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I sometimes drink the body armour lites and they don't bother me. Bypassed 6/20/22 Sent from my BE2028 using BariatricPal mobile app

Greetings All, I am just joining the group today. I am in the process of preparing for Lap Band surgery. I am done with my pre-op tests, I now need to have my teaching class, nutritionist visit and psych eval and then my surgery date will be set. I am hoping to lose 160 lbs. through this process. I am very excited, but would like the surgery to be over all ready. They think I should be operated on around the end of February or beginning of March. Which is not a long time to wait. My best friend had gastric bypass surgery done and had to wait 6 months from the time of the first consultation to the actual surgery. My time will probably total 2 months. I am married to a wonderful husband and have a beautiful 4 year old daughter. I am a freelance sign language interpreter and run my own business. I love rubber stamping cards, and crafts. I love to read and travel. I am looking forward to getting to know you all through this new journey in my llfe. Hugs to all, tolose160

Can anyone recommend a good Vitamin that does not contain Iron? I have been taking 2 Flintstones Chewables a day and I am so constipated I can't function. I take Miralax daily and even drink Smooth Move tea every few days but I just can't get un-constipated. I stopped the Vitamins 2 days ago and have been on the hunt for one without iron in it but I can't seem to find one for those of us who have had gastric bypass. I am fine with gummies, chewables, or anything I can take (3.5 weeks post op). I know there has to be something out there!

Peacheeie- my story is just like your. My starting weight was 207 had a revision do to band failure and also diabetes. I have gotten down as far at 185. I started working out the lasts 3 weeks and I'm up to 188. Calories are set To 800 by me. Dr states not to count calories, eat three meals and stay away from carbs. I can eat more then 4 oz, wonder if I stretched my sleeve. Dr and RNP says my weightloss will be slow because of the band.

I am three weeks out from surgery. And yes I can eat regular food without any problems and eat 1000 calories a day easily. A meal is 5 oz of Protein and a salad no problem. I do have a nutritionist but she's on vacation. I'm thinking I got a bigger stomach after the surgery. I have had zero problems with eating anything and I can chug a glass of Water easily too with no problems. I see my surgeon next week. I'm not eating crap food - I'm eating lean protein and veggies but I can still eat more than I should be able to at this point.I think MANY conversion folks feel that way. I know I did. This "I can only sip 2oz of water and I feel like I am drowning " never happened to me. There are as many after surgery diets as there are doctors. Everyone thinks their doc is the most right. But if none of them agree then my thought is there is no scientific answer and they are all GUESSING. SO, just be aware of that when people start judging you and what your doc has you doing. MOST people on here mean well, and they may come off as being harsh but they are providing helpful information along the way and they do care. Others are just food shaming and do nothing other than that...not actually offering any usefulness in their post. Ignore those ones and try not to let it get to you. Most docs do not have people on solids at 3 weeks but I have read the post diets from 3 different hospitals who do. So I am not totally suprised. That being said. It still hurts for me to eat meat. But that is me. If you are 3 weeks out and able to eat 1000 calories of solid food then you might benefit from a 5 day pouch test. You can look it up online but pretty much go back to liquids for a couple days, then mushies, softs, then regular food again. Some people say that helps them get some better restriction. Eating solids...and too much solid too soon and put stress on your staple line. I have also read that it can cause you to stretch out a but more...making it hard to fill up. I don't know how much of that is "bro science " and how much of that is proven science but it can't hurt to do a reset and see how you feel. Also, when you are eating normal food. Make sure you are not drinking with or too soon after. Conversion surgery people already seem to have their food make its way into the lower gi a little faster so don't speed that process up. Eat slow, BUT don't eat so slow that it takes you more than 20 min. I wad doing this very thing!!! I wad taking about 45 min to eat...and could eat a lot. But I sped up just a little bit and started stopping after 20 min and I am filling up on less calories. 1000 calories can add up fast. And really...in the long run....it is what we should eventually be eating. The idea that we live on 500 calories a day for ever is absurd. The point of this honeymoon phase is to help you lose weight WHILE retraining your system to eat healthy. NO ONE GETS FAT ON 1000 CALORIES A DAY OF VEGETABLES AND chicken....unless you are 2. So.... Hang in there. ..listen to your body....and just keep making good choices. Much love!!! Thanks! I saw my surgeon 2 days ago for my post-op follow up and he said he took off about 70% instead of the usual 80% because of the band. He didn't want leaks. He also said that 1,000 calories a day is fine and not to worry about what the NUT says. He said they are more used to dealing with straight sleevers and not revisions. He said revisions can sometimes eat more and I'm doing fine. He told me to just stick to Proteins and hit the goal and then fill in with the non-starchy veggies and not to worry about it. My surgeon's normal plan is for people to start solids between day 10 and day 14 depending on how they feel. Lean proteins and non-starchy veggies. He keeps reminding me every time I see him not to eat mashed potatoes. I hate, loathe and despise mashed potatoes. I told him I'd rather eat canned cat food - at least it has protein. Hahahahahha you go girl! I was eating similar to you...went to liquids 2 meals a day and just eggs for the 3rd meal. Now I am filling up on a lot less. Didn't even take 5 days. But I am losing again. Do what works for you...but if it stops working. ..try mixing it up a little. Remember. ..marathon...not a sprint.

