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I don't think it would cause weight gain. Just consider the bloating that comes along with it though. Although you will bloat and probably retain Water, after your period that should all calm down and you will be right back to where you should be. I always gain about 3 lbs of water weight while I'm on my period, then when I weigh myself a couple days after I have ended, i'm down 5-6 lbs. I haven't heard/seen anything saying that you can't use tampons after the surgery.

I am new and have looked over every thread and searched every which way. I am 3 of 6 supervised diet program and keep gaining. I do not understand why. I am eating right, no cheating, exercising to the best of my ability (i get horrible headaches and dizzy), taking the vitamins but still gaining. I have Carefirst BCBS VA and looked at the medical policies required for the surgery. NO WHERE does it say I have to loose weight during the diet phase. I obviously cant seem to do it alone thats why im going for the surgery. Im 5'4 with a BMI of 49.7 as of this mornings weighing. my insurance policies say i need a BMI over 40 and psych eval. Anyone have experience with Carefirst rejecting due to weight gain? I am at my limit and stressing so bad which I am sure is adding to my weight gain. Hoping for surgery in June 2023 and looking for others experience and help. thanks in advance, and I am sorry if this asked before. I havent been able to find anything with this carrier.

I really don't know what it was yesterday....but it happens once or twice a month.... guess near PMS.... but I'm back to normal today.... but I'm gonna try to focus on protein from now on.... I got a problem with getting chicken & meat down.... but I focused more on milk, cheese & eggs..... snacked on dates.... the crunchy ones, don't know if you have these..... I always drink coffee with skimmed powder milk & fructose instead of sugar....hate splenda.... cook my food with olive oil only.... I hope I get back on track.... I don't mind stalling, cause it happened before, but I get terrified of weight gain....

I'm afraid of the weight gain with b/c. I was on it since I was 16 because of my periods. So I'm now completely lost as far as bc goes. My husband and I were trying to get pregnant but now we're obviously waiting the 18 months.

I wish you all the best. I still struggle with the fear of weight gain and find that there are days (like today) where I cannot stop eating. Even though I am choosing Protein first and trying to keep track of what I eat, I get over whelmed with depression and then "the moose is loose" in the kitchen. The food I have in the house is "safe" but when I go to my parents home I have even a bigger challenge. Tonight I was offered a mini bag of popcorn only to realize it was kettle corn. Like an idiot, I ate the bag (didn't want to offend dad) and then I was nauseated. I am still on the weight loss diet and loose about 1/2 lb a week. Though I am getting closer to my goal, I fear the day when I start gaining. I know this is a life long struggle and the surgery is a tool to help meet my goal. Fighting the head/mind games will be an ongoing battle for the rest of my life. It helps to read that others have the same struggles.

hi stephh! i just had my baby 9-28-15. i started at 257 and was reached my goal of 150 when i was 14months out, then two weeks later i found out i was pregnant. i too was only taking in about 700-800 pre pregnancy. around 13 weeks pregnant i started getting insanely hungry, literally every two hours. for me it really didn't ease up until i was about 32weeks. my dr wanted me to take in about 1800 calories a day i ended up putting on 42lbs in total. i lost 15lbs after my c section taking me from 192 to 177. i have been stuck there for the past two minths unfortunately, the scale just doesn't want to move for me. keep taking in as much Protein as you can. keep high protein Snacks with you if you're getting hungry often! congratulations on your pregnancy, you can pm me if any questions Thank you so much for responding!!!!!! I feel like I'm in the exact same scenario you were. I feel so much better knowing that someone else is hungry too. I was afraid of it being head hunger. Congratulations on your new baby! How was your pregnancy besides being hungry? Had you been pregnant before? Was it different? Sorry, I have SO many questions!!! Your weight gain doesn't seem bad to me. It seems like a manageable weight and will probably come off. I already have argued with my Dr about gaining weight... He said I could aim for 10-20 pounds because I'm at the top end of my healthy weight range. So far, I've stayed steady, but I'm not very far along. i sent you some photos in pm

No- I have never heard of that shake. I know that there are Protein drinks for weight gain, but there are also some for weight loss or Meal Replacement. When Ive resorted to having to drink a Protein Shake I have had the low carb Tigers Milk one and the EAS low carb drink. Wal Mart makes a good generic brand.

