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Hi - I was disappointed that the video did not include anyone who had been overweight their entire life. I think that is the most common profile of obese adults. Everyone I currently know who is obese has been so since high school or before, I went on my first real diet at age 6. I am 56 and this week was the first time in my entire life that I did not shop in the plus size (or, as it was known 50 years ago for children, the "Chubette" department). And, at 207 lbs now, the only reason I am now a large in some things and not plus size is because Americans are so big that they've made the sizes larger! The video made me feel that I don't have a legitimate reason to be fat. I didn't have fertility treatments. I was never a professional athlete or military person who had to learn to eat for a new lifestyle. But I do know about nutrition, about exercise -- I am smarter than the average bear and it didn't do me any good! No one has worked harder or longer at weight loss than me -- except for the millions of other regular people who have also been fat all their life! Can I blame genetics? Sure, why not? But this video message said that you had to have a good reason to be fat and the implication is that only those people, those legitimate obese people deserved weight loss surgery. How about recognizing that life is different now for most Americans - there are less physical jobs, even school is more sedentary as less kids walk to school, flavor enhancers in our food has altered our tastes, etc, etc. I don't think we need to showcase only those weight loss surgery patients who are deemed presentable enough to be spokespeople for the cause. This attitude plays right into the crazy and punitive insurance policies around WLS. Denying so many people who need it, yet paying, without question for rehab for alcoholics or drug users. Or denying people if they go below a BMI of 40 while they are in the pre-op phase, or cancelling surgery if they gain a single pound! It's the same judgmental, condescending, belittling attitude that predominates society in general, and the medical profession in particular, around obesity. A colleague of mine at work had her VSG surgery scheduled earlier this week but it was cancelled because they found a cyst in her lungs. She has been complaining to doctors for ten years about pain in her chest - to the touch -- not just simply being out of breath. The only answer she got was "loose weight". Not a breathing test or even a simple X-ray - just a lecture. Now she is facing thoracic surgery and G-d knows what else! If doctors had treated her like a grownup instead of a non-complaint child, she would have had this taken care of years ago. it's the same attitude as this video -- some fat people are worthy and some are not. I am very happy that I had the surgery, but I am truly regretful that I didn't have it when I was much younger. I have suffered in my personal life and in my career and while I take responsibility for my decisions, I do not take responsibility for the cavalier and cruel attitude of the medical profession that for most of my life, did not give a damn. Regards, Ellen

I’m scheduled for July 6th! I can’t believe it. I’m not focusing on losing weight per se but I am focusing on increasing my activity level so it won’t be a shocker for my body post op. I am eating whole foods and incorporating more protein but I am still allowing myself a few indulgences here and there, because, need I state the obvious? So far I have lost a few pounds but I’m mostly maintaining. I have worked my way up to an hour = 19 miles on my exercise bike every other day, I know that’s going to help me IMMENSELY post surgery.

I am having the Vertical Sleeve surgery done on July 11. Am I scared? Yes definately ... but the final results are worth it. I have fought this 2 week liquid diet for only one week now and there are days i think I'm going to go nuts, is it really the food or the fact that I can't have it? Actually, sacrificies will have to become a main part of My "new Skinny life". I too have young children and I fear the typical questions of a general antisetic. But everything will be worth it in the end. I have struggled with weight, now diabetes, for far too long. I am ready to make change and will keep all you others in my prayers as well. I am seeing Dr. Fearing with Malley Weight Loss Center in Overland Park, KS So far so good!

My real weight loss did not "kick in" fully until I started exercising. I didn't in the beginning but the exercise changed my loss from small with lenghty plateaus in between to a steady weekly loss for the most part. This was with about 5 hours of exercise a week on average. For my body, I am sure that the band and eating habits probably got me 60% to goal . . . but I never could have closed the gap for the last 40% without exercising.

Hi everyone! I'm not sure I'm doing this right, but here goes. I'm scheduled to have my sleeve on September 21st, the day after my 56th birthday! I'm a little anxious, and occasionally think about everything that COULD go wrong, but I know that this is a new beginning for me. I have struggled all my life with my weight, and have been at least 100 pounds over weight for the last 25 years. I have never had any kind of anesthesia, even when I got my wisdom teeth removed, so I'm a little apprehensive about the whole surgery thing. My surgeon told me I would stay overnight in the hospital and get to go home the day after. So.....how was everyone's recovery post surgery?

Hi Everyone, I have been on a 2 week stall and I don't know why? My weight has remained the same for 2 weeks and I don't know what I am doing wrong. I work out 4 days a week and consume on average about 800 calories a day. I am 4 1/2 months out and a little frustrated. Is this normal? I don't know if I am maybe not eating enough or eating too much. Any input or advice would be most appreciated. I am very happy with my sleeve but just a little frustrated as to why no loss in 2 weeks. Maybe this is normal?

