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Sorry to hear about your troubles, is it possible to change the medicines you are on? (as your weight gain over the last 2 yrs could be a reaction to the medication ) to see if that will help you lose the initial weight? You might also want to consider contacting a Dr in Mexico to discuss your case (a lot of people on the forum have had their op in Mexico and have named their Drs if you would like to check it out). Their requirements might be different and you may be able to do your op there. Good luck and wish you all the best. Sent from my SM-G900FD using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm 2+ years out (26 months since surgery), so take my words and utilize them as you wish. My weight loss phase was painfully slow. It took me 18 months to lose 100 pounds. Nonetheless, I maintain my weight loss without tracking, dieting, counting, measuring, or restricting. I weigh 118 pounds and maintain on 2000+ calories daily, although I don't really track it. I'm also hypothyroid and insulin-resistant, but daily exercise has kept my metabolic rate boosted. Here's the real deal...most of us weren't able to adhere to diets for the long haul prior to surgery, so why live like that after bariatric surgery? Dieting, counting calories, measuring food, tracking, and restricting intake are all aspects of the dieters' mentality that I refuse to partake in. I am not on a diet. I eat freely, but stick mainly to lean protein because it is difficult to overeat protein regardless of your lack of restriction. We can eat 25 slices of toast (2500 calories) and never feel any restriction, or eat 2 chicken breasts (275 calories) and feel stuffed. It's all about wise choices at this point in the game. My restriction has also lessened with the passage of time. I can eat 2 fast food double cheeseburgers in one sitting even though I choose not to. I can eat 2 extra large slices of pizza in one sitting even though I choose not to. The type of food we place in our mouths matters far more than the size of our sleeves or pouches. Sliders, a.k.a. slurry foods (crackers, pretzels, popcorn, chips, bread, cookies) are the root of most peoples' regain problems. These foods turn into a liquid slurry in our digestive systems and you'll never feel full, so you can eat unlimited quantities of them. If you eat sliders, tread carefully and don't fall off the cliff. You'll notice nobody ever says, "I am regaining after eating 100 grams of protein each day. I eat chicken thighs, steak, ground turkey, and hard-boiled eggs, but the weight gain won't stop." Protein has a high thermic effect; our bodies burn considerable calories digesting animal-based proteins. Many of those who regain started incorporating slider foods into their diets. Unfortunately, sliders promote rapid weight gain since they 'slide' past the stomach into the intestines where the calories are stored as fat. Good luck to you. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

Understandable! I would follow the meal plan and the doctors orders, post back when you hear from them, I am interested in what they think the reason for the weight gain is. Hopefully they will allow you to increase activity [emoji1] Sent from my Nexus 6 using BariatricPal mobile app

Yes to weight gain during and cravings. The really bad period I had last month I lost 10 lbs after it ended! And I had only gained 2 in water weight during! How weird is that?! Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

I have MS! My initial presentation was very unusual in that I went deaf, so it took some time to diagnose (2012). As a result, I suffer from vertigo and nausea from my active lesion. I decided to go on medication last year after I started to get more physical symptoms, though thankfully my clinical symptoms have remained stable. (MS is apparently weird like that according to my neurologists). Exercise is difficult for me due to the fact that a) I fatigue more quickly than I used to b)I can have significant problems with my balance c) I am carrying extra weight gained through a high risk pregnancy that saw me hospitalised, fed an extremely high calorie diet and hooked up to drips in order TO gain weight (I was very ill and nearly lost my baby) and d) a combination of steroid medications I have had to take for a bunch of symptoms to do with MS (not my interferons) and for depression and anxiety So my eating habits are weird. I find it difficult to eat most of the time because I feel nauseated. This means I need to take lots of vitamins to avoid malnutrition. I would generally avoid food if possible, but have a lovely husband who makes sure I eat. However, when I am NOT feeling nauseated, I will eat whatever I like! It's ridiculous. I don't think that in my life I've ever had a sweet tooth (I'm a savoury fiend), yet I will crave something like chocolate and must eat it. And as for the food I DO like; shut the gate. I'm like the Netflix and no chill of food if I feel well! Obviously, whenever this happens, I get extremely sick. But it's ridiculous. My body has gone into some kind of starvation mode and just wants to feed itself. Anyway, after lots of tests, and long consultations with all of my specialists I'm going in for a sleeve. The hope is that with the pre-op diet, the new way of eating, the weight loss relieving some of the pressure on my body that my 'metabolism' for want of a better word, will be able to reset. That I will be able to stick to better patterns of eating - fueling my body correctly and helping it to combat this disorder. Im feeling hopeful. I see this as an opportunity to reset and give myself a better chance to make my body stronger and more healthy despite whatever little brain farts it has along the way to make it not as reliable into the future as it should be.

