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I'm 16 weeks and I still have no signs of pregnancy.. so.. don't feel bad!! I feel fat when I push on my belly, and no kicks or anything exciting. I am also 6'0 and due to my first trimester weight gain (ahem) I am back to needing to lose 50lbs.

Ladies - Do you still put on a few pounds before/during your period? I am expecting mine and the scale is up 3 pounds.... I hate hate hate to see the scale go up !:smile:

The long term success of either surgery depends upon you. Many of the initial benefits of bariatric surgery fade over time. Your hunger comes back, your restriction can soften, it is possible to eat around your smaller tummy & your body’s new set point, etc. What the surgery does do is give you time. Time to make changes to your relationship with food: the why you eat, what you eat, when you eat, how you eat. Time to understand your cravings & develop strategies to better manage them. Time to establish new habits about eating & exercise. Time to work out how you want to eat in the future & what works for you & your body. Regain occurs for many reasons: psychological, physiological, behavioural. Bounce back regain (usually 20%+/- of the weight lost) around the third year is common. It can be because your body settles into the weight it is happiest at (your set point). Medication changes. The crap life can throw at you (employment, relationships, health, pandemics). Complacency. A too restrictive way of eating or too demanding exercise regime. Not dealing with your relationship with food. And for some it can be a deliberate choice as they themselves feel happier at a higher weight or they make adjustments to their food choices to better suit their life. Not failure of the surgery but the impact of outside factors. The average weight loss for both sleeve or bypass at the three year mark is about 65% of the weight to be lost. Of course as with all statistics there are some who lose more & some who lose less. If you are considering revision surgery of sleeve to bypass as a sign of the failure of the sleeve, remember many who have revision surgery do so because they developed GERD not necessarily weight gain. I have a sleeve & lost more than my goal and have pretty much maintained though at only almost 4 years post surgery I’m still somewhat of a bariatric baby. I settled at 49kg (48.5-49.5). I unexpectedly gained about 2kgs about 18months ago (50.5-51) but recently we discovered I wasn’t absorbing my HRT meds. Changed to a patch & my weight is slowly decreasing (49.2-50). Small numbers I know. Has it been difficult? No, not really. It was very obvious what I had been doing wasn’t working for me & I needed to make changes. I put myself & my health first. I changed my relationship with food. Made a decision to change what, when & how I ate. It became a new mindset. The changes have been sustainable & haven’t restricted my life. I still enjoy food & eating but my desire is for healthier, more nutritious foods. And no I’m not running marathons or spending hours in the gym just some at home stretching & resistance bands. Sorry long post.

Do not become a slave to your scale. I sat at the same weight for 7 months, but dropped inches and several sizes. I do weigh myself but it is more as just a double check to make sure I am not gaining anything. I have even had a weight gain during this process and still dropped inches. I do understand how frustrating it is not to see those numbers drop but if you become a slave to the scale it will only frustrate you more. A size 18 is awesome!

We have a similar story. I’m an inch taller, weighed 49.6kgs today, wear a US size 2 & have to work at maintaining. I lost more than my goal weight (another 10kg) while trying to find the right balance & combination of food to maintain. It takes very little for my weight to drop & a lot to gain it again. Not that I really manage to - last month I sat between 50-50.5kg, this month it’s 49.2-50. I feel I eat all day too. I added snacks with multi/whole grains & continue to focus on portion control & healthy food choices. I often eat a meal over a long period of time (50+ mins at lunch) so I can consume a little more & then have to fit in snacks. It can be a challenge. On Tuesday a doctor on my surgeon’s team said I need to put on 4kgs but I’m conscious of the strong likelihood of the year 2/3 weight gain @catwoman7 mentioned. I’d rather stay at this weight with a possibility of a 5kg gain in a year or so than put on 4 now & then another 5+. I just want to be able to stay where I am now cause I’m happy, feel fine & my blood work is very good.

