Search the Community

I think you had a unique situation because you needed to get off a drug because of bad side effects and having withdrawal symptoms that were not helped with the paxil. I've been on both drugs and have had good results with both. Of course one size does not fit all. I've totally gone off my meds before to go on Meridia and I remember how uncomforable the withdrawal phase was and then the un-med phase was just as bad or worse. Dizzy is one way to describe it although it's a different kind of dizzy. I also got what I call "brain sparks" which happened over a course of a couple of weeks and that is really awful. Even today if I miss a dose by 12 hours I'll get them, it's a little reminder of sorts I suppose. Recently I was researching on line because I was having those "brain sparks" and found all sorts of blogs from people describing issues they had going off effexor, so that must be one of those drugs that a lot of people have had probs with during withdrawal. Now a days if I'm going off an antidepressant I'm usually switching so depending on which drugs they are it can be done at the same time, lower dose of the first drug and adding the new one. My doctor usually informs me of the proper way to do it and I usually have no probs. I'm kind of surprised that a doctor wouldn't know about side effects on withdrawals from these types of meds. I have been on those "zombie" type drugs but mainly they were anti-anxiety types. Forgive me if I ask or re-ask if you're seeing a psych doctor or a regular doctor. Have you been diagnosed with something in particular? I think sometimes a lot of people don't like taking these types of drugs because they don't like the feeling like they're losing control of themselves. When I was first seeing my psych I believe I was crying at almost every visit in the beginning, my emotions were running rampant and I also had a very agitated side that was not good. Once she put me on my first antidepressant, sorry don't remember the name as it was a long time ago, those tears dried up and the lashing outs, diarrhea (yes that too) and the vulnerable feelings I was having disappeared. It's not to say that I don't ever cry but I cry when I'm supposed to, not all day long! I admit the loss of sex drive, plus I'm perimenopausal so could also contribute and weight gain are things that do bother me but I could not live without my meds anymore. Your doctor has to find the right diagnosis for you and the right combo of therapy and meds and of course the right combo of meds. Some people being misdiagnosed can be a problem, for example people who are bipolar and put on antidepressants. Not all bipolar people are alike. You typically think of manic highs and lows but some never have the highs only the lows so it can be tricky and if they're put on antidepressants it's not going to help and could do harm. Plus it takes awhile for you to get the full effects of the drug once you start. I went from Cymbalta to Pristiq but they are very similar in drug class and I've had the Cymbalta in my system for years but when you start it's a different situation. For some people they may have a bad reaction and need to stop like you did on effexor but there's no reason not to try another one. Some people do feel good right away and some it may take awhile. Anyway my big mouth has rambled on enough, lol. But I do hope you can find the right help for yourself and the right med that will help you feel better soon, nanook:smile:

I was fat because I ate more calories than my body burned. That simple. But in all honesty, it all started with a brain tumor (on my pituitary gland) which basically wreaked havoc on my hormones and adrenal functions. But once that got treated I still found it difficult to lose because I'd developed all kinds of bad habits when going throguh the terrible depressing 200+ pound weight gain in a 6-month period from the tumor. Anyway, that's behind me. It's up to me to lose the rest and, with the band, I know I can!