I'm a week and a half post surgery and I have been going through this. What makes it worse is that I started my period 2 days after being discharged from the hospital and my mother in law was here to help so obviously my family still has to eat, but just smelling the food made me break down a few times. I'm sure there will be many more of them to come, but it's strange because food itself has never been a comfort to me, I am not an emotional eater, I don't snack and I don't really do sweets. I think the problem I am having is that all things in the full liquid phase is basically sweet, protein options are all sweet, drink mixes are sweet, jello-sweet, everything aside from broth which only goes so far for me as a person that would much rather have something savory and salty. I had surgery due to weight gain after total thyroid removal has made gain weight and made it impossible to lose weight, I had been killing myself for a long time to even lose 5 pounds and doctors said this was a viable option to help me. We eat well and healthy on a regular basis here at home and all I want is some damn chicken and tomatoes or deli sliced turkey with cheese rolled up into it and here I am drinking another damn shake! It's a short time but that doesn't mean it still doesn't suck and anyone who said they didn't have an issue like this and didn't have "buyers remorse" at some point in their journey is a damn liar! Hope things get better for you, I know I'm trying to take every day as it comes even if it comes with tears.

The surgery prevents massive weight gain only if we eat lean, dense protein and veggies that challenge the sleeve. Otherwise, it's possible to gain 100+ pounds with a sleeve. I know someone who regained 150+ pounds in a little over a year by going off the rails. Her starting weight was 395 pounds. She lost 140 pounds in her first year with the sleeve before sliding back into old habits by grazing on sliders (read: chips, crackers, popcorn, cookies, ice cream) during the second year. Her unsupportive husband also griped about the healthier meals she cooked, so she reverted back to preparing unhealthy food. To keep a long story short, this lady now weighs 400 pounds and wants to get "back on track." Regaining 150 pounds with a sleeve must be a horribly dispiriting experience. Massive weight gain with a sleeve can happen if a person grazes on sliders all day. Someone can eat 25 cookies (2500 calories) in one sitting and feel no fullness or satiety whatsoever, whereas it is impossible for the sleeve to accept 25 chicken thighs.

I lost a lot of muscle since the surgery so I started back with Stronglifts. It's a pretty basic strength program and they have an app to track your workout. I do that MWF and go to boxing Tues and Thurs. I take weekends off. Also, when you start with the weights don't be surprised about a small weight gain. Like a pound or too. Sent from my Nexus 6P using BariatricPal mobile app

My massive weight gain is from an under active thyroid problem...I am at my highest weight ever...I weigh more now than I did when I was pregnant with my 3 children...God in Heaven please forgive me...We had a young relative die from WLS...She never made it out of surgery, because of a blood clot to the heart...I may not have the surgery now, because the doctor called and said my eco was abnormal...Going to the cardiologist tomorrow...He will have the last word...They all think right now, that my throid is being removed...If I do have the surgery, I will tell them the truth after the fact....

The amount of sugar will probably vary by patient. I strictly avoid processed sugars. I have a sweet tooth and that is one of the major causes that contributed to my weight gain over my lifetime. I limit myself to artificial sweeteners (such as Splenda and sugar alcohols), to natural low calorie sweeteners (such as Stevia) and to the natural sugars found in fruits and milk. I had diabetes. That went into remission when I left the hospital two days after surgery and I have not taken any diabetic medicine ever since and my blood sugar levels are good. I test my blood sugar levels periodically. I read the labels of all food that I consume. I look at the grams of sugar per serving. If it is above 5 grams, I look at the ingredients. The ingredients are listed in order by highest percentage, and if the first 5 ingredients contain processed sugar (in any of its many forms), then I avoid this food, like a plague.

Those just use your weight, and guess your lean mass and calculate it. The machines that use your breath are averaging the measurements from your breathing over a period time. If you have higher or lower metabolism, this is the only way to get an accurate reading. The Tanita machines are basing it off lean mass and fat mass, which is it getting from an electronic scan. This would work okay for most people that don't need something very accurate, but when you are dealing with people that might have impared metabolisms, the breathe measurements are showing how you body is actually metabolizing energy, not based on lean mass and fat mass but what your body is actually doing. An accurate RMR test with a DEXA scan and MD or PhD in sports medicine around are good ways to get accurate calorie goals. It just don't make sense to blame weight gain on a slowed metabolism, when you haven't had it tested and have no idea what it is. Tracking your food carefully should be the first step. I can eat a lot more at 23 months than I could at 6 months. The only thing that stops me is weighing all my food and deciding how much I am going to eat before I start eating.

