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How do you like your band? Tight? Tighter? Tightest? MORE, MORE, MORE Americans love MORE: more of anything and everything. More food, more fun, and (for some of us) more fill in our bands. But striving for maximum fill in the effort to achieve maximum weight loss can be a terrible mistake. Fat folks become obese enough to qualify for bariatric surgery because we’ve been eating more, more, more, so it’s not surprising that bandsters long for more, more, more fill. The tighter the band, the better, right? Wrong. Here’s why: tighter doesn’t automatically yield more weight loss. It can cause eating problems, side effects and complications that none of us want. It can compromise our quality of life. It can make us miserable when all we hope for from bariatric surgery is a better life. You’re not impressed by all that? You’re willing to risk everything in the pursuit of skinny? Then try this on for size. A tight band doesn’t guarantee weight loss. Just the opposite: it can stall your weight loss or even make you gain weight. Do I have your full attention now? Good. Listen up and I’ll explain why tighter isn’t always better. THE RESTRICTION FALLACY Traditionally, the adjustable gastric band has been considered a “restrictive” weight loss surgery. Bandsters were taught to look for signs of restriction: the proofs that their bands were working. Instead of paying attention to her own eating behavior and lifestyle, the bandster waited impatiently for the flashing signs, ringing bells and slamming doors that would stop her from overeating. The idea was that the small upper stomach pouch would “restrict” food intake and result in weight loss. Sound familiar? That was well-intentioned thinking, but it was wrong. In the past 5 or so years, band manufacturers and bariatric surgeons have come to believe that it’s a mistake to eat and eat until you set off your band’s emergency warning system, for the reasons mentioned above. Unfortunately, the re-education process is slow going, and in the meantime, the restriction fallacy lives on. Even now, approximately every third word out of a bandster’s mouth is “restriction”. It’s a catch-all term for the feelings that limit how much a bandster eats. Post-op band life tends to become a quest for enough fills to reach the Holy Land of Restriction. Next stop: Skinnyland. Or not. HAZARD AHEAD! THE DANGERS OF SOFT CALORIE SYNDROME Soft Calorie Syndrome is one of the least publicized dangers of a band that’s too tight. Psychologists would call it a maladaptive behavior, that is: a nonproductive behavior that prevents you from adapting to situations, or changes in yourself or your environment, in a healthy way. It can begin as an attempt to deal with or avoid an unpleasant experience but it does not solve the original problem and eventually becomes dysfunctional. You can read more about maladaptive eating behaviors by clicking here: http://www.bariatricpal.com/page/articles.html/_/healthy-living/is-your-eating-maladaptive-r50 A bandster experiencing Soft Calorie Syndrome is responding to the unpleasant experience of eating with a band that’s too tight by eating the soft and liquid calories that slide most easily past their gatekeeper band. Instead of eating the healthy and solid foods (like dense animal protein, veggies, fruits) that provide the most satiety (both early and prolonged), that person favors easy-to-eat food that’s often junky and high in calories (for example: potato chips, ice cream, milkshakes). Even healthy foods( like yogurt, cottage cheese and, fat-free/sugar-free pudding) can fall into the soft calorie category, and they don’t provide any better satiety than the junky stuff. The net result is that you end up consuming more calories than you need because the soft stuff doesn’t provide enough early and prolonged satiety. And the result of that is a weight loss plateau, or even weight gain. I discovered the perils of Soft Calorie Syndrome for myself when I traveled to New York City to attend a trade show when I was about 8 months post-op. I had gotten a fill the day before I left, and by the time I got to New York I had realized that my band was too tight for me to tolerate. I couldn’t eat any solid food, so I spent the next 3 days eating soft, high-calorie, low-satiety foods like creamy soups, milkshakes, and ice cream. I was just trying to survive long enough to go home and get an unfill. My maladaptive eating behavior achieved a temporary goal (comfortable survival) while sabotaging my long term goal of losing weight. In fact, I gained weight during that trip and ended up feeling disappointed in myself. I promised myself no more fills on Fridays and no more fills the day before a business trip. I called my surgeon’s every time I suspected my band was too tight and found that even tiny unfills could make all the difference in my quality of life as well as my weight loss. I know I’m not the only person who’s discovered the perils of Soft Calorie Syndrome. I also know that you’re not alone in believing that more fill is better and that unfills will slow or stall your weight loss. A few months ago I talked about this with a smart and successful bandster named Denise. When her surgeon reacted to her too-tight band by suggesting an unfill of .5 cc, her dazed and frightened face made him reassure her that she could start being re-filled in a month. The month ahead scared her, but she agreed to the unfill, and discovered that rather than returning her to Bandster Hell, it had restored sanity to her eating life. She said, “I was able to eat again. Solids went down easily. Bread was on my menu. Meals lasted me several hours. I didn’t snack because I was able to eat enough to keep me satisfied.” When Denise went back to her surgeon a month later, he was delighted her hear her say that she didn’t even need a re-fill. She told him, “I can eat anything, but I’m not eating everything.” And that, my friends, is what healthy eating is all about.

