Search the Community

I don't have a bucket list per se because there isn't really anything my weight kept me from doing that I enjoyed, like going to football games (Go Eagles!) and amusement parks and things of that nature. I think I'm just looking forward to being a healthier person, more confident, breaking and getting rid of bad habits that led to the weight gain and incorporating all of the things I've learned along the way into my new lifestyle. I'm just fortunate that I was able to have the surgery to begin with and have had a lot of support throughout my journey.

I had the same thing with weight gain from Zoloft. I was at a normal bmi when I went on Zoloft and gained about 75 lbs in that year. That stopped really working for me and I was put on Paxil and again I gained more weight. These meds work for sure for depression and anxiety, and ppl have sometimes have no choice to be on them. For me it ended up causing more problems with the amt of wt I put on.

Zoloft is one of the safest meds for depression/panic attacks. I would ask your PCP to see if that's a good choice for you or not. Also weight gain is not a concern with Zoloft but there are other adverse events such as insomnia, dry mouth, Steven-Johnson syndrome, depression exacerbation, bleeding..... but again those are not very common side effects. Most people experience insomnia tho. As the natural product OTC goes, there is not a strong evidence that Mg citrate can help with depression/anxiety but it doesn't hurt to try but as long as you are not taking too much of it cause hypermagnesimia has very serious consequences. And just as a reference, I studying medicine and I am doctor of pharmacy. Good luck and I hope this helps

Has anyone gained weight when they first started eating regular foods ? And if so I would like to hear what happened......HELP!!!! Is this normal ?

Same here, my weight gain is from my choices and lifestyle- don't think anything is wrong with my pouch. I had gastric bypass so I didnt have a bougie as far as I know. Good for you on cooking at home and being conscience of what you are putting in your body. You are right, it's doable!!! We can all do it and I want this thread to stay alive also!! Let's be accountable, good, bad or ugly. We are all here for each other and understand the struggle. May God bless you and keep you[emoji173]️ -Mariela

I have been on anti depressants / anti anxiety pills since I was 15 and diagnosed with chronic depression/anxiety. I was off pills for a few years and then had such bad post partum after my third son, I was put on 100mg of Zoloft. It was the best anti anxiety med I've ever been on, didn't cause weight gain (because I was overweight to begin with and every doctor will tell you the "weight gain" happens with people who have weight to gain and it's usually only 5-10 pounds). I am now taking it post surgery and since I'm only a week out, my hormones are all messed up and making me very cranky. If I weren't in the Zoloft I believe I might have had a break down yesterday. (It was a bad day). Talk to your PCP. If they're any good, they'll start you on a small dose and monitor you. Natural pills never have worked for me in this area simply due to the severity of my anxiety Lastly, take this as concern only, if your anxiety is triggered by a plateau and weight, I would believe counseling or psychology would be the best first step. Then reassess during that process to see if pills are a good idea. I went to a few years of counseling before I was put on pills at 15. I went to a few more years of counseling while off pills in my late 20s. The only reason why I went back on was due to major hormonal shifts from pregnancy. I plan to get off of them again as soon as my hormones finish adjusting from weight loss. HW: 328 (02/21/17) SW: 271 (05/24/17) CW:

I have to say I'd be careful with a SSRI such as Zoloft they all cause significant weight gain. That said living with panic attacks and depression is no good either so you have to do what's best for your health. A psychiatrist would be best to advise you on it. There are meds that don't have the wt gain side effect if that is even something you are worried about. Deep breaths and Good luck with it.

I have a questions, what size is your Bougie? I'm wondering if that's the reason that we experiencing weight gain. I know that I requested my doctor to use a smaller size for me. I believe my size is a 30.

I'm 3weeks post RNY and gained 2 lbs in the past two days. How is this possible?!

I'm about 4.5 yrs out and have gained 40lbs, which I have gotten 15lbs off by working out like a crazy person. I wish I would of stuck to the road map I was given 4.5 yrs ago. It's a lot of work to start over, I'm 47, menopausal and it just flat out stinks. I was doing good, until 2 years ago, I had my appendix removed, then my gallbladder removed 2 weeks later and then I had to have hernia surgery and then I got an infection... then depressed & Made the worst decision, I did Not contact my weightlost surgeon & nutritionist & keep up on my bloodwork. Big mistake! Huge! Mistake! Slowly weight gain.... Got depressed & gave up.... until this past March just casually mention to my doctor, have you checked all my labs? Yes, I have checked all your levels. Well have you checked my B12? Yes Have you checked my Vitamin D? Yes, are you sure? Let me check. Oh I have Not! DingDing!!!! (I can't blame the doctor, she isn't a weightlost doctor, she is just a general practioner) my fault! Vitamin D levels were so low, almost had to have an infusion... bad very bad! I could go on and on!! Kicking myself so bad, but all I can do is pick myself up and start over... which I have and now I'm finally in Onederland again. But the skin sagging is horrible, but I'll take it over the health problems and I won't stop again. But it's a day by day struggle. Also very expensive lesson. Other than that, I don't regret the surgery, I regret abusing my Tool.... and not following the rules! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using BariatricPal mobile app