"PBing, sliming, vomiting, slippage, weight gain, slow process, have to be committed, severe incision pain, gas killing me, starving, hungry, port problems, taking forever to hit the sweet spont, nauseous, etc." Increased chance of cancer, heart attack, diabetes, shortness of breath, being unable to do the fun things you would like to do, looking like crap . . .You can dwell on the down side, but the upside is more important for me. Yes, I have pb'd and slimed. I consider them a warning from my band that I haven't done what I need to do. If I didn't have uncomfortable results from being banded, I would still be eating like I was when I weighed 255. I've had two fills, and will never need another to reach goal. Gas pains were minimal. Surgery pain was not even worthy of the pain pills I was given; I still have them in a drawer. I'm never physically hungry except when it's meal time and I need to eat, although I still get the munchies from time to time. I have never gained weight (except for the normal variation of a pound or two during the day) since I was banded. I will reach goal within the next two months, which would be 10 months from my surgery date. I've never been nauseous, except when I tried liquid Vitamins. Bleagh! We don't often come on here to start a thread about how wonderful things are. We post when we have a problem, which means you see a lot more problems on a forum like this than you do glowing reports. Plus, many of us who are very successful are simply out there living our lives rather than obsessing about our bands and living our lives on this forum--no negative posts, please, I'm as guilty as anyone! You do have to be committed. I must admit I have little patience for people who want to cheat on their post op diets, complain they can't eat like pre surgery, and feel that the discomforts of surgery without complications is unbearable. The desire to get off the diet roller coaster and away from a life of obesity has to be worth going through a few weeks of soreness and discomfort. I do have to watch what I eat and keep a little mental count of calories every day because I am a snacker and I will absent mindedly eat too much even now. But the difference with the band is that I can stop myself, and before I couldn't. I would tell anyone in a hearbeat that the results of banding have been well worth any minor problems I have had.

I am scheduled for surgery on Friday. I have wanted this so badly for over a year - never questioned the logic for doing so and couldn't wait to get banded. Then - I spend HOURS on this forum and all I see is the bad stuff. PBing, sliming, vomiting, slippage, weight gain, slow process, have to be committed, severe incision pain, gas killing me, starving, hungry, port problems, taking forever to hit the sweet spont, nauseous, etc. It is making me think - THIS IS CRAZY! I feel like I should cancel the whole thing and try one more time on my own, even though I know it won't work. I am scared to death now and I have had all kinds of surgeries and a child and blah, blah, blah and YES - I WANT TO LIVE - but comfortably - not in constant pain and puking day in and day out....am I missing the picture here??? Are we all brainwashed into thinking we have to do something this drastic?

So on my journey, I am a 41 BMI, just have flucuated over the last three years between 36 and 41. So, I have read in my policy that ins. wants to see above 40 BMI for three years. So, my doc (without even me suggesting) sends me in for a sleep study because I have "enlarged, huge tonsils", weight gain, headaches, tired all of the time, and snore loudly. Sometimes, I actually wake myself of snoring/choking. So , after I complete sleep study and technition tells me that she doen't think I have apnea but RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME and a weird R.E.M. disorder????? She says I had a little apnea but I mostly slep on my back, so that is to be expected! She I also said I fell asleep right away (which I did not and didn't seem to realize I had woken up at least 7 times in six hours.) Once I even woke up like on my own snore gasping. She said to wait 10 days for Pulminoligist to read results and write report, but that he usually agreed with her. Are you kidding me? I told my doc I had to pay the $1800 for the study completing out of my own pocket, so to be really sure and he was. He put me through other bloodwork like thyroid, low iron/anemia, etc. Doc said he was giving me all those tests to rule out, but was pretty sure I would end of doing sleep study and it would confirm apnea and my tonsils would have to come out! Plus, I would sure like to know how they monitered oxygen levels in my blood, because no blood was ever taken. Anybody ever had the heart specialist reading stuff the techs did not? Anyone else ever experience anything like like? I am really bummed about all of this. I was getting my hopes up that I might actually feel rested in the mornings with treatment, but I guess I still feel crappy with no answers and two grand less. Any advice or comments appreciated because I am feeling really down now.

