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My surgeon said 6-8 weeks for most folks is the best for healing. I know desk job folks (like me) feel pretty good at 3 weeks but, for me I ended up with an incision infection then an infection in my bowel due to the antibiotics for the first infection. UNREAL! Took me 6.5 weeks to get back to work and I can tell you my first week back was rough. Not pain wise but, trying to get all the liquid and Protein in and I was light headed sometimes. I'm far from a wuss! Can take a lot of pain but, my surgery kicked my butt with the infection issues.

I'm three years out almost and still lose hair. I take biotin and it has helped some but not much. I think it all depends and trust me my hair is already thin lol so it makes me sad to see how much I really lose.

Hey Sexi , thats super !! I'd love to keep in touch w/u, and see how you're doing. Are you doing anything special this week to get prepared ? I've been waiting 6 years for this, and now its only 6 days away !!!! My email , and my im are on here , if you'd like to stay in touch :-)

Yum!!! I always cook two-three birds side by side at a time. Easier, time efficient and when Son #1 is home, we go through 2 birds for a dinner. I miss that boy... Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm 2 1/2 weeks post op and am in the pureed stage. I'm looking ahead at the solid foods stage and meal plan from my doctor, and this seems like a lot of food in terms of the stomach is only 4-6 ounces in size, but each meal seems like it is more than 4-6 ounces. Does the stomach eventually tolerate this amount of food after a while? Breakfast - 1/2 small banana, 2 egg whites, 1 slice whole wheat toast, 1 tsp margarine lunch - 3 ounces tuna, 1 tbsp light mayo, 3 saltines, 1/2 orange dinner - 3 ounces fish, 1/4 cup cooked carrots, small baked potato, 1 tsp margarine Each meal just seems like it is more than the size of the sleeve. Thoughts?

Just wondering i anyone noticed a big decrease in their loss at this point? I lost quite quickly in the begining, but now have slowed to about a pound a week. Im know this isnt' a race, and Im still grateful for loosing, but I was just looking for your experience and any tips you guys might have! Thanks:)

I am 4 weeks post op (2/17/14). Today is my own personal weigh in day. I lost a pound in a week. One lousy, measly pound. But I feel great. My body is changing daily. My clothes don't fit and I look like a slob. But the weight is not coming off as quickly as I thought it would. Am I getting in enough Protein? Yes. Most days I hit 60 grams with no problem. There was only 1 day that I didn't do that. My caloric intake most days is between 700 and 900. Am I exercising? 3 days a week. Am I getting enough Water in? No, I am definitely not. i am having a hard time on that, and I have been really focusing on getting that in, and that it's just water. Anyone else having a similar issue? Any suggestions on how to make that damn scale move?!?

I have the same thing going on........I have lost 25 since I started my pre-op. the past four days, have lost nothing.....except the two I gained. Hopefully we are stalled for too long.

Way to go my 1 week is today I'm down 11 too

Okay, I know I'm not the only one eating non-breakfast food for Breakfast. Let's hear what your breakfasts look like post WLS and what type of WLS you had. I was banded 12 weeks ago. Today I had a cup of coffee followed by a cup of turkey cranberry salad. Yesterday I had a Greek lamb meatball. Loving this crazy life!

Hi Nicki - I was banded the 13th - but was told by my doctor not to focus in on weightloss on the first week but to focus on healing only . As long as you stick to the diet sheet you should definitely be losing by the second week. I know it's hard when it seems that everyone else is losing . I had this conversation with my doctor because I realised my post op diet was actually higher in calories than my pre op ! - but it's early days for me x

