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@ - Thank you! I'm just happy not to have any sagging skin on my face. I hope my body follows suit. @@mayasmomma - I am not anti-bypass. In fact the friend who recommended my surgeon had the bypass and has been very successful on it. She is 2 years post op and maintaining well. What I am saying is there really is a choice sleeve or bypass. Do your homework about pros, cons etc.... and take into consideration your own body makeup and needs before you make a decision.

SO excited and so scared! My surgery is scheduled for Wed Feb 12. I am looking forward to the new hotter, healthier, more active me but so very scared at the same time. I am nervous about trying to take care of my 18 month old post op. I'm nervous about being one of those people that is always nauseous and sick( it's not like they can put my stomach back!). I'm scared that I will look worse with all my excess skin than I do now. I'm afraid that my new smaller portions will somehow scar my daughter as she gets older and becomes food conscious. I'm afraid of how long recovery will take (I can really only be out of work 10 days). And of course the big one I'm terrified that something bad will happen while I'm under. Is this really worth dying for? I know that's extreme but when I look into my daughters face that's the one that gets me the most. On the bright side I finally had the first good (easy) day of my pre op diet positive thoughts encouraged please!

We all wish this surgical tool would correct what for me was a 20 year battle overnight. Why cant I be ahead of the curve? After all, I committed to the process, this is a one way street (assuming you had the sleeve as I did), why for once can't I be the medical marvel? We all have had those thoughts. Especially on the days the scale does not move. This is a marathon followed by two more marathons. My doc, like all medical professionals, talks in terms of statistical averages. Some loose faster than others, some do not loose at all. Stay the course, exercise, eat right and it will come off. In terms of my personal numbers I had surgery 4.18...I weighed in at 400 on the day of surgery, today I weighed 249.....151lbs lost.....Food for me has evolved from a comfort blanket to nourishment. As I think about it, for me, the mental transformation has been much more important than the physical. It is a journey, success will be reaching my goal weight and maintaining. Mark

Hi - I've had 1 band fill using the x-ray thingy and really felt no restriction. The clinic have phoned to schedule in my secong fill and have told me that alot of people don't feel restriction on the first fill. Tomorrow I am going for my second fill and am hoping for restriction so that I can start loosing weight again as I seemed to plateau. Can anyone tell me if they fill the band does this mean the whole that the food passes through gets smaller too? I'm presuming it does but it has taken long enough to learn to chew enough to get the food down now so I just wanna confirm if I have to re-learn how much is too much again!! Any help would be gratefully appreciated. Thnx all xx

Hi, I’m looking for advice. I weigh 11 stone 11 pounds and I’m booked in to have gastric band surgery in less than a week. As it gets nearer to the time I’m starting to have second thoughts. I have been trying to loose weigh all my life but I just can’t. I know I’m now very overweight but I really want to loose 3 stone. Am I crazy to do this?? I’d love some advice because I’m feeling very nervous. Thank you in advance

I had my labband surgery One year ago. I started at 220.. and now I am holding at 185ish. I have dropped from a size 18 to a very loose 14. I realize that my weight loss isn't as good as most posted here. I guess the reason I am blogging today is that I am a little discouraged. I expected greater weight loss. I believe that most of the reason that I am not losing is because I dont' eat eno.ugh and I am not doing the exercize I should be doing. But today I am vowing to have a much better second year. I feel the need to become a success story . I want it , so i have to work for it. i gues enough of my babbling..i will return with an update soon. tata:blink:

HELP!!! i am almost 2 weeks post-op, and i am on "mushy" foods. i have run out of ideas!!! i had eggsalad, tuna salad, chicken salad-- and that about does it!! i have 30 more days of this stage, and i think i might loose my mind!! i am hungry, and i dont want to deviate, but i've run out of ideas and recipes!! also having a hard time with the protein shakes. i can get one down early morning--its 8oz, and i basically drink as fast as possible... little frustrated today!!:sad:

This has been a busy & fun week so far! I said in my last blog that I was going to announce to my bunco group that I had done the LAP-BAND®®, but decided instead to keep it to myself. I'm just not ready to "go public". Plus, I know if they are curious, they will ask! I cooked all 16 women a great, healthy dinner and some desserts that were a bit indulgent, and that did not bother me at all! I kept myself busy talking with everyone and really enjoyed myself, the night was a success! Today was my 2 week post op appt and I am down 24 & 1/2 pounds! I feel like a new woman already! Everything checked out perfect & I was released to the "mushy" food stage...oh boy! The one thing I cannot wait for is my 4 week mark, when I can get back to the gym. I have been walking almost every day, and my body really feels like it needs more. Plus, it will help tighten up skin as I continue to lose. I am excited to go to the gym after how many years?? I am embracing every step of this journey and am loving my new life! Thank you God for my continued strength!

