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I was banded on 9/13 - All went very well. I have had no issues really. Not much gas pain, no throwing up, a little regular burping and definitely some incision discomfort but other than that I feel great. I was very disappointed that I gained 8 pounds during my overnight hospital stay! I guess IV fluids, etc. I was really bummed! But I am happy to say that I have lost the 8 plus another 4 pounds since then and I am feeling very confident! I am never hungry and in fact I am a little worried because I hardly eat anything. I am on liquids and yesterday all I did was drink water, crystal light and I had a liquid yogurt. I dont think I am getting enough protein. I just dont think I should eat if I am not hungry! Its amazing I feel so noninterested in food! It's like I dont want to eat because I know I can't eat! Hope the feeling sticks around for a while! I am going for post-op appt tomorrow...going to ask about protein shakes and powders. Good luck all!

You go girl! Wow, your doc is even more conservative than mine- I got mushies at three weeks (Monday) but FOUR weeks of full liquids- wow! Do you get yogurt, cottage cheese, etc.? Do you add Protein powder to your soup, etc. Keep it up!

Thanks everyone I've been feeling much better. Surpising my boss at work was so supportive. She said, "People always think having weight loss surgery is the easy way out, and I know how hard you have worked" It just made me feel so good that she undrstood a bit. Ya know. Tomorrow I have the church retreat thing. I am going to take my protien shake and yogurt and enjoy myself while everyone else eats hotdogs. I'm surpisingly fine with that. The scale is moving again...so that always helps.

Way to go Melissa - Do us bandsters proud w/ PS and yogurt. I know those are on the top of my list. :eek: A patient brought me in some samples of some PS she likes to use. If I like them I will post what they are she brought me like 8 different samples - one is called strawberry White Choclate. It has little strawberry peices in it. I can't wait to try it...that is tomorrow as I head out to the many yard sales.

hEy guys thanks BUt I do feel like I am failing and messingup badly and don't know if I can do this. I almost wish I was living with someone going through the same thing for moral support. I can't satnd the smells inthe kitchen when they cook and I take off to the computer in the basement. The popcorn went down easy although I could only eat half the large bag I usually get and I ate two hamburger patties, the ones from presidents choice that you nuke and have cheese in them. They were interesting, it felt kinda stuck a little when I think the piece was too large but not painful, so I chewed it up. I hate this full Fluid thing and being hungry is awful I swear. I literally am thinking about food more than ever and craving everyting I can't have. I hate to sound weak but boy I guess this is IT for me as far as my weakness in this world and sometimes I feel it has me beat. I used to think alcoholics etc. man are they weak poeple , "just stop drinking" but that they realy don't wan to, but I know I am addicted to food, it seems to have run my life for so long ad look at the prices I / perhaps you have paid..with health, for me a job and relationships , being reclusive all because of food. I dunno, I am finding this really tough. I am eating yogurt again and going to try to get back onthe wagon...but boy I would love a night at the MANDARIN in Barrie! I read about people living in the same communtiy who get together and meet or go walking and I wishI was closer to some of you here. I mean YOU guys in the canadian group are my support system and I tried the other band the canadian one that sends threads all day, but I just don't feel the same connection there and so far I cannot relate to folks talking about plastic surgery etc... Yoda, Cloe, Argon, wheezy, jude et all, Ifeel weak to say this but I do need your support right now and I am sorry to be a oain but I am finding this really tough.

Hi I To Used Dr. Spivak. He Made Me Wait 1 Month Before My First Fill. Before That I Felt I Had Liitle If No Restriction. I Even Had A Slice Of Pizza. But Then I Had A Fill 1.3 The First Time In A 4cc Band. Always Ask How Much In Your Fill. It Worked Good After About Three Days. It Was Tight And I Was Limited In How Much I Ate. Yogurt. Cream Of Wheat Vegetables. Then 7 Weeks Later I Had Another Fill. I Asked His Assitant To Be A Little Aggressive With The Fill Since I Had Only Lost 16 Pounds. From 217 To 201. She Granted My Wish And Again After A Few Days I Was Extremly Tight. Only Able To Drink Shakes And Soup Or Creamed Veggies. I Know Some To Not Think This Is A Good Idea But My Daughters Wedding Was In 6 Months So I Really Wanted It. I Am So Happy That I Did. It Was Not Up Until Then Did I Realise That Before I Did Eat Alot During The Day. Grazing. I Really Believed I Did Not Eat That Much. I Also Learned To Chew My Food And Eat Very Slow. I Also Learned What Slim Means An Pb Means . I Am Down 71 Pounds With Only 6 More To Goal Weight And I Have Done It Since Jan. 25,2006 I Really Thank Dr. Spivak For His Help