Lifestyle more than anything else has been my problem. I had a wonderful childhood, great mother and family. Up until the last few years I have been very active, played lots of golf and worked 100 hour weeks for 30 years. I was able to do so because I required little sleep and in general was in very good health considering my weight. . I strongly feel that my problem was that I was on the road a lot and relied mostly on fast food (about 2/3 of all meals). I graduated from high school weghing 180 pounds From 1965 to 1988 I gained about 250 pounds. Since 1988 I am down about 30 pounds from a high of about 475. In retrospect I was gaining about 1 pound a month, that's a little over 100 calories a day. I have a wife who also is heavy and loves to snack at night, an additional problem since seeing her eat triggered my appetite. Looking back it seems that it would have taken so little to avoid my tremendous weight gain, eliminating a piece of bread, soda etc daily would have made a huge difference. Since 1988 I have needed to change eating habits to keep from gaining and aditional weight. At first it was eliminating the soda, then late night snacking etc. Now I eat a very heathy diet with very few refined carbs and that is what is required simply to stay even. I am due for lapband surgery soon and hopefully I can drop enough weight to start exercising so I can increase my metabolism. As you would expect I have constant back pain and joint problems. Moving from the midwest to the Northwest has been an eye opener. There is no question that there is more emphasis here on a healthy life style. People are far more active and make better eating choices. I also now have many neighbors from their 40's to mid 80's who are extremely fit. My friends back in the midwest were all heavy, ate lots of unhealthy food and exercised little. For years I passed the buck and simply blamed genetics and thought that poeple who were thin were simply born with "skinny genes". I am sure that helps, but my neighbors are all very disiplined about exercising and they eat very healthy diets, that more than anything else accounts for difference between us. So friends, in my case lifestyle and lack of self disipline has been my downfall.

Yes, right here! While I lost 85 lbs initially, the complications I had with the band (inability to eat due to getting stuck on freaking Water, constant vomiting, hernia, constant pain, etc) caused me to have to get the band completely unfilled. This lead to a 50 lb weight gain. While my band was unfilled, I did three rounds of Insanity, Weight Watchers, South Beach Diet, T25, did 5Ks twice a month, and STILL gained all that weight back. Now that I've had the sleeve about two months, I've lost 57 lbs with very minor issues (reflux, but it's treatable with an acid blocker). I wish I'd done the sleeve the first time, but I always have to do things the hard way. Do what is right for you, but go in with your eyes open. I wish you the very best of luck! Heather

Well for me, being fat has been a life long struggle. From childhood to age 17 I was VERY active, on soccer teams, dance, tap, cheerleading, gymnastics, then when I was in 7th grade my school started a swim team. I always loved to swim and I thought I was pretty good, so I tried out, and I made it, from 7th grade until when I dropped out in 11th, I was a competitive swimmer. I worked out 6x a week 2-3 hours a day. And guess what? I was the second biggest girl on the team! I wasn't consuming huge amounts of food besides the night before a meet when we carb loaded. After I dropped out, that's when things went downhill. I started realizing that there was something wrong, like why couldn't I be a normal size when I was working out so much. Well then came college a few months later, and being such a shy person, I didn't ever want to go to the gym alone, so I rarely went. Then I left that school, got a job, had no means of working out really. Then I was back in school, but still didn't work out, and basically I haven't really worked out since I left high school. I did discover that the constant weight gain was due to PCOS, and that I was almost fighting a losing battle. Finding out about the PCOS was such a breakthrough it explained a lot, like dark black facial hair, yeah, how embarrassing. Late 2008 I finally decided to look into weight loss surgery. Now I'm STILL trying to get surgery, having difficulty due to stupid doctors who are big babies, or assholes. But I'm close.

I most closely relate to the reason Jack said hewas fat. It is about control for me. I first started gaining weight consistently since 1997 when I moved in with my now husband. It is the first time I was away from home, and away from a controlling and abusive family. When I moved into my new place I had ULTIMATE control. I could eat when I want, what I wanted, and as much as I wanted. That is exactly what I did. Also, my husband is a huge eater. I would sit with him and think that he would eat everything if I didn't take it first. So, I ended up eating more than I wanted or needed. All that plus little exercise=weight gain.

