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BE ENCOURAGED! I agree, your stress does not help your weight-loss. You are losing weight!!! This is not the biggest loser...we are not always gonna pull double digit losses every week. If you do great and if you don't don't let that determine the success for this journey. You have made a decision to take back your life! That is great! My dad who always had a snide remark about my weight told me after returning home from surgery that he was proud of me. I could not believe it. I believe your mom will be too. Don't stress yourself unnecessarily. Just because mom paid does not mean it is her journey. It is yours. You did it for you and no one else. Remember that this is a tool to weight-loss. It is not the magic pill. While the surgery deals with the amount of food that affects our weight we must begin to deal with the emotional and other causes that effect our weight gain. In the meanwhile BE ENCOURAGED by the new choices, achievements and all the possibilities! Remember how you felt while preparing for the surgery? Remember that excitement??! Go back to those moments and enjoy the possibilities! Dream of them! Get rid of the scale!!!!!! Get rid of the scale!!!! You are doing a great job!!!

make sure you weigh your food and try to limit it to no more than a cup to prevent weight gain and other issues.

So, I just went for my final diet and exercise appointment April 3. I had gained 5 pounds in a month! I nearly died right there on the spot. The nurse practitioner I saw was not a happy camper and told me to be mindful and prepare in advance for trips and such. How do you prepare in advance for eating on a 4 hour one way trip?! 1.) I can't afford that much jerky!!! and 2.) The trip itself is very limited on the kinds of eating establishments along the particular route I had to take. My Nutritionist and Exercise guru on the other hand was actually not too upset. He said I was still under my starting weight and that I was actually doing pretty darned good despite the weight gain. He also noted that the weight gain could be the fact that I began bicycling again after several years and that I have probably developed some good thigh muscles, which would add weight in the short term and then help lose the weight in the long term. The fact that I've bicycled every weekend since I got my bike is awesome. The first two weekends pretty much did me in though! The first Saturday that my and my family bicycled was a killer! We bicycled I don't know how far. I know it was over 5 miles...it had to be! By the time we got back to the car my legs no longer wanted to function and I literally collapsed in the grass next to the driveway because my leg literally could not hold my weight. So, naturally for me, I had an anxiety/panic attack wondering if I'd be able to get back up so I could drive us home. The next weekend it was just my youngest son and me. We rode 4 miles and took a rest halfway at subway for lunch. Then finished riding home. I had to walk up two hills that ride compared to the several the weekend before. Last weekend we (my boys and I) rode 7 miles! I was so proud! Now, back to my appointment....I talked to my patient care coordinator before I left my final diet and excersise appointment to double check and make sure everything was ready to submit to Medicaid for approval. She said it should be about a week or two before we would hear anything back. Mind you this was Monday, April 3, 2017. On Friday, mind you this was only 4 days later, I got a call from my PCC. She asked if I was ready to schedule my surgery! I could not believe it! Already? They approved it that fast?! Others that I had talked to dealing with medicaid said that they had to wait a month to a month and a half! I felt so blessed! I still feel blessed. She asked if I'd have the money together by pre-op day. I asked her when that was. It's this Wednesday! It doesn't seem possible! THIS WEDNESDAY! I told her no problem. When can we get the surgery scheduled? Do you think we can have it done by the end of the month or the first week in May? She asked me "How does April 18 sound?" April 18? APRIL 18!!! That's like less than 2 weeks away! I started crying and she was laughing cause i was so happy i was crying. Well, she thought it was happy tears, but in reality it was happy mixed with terrified tears. OMG I was sitting here thinking I had at least another month to wrap my head around this (like 6 months hasn't been enough) Now, I am so thoroughly excited! I start my mostly liquid diet tomorrow to begin shrinking my liver. 2 shakes a day and a regular meal. Gee, just like slim fast, but better! LOL! And next Monday it's all clear liquid. The only major bad part right now is no pain meds at all until after surgery because the pain management doctor hasn't been able to get a hold of my PCP to get my meds changed off the NSAIDs and the Wellbutrin I take (and doesn't help) for my depression. Since I have fibromyalgia (Yay! finally got a confirmed diagnosis a month ago! after 4 years of trying) So, I'm dealing with a lot of back nerve pain right now and will be until my doctors can get together on stuff. Joy. The waiting of the doctors that have everything to do with everything NOT pertaining to my weight loss. LOL I'm still excited though. And I'll trudge through the rest. Oh, and by the way, for all you non believers in the Heavens above...be careful what you ask/pray for because you just might get it. See, 4 years ago on April 18 I got a call that would change my life forever and lead me on a downward spiral that I'm actually still trying to crawl out of. I think I'm reaching the top most days, but it's still difficult on a lot of days. Anyway, April 23, 2013 my husband of 14 years committed suicide. This was actually one of the best things that could have happened. I know that's horrible to say, but to say that he was very sick at the time would be an understatement. So, I prayed a couple months ago that I could have my surgery on April 23 of this year. It would be a new birthday of sorts to borrow someone's phrase I saw today. It would be a reset day. The day that my life begins anew. New health. New happiness. New chances. New me. Well, I realized soon after that prayer was made that that would not be possible. April 23 is a Sunday. No surgeries that day. So I blew it off. No big deal. No matter what day my surgery ends up being, it will be a new beginning. Instead He answered my prayer by my surgery being scheduled on the anniversary of the day I got a fateful call that turned my world upside down. So, you see, He did grant my prayer. He just knew that the 18th would be a better "reset" day than the 23rd.

