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So a little over a year ago (1 yr and 12 days to be exact) I had my lap band procedure. Before the surgery I weighed in at 237, lost 20 as suggested by my surgeon and on surgery day weighed in at 217. The first few months were great! I went down to 203 lbs and then I stopped. I stopped getting my fills and eating very unhealthy! I gained it all back and three months ago found myself at 225! I couldn't believe it! So I decided to once again get on the wagon and close to three months now I am down to 191! The trick? I gave up Rice and Pasta, low on the oat grain bread and eating my small doses five times a day! Lots of fruits and veggies to keep me going. I also have learned thar Activitia low fat is my new best friend. I am getting my fills again- going for another next week - and I am exercising ! Walking, riding my bike, light toning up of my muscles and yoga. I now see myself getting closer to my goal weight and perhaps even surpassing it! I have gone from obese to overweight on my BMI - that to me already is a big deal!

I had my vsg/gallbladder surgery on January 10th 2017 @ 2pm. I had a couple complications during surgery which required for me to have a laparoscopic AND open surgery. I woke up from surgery with a pain score of 20+. The pain was so serve that I just wanted to be knocked out the whole time. I was given morphine(the whole hospital stay) which is a pain med I was already on for going on 6 years (chronic back pain/6 slipped disc)but just a little extra(which I was hooked up to a med machine)through my iv. So I followed instructions and walked as much as my body would allow me. I couldn't even sleep in the hospital bed because I was having issues breathing (when laying flat) and I couldn't keep getting in and out of the bed to go potty so I slept in the chair(recliner) that was by my bed. I stayed in the hospital a total of 3 and 1/2 days, with no meds. I feel better everyday(thank god) but now that I am almost two weeks out I'm still having some pain but its way better than before(its around a 6 or 7).... Sent from my LGMS550 using the BariatricPal App

ny first few weeks i felt hungry all

I was sleeved on 12/22. So I'm about 3 1/2 months post op. I'm really struggling with abdominal muscle soreness. It's around my incisions and abs in general. At my 3 month post op appt my surgeon said some people experience soreness until 5-6 months. He recommended that I stop doing lunges and squats for 4-6 weeks as that engages the core and could be causing the soreness. It's so uncomfortable at night that I can hardly sleep. I get maybe 4-5 hours a night. I'm getting super frustrated. Has anyone else experienced this soreness? Any tips or advice? I was seeing great results in my legs/rear from doing the squats and lunges. I've completely stopped for 2 weeks now and I'm not noticing a difference in the soreness.

I am nearing 2 years post op...I remember the night before surgery well. I remember being in the car with my husband driving down the road scared out of my mind. I was thinking things like "Have I really tried hard enough?" "Is this the right thing to do?" "What if I have complications?" Endless thinking and worrying. The morning of surgery was worse. I was the first patient of the day - I had to be at the hospital at 6:00 am. I remember sitting in admitting thinking "I can walk out of here right now and only be out $500." I glanced over at my husband - he was scared, too. We really didn't make eye contact, but I remember thinking "I HAVE to do this, this is my opportunity." I then chose to walk down the hallway and start the process - yes, I was scared and nervous, who wouldn't be? Here's what I know, almost two years later - this was the best thing I could have ever done for myself. I am leading the life I was meant to lead. I am happy. I am content. This is hard - the surgery and recovery from it was the easy part. I'm not going to sugar coat it - the next few months will be hard. You will have good days and you'll have crappy days. You'll be happy one day and crying the next. It's the process. Here are a few things I've done this summer - these would have been unthinkable two short years ago... Zip lining Whitewater rafting Hiking - miles and miles of hiking Hot yoga 4-5 times a week Taking a Segway tour of Chicago Biking - miles and miles of biking (I even got a new bike!) I got a promotion at work - I don't think because I lost weight, I think I got it because now I have confidence to talk to people and look them in the eye. The most important accomplishment after I had the surgery - my relationship with my husband and son are so much better. I'm not angry all the time - I'm more patient. I have a stronger bond with both of them. About a year after the surgery my son and I jogged for a little bit and I said, "Wow, I couldn't have done that a year ago!" My son looked at me and said, "I'm glad you had the surgery, Mom. You seem happier." What an amazing moment and one I'll cherish. In summary, I'm so happy I didn't let fear win back then. There have been so many amazing moments since then. best of luck to you!