I know what you mean regarding control. I think that was a significant factor in my weight gain. When I got married at age 23, I was slim and fit - @125lb, 38-23-34. I made the mistake of marrying a man I didn't know as well as I thought I did and he turned out to be an incredible control freak as well as a violent drunk (he's now an EX ). Our lifestyle changed drastically after the wedding (no more going out dancing all night, full meals every night, etc) and I started to gain a little weight. He used to berate and belittle me every time I ate, so of course I rebelled by eating more and even sneaking food when he wasn't watching. Within a few years, I had gained about 20-30lb and his favourite refrain when slapping me about was "You FAT UGLY PIG!!" (This was at about 140lb!) With my self-esteem crushed, I turned to food for comfort (yeah I know, lots of other issues there, but that was significant). By the time I got out of the marriage 8 years later, I was about 160lb - overweight but not huge. I can clearly remember the first four years of being single again, when I did things like hang out in the refrigerator at night saying things like "Haha! Watch me eat this!! You can't stop me now!!" I deliberately put on the fat suit, partly because of that "defiance" aspect and partly because I wanted to keep men away - both were desperate attempts at taking a measure of control in my life. By the end of 4 years of single life, I had put on another 60lb and was around 220lb. At that stage, I sought therapy for my issues with self-esteem, the marriage and how I had managed to get myself into that situation. The therapy helped a lot and I really came to terms with who I was and how I had arrived there, but unfortunately the fat suit wasn't as easy to take off as it was to put on. Since then, I went through various stages of dieting and failure, and thinking I had accepted the weight and settled for being a "fat person" forever. I slowly yo-yoed my way up another 55lb until I hit my all time high of 275lb last year (15 years post-marriage). Now that I have made the change and been banded, I realise that I had never really accepted it and I am now finding comfort in having the control to be able to take the weight off. I'm looking forward to finding the "real me" under this fat suit.

Aubrie... did the endo look at whether you have PCOS? I was diagnosed almost 30 years ago and my daughter has it too. One of the problems with PCOS is that you gain weight, seemingly for no reason. Coupled with this I had terrible sugar cravings. My doctor at the time told me 2 things: "lose weight" and "when you want to get pregnant we can help you." Not much help really. I couldn't stick with a diet long enough to lose and I got pregnant without his help. LOL Anyway, last year I saw a TV show about a woman who gained no matter what she did. Turned out she had PCOS, but now days they actually try treating it with medication. I finally asked my current doctor about it and she prescribed the same meds for me. I cannot say it made me lose more than a couple pounds but it TOTALLY helped with the sugar cravings and I stopped gaining, which is at least something. Between the lack of cravings and the band I feel like I finally have the tools for success available to me. I'm going for my band May 2nd. Woohoo!!! :clap2: One last thing. I found out yesterday at my psych eval that there are antidepressants that CAUSE weight gain. Don't know if this is a factor for you or not... but I was sure surprised to hear it. Good luck with everything.

Why am I so fat... okay.... I'm the youngest of 7 children. Mom & Dad (poorly educated) always working. Dad was a happy lovabe drunk, always worked but had no time for us kids. Mom (who can't read, write or drive) struggled with two jobs just to keep us fed. My Mom know's what starvation is and never wanted her kids to ever know that feeling. Our dinner table was always full of breads, potatoes, Pasta, rice, starches, anything that stuck to 9 hungry bellies. Never abused physically as a kid but emotionally negelected, okay, totally ignored. Never encouraged, never complemented. If I was noticed I was mocked for being fat. I wouldn't dare open my mouth because no matter what I said I was shot down and called stupid. food became my best friend, my love. It never put me down and it was always there by my side, It was my way out and it felt so good, still does. Lived with alot of people but grew up very lonely. Still to this day, I can be in a room with 100 people and still feel alone. My Weight Chart: Age 0 - 7: Skinny kid. Age 7: moved to a new town, very shy, no friends, started gaining weight. Age 7 - 20: Highest weight was 300+ Age 20: My Father died of Cancer. Shortly after I met the love of my life (so I thought), he dumped me and I was so heart broken I couldn't eat for months, I mean this man loved me, all 300 lbs of ME. So the depression and starvation process began. Age 22: I weighed 150 lbs (starvation). Age 23 - 25: Met new boyfriend, fell in love, got married - weighed 160 lbs Age 25 - 33: Kept weight between 175 - 185 lbs (but notice it rising). Age 33: Sister died unexpected. Rapid weight gaining started 100 + lbs. Major depression starts. Age 36: Weighed 226 lbs (got pregnant and swore I wouldn't get any bigger). Age 37: Had DD and at the end of the pregnancy weighed 260 lbs, lost 38 lbs and gained it back same year (postpartum depression is why I lost the 38). Age 38: Weighed 250 lbs. Age 39: Lost 30 lbs with Atkins Diet Age 40: Gained back 30+ lbs lost on Atkins Diet Age 40: Diagnosed with ADHD Age 40: I weigh approximately 254 lbs. Age 40: Tired of losing the battle, tired of the struggle, TIRED! Age 40: Seeking Lapband I have arthritis in my knees since I'm 12 (and in my back). Bone spurs and DDDisease in my spine. I have gone to psy doctors for therapy time and time again...sigh. My entire life I have been on every stinkin diet there is, tried all diet pills. Last diet pill tried was this year, May, 2005, Merida (still some left in my purse). July, 2005 - Researching Lap Band Surgery August 2, 2005 - Going to Doctor for medical lap band referal. August 9, 2005 - Going to Surgeons Seminar on lap band. This is me..... Eileen

I started gaining weight in my late teens early twenties, just a little bit at a time. As an early mid teen I did some modelling, and wanted to become a model. At 5'9" I was just 135lbs. The modelling agency I wanted to sign with wanted me to drop 10lbs and 3 inches off my 37" hips. I decided I didn't want to model, since I felt Ideally I actually needed to gain 5-10 pounds at that time, and definitely didn't think I could lose and still be healthy. I was a loner, I was shy, I was unpopular. Kids, particularly other girls used to tease me a lot, they used to call me a lot of names, stuck up, slut, whore, - I didn't know what I had done 'wrong' - my family constantly reassured me saying they were just jealous, they told me I was beautiful and smart. I got good grades, and modelling offers didn't I? and a lot of attention from boys and men, which when I ignored the cat calls and 'attention' - I got those remarks again - stuck up, bitch... the reaction from guys who don't have their attentions returned. Hell, I was a kid, I was shy. I wanted to be liked. I was smart... I decided to try being less smart, less pretty. I started gaining weight, the less smart I seemed, and the more weight I gained, the more I seemed to be accepted. In college the girls were less catty, I didn't seem to stand out so much, I started to feel a little more normal somehow. I still wasn't obese, I was plump, I still felt pretty. I don't think any of it was a super conscious decision, at least with the weight gain, I did 'dumb myself down' intentionally on occasion. I was torn in two directions all the time, I wanted to be smart and pretty, and I didn't. I was torn between wanting to please people, and wanting to strive for perfection, I was pretty mucked up. I got into a relationship with a not so nice guy, he didn't treat me very well, my self esteem took a turn for the worse, and I gained a little more weight, I had crept up to about 175, It's funny, because I felt fat then, now I would be unbelievably thrilled to be 175!. I broke up with him, plateaued for a while, got together with an unbelievably wonderful man, who I've been together with now for 13 years. After a couple of years in that relationship my first episode of depression hit me, I gained during that, and found myself around 200 or so pounds. My weight stabilized when I came out of that depression, and then fluctuated up and down around 30-40 pounds at a time. I got involved in martial arts, kickboxing, worked my way up to a high blue belt, just two belts away from a black belt, I was teaching lower belt levels and working at that dojo, and training with my hubby all the time, I was down to a lean muscular 190lbs for a lot of that time. I had a number of crises happen in my life then, some deaths of very close loved ones, a lot of loss. I spiraled into depression again, this one extrememly severe. I was suicidal, made several attempts over the course of a year and a half, and spend weeks, sometimes months at a time hospitalized. I went on disability from work, and we entered into bankruptcy because of it, it kept the cycle of depression kicking for a while, it took a long time for them to find a chemical cocktail of anti-depressants that worked for me. Having spend months at a time doing nothing but laying in a hospital bed curled up in a little ball, basically bedrest, no activity, completely unable to do anything at my worst times, my metabolic rate and my cardio and my physical health deteriorated rapidly along with my mental/emotional health. All the medications I take are ones linked to weight gain, they lower your metabolism, they cause you to feel hungry all the time, crave carbs, overheat easily making excersize difficult, they make you tired and lethargic, still 100 times better than me without medication though. I've tried many many meds and med combinations, the one I'm on now is the best. I'm still unable to work, I still am depressed, but I feel functional, I get some enjoyment out of life, I'm able to do somethings, it seems it's about as good as it gets for now. Most people on the type of meds I take, according to my psychiatrist, gain 50-150lbs... I topped out at 295. I went from teaching kickboxing, to not being able to walk a block without struggling. My blood pressure skyrocketed, I'm on meds for that, and my cholesterol creeping higher all the time. I felt so physically ill from carrying this weight, pains in my joints, my knees and back, tired all the time, and feeling like I'm dying bit by bit. I consulted with my family doctor, my psychiatrist, and the lap-band surgeon, and got the opinion of a second psychiatrist as well, the consensus, the lap band is a good choice for me. It may take me a little more work to contend with given my medications and things, but it has given me something that is the most valuable gift to any depressive person... hope. I'm just two weeks past surgery now, and I feel healthier and more energized than I have in years. Thank you everyone for sharing such personal stories about yourselves, it's helpful to read. XO Leila

My 2 BIGGEST weight gains were after quitting smoking, and after taking prednisone.

carrie - every slip is different. mine was sharp stabbing pain after eating which lead to sharp pain all the time. sort of in my chest where you feel pressure after eating something wrong. lots of vomitting. i definitely knew something was wrong. i didnt know what at the time but i was aware that it was severe. really thought i just had stomach irritation. some people just lose all restriction and then have weight gain. hope you are doing ok. tngirl - i didnt have restriction until my 3rd fill. congrats on your surgery.

After putting it off for 2 years because I didn't want to be lectured about gaining weight back, I went to see my surgeon last July. She cheerfully informed me her practice had stopped doing bands in 2010 because the success rate is so low! Based on my severe GERD she unfilled my band right then, rather than adding fill like I'd expected. It was an immediate relief. From 2 Prilosec/day to 1 every 2 days or even longer. Since then I've done all the steps and paperwork (tedious!) to get approved for a revision to the vertical sleeve. My plan said 'okay', and my surgery is set for April 30! While I'm not looking forward to the surgery, I am really hopeful I'll be far more successful with the VSG. In the meantime I've been working out with a trainer since September and am as strong as I can be, even if my weight has stayed the same. With no fill in the band, I'm grateful for no weight gain at this point. I'll let you all know how it goes, please all of you do the same!

AS IF SUMMONED FROM THE MISTS OF TIME - I reappear! Hey all. I'm back. I see that a few of us have had rough months, but the important thing is we're still in the game. I did really badly in March, I completely let myself go. Ate TERRIBLY, blah blah blah. It's been super high stress here, eased a bit now. And I enjoyed eating badly, or, at least, parts of it, but I've had enough of that, and want to get back up on the horse. So I'm just back from getting a fill, and now, I suspect, I'll have some real restriction. It's a good feeling, actually, getting back to what I know I should've been doing all along. And we have some great role models here - Scrappy and Andrew stand out, but I think we've all done pretty well for a year out. One thing that's hard is finding time for exercise (at least right now, when I have major time constraints). I'm working out at least twice a week with my trainer, who's great (after my last session, I told her that I felt like the town hooker after a particularly busy Fleet Week), but I've not been doing as much cardio since they re-arranged the machines - now it feels like you're getting on stage if you ever step onto a treadmill. Anyway, I'll get back to cardio. But I ain't weighing-in until next Friday! I don't think I could take the full-on hit of my weight gain tomorrow, and a week'll let me get rid of the Water weight and a little more... SO. Good to be back! Nice to see you all!

