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I Have a BMI of 45. I cant believe this has happened again ( the weight gain). Behavioral & spiritual methods have worked, for a while. I'm on the presurgical diet from north Fl surgeons. Surgery is scheduled for 2weeks. I'm hopeful & nervous. I'm on the liquid protein drink/bar 4 a day plus a broiled chicken breast, or tuna without mayo. My first day today. I'm doing this for 2 weeks for the sake of a safe surgery. Thats what they tell me. Im trying to think positive, but I find myself crying a little bit. Positive Positive. I'll make it through. Can someone respond w/ inspiring words, or not. A response would be helpful to me. Thanks. :crying:

My weight gain started with puberty, and I remember weighing exactly 200 in weight class in my senior year of high school. I'm now a couple pounds below 300 at 26 yrs old (hopefully I never see that 3!) so I have no idea at all what I'll look like after surgery.

When I was in my early 20's, I gained 100 lbs over 4 years and went to doctors for years to determine the cause, as I did not consume enough food to cause such drastic weight gain. After years of searching for the cause, along with a 48 day cycle, I had an internal sonogram and was diagnosed with PCOS. Side effects being weight gain and difficulty losing weight (insulin resistance), as well as infertility - which never really mattered to me. Last month I saw the Nutritionist at the Bariatric Center of Excellence, and I asked her why I am not losing weight at 1600 calories a day (myfitnesspal says I should be losing a pound a week), and she said it is because I have PCOS. I asked her if I will lose weight with VSG. She said WLS was the only way to lose weight... but not with the lap band. I felt very validated, after years of trying every program under the sun and feeling like a failure.

I'll try to make this brief.... I had Lap band surgery 2.2008...lost about 70 pounds very easily. Had a slip 11.2009....removal 3.2010. My insurance at the time would not pay for a replacement of the band because I was no longer "morbidly obese"....even though I didn't get to goal. My surgeon talked to me about the sleeve and I have been seriously considering it since November. Also, I have gained back nearly 30 pounds since November. I am getting new insurance due to a job change May 1st. I am praying that they will cover WLS for me and specifically the sleeve. My problem is that my surgeon does not operate at a "participating facility", so my options are to pay a 40% copay and the non participating facility or find a new surgeon. Is the 40% figured on the allowable charges or on the billed charges? We all know that insurance doesn't pay the entire billed charges, but usually cash pay patients do unless there is a prompt pay discount or something similar. Has anyone had any of these similar issues? I wish I could find some more concrete literature on the long term success with the sleeve. Specifically, are there any issues with ulcers, strictures etc. Guess that wasn't real brief, but I'm really feeling desperate due to my weight gain. It is so discouraging and I physically feel lousy!!!! Thanks....shell

