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Find a sleep lab in your area that offers home studies. They are a lot cheaper & more convenient but not as thorough. I've been in the sleep field for 10 years so feel free to ask me any questions. ???? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using the BariatricPal App

My surgery is on the 7th of November and I have been doing the liquid diet for a week now. Last Wednesday my surgeon told me that I could eat vegetables, all I want. I could make them anyway I want except for frying them. I was going insane before he said this. I am mostly making soup and am surviving this way. I was told in my preop nutrition class that I had to only intake liquids. I was in hell and cheating until I saw my surgeon. The point of this exercise is to reduce the size of the liver. If you don't eat fat and carbs, the outcome will be the same. Ask your surgeon if this is OK. Each surgeon has there own opinion. I have already lost 10 lbs but the first 10 lbs of any weight loss program is water anyway. But I feel positive and this is the beginning.

Almost 9 weeks out now I bought a Cuisinart ice cream maker (recommended on a forum here) and am experiencing a new found anticipation for my protein shakes in ice cream form. 10-20 minutes of churning and they are ready for me to eat with a spoon. Yum! Then again, perhaps it's living in south Texas that really makes me crave colder things much of the year.

I agree with Katie713 - Veggies are your best friend also cut out some carbs that will make a big difference.... im at 13 lbs so only 10lbs to meet my 10%

I'm on week 5 of the options program ...I'm excited to finish the class and start my new life!!! I'm stressing about the 10% that I have to lose. Tracking is as bad as I thought it will be!! Good luck to you all!

Everytime I have re-ordered NOW I have gotten the best price at Netrition dot com. Best price is a 10 lb bag so it lasts me a long time. My family laughed at how big it is.

I have no investment in Facebook, and don't like some of the things I hear, but have been a member of several of its Pyloric Stenosis groups for 10 or so years - and learnt so much! The biggest and best groups are "closed" - you have to join them before you can "see" or access and post to their discussions. Well over 1,000 adult and infant PS survivors are members and form an impressive range and depth of experience. WLS for people with scarring from the infant and adult PS surgery has been discussed several times.

Me, too. Apparently this is a common issue with everyone, and they have dubbed it "bandster hell", the time between surgery and when you start getting the band filled that you're HUNGRY! From what I have read, most successful patients have just rode this time out. Remember, the band is not a "quick fix". I lost 14 lbs during the first two weeks, and then gained 2 lbs during the following two weeks before the fill. I was ok with that considering I was on the road for 10 days of that. However, Now that I have had my first fill, I still don't feel restricted, but it has helped some. I'm seeing results again, slowly, surely. Hang in there, folks. Just try to make good food choices, and be patient with yourself. Slower loss is better for you anyway, so just think of the fact that you have already made the biggest step and you're on your way. Best of luck!

Go in at 10 and I must say I'm really nervous. I've lost 14 lbs on my pre op diet but I must be honest I cheated this Saturday. I ate a pierce of steak and then threw it away. That's was all I've eaten in 14 days. I'm very proud of my self. Excited about new life changes.

I am seriously stuck. I have changed up my food, changed up my work out though this week I think I will put 12 hours in at the gym instead of my regular 10, and still weigh the same every single morning. I promised myself that I would not be overweight when all was said and done, but I am 3 pounds BMI wise till I get in the normal weight category. I do think I need a fill as I mentioned before I don't think I have great restriction as I did a few months ago when I had a complete unfill. Have you ever started over doing liquids then back to mushy's, etc to jump start weight loss? Any other suggestions?

I'm also having a very hard time with the protien shakes. They want me to get 5 ensures down! Yea right! So I switched to unjury powder and fairlife milk. Much thinner and less sweet. I still have to push it down but it's much easier because I only have to have 3. 21 grams of protein in unjury...another 13 with the fairlife milk. Tomm I get to start pureed stage hopefully after a phone call with the nurse. I'm 10 days out.

Often, especially early on in a bandster's journey, they will post, frustrated by a stall or small gain...here's an explanation of why this happens: Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of Water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store it -- voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet. As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy -- like, to outrun a sabertooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored.