I was exzactly as you said as a girl "big boned". And it is true my bone structure for a female is on the larger size. I also have an endocrine disorder called PCOS. I've had it my whole life according to the Reproductive Endocrinologist who dinagnosed me at 28 years of age with the disorder when my husband and I went to boston ivf for a diagnostic as to why we where having trouble with conception. My relationship with food before the diagnosis was an awful one. When i was her age that is when the trouble started, no matter what I ate it was never enough and I was always hungery dispite eating healthy meals. I also at twelve started my cycle and things just went south from there. I gained weight dispite diet exercise and eating healthy meals. Part of it is the blood suggar spikes that are happening within the body if these go un controlled the weight gain for her is never going to cease. Can you talk to her about how she feels when she eats, for me when I don't eat after a very long time say waking in the am I don't get a hungery signal and I feel sick to my stomach. But when i do finally eat that is where the ravenous hunger would start and from breakefast till dinner it semed the hunger never went away. unchecked high suggars can lead to cardiac problems and even blindness and problems with cirrculation and limb loss. Does she have an incidence of type II diabetis in her family? Did her mom have gestational diabetis while pregnant with any of her offspring? Also is she developing male hair growth(the legs will show dark hair first it hten progresses to the armpits and unfortunately the face and other areas are often covered with hair). The pcos can also lead to dysufunctional and painful periods due to fibroid formation within the uterus. I can understand your concern for your step daughter. She may want some help but might be to intemidated by her mom's poor reflection of you as a step parent. Can you talk to your spouse about it and just say you are worried for your s. daughter's health? I know this is a hard time for her as a teen and she might not realize it now but you are only trying to help her.

I just have to post this regarding weight scales. They are a good thing but can also be your worst enemy. I have read countless post regarding people that get on the scale and do not lose any weight and then get depressed and feel like if they did not lose they might just as well eat. YOUR SCALE IS YOUR WORSE ENEMY AND YOUR BEST FRIEND.....................you just have to know when to use it. For those of you who feel the need to weigh on a daily basis............STOP. When you were gaining weight did you weigh daily..NO......WHY???? because you did not want to know how much you had gained since yesterday. This weight gain may not have even been due to the amount of food or what you ate. Maybe the food you had was full of sodium and your body held on to more fluids and that is where you weight gain came from. It is the same after you have the surgery.......WHY WEIGH DAILY???? You did not put this weight on in a day so why do you think that it is going to come off in a day. Yes some of you will lose weight fast and on a daily basis but this is not true for all of us. My suggestion would be that you pick a day of the week and weigh only on that day. This will keep you from being down on yourself so often as you may not lose weight everyday or even may gain a pound. If you can stay away from weighing daily then take your scale to a friends or the neighbors and go and weigh once a week. You will know when you are losing weight when your clothes are getting lose, your pants do not fit as tight or you are not huffing and puffing so much going up the stairs. The scale is only a measurement and can not be used as the single instrument in your weight loss. Please to those of you who let the scale control your life after WLS get rid of them.

I agree. I have fibromyalgia. Bipolar depression and generalizes anxiety disorder. I take a lot of meds but it controls everything great once you get the right mixture. My problem was weight gain due to the meds but hopefully my commitment with the band will take care of that. Don't ever be afraid to get help there are a lot more depressed people out there than you think and you don't have to be depressed or stressed.

The band *is* helping. The doctor's attitude did not help. I don't have any weight gain, it was just that the doctor kept saying that it was only a matter of time before I started making bad choices again and that it would only be natural that I would gain weight. As many people have suggested it just inspires me to prove him wrong. The staples were over my incisions. Instead of stitches to hold the keyhole cuts closed they used staples. Very clever things!

I am confused, what staples did you have? Is the band helping your or not, I could not tell. Just wondering what is causing the weight gain? could the band have slipped?

