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

thats good to hear. I knew about the surgery weight gain. I actually gained 14 lbs during surgery. 1 week out and I lost that 14 plus 6 but haven't lost anything since. I guess that is normal from what I am hearing today.

I was only there for 24 hours but was given about six bags of fluid and had very little output. I gained almost ten pounds in that day did this happen to anybody else and how long until it goes away. I feel very swollen still.

Im not expecting anything within a few days of surgery, im 4 days post op and have gained 6 pounds, is that normal? Water weight maybe?

This is a difficult one. 1. tastes change after both surgeries 2. Not everyone dumps after bypass 3. Some people dump after sleeve 4. Bypass would help long term in not absorbing all the calories from sweets 5. But, because of 2+4, bypass people might get too comfortable continuing to eat sweets...leading to weight gain. These are confounding generalities... But, as for you, specifically, are you diabetic or prediabetic? Have you always had a sweet tooth, or has it gotten worse? I never had a huge sweet tooth until I became prediabetic. The condition changed my cravings.. And, do you have heartburn, acid reflux, GERD? Sent from my SM-N920R4 using the BariatricPal App

A few weeks ago I was sorting through school work and papers that came home in my fifth grader's backpack at the end of the school year and had been left in a pile. In his math folder I found this great handout: Problem-solving Top-ten List." It's intended to help students who are stuck on a math problem, but I found it to be great life advice and very applicable to eating and weight loss battles. What do you think? Top Ten Reasons For Getting Stuck in the First Place: 1. You tried to rush through the problem without thinking. We are often great at rushing into new weight loss programs and diets hoping each one will be the magic answer. Clients often tell me how they've picked programs in the past that weren't compatible with their tastes or their schedules or their preferences and that they probably knew from the beginning they wouldn't want to continue long term. 2. You didn't read the problem carefully. We don't just run into this difficulty with math problems. In many life situations, if we don't clearly understand the problem, we might choose a problem solving approach that isn't going to meet our needs. In my emotional eating programs, I encourage users to take the time to understand their unique situation. Taking the time to understand your reasons for overeating and the types of solutions that will work for you is essential to not getting stuck further down the road. 3. You don't know what the problem is asking for Again, this doesn't just apply to math problems. If we're working to solve the wrong problem, we aren't going to get anywhere. If you are struggling with emotional eating (stress eating, boredom eating, or eating when you are lonely or upset), no food plan or diet in the world is going to fix that--because it's not about the food--it's about figuring out what to do with the feelings. 4. You don't have enough information. I often tell me clients that if they feel like they aren't getting anywhere, or if they feel like they are beating their head against the wall, odds are that there is a part of the problem that isn't being addressed. The program I use with my clients devotes a significant amount of time to showing you how to collect information about yourself, about your hunger, and about your unique relationship with food so that you can solve the eating problems once and for all. 5. You're looking for an answer that the problem isn't asking for. If you overeat because you are bored or stressed or anxious or angry (or any other emotion), the problem isn't about food choice. The answer the problem is asking for has to do with finding new or better ways of responding to your emotions, your stress and your needs. The weight loss industry spends billions of dollars convincing us that if we follow a certain diet we will be beautiful and happy. Food plans don't create happiness and diets (or weight loss) don't help us cope with stress (or anxiety or loneliness or boredom). A schedule of when and what to eat (a diet) doesn't prepare us for what to do when we stop using the schedule, and it doesn't help us figure out what to do INSTEAD of eating or overeating. The truth is that diets aren't the answer for this problem. Enduring change and enduring weight loss happen when we make changes that work with our lives--not when we try to maintain behaviors that leave us hungry and grumpy and feeling like we are missing out. 6. The strategy you're using doesn't work for this particular problem. I'll say it again. Diets tell you what to eat. Often, being on a diet will increase the amount of time and energy someone spends focusing on food. Diets don't teach you how to change patterns of emotional eating or overeating when you aren't hungry. They don't teach you how to feed yourself and expand your life in ways that won't leave you feeling deprived. Users of my program and participants in the groups I run are often surprised at first by how little time they spend focusing on food. The programs I offer don't count fat grams or calories or carbs because I feel it is most helpful to target the *reasons* you feel hungry and the *reasons* you eat even when you aren't. My focus is helping you GET OFF the diet rollercoaster and put food in a much smaller place in your life. 7. You aren't applying the strategy correctly. If you've been dieting for years, it can be hard to move out of the mindsets of deprivation and of blaming yourself when the diet doesn't work (even though the diet was probably doomed to fail in the first place). Using the right tools takes practice. I find that clients initially have a hard time looking at their eating patterns and their emotions without feeling the old self-blame, shame and guilt. One of the biggest benefits that clients in our emotional eating programs and groups note is being able to stop feeling guilty and bad all the time. That's huge! 8. You failed to combine your strategy with another strategy. If we try to fit ourselves into a strategy or a program instead of finding a strategy that fits and works with our specific individual situation, we're likely to get stuck. Cookie cutter eating plans and programs are problematic because we are all different. For instance, my Emotional Eating Toolbox™ program guides you to your own answers and strategies through the work you do and the answers you provide about yourself. You are encouraged to explore a variety of strategies and choose the solutions that will work for you. 9. The problem has more than one answer. There is no ONE magic cause of weight gain and there is no ONE magic answer for weight loss. People's paths for taking control of their emotional eating will be different. Once you have the basic set of tools, you will be more successful if you learn to use them in the way that complements your personality, your strengths, your struggles, and your life. 10.The problem can't be solved. This one is tough--both with math problems and with life. Emotions and tough times are real. We might not like them but we can't just wish them away. Trying to ignore or bury emotions doesn't work well in the long term either. The truth is that there is no diet or food plan that is going to help us cope with tough emotions. If we forget about the emotional part of our eating and simply focus on the food, we're going to get stuck and we're likely to fail. And then we are likely to blame ourselves--which isn't helpful either. There ARE powerful tools that can help anybody get through the emotions and situations that they struggle with. When we learn them and practice using them it's easier to put food in its place, make choices that feel good about eating, and put more energy into creating the lives we really want to be living. 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 teleclass about emotional eating after WLS, learn about upcoming WLS seminars and other programs or contact her www.enduringchange.com.