Sorry, I had to cut my above post short, as had to attend to kid duties. Umm.. yeah, sorry about the wasps' nest that your post has stirred. Please keep in mind, as several of the above posters have mentioned, there are a lot of people here with "parent issues", and your post pushed some buttons. I was heavy by time I hit first or second grade, but really started gaining in earnest in middle school (blasted puberty!!). My Mom and Dad didn't have much money, so they did the best they could. I was the only one that became chubby on the pasta and day-old doughnuts, so it was a problem with me, not the diet But, alas.. the past is what it is, and I'm finally on a path to better myself. I'm 38. I recognize that you are terrified of complications from the surgery. You'd hate to see a perfectly healthy young adult sign up for an optional procedure that could leave her worse than she started, right? We can't promise nothing bad will happen during/after the procedure. But, we can promise that the risks are low, and the rewards are great. Post-surgery regain is a real possibility, and it can start as early as 6-8 months post-op. She has a lot to learn about changing the content of her diet, FOREVER, not just the quantity.. because she'll gradually be able to eat more and more, to the point of eating like a typical person (1 plate, not 3.. but she can get in big trouble with 1 plate!). If you can, please look up Dr. Matthew Weiner on youtube. He is a bariatric surgeon in Michigan, and he has a TON of information about how/why the surgery works, and tips for changing diet and lifestyle afterwords. We are so used to having to steer our kids in the right direction (away from danger), that it can be difficult to let them go and do their own things. Shoot, my husband didn't want me doing the surgery! He was terrified for me. I was more terrified for my high blood pressure, pre-diabetes, joint pain, inability to fit in an airplane seat (no 2nd honeymoon in Hawaii!), breaking toilet seats all the time, having to hold my breath to tie my shoes, couldn't wash the bottoms of my feet, having very limited wardrobe selection, couldn't go out to walk the dog without feeling like I was going to have a heart attack, stairs = seeing stars.. etc. I did great on diets when I was 20. Lost 65lbs, could hike 25 miles a day carrying a pack, etc. But, we can't all stay 20 forever, and having pregnancies, sitting at desk jobs, taking care of elderly parents in the home.. these things all take their toll, and weight gain happens... especially because a broken metabolism does not get fixed by diet and exercise! (There is some hope for a ketogenic diet, I suppose, but that was one I never tried). Fix the metabolism through surgery. Learn a new way of cooking and eating. Fix any emotional problems.. and your daughter has a great chance of having a normal life.

Thank you. Everyone has been congratulating me.. I see a myriad of doctors/specialists regularly. It's hard to feel like I accomplished something given I've been fighting off the health effects of being a dumbass for years, and only now am I on the verge of finally being perfectly healthy. But being realistic, I think I'll be happy when I'm off my last medication.. metoprolol, beta blocker for heart rate and BP. Post-op it's been 100-120/60-90, but I think my doctors/specialists want to see it on the lower end of that permanently before taking me off this. RHR has regularly been 50-80.. so I don't think that's much an issue anymore. As far as my daughter goes, and our future kids, definitely being aware of what they eat, and minimizing the junk carbs from the diet. My wife has PCOS and has been losing weight seeing me lose a bunch of it, and from all those months of me begging her to stop eating so many carbs so she doesn't go through what I did with my enormous weight gain in such a short timespan. Women seem to have a tougher time losing it.

Had VSG almost 2 years ago now. I'm down from a size 30/32 to a 12! I must admit within these past 3 months or so, it has been a war fighting against weight gain, and now my 12's are a little snug. I am determined to lose the 15lbs I've gained!! Ugh the fatgirl life!

Weigh yourself every day. Track all of your food. If you do these things, you don't have to guess why you are gaining. 5 pounds could be water weight. Without any information and summer heat, I would say water weight before a real weight gain. Are you are goal and gaining from a maintenance weight or are you still trying to lose?

