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I think I was up to about 3 oz at 4 months out . . . now I can eat 5-6 oz total at about 7 months out (depending on how dense my protein is). It still doesn't look like much food. When I go out to eat with people (like work clients that don't know about my surgery), I usually order a salad with grilled chicken on it. I can usually eat most of the chicken and some of the veggies, and I just push the rest of it around until we're done. It works pretty well!

I always loved subway, I'm 3 months out and still can't eat the bread. Hope that changes eventually!

I didn't trust my doctors staff enough to fax over my sonogram results or letter if necessity..I gave them a week to write it and get the results...called them and had them make copies..I drove the papers down to my surgeon myself so I know they got it

I had mine on a Wednesday and went back to work on the following Monday. My surgery was 7 hours due to revision but I do have a desk job. Was just feeling tired and still feeling effects of anesthesia. Take as much time off as you can. A week is pretty good.

Me to ! Mine is tomorrow and I'm more hungry than ever I been on a two week diet and I'm just ready to be off it !

Yes a two week liquid pre op diet. I thought of that also. It takes me through Christmas. I'm thinking if I'm really, really good, maybe I can have a little Christmas dinner.

I went last week to see the dietitian and the psychologist. They both seemed to think I had done my homework and was ready for surgery. When I dropped off my paperwork at my surgeons office, I asked if I could schedule in the 2 week period that the school district is off for Christmas. That way I wouldn't have to take any time off of work. She penciled me in for Dec. 27th! That works out perfect for me. I have the family over to my house for Christmas and I won't have to worry about recovering while planning for a big family holiday. I also plan on only telling 2 people at work, so this way I won't have to lie about why I need a couple of days off. I will just play it all off as another New Years Diet. Now I just pray the insurance approval comes through and they can write my name in ink for the 27th of December. Merry Christmas to me!

Exercise was a key for me. I ran 3 miles a day, biked as often as I could and did daily yoga. I had my procedure last week and my recovery has been fairly easy. My surgery was at 11;30 and by 4 I was walking laps around the nurses station. I really feel that regular exercise more than anything has helped me through this. I also had those better eat it now food cravings a week before the liquid diet. It lasted a couple of days and I felt sick after doing it. If I had to do it again I wouldn't have eaten those farewell potato chips.

Hi ! I waiting for my insurance approval from Surgeons Office. I spoke to them 2 weeks ago I will be calling again tomorrow hopefully will get an answer. Want to start a diet plan in the meantime. Hoping to have a December date too ! Chrissy

I was banded on a Tuesday, and took the rest of the week off... the next week I did a half day on Monday and worked later each day.. I felt very tired. However.. painwise... very uncomfortable from wind, slept best half sitting up with a pillow under my knees, no particular op pain, but some port pain, decided that was the excess size around that area that when I turned over actually pulled on the area of the port. Port stuck out for about 2-3 weeks, and slowly subsided and is no longer visible. Wind was the worst.. very very uncomfortable. It was about 3 weeks after the op that people at work said - you have turned the corner... I was very active the whole time and moved about a lot. Did no heavy housework or anything like that and enjoyed taking things easy. Was driving Ok the next day. Only took a soluable painkiller once... apart from that all was OK. took we about 8 weeks before I could sleep fairly comfortable on my tummy.. the only real pain was the dragging sensation on the port area as i said when I turned over. Hope that helps.... and Good Luck! Trish

I don't understand why you would be miserable on your wedding day given that you could be almost a year out. I felt amazing after the first 3 months and at less than 3 months, I didn't feel bad, just not as great as now. Think about all the dress options you'll have.

That is nearly 8 lbs per week! When have you ever lost 27 lbs in 3.5 weeks before? I'd say you're doing pretty darn good!

