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I am 2 1/2 years out. Weight loss was fast, relatively easy, and for two years was always down. Then something happened and I am now gaining weight - up 20lbs. Yes I am not eating perfectly, but the really scary thing is that I feel like something major has switched. Before if I strayed my weight would go sideways and then easily return its downward direction if I got back to eating right. Plus, my old, life time struggle with cravings and "needs" to eat and deprivation that was so beautifully on hold after surgery, seems to be back and like it was my whole life before surgery. Now no matter how little or much I eat, my weight will at best be flat but more than likely go up... That whole pattern of starting every day with the promise that I am going to eat right today, followed by uncontrollable craving and eventual snacking, and then feelings of hating myself and actual weight gain is back, like I never had surgery. I am really sad and discouraged. Two things that have changed that could be a factor but not really consolation are (i) I have been having insomnia for months which I hear (sleep deprivation) can effect hunger hormones, and (ii) I have been having regular abdomen pains, like hunger pain, gnawing feelings that docs say is acid - yet I am on tons of acid blockers (double dose prevacid, have tried tons of prilosec and others)...docs don't know what this is or what else to do - for me it is not normal heartburn, actually only thing that helps is eating...? I am seeing docs about this for past year, but they don't seem to have a clue. I exercise every day, a lot. I have cut all alcohol out since before surgery. What is happening? Is this just the way it goes after a few years? I have tried restarting everything, going back to basics, doing food diary and then with no improvements after days and uncontrollable cravings (like pre-surgery), I go back to snacking. I am getting into a very bad pattern and worry if I am just doomed to go back to where I was all my life. Plus - for the 1st time, I have gone up a notch on my belt and my cloths are getting tight....YUK! HELP....

Hello Lisa’s Hope! I was one of your caring supporters during your darkest days when you first lost your husband. It is so good to see your post today! Most importantly—although it might not feel like it to you, you HAVE made tremendous progress in clawing your way back from your devastating loss. I know sometimes I get so tired of people telling me how “resilient” I am. Do you ever feel that way too? But, I personally believe that our lost loved ones want us to honor them in the best way there is, and that is to live out our lives joyfully in peace, and in the present day, not stuck in the past or in what could have been. OK--about your weight regain. YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE! Thousands upon thousands of people who go through far less traumatic experiences than you have REGAIN much more than 38 lbs. Some people LOSE a lot of weight during major emotional trauma. That’s who we are. Emotional humans. It doesn’t make us failures. I just want to share some of my thoughts with you because you've been through so much and I just wish you future happiness and contentment in your WLS life. Your post was really just venting and you didn't really ask for this advice, so I hope you don't find my post offensive. Have you thought about paying more attention to the negative talk you are telling yourself? It can really keep us weighed down (no pun intended) emotionally. Just a couple thoughts as you try to get yourself "Back to Basics:" The FIRST step to reclaim control of your eating habits is to BE KIND TO YOURSELF. The SECOND step is to focus on TODAY’s eating only. Not what happened yesterday. The THIRD step might be to actually sit down and make a written list of the exact foods that you KNOW are the biggest culprits that are most contributing to your weight gain. (This is a tough get-real moment for a lot of us). It might be that you need to go “cold turkey” and totally eliminate these foods until you reach your desired weight. Get them out of the house. Meanwhile, you find some acceptable substitutes for these foods so you don’t feel deprived. (Write the healthy substitute next to the culprit food.) For instance, you mentioned Fudgesicles—maybe find a recipe for frozen Greek yogurt drops. If you are near a Sams Club or Sprouts market, Fresh N Easy, check out Enlightened frozen bars—a satisfying 3.5 oz bar for Cal=80, Fat=2.5g,Carb=15g, Fib=5g, Sug=3g, Pro=9g. The FOURTH step is to be ready to commit to doing what it takes to consume your healthy 3 meals/2 Snacks per day, within your calorie/protein allotment. Do you have good bari recipes? Maybe visit www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.com for starters. Yep, preparing 3 meals and 2 snacks is a lot of work, but we learn to be smart about it by planning ahead, cooking ahead, freezing portions, etc. Makes it almost painless! It is never too late to get rid of your old unhealthy eating habits and create the new, healthy habits and lifestyle that the long-term WLS patients use to maintain their weight. You most likely did not have the time and dedication to establish those good, solid habits back then because you were in the throes of dealing with your husband’s illness. So, now is YOUR time. (Fad) DIETS don’t work! (No disrespect to those who post on here who use the 5:2. I know many of you find it very useful—I’m not calling it “fad”). We had WLS so we don’t have to be on DIETS for the rest of our lives. I've found that the formula for WLS eating is really pretty simple: Use food as fuel and medicine for the body. Our bodys' cells and systems know how to process real, whole foods to keep our health and weight in balance. It does not know what to do with all the processed junk food that we feed it, and the results are very predictable (weight gain; potential for disease). You mentioned that you thought the sleeve would help you for the rest of your life. It does and it will always, and it is sitting there ready to help you. But you have to hold up your end of the bargain for the rest of your life. I’m four years out, and like you, I can definitely eat as much as I could before surgery. Yes, I am surprised about that. Yes, I get hungrier than I thought I would. No, I didn’t think that’s how it would be. But I also know that if I eat junky carbs (sugar), my appetite goes way out of control immediately for days after. So, it’s just plain not worth it to me. It IS a CHOICE that we all ultimately must make for ourselves. Do we want to consciously control our food choices for the rest of our lives—or—don’t we? You can replace your fear, Lisa, with your POWER, and you can begin to practice removing “I can’t” and “if only” from your vocabulary! YOU CAN. Period. I know there are so many people here for you...

I had surgery April 2014. At 5'7", my highest weight was 245 and I was 226 on the day I was sleeved. My surgeon's goal weight for me was 160 and today i am around 150-152. I started in a size 20 and I'm now in a size 6/8. My recovery was a breeze! I didn't have one single complication after my surgery. Trapped gas pain? Nope. Acid reflux? 14 months out, never had it or a reason to ever take the prescription medications. Heart burn? Nope. Throwing up? Nope. Dumping? Nope. Aversions to food? Nope. The only "real" issues were things you really can't avoid which are hair thinning between months 3-8 BUT by one year it all grew back in. I also had a hard time with vitamins, but found some awesome melt away kind and the problem was quickly resolved. The first 24 hours in the hospital I was cursing the BP community for not warning me. Coming out of surgery wasn't fun as I was nauseous from the medicine. Once it was out of my system, I was fine. I didn't need much in the hospital except my cell phone, charger, long extension cord, my own pillow and toiletries. The first 3 days at home were the hardest and after that I didn't feel like I had surgery at all. I was back at work by the end of two weeks. I could have gone back earlier (I sit for a living, it's not very active.) and honestly, I found the process harder having so much unstructured time at home and the ability to wander into the kitchen. The supplies you will need post-op are minimal. I went overboard and bought stuff I still have never used 14 months post-op (example: those sugar free torani syrups.) Don't laugh, but one of the most handy things I found to have was Dixie paper cups. They are the perfect size to measure a few ounces of cottage cheese and other food and then you don't have to wash endless dishes! Keep in mind that everyone's process is different. The scary thing for me is I couldn't imagine what it would feel like to have my stomach removed post surgery. You just feel full quicker at first after you eat. Some people get into trouble when they push their new tummies limits. I'm not sure why, but adjusting to a new lifestyle was easy for me. It's not to say it didn't have challenges. I didn't go out much to eat in public at first. Now 14 months out I can eat whatever I want. It's both a blessing and a curse. I was able to reach my goal weight within a year without issue and am now maintaining. For the first time in my life, I'm not really worried about weight gain. I love the fact that I never feel hungry. I love that I feel satisfied after a small amount of food. 14 months out I still have a great amount of restriction. I've never pushed this. I know my tummies capacity and stop eating well before then. It probably helped that I ate a pretty clean diet pre-surgery. I wasn't one to binge on Big Macs and never drank regular soda or any drinks with calories in them. Many of the "rules" this surgery requires I was already doing. Other rules I couldn't do before surgery, but after surgery it's really easy to do. For example, I had difficulty not eating/drinking at the same time before surgery. Now my tummy is so tiny that I can't drink while eating! I do still take tiny sips though! Do I follow the rules 100%? No way! I log everything into my lositapp on my phone and for me, having that accountability has been key. I pretty much eat whatever I want (in smaller quantity) BUT I find myself typically making healthy choices. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy dessert on occasion or other treat that I want. For me that's what makes this a lifestyle change vs. a diet. Good luck!

@@AvaFern, I'm glad you contacted your doctor as soon as you suspected something was wrong. And I agree that antibiotics are indeed a boon to humankind. But don't you think it's likely that the two parts of your post are related? The weight gain could be Fluid retention caused by the inflammation. If the weight gain persists for another week, then it will be time to react by cutting back on calories. Make sure you are drinking plenty of plain Water. Try not to panic. I know that's easy to say and hard to do, but it's counterproductive. Edited to add: If you are not currently tracking your food intake, you might want to start now. That information is very helpful for weight loss and for maintenance.

Weight gain & weight loss can cause a fluctuation in all of our hormones, as our body tries to become accustomed to new requirements. It sounds like your hormones were kept level & under control with the pill... Did you have an alternative method of BC placed for the surgery? IUD or Depo-Provera shot? If not, it seems like your body is in estrogen overload. Also, while PCOS is more common in larger people, it's not solely reliant on that factor, & may still be giving you some trouble. I'd make an appointment with your PCP or OB/GYN. They should be able to give you some options to help make you more comfortable. So while, heat, exercise, and fluids are needed to get you through this go round, I'd check with a doctor for options best suited for your individual needs... Just some thoughts & suggestions... Hope it helps. ☺️ Ohhh, lastly sounds like your retaining Fluid. No worries there.

My periods are screwed up as well. I had surgery 2 weeks ago with period during the surgery time now started period ago and im on birth control. Weight gain and cramps and back pain. Pcos stinks.

I'm at the very beginning stages.... Had my first appt end of April! I see people saying that they didn't get approved because of a weight gain, but what are they referring to? Can you not gain any weight from first spot to surgery date? Or is it month by month? Or just on pre-op diet? I'm so confused.... I'm 3 lbs heavier than my spot last month... Will this be an issue?

I stalled at around the same time as you, and I actually gained 5 pounds from my lowest weight. It took me almost 3 weeks to get back to where I was seeing actual weight loss. I definitely did stall, but I had lost 30 pounds since I started the preop diet. My surgeon told me that my body was reacting to the fact that I went from over 3000 calories a day of high-fat, high-carb foods to 500-700 calories a day of Protein. Made sense to me. I also reached out on the forum and I was told the same thing-don't worry about it so early on. I am now losing steadily again, thank goodness. I just followed the requirements for each stage I was in (I am still in the soft foods phase) and I keep my carbs below 25 grams a day. It reminds me of when I was on the Adkins diet, but without the bacon, lol. I also got severely constipated during the same time frame so I blame some of the weight "gain" on my body reacting to that. Turns out I cannot handle the Iron in 2 Flintstones Vitamins a day.

Actually there is something called starvation mode. I actually had my two week post op today and met with my surgeon and nutritionist and they brought up starvation mode when I complained about my stop in weight loss. When you workout you gain muscle so that causes the stall and possible weight gain of a couple pounds before you actually start losing weight. Don't add to or take away from your diet with consulting your team first. Trust me that's what I did and I am medical for over 15yrs. Just keep following your diet and you will get past this no problem. By the way 15lbs is awesome congrats. Remember the small victories and don't be discouraged

Okay, so here we are at (or slightly below) our goal weight. Now what? We've been existing on Protein and green veggies for a long time, but now we need (or want) to stop losing, stabilize our weight, and start maintaining. So many questions come to mind, but let's start with these: If we just keep eating the same way, will our bodies find their "set point" weight and remain there, or will we continue to lose until we're too thin? If we need to add some variety (uh... carbs) back into the picture, which ones are a good idea and which are a bad idea. I mean, some choices are obvious: good = quinoa, barley, oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat Pasta, and sweet potatoes. And bad = white bread, white rice, white pasta, white potatoes, and anything containing refined sugar, right? But what else should we think about? What about corn and peas? What else works or doesn't work? As long as we stayed in ketosis, fat and calories didn't seem to have much of an effect on our weight loss. But now, if we knock ourselves out of ketosis by adding in more carbs, will those fat calories start to work against us and cause weight gain? In other words, if we've been eating tons of nuts, cheese, and butter and still losing, if we keep eating them the same way in maintenance will they start causing weight gain? The tricky (but wonderful) part of this is our permanent restriction. How do we make room for new foods, while still taking in enough protein? Eventually we do start to get more hungry. What do we do about an increasing appetite that makes us want to eat between meals? Who's been there, who's there now, and do you have any tips for the maintenance newbies? Thanks, and congratulations to everyone who is beginning or succeeding in maintenance!!! Rog

I attended my one year post-op class yesterday for people who had weight loss surgery in April and May 2014. It was a big class of about 50 people. I was shocked when only two people (myself and one other person) raised their hand when asked who had reached their goal weight. Everyone else in the class fell into the statistical had lost "65% of their excess weight" category. Many had lost a smaller percentage than that. The biggest concern now one year out was experiencing plateaus and weight gain. Everyone in that class had experienced success and had lost weight. Everyone reported being off medications, C-PAP machines and living a healthier and fuller life. Still, you couldn't ignore the disappointment most shared that they may still be 50-150 plus pounds overweight post surgery. My take away and message I want to share with those newly sleeved - work your sleeve while you can! Those first few months of rapid weight loss are key! It will slow down every month until one day you won't lose anything at all. I think I was able to reach goal easy because I was a low BMi to begin with. Maintenance is going to take work though and there is no slacking off once you get to goal! It takes a lot more work to lose the weight after the first year. Work that sleeve while you can!!!

Hi there! Congratulations on having your surgery. Yes, it is absolutely normal. The reason you are heavier is because of all the fluids they put in your veins the last few days. You will lose that very fast and then some. Your tummy is protruding from the gas they pumped into you to expand your stomach for the surgery itself. The more you walk, the faster this all just disappears. They should warn you about the weight gain post surgery and they don't. I remember being really angry about that because I worked so hard to lose 13lbs before surgery and gained it all back in 2 days in the hospital. Just know that it is all fluids and it will go away quickly. Right now you need that because it gets hard to get all your liquids in. I hope you have a safe and speedy recovery!

Are there any bariatric surgeons/clinics who would go to bat for me for a gastric sleeve operation with Harvard Pilgrim in MA area hospitals? 30 y.o, 5'8", 232 lbs, fluctuates between 225s-240s. Serious yo-yo weight gain/loss between 180-240 over the last 7 years. Pre-Diabetic with frequent urination and low energy, chronic lower back pain (compressed L5/S1 with sharp pain and thrown out pain), chronic knee pain (torn ACL and meniscus), and now I'm getting chronic random toe infections. Numerous missed days due to these issues, especiall the back/weight immobility. I struggling with getting out of bed or even bending down to help my students with classwork. This limits my mobility but not my hunger, and triggers depression more. Attempts: Numerous years of health clubs, trainers, nutritionists, workout and eating plans, yoga and mindful eating, intensive therapy, and even stay away camps focusing on health/nutrition/fitness/therapy. It all centers around the hunger. At the end of the day, I am always hungry and/or exhausted. And the instability is something I can't take anymore. Are there any bariatric surgeons/clinics who would go to bat for me for a gastric sleeve operations with Harvard Pilgrim in MA area hospitals? Thank you for any help or advice that you can provide!

I suppose it's a matter of motivation. No, when it came to my pre and postop diet instructions, I did not mess up. (And this involved over a month of full liquids and 2 months before eating something like chicken) My health and proper healing were too important to me. Once you get farther out, bad choices simply result in no weight loss or weight gain, but this early on bad choices can result in very serious consequences. You can do a search for "cheat" to find many others that chose not to follow instructions. But then check out the complications subforum to help motivate yourself not to do it again.

30 y.o., 5'8", 230-240 (fluctuating weight) Weight and Weight-Loss Attempt History: Been overweight since I was 19. Went up to the 220s-230s for years. Pre-diabetic and fed up .. was able to get down to 180, but that was with an unsustainable schedule for myself: 1.5 hours workout in the morning followed by a 2 hour workout in the evening. Plus a calorie restriction. I was constantly exhausted, unsatisfied, and unhappy. Since, the weight has come back and I'm back to the 220s-240 range. I've tried yoga. I've had therapy. I've had trainers. I have had online trainers and nutritionists. I have had logs and trackers. I have been trained in mindful eating. I went to a stay away weight loss / therapy / nutrition / physical therapy program for over a week. Through it, it became clear I love working out and eating well, but it is very hard to feel full. It takes a lot more food to feel full, and I feel full for less long. I heard many others talk about how they eat because they don't know what hunger or fullness feels like. I totally know! Insurance: I called a Center for Excellence here in Boston (Mount Auburn), and at first they said Harvard Pilgrim requires a BMI ≥ 35 and a co-morbidity. At first, Mount Auburn said that HP wouldn't accept it. However, after calling HP, they told me that they accept apps on a case-by-case basis, and that Mt. Auburn should submit all relevant info with the application. Compressed discs (L5/S1) as a result of an initial and repeated injuries as the result of domestic violence. I have had numerous visits to the E.R. and my primary care physician. All she could find was a compressed disc. However, my back - especially since my weight gain - has made life difficult. I throw it out frequently, miss numerous days of work, and am unable to enjoy healthier activities. Above all else, it prevents me from working. I'm a teacher, and have to sit, lie down, or stay home. Sitting up from bed or even bending over to look at my students' work feels like a strain on the back, and can sometimes send shooting pain through my back/leg. Every doctor has said there isn't anything to do. So at this point, combined with my weight, my health and quality of life is worsening. I feel stuck. I can follow a program, but every program I try is not sustainable because at the end of the day I am just hungry. And the gastric sleeve seems like the teammate I need to help with the hunger, while I take care of everything else. QUESTIONS: Has anyone had similar experiences, or experiences with HP? What do you think my chances are? What - if any - documentation or details should I provide to Mt. Auburn so they can submit it to HP? Anyone know for sure what HP's requirements are? Thank you all for any help, and I hope you all find assistance and help in here too!

Regarding the weight gain while in the hospital, I'm sure it has a lot to do with being dehydrated pre-op, and then getting round the clock fluids while being admitted in the hospital. Plus tack on swelling from the surgery itself. It all kind of evens itself out, so by the time you're DC'd it's perfectly OK, to have not lost & maybe even gained. I hope that helps a little...?

@@LipstickLady Are we held more accountable if we call it "cheating" vs. held more accountable if it's called a "choice"? I would argue that both descriptions equal "eating off plan". The stagnate scale, resulting weight gain, or if I'm lucky...no weight change, doesn't change the fact that I've detoured, however temporarily, off plan. For me, simply eating off plan results in my being held accountable...sooner or later the scale, my emotions, and my health will hold me accountable regardless of what term we use to describe it.

I've got to disagree. And I can only speak for myself. It's all about accountability, it's all about ownership, it's all about acknowledging that I am creating my own destiny, whether it be to lose weight, gain or maintain. I have no doubt it's semantics for some, but for me, it's empowerment.

I glad you decided to choose a healthy path for yourself. The weight gaining thing is a slippery slope that we all seem to get on and it only gets worse as we age. This was the right decision for me. I am almost 7 months post opp and down 95#. I still have a ways to go but loving the trip! Don't be intimadated about posting it will make things easyer when you get closer to surgery to talk things through.

I am currently at my highest weight of 415#. I have never been more scared in my life. I have finally had a financial opportunity to have gastric sleeve and could not be more excited about it. I'm 2 weeks away of my life forever being changed. Today I started my pre-op liquid diet. I'm nervous about it but know that I need to do it to better my health. I'm only 35 years old, and in the past year have developed multiple health issues. I am type 2 diabetic, I have hypothyroidism, sleep apnea, high cholesterol,infertility and recently diagnosed with lymphedema due to my weight gain. I want all of these things to go away. I feel like I am at a really good place in my life to start these changes. My husband and I want to have a baby, you can't have a healthy pregnancy when you are this overweight. I'm hoping that others will hear my story and know that you are not alone, you just have to be willing to let others in. Today is day #1 of my liquid diet. Any recommendations? ways to keep in interesting without getting bored eating the same things everyday? -M

@ Thanks for your honesty. With weight loss surgery the work is never over..Right? Bravo to you for getting back on the horse. No point in beating yourself up over the weight gain. Push forward. We know you have done this before and you can do it again.

Nope. Medications don't make you gain or retain weight unless it is in the form of Water weight, which your medication should not be causing. They do however make you hungrier and as a result one of the side effects listed may be weight gain. I use Depo which is notorious for causing weight gain, however ultimately I know that if I eat more, I gain and if I don't eat more, I lose, so the problem is not the depo as much as the hunger it creates. Also, 22 pounds in roughly 5 weeks is completely normal. I think at about 5 weeks I had roughly lost 20 pounds. Slow and steady wins the race. Keep following the plan and you will see results.

I don't know about stretching your sleeve but I will say the few times I have tried carbonated drinks (champagne) since surgery I can't take more than a few sips before it gets really uncomfortable, verging on pain. So it's a no-go for me. Soda of any kind is not tempting for me because generally it's just too much crap, either artificial crap (sweeteners, colors, flavors) or too much sugar. Plus that painful carbonation. I have totally given up soda and do not miss it a bit. Also, keep in mind that soda (especially diet soda) is associated with weight gain. No thank you.

K8tee, I know that a lot of medication can prevent weight loss and sometimes cause weight gain. I went to Mexico. I was soooo worried that they wouldn't make my sleeve small enough as I'm only 5 ft 2 in. Now, I think they may have gotten it too small. My surgery was September 17, 2014 and I weighed 218 pds. I now weigh 145 pds. and just bought 2 size 7/8 junior's jeans. I can usually only eat 6 normal size bites or 1/2 cup of whatever. I no longer count calories and eat ice cream and whatever I want. I don't get hungry very often but when I do I eat 6 bites and I'm done. I usually don't get hungry again but make myself eat. I have really bad acid reflux so that has a lot to do with my lack of appetite. In the beginning I wrote everything down on paper before it passed my lips and no matter how hard I tried I could not eat more than 500 calories. Usually it was less. I also tried hard to eat protein and kept my carbs under 15 every day. I did that for the first 4 months. If you are on any medication at all you should check the side effects. Alot of medication causes weight gain.