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I was in quite a state last night when I discovered, in just googling Lahey Clinic and one of the surgeries my posting in one of these forums. "Beside myself" comes to mind. To think of all the very personal and generous shares people post in these forums, believing only others considering or having had weight loss surgery could read what they wrote or perhaps see a very personal photo... It never occurred to me that people who I have not told I am going to do bariatric surgery yet could google a hospital and discover my post on the forum without finding the forum to begin with or joining it. I have deleted my photos...and will just use my nickname, mojaleski from here on...and hope to continue participating because it is so valuable to me, although I am still very new. I am feeling confident about the surgery...now hoping to have the sleeve after discussing at length with the nurse practitioner at Lahey. It seems the most prudent option for me, given my age, osteopenia and family medical history...so if my upper GI fluoroscopy is okay that is the direction I will keep heading. I am also a good candidate for the band so it is still an option. Started weight loss plan today too...tracking my food...and will be joining a health club so that I can exercise, in earnest. (argghhh) Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. me

Trust me I know EXACTLY how you are feeling. I was stepping on the scale at least once EVERY DAY and then getting more and more discouraged when it was going nowhere. I had my first fill May 1, and I decided not to get ont he scale again until my birthday with just happens to be tomorrow. I'm hoping that the scales will get me at least a little present. And believe me I know how hard it is not to jump on that scale....every time I walk into the bathroom I want to step on it, but I'm down to one more day and I figure I've come this far and can hold out for 1 more day. I swear I think sometimes our own minds are our biggest enemy in the war on our weight. You are doing a fabulous job just keep doing what you are doing and you ARE GOING TO SEE RESULTS!!!

I have had a similar problem with my band. It has slipped a bit and the Doc took all the fluid out in the hopes it will fall back into place. Since then, I have been struggling mightily--eating alot and feeling hungry--and have gained 10 lbs. I have lost 57lbs altogether--it was 67lbs. So I am in the same boat you are. I don't know how to reverse this slide, until I get my band fixed. Maybe we can talk about it.

Jetti- Hi there--I am little over two months out-9 weeks. My dr will not fill me yet since I have averaged 2 lbs per week since surgery. I cancelled my two month appt scheduled for 5/29 since I have lost 8 lbs this month. Congratulations on your weight loss!!: What rate have you lost your weight? My thinking- wait as long as we can before a fill so when we reach a plateau hopefully a fill will get us over the plateau. What do you think?? Michelle

michelle I totally agree with not getting a fill if its not needed so that I will have more room to play with when/if I do need to start getting fills. My weight loss is an average of about 9lbs a month which I am extremely happy with! Congrats on your weight loss

I am almost a month out, and ever since surgery, i have been have the strangest dreams! Some boarderline nightmarish, but most are just sooooo wierd. When I was a healthier weight, I used to have very vivid dreams of all kinds, then over the last two or three years, I haven't been able to recall if I even dreamt at all. Now, its every night. Some of them exhaust me! I wake up physically tired from it. Anyone else experiencing this?

Well, today, I had my consultation with the nutritionist. That was last on my list of things to do before I get my pre-op visit with my doc! My EKG, blood work, psych consult and now this was all I had to do (no exercise visit because doctor felt like I was okay without it). I've already gained weight since my last visit! YUCH! :ohmy: I am still looking into the sleeve versus the band, but I am leaning more heavily towards the band at this point. I have to have all my questions answered before I make a decision. I talked to one of the office folk today and she is going to send me a series of EMMI videos to watch. I feel so much better about the whole PB/Slime thing. It's just gonna happen and I'm gonna be prepared for it. I talked to the nutritionist at length about it and how to prevent it. I think the hardest things for me will be: 1) giving up diet soda, 2) not drinking with meals, 3) emotional-in-between-meals snacking. I have so much support from my family for this to work. I have such high hopes. I am super scared about it though. Thanks for all the support from you guys. This site has been a life saver! K Pre Op appointment - March 27th Highest weight 250 (10 years ago, lost it with exercise and refusing to diet - just eating better) Current weight 218 Goal 145

