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Thanks for the input ladies! I actually think it might be the pain meds judging from timing of their occurrence. Thyroid was fine a week ago per pre op blood panel and i still get periods like clockwork. I'm still in quite a bit of pain on day 4 so I'll just have to suck up the flashes i think.

I was overwhelmed with the idea of supplements too but thankfully, my nutritionist gave me links to exactly what I need. I will basically take a 500mg calcium chew three times a day, a chewable vitamin D three times a day, a multivitamin chew once a day, and then 1000 mg B12 once per week. I plan to take the 3 times a day ones with my "meals". Then I'll do the calcium and vitamin d at bed time, and the B12 on Fridays. She really helped make that part of this process much easier. 😋

I'm not going to lie I have been watching my scale daily. I think that's just because I was stuck for two weeks and I felt I wasn't doing enough to loose. I was only taking in about 1000 calories a day. I think my body was just fighting to stop the weight loss. Like everyone says it was being stubborn!! Now I will only check the scale every other day . Not three times a day..lol

Sign up for my fitness pal. You can go forwards and backwards in the logs I believe. I did this before at the same doctor and didn't keep my log and quit the program. The second time I did it, Once a month I had to turn my food, exercise and Water journal in. I still keep my log two weeks out. For those just starting out, it always pays to be safe and use the log or journal. It really is important to see where you struggle and to learn portion control and get an idea of carbs & Protein, etc. Good luck to you.

i had actually began working out last week. or the week before. i was down 97lbs when i began working out. my boyfriends a personal trainer/ body builder so hes training me. hopefully it keeps falling!

Hi! I was banded on the 19th too. I was on the liquid diet for the first week and then tried mushy food. My stomach is still off. I tried mushy's at day 5, it didn't go that great so I backed off. As of right now the only foods I have tried have been soup, yougart, squash and oatmeal. I have lost 15pounds. I am pretty active I work and 3 kids so I usually don't get to relax til probably 10pm. I haven't gotten back to the gym yet. 1st Dr. appt Tuesday.

I had my surgery on 1/16/12 and have lost 10lbs since and that was all in the first week as well. I have been reading as much as I can about this and everything I have read says to give it time. Your body is healing and it is also in what I like to call the "oh crap" mode ... It is going to try to hold on to every little bit it gets aka starvation mode. Put your scale away and don't let it set your mood for the day. It will come off, it is just going to take some healing time first. I know I was pretty upset when the scale stopped moving but I am just going to give it time and only weigh in at the dr office !!! LOL Good luck to you =0)

Ive received my surgery date and it is in two weeks! I am freaking out, it feels like it is coming so soon. I am getting a lap band and plication of my stomach. Anyone have any tips tricks or calming methods!? or really inspirational stories!!? thanks xo!

First off the HBO documentary is wonderful. It really is enlightening and quite sad to see what the future might hold for the children. I have watched it several times just to keep the motivation. It has just motivated me more for the surgery. After talking to several people who have had the surgery some more successful than others - they all say that they would do it again and that you have to change your habits and your mind set. This is NOT a cure, but a tool to help. I love the power steering reference - perfect. I am having surgery on the 15th and my mind has been going 90 to nothing for weeks now.

Who can recogmend the best protein drink/suppliment? Having surgery in exactly 1 week from today!!!!

I posted guess you didn't see it endoscope went will Had surgery now one week postoperative having No problems Three hr surgery two day stay you will have a foley Cather and I came home with a drain tube on my left side just had it taken out on Monday it was 3feet long lost 18 lbs doing fine I have one incision that is three inches and six other incisions but doing fine taking it slow Good luck to the ones needing surgery Hope everyone postoperative is doing fine Any other concerns just ask me

