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I agree. Start as if you had surgery yesterday with the liquid diet and follow the 5 day pouch reset. That will help get a lot of the sugar toxins out of your system and it will jump start you. Then, focus on the rules: 1. No drinking anything 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after you eat. 2. Limit your beverage calories. Try to stay on Water or sugar free non carbonated beverages. Stay away from alcohol. If you can, even limit caffeine as it really does cause you to feel hunger. 3. Mindful eating, remove distractions so you can pay attention to your pouch. Your tool is still there, you just need to retrain it. 4. Eat your meals slowly chewing well in between eat bite. Put the fork down in between but do not go over 30 minutes for your meal as your pouch begins emptying at that point. 5. Drink a minimum of 64oz of water or SF non carbonated liquids. 6. Ensure you get a minimum of 1 gram of Protein for every inch you are tall. Even a little more is better. Make sure that you get that protein mostly from dense Proteins like fish, seafood, beef, chicken and pork. These foods will keep your pouch fuller longer and provide you with much needed protein grams. 7. If you have not done this recently, you should have a full Bariatric blood panel drawn to ensure you are not lacking any nutritional elements that could cause you problems. 8. Are you still taking lifelong Vitamins like B12, Calcium Citrate or any other vitamins your Bariatric Doctor put you on? If not, you will want that nutritional panel to inform those decisions. 9. No grazing.....this is where most people start to have weight gain. Eat your 3 meals a day and try to avoid snacking. If you are one of those people like me who has reactive hypoglycemia, then have 5 smaller meals. 10. Avoid sugar, potatoes, Pasta, rice and bread. Same thing with any prepackaged processed foods. Get rid of the junk and stick to good quality proteins and veggies and fruits. Once you hit goal again, then you can introduce some whole grains back into your diet slowly until you get to a good maintenance schedule. 11. Try to get some exercise even if it is just walking daily. These are the things that I will do if I ever start to regain my weight. It really is getting back to the basics.

My post op instruction was to weigh myself daily and notify my surgeon of any weight gain. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I jumped on the scale yesterday morning and it said 226.6, and now this morning it's saying 229.9! I was completely shocked and frustrated! I have no idea why Or how I could gain 3.3lbs overnight but I am not happy! I even went to the gym yesterday and did 30 minutes on the treadmill (Dr Approved Treadmill only). Has anyone else experienced this? I know that my weight is going to fluctuate, but 3.3 lbs really? I can deal with 1-2lbs but not almost 4!

I think as long as you stick to your eating plan and let them know ASAP about the prednisone and weight gain, they will completely understand. This is out of your control. I'm sure you will be fine Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I gained all of the weight back that I lost during the months before. One can also have a situation that is called last supper syndrome. You eat all of those foods you feel you won't be able to eat afterwards. The initial weight gain before the surgery has not stopped my weight loss afterwards. I am down 74lbs in 5 months. Everything will work out in the end. Good luck and keep us updated! Sent from my SM-G935P using the BariatricPal App

Hi, I'm walking a very similar journey. I am 9 years post op and have crept back to 20 lbs less than my surgery weight. Yikes!! Facing that reality plus wanting to get pregnant again and getting older, I have buckled down to start losing weight. Back in 2007, my surgery was very smooth. I healed quickly and 1 year afterward, I had lost 100lbs. I plateaued from there for several years. However, I became less mindful of what I was eating and how I was eating. The weight gain was very slow. After having a baby 2 years ago, the weight gain started happening at a rapid pace. It frightened me. Approximately 10 days ago, I started a liquid diet, which includes protein shakes and I am exercising 4 days a week. I just transitioned to eating lean protein and veggies, substituting 1-2 meals with shakes. Like you, I have found that now I have some restriction back. I'll be seeing my former dietitian soon to see how I should proceed going forward. Do you have any updates to share? Are you counting calories and if so, what it your daily count? What kinds of things are you eating?

