually stopped and thought about what i just said like a deer in the headlights. But it clicked, and she wasn't offended. So hopefully going forward she realizes this.

Hello, I came across your profile, i'm not in the Bronx, but I'm in Manhattan. I too am looking for a bandster buddy that can identify with what i'm going through.. I JUST got banded 22 days ago, weight loss to date 11 lbs. I was given my first fill today of 3 ccs. I took a gulp of Water and thought I was going to die! lol. The pressure in my chest was horrible. If you have IM I have yahoo messenger and a facebook page.. you can find me through my email or user name rosadosonia@yahoo.com I look forward to hearing from you.. and congrats on your weight loss you are doing gggreattt!!!! :thumbup: Sonia

Today I had my appoint with my surgeon to officially start my journey as a sleever! I really did not have any questions to ask because I have been reading everything on here and talking with a few people that I know that have already been "sleeved." The next step was to call the Bariatrics woman at our hospital and give her some information. It was mainly name, address, DOB, weight, and insurance. She is to send me an email with what to do next. I am excited about this! I feel very positive! So glad I found y'all! I need to go take my official BEFORE picture.

Wow that is a dilemma. Congrats on hitting your goal weight! Great job!!! Its good that you have not developed a false sense of security and know your Achilles tendon. You are right to be concerned and considering your options to maintain at goal... and I understand not wanting to go under goal. I say trust yourself for now give yourself a weight range to maintain on your own and if you're struggling (you'll know if you are) just know that options for revision are on the table if you should decide to go that route.

I was told by my dr that larger women have a tendency to get pregnant easier as they lose weight because fat absorbs a lot of our hormones, hence the sketchy periods. My surgeon wants me to wait at least 18 months before trying to get pregnant, but have told me a story of a client who got pregnant 2 months after surgery because it made her fertile again. Just err on the side of caution would be my suggestion...

OH, I am NOT ready to have a baby right now. Maybe in five years. It's just comforting to know that the reason I am not able to conceive is because of the weight. (which is going bye bye) lol

i got sleeve april 16 2013 before the 30 day liquid diet i weight 441 today im 375 .im almost 1 moth post op .

Try reading some blogs, that really helped me...these are people who have been where I am, have gotten banded and then had major success. Like anything else in life, it's not success only and there are people who find ways to make it not work, and there are some people who just don't like it but the vast majority it seems do lose weight and use it as the wonderful tool it is. I am scared too but am getting excited about getting it done because I honestly believe it to be the first time that I am truly going to succeed because the drastic physical change will force me to make permanent changes. I am on a journey already to finally put myself first in my life and that is what I am doing. Part of me feels terribly selfish to pay all this money but it's about time that I took care of myself for a change...I figure the family will have to adjust but in a short time I will be able to take better care of them and for longer because I will be healthy and I will be able to teach my kids how to grow up KNOWING how to be healthy so they don't have to wade through the train wreck of contradictory information out there. I think we will look back and say..."I should have done it sooner, it's the best thing I have ever done for myself."

So I am scheduled for surgery on November 29th. I started this in August. It didn't take too long as my insurance covers Lap-Band, and I didn't need a 6 month diet. I started my journey at 265 lbs. I am now at 250 lbs. I started journaling my food and exercising more than usual. Not too bad. I am now on the pre-op phase as prescribed by my Nut. I am not hungry but not really satisfied. I guess this will be the new normal. I think some of the problem is the pre-op liquid diet is mainly milk based and sweet, ie Muscle Milk Light, yogurt, fat free sugar free pudding, etc. I really don't have much of a sweet tooth. I look so forward to my two daily meals of Soup to get some savory. Thank God I can cook. I cooked a big pot of soup. Canned soup is not all that tasty, but I have some to mix things up. I found out the hard way yesterday about getting enough to eat. I was about an hour late for my evening mini-meal, and had a real soupy soup with little in the way of calories for lunch. It was canned soup...big mistake. I was sick with a headache and dizziness by evening, and I ate stuff not on my plan. I started my pre-op diet 2 days early (on Sat) and was doing okay before yesterday evening. I am back on track today and am being a lot more mindful about getting enough calories in as not to get low blood sugar and compensating by eating the wrong things. I also went for walk on my lunch break, like I usually do, which may have contributed to the incident later in the evening in conjunction with not enough calories. I am excited about my surgery! My husband is "cautiously optimistic" as I have lost and regained weight most of my life. One of my sisters knows and is very supportive. My mom and best friend know but have bombarded me with failure stories as they are both jealous. I have decided not to tell most of my friends and co-workers as I am also "cautiously optimistic" about them. My co-workers have no need to know. I have told everyone I am getting my gallbladder out which my dr. does do so it won't seem odd with my dr excuse. Most of my friends are obese and I really don't need any more failure stories or other forms of acting out of jealousy. I'll be in North Shore LIJ Syosset, on Long Island, with Dr. Geiss. I qualify for single incision, and if all goes well, I'll go home the same day instead of staying over night as I am healthy other than being obese. I have bought most of the things I need post-op. I need to get a Fiber supplement and Vitamins. Any one else being banded on the 29th? Good luck to all out there in Bandland.