Dear, the first thing you need to do is BREATHE! You've got 5 weeks. You can do this! - Buy yourself some Protein drinks (either Ready-to-drink (RTD) or powder you mix yourself). You can find some at GNC, Walmart, costco, etc. Then start your day with a shake. It fills you up, has no sugars (read your labels before you buy! And buy ones with sweetners and/or stevia, not sugar). Protein Drinks help keep you feeling full and less hungry, give you protein to keep your muscles intact and help you lose fat. - Cut back or cut out (if you can) all deep fried foods, fast foods, bread, candy, chocolate, sugar, juices, and pop (even diet pop). - Join a website that helps you log your daily food intake (such as MyFitnessPal, Livestrong, Sparkpeople, etc.) and LOG EVERY BITE that goes into your mouth. Weigh your food (when you can) so you know how much your eating (estimating is notoriously inaccurate). You will be surprised at how much you eat in a day, and how many of those are "empty calories". This will help you get the "carb demon" off your back, jumpstart your weight loss and get you started developing the good habits you will need to be successful with your VSG. - And start drinking LOTS AND LOTS of Water. You can add Crystal Light or Mio to the water to make it more appealing. But drink at least 64 oz (8 cups) of water a day. Other important steps to help you success with the pre-op loss (and post-op new way of life) include: - purging your house of all "bad" Snacks (chips, chocolate, sugary cereals, pastries, ice cream, nachos, etc.) - buy yourself a larger water bottle and remember that you have to drink "X" bottles a day to be on track for Fluid intake. Drink all day long, you will be doing that after your surgery. Get in the habit now. - DO NOT have "food funerals" to say goodbye to the foods you love. You don't have to say goodbye! You will be able to eat anything you want after your surgery once you've recovered and are well on your way towards your goal weight. So no need to have any "last suppers"! You'll just be eating those "old favourites" in small quantities (that will FILL YOU UP!). - Exercise! You don't have to join a gym or run marathons (though later on you just might like that idea!). For now, just try walking. If you find that boring, find a friend to walk with, get a pedometer (I use a FitBit) to motivate and challenge yourself. You can even walk at the Mall if it's too hot where you live (just leave your wallet/purse in the car, or those walks turn into shopping, and not exercise!) YOU CAN DO THIS! 5 weeks is a reasonable time to lose 10 lbs. I lost 11 lbs in 2 weeks on a liquid diet before my surgery (my doctor demanded it to make sure my liver shrunk, for a safe surgery). It was TOUGH, I won't kid you, especially the first 7 days when I was craving carbs like crazy. But by the time my surgery came along, my liver was perfect (my doctor told me after the surgery was complete) and it was 11 lbs less that I had to lose post-op! YOU CAN DO THIS! Make a plan, be committed, be serious. And tell anyone who lives with you what you are doing. Ask for their support and help to keep the "bad stuff" away from you so you are not tempted, and to encourage the important positives you needs, such as moving your body, and drinking fluids. YOU CAN DO THIS!

Well I will tell you the process is horrible. Now that it is after June 1st I would recommend calling UHC and requesting a Care Cord. My Care Cord was Kathy Sweeny and her # is 1-866-534-7209 ex. 67391. I would may recommend contacting her if you do not get assigned to a cord. I also advise you to ask them to go thru everything with you about what will need to be done to get approved. I know I had to have a doctor recommend a weight-loss program bc you have to do one for 6 months. I did Jenny Craig. After the 6 month plan, the psych eval, nutrition class it took about 8 months. I didnt go to my consult with Dr. T until my last week of my 6 month program. That way everything was quick. I hope this does help. If anything else let me know! Good Luck!

I can only tolerate oh yeah! One bars - I had to try a LOT of options. I'm 7 weeks out and hit about 60g which I know still isn't enough. Just keep working on it. I have a grocery list to try and add Protein like cottage cheese and those p3 Snacks. Syntrax nectar I can also do at half strength, albeit grudgingly.

I was banded almost three years ago in March 2008. I initially lost about 80 lbs but have plateaued in the last year. My doctor was very impressed with my weight loss at first as I was a college student. I've recently graduated and I'm having issues with inactivity and poor diet. I really appreciate knowing I'm not alone in this! -Liz

I have used the Isopure protein drinks. I like the orange, blue, & purple the best. However, right after surgery, my taste buds were different and they were awful to choke down. After a week or two, they started tasting normal again. So whatever you like for protein drinks, beware that it may not taste the same right after surgery as it did before surgery. Good luck!!

