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I think a lot of people kind of go on a "binge" before they are banded. If you are worried though about the weight gain, I would follow the high protein/low carb diet. It will reduce your appetite and of course, you can eat extra protein if you are hungry. Sometimes it is difficult to get th insurance to approve it. They consider it an "elective" surgery but your doctor can write it up as medically necessary.

Hi everyone. Yesterday I met with my weight management doctor and he said I am right on track and I can look to having surgery sometime in February. I made an appointment with the surgeon for Tuesday 12/22. I also have an orientation meeting at the hospital on Monday 12/21. Things are moving right along. I'm getting excited now. I also met with a Psychologist yesterday and she talked about the results of a test I took to determine my state of mind. She said I was more depressed than 90% of the people that come in. I told her I thought all people who were struggling with being overweight were depressed. She said yes, to an extent but with my stats she said that it looked like a person that would have trouble with weight gain even after surgery. That scaires me but we talked about it for awhile and I think we're ok. She also strongly supported the Lap Band surgery and said that the device has greatly improved and it's much safer than the other options. They have lost patients with the other surgeries, but never with the Lap Band. I know there are risks but from what I've read on this site, the Lap Band just doesn't seem to last long-term. She kept saying that the VSG is such a long incision and the stomach acid could impair the healing in the lower part of the stomach. She said I should bring up all these things with my surgeon on Tuesday and see what he says. I know there are risks but the VSG still seems to be the best alternative for me at this point. Thank you all for your support and advice.

Hello all! I have been out of town for the last week and just got back. I was so eager to get back on-line and see how my Victorious Valentine friends are doing. So here's my update. The bad news: I'm hungry! I'm a week away from my first fill, and feel no restriction at all. I can eat as much as I want (but I'm not) and haven't felt overfull since my swelling went down. Staying under 1000 cal. when you're hungry stinks!! I suppose this is band hell? But no weight gain, thankfully - just a pitiful pound a week loss for the last 2 weeks. While I was out of town visiting my sister, it was so hard not to indulge! Besides an unfortunate incident involving ice cream at a movie theater, I managed to stay partially on track. The good news: Last time I flew on an airplane, I just barely got the belt fastened. I knew I was a few lbs away from a belt extender - my worst nightmare. The thing was so tight that my belly was almost hanging completely over the belt and I had to hold my magazine just right so the flight attendant wouldn't notice I was being cut in half by the belt!! This week I flew, and guess what - 4 beautiful inches of spare belt hanging out AFTER I buckled it!! And, for the first time in years, my butt stayed nicely on my side of the seat, and did not pooch out under the armrest and steal space from my seat mate. Now, that is an NSV to celebrate! Whew...it is good to be back! Please tell me some of you are experiencing bandster hell also??

I did the same thing in the last 2 weeks -- ate small portions but more varieties of things than before so that is probably why the weight gain. I haven't yet had a fill so hopefully that will make a difference in feeling more restricted so I will eat less again -- and I will probably go back to the liquid proteins and then mushies to get back into a more conscious eating pattern -- we still need to make the right choices (protein and veges rather than carbs) and get the exercise in -- I hope to start a better routine with going to the gym a couple times a week to start and building up -- don't fret, I'm sure with a fill and getting back on track you will start losing again -- I think we all go through this at different times and just need to get back on track. Good luck and hang in there! Deb

Betty, you're funny because I'm trying to downplay the whole Harley Girl thing. I laugh at our friend, Chuck, all the time. He's 60 years old. One day out of the blue he rode up on a brand new Harley - huge. One of those touring bikes. A month later he showed up on the bike wearing leather pants, leather vest with tons of patches, Harley hat, huge Harley belt buckle, Harley boots. I call him Harley Barbie. I think he looks like an idiot but I love him anyway! Sorry, but this one got me cracking up. The bike is fun, and we did get a few patches for a purse and a welding cap, but I don't want to be a biker mamma! Chris even tried doing weird things to the beard he's trying to grow. I told him that if I wanted to marry a biker, I would have married a bad ass dude with tons of money! I don't like driving the bike because my fingers go numb (carpal tunnel) but I'm doing it to stand up for all women across the country - gotta teach men a lesson for all womenkind! He thought he bought himself a $30,000 toy. B.S. I gotta fight fire with fire, and it gives him grey hair every time I get on that bike. As soon as I'm licensed, I'll disappear for hours at a time. I'll probably just go to a friend's house and park it in the garage, but I'll tell him I took it to the mountains or something. He will NOT win this game! I can't do the weekly weigh-in challenge. Too frustrating. I gained all my weight back that I lot in August, which means if I gain even one pound tonight, I'll have gained weight in August. I got up, walked my dogs, made my shake, had some extra water and measured out a tiny little tuna lunch. My portion control has gotten way out of hand along with my drinking. I obsess over everything, so I've even exercised more than normal. Now I don't want anyone blaming my weight gain on muscle, cuz I haven't beefed up too much. Problem is I'm a compulsive overeater. The band alone isn't doing the trick for me, so I have lots of extra brain-struggling to deal with. It's all in my head. My big, fat, stubborn head!