The sleeve is a treatment for a condition that can eventually kill you. I watched my Dad commit slow suicide by knife and fork and die at 54. I was 13 years old. Always overweight to obese, I "carried it well" too... Until I turned 40 when my lifestyle really began to catch up with me. High blood pressure, (3 meds) not well controlled even then, high cholesterol (1 med) , borderline diabetic and asthma that kept me up all night coughing despite the 4 meds they had me on to try and control it. It hurt to move, so I just didn't. Today, I'm a healthy, happy 47 year old with a new lease on life. I exercise regularly, eat what I like in small portions, keep track of my calories\Protein count and take my vitamins\protein. The only medication I take besides supplements is one dose per day of the post-op PPI (acid reducer), which I may take for life. Apparently the "asthma" was mostly reflux showing up as a cough in me. Correctly diagnosed and treated during my treatment. If I have any regret, it's that I didn't do it sooner! Do what you need to do to take care of your health!

I know we are responsible how we feel, that others cannot “make” us feel a certain way. But what I realize as I get more comfortable and begin to discuss the surgery with some of my friends and family is that I feel shame or like I’m a failure. Perhaps it’s because I’m an over achiever in all other areas of my life but this or perhaps it’s because they imply I’m taking the easy way out or giving up or not trying hard enough and question if I have to control my food intake anyway, why am I putting my body & finances through the surgery ringer? When they look at my 366 lb, 6’1” frame, they say I carry it well and can’t see that I have a real problem. I’m sorry, but no one carries 167 lbs well It seriously makes me question whether or not I’m coping out, KNOWING this isn’t going to be easy. Oddly, as I explain my decision to have the surgery because it is a tool and it’s not just weightloss surgery, that I have 8 co-morbid conditions and the surgery can resolve them in a couple of weeks, I further solidify the fact that I’ve made the right decision in my mind, but I’m still left with a “bad” feeling and they still don’t get it. I want to feel excited and less scared but I’m feel angry at the lack of support from people who “love me.” I understand we should shed toxic relationships, but some of these relationships are healthy on every other front. In a culture where people are dying from obesity, I feel like there should be more awareness and acceptance, but that’s another topic. I know I cannot possibly be the only one feeling this way. If you have experienced these feelings, how have you dealt with it? Both internally and with others?

If you do a search on this topic you will find hundreds of posts on this topic. I know as a newbie loose skin and hair loss were two of the biggies that concerned me. I recently went back and posted a picture of myself 11 months out from surgery exposing all of my goods on an thread titled - "My top 10 ways to prevent loose skin." I'm convinced genetics and how long you spent over weight have the most influence on whether or not you will have excess skin. I also was a sloooow loser. I once read it takes skin 2-3 months to adjust every time you lose. There were times my thighs look horrific and a few months later they snapped back into place. If you lose too much too quickly, your skin may newer fully snap back. My loose skin is limited to my lower stomach. I have had two very large babies and my lower abdomen had Freddy Kruger stretch marks on it. There is no way that's going back to normal without a tummy tuck! There's likely some tell-take signs you will have loose skin in areas. For example, if you have fat pockets that start right above your elbows, you will probably have bat wings. I carried most of my excess weight in my mid-section, so it doesn't surprise me this is where I have excess skin. It doesn't look bad standing up, but when I bend over, I look like I would whelp a litter of puppies! What I can tell you is part of this journey is accepting our new bodies. I decided to post a pic of myself exposed because I noticed most people are wearing pants and long shirts in their after photos on this site. It always made me wonder what was lurking underneath. Many of us will be left with more excess skin than what we are comfortable with. Some can afford plastics. Many cant. Regardless, I wouldn't trade the new active lifestyle I live for anything. For reference, I am a woman in my mid-40's. 5'7" and was 241 at my heaviest. I was 226 the day of surgery. I was 152 when I took this picture a few days ago. I am currently 7 pounds away from my stretch goal of 145. I haven't exercised with much consistently during the 11 months post surgery. I took this photo as my "before" picture and hope to see how tone I can get after I start doing squats, sit-ups, and lifting weights! I have to say I'm a tad more motivated now that I can actually SEE my muscles! Who would have thunk I had abdominal muscles? Albeit pretty separated post child-bearing, I'm sure!

