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I am glad you are seeking help. I worry about Paxil is know to cause weight gain. There are lots of antidepressants on the market that don't have that side effect. Speak with your doctor concerning that if you notice you are not able to lose weight or gain.

I weigh myself every morning. Cm four weeks out and dealing with PMS-no weight gain but no loss either. Also dealing with constipation. I adjust my diet as necessary. More fluids etc and increase my exercise As needed Guess I will be a scale junkie.

So today I had an appointment with the nutritionist. I am currently 308 lbs @5'5 . Most of my weight gain is from having kids. I have three. So of course I'm too busy to exercise and focus in me. But I'm excited to finally do something by having bypass . I have to lose weight and keep track of the foods I eat. This is going to be the hardest challenge ever! If I could lose weight by dieting I wouldn't be getting wls.

CG is right. I've been at my current weight since January and have gone down as much as two clothing sizes. Somehow the body does get smaller even if it doesn't show on the scale. In fact, the only reason I weigh myself at all is because I'm on steroids and need to watch for Water weight gain as that can indicate kidney issues.

I agree it is a lifetime project, but I would also like to point out that for many normal weight people it is also a life time project....people who have NEVER had weight problems also gain weight, they notice it, they cut back, they get to the gym, they pay attention to how their clothes fit, they take care of that 2 or 3 or 5 lb weight gain that happens when you live your life! They may not have had to lose 50-100 or more lbs like we all did, but the fact is, WE DID and we are right there with them now because this surgery gave us that opportunity. So now, with the support of everyone here, we can say, OK then....I'm up a few lbs and I have lots of choices of how to get rid of those (5:2, th3 5 Day Pouch Test, more exercise, cutting out eating at night for a week or so, fill in the blank for the right choice for YOU. And remind yourself that what ever you decide to do, it isn't for a full month, or a full year, that finally this is NOT overwhelming and at least for me, before this surgery, whatever the diet choice of the month was, I just knew I would fail....now I know I won't!!!! I also have old habits creep in, so you know what? I indulge them, but in small amounts and I also do the 5:2. And when I'm not perfect on the 5:2, I at least always have two days a week that are NO WINE/NO COOKIE days...(because those are my two downfalls). And at 3.5 years post of and 61 years old, I am at goal and I feel great. Just say NO to pity parties because we have all come way too far and we are closer to our healthier selves than we are to our old selves....

Hey @juno5 As far as your question about the doctor, I think it is a really good idea to go with someone you are comfortable with. If you are not comfortable with the newer doctor that is replacing the one you were originally going to go with, then you should pick a different doctor. I personally would not want to have to worry about my doctor on top of all the other stuff you have to do.To me though a newer doctor doesn't mean he is any less qualified. Also, he might be even more careful than a doctor that has been doing them for years. Thats just my opinion though. You should definitely do what makes you feel comfortable. Now whethere your ob/gyn counts toward documented weight gain or just being obese as a whole my insurance did NOT say it had to be a pcp. So if your insurance does not say specifically pcp and it says something like physician documented or must be in medical records then any doctor will do. I am personally using my ob/gyn's weight and height to submit as proof. Something else to check for is if your insurance allows.... If say you don't go to a doctor in a 1 year time span and you have a picture of yourself during that time that shows your overweight AND you get your current pcp to sign off saying yes she was obese then with a date. My insurance will accept the picture. But that is my particular insurance I would suggest getting your policy and looking at it. If you have any more questions or something just let me know. I am no expert by any means, but I might can help.

People who have undergone bariatric surgery know the weight loss battle does not end in the operating room. Months and even years after surgery, some weight can slowly creep back on. But this isn't a time to panic because now you have the tools to overcome a little setback and regain control of your weight. This time, you are in charge. One of the lessons you learn after weight loss surgery is that you are in charge of your health, diet and exercise program. The food no longer rules the roost--you do. The truth of the matter is no matter what the scale says, 110 or 310, everyone puts on a few pounds now and then. As a bariatric surgeon in New Jersey for more than 10 years, one of the biggest anxiety triggers for patients is weight gain. "That's it--it's over--I'm going to gain all the weight back." Of course that's not true. To get back on pace, I’ve listed a few essential steps to help get you back on track to dropping the pounds once again: • Go back to the beginning Post-surgery, you probably followed your healthcare team’s advice to the letter. But as time passed, and you looked and felt healthier, you may have started to deviate from those dietary and exercise guidelines. Pull out your notes and review the program guidelines that brought you this far. Get back on the scale once a week and fire up your food journal again. • Get thyself to the nearest support group ─ STAT Weight loss is a personal journey, but it doesn’t have to be a lonely one. Online support groups on BariatricPal.com are great secondary resources to live weekly or monthly groups with your bariatric doctor or hospital. There is support all-around you, reach out and take it. • Work it out Are you using the ‘too tired’ reason for missing a trip to the gym or 30 minute fast walk around the neighborhood? If you need energy, you know how to get it—get up, get out and get moving. “Too busy,” you say? Remember, only you can prioritize your health and wellness. You matter—make time for your health every single day. • Come to terms with the weight gain This doesn’t mean blaming yourself. Rather, be forthright about how and why it happened and pat yourself on the back that you’ve recognized it now—not later. There’s no need to beat yourself up. You have already done the hard part by recognizing some weight has crept back on. That in itself shows you are going to battle back. We encourage our patients at Sterling Surgicare to call us if they feel frustrated or defeated--everyone needs a pep talk now and then. Remember there are many people supporting you 24/7 in this effort. Life is filled with occasional side-steps and set-backs. It is part of making us who we are. Make a plan, regroup, recommit. You can do this.

One of the lessons you learn after weight loss surgery is that you are in charge of your health, diet and exercise program. The food no longer rules the roost--you do. The truth of the matter is no matter what the scale says, 110 or 310, everyone puts on a few pounds now and then. As a bariatric surgeon in New Jersey for more than 10 years, one of the biggest anxiety triggers for patients is weight gain. "That's it--it's over--I'm going to gain all the weight back." Of course that's not true. To get back on pace, I’ve listed a few essential steps to help get you back on track to dropping the pounds once again: • Go back to the beginning Post-surgery, you probably followed your healthcare team’s advice to the letter. But as time passed, and you looked and felt healthier, you may have started to deviate from those dietary and exercise guidelines. Pull out your notes and review the program guidelines that brought you this far. Get back on the scale once a week and fire up your food journal again. • Get thyself to the nearest support group ─ STAT Weight loss is a personal journey, but it doesn’t have to be a lonely one. Online support groups on BariatricPal.com are great secondary resources to live weekly or monthly groups with your bariatric doctor or hospital. There is support all-around you, reach out and take it. • Work it out Are you using the ‘too tired’ reason for missing a trip to the gym or 30 minute fast walk around the neighborhood? If you need energy, you know how to get it—get up, get out and get moving. “Too busy,” you say? Remember, only you can prioritize your health and wellness. You matter—make time for your health every single day. • Come to terms with the weight gain This doesn’t mean blaming yourself. Rather, be forthright about how and why it happened and pat yourself on the back that you’ve recognized it now—not later. There’s no need to beat yourself up. You have already done the hard part by recognizing some weight has crept back on. That in itself shows you are going to battle back. We encourage our patients at Sterling Surgicare to call us if they feel frustrated or defeated--everyone needs a pep talk now and then. Remember there are many people supporting you 24/7 in this effort. Life is filled with occasional side-steps and set-backs. It is part of making us who we are. Make a plan, regroup, recommit. You can do this.

Hi.... My name is Yelitza and I'm a type 1 diabetic. I have been a diabetic for 29 years. I've been on the insulin pump for 7 years. My weight prior to the pump ranged between 170-190 lbs. I'm 5'8". Ever since I've been on the pump my weight has been creeping up on me slowly. My highest weight was 258 on April 2 which was my first office visit with the bariatric surgeon. I'm currently at 242 with the help of trulicity. My endo has been talking to me about my weight gain for the past three years. I was on victoza prior and lost 30 pounds. I stopped taking it because I felt it wasn't having the same affect on me gained the weight that i had lost plus 15 lbs more. Now I have decided to take control of this addiction I have to food. I'm on my second of four visits that's mandated of my insurance for the surgery. I decided to get the sleeve because I feel I need restriction of how much I'm eating. My third visit is set for june 30. Then I'll have my last visit some time in july and then I will be on my way to get scheduled for a date for surgery. Hopefully by the end of August...fingers crossed!!! I'm excited yet scared...excuse me petrified...lol I have been carrying this extra weight and a burden along with it. I'm depressed, moody, exhausted and miserable. I WANT TO LIVE LIFE AGAIN... A HEALTHY ONE. My A1C is currently at 11. Before the pump I was at a 14. Then a year with the pump I got down to an 8 but it along with the weight has been creeping up. Well just gave you my whole life story... Lol.. Just wanna say thank you to all who post. I've been reading these forums for a couple of months now helping me make my decision.

Hi I had my gastric bypass 2 years in nov and i lost 9 stone. Recently ive noticed that i put back on a stone. ???? In the last year ive had half my kidney removed due to cancer and then my hubby of 24 years leaves me for someone else. I sold the house and brought myself a little flat but i think i may have slipped back to my old ways of eating as im eating more and starting to eat the wrong food and not eat it probably. Please can you help. Debs x

Hi, I am new here and was looking for someone to talk with. I had my surgery on Nov. 20, 2014. The first month i had real problems, I couldn't eat or drink with out bring it back up. I went for 36 days with out eating or drinking alot, finally drs did a EGD and opened up the bottom of my pouch, sorry for got to tell you I had the Rou - Y bypass surgery. After that I seem to do better I have lost 40 pounds before surgery on my own and have lost the rest after everything got fixed. My weight now is 195 pounds and i started out at 279. But as of now I have been on a two week stall no weight gained or losted and I am really upset about it because I don't have anyone to help me or talk to around here where i live. There isn't any support groups and when i call the hospital to talk to someone there isn't anyone I can talk to. I have to leave messages everywhere and it is getting to me i have been crying all the time and my husband don't know what to say to me. I walk about two miles a day and Water excercise twice a week. I am not good getting my water in or my Protein, it just seems so hard to do. I eat what I am to eat and don't eat in between and have my snack at night. I really need some help. Thanks for listening to me, if any one can help please tell me .

I agree with everyone I've read so far - definitely do your research. Like ShrinkingPeach & Miss Mac, I wanted the fewest complications and the least rerouting. I also suck at taking pills, and I haven't had to increase my Vitamins after the sleeve - my Protein shake has most of them in there. Five and a half months after surgery, I have lost 115 from my high weight and 72 from my surgery day.... my loss was very fast at first and has slowed to about 10 pounds per month because of crappy food choices and the fact that I was recently diagnosed with MS and now take a medication (Tecfidera) that is much less horrible when you eat it with 200 calories of fatty food twice a day. The Lyrica that was added to my routine at the same time has a side effect of weight gain - but it is worth slow loss not to hurt. I last weighed today's weight when I graduated from college the first time. I've been so busy and so stressed out that I haven't been smart in my food choices and my exercise has been pretty much walking to the car, to class, to work, to bed, to the bathroom, and repeat. I finish classes in one month, at which time my routine will totally change, and I anticipate making my goal well before the one year mark. I am so grateful that I had the sleeve, and glad that I chose it when I did.

I have been 150.4 all week... Then went on a 17 mile hike two days ago and since then my weight has been up to 153-154! I know better to freak out as I have had plenty of BP support reassuring me its my muscles repairing themselves and the weight gain is temporary. I didn't make goal... But I'm hiking 17 mile hikes!!!! Living life at goal! Loving life at goal! Now on to the next challenge to get me to my stretch goal! I just want to see the 140's... Even if it's just for one day!!!!

(I poated this on the pregnancy page as well in case youve seen it.) Im on depo birthcontrol and I think its causeing me from loosing weight. Im 196lbs ive lost 63lbs since October 30, 2014. So im about 7 months post op. My goal is 160 and I know i shouldnt compare to others but i feel like i should have lost more by now and be much closer to goal. Could it be my Depo? I know some side effects were always being hungry and i know people experianced weight gain (non WLS patients) and im always hungry! Thoughts?

Hi there. This is the time that you need patience and lots of work with your dr. I learned from reading these forums that weight gain after band surgery is normal! If your band isn't properly adjusted, then it's not dimming your appetite yet. I gained weight for the first couple of months after surgery, then I stopped gaining and maintained, and finally after about 5 months of getting fills (and a couple of unfills) every 3-4 weeks I finally found a comfortable spot where I was losing weight consistently. Good luck on your journey and do NOT be discouraged. It takes some time and work to get the band in the right spot. But for me, that flexibility and personalization was one of the reasons I chose the band.

So, it is said that some people who lose a lot of weight gain the self security and corresponding attitude within themselves to be more open to others of the opposite sex. Has anyone left their spouse or significant other because of their new weight loss?

My straw was a triple whammy. 1. Took my daughter to Alberta to play in the mountains and show her the trails I used to guide trips on when I was professional outdoor educator there. A hike I used to be able to do in 2 hours took me 5. I could barely make it up the steep inclines, the switchbacks - - my knees were screaming, I was out of breathe... I was very, very sad. And to think just 15 years before I had conquered these mountains effortlessly at 140 pounds. Here I was, 259 pounds. I felt nothing but shame and frustration as my weight gain was 100% my own fault. 2. Flew back to Ontario from that lovely but sad Alberta trip and really, truly needed a seatbelt extender, but BLOODY WELL REFUSED to get one, so I punished myself nicely for the 5 hour flight. Was tired and sore and uncomfortable for the duration, mentally beating myself up for letting myself get to that point. 3. Got home from the airport, put the laundry on, sat on a lawn chair in our lovely backyard... and it collapsed under my weight. I burst into tears and yelled obscenities for about a full minute. THAT WAS IT. First the hike, then the airplane, then this. I was DONE. I called a weight loss centre the next day and had a consult. The rest is history. Today, 5 months post-surgery (lap-band) I am down 45 pounds. My skin is clear, my eyes are bright. I walked 4 kms into town with my husband and it was EASY. No screaming knees, no shortness of breath. And as I write this I am sitting in another lawn chair - - - and it is holding up just fine, thank you!

Great advice, @djmohr...Hang in there, @pollywolly--you are definitely fighting a beast with the prednisone-hunger and weight gain are know side effects.

I've heard of the 3rd week stall! And guess how many weeks post op am I? Yep three weeks, but now my scale is saying am up a pound or two. And it's messing with my head! Is it because am on soft foods? Am feeling confused.

It does matter. They want to see no net weight gain.

HI! SOrry to hear about this incident. The band can definitely be quirky..filled or not. My band can get tighter when I am sick, when I go up in altitude..though the doc and his nurse thinkI am crazy because it is a "closed pressure" system..blah blah..but yeah whatever..I know what I feel!! WHen I got unfilled, I didnt know what to expect really. I had a really bad painful experience the first weekend..felt like air pressure was releasing and it sent me to ER. Turned out to be nothing..could have just been a release of pressure or air between the two parts of my stomach and the band..who knows. It was pretty scary how quick the weight piled on. The dietician just assumed I decided to go out and binge on all the things I could not eat beore like pizza and bread and yummy carbs! NOPE! I actually craved salad because that was always hard to get down. I didn't gorge..I am sure I was able to get in more calories than before...but I was not pigging out. It just piled on no matter what I did. I think our bodies hit a set point and when it can..it will try and get back to where it was before.. It is super easy to pile in calories..even if you are careful. I switched to water only..no calorie drinks other than milk in my Meal Replacement shake in the morning. Even counting calories and eating only what I SHOULD lose on I was gaining. The weight gain has stopped with an additional 45lbs on my body. Most of that was gained in the first few months! Yeah quick!! Right now I am bouncing up and down between a few lbs. That would be GREAT if I just wanted to maintain where I was! The worse part for me during the unfill period was having a normal person appetite again. The hunger pangs..I missed my loss of appetite from the band being filled. As I got refilled that finally has gotten back down to where I can forget about food for quite awhile. I am considering doing a pure liquid diet like HMR to control the calories I am taking in and get this weight off. It is not as easy as 48 as it was in my 30's when I was first banded. I would suggest REALLY watching your calories. Eliminate ALL caloric drinks and go to water only. No diet drinks either. I never liked fake sugars anyway..but stay as "pure" as you can without adding chemical crap to your body. Go to my fitness pal and enter your daily calories. Don't go off your maintenance weight calories..go off of calories for your body that you would need to LOSE on. If you see the scale going up rapidly, cut down further! It can be tempting to eat stuff that may have been hard while filled properly but don't tempt fate!!! So not worth it! I don't even want to think about how many hundreds of dollars I have spent on having to quickly replace an entire wardrobe in a few short months including expensive motorcycle gear! Sigh.. Best of luck with the band..praying for you that it is not anything serious and you can get refilled! Hang in there!!

you are just precious but the vicious cycle of depression/ weight gain/ fractured hip... loss of income.... im just too weak. I need surgical help

I too have a lap band. My band slipped last year and I am having it removed and converted to a sleeve. I have never regretted having my band even though I am having problems with it now. My only regret is I didn't make myself maintain my weight loss when all the saline had to be removed from my band so next week I begin this journey all over again. I am so afraid of weight gain again once I get the weight back off with the sleeve. I am wondering should I have went for the bypass?

After being overweight my entire life I decided to get the lap band in dec. 2012. I really wanted gastric sleeve surgery at the time, but my insurance didn't cover it and I felt bypass was "too extreme". My band never could get in the "green zone" and because I traveled for work, often times would be in horrible pain because due to cabin pressure the saline in my band would get tighter. I was miserable! After continually vomiting, uncontrollable acid reflux and weight gain I decided to switch surgical programs and seek new advice. My new doctor advised me on having a revision done and now my insurance approves the sleeve surgery. I thought about it a few months as I was hesitant with feeling like such a failure with the band. In fact I was quite open with my first surgery but people would say later "I thought you were supposed to lose lots of weight?". It just added to my feelings of failure and this round I'm being much more protective of who I talk to about it. I've not gotten a lot of support for my choice but hope by joining this group others will be able to understand my journey and share their own. I'm now going through the approval process and hope to get my sleeve at the end of June.