Augh... I was on vacation and I came in contact with something I was allergic to. My legs swelled and I had a very nasty angry looking rash. The local er gave me prednisone. Normally I would not take it because I get really bad mood and eating issues even taking small doses. However the swelling pain and itch was intolerable. So my weight is up which is frustrating because in 3 weeks I have my final weight in. I was told from month to month i had to maintain or lose. I'm down 15 total but so far have 3 pound weight gain since starting this medicine. I'm retaining Water and other parts of my body are swollen. I'm drinking a lot of water but the return is not where I think it should be.Any tips on getting this weight back down? I have 6 more days of the prednisone to go. (I have dropped an email to my doctors on this but I would like to hear if any one has had a similar experience) Sent from my SM-G935V using the BariatricPal App

And I truly believe that your rationale and meaning in that original post were solid. The phrase gets tossed around on here quite a bit by folks who seem to take it is a warm blanket of complacency and simply keep on doing what they have been doing (which wasn't getting the results they wanted). It's mistakenly used as a validation to keep on keeping on as they have been when what would be best deliver the results they say they seek....would be to more closely track their caloric intake, increase their exercise and to use a scale with some degree of consistency (same time every day or same day/s every week). Just my opinion on the matter and I am sure as hell no authority on weight loss. Weight gain, maybe. I should be awarded an honorary doctorate degree in weight gain. Weight loss, I'm learning.....has no magic.....just good old fashioned discipline and effort.

@@flip26 I am truly lucky to have had essentially 0 complications and bumps along the way. I never had food intolerance, vomiting, stricture, dumping, or any of the other common things you hear people talking about. I have had some mild hair loss but no one has noticed except me and it lead to the best haircut I've had in years! My main challenge has, and always will be, myself and my will power. I have had some hangups here and there where I allowed myself to have "a little of this" or "a little of that" and ended up in a month long stall -- for no good reason but my own lack of control! A few bites here and there adds up to no weight loss (and can add up to weight gain if you don't correct yourself)! I am back on track, counting my calories, carbs, and Protein meticulously and have finally broken through my stall! I have lost 8.4 pounds in 3 weeks just by getting myself focused.

I'm about 6 weeks pregnant, and almost 2 years post-op. I know this is supposed to be a joyful time and weight gain is natural, but I just can't seem to wrap my head around it. I'm worried and feeling extremely down about ending up where I once started, and that was a dark place! I don't even know how many calories to consume right now (I read only 50 extra calories during 1st trimester?). I am just focusing on eating healthy things and logging my food, but I'm too tired to exercise. For the past 8 or 9 months, prior to pregnancy, I fell off the "good habits" wagon. Here are my questions: If you're pregnant, what are your main bariatric healthy staple foods? How many calories do you consume daily? If you're post-partum, how much weight did you end up gaining? Any advice to minimize weight gain during pregnancy? (Types of exercise?) Thanks for sharing your experience and advice!

I have struggled with my weight my entire life. 3 years ago I hit my breaking point when I weighed in at 290 [44 BMI]. I'm 5'8. My PCP recommended WLS but I was too scared and was convinced that I didn't need it. Well, 3 years later and now I'm begging for it. No matter what I do, I can't seem to stay below 200. I was able to get to 190 with starvation and ridiculous amounts of cardio, but of course as soon as I reintroduced food, it came back. I've tried every diet under the sun. 3 rounds of nutrisystem, herbalife, Meal Replacements, medically supervised diets, HCG, and my PCP even had me on phentermine for a while. Over the past year I went from 190lbs to 212lbs and nothing I've done to try to stop the gain has helped. I am done being obese/overweight. I want to have the ability to actually live my life the way it is meant to be lived. I am so ready that I actually told my doctor that if she is unwilling to refer me to Kaisers weight loss department, I will gladly gain the 20lbs necessary to bump me up from a 32BMI to 35 and reminded her that I would be required to lose 20% of my weight before the surgery anyways [therefore making the weight gain absolutely pointless]. I also let her know that my gain has been steady even with proper foods/portions AND exercise. I have high blood pressure, am being tested for sleep apnea, and have family history of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. She gave me the phone number for the WL department and they are sending me a packet to fill out. Has anyone here had to convince their insurance that they need approval? If so could you give me some pointers on convincing them? I am desperate to gain control of my life.

