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I know this is an old thread. Just hope to get this topic going again. Yes i went to an eating disorder clinic...Insurance would not cover. Third year My bariatric professionals program view me as one of their most successful patients. What they don't understand Is I have disordered thinking around my weight loss I'm obsessive in my exercise ( exercise is viewed as a great thing in life) When you over exercise its becoming an issue. The disordered thinking is driven by the fear of weight loss and being happy with the weight i'm at. I acknowledge that its preoccupying my thought and time. I am aware I push my workouts to the point of exhaustion. It's affects my blood sugar, I have brain fog, my hair loss continued. Sports injuries. I feel I have to have control of this...If I let go of maintaining the way I do...I have weight gain. When life get out of control I replaced going to food for comfort to going two plus hours to the gym.

Hi everyone, I thought I'd share this interview which was on AOL Wellness today: Awaken Your Fat-Burning DNA Dr. Mark Hyman discusses the interaction between genes & weight-loss. Listen to Dr. Hyman's Podcast Dr. Mark Hyman, author of 'UltraMetabolism,' talks with AOL's Book Maven Bethanne Patrick about the role genes play in your diet and weight-loss plan. Here are excerpts from the interview: Bethanne Patrick: Oh, it's great to talk with you and this is so exciting. Your book is about nutrigenomics, can you explain to us what that is and then we'll talk a little bit more about your background. Dr. Mark Hyman: This is a whole new wave of medicine that's emerging based on science and nobody's hearing about it. It's really how food talks to our genes and turns on messages of health or disease, weight loss or weight gain, and it's called nutrigenomics. Bethanne Patrick: Wow that's something I don't think any of us ever really thought about. Is that why I love bacon so much? Dr. Mark Hyman: Probably not. I don't know if it's sending the right messages. Bethanne Patrick: So explain to us, when you say 'food talking to your genes,' what kinds of messages are you describing? Dr. Mark Hyman: Most of us think of our DNA as sort of locked in our body, waiting to be passed onto our children, but in fact your DNA at every moment is interacting with your environment, interacting with every bite of food you take, interacting with your thoughts, your feelings, and various things, so when you take a bite of food, literally, the information -- beyond the calories in the food -- goes right into your cells, into your DNA, and switches on genes, or turns off genes based on what information is in that food. Bethanne Patrick: So, DNA is interactive. Dr. Mark Hyman: It's like the software for your body. If you are not giving it the right messages to start the gene activation that leads to your metabolism, it's going to lead to weight gain and disease. The whole book Ultra Metabolism is based on the notion of this revolution in medicine -- that if we live in a way that's in harmony with our genes, we can fit into our jeans. Bethanne Patrick: You use the analogy that putting the wrong food into your body is like putting diesel fuel into a regular car. Dr. Mark Hyman: Exactly. I mean, would you think of feeding your dog French fries, a Big Mac and a Coke? No. We know that there's something wrong with [feeding] that to a dog. Yet we feed that to our children. These foods are not what [we have] adapted to from an evolutionary point of view. So if we live in a way that's more akin to how our bodies were designed then everything takes care of itself. Bethanne Patrick: Tell me about how you found out about nutrigenomics and ultra metabolism. Do you have a lot of experience in this field? Where does it come from? Dr. Mark Hyman: Well, I always call myself the accidental weight loss doctor because I never started out seeking to help people lose weight. People came to me with health issues, and I saw people who tried everything. My job was to be a medical detective to figure out the underlying causes of their problems. When I took care of the underlying health problems based on this new science nutrigenomics, the pounds took care of themselves. People just lost weight, without even trying. For example, yesterday I saw a woman who came to see me in November because she was tired and fatigued, had digestive issues and had many, many, many other issues and she was overweight. Three months later she came back and she lost 37 pounds. Bethanne Patrick: Wow. Dr. Mark Hyman: I didn't even recognize her and I didn't tell her to lose weight. I never tell people to go on a diet or lose weight, I said 'here's how you eat in a way that works with your body, rather than against it' and when you do that the natural intelligence and wisdom of the body takes care of the rest. Bethanne Patrick: [What are] these seven myths about obesity? What is the starvation myth? Dr. Mark Hyman: The starvation myth is the idea that if we eat less and exercise more we will lose weight, and unfortunately, when we do that, when we starve ourselves or restrict our calories, we trigger a primitive survival response that drives us to compensate by overeating. We all have the experience, for example, of starving yourself all day, skipping Breakfast, light lunch or maybe not at all, and then you get home and what happens? You clean out the refrigerator. Bethanne Patrick: Exactly! Dr. Mark Hyman: And then you feel sick. Of course, we've done that over and over again. Now the first time you might do it you might think, 'Oh well, I shouldn't do this again because it's going to make me feel sick.' But how many times have all of us done that? Why? That's how our bodies are programmed. So if you eat less than your basic needs, if you starve yourself, you'll always backfire, you'll gain the weight back, and you'll probably gain back even a little bit more. People gain an average of five pounds for every diet they go on. Bethanne Patrick: The second one is the calorie myth. What's that about? Dr. Mark Hyman: If you look at how calories actually work in your body, different foods have different properties beyond [their] calories. For example, if I [drink] a Coca-Cola which is pure sugar, it goes straight to my bloodstream. It turns on messages that make me gain weight. If I eat a diet that's full of Fiber and whole foods that has the equivalent amount of calories it has a different effect. Doctor David Ludwig, one of the top scientists and researchers in obesity in the world at Harvard, did a study with three different groups of kids and gave them three different breakfasts: oatmeal, field cut oats and omelets, exactly the same calories. What's fascinating is that the kids that ate the oatmeal were hungrier, they ate 80 percent more food that day and their biochemistry was different; their cholesterol was higher. Bethanne Patrick: Really? The oatmeal eating group? Dr. Mark Hyman: Oatmeal enters the bloodstream quickly. The omelet group had sort of a slow-burn effect. In other words, the calories were released slowly into the bloodstream and they didn't trigger these hormonal responses and these genetic responses that trigger us to eat more and be hungrier. Bethanne Patrick: The third one is the fat myth. Dr. Mark Hyman: The fat myth is the idea that if we restrict fat we will lose weight. The Women's Health Initiative shows us that low-fat diets don't really help. And I think that the real important point here is that it's the type of fat that you eat that makes the difference. I think one of the things we don't realize is that if we eat a diet full of trans-fat or the steak fats that are in processed food, it really goes to a part of our genes, turns on messages that make us gain weight, that slows metabolism, that makes us have more inflammation, that makes it more likely that we get diabetes. If we eat the right fat [like] Omega-3 from fish oil, flax seeds, walnuts and seaweed, they will turn on the genes that make us lose weight. Bethanne Patrick: The carb myth is sort of is the same thing. Dr. Mark Hyman: I say to people that carbohydrates are the single most important thing you need for long term health and weight loss. That goes in the face of what a lot of people are saying right now. The reason I say that is carbohydrates are the source of all the Vitamins and minerals and what we call phytonutrient or plant chemicals that help us stay healthy. Things like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, Beans, nuts and seeds -- these are all carbohydrates. Bethanne Patrick: But they're good carbohydrates. Dr. Mark Hyman: Absolutely. It's the ones that are processed and refined and full of sugar that are bad for us. Bethanne Patrick: The sumo-wrestler myth is about skipping meals. Love that name. Dr. Mark Hyman: Yeah, well sumo wrestlers are made, not born. The way they're made is actually the way most Americans live. Like a sumo wrestler, they wake up, they may skip breakfast, they do a little activity and then they eat a huge meal and go to bed. When you skip breakfast and eat dinner before you go to bed, you're going to gain weight because your metabolism slows at night. When you fall asleep with a full stomach you're guaranteed to gain weight. Bethanne Patrick: The French paradox myth is myth number six. Why is that? Dr. Mark Hyman: Well, we think that the French are healthy and don't have heart disease because they drink wine and eat butter, and that's not true. Actually, they're getting more sick and more overweight because we're not only spreading Democracy, we're spreading obesity across the globe, including in Europe. What they used to do was eat real unprocessed and whole foods. Bethanne Patrick: So that's the key -- the unprocessed. Dr. Mark Hyman: They ate fresh food. They went to the market place every day and walked, because that was how their villages were set up. They also enjoyed their food. They didn't have the two minute lunch, they had the two hour lunch, and when we have pleasure and enjoyment with food our digestion and metabolism is geared to burn more calories than when we're stressed. When we eat at our desk, we're actually going to shut down our metabolism. Bethanne Patrick: The final myth is the 'Protector Myth.' What is the protector myth? Dr. Mark Hyman: The protector myth is the notion that government regulations and policies around the food industry out there is helping us to stay healthy and protect us from harm. I think that's unfortunately a very sad notion. The food industry makes up 12% of our gross national product and employs 17 percent of the labor force. And it spends 33 billion dollars a year marketing junk food to consumers. Only 2% of the 33 billion dollars is spent on marketing fruits, vegetables and healthy food. We're in a crisis because the only thing you can buy when you go on the road is food that's highly processed, devoid of all nutrients, that's full of calories and that actually turns on genes that make you gain weight and get sick. The entire food industry – the restaurant industry, the diet industry, hospitals, drug industry -- everybody profits from people being sick and overweight. The whole system's backwards. We need to stand up for policy changes that can help, such as getting junk food and vending machines out of schools and stop advertising of junk food to children and so forth. Bethanne Patrick: If people are interested in this, where can they go to get more information? You've got a great website. Dr. Mark Hyman: Yeah, www.ultrametabolism.com/aol, they can actually download a free sneak preview of the book. I've convinced my publisher to offer this online which allows people to get a sneak preview. If they're interested then, they can go ahead and get the book. My DVD is available for the UltraMetabolism PBS show, which they can watch on their local stations or get a copy as well. Get More Health Advice Mark Hyman discusses how to achieve greater health and vitality and lead an age-defying, disease-free life. Listen to Dr. Hyman's Podcast Interview Podcast Interview: Read Your Body's Manual How Does Inflamation Affect Your Weight? chocolate and Other Fats to Help You Slim Down Watch UltraMetabolism Video & Get Special Offer Buy ‘UltraMetabolism' Get More Health Advice From Dr. Hyman Find More Self-Help & Wellness Interviews More Tips and Advice From AOL Coaches

