Karunch

I want to thank everyone for their advice and encouragement. I spoke to my husband about that comment today. I told him how shocked I was and how much it hurt. He said that he meant that seeing me in such a fragile state and knowing how much pain I'm still in, he is afraid to hurt me. Other than that comment, he has been wonderful during this process. Maybe I misinterpreted his comments, maybe not. I believe his explanation for now and we'll see. I remain focused on myself and the positive changes that I am making. Than you all!

I'd seriously consider taking a long hard look at my relationship if I were in your shoes. To me, it sounds as if you two could use a long talk and some couples counseling.

What if you had been in a serious car accident that required reconstructive surgery? What if you had appendicitis or a tumor that required surgery? What if you needed a stint or a transplant? Would he find you unattractive for any of those reasons?

My husband loves me fat, thin, with scars, without, hairy legs, overgrown eyebrows, roots showing, gassy, greasy haired, in sweats, with zits.... He's in for the long haul. If something came up cosmetically that he changed his mind, I am fairly certain the change of heart would be more than skin deep.

Well...........I made it. Finally reached my original goal. And it's a good one too, as the bod seems to be pretty much at a neutral point. It's really tough to lose any more weight and it doesn't take much neglect to result in an increase in weight either.
Funny thing is, it's kind of anti-climatic. I have enjoyed the challenge and the effort. Proving I can do it. I'm not ready to be done. So I think I'll add in another five pounds to lose to give me a little leeway. Then, I'm gonna set a goal of proving to myself I can maintain the weight without gaining for a year....then two. Yeah.....that's the ticket...........
Guess you guys are stuck with me for quite a while......

Today marks my 1 year since surgery.
Feb 6 2014
Sw:326
Cw:174
Goal:155
Height : 5'7
Age :21
It's been a hell of a journey but so far so good I love my new life ♡
I DECIDED TO GET MY SURGERY DATE TATTOOED ON ME ♡
02/06/2014

Today I reached my ultimate fantasy weight -- 122 pounds. (Well the scale actually said 121 lbs. but I know that when I weigh again tomorrow it will be up to 122 as that has been my pattern for the last few months.) My BMI is now in the mid-range of healthy for my height.
I now have to buckle down and apply all of the lessons I have learned over the past year to maintain this weight. I know that if I lose focus, I will gain. That has been my experience in the past. I would tell myself that no one can be on a diet forever. But in the past year, I have been rethinking this. I have observed my thin friends. They aren’t on a diet forever, but they don’t eat whatever they want either. If they have a high calorie lunch, they’ll have a conservative dinner. If they are full, they don’t eat more just because it tastes good or they’re at a party or it’s their birthday. When they are full, they stop eating.
My thin friends don’t even know that they have been mentoring me, but I need to emulate them. I need to remind myself every day that if I return to my previous eating pattern, I will return to my previous weight. These things may seem obvious to most people, but it is hard-won wisdom for me. In the past, due to my diabetes, I usually avoided junk food and almost never ate sweets but I often ate until I was over-stuffed. (My stomach didn’t seem to feel full until it was overfull.) I ate just because it was pleasurable, not because I was hungry.
I am so grateful for this website and tools like MyFitnessPal which have helped me to learn better habits and stay on track for the past year. If I get the idea in my head that I don’t need this help anymore so I don’t need to check in, I hope I’ll remember how I feel today and compare it to how I felt in January 2014. Do I really want to risk returning to that?

Had the surgery yesterday. Still in the hospital. My surgeon said I had minimal scar tissue. Didn't take any pain meds and the pain is bearable. They still have me on ice chips, just waiting to switch to Water

Just read through all the posts in this discussion, and I'm glad that I'm not the only person going through something like this. When I had told my Mom that I was looking into revision surgery a few months ago she was anything but supportive. According to her I should be able to lose weight on my own if I really tried, I just need to go to the gym and exercise more, I'm just looking for another a quick fix, The band didn't work so this probably won't either, etc.
Now that I actually have made up my mind to have the band taken out and revise to the VSG, I'm thinking that I'm probably just not going to tell her until after the fact. I've kept off 75 lbs with the band, but I still need to lose 125 or so more. I'm not getting any younger (turning 35 this summer) and I need to get healthier, so I need to do something. I've decided my health is more important then any issues my relatives may or may not have about surgery.

