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I've been reading a lot of the posts and absorbing as much information as I can. From what I can see (and please let me know if I'm wrong) weight lost pre op and after surgery is staying off. 1-2 pounds per weeks sounds like so little but the fact it isn't coming back is a big one. Weight does flucuate(sp) during teh course of a day or week. My weight history is (and from what I can see this is normal for everyone who has chosen LB) Loosing 10-20 even 30 lbs happens but then it comes back with it friends and relatives. Has there been anyone who has experienced weight gain (what is lost coming back with a vengence) since they have been banded? (of course I don't mean anyone who has gotten preganant since banding - new baby growing weight doesn't count) I'm hoping to be banded in January. I've already gotten my insurance approval and see the surgeon on the 11/24.

I've lost 40 pounds too many times to count, I've lost over 100 pounds twice in my 36 years, and gained every pound back plus some every time. I obviously can't lose 100 pounds a few more times as I get older. Also, the 100+ weight gain this time bought me a diagnosis of both hypertension and diabetes. The time to "do it myself" has come and gone. I need this surgery just like the person that can't lose 2 pounds.

I too, have struggled with my band. I have wanted it taken out of me. I have spent a lot of time crying. I had my band put in 2 years ago. I initially lost approx 55 pounds. I then started with the "get a fill" to being too tight, to "getting unfills".... then I just had all the fluid taken out and gained back all of my weight. I "learned" what would go down my band and satisfy my "cravings" at the same time, but it led to my weight gain and further depression. I also dealt with a doctor.......who....is not an encourager! In fact, he was pretty mean! 8 months later, and my health deteriorating, I decided to "GIVE THIS BAND THING ANOHER TRY!"... I changed to a new doctor...and had a fill. I ate salads and then all of a sudden my band was too tight! JUST LIKE ALL OF THE OTHER TIMES! I couldn't get liquids down for over 2 days. I had 3 choices, go to my doctor, the ER or stay home and die. I went to the doctor. She took a little fluid out of my band. She assessed what I had been eating and we came to the conclusion that it was the salad. She said that salad will irritate the band. I felt like a light bulb went off! I started looking back at all of the times this happened... and yes.....I was eating salads and then would start having this problem! I really think it was the salads! I am now restricted and seem to be at a pretty good place right now and am praying for the best. So far, so good! I am able to get fluids down and am relearning how to eat. I am spent so much money, time and energy on this band, that I am determined that I am going to let it help me become healthier! Good luck to you too!

Just a bit off topic, but as a newly banded - still sipping fluids all day long- member of this forum, I have a question. Those of you who are eating too much because you haven't had your first fill yet, do you mean you are actually able to eat like you did before the band? I'm just curious because just the idea of chewing something and swallowing it and not feeling like someone put a golfball in my chest sounds so great right now.... I'm all for the GOALS idea too! I just don't know yet what's realistic since I'm still dragging around my hospital weight gain! What's UP with that anyway ?? Good morning .. and TGIF! Judy

Weight gain

Your age has a lot to do with whether you loose some elasticity in your skin making the loose skin not to go away. It also has a lot to do with how obese you got b4 you got your weight loss operation. Usually the hair loss is minimal & whether hair loss runs in your family, especially if women in your family hair thins with age. The skin on your face is always thinner when you loose weight quickly but most of it goes back to whatever is normal for your face shape. Look at photos of yourself b4 you started gaining weight as a child if need be. When skin is stretched out from becoming obese or even pregnancies, everyone is different from their body shapes & skin's elasticity. Some lucky few women never get stretch makes during pregnancy. The more stretch marks that occurred during your weight gain the less likely your skin will snap back firm to when you were a child or teen. The healthier way you feel loosing weight is the biggest plus ever than staying extremely obese! I've gotten off high blood pressure meds for the 1st time in my adult life & I'm 65. I started getting extremely obese in my mid20s. So I can honestly say I am really enjoying my 60s more than my late 20s, 30s, 40s & 50s because I can walk without getting short of breath & I can actually buy stylish clothes finally. There are side effects to being obese & side effects to surgery. Exercise once your able to! But if the loose skin is your main hate of loosing your weight then you need to save money to get it removed or wear shape garments so you feel better looking in your smaller clothes. For Pete's sake even thin movie stars wear spanks under their red carpet outfits BC they try to elude perfection. We're all our own worst enemies no matter how rich & famous you are. Lol Be so proud of yourself what you did to help yourself & never give up BC the best is yet to come. Smiles goes miles & a huge healer for your outlook on life! Big hugs to you all with a smile included! Sent from my VK700 using the BariatricPal App

