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Maybe you should step away from the scale for a few days, Elizabeth. Sometimes weight can fluctuate so much from one day to the next for a number of reasons. It could be a weight gain due to hormones or you could be retaining water. Are you close to that time of the month? Does the stew have a high amount of salt in it? Just be patient. That band is not going anywhere, but the weight will! Just concentrate on following all of your doctors orders. This time is about healing and learning all of the new, healthy eating habits that you will carry with you on your journey. If you have a local Lap-Band support group, try attending the next meeting. Maybe someone there has experienced the same thing and can help ease your mind. Whatever you do, don't get discouraged. You're doing great!

I actually only started gaining weight about 8 years ago after a serious back injury. I was a healthy weight as a child and in my teens, played ice hockey and soccer for years which kept me in shape growing up. Wrestled in high school and first year of university. I literally dropped off a 30' cliff and landed on my upper back. I was told to lay off any contact sports or lifting weights for awhile. I slowly started gaining weight once I couldn't do the physical activities I use to love. A few years went by and gained about 50lbs. I met my wife who is an amazing cook coupled with our love checking out new restaurants and before I knew it I was up another 40-50lbs... around 275. I have loss about 75lbs 2 times in the last 5 years only to gain in all back and then some. The last straw was when I hadn't weighed myself for a few months and was shocked I had hit 320. All the while I had known and research vsg surgery but always felt it was to extreme. The latest big weight gain caused me to serious consider it and that was history. I always knew I could lose the weight without the surgery. I did the surgery to keep the weight off for good.

Oh gosh, dont remind me. Fat has crept up on me mostly at major life events (births of babies specifically) not as a constant thing. At 40, my next major life event is probably menopause, lol (though hopefully a way away yet!). I have given lots of time to hoping I can maintain this loss past menopause. Because when I look at women who I think look fabulous in their 50's and 60's that I would like to emulate as I get older the one thing they have in common is a youthful figure. Its not about keeping flowing blond locks that you can flick around or having 20 facelifts to look like some macarbe impersonation of a 30 year old, its that around the middle weight gain that to me identifies women as old or middle aged. Those that stay slim always look more youthful to me, even if they've aged completely normally skin wise. I fear looking "old" more than anything I think, I dont need to be stunning or beautiful, I just want to maintain that fit, healthy and vital look becuase that's what I think is really attractive, not beauty itself which fades for everyone. And that is entirely within MY control. I will be that 70 year old woman still running. That makes me feel good about myself regardless of what I actually look like.

Hi everyone, I wanted to say goodluck to everyone who is being banded soon and my thoughts are with those currently on their preop diet that I will soon be doing. While I'm not looking forward to two weeks of a liquid diet I am excited about being banded. My biggest problem right now is that I seem to be eating everything in sight. I find myself snacking alot throughout the day and not caring much about it. I have this faulty thinking that it doesn't matter because I will be doing my preop soon. I have also found myself not wanting to catch up with old friends that haven't seen me in a while due to my big weight gain. Anyway I can't wait to hear everyone's post op stories!!!

I have battled with my weight since I was young but pretty much kept it under control with working out and diet. Late 2009 I started having issues with my hips and was unable to walk more then just a few feet, so the weight just piled on was at my heaviest 312 I'm 5"7. My doctor recommended I have a bariatric consultant. At the time the way things went with the bariatric doctor it seemed like the magic pill we al dream of. Just one consult and I was underway to my upcoming surgery I had to lose 10% of my weight. Took me about 3 months and had my surgery January of 2011. I was outpatient surgery and was home by dinner. I have to say it was fairly easy very little pain, some shoulder gas pain I walked off. Being on the liquid diet the weight came off quick and I followed the liquid diet to a T. No issues weight came off and I was back to my normal activity within 2 weeks. Solid foods in the beginning where great small portions and chewed everything very carefully. Fast forward to 2014 I am down to 220 total weight loss 92 pounds feeling and looking great. Went from size 24 to 16. I had to watch everything I ate because the weight was creeping back so I went on weight watchers at this time I had put on about 25 pounds but back down to around 220. I never lost anymore weight. When I went back to my bariatric doctor for fills I was almost full...that's when things went down hill...after that I threw up every day every meal and still not weight loss but weight gain, then came the reflux...so bad I was taking medicine and eating bottles of tums every day, had to sleep with a wedge..but worse then that was my asthma was so bad, I was taking tons of prednisone my immunity was going down, I had thrush for five weeks...I was a mess, not to mention my weight was up to 263. My bariatric doctor said just go back on liquids I did but who can live on liquid for ever...finally my primary doctor got me a consultation with a different bariatric doctor and he was amazing ran test found out I had an ulcer around my band. I will not even do bands do to 50 % of patients having issues, I am no awaiting my insurance to authorize a band removal and revision to full gastric bypass...the band was a nightmare for me.., my band is open all the way now, my reflux and asthma is great! I've lost 8 pounds and going to meet with the nutritionist next month.... Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

