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Hello WSLers Long time listener, first time caller. I was sleeved on 11/22/21. I had lost over 40lbs since my surgery, but now seem to be gaining a pound a day the last few days. My diet has remained the same, 1-2 Premiere Protein shakes, 5 oz of non/low fat yogurt, and 4 bites of misc protein from dinner. Getting 64 oz or more of water has been brutal. Any ideas on the weight gain? It's really screwing with my head. Walking (exercise) has been limited, since I am currently experiencing my fourth gout attack since my surgery. I've been taking 600mg Allopurinol daily and 0.6mg of Colchicine during flare ups. It's been brutal. I have not had an attack in a while. Regards Dan

Okay, I can totally hear you on this. Same thing here. I'm 3 years post-op. COVID and life wreaked havoc in my life, lost my 16 year old fur baby . . . 2020 and 2021 SUCKED! But I finally saw a sign that said, "Remember why you started this." and it hit me - - - I had to get my health back. I was embarrassed by my weight gain because after WLS and reading some of the forum posts where people gained weight back, I thought "Oh! I'll never be one of THOSE people!" HA! I am! But I finally found light at the end of the tunnel on November 22nd. Something finally just clicked in my head. I started going to the gym and I've been 35 out of the last 40 days. I joined Weight Watchers two weeks ago and as of this morning I've lost 3 pounds. I have depression, which it sounds like you probably have after all that you've been through, and I see a counselor every 3 weeks. We do online video conferences. It's very helpful to talk about my stressors and fears. You are NOT a failure! Forgive yourself, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and join me on a journey to refocus on our weight in 2022.

So this past year has been HELL for me. Not only am I now almost done with a divorce from my middle school sweetheart xs 3 kids, because he was cheating with the 17 year old babysitter. Yep walked in and caught them in our bed. He said he loved me still not in love with me I wasn't young and pretty anymore. I also lost 2 of my beloved pups. Had to start travel nursing to make ends meet, leaving my youngest daughter with him mostly. Being a nurse during this time is trying enough. Then got caught up in the middle of a shoot out at a gas station. All this stress and I started eating bad again. Gained 40 lbs of the 110lbs lost. I absolutely hate me now. I don't even know where to start to get back on track. How do you eat right living out of a hotel room. How do I handle all these sweet cravings I have from the stress. Please help me with any advice. I have been so depressed that I thought of ending it at times. Feeling like a failure. Ps. I start counseling soon.

Just a little vent about clothing sizes. Spotted a pair of slouchy drop crotch pants on sale online. What size will I need I wondered? Got out out my handy dandy dress maker’s tape measure & checked the size guide. OMG it said I was a MED/large or a size 14 (US 10/12). WTF!?! 😱 Is this the children’s size guide I thought but even if it was I’m only a size 10/12 in children’s wear. Nope, definitely adult sizing. It’s an Aust company I’ve bought from before (XXS fitted knit dress & XS sweaters) just not pants. All my pants are Aust size 4 or 6. How could I be a size 14 in their eyes? I know I had some dessert at Christmas but not enough to cause a weight gain of 4 clothing sizes. 😉 GRRRR!

I used to drink Coke Zero all day and night like a 12 pack a day. I quit prior to surgery and really don’t even miss it. I have a little caffeine now but not from soda even though my team says I am medically clear to have it again but they don’t recommend it cause of the correlation with weight gain. I have the premiere protein caffe latte every morning and occasionally I have a crystal light energy if I am feeling tired during the day. Both of those hit me harder energy wise now than a single soda used to. There isn’t anything specific that I needed post op that I wasn’t told to expects. Protein drinks, broths, puree soups, sugar free popsicles, etc. i had a pretty uneventful recovery though. Maybe others will have more to add about that.

A lot of people revision to a bypass from a sleeve due to suffering ongoing GERD with medication doesn't help. Others due to weight gain. If you already suffer a lot with acid reflux you may want to chat with your surgeon. I suffered with acid reflux but mine was definitely related to the type of foods I was eating and the amount of food I was eating. If my food intake and portions were healthy I was fine. I discussed with my surgeon and I went with a sleeve. So far so good.