Yup. All normal. You're doing great! The gas still happens to me sometimes when i drink or eat too quickly. Mine don't often come all the way out, but I can feel it traveling up inside me. The weight gain is from the fluid from the IV. It will come off quickly. And your sore incision is probably where they removed your stomach. Mine was pretty sore for a couple weeks and was the last to heal up. Again, all normal! Good luck.

I just read this great article written by Bruce Underwood(WLS brother) in his website. I will post the link below the article so you can explore. Obesity and its Affects on Relationships and Acceptance Obese individuals have multiple and varying insecurities related to their obesity. These may differ depending on the when obesity became an issue, affected their life most, and length of time. Age, rewarding experiences, negative experiences, and humiliations also play major roles on how each person sees themselves and their self confidence. Parental, sibling, friendship, spousal relationships, and other relationships affect an individual prior to and following weight loss surgery. I have not always been obese and have had lived periods of my life with several different areas of acceptance with varying degrees of confidence. These areas include intellectual acceptance, physical acceptance, sexual acceptance, peer acceptance, acceptance of friends, spousal or mate acceptance, and audience acceptance. Each of these areas is affected by an individual’s self confidence and ability to present himself in a positive way. However, acceptance and experience also affect an individual’s confidence level in each of these areas. The more success and acceptance in a particular area, the more confidence an individual has. However, more rejection reduces self confidence, which further reduces acceptance. This circular syndrome becomes exponential in its effect on an individual. Obesity plays a major role in producing this syndrome as prejudice and stereotyping are projected on obese individuals. Individuals that have been obese all of their lives may have few or no successes in a number of areas of acceptance and may tend to naturally gravitate to other areas where they achieve success and acceptance. The fewer the areas of acceptance the lower the self esteem that a person may have. However, the person who has been obese all of their life, probably does not suffer grief from the loss of acceptance areas as some areas have never been explored. For individuals that become obese later in life, grief from the loss in specific area of acceptance is normal. Having experienced varying levels of success in an area of acceptance, the obese individual may long for those areas and may actually suffer greater depression because of the rejection that they now face in those areas. An example of this may be that of a person who once experienced acceptance in physical beauty and was rewarded highly for their beauty. Now obese, she finds herself longing for the physical and emotional acceptance, but receives rejection. This rejection leads to anger, depression and in cases self loathing. Initially there is denial and then anger. Often diet and exercise only exacerbates the problem as dieting attempts fail. Moments of success followed by diet failures drive down the self esteem and cause greater depression. Friends, peers, relatives, and those who once were flirtatious now look around, through or away and she feels much less the person than she once was. The people around her now become part of the problem as they now become the reminder of what she once was. Additionally, family, friends, and others may add to the problem by acting as the food or diet police with the individual. Often judgmental remarks and comments thought to be helpful actually make the person feel less acceptance and further rejected as an equal or peer. The family member, friend or person making the comment is perceived as being on a different level physically and perhaps intellectually. This perception may be with both parties involved or just by one of the parties; obese or other. The person may react over time in several ways: Things related to beauty may not even be attempted as they are reminders of the pain. Photographs and pictures are avoided as it is easier to live with self image from the past. New photographs are only reminders of the failure and are foreign missals that destroy the image within the mind. In addition, the more positive self image from the past actually helps to promote self confidence in other areas of acceptance such as audience and individual acceptance. The person tends to gravitate to areas that make people like them. These may take the form of humor, knowledge, and expertise. Physical activity becomes more difficult as obesity becomes more profound. Areas that require physical activity and physical fit begin to be avoided. Games, amusement parks, dance, taking car or airplane trips, hiking, theaters, etc. are avoided. The individual may begin to live vicariously through their children, family, friends, and peers. This too may become difficult as these people may resent the now “hanger on”. Surgery and Diet makes a difference – WLS and Diet - Stages of Difference, Awareness and Acceptance: 1) Self Notice – You notice a difference in yourself. As you begin to lose weight, you begin to notice the change. You feel physically different and you notice changes in your face and shoulders. You wonder if and when other people are going to say something. 2) Something’s Different – Others begin to notice a difference, but they are not sure what it is. I like your new hair style. Did you color your hair?. Did you use to have a beard? I thought you wore glasses? A few truly observant folks may say... You’ve lost weight... haven’t you? Usually still as a question. 