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I am right there with you about building muscle!!! I have noticed that I seem super weak, like when I try to open things or tear things. I love Michelle and her arms and would be happy looking half as good as she does. But ya, not into the idea of saggy skin and want to do as much as I can to combat it. Haven't been to the gym since about a month before surgery and I felt super uncomfortable, plus it was crowded and I had no idea how to work all of that stuff, so I think i m going to wait about 40 more pounds and work on my excersise and confidence before I give it another try. Hey is the circuit thingy kind of like curves?

Great topic! I have been trying to do as much strength training as I can. I really enjoy the Planet Fitness 30 minute express circuit. It keeps my heart rate up the whole time, and I love seeing myself do more reps & add more weights as my strength improves. In between each of the 10 lifting stations are stepping stations, and I do six different step routines, including arms, which I vary after each lifting station. Then I add some ab stuff when I'm done, then I do some stretching. My goal is to try to create muscles so the saggy skin on my upper arms, belly and upper thighs won't look so goofy! Plus, in this early phase we are losing some muscle mass since the weight is coming off so quickly. I want to maintain my muscle, baby. Who wouldn't want Michelle Obama's arms!? (not a Michelle fan, just an arm fan!) Oh, and welcome to your first of many plateaus! I don't let myself get on the scale every day for that very reason. We know we're doing all the right things, and our body will reward us in time!

I have my second sleep study tonight. Yes, I said my second. I did one last year and did one at home about 4 or 5 months ago. Yet, I have to do it again. I'm not looking forward to it. I don't like sleeping somewhere besides my own bed and the fact that my two teen age children will be alone for the night doesn't really do anything to help matters. Oh, well. It's just another step in the process I guess. I realized something today. Its been about 2 weeks of the high protein, low fat, low carb diet and while eating dinner i ate the protein, then some vegetable and took maybe two bites of the scalloped potatoes ( which i would normally pig out on) and said "I'm full yet again!). Proud of myself for not eating everything that was in front of me. It's taking time but the way I eat is changing. My daughter, who will be 16 in August said it looks like I am already loosing weight. I have no idea as I haven't been weighed in a week. I hate the scale. It is NOT my friend but one day will be! I am eating my small meals as told. I now eat breakfast, something I haven't done in years and snack on string cheese, yogurt,or peanut butter. Baby steps... and I will succeed!

I am very happy i did this..I really wish i would of done it sooner! I had surgery 08/10/05 Pre-op i lost 20.5 Post-op so far is 36.5 I am down 57 lbs..before i would loose 50 and gain 100+, I am happy that i have this tool Its well worth it! Kristen

yes, it is more thick skin then flabby, so i am just going to definately work on that area the most

25 pounds is a lot of weight, the slower you loose the better the chances you keeping it off! Lap band is a great tool to help you loose, the real challenge is changing your eating habits. Focus on the habits that need to be changed rather than how quickly you will loose. It's real important to change the food attitude. I want to have the attitude "Eat to live not live to eat! Keep up the great work and let the band work for you:)

Ok, so I hope that I don't babble on here and make no sense but oh well here is a little update! So a couple of weeks ago I started having problems again with not being able to keep much down without it coming back up!!! It started to get pretty miserable!!! and I mean Miserable!! I was like, why in the world would anyone want to do this to them self's, this is so stupid!! I was reading a lot on lap-band talk and looking at what most people eat.. well I would eat a few bits, and I mean a FEW bits of something and be totally satisfied!! I had come to find out that most people were able to eat a lot more than I could... but I though oh well, Im loosing weight!!! but loosing weight by being bulimic is not the way to go!... Then on Thursday I started to have pain in the kidneys.. So I thought I had a kidney infection... Friday I went to the hospital and after a 3 hour wait in the waiting room, I find out that I am dehydrated, and have a kidney infection as well as a possible hernia.. the doctor did a CT scan and said that It looks like I had a hernia.. (Dr. Malley said that if they don't know what they are looking at then the pouch from my lap band looks like a hernia) but I won't believe the hernia part.... Anywho.. I went and saw Dr. Malley today for my scheduled visit and I said "take it out" meaning all the fluid!! I want to eat!!! I have lost 67lbs and think that I am doing pretty good!!! But I still want to eat!! so I need to weigh the options!! I went into the office thinking I had 0.75cc in my band because I thought I had been keeping track... well I was not aware that Dr. malley put 5cc in my band during surgery (he normally does not do that) he said that my band was loose enough in surgery that he could fill it up then to keep it restricted.. hmmmmm no wonder I have been sick!!!! So we talked about it and he took 1/2 of what I had in, out.. so that should leave me with 3cc... It was funny because he chuckled when he said well you have almost 6cc in your band.. I screamed, "take some out"!!!!! well I feel much better to know that i had a lot in there and that I did not have just 0.75cc.. because I was thinking how am I this restricted with just 0.75cc this is horrible!! will I ever be able to eat? SO GUESS WHAT???? my stomach growled for the first time a few minutes ago... it scared me!!! I was like, what in the world? I am not sure if I like that or not.... I am getting ready to eat lunch so we will see how that goes!!!