My name is Jackie. Im 29 years old and live in Bronx, NY. I am a mother of 3 beautiful children. My story is like so many others. Ive always been overweight. Have tried so many diets in the past. Ive made up my mind that i HAVE to get this weight off NOW. I have diabetes and high blodd pressure on both sides of my family. I have been lucky so far that I havent had any health problems so far. But I want to be healthy. I want to have more energy to play around with my kids. I want a better me. Definitely can use someone to talk to that has been through all this before.

@@animallover1247 Oh dear- I hope they don't make me wait. But I've waited plenty during this process so what's a little more going to hurt? I'm really wanting the date more for my employer but they're understanding so...hopefully they don't start hounding me for exact dates. I'm having RNY done and was told to ask for 2 weeks off. When I go back to work I'll be limited on my duties for a couple of days just because it can be physically demanding at times. I was told that the recovery time for VSG & RNY are pretty much the same. (I had originally planned on VSG and was happy about the recovery time. My surgeon pushed for RNY which I'm fine with and reassured me that I wouldn't be out any longer than I'd originally planned. Bonus!) When was your paperwork submitted??

Hey everyone! So I have started my diet which consists of 2-3 protein shakes a day. What brands of powder do you all suggest? My surgeons office recommends the brand that they sell at the office (bariatric fusion), but if I could buy it at the grocery store it would be much cheaper. Thanks!

I agree with the stretch mark theory. I lost 100 pounds in 5 months (112 lbs since pre op diet) and have loose skin in only the one place I had stretch marks, my lower abdomen. The reason stretch marks reside there was due to a past pregnancy in which I gained 70 pounds in a short period of time.. The stretch marks were flat and faded, but the area refuses to flatten back out. I was worried about my chest, but it has improved slightly in the past few weeks. I'm going to give it more time, especially after I hit my goal weight. My friend had some results tightening up sagging skin with a silicone body wrap she wore under her clothes everyday for awhile. You have to be quite consistent with it and it's not cheap.

Wow.. has it really been that long since I have written here... DOH.. Yeah, some of it I was "busy", but to be completely honest, I was hiding.. I had plateaued and didn't want to post that fact.. Well, there, I've gone and done it.. Okay, so what's been up... Well, I'm feeling good. -0- discomfort now, scars look great. (I need to post some pics). Got my first fill even, but I'll talk about that in a sec.. Let's talk about my plateau.. Well, it has been 100% my fault. Of course the swelling has gone and I've been able to get more down.. BUT, I also am still cheating by not stopping water with my meal. I knew this was going to be the hardest part, and it is. I have at least been good about avoiding liquid calories, for the most part.. I have had a glass of wine, or two.. and a beer or two, but those are special occasions and I try to allocate those empty calories by cutting back at other times on things. I have to just keep working on the complete chewing and limiting liquid at meal time.. This can and will work, I'm just still cheating a bit.. Okay, one more not so pleasant thing to talk more about.. PBs... Still having a few of them, but like I posted before, they are 100% self induced and they don't bother me. I am still learning what works and doesn't. Again, if you follow the directions (not my strength) you should not have these issues. But if you do, it's not the end of the world. Okay, on to the good stuff.. The scale is moving again (in the correct direction) and I am seeing some better fit in clothes. I was right at the upper edge of my pants being too tight, but now I'm almost ready to go down a size. Five more lbs should get me over that hump. I would like to bust 270 by mid-April. Ah, my fill.. lol.. man o man.. So check this out, Amy, my wife, gets the royal treatment when she goes in for fills.. Staff fawns over her, Dr. Clark is as nice as ever. (I know all this because a fill for her was my pre-op final exam, so we were there at the same time..) She gets the topical, then the local lidocain, then careful application of the bic pen sized needle for the fill. I was in awe and couldn't look away.. kind of like a bad car wreck.. Anyway, so this is her life.. All giggles and smiles.. So I go for my first check up and first fill on Friday, March 23rd. Staff is nice, but pretty matter of fact.. of course this is the general surgery office and not the bariatric office he goes to on Monday, so they don't know me, but I digress. I go back, weigh in (I do NOT like their scale.. evil vile thing), and then wait for Dr Clark. He shows, is great as usual, but it's pretty routine stuff... I lay back on the table thinking, oh yeah, piece of cake, I know what's coming. I feel the swabbing.. cool.. next should be the tiny lidocain needle for a little topical action.. Doc grabs a nice roll of fat over the port and says "okay, little stick here"... now I'm not new to this game.. right here I know... "uh oh, something's not right", and then WHAM... he pops me directly with the bic pen looking needle.. This isn't at all the peaches and cream I was expecting.. this in fact hurts.. I try to "man up" as we say and just inquire "uh, is that the lidocain or the fill?".. Doc's like, "oh, that hurts? usually in the scar it is numb so I just went for the fill"... of course he says this while at the same time groping around trying to find the center of the port where the needle actually does some good. "No doc, I feel it, and it isn't pleasant!" He apologizes and opts for the lidocain now, but I'm already amped up on adrenaline and none to cool. In pretty short order I'm now numbed up well enough he can continue to rooting around in my fat roll / scar tissue without my whinning. He opts to put in my first full CC of fill, which is a very odd feeling. It doesn't "hurt", but you can certainly tell something is going on deep in your gut. I get up and drink some water for him to make sure I can swallow okay. After some more chit chat and a reminder to back down to liquids for day or two to make sure I can tolerate things, I'm off. An interesting experience, certainly not up to Amy's high standards, but hey, she's a lot better looking and arguably nicer... such is my life.. I hope I can do a better job of keeping up here, and if anyone has any questions or suggestions, feel free to PM me. I'm pretty much an open book. Good luck all! Mike