I feel like I am the first Gastric Bypass failure. I lost weight before I could eat solid food and I have gained back 2 pounds since. I rarely feel full...I know I have to work at losing weight but I was hoping the sleeve would be a tool that helped. Honestly I sometimes think I am the placebo test patient, they removed my lapband but did they forget I wanted the sleeve when they were in there? Being able to eat as much as I did before ( and some days I do) makes me feel horrible. I know "hunger" is in my head but I was hoping the sleeve would make it easier for me to feel full. Every time I read that people can consume a cup of food at some meals ( like that is a lot) makes me nuts, I can easily eat 2 - 3 cups at a meal ( if not more!) Am I the ONLY one?

I'm just now 3 months out from RNY gastric bypass, so I'd be happy to try to answer any questions you have. I'm actually surprised you can get in 1900 calories a day. At a month, I was only eating about 200-300 calories a day and I am only up to about 500 at best. In our program, they told us to eat about 2-4 tablespoons of food (or drink protein drinks) 5 times a day to start, increase gradually. At about 1 month when -- we could get in more volume -- they had us cut back to 3 meals a day. They told us not to worry about counting calories; focus on good quality protein (Beans, nuts (nut butters at your stage), fish, and chicken if you could tolerate it). But our final "goal" once we're at maintenance -- and that's usually about a YEAR out -- is 1200-1500 calories a day. Of course if you have a really high BMI, like above 50, or you are super tall and/or muscular and/or an elite athlete, I could see how 1900 calories might be enough of a drastic reduction to lose weight (my starting BMI was was about 43). In terms of volume, how much are you eating? That to me is an easier way to gauge things. (For example, at a month out, I could eat about 1/4-1/2 cup at a time, and was told I was eating a little less than most of the other folks in my group. Now I am eating about 3/4 to 1 cup of food per meal.) Are you being careful not to drink fluids for at least 30 minutes after eating/drinking anything that has calories? Drinking too soon after eating flushes the food thru your pouch so you don't get that "full" feeling. Also, are you taking plenty of time to chew (20 chews per bite!), and eating slowly enough that your meal takes at least 30 minutes to finish? It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to pick up sensations in your stomach, so eating slowly really helps feel the restriction. Hope these things help.

Severe nightime reflux was also my only symptom of my slip. I sufferred with it for 4 mths before finally seeing my dr. I was afraid he'd unfill me and I'd gain back all 104 lbs I had lost. He did. When my reflux subsided, he started filling me slowly. By the time of my 3rd refill, my reflux came back. They took the previous 1cc out and told me it was now up to me, my band had done the job. Mentioned nothing of a revision or removal. 4 mths later, I had severe stomach pain and had to go to the ER. After a CT scan, it showed my band had finally had enuf and herniated (after continuing to vomit almost daily). I had an emergency total unfill and scheduled a sleeve revision. After a yr and a gain of 30 lbs, I finally had a light at the end of the tunnel. It's been a year since my revision (all at once) and I'm now 10 lbs from goal of 140. The first 100 lbs were easy peasy compared with the last 15. Good luck on ur new journey...