On 4/11 I walked into the hospital to begin my pre-op/ pre-admission testing. Just a quick one and a half hours later and I was walking out a bit perplexed. I know surgery is a very serious thing and of course understand that I have to explain my medical history to the hospital so they can properly treat me. However, do I have to repeat myself 2-4 different times?!?!? Is it wrong of me to have been annoyed by this fact? Now don't get me wrong EVERYONE was super nice and professional and great to talk to. I just wish we could have sped the process up and done one big gigantic group interview. I mean you guys are asking almost the same exact questions. Then filter out the questions no one else needs and you can come into the room by yourself and ask those. Otherwise, let's get this show on the road here people! Nothing beats the next part of my day - going to my surgeon's office for my pre-op appointment.There were times during this appointment when I wished I was a ninja :ph34r: so I could sneak out of there without him looking. He made me so nervous. I swore at times it felt as though I was being interrogated. "Remember Kristina, if there is anything you need us to know, now is the time to tell me." OMG what do I need to tell you. Do you want intimate details of my life?!?! Do you want to know that I stole a make-up compact when I was 14 years old? That I cut classes in high school and got caught. I mean I felt like this was SUPER over done here. "Ok well if anything comes up, if anything changes, you let us know right away." Maybe he was being this way because I am a fairly healthy person besides the fact that I have about 100 pounds of FAT sitting all over my body of course! Which in the long run does not make me very healthy at all. I have high cholesterol but it is not being treated bc my primary doctor didn't think it was necessary with the surgery in the works. What do you want me to tell you Doctor Chau??? Needless to say I walked out of the office feeling a little strange! Most importantly, I found out that I will need to be a participant in the wonderful Liver Shrinking diet for at least one week. I have already begun the diet in a small way and switched my breakfast for a protein shake. I am undecided as to when I will incorporate my lunch in the mix. I went food shopping over the weekend and bought a ton of fresh fruits and veggies to start using those as snacks as per the diet. I EVEN TRIED COTTAGE CHEESE FOR THE FIRST TIME! MIRACLES DO HAPPEN!!!! It really isn't that bad. All these years I was afraid of it due to it's appearance. And they say you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. SHEESH man am I guilty of that. I am sorry to have judged you Mr. Cheese.

I tend to lose in spurts. One week I'll lose 3 pounds then the next nothing, then I'll lose a pound a day for three days then nothing for 5 days. There is no rhyme or reason to it, so i have learned to just be patient and stick with the plan.

@Almostthere we can. I think for me it may have been the acid. That's just my guess. @allies - jealous. Maybe I'll give it a couple weeks and try again.

Hello from San Diego! Just got banded three days ago and already am losing weight, though I know it's water weight at the start. Still in a bit of pain, but not bad. My surgeon cleared me today to start drinking "full" liquids, and I had some protein shakes that were quite a relief after being on clear liquids for a few days. I, too, look forward to getting off of the weight yo-yo and being able to maintain weight loss for a change.

Just wanted to find out how many others have had port replacement surgery/surgeries out there. I was banded in November 09 (almost a year now) and have since had 2 port replacements, one for leakage and one because it flipped. I had been having reasonable success with my newest port only to go for a fill today to find that I have yet ANOTHER possible leak. If I need to get this one replaced that will mean that I have had 4 ports in a year! (counting my origional one) Has this happened to anyone else like this or am I the only one???? I am seariously wondering if I can go through another surgery again. I am being double checked on Monday am, but I had a check of the total done 4 weeks ago and I had 8cc in my band, since have had 3 further fills and today I had only 5cc in my band. My surgeon said to be optimistic but I ask you, where could the other 3cc's plus the further 1.5cc in fills I had had since a few weeks ago have gone if it didn't leak out???? Stressed, Sad and Tired :thumbup:

At 6 days post op you should only be on liquids (most likely clear ones), which will go straight through your sleeve. Once you get to mushies you should start feeling fuller for longer. I was permitted full liquids at 1 week (ie anything that you can suck through a straw), so yogurt drinks helped me. Maybe you can try some protein shakes and I remember things like cream of tomato really filling me up - obviously assuming you have the OK from your surgeon.

I am not gaining...lost steady for 3 weeks, now am on a plateau for 2 days.......but i only eat 1/4 to 1/3 cup per meal... Keeping calories between 600-800 per day as recommended by my NUT...

I just left Barnes and Noble sure that I would find some great books regarding "Life After Bariatric Surgery"...no. Nothing. I'm looking for some resources on ideas for eating, especially in the 2-6 weeks period. During the time I need to eat "mushies" I am traveling and I really need to know what to pack for food. I won't be hitting any restaurants at all. Plus, I want a good variety because the temptation at the resort where I am going (business trip) will be tough to handle! Is there a web-site with this information? Maybe something that could even be printed out?

I'm about 10 wks out and feeling great! The first few days, first week can be a royal pain in the #$%!!! Take smaller sips, basically get tiny bit of fluid in your mouth and llet it slide down your throat. Took me awhile, because I realized I was a gulper. Just keep sipping. The gas hurts, belly sore, but, I had to really push myself to get up and walk. Even for a few minutes at a time. I, did this as often as possible. It really helped! Hang in there, rest when you need to, walk when you don't want, and cherish this journey!!!

