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I laughed when I saw your post. Not at you but at myself. Never really made it a goal but it has been in the back of my mind. And this tells you how long I have been fighting the weight. I have been hauling a pair of jeans around for over 20 years that I bought and wore exactly once.I always wonder if I will fit in them again. They were the begining of there at the beigining of the weight gain....maybe at the end too.

I got my Sleeve on March 18th which was also my Birthday. I thought it was completely serendipitous. I have avoided the scale after weighed myself on Day 2 after surgery and noted a 10 pound weight gain. I feel good physically most discomfort is at night. I am having a hard time getting in the recommended Water and Protein. It seems that eating and drinking takes all day. I am at a stage 2 diet and I was told to eat/drink 1 oz of Fluid every 10 minutes. I am constantly watching the clock. It seems this will not be doable when I return to work. I know it has to be for my health's sake, I just can't see it in my mind's eye yet. How long do we continue to need to sip every 10 minutes? Sent from my iPhone using VST

Hello Everyone, I am new to this site so I appreciate your help. I currenly have had the LapBand for a year now. I have had many issues with the Band(Including revision of portal site, intergestion, pain in area, weight gain and vomitting. I am having a new DR remove the lapband next week and I was thinking of then going to get the Sleeve Procedure done. Did anyone decide to make this decision and has any insight for me? Thank you again, Jennifer.

I've been flamed many times in chat or with a post....some just feel that me saying I don't use Protein powders....or diet foods....or go to a gym....or count calories....or go on a diet....is so wrong. Look, it's simple. Get the band. Get the adjustments. Get restriction. Get a reality check. Get smaller clothes. Get real. Get the band. Won't work if you don't have it. Plus, the band makes the most common sense. Cut off the pipes and you'll lose the weight...not a maybe...but will. Get the adjustments. Won't work if you don't get adjustments. Decide on a fill doc before surgery. Make sure you see 'em at 6 weeks and every 4 weeks after. Don't need a followup...cancel. But always make sure you have the appointment every 4 weeks til YOU decide you've got restriction. Get restriction. Don't be a baby! You are going to have to cut down on the quantity of food - that's the point of the lapband system. Don't want to cut down on the amount of food - don't get the lapband. So what if you slime from time to time....it's all a learning process and you need to allow yourself time to re-learn how to eat. But this isn't saying that if you vomit that you shouldn't see your doc, quite the contrary. Vomiting isn't good. But sliming, as long as you are in the process of re-learning how to eat...it's a tool. Get a reality check. This time to relearn how to eat is crucial. Eat a few bites and walk away from your food - it will always be there...you don't need it all now. Want something sweet- have it. But only a bite or two. If you can say..."nah, I'll skip that"...you are already on the right track. This is about choices. It's not easy during this time. I remember thinking I was going to DIE because I was so weak from not eating (massive amounts of food). Your body will go through withdrawal symptoms....you can bet on that. But you prevail! And remember, it's not forever. If you are hungry...eat! Get smaller clothes when you reach goal....it's a motivator as well when you walk around in potatoe sacks...makes you want to go faster. Get real. You know how you got fat, you now KNOW it doesn't take much food to fuel the human body. You now are amazed at the difference in the amount of foods you eat. You go to a buffet with your family, you get a teaspoon of everything...a sampling if you will. And you are so satisfied to finally 'taste' something...instead of inhailing. Keep your scales, pay attention to your new clothing. Weigh weekly, then every two weeks. But step on those scales at least 2x a month. And if you see weight gain, or your clothing getting tighter.... modify your diet. Maybe that soda pop put you over the edge...or you found you ate 2 pieces of your mom's sweetpotatoe pie. No worries, just modify things. Your new life is about nutrition, not dieting. Ensure you get the fuel to run your body like a well oiled machine.

