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Congrats on the weight loss. Well, my first instinct was to 'get an adjustment'. Seems like it's time. You haven't mentioned weight gain...that's good news! I gained a few pounds over the past few weeks.... Valentines Day I had 5 pieces of Russel Stovers chocolate and a Coke. Yep, I lost 3 pounds! Crazy as it sounds, time to time I will eat a Krispey Kreme donught and sodapop or some chocolate...just a tad. That seems to get the weight off me. You can try it...if it works...you'll know to do this a few times a year. If you gain....don't do it ever again! :wub:

All the IV fluids they give you also cause weight gain. Don't sweat it! It'll be gone in no time.

I had my lapband placed in 2007. Initially I lost about 35 pounds and then stalled. After my hysterectomy I noticed weight gain and went back for more fills and basically had 9/10cc. I have never really felt full and the only thing I can't eat is rice and a bun on a burger. Have never felt full but do produce a massive amount of slime that in turn makes me throw up nearly daily. I can actually feel food go down my stoma such as meat! I have gained all my weight back and then some. Earlier in the Spring I started to notice some refflux but nothing severe. Late this Summer it got really bad and I made an appointment with my surgeons office. She totally deflated my band and I swear it made the reflux worse! I am on Prilosec 40 mg. twice daily and eat tums and rolaids like candy with not much relief. Immediately after she took out the Fluid I started belching horribly and haven't stopped for 2 1/2 weeks. A week after they deflated I had an UGI study and an endoscopy that showed no slippage or erosion of the band but a little bit of a Grade A reflux and the lining of my stomach was inflamed. It has been a week after the endoscopy and over 2 weeks since the band was deflated and I continue to have reflux and a lot of intermittent pain on both my right and left upper abdomen and in the middle of my back. I feel so miserable and I want so much to have this band taken out and do some sort of revision but I have some major health issues that make me high risk for any type of surgery. Has anyone experienced the pain thing and what did they do for you? I have an appointment again next week but I feel just miserable. A few months after I had my surgery I had pancreatitis but this feels worse and I had a fever with that. I refuse to let them ever access my port again as fills are always extremely painful because they have a hard time accessing it. I gained 4 pounds since deflation and I don't have an appetite so I am really scared.

Hi All, I am a science teacher in Michigan and I have been to one appointment and one session of the seminar series. I have diabetes and a BMI of 38 and I am hoping to really reduce the diabetes and gain some of my energy back. I am tired by the end of the day and I can see that my lessons, while good, are not like the ones when I was younger and thinner. I want to get back to that. I am very well thought of in my community but I can tell a difference and I know that things could be better. In the title for this post, I state that I am nervous and depressed. Am I doing the right thing? Having the kind of change that I read in many of your posts is certainly supportive and I would like to have those changes as well. This is a drastic step to take but I am in need of something drastic since nothing else has helped. I am very apprehensive about never again having foods that I currently enjoy, like a bagel. I keep finding myself thinking "Is this my last ....?" I have heard of others going out for their "last real meal" and having their "last ice cream" and so on. I guess that it is natural to think of things in those terms since eating will never be the same again. But it also brings to mind the condemned man and his last meal. His life is about to change and so is mine. Being able to eat such a small amount makes me wonder if a certain amount of depression creeps in as you realize that doing something like sharing a pizza with a friend now means having only part of one slice, assuming that your digestion can handle even that. Eating is so social and such a part of our culture. Making this step kind of feels like it did when I moved away from all of my family after college. I got used to it and ultimately liked it but I certainly had lots of strong feelings about it before and during that process. I am not worried at all about the procedure, just the changes that will take place in my life. Will the good things be as good as I hope they will be and how do I minimize the negative parts? I know that I am going into this with the understanding that it is for life. But, am I choosing the Lap Band option over the bypass because of my perception of the finality of the bypass? The Lap Band can be removed even though that is not a common procedure, but it is some kind of back door that could be used if ultimately needed. I am choosing this surgery so that I can live longer and have better health during whatever time I have left. I do not see another option since I have tried other diets and so on and like most of us those things did not work or they did not last. While I know that dieting like that has a very low success rate, I guess that I do feel the guilt of being overweight and that I am taking the route that is perceived by many as being the easy way out, even though that is not the case. It is a hard way to go, but it seems to be made possible because of our sense of responsibility after the surgery and the immediate reminders that we get because of the Lap Band. If you do not follow the rules, bad things could happen (not just weight gain). As I reread this post, it seems to come off as pretty gloomy. However, it did do me some good to write this down knowing that someone else could possibly read it. I have not talked so candidly with my wife but the relative anonymity of a post helps with the inhibitions. Thanks for reading, SciTeach

