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Post menopausal before my RNY. You have good questions! I used to tolerate Trilevelin, but with RNY pills are not advisable due to malabsorption. I have a co-worker friend (with PCOS) that takes the pill so she has no period ever. A different co-worker acquaintance had a complete hysterectomy. Logically, loosing fat will help the symptoms because fat stores hormones. I don’t really know how the implants would work for you, I avoided them because of the weight gain. I use(d) barrier methods, add spermicide/lube as needed.

Carbs often get the blame for weight gain and for plateaus. There is good reason for that, since some of the highest-calorie, lowest-nutrient foods are carb-heavy. White bread, crackers, Pasta, chips, and rice are all packed with starches, while soft drinks, ice cream, cakes, Cookies, and jam are laden with sugar. Your diet plan after weight loss surgery likely limits carbs, but different plans and patients approach the limits in different ways. Some plans suggest counting carbs, while others simply suggest cutting back on low-nutrient carbs while including moderate portions of higher-nutrient fare, such as oatmeal and other whole-grain cereals, whole-grain bread, sweet potatoes, fruit, and Beans. As you move through the weight loss surgery journey, how have you approached carbs? Did you begin by minimizing your intake? Do you count them? Do you think of all carbs as “bad,” or do you distinguish between different kinds? How has your approach changed as you have moved through the WLS journey? Do you count carb grams? Share your carb strategies here!

Hey Mooki, thanks for the reply. The reason I am having the op is to take back control of my eating, and to stop food having this huge hold on my life. That is the main outcome I want so to hear that is what is happening is great news. As for the merrygoround of thinking its amazing and its not going to work I can really relate to this. The mind is a powerful tool and I do think for me the mental struggle will be as hard as the physical challenge. I have found that trying to visualise the positives helps with the panic moments, so trying to visualise myself out of theatre and walking around, being slimmer in the summer clothes, enjoying holidays without the dread of weight gain etc etc. I hope each day is getting easier for you.

I was seriously ill in April and had no choce, my band was infected and had to be removed. I was devastated and very concerned about just what has happened, I have started gaining weight. I saw my doctor today and was told putting another band in could be very risky and lead to even worse complications. I am seeing a nutrtionist and having medobolic testing next month to see if we can figure out why the weight came back on so fast. I am very afraid that I will go back to how I was before the surgery. I went from 267 to 138. I am now 158 and am afraid to even get on the scale anymore for fear it will show more weight gain. Any ideas I will gladly listen too. All advice is welcome and it sure is nice to know I am not the only one this has happened to or that feels like every pound just makes you look terrible.

Stacy - the day he removed all restriction was a love/hate feeling. After 4 years, I forgot what it felt like to swallow a bite and have it go all the way down w/out any issues. Which then led to the next bite and the next and the next...it was liberating in a very strange way. And if I had kept my head about me, I don't think the weight gain would have been so bad, but unfortunately, I rediscovered my obsession with carbs. Muffins, pancakes, bread...all the things that would get stuck super easy. Looking at the calendar, I have 2 weeks to go until I start the liquid diet. It cannot get here soon enough!!

The saggy skin issue was caused by weight gain not the speed or frequency of weight loss, so aside from plastic surgery once you reach goal weight, there's not much you can do to reverse it.

Hello I am 31 weeks and have gained about 22 pounds. Today at the doctors, I asked how I am doing with my weight gain. The doctor (first time I am seeing this one from the medical group) said that she would tell someone with my starting weight of 240 to have gained 0 pounds throughout the entire pregnancy. I was shocked. All of the other doctors that I have seen so far, including one who has the verticals sleeve gastrecromy herself, never said that. The doctor then proceeded to give me advice on what to eat. Stay away from all dairy- milk, cheese. Stay away from all oil. Only get Protein through fish. I said I don't eat fish. Then she said I don't need to eat meat to get protein, and to stick to Beans and tofu. I get maybe I've gained more than I should, and I atill have 9 weeks to go, but is she accurate? Should I have gained nothing? Why would this doctor tell me something completely different? I have gotten very relaxed with what I've been eating... Falling back into my old patterns pre surgery so I have to fix that, but I still don't eat huge amounts... Although with my pregnancy my appetite has increased Suggestions?

