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Thanks proud2beme! I am really looking forward to my surgery date. I only have to do all liquids 1 day before surgery, I definitely don't feel so bad now if you had to do a whole week. I have heard 2wks after surgery is all liquid but that even that is hard because your just not interested. Did you experience that after surgery? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using the BariatricPal App

Congrats - and the fact you went walking instead of snacking tells you all you need to know. Also, stalls do end. You are human, and you may slip up. You have proven however that you can choose a healthy alternative. I have tried to walk the straight and narrow path and have been successful for the most part. It was hard for me to accept when I slipped up, until I realized that I was just adding too much pressure on myself. Now I make every effort in the days following a slip up (successfully, thank God) to avoid starting a pattern. You are doing great!

Hi gang, I'm officially in my first real stall - have stayed at roughly the same weight now for just over a week. This isn't a fun feeling, especially after losing close to a pound per day for about the first month after surgery. (I'm almost through 7 weeks post op now). I know everyone says "embrace the stall" - easier said than done haha Never the less, I have had some victories I want to report. I'm proud of myself in them: 1. I ran 1.2 miles without stopping last week. It took me 12 minutes but I didn't stop. The last time I remember being able to do this Was 14 years ago. (!!!!) A goal I have for myself is to eventually complete a marathon race, this is the first step and I'm jazzed. 2. I exercised 6 of 7 days last week. Yahoo. 3. Last night when I got home from work and picking up the kids, I very very badly wanted to eat. I had already eaten dinner more or less. But I WANTED more. Instead of going in the house when we pulled in the driveway, I immediately put the kids in the stroller and we went out for a half hour walk in the dark. When we got back, I no longer wanted to eat - at least not nearly as much. It felt like a victory and I was proud: attempting a healthy coping mechanism in place of my old standby, Snacks. 4. I'm off all my medications now (save for vitamins). No bp meds, no more metformin, no more triglycerides lowerers, no more psych meds. It feels good. I'm hopeful. Anyways, thanks for hearing my cheers. Any encouragement on my weight stall is much appreciated! I'm half way to goal right now and I want to stay on the path. Keeping away from sweets, snacking, and eating too often feels like my biggest hurdle at this point. I have to admit though, fear of failure is creeping back in for me already. Not my friend. Not fun. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey every one, so my brother had his sleeve done about a month before me and he is now 8 weeks post up, but seems like he eats a LOT of food. We had the same surgeon and he uses a size 40 Bouge. Last night I witnessed my brother eat 2 hotdogs with the bread and say he still doesn't feel "stuffed" and could likely eat another. is this normal? we have the same doc so does this mean I'm also doomed to eating as large of portions as before surgery just to get the satisfied feeling? feeling so sad for him and scared for me right now! It just doesn't seem possible that he could hold that much food.

I am scheduled for surgery on April 4. I had a required three month session, which included 2 small pre-op classes, 2 large group post-op sesssions, 2 with nutrionist, 1 psychologist, 2 registered nurse visits, pcp visit, 1 surgeon visit, bloodwork, and an ultra sound. All of my requirements have been met the end of Feb. I have surgery scheduled, but am waiting for the "go ahead" from insurance that can take 4-6 weeks. It was not bad at all. You really learn a lot from the sessions and I looked forward to them. I would not be as prepared today without them. Good luck to you!!

Hello all. Just recently was diagnosed with pcos and sleep apnea. I have decided to take the first step in the lapband journey. I have Kaiser and live in Sacramento. My pcp sent a referral for me to attend a class next week. Just wondering if anyone knows the timeframe for surgery? My bmi is 38 but since I have pcos and sleep apnea will that speed up the process?

Hello everyone........ So I'm two weeks, actually 11 days away from my surgery so I'm doing the two week Opti Fast diet........ THIS IS SO HARD...... I'm ok while at work, because I stay busy and my co-workers are all rooting for me and I have two friends at work; one which already had Lapnand and one having the sleeve and they are really supportive. But when I come home it's a different story. I live near every fast food restaurant you could imagine and it SEEMS EVERY COMMERCIAL ON TV IS ABOUT FOOD. Not to mention the Opti Fast is gross......... I wish I could drink something like slim fast. How did you guys make it through this pre-op diet?

Hi all - taking an unexpected trip to NYC for 3 days and I am only 3.5 weeks out. I am going to pack yogurt and perky turkey Jerky - I'm having a blank brain. Any other packable items ? I can eat soft mushy foods. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

This is only my 3rd week after sleeve. I guess I have already reached my weight loss stall! I'm eating very little carbs mainly just protein and I've started walking a mile every morning ! I hope this doesn't last long!

I'm curious if you guys have all been tracking your weight weekly since your surgery. I've been keeping a spreadsheet where I track my weight every Monday morning (my surgery was on a Monday) and I find it fascinating to see the differences in how much weight I've lost each week, even though I'm only 4 weeks out so far. I would LOVE to see some of your stats if you are willing to share them so I can see how much variance there is in the week-to-week losses further out from surgery than I am. So, if you have been tracking your weight weekly, please post all the weekly stats here! Here's mine so far: Surgery: 235.6 Week 1: 228.6 (-7.0) Week 2: 228.2 (-0.4) Week 3: 224.4 (-3.8) Week 4: 221.8 (-2.6) Looking forward to seeing yours!