I'll answer the same way kgremmy did. *What are the major differences in pregnancy before and after the VSG procedure? None at all. ( I was sleeved in November 2011) *Did you have weird cravings? It seems like you would not because the Ghrelin is gone. Nope. Never had craving with my first pregnancy (before VSG) and neither had cravings with my second pregnancy (after VSG). I just wanted to eat all the time. Probably because can't eat much in one sitting. *Did you gain a lot of weight? Was it a struggle to gain the weight? Gained a ton of weight! 55lbs. Wayy wayy wayyyyyyyy too much. I voiced my concerns to my doctors, but they said it was ok and didn't seemed concern about it *Were you nauseous? more than normal. Not at all *Were there any concerns about taking in enough food for the baby? Never, I was constantly hungry and believe that's the reason why I gained so much weight. *Anything else noteworthy? Yes, eventhough I had no weird cravings I did want to eat the "comfort food" You should just snack as much as you want, but stick to veggies and fruits and nuts. *It is strange but I can't seem to fine a lot of information on this topic. I just want to make sure I am prepared...* I know, I fell the same way. I had my baby 3 months ago. Healthy little boy. I lost 30lbs within the first couple of weeks. I still have to loose other 25lbs to be on my pre-pregnancy weight. It is not coming off, but to be honest I have not gone back to eat the weight I was eating before and I have not resume my excesice routine. I'm exhausted! (due to my fibromyalgia and also have 4 yr old and work full time). I just took my first step into going back to my routine and started to log everything that goes into my mouth. It is a big help. good luck! Maria.

I gained 100lbs in recovery for an bulimia so I mean this just isn’t true.  You speak about weight gain, and consumption as a compulsion and love affair as if they are inherently the same things and they just aren’t. No one calls alcoholism a love affair with booze, nor is a love affair with food is not inherently the same thing as binge eating disorder or the compulsive eating, addictive behaviors you describe. That’s not love that’s disordered eating and to many people who experience it it feels more like a prison than a romance. Further there are plenty of reasons people gain weight or struggle to lose not limited to medical issues or life long yo-yo dieting socialized in people since childhood resulting in an insurmountably low bmr. It also ignores the idea of a body’s set weight which numerous medical studies have pointed to as a valid hypothesis and part of why wls is one of the only weight loss tools with long term sustainable success. Let’s try to be sensitive that everyone’s story and struggle respect their own personal reflections of it.

The other rule is no drinking with meals. There are lots of post on that topic. Drinking at least 10 minutes before meals and you'll feel full faster. If you eat with your meal., you will wash your food out of your stomach and experience hunger shortly thereafter.. then you'll eat more, there by adding calories and eventually stop your weight loss and even go to weight gain. Many surgeons and NUTS give varying advice bot most are consistent with following a high protein and low carb way of eating for life. Low sugar often relates to low junk food, sweets, desserts which of course will add to weight gain. Protein helps weight loss ( I forget why but I'm pretty sure it helps ). There are usually reasons for the guidelines. ONce you reach your goal weight you eating lifestyle will be what works for you. Be sure its still a healthy way of eating or you will gain weight and that is not a sleeve myth.. that is a sleeve fact. Good Luck with your journey.