Yes I had it out May 8th. I was in the hospital 8 days due to an infection. They also thought I had a leak so went back in for surgery on the third day to check around for a leak but apparently there wasn't one. They put drains in on the second surgery and I got a lot better after that. I have lost 38lbs since may. Day of surgery I was 216. Now I am 178 and half way to goal. I have lost 53lbs all together since January when I started the revision process from a high weight of 231. It's the best thing I ever did!

While I am new with the sleeve, I had a lap band for 6 + years which makes me a revision patient. When I had my band put in, I never thought it would have to come out. I planned on being a one time wls patient. I am so fortunate to have gotten a second chance. This has to wok for me for several reasons: because my insurance company only pays for one surgery unless there is a device failure or complication related to the surgery. Since I am a revision patient, I have the baggage of knowing that one surgery didn't work already, I am over 50 post menopausal revision patients tend to not lose as quickly as a virgin wls patient. I believe I have the right mind set and this will work. In my opinion it seems many people think I had wls, I am guaranteed to lose weight. I can continue to eat what I ate before but in smaller amounts. It amazes me when people are posting how they are eating foods too early. As a previous poster said if following their own opinion worked, why did they have to resort to WLS? I guess I fall into the mean category when I post replies to people on these type of topics of eating too soon. I tend to get a lot of flack. I am not perfect with my eating and do not profess to be. As Butter said during the honeymoon period it is easier. This is the time to make good choices and install the healthy eating habits that can get you to your goal at the end. WLS is not a magic wand or pill you can take and it automatically happens. It requires hard work and once you get to goal, then the works begins to stay there. As all of us have been on diets before and lost weight, you know the major reason we regained the weight and probably more is because we didn't maintain healthy eating habits and possibly quit exercising. I am off my soap box now.

Hi, I just joined the group. My daughter suggested it as she herself is a successful 5 year RNY bypass patient. From watching her I kind of know pretty much what to expect. The good and the bad. I am 57 years old and a single parent. As for myself, I didn't really start to have a weight problem until after having kids. Through the years the weight slowly piled on. On top of that I developed type 2 insulin dependent diabetes in my late 30's. My youngest was born after I became diabetic. I also have several other chronic conditions as well. The last 3 years I have been in and out of the hospital with septicemia, cellulitis, osteomyelitis, diabetic foot ulcers, two partial toe amputations on both feet and diabetic ketoacidosis. It has roughly been every 4-6 months that I've been in the hospital for at least 1 1/2 to 2 weeks followed by 4-6 weeks of IV meds via PICC line plus home nurse visits, OT and PT visits. It's only been the last 5 months that my blood sugars have really been under control and that my feet have been healed. I was finally able to go and see the bariatric surgeon and start the process to finally reach the goal of having RNY gastric bypass surgery. I received my surgery date approximately 3 weeks ago. I am now on the last day and a half of my liquid diet before surgery. the Protein powder that my daughter gave me is disgusting (she just laughed and told me to get used to it. HA) and is difficult for me to choke down. I need to try different brands to find one that is more palatable for me. My biggest problem is that I have healthy (I am a good cook, like to cook and like to eat and enjoy food) eating habits. It's just that my portions are way too big compounded by the last 3 years of not being able to walk as the wound care doctors wanted me off my foot as much as possible. So, I became more sedentary. And, voila! I gained weight and couldn't lose it. So here I am and the big day is almost here. My daughter will be taking me to the hospital and staying with me. My son-in-law will come to the hospital after the kids go to school. He's staying home with the kids while my daughter stays with me for a week. My oldest son will be coming also to the hospital. My youngest son isn't (both of my sons are autistc) sure yet. My neighbor will cook and watch over my sons for me until I come home. Now that I've introduced myself, I'd love to hear from others. I am extremely excited and a little nervous. But it won't be long. Monday morning at 5:30am. I've also been thinking about the walking and eating. Anyone else having surgery on the 1st? Anyone willing to be buddies with me?