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. -Nelson Mandela- No man ever achieved worthwhile success who did not, at one time or other, find himself with at least one foot hanging well over the brink of failure. -Napoleon Hill-

Don't Keep your Eye OFF that PRIZE! Anything you want in life thats worth anything is not going to be easy! I see that you have made changes to this journey you started a long time ago! I could have waited to get my date,,, but I know the anticipation you are feeling,,, just know now is the time to deny that love obsession for the foods you can't live with out! REALLY,,,, I know you want this band and I encourage you to continue ur efforts,,, but we all have bad habits that has brought you to the idea that you need help loosing this extra weight. You have time to understand the types of foods u should be eating and the amounts whichARE VERY small. I eat less than 500 calories per day and I take in about 75 grams of protein; I work out 3 to 5 x per week,, but i move alot more easily than I did before! I would like to quote another Bandster (don't remember her name) she said," I wish I would have had the surgery a long time ago, it is very painful to heal, But I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!" You must take this BANDING TOOL and use it as all successful Bandits have, make better food choices, eat to satiety( satisified NOT STUFFED), learn to eat for 30 min taking one small bite at a time and find a whey Protein (in take 60- 80 grms per day no more!) that you can tolerate, then go to this web site and look for sugar free syrups to add to ur shakes, and ideas for new recipes! Good luck on your Journey, though ur not an Offical Bandster,,, I will offer any help to encourage the fact that your Banding date is closer than you will expect! http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ God Bless!

Didn't read everyones responses but heres my experince: I was sleeved on July 25th of this year..so far I'm down about 29lbs (It's fluctuating right now due to travel/eating choices) I'm ok with that! I've set my one time goal of 135 by next year..but I'm not stressing getting there all at once. Yes, I weigh in every day, but i don't let it affect me mood...i just see it as a tool..like "Huh, I ate xyz yesterday off plan and this is what happened..ok. I know I can't afford that every day" Kind of thing. Also, I work at a desk and I have a crazy busy lifestyle (3 jobs, 2 kids, 2 partners, yadda yadda) so I have found ways to include exercise into my day. I belly dance on the weekends...so I do tummy rolls all day sitting at my desk and that helps tone! You can also look up desk exercises you can do at work. I sit on a stability ball so Im always moving even when Im sitting and typing. The bosses thought it was weird at first but now its just my normal. Take the stairs, park further away, do squats while you pull laundry from the dryer...there are a thousand ways to get some type of exercise in every day even when you dont have time to work out. Also, if no one has mentioned it before..check your measurements...While I haven't lost a ton of weight, Im loosing inches like CRAZY! I've been recording my non scale victories and celebrating them even more than the scale victories. And remember..you can do this!!

Wow...I wondered about this very concern last night. I had noticed as I had gained weight that my feet seemed to get bigger, but it did cross my mind lst night about this. I was always a 6.5, and went up to a 7.5 or 8 depending on the shoe. I have noticed definitely bra size, and pants are now very loose, and I still have a way to go.

Don't feel bad. I'm not loosing very fast either. I was sleeves on June 14 and have only lost 20 pounds. I consume about 500 calories a day. I haven't been exercising much because it's been so blasted hot in SC. I thought I would have lost a lot more than I have. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

@@Felicia Corrales Gonzales i can only imagine the strength/decication it took to care for your mom these past 4 years condolences on your loss you realize you want/need to change the history of obesity in your family good for you on wanting to get healthier, and happier for YOU hubby and kids et al will "feel" your success not loosing any more weight??? not "sneaking" pizza, or ice cream et al?? sorry bud i had to ask if you are drinking the above, not eating you must/will loose weight i have confidence in you fingers & toes crossed May 4th, VSG keep drinking shakes and water might flow up to your eyes!!!! do what you gotta do the necessary weight should come off good luck with surgery speedy recovery kathy I admit I probably have cheated with 300 extra calories = one portioned/weeighted out meal in the last 2 weeks. My doctor says he thinks I'm eitherr retaining water or salt (?) Thanks for the support!

