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I don't have a lot, it's certainly not bad. I would probably avoid a tummy tuck just because I think the scars would be worse than any benefits in my case. I'm just trying to figure out if it's reasonable to expect any improvement in the first year, or if it is what it is and it ain't ever changing. If there's even a little improvement id probably never do any kind of contouring, if there's none I think a mini tummy tuck could be a reasonable solution (as I only have it in that front lower abdomen area, pretty much noticeable only when sitting or bending over) Of course I lost like 75 pounds (the majority) of my weight in 3 months, so I didn't know if it's reasonable to expect the skin to "catch up" or not

I was banded on the 14th and am 5 days out and have had some different feelings today. I have a lot of sorness and numness on my left side, more than normal. I do not have any pain anywhere else. I have some nausea today and had not had any since right after surgery. I feel really cold but not a fever. I have a headache and have not any since today. I have had some upset stomach and very loose stool. I was wondering what this is and if anyone has had something similar. I called the doctor and he does not seem concerned yet, but I feel so different and do not know if this is a normal part of my body recovering.

I had the surgery to repair it and the md said the stitches had came loose from the tissue. So this time he attached it to the muscle. So hopefully this wont happen again. lol I have lost 20 pounds so far.

It's easy for other people to say we "don't need" this surgery when they have not lived in our bodies and lived our lives and have no idea what we've been through and deal with on a daily basis. As for loose skin, mostly it's not something you can control, unfortunately. It's true that staying super hydrated and lifting weights can help, but really when you're weight training you're just increasing muscle mass and hopefully tightening muscles as well. This does not include the skin in any way. Generally, that's all up to your genetics, age, how much you lose, etc. Congrats on your approval! You'll do great.

SummerMarie 5 months - down 80 lbs?? thats terrific since you haven't posted your ticker, or profile (hint, hint) i don't know where your weight # stands how much more you have to loose??? i can see that you are working hard, trying to change things up also to try and solve your problem not loosing, going up and then down again a lb or 2???? what a bummer easier said than done but..........you gotta be patient don't get discouraged - sometimes people then might go back to old bad habits don't let that happen to you!!!! don't watch the scale have you taken your measurements - do your clothes maybe feel a little bigger???? i'm sure things will work out good luck "God Grant Me Patience, Just Hurry Up about It!!!"

Hey everyone.. I am extending a challenge to whoever wants to join me... Really you are challenging yourself, but whoever is in it we are here to support each other... Basically I need to loose 32 more lbs to hit my first goal of 100 lbs lost in 6 months.. SOOOO who wants to join me??? You set your own goal.. but whatever it is the end of this challenge is March 31st.. Be realistic for yourself and your goal... So here is my goal.. 32 more pounds by March 31, 2009.. I look forward to reaching this goal and thank everyone in advance who wants to join me in succeeding..

I got Sleeved on May 12th as well. I am very happy I did this. I already knew that with a Sleeve the weight loss isn't as fast as with the Band or By-pass. That's OK with me. It gives my skin time to adjust. I didn't have any nausea & almost no pain. I started this process at 294 lbs & I'm down to 269. What I have really noticed is the difference in my clothes!! I need to stop weighing myself every day & I should measure myself. I didn't & wish I had done this. I've already given away my 3x size shirts. Yay!! I can wear my 2x shirts without the buttons being stretched. LOL. I would do this again. BTW, when I had my 2 weeks pre op diet I couldn't drink another Premier Protein shake - chocolate. I ordered their strawberry shake & love it. I also bought Protein powder from nectar & unjury. Really like both. The Unjury chicken broth is good. Also, I put 1% milk in the powder shakes. Using Water made me gag. It will increase your calorie count but I can have 800 calories a day so that's not an issue. The milk will add protein also. I tried the Isopure flavored water. It was so bad I had to pour it out. It totally turned my stomach over. Some people love this stuff. If you buy it I would only get 1 bottle to see how your stomach tolerates it. I bought 3 ($4 each) & couldn't stomach any of those flavors. I have also found that when my instructions say THINNED for pureed/soft foods then you should thin it. I tried avocado all mashed up & should have thinned it. My stomach felt so overloaded that it made me feel really rotten for about 3 hours. I thin everything now!! Well, except scrambled eggs. The Unjury brand you get on-line & the Nectar brand you can get at The Vitamin Store or on-line. I get my multi Vitamins & Calcium chewable from there also. They also carry a liquid vitamin & calcium but it's a lot more expensive than the chewables. The Vitamin Store has a lot of the products you need for any of the Bariatric surgeries. They sell individual servings of Nectar so you can try different flavors before you buy a large container. My new motto - Onward & Downward. Good luck with your Sleeve everyone.