Sunday I finally saw something I had been waiting years to see....199.2 on the scale. I was so excited to finally be below the 200 mark, which I am sure most of you can understand. Flash forward to this morning 201.8 - the wonderful water weight gain. When I woke up this morning I knew instantly I was retaining. My eyes and face were puffy, my hands felt tight. According to by BC pill pack next week is my TOM. Even though I haven't had a period since surgery (no, not pregnant) I still have the water weight gain and the wonderful moods. Right now I ache, my back hurts, my face hurts - how in the world did I manage to pack on that much water over night? By band is NOT happy about this- I barely got my special K down this morning. Frankly, I am getting reflux from my water this morning. So it's all liquids today until this water gets out of me. Anyone got any ideas how to flush the water out aside from fluid pills? I don't like being Puff the not so magic dragon.

That is not a REAL weight gain. To gain two pounds, you would have had to consume 7000 calories more than you burned. That two pounds is a temporary fluctuation in your weight due to Water retention or not having had bowel elimination. Thus, the reason many of us do not weigh daily. Those temporary gains are just that...... temporary. Just keep to your plan, and you will succeed.

I can't make a decision for you, but I can shed some light on my thought process as I had the same thoughts and fears you did. I went around and around with this for more than two years. I was really scared of the small, but real possibility that something could go wrong. I have two children and a husband who is disabled with muscular dystrophy. He is completely dependent on me for all things. While he is a wonderful husband and father, he cannot drive the kids around to their activities, or get himself to their stuff. If something happened to me, it would be devastating to my family beyond just the loss of a mother. I was 272 lbs when I finally made my decision. I had no other co morbitities other than some mild sleep apnea. But the reality is, the chances of my having a heart attack, or developing diabetes and all the complications that go with it are much higher than 1%!! Then where would I be, and where would that leave them? I was only living half my life....if even that. I tried doing it on my own, but the reality has always been, I would have some success and then gain it all back plus an extra ten pounds for good measure. I finally decided enough was enough. I did my research, found a really good surgeon who has logged several hundred of the proceedure I was doing. It was time to give my trust to GOD, the surgeon and his team. I figured if it was my time, then it would be my time one way or another regardless if I went through the surgery or not. I was part of the 99.9% where everything goes right. I have read the posts of people who have had terrible complications. My heart goes out to them. I also see how that can really scare someone who is still deciding. But, now that I have done this and taken the chance, I am so happy that I did. I have undone over 15 years of weight gain in just three months. I am finally eating healthy and feeding my family healthy and enjoying it. I still have just a little under half way to go, but I now know it is doable! I have so much more energy for my family and feel like I am living life again. Yes, there is some risk, but it is a calculated and small risk to take, with huge gains on the other side.