I was also told not to lift anything heavier than about 5lbs for 3 months. Or lift weights or do abdominal exercises. Walking and light arm weights for exercises are fine...the little ones! Also, due to infflamation you should have some restriction...I know i s till do have some and it has been since Nov, 7! I am just now getting down a few very mushy foods, but mostly still on anything I can drink through a straw. I do not feel real hunger because I am eating lots of Protein now,,,I add extra Protein powder to my shakes. smoothies and smoothie ice creams that I make. I also add protein to unsweetened yougurt and a bit of fruit and stevia to sweeten...yummy and good for you! If you can get the low fat greek style yogurt it feels like you are really sinning! I also have added a bit of powdered unsweetened cocoa powder to yougurt or smoothies and feel like I am sinning , but I am not! So now that I am at 60 grms of protein or a bit more...I feel good:clap2: Also, I am using a baby spoon to eat these things and it takes time and I feel satisfied. Anything too chunky I still cannot eat...and I am not supposed to... so hang in there you will do great!

Hi Everyone, I would like to join as well. I was banded on 12/4, and so i'm working on day 4 of 2 weeks of Clear liquids. (I can't wait for milk and yogurt!) Since the diet is pretty strict, i'm going to go for a goal of 16 lbs. Good luck to everyone else! Gretchen

Hi all! I had my second fill 3 days ago, and i'm going back tomorrow for an unfill..I'm up to 2cc's in a 6cc band.. i was doing fairly well with 1 1/2 cc. but 2, has been WAY too tight... i can't even eat yogurt! Also, my doctor said i didn't have to go on liquids after my fill, does that sound right??? Thanks for any info.

Hi ! I am Bonnie, 59 years old and live in IOWA. Married 41 years with two daughters and 4 grandchildren.They are everything they are cracked up to be. I had a Realize band 8/24/2010 and have lost 62 pounds to date. I am at a weight standstill for a couple weeks and getting frustrated. I had a fill about two weeks ago and am pretty tight at 8cc in 11cc band. I really really need to eat slowly and chew. I can get "stuck" on yogurt in the am, but loser in pm. We have two golden retrievers, treated like children. I work three days a week, I am an RN and manage a medical office. I started at 266 and a size 22 and now able to wear a 14W. We are going scuba diving in May in Florida, something I have not done in 8 years due to a big weight gain during stress. Nice to meet you folks. I know I come to this sight daily for help and inspiration.

Oh I've been there too! (Honestly, is there a bandster who hasn't?) It can be very painful and scary. I've slimed in coffee cups, lunch bags, plastic bags, the side of the road...ugh. I have an hour commute each way and I'm not open enough to eat before I leave for work, so I've started having my coffee in the car to open me up, maybe a protein bar if I'm open enough, and then I eat yogurt or cottage cheese when I get to work. I was running late one morning and tried to eat a sandwich in the car...IN THE MORNING! What the heck was I thinking!?!? That was not one of my finer moments.

Genpro is the unflavored protein powder that I use.. I have gotten used to it and can hardly taste it. I mix it with all sorts of things but mostly Greek yogurt.. gives you a lot of bang for your buck imo.

Mimmosa, I have sleep apnea also but I don't even have to bring my cpap with me, which initially they said in papers to bring. So I'm going to pack it in the car anyway. I'm just taking a pair of Danskins, they're not sweats but a long pant with a loose waistline and a hoodie. My instructions also say to have a pillow or two in the car to hold on your stomach while traveling and maybe hitting bumps in the road. As far as suggestions for pre-op foods, after a while they all suck...lol. I can have V8 juice so that helps and I also blend my drinks in the magic bullet with some ice. Takes a little longer to eat/drink them. I also get yogurt. So I buy a Greek yogurt in either plain and add splenda or the fruit flavored ones that are FF but loaded in Protein. Chobani is the one I buy. Good Luck. Mine is Monday but don't know time until after 1:00 pm tomorrow. Trisha

I ate ice cream week 2 and 3 after surgery. I was only getting about 300 calories and really couldn't get much else in. Now that I'm eating more regular food, if I need something its either SF Popsicle or FF frozen yogurt. It has the same numbers as regular non-fat yogurt.

