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I wouldn’t advice on Bariatric Advantage Vitamins. They are a complete waste of money. They made me nauseous each time I took them. Worst of all the bottles did not have complete information on the ingredients. There was some info missing. I take Calcium in malate chelate 1200 mcg in a serving of 4 capsules, Multivitamins in multi-standard formula and 1 Vitamin b12 sublingual in the form of methylcobalamin with 1000mcg.I get all these vitamins from Vita4Life. As for Biotin supplement I would advise hair skin and nail vitamin from vita4life. They offer biotin and msm supplements that in combination work great for your hair skin and nails. I personally hate chewables. They make me barf each time and I hate the idea of chewing for over two minutes and then swallowing. As per weight gain, I have not noticed any after surgery. I guess it all depends on your diet.

I was just approved last Friday!! I did have the Lindstrom Obesity advocates (Kelley and Walter Lindstrom) fight my appeal after my first appeal denial. They submitted it to Aetna (I continued going for NUT visits and weigh in and showed a steady loss) and was APPROVED!!!! Just waiting on a date now! U can fight it if u get denied. I had a weight gain and no weight for 2013. Still got approved. It's all in the way the appeal is written! Please keep us posted on how u make out!!! If YA need any info from me feel free to contact me!!! Fingers crossed for you!!!!!

Like deana I was in such great shape and could choke a person with my muscle dense thighs (jogged, rode my horse 5 days a week, etc.), LOL. That was until I got a terrible pain disorder and had to take medications such as neurontin and similar meds. I also was on anti-anxiety and depression meds which are also notorious for weight gain. I was put on depression meds in my late twenties and that was when I became "overweight." I was still very active and amazingly looked good too. By my mid thirties when I was put on neurontin for trigeminal neuralgia I got to an obese BMI. It's got worse as high doses steroids where added to my drugs and I gained nearly 80 lbs. in 6 months, became cushionoid and nearly died. Two brain surgeries later and I finally was in remission and easily lost 30 lbs as I was weaned off the steroids. It stopped there and I am still battling the bulge ten years later. The sleeve is a tool I have been looking for. I don't expect to maintain a weight of 120 lbs., I am looking for a decent 150lbs. and at that weight I was a force to be reckoned with and very active.

I never saw it that way before. I like that you put a positive spin on it. I'll try looking at it that way instead of so negatively. Oh...and you were all correct...I got on the scale this morning and the two pounds are gone along with about another half pound. It's not even the fact that the number is back to where I was prior to going away...it's the feeling of not being in control while away. That's really what my issue is about at its core. Either I'm in complete control, or I'm totally out of control. The massive weight gain was me very much out of control and now it seems that I'm only comfortable when I feel back in control...like when I'm home and eating 'normally' again. Funny how I don't worry about eating out. Maybe because it's one meal rather than several days of eating out. Something to discuss with the therapist tonight...lol.

Join us in the veterans forum. There are a lot of us who are fighting weight gain after being sleeved awhile. You can do it. You need motivation from the rest of us. There is also a maintenance thread in there. It helps to be accountable. I am working on 10 right now.

Don't be so hard on yourself. I think you did great and some of that "weight gain" is probably Water weight and will probably fall right back off now that you're back to eating like you normally do. I did the same thing back in the summer only I really ate some garbage along the way. I made pretty good choices most of the time but I did have a couple of days where I really made some bad choices. I don't remember now exactly how much but I do remember that I gained several pound(maybe 5 or 6?) and was really upset with myself over it. Fortunately, most of it was apparently Fluid retention because it was gone in under a week plus I even lost another pound or two that week. I talked to my surgeon about it too because, even though I knew that it was fluid retention, I was upset with myself for falling of the wagon and making such poor choices. His response surprised me. He said "Don't beat yourself up. You were on vacation. You should relax and enjoy the things you love when you're on vacation. That's why we have surgery-so we can still enjoy the foods we love, only in smaller amounts.You have no enjoyed your vacation and you've already managed to get right back on track so it's all good." He went on to say that he thinks we should break over and enjoy food more when we're on vacation so that we don't feel deprived when everyone else is indulging. The important thing is that we get back on track when vacation is over. Looking back, it was probably one of the most important lessons I've learned along the way...On one of those days that I spent indulging myself, I literally made myself sick because I ate so many sweets. I don't even WANT to overdo it on things like that now because every time the urge hits, I remember how I felt that day and realize, I don't want to feel like that again. There's nothing that tastes good enough to feel that miserable after eating it. Anyway, my surgeon always tells me that "No one is perfect. No one makes the right choices all of the time. The important thing is that you make the right choices MOST of the time. And if you make a bad choice, don't wait until the next day to start over. You start over as soon as you realize your last choice was a bad one."

Now that I am dancing again and, because when I was at my lowest weight in Afghanistan I was also lifting weights like a beast, my horror and anger and humiliation over the weight gain isn't solely from a place of self-loathing because I gained. Like you Cheryl, I recognize that regain and the struggle and the quest are all part of our being sleevers, but gaining so much so swiftly because of depression after having been so incredibly fit and strong, the difference is remarkable and I feel like a walrus on dry land. Guess what I had for dinner last night? A piece of bacon. One.

Boy, that was dramatic. Maybe if you hurry, you can get your old stomach back. Seriously ... in less than a month post-op you lost 15 pounds. FYI, my surgery weight 8 weeks ago was 216. One month (30 days) later, I'd lost 10.4 pounds. And I was thrilled. Thrilled! I cannot remember (decades ago?) the last time I lost 10.4 pounds in 30 days. Also consider this: About a month ago, I gained four pounds in two days. And then two days after that I stepped on the scales and had suddenly lost 8 pounds, for a net loss of four pounds in four days. It's not typical. But it happens. I would suggest that with the purees you've taken in some salt and maybe also have some constipation that's causing a temporary weight gain. Don't go off the deep end every time you get on the scales and see they've gone up or haven't gone down--especially if you're eating/drinking what's recommended by your surgeon. Give yourself a break and appreciate that you / we will NOT lose our overweight in a straight downward path. (Also google "three week stall" if you don't know about that. Happens to almost everyone.)

I tried various brands like Bariatric Advantage, Flintstones, Centrum etc but they were all useless. They chewables made me nauseous (because of the fillers in them) and the sugar content in the gummies were a major concern for weight gain. I then switched to capsules and finally on my nuts advise I settled for vita4life. It’s been three years and no complaints. I get all their products off the website. You can get the products off Amazon too.

Hi everyone! I havent been super involved in this community yet, but was hoping to start. Thought it would be best to share my story. I apologize in advance if there seem to be details left out, just a long, long story. I got the sleeve in 2009, when I was still in high school. I was on the lower end for the band, at about 5'8 & 220 lbs. I had tried every diet imaginable (weight loss camps, etc). Unfortunately, the band never worked for me. From the first time I tried to get it adjusted, the nurses could not get the needle into the port (I actually did not have a great deal of abdominal fat, so they didnt even try to do it under fluoro the first time). They claimed that the band port was "malrotated," but it would cause no issues. I never, ever, felt "right" with the band. I never felt appropriately restricted, and in the same day I would be able to eat a sandwich then later not hold down food. I had horrible pelvic pain that no one could diagnose, went from doctor to doctor. After years of failure (and a ton of weight gain), I was so sick of the band. I thought that it might have something to do with my pelvic pain, but two different band docs denied it and gynecologists couldnt find any explanation. In 2012 (ish), I started having intermittent sharp pain, that felt like it moved from throughout my pelvis. It hurt so badly I could barely walk during those episodes. Again, no doctor could diagnose it. In December 2013, I went to the ER with a ton of pelvic pain that I thought was appendicitis. When I went for a CT the pain suddenly moved to my left side, so they thought it was a kidney stone. However, the CT came back negative for everything, and I was sent home yet again with no answer. Over the next few months I went to many docs, from gynecologists to urologists to urogynocologists. At last, I went to Dr. Iannace in NJ in June 2014 (took me almost 6 months to get two other bariatric surgeons to send my records over!). He pulled up my records from the ER that night, and found that the tubing of the band was broken!!! There is actually a part of the band half way between the port and the band itself that comes apart, and the broken tube was lying in my left pelvis. The radiologist read it on the report, but no doctor ever called/told me. I was incredibly upset/pissed but also relieved that I finally had an answer. For years doctors told me that I was "cheating the band," and that I was lying about being able to eat bread but threw up liquid. With the broken band, changes in pressure in my abdomen could explain the differences in restriction. Dr. Iannace took the band out in august 2013, and said that i had no adhesions (yay!), so that the sleeve is totally safe. I am getting sleeved tomorrow, and I cant wait. I am super excited, but nervous for the surgery. I really hope the recovery will be easier than the band removal (getting the port out really hurt for me!). I hope to share more about my journey in the future

I have been on Seroquel for many years for my Bipolar disorder and it has worked amazingly well. Last month my Dr. increased my dosage due to some problems I was having. I gained 8 lbs. Now he says he will take me off Seroquel and put me on Geodone if I can't lose the weight. I SOOOO DON't want that and am working hard to lose the excess weight so I can stay on Seroquel. Has this happened to anyone else? Has a medicine made you gain weight? I thought it was up to me to control the weight, but Dr. says "NO" some medicines make you gain weight. Do you agree or disagree with my Doctor? Did any medicine make you gain weight? Thanks, Terry

Reminder: the Importance of Diabetes If you don’t have diabetes, someone in your family might if obesity runs in your family. You may remember a parent, aunt or uncle, or grandparent who had diabetes and suffered from complications. 29 million Americans, or 9.3 percent of the population, have diabetes, or high blood sugar, and most cases are linked to obesity. Type 2 diabetes is the seventh-leading cause of death in the U.S., but it gets worse. It’s a risk factor for heart disease and high blood pressure, stroke, and high cholesterol. Uncontrolled blood sugar can lead to kidney failure, blindness, infections, and amputations. In total, the U.S. spends about $245 billion per year on diabetes. Medications for Diabetes Diabetes medications can help keep your blood sugar in check in various ways. The following are some common types of diabetes medications. Increase insulin sensitivity. Reduce the amount of sugar your liver releases to the bloodstream. Increase insulin production. Prevent the kidney from reabsorbing sugars. Slow down metabolism of sugars and starches. Diabetes medications help, but each type has drawbacks. They can cause weight gain, increase your risk of infections, harm your heart, and lead to nausea and vomiting. Unless you’re on a good health plan, these medications can also be expensive. The Effects of Weight Loss Surgery on Diabetes When considering weight loss surgery, you probably think about the number on the scale, how nice it will be to shop at regular clothes stores, having more energy, and improving your heart health. It turns out that weight loss surgery has a big effect on diabetes, too. People who get weight loss surgery often see their blood sugar levels drop and are able to decrease their medication doses or get off of medications entirely. You’d expect to have improvements in diabetes if you lose a lot of weight after weight loss surgery. After all, your diabetes was probably caused by obesity. Whether or not you get surgery, you’re likely to have better control over your blood sugar levels if you lose a lot of weight. However, it turns out that weight loss surgery has a bigger impact on diabetes than what you’d expect just from losing weight alone. In some studies, patients have had their blood sugars lowered as soon as a few days after surgery! In just a few days, you can’t lose enough weight to explain the drop is blood sugar. There must be another explanation. As it turns out, researchers do have a lot of theories about what causes the health improvements so quickly. It may have something to do with the way your body processes carbohydrates. There could be increases in insulin sensitivity. Multiple hormones are probably involved. Researchers don’t know all of the reasons for sure, but these results are pretty consistent. The gastric bypass is most likely best at resolving diabetes quickly, following be the vertical sleeve gastrectomy. The lap-band isn’t as effective, but lap-band patients do tend to see at least some improvements. Each type of weight loss surgery has its own advantages and disadvantages, so be sure to ask your surgeon for advice. The Weight Loss Surgery Diet and Diabetes Surgery is only part of the solution to controlling diabetes or preventing pre-diabetes from developing into diabetes. If you want maximum benefits and lasting effects, you also need to take a look at your nutrition. For weeks, months, and years after weight loss surgery, your diet will largely determine your weight loss and blood sugar levels. Fortunately, the weight loss surgery diet is also a diet that can lower your blood sugar levels. First, stick to your low-calorie diet. If you’re not counting calories, serve yourself only the portions and types of foods that your surgeon allows. The low-calorie diet lets you lose weight and as you do, you’ll find that your blood sugar is in a healthier range. Next, there’s the protein content. You already know that you need to focus on protein on your weight loss surgery diet. It keeps you full to help you lose weight, and prevents symptoms of protein deficiency. Another benefit is that it doesn’t spike your blood sugar and insulin levels like carbohydrates do. When you eat fewer carbs and more protein, your blood sugar levels will be more stable. There are a few other ways you can plan your weight loss surgery diet to also be healthy for your blood sugar. Better yet, these tips will also make your diet higher in nutrients. Instead of refined grains, select whole grains, such as oatmeal and whole wheat bread and pasta, whenever possible. Eat plenty of vegetables, since they’re filling, low-calorie, and unlikely to spike your blood sugar. Choose unsaturated fats, such as olive oil, instead of saturated fats, such as butter, to promote heart health and better control your blood sugar. Eat high-fiber foods, such as whole grains, vegetables, beans, and fruit, to feel less hungry and to prevent blood sugar spikes. Type 2 diabetes can be an inconvenient disease to manage, and it can cause all kinds of devastating complications. If you have diabetes or prediabetes and are thinking about weight loss surgery, it’s important to know the facts. Weight loss surgery can help resolve your diabetes and get you off medication, but it’s not likely to be too effective without a good diet, too. Just like with weight loss, weight loss surgery is a tool for diabetes management, and you need to follow a healthy nutrition plan to get the maximum results.

If you struggle with obesity, you probably already face or are worried about getting a variety of health conditions, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, and asthma. Type 2 diabetes is another obesity-related condition that can affect you and lead to scary complications if you’re unable to control your blood sugar. You can use diabetes medications to help control your blood sugar levels, but often, weight loss surgery and the right diet can be even better. Reminder: the Importance of Diabetes If you don’t have diabetes, someone in your family might if obesity runs in your family. You may remember a parent, aunt or uncle, or grandparent who had diabetes and suffered from complications. 29 million Americans, or 9.3 percent of the population, have diabetes, or high blood sugar, and most cases are linked to obesity. Type 2 diabetes is the seventh-leading cause of death in the U.S., but it gets worse. It’s a risk factor for heart disease and high blood pressure, stroke, and high cholesterol. Uncontrolled blood sugar can lead to kidney failure, blindness, infections, and amputations. In total, the U.S. spends about $245 billion per year on diabetes. Medications for Diabetes Diabetes medications can help keep your blood sugar in check in various ways. The following are some common types of diabetes medications. Increase insulin sensitivity. Reduce the amount of sugar your liver releases to the bloodstream. Increase insulin production. Prevent the kidney from reabsorbing sugars. Slow down metabolism of sugars and starches. Diabetes medications help, but each type has drawbacks. They can cause weight gain, increase your risk of infections, harm your heart, and lead to nausea and vomiting. Unless you’re on a good health plan, these medications can also be expensive. The Effects of Weight Loss Surgery on Diabetes When considering weight loss surgery, you probably think about the number on the scale, how nice it will be to shop at regular clothes stores, having more energy, and improving your heart health. It turns out that weight loss surgery has a big effect on diabetes, too. People who get weight loss surgery often see their blood sugar levels drop and are able to decrease their medication doses or get off of medications entirely. You’d expect to have improvements in diabetes if you lose a lot of weight after weight loss surgery. After all, your diabetes was probably caused by obesity. Whether or not you get surgery, you’re likely to have better control over your blood sugar levels if you lose a lot of weight. However, it turns out that weight loss surgery has a bigger impact on diabetes than what you’d expect just from losing weight alone. In some studies, patients have had their blood sugars lowered as soon as a few days after surgery! In just a few days, you can’t lose enough weight to explain the drop is blood sugar. There must be another explanation. As it turns out, researchers do have a lot of theories about what causes the health improvements so quickly. It may have something to do with the way your body processes carbohydrates. There could be increases in insulin sensitivity. Multiple hormones are probably involved. Researchers don’t know all of the reasons for sure, but these results are pretty consistent. The gastric bypass is most likely best at resolving diabetes quickly, following be the vertical sleeve gastrectomy. The lap-band isn’t as effective, but lap-band patients do tend to see at least some improvements. Each type of weight loss surgery has its own advantages and disadvantages, so be sure to ask your surgeon for advice. The Weight Loss Surgery Diet and Diabetes Surgery is only part of the solution to controlling diabetes or preventing pre-diabetes from developing into diabetes. If you want maximum benefits and lasting effects, you also need to take a look at your nutrition. For weeks, months, and years after weight loss surgery, your diet will largely determine your weight loss and blood sugar levels. Fortunately, the weight loss surgery diet is also a diet that can lower your blood sugar levels. First, stick to your low-calorie diet. If you’re not counting calories, serve yourself only the portions and types of foods that your surgeon allows. The low-calorie diet lets you lose weight and as you do, you’ll find that your blood sugar is in a healthier range. Next, there’s the protein content. You already know that you need to focus on protein on your weight loss surgery diet. It keeps you full to help you lose weight, and prevents symptoms of protein deficiency. Another benefit is that it doesn’t spike your blood sugar and insulin levels like carbohydrates do. When you eat fewer carbs and more protein, your blood sugar levels will be more stable. There are a few other ways you can plan your weight loss surgery diet to also be healthy for your blood sugar. Better yet, these tips will also make your diet higher in nutrients. Instead of refined grains, select whole grains, such as oatmeal and whole wheat bread and pasta, whenever possible. Eat plenty of vegetables, since they’re filling, low-calorie, and unlikely to spike your blood sugar. Choose unsaturated fats, such as olive oil, instead of saturated fats, such as butter, to promote heart health and better control your blood sugar. Eat high-fiber foods, such as whole grains, vegetables, beans, and fruit, to feel less hungry and to prevent blood sugar spikes. Type 2 diabetes can be an inconvenient disease to manage, and it can cause all kinds of devastating complications. If you have diabetes or prediabetes and are thinking about weight loss surgery, it’s important to know the facts. Weight loss surgery can help resolve your diabetes and get you off medication, but it’s not likely to be too effective without a good diet, too. Just like with weight loss, weight loss surgery is a tool for diabetes management, and you need to follow a healthy nutrition plan to get the maximum results.

Hello Monique and welcome. You've come to the right place for support, great advice and answers. I've only been here since Oct. 5 even though I'm having surgery Oct. 17. I'm not your typical red tape sleever. I have had some pretty traumatic experiences this past year that encouraged me to speed up the process. Honestly I'm not sure how long it would've taken if ever my insurance would've paid. I'm 5 ft 7 in and some old injuries and weight gain has made it impossible for me to be physically active due to chronic pain. I decided to forgo all the time it would take for my insurance to approve this procedure. I'm afraid if it took a yr. to jump through all of the hoops I might be completely immobile. I was 220 at my heaviest and I'm down to 207-208 lbs at present. If I could get down to 140 lbs and be active again I would be pleased with my results. I'm really not into runway model skinny. The folks here are at all stages of the game and everyone seems to be willing to offer as much help as they can. Again Welcome and best wishes on this amazing journey you are beginning!!

This is a great thread. The only book that has really helped me is the Beck Diet Solution. I really need to get the work book. I like it because it gives you stuff to do to try to combat snacking and learning to say no to weight gaining foods.

Fun fact: someone did walk out of surgery last week, not sure if you saw the posts layknee. What did I enjoy before weight gain? Would have to go far back. Hum, I did enjoy dating (well, you know) but I'm married, that's out, lol. I may have to content myself with becoming a member of the sippy cup. Awesome sippy cup by the way

@@F_it thanks for chiming in on your experience with Cymbalta. We are all so different and such bags of chemicals. Like you, I am very sensitive to drugs of any kind so my trial with low-dose Cymbalta for arthritis relief didn't last very long. I felt like I needed to give it a go and I do think there was some perceived relief, but it didn't agree with me. The first night I took it I felt like I was tripping so I backed off to a lower dose to begin -- that should have been a signal right there. The thing is, at 53 with this much pain if there's anything out there that may possibly work then I want to make sure I've at least investigated. Unfortunately we have to be our own guinea pigs sometimes. So sorry for everything you went through with the Fibromyalgia and your experience on Cymbalta. We have got to do something about these auto-immune disorders, for crying out loud! I have had horrific experiences with steroids -- in fact the overnight weight gain I had from Prednisone (ha, that just auto-corrected to "prisoner") kicked off twenty years of overweight and all kinds of other complications in my body. The arthritis has been really flaring lately and I know that has to do with the change in weather. I have been walking outdoors most and now that the temps are under fifty (we've had the thirties here, eek!) I find that cold really exacerbates the joint pain later in the day. Last night I took a couple of Tylenol -- has never done much for me -- and a couple of tequila cocktails. That is something that helps, and I figure alcohol as a drug is better than a lot of what gets prescribed by various physicians even though they generally disapprove of that. But you got to do what you've got to do! I use ice packs, too. Seems so ironic that cold makes arthritis worse yet ice packs reduce inflammation -- makes no sense!

I can sympathize... I have bursitis flare up in my hip every now and then and I had a bad case 2 weeks ago. It KILLED me to lay off exercise for a week but I did it and was able to get back into it quickly. I don't think the steroid shots have the same weight gain effect as oral steroids (but I might be wrong on that). Once the inflammation dies out, you will feel so much better. It's a cycle -- flare up, stay flared up. Kill the flare and try to avoid re-injuring and it eventually will die out completely. Do what the doctor says and rest it up -- will heal much more quickly than if you push it too soon.

Like with anything, practice makes perfect. I have been eating without drinking at meals for about 3 weeks now. I tell you it is easier then you think. The main reason you had to drink with your meal before was you needed the liquid in order to wash the food down. Without it you have to eat much much much slower which actually causes you to feel full eating a smaller portion. In my opinion the drinking with my meal contributed to my weight gain. If you take a bite, chew a couple times and wash it down with a drink, you can eat a whole plate in 5 minutes. If you have to chew enough (20 to 30 times per bite) to swallow without a drink, after 20 minutes you eat 1/2 of the plate and you are full. It's amazing. I wish I knew then what I know now.

I have to admit, I did eat a few things that I know I would miss but ate in small portions here and there because I didn't want any weight gain.

I don't know if the psychiatrists use the DSM V Manual. In the most recent one, there is a diagnostic category for binge eating. There is a medicine that helps with that. I kept myself in check by remembering what it was I was striving for.. "keep your eye on the prize." I didn't want a weight gain to mess this up. For a snack, I ate a small bag of puffed rice cakes. Pre-op, I found that the unjury Protein shakes really helped. They were good tasting, and the flavor could be changed with sugar free syrups (Torani or DaVinci). The flavorings can also be used in sugar free puddings. I suggest you operate from a position of being satisfied with healthy food. Have a Protein shake 20 minutes before eating a meal. Then eat normally, stopping when you feel somewhat satisfied, rather than full. In between meals, you might use recipes from the blog, The World According to Eggface. Best wishes! Be successful!!!

@@Jenny L I'm sorry to hear that you are having to be benched from doing your work outs. The impact on your joints with running and P90x is pretty rough. Did the Dr. tell you what was going on other then inflammation? Is it arthritis? Why steroids? There are other medications out there that can help you to reduce the inflammation and not cause the weight gain that steroids can cause. My husband was put on Celebrex for pain and inflammation after his hip surgery. Ask your Ortho more questions and if you can see a Sports medicine orthopedic they are very understanding of people who have joint and other arthritic issues wanting to be fit and healthy etc. I hope you are feeling better and on the med very soon!! Maybe as you mend you can reduce the intensity of the workouts for impact but not give them up all together.

So I just got home from being dlweved. Stepped on the scale and im 12 lbs heavier than I wad when I went in. Anyone else have this happen. Im so bummed

Auri--That is something good to mention. The Water weight gain. My friend came home from the hospital and didn't lose anything for a while--she was big time depressed, regretting having the surgery done. But once she started losing, she lost great. 99 pounds total I believe! We can't focus on that darn scale for a while!!

I did the same thing (eating to gain) because I was scared that I would be knocked back for not being big enough. Turns out my surgeon like to band people at around 92kg, so he made me lose all the weight gained or he wouldn't band me haha.. Crazy isn't it. I got up to 104, so gained 10kg for it.. Regret it now, could have been 75 instead of 85! But i got what I wanted and would of ended up gaining that weight anyway as it wasn't that hard to do it.