We have a similar story. I’m an inch taller, weighed 49.6kgs today, wear a US size 2 & have to work at maintaining. I lost more than my goal weight (another 10kg) while trying to find the right balance & combination of food to maintain. It takes very little for my weight to drop & a lot to gain it again. Not that I really manage to - last month I sat between 50-50.5kg, this month it’s 49.2-50. I feel I eat all day too. I added snacks with multi/whole grains & continue to focus on portion control & healthy food choices. I often eat a meal over a long period of time (50+ mins at lunch) so I can consume a little more & then have to fit in snacks. It can be a challenge. On Tuesday a doctor on my surgeon’s team said I need to put on 4kgs but I’m conscious of the strong likelihood of the year 2/3 weight gain @catwoman7 mentioned. I’d rather stay at this weight with a possibility of a 5kg gain in a year or so than put on 4 now & then another 5+. I just want to be able to stay where I am now cause I’m happy, feel fine & my blood work is very good.

I am a 49 year old man living on Cape Cod with my wife and our two children. My weight over the decades has slowly crept up and hitting an all time high of 287pounds. I have had 9 knee surgeries on my right knee since i was 17yo. When the knee hurts and buckles the weight scrambles on.The more the weight the more the knee gives out. Then came the sleep apnea, Then the Blood pressure pills. Then the cholesterol meds. This path was leading to early death or total knee replacement before 50 and the weight gain roller ride. I am actively in the last phases of all the preop requirements and have a surgery date for early March. I believe this is the best course of action for my life and achieving my goal to live to 100. The alternative is to dire. I would like to read more on the first few days after surgery and how quickly one can return to work and family life.I not looking for horror stories. Thank you John

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

Hello! I'm unable to find much about this online, so thought I'd see if anyone has had a similar experience post-removal. Long story short: I was banded about 11 years ago, lap band slipped, I was scheduled for removal. My original surgeon had moved to CA, so I went through Northwestern Hospital. (Sidenote: I HIGHLY recommend them! They went above and beyond when it came to ensuring my safety throughout the entire process). The surgery went very well and immediately afterwards, all of the side effects I'd been experiencing (horrendous acid reflux, pain, spitting up blood) were 100% gone. My doctor mentioned that he left the stitches in place that were holding my band in, explaining that this would give me a bit of restriction still and hopefully deter weight gain. It's now been almost exactly one month since surgery. I've been trying to watch how much I've been eating and signed up for a gluten free healthy food service. However, yesterday I celebrated my birthday and ate wayyyy too much. For the first time since before my surgery, I was spitting up food. Today, I have a weird sensation around the area where my band would have been - not pain per se, but it's not comfortable. Almost feels like gas pains. I'm back to the meal plan (i.e. smaller portions) today, but still regurgitating small bits of food a few hours after eating. My questions: - Has anyone who's had the band removed had their stitches left in place? - If so, has anyone else experienced this sensation? - Is it possible to rip these stitches from over-eating?! I'm an idiot and was *supposed* to have my follow-up appointment tomorrow, but rescheduled for next week. Now, I'm kicking myself and worried that perhaps I ripped the stitches or something.