My surgeon said that most people will experience some hair loss after surgery. The reason a person might lose hair is that after you're sleeved, your body goes into a kind of "controlled starvation" mode. Your body starts to make decisions as to what it is going to prioritize. You want your body to focus on maintaining muscle mass and to focus on burning fat. Hair growth and maintenance isn't realy that high on your body's list of priorities when you're starving. Of course you don't feel like you're starving because your new stomach is so tiny, and that's the idea. That said, I have experienced no hair loss yet at 3 weeks post-op. I take two multi-vitamins as directed, get plenty of protein and biotin, and avoid harsh shampoo. You might consider looking into a cleansing conditioner to use the gentlest possible products on your hair.

Thank you!! I think I'm going to be scheduling mine for next week. I won't sweat it now.

my nutritionist wants me to have 60 grams a day ! i get in maybe 20? i just can't seem to acquire a taste for any that i've tried. they literally make me sick. i'm only a week out, so right now, Water and broth are my go to's. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App really ? when i looked it up, it said that my body absorbs it fully. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App what about the unjury chicken broth protein? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am a visiting nurse. The most strenous thing i do is carry my iPad and small bag in and out of the car about 4-6 times a day. I really don't want to stay out out of work for more than a week. Any ideas on this?

Well I've been in the process of going for surgery for 10 months now and I will finally be having surgery Friday August 3rd and I start my 2 week pre-op diet tomorrow. What kept me going was my beautiful 4 1/2 year old daughter, 10 1/2 year old step daughter and my husband knowing that after surgery I'll be a healthier mother, step mother and wife has kept me going. There's always a possibility of ur insurance to deny u but just knowing that I tried ur best is all u can do. Took me 3 weeks to get approved by my insurance. I'm now just nervous about surgery lol Thats the part that I'm struggling with now

Hi Rhonda, Welcome to LBT! I would get clarification. I don't know for sure about your particular insurance company but a lot of companies will require you to lose 10 percent of your EXCESS body weight. For example, if you are 100 pounds overweight you would need to lose 10 pounds. I think most of us have yo-yo dieted in the past. We get the weight off somehow, but end up putting it all back on. This scenario is a little different in that if you lose the weight and have surgery while you are at the insurance companies target goal, you will not gain the weight back and will continue to lose. I lost 15 pounds during my two week liquid Protein diet prior to surgery. There is no way I could have done that long term, but it got me to where I needed to be for surgery. Good luck to you!

Rhonda, The liquid Protein diet I was on was a pre-op diet required by my surgeon prior to surgery. The goal is to get in a lot of protein and absolutely no sugar. During that two week period I was allowed to have: *Protein shakes made w/ Water or diet soy milk only (No slim-fast or anything like that; they have too many carbs. The best one I have found personally is unjury. You can buy on-line at unjury.com) *Water *Low sodium chicken, vegetable, or beef broth *sugar free popsicles *sugar free Jello That's it. I know it sounds really bad, and yes it was difficult. However, I found after a couple of days it became much easier. If I cheated and ate a tiny little bite of something then I just wanted to eat more so I quickly learned it's easier just to stick with the diet. I would check w/ your surgeon, though. Each surgeon tends to have different requirements.

I felt the same and it's totally normal to be freaked out by the enormous change you've just made to your life. It's a big adjustment, you're not even 2 weeks out right? the first 3 weeks were EXTREMELY challenging for me. I completely freaked myself out. I had crying jags and slept maybe 2 hours in an entire day. It was awful. But I got through it and so will you. It's amazing how much progress you can make in just 3 weeks. It's going to take time to get back to yourself but you will get there. Unfortunately there is no way to speed that part up. I can't even count how many people I told that I just wish it was 5 months from now. But I'm 2 months out and way better. The addict in me still wants to eat with wild abandon but I know it's never going to be like that again. At least I don't think it can to the degree it was.

I was sleeved almost 2 weeks ago on 3/9. I had a great experience and feel great. I went back to work on Monday, am walking everyday, have never felt sick or in pain. I'm mostly still on full liquids but can't wait to move up to mushie stuff:) I'm sure you will do great with a little extra planning and care:)