@@BigGirlPanties I really like that idea, and might do it, too. I have not bought any candy, because I don't want it in the house until the last minute. Before I was sleeved, I would buy it "for the kids" and have to keep rebuyng it until Halloween. Even now, I don't think I would stop at just one, and so was thinking about just skipping it all together, though I don't want to be a Halloween scrooge, lol. Most sugary carbs have the ability to send me into a downward spiral that just makes me mad at myself, so eating them isn't worth the subsequent weight gain and irritation from losing control.

I tolerate popcorn with no adverse issues, but ain't nobody got time for that. Since popcorn is carb-laden and lacking protein, I do not eat it these days. You love popcorn, but do you really need it? For many people in the bariatric community, a love of certain foods got them to the point of needing weight loss surgery in the first place. Popcorn is a slider food, a.k.a. slurry food. And in sleevers, slider foods are the root of most weight regain. It is a phenomenon that most surgeons do not discuss with their patients. Sliders (e.g., chips, popcorn, crackers, bread rolls, pretzels, pastries, cookies) are low-nutritive, carb-laden 'snacky' types of foods that 'slide' through your stomach and into your small intestine without inducing fullness or satiety. You can literally graze on several pounds of popcorn without ever feeling full. The predictable result is weight gain. Popcorn is a wondrous food for dieters with normal sized stomachs. It can, however, spell disaster for sleeved folks who need to prioritize protein and fluids over snacks with minimal nutritive value. I will repeat that the road to weight regain in sleevers is paved with Doritos, Lays, Ruffles, popcorn, Chips Ahoy, crackers, pretzels, and donuts. There are 475 calories in a bag of Orville Redenbacher popcorn. You can eat the whole bag and still be hungry for more due to the lack of protein, or you can get incredibly stuffed eating four chicken drumsticks for 475 calories and 45 grams of protein. To maintain whatever weight you lose with a sleeve, the "protein first" lifestyle is imperative. Popcorn will not get you there.

Hi all. Wow. What a thread. I'm 34 y/o and my dad has 22 years sobriety. His older brother went into treatment shortly after him and has been sober ever since. Their dad, my Pop, has kidney issues due to alcohol, and his father died due to alcohol. So it definitely is in my family. I was 12 and turned 13 while he was in treatment. Happy birthday Cori! As mentioned by Green, my house was full of parties and fighting. My mom was 14 and my dad was 22 when they got married. They were 5 months pregnant with lil ole me. So the odds were stacked against them from the get go. My lil bro and I both knew what beer was, pot and it's accessories, heck we even knew that the white stuff was used in one of the rooms and to stay out when it was. There was lots of fighting. Lots of verbal and emotional abuse. I don't think there was physical, but Mom has admitted in the past that it probably bordered on physical abuse. If my bro and I were woken up during a fight, we'd get up and get dressed and go get each other and be packed and ready to go if Mom walked out. As far as Dad's alcoholism, we never knew what kind of mood he'd be in when he came home from work. Starting at least half an hour before he'd get home, we'd all change our mood and just sit waiting to see how he was going to be. Whether we could have fun or not. I've never been a Daddy's girl. I was always jealous of the girls who had that special relationship with their Dad. I've always loved my dad but I hated him for a very long time. 2 weeks before he went into treatment, he left us. I saw him a couple times and it was very hard. Then his work said either he got treatment or he was going to lose his job. While my dad was in treatment, in order to see him, we had to attend a program of our own. At the time, they only had Al-Anon and Growing Tree (for kids 11 and under). I went to Al-Anon one week with my mom, but I was 12 years old. Everyone there was in their upper teens or adults. They couldn't relate with me. So after that I went to the Growing Tree with my lil bro. But yet again, I was too old for that. So I mostly was like a helper with their activities. I didn't have any counseling of my own. After Dad got out of treatment, we stopped doing anything. So I never really dealt with my feelings about his alcoholism. He still scared me for many years. At times, I still have that feeling. Even though I know he'd do anything in the world for me. While he was in treatment, was the first time he told me he loved me. I still have the letter. Mom and Dad's relationship improved over time. Their 35th anniversary is in June. They're happy. And the fact that he was in treatment seems to be a thing of the past. I will say that because I never dealt with my issues about my dad's alcoholism back when I was a kid, it had definitely affected me later in life. I have Cerebral Palsy. I just basically walk funny. I use crutches now and then if I need some added support. No big deal. I've always had a weight problem. I've always had a problem with depression. But because of the kind of house I grew up in, everything was kept to just the family. So a bright, happy smile was always on my face, no matter how horrible I felt. When I was 22, I had moved into my best friend's apartment, a couple hours away. One extremely depressing, lonely night, I considered suicide. I didnt do it, obviously. But it was my lowest of lows. After a few days of not being able to put a smile on at all, and my best friend being worried, I finally called Mom and Dad to tell them. Mom answered and got mad and tossed the phone to Dad. He and I have never really been able to talk. We've had maybe a 3 heart to hearts ever. We talked for over an hour, and I told him how I blamed myself all these years for his alcoholism. "If he hadn't met my mom when she was so young, and if she hadn't gotten pregnant with me. If I hadn't been born with a handicap." I felt his alcoholism stemmed from all that. Even though I knew our family history. He said it was by no means my fault. I believed him, but to this day, part of me feels like it is. When I got a little older I did start dating someone for about 10 months who had been sober a while and still attended AA meetings, so I started going to Al-Anon while he was in another room with AA. I'll admit, it helped me then. I stopped going to meetings when I broke up with my ex. I know my depression and weight gain is due to lots and lots of issues but I think a core part of it was my dad's alcoholism. Even though he's made amends in his own ways, the feelings are still there. The main thing I got from it was that I didn't have my first drink until I was 21. And even though my brother and I know how to party and can get pretty drunk (definitely a thing of the past for me now!). Neither of us made a habit of it. I maybe have drank 6 times a year, 1 big blowout. Wow, what a ramble. I hope you don't mind me going all over the place.