Hey everyone! I am excited to be a part of this community as I am very active in forums all over the net. I am a 23 year old college student at Winona State University, MN. I am in my 5th year, completing a BSN Nursing degree with a minor in Psychology. I will be graduating in May and will be working in a hospital in the Twin Cities. A little hx of me... I was a swimmer from kindergarten until 8th grade. When puberty hit during my 7th-8th grade years, I could not get over my large size and could not feel comfortable in a speedo. I quit swimming and joined football from 9th to 12th. During my junior year in high school, I was at my largest weight... 320 lbs (I am 6'2"). Because of this, my senior year I worked hard and hard with a Body for Life program my coach recommended to me. For the three years I worked hard with the BFL program (from senior year in high school to my second year in college), I lost 80 lbs.! I was at the happiest point in my entire life... 240 lbs., met a beautiful girl, changed my major to Nursing (I wassss computer science), and felt that I could conquer anything in this world! I even got a chest liposuction to make my chest tighter/form-fitting and I looked great! Things quickly turned around. Our bodies loooove homeostasis and so when I reached my low weight, my body did not want to stay there. I started gaining weight slowly but surely. It was a process that took another 2 years (to where I am at now), but I am now 321 lbs. again. During this weight gain period, I have done everything under the sun to stop the weight loss and reverse it. Instead, I only slowed the progression at times, but my body kept gaining and gaining. This summer I discussed with my family doctor about my options. He mentioned gastric bypass and I about jumped out of my seat. I left not ever thinking I would get surgery at such a young age to lose weight that I had already loss before. But because I have tried everything, I looked into what options I had. I did not want a "cure" or a "last resort", but something that would WORK for me... and also is not so drastic as to cut and re-shape my stomach (the bypass). Hence, I discovered the LAP-BAND. I have since done a lot of research on it and feel that this may be my best option to aid in my weight loss efforts. My family hx includes everything... heart disease, diabetes, atherosclerosis, hypertension, etc. etc. I already have hypertension (on Lisinopril when I was 22) and mild sleep apnea (dx 2 weeks ago and am using a C-PAP). My father is on a heart transplant waiting list and is in very poor health in his 50's. My relatives are all extremely obese with already five of them having a gastric bypass already, and unfortunately many more who could use that sort of surgery. I know I will have heart disease and will die at a young age if I do not fix my problem now. Being in the health care field, I have seen people in poor health and I know I want to do everything in my power to prevent being sick at an early age. When I talked above about how happy I was at 240 lbs., it was truly the best days of my life. I miss that time. My girlfriend and I have been struggling a great deal in our relationship because of my weight. My activity level is horrible, our intimacy is shallow, and I can't do many of the things I used to do with her. We had broken up once before, but I do not want to let it happen again. She is extremely supportive of me getting this surgery and hopes that my struggles and our struggles together will be solved. I hope this forum will be a great way to tell my story and document my journey through my weight loss. I've already got the wheels rolling and getting all the pre-op stuff out of the way. I am hoping to get my surgery scheduled in March, during my spring break. I would be sacrificing a free Washington D.C trip for this life-changing event. I will be doing my surgery at HealthEast (in St. Joseph's hospital in St. Paul) and am choosing to do it with Dr. Michael Schwartz. I hope to hear many responses from people who are understanding and can help me in any way through this process. Thank you everyone! I look forward to the future! -Jason

So last year I got my lap band, after 6 months I knew something wasn’t right due to no weight loss after the Initial first few weeks, no restriction, and In fact weight gain! I went back had fluid check tests, an ex ray and finally a consolation to get a replacement, nearly 1 year 1 month from the first surgery, I had my band replaced, they said on examination it was a manufacturers fault. To be fair the team were very helpful and I have no complaints, it can happen, and did happen unfortunately. So I’ve had my new band 3 months and I have just has my 2nd fill 4 days ago, and oh boy can I feel the difference, definite restriction, quarter of the portions and if I’m not careful lots of uncomfortable moments finding out what i now can’t eat! Rice is one of them........ but I’m 3lbs down and finding my new path exciting. So far 2nd time round is going well.

Interesting what you say Caroline because I was surprised to be reading so much about weight gain and I didn't really understand why. I just have to see how it goes. If I have to unfill, even just some, I obviously will because my ability to drink water I understand is essential.

Hey Dee! How's it going? I didn't get filled yesterday because I'm on the "remedial learn how to eat with the band" plan. No weight loss, no weight gain.

