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I think part of success is surrounding yourself with like-minded people who are experiencing success. I so agree with Danny and Sosewsue that the beatings must stop. Experience shows morale NEVER improves under these conditions. I think you have to re-believe you can do this and get hold of things. The first is with utter honesty to yourself and others. So start by making a ticker, posting your stats--take weight and measurments. Then plan, plan, plan. I completely agree with going to see your surgeon and RD for a check-up and to get a new plan. Haul out the old RD plan. And choose the day or meal and simply START. Commit to the one meal. And do it. Commit to limiting snacking and dumping the crap--kick it to the curb. Bring a cheese stick or an ounce of dense protein. And eat it if you feel snacky at first. Then commit to the second meal and third and fourth, then commit to the next entire day...then the next. And it builds up. Success is nothing more and nothing less than tiny, baby, consistent, actionable steps that are repeated daily/routinely. Don't look too far down the road. Stay in the moment and the do the tiny baby step work. The future takes care of itself. Also, never underestimate the power of a good walk to or a good fast workout with sweating and raised heart rate to lift the spirits. Research is showing exercise and getting out in the sun can be as effective as mood elevator drugs -- without the side effects of weight gain. Hugs and hang in there. You've taken the first step. Now it's time to take the next.

Hi, I had my surgery on October 17th in Buffalo NY. My surgeon was Dr. Pham from Synergy Bariatrics. I have to say that my hospital stay was different then I nexpected. Private room, bathroom. The staff was exceptional. Right now I am 4 days out and still having bad spasms. The pain is pretty much gone but the spasms are a real trip. The bad news is when I get on the scale I still have the 7 lb weight gain I brought hoe fromthe hospital which seems unreal since all I have been taking in is water and crystal lite. This morning I actually got a 4 oz. liquified protien shake down and so far no nausea. I am taking this as a very good sign that things are getting better. I just want to see that scale move. Good luck to all. I am so glad to have this forum.

I am five months out and so far have been losing pretty consistently. I lose around 2-3 pounds every week. The last two weeks, I've had some odd changes on the scales and am unsure of the reasons. I lost 1 pound in a day and the next day I put on 2 pounds, which took me almost a week to lose again. In the next week I lost nothing. My periods have stopped for ten months because the GP said it was due to sudden weight loss and weight gain but I'm sure I've been having premenstrual symptoms for nearly two weeks now. My abdomen and fingers are swollen, which makes me think it may be fluid retention, as nothing else can explain a pound weight loss and then a sudden one day weight gain. I'm eating mainly proteins and today was very constipated, even though I take stool softening tablets. I was in agony this morning. In terms of my food, I eat from around 800 calories to 1100 and have started an exercise routine the past two weeks of one hour a day on the epilictical machine and treadmill. I also walk a lot but I don't drink enough water! I know it's terrible and I find excuses but I'm pretty forgetful I suppose. I have a litre a day, if that!

Hey Guys, I'm feelin really bummed today :thumbup:. I decided to get the lapband, I went to the orientation here in Fayetteville, NC and completed all the required paperwork. My doctor was even in my corner, she completed all documents needed and wrote a letter of recommendation stating that my BP is elevating due to weight gain, it's not quite high yet, but due to the weight gain it is elevating. On the paperwork it has that my BMI is a 40 for approx 4 out of the 5 years, but based on the surgeons office that I was going to go to the insurance person for that office said it wasn't good enough, and that my insurance co wouldn't approve it because based on their scales my bmi is only 39.8. That really sucks, I did everything they asked and she wouldn't even give me an appt to see the surgeon.:frown: Now, I'm sort of scared to try another surgeon as I may get turned down again. I am scheduled to go to Duke for the orientation. Anybody had any experience as such that can give me a litte advice. Thanks

Hugs, Jamie. Lots and lots of hugs! It is a vicious cycle - you gain some weight, you feel guilty/stress about it, which causes you to eat more which increases the stress....Try not to put so much pressure on yourself; summon up whatever it takes to realize that the band will still be with you after you deliver a beautiful new baby, any weight gain now is not permanent. Your band is NOT time limited; it will still be there. Take care of yourself and the wee one. keep posting so that we know how you are doing.