Hello.... Newbie here. I just found this forum and was glad to see some responses that answered some of my questions from other sleevers. My scary issue is that I don't feel full?!! I had my sleeve performed on 3/2/15. My original Weight was 249, pre op 239 and now currently at 225. I'm not complaining about my weight loss as I think this is awesome!!! My concern is that I don't feel full. I am on my 3rd week of full liquids and when I drink my fluids and can't tell when to stop. Obviously I follow the measurements but my concern is that this was the reason of my weight gain. I keep eating!!! Am I doing this wrong, how do you know when to stop?

So I already got the appr9val from my insurance company for the surgery but since I have had my depo shit and gained like 10 pounds this month so very nervous to go for my final weight in. Any one experience this. I haven't changed my diet I don't know what's going on Sent from my VS880PP using the BariatricPal App

Hello, I had my surgery 11/17/14. HW: 294, CW: 241. My surgeon Atlanta Surgical Associates. Dr. Qammar Rashid. Decatur, Georgia. So far I'm still getting adjusted. I get frustrated because I've only lost 52 lbs then I think Wow!! You've lost 52 lbs. The key is not comparing your weight loss to someone else. I still have questions, good days and bad. I had a carb craving so bad a week ago that I thought I would surely pay the price in weight gain. No weight gain though only the dreaded plateau!! Also I have eaten at times 1600+ calories in a day!! That comes with snacking!! No more room for snacking!! Protein, Protein, Protein!! I focus my efforts now on 12 months post op to determine if the surgery was successful. You have to because right now everything is about learning what works today. This is more than a journey, finally, it's a change of life.

This is a very important topic, and no doubt some people used their physical shields as psychological ones. The fact that I am not in that group is both lucky and unlucky. My relationship to the outside world never really changed throughout the years of weight gain, and I didn't tend to assume people were viewing me differently. Now that I am losing rapidly, I also tend to think that the world and it's denizens have enough to think about and I am really not high up on the list. That said, there have been comments at work, but none that would cause me to think a channel to the world that was previously closed is gradually opening up.

Today I see the nutritionist. I'm nervous about it because when I last saw the surgeon, on 11/6, I was 10 lbs lighter than I am now. My insurance already approved me, and I'm scheduled for surgery on 12/29. This is my last Dr's appt before surgery, but I'm afraid the nutritionist will change all that because I've gained more weight. Of course it's my fault I've gained, because I'm eating everything I feel I can't have after surgery, but can it be delayed due to weight gain?! My Dr. doesn't require a 2 week pre-op diet, but I am putting myself on one starting Monday, exactly 2 weeks before my big day.

I am 4weeks post op tomorrow and I just went a week long vacation where I struggled with my Vitamin regimen and did not eat enough - but my Water was very very high and I exercised extensively I actually was able to do a 6 mile hike (cleared by my surgeon) I came home and I gained 3lbs and my body fat percentage went UP 1%. I am ready to cry. I know how important Protein is my goal is 100 grams a day and I hit 70 for most of the week bc of food options I was relying on Protein shakes and tuna (plain) a lot. I averaged 100 oz of water daily and exercised daily for 30 min to an hr. Has anyone experienced this? I assumed I might have gained muscle until I saw the body fat % & my calorie intake was around 5-600 a day. Please help. Sent from my Z970 using the BariatricPal App