Some thoughts...one is about thinking about food all the time. This is a reality of life for many people, especially those that are overweight. I always thought about food, and I still always think about food a year out. I still think about planning my meals out and if I'm going somewhere I plan what I can throw in my bag, I think about making myself drink Water and I think about getting all my Protein in. Even if you did not have surgery, if you don't think about food you won't always make the best decisions. Sticking to a diet involves thinking about food. As far as missing eating fast. Well surgery or not you're not supposed to eat fast. Eating fast is one of the main factors in weight gain. When you say that you did your research and then say that you don't want to to think about your meals, you want to eat quickly, you want to have large meals...it seems contradictory. If you did your research you would have known about these things I read some interesting comments today and I wanted to make something really clear. Out of all these people around the globe that are on this website, there are going to be some of us that have found post op, that this surgery was the wrong decision. If you want this website to be honest and truthful, a source of good solid information for people considering surgery and a source of support for people post op, then everyone's experiences should be welcome. The reason's I think this surgery was wrong for me has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with my post op complications! And as for comments about people who regret their surgeries and have complications because: • "houses were dirty" • "they didn't follow instructions" • "they haven't seen the great results yet" • "they are just negative people and negative people are more vocal So, just let me tell you this, some of us simply made a mistake. We thought this was a good plan, we took advice, did our research, attended the seminars and weigh ins (in my case, two years attending). We met our surgeons, we discussed our pre existing conditions, we spoke to our family and friends. I myself have a counsellor, did CBT counselling for the entire two years pre op and am deemed emotionally and mentally sound. (just as an aside, my NHS CBT counsellor did not agree with this surgery). I checked with my pain mgt team about the efficacy of my medications post op. And it was still a mistake! And so what? It happens. And people like me should be able to explain these things without others trying to negate our admission of this mistake by offering excuses as to why we are unhappy with our decision. I could have floated onto a cloud, had magical unicorns lick away my stomach, and woke up in paradise fully healed, sipping a cocktail in the sun and I would still tell you that this was a mistake for ME. And for many of my friends. It doesn't matter how many years post op I get, I will consider this a mistake. My house is not dirty, I followed instructions to the letter, I consider my bariatric discharge booklet my life guideline and I never variate. I keep in touch with anyone and everyone in my medical care stream that might be helpful. And complications happened. And yes, to many of us in our bariatric system. But again, it was not the complications that disturb us. We all have different reasons for regretting it. Most of us feel that we were misinformed, which doesn't help. My neighbour regrets her bypass because of her now permanent diarrhea and no improvement in her diabetes. She tells me that she has to think about food most of the day just to keep herself fed (choosing the right foods so as not to vomit), and she could have simply dieted harder if she had known she would have to think of food all day. She is three years post op and she still struggles with dehydration. Her hair never grew back after the initial drop out. I myself am only 9 weeks post op and have had complications so I can't know what my future holds. I miss eating quickly and simply in a way that doesn't have to be well thought out. I want to be able to eat a full salad, maybe even with dressings, without worrying about which component might not agree with me. I want to be able to eat any kind of meat I want cooked how I want in the quantity I want. I want to drink beverages with my meals. I miss a morning coffee or afternoon tea. I miss ice tea. (I know other people can drink it but I can't now). I don't want to have to plan my food day meticulously or be different from others around me eating. I want my medications to work again in the way they did pre op to control my fibromyalgia symptoms. And I have definitely seen weightloss results. As I was lying there starving to death for seven weeks, I have lost all but 20lbs of my expected and required excess weight to satisfy my healthcare team. ( I am still only getting around 500 cals a day in, but have constant diarrhea so who knows how much stays in). I now look "normal" except for the grey pallor in my skin and the nappy I now have to wear because of fecal incontinence (my IBS-d was totally controlled before surgery). I am six dress sizes smaller but can only leave my house if I don't eat anything and wear adult protection in case of water causing an "accident". Or in case I become faint from lack of food and fall. So I do actually feel that had I read a forum entry like this, I might have thought twice. And that's a good thing. If people are scared, that's okay. Let them hear more than just "don't worry, I was fine, you will be too!" Because maybe they won't! So this is not about complications, it's about people. One size does not fit all. Some of us should have simply accepted our weight, or worked harder to diet it off. Had I taken in only 300 to 500 calories a day for 9 weeks pre op, I would have lost all this weight anyway. If you are happy, well done! If you are dead set on going ahead, ignore this. If you are a high BMI person (think 600lb life), God bless you, this may save your life, if you are a food addict, I feel your pain. You will still have to diet post op! You will still have to exercise. If you are undecided, then simply take a breath, think about it, really examine your food issues. Could you do more to lose weight? Could you move a bit more and eat a bit less? Anyway, I am where I am and I plan to make the best of what I have left. And I intend to keep making sure that pre op people have a good think and post op people like me have someone they can talk to. Thanks to everyone who is supporting me. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