Medications prescribed for hypertention usually do NOT cause weight gain. If you think the weight gain IS truly related to the medication, call your MD. He/she might elect to switch you to a medication that also contains a diuretic such as hydrodiuril. Have you noticed increased shortness of breath, swollen feet/ankles, etc.? If so, call your MD ASAP.

I have recently been diagnosed with mild hypertension (even though I have recently lost 140 pounds with my lapband - go figure) I never had hypertension (high blood pressure) even at my highest weight of 365, but it runs in my family.....long story short, I recently started on lisinopril about 2 months ago and have had a weight GAIN of 15 pounds!!! I have been doing the lap band diet rules and still have gained. I do realize I need another adjustment/fill but I honestly had been "holding my own" or maintaining before the blood pressure pill (lisinopril). Has anyone ever taken it and noticed a weightgain? I am VERY frustrated and have an appt for a fill/adjustment in couple of weeks and so dread my doctor because he will fuss about the gain. Any suggestions? Thanks

Hi everyone. I'm about 13 weeks along, due 9/27. I got a partial unfill at 8 weeks because EVERYTHING was sticking. It was obnoxious and I wasn't able to get in enough nutrients. I guess I'm posting because I feel other pg women don't really understand all the issues I have! lol. Ya'll are so good at helping with band related stuff. I'm so scared of gaining too much weight. I was 284 when I found out, and have gone up to 289 so far. I was planning on trying to get pg when I was down to 240ish, but I guess life had other plans. My last appt my Dr put my on blood pressure meds since I was testing high everytime I went. I've always been told I have white coat high blood pressure, but I guess I never really cared enough to really determine if that was accurate. I guess in the end I'm just scared. I've never been pg before, don't really know anyone in my life who is pg. I'm worried about BP, about weight gain, about the possibility of bed rest and of not being able to carry baby to term. I'm just scared. Any advice or words of peace? :-) lol.

