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Hi everyone, I had my surgery done 7/2 and I feel great. My 3 c-sections hurt more than this. I had very little pain. The only difficulty i had was when they are doing the surgery, they pump air in your stomach to give them room. It took a while for me to get rid of it. I get my first adjustment 8/11. My doctor also told me that some of the weight that you lose before, you will gain back before adjustment-it's normal.

Hey everyone! I'm Sierra. I'm fifteen years old and a sophomore in high school. I know there is a lot of controversey over teenagers doing weight loss surgeries but, hear me out? I am not completely oblivious to the struggles all people go through when they have a weight loss surgery. I have witnessed my mom have the gastric bypass surgery a few years ago. that made me aware about these types of surgeries and it showed me that, it was definitely not an easy thing to go through. my mom was 400 pounds, before the surgery, now, shes 234 pounds. and that's after she had a baby. i am very proud of my mom and all she has accomplished in her journey to get where she is today. two years ago, i was really looking into these weight loss surgeries, three to be exact. gastric bypass, gastric lap band and the gastric sleeve. i had come to the conclusion that, i think the gastric bypass is a bit extreme and i don't really want it. you have to be at least eighteen years old to have the lap band done and who wants to feel that thing inside of you. then i realized that since the gastric sleeve surgery was so new at the time, the doctors and professors were unaware of the death rate.. that scared me enough to the point where, i completely backed down, from all of them. but, here i am two years after the fact.. i have a ton of medical problems, some include; diabetes, bladder issues, fatty liver disease, PCOS (polycestic ovarian syndrom), depression, high cholesterol and high triglycerides. and a bunch more. i've had these medical problems for quite some time, but they have never been this out of control.. i take at least 14 pills a day to try to control these problems.. but it seems as if they're not working like they should.. my pedetrician asked me this very question the other day, "have we ever thought about gastric weight loss surgeries?" "i feel like, we should look into them again, since you have diseases that won't allow you to lose weight as hard as you try, maybe we can try to get rid of them altogether by having a weight loss surgery" she said. I'm not going to lie, i got pretty exciting, here i am, not only getting rid of my diagnosises, i'm also not going to be that, 198 pound 15 year old girl, nobody wants to hang out with. (: so, as of right now, i have an appointment with healthy weight and nutrition at childrens hospital in columbus on july 23rd. i'm excited, but i would like some advice from people who have actually had this gastric sleeve surgery before, message me on here or feel free to comment below. Thanks! -Sierra.

Thank you for the advice. My mom is also on board with this as well. She said I just have to watch what I eat and not gain it all back after having the surgery. I agreed. I will be sure to get all the information I will need. Thanks again!

Yep, me too and I'm a little embarrassed about it. It's almost like getting that stupid letter in the mail, looks really personal and all that's in it is some WL ad and a "handwritten" scribble at the top that says something to the effect that thought you might be interested or some such BS. It's kind of like, how dare someone send something like that to me, so walking up to someone would be along the same lines. That's why I'm embarrassed about even THINKING it!! I DON'T know the person's story and what they've been through. AND how do I know, at any size, if they've BEEN losing weight and just still have that much more to go? If someone looked at me in 6 months would they think I've got to get it together before it gets too bad? Probably. Do they know that I've been heavier and am working on it? No. So, yes, I'm doing the same thing. And please don't tell me I'm the only one who has ever gotten those letters! :mad2:

Any advice on the best apps for tracking weight ? Or any other apps you love for our journey?

I was sleeves on August 12th and lost 22 lbs the first two weeks!! Fabulous. But then as soon as I started my mushy food I stalled and haven't lost a pound. Actually scale says I gained! It's been a week and I am so frustrated. I have been charting all my food and Water staying under 800 calories close to 70 Proteins and 48-64 oz of water a day but nothing is happening. Any tips to get this stall broken or motivational stories of similar happenings would be greatly appreciated. I feel like I will be the only sleeve unsuccessful story!!

