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You can count yourself as one of the lucky ones because at 3 weeks out I was super hungry and I could eat just as much as I could before surgery. That's why I needed 6 fills to get to this point. And of course, my surgery was 11/28/11 so I was hungry right in the middle of the Holiday season. But, through will power I managed to not gain any of the 12 lbs I had already lost. Sounds like you are right where you need to be. tmf

I would recommend starting by going to two or three seminars in St. Louis and finding a doctor that you like and feel comfortable with. Insurance may cover it and it may be excluded, (which is a whole different subject that requires lots of discussion). If it's excluded by your insurance the costs seem to be consistently around $16,000.00. That's for the hospital and doctor and pretty cheap for changing your life. My last colonoscopy was over $4000.00. Get information, talk to support people and if you can find someone who has had the procedure. We saw an aquaintace whom we hadn't seen in a few months and she looked so good. When we asked what she did she was very proud to tell us Lap Band. We've seen her again and just seeing her is an inspiration.

I haven't walked like I should due to the pain still here in my back and where the drain was. Hopeful I can swim next week. So, if I can't eat more, just eat more higher calorie foods and carbs?

Hey Becky! Welcome to LBT :eek: I am like you - a food addict, compulsive overeater, and binger. I've been that way since I was very young. When I was in middle school, after my parents would go to sleep, I would horde food in our play room (my parents transformed our basement into a play room/entertainment area for us...so there was a couch and a tv...perfect for secluded binging) and sit down there all night watching tv and sneaking food. If I thought I heard someone coming I'd stuff the food under pillows or in the couch cushions. I remember when I went to college feeling a sense of freedom because I could eat as much as I wanted without having to hide from my parents. I also get very particular food obsessions. There was 4-5 months where I was pretty much only eating cold peanut noodles. Then I went through a phase where I would have to eat 3-4 mushroom mozzarella panini from Panera everyday. At one point I felt like I had to go to Friday's everyday and get fried fish with a mashed potato appetizer. This particular obsessive compulsive food-associated behaviors are not unusual for people with eating disorders (both bulimia and compulsive overeating disorders). Anyhow, the band has helped me in many many ways but I also have had/need to work on myself and my head issues. I certainly can't binge the way that I had before, and I don't really want to, but sometimes I will dive into food too fast (the old way) and then it gets stuck. I have struggled with knowing when to stop, since my previous eating habits were to just eat until I couldn't function. I have been getting much better with being content with not eating until I have to throw up. I repeat to myself on a daily basis (sometimes hourly) that there will be food for me to eat on a daily basis everyday for the rest of my life and its not necessary for me to eat EVERYTHING that comes to my mind (or within my eyesite) in one day/sitting and surprisingly this has helped me with my compulsion to eat. Food logs and calorie counting has been invaluable. When I am not food logging (or participating in this site and blogging for that matter) I find myself straying. I have also become structured about my meals. I plan my meals a week (or at least 4-5 days) in advance. That way, when I go to the supermarket, I know what Im there to get and I don't browse the aisle's picking up anything that looks good. I shop at whole foods and there are always samples. The fact that I log everything that goes in my mouth, prevents me from staying in the market and eating 800 calories worth of samples. I will say that about 5-6 months in I completely fell off the wagon and went back to my old eating habits, except instead of sandwiches and other foods that would get stuck, I would order 5 extra large, extra thick milkshakes everyday. Or I'd eat 2 containers of Haagen Daaz ice cream (at over 1000 calories each). So I replaced my binge food with slider food. For some reason mac and cheese was a slider food for me and I'd eat it everyday. I gained 50 of the 80 pounds I had lost back doing that. I've now lose 40 of the 50 pounds I regained. Although I wish I didn't back track like that, its been an invaluable learning experience for me. I have become even more aware of my compulsive eating habits than I ever have which makes me more effective at what I'm trying to do with this band. So I don't completely regret the setback. The band is a great tool, but for compulsive eaters (which many of us are/were) it take a tremendous amount of mental/emotional work too. So if you're prepared to put in the emotional work, the band can be a great tool for you! But if you're not ready, you may not get the results you are hoping for. Feel free to send me a message if you want to talk!