Hello everyone, my name is David and I'm from the suburbs of Philly. I had Realize Band surgery 4 years ago and I have lost 90+ lbs, but I am going to revise to the VSG at the end of this year/beginning of 2015 (assuming that my insurance company approves the revision). Just figured I'd say hello.

I'd rather die trying than die from obesity.

Right after surgery, everybody looses weight...lap band or no, we are on a strict post-op diet starting with Clear liquids and slowly progressing. Who wouldn't loose weight? And yet people give credit to the band.
At this stage, the Lap Band is doing nothing, IMO....it was installed and nothing more.(there are a FEW EXCEPTIONS...very few)
And let's face it...people who have much to loose, will loose more than the next person not quite so heavy.
So when someone says "I Lost 50 lbs, blah blah blah, the next person should not feel bad only loosing 10lbs.
I know people who could loose 50lbs if they skipped dinner! (only joking)
There are people here who start at 400lbs and loose over 200, and people who start at 225 and only loose 75....so which is more difficult?
So don't let the #'s intimidate you...it's all relative.
I had my first fill 4 weeks after surgery, and it was 4cc's....after that, I began to gain weight because it also the time I came off the post-op diet and began eating normal food again. DUH!
That first fill did absolutely nothing.
Had my second fill of 2cc's, 4 weeks after that, = 8 weeks from surgery.
The band began to do something....I didn't loose weight, but I did not gain either.
All this time I was being told and reminded to count calories, measure portions, stay away from certain foods/drink, etc...ALL the things I could have done (and have done) without surgery, the time and anxiety put into preparing for this, not to mention the $$.
Talk about Frustration!! I felt it was a big Rip Off!
Came back 4 weeks after that, = 12 weeks from surgery for my 3rd, (and final) fill. THAT one put me over the top.Pushed me off the edge!
Could not keep anything down. Feared I was going to be malnourished, etc. I was free falling!
Many people would have gone back to get it taken out, get back within their comfort zone......but my Dr. (who knows ME and not YOU) talked me into sticking it out, talked me into slowing down my eating, choice of foods, all those thing etc, etc.
Also said if I did get that last (small) fill removed, it would put me back to where I was after my 2nd fill...did I want that?
I'm glad he did...it took weeks - months for things to start to find that groove, but it did all start to fall in line.
That elusive "Fine balance - Harmony" where the band performs splendidly. The true "Green Zone"
I quess my point is, this thing DOES WORK, but it is not going to work immediately...it is adjustable and it takes time, sometimes with trial and error, to get it right.
And it is not just the band that gets adjusted along the way...we too have to get adjusted to the Lap Band. And that is key to success.
Lap Band Surgery will "Change Your Life" but you have to ready and willing for change. And that can be very frustrating and take some time. Even though my last needed fill was 12 weeks from surgery, and the weight began to steadily and consistently come off, a year later I was still learning lessons, Life changing lessons...most times the hard and unpleasant way. Did not mean the band is at fault.
I'm 4 years out, and I can do something right now, this moment, that would cause a very negative reaction with my band. Does not mean my band is at fault...it means I just did something I should never do...simple, yet it did take time to learn the difference.
If people told me 4 years ago what and how little I would be eating today, and still be healthy and full of energy, I would have said they were blowing smoke up my you know what.
And yet here I am at that place, and to tell new people this, would be accepted the same as I would have 4 years ago.
This is the internet, and 1000's of people come and go here all the time. And I have read people's posts about frustration and feelings of failure (many of which are way pre-mature...give it a chance) when in fact I sense they are not willing to accept change. (still talking about pizza and cheese burgers, etc? Really?)
Not all, but some. There are people who legitimately have problems, complications. But we, strangers on the internet can ever tell what is going on.
They can't understand why they keep getting stuck...There's something wrong with their band...maybe there is, and maybe it's not the band....no one on the internet can tell for sure.
That is why it is best, IMO, it's best for people to simply share their own experiences, AT ALL LEVELS, good and bad, positive and negative...
Ok, it's 4am on a Sunday, I'm rambling on with my morning coffee before heading to the gym at 6...nothing more, just rambling..and pehaps ranting.