HI EVERYONE, IM NEW TO THIS AND JUST HAD SOME QUESTIONS THAT I REALLY WANT INFO ONE.. MY SURGERY IS JAN 26 AND IM HAVING THE SLEEVE DONE. I WEIGHT 238 AND DECIDED THIS IS BEST FOR ME I DINT HAVE KIDS AND WANT THEM REALLY BAD I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME AND FOUND OUT IT'S FROM WEIGHT GAIN... HAS ANYONE HAD POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME AND GOT PREGNANT AFTER SURGERY?

The doctor's secretary stated that I would need to see a cardiologist, pulmonologist and a psychiatrist for medical clearance and I was fortunate enough to have all my appointments completed this week. If anyone is looking for a psychiatrist, cardiologist or pulmonoligist in the Northern NJ Bergen/Passaic County area, let me know. More than happy to reccomend. Each of them were great and all accept United Healthcare/Americhoice. The cardiologist had me undergo a stress test and echocardiogram. They also did blood work and checked my thyroid levels. The pulmonologist is sending me for a sleep test which wasn't a requirement but I am going to do it in 2 weeks. It will help address my snoring which has increased since my weight gain. As of today I am 268lbs. I also met with a psychiatrist whose main goal was to really determine if I have given real thought to the process of the lapband and if I FULLY understand the changes I need to make in my lifestyle and eating habits. He was very kind and after going over my history and making sure that I knew what I was signing on for with this surgery he did go ahead and aprove me. My recommendation to anyone would be that it should not matter if your insurance requires these steps or not. You should undergo them for your own safety and peace of mind not just for you but your loved ones as well. I think a whole lot about my family especially my kids and how they would be affected if somrthing unforeseen were to happen to me so for that reason alone I am taking all the precautions and making sure that I am clear on all angles. Dr. Vasquez is one of the few that requested these tests not just for his protection but mines as well. I have spoken with some people who had the procedure who said that they had the surgery without even having clearance on their heart, breathing or otherwise. Not good, not good I say. But I am glad things worked out for them. At any rate ...take the extra steps! the life you save may be your own.

Hi everyone. Just wanted to make a reassuring post to people that may be asking that question and give a little update that made me cheerful about that giant cyclops of a scale I have. YOUR SCALE IS NOT THE TRUEST MEASURE OF YOUR SUCCESS. I have to remind myself of that every day that I am tempted to climb on that thing to see just if this surgery may be the first thing to actually help me lose weight in my entire life. It is easy to get caught up in the misery of numbers not moving, or even when they add up while your body is replenishing glycogen stores during 3 - 6 week and so on stalls. (weight gain happens for some people during this time and is normal, don't freak out.) However, that being said. Sometimes, your scale is your friend. When you need that reassuring feeling of yes, this is working even though I can't see it, or my coworkers / family haven't commented on my losing 50+ lbs. (Don't worry about other people noticing, your heart and arteries notice and they are far more cool and crucial to your well being than people judging your appearance.) I was about a month and a week post op and I went through a three week stall. I started thinking the scale was broken and I know it isn't. We have two and I tested the sig. other on his digital one for skinny people and my giant glaring one for me. They were less than a lb different. So then I wait a few days in my depression of, "this isn't working for me after all" and I go weigh myself today and I went from 307 to 295 / 6 in about 8 days. Moral of the story. If you are doing things the right way, not starving your body, keeping it hydrated, keeping it in the healthy fats and calories you will come to see, YOUR SCALE IS NOT BROKEN ( and neither is your body / sleeve ) Good luck and love everyone. We can do this.