Give yourself a break girl! You are a hormonal mess and you are eating for 2. Think about it, you have been through ALOT this past year and I am willing to bet that part of you being hungry all of the time is your body's way of making up for the loss in Vitamins & such that your body has done without for the past year. I wouldn't sweat the weight gain unless you start gaining more than the 30-35 that is recommended for any pregnancy. Take care of that little one

I've been walking alot and for the last one week my w8 has increased by 1 kg! Frm 100 to 101kgs it's killing me! I dnt eat much.. I drink lots of water.. I'm just one month post op! What in the worlds wrong!!!!

I was so excited to have lost 9lbs a week after surgery buuuut...that when mushies started and ruined it all for me. I weighed myself this morning and it looks like I have gained 4lbs...hoping this is only temporary and the scale takes a turn for the better with a quickness!

I have started, deleted and restarted this post so many times. It shouldn't be this difficult to write my first post, I have so much to say... I don't want to start at the "beginning" that needs to come, but I am not sure if I am ready to put into words what brought me to the place I am today. So I think I am going to just talk about why this surgery is important to me. The goals I want to achieve with this surgery and what I want to do for myself along the way. Goals Its easy to set a weight loss goal. I have had a number in mind from the first time I stepped foot in a Weight Watchers meeting when I was 23 years old. I picked a number right smack in the middle of the "acceptable" range. 142... The last time I saw a weight that started with a 1 and a 4 was when I was in the 7th grade. There is a part of me that thinks there is no way in this world I will ever EVER achieve that number again. There is a bigger part of me that says I can do this, no I can do this! So in my head I have a few weight loss goals, and reasons. 280: I chose this number because spring of 2012 I worked my butt off for months, with a trainer, 5-6-7 days a week in the gym. Taking step followed by Combat in one day and not blinking an eye. I lost 15# and for the life of me I could not get past 280, I grew frustrated and worried about answering to my trainer and.... I gave up. 261: Forever... my top weight was 261, I mean years. I started Weight Watchers so many times at this number it is unreal. It also happens to be the weight where my body seems to react to my weight and causes a metabolic response that causes me to be irregular with my monthly cycle (Sorry guys if this is TMI but it is true) From the moment we women start menstruating we women complain about how horrid it is, how much it effects our lives. After struggling for the past few years of random 2-3 times a year cycles I can say there is nothing that makes me feel like less of a woman than the fact that I do miss that every month. It might sound crazy but I think the first time I get my cycle two times in a row I will probably cry... 220: The one and only time I have been completely successful in a weight loss journey was 5.5 years ago. I counted every damn calorie I stuck in my mouth, I counted every damn calorie I burned on the eliptical, I worked hard and it showed. I had someone, that I respect very much, tell me I was like a rose getting ready to bloom any day. I WILL be that rose someday.... and I can't wait. 199: Who doesn't have this as a goal? The last time I weight around this weight was after I gave birth to my son. My pregnancy was not the cause of my weight gain. I started my pregnancy at 190# I gave birth to my son at 204# and the day I left the hospital I weight 189#. Yes I was overweight, I admit it, but I was OK. I don't really have a goal between 199 and 142. I don't know where I will land. I know this... I will not stop until I am happy. I love strength, I love muscle and there is nothing that makes me happier than showing up my friends on the gym floor with the weights. We have a University in my town that does body composition testing with the egg thing, once I get to the point where I feel I am close to a goal or I am feeling comfortable I am going to get a full body composition. I did this to lose weight and be healthy, I want to have a healthy body fat percentage and I want it to be accurate. More than anything... Size 2, Size 22 I am doing this for me, and only me. I want to be healthy and truly happy for the first time in a really really long time. I can't wait to add more along the road! I leave you with a picture of me and my pride and joy. I always wanted FIVE children and God has blessed me with one perfectly imperfect son. I know I will have more children someday, more than likely through adoption or marriage but.... you never know! He is my reason.... He is my soul.... He is my life.... He is rotten... and makes me work for kisses (typical 14yo)

I used to DREAD the holidays because I knew it would mean a weight gain....2, 4, 8 maybe 10 lbs by the time Christmas was over..... Now, a year out from the sleeve and it's easy to breeze right through the holidays...maybe gain a lb or 2, but not much....loved this cartoon I saw:

Hi I just got banded last week, prior to that I bought a Schwinn adult tricycle. It's blue and I bought a more comfortable seat. It has a basket in the rear and I'm adding one to the front. Can't wait till I can ride it again. I stopped because of my left knee, I have arthritis in it and with the weight loss to come, I will be better. Right now getting over the shock of the "weight gain" after surgery LOL. Mostly bloating and air and liquid. It will go down soon. Just starting to feel decent.