honestly, there are more people who never make it all the way to their goal than there are those who lose too much, but that said, you can always increase your calories to either stop your weight loss or gain a few pounds if you think you're getting too thin. So I wouldn't worry about that at all. I lost 100% of my excess weight and yes, for a time I was "too thin", but I was also aware that a majority of us have a 10-20 lb rebound weight gain during year 3. And I did. In addition, even before the rebound gain, things (fat, I guess?) tends to re-distribute itself after a big loss, so even though I weighed the same for awhile, I started looking a lot better. My face filled out, etc - even before that gain. as far as it being hard - the first year, it wasn't too bad - esp before my hunger and appetite came back at month 5. For those first few months, for the first time in my life, I wasn't thinking about food at all the time. In fact, I didn't think about it much at all - and at times didn't even want any. Even though it was weird not to ever be hungry and to not give a flip about food, I found it very liberating! But things changed at month 5 when suddenly my hunger came back (and it does for most of us sometime during the first year). Then you're dealing with the hunger beast again, although it's not as strong as it was before surgery. But I wanted more than anything to lose this weight once and for all, so I really stuck to my program and lost it all (weight loss didn't stop until I was almost two years out, though - I had A LOT to lose!) it does get harder after the first year because diet fatigue sets in, as well as some old habits. You really, really have to watch yourself. And eight years out, I have to continue to watch myself. It's so easy to slip into old habits. But I have a "drop dead weight" limit - I weigh myself once a week now, and if I hit that limit - or come close to it - I cut back until my weight is safely within the limit again. But this really isn't any different from most of my never-been-obese friends. So many of us have to monitor our weight and to cut back when it starts getting too high. anyway, yes, it can be hard - esp when your hunger comes back and your motivation starts to wane, but unlike before, your effort actually pays off. You put in the work, and the weight comes off (or stays off). Before, the most I could ever lose is about 50 lbs (and even that was rare - most of my dieting ended up with a 10 or 20 lb loss). And inevitably, it will all come back. Happened every time. BUt this time, it worked!

Vegas... perhaps you are not eating enough and your body went into starvation mode and is hoarding all your calories? Add 1 more shake a day, see if that helps. Also, your period is a big contributor. Mine should be starting any day now too, and I am hoping this weight gain is partly due to that, but I'm not counting on it. Also, are you exercising at all? that might help some too. These are just guesses from a lifetime of dieting. Fingers crossed for you to see that scale move the other direction soon.

Hi: I've been banded for more than four years. Been struggling with my band for the past six months with weight gain and being able to eat alot more than I used to. Tried the fill method with small, but frequent fills. My surgeon did a barium test a couple of weeks ago and he said he's filled me as much as he will because the stream of barium is very small below the band, so the band is tight enough. However, I can still eat way too much. He's recommending that my band be emptied and then start the fills gradually again. Has anybody done this? How does this help? Did it work for you? Please advise. I've got to do something! Thanks. Sue

Hello everyone thx for commenting! I will try the shakes. I have done some research on weight gain shakes. so far I have tried whey protien powder, with oatmeal, banana, peanut butter, and whole milk. it was pretty tasty so I will contiune those in between meals and see how that works. @SqueakyWheel&Ethyl thanks for the kind words, my family and friends all say i look great and dont look sickly skinny as I think I do.. you have a hand full of folks that think i lost too much weight but I am sure they have said it to others and not me. I am actually a little smaller than I was in high school and I have always been very curvy (thick or thin) but now I am starting to see the curvy vanish and that's bothering me more than anything. I guess this is why they say it's important to attend support groups and ect after but I have failed to do so. I have also not been taking my vit. like I should and I also stopped drinking the protien shakes. maybe that all played a part in me loosing too much. I have also checked on my BMI and I currently at a normal and healthy weight just struggling to see that in the mirror!

I have to totally agree with your husband. I find TV and computer to be very addicting in the evening. I directly attribute my weight gain to change in activity level when I went to grad school. I had lived in a college town where I walked everywhere (parking was unavailable/too expensive). Then I would go run/weightlift/swim for fun. When I went to grad school you had to drive everywhere. My job subsequently was sedentary and my babies kept my busy. I think the support that we have here is great and really important. I think all modern people im america need to watch our lifestyles.

Hi, I'm a mental health counselor and Effexor is NOTORIOUS for causing weight gain and difficulty to lose. Normally it causes people to feel hungry. Talk to your physician about trying a different anti-depressant. I know I would! The important thing is that you keep up the great cardio work and diet while you transition (if that's what your doc decides for you). Good Luck!!!