Its great to read messages from others with low BMIs. Mine is 31 - 32 , but I have high BP and high cholesterol.I weigh 74 kg which when you are 5 foot nothing tall is a lot and all the excess weight is around my stomach, the unhealthiest place for it to be. I am tired of looking pregnant when I'm not and would like to get this under control before I get to the stage where it would be considered "normal" to do this. I have followed every diet going in the past. Some have been successful for a while but I have always regained. I have even tried non diet methods such as hypnosis which was a total waste of time. the older I get (46) the harder I find it to lose weight.I have a new GP as I moved about 10 months ago. I asked him to refer me for a lapband and he REFUSED, he said I wasn't overweight enough and that the risks outweighed the benefits. Unfortunately(or is it fortunately) I hate been told I can't do something so I made an appointment to see the specialist myself. The admin staff were quite surprised that I didn't have a referral and completely shocked when I told them my GP refused. My specialist assessed me and due to the comorbidities agreed that the surgery was an option and that my risks are relatively low. I now have a date of 2 June and am extremely nervous. The only person that knows about this is my husband - I don't want to have to explain to everyone and would rather keep it private. Some of the preop testing scares me more than the op. I am wondering how I am going to cope with a sleep test when I have a major problem of getting up all the time at night to go to the loo! That could be really interesting - I'm likely to either not sleep at all because of worry or forget I'm attached to electrodes and fall over and injure myself. Would love to hear from others there experiences of the tests etc. Also I want to put a ticker on but being slightly chat group challenged have no idea where to add it. Can anyone help me ? PLEASE:smile2:

Was looking at a local place as well. It has aerobics, tae kwan do, water aerobics, and steam and sauna to complement the normal machines and weights. Plus they have four certified and licensed personal trainers and one is always there wandering the floor. Only $35 a month, which seems good to me. I also like going to places like this for the social benefits. Being fat made me hide; now is the chance to get out once again.

What has worked for me is to weigh and measure everything I eat (I have done this from the moment I was able to eat solids). I normally have 3-4 oz Protein and 1/2 cup veggies for lunch and dinner. Breakfast is either eggbeaters with 2% cheese and turkey sausage, greek yogurt or oatmeal. If you feel like you need a snack keep them protein-based like string cheese, greek yogurt, deli slices, etc. I find it helpful to track my food using an app on my Iphone (myfitnesspal) but at a minimum I would track your protein intake and calories...you want to make sure you are getting enough protein because that will help you feel full longer and will also help keep your energy up (my nutritionist recommends a higher amount that most people are told...80-120 g per day) and you want to make sure you are eating enough calories because too few calories can stall your weight loss. For me, the first several weeks of solids was about figuring out how my band works best for me. I initially stopped losing weight until I bumped my calories up to over 1,000 per day and after some trial and error I have figured out the calorie range that gives me the best weight loss. I also chose to limit carbs to under 40g per day because I have found that works best for me...again, that is my personal decision. Don't be afraid to play around with things for a while...I know the goal is to lose weight but if you can figure out how to best work your band, you will be successful...

Today - I was the sexiest shopper in Walgreens - I purchased Gas X strips - because my stomach feels so bloated and almost pregnant - cant even suck it in, and I am constipated, so I bought liquid stool softener - on top of that gorgeousness, I also have a cold - so threw in some cold medicine. I have been up and down the same 3 pounds for 4 days - taking in MAYBE 600 calories a day - and exercising...I think my body is revolting against me...please tell me this will go away soon and the weight will drop again!

I started mushies and my weight loss STOPPED totally. I fluctuated up about 2lbs. Soft foods...same thing. Started on solids 2 weeks later and voila! Weight started coming off again. Hang in there and don't worry.

to gain weight, one more take in more calories than they burn off..so as maddy stated, get back to what your dr advised you: your allotted amount of food, drink alot, fresh vs proessed, drink alot and def focus on protein..it keeps you full longer and fuels your body..best of luck on making that new baby (and have fun making it also)

