1959JimmyJames

I had my band unfilled for a year before considering sleeve. I also gained all my weight back. I can so relate to eating slider foods. But with the sleeve it has Ben different. food actually goes in without getting "hung up" It def takes some reworking of the mind for the sleeve. I am three weeks out and have lost 18lbs. Dr also told me wieght loss is not as significant for a reversal. I had a sig amount of scar tissue as well.

I loved Phentermine. I had great success with losing weight, no appetite, tremendous energy, loved it. The minute I went off it, I was ravenous and gained back all the weight plus some. This happened at least three times before I gave it up. Good stuff but not a permanent habit.

I had the band put in twice . 2012 and lost 100 pounds in 3 months cause it slipped and almost killed me then they put it back in in later in 2013 or late 2012 and I did not lose any weight but gained 20 pounds and it was slipping again . So I went to my new wls dr . Dr suh and he revised me to the sleeve in 2,months after may 30 2014 I lost 51 pounds . I happy fir the weight loss and I am still dropping . I to was told and read that I would lose weight slowly but it seems to be coming off fast I stick to his diet plan and like extend it to . Meaning I did broth liquid diet for a month instead of 2 weeks and now I am able to start on crab shrimp and turkey fish but I stay on the 600 cal soft foods for another month . I will know total how much I lose in oct 7 but here are before abd after
http://maps.google.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=33.557305,-117.159640&zoom=14&markers=33.557305,-117.159640&size=400x300&sensor=true

You're only 3 weeks post-op. Follow the meal and beverage plan and keep your eye on the goal. Weight loss stalls are going to keep happening. I don't know how much weight you are trying to lose but I think most of us are shooting for at least 100 lbs. That is a lot of weight and it isn't going to just disappear overnight. You may be one of the people that averages over 20 lbs a month. I am not. I have averaged 11 lbs a month for 5 months now. I just went through a stall that lasted 6 weeks. It sucks but you have to be diligent. I weigh once a week. The damn thing was stuck at 252 for 6 weeks and then the other day it said 248. My BMI is getting ready to tip into the 20s. Happy song. I am hoping to be at goal by Christmas, but if I don't make it, I will have to keep trying. This sleeve is forever. Try not to worry so much and just let it happen. Good luck.

Had my surgery June 26 and lost 40lbs in the first 5 weeks. I have not really lost any weight within the last 2 weeks...is this normal?

Well then, it seems that you have answered your question. If you have enough time to finish the pre-op tests and have all the paper work in order, then have your surgery on Monday. After surgery you will or should be getting monthly check-ups at that office and you will have plenty of time to give em hell then. You can discuss some kind of a discount for undue stress for their mistake. Whoever dropped the ball should be held accountable for this because this surgery is dangerous and very stressful on us. His office staff should be just as competent as he is. Good luck to you.

First - thank you everyone for your replies. Lots of great information here, but most of all, reassurance.
I have researched my surgeon. I don't have any questions of his ability. I am very confident in his process, and the preoperative screening is a lot more intensive than the other docs I've researched and shopped.
Have you researched the surgeon? When I first read your post I thought that there is no way I would go through with it but then I realized that once you are in the OR the cluster ____ you are experiencing right now doesn't matter. I did everything I could to research my surgeon including calling my State's licensing board to find out where I could go to research complaints and such. I wanted to know how many he has done, whether any of them had complications, where he went to school, is he board certified, did he do a fellowship or other specialized training bariatric surgery and everything else I could. I even managed to find his wedding pictures online....lol. By the time I was done I felt very confident in his abilities. I do not think I could go through with it without that confidence.
Absolutely. If there was even a tinge of doubt, I would have moved on a long time ago.
Do you have faith in your surgeon? It won't be his ding dong staff performing surgery, so if you like the surgeon, stick with him.
This is exactly why I'm freaking out a bit. Yes, the front office staff are essentially the people that have bungled this whole thing. His nurses and medical staff have been great - no complaints there. But like I said, had they have been my employees, I would have heads rolling from here to Timbuktu. I think when dealing with major surgeries like this, a professional surgeon should have professionals top to bottom, front to back. There shouldn't be this many critical errors 4 days from surgery.
This is a tough one. The surgical skill and comptence is hugely important, but once that is done.... it is the general staff who provides much of the ongoing support. I found it invaluable and loved being associated with a whole practice full of very competent people. This kind of error could happen anywhere, but i would want to feel good about the whole team.
One of the reasons I chose this doctor and the specific facility was because the doctor does not schedule 15 surgeries in a day. I'm #1 on the docket at a facility he doesn't typically do surgeries at anymore. (The facility has become cost prohibitive for most.) I'm paying extra to go to this facility because I'm self pay and it's the facility I trust the most, but I know I'm going to be his only patient of the day there first thing in the morning.

