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oh sweetheart...you've just started. first of all, ten pounds is amazing. second...you will have stalls, weight gains, plateaus, etc. just focus on following your doc's protocol, which it sounds like you are doing, and the weight will come off. Remember...you didn't gain it overnight, and you won't lose it that way either. I bet that three months from now, you'll have a nice weight loss and maybe even be in smaller sizes. WORD. While you are healing from surgery, your body is going to change and your weight is going to naturally fluctuate. I am sixteen days out and only stepped in a scale once because I needed to be seen by a primary care health care provider. Otherwise, I am avoiding scales except for when i am seen at my surgeon's office because I feel so strongly that right now is not the time to be worrying about weight loss, but to be concentrating on healing, recovering and setting myself up for a healthier future.

Hi there! I' new but noticed your post yesterday before I joined. I am also taking classes but I'm doing mine on-line to finish up my bachelor's degree. It has been a long 2 1/2 years but I'm almost done. I have 2 more weeks left of this class and then 2 more (5-week) classes remaining. My completion or grad date is July 11, 2011. I'm planning on becoming a teacher; therefore I have to enroll in a certification program. Here in the Louisiana there are special guidelines to get certified and it cannot be done at any institution, therefore I will be enrolling in grad school for the fall semester. Its only one more semester between getting certified and getting certified with a master's degree so I'm going for it!!! Most of my weight gain has occurred in the past 2 1/2 years. Dealing with school while working full-time and raising a family has been hard, but also I lost my mother 2 months after I began school. That was the hardest and most difficult time of my life. She died of lung cancer and I took a hiatus from life and 18 months. I just didn't care which put me up 75 lbs and I was already very heavy. Now I'm severly morbidly obese and not just obese. I feel guilty now for letting myself go and not caring, but that is life right? So I'm a cash patient because insurance doesn't cover weight loss surgery right now. I don't have the time to wait. If I wait any longer my 6 year old and almost 20 year old daughter may be motherless and I cannot let that happen to her. She is too precious to me! My paternal grandmother died at the age of 48 from having 2 major strokes within days of each other. She was not overweight like I am nor did she live the lifestyle that I have. So, I'm a ticking time bomb waiting to go off! I'm not scared to die, but I'm worried what will happen to my 2 daughters. They don't deserve this and they are my reasons for doing this! They are the reason I wake up in the morning and go to a job that I don't like. My surgery is a working progress but should be around mid-May. I have a blood work tomorrow morning and then its seeing the doctor and scheduling surgery. I also have to take some classes on-line. That's about it in a nutshell...

oh sweetheart...you've just started. first of all, ten pounds is amazing. second...you will have stalls, weight gains, plateaus, etc. just focus on following your doc's protocol, which it sounds like you are doing, and the weight will come off. Remember...you didn't gain it overnight, and you won't lose it that way either. I bet that three months from now, you'll have a nice weight loss and maybe even be in smaller sizes.

I was sleeved 9 years ago. I lost 110kg over the first 2 years and maintained weight at 67kg for 3 years. Then, I was put on ssri and anti psychotic meds and gained 10 kilos in the first 3 weeks. I went on to gain back 70 kilos of what I lost over the last few years. My psyc. put me on metformin to minimise the weight gain (even though I’m not diabetic) and my weight stopped going up for about the last year now. I have just come back to the community today as I recently committed to losing this weight again. I’m pleased to hear a previous comment here that says that people have lost weight on mental health meds successfully, I’m on the wagon and going for goal.

Hi all! I’m from the Netherlands and I can’t seem to find any answers to my questions , so Hopefully I can find some answers here 🙂 hope so! I’m looking for women who have gained weight DUE to Paxil, like me. I went from 70 kg to 96 kg on these meds (for ocd) and tried to switch, without succes. I have to take Paxil the rest of my life. (I also tried to get off them very very slowly but it seems impossible. Tried everything, visited everyone, work out with a person trainer for two years now, eat healthy etc. Can’t get the weight off!! and I’m even gaining more. I don’t have excessive cravings and I always used to have a healthy weight. I wonder if any WLS will help me, as it seems to be more a metabolism problem than an eating problem? Anyone here who had WLS because they gained due to taking an SSRI ((Prozac, Effexor, lexapro etc) ? And not (only) because of eating too much but maybe also because your metabolism seems to have slowed down? and…did it work for you? thanks so much in advance ladies!