Wow... things like that makes me laugh... because yes u do have people of darker skin that are lazy azzes and other latino's that will work their azzes off to make money to take care of their family's ... and other class of people that are redicilious also... but calling people slaves...wow... violence is not the key but she deserved a mouth shot for that one....lol....

Last year I had a lower body lift and a breast lift with augmentation and it resulted in about 5 lbs. of skin being removed. Good luck.

hi...even I am not loosing...tho I eat lot of protein..our bodies resist a lot..it is a combination of exercise, high protein diet and lots of water....combine all three stop junk food and you will loose.

Definitely don't take off the steri-strips, just let them fall off when they are ready. I had one come off earlier and my scar there is wider and pinker in that area. I was told not to swim until 4 weeks out. Best to call the doctor and ask. Also, if your wounds look like they could be open at all or if you have any drainage, don't go at all until they are closed. I started to use some liquid bandages (maybe it was called new skin or something similar) when I started spending more time in the Water. The water doesnt seem to affect it at all. It worked well for me.

Okay, this list is what Dr. Aceves' office sends out. Other doctors may have other suggestions. Suggested items to bring to the hospital: Some items you may want to consider taking to the hospital with you: Pajamas, the nurses and doctors will be checking your incisions so you might be more comfortable in your own pajamas than the hospital gowns, however, hospital gowns are provided if you prefer. Non skid slippers, thongs, or slip on shoes of some sort. The hospital floors are very clean and waxed, so you'll want non-skid. It will be sore to bend over so you won't want to tie shoe laces so slip on shoes are easier. A favorite robe, many times it is comforting to have a favorite robe. Computer - if you have a laptop you are welcome to bring it. The hospital and hotel are set up with wireless internet connection. Any of Dr. Aceves' staff can give you the password at the hospital. You do not need a password in the hotel. Cell phone - Most cell phones work well in the hospital, if your phone does not work most of the staff will loan you their phone. The electrical system is the same in Mexico as the US so you do not need a converter for your hair dryer, computer, or cell phone charger. Shampoo - this is provided by the hospital but many prefer their own brands so they prefer to bring their own. Book or other reading material. You will not likely feel like reading the day of surgery but you might the day after surgery. Loose fitting clothing to wear coming home. You will likely feel a bit bloated after surgery so bring a sweat suit or something very loose fitting and comfortable for your ride home from the hospital. I do not suggest bringing much cash with you. Unless you want to do a little shopping the day before your surgery there is no need for much cash. You will want to purchase dinner the night before surgery and $25.00 per person will cover that easily, less for most restaurants. If you want to have access to cash then credit cards are a safer alternative. You will not need to convert US dollars to pesos, you can use US dollars for your companion in the hospital cafeteria and all businesses around Mexicali if you choose to do a little shopping. Good luck to you on your upcoming surgery! Grocery list for post op diet: Just as a suggestion you might want to do a bit of grocery shopping before you have surgery so that when you come home you will not need to go to the store, you will be able to rest and relax. Some ideas are: Broth, chicken, Beef, Vegetable, or they have new products out (new to me) that are Chinese soup broths in a carton that you simply heat. It would give you a bit of variety. Popsicles that are Water based, sugar free, and a variety of flavors. Ramon Noodles. While the noodles are not acceptable during the clear phase of the post op diet there is a packet of dry broth mix that many seem to like, it has a bit more kick than regular broth, I am told. Propel water, you can purchase this as bottled water or you can purchase individual packets of this product and put it in water and mix. The reason this product is good is because many are used to a high carbohydrate diet and when your body is used to many carbs, especially white carbs such as flour, Pasta, rice, potatoes, sugar; your pancreas tends to put out a bit too much insulin because of the carb load. When you remove carbs from your diet it can potentially be a drastic change and your pancreas is still putting out a bit too much insulin during the post op diet. This can cause low blood sugar, your stomach might feel