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I'm doing fantastic. One has to remember, it's a lifestyle change. This isn't a switch you can just turn on or off. Your stomach will reject certain sugars, and mine rejected peanut oil (Chinese food). Once you dump a few times, you'll know what you can and cannot tolerate. My initial weight loss was 197lbs, but I gained 40lbs back over the 15 years since. I don't like the weight gain, so I went back to the foods I ate when I first had the surgery, and I am staring to get back down.

Kashia: I am so sorry to hear you are going through this. Unfortunately I am currently on the other side of that decision. I waited on having mine removed almost too long. If you are still getting liquids and mushies you should be ok for a while. I lasted about two months between being diagnosed and having to go in for emergency surgery because by then I had been five days unable to even get liquids. Not trying to scare you, I think maybe I was a worse case type scenario. I had to pay for both surgeries my insurance wouldn't cover anything whatsoever even though it had become life threatening. As long as you can get liquids and mushies you should be ok, it shouldn't cause damage. Check with your Dr's though. I chose to have it removed as I am too financially wounded now to have been able to do anything about a third surgery if something had gone wrong. The hospital charged me full price same as original surgery, anesthesiologist the same. My surgeon didn't charge as it happened in the first year. I had the tighter time around my cycle as well. Yet another lovely signal of womanhood. How far along are you in your pregnancy? I think they don't really know what causes slippage, there are a lot of theories and speculation. I know I followed everything too the letter and still wound up with slippage. My band was never loose though at any time which resulted in internal swelling at the outset which caused me to be unable to keep down even my saliva. That lasted about three weeks. My Dr. said that it wouldn't have caused the slippage later. I suspect my slippage occured about the time I had my fills. (.3 the first, .3 the second, two days later had to have .3 removed, couple weeks later another .1 removed. No improvements over next couple months, went in for barium swallow & was diagnosed with slippage) ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????? As for weight gain, I am dealing with exactly that problem. It sounds as if you had time to be a true bandster and develop some good habits however. If you do have to go the route I did please hang on to those good habits. Best wishes, Tuff

Hi to ALL! My name is Marisa I'm 48 years old, I'm having lap band surgery on SEPT 10th At Unity hospital in Fridley MN. My Doc is Jeff Baker. My weight gain started 17 years ago when I had 4 children close together. I had gained over 50 lbs with the first pregnancy and never returned to baseline again. My weight in 2006-2007 was 250lbs @ 5'3".My health was declining rapidly. I couldn't walk up a flight stairs without being short of breath and strength. I attended an informational meeting and felt moved to tears-- that this procedure was a definite God-Sed. I started the long application process in January, I visited a dietitian for 3 months. My weight began dropping just by beginning to eat small pieces and increasing my activity a bit. Gradually I've lost 24 lbs. I was shocked to find how satisfied small portions can be. I've been weaning myself off breads so that It won't be a total shock ... I've decided I can live without the soft breads and possibly rice and pasta cause there's alot of other choices out there. I'm excited to be joining up with the September group of Lap Banders I'll be praying all our surgeries go well!

I want to wish the best of everything to each and every one of you! I won't say luck because there is no luck involved. It is hard work and you are each wonderful. I had gastric bypass surgery on July 31, 2007 and weighed 270 pounds. I was 57 years old, had chronic anemia (so the surgeon almost didn't do the surgery) and a 95% calcified gall bladder. So, it had to go at the same time. In 10 months, I lost 130 pounds, I never had the first complication and have had great labs ever since. I have however gained some weight since quitting smoking in December of 2012 (35 pounds). That is why I am here, to lose that weight gain and get back to goal. I have no doubt that I can do that with the support of the good folks here. Happy New Year everyone!

Hey Dimples58, Soooooooo.....drinking after wls is truly different for every person. I was also advised by my medical crew that I would not be able to tolerate much alcohol, BUT this was not true for me. I can drink a sailor under the table. Lol! This is not good though because it's a lot of calories and causes weight gain. My first attempt was a shot of whiskey about 6 months post op and I felt nothing. The only time I feel it quickly is if I don't eat first.