My 2 cents worth -- I don't think that it is the Effexor (venlafaxine). The effexor does 1 or the other: decrease your appetite/decrease your weight OR increase your appetite/increase your weight. With the banding, you appetite is under control therfore we should not see the weight increase. However on a metabolic level it may cause edema. The +/- 3 lbs on the scale you may be seeing might be fluid fluctuations. You may not be getting enough calories each day. You may want to try and aim for 1200 calories and maybe even up to 1300 to 1400 calories for 2 days to get your metabolism going. If you stay in nutrient deprevation too long that will decrease your metabolism and halt weight loss, may even promote weight gain at lower calorie levels for an extended amount of time. Unfortunately, weight loss is not a perfect science and we have to work and tweak until we find the right calorie fit for our body type. I know it's Frustrating. Hang in there! Melissa Lea

I think everyone is right. It may be the Effexor. I've went down from 150 mg to 75 mg and my doctor just now prescribed me 37.5 mg pills. I'm going to slowly get off of it. A very kind LBT'er here PM'd me and told me to try Abilify for my mania since it's currently not being treated. She has a friend that did it and when all other meds caused weight gain, on Abilify her friend started to LOSE weight....

Hi Jill. I'm at that 'arthritis of unknown origin' point. Have been for a few years now. The rheumatologist has tested me over and over and keeps an eye on my inflammatory markers. I take anti-inflammatory meds and methotrexate with folic acid. What are you prescribed now that you have a definitive diagnosis? I'm really curious to know as this chronic illness and the pain that goes along with it is draining at times...especially now that I'm in a flare and back on steroids. Hi gowalking: In regards to what I am prescribed now that I have a diagnosis, I have been on several things. I started out with methotrexate and he wanted me to take prednisone too but I told him no because of all the side effects especially weight gain with that. I only took methotrexate for a couple of months I didn't see any difference on that other than my hair breaking off. Next he had me try Emberel, that made my pain a 100 times worse and he wanted me to keep taking it for 6 months. After the 2nd month I had to stop, the pain from that was too intense. Then he had me try Humira, luckinly they gave it to me in his office the first time because within about 30 seconds after they gave it to me I started pouring down sweat, got extremely nauseous and my scalp was on fire. I was literally drenched within seconds, it was actually quite scary! No more bioligics for me n though he wanted me to try remicade to, but I said no after trying the other 2. He them had me try sulfazine, that killed my stomach and I couldn't kep taking that either. So now I am on arava, generic is leflunomide which is to help keep inflammation down. I also take hydrocodone, flexeril and some other pain meds as needed. I hate taking medicine and told my doctors I want to manage my health conditions with the least amount of meds a possible. I have been through some severe flares and I have to just tough through them as best I can. I try my best to keep my stress level down which is hard to do. if my doctor brings up any medicine that one of the first side effects is weight gain, I tell him don't even bother talking to me about it, that it cant be good for my joints to gain weight. In the beginning when he was changing so mch medicine I did gain like 30 pounds, I was so mad. I have also lost 2 inches in height in 3 years already, used to be 5' 10, now 5'8, not too happy about that either. Anytime some new symptom comes up I try to talk to him about it at the next apt, because I still think there are other things brewing. My problem is I don't know of anyone in my family that has anything like this, so I have no one to talk to about it, because they don't really understand the anything I go through on a daily basis. I think the worst thing for me is the fatigue that it causes. I work a lot and the fatigue really gets in the way. its nice to know that there are others out there that have similar things and we can all learn a little form each other....Jill

Hello to All...... I feel bad because I havn't posted here in months but yet I find myself back to ask you all for some help!! I know this is a great place for support and I really need it now! Here is my problem........... I went on a cruise this past weekend with some girlfriends for a little "me time!" I have two beautiful little girls who I absolutly adore and this is the first time I have done anything like this. Well, I endulged a little too much. I came home and hit the scales first thing yesterday morning and I GAINED 5lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!! YIKES!!!!!!!!! This sounds crazy but we all took are scrapbooking stuff and this was an organized scrapbooking cruise. A lot of late nights eating JUNK to keep me awake (scrapping until 3am- 2 nights in a row). I also endulged on a lot of vanilla-mocha and fancy Desserts that I didn't have to pay for. (well, I payed for it but I am sure you know what I mean if you have been on a cruise) OUr group also had a couple of FREE cocktail hours!! So my question is this...........What have some of you done to loose those few lbs that you have put on? I HAD lost 62lbs before the 5lb weight gain. I have been at a slow pace the past month in a half. I had surgery on 4/3/06. I need a PUSH start again and I am up for any advice to get these 5 off along with another 5 before Christmas Festivities begin!! Up until this point I havn't experienced gaining weight, just maintaining for a long time. (since I was banded) The frustrating thing is I don't feel like I ate a whole lot of food, so it must be the coffee drinks and desserts I just had to try. (My girlfriend said to me........"How many of those people on the Titanic wished they would of had desert with there dinner." Gosh, that sounds horrible, and I guess I took it litterly.) ON a positive note: This was the most "comfortable" vacation I have had in a long time. I was able to keep up with everyone and I WASN'T the biggest person in my group!! :cool: I am up for any suggestions!! Thanks for reading!! Jen:help:

Well the thing is that ever since I had all of the Fluid taken out, YES I could eat more (in quantity and in choice). By no means am I blaming ALL of my weight gain on not being able to eat the right things, because some of it is me eating the wrong things. However, lately, I will get "stuck" on the first bite of something. There is really no rhyme or reason to what I can and can't eat. I don't even TRY any type of plain meat (no sauces or anything to make it really slippery) or bread or anything like that. I was on vacation last week and we went to a mexican restaurant to Celebrate someone's birthday. I had one bite of my fiance's burrito -- which was smothered in cheese) and I was stuck the rest of the day, actually vomiting 8 times before it finally became "unstuck." It was miserable. I have never had that bad of a problem -- and I literally had one SMALL bite. I am now to the point where I have problems eating every day -- sometimes more than once a day. After getting back from vacation I was mostly eating Soups and "mushies" because I thought maybe my band had been irritated. I could feel it going down but it didn't get stuck -- it just felt like it was moving slowly. So I slowly worked my way into eating "normal" foods and NO....wasn't happening. The thing is that it's on and off. I can eat popcorn one day and the next, I can't even eat yogurt. I made some chicken salad with the canned chicken and some low fat mayo -- had problems. I tried to eat some fruit --had problems. But I could eat popcorn and of course any type of sweets. I could always eat salads and soups in restaurants but salads have been giving me problems....and any kind of Soup with anything in it besides liquid. Believe me, I have been through this long enough to know how to chew, know how to swallow even....I know what I should and shouldn't be able to eat. It doesn't make sense! And, I have no fill.....that is what makes it ridiculous to me! Thanks for your all's input....

PCOS is <!--StartFragment -->Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Here's a link that explains the syndrome and its various symptons, which include weight gain. http://www.webmd.com/hw/womens_conditions/tw9104.asp?src=Inktomi&condition=Healthwise

I know it's hard when you see the scale go the wrong way...but rest assured, there is NO way that you actually gained 4 pounds...you would have had to have eaten 14,000 calories for that to happen. It can be so many things....water retention, sodium, muscle gain, etc. I had to finally put the scale away because I was eating 600-700 calories, and gaining 1-2 pounds...it's not real weight gain, so the scale is now hidden and I can only weigh once a week. As my husband tells me ALL the time...I have to look at the entire forest, not just the trees. It'll come off!

I take sedating medicine, and stopped smoking around 14 years now. I believe that this has made it harder for me to move forward with my weight loss, with the Gastric Lap Band, which I've had 16 years ago now. I wont change the banding, cause I know if I get it removed, bye bye to the weight loss, bring on the weight gain. So far I've lost the ideal weight, then I stopped the smoking and it increased. I have 50 lbs to go now, I can do it. Can anyone related to this at all?

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

Mj did you get the revision bc of acid reflux or weight gain? How long did it take to get approved? If it was due to Gerd, did you have to do a lot of tests to get approved? I was told I would have to do like 3 tests; scope, swallow test and another test where a device is attracted to my esophagus , I wear a device around my waist and everytime I experience acid reflux I press a button and it takes a pic and measures the amt of acid