I have been reading the pre-op diets that everyone is on. I am also on a 1 week liquid diet to shrink my liver. The thing is: I worked for a weightloss clinic for 2 years and the Dr. there always said to start off a diet getting 70grams to 100grams of lean Protein to get your liver to dump all the fat and boost your weightloss. I have done this several times in the past and always loose 10 or 15lbs in a couple of weeks. So I think some Drs. put us on the liquid diets just to get us ready for what is ahead after surgery. This is there way of seeing if we will comply to the dietary changes necessary for living and loosing with the lapband. GETTING BANDED THIS THURSDAY!!!!!!!HOORAY HOORAY I AM ON MY WAY....TO A BRAND NEW BANDED ME.

Hey the oldmusicboxyhanks for sharing. Amy problems with exces skin? You droped pretty quick

I haven't been on here in a very long time. I thought I'd stop in and share my progress. I am a shortie at 5'2". My highest weight was around 210. I know that doesn't seem like a lot, but I had been struggling with my weight for 20+ years. My surgery weight was 181. I have lost slowly and consistently for the past 14 months. I started really working on my weight loss several months prior to surgery. Today I weigh 114. I am past my original goal. I do not want to lose anymore. Typically I wear a size 2. I don't feel like a thin person, though. It is so hard mentally, because I still feel like I think like a fat person. Unfortunately, I have reintroduced some bad habits. I am drinking diet soda again. I am not getting the Water I should. I also don't always make the healthiest food choices. I just don't eat as much as I used to. I do get hungry and I do have cravings. I do exercise, but I go in phases with it. I love being able to wear fashionable clothes. I feel so much better in my own skin. I am really glad I made the decision I did. I couldn't have even have come close to getting this far without surgery.

Ah yes, went through the same dilemma. In fact I changed my mind the week of surgery, for the exact reasons that you list. That being said, I have heard there are some metabolic benefits to the RNY that the sleeve does not provide, but I am not sure if that is true, and if so, how long those effects last. I can tell you in the 9 weeks since I was sleeved I have not touched a blood pressure pill. My BP has been perfect. Also, my sugars have been in the normal range ever since surgery. So, with the sleeve I was able to get rid of 2 medications. As for sleep apnea, I have not had a sleep study done yet, but I was at 400lbs so it will be a bit until I loose enough weight to help with that issue. Ultimately you have to decide which you are comfortable with. I personally think all things equal the sleeve produces about the same weight loss and with quite a few less risk factors, but then again I chose the sleeve, perhaps someone with RNY has had better results than I have. I'd personally rather lose less weight and not have to worry about the complications that come with RNY. As an aside you will see a lot of evidence suggesting that GERD becomes a real issue after the sleeve. I had GERD, with pills and chewables each day I still had issues. Since the surgery I have not had a single problem with reflux, but then again I am only 7 weeks out.

I'm down 100 lbs from 250. It feels AMAZING. I can wear shorts and short skirts with confidence, cross my legs from the top, wear size 6 panties (and I don't buy the 6 pack of Hanes Her Way from Walmart anymore!), wear size 7/8 jeans, and actually shop for bathing suits in the junior dept (altho I'll never be confident enuf to wear a bikini. Have too much skin and scars for that. Plus no one wants to see a 46 yr old in a bikini). You will LOVE it. I'm about 18 lbs from my 135 goal and I will eventually get there. The last 20 r the most stubborn. The first 100 were much easier than the last 20. Good luck wth ur surgery and get ready to experience life in a whole new way!

