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When do you get more energy? I am 7 weeks post op. I feel the same. People ask me how I feel, like I should feel amazing and I do not. I have lost over 40 pounds, and never had any issues, no sickness or throwing up ect... But, I think I should more energy then when I did 40 pounds ago- How have you all been energy wise?

Anybody had success getting approved with this particular plan? How long did it take to get approval? If you were denied what did they require to get approved? My doctors office has never dealt with this particular plan so they sent in my stuff earlier then normal just to see what they came back with for a response. I have spoken to 3 different agents and gotten a copy of their pre auth form and their bariatric medical policy but all are very vague about what they want for proof of previous attempts and number of dietician appointments they require for approval.😕 thanks!

I'm 3 weeks pot op and still do not have the energy that I had before surgery. I think once I'm able to get in enough protein I should be ok. Are you getting in enough water and protein?

Yikes! Scrambled eggs will be my first "real" food, and they are on deck for October 27 which is the beginning of Week 4. (October 20 brings cottage cheese and well cooked zucchini and green Beans -- but they are not in the same league with eggs in my opinion). My mind wondered how I might do with them at 12 days post-op, so you have certainly answered that question for me. I hope you're feeling better.

Good luck to you! What is the 6mth diet for? What does it tell them? If you loose weight will they say - Oh you can do it yourself? I don't understand why they do that. I know pre-op why they do but ?? It will be a couple yrs for me in Ontario so I will likely go with self pay in awhile and get a loan to pay over 5 yrs or so. Worth it to me. I want a life back now not in 2 or 3 yrs. Keep us posted :smile:

I know what you mean about the Metformin! It took my digestive system 2 weeks to get used to it and not camp near a toilet! I stopped taking meds about 2 days before surgery and haven't taken any since. I'm probably going to start taking metformin again as soon as I'm on the soft foods stage of my post op. good luck with your pre-op! I'd like to say post-op is easier, but it's ALMOST just as bad. My eyes want everything in sight but I have 4 spoonfuls of soup/pudding/whatever and I'm FULL. Which is a great feeling. I only lost 5 lbs on the pre-op diet but I've lost 18 more since surgery. It's worth EVERY penny. Good luck! Think skinny thoughts!

4 weeks out and so far I been to tired to notice.. lol but I really don't think so. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using the BariatricPal App

I have lifting restrictions for 6 weeks-nothing heavier than a gallon of milk. I found that when I did more housework then what I should have done or loading/unloading the dishwasher, I would have pain in the stomach. Just a reminder you had surgery. Just be aware of how much you are lifting and be careful. I did have a hiatal hernia repair during surgery but I am not concerned of getting a hernia afterwards as I am following my restrictions. Just listen to your body...if you are having pain, slow down on what you are doing. Remember you just had major surgery and it will take some time for the insides to heal.

Hi Judy ~ try not to be discouraged!! I think honestly the huge amount you lost right away has a lot to do with it. I am May 20th so we are right on track with each other and I've lost 41 lbs, just in a different way. 18 first week, then 10 over the next 2 weeks, then 5, then I stalled for a bit, then 4, then 3. Every time you lose 20-30 lbs your body takes a while to adjust before moving on. If you really think you may need changes, examine your calories (should be 600-800 a day the first year) that's net calories meaning if you exercise and burn 200, then you should eat 800-1000 so that you net 600-800. You can always try upping your exercise also. I have been doing 30-60 mins 4-5 days a week. Just hang in there - it will work! Also congrats on getting off all the meds!!

Thats what hes there for. He wont mind. Mine didnt. And i agree. Sip sip sip. Dont get dehydrated. We ll be dancing next week

I am self pay and had my first appt with my surgeon the third week of April. I am scheduled for surgery June 9th. I would have gone quicker but I had some timing issues with scheduling preop stuff because of my work schedule.

Getting ready to go. I had second thoughts but I am ok now. Wish me luck friends!

Day 4 , I can do this. Day 3 was easier than day 4 ... Mind of matter!!!

Day 3, yesterday I went to bed after getting sick with a migraine... But I make it through... Not hungry... Just headaches..

ReadyNew, Ok, I got my official date! I will be sleeved October 9th!!! I'm very excited AND nervous. I have pre-open on the third. It will consist of meeting with the good ole doc that puts you to sleep, blood draw, 15 min meeting with doctor, 15 min meeting with dietician, and a prince screen to test for tobacco. That's how it is here for the program I am in in Albany, New York with Albany Medical Center. They said between all of it it is about 2-3 hours. I'll keep you updated! Hope all is well! I will be posting my before pictures soon.

