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Hey There, Yes, I have suggestions and my best one is to follow Dr's orders. With my health condition I ended up having to stay 3 days. Tghe 24th of Dec. is when I got released, our family Xmas meal was at Rube's steakhouse. It was a blizzardy night, my first night out of the hospital (I was in great pain and anxiety) but survived. Use a blender of some sort to puree or eat baby food everything you choose to put in that stomache that has just gone under major surgery, without causing yourself pain or your stomach to have major issues that could include more major surgeries. Then ween into soft types of food. One thing mainly to avoid to continue to lose weight is carb's. Keep them out of your diet completely! They will cont. to bring on more weight gain than any other food! Eat all the meat (Protein), Veg. and Fruits, plus drink some type of Protein drink which containds 60-80mg. a drink up to twice dailey. This will help your body and emotional level to becomew more stable, keep you from losing your hair, give you energy if taken in accordance w/your Dr.'s other recommendations. Always take Folic Acid, Elctra Vit. C, D, E and several of the B Vitamins., now I also add Bee Pollen, Calcium D, and Norwehian Cod Oil. You can follow this and see how it leads you, or let me kow what you are doing for yourself and how this is working. Deb

Hi! I am new here and I just got approved for surgery Feb 12, 2013! I wanted to introduce myself and am so appreciative to find this forum. about me: I have been struggling with weight since about the age of 8. I remember going to weight watchers at the age of 12. After college, I gained 40lbs in one year. I have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) which doesn't help with the weight. I love to eat- I eat for all occasions- happy, sad, stress, etc.... BUT I am tired of food ruling my life! I have always lived to eat and I want to change that. I want to eat to live! I gained more weight after two kids and have been quite miserable. I have done many different diets and lifestyle changes but it is typical...lose weight, gain it back plus some. I looked into surgery a couple years ago but my insurance did not cover it. In November, we switched insurance companies and they cover it! Here is my timeline of events: 11-10-12- Information session 11-12-12- Verify benefits 11-12-12- complete and return questionnaires to doctor 11-16-12- view on line EMMI presentation 11-29-12- Bariatric screening with nurse and dietitian 12-10-12- psychological evaluation 1-3-13- Consult with surgeon- Dr. Amir Heydari 1-21-13- Request for authorization for surgery sent 1-24-13- Approved! wow that was fast (though they did not call and tell me until 1-28-13) 1-24-13- 1st pre-op class 1-31-13- 2nd pre-op class 1-31-13- pre-op appointment with surgeon 2-2-13- Begin pre-op diet 2-12-13- Surgery scheduled! I am so excited and nervous all at once. I have prayed for this and God has heard my cry. I know it will NOT be easy but I am so ready for this. Today is my "last supper" before pre-op diet. I am going to the Melting Pot! Good luck to all!

My surgeon considers me a slow healer. Not necessarily the incisions, but my energy/feeling good level. I think my incision scars look as good or better then typical from a healing perspective. I would say that was true after my VSG too. I took 3 weeks off from work - I have a somewhat stressful desk job - and I wound up needing to take a few more days because i was so tired. I am not sure if i am a slow healer, or just complain more. I tend to "worry" about medical stuff so notice every little thing...lol Maybe my mental attitude and uncomfortableness with all things medical makes it harder for me? not sure. My arm incisions have been tingling a little. I emailed the surgeon about it and he told me that is just nerve recovery but it is happening a little later for me then some other patients - I guess more evidence for him I am slow healer. Thing is, I get lots of Protein and am fit, I feel like I SHOULD be a fast healer but that is my reality. I think in hindsight I should have allowed myself more carbs and stuff during my recovery but I am doing so little activity I worried about weight gain. So now I am cleared to ditch the compression garments and start working out. i am still wearing the garments because I like that I am not swollen and want to keep it that way and I am going to go really slow with the exercise. I am very focused on NOT putting tension on my scars with the goal of giving them the best chance to heal to a thin line.

What @Luna Girl & @Crick said is correct. The average weight loss is about 65% of the weight you need to lose to get you into the healthy bmi range after (I think) 5yrs. This is the weight the calculators will say you will likely lose too. This average is not the lowest weight you may reach but where you settle after a few years. Some of this occurs because you amend your original diet because it was too restrictive, not sustainable or just not practical with your lifestyle or you change your exercise routine for the same reasons. It’s why it’s not uncommon for people to experience a 10lb+/- bounce back weight gain in yrs 2 & 3 post surgery. Like all averages you can fall above or below. But you can decide the weight you want to reach & maintain as long as the diet & exercise regime you need to follow to be at that weight is sustainable. Being healthy & happy is more important than the number on the scale. Good luck.

Oh, Girls, I got very concerned after reading a thread on another website. The person sounded just like us and was 4 years out telling she had regained 60 pounds!!