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I don't know about the weight gain, I had my sleeve procedure done on 12/21/15 and been very successful with loss, so far. However today I had some cream of wheat and although the it was very runny with milk, I think it expanded in my stomach and that was a nice adventure. I think each time we are able to add food, our bodies react differently and maybe retain some water. If you have started to be more active your muscles may have taken on some water that will go away as soon as your glycogen stores have depleted as well. I hope you get it figured out. Keep us posted. I go in for my 1 week checkup on Wednesday as well.

@@Cognorati001, I was always a "normal" size. I didn't gain my weight until I had my daughter & was diagnosed with thyroid disease (which also contributed to my weight gain)-I was 30. I managed to lose weight again but it only last for a couple years. I spent almost 12 years overweight before I decided on the surgery. I thought since I spent half of my life with no weight issues, it would be easy to return back, especially since I'm married. I do struggle with it some days-especially when I get attention from men. I would encourage you to speak to a therapist. Life doesn't miraculously get better with weight loss. It can definitely help. I am over the moon excited & wouldn't change a thing but...... It is a new normal and you have to learn how to live in your new skin. Best wishes.

I am 2 yrs going on 3 in February post op. I lost a total of 60 lbs in the first year but re gained 45lbs that's a lot. In that time I went through a separation, relocated to a new state and fell back to my old eating habits  this is hard to admit but I need help again. I'm working on eating better however I need help, tips how do I start my weight loss again. BTW does anyone else feel hungry all the time?

I am 2 yrs going on 3 in February post op. I lost a total of 60 lbs in the first year but re gained 45lbs that's a lot. In that time I went through a separation, relocated to a new state and fell back to my old eating habits this is hard to admit but I need help again. I'm working on eating better however I need help, tips how do I start my weight loss again. BTW does anyone else feel hungry all the time?

Most of what happens will depend on insurance requirements. For me, at my first appt, I was weighed, we went over diet history, I talked to the NUT and had to give a rough accounting of my daily eating habits-don't worry, a crappy diet is a good thing because it shows that you need help. Then after that, we talked about weight loss goals and which surgeries would be a good choice. When I left, they pulled my insurance info and told me I would be doing the 90 day program(which scares the crap out of me because I had already wrapped myself up in the idea of a 6 month supervised diet). It was all pretty straight forward for me. 90 days, 4 NUT visits, 1 psych eval, no weight gain and we worked on little changes to make to my diet and exercise at each NUT visit, and then there was a class on life post surgery as far as eating and vitamins etc and that was it! I had my surgery 11/9 and so far so good!

They try to get in ur mind if I have any mental stuff going on u want to make sure to stay on the subject of weight loss wanting to be healthy etc....they will ask if u feel something bad in life caused ur overeating etc.... Just make sure how I answer if it looks as though I are suffering from depression etc... They may not clear u...... For example my weight gain started when I lost my brother at u yrs old to leukemia I admitted that to the psych but I also said that I've moved passed it I miss him but that was 22yrs ago and it's been a fight to take those lbs off and I need a tool to help me I want to be healthy and live life tothefullest..... I was cleared my cousin however was more like I want to feel good about my self I'm so depressed I think this will help....... Took her 2 yrs to get cleared from psych because She was so depressed Sorry.... Autocorrect sucks lolz

It's IV weight gain - don't fret. Most surgeons load you up with IV liquids after surgery to make sure you are hydrated, knowing that getting in liquids the first 48-72 hours after surgery can be difficult. Stick with the recommendations given you for Protein and Water and the weight will right itself. This is a long process and you will lose your weight at the rate your body dictates - no faster or slower. You will be OK!

I tried so hard to wait a week to get on the scale but I stepped on anyway today (3 days post op) and I've GAINED 2 pounds!!!! Help! Should I cut out the protein shakes I just started yesterday? And go back to just all clear liquids!!?

Thanks Dub, I appreciate it. I was injured at 9/11 and by two drunks in the line of duty. The last crash really almost killed me and made me permanently disabled, so it contributed to my weight gain. So everyday is a benchmark. Merry Christmas.

I recommend that you work with your nutricianist from your surgeons office. For the health of the child, losing weight during pregnancy is not desirable, because it deprives the little one from important nutrients and Vitamins. Generally weight gain at full term is O.K. if it is obtained from nutritious food such as foods with a high content of Protein and vitamins.

I am in the same place you are. I was banded in 2009 and put on almost all but 10 pounds. I did have a small slip 3 years ago and had a complete unfill. a few months later they did a fill. Now I have 1.2 in my band and they advised to not go higher. That was 3 years ago. That is when my weight gain started. I am now going to have the band removed and have the Gastric Sleeve 1/20. When in doubt, always get a 2nd opinion.