Let me tell you something baby girl...it sounfs like you got a hater on your hands. This person was probably jealous of you before your weight gain and now that you are working hars to get back to a size that makes YOU happy they probably feel threatened again. Dont you dare allow the ignorance of others to interfere with your progress and your success. Tell them to kiss your "still fat ass"! Jerks! Sent from my SM-N920C using the BariatricPal App See.....and this just confirmed what I said about them being jealous lol smh Sent from my SM-N920C using the BariatricPal App

That's why I ask you to LIST EVERYTHING YOU'RE EATING! Gah. How hard is it to do that? At 6 months I'd lost most of my weight. At 9 months out I was at 1st goal of 150 and surpassed the weight goal my RD/doc had set for me. I'm now at 14 months working on my last Goal #3 of 130lbs. I'm at 137.8lbs today. So I'm clearly doing something right. There are stalls all the time. I continue to eat the foods that I know work for me. I meet my lean protein goals for the day, I keep my healthy veggie carbs low, I keep fat low. I keep calories in a range of 650-850/day for losing mode. And that's what I do. It works. You cannot game the system. If you are stuck for months, then you are clearly eating too much or too much of the wrong things for weight loss. It's as simple as that. You are maintaining. Or regaining. I take 2 drugs that can cause weight gain. And I have to be extra sharp to eat to my calorie/macro window so I can lose. Weight loss isn't impossible with underlying issues, it is just a matter of being much, much harder.

That's Awesome Teresa! WTG girl!!!!! Next weigh-in you're going to get safely below that number... I just know it! You should be pretty darn proud of yourself for accomplishing weight-loss while under so much stress! I hope the Wellbutrin does the trick for you... it turned me into a space cadet... so it was Zoloft for me! The nice thing about Wellbutrin is that taking it is not associated with weight-gain and it tends to curb any type of addictive behaviors. There is usually 0 sexual side effects which is also a bonus. Lisa... I'm going to work on my whining skills... My hubby will be thanking you. Can't wait to see picks of your digs when you're finished! Marie... where are ya sweetie pie??? Betty... Your appointment is just around the corner... YAY! Rebecca... How goes it for you? Michelle... WHere the heck is menopause when we need it eh? I know that's why I am craving naughty things... pretty soon my face will be erupting as well... ahhhhh... the joys of being a woman... do they never end??? Penni... Hope you made it home safe and sound and hopes and prayers being send for your friends on the island. I'm still a big butthead today... but... planning on hitting the road to run errands and then attack the yard with the lawnmower... maybe that'll cheer me up....LOLOL.

Hi everyone, I have had four cortisone shots in the past year, am on Naproxen (a popular Nsaid) and have done prednisone for two weeks several months ago. All of this is due to rheumatoid arthritis. I am waiting for the answer from my insurance company currently for the lapband.. and have tried so many things to get my weight under control and to get the scale moving before I get the band. I am young as well (will be twenty one very soon) This is definitely NOT the primary reason for my weight gain, Ive always struggled with it since early childhood, and was successful enough to lose seventy pounds before my diagnoses with chronic illness. Boy was that disappointing when i gained it all back plus some. I am not sure if my weight not budging is because of the prior steroids or not... It could be metabolism issues from lack of mobility. I have no education about them. I was wondering if anyone on this board has been on steroid therapy and have still lost any weight on the lap band? Thanks for your help -cha

I'm curious if you did the sleeve to RNY revision. If so, when? I had it done the day after Thanksgiving 2021. Reflux was gone immediately. I've lost 60 lbs. I lost it pretty quickly, I'm maintaining for over a month now. I was a little freaked out having problems with stopping the weight loss. I did the same thing with sleeve surgery in 2010. I can eat often, but very little at a time. I struggle with meat, an ounce is safe, maybe 1.25 oz, after that, it will end up 'sitting' between my ribs and 9 times out of 10 I'll have to throw up to get relief. Surgery was in Nov, then after a sonogram and endoscopy I had my gallbladder removed in March. (They also discovered a very large marginal ulcer. (What the heck is that?) I had to take a liquid medication 3xs a day and they did another endoscopy 6 weeks later. Ulcer went from very large to large. Six weeks later another endoscopy showed it was healed. Now I'm just focusing on trying to not lose more weight. Gaining 10 lbs would be fine. I'd like to stop there and maintain just under 150. How realistic is this, maintaining from now on. Sadly, sweets and some fried meats (catfish, chicken fried steak) are easy to keep down, mashed potatoes too. I have to weigh meat, and sometimes then it still gets to me. What's up with that? Any advice, insight etc would be greatly appreciated. Share you story with me if you've had the sleeve to bypass revision.

I am glad I found this topic. as I too have gained a pound after surgery, I had lost 8 pounds and for the past 4 days ...a bit of weight gain and 700 calories the most per day...

