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Have you seen your doctor lately? I would think heartburn that bad would require an unfill. I've been unfilled for nearly half of my journey due to being too tight, a slip, etc. I was still able to reach goal and have maintained(so far!) for 3 months. You may just want a slight unfill, not a total unfill, but I would definitely check with the doctor. You don't want to make things worse. Don't be afraid of weight gain. You may just need an unfill for a few weeks to heal/rest and then get some fill back to maintain. Congrats on the great weight loss and maintaining it for so long! That is what we all hope for and you've done it!

I had my first drink (diet coke and rum over ice) at 4.5 months out. I felt a little tipsier than I would have felt from one drink before, but I've never been a big drinker. Several weeks ago, I attended a bachelorette party where I drank 8 drinks over the course of about 7 hours, along with several glasses of water to combat the diuretic effects. I felt buzzed for a bit, then sobered up REALLY fast. I'm sure my liver hated me, but I had no adverse effects. No weight gain, no hangover and we had a blast. I did dance all night, so maybe that affected my alcohol absorption.

I cant believe it... I did a quick weigh in while I was at the nutrition center today for something else and Ive gained back 5 of the pre-op weight I have lost... so upset and I dont know what to do now... my next appt is the 3rd and I cannot go in there with a weight gain... any suggestions???

Glad to find these posts - thanks for the information. I was having problems with keeping food down a few weeks ago and my doctor did a complete unfill and wants me to have an upper GI (being scheduled) to make sure I didn't have a slip. I am now feeling better but have gained 7 lbs. I do not feel any pain now - does that mean my band did not slip? My surgeon never mentioned a liquid diet though. I will try that just in case - plus it may help with the weight gain. Good luck.

Hello - I have had my band for over 5 1/2 years. After about 18 mths my band slipped. I think it was from Throwing up. (not confirmed by My Dr) but I know my body and I was getting sick alot when I ate. But I was willing to go thru this to loose the weight. Bad idea. My Dr took some of the fluid out to see if the pouch would reduce/ the swelling to go down on its own. ( it didnt) One thing that can happen when the band slips is your pouch becomes enlarged, and in my case even part of the old stomach made its way up thru the band, thererfore creating a new pouch from my old stomach. So now I had 2 smal pouches, not a good thing, I was able to hold more food, explaining the reason I was not loosing any weight. So I had surgery to replace the band. Well, just a month ago same thing, but this time I have not been throwing up. However I noticed I was and could eat more then I normmaly use to which also explained some weight gain, I thought maybe I need a fill, I went to the Dr and Bam enlarged pouch, then 2 weeks later band slippage. My band now has to be removed for a 2nd time. Things to learn from my post: You must always remember your band is a "TOOL" never take it for granted. If something doesnt feel right it probably isnt. Check it out...Use common sense, most of the time your Dr. does want what is best for you, seek their advice or call the nurse, they are very knowledgable and have probably heard your worry from many others. Do not over-eat and you should not be throwing-up more then the occasional burp-up. Stay in a support group. Band slippage most of the time can be prevented, sometimes not. For me personally I think the first time might have been preventable, I use to beat myself up over it but now that I have had a 2nd slip, I am not so sure, I didnt throw up. Sometimes it just happens....I will be having a revision surgery this July..not another band, not becuase I do not have faith in the band - I do - it took me down 85 lbs, but My Dr says its time for something else. I will either have the Sleeve or the RYN...5 years ago the RYN was a dirty word to me, now I am prepared, it too is still a tool and I am sure it will get me to goal. Would I do it all over again, YOU BETCHA. Love your band!!

I felt just like you when I started. I also wanted a sleeve. My thought was that I wouldn't be rearranging my guts and I would have less issues with not getting enough nutrients. It seemed better in my mind. My dr also suggested RNY. He said their data showed more weight loss with RNY (though the sleeve was close behind) and they had seen less weight gain with RNY 2-5 years post op. After doing a lot of research of my own and still not coming to a clear decision I went ahead with the dr's recommendation. I'm only 10 days post op so I don't really have any advice but I hope you find what you need to make your decision.