Well, it sounds like we're all keepin' on keepin' on! I realized that the Carhartt jacket I wore tonight was as loose as it was when I bought it in 1999. Funny feeling. Although, somehow, that seems like it can't be true! I didn't really achieve extremely impressive weight gain until after 9/11. I'll weigh myself next Friday, and then we'll see wht's what! Friday is 1/1/09, isn't it? In other - sad - news: well, my thing with the online person evaporated. I'm still not 100% sure why: we'd already bonded seriously emotionally over email and phone, and I'd assumed she might have problems with my size. In the end, though, she clearly (CLEARLY!) had no problems with being attracted to me, but she felt we didn't click emotionally in person the same way we had on the phone etc. It was the opposite of what I'd expected. And I felt like she was a bit quick to judge - I'd not been home from France for 24 hours when we met, was jet-lagged out of my mind, on the end of a cold and nervous as all get-out about meeting her. But facts is facts: we met, and for her, it didn't work. So I'm very sad about that, but there's also a useful kernel of anger in there - how could she accept my body but reject ME??? So I'm looking forward to getting back into calorie counting, and Protein gram counting, and soluble fiber-ingesting tomorrow. But tonight? I wallow! Leftover double-cooked Sichuan pork, and then (close your eyes!) some Christmas pudding ("figgy pudding", I think you call it) with butter pecan ice cream... I am sad, but also, strangely, I feel kinda good. I feel like I'm back to Me, ready to do what I have to. Besides, there were long periods of intense pleasure in her visit - it certainly wasn't ALL a disaster! I think I'm beginning to get used to this time zone. Yay!

It will be one year this month since my gastric bypass surgery. I loved life before but I extremely love life even more now. When I started this journey I was scared and iffy about the whole thing. I just kept thinking to myself it's major surgery. They're going to cut your stomach in half and it doesn't even work for everyone if they don't follow the rules. Can I follow the rules or am I going to be part of the 1% togo through this and fail. However, while I was playing mind games with myself I knew I had to do something. My health was slowly declining with my rapid weight gain. I had sleep apnea, pre-diabetes, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) which consisted with severe menstrual problems, the longest time ever went without my cycle was two years and when I did get it, it was extremely heavy. Crazy hair growth which already did not bode well with my confidence and fertility problems when the time came when I want to have kids. Heart failure in the future, really bad depression and couldn't lose weight. Well with that all said and done I started on with my research. While I researched I exhausted every other avenue first. I did the gym, weight watchers, diet pills nothing worked. Doctors as my OB/GYN, endocrinologists Kept saying you got to lose weight. " no shit Sherlock I'm trying but you're not helping." So I sat with my primary care physician and was like Doc I want to get healthy and lose this weight. I was originally looking into lap band but we discussed it and I decide on gastric bypass and he gave me a number for Dr. Matt Kirkland and I went home and made my appointment. As soon as I got off the phone I just knew I made the right decision. Now almost at my one-year mark I can't stop smiling. I'm not going to lie it's been a struggle it has not been all roses and candy. (However that saying goes LOL) it was a psychological battle as well as emotional and physical. In the beginning you're looking at everyone enjoying food. And if you eat to much or not the right thing you're upchucking everywhere. Once you get past the hard parts and finally learned how to eat again and what to eat it becomes easier. I no longer get breathless walking upstairs or hills. My legs or feet don't hurt standing in long lines of the grocery store. I have a lot more energy. I go hiking, bike riding, long walks and I'm not even tired when I'm done. The best part of it all is I no longer have diabetes, or apnea, and my cycles are regular now. I'm not taking any meds besides the vitamins I have to take everyday. I made it to my goal weight I've lost a total of 134 pounds a whole other person woohoo!!! I can't believe it. It feels amazing. My goal is to maintain this and not lose anymore. It has been an awesome journey so far, now I can definitely see a future ahead. I just got to keep looking forward. Keep on moving, never give up you'll love the end results promise! Just got to keep the smiles going ???? Live the life you'll love to live!! Highest weight 275lbs. Surgery weight 258lbs. Current 1yr. As of two weeks ago 141lbs. I have my yrly check up the 4th

