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Oh my dear VV's!! My are we struggling??? It's such a great heartache for all of us. Lori, never feel like you are being silly because you lost your cat. I've been through that before - and I see it again on my horizon. My little buddy is getting up there, and is definitely slowing down lately. I try to ignore it, but in my heart I know it's looming. Probably not in the too near future I hope, but it's coming. Ugh, I even feel tears just thinking about it. We have for the many of us been dealing with weight gain. I know for a fact now its much more common than many might think. So many have this false hope that once they have the band that they will lose weight "forever". Well I really try to stress that, that is a false hope. Not in a bad way, but to make sure they understand that no matter what you do - YOU HAVE TO DO THIS ON YOUR OWN. The band is not some magical wizard that is going to do this for you. It helps, sure - but its more like - 10% Band - 90% Willpower. It still beats the 100% willpower though, no? My vacation was super! I just re-charged and I feel great. Now I have to get back to getting up early again. I feel sleepy! Only got about 5 hours sleep!! Anyway, back to what I was mentioning... I am seriously going to get back my weight loss mojo. I am going to be super strick for the month of August. I'm only going to have my 3 square meals - and my lunch and dinner will be strictly portion controlled. My only Snacks allowed are fruit or beef jerkey. No sliders, ie yogurt or whatever. I need to eat things that I know wont leave me hungry again too soon. Good luck and as always - KEEP SWIMMING!! This truly is a life long battle. The good thing is there is no limit on how many times we can try again. :biggrin:

I feel like I know all of the information, I started the process 10 months ago but due to my insurance being so strict I had to attend many classes, seminars, appointments, clearances, over the phone courses, etc. So I feel like the knowledge is there, however from joining this site I am learning new things every day, especially when looking at the post op forums. I know unexpected things will pop up and am prepared for the stalls including the famous 3 week stall and some initial weight gain from water immediately after surgery. Vitamins are something I definitely need to work on. My vitamin D was previously low but I am working on that. Iron is also another issue that I need to be prepared for as I am borderline anemic. I've heard of many post ops being hospitalized and having health issues from not keeping up with their Iron. Working in healthcare I have access to the providers and their knowledge on the subject. One thing with multivitamins is if you overdose on Iron that can be an issue too that can cause issues with your can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and in extreme cases liver failure. Therefore, I am going to be in constant contact with my provider and request routine blood work on all of my levels. Since we have surgery in April, most of us will be meeting our deductibles and out of pocket max so aside from any copay's we can get as much work done that our insurance deems as medically necessary. This includes blood work and labs on nutrition and vitamin levels. For instance, my deductible is $750 and out of pocket max is $3000. Since my surgery is around $30,000 I met my out of pocket max of $3000 and can get as much work done as I need to for the remainder of the year. Again, copay's still need to be paid for each visit. If I get blood work done by my primary care provider my copay is only $10 compared to the $50 to go to a specialist who will do the same thing. So in general I feel like I am pretty prepared when it comes to the aftercare and communication with my provider's and insurance policies to make sure I can keep in touch with my body to know where I am deficient and what vitamins I will need to increase during the weight loss. I still have a lot to learn about the vitamins. I just cannot get past the taste of chewable vitamins. I tried the Flinstone Chewables my surgeon's office recommended and they are absolutely disgusting with an aftertaste that returns all day. Therefore, I think crushing my pills and putting them in yogurt might be my best option. One tablespoon I do not think will be too hard to get down. I have to take anxiety medication anyways so this won't be too hard I think. In regards to protein, I am currently doing Premier Protein and I am in LOVE!! They recently came out with new flavors such as Oreo & Cream, Peaches & Cream, Caramel, Banana & Cream, along with their traditional of Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberries & Cream. The reason I chose this was it has 30 grams of protein in 11oz so even if I cannot consume much in a day, 2 shakes meets my minimum protein for the day and can also double as liquids so will at least give me 22 oz of that. It has 1 gram of sugar per shake, 160 calories, 24 vitamins and nutrients, 5 grams of carbs, and 3 grams of fat, so it works perfect for the traditional Keto Diet. Along with this I will buy myself a rotisserie chicken and slowly pick through that throughout the week. Seems like a pretty cheap diet and I can treat myself to steak every once in a while. My nutritionist wants me to get my protein intake for the day before I move to vegetables, and then carbs which I will rarely be able to ever meet during the weight loss period. After surgery I am prepared for the possibility of not being able to consume Premier Protein anymore. A lot of people say dairy becomes hard to consume after surgery, in which case I think the clear, non dairy Isopure would be a great substitute. Popsicles made from protein drinks also sounds like a fabulous idea. I'd love any other suggestions anyone else may have, and am SUPER excited to get to meet some fellow April Sleever's. I'd love to keep in touch so we can all help each other on our journey!!

Hi, I have bipolar and severe anxiety. Like you, I have worked really hard on my mental health over the last couple of years to get into a good head space. My mental health is now pretty stable and I'm working and have good relationships with my family and generally happy and stable for the most part. A lot of the psych med's I've been on for the last 20 odd years cause weight gain, which is part of the reason that I was over weight. Four months ago I had the VSG, I maintained a close relationship with my psychiatrist up to the surgery and post op. The sleeve has had zero impact on my mental health, my medication hasn't changed at all, although in saying that it is pretty standard if you have bipolar that you will be on medication for life. I'm sorry I can't tell you that it has improved, but I'm glad that it has had zero impact, I did have some concerns my mental health could get worse due to the stress of surgery. Good luck with your surgery and mental health.

I gained all of the weight back that I lost during the months before. One can also have a situation that is called last supper syndrome. You eat all of those foods you feel you won't be able to eat afterwards. The initial weight gain before the surgery has not stopped my weight loss afterwards. I am down 74lbs in 5 months. Everything will work out in the end. Good luck and keep us updated! Sent from my SM-G935P using the BariatricPal App

Hey! I've put on 2lbs this week, but I'm putting it down to the stress of moving house (I'm currently in the packing/clearing out stages) and not making room for exercise. I'm also officially back onto solid, normal foods so I'm assuming there will probably be some weight gain there too.

Good Morning Every one, I need some suggestions for mushy foods besides mashed pots. I've been experimenting this week, seeing what I could eat. Was banded on 3/23. I've noticed my weight starting to creep up slowly and that is a no no. I've been exercising with Zumba tapes for the last couple of days, so not sure if my body is trying to adjust to the minimal food and exercise or what. Any one else having issues with slight weight gain post op after starting to eat more solid foods?

Wow, a broken back! Ouch!! I imagine the weight loss has greatly improved your situation, but I can totally understand your caution. I have back problems as well, which also contributed to a lot of my weight gain. I hope wls will greatly improve my mobility. I've lost 30 lbs pre-op and it's already helped me so much! I can't wait to see the difference 100 lbs will make.

Hi Everyone! My name is Rosie and I had the sleeve done in Dec 2016. I lost 100 lbs and I was so excited. Fast forward to 2018, my husband dies. I meet my now husband and gain 50 lbs. Yes I got comfortable. I miss the old me! The more confident me. So since then I started seeing a psychiatrist to address my food addiction tendencies. I am now on medication to help with my ADHD and depression, which I Feel contributed to my weight gain. I am attempting to be more mindful in my eating. I'm here for support and encouragement. My husband wants to lose weight, so I'm doing the Dr. Now caloric diet. Heavy on protein and light on carbs. Today is day one! Woohoo! I'm excited about whats in store by both fixing my head space and how much I eat.

I am told to stop taking BC two weeks before and 6-8 weeks after due to it increasing the risk of developing clots. My surgeon automatically gives heparin while in the hospital to decrease the chances. I have been on BC for many years to regulate and it is always given a bad rap about weight gain- if you read the fine print it says weight gain OR loss....AND is minimal, less than 5 pounds. So I wouldn't worry about it affecting your weight loss. My concern isn't it affecting my weight loss but more so my weight loss affecting my periods. Rapid weight gain or loss can drastically change menstrations....so to me.... The benefits outweigh the risks. So I will continue taking my BC when cleared to do so.

Some thoughts...one is about thinking about food all the time. This is a reality of life for many people, especially those that are overweight. I always thought about food, and I still always think about food a year out. I still think about planning my meals out and if I'm going somewhere I plan what I can throw in my bag, I think about making myself drink Water and I think about getting all my Protein in. Even if you did not have surgery, if you don't think about food you won't always make the best decisions. Sticking to a diet involves thinking about food. As far as missing eating fast. Well surgery or not you're not supposed to eat fast. Eating fast is one of the main factors in weight gain. When you say that you did your research and then say that you don't want to to think about your meals, you want to eat quickly, you want to have large meals...it seems contradictory. If you did your research you would have known about these things I read some interesting comments today and I wanted to make something really clear. Out of all these people around the globe that are on this website, there are going to be some of us that have found post op, that this surgery was the wrong decision. If you want this website to be honest and truthful, a source of good solid information for people considering surgery and a source of support for people post op, then everyone's experiences should be welcome. The reason's I think this surgery was wrong for me has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with my post op complications! And as for comments about people who regret their surgeries and have complications because: • "houses were dirty" • "they didn't follow instructions" • "they haven't seen the great results yet" • "they are just negative people and negative people are more vocal So, just let me tell you this, some of us simply made a mistake. We thought this was a good plan, we took advice, did our research, attended the seminars and weigh ins (in my case, two years attending). We met our surgeons, we discussed our pre existing conditions, we spoke to our family and friends. I myself have a counsellor, did CBT counselling for the entire two years pre op and am deemed emotionally and mentally sound. (just as an aside, my NHS CBT counsellor did not agree with this surgery). I checked with my pain mgt team about the efficacy of my medications post op. And it was still a mistake! And so what? It happens. And people like me should be able to explain these things without others trying to negate our admission of this mistake by offering excuses as to why we are unhappy with our decision. I could have floated onto a cloud, had magical unicorns lick away my stomach, and woke up in paradise fully healed, sipping a cocktail in the sun and I would still tell you that this was a mistake for ME. And for many of my friends. It doesn't matter how many years post op I get, I will consider this a mistake. My house is not dirty, I followed instructions to the letter, I consider my bariatric discharge booklet my life guideline and I never variate. I keep in touch with anyone and everyone in my medical care stream that might be helpful. And complications happened. And yes, to many of us in our bariatric system. But again, it was not the complications that disturb us. We all have different reasons for regretting it. Most of us feel that we were misinformed, which doesn't help. My neighbour regrets her bypass because of her now permanent diarrhea and no improvement in her diabetes. She tells me that she has to think about food most of the day just to keep herself fed (choosing the right foods so as not to vomit), and she could have simply dieted harder if she had known she would have to think of food all day. She is three years post op and she still struggles with dehydration. Her hair never grew back after the initial drop out. I myself am only 9 weeks post op and have had complications so I can't know what my future holds. I miss eating quickly and simply in a way that doesn't have to be well thought out. I want to be able to eat a full salad, maybe even with dressings, without worrying about which component might not agree with me. I want to be able to eat any kind of meat I want cooked how I want in the quantity I want. I want to drink beverages with my meals. I miss a morning coffee or afternoon tea. I miss ice tea. (I know other people can drink it but I can't now). I don't want to have to plan my food day meticulously or be different from others around me eating. I want my medications to work again in the way they did pre op to control my fibromyalgia symptoms. And I have definitely seen weightloss results. As I was lying there starving to death for seven weeks, I have lost all but 20lbs of my expected and required excess weight to satisfy my healthcare team. ( I am still only getting around 500 cals a day in, but have constant diarrhea so who knows how much stays in). I now look "normal" except for the grey pallor in my skin and the nappy I now have to wear because of fecal incontinence (my IBS-d was totally controlled before surgery). I am six dress sizes smaller but can only leave my house if I don't eat anything and wear adult protection in case of water causing an "accident". Or in case I become faint from lack of food and fall. So I do actually feel that had I read a forum entry like this, I might have thought twice. And that's a good thing. If people are scared, that's okay. Let them hear more than just "don't worry, I was fine, you will be too!" Because maybe they won't! So this is not about complications, it's about people. One size does not fit all. Some of us should have simply accepted our weight, or worked harder to diet it off. Had I taken in only 300 to 500 calories a day for 9 weeks pre op, I would have lost all this weight anyway. If you are happy, well done! If you are dead set on going ahead, ignore this. If you are a high BMI person (think 600lb life), God bless you, this may save your life, if you are a food addict, I feel your pain. You will still have to diet post op! You will still have to exercise. If you are undecided, then simply take a breath, think about it, really examine your food issues. Could you do more to lose weight? Could you move a bit more and eat a bit less? Anyway, I am where I am and I plan to make the best of what I have left. And I intend to keep making sure that pre op people have a good think and post op people like me have someone they can talk to. Thanks to everyone who is supporting me. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Unfortunately, due to the nature of my facial injuries (from an assault) that necessitated the removal of my natural teeth, I was only able to get the regular dentures and not the implants because the dentist (and oral surgeon) told me I don't have enough bone to do implants (I also found out that the bone on one side of my jaw is so thin it wouldn't take much to bust my jaw, and it made me more guarded around my facial area). I wish I could have the implants, because I wind up using a lot of Fixodent, Poligrip, and the other pastes to keep my teeth in, and by the end of week I'm in agony from gum pain and soreness and I usually have to go a couple of days without them for things to quiet back down. My dentures are made at the VA Medical Center, but it takes forever to get in, and then about 4 months worth of wait for a new set. It's unreal, but I learned to eat soft foods. Most of my weight gain was from a lack of self esteem and psychiatric issues in years that followed the violent assault. Thankfully I am in a better place in my mind and can now pursue this gastric sleeve surgery to work to get the excess pounds off that have been a detriment to my physical health. I have a 4 Nov date with the surgeon for my Gastric Sleeve.

Kyoto you won't regret having the swallow study. I'm glad you got help with your reflux. Yes...they do stitch the band in place by folding part of your stomach over the band and making a small flap (so to speak). That is then stitched so it almost makes like a belt loop that holds your band in place however, slippage can still happen or more so prolasps. The rest of the band is still free so your stomach can prolasps up above it or the band can slip slightly. It's almost as if it's hinged in place by the flap they stitched. They do this because in the beginning they did have issues with people slipping their bands and found this technique helped reduce that by a great amount. Weight gain stinks for everyone, no doubt...heck we got the band for a reason but, it's still best to know for sure and stay healthy. Throwing up and reflux are not healthy and can actually cause more health issues in the long run. So good luck with your swallow study....I hope it works out for the best and you can start getting slight fills again. Good luck!

I had the weight gain. I was frustrated yesterday morning about that...but this morning it is gone plus two more pounds! How many days post op are you?

Protein shake, salt and salt. Salt = water retention = weight "gain". I know your food options are limited, but don't mistake water weight for fat.

Wheetsin I listed the most frequent comment he makes which is "you are gonna change" referring to me wanting another man. Let me tell you my husband is an extremely macho man who shows very little to no emotion. I have had some major insecurity and trust issues in my marriage, stemming from weight gain (approx. 100 lbs over the last 10 yrs). I have experienced my weight affecting our intimacy, not to mention we have four small kids which is a whole other battle in itself. Along with our intimacy being affected I have felt at times his attention has been elsewhere, you know how women have that gut feeling but no proof but you know deep down in your heart of hearts.... I am deciding to take back over the reigns of my life, health and marriage. I felt like big or small he was supposed to be ok with it, but now I know that's selfish. What's the saying, "the same things you did to get em' you gotta do to keep em'. So I guess I did leave some essentials out.

Breast thread. I was more of a private eater like Laura-Ven. I didn't eat in public a lot other than going out wit my wife or business associates. When I was out on business meetings, I ordered conservatively and never had dessert. My wife owns a bakery and would routinely send sweets not sold to my office. I would give out most of it, but always keep some for myself which I always ate in my office with the door closed. My wife always blamed herself for my weight gain saying that she should have been more diligent in insisting that I eat better, exercise more. I told her it was not her fault but mine.we had arguments after I gained back huge amounts of weight I lost and blamed herself for enabling me. On this forum, there is a lot of enabling people to cheat. This is done mostly by the newbies who need justification for their own bad behavior. I don't want to sound "holier than thou", but I can't condone someone intentionally eating something unhealthy after wls. No one should eat garbage at this point just because they can, and try to justify by saying they're not going to deprive themselves or will exercise it away. Yes we can eat what we want in moderation. However, we need to think before we eat. Should I eat that piece of cake because I want it or need it? The answer is I don't need the food I used to eat and I am not going to derail myself this time around. I think I am much older and wiser to give into temptation now that I've been sleeved. I just wish I had this insight 30 years ago. Again great thread and good luck to us all.

Well, it's not that I didn't suspect my slow weight loss was attributed to the double grande iced mochas (with half and half). It was that I hadn't realized how they had actually set me on the doorstep of obesity, and now kept me from leaving. I never had a weight loss problem as a child or an adolescent. My mothers family tends to get chunky between 30-55, then get small. My fathers family are all beanpoles. After all three of my children were born, I was a decent size - about 150-160. I had successfully managed to get smaller, and had a few gains and losses, bumping me between 140-170. THEN, my coffee habit began. It was slow initially, no appreciable weight gain, a mochoa now and then. Then mochas became daily, but that wasn't overnight either. I've tried and tried to pinpoint what it was that caused me to gain. There were many other things that could have allowed me to gain, and that stopped me from maintaining that range that I had always stayed in, and then of course the decreased activity. But, after the lap band, I realized the one factor that was causing my weight loss to stagnate, appeared to be coffee, which might be the factor that caused me to gain so much weight slowly over so much time (my family could never understand why I kept gaining weight - I really didn't eat oversize portions, tons of junk food or lots of candy). After the Band was eating practically NOTHING, and yet NOT losing weight. Because I had paid such close attention to my weight, because I was so certain that the food I was actually ingesting could NOT be doing this - I realized what was - my RESTARTED coffee habit (the stagnation happened right around the time I started having my mocha once or twice a day (again). It caused me to realize how eating normally, and having that extra coffee or two a day had affected my body. It was a slow and steady gain - a lb or two a month but 12 months a year, over almost a decade has taken it's toll. I will never be able to have that mocha again every day - and I've realized that. I just can't do it. So every morning I drink drip coffee with coffeemate creamer, and the lbs are starting to come off. Every once in a while I treat myself - but not like before. I've learned to deny myself when I feel a craving. I can't allow it to hurt me any more. And, when I consider the cost - (I paid for my surgery) as well as the actual cost of the coffee - I realize - I just can't afford it. I usually depeleted the cash in my purse every other day (I was always trying to find a dollar or two for my daily coffee) - now, I can go all week and never spend that 10 bucks that's in my wallet. I indulge myself with sugar free candies (I am always carefell never to over-indulge as it has such negative gastric side effects -diahhrea). I hope this helps someone.

I have given this thread a lot of thought. I have to say I now understand the "my body, my choice" argument a lot better than I did before. My option is to remain private. I've very grateful I made that choice. I am losing very slowly. I lost as much in the 6 months before my surgery dieting as I have after being sleeved so no one has noticed anything remarkable. I've also lost large quantities of weight before to where this isn't any different to them. I do not want to be responsbile for anyone else's decision. A friend came to me about 8 years ago and tried to talk me into gastric bypass. She'd had it 3 years earlier and lost 150 pounds.She may not have meant it that way, but I felt pressured. Remember what it's like being fat and having someone come and try to fix you? That choice didn't seem right to me and I didn't appreciate her "come to Jesus" moment of sharing with me. Now, I'm sleeved and she's easily gained 1/2 of what she lost back. She no longer offers solutions to people. And I know there's at least a possibiliy that in 5 years I'll be dealing with rebound weight gain. I see it every month in my support group. Everyone should have a responsbile primary care doctor who should be talking to them about surgical options. If they are not, they need a new primary care. And if you are thinking about going into major surgery like this without having been medically cleared, that's also a bad decision. Everyone I know, and I'm not exaggerating this, has access to the internet and there are multiple WLS seminars advertised and offered in our area by 4 different medical facilities each month. I just don't think I need to be putting myself into anyone else's life as an advocate for gastric sleeve. I don't want that responsibiliy and I don't think it's my job. As this thread starts out by saying, this is just my opinion.

Let me tell you what's fun. Walking into ANY store and buying an outfit because you love it, not just because it fits, is fun. Pulling warm jeans out of the dryer, sliding them on and buttoning them easily is fun. Wearing bright colors and patterns is fun. Pushing away a plate of food and enjoying conversation is fun. Hiking, biking, playing frisbee, dancing without getting sweaty and out of breath right away is fun. Fitting in a roller coaster, an airplane seat, a movie theater chair, down a bus aisle, etc. is fun. Wearing heels without foot pain is fun. Getting up without knee pain, back pain or weight gain is fun. Not feeling guilty about cheating on your diet is fun. Food controlling your life is not fun. Living your life is fun.

Surgery 03/27/12,and I must say that my post op course has been pretty uncomplicated. I've lost 30 lbs,with what appears to be a 3 lb weight gain over the past two weeks. I've been so hungry and it's taken all the self restraint I could muster to control myself. First fill yesterday morning bringing my total to 4.6ml......Very simple process,and totally painless. Liquids yesterday without any problems,and I just had a cup of crab chowder(pureed) and I feel completely full. Very optomistic!

I think that with the band it is better than with bypass as far as the long-teerm help from the procedure goes. I've been attending one of my surgeon's required pre-op meetings. He has some of his post-op folk go and sit on a panel for Q & As. I am the longest post-op aside from the facilitator who is 7 years GBP. The facilitator speaks a lot about the honeymoon phase with GBP, where you need to change your eating habits. She says that the body learns to work around the malabsorbption and can absorb everything you eat. She says this is the reason many bypassers regain weight. I just don't find that with the band. As we've absorbed every calorie we've consumed. Nothing has changed. Sure, we cannot keep forcing food down, else we can trigger a dilation. Or we can trigger a slip with extensive vomiting. But if all that is good and we are eating a bit too much, we can get a little fill to help us out. Nancy, don't wait to see your doctor because you are embarrassed by the weight gain. You might have problems with your band. Get it seen to. IMO, there is no point in keeping trying if your band isn't working right. That is the same thing that got us to needing WLS in the first place.

I am not losing like I thought i would also. I was banded 4-18. I have kept a food journal since day 1. I have either gained or stayed the same on 600-700 calories or less some days and I am confused. I walk alot...I for the first time yesterday ate some more calories(1000)...got on scale gained...really??????? I have lost 10 pounds since surgery....it is three weeks, ten pounds... I also have not gone to the bathroom(if u know what I mean) in three days....trying to fix that today....maybe that is the weight gain. It is a puzzle we all are trying to solve, as each of us is different and most accept our bodies reaction to the surgery and lack of calories... I at time have felt why did I not just do this low calories and forget the band...and then I remember I needed a TOOL in my life to assist me....the band is not going to work unless we also work at this journey

Hi everyone, I wanted to say goodluck to everyone who is being banded soon and my thoughts are with those currently on their preop diet that I will soon be doing. While I'm not looking forward to two weeks of a liquid diet I am excited about being banded. My biggest problem right now is that I seem to be eating everything in sight. I find myself snacking alot throughout the day and not caring much about it. I have this faulty thinking that it doesn't matter because I will be doing my preop soon. I have also found myself not wanting to catch up with old friends that haven't seen me in a while due to my big weight gain. Anyway I can't wait to hear everyone's post op stories!!!

It is reassuring to read that others have this struggle too. I know that it's a dilemma that we all share. I also know that in some aspect I just don't want to cook myself. I have cooked for many years and had just decided I didn't want to cook any more. I call it just plain being lazy. But today is a new day and I will work harder to fix my own foods. I've noticed with me, that since I can put a limited amount of foods in my stomach, I am focusing alot more on organic foods like wild salmon, organically grown veggies, and I do avoid the processed foods when I do cook. That's my new goal. Organic foods. I can't handle the thought of eating pesticides in my food any more. I also believe that processed foods contributed a lot to my weight gain. Besides eating way too much. I just realized that I have been getting really picky when eating out, not happy when I don't know the grade of meat I'm getting. Wow, I just realized that I handle my anxiety by going out instead eating at home. Oh, I know I also have to have better time management skills to do a better job with eating healthy. SOrry for the rant. Thank you everyone for your feed back. XOXOXOXO! :wub:

I decided against the depo shot due to the potential for weight gain and possible issues with getting pregnant after stopping. I'm getting the Mirena IUD very soon, my gyno estimated the cost to be $800-900, but it's good for 5 years. Hoping it's a good choice, looking to avoid for another 2ish years.