It IS a great place and I feel like the men on here can identify with where I am more than any men I've known, which is why you all are the ONLY men who have ever been privy to my actual weight (besides a medical professional). Even my husband had NO clue as to how much I weighed until a few weeks ago. I just know that everyone on here, men and women, can relate to every feeling I have or have had about weight gain, weight loss, surgery, or anything to do with all of that. Anything we're going through, we can jump on here and find someone else that is going through it too. Very awesome.

This is my week 7 post op. I read a lot of messages on this forum and posted a lot of questions before my surgery. So I thought I had done my research and this was the right thing for me. Boy was I wrong. If you are considering vertical sleeve surgery (or any bariatic surgery), and are not more then 100lbs over weight, please read this message. I have been a healthy person all my life (40 yrs old). The worst sickness I ever got in my whole life was the flu once in a while. I have had a history of weight gain and loss all my life. At the time I decided to go through the vertical sleeve surgery, I was 80lbs over weight, and my knees hurt when climbing stairs due to my high weight. I would have also developed diabetes if I had not lost weight. I also felt that I didn't have enough energy [i wanted to play with my kids]. I had to wait 6 months before surgery (insurance requirement). My nutrition counseling visits were a joke. I gained another 20 lbs thinking o, I am going to loose all this weight after the surgery so let me eat up for the last time. My surgeon told me that I will be out of work for 2 weeks post surgery (which I naively assumed to mean it will take me 2 weeks to get better). After the surgery, every second of my life has been hell. Now, I am constantly sick. I have non stop nausea. I have bile comming up from my stomach and living happily ever after in my mouth all day every day. My taste buds have changed so that smells from any food make me gag. I am not able to eat or drink ANYTHING to save my life or give myself energy for any length of time. Most days, I don't even have the energy to speak much less walk. I am constantly dehydrated and lethargic. I look and feel like a zombie. [Remember I wanted to play with my kids :-( ]. My back hurts so bad that I have to wake up in the middle of night and support myself with my arms instead of my back. All my follow up visits with the surgeon have been same. O' you are healing well, the incisions look good. You just need to eat more Protein and drink more Water. I recently made a list of all that I used to do with my extra weight and low energy and I am not able to do A SINGLE thing from that list anymore due to this surgery and its consequences on my body!!!! If I had used the 6 months prior and 2 months post surgery to honestly trying to loose weight, instead of opting for the surgery, I would have lost enough weight to put me in a healthier body. I didn't have to screw up my body to the point that WHATEVER IS DONE CAN'T BE UNDONE!!! I don't know if I will feel better in 3 months or 6 months or never. Imagine the guilt I feel for turning myself from a healthy person to a sick lethargic one. If you want to loose weight so you have energy to do things, THIS SURGERY IS NOT THE ANSWER. There is more. The surgeons de-emphasize or blatantly don't tell the long term consiquences. You know how they tell you that you will have to eat extra Vitamins after the surgery. The exact truth is...The part of your stomach that processes some vitamins (B for example) is mostly cut out. Your body is no longer able to process it doesn't matter how much extra vitamins you take. You will have to be monitored for Vitamin deficiencies for the rest of your life. Eventually, you will have to get Iron infusions or Vitamin B shots once you develop these deficiencies. I wish I had gotten banded instead. Atleast, I had a way to undo the damage I have done to my body and my health. If my email doesn't convince you, Please go see a gastro doctor or some other kind of specialist (other then your surgeon), who see patients who have gotten bariatric surgeries done. Ask them about long term complications. Since my surgery I have talked to two gastro specialists and both of them told me about the deficiencies and how they see patients like these all the time. And now I have to go through a ton of more procedures to make sure there is nothing wrong with my surgery. I am wasting so much time and money, this surgery has consumed my life. My goal was to be healthy, not to be screwed for the rest of my life. And I feel the later is what actually happened. Please do more research then read about the happy customers on this support group.