I think what happens, and I could be wrong, is that we develop a mindset of being able to eat whatever we want because the band limits the amount. Then, if we lose the fill, we question why am I gaining weight when I'm eating the same things I did before?! The fact is, that without that restriction, we do get hungry and it does take more food to fill us up. So eating more of the "same thing you ate before" is naturally going to cause weight gain. Add to that the stress and worry of gaining without that fill, and in come the comfort foods. It is not natural to eat 1/2 to 1 cup of food and be full. So don't be so hard on yourself. What has happened is very understandable and can be reversed. It was a hard lesson learned, but it sounds like one that you will not soon forget. As for the feelings of envy and and bitterness... I think those most likely equate to fear. When we feel ourselves slipping backwards into the dark pit we just climbed out of, it's hard to keep a smile and cheer on the ones who are still climbing. Tomorrow is a new day, with lots of choices to be made. And you have the power to make whatever choice you truly want to make for yourself. Beating yourself up isn't going to give you the desire to keep trying. So do try to remember to be kind to yourself. This is probably one of the hardest things you've ever tried to overcome, and the battle is far from being over. *hugs*

absolutely agree that stress (and also sleep) have a huge impact on the metabolism and therefore can cause weight gain.

Type 2 I take metformin, and had things under controls with meds, until yet another weight gain after a failed diet. Now the drs upped my metformin and put me on Victoza. Even if meds keep glucose levels down, diabetes complications scare me. I know weight loss has an effect on diabetes first hand, because when I've lost weight, my need for meds goes down. Short answer, I want healthy levels without medication, and that is one of my biggest reasons for WLS.

As you get further out, you might find you do a little better with dry food. But I totally had to laugh about it the rules being like being Catholic. So true! As a born and bred Catholic, that's probably why the rules and following them feel a little non-negotiable to me! I try to follow them best I can, and I feel so guilty when I don't. I guess if breaking the rules equals sinning, then the subsequent weight gain from breaking rules equals the purgatory/hell from sinning, lol! Don't know about you, but morbid obesity felt like hell on earth, to me. I really hated it.