I went for my 1st doctor visit today as I was sleeved on Jan 17th and had a few complications. I was on an IV for 4 days and I could not drink by mouth. So today when I went to have my 1st checkup I had gained 3lbs. I was in total shock. How could this be I have been on liquids for 4 weeks and gained 3lbs. The doctor explained to me it was just Water weight due to the IV. I am so frustrated and hope I made the right choice. I have not done anything that I shouldn't have and I want this to work. Need suggestions please.

I am new to the site and have banding scheduled for 7/31. I have been reading lots on the site and a lot say they have gained back. I am now very worried about this. Is this a common occurance or is it mostly people who don't get Protein and follow the program? I guess I just want some great reassurance that this will be successful as I believe it will be.

Thanks for the information so far! I did a little research on the Internet and the following is an excerpt from Chalene Johnson's Blog Spot The temporary weight gain explained: When someone starts a new exercise program, they often experience muscle soreness. The more intense and "unfamiliar" the program, the more intense the muscle soreness. This soreness is most prevalent 24 to 48 hours after each workout. In the first few weeks of a new program, soreness is the body trying to "protect and defend" the effected or targeted tissue. Exercise physiologists refer to this as delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. This type of soreness is thought to be caused by tissue breakdown or microscopic tears in muscle tissue. When this happens the body protects the tissue. The muscle becomes inflamed and slightly swollen with Fluid retention. This temporary retention of fluid can result in a 3- to 4-pound weight gain within a few weeks of a new program. Keep in mind that muscle soreness is not necessarily a reflection of how hard you worked. In fact, some people feel no signs of muscle soreness, yet will experience the muscle protection mechanisms of Water retention and slight swelling.

When you start exercising, you can retain a bit of Water in your muscles which can account for weight gain. Muscle doesnt weigh more than fat, its just that a pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat. People say it flippantly and its misleading, what it simply means is that if you have more muscle you'll weigh more. But its fantasy to think anyone can gain few pounds of muscle from doing a couple of weeks of cardio - most women wont gain that much after a year of weight training. The real truth is that when people first start exercising, its hard work, takes lots of effort and dedication but its not really that intense in terms of what exercise can be for someone who is fit and athletic and a seasoned exerciser. It is possible to burn 1000 calories in an hour running, but you sure as eggs cant do that when you start. A couple of hundred calories a day is not that huge an amount of calories to be burning, its not going to make THAT much difference. Also there's the tiredness you feel as a result of your efforts until you're more conditioned, you kind of slow down for the rest of the day and burn less calories overall which kind of nets out the exercise. Not to worry, if you keep at it, you get fitter and you will get to the stage where you can say go out for a run, come home and continue with your day without even feeling tired. You'll get there. You really have to watch what you eat too, its not uncommon to eat more as a result of exercising - it may make you hungrier or you may subconsciously think you can afford to because you've exercised. Weight loss still comes down mainly to diet. All those are factors why exercise may not give you the weight loss result you may expect - at first. Keep at it and it will pay off and at first cardio everyday is GREAT, its the best fat burner and that's what you want for the present time, to get rid of fat. Dont be discouraged by gain, it wont go far and it will reverse quickly.

I am speaking from my past WLS years ago, and had same issue. After weight gain, I realized I stopped food tracking and planning, and backed off of sensible exercise. Once I got back on track, it came back off. Not till my past banding deteriorated so far, that I could not eat anything healthy like meats, veggies and fruits without getting sick, did the weight come back on and I could not stop it. (Also caused my immunity system to shut down) I suggest you honestly evaluate your full program, and find what is missing. Feel free to post here and we may be able to support in more details.

Right now...I'm not even nervous about my SLEEVE! I start my two week liquid diet tomorrow and as of right now...I"M READY!!! I've eaten SO much food over Christmas that I'm READY to just drink my Protein shake three times a day! I'm SO MISERABLE from FOOD...I'm ASHAMED to say I've gained 16 pounds in three wks!! Dr said it looks like a LOT of Water weight gain from looking at my legs. FRITOS and cheese DIP are OFF MY MENU FOREVER!!!! Now in a few more days I maybe crying I WANT FOOD but I don't think so. I'm telling myself two weeks will go by SO FAST and then my NEW LIFE BEGINS! Since I went to the Dr today and found out I have a UTI...I'm a little excited about going back next week to weigh in again after a week of Protein shakes and NO SALTY FOODS!!! Am I CRAZY or WHAT??? PLEASE keep me in your thoughts and prayers!!! I SO WANT TO BE SLEEVED but I HAVE to get rid of this infection first!!!

