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God bless you and I'm glad you're taking to it so well (and thanks for checking in with us!) Just a couple questions--what was wrong with the anesthesia? Also, why the 6 lb weight gain (maybe IV fluids)?

It has been just about a year since I visited this site. That date coincides with having my band removed for medical reasons. I am not writing this post to "bash" the band. I am thankful for my opportunity to lose weight with my band, and to get my life back. I wanted to let others know that should they have the misfortune of having to have their band removed, it is not the end of your healthier life. I wanted to share my experiences, as I know what an emotional journey it has been for me, and to perhaps inspire others to never give up on themselves. Unlike many others who opted to revise to another WLS, I chose to not have a revision because my PCP advised me to give my inflamed GI tract a rest, as there was excessive scar tissue at my band site. I am amazed that if not careful, I am still able to get food stuck, even after the initial adjustment post band removal. I believe I knew from the beginning that I would not have a long relationship with my band. I decided to make the most of my banded life, and embraced my new banded lifestyle. I was the poster child for diet and exercise compliance. And I feel I was reasonably successful with losing 90+ pounds during the 22 months I was banded. Now, about a year later, I have gained 5-6 pounds. The surgeon who removed my band told me to expect to gain around 10 pounds. I feel good about not gaining 10 pounds, but I need to be vigilant every day post band, as I was while I had my band to make healthy food choices and control my portions. What has worked to help me to maintain a healthier weight: Continue to eat like a banister. I still choose a lean Protein and a produce carb for every meal. My portions are still band sized, with the exception of adding a couple of ounces of lean protein for meals. I look for signs of satiety, and leave leftovers on my plate. Exercise continues to be a priority, both cardio and toning. Snacks are limited to Greek yogurt, pumpkin seeds, and a few raw nuts. Above all I am thankful for the opportunity to have lost weight, and with continued good choices for diet and exercise am so far maintaining a healthier weight. I never achieved my goal weight, a huge disappointment for me. However, there is so much more on the positive side for me. I am now in training, and on pace to complete my first Half Marathon in February. This event is on my bucket list! There are the same challenges every day, with or without the band. I have to manage my hunger, drink sufficient Water to help avoid eating between meals and in the evening. I keep my mind active with other focal points. My best practice I want to share, is that awareness and mindful eating is a life long event for anyone who has had to battle their weight. So is getting active with exercise, and continuing to be dedicated to your goals. My enduring motivation to continue to make good choices is always to remember how much my overall health has improved. I had several serious co-morbidities prior to being banded, and now am able to walk for miles with no pain and without getting winded. Most of my health issues are resolved. I am mindful that I could lose all of the benefits I have gained through weight loss if I lose my focus on my healthier habits. Those habits have become internalized, and now are second nature. Can I eat more if I wanted to, yes. I feel good about choosing not to. Can I choose slider foods that are high in fat and calories? Of course, we all can. But for me, it just feels better, both physically and psychologically not to. Am I hungry? Yes, most times than not. It is my accepted "normal". I wanted to let others know that losing your band can be a very scary and anxiety provoking event. This past year has been a proverbial emotional roller coaster for me. But it does not mean that it is the end of a healthier life and inevitable excessive weight gain. Do I sometimes question the wisdom of not choosing to have a revision? Yes, and I know that if my weight ever were to get out of control I do have the option to choose another WLS. Above all, I understand that my future with my weight is dependent on the choices I make every day. I am up for the challenge, every day. And we all take a day at a time. Best wishes for continuing success to us all!

I waited far too long after my soaring weight gain during and after pregnancy to get my surgery. Good for you for not waiting any longer!

I am feeling better.. Thank you.. Haven't had a chance to talk to the doc.. Hope you lost something.. And yeah that's true as long as no weight gain.. I lose about 2lbs a week..

