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Hello Sleevetobers!!!! I was sleeved 10/25 and weighed in at 349 day of surgery. My weekly weigh in last Thursday had me at 303 pounds. Doctor has moved me onto puréed and select soft foods. I did have another surgery to remove a large keloid and skin tags on 11/15 and I had a hard time with the recovery from the surgery because of the fasting required before surgery. When I got home I felt weak and was ready to pass out. Before my wife called 911 I urged her to wait til my food got into my system. Once that happened I felt much better. This morning i was scheduled to have surgery to open my sinus passage ways so I can finally breathe through my nose again. It's gonna be nice to not be the 'fat heavy breathing' guy. So when I had surgery this morning I made sure to get my nutrition the previous two days before surgery and upped my calorie intake each day. It worked and my recovery today was fantastic. But when I stepped on the scale this morning I noticed my first weight gain since surgery of 1 pound. I just pray I didn't stunt my metabolism and will be able to continue with my weight loss. This is my last surgery that I will be having, I hope. I haven't hit any stalls yet, but I have been sticking to a low calorie intake. However, food has been so boring for me and since I'm home on disability for probably the next month, I have been playing Mr Mom. The kids love it cause I get down in the kitchen and on the grill. They've been feasting like some kings. I have cheated here and there because the stuff I've been cooking is insane. I've taken a bite a couple times, but spit it out after chewing a little bit and getting the flavor. No beef or pork yet. Does anyone else do this? It's helped but I caught myself actually swallowing a piece of biscuit I made. And the fried Jalapeño with cheese poppers I fried, well I peeled the breading off and ate the jalapeño and cheese. I felt like I had to go to confession and say 10 hail Mary's and our fathers afterwards. It's nice to read about others going through the same things that I'm going through because of the sleeve. It's tough especially since my wife is petite, skinny, and eats whatever she wants. She has a freaky metabolism. I just hope my kids have her metabolism cause they are all skinny and athletic. We don't allow them to drink soda or eat candy and have been raised like that because I didn't want obesity to become an issue in their life like it has mine. My flexibility has increased and now I can finally bend over and tie my shoes without my stomach being in the way. That is amazing cause I had to loosely tie my shoes to slip them on and always had to tie my work boots on a step or curb. I never shared this with anyone because of the embarrassment. But I wanted to yell out kinda like the kid from Big Daddy when he wiped his own arse. It took me back to that simple joy. Hope everyone else is finding these little things that are improving their quality of life like I have recently. Good luck on your journey in weight loss everyone!!! My kids and me at the MLS Cup watching LA Galaxy win back to back titles! Also Beckham's last game with the LA Galaxy. Good times!!! And I didn't have to argue with security regarding the protein shakes and yogurt I took into the stadium for my special diet. Great day!!!

I think it's so insane that one little post upset so many as it wasn't intended to. First of all I commend a doctor who doesn't take anyone's money to do this surgery. It shows he has some scruples. It's not only doctors who have strict criteria it's the insurance companies that are dictating who gets this surgery and it's very common for an insurance company to expect you to have a BMI of 40 or have a BMI of 35+ with multiple comorbs. Mine did and I'm sure there are plenty others. I met that criteria without a problem. I admit there was information I was lacking before getting the lap band and it didn't work out for me as planned. Mistake made. Lap banding may not seem as drastic or invasive as RNY etc... but it's still surgery and there are still many risks and there are still chances it may not work or eventually you'll have complications and have to have it removed anyway, possibly struggle with weight gain again and consider revision surgery. I feel bad for self pay people also because I can't imagine what happens when you have complications and have to pay for that down the road. Anyway it was a simple poll posted by Froggi and possibly made people think about what they were doing especially with such low BMIs. Maybe a bit of work on learning to love ourselves at a heavier weight is more important and constantly struggling to be a certain size dictated by our society and shoved in our faces constantly. And having surgery for that purpose might be a bit extreme even if it is only a lap band. Just a thought Nancy.:smile:

No, it doesn't work remotely like that. All insurance companies care about is that you dot the "i"s and cross the "t"s even when their "i"s and "t"s make no sense and are just arbitrary rules they put in place to make it harder to get approval. If you jump through the hoops correctly and meet the criteria, you get approved. If someone who weighs 200 lb. jumps through the hoops correctly and meets the criteria, they get approved. It's a bureaucracy. If anything, works it the opposite of how you imagine it because of how the rules are set up. Take me. I've struggled with my weight since I was 8 or 9. I went on my first diet at age 13. Because I fought the weight gain, it took me until 25 to be obese. Because I am short and 200 lb. is a LOT of weight on me, I spent much of my adulthood hovering between obese and morbidly obese. But in the US the NIH and insurance companies have picked the arbitrary BMI of 40 as their cut off. That's okay, though, as my BMI was 41 when I decided to get surgery. But insurance companies have added all these other wrinkles and they favor the long-term MO and the SMO. For example: 1) Some ask for a 5 year history of MO. This is NOT the NIH criteria. The NIH says only a "history of obesity". So someone like me may not have been MO for 5 years in a row because I was constantly dieting and dropping below a BMI of 40 and then gaining the weight back and going over 40. Someone who is SMO has no problem providing a 5 year weight history. 2) Many ask for a 3 or 6 month doctor supervised diet. Again, this is not in the NIH criteria. They just say a history of failed diet attempts. Which I have. But if I had gone on a 3 month or 6 month diet and had really tried hard and done well, I would have dropped my BMI below 40 again. Some insurances would then use that against me to deny me. 3) Many surgeons then ask the patient to lose 10% of their body weight even though clinic evidence to support this practice is weak. Again, if I comply with this requirement, my BMI drops below 40 and I risk insurance not approving my surgery. Neither 2 nor 3 are a big issue for the SMO. It's impossible to lose enough in even 6 months to get a BMI of 50 to drop below 40 and 10% of 300 or 400 or more isn't enough to do it either. 4) Co-morbidities. I had some. But many insurance companies puts extra restrictions on them and mine refused to count any of the ones I had. They weren't "bad enough". This is not an issue for heavier people as they qualify just on weight alone. Plus, even if their insurance company requires co-morbidities, they are more likely to have them. The bottom line for me is that WLS works when you have 50 or more pounds to lose and dieting & exercise without surgery does not. Obesity is a disease that costs society. We have a treatment that works to combat this disease, yet we put restrictions on it and force people to get heavier and sicker than they need to before we give them the treatment. That is not how medicine is supposed to work. The funny thing is that there are other diseases that are much more of a lifestyle choice than obesity. My MIL died of lung cancer which she got from smoking. Smoking was totally her own choice. Yet when she was diagnosed, the medical profession treated her like any other sick person and not like someone who had chosen to have a disease and therefore had to constantly prove her worthiness before she got treatment.

Bethgrove- google antipressants, read up, decide what you want to try and ask your dr to prescribe it. My Mom went from Effexor to Lexapro. I've been on Trofanil/imiprimine for 18yrs for panic attacks. Ones I've heard of: lexapro, wellbutrin, paxil, cellaxa There is one they say doesn't cause weight gain. I'd google antipressant that doesn't cause weight gain.

Hi all and Happy New Year - great to hear from you Aussie girl! I too have put some weight on after maintaining for nearly 6 months! I have been eating crap over Christmas and it has finally come home to roost! I have also noticed that over that last month or so I can eat larger quantities so this has probably got something to do with it. So my goal now is to cut out all rubbish and watch my portion sizes and snacking between meals ( I obviously don't need the Snacks if I am eating more at meal times). I have finally joined the gym but have lost momentum over Christmas. I think I will buy myself a personal training package to get me going again for the year. Unfortunately I can't blame muscle gain on my weight gain as I just haven't been doing enough! Regarding stalls - I have come to the conclusion that some people's bodies just hold onto weight more than other people. I agree with everyone's advise on just sticking to the program - even if you are only dropping and average of 500 grams a week, if you add the weeks up it is a significant weight loss and more that most people could hope to achieve without the sleeve. My only advise is focus on developing healthy eating habits now as when you get to maintenance it is that much harder to break any habits you have formed over the great weight loss window of 6 months or so - I am learning the hard way and my surgeon did warn me about this (but who listens to the doctors all the time right!). I think it is nearly time for another Sydney Siders get together - Kelli - when did you say you would be in Sydney? Hope you can make it Aussie girl and Susan? All welcome of course!