3) Physical Change - Your clothes are baggy and you need a wardrobe change. You feel better and look better. A lot of people realize you are losing weight and say you look great. You and your friends are proud of the results. 4) Significant Difference - There is a significant difference in you appearance and everybody can see it even if it is not spoken. You know it and they know it. You feel better about yourself and have much greater energy and anticipation. You may or may not notice that people are beginning to treat you differently. You like the compliments and the positive feedback. You look great! Wow! What a difference! You are going to just blow away! You begin to think, wow I am looking better. You may find yourself getting out more and taking more chances. Spreading your wings and taking little flights of freedom to see how things work now. Self Confidence increases and you begin looking at the world a little differently. Excitement seems to be ever present. You may find that fear of failure is also increased at this point as you may not fully trust the results of success. Plateaus and periods of static weight loss may cause greater concern. Moods may seem to swing. 5) Identity Crisis – At this point you are very different physically. Your friends, family, and folks you don’t know react differently to you. You may find that the opposite sex respond flirtatiously and jokingly to you. Family, friends, peers, and co-worker relationships seem to change. Some relationships are better, but some are strained. You want more and expect more from others and yourself. You are excited about your new body and look, but may be angered and frustrated by differences in existing relationships. Leveling occurs as people feel threatened by your new look. People may put you down in areas and /or build themselves up as they want to “level” the playing field with you. You probably don’t know exactly where you fit in physically in the world anymore. You may have an exaggerated opinion or an under-exaggerated opinion of where people see your physical attractiveness. “I must look fantastic, because I am getting all this attention and everybody is telling me how good I look”. Or, “I am still fat and people are just saying that I look good to be nice” “He can’t be attracted to me”. This is also a time that poses serious threats to marital relationships. The spouse may feel threatened by the vast changes in your appearance and attractiveness. In addition, the self confidence, energy level, and desire to explore may also pose threats to status quo that once existed in your relationship. Often an obese person has not been happy in a relationship, but has lacked the self confidence and desire to make a change. New energy, attractiveness, self confidence, a desire for improvement, and the inability to discern at what level one fits in socially, may promote a relationship change or a desire to “Upgrade”. This is a time for introspection. Explore your feelings and desires. If you feel angry and frustrated, where are those feeling coming from? Who are those feelings directed towards and why? Seek out people who are honest with you and ask their opinion, but be prepared for their honest criticisms. Validate their criticisms with others that you trust. Be careful to not make rash judgments and changes, but proceed cautiously. It is a time of change, exploration, and hope as you desire to get your life back. There are those people that want to keep you confined. There are those who want to help. There are those who just want to use your energy. There are those that love you regardless of the changes. 6) Self Acknowledgement - This is a time where you begin to see where you fit in to the world as friends, family, peers, and co-workers begin to accept your appearance and changes. You may feel hurt and disappointed at times as the complements and ego boosting flattery begin to dissipate. You may once again feel threatened by the lack of weight loss and the fear of failure as some weight gain may occur. The highs and are not so high, but the lows may tend to make you depressed at times. You still feel good, but may feel less attractive as you receive fewer compliments. Some people that fed off your energy, desire, and newness no longer are as flirtatious and even strangers appear not to pay you as much attention. Life begins to level out and you begin appear “Normal”. 7) Self Acceptance and Self Awareness – At this stage, obesity is of little or no concern to you. You are aware of your size and acceptance of others. You know where you fit in. Some of your insecurities are still there, some have fallen by the wayside, but may have changed. Life has settled down and the normal problems and happiness of life make you aware of your existence. Hopefully, you have grown more beautiful, more emotionally sound, more mentally aware, more spiritually connected, and more wise. Hopefully, the journey has made you more of a person and less of a ghost. The pains that obesity brought you have made you a more empathetic and sympathetic and less judgmental. Understanding and the weathering of your own insecurities have made you strong and compassionate and you now see with clarity the reasons behind your lack of self confidence and you strive to help others to see the beauty that is within each of us. Misconceptions and Naiveté of Sexual Attractiveness - Sex Exploration Obese people often have issues with being accepted by other people, especially physical acceptance. They have often been or become the ugly duckling of society and have gotten use to rejection in the area of physical attractiveness. Often, feeling the rejection of physical attractiveness causes deep seated dependencies and feelings of need. Bottom line, they want to be loved, we want to be pretty and we want to be accepted by other people. Being