Rainydayz - just another wrinkle to throw at you - Gastric Plication surgery is very similar to the sleeve, only from what I understand it involves "folding" the excess stomach within and stitching it up into a "tube" so the end result is similar to the sleeve. There is no cutting away of the excess stomach and is potentially reversible. It is becoming more and more common as I know my surgeon is now doing this procedure. It is also done laproscopically and there are no "adjustments" like the band. Just a thought. I am a bandster and I love it - but if I have problems, I'm not really sure I would have another put in (and potentially have the same problems - not work like it did before, etc) or revise to GPS.

my husband has been really supportive since the start of this journey back in December. He has encouraged me, gone to all the appointments with me and stayed by my side the entire time I was in the hospital. I am a really emotional person and become a hot crazy mess easily with just the slightest hormone flux. I do take meds to help (lol) I warned my husband about the possibility of the crazy fluctuations in hormones that could take place after this surgery. I clearly remember the nurse warning us as well at the 1st appointment. The last few days I have been a BIG hot mess! Crying, yelling, lashing out, frustrated, angry, jealous. I'm sure there's more... Simply put...I had gastric bypass 5 days ago. I'm starving. I see people eat and it does something inside of me that seems unnatural. It feels like torture and a punishment. I become flooded with emotions and know it's too much. I have been trying to avoid the situations however in addition to the surgery i lost my grandfather the same evening as the surgery and to be honest I felt no emotion about that for a couple of those days as I was so doped up. I know I am an emotional eater. I know I am a mess..I am really trying to handle this but it's a LOT at once and right now honestly when people eat infront of me it Pisses me off. I am on a broth, Water, Jello diet till Sunday as I couldn't handle the shakes. For the most part I am healing well but the foodie issues are over taking me. My husband has yelled at me and made me feel pretty awful for having these hormone fluxes and issues. He has told me I am cruel and rotten and did so infront of our kids. Is this the same man who has been my biggest support?? Wtf? I am also frustrated and upset as A.) When I arrived to town for the wake/funeral my father who was one of the few people I told about the surgery...had told my entire family!!! And B.) my husband has now, what he says is "confirmed" for some of his employees and another manager/co-worker friend from another store that I had it. Friends, I am so freaking hurt!! The 2 men In my life I should be able to trust the most!!! OMG!! My husband says he doesn't feel bad about telling his friend (who btw is a woman and I am ok with that but still..) as he needs someone to talk to because I am hard to handle right now. How should I even feel?? At this point I am so confused and hurt and lost all I keep thinking is how I really wanted this to be very private and now so many people know. I am embarassed, ashamed and now I feel like the spot light is on me with everyone watching to see if I fail. Not sure where to turn. Any advice?

For the issues you are having it sounds like the full bypass is really the only option that makes any sense. The sleeve could make the acid reflux worse. Also you probably won't get the desired results with the sleeve because of confounding factors Eddy Blaine Brown II

Me too Denise! And good job again, Kat. You're right on, of course. They call this road to "sobriety" () a journey I think because of all the twists and turns along the way. It is not like gastric bypass or other methods. It is different and although we do have some guidance by the doctor's office, this procedure is relatively new in the U.S. Everyone is still learning and some doctors are a lot less knowledgeable than others. The jury is still out on the big picture of whether it is the solution to everyone's overweight problems. We do need some mentoring and helping each other and that's why this website has been so beneficial for so many of us. Thanks for taking the time to jump into the fray here!

Why the 3 port revisions? Sorry to hear about your complications, I hope that this isn't something that is normal. Ahh, being where I am now and looking at 280 is awesome.Maybe you have forgotten how far you have come? Granted, there's nothing wrong to have goals. My ULTIMATE goal is to reach 200, all in due time

My surgeon required an upper endoscopy as well. Turns out I showed signs of gerd (wasn't aware of) and it looked like I might have Barrett's esophagus... however the biopsy came back negative. He told me the gastric bypass I got should reverse the gerd and inflammation.

I had revision on 6/18 due to many of the same reasons as you. I'm glad I switched and love my sleeve so far. I have Kaiser and am glad I didn't have to go thru all the hops to get approved. Since we had 3 years of documented testing, issues etc that was enough to get it approved and paid for.