@@PuraVida37 congrats. How is the pregnancy going? I'm 29 weeks. My first baby post lapband. I wasn't sure about getting unfilled and my doctor wasn't pushing it so I left it unfilled. Now that I am this far along, it seems that I am getting stuck more often and am really tight so I decided to get unfilled. I go in tomorrow. I think I will just ask for 1 cc to be taken out. I didn't want to gain too much weight, which I haven't (I think Im at about 3 or 4 pounds gainged) but I am starting to worry about baby's weight gain. My doctor still doesnt seem to be worried about babys weight. But just for my peace of mind and also so that I can keep things down, I will go and get unfilled. I only have 3cc's in there...so that will put me at 2cc's in a 10cc band. I havent been on much but I have been reading all the updates via emails sent to my every time someone posts on this thread. Sounds like we are/were all on the same page of standing still as far as weight goes. I was stuck at 245 before baby came for about 3 months...and now that I am pregnant I am at about 247, give or take. I hope that I don't gain a whole ton after my unfill tomorrow and I hope that I can get on track after baby gets here and be able to lose weight. This has most def been a really trying and frustrating journey. With all the stand still on my weight loss and all the getting stuck. I have never been able to eat right after because everything I eat usually gets stuck and so it has kinda forced me to do shakes and chips and other sliders, just so that I feel that I am getting things down. I'm hoping to get a better diet in after i get this cc taken out. And with a regular exercise routine after baby comes, I hope I can get back on track. I'm 17 months post surgery and I have only lost about 1/3 of what I was hoping to lose by now. Anyways, hope all is going well with everyone else. Have a good week

1. I haven't noticed a change in the relationship. 2. I only told a few select people, everyone thinks I'm doing paleo diet and stopped drinking (which I kinda am). I've been a yoyo dieter for many years, so people are used to me loosing/ gaining.. But this time there will be no rebound weight gain 3. Skin is ok so far, arms are not great... But I am loosing slowly. If my boobs sag and my skin becomes problematic I plan to get plastic surgery 4. I've only just started noticing hair loss at 4months, it's not much yet.. I don't have much hair so I hope it doesn't continue.. Again I'm loosing slowly so I hope I avoid this 5. I'm a nurse, I returned after 4 weeks.. I had to be careful with lifting but otherwise my energy was good.. I went back 3 days a week for first 2weeks back. 6.worst part was my 3 week purée phase.. Just wanted to crunch on some real food. I had minimal pain/ discomfort. My nausea in first 48hrs post op was epic but quickly forgotten with all the positives from the weight loss. My weight loss is slow 1-2pd per week, but I have never stalled and my energy has been good.. I think your attitude is very important to keep in check.. You have to follow the rules and put trust in the professionals and your body... We abuse our body's for so long pre op but now is the time to be kind and gentle and trust your body.

Greetings everyone, I am a smoker, and I'm thinking about quitting soon. I'm 9 weeks post-op, so I have a long way to go with my weight loss. I'm concerned that: A ) it will be too much of a shock to my already confused body, and B ) that it will halt any further weight loss (or even cause a gain). And while I know the benefits of quitting outweigh any perceived disadvantages, I'm wondering if I should wait until I'm closer to my goal, staying focused on one thing at a time and maximizing this honeymoon period with the sleeve. On the other hand, if the weight loss is easier in these earlier months, maybe that will minimize any potential weight gain from quitting? I have a follow-up with my surgeon on Thursday, so I'm going to ask him, but I'm curious if anyone here has quit smoking in the early (or any) stages of post-op, and what were your results? Be well… D

Worried surgery was 2/16 lost 26 lbs the first 2 weeks then stall went to the nut and she was mad that I only lost 2 more lbs total 28 lbs now I'm 3.5 weeks and gaining weight! What is going on? Gained 3 lbs! Trying very hard the last week to get more protein in is that causing the weight gain?