You can do this! No one ever said it would be easy, and I'm sure we have all experienced similar feeling. Two weeks after surgery, my doctor told me to let him worry about me losing weight. He said my job was to focus on healing my body. Once my body was healed, he told me to worry about learning how to eat the right foods and how to change my behaviors. I too do not feel very restricted (I've had one fill), and there have been days when I've wondered if I'm losing weight fast enough. But then I remind myself that the band is not a magic wand--it's just a tool, and it's up to me what I do with that tool. If you are really struggling with depression through this, you might want to reach out to a counselor (did you see one pre-op)? It might help you to be able to talk openly and honestly about what's going on. I went to a great counselor pre-op, and I told her that I wanted to be able to call and schedule an appointment with her post surgery if I needed to. I haven't yet, but I know that she is there if I need her. Also, I journaled some when I was feeling a little depressed after my surgery, and it helped to get my feelings on paper. I also keep a food, drink and exercise log to stay on top of what I'm putting in my body. You really can do it! It's normal to have these feelings.

How many calories are you eating. Maybe you need to increase them to get your weight loss going again.

I was sleeved back in October. It wasn't the easiest recovery for me. I ended up with a bleed after surgery and was put back in the hospital for a couple nights but after that everything started to fall into place and the weight started falling off. I am now 78 pounds lighter and many of my comorbidities have been resolved. I feel great. I went from size 20 jeans to a size 6. My breasts shrunk and that was the biggest blessing. With the loss off of my breast fat I discovered a lump that I would not have felt 78 pounds heavier. This was 3 weeks ago. It has been a whirlwind of appointments and procedures since but long story short, I have breast cancer. I had surgery to remove it last Thursday. This has all been shocking and overwhelming but the bottom line is, the sleeve saved my life. I am beyond thrilled with my weight loss and now as I go through radiation and chemo I may have some new challenges ahead with getting proper nutrition but my whole team is on board to help me through this. I look forward to being on the other side of this battle, but I will take it one day at a time knowing for sure that my decision to be sleeved was the best decision ever.

I think it is just taking a little time for your body to adjust. I am sure you are feeling the difference in your clothes. The scale can be our enemy sometimes. Just remember, it took you a while to gain the weight thus it may take sometime to loose it's this is not a race, it's a lifestyle.

1. This procedure is relatively new so long-term data is hard to find, but check out the pinned topic "Weight Gained Since Being Sleeved." A lot of long-termers talk about their success on that thread. 2. I'm not super awesome about taking my Vitamins. I take them a couple times a week, when I remember. I spent a lot of money at first trying to find vitamins I liked. I bought a few different B Complex ones until I found ones that didn't smell horrible, and I had to buy different Calcium chews because I bought the wrong kind. I don't even notice it in my budget anymore. 3. I'm 10 months out. No psychological issues so far. Nothing but joy, really. I check myself out in the mirror, a lot. 4. I think I got lucky here too. I love shopping now, but my budget helps keep that in check. I enjoy cooking a lot more now, and making "normal" (protein-rich) recipes instead of the low-cal/low-fat/low-flavor crap I was cooking while dieting. I do drink, but no more often than before, and less volume because I get tipsy faster. Hope this helps.

Thank you all for your comments. In my case with the copd, is I have had three exacerbations in 1.5 years, and am on Oxygen 24/7 and all the drugs for copd. The first exacerbation really changed my life and I have never fully recovered as far as stamina. My PFC showed 65%. I am very glad to hear that some are losing weight without exercise. Very encouraging. Thank you all so much.

I was diagnosed with COPD and sleep Apnea, but I was worried about not getting approved due to COPD. I only told my doc about the apnea, since I knew it was a comorbidity that would qualify me for the surgery. I was at the point in my life where things were only getting worse and I didn't care if I didn't make it through surgery. From my own experience at 8 weeks post-op, exercise does not play a big role in my weight loss. The dramatic reduction in my calories does. It was at least 4 weeks post-op before I had enough energy to get up and moving, and that was less than a mile a day of walking (and that includes walking at work). I'm just getting to the point where I can average 3 miles a day 5 days a week. I'm aiming for 5 miles 5 days a week. My weight loss has remained consistent the entire 8 weeks - about 3 lbs down per week. I think the main advantage to the increased walking is the steady consistent weight loss. I haven't had any of the infamous weight loss stalls at this point.