Here's my saga. I posted this elsewhere in the forums and was kind of surprised at the negative response, so let me say, this is just my story. I'm not bashing the band, I'm very thankful for the success I had with it. I'm not bitter or angry, it just didn't work for me long term. I had a Realize band placed in February of 2009. My starting weight was 268. The band was fantastic and I lost weight steadily, with the exception of a few months when I realized how easy Cookies were to eat. In December of 2010, I hit the 100 pounds lost mark, I also found out I was pregnant that same week. At about 4 weeks pregnant I had a really nasty 3 day stomach flu. A few days after recovering from that, I started throwing up again. I could keep food down for a few hours, but it was all coming back up. I lost another 15 pounds in 2 weeks. I thought it was just severe morning sickness, even though in 5 previous pregnancies I'd never had morning sickness. I saw my Ob who told me to immediately get my band unfilled and if I was still throwing up the next day he'd have to admit me into the hospital. I got a complete unfill and immediately felt better, but with no restriction and absolutely no mental/physical/spiritual preparedness for no restriction, my love affair with all things bread and pastry renewed like we were never apart. I gained 40 pounds in the first 4 months of my pregnancy. I managed to gain back a little control, but ended up gaining about 60 pounds before I had my daughter in August of 2011. The weight gain took a great emotional toll on me, but I just knew that 6 weeks postpartum I'd get a fill and be right back on track... You know where this is going, right? In October of 2011 I got my band refilled. Pre-pregnancy, my fill level was at 7.2cc in an 11 cc band. We filled it to 3.5 cc and 3 weeks later filled it to 5 cc. I had very little restriction and it just didn't seem right. I'd also started getting heartburn. I went back a few weeks later and we filled it to 5.5. That lasted 24 hours, I had to go back in for an unfill and we went down to 5.2 so I could get Water down. I still didn't have much restriction, but I did have terrible heartburn and vomiting in the middle of the night. I lived with this for a few months until I couldn't stand it and went back in and had .5 cc removed. This made the heartburn manageable with daily meds and tums always at hand, but there was no restriction. I could eat all the bread, Pasta, rice that I wanted. I knew I had a slip, but didn't have insurance to cover bariatrics, so I lived with it. I tried eating less, exercise, weight watchers, even a juice fast but I've gained 20 more pounds on top of the baby weight. Fast forward to now and I finally have insurance to cover bariatrics. I went in a few weeks ago and had my upper GI. It showed a slip above the band, virtually my entire stomach is above the band, which is why there is no restriction felt, but the band was so tight that flow into the rest of my digestive tract was severely restricted. Food just sat there for a really long time, and the results of that we're just kind of gross. We unfilled the band completely to see if the slip would fix itself, although, we all knew what that result would be. The pregnancy hadn't caused the slip, the stomach flu had and 9 months of an empty band hadn't helped it unslip. I got that confirmation this week. My band is still slipped and the restriction is still severe even empty. I'm frustrated, but quite relieved that there has been a real issue this whole time and it wasn't just me. We're now going through the process of getting insurance approval to revise to a sleeve and I couldn't be happier.

I had sleeve to bypass revision and considering I weighed much less I lost I beleive at a quicker rate. I see you are eating oats for breakfast; during the wieght loss phase I would never have eaten such a high carb food plus it does not satiate you protein does. Stick with higher protein meals and maybe your weight loss will increase. Oh same with beans I didn't have any beans until I reached my goal weight. Now I am 7.8 punds below my goal wieght and I do eat beans!