Allright I know my Doc told me that it might happen but why I havent changed anything as far eating goes and I have been loosing really well. I droped 40lbs since june 3rd only to wake up today and notice 2 pounds back??? I havent eatin any thing more than before? So why, I know its not alot and Ill loose it again but why? hmmmm :thumbup:

Hi Folks, I have been reading the forums and learning that many people rapidly gain weight between the period of time that the band is removed and having VS surgery. It will be four months between my procedures and I asked my general practitioner to prescribe me phentermine to help control my weight gain because my appetite returned with a vengance. I am wondering why this is not a general practice with revision patients to help them maintain their weight loss until the sleeve surgery. If anyone knows, I would appreciate being enlightened. Thank you.

My wife is on anxiety meds and they make her put on weight like mad. Ask your prescribing doc if that's a side effect of yours and see if there is another variety you can take? I know they're very hard to get off of and change. And it sounds like you need them. If you must be on them, you'll have to work them into your lifestyle. Research how they work chemically and see if you can't make some nutritional changes to minimize their weight gaining side effects. And try to get off them when the time is right. You've been through a lot, but you can do this. Tell the people closest to you how much you need them. People react poorly to friends and family with depression. They just don't know what to do. Tell them what you need and forgive their dumb reactions.

sizewise, I actually have this as well and I've had surgery 2 times in the past 10 yrs to have cysts removed so, I completely understand where you are coming from. Even with the banding that I had done, I only managed to lose 65lbs until recently when I couldn't hold anything down and then I lost another 25lbs in less than 3 weeks. I had the band in for 5 yrs and was just removed on 06/14/07 due to complications. With PCOS, it seems to make it more difficult to lose weight than the doctors imagine I believe. My lap band doctor was constantly on me about losing more weight. I was sticking to the program that his office suggested and exercised my butt off but to no avail would the pounds come off. I also believe that until you can really get a handle on the PCOS it makes it more difficult to lose weight. Now, so far my OB/GYN only gives me the options of birth control to slow the cyst growth or to get pregnant. Apparently this is to reverse the hormones the way they are naturally supposed to be and stop PCOS. Now, I currently don't do either one of these therapies that are recommended for PCOS. I actually read in the New England Medical Journal years ago that the help of glucophage has had tremendous success with the battle of PCOS. I am trying to find a doctor that will listen about trying this out as PCOS is actually insuline resistant and this is the cause of the weight gain from what I've read thus far and with my medical background. Glucophage is actually used to treat Type II diabetes in most people but, OBGYN's are starting to come around to the new therapy that is a possible solution to getting the body back on track. Right now, those are the only 3 treatments that I know of. I'm sure there are herbs and such to use as well, but consult a doctor before trying those out because sometimes they tend to make the problem worse before getting better. You know? :guess Sincerely, Txbbwstrwbry

My thoughts from being a speed eater. Thinking back I was disconnected to the feeling of full. When I ate fast, I didn't have the sensation of full until it was too late. Once the sensation came I was overly stuffed. I think I justified the behavior. I told myself life was too busy and didn't pay attention or care about nutrition. I would eat on the run to get back to business. It contributed to my weight gain. After reading this definition in the article: Metabolic syndrome occurs when someone has any of three risk factors that include abdominal obesity, high fasting blood sugar, high blood pressure, high triglycerides and/or low HDL cholesterol, said Japanese researchers. How could I not have metabolic syndrome from my weight. My health was the worst it had ever been, After surgery. I'm thankful feel the sensation of full. I appreciated mindful eating classes. But it's still a work in progress to slow down.

When I was in my early 20's, I gained 100 lbs over 4 years and went to doctors for years to determine the cause, as I did not consume enough food to cause such drastic weight gain. After years of searching for the cause, along with a 48 day cycle, I had an internal sonogram and was diagnosed with PCOS. Side effects being weight gain and difficulty losing weight (insulin resistance), as well as infertility - which never really mattered to me. Last month I saw the Nutritionist at the Bariatric Center of Excellence, and I asked her why I am not losing weight at 1600 calories a day (myfitnesspal says I should be losing a pound a week), and she said it is because I have PCOS. I asked her if I will lose weight with VSG. She said WLS was the only way to lose weight... but not with the lap band. I felt very validated, after years of trying every program under the sun and feeling like a failure.

Thanks for your reply, feedyoureye. My husband had prostate issues recently, so he started into natural methods of getting that under control which worked for him, so he is big on that approach. However her also had skin cancer and when green tea and all the other things he took didn't work, he did have it surgically removed. There are too many people out there that desperately want to be thin and who diet constantly and are still overweight. It is our bodies working against us, so I want to circumvent my bodies natural weight gain plan with surgery!