A sudden weight gain might be pointing to an underlying new condition (hypothyroidism or the like). Be sure to explore/rule out a physical cause. If you've just let yourself go, then getting back to basics will help. Protein, nonstarchy veggies, limited carbs, vitamins, non-caloric beverages. Good luck!

I did ask about the changes and I get why...I am already at 15g per meal. And 15g in one snack and zero in my other ( protein only ). I'm not sure how many fewer carbs I can eat. I track all my food and showed him. So apparently I do need the insulin. It just stinks that the weight gain along with it threw me for such a loop. I'm going up on my workouts hoping hat helps some.

First, are you type 1 or 2? Type 1 .. well, I have no experience. Have to defer that to more knowledgeable peeps. As for type 2.. I live with an insulin dependent type 2 diabetic. We do notice that his eating can vary widely on a day to day basis at home. When that is the case, he invariably needs more and more insulin. When he is in the hospital or rehab (unfortunately a frequent occurrence), the regular, consistent, counted meals result in his needing less insulin and weight loss. He is a hopeless case, and there is no fixing his home habits, so don't worry about him. But we can learn from him. In order to get control of things, you need to set up an eating schedule with counted carbs, and stick to it. Be extra conscientious about taking your blood sugar levels and adjust your insulin accordingly (if it's a system you can make modifications yourself). At first, don't change your eating habits, just keep track of them for at least a week. Once you know what you are eating, you can make tweaks. Drastic changes will likely result in low blood sugar levels, so make changes slowly. Meal management does become a full time job, but with your condition, that's part of the deal. The alternative, as you have discovered, is more insulin, weight gain, and possibly all the other diabetic complications.

I'm just curious & don't mean to sound selfish but I don't have any kids and all my friends kept telling me that I should have had a kid before I had bypass (04/03) but I didn't & I felt that I'm not ready for kid(s) I'm 27 & still it's like I kind of question should I have had kids or a child before getting the surgery... because of future weight gain when I decide too in which it's not on my mind the way the economy is and I'm still trying to reach other goals then weight lost but I guess I'm saying I don't want the weight gain but then again having a child or kids is not my concern either but did I do it wrong?

The Right Mindset for Smart Decisions It is no surprise that you are at your best when you are rested, relaxed, and confident. That goes for almost every aspect of your life, and it holds true for weight loss. Thinking clearly lets you “weigh” the consequences of the hard-boiled egg versus the French fries for a snack so you can see the benefits of choosing the egg for weight loss outweigh the benefits of choosing the fries for a few minutes of pleasure. Self-confidence also lets you make the right choices. When you are confident, you know that you have the power to choose. You realize that are not a victim of circumstances, and you do not need to eat something just because it is available to you. You know that you have the power to say no to the things you should not eat, and the power to find the things you should. Better Sleep, Better Choices Sleep is not just a luxury to feel guilty about. Adequate sleep may be the missing key to your weight loss program. When you get enough sleep, you have lower levels of a hormone called ghrelin. Ghrelin makes you hungry, and less ghrelin helps keep hunger in check. Getting enough sleep also lowers carb and sugar cravings and gives you the strength to make rational decisions. Think protein and veggies, not potato chips and cookies. Stress, Hormones, and Your Weight In addition to your daily choices, there are behind-the-scenes factors that can cause weight gain when you are stressed. Hormones affect your metabolism and can cause weight gain when they are not balanced. Too much stress, for example, raises levels of a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol increases raise your hunger levels, which can lead to you overeat. It also affects your fat storage. You might gain more fat in your abdominal area, which is a health risk for diabetes, heart disease, and more. Tips for Chilling Out The first trick for relaxing is to get over your guilt. It is not only okay to kick back, but it is healthy. It may be surprisingly tough when you are out of practice, though. Here are some ideas for stepping back from your busy life and giving your mind a chance to recover for a healthier body. Set aside 10 minutes for yourself every day. Meditate, take a bath, read, or do something else that is just for you. Get more sleep if you find yourself waking up tired or struggling to get through the day. Exercise most days. A quiet stroll on the beach or a hike may seem like out-of-reach dreams, but any exercise helps clear your mind. Restorative yoga, a cycling class, and home exercise DVDs all do the trick. Stretch. It loosens your muscles and gives you a chance to think through your day. Weight loss surgery success takes a lot of hard work, but there are some ways to get more bang for your buck without working harder. Take a chill pill, and you might find that the extra relaxation gives you the strength and stamina to lose more weight.