I am in the 5-10 lb regain since surgery almost two years ago. Although I would be more comfortable with 5 pounds down, I am still okay with where I am now. My daily weight fluxuates by 2-3 pounds over a course of a week. If I see scale up, I take immediate actions which is easier with sleeve. At my lowest I was 17 lbs below surgeons goal and way too skinny, looking unhealthy. Now I am 10 lbs above that but still 7 lbs below surgeons goal and well within Normal BMI range. Don't get used to drinking your calories, or you will gain weight back. Another sleever friend of mine lives on sweet tea. She has gained back a lot of weight and is frustrated. DUH Sleeve only restricts. Our surgeons did stomach surgery, not brain surgery. Why did I gain back 10lbs? I eat a lot of carbs and am carb sensitive. Potato salad, Pasta, white rice - with almost every meal. I also eat chips and candy too often. So with these slider foods the pounds have come back on. I am not proud of my weight gain and know what I need to do to lose the 5lbs. I do not diet anymore. What a sleever (me) needs to do is make better choices. The sleeve works.

I'm about 5.5 months out and my folks so absolutely not. They discussed weight gain with me and said one of the first things they ask is if you are eating and drinking together. They see a pattern there. I miss it a bit but not nearly as much as I thought I would. I miss it most when I am out with a group and see others getting to do it. Here at home, I don't think about it much.

I am over 6 months out and I still can't eat and drink at the same time. I really focus on eating my Protein first and seem to forget about the drinking thing. I usually get something to drink when I put my plate away, but let it sit for about 20 minutes and allow the ice to chill the drink really well before I even consider drinking. I sometimes get that bubble feeling when I first start drinking after eating. I think, mostly because I drink a little too much at first. Then, I wait about 10 minutes and sip the rest of my drink for an hour or more. My husband had gastric bypass 5 years ago and I have watched him put on 30 lbs since his big loss. I am terrified that I will do the same thing so I really focus on what the program has taught me this far. He doesn't eat and drink at the same time still, but does overeat and has forgotten the chew, chew, chew method. So, just because you are eating and drinking at the same time doesn't necessarily mean that you will put on weight unless you are overeating. Since I don't really have hunger anymore, I know how much my new tummy can hold and that's all I eat. I believe the weight-gain is more about what you are putting in your mouth and if you are using what you are taught. I do know that my doctor said that if you drink too quickly after eating, it washes away all your nutrition before your stomach has time to process it. So, I try to remember this since I am still only eating small portions. A few times I have forgotten about this and went back to my old habits not even realizing it. Oh my! The discomfort from the Fluid mixed with the food was enough to remind me of it! I have taken a sip if needed if something doesn't seem to go down right and I have been OK with that, but nothing more than that.

Hi ... I am unsure if this message will be read or acknowledged but I thought I would give it a go. I'm Angela, 27 years old . I'm engaged to my college sweetheart, Paul. We've known each other for 8 years now and he has been my rock throughout the years. We studied sport and exercise and I had hoped to progress to become a fitness instructor. I loved working out, always made me feel good afterwards. I loved the gym, swimming, hurling and dancing (I know some people debate about wither dance is a sport or not but it burns calories). I grew up without a dad. He left when I was a baby. My mother had a hard time and I didnt make things easy for her as a child. She was my best friend. At the weekends she used to do fun an interesting things with me like make a tent out of a bed sheet and chairs and we would cuddle with hot chocolate and marshmallows and read stories. She was a great mother. She died during my third year of studies and I hit rock bottom. I gave up on the idea of being a fully qualified fitness instructor and running my own gym(s) and I took over my mother's business, a little florist shop. I began binge eating and I started off thinking that because of my body's metabolism, I wouldn't gain weight. I was very wrong to assume I would never gain a pound. I did not notice the weight gain until my clothes shrunk. At first I blamed the tumble dryer. This upset me and what did I do? Only retreat back to the cookie jar again. I no longer felt full after a mcdonalds children happy meal. Now I am able to eat an extra large big mac meal and a regular cheese burger meal together. My BMI has shot up to 45.8 and I am far from the thin girl I used to be. It amazes me sometimes how Paul is still standing by me. He has tried to get me up and exercising again but I've asthma now and I find it hard to do any form of exercising. Ive tried a few diets but they don't work long term. My last option is weight loss surgery. I have only joined this forum and will have a look into the different topics available. Thanks for reading.