I totally understand what you are saying. I have decided to get the sleeve, but only because I know that my health outweighs my vanity. I am 5'10 314, with a very shapely body and a small stomach. No one ever thinks that I am over 300lbs, and not many feel my pain of being over 300lbs. I tore my achilles tendon in November and have heel spurs, knee and back pain. I cannot climb more than 2 flights without losing my breath and feeling lightheaded. I can no longer wear high heels for longer than 10 minutes without feeling immense pain. I don't like dancing anymore because I start sweating profusely (which my doctor claims is due to my weight). My father had diabetes before dying and my mother has high blood pressure and cholesterol in additon to severe arthritis. BUT I AM SEXY AS HELL! LOL Not going to get into it much, but I have been to nude beaches and nudist resorts and have no problem being nude. I see a beautiful woman that has some "slight" imperfections in my mirror each morning. I am worried that my skin and breasts will sag and that I will hate looking at myself. I worry that my slight insecurities will turn into major insecurities preventing me from being happy and thus sabotoging my journey. I will be paying out of my pocket and worry that I will not have the funds available in 2-3 years to have plasitc surgery. I am having the surgery - my mind is made up. My health is more important especially since I have 2 children that depends on me to be there. Write it down, what you feel are the advantages and disadvantages of the surgery. I know you will make the right decision for yourself.

I've visited this wensite a few times over the past few months. Mostly looking for info and thoughts and support and everything inbetween. I never signed up, but I did today. My surgery is scheduled for the 26th of this month. As in next week. As in 6 days. I have been so sure of everything I was doing. So confident, and right now I am scared out of my mind. I am so worreid about complications and dying on the table. Not waking up. I'm worried that the surgery is going to go wrong and I am gonna be using a feeding tube for the rest of my life. I'm wondering if I should back out and get my $2000 co-pay back and really work hard on regular excerise and eating right (which never worked before for any decent length of time). I have a baby at home, well a toddler. I'm doing this surgery for her. So I can be a healthy fit mom. So I can run around with her and not be easily winded. So I can show her what being healthy is all about and what to eat and do to live a long healthy life. I want to be a good example. I want to be a better wife. I want to be more comfortable in sexual situations. My God I have been with my husband for 12 years. Married for 5 on 10/5/12. Why do I shudder when he touches my stomach!?!?! I'm one week into my liquid diet, which is so confusing. I always feel like I'm doing it wrong. Which I would be lying if I said I did it by the book, but over all I am proud of myself. I quit smoking on 9/3 started a liquid diet on 9/12 and today I just drastically cut down on my coffee intake. My liquid diet consists of full liquids. So I'm allowed to have cream soups and cottage cheese and farina. I'm allowed yogurt also. I've lost 10lbs this week. I spoke to my bariatic coordinator about an employee party that was suppose to take place tomorrow but was postponed to next week. I wanted to know if it would be okay to eat a piece of chicken. Not that I wanted to cheat but I wanted to know. She said yes, but to chew it til it was paste and then swallow it. She said the issue is I should not be producing stool. Well, I am. Not alot of course and nothing like before but I still am and I told her that and she said everything is fine. So it brings me to the question of whether or not this diet is 100% neccessary. You can shrink your liver by cutting out carbs and sugars, you don't have to go to straight liquids. So why am I not suppose to be pooping, or why do I need to avoid producing it???? Does anyone know? And cottage cheese isn't a liquid so wouldn't that come out a solid??? Very confusing to me. Any advice anyone has and words of encouragement and info on the pre-surgery diet would be so nice and helpful!

@@erp You are gorgeous! You took 10-20 years off your face! OMG

Just lovely! You look so happy and healthy. My surgery is 10/14/16 and you certainly are an inspiration. Thank you!

I have posted this elsewhere but my former surgeon and his partner took over a retiring bariatric surgeon's practice (they are general surgeon, too, in addition to getting into WLS) and I think they wanted to use up old inventory before it expired - and that included the old 4cc bands. They have a sterility expiration date. My current doctor said the same thing you did that the 4cc band is harder to fill - it can take micro amounts of fill. My idiot former surgeon gave me 2cc's and then 1cc for a total of 3cc's - and I couldn't imagine why I was having so many problems with 3cc's in a 10 cc band - because that is the size band he told me I had. Another of many reasons why I left him and found a competent doctor. Thanks, again.