It will work honest! I felt the same way though and seriously without even trying that hard at all I am 19 lbs away from my goal and its only been a little bit over 3 months! and the BEST part!!!!! I wont gain it back this time!!! woo hoo!!

Its now been two months since I've lost weight! Im going to up my calories, lower my carbs, and force myself to exercise more.

Hi I am new here and love all the support I see on this site. However I am very nervous. I have been reading the forums and online articles preparing for my surgery. Ordered shakes, Protein and Vitamins. My friend who had her surgery 8 months ago said I am too prepared. LOL I am not thinking so. I am so nervous today and my gastric bypass is tuesday morning. I am doing this for medical reasons and for the weight. I have severe reflux, hiatel hernia, gallstones sleep apnea and IBS. I am looking forward to feeling better after the recovery from these issues. Any support or suggestions are very much appreciated. Thanks Cynthia

GA_googleFillSlot("LBT-TextAd05");Hi, I am going to be having surgery in about 1 1/2 weeks and trying to get some advice with other guys who have had it done. What was your experience after surgery in regards to the diet and exercise? I am in need of loosing 50 lbs to be at my goal weight . I am wondering if anyone has experience visible ports or complications. For the past 3 weeks I have been eating small meals and working out in order to get a head start. I have lost 15 lbs but not sure if I should go forward with the surgery or not just a bit worried. Any comments will help. Thanks. Cesar

Dr. Schulman, Again I want to thank you for the reply. I know that my weight has contributed to the hernia, and that's one of my big motivations for the lapband. Your information will help so much when I lose this weight and start looking for a plastic surgeon. have a wonderful day!:thumbup:

Well..tell us a little bit more about yourself. How old are you? If you're 21, suck it up and change your lifestyle. If you're 71, then losing (only 1 'o' ) weight may significantly improve your quality of life and surgery may be a better option. Are you physically handicapped? I only needed to lose about 40 pounds to be at a pretty healthy BMI, but because my mobility and ability to work out is severely hindered by my spinal cord injury, I opted to do the surgery. It would be a catalyst to my healthy lifestyle. You have to give a background before any of us can answer anything...

I can't seem to get on the right diet to lose weight ahead of time. Before I meet with my Dr. I am trying to get a head start, but I keep slipping.

I am not a woman, obviously but I do have some insight here. My wife got pregnant two months after Gastric Sleeve Surgery, obviously this was a surprise baby. Our baby was born on 07-16-2018 and he was absolutely fine he was actually bigger than our other two babies. He was born via C-Section and she did experience more pain but I think it was due to all the scar tissue from the WLS and the previous two C-sections. The pregnancy did slow her weight loss considerably. I think she still lost about 80 pounds total. We are trying to get refocused and get back to basics to get the weight loss started again.

Yes, I gained a few pounds along the way. Several times. But eventually lost 160 of them....forever! It's just the way it goes. Stay on your program and stay OFF the scale.

So today, just a few days before my 1 year anniversary of STARTING my program I've reached my goal weight! I started at 280lbs. I'm at 150lbs. Lost 60 of it before surgery! You guys this feels amazing. Size 24/26 to an 8. Sent from my LG-H634 using the BariatricPal App

@@usedtobeaskater I feel so much better than I did even 3 months ago. I'm still learning my sleeve and gaining confidence of mine and its ability. I do have so much energy now. I used to wait for two elevators in the subway in NYC to get to street level when I was going to work. Now I that the stairs without a moment's hesitation. I hope your journey continues to bring much success! @@agreen67, I am also trying to make going to the gym routine. I've been successful with three times a week for the last three. Go us!

I Have UHC and was approved, first request. I had to see a whole bunch of doctors before my surgeon sent in for authorization. My surgeons office knew before hand, from experience, if it was going to be a problem. I had the insurance language that WLS was excluded unless morbid obese. Hope this helps. Back in November, I called our insurance...United Healthcare. (We have the Choice Plus coverage.) I was told that my UHC plan would cover 100% of my surgery. I even asked if there were any prerequisites. The only one was morbid obesity, which I fit! My first doctors appointment was December 7 with a Dr in the UHC Network. I got there, signed in. The insurance lady called me back, told me she spoke to someone with UHC and that my insurance didn't cover any weight loss surgery. I went to the parking garage, cried my eyes out, and then called UHC. Spoke to someone that said yes, indeed, it did cover the surgery. I was so excited that I took my cell phone back into the office. The insurance lady talked to the UHC rep on my cell phone. Anyway, the dr's office asked for a fax of the coverage. We waited...and waited...and waited. I called back, to which this whole cycle restarted. Yes it is covered. No, it's not. I never got to even see the doctor that day. Devastated, I called, very angrily, and wanted answers. I spoke to someone that told me to have the dr.s office fax a "prerequisite" letter to UHC, stating WHY I needed the surgery. She said my plan did cover the surgery and any surgery for weight loss, under the morbid obesity section. The reason the customer care reps kept saying no was because it always said "Need additional informatiuon." Has anyone else has this kind of luck with United Healthcare? That day, the doctors office, to which I am not even a patient, faxed a letter stating I needed the lap band, due to morbid obesity. We are still waiting to see whether it's going to be accepted or denied. I will tell you that the surgery code # was put into my plan and it was covered. This is all just so devastating to me! The insurance lady @ the dr.s office told me a rep called her from UHC today, but really didn't know whether or not the surgery was covered. Said she would have to refer it over to the UHC nurse case worker. SERIOUSLY? How hard can it be to know whether or not this surgery is covered? I am really down at this point. The lap band feels years away~ :(Just wondering if anyone else has had this kind of luck, with a good outcome from UHC?