Stalls and weight gains are not the same thing. Stalls mean no movement, no weight loss. I don't think I know it all. Far from it. However, when someone makes a post about gaining weight it's only natural for someone to bring up the topic of possibly eating too many carbs. Because that does happen. It may not be apt for this situation and that's okay. But it's a perfectly reasonable response. I'm not sure why people interpreted my post so negatively. It definitely was never meant as such and I would never attack or dump on a fellow sleever or even a person thinking of getting the sleeve.

@@Proud2BMe No, there are scientific reasons for stalls and weight gain early out from these surgeries. And it's NOT because someone is eating too much or the wrong things, because it's physically impossible at that point. Further out when you can consume a little more? Of course! And no, I'm not the be all of bariatric advice. Not even close. Heck, i'm still a relative newbie. But experience and almost 2 years reading these forums and seeing HUNDREDS of posts about this very phenomenon of weight gain and stalling at the OP's time frame is enough evidence for me. It's okay. I remember thinking I knew it all at 6 months out, too. Just be careful giving advice when you clearly don't know what you're talking about.

You are trying to argue against opinions when the article itself is an opinion. You are not the be-all of Bariatric advice. As we are all (former) fat people we should all know the ability we have to deceive ourselves as to what we are consuming and the quantity thereof. I'm not laying into this poster at all nor am I throwing blame on her. I am just stating that if the problem is weight gain then too many carbs may be to blame. It may not be. So what? You are not an expert anymore than I am. Opinions are opinions and nobody here should be claiming there's is fact while someone's else is mere opinion. They are ALL opinions. So back up and take some time to think before going on the attack.

@@Proud2BMe It is wrong that you assume I am sitting around eating crap. The only carbs I have eaten in the last week have been a Tablespoon of banana apple puree and 1 melon ball of honeydew, besides the carbohydrates that are in veggie broth, spinach, tofu, and other veggies (which are very minimal). I have been religiously logging my food and measuring for every meal. Fruit based carbs are the only high carb food in my home (and raw seed crackers that I can't eat at this point). That is the reason I am worried about the weight gain. When I came on this forum expected for people to be helpful and uplifting, but reading your comments is disheartening and very negative. Side note: After consulting with my doctor he said the culprit is constipation and Water retention. **************************************** I never said you ate crap and I do not appreciate your implying such. I have not once been negative to you. It's only naturally to bring up the subject of ingesting too many carbs on posts where people are complaining of weight gain. FYI: Fruit based carbs are no different from other carbs. Just so you know. The sugar in some fruits can be on the same level as candy and fruit juices are worse, about the same as drinking a regular soda. I'm not saying you can't eat fruit or anything like that, just keep that in mind.

@@Proud2BMe It is wrong that you assume I am sitting around eating crap. The only carbs I have eaten in the last week have been a Tablespoon of banana apple puree and 1 melon ball of honeydew, besides the carbohydrates that are in veggie broth, spinach, tofu, and other veggies (which are very minimal). I have been religiously logging my food and measuring for every meal. Fruit based carbs are the only high carb food in my home (and raw seed crackers that I can't eat at this point). That is the reason I am worried about the weight gain. When I came on this forum expected for people to be helpful and uplifting, but reading your comments is disheartening and very negative. Side note: After consulting with my doctor he said the culprit is constipation and water retention.

@@Pinkgirl1234 - I agree with you but NOT all women are catty, but some of us are VERY catty - and especially when it comes to weight gain or weight loss. just sayin' @@ididit34 - NSVs like wearing smaller pants are THE best and I remind myself a lot that even though the scale isn't showing huge loses the pants/shirts are getting smaller

