Do research the band thoroughly before you get one. While some are happy with theirs, many have had to have them removed due to slippage or eroding holes into the stomach. And many get them revised to a sleeve or bypass. My surgeon won't do them anymore.

Here are my answers based on my personal experience. Everybody is a little different and doctor's also provide different advice. Ultimately, in the end, you have to do what works for you based on the guidelines you're given, health issues, and personal goals.

I have the activity/fitness thing down pretty well, walk 30-60m per day, gym/cardio/circuit training 2-3 times per week. I try to get in 10K steps per day, sadly no other form of exercise.

Eating has always been emotional for me. I've tried the diets, had some success but usually gained back. I was a professional dieter. I could always lose (up to 100 pounds) but I always gained it back. Prior to surgery, the last diet was the Metabolic Research Diet, I lost 103 pounds and kept 50 pounds off. I elected to have surgery to help me maintain the weight loss, so far 1+ year I've been successful.

I don't drink soda or sweetened drinks - I've never been a sweets person unless it's during that 1 week where I crave chocolate and my menstrual cycle rolls over everything in its path. But I drink A LOT of water or herbal tea - usually 100-120 oz per day. This is a good thing and you can continue to drink 100 - 120 ounces per day in very small quantities. 2 ounces every 10 minutes in the beginning until the swelling in your stomach goes down

I've seen tips to only sip a few ounces per hour and I'm sure this will be a behavioral thing I need to get used to. What have been people's experience with liquids? Does it get stopped just like food would or would it just flow thru pretty quickly? I took 5 swallows/sips every 10 minutes following the 30/60 minute guidelines for meals. No fluid 30 minutes before and 60 minutes after, then it was sip/sip/sip over and over. In the beginning your stomach is very swollen think of the inside being about the size of a marker. You're protecting it so you don't want to gulp. You have a line of stitches and you don't want to put any excess pressure on that staple line.

Also, how important is it to eat low fat? I always go with full fat because the LF is usually added sugar which is bad for my blood sugar control. Also, I'm sensitive to sugar substitutes (other than stevia which I can tolerate ok-ish). Think of eating clean, very little processed foods. I did a low fat/low carb diet. When I was a professional yo-yo dieter I learned if I ate carbs I didn't lose weight. So it's low carb, low fat, high protein. You'll have to pick foods that keep your blood sugar under control and that may not be low carb, low fat.

How bad was the post-surgery pain? I'm allergic to EVERYTHING that helps with pain - found out I was allergic to morphine when I had my thyroid surgery 4 years ago. I'm terrified of pain now. There was basically no pain. I had liquid pain medication for home use. I used it twice the first two nights I was home. The pain wasn't from the incisions but my back was killing me because the hospital bed was so uncomfortable I was afraid of pain because I just don't like pain.

What is the typical size of meals during post-op healing and then what does a typical meal look like when you're past the healing stages? I've seen 4 oz and I've seen 1/4 to 1/2 cup but I'm a visual person so it hard to imagine. Post opt healing for the first 2-3 months was 2-3 ounces. For the first year my meals were no more than 4 ounces unless I had a salad then I could have 6 ounces. I use food scales and still 2+ years post opt I weigh my meals and don't have more than 8 ounces if I have a salad. If there is no salad with my meal I stop at 6 ounces.
The difference being salad is basically water. I also kept my calories at an average of 800 per day until I got to goal weight per the doctor's guidelines. It wasn't easy but it was doable and it worked. I actually lost 100% of my weight goal and had to change my goal. HW 267, CW 135. Surgery date 2/2/2015. It took me 16 months to get to my initial goal of 150 lbs.

What does a typical grocery shop look like for you? Lean meats, fresh and frozen vegetables and some fruit. Not everyone does it but I also keep a few frozen entrees on hand for a day when I don't want to cook. I usually eat 1/2 and then add some more protein to increase the protein in the meal. I do have rice, yogurt, milk, eggs, beef jerky, and nuts.

I honestly can't say that I did everything right but some kind of way I got to my goal weight. Along the way, I had great days and days that weren't so great. I had junk food, fast food, cookies, ice cream, and potato chips but the sleeve did stop me from eating more than a few bites. I limit those foods to meeting lunches because I know I can't bring them home with me. I still crave foods that I know will cause me to gain weight but the longer I avoid them the easier it is.

I hope I've helped answer your questions.

Watching this thread with interest, I have many of the same questions.

With regards to pain whats your normal pain tolerance? I have low tolerance and i was in a lot of pain. Mine was somewhat mismanaged (uk based, public hospital instead of private where he operates on 99%of his patients, they "forgot" to give me anything to drink for 3 days etc) so i was in hospital for 5 days and needed codiene for 2 weeks but once my external staples were removed i recovered rapidly

Welcome to the group @souperchik. I had weight loss surgery in December 2016 and it was the best choice I could have made for my health. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I’m still in the weight loss phase – I’ve lost almost half of the weight I hope to get off.

I opted for VSG surgery. Like @clcmfp and @ruqayyahsmum mentioned, I was worried about potential future complications from a lap band, so I didn’t consider that surgery as an option for me.

Surgery was a lot easier than I anticipated. I had surgery early in the morning and I was released from the hospital the same day. I was up and walking within a half an hour of waking up. I used some heavy-duty Tylenol for the first couple of days, but I’m not even sure I needed that. I never felt any pain, just discomfort. My abdomen was tender for about a week, but not painful. The only annoying part was that I didn’t feel comfortable sleeping lying down for about a week. I spent several nights sleeping in an arm chair with my feet up on an ottoman. Annoying, but not that big a deal in the long run.

The VSG surgery has given me a kind of control I never had before. I don’t often test the limits of my new stomach – I don’t eat until I feel restriction. I eat until I feel satisfied. That is something I was never able to do before surgery. I never felt satisfied by food before. Before surgery, I could eat a HUGE meal and still feel hungry ten minutes later. After surgery, I now eat until I feel satisfied and that feeling lasts for a few hours. I often find myself wondering if this is how skinny people just naturally feel.

Drinking has been an issue for me. Not because I can’t handle drinking. I’m four and a half months out from surgery and I can gulp down water with no problem. I don’t feel any restriction drinking liquids. My issue is that I don’t really like drinking water, so I have to force myself and set reminders to drink. I was a Diet Coke junkie before surgery and I still crave it each day. I haven’t had any soda since December, but it’s the one craving that hasn’t gone away. Good on you for having good habits with water and tea before your surgery. That will make post-surgery life easier.

I typically have a protein smoothie for breakfast at 6:45 (with my b12 and Omeprazole), a small snack at 9:30 (with a multivitamin), a small lunch at 11:15 (with a multivitamin), a salad at 2:30 (with a multivitamin), dinner at 6:00, and then a snack at 8:00 (with my calcium chews).

I don’t eat anything low fat. I try to avoid carbs (besides the ones found in fruits and veggies) because bread, pasta and rice still sit very heavy in my stomach. I don’t make them completely off limits, but they aren’t in my diet’s regular rotation. I also limit the amount of added sugar, but I don’t worry about eating low fat. I focus on whole foods. Most of the fat in my diet comes from oils and dairy. At the grocery store, I really only visit the produce, meat, frozen and dairy sections. I hardly buy any processed food anymore. I buy lots of chicken, steak and shrimp for my dinners. I typically have about 4oz of one of those proteins with a side of butternut squash or broccoli. For breakfast, I make a smoothie with a Premier protein shake, greek yogurt and banana. My midday food is often chicken salad or deli meat with a garden salad and 4 oz of sharp cheddar cheese. At the end of the day, I’ll have a cup of melon chunks or a square of 85%+ dark chocolate. It has taken some getting used to the taste of chocolate that doesn’t have much sugar in it.

Weekdays are easy. I plan all the food out early in the week and just pack what I need each night. On weekends, I still struggle with grazing a bit. We don’t eat out much anymore because it’s annoying to be at a restaurant with a super active 17 month old and because it’s not worth it for me to eat just a few bites. So our grocery budget has gone up, but our overall food spending is down.

If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask. This group has been a great resource for me. Everyone here is full of great information and encouragement.

I'll answer your questions in relation to me. However, I had a sleeve - not a band. I'm 5'6 with a high weight of 281.6 (July 2016) and a current weight of 179.6.

I have the activity/fitness thing down pretty well, walk 30-60m per day, gym/cardio/circuit training 2-3 times per week. I work out 4 days a week and aim for 80-90 minutes. On my off days I do my best to get in 10k steps

Eating has always been emotional for me. I've tried the diets, had some success but usually gained back. I am very much an emotional eater. This has been a difficult thing after surgery (not horrible) but I do catch myself. My biggest thing is writing everything down. I am 70% better than I was before - all I can do is work towards that 100%

I don't drink soda or sweetened drinks - I've never been a sweets person unless it's during that 1 week where I crave chocolate and my menstrual cycle rolls over everything in its path. But I drink A LOT of water or herbal tea - usually 100-120 oz per day. Giving up sweetened drinks and soda was not an issue for me. I drink 20% coffee and 80% water a day. Maybe once or twice a week I will have a glass of unsweetened ice tea

I've seen tips to only sip a few ounces per hour and I'm sure this will be a behavioral thing I need to get used to. What have been people's experience with liquids? Does it get stopped just like food would or would it just flow thru pretty quickly? This is very much in the beginning. Now I have no problem drinking a good amount of liquid in one sitting - but I don't drink 20 minutes before eating and close to an hour after eating. Because I'm SOOO full.

