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I was also one who only needed to lose 50-60 lbs. I was sleeved a month ago and have lost 25 lbs to date. What you will probably find is that your loss will be slower than the higher BMI's which can be frustrating. You will read the posts that say "I am one month out and have lost 40 lbs" and you will see your losses only creeping in ounces. But, try not to get to frustrated, especially early on. Low BMI's usually hit a stall after about 2 weeks, which can last a week or two. I had read this and then experienced it myself. But have faith in the process. It works. Believe me, it was well worth having the big part of my stomach cut out for my 50 lbs! I have only lost 25 so far and I'm so happy now I almost would have done it for this, but I know it will continue!

You know, unless someone has really bad problems with the surgery itself, or someother physical problem afterward, I can't imagine that anyone would prefer to go back to their previous state. However, I know that for some people, fat is like a wall and when that wall is knocked down, they feel exposed. It is easy to hide behind tonnage. I see the people on the hoarding shows who use their garbage as a type of security. I'm sure people use fat in the same way. I'm so sorry for anyone who can't embrace the gift of being able to walk without pain, sleep without a machine, get out of a chair without struggling, shop in regular stores and most of all, the gift of being able to remove so many health risks by simply eating less, without starving. I mean, you can even eat most anything, just in small portions. But just like the hoarders, sometimes useless junk or old ways of living are hard to give up. Good luck to you and know that if you do this you will have moments where you regret it, usually within the first few days, but after that, you may, like many of us, thank God every day for this gift!

The worst part for me was that they kept coming into my room to check this and that on both me and the person in the other bed. (same surgery) I brought a sleep mask and earplugs which allowed me to sleep well and I recommend you do this also. I even brought an extra pair in case I had a roommate- I did so we both rested! I also told the nurses and techs to feel free to check anything they want, just don't wake me unless they have to. They obliged me! Also, even though you can't have water for 24 hours, they will let you brush your teeth so rinse your mouth several times! It helps with the dry mouth.

It is annoying, I agree. I came out of surgery weighing 5 lbs more than when I went in, then I lost ounces for the first few days, then the water drained. I was losing about a lb a day until 2 weeks post..... then nada, nix, nihl, ZERO, for about a week and a half! It has picked up again and now I am losing about a half a lb a day. I was told by my NUT that a lb of fat is bulky, so I can lose a lot of inches before losing a lot of lbs. She said, a fast drop in lbs usually means we are losing muscle. So just stay the course and let your clothes be the judge. They will get looser even if the scale won't budge!

I get that if I take one bite too many! Ouch!

Frozen yogurt was fine so long as I didn't put mounds of candy toppings on it!

Oh good, I'm so glad you went ahead with the sleeve! The first couple of weeks are the pits, but actually, the first month passes before you know it. Today was my 1 month surgiversary! I can't believe it came so soon. I am in a stall right now for the last week actually, but I know it works so I will just be patient. Good luck with your move. Where are you guys moving from / to?

All these suggestions are great. If you want to really wow her, clean the house, including the baseboards, bathrooms etc. , do all the laundry and detail her car. If you spring for a mani/pedi too, you will be the bomb!! That would definitely wow me!!

I had to take 10 deep breaths per hour using a gadget that made me take long, slow deep breaths. I found that this worked the gas out of my chest really quickly. I had to blow out all my air, then inhale for a count of 12, expanding my lungs as far as I could, then slowly exhale. (I had to work up to a 12 count.) Once I started doing that, I no longer had the bad gas pains. Good luck to you! Every day gets better.

I feel for you! This is a rough time to be adjusting to all this especially since the fashions seem to be tank tops and flimsy little sleeveless shirts! I can't find a good ole button up shirt to save my life! I'm just trying to hang in there and look forward to fall when the styles will once again have sleeves!

I'm not sure who you were asking this question to, but since your post came after mine, I will assume you were asking me. (If not, sorry.) I started at 195, and now I am at 171. I am 24 days post-op. I lost nothing during week 3 which was terrifying, but finally last night I finally went from 172 to 171, whew! I realize my calories and carbs are low, but so is my activity lately. Once I am back to work and more active I'm sure the weight will continue to drop.

I found the Special K protein water tubes and love them. They are sold at Walmart but are not with the drink mixes, instead, they are with the vitamins and protein powders and drinks (usually close to the pharmacy). They come in strawberry-kiwi and pink lemonade. Each tube has 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber! I think they taste great! Also, during my liquid phase, I became addicted to egg drop soup from a neighborhood chinese restaurant. It is heavenly!!! I strained out the onions but left in the little egg peices as they are almost liquid. Also Miso soup was wonderful also and again, I strained the veggies but left in the tofu- extra protein. Once I found these I knew I could endure the liquid phase. Good luck to you.