Currently: I am a 43 yr old woman. Mother of 1. Married for almost 10 years. I am 5' 5" & 242 pounds. From southern TN area. Past: Extremely thin all my life until around 19. Before that, I was the girl in H.S. that everyone said they were jealous of because I was soooo thin. 100-105 lbs. in H.S. Reason(s) for weight gain: All sorts of things. Bad things in my life, not exercising anymore, got a car so I didn't have to walk everywhere, got married/divorced, parents died...etc.,etc.,etc. But --- the REAL reason was because I ate. Period. MY FAULT. I own it. Surgery of choice: The Sleeve. I have a few friends who have had The Band with little results. The friends I have that have had the Bypass - well, they have all been sick since. So, I chose The Sleeve due to those reasons, along with the fact that it's the 'best' choice for me and it's the 'medium' surgery on the scale of WLS's. I've done loads and loads of research. Timeline: Time from calling for 1st weight loss seminar to the date of surgery - 34 days. Yes, very quick. Why? ....'cause I'm Self-Pay. Insurance doesn't cover ANY WLS's. Surgery is the 19th of this month. Just a few days away. I've been thinking about this for a long time though. Finances: I'm self-pay. I've read that many people ask how they have come up with the $. Well, my house is paid off...so I just went and got a Home Equity Loan and will pay it off in a few years (or sooner if my timeshare at Disney will sell!!!) My family: Supportive, but nervous. Husband is glad I'll be happy, but loves me the way I am. Son (9) is worried I'll look a lot different. Both are somewhat nervous that I'll stop cooking the 'good food'. My brother (and the only sibling I've told...and basically, the only sibling I'm close with) doesn't want me to get it. He says he loves me the way I am and wants me to feel better about myself. I told him it had nothing to do with that. He'd never understand though. He's 40 and has a 29 inch waist with a six-pack. Yes,....a six-pack and he NEVER works out. I know...it's crazy. So, overall.....support is there. All 3 men in my life will be there for surgery. Friends: The ones I've told are very supportive. Pre-Op plan: Magnesium Citrate 1 day prior. liquid Diet 1 day prior. Health Issues I have: none My reasons for wanting surgery: Other than the obvious reasons, ....I'm sure all of you can relate to my reasons. I want to feel good. I've been overweight for 20 years. It's time. I may be healthy now, but I will not be healthy for much longer if I stay this size. My fears: I'm not scared of the surgery. I'm not scared of the pain. I'm scared that I will hate eating since I've heard so much about the hard-to-swallow issue. For some reason -- that is my biggest fear. The fact that I will hate to eat. Also, I don't want to stop cooking for my family. I'll cook healthier...but I don't want MY plans to affect them too much. My schedule for surgery: Show up at 6am, surgery at 8am. In on Monday....and out on Wednesday. Preparation: I've bought EVERYTHING needed. Got all my RX's. food. I know the hospital I go through individualizes the plans and I told them that I would not do the Protein shakes. I KNOW I wouldn't keep them down. It would be of no use. So, we will be doing the bullets, and Isopure for the liquid phase. Isopure/bullets/non-flavored protein to put on mushy food for the other phases. Then, when I can eat...the protein will be taken care of. But I know me....and I'll eat loads of protein. So....that is me. I'm excited. I'm scared. I am prepared to run through every emotion possible (anger at myself, regret, guilt, happiness, relief, etc etc). My finances are in order. I have an Advanced Directive (already had one). House is spotless so I don't have to worry about it. Yard will be mowed 2 days before surgery.he he. Prepared my family. Told some friends. Researched and researched more. I'm new to this forum. Only been on about a week. So far, I've learned so much. I know I will rely on you guys a lot during my journey. Then, I hope to 'pass it on' to other newbies. Thank you for reading this. And I hope this helps you understand me a little better. I am soooooooooooooooo excited. I've been smiling the entire time I was reading this!!!!!:biggrin0::thumbup::thumbup1:

I had been obese since I had my first son at the age of 18. I would lose weight and then gain it. When I was 24 years old I wanted to get RNY but then I got really scared and didn't go through with it. 2001 I lost my mother to Breast CANCER. she was only 40 years old. She left 5 kids behind 2 were under age. I was able to get custody of one of my brothers but the youngest one his father sent him to Dominican Republic. We lost contact with him. I was depressed I was 22 years old with 2 kids of my own and my brother. Living at my in laws house. I just started to eat so much.. My weight just started to go up.. 2005 I decided to try to lose weight. I was eating right and exercising. I lost weight but not what I needed to lose. a year later i got pregnant with my 3 baby. Of course I gain all the weight and more. I was so depress but I couldn't stop myself I just kept on eating the wrong food. On 2011 around September or October I started researching weight loss surgery. I wasn't sure if my insurance would cover it. Somehow I got to the website of the New York bariatric group. I asked some questions. They answered me right away. He asked me questions and said I was a good candidate for weight loss surgery. He asked me if I wanted to go in to speak to a surgeon. I said sure they gave me an appointment for November. I meet my surgeon and they did a couple of test. He told me that I can get surgery. He explained to me the 3 different one that the insurance covers. I decided to get sleeved. By feb. 2012 I had seen all the doctors and got clearance from all. I went to see the surgeon and decided to get surgery March 6, 2012. I had my sleeve it was a little rough the first month but it was the best decision. In a year and 8 months after I was able to renew my vows. Before surgery I wore a size 22-24 the day of my wedding my wedding dress was a size 4. I went from weighing 278-123. I was really thin I asked my surgeon if I can gain 15-20 pounds. He said to becareful but we kept tracking everything to make sure my weight gain wouldn't get out of control. While tracking that I was having a lot acid reflux problems since 3 months after I was sleeved. My surgeon did a hiatal hernia repair 02/2013 to see if I would get some relief but it didn't work. So January 26, 2015 my surgeon decide to revised my sleeve to a RNY. Now I am recovering from my RNY. I feel so much better. I got immediate relief of acid after RNY also lost 12 pounds from the 20 i gained. I feel great