Alexandra: Congrats on the 2 little ones! Let me clarify: when I say I won't be having kids due to my weight problem, I mean that I would be too terrified to risk any intentional weight gain, including pregnancy. I've fought my weight my whole adulthood (and before that, honestly) and I'm still fighting even though I have a LapBand . If I ever managed to break free of obesity then I promised myself I would never threaten that with a pregnancy. My body does not 'bounce back' from things, and I doubt pregnancy would be any exception. I don't believe I'd ever get the extra weight off. To top it off, I do believe fat genes exist - at least in my family - and I would NEVER, EVER pass mine on to a child. Nothing has been worse than being fat, at least for me. TheBestMe/Kathy: My Alien Growth sounds similar to your sister's situation. I also have to receive a C-section incision. I'm absolutely inconsolable about this newest scar. As if my skin is not scarred up enough? Ack. Remember I'm single, so in my mind I can't imagine how delicate it is to explain a C-section scar when one doesn't have the normal "bundle of joy" that normally comes with it. It seems like that will be unbelievably awkward. And yes they also told me I have to sign a pre-surgical consent to agree to a hysterectomy if the docs get in there and think the uterus can't be saved. I'm not particular attached to my "nether organs" and now especially since I know this specific organ has been housing an Alien. :alien But my hormone levels & cycles have always been normal but all these years I've been frighteningly anemic. The docs have attributed this to my long dieting history, the fact that I don't eat meat, to my reduced diet since LapBanding, etc... when all the time there's been a Freeloader sucking up my red blood cells and all my Iron. It's time this 'squatter' was evicted, or at least pays some rent ! When I think about the procedure, I do sometimes think "Eh, let them just take all the plumbing out" (how unromantic! :rolleyes ) but the harsh reality is that Men can sometimes be unenlightened. And surprisingly, now that I'm a 30-Something-Year-Old, I meet men all the time who ask me about having kids. So even though I don't plan to have any kids (and I do say so) they take that news a lot differently from the way I think they take hearing "I can't have kids." Right now I just don't think I'm up to dealing with those types of issues. Vinesqueen: Nope, it's got to be a lower abdominal incision. They call it a (ha ha) Bikini line cut, but I've yet to meet one solitary woman who felt they could wear a bikini after having one. I'm already having to figure out how to work belly dancing costumes around my LapBand scars and I dang near feel like giving it up. No "I Dream of Jeannie" outfits in my future, unfortunately. Now I'll have a smiley face under my stomach. Great. I doubt any future suitors will be inspired to smile about it, if ever I dare show it. Luckily I don't do tattoos or I'd be tempted to put the phrase "This property is condemned" on my stomach and point an arrow downward for comic effect! :rolleyes HarleyNana: Thank you, Harley. As you can see, I am really fighting to keep it together. I'm very upset. You guys are the best. I've been feeling rather low about this surgery and I know it shows. So I am very appreciate of the support. I will need it to go through this, seriously. ~ Happy Band (and Life) Journeys To All... ~

If you have a good relationship to start out with, I think you will be in for a wonderful surprise!!! My marriage was good before the surgery but what I didn't realize is that my weight gain bothered my husband so much. Once we started talking about it, we decided on the surgery together and we have gotten SO much closer! It opened so many doors about our relationship, being more honest with each other and making a commitment to help each other become better people. He has never had a weight problem but he has been very understanding, patient, supportive and loving throughout the process. We had a good sex life before, but now it's amazing! Yes, your sex drive will come back! And you will find yourself laughing and talking and enjoying life so much more because you feel better about yourself. I am 4 months post op and I have been doing a weekly (every Sunday) blog about my journey. Happy to have you follow along. I was encouraged by someone else's blog and it was a true inspiration to me. www.queenofcrop.com When I look at my 'before' photos now, I'm embarrassed that I waited so long......so come on in....the Water is fine! www.queenofcrop.com

Well I guess it could be a lot worse. I haven't been on the scale since the end of Sept and tomorrow I'm going in for a fill, I've gained 10 pounds. Are you ready for my excuses! I had vein surgery end of November so I couldn't exercise. Christmas was here and so were the sweets. Life has been really stressful! I know...I know..I know... So tomorrow is my fill. Do you know what I love the most about the band? I know that even though I gained this weight, I would have been a lot more without the band, and the bast part is that I can get my little tweek tomorrow and be back on track in no time. So I am not going to beat myself up (to much) for the weight gain, and I'm going to get back on track cause unlike before I know I can!!!

@@VSGAnn2014 @ I'm ok with making mistakes. I agree we should strive to do our best to get results. If people recognize their mistake or reach out for support after weight gain. They have to do the work. If they choose to get back on the horse, I will cheer them on. People that don't want to move forward...I don't invest my time.

I'm going through process right now with Aetna HMO. It's a 3-4 month waiting period. From what I've been told and been reading on there website is you have to meet certain criteria, such as certain bmi or hypertension. The website explains it all. You cannot gain weight at your final weigh in. So whatever you weight was on first weigh in, don't show a weight gain on last one before doctor submits all paperwork to insurance for approval.