Interesting dilemma. A few perspectives. Would you tell if you had planned knee surgery? Or would you make up a story about getting run over as the day came? In a lot of ways, and forgive me for being frank, I think your own approach to WLS has been influenced by the idea that suffering from obesity is a moral failure, not a medical issue that can, in fact, be managed. If you read any of the latest scientific studies on the subject - and avoid people who make money from you suffering perpetually from obesity like weight loss programs, fitness coaches on Instagram, diet products etc - you'll find that some of us simply never had a chance. Rat populations who get put on too few calories start seeing obesity in the rats lowest in the social order. Isn't that food for thought? Studies where you put subjects under complete caloric input/output control (literally measuring exhaust 24/7 to monitor expenditure) and feed them 1000 calories too much a day see vastly different weight gain rates. Huh? Didn't we just learn calories in - calories out? Often, and even worse, the societal idea of obesity = moral failure leads to eating disorders, which compound the problem. --> You need life-saving medical intervention. You're not 'taking the easy road'. Does this influence your thinking on who and when to tell? For me, it made it much easier to share. And my attitude towards it has been this story, more or less, for my close-to-kinda-close people: "Hey, nobody loses 100+ lbs by going to a dietitian. And I have a life to live, so I got my head in order first, did the work of getting rid of using food as a stress relief mechanism, and then I was ready to take the road with the best chances of success: minor bariatric surgery, a planned diet, and moderate but frequent exercise. It's been great, really great. I'm now finding my balance point, I think most people gain a bit, so I'm expecting that and frankly, I could stand to gain a few" Surprisingly, people love this story and it definitely adds social points. Even among people not known for their empathy. Notice how this story is peppered with all the things that don't involve surgery. I want their story to be much more than surgery. Do you share intimate medical details with everyone? Or do you feel that's nobody else's business? The other - or rather, third - side of this is that it's your body and only you are entitled to learn about it. Medical information (yes, also in 2021 and 2022, freaks) is private. You don't owe anyone any explanation on what goes on inside you. I have a few co-workers who know, and who have kept it to themselves, but I don't think it's "office news". It's my body and my life and despite the time I took off (six weeks!), it doesn't concern them. Period. Remember that. As much as you shouldn't be ashamed of having WLS, you shouldn't feel the opposite of shame is self-exposure. Reality time: you'll end up telling her. And it won't be a big deal. Here's a good outcome, and there's a million variations on this, but I think you'll want to tell someone you share an apartment with. At the end of the day, we need people on our journey. Some of them will let us down, but we'll need to keep reaching out and accept the fact that sometimes, we get burned. That's the price for social connections. I think you'll tell her some time before, and that you'll tell her in a confident manner that actually, you've decided to think about your health and in a new way. Instead of beating yourself over the head about your weight, you realized this only helps sell more WeightWatchers classes. And here you are, back at square 1. So you've started the road to WLS, you've done your homework, you know outcomes aren't guaranteed, but you want a shot at something that will give you a better life. And dear Emily, we're close, we live together, and I want you to be a confidant on this new chapter because I like you. I trust you'll know that this is my information to share or not share; it should obviously go without saying with any private medical decisions, but I'm just saying it to avoid any confusion. I'm really excited for this, and well, you're probably going to see kitchen scales, mini-meals in the fridge, and a lot more weird protein products in the cupboards. Feel free to try them! I don't think it'll be a big deal. I think how you approach it will set the tone for it. Make sure you take the stress OFF yourself in that close-in living situation by managing expectations subtly like "hey, most people lose 50-60-maybe 70% of their excess weight, I'm not doing this to get a BMI of 25, just so that's clear. If I wanted a guarantee for that, I'd have to go with much more drastic surgery types and for now, I'm going with the first line of procedure recommended for people in my situation to avoid unnecessary complications". This removes the pressure and hey, anything above 60% will be a shared celebration. I told my close people I wanted to get to 220, but that the surgery on average would get me to 230ish. So getting to 220 was a huge milestone and well, I'm at 197 now. People react how you set them up to react is what I'm saying. Alright, sorry this got long. I hope some of it is helpful.

Yes, I read there’s a term called snatiation for the sneezing. I thought I was getting a cold as I had a runny nose and back to back hard sneezes soon after surgery so I googled it and realized it’s a real thing (not a sickness.. thank goodness). 9 days post op and the sneezing has subsided. I lost about 13.5 lbs in the first 7 days. Now I gained back 1/2 lb so I’m down 13 lbs. I haven’t lost weight or gained in about 3 days. I’m not too worried because I was sleeping a lot and recovering from surgery plus I’m due for my TOM so I suspect just like b4 surgery my cycle will cause a stall and perhaps a slight water weight gain and then right after my cycle I will drop again. I’m def able to drink more now and very little sneezing so hopefully it goes away for you too. Now I just feel full just like b4 surgery, but with a smaller tummy. Best of luck!

