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There are some antidepressants that are notorious for causing weight. My doctor refused to put me on anything except well butrin because of my family history and my weight. He didn't want to give me anything that could cause weight gain (gained 40 lbs once in 2 months on an antidepressant with another doctor). Well butrin is not shown to cause weight gain. I'm sure there may be a few others. I think it is really important to see your doctor, and get back on medication if he thinks it is warranted. And continue to take it! Just make sure to discuss with him if you want something that will not affect your weight - there are many medications doctors have to choose from. Be very careful with just stopping anti depressants because some can have a huge effect on you if stopped suddenly. Good luck.

I HATE THE WAY I'M WIRED. I HATE THE WAY I'M WIRED. I HATE THE WAY I'M WIRED. Sometimes I just want to bang my head against the wall and end what's going on in my head. I hate the voices. The fear of change. The self destruction. The weight gain. I want it all to end. I create my own problems. I hate that I have to relive this over and over again. I have no control over all of this. I hate that I put Paul through this all of the time. He doesn't deserve to be around this. I don't know what he sees in me. I'm such a horrible person to be around. These are the things the voices tell me. I feel so depressed. I've gained 3 more pounds. I try and try to control the binging, but I get such anxiety over it. So what's the solution? Medication. I've tried that, it doesn't help. There seems to be no solution. I want to end all of the suffering. But I can't. I just want to crawl under a rock and disappear...:think

By Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS When you're trying to lose weight, the question isn't whether or not you'll hit a plateau, it's when. Plateaus are like bad weather on a long hike: it's inevitable that you'll run into it, but knowing that in advance won't make it one bit less frustrating or annoying when it happens. Cheer up! Since plateaus are as common as rain, we have a pretty good idea what to do about them. At least one of the following techniques should help you break through a plateau and start losing again. 1. Be a Calorie Detective When clients tell me they've stopped losing weight, the first thing I ask is this: how many calories a day are you eating? Calories have a way of creeping up while we're not paying attention. Be brutally honest with yourself: how much are you eating? Using a food diary for a while is a great way to monitor this. And yes, sodas and alcoholic beverages count! A good calorie goal for dieters is your target weight times 10. 2. Change It Up When you're not making gains in an exercise program you change your routine. Same holds true with your eating plan. Low-carbers could go higher carb for a few days, high-carbers might switch to a plan like Atkins or South Beach. Varying calorie intake may have a positive effect: If you're averaging 1,500 calories daily, try dropping to 1,200, going up to 2,000 and then dropping back to 1,500. You get the idea. Your body's gotten comfortable, so it's time to shake things up. 3. Try a Temporary Ban Food sensitivities can cause weight gain and bloat, and the frustrating thing is that most of us don't always know which foods are the culprits. So play the odds. Highest on the list of "usual suspects" are grains (wheat in particular), dairy and sugar. Temporarily ban all three and see what happens. 4. Take Your Workout Up a Notch Forget the "fat burning zone." High intensity intervals -- 30 to 60 seconds -- are the wave of the future. If you're accustomed to level three on your cardio machine, ramp it up to level 6 for a minute then slow down, catch your breath and repeat. Ever see a sprinter with love handles? Training like a sprinter will lower your body fat faster than any technique I know of, plus it'll boost your metabolism and lower your weight. 5. Strength Training If you're not strength training, start now. And if you are, ramp it up a notch. Muscle is your greatest ally in breaking a plateau. Unfortunately many women train with weights too light to produce the metabolic boost they need. Don't be afraid of heavier weights. They should be heavy enough that you can only do between 8 and 12 reps. 6. Up Your Protein Studies show that higher protein diets make it easier to lose fat. Protein boosts the metabolism (in one study as much as 100 percent for 24 hours), and increases satiety, making it more likely that you won't overeat. A higher protein diet could be just what you need to break that plateau. 7. Try a Detox Unsupervised fasting is a really bad idea, but the idea of giving your system a rest makes sense. Try a "smart fast" of nothing but fruits and vegetables for a couple of days. The added fiber is always helpful, and the massive amount of nutrients and phytochemicals is like "spring cleaning" for your metabolism. 8. Take Inventory Other things besides diet and exercise could be stalling your weight loss, such as stress, lack of sleep or medication. Take a look at what else is going on in your life that might need attention. Sometimes when you clean up the problems in one area of your life, problems in other areas just naturally take care of themselves.