It took me almost a week to have a normal # 2. I felt better when it happened.. that may be where your pain is coming from. I felt the same until I finally did you know what ..

Hi, There is no lifting for I believe 3-4 weeks. I have repeated this to my husband about a zillion times. NO LIFTING! My daughter is a mommy's girl and it's going to be really hard especially since I'm home alone with her all day. I'm going to have to talk more in depth with Kathy or Dr. Carroll about it before the surgery. Good luck! I've spent most of today reading and researching and I'm still worried. The slippage and erosion worries me. I have to say I'm a worrier by nature though.

I know how you feel. I'm about 9 weeks out and it is moving very slow. I see the amount of weight others lost and I'd be lying if I said it doesn't bother me. I give myself pep talks but sometimes it's just frustrating. Eating about 800 calories a day and not losing much . . . doesn't seem right!

I had the sleeve 3 weeks ago and nothing makes me full like I should be! Did I just waste all those days in the hospital for nothing?

My cardiologist looked at me and said, "You did not pass the test". Honestly, I thought he was kidding and then it hit me they don't joke about things like that! Now, I had been at my PCP on Monday. These results had been faxed to him last week and he never mentioned it. He spent maybe 10 minutes with me, most of which was composing the letter of clearance on his laptop. WTF are these guys good for anyway????? So, now I will be scheduled for an angiogram early next week. There is a 10% chance he will find nothing. It may be taken care of with a stent. If things are really bad, there will be open heart surgery. So, no WLS for me for the time being. Wonder how long my insurance authorization is for. Major, major bummer.....

So I start my 3rd week post op this Thursday, we are leaving to go camping for the weekend on Friday. I know I can bring yogurts, cans of tuna and applesauce, etc. I can cook eggs also.. Any other easy ideas anyone can give me? I will bring my personal blender too lol, just need a few more ideas without it getting into too many ingredients or time spent on meals. My post op instructions had a few ideas but not many.. I really can't wait to cook for my family again, but I don't want to make big dinners just to have to puree them for myself. I think I will wait a couple more weeks then be able to make healthy high Protein meals for dinner.

When were you sleeved? I am preop and have a one and two year old. Nervous about the no lifting... I had two csections and after two weeks I did pick up my daughter. Its almost impossible not to (carseats, etc...). I am gonna have to think about this issue and how to get them in and out of the car when I am by myself...

Good luck to you three. Your sleeve journeys are about to begin!!

Hi! I'm having my surgery on March 11th! I'm on day 5 of my 2 week pre-op liquid diet. I'm so excited and anxious at the same time and can't wait for this to be over already! Not going to lie but this liquid diet is BRUTAL the first few days! My doctor actually allowed me to have sugar free Jello and broth as well as a small lean cuisine meal or 3 ounces of food in the evening. This has definitely been quite the journey getting to this point! I'm 5'8 and 305, my height at weight in a long time. I'm 38 and not trying to die before my time. I've been overweight my whole life despite trying EVERYTHING to lose it! I would very much love having more people in my corner who understand what I'm going through and will be going through afterwards! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I have been re-admitted back in the hospital last Friday due to complications. Soooo after I had been on an IV most of the week I thought for sure I lost 10+ pounds. Got on the scale and gained 3-4 pounds Wth???

You may need to bump your execise to 5 + days a week. I think if you shoot for x days per week you will actually go x-1 or 2. So I try for 7 days a week and usually do that but sometimes go 6.

I am discouraged that I have only lost 30 pounds since my banded date of August 9. I have had fills every 6 weeks since. My last fill was 6-1/2 cc's and the doctor hesitated to give me that much the day before Thanksgiving. I am going to today and I want to ask for more fill. In the last 2 months I have only lost about 1 pound. Any suggestions? I think I am going to ask him to increase my fill to at least 7-1/2.