Oh yeah, my metabolism was well & truely wrecked from decades of literally starving myself to try to lose or maintain. That has been a bonus of this surgery: a metabolism that actually works again. I’m truely surprised by how much food I eat to maintain my weight now which would have resulted (& did) in weight gain at my much higher weight pre surgery. I am still a believer of calories in & calories out (not that I’m a regular calorie counter by any stretch of the imagination) but temper it with the calories in are what your individual body needs to function. No one’s body is exactly the same as another’s & therefore our bodies have different caloric needs & we process the nutrients we need from the food we consume differently so we also have different nutrients requirements. That’s why one diet/style of eating will work for someone but not for someone else. It’s why so many of us advocate you discovering what works for you. That’s a benefit of this forum, lots of ideas, suggestions, experiences from which you can start to develop your eating style from people who truely understand the struggle.

I know this is controversial but the nurse practitioner at my practice says that there is a lot of research correlating diet soda with weight gain. They can’t figure out the exact relationship. They just know that they are related. Just a heads up if you start gaining and don’t know why it could be the culprit. They told me that medically I can have soda but they recommend that I do not.

there's no way that's a true weight gain. I would guess you're retaining water or your intestines are full. a lot of people don't lose much the first week because of the IV fluids you get in the hospital. In fact, some people "gain" on that (not really a true gain, though - it's just the fluid). I've heard of people "gaining" as much as 10 lbs in the hospital! It can up to a week for all that fluid to work its way out of your system.

Hello, I had sleeve on 12/16 and my weight has not moved much and today I noticed it's back up 3lbs. I lost 13lbs on pre op but nothing after surgery. Is this normal? I'm feeling discouraged. I've been on full liquids. I get my protein in the form of shakes and yogurt. It's hard to get fluids in but I am doing that too. Any advice or help? Sent from my SM-A716U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hello Buddies! I have been reading this board continuously but haven't posted much as I've been busy busy, but I just wanted to jump in and relay some of my experiences post surgery if it might be helpful to those currently going through it or about to. I had my sleeve on Nov 9th. The one thing that I found that really helped me out of the gate is walking. From day 1 I made sure to make myself walk. Each day I increased my distance by an additional driveway until I was able to walk all the way around the block and then added even more. By 2 weeks post surgery I felt like I was 100% again. A friend of mine who had the same surgery 5 years ago by the same surgeon couldn't believe how quickly I recovered. I attribute it to the walking. So that's my advice on recovery. Unfortunately I did make some major mistakes because I was feeling good and due to a family emergency, 1 week post op I had to fly home to help care for my mother. I didn't want my parents burdened by worrying about my surgery so I kept the entire thing hidden from them. As such, I completely skipped the pureed food stage and just ate soft foods while chewing oh probably a hundred times before swallowing. I do not recommend skipping any food stages but I had to do what I had to do. I had a bad experience with solid food. I was running around and wasn't paying much attention to the fact that I hadn't eaten all day and when I got home I was ravenous. I cooked up some tofu chicken fingers (my vegan go to for a quick and dirty meal pre surgery). Well, um... lets just say it didn't go well. I had that lump in my chest that felt like the food was stuck. The saliva continued to pour up into my mouth. There was nothing I could do to make the pain in my chest go away or the saliva stop flowing. I literally thought I was going to die. I decided to go for a walk. The amount of spit that continued to flow from my mouth could probably keep a whale wet for a decade... it was awful! After about 20 minutes, the pain finally subsided and the constant flow of saliva finally dried up. It was an experience and a hard learned lesson to remember to chew chew chew! and wait wait wait before taking another bite! Rice, my favourite pre surgery meal is now a no go for me. It just doesn't sit well at all. Sad but I can deal with it, bigger picture and all that. Sugar. I was a sugar addict pre surgery, I'm a mostly plant based eater, I attribute all my weight gain to my sugar addiction. I have found that although I am still addicted to sugar, I can have that '1' piece of whatever it is and be satisfied instead of that '1 whole bag' and still not be satisfied as I was in the past. If I go past that '1' piece threshold not because I'm not satisfied but because I'm still a glutton I find myself in the washroom with a mild case of dumping syndrome. Another welcome reminder that '1 is enough'. I feel like I am losing weight fairly quickly but I'm not noticing any adverse side effects like hair loss or sagging skin but I do take collagen everyday so I'm thinking that might be helping with that. Today will be my first day back to the gym in 3 months. I am looking forward to getting back into running again without all that additional weight holding me back I hope you all are enjoying success and keep going! Happy Holidays!