Hi everyone, I'd like to share a horrible experience I had this past weekend while attending a holiday get together with family. This is a pretty long post so I apologize in advance for any long winded-ness. I was banded back in July of this year. So far, I have had no complications and few, if any, side effects. I have had one fill and so far have lost 73 pounds. I have been very pleased with my experience and results and I do not want anyone to think that the following story is meant as a deterrent to those considering the lap-band, or gastric surgery in general. I am sharing this as a way to provide a perspective from a first hand experience with band abuse/misuse. A little background: I have struggled with binge eating disorder since childhood. A lot, if not the majority of people on this forum, can relate to this. I was diagnosed at a young age with major depressive disorder, and I believe that the eating disorders that have plagued me my whole life are a direct result. During a major episode I would purposefully and mindfully eat until experiencing severe abdominal pain. Looking back I can recognize this as an act of self harm. These episodes ultimately led to stomach stretching and weight gain. I struggled with weight my whole life, and after hitting my highest weight of 325 and my blood pressure reaching stroke level, I decided enough was enough. I took a long, hard look at how I was living my life and did extensive research on how I could turn things around. I knew my track record with weight loss (up and down, on and on), and after reading and talking to a few doctors, I decided bariatric surgery was for me. The rest is history. I have done very well sticking to the prescribed diet. I recognize real hunger cues, head hunger, and signals that I am full or satiated. I only keep good, nutritious food in the house and when I eat out I preplan my meals. I track my calories and macros and micros. My Water intake is on point. I work out hard 3x a week. I made the lifestyle change happen and have stayed on track. That is, until this weekend. My husband and I traveled to his parents' home for an early Christmas celebration as I have to work during the holiday weekend coming up. Extended family were in attendance, presents were exchanged, and of course, there was a plethora of food. All of it fabulously rich and fatty. Some absolutely swimming in cream or oil. Every single item smelling and tasting delicious. As the evening wore on my guard dropped more and more. A bite here, a nibble there, and before I knew it I was painfully full. By the end of the festivities I was miserable, my stomach feeling stretched taut like a balloon. Feeling guilty and sluggish, I retired to the sofa after helping with the clean up. Sitting bolt upright, I concentrated on relaxing and allowing the food to travel through the band and into the lower part of my stomach. After some time, I felt enough relief to shower and retire to bed with my husband. I chocked it up to poor planning and bad decision making and resolved to learn from the experience and get back on track in the morning. Around 2:00 AM I began experiencing the absolute worst abdominal pain I had felt in my entire life. I can only describe it as someone reaching inside of me and trying to squeeze and rip out my stomach while I was alive and conscious. All of it was located in my stomach. I was not experiencing intestinal cramps or discomfort. I did have some mild nausea but nothing that indicated to me right then that I may need to vomit. I chewed some Tums. After the powder hit my stomach I immediately felt the urge to vomit. The problem with vomiting with the band is, if the food has already moved past the stoma created by the band, then it is near impossible to actually produce any vomitous. Each time I wretched small amounts of mucus or saliva were produced, but little more. I tried drinking small sips of water, only to have it come right back up. The pain only became worse and worse. I became pretty scared at this point. My husband kept asking if I needed him to take me to the ER. I held off, thinking "if I can just wait it out, maybe it will go away." I also knew with the symptoms I was presenting any small town hospital would just pop me with some phenergan, maybe give me a GI cocktail, and send me home with a huge bill. My husband was concerned my band my have slipped, which was a major possibility at this point. My father-in-law heard me wretching and came out to check on me. The pain in my abdomen was so severe that I was unable to even sit down. He offered me a phenergan tablet and a lortab. I took both, hoping maybe I could hold them both down long enough to get some pain relief and to stop dry heaving. (I know, I know, never take anyone's medication but your own. But I had scripts for both of these things at home). Suddenly, after 5 more minutes of suffering, I felt it coming. I can only liken it to the pulling back of the shores of an ocean before the tsunami. You just knew something bad was coming. I knew right then sh*t was about to get REAL. I ran to the bathroom, and almost immediately everything came up. I finally, FINALLY vomited, but it was not the cathartic experience vomiting normally is. The narrow opening of the band creates a high pressure area, and it takes a ridiculous amount of force to get partially digested food from the lower part of the stomach back into the pouch and then up and out of the esophagus and mouth. I'm trying to NOT be completely disgusting, but it was very much like when you place a thumb over the end of a water hose. With the force of a thousand suns, out cam every rich, fatty, and greasy piece of food I had eaten earlier in the evening. The pain was magnified 10 fold for the duration and I felt like my head was going to explode. I have never in my life had my abdominal muscles work in such a fashion. But finally, mercifully, after everything came up, the pain and nausea were immediately gone. Afterwards I went to bed and slept like the dead. Being so thankful that I was no longer in such searing pain I didn't notice the aftereffects of my episode. I have petechiae covering my cheeks, nose, temples, and forehead. It is so severe it looks from a distance like a bad sunburn. I have included two photos of this. The hard lesson I learned from this is that I can never, EVER become comfortable or complacent now that I have been banded. Just one night of poor decisions can cause serious damage. I know that I am very lucky that I didn't have a band slip. I don't ever want to experience that kind of pain again. My stomach can no longer handle the kinds of foods I used to eat all the time. Be careful this holiday season, my friends. Do your best to stay on track while enjoying time with family this year. I discovered on my own that it is all too easy to fall into the over-eating trap again, and I paid for it.