Hi everyone! My name is Melissa. I was banded by Dr. Zapata in Monterrey, Mexico back in the spring of 2010. This is a bit long, but I gotta get it out... Maybe it'll help people who end up in my situation. Who knows?
Unfortunately, I went into the surgery with a HORRIBLE attitude. I just sat back and expected my band to do ALL of the work for me without me actually making any changes. If I ate too much or too fast, I just threw it up. No big deal, right? Of course... I wouldn't even admit that to myself. I for the LIFE of me couldn't figure out why I was sick EVERY SINGLE TIME I ATE!
In spite of all of that, I DID manage to lose about 60 pounds, but... Because of the vomiting (that again, I just couldn't make sense of) my band was ultimately drained and I was diagnosed with gall stones and had my gall bladder removed to help with the constant sickness. Lo and behold, I had my gall bladder removed last Thanksgiving (2013) and the vomiting didn't even slow down. Stress made it worse. I'm currently in nursing school and I WAY know about stress.
We had finals a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't focus to study because I was literally throwing up everything I put in my mouth. So... To try to take my mind off of my stomach pain and puking, I switched myself to a liquid diet. That lasted from Saturday night until my final Wednesday morning. Amazingly, I felt a lot better. I wasn't throwing up. My constant sinus pain-- apparently the result of reflux while I was sleeping that was burning my sinus cavity-- vanished. I DID NOT DO THE liquid diet FOR WEIGHT LOSS. Remember? I was in denial. My band was just broken. It did nothing. Who the heck knew why I always threw up? Maybe I had stomach cancer... (LOL I swear I'm not usually so melodramatic)
When I started eating solids again, I was reluctant. I felt a lot better and was kinda sad to think I'd be giving it up. So I did was professional students do. I researched. Guess what? People who don't respect their WLS and don't change their habits tend to have the issues I was having. A more. And giving my banded stomach time to heal with no puking allowed my band to actually make its presence known. So, I figured what the heck...
I started back like I had just had surgery. Soft foods eaten slowly. No drinking with meals. Smart food choices. You know.... All the stuff I was meant to do the FIRST TIME around. And holy crap, it's like I've actually had WLS. Even with an unfilled band. I have restriction. I'm content with a cup to a cup and a half of food. I haven't thrown up in weeks. I've lost 20 pounds. Head hunger exists. I don't like it, but I can cope. Because dang it, I paid for this surgery and even if it was 4 years ago I'm gonna get my money's worth!
So, that's where I stand. That's my story. And I'm back. And this time, dang it, I'm gonna do it right!
~ Melissa ~

Hello everyone, my name is David and I'm from the suburbs of Philly. I had Realize Band surgery 4 years ago and I have lost 90+ lbs, but I am going to revise to the VSG at the end of this year/beginning of 2015 (assuming that my insurance company approves the revision). Just figured I'd say hello.

.

Just had my 6 month follow up with dr's and still cannot believe how this surgery has changed my life, I went from a high weight of around 285 to 169, size 40/42 pants to 32/33 and med/large shirts not only has my eating and workout habits changed but my outlook on life in general, I love being outside and being active, I enjoy wearing nicer brighter clothes that stand out, there's more of a bounce in my step.
I'm sorry if I sound like I'm gloating, but by no means was this an easy road to haul, I cut out the social lunches at work and hit the gym instead now a lot of the guys and girls I work with join me in the gym and tell me what an inspiration I am to them, I prepare meals in advance so that I had them on hand and can eat properly and make smarter snack choices, I've had the full support of my loving wife and children who keep me motivated. I feel like I'm riding on cloud 9.

Finally got approved from BCBS, now waiting on my Dr. office for a surgery date

This is a cross post-



Here are my quick stats:

Lap-Band in Monterrey, Mexico in 2003. Over 11 years I lost 100 pounds and gained back 40.

Revision to Gastric Sleeve in Las Vegas August 5, 2014





When I was first researching about a revision surgery and the sleeve, I read about so many complications. I learned a lot about what could happen. For those of you who are debating surgery, here is my success story:





My experience has been great. I have NO REGRETS. I had my revision surgery from the lap-band to a gastric sleeve in one operation. In fact, it was done as an outpatient. I arrived at the hospital at 6am and was on my couch recovering at about 4:30 pm.



Since the first day I was able to drink Water and a ready-made Protein Shake. It was slow drinking, but had no issues. I took my pain medication for 2 days, only because I was scared that if I didn't take them, I would have pain. I didn't. I would say the worst pain I felt on a scale of 1-10 was about a 4. I slept on my side after about 3 nights. I took a shower the day after my surgery and walked a lot. On about day 3 I got the gas pains, but took Gas X and they only were bad for about an hour. I had no problem getting in my 60 grams of Protein - in fact, I usually had 80 grams (2 shakes and one powders? utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury chicken Soup broth)



On day 10, my Protein Shakes started to disagree with me - well, my intestines disagreed with them! As soon as I started drinking, I could feel my intestines filling with water and would have to run to the bathroom. TMI I know, but it happened.



