johnny207

I'm at a function now...having Grey Goose and Water with Grape Mio. Have a good time while on this journey everyone! Too many people are up tight. We are changing so many other habits to combat obesity...we need an outlet as well.

Not quite sure life is meant to be so... sterile. I don't drink but rarely myself but if I lived my life worrying about whether every thing I ever ate fit an ideal of nutritional value then I don't think it would be much of a life...

I lost weight faster after revision than I had with the band.

I agree....once in a while is fine. I drink Vodka and Water with Flavored Mio's.

For my first drink (still two months away but I can dream!) I'm doing vodka and the SF crystal light flavorings. They have a strawberry lemonade and a toasted coconut that I think would be awesome with vodka. And vodka only has about 65 calories, no carbs, no sugar. Having a drink every now and then is no big deal! I already told my hubby (who will be my drinking buddy to make sure I'm good when I have that first drink) to make sure I don't eat anything I shouldn't. It's the food choices I made after the alcohol more so than the alcohol itself that made me gain weight. Good luck with your drink of choice!

I used to like to drink Coronas but now one sip of beer makes my pouch fill up fast. I tried Vodka cranberry but it was with regular juice and the sugar was too much for me. Vodka Water is something I will have to try.

we all know it has no nutritional value but many of us are still going to want to enjoy a drink now and then.

My girlfriend found this pic of me it was some years ago I took this pic I don't even kno who that person is I don't even kno how much I weigh on that one while I started at 299 now I'm 201 6months out down 98 pounds

I was converted from band to sleeve on 6/29/15...and it has been the best decision. I have lost 14 lbs in two weeks. I posed this question to my surgeon...snd he said that if your surgeon does the procedure correctly; by removing all s AR tissue around esophagus, etc....it's essentially like starting over as if the sleeve is the original procedure...so your surgeon needs to take his/her time...get scar tissue out and make a good cut/incision and make sure they get that tight "banana" shape sleeve. This was direct quotes from my surgeon. Hope this helps. I'm glad I made this decision! Hope this helps!

I believe you and I were converted on the same date...6/29/15...correct? I never felt fullness with the band...just too tight, etc. I was on puree for a couple of days, but my surgeon let me proceed with soft foods; and needless to say, I know what fullness is now. I don't go for fullness, I go for satisfied. I measure all items out and I never go over 6 ounces of total food. I make sure 3 of the 6 is protein...and the rest vegetables. I'm never hungry between meals either. Once you move on from liquids/puree, you will notice fairly quickly was restriction is....the band didn't do this for me...so glad I converted! Hope this helps......

liquids don't really fill you up, so you will be able to eat/drink more without feeling that "full" sensation.
Now is a good time to start measuring out your portions to get you into the habit of it. Just because you can eat it, doesn't mean you should!

I have lost 22 lbs in 6 weeks with the revision surgery.I love the sleeve vs the band.I dont feel sick all the time like somebody strangling me.When I had the band it usually takes 2 fills to start seeing results.I was losing 1 lb a week.The huge wight loss you saw in people with the band needed to lose alot more weight and it came off quicker for them.The people that had the revision surgery most of them had some weight loss so it might be slower in the begining

Hi Tazwella,
I see that your starting weight was about the same as mine so I thought I'd chime in. At 248lbs, I had my band to sleeve revision in March. I am down 51 lbs since then. I lost the most in the first 6 weeks, since then its been a steady 1.5 lb loss each week. It might sound slow, but I couldn't be happier with my results. I started out at a size 20 and yesterday I bought a size 14 dress. It's snug, but it fits!! Even if i only lose 1 pound a week, that's still another 50lbs in the next year. Which sounds amazing to me!
So my advise is stay off the scale and let the clothes do the talking. Try not to weight yourself more than once a week or every other week. As long as you stick to the plan, your body will do what its supposed to. It might take a bit longer than other surgeries, but you will still get there!
My revision was the best decision I ever made. No regrets whatsoever! I think you'll love it too!

I had my revision 4 weeks ago today on 6/30 and I've lost 23 pounds since my then. Before surgery I was having a hard time keeping anything down prior to surgery due to all of the problems with my band so for the last month before surgery I did a mostly liquid diet with some sort of a chicken meal each night. I lost 20 pounds on that before my surgery. So, since the last week of May/first week of June I've lost 46 pounds.
Honestly, on a day to day basis my weight loss feels so slow, but when I sit back and look at what I've done in so little time it feels amazing. Whether anyone loses 20 or 30 or 40 pounds in the first few months, I don't think they should feel bad about that. It's an amazing accomplishment. What I always tell myself is would I have been able to do this without the surgery? I'm not sure that I could. I definitely wouldn't have stuck to that diet for a month. Having my surgery date as a end point really helped me and now that I've done it I can definitely feel the change in my cravings and physical and emotional hunger.

