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I haven't posted for awhile. My VSG was performed about 5 months ago. It has been a great 5 months. The surgery is continuing to change my life. For the first 3 months of that time the weight came off pretty fast. Things have slowed significantly the past two months. I'm still losing but it's taking more effort now. I think a big reason for the slow down is I have been busy at work and haven't been able to find the time to exercise regularly like I was before. That seems to be a big factor with or without surgery - becoming more active. This week I recommitted and exercised 5 times and the weight came off. I lost 3 more pounds and am now at my lowest yet - 70 lbs down. Last week I had to punch another hole in my belt. That's the third hole since I in-grew (the opposite of out-grew) this belt :tongue_smilie:. I have gone from a 48 to a 36 waist. 12 inches. Wow! I'm about ready to go back to Am-Vets and get some smaller clothes. We have a good one by our house that seems to have decent clothes and I have been trying to spend less on clothes until I get down to my ideal weight. My goal is to reach that by the end of the year. Then I will go for the good stuff. I guess that's what some of our tax refund is going for this year:biggrin0:. It's not just about the clothes, though. It's about the quality of life. I'm sleeping better. I'm still using a C-Pap machine, but I wake up in the morning and feel well rested. I've even been waking up earlier, without effort. I've been happier and more pleasant to be around. Just ask my wife. I am out there with my kids and have more energy to spend with them. I can do a whole day of yard work now (as opposed to 1 or 2 hours before I would die) without being exhausted or my back going out. Working out in the yard is now one of my favorite things to do. According to my doctor, getting healthy could increase my life expectency by 15 years! If those 15 years will be anything like the last couple of months have been, the VSG could very well be the best decision I have ever made (except for marrying my wife. She's a peach.) If you are considering having a VSG, do it!:thumbup: If you want to change your life and realize your full potential, do it!:thumbup: If you want to be there for your loved ones now and in the future, do it!:thumbup: I can only say good things about my experience. Reading all the successes and advice from this web site has been a real boost. Thank you all for your stories. Dan S VSG - 3/15/10 Highest Weight - 284 Current Weight - 214 Goal - 180 34 Pounds to go! Who knows, maybe I'll have to adjust my goal to 170.

It took me getting to goal to really feel thin. I still reached for larger sizes for months because I couldn't believe I was a size 8,6, 4 etc. It just takes time. One thing that helped put things into perspective was to take a pre-op shirt, and lay it on the bed, then take a current shirt and lay it on top of my pre-op shirt. OR, an even bigger eye opener was doing this with pre-op panties. . . Holy crap, there is a huge difference between a size 10 panty and size 7 and it might not seem that way when you're wearing them, but lay them next to each other, and you'll be shocked. It'll happen, but you'll have to get a to a mental place of acceptance, and that takes work and time.

The RDA of Protein for an average weight women ages 19-50 is ~50 g. Since most of us are on high protein and low carb diet, you may need more than 50 grams of protein. So this means, you would need 2 cups of greek yogurt daily just to reach the amount set by RDA. Moreover, I doubt it that you would be able to finish 4 oz of Greek yogurt in the first 6 months after surgery. It takes me half an hour to finish 6 oz of GY and I'm almost 5 months out of surgery. Therefore, you need to get used to drinking Protein drinks in the first few months after surgery. I don't recommend pre-made drinks for two reasons (1) Big in size (11 - 17 oz) to me that's torture; pre-made drinks are not the most amazing thing to drink. (2) They tend to be thick in texture: so a few sips and you feel full for hours and therefore you don't get your daily protein. What I recommend is a whey Protein Isolate powder and a chocolate syrup (I personally use unsweetened cocoa powder). You put 8 oz of cold Water, a scoop of protein and 1/2tbsp of cocoa powder and shake everything in a Protein Shaker. The final result is in liquid form and very close to water in viscosity. I can finish it in about 15 minutes. GL

I'm having surgery on Monday too. My surgery is a 10:45 am I'm just as nervous as you i think, hoping for the best. Good luck!!!