I started on Depo and Prozac in Dec. 2017. At the time, I had lost 40lbs from my highest weight. Within a year, I had gained it all back. Its hard to say how much was from each, as they are both well known for weight gain. That being said, I had VSG in Sept. 2021, so nearing 4 months post-op and I've lost about 65lbs. About 20 of that was pre-op, 45 post-op. I figure that's pretty average, given my starting BMI, age, etc. I'm now 10lbs lower than I was before I started the meds, and at my lowest ever adult weight and the loss seems to be holding pretty steady week over week.

Starting this process now with my surgeon after 8 years with my band over 100lb loss and now esophageal dilitation caused me to have to unfill band and have had an o going weight gain. He recommended bypass and we are checking with insurance now. Anyone have issue with insurance not covering a revision due to complications of the band?

Laura you look fantastic! Juicing is a great option, but sometimes it can cause some weight gain. There is nothing wrong with increasing our diets to a more healthy, nutritious and great tasting. I fear for myself that I would over indulge and gain weight back. Then again, I'm mind is playing tricks on me. I am holding back from going out and buying a size 8 slacks for work. I just can't believe I'm in an 8. I am working my way up to it.

Hello everyone, I would just like to say if you find this forum helpful it really is. I believe that while I was a part of the forum using another screen name I was constantly losing weight each week, and I was always motivated to keep up with other sleevers losing the weight. When the weight loss was going good, I dropped back thought I could just do what I want, and now I wish I could turn back the hands of time and get this weight back off. I have only gained back 20lbs but that’s a lot to have gained back in less than a year. I pray that I will be able to get back on the losing side of things. I have so many issues and hardships going on its kind of hard just to stay focused on losing the weight. I don’t regret getting sleeved and I have no one else to blame but myself but I need to really get a hold of what’s going on with me. There’s no point to my post I just wanted to rant a little bit about how I’m feeling about my weight gain. Good luck to everyone that is considering having the surgery it is worth it just make sure you stay on top of what your doctors and nuts tell you.

I found this fabulous article about Water & how it helps weight loss. It made me want to go drink all 8 glasses in one sitting. I thought it was worth passing on to the group to read. It's a little long, but well worth the read! (sorry!) Water How 8 Glasses a Day Keep Fat Away Water suppresses the appetite naturally & helps the body metabolize stored fat. Studies have show that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits. Here’s why: The kidneys can’t function properly without enough water. When they don’t work to capacity, some of the load is dumped onto the liver. One of the liver’s primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy for the body. But, if the liver has to do some of the kidney’s work it can’t operate at full throttle. As a result, it metabolizes less fat, more fat remains stored in the body and & weight loss stops. Drinking enough water is the best treatment for Fluid retention. When the body gets less water, it perceives this as a threat to survival and begins to hold onto every drop. Water is stored in extraceiiular spaces (outside the cells). This shows up as swollen feet, legs & hands. Diuretics offer a temporary solution at best. They force out stored water along some essential nutrients. Again, the body perceives a threat & will replace the lost water at the first opportunity. Thus the condition quickly returns. Te best way to overcome the problems of water retention is to give your body what it needs – plenty of water. Only then will stored water be released. If you have a constant problem with water retention, excess salt may be to blame. Your body will tolerate sodium only in a certain concentration. The more salt you eat, the more water your system retains to dilute it. But getting rid of unneeded salt is easy – drink more water! As it’s forced through the kidneys, it takes away excess sodium. The overweight person needs more water than the thin one. Larger people have larger metabolic loads. Since we know that water is the key to fat metabolism, it follows that the overweight person needs more water. Water helps to maintain proper muscle tone by giving muscles their natural ability to contract & by preventing dehydration. It also helps to prevent the sagging skin that usually follows weight loss – shrinking cells are buoyed by water, which pumps the skin and leaves it clean, healthy & resilient. Water helps rid the body of waste. During weight loss the body has a lot more waste to get rid of – all that metabolized fat must be shed. Again, adequate water helps flush out the waste. Water helps relieve constipation. When the body gets too little water, it siphons what it needs from internal sources. The colon is one primary source. Result? Constipation. But, when a person drinks enough water, normal bowel function usually returns. So far, we’ve discovered some remarkable truths about water & weight loss: ~ The body will not function properly without enough water & can’t metabolize stored fat efficiently. ~ Retained water shows up as excess weight. ~ To get rid of excess water you my drink more water. ~ Drinking water is essential to weight loss. How much water is average? On the average, a person should drink eight 8-oz glasses every day. That’s about 2 quarts. However, the overweight person needs one additional glass for every 25 lbs. of excess weight. The amount you drink also should be increased if you exercise briskly of if the weather is hot & dry. Water should preferably be cold – it’s absorbed into the system quicker then warm water. Some evidence suggests that drinking cold water can actually help burn calories. To utilize water most efficiently during weight loss, follow this schedule: Morning: 1 quart consumed over a 30-min. period. Noon: 1 quart consumed over a 30-min. period. Evening: 1 quart consumed between 5 & 6 o’clock. When the body gets the water it needs to function optimally, its fluids are perfectly balanced. When this happens, you have reached the “breakthrough point.” What does this mean? 1) Endocrine-gland function improves. 2) Fluid retention is alleviated as stored water is lost. 3) More fat is used as fuel because the liver is free to metabolize stored fat. 4) Natural thirst returns. 5) There is a loss of hunger almost overnight!! If you stop drinking enough water, your body fluids will be thrown out of balance again, & you may experience fluid retention, unexplained weight gain & loss of thirst. To remedy the situation you’ll have to go back & force another “breakthough.”

