Tell Your Weight Loss Surgery Story

I had a VSG on 7/29/13 and was 310 lbs pre-op. It's now the six month mark and I've lost 135 lbs and feel comfortable at 175 lbs. My goal weight was 190, but I've now passed that by 15 lbs. I was curious to learn how some of you transitioned from being focused on the weight-loss to maintaining your goal weight (?).... How many calories are you consuming at the 6 month mark? What's your regular exercise routine? Do you still try to avoid carbs whenever possible? Any feedback would be appreciated!

So I am a patient of Centennial Medical Center's Obesity Center in Nashville, TN and Im just a few weeks away from surgery. My surgeon is Dr. Douglas Olsen. My last consult was this past Thursday, January the 23rd, 2014. My emotions about this whole process is slowly changing. I had been experiencing a lot of severe anxiety in the weeks prior and having morbid thoughts of death and regret. I would think about dying and who would take care of my kids, but have learned to transition my thoughts into positive ones. I know that this is life changing and am excited about that, but also worried how it will change the dynamics of the personal relationships that I have with peopl…

Loving my sleeve!

As James Brown sang, "I feel good!"! Sleeved May 8, 2013...326 lbs. Whole host of good stuff to accompany the weight...high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, aching joints, etc.! Heck, if I were a horse, they would've just shot me! LOL As of this morning, 222.2 lbs.! Oh yea...no high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, aching joints, etc.! Now if I were a horse....well, in the essence of keeping this post clean, we'll just say I'd be one heck of a ride! Sorry, I'm just in a great mood! I wasn't going to post anything, for fear of sounding vain, however my wife reminded me that I would peruse this site for hours when I was first consid…

Is there anyone who had or are planning for single incision VSG?

Hello. I'm hoping that this pain will subside once I begin healing better. I'm experiencing pain in my sleeve as water/protein shake sips come into contact with the new tiny tummy. It frightens me, but I passed the bariatric swallow test the day after surgery, so I feel weird contacting my doctor. I'm still sore and freshly sleeved/swollen. Maybe I'll give it a few more days. I was surprised this morning to be 5 lbs down from my pre-surgery weight. But it's a serious challenge to get water and/or protein shakes down without pain. Any helpful advice would be appreciated. Thanks!!

I had Lapbad in Oct of 2009 with a starting weight of 316. Getting approved was very easy with BCBS. After surgery there was more pain that I thought there would be but I made it through. The first couple of months I though the lapbad was the best thing in the world, then things changed. Though I lost weight I was throwing up everyday. I had a test done and the Dr said everything was fine and I needed to chew my food better. I took heed and started ensuring my bites were smaller and chewed until it was mush. I was still throwing up every meal. I went back and they would take some Fluid out, then put some back and take some out, put some back. I got to the point I was so t…

My lap band story begins 7 years ago. My surgery was my birthday gift to "me". The weight loss was slow, but I successfully lost 70 lbs off of my 5'2" frame. My weight topped off at 223 lbs. I looked "hot" and was so proud of myself. I did hit road blocks along the way and I eventually had to have some fill removed. I was very diligent and followed all the rules. I teach exercise classes 3 times per week. I still have restriction, but I can consume more than a cup of food at a meal. I'm frustrated and I've given up. I would consider gastric sleeve surgery, but I don't believe I would qualify. I want my size 10 back, but stella just can't get her groove back. What is the…

Well today is day 4 post op. It seems that so far every other day is a good day. Yesterday I felt great but today I am nauseous and have some pain. I am dealing with it pretty good. I don't take my pain meds till its time for bed. I do think I may need some Tylenol today. I lost 15.2 lbs pre op and so far 5.1 since surgery. I have not been getting in the 64 oz of fluid but getting better every day. So far so good!!!

I had my sleeve surgery on Thursday. The first 24 hours were rough, I had a good deal of pain and some nausea. They were able to manage my nausea much better than the pain. My dr had only prescribed 2mg of morphine every 2 hours as needed and this just barely took the edge off. Friday morning I had my swallow test and had a little bit of a scare there as the radiologist said the barium was only "trickling" through but that it was most likely due to swelling. They went ahead and progressed me to thin liquids from NPO, so I was able to start sipping some Water. They changed up my pain meds and I started feeling much better from about 9am yesterday on. I can still only ta…

I have really been reading up and studying about having this surgery and will soon have my first appointment with the surgeon. One of the many things that drew my attention to what everyone is saying is that this surgery is like a new beginning or a new chance at life. How exciting! Therefore, I think we should Celebrate our day of surgery as a very special BIRTHDAY! What do you think? How shall we celebrate?