I wish you all the best..... continue your research. Look into the sleeve too. I love my band, i just didn't love having to go to the dr. and get fills. and i don't like the idea about erosion and slips... etc. That scares me. My current insurance does not cover WLS, so if anything goes wrong... i'm on my own. I personally would not do the Gastric Bypass.... too scary for me. And it has a higher re weight gain than any of the surgeries.... Look into them all and talk to your doctor and really think about the changes you will have to make for a life time. It's not like weight watchers were you can just stop counting point and not weight in.... or Jenny and stop buying her food.... This is forever.... I haven't had a hamburger on bun in three years.... or a deep dish slice of pizza.. But it's all worth it. Saturday will be my three year anniversary... and i LOVE the new me. Get healthy for you and your future family..... All the rest is just "icing on the cake" so to speak.... One more thing.... you also have to take into consideration how this will not only effect you, but your entire family..... My husband didn't want me to get the band at all and still make remarks about it. He was very secure with me at 223#. He knew that at that weight i had no self confidence and most men would not take a second look at me... Now he has a hard time with the size 6 Christina and has even said that losing weight was the worse thing that happened to us... He hates when other men look at me and feels like one day i will get a better "offer" and leave him.... On the other hand.. he loves the new me in Private... loves the more energy me, the more sexual me, the more confident me...but only in private. My daughter in law (whom i love very much) had a hard time with my weight loss. She was jealous of it, and still is... but it's getting better. My Sister in law, that had the band done in Mexico two years before me, gained weight with the band... (three weeks ago had GB) will not come around me if my brother was with her. He would com pair she and i and say..... why can't you lose weight... my sister did. Which was wrong on his part, but it's what happened. Be prepared to lose friends.... your fat friends won't want to be around you because you will be thinner and will be jealous of you and your thinner friends will start sabotaging you, because they will fear you... no longer will you be "the fat friend".... They will say things like... how much weight are you planning on losing... your getting too thin. Your face is sunk in... You want to come eat ice-cream... a little bit won't hurt..... So you will start getting the attention of being the thin girl in the fat group and the pretty thin girl in the thin group....

Well today is one day away from having to weigh in after 2 whole weeks. It has been driving me ......to eat...not crazy. Yeah I will blame any weight gain on them. I am exciting and scared to weigh in. I am glad I walked this weekend. 3 miles at Haines Point with Kee was not easy. Thank God for sending one of his angels, a fiesty, older lady who could out walk us decided not to walk with her 2 daughters but with us. She talked and she walked and talked and walked. Finally she decided to leave us near the end but if she had not been with us I would have said Kee I need to slow down and would have. This woman kept our speed up. Also, everything was going on at the park. There was a triathalon going on, there is a swimming pool down there. There was a 10k training going on and it had to be about 200 people doing that. Then there were the usual walkers and joggers and all of this was going on at 7:30 am. Sunday morning I knew I had to walk so I text Kee again and she said where. I thought PGCC would be good because the track was resurfaced but then I started thinking about the sun. So I said Watkins Park, which is what she said on Saturday. Then she said well let's walk around Fed Ex Field, you don't know how big that things is but I got to her house got out the car and we were stretching. I said are we going to be in the sun the whole time and she said pretty much. I said let's go to Watkins, I can't do it. After not walking for a few weeks, daily, I was not motivated to walk in the beeming sun, after walking yesterday and know how I was struggling....oh no. We went to Watkins and the trees were just a tall and blocked out ALL the sun. LOL There are 2 spots on the trail that does not have tree coverage and that sun was beaming. 3.4 miles done in comfort. That girl has more energey then a jumping bean. sat sm salad, pickle egg salad steakum/cheese 1 bread slurpee med 4 crackers spoon of peanutbutter fried egg 1 cheese few doritos McD sundae,pie 580 cal sun 2 fried eggs 2 cheese 1 1/2 sausage 8 M&M's hamburger/ 1 cheese Roast Beef soup hershey bar w/ almonds cereal sundae/pie 580 cal

I also fear going back to the places I was as I lose this weight. As I hit new milestones I think "this is what I was doing at this weight in my life". The emotional and physical abuse I suffered was the main reason for my weight gain and going through it again will be hard. I have spent the last 24 years of my total 30 on earth building up this wall of fat to protect me. I am ready now to get it off and hopefully deal with the reasons behind it. Thank you for sharing this. It really hit home with me. And also gives me hope that I can go through it and make to the other side.

I'm totally with you! I went to an orientation when reality started to hit me in the face. If I don't do anything to get my weight gain in control then I'm doomed to a spine, knees and ankles that will reduce my quality of life & I got 2 kids & a husband depending on me. I am scared sh*tless about going under anestsia(sp?) but I guess I am finally more scared to gain another 20 lbs. because I won't fit in my clothes or in regular movie theater seats...how embarrassing!

are There option after. Surgery to help you with weight gain?

It sounds like you are asking if there are options to help you gain weight, but I suspect you really are asking if there are options to help you continue to lose weight or to fight weight gain? One suggestion is to go back to basics if things get out of hand--substitute protein shakes for one or two meals. You can also track your food intake if you don't usually do that and see exactly how many calories, how much protein, etc., you are getting. I find the MyFitnessPal website useful for this. If I've misunderstood your question, I apologize.