I was banded on June 29. It's been a week today. Most of the incisions hardly can feel. But the one which i believe is probably right underneath the band is pretty tender. Also there is a hard knot underneath the incision. Is that the band? Also feel pretty bloated all the time between navel and chest. Just wanting to make sure these things are normal. Was banded in Mexico since insurance won't pay and ao i don't have a dr. I can run and see for everything. Thanks

Congrats on getting your surgery date! Good luck on your pre-diet... that is a rough period... but don't worry, a few weeks after the surgery you will be able to have sort-of-real food again! I was banded on 12/31 and have been feeling GREAT! Don't worry, if you follow the guidelines your surgeon gives you, you should be fine. My program only made me stick to 2 -3 oz for the "clear liquids" period in the beginning, which is okay because you probably won't be that hungry. Once you move to "all liquids", which is usually after a week, you hopefully will be able to move to 4 - 6 oz per meal. Those amounts are, believe it or not, okay to deal with... the tricky part is how to figure in all of the protein you need and keep within your daily calorie limit... which is why you will find the protein powder handy. In the beginning clear phase, you should be allowed broth, crystal-light type drinks, jello, skim milk, and sugar-free popsicles. Your protein powder mixed in the skim milk is a great way to get your protein... plus the skim milk has protein also. Once you get more real food into your system (during the mushy/pureed phase) the protein powder helps you fill in the gap if you didn't get enough protein that day. One thing I did right before the surgery was make a pot of homemade chicken soup and adding string beans, carrots, onion and spices (whatever you like). When the soup was done, I skimmed off the fat and drained out the solid pieces, and put the solids in the freezer. I kept the soup-broth in the fridge to consume during my "clear" period. The soup-broth tasted so great during the "clear" period (plain canned broth is so plain) and when I got into the "mushy" period, I defrosted the soup solids (chix and veggies) and pureed them... which also tasted great. Don't be stressed, stay motivated... and GOOD LUCK!!!

WOW where did the first week go? I just knew this would be the hard part,being creative with liquids. What I have done is get the favorites and stick with them. I think my Dr. Kinda put me over in to week two when he told me to blend up "to liquid state", soups. That opens a big new world there. It has been zero problem this week with food. Bottom line you arent hungry either. Tomatoe soup is good good good.. I am having my 8 day anniversary today and i got out for the first time. I really did alot of walking that before surgery was not as easy. I have lost 11 pounds since surgery and i really think that has even helped some. My feet are asking,,hey who is that up there???? I am so excited about the future.. I want to be healthy and happy about my self. Blessings to you all. Mary Jacksonville Arkansas Dr. Clay Wellborn, surgery date 1-16-2009

WOW where did the first week go? I just knew this would be the hard part,being creative with liquids. What I have done is get the favorites and stick with them. I think my Dr. Kinda put me over in to week two when he told me to blend up "to liquid state", soups. That opens a big new world there. It has been zero problem this week with food. Bottom line you arent hungry either. Tomatoe soup is good good good.. I am having my 8 day anniversary today and i got out for the first time. I really did alot of walking that before surgery was not as easy. I have lost 11 pounds since surgery and i really think that has even helped some. My feet are asking,,hey who is that up there???? I am so excited about the future.. I want to be healthy and happy about my self. Blessings to you all. Mary Jacksonville Arkansas Dr. Clay Wellborn, surgery date 1-16-2009

I just want to spread the word that if you are proactive in the process of having your lap band and not always waiting for the Dr's to do all the work, you can sometimes speed up the process. I had my final appt with my doctors office the Thursday before Easter. They told me that they would submit my paperwork to the insurance company the Monday after Easter and that it would take 2 weeks to a month for approval. Well I decided to call the insurance company after a weeks time and asked them did they receive my paperwork from my Dr's office. They told me that they just received it 17 min before I called. The agent asked me a shocking question,she asked "Is this something urgent that you need because I can bump your review status to urgent " I said yes it is urgent to me" I hadn't hung up the phone 10 min before she called me back to tell me that I was approved. My surgery date was set today for May 17th 2010.

