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When you look in the mirror, what do you see and how do you feel about yourself (before and after surgery)? Last night I got a bit of a wake up call. I was at a party where there were lots of picture being taken. I saw some photos of myself, and was like "holy crap, is that really me??" Was not feeling too happy because I look really large in pictures, yet I never felt like I had gained so much weight back, and didn't see myself as being so overweight. Reality check, bigtime. I'm way larger than what I perceived. In the mirror, In my eyes I still saw that person that I was 10 years ago, but on paper (and on screen) the fact is that I am so NOT that person I was 10 years ago... and not perceiving the true reflection of the person I am in reality helped lend itself to the big weight gain (again) I now think. "But I don't FEEL that large, so I can't possibly look so fat in pictures..." Contrarily, I have a friend who had a full bypass a few years ago. She's dropped almost 200 pounds, yet she tells me she still "feels fat". She is far from that and looks good. I know I'm overweight, but don't feel it sometimes. Well what I mean is that I do feel it physically (because I'm uncomfortable) but I don't feel that people see me that way or that I look that way, it's very strange. I suppose I need to keep looking at pictures of myself to reinforce my reality and the fact that I really need this surgery to happen. And when it does, I don't want to fail at it.

You'll be fine they talk more about understanding how this is going to change your life and if your able to make that commitment they did ask what did I think lead to all the weight gain and a little weight history just be honest and you can do it

yep - I begged my gyno to take me off it when she couldn't guarantee that my weight gain would stop - after I gained 40 lbs!

I started a non estrogen bcp on January 28th and had a polyp removed this morning due to nonstop bleeding for months. I got on the scale and only lost 1 pound since Jan 12th. I was shocked! Granted I did a reset mid to late January and lost 5 pounds in about 6 days (a lot of water I'm sure) but, I've been faithfully tracking and exercising since (had a 4 day trip to Florida but didn't eat much and walked a lot) and was sure I had lost another 7 or 9 pounds. Nope! Now I'm really questioning if it had anything to do with the bcp. I'm only 7 months post surgery and starting to worry about reaching goal at this weight. I figure I'll call surgeon's office in a week if the scale doesn't budge. One thing I know from my past experience with bcp is every body and type of pill is so unique in how it effects a woman. I too fear the IUD weight gain because I'm so prone to weight gain as it is. Not sure if that helps at all. I feel it was part my venting, as well.

Hi Chad, You were right to say that everyone is different. as is weight loss for everyone, We all lose weight at different paces. Expect on the average with the band to lose anywhere between 1-2 pounds a week. Also, on a note immediately after surgery some have experienced a small weight gain due to Fluid retention. Are you banded or plan to be??

I can certainly relate as I've discovered I'm an emotional eater. In the past 9 years that I've been divorced I've managed to rack up a good 50-60lbs. I know for a fact that my weight gain was due to being under a lot of stress. Even now, I'm going through a break up....he should be moved out in about 6 wks. Needless to say it's been a difficult past 8 months or so. And I truly believe I haven't been as successful with my LB because of it. HOWEVER, I choose to not let those things affect me any more. I really am ready to do this for me regardless of what's going on with my love life. As I've stated in my profile message...I may not be able to control that but I can control what I put into my mouth! Anyhoos, please people don't give up on the LB. It's always important to remember that it's a "tool" and not the cure. We could easily choose to eat around the band but why?! This is your time to shine now!! SO GO FOR IT!!

If you've ever seen any of my posts, you'd know that you and I have a lot in common. I, too, have hypothyroidism. I haven't lost weight fast. I've worked at every pound. I had surgery in December and have lost only about 50 pounds now. It hasn't been easy. I'm only down to a loose 18/tight 16 now. I don't aspire to be a 6. I won't be. I was a powerlifter and athlete in college. I wasn't small then, and I don't expect to be in a year. I walk and run over 3.5 to 4 miles a day in addition to working out in a gym 5-6 days a week. That wasn't my point in my response. My concern is that your "failure" headline and posting are very telling. Many of US will never lose weight until we accept responsibility for the foods we eat and the lifestyles we lead. I was more concerned that "failure" describes not the band, but your experience with the band. The band didn't fail, it malfunctioned. You failed at losing weight. People use this website for support. I recognize that people should have a full picture of the possible issues with the band, but I also think it's time we all start accepting responsibility in our part in being fat, plain and simple. Until we accept what WE control in this fight, we'll never win. Your weight gain--according to you--wasn't your fault. I disagree. Many people with your health issues lose weight and live healthy lives, even without the Lap-Band. You need to find a way that enables you to lose weight, through diet and exercise. Clearly the banding wasn't your way....:biggrin:

It spread to my neck. They started me on a steroid pack today - I don't feel like I am banded at all - I am starving - and eating like crazy. I feel very little restriction. I am super swollen - I hope that is what the weight gain is. I had gained 7 lbs when I went to the dr. today. I am trying to eat healthy. Okay - so the brownies weren't healthy - but they were low fat The steroids make me feel like I am running out of my skin. I feel like a humming bird. A huge freaking spotted humming bird. :-) The steroids are helping. I take 6 doses today. Everytime I take a dose - the bumps go away for a couple of hours. Hopefully it will get rid of them totally soon. Funny - at the Dr.s office - little kids were pointing and talking about me - and I knew it wasn't because I was fat! I guess you had to be there - in the elevator - I got in and everyone moved to the other side :-) too funny. I almost wish I was contagious!

Work travel was (and is) really difficult because you’re eating out 3 meals a day and there’s always the damned hotel all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet, plus I used to take it as a personal challenge to use my entire meal allowance. On previous and long business trips, I used to avoid major weight gain by going to the hotel gym every morning and getting a parking space that involved a long walk to the office. Fortunately all of my business travel is to my employer’s field offices, and they all sell high-protein, low-carb snacks such as cheese and pepperoni or hard-boiled eggs.

I'm on the 10 day liquid diet I will have my surgery on Feb 2 I weighed myself today and I've gained 6 pounds I'm diabetic and on my last 3 days of the 3 shakes and lean cuisine for dinner I'm worried and confused about the weight gain any feedback would be so helpful

Today I had my weekly weigh-in and I have gained 0.2 lbs. This has been my first gain since surgery in Jan. I have lost 81 lbs and I should not be so upset about this. 81 lbs is huge! So, why does this hurt so bad. A lot of questions are running through my head. What did I do wrong? Have I hit my limit; never loose again? I know it seems silly, but I could really use some encouragement right about now.Weight Gain Panic Today I had my weekly weigh-in and I have gained 0.2 lbs. This has been my first gain since surgery in Jan. I have lost 81 lbs and I should not be so upset about this. 81 lbs is huge! So, why does this hurt so bad. A lot of questions are running through my head. What did I do wrong? Have I hit my limit; never loose again? I know it seems silly, but I could really use some encouragement right about now.

I was type 2 diabetes and was on the full dose of metformin, as my weight decreased so did my need for metformin, however there is research , not sure where from but if u stop metformin too early it can lead to some weight gain, metformin does support your liver functions and help with some weight loss so dont be too hasty to stop it completely unless your sugar levels deem it. My suagr is normalised now completely but iam still taking 1 metformin of a night and in a few months i shall stop that one too, i could have stopped over a year ago but chose not to and have been happy with my weight loss and my doctors support. U can overload on protein as a diabetic and i would stick to whatever it is recommended u have it is normally around 45 to 60 grm per day spread over the day. Your body has difficulty metabolising more than around 25 to 30 grms of protein per session and the best time to get your protein working for you is after at least 45 mins work out within an hour. Too much protein will metaboilise into glucogen and then get stored as fat. I still eat low carb/low sugar /low fat even tho i am on maintenance now and feel fine. Always discuss with your doctor reducing medication and the amount of nutrients they say you should have .. good luck to u all to get rid of nasty diabetes but i hope u are all on your way to kicking out your lives forever