I had the original Lap-Band surgery just 01 month after it was approved by the FDA in 2001. My start weight was 240 and I was down to 162 at my lowest. I have been the unfortunate recipient of some unusual abdominal tumors that gave me an enormous weight gain. I was back up to 200 last year and I seem to hover around 190-195 currently. I was at a steady 190 for several years as I seem to have lost the first 50 in the first year. Now, in the middle of my tumor removal surgeries (yes, there were 2), I somehow managed to have the tube between my port and my band come "un-done" and it started "floating" around and poking my insides causing excruciating pain. I had the tube repaired in a quick outpatient procedure. I also managed to have a 4th surgery because my last tumor removal resulted in a hernia. Now that I am apparently healthy, which is been nearly 7 months now, I cannot seem to lose the weight. I never know when the band will work. Sometimes I can eat whatever I want and sometimes I can't. I was able to have my repair covered by insurance, but it doesn't normally cover WLS. My doc told me that I have severe scar tissue around my band because it is old and it doesn't want to stretch with the fills so it doesn't work properly. I desperately want to lose the weight, down to at least 150, but I am in a vicious cycle. I am too exhausted all of the time to go work out, which I need to do to lose the weight, but the extra weight makes me exhausted! Arghhh! Does anyone have any suggestions? Has anyone ever heard of Cigna covering revision surgery? I am thinking that although they don't normally cover WLS, since I am having health issues, they may actually cover it as a means of repair. Does this make any sense or am I just wishful thinking? The band and the port are starting to cause pain when I lay down in certain positions, too. Any thoughts? Thanks to any and all for any suggestions.

Sorry it took me a while to answer you Kim. I'm still trying to figure out the bells and whistles of answering threads. Dr. George Field is originally from Australia. He is not only my surgeon but he is also a lapband patient himself. He was the eldest of seven siblings from a well-to-do family in Australia. Every one of his siblings, including his parents were slim and all ate the same food and had the same family activities except that Dr. Fielding took after a relative several generations back who was always heavy. Dr. Fielding believes in the "fat gene". So ten years ago, when the lap band procedure was new, he had his procedure, lost the weight and got off the nine medications he was on and decided to specialize in lap banding. To make a long story short, he came to NYC and met with Dr. Christine Ren, director of the NYU Program for Surgical Weight (she is world reknown in her own right) and he is now also an Associate Professor, Surgery at New York University School of Medicine in Manhattan, NY. My orthopedic surgeon, also at NYU, recommended Dr. Ren and Dr. Fielding to me last April and said they are the best. I went to Dr. Fielding's seminar in June and was blown away. He is on a campaign to alleviate the morbid obesity in the United States. Now what's more, Kim, is if you go to their website: thinforlife.med.nyu.edu you will learn everthing about Drs. Ren and Fielding and their program. In addition, go to the menu for Payment Options. Dr. Fielding raises funds so that people who desperately need the lap banding but have trouble because of insurance, etc. can qualify to get funding for their operations. I highly recommend their program. Their staff are tremendous. In fact, four of the people on his staff have had the lap band procedure. They are healthy, happy and can share in what we are going through. Their surgical staff are top notch. I must tell you that I feel great and am finally on the way to the light of my deep dark abyss of just waiting to die because of the weight gain, high blood pressure, heavy doses of the "witch's brew" of medications and side effects and inactivity.