Hello All... I am new to this website and thought I would share my story. I had VSG surgery on September 28th 2010. I will be completley honest with my journal enteries! ALWAYS! The first week was NO FUN! I had a tough time keeping ANYTHING down. The doctor's said that my stomach was tight and it would take some time, but it would get better. IT DID! after the first week, things got MUCH MUCH better! I stayed on liquids for the first two weeks, then mushies for two weeks and now I eat alot of mushies but try and intergrate solid foods. I am still having some trouble with eating solids. I did learn that I cannot eat white meat chicken, it must be dark meat. White meat is just too dry for me to keep down, no matter how I prepare it. I made chicken and dumplings for my family the other night and used chicken thighs and I ate everything but the duplings. It was really good and it settled very well. I am so happy that I decided to have the VSG surgery. I have only been post op[/size] for a little over 5 weeks and have lost about 28 pounds. I started out at 260 before surgery and lost 5 pounds in the two weeks before surgery. Then the day of surgery I was at 255... so from the day of surgery I have lost 28 pounds... from the highest weight that I was (260) I have lost 33 pounds. A couple weeks ago I had a platue and did not loose for about 4-5 days and was really depressed, but then I started loosing again and felt much better. Before surgery I had Fibromyalgia very badley and since surgery have been pretty pain free. I am very hesitant to excercise because I do not want the fibromyalgia to flair up but am trying to stay as active as I can without going overboard. I know I really should be excersizing more... We just moved into our new house a couple months ago, so the Wii balance board had been packed away... So I thought; I will hook it up and do some cardio excercises on the Wii.... But to my disappointment the balance board would not work. I had my husband look at when he got home and he could not get it to work either. He said it looked like one of the girls (my daughters) had spilled something on it. POOPY! So there goes that! Maybe I can ask for a new balance board for christmas! LOL. Anyways... for those of you out there that are contiplating getting this surgery done or not... I say go for it!!! It does not work all on its own, you have to listen to your body and stay committed to the new lifestyle, but if you are up for that then GO FOR IT! I am only 5 weeks out and it has already changed my life for the better. My marriage has always been good... Will be married to my husband for 10 years this coming June... and with the weight gain over the years, my sex drive had deplenished! That was tough on my marraige! My husband has no problem in that area and just could not understand why I had NO DRIVE! He took it personally that I had no interest in him... That was not the case, I just never felt good enough for him! I did not want to take my clothes off the way I was! I felt, FAT, UGLY & DEPRESSED! None of that says SEX APPEAL to me! But since the surgery and since the pounds have been coming off the desire has become much more apparent on my part and you can tell that my husband really likes what he sees! I think sex is a very important factor in a good marriage and I think that was just a little something that we were missing before and have regainned it from after the surgery. Some of you may think this is TMI (to much info) but I want to be as truthful and helpful as I can for those of you out there that are contiplating this surgery. I will be posting as much as I can! I lead a pretty busy life, but will try and post often. Please ask any questions that you like and will answer you with the utmost honesty! Good luck to you all!

So I totally let the excitement of seeing the surgeon on Thursday and just nearing the end of the pre-op process get the best of me. I've gained 3.2 lbs since my last weight check at home. I'm not discouraged just mad I allow myself to eat emotionally still. Grrrr.. Back to the grind today tho.. Chocolate protein shake for breakfast here I come! Have a good day my sleeve friends! Monnica

I had my surgery 2 yrs ago in May. I've lost 100 lbs in the 1st yr. I just recently gained 5 lbs. I've been eating sugar & lots of it. Just 2 days of NOT eating anything white & just eating "GREEN & LEAN". I'm down 3 lbs. Has anybody else had a weight gain? It is so EASY to fall back into bad eating merry-go-round.

I was sleeved on 3/2/11 and I am currently down 68 lbs, but for the last two weeks I have been at the same weight. I have tried a couple of different things to 'jolt' my system to push past this stall (more exercise, more Water, no water, more Protein, less protein, etc), but nothing is shaking it loose. No weight gain, just no weight loss. I am excited with my weight loss so far, but I have had three stalls. This one is by far the longest and most frustrating because I have been 'going by the book' since my VSG. I know this gets asked a lot, but hoping for some words of wisdom (I'm still less than 90 days post surgery, so I'm still learning). Thanks! Texas Red

Hey guys. I'm 29 yrs old and I had my band put in March 19,2012. Went into surgery 273lbs and went into surgery yesterday morning 209lbs. My hubby says that I should've just taken off my band but HELLO!? I've lost 64lbs in 5 months and not only that I paid $14k cash to get rid of my investment just like. But my main concern is weight gain, I weighed myself 2day and I weigh 8 more then yesterday. And I've gotta wait a whole month and a half before getting my band re placed properly.