I am three weeks post-op. I have been doing fine with the exception of terrible gas pain in the afternoon. Every afternoon, I feel extremely terrible and all I do is take Gas X and pass gas all evening. I am not sure what is going on but it is not fun. I had lost a total of 25lbs since the pre-op diet. However, the past 2 weeks, the scale has stopped moving in the right direction. I have gained 3lbs since surgery. I am not sure why, because I eat small portions and my calorie intake per day is between 800 and 1000 a day. I have eliminated all simple carbs and very little complex carbs. I am not discouraged just a tad bit disappointed that my scale is not going down. I still belive that I made the right choice and when I see my doctor next Friday, I will express my concern.

MollyBrown, you are 44 years old . I wish Lap Band was available to me when I was 44 (now I am 55). You are making a great decision, because chances are, you would remain on the same roller coaster of weight gain and loss and accompanying misery for the next 10 years as I have done. I am keeping a Word document with all the good ideas I read in these posts, and I am surely going to check on the Isopure. My blood sugar plummets and I feel really bad on a liquid diet - plus those shake things gag me as well! You go girl! You got what it takes to push through. Only 5 more days to go!

My weight gain and loss has been a roller coaster since Surgery. I have learned to accept the changes in my body and to just keep pushing forward and ignore it. I am 11 months out and have lost a total of 94 pounds. It WILL happen for you too. Just be patient with your body and don't freak out when you notice a gain, eventually you start loosing again.

Thank you- I'm 36 but I also have some auto immune stuff going on which really causes extreme fatigue. I don't want to blame that because that's not it totally but it certainly has been the reason for my recent weight gains. I'm SO happy to hear that you were approved. Bah! This is NOT fun. Thank you again

Hey, I too am looking for a buddy. I was banded in 2005. I had been diagnosed with Addison's disease and was put on two different steroids and have gained weight back. People keep telling me that it was not my fault that I was gaining weight because it was the steroids. I started to become upset because of the weight gain and then started to make horrible food choices and stopped exercising. I told myself that it was because I am sick. I have gained around 50 pounds in the last three years. I have decided I need to go back to the basics with my lap band. My habits are up and down and so is my weight. I still have restriction so I know it works I too am very discouraged and determined to get back on track. I use my fitness pal to log all foods, Water and exercise. My name on my fitness pal is DaisyRN look me up and friend me, it is an awesome site. Good luck and message me whenever you need support. Good Luck!!!

So I got surgery in December of 2011. My heaviest was 290-ish and my lowest post-op was 220. I admit that I didn't follow the rules and I drink pop now and looking back I would have lost so much more had I done everything right. It was just so nice to not worry about food for once in my life and eat what I wanted and not gain weight. I was only 17 so I was so young and stupid! Anyway I just had a baby, obviously gained weight from that. I was up to 270 when I finally gave birth and with some effort and help with medicine, I am now 244. I want to get down to my goal weight so I can finally get rid of the sagging skin and just feel more confident but I notice that I am eating more than I could. Obviously a little stretch is normal post op but I feel like depending on the food, I can eat so much more. I want to just lose the rest of the weight and ideally get down to 150-170. I have heard of the "re-sleeve diet" and was curious if anyone had success with that. I don't think I would qualify for a re-sleeve surgery. But if there anything I could do to utilize my sleeve again being 5+ years post op.

We are certainly all different, but I've done several n=1 experiments, and I have learned much about my body and metabolism. I have learned that anything beyond a small to moderate amount of cheese will stall my weight loss totally. So the many delicious and low carb cheese recipes come with the added knowledge that the scale will not budge. Starches are my Achilles' tendon. My blood sugar is impacted much more by bread than by sugar itself. The effect is longer and more pronounced, and thus anything made with wheat flour (whole grain or otherwise) will promote Water weight retention and weight gain besides. There is no moderate amount of starch for me, it has to be cut out totally. Corn products, be it through sugar or tortillas or whatever will make me crave more of the same to an almost unbearable extent. I will literally dream about tacos and wake up unsure if it was all a dream (nightmare) or I really ate like 12 tacos. Corn syrup is so ubiquitous in North America that it basically means eating real foods only to avoid them. No amount of time seems to improve my cravings for corn based foods, so I have to accept the reality that I can NEVER indulge that disastrous addiction. No different than a heroin addict having to swear the stuff off totally, lest they be dragged back into the life.

Everyone is going to have a different experience. But looking at the "averages", it seems a decent number of people develop GERD from the sleeve. And quite a few people don't get any dumping at all. I've had exactly 1 incident of dumping, in over 6 months. And that was with tomato soup. I can eat pretty much anything I want at this point with zero dumping. I do get crampy here and there if I eat something I know I shouldn't, but I don't have any issues with any sweeteners. I went with the band back in 2011... and was revised to RNY this past March. Honestly the best thing I've done. I have a friend that was sleeved and he also had to get revised to the bypass due to complication with the sleeve. Also, the sleeve is 100% non-reversible. The Bypass is reversible under certain conditions, it's a risky reversal, but it does happen, you cannot undo the sleeve since 90% of your stomach ends up in the trash. Also, long term research keeps showing that the bypass out performs the sleeve in all metrics. Patients lose more, keep it off longer, have lower rebounding weight gain. It is 100% your decision, but my 2 cents, go with the bypass.

For me, I don't think my antidepressant (was Luvox, now Lexapro) contributed to weight gain. If anything, it helped, since I was/am an emotional eater. Back when we were trying to find a med that worked well for me, I loved Wellbutrin for the energy boost I got (works on your dopamine levels, which regular SSRIs do not). Unfortunately it did nothing for my depression, so I just cried more energetically. Weight loss has done nothing for my depression, which really does seem chemical rather than situational or related to some past trauma. I had kind of hoped that I'd be able to get off meds once I reached goal; that maybe in some miraculous way, losing weight would adjust whatever chemical imbalance is occuring, in a similar way to how my hormones are starting to balance out with the weight loss. Granted, I'm still quite a ways off from goal, but just the fact that I will probably need to up my dosage at my next re-prescription time rather than decrease it tells me this is pretty much permanent for me. In the early days, I tried several times to wean off them, but always ended up deeply mired in depression again and had to go back on. My doc pretty much told me to forget ever going off of them, that I'd likely be on them for life. It's been 12 years now. And yes, I've tried therapy. :redface: Therapy was helpful for dealing with some of my issues, but not for the depression. :grouphug: BTW, I had a friend who went on Paxil and she did have issues with weight gain. She ended up bulimic as well as obsessive about exercise. :biggrin: I think some meds do cause weight gain, or interfere with losing. Or maybe it's a combination of the med and how certain people respond to it?

Thank you to all. I don't think I would have gotten so upset if he hadnt already said some rude things. Before surgery he said,"How on earth do you expect this to work? How are you going to keep the weight off? How did you gain so much to begin with?! If you're hungry all the time you're just going to gain it all back." When he met me I was about 30 pounds lighter than I am today. When we were dating he cheated on me several times with much older women. But I forgave him and we got married anyways. Ever since being diagnosed with Bipolar and having to be on all these meds with horrible weight gain side effects I gained a lot of weight. I've never been this big before. I'm proud of my weight loss and I know I will get back in shape. It just makes me so sad how cold he is. It's obvious he's not attracted to me. I guess I can't help but want to wow him and shock him with the new me. But another part feels like I shouldn't have to go to those lengths for him. He doesn't give a crap what I think about him.