Good morning to everyone, I am new to this site..I had the lapband procedure performed on August 26, 2010, at Brand Surgical Institute in Glendale, CA.. I was down 31 pounds last week and I weighed in this morning and gained 2 pounds . I am so devastated, can someone please help me understand as to why I gained instead of loosing. I go for my first fill on October 11, 2010.. Thank you, Mirella

For the last year we have been tinkering with the idea of trying for our last! I felt i wanted the band first as i had a miscarriage 4/11 and its was due to pcos we think! I now have the band and my husband wants me to get off the depo and not try but let nature take its course. At this point id almost rather get pregnant sooner than later because i dont want a bad weight gain after working so hard to lose it all! I have a bad kidney problem that puts me basically on bed rest! I so want one more but im afraid of miscarrying so bad again! Any thought?

My doctor did not put me on a pre-op diet. My only orders were that I had to quit birth control and start taking a B-complex vitamin. I have pre-op on Thursday at the hospital and I'm wondering if it may be a problem if I've gained 5-8lbs since my first consultation on 7/16. Anyone know???:smile2:

It's been a journey that is for sure! How are you all doing? Success? Hard times? Weight loss? Weight gain? I want to hear - I've hit many plateaus and want to see how everyone else is doing 15 months out!

Weight gain has been my concern too. The weight I lost in the first month, I have gained back in the last two months. Good Luck Rtbrewer2, Hope you get approved.

Para guard IUD. No added weight gain or hormones, love it! Hate depo and pills and this works for me

Not uncommon at all to have a weight gain - especially so close to your surgery date. Focus on following the protocol, stay active, and stay away from the scales for at least a week and two would be better. Try to relax and let you body find its own way in its own time. Trust the process. There is no question that it works. You're gonna love the new you!!

Damn that Ninja Turtle theme song........I'm terrible about if someone mentions a song or sings one around me it gets all in my head for the rest of the day.........thanks alot kimaliciosu!!!!! Now here's one for you....PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON.....LIVED BY THE SEA......... I honestly can't say if my slow losing is because of adequate restriction - maybe I don't know what adequate restriction is??? I eat waaaaaaaaayyyyyyy less than pre-banding - which has me confused why I haven't lost more weight. I now eat 1/3 of what I did pre-band yet still only small weight loss. I think I've come to the conclusion that it isn't what I eat, but how I don't move much anymore. I need to get me a pedometer to motivate me just to move more. I look back and notice when I had a significant amount of weight gain was shortly after high school - that's because I was constantly on the move in high school and once I graduated I got a desk job - hellllloooooooooo fat assssss!!!!!! I'm only 6 years out of high school and weighed 230 and muscular/athletic in high school - before surgery I weighed 293 - so I gained 63lbs in six years........wow just had an epiphany here with you all.......damn I've gained 63lbs since high school only 6 short years ago and was gaining steadily and have no doubt I'd be in the 300lb club if it weren't for Bambi (my band). Somebody buy me a pedometer for Christmas!!!!!!! I can't find any around this area in stores. Waaaahhhh - actually I think I'm going to go ebay it.........do they make a pedometer in a wrist thing? I don't like wearing things on my waist. Mainly because when I sit my fat roll folds over my waist......gross....I'm so grossss..........LOL - BUT NOT FOREVER!!!!!