Ok thanks for letting me know. Most people seem to lose a lot of weight their first week and I just lost the weight I gained from the IV fluids during surgery and feeling this bloated makes me feel like I'm never going to go down on the scale! Not to mention its very uncomfortable. I have a couple more days before I start my protein drinks but I've been managing to get my 64 oz of fluids a day down, however, that makes me feel even more bloated. Hopefully I'm like ya'll and feeling better by next week!

I'm on day two of the liquid diet. The first day was awful. I felt light-headed, nausious and I had a splitting headache. Today has been much better. I had a headache in the morning, but it's gone now and the hunger has subsided. I've had nothing but the three optifast shakes that I'm allowed. I think I'll be OK and make it through the next three weeks.:cursing:

That ricotta recipe sounds amazing! I'm at 2 1/2 weeks & have an appointment w/ nutritionist tomorrow to transition into thin purées & I SO can't wait to make the ricotta dish!!! Thanks for sharing!

Welcome Claire! I completely understand wanting to just survive the recovery phase. Especially those first couple of weeks! I too could give a wink about weight or meds immediately post-op, I just wanted to concentrate on getting some kind of nutrition in my body so I didn't feel so weak. I'm sorry that you're suffering from a cold. I can only imagine how much more frustrating and taxing it is on your recovery process. However, like all things in life, the cold will pass, your recovery will come and you will be well on your way to success. This site is a great place to come and ask questions, read others experiences and just have conversations in general about the sleeve. I hope your recovery is quick and that quickly and positively adjust to this new life style. Good luck to you!

@@xylena88 thats great you got your date already... on the 18th im find out the date of my surgery... did your dr put you on a diet now? i have been on one almost 3 weeks now. it been a lil difficult but i hope to catch up soon and make things easier for myself...

My insurance requires 6 months doctor monitored diet, so I have been on for the last 4 months. Dec 2nd is my 6th app, so then it goes to my insurance for approval. Once approved I go on the 2 week diet before surgery. My health care advocate with my insurance ( who will review for pre authorization) is hopeful it will be approved quickly as long as nothing is missing.

My surgery is set for November. All that is required now is to begin the two week liquid diet before surgery. I know the journey won't be easy, but I still feel as if I'm getting a new lease on life!

As I posted earlier I have had a problem for about 4 weeks with food getting stuck and reflux at night with the coughing. Went today to true results and did a barium swallow. Than goodness my band had not slipped. In fact it took a bit for them to see the brarium go down. apperently for some reason my band tightented up on its own. they removed ..75 cc's and for the first time in weeks i can eat without throwing up. Got an appt in 4 weeks to have the fluid added. I had 7.5 cc's in a 10cc band. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this

I am currently in this boat. I was asked to recheck my A1C in 8-12 weeks (from beginning of January) here we are 4 weeks later and I haven't done much if anything. I went out and bought all the good foods for my diabetic eating plan, but have no motivation and or always unfocused. I know I have roughly 8 weeks left...just really need to get my head in the game, but I felt that way too when I got the news.

My doctor said we will re evaluate my blood pressure meds at 2 months post op. Right now (6 weeks PO) My bottom number is borderline low blood pressure (62) and my top number is running high (142). My surgeon is already suggesting that she take me off the beta blocker. We shall see

I also did the 2 weeks of liquids..Optifast 5 times a day. It was very hard in the beginning. After the 3rd/4th day..I was ok with it. Then at a week..I started having second thoughts. It didn't help that I had to go to a bday party with Spaghetti and Pizza. It didn't help that I had to cook for my family. And it really didn't help when my hubby ordered a pizza!! LOL I cried a few times...it was the hardest thing I've ever done besides the 2 week post op diet of broth. It's just that withdrawal from real food. I missed it. But I had a lot of heart to heart talks with my hubby because I kept wanting to just quit. He kept me going and talked me right back into sticking to that liquid diet. He even promised to not order anymore pizza until I was on real food. LOL!!! The best part is...time went by and now I'm off that phase of the diet. It's hard, but you can do it!!