I have been sick since Saturday and so I haven't worked out since Friday. I am feeling better today so I will go to the gym tonight! My menu Bfast - coffee w/cream, handful of nuts Lunch low carb tortilla, 3 oz of chicken, no skin, 2 tbs salsa, 1 oz cheese. 1/2 cup cilantro - (chicken taco - yum) (320 cal) snack - sugar free low cal chocolate pudding (60 cal) Dinner 1/2 pork chop, salsa, low carb tortilla (330 cal) Workout Upper body - biceps, triceps, shoulders, back, chest 45 min on elliptical machine

Sorry the reply is so late. Thins HS in life got a little crazy and I've been away. I haven't tried the psi bands. My doctor gave me scopolamine patches to use along with the Zofran, but they burned the skin behind my ear. It's too bad, because they worked pretty well. The good news is that now, 3 months out, I'm easing back into ginger, as it's starting to taste normal again. The weird thing is that in times when I would have reached for the ginger, now I prefer a handful of leaves from my herb garden (mostly various basils and mints).

I would not worry about it to much your body is in a state of shok and yes your weight will fluctuate up and day every day all day long so maybe you should be one of the people who only weigh once a week. as for the three week stall that is perfectally normal and I promise you as long as you are following your dr's guidelines you will begin to loose again.

Was sleeved Sep 7th I lost 20 pounds in the first week post op which I don t know if thats normal , I started at 225 and am down to 205 ive gotten down to 203 the lowest and have been between that range since then . Ive also been having trouble getting all my protein in but now that i can eat ive done much better , water intake is alot better too . In my mind im telling myself it ok 20 pounds in a month is really good , it just sucks I at least want to get under 200 that would be the best. It really helped to see how much weight I would loose while i was on liquids that just made it alot easier. I hope now that i will start exersise it gets alot better

Hi Family! Today is my 17 week post-op date. As I sit and reflect on my progress I can't help but to be grateful. As I see the numbers go down on the scale, I know it will be the last time I see those numbers as long as I continue to do what I need to do. Eat right, exercise, take care of myself. I always heard people say...the band is a tool. Now I can really and truly say I understand that. It is not a miracle worker, an overnight fixer, a cure-all. You MUST....can't stress that enough....YOU MUST be ready for this in the head. If you are not you are setting yourself up for a huge disappointment. I was ready....I do my work...I am within reach of my goal. I have to share some things in case someone else has these issues. For the first time in my life, I had some strange things go on with my period. My last period was for 10 days and then within 12 days I had another period. I went to my doctor and they don't think it's serious but blood work was performed to be sure. Losing weight so fast can cause other things to go out of whack. I just want to share this with you because it's important to know your body will be a little confused with itself sometimes. (sorry fella's guess you did not really need to hear that but my ladies did) We are amazing and wonderful creatures. The body is fabulous and can bounce back from anything, just take care of it because you only have one. Also, the mood adjustment has been CRAZY! :thumbup: One minute I will be on cloud nine, then something simple will just tick me off to no end. I'll stay mad for a little bit then I am back to being happy. There have been many "blah" days while on this journey. Sometimes I just don't know how to feel, then I am fine. Sometimes little things urk me, but I am over it in a heartbeat. Strange....yes I know....but you have to remember my body is changing and changing fast. All this weight loss has to effect me somehow. But overall...I am so happy I did this for myself. I wish I would have considered it earlier but maybe I was not ready for it earlier. So I embrace it, learn from it and work my band like the wonderful tool it is. I did not weigh this week. I don't weigh all the time. I do not choose to be a slave to that scale anymore. As long as I feel good, and my clothes are getting loose I am fine. I try to at least weigh once every two weeks just to make sure I am still on the journey line. So that's it for today folks. I just have to advise you to love yourself and enjoy the journey. It did not take just one night to become overweight and it will not take one night to lose it all. Be patient and loving to yourself and you will be within reach of your goal soon!

Something Jacqui said kind of struck me: " Money for cosmetic surgery? We're very comfortably off but its ridiculous to think of even beginning to find that kind of money for what amounts to vanity - as I dont seriously "need' it." I am hoping you are speaking of your own situation. I am one of those people who does need some. I have an apron of skin hanging over my belly that rubs against itself to the point of bleeding several times a week. Perhaps some would view surgery as being aboiut vanity but I can't help but get a little ticked off because those are the people who told me the Lap Band was the "easy" way out. For some, surgery is necessary. I am one of them. I guess this is too close for me right now as I did work hard to prepare for this moment. I hope no one is offended. Sometimes things just build up and I can't hold back.

Well said, Linda! I like my wrinkles and loose skin. If they were not wrinkles and loose skin they would be all puffed out with fat layers. Under that shifting covering is a healthy and a yet alive body. They are a badge of victory and freedom! That said, if I hit the lottery or something I'd probably get plastics. I'm not a fanatic.

2 months out and happy toàJpuhkpo

It doesn't sound like you are wearing a post PS compression garment; you should be. I wore my for 6 weeks 24/7 after my surgery. It helps to adhere the skin back into place and definitely helps with swelling. I am very surprised that your PS does not recommend this.

I went to my 1 month follow up with the plastic surgeon and asked him several questions. He said the swelling is normal for the first few months because of all the skin that was removed (10 inches around the front and 8 inches around the back) so the lymphatic system has to grow new channels through the new area under the incision. This can also cause Water retention in the hips, thighs and calf area if I am on my feet too much. He also told me that at the 3 month follow up, if I am not happy with any areas, we can talk about "fine tuning" the areas with liposuction or trimming more skin (no extra charge for touch ups). That made me feel better about my concerns. I just need to be patient and take things easy for another month at least so the swelling will stay minimal. So sweat pants for another month before I try to get back into my jeans and dress pants.

I got so desperate as to I cut off the seeds around the strawberries and peeled skin off a grape. Grape was wayyyyy too sour though for my taste.

Several years ago I had my first stroke, it had left me completely numb on my right side. After months of PT my body began to respond. Unfortunately, the meds and lack of movement had caused me pack on the pounds. I am a little short, so even 5 pounds made me look like one the umpa (on the movie Charlies's Choc. factory)... I was given a lot of steroids and could not stop eating. My family was very kind, never wanted to upset me, so I would comfort myself with food. A food did I eat..I remember sitting here in my living watching the movie "intimation of life" and stuffing heated grazed donuts one after another, ( I think I had downed 6 or more), at the same time crying watching the movie. Prior to my sleeve, I had gotten close to 275lbs, felt awful. I have three grand children and didn't have the energy to play with them. I really took a good look in the mirror and started crying my heart out, literally caused myself to have a panic attack. Self pity is dangerous. I started to stay in bed, no interest in anything..I was simply just here, non-existing. On the morning of Sept. 9, 2014 I called my doctor and told her I needed help. I was having thoughts that was not ones of getting better, but ones of despair and fear of dying. At first we tried the main stream diet plans, to no avail. Next, she sent me to a therapist to try talk therapy, it worked for a while until she wanted to continue to dig deeper; so we ended that. I had another mini stroke in Jan 2015, not as disabling as the first but enough damage to have to start all over again. But, it was a blessing. I had come to terms that the eating habits and my weight were my worse enemies So, at 279 pounds I went back to my doctor and told her, we have to do something..She agreed and I had my first visit with my surgeon.. I was told for the next couple of months I would have to do the diet to stink my liver and heed the strict diet plan he had given me. I knew was going to hard, but the life I had been living was not LIFE. I had been having problems with my knees for awhile and one day, I had just fell, crushing my knee caps..so, the doctor decide to do surgery. A total knee replacement. I had the left knee replaced three years ago..IT is not a easy recovery. My surgery went well. I had to go back to theory again. Back on steroids, developed the pumpkin face and water retention. I was ready to throw in the towel..But, out the mouth of babes..my youngest grand babies, age 3 crawled on my lap and said, while rubbing my tummy says "meme, the you get the bad bumps on your tummy and legs you can get on the floor and play cars with me and we won't have to sit on the bed to play anymore..well, my goodness, it was all i could do to not cry..I made a promise to him and myself..I will become a better fit meme. On Aug. 21, 2015 I had my sleeve done. To date (Nov. 29) I started at 252lbs, now at 218 (which I did gain two pounds, hoping water gain). I am going to only shakes today and tomorrow in hope that I loose those two pounds and more. I appreciate all the support I have been receiving..I will keep anyone in prayer for success and will post as I go through the next stage of living...,

WOW...a D cup to an A cup...that is a big difference...(and I thought mine were deflating) I have lost 60lbs but just still dealing with the old bras though they are really loose in the cup(I can always tighten them up) I had went to the flea market last time they were in town and got some dirt cheap ones that were too tight but went to the fabric store and bought bra extenders for like $2 to help loosen the tightness and that seems to help. I figure when I get down this last 40 or so then I will go to a department store and get measured properly and invest in a $50 bra.

I had the band placed over 4 years ago now. I initially lost about 55-60lbs, then put on 15 or so then dropped it again, yada yada yada....it's a lifetime battle no matter how tight or loose the band is. I know this. Well anyways....in March of this year I was down to about 175 which was only 20lbs away from my goal weight, and i was working out and eating what i wanted, just in moderation of course....which was great!..... but then life threw me a curve ball..... I broke my ankle when I was out looking all kinds of cute with my spring outfit including high wedges....I ended up requiring surgery on the ankle and had to have a plate and 5 screws put in initially and then 2 months later had one of the screws removed and then a week after that surgery had my gallbladder removed. From 4/12-6/24 I was out of work and out of commission really. For 9 of those weeks I was out, I couldn't walk at all, so I was just sitting around majority of the time. Needless to say I've gained some weight back....Last I weighed I was at about 185, but I may even be up to about 190ish...you know how you can feel it. That now puts me 35lbs away from my goal and I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but we all know that when you're closer to the end, it gets harder. And seeing that I am still in PT for my ankle and cannot do any high impact exercises like running or jumping jacks like I used to be able to, I've been delaying going back to the gym to do the "little" stuff (to me). I'm very used to high impact exercises. I KNOW that I can do it. I KNOW that I need to get my butt up and do it. I just don't have the motivation! I need someone to yell at me. lol tell me to get up and do it!

You see all sorts of things happening on this forum. I lost 10 on the pre op diet, and another 10 post op diet. I have a strict surgeon and basically liquids for 3-4 wks post op. It has been 6 months and I've lost a total of 30lbs+ since surgery. Bandster hell is where things slow down, its waiting the months for the appropriate amount of fill- so basically any weight loss is from sticking it out and exercising like heck. I'm 6 months out with 7cc and just probably in the green zone. Everyone's program is different. Some get lots of cc's right away. I get one a month if that. I can loose 1 lb a week steadily and I am an exercise fiend. Dr says now that I'm closer to goal and fit, things will probably slow down. I still have 40+ to go.

Feeling nervous, about first fill in London Uk tomorrow, although I did have a 4ml fill on surgery day, I did loose a bit of weight, during swelling and liquids, then it stopped, I do not feel any restriction, i can eat a fair amount, I was told not to count calories yet? I don't weigh anything either, do you think I am going wrong in that department, I am now 6wks into my journey. Hope to loose more in the next 6wks.

Hello; I was a VSG outpatient with the NEW program for surgery. Are you staying overnight? Dr. Quebbemann, Dr. Chin or Dr. Braverman? To all you newbies, there is a great thread of what to take to hospital on this site under General Sleeve Surgery Discussions. Here is link. http://www.verticals...surgery-thread/ Tips: Wear loose clothing. I wore a zip up jacket so I did not need to pull anything over my head. A bra that snapped in front so I did not need extra help to dress. Pants with a draw string, no elastic around waist or waitband since you might be bloated from gas. Slip on shoes are a must and no high heels. HA HA At home: I love the idea of a heating pad post op as this tip helped me out a lot. Also, try sipping drinks at room tempature. I drank refrigerated G2 gatorade (zero calorie/surgarless) and that was not easy, but room tempature really made a difference. Prefill your perscriptions, if any. chicken noodle broth...diluted and strained. Any taste besides those nasty sweet Protein shakes were welcome. A spouse who is willing to sleep in another bed for a few days since he tosses often. Don't recommend stocking up on a whole bunch of protien items. Many report a change in taste, so what you like now you might not be able to tolerate or gag down post op. I threw away so many prepurchased protien drinks. Save yourself some $ if you have someone who is willing to run to the store for you. Check out stores that have things you can drink for the first couple of phases. Good luck to you all! I have no regrets besides knowing I should have done this sooner.

Still not feeling good but trying to think of other things. My engagement. My fiance proposed to me on Easter this year. The ring fit perfectly, well a little loose because he waited three months to give it to me from the time we picked it out. After that I was still losing weight and it got loose to the point that I needed to get speed balls, if you've heard of that. Two raised balls of white gold on the inside of the ring on the bottom part of the ring. It helped pretty well, maybe even just a little tight. Since the surgery I haven't really worn it much because I just haven't felt well. I put it on today and it just falls off. We are getting married next fall and I know I am going to lose more weight between now and then. I guess at some point I am going to get it resized but I wanna wait until....much closer to the wedding. I guess I can have the speed balls made bigger for now. What did you do? Are you having the same problem? Another of my issues is my RA, sometimes my joints are inflamed and my knuckles are bigger. This is why I hate to get it much smaller.... I just don't know! The picture is before surgery.