fat has been a road block that prevented the acceptance from occurring. Physical rejection and lack acceptance is often displayed in parents and siblings. Often, parents and siblings tell a fat child, youth, or adult what they think of their obesity. This can be done out of cruelty, but usually it is done out of concern for the person. However, regardless of the intent, the result is profound in the life of the obese person and can be damaging for a life. In other words, a parent may tell an obese person, “You have gained so much weight... I am so worried about you”. Or they may say, “You have gotten so fat, nobody is going to want to ever be with you”. These types of comments, though they may temporarily encourage a person to lose weight, they also label the over weight person as undesirable and let them know that they are a physical reject to them and to society. Sexual rejection often goes hand in hand with physical rejections and acceptance. Being accepted sexually is often associated with physical acceptance. If a person is accepted sexually, they may feel more pretty, desired, wanted, and loved. Significant weight loss through diet or surgery has a profound affect on a person’s identity. Note that two crucial stages in Weight Loss Differences are the Significant Difference Stage, and the Identity Crisis Stage. In these two critical stages, WLS and Weight Loss people lose their sense of identity. They no longer know how people perceive their physical beauty. This is where Weight Loss people are naive about their sexual attractiveness and may develop Misconceptions of their Sexual Attractiveness. They may have a strong desire to find who is accepting of them now. It is like the person has been a true sexual prisoner of their obesity and has now been released to explore a world full of sexual partners that are accepting of them. As a result, naiveté of sexual attractiveness and their misconceptions of their sexual attractiveness may make Weight Loss Patients vulnerable to marital infidelities, which could endanger monogamous relationships. New energy levels, confidence, self esteem, and the new avenues of accepting sexual partners may create a strong desire for sexual exploration. The Weight Loss person’s sexual prowess is increased and they may find it nearly impossible turn down opportunities of sexual exploration as other people provide the attention that they desire, but lacked for so long. This may come in the form of opposite sex exploration and same sex exploration. The attention that they now receive is addictive. For a loving spouse or significant other, this can be a very frustrating and dangerous time in a relationship. The significant other, out of frustration, may try to control or constrain the Weight Loss patient. However, the attempt to control may actually work to push the Weight Loss person further away. It is a time when great support and communication is needed in the relationship. The significant other may need to provide new opportunities for exploration and provide greater amounts of attention to the weight loss patient. Communication is crucial concerning what is acceptable and what is not acceptable sexual behavior. The weight loss person needs to know they are loved, desired, and wanted. Marital or relationship counseling is strongly suggested during this time. Deeper problems within a relationship may surface as existing problems are magnified with much greater intensity during this time. Weight loss patients during these critical stages are less like accommodating poor or offensive behavior towards them, “I don’t have to put up with this crap and I am not”. Issues that have existed in relationships for long periods of time may come to the forefront. These issues must be addressed. Unfortunately, the spouse or significant other may not understand that the behavior exists or why it has become an issue now. Obesity may have caused the person to “Settle” for acceptance from person that they may think is actually less than desirable or beneath them. The person or people they accepted may have not been the best looking, most kind, most intelligent, most understanding, or may even be abusive. Because of the weight, confidence level, self esteem, and lack of acceptance from more desirable people, They accept the “love” and “settle” for who is available. At the time that they accept this person into our lives, they think they are on the same level or feel that they can’t really do any better because of the “fault” of obesity. Having said all this, I do not mean to imply that everyone goes through these issues or at the intensity mentioned above. However, the weight loss patient and people within the life of the patient need to realize that there are strong emotional and mental issues that a person may go through. Support is crucial and counseling may need to be seriously considered. With such intensely physical changes that take place in the WLS life, mental and emotional issues can be expected as the new person emerges. Try not to make rash judgments and be patient. Areas of Concern: These are areas for which I have thoughts and concerns. I hope to address these soon. If you have other topics in the area of psychology that you would like to see addressed, please let me know. If you want me to place one of the topics listed below at the top of my list, let me know. Thanks You. Energy and Willingness to be in Front of Others Leveling Change in friends Loss of Self Image and Social Position Increase Desire to explore removed barriers Expectations and Unrealistic expectations Self image – I don’t know how to smile for a camera Weight loss and Disappointment Spousal Attractiveness Link to Bruce's website and source of this article: http://www.thinnerse...ationships.html Explore his site I found lots of "goodies" to bookmark.