well i think this is normal, i have thought over the years, gosh darn it why can't i just eat less , well i can but not forever, that is the problem for me it is not weight loss it is keeping it off, and i think that is where the struggle lies. i tell myself do i really need to have yet another surgery (lapband) oh gosh, my little ones, but the weight gain over this last year with the band complications is tough, i still think i can do it without anything, but i know i can't, does that make me weak? well if morbid obesity is a disease logic says we need to treat the disease and if NIH and so many others say that surgery is the only lasting effect then that is my thinking, but is it logical? not sure, it is still a difficult thing for me, but right now i have a mess to deal with, so it is fresh, and continues to linger in my mind (band complications, emptied, surgery 4/26 new band, hernia repair, new band never filled, erosion now, waiting for removal surgery 7/12 then wait 3-6 months for esophagus to heal, erosion is probably the easiest thing to heal as i have significant damage as i am in my 8th lapband year) so for me it i think about it, but i have made peace with the fact that this is a disease state like anything else, to not do anything is iresponsible for me and the kids, i am trying to do what is best for me, even if my family (siblings) don't and never have supported me on this "surgery that is not necessary" as "i can just eat less"-----ok ranting.... Mila

I was sleeved (after having my lap band removed) in march 2013. It's been a while. I've had to reconnect bc of weight gain, oh yeah it's real. I'm 5' 9" HW: 259...left: 170 cw:201....when I saw that number over 200 I almost passed out. Yesterday I saw my nutritionist and that was hard bc I've had to relive my worst fear. I will not go back. I've signed up for several 5ks, 10k's and half marathon over the next year. I'm currently walking on an incline on the treadmill bc that burns the calories the fastest. I've paid for weight training and hot yoga, which I will implement over the next few weeks. I will not go back. I've come way too far. But I need support. So if anyone has advice, pls share. My motivation is here bc of fear but I'd like it to stay bc I'm comfortable with how I'm challenging myself. Please join me MyFitnessPal: treciagesq99 Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My surgeon requires birth control for her patients. I have the Mirena (going on 7 yrs. now) and while I do think it had something to do with some of my weight gain, I am keeping it in for now. If I find I can't lose weight, I will have it removed. I've only been weighed once since my surgery, so we'll see how it goes when I get weighed next week!

Hi everyone! Well I had to get a complete unfill exactly one week ago today. My band had suddenly clamped down out of the blue and I couldn't swallow liquids. I was terrified of hunger, weight gain, etc., so I decided to start a pretty intense regimine of supplements to offset being unfilled. Let me say that I do not endorse nor sell any supplement, but I do want to tell you all who are unfilled about my experience in the hope maybe it could help you. The first day after my unfill I was starving and I realized pretty quickly that I was going to gain weight. I went to my drug store and this what I picked up: Hoodia Sure Rapid Gels, Accelis, and Mega-T green tea liquid drops. I've been taking the Hoodia in the morning and evening (sometimes I even take an afternoon dose too even though it says to take it only twice a day.) I take the green tea drops in the morning and late afternoon. Then as directed, at bedtime, I take the Accelis (this one says it's "clinically proven" to cause weight loss). Well, I don't know if it's a placebo effect, or what, but my hunger level is much less than what it would be if I were not taking anything. my hunger level is about 20% more than when I am filled, but pre-surgery I would never have been able to stick to band portions as I would have passed out with hunger, and this entire week I have been sticking to band portions completely, with little trouble, and certainly no lightheadedness, dizziness, or irritability. Somehow, I have also managed to drop about 1.5 pounds and prior to this week I had been stuck on the same weight for over a month! so essentially, I'm doing better unfilled than filled!!! Like I said I have no clue if it's just a placebo effect, or what, but I wanted to share my story for those of you who are unfilled. I honestly do believe though that there are effective diet supplements out there and that the drug companies are the ones who start all the hype about nothing working. It seems that there are just too many anecdotal stories out there to discount every single supplement. So now, I'm acutally considering holding off on any fill for even longer (I'm supposed to get 1cc in next week), since I'm doing so well without one! And I loooove being able to eat scrambled eggs and hot dogs again! Anyway, that's my story and I hope no one thinks I am trying to endorse any supplement or anything but I did want to share my experience.