Hi fellow Bandsters! Thought i would join the site to share my experience. Im from Edmonton Alberta Canada, and have always been the fat kid.When I was 14 I weighed 245lbs and worked my way up to 265lbs by the time I was 17. I joined Weight Watchers and hit 210lbs by the time High school was over. Over the next ten years it was a roller coaster! When I went to college at 25 I got a little silly with the drinkin and by the time i graduated i was back up to 270lbs (have to admit it was alot of fun!).By the time I was 30 I hit the 300lbs mark. I keep tryin diets like Jenny Craig and am succefull, but i seem to drop 20 then a few months later gain 30.I now have a job in Sales, which i get paid to take customers out for food and drink. Im now 34 years old and have hit 349lbs! Im not even the same person anymore and I really miss the old me! I loved to socalize and travel the world (Australia, Cambodia, US, ect...). I never had a problem meeting women and could fit in with any group in a short amount of time. Now I just want to curl up in a dark cave and see no one!I could really care less if I wake up in the morning anymore. I had to turn the mirror around in my room so I dont have to disgust myself anymore. I cant live like this any longer! I have researched many options but found that the Lapband will work best for me. Im one of those people that never eat breakfast but will eat a truck when dinner comes around. I need this tool to help me with portion size more than anything. Unfortunately our Alberta Health Care system is a joke. Due to the fact that i am healthy as can be (aside the weight)it will take 2-3 years before i can have the surgery here in Edmonton. I have decided to go to Mexico to see Dr.Horacio Guajardo (worked for many years with Dr.Rumbaut) in Monterrey Mexico on July 14th 2009. He has personally called me to asure everything. Lisa and Brigitte (the Canadain and US patient relations) have been very no extremely helpfull. I have spent over 4hrs on the phone talking with Lisa for the past several weeks goin over every little detail. Sorry for the novel here, but i cant wait to start my journey here is 2 days! Look forward to all of your information. Cheers Kevw

Hi! My surgery is a week from today! Woo hoo! Still working on getting all my pre-op done, which is stressful. Endoscopy is tomorrow...EKG later today. I'm rushed because there was a cancellation for next week and I took it! :biggrin: I'm wondering if there are any 20-somethings (I'm 26) that would like to stay in touch as email buddies for support, etc? I live in the Thousand Oaks, CA area, so even if you aren't a "20-something", but live in the area, let me know! I haven't been able to find a local support group, so I'd like to hear from some locals on that. Thanks everybody! Wish me LUCK! amy

before i started on my WLS journey i weighed 289lbs. when i decided to take the journey i was 277lbs. so i lost 12lbs before i even started you could say. on the liquid diet my doctor wanted me to lose 10lbs before surgery - mission accomplished. with 48lbs lost after surgery- which was june 26 (i am 7 weeks post-op), and 12lbs before the journey. and as of today (8/18/12) i am 229lb.... total of 60lbs lost. hope this helps you.

One of the reasons I joined this forum in Dec '09 after my VSG was to understand all about stalls and how to break them (live with them !). After almost 6 months I have realized that stalls are inevitable, they way they react is unpredictable but finally breakable. My longest stall was 9 weeks, not only was it a stall, I had actually gained weight. To all friends who come here to seek answers on stall - you will win ! There are many NSVs also, I am fully off diabetes medication, sleep well (no snoring), walk and run 4 miles a day, trouser size down from 55 to 38, shirt from 46 to 42. The best decision I ever made was to go for VSG. Keep the spirits high. The wonderful people of this forum helped me remain sane when confusion prevailed. Thank you all.

hey melinda... i live in LaVergne and was banded by Dr. Dyer at Centennial because he was the only in network MD my insurance would cover. He is very nice and I will be seeing him today for my week 1 postop. My first choice was Dr Morton at Southern Hills, he probably has the most experience. I also have heard good things about Dr. Houston, he is at Centennial. Good luck!!

Good luck! I did all of that prep work too. I'm glad I did, but I officially start my pre-op diet tomorrow and I'm SO SICK of these dang shakes already!! But it's still good practice for post-op livin. I can't believe I'm 2 weeks away... eeek!