Ive posted this topic as it was a very valid point I had to consider prior to my get my band fitted , Get fitted in UK or abroad in Belgium as was the cheaper option. UK Price £7000 , Belgium £4,100 ( 4,500 Euros ) , obviously for belgium trip travel expenses and hotel expenses post op for a few days extra costs. Now I struggled with this for a while , what if this what if that , the clinic and consultant both been very highly rated , but finally I decided with the UK option and pay the extra , it included 1 year after care , as many consults , monthly dietician and free fills throughout the year to get me started. Still a little much but I finally decided nope Local is best. Now .. ok Im sure your thinking to yourself , we all think this , so I will leave my experience with you. 25th March , first band fitted , everything fine for two days , everyone great at hospital etc, surgeon consultant great , I was exstatic thats me on the way .... 26th March , get home ...... 27th March ... My wife picks up my meds I left hospital with , and says ( because I know tablets an issue , so had been breaking them down ) , these decoflanac tablets Nick it says you have not to break up , they must be taken whole, oh I said so thought well the pharmacy would not have gave me them if I m not supposed to take them I thought , pops one in .... oh no ... dear I choked ... choked again ... the damn pill had gotten stuck ... I wretched , and wretched and was violently sick all night .. oh a terrible state I was in , called my consultant next day , come straight in he says , Saturday straight in , and he checked me immediately. He felt perhaps the little fill to prime the band was problem , drained that , and that possible my stomach where pill had gotten stuck perhaps inflammed, but I tried to drink some water as he refused to leave it was until it was cleared fluid was staying down , and I wasnt being sick .. previously being sick immediately after drinking anything prior , it staying down 30 mins all appeared ok and we were both convinced it had sorted. So went home in car with wife , 30 mins later , up it all comes , I try to drink , up it comes again , I reassure my self its still possible inflamation thats causing the blockage and decide stay with it a couple of days .. by Monday I was readmitted by the Consultant as he was concerned my dehydrating in addition to the problems ... Mon 30th , readmitted , a series of x rays carried out , this horrible aniseed tasting stuff , Bariaum Meal whatever so he could track where fluid going , X ray showed above the band the pouch as if it had expanded 4/5 times its size , but the fluid I was drinking some was getting into lower part of my stomach. So still on the its inflamation of the stomach at the band , he then decided back to theatre to carry out an endoscope ( camera down the throat and into the stomach ) Tues 31st - Endoscope , goes down , he could see a little inflamation but the camera had passed thro the band , and he still couldnt understand as to why I couldnt drink anything or what I did drink immediately came back up , so he decided sorry NicK we have got to open you back up again , and look back in side and get to the bottom of this, yes I agreed as for me to be honest I am seriously thinking oh Ive had enough of this , rip the damn thing out of me, but consultant reassuring me to hang in there we would get to the bottom of it .. Weds 1st - Back to Theatre , opens me up , turns out part of my lower stomach , had managed to get back up through the band , twisted itself , he believes this had possibly happened due to my wretching so bad and being so violently sick all night initially when the tablet got stuck , so he straightened everything back up , done some extra stitch work to the band to stomach to ensure no further problems , apparently he said I had an extremely mobile stomach .. ie moves a lot ... but anyway by 5pm Im awake , Im sipping fluids .. and finally Im happy ..... Thursday 2nd - Im back home and everything fine. Now the moral of my story , my lasting thoughts ... Had I gone to Belgium and flew back 2 days later and this happend .. what would have I done ???? Would I have managed in agony to get back onto a plane , to go to Belgium ? Would I have had to wait ? Would I have had to go to A & E local hospital ? On the cheaper option ie Belgium at 4500 euros , would I have to pay for all the remedial surgery that was required in my instance , nearly another week in Hotel , well if Belgium it would have had to be in hospital still so definate charges there ... Think about it long and hard as to where you have it carried out , yes Im sure not everyones experience was not like mine , but I didnt think it would be mine either a few weeks ago . I had to share this , I didnt mean to go on either or make dramatic , of which the experience was for me , remember it is your health and make sure you cover all aspects of having it done good or bad. Finally , I do want to say and appreciate I was just unlucky, one of the statistics, The staff and care I recieved in UK was excellent. The consultant superb ... and finally well Im here and finally a bandster , so managed to get there in the end. apologies if gone on a little too long type as I talk LOL kind of .... Nick:thumbup:

Yup. Went on a 17-day all-inclusive, high-end luxe cruise over the Christmas / New Year's holidays. I came back weighing EXACTLY THE SAME I weighed when I left, even though I ate dessert and drank wine for both lunch and dinner almost every day. Happily, The ship doesn't serve food in every cubbyhole and deck -- but in restaurants where they cook slow food and serve smaller, European-sized portions, not US Golden Corral portions. I ate three meals a day -- Breakfast, lunch and dinner. The secret is portion control and stopping when you feel satiated. And not eating between meals. And going on the hiking / walking excursions when you're in port. And taking the stairs when you can. And enjoying any gym classes that appeal to you. P.S. And no, the wait staff did not look funny at me. Their job is to help me do anything I want to do. And on that cruise line they do their jobs perfectly.

Hey guys, I'll be having my sleeve in a few weeks!! Can't wait. My surgery time is 8pm and my surgeon has another 6 sleeves to do before mine. Is this something to be worried about? Is it normal for such a late operation time? Thanks.

@ i dont measure. but i do feel looseness in my clothes. but im still annoyed after a week of hard work to only see one pound. i think i just got spoiled after the first 3 weeks post op to be losing so much so fast and then suddenly .....nothin. but i'm staying on track and hoping to rebound next week. just needed to pout.