I also had Dr. Rupp as a surgeon. It was my understanding going into VBG that I would not lose as much weight as I would if I had chose RNY. My reasons for choosing VBG were specific to long-term health benefits had I chose RNY and because I was not a snack or sweet eater by rule. I have however discovered that I do eat more snack/sweets since having surgery than I did before. Here is what I know about VBG from my own personal experience... 1. The weight falls off automatically the first 6 months. 2. The weight comes off painfully slow the next 6 months. 3. The weight comes off only with effort after the first year. 4. If I do not exercise I will no longer lose any weight AND I will gain. 5. Too continue to lose weight I must eat primarily protein and be decidedly diligent about exercising in combination. I had surgery about 18 months ago. I am down 120 pounds. I would like to lose 40 more pounds. I know that the only way that 40 pounds is coming off is for me to kick it into gear and get it off. It will not just fall off. Will it come off? Yes -- because I am determined to make it come off. One recommendation that I would make to you is to increase your exercise. It sounds like you are not over-eating and may even be under eating. However, if you are not hungry and are eating according to your hunger than even if your body is not getting enough external calories theoretically you should be able to convince your body to release the weight by increasing your exercising. I assume that your body has excess reserves that it will consume (in place of external calories) to accommodate increased exercise. I have discovered at 18 months out that I am able to eat enough to maintain my weight. Depending on how one looks at this it can be construed as a "good thing" or "bad thing". I look at this as a GOOD thing. Having surgery was not going to get me where I wanted to be weight wise. Having surgery gave me a head start by "automatically" losing weight the first 6-12 months and then I was left with a tool so that I could get me where I wanted to be by determination. Because I also see Dr. Rupp I know that the one MAJOR failing of his practice is the aftercare portion. It pretty much is non-existent. In place of Dr. Rupp's non-existent support/after care program I see a personal therapist once every 3 weeks to keep me "mentally stable/accountable/on track". Sometimes I am not able to stay accountable/on track. But I am able to stay mentally stable and moving towards accountable/on track. Certainly you do not want to reach a true depression. If you think that you are it is time to get medical help. Lastly... I would like to touch on the theory of "Feel, See, Do, Get". What you See/Feel determines what you Do/Get. If you Feel positive, you See positive, you Do positive, you Get positive. - If you Feel like you can do this, you See your self doing this, you Do what needs to be done then you Get this. - Add depression to that and you will Feel, See, Do, and Get the exact opposite of something healthy and good. So I guess in the end my basic thoughts are that if you feel that you are eating properly you might want to adjust what you are eating/ i.e. more protein or changing when/how you exercise. If you have been exercising in the evening... then change to mornings. Exercising only once per day... change it to twice per day. Only walking? Change it to an aerobic exercise. Etc. Keep trying different combinations until you break the plateau. Best Regards Sharon Chute Open VBG 10.28.03 340 start/ 220 today/ 190 goal 5' 2" tall - 38 years old

I had the VBG with sleeve. The VBG part is just the same, but instead of just stapling the rest of my stomach, they cut it out. I guess about half of the stomach is removed. I had this done laproscopically, so it came out my belly button! So, regardless, my capacity will always be smaller. I wanted to get the lap band, but after consulting with my surgeon, this seemed the wiser choice for me. I am never hungry and have lost 60 pounds in four months. I can eat whatever I want, but very small portions. In fact, even though I can eat whatever I want, I usually just have room for protein! Good luck! Theresa

HI LIA IT ME AGAIN TRY UNDER THE TONGUE B-12. IT REALLY HAS HELP ME FEEL BETTER. K.E

Hi Lenore, I just reached my 6 month anniversary this past Thursday and for some reason my weightloss has slowed considerably within the last month. I looked at your profile and we lost at about the same rate in the beginning, but I think you have less to lose than I do. I was shooting for a 150-175 pound loss, but I have another 75-100 to go and the way things have slowed down I am not sure if that will ever happen. I am doing my best to stay positive and also I am trying to get back to the basics. Maybe you should try varying your routine slightly and see what happens. I heard that a body grows accustomed to a diet and exercise regimen, so it can help jump start weightloss if you shake things up a bit. Perhaps increasing your exercise or just varying the exercise...maybe doing some resistance training along with your walking. You don't have to join a gym you can just buy a video or some hand and ankle weights. Maybe add a snack if you aren't eating that much. I hope this helps Good luck to you! We r in this together and we can do this!!! Hugs, Sara

Lenore, Have you tried eating more protein? I was able to lose 113 lbs with the vbg. I will give an example of what I ate the first 8 months. Breakfast-either an egg or yogurt, lunch-baby food meat chased down with applesauce. Supper-the meat portion of a lean cuisine, could`nt tolerate the chicken though, and what I could of the veggies. I ate the same thing everyday and the weight dropped off. When I was able to add more variety, I stopped losing. Unfortunately, I added coffee back in and sugar and have gained. I want to go back to the early days and see if I can do it again. It will be hard, but it sure was worth it.