I had been obese since I had my first son at the age of 18. I would lose weight and then gain it. When I was 24 years old I wanted to get RNY but then I got really scared and didn't go through with it. 2001 I lost my mother to Breast CANCER. she was only 40 years old. She left 5 kids behind 2 were under age. I was able to get custody of one of my brothers but the youngest one his father sent him to Dominican Republic. We lost contact with him. I was depressed I was 22 years old with 2 kids of my own and my brother. Living at my in laws house. I just started to eat so much.. My weight just started to go up.. 2005 I decided to try to lose weight. I was eating right and exercising. I lost weight but not what I needed to lose. a year later i got pregnant with my 3 baby. Of course I gain all the weight and more. I was so depress but I couldn't stop myself I just kept on eating the wrong food. On 2011 around September or October I started researching weight loss surgery. I wasn't sure if my insurance would cover it. Somehow I got to the website of the New York bariatric group. I asked some questions. They answered me right away. He asked me questions and said I was a good candidate for weight loss surgery. He asked me if I wanted to go in to speak to a surgeon. I said sure they gave me an appointment for November. I meet my surgeon and they did a couple of test. He told me that I can get surgery. He explained to me the 3 different one that the insurance covers. I decided to get sleeved. By feb. 2012 I had seen all the doctors and got clearance from all. I went to see the surgeon and decided to get surgery March 6, 2012. I had my sleeve it was a little rough the first month but it was the best decision. In a year and 8 months after I was able to renew my vows. Before surgery I wore a size 22-24 the day of my wedding my wedding dress was a size 4. I went from weighing 278-123. I was really thin I asked my surgeon if I can gain 15-20 pounds. He said to becareful but we kept tracking everything to make sure my weight gain wouldn't get out of control. While tracking that I was having a lot acid reflux problems since 3 months after I was sleeved. My surgeon did a hiatal hernia repair 02/2013 to see if I would get some relief but it didn't work. So January 26, 2015 my surgeon decide to revised my sleeve to a RNY. Now I am recovering from my RNY. I feel so much better. I got immediate relief of acid after RNY also lost 12 pounds from the 20 i gained. I feel great

Hi Everyone!!! I had my Lap-Band surgery in 2009 and at first I did great. I was loosing weight at a study rate, not too fast or too slow. I was able to do things I hadn't done in some time. I got to shop in regular sizes, I didn't feel wore out when I participated in different activities. My grandmother was diagnosed with cancer at the same time I had my surgery, as her cancer became progressively worse, I began to loose weight rapidly. My Grandma died in January 2010, and I had reached my lowest weight at 193 pounds. I was weak, looked guant and to find out I was dehydrated. The doctor began to slowly take Fluid out of my band, and I began to gain weight back. While this was going on I began to have adaptive eating habits, and I gained back over 75 pounds. Because of the weight gain I have become very depressed and anger with myself. I've lost focus of why I did the band in the first place. I met with my doctor yesterday and I'm going to start focusing on changing my eating habits and do the right thing. The weight gain has hurt the person I was. Instead I'm loosing me and hurting the ones I love.

not chewing for a long time is hard. That was the one thing I did miss. Losing a lot of weight with the pre op diet is great. You may have a weight gain after the surgery because of the gasses etc. Don't let this bother you. We have all been there. Congrats! on quitting smoking. They say quitting and dieting together is very hard. I never smoked so I don't know. Good luck with your surgery. We are all here if you need help, questions answered or just vent. Arlene

I am only a week post op. But my surgeon told me to weight daily. If I gain 3 lbs that is a fluctuation and if I gain 4 lbs its an actual weight gain. Gaining the weight back is the biggest fear for me since I had the lap band and lost 100 lbs then gained back 87bs when my band slipped and they removed all the saline.