Hi there i haven't had the surgery yet i been told by others who had RNY that when you start seeing the weight gain to get back to basics. High protein low carb and water should help keep hunger away long enough to keep the snacking at bay

Hi shelly! It sounds like you did a great job! Even with weight gain you seem very successful, congrats on that! Stay positive!

Prices of Protein vary widely, depending on brand, quality, and where you buy it. Some of the best deals are online. All Proteins are not created equal. Some have sugar, some are high carb, some have fillers, some are not whey isolate. Some are for weight gain, some are for loss (depends on the needs of the individual). Read the labels, ask your nutritionist if your not sure. unjury and I think some others are created for bariatric patients. Beware cheap products - sometimes they are cheap for a reason. Don't stock up. Your tastes change after surgery. What you like now, you may not like then. Also, on the website "The world according to egg face" there are many , many protein shake recipes that are amazingly awesome. Check out the website. Egg whites can be bought in powdered form to add protein to foods and drink. It's safe and tasteless. My son (a marine and a body builder) uses both powdered egg whites and whey protein. You may not need to have whey protein forever. A lot of us learn to LIKE it. I also have Atkins shakes for breakfast. I prefer a liquid breakfast in the morning. If I'm low on my protein for the day I'll have another shake in the evening to make up for it. Sometimes I'm just too busy and forget to eat. If that happens a shake is a quick easy meal. Usually I can get the protein I need from my foods. I like fish, seafood, Greek yogurt, chili w/beans, cheeses, and on rare occasions beef. I have trouble with poultry still. You'll get it all figured out. It's an adjustment but not as hard as it seems. :-)

You can't change your body shape through weight loss or weight gain and pics don't lie. You appear to have great legs (jealous!) and carry more weight in your middle. I'm not seeing a big booty or a big chest and you look like you will slim down beautifully. I consider this kind of like getting my hair cut. It looks awkward at first, it grows out kind of funky until I get used to it, and then it will all fall into place.