Hello Ladies, I haven't been on this website in prob over a year! I was sleeved in 2011 I think? I lost 85lbs and fluctuated 15lbs on/off. I was 237lbs. I got married in 2013 at 155lbs, and got pregnant weighing 176lbs. I am now at 179lbs and freaking out!!!! I am slowly gaining weight and now that I am pregnant I am afraid to "diet" afraid to work out (had 2 unsuccessful pregnancies at beginning of the year) and I also have a tumor growing with my baby Who else out there is pregnant and not sure how much is the normal weight gain. My biggest concern is that my top tummy part is a big droppy pouch, like a big W shaped roll of ugly dough! It was not like that until I got pregnant, like my body is oddly shaping into a blob... I don't have curves.. I am not an hour glass figure anymore.. it is a snow man but the middle part is the biggest part. I mean not cute pregnant round tummy but just a blob of Jello. I don't know why I am shaped like this... It must be the surgery and loose skin plus gaining weight? Anyone out there can help me understand or give me advice? Even if I wear maternity clothes, the hanging blobby thing looks worse. One of the main reasons I had WLS was to look cute when I would get pregnant and be healthy. I am not worried about gaining weight as much as I am worried about that big top muffin blobby thing growing overlapping my bottom gut. Sorta depressed, I know I prob sound stupid and vain. help..

Hi Lisa, I think you are an awesome woman with a bright spirit and kind heart, based on the way you cared for your husband. The six month mark after a death is a tough one, and with holidays approaching, it's even tougher. You are doing the best you can. That's all any of us can do. First, I agree with @@CowgirlJane, the calorie math is crap. There is way more to it than that. However, having said that, it's one of the guides we do have to use to gauge our intake. You probably know what yours should be, otherwise you wouldn't have been so successful to start with. Use that knowledge to guide yourself now. I use myfitnesspal, and the best advice I can give you around that is weigh, measure, and be brutally honest with yourself. That's one of my key actions to keep on track. Second, sometimes during stress you actually can gain weight without an increase in calories, or you can gain in a disproportionate amount to intake. Do some research on stress and weight gain. Lack of sleep (which often accompanies stress and depression) can also lead to weight gain. You could try a counselor for that as you mentioned. However, I was a hospice nurse, so I do suggest you contact your local hospice and join the support group if you have not already done so. They have bereavement coordinators who can talk with you and visit, as well as spiritual care people. The support groups are wonderful. Another idea is to volunteer with them. We had the most wonderful volunteers who had been through losses with hospice, and they said it gave them purpose and the opportunity for social interaction, often with people who had similar experiences. Or maybe you have a church or other group that you'd like to help. It's a way to get out of the house, not strain your back, and have a purpose. As for how to manage your diet, I am with you on the coffee creamer!! When I was 300 pounds, I always had black coffee. Lately, I've been drawn to pumpkin spice coffee in the keurig, and pumpkin coffee creamer. That 35 calories does add up. I'm also going to have to give that up - and I really don't want to! But I know that it is contributing to me hanging on to the last few pounds. It is really hard to make that change, isn't it? I do have the chike coffee, and I love it! And keep coming here for support. We got your back

My band has helped reduce hunger, and increase satiety. Those were MY major issues with weight-gain; Always hungry & a bottomless pit. I was already eating pretty healthy most of the time, except for binging on McD's 1/4 pounders once in awhile. Head-hunger. Had to learn to fill my emotional bottomless pit with other things. Still working on that.

I usually asked to replace the 7oz for a 5oz and the vegetables for Mashed potatoes, since veggies are not friends of my band. I ask also for the Sauce to help food go down. I bet what happened to you was because of the veggies. Use a juicer to get your veggies in. The weight gain is gases ... I can easily get 5 pounds and loose it in hours because I get so bloated that I guess i retain liquids. I didn't start enjoying my green zone until I relaxed about what I ate and when I stop counting, for me counting calories and ozs was a trigger to my anxiety then I ate more.