Look, it does and it doesnt eliminate the willpower factor. If you really cant choose a healthy diet and cut out a lot of the crap, you're not going to be very successful with a lapband. Mind you, you may still lose a fair bit of weight, but you're unlikely to lose all of your excess. But when you're not starving hungry all the time and when a little bit of something satisifies you, that cuts you some leeway. For example: fish and chips is a common take out food here in Australia -battered and deep fried fish, hot chips (thick french fries), potato cakes (battered and fried potato fritters) and fried dim sims, not to mention the great Aussie classic, the chiko roll! I wont even try to explain what that is. I used to easily eat a piece of battered flake (shark) - which was huge, 2 potato cakes, a dim sim and a heaping of chips - easily 1500 calories, if not more and easily about 70 or 80 grams of fat. These days I try to avoid fish and chips. But if I eat them, i can get through about 1/3 of a piece of flake and about five or six chips, maybe 300 calories worth. It simply doesnt do the damage it did. I took my son down to get some Mcdonalds for lunch the other day (special treat) and much as I felt like something, its not worth it. I cant eat it, it wont go down, it makes me feel sick. No willpower required and I walk out of Maccas empty handed. I used to love my wine, but it can burn my stomach and cause reflux. A small glass is about as much as I can tolerate. 100 calories instead of 300 for three glasses. I dont cut out any foods, dont do the high Protein thing, eat entirely normally, mostly good foods, sometimes treats but i cant eat a lot and do a lot of damage. If I fall off the wagon and eat poorly for weeks, I dont gain weight. I feel crap and down on myself, but no weight gain. If I chose, i could fill the between meal hours with Cookies, ice cream and chocolate, all of which are easy to eat and dont fill you. I choose not to. I also choose to run for an hour a day or do circuit training. The band doesnt help with that. You do have to have some internal conviction and motivation. But you wouldnt be considering WLS if you werent ready to dig deep and find that.

unfortunately, there is no one answer to losing weight. I have had my band for ten years, and have s-l-o-w-l-y lost weight(160 pounds). I'm almost wheelchair bound, and exercise is difficult. But my band still works if I work at it. You don't need to go on a diet, but change your way of eating. Some people do well on a low calorie diet, others on a low carbohydrate diet. For me it is low carb. I wonder if you have time to plan menus and always have proper food available. Have you been able to empty your house of foods that tempt you to overeat? I've noticed I always blow it if certain foods are in the house. My husband is the opposite of me and thrives on healthy, high carb food. So I am careful what I allow in the house. His high carb foods have to be cooked, which helps me not to cheat. I don't allow sweets, and we have few processed foods. I once gained 50 lbs in a month, and the doctor told me it was impossible. Later, I read of a study done on a tribe of Indians that live near the Mexican border. They tend to put on a lot of weight on few calories. They can also gain a lot of weight in a month, but the researchers learned they weren't overeating when the weight gain happened, but over the next few months their eating increased to maintain the weight. What I'm saying is there are weird genetic factors that influence how you gain or lose weight. And the band requires work. Before you condemn yourself, ask if you've really had the time or energy to make up menus, keep your kitchen free of tempting foods, and keep a food diary. Also, are you getting enough sleep. I had so many diet failures because I tried to live on 6 hours of sleep a day, or cut my calories too low. I'd recommend you get your family on a healthy diet and work on your eating plan from there. I agree, luck is not an issue. But if you really want to lose weight, keep trying until you find a way that works. I've known of bypass patients who lost a lot of weight the first year, and gained it right back. Others lost weigh and kept it off. The main difference is that the ones who kept it off took the time to learn what and when to eat and never stopped following the rules. No shortcuts, no "this is probably close enough", but follow the rules as closely as you possibly can. But because we are all different, you need to pay attention to what helps you lose weight and what makes you want to cheat. Maybe the rules say sweet potatoes are okay, but you find yourself grazing in the kitchen every time you eat them. Then sweet potatoes are a no no for you. For me it is beans--beautiful, delicious, healthy beans. But they cause me to crave more and more and I will eat until I am ready to burst, and try to eat more. Find What Works. Look at what you've been doing and start making changes. What did you do the first year that you aren't doing now? start making choices, and if they don't work, make other choices. I was a horrible candidate for a lapband, and the doctor apologized to me, because he doubted I had what it took to make it work. almost housebound, using a wheelchair, to sick to cook food for more than 5-10 minutes a day, too weak to do much of anything. I am losing slowly, and had to stop trying to lose weight for a couple of years due to cancer (and gained 50 pounds, but lost it again). But losing 160 pounds is an accomplishment, and I'm planning on going on a strict diet and losing 50 more pounds over the next few months. The lapband has been a great tool. But that's all it is, a tool that I have to work.