Hi Mary: We are the same age and I always like to check in with woman our age because I think it's a challenge with menopausal weight gain that comes with this time. How are you doing? Are you winning the battle? Glad your palpitations went away. I started getting them a year ago and was very scared as I lost a sister to a heart attack. It turns out my palpitations are yet another symptom of fluctuating hormones. I am pre banded but have are almost there just battling with my insurance company but still have so many questions.

Been on liquids only for 2 weeks... No scale movement... Went the wrong way since surgery! I'm afraid this won't work for me. Starving and not losing sucks

I asked myself that same question. So last year, I decided to give it my all, I was strick low carb, didn't cheat for 200 days, lost about 40 lbs. I was down to 190 lbs. Not at goal, but at least feeling better and thinking - I will do better without the lap-band. I can do this! Then July came and we went on our family vacation. I have a motto, vacation is meant to enjoy, so I enjoy everything. If I want dessert, I get it. I don't diet on vacation - ever. Well, vacation ended and back home we came, gaining 8 lbs in a week from the vacation, I said "tomorrow, I'll get back on my diet". Guess what, tomorrow never came, By November I was up to 248 lbs. I realized, I can diet, I am successful at losing weight, however, I'M A FAILURE at keeping it off. I was depressed, sad, and embarrassed at my massive weight gain from July to November - I had packed on 58 lbs in 4 months! I know my co-workers were talking behind my back, I know my family was concerned for me. My DH expressed his concern as well. Thats when I realized I needed help, serious help. I once again looked at the lap band. I started the process 11/22 and had my surgery on 1/18/07. I know I"m only a month out, but I tell you, I believe it is the best decision I have ever made. I no longer fear going on vacation. I know that I can enjoy what I want to, however, my tool (the band) will keep me from gorging uncontrollable. I feel safe now with my tool. I know that I wil NEVER be 248 lbs again. I am not trying to talk you into getting the band, I'm just sharring my thoughts. Only you know yourself, only you know if you can lose the weight on your on and keep it off. Whatever you decide, it sounds like your co-workers are a great support for you and care about you very much. I wish you the best!

hi paul and cristi! alberta will cover the full cost but you have to meet certain criteria i.e. bmi with associated co-morbidities. i have the bmi but no co-morbid's so paying 16k out of pocket and going to toronto to have it done. the waiting list in edmonton is off the charts - probably 3-5 years to complete the process, over 1000 on waiting list currently. it is a whole "program" meaning you can't just get the surgery. in fact i believe they do everything to avoid having surgery - there are psych consults, dietician, among others. in a nut shell - a lot of hoops! i was told to go back to WW since i had lost 10 lbs with them - i almost snapped! anyway - cristi i have 4 kids, ages 6,4,2,2. yes it was the bogo event for us the last time around. did you say you had 4 as well. i wish i could blame the weight gain on pregancy but i never gained more than 10 lbs with any of them and in fact could not keep the weight on with the twins. i have no excuse, just laziness, bad genes, bad luck! so your surgery is in 2 weeks? what about you paul - can i ask what is holding you back? i know it is a big decision, to a lot of people it seems so extreme. for me it is a no brainer! i'm 36, i've been heavy my whole life, i've tried every diet under the sun. if i haven't taken been able to get it off by now... And i don't feel like i am taking the easy way out either. like we read over and over, it is a tool that needs to be worked, it doesn't work on its own. it's a lot easier to stick to a diet when you don't feel like you are starving to death! sorry so long....