I begin my liquid diet on Tuesday and my surgery is scheduled for 2/5/13. I am excited yet nervous. I wish it hadn't come to this but I believe with all of my heart that after years of yo-yo dieting, a 92# weight gain, diabetes and high blood pressure that I must have this physical restraint device to make a permanent change. I am 41 years old with a 9 year old son and I want to be around for a long time to watch him grow up!. I am scared to have anesthesia. I feel like I let my son down because I now have to have surgery to help me get my life back. I am tired of my body getting in the way of itself and being sore all of the time. I am scared that I won't have the willpower to do liquids. If I could do that I wouldn't so over weight! What are some helpful tips that got you through this first hurdle?

I have not had surgery yet, but am finishing up the last of all the pre op requirements. I expect a date will be set any day for surgery. I am doing this because 13 months ago I was told by a cardiologist that if I didn't quit smoking and lose weight, I have a life expectancy of 8 years. It took 7 months before it sunk in enough to quit smoking and a 30 pound weight gain following the smoking cessation. Three months later, I made my first appointment to see the surgeon. I am doing this to live! I have already wasted one year, I refuse to waste more.

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

I originally posted this on the message boards and I thought I could reuse for my first blog: Hello everyone, So this is my first post here and here is my story… I am 29 years and I will hit the dreaded 30 next month. Not that I think 30 is old, I just can't believe that I am gonna be thirty and after all these years I have not be able to successfully manage my weight. Right now my scale is tipping at about 250. I haven't always been this fat. I would say that back in my high school days I was a little chubby. The last lowest weight I can last remember was 165 lbs in 2001. So I have gained 85 lbs in 8 years…wow. I have been happily married to my high school sweet heart for 6 years now and he is absolutely wonderful to me. He loves me as I am, no matter what. We have a awesome 18 month old son, who is the center of our universe. I was diagnosed with a under active thyroid (hypothyroid) when I was 16 years old. Both my mother and grandmother were also hypothyroid and overweight as well, so my all of issues are definitely built into my genetic make up. But I will admit that I have contributed to my 85lb weight gain by eating improperly and being lazy. We moved away from our family and friends right after we got married, so I have spent the last six years some what isolated from our loved ones. We happily spend every weekend lazy, in love and alone on our sofa. Fortunately my husband has been blessed with a amazing metabolism, and he is the same 160 lbs that he weighed on the day we got married. Now I will admit that I do have a food problem. But I am not a emotional eater. I actually lose my appetite when I am really upset. I am a 'bored' and 'lonely' eater. I snack when my husband isn't around. And I have no shame when it comes to making poor food choices…buffalo chicken, cheese burger, fries, pizza, chinese food…none of them any good. I have tried to lose weight in the past but always became easily discouraged and distracted when I didn't see any immediate results. I have always simply blamed my failed thyroid for holding me back. Although I know that is not 100% true. My life style certainly contributes. I saw a new endocrinologist a few years back and asked him if he had any insight on how I can approach weight loss while living with hypothyroidism. I mean, obviously he has seen plenty of patients with my condition…he must know someone who has had success. I just wanted him to share their secret with me. Should I give weight watchers another try…should I try jenny craig…should I see a nutritionist…can he give me a magic pill?!?!?! And then he gave me the old diet and exercise talk…as if I was stupid and never heard of it before. Ugh, whatever…thanks for nothing! I then decided to start seeing a new endocrinologist just because his office was closer to work and it was convenient. I asked him if he knew what the secret to weight loss was. Now before I tell you what he told me, I want to paint this visual for you. My endo is a 5 ft tall chinese man. He is straight from china and I really have to focus when he talks so I can understand his words clearly through his accent. He speaks very abrubtly and to the point. So when I told him that I don't believe I eat a lot but I just