Welcome back, nice to see you! I'm right at 2 years, too, so I know how easily that snacking/grazing urge can kind of creep in. And life has also been pretty shitty for me this 2nd year out. One thing that has worked for me, to stop weight gain, drop of few extra pounds and get my head back in the game is to go back to basics. At first just switching to strict Protein and veggies after a particularly carb heavy weekend or holiday did the trick. But then I discovered simply going back to my liquid preop diet was even more effective. If I feel out of control of my eating habits or if I pop even 1 pound above my bounce range, I go back to the beginning. I stay on the strict liquids until I drop back to the bottom of my bounce range. Sticking with liquid Protein shakes and broth for a couple days helps in 3 ways.....clears the carb cravings, kind of tightens up my sleeve's restriction, and shows me I still have to willpower to do this. I find it empowering. A lot of people seem to get the same results with the formal 5 day pouch test. In fact I just did a couple days of liquids (still getting 60-80g protein/70-80oz fluids every day) so I am headed into the holidays at my lowest weight ever. I will snack and eat sweets guilt free next week! The other thing is your gallbladder. After 2 years I finally had mine taken out. Full of stones. Other than 4 seriously painful attacks, I didn't really have any symptoms in between the attacks. But it turns out I was having low grade acid issues because of it. Didn't realize how uncomfortable I was until I wasn't anymore. And I find myself not as "snacky" in the evenings. Good luck with whatever you end up doing!

I was on gabapentin a couple of years ago and I would find myself eating large amounts of chocolate, like 10 to 20 Hershey kisses several times per day. As soon as I quit the drug this eating stopped. I also cried a lot on gabapentin (not usual for me at all). I think there are a lot of possible side effects with it. I'm 100% sure weight gain is one! Sent from my SM-N910T using BariatricPal mobile app

So at what point did you start to lose the water weight gained from the IV fluids? When they weighed me in the hospital it showed I gained about 7-8 pounds. I'm just curious when that went away for you

I have the para guard and I love it and feel normal. No added weight gain and no hormones like the depo. I can't stand the shot, lol. It made me crazy

Hello WSLers Long time listener, first time caller. I was sleeved on 11/22/21. I had lost over 40lbs since my surgery, but now seem to be gaining a pound a day the last few days. My diet has remained the same, 1-2 Premiere Protein shakes, 5 oz of non/low fat yogurt, and 4 bites of misc protein from dinner. Getting 64 oz or more of water has been brutal. Any ideas on the weight gain? It's really screwing with my head. Walking (exercise) has been limited, since I am currently experiencing my fourth gout attack since my surgery. I've been taking 600mg Allopurinol daily and 0.6mg of Colchicine during flare ups. It's been brutal. I have not had an attack in a while. Regards Dan