This is my week 7 post op. I read a lot of messages on this forum and posted a lot of questions before my surgery. So I thought I had done my research and this was the right thing for me. Boy was I wrong. If you are considering vertical sleeve surgery (or any bariatic surgery), and are not more then 100lbs over weight, please read this message. I have been a healthy person all my life (40 yrs old). The worst sickness I ever got in my whole life was the flu once in a while. I have had a history of weight gain and loss all my life. At the time I decided to go through the vertical sleeve surgery, I was 80lbs over weight, and my knees hurt when climbing stairs due to my high weight. I would have also developed diabetes if I had not lost weight. I also felt that I didn't have enough energy [i wanted to play with my kids]. I had to wait 6 months before surgery (insurance requirement). My nutrition counseling visits were a joke. I gained another 20 lbs thinking o, I am going to loose all this weight after the surgery so let me eat up for the last time. My surgeon told me that I will be out of work for 2 weeks post surgery (which I naively assumed to mean it will take me 2 weeks to get better). After the surgery, every second of my life has been hell. Now, I am constantly sick. I have non stop nausea. I have bile comming up from my stomach and living happily ever after in my mouth all day every day. My taste buds have changed so that smells from any food make me gag. I am not able to eat or drink ANYTHING to save my life or give myself energy for any length of time. Most days, I don't even have the energy to speak much less walk. I am constantly dehydrated and lethargic. I look and feel like a zombie. [Remember I wanted to play with my kids :-( ]. My back hurts so bad that I have to wake up in the middle of night and support myself with my arms instead of my back. All my follow up visits with the surgeon have been same. O' you are healing well, the incisions look good. You just need to eat more Protein and drink more Water. I recently made a list of all that I used to do with my extra weight and low energy and I am not able to do A SINGLE thing from that list anymore due to this surgery and its consequences on my body!!!! If I had used the 6 months prior and 2 months post surgery to honestly trying to loose weight, instead of opting for the surgery, I would have lost enough weight to put me in a healthier body. I didn't have to screw up my body to the point that WHATEVER IS DONE CAN'T BE UNDONE!!! I don't know if I will feel better in 3 months or 6 months or never. Imagine the guilt I feel for turning myself from a healthy person to a sick lethargic one. If you want to loose weight so you have energy to do things, THIS SURGERY IS NOT THE ANSWER. There is more. The surgeons de-emphasize or blatantly don't tell the long term consiquences. You know how they tell you that you will have to eat extra Vitamins after the surgery. The exact truth is...The part of your stomach that processes some vitamins (B for example) is mostly cut out. Your body is no longer able to process it doesn't matter how much extra vitamins you take. You will have to be monitored for Vitamin deficiencies for the rest of your life. Eventually, you will have to get Iron infusions or Vitamin B shots once you develop these deficiencies. I wish I had gotten banded instead. Atleast, I had a way to undo the damage I have done to my body and my health. If my email doesn't convince you, Please go see a gastro doctor or some other kind of specialist (other then your surgeon), who see patients who have gotten bariatric surgeries done. Ask them about long term complications. Since my surgery I have talked to two gastro specialists and both of them told me about the deficiencies and how they see patients like these all the time. And now I have to go through a ton of more procedures to make sure there is nothing wrong with my surgery. I am wasting so much time and money, this surgery has consumed my life. My goal was to be healthy, not to be screwed for the rest of my life. And I feel the later is what actually happened. Please do more research then read about the happy customers on this support group.

My, my, my... where do I even begin? Let's see. My life has drastically changed. I'm a different person, inside and out. And oh yeah, I found someone who loves me and my child and wants to marry me. Yup. Life is good. Wait... no.... life is GREATTTTTT! Bottom line, my life didn't begin until I had VSG. Plain and simple. No diet, no magical pill, no trainer workout session would ever get me to the point where I am today. I'm now smaller and weigh less than I did when I was in high school. I had a lifetime membership to the fat kids club, and now I'm on the outside looking in. If I could afford to pay for all my overweight friends and family to get this surgery, I would do it in a heart beat. This has been a high photographic month for me. My boyfriend and I are NOT engaged... yet. However it's on the horizon and we had formal pictures done with my son, and then last week I went on Vacation and he and I went to Las Vegas for 4 days with friends, followed by a week with my family in Colorado. It was amazing. And I lost weight on vacation.... my sleeve is a miracle worker! While the pounds aren't coming off as drastically as they use to, they are coming off. I'm still eating a pretty clean diet, and I work out 3 to 4 days a week for a couple of hours at the gym that has onsite daycare for my son. My schedule is a hectic mess, but once again- if I can do this- ANYONE can do this. There is no magical one thing I did. I did it all. I worked out as much as I could, forced my water consumption, and ate clean. The sleeve did the rest, and the proof is in the pics. Interesting side story: While on vacation I visited with my aunt, who has been my stand in mother my entire life, has been battling with a number of major issues that have made her gain 90 lbs over the past 7 years or so. Always a pillar of health, when menopause set in, followed by a major back surgery, she couldn’t stop the weight gain. Last month she found out she has major artery blockage, horrible cholesterol, and high blood pressure. They put her on a super intense strict diet. I sat her down, and told her EVERYTHING. She knew I had VSG, but I told her the good the bad and the ugly. I even told her I went to Mexico for the surgery (she was VERY upset, and I figured this might be her response…). Then she said something interesting- she told me I was a walking billboard for VSG. We went to lunch and dinner several times together, and she was watching my eating and drinking habits, and started asking me how I was a 2 bite wonder? How I could eat a little bit of everything but not binge? And asked me about how my hunger has lessened, if not almost totally disappeared.She has never seen me so healthy and happy. She said my weight really messed with my head and my life decisions, and she sees how drastically I’ve changed over the past year, and she was so proud. And also found out VSG is covered by here insurance! She has already made the doctors’ appointments to look into it. I’m so blessed and thankful; she looks at me as a success story. She said she would NEVER have considered it if I hadn’t done it. While I wish I could get all of my overweight friends to invest into the VSG surgery, it’s absolutely humbling that someone so close and important to me would consider this surgery. I truly hope she follows through with it, and I hope I’m there when she has surgery. Height: 5'9 Highest (Surgery) Weight: 216 lbs Current Weight: 147.1 lbs Weight Loss to Date: -68.9 lbs 1st Primary Goal Weight: 169 (Achieved 11/27) 2nd Optimal Goal Weight set by Doc: 145 3rd Final Personal Goal Weight: 135 Sleeve Journey: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 8/17/12- PreOp/Surgery Day w/Pics Posted in Blog Week 1 (8/24): 204.8 (-11.2) Week 2 (8/31): 200.6 (-4.2) Week 3 (9/7): 196.8 (-3.8) Week 4 (9/14): 193.5 (-3.3) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 9/17/12- 1 Month Anniversary w/Pics Posted in Blog (-22.5 lbs) Week 5 (9/21): 191.6 (-1.9) Week 6 (9/28): 190.1 (-1.5) Week 7 (10/5): 187.0 (-3.1) Week 8 (10/12): 181.9 (-5.1) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 10/17/12- 2 Month Anniversary w/Pics Posted in Blog (-11.6 lbs) Week 9 (10/19): 181.4 (-.5) Week 10 (10/26): 177.9 (-3.5) Week 11 (11/02): 176.8 (-1.1) Week 12 (11/09): 174.7 (-2.1) Week 13 (11/16): 173.3 (-1.4) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 11/17/12- 3 Month Anniversary w/Pics Posted in Blog (-8.6 lbs) Week 14 (11/23): 173.1 (-.2) Week 15 (11/30): 167.3 (-5.8) Week 16 (12/7): 168.1 (+.8) Week 17 (12/14): 164.6 (-3.5) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 12/17/12- 4 Month Anniversary (-8.7 lbs) Week 18 (12/21): Holiday Break/Vacation- No Scale Available Week 19 (12/28): Holiday Break/Vacation- No Scale Available Week 20 (1/4/13): 164.5 (-.1) Week 21 (1/11): 161.5 (-3.0) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 01/17/13- 5 Month Anniversary (-3.1 lbs) Week 22 (1/18): 161.7 (+.2) Week 23 (1/25): 158.7 (-3.0) Week 24 (2/1): Out of town- No scale Available Week 25 (2/8): 157.2 (-1.5) Week 26 (2/15): 157.2 ( .0) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 02/17/13- 6 Month Anniversary 157.2 (-3.3 lbs) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 03/17/13- 7 Month Anniversary 153.9 (-3.3 lbs) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 04/17/13- 8 Month Anniversary 150.8 (-3.1 lbs) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> 05/17/13- 9 Month Anniversary 147.1 (3.7 lbs)

Study Shows Why It’s Hard to Keep Weight Off By GINA KOLATA Published: October 26, 2011 RECOMMEND TWITTER LINKEDIN SIGN IN TO E-MAIL PRINT REPRINTS SHARE For years, studies of obesity have found that soon after fat people lost weight, their metabolism slowed and they experienced hormonal changes that increased their appetites. Scientists hypothesized that these biological changes could explain why most obese dieters quickly gained back much of what they had so painfully lost. GETTY IMAGES But now a group of Australian researchers have taken those investigations a step further to see if the changes persist over a longer time frame. They recruited healthy people who were either overweight or obese and put them on a highly restricted diet that led them to lose at least 10 percent of their body weight. They then kept them on a diet to maintain that weight loss. A year later, the researchers found that the participants’ metabolism and hormone levels had not returned to the levels before the study started. The study, being published Thursday in The New England Journal of Medicine, is small and far from perfect, but confirms their convictions about why it is so hard to lose weight and keep it off, say obesity researchers who were not involved the study. They cautioned that the study had only 50 subjects, and 16 of them quit or did not lose the required 10 percent of body weight. And while the hormones studied have a logical connection with weight gain, the researchers did not show that the hormones were causing the subjects to gain back their weight. Nonetheless, said Dr. Rudolph Leibel, an obesity researcher at Columbia, while it is no surprise that hormone levels changed shortly after the participants lost weight, “what is impressive is that these changes don’t go away.” Dr. Stephen Bloom, an obesity researcher at Hammersmith Hospital in London, said the study needed to be repeated under more rigorous conditions, but added, “It is showing something I believe in deeply — it is very hard to lose weight.” And the reason, he said, is that “your hormones work against you.” In the study, Joseph Proietto and his colleagues at the University of Melbourne recruited people who weighed an average of 209 pounds. At the start of the study, his team measured the participants’ hormone levels and assessed their hunger and appetites after they ate a boiled egg, toast, margarine, orange juice and crackers for breakfast. The dieters then spent 10 weeks on a very low calorie regimen of 500 to 550 calories a day intended to makes them lose 10 percent of their body weight. In fact, their weight loss averaged 14 percent, or 29 pounds. As expected, their hormone levels changed in a way that increased their appetites, and indeed they were hungrier than when they started the study. They were then given diets intended to maintain their weight loss. A year after the subjects had lost the weight, the researchers repeated their measurements. The subjects were gaining the weight back despite the maintenance diet — on average, gaining back half of what they had lost — and the hormone levels offered a possible explanation. One hormone, leptin, which tells the brain how much body fat is present, fell by two-thirds immediately after the subjects lost weight. When leptin falls, appetite increases and metabolism slows. A year after the weight loss diet, leptin levels were still one-third lower than they were at the start of the study, and leptin levels increased as subjects regained their weight. Other hormones that stimulate hunger, in particular ghrelin, whose levels increased, and peptide YY, whose levels decreased, were also changed a year later in a way that made the subjects’ appetites stronger than at the start of the study. The results show, once again, Dr. Leibel said, that losing weight “is not a neutral event,” and that it is no accident that more than 90 percent of people who lose a lot of weight gain it back. “You are putting your body into a circumstance it will resist,” he said. “You are, in a sense, more metabolically normal when you are at a higher body weight.” A solution might be to restore hormones to normal levels by giving drugs after dieters lose weight. But it is also possible, said Dr. Jules Hirsch of Rockefeller University, that researchers just do not know enough about obesity to prescribe solutions. One thing is clear, he said: “A vast effort to persuade the public to change its habits just hasn’t prevented or cured obesity.” “We need more knowledge,” Dr. Hirsch said. “Condemning the public for their uncontrollable hedonism and the food industry for its inequities just doesn’t seem to be turning the tide.”

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism a few weeks prior to surgery and I am freaking out that the sleeve won't work. I'm almost 4 weeks post-op and down about 30 pounds. I've never had any symptoms from the hypothyroidism expect the weight gain. I'm on a medication but IDK just hope this works.

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

I am 8 mos out of surgery and concerned about weight gain in years to come . I think about it often. I'm just 10- 15 lbs shy of my personal goal weight. Even now being so early out of surgery I'm finding that I have to excersise 3-4 times a week to keep it off as I have plateaued. I've recently just realized the easy part was losing it. The hard part will be keeping it off. Any suggestions that u may have I will graciously take. I'm very interested in hearing from the oldies like yourself. I want to know what to expect so I can be prepared as I can be in keeping this weight off.

My insurance (AHCCCS - Mercy Care) requires BMI of 35+ with 1 comorbidity. My BMI is over 36, but I am unsure if I have any comorbidities. My PCP just had me do a ton of blood work yesterday (liver, kidneys, diabeties checks, WBC check, etc etc etc). This surgeons office has a list of comorbidities.. Which, according to that particular list I have about 3 or 4 of them (anxiety, depression, back pain, migranes, headaches etc). Has anyone been approved with issues other than the typical sleep apnea, diabeties, high blood pressure, etc??? (regardless of ins co) I have read a lot about the NO weight gain thing. I have been seeing a nutritionist, eating right, exercising regularly, etc.. but my GYNO put me on the Depo shot for my endometriosis pain. The Depo has made me gain 10lbs (prior to my first weigh in).. If the weight gain continues can I tell the ins co the depo caused weight gain, not my poor eating habits? I am confident I can manage my weight (and lose some here and there even) but with the depo theres no telling how much I will gain anyway. Anyone had this issue? What to do?

Ok so this is a WAY fun topic. Secretly hoping to get down to 135 pounds. I could care less what my ex thinks about how I look. With the exception of my weight gain, my life has FAR surpased his pathetic existance, I am happily married, have a nice car, home, and a good job. Here goes my secret fantasy....my husband has a friend, well she has become a friend of mine as well, but lets just say she is fabulous! Gorgeous, rich family, so whitty and charming, ....and Australian to boot . Even her name is cool. I imagine meetign up with her and not feeling so out of place!!!! I want to fit in with her! LOL

So sorry to hear that. Also, don't worry about the weight gain. That is normal from all the fluids they pumped in you and trauma from surgery.

Barring any medical reasons eg thyroid issues, compromised metabolism for other reasons or medication that causes weight gain, we gain weight when we eat calories over what our bodies use for energy. We can only speculate and a couple of things to be considered are eating a lot more calories than realising eg very calorie dense food; or secret eating.

I have had problems with my band tightening on its own. Last year I had some fluid taken out and then promptly gained 10 pounds. Eventually, I had just a little less than my max amount added back in and I was just fine for months. Now, I never know if I am going to have a good day or bad day but I have been toughing it out because I am afraid of another weight gain if I get any saline taken out. I have never even concidered that it could be hormone related! I asked my doctor who said he has had some experience with the band tightening on its own but he said they cannot explain exactly why. He is very knowledgable in this field. What makes yall think it is hormone related? I am very curious!

I am going on a year post-op and STILL drink 3 or 4 a week. I see no harm and I'm still losing weight, ~170 pounds down now. I see no harm. I've read that some consider it a factor in weight gain but I've never seen any real explanation as to why exactly it does. I've heard of it sparking desire for sweets but it hasn't in me. I will continue to enjoy an occasional can a few days a week till I see something definitive saying it's doing me harm.

I'm very sorry you're struggling. If your surgeon isn't sufficient then it's time you take charge and find one who is. Studies have shown that aftercare and patient compliance is crucial for weight loss success- and so far it sounds like you have neither. You talk about not going for more fills- but it sounds like a fill is the last thing you need. You're clearly too tight and are having "soft calorie syndrome" because of it. Being too tight is not only dangerous but often leads to weight gain because you can only eat slider foods and liquids- which are notoriously high calorie. Not to mention because you can't eat healthy foods, you're probably seriously lacking necessary Vitamins to be healthy. Btw- vomiting is also extremely dangerous with the band and by doing so regularly you're begging for a slip. You need an unfill so you can actually eat healthy and not jeopardize your band. Here's a really good article about why being tighter isn't better and the dangers that come with it: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/page/index.html/_/support/post-op-support/tighter-isnt-always-better-r118 Make an appointment with a new surgeon if that's what is necessary, but one way or another it's crucial for your health you get in to see one ASAP. Best wishes.