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You definitely need to get on line and do your research then work with the surgeon to determine the best solution for your specific health issues. For example, do you suffer from reflux or Gerd? If you do, the sleeve and lap band can make this worse requiring a revision to bypass down the road. Even if you never had reflux these surgeries can cause it. It does not happen to everyone but so many people on this site and others have had this issue and then have to get a revision to bypass anyway. If you are looking to only go down this road one time, then research and work with your specific surgeon to understand the best solution for you.

I steer completely clear of artificial sweeteners as they cause migraines in people prone to migraines. That would be me! So much improved now since my surgery.

Woot woot! That is great news! Congratulations

Honestly a stall is not even a stall unti it goes beyond that first 10 days to 2 weeks. You have to remember that your body weight fluctuates all day long every day. If you are a daily weigher like I am you will see your weight go back and forth between the same pound over and over as you get further down the road. I choose to weigh daily but I can handle the news that comes from the scale. Sometimes I lose 2lbs in one week and sometimes I lose none. I use it as one barometer to measure my progress and keep me on track. I mostly use my clothing. I know my body is transforming every time I put on my clothes. If you keep following the food plan and staying very active, the weight will come off at its own pace. There will be breaks and stalls along the way. I would change my habits if a complete stall lasts more than a month. Then I would change things up because your body gets used to routines and likes to hang onto the fat.

Congratulations! I wish you a safe and speedy recovery!

For the first 6 to 8 weeks your insides are swollen making it harder to eat. The reality is, you don't really need to push the food, just make sure you are staying hydrated and drinking as much Protein as possible. You need the protein to heal and you will get sick if you don't stay hydrated. Your body does not actually need food right now but it will when the swelling goes down. I promise, this will get better and you will return to a new normal. Keep your eye on the prize! Sometimes I wish I could have my first 8 to 12 weeks back so I could refresh.

Absolutely! I have psoriatic arthritis and at 310lbs I was lucky if I could get up a single flight of stairs or walk for 15 min. I am down 96lbs and have been working out a minimum of five days per week for an hour at a time. This is my cardio workout specifically. I can run up and down the stairs, outpace any of my family on a five mile walk and I feel fantastic! Losing the weight has made all of this possible. I am 51 by the way.

Hi Susan! Welcome. I too have degenerative disc disease and will be looking at a 3 level fusion in my cervical spine in the coming months. I have already had my lumbar fused in 2001. My spine issues are a result of psoriatic arthritis. Ugh! Before my RNY surgery I could barely get around on my own two feet and I was miserable with pain and sick with many other health issues. All of my health issues have been resolved with the exception of my back and neck. After surgery 7 months ago I started walking like crazy because it was the only thing I could do for a very short amount of time without severe pain. Now, I work out at minimum 5 days per week for an hour each time doing cardio, some times 7 days a week.. I can walk mostly without pain for miles and miles. If I have pain, it is in my neck. I used to have such a hard time even walking up the stairs, now I can actually run up and down them! I have lost 96lbs and am 50 from my goal. I feel fantastic, my health issues began resolving immediately after surgery. And I do mean immediately, no more type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, reflux! My stage 3 kidney disease is in remission as well. Having this surgery was the best thing I have ever done for myself! I will say, your tastes and diet will change drastically! I am Italian and my mother lovingly used to call me a spaghetti bender because it was my favorite thing to eat. In fact it was my last meal before I started the liquid diet. Now, my tastes have change and I crave good Protein and good carbs like vegetables and fruit. This is because you crave what you eat the most of. I do eat carbs everyday consistently but they are mostly good carbs. A couple times a week I might add a starch like rice or potato to my meal but is just a bite or two because I fill up on protein and vegetables. I used to love bread, now bread takes up too much room in my tummy and then I get hungry too fast. So, I just do not even bother with it. Yes, once in a while I will even have a little something sweet just to get a taste, then realize it doesn't even taste that great. I mostly snack on nuts, jerkey, and cheese and I love it! Good luck on your journey! I wish you all the best and if you have any questions feel free to reach out! P.S. Baby food tastes like absolutely nothing. You will find you much prefer your own meals puréed because at least they taste like something.