I'm two and half years out and have experienced the bounce and weight gain as well. It's hell getting it off. And to all those newly sleeved or early on offering advice.........thanks for the well intended advice, but it's not the same as at the beginning. We know and have already tried all the usual stuff. I feel for @@stefaniwg and what she is going thru. It is frustrating this far out when we think that we already KNOW what to do and then no matter what we do, it no longer works. I was at my wits end trying to lose some extra pounds, when I got sick from some unknown bug and lost 12 pounds. I'll take it however I can. Now I watch the pounds even more closely to avoid gaining. So, just food for thought newbies.......it may not be easy street farther out.......pay close attention.

I am a 37 year old male that has always struggles with my weight. Multiple diets that did nothing more than induce degrees of yo-yo weight gain/loss. I have been a type 1 diabetic since age 7, and now deal with type 2 as well. I have finally made the decision to consider VSG. I am in the baby stages. I have gone to the first seminar and have scheduled my first appointment. I am a bit nervous of the road ahead, but with a brand new baby at home, and my co-morbidities, I fear not seeing her graduate high school even more. I am seeing Dr. Jeffrey Johnsrud at St. Josephs in OC. The whole process is intimidating to me down to and including complications. I am an ICU Nurse and see a lot of normal procedure go wrong, but I keep telling myself I only see a small fraction of bad when overwhelmingly results are great.

I am a 37 year old male that has always struggles with my weight. Multiple diets that did nothing more than induce degrees of yo-yo weight gain/loss. I have been a type 1 diabetic since age 7, and now deal with type 2 as well. I have finally made the decision to consider VSG. I am in the baby stages. I have gone to the first seminar and have scheduled my first appointment. I am a bit nervous of the road ahead, but with a brand new baby at home, and my co-morbidities, I fear not seeing her graduate high school even more. I am seeing Dr. Jeffrey Johnsrud at St. Josephs in OC. The whole process is intimidating to me down to and including complications. I am an ICU Nurse and see a lot of normal procedure go wrong, but I keep telling myself I only see a small fraction of bad when overwhelmingly results are great.

Honestly I did the 6 month supervised diet and gained 15 pounds over the 6 months. Mostly because I stopped taking diet pills. I had taken the pills and weightless shots on and off for over a year. The weight gain did not stop them from approving my surgery. It's just one of the hoops that you are required to go through. I had my surgery July 3 and can already eat some soft foods. Don't get discouraged though. It will be ok. Good luck.

I have gone through a 10lb weight gain in the hospital, nasty breath, crazy digestion, dizziness, exhaustion to feeling like I am now on the other side of this! I was getting really annoyed that I was not losing any weight beyond re-losing the 10lb hospital gain but finally I dropped an additional 5lbs. Yesterday, I tried on a pair of capris that "shrunk" last summer and they buttoned, zipped and were more comfortable than when I bought them. As an added bonus I found $13 in the pocket, so I splurged on a manicure! I am having an easy time getting my fluid and protein in, walking more, digestion is much better, much less soreness and no more dizziness on days 9 and 10! Thank you for letting me share my small acomplishment

I would guess that almost all of us have felt the same way, I know I can relate. We are bombarded with the message from society that obesity is a character flaw. I had an awesome surgeon and one of the best things he did was educate me on the disease of obesity and the physiology of weight gain/loss. That helped a tremendous amount toward relieving a lot of guilt. With modern world of abundant food and industrial food production there is a reason that obesity is epidemic all over the world.

Hello I am new at this site. I am scheduled for lapband surgery on 8/16/10. I am a little nervous when I read of the struggles of weight gain after being banded. I hope I can do this.