Also, how important is it to eat low fat? I always go with full fat because the LF is usually added sugar which is bad for my blood sugar control. Also, I'm sensitive to sugar substitutes (other than stevia which I can tolerate ok-ish). My doctor is all about counting protein first and calories. Eat protein FIRST but try to stay under 1200 calories for the first year.

How bad was the post-surgery pain? I'm allergic to EVERYTHING that helps with pain - found out I was allergic to morphine when I had my thyroid surgery 4 years ago. I'm terrified of pain now. I tend to have a pretty high pain tolerance. The worst part of the surgery was the gas afterwards. I stopped taking pain medication the day I left the hospital. I was back at work 6 days after surgery. As long as you get up and walk you will be just fine.

What is the typical size of meals during post-op healing and then what does a typical meal look like when you're past the healing stages? I've seen 4 oz and I've seen 1/4 to 1/2 cup but I'm a visual person so it hard to imagine. I'm 9 months out and my meals are usually around 6oz. I tend to weigh everything I eat. I can eat 7-8oz of yogurt but there's no way I can eat 8oz of meat.

What does a typical grocery shop look like for you? I have a family so I tend to buy what I bought before but also buy things that work for me. My typical grocery list for me is deli meat, cheese, yogurt, cauliflower rice, cucumber, eggs, sugar free creamer, almond milk, Tyson grilled chicken nuggets, halo top ice cream, cheese sticks, fruit (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries), popcorn (100cal bags), protein bars, and turkey burgers. I eat pretty plain. Just because it is what works best for me with my schedule. If my family has grilled chicken and rice - I make grilled chicken and cauliflower rice. It takes some adjustment but it just becomes your new way of life and I don't feel deprived.

Thanks so much to anyone who answers. I'm a planner and these are some of the things I've been hung up on lately.

I’m a planner too. Unfortunately no matter how much you research, you won’t know how it will affect you until you do it. Taking that leap of faith made it harder, but I’m so glad I did!

I had VSG in Nov 2016 and am still in the losing phase, down 104 lbs. I’ve heard more stories of failed bands turned to sleeve revisions than I have band successes, so please think hard about that. My doctor won’t even do them anymore. For me, I knew that this will be a problem for my whole life, and I might as well have a lifelong tool to help.

I have the activity/fitness thing down pretty well, walk 30-60m per day, gym/cardio/circuit training 2-3 times per week. You’re doing great! Keep that up!

Eating has always been emotional for me. I've tried the diets, had some success but usually gained back. Remember it is just a tool, it won’t make decisions for you but it will help you to make the right decisions. My doctor downplayed the ghrelin hormone benefit, saying it’s been more successful in mice than it has in humans. I find I do still get hungry, but I can ignore it or push it aside easier than I could before. He also encouraged mindfulness and questioning why I’m eating. If I find myself wandering towards the pantry, I can stop now and ask myself “am I really hungry?” and the answer is usually no and I can walk away. Before, it was more of an emotional addiction and the surgery allowed me to change that (not necessarily break it). Again, it’s just a tool.

I also find my tastebuds changed, and my relationship to food changed. Food is just food now. It’s not an emotional substitute, it’s not satisfying, and it’s not something special. It’s nutrition to keep me going. In some ways it’s sad to lose that satisfaction from really good food (that feeling after you have an amazing steak), but that’s what got me to 342 lbs in the first place, so I will live without it now. Food is just a thing. Things I used to be excited to eat aren’t appealing anymore. The joy of food is gone, and that's good and bad.

I don't drink soda or sweetened drinks - I've never been a sweets person unless it's during that 1 week where I crave chocolate and my menstrual cycle rolls over everything in its path. But I drink A LOT of water or herbal tea - usually 100-120 oz per day. I was the same way, and drank about the same amount of water a day. After the surgery I find it very hard to drink plain water, which was very disappointing. Crystal Light is my new friend. It’s also been very hard to drink enough and I struggle with dehydration. Early on I got so dehydrated I actually fainted at work. I don’t recommend that!

I've seen tips to only sip a few ounces per hour and I'm sure this will be a behavioral thing I need to get used to. What have been people's experience with liquids? Does it get stopped just like food would or would it just flow thru pretty quickly? Can’t speak to the band but liquids are just fine with the sleeve. The thing to be careful of is when you drink. Because there’s no storage area in the stomach, liquids will push through whatever solids you ate and then you’re hungry again. You can’t drink for at least 30 minutes after eating, an hour is better. This is BY FAR the hardest part for me. I also used to gulp water and had to learn to slow it down. It doesn’t feel good when you do that!