I'm throwing this here cause it's more of a rant than a question. Just wanna complain to some people who may get it. To get it out of the way, I am not mad at the psychologist, or the clinic or anything like that. I understand why I need more therapy prior to getting surgery and I fully agree that addressing problematic behaviors is important for long term success. The support of bariatric psychologists and support groups is why I decided to go with a hospital close to me that offers that stuff as part of the program instead of going to Mexico where it'd be much much cheaper as a self pay patient. All that being said, I can't help but feel a bit down trodden and frustrated. I go to therapy frequently, and have for years. The past few years I've felt like I was doing really well. I hadn't had any major bouts of depression or anxiety that lasted for notable periods of time. There had been a few hiccups but they were promptly addressed and such. I thought I was gonna pass this thing with flying colors. Alas, nope. My psychologist that was evaluating me asked if any of the doctors or surgeons I had visited over the years had asked about my relationship with food cause she was seeing some concerning things, and honestly they haven't. That isn't to say I haven't talked with my therapist about my weight, it's just that eating patterns and behaviors themselves weren't ever really discussed. It was more just acknowledgement that depression and anxiety had contributed to weight gain. The bariatric psychologist also stated she doesn't think my current medications are working as well as I think, and that based on what I described as "normal" eating for myself, I am self-medicating with food in addition to the medications, and she'd like to make sure that I won't spiral once that food aspect is no longer a possibility. So I am now scheduled to see a therapist who specializes in bariatric surgery and disordered eating (she doesn't think I have Binge Eating Disorder, but she does think that my eating is disordered), and we'll check in 90 days later. The psychologist did repeatedly thank me for being honest though, so there's that 😕 I had a bit of a cry session yesterday when I found out. I am continuing to remind myself that the behavior and mental support part is why I chose to go with the hospital I did over other places. This is essentially what I wanted. I don't want to fail at this. I know it'll pass and a few months (hell even a year or two) is a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of my life. It just doesn't seem that way in the moment and I'm just super bummed out.

My husband NEVER notices weight gains/ losses. Which is awesome when I got super heavy. But now I'm thinning out again(for GOOD) and I'm like, dude where my compliments at? I gotta fish for them sometimes, but once I point out that I've reached certain goals, or that certain things fit/don't fit, he will obvs be excited and supportive. Sometimes ya just gotta go get those notices yourself [emoji849][emoji23]

I had my lap band put in on June 12 th. It was a long process. I finally decided to pursue it after being rejected by a fertility clinic due to my weight which at the time was around 150 and because I was 40. I started going through the process of getting the surgery authorized when I decided to get a second opinion from another fertility clinic. They were willing to work with us. I am using my younger sister's eggs. Thank you sister! Any way because I was fearful of failure of either procedure failing I went through the process of both without informing one of the other until I knew for sure. I had to go through several appeals and hoops to get the lap band approved and as luck would have it they both were coming to fruition in June. So it was time for disclosure and Decisions. I went first to the lapband team at park nicollet in mn. I had had a very brief conversation with a nutritionist ptior to my second opinion and eas somewhat hopeful. The response from the surgeon once ascertaining my reasonings for waiting was that life is complicated, that the main concerns with bariatric and pregnancy is directed at nutrition. My surgeon noted minimal nutritional issues with the band, that the females bodies put needed nutrition to the baby first, and that people in poverty have healthy births. also noted was the majority of healthy births to women with lap bands. It was also pointed out that with the band that less weight gain during pregnancy the healthier. The fertility doc didn't care as long as the surgeon stayed away from my pelvic area. So. Surgery was completed and I am feeling geat and in about 7 days I will ( hopefully) have my Ivf implantation. I wanted to share my story to give a different experience or prompt new conversations with your treatment team. I wish you the best. Sorry for the length of this. I just ran across this site and was so excited.

Actually about 3 months ago I gained about 4 pounds back...someone at work said my pants looked tight and I cut carbs completely for 8 weeks (KETO) and lost those plus a few more...I really think weight gain that is significant has to be from spiraling out of control with grazing and poor food choices...I mean that's how I gained those 4 pounds and it scared the crap out of me! Are you gaining?

Just a quick note for those who HAVE NOT had your surgery yet.....ask how much it will cost to remove it should the need arise. I know it is not something you like to talk about and figure "that will not happen to me" but I am now in the position just over a year after paying nearly $18,000 to have it put in! I have been having issues that never came up as a possible problem that will possibly require removal. Espophagitis/gastritis for the past 6 months. I had a good 6 months of the band then had to have my gallbladder removed. It has been problematic every since! I am not convinced it is my band and will see the doc tomorrow about it (his office called me to come in and discuss removal ~ that is not a fun call to get!) Here I sit feeling like I made a bad investment. I worry about weight gain (glad I did not get rid of all my clothes!) I will not opt for any other surgery. WE will see what he has to say tomorrow.