Take one Senacot, you will go within 10 hours. It is natural and effective. You will need to add a powder fiber to your drinks no as you do not get near the fiber you used to. All the protein we get does not give us any fiber. You do not want to have to resort to suppositories. I had to once and that was enough. Being constipated is no fun.

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I am probably going to ramble a little. Over a year ago I attended a seminar with Dr. Duckett in Maumee. Paramont is my insurance. Dr. Duckett's office said they were in the process of signing a contract with Paramont for lapband. I was told to keep calling the Dr's office as they expected to sign soon. Finally in Sept. they reportedly signed and Paramount will now pay for lapband through Dr. Duckett.....they neglected to say that only 25% of the company policies will cover with 75% not covering even if it is a Paramont covered service. Additionally, NOBODY seems to know that Paramont will cover the surgery as long as it is not excluded from your employer policy. Of course it is excluded from our company policy because, as our insurance broker said, "it has never been a covered service and is excluded from all paramont policies". So, I said to the Dr.'s office rep that I have spent the last year gettiing all the documentation ready for when it was a covered service. I had my psych eval (a year ago on 10/5/05); I hve continued in therapy to address eatiing disorder issues; I have been visiting my PCP monthly for the last 6 months for medically supervised diet; he is willing to write a letter indicating it is a medically necessary procedure as is my cardioligist and my therapist (who is affliated with the surgeon). So the office manager says "Why have you been doing all that stuff when the procedure wasn't even covered during the time you were doing all that stuff? You were just wasting your time!" And I sez, "Well, each tiime I called your office during the year I was told "call back next week ....call back next month...we're very close to signing!' She sez, "Well that's what we thought", I sez "If I hadn't done anything while waitiing you would have said "well why didn't you prepare?" I AM SO TIRED!! Soo..I am gettiing the letter from my PCP today, letter from my therapist tomorrow, letter from cardiologist this week. I will present them to my employer along with the name of the Paramont manager who is handling the lapband stuff. Hopefully once my employer has the information that the procedure is medically necessary and that Paramont will pay if not excluded from company policy, the company will add the procedure to our policy. The other issue is the fact that my employer will be asking for quotes from other insurance companies as this is the time of year that they will change insurance companies if they can get a better deal. Another company may or may not allow the surgery. At this point self pay is not an option so on with the red tape! Thanks for listening Sandy3

I switch off using cocoa butter and the Nivea 10. I use it every morning and night all over. It seems to be helping. I still have some loose skin, but after 100lbs, with 80 being in the last 5 months, I think my skin is holding up pretty good... No matter what, I expected to have some loose skin :-(

I doubt it'll fix itself. Once the skin is stretched it's not going to go back perfectly or become "flat" no matter how much exercise you do. Try ab exercises and overall continue to lose weight, but I doubt your skin is gonna go back. I started at 245lbs, at 19, and mine hasn't budged so I'm all saved up for a tummy tuck. Good luck and congrats on your loss!

I am coming up on one year also. It has been the best thing I have ever done!! This is NOT a diet, but a life changing surgical procedure. I have less that 10lbs to my goal, and it is tough getting those last few lbs. off. My body fat % is acceptable so I am not sure. I have been in the "Green Zone" since last May, after my 3rd fill. I don't count calories, and I don't weigh/measure portions. I find that the band restricts me from overeating so the only thing I need to do is make wise food choices. The band also suppresses my appetite so I am not craving food between meals. I also find myself skipping many meals because I am just not interested in eating. It is NOT a feeling of feeling full as so many here have stated, but more of a mental signal sent to my brain telling it I do not need to eat! I'm addicted to working out, not because I feel I need to, but because I benefit from a huge feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment when I do. My diabetes is completely reversed, no more injections or oral meds! Cholesterol. triglycerides, etc, are all in normal limits. I go most days without even thinking about the fact I am banded. The surgery is just a memory no different from when I had 4 wisdom teeth pulled 10 years ago. Aside fro close family members, I have told NO ONE I have had the surgery. It's none of their business!!!! New habits have definitely formed. I have no anguish debating what I should or should not eat. When we go out to eat and I look at a menu, it is a no-brainer choosing my food. Every now and then I will attempt to eat something I know I shouldn't, mainly because I have not had it in months, (as though that will change things) and I am knocked back into reality. When I get at points where I feel I can eat anything, I go on a full liquid diet for a day or 2. That seems to correct things. I now see my Dr. once every 3 months. Next visit is in Feb. See what he says. I have to say that I have been fighting things for over 30 years, and because of this surgery it has all been accomplished in ONE YEAR!. (for the most part)