BJean, I feel like singing the song to the munchkins from Wizard of Oz "come out come out where ever you are.... I too have a lot of those same issues that you spoke about which make it more difficult to lose. I'm on anti-depressants, anti-anxiety meds, have a thyroid issue but medicated, type II diabetes, not medicated at the momement, I'm 48 years old. My weight is 248 and I wanted to get down to 200, which to most people seems like a lot to weigh but for me it was basically my first goal and would probably be satisfied to get that far. I had gotten close to 220 on Medifast right after surgery but since then with the fills adjustments, no fill, too much fill whatever I just put it all back on. So getting down to 220 was a big deal to me and I was almost thrilled at that weight! Then to go back up to close to the 253 where I started just about killed me! So I never lost I gained. I don't think I was the right candidate and have been chatting with people on another forum that my nutritionist suggested and they have very similar problems and most are getting revisions or have already had them. I'm afraid at this point or paranoid that no surgery would work for me or I for it, I've lost confidence. I'm at the point now with only 2 ccs that I can eat a WW tv dinner and try to follow the points plan but I can't always stick to it and exercising on the treadmill isn't always the best thing for me because I'm built like a candy apple! I have very thin legs and gain belly up. So I end up getting really muscular legs and thinner ones and it makes me look bigger on top. Anyway that's about the gist of it. So like I said I just have a feeling it wasn't the right surgery for me (without sounding like a basher) and I'm trying to figure out what to do now. I had the surgery last august and that's almost 9 months now and I don't know how much longer I should go without making some drastic change. Thanks for your help brandyII.

In order to do the resting metabolic test, I couldn't exercise for 48 hours before the test. It had to be done first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. They hooked me up to a computer, plugged my nose off with a thing like a clothes pin, and I breathed in and out of my mouth for 20 min. Then a computer print out came out that said just sitting there breathing, I burn about 1,000 calories per day. It showed a graph showing me to have a very slow metabolism. It showed me that I need to eat less than 1,000 calories per day and exercise if I wanted to lose. There are so many people here who have had gastric bypass. Our hospital is one of the largest employers in this town. The hospital insurance was covering it for several years. They no longer cover it, because I am sure they paid out an incredible amount of money with so many people having it done. The people that have kept the weight off are in the minority. Most of them thought it was a magic cure and they would never have to watch their weight ever again. The ones that having the dumping syndrome and can't eat sugar are the ones that do the best. There are quite a few people I know that can still eat sugar in great quantities. Sugar is my biggest downfall as well.

I don't think it is a matter of defining who they are, I think it is something different. If the band didn't work for me it is almost a threat that the band might not work for another and that is frightening to some people. Maybe they spent all their money on a band and if it does not work they have no financial options left. One thing I find annoying as hell is when people automatically assume that if the band did not work for someone is it because they didn't change eating habits or something similar. Sure, there is work that needs to be done but sometimes the band just really isn't doable such as in my case. I did change my eating behaviors, I overhauled my diet, I exercised my butt off, I dealt with head issues, I worked on head hunger and I lost weight but I still hated the band due to what it was doing to me. Yet I have had people tell me I didn't have a right to a revision because I am at goal. I'm self pay, btw. Or people that suggest I don't know how to chew well after 18 months and on liquids only for three months. I think it boils down to a fear that the same thing might happen to another and that is when people come out fighting for the band.

Froggie, I believe you took something I said kind of out of context. I was discussing this with another fellow bandster whose daughter also had the RNY surgery. We both have that in common and it was nice to have someone to share the fears and excitement for my daughter with. Her daughter had the surgery a few years ago and is doing well and also had a baby since so it was good news to me. I'm not going to argue with you over this as I know you're excited to have the surgery. It's not a competition over who is better bypass or lap band, both are major decisions although one surgery is more major than the other. I don't know what I would have done if my daughter were given the lap band and it not work out as she had hoped, it would have been devastating to both of us:frown:. You chose the lap band so naturally you don't want to see any one say anything negative and that's understandable, it's like someone telling you your kid is bad in a way. Anyway I'm kind of going through both surgeries in a way because of my daughter and myself so it's a different experience. My daughter is almost 30 years my junior and doing very well so far in her short journey and has a much more disciplined manner that I don't have! I on the other hand have much more experience in other ways and also more health issues along with my age which include physical and emotional that I am dealing with in order to accomplish my original goal of weight loss. I'm coming to terms with my issues and hope that may work in my favor in the end, take care and good luck and health to you Froggie and I know how exciting this time is for you:smile: brandyII.

Thanks Fanny, I"ll have to see how I do between now and the fill, it could over do it with just 1/2 a cc. My daughter is getting her gastric bypass tomorrow so I'll be out for a while take care, Nancy.