Dearest Mikee,plz pray: my APRN wh oprescibes my psych meds promised to take me of 3 meds that cause weight gain adn then didnt follow thru---is waiting for a call from my attorney...plz pray she does it and gets me off before mys urgery adn doesnt mess me up for it THANKU...thinking of u today

Virtual hugs sent! One thought: see it as you would a work assignment. If this approach won't solve your problem, then find another. I definitely don't want to discourage you, and it's obviously important you try to get the most out of your surgery, but if you've done that and it still doesn't work, don't beat yourself up! (Beating yourself up leads to weight gain, too, so it really doesn't help ) Give it the time and effort it deserves, but be open to needing a second stage intervention if it doesn't get you to where you want to be. I suspect your BMI is relatively low since you got a band, so maybe a second surgery isn't on the cards.

The first thing to do is take stock of what you are doing now. For the next week, don't change anything, just write everything down. (What you eat, how long, and what sort of exercise, types of medications taken). Once you have the list, you can figure out how many calories, protein, carbs, and fats you are getting.. pay attention to the intensity of the exercise.. heart rate, (if you can).. and see if weight gain is a side effect of your medications. With all that information, you'll be able to see where things could be helped, or come back on here, and you'll get some *hopefully* helpful advice.

1) I didn't eat sweets while I was in weight-loss mode, but I occasionally do now that I'm in maintenance. They don't bother me - but they cause about 30% of RNY'ers to "dump" (or at least if these folks eat enough of them, that is). It has to do with all the sugar hitting your small intestine at once - your system goes into overdrive to deal with it. If you're one who "dumps", the trick is to avoid or limit sweets (which we should be avoiding or limiting ANYWAY). But again, that first year or so, I didn't have any (except maybe a couple tablespoons of ice cream on my birthday). But yes - I do occasionally eat them now. 2) snacks depend on your surgeon's program. I was allowed snacks as long as they fit into my overall plan. I still eat snacks now that I'm in maintenance. I mostly just count calories now to keep my weight stable, so I just add the snack calories into my total for the day. If the calories work out, then the snacks are fine. What they DON'T want you doing (even those surgeons who allow snacks) are to "graze" - i.e., snack off & on all day. That can lead to weight gain. But some surgeons do allow a planned snack or two a day. 3) you'll be able to drink a ton of water after the first few weeks. I probably drink a gallon of it some days. You're just not supposed to drink while eating or from 30 minutes afterward (my surgeon says 60 minutes, but most say 30 minutes). It's hard to get all those fluids in the first few weeks after surgery, but after that no - it's really not.

I’m so angry just recd a call saying my surgery was denied doe Feb 4th because I had a 2lb weight gain at my December visit I’m sobbing right now office says we can try to start all over again for a may date but I’m done I give up and can go through all this planning again

I am down 1 pound this morning, and TOM has visited today. Usually, that means weight gain!! I am also back in moderate ketosis. Are you a nurse, Mamato?? Before i started staying home with all these kiddos I was a nurse. Well, still am just not working right now!! Way to go everyone!! Here's to another great day!!

What a great day Bonnie. What a great accomplishment. So much of this is about our thinking, not our eating. "As a man thinketh, so he is." I think my theory on my weight gain is right. I got up and peed a lot last night, and this morning I am down 3 pounds!!! That still puts me 2 pounds above my ticker weight, but man am I happy to see those scales going back down. I was beginning to freak out a little. When I gained a few pounds those fears of being obese forever crept back in. Suddenly I could see myself at 255 again, with little power to make good choices (the old me). Man the psychological realities of adjusting to not being obese.... I hope some day I don't fear "gaining it all back". Anyway, still working toward ketosis by morning!! Make it a great one everybody!!