Where is everyone? Our two year bandiversary is rapidly approaching. Time has surely flown by. Hope everyone had a safe and merry Christmas and that 2009 will be a great year for everyone. My 2 yr bandiversary is Jan. 19. While I have not reached MY goal of 199, I have experienced a lot of positive results and NSV's over the past two years and I am closer to it than I have ever been. Hopefully I will reach it before April. I gave myself four more months. Been in a prolonged plateau. Currently 219. Surgery day I was 300.5 with an all time high of 368 about 10 years ago. Trying to get back on track from Thanksgiving and Christmas. I allowed too many carbs back in my life over the holidays:sad_smile:. I know I have to buckle down and get back on track.Happy New Year!!

Hey Crishell! My 2 year anniversary is Jan 11th. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. I am about 8 lbs from my initial goal of 180 and am in my initial goal size of a 12 after my high of 330 lbs and a size 28. I had a tummy tuck in October and am feeling pretty good, although I definately got off track over the holidays! I've revised my goal for the new year and am now trying to get to 165 and a size 10 by July when I hope to have a thigh lift and finish my lower body lift. I'm 5'11, so at that point I will be on maintenance. I can't say enough good things about my band, and hope all my Jan'07 friends feel the same! ~Lori

I don't really think age has anything to do with it. I know someone who got banded at 19. I think as long as you fit the criteria for surgery (BMI, health, etc.) that they will do it. As far as finding a doctor, my first suggestion would be to call your insurance company (if you have one) and find out if there are restrictions on who you can go to. My insurance made me pick from a handful of doctors that they pre-approved so that really narrowed my decision down and made it easy to find someone because they had all the contact information on the website. After that, there is a surgeon search on here and lapband.com and realizeband.com also have surgeon searches. Best of luck to you!

Hi Amanda, This is the first post I've replied to in a year or more. I had my surgery on 1/19/2009, so I am almost 3 years out. At 3 years I should have reached my goal weight. Although I haven't, I feel great! I am still 25lbs from my absolute goal weight, but have reached 3 big milestones I set for myself. My 4 milestones are/were...lost 35lbs..check. Lose 50lbs..check...get to "Onederland"..check and finally get to my goal weight (working on it). My point in telling you my story is this....this journey is yours and yours alone. If you want to cut down on foods to make you feel better..do it! If you want to feel better...do whatever you need to do to get it done. I would suggest walking..that made a HUGE difference for me! Everyday, focus on walking at least 30 minutes...do it in 10 or 5 minute increments if you have to. But setting even a small goal like that can completely change your outlook! Congratulations on your new "birthday" coming up..it will truly be a day that will change your life forever! Chin up...you're already on your journey. How you choose to prepare for it, is up to you and your doctor. You can and will do thiS!!

Your body will fluctuate. It's all part of being a human being. Get your water in, get your protein in, and keep working out. If you gain 10 or 15 lbs, come back and talk to us ???? otherwise, keep on keeping on ????