Talk seriously about this at your preop appointments. I have been successful with the sleeve and one of the reasons is learning to eat"till absence of hunger". If you seek out that full feeling consistently I think you risk losing the feeling of restriction and maintaining weight loss is very difficult. I worry that the sleeve is not the right procedure for you (but I am working from a sample of one person, it is the surgeon and nutritionist etc to discuss this with)
I was over300#, maintaining at about 140# now.

My daughter had that argument. Why can't you just diet and exercise like everybody else is what she would say. We have a close friend who is on the hcg diet. A shot everyday and 500 calories a day. Not doing that. I like my brain functioning at the fullest capacity possible. Then right before surgery she said she was worried I would be skinnier than her. She was crying. I told her skinny is not the goal but holding her babies someday is. She's over it now. During the first couple of weeks after surgery if I threw up she was like see I told you so. Quite the critic. She was and is a big supporter now.

Capegin,
My stomach didn't work so I had it fixed. It constantly told me I was hungry. I see it as the same as someone who has a defective heart having it surgically fixed. Yes a defective heart is an obvious, immediate threat but obesity does KILL it just takes a lot longer and you end up dying from the results of obesity---diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, etc., etc., etc.
I hope you have a routine surgery and easy recovery.
Blessings,
Kathleen

Everything that you just listed. This is a common story with the band. It is a mechanical device that breaks. Some last a long time but it seems that most only last a few years. The sleeve is still a tool, but it is permanent. You can develop serious problems with the sleeve that are far worse than the band so I wouldn't say that it is too good to be true. If you use it properly, and your doctor is good at his craft then you should succeed with the sleeve. Good luck to you.

Please let us know what your doctor says. I think most of us would like to know. This is or should be a nonjudgmental website. You can ask any question that you wish. I wasn't trying to be condescending. I have been on this site for a long time and all of the information that I have read so far concerns, weight loss, and surgery, and follow-up information and exercising, so when I read your question, I responded before I really thought about it and I apologize for that. I live in Washington, state and I did vote yes on the initiative to legalize marijuana for recreational use. I tend to agree with the liberal views on this subject. However, I don't not smoke pot or anything else. I do think that smoking pot and cigarettes are extremely bad for your health because of the tar that you inhale deeply into your lungs, and this is a website that asks questions about," How to better ones health", and smoking anything has proven to be counterproductive with that goal. I hope that this is a better answer than my last response, and please let us know your doctor's advice. Good luck and keep posting.

You are a grown adult. You can do choose to do whatever you want. But if it's a matter of sleeve-related safety, your surgeon is the only one that should answer that question.

Outstanding. You look younger too. Congratulations.

Stick to the plan and remember you have a brand new baby tummy - how would a baby like hot sauce?? I think not! lol
And you WILL stall, everyone does. Sooner or later, everyone does. And not just one. A ew days here, a few weeks there. Its not a straight path. The nice thing is with the sleeve you can't *really* sabatoge it too much because you can't eat that much! Just keep on your scheduled eating plan so you will heal nice, you dont' want leaks or anything.

Congratulations to everyone. This is a good thread. Lots of inspiration and success on here. I have lost about 50 lbs. It's been 5 months. Half way home, and not even trying really. All of my suits are starting to fit again. I didn't keep track of my weight from month to month and I don't weigh myself very often. Only to update my ticker and at my monthly doctor visits. Think about helping yourself to heal after surgery. That is most important. Good luck.

Ok, let's see...i'm 33, 5'7.5''. my hw was 260, consult weight 248, sw 238, current weight 198 and I am 1 wk shy of 6 months. so down 40 lbs since surgey and 48 lbs since consult and preop. I haven't tracked monthly really, but I did lost 10 lbs the 1st wk after surgery, then stalled at wk 3. I am a slow loser, but do remember that even though the scale doesn't move, u are still losing inches. I don't know how to post pictures here, but i'll try to update my profile today.

Surgery Date: June 18th, 2013
Height: 5' 6."
Surgery Date: June 18th, 2013
Height: 5' 6.5"
Starting Weight:248
DOS Weight: 228 (-20 lbs)
Week 1: 214
Week 2: 208
Week 3: 210
Week 4: 208
[Month 1, July 18th: 206 (-22 lbs)
Week 5: 204
Week 6: 201
Week 7: 201
Week 8: 198
Month 2, August 18th: 196 (-10 lbs)
Week 9: 194
Week 10: 192
Week 11: 188
Week 12: 185
Week 13: 182
Month 3, September 18th: 182 (-14lbs)
Week 14: 181
Week 15: 183
Week 16: 180.
Week 17: 177
Month 4, October 18th: 178 (-4 lbs)
Week 18: 176
Week 19: 176
Week 20: 173
Week 21: 172
Month 5, November 18th: 172 (-6 lbs)
Week 22: 172
Week 23: 171
Week 24: 170
Week 25: 169
Week 26: 168
Month 6, December 18th: 167 (-5 lbs)l
Week 27: 167
Week 28: 165
Week 29: 163
Week 30: 164
Month 7, January 18th: 163 (-4 lbs)
Week 31: 162
Week 32: 161
Stopped tracking....
I'm currently weigh 152; I wear a size 8 bottom or medium and my tops are a 4/6 or small. I haven't lost in a few months, but I did drop another size. I've upped my fitness and I've replaced fat with muscle. So, hence same weight, smaller size.
Good luck to you!

