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Has anybody gained weight from the time they completed 6 months supervised weight loss to time to get clearances done? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Wow that's awesome right on!! So the whole weight gain thing totally normal amen lol....congrats! If I may ask, what does hw? Stand for ....I know starting weight and current weight but don't know the H... Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

What's causing the weight gain? If you ever lost weight before you had surgery, you know how to do it. Are you able to focus on what you really want -- to lose weight, that is -- while you seek a solution regarding your band? Keep in mind that the amount of Fluid in a band means nothing. What matters is that the amount, whatever it is, gives the desired result. You may need more fluid to get the band back in the saddle.

I am just about 8 months out. During a weigh in I have never had a perceived weight gain but I also have never weighed myself other than at the doctors office. I know I was freak myself out weighing all of the time. Some of us just need so show resistant in weighing ourselves all of the time. Sent from my SM-G935P using the BariatricPal App

don't worry it's not real fat or weight gain! to gain 1 pound you would have to eat 3,500 cals more than you need a day! which at five weeks out i've doubt you done. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am 5 weeks post op and I understand there are stalls in losing weight but is it normal to gain? I was down 40 pounds 2 weeks ago and I have slowly gained back 5 pounds, I am trying not to panic but when I see the scale moving up instead of down it's kind of scary. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I had my sleeve surgery Jan 14, compared to others only lost 100lbs so already felt like a failure, now in the last 8 mths have put on 20lbs and just don't know where to start to head back in the right direction. I feel so alone and depressed but know I don't want to go back to my pre surgery weight. Is this my fault - absolutely it is.. Although I still have great restriction I sometimes don't eat the right foods and thus weight gain.. Any advise on a good starting point to get back on track would be most appreciated.. Many thanks

I originally wanted gastric sleeve. My Mayo primary care Dr. Suggested I have gastric by-pass. I had consultation with bariatric Dr. & he also suggested by-pass. My first nutritional class at Mayo was excellent. She went in detail all the options. Gastric by-pass is the most successful, you lose approximately 70% of your body went. Studies show after 5 years the average weight gain is 20% of weight lost. So if you lost 100 lbs most gained back was 20lbs. That's manageable to lose. Suffice to say I chose by-pass, surgery Nov 28. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Happy Halloween! And now, to the important part: candy! More specifically, how are you going to avoid it this year? It can be staring you in the face at home as you get ready for trick-or-treaters, and at work as your coworkers bring in their leftovers. How are you going to pass up the sweet stuff this year? Are thoughts of weight gain, dumping syndrome, and guilty feelings enough to keep you away? Or do you need some more tangible strategies? Maybe you hand out a type of candy that you do not like, or arm yourself with a stash of frozen grapes to satisfy your sweet tooth during the evening. What are your plans this Halloween, and how are you going to “be good?” And, just for fun…what did a typical Halloween look like before WLS?

I had my first dietician appointment 2 weeks ago and my first psych appointment yesterday. I see both of them again in 2 weeks and they both want me to have made a lot of the dietary changes that I'll need to make post-op by then. I was doing pretty well with weighing out portions, not drinking for 30 minutes after meals, eating foods in the correct order, chewing each bite thoroughly, setting my fork down between bites, etc. for the first week after seeing the dietician. But I didn't lose a single pound that week and it just seemed pointless. So then I had a week-long food funeral, and it was pretty bad. Part of the problem is that I accidentally lost 4 pounds in the week between getting my paperwork in and seeing the surgeon and dietician for the first time. It pisses me off because I wanted to go in at my heaviest and not have my BMI barely be high enough. And now I'm supposed to lose about 10 pounds in the next couple of weeks and it seems impossible. It is more likely that I'll gain that 4 pounds back again, and my surgeon said absolutely no weight gain is allowed. I'm just feeling discouraged right now. I decided to go back to Protein smoothies today instead of trying to allow myself reasonable amounts of real food. Does anyone else feel like they can do a really restrictive diet without too much trouble, but really struggle with trying to eat normally but moderately? I feel like if I have any sweets or anything made with white flour, I simply can't stop eating it. Sent from my Nexus 5X using the BariatricPal App