Today I thought I would try to post some before pictures on the website. Looking through all my pictures, it was near impossible to find any of myself. And certainly very few posed pictures. Only ones that I hadn't wanted taken... It makes me so sad. To see all my friends take family photos. (We haven't taken one in five years) To see them post pictures on FB of kids and moms together on the first day of school, knowing I would *never* do that. But, Who am I kidding?? I walk around all the time, people can clearly *see* how big I am. It is no secret. But still how I hate to see myself in pictures. And the reason is -- It is my reality, I can't pretend I "am not so big" when I look at these pictures. It hurts so much to see the pictures, to know that is what I look like when I *feel* so different. So normal. So regular. But I am not. I am so very big. But I have never felt that big, I have always felt fairly comfortable in my skin. Well, for most of my life, until I gained enormous amounts of weight after having my first son. And I tried so hard to lose it. But then I was pregnant again...And again... and even though I worked hard to only gain 15 pounds with my second and third pregnancies, I was never able to break 200 pounds again. I haven't weighed under 200 pounds since 2003. That is my first goal. To weigh 200 pounds on Valentines Day. I am not sure if this is realistic or not. about 20 pounds or so in 6 weeks. But I am hopeful for it. I am so hopeful for this change and this chance at a new life for me and for my family.

I am suffering horribly from the exact same thing. I went back on liquids for the last 2 days because I can't chew. I have three crowns on the bottom right they are hurting me so bad. All of a sudden, no injury or anything like that just BAM wake up looking like a bus hit the right side of my face and terrible pain. My dentist can't see me till next week so he called in antibiotics and pain meds till then. I am hoping for some relief soon. I have a high pain tolerance except for when it comes to teeth. I broke my foot two years ago and I didn't even use the pain meds then but this tooth business...Please dose me up! I will wait till it kicks in and sleep it off if I have to! Hopefully I don't have to spend my whole tax return on my teeth! I have plans for that $$$$$! Lol! Good luck with your toothache, I hope you start feeling better soon!

Calm down. You just had major surgery a few days ago! Give yourself a break. You are too early into this to throw your hands up and declare surgery failed. Everyone gains and loses weight in the first few weeks as your body tries to adjust. PUT THE SCALE AWAY! I know it's exciting to check your progress but it can also be very discouraging if you're expecting huge loss and don't. Like Laura said, you didn't gain it all in one day and you sure as heck are not going to lose it in one either! Crying is normal. I had one day where I cried and cried for no reason. I was watching Wendy Williams for gods sake and started bawling! Lol! It's OK! Things will get better. Just relax, concentrate on getting better, drink your water and walk, that's all you need to do right now. The first few months are the toughest, you will make it! Good luck and congrats!

From what my fellow March sleevers are experiencing. YES! I have been stalled myself for over 2 months now and keep going up and down the same three pounds. A lot of the other ladies are experiencing the same thing and we are not liking it one bit! Patience, patience, patience damn it! Ever realized how easy it is to tell someone else that but practicing it is a whole other subject! Good luck, I know it will come off but come on now, this isn't funny anymore.

I remember the 3 week stall but is there also a big stall at the 6-7 month mark. I am 10-15 from goal and haven't lost anything in about 3 weeks. Just wondering if everyone stalls or am I leveling off? Hw was 232. Sw 218 and current weight 155. DOS 3/26/13.

I was sleeved on 2/22, and am progressing well. Entering my third week diet plan, I am struggling with hunger. Needless to say, when I eat it does not take much to satisfy me, but the satisfied feeling goes away within an hour. I go back to work on Monday, and do not have the tme to baby-sit my stomach. Is there anyone else feeling this way? if so, how do you combat it? Thanks!