I came back from vacation today, and my scale is saying I gained 6 pounds. I cannot believe that is true. This vacation was one of the most physical vacations I've done. There was a lot of hiking and exercise. I ate normally (about 800 to 1000 calories a day). I did NOT eat my calories, and I didn't eat sweets and high-calorie things. Most days I ate Breakfast (two eggs), lunch (a couple of pieces of lunch meat rolled up without any spread or bread), and dinner (one night it was chili). The activity level was high. We were walking several miles a day; one day it involved a very hilly three-hour hike. After the hike, I felt like I could walk back the way we came, but my kids and husband wanted to use the shuttle (none of them are overweight). It was a good active vacation with smart food choices. Yesterday, my ankle was swollen quite a bit (I have arthritis). Because of the swelling, I suspect a big portion of this weight gain is Water weight. I am going to up my liquid intake today and hope that things flush out. I'm also going to change the batteries in my scale. I am not trying to be delusional. I had actually expected a loss when I stepped on the scale. I did not do anything that would account for a six-pound increase.

What happens is.... once you reach your goal determine if you continue to lose weight/gain, or what. If you determine that you still lose weight you would go to your doc for a slight unfill. Somewhere between .2 and .5cc depending upon many factors. After a while, like 1,2,3, or 4 weeks you reaccess...are you gaining again? If so, go back for that fill. Are you losing still? Go back for a slight untill. Are you maintaining? Then you are done. I've often wondered what happens now. I met goal and had an unfill in January of the .3cc. I'm maintaining. I see the scales go up a few pounds but they tend to come right back off without dieting or exercise...just a fluke of sorts. But those extra pounds, like those w/o WLS...tell me to watch what I eat or drink. When I gain a few pounds the first thing I do is watch the soda pop intake. That usually does it for me. Fill Centers USA called to check up on me as they haven't heard from me in 3 months...but all is well. I'll call them when I need them!

Y'all know how much I HATE to feel feel down. This week, I have not been losing and this morning on my official weigh in day, I was up .6. (At first I thought I was up a whole pound, so I'm not going to get too upset about just over a half!) Anyway, when I think back to why... Exercise: I exercised for a total of 3 hours last week. One hour of Jazzercise, 2 - 30 minute treadmill sessions (couch to 5k), & 60 minutes with my trainer. Not bad, but far from my best. Food: If I am honest with myself, I know that I did not make good food choices this week. I don't think it is about stress or comfort. I think that I'm hungry and I have no will power. The doctor had said that he thought I was close to my sweet spot and might not need another fill for a while, but I think that might not be the case. Typically, I'm not hungry in the mornings. I will usually drink a protein shake in the morning (around 9:30-10:00), not because I'm hungry, but to make sure I'm getting good protein. Today, my stomach was growling (with hunger) by 7:30 AM. I don't want to be so tight that I can't eat, but I do need to be tight enough to curb my hunger more. Punishment: because I have gained weight this week, my punishment is to log my caloric intake. I HATE DOING THIS! I know some people are completely focused on this and I know that it is probably extremely helpful. But I HATE IT. So, it is an effective punishment and motivator to not have to do it again. Interestingly, I seem to do better when I'm away from home. Pre-band, vacations were weight gain guarantees! However, now, it seems to have the opposite effect. I don't snack much and I find time to work out. So...I will track my calories Mon-Wed. If I'm on the right track by end of Wednesday, I won't track my vacation (Thurs-Tues). When I get back, I will have one week until my fill. Now that week includes my birthday...so wish me luck!! Ha! Random question: do you all update your avatar pictures? I know that picture is how people here know me, but it isn't me anymore. Do you all leave them or update them??

My Dr. told me he didn't want me weghing only at his office. He said that way I wouldn' get discouraged if I had a weight gain.

With most diets you can lose weight but eventually you will gain the weight back plus 10 pounds. So the more times you diet, the more your weight gain. Eventually you will reach the point where you body does not respond. All the exercise and dieting have no effect on weight loss. I had RNY surgery 22 months ago, It was very much different from dieting. I completely lost my hunger. When you do not have hunger constantly gnawing at your bones, it becomes easy to lose weight. It happens quick. I was losing about 2 pounds per day for several months before it tapered off. Maybe the word "easy" is wrong because there is a lot of work involved in keeping track of your Vitamins, Protein, fluids and meal allotments but it is a totally different experience than dieting.

Thanks guys! My doctor is on vacation until Monday. If I gain anymore prior to her return, I am going to the ER. I forgot to mention I am having pain on my right side right under my rib cage when I take deep breaths and can feel it whenever I eat. It's tender to the touch and feels a little warm. I had a HIDA scan to check my gallbladder a few months ago and all was fine..... Would gallbladder issues cause weight gain and swelling? We will see I guess.