I have RA as well, and years of prednisone and the inability to move caused huge weight gain. Research and anecdotal evidence showed RA pts who had bypass showed signs of remission. So, I had it and have been symptom free since March 23!! Good job!!! I'm down from 283 to 160, almost to goal! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Ugh. Stretch marks, wrinkles, saggy skin.... All part and parcel of the weight gain and surgery. Mederma, bio corneum, melaquin, hydroquinone, ammonium lactate.... There are a zillion out there. Stretch marks fade... As do the angry scars from the surgery. But we feel like we need to DO something, so let us do just that. And? As women, so much of this world is tied up in our appearance---think of the sheer volume of makeup products and anti wrinkle creams out there--- and you'll get it. Not saying it is right, but there it is. For me? I'll fight aging tooth and nail, and what ever little benefit I see in 30 years, well, I'll take it. For the saggy tummy skin and boobs---that's what plastics are for. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

@@skeewee You should be worried - dehydration is dangerous. If it is impacting your kidneys - then it's critical that you increase your fluids. The weight gain is not unusual - but it's not what you should be concerned about.

I'm 6 weeks post op and have lost 30 pounds. However, today I gained back 3!! The doctor says it's dehydration and my GP said my kidneys aren't functioning at full capacity and to increase my Water intake. Should I be worried? Sent from my SM-G900V using the BariatricPal App

Why is it that I gained weight after surgery while I was in the hospital recovering? Is it because of all the ice and the IV and lack of urinating? Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

A BMI of 47.5 more than qualifies you for surgery and it is much better to deal with obesity now before you get a lot of obesity related health issues. You don't want to do like I did and wait until I had almost uncontrollable high blood pressure, excruciating joint and spine pain and greatly reduced mobility. I doubt your family would want those things for you either. At the end of the day, this is a personal decision between you and your surgeon. While I had my surgery in the states since my insurance would cover it, from what I've read on here the program that bariatric pal helps coordinate in Mexico is quite good and there are a lot of people on here who have used it. I do agree it would be best to have someone travel with you - not because it is mexico but just in general traveling a distance for surgery by yourself would be hard but not undoable. I've very surprised your primary doc says surgery is unnecessary at your BMI. But why does your family say that? Have you discussed with them the impact of obesity on your life? As well as the impact of years of yo-yoing weight loss and weight gain? And lastly - you are not alone - everyone here understands and supports you.

A lot has to do with economics... What can you afford to do?! I found I skipped sizes..like I went from 18-12 boom. Not much in between. I managed to live in the 18's for a while, but since exercise was my main focus, I did spend money on yoga pants and jogging pants that fit regularly. I also purchased some really cute skirts -not cheap- with fabric that had some stretch-- and would go down with me. It was certainly worth it to have 4 or 5 skirts to wear that were pretty, flattering, and fit well. I'm not a second hand clothing shopper, but others are and have done well. I would suggest purchasing some cute tops you can pair with a couple pairs of different pants, and don't be afraid to try a size or two lower than you think fits. How you shed weight now may be different than in the past. For me, weight gain was always in my legs when I was younger if I put on 10 pounds or so and always the last to go. This time, it was really pretty evenly spread, but the legs went faster. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I saw too many people talking about complications and weight gain many years later after the bypass so I made sure to choose the sleeve instead. I only had 60-65 impossible to lose pounds to drop and I don't regret my decision. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