Down 20lbs in two weeks! This is me today: This is me two days after surgery:

One month after a gastric sleeve.... Ups and downs. I'm eating all kinds of things, in tiny amounts, and sipping. 23 pounds down since surgery day, so, not too quick, not too slow. I now take two chewable multivitamins, calcium+D, and biotin. I am off the pain meds, but I've saved some percosets for when I'm feeling better... *wink* I just took my last prilosec. I wonder how that will shake out. Physically, I feel mostly back together, but not 100%. I teach 7th grade, and I have enough energy to teach all day, so a win there in the recovery column, but I'm having a devil of a time finding all the words I know that I know. Several files in my brain have bad directories now. Very frustrating, but I have hope that it will resolve soon. Stoopid anesthesia.... My incisions are still angry red, but totally sealed up. I had a pesky suture that kept poking out of one, but I finally clipped it off below the skin and it covered and closed itself. I realize just now that the itching has gone down dramatically in the last day or so. Win. My waist and thighs are drawing in, but that makes my flabby lower abdomen look bigger! I know it's melting, too, but not as quickly, and relativity is a bitch. I'm tracking all my foods, and I'm hovering around 8 to 9 hundred calories on a good day, sometimes less, but I am getting consistent patterns established. I can go on this way indefinitely, I think. In 30 minutes, on an empty stomach, I can bring 12-16 ounces of water. I can totally feel the water flow through the pylorus. More solid things, say, cottage cheese, I can take about 4 ounces, but I need to take a break in the middle. Fish, I can get 2-3 ounces in, and no more. And it must be very wet fish - not overcooked. I threw up once, and it was overcooked trout. I had slime first, and when I could not stand the discomfort any more, my husband said, just get it over with. I don't like to vomit. Myself needed convincing, but I felt better after. I've only puked once on the soft foods, so I count that as a win, too. I've tried some other more solids, too. A bite of carrot even. No problems. But I don't want to push it. I'm cooking and shopping out of habit, and my freezer is FULL. I think I will just stop cooking altogether. What I cooked tonight will literally take me a week to eat. Maybe over sharing here, but the first real poop was rough. A week after surgery, we were shopping and I realized what needed to happen. I made a nice normal poo, and then felt nausea. I think the intestines had been in a shock and the waking to do their job was too much for them. It's gotten better since, but its days between the little poops. Small eats means small outs. Doesn't bother me much. Similarly, sex was a cautious adventure, too. A week out, we managed a gentle try, three weeks after surgery, all systems were ready for anything. Win. And, as always when I am on a diet, I want to put hot sauce on everything. However, I don't think this is a good idea just yet. I am curious as to what comes next and to see how this goes. At one point several years ago, I was 293 pounds (5'11"). I worked hard and dieted down to 187. That was impossible to maintain through a divorce, a brief time of homelessness, a career change, and a new relationship. I'm at 227 as of this morning. I'm pretty sure that losing some more is in the cards, but how much more? At my lowest, I was thin looking. Some said too thin, but 10 or more pounds would not change that look much, not at my height. My doc says 149 is a healthy weight for me, but I think that is WAY too thin. I'd be a bag of bones! My boobs would be two empty purses with olives at the bottom! So, goal... 175, and then reevaluate? That's 52 pounds from here, and if I go 2 pounds per week that gets me there by summer. We shall see... Lastly, my husband is taking this opportunity to get himself back on track. He was banded 7-ish years ago. He dropped 150 pounds, but he's put 25 or so back on in the last year. We've been happy and eating like newlyweds... Anyway. He's been super supportive. His goal is 210, from his staring point of 275. Doing the math, from collective high weights to goals, 400 & 293 to 210 & 175, we will have lost a collective 308 pounds. That's like two people... It's us getting ourselves in better health together.

