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I also paid on my own, but I did it in Monterray, Mexico with Dr Rodriques. It was $7900 for everything except airfare. Since I am from West Virginia, I will need to also pay for fills, which I have not done yet. My surgery was 10/1 this year.

Well folks I have just rolled over the 280 mile marker with my power walking. I attended a meeting last Monday for registration in the Lansing, MI Half-Marathon. I will be walking this race so don't look for me in the top 5 finishers. But, I will be leading the pack in the walking group. There will be about 12-1500 participants so this will be a new one for me. I am so looking forward to the challenge. My training regiment must be modified to get me ready to participate. I have walked 10,5,5, 8, 3 and 5 miles in my latest walks. My times have been on the low end 12:11 min/mile average and the highest in the 10 mile . . 14:11 min/mile average. But, basically my 5-8 mile walks have been hanging right around 13 min/mile. If I can continue to walk at this pace from now until April 21st I will feel very confident in completing the 13 mile course in approx 13 min/mile average. This would be great. For those of you just starting out "Get Moving" . . slow and short distances at first and then increase one or the other as you get stronger and "lighter". I am still a bit nervouse about setting such a high goal for myself but shooting "LOW" guarantees you of failure and I will not accept that. I will compete in this race and my training for the race will help me lose the last 30 lbs that needs to come off. That is my goal also. . . . lose an additional 30 lbs in two months before the race. Here's the results of my latest 8 mile outing . . Here's the route for the 13 mile race(RED) and my recent 10 mile outing((green) I will keep you posted on my times.

I'm 6 months out down 112 and 2 pounds away from goal but I decided to change it to 10 more pounds since I'm doing so well

My surgery was February 10, so I'm not quite 6 weeks post, and I've lost 19 pounds. I was freaked out - I thought I'd lose 35 or 30 or some huge number like everyone else does! I haven't. No changing it. I just keep doing the right thing, and I know the weight will come off!

I was banded 12/10. Lost 20 lbs right away between the pre op diet and being afraid to eat. Then I got stuck. Plateau'd for 3 weeks as the swelling subsided and I could eat more. I didn't gain but it was so frustrating. Now suddenly I am losing again. Really have to concentrate on what and how much I am eating. I get my first fill next week. Down 26 lbs total so far. Yes, it is hard and frustrating, but it is such a relief to be losing weight and not gaining it. It's just a daily struggle to eat right and healthy. But I'm doing it! Thank you to all who are on this site. Very reassuring and helpful. Xoxo

I think (hope) you will quickly learn the difference between "good food" (restaurant food - tastes good now) and REAL good food (which fuels your body and gives you energy and a sense of satisfaction, health and vitality). I am 10+ months post-op and still occasionally give in to cravings of my former life such as chicken wings, potato chips, or something fried. But it is always just a bite or two at the most (I steal from people's plates!). Then shortly thereafter I feel the after-effects (stomach upset, digestive tract disruption, lethargy, Water retention, etc.). Those feelings are always enough to dissuade me from going down that route again for a long time! With such a small stomach, your priority MUST be to properly fuel your body. Protein first, then veg, and lastly carb if there's room (probably not!). You will get into that rhythm early on and most likely will have months to make it a "habit for life" (depending on how much weight you have to lose). The more you have to lose, the longer it will take and the better your new habits will stick. As to hunger, yes, it will return but I find for me it is very rarely cravings. It is actual hunger, letting me know that my body needs nutrients. I have been exercising more in the last few months (I just started training for a 1/2 marathon walk to take place on my 44th birthday in October!), so it's no surprise that I am needing more fuel. If you use a Basal Metabolic Rate calculator (such as http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/), you can see how many calories you are burning now (at your current weight), vs how many calories you will burn at your projected ideal weight (do 2 calculations and subtract). These are calories AT REST, any exercise (more than sitting in a chair all day) will be in addition to this. This tells you your calorie deficit compared to how much you can eat once you hit your goal. As you can see, the deficit shrinks the smaller you get (therefore your weight loss slows down, or you must exercise more to maintain the deficit). Chances are good though that you will still have a larger BMR than what you are currently eating, and possibly what you will end up eating! Our stomachs are very small, so once you get to goal, you may have to supplement your calorie intake to keep it above your BMR for your goal weight, or you will continue to lose weight. Example: Current weight: 250 lbs (male, 6' tall, 35 yrs old) - BMR = 2300 calories Goal weight : 180 lbs ((male, 6' tall, 35 yrs old) - BMR = 1864 calories Deficit= 436 calories (daily) Expected weight loss = 0.88 lb/week (if you're eating 1864 calories per day) BUT, you are probably going to eat 800-1000 calories per day (I eat approx. 1000 calories/day now at 10+ months post-op) Deficit = 2300 calories - 800 calories = 1500 calories (daily) Expected weight loss = 3.0 lb/week (if you're eating 800 calories per day) *Note the deficit grows smaller as you lose weight, so the expected weight loss will get smaller too! The real challenge is to make sure the calories you are eating are healthy, good clean fuel for the body and not junk. After months of eating smaller calories such as 500-600 immeidately post-op, moving up to 1000+ calories 6-12 months post-op, you will increase your intake naturally. It will VERY likely be significantly less than what you eat pre-op, and possibly still less than your BMR at your goal weight. As you increase, it will feel like you are eating A LOT, but believe me, it is still far less than what you ate to get to the point where you needed surgery. Especially if you focus on healthy high protein, high quality food.