Let me just say this first: If I read this two years ago, I would have had second thoughts about having the surgery. Having had the surgery, I don't regret having it- at all. This story is mine, and I'm ok with it. When I had my surgery I was 336lbs. I am 5'6" and at the time I was 29 years old. That was 2012. Today, I weigh 260lbs. In October of 2013, I got to my lowest weight of 210lbs. Gaining weight was never a fear, not losing was a fear. Gaining back 50lbs has been a nightmare. I have a million reasons for how the weight gain happened. That feeling, that nagging hungry/craving feeling returned in August 2013, I got married, moved and started a new high stress job. I felt exposed at 210lbs, I was afraid to get smaller. I was not sure how to handle being "not fat". It's all crap. Here is the truth, I'm a food addict with a super dysfunctional relationship with my weight and my body. The sleeve, it didn't fix my head, and I didn't either. What this surgery taught me is what behaviors help me to lose weight. I have a powerful tool and I know how to lose. Today, I begin again. I worked out today, drank Water, ate high Protein & very low carb, and I planned my food and tracked my intake. I told on myself about my addiction (you all) and I held myself accountable. I know if I do this, I will lose. I'm a food addict. One day down. Tomorrow: Begin. Again.

I agree with AvaFern! After this time you know what you need to do. Yes, it is hard. I have a 10 pound regain too. I'm trying 5:2 to drop it and I'm limiting drinks and treats to 2 days per week. So, I'll have two days of semi fasting with very low calorie lunch and dinner, three days of three meals and two healthy Snacks, and two days where I can splurge with cocktails, desert, etc. I'm hoping that will do the trick. If not, I'll have to cut back more. One final thought: You can't hate yourself thin. So next time you start beating yourself up over the weight gain, ask yourself what you would tell your best friend and then say that to yourself instead. Lynda

You and I are very close in weight and I know how you feel about the difference between the 130's and 140's. I just had plastic surgery this week and from the Fluid, I went from 135 to 142 and had myself a little mini meltdown when I got on the scale the day after surgery. Fortunately, a few days later all of the fluid is gone and I'm back to where I was, but I would love to be down to 130 and I completely understand that even though 142 is small, you feel so much hotter at 130. So..you can get off the weight gaining track! Today is Monday, December 1 which is like the perfect day to start a diet, at least until Christmas. I would really like to know out 5 pounds before Christmas pictures so I eliminated all sweets for the next 3 weeks. Think about all the cute clothes you can wear when you're 10 pounds thinner, and go get on that treadmill.

Excellent article. This is the first place I've read that stress can cause weight gain even without additional calories. So I did some googling and lo-and-behold, the studies are out there. Why is this not front-page news? Stress caused by financial insecurity is at Depression-era levels, as obesity rates soar. The fact that stressful events and depression alter how we metabolize food (not just what we choose to eat, or how often we move) is BIG. As long as we pretend the problems of obesity are individual not systemic, we'll be chasing the wrong solutions. My story in brief: I was a 10-pound baby and grew up chubby but healthy. Gained 20 with children and post-partum depression, then lost a friend to suicide and put on 35, very quickly. I lost that 35 with hard work and low carbs, but a series of stressors occurred that left me with little appetite or energy. Yet within two years, I gained 55 pounds. I am not a binger. I eat sensibly and am moderately active (I walk, bike, swim, hike). I don't drink soda, eat very little sugar, and stay away from carbs. I honestly thought my doctor's scale was broken. She figured it was my genes kicking in (my parents are large), and no doubt suspected me of lying about my diet and activity levels. The big takeaway for me? Even after WLS, stress will effect how I metabolize food. Looks like stress-reduction will be just as critical to my success as keeping track of food and exercise. I'll plan to add "cushion time" on MyFitnessPal to log daily meditation. It may burn more calories than one thinks. And join a support group! I suspect the cortisol-lowering effects of being with sympathetic people are just as critical if not more so than the "accountability" factor.

I'm hearing crickets in here! So.... fasting today... Gained over thanksgiving weekend, but feeling good fasting today. REALLY trying to do it right on fast days. I killed myself with the leftovers.... lucky there was no pie in the house! Shoping today for some good veggies and supplies for healthy meals. Drinking a ton of Water, as i think some of the weight gain is water from all the salty stuff and carbs. Fingers crossed on that! Anyway ladies, chin up... write it all down, if you blew off your fast day today, there is always tomorrow! Lets not let this holiday bet us up! You can do it.