As we head into the long, lazy days of summer, why not get a little lazy yourself? It’s all in the name of weight loss, of course. Here’s why kicking back can help you lose weight, and ways to chill out for maximum benefits. The Right Mindset for Smart Decisions It is no surprise that you are at your best when you are rested, relaxed, and confident. That goes for almost every aspect of your life, and it holds true for weight loss. Thinking clearly lets you “weigh” the consequences of the hard-boiled egg versus the French fries for a snack so you can see the benefits of choosing the egg for weight loss outweigh the benefits of choosing the fries for a few minutes of pleasure. Self-confidence also lets you make the right choices. When you are confident, you know that you have the power to choose. You realize that are not a victim of circumstances, and you do not need to eat something just because it is available to you. You know that you have the power to say no to the things you should not eat, and the power to find the things you should. Better Sleep, Better Choices Sleep is not just a luxury to feel guilty about. Adequate sleep may be the missing key to your weight loss program. When you get enough sleep, you have lower levels of a hormone called ghrelin. Ghrelin makes you hungry, and less ghrelin helps keep hunger in check. Getting enough sleep also lowers carb and sugar cravings and gives you the strength to make rational decisions. Think protein and veggies, not potato chips and cookies. Stress, Hormones, and Your Weight In addition to your daily choices, there are behind-the-scenes factors that can cause weight gain when you are stressed. Hormones affect your metabolism and can cause weight gain when they are not balanced. Too much stress, for example, raises levels of a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol increases raise your hunger levels, which can lead to you overeat. It also affects your fat storage. You might gain more fat in your abdominal area, which is a health risk for diabetes, heart disease, and more. Tips for Chilling Out The first trick for relaxing is to get over your guilt. It is not only okay to kick back, but it is healthy. It may be surprisingly tough when you are out of practice, though. Here are some ideas for stepping back from your busy life and giving your mind a chance to recover for a healthier body. Set aside 10 minutes for yourself every day. Meditate, take a bath, read, or do something else that is just for you. Get more sleep if you find yourself waking up tired or struggling to get through the day. Exercise most days. A quiet stroll on the beach or a hike may seem like out-of-reach dreams, but any exercise helps clear your mind. Restorative yoga, a cycling class, and home exercise DVDs all do the trick. Stretch. It loosens your muscles and gives you a chance to think through your day. Weight loss surgery success takes a lot of hard work, but there are some ways to get more bang for your buck without working harder. Take a chill pill, and you might find that the extra relaxation gives you the strength and stamina to lose more weight.

You guys are my heroes! I constantly worry about how I will handle cravings but I also have been saying goodbye to bad foods, kinda like a little funeral for each of them and burying them all. I just want the body back that got all kinds of attraction from men, I don't want a man but I miss having the control that drives them crazy lol. I also miss looking in the mirror and not being totally disgusted with the shape I've become. I also miss buying sexy and sassy clothes the most. The list is endless and I'm happy that I now have the choice to change all these characters of defects, because the last ten years have proven me defeated and I want to defeat my weight gain and never look back. Thanks for sharing, very inspiring! Sent from my N9519 using BariatricPal mobile app