Hello All, Sept 6 I am attending a seminar in North Chelmsford at the Center for weight management and bariatric surgery LGH. I was wondering if anyone can tell me how their experiences have been and who they've had for a Surgeon. thanks, Jim

The idea of this may be a nightmare for many of you, but it may actually work for me. However, it isn't something you hear often. I have been having hunger pains since day 4 after surgery. As a matter of fact, its the first time in 15 years my metabolism has been right. I normally only ate one really large meal once a day and wasn't hungry the rest of the day so my body never wanted to lose weight because it was convinced I was going to starve it and held on to every bit of fat I ate. On day 4, every 4 hours or so I would get this PAINFUL feeling in my stomach, that after about 3 days I figured out was actually hunger! This may work because I am an A type personality that will forgo food for work that needs to be done but if this keeps up I will drop everything every 4 hours to get a few bites of food. Does this happen to anyone else? Like I said, this may not work for everyone, but it might be very beneficial for me. I had just never heard of it before.

Does anyone know about how much it is to get the band out. I have so much trouble with food getting stuck and if I have some of the fluid out then am eating too much cause am hungry. My stomach sore all the time cause am always getting food stuck. Yes, i chew and chew and take small bites.. I just want this thing out!!.. I paid out of pocket cause my insurance didn't cover it so am sure I will need to pay out of pocket to remove it I had this for over 5 yrs now and haven't lost anymore weight. I been at this weight for over 2 yrs. Now that am exercising I cant get enough calories in cause am burning to much when I go to the gym and I cant seem to eat without having some kind of issues. I have a 10cc band and fill to 6.5 or 7cc.

Hello, It must be difficult feeling that you have reached the end of your journey and have not accomplished your goal. But, there are several things you can do to help regain your momentum in the weight loss process. First, realize you have lost 75 pounds in the past year! That's a huge accomplishment and since you have done that you can go further. Set a new weight loss goal with reason why you want to reach that goal. For example, do you want to fit in to a smaller dress size before summer, get off of a medication, manage a chronic medical condition more effectively. Only you can decide what will motivate you to get back on track. The way you lose the weight is how you initially lost the 75 pounds. Things that work may be to start tracking your food and liquid intake. Use a food tracking device like My fitness pal. Eat protein first, fill up on meats, eggs, eat non-starchy, low carb vegetables. Even though you may be able to tolerate higher fat, higher sugar foods know that they will not help you reach your goal. Try to exercise as much as you can. This doesn't have to be running a marathon or circuit training but walking around the mall or park several laps. Even doing stretches can help burn calories. I wouldn't consider myself a seasoned mentor but October will be 3 years post-op and my weight has been stable overall. I have times where I crave chocolate, potato chips and just want to sit around and not move. I know what the outcome will be as I dealt with the morbid obesity for years. This is a second chance and I will do all I can to make the best choices to keep the weight off or take weight off that I have regained. I hope you can reach out to your Surgeon's office for extra support as well. Best wishes.

eggs are tough for a lot of us for awhile. I would worry about fluids tho- sip sip sip all day long. It's the only way you are not going to get dehydrated. date of surgery 02/21/12 surgery weight 340 lbs. current weight 146 lbs

I wasnt trying to trick my body. I am trying to find what works for me. I was losing at a faster rate and using the facilities on the reg when consuming less calories. The nurse said bump up, so I did but I havent gone a normal amount in 4 days. The point was to see if anyone else varied their intake to keep everything dropping like its supposed to. Or if anyone else switched between full food and liquids in an intermintant fasting kind of way. I know that i will lose the weight eventually, i am not handling the fullness and bloating that comes with constipation well. Its been literally over a decade since I have had tbis problem. HW 385 SW 359 CW 335 (50lbs down!) Sleeved 10/5/16

We were allowed creamed soups but I didn't have any of them purely due to high in calories and fat. Plus they really don't add any value. You want to eat proteins to burn the fat and maintain strength. Once you learn quickly how important proteins are and how much we need to stay away from bad things the quicker you will lose weight and reach your goal. Idea behind WLS is to get rid of the bad habits. At least that's what I am learning. I am not a foodie anymore like I was before and I never want to go back to it. I eat very clean and make sure I stay on top of it. Gym on the the other hand is a challenge. I walk a lot but it's not enough.