I'm 11 weeks since surgery I noticed last week my workouts was a Lil harder . But my inches went down . I weigh on a weight watchers scale it gives you all the information BW,BM and water percentage I think .

Hi All, I was banded in 2011 and it was a move that everybody in my family was against, I started to lose the weight and was very happy, reached my ''initial'' goal within a year and was very happy... Had a little bit of extra skin as I was too scared to work out. During this year, I was lucky enough to get my entire family living in the same city as myself, and we ALL enjoy food so much, so any gathering with parents, brother, and sister meant food, food, and more food. I was eating good portions, and had started to take my band for granted, forgetting about the rules of of not eating too fast or drinking and eating at the same time Anyways, my troubles started about 6 months ago, when I was under a tremendous amount of pressure at work, and at home as my husband had to travel and we'd be separated for a whole year... lots of stress and angry days and nights starting causing me pain the upper part of my stomach (which is normal for me even before the band)... Started getting stuck more often, but it would come and go as sometimes I would be able to eat very well, and other times it would be a hassle... didn't really do anything about it, then started to get acid reflex, and continued to ignore things.. Then I had a 1cc unfill, but the symptoms continued, and i continued to ignore them... things were getting worse, and i started to cough at night, eating became a nightmare, and I started resorting more to fluids thinking it is probably stress and will be better soon. Lately things were way worse and I felt like i had it, so I went for an endoscopy (which is covered by my insurance) and was told that probably the pouch above the band is dilated and I must see my surgeon (whom I no longer live in the same country as) Anyways, I went to the surgeon whom I was doing all the follow up with, and he jumped directly into conclusions saying I must remove the band..... I panicked and cried, so he said then you can do an xray. The report of the xray Dr. came good, saying there is no slip and the band is ok, but the surgeon said that there IS a minor slip that the dr. missed and he unfilled me completely and asked me to go on a liquid diet for a month, then if the xray showed no improvement then I would have to remove the band. I am completely shocked, and so so so so worried… I have paid for this from my own money and removing the band would cost a fortune, let alone the other factor which is weight gain… I am completely lost and feel like it is the literary the end of the world…. Any help or similar experiences or links to videos or articles would be AMAZING…. I can’t seem to find anything other than the horrible stories online. I also need some thoughts on the liquid diet, can drink fruits and veggies smoothies? Grinded veggies and meat Soup? What are the things to stay away from (band safety wise not weight gain wise)? And would I be able to eat any mushies? Or is it liquids only? Thank you so much for any help or reply that you might leave…. Appreciate it like you can’t imagine.

You have only had one fill and sometimes it can take a lot more before you get the sign to stop eating. I know someone personally who had his band completely unfilled because he was going on a cruise and he wanted to binge eat on everything. After the cruise he decided not to get re-filled because he liked his food too much. What was his point in getting the band if food was more important than a weight loss? What's my point in saying this? You probably will need a couple more fills before you feel like there is a stop point. With binge eating there is no stop point. You had this surgery for a reason, it is not a lose weight fast scheme. It takes time for the body to adjust. My friend who had his band unfilled has gained all his weight back plus more! Do you really want that? If you stick with it and choose healthy eating the binge eating will take a back burner to healthy eating habits. There are times when I feel like I could eat the whole world. I choose not to. I didn't have major surgery just to see it all come back. If you feel you must talk to a psychologist and by all means let your bariatric surgeon know. By the way, you can still go on a cruise and lose weight. I've done it and lost 10 lbs on a cruise. I did not deprive myself of anything. I just ate smaller portions. I know you can do this. It just takes time, perseverance and a lot of determination. Good luck and I know you can do this!

Yes, the scale can be your worst enemy. The only weight I hold myself accountable to is my PCP's and my bariatric surgeon. I get weighed once a month on my surgeon's scale and that's the number that counts. I will occasionally weigh myself at home but weight don't count. It becomes a frustrating obsession if you keep weighing yourself constantly.