I have been following RNYTalk.com for a while now and decided I should share my experience. I had RNY in January 2005 at age 24. I was 249 lbs at the time of surgery. I did fantastic with no complications other than needing my gall bladder removed in December of that year (which is very common). I lost my weight steadily and at six months I had got down to 152 lbs. I never had a specific goal in mind but this was a great weight for me. After that I stabled out at 157 lbs for four years. In January 2009 my life dramatically changed when my very painful divorce was final. More or less everything that had been my life was gone. I was going to be 30 in just a couple months and I was back living at home with my parents in a dreary basement apartment with no job, no insurance and no hope. As many of us know all to well when depression strikes food becomes our medicine, our friend and are only consistent source of love. Needless to say I started to gain my weight back. I was in complete denial that it was my eating habits but instead something was "wrong" with the surgery. I even went to my surgeon who performed an exploratory abdominal procedure and found nothing of significance. Sinking deeper into my depression my weight gain continued and for a long time I just denied it all together despite having to buy bigger and bigger clothes. My self-esteem was down to an all time low and was now I was trying to attempt to date for the first time in 8 years. Boy, what fun was that! When I finally found a good man (who I married last summer) I was up to 200 lbs. I didn't care anymore and my husband loved me for who I was and not for how I looked. Now exactly 3 years since our relationship started I am 225 lbs and have been at this weight despite efforts to lose the weight. I have decided to see a new surgeon that is a revision specialist and have my RNY revised. I am now in the beginning stages of getting the process rolling. It is treated just like I never had the surgery before. Supervised weight loss, seminars, NUT meetings, blood work etc. I am having an EGD in two weeks and next month I will be done with the supervised weight loss requirement. My own therapist will provide the pysch eval and we will be doing that at the end of the month. I don't have an actual surgery date yet. My main point in sharing this is that this surgery is just a tool. I know we all hear this but it is so, so true and not a lifelong fix no matter what. If you stop eating right, stop taking Vitamins, stop following up with your surgeon you will gain back the weight. I am not writing all this to scare anyone or make anyone reconsider their decision. Having GB was the best thing I every did myself and I know I will be able to do it again. My mind set is 100% different and I know so much more than I did 8 years ago. This is my story and I look forward to be getting a second chance on my life and getting control of my weight once again.

Dr Weiner mentioned metformin for weight loss in his videos and I did a bit of research and it has been used to offset a lot of psychiatric medications with side effects of weight gain. Never tried it but another thing he said about weight loss medications is you have to stay on them long term or you may gain the weight back. This shouldn’t be an issue for you though since you will be having surgery I assume.

Stalls and weight gains are not the same thing. Stalls mean no movement, no weight loss. I don't think I know it all. Far from it. However, when someone makes a post about gaining weight it's only natural for someone to bring up the topic of possibly eating too many carbs. Because that does happen. It may not be apt for this situation and that's okay. But it's a perfectly reasonable response. I'm not sure why people interpreted my post so negatively. It definitely was never meant as such and I would never attack or dump on a fellow sleever or even a person thinking of getting the sleeve.

Hey there Audra! Read your message just now. The nurse at my surgeon's office told me to call my insurance company every 2-3 days to check on the progress. I was nice and waited a week first...lol. Anyway, my info was reviewed on Feb. 8th and the nurse that reviewed my info at my ins. co. (BCBS of TN) sent a reply back to my surgeon's office on the 16th. I definitely understand how you feel. I'm jumpin' through all their hoops too. I am morbidly obese and have all kinds of co-morbidities and I have had a psych eval many times over within the past 10 yr. of my life. However, the ins. co. told me that they needed documentation that I had been evaluated within the past 2yr and they need documentation that I had tried structured weight loss within the past 2 yr. as well. The ins. co. has been sent all kinds of medical documentation about my depression and weight gain (and weight loss) from the past 7-8 of my life but they want more so....I'm gonna give um' more...lol. Just don't give up!

Yesterday I went back after being unfilled for almost 6 week with weight gain of 4 pounds. Not good, could of been worst. Doctor put back in 1.5 and now I fill full again. If it happens again then I need to have the band redone. When I was this level before I had bad heart burn bad. Good luck.........:smile2:

I'm with em1125, I wouldn't reroute my stomach and intestines for weight loss. Too many complications and a much higher mortality rate than with the lap band. I have a friend who has had RNY and while she tolerated the surgery and recovered well - she lost about 90 pounds - in the past 4 months she's put 40 pounds back on. That's almost half of the total weight she lost. Who knows when the weight gain will stop. She's rearranged her insides and she's back in the obese category. At least with my lapband, if I regain my weight I won't have messed with my insides and have to deal with malabsorption of nutrients, etc. FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. Talk to another surgeon. In fact, talk to several surgeons. Get a wide range of experience and opinion before you make your decision. It seems like a lot of work but, honestly, do people buy the first car on the lot they look at? Or do they look around a bit first and make sure it's the car they really want? This is your body - you only get the one. Make sure you do what's best for it.