That is very true, I asked my surgeon on Friday if stalls in between a good loss is normal. He said absolutely. I also asked him about the possiblity of sleeven ( my sleeve ) being a bit bigger since I am a convert from lap-band. His answer was that for some patients that is a possibilty but in my case it is not. He said he made it nice and tight as a non revision patients would be. So that means that some days Sleeven is hungry and allows a little more than half cup of food. Other days he only wants a bite or two. Both perfectly normal ..

Lets all join Quakergirl in a happy dance!!!
Wish u continued luck hope to join you soon in th -50 club!

Thanks for this update! I have my sleeve scheduled for 9/14 and had my band removed on 6/29. I've kept saying that I hope the sleeve is as smooth as the removal because I was fine after a week. My original band surgery, five years ago, was really hard and I struggled with a hematoma, severe swelling and incredible pain. I know everyone is different but I've heard so much more positive regarding the revision than I've heard negative so I'm excited.

So I had my surgery on 6/30. I was in the hospital for 2 days. The surgery pain was much easier than the band or the band removal (mine was removed in April). I lost about 12lb by one week. Weirdly I lost the Water weight from the surgery more quickly than with my band removal. At 3 weeks out now I am down 19-20lbs. My assessment is that this surgery is easier than the band. With the band my stomach was more swollen and I had more trouble with liquids for longer. With this surgery I really have had no problems sipping away and making my fluid goals. The only thing that has been hard is that I have had no appetite and experienced no thirst even when I need to drink so I need to remind myself. I did purees with zero problems measuring my food, eating slowly just like with the band. Today is my first day of solids. I packed 4oz of tuna salad and 4 whole wheat crackers for lunch in my cooler bag. I ate maybe 2 1/2 ozs of tuna salad and 3 crackers about 2 hours ago and feel very full now - almost don't want to drink. To describe the full-feeling it is somewhat similar to the feeling of full with the band in that I feel full up to my esophagus - kind of like a small lump in my throat but it doesn't feel painful or like I need to throw up like it did with the band - also my chest/stomach just feels full.. hard to explain. I keep getting worried when I see posts on other parts of this site about people struggling so much to drink and eat and I haven't had this experience. Is my sleeve smaller? Is my anatomy different post-banding? This is what I like to think: after 8 years with the band I have learned Portion Control and how to chew, sip and eat in a bariatric-friendly way. I really hope this is true! Sorry for the long post but when I was leading up to surgery I was really looking for answers to some of these questions. Remember I am soooo new so take it with a grain of salt!

I was converted from band to sleeve on 6/29/15...and it has been the best decision. I have lost 14 lbs in two weeks. I posed this question to my surgeon...snd he said that if your surgeon does the procedure correctly; by removing all s AR tissue around esophagus, etc....it's essentially like starting over as if the sleeve is the original procedure...so your surgeon needs to take his/her time...get scar tissue out and make a good cut/incision and make sure they get that tight "banana" shape sleeve. This was direct quotes from my surgeon. Hope this helps. I'm glad I made this decision! Hope this helps!

I lost very quickly for a band patient. I was down 110 lbs in a year. I am not sure how it will go this time but 3 weeks out I have already lost more than I had with the band at the same point. Just a few lbs but still more!

It could be....its different in everyone...my friend told me he starts to get a headache when he starts to get full. Just keep monitoring ur signs. My stomach gets tight...and I hiccup.

How do you keep carbs under 30 grams? I find it almost impossible to do. Usually I am between 50 and 70.

Eat Shirataki Noodles...they make them in spaghetti, fettuccine, or Alfredo. They are awesome...it's a vegetable root from Japan. Look at your local grocery store...they cost about $3/bag.

I believe you and I were converted on the same date...6/29/15...correct? I never felt fullness with the band...just too tight, etc. I was on puree for a couple of days, but my surgeon let me proceed with soft foods; and needless to say, I know what fullness is now. I don't go for fullness, I go for satisfied. I measure all items out and I never go over 6 ounces of total food. I make sure 3 of the 6 is protein...and the rest vegetables. I'm never hungry between meals either. Once you move on from liquids/puree, you will notice fairly quickly was restriction is....the band didn't do this for me...so glad I converted! Hope this helps......

I lost at a normal rate even though I was band to sleeve revision. I think there are many factors but #1 my band had been no fill for many years and I had regained (plus more ) years before my revision and 2) I asked what to beware of as a revisionista and it was tolerating that feel if a full esophagus. Some bandsters get used to that feeling. ..I was very conscious of portions sizes because that has always been my downfall.