New year ... new start. Im looking for help/guidance. Had surgery in Nov 2012. I weighed 289 day of surgery. Got down to as far as 214 lb and then just hit a plateau. Which I was fine with. I did more than I ever did. Loved to exercise to relieve the stress of eating etc... Then I was injured couldn't exercise as much. Starting getting depressed and making bad eating choices again. Now Im up to 235 lb. I started back with kick boxing but started getting dizzy and very out of breathe. I figured I had been out of the game for awhile and thought I was just out of shape. I went to get a full work up and physical. Discovered that my B12, Iron and white blood counts were very low and therefore making me extremely anemic. Had to get a few iron infusions done. Dr told me I could resume workouts until levels were up. Levels are still where they need to be... taking vitamin D and b12 supplements now. Dr told me my metabolism is very low and therefore not burning off calories like it normally would. Im feeling at a loss. I want to be back at where I was. Finding it hard to get motivated. Anyone else have a similar experience???

Well, Wednesday is my Surgical consul with Dr. Woodman. I'll receive my pre-op & post-op dietary education, as well as my surgery date. I'm so psyched to have the surgery, I'm like a 10 year old anxiously awaiting my birthday. Pretty symbollic when you think about it; The surgery being the rebirth of the "new me!" I've purchased baby food, broth, whey protein, and other post op items to kick off my journey towards 200 lbs. After losing more than 50 lbs before approval, my prescription meds and inability to cope with my osteoarthritis pain and a very painful hernia has triggered a gradual weight gain since April. Excercise restrictions are so frustrating!!!! I plan on working my ass off post-op!

Hi I am new to this website. I was banded 11/15/10, I love it! I always had a weight problem but if I put my mind to it and followed a diet and exercised I was able to lose weight. Right before I got married I was doing just that watching what I ate and exercising like crazy and not gaining weight but not losing at all. I went for a physical and found out I have hypothyroid. For eight years I had gradual weight gain, surprisingly was able to lose pregnancy weight twice (I attribute that to breastfeeding) but after losing that the gradual weight gain continued. So in complete frustration I talked to my PCP about weight loss and he said his wife who is in practice with him has been working with a bariatric surgeon and he recommended I see them about lapband. He is a pretty conservative guy so for him to reccomend that I took it pretty seriously. I started seeing the surgeon in July 2010 since then I have lost almost 60 lbs, 20 lbs pre-surgury and the rest since. I had my first fill a week ago (2/1/11) and I remembered how being on liquids was like torture, hungry all the time. Back on regular diet now and doing ok. The holidays were difficult because I discovered there wasn't much I couldn't eat. I am having a difficult time getting back to the diet I was doing so well before the holidays but I have started exercising. My hardest times are the weekends when we socialize with others, I need to figure out something to help me eat what and how much I am supposed to. My biggest concern is not causing my band to slip. I realize when I do eat a lot it is nowhere near what I used to eat without the band but still I have the moments. I am looking forward to checking out chat areas on here and learning more and getting and giving support when possible.

Q1- Can anyone that has had the ideal surgery and success give me an overview of what to expect? It is possible to have an ideal experience. I recovered from surgery within a day, had small but regular fills and lost steadily - it was fast and very gratifying for six monmths, steadied out to a pound or two a week for the rest of the first year, a pound a week for the second year and then over time, I graudally lost about 10 to 15 more pounds, for a total of 100 lost. I started with a BMI of 36, so with a 100lb loss I have lost well into low BMI territory, and am now "thin" not just less fat. I ran regularly and now also do boxing and bootcamp, but I never felt I worked THAT hard on my eating, the portion control was all I really needed. Q2- What are the rules? What will I never be able to eat? What will I never be able to do? Well, I've found I can eat anything if I want to (some foods are harder than others but that varies wildly between individuals, however bread, rice, Pasta and fresh fruit are common). I cant truly "pig out" but you can certainly enjoy a special meal and feel like you've had a treat. If I do something a bit naughty like eat crap int he mid afternoon, I simply cant eat dinner. That takes care of weight gain from small indulgences, but you have to use your stomach space wisely so its not good to fill up on sugar and then not eat your healthy meal. We just dont have "rules" in Australia like you guys do, its just a matter of eating sensibly and eating smaller portions. Q3- Do you have any regrets? Absolutely none. Q4- What is the financial impact after the surgery? Groceries, supplements, etc.? I dont do supplements - I always took a basic multi Vitamin which i still do. I dont do Protein shakes and bars, ever, so there's no added cost there. I eat fresh food and cook from scratch like I always did. However, since I had my surgery five years ago, my family has grown, my kids have become teenagers etc so I truly havent noticed any savings on food, but I do throw more out from my plate. I never spent a lot of money on take away food either, didnt have a drive thru habit and didnt eat a lot of junk foods like McDonalds. I notice that meals that the recipe book says "serves four" does five of us for two meals, but my kids also complain that I give them tiny dinners and starve them, since my perception of "normal" is now a bit skewed.

