Wayward Traveler

Are you getting enough calories? I had to increase my calories in order to get past fatigue and hunger. Keep up the Water and Protein - those are important too. Best wishes! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

@@buckleysmom - I'm so sorry to hear that ... I can't imagine. :-( It sounds like if you get the nausea in check, that will take care of the rest. Does not sound like you're lacking meds ... can it be attributed to certain foods, when you eat (ex too late in the day) or how fast you eat? Would maybe going back to all fluids help? There are some great protein drinks out there. Gosh ... I don't know what else to say. What kind of balloon do you have? I wonder if that makes a difference. Regardless, take care, be careful and stay in close context with your doctor - apparently someone at my doc's office got so dehydrated that she went into kidney failure before having early removal. No weight loss procedure is worth that. Best wishes for dramatic improvements soon! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

@@jaydee68 - Congratulations!! :-D Hope the sore throat passes soon. Best wishes on your continued journey. :-)

Best wishes to you! I hope it all goes smoothly and that you come out of it feeling energized and motivated to keep things moving in the right direction. :-) Take care and please keep us posted. Cheers!

That's fantastic - keep up the great work, and please do keep us posted. I have less than two months to go ... very curious about what to expect after. :-) Cheers!

@@Linkballoon - your post has me feeling a multitude of emotions. I am so sorry that your journey has been a roller coaster. My heart breaks for you and your suffering, sorrow and frustration. And yet I am lifted up by your spirit, elated for your success, humbled by your outlook and encouraged by your attitude. What an amazing person you are ... what a tremendous example for all of us. I truly hope that you have turned a corner and that it's all good from here, as your efforts, suffering and attitude deserve to be richly rewarded. Please keep us posted. Regardless, best wishes to you.

@@aejmom - the first couple/few weeks your body is still adjusting. You could be retaining fluids or even in the midst of a hormonal shift, so don't fret. I know that @@jansluv started slowly but she just completed a successful journey with the balloon. I've done fairly well with my weight loss, but I've still had plateaus and even gains. I know that it's hard not to measure success daily/weekly, but it's really best to look at the month overall. So give it time ... you've only just begun. In the meantime, be gentle on yourself. :-) Best wishes!

@@jansluv - what a great post. Thanks for sharing! So happy for your success, and sorry about the ill effects. Now you have me worried about my removal - lol! Will be curious to hear what my doc says ... I will definitely share with him what your doc said, and what you experienced. Seeing as I am only like patient #3, he may not have that much knowledge on the subject ... Best wishes on your continued success!!

I don't think I've tried Slimpressions but I have tried all sorts of other brands. I am not loyal to Spanx - there are others that are cheaper, provide more support and/or fit my shape better. Given that, if Slimpressions was priced right, I would certainly try it. :-) Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I did both - would definitely ask for the patch. It's not too late. So sorry to hear the you're having m a rough time – hope it passes quickly! :-) Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Interesting. It has been a great solution for me, but I'm the first to say that it's not for everyone. I've had it for about 4 months and have lost over 40 pounds. I will not reach my overall goal within the six months (hoping to get to at least 50), but I will be WAY closer and thankful for the time with the balloon. Yes, the first couple of days were miserable, but not as bad as I expected and then I bounced right back. The challenge is that not everyone has the same experience - in terms of how they feel and how much they lose - so it's a bit of a gamble. However the same can be said of more major WLS options ... I know plenty of people who have gained most/all+ of their weight back after WLS, and/or felt miserable after their surgeries. So no one solution is for everyone. In the end, ALL require you to be in the right frame of mind before you do them, because you MUST change your eating habits and relationship with food. Without that they are all a waste of time and money.

Best wishes for an uneventful journey! :-)

I felt it more at first - not as much after a few weeks. Now (a few months in) I rarely notice it, but certain positions make it more obvious (like sometimes when I am flat on my back).