Just put together a nice salad.. Cubed avacodo, can of black beans, cubed tomatoes, sliced olives, jalapeño, low fat cheddar cheese, lemon juice and a dollop of fat free sour cream!! (10 weeks pre-op)

Gosh, what a loaded question! Just like Donna said - I wasnt living life to the fullest when I was heavy. I go to water-parks without being freaked out that "people are looking at me". I dont even notice that stuff anymore. Or the "am I the biggst one here?" question we all wonder when we are MO. Its given me a completely different mindset of when I was MO. I now have the confidence to look people in the eyes and begin a converstaion INSTEAD of waiting for people to speak to ME first. Perfect example: About 2 weeks ago I saw a guy I graduated with... 18 years ago (wow!) Im now about 10 pounds lighter then I was back then. He and I stood and talked for the longest about where weve been for 18 years - and I never felt embarrassed or uncomfortable conversing with him. And I could tell that he was equally interested and excited in visiting with me. That was neat. If I hadnt lost 70ish pounds with my band, I wouldnt have felt comfortable enough to talk to him. I wouldve either avoided him or just made small talk and moved on. Anyway, there's a whole lot of great personality changes that happen when you lose a big amount of weight. Its actually every aspect of your life that changes... not just personality, but clothing styles change, sex life changes, the way other people interact with you. Its awesome. Honestly!

It was recommended that I give up caffeine 2 weeks before surgery, which I didn't do. I had the worst headaches post op for about a week. It was terrible. I deserved that punishment.