It's tough, I know lots of people that struggled with their relationships or marriages after weight loss or gain. My SO and I were on a plan from day one to be 'healthy' together. He was severely underweight and I was overweight, he supported the surgery and has worked with me to adjust our diet (since we live together) to make it easier for me to continue my journey. He has gained 50 lbs and I have lost 90 and we've happy; but we planned to love each other and support the change. My ex though was an enabler that helped my weight gain before, he was skinny and loved to eat, lots of junk food, fast food, etc. Of course you imitate and crave by association and bam, 60 lbs I gained in the course of 4 years. Sometimes misery loves company and when we're overweight or unattractive feeling, we settle for whomever we think will take us at our worst. Truth is, we should strive to find someone that makes us better and we give back and allow them to be the best version of themselves. Grow together in a relationship and support the change; if he wants you unhealthy and unhappy (because YOUR happiness should come first) then you should consider discussing with him how that is most definitely not okay and part ways. You don't need toxic in your life and having that negativity in your life will lead to depression and back to the poor food and lifestyle changes you made to get here.

Okay.....just had surgery 2-4, did fine, feel pretty good, on full liquids, trying to drink water etc.....my question is, when I came home from the hospital I was up 10 pounds! --- as of today 2-7-09 I am still 4 pounds heavier than my weight before the surgery at the hospital...initially I thought it was fluid retention from the operation, but enough is enough, I am eating (or should I say - drinking) very little, today I had water about 20 oz, yogurt, and a little tomato soup...I'm not really hungry, but did anyone else experience weight gain right after surgery?

diet update- was going very well until I had to take a strong anti-inflammatory because of my jaw operation - water retention, rapid weight gain and constipation - up about 6 pounds! prescription ends in 3 and 1/2 days and will see if weight goes back down.

I got pregnant 2 weeks after i got my band! I lost about 5 pounds! I was bummed but really happy, it was hard because it was my first (and only baby) that my husband and I wanted so bad, but I just got banded. My surgeons nurse wanted to take out my meager fill, but since i really had no restriction, i refused, and I never had a problem with it. My suggestion is get a really great obstetrition with experience with "high risk", she thought nothing bad of my band, and even suggested it would help me control the inevitable weight gain of pregnancy, she also said i was lucky to have the band, as though it was adjustable. She was a gorgeous little 100 pound thing, but she never judged me, and did a great great job. I only gained 10 pounds in the first 8 months, and 30 the last (i got gestational hypertension, it was all water weight). Nadia came by c-section (little breech brat) an was absolutely perfect. Doctor even took extra care not to disturb my port. My altime high was 324 a day after she was born (swelled up even worse because of c-section) but by my 6 week check up, I was down to 280 with relatively little effort (recovering and all, you know) and now 2 months out, and a good fill, I have lost another 15 pounds. The band was GREAT with my pregnancy, but having an understanding support team with my care was what made it that way. I hope you all the luck, and I strongly suggest you get a good baby doctor, as to be honest, my doc never thought of the band as an inconvienience, but rather, a helpful tool. Good luck.

So, least to say, this week has been eventful, and I want to thank you all for the messages, good thoughts, prayers, and support sent our way this week. I apologize I haven't replied, it's just been hectic. Sunday, I woke up feeling very exhausted, and feeling lots of pressure in my pelvis and back. I just kept on getting things ready for the week, checking things off the list, and hanging out at the house. I laid down for a nap around 1pm, and woke up at 4pm to lots of pressure, and general cramping, just thinking it was normal Braxton Hicks pains, I didn't reallze I was in full active LABOR. Around, 5pm, we headed to Labor and Delivery just because I started feeling pretty weak. We get there, get hooked up, I'm having major contractions, and they checked me, dilated to 3cm, 50% efaced and already at -1 station. WHEW, I do admit I have a huge pain tolerance, and I never labored with my son so I was pretty oblivious to what all labor entailed. The doctors were amazed that I was tolerating everything so well. But, they knew I couldn't deliver vaginally so the pressure was on to get me prepped. Now, the time crunch begins to get me to the OR. Prepped and ready to go, Csection went off without any issue, my labs looked stellar, and at 9:33pm, Tatum entered this world screaming, kicking, flailing and ready to bring joy into our little world. We just arrived home today, both of us are doing great. I've already lost about 12-13lbs of the weight gained, but I'm retaining fluids, weaning off the prednisone. Breastfeeding has been a great success except my supply is way down, and we're supplementing due to her weight dropping pretty quickly. We're doing 70/30 breast/bottle. It's what is best for both of us. I'm trying ot eat more food since they would like me to hit about 2500-3000 calories a day to support both of us, but as we all know that's pretty touch without eating pure slider foods, and junk. However, I'm doing what is working for both of us, and confident with our choices thus far. She came out rooting around, latched immediately and has made it very easy on me and her. Our nights and days are mixed up, but I've gotten good at napping with her. 30 October 2011, 9:33pm, Weight 7lb 4.9oz 19inch long Perfect in every way. So far, blonde haired, blue -eyed ! ! ! "I'M HERE"