I'm curious Curvyjudy, why you would want to fly across the United States? There are Bariatric Centers of excellence back East. I tell you, I would not want to fly for hours and hours only 3 days after having this procedure. It wipes you out. Granted you feel fine in a week or two, but that first week is hard.

Fair Warning, this is a long post. But, it's worth the read. The September before I had my band (band was in June 2013), my wife and I were...ya know ...when suddenly my head started pounding so hard that my 18 years of medical experience started screaming "Thar she blows!" (that's referring to a blood vessel, y'all). Needless to say, I was done for the night. I'm a seasoned firefighter, and I've NEVER been more scared than I was that night. EVER Afterwards, I was standing out on the back deck, stressed out, and....smoking a cigarette. I looked down at it, said out loud "You're a f**king idiot", and pitched it into the grass. That was the last one I had. I dumped the rest into the toilet. I thought about my wife, my two little boys, my two not so little daughters, and cried. My blood pressure was through the roof, and I knew why. The next day, I stopped by the fire station and had one of my buddies check my pressure. 186/106, 40 years old. By the end of the day, I was taking blood pressure medicine. I started looking for anything I could to help me quit, that wasn't the patch, or gum, or eCig. It never made sense to me to use nicotine to quit my nicotine addiction. I stumbled upon Allen Carr's Easy Way to Quit Smoking. http://www.allencarr.com I bought the audiobook and listened to it everywhere I drove. This guy was a 4+ pack a day smoker and quit cold. I won't dive into his methodology, but can tell you that between his book, and me keeping my family in my thoughts, it worked. The true test came one week later. If you know anything about firefighters, you know we are a tight knit brotherhood. One of my Fire Captains died in the line of duty. In picture #2, that's me on the left. I'm in the honor guard, and had to stand at attention next to his casket, while his 11 year old son, Nicolas, wailed. Easily one of the worst days of my life. I wanted a cigarette SO BAD. But, I decided that I can't willingly do that to my family. I had to be strong for myself and my family. I am now a non-smoker. 9 months later, I had lapband surgery so that I can take care of the other problem that will surely shorten my life. 2 months after I had the band, I stopped taking blood pressure medicine. I no longer need it. Sometimes it just takes a life changing experience to put a foot in your a$$. If my experience helps you or anyone else, then glory be. But, you have to take inventory of what or who is important to you, and YOU make a conscious decision. Don't quit because someone wants you to, do it for yourself, or it will never happen. I don't judge anyone for using Chantix, Nicorette, etc. But, I personally do not believe in them. Not anymore. Go buy Allen Carr's book. He recommends that you read through his book completely before putting down the cigarettes. I had already stopped. But, every time I felt a craving, I had the audio book on my phone, and I hit play. He got me through it. Good luck. Anyone who needs some encouragement or wants more info on how I got through it, you're welcome to PM me.

Hey all, Went to NUT today. Felt like a pop quiz.What are you eating, are you taking Vitamins, are you getting Protein, hows the Water intake, are you tracking? Not sure I left with any knew knowledge, except that pre op testing showed I was already very low in VIT D (32). She weighed me and said, down 12. And walked to her room.. where is my BOOYAH!! thats one of my toddlers!! PMSL! That is 26 pounds in 3 weeks.. without trying specifically to lose, just following the plan and getting protein. I am feeling cranky but I think Auntie Flow may be about to visit and this darn seroma over the hernia repair is the size of a grapefruit and it HURTS! Good news is the practice manager has put me in with the surgeon tomorrow for a wound review and hopefully will get some relief from the seroma.