Hi JennMarie7979 I can understand your nervousness and sure there is much anticipation involved as you await the removal procedure I had my band removed 2 years and 1month ago. I sustained a number of band problems prior to having it removed due to the fact that the surgeon over filled the band and I also got ill causing me to be sick a lot. This then meant I had a band slippage and it caused me ongoing esophageal damage and damage to my pouch including a pronounced area of my abdomen and inability, eventually, to eat without severe pain. When I went into A&E, they had to call my surgeon who came the next day. It was actually supposed to be corrective surgery but he decided to take it out. This was really hard for me as I'm sure you are anticipating for yourself. I very much needed the band and was not finished losing weight! I am from the UK so fortunately NHS was able to cover it (even though I had the initial op through a private clinic) as if this had been left untreated I would have run the risk of my stomach dieing and internal infection. So monetary things will be different for you. After the procedure I was sore and was on liquids for about 8 days before moving to mushy foods, very small portions and eating regularly as you might when you had the band. Due to the soreness going back to the gym was not possible for about 6 weeks so I just went on really long walks each day, sometimes two or three hours a day so that weight gain would not happen to fast. Most of all i just want to reassure you that everything will be okay, and I hope you are able to get your health back after removal. It's a scary thought going without the crutch of the band to prop yourself up, and undoubtedly weight gain will happen over time (I think I've gained 25(ish) pounds since) but I've learned there is more to life than deprivation and being thin and in control. Try to do the things you enjoy, get outside and be in the company of others. It all helps, it's going to be okay. Best wishes and I hope all goes well, Bryony

I saw the movie. All I took from it was that we shouldn't blame the big corps for gaining weight. no one is forced to say yes to super size. He also tried to discredit the bio Super Size Me. What I took from it: take responsibility for my own weight gain.

I am going to get banded on April 21st; however, the ENT put me on Prednisone for 10 days due to chronic sinus infection. Will I gain weight using the steroids for 10 days? Thanks,

I'm with Aetna as well. From my understanding you have to provide a 2 year weight history as well as follow a doctor's supervised diet program for 3 months. I'm unsure if you're able to follow a program that's not your surgeon. During the 3 months, there can be no weight gain or you'll be denied. Not sure if this info is helpful.

It will help me lose the weight that I cannot lose. I cannot exercise. My RA and asthma prevent it. My doctors already agreed to do the surgery. When you have asthma and have been on and off steroids for 26 years you gain weight. It's not easy to lose the weight from that. Plus I have Polycystic ovarian syndrome which causes weight gain as well. I eat anywhere from 1-2 times a day. Is much harder to lose the weight because of medical problems than over eating. Especially when you have problems that prevent you from exercising

I think Sassygirl is right...stick to the program and realize you will have stalls and even occasional small weight gain...hang in there!

I would recomend speaking to your dr. Get them to run your blood work. One of the reasons I am going for the band is because I am sevearly anemic I have been most of my life. I get shaky often and its due to two things I dont eat much protein and lack of proper vitamins my suger spikes only when I eat after not eating for along time. A huge contributor for my weight gains. try special k protein water someone mentioned it I tried it and it fills me right up I love it new best friends. A little pricy but worth every penny now if I could just grind chicken into water I could save lol just kidding.

I was sleeved also on July 20th. I experienced a stall from week 2-4. So 2 weeks stall. I even gained 2 pounds. In the past couple days I have lost the weight gained and lost another 1.5 pounds. It was a little frustrating but I knew it could happen.