I will just introduce myself. My name is Chandra and I am from Texas. I am 22 years old and I graduated LVN school in May of 2010. I have been working at my first nursing job since July 2010. I love my job. This is definitely what I was put on the earth to do. I am going back to school for my RN. I have 4 more pre-reqs to get. I am registered for Psych and Ethics which start on Jan 18th. I have been overweight my whole life. When I was 18 I was diagnosed with PCOS and told I would never have children. That led to a depression which led to even more weight gain ontop of what I had already gained. (which was the reason I went to the doc in the first place) I began thinking of the lap band in 2008 when I had my gallbladder removed and my surgeon said that I really really needed to lose weight if I was going to consider children. Well I have a very difficult time losing the weight due to the PCOS. I began the approval proccess once before in mid 2009. Then I lost my insurance and my job. So that put a halt to that. Well now I have a better job and good insurance. I started my proccess back in October 2010. I saw my surgeon and the nutritionist. Then I had my psych eval. Had a couple more appts with the nutritionist and a few days before Christmas I got a phone call saying that my insurance approved me. After the holidays on Tues the 4th I saw my surgeon again. I scheduled my EGD (required by my surgeon) and my surgery. I signed all my consents and then started my liquid diet the next day. So far I am on Day # 4 of the one week liquid diet. My EGD is scheduled for Mon the 10th and my surgery is on Wed the 12th. I am soooo nervous and excited at the same time. I am ready for my life to change. I have been married to my husband for almost 5 years. He is very supportive and excited for me as well. I will be staying at the hospital that I work at, lol. I just moved as well. So everything kinda happened all at once, lol. Moved on the 7th EGD on the 10th Surgery on the 12th School starts on the 18th *SIGH* So the liquid diet thing really isnt that bad. Im drinking my protein drinks and Im really not that hungry. I just like crunchy things and so just the crunch and chewing is what I miss, lol. The sugar detox was awful. I had a constant headache for the first 2 days. Now I am much better and I havent cheated at all! YAY! I even resisted pizza when my co-workers ordered it Fri night. Well I guess I will just update as the week goes on. I hope to hear some feedback from people. I am really anxious to hear other people's success stories. I know that I have a lot to look forward to and its awesome that such online support exists.

I think the patient can overeat excess calories and begin to regain weight and I also think the WLS can have issues and I also think the combination of patient and WLS surgery can also cause weight gain back. To gain weight, we must eat more calories than we can burn off. This is how I got super morbid obese. I wish the newer patients would not put so much (the WLS MUST work) while I dont change a thing attitude. Some are finding that WLS is not easy and its not a miracle. It will help the person but the person must also make changes. I know that as I am talking about myself.

I read an interesting article on here yesterday that really made me stop to think - why was I overweight? Was I just going to blame my bad habits on my parents for the rest of my life? Or was there something more to it than that? Part of the reason I've avoided thinking about it before is because to do so would be admitting to myself that I had a problem. When someone talks about overeating or people with eating problems, I immediately conjure up in my mind people that snack on potato chips constantly, eat half a cake for a snack, and chug a 2 liter bottle of coke with each meal. And since I didn't eat like that, then I'm obviously not in the same category as those people, right? Well, it's only now that I'm beginning to see and accept that I *am* overweight, that I *do* look overweight to my peers, and that hardly anyone who is overweight eats an entire pizza in a single sitting. So I sat down and really thought about the painful things (yep, I cried) and tried to get to the bottom of what was behind my weight gain and poor eating habits. Why do I eat? Denial - If I didn't eat at all during the morning, then I must have some extra calories to spare in the evenings. If I didn't diet then I couldn't fail. If I didn't diet then that meant I didn't need to diet. Control - Eat what I want, no one can tell me not to. Not missing out on my favorite foods. Sadness - I earned or deserved it. Ability to relax or distract myself and not think too much. Boredom - Keeps me busy, something easy and enjoyable to do. Better than just sitting and doing nothing. Rewarding - I cooked it, accomplished that it turned out great. Some of my earliest memories of food as a child were that of my dad eating the last of my favorite food. Many times we'd have left overs and if I wanted to save something for myself for later, I'd have to choose between eating when I wasn't hungry or eating more than I needed. Often I would find myself in the situation where my dad would have a large dinner and eat the last of whatever I was saving for myself and I was forced to have something else that I didn't want or sometimes I just chose not to eat. I also remember very vividly this fear of eating something "ok" only to find out that my parents had decided to have pizza for dinner after my dad got home. So more times than I would like to remember I would have 2 dinners because I didn't want to "miss out" on the special food that was ordered or prepared later in the evening. My parents were also ALWAYS dieting. We did Atkins on and off for years. After I moved out I really began to resent them for this. I was obsessed with thinking about food and diet and my weight - eventually to the point that I swung to the other end of spectrum and avoided all diets and forms of calorie control. I wanted desperately to be accepting of my body and who was, I some how tricked myself into thinking that to love myself mean I wasn't suppose to care about what I ate. I tried a couple of diets after highschool, but I didn't want to turn into one of those compulsive dieters that spends most of their life yo-yo-ing and failing. I didn't want to fall for fads. I didn't want to turn into someone that hated my body. Now as an adult, I am beginning to realize and accept the fact that I have complete control over my body. That no one is going to run off and hide my favorite mashed potatoes. And if for some reason I run out of a certain meal before I am tired of it, I can always make more when I need to. Food is becoming more about "what I need to survive" and variety and less about what I am craving. And I'm getting better at saying no to cravings and impulses or limiting the extent to which I give in (having only 1 cupcake every couple days, as opposed to a huge slice of cake with dinner). The food isn't going anywhere and I don't need to eat it before it disappears. I am giving our family more structure so that our daughter doesn't have to have the same worries I did as a child - and I want more than anything, even if I can never save myself, to teach her positive attitudes about food and have her educated about the effects of foods on the body so that she can make healthy choices and live wisely. I don't want her scared of food or obsessed with food - I want her to learn to be normal. Or even if she has some of the same issues I do, to have the confidence and education to make wise choices.