I'm in a similar position with my employer. The entire time I thought it was UHC denying my surgery but it turns out they were denying it because of extra requirements my employer has. UHC was more than willing to pay for my surgery if my employer didn't have these extra requirements (hypertension and/or diabetes unable to be controlled by meds). So this whole week I've been dealing with the corporate office. The people I'm referred to are really nice and they keep escalating and escalating but heels seem to be dragging or the buck is just being passed around...but at least they haven't said no yet. to everyone here fighting for their right to live a healthier life!!!

i have hit a platue! I havent lost a pd in over a week! And i have gotten hungry (not mind hungry not growling hunger, more naw hunger), is it possible my body is freaking out on me. I have never ever been on 1200-1500cals a day more then a month. The last couple of days i have felt hungry, but i cant eat anymore then what my stomach will allow. I get full off of what i eat.. but i feel like i am starving yea know? This sucks. I get on the scale and nada i bounce up and down 5pds. And the thing is the weight i am at now, i been at that weight most of my adult life. 215-218pds I been at the weight since I had my first son. I only gone up higher then that 2 times in 12 yrs. once pregnancy and being married! lol And the weight fell off when i applied myself to my current weight, just like now! But now.. i been stuck at this weight for 2 weeks and nothing. Could my body be stubborn and is holding on to the weight? Will it last forever? I hope not.. I prolly either need to add some cals for a week or take away cals, but I dont know which way to go? Should I listen to my body and eat a lil extra like a protein shake and bring my cals to 1800? Have any advice? Or should I lower them to less the 1200 cals a day to shock my system? Its been 2 months since my surgery.. I hope I dont need a fill. This is my norm meals a day: b/f-cup of coffee with splenda and low fat half and half Lunch- 1/2 ham or turkey sandwhich w/ lettuce, tomato, lite mayo and 1/2 american cheese, with 1/2 oz chips (lowfat or regular) dinner- 1 1/2 of pasta dish or 3 oz of lean steak w. salad w/ lowfat dressing. 3 small pieces of chocolate ( dont tell me to get rid of that! lol) My cals range from 1200-1500 a day I havent had a fill yet. And yes i can tolarant that stuff! lol lucky me! :thumbs_up: Cant eat in the morning... HELP!

I've been saying this for a while: low weight/high reps is the smarter choice for building strength and toning/bulk. It's far, far safer -- not only are you at less risk of catastrophic injury, you're at less risk of the kind of ongoing, degenerative injury that eventually sidelines all champion bodybuilders. The idea that muscles somehow "know the difference" between being worked to exhaustion via low weights and lots of reps or high weights and a few reps is ludicrous... and the research is confirming that: Protein. So they took a group of 21-year-old men who were weight lifting novices. Three times a week, they had them do knee extensions on a weight machine. That isolates and strengthens the quadriceps muscles on the front of the thigh. "Those are the most important muscles for standing up and getting out of a chair," Phillips points out. With one leg the study volunteers did the conventional 80-percent-of-maximum lifts until they reached fatigue, at 8 to 10 reps. The other leg lifted 30 percent of maximum until fatigue set in, around 25 reps. At the start of the study and 10 weeks later, the researchers put all the volunteers into MRI scanners to measure their quadriceps. There was essentially no difference between the heavy and light lifters. The results appear in the Journal of Applied Physiology. ... But the findings are controversial in some quarters. As word has begun to get out, Phillips says he's "been deluged with emails from trainers" who challenge the results. "They're very resistant to these types of findings. It challenges dogma." [emphasis added] Of course, you DO need to use enough weight and reps to work out to exhaustion; if you're not using enough weight and reps to actually get to failure (the point where you literally cannot lift the weight again), you're not really pushing yourself hard enough. The only thing this study confirms is that you don't need to use HEAVY weights to achieve the same results, as long as you work till failure (and trust me, you power lifters, even a 15 or 20 lb. dumbbell will eventually turn your biceps into useless rubber if you do enough curls with it... I promise you.)

I figured you were smaller. I have friends that had the surgery and lost so much in the first week and month. I'm losing slower but my weight was less.