I've started two things - one, I'm taste-testing samples from a number of the Protein powders and Meal Replacements out there. Second, since I'm doing that, I'm pseudo practicing for the pre-op diet. Hey, if I'm drinking the Protein drinks anyhow, I might as well make it useful! What does that mean, exactly? The diet is to use 3-4 Protein shakes during the day, plus one small meal for dinner. Total is not to exceed 870 calories, so while I can use skim milk to mix my drinks, it wouldn't leave a lot for dinner! I'll likely choose the protein powders I can tolerate well mixed with Water, and try to be satisfied with 3 of those during the day, so that I can have around 300-350 calories for dinner, since I'll be looking for dense protein to keep me satisfied overnight. I can, of course, have all the non-caloric liquids I would like during this diet. What I am doing (as of today) is replacing Breakfast and lunch with 2-3 protein shakes during the day. At dinner time, I am not eating with the restricted calories I will be during the diet, but I am trying to keep my portion size to something equivalent to what I will eat in the pre-op diet and focusing as much as possible on protein. I am trying to keep the total day between 1000 and 1200 calories, but I'm not being obsessive about it. The reality is that if I'm only getting 3-500 calories during the day, that leaves me 700-900 for dinner - that's a pretty big amount of room. I've told myself that if I am positively starving during the afternoon, I will allow myself one more Protein shake, but I'm trying to work with just 3 shakes and lots and lots of water or tea during the day. Other than including a Protein Drink for breakfast so that I *do* have breakfast, I am not focused on dieting on the weekends, just trying to be mindful of what I am eating and keep carbs and calories in check. What I'm expecting from this is three things. One, of course, is that I will spend the next few weeks trying out a lot of protein drinks and maybe some preparation methods. Two, I will get these reviews onto my blog (http://livebytes.net/blog/spacedust/ for anyone who's interested) to try and give others some ideas of nutritional values and what I thought of the stuff as I give it a try. Third, I suspect that it won't hurt in the usual battle to lose a few pounds, and certainly won't hurt for me to get used to what it's like from the perspective of if I get uncomfortably hungry or not. Wish me luck!

This is kind of longwinded, but hoping I can get answers from others, as well as provide info for those in the same boat. Here goes: I'm in Northern Virginia (OK, I live in WV, but my Doctors are in No.Va.) and have Kaiser Permanente insurance. My PCP looked at me when I asked about WLS in May and basically said I wasn't fat or sick enough (Hello->Sleep apnea, Family Hx of diabetes with me having recently elevated fasting glucose levels, knee, ankle, and back pain, Weight=298 pounds, and BMI of >45?!?!). Long story short, got a referral anyway. Nutritionist aptmt 6/8/09, weight 298 :drool:. A-OK to start the loooooooong 6 month program (she said I definitely qualify and let that appointment be "Class One"). Scheduled weight loss class the next a.m. to get it out of the way. Had my psych eval 7/28 (:angry:that office messed things up-didn't even have the correct patient file when I checked in) and am waiting for the results to get sent to my Nutritionist and PCP. Kaiser screwed up and scheduled me for "Class Two" (which should have been my 4th visit), instead of a followup the next month (7/13, weight-283.3:smile:) with the nutritionist. Luckily I won't have to take the "Class Two" thing over, just have to do all individual followups until my approval and meeting with the surgeons. Followup appointment 8/3, wt-280.8:tongue_smilie: So here are some of my questions: My next visit (9/15) with the nutritionist will be my 4th visit. They say they require 6 visits total, all about one month apart. That makes November month 6. Who has been through this process in NoVa and what is next? I've heard there are support group classes you have to take but was busy asking questions about other things and didn't ask the nutritionist specifically. How soon after starting did you actually meet with the surgeon? What about additional testing? BW, EKG, etc...? Has anyone been denied by Kaiser NoVa based on their psych eval? I was on antidepressants over 3 years ago. As I mentioned, the psych office didn't have my file (grrrr), and no matter what I told him I was SUCCESSFULLY doing/using for depression, stress, and anxiety (meditation, yoga, exercising, relying on support of friends and family), he's been going on and on about my "underlying condition" and saying he can't see where I would be an ideal candidate for WLS. It sounds like he wants me back on medication, which I do not currently need. Trust me, if I needed it i'd ask for it! I'm really determined to make this work. I've been working on sip, sip, sipping (it's kinda hard to sip every 10 minutes, especially when you're working), have tried a few Protein supplements to find recipes I like BEFORE surgery, and have been working on finding some decent puree-able foods that are appetizing. How long after approval did you have to wait to actually schedule you're surgery? Like, my first visit was 6/8, final should be in November, so do I have to wait days? weeks?? months??? before surgery is scheduled? I'm impatient enough as it is Thanks everyone for any answers you may be able to provide!! Best of luck to all. :tongue: & :cool: Blessed Be.

Hello all. I have had an obesity problem all my life - as does everyone in my family. Four members of my family have the band including myself. I also know several people with the band. I am the worst example out of them all. I was banded almost 3 years ago and have only lost 27lbs (267 to 240). I have struggled to work off every bit of that. I have been 240lbs for months now. I have a bowflex, free weights and an elliptical. I exercise 2-4 times a week. I feel as if I am cursed. I have had 3 fills. I went in for another fill today, but I could not get the white Fluid down (stuff you drink for x-ray). The Doctor had to take it out and said I had to make do with what I had in me already. I have joined this site today to seek advice on losing weight. I would really like to get down to 199, but I would be very happy at 210.