I have Bipolar I disorder. I was sleeved five weeks ago and everything has gone really smooth and no regrets. I have taken a lot of psychotropic drugs in the past 20 years and there were some that caused me to gain large amounts of weight in a very short period of time so I have a lot of experience with this. I have been on the same meds for the past four years and have not had any weight gain during this time. In fact I lost 65 lbs in the last two years. The drugs that I am currently taking that have not caused any weight gain are: Latuda, Lamictal, Ziprasidone and Wellbutrin (I know, it's a lot but I've been pretty stable for over three years). I also recently weaned off of Effexor after taking it for years and can say it definitely did not cause weight gain either. Since being sleeved on May 1 I have had a really good mood with no changes so at least for now I can confidently say that I am absorbing all my meds as well as I did before surgery. That's a big relief!!! I was considered a high-risk WLS patient because of my Bipolar disorder and the real risk that it could go out of remission and be more difficult to bring under control again if meds were not being absorbed. I really had to do a lot of work with my Bariatric Surgery Center to get approval for the surgery from their psychologist. I did a lot of research and consulted a lot with my Psychiatrist and finally decided that I was willing to take the risk to lose the weight. It's a big decision and anyone with Bipolar, or any other serious mental illness that requires life-long dependence on medication, must take their time to think very seriously about before deciding to have surgery. Best wishes to everyone and feel free to message me if you have any questions about Bipolar disorder treatment and WLS. Or if you just want to vent about dealing with a major mental illness

I had the procedure on September 27th and since then lost around 70 pounds.. but I recently checked my weight and in the past 20 days I gained 5 pounds. I feel my diet has increased and I haven't been exercising. Is it possible to start gaining weight so fast? Or is it just fluctuating? Im really stressed.

I'm bipolar II but haven't had my surgery yet. The mania has relapsed a tiny bit but it's manageable minus the lack of sleep. I take lamictal for mood. Mania relapsed because I had to stop seroquel after it made me gain 100 lbs. If you need to reduce your appetite a bit you can try metformin. It's an old school diabetes II med that greatly reduces my appetite. I don't have diabetes but started it to aid in weight loss. Speak to your psychiatrist. Antipsychotics have a huge affect on weight gain and seroquel in particular makes you gain a ton and makes you extremely hungry. I don't know if you take it. It basically ruined my life. (Being a little dramatic). I have my surgery end of July assuming everything goes according to plan. I've already met all the requirements. I think it would be good for us bipolar people to continue checking in with each other. I'm extremely nervous about meds post op. My bipolar is usually suicidal depression with occasional mania.

I'm reading a lot about us controlling our portions and calories and carbohydrates. And there is merit to those posts. However, about 3 weeks ago I met with my NUT. She told me I should not fear sugar. This was a bit of a shock because for the past 14 months I have been avoiding sugar like the plague. She said that my hormones have now changed, I might be surprised and the experts are now moving away from numbers. Away from counting carbs, calories and keeping track of weight. She said not to be focused on numbers. She also advocates mindful eating which is similar if not basically the same thing as I understand it. i also just read the new article in Time magazine last week that says the one thing they do know is that we all require individualized plans. The exact same diet will work for one person but not for another. There are so many variables to our weight that science doesn't even know why we gain and loose weight differently. Our gut microbes, hormones, genes, bile acids, how our body processes what we eat (different for different people) and eating habits are all factors. No one thing is responsible, they all work together. Scientists can't even tell us why weight loss surgery works. Anyway, I ate everything I wanted. ice cream, nachos, dessert every night, some bread, shared 2 coffee coolatta things, and more. I gained 5 lbs in 7 days and it came off plus .4 more lbs in 3 days of just eating my normal diet. I haven't counted anything really since surgery. Just focused on protein and veggies mostly. I seriously don't know how that worked so quickly. I expected to work for weeks or months to take it off. Guessing this is my set point now. Very difficult to loose more, but apparently not too hard to loose when I gain a few. I just know we don't know how weight loss works. And I think people are too hard on themselves when there are so many factors involved in weight loss and weight gain. I don't want to dissuade anyone from posting something that helped them regardless of whether it is within the guidelines of what someone else believes to be true or not. We have so much to learn.

I'm 3.5 years out and about 10 pounds above my lowest weight which is fine. Still wearing smallest pant size so no complaints. I still weigh food and log all food and exercise and try very hard to stick with healthy food choices. Still exercising 6 days week. It's not easy but I'm committed to making this work permanently. I'm sad to know many people that have regained so much. The common denominator I've witnessed is their making poor food choices. The surgery can't control that part. While the restriction is helping them, eating many servings of the wrong foods will always lead to weight gains.

I have bipolar and I had the sleeve done a year ago. I am on Wellbutrin, trileptal, and latuda. These are meds that gave the lowest risk of weight gain. I have been on them for a while and they keep me stable. After surgery I had a bunch of bipolar swings into mania but now I've evened out.