How are you today??? I just saw your above post...I say go to another doctor TODAY. No sense in waiting until your Doc returned Monday. What you are describing are reason to be concerned to me. don't wait!!! Maybe it's nothing and we can all laugh with you about it, but to me those symptoms don't sound like 'nothing'. Swelling, rapid weight gain, pain under a rib cage, tenderness and warmth don't sound like no big deal type of symptoms. Please go get it checked out TODAY!!!

Weight gain isn't always about overeating. Your weight depends on a lot of factors like what you eat, when, how much, your activity level, your metabolism and even genetics. I don't eat a lot, in fact I sometimes forget to eat if I don't feel hungry! LOL I didn't eat during the day, I was too busy, but then I'd have a good size dinner and dessert. My activity level has also been pretty low. I work on the computer for a huge part of the day, and do laundry, dishes and such. Regular housewife stuff. It took me a year of soul searching to make the decision. I am also 5'4" and weigh 255. I want to lose the weight for a variety of reasons, not JUST to look better, but because I don't want to end up with diabetes and a bunch of other bad stuff. I want to be able to go to the mall and walk from one end to the other without having to sit down half way thru and catch my breath! I want my hip and knee joints to stop aching. I want to stop having to take meds for high blood pressure. I want to be happier and healthier. I want to live to see my 6 grandchildren grow up! The doctor I'm going to recommended RNY gastric bypass because of my age and activity level. After a lot of discussion and research we decided the band would be better for me. I would suggest you have a long talk with your doctor and see what he says. Do it to gain health not just to lose weight!

I still have to disagree with you. There is a cure for obesity: lose weight. The basic definition of obesity or obese it being extremely overweight or having an extreme amount of excess body fat. How do you get rid of an extreme amount of excess body fat? You remove it. Once you remove it, you're cured of your excess body fat. Most of my family is overweight except my little sister. My little sister is 14 and in a size 4. I was probably in a size 20 at 14. My little sister doesn't eat a lot. I think she only eats when she's hungry. Yes, she does eat junk food, but she doesn't over eat it. For example, she she can have a cookie and be okay with it. However, if I eat a cookie I'll want another one and another one and another one. That is why I don't eat Cookies anymore. I think there is a lot of excuses that people make to justify their obesity. I use to weigh 327 pounds. I use to blame my family and my genes, but it was mostly my behavior. My genes didn't make me go to McDonalds and they certainly didn't make me eat 12 chocolate chip cookies. I believe I was already depressed before I ate those 12 cookies. Yes, depression does get worse with weight gain, but I do think it is a major cause of weight gain. (HOWEVER, depression can be a major cause of weight LOSS. Many people who become depress stop eating and lose weight. It's amazing...) It's all about attitude. If you think you won't ever get healthy or you aren't meant to be healthy (which is probably the stupidest thing I've ever herad) then you won't become healthy because you set yourself up for failure. Those "I can't" attitudes are what brings people to failure. Simply, people need to stop making excuses and do something like getting weight loss surgery, a therapist, a nutritionist, a doctor, etc. You CAN lose weight. It's about wanting to do it and realizing it's going to take awhile. You certainly didn't get this way overnight.

The process of tearing down and rebuilding muscles (strength training) requires Fluid retention. 2-3 pounds of weight gain is common for me from intense workouts OR just hormonal fluctuations which result in fluid retention. Keep in mind 3,500 calories = a pound of fat. That meandering 3,500 calories you are and did not use. So unless you are drinking milkshakes, juice, and eating slider crap all day long... Don't fret a couple pounds that show up from time to time. They are temporary visitors. Don't let them ruin your day!

Ok feedback from my visit to the doctor, thank you for your support. I am now able to eat again, my surgeon was good this time and i didn't have any problems with her, but that was because my body was in starvation mode, she took out all Fluid and there was 4mls in there, i thought it was only meant to be 2.2mls so idon't know where the rest came from, she replaced 1.5mls and now i feel as though i have no restrictions, it is so good to be able to eat again and not spend my time feeling so awful, i go back in about 3 - 4 weeks to get a top up and in that time giving my body a chance to recover, i still have NO energy and i am trying to replenish the fluids. So bottom line i was overfilled and there was no way things were going through. my fear at the moment is the weight gain, but i just have to work through that and get back on top of things. So thank you from a happier me Cheers Jane

I will be post op 3 weeks on tuesday, i lost about 16lbs the first week post op while on clears, a soon as i advanced my diet to puree, i gained like 3lbs and have been stuck at my +3lb weight for almost a week and a half! Im feeling really discouraged and starting to regret my gastric sleeve decision..