Hello all, I have everything finally lined up. I have been overweight for most of my life and after having 5 kids my metabolism is extremely resistant. I used to be able to lose weight and keep it off for a little bit, but now am unable to lose hardly any weight. I have decided to go for it. My husband and I won't be having any more children and I would like to be healthy enough to enjoy my kids and doing activities with them while they are still young! We love to do so many different things and it's so hard for me to do them that I just end up watching instead of helping them and enjoying it with them. (Their ages range from 12 to 10 months) Oh, and I also want to be totally hot!!! Nothing wrong with that, but that's not my motivation for surgery. My surgery is scheduled for July 17th in Guadalajara, MX with Dr. Gilberto Rodriguez. I have family who lives in Guadalajara and will be going to visit and have surgery all at the same time. The Dr. is a friend of the family so I'm not so apprehensive, but still a little nervous! He is not requiring a pre-op diet, but I plan to keep it a little light before hand anyways. Two of my sister in-laws will be taking care of me and helping me post-op. If anyone has any tips or pointers they would be greatly appreciated! I'm so excited, I can hardly wait! :whoo:

Hey all :Banane20: Just wondering.....the title says it all really. When you break the 50 pounds to goal mark (currently if I was to have the goal of what the BMI calculator says I should weigh which is 119 I'd be 43 lbs away from that). In general, I recall the doctor's office looking at 6-10 lbs a month as being your 'sweet spot' for your band. I wonder though, at our stage, is that really our goal still. I find it is super hard to peel off 5 lbs a month at this point and I work out religiously, seven days a week. So, basically, I was wondering what the average weight loss per month is for someone at this stage of the game. Thanks for the advice :Banane20: and best of luck to all of you!

Thanks so much for the encouragement...I have heard the surgeon at an informational meeting, but have not met him one on one yet. I will start meeting with the therapist this week and will start in a support group next week. I will also meet with a nutritionist also at some point. I also have 115 lbs to lose and will probably have to lose 10% of my starting weight before surgery. I have to travel about an hour to get to the appointments, that is the only real hardship right now. TTYS :purplebananna:

I was on a trip out of the country last week and I am sure I gained a few lbs because my body clock is really messed up right now so I was tighter at different times than usual - anyway, I have been very discouraged lately because I am a year out June 27th and I think I have only lost about 18-20 lbs. I had 50 to lose so almost half but I thought by now I would be almost to my goal. It is very very slow so I feel like I am not losing at all. Sometimes I can eat so much and sometimes like this morning I could barely swallow my protein shake - since I was on a plane for 10 hours yesterday may have something to do with dehydration but I have been thinking a lot the past few days are the scars, the port sticking up, the choking at dinner worth it. I guess I will give it another year and see but my stomach still sticks out so much I can't believe it isn't smaller after 11 months. Thanks for letting me vent.

I can't work out that ticker thingy either lol! You're probably best in getting your 10 year old to sort it out for you! Glad you're back home and now on the losing side. Get plenty of rest xxx

I was banded on 3/19/2012.I've Lossed 22 pounds and I am a size 16. I went before surgery and bought size 14. They fit!! They are snug, but they fit!! Omg! Went back to work and everyone is saying how great I look. ( I shared with no coworkers ). Yea its bandster hell bit staying with it is so worth it.

Ditto! I was banded 1/15/10 and I haven't lost any weight. In fact, I gained a few pounds right after surgery and lost it, but have gained it since! How is that possible??!! :confused: My Dr told me not to worry about it too, but come on!!!!

Hi folks, I just got banded on Friday, Feb 29, 2008. I have been in clear fluids since and I've gotten rid of gas pain with gas-X. Same experience with you guys, I feel a little sore in the port area. Since, I had only been taking clear fluids a day before surgery and after, I've lost 10 lbs and I haven't had the feel of hunger yet. Tomorrow, I will be sipping my first 2 ounces of slim-fast or ensure. I feel great. The only thing is that I have some pain in my nape area. Sort of feels like a stiff neck pain. Is this normal?

Highest weight and starting weight: 206 lbs Goal weight: 125 lbs Current weight: 116 lbs I'm 5'2". I consider 116 my new "goal" I guess. I'm happy here and don't want to gain even though it is 9 pounds under my original goal weight. I had surgery January 9, 2013. It took me 10 months to reach original goal of 125. I'm not sure what else got me here besides the sleeve except major determination and willpower.