Thanks Alexandra, You make some good points. I started gaining weight in my late teens. I worked in an office at 18 and got very sedentary. At first it wasn't a problem. I was just curvey and I met my husband and he loved it. Sometimes I would lose some weight and always gain it back, but I wasn't morbidly obese. I gained a lot of weight after losing weight on a liquid diet and I got pregnant soon after I finished the diet. I gained so much and kept on putting it on. My daughter will be 17 this months and its time to lose the baby weight, plus. When I had my first daughter 22 years ago, I lost a couple of lbs after I had her. Anyway the depression really started after I gained the weight with my 17 yr old daughter and I had moved from NJ to PA. I missed my friend in NJ and was faaaaaaaaaaaaaat and tired. You are right everything won't change magically, but I think I will feel more confident; like i did before this big weight gain. And I just wanted to hear others stories about how they felt. Thank you for your reply. Adele

Very interesting. Thanks for posting the link. The author's main point is that people generally overestimate the amount of calories that exercise burns off, and they drastically underestimate the number of calories in the food that they eat. People who reward themselves with food for their hard work-out usually cancel out any caloric deficite they had earned from the exercise. So the article's title is misleading (of course that's to get you to read it!). Excercise is good for you, but it alone won't make you lose weight. Personally, though, I don't think diet alone will make you lose weight. It's diet and exercise. Here's the author's last paragraph: "In short, it's what you eat, not how hard you try to work it off, that matters more in losing weight. You should exercise to improve your health, but be warned: fiery spurts of vigorous exercise could lead to weight gain."

Harley - youre completely amazing. You look great. I was a 36DD before this weight gain - went to a 38F and I am now on the way back down. Hoping to look as good as you when I am done. Please post more photos once you believe you are at your final size.

I have the japanese symbol for "eternity" on my right ankle and a thingy with a gem in it on my left ankle. Fortunately neither of them changed much with weight gain/loss, but they are a little faded and need a color touch up. I'll probably do that with an addition of something new when I get to goal or something..

Hello all my beautiful bunnies, I need to vent a moment. I am almost 3 weeks out from my band date and I have only lost 8 lbs. Yes it a loss, but not what I expected. Which leads me to my topic line, STRESS! One week after being banded my DH tells me he thinks we should move from Texas to Florida due to his job. What a bomb that was. I can handle that, but I have 4 kids. One of which is getting married on May 22. Then two of my girls have sports banquet, which most of you know involves dresses, shoes, jewelry, hair and nails! Plus I had tofly to Tampa to find a house, plus try to get this one ready to put on the market and pack! He wants to be out there by JUne 1!!!!!!!:rolleyes2: Now, as you can see, I have alot on my plate. No pun intended. And because of this I am reverting back to my old ways and eating fast food! I guess I just need some encouragement! I go back next week for my one month post-op and fill. I am hoping that will help, because I really have NO restriction what so ever. I was so excited about this band, now its the last thing on my mind! D:unsure:

I didn't have any documented weight loss program history ether. I told them about using colored weight loss pills and how I always battled weight gains. It's real how you tried to loose weight. Because you think you don't have anything to write down you really do. State your efforts with estimated dates. Tricare says Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig are used as good documentation. I joined Weight Watchers because of the requirement but it was the same dates as my three month doctor supervised diet. For me Tricare didn't check if I was a member or not. The following is straight out of the Tricare requirements. It will all be good for you so try not to worry to much. TRICARE will cost share any of the following open or laparoscopic bariatric surgical procedures: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass Vertical banded gastroplasty Gastroplasty (stomach stapling) Adjustable gastric banding (i.e., adjustable LAP-BAND®) If you meet all of the following conditions: You're at least 18 years old or you must provide documentation of completion of bone growth. You were unsuccessful with non-surgical medical treatments for obesity. Your medical records must show your failed attempts. Diet programs, such as Weight Watchers®* and Jenny Craig*, are acceptable methods of dietary management, as long as there are monthly clinical visits with your doctor and medical documentation of your participation and your progress throughout the course of the dietary program. *These programs are not covered by TRICARE. Physician-supervised programs made-up of only weight-loss medication management, do not meet this requirement. You have proof of one of the following: A body-mass index greater than or equal to 40 kilograms per meter squared (kg/m2); or A body-mass index of 35-39.9 kg/m2 with one clinically significant comorbidity, including but not limited to, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obstructive sleep apnea, Pickwickian syndrome, hypertension, coronary artery disease, obesity-related cardiomyopathy, or pulmonary hypertension. TRICARE does not cover the following services: Office visits solely for the treatment of obesity Non-surgical procedures for treatment of obesity Nutrition and diet counseling Biliopancreatic bypass (jejunoileal bypass, Scopinaro procedure) Gastric bubble or balloon Sleeve gastrectomy Gastric wrapping/open gastric banding Unlisted procedures

I been paranoid about complaining.. but if I dont make the thread, it doesnt count.. lol A note about whining... I have a ton of possitive stiff I could write about.... but, its the crappy stuff that I feel compelled to write about because I am working through it, I am figuring stuff out, I am LETTING IT all out, ..... I think it helps me. I am sorry if anyone feels cruddy over it. This is not how I feel all the time or in total... BUT feel free to say anything you want to me... I am not looking for attention, but I welcome it. Dont ever feel like you have to hold back. I hate to think of that happeneing.. anyway. ................. Dont mind the highlighting, i did that for my notes... sorry. BAD times. I have lost about 100 pounds. I have alot of mixed emotions. I am not myself. I didnt exspect myself to change mentally as much as I have. (I wont go into all of that now) I have this crappy mood. I KNOW I have lost 100 pounds and thats a good thing, and I should be celebrating and trying my new bod out.... But, instead... I have stopped dating. (I had a blast, BTW. I am single, and happily) I have stopped going out. ( I am down 95% of my normal outside time) I have stopped trying to look nice. (I wear my old pants, so baggy they fall off, that used to be something I would never tolerate, now I dont care) I hate my body. (and I thought I hated it before!) I feel discusting. It was just fat, now its nasty blobing deformation. I dont like my picture taken like I did when I first got the band. I dont even get naked in front of my kids anymore. (tub, changing, ect..and thats crazy cuz I WOULD never have self consciousness with my children in the normal frame of mind as I see it as real real low.. IT is NOT cuz I cant handle all the new things.... blah blah I have not experienced anything yet. I hide in my old clothes. I dont talk about my process much at all (embarrassed how slow I am loosing due to all the complications and $ troubles) I Dont want to say "I lost 100 pounds" and have so little to show for it. Its simply cuz I feel I look discustingly ugly.... I feel worse now about my looks than I did before I lost the weight. Plus I am dissapointed too. Plus I am worried about what will happen to my mood when I loose the next 100 pounds.. (making me a 200 pound fatso) I got used to my body. It was 400 pounds and It wasnt pretty. I did not look good by any means. BUT I was used to my body and I had accepted it and did the best I could with it. I was extremely self conscious, constantly 'fixing' myself. (But I hid it, lol) The things I had to worry about were: My skin was very white and streachmarks everywhere, I think I might have let the fattness go,l but the white streachmarks were really bad. I could not tan (didnt work) and self tanning stank and make me sweat. I didnt go fully naked ever. I had things to cover me up, just as much as needed. It took alot to show my legs, only to good frineds cuz they were very blobby, huge blobs... I wore capris that just hid the bloobs, always worried about them riding up. My ankles were normal thank goodness. My upper arms are deformed. They always have been the worst thing that happened to me with my weight gain. One of them has this ridge thats seriously abnormal, and sleeves never fit. I am poor, or else I would never wear anything but long or 3/4 sleeves... But I had to make the best of it, It was a constant thing worrying about if my arm fat was hanging out in a gross way. I mean there are certain levels of FATTNESS that should be contained! It was my duty to the world. GAWD MY upper arms have tortured me for so long.. My lower arms are normal as can be, (making them look even weirder!) My back, butt, fathump... So I dont have a butt, my actual buttcheeks are the size of the palm of my hands. I have what we call the 'fat hump'.. its a hump above my butt below my back, that HURTS like heck to be touched.. and I have the extra set of boobs on my back, literally big Double D boobies... Its all I can do to keep my bra strap covering them so they are as little as possible, it rides up unable to contain the boobies in back, but that didnt stop me from adjusting myself every five minutes, my back boobs so embarrassing. I hide them at all cost on important occassions.. other times, I HAVE always been shocked, never got used to how I looked when I caught my reflection sitting, By back as big as by front.. Double chin, when I went from 350 pounds to 400 pounds, THAT was a real noticeable change, no matter what I did, I could not hide it... It was too much, my face engorged all the time.. It really bothered me, alot. ok........ all that stuff, I got used to. Yeah, I hated it, obsessed over it, but It wasnt a big deal.. I call it FATTIE maintenence, its just what I did.. I didnt seem like a big ordeal at all.. ITS NOT that I want that body back.!!!!!!!!!!!! ITS not that I want to be 400 pounds instead of 300 pounds.. I DONT. I would never want to go back, NOT at all.. This is my body now, and I am NOT used to it.. I dont know what to do with it... but hate. It was surpose to be great. I HAVE LOST 100 pounds, HELLO.. I never thought it would happen, I dreamed of it for so long.. (I do have lots of possitives, but I am not in that place rightnow) ...My skin is still white and streachmarked.. But it is also, brown in spots, puckered, wrinkled, pock marked, blotchy and red pores all over. The pores and pocks and such used to be streached out I guess loooking like my actual skin, now they arent and parts of my body are corroded looking (they are not corroded, nothing could be done about it, its mostly pores from years and years of being clogged and cleaned, just like a face.. YUCK) This is mostly happening in my thighs and butt area. It all hangs, but not down so much as inward. When i sit, there it all is, my inner things squishing up inbetween my legs.. I have this 'cool' (lol) way of sitting, Its hard to explain..but it was my best way to 'hang out' 'look ok' 'relax'.... And now when i do it, all I do is expose all the blobulating fat in all its glory.. (this makes me LOOK, and feel FATTER.. BTW) Also, I have this really nice swim dress for the ymca, and it covered me just enough so that I didnt need to wear capris like I always used to... NOW, I hang below the swim dress.. I can feel it swinging back and forth and giggling all over.. IT looks like a massive vagina (the lips) inbetween my legs.. the swim dress still covers it I HOPE.. I cant enjoy my suit. (plus its too big, lol) OK, along with all of that... I have folds and creases with their own folds qnd creases.. It started out with one, and I proudly showed it off.. I use cleansing wipes when I go to the bathroom aslways, and it was my little ritual to use to wipe and clean my new blobs crease cuz It needed more cleaning than my regular bathing...... So, NOW.... I cannot afford that many wipes (they are a luxery as it is) and they smell and a few times now have developed rashes and they make me want to vomit to feel them. I Dont even know where they are all anymore. I have stopped paying attention, I dont look.. I cant imagine anyone touching me with all these creases in the way... THESE creases and folds make me feel fatter than EVER! My double chin is still there.. BUt theres something worse than a double chin.. its this droopy look to my face, especially around my cheeks and mouth.. that looks so off.. No one else can notice it, but I'm in the mirror enough to know its wierd looking.. I look older, I think it will get even worse. I STILL want to look like me. Everyone says I would be brittney spears if I was thin.... NOT (I never thought so).. everyone will FINALLY see what I have been saying all along, I AM UGLY! (FAT AND ugly) MY UPPER ARMS... I dreamed of the days I got some normalcy back in my upper arms, not to have to constantly worry whats hanging out my sleeves. .............. Oooooooooops, i didnt think about how worse it would be to wear sleeves, how all the fat has sagged downward instead of a big bunched up ball... so, I feel worse all the time.. it looks alot worse, it makes me feel fatter! iT MAKES ME look fatter too. One thing I like is to hold my arms up and let the fat sag to my arm pit (a fold or two here) ONLY then can I look at my arms and happy that the huge bunched up deforemed balls are GONE.. I am glad about that.. I love to giggle my LEDGE thats a slope now... My back... IS awesome.. ... WOW WOW WOW.. My back boobies have sagged into my sides, under my arms.... My bra easily holds everything in and doesnt ride up and the nightmear of adjusting constantly is over.. I walk by the mirror and look at my backside and think.. WOW, I am Skinny.. lol If I had one of those support back bra things, I could easily look as if I never had boobies on my back! The only other time I can think this is looking at my wrists and ankles. They are tiny.. way noticeable.. BUT, there is my stomach... OMG.. of course I never liked my stomach, but this is feeling like a deal breaker. In its tranformation, It only makes me look and feel fatter than ever. To look at me, or for myself to look down at me... its just a mass of fat all over the place, add my back boobies under my arms, my arms larger than ever, and my inner thighs with no where to go but my lap.. My lower stomach sits on my lap like a foot lower.. I swear it will end up at my knees.. plus it hangs over the sides of my legs too, in all its creases. It feels wrong, parts of my legs I always had access to, are covered in tummy and moist and need releif by lifting my tummy. One thing I didnt have to do much was lift my tummy, IT doesnt feel right and I have an aversion to it. I had this really tiny upper stomach that sat just under my boobies and was maybe a couple inches a roll.. my lower tummy held it there. NOW, it has not only dropped way below my breast line into "tummy area" but it has seperated into two parts and is traveling to the left.. I do sleep that way, so I guess thats why.. I am totally lopsided gravity not for me.. Oh, the bloobs on my legs.. have gotton smaller.. BUT they are drooping and I can no longer contain them nicely in capri's... THAT make me happy, to manage capri pants.. I dont want that luxery to have to end. OH.. and damn my boobs.. I have always hated them, always wanted a reduction.. always dreamed of little titties..... I was DD at age 12. For years they been deflating.. BUT now I cant maintain clevage.... they are wrinkled too.. suddenly I care about boobs! I wish i had appreciated them all those years! Whats a fat chic with out clevage??? ................HUmmmmm, is that all.........?? NO... BUt I bet no one has even read this much of my drivil.. Oh well, its for me anyway... ..... So, thats how and why I Do not feel as good as I had hoped to after loosing 100 pounds.. Also it was a big mistake to think I would be like I was before at 300 pounds.... I was 18 yrs old.......... DUH, it wont be the same.. And YES, I KNEW my body would sag and bag.. I know how people need plastic surgery ecspecially when starting out at 400 pounds.. I thought I was prepared for it.. I ALWAYS said "I will never look good" "I will look hideaous" "I will never be 150 pounds due to flab skin alone"........... BUT THAT WAS OK, anything is better than being over 200 pounds overweight... I am surprised at how I feel. I didnt know I was so vain. I knew I would never look good. I was being realistic I thought. Being able to get back surgery, and better health is GOOD enough. I will never have the funds for plastic surgery (unless I marry a guy who has some credit, a morgage?? something..,.. but thats unlikelly) Imight get my tummy done medically nessesary (I HOPE) (I have the whole rashes thing,, (everytime I get one I take a picture and file it on my computer, I can get rid of it in two days, but I wanna be prepared to show evidence.. Also I am more and more incontinent, I guess from the hanging belly) and Maybe my legs... I cant imagine the mess if I lose another 100 pounds, it would be medically needed for sure.. I WANT MY ARMS DONE!!! wahhhhh anyone know of a reason medically necesary for flabby arms.. (back pain??) and my boobs of course (a dream) I saw a pic of a butt.. hanging flab after 250 pounds lost, she didnt care to get it done, IT WAS SOOOOOOOOOO GROSS.. and I KNOW it will happen to me.. yuck. NO one will call that needed. I cant even imagine my Fupa's problems.. god I wish it would just shrink! I am on goverment medical so its unlikely, but I plan to do medical transcription or a call center after my back surgery.. so MAYBE some kind of insurence will cover it... ????? I have serious doubts about loosing another 100 pounds anyway.... I have a bad feeling my band is good for this 100 is all... I hope I am wrong.. I think my whole bad attitude would change for the better AFTER another 100 pounds... I hope.. I just cant trust my self these days... it does NO good to KNOW yourself so well, if your gonna go and change! lol ..........