Also, how important is it to eat low fat? I always go with full fat because the LF is usually added sugar which is bad for my blood sugar control. Also, I'm sensitive to sugar substitutes (other than stevia which I can tolerate ok-ish). I try to do lower fat because I’m trying to keep my macros balanced. So if I have tuna with mayo, I have low fat mayo (or better yet, no mayo). I have a specific list from my doctor on what food choices are best, not so great, and worst. I try to pick from the Best list most of the time, and most of those are lower fats or healthier fats. Moderation is the key. I find that higher fat foods don’t sit well with me anymore.

How bad was the post-surgery pain? I'm allergic to EVERYTHING that helps with pain - found out I was allergic to morphine when I had my thyroid surgery 4 years ago. I'm terrified of pain now. It really wasn’t bad at all. I didn’t have gas pains either. I took pain meds for a few days and slept through the first several days, then didn’t take them anymore. It did take a while to get my stamina back. The most painful part was getting out of bed – once I was either up or down it wasn’t too bad. My doctor wanted me exercising at 2 weeks and I was, just walking around the block.

What is the typical size of meals during post-op healing and then what does a typical meal look like when you're past the healing stages? I've seen 4 oz and I've seen 1/4 to 1/2 cup but I'm a visual person so it hard to imagine. Every surgeon is different and there is no universal plan that they all agree on. I listen to mine and have done exactly – precisely – what they say and have been ahead of their expectations. I don’t count calories (I do log them on MFP more out of curiosity than anything else). I track macros – protein, carbs, and fats. I weigh everything I eat. I recently moved from 4oz per meal to 6 oz per meal and I am FULL. (get yourself a set of measuring cups, that will help with the reference. 4 oz is half a cup. 6 oz is ¾ c.)

Right after surgery you’re on liquids only and you won’t want solid food anyway. I HATED the shakes but had to suffer through it (people on here still drink the shakes, I don’t know how they stand it. I never want to see a shake again!). It’s so exciting to switch to pureed foods. Pureed chicken sounded so gross before surgery, but once I could eat it, it was the greatest thing ever. Remember the liquid stage and the pureed stage don’t last forever. They are only blips in your life on the way to better things.

A meal now looks like this: 50% protein, 25% veggies, 25% fruit/carbs. That’s balancing the macros.

What does a typical grocery shop look like for you?
Before surgery I used a meal kit service called Green Chef, and I’ve gone back to it. It’s fantastic and I love it. I sometimes have to supplement it with extra protein, but I get a box a week of fresh, healthy paleo food delivered to my door, and one of their meals can last me 4 or 5 meals. I get boxes for 2 weeks then I have to take a week off to finish the leftovers, because it’s just too much food. I don’t have to buy special bariatric food, I don’t have to agonize at the grocery store. It’s working well for me. I still weigh all my portions, though.

For breakfast everyday I have 4 oz of egg whites, a sprinkling of mozzarella, and 2 slices of Canadian bacon. It’s perfect for me and is a high-protein start to the day.

Grocery trips are minimal now. I get deli meat (turkey and chicken), string cheese, mozzarella, egg whites, fruit (usually blueberries and oranges), and proteins like ground turkey and fish.

I hope that helps! Good luck to you!

Miss_Hattie wrote: »

I am prepping for a duodenal switch and I appreciate the feedback you gave to the person that asked. It helps me feel better to learn and hear what others have gone through. I have a question..... when you are in the pureed stage, would it just be easier to buy baby food?

I did as i didnt have help at home. Half of a first stage jar thinned with gravy or milk was enough for me

Miss_Hattie wrote: »

I am prepping for a duodenal switch and I appreciate the feedback you gave to the person that asked. It helps me feel better to learn and hear what others have gone through. I have a question..... when you are in the pureed stage, would it just be easier to buy baby food?

My surgeon was adamant that I did not just buy baby food. His reasoning was that it contains other ingredients and preservatives, not just the pureed food itself, and you don't actually know what you're putting in your body at such a sensitive stage. His second point was that it's how you start thinking of actually preparing your own foods and cooking for yourself, not taking the easy way out and buying pre-packaged food. The pureed stage wasn't fun but it was easier than I had expected, too.

Guess it depends on surgeon

Mine recommended them but we were put on puree straight after gastric bypass.... lucky for me the nursing staff "forgot" to feed me for 3 days along with forgetting all fluids lol

First puree i had in hospital hurt so bad i screamed and had to be shot up with morphine