Hey, Sleeve Plication Talk Members! Now that Memorial Day has passed and we’re well into June, it’s summer time! Why not use the warm weather and casual dress code for motivation to stick to your diet? Of course, the newsletter’s a great way to remind you to be good, too! We keep you updated on what’s going on at SleevePlicationTalk.com, and we’ll jump right into this newsletter with: Sleeve Plication Support Groups: Are you taking full advantage of special forum groups on SleevePlicationTalk.com? To Tell or Not to Tell – Do you tell others about your sleeve plication? Member Spotlight – None other than Alex Brecher, founder of SleevePlicationTalk.com! Sleever Challenge – This is a great one to kick off the summer. We encourage you to stay involved with SleevePlicationTalk.com. Ask your questions, answer your peers and keep your profile current. All of your participation keeps you on track and helps everyone else! Always let us know when you have suggestions, comments and questions. Enjoy the newsletter. Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder SleevePlicationTalk.com Sleeve Plication Support Groups: What are They, and How Do They Help You? SleevePlicationTalk.com can be a huge part of your life. Many of us check the boards every day or more, and depend on the site for support, information and encouragement. Joining one or more SleevePlicationTalk.com support groups is a great way to get even more out of SleevePlicationTalk.com. These support groups are like exclusive clubs, but all you have to do to join is to participate! Just look at the different types groups we have. Monthly groups based on when you got your surgery Groups based on your hometown, age and weight goals. The sleeve plication buddies and mentors forum in case you need a little extra help or want to help someone in their weight loss journey. And more…for religious sleevers, gay, lesbian and bi sleevers, crossover addicts, biker sleevers…and way more. These groups are smaller discussion forums for sleevers who have a lot of things in common with you even beyond your weight loss surgery. They may have great solutions to problems that you’re having, and they can be super sympathetic to your situation. You can make close friends on these boards because you already have so much in common, and because you can spend a lot more “one-on-one” time with them. Come on over to the SleevePlicationTalk.com support group page and see which groups you want to join! Hot on the Boards: Coming out of the WLS Closet. To tell or not to tell? That’s a pretty sensitive question for a lot of weight loss surgery patients. It’s normal to feel embarrassed about your surgery, especially when you’re dealing with people who look down on you. Always remember that you don’t have to let others make you feel bad. As long as you’re healthy and happy, you should feel proud of your accomplishments. Anyone who truly loves you will also be proud. It’s a personal decision whether to tell people about weight loss surgery. You might tell your closest friends and family first, and let others in on the secret when they start to ask you how you lost so much weight. You don’t ever have to tell anyone if you’re shy or just don’t want to. Or, if you prefer, you can tell everyone as soon as you set the date for your surgery. Maybe that’ll make you feel more accountable and inspire you to success. What are your thoughts? Do you tell people that you’ve gotten weight loss surgery? Do you explain to them what a sleeve plication is, since they probably don’t know? How do you choose when to tell, how much to say and whom to tell? Do you have any tips for other sleevers? Tell us about it! First Member Spotlight – It’s Alex! We promised, and now we’ve delivered! It’s time for the first true Member Spotlight, and who better to be honored than…Alex! He’s the founder of RNYTalk.com and the other communities belonging to WLSBoards.com. He manages and promotes the boards to make sure that they’re here for everyone. He is truly passionate about helping others reach the same weight loss success that he did. Here’s his story. He’s the handsome, friendly face you see hanging out on the forums, but he took the same journey as many of you to achieve those looks. Alex struggled with obesity and diets for years without finding permanent weight loss success. He finally realized that he needed to lose the weight if he wanted to be around for his children for years to come. Alex got the lap-band, lost more than 100 pounds and never looked back. Thrilled with his new energy and health, Alex had the motivation and confidence to stop smoking. Today he is an active, lean family man who loves to run, bike and spend time with his children. In 2003, Alex founded LapBandTalk.com, which quickly became the largest weight loss surgery community in the world. He started VerticalSleeveTalk.com in February of 2009, and the other WLSBoards, RNYTalk.com and SleevePlicationTalk.com, followed in 2011. That’s right – we’re only starting our second year, and we’ve already got thousands of great members! Alex works hard to make sure that all members to have positive experiences and benefit from being part of the communities. Do you have someone you’d like to see featured in the Member Spotlight? Would you like to be our spotlighted member? Come tell us in the Member Spotlight forum! It’s a regular feature of the newsletters to let you learn a little more about someone in our community with an inspirational story or who helps out our members. Thanks for your nominations so far! Sleever Challenge! Challenge Yourself and Achieve Something New! We give you a challenge in each SleevePlicationTalk Newsletter. It’s not a challenge for you to compete against anyone else. It’s just a way to set a new goal for yourself to try something new or push yourself a little harder. Nobody’s keeping score, so try it! You can always find the old challenges in the Challenge Forum. So far, the two challenges have been: Try a new food or recipe. It’s pretty simple. Come up with a new recipe or try a new food that fits on your diet. Tell us about it! Recognize your non-scale victory (NSV): An NSV is something that is an accomplishment during your weight loss journey, but it isn’t based on the number on the scale. It might be something like fitting into a dress you like or being able to keep up with your grandchildren without getting tired.. It’s never too late to try the old challenges and write about them. Share what you come up with to brag a little and help out others. The New Challenge: Be an Exercise Buddy! This challenge is great for your health and the health of a lucky new or old friend. Why? Over the next two weeks, your challenge is to do a workout with a new person. Some ideas for the challenge are to: Ask your neighbor to take a walk with you Ask someone at your gym to be your partner while you both lift weights Go for a bike ride with your kids or spouse Take a new exercise class Be creative! The goal is to do something fun and healthy, and maybe make a new friend or two along the way. Don’t forget to post your challenge results in the Challenge Forum. The forum’s also great place to go if you need ideas or have advice for other Sleevers so they can complete the challenge. Good luck! And Finally: Please Support Us! Just as a reminder, we’d like to ask you to support us when you can. We know you value SleevePlicationTalk.com and all of its free services. We’d like to remind you to please ask your surgeon and other healthcare providers to post SleevePlicationTalk.com fliers in their offices. We’re always growing, and you can help. Thank you. That does it for this newsletter. Thanks for reading and for your continued participation on the boards. Take care! Sincerely, Alex ==============================================================If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: http://www.sleevepli...&tab=newsletter

I was sleeved on Monday September 12th so of course I'm on a strict liquid diet this week. It is almost impossible to get my Protein in because the only thing I can have that contains protein are the Bariatric Advantage shakes mixed with Water or New whey Liquid Protein shots. Both make me physically sick when I try to drink them. I'm wondering how badly it'll effect me to not get all my protein until Tuesday? Because that's when I can start full liquids and can drink the normal Protein Shakes again! I'm nervous I'm going to mess everything up. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Thank you!! That made me feel a thousand times better. I basically assumed that it wouldn't ruin everything but I needed at least one person to verify. And I did talk to my team and she basically said I need protein no matter what. Which I completely understand, I'm strictly just talking about this first week. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App