Right now is what people like to call "bandster hell" which is when you have healed from surgery, swelling has gone down and you have little to no restriction from your band. I had the same thing and right now is all based on your own will power.....you have to stop thinking I can eat like I did and keep the pre op/post op diet fresh in your mind....I can only eat this much and stop yourself. Don't let the "I can eat again food monster invade your thoughts" bc he will and I think that monster is the cause of a lot of post op weight gain. My loss since surgery has been SLOOOOOOWWW and I just had my first fill Friday. Are you scheduled for your first fill?

AFTER THE FILL I'm not sure what everyone means by "restriction". I don't know that I feel "restricted". I do feel like I get a fuller a little faster and have eaten a little less since my fill. Still feel like its a good amount of food and when I eat with friends and family it takes me more time to eat my food than to eat their food. I feel proud of how little food is on my plate rather than embarrassed about how MUCH food is on my plate. There's been nothing that I can't eat yet. I have tried to stay away from the doughy stuff just cause I've heard horror stories. I'm not that big of a fan of bread anyway. So, its' been 7 weeks and I'm 24 lbs lighter - YAY! I probably would have lost more if I would have gotten filled the first time around. I've never vomited, I've not felt miserable, since the first few days - I feel fabulous. Nothing has ever gotten "stuck" nor have I ever had to "dislodge" anything. Those words are scary to me and blessedly I'm not exactly sure what they even mean. I am very pleased with the results thus far. For the most part, I don't even feel like I have the band - just that I eat less, have more energy and my snug fitting clothes now fit like they're supposed to. No one other than the few people I've told - fam and a couple of friends - have commented about my weight loss. I can't wait til my coworkers say - hey you're loosing weight! I'm fighting the urge to run out to my garage and pull out those 2 boxes of my favorite clothes that I had to pack up because they were too tight! I'm gonna wait until I've lost at least 40 lbs to do that! I can't wait - I had some cute stuff! The one thing that I haven't yet incorporated is exercise. I do get up and get moving more - around the office and at home. I've walked to a nearby park and played around there a couple of times. I also bought a stretch band that I use for arm exercises as I watch tv. However, I need to incorporate a full exercise plan that includes 30 minutes of exercise at least 5 days a week. WEIGHT LOSS Well I've made up for the 4 lb weight gain - I'm down to 347 for a total of 25 lbs. Woo hoo. I did this week stop drinking juice. I was probably drinking 300 calories a day in juice. Now Ice Tea and I are friends! I don't know why I didn't think of that sooner. I also bought some of these new Sobe/Lifewater drinks that have zero cals. My Fav is the apple pear. So far - I couldn't be HAPPIER. I feel FABULOUS! :thumbdown:

Thanks fort there response. I'm on SSRI meds that I'm unable to do without and the only one that works well for me is prozac. Ice been on integers that either did not work or had weight gain where I was 290 which is 20 more than I am now. I'm just starting out into looking at this as an option. Ice never been able to maintain a diet of 1000 calories a day... Not even close. The meds make you both hungrier and slow you ability to lose weight. Do people on this forum have experience with doing our at least researching doing sleeve in Mexico... Which is not because I'm cheap but rather it's because i don't have the money to do it here in the states.. Thank you for your help

well I am 22 weeks pregnant and all was going great. Up until last week I had gained only 2 kilos and was pretty happy. I was able to eat a moderate amount, nottoo much, but enough according to dr and dietician. so I remained unfilled. Then last week I started experiencing mega heart burn and was unable to hold much down. I was paranoid somthing had happened to my band. But going to see my band doctor he said that pressure during pregnancy can cause the band to become tighter. He took out 1 mil and now I can eat again. Not too much, but in a week I have put on 3 kilos. I am npw back up to 112 kilos I am assuming it must be just because I was dehydrated. But I am so scared that after I give birth I will have all this weight to lose again. Iknow I should just focus on a healthy baby, because thats the main thing, but can't help feeling worried:scared2: What has your experiences with band tightning and weight gain during pregnancy?

I take Benadryl fairly often (at least once a week) and no side effect of weight gain for me.

I asked my surgeon generally about this because I am also looking to have kids in a few years after the sleeve. When I asked specifically about weight gain, my dietician said that most women gain way too much weight with their pregnancies and that it should really only be about 25 to 30 pounds of weight gain for a healthy woman. She told me that it will be easier to gain with the sleeve (since it doesn't have a malabsorptive aspect by itself), but that women also gain normally after gastric bypass. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I have been on Paxil for GAD since 2000 when I was 120 lbs of solid muscle. I've tried weaning down my dosage or changing meds and never been able to come off it. But, since it's cheap now, I don't think it's a bad thing to be on. It had nothing to do with my weight gain, btw. You should see your GP about trying a SSRI/NSSRI. You may be able to take it short term, as most people do. It should not medically affect your surgery in any way. Self medicating is always a bad idea, especially since (#1. you're not a doctor and #2.) valium can cause hypotension and reduce the amount of oxygen to the heart muscle, so if you were having a heart attack, would be more harm than good. p.s. I'm not a doctor either!

Ok ok, I know that it should be expected to gain weight when we finally switch back to solids from liquids. But, when I see 5 pounds come back after losing 16...I feel like a failure. I did what I could to prevent it, but it still happend. I want a HUGE fill so that I will have super duper restriction. When will this weight gain stop?? How can I slow it down?? Lots of exercise maybe?? I know I'm being a drama queen, but I was so excited about the lap-band that I could hardly contain myself...watching the scale go up is something that I hoped wouldn't happen. I am so tired of being fat!!! I am tired or snoring and not sleeping well!! I am tired of being unable to jog or climb up stairs without being winded!! I AM FED UP WITH MYSELF!!! Whew...thanks for listening.

I have been gaining and lossing the same 10lbs for 3 months. I can not keep most meats down. I almost always PB my first meal of the day and then it seems I can eat like a pig. I think I am to tight for a fills but I am having trouble reaching my goal. I am 9 months post op. And I am so happy with my weight loss, but could use help in getting off the last 30 lbs.

So my VSG surgery on August 26 everything appeared to be going fine.... the last 4 days my scale has crept up from 242... to 245! I dont understand why this would happen, I'm following my plan, maybe a little short on water, but not much and I'm not premenstrual atm...... what would cause this...its disappointing seeing it go up ..... makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong.... help.... has this happened to others? Sent from my SM-G965W using BariatricPal mobile app

Actually, a band too tight often leads weight gain. When your band is too tight, people often resort to slider foods or develop "soft calorie syndrome" leading to weight gain from not eating the right foods. Have a look at this article: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/page/index.html/_/support/post-op-support/tighter-isnt-always-better-r118 Plus, reflux is a major red flag sign of a band too tight. You don't need a fill, in fact you still may need some Fluid removed. I would recommend seeing your nutritionist to get back on track by eating the right foods in the right quantities. Best wishes.

Im finding people who struggle to maintain weight after passing a 3 year mark. The first 3 years seem like magic in comparison. What do other long term sleevers experience? Several of us have been discussing this issue on "wt gained after sleeve" but people who are recently sleeved are writing about stalls. What we are experiencing is NOT a stall but an actual trend of weight gained. Sometimes in spite of sticking to same regimen (diet and exercise ) and sometimes because of physical difficulties interfering. Words of wisdom, anyone? We dont want to face total failure.

I am ready to do this. I am 100lbs from my goal weight of 135lbs. I have healthy eating habits but I eat too much. I can't control my portions ill have the steak and veggies but overdo it on the portion size of the meats. I'm not a huge picker but occasionally those cookies will torture me and I overindulge plus I eat super fast. I lose control over how much I eat. I am hoping if I continue to eat healthy protein and veggies the Lapband will help with the feeling full quicker so not only do I not go for seconds But i can't even finish my first a plate. There is this supposedly "new" belt type thing you wear on the outside I tried this its actually approved by insurance comp I didn't pay a penny for it, but it hurts soooooooooooo bad to wear this thing all day I had bruises I think you don't feel hungry bc your in pain. It did help me to eat less but I couldn t utilize properly bc it cut in so bad. I haven't come to the Lapband decision lightly. It's been a 2 year decision on and off again before I went for my first consult and finally after my 3 rd child and a 115lbs weight gain over. 9 year period I am ready to make changes and eat less. I don't want to be the "fat" mom. I want my kids to see me eating right and pick up from my healthy eating and portion sizes and I'm hoping from the less weight and healthy eating ill have more energy to exercise on a daily basis not just once a week sometimes twice.

I am 8 years out from my sleeve surgery and have gained about 50lbs. Anyone else have this issue? Any ideas on how to lose the weight? I can't lose it the way I use to lose weight, pre surgery habits. Any ideas?

divorced......, There are plenty of folks around who have had them removed, I being one of them although our circumstances are much different. In fact this is the first I've heard of undigested food collecting above the band and causing an infection. I know a weight gain is traumatic but it seems like you have more important issues on the table right now and doing whatever you can do to make yourself healthier is what is important right now. Good luck to you, Nancy.