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Arlene that is fantastic how much weight you have lost. You are doing way better than me. But I'm doing ok just at a stall for some time now. I'm hoping new exercise, adding shakes back in, etc will give me boost. Good luck and keep up great job.

My son is a marine serving on the the west coast, an entire continent away. He just finished his first deployment and is coming home on leave in four weeks. It's been a year since I've seen my baby and I'm hoping I feel 'normal' when he is here. I'm very excited!! As for the cookouts, I do all the family gatherings since my father-in-law passed away. We are the only ones with a house big enough. I passed on it this time, no explanation, just said I was busy. :-) And I am busy! Surgery Thursday! (Though no one but hubby and daughters know). Saturday and yesterday I cleaned the house top to bottom and today I plan to finish the laundry and get my grass cut. Tomorrow I get some groceries and do a little cooking for my hubby. My bag is packed for the hospital. I will be ready to go with no worries. :-)

I wish I had done this years ago. It was a perfect fit for me. I have never been a snacker only a binge eater, my brother had gastric sleeve two weeks before I did and he lost about 30 lbs right away but has struggled ever since because he is a snacker eating often and also drinking calories. If you are a snacker and can't deal with that than gastric sleeve is not for you. I am happy with not having a great deal of loose skin, but I do have some in my lower belly and groin area. Gonna have that skin removed. Skin over my back and arms and legs is just a little loose but not sagging like my lower belly, but I think I am one of the lucky ones with that.,

I have only had RNY surgery once, but I have several metabolic challenges that result in me being a VERY SLOW LOSER no matter how 'on point' my eating/exercising/etc. is. I was very concerned about my very slow loss, especially as this is the only time I've had surgery. In the first 2 weeks I was under 200 calories a day and the next 4+ weeks, I was under 400-450 a day so the 'math' did not add up. I was told the exact same thing by my doctor and his nutritionist - that after I had healed more, the weight loss would pick up SOME. It did, but I am still a slow loser. HOWEVER, now I am over 3 months out and those 'small numbers' that dismayed me are all adding up. I think I read somewhere, and hopefully one of the veterans can correct me if I have this wrong, but when comparing amount of weight lost at about 2 years out, those who lost 'fast' and those who lost 'slow'...ended up with very comparable amounts of weight lost by that time (assuming all things are equal - like the slow losers didn't give up out of frustration - they continued to work and stick to their plan and exercised just as much if not more as others).

Hi everyone, I have a feeling this post be somewhat long so I apologize in advance! I was banded in Prague on 9th June. I have followed the diet to the letter and as of monday this week, I was able to try pureed food. So I did and I gave myself the amount they suggested and I cant say that I felt "full" after it. I had a telephone call with the dietitian yesterday and she suggested i was ready to go onto soft food. So, I ate a ready meal which was low fat mashed potato, chicken and vegetables. I thought that I would start eating and then I would get a "full" feeling then I would stop. I polished off the whole lot, I think it was 450g or so. Surely, I shouldnt have been able to eat all that without some discomfort?? She said for me to start on bread today also but Im not going to as ive heard from alot of people that bread is the one thing they cant eat. I have always had big portions of food, hence why I got to the size I am. I wanted to have the band fitted so that huge portion sizes were a no no as I would be restricted by having the small stoma. The dietitian said that everyone stomachs are different sizes. I was under the impression that there is a certain part of the stomach that the band can only be fitted so surely that would make us more or less have the same sized stoma? I also mentioned about the lack of info that I had been given from the clinic rearding fills etc etc as it does say in the booklet i was given that it isnt really until your first fill that you start losing the proper weight and it goes on to say so use the time before your first fill as a run up to the real fat melting. However, she told me its her job, to ensure that I DONT HAVE A FILL. That through diet and exercice, I will be able to lose the weight. Now, excuse me if I appear stupid, but isnt having the fills quite important to reach your "sweet" spot If I wanted to lose the weight with diet and exercise alone, id have stuck to a vlcd which i was doing previously and not spent near on £5000 to have a band that I thought would enable me to feel full at a much earlier stage than before. she also went on to say that if i wanted a curry, then to have only a small bit and if you want a burger, just have a small one I was suprised at this as at no stage did i mention that I craved curry or a burger. Am I missing the point? I know the band isnt a cure and i know its a tool. I had it done because as i said before, I have huge portions, so when you read that the band will create a small pouch which your food will sit there for longer making you feel full for longer, I thought this is exactly what I need. I dont want to be able to binge eat like i did before I am well aware that food can slip through the band like chocolate, crisps etc etc but I wasnt actually planning on eating anything like that anyway. If I ate to much with this band, would i feel uncomfortable? Maybe a whole 450g isnt alot really and im making to a big a deal out of it but when theyre telling you a couple of teaspoons here and there and then you will feel full, my 450g seems a huge amount. I basically heated it up and started to eat and as soon as i got that feeling of fullness, i was going to stop then i could look at the dinner to see how much of the 450g was left, but i ate it all maybe i am worrying about nothing. I hope there is someone who can explain to me where I am going wrong so to speak, maybe my mindset is wrong or something Thanks alot for reading. Tracie

OK so i'm two weeks out and no hair loss yet obviously. I've been reading posts about all of the people who experience hair loss. Tons of it. I understand it does grow back but it is scary. Now I want to hear from those of you who did NOT lose hair. There must be some out there. Does it happen to everyone? Do men experience it? Let me know your hair loss stories and that it regrows. And if you have had none let me know too..thanks...seaview

I should be starting my pre-op diet in a few weeks. I heard that the diet can bea little uncomfortable for the first few days, I think I'm going to start drinking my shakes next week to get myself started. Good luck with your pre-op & surgery !

Just got a date pinned down with Dr. Marx for surgery. Finally got everything together for insurance company and hopefully have a response by the middle of next week. I don't anticipate a problem with BMI 41 and co-morbidly. Fingers crossed!

I had 3 incisions from my surgery almost 4 weeks ago. The smallest one is near my navel and is almost gone. The mid sized one feels harder that the surrounding skin but visually it should fade over time. My largest incision for the port however, has developed into a keloid scar; it is hard, raised, pink, and shiny. Have you developed a keloid scar on your incisions, and if so, do you have keloid scars not related to the surgery?

Wow-92lbs in less than 3 months! I am only three weeks out and following all the rules, too. Hopefully I have that much success. Amazing!

Last week I sold 10 items and made $230. It felt great this weekend to go and buy a new pair of jeans and three new tops. I only spent $86 as I went to an outlet store and of course now that I can buy from regular stores clothes are so much cheaper than my usual places. Prices like that it won't bother me if I only wear them for a couple of months!

First did you Doctor give you a post op diet? If not my doctor put me on liquids for the 1st week meaning water and juice and chicken both. the next 2nd and 3rd week was mushies like creamy soup like corn chowder. I also blended anything I wanted to have like i'll have a chicken noodle soup blended. after the 3rd week I was on soilds. regular food. Hope this helps

I had mine on March 10th. I was so scared I also thought about backing out. I wore my favorite shirt which was tight and uncomfortable(wasnt when I bought it)just to remind me why Im doing this. I can tell you, I need a root canal and am so much more scared about that than the surgery. The surgery was the easy part. After 2-3 days I felt great. I was back to work(plumbing, heavy lifting)in 2 weeks with no problems, no way could I have taken 4-6 weeks like someone suggested, I was already going crazy! The hardest part for me was trying to get enough liquids during the first week(clear liquids), I had no appetite at all. Ive lost 37# after 3 weeks and go to see my family dr today. I dont have a scale, I didnt want to obsess. But I can tell you after 1 month I feel healthier and happier than I than I have in a long time. I would do it again in a heartbeat. After surgery time seemed to go so fast(healing process). Youll be fine, just listen to your dr and enjoy getting healthier by the day. Good luck to you.

I've heard some stories of RNY being "taken down" (reversed) but only due to severe complications. I researched all three major procedures and for me, the risks of malabsorption were enough to steer me to the sleeve. If I had NO self-control, I might risk RNY or DS, but if I had no self-control those would ultimately fail as well. I've seen it with friends who've had RNY. I CAN lose weight, as I'm sure everybody on this forum can, but the sleeve will be the tool I need to help KEEP it off, while retaining the benefits of absorbing all my nutrients (just fewer of them!) I too thought about, "What if I really need the extra calories?" A) I seriously doubt I WILL, and it would be very easy to get in WAY too many calories with liquids or grazing. This surgery can ALSO be defeated by bad habits, but starvation is extremely unlikely. Best of luck on your journey. Whatever you decide, believe in yourself; that's the biggest key to success.

In a worst case scenario of needing additional calories, I've been through it with my son who was FTT for three years with chronic malabsorption due to diarrhea. There are ways to get small amounts of highly nutritional calorie laden fluids in your body. For him, he had small amounts of special formulas every hour 24/7. In addition there are very easy to absorb calorie additives that can be put into foods. Needing "more stomach" just isn't necessary in today's medical world so let that one go .

Hi everyone, I'm a 31 female from NY who's been struggling with her weight since childhood. I've tried every diet you can name of. I'm sure we all can relate to it. However, now I have high blood pressure and I'm pre-diabetic, which scares me because my grandfather died from complications from diabetes. I'm so apprehensive because like all other "tools" or diets I've failed. Also, I've seen on here that a lot of people weren't full until they received their first adjustment. That is just too scary! I've lost 11 pounds on the liquid diet for the last 10 days. Basically, I'm asking what did you consume that had enough Protein that kept you full, and also assisted in your weightloss for the first 4-6 weeks? I can't imagine being able to drink my protein replacement shakes that are 8ounces and have 27grams of protein since, they say you can only sip 2 ounces at once. If you have any tips or foods you suggest, please advise, as I will be going shopping this weekend. Thanks from your, SCARED PREOP NEWBIE PS: I heard that sometimes food gets stuck and you should eat a scoop of butter? TRUE OR NOT? [sharedmedia=trackers:tickers:4417]

I would def get in sooner than July 11th! My first few fills were only 2 weeks apart. How many calories are you eating a day?

The 30 minutes before rule that some impose doesn't make a lot of sense after the first few weeks, but the 30 minutes after does make sense long term. Drinking during or soon after a meal tends to wash the food through the stomach rather than allowing it to stay there and be digested more slowly, keeping you fuller longer - this is particularly the case with the bypass which removes the pyloric valve from the system, leaving basically a funnel (pouch) between the esophagus and intestine, but still works somewhat the same with a sleeve with the pyloric valve intact. Even years post-op it is not comfortable drinking much for a while after a meal (though I may sip a bit during if something is dry.) Before a meal with an empty stomach, it doesn't matter much whether you drink or not, as any fluids you drink flow right through fairly quickly. During the initial couple of weeks or so, you may or may not have significant inflammation in your stomach such that fluids only trickle through (if that) which is why we sip, sip, sip rather than drink normally. We want to leave some time to make sure that whatever we had been drinking has had a chance to move on through. So, once you get to the point of being able to drink fairly normally, there is little reason to stop drinking before a meal.

I also had a 3 week pre-op diet and it wasn't as bad as I imagined. I had a kind of similar diet to yours - I had to do slim fast shakes, plus I had sodium-free clear broth, fat-free sugar-free pudding etc. The first few days were difficult. I stayed inside a lot because I was afraid if I went out I'd want to eat (I live in the middle of a city and when I walk out the door there is food calling to me EVERYWHERE lol). After the first 3-4 days, it wasn't a problem and it was SO encouraging to see the weight coming off so fast. That was my motivation. I also really didn't want any complications at all with my surgery (including waking up just to find out I wasn't able to get the band). I am glad I stuck with it, because my surgery went well, and I'm feeling great now! Good luck, you will do great!!

Cleared by cardio all I have left is pulmonary next week. I'm having cold feet! Everyone including doctors are looking at me like you can do this on your own.. You don't need surgery!!! Ugh I'm so confused!

Good Afternoon, After 4 phone calls made today @ 9:15am, 11:15am, 1:15am & 3:15pm, I was politely informed on the last call, that the Scheduler was off today. One would think that they'd advise me of that from the initial call @ 9:15am.. {Say WHAT?!?!?} All is well. I will tenaciously try to schedule my Sleeve date on Monday... :tongue2: Have a wonderful weeked everyone!

Had my son's first birthday party this week and that made things a bit tough with all the leftover cake and ice cream. I was also sick with the crud for a few days which caused me to miss a few gym classes. All in all, I was still able to post a decent loss, beat my Valentines Day challenge, and get back on track! Last Week: 188 This Week: 185 Change: Minus 3 Have a good week everyone! Brad

I'm the same this week. Wonder why? Could it be the layer of dust on the treadmill??

I lost 2 lbs. early in the week, none since but that's fine with me. I had a fill on Wed. Been on liquids and mushies for two days. I have my granddaughters Christening this Sunday and we had a ton of food, LOL Mostly good stuff. I'll stay away from the bad stuff for sure. Hope everyone has a lovely weekend and a Happy Valentine's Day to you all

Has anyone had the band done with a diagnosis of Barrett's Esophagus from acid reflux? I was going to have the band done in two weeks, but just had the upper GI done and found this out. Have not talked with my barriatric surgeon yet, waiting for some tests to come back. I really think the RNY is more drastic than I want to loose weight. I have Tricare for my insurance and they will not pay for VSG, you have to have it done at a MTF. The cut off age for the MTF in my area to do a VSG is 55 and I am 58. I was wondering if Tricare would pay for VSG if other two surgeries are not an option. Probably not.