Initially I was going to Mexico for self pay because my BMI was 36 and I had no co-morbidities. But I figured, why not give it a shot through insurance first, that way I can justify spending out of pocket when I have good insurance. My first appointment was 2/7 and my surgery was 3/23 here in the US fully covered. Most insurances only give you the very basics when calling for the criteria. Either 40 BMI or over 30 with co-morbidities of severe sleep apnea, high blood presssure, cardiac problems, diabetes, athsma, high cholesterol and maybe one other. I didn't have any of them and I'm thinking to myself, I'm trying to PREVENT that! And WHY would you want to wait until they are developed and THEN perform a surgery on a sick patient!?! So I went to my Doc in NY in HOPES of having sleep apnea. My requirements were blood work, check up and clearance from pulmonary doc, cardiologist, primary doc, NUT, psych doc and endoscopy. It was a PAIN to find a nutritionist and psychologist who dealt with weight loss surgery but I called some local weight loss practices and was able to find local people. my doc is an hour away because I didn't want my family/friends to know my plans, they so have all of the specialists in house at their main office, but none are covered by insurance and it was more inconvenient due to the distance for me. I left that first appointment and literally scheduled the cardiologist, pulmonary, nutritionist, and endoscopy in the parking lot and all within 1 1/2 weeks. The psyc took me 2 weeks and I had just seen my primary doc for extensive blood work. I did a sleep study at home and had the results about 2 weeks after the first appointment. I was not hopeful when the results were mild-no sleep apnea. I called my insurance company and was told that those are just the basic guidelines, and if the doctor could articulate why the VSG was medically necessary (I.e. Mild apnea interfering with my rest, I DO have a host of documented orthopedic issues that were exasperated by my weight gain over that past few years and mild reflux) that I could be approved. And 2 days later I WAS approved. You would have thought I won an all expense paid vacation when I got the call! I guess technically I did! I'll take my Mexico self-pay money and go to Mexico for some fun!! BTW, my insurance did require 6 months of weigh-ins, but somehow i got around that (I wasn't going to call and ask why) Not sure how. My doctors office took care of all of the insurance approvals so I had minimal dealings with them. so all in all there were definitely hoops, but I was on such a mission to get this done, I used it's a motivator. It also felt good knowing I had been examined and had minimal health problems going into surgery. I had a required class just before surgery with a bariatric nurse at the hospital (going over the diet, the procedure, and what to expect, etc.) and the pre-op blood work and the rest is history. from start to finish, just over 6 weeks from first appointment to surgery. I'm 2 1/2 weeks post op and I feel great.

Hi guys, Im now 22, but have always been a fit and active teenager. At ages 20, I developed narcolepsy and the amount of exercise I could do in a day dropped dramatically thanks to always been insanely tired, and the medication I've been prescribed has side effects of weight gain. I'm now BMI 35, but since I developed narcolepsy I've tried to get back into my sport (which I do enjoy), gyms, personal trainers etc but I just can't do enough exercise to keep up with how much I eat and I'm worried that if I don't change something, I'll keep getting bigger and have worse health complications like diabetes etc. Has anyone got narcolepsy and has considered weight loss surgery? Thanks!

It's barely been a week, almost everyone has "buyers remorse" about this time, and many begin to suffer from depression. There are the hormone imbalances, after effects of the surgery and anesthesia-and of course the dreaded "full liquids" then "Mushies" diet. You are probably also struggling with water weight gain from the surgery. Fortunately my doctor realizes how sick people get of the soft foods and moves us right along quickly with a full regular diet at 4 weeks instead of the usual 6 or 8. Not advocating you go against your doctor-just saying different doctors have different programs. One thing that really helped me was to treat myself during this time. I went to Olive Garden and order soup to go. It lasted me about 4 meals. Well worth the cost. Many restaurants have good soups, go out to dinner and enjoy some time with your husband. I have seen that many people have good luck with Wendy's chili, you could even put some over your "liquidy mashed potatoes". Have you tried refried beans heated with cheese? There are some places here that have lists of protein shake ideas. Check out egg face's web site. She makes protein ice creams and tons of flavors of shakes. Anyways you are not the only one that has gone through this. Check out some of the forums for newly post-op people. Almost every post says the same thing. Good luck and hang in there.

Get more than one opinion regarding the bipolar thing. I have been in 12 step programs for close to 20 years and then with the weight gain I started having back pain which resulted in me being on Vicodin for extended periods of time (along with several rounds of physical therapy). It is hard taking meds when a person has an addictive personality. Its like having to eat to live when you are addicted to food. I always feel mood swings when I am coming off the vicodin. I usally ask for different pain meds even if they don't work as well just to keep off the same med (of any type) too long. It is difficult. Also, how old are you. I started feeling major mood swings and funk at the end of my thirties only to find out I was already entering menopause. We are at the tail end of this obesity thing. We are in THE SOLUTION. When I get discouraged after catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror and feeling shocked, I just remind myself that it is getting better each day and I am on my way out of this obesity hell I have been in for way to long. My bones and joints aren't working as hard as they did last week. It will only get better from here on out but we must be patient. Writing is so therapeutic. Journaling is a great idea and posting to the caring people on this wonderful site it too.