In the soft foods phase, it is so easy to want to eat canned fruit, mashed potatoes, chicken noodle Soup with the noodles, Peanut Butter, pancakes, and chili with cheese, Beans, and sour cream. The calories and carbs can add up quickly. So long as you have a blender or food processor, you can take moist meats like chicken and roast beef and add some broth to make them even wetter. Your veggies need to be non-starchy, and fruit is a treat. I was allowed one serving of fruit a day. Watch out for processed foods because of the added sugar and salt. If you are doing your own food prep, learn to eat with minimal salt. I have found post-op that any time I have salt with my dinner, I will be up at least two pounds overnight. Some people can handle it; I cannot. It will take me a week to lose those two pounds. One other thing that causes me weight gain is medications. I had to go back on Lyrica in September and gained ten pounds in twelve days! That was enough for me, so I went back to the pain clinic to request different treatment. I gained twelve pounds during the two days I was in the hospital because of IV fluids. So, I had to lose that before even thinking about my post-op weight loss. One thing you will learn is how to listen to your body, and how to be a good detective. You will learn way more than you expect about health, anatomy, nutrition, and the psychology of person relationships. Just be mindful of following your program, and don't lose your momentum Hang in there.

Weight gain and stalls can happen, even this early out. Don't panic! Give your body time to adjust and adapt to all of the trauma it has been through. As for not feeling full, that is also common. The surgery can seriously damage your nerves and therefore mess up all the signals from your stomach to your brain. It is VERY VERY important to measure your food and eat on a schedule. DO NOT rely on signals from your body right now. Also, while it is good to be walking short distances frequently throughout the day, don't overdo it. You are still healing and recovering from major surgery. You shouldn't be worrying about calorie burn right now. You should be focusing on healing and getting all of your water and protein in.

I was sleeved 12/10 I ended up staying in the hospital 2 extra days because my heart rate was so unbelievably high. The first week I lost 10lbs and my doctor sped up my diet because I wasn't getting enough Calories. He told me to start soft foods over the weekend because I couldn't keep down purees. I have been religious about getting all my fluids (between 69-78 oz a day) and have been struggling to meet my protien goal. I have been walking and working out as much as I can stand but get EXTREMELY worn out very quickly. I have gained back 6 lbs of the 10 I lost the first week. I never get full or stuck/sick feeling. I feel like I am constantly hungry. It is really bumming me out and making me think the surgery didn't work. Is this weight gain normal? Is there something I am doing wrong or need to do better?

I am a psychiatric nurse practitioner and prescribe these meds to people daily. Although some people do gain weight on citalopram most do not. Escitalopram (Lexapro) is the newer "cleaner" version of citalopram (Celexa) and I see even fewer people gain weight on it. When they do research on these meds they have to document EVERY possible side effect. I believe that much of this is people that are very depressed lose weight and when they begin to take these meds they "gain" weight but really are just getting back to a normal weight. Brintellix is a good medication but is a newer one and much more expensive (and less well covered by insurances than citalopram). Also it work on serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, where citalopram works only on serotonin that is more implicated in anxiety (where the others are more implicated in depression and anxiety combined). The psych meds that are really bad for weight gain are the atypical anti-psychotics like Zyprexa, Seroquel, Risperidal, etc. These can be used for psychotic conditions and, more commonly, bipolar disorder. But not everyone gains weight on them. Anxiety meds that are worse for weight gain - paxil, remeron, sometimes prozac. In my opinion if you have uncontrolled anxiety you are more likely to "self -medicate" to feel better. That may be with food, alcohol, marijuana, other drugs (prescription or illicit), gambling, etc. Good luck!

I have taken gabapentin used to take 2400 mg before I switched to lyrica the weight gain was minimal it can be managed by decreasing your calories a bit its a very good drug. Although I would ask about lyrica because its been way better at managing my pain than gabapentin did

Yesterday while visiting my cousin we started going through our family photo album going back 40+ years. My weight gains was chronicled so well. From being a chubby baby/toddler to a skinny pre adolescent. Healthy fun active high school years. Hot young youth years. Somewhere in my mid twenties after marriage the weight just crept on rapidly. Pics from these years I see a smiling lips but there's sadness in the eyes. A pic not only speaks a thousand words but it also brings out some strong emotions. Those years have gone past now. A new healthier and sexier me is starting to emerge slowly but surely. Will use some of these to motivate me.

Hello, My surgery was 12/10. Everything was so easy with this procedure. I saw my surgeon yesterday for a post-op visit & he again reassured me I would be good to go on my cruise. My cruise is 6 weeks post-op. My plan is to bring my individual packets of my protein drinks onboard for added protein mixed in my water bottle. I think the packets are the best for this situation because I don't think I'll get through security with a container of open powder protein mix & I don't want to bring the huge jug it comes in. I plan to meet with one of the chefs immediately after boarding the ship & explaining my situation & asking for simple options like chicken & fish with mild to no seasonings at all, a small salad and a non starchy vegetable option nightly. They will work with us. Just think how nice it will be to come home from a cruise & not have the usual weight gain of one pound per day. ????