As I'm trying to research and learn as much about the Sleeve as possible, bouge sizes, pre and post op challenges, etc, it seems that at least from this site that there are a lot of people on here who have had the lap band and going for the sleeve or have already gone the route of the sleeve. I guess where I'm going with this is that I understand the WLS is only a tool, etc... And, so I'm curious for those that had previous WL surgeries (lap band or whatever), what was it that made you feel the surgery didn't work. Yeah, probably weight gain- but how much of maybe could it have been not following a a better lifestyle (food choices and exercise). I realize some may have had medical complications, but other than that what do you feel was the cause for your 1st surgeries failure? Second, do you worry that long term you may experience similar challenges or weight gain? I am asking this only because having had the VBG back in 1998, I think back to what led me to where I am today. To be honest, I felt I did fairly well after the surgery even though I never lost the last 40# or so. I started with a weight of around 305# and got down to about 170# in about a years time. I was not referred to a nutritionist nor were there any support groups (surgery was too new at the time here) and so while I knew I needed to make some major lifestyle changes, it just wasn't permanent. I'm now at about 240# and have bounced up and down over the years- just can't ever get it to stay off much less gain back more. It became worse with job losses/ high stress job a few years ago (triggers for me)... So, it leads me to wondering, somewhat concerned about having this happen again. Yes, it means making a commitment to a healthy lifestyle change- but it obviously wasn't permanent or I wouldn't be here considering a revision. I ask myself now that I'm a little older if I am more mature (was 26 then), and now armed with more knowledge, access to support groups, etc if that will be enough. Ultimately, it is a personal choice- I get that. Just wanted to hear from others if they had concerns going into a revision if they wondered if they might end up where they were "x" months post-op from their 1st surgery. Thanks for anyone's feedback.

I started my day as usual.. running like a loon cuz I cant scrape myself from the warm, cozy bed but thats besides the point... I made my 2 scambled eggs w/my hunk of mozzarella cheese on the side. Thank god for the dog.. I could NOT finish my eggs :eek:. I had my beloved protein shake at my 930 break. It hit me like a ton of bricks.. I was FULL. Lunch was half of a turkey on wheat wrap... I made it with more lettuce than anything. I also had a yogurt. can we say FULL. At my 230 break I had my other protein shake and felt... whats the word I am looking for... FULL. I came home from work and finished my salad (leftover from yesterday) and I am FULL.:biggrin2: Full is not something I have felt before. Not without a lot of food being involved. I am so flippin excited about this whole fill thing. It almost motivated me to get off my ass and use my treadmill. I said ALMOST. Instead I am being a mouse-potato and comtemplating a long hot bath since I now have clearance to take one. I do have one side effect of the fill though. :wink2: I'm burping like a mo-fo. In the fat-club meetings, they said gas and burping repeatedly but in my first 5 weeks, I had nearly none of that stuff. Today..BURP. Every few minutes... BURP. While it doesnt bother me so much, I have very stuffy coworkers that are not so amused (BURP). Hell, atleast I wasnt farting. I am FINALLY starting to feel as if this has all been worth it and my mood is obviously improving a bit. I still hate my coworkers (most of them) but now I am starting to like myself just a smidge anyway.:thumbup: I am going to take the long awaited HOT bath and I am going to stay in there til I run out of hot water and wrinkle like a prune. OOOOOO. I almost forgot to mention that I went down a size in undies. I can almost buy hanes-her-way in a color other than white. Whoo-freakin-whooo. I have been so looking forward to the day I get to buy some pink panties!!!! Hell, in a few more months, I might be back to wearing thongs. I gave up thongs years ago after my enormous weight gain. While they were still comfy.. I couldnt bear to see the fat girl in thongs. Not attractive. Walmart has/had tummy control thongs. SERIOUSLY. why bother controlling the tummy when the booty is jiggling uncontrollably???

Hypothryoid here! The meds are for life. As for weight loss- for me the band has worked well. The little pill slips through my stoma without any problems. Although I have notice my weightloss happens in odd stages. No weight loss for 2 weeks and then whammy I put on my fresh cleaned jeans and they are loss. I hop on the scale and I am down some many pounds. Then nothing for awhile again. It can be frustrating at time- but it is a nice feeling when everything is baggy again. I have learned to put my focus on "no weight gain". Wishing you the best.

Hello.... Newbie here. I just found this forum and was glad to see some responses that answered some of my questions from other sleevers. My scary issue is that I don't feel full?!! I had my sleeve performed on 3/2/15. My original Weight was 249, pre op 239 and now currently at 225. I'm not complaining about my weight loss as I think this is awesome!!! My concern is that I don't feel full. I am on my 3rd week of full liquids and when I drink my fluids and can't tell when to stop. Obviously I follow the measurements but my concern is that this was the reason of my weight gain. I keep eating!!! Am I doing this wrong, how do you know when to stop?