During my youth years, I was a average size. It all started during my college years. Found the love of my life and here came more weight. We had a son and I gained over 75lbs. I started my bariatric surgery journey in September 2013. I attended a information class and stopped smoking the next day. Currently, I weight 358, my highest weight ever. I dont even remember hitting the 300's to be honest. Obesity is real. Well next week is my final appointment with my dietician and my paperwork will be submitted. I'm excited, scared, and hopeful. I welcome any type of support or suggestions.

Hi, I am 45 yr old female who is 5'11 with wt of 346lbs as of 1/17/2014 when I had my consult with the surgeon. I went in looking more into the lap band with curiousness of the sleeve. The surgeon had told me that if I was his sister he would recommend the sleeve for me due to my weight. The thing I am more worried about is the complications of one more than the other. I have always been interested in the band since it came out and just now as of last year my insurance covers the WLS. I would like more info from ppl whose wt was around what mine is and with any complications, success, trials, wt loss and any other topics that you may think I need to know before I decide …

Surgeon said my procedure was almost boring it went so smoothly. Got out of the hospital on schedule on Friday. Got up before Mom this morning. Though walking feels like someone is jabbing a white hot poker in my side and I can't decide if the hunger is a psychological or physical. Or that fact that literally every other commercial is food-related.

After 3yrs I will be getting off my bp meds Saturday. They had me cut it in half for 2 weeks bc can't quit cold turkey. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. I'm 11weeks out today and down 61 lbs.

It's hard to believe that I'll be sleeved in just one week. I'm so ready for this healthy change! I'm 5'8" and down to 212.5 preop. A big concern for me at age 37, how do you deal with the excess skin? Any of you have suggestions? Is it an issue postoperative?

Ive been reading obesity books and the conclusion i have is that carbs make you fat and theres no proof that dietary fat causes heart disease. carbs increase your insulin which tells the body to store fat. a diet that is less than 30 grams of carbs daily preferably 20 grams. However, carbs are essential for the body to process protein correctly otherwise you go into whats called ketosis which is not good at all. I myself follow a low fat low carb lean protein diet. without the excess carbs the body uses the fat to use as energy which is preferable. Listen the food companies are out to make money by creating an epidemic of obese americans. theres too much money involved to…

In 2013 I became super unhappy with myself. I didnt know where I was gonna go in life due to the fact that i was 30 pounds away from being 300lbs. I was in awe & disbelief with the fact that I let myself go. In march I sat my mom down and let her know that I was considering weightloss surgery. In march of 2013 I went to my first appointment. I fell in love with my surgeon & knew it was the right choice for me. After 3 months of testing & waiting on insurance I got approved & had my surgery June 6th 2013. My highest weight was 269. I am now 153.4. I have lost a total of -115.6lbs & want to loose another 20! Never give up on your dreams. This has been th…

There is no such thing as luck. I guess its just something most believe believe to exist. Maybe it's just something we say in our society. I wonder where did it come from? Who started saying it and why? What does exist is God's mercy and favor because you have been blessed. I don'y understand how people get that mixed up and call it luck. Also another way to look at it is "opportunity meeting preparation, preparation meeting opportunity" So I will never wish you good luck, bad luck, or call you lucky when things falling in place. But what I will wish you are.....blessings! Because after all that what really happening, not luck. Blessings to all of you, Lisa

I am 14 days post-op and am down 18.1 lbs I have to take another moment to thank my heavenly father above. Father I give you all the glory, the honor and praise. Thank you for my health. Thank you for seeing me through my surgery. You were there every single step of the way. I love you father God! Amen!

I bought boars head blacked turkey breast(paper thin cut) an light Swiss cheese (paper thin cut) and had one slice of meat and one slice of cheese and it was the best food I have had in a month lol. I am supposed to start phase 4 tomorrow but I started today and honestly it didn't upset my sleeve or anything and I was satisfied yay

My surgery is feb28 with dr attia in vineland nj

Hello everyone! I started my journey in May of 2013 but it was a long time coming. I've considered wls surgery for years. Did some research. I was really looking into gastric bypass. The more I checked in to it I realized it wasn't for me. Too invasive, to many complications and it just plain scared me. Fast forward to April of 2013. Was watching a dvr'd show (swamp people) and a commercial came on for a lapband seminar at one of our local hospitals. Decided to check it out. I listened and asked some questions and listened to some success stories. Got excited. Talked to my husband about it and said I wanted to make an appointment with the surgeons office. Went to my f…

Yesterday was my 2 week post op and I'm 30lbs down! Can't wait to see what the future holds! 345 to 315!!