@@Wayward Traveler Hello, thanks for the response! I've read just about all of your journey. Glad that things are going so well for you. As for my issue, I definitely understand that the Orbera is an aid to weight loss and requires a lifestyle change, and is not a magic pill, which is why I think it would work well for me. I have made several lifestyle changes that have helped me to minimize weight gain now , but the weight is already here. I just need to do something that will help me to get a good start so that I can put into practice the things that I know work for me. Regarding a tummy tuck/lipo, since most of my weight is hips, butt, and thighs, and a little around the middle, I figured a tummy tuck and/or lipo would at least get rid of the little pouch and make me feel a whole lot better. As for the bottom half, I walk and work out so firming up those areas are the least of my worries right now. Overall, I do need to lose weight, but with me being tall, I carry it pretty decently. I know that these two things are very different, but financially, I need to decide which investment is most beneficial to me. My main concern was whether a tool like Orbera was worth the cost versus just going ahead and getting it cut off. Lol! I'm thinking that things like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig and all the other diet plans are much cheaper as tools to weight loss. I am not saying that Orbera is the same, by any means, but, a flatter tummy and less love handles is the end result that I would like to achieve and I could be on my way to that with either option. Back to Orbera...one thing that gives me reserve about is the fear of the side effects. The nurse compared it to morning sickness, which I had very badly during my last pregnancy. I can handle that. But I'm a nurse so I'm concerned with the recovery period and how I might handle that when I go back to work. It would be hard to care for patients with weakness and nausea. How did you feel when you returned to work?

Just had an EGD done today and the results show that i have mild dilation of the esophagus, mild gastritis and also a hiatal hernia..my surgeon did the doplar test to measure the acid levels in the stomach and now i have to carry this device around my neck for 96 hrs to monitor my acid levels when i eat/drink, sit for prolonged times and also while i sleep.. i was sleeved in May 2015. The initial reason for the surgeon to to the EGD was because my weight has been fluctuating up and down. Now that the results came in I can sorta pin point into the reasons as to why the weight has been the way it is. Has anyone else experience these same symptoms? And also what are the solutions to these problems especially the hiatal hernia. I know some hernia's do not need surgery and some do need it.. also with the dilation is that something of concern when it comes to weight gain.. surgeon did say that the overall anatomy of the sleeve is good and no leaks noted. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I do find that snacking leads to stalls and or weight gain for me. I have to be very careful because I also get reactive hypoglycemia so i pretty much eat very small meals all day long. That is a slippery slope and can feel much like grazing which is the worst thing i can do. Early on while in weight loss mode my nut had me drink milk for a snack. it gives you added Protein, turns to a solid keeping you full for quite a while. And.....best of all you can add different types of tea to it. My favorite all time snack especially in the winter is chocolate chai tea. I use the loose tea version from teavanna and steep it for 3 minutes. It is especially delicious, hits the spot with NO added sugar other than what is in the milk. I use lactaid because i still have a lactose intolerance. If i dont have that, i will eat full fat cheese, pepperoni, shrimp, almonds and sometimes bariatric pal hot chocolate or bariatric pal vanilla capacciono.