I meant to post this on the 15th but I had trouble logging into the site that day (and several days after that) and I didn't think about it again until today. I blame my Kyrgyz dial up internet! In any case, I was one year on 15 July. In that year I've lost 92 pounds. I've gone from a very snug 18 or 20 pant into a very comfortable size 8 or M. Women's sizing is insane, so sometimes I'm a 6 and sometimes I'm a 10, but regardless of the number on my pants I'm very happy with the way I look in my clothes now, and I have a large wardrobe of things I love to wear. Almost as exciting as losing the pounds is losing the diabetes. I had only been diagnosed 2 years before my surgery (I started as gestational diabetes) so I went into this fully expecting my blood sugars to be normal afterward and I wasn't disappointed. I'm still high-normal on my A1C, but that was six months ago...I haven't been tested since then. I hope to have a full lab panel done once we're settled here in our new home. I haven't taken a pill since the day before surgery (though I did require insulin several times 48 hours post op) and I've gotten so used to being normal that I don't even test my sugars any more. I'm no role model, so newbies looking for advice should look to some of the more active posters here that stick to a program and actually exercise. I lived out suitcases in my in-law's house for the last nine months due to a PCS from hell, so my eating and exercise habits have been erratic. I've pretty much been living as if I'm in maintenance for the last six months. Don't get me wrong - I don't live on a junk food, carb crazy diet. But I eat more like a "normal" person. I'll have several days where I stick to Protein first and drink lots of Water, but then I'll also have days where I eat pretty much whatever I want (but in small portions). I have maintained a slow but steady loss the entire time I've been sleeved and I weigh every day. I'm always watching for my weight to bounce up, but it never does more than that one or two pounds of fluctuation I see daily. I'm between 149-151 and I expect to stay there for several weeks. My pattern has always been a sudden drop (lately around three to five pounds) followed by three weeks or so at the same weight. I can't tie my losses to my diet - and I don't consider myself "done" yet. I'm sure that over the next six months or so I'll continue to see a slow but steady loss. Plastic surgery is in my future. I probably have more loose skin than most people that have lost less than 100 pounds since surgery. I had twins in 2007 and weighed 280ish after they were born. My skin has pretty much melted and I look a mess underneath my clothes. Thank heavens for the various brands of shapewear I've purchased. I wear them under everything. I plan to have plastics when we're back in the states in 2013, so my hope is that I'll get some exercise into my routine and see a little bounce back from my skin. I don't expect much, though. It's really bad. Underneath all that excess skin (with the occasional stubborn fat deposit) is a genuinely thin woman. I'll be honest - I think my goal weight might be a little low. I went based on the BMI chart and chose the most I could weigh at my height and be "normal" on the chart. But underneath all this skin I am bones and I don't really know where the additional 15 pounds will come from - unless it's my upper arms and thighs. They don't seem to be as small as the rest of me yet! I'm worried that if I lose 15 more pounds and then have plastics, I'll look like a bony scarecrow. My husband is happier that I'm happier but he's not so happy with my thinner body. He likes heavier women and was far happier with my body about 20 pounds ago. I'm sure he'll adjust in time, but it is a real obstacle for some couples. His opinion is that I should scrap the goal weight and focus on getting in shape for plastics and take whatever number I wind up with after plastics as my final weight. However, this is the man that thought I was sexy and attractive 37 weeks pregnant with twins, so I understand that he's trying to make sure I don't wind up with a figure he finds totally unattractive. I'm glad we had a solid marriage before surgery, or this might have caused some real issues for us. My only "I wish I'd known that" issue with surgery is the lactose intolerance. I had no idea I would be so crippled by this - and now that I'm overseas I don't exactly have a local store with almond, coconut and soy milk around the corner. I can eat small portions of hard cheese but yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, ice cream, sour cream, cream cheese, most protein powders, etc. are all completely out for me. It's very limiting but I'm surviving. Luckily I'm living in the land of grilled meat, grilled vegetables and flatbread so it's less of an issue here. And as a note for those military spouses - consider that your VSG might make you EFMP for an overseas tour. I did not disclose mine to the doctor that cleared us to live overseas, and due to the typical shoddy Tricare record-keeping nobody realized I'd had it done. But I was specifically asked if I had a band or bypass, and I was able to honestly answer no to that. Tricare finds the oddest reasons to consider families EFMP - speech therapy, diabetes, allergies, etc., so I'd be sure to ask the necessary questions about this if it could affect you. My husband's job has kept us overseas 5 years out of the last 7, so for us it could turn out to be a real issue, especially with the remote assignments we take. I'm just putting that out there, though it's not likely to affect but a small percentage of the military posters here. Best of luck to everyone. I don't post much anymore because like so many I'm just out here living my life now. But I wanted to give an update because I loved reading the one year stories when I was researching. They gave me something to hope for and I feel that if I can lose more than 90 pounds in a year of not really taking this sleeve as seriously as I should have, than barring medical complications, you should be able to meet or exceed that goal with no problem. Pictures attached. The first two are from one month prior to surgery and the last one is from a week ago. Please excuse my messy hair and worn out expression - I'm jet lagged and our transformer blew so I'm without the luxury of a blow dryer or straightening iron! ~Cheri

Hello I'm 2 months sleeved and my food intake is still a struggle the protein shakes make me sick now. Eggs don't agree with me so so I try to at least three spoons of yogurt when does it get better. Chicken agrees sometimes mu nausea is terrible and most of the time I throw up mu food. Any suggestions or recipes...