Out of the blue I looked up Star Jones to see how she was doing, since her successful gastric bypass. First news headline I see " Disaster after weight loss surgery" picture of Star from every angle wearing a white one piece bathing suit. I guess she had gained back 80 lbs and many articles ridiculed her for her weight gain. Now, I am not a fan nor hater... I just wanted to see how WLS can be maintained. I am 80% committed to having the gastric sleeve and my worst nightmare is gaining the weight back few years down the road and for people to make snarky comments. I feel bad for Star since she was so successful with her procedure and I am not completely sure why the restriction is eliminated with WLS after couple of years. Anybody else share the same fear?

I am just going to give you a big hug. Tell him you've only gained a few lbs and he must be a moron. I am sorry, but you have to tell him the truth. Let him know you have NOT gained "a lot of weight". I personally feel strongly about this. This is what causes eating disorders. Once he realizes he's an idiot, he will probably shut his mouth. I am almost as mad as you and it didn't even happen to me! Bless your heart, seriously! You have done a fantastic job with your weight loss and your husband obviously is being an idiot in this situation. Seriously I think he must be a bit insecure or something. Maybe he thinks putting you down will keep your self-esteem a little low so you won't go looking elsewhere. I really don't know. I just know you need to tell him he's dead wrong about a big weight gain ! OK, I will stop ranting. I wish you all of the best. I know how it feels to be hurt by someone you love on this sensitive subject.

Hello my name is jeanell and back in March of 2005 I had RNY surgery in Denver, CO. My doctor was Michael A. Snyder. I lost a total of 110lbs but gradually started gaining 5yrs post op. I started noticing that food was causing digestive issues no matter if it was healthy or not and I was getting no Satiety with food. The symptoms got worse and exercise and diet was not stopping my weight gain. I finally decided to go back to my surgeon 10yrs pot-op and after gaining 60lbs. I found out that I definitely had issues with my stoma being enlarged and that a revision would be necessary. It has been 5 days since my revision surgery and I hope and pray I get back on track. I will definitely make sure that I follow all the rules of the tool and pay attention to my body. I actually had a hernia that required repairing during the revision surgery. My plan is to get as much support as I can because this procedure and journey is very exhausting mentally,emotionally and physically. I am excited that they have apps and forums like this to assist with this journey. I look forward to discussing my journey. Regards, Jeanell

Hi! I'm in the waiting stage as well. Luckily only 3 months here in TN, but I'm nervous something will come back and say, nope, you gotta wait more. I am a lapband failure - surgery in 2011, only lost around 40 pounds, but was able to keep it that way for years. I started having issues with reflux and weight gain, so they removed the band November 2019. Now just waiting on the new approval for RNY.

I think the fact that the baby is growing is very comforting to you and the doc. However, unless you had a loss due to morning sickness in the first few months, I can see your doctor's concern. On the weight watchers and other dieting websites, they say that the guidelines/instructions for following such programs during pregnancy are really for 2 things: 1. Possible loss during the first 4 months of pregnancy 2. Maintenance during the last 5 months of pregnancy So, even most diet programs have a reasonable expectation that you should not be in a loss mode after a certain point. I think that if you're eating a large amount of fiber-rich foods, that can certainly contribute to weight loss, simply because that has always been the case for me. A little fat and fun food is what pregnancy is all about, so maybe treat yourself to a big, guilty meal once a week and try not to worry about the weight gain. Remember if the baby weighs 7 lbs and you retain roughly 3-4 lbs of amniotic Fluid and breast milk, that you will have lost 12-15 lbs by the time you leave the hospital just thru delivery! And don't worry Fairy, I'm only 11 weeks and up 9 lbs....eek! However my gains have stopped these past 2 weeks, thank goodness. Hugs.