Hey everyone! I'll be banded in April and have just loved reading the posts; Great information and motivation to start off my new life right. I've read a lot of success stories, but I read a handful of bandsters that have NOT lost any weight, gained, or lost about 18 lbs with a years time. That was very frustrating to read and I can imagine how it feels to them. My questions is: Is it often that people NOT lose weight or lose a small amount when banded? Thanks, Shelly

I have been banded since '07. I have had highs and definitely lows. I lost a lot of weight, gained, and lost again and gained it back! I'm just burt out! I'm back close to my original weight. I honestly can't hold food down..somedays I might get lucky and I can eat a boca burger patty only. I'm really scared for my health. I'm 32 and I got shingles. My children's doctor was shocked and asked did I have AIDS. I said no ..I just had a baby and also recently been screened and no change of husband lol. The Dr seemed really concerned why my immune system is so low. Also I have extreme heartburn all the time and my throat hurts. I don't want esophageal cancer! I know some people lie and say oh I don't eat that..or whatever to make excuses to why they gain weight. This is not the case! I drink Water and 2 glasses of 1%milk a day. I TRY to eat a low calorie diet that usually just comes up. I can say I haven't been exercising. I have a two month old baby and a toddler that are giving me a run for my sanity and time! What the heck should I do? Is it me? Could I be doing something wrong? I made an appointment with my surgeon in a week. Any advice would be great!

After RNY gastric bypass surgery, generally one loses weight quickly then after time, weight loss slows and then you bottom out and enter the "maintenance" phase. The goal in the "Maintenance" phase is to maintain the weight loss that you achieved thus far. A weight gain of 7 pounds in one week seems too drastic. During the weight loss phase it is important to consume an adequate amount of Protein. The daily protein requirement is a combination of the amount of protein obtained from supplements (Protein shakes, protein bars) combined with the amount of protein from meals. In the beginning of the process, one lives off of protein shakes to meet this requirement because the meal volume is extremely low. But as time goes on, one can begin to transition off from these protein supplements if one concentrates on high protein meals. These protein supplements contain calories. So when you say that you are increasing your calories to 800 per day are you counting the calories in the protein supplements that you are taking? So one strategy to continue weight loss is add up your daily intake of protein; concentrate on consuming high protein meals; reduce your protein supplements (and the calories they contain). That approach may help you kick-start your continued weight loss. I put together a short article on my experience in the "Maintenance" phase that you may find to be useful. It is available at this link: http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf

Hello, I had the sleeve done in Feb/2016, and went from 269 to 165. I had gallbladder removal last August and have been gaining back slowly. So far I’ve gained 10lbs back. I’m staring to get depressed and don’t wanna go binging since I’m an emotional eater. Any advice would really help. Thank you.

Is it normal to gain weight during your hospital stay post-op? I'm wondering if the fluids and the narcotics has caused this. It's not a huge amount (six pounds), however, it's making me second-guess the surgery itself. Has anyone experienced this before? And when did you actually start losing weight? Thank you!!

About the only way you can get revision is serious GERD. But weight gain that soon after sleeve may indicate to some surgeons you aren't ready to undergo another procedure. Check with your bariatric center and see if what you are eating is contributing to weight gain. (are you back to old habits like soda, fast food, junk food, snacking, grazing, etc,). Also be aware that some medications can cause weight gain. Check any meds you take for weight gain as side effect. You need to figure out what is really going on before considering surgery again. With the restriction gone from sleeve, your weight now depends on you and see what you can do to fix problem. Getting regular exercise? Sent from my SM-T580 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi Smallbird...I feel your pain.I have come to the forum today because I too have gained 13 pounds in the last 6 or so months and don't know what to do with myself. I'm hoping for some advice too. I'm glad you have made the first step of going back to your surgeon.I can't get an appointment for mine till April which I'm not impressed about. Sounds like there could be more to your weight gain as you are following all the rules and exercising without any luck. I hope you get some more replies...hopefully someone can help you overcome this stumble.. Good luck :-)

I'm on one of the biggest culprits for meaningless weight gain, lithium. My psych doctor said that for some reason his patients who get wls don't have the weight gain effects after the surgery, but I don't understand why that would be possible.