I had my VSG done on 12/21/15. I spent one night in the hospital. At the time I thought that was great but now I wish I had stayed another night. For the most part I feel fine. I tired very easily the first few days but that is getting better every day. I have one incision that is still very painful. It is the main site where my excess stomach was removed so I expected it to be sore longer; but not this long. I was so glad when I hit week two and could start drinking protein shakes and could have thicker soups! I'm still dealing with cravings and what I'm told is head hunger. I'm hoping that will begin to fade soon. I've read it takes about 30 for your gherlin levels to drop and you will have to remind yourself to eat. I hope that is the case because at this point I feel the only thing that is keeping me from eating bad stuff or over eating are the surgical restrictions. I am so looking forward to eating something I can actually chew. . I have averaged 2lbs of weight loss the last few days. I'm down 10 pounds in 8 days....that's after a 9lb weight gain in the hospital from all the fluids....so I'm excited about that.

I'm sooo with you! I have a weight gain of 4-5 lbs when "aunt flo" comes to visit. It's so frustrating because they just look at you like-ya right...

I lost 110 lbs during my 7-month process to get the sleeve (had to have 6 months with monthly meetings with a nutritionist). I very nearly canceled my surgery. Here's why I didn't: - The chance of losing a significant amount of weight and KEEPING it off is really low. Within 5 years something like 95-98% of people who lost weight gained it back, usually with some extra on top. Even if I lost all the weight I needed to using diet/exercise, I have never maintained a loss. My sleeve is the tool that will help me do that. - My years of overeating had really messed up my stomach. My portions of food were still too big. I completely overhauled my diet and started eating low-carb, high Protein. However, I still ate quite a lot. I would just fill up on salad or veggies, usually at least 3 normal-sized servings. If I tried smaller portions, the hunger got overwhelming and I would end up cheating. I just didn't want to take the chance. Yeah, I MIGHT be able to do this without surgery, but with surgery my chances are much, much better. I NEVER want to be 400 lbs again. Also, both my surgeon and my nutritionist said that my loss prior to surgery is a really good sign that the sleeve will work wonderfully for me, especially over the long term.

I have the Mirena IUD..Had it two years before surgery. The hormores relased are localized in the reproductive tract....not like taking oral contraceptives. I had no problems, weight gain or other issues. Love it. My periods are just spotting at this point. The only down side is that it must be inserted while you have your period....very gross.

Remember my ex on these and the weight gain due to Water retention. Not an option i hate prednisone due to water retention wiedht gain Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I started the program to get the lap band in Feb. and was able to lose my insurance requirement weight of 5% of my weight. I had lost 17lbs to get a surgery date this was in May. I got a surgery date of June 30th and was not put on any kind of pre op diet and was told by the surgeons office the weight lose requirment was for insurance reasons only. I have had 3 friends that have went through the same process and all gained back their weight before surgery. (they did have the by-pass surgery) so when I went to the hospital for surgery and got weighed I had gained back 8lbs. My surgeon came in and to my surprise canceled my surgery due to the weight gain then had me meet with another Dr in her office who told me I have to go on a 4 week liquid diet and lose 30lbs not just the 8 I gained. Has this happened to anyone else? Not only do I feel like a failure but if I could do liquid diets for such long periods I wouldn't need surgery. Please help I feel like giving up. I cried the whole way home telling my husband I am to fat to have the surgery.

I know that many people ask the same question but just curious if others having the same problem. If you have can you share what you did to prevent weight gain till you get to the right fill level. I go in next week for first fill and follow up appt but just don't want to keep putting on weight till i get to the green zone. Thanks and appreciate any and all thoughts

I understand that. I lost weight years back before my back got so bad. But I began eating more and more because of people's comments. I don't blame them for my weight gain, but I don't intend to let them derail me this time Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app