For the past month and some change I have been following a strict pre op diet consisting of 1 meal a day and two Protein shakes. I lost 28 lbs in 40 days and worked really hard. Dealt with everyday headaches and still am. The program requires that once I reach 5 lbs within goal weight I get weighed at a Kaiser facility and speak to a psychologist, get my chart reviewed by the surgeon and get scheduled. The scheduling person told me a week ago I I hurry and lose the last few pounds I can be scheduled for August well one week later today I speak to her and told her i reached my weight goal and she tells me the doctor is on vacation and he's all booked for August and I need to wait till september to have surgery This is so discouraging because im afraid of gaining weight. I've been waiting for so long and im just frustrated at this point. It seems like this process is never ending and with my luck I have a feeling something else might stall the process. Anyone else experience difficulties during the wait time of getting surgery date? or weight gain?

Hi, my name is Jennifer I am getting sleeved today actually and very nervous. I have been reading different blogs on this site prior to my decision to have the surgery which helped me make the final decision to go through with it. I started struggling with my weight after having my first child over 22 years ago but really hit my highest in the last four years. I suffered from depression from it and now beginning to have health problems due to the weight gain, so I need to do something that will help me get my health back on track. I think as many others I tried every diet you could think of and I was going to the gym, but nothing was working. I am ready for a fresh start and I am confident this time I will finally be able to succeed. I have a great support system and I have been doing a lot of research to try and prepare myself as much as possible. I am very nervous about surgery I must admit, but I have to look at it as a means to an end.

I had my surgery in November 2009. I spent 5 weeks in the hospital due to complications with a previous gastric banding (Molina Band). During that time I could not eat anything, was on TPN almost the entire time. Everything came out fine, I managed to lose 100 pounds, down from 238 to 138. Now, after 2-1/2 years I am gaining, gaining, gaining. I don't know how to stop it. I have considered OA, just to try to understand how I could have gone through all that I did with the surgery and then gain the weight back. Sometimes I panic and sometimes I just think I should let it go. I am going to be 50 years old in September . Can't stop myself and I really need some help from someone who has gone through this. HELP!

Are u certain the weight gain was the reason for the denial? Did they specifically tell her that? If they didn't give a specific reason, I would call immediately to understand why they denied. There can be so many hoops to jump thru, it may not be the weight gain. Was she doing the doctor supervised diet requirement? Another thing, does ur daughter have a BMI over 40? I thought with a BMI over 40, it's usually the comorbidities (like apnea, diabetes, etc) that would allow an approval, not so much a weight gain. Hell, that's the whole reason we're trying to get these surgeries, for goodness sakes! I know u said her surgeon is going to submit an appeal but I would certainly also be on the phone with Aetna to understand exactly why I was denied and what criteria I need to do to get approved. And how often can she submit to be approved for this surgery, if they end up denying the appeal? This can't be the end of it forever. Push on. Make them tell u how to get this approval! I'm sorry she has to go thru this and I wish u guys all the luck. I hope Aetna relents and gives the damn approval!!

I couldn't live WITHOUT implants now that I've had them. My boobs before were.... sooooooo tiny and sad. Even with the malpositioning and the sagging as I've re-lost the weight, my new boobs are still a MILLION times better than my old ones. I'm confident that once I'm at goal and maintaining, the revision will be very successful, since I don't forsee punishing my body with another 90+ pound weight gain and re-loss post-sleeve!

This is a difficult one.... A close friend is going through the same thing. She went back on Lexapro, and gained over 50 pounds. Unfortunately, this is a problem with certain types of antidepressants. You might want to talk with your doctor and see if he/she can try something else. There are a few that I know of that don't cause weight gain. I believe Prozac and Wellbutrin don't have this issue. Also, Effexor. But if what you're currently taking is working for you, then switching can be a problem. The only other thing you can try, is to beef up your exercise routine. If you're walking 30 minutes a day, bump it up to 30 minutes twice a day......something along those lines. You may be able to reel it in, but it's going to be a challenge. Those drugs slow everything down, and that's why the weight comes on.

It may be Water weight since 1200 calories wouldn't cause weight gain. Also, have you had a blood test lately... To check your thyroid...Etc? Sent from my SM-N910V using the BariatricPal App

I know this is controversial but the nurse practitioner at my practice says that there is a lot of research correlating diet soda with weight gain. They can’t figure out the exact relationship. They just know that they are related. Just a heads up if you start gaining and don’t know why it could be the culprit. They told me that medically I can have soda but they recommend that I do not.