I gained 25lbs during my six month pre op. I really just couldn't control myself. The worst part was going to the nutritionist and seeing her disappointed face..lol...I was approved, and no one mentioned the weight gain at all. I am currently two weeks post op, and as of today between the liquid diet pre op and the two weeks after surgery, I have lost the 25lbs I gained. Good luck! I have anthem BCBS of Virginia by the way.

Incredibly helpful VSGAnn. Thank you so much. I'm trying to be extremely honest with myself while I move toward this surgery. I'm facing facts - I ignored my own warnings about eating poorly for years, resulting in the need for surgery to remove the offending body part that really didn't do anything wrong at all - it was all my actions that got me here. I can blame myself and self-hate til the cows come home but I still turn my mind to neutral when it comes to driving through McDonald's every morning for my sausage mcmuffin and tea before work! I don't even TRY anymore. It's gotten to that point now. I gave up.... The surgery seems radical, that's being honest. I worry more about afterward than the surgery itself - honesty again. And that's because there is NO turning back. Permanent decision - elective surgery to remove most of my stomach because I have NO control when it comes to the basics of life - eating. But I also have a long history of weight gain - right back to when I was 9 years old and knowing I was putting on weight - and how?? We didn't have fast food places anywhere around then - in fact, when a KFC came to town I distinctly remember holding the bucket on my lap for the drive home and breathing in the delicious smell - but I can't remember a time after that we had it. A&W - my big brother would drive to it and bring home a root beer for us little kids. But really, other than homemade Cookies we didn't get a lot junk in our house. And my parents and 3 siblings are slender and fit, just I had the weight issue. So I'm pretty sure there's a genetic thing going on too. Although I eat bad things at times, I very, very rarely overeat. It's hard not to beat yourself up for doing this to yourself, but I'm sympathetic to myself and all who struggle with their weight. It's not ONLY a self-control issue. I'm trying very hard to focus on what I will feel like 6 months or 1 year after the surgery, once I'm over the worst of the healing process. It's the spectre of regret that is killing me. And now - the spectre of the hormone dump! LOL If you can, speak about regrets - how did it affect you, or were you able to just get through the day unscathed as you moved toward being 'normal' again? You're welcome, @@TracyBar . Re the immediately post-op hormone dump that many women experience -- I had it very easy because I'm quite post-menopausal. I had sleeve surgery at age 68. And after menopause I used hormone replacement only for a year or so before discontinuing them all. Therefore, my body fat wasn't full of a lot of hormones that flooded my system during the early weight loss periods post-op. Yes, I had a few strange days. But honestly, I was so distracted by the other WLS stuff happening to me at that time -- comparatively rapid weight loss, changing body image, getting used to all the new post-op regimens (eating, tracking, exercising, etc.) that we all go through post-op. Hubby and I also had a lot of distracting things going on in our lives which were distracting. I do know that if the post-op hormonal dump happens to you, it won't continue forever. There are a lot of things that happen to us post-op that change considerably over time. As I wrote on another thread this morning, you can be pretty sure that how you feel today is not how you're going to feel in a few weeks, months or years.