I agree it possible some gain could happen to me down the line.. but the essential thing is I’m leaving that up to my body. I won’t diet again because I’ve decided to allow my body to regulate my weight and not try and interfere. Dieting was making me terminally unhappy no matter how thin I became. I have accepted I may gain weight but I know I will love myself regardless and still be healthy because the weight gain won’t be from binging, dieting, or food obsession. It won’t be from eating things I don’t want or don’t make me feel good. It won’t be from eating things only because I feel like I shouldn’t eat them. If I gain weight I will embrace my new body and love myself. your post was fine. Thanks for the thoughts.

Yeah I had a huge argument yesterday with family haha they think I shouldn't lose anymore and it just baffles me... I only want 5 more kilos to go too! I just checked my BMI and I'm in the healthy range haha wow! At the end of the healthy range but still in it! My gym membership fell through.. Really wanna get into the gym just so expensive.. I definitely need to tone up quite a bit.. Maybe it isn't so much weight but more tightening up a little I dunno! Hate my arms and legs! ALSO been one year since banding, no weight gain very happy, that in itself is a success as well as the 40kgs I've lost I'd like to get into a size 10 my family make me feel like I'm severely underweight or something and that I see myself as obese... I feel like I'm realistic, I know that I'm average weight, a little chubby at the moment.. I just want a little extra off haha they drive me crazy. And they're all smaller than me!!! Maybe they think we'll be too hot?

Unfortunately my fiancee likes Star Wars, Star Trek, and Computers..pretty much it. He's lucky that he has the metabolism that he has really. He's not big on swimming but he is starting to get interested in weights because he err's on the side of scrawny a lot and he's hoping to put on some muscle. I told him I was gonna start secretly feeding him Weight Gain 3000 and see what happens lol!

It makes some sense, as there has been a genetic test available for a while to check is one is predisposed to diabetes, insulin resistance and a genuine carb sensitivity (many who claim a carb sensitivity are just noting the normal effect of carbohydrates causing some water weight gain when one is on a low carb diet.) My wife is a bit of a bread-o-holic but it doesn't bother me - I can take it or leave it, and used it for specific added nutrition part way through my loss phase. My loss trend actually improved with it added.

The people you've heard about and have met regained weight because they chose to eat poorly. They chose to eat the foods and the amounts of food that cause weight-gain. It is possible to gain weight after any of the surgery options. Maintaining weight loss requires changed eating habits forever. There is no magic about it.

Sashimi is usually cut thin. The block of fish is the piece the counterman cuts the slices from. I'm sure though, if you ask for thin sliced sashimi, they will do it for you. I was also going to recommend sashimi. The fish alone, without the rice or sauce or other toppings is very low in fat and calories and is a healthy option as long as you stay away from the soy sauce...or cut the soy sauce with Water. This is what I do and I find that I don't have much water weight gain from the sodium content. Enjoy!

morphine will probably hinder your weight loss efforts LESS than Vicodin/Percocet, because there is no acetametaphin in it. from a study on the LiverTox website: "There have been no convincing cases of idiosyncratic acute, clinically apparent liver injury attributed to morphine. Morphine and other opiates have little hepatic metabolism and they are generally excreted unchanged in the urine, perhaps accounting for their relative lack of hepatotoxicity." the weight gain (or slowing of weight loss) from Vicodin/Percocet comes because the liver has to process all that acetametophin. if your liver is doing that, it can't process your food and your body fat. it slows the whole works down. your liver needs to be at optimal performance for optimal weight loss.