nauseated, you might begin to perspire, feel like you are trembling. This does not happen to everyone but it does seem to happen more to older folks or those used to very high white carb diets. Propel water has a very small amount of sugar in it. Just enough to bring your blood sugar up but not enough to cause large blood sugar spikes. Sugar Free Gatorade, it is a new product that is low carb but it has some electrolytes that are beneficial during the post op stage. Water, you need to get about 64oz of fluids in daily. Your broth and Popsicles count toward your 64oz of fluids daily. The key is to sip, sip, sip all day long. The first few days you may find that you cannot get your full 64oz of fluids in, try as hard as you can. You do not want to become dehydrated. If you enjoy tap water that is fine, if you don't then perhaps try bottled water and see if that goes down. Crystal Lite, Sugar Free Hawaiian Punch, pretty much any sugar free water flavorings are fine during the post op diet. Protein products, during days 1-5 you'll need a clear Protein product such as Isopure clear bottled protein liquid or unjury. You can find Isopure at General Nutrition Stores or a variety of Health food stores. Unjury must be ordered on line in advance of your surgery, /smallwww.unjury.com. They have an unflavored product that is nice because when you are done with clears it is versatile and you can add it to Jello, cooking, smoothies, etc. Please note, this is a whey protein product. All whey protein products have one issue in common and that is that they don't heat easily. If you add any whey protein product to a hot liquid it will clump. The key is to add it to a cold liquid and heat slowly, then it will not turn into lumps. A good source of protein products after the clear liquid phase (you can use these with water instead of milk starting day #5, and with milk starting day #11) can be purchased reasonably at: www.netrition.com Some excellent products are: Matrix 5.0 by Syntrax [Syntrax Matrix 5.0 Protein Powder The more popular flavors are chocolate and Cookies & Cream. You can spice up the Chocolate with Da Vinci Sugar Free Syrups: Netrition's Da Vinci Prices Another very popular protein product if you like Chocolate and Peanut Butter is Whey Gourmet, Choco/Peanut butter: PVL Whey Gourmet I suggest the above because you'll need to consume about 60-80gms of protein after surgery. During the post op diet this can be difficult to do. Adding protein supplements can make this much easier. You'll want to track your protein intake in the beginning and a few free, on line sites you can do that are: www.thedailyplate.com www.sparkpeople.com www.fitday.com Just see which format you prefer of the above. The Daily Plate has a weight graph, daily you put your weight in and it is satisfying to see the numbers go down! ReplyReply AllMove...800 calls-personairlineAlaska airlines mile...AlmanzaBaby Wesleyboard stuff to savedance callendargas pricesjoanjokesNikirecipesrenter phone numberresume Go to Previous message | Go to Next message | Back to Messages Select Message EncodingASCII (ASCII)Greek (ISO-8859-7)Greek (Windows-1253)Latin-10 (ISO-8859-16)Latin-3 (ISO-8859-3)Latin-6 (ISO-8859-10)Latin-7 (ISO-8859-13)Latin-8 (ISO-8859-14)Latin-9 (ISO-8859-15)W. European (850)W. European (CP858)W. European (HPROMAN8)W. European (MACROMAN8)W. 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Thank You everyone for your comments! Pat, my next goal is to loose 20 more lbs and start exercising again. I feel a little guilty expressing my good news when there is such sad news on the board about Blossom. Thanks again everyone...Love Janie

Quick question ... Just had my surgery 7 days ago (but havnt eaten in 12) ... Dr said he tells everyone 2 weeks ... I'm about to loose my mind ... Can I have mashed potatoes now ? Or egg or soup or anything

Hi. So my surgery won’t be until December I’m getting the gastric sleeve. however I’m trying to prepare as much ahead of time as possible. Changing diet exercising etc. I’ve seen a lot of posts about people not loosing the amount they wanted to and I was just wondering what was the most challenging issues and how you overcame them?

my Dr. actually said you should loose 1lb per day in the first 3 months ^^^^ Huh? I'd bet you'd be hard pressed to find many, if any, that statistic is true for. Your doc is a quack or you misunderstood.

I also dont understand. I only had surgery 5 weeks ago and this week have only lost 1 lb. I thought the weight would come off quicker, my Dr. actually said you should loose 1lb per day in the first 3 months and that is definitely not happening for me. I am only consuming protein shakes, yogurt, cottage cheese and tofu and not loosing much weight. I am terrified what will happen when I get back to regular food if I am not loosing now.