14 days after surgery at my 2 week follow up appointment, I told my doc that the protein shakes were giving me issues and his response was to stop drinking them and "let's get you on solid foods." I haven't had one since (almost 2 weeks ago). Since then, I have been eating real food and I feel great! I have mostly had softer foods like deli turkey or eggs but last night I had salmon and it was great.



I feel better today 25 days after surgery than I have felt in the last 2 years. I have lost 25 pounds but it must look like more because everyone I see is asking me if I have lost weight (I don't think I look like I have, but that's another issue.....) I have energy like never before. I sleep better. I feel "normal" when I go out to eat. I sometimes want the junk, but I am able to resist. My stomach has NEVER growled and I don't feel hungry. Sometimes I feel "empty," but I can wait to eat.



I am a boring patient. I LOVE being boring! Anyone else out there proud to be boring?

You shouldn't feel like giving up. 28 lbs is a great start, especially with no fill in your band. The band is a tool that requires upkeep and maintenance (fills). Make sure that you keep going back to your surgeon for follow up visits, as it will take several fills to get to good restriction. And after a while your restriction will change and require another adjustment.
It's important to keep moving/exercising and to follow the rules of the band (don't eat and drink together, etc).

As of this morning I met my goal of reaching 175 pounds, down from an all-time high of 324. My journey has not been easy as I had some complications and a second surgery early-on, but I have no regrets about being sleeved and continue to be thankful for this opportunity .
While many are pressuring me to to stop losing weight, I know that I need to lose at least another 10 pounds as my love handles are still begging for attention.

If you didn't do it yourself, who did it for you?

ex·cuse
verb
ikˈskyo͞oz/
1. attempt to lessen the blame attaching to (a fault or offense); seek to defend or justify.

Just for the record, for ALL of you out there. You do not need an "excuse" to NOT do something, whether it be walking in a 5K or climbing on a treadmill. My 'excuse' - I have no interest, 'Nuff said.

Don't ever feel pressured or bullied, yes, BULLIED - don't ever feel 'less than' because you cannot or CHOOSE not to do what others do. Do not feel this is a competition. Do not feel if you aren't participating, you will be shunned or that you're an outcast. You are not.
We all must find the path that works best for us as we learn to maneuver our way through this tiny tummy business. Some of us are animals when it comes to walking, running and exercise - let me stop right here and say, many of these people are my friends, they know who they are and they know how much I respect and admire what they do. I am pretty sure I could not do what they do. I don't want to do what they do, but I sure love following their progress and dedication.
The point is, time and again I see a "What's your excuse?" and it rubs me the wrong way. Bullying rubs me the wrong way and it IS bullying, you can put lipstick on that pig, but it's still a pig. "What's your excuse" is NOT encouragement, it is NOT support, it is a dig to try and make you feel less than and that is NOT ok. Ever.

17 of it was prior to my surgery from being on a 1400 calorie diet but Im owning every pound LOL.
Thanks for the commnts Jess and Karunch!

Congratulations! 100 lbs is amazing. You lost that in just the 5 months since surgery? Regardless, 100 lbs is awesome. You're off to a great start!!!!

Hello everyone my name is David, I'm 34 and live in the Philly burbs. I had joined this website years ago when I was researching surgery, but I never wound up using the forums. I had the Realize Band placed 4 years ago back on 8/24/2010 & I started at 379 lbs and I ended up losing 100 lbs the first year. The past 3 years my weight has yo-yo'd up and down a bit, but for the most part I've stayed in the 280 - 290 lbs range. While I'm very happy to have maintained around a 90 lbs weight loss, I still have at least 100 lbs more to go so I'm thinking of revising to the VSG.
When I was first looking into bariatric surgery the surgeon of course was recommending the DS or the RNY for me because of the amount of weight that I needed to lose. For years and years I've suffered with tons of GI/stomach issues, including Rapid Gastric Emptying/Gastric Dumping, so the idea of getting my insides rerouted and changed was not appealing to me (and it still isn't, actually). Since I already was suffering from dumping before any type of bariatric surgery, I most certainly did not want to have bypass surgery in which one of the side effects could be dumping syndrome. So I decided on the band at that point, and it also is why I'm not considering a revision to one of the bypass surgeries now either.
As of right now I've been maintaining around a 40% loss of excess body weight which my surgeon says is a good result for the band. I currently have around 9 cc's in my band, so there isn't too much more that can be added. A majority of the time I have little to no restriction with my band, while sometimes I eat just a few bites and food gets stuck. The inconsistency of the restriction is driving me crazy. I just went and spoke to my surgeon this past week and I discussed revision to VSG and what I need to do to start the process. Pending insurance approval from Keystone Health Plant East for the revision, I am hoping to have the band taken out and be revised to the VSG sometime in December or January. The surgeon tells me that he will most likely do it as one surgery, but he of course will not know for sure until he goes in and removes the band to decide if it can be done at the same time.
I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself, and I look forward to reading about everyones weight loss journey.