Name, real or screen~ amtfms Age~ 39 Weight on December 1st~ 278 Goal weight for December 29th~268 Dietary goal for December~ eat more protein and veggies Exercise goal for December~ got to the gym at least 3 times a week but work out 5 times a week Personal goal for December~ Go through December without any weight gain and no eating while I am bored Date banded~ 09/13/11 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~ 32 One thing that has improved with your health since banding~ more energy and no longer taking medication for reflux.

I have pcos and an iud. I have the paraguard iud, I wanted that one because there is no hormones in it. So far it has been fine (installed in 2008) and has caused no other issues or weight gain. I would ask your doctor though. And yes pcos sucks in the carb department and it so does make a difference when you lower your carb intake. Good luck!

Me too! Oct 15th. Very nervous. Hoping I made the right decision for getting the sleeve over the bypass. I've been reading about people who are struggling with weight gain after a few years with the sleeve and that makes me nervous. Maybe everything makes me nervous at this point. LOL. Excited though. I'd just like it to be done already so maybe I can quit stressing. Can't wait to hear how our Oct group progresses. This is an exciting journey we are undertaking. I admire you all for your courage.

I'm sorry, i realized this THREAD has nothing to do with Almanza in particular but it has to do with long term sleevers which I am, and i wanted to warn long termers that IF they experience weight gain... NOT to seek a 'resleeve' because it does not work. I would be happy to go into what I have now learned about how the previously sleeved stomach is in no way a candidate for another sleeve. IF anyone would care to know. I just want to prevent others from wasting their money and become as depressed as I am. I tried to deal with his staff but to no avail

I had a reduction done several years ago. Pre surgery and pre weight gain. Mine were naturally huge. Having that surgery helped every aspect. It was easier to exercise, my back improved. It was a major operation for me but never got me as small as I wanted. Recovery was simple. Fast forward to now. When I get to goal I'll investigate having another one. I would say go for it if it's covered. Just find a great surgeon.

I want to say, this post still rings true. I dislocated my shoulder in December, and it was more serious than initially thought - but not diagnosed well at first so I was basically immobile in my neck/shoulder/right arm for FOUR months. I was sad and I ate. I never really got off what anyone could call healthy eating, except I drank lots of smoothies and juice and was not mindful to the calorie content. So I gained. About 20 pounds. I thought I would loose it as soon as I was "aware" but not really...so now I can say, even with a bit of weight gain the "-" in the yo-yo saved me. I will loose it and maintain again and hopefully never creep back up the scales again. The surgery, even if you do not get all of what you envisioned, is very worth it. Do not take advantage. Work hard. Good luck!

One thing my doc gave me a new medicine for nerve pain. Been taking them for 3 days. Side effect for this medicine is weight gain. I can tell because after taking it about an hour after I feel like a bottomless pit

I spoke at a lapband info night last week just to give my experience as someone who's been successful with it. Before i got up, my surgeon spoke for about 40 minutes and he made a big deal about how the lapband provides satiety and lack of hunger and that is how it is supposed to work primarily - more so than restricting what you eat. I thought "wow, that hasnt been my experience". Early on, I had that. For about six months. I lost interest in food, I mean, I enjoyed what I ate, but I wasnt hungry, didnt have head hunger, never felt physical hunger. That didbnt last for me. I have a normal appetite, normal hunger levels and a fair degree of head hunger these days, I've just learned to deal with them. So yes, i do get hungry and i very often just want to eat for no particular reason. Perhaps more fill would solve it, but I'm at a healthy weight and dont need to lose, so I havent sought that out. I'm about to get unfilled in about an hour becuase I'm having another surgery next week. Part of me so doesnt want to do that, I'm terrified of rebound hunger and weight gain but a part of me is also VERY interested as to how much hunger/restriction/control this band is providing me. I'll report back!