I often tell patients, “The surgery does what the surgery does.” What I mean by this is that weight loss surgery almost certainly will affect how much food you can eat, but may do little to change what you eat. Weight loss surgery does not make you suddenly crave healthier and less caloric food. You have to make those choices for yourself. Additionally, while losing weight may make it easier for you to adopt a more active lifestyle, surgery itself will not make you suddenly fall in love with exercise. So making health behavior changes in addition to having surgery remains critical. So what specific health behavior changes have been shown to improve outcome? 1. Document what you eat – Many people strongly dislike writing down what they eat but there is evidence that this helps people after weight loss surgery as it does with non-surgical approaches. The reason is likely that documenting what you eat gives you valuable information about your behavior and allows you to make changes when necessary. Consider that your actual weight is the end product of what you eat, so weighing yourself gives you the results, but not the information necessary to make changes. For many, weighing themselves is a pass-fail exam. Either I’m a good boy or a bad boy. Consider that you can’t actually change your weight…you change what you eat and/or exercise, and that is what helps change your weight. Many people seem to have little or no objection to weighing themselves so why do so many people despise writing down what they eat? Writing down what you eat is the truth teller. It forces you to acknowledge what you are doing. To avoid seeing the truth, you can either change what you eat or stop writing it down. Unfortunately, many people choose the latter. The good news is that in the smartphone era, there are literally dozens of apps and other technological devices that can make documenting your food and activity level extremely easy. If you do a little research you can find one that is right for you. 2. Exercise – You probably saw this one coming as well because it makes sense. Regular exercise is a way of burning calories and losing weight that does not involve changing what you eat. Given how difficult it is to lose weight and keep it off, it would be silly not to take advantage of one of the few methods known to work. Ironically, it might not work the way you would expect. Many people who lose weight through exercise notice that it helps them not just by burning off calories, but also by affecting their food choices. In other words, when you discover how difficult it is to burn off 250 calories on a treadmill, you may think twice before having that chocolate bar afterwards. Not everyone finds this effect, but for those who do, it can make a big difference. When deciding what form of exercise to do, consider that you don’t need to become an Olympiad or a marathon runner. Many of the positive effects of exercise have been documented with just walking 30 minutes 3-4 times per week. If rigorous exercise is enjoyable for you, that’s great. But any time spent engaged in activity is beneficial...especially if you would otherwise be sitting on the couch watching all of those tempting food advertisements on television! 3. Stress Reduction – An increasing amount of research has documented a relationship between stress and weight gain. The obvious connection is that many people use food as a means of comforting themselves from distress, commonly called “emotional eating.” An interesting new discovery is that is that some people who report high levels of stress gain weight even when their calorie intake is unchanged. How is that possible? There is the suggestion that stress hormones and other chemicals may affect how our body metabolizes food and stores food. So even if you’re eating the same foods and the same number of calories, what your body does with those calories can vary. If you’re going to be successful in reducing stress, you need to begin by discovering what “pushes your buttons” and take steps to change. One first step could be to document the things that you find to be stressful. Sometimes just writing down your problems makes them less frightening now that they’re just words on a page. For other people, writing their sources of stress naturally leads them to write what they might do about them. Another good idea is to investigate some simple stress management techniques. Many refer to them as relaxation or meditation exercises. As discussed earlier, there are a number of excellent smartphone apps and other technology-based methods of relaxation that you can explore. No one is better than the rest so just find one that works for you and begin to incorporate relaxation/meditation into your daily routine. If reducing your stress requires more than practicing relaxation techniques, consider speaking to a psychologist or other mental health professional to get the help you need. 4. Get some sleep – Here’s another suggestion that you’ve probably seen in the media recently. There is growing consensus of an obesity-sleep connection. Like exercise, the benefits of sleep are more than meets the eye. The obvious connection is that if you’re up longer, you become hungrier and are likely to eat late at night. This interpretation is not wrong, however, new research suggests that people who get 7 or more hours of sleep tend to maintain lower weights even when people with fewer hours of sleep consume the same amount of calories. How is that possible? Again, it’s not just how many calories we eat…but what our bodies do with those calories. Unfortunately, an increasing number of people are so busy between their work and social lives (not to mention all those tempting television shows) that sleep is not a priority. Just know that making sleep the last priority comes at a cost. Consider how we train children to sleep. We create a nighttime ritual to ease kids to bed. There’s dinner, wind down time, then bath time, maybe reading a story or two in bed, and then lights out. Many adults however have a terrible routine. Eat a big dinner at 9pm, catch up on emails and pay bills, watch television for an hour or so and then fall asleep on the couch and stumble into bed at 2AM only to have to wake up three or four hours later. Try to change your sleep habits by changing your nighttime ritual. Eat an earlier dinner. Try to pay bills and check your emails at another time. Use the evening as wind down time. Rather than fall asleep on the couch, watch a set amount of television or Internet time and then turn it off and “put yourself to bed.” Begin by trying to go into bed a half-hour early every night for a week and see how you feel. If you notice some improvements in your level of energy, mood, appetite or other factors, see if you can make it permanent. 5. Join a Support Group – Some research has demonstrated that patients who participate in support groups lose and maintain more weight than those who don’t. Of course it may depend on the content of the group and who attends, but adding a social element to your weight loss and weight maintenance goals seems to help. This may relate to the accountability factor discussed earlier. If “we’re all in it together,” there may be more of a commitment to stick to your goals to help out the group. Or perhaps it motivates you not to be the one group member who is falling behind. Either way, participating in support groups seems to have benefits both in terms of weight loss as well as emotional well being after surgery. There are other suggestions of course, such as improving your diet by reducing carbohydrates in favor of lean protein and a more plant-based diet. However, for many people, changing their diet can push all of those emotional “diet” buttons; so before you make those changes (or in addition to making those changes), strongly consider some of the changes recommended above. There is evidence that the benefits are additive. For example, many people find that when they exercise, they sleep better and in turn these changes help them manage stress better. The key is to acknowledge whether or not some of the factors above are problem areas for you and to begin making small changes. Sometimes small changes can lead to big results!