The thing that led to me cinsiddering weight loss surgery was my last failed diet and weight gain that followed. At 346 lbs I was feeling doomed. After all my research this is what most strongly made me say "the band is for me!" 1. My Dr explained that there are different body types-- mine is the type that holds fat reserves and craves the kinds of foods that tend to put it on. My ancestors were the type that probably did hard labor, had lean winters or long boat trips and needed food stores to survive. Thusly there are high metabolism people with ancestors that wouldn't have survived those things. 2. I belong to a very large, supportive weight loss group that has many people who have successfully lost 100 lbs or more with dieting/life style change. They FIGHT the good fight against food every day. It can be done, BUT I'm so tired of FIGHTING so dang hard. I need some help. That's what the band is for me H-E-L-P. I want to hurry up and get with living!

Hello there.. I wouldn't be worried about MRSA in ACS really. If you are paranoid Just mention it a lot!!! Allure...I understand what you are going through. Remember though that this is not like before & you have to learn now how to LIVE with your band and how to incorporate life & your social arena into your journey. It is possible to drink, have cake, don't do the hermit thing and don't be the DD every time there's a night out! Start learning how to live an UNDIET life. You got this band to help you change yourself, dieting alone didn't work. The band is all about portion control and I have found that by being able to portion food correctly I have plenty of room for other things in life I can enjoy without the guilt or the attitude that I'm struggling or that I've spoiled it!! My sister is a regular size and maintains this while being addicted to chocolate, she is also at weddings ALL the time & drinking is a weekly occurance for her. She eats McDonalds on occasion, Indian food , Chinese..basically everything and I always felt she was free to eat whatever without a yoyo effect. BUT i knew that she had some key that I needed to figure out so I began to observe. What I DIDN't observe before was the way she managed this. I only saw her eating or drinking "forbidden" things. That was selective on my part coz I wanted to believe what I suffered (weight gain/yoyo) was unfair when I would eat like her. She sticks to a sensible diet ( WW points system) most of the week saving points etc for the times she would be out. Her portions are MUCH smaller, allowing for a good points saving. If she is going to the cinema, she will save herself for a large popcorn. She doesn't bother with her dinner becuase she'd rather have the popcorn. Now this isn't exactly ideal, but it is the way she NATURALLY has become. She is constantly making allowances for her indulgances. This is what I discovered and this is where I always went wrong. As a serial dieter, I would BAN everything. I would try getting the most food in for my points throughout the day and then when I'd go to the cinema I'd cave in and do the popcorn on top of that "BLOWING IT" hence starting the pattern of an "I've blown it, I can't do this attitude" Instead of anticipating my evening, what I WANT out of it and planning my day around ALLOWING for my wants. This doesn't mean I ALLOW myself everything I fancy, I just am very much aware of what hasn't worked in the past and am aware of my strengths & weaknesses & past mistakes and am now being conciously better prepared for the times when I know if I am too strict I will face a difficulty, a conflict and DIET mode will kick in, leaving room for feelings of deprivation, followed by negative rebellious behaviour. I have also given myself the gift of time & patience. I could and have been known to loose 7lbs in one week on a diet. That entails a week of starving, no bread, no drink, going to bed early & generally being a crank and it's always the longest week EVER. My sister could take up to 7 weeks to loose that same 7lbs, but she will not lock herself away to do it...but she has the same result for less pain & aggravation than I. Because she KNOWS it will come off if she works toward it. She does not have the panic & fear I have. Because I know that seven lbs is threatening my happiness and I will postpone said happiness until it comes off...and I will be miserable not only getting it off but also when it comes off because it was SUCH hard work... This is our problem, we are unrealistic, unyielding, perfectionists and deny ourselves happiness until we feel we are starving our weight off. Let's just try to have happiness now, live our lives and not become our former selves in search of the urgent need to loose weight. You can have your cake & eat it..as long as you count for it. Do not feel guilty anymore...it's OK. I am following WW points system as I go right now, because my holy grail is finding balance this time. It is not about loosing as much weight as I can in as short a time as possible...that didn't work before for me. Sure I dropped an enormous amount of weight & stunned everyone around me but I was miserable all the time, and as soon as I start living again there it was, following me, creeping back on and my heart was breaking a little bit more with every gain because I felt now that I had done the work in one massive effort I should never have to suffer the burden again....WRONG!!! Now I take care to eat, staying within my allowance and being VERY good on days where I have nothing on. If something comes up, like a wedding I know that I have to make room for those calories and I do. then when the wedding day arrives I am free to Celebrate like everyone else but only for that day, or if it's a two day thing so be it. My preparation for getting back on track STRAIGHT AWAY after the celebrations is that I take extra Vitamins, especially B vitamins to give myself the extra energy to get up & not be dragges down by an extended lapse. I enjoy, forgive and get back to work. this is all new to me, but I find it's the only way I can give myself the gift of leaving my past behaviour behind...it truly broke my soul battling my weight for so long. I don't want that anymore, so I have opened my eyes and learned from my past & know my SELF well enough to tailor this band journey to my best advantage. I have lost 26lbs now, I have 5 stone to go, but I feel so good about myself NOW...I am not postponing credit for when it's all off...I am giving myself credit EVERY DAY and walking beside myself NOW this present minute on my journey. I don't LOOK like I have 5 stone to go because I am happy & confident & people notice that as the biggest change of all. I look content NOW...I am relaxed & happy & open. More so than ever, even being a size 12 before I was not as beautiful as I am now because size 12 wasn't good enough and it was a total sacrifice getting there, I was bitter having to work so hard to be something others seemed to maintain so easily. I know now, nothing is easy, but it doesn't have to be hell either. KNOW YOURSELF & work with that. MAKE LIFE WORK FOR YOU...don't spend another minute denying yourself, keeping you happinness locked away in fat prsion!! this is a major ramble but I have to stress to you not to do what you've always done...change your ways, accommodate your self your needs, accept your weaknessess & gather your strengths..Make it all work for you & enjoy your life. Loosing one pound sucks when you're being SO GOOD & denying yourself everything, being too strict & sacrificing, but it's a victory when you give yourself the freedom to LIVE your live how you want, within your boundaries & means realistically, and had a good time while you were at it. I am finally happy to accept one pound!!!