So day 6 I was rather happy with the results on the scales down 5kg or 10.5lbs, and by day 8 down 7 kg (15lbs). However since day 8 I have been constantly hungry, and the more I drink the hungrier i get. As I am only on fluids it does not help. Day 10 and weight gain about 1kg (0.5lbs). How can this be with my intake being less than 800 cal a day. How can i get rid of this hunger while only on fluids. Its really discouraging as cals down but weight not doing anything I did not think I would plateu this soon into the journey. Does anyone have any ideas how to overcome this hunery and help with the weight loss. Up for any ideas at this stage.

Thanks Chickie and Sue Magoo for your insight. I think if I can use the lap band as a tool to keep me honest I will stay on track. On past diets I will work hard for 3 weeks and lose some weight then gain it back in one weekend. If the lap band limits my portions and makes me sick or uncomfotable when I over eat I will learn my lesson fairly quickly. If it helps me get over a bad spell sooner and with less weight gain I think I will be sucessful.

Just to let you know, weight gain is caused by PCOS. Not the other way around.

Just do it. Accept and practice the affirmation that nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. From what you have written in your post, it would seem that wine is the trigger for the eating behaviors which have caused your weight gain. And, not to seem harsh, but from the perspective of an addictions counselor, if you are drinking enough wine to "lower your inhibitions", and thereby cloud your judgement, you are drinking way too much wine. Wine is empty calories...which obese people need to avoid. You are misinformed if you believe that initially the band will assist with controlling one's appetite. Just ask any bandster who is or has experienced "bandster hell", which really means just about everyone who is active on this forum. It is a tool to assist with portion control. But the journey with your band has a long way to go before you get some restriction in the band and get to the "green zone". Having a band, to be successful with achieving weight loss, you will have to change your relationship with food. You will have to change the things which are allowed on your diet, most likely for life. The foods which contributed you your weight gain will need to be restricted to the smallest of portions, or in some cases, given up entirely. These behavioral modifications are difficult under the best of circumstances...but have to happen to be successful. I seems to me that it would be helpful for you to do some additional research into the band, how it works, and the diet you need to agree to adhere to for life if you want to have a lasting success with it. Best wishes...

This is a very important topic, and no doubt some people used their physical shields as psychological ones. The fact that I am not in that group is both lucky and unlucky. My relationship to the outside world never really changed throughout the years of weight gain, and I didn't tend to assume people were viewing me differently. Now that I am losing rapidly, I also tend to think that the world and it's denizens have enough to think about and I am really not high up on the list. That said, there have been comments at work, but none that would cause me to think a channel to the world that was previously closed is gradually opening up.

Hi Crystal, I am going through that right now. I had mine which is acutally every 24 days and now it's back 8 days early! I already get it more than the average women. Plus I don't want to go on bc because I worry about weight gain and my bf is fixed.

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.