So I have noticed that my clothes were getting loose and things seemed to be getting smaller on my body but that dang scale was not budging. I was discouraged big time. Then came my gallbladder surgery last week Friday and I had all the fluids and swelling so I have been in the dumps for a while. I was wondering what gives. Then this morning I step on the scale and IT MOVED DOWN!!!! 155! I'm so happy!!! I know it's just one pound but that how it starts and by the end of 7 days I know I will be down at least 5!!

Before I say anything, yes I went to my surgeon first, no I haven't been to my PCP since I went NPO and they blew out both my arms trying to get a blood draw and told me I should've drank lots of fluids, 2 side effects, 1 minor, 1 beginning to have a negative effect on me, I live in South Texas BTW. #1 I have a sneezing side effect almost every time I eat, and no it's before I even feel full, my nose gets runny and I sneeze uncontrollably, surgeon and dietician are at a loss since they've only seen it when people were full. #2 this one hurts, before surgery had trouble keeping warm, thought it was my circulation and obesity, was at 388lbs in January, now at 269lbs 10 months later, surgery was on June 10th I weighed 342.2lbs, now it's worse than ever, last night was our first major cold front here, 34 degrees( yes I know northerners lol) My last blood work showed everything good except vitamin D, took care of that blood pressure and circulation great, taking all my proteins and vitamins, and my nurse at work suggested B12 which I started taking 1 week ago, any suggestions or resources would help, don't mind the sneezing thingy and it's kind of funny but this regulating body temp has me hurting, I only slept 3 hours last night, and yes we had our central heat on, and I had a cover, but it's all day even at work, and I work out at the gym 3x a week and I'm more mobile than ever, help please.......

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I wish my diet said "and". I'm on 3 shakes or strained cream soup a day and then of course whatever sugar free drinks, sugar free popsicle, one no sugar added fudgesicle. But I don't get it...i am not having anywhere near the same protein everyone else is.-the soup only has 1 gram per serving, the shakes are 15 but they have carbs?? I am starving, feel weak. I have literally just stayed in the house for the last 3 days because I feel crazy!! I am on day 4 and have 8 more days to go...(should have been 14 days but they let me schedule the surgery as soon as my insurance got approved.)