@@ShelterDog64 Thank you! I guess it was a bit touchy for me since she has also gone through WLS as well. I think my surgeon's office is ultra conservative/scare tactics as it relates to paving the way for success/failure prevention. On the one hand, I get it and I don't want to be coddled. I need to be afraid of slipping into habits that led to my problems because surgery does not prevent future weight gain. On the other hand, at early stage I kind of need a little more sunshine up my @ss so to speak.

I'm about 2.5 years post op, and I've had my struggles with gaining weight back too. I've never been big on exercising, it's never worked for me, and I have a thyroid problem that makes me feel too weak to exercise most of the time, even when the doctor says it's on the right levels now. I got down to around 165, but I'm back up to 185 right now. I was even more, but have been back on my old strict diet for the past two weeks, taking a little of the edge off. I tried to start the diet on the week of my period, but that just made me miserable. I call it "the diet" but really it's what I'm supposed to eat all the time, focused on Protein and veggies, and not snacking on carbs. It's so hard sometimes. I just want to be happy and healthy! That's not too much to ask, is it? Why does my mood have to be so dependent on what I eat? Some days I just can't feel happy until I've eaten something sweet, and even sugar-free treats can cause weight-gain! *sigh* I know I can get back down to 165, but it's not going to be easy. And STAYING THERE will be the hardest part. I just want to be happy and healthy too....

I was denied from weight gain and my denial letter only had one reason... The other seems like either the BMI criteria wasn't met or the doctor didn't send any records that she has been overweight for a period of time But I would call the insurance company to clear it up...

I took laudable for a year, it's the only one that didn't contribute to weight gain or make me feel groggy. A little nausea, but that's why I took it at night. It's Brand only do very pricey. Good luck. Sent from my SM-N900T using the BariatricPal App

All protein bars are not created equal. You just have to read labels. Some bars are for weight gain, some are for building muscle mass, and some are meal replacements. Some are just glorified candy bars, but there are some really healthy ones, also. Remember to subtract grams of fiber from carbohydrates to get "net carbs". It is entirely possible to be successful using protein bars to supplement a healthy diet. Some people just can't eat enough food to get all the protein necessary. Do your homework and find what works for you. Your NUT should be able to help as well.

Wow! My doctor's office told me that with Aetna weight gain is a huge deal. Even half a pound would get you denied. I was recently told that the time frame is a huge deal too. I was told I had to schedule appts 31-35 days apart, including weekends. If you go out of those date ranges, they will require you to do the 6 months instead of 3. On another forum, I saw where a lady gained and Aetna didn't deny or approve her, they just made her do an extra 2 months and she had to lose weight, not gain or maintain. Sent from my SM-G930V using the BariatricPal App

I'm 3 months post up. Started working out a week ago and I have gain some weight during the week. Same diet. No junk food. Is it normal? Is about 1 kilo. I'm doing weight at the gym though Sent from my SM-G920F using the BariatricPal App

Sent from my SM-G925V using the BariatricPal App I needed some inspiration to get me through some cravings and a bit of weight gain these last two weeks and this really helped! Sent from my SM-G925V using the BariatricPal App