Although your symptoms could be band related it sounds like something else is going on here too. You should see your PCP and/or a gastroenterologist. You might need to have an endoscopy and colonoscopy to see what is going on. These symptoms sound serious enough not to be dismissed. Your weight gain is probably unrelated to these symptoms. You need to find a doctor who will investigate this and obviously your surgeon is not the one to do it. Good luck.

“Melissa, Why do you work with bariatric surgery patients?” I’m often asked this. Clients and readers are often curious because I’m not a weight loss surgery patient myself and because I don’t have a “weight loss story.” Except that I do. My story has emerged from the stories of others. The truth is, I founded Enduring Change Coaching after years of practicing as a Clinical Psychologist. As a Clinical Psychologist, one area of expertise has been helping people with food and weight issues. Since 1995, I have worked with just about every kind of eating disorder, weight issue, and food issue an adult can have. I’ve witnessed peoples’ pain, struggles and desperation, and I’ve had the honor of sharing in their experiences of transformation (and I’m not just talking about weight)—as they found their own paths to making peace with food, resolving weight issues, putting eating and food in a much smaller place in their lives, and moving on to focusing on more enjoyable and empowering things. I developed the Emotional Eating Toolbox™ Program and run the bariatric surgery coaching programs at Enduring Change because I saw people struggling with their weight and feeling hopeless and I knew the tools and strategies that I have developed with my clients can make a profound difference. I’ve met too many people who believe that taking control of their weight and their relationship with food isn’t possible and who believe that they must resign themselves to fighting—and losing—battles with weight forever. I’ve known and worked with too many bariatric surgery patients who are stuck in a mode of self-blame. They believe they should be able to succeed with weight loss and with weight loss surgery without help or support and they blame themselves when they struggle. I’ve known other weight loss surgery patients who were never told that there are other essential tools they need to acquire and use with weight loss surgery. (Thankfully, I’m seeing less of this.) They too feel like failures when they find themselves struggling with emotional eating, overeating and weight gain after surgery. And I’ve worked with plenty of people who have had weight loss surgery, who know darned well that the procedure they had is only one tool. They know that they have other challenging work ahead of them, and other tools they will need to acquire to get where they want to go. The problem is, they aren’t sure where to get those tools. There are (in many areas) too few support groups (especially for individuals who are 12 months or more post-surgery) and not enough information about good resources. There is not enough information about overeating and emotional eating. People are quick to tell you not to overeat, not to use food to fill an “emotional hole,” and not to eat to cope with stress or boredom or loneliness. But there is not enough quality information and help out there about what to do instead. That’s been my experience. And that’s why I coach individuals and hold special coaching programs and conferences for people who have had bariatric surgery—by telephone—so anyone can attend. It’s why I periodically offer free teleclasses. Most importantly, it was one of my motivations for creating the Emotional Eating Toolbox™ Self-guided Program. Because there is too much shame and self-blame out there. And because we all are a lot more likely to succeed when we have the right tools. Melissa McCreery, Ph.D. is a Psychologist and the founder of Enduring Change Coaching. She helps her clients create and live the life they crave. She is also the creator of the Emotional Eating Toolbox 28-day Program for Taking Control and Moving Beyond Dieting. Sign up for a free 5 part Self-care Package Audio Course, learn about upcoming WLS seminars and other programs or contact her www.enduringchange.com.