Tonya, I am totally thinking about you this morning . . . . I started a new maintenace medication for my migraines last Tuesday and weighed this morning - I am up 4 pounds in 8 days. Grrrrr - one of the known side effects of 'neurotin' is weight gain and my Neurologist and I talked about that before I agreed to take it. She told me if I see a gain, then she will give me something else, so guess who I'll be calling at 9am? I am not taking another one of those stupid pills . . . I haven't been able to tell a difference anyway, so it's not like it was my 'miracle med.' So - I have got to get back on track. I need to watch what I eat more closely and get back to exercising. At this mornings weight, I want to lose 20 more pounds . . .

I was banded in Feb, 04, and have never been able to keep a fill. Approx six weeks after a fill, the discomfort would be unbearable, and I would have to get unfilled. Three fills over three years -- three unfills. Done under fluro, esophagitis was always the problem (a sensation of having a lump in your throat; the feeling you get when you start to cry.) Fortunately, I always have restriction w/o any fill, and have manged to lose weight. Fast forward 2 1/2 years, and now I have been diagnosed with GERD. I've had the endoscopy as well as motility study and PH. Lots of reflux going on; sleepless nights due to coughing and wheezing. Aciphex twice a day and now a diagnosis of Barretts esophagus (precancer condition). My surgeon insists that none of this is attributable to the band as "research supports that the band aids GERD symptoms". I believe that the band has put too much pressure on my lower esophagus, and it no longer works as it's supposed to and stays open all the time. This was confirmed by the motility study. So the acid just keeps coming up all day and night. I'm getting very close to having the band removed and possibly trying a VSG. I'm not sure a VSG will help with the GERD symptoms, but I'm afraid of weight gain once the band is removed. My advice is that if you are experiencing heartburn/acid reflux/coughing/wheezing, etc., talk to your doctor. The acid is nasty stuff and can cause some permanent damage if you don't manage it properly.