A single pound of fat is roughly 3500kcal. So unless you ate 10,500kcal OVER your baseline intake, there is absolutely no way that is true weight gain. It could be water weight, hormonal changes, bowel movement issues, etc. There are dozens of factors that impact weight and might be reflected on the scale. Additionally, the more you lose and closer you get to a healthy weight, the more likely you are to see those fluctuations as the week to week loss slows down. Keep sticking to your plan and doing exactly what you're doing and you absolutely will see the scale move again. And congrats, 90lbs is amazing!

THIS! one thousand percent. There are antidepressants that DON'T cause weight gain, but some doctors don't know/care enough about side effects to off those to patients struggling with their weight. If you don't think the prescriber is thinking of this, try talking to your surgeon to see if she thinks this could be an issue. There are so many meds that you could be taking that could be adding to weight gain (but... even the cravings to eat caused by the weight gain can be minimized). Also, there are medications you can take to reduce hunger, like metformin and phentermine, along with newer drugs like Ozempic

I was 47 when I had RNY gastric bypass twelve years ago. There was no "honeymoon" period where the pounds melted away for me. I do not believe this was age related because my surgical peers at the time lost weight at about the same rate as younger women. Nonetheless, I exceeded my surgeons goal and have maintained this with a lot of difficulty. An autoimmune disorder, hypothyroidism and medications are to blame for an average loss of less than half a pound weekly. Watching the scale go down and up then repeat was frustrating but I had a good experienced surgeon who also had the same procedure. The metabolically challenged as he put it need to stay on plan even when it seems there is no progress. Not what I wanted to hear at the time. I was angry and beginning to have regrets but a good support network "talked me off the ledge". After a year of following the rules I made changes to my doctor's plan. Using information from the body building community I Incorporated eating practices used to increase lean muscle mass. None conflict with the needs of gastric bypass patients. I researched options I believed could serve me better. At 17 months post op I made my desired maximum weight. I'm still pushing to get 5lbs lower. I deliberately left out the numbers. Not because it's a secret, I've posted this info in the past. Some individual readers may distinguish between weight/BMI classifications then rate difficulty and speed of weight loss to evaluate "success". That is not the point of my reply. Also, I make no claim to post op diet perfection nor do I blame metabolism for my obesity. No matter where you start at any age you will need to work your plan. You may work hard and see only small results as you watch surgical peers break their surgeons rules and do well. Further, you will likely have to make Healthful adjustments to augment your progress based on your needs. I've met many success stories since I committed to surgical intervention and I'm in good company. Today my weight is 30lbs up because of steroids, hypothyroidism, and binge eating disorder. It was 40lbs up a few weeks ago. Age is not the only issue in my struggle but "I Got This". This is one of a few episodes of rapid fat gain. I'm not talking about pounds and Water weight. You will not hear me say I've gained my weight back. What I've put on is fat but it's not mine and I'm not keeping it. I've learned how to "re lose" body fat and curb weight gain in spite of menopause and other factors. There is no secret to my maintenance. Never buy a larger size, period. Clothing measurement, not size number is my guide. I avoid stretch fabrics when I can without sacrificing style. I also monitor my body fat percentage. Formulas used by the YMCA and the military are easy to find. Ten years plus post op forced me to figure this out. A support network even before your procedure can help you learn what you need for the long term. If you have access to counseling or mental healthcare take advantage of it. Many of us with recently recognized mental health concerns like binge eating disorder and compulsive over eating do not know these illnesses exist. They can even be incorporated into a healthy post op eating plan with your nutritionists blessing. The more you know about why you are obese the easier and more successful your maintenance plan will be. Yes, I said maintenance plan. You asked for post op support but You WILL Succeed. We all find our way here because we want to be well and we all can be. I've included what I wished I knew pre op. This process is emotional as well as physical. Every pound lost is joyful but for some even a week with no change feels devastating. Get ready for the highs and lows knowing will be the Winner. Some famous writer somewhere is quoted as not having had the time to be conscise. For me include spell checking and grammar too. You have my story and I hope it's helpful. All the best!

This right here. I shouldn't have even posted but I do feel like we need to be honest with each other. Yes I have yo-yo'd and all the things with increasingly more weight gained. Yadda yadda yadda. But surgery is a very traumatic experience.