Surgery date 11/14/13 (almost 9 months out)
High weight 256 on 08/20/14 - decision day to have surgery
Surgery weight 238
Current weight 183
Do not compare your weight loss with others...it will lead to disappointment and unhappiness. Your path is unique as was your path to your decision to have weight loss surgery.
I went into this wanting to lose 106 pounds - I don't know if I'll get there, I hope I do. But I can tell you, 70+ pounds down from high weight feels amazing!
Best of luck to you!

2 late 4 bed
No doubt that everyone will have different results. Even if we had surgery on the same date. I was sleeved on July 30, 2014. I have lost a total of 26 lbs. Proud of myself, who would have thought! Beginning weight was 314. Date of surg: 298. As of yesterday: 289
With time I am sure it will get better (pounds melting). Starting next week I plan on begging an exercise pattern.
Good luck!
Kindle, you look FABULOUS! ! Keep up the good work!!

Sleeved 7/8/14, 5'6", 59 years in 10 days. Surgery weight 241 no pre-diet required. Lost first month 19 lbs. I agree, don't compare yourself to others. Everyone's body reacts so different. I don't weigh myself, that way I never know if I am on a stall. I leave that to my doctor. Just keep up with your Protein and Water. I know if I could get more Protein and Water in I would probably lose more, but I will take whatever I lose. I prefer to judge my weight loss by how my clothes feel. Started in a loose 24W and am now wearing 18W. Good luck with your surgery.

Hi! I am 41. Was sleeved on 4-22. My heaviest weight was 282. I was required to do a 3 day pre-op liquid diet so the day of surgery I was 271. My current weight is 226. Down a total of 56lbs. My goal is 180 so another 44 to go. ( I'm really tall!) not too bad for 11 weeks and 2 days post-op.
I went and did some shopping yesterday. I'm in large or size 14 pants and was even able to buy a size medium shirt!!! Woooohooooo!
I'm definitely an everyday weigher. I downloaded the Happy scale app that keeps track of your weight from loss every 7, 30 and 90 days and how much you've lost every month. I highly recommend it. I lost a total of 22lbs in May, 15+ in June and 17+ in July. Loss so far in August has been slow, just over 2lbs.
Good luck to you. It's a struggle at times, especially in the beginning. But you'll be happy you did it when your clothes start falling off!

Hi there, I am 57 years old and 5'6", I weighed 230 lbs June 1 which is when I started the pre surgery diet. I had my surgery in Mexico on July 1st and am 40 days out from surgery and weigh 191.6 pounds. I have lost about 2 pounds a week. I won't tell you it has been easy but it is worth it. I would remind you to follow the food guide you are given . It is important, I messed up and got ahead and suffered for it. Good Luck and you are taking a great big first step to health. Go for it

Please let me clarify.....when I said I'd like to compare age, height and stats it was for an overall reassurance that someone of my height and weight was able to get to a weight that I'd be happy with. Seeing someone else succeed encourages me more than anything else. I do not plan to weigh except once a month. The scale has never been my friend and it will only discourage me if I weigh too often. I am just happy hearing of the possibilities. I am actually 5'1.5" and will be thrilled if I manage to get to 150 pds. again. I see many others close to my height that have achieved that goal and that is what I am looking for. I would be thrilled to reach 150 pds. but maybe I could hope for 140 pds. with my sleeve! We shall see...

30 years old (although I was 29 at the time of surgery), 5'2, starting weight 237, current weight 150. My surgery was 9/9/13, so I'm almost exactly 11 months out. I still have about 20 pounds to hit my goal.
I also read the stories of other people before surgery, although after surgery I was too focused on my own loss to be overly concerned that someone else might be losing faster than me. I do support the weighing everyday idea because it helps you recognize patterns in your weight loss. For example, I tend to get stuck around the 6's...196, 186, 176, 166, and just most recently 156, but I could go back and look at my weight (which I wrote on a calendar everyday) and see that the stall was normal and it would break in a few weeks, which prevented me from getting frustrated.
Good luck with your procedure!