This has been my experience on who to tell? I just had my lapband done May 25th and initially told just immediate family members and two close friends. I was reluctant to tell a sister who quite frankly, has been condescending relative to my weight gain over the past ten years. To my surprise.... my two close friends were more than supportive and did have the capacity and sensitivity to understand the weight struggle (they both have weight issues but are not considered morbidly obese as I am.) My point being, I for one, am glad I chose to take a leap of faith and tell them because I do have thier support and it helps a lot, with one caveat, do not tell people that you know are not supportive or opportunistic in trying to sabatoge your weight loss journey. Just my two cents.

As a dietitian I often find myself instructing patients to lower their intake of carbohydrates, in fact I’ve said it so many times, and to so many patients, that at times I feel like a broken record. Previous genetic studies into obesity have tended to focus on how genetic variations alter our appetites and food behaviours. However, a new study recently published in Nature Genetics piqued my interest as it suggests that there may in fact be a rather novel genetic link between metabolism and obesity. The study authored by Dr. Mario Falchi from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London investigated the relationship between obesity and a gene called AMY1, the gene responsible for an enzyme present in our saliva known as salivary amylase, the enzyme first encountered by food when it enters the mouth that begins the process of starch digestion. "We are now starting to develop a clearer picture of a combination of genetic factors affecting psychological and metabolic processes that contribute to people's chances of becoming obese. This should ultimately help us to find better ways of tackling obesity," Dr. Mario Falchi says. The number of copies of a gene that a person carries can vary throughout their DNA, although people usually have two copies of each gene. Yet, Dr. Mario Falchi and his team found that the number of copies of this particular AMY1 gene can vary greatly between people. The researchers examined the number of copies of AMY1 present in the DNA of more than 6,000 people from four different countries: the UK, France, Sweden and Singapore. And according to their results, it is those who have a lower number of AMY1 who are most likely to become obese. They determined that AMY1 was the gene that had the greatest influence on body weight and then counted the number of times the gene was repeated in each individual and how this affected their obesity risk. The chance of being obese for people with less than four copies of the AMY1 gene was approximately eight times higher than in those with more than nine copies of this gene. The researchers estimated that with every additional copy of the salivary amylase gene there was approximately a 20 per cent decrease in the odds of becoming obese. This new discovery highlights a strong link between metabolism and obesity and suggests that goes someway to proving that our bodies react differently to the same type and amount of food, leading to weight gain in some but not in others. How we deal with carbohydrates and hence, how much carbohydrate we should be consuming, must be adjusted for each individual. This research indicates genetics may play a role in obesity, and carbohydrate metabolism is very much involved.

</blockquote><br> I've lost 25 pounds. Sleeved on 6/18. I have been stalled for 2 weeks now. I am disappointed because I thought I would have lost more by now. Any suggestions on how to break a stall? I've lost 57 lbs. sleeved on June 11. Weight loss has been slowing down but that is likely to the fact that I have not exercised. Started at 435 lbs and still not light enough for working out "back issues", Getting between 700-900 calories and 60 - 70 grams of protein daily. Still struggling with fluid intake, but fighting the good fight. I weigh myself once per week ever since I had several days of weight gain and felt depressed. Overall I have had great success with weekly weigh ins. Good Luck All!

I've been using Nuvaring for about two years and I love it! I don't have to remember to take a pill every day and it doesn't make me feel crappy like oral contraceptives used to. I still use condoms anyway because I am so not ready for motherhood at this point, but it's supposed to be as effective as any other hormonal birth control method. My GYN said it also has a lower incidence of weight gain. Give it a try!

I've been on the pill (except when intentionally trying to get pregnant) since I was 18 for non-pregnancy-related reasons. If it caused weight gain, I didn't notice it then. (I'd switch to Mirena now, but my insurance won't cover it. Maybe in a year or two.) pills have always worked well for me. One caution, though, that I think someone else mentioned: it's entirely possible that as you lose weight, you will become extremely fertile. Make sure your GYN is keeping close tabs on you, because you might need to change the dosage of whatever you are using.