Oh and the weight gain is always possible! That's why this was step 1 leading to step 2 bypass! This surgery isn't malabsorptive, the biliary pancreatic diversion offers best weight loss over all surgeries, but more risk by far. If you get 2 + years out and need to lose more weight they can adapt the BPD to your sleeve, or do the total bypass.

Hi sarahjp, My surgeon is Stephen Blamey. He took my band out (it was put in by Tny Kiereth in Perth though). I'll be at Cabrini Malvern. Which Cabrini were you at? Lila certainly has come a long way, from a very touch n go long hospital stint to now being one of the most inspirational posters on here. Of course, everyone is inspirational, as everyone is on tier own journey. I too value each piece of info shared. swift Kate, I did beat myself up for a bit....but it didn't last that long. I actually got a bit pissed off at Dr Blamey over it because I begged for the band to be taken out and me get sleeved at the same time (had no issues with the band ther than I just couldn't work it to my benefit) but nothing doing; I just HAD to wait many many weeks in between. And of course after the band was out, I had no complications from that, I had no restriction, and my stomach was no longer folded over and secure to the band so it was bigger. After the initial 10 day period where I wanted nothing to do with food (as is usually the case when someone has had surgery on their guts) my hunger came back with a vengeance and I was hungry ALL THE TIME, and I had this craving, this desperate craving for things I hadn't been able to ingest for over 4 years: chicken breast....steak....pork.....salad with chunky cut veggies instead of everything slivered.........milk.......cheese...... Am I the only one who notices a theme here (that most of these are dense proteins)? While I have had some sweet treats since being dis-banded (LOL) I have to say they are not my weakness. My weakness is all the things I was deprived of for a substantial amount of time. That craving? I think was my bodies way of saying, hey we haven't had this good stuff for a long time - better stock up! But I can't blame Dr Blamey (eh, irony much? Hahaha) for the frequency or quantity I partook of these things. I am mostly sure that his making me wait between surgeries was out of medical concern......but a part of me wonders if he didn't look at the situation as a cash cow - I mean after all he told me point blank that the combination band removal/VSG was never done and that EVERYone had to wait. Which I know from here, blogs, ObesityHelp, YouTube and other sources is not exactly the truth. Perhaps he didn't mean to blanket the VSG world wide with an everyone does this comment, maybe he only meant HIS patients. Regardless my fears of weight gain, that I expressed plainly and without pause fell on deaf ears, and while I hold myself fully accountable for my 10kg gain, having a gigantic stretched out stomach and an appetite that just would not be appeased for very long certainly didn't help. End rant, moving on and moving forward. I hope the scale reflects my efforts this past 2 weeks. I still haven't shifted the Water retention from my feet and ankles, but I notice that I don't seem to have that ungodly soreness in the heels, and I'm not as stiff upon waking or after sitting for so long. Also I don't feel QUITE as bloated in the face. I am taking this a sign that something's are changing in the positive. Sorry for my long winded posts everyone. I don't post often but when I do I go for gold! Sorry x 2! - does anyone on here do vlogs on YouTube? I love watching them,8 find them so inspiring and motivational, not to mention educational. And it's good to see and hear someone talk about their experiences. Feels more connected. I am going to look into doing them as well. I need the "face to face" accountability! Hahaha Ok everyone have a great week. Go out and make it happen!

Is anybody using birth control? I'm thinking about going back on the pill, but I'm worried about hormonal changes and weight gain. A friend of mine had better luck with the nuva ring. Any advice? HW 296 - SW 266.3 (4/1/13) - CW 219

Tina, sounds like things are going wonderfully! I'm so thrilled. Good for you for getting an attorney! "Serves" him right! LOL! Okay it wasn't THAT funny! :thumbup: Good job nipping the weight gain in the bud and getting back on track! WTG! Take good care and enjoy! Hugs!!!