You have made significant progress in five weeks! Congratulations!

Wow! You look absolutely fantastic! Congratulations on your great progress. Very inspiring!

What a neat idea! Thanks for sharing!

I have felt actual hunger since I was 8 weeks post op which is when I began aggressively exercising. I do not believe that you won't feel actual hunger until you are post op 6 months. I also heal very quickly so maybe that has something to do with it. Now, there is a difference between when my pouch is empty and my brain says I need food. That to me is more head hunger that I am learning to deal with. I will drink Water or milk in those cases.

I am absolutely going to have plastics. My girls left, my behind is so flat I don't have one. I had very large upper arms while at my heaviest, now I have saggy saggy skin on my arms. That will be one of the first procedures I have done. I have been wearing long sleeves for the last 10 years and I am ready to wear some sleeveless clothing!

Probably the biggest concern would be how weak you feel in that first month post op. In particular the first 14 days. The other thing would be making you remain hydrated which is very difficult to do under normal circumstances. It really would depend on what your vacation is?

I am sorry to hear you had complications but glad to hear you are now on the mend. Be good to yourself during recovery and keep us posted on your progress!

Yeah! Congratulations and keep up the positive attitude, it helps so much during recovery. I wish you a safe and speedy recovery! Keep us posted on your progress.

Congratulations! I bet you are very happy!

@@Blueststar, Congratulations on your fantastic weight loss so far! You are definitely going to hit your goal and then some. Just remain focused and your parents will see how motivated you are.

What works for me is to use my home digital scale that I purchased right before my surgery. The important thing is to weight yourself at the same time everyday. For me, I do it right when I get up in the am sans clothing. Your weight fluctuates throughout the day so weighing at the same time is critical.

the other issue is mine is in my neck and a lot of the artificial replacements are for lumbar. I wish they had those when I had my lower lumbar done in 2001. That surgery was a bear! It is now why I have such a high tolerance for pain.

@@Recycled, for me it is severe arthritis which has caused bone spurs putting pressure on the nerves as well as the disks in two levels are almost completely gone. It is structural and needs to be stabilized. We did ask about disk replacement and were also told because it is 3 levels they would have to do fusion in this case. I am not at a point where I have to be fearful of being paralyzed but I am concerned about the progression. When it first started in 2003, there was only one level that I needed to worry about, now I am looking at 3. If I wait too long I could cause more damage. I am mostly worried about it slowing or completely reversing all the hard work I have done to get more physically healthy. I work out almost every day for a hour. Afterwards I have to ice my neck and shoulder for a hour and it just burns. When I try to use my neck and shoulder the pain takes my breath away. Then of course I get those nasty headaches that creep up the back of my neck and cause a full on Migraine. On Monday they are going to do a CT Mylogram so they can get a closer look at the nerves and spinal cord. Then after that they will give me their detailed plan for surgery.

@@MrsSugarbabe, I have noticed the same thing about seasoning. My food has to be seasoned well. Also I have been craving spicy food which is really weird because I stayed away from spicy before surgery, now I look forward to it and with even splash hot sauce on some things. What the heck is that about?

That is funny, my nut was pushing it on me like crazy. I am not a fan of the taste so I use my pre made premier Protein for my chocolate and strawberry fix. I did not like the taste of all that sugar.

@@Miss Mac, thanks for the info. Was your pain resolved with this surgery? I am really worried I will go through all of this and will still have that searing pain down my neck and left shoulder. With my lumbar fusion it took 3 years before the nerve pain finally subsided.

Are you saying you have been stalled for 6 weeks? or you just hit the 6 week post op and are now stalled? We need a little more information to help you.