Have you considered Mirena? That has worked wonders for me. Before the Mirena I had an extremely heavy flow( I know, TMI) and always had to wear a super huge pad AND a tampon:cursing:. I would probably change it every 2/3 hours. But now all I have is spotting when my period comes around :thumbup:, Its great! Best part, no weight gain and I don't have to worry about taking pills everyday. You should ask your doc about it.

Don't let any weight gain you see discourage you. It's the IV fluids and you will drop it when you are off those. Focus on doing what the doctors say... you will get through this! You are a WLS vet after all and we're made of tough stuff ???? I'm sending you (((( BIG HUGS )))) and healing thoughts ☺️

I am in urgent need of a mentor/support buddy. I am several years post op. I was getting comfortable with my size about 18 months after surgery. I really don't know what happened after that. I know that I got super busy with work. I got laid off. I have a gazillion responsibilities with the kids. I have four children, one about to start college, one sophomore, one 8th grader, and one in elementary. I became a PTA president ( dumb, I know ). I did TONS of volunteer work until I started my new job. Somewhere in the span of these past 6 years, I have been a faithful wife of a deputy who has had four episodes of unstable angina, and has undergone 4 PTCAs and has had 7 stents placed. That was a bit distracting. Long story short, life happened. I know that life happens to everyone, but I let myself forget that I'm a lap-band patient. Sure, I was used to everyone commenting on how little I ate, but I could usually explain all that away. I ate what I wanted when I wanted, and I didn't bat an eye. I really didn't notice any difference in my life. But I had a reality check recently when I couldn't fit into one of my old scrub tops. What the hell??? I realized that for the last 5 months, I really have packed on some weight. I hadn't weighed myself in over a year. Since I got down to 175, I was pretty satisfied, so I just stopped doing it. I went in to work and weighed myself, and I found that my new weight is 202! I thought about things. I've been having severe reflux, to the point of waking up choking on my own vomit (essentially). I gained 27 pounds in 5 months. I was just a hot mess. Clearly, I know better. So I FINALLY went in and saw by surgeon. He remarked how proud he was because he hadn't seen me since 2008, but I was at the same weight as I was in 2008. I had to explain to him that I had gotten down to 175, and had a recent issue with weight gain. I realized, as I drove home yesterday, that I really did fool myself into thinking my relationship with food had changed. And really, it has in some ways, but I guess not in a good way. I developed a passion for the culinary arts about two years after surgery, and have become quite the food snob. I make my own EVERYTHING from scratch. I use fresh ingredients. I use (GASP!) butter, half and half, and real, honest-to-goodness eggs. I know! I drink great wine. I know! I'm a crazy lady. I thought that since my portions were so small, it wasn't a big deal for me to enjoy good food. Clearly, 27 pounds later, I was wrong. My relationship with food is just as unhealthy as ever. I just eat better food. My doctor said that the reflux and tenderness around my port was due to the weight gain. He unfilled me and placed me on a liquid diet for 2 weeks. I haven't even made it one full week, and I've eaten 3 meals. They were not unhealthy at all ( for example: grilled tilapia and steamed veggies when we went out for the boss' birthday yesterday), but I had ZERO self control. Why didn't I stick with Water? Because I suck at this! I WANT to be healthy. I WANT to be sexy. I WANT to feel comfortable in my own skin. But I have come to realize that I SUCK at self control. I would love to lean on my husband for support, but 1) he doesn't understand this struggle, and 2) he's hardly ever home. Seriously. I feel like (and get confused with being) a single mom the majority of the time. So please, is there anyone out there who gets me? I need your help. I need to share email addresses, etc. I need help from someone. I have been a good girl today. I've only had coffee with Splenda and ff non-dairy creamer, 1 Atkins shake, and chicken broth. I'm good right now. But who knows about tomorrow?

I am in no way complaining here nor do I worry about something being wrong. I'd been warned about this happening. I just find the phenomenon to be interesting. I weighed this morning, my 3rd day after surgery. The scales read 6 pounds higher than on the morning of my surgery. I've been getting 2-3 Protein shakes plus 60-120 ounces of Water down each day. I'm trying to get my water intake elevated today (40 ounces already at 7:00am) as well have more mobility than yesterday. I'm sure once my body adjusts and the abdominal swelling goes down so will my weight. Do you remember how much, if any, that you picked up from the surgery? How long before you body flushed the fluids out ? I'm guessing that at some point during his coming weekend I'll have that breakthrough and see a big drop on the scale.