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I use the grape tomato (thinner skins or the roma tomato also I use english cucumbers since there are virtually no seeds in them

oh i knew i could count on my vsg family, i thought i was loosing my mind. i would eat and be full and 45mins later would be extremly hungry with hunger pains. it's good to know that it was not just a figment of my imagination as to what was going on with my body. i will try to stay on track and eat healthier type foods when this hunger kicks in. hopefully this is not something that i will have to deal with for long. as far as meds for the ulcer i go in a couple of weeks to get and endoscopy to see what stage the ulcer is in and i guess they will medicate from there. thanks again guys i will keep you posted with progress as well as when i get my date.

I got the call I have been waiting for today.. match 14th I get this surgery. I am 28 years old and my fiancé is my complete support system. My parents are more in the old school frame of mind and think I’m being ridiculous. So it’s been hard in that aspect. I have told most of my friends about the surgery but I am being selective because I feel like there is a lot of unwanted opinion when it come to weight loss surgery. I am not ashamed of wanting to better myself, but I am trying to keep it low key. Anyone else in the same boat? What do you tell people when you start to loose the weight?

I have 10 days till my last Nut appointment I have to loose some weight because I am over the weight I was when I first started my doctor told me in fine I will still get approved but I'm stressing because I think I may get denied I have aetna please help what can I do this last 10days Sent from my SM-G920R4 using the BariatricPal App

Hello my name is Nicole, and I am new to the group. I am in the earlier stages of the sleeve process. I have my psychologist appointment tomorrow and overall I am really excited to go through this process. However, my husband says he is on board, and will be supportive, but in the next breath he says he wishes I could loose weight the "conventional" way. Like I haven't been trying to loose weight most of my life, like he hasn't been there though all the multiple diets I have attempted and failed. He says that he sees the surgery as me giving up on myself. I see it as fighting for my future. I have seen some success with dieting, but the weight always comes back. I feel like the surgery is a way for me to start my future, and become the person that I know is underneath all this weight. I'm not sure how to explain to him how beneficial this surgery will be for me overall. Also I am feeling ashamed of telling people. So far besides my husband I haven't told anyone else because I am afraid they will feel the same as my husband. I fear that I will be judged and really I am just looking for support.

Okay, first off. I weighed in at 277lbs in my first consultation visit for getting the lap-band back in February. My pre-op weight was recorded as 256lbs on 03/20/2013. Today I stand at an official 243lbs. So that's where all those calories went that I didn't eat... Lol I had hernia repair during the lap-band placement. Apparently it was a considerable sized hernia. Took 2 stitches to close it up, got a pic if anyone wants to see... Haha So, I went from big gaping g hole around my esophagus to a nice tight form fitting hole and a band. Most of you know I have been having problems with pills, and various other things, even bigger gulps of Water have ended up PB'd. So I got 2cc more taken out so the hernia can heal and I can get some sort of comfort instead of feeling everything back up. I feel better already, the only drawback is the hunger. I am in sliders still for post-op diet and little or no restriction on the band. Jello just isn't cutting the hunger, may have to go to more substance. BTW that puts me at 8lbs from losing 100lbs from my heaviest of 335lbs. Also, my pants are too loose and try to fall off. They fit kinda tight before the pre-op diet.

Well I had my first appointment today and I am more undecided than ever...looking around the office no one looked healthy, alot of loose saggy skin on lady look so horrible! I asked what operations she had and she said ryn two years ago...I was petrified. I have a bmi of 50 and I weighed in at 299 today...my surgery in set for September. Scared of the results I may end up with and don't want to regret it.