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.

Ok my due date had been revised. Which is no surprise because ALL my children measured small in the beginning. So I'm due March 10th instead of February 28th. But it will be an automatic c section because both previous babies were, that means I shave one week off of the due date. My weight gain has been 0 in 7 weeks since conception. My restriction is that of it right after surgery. I don't want to eat but force feed myself. Popsicles have been my best friends. I'm sick from morning to night (which gives me comfort knowing I have symptoms lol), breasts are slowly getting sensitive, I have food aberrations to everything but then have cravings also but I don't know what I am craving. sleep comes and goes. I take my Vitamins and Calcium. I'm on Zofran for morning sickness. I'm hoping to avoid gestational diabetes. Doctor thinks its a good possibility I can avoid it He did list me as high risk pregnancy due to my Bariatric surgery, but I'm praying to the good Lord that's just a label and I have a healthy pregnancy. So my goal is to update weight gain/losses and any issues I might come upon that way all these questions most of us have can start being answered. I how that I can help others with this. Importantly we as sleevers need to remember that we will always have this tool its about choices, control, and loving ourselves enough to do the right things Sent from my EVO using VST

These entries ROCK!! I was so happy reading everyone's post. Im NOT THE ONLY 1, lol. I will be banded in a couple of weeks. I was diagnosed with having a thyroid diease which resulted in me gaining 100 pounds. I have been through iodine radiation in order to stop an overactive thyroid, but now its underactive, hence the weight gain. But before all of that we were trying and crying. So then my thyroid was pinned as the problem, then it was my weight. So now since Ive started the banding journey, I have also seen a fert specialist. We learned that I'm fine, the radiation didnt scramble my eggs :-), I do have to get some weight off, hence the band. But we did find out that my hubby has a rare birth defect. He was born without vas deferens. The cause is unknown. Sometimes they link it to cystic fibrosis, but he doesnt have that. So our process is a little bit intense. So Im excited about being banded. That's our first step to being parents, and living a healthy lifestyle. Since he has no vas defernes, the dr has to surgically remove his sperm. Then its an IVF procedure. I thought they could just inject me with a turkey baster, lol, but his sperm does not swim, the tail becomes attached as it is moved through the vas defernes (wow right?). So I have to be put on meds to over ovulate, and both surgical procedures, my egg extraction, and his sperm extraction has to be performed at the same time. Then they have to "make us a test tube baby" (the exact words of the fert dr.) Whew, alot huh? So, thats our story. Im excited and a little overwhelmed. I dont know how all of this is going to go. Still a little nervous, but good nervous, about the banding.

NO TEN DAY chips. NO, NO, NO. This isn't Over Eater's Anonymous (I just stole their idea.) This is DeLarla's Boot Camp designed to get some of us off our asses and back from Hell (weight gain) to Reality (Svelt Land.) Have you not seen my ANGRY posts lately? Penni is pretty pissed, too. Nobody is getting off easy around here. Go play in the sandbox if you want a 10 day baby chip. NO TEN DAY CHIPS. Not in my thread. Don't make me eat your head, I'm damn hungry! On a lighter note, Renebean, you did a fabulous job on those chips, and now I really, really want one! I hate ticker tockers, but I want some of Rene's chips! Good luck everyone. GAME ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been on a variety of antidepressants/anti-anxiety meds for 20 years and if I go off one for some reason or another I have terrible withdrawal symptoms unless I'm switching to another drug at the same time. I don't really feel dizzy but feel like there are weird "brain sparks" going on in my head which is very uncomfortable and hard to describe to someone whose never had them before. I'm still trying to get my drugs straight since my conversion to RNY and now take my Cymbalta at a lower dose but twice a day and that seems to be working. I belive it's considered one of the drugs that would cause the least amount of weight gain but that didn't help me when I was on the band. Wish everyone luck with their situations as it's not always easy to deal with, take care Nancy.