Am I the only one who is discovering the hard way that some of my friends want me around to give them an ego boost?

I had the gastric sleeve surgery on 1/13/14 in Billings MT. Stayed one night then went home. I had little to no pain and feel great. I will return to work on Monday. Just finishing my week of a full liquid diet then on to puree! Actually I can hardly wait.. My loss since before Christmas is 30 pounds!! 70 to go . Any words of wisdom welcome. food ideas on a puree diet?

As I'm sure most of you can relate to, I have always struggled with my weight. I had previously looked into surgery, but my insurance didn't cover it at all. I had an opportunity arise to pull the trigger on having the surgery. I had my surgery on 12/2/13. I am currently down 84 lbs since my very first pre-op apt. I still have a long way to go, but I think I'm off to a fairly decent start.

Hey ya'll, new to the site. I was sleeved February 12th, 2013. Best decision of my life. Have had an easy recovery and weight loss has been steady until this past month. I'm within 10-11 pounds of my goal. (Depends on the day) I keep gaining and losing the same 2 pounds. Looking forward to getting to know everyone.

I was slender as a child, but when I hit puberty I began to binge eat. I grew up without access to a lot of food, so whenever the opportunity to eat arose I dug in. I graduated high school about 30#s overweight. My self esteem was really low. I started college two weeks after graduation and I began to eat fast food for the first time in my life. My freshman year of college I gained over 100# in 15 months. I went on to lose and gain the same 100# for the next few years. Having small success only to rebound with even more pounds. I lost weight around my pregnancies but gained a lot with post partum depression. 3 years ago I started working 3rd shift. I was awake over …

could use a buddy. I'm having my lap band surgery February 6 2014 finally very excited 8)

Writing myself ready for my sleeve on Tuesday -- anything you'd recommend I have at home for after surgery?

I would love to have you on my friends list. I have learned new foods to have because your diary is helpful. Add me at donaboss please

I just got sleeved on Monday and besides the first 2 days of feeling sore, I feel great. Each day I'm able to get more protein and water in, just started full liquids and it's crazy having such a small amount of soup and feeling full, I feel like I have to remind myself to eat because I'm just not hungry, so happy I finally went though with thus.

im new to the site i thought i would say hi and introduce myself i'm ty 36 single mother of two i've been chubby most of my life but after having my first kids i became over weight then after my second i be came very over weight i lost some of the weight but put it back on and then some weighing more then i did @ 9 mnths so i started looking into wls did some research for about a yr put it off for awhile because i was to ashamed to as my doc for a referral and admit to myself that i needed help but in oct i knew it was time because i was packing on the pds so to make along story short i go the referral and go approval from my insurance and now i'm having my surgery…

Good morning everyone, I've been reading posts for about a week now and I thought it would be best to introduce myself as this seems to be a group made up of new friends. I'm Tanya, I'm 40 years old. Single mother of a 7 year old daughter living in Eastern Canada. I am pre-op. Just waiting on that call from the Surgeon with a date. I was told I'll be going sometime in the next 4-6 weeks. I'm very anxious. Like so many, I have always been overweight. But as an adult, I've really let my weight dictate my life. I'm very successful professionally but basically have no life socially. I don't go out, I don't hang with friends. I stay home and eat. I'm an emotional eater. My bo…

I can't believe that I will be haven weight loss surgery in one day. ......I'm soo excited and ready for a new life...

My biggest scare about RNY was skin! I thought I'm young shouldn't be too bad right? Wrong! I have the biggest apron ever! And if it wasn't bad enough..... It's so uneven and it's noticeable (to me of course I guess I hide it well) Grant it was gigantic at a HW of 389lbs. And to think I could ever really get rid of this was unrealistic. Don't get me wrong, I would have the surgery again in a heart beat! But this is something I should braced myself for better :/ I wear spanks and other brands of "holder inners" but every day I see "it" and cringe. Anyone out there with me?