“Melissa, Why do you work with bariatric surgery patients?” I’m often asked this. Clients and readers are often curious because I’m not a weight loss surgery patient myself and because I don’t have a “weight loss story.” Except that I do. My story has emerged from the stories of others. The truth is, I founded Enduring Change Coaching after years of practicing as a Clinical Psychologist. As a Clinical Psychologist, one area of expertise has been helping people with food and weight issues. Since 1995, I have worked with just about every kind of eating disorder, weight issue, and food issue an adult can have. I’ve witnessed peoples’ pain, struggles and desperation, and I’ve had the honor of sharing in their experiences of transformation (and I’m not just talking about weight)—as they found their own paths to making peace with food, resolving weight issues, putting eating and food in a much smaller place in their lives, and moving on to focusing on more enjoyable and empowering things. I developed the Emotional Eating Toolbox™ Program and run the bariatric surgery coaching programs at Enduring Change because I saw people struggling with their weight and feeling hopeless and I knew the tools and strategies that I have developed with my clients can make a profound difference. I’ve met too many people who believe that taking control of their weight and their relationship with food isn’t possible and who believe that they must resign themselves to fighting—and losing—battles with weight forever. I’ve known and worked with too many bariatric surgery patients who are stuck in a mode of self-blame. They believe they should be able to succeed with weight loss and with weight loss surgery without help or support and they blame themselves when they struggle. I’ve known other weight loss surgery patients who were never told that there are other essential tools they need to acquire and use with weight loss surgery. (Thankfully, I’m seeing less of this.) They too feel like failures when they find themselves struggling with emotional eating, overeating and weight gain after surgery. And I’ve worked with plenty of people who have had weight loss surgery, who know darned well that the procedure they had is only one tool. They know that they have other challenging work ahead of them, and other tools they will need to acquire to get where they want to go. The problem is, they aren’t sure where to get those tools. There are (in many areas) too few support groups (especially for individuals who are 12 months or more post-surgery) and not enough information about good resources. There is not enough information about overeating and emotional eating. People are quick to tell you not to overeat, not to use food to fill an “emotional hole,” and not to eat to cope with stress or boredom or loneliness. But there is not enough quality information and help out there about what to do instead. That’s been my experience. And that’s why I coach individuals and hold special coaching programs and conferences for people who have had bariatric surgery—by telephone—so anyone can attend. It’s why I periodically offer free teleclasses. Most importantly, it was one of my motivations for creating the Emotional Eating Toolbox™ Self-guided Program. Because there is too much shame and self-blame out there. And because we all are a lot more likely to succeed when we have the right tools. Melissa McCreery, Ph.D. is a Psychologist and the founder of Enduring Change Coaching. She helps her clients create and live the life they crave. She is also the creator of the Emotional Eating Toolbox 28-day Program for Taking Control and Moving Beyond Dieting. Sign up for a free 5 part Self-care Package Audio Course, learn about upcoming WLS seminars and other programs or contact her www.enduringchange.com.

I started my weight gain and life at 18 when I graduated highschool and met my husband. We dropped school (college), got a apartment, it didnt work out (no good food) and money, so we went back to our parents, and then he went into the navy, we got married and I followed him. At 18 I graduated from High School as a varsity cheerleader, 5'10" and 185 pounds. When I got married at 21, I was 250 pounds, felt pretty good with my life, but went through birth control changes and 1 abortion and 4 miscarriages. From 21-24 I stayed at 250 pounds. Then I got pregnant in January 2009, I was 276 and only gained 14 pounds of baby. At time of birth I was healthy for the most part and 300 pounds. I dropped 50 pounds the first month, from breast feeding and then gained it all back because I couldn't anymore. So I have been bouncing from 298 to 310, I have continued to have 3 more miscarriages, and am now at my highest at 315. I do not snack during the day, mostly at night, and mostly during my frequent acid reflex/heartburn episodes. I had a hard time dieting because of heartburn. Exercise is hard since I have high level of asthma, a heel spur, allergies, knee arthritis, and a bad back. So where I am at now is very up in the air. I have my consultation in 2 days. I want another child, but tricare (military insurance) will not approve testing to find out why I am miscarrying until I have lost weight. So I am doing lapband, which is not my first choice...I would rather have a child then lap band, then (military approved tummy tuck). But my husband also wants me to wait, so his choice is lap band, child, tummy tuck. I am confused. I just turned 26, and I want another child before 30. I may just end of with just one child. Any advice is wanted.