Removing fill can help you lose weight. You can eat healthy foods. Being too tight will cause weight gain because you resort to sliders and on the odd day you can eat you over eat. The band isn't about restriction. It's about making it so you eat until satiated (not full) and that you don't eat again until hungry. If you're eating more than 1-2 cups per meal ask yourself why. Are you doing it because you can or because you're actually hungry. If you're doing it because you can then no surgery will help you. Write down everything you eat, everything you feel before you eat, how long it takes you to eat a meal (30 mins minimum), did you eat more because it tasted good? Are you eating white carbs? Sugars? Drinking fruit juice? How active are you really? Get a FitBit $99 to see how much you really move. Take a photo of every meal before you start and when done. Remind yourself about what you're doing. We often overestimate our calorie burn and underestimate our intake. It sounds more like it's you that is not working -- not the band. It's doing its job sitting there. You have to make the conscious decision to stop eating when you are no longer hungry, to slow down, to drink 8 oz of Water 15 before a meal to help fill you up and hydrate you, to make the right food choices, and to use your band as it is intended -- to make you mindful of hunger.

Well after many months and many ups and downs I finally have a date to have my eroded lap band removed. March 29th is the big day!!!!!!!!!!! I will have my surgery VERY early in the morning and will stay overnight to make sure there is no leaking from the repaired area of my stomach. Hopefully, if all goes well, in two months I will revise to either the sleeve or banded plication. There is much to consider with both of these procedures and the positives and negatives are pretty well balanced. I have read good and bad things about both procedures. Right now though, I'm just going to focus on getting the band removed and see what kind of damage it's done. So far I have felt no effects other than an occasional pull or tug or momentary pain in the area just below my sternum. I still have some minimal restriction due to there being a plastic ring in the middle of my stomach but I can pretty much eat anything I want and have been. I figure that eventually I will have the tool necessary for me to succeed so I might as well enjoy myself while I can even though the weight gain is making me feel miserable physically. I can't wait to be thin again. Weird how the mind justifies things. If I couldn't eat another cheeseburger tomorrow it wouldn't bother me, but since I can I do! Ugh. I'm definitely ready to get back on track. Let's get this party started!