I personally would, because I never over-did alcohol in the first place, but I think people don't understand a few things: - Contributory factors of addiction in many of us who had eating problems shows this isn't a good thing to have post-op -- those who had food addictions are way too susceptible to substituting food addiction with alcohol addiction. This is something my hepatologist mentioned before surgery and I notice this is backed up by numerous scientific journals. - Nextly, many of us know that the surgery puts our body into panic but don't fully understand the extent. The liver, for example, goes into overdrive, producing massive ketones to burn glucose and fat throughout the body as a natural response to lack of carbohydrates to utilize as energy. It likewise has to work extremely hard to produce enough glucose to move through the bloodstream to make up for the lack of glucose due to the extreme carb and caloric deficit, so the body needs to have enough energy to function. This happens all the way until we've healed enough to go to a normal diet. So add alcohol to the stress the liver is going through and it's very easy to cause damage to it without even thinking. This isn't a huge deal for people with normal livers, but for the 20%+ of population who do have liver issues (diagnosed with 1st stage fatty liver or worse), it's not smart. I believe in a recent journal I read that over 90% of people entirely who go through VSG wind up having inflamed livers (showing in their enzyme levels) for a period of time. It needs to heal almost as much as the stomach does. So throwing alcohol into it one or two months into surgery I just don't find to be a good idea. Besides all the carbs in alcohol it's likely to cause stalls and weight gain, never mind the prior paragraph about liver damage. If you want attention find a guy. You've already made enough drama out of nothing. Go away.

Hello, I guess this is my introduction to the forum. I'm a 46 Y/O guy, about to go in for a revision to my RNY that was done a while back (exact date when I remember...) My new date is this coming Tuesday, May 30th, 2017. My first surgery was somewhat successful, but I guess I got tired of the restrictions and requirements after a while, and I started cheating more and more in my diet. I dropped down to around 300 lbs after starting at 618, my heaviest. A few years ago I had an accident, where I was left in a lot of pain, and since I didn't have insurance I left it go untreated, and that was the beginning of my weight gain, to where I'm now, 504 lbs as of last Monday. Well, here I am, not as excited as the first time, and not scared either, more of a feeling of "whatever". Now, don't get me wrong, I will make it work, it's not as fun being fat and 46, like it was being fat and 30. Anyway, I'm an open book, ask away if you have any Q's, and I'm looking fwd to learning from ya'lls successes and mistakes, especially now that I found a forum dedicated to guy's issues, because my first time around, it was mostly ladies, with very few guys, and most of those guys were young. Best Regards.

Hello, I guess this is my introduction to the forum, please point me in the right way if I'm in the wrong place. I'm a 46 Y/O guy, about to go in for a revision to my RNY that was done a while back (exact date when I remember...) My new date is this coming Tuesday, May 30th, 2017. My first surgery was somewhat successful, but I guess I got tired of the restrictions and requirements after a while, and I started cheating more and more in my diet. I dropped down to around 300 lbs after starting at 618, my heaviest. A few years ago I had an accident, where I was left in a lot of pain, and since I didn't have insurance I left it go untreated, and that was the beginning of my weight gain, to where I'm now, 504 lbs as of last Monday. Well, here I am, not as excited as the first time, and not scared either, more of a feeling of "whatever". Now, don't get me wrong, I will make it work, it's not as fun being fat and 46, like it was being fat and 30. Anyway, I'm an open book, ask away if you have any Q's, and I'm looking fwd to learning from ya'lls successes and mistakes, especially now that I found a forum dedicated to guy's issues, because my first time around, it was mostly ladies, with very few guys, and most of those guys were young. Best Regards.

Mixers tend to have a ton of carbs.. that has always been my choice too. Some prior post they were worried about carbonation and while that's relevant for gas pains it ignores the effect carbs have in halting weight loss or going the opposite direction and causing weight gain. The very reason many of us are here is due to a lack of self regulating so I hope the people going back to drinks so soon learned this in such a short period of time.. lest we read more threads of people confused as to why they're stalling and gaining while drinking.

No insulin, apparently it can cause weight gain so I'm on quite a mix of meds. Have gained weight though so worried though.

Hello! I've been offline for awhile and wanted to touch base. Today, I went to a consultation with another Dr., didn't realize it would be such an ordeal to find someone willing to take on a patient that already had a band. I lost faith in my former doc and have have a number issues with my band. I'm scheduled to have it removed August 25, 2017, a little over 8 yrs after having it placed. I've suffered with chronic reflux, heartburn, weight gain (20 lbs) and throat pain for the past 2 years and have finally found someone that will listen. The plan... have the band and scar tissue removed in August, 6 months later go back and have bypass surgery. Yep, I'm scared of the unknown and excited at the same time to be pain free.

The saggy skin issue was caused by weight gain not the speed or frequency of weight loss, so aside from plastic surgery once you reach goal weight, there's not much you can do to reverse it.

You have to do what's best for you! Once you have it done that's it, no going back. I was nervous leading up to my procedure but I did it! And I feel I had no choice. I was 235 pds at 4"11 yoyed for 6 years and was borderline diabetic & I think I have undiagnosed pcos from the weight gain over the years. I couldn't live another year like that. Hope you find comfort in your decision.