I had my lapband in 2010 and was a huge success. But after two years in I went though a real bad trama I. Which leans me to depression and I started to gain. I have gained 110 lbs and had a revision on my band. I'm exited to restart my journey. I found this site in hopes to find good advise and some type of support and motivation. Thank to all and good luck in your journey as well

I was sleeved on Tuesday 1/7 was suppose to be release today but I was still nauseous & not holding down my liquids so the Doctor said I gain myself another night in the hospital. I was send down to do a swallow test and everything looked really good so he said the anesthesia still hasn't passed my system. So I was put back on a IV so it can run its course. I am feeling so much better this evening. I can't wait to go home to my own bed and especially to see my 14 month old.

I am a little afraid and excited can anyone relate to that. I had the lap-band 2011 lost and gain

Be Blessed and encourgaed. This journey is hard but we must continue to encourage one another. Thanks for so much support.

I PASSED OUT 2 TIMES LAST NIGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE MY SURGERY. WHEN I FINALLY MADE IT TO THE HOSPITAL COVERED IN BLOOD FROM HITTING MY HEAD ON THE GARAGE FLOOR, MY BLOOD PRESSURE WAS 50/30 AND I WAS SEVERELY DEHYDRATED. I'VE HAD ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEMS UP UNTIL LAST NIGHT. I KNOW IM NOT GETTING IN ENOUGH PROTEIN BUT I SURE THOUGHT I WAS DRINKING ENOUGH. DEFIANTLY UPSET WITH MYSELF.

I get gastric sleeve surgery on the18th of February. I am excited but a little apprehensive. I fought long and hard to get here though. No turning back now! Thanks for all your support in advance BTW. John

I had surgery on 11/20/13 and have lost 33 pounds so far! I'm already getting off some of my medication and I no longer have sleep apnea. I'm looking forward to the future - the first time in a long time!

Hello everyone My name is Candy I am 16 months post op gastric bypass. I found BariatricPal while looking for bariatric books on Amazon. I was 42 at the time of my RNY surgery with sleep apnea, Severe GERD, high BP, high cholesterol and pre diabetes. I now am free of all these health issues and off all prescription meds. I still have significant joint pain. I am married to my high school boyfriend (Since 1990) We have two boys together, Caleb (College) and Connor (high school) . I had an SI joint fusion at 9 months post RNY surgery and a hysterectomy and Tummy tuck at a year post RNY. RNY 9-12-2012 HW 250 BMI 43, 2 week pre op diet -8, SW 242 , LW 129, CW 132 BM…

I am just wondering if there is anyone out there that didn't stick to their pre-op diet and if so what was the outcome??

I was approved today my surgery is gonna be done on Febuary 20 at 6am at North Florida Regional in Gainesville Fl . Surgeon performing it is Dr Timothy Hipp. So excited an nervously scared all at the same time . But it's time for a change . My CW-235lbs... I hope god stands by me on that day....In which I know he will of course (I am a true believer ) I need all the help an support I can get . My family members are not for it only my Husband is . God bless --????

Hi all. I'm new to the Forum and wanted to introduce myself. My name is Jacki and my surgery is scheduled for February 6th! I'm both excited and nervous. While I will welcome the weight loss my main reason for the surgery is for health reasons. I'm 53, diabetic, have had a heart attack and have high blood pressure I'm hoping to eliminate some, if not all of these issues. I welcome getting to know you and hear of your journey.

Hello everyone! My name is Jennifer. I'm 34, almost 35, a wife, mother, and OB nurse. I have been overweight my entire life, and morbidly obese for as long as I can remember. I have tried pretty much everything, including spending thousands of dollars at the gym on a personal trainer. Don't get me wrong, the trainer was amazing, I lost weight. But I've gained everything back. My real issue is with my intake. I don't eat well, and I eat large portion sizes. Once upon a time, I viewed weight loss surgery as a cop out, the "easy way," and way too dangerous to even contemplate. I lost my mom 5 years ago, she died due to complications from obesity (Type II DM, HTN, …

My journey began long ago, but on January 11th, 2014 I was one year out from surgery. It has been an incredible journey with many highs and just as many lows! I remember back to the day I had surgery when my husband asked me if I'd do it all over and my response was "NO!". It sucked not being able to even drink Water, well I could drink water, but not as I could the day before surgery. I remember taking small painful sips of everything. Being fat was so much easier. I still to this day think being fat is so much easier. The sleeve is not "the easy way out" as many people who are uneduacted on the procedure believe. If it was easy more people would do it. It takes…