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I have asthma too, and had been on prednisone on and off in recent years until I was put on the proper control meds. I fully believe that prednisone, although a necessary evil, changes our bodies far more than "an increased appetite and minor weight gain". I have vowed to avoid it as much as possible from now on. Good luck with your surgery. I hope it brings you wonderful health gains!

OK friends, I decided a long time ago to be honest and forthcoming on this site to help myself and others partaking in the experience of WLS. You all know just about everything...from my bathroom habits to the fact that I see a therapist to help me with body image issues and all that go with it. So..the last big hurdle had to do with the opposite sex. I've been alone for a long time for many reasons...not just the weight gain. With help from my therapist, I decided to go on some of those dating websites even though I am still very uncomfortable with my body. I am still working out my issues and whether or not I'll get any plastic surgery. If I do it, it has to be for the right reasons and not to try to achieve some unrealistic idea of perfection. Part of this process is to admit I would like to have a man in my life. I don't need to have a man, but I would like to try dating again. Well...I've been chatting with a few different men and I am meeting one of them tomorrow night. It's not the first date I've been on actually...I went out with a lawyer I met online a few weeks ago. He never shut up so I figured I'd just eat and enjoy an evening out knowing there wouldn't be a second date. But this one I like. I've talked to him on the phone for a few weeks and we seem to be hitting it off. I'll let you all know how it goes. I have to keep telling myself that he would be a lucky guy to go out with me. Not an easy thing to do when one battles self esteem issues all the time, but you have to start somewhere right? I've adopted a little saying in my head that comes from an old proverb: 'A virtuous woman is worth a price above rubies'. I have to remind myself that I am worthy of a good man's intentions. Wish me luck ya'll and I'll keep you posted.

Great idea. This is me. Stephanie 47 married 26 yrs to my very best friend. 24yo son and 21yo daughter. I am a 911 dispatcher (23 yrs). I would like to blame weight gain on stress but really I started gaining weight after having kids and some medical probs. thought I had a handle on my body then I broke my back. 10 yrs with lots of yo-yo dieting and this is where I am. I see myself in the mirror and I think who is that. When did I lose control. Yes I am a control freak. My daughter is getting married next yr. ( my baby..when did she grow up) My husband is turning 50 and we are planning a trip to Austraila. I want to be around for grand kids and be able to play on the floor and be able to get up. I want to climb a flight of stairs and not be out of breath. This is a great time in medicine. Grateful for the surgery. Really really grateful for this support. Hubby and I love to travel. I am more proud then I can express of my kids. We have 4 dogs and 2 cats. I dream of living on a small farm with a couple cows maybe a pig some chickens and those cute little fainting goats ( they crack me up).

I am 5 days out from surgery and have gained about 6 lbs. which is more than I weighed the day of surgery. Someone on one of the other threads said that is not unusual because of all the IV's they give you in the hospital. Is that the case for any of you. I know I have to be patient, but gaining weight is NOT what I am looking for. I , like the rest of you, am eating little. Still on liquids. When will the scales start to go down, not up? Of course would like some instant results like I got on the liver shrink diet when I lost 16 lbs. The day of surgery I was 286 and now am 292. Please let me know this is not unusual. Thanks. I am also so glad we have this group. I have asked some "wild" questions, and have always gotten a response, so am glad we are all here together for support.

Am so glad someone talked about short term weight gain after surgery. I have gained about 8 lbs. and thought this was impossible. After all am eating practically nothing. I have only been out of surgery for 5 days. Looking forward to some weight loss. Now weigh more than when I went in the day of surgery. So is this common?

So my 2 month lapbandiversary is upon me and it's been an interesting ride thus far. A great one - but interesting. The first month was all about the weight just sloughing off of me and I was like WHOA. But as I started to pickup solids, that slowed down considerably. So I did the next logical thing I could think of -- work out harder. I do about an hour of exercise a day, between running 5K and doing some BeachBody home program, i'm always moving around and pushing myself. Which I know has created more muscle mass for my body to deal with. But the stamina I feel is UNREAL. Never before would I think that i could run 5K (i used the Couch 2 5K program by the way) that coached me along and a kick ass playlist that would kick in JUST when I thought I'd quit. It's almost like it knew I needed that little extra bit. I still marvel at the fact that I can go at a jogging pace for 28 minutes. When I first started... I couldn't get through the warm out without being out of breath. And that is real. What i hate to reveal is that somewhere in there there are 5 lbs that have resurfaced on my body. I want to believe it's muscle weight. Cause that just makes me feel better. And I'm sure that it is, because all my clothes fit differently. i'm wearing stuff I haven't touched since before (or right after) my daughter was born. We're talking -- she just turned 3 years old. And I couldn't wear that stuff for all this time. So I won't kill myself over the lbs.... but in the same instance, I won't go changing all of my tickers to reflect the "weight gain". Something great that did happen... the other day I was walking with a few friends after a memorial service for a dear departed friend gone too soon (he was only 43... and consequently is the new motivation in my head when I think I want to give up on getting better / healthier / slimmer). On our way from the church to the car in upper Harlem, there's a gang of people out out in the streets... it was hot and folks were on the street to get cool before they went to bed. The friends who accompanied me were slender and trim and always have been since I knew them in college. And I walked between them. So the men outside were catcalling "Ohhh... look at them... 1, 2 and 3...." "mm mmm mm... i wouldn't mind being warm next to them tonight..." and then finally, "Which one would I like.. the one in the middle... mmmmm hmmmm!" Now... under normal circumstances, I wouldn't give that man the time of day... but something weird happens when you're out of shape - no one notices you. You literally disappear although you're getting bigger and harder to miss. I'm aware there are a gang of feminist movements out there about women being catcalled and objectified in a society that belittles our worth and intrinsic value. But for just this moment... I reappeared on the map as a viable wantable thing... and I? LOVED IT. I smiled to myself and kept it moving. And will use it as fire in my little furnace of needing to be better. Some visuals attached of my progress. I have to keep remember it's only been 2 months. 30 lbs is A LOT. And I shouldn't poopoo it. But I do... because I want more. But I'm also willing to work for it. On to 40... October 1st, here I come!

I read this article this morning and this is why you need to stop weighing yourself every day. I copied and pasted it so that those who have phones as their source of internet can read it with no issues. Break up with your scale its hurting you more then you think. 5 Reasons to Break Up With Your Scale 1. Scale weight fluctuates wildly.It’s good to measure things to track progress – and if you weighed yourself monthly, that might help you spot a trend in your body weight (gaining, losing or maintaining). But over the course of a day (or a few hours!) your weight can fluctuate by as many as five pounds – sometimes more. food and beverage intake, time of day, dietary choices and activity levels all factor into that number on the dial. (And we won’t even mention clothes, because we’re pretty sure most of you are obsessive enough to weigh yourself naked.) You can lose two pounds just by going to the bathroom – and gain it right back by eating a big meal. Those fluctuations are not representative of body fat lost or gained. But seeing a number jump up by four pounds sure does a mental number on you, doesn’t it? Weighing yourself daily tells you nothing about your big-picture trend, and only serves to reinforce the next four points. 2. Scale weight says nothing of health.That number on a scale says nothing about whether you’re moving in the right direction with your health. You want to get skinny? We can make you skinny. Cut your daily calories in half and spend two hours a day doing low-intensity cardio. That’ll make you skinny… for about a month. Until your willpower runs out (as those behaviors aren’t at all sustainable), and your messed-up metabolism fights back. At which point, you gain all the weight back and then some. But hey, for a few weeks, you were skinny! Is gaining or losing five pounds moving you in the direction of better health? It’s impossible to say, because that number tells you very little about what’s going on with your relationship with food, hormones, digestive health or inflammatory status. And those are the factors that impact your health far more directly than body weight. 3. The scale blinds you to real results.By focusing so much of your attention on that number in the scale, you effectively miss out on observing the other, more significant, results of your efforts. You’re sleeping better, have more energy, are less moody or depressed. Your cravings have dissipated, you recover faster from exercise, your symptoms or medical condition have greatly improved. And yet, your program is a “failure,” because the number on the scale hasn’t moved enough for your liking? Re-read point #2, and tell us which factors speak more to your health – the scale weight, or everything else?Those results could be motivating you to continue with your new eating habits – but until you get your head out of the scale, you’ll never be able to see the health progress you’ve actually been making. 4. The scale keeps you stuck on on food.You associate that number on the scale with one major factor – food. Maybe exercise factors in too – after all, if you ate less (or differently) and exercised more (or differently), that number would start to move. Wouldn’t it? Not so fast. There are other health factors at play here – sleep, recovery from activity, psychological stress and health history – all of which play a major role in body composition. But no one looks at the scale and thinks, “Darn it – I need to get more sleep.” Now would be a good time to revisit the Whole9 Health Equation. If you didn’t experience the Whole30 results you were hoping to see, perhaps it’s time to look at some other factors. All of our Health Equation variables factor into weight loss and body composition – but none of them are reflected in the number on the scale. 5. The scale maintains control of your self-esteem.This is perhaps the most important reason of all to break up with your scale. It’s psychologically unhealthy to allow a number – any number – to determine your worth, your value or your self-image. And yet, that’s exactly what happens to people who are overly invested in their scale. It’s tragic that your daily weigh-in determines whether you have a good day or bad day, or whether or not you feel good about yourself. The scale results can take you from confident to self-loathing in under 5 seconds, but what the scale is telling you is not real. If this is your scenario, ditching the scale is the only way to get back to a healthy sense of self-worth. Let your actions, your intentions, your efforts and your grace influence how you feel about yourself. A $20 hunk of plastic from Target should not be the determining factor in your self-esteem. Dear Scale, It’s Not Me, It’s You.If you’ve got an unhealthy relationship with the scale, the only way to get back to a good place is to ditch it altogether. Donate it to Goodwill, recycle it or take it out back and give it a proper beat-down, Office Space-style. Because the sooner you ditch the idea that the scale is your ultimate measure of success, the healthier and happier you’ll be. Need some inspiration from someone who is using the Whole30 to become wholly healthy?

I spent 2 nights in the hospital & when I got home I was 10 lbs heavier - I was totally dumbfounded!! Thank goodness for this website. After reading what others had posted about this weight gain I felt better & a week later it was off. Thank goodness!!

I was shocked. Before my massive weight gain I was 270lbs. Avg pant size 38. I started to develop sleep apnea which really got bad over time. When I finally got checked it was in the severe stage 65 episodes a minute. by time I was diagnosed I was 380lbs and pants size 52 (I like them loose). All this happened within 3 years. I had about 10 new pants I havent wore since weight gain. Im 10 weeks in, and now im at 287lbs. Im still very big, but the weight loss didnt hit me until I didnt have any clean pants (havent done laundry... I work 2 jobs.. dont judge im not lazy..lol). I had to attempt to try one of these pants on since I had a party to go to and all stores were closed. I jumped into a size 44 and it was still too big. I believe im currently a size 40 I jist havent checked. Its summer I been wearing shorts all summer and surgery was in jun. So we will see. Sorry for long story im just really happy with my surgery getting to sizes I havent seen in years.

Stalls? Massive weight gain? Huh. Glad my doctor didn't install those extra features into my sleeve. The couple of times I've imbibed heavily, I've "gained" 3-4 pounds over a weekend only to lose them by Tuesday. Just go back to plan and drink water. I don't recommend heavy drinking regularly, but an occasional shindig won't hurt you.

I have been told by my Doc that one drink stalls weight loss for 3 days. Myself like others in the thread broke my own rules and drank more than I needed scotch on the rocks over the holiday weekend. It made me feel like crap the next few days. Now I am stalling with even a slight weight gain. I will not do that again. Not another drink until I reach my goal.

This is supported by other threads here but so well said. Basically it says, your gut microbes control your hunger for their own good, but not necessarily yours. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/831069?src=wnl_edit_tpal&uac=204266DY I don't remember if I needed to join this free medical research site or not to see this file... I love this site and get lots of interesting research results from several areas of interest.. including weight gain and WL surgery....

My program doesn't allow for any weight gain. I'm nervous everytime I go. They weigh and record it at every appointment, nutrition, support group, surgeon,psych etc so I have a system down. I weigh myself in same outfit same time of day so my scale matches dr scale. I go every week and check my weight on a kaiser scale at the health information center then I have them log it in so I'm never suprised when I get weighed in. If I feel heavy I do all shakes for a day or two with extra Water and one low sodium meal at night it helps me a lot. By day two my tummy is flatter and I feel lighter. Clean food and a daily walk keeps me losing a little every week. Good luck.

I have to start my liquid diet now, even before I have a surgery date because I gained 3 pounds since April. I think mostly from quitting smoking. I have everything done, just an ultrasound because they found gallstones when they did my upper GI. I am really dreading it, but hopefully I can get through it. I am waiting my doctor is sending my paperwork to get approval from the ins company, BCBS of Mass. Does anyone have experience with being denied because of a weight gain? Even just 3 pounds? Dr. Didn't seem to be too concerned, but I have to go to the nutritionist to start my liquid diet now, even before getting a surgery date, who she said could be November!! Don't think I can last that long on a liquid diet!!!

I have to start my liquid diet now, even before I have a surgery date because I gained 3 pounds since April. I think mostly from quitting smoking. I have everything done, just an ultrasound because they found gallstones when they did my upper GI. I am really dreading it, but hopefully I can get through it. I am waiting my doctor is sending my paperwork to get approval from the ins company, BCBS of Mass. Does anyone have experience with being denied because of a weight gain? Even just 3 pounds? Dr. Didn't seem to be too concerned, but I have to go to the nutritionist to start my liquid diet now, even before getting a surgery date, who she said could be November!! Don't think I can last that long on a liquid diet!!!

My latest moment was at my grandma birthday celebration this past summer 2014..... Our family had identical shirts made and mine was a 2X, when I put it on the day of, it was too tight along with my too tight stretch pants! The kicker was when the photographer posted and tagged me AND everyone that was in the same pictures with me on facebook! I was horrified! My rear end looked like a wide load truck! I looked uncomfortably stuffed and you could see EVERY roll even what I didn't know that I had! Since my substantial weight gain, no one on FB had seen a full body shot of me! The only thing that I could do was untag myself:( I'm scheduled to have my life changing experience (VSG) September 26, 2014

When I started my journey earlier this year, I wanted to know as much as about the procedure even before I had my first consultation. At first I focused on the more positive youtube videos, posts here, and other information sources. How much weight people lost, how much better they felt, the positive impact on their lives. However, with the complete inundation of U.S. advertising these days with pharmaceuticals, I really didn't want to have the "pop-a-pill" mentality that the pharmaceutical industry throws at us now: If you have any problem, just pop-a-pill...it will be all better. No. I didn't want to look at the surgery as a quick-fix like getting a haircut. This is major surgery. So I made a point to learn about the negative experiences: complications, weight gain, recovery pain, regrets, etc. I also wanted to know where the surgery failed to help people and why. I felt that if I went into the surgery with rose-tinted glasses, I may have been blindsided if I experienced any of the negatives. I also felt that if I wasn't understanding the surgery as a tool, I would've been relying on the surgery to do the work. Once I became well-versed in the surgery, I knew as much as I could going in. Aside from actually performing the surgery, of course. Though I did watch the youtube vids of the actual procedure. I was just too into it I guess.

What exactly is the safer route? @@Rogofulm Celery and carrot sticks? This program has many intricate parts and if you don't realize that WLS is a tool and not a diet to get your weight off and then return to your old ways.Then you misread me. It is a tool that gives you time to fix whatever is wrong with your thinking and why you use food as a comfort. It also gives you the time to learn new eating habits like using whole grains, fruit, nuts utilizing vegetables and lean meats and spices. Learning how to eat healthier without going back to your old ways of eating. Learning your trigger foods and weaknesses. What your weaknesses are and fixing your attitude and feelings. Knowing quality of food and eating the best. Not living on Mac and cheese. Living in the real world is exercising and getting your mind set to understand that we must eat to live not live to eat. Switching ourselves over to better habits and taking our time to eat. Moderation and balance is what we need to learn. Not mass! To say that being on a diet is safe. I disagree. They failed me and I will never see them as a positive thing for anyone. Failed diets are the reason so many suffer from weight gain in the first place. Not learning to eat properly and with moderation. With a diet we deny ourselves and soon we get tired of that and start to slip back into our old ways. We have to learn how to handle eating at various times and not use food as a celebration factor. We have to open ourselves up to be honest with ourselves and learn what makes us tick and change the things that made us get where we are. We need to learn how to Celebrate things other ways as well as our accomplishments. It is not an easy road if it was then 30 % would not fail. And why do a majority of that 30 % fail....Because they did not fix their brain and treated this as a diet like all the others. It became to hard to do and they were not able to change permanently. That is the path ahead of all of us when we have surgery. A work in progress. A change in life. The way we think, feel and know things differently then we did before. That is the goal of WLS. Not dieting! Just wanted to clear my comments up...... ( no one was hurt in the writing of this comment ) LOL

shake the other partner psychologically when one loses weight, gains confidence and starts getting more attention. But the experience taught me that someone who is jealous of something that makes me better, healthier and stronger never had my best interests at heart. Dating after that was a struggle, until I met my current boyfriend six months ago. Most guys got scared because they were afraid to take me to dinner, afraid they would break my new diet resolve, and when they saw a picture of what I used to look like, they started to wonder what would happen if I gained a few pounds again. What else has surprised me about losing weight? No one ever told me that it would upset me when severely obese people get special attention because they choose to be heavy -- like when TV shows feature people who are happy to weigh 600 pounds, or people who post YouTube videos professing love of their excess weight. Don't get me wrong, I think it is great that people are comfortable in their own skin, because many times I'm not always comfortable in my own skin. But for me, being heavy wasn't a choice. So I guess I have a hard time identifying with them. Obesity is debilitating to your health. I used gastric bypass surgery as a tool to save my life so that I wouldn't develop diabetes, have a heart attack at age 35, have a stroke, and to hopefully lower my risk of cancer. Now I have no tolerance for excuses about not being able to eat healthy and exercise. See, here's the bottom line: The biggest thing that no one ever tells you about losing weight is that eventually, the number on the scale no longer matters. What matters is how you feel, how you look and how happy you are. I know at my current weight I am still medically obese, but I have a clean bill of health. Through my bad days and my good days, I am happier now than I have ever been. When I struggle or feel myself about to slip into old habits, I pull out a picture of what I used to look like. And I remind myself that nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels.

Madigan is a great hospital. I'm a military wife also, and if you get the referral to the weight loss surgery program, you're already approved. You'll have to go through their "program" of nutrition visits etc. but you start out with an approval and the only thing that'll get you kicked out of the program is weight gain. You don't have to lose weight, but you can not gain weight. That's it!

I am no doctor but I can't help but believe that medications play a big part in weight gain and loss. According to statistics, 80% of all medications list weight gain as a side effect. It just doesn't make sense that one could eat so little, exercise, follow all the correct weight loss protocol and stall out after 50 pounds or so. I know statistically, the sleeve only helps you lose about 60% of the weight you need to lose. I think there is more to weight gain and weight loss that simply calories in, calories out. Just my opinion . . .

I'll start eating apples it'll be a nice treat as well. I stopped the shake hoping to make up for it at meals but you're right, I haven't had much luck with getting more protein from the table food. I'm really struggling with eating meat. I use to love all kinds of meat but since surgery it just doesn't taste good. I'm forcing myself to eat it for the sake of protein but it makes for miserable meal time. I'm trying to look at anything I take into my body as fuel and try and change my whole mindset on eating. That's easier said than done but I'm getting there. I'm sure this weight gain must just be a glitch and I'm trying to not stress over it but 5lbs gave me some concern.

Do they know how and why it leaked? How long did you have it before the trouble started? Did you have weight gain or other symptoms? Sorry you're going through this.

When I went into this I made up my mind to become a life long athlete. That was in January of 2012 . I have kept that commitment. Exercise was just a means, not an end. I visualized the finished product... In the best health and shape possible...and structured my life to make it happen. When I first started I could barely climb stairs. I used a steep hill by my house as my gym. I walked up and down the hill, going longer each time. Then I added weights, more time. Then I started running, then more weights. At the end of a year I was running full speed up and down the hill 12 times with ankle weights and 20 pound dumbells. This on top of push ups, knee bends, and kettle bell routines. I follow simple protein first guide lines. Now I don't work out at all. Why? I work at a job where I shovel dirt and run a wheelbarrow, carry heavy boards, and lift heavy poles all day in the Florida heat. I work with men nearly one third my age, (I am 65), who can barely keep up with me. Other than fighting cramps and joint pain my health is good. Oh, yes, forgot to mention, I had prostate cancer treatment in 2009 which caused my cascading weight gain. I was supposed to be dead in 2012. I am not dead. Make your mind up, invest your heart, your body will follow.

I got on today looking for weight gain info. I am 4 months out and lost 60 lbs but gained 2lbs in the last few days. Thanks for all the great advice. I haven't journaled so I'm going to work on that.