I say the same thing, about a 3rd revision, but for different reasons than most wls peeps. I gained almost 100 lbs (was "only" a 100 lbs overweight with no cormorbidities when I had my rny in 12/2001) starting at 6 1/2 years post rny, due to medications that caused both a chemically induced obsession with food and effected me metabolically, even though I threw up almost everything I ate, due to a gi bleed history from rny, for years. And my gastric bypass was reversed in 9/2010. I remain though in the wls communities to be a supportive peer, even though my responses are not necessarily popular. I'm not anti-rny, though nor anti-wls . I am saying that is it possible that you're on medications that can cause either weight gain or stalls weight loss. Or do you have a health history such as PCOS, thyroid, etc that sometimes can be problematic, as far as easier weight gain and/or slower weight loss? There's not much I haven't seen or heard in the almost 15 years I've participated in wls communities. I've seen people not be able to eat much and regain all their weight back. I've seen people be able to eat everything, i.e. my 13 1/2 year post rny sister who's maintained 95% of her weight loss and doesn't follow a bariatric regimen at all, but she does work out A LOT and is tiny, is super healthy and has never had one complication, doesn't dump, etc, as well as some other people I know. I don't talk about how I lose weight, but it wouldn't work for me, to follow a newbie bariatric regimen, even with thyroid and metabolic issues.As starvation no longer works. I'm OK with being 65-70 lbs lbs and almost 10 sizes smaller than my biggest both before bariatric surgery and after bariatric surgery (I was a size 24/3-4x both in 2001 and in 2009). I'm on average now of 12/14 and misses XL in most clothes. Sometimes smaller, sometimes bigger, depending on who makes the clothes. If you feel overall good, it might be easier on you both physically and mentally to concentrate on weight lost, not weight found. I choose to concentrate on being a 12/14 vs a 24 than the 2/4 I was, at my smallest. But if you do want to lose more weight, maybe it might help to rule out obstacles such as medical and medication issues that can cause weight gain or hamper weight loss. Hope this helps... Best of luck to you...

Most insurance companies and Bariatric centers of excellence require a 3,6 or 12 month program. They want to make sure you are truly ready for all the changes required to be successful. This time requires that you go to monthly appts with a nutritionist that monitors and coaches your progress, a physcologist to ensure you really are ready, a fitness specialist who helps you build a plan to get moving, a Bariatric surgeon who examines you and works with you to determine the best WLS surgery given your health issues. Some programs even require you to go to classes and support group meetings. It is because this is not easy, and they want to ensure if you have the surgery you will put the time in. I will tell you, it is so worth it and today I am thankful for the 9 months my program took because it really did help me get ready in my head and take the right actions ahead of time. If you smoke, you will have to quit. If you drink caffeine or soda, you will have to quit, you will also learn mindful eating habits and the rules of WLS. There are a few that will ensure you are successful. In terms of the checklist it is mostly checking off if you qualify under the program. Some checklists require you have met with your PCP, they look for information if you have sleep apnea, if you have not been tested they will likely request that you have a sleep study which by the way helps get insurance to approve you. You will likely need to have a BMI over 40 or have a BMI over 35 with comorbitities like sleep apnea, diabetes, high blood pressure, reflux to get approved through insurance. All this stuff is on the checklist. Also on mine I had to write a diary of my weight gain and loss and all the diets I ever tried. I also had to write a paragraph on why I thought WLS was the solution for me..... I know it sounds like a lot but again it is worth it.

As Djmohr stated I would be glad to provide support and accountability. Please PM me with a few more details..date and type of surgery, is there anything specific you are struggling with (weight gain, no weight loss, lack of protein, etc.) I am a 4 year veteran of the sleeve and have lost and maintained a 125# loss. Sent from my XT1096 using the BariatricPal App

So I will give you my personal experience , take from it what you will. As Jenn said, many people are doing great. MANY. However, there are those like me. I didn't do bad but definately could have done better. I am approaching my two year anniversary and I never reached goal and honestly, I've recently gained six pounds in one month! Alarming to me because I never though this would be me. I know what to do and have taken steps to start to loose again. But the reason I'm posting this is to share with you my reality. As superdave said, If there is some mental work you have to do before having the surgery-do it. The first six months weight loss is pretty rapid. After that, it takes effort EVERY DAY (at least for most of us). I have no regrets and would do it again but I just think everyone should work on the mental aspect of weight gain before attacking the physical.

Hi Jackie! It sounds like we have a lot in common I'm 28, BMI in the upper 50s, and doing the bypass on 8/8. I didn't even think about the gas and swelling causing weight gain I bet that was a nasty surprise. It sounds like you did really well losing weight before the operation though. I'm struggling with that, myself. I think I'm going to try to weigh myself less, actually, and just try to trust that it will come off in its own time, as I make good choices. Otherwise, I think it's too easy for me to get obsessive about the numbers. How are you tolerating the post-op diet so far? Are you doing the Protein drinks? I'm pretty nervous about what it will feel like to try to drink after surgery. Anyway, I hope you keep healing well. Stay strong! Amy