Thank you everyone. I am trying not to get my hopes up so im not disappointed in case it doesn't happen. But I want this so badly. I need this. My BMI is 42 i think. Im 5'6", 300lbs and im 43 years old. I am the result of too many starvation diets with weight loss and weight regain, with a little more weight gain each time. Im an emotional eater and im Very emotional apparently! I wasn't always overweight. I was 118lbs when I graduated high school at 18. But i was into drugs and alcohol back then. Nothing major as far as drugs but i was more into partying than eating. Then i quit partying- quit smoking, drinking and doing any kind of drugs. I went from one addiction to another... I found out that I liked food! Gained about 70lbs the first year. And on n on from there. Then every time i lost weight , which i was only able to get as low as 145-150, i got pregnant every time. Anyway, here i am. People treat you so different when you're overweight! I went from being able to have any guy I wanted to being completely invisible. Ive been on dating sites but of course i only use head shots for photos, never ever full body pictures. And i get an unbelievable amount if response however, it only makes it that much harder when I meet someone who seems decent through conversation but then when I finally arrange to meet in person, i never hear from them again. One guy actually made efforts to overlook my weight but finally he said "your butt is just too big!" Lol. I do have a huge butt but... so now im in a strange relationship with this guy i met in a dating site. We really got along via texting and when we met in person he didn't seem too concerned with my size however, he made it known that we were just friends. That if it developed into anything then fine. But in the meantime he was still going to remain on the dating sites because he wanted more 'friends'. Well we then became fwb. But he maintained that he still wanted more friends ( he moved to my area from 2 hours away and just got out of a 25yr marriage). Anyway, we have spent every single day together and we do everything together from grocery shopping to going to concerts ect. Here it is over a year later, he treats me like he lives me, very affectionate and always wants me around but verbally he still says that we are best friends with benefits. ( the benefits aren't that great either considering my size) but he's still on the dating sites and i just feel like ive wasted all this time on someone who doesn't love me and probably never will. He says he doesn't want a relationship now, which I understand, and he says that im not as financially stable as him and i have kids who are still at home so im mot the kind if woman he would want bc i am mot able to travel and just up and go places. I felt like we have become very close over time and i cry about this all the time and even though he says its not, I feel like it's mostly my weight that is the problem. Its definitely a problem for me. But he says weight is nothing, that weight can be list and he encourages me to exercise all the time. But I constantly feel like im not good enough and im constantly emotionally hurting. I am pursuing the wls for my self, bc its what i need! But whether or not to bring him on this journey with me, that is the question. He is really my only support right now. I dont have a very good mother or father and i have very few real friends. I feel like i need him but on the inside I feel im just being used by him, i am the only one he knows in this area and as long as i am around he isn't going to pursue dating so, not sure what to do. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hi all, I'm new to this forum so here's a brief introduction...I'm a female, 5-9", current weight 210, 43 years old. I'm interested in losing about 35 pounds total. I carry most of my weight in my hips and thighs, with some back fat and a slight hang to my stomach fat. My BMI is 31. I had a consult for the Orbera yesterday and I'm seriously considering doing this after the holidays (mainly because of time off concerns). I have read a lot of this forum and the information provided by the doctor. I think this is the jump start that I need to get me going. I can maintain weight loss pretty well, but I haven't been disciplined enough to do what it takes to take the weight off and keep it off. I've lost the same 10 pounds multiple times. Lol! I had been tall and skinny until the children came and they are now 22, 12, and 10 years old, so I can no longer blame them for the weight gain. I have considered vaso-lipo and tummy tuck to get rid of this middle fat. That being gone will make me feel a ton better. But I also want overall weight reduction. For the price of the Orbera, I could get a tummy tuck in my area. So i'm weighing whether or not the Orbera is worth the cost, especially as a weight loss tool. Has anyone else considering cosmetic surgery? If so, what made you opt for the Orbera?

The key for me is to try small steps in calorie increases, and measure how my body responded. For some a small increase works well. and major increases at one time may prove to be too much and cause weight gain, which is discouraging. Good Luck

What I've found with these surgeries is that after the initial rapid weight loss, the weight loss for most actually evens out to more 'average' rates of loss like with conventional diets. Mine wasn't fast by any means. I also found when my weight loss would stall, increasing calories would not only break the stall, but jump start my weight loss again. I did that periodically the first year until I was at 1200 calories and hit my goal weight. To maintain my weight, I then upped my calories to 1300. Doing that also helped set my metabolic thermostat so I wasn't stuck having to eat 800 calories for the rest of my life. I've said it before, but I really think these surgeries mess with our physiology. The 'ol "calories in/calories out" adage seems to go out the window, and most of the time in the losing phase INCREASING calories is the key to steady, healthier weight loss. Once our metabolism adjusts, then things seem to go back to normal when too many calories will result in weight gain. That being said, from the hundreds of posts I've seen and in my own experience, there is little to nothing we can do to prevent hair loss and most loose skin. Sure exercise, age, heredity etc has a lot to do with skin elasticity, but once certain areas are stretched out, there's just no going back without surgery. And hair loss is truly the luck of the draw.