well Christine let me tell you I am like you I eat a little here and a litter there and I realy have to work at this even with the VBG I feel like I am on a dite but I have a very lager pouch and I have to say this is not working for me I am working. I do not lose more than 1 or 2 pounds a week and some tine none I must work out 5 to 6 days a week to do that this last mo I just let it all go to see what would happen and I gained so I am not that happy I will not say it has been a total lost because I do get full with less food but I must work at it and knowing this I want to make the changes I can not cop out I do not want eveyone to think I did it all for nothing and I have come this far and there is nothing else to do but you should know the lbs will not just fall off so well I think it is good to be ready to change a lot or it will not work and better than any thing elst in the long run . it is a big steep . it is hard to not just see the good things people are saying and miss the hard work people are doing to get there even with the vgb ro the rny allyson 268/235/? vgb

I am very happy I had VBG. I have lost a little over 50 pounds (haven't weighed in a few days). I know several people who have lost 150-190 pounds with VBG. What I like is that I absorb my nutrients and do not have to pack myself full of supplements, and I haven't had trouble eating anything so I feel normal I just eat a lot less. My surgeon uses a gortex band, and as far as the staples he uses a gun that actually cuts as it staples (not sure why that matters) but he sad it causes scar tissue and since he started using it in 2001 he hasn't had a single staple-line disruption. I think the key is to find an excellent surgeon. I have found that problems seem to show up more with certain surgeons. Also, when I was in the hospital one of the nurses said the VBG patients do better than the RNY and I've heard that their skin looks better. Oh, another tidbit...my surgeon quit doing the bypass years ago because he had just as good of results with VBG and it is less invasive. You have to do what is best for you, but try not to listen to all the horror stories. RNY is popular right now, but someday another surgery might be popular and people may be dogging the RNY. I would educate myself as much as possible and talk with your surgeon to find what is best for you. Good luck with your decision!!

SARA, HOW ARE YOU? SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE DOING GREAT. GOOD LUCK. THE GYM IS THE BEST THING FOR YOU. I GO 5 DAY'S A WEEK. THAT REALLY WORK OUT WELL. KEEP THE GOOD WORK UP. IF THE WEIGHT SLOW DOWN. DO ATKINS FOR 7 TO 14 DAYS EVERYTHING GOES SO GOOD. YOU WILL GO BACK TO LOOSING SO QUICK. TAKE GOOD CARE. GLORIA MOLAKE -96

Congratulations to you!! I am 2 years out a very happy I did it. I agree minus the first 6 weeks, to think I thought at that time I would not survive, lol. Keep up the good work. It's wonderful to be thin. And also a point to ponder - think of how we can eat 6 small meals and how wonderful we will feel on Thanksgiving, when everyone else is so stuffed they hurt! BUT not us - if we are not into suffering, lol - we walk away from the table feeling great and when we go to have the tinies sliver of pie, we are not wondering where we are going to put it! I love it!It's the in me that likes the fact that it is not me suffering from over eating. LOL -176

Any surgery you have, there is the potential for loose skin. It's up to you as the others said to use whichever "tool" you choose, to lose the weight, and to exercise to try and keep the skin to a minimum. You can do it with either surgery. You will lose more than 2 lbs per week on liquids. I lost 15 lbs my first week out from surgery. Since being off liquids, it's been tough. You've got to exercise or you won't reach or maintain your goal. It's still a hard lifestyle change no matter which surgery you do...you've got to teach yourself to eat better, more of the right things since you are eating less...and you've got to exercise. And, you've got to try and learn these habits early after surgery, to maximize your weight loss and change your state of mind. My surgeon is against RNY also. It is just so drastic to rearrange your insides in my opinion. There is the vitamin deficiency thing someone mentioned, and that is a huge risk.....what are the side-effects going to be when you are 50? And, you will have the "dumping" with sweet foods, more likely to lose hair, can become lactose intolerant, have more "bathroom problems" so I've heard, etc.... RNY was not a consideration for me....I was deciding between VBG and LapBand, and my insurance covered both...but I decided against LapBand since I didn't want to have control over the band and size of my pouch....I thought I might cheat on that. So, VBG it was. And, my surgeon also did something cool....may ask yours about this if you are worried about staples. I do not have a staple line. Where the vertical staple line normally is, my surgeon actually cut my stomach. So, I just have the pouch with the ring at the bottom leading to my larger stomach. He had seen too many problems with staple line disruptions, and he's been doing the cutting instead of staples for years. Anyway, good luck making your decision. I'm happy with mine so far. ~Kim Open VBG 9/1/04 292 then/ 245 now 5'10"