When I was in the soft food stage, I would eat the hummus with a little bit of greek yogurt on top for extra protein.

I quite often eat yogurt for a meal! I have always loved yogurt, but since surgery I love it even more and I would say it's my favorite food now. Sometimes, it's all I want and I find it very satisfying! Sent from my Pixel 5a using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm about 11 weeks out. I get that stuck feeling, particularly if I eat too fast, usually during the evening meal when I haven't eaten since noon. I guess I'm hungry those times, but I don't experience hunger like I did before surgery, so I don't recognize the new feeling of hunger. I tried a one inch piece of a pita bread and I felt the stuck feeling then too, only more misery; I stay away from bready things now. I can eat about 1/4 cup of dense things (meat), 1/2 cup of yogurt consistency or soup consistency foods before I feel the stuck feeling. I have to have one protein shake a day yet in order to make my goals--I can drink about 8 oz of a thin shake fairly easily. A thicker shake is a smaller portion limit.

I have three weeks of post-op liquid diet and am almost two weeks through it. I'm allowed to have unflavored Greek yogurt, skyr, and sugar-free fat-free puddings on my "liquid" diet and I find those help a lot. Also, warm savory things help—phở broth, miso soup, chicken broth. And the Fairlife nutrition shakes that taste exactly like chocolate milk seem to assuage my hunger. It is better now than it was immediately post-op, for what it's worth.

Hello everyone! It sounds like we're all off to a good start. Now that things are healing up for me I am getting quite a bit more hungry. I broke down today and ate oatmeal and mashed potatoes. I hear you all talking about Phase I and II but my doctor doesn't have that. I was to start on clear liquids for 3 days min. I did this and then over the next few days could add liquid yogurt and a protein shake. I am supposed to be on liquids until 09/20. How long do you guys have to wait to eat mushies?

Hi All, I can't believe it, but I got banded on Aug. 7. I was lucky in that I was the first surgery of the day, but I had to get there at 5:30 am Anyway, was a little nauseous when I woke up, but was so glad it went away. All the staff was great. I can't say the surgery was very much fun, though. I'm feeling kind of icky. I haven't been sleeping well, and last night my CPAP machine wouldn't seal to my face right. Aargh! My stomach is churning, churning. My incisions were glued shut, and couple of them started bleeding the first night home. I'm a little worried about them. Dr. said just to put a bandaid on them. I was also bringing up a lot of phlegm, which makes my worry about my lungs. I've got some gas too, I think. The strangest thing was the morning after the surgery, I found that I was suddenly far-sighted. This isn't what my vision is usually like. I can't seem to focus on anything close up. My optometrist said it could be the residual effects of anaesthesia, and my eye muscles are sleepy or something. I'm still having this problem today. It's really disconcerting. I'm sick of protein drinks. So much sweetness. but I feel like I've dropped a ton of water and have to watch my hydration. Very much looking forward to cottage cheese, yogurt, refrieds, and eggs. I would take some more oxycodone, but I think that's not going to help my eyes wake up. Sigh. My problem is that I'm a bit of a hypochondriac, and I'm alarmed at every twinge. Wish me luck! Can't wait to be more healed.

I just got back from having an upper GI series. I was surprised to see that my stomach had stretched, the radiologist said it did not look like I had a sleeve surgery but it didn't look as big as I thought a normal stomach should be. Usually a microwavable meal for one will last me for 2 meals. Pre-surgery I could eat 3 bagels now I eat half of one of those very thin bagels so I can't believe the stomach went back to the same size but it has gotten bigger and there are times I do surprise myself and eat more then I should. I crave a frozen yogurt pop and most people would eat one and sometimes I can still eat three. the point I want to make is when I first started having problems with the craving of food in that first year I did not go back to the doctor I felt ashamed and that was the beginning of the problems with the overeating. I also have a fairly large hiatal hernia. I hope the doctor will be doing the bypass to stop the severe reflux as I mentioned before and I wouldn't mind losing 30 pounds. I would be very willing to talk to someone email or even if it can be done on the phone if you're having problems like I am or if you are able to give me support. Because support is one of the most important things to have when you're having these surgeries. Good luck to all of you.

Fage Greek Yogurt, 0% fat in all flavors. It is slightly more expensive than others but in my opinion tastes better

Hi all - just banded on July 29 - feeling better today but am pretty hungry most of the time. Not eating more than yogurt right now but in anticipation of working up to solid food would some one please spell out for me exactly what a "PB" is and what is "sliming" - it seems this is like regurgitating up food but not clear. What does one do when either happens? How long does an attack of each last and what are best strategies to get through them? Read earlier someone said they used pineapple juice and given the enzymes in this fruit maybe these help "dissolve"?? Thanks for input. I believe forewarned is forearmed!