I am 21 months post RNY and I am still losing weight. My HW 325 (2/20/20), SW 311 (3/9/20), CW 133. I had an abdominoplasty on 10/27/21 (weighed 145, no lipo due to little to no body fat, and I don't know what amount was removed). I saw my NP today for pist abdominoplasty and then an emergency illness x2 following abdominoplasty stay in hospital same week for bowel obstruction. My labs are normal, my NP says I am healthy BUT, I am on the low weight end and just a few pounds from being underweight according to their standards. She advised me to add in healthy fats (nuts, nut butters, avocado daily), 2 protein shakes, 3 meals, 3 snacks. I just can't eat all of that. And little to no cardio and focus on strength training with weights. They are giving me 3 months to gain more muscle mass and gain weight and fill out more. And then return for re-evaluation. IF my weight continues to drop, they are talking about reversing my RNY! I literally cried in the office, on the way home, in the pharmacy (when the girls asked me how my weight and post abdominoplasty were going....they've known us many years) and then I cried several times on and off at home. I keep thinking about the old me, the 325 lb me, the old capacity, no restriction stomach and its ability to hold more, leading to weight gain and then it getting out of control, leading me back down the hole I just struggled to dig myself out of. This scares me so bad. I mean, it's ultimately up to me, right? As in, if they ended up scheduling that procedure months down the road, it's my decision if I go or not, it's my body. I'm thinking of seeking out a different opinion on this because this just doesn't seem like it should be the conclusive answer to this issue. Does it?

Hey everyone. It’s the holidays and I have to admit I kind of lot my mind a little. I actually went home for then holidays and alot of my favorite foods the had. I don’t feel like I over indulged at one time. However, I do feel really guilty. I was doing so well. I have my surgery scheduled on Jan 18 and start pre-op diet Jan 4. I had people say enjoy myself, but I feel so bad. I don’t know if I gain alit of weight, but I feel like I’ve gained some. Is anyone else going through this? thanks. Ty.

Admittedly I have been more sedentary than i ever was. Couple that with feeling awful from GERD and depressed about the weight gain, I have been spiraling for awhile now. My sleeve was very successful and I even if I only gain the benefit of my GERD being gone, it will be worth it. My doc doesn't want me on omeprazole any longer. You are only 8 days out of surgery...are you feeling ok? I assume you are still on liquids. Keep in touch.

First of all, I just want to say that I am so proud of you for reaching out and getting the process started. Sometimes that very first action is the hardest but you did it and that's something to celebrate. I would say as you're working through the process of getting approved for surgery, it would be worthwhile to see a therapist. I also have abuse and trauma in my history which heavily contributed to my disordered eating and weight gain. Getting help for my mental well being was the single most important piece of my journey. The surgery is just a tool and it will only work as well as you learn to use it. Making sure that you work through trauma, learn new coping mechanisms, and have a solid support system in place will help ensure long term success. As for questions, I'd say keep a journal or notebook and write things down as they come to mind. Then, take that to your appts and ask them all as you're able to. Personally, I wanted to know all about my surgeons success/mortality/infection rates, the pre- and post-op diets, long term eating habits, vitamin and supplement requirements, and my personal health history and how it may impact surgery and success. Of course, other questions came up along the way, so I asked those too. Welcome to the WLS surgery club. We're glad you're here and we're cheering you on!

definitely get on top of that ASAP. It'll be a lot easier to lose 10 lbs than 50! If you're not still weighing, measuring, and logging your food, I'd start there. do keep in mind, though, that a 10-20 lb rebound weight gain is very common in year 3. It's just your body settling into whatever weight it wants to be. That's not to say you're stuck there - you CAN lose it - but if this your body's new "set point", just be aware that it's going to take some work to get down to - and maintain - a lower weight.

You may be slipping up in minor ways that add up in the long run. Weigh and measure everything. Track your food on an app like Baritastic. It will keep you aware of what you are actually eating. You could also try resetting your set point by returning to all liquids, and build up again to solid foods over several weeks. If you have achieved your goal and stayed there for a while, a bit of weight gain is quite normal.

So... what happens when you stop checking out the forums every day and quit tracking? Well, for me it means weight gain. Hit my low of about 165 and then... well... then, essentially have been on a bender since then. It's been about a month. I know what I have to do, I just have to actually DO IT. I'm up 4lbs and can't seem to shake it. I'm NOT going over 170 again, but I have to find that happy medium between starving myself and gorging myself. My solution: start holding myself accountable. I'm starting over today. Tracking, posting, and weighing daily. For others out there in the same boat, don't give up or give in. Take it one day at a time and don't let setbacks get you down.

The most common side effect of trazodone is weight gain. I’d avoid that one!