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Hi I spoke with several surgeons prior to my duodenal surgery and two of them swayed away from the sleeve bc they said most people that do the sleeve end up eventually coming back to get the bypass surgery because the sleeve doesn’t last. If you cheat which most of us do from tune to time, stretches it out. Then you end up getting two surgeries first the sleeve then the bypass, spending double the $ and increasing your odds of going under twice. So that’s why the sleeve is just a waste of time because eventually it wears off and you end up wanting a procedure that will last. So at first I planned on doing the bypass but then I heard although not that many people promote the DS bc they don’t do it, it’s better than the sleeve because it lasts the longest and gives the most weight loss. And...it was modified so it’s not as bad with absorption as it once were. So your doctor may have also asked you questions to see the pattern of your weight gain. For me I could lose 90 but then it always came back with additional gain. At the rate I was going I was afraid I would continue to gain and I was. The surgery adds years to our lives and eliminates diabetes etc...so for me adding years to my life so I can be there for my kids mattered most. I had surgery on May 12th, 2021 two weeks ago and I’m already down 17 pounds with no excercise. I’m feeling better already. My starting weight was 289 and for years I was 145-150 but then it kept creeping higher after every diet...You can’t go from a bikini and running 4 miles a day to being that heavy without becoming super depressed. I knew if I didn’t just go for it before I had really bad health issues than I may never get the chance. My only regret is I didn’t do this earlier. I’m still recovering but I know the sacrifice was the only choice I had left. Get the switch but get it from a reputable highly rated doctor not one who just wants more $. My doctor in Orlando was very confident and told me he had done thousands of the modified DS all with success. His confidence was key. Then I prayed and out my trust into God and my surgery went great. Good luck

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.

I don't have any post surgery experience, but do have weight gain experience. I have a tattoo on my abdomen that I got before I put on 150 pounds. It has stretched a lot, almost to being unrecognizable. I imagine that shrinking would make the objects smaller, possibly less detail apparent but still recognizable. Let me know how it goes.

I'm not a doctor, but based on the limited info given, I think it's probably the extra calories. After WLS your body will never be able to handle a full calorie load without gaining weight, because the surgery itself does alter our metabolism as well. You would either need to substantially exercise more or cut back down to prevent weight gain.

New year ... new start. Im looking for help/guidance. Had surgery in Nov 2012. I weighed 289 day of surgery. Got down to as far as 214 lb and then just hit a plateau. Which I was fine with. I did more than I ever did. Loved to exercise to relieve the stress of eating etc... Then I was injured couldn't exercise as much. Starting getting depressed and making bad eating choices again. Now Im up to 235 lb. I started back with kick boxing but started getting dizzy and very out of breathe. I figured I had been out of the game for awhile and thought I was just out of shape. I went to get a full work up and physical. Discovered that my B12, Iron and white blood counts were very low and therefore making me extremely anemic. Had to get a few iron infusions done. Dr told me I could resume workouts until levels were up. Levels are still where they need to be... taking vitamin D and b12 supplements now. Dr told me my metabolism is very low and therefore not burning off calories like it normally would. Im feeling at a loss. I want to be back at where I was. Finding it hard to get motivated. Anyone else have a similar experience???

Boy what a battle. Started out with the turkey being stuffed in the morning and me being stuffed at nite. BUT I won...I'm still here...poor turkey. I refuse to peek at the scale. Afriad it may put me in a tailspin. Plus it takes a few days for food to sometime register on that darn scale anyway. SO its intense time on treadmill for the weekend. If I can come out of this with no weight gain on Monday it will a miracle. (Becky is snickering lol)

pre surgery, I felt like an addict looking for a fix on food holidays. I couldn’t wait for the great meals, leftovers and overstuffing myself. The weight gain that followed gave me stress/guilt/anxiety. First few years I was scared to indulge. I questioned if it would derail me or if I would go back to the old me. I now indulge on holidays. I had to work on not feeling guilt/stress/anxiety over a slight weight gain. I can control my food world and weight. I expect slight gains and fluctuations. I won’t have a significant regain if I weight myself regularly, keep my behaviors in check, and get back on plan when needed. I have all of you to give me a smack upside the head when I need it.

Hi my date is the 29th for surgery. Kinda nervous same time just want it done n over with... Reasons why im doing it is that i have chronic back pain that 4 of my doctors have told me that the surgery will improve the pain.. Not to mention the polyneuropathy i have and the crazy pain that is caused by it. That has been my downfall with weight gain i hurt to much to move... So im crossing fingers that my 310 weight will drop along with pain levels. Huggs to everyone that already went and those that are prepping!!

Im a cheese-lover too. I did stay away from it during weight loss phase, though. In terms of cravings, I always want salty things, even during weight loss phase (which is weird because I did drink a crap ton of water during that time...). I know I probably add way to much salt to food (then AND now). I also go through periods of wanting dessert. It usually comes after having some. I've read, and experienced, that once you eat something sweet, you will crave even more sweet stuff. So when I think I'm going too far on the dessert front, I'll cut it out for a few days and the cravings will go away. Rinse and repeat, lol. I did gain 6 lbs from around the the end of Feb to around the beginning of April (which sort of coincided with a hiatus I took from the BP forums, and corona-quarantine...coincidence?) And according to MyFitnessPal, I was averaging around 2500 cals a day and practically ZERO EXERCISE. So yeah, weight gain. And this wasn't a fluctuation. I held onto those 6lbs for a couple weeks... I have a personal upper weight limit I set for myself, and those 6lbs took me ONE POUND over that. I long ago made a deal with myself that if I go over my upper limit, I have to bring myself down to my lower limit. I realize this may sound extreme, but a deal is a deal. Sooooo...I consciously reduced my calorie intake and went back to running daily and doing some strength training and am happy to report that as of last week I got back down to my lower limit. I figure this is my life now. Will eventually have a period of gain, and if that gain takes me over what I am comfortable with, it will be followed by a period of effort to reduce that gain. I mean, I do love cheese, lol. (I realize that my comfortable weight range may change in the future, but this works, and is maintainable, for me, for now) @Meadow76: have you considered doing some sort of alternate day fasting? Lots of folks on here have seen success with it. Simply put, you fast (or limit your cals to 500 or so) a couple days a week and loosen the reigns the rest of the week. They could be like cheese days, and no-cheese days, lol. This way, it may be easier to lay off the snacks today because you know you can have some tomorrow... P.S. Sorry this was so long!

I am a few days away and so excited and nervous all at the same time. Thank you all for sharing and keeping us updated. It helps so much for us who are waiting and have questions. My surgery is a revision from sleeve to bypass due to Hiatal Hernia which my surgeon will repair, GERD and never getting to goal with some weight gain. 2017 HW 284 I’m 5’3 LW after sleeve 194 after I juiced for three days to break the 200’s. Then two years ago I gained up to 224 and I turned vegetarian. Got down to 187. Then COVID hit. I have gained and lost the same 30 lbs for the last few years. Now my current weight is 225. My revision is set for Thursday, 2/17. I am hopeful all my efforts will get me to goal this time. I’m scared to end up the same. Wish me luck.

A PB is a bandster term for "productive burp" which happens thusly: Usually once you have good restriction, but possible any time, if you eat too large a bite, don't chew well enough, or are overfull, the bite of food can't fit through your stoma (hole formed by the band between your "pouch" or upper stomach and your lower stomach) and it has to go somewhere, so it comes back up. The esophagus isn't built to have things just sit there, it's a conveyor belt that likes to move things along. So it will spasm...and if the food doesn't go on through, the body produces a lot of mucous (called slime here) which lubricates the esophagus and offending bolus of food and helps move it up and out. it is different from vomiting in that there are usually no stomach spasms involved, and there is no stomach bile/acid expelled. It can be dangerous if you PB too strongly or too much at first, before your band is healed, and later on even if healed, if you PB a lot (some do it daily as a way of life) it is very hard on your innards and can cause the band to slip. An occasional misstep/PB, however, especially if it happens after you've healed from surgery, isn't really a cause for concern but it should be a lesson to be learned. They are almost always caused by "operator error"...not chewing well, bite too big, or overeating. Occasionally, though, a PB is caused by being too tight (too much fill) and if that's the case, you need to get a little saline removed quickly or risk poor weight loss/weight gain, problems with your band, etc.

I tend to believe that if you have only just recently experienced this weight gain, but otherwise have been a normal weight your entire life, then this is probably not the answer for you. I believe the guideline is that you need to have been overweight (obese) for 5 years or more. You may benefit more from seeing a therapist for eating disorders first and see if you make any progress in that area. Just my opinion.

Weight gain right after surgery is to be expected. They told me in the hospital I would be up apprx. Ten pounds due to all of the I've fluids and advised me to wait a week or two after I got home to weigh myself. When I did weigh myself after two weeks I was down 17 pounds.

I had Dr. Bertha and was banded Nov. 23. I first saw him a year and a half ago, but my insurance--which was CIGNA--denied the surgery. Then my husband's employer switched to BC/BS--Empire. I was 5'7" and 285 pounds, with high blood pressure and borderline diabetic. So I resubmitted this Nov. The only "evidence" I had of being on a weight loss program were my Weight Watchers meeting booklets from way back, logging my progress. My family doctor was very helpful with his letter, and mentioned "prescribing Weight Watchers, Atkins Diet, and Meridia, all with no success." While he did tell me to try Weight Watchers (didn't help much) and then a lowfat version of Atkins (I lost 50 pounds and gained it back) and prescribed Meridia, which I took for one day because it made me sick, the diets weren't really "medically supervised." But BC/BS did not request any medical records to substantiate this. They just accepted my doctor's letter that he had prescribed these things. I also had my father write a letter detailing our family history of high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes and expressing his personal concern for my health. I read that someone else did something like this and figured a personal touch couldn't hurt. The BC/BS nurse called me less than an hour after Dr. Bertha's office faxed my request, and she said "It was a very easy decision to approve you" and was extremely nice. So I think you'll have good luck, particularly if you have a co-morbidity. Newband, hi! I agree the liquid phase was very hard to survive (my last day is today). I haven't "cheated" exactly, but I've had some liquids that have a tiny bit of soft solids in them. Maggi makes a good Hot & Sour Soup mix. It's 35 calories per cup and has tiny little bits of mushy mushroom and tofu. I heat it to boiling and stir in one egg (like egg drop soup). It is pretty satisfying. Also, for my Protein I put whey Pro Protein powder in a blender/smoothie maker with 1 cup milk and 1 cup crushed ice (and Splenda). It's thicker and more pleasant to eat and helps me get in extra Water. The ice crunching makes me feel like I'm "eating" instead of drinking. I also have a really good recipe for a fairly smooth tortilla soup if you're interested. I ate that for two days straight. I also pureed clam chowder. I ate a few Yoplait Whips, the pina colada flavor. (I tried sugarless yogurt but it was icky). I also went out with my family twice and ordered egg drop soup once and cream of potato soup another time. So far, I'm down 13 pounds, although I went up one pound last night, which must be water retention because I definitely didn't eat anything differently or consume enough calories to gain a pound. I think some of the initial two week weight loss comes from emptying our digestive system of foods, in particular carbs, which hold water. One cup of water weighs 2/3 pound. So I think when people start mushies and gain a little or don't lose weight at first, it's because of the increased food matter inside their bodies and not real weight gain. Anyway, good luck to you Sonia and nice to meet some fellow New Jerseyeans.

hi As a sleep tech I do have to let you know that using the CPAP will help in more ways than you realize. Using your CPAP will help you loose weight by letting you sleep correctly thus, allowing your body to heal itself and lower stress hormones that cause weight gain. These are just things that will help in the short term. Long term is so much more. I know it's hard to get used to, like anything thats good for us, you have to sacrifice. Most people that have problems with CPAP is because of a incorrect mask fit. Call your lab or Medical equipment company and see about different masks. If you have any questions feel free to ask. :huh2:

Did anyone else gain weight after starting soft foods? and then go into a stall??

I love your exuberance about your coming WLS. Wish I didn't have so long to wait for mine! But I just have a question cuz we're all SO very different! No judgement here, just curiosity. I'm using this time while I wait for surgery to research all the things. All. The. Things. Trying to figure out and get my head in the game so I don't act like the movie Groundhog Day and repeat the weight gain after surgery. I do not want to ever have to lose weight a second time. So from the things I used to eat that are now sitting strapped to my ass (and have been for about 47 years), to the knowledge that once a food junkie always a food junkie...I know I have to stay away from certain things. One of those things would be beer (other than a once in a blue moon thing, or maybe only a pull off someone's bottle of beer). Why would you work so hard, go through so much pain, money and endure so much upheaval, just to look forward to going back to eating and drinking the same stuff that got you to the dance in the first place? I've no problem with the idea of eating 4oz of a steak in the future. I don't believe that's what made you or I fluffy. But the beer? Um, yeah...not to mention that even after 6mos to a year, alcohol is really pretty hard on the liver. The surgery isn't magic. Things that made you fat before will still make you fat for future you once you start ingesting them again. You will be able to figure out how to eat around your restriction... In my unsolicited pre-surg opinion, it seems to me, that a really good activity would be to look at the things that contributed to your present health situation. Catalogue them. Write them in red on your mirror so you read them every day--and often. Then steer your new anatomy and path so very far around those previous things that you cut a very wide berth from them!? Don't you agree? I'm pretty sure you know that a 4oz of steak and big bowl of sauteed greens and garlic didn't make you husky. Right? Sorry to offend you and not trying to kill your joy. Just seriously curious about what's going on in your mind right now as you process what's about to happen to you?

serisla: Every doctor seems to approach the restriction process a little differently. Some are very conservative and take it slowly. Some choose to give you as much restriction at one time as you can handle. The best answer is what works for you. Your doctor is supposed to be working for you. You need to be able to use him and your band to your best dieting/maximum-health advantage. Communication is the key. I would write down my questions and concerns and make sure that they get answered so that you understand why he is choosing to only give you a certain number of fills per year. If he is intimidating, perhaps you could spend some time with his nurse or assistant and relate your concerns and any related problems (like weight gain) to her. She can run interference for you if necessary. If he is filling you to the max every time, that would explain why he only offers a couple of opportunities for fills a year. But he may just be conserving his own time, in which case it may not be the best answer for you. You're paying for his services so you should be able to give him feedback on whether his approach is working for you - or not. :crying:

Not weighing everyday is smart. I didn't weigh once during my vacation - two whole weeks! And I was thrilled to find that I'd lost about 5 lbs. So I definitely see the merit in not weighing so often. But I am trying to learn what foods and exercise cause the best results and when I see the scale move down even a few ounces I consider it a huge success. I've lived for so long either not weighing or when I did weigh, it was nearly always showing a weight gain, not a loss. I've always wondered about scuba diving. It seems like it would be magical. But I haven't felt comfortable in a swimsuit for so long I just never even considered doing it. I know you'll get the opportunity and I hope that it's everything you dreamed it would be. Let's both keep up the good work!!

Hi Notorious Novembers! DD - glad you are doing well - like the others said, don't worry about the weight gain, it will come off and even MORE before your wonderful vacation... You have such a great attitude, and I KNOW you'll be hitting the exercise hard once you're cleared - just remember to follow Doc's orders so you don't have any interruption to your healing. Keep us informed - and have a wonderful Saturday!:thumbup:

Caryn do what i did , i looked up food online that had no cal, like popcorn Truly Zero Calorie Foods Water is the only true zero calorie food that occurs naturally. Water is a great addition to your diet in a variety of ways. Eight 12-ounce servings of water every day are suggested as a healthy part of any diet. However, it has an added benefit when you're trying to diet to lose weight: it helps fill you up! Water can be frozen into ice and crushed or shaved in order to add a different consistency to your diet. In addition to water, diet soda pop is found in zero-calorie versions. It comes in name brands and generics and is typically sweetened with artificial sweeteners. Quite a bit of debate surrounds these beverages and whether they are healthy additions to your diet because of the artificial sweetener aspect. Experts offer conflicting claims that artificial sweeteners cause health problems or contribute to obesity and some studies show that diet soda may actually contribute to weight gain. Negative Calorie Foods There are several fruits and vegetables that occur in nature that while they have calories when consumed, are said to actually result in negative calories or a calorie deficit after digested. According to this theory, these foods cause the body to extend more calories to digest than contained in their nutritional content. The result would make them zero calorie foods after digestion. If you believe this theory, then these foods can basically be consumed without feeling guilty. They are healthy and provide nutritional content your body needs, but they do contain calories. Keep in mind, also, that even according to this zero calorie theory these foods only have this negative calorie effect when consumed without extras added to them like butter, sugar or dips. Negative Calorie Foods Asparagus Apple Beet Cranberries Broccoli Grapefruit Cabbage Lemon Carrot Mango Cauliflower Orange Celery Pineapple Chile peppers Raspberries Cucumber Strawberries Dandelion Tangerine Endive Garden cress Garlic Green beans Lettuce Onion Papaya Radishes Spinach Turnip Zucchini Eat Healthy

First off, WOW!!! 30 pounds is so awesome!!! As far as your weight gain... Your body is in starvation mode. Your switch in higher calorie foods has caused your body to hold on to every calorie BECAUSE it's in starvation mode. Your body is adjusting. If you're following your doctors orders, your are doing nothing wrong. It is normal to see fluctuations from time to time, including stalls. You're fine. Keep doing what you're doing. dde09

I was just banded a couple of days ago, and I was one of those who was not much over 200. Of course, define "not much". Our ideas may be completely different. I feel that if your bmi is in a dangerous zone, and you have done what everyone else has done then yes, one should consider and qualify for wls. Why wait until they are any heavier???...and YES, if they don't do something about it now, chances are very great that they will only get heavier, and have more health risks. Should one wait until they are 20 or 30 pounds overweight to go on a diet, or should they work on it as soon as they become aware of the extra weight gain? It's the same with wls. One shouldn't have to wait until they are at a larger weight than they are ready to combat. I have had people tell me that I'm not big enough to do wls, but they don't know me and the battle I have fought all my life.

Hi I am being banded March 12, 2010 and the time doesn't seem like it is flying by fast enough, but I know it will be here some day I'm 38, mother of 2 boys, an LPN in nursing school as we speak to get my RN. On November 6th, 2009 I herniated my L4 disc and have been in and out of agony ever since. My doctor suggested I take off at least 100 pounds, but told me that it would all have to be done by diet or at least until I could get the pressure off my spinal nerves, yeah RIGHT!!! Anyways, all I am waiting on now is for my income tax return to get here as I am flying in to El Paso and going into Juarez MX for my surgery to be performed by Dr. Jose Rodriguez as I do not have insurance and his reputation seems pretty good. I am using BeLiteWeight to facilitate my surgery and they are very nice. My biggest problem with my weight seemed to come after my children were born and I had double oopherectomy operations after tubal pregnancies. I just started racking up the weight until I am so out of shape, my metabolism is shot, and I can't seem to get it off. My weight gain is making me hurt everywhere and I am to the point I won't look at myself in a mirror anymore. My S.O. is a little reluctant and thinks I might leave him after I lose the weight, but with reassurance he is actually starting to get excited and showing me a lot more support. My family, who is all in the medical field, are very hard headed and continue to believe that I should just eat right and exercise and it will come off and feel that what I am doing is a bit self-serving and I could use the money somewhere else. I will be very happy to join the March-banders and wish each and everyone of you the best of luck!!

What should you eat to lose weight? How much energy have you devoted to this question? Low carb? Raw food? Jenny Craig? Have you ever considered that it might not be "the diet" that is the solution? Read more to find out! What should you eat to lose weight? How much energy have you devoted to this question? Low carb? Raw food? Jenny Craig? Women spend billions of dollars on weight loss, and create a lot of stress making decisions about which diet or weight loss plan to try this time. It’s ironic, because deep down, we know that diets don’t work. And in fact, many of us have lived out the lesson that diets can lead to binge eating and weight gain and bigger problems with food than we started with. It’s not hopeless. Healthy weight loss and what I call peace with food are possible, but they don’t begin with a diet. Here’s the important truth: The battle with overeating isn’t going to be solved by a diet because the root battle with most overeating isn’t about the food. If you want to break free from overeating cycles and weight loss battles, the critical question you need to be asking is this: What are you using the food for? What’s triggering you to overeat? What propels you towards the vending machine or sends you straight for the comfort food? What role does food play in your life? How does your current way of eating serve you? THESE are the million dollar questions. The truth is, you are smart and resourceful and you better believe that you are turning to food for a reason. The way you are currently eating does something important for you. Maybe your eating distracts you or comforts you. Food might momentarily boost your mood or your energy. Maybe you use it to procrastinate or hide out or reward yourself. Are you eating to cope with stress or frustration or exhaustion? Be curious about your hunger and the reasons that you eat. Understanding the meaning of your overeating changes everything. Understanding the purpose of your overeating helps you move beyond unhelpful self-blame and shame and guilt and into a place of compassionate understanding. From this place it’s possible to start addressing the real root causes. Because it’s probably not about the food. If you are a stress eater, you’ll want some more effective tools for addressing the stress in your life. Comfort eater? With the right tools, you can definitely find a better way. Exhausted? Overwhelmed? Nervous? Upset? There are better tools and strategies to address these feelings. And the truth is, once you have the tools and strategies to feel effective, food just doesn’t have the same appeal. Really. Effective weight loss doesn’t start with the food—and—when you address the root cause of your overeating, you don’t just change your weight. You change your life.