My surgery is on April 4th and I am now in my 6th week of pre surgery Optifast ... And I feel really alone sometimes ... People don't understand , my husband has been great and is really supportive but I think I have talked his ear off about the topic haha at work the girls are great about it but they really don't understand I mean they don't even need to loose 3lbs and they complain ... I know that everyone has their own battles so I try not to judge but I feel like screaming for f****s sake you have no idea what's it's like so get over yourself !!! I enjoy reading others posts and stories on here makes me realise I am not alone in what I am going thru .. So all that being said please feel free to chat or pm me or whatever if you want to talk

So my story is that I had a lapband and it was giving me lots of issues and lets be honest, I challanged it. I ate pieces that were too big and ate too fast. I really tried but failed. And when I did try I wss not loosing. I mafe a decision and had it removed. My fear is that if I get a sleeve I will do same. Did anyone else have this issue? If I am a fast eater and big biter sleeve will not be successful for me.

Had gbp 2019... over 18 months I was able to lose 100 pounds. Since loosing the initial 100 lbs I still have approximately 30lbs to lose. But it's not budging. I carry all my weight in midsection. I think the last weight i need to met is my stomach. I work out and eat healthy. Any tips on how to loose that last 30lbs? All suggestions are appreciated. Sent from my SM-N960W using BariatricPal mobile app

Recovery is pretty fast actually, I had my surgery in Detroit and live in SF bay area, I flew there and stayed 1 day after surgery then flew home next day. Its really easy just had to have lap pillow to put between me and the seat belt. as far as throwing up, its been 3 yrs in April since my surgery and i have not thrown up once, with me it goes other end and feel sick but only for a little bit till i'm done with the dumping. However everyone is different. I know my best friend had Gastric Bypass (not lapband) over a yr ago and she is like me has not thrown up once. When your band is to tight, if you eat to big a bite it will feel like it is stuck, when this happens i have to stand up, Take a deep breath and hold it, so i expand the opening a little so it can fall in (I get hickups when its to tight and eat to fast or to big of a bite). Everyone is different in how much they lose and how fast, depends on if your eating right, getting exercise, drinking enough Water ect. Once you are ready to start introducing normal foods again, I was told and have not eaten any Rice, Peanuts (but other nuts are fine) Corn, or bread unless toasted. No Carbonated beverages of any kind. Rice, Peanuts and bread can clog over the opening of the stomach as they mash up together, Corn can also block the hole as the skin doesn't really break down. Carbonation stretches the stomach making it easier to eat more and regain your weight. Hope this helps. and Good Luck with your Surgery and your Weight Loss!

I have PCOS and I'm loosing weight with the sleeve. I think I'm loosing slower than many folks, but at least I'm loosing. I'm down 100 pounds after about 7 mos. I didn't have any hair loss, and other areas seem to be growing faster than they did before. (I think it is the biotin in the multi vitamin and the hair follicles are closer together since there is not as much skin). There is hope for weight loss even with PCOS, just be prepared that it might be slower than others.

Were you self pay or insurance? I'm going to be self pay, and I think I'm just curious about the process all around; from the consultation to surgery. Did you have to loose a lot of weight before surgery? How long did was it between your first consultation and your surgery? I'm glad to know you liked him so well. I've heard he is no-nonsense, but I like that!

Good news is that I am not that far from my BMI ideal weight. It is only 40 lbs away and I have already lost 121 lb in 5 months. So it got me thinking abut what really is my target weight and when should I achieve it? Given that 10 lb a month is pretty standard, an easy calculations reveals that I wold hit BMI ideal weight in about 4 months, give or take a couple weeks depending on how slow or fast the scale weight moves. That is fine with me and places my target of 180 lb in the middle of feb. 2013. The question is whether BMI is a good goal to shoot for. My doctor, NUT and supporting staff have not talked to me explicitly about a target yet and I always assumed it would be BMI for my height of 5 ' 11 ". However, feb 2013 is the 9 month mark for me which statistically places me 1/2 way through my golden period of sleeve effectiveness. Should I stop there? What happens if I reach goal at new year instead because I have been getting pretty serious about exercise and weight lifting in the last month? My wife and mother in law have told me on numerous occasions that they think I might look unhealthy at BMI because my bone mass is medium to large and I have muscle on me. They might be saying these things with some self motivation. for example, my mother in law is constantly on a diet losing and gaining the same 10 lb. my wife is a candidate for sleeve, so may not quite understand the whole less is better attitude. not sure. I certainly feel good now and think 20 lbs more lbs would put me into a solid state of health, even if 20 lb over the BMI for my height. The last thing I want is to develop some kind of need to lose weight into the unhealthy zone, below BMI. Not saying this would be from anorexic tendencies because I am not starving myself in my diet nor am I doing crazy exercises ( max 1 hour a day, most of the time 45 min). However, I do see that I need to be careful to not lose too much and get unhealthy. I will continue to be active in my exercises, not just in my home gym but also running 5ks, hiking and other things. These will all contribute to my metabolism burning, burning and burning calories. I look pretty healthy in the mirror with and without clothes on. Not a lot of lose skin and am shaping up like a swimmer ( broad shoulders and narrow waist). My caloric intake is currently around 600-900 and consists mostly of Protein for 6 meals a day. I feel ok with this eating, am not hungry except to refuel and have a lot of energy from this eating, from exercise and also from coffee. Can I continue to eat like this? Not sure. I think I would like to eat more fruit and veggies at some point, eat more like a wholesome and natural Mediterranean style diet. That is a goal of mine for when I stop losing scale weight. It is going to take me a few weeks of transition time to moderate my eating patterns from high protein to Mediterranean style. Have not crossed that bridge yet, but know it is soon arriving on my journey. Appreciate the thoughts from others, especially mature sleevers that have "been there, done that."