Boniluu - heart goes out to you. Right now, I too am tight - probably too tight. I have PBed daily since my fill 2 weeks ago. The chest pains, slime and reguritation is awful. That said, I have dorpped 8 pounds in 14 days (the 4 I gained + 4 more). I see the doctor again July 6th and unless things change, I will ask for a very slight unfill. I worry about getting enough nutrition plus these "episodes" are very embarrasing. I actually drive around with a roll of papertowels next to me in the car and carry them with me. I wanted a good fill because of the weight gain so I got what I asked for. I can get fluids down and Protein shakes so I won't starve. Hey guys, take care and hang in there. Melinda in Florida

I didn't have any documented weight loss program history ether. I told them about using colored weight loss pills and how I always battled weight gains. It's real how you tried to loose weight. Because you think you don't have anything to write down you really do. State your efforts with estimated dates. Tricare says Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig are used as good documentation. I joined Weight Watchers because of the requirement but it was the same dates as my three month doctor supervised diet. For me Tricare didn't check if I was a member or not. The following is straight out of the Tricare requirements. It will all be good for you so try not to worry to much. TRICARE will cost share any of the following open or laparoscopic bariatric surgical procedures: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass Vertical banded gastroplasty Gastroplasty (stomach stapling) Adjustable gastric banding (i.e., adjustable LAP-BAND®) If you meet all of the following conditions: You're at least 18 years old or you must provide documentation of completion of bone growth. You were unsuccessful with non-surgical medical treatments for obesity. Your medical records must show your failed attempts. Diet programs, such as Weight Watchers®* and Jenny Craig*, are acceptable methods of dietary management, as long as there are monthly clinical visits with your doctor and medical documentation of your participation and your progress throughout the course of the dietary program. *These programs are not covered by TRICARE. Physician-supervised programs made-up of only weight-loss medication management, do not meet this requirement. You have proof of one of the following: A body-mass index greater than or equal to 40 kilograms per meter squared (kg/m2); or A body-mass index of 35-39.9 kg/m2 with one clinically significant comorbidity, including but not limited to, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obstructive sleep apnea, Pickwickian syndrome, hypertension, coronary artery disease, obesity-related cardiomyopathy, or pulmonary hypertension. TRICARE does not cover the following services: Office visits solely for the treatment of obesity Non-surgical procedures for treatment of obesity Nutrition and diet counseling Biliopancreatic bypass (jejunoileal bypass, Scopinaro procedure) Gastric bubble or balloon Sleeve gastrectomy Gastric wrapping/open gastric banding Unlisted procedures