Whether you are pre-op, a recent post-op or already well on your way to weight loss, exercise plays a starring role in the speed and longevity of your overall weight management after bariatric surgery. Even if you are preparing for bariatric surgery, you can start exercising (so long as you are cleared by your doctor) and lose a surprising number of pounds even before your gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy or revision bariatric surgery. In addition, the better cardiovascular condition you are in before surgery, the fewer complications you’ll face during and after surgery. Not sure where to start? Here are instructions I offer to my own weight loss surgery patients here in Freehold, NJ: Bariatric Preoperative Stage Patients who start an exercise strategy before surgery have an easier time adjusting to exercising after surgery, according to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). But, admittedly, exercise is challenging for people who carry a lot of extra weight. For this reason, starting slow is imperative. If you are morbidly obese, talk with your bariatric surgeon about fitness guidelines for your current health situation. Generally speaking, these are reasonable goals to target: · Focus on cardiovascular exercise, even if it’s just a walk around the neighborhood for 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your health and doctor’s recommendation. · Start walking for 10 minutes, twice a day and add 5 minutes each day, up to 30 minutes per day. · Realize that empowerment that fitness gives you over your body and your overall health. · Appreciate how good you feel after exercising—even for 10 minutes! Weight Loss Surgery Postoperative Stage For the first two weeks after surgery, focus on flexibility exercises, deep breathing and getting back into performing normal daily activities. · At your first post-op visit with your surgeon, he or she will carefully go over your customized exercise plan based upon your health, age and the procedure you had. · With your doctor’s approval, three weeks after your operation, begin to gradually incorporate low-intensity aerobic exercise (walking or swimming are my preferred choices at this stage). · If you feel prolonged pain or discomfort, you are doing too much too soon. · During the first six weeks after surgery, do not lift more than 15 pounds. One Month and Beyond Now your goal is to increase range of motion so you can easily take off your shoes and pick things up off the ground and move around more. · Strength-training (light weights) exercises are rebuilding muscle. · Work toward 30 minutes of continuous exercise five days per week. · Avoid abdominal exercises for the first eight to 12 weeks (allow the incision to heal). This also helps to alleviate abdominal hernias near or around the incision. · Change-up your workouts so your body is constantly challenged (walk around the park today, lift weights at the gym tomorrow and use the elliptical machine) · Introduce a wider variety of bariatric fitness options: biking, yoga, dancing, aerobics, Pilates, kickboxing. A year after weight loss surgery, you should be able to perform 45 minutes to an hour of exercise five times a week. Exercise is Insurance Against Future Weight Gain A lifelong exercise program is critical to a weight loss surgery patient’s long-term success. If a physically active lifestyle has not been adopted, weight gain will likely result. (Sadly, I have seen this firsthand on more than one occasion). Exercise is insurance for long-term weight-loss. If you have a slip, an extra 5 to 10 minutes spent working out will ensure that your metabolism stays elevated and this extra effort will burn more calories. Working out will not, however, save you if you overeat regularly—bariatric surgery or not. By sticking close to your daily calorie requirements most days, drinking plenty of water and focusing on fitness, you’ll look great, feel even better and be the healthiest person you can be. And that’s worth just 30 minutes out of your day, isn’t it? Photo Credit: Woman Exercising by Witthaya Phonsawat -FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I don't consider the fills/adjustments a drawback; I consider them one of the positives of lapband. If I start to eat too much, there is a quick and easy fix. Two and a half hours?? That's nothing. DH and I drive 5 hours for our fills. It isn't that often, and we make a day of it. I've had two fills and I will not need another to reach goal. As others have said, I have friends who had gb, lost over 100 lb, then gained it all back. Plus, one friend who did that STILL throws up every time she eats a meal. The fact that the band can be adjusted when weight gain slows down or stops is one of the things that sold me on it. Your doctor may have reasons for recommending GB over lapband for reasons that have nothing to do with your health or chances of success.

And I'm a happy camper too. This happens in a small % of patients. He will be using a 36 bougie this time instead of a 40. Most of my sleeve is fine. There is just a herniated bulge just under my stomach/esophagus junction (gastroesophageal sphincter). The theory is that once this gets tightened up, the tissue will not be so elastic. I'm not really a grazer (too busy) and everything was hunky dory until the weight gain started a year ago.