It's April 26, 2012. In 18 days, my life will change forever, and I can't wait! Let me start by telling you about myself. (Apologies if this is long-winded, but I think it will give a more rounded picture of how I ended up here!) I am 42 years old. I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with my husband (my soulmate...I waited until 40 to marry, and he's my forever love!), and our 2 cats, Rosie and Maize. I was born October 20, 1969, a very very small (1.9 lbs!) and 8 weeks premature. My mother has smoked during her pregnancy and I think it impacted my growth. Back in those days, they didn't have neonatal intensive care units and ventilators etc. for preemies. I was just lucky to survive! Believe it or not, I think that is where my problems with my weight began! I used to drink 2 or 3 times the amount of formula my mother's Obstetrician has prescribed for me. It was as if my tiny little body was demanding more and more food to make up for the lack of size and development during the pregnancy! During my early childhood, I was actually average size and played a lot of sports. But food was starting to be more and more of a focus. I would have eating contests with my Dad. Food was a reward when something good happened, and a comfort when something bad happened. By the time I was 12, I was universally known as "chubby" amongst my family, friends, schoolmates. Despite all this, I continued to play many sports, and excel in all of them! High school brought fresh pain and more weight. I was shunned by the boys (more of a tomboy anyways, they saw me as "one of the guys"). Girls didn't want to be associated with me...I wasn't the right "clique" material. The only thing that made high school bearable was sports (I was both admired and mocked for my athleticism....a weird combination!) and music. I was captain of almost every team I played on (volleyball, softball, soccer, field hockey), but when we went to "away" games, I would hear people in the crowd openly call me names and laugh at me. It was very painful and even if we won and I was the star of the game, I would invariably end of crying on the way home. What would make me feel better? Food! McDonalds, Dairy Queen.....the more calories, the better! Of course, I went though ups and downs. I would try a diet, find some success, lose some weight.....then invariably, gain it all back plus. In my Junior year, a group of my friends and teachers I was very close with chipped in to buy me a birthday gift. Looking back now, it was incredibly generous, kindhearted and really demonstrated how much they loved me. But at the time, I was mortified (though I put on a brave face). They had bought me 10 sessions with a Nutritionist, so I could lose weight. OMG! Even the people I loved thought I was unacceptable the way I was. It put me in a depression and left an indelible mark on my psyche for a long time. I went to the sessions and tried to lose weight and keep it off. Of course, I failed (I didn't really want to succeed and prove them right, unconsciously of course). In the end, I graduated and went on to University and then the real floodgates of weight gain started. I was 198 lbs when I started University. I couldn't afford to go to school without a full time job (at the same time!) so I gave up competitive sports (I had enough talent to make Varsity....but no time to dedicate to it!). I was working full time hours from 4 pm to midnight most weekdays, and every other weekend. No time for regular meals (I would sleep late, skip Breakfast, grab a lunch to go that I could eat in class, then rush off to work). Often eating dinner from the vending machine at work, or grabbing fast good on quick 15 min breaks. My freshman "15" was more like "50". I continued my education after University, and became a Respiratory Therapist, but developed an anaphylactic allergy to latex. At the time, this was still quite rare, and most hospital equipment, etc. was still made using latex (especially gloves!). I had to quit my profession before it even really began! Backup plan was to turn to something I already loved as a hobby. Computers. The internet was starting to really grow (1997) and I taught myself HTML and online design/publishing. The rest (as they say) is history. I am now an E-Communications Analyst with our Provincial Government (yes, a public servant!). Needless to say, this is a very sedentary job. It's contributed to my weight gain. I've gone through numerous diets and was very successful in 2006 (lost 100 lbs!) with a strict 1200 calorie diet and ALOT of exercise. In 2007 my brother (who lived on the West Coast, on Vancouver Island) was getting very ill. He had been diagnosed with Brain Cancer 6 years earlier and was really a miracle case to still be alive! His health was deteriorating and I flew out to help him set up homecare and prepare for when he would need hospice. The stress was intense, and I started to regain my weight. Later in 2007, my mother unexpectedly passed away. She simply went to bed one night and never woke up! At 73, it was very very unexpected and I was suddenly thrust into caring for my father (79 yrs old at the time) who had many health problems and dementia. 5 months later, my brother passed away. The stress of all of this loss, sudden responsibility (caring for Dad, executor for Mom and my brother's estates, etc.) sent me over the edge. I regained most of the weight that I had lost. I did manage to lose 35 lbs for my wedding in Sept. 2010, but it has crept back on and I am now at 318 lbs and miserable. My asthma gets worse with each additional pound (when I lost the 100 lbs, I went off ALL my asthma meds and I was exercising like a fiend with no shortness of breath!). I am desperate to get back to a weight where I can exercise without feeling like I'm going to die from fatigue or lack of oxygen! I'm getting my VSG on May 14, 2012 from Dr. Ramos Kelly in Tijuana, Mexico. It's self-pay and it's the best money I'll even spend on anything (especially myself!). I am psyched!