Thanks for your reply I am thinking Benadryl tonight I see the dr. On Monday . I think that you are write about the wash. I have super sensitive skin

Im going on my third week and i get to eat some foods today. How does your body go from having liquids and loosing a pound a dsy and then now eating even though its 1/4 of a cup how does your body start loosing weight? Please curious

Most plastic surgeons want you at your goal weight for 6 months before even a consultation. Your skin can change so much even after losing weight. I have a feeling I'll have some wicked bat wings... But who knows? I'm young(ish), I'm working out and making sure I drink tons of water... Hopefully those things play in my favor :-)

Hi. Today is the first day of my pre-op diet. I can have 6 Protein shakes, Jello, 2 cups of vegetables, clear chick broth, coffee and sugar free ice pops. I'm concerned that it will be difficult sticking to this diet and losing the weight they want me to loose before surgery. They haven't said how much that is, though. The pre-op diet lasts 14 days. How was it for other people? Do you have any advice? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

This is my 2nd day of liquid diet. Doing ok. I also have the same diet as you and it isn't to loose weight but to shrink your liver so they can get to your stomach easier. Looking forward to my new life.???? Sent from my SM-T230NU using the BariatricPal App

Hi, so what caused your troubles? not being able to get filled, eating too much, not enough exercise, too tight, too loose What is the number 1 thing you blame for putting 35lbs back on?

Now that the kids are asleep I can visit a little better. I am sorry if my last post was rash.First when I got on the kids were happy ten it was like the house ERUPTED!. YUCK. Yes, I truely believe the porpose of these boards are to support eachother and to learn as we are all sisters and brothers in this lapband lifestyle. I have seen some AWESOME testimonials for the changes in peoples lives since getting the lapband but these results come at the price of change. Looking back (just 2 months ago) I thought having the lapband ment I could finally eat with the family and just eat smaller amounts and loose weight. I now realize the lapband being in me doesnt garrentee this. only when we have reach the "Sweet spot" where our balance of intake vs restriction has been reached can this be half true and half achieved. I have found my body has a HUGE sensitivity to carbs so I see the BEST results cutting out ALL simple carb and most complex ones. Unfortunately it is like a trigger as soon as I say "NO CARBS THIS WEEK" carbs are all I want ans all the family seems to want. TALK ABOUT PRESSURE! so I know emotionally I CAN NOT say' not this or that" or I end up in this cycle. the band does help with this as when I cave I can only eat so much. Only make a little mess. I was going to keep doing the 5 d PT every monday- Friday but my grandma has been in the hospital alot this week so I have been out of town )very hard to do liquids while travelin) LOL :scared2: So I am happy to be home to hit the grind stone.. This week of eating by the band has shown me what the band is capable of and that I do need a fill. This will have to wait until after pay day. Until then the 5 day PT is the tool I NED to keep me on track.With living by the band on vacation I have GAINED 4 pound!!! OUCH! Yes, I ate more that I though I was capable of whatever I wanted. Out to eat around our rotations at the Hospital. Good news is grandma is doing good. Bad news is I was down to 220 Lbs ( almost to the 2 teens! and I blew it!. I have embraced the we are all human moto and now I look forward to my fresh start on monday. AND BACK TO THE 5 D PT! I know it is the only thing keeping me out of "Bandster Hell" which we have all heard of so many times before. Monday is a week of new begainings, who wants to join me??? One thing I do on the PT is track calories and nutrition- just for my information. My goal is to take in 1000 calories a day so my metabolism doesnt tank. I like to use Livestrong.com/myplate its free! Second, 8 glasses of water/ day but not within 1 hour from meals on days 3-5. Third, Protien- gives my body the nutrition and energy it needs to build on. a MINIMUM of 40% of calorie intake. BUT I get as much as I can!. I really Like Isopure. it costs $3.25 per 20oz bottle which has 40g of Protein and I will use one whole bottle on the liquid only days then half of one on the other 3 days. 4th- LOW carbs- My only splurge here is the coffee creamer I put in my homemade soymilk to add some YUM factor into the soymilk. But hey, it is minimal. And 5th, I take my kids for a walk first thing every morning to keep that metabolism up. ( laps around the grain bins is 1.5 miles LOL :wink2: ) I know this i a little different than the book but it is what My body responds best to. You dont need to do what I do to join me the Normat 5 day Pouch test is hard enough! I think of mine at 5 day PT (Physical Training)- getting me ready for the week end. LOL the week end it the REAL pouch test for me! LOL :cursing: well good luck to all. Who needs a fresh start and wants to join me?!?!

HI Folks, Nearly 7 weeks post op - feeling great - lost 25 pounds and inches galore. Saturday I went to a Stop Smoking seminar and have been smoke free 43 hours. Naturally, as a smoker, the key is to not pick up that first cigarette, just like not picking up that first drink. I quit smoking in 2001 for a couple of years and started a new job, and within 4 months, I just had to have a cigarette. I am 14 plus years sober, and I have never picked up a drink since, but cigarettes are like chocolate, and very hard to give up forever. So, for today, I won't smoke, won't drink and will make good food choices. I am loosing slower than some, and have not had a fill. I am going to see how the next two weeks go and then schedule a fill if I am not losing any. Have a great day!!!! :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance:

I find myself posting this again because it helped me so much today. A good read. Think You Need a Fill? THINK AGAIN By Nikki Johnson Do you remember that feeling you had when you first had your band placed? For a while, everything was great. You didn't experience hunger, you felt satisfied with a small portion of good food, you had more energy, and you were thrilled with your initial weight loss progress. If you are like most people, your experience changed over time, Some of those feelings of hunger returned, and you stopped losing weight. You knew you needed something, so you went to your surgeon's office and asked for a "fill" right? If so, you might be surprised to learn that it is your thinking about your band, and not the band itself, that needs adjusting. The LAP-BAND Bad Word Paul O'Brien, MD, FRACS, is a skillful, compassionate surgeon and a foremost expert on the LAP-BAND System. he was involved in its design in the early 1990's and placed the first band in Australia in 1994. Since then, he has treated thousands of patients and is recognized worldwide for his expertise. When his patients utter that worst of four-letter words, "fill," in his office, they are asked to throw a dollar in the Red Cross donation bucket--a reminder that, according to Dr. O'Brien, thinking about a "fill" is just wrong thinking. How can a concept that we hear about so constantly be so very wrong? Dr. O'Brien's answer is simple: "Any adjustment to the band is something that only takes place in the context of clinical consultation--part of a relationship of trust, honesty and communication between patient and surgeon--that is much more key to the success of the patient than the precise number of milliliters of Fluid in the band. This concept of partnership is the central theme of Dr. O'Brien's new book, The Lap-Band Solution--A Partnership of Weight Loss. Patty's Note: Available on Amazon.com ISBN#9780522854121 Like many people, you might assume that weight gain or a sustained plateau means an incorrectly adjusted band; in fact, you may be right. But you may be surprised to learn that weight gain sometimes results from a band that is too tight. This is part of the reason why the "fill" concept is so misleading. If your surgeon determines that you are not losing weight as you should, then discovering why that is happening is crucial. Sometimes adding fluid to the band will only make matters worse. Life in the "GREEN ZONE" Most people who have the LAP-BAND operation will have an amazing feeling of disinterest in food for the first week after surgery, before any adjustments are even made to the fluid in the band. According to Dr. O'Brien, that lack of interest in food is referred to as satiety. A related but different feeling is satiation, or the feeling you get as you are eating, precisely at the point that you don't need any more food to eat but you do not have an uncomfortable feeling of fullness. These two feelings--satiety and satiation--are what the properly adjusted band helps you achieve, allowing you to maintain your new healthier eating habits. Your careful observation and truthful sharing of your feelings and eating behaviors, combined with the expert care and training of your surgeon and his or her staff, can make the very individual determination of whether your band is properly adjusted much more accurate. In order to help create the most effective partnership between themselves and their patients, Dr. O'Brien and his colleagues at the Australian Centre for Obesity Research and Education have developed a concept they refer to as the "Green Zone". When patients are in the green zone, they experience satiety, satiation after properly-sized small meals, and satisfactory weight loss or maintenance. However, there are also yellow and red zones, both of which indicate that the band is not optimally adjusted. If your band is too loose, you will not have the benefits the band's hunger-controlling mechanism. If your band is too tight, you will have trouble eating properly and may actually gain weight because the foods you can eat more comfortable, that tend to be liquid and calorie-rich, like ice cream and chocolate, do not provide the proper nutrition. Learning to recognize when you have the feelings and eating behaviors that signal a problem can help you give your surgeon the information he or she needs to help you keep the band optimally adjusted. Thinking Adjustment Once you have eliminated the concpet of "fills" from you Lap-Band vocabulary, you will be able to let go of much of the conventional thinking connected to it. Perhaps you have heard talk about the "ideal" amount of fluid in the Lap-Band. While it may be helpful to have some idea of how much fluid is in your band, Dr. O'Brien says there is no magic number. No perfect amount of fluid will provide the best results for everyone. He says, rather, that "whatever volume of fluid is needed to achieve the [feeling of non-hunger] is the correct volume." When you notice that you are feeling hungry or are not losing weight, your body is telling you it is time to revisit your partner in weight loss -- your surgeon. your success absolutely depends on this relationship. So rather than thinking "adjustments," adjust your thinking, and, in partnership with your surgeon, find a lifetime of health! For more information about all of the themes discussed in this article, please see Dr. O'Brien's book, The Lap-Band Solution--A Partnership for Weight Loss, which is available fro Amazon.com. We also invite you to visit LAP-BAND® System Forum - Home for more information and supportive resources.

It's a struggle and after your banded it's amazin how much of our lives and day to day existence is tied to food. You'll be able to eat at those big dinners soon, just will only be able to take in little bits at a time. Also other people that are not banded do not understand what we go through and sometimes make too much jest at our expense. Better just thicken up your skin honey I'll tell u in advance. I cried many a day from some of the hurtful things said and done by family and friends and I'm a licensed psychotherapist so go figure! You would think that people that have seen how much we struggled with weight health etc would be more considerate

Hi Kat, I can relate. My husband is 67 and was sleeved in December 2013, and is down 100 lbs. We went to WLS seminars 15 years ago, but he had too much fear. He has been obese his entire life and would go a year on Optifast shakes - for several thousand dollars, losing 100 lbs twice, only to regain it. He can barely walk as a result of back surgery with residual leg/nerve problems. Twelve years ago he had a heart blockage with a stent. He is on daily full aspirin because of the stent, like Coumadin. He has had Type II diabetes 30+ years. He was on 3 BP meds. sleep apnea. Cellulitis (sometimes life threatening) of the ankles and legs. Diabetes was so out of control that I kept 3 Glucagon shots in the house at all times for the many nights he would be unconscious from a 30-40 blood sugar. Rescue calls and a room full of firemen was the norm. At a seminar last year I found I qualified for the sleeve because of newly diagnosed diabetes, asthma, 2 HB meds daily, knee replacement, and I led my terrified husband into sleeve surgery. He was warned of the high risk, but the high risk of not having the sleeve was scarier. He now needs another hernia repair, and it will be done laparoscopically and repaired with mesh covering the skin inside his stomach. Maybe you can find out if this mesh would be of benefit to your husband's problem. His life was reduced to a recliner because his legs swelled so bad we could not take car trips, or hardly walk. He has just bought a kayak and has it equipped for fishing. We just drove to Kanas to visit a 90 year old Uncle, drove to W VA for a family reunion, spent 7 days on a cruse, and 7 days in New Orleans. This has been our life since May and it has been an awesome trip. Scared the hell out of us. Good luck, just keep researching and maybe visit a few surgeons until you find the right one. We did. God Bless you both.

I got my band February 11, 2010... I did pretty good my first year lost 60 lbs, then I got complacent and stopped trying... a year ago we moved to Washington and that's when I really stopped exercising.. rain was my excuse.. I gained back 10 lbs... In July I had emergency back surgery, and they unfilled my band completly .. I got a fill afterwards but swelled shut and got some taken out the next day... Finally, this month I got refilled under fleuro and am so tight again... the problem is, I'm so tight I'm unable to eat anything most days. coffee is difficult to get down I think because I put creamer in it (sugar free) Water goes down ok, but very slow. I know I'm tight but there is no common ground with these drs. At both my appointments they draw out all the Fluid, measure it, then add to it. If I get some fluid out I'll be too loose like last time. And then it's another $375 for another fill. They don't do it by cc's, they do it by xray... I just don't know what to do -Sara B. Banded 02/11/10

I agree with y'all about the sagging skin and just let me tell you from experience there is NO pain worse than a tummy tuck!! And that's coming from having horrible childbirth pain, gallbladder surgery and a complete hysterectomy! They literally filay you! Then when it's over you get to look at a scar running across one side to the other. It's just my opinion, but if it's just a little not drooping down over your drawers sagginess... Think twice! Plus the scar tissue on the inside sometimes feels like it's ripping...that's something surgeons don't warn you about. Trust me there's worse than sagginess.

I am almost 4 years out and I lost my weight very fast!! I lost 132#'s in 6 months. Because I had stricturres and needed 5 endoscopes with 4 dialations with a ballon. It started right after my RNY, I got to where I couldn't even hold down water. This started in Nov of 2013 with my last endo dialation on Jan of 2015. Strictures are like scar tissue that closes your opening so nothing gets in or it takes a long time to go down. It felt like the food or water would sit on the top of my pouch and then went down slowly. Only to make me vomit it all back up. So I developed a Food Adversion, because I was so afraid to eat. I lived on Oatmeal, Baby Bell cheese and Cheeto's!! Which my Dr knew about the whole time. I was told that if I had to eat whatever it took to nourish my body. But up side of this is I am great!! I have finally been able to branch out at what I can eat beleive me. LOL Not one Counselor knew what to do. The one I went here in my town didn't have a clue of what to do with me. Finally, I called my Surgeon who set me up with a Bariatric Counselor. But I didn't like her anwsers. She wanted me to eat every 1/2 hour that I was awake. She had me buy BOOST High Calorie junk!! I was so frustrated!! I told my hubby that I just traded one eating disorder for another. Now for the good stuff here are my stats: HW 249 (this time I had lost down from 285's) SW 232 LW 117 CW 125'#. So I have maintained my 124# loss for 3 and 1/2 years. I really don't know if my quick weight was a probem with my skin issues or if it is my age because I had lost 135#'s during one of my ups and down dieting. I didn't have any skin issue then but I was 52 and very very sick at that time. I have had a Panni done in Sept of 2015. They removed 10 plus pounds off my lower stomach. Now thats another story. LOL Sorry that I wrote a book. I just have lots to say!! You should meet me in real life. My hubby threatened to buy a Chastity belt for my mouth. LOL When we were first married. LOL Those memories just pop up sometimes. Any how have a great Sunday. Congraulations on your journey. Look forward t following it.

Hardly anyone knows that i had weight-loss surgery...AGAIN! and even few people know that I went to Mexico to have my band to sleeve revision. I'm 5 days post-op. (June 8 2017). I'm not sure if I'm ready to recommend it to all of my friends yet...however...I followed their pre-op without a single cheat. I lost 23 pounds in the pre-op diet but even more importantly I have been pain free. No gas pains. No about pains. Flying home only 3 days post-op was excruciating but only because it was so exhausting. So I may be getting closer to recommending it. My insurance is great as long as you don't mention weight-loss surgery. So my lapband surgeon actually recommended Mexico and the hospital. My revision was going to be about $28k in the US. Mexico was $4900. That's a big incentive. If you're going to Mexico here are some things I learned. I'm writing them down here so I don't forget too... Bring... Your own towel or two Your own pillow (I brought mine and it helped having it in the hospital and on the plane) Baby wipes for the bathroom. It gets messy. Water shoes (a lot of women wore slippers but I've never been real good at them. Plus I could keep these on while sleeping. And you need them for the shower anyway) Giant sanitary pads (Mother Nature is a b***h and I got my period the day after surgery. Tampons were not happening. Plus it helps with the surprise "juice fart") Extension cord for plugging in phone chargers and cpap machines Your own bandages and tape. For after you leave the hospital. I also brought juice and protein shakes in my checked baggage. I wasn't sure what they had for a liquid diet and if I was going to like it. They had jello and broth and they were delicious. My US surgeon also gave me a prescription for nausea and pain for the flight home. I ended up not needing either but I was so glad it was there just in case. Lysol/Clorox Wipes...I'm a bit of a germ freak Clothes. They have gowns of course but you will be up walking around so much you need something else. I wore loose Capri pull-on pants and giant tshirts. Several sets. Not fancy. Loose comfy old panties Compression socks. Several pairs. They have their own and they are stickers about keeping them on until you get home! I understand the importance. But so glad I had brought a couple of pairs. A very supportive person to go with you. My husband is a super hero without a cape. Unlike my roommates friend she brought. Gave her a sip of her beer she snuck into the hospital! No joke!!! A drink of beer about 24 hours out of surgery! Which brings me to this...whatever you can get private room!! They have them. I saw them. My roommate was so annoying! A phone and a tablet going all day and night with loud games and videos...even at 3am!!! I probably should have brought her some headphones! Bring yourself some too. At least some ear plugs. One of the best things I did was set up a private Facebook Group with only 9 of my closest friends and family that knew what was going on. I could keep everyone updated (in the terribly spotty WiFi service. Don't believe the free WiFi pitch. It's there. sometimes. If you're lucky.) Anyway, my husband kept everyone updated there too after surgery until I was coherent enough. It was great. I loved seeing that everyone was praying for me. It was fun. Like home. Again, I'm not ready to fully recommend it. Maybe soon. I hear a lot of people wake up from surgery with "what did I just do?" Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using BariatricPal mobile app

I was where you are back in May and June. Seems like I got stuck a lot and found it hard to eat much of anything. But, I was losing weight fast and didn't want to give it up. I went in for an unfill now I'm a little too loose. So hard to find that sweet spot. I would recommend having a very small unfill if you start to feel like what you are eating is making you feel unhealthy? And, sometimes these phases pass and you may find that you can eat more. But, I wouldn't wait a long time. tmf

I think this may be true as well. My mother remarked the other day "by now, I thought you would be skin and bones", but then, if I have a sliming incident in front of her she is all worried and remarks how that is "not normal". My BMI wasn't extremely high, and I have lost slowly and sometimes don't lose at all. It is frustrating, but the high points for me have been: 1. not regaining what I do manage to lose (first time in my life EVER) 2. Actually not having a hunger that is just ravenous. I feel hunger, but it's nothing like it used to be. (keep in mind, I have had 4 or 5 fills) 3. The belief that I have a tool and although I am not on here at my one year anniverisary (coming up in November) screaming that I have lost 100 pounds ( wish I would be)- I still made a positive choice for my health, and honestly, 100 pounds would have been too much anyway. But, if I could do about 40 more, which I will, I will be content.....

Don't borrow trouble from tomorrow. You don't "need" to get any plastics done... I have lost over 150 from my start weight (and more like 170 from my all time high) and yeah.. i have extra skin. i am very happy being fit and healthy - i do plan to get plastics, but I could live without it. For now, focus on getting your weight and health in shape and worry about plastics later. And I am sorry, i have done weight lifting, boot camp type fitness and all sorts of things... my arms are toned and have some muscle, but i still have hanging skin. skin is not fixed by weight lifting. It is influenced by your age, how many times you have gained and lost weight, how much weight you lost and the genetics of your own skin elasticity.