Kimmy, I'm 5'3, and a "pleasantly plump" 210 lbs. My BMI is 36.5. I have bounced around from 125 to 298 for 16 years........no less than 6 times. Trust me when I say I have the stretch marks, the batwing skin, the tummy flap, the saddle bags, the inner thigh pouches, the sacks my boobs were once in.......ALL great little reminders of the roller coaster of weight gain and weight loss. I'm 40 yrs old. My mom doesn't agree with the surgery, nobody close to me thinks of me as "that big", but I KNOW ME!!! I'm tired of fighting my weight, losing it, only to gain it all back again over a couple of years. I'm doing this for ME, NOT for my mother and certainly not for anyone who doesn't see me as "that big". I, I, I, I, and may I repeat again, I, ME, MYSELF am doing this so I, ME, MYSELF can bend over, run, breath, feel the muscles in my legs and stomach again, and LIVE LIVE LIVE and LAUGH without jiggling!!!!!! If you know your body, and you've made this decision based on your own personal needs, then you are doing the right thing. NEVER NEVER NEVER let others influence you into something that isn't theirs to choose!~ I WISH YOU THE BEST! Keep posting! Christal

LOL Goodness, you're giving me too much credit I have zero self control, which is why I needed the lap band in the first place... My blessing is that I've always been a good eater in that I love ALL foods. Fruits, veggies, Proteins, good carbs... I love all the foods I'm "supposed" to eat, but I also love the foods I'm NOT "supposed" to eat. My problem before WLS was that I'd load up my plate, big time. Heaping piles of potatoes, 8-10 ounces of meat, heaping piles of veggies covered in olive oil and/or tossed with feta cheese and lemon juice (YUM!!!) and then I'd eat dessert like a 2 pack snack cakes or a bowl of ice cream. And I'd eat my partner's leftovers. Every meal I ate would be balanced, but would also be enough to feed 2-3 normal sized people. The lap band enables me to eat an appropriate portion for one person. I think you need to focus on what your problem is. For me, it's always been portion sizes. I have a hard time dishing up a normal serving size for myself and I use salad plates now so I won't over-do it. I fill the plate mostly with Protein and veggies, and then one scoop of rice/potatoes/pasta because I just can't do without a few bites of it. I eat the protein first, then the veggies, and that leaves very little room for starches so I eat a couple bites and then I throw the rest away. Usually that's good enough for me. I eat until my stomach says "stop" and then I'm done. If I eat beyond that "stop" I get a stomach ache. There are times where I'll stare at my food and feel totally baffled because I WANT to keep eating but I CAN'T keep eating. It's a very, very strange feeling for a volume eater. My PA told me everyone's weight problem stems from different issues. Some of the folks she saw ate only carbs and had to get used to including proteins and veggies. Others loved dessert too much. Others struggled with emotional issues and needed counseling. My problem is I'm an enthusiastic eater with a very powerful appetite. The lap band itself easily resolved that for me - my issue appears to be purely physical. I've thought about it a lot because I thought I was an emotional eater and I went through counseling only to learn that I'm really not... I don't know why I have an abnormal appetite, I just do. So I think you need to really think about why you're struggling. What are you eating? How much? How often do you get hungry? When do you get hungry? Do you have situations that trigger your hunger? Are you drinking enough Water? Do you have a medical condition that caused/causes weight gain? Hope that helps a little... I'm sorry you're struggling I'm not quite an expert yet because I only just had my surgery a couple months ago but I'm happy to answer any questions!

My first pregnancy was my first experience with weight problems. I weighed 125-127 when I got pregnant and had never weighed more than that. I remember I was up 67 pounds on the day of delivery (I had a morning OB checkup and I remember my doctor was very upset with me so the number sticks in my head ). I went from the 120's to the 190's so fast that I had angry, glaringly red stretch marks on my belly, thighs and arms. I looked like a road map. I remember some of the main dietary culprits of that weight gain was huge quantities of strawberry flavored milk, and lots of Mexican including taquitos and quacamole several times a week. I was living in southern California and my diet was primarily Mexican during that pregnancy. By the way, I made a point not to have even one glass of strawberry milk or a single taquito (shredded spicy beef wrapped in a corn tortilla deep fried in oil with salsa, sour cream and guacamole on the side) during this pregnancy out of fear of repeating the past, lol. After that pregnancy, my new lowest weight was 156 and I went ever upwards from that point on until banding. I know I have the potential to gain a lot of weight during pregnancy. I think being banded must be impacting me in that I am eating lots of things but just not huge quantities. I think this will just be an entirely different pregnancy for me than the first, especially since I am much older and hopefully a little wiser this time around, lol.