I'm so glad that you don't have to deal with the severe cramping; it's the worst part of PCOS, in my opinion. It feels as if someone is squeezing your ovaries as hard as they can, while sticking a knife in them. I just can't imagine how anyone is able to deal with this kind of pain for longer than 2 days. LOL that day, I really did stay in the tub for 2 hours. It was awful. Then I got the shower head, and yeah... You know where I'm going with this. It looked like 4-5 red beta fish fell out of me (good lord that's nasty). What's weird about PCOS is that you don't always have to have cysts on your ovaries. They come and go, but they happen more often than the normal amount. I was given an ultrasound once, and they didn't see any. I always thought that was weird, but it's very possible. The rapid weight gain, testosterone, and irregular periods tells me you definitely have PCOS. I hope this surgery helps us lessen and even completely cure it. >_<

Hey Deed87... I understand your concerns but did you ever think that all the drinking may have contributed to that weight gain? Lol I know it did for me. After a late night of partying and hitting the breakfast buffet at the kettle or the taco bell tacos, it took its toll. The thing you have to ask yourself is am I ready for this commitment? It is ok to drink occasionally. I've hit the vodka with V8. its pretty good but I weigh myself often and notice a slight weight gain. Ocean spray has a 5 cal diet cranberry that you can drink with vodka that is pretty god too(but a little to girlie for me in public). I would personally stay away from all beer. #1, you are making a huge investment, both monetarily and emotianally. #2 if you are here, you already decided to make a life changing decision. don't blow it for yourself ! Hope this helps. Keep you eye on the prize!

Not lie to the insurance company because I don't know exactly what they are looking for. I called them today and gave them the procedure code for the sleeve and I was told it was covered and I asked what requirments are needed to be met before the surgery and I was told only a pre-certification. So I don't know if maybe the guy I was talking to over the phone didn't know what the insurance company requires (qualification) or not. On the patient intake questionnaire for the bariatrics office they ask the following question: " which diets have you tried in the past, indicate for how many months and how much weight you lost". So it was on that form I was going to say 6 months with a dietician. I could probably get away with saying that I lost maybe 15 pounds because towards the end of that year I did go off my medications for hypothyroidism and I did let my thyroid specialist know this. So I could probably say my thyroid ended up being sluggish again (which is actually true and I have the blood work to prove that) and my weight started to come back on even while still following the dietary guidelines set forth by my dietician. That would explain the little difference in weight gain/loss from June until December. But then I don't know if they'll look at that and say I didn't put in much effort because I allowed my thyroid levels to become out of control. For the record I did go back on my thyroid medications and my levels have since returned back to normal. I *think* at the seminar meeting they said they understand that people don't always have documented weight loss attempts with a physician, but that they wanted to see that you did try to lose weight sometime in the last 5 years, for atleast 6 months or longer.

I just give up weighing during my friend -- it is discouraging! I never really had the weight gain with my period prior to banding. Everything is different now with my cycle -- including the 2X month frequency! But I have noticed that if I lose weight it is after the friend comes & goes -- definately not during! And cheri, don't feel bad, I had2 muffins yesterday since my friend is here......I PBd on one and still had another later -- how stong is that munchie urge!?!?!?

post op weight gain 8+ yrs. Need fitness, nutrition, work out group. Rochester, ny 14612 anyone? Desperate, need support to get moving! Help! TY, Sharon