Sorry about your UTI. I don’t know about others, but I had my sleeve on 10/10 and they did NOT give me an antibiotic after surgery. I think it’s odd they didn’t give you any to clear up the UTI before surgery. Did they say why they didn’t??

i had surgery on dec 8 and that was my biggest fear !!!! i have temp custody of my 18 mo old granddaughter and she weighs 23 lbs ! i was told i think 10-15 lbs was my limit , but i didnt have a choice! i was so greatful my fiance took his vacation time the week after surgery to help. he did alot of the lifting stuff.....getting her out of the crib,putting her in the tub....etc...so i really tried not to physically hold her . poor thing ...she didnt understand why her mimi wasnt holding her anymore and after about 4 days she really would not come to me anymore !!at night , i would sit in the recliner and pull her onto my lap and hold her that way ....i would show her my " boo boo's and owies " so she would understand. as far as the second week .i was on my own !!!! and believe me ,it wasnt bad at all !!!i had 5 incisions with the biggest ...an inch...on my rt upper side ....so i would carry her on my left hip to tryto keep pressure off my side. EVERY SINGLE DAY gets easier .........trust me ...as far as the pain goes .......i was seriously able to be back at work after 2 weeks but am takin advantage of my sick time and go back next moday......6 weeks !!! lol!!! of all things ......that was my biggest worry ......the weight restriction thing........then i constantly worried if i would do any damage .....but i came out just fine . i know some ppl have a drain .....i did not , so it was easier on me. good luck and ask away if u have any more questions !! getting the sleeve was the best thingever !

Awwww, that is SO hard. We never want our failures to become our children's inherited failures. My oldest daughter will be 10 in about 6 weeks and she is already on the overweight side. At my psych eval I brought this up and that of course I don't want my daughter to have to go down this same path, etc. She basically said "each person needs to find their own path, you can guide her, offer her healthy choices, teach her about eating healthy, encourage her to exercise, but at some point this will be HER battle and not yours." It was a wow moment. Of course I will everything that a parent can do to ensure a healthy strong child, but she gets to be an active particpant in her own life. I thought that was very well said. I'm glad you talked to her. It is funny how other people react or don't react to OUR weight loss. It is always fascinating. I love that you told her this is NOT a competition. You are there for her and always will be and that is the best thing a parent can do!

I certainly have had the same feeling at times...Now I am on the countdown at less than 2 weeks and the temptation is even harder....I had to loose 10% of excess body weight and I go in on this Tuesday to meet with my doc!!! I am there if I control myself this weekend! UGH!!! It is hard but I can do it! Good Luck!