I know you feel desperate. You want the weight to be gone--yesterday! I want that too. I don't know how many times I have wished that I could magically turn into the person/shape I wanted to be. But even though you're feeling desperate, I don't think you should fast. Your body's metabolism really will come to a halt--nature designed it that way to save you in the event of a famine. In my youth, I fasted for at least a week (I don't know if you know this, but it can be very dangerous to come off a long fast if you don't do it correctly). The only thing that fasting jump starts is your ravenous appetiite. On a fast, you may lose weight, but when you go back to eating you will eat like you'll never eat again--because that's what your body thinks--and to top it off you will have a slower metabolism trying to deal with all of those extra calories. Guess what happens then? Weight GAIN! :thumbdown: Trust the experience of those who have gone before you. Exercise even if you don't see results--exercise and muscle gain actually speed up your metabolism. Finally, let me suggest that you try therapy (or even OA--it's basically free--I went to Overeaters Anonymous for three years. I didn't lose weight, but I did learn a lot about how I used food for so many things other than nourishment). You'll want to learn and understand how it is that you use food. Every person has different ways/reasons that they use food (boredom, anxiety, control, protection, sadness, stress relief...). Do the work to find out what's unique to you and your relationship with food. Good luck to you.

I really don't buy this whole "the body knows what it wants to weigh" meme. I'm a scientist and have an affection for the concept of cause / effect. As in ... you do X, Y is more likely to happen; you don't do X, Y is less likely to happen. That doesn't mean I presume that I know all the factors involved in weight loss and their relative strengths. In the last 20 months, I've learned much about nutrition, behavior change, emotional factors that influence eating behaviors, etc. So I expect there's a lot more for me to learn. Nor do I assume that everyone's metabolism or set points are exactly the same or governed by exactly the same calories / macronutrients / Water / exercise / etc. So I certainly think there are many individual differences in terms of how our bodies perform. But I don't think there's some magical point your body reaches where it simply won't lose any more weight, no matter what you do. Losing weight, gaining muscle mass, building endurance and other ways we're trying to change our bodies takes time. Losing one pound a month may seem like the end of the weight loss journey to some. But that's about the rate at which I lost the last 15 pounds of my fat ass. And now I'm looking at the possibility of gaining at least 5 pounds of muscle this summer. Doing that will be a real challenge for me, but I think it'll make me significantly healthier. Boy, this journey just goes on and on and on and ....

Hi Everyone, I could really use some input, if you'd be willing to share your thoughts. On Friday (6/24), I had my first appointment with Dr. Hoehn (in the Kansas City area). Was really looking forward to getting a surgery date maybe as early as August, when he told me he had a cancellation for (gulp) this Wednesday (6/29)! I was instantly thrown into a half ecstatic state/half panic, thinking maybe this all had gone too quickly, especially since insurance won't cover and we're self paying ($16K). My questions: --I never seem to hear anyone regret the surgery--why not? --If I'm 5'3" and 210 lbs, I obviously love to eat. Will I ever get to eat yummy food again? Maybe after the weight is off? --My weight gain hasn't been due to extreme overeating/bingeing... more of a sedentary life style. Does this mean I might not lose weight with the band? Maybe I should just hit the gym HARD (for once) instead of going through with the surgery? Panic... panic.... thanks, everyone! Lisa

Wishes - the book that they gave me is called Snoring and sleep Apnea: Sleep Well, Feel Better - here is an Amazon link to it if it is okay to include outside links http://www.amazon.com/Snoring-Sleep-Apnea-Well-Better/dp/1932603263/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1309664094&sr=1-1 It has a lot of great information if like myself, are not familiar with slepp apnea and its treatment. I always thought I just liked naps lol. As it turns out sleep apnea can actually be a contributing factor in weight gain - it affects our organs, if we are not getting good rest, enough oxygen - we are slowly killling ourselves - I swear even after one night on the cpap even my aching joints felt better. I have an appointment next week to get my own machine for use at home. I would definitely look into having a sleep study, my insurance (BCBSIL) requires it - folks who have apnea are much likely to have not so great htings happen during surgery.

@@diamondchic94 I have PCOS. High Testosterone Weight gain and irregular cycles. I'm early in my post op journey so im interested to see how my weight loss is affected by PCOS.