There is a significant amount of variability as to how much weight people lose following weight loss surgery. Research indicates that up to 20% of patients fail to lose the expected amount of weight following surgery. While there are surely surgical and medical explanations for this outcome, patient behavior has also been shown to play a role. Therefore, it is important for anyone having surgery to anticipate and understand factors under their control to improve outcome. I often tell patients, “The surgery does what the surgery does.” What I mean by this is that weight loss surgery almost certainly will affect how much food you can eat, but may do little to change what you eat. Weight loss surgery does not make you suddenly crave healthier and less caloric food. You have to make those choices for yourself. Additionally, while losing weight may make it easier for you to adopt a more active lifestyle, surgery itself will not make you suddenly fall in love with exercise. So making health behavior changes in addition to having surgery remains critical. So what specific health behavior changes have been shown to improve outcome? 1. Document what you eat – Many people strongly dislike writing down what they eat but there is evidence that this helps people after weight loss surgery as it does with non-surgical approaches. The reason is likely that documenting what you eat gives you valuable information about your behavior and allows you to make changes when necessary. Consider that your actual weight is the end product of what you eat, so weighing yourself gives you the results, but not the information necessary to make changes. For many, weighing themselves is a pass-fail exam. Either I’m a good boy or a bad boy. Consider that you can’t actually change your weight…you change what you eat and/or exercise, and that is what helps change your weight. Many people seem to have little or no objection to weighing themselves so why do so many people despise writing down what they eat? Writing down what you eat is the truth teller. It forces you to acknowledge what you are doing. To avoid seeing the truth, you can either change what you eat or stop writing it down. Unfortunately, many people choose the latter. The good news is that in the smartphone era, there are literally dozens of apps and other technological devices that can make documenting your food and activity level extremely easy. If you do a little research you can find one that is right for you. 2. Exercise – You probably saw this one coming as well because it makes sense. Regular exercise is a way of burning calories and losing weight that does not involve changing what you eat. Given how difficult it is to lose weight and keep it off, it would be silly not to take advantage of one of the few methods known to work. Ironically, it might not work the way you would expect. Many people who lose weight through exercise notice that it helps them not just by burning off calories, but also by affecting their food choices. In other words, when you discover how difficult it is to burn off 250 calories on a treadmill, you may think twice before having that chocolate bar afterwards. Not everyone finds this effect, but for those who do, it can make a big difference. When deciding what form of exercise to do, consider that you don’t need to become an Olympiad or a marathon runner. Many of the positive effects of exercise have been documented with just walking 30 minutes 3-4 times per week. If rigorous exercise is enjoyable for you, that’s great. But any time spent engaged in activity is beneficial...especially if you would otherwise be sitting on the couch watching all of those tempting food advertisements on television! 3. Stress Reduction – An increasing amount of research has documented a relationship between stress and weight gain. The obvious connection is that many people use food as a means of comforting themselves from distress, commonly called “emotional eating.” An interesting new discovery is that is that some people who report high levels of stress gain weight even when their calorie intake is unchanged. How is that possible? There is the suggestion that stress hormones and other chemicals may affect how our body metabolizes food and stores food. So even if you’re eating the same foods and the same number of calories, what your body does with those calories can vary. If you’re going to be successful in reducing stress, you need to begin by discovering what “pushes your buttons” and take steps to change. One first step could be to document the things that you find to be stressful. Sometimes just writing down your problems makes them less frightening now that they’re just words on a page. For other people, writing their sources of stress naturally leads them to write what they might do about them. Another good idea is to investigate some simple stress management techniques. Many refer to them as relaxation or meditation exercises. As discussed earlier, there are a number of excellent smartphone apps and other technology-based methods of relaxation that you can explore. No one is better than the rest so just find one that works for you and begin to incorporate relaxation/meditation into your daily routine. If reducing your stress requires more than practicing relaxation techniques, consider speaking to a psychologist or other mental health professional to get the help you need. 4. Get some sleep – Here’s another suggestion that you’ve probably seen in the media recently. There is growing consensus of an obesity-sleep connection. Like exercise, the benefits of sleep are more than meets the eye. The obvious connection is that if you’re up longer, you become hungrier and are likely to eat late at night. This interpretation is not wrong, however, new research suggests that people who get 7 or more hours of sleep tend to maintain lower weights even when people with fewer hours of sleep consume the same amount of calories. How is that possible? Again, it’s not just how many calories we eat…but what our bodies do with those calories. Unfortunately, an increasing number of people are so busy between their work and social lives (not to mention all those tempting television shows) that sleep is not a priority. Just know that making sleep the last priority comes at a cost. Consider how we train children to sleep. We create a nighttime ritual to ease kids to bed. There’s dinner, wind down time, then bath time, maybe reading a story or two in bed, and then lights out. Many adults however have a terrible routine. Eat a big dinner at 9pm, catch up on emails and pay bills, watch television for an hour or so and then fall asleep on the couch and stumble into bed at 2AM only to have to wake up three or four hours later. Try to change your sleep habits by changing your nighttime ritual. Eat an earlier dinner. Try to pay bills and check your emails at another time. Use the evening as wind down time. Rather than fall asleep on the couch, watch a set amount of television or Internet time and then turn it off and “put yourself to bed.” Begin by trying to go into bed a half-hour early every night for a week and see how you feel. If you notice some improvements in your level of energy, mood, appetite or other factors, see if you can make it permanent. 5. Join a Support Group – Some research has demonstrated that patients who participate in support groups lose and maintain more weight than those who don’t. Of course it may depend on the content of the group and who attends, but adding a social element to your weight loss and weight maintenance goals seems to help. This may relate to the accountability factor discussed earlier. If “we’re all in it together,” there may be more of a commitment to stick to your goals to help out the group. Or perhaps it motivates you not to be the one group member who is falling behind. Either way, participating in support groups seems to have benefits both in terms of weight loss as well as emotional well being after surgery. There are other suggestions of course, such as improving your diet by reducing carbohydrates in favor of lean protein and a more plant-based diet. However, for many people, changing their diet can push all of those emotional “diet” buttons; so before you make those changes (or in addition to making those changes), strongly consider some of the changes recommended above. There is evidence that the benefits are additive. For example, many people find that when they exercise, they sleep better and in turn these changes help them manage stress better. The key is to acknowledge whether or not some of the factors above are problem areas for you and to begin making small changes. Sometimes small changes can lead to big results!

If not gaining weight is one of your requirements, then your weight gain will affect your approval. If I were you, I'd follow that diet to a T and kick up the exercise tremendously. If a VSG is really what you want, you can lose that weight before your weigh in. Good luck and keep us posted after your appointment.

I am close to 3 years out. I lost rapidly at first - close to 90 lbs. I have been faithfully exercising every day. I get anywhere between 15k-25k "steps" per day. Typically, I get roughly 90 "active minutes" per day - frequently more. I am quite certain that my body is in "starvation mode" - as I have actually gained about 15 pounds. I still don't feel hunger, so I tend not to eat an awful lot. I get full very quickly and I find it quite hard to get enough calories in most days. I realize that probably 50% of my problem is in my head. I am fearful of overeating - and I find it really hard to eat when I have no appetite. I do realize that I need to make some changes - as this is clearly not working to my benefit. I will try to increase my caloric intake to see if this makes a difference. Has anyone else made the same mistake? Did you have any luck when you increased your calories? How far out were you? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Kim

I decided to look into bariatric surgery a couple of years ago. I was always thin, until I hit about 40. Then I started to gain every year. I have Rheumatoid arthritis so my mobility is impacted,had a hysterectomy, arthritis meds can cause weight gain, etc, excuses, blah, blah, blah! But, I just turned 55; I have legal guardianship of my 10 yr old grandson who has some neurological issues. I am the only stability that kid has ever had and I decided that I needed to do something to make sure I was around for him for awhile yet. I also want to be able to do things with him. I didn't want him to someday be embarrassed when some kid asked him who was the fat, old lady. I'm 23 days out. I'm doing well. Surgery weight was 200, and I will go for my 1month post op in a few days. I think I'm gonna be a slow loser seeing as my BMI was a little lower to start with. But, that's okay. Like I said, I'm 55 and the skin doesn't bounce back like it used to. I just want to be able to go for bike rides, go swimming, etc. with my boy BEFORE he gets "too cool".

I really don't know what can be said here to offset what you are going thru and how tough it must be to deal with such a loss. So sorry for your loss. But aside from the grieving, you have stated all your pitfalls and potential weight gain issues. You know what is putting the weight back on. So I got nothing. You have to stop doing what you know you need to stop doing. Start with scrapping the coffee. Replace it with some Protein drink to fill you up. Or drink the coffee bitter with not creamer. Possibly with your loss you have developed too much solitude and sedentary idleness. Get out and get exercise. At least if any grieving thoughts keep creeping back in, you'll be burning calories and building up endorphin's. You're situation is textbook sliding back into old habits, (with the obvious additional depression triggers) Get a grip and get your life back in control. You can. It will get better. Life does go on.

Hey Everyone, I haven't posted here in some time. I'm still dealing with the loss of my husband. It has been almost 6 months. When he was diagnosed in January I was almost at goal but now I've gained 40 pounds back. OH LORD.. I'm so ashamed but I swear. I don't eat a lot but I take in a lot of liquid calories and I can't seem to stop. Three cups of coffee every morning made with my Keurig which I use milk in each cup. I do use skim milk but I would think that each cup of coffee has around 250 calories. Milk, creamer, etc. I drink a shake for Breakfast, and lunch, then I eat a meal around 5 pm. I don't have trouble with food. I never eat fast foods at all. But the stupid coffee!!! GOD HELP ME! Frappes... THE DEVIL! Also, fudgesicles. Now these fudgesicles have 80 calories... but when you can't stop eating them...... ugh. I know what I need to do but I can't do it. I need control. I have been walking everyday. Doesn't do anything to keep the weight from coming back. I've gained 22 of these pounds since I buried my husband in June. It just keeps coming and I can't stop it. I'm so out of control. I'm going to gain it ALL back!!! I never thought I would be back here. I was 300HW, LW 168, CW 212. Going right back to food for comfort as I've always done. I miss my husband so much!! I know he wouldn't want this for me. Taking care of him for 6 months and seeing him suffer so much. I know I need counseling as well or something but this weight gain... it just keeps coming everyday. I still don't get how I'm gaining so fast. I would have to take in 3500 calories over the 1200 I need a day to live and maintain. AM I really taking in 4700 a day!???? NOOOOOOO!! I don't get it. Help... I need some sample menus from you all at goal... some advice... some diets you are doing. Just give me a plan to go by. I can't remember how I ate before. Thank you!!! The pics attached are me at my lowest, six months ago, and now.

I'm still going through my weigh ins, have two left. I'm worried because I'm gaining weight. Is this normal?

you lost 43 lbs already, i don't think you're going to be a disaster story! are you weiging yourself preferably naked? or wearing the same exact thing every time? when i go to appointments i wear the same thing because my boots weigh 3 pounds alone together! also, when are you weighing yourself? the same time every day? if i weigh myself at night, i usually weigh 1.5 pounds MORE than if i weigh myself that SAME morning! this is my body, surgery or not. so i don't flip when i wake up and weigh 227.2 and then that night i measure and weigh 228.4. consistency is key to revealing your true weight gain/loss. you have to average out your weight loss over a the week to get your true weekly weight loss. hope these things help at least a little.

Wow, just in time for the holidays. Guess that solves the weight gain for holiday seasons. Good luck to you and definitely keep us posted. You will find wonderful support here, I know I have.

276 this week...my first weight gain in almost three months; however, there was a lot of deep fried turkey consumed!

I was always "chubby" and overweight enough to be teased. I remember my first diet. I was about age 12 and I decided to lose some weight. I did manage to lose 20 pounds. But it came right back on. I think I was 120 pounds when I started and 100 when I finished. But like I said, it came right back on. I started high school at 150 pounds. That was heavier than my friends, and I was embarrassed. I joined Weight Watchers during high school, and lost, again, the same 30 pounds over and over again. I started college at approximately 200 pounds and gained about 15 or 20 my first semester. I went on a high Protein no carb diet, and by my sophomore year had managed to get down to about 160 pounds. During my early 20s, I went up to about 220. Then I became a caretaker for my grandmother. After she died, I began eating uncontrollably. I ended up at around 305. Through OA, I got my weight down to 156 pounds. I met my husband, and got married. I gained 11 pounds on my honeymoon. Over the next several years I had two children and two more pregnancies that ended in miscarriage. My weight went up with each child and pregnancy. My weight was around 220-250 pounds for most of this time. I tried Weight Watchers again, and again, the same 30 pounds were lost and regained. A couple of years ago, my marriage started to go downhill very quickly. My eating was my comfort and my weight climbed. I topped out at 302. I made the decision to have WLS in September 2013. I was banded in March 2014. Life is getting better now, and I hope to achieve my goal weight by next summer. I am in the early stages of divorce after moving out of my home this summer. Reading this to myself, I can see that grief and stress were definite triggers for me during my highest weight gains. When I look back at pictures of me as a child, I was chubby, but certainly not obese. It is so sad how we see ourselves. And the judgments that we place on ourselves. I remember reading in Reader's Digest magazine, when I was 8 years old, an article about weight. It said that statistically, if a child is overweight at age 10, she will be overweight her entire life. That scared me. I was already 8. Sure enough, at age 10, I was still overweight. It almost seemed like my destiny. I feel sad for that child now. I lived in anxiety about my weight my whole life.