I am 3 weeks out and lost 20 lbs the first 2 weeks then nothing this last week. But, I am walking 2 miles at least 3 times a week, and doing arm and leg exercises with weights- still protecting the abs so no ab work yet. I can feel my muscles getting stronger and I know that muscle weighs more than fat. I fear flab. I needed to lose around 55 lbs total, so 20 down is a good start. I am trying to remind myself that I have tried to lose weight for 25 years. I can't get discouraged just because it isn't falling off quickly enough.

You have gotten a lot of good advice! I understand your concerns and know how kids opinions can throw off our better judgement. But I agree with everyone that it makes much more sense to do one permanent procedure rather than the band which requires expensive upkeep and could result in additional surgery. I was sleeved on July 5th and feel great and have lost 22 lbs in the last 3 weeks. I told several people beforehand and everyone had an opinion. One person suggested that I just work on the problem behavior because I should be able to do it on my own with discipline. My reply was "See, that was Plan A.......I tried that...for 25 years. Then I went with Plan B! Plan B worked much better!" And don't get me wrong, the sleeve requires a lot of discipline also, heck, you have to change a lot and give up a lot. It is not a quick fix or an easy way out. You will still work for it, but you will just see results much faster which will increase your motivation instead of knocking yourself out for weeks and losing ounces.

I was so afraid of the removal process also, but everyone is right, it wasn't painful at all, just weird. It reminded me of pulling one of those bendy straws out of the travel mugs for some reason... anyway, sort of like someone tickling your ribs from the underside of them. Anyway, not at all painful.

I was sleeved on the 5th, I had the chest pain and could not take deep breaths and my pulse ox was so low they kept running in to remind me to breathe! I had to practice taking long,slow ,deep breaths. About 10 an hour. The doc said that slowly expanding the lungs will push the bubbles out of the chest and abdomen and it did help. Hang in there! If you are really lightheaded, maybe the pain meds are not liking you much. Tell the doc. It will be better soon. Also, I was told to drink one oz of protein every 15 or 20 mins. I couldn't take the sweet protein shakes so I used chicken broth and stirred unflavored protein into it.

Hi, I feel for you! I was military also and I know how those moves can be. However, I would NOT cancel the surgery because of the move. You will be feeling so much better after a week or so and by mid Aug you should be fine and on mushies. I know it is a pain to move, but the movers and packers do most of the hard stuff right? I was sleeved on July 5th and cancelled a trip on the 14th that, now I know I could have made just fine. Just go for it! I think you will be glad you did.....well, after the first few days post-op you will be glad you did. Those first few days you will be cursing me and yourself for doing it, but after that, you will be glad!

I had bad breath for awhile, then noticed that my tongue had a thick coat of yuckness on it. After brushing it away, the bad breath was gone.

I see you have gotten a lot of good advice! I think most of us went through our periods of regret, however, from what I can tell, no one regrets it for too long once the worst is over, and for you it is probably going to end soon. I wish I had stayed in the hospital an extra day or two because at home, I was afraid every little sensation meant something was wrong. I think you are smart to stay longer. When you get home, you will start to feel better every day. You may be bloated, water-logged, and move like a slug, but just hang in there and keep walking. Taking slow deep breaths help to push the gas out and if you can drink an ounce every 15 mins or so you can stay hydrated. I found that I couldn't stand the taste of anything sweet, but I could tolerate the juice from pinto beans, chicken broth etc. Also, for me, egg drop soup from a neighborhood restaurant saved me. I strained it for the first week but could tolerate the soft egg bits the next week, (but no onions). The same for Miso soup. The tofu was soft and comforting, but I strained out the onions and seaweed. They sell it in packages at grocery stores. So good luck and hang in there sleeve sista!

I was worried about not losing quickly enough, but I started working out and walking and now it is coming off. I know that I am building muscle which will burn calories more rapidly, but it weighs more than fat. I decided that I would rather lose more slowly, and tone at the same time rather than lose really fast and have lots of loose skin to deal with. Besides, it keeps people from gawking and asking how I'm doing it so fast and if I had surgery. My friend has to deal with that every day!

I had to bring mine to the hospital with me, and if I fell asleep without it they would wake me to put it on, so I think if you need it, use it!

I was told I could have anything that would fit through a strainer, egg drop soup is great and only the green onions would need to be removed.

I was given milk in the hospital the day of my surgery! Milk and lemonade.......yeah, that's what I want to put on my raw stomach-staple line....lemonade!