Hi I am new to this website. I was banded 11/15/10, I love it! I always had a weight problem but if I put my mind to it and followed a diet and exercised I was able to lose weight. Right before I got married I was doing just that watching what I ate and exercising like crazy and not gaining weight but not losing at all. I went for a physical and found out I have hypothyroid. For eight years I had gradual weight gain, surprisingly was able to lose pregnancy weight twice (I attribute that to breastfeeding) but after losing that the gradual weight gain continued. So in complete frustration I talked to my PCP about weight loss and he said his wife who is in practice with him has been working with a bariatric surgeon and he recommended I see them about lapband. He is a pretty conservative guy so for him to reccomend that I took it pretty seriously. I started seeing the surgeon in July 2010 since then I have lost almost 60 lbs, 20 lbs pre-surgury and the rest since. I had my first fill a week ago (2/1/11) and I remembered how being on liquids was like torture, hungry all the time. Back on regular diet now and doing ok. The holidays were difficult because I discovered there wasn't much I couldn't eat. I am having a difficult time getting back to the diet I was doing so well before the holidays but I have started exercising. My hardest times are the weekends when we socialize with others, I need to figure out something to help me eat what and how much I am supposed to. My biggest concern is not causing my band to slip. I realize when I do eat a lot it is nowhere near what I used to eat without the band but still I have the moments. I am looking forward to checking out chat areas on here and learning more and getting and giving support when possible.

I had my surgery 2 yrs ago in May. I've lost 100 lbs in the 1st yr. I just recently gained 5 lbs. I've been eating sugar & lots of it. Just 2 days of NOT eating anything white & just eating "GREEN & LEAN". I'm down 3 lbs. Has anybody else had a weight gain? It is so EASY to fall back into bad eating merry-go-round.

I just finish the 6month and I think it's great but long as we are impatient to start are new journey but it helps you get bad habits out your life and get new habits try to think of it as a chance to prepare your self learn how to don't eat w meals and chew chew your food slow I stop smoking it's been 9 months .. I don't dring sodas I started drinking more water and oh I lost alittle wieght during this time 20 pounds I think the supervised diet is better than most cus you have to answer to someone about your weight gain or loss and this person has his future in his hands of telling the insurance company your being compliant I think you'll loss some weight w that being in place but on another I kno some ppl doctors who didn't make them work has hard ..

Yes, I'm in Kansas City though I grew up in Nebraska. I use Dr. Malley for my fills though he wasn't my original surgeon. I agree he is one of (if not the) best docs in K.C. He has done over 1000 lapbands and is a regional proctor for Inamed. I changedmy ticker to reflect a mini-goal but ought to update it again. My starting weight was around 255 and I lost down to 163 last fall. My current weight is up a bit from there due in part to some swelling from plastic surgeries and in part from lack of restriction while being unfilled during the recovery from the PS. I'm hoping to have lost what I gained plus a bit more by June then just focus on maintaining. You are right that with any procedure there will be a percentage that doesn't find success. Though it also depends on how you define success. For some success may just be stopping the scale from continuing to climb while others may refuse to call there journey a success if they are unable to lose every single extra pound they ever gained. My own not so scientific conclusions on why some bandsters have not been as successful as others. Boils down to three main categories. - COMPLICATIONS - Unforseeen and RARE complications with the band such as a leak in the tubing or band slippage. There have also been rare complications that aren't band related such as various thyroid issues that can make weight loss extremely difficult, in those cases I would feel the band's ability to stop the weight gain if not turn it back should be considered a success in itself. - FOLLOW UP - Lack of necessary adjustments to feel proper restriction. This may be due to lack of funds or a reluctance to go back for fills for a variety of reasons. - HEAD ISSUES - And finally, yes there are those that just aren't ready mentally or physically to adjust to life with the band and will sabotage their weight loss efforts by eating around thier band with soft foods and high calorie drinks. This last comment is a bit of a hot button topic even for me. After all if I could have changed my behaviours before the band why would I have needed it at all? Right? But the band really can help. It only bands your stomach, NOT your head. However, it does make it much easier to move in a more 2 steps forward one step back fashion as you continue to struggle with whatever inner demons you may have in regards to diet and or exercise. And I am proof positive it is possible to lose the weight and still be a basket case when it comes to both.:sneaky: