Search the Community

also I do empathise..I suffer with Plantar Faciitis..last year I had to have injections in my feet as they were so painful..people who hasnt experienced this..you cant even take one step..it IS excruciating! Then what happens...you become less mobile to zero.that equals weight gain!

Personally I believe "not eating enough to lose weight" is a load of bull. The less you eat the more you will lose, it's proven fact. And if you work out you'll lose even more. So maybe your NUT disagrees but your not losing fast are you? Long term slow loss is probably better for you but I too understand how hard it is to have gone through this surgery and still be waiting for change. Get your Vitamins and Water and some Protein. Work out and eat low carb, low calories. And your weight loss will pick up. You may hit a stall now and then but your going to see big losses. Eating more to lose weight is a line the diet industry came up with to justify getting people into snacking which ultimately causes weight gain as it increases calories and habitats towards eating.

I've just weighed myself and I've put on 12lbs in the past 4 weeks! Part of the reason will be that 4 weeks ago I had shoulder surgery and have been off work since, so a lot less active - the other reason ofcourse will be all the goodies that I have surrounded myself with thinking that I was too strong of mind to be tempted.. and I had a bit of the 'i'm thin and can eat anything' mentality.... oh how wrong I've been. Tomorrow I'm starting back on the Protein shakes - not sure at this moment if I will just have the Protein Shakes or if I should have some sort of meat product for a main meal.. either chicken or beef. Any thoughts or ideas out there? I take my Vitamins and supplements daily, so no chance of me not getting those in and I drink plenty fluids too - although not plain Water, its water with crystal light which I realise isn't ideal, but its the only way I get my fluids in. I couldn't drink plain water unless its ice cold.

HW 362 SW 320 CW 218 TPL 144 TGP 132 Lost 2 of the Holiday pounds this week. I did well by returning to eating pretty clean for the week and restarting the exercise regimen. It is amazing how quickly weight gain can start when the regulars routines for eating and exercise change.

I used to smoke too. I smoked for 25 years :/ Every time I would go to the doctor for anything they would blame it on smoking. "Your back hurts? It's because you smoke. You have a cold? It's because you smoke. You have an ingrown toenail? You smoke."!!!!!!! Every single time. Then I quit smoking cold turkey. I gained 60 pounds. Now when I go to the doctor it's "Your back hurts? You're overweight!" LOL Seriously. That is exactly how it is. But am I glad I quit smoking. Even with all the weight gain. I feel so much better. And I really loved to smoke. I prayed about it while I was quitting. I asked Jesus to help me not to indulge in something so unhealthy for me. I should have prayed not to replace cigarettes with twinkies..............SMH

I understand the addictions as far as sweets and soda. Never smoked but my mom does non stop. I know how hard it is to give every bad habit up. One year out and have started sneaking the sweets and soda once in awhile. The soda does not feel good, carbonation I guess. But I can have some sweets without dumping. Hope I don't have any weight gain. So far it's good. My nutrionist wants me to gain 5 pounds but in a healthy way. It will be hard, but I am trying to get back on track. I know you will find a way to stop these bad habits before surgery, it's after that gets hard.

It depends. Are you going to let the numbers on the scale dictate how the rest of your day goes? Are you going to be able to deal with stalls and even weight gain if you weigh daily? If you think that's not going to bother you, by all means weigh daily. If it is a problem for you, stay off the scale and weigh weekly, bi monthly or even monthly if you feel that will work best for you. I weigh once a week, Monday morning no fail. Even weekly still can be annoying when you're in a longer stall

I believe sugar is addictive as some drugs. I have to avoid sugary foods altogether. My weight gain was due to eating gallons of ice cream and anything with sugar. since being banded and gaining more control I seldom eat sugar I had diabetes for years . My A1C has been normal since a few months after my surgery,

I had my surgery November 8, 2008. I successfully went from 258 to 140. I had to have shoulder surgery in June of this year and now the fight is on. Blood sugar out of control, weight gain to 185, and thyroid medication d/t hypothyroidism, I am so ashamed of myself, I have gained all this weight and there seems to be nothing working. The Dr totally unfilled my band and since then he has put fluid back. No luck I am still gaining, and I feel like a hungry bear with no stopping. Blood sugar is crazy. i took 100 unit of insulin prior to surgery and I was able to go off the anything at all for blood sugar. My A1c has climbed and now having to do sliding scale. Anyone else having these issues?

@@hisandhersleeves you are not alone!! I've read that other people on the board have gained over the holiday too don't tell anyone, but i gained 4.2 lbs!!! what is done is done look toward the future you gained 6 lbs over the holidays GET OVER IT KNOCK IT OFF!! you can't do anything to change/undo the past couple weeks vaca over the holiday all of a sudden being home food, food, food all over temptations from the devil dwelling/upset over your "temporary" weight gain doesn't help go with the present and future you can control both of those i have confidence in you you will get back on track whatever your weight loss is congrats i'm sure you have been doing great get back to "normal" follow everything @@McButterpants said!!! she's such a smarty pants good luck bud kathy

Hi and Happy New Year! I hope the holidays were good for everyone...I was wondering if anyone else gained over the holidays? I am a teacher so I've been home for two weeks now and have gained 6 pounds!!! I realize that being home, I eat way more than if I was working and of course I'm eating all the wrong foods, but I didn't think it would be so easy to gain 6 pounds in 2 short weeks! Looking for a way to jump start my weight loss again, any suggestions?

Hello all! I am new to post but have been lurking like a mad woman! I am trying to absorb as much information as possible and have been so pleasantly surprised by how supportive everyone is. I have had my first consult with my doc, bloodwork, and am waiting on my psych clearance to set up my EGD. I am cautiously optimistic at this point. On of the things that I do struggle with is the question of what happens when you suffer from food addiction and go through VGS? I am afraid of the emotional issues I will have to confront once food is no longer my crutch. I had a severe bout of depression after the birth of my daughter which has led to this 100lb weight gain. I am looking at beginning counseling immediately and have began reading books on emotional eating. Any advice or experience is greatly appreciated!

wow amazing that there isn't much weight gain

168 today. Didn't meet my goal but am still super happy to be in the 160's. I am still down and made it through the holidays without a 10+ lbs weight gain like a typical year. Onward to the next challenge. A huge thank you to you Susan???? for running these. These challenges are a huge motivator to stay on track for me ????

Hi guys! Gratz on your decision to change your life for the better. Soooo many folks think of doing something about their obesity. They dwell, ponder, ruminate...but never actually do something real. You are all exceptions to this rule of human nature, you are people of action and should be commended! I had my DS surgery on May 8th of 2014. I weighed 412 lbs at my highest, and I think 390 or so on date of surgery. I've since lost 173 lbs and believe I will reach my goal weight of 185 lbs by my anniversary date of May 8th for a total loss of 227 lbs. The most important advice I could give you newer post surgery folks is to find a liquid you can consume easily and drink it. For my 1st 2 months I did VERY poorly with Fluid intake...and food intake was even worse! Do NOT be discouraged because your body is in shock and will remain on a war footing for several months . For me a HUGE help was to switch from Water...which I had always loved before surgery...to simply lemonade. It's a fresh squeezed lemons drink sold in most super markets and it was suggested to me by a veteran DS guy. It may well have saved my life! I was peeing dark amber or even brown urine and was nauseous all the time. I just couldn't drink water and it made me sick when I tried. There's something about the flavor of the lemonade that worked for me. I don't care what it is, if it's in liquid form and it tastes good to you....drink it! Maybe a juice, maybe a sugared drink you'd normally not want to drink. Just trust me when I say hydration is critical to your healing and you need to keep looking for the beverage you can actually drink. Koolaid, chocolate milk...whatever! As for Vitamins, I'd say worry about that after a couple of months at least. I do recomment B12 injections monthly because they're cheap (mine is $4 per month at my local super market and my Dr. gave me a 2 yr prescription). You don't need to eat them...so why not get it starting immediately. But wolfing down a ton of pills daily is not feasable for new post op folks...though if you can tolerate it I say go for it. Focus on liquids early on. Expect to have thoughts that you may never be able to eat again. Trust me you will...but it's going to take 6-7 months. In the mean time just roll with it, because this is where the weight loss magic occurs. Keep in mind that you have about 18 months of super charged weight loss after this procedure, and after this your stomach will stretch to about 75% of a "normal persons". That means weight gain is possible, and certainly weight loss is less possible, than when your stomach was 25% normal size. So while you suffer trying desperately to get in your liquids and Proteins, your weight will be falling off like magic! Your suffering will NOT be in vain guys. I promise you your reward is just beyond the horizon. Now...drink something...anything!

Ok guys so as of yesterday my dr put me on purees. I started to finally eat very little bit. Today I see the scale has gone up two pounds!!! What the heck???? Is this normal???? I thought I'm supposed to be losing A pound a day????

I also struggle with depression. I take two meds daily for it, and those are the only meds I still take after surgery. It drives me nuts that people equate depression with just being sad. Like when someone says things like "oh, I broke my iPhone, I'm so depressed!" No, you're sad, not depressed. Depression is a medical condition like diabetes or high blood pressure. Right before they wheeled me into the operating room for surgery, I was going over a list of my meds with the NP at the hospital. She heard which depression drugs I'm on and told me I "must" talk to the doc to change my scripts to something else because one of the meds causes weight gain and makes it more difficult to lose weight. I explained that I know that, but I've been medicated for depression for almost 25 years. I've tried more drug combos than I care to think about, and I'm finally on a combo that allows me to function relatively normally. I think I'll stick with what works. She told me that it was my choice, but that I was making it needlessly harder on myself. SMH

@gabrielle2014: So glad to read this and to know you are doing a little better. I'm glad you have a good, supportive therapist. I'm leaning heavily towards an ablation myself, as I really hate the side effects of my beta blockers. Depression, weight gain (Water weight, but still...) and all I want to do is sleep 24/7. I feel like my baseline personality has completely shifted. If I'm eligible for an ablation, I will move forward with this, too... Let us know what the cardio recommends for you, and I hope you feel better and stronger with each passing day. Yes, you can't eat to comfort yourself through this. But you could turn that into a positive by reframing the thought: "I feel badly and I've had a heart attack. But at least I'm working towards better health with each bite, instead of digging myself into a deeper, more-unhealthy hole." Because you ARE getting healthier with each pound you are losing!

Is there any way you can see a counselor? Maybe some of the issues that caused your weight gain in the first place, are resurfacing? It sounds like you are slipping back in to the bad habits. Maybe talking with a professional will help you. New Year....New Start!

Jessb418- I'm the same way! I'm happy when the scale goes down and really grumpy when it doesn't move! I weight self everyday. And the weight will set the mood. This isn't healthy. ???? We have to remember this experience is a journey. I had such fears initially that I would be the failure who didn't lose weight and gained more! I read about the average weight loss, and worried the average wouldn't get me to my goal. I'm in my third month post op, and while I still have irrational fears, I'm coming to terms with this process. My sister is one year post, met her goal weight and struggles with maintaining. In other words, this our lives now. Thin people also watch their weight. I've been paying attention to my "normal to thin friends' eating habits. They are pretty disciplined with an occasional treat. They workout, and occasionally get upset with a weight gain. We got this! We're ok! And we will reach our goals! Hang in there. The scale is just a tool to help you gage your eating.

I second this! Pay attention to your body and use your healing time to reform bad habits that will stall weight loss or encourage weight gain. I was fortunate in that my surgeon said coffee was ok after 1 week post-op. It actually curbs my appetite and I love my morning and afternoon cup every day. Even before being sleeved, I enjoyed sipping hot beverages in between meals and found that helped curb my hunger (coffee or tea). I also don't use anything in my coffee except a teaspoon of almond milk or half and half. I adore coffee and am grateful for it, esp during these cold winter months. I was told no carbonation, and never really cared for soda, so I don't miss it. I had a sip of champagne at a wedding and didn't notice anything except a burp or two, but I didn't take it any further than the sip. I miss hard cider on occasion, but it's not worth what it might do to my stomach, so I push through the craving.

I'm only 4 months post-op and am doing fine with the sleeve. Love it. I've lost 63 pounds thus far. I think the sleeve is a big advantage to those of us who've struggled lifelong with overweight and obesity. But here's the big BUT ... 40-50% of people who have WLS (including those who are sleeved) gain back more than half of the weight they lost. So clearly they are able to cheat the sleeve big-time. And I haven't heard of anyone who's had the sleeve who says they've never had to put some energy post-op into maintaining their weight loss. Some people who post here at BP have said that 1, 2, 3 years out they are struggling with weight gain. And during the holidays some here have complained about gaining weight (even during their weight loss phases) because they indulged too much in holiday treats. So if "being 'full' has never stopped [you when] the food tastes really good," you surely could figure out post-op how to eat more than you should. But just because you can doesn't mean that you will. The sleeve is only one of many tools you could acquire to help you live healthier, lose weight, maintain your weight, and live a healthy lifestyle. The other available tools are family and friends you invite to support you, psychological counseling and coaching, support groups (in real life and online), ongoing support from your bariatric and medical team, exercise and physical activities and resources, a job/work/career that supports your new lifestyle (or at least doesn't sabotage it), avocations that support your new lifestyle, spiritual support, and other resources. Of course, there are other things in our lives we can't control that will affect our long-term success. But the list above includes are some things we can control. Most of all, there's the motivation factor: How badly do we want to be normal-sized and healthy? Best wishes to you.

See, those are the friends I do have and want. "Yes, those pants make you look fat". "No, that's not a good look for you" "don't cut your hair that short, it looks better long", "that hair color makes you look old". "That was a pretty stupid move", "Why do you keep going out with losers?" "Why do you let her push you around?" "Are you ever going to wash your truck?", "You need to brush your teeth...your breath stinks". "You're being a b***h"..... For me, honesty defines a relationship and I don't want to have to be PC with my friends, and vice versa. We aren't being mean or judgmental towards one another. My feelings aren't hurt when they say theses things. I consider it constructive criticism and fully expect it of my friends. I would be more hurt if they tried to be "nice" by not telling it like it is. And we continue to support and love each other despite our differences in opinion, bad decisions, hairdos, guys we date and weight gains and losses.

Ok, so the main reason alcohol isn't generally allowed is because of addiction. Like it or not, all of us has a food addiction. When we get rid of one addiction, there is a danger of developing another addiction, in this case alcohol. The second reason is alcohol is empty calories...there really is no nutritional value in alcohol. There are health benefits that I won't deny...alcohol in moderation increases good cholesterol. It also allows certain people on our lives to continue to exist. Keeps us employed in awful jobs. But of course, I kid (sort of...The cholesterol part is true). Just be smart, be aware of the calories in what you are drinking! But I am steadfast in my refusal to believe that alcohol calories are somehow super calories...that they defy math and cause weight gain. Time to learn moderation, kids. Have a glass of wine, balance, and enjoy the one life you have.

The sad truth. Is that it is a complete lottery, I'm mixed race and had hair for days, started losing about 3 months out and has only just started to slow, I've had to have it cut as it was dramatically thinner - the shortest it's been since 1986! I had my Protein intake and all the suitable Vitamins and started taking Biotin too and it just happened. Am I traumatised? hell yes, am I going to get over it? hell yes Would I trade 6.5 stone lost for the hair? Honestly, I would say there were moments, if your hair has been your trademark for your entire life, longer than any weight gain, then it's hard but it's growing again and my "thin" hair, as with most non-Caucasian hair, is still thick