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Wow....people...people...take a deep breathe. I think the reason swilkins is here because she knows she is making bad choices. She needs support not slapping. Here is a place where we can go to confession. And be loved and lifted up, not beaten up like we were in our past lives. We were heavy for many reasons. But yes, one soda every day, 150 cal every day, 365 days a year adds up to over 45,000 extra cal per year which blossoms to over 15 extra lbs per year alone.(approx weight gain...the actual numbers are higher...don't slap me cause I am sitting in the dark with no calculator.) If we get to 150 lbs...this is 10 percent body gain per year. Ouch.... Every time you want a soda come here. We all walk with you....and add no calories...lol

Grace,It's good to see your post. One thing you have to remember is that we who are older and I am 73 will not lose as fast as those who are younger and a bit more active. Other things that affect weight loss are the medications that you are on and a lower metbolism. I had my surgery about a week before you and I have only lost 15 lbs. While it is frustrating I am okay with that and will be patient. It is a process. I do I'm eating between 6 and 700 calories a day which is where my doctors want me to be. I make sure that I get the prescribed amount of protein as well as fluids. My stomach definitely tells me when it's full and that's when I stop.So that is the advantage of your tool.Although you and your sister are both losing weight right now here's what's going to be different for you. You have a lifelong tool now a smaller stomach that's gonna help you maintain proper portions to lose your weight and to maintain your ideal weight. We have all experienced the ups and downs of weight loss and weight gain because the body tries to throw everything at us to regaining that weight (Hunger changing metabolism at cetera) And that's what your sister may go through again and you won't if you follow The rules. The surgery Lowers your setpoint For your body weight. Hang in there and try not to get too discouraged. And stay safe through the corona virus.

Nothing I've tried (except time) has made my saggy skin shrink, though I didn't expect it to. Lots of moisturizers have improved the texture of my skin, which improves the overall look, but I had a lot of stretch marks from weight gain--I already knew my skin wasn't all that elastic!

Mimi, that unconscious food fest is so well known as to have a name: it's the Last Supper Syndrome. We all go through it. Sometimes twice--once when we make up our minds to have surgery and then again, much later, when we actually get the surgery date. It's very hard to conquer, I know--I gained 7 lbs in the last two months before surgery. But it really is important not to let it get out of control, since you want to be as healthy as possible for the procedure and healing. Take comfort in knowing that our food choices are the same after banding as before, and the behaviors that will change are those that MUST change if we want to leave our obesity behind us. So eat what you want, but try to practice not gorging. That will set you on the right path and possibly abort your weight gain in the process. Good luck with this!!

I have insulin resistance and take 30mg of Actos. They are really small, so no problem there....possible side effect is weight gain however. I asked my doctor for Metformin, but he wants me on the Actos because it helps chlosterol. I agree on just crushing them, it is only bad tasting for a minute!

Yes, I'm in Kansas City though I grew up in Nebraska. I use Dr. Malley for my fills though he wasn't my original surgeon. I agree he is one of (if not the) best docs in K.C. He has done over 1000 lapbands and is a regional proctor for Inamed. I changedmy ticker to reflect a mini-goal but ought to update it again. My starting weight was around 255 and I lost down to 163 last fall. My current weight is up a bit from there due in part to some swelling from plastic surgeries and in part from lack of restriction while being unfilled during the recovery from the PS. I'm hoping to have lost what I gained plus a bit more by June then just focus on maintaining. You are right that with any procedure there will be a percentage that doesn't find success. Though it also depends on how you define success. For some success may just be stopping the scale from continuing to climb while others may refuse to call there journey a success if they are unable to lose every single extra pound they ever gained. My own not so scientific conclusions on why some bandsters have not been as successful as others. Boils down to three main categories. - COMPLICATIONS - Unforseeen and RARE complications with the band such as a leak in the tubing or band slippage. There have also been rare complications that aren't band related such as various thyroid issues that can make weight loss extremely difficult, in those cases I would feel the band's ability to stop the weight gain if not turn it back should be considered a success in itself. - FOLLOW UP - Lack of necessary adjustments to feel proper restriction. This may be due to lack of funds or a reluctance to go back for fills for a variety of reasons. - HEAD ISSUES - And finally, yes there are those that just aren't ready mentally or physically to adjust to life with the band and will sabotage their weight loss efforts by eating around thier band with soft foods and high calorie drinks. This last comment is a bit of a hot button topic even for me. After all if I could have changed my behaviours before the band why would I have needed it at all? Right? But the band really can help. It only bands your stomach, NOT your head. However, it does make it much easier to move in a more 2 steps forward one step back fashion as you continue to struggle with whatever inner demons you may have in regards to diet and or exercise. And I am proof positive it is possible to lose the weight and still be a basket case when it comes to both.:sneaky:

I know how stressful it is waiting to find out if the insurance will pay for the revision. My dad is currently waiting for his approval after having his band removed due to slippage, they denied him the first time because his BMI wasn't high enough yet. It's really sad how he has gained every pound that he lost back because he is hungry all the time. His lapband surgeon has been no help what so ever, and still has his picture up as a success story, sorry I just ventured off topic there. Good luck on getting a decision soon, I also have PCOS, and know how fast the weight gain comes and how hard it is to get off.

Hi there, I’m glad to see some posts on this hunger issue a few years after the first one. I’d like to add a few things here after years with the sleeve. If you google “hunger after the sleeve”, you’ll more than likely end up on sites talking about “mental hunger” and trying to distinguish the difference. I’m here to tell some of you that there is something else going on with a few of us sleevers that is not being researched from what I can see. Before I had the sleeve, I had mild acid reflux and was on acid reducers. After the sleeve, I thought I could come off the acid meds but I was SO hungry after the surgery that about a week post-op, I was back on them. This did help me to stop feeling hungry ALL the time. However, it didn't take away the starving feeling throughout the day. In the first post-op year, I thought nothing of the times when I’d have to get to a convenience store, supermarket... any place close that served food at times when suddenly I had hit “starvation mode”. All that time I told myself it was because I had a small stomach and I just needed to eat more often. I guess I can be slow on the uptake because it took me 4 years to figure out that I had serious issues with hunger. One day, I had eaten a pretty good breakfast, was starving by 10:30 AM so had my lunch at work, and by 1:00 I was starving again. I was ticked off because I didn’t want to leave work to get food and it suddenly hit me…after a few years post-op with the sleeve, I was able to eat a lot more food in one sitting. So, from what I had eaten that day, why was I as hungry as I was less than 3 hours after my decent-sized lunch? I am now 7 and a half years post-sleeve and realize that my weight gain and eating habits are dictated by my hunger issues. No matter what I eat (dense protein, healthy fats, light carbs, etc.), I will be starving about 3 hours later. If I don’t plan right, I have to get up out of bed to eat and it’s really frustrating. I go out to eat with friends and then a few hours later, I have to tell them I need to eat more. I am on acid reducers because I do have acid reflux and more of it since the sleeve. I am 100% convinced that the hunger is an overabundance of acid build-up in my stomach. There have even been times when I have been starving and can hear the gurgling sounds in my stomach. Coincidentally enough, a year back, I had a conversation with a colleague who had just had the gastric bypass surgery. Without sharing much about my own surgery, she told me that one of the reasons she had had the bypass was because she had had the sleeve before that and was “hangry” every two hours. I didn’t know what “hangry” meant and she explained it is when you are so hungry, you get angry. I was stunned as she described my situation perfectly…except for me it’s every 3 hours. Post-bypass, this colleague no longer feels “hangry”. She knows when she needs to eat but that gnawing feeling in her stomach is gone. I have been in touch with a few bariatric surgeons because of my acid reflux and all of them have suggested I have the RNY bypass. I will have it in the near future and am hoping that the surgery will help my hunger issues go away. After 7.5 years post-op, my sleeve is still intact and I don’t eat an enormous amount of food at one sitting. Of course the first two years post-op are considered the "Honeymood Phase" and so I do eat more than I did back then, but still, it's not crazy amounts. I’m very happy with that but what I learned is that when you end up having to eat every 3 hours, you can really take in a lot of calories during the day. My weight issues were always due to bingeing at night, but never grazing during the day. Now, I find it really frustrating having to eat during the day when I really don’t want to…because I’m starving. (And a light snack when starving doesn’t do much for me at all. I’ve played around with calories and if I don’t take in about 300+ cals at these times, I’m starving even earlier than 3 hours.) So, I’m writing this because when I asked the last bariatric specialist I went to see about whether he knew of any research done on hunger issues post-sleeve, he said no. (I’m not talking about research regarding reduction of hunger…I’m talking about those of us who end up with MORE hunger.) This post is not meant for those of us who have had bariatric surgery and aren’t sure if they are really hungry when they eat. That sounds more like head hunger to me. This posting is for those few of us with the sleeve who know we’re starving all the time. I hope I remember this site after I get the RNY. If I do, I promise I’ll leave another post to tell you if the RNY actually did relieve my hunger issues. Stay tuned!

I hear ya. My alcohol consumption had increased dramatically since March, which also happened to coincide with my early-covid weight gain.

Hello all, I haven't logged onto here in about 2years. Since my WLS, I lost close to 100lbs, I felt beautiful and healthy. One goal was to get pregnant, and I did. I did not gain 1lb with my pregnancy, After I had my baby, I fit into my clothes with ease. Then post partum depression hit me..... I was put on meds and I have gained 40lbs, I don't know what to do.. I self weened from the meds because even my maternity clothes fit me tight!!!! Nothing fits me and on to a size 16-18. I am not hungry all the time like I did with them, but was wondering, the pouch test thing, would that help me get my tummy back to the size, I am so confused, I feel like I did the WLS and failed. Any suggestions, should I start my post op diet phase? I have no idea where to begin. Someone help please

What factors do you think are behind his weight gain?

I had my kidney function checked and all is well there. The doc gave me a diuretic and I lost 7-pounds yesterday but I'm still retaining major amounts of Water. Everything is super puffy and swollen. Very strange... I don't think it is the band making me retain water per se. I think it is that when I got the unfill last Friday I was fairly well dehydrated and now that I'm maxing on the water my body is kinda freaking out and holding on to it. Of course when I said this to my doc he looked at me like I was a major loon. He may not be wrong though I could be a complete loon but it sounded good to me... Anyway the weight gain is very hard to take. I haven't gained weight since I got the band almost two-years ago. I expected to gain a bit (3-5 pounds) with an unfill but I did NOT expect to gain 23 pounds in 8 days. This diuretic had better keep working or I'm going to have a major breakdown... That is why I'm so upset about the slip. If I gain 23 pounds with a 2cc unfill what the heck will I gain with a total unfill? I talked to the doc about whether or not an unfill would reverse the slippage and he said maybe but once you slip it is much easier to slip again. He is a bit dumbfounded that I have no symptoms. Because of that he isn't in a big hurry to go in and fix it either which is fine with me but he also said he won't give me a fill until it is fixed. I'm danged if I do and danged if I don't I guess... Thanks for the reply BTW.

Hi Mary: We are the same age and I always like to check in with woman our age because I think it's a challenge with menopausal weight gain that comes with this time. How are you doing? Are you winning the battle? Glad your palpitations went away. I started getting them a year ago and was very scared as I lost a sister to a heart attack. It turns out my palpitations are yet another symptom of fluctuating hormones. I am pre banded but have are almost there just battling with my insurance company but still have so many questions.

OMG...I just thought of another one...from my dad. He is not skinny though. He had always tried to express his concerns to me about losing weight as best he could. Lose weight for your health, please lose weight so that you do not have to be like me, I love you and I want you to be healthy, etc. But one day out of the blue...I guess I had been on a weight gain or something and my dad pulls me over to him. "You know i love ya right?" "yes", I reply...then he says "well I know that you like boys but as your father, I do have to tell you that guys don't like fat girls...I know this because I AM a guy...baby, you have got to lose weight!" I was like "no he did not just go there"!

Stressing out about your boo boo is only going to make it worse. Stress causes weight gain (I have a huge tummy to show for that!), so forgive yourself and move on. Drink a lot of Water, go for a walk, just have some broth for your meals until your appointment and you should be fine. You can do this!!

hi paul and cristi! alberta will cover the full cost but you have to meet certain criteria i.e. bmi with associated co-morbidities. i have the bmi but no co-morbid's so paying 16k out of pocket and going to toronto to have it done. the waiting list in edmonton is off the charts - probably 3-5 years to complete the process, over 1000 on waiting list currently. it is a whole "program" meaning you can't just get the surgery. in fact i believe they do everything to avoid having surgery - there are psych consults, dietician, among others. in a nut shell - a lot of hoops! i was told to go back to WW since i had lost 10 lbs with them - i almost snapped! anyway - cristi i have 4 kids, ages 6,4,2,2. yes it was the bogo event for us the last time around. did you say you had 4 as well. i wish i could blame the weight gain on pregancy but i never gained more than 10 lbs with any of them and in fact could not keep the weight on with the twins. i have no excuse, just laziness, bad genes, bad luck! so your surgery is in 2 weeks? what about you paul - can i ask what is holding you back? i know it is a big decision, to a lot of people it seems so extreme. for me it is a no brainer! i'm 36, i've been heavy my whole life, i've tried every diet under the sun. if i haven't taken been able to get it off by now... And i don't feel like i am taking the easy way out either. like we read over and over, it is a tool that needs to be worked, it doesn't work on its own. it's a lot easier to stick to a diet when you don't feel like you are starving to death! sorry so long....

So I totally let the excitement of seeing the surgeon on Thursday and just nearing the end of the pre-op process get the best of me. I've gained 3.2 lbs since my last weight check at home. I'm not discouraged just mad I allow myself to eat emotionally still. Grrrr.. Back to the grind today tho.. Chocolate protein shake for breakfast here I come! Have a good day my sleeve friends! Monnica

My thoughts from being a speed eater. Thinking back I was disconnected to the feeling of full. When I ate fast, I didn't have the sensation of full until it was too late. Once the sensation came I was overly stuffed. I think I justified the behavior. I told myself life was too busy and didn't pay attention or care about nutrition. I would eat on the run to get back to business. It contributed to my weight gain. After reading this definition in the article: Metabolic syndrome occurs when someone has any of three risk factors that include abdominal obesity, high fasting blood sugar, high blood pressure, high triglycerides and/or low HDL cholesterol, said Japanese researchers. How could I not have metabolic syndrome from my weight. My health was the worst it had ever been, After surgery. I'm thankful feel the sensation of full. I appreciated mindful eating classes. But it's still a work in progress to slow down.

My husband says I need to exercise more too. I walk about 45 minutes to a hour a day and that’s about it. The thing is I lost the weight without doing any more than that so it doesn’t make sense that I am gaining now because of that. The doctors keep blaming my antidepressants and my bipolar I just think that there is more to it. The weight gain did all start around 25 though which is also when the symptoms of my illness began so idk. I don’t need a referral for a specialist though, so I think I am going to see one just to rule it out if nothing else.

We all have our own issues. If a person has a problem with you they have the problem of being and idiot! I have fought clinical depression and axiety disorders for years. Now, on meds that make life great and helps me deal with stress. However, the meds do carry a possiblity of weight gain. I have to be really careful, but thankful for the meds.

Because of how rapid my weight gain was, I was in the fortunate (if one can call it that) position of having a lot of new clothes (in one US visit went on a small spree of like $3,000) that suddenly were too small for me. Instead of throwing them out or donating them I kept them stored away until I lost weight again (whenever that would be). I remember even 50x32's were way too tight on me only a couple months ago, now I fit in 40x32 and 42x32 pants with some extra room to spare (a couple need belts). Added like 15-20 (all hardly worn) pairs of shorts back to my dresser, 15 pairs of pants, 30 pairs of boxers, and 20 t-shirts.. so f**king stoked.

I am so happy to have found this thread...I won't go into details...my story is like the original...lost all the weight...gained it all back...yada, yada, yada. I just "restarted" last week. Had several fills...finally have some restriction. Went and saw a nutritionist a week ago. I have lost 6 pounds over the past two weeks. I am looking forward to staying on track and working with my band. I would love to keep posting here for anyone that is "restarting"

I'm so glad I found this thred. I'm right here with you all. Banded in Jan of 2008 I've been down and up, down and back up. For some reason I thought that once I had the band I wouldn't be riding this roller coaster anymore-reality check I guess So my starting weight was nearly 300- I think I was 292 the day of surgery. I got down to 203 at my lowest but over the summer gained 5lbs with vacationing and indulging in summer BBQ's anyhow at 208 I found out I was pregnant with my second baby (first post band) My pregnancy was very smooth, never even needed an unfill, however I gained around 30ish lbs during my pregnancy. I wasn't super concerned with that weight gain as I had gained around 50with my first so I thought I had done well Anyhow I lost almost all of it right after I had my baby!!!! I dont' know how? breast feeding?..I was down to 207 at one point and it just went up from there. Since returning back to work (baby is now 9months old) all I do is eat on the run, eat out at lunch, eat crap crap crap at my desk all day and get ZERO exercise! I'm currently back up to 229! ugg I don't even know where to begin to get back on track?! seriously I eat whatever I want, even bread-wouldnt even know my band was there except for the times I eat to fast or something my band realy gets mad at and I puke it back up. I just cant seem to wrap my head around getting back on track!! help!

OMG your weight loss is awesome. Based on your profile picture you would never imgaine that you needed it. Anyway, I'll admit that I have alot going on in my life. Although things have gotten better with my husband, they arent the best. I work 10 hour shifts and when I get home I am a single mother (hubby works nights) of 3 trying to get things done in 1 1/2 hours (before bedtime for kids). By the time they are out, I'm burned out. However, I do walk/run on the treadmill (2-3 miles a day). I also have a few medical conditions that I think may be contributing to my pause in weight loss (Thyroid & Hormone problems). Grrrrr, honestly I just wish that I had someone that I can talk to about this whole experience that can provide input. My family is a hispanic family that loves to eat (with no weight gain) and always call you out in front of others about your weight, pant size etc. Tried to post profile picture but something seems to go wrong each time. SMH.... lol

I think there's a HUGE range of normal and you just have to go with your symptoms. Hopefully by now you're able to eat something. You may need an unfill, you may not. Totally depends on the person, but don't be afraid of the unfill. It doesn't HAVE to mean massive weight gain. Good luck!