I am 62 and would'nt take for my lap band. I needed to loose 70 pounds and now its only 50 so I will do pictures when I am finished. Out 1 month tomorrow.I can really tell it in my tummy, face and clothes. I have gotten rid of 20 inches also. I love that also. Tell them to go for it. I just wish this had been around a long time ago. I did'nt even hear about it until Dec. 05. Just got tired of fighting it so hard.

Mines was easy…we talked about loosing anyone or anything, and i was a basket case…i had just lost my 23years old god daughter 8 13 13..so i was a mental case i cried the doc cried lols..come to find out the doc lost her daughter, in the most horrible way..shared loss…needless to say the doc thought its okay to have a good cry no matter the magnitude of you're loss!!!!

You hang in there I just had the surgery on Friday the 10 of July I know what your going through. I feel your pain and am there with ya. Just hang in there and drink vitamin water and sugarless jello it helps you loose faster I already lost 5 lbs and its only been 2 days. Drink your protein shake in the mornings and drink broth and vitamin water and tea during the day you'll loose weight faster, and dont forget to take all your vitamins, hang in there Liza

I was banded 10/2 and mine are still on. They look disgusting. I've showered and washed every day since surgery and they are still stuck. They aren't even loose! Is that normal? I go to the doc Tuesday for my post-op check up so I'm wondering if he will try to pull them off?!!

I'm not sure where you are at with you Banded Journey, date of surgery, # of fills, Green Zone or not,....so I won't get into the nitty-gritty..... When I was first starting out, and things were not going good, I always thought about improving the Band's performance.....I always asked myself "Should not things be different because of th band?" and if not, WHY??? But now, for me...it is a lifestyle, not a "White Knuckle" Diet...... I enjoy things like ice cream, different scrumptious Desserts, etc, etc...... from time to time and do not feel guilty about it at all......nor do I gain weight......and because of that I no longer even "Fear" gaining weight, or falling off the wagon, etc, etc.... I look at the total picture...can't loose sight of the Forrest because of the trees.... I have many friends I socialize with who are all very thin and fit.....I find I eat and drink the same things as they do when go out together...., we all have the same activity levels (exercise)...the word "Diet" is NEVER used.... They do it because they were brought up that way...the have the "Discipline" that led to their lifestyle......I can do it because I was Banded, WLS....and has become the same LIFESTYLE for me now....a day to day "Normal" way of looking at things.... But Like I said at the outset...I am unaware of where you're at with the band..... If you are just starting out, I can understand your frustrations......for me, when I was first starting out, and things did not go well, I always asked myself "Is not the band supposed to perform better than this?" "Did I not have WLS for a reason?" I got down on the band, not always myself.....and I would tell my Dr. I cannot control my hunger and cravings, portion sizes....he always understood, and would tell me not to worry and explain to me how this all is supposed to work...... And for me...It Does.... So don'r\t be so down on yourself as though this is Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers, but ask yourself if your band is doing anything to help you, and if not, why?

This is a marathon, not a sprint. You are 15 pounds closer to your goal. If you loose to fast you hit a plateau, which is torture. Hang in there you can do it..