I'm a little frustrated and need some advice before I see the Dr. I got the lapband about a year ago when I weighed 290 I went down to about 50 pounds after my send fill (7 months after surgery) and eventually got a 3rd fill. since then (about 5-6mths) I've gained almost everything back. I found that eating anything is almost impossible without throwing it back up, then only way oto keep things down is to force it through the small amounts through the band with Water, which obviously is a horrbile habit. I can't understand why I've gained everything back even though I don't eat all that much? I'm going to schedule a Dr. appointment and am considering getting an small amount of the band unfilled (maybe .5 ml?) back to what it was when I lost 50lbs, but I'm nervous that an unfill will make things worse and I will gain even more back. Anyone had this problem, any advise? I do wathc what I eat and have been excercising more recently but am still confused, its not like i sat around sediment for the last 6 months eating junk forcing it down with milkshakes or something, so I'm confused as to why I would gain everything back! Please share anything that can help. Thanks

Help!!!!! I have been gaining in the last 5 months, I've gained about 25lbs to be exact!!!! In the last 5 months my hubby and I been trying to have a baby and I've stop going to my surgeon. I need some motivation to get me going again..... What can I do or how can kick start my weight lost again..... Any idea would be greatly appreciated!!!!! If there's anyone in the Tampa area who would like to be a mentor or partner up would be great as well.

I'd be interested in hearing what kinds of water aerobics classes they offer and dates/times. I'm signed up with the Westerville Rec Center water aerobics class thru December but would consider this for January and on. I have a super cheap gym option through my work (the are promoting getting healthy to lower the company's insurance costs) and although it isn't fancy, they have treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, weights, and some classes so that mostly meets my needs for when I can get down there at lunch time to work it in.

I am 3 months out and after two months, I totally stopped losing weight. I tried to eat less, exercise more. I tried to eat more, exercise less. I tried it all. I only lost 35 pounds since the surgery, and this was my biggest fear. All of my hopes and dreams are shattered.

Started on mushies last week...and weight loss has seemed to stop..I don't want to put an ounce back on..Dr says no excersizing till 6 w checkup..that I can walk 5 minutes a day besides working.....what to do?

You are doing great, please don't compare yourself to others because it really is something you can't control. Your body will lose at the rate it decides. Wanted to also mention that as you lose weight, all the hormones stored in the fat you're losing gets flushed back into your system and can cause epic mood swings - depression and anger and weeping are common throughout this time and could last months and months. Just a heads up so you don't freak out, and also just in case you already are feeling so down without really knowing why - don't get caught up in the feelings of worthlessness or depression because they are being ruled by that hormone dump right now!

It's really up to you. This will help immensely, but it is not a cure for obesity. However, success begets success, and once the weight starts coming off, you begin to learn what you have to do. Just keep doing it! Wishing you great success with your surgery and subsequent loss!

During your first year that is the time to change your routines around and make your life proactive to weight loss and maintaining it for life. It is a tool to help you get the weight off and keep it off. You are the master behind the tool and it will only be as effective as the master wants it to be. I believe you have to purposely do things counterproductive that will cause weight gain. Such as drinking when eating to push the food through your sleeve so you can eat more or eat carbs etc until your full wait a little bit and then eat some more. If you are careful and eat accordingly you should be fine. Again the modifications that you make in your first year are going to make the difference. Hang in there!

I saw a friend a few days ago whom I hadn't seen in a couple of months. She was going on about how much weight I've lost. When we were leaving, she said, "You need new pants, yours look loose." I was laughing, because all of my slacks had been falling off so I had just gone and bought 2 pairs of new ones the day before and I was wearing one of them. I guess I should have gone down another size? LOL. I'm going to exchange the second pair for the next size down instead of wearing them. Actually I don't think they would fit quite yet, but hopefully soon!! I'm down 4 pants sizes since surgery in Feb! Down in tops and undergarments also.

Get job on the non- scale victories! Even though your number isn't changing, your body obviously is! If you've been following the plan and exercising as much as you have been then the weight will start falling off again once your body catches up. Good luck on your second fill!

I have 1 bad knee but have been working out, which helps. Try water aerobics and take it slow. Just do what you can do. I also do Nautilus for upper body. I also work on legs but am very gentle on my knees. Use low weights and slow movements. I am trying to build up the muscles in my legs to support my knees. I also do better when I avoid carbs as much as possible. Don't give up hope! It will start to come off soon!

Has anyone had any experience with this plastic surgeon in Mexico? If you have I would like your feed back. I'm currently working with Medical Tourism of Mexico to get quotes on removing excess skin since weight loss. Any help would be appreciated!!!