Hello everyone my name is David, I'm 34 and live in the Philly burbs. I had joined this website years ago when I was researching surgery, but I never wound up using the forums. I had the Realize Band placed 4 years ago back on 8/24/2010 & I started at 379 lbs and I ended up losing 100 lbs the first year. The past 3 years my weight has yo-yo'd up and down a bit, but for the most part I've stayed in the 280 - 290 lbs range. While I'm very happy to have maintained around a 90 lbs weight loss, I still have at least 100 lbs more to go so I'm thinking of revising to the VSG.
When I was first looking into bariatric surgery the surgeon of course was recommending the DS or the RNY for me because of the amount of weight that I needed to lose. For years and years I've suffered with tons of GI/stomach issues, including Rapid Gastric Emptying/Gastric Dumping, so the idea of getting my insides rerouted and changed was not appealing to me (and it still isn't, actually). Since I already was suffering from dumping before any type of bariatric surgery, I most certainly did not want to have bypass surgery in which one of the side effects could be dumping syndrome. So I decided on the band at that point, and it also is why I'm not considering a revision to one of the bypass surgeries now either.
As of right now I've been maintaining around a 40% loss of excess body weight which my surgeon says is a good result for the band. I currently have around 9 cc's in my band, so there isn't too much more that can be added. A majority of the time I have little to no restriction with my band, while sometimes I eat just a few bites and food gets stuck. The inconsistency of the restriction is driving me crazy. I just went and spoke to my surgeon this past week and I discussed revision to VSG and what I need to do to start the process. Pending insurance approval from Keystone Health Plant East for the revision, I am hoping to have the band taken out and be revised to the VSG sometime in December or January. The surgeon tells me that he will most likely do it as one surgery, but he of course will not know for sure until he goes in and removes the band to decide if it can be done at the same time.
I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself, and I look forward to reading about everyones weight loss journey.

Hello everyone my name is David, I'm 34 and live in the Philly burbs. I had joined this website years ago when I was researching surgery, but I never wound up using the forums. I had the Realize Band placed 4 years ago back on 8/24/2010 & I started at 379 lbs and I ended up losing 100 lbs the first year. The past 3 years my weight has yo-yo'd up and down a bit, but for the most part I've stayed in the 280 - 290 lbs range. While I'm very happy to have maintained around a 90 lbs weight loss, I still have at least 100 lbs more to go so I'm thinking of revising to the VSG.
When I was first looking into bariatric surgery the surgeon of course was recommending the DS or the RNY for me because of the amount of weight that I needed to lose. For years and years I've suffered with tons of GI/stomach issues, including Rapid Gastric Emptying/Gastric Dumping, so the idea of getting my insides rerouted and changed was not appealing to me (and it still isn't, actually). Since I already was suffering from dumping before any type of bariatric surgery, I most certainly did not want to have bypass surgery in which one of the side effects could be dumping syndrome. So I decided on the band at that point, and it also is why I'm not considering a revision to one of the bypass surgeries now either.
As of right now I've been maintaining around a 40% loss of excess body weight which my surgeon says is a good result for the band. I currently have around 9 cc's in my band, so there isn't too much more that can be added. A majority of the time I have little to no restriction with my band, while sometimes I eat just a few bites and food gets stuck. The inconsistency of the restriction is driving me crazy. I just went and spoke to my surgeon this past week and I discussed revision to VSG and what I need to do to start the process. Pending insurance approval from Keystone Health Plant East for the revision, I am hoping to have the band taken out and be revised to the VSG sometime in December or January. The surgeon tells me that he will most likely do it as one surgery, but he of course will not know for sure until he goes in and removes the band to decide if it can be done at the same time.
I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself, and I look forward to reading about everyones weight loss journey.