I understand. My BMI was 47 and I'm only 5' tall. I weighed 233. I had high cholesterol, was pre-diabetic, my back, knees, amend feet hurt all the time. I wore slip on shoes because I couldn't tie them and I couldn't put on socks or polish my toenails. I was winded just moving around a little. The worse pain I was in, the less I moved around. I ate more just trying to have some energy. My life was miserable. Then I had my gastric bypass (RNY) on 5/30/13. I've lost 102 pounds - my weight is 131. I feel great, I have tons of energy, I don't get winded anymore, my cholesterol is normal, my back, knee, and foot pain is gone, I can live my life now. It's the best thing I ever did for myself! I never regretted it for a second - I'm very happy! :-) Losing weight will solve the problems you mentioned. Research it well and ask lots of questions so you completely understand how it works, how it'll affect you, and what the options are. Only YOU can decide if it's right for you. :-)

Andy here. Me family knicked named me Beamish coz I love it so much. Tis probably me weight gain right there. I'm a farmer, which some people would think being on a farm would help keep the weight down but tis hard. Me wife thinks its the pints. My wife kept giving me rabbit food (salads) and soups for a while but i got sick of it. Didn know there were so many different options to weight loss surgery. Now now, its only a thought in the mind now but still, it is something I need to think about. My doctor said i've a BMI of 43.4 and I should be around 25. No chance o that happening naturally. I'm out of breath just bending down to tie my shoes. I'm going to have to give up my farm if I dont loose weight. i've diabetes II, blood pressure and recently been told ive sleep apnea. my health is getting worse unless sometihin is done.

I was sweating bullets because I knew I had gained a few pounds over the Thanksgiving Holidays after my approval. Between the holiday and a couple of "Last Meals" I had put back on about 5 pounds but I had lost 20 in my 3 month weight loss period. He came in and started off by pointing out the weight gain and asked what was up. I told him and he was cool with it and said I would lose those 5 and several more after my 2 week clear liquids pre-op phase so it wasn't a huge deal to him. Btw, I not only lost those 5 but an additional 10!

Being still is important--does your scale record the weight?--I find trying to look down at the results can skew them--mine records so that I just look at after I weigh.

Thanks for your response My surgery isn't until next month, so I know that after the pre-op diet I'll definitely be below what I was at my final weight-in. I was maintaining, but I've had a rough few days (death in the family), so I've gotten a little off track.

Hi all! My surgery is next month and my pre-op appointment is tomorrow. I've gained a few pounds since my last weigh-in a couple months ago. Did any of you gain weight after approval? If so, did it matter? My pre-op appointment is tomorrow, so I'll find out then but I wanted to check in with everyone here to see if anyone else experienced this.

So as I have started telling some of my family members about my decision to have the surgery, I have had both positive and negative reactions. But one reaction that struck me the most, was from my cousin, he said that I will look worst with all the hanging skin, and that the only way to fix it is surgery, does everyone have the hanging skin problem? or Does it very? I plan on hiring a trainer to help me with the gym, and I plan on doing both Cardio and Weights. I am lost, and heart broken, maybe I should stop telling my family...

don't worry about gaining weight at this point. you're on liquids at first because your stomach was swollen from the surgery. as the swelling goes down, your stomach basically goes back to it's normal shape and size since you haven't had a fill. seriously... eat while you can because as you start getting fills, that WILL change. the hardest thing i've dealt with over the past 1.5 years since my surgery is the limited portion control. while my stomach is satisfied with 3-4 ounces of food at one meal, my head feels like i haven't had enough. so mine is more of a mental torture than a physical one. i WANT to eat more than a 1/2 slice of pizza. i WANT to be able to eat a bagel. i WANT to be able to eat a normal sized meal instead of 1/2 of a kids meal. good luck on your journey!

At first I reasoned that I at least wanted to get to 170; I would still be "fat" but not obese. Then I decided on 160 with the input of my doctor; that later changed to 150 as I was progressing. I'm now one pound away from that, and I am extremely confident that I can get lower and feel comfortable in what I eat and my energy level. At least down to 140, maybe 130? I don't know yet--overall I want to be healthy, but if I can be thin, be a healthy weight, and at a good BMI, I'll go lower.

Do NOT let a little weight gain frustrate you. Your weight will fluctuate both ways when you change up your routine. How much water are you consuming? If you are not getting enough, your body will start retaining fluid. How much protein are you getting? You should be eating at least 50 grams of protein a day. That is the fuel that keeps you metabolism burning. WW points make sure you keep calories, carbs and fat low but they don't help on protein.

From my first weigh in, I have lose 37lbs to have the surgery and I am already down 6lbs. 31lbs to go...it's time to get really serious. I want to drop the weight plus an extra 10lbs before I go on vacation at the end of October (want to have a cushion) and I want to have the surgery in the beginning of November.