Ashley E

Hi all, I am truly hoping you can help me because I'm almost at the end of my rope. I had my band 1/10/10 and had success but have had several complications. I have pushed through the complications and had remained active (running, cycling, kickboxing, etc) prior to surgery and after. I started Crossfit June of this year and LOVE it. However, I have been told that perhaps I'm not eating enough. I'm gaining weight, and while I think maybe a tiny portion of it is muscle, there is more fat than muscle. I am really not sure what the right answer is as I think my band is adjusted appropriately, in fact, it may be a bit on the tight side. That being said, I don't know that I could eat any less and am doing crossfit classes 3-4 times per week, and running or walking on the off days, so I don't think I need to be more active. I have spoken to my dietician about it and she is unsure as well what to do as most banded patients do not perform such intense exercise. I am aware that I will tone and gain muscle with such intense workouts and I would be fine with that if my clothes fit the same or better...but they don't:-( HELP!!! Any advice is greatly appreciated!!!! Ashley

Hello friends. I wanted to ask for some advice/encoragement. I had my surgery in Jan of 2010 and had lost 70 pounds! When I moved to GA in July I started gaining when I saw my new surgeon. After 4 months of complaining of hunger and weight gain(20 pounds!!!!) they finally dug deeper and found that I had a leak in the port. I had that replaced on Mon Nov 7th and at that time they also gave me a fill. I feel restricted and am back to eating my 3-4 oz portion meals 3 times per day and a protein shake in the morning between breakfast and lunch. However...my weight continues to go up!!! What gives?? I am soooo discouraged because not only was I so excited to finally start losing again, but sad because I can't exercise for 3-4 weeks. I'm training for a 1/2 marathon in February so I had to stop running and will have to start all over again when they clear me for exercise. Could I still be retaining fluid from the surgery? My site is still a teensy bit swollen but not that bad...Any suggestions? I'm at my wits end and don't know what to do or what is wrong with me:-( Please help!!!

I have to agree with the other posts on here, the foods you ate are not considered soft foods. Foods like yogurt, tuna salad, mashed potatoes...And I would not ever recommend eating some of those foods after this surgery. The potatoes and biscuit can swell and make you very uncomfortable, to the point where you may throw up or worse, have to have the Fluid removed from your band, after you reach those points. Also, I think it is normal to not feel any restriction right after surgery, as there is no fluid in the band. It is unlikely that the band has slipped this early on, so I think you are perfectly fine in that reguard. Don't worry, you will do great after you start getting your fills. You should get in the habit of eating foods that are high in Protein, fruits and veggies, no grains(bread, rice, pasta) because they may not agree with your band and may make you sick. I hope this helps and I wish you luck on your weight loss journey!

I just wanted to update anyone who replied to this post. After many episodes of telling the dietician and PA that I was so hungry I could eat my hand off my arm, they finally listened and checked it out. Turns out, I have a leak somewhere in my system...they think it is in the port. I was supposed to have 7cc in my band, there was only 1cc in!!! They refilled my band with 5 and in less than 24 hours, half was gone. I am glad that I have found out the reason why I was working my tail off and gaining, but I am upset that it has taken this long to find out why...meanwhile I've gained 20 pounds and am eager to get it back off...I am very frustrated that I pretty much had to beg them to do anything to figure out what was wrong and I know I annoyed the pee out of them, but they weren't listening to me when I told them I know my body! I've had this for almost 2 years now, I know when something is not right. Any suggestions for keeping any more weight from accumulating before 11/7? I already workout 5-7 days per week (training for a half marathon, spinning, etc). Thanks everyone!