The best part of yesterday was when I walked into my aunts house who has also been my best friend since I was 10. She married my uncle later on & also became my aunt... lol... anyway when I got to her house she looked at me & said " oh my god... I did not recognize you... you look like a completely different person" it had been about a month since I seen her last.made me feel good! Still not use to the attention & compliments I have started to get though. I still see the 321 lb me & I do not notice the 64 lb loss yet when I look in the mirror. Sorry I am rambling now. Glad everyone enjoyed their thanksgiving & everyone looks fantastic!!!

Hello all! My lunch date went great. Very cool Parents, I kept my meal simple and had a quiche with Soup... Before I started my liquid diet I was around 275... This morning I was 268.8. Sugar cravings still hit. I ate 10 smarties (Canadian) worth 50 calories today . I am only human! At least it wasn't an entire box right? I'm still feeling pretty tired... Hoping this passes soon and energy starts increasing again. How's everyone else doing this week?

The problem is not with weighing oneself every day-- the problem is with freaking out over normal weight fluctuations I weigh daily and track my weight on a dry erase calendar I have hanging in my bathroom closet. This is my general pattern of loss-- up and down in a 1-1.5lb range for a week, then a day where I see a new low number. Then bounce back up slightly for a couple days (but the bounce up is to a lower number now), then a new lower number. I consider the "down bounces" a weight loss but I only count full lbs down (so I've been weighing at 193.4, but I count that as 194 until I see 193.0 or below). I do not consider up bounces within the 1-1.5 lb range gain-- because I know after tracking like this for 6 months that they aren't really. This is my pattern and I have steadily lost 70 lbs like this in 6 months. I'm averaging about 10 lbs a month, with many more "bounce up" days than bounce down days. That's just normal. If you expect it, it isn't upsetting. I know with others it absolutely drives them crazy to see that bouncing up and down, so they don't weigh more than once a week. If weighing every day is bothering you, give that a try.

Thanks for posting this thread as we all need the motivation. I have a theme this month: March is a Verb. In otherwise, time to get marching! I am working out 80 minutes 4-5 times a week and really need to make sure I am doing something every single day, or even doubling up some on the days when I have a workout. So, my goals: 1) Get back down to the basement for sporadic 10-20 minutes on the treadmill even on days when I've already worked out 2) Any day that is not too cold call a friend to walk at the lake. 3) Check out the pool at parents' retirement facility. No one uses it and getting a little swimming in would be a great thing. Can start slowly. 4) Do PT exercises with my husband -- they are great for me, too (working with weights). 5) Keeping drinking lots of my drink (32 ounce glass bottle filled 3/4 way with Water, then cranberry juice unsweetened, aloe vera and magnesium). Get in 2-3 of these a day.

This is the new standard. So many people end up not paying their hospital bill that now the hospital wants what they expect your portion to be, up front. When I saw the title, I thought you meant you had to pay 100% up front, not your portion. I was all ready to tell you how to file a complaint about that. But paying your portion up front is to be expected these days. The lab I go to now has the same policy. They told me when I went in yesterday that they expected my portion of the bill to be $19, and they took my credit card info. In their case, it's not charged until after insurance processes.

40 in August, from the biggest little state in the Union! Rhode Island, what are the chances?! Ha ha, Will be banded Sept 22nd 2010, 2 weeks. I am a sucessful single mom of a great 10 year old boy! Cheers!

I'm 31 from Brandon, MS. I was banded on 10/20/2010. I am just looking for friends and if that turns into something more great!!..private message me if your interested!

i may be around 8 or 10 ounces a day currently and its pretty painful swallowing although ive had nothing come up. i called the doctor on day 1 post op and explained my issues. he said it just may be swelling and my opening is very small but he also mentioned the band was pretty snug and if i cant get more fluids in by the end of the weekend, they may have to give me fluids via IV or worst cas, surgery again to place a larger band! im freaking out a bit because surgery is the last thing on my mind. im still very very sore and not moving around very well at all. i wasnt planning on missing much work, but at this rate, im in big trouble. any words of encouragement or advice?