Hello..I go for my free seminar Monday..I've done my homework with insurance, preparing other drs notes and medical records etc. so I'm set to go after my seminar for my consultation. One concern I have is how much weight is expected during the first few months after the surgery? I struggle with doing a diet and no results as do many and I don't want to get discouraged or feel hopeless if I don't loose a lot during the first few months. Is it espected that you will loose 60-80 during your first year? Thanks

@@Holysaro87 I agree with the poster above. Take a deep breath and try to relax. I am going to sound a little harsh with you for a moment here. When you FIRST had signs of something not right it was the time to go and see the Dr. Never mind how you were before your band. You are now a banded patient and vomiting no matter how small. food being stuck, acid reflux, night coughs all of these are signs of trouble and they are NOT normal. No one with a band should be throwing up after eating EVER if they can help it. If you follow the proper band guidelines then you would not be having these issues AND if you are then you need to see a Dr. ASAP a Bariatric Dr. who specializes in the Lapband. OK now all of that said....take another deep breath. I am on your side here. One of the reasons your Dr. may be telling you take the band out is because you are not being compliant with the band rules. There are very specific rules to being a banded patient and you are not following them. Yes we all get caught up with family and friends and FOOD. I totally understand, BUT you must ALWAYS remember that you are a WLS patient and that you have a band around your stomach and it is there and it will not be overlooked and it will cause you trouble if you ignore it. I am compliant in all ways with my band, all the time...? No not all the time, and that is how I learned to make sure that I am now ALL the time. When I am full I stop eating, if I am stuck I pay the price and feel sick and learn that next time I need to cut and chew chew chew and then chew some more. I need to slow down and eat my food and not be stressed while eating. A few months ago I had a mild pouch dilation and had all the Fluid removed from my band due to medications I was taking from being in a car accident that irritated my stomach. I did the 4 week liquid diet and the dilation resolved itself and I am not back on track to getting fills and losing weight. OK take another deep breath... Ask yourself is this band something you want? Why do you have it if you are not going to use it and take care of it properly? If you want to keep your band, follow the Dr.'s orders. Take the fill out, and start from band basics. Go back to the days of early banding. Get yourself some Protein powders and shakes and go from there. You will start to lose weight and you will feel better. Tell your family and friends you MUST be on this diet and not to derail you because doing so is going to cost you and you will ultimately have to have the band removed and worse you can cause permanent damage to your internal organs. So make sure you are ready for this commitment and settle in for a month of liquids, and gaining your health back. You have to take time to put you and your band first. You are right now both at risk.

I need to meet you at Six Flags then, because that's one of my big goals too. I use to go to Six Flags all the time, but haven't since 98' because I was too embarrassed about the rides and getting around all day. I live about 30 minutes from there and I told my hubby when I get to about 220 I want to go. I'm still in the 240's, so we might have to hit HOliday in the Park, but whatever.. I want to go. I have one more pound until I'm the weight I met my hubby at. I'm super excited about that and today I gave all my old clothes to a friend. It was hard going through my closet, but I knew it had to be done. In my head I still think "one of these days I might need those clothes".. but, I hope that won't be the case.

You can count yourself as one of the lucky ones because at 3 weeks out I was super hungry and I could eat just as much as I could before surgery. That's why I needed 6 fills to get to this point. And of course, my surgery was 11/28/11 so I was hungry right in the middle of the Holiday season. But, through will power I managed to not gain any of the 12 lbs I had already lost. Sounds like you are right where you need to be. tmf

Hi everyone. I am behind on getting myself involved with the forums but I figure doing it now is better than after my surgery. I guess I'll just go into my story. I have been big most of my life. I'm 6'3" tall, have been since I was 15. Back then I weighed around 200 lbs and was one of the bigger people in my hometown. I joined the Army after high school, actually put on 25 pounds of muscle, but I was in great shape. Got out of the Army, got lazy and the weight ballooned. I am currently at 415lbs, when I first starting meeting with my surgeon and nutritionist I was at 458, he made me lose 40 lbs before giving me a surgery date. I'm getting sleeved on Feb. 18 and I'm nervously excited about it. I have a tremendous support system consisting of my wife (who is the reason I'm on the forum, she's a research nut and thought this might help me with questions) and kids. So that's me, all set to start the next stage of my weight loss journey. Thanks for taking the time to read this and sorry for typing your eyes crossed.