I had my VGS on May 8th. I am almost 1 month post-op and am feeling much better. The decision for surgery took over a year of research, seminars, classes, tests...and a long discussion with my husband. Together we decided this life change would be best for me and my health. Let's go back to the beginning.... At age 6 I was diagnosed with Legg-Calve-Perthe's Disease in my left hip. As described below: Legg-Calve-Perthes disease occurs when blood supply is temporarily interrupted to the ball part (femoral head) of the hip joint. Without sufficient blood flow, the bone begins to die — so it breaks more easily and heals poorly. My form of the disease never healed. the femoral head died and fused with the rest of my hip. There are many who go through puberty and the hip heals itself. My childhood was spent in braces keeping my hips aligned to help with the healing process. I was never allowed to play like the other kids, participate in sports or pretty much anything else. It was a long childhood...that turned into long teenage years. From that and poor food choices by my parents and myself I became the fat kid. I was the one everyone made fun of. I had to ride the handicapped bus for 2 years and that's what started it all. The constant bullying made for a very angry girl/teenager. Fast forward to age 20, we went to the orthopedist's office to try and have my hip replaced but he refused stating there could still be some growth in the hip. Most of my 20's were spent on pain meds and weight gain and depression. In 1994 I decided to go on a diet. I went from 288 to 222 pounds in 6 months. I managed to keep it off for a year. It slowly crept back on...again, poor food choices and no exercise. When I was 28 I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis & Fibromyalgia. Medication was added as well as gaining weight. I was in such extreme pain and found comfort in food. In 2001 I found a surgeon in Seattle to discuss the possibility of hip replacement. At my appointment he was shocked it hadn't been replaced years ago and was disgusted at my previous provider's decision to not help me. During the surgery it took 5 people to dislocate my fused hip so they could replace it. Recovery was a long process and a lot of bad food choices since I couldn't cook. Even after having my hip replaced I struggled with my weight. When I married my 2nd husband in 2005 I weighed 304 pounds. Later that year I was diagnosed with Diabetes, peripheral neuropathy and a slew of other conditions. I was put on Metformin and over 2 years lost 40 pounds. I decided again to lose weight before I turned 40. I managed to get down to 221 pounds for about 6 months. My father passed away in December of 2012. I lost it...didn't care about anything. I was so depressed and had so much anxiety that I turned to binge eating for about a year. The physical pain was way better than the mental pain. I finally admitted to my provider at an appointment what I had been doing and we started working towards being healthy. Yet I still had a hard time controlling my diabetes, my RA was bad, the neuropathy was horrible and I felt so defeated. Like so many others I just gave up at that point. I ate what I wanted. My husband works nights so getting takeout was the easiest choice. I rarely cooked but when I did it certainly wasn't healthy food. In January of 2017 after many years of only having one insurance, I was able to be double covered!! I work for a Hospital and the insurance covered the bariatric surgery. I checked the benefits on my husbands insurance and sure enough...COVERED!!! I went to the seminar and from that point I decided this is what I needed to have done to save my life. (I've struggled with anxiety of thinking I am going to die at 60 like my dad did). Had my nutritionist visit, nutrition class, labs, EGD, EKG, Pre-op and surgery was May 8th. I like many others questioned my sanity after waking up from the surgery. I was so uncomfortable and in pain and depressed. That first day anyways...when I got home I felt much better. I am fully committed to this lifestyle change. I've struggled the past month with spasms, feeling too full, trying to get in my water requirement and the protein but this is what I signed up for. I want to live past 60. I want to be healthy. I want to get off my medications. I want to be happy with myself. Today my weight is 215. On admit I was 246 and on 5/10/17 I was 256. I am not in a hurry to lose the weight. I feel blessed where I am right now. I am still learning to listen to my stomach and not my head. I am focusing on the future and trying to live a healthy life. It's interesting to see what your stomach can and can't handle. Sometimes it's painful but heck at least I know for right now what I can eat. If you are reading this, thank you for taking the time. I know it's really long, I just wanted to share parts of my life and struggles with you. This surgery is a blessing. I am taking that blessing and holding it tight and am going to do what I need to in order to live a long life. Angie

Yes, I'm dealing with the same issues...because of the steroids it has caused weight gain n I'm having a difficult time trying to lose weight...I've been looking into ways on how I can deal with this being that I am limited in what I can do at the gym or any other physical activities...if u know of anything please share. Sent from my SM-N910T using BariatricPal mobile app

Congrats on GB surgery. I recommend you don't focus on averages or other people's weight loss as everyone is different and how much you lose the first 1-3 months is not indicative of what your overall results will be. Instead, focus on following your surgeon's plan and making progress on the issues that lead to weight gain. Good luck!

I have stalled and gained 15 pounds, i exercise 3 times a week and can hardly eat much. Im starting to wonder if my depo shot is to blame. Im 1 year out and have only lost 30 pounds. I have read so many stories about depo shot causing weight gain..has anyone else gone through this? Sent from my LGLS775 using BariatricPal mobile app