Pre. Op Realize Lap band; Health history Apnea-Asthma-Hypertension Gluten Intolerance(s) Positive Celiac Spur (x3 years). Retired Military Nurse;Volunteer. Soda Pop lover-breaking the addiction now! stopping all (diet) type foods;(bad for you processed) etc... and trying to meet insurance requirements; Medicare primary and Tricare; BMI 37. Getting Assistance from: Flowers Hospital Dothan, Alabama choice-of-surgeon (?) unsure but like the facility; Have attended Seminar-Support Group x2 -3 diet appointments (non-required) but did so with my PCP; and twice with the facilities weight loss center;I have been Looking for others-in-the area that have DONE or are DOING the Realize Lap Band with ANY like issues to share-experiences -diet suggestions with regards to gluten problems-protein issues-etc.!!! I have been told nurses make the worst patients-and probably this is right-as i am stressing out probably without cause! I have not had the Gluten problems addressed very well-with anyone;looking for MOST healthy & budget conscious-way too make or buy the post op-high protein -drink(s) and / or food choices.... Not a Big fan of red meat or meats in general. But do love eggs-nuts-avocados-and fish and I can tolerate (meat) but prefer Organic and not every day... One week into 45 carb. or less; diet changes-as per the facility; a solid - History of weight-Lost 80+lbs twice on Atkins (with healthy fat to protein ratios) and (re gained when attempting to eat-right) off it over a decade struggles with-the weight not moving off as fast the past 3 years - tired of Carbs-and high processed foods that are suppose to be gluten free-had "really-packed on the pounds" and i felt diminished my quality of Health -drastically. Though the gut-healed fast and my immune system settled down -even joint pain improved; the weight issues created a horrible health issue beyond belief!.... So, addressing all that and the weight; turned to lap band as a means to offer increased discipline/and focus and - concurrently I Desire to DO these Health-and Life-changes (in full) BIG concern isn't Just the loosing parts -but the REGAINING my body size and HEALTH (and wanting to do so on Organic -Low or as few-processed nutritionally sound foods as possible; even it it means using my blender-juicer-freezing portions and so on! I have been researching diets like raw-gerson-eat right for your type-dr oz web site-and behavior modification(s) like the weight-down diet; checking out addicted to food-lifetime series/etc. ... have been doing a-lot of self-work; and research over the past year as I plan this to be a life-change not just a weight loss program for me. Looking to hear from others that maybe like minded or directed like this!!!!!!!!!! Thanks in Advance!!!

@@sukik sure its normal silly head many people have periodic stalls throughout their journey the good new is that in 6 months - this is your first stall??? if that is the case - that is great you are doing great with your food plan eating, drinking, Protein all sound right take your measurements many times when people have temporarily stopped loosing weight their measurements numbers are going down?? clothing fitting any better??? "maybe" your calories are lower than necessary check with your doc/NUT you are eating so few calories that the weight has to come off sleeve or no sleeve "God Grant Me Patience, Just Hurry Up About It" don't worry too much that only causes wrinkles good luck kathy

You got some great advice here and some great encouragement. You can never do enough research to decide which WLS is better for you. I do honestly believe in the saying "you get out of it what you put into it". Like others have said above it does require a lot of aftercare and you have to be willing to follow through or you could just wind up being your own worst enemy. For me I liked the aftercare because it always keeps me actively involved with my band and it motivates me. I also agree with the others calling BS on your Doctor. My Doctor was a huge supporter of my decision to go for the band and did not once try to sway me in another direction but did warn me of the constant need to follow up as well as slower weight loss. I started out with a BMI of 78. I was 488lbs at my consult and 450 on surgery day. Monday will be my 20th month anniversary and as of today I've lost 227lbs post op. Whoever says you cannot lose a large amount of weight with the band clearly has not met me!! I am not trying to brag and I have no agenda to sell you any type of WLS BUT don't believe the "You can't lose weight with the band" crap.