It’s not about the food, but it’s all about the food. Wait a minute -- if it’s not about the food, then why do we (the Post-Op & the Doc) keep talking about the RECIPE for Recovery? Don’t recipes involve food? Not always… Think about it: Don’t you have a recipe for success? How about a recipe for the perfect day? …A recipe for family fun? …A recipe for a natural spot remover? …A recipe for composting? What the…composting?! Remember, the Post-Op is from Southern California, where recycling is the law. Well – you may or may not be into recycling, but we’re pretty sure you’re into living fully. If you really want to live fully during and after the process of weight loss, then the RECIPE FOR RECOVERY is something you need! Over the course of the year, we are looking at ways you can combine the ingredients for the recipe (AWARENESS, ACCEPTANCE, COMMITMENT, ATTITUDE, ACCOUNTABILITY, and EFFORT) to create your very own, personal, healthy life in RECOVERY – from…whatever (obesity, unhealthy relationships, habits, and behaviors)! In last month’s article (Six Simple Ingredients to Get the Weight Off and Keep it Off) we introduced you to each of the ingredients in the RECIPE, and briefly discussed the how each is required to live fully in Recovery From Obesity. This month is all about the “essential” ingredient: AWARENESS. We refer to awareness as being “essential” because you have to become aware of problems (food and non-food related) needing attention in order to work on them…which can be tricky… After all, some things we are aware of and some things we might not be… AWARENESS of things we don’t like A food-related example: eating simple carbs usually results in weight gain [*]AWARENESS of things we may be powerless to stop A food-related example: what other people serve in their homes when we’re invited to a large dinner party A non-food-related example: how others react to our weight loss [*]AWARENESS of things that are scary A food-related example: knowing that many holidays mean tempting foods will be prevalent in the media, at work, etc. A non-food-related example: experiencing the feelings that accompany significant weight loss [*]AWARENESS of things that seem overwhelming A food-related example: avoiding unhealthy “treats” in the work break room A non-food-related example: beginning and maintaining a regular exercise program Fortunately, the RECIPE FOR RECOVERY is perfect for addressing all of those “things” – you know, those thoughts, feelings and behaviors that can distract us from making healthy changes in our lives. That’s precisely why we are presenting the recipe for you to follow! Note: We are deliberately using the verb phrase “to follow” in relation to the Recipe for Recovery because the success of the recipe in creating what it is intended to create requires your ACTION. In this case, the recipe is intended to help you create a healthy life that allows you to live fully at a healthy weight. Just how much “action” is required depends on what you say you want for your life! For example, You decide how much and what type of exercise you’ll do, depending on how physically fit you want to be. You decide how much and what type of food you’ll eat each day to manage the healthy weight you desire. You decide who you associate with and how much time you spend with those people to live as healthy an emotional life as you want to live. You get it! So, we’re clear that AWARENESS is the essential ingredient in the Recipe for Recovery because, well… nothing can be changed if you’re not AWARE that it needs to be changed. If you’re not aware that starches have little nutritional value, then you won’t reduce the number of starches you eat so you can maintain a healthy weight. If you aren’t aware that you have a habit of talking negatively about yourself and/or others, you can’t change it. If someone brings that negative habit to your attention, then you can make a decision about the type of person you want to be and put forth the effort and action needed to make those changes! Awareness IS the first step and the essential ingredient for change. AWARENESS without ACTION, however, is like a treadmill with a bunch of clothes hanging on it – you’re aware that the treadmill is there, but you aren’t using it. We are providing you with the ingredients to include awareness, but it’s up to you to put them into action. We know that being aware of things can be difficult and uncomfortable. This may be the reason so many people focus so much time and energy being aware of things in others rather than focusing on their own problematic behaviors! How often do we know what others must do to change? How much time to do we spend telling others how to fix their problems? We are aware that the neighbors need to mow and water their lawn, but happily ignore our own weeds! Hmm, that might be why one of the main tenets in the 12-Step Recovery world is: Sweep your own side of the street (mind your own business). If you’re more worried about what others are doing wrong, the first step is to become aware of your own “stuff.” To do that, turn those binoculars you’ve pointed at the neighbors directly around and look at yourself. You know, like the “selfie” button on your camera phone…uh, but this time, you don’t have to post your “self-examination” on Facebook! How do you begin to USE the essential ingredient, awareness? Well, if you’ve decided that you want to live fully in Recovery and want to follow the Recipe, we suggest you start by paying attention to your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors – especially when you eat. Start writing down the circumstances surrounding your eating and see if you spot trends. Remember to focus on yourself and what you need to do to live fully. Let others follow the recipe for themselves! Over the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be posting some questions on our Facebook wall to help you identify areas of your life that will benefit from healthy change, so be sure to check in regularly to A Post-Op & A Doc on Facebook. And join us on March 18th for our March APODCast, which will be all about AWARENESS. Be sure to RSVP…it’s totally free (http://www.spreecast.com/events/apodcast-awareness-essential-ingredient)!

From what I've read thats pretty normal considering the weight gain you have right after surgery. My doctor says 72 ounces of liquids, it seems like 100 gallons!

Have you tried meditation, deep breathing, etc.? Stress and anxiety can actually cause weight gain as many of us know. It doesn't really boost the metabolism. Also, exercise can help. I'm the worst one to give advice on that, but your body has to burn off the adrenaline and cortisol produced when we panic/stress. I have a walk planned this evening with a friend around a local lake, but then Aunt Flo showed up this morning, so I'm in pain! Has anyone had worse periods since banding? Mine are awful. I never had a problem with my periods until recently. Maybe I'm just getting older and its not band related. Hang in there Cathy. Glad you had fun in Cali Leece. Stay away from chocolate Cindy!(Or have a protein shake or a chocolate vitamin or a sugar free/fat free/caffeine free mocha or something and gradually the cravings should subside!)

notice i didnt mention HOW MUCH my Water weight gain was... (let's just say total gain is still more than yours...) i dont think we should obsess about weight gain right during pregnancy... i really dont... i mean 100 pounds, that would be an issue cause its not healthy, but 'average gain' is what 15-35? so you're a bit more than average ... so what. you'll drop it quickly ...

vicki, im glad u are okay. i didnt think u would be back online so soon but i am glad u were. they prob gave you a ton of fluids during surgery which is most likely why you have the weight gain...be patient...lol...dont be in a rush

You know Val, maybe that is why they are cancelling surg. due to weight gain because they know they are overwhelmed with people waiting to get in. They can pick and choose who they want, and who they think will have the most success rate..Not to imply you renee, because we have all had struggles with our weight, you just happened to have your weight fluctuate right before your surg..

I am pretty chunky again at 9 months I have gained 60!!! Two more weeks to go!!! 39 weeks on Wednesday. I really hate this weight gain, but it seems like I have gained the most out of everyone!!! I can eat a lot more...but it doesn't justify 60!!! I will just have to see what happens after she comes out, but I am not stressing about the weight...I have a baby...my first on the way... Ummmmmm that is stressful enough!!!!

You've got to get yourself in a better place. You can't fight this battle if you are run down, depressed, stressed to the max, and sleep deprived. Please find ways to cope with this. Do you have any friends that can lend you a bed for a few hours? It would be nice if you could leave one evening after your daughter is asleep and go sleep at a friend's. A night of peaceful sleep will do wonders. I, of course would cook a wonderful meal using all of the labeled food. After all your daughter has to eat! Stress can cause the scale to move in the wrong direction. Don't worry about it. The weight gain is not real and will be reflected soon. Meet with your lawyer and campaign to get him moved temporarily. That is your best option. Once removed, change the locks so you can rest peacefully.

Jeanette - I've started solids today. I'm starting out with some soft baked fish. Or Tuna. What I'm trying to do instead of eyeballing it, is I measure my food out. That way I know I'm not over eating. This is the point that we will be increasing our calories, so keep in mind that our bodies have been eating very little before solids, so their might be a weight gain, but thats okay. It will soon come back off once our bodies get used to the new adjustment. My doctor recommends trying a food then see how you react with it, then move to another type of food. Since protein is so important, I'm trying to eat lean meat. I'm also adding in a small amount of veggies. I'll start with some can green beans since fresh are a bit stringy and could get stuck.

Dee - thanks so much! And ONLY 1.5 gain on a cruise! You rock! And with no fill? Wow! You know the average weight gain for a 7 day cruise is 10 lbs, so you did great. I was nervous too on my first fill, but it wasn't as bad as I imagined. I know how frustrating it is to be stuck at a weight, I'm stuck in the 190's - I want out so bad! I haven't been below 190 in over 10 years, I think about 14 years.

Hey guys! So. 2 weeks post op, 13 lbs down...feels GREAT. I put jeans on right out of the dryer and didn't have to break a sweat at all during the process. That's a major accomplishment. And the straw that broke the camel's back leading me to go for banding was the fact that summer weight gain had renderred my bras tight. Well, it is good to report that isn't the case anymore. Whew. Hope everyone else is doing well.

Musicalmomma- Thanks for the explanation of weight gain! I was a bit freaked out.

Marlynn,Michelle and Jojo, it is tomorrow for us! It sounds like we are stretched across the day. Michelle you are fortunate to have it first thing, I wish I could just go to the hospital when I wake up and have it done. I don't have to be to the hospital until noon, surgery at 2! I am scared and excited at the same time like you all! Wow, it is finally here.. I am so freaked! Good luck to you guys! Huntersmom, great question about the scale. My husband has this large scale, old thing, not digital. My last try at Weight Watchers, I did not have a scale. I did not like weighing every day, it fluctuates to much and gets you discouraged. I still will keep it to once a week. I will put this on my list to buy! Welcome ML and Stef. You will love this thread, we are a hopping group and you learn so much, at least I do. Good to know about the possible 8-10lb weight gain I may experience tomorrow and friday, it is a mental let down, but knowing it is what it is, and it will be shed away, I can deal with it. Thanks for the Heads Up! I will check in the morning before my DH takes me to bandland! I need to write down the page( now46), so I know where to start when I get back home on Friday. There have been so many pages this week, busy we are.

Okay here goes nothing I am going to change my ticker to reveal my weight gain!! SCARY!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Laura, INGDirect has great rates on cd's with no minimum. I think you could put a dollar in a cd if you wanted. I think if you are interested I can get you $25 by being a member? Let me know. I just got a cd that will be due at tax time, so I can pay my taxes (remember I am self employed!). Slept late this morning and feel a little better!!! It sounds like we all need a K.I.T.A. The holidays are coming and that is just another reason for us to beat ourselves up over weight gain. We need to lose, or maintain during this time.

BIG BIG PRAYERS FOR DIMITRI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Laura: I think you are right about the deflating... (which is gonna have to be the case anyway since I have no money and I'll have to save up 2 weeks of time off) Pamela: you explained it perfectly............. this is because they take the fat cells out, so you don't plump up where they take them but when and if you DO gain you will plump up the other fat cells.... which is why people like BabyGotBack has a flat tummy but a big booty (her words) and is also why I would get a mons lift in addition with the tt.. mons lift is getting rid of the pubis fat........... and GOOD luck with getting insurance to PAY FOR THAT!!!!!!!!!!!! :drool: which is why.. I might be visiting Haydee's doc in mexico :confused_smile: Like Laura, I stuff my belly in pants.... and the fact that I've been doing this my whole life is most likely why I can wear some size 10's... (I'm used to being tight around the gut) where as my sis can NOT stand tightness and is why she "can't wear her size 10's............... she was pretty depressed yesterday about her weight gain....... so I sent her the belly pic and told her... "NO MATTER WHAT YOU DON't have THIS hiding in your UNDERWEAR!!" She laughed her butt off.. (which is what I was going for) I posted these on the pic thread but I will post them special for you.... April 2007 @ 272 and June 08 @ 182 (wearing spanx)