Hello All: I found this information today while cruising the internet at work (I know I know, but it is my first day back and I am trying to stay awake). I pasted the hyperlink at the end so you can figure out the source, but the information seems reasonable and accurate. One of the first questions patients ask about food. The surgery has a nice benefit of reducing the hunger inducing hormone reglin. But ultimately, its the restrictive nature of a smaller stomach that leads to weight loss. So its normal and smart to ask, “What happens if my stomach stretches and I gain weight back?” Your Stomach Can and Will Stretch After Surgery Our stomachs have the amazing ability to stretch and expand as a result of our food intake. The walls of our stomach are made up of folds of tissue called ‘Rugae.’ These are folds in the stomach wall that expand and contract as a direct response to food entering and flowing through your stomach. Hunger and How Food Flows Through Our Stomach When we eat food it enters through our mouths, gets chewed and swallowed. It then flows through our esophagus into our stomach where acid starts the process of breaking the food down. As we continue to eat, more food enters the stomach and joins the rest of the food – all of which is waiting to be broken down by stomach acid. Our stomachs expand to accommodate all of this food. When our stomachs expand far enough a signal is sent to our brains telling us, ‘That is enough food, I’m full now.’ After you’re done eating, the food is slowly broken down by your stomach acid and then the folds in your stomach contract to push the food into your intestines where digestive juices further digest your food. The Problem The reason many people are overweight is not because they like food more than the rest of us. Its because their hunger and full signals are broken. Once you continue to stretch out your stomach by overeating on a regular basis the signals your stomach sends to your brain indicating fullness and hunger start to get skewed. After a while your stomach only says, ‘I’m full,’ after its severely stretched out. And it may start saying ‘Feed me,’ when its still half-full. This is why losing weight is so difficult. When Overeating Leads to Stomach Stretching After gastric sleeve surgery its important to keep your stomach away from the overeating cycle that can lead to a stretched stomach. If you ate too much on Thanksgiving your stomach will stretch. If you binged one night on KFC, your stomach will stretch. Your stomach is just doing its job. The good news is that it will contract. However, if after a large meal, your next meal is a large meal and you continue this on a regular basis you risk permanently stretching your stomach. The danger is not in the size of your stomach. The danger is that you will skew the triggers for hunger and fullness. This will lead to a continued cycle of overeating, which will then lead to weight gain. How to Prevent the Stretch After Gastric Sleeve Surgery Eating one or two large meals will not lead to a permanently stretched stomach or issues with your hunger and fullness triggers. However, doing this multiple times can lead to issues. The list below hi-lights key points to reduce the risk of stretching your stomach after gastric sleeve surgery. Limit volume not sweets. Instead of totally limiting every aspect of your diet, give yourself a reward once a week with a special treat limited in size. But do not go out and eat a large meal – regardless of the type of food. Reduce the amount of fluids that you drink when you eat. Its not a bad idea to drink before you eat so that you feel full faster. But its better to drink your fluids an hour or two before eating and/or an hour or two after. This lets the fluids digest and they won’t increase the amount of gas that can build If you do have a bigger than normal meal, make your next meal small and make sure you don’t make larger meals a habit. If you are always feeling hungry, then eat small amounts of healthy Snacks in between meals. Almonds are a delicious and healthy way to feel satisfied in between meals. Get a good book with healthy recipes that are geared for people who have gone through gastric sleeve surgery. We’ve got a list of ourbooks here. DO NOT get discouraged. If you fell off the wagon and binged one or two meals or even the entire previous week. The stomach and the mind is an amazingly resilient thing. Start over and start eating normal meals again. Call your surgeon and ask for help before it gets too far out of hand. Get on the online forums and ask others for help. Don’t be embarrassed to ask for help. Here is a list of our favorite forums. So stretching your stomach after gastric sleeve surgery is not a myth. It can happen and it does happen. Be aware of it and prevent it. Remember how hard the surgery and recovery was? Remember what a big decision you made? Its never too late to change your habits and get back on the right track. http://216.70.100.66/weight-loss-surgeries/gastric-sleeve/gastric-sleeve-will-my-stomach-stretch

Beka, As someone else said, healthy and standard weight loss with the band is 1-2 lbs per week. It seems slow, but it adds up. The worst part of banding is that first few weeks when your post op, trying to understand what you've done and what you're supposed to be doing. It's this learning period when you have to pay attention to your body and learn to read it's signals. When are you really hungry versus when do you think you're hungry, etc, etc. You want the weight to fall off, it doesn't always. This is commonly referred to as "Bandster Hell." Remember that once you begin solid foods, your body will often stop losing weight and in fact, gain a few pounds because it literally holds onto the bulk of the solids in your intestines. It's not a true weight gain, it's the way our digestive system works. When you're on liquids or even very soft foods, there's not enough bulk in that food and it literally goes right through you. Be patient with yourself and your body and don't miss your appointments. Follow your doctor's orders, he understands this process better than you do at this point and is there to help guide your journey. If you REALLY feel like you're not on track, log your intake and make a note of your output. Make sure you're getting enough Protein and calories. Inadequate caloric intake will actually sabotage your weight loss by slowing your metabolism even more. Good Luck,

I saw my surgeon last week and he said all is well and to begin eating normally over the weekend. I thought that was sounding good until I began eating again. I had lost weight pretty consistently in the beginning then gained and lost the same pound or two for a week. Today I weighed in and gained 3 pounds! I haven't had a fill and feel little to no restriction and understand that when you go from liquids only to mushies, to real food the odds are that your body will try to hang on to it and weight gain is likely. Maybe I was in denial about it all, but gosh, those 3 pounds are gnawing at me like crazy! I am not eating a lot and exercising, so I hoped I wouldn't gain but I did. I am looking forward to my first fill (which will be later than usual since doc will be on vacation. :thumbup:) Oh well, I just had to vent. It's just a frustrating day.

I had my gastric bypass wls on 10/17/14 and yesterday I found out I was pregnant, yay! Me and my husband are so happy. I'm just nervous about the weight gain, getting the proper nutrition and having a healthy baby. I'm curious... is there anything I should watch out for, health tips, pregnancy wls advice?? I'm new to this and would appreciate the input. Thanx!!