I use the under lined principles of low carb/ high Protein and have had what I consider a good result. I try to keep carbs at around 35-40. I eat mostly lean Proteins ( at least 70g), followed by low cab veggies with the ocassional fruit. I keep calories to about 900. And while I do try to keep moving, I realy don't push it. about a 30 min walk or eliptical daily at a leisurely pace. (If I exercise too much more, I have found my appeite increases substanially and I want to eat more....probably more than I burn.---I do allow myself a few days each month to increase my carbs and calories. One, this lets my eat those carbs that I might be missing like fruit, english muffin, oatmeal..., but I also think it confuses my body and keeps it from getting to comfortable. I have lost 42 pounds in 17 weeks,,,thats about an average of2.5 pounds a week. But the biggest difference is the way I feel!! Wow what a difference!! My energy level is 3 times what it used to be. Now that I am under 195 pounds....I have noticed a slight decline in the weight loss department. Maybe more like a 1-1.5 pound loss weekly, so its my plan (starting next week) to shake things up. Start adding a few more calories and bumoing up the exercise a little....I might also lower my carbs to nothing for a couple of days in hopes of entering ketosis. Hopefully this will get the scale back up there to the 2 pound a week mark again. If this is something you decide to try, I love exchanging low carb food ideas and recipes.---just let me know.

WOW! You look great!!!! Have you lost all 84 pounds in 14 weeks???? I am 13 weeks out today (3 months). My surgery was oct 4th. So, I am right behind you I too know what you are feeling, being obsessed with your weight. But I have a history of eating disorders, which I am sure most people here do as well. You just have to be super careful because it can just switch from one thing to another.

Curvyjudy I was sleeved by Dr. Aceves in March - about 7 weeks ago. I live in USA and was skeptical about even going on vacation to Mexico - seriously. I was scheduled for surgery here in the USA and started doing research. The surgeon I was scheduled with had done only "about" 26 of the sleeves. Dr. Aceves has done over 900 of them so I started thinking to myself - why not go with the most experienced? THen I thought: "you are crazy"! Mexico?!! So I went back and forth and back and forth and finally my husband said - well you decide. I just couldn't get his experience out of my head. Really had nothing to do with money - it's my body so I would have paid triple to have it done right. Lots of people on this site talk about "how nice he and his staff are" - I could care less about "nice." Anyway, I went with him - first of all they drug you up alot LESS than in the U.S. hospitals which is much better for your respiratory system. Secondly, they keep you double the time in the hospital so they can monitor you. And third - I have had NO complications from the surgery. He's excellent. Give it some thought. Sometimes I still can't believe I had it done in Mexico - but that hospital is totally clean and professional and I was nothing except impressed.

Also, I am very recently an ex-smoker of 20 yrs (two weeks), which I understand can create MAJOR complications with the GBP surgery. I think that was one of our reasons for leaning toward the vsg.

I have not lost anything in the past week since I had my 1st fill. I don't understand, I know I'm not eating nearly has much I use to eat, but not under 1000 cal either. I getting around 1500 a day, that alone should make me lose something. I have started to pedal every time I get a chance. I have been trying to get my water. I have protien shake for breakfast. Guess I have to eat even less. I know it is harder the older we get to lose weight. I lost more when I was on weight watchers, but I alway gave up that diet after 4 to 6 weeks. The longest I was on weight watcher was 4 to 5 months and lost about 30 lbs. I did opifast back in the late 80's and lost lots of wieght, but of course I didn't keep it off. Why can't I get a handle on this. I'M NOT DUMB, I KNOW WHAT I NEED TO DO TO LOSE WEIGHT. I just want the weight to come off. Guess I thought with the band it would just happen with out all the work. Maybe I'm just lazy.

Hi- congrats on your success thus far. I just joined today. I had my gastric sleeve on March 27th so one week ago today. Doing well with my liquids. Still have some pain, but everyday is getting better. Started pre-op diet at 235, surgery date at 223 & today at 217, so feel like Im making progress. Having trouble with some family who cant understand why I would do this & trying hard not to be emotional. At this point I feel like this is done and the q&a sessions should be done. Tired of having to justify why I did this. Anyone else experiencing this?

Before I got on this sight, which was yesterday. I was not aware of a lot of things I am going to be going through. My first appt with the surgeon in Wednesday. I have been approved but now comes the test of the story. I am nervous but I have been wanting this for a long time. I want to have my surgery the first week of June. I hope it goes my way. I just learned about this pre op diet. Did you do anything different before your 2 weeks of pre op dieting?