:thumbup:Hi All: Was banded on 11-19-08. On puree now but am trying to get liquids down. I don't think I have been getting enough Protein because I feel really tired. Going to drink the Protein drinks at least twice a day. I realized today it has only been 3 weeks since the banding and that the doctor did say six weeks for healing. Everyone is different. Even with it being laproscopic surgery we have to remember it was still surgery. I think I should be up and running a mile lolololol. I never ran a mile in my life but I hope to walk a mile or two. I am so glad I had this done. I think all of us will be glad. I appreciate all the advise that I read about from all those who have gone before me and had this done. I have lost 28 pounds since I started on the pre-op and after surgery. Good luck to all. I get my first fill on Dec 23-08. Let me know if anyone else still feels tired and sore.

I was wondering the same thing. i am 2 weeks post op and have my pre op appetite. I don't feel any retriction right now and feel like I can eat anything. I am so ready for my first feel on 10/21 and hope that helps.

Hey ladies! I'm 24 from Long Island and I'm getting my surgery on December 10, I'm glad I found this thread because a lot of people I see on here are older, which is fine but I feel like we can relate better.

Very nice video My husband and I both will be doing the sleeve on July 19 2011 !! Thanks for the video it helped a lot !!

Good for you. I don't like to preach but God is my entire life. He makes all the decisions and let me tell you as of today I am 10 days post op and feel great. I started at 303 and am now at 270. 33 pounds in a month. I will pray for you and hope things continue to go in Gods direction for you.

How's the October gang doing? My op was 28th/10/16 so 4 months out. Start weight 238lb now 181 so lost 57lb and down at least a dress size. Very happy. 34lb to go to my goal Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Shana Lee- did you just describe me?!?! I could have written all of this as me! We had the same starting weight and are at the same weight now! My surgery was on 10/28. Amen to the cookies just sliding down over Christmas. I found those weren't a problem at all. And for sure my sweet tooth is in full effect. I think I am in another stall . So I am thinking of trying the pouch reset next week to see if it helps with my sweet tooth and stall. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

To Kel and her Surgery Day Twin, I am your Triplet. Y'all are doing better than me, but isn't it fun to be where we are now instead of where we were 10 months ago!!!! Congrats to you both.

Usually the doctor decides when he goes in and finds out the size of your stomach. My doctor thought because of my weight he would use a 14 cc band, however once he got in the 10 cc band was a better fit. Kathy

I have a 10 cc band. Anyone know what the reasons are for deciding which size band to use?

I was hungry....soooooo hungry after surgery! I feel ur pain. I suffered until my 3wk post op visit with surgeon. I too asked "Respectfully dude...wtf?!? Doc...I thought this whole thing was to kill hunger! Im hungry! Why am i hungry? " He smiles & shakes his head... He said the surgery isn't going to take away my hunger but to teach me how to control myself. I left that appt thinking i had messed up getting this surgery. Fast forward to week 10. I still get hungry, but with the stomach pouch being so small a tiny bit gets the hunger gone. Im still sometimes making my meal plates (a saucer) too full (greed! Especially if its good) but the sleeve shuts all that madness DOWN in 3.2 bites... It's feeling like a mistake now...but when you get used to this sleeve, your mind & life changes. The transition from "Living 2 Eat" - to - "Eating 2 Live" has made me face some real sh#t about myself, my motivations in life...but imma survive & win & u will too. You did NOT make a mistake New-Sleevers.... but you did make a difficult decision & it takes heart. Stay the course, it's worth it.

Thanks for the reply Cathy. I completely know not to expect to keep losing at the rate I have, especially after surgery. I guess the reason I'm frustrated is because the surgeon said to lose 10-20 pounds with this pre-op diet, and I find myself fluctuating with just these 10 pounds. I know it's crazy to get upset about losing 9.5 pounds in 11 days, hell, I should be happy. But I guess just seeing the gain really hit me and made me mad! Thanks for your kind words! And congrats on your weight loss!

I've had so many stalls and plateaus over the past 10 months... I have learned not to panic... You are losing inches. If you are hungry it's probably head hunger... Get out of the house and away from the food. Keep working the plan and the weight will start falling of again. Kristy 164 lbs gone forever in 10 months!!!!!

Wow how great do you look!!!!! I guess the weightloss has to slow at some stage. Just keep doing what u r doing you look 10 years younger!

Very similar to mine SW 238 CW 176 5' 5 46 years Surgery 28/10/16