Had my sugery in Aug. 2008 @ 353 and at my lowest weight I was 225!!! But then I got a piece of food stuck and had to have all of the Fluid taken out. I've felt like I've lost control since then and can't get back on track. I've put off going back to the doctor because they've changed how they code the adjustments and it will cost at least $300 to have an adjustment. Finances are really tight right now. The other factor, and probably the most severe one for me, is that I'm embarrassed. I've been embarrassed to talk to my doctor about my recent weight gain of at least 50 lbs!!!! And I'm lost. I've tried dieting to get it off without success. That's how I've gained so much...binging. So I googled 'getting back on track with Lap-Band' and found this site. I'm just now deciding to get on track and I'm feeling overwhelmed and defeated. I am just now starting nursing school and time is limited which leads to emotional eating, poor food choices, and excuses to eat bad and not exercise.These are just a few. I'm hoping I can get back on this wagon. It's not my doctor's fault but I just am so nervous to admit/face him...I don't know how to do it...and even worse, facing the nurse; getting on that scale...her writing it down and telling me I've gain 58 lbs...then the questions 'have you been drinking with your meals? Eating between meals?'... Please, any advice is helpful!!!! Jess

I’m expecting this question from my MIL. I’m going to ask her why she is asking and why she thinks discussing my weight (gain or loss) is any of her business. If she has the nerve to continue then I will tell her that even though it’s absolutely non of her business, yes I did. And I’m leaving it at that. I say it’s ok to be rude to anyone asking you just to be nosy.

I understand. I had my band done in October of 2008. I lost some weight, gained it all back, lost again, gained again plus even more weight, and now I'm trying my hardest to lose...again. Sigh. Right now I'm at the exact same weight I was when I got the band in the first place (and I've recently lost 8 lbs). I have only had 4.something ccs in my 10 cc band. I have had trouble going tighter than that, but have come to realize now that I haven't been doing the right thing by my band. Being able to take huge bites of english muffin isn't right. I'm supposed to be taking small bites and possibly not even be able eat bread. And, tonight I was thinking that I would like to have pizza for dinner. I've been thinking about pizza for three weeks. So, I was working out how much I could have and how many points it would be (just joined weight watchers) and I decided I could have two slices of thin crust veggie. And I was thinking, that isn't going to be enough food. I'm going to need a salad too. Then I was like, (parden the profanity) "Jesus! I shouldn't be able to eat a salad and two slices of pizza at all, much less in 20 minutes for dinner!" (I decided to go with a salad and a few baked coconut shrimp instead). And, I decided that after a year of hiding from my surgeon, it is time to go in for a fill. I'm asking myself, what was the point of getting the band in the first place if I'm not going to use it? I didn't pay $16,000 out of pocket for this surgery to not use the tool I've been given. And, FYI, I have really been on a roller coaster with my band. At first I was expecting magic and efforless weight loss. Then, when I realized it wasn't just going to be easy peasy with no effort from me, I got really pissed (again, sorry about the language) and hated the band for a few years. Fairly recently I decided I wanted the darned thing removed and to see if my insurance would pay for bypass or the sleeve. And, thanks to this website and some of the wonderful people here in the forums, have very recently decided that I can't just hate the band when I haven't really given it a chance. I mean, I am pretty non-compliant with the band. So, I have joined weight watchers and am trying to do a daily 30-60 minute walk out in the desert (soft sand). I made an appointment for a fill today. My appointment is on the 27th. When I called the office, I was disappointed to learn that my long-time nurse I've been seeing doesn't work there anymore! :-( So, I now need to start over with someone new. I am a little disappointed, but maybe this is exactly what I need. A fresh beginning for me and with a fresh person to manage my care (same surgeon's office, just a new PA). I'm going to take a leap and get a moderate fill. I'm going to say I don't want a tiny one, but not a big one either. I want something that I will notice, but won't make me hate life i.e. slime and throw up all the time.