AUGUST 20, 2006 FIVE YEARS AND STILL HAPPY I still feel I made the right decision by having the surgery. I go up and down between 150-160 and it still is a struggle to stay down. I still have problems with nibbling in between meals which is why I can't get down and stay down. I was 145 for about a month so I just have to think that my body likes it in this range and if I can stay here I will be ok, not skinny but a bit heavierier than I would like Overall I feel great and keep trying they operated on my stomach not my brain so I still have to think about what I"m doing :}

Ty im now 19 days post op and feeling better even though i still do not sleep.... but at least im now getting my exercise.

Tanya , (HUGS) Now take a deep breath .. You are not a failure .. youre not even one month out if I read correctly .. It is not possible to GAIN weight on 300 calories .. your body must be retaining fluid ..maybe something to do with your kidney infection .. Drinking lots of water will help your kidneys and help your body let go of the fluid .. just keep eating what your Drs have told you to .. Work on getting in your protein and your water and stay away from sugar and white carbs .. youre going to do fine .. hugs , Ruthie

Hello to all. I ran across this board and thought I might post. I had the RNY on July 26 of this year. Yes I went across the boarder. I have managed to gain back 15 pounds. I am following the diet to the t. My mom had her surgery in Feb and has done real good. I was 265 and now I am back up to 280. I was 295 the day I had surgery. I had only lost a few pounds on the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. I thought this was suppose to be the re-birth everyone talks about. I feel like I am doing something wrong or that I am a failure. I know that my kidney's are starting to act up. I went to the doctor and said I had a UTI. Gave me antibiotics that I could not take. I really think I am trying to pass kidney stones. I do not feel like I am retaining water. I usually swell in my legs and fingers. I have started to exercise as well. Does anyone have any advice or words of wisdom. I look at other peoples profiles and just feel like I am a total failure. I know this surgery is not a miracle or it does not promise that you will lose all your weight. But my calorie intake is less than 300 calories a day as compared to 3 or 4 thousand a day. I do not understand. If I would of known my body was going to do this to me then I would of never had the surgery. Please do not get this wrong I do not regret having this surgery done. I just wish I could see some sign of hope. I am so depressed and feel hopeless. I know I am not the only one that feels this way. I just feel like crying. Thank you for reading if you got this far. Tanya

Stephanie, First let me say that you are very cute and young and you have time on your side. I understand your frustration. I had surgery on 3/6/2006 and have lost about 20 lbs. both pre and post op. Now a lot of my lack of progress can be blamed on me and the rest can be blamed on my age and my anatomy. But that isn't really important anyway. I did a lot of research, but I go through life with rose colored glasses and thought for sure that I would be one of the lucky ones who had restriction from the get go. Well I didn't and I now have 3.5 ccs in my 4cc band and if I wanted to I could find a way to overeat. I have decided to stop fighting my fate and to get with the program. I am not saying that you are not. I don't want to **** you off because you sure tore Nancy a new one. She has about 299 new ones by now. The exercise you are doing is probably building muscle so the scales are staying the same. But exercise is a very good thing. You may want to do more walking than anything else if you are interested in seeing the scale go down. Don't wish for a moment that you had one of those surgeries that rearrange your insides. Malabsorption is not a good thing. Unless you are on deaths door and will die in the next several months anyway, I see no reason for rny or any of the others just because they provide fast weight loss. This is very short sighted thinking. In the long run you will get where you want to be once you get proper restriction and keep doing what you are doing now. The lapband is very differnent for everyone. We can share our experience, but not our own lap band lot. Check out the lap band board often and share often. Rant and rave anytime you want. I do it often myself. Lap band is not for everyone and it doesn't work for everyone. No WLS does! Lap band encourages good healthy eating habits. It will punish you if you don't follow the rules most of the time. It sucks, but that is the way that it is. We got fat by going for instant gratification. Surgery isn't going to change our desire for instant gratification. This is something that takes time. Slow weight lose is much better than fast for so many reasons. As you lose you will look healthy and have firm skin. You will have time to adjust to your body image. This will keep things more grounded for you. Too much change too soon can wreck havoc with your hormones and emotions. Stay with the program, you already have the band. Keep a positive attitude and all will fall into place. Time is going to pass this is for sure, make the most of each day and treat yourself good in everyway possible. Phyllis