wanted know what he thinks I need to do, he told me…"it doesn't matter what you eat, just eat half! If the only thing you eat all day is a peanut, then only eat HALF a peanut the next day!" What?!?! As if that was even possible. I felt defeated again. But he actually seemed to take more interest in the health of my thyroid. He gave attention to a 2 cm nodule that my last endo identified and did nothing with. My new endo conducted ultra sounds and a biopsy. The biopsy results revealed that my nodule is non-cancerous but it was also not begin. My nodule cells are just irregular. They could remain irregular for the rest of my life or there is also the potential that they can become cancer at some point. Thyroid cancer is very, very slow growing. Regardless of what they are or would be, the option of having surgery to remove that part of my thyroid was completely in my hands. I could chose to monitor to the grow or I could choose to cut it out. So this is the part of my story that brings me here today...the whole idea of any type of surgery scares me. I don't want to be put to sleep and I know it is vain but don't want the scar on my neck. But I know that I want to live the rest of my life free and clear of the potential of cancer. My thyroid is sick to begin with and hasn't been working probably since I was 16 years old. I already take 224 mcg of synthetic thyroid replacement medication. I came to the conclusion that my thyroid is useless and they may as well remove the whole thing. My total thyroidectomy is scheduled for Feb 3rd. So I have been thinking about my endo's "half a peanut" theory and began to seriously consider lap band surgery. My mom has gastric bypass surgery a few years back and it has given her a new life. She has no regrets other than not doing it sooner. I want to live the next 30 years of my life differently from the way that I currently do. I want to run and play with my son. I want to look good standing next to my hubby. This posting is long enough, I am sure I don't need tell you guys everything that I want because I am sure they are same things that you want from life. So spoke to my husband, my mom and friend and I think I feel good about pursuing this. I am going to attend a Introductory Bariatric Meeting on 2/13. I know that this isn't the going to be the final resolution I was searching for. It is not a magic pill. But I believe that it a tool that will put me in the rigth direction. Thanks for your time!

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!

HAD LAP BAND SURGERY 5 YEARS AGO. EVERTHING WENT GREAT UNTILL ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO. FOUND THAT I COULD EAT ALL I WANTED AND GAINED ALL MY WEIGHT BACK. THE DOCTOR FELT IT WAS MY PORT AND REPLACED IT IN JUNE OF 2010. STILL HAD WEIGHT GAIN. THE DOCTOR DID A DYE TEST AND FOUND IT WAS MY BAND LEAKING. I'M DUE FOR BAND REPLAACEMENT ON 1/11/2011. HAS ANYONE HAD THERE BAND REPLACED?

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 :-)

WHEN THE BASICS DON'T WORK ANY MORE WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO GET THE WEIGHT BACK DOWN? (Please don't post Going back to basics, TDEE method or the pouch reset . I have tried them all) NO...I'm not eating off plan and YES I exercise 2 hours five days a week like a beast. i have battle the same 15 pounds up and down for a year. Weight loss is painfully slow. ____________________________________________ I started carb cycling and its working well. I'm down 12 pounds as of this morning. My weight loss speed has picked up. So far what I am doing is finally working. But, I'm still waiting to see if I have the dreaded weight gain bounce back. What have you tried and what is actually working?

Suzanne. Where you are right now is completely normal. The weight gain is temporary and over the next few days that gain will go away and then some. Take the pain mess you were given and don't let the pain catch up with you. I'm one month out and just had my first fill which was painless I have no pain or tenderness and don't have port pain. It was the right choice and it will get better. Be well

We do have to understand this is a lifetime commitment and we are bound to get off track occasionally. Just have to curb the weight gain or no weight loss before it gets too big. Losing one or two pounds is a lot easier than losing 20,30, or 40. Just don't beat ourselves up over it. Learn from your mistakes. I know the holidays are coming, I won't give up that much. No pie or cake. But a spoonful of everything (small spoon) and white meat turkey and defat the gravy first. Can enjoy the meal and still not gain weight.

I have it too! It was found by my opthomalogist during a routine exam a few years back. Funny thing is, I had the migraines for a bit before the diagnosis, but no one was sure what caused them. When the optho discovered the PTC, a discussion about my weight ensued.....Because of the tendency for this condition to be exacerbated by weight gain, I've tried to keep the weight to a minimum. As I get older, it's becoming harder to do.....thus I am now going thru the final stages before getting a surgery date for the SLEEVE. Good luck to you! What part of the country are you in? Sent from my SM-G935P using the BariatricPal App

The fact is you can be lucky in pregnancy too. What is your basic body shape?. I'm tall, and with care during my pregnancies, I did not gain lots of weight, um, I think 20lb for my first, about 25lb for my second and 10lb for my third. Being tall and having nicely sizede 7 to 8lb babies, I didnt get big during pregnancy. I got no stretch marks from pregnancy. I have stomach muscles that are rock hard now, I never got any muscle separation and although I have a little bit of looshish skin courtesy of the weight loss, my stomach is flat as a board. I know someone who had a full tummy tuck prior to pregnancy and it still looks fine afterwards - like most women, she doesnt quite have the stomach she did before pregnancy, it stretched out a little, got a few stretchmarks etc but in no way was the work "undone". There is no reason to totally let yourself go in pregnancy, if you're little and you have a big baby, you cant do a lot about that, and you cant help the way you carry. But without the massive weight gain that really isnt necessary for you OR the baby, you dont have to do too much damage. If I were you and unsure whether it would happen, or when, then I would go for the stomach I want NOW. With your band and your new habits, you wont pile it on in pregnancy if you're careful.

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

Alcohol can be a large contributor to weight gain. It has a lot of carbs. I'd you approach it from that stand point a 750 ml bottle of wine with 5 oz serving size and about 4 carbs per serving would have 5 servings in the bottle. If you drink the whole thing you're basically drinking 4carbs×5 servings and that comes out to about 20 carbs. If you're also getting carbs in other ways it can all add up. Carbs will sneak up in you if you let them back in. A pound or 2 here and you can backslide without realizing it. You have been through so much and you can't let this defeat you! People can suck, a LOT, but at the end is the day, the person you're spending the rest of your life with is you. Love yourself and rise above, you will get through it. As others have said, counseling may be beneficial. If you're insured through your employer they may have covered services for this. Sent from my SM-G930T using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi ladies! Has anyone had any experiences with getting the depo shot post-surgery? My surgery was Nov. 23rd, 2018. I'm terrified of the weight gain aspect and I was thinking of switching to the patch instead. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thank-you. [emoji3] Sent from my SM-G960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi, 6 days post-op'er. Trying to get those 3 meals a day in. But, barely hitting 100 calories a day, and up to about 32 oz of water daily. Still bloated and achy from surgery. How many calories are too little? Adding protein powder where I can, but ingesting so little can't imagine I'm getting all I need. Scale barely moving. Only 5 pounds down from surgery - 9 lbs if I include the water weight gained from IV.

Has anyone gained while in their 90 days with a nutritionist and was still approved with Aetna insurance? Sent from my SM-G920R4 using the BariatricPal App

Ladonna, Are you still taking your pain meds? They might be the source of your hives. Or, if you are using milk to mix your Protein shakes, it might be giving you a bad reaction. I used milk in one of mine early post-op and spent the next couple of hours in the bathroom regretting my milk. I am definitely lactose intolerant, but that is usually temporary. Also, chicken broth has some protein, so you are getting a little tiny bit. Don't worry about the protein this early, just concentrate on sipping your Water. If you are hurting when you drink, you may be drinking too quickly or too large of a sip. Lots of people here report that it's easier to pour the liquid into a small medicine cup (like a nyquil cap) and then sip the liquid from that cup. It definitely makes you drink more slowly. You might also try "drinking" from a teaspoon and waiting a few minutes between each teaspoon full. Let the liquid trickle down your throat. I had lots of pain from drinking too quickly myself. I was over-filling my tummy and that hurts especially bad when you are newly post-op. Lastly, the weight gain you have experienced is probably from all the fluids that were pumped into you during and just after surgery. That will resolve itself in a few days. Good luck on your journey!!! And, welcome to the loser's bench!