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Week 25 Last week’s weight – 197.2 This week’s weight – 198.8 Total weight gained this week – 1.6 Beginning weight – 246 lbs Total weight loss since surgery – 47.2 lbs I am not happy in general with how my weight loss has slowed down. Honestly I thought I would be at 50 lbs by now and it is a little frustrating to see the scale go up and down like it has the past few weeks. I’ve started looking at things I can do to help by scouring the boards for ideas. My favorite is to get sick . I would think that working with a ton of students and teachers that would happen sooner than later but alas it seems my immune system is working just fine. Right now I am trying the drink lots of water approach (I am currently starting day 2). I haven’t been drinking nearly enough and I would kill two birds with one stone but adopting this habit (breaking a stall and getting the appropriate amount of water in). I have been looking at the pouch test but am going to start with water first. I shouldn’t be griping too much because 47 lbs is still a nice amount of weight to have lost and I am thrilled to: Get lots of compliments at work Shop in the regular (not plus) side of stores Not struggle to get my wedding ring on and off Be below my driver’s license weight Have enough energy to workout (walking and crossfit) Be under 200 lbs I did step on the scale this morning (something I don’t normally do but I was curious to see if the water thing was working after the first day…and about a million trips to the bathroom) and I was down to 197.6 so that gives me hope for next Wednesday’s weigh in.

I think stress makes you gain weight. My job is very stressful and I gained a lot of weight over a very short period of time. My eating habits did not change so I can only think it was the stress. I was converted from band to bypass 4/3. My surgeon was able to do it in one surgery which was the only thing I was stressing about prior to surgery. She warned me ahead do time that often there is so much scar tissue that she cannot safely do the bypass. You have to heal and they do it at a later time. My insurance has a dollar cap on bariatric procedures so if I did not get it converted in one surgery I was not going to be able to have a second due to costs. After all the worry she was able to do it but the surgery was very long. It took better than 4 hours. Do not worry about the weight gain and try to desires as you are able. I go for a walk or listen to music or read to help with the stress. Good luck to you!! Jennie

....and WTH?!?!? i totally forgot about the weight gain after surgery (fluid i guess, plus air) i almost had a fricken heart attack when i got on the scale this morning!!!!!

Sounds like the stiches may have come un done at the port/muscle. I heard the fills can hurt as well. Our doctors use one needle to hold it still and use another to do the fill. Do the do it under fluoro? The great thing about complete unfills, as it fixes most problems. Yes, weight gain can happen as you are wide open. I have seen some patients gain as much as 20 pounds in two weeks. So just be careful. I feel so thankful to have gotten a job at my doctors office. it's been a very positive place to work and everyone's so nice. I love watching patients come in for their first consults, pre-op appt's, going for surgery, post op's and then the journey to lose weight. The stress at my old job was killing me... Well I hope you feel better soon and they start filling you up when your ready. Do they give free fills to get you back or close to where you were?

if you are getting all your Protein, try adding non-starchy veggies to fill you up. I had the same problem, now I eat salad frequently. I make taco salad with 93 % ground turkey, big mac salad with the same, Italian sub salads, ham sandwich salads, etc....that way I am getting all the FLAVOR of my fav. foods, without the fat & carbs. I add non-starchy veggies to a lot of meals, to bulk them up while adding few calories. http://www.hungry-girl.com/ has a lot of great suggestions If sweets are your thing, you can cook with Protein powder, pancakes, Cookies, muffins etc.... 800 cals a day is quite low, when you went up to 1000, were you eating sugar, flour, rice, Pasta or potatoes? Those things will slow down weight loss, cause cravings and possibly cause weight gain.

I was feeling fat tonight as well after seeing a 2 lbs weight gain on the scale but I just got in the tub with a glass of Shiraz and remember how much more ROOM there is in here

I also fear going back to the places I was as I lose this weight. As I hit new milestones I think "this is what I was doing at this weight in my life". The emotional and physical abuse I suffered was the main reason for my weight gain and going through it again will be hard. I have spent the last 24 years of my total 30 on earth building up this wall of fat to protect me. I am ready now to get it off and hopefully deal with the reasons behind it. Thank you for sharing this. It really hit home with me. And also gives me hope that I can go through it and make to the other side.

newhope - I came home with a 10 lb weight gain and FREAKED! Over the first week it came off. Your's will too. You sound like you are doing exactly right with tiny sips every few minutes. I don't know your diet, but warm chicken broth sure felt good too. I also had a hard time sleeping on my back for a few days, I think it was the fourth day I used the headboard to get on my side and it was okay then. I loved my heating pad on my tummy too. Keep up the good work!

Only you can decide what's best for you. It's Unethical for a doctor to recommend one surgery over the other am Not fully disclose why they feel it's a better choice. But I wanted the sleeve day one! My lapband surgeon doesn't perform the sleeve or bypass. He told me often folks who have the sleeve gain it all back with in 2 yrs and it fails. My response... Only I can be the judge of my weight gain in the future. None the less My surgeon shouldn't have spoken ill of the Sleeve simply because was not his specialty. bottom line I never gained with the band but I never lost.. I sat steady at a 28 lb weight loss.. Even though I couldn't even swallow my own saliva. I regurgitated Water and vomited 3-4 times per week.

I had my surgery 12/12 and have lost 55 lbs as of today, 5/8! yea, me! but does anyone know where I can get statistics on this surgery in terms of effectiveness, weight loss, weight gained back, anything like that?

Is weight gain caused by mindless snacking and grazing? Drinking milkshakes all day long? I haven't had my surgery yet, but I'm curious how weight gain happens a year or two after the surgery "honeymoon" period is over. If you're stomach is still small, with just a bit of stretching, even if eating "slider" foods how can weight gain be significant unless you're consciously trying to eat, eat, eat all the time? I think most of us gained weight by doing just that, but isn't it harder to snack all the time after the sleeve? Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Kindle you are spot on! Thank you for the candor that we all need! I am 2 years post op starting out at 240 and was losing successfully until the following year where I hit a wall at 180. All my fault. As I was able to eat more, I began to make unhealthy choices and now for the first time , I am seeing weight gain creep up which is my call to action and need to get back to the behaviors my sleeve had started to give. I took it for granted and my success will expire if I don't act soon. As you pointed, I am responsible and accountable for my behavior so we need to control ourselves and stop looking for something else to drive us-or worse something else to blame.

Im still eating more as a plan. I log everything, and am back to exercise, adding in some weight lifting twice a week. I have gone from 1200 to 1800 a day with no weight gain. I fact I have lost about a pound. I just don't see how eating 1200 a day and staying the same weight can be the best way to go. If I had been losing some pounds on that, I may have never changed my plan, but I feel so much better eating more... so far so good. I hear from many folks on the net that eating more is a good way to lose very slowly... and slowly it is for me! I will keep this up and report back on my long term findings using the TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) plan.... I also bought a fitbit to figure our how many steps I take and my real energy output for daily life.

120 grams of protein a day plus food intake is exactly what body builders do to bulk up. That is where the weight gain came from... That has been corrected The problem here lies in the fact she feels no restriction since day one and not only no restriction but she has not become ill from eating a normal size meal. She has been posting from the beginning that something was different with her intake levels and recovery. It's one thing to have head hunger and eat and you regret it because you're vomiting or have the slimes with pain in your stomach. She has not had adverse reactions to consumption. I'm positive the reduction in protein intake will help her weight gain but when you have a surgery for restriction then by god you deserve to have that restriction. Restriction is exactly what saves all of us from ourselves.

I am having surgry The 29th of april. I had decided a long time ago not to tell anyone except husband and kids. However that changed sun. Had a family/friend reunion. I told everyone. Part because I am excited, but mostly because I was embarresed of my weight gain so I just wanted them to know I knew what they were thinking and I was doing something about it. Now I regret it.

I understand. I had my band done in October of 2008. I lost some weight, gained it all back, lost again, gained again plus even more weight, and now I'm trying my hardest to lose...again. Sigh. Right now I'm at the exact same weight I was when I got the band in the first place (and I've recently lost 8 lbs). I have only had 4.something ccs in my 10 cc band. I have had trouble going tighter than that, but have come to realize now that I haven't been doing the right thing by my band. Being able to take huge bites of english muffin isn't right. I'm supposed to be taking small bites and possibly not even be able eat bread. And, tonight I was thinking that I would like to have pizza for dinner. I've been thinking about pizza for three weeks. So, I was working out how much I could have and how many points it would be (just joined weight watchers) and I decided I could have two slices of thin crust veggie. And I was thinking, that isn't going to be enough food. I'm going to need a salad too. Then I was like, (parden the profanity) "Jesus! I shouldn't be able to eat a salad and two slices of pizza at all, much less in 20 minutes for dinner!" (I decided to go with a salad and a few baked coconut shrimp instead). And, I decided that after a year of hiding from my surgeon, it is time to go in for a fill. I'm asking myself, what was the point of getting the band in the first place if I'm not going to use it? I didn't pay $16,000 out of pocket for this surgery to not use the tool I've been given. And, FYI, I have really been on a roller coaster with my band. At first I was expecting magic and efforless weight loss. Then, when I realized it wasn't just going to be easy peasy with no effort from me, I got really pissed (again, sorry about the language) and hated the band for a few years. Fairly recently I decided I wanted the darned thing removed and to see if my insurance would pay for bypass or the sleeve. And, thanks to this website and some of the wonderful people here in the forums, have very recently decided that I can't just hate the band when I haven't really given it a chance. I mean, I am pretty non-compliant with the band. So, I have joined weight watchers and am trying to do a daily 30-60 minute walk out in the desert (soft sand). I made an appointment for a fill today. My appointment is on the 27th. When I called the office, I was disappointed to learn that my long-time nurse I've been seeing doesn't work there anymore! :-( So, I now need to start over with someone new. I am a little disappointed, but maybe this is exactly what I need. A fresh beginning for me and with a fresh person to manage my care (same surgeon's office, just a new PA). I'm going to take a leap and get a moderate fill. I'm going to say I don't want a tiny one, but not a big one either. I want something that I will notice, but won't make me hate life i.e. slime and throw up all the time.

@ Niki15 It's frustrating but don't fret too much over slow weight loss. I lost slowly with episodes of weight gain in between. My routine included daily exercise & following my low carb diet rules to the letter. It felt like a living nightmare. I lost the weight after 17 months but nothing I did would speed things up. Keep at it. You may not have a quick start but eventually it will happen.

Yeah after being on chemo for a full year at the age of 40, then needing a hysterectomy at the age of 45, monthly fluctuations are way back in my rear-view mirror. Sucks, because I started gaining even more weight early because of the early induced menopause. On the upside, I’ve already been through that so now I don’t have to deal with all of the weight gain that comes from pre and peri- menopause post surgery. Lol, I’ve already been through all of that hot mess. 🤣🤣

Wow guys. These posts really resonate with me: I gained 110 pounds when I was pregnant with my daughter (2nd child) and the abuse I took from their father still haunts me. That’s the baby that changed my whole metabolism and all I got from him was quiet disappoint and criticism In the weight gain and subsequent PPD. By the time she was 3, I found out that their father was having an active affair with one of my coworkers and that basically everything I had been struggling with had been used against me and that the 2 of them were plotting to try to get custody of the kids. They were actually using my new-found Morbid Obesity as a weapon against me to “prove” that I didn’t have the self-control necessary to raise 2 kids under the age of 6 as a single mom. I fought sooooo hard that year and in years after, trying to fix what was “broken” in me only to fail over and over and over again. Thankfully I had enough of a career and enough self-esteem to survive that onslaught and make it through. Those were several tough years where I was reminded painfully over and over that I wasn’t good enough-or desireable enough, smart enough, or like able enough to be considered a “good” parent and I was reminded on a monthly basis that it was going to be a a WAR of 2 vs 1. I somehow persevered and got those kids raised. I spent over 13 years single and afraid to even think about having a life of my own. I survived breast cancer as a single working mom. At that point, my biggest fear was dying before I could finish raising those kids— aged 16 and 12 when I was diagnosed. The kids dad stopped paying child support after our first year divorced and I was afraid to even take him to court bc I didn’t feel worthy enough to raise my kids as a MO single mom in her mid-30s. When I think of the years lost due to my feelings of inferiority, it almost makes me sick. I wasted almost 13 years of my life feeling like a sub-par human and thankfully my current husband saw me— the true me— underneath all of that baggage. He loved me— plus sized and all— in spite of me not loving myself. It took that brave and kind man’s love to realize that I could be so much more than the reality that I was currently living. With his love and respect and complete acceptance, I was able to start this journey that has led to where I am now. Ironically, my ex is a mere shadow of the man he once was— he won’t call or reach out to his kids and I’ve heard that he and that woman live a very small and petty existence where neither of them are fulfilled or even remotely happy. If I were a better person, I would feel pity for them, but I must honestly admit that I do derive some satisfaction from their misery. At the end of the day though, my best revenge is to live my best life as happily as possible, and I plan on doing that every. Single. Day.

I took Lexapro for 2 years. One of those years was when I was first banded. It helped a lot but after 2 years I switched back to Zoloft as it seems to work better for me. It (lexapro) did not cause any weight gain. But the Zoloft at a high dose causes really bad carb cravings. The only antidepressant I have been on that made me gain weight was Paxil I put on 40 lbs with it. Cheri

I would appreciate if we could keep this thread from being hijacked to a "weight gain challenge". This thread is for weight loss and those who are serious about the challenge I'm sure all of those in this challenge will agree. Thanks!

Love the new avatar, DeLarla! I am on a chocolate tear today, and I'm starting a week of steroids, so I might take you up on the weight-gain challenge this coming week. My ass is bigger than yours, nyah-nyah!

I love seeing the stats on the ghrelin levels. I have also seen studies that show that increase of reflux follows the curve of the weight gain almost exactly! Any Reflux I have had seems tied to what I eat for sure... crappier food, fried food, sugar = more reflux......= weight gain...?

I confess that it is still hard giving away my clothes that are too big. I confess I am worried about weight gain during my hospitalization after undergoing neurosurgery again for the second time in one year. I confess that I was very annoyed that my surgeon restricted my workouts pre-op, which added to me not reaching and being stuck at 99lbs. I confess that I've had a few glasses of wine to prepare myself for going into the hospital in the morning. I confess I've been so stressed about surgery again that I haven't gotten in my usual protein and water intake over the last week.

//This is my worst nightmare, remember my weight gain is inevitable post?// I don't have my band yet so can't comment about that but I was wondering if you have been tested for Hyliobacter Pylori (H.Pylori)?? Sometimes that can cause all kinds of problems...and you could have had this lovely little bacteria that lives in your duodenum since you were a kid. A simple blood test is all you need and if you do have it then they give you two antbiotics and prylosec. All gone and symptoms such as heatburn...gone, too. It's worth checking out. I know because my surgeon always does this test for his Lapband patienst...and sure enough I had it, which explained my heartburn. I haven't had any since i finished the medications.