Glad to hear you're both doing well - best wishes for continued success!! :-) Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Today was a good day. I passed the 38 pound mark since my procedure. But more importantly, I passed the 100 pound mark since my all time high. I couldn't be happier! :-) Furthermore, while I am pretty good at getting regular exercise in, I struggle to get in over 10,000 steps a day. But today I did it for the first time in I don't know how long! In fact, I am almost at 12,000 now, and I have not even had a pedometer on all day!! :-D Yup ... it's been a good day. I've got about 2.5 months to go. Surely I can break 40 pounds, and maybe even 50, by then?!? So many people say that they stop losing after three months so I don't want to get my hopes up, but ... We shall see - fingers crossed. But even if I don't lose another pound, I would say that it's been a fruitful journey and time/money well spent.

@@GSleeve822 - I've heard several people say that. But I've also heard people lose throughout (50+ and even 77 pounds!), and I've heard people say that they've lost nothing at all. So take it with a grain of salt - everyone's experiences are different. If what you're doing is working for you, then keep it up and don't worry what some others have said ... that's really all we can do. :-) Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

The nutritionist told me 60-80 grams of Protein. My endocrinologist said that was insane for someone of my height and only applicable to short/average height women. She said I should be closer to 100! That's still hard sometimes, but I shoot for at least 80-100. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I was able to start walking within a few days, and lightly exercising within a week to ten days. After about a month I could do just about anything. I usually don't feel it when I exercise, although I'm not a runner - I've heard that that can be uncomfortable. Best wishes!! :-)

I hear ya. Just be careful if you do a more extreme procedure. I unfortunately know more people who were unsuccessful with bypasses, bands, etc. than were successful, many of who gained some, all or even more of the weight back. :-( And yet I know some people who were wildly successful. I think any procedure is a crap shoot ... and it's never easy ... ugh. I also had Orbera and am doing well. I have heard mixed reviews about Reshape. Some people say it's better because it takes up more space in your stomach, but others say it's less effective because it does not get as wide around, and it's the pressure on the stomach walls that actually tells your brain that you don't need to eat anything. Who knows! :-) But a whole new procedure with a different balloon would mean a whole new set of fees so you're right - that's probably too much to swallow (no pun intended). Glad to hear that you're happy with the outcome nonetheless. Hopefully you can continue your success on your own and a new balloon will be a moot point. Please keep us posted on how the removal goes - we are all curious what we should expect!! :-) Best wishes to you ... cheers!

@@jansluv - Sorry to hear that you're disappointed - that must be very frustrating. Did you do Orbera or Reshape (or something else)? In any case, would you consider a different type of balloon? I wonder if that would make a difference? Best wishes to you with your upcoming removal - I hope all goes well.

But to already be pushing 1200 is phenomenal!! And depending on your build, that may be all you need. Just make sure you get enough Protein ... for me that was the hardest part. Keep up the great work!! :-) Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App I have not tried that. I may have to give it a whirl. Thanks for the tip!! :-) Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Thanks so much, James!! :-D

That was not me who was struggling ... well, other than at first, and then just to get my Protein in after that for a bit. :-) But I normalized pretty quickly. I, too, was at 400 calories the first few days (heck, less than that!). But that's not enough for anyone, regardless of their size ... and especially not for me. If that continues for too long, muscle will be lost instead of fat. So it's important to find out what the best target calorie and protein levels are for you, and to get there as soon as you are able. Best wishes!

That's interesting ... and a good question. I have not had the exact same lessons. I do eat for hunger, but I also want to eat for comfort. I have to force myself to think of food a fuel and make eating decisions based on what's the best fuel for my body. It's not as fun but making it clinical like that somehow makes it easier. Also, I have not thrown up since the first 48 hours, so I have not learned the latter lesson either. But I have learned (as I suspected) that losing weight is work no matter how you do it. I am very cognizant of what I put into my mouth. If I ate mindlessly, I think it would be easy to gain weight, despite the balloon. So while the balloon definitely helps, it's just a tool - not a solution. And what does that mean post-balloon? That the work will continue. Six months does not fix a battle that has lasted decades ... it just helps to keep you hyper-focused for a few months while you (hopefully) develop better habits. Granted, I assumed this would all be the case going into the procedure, but now that's been confirmed. I'm still glad I did it - it was exactly what I needed, and was the best option for me. Cheers! :-)

@@jdbaltimore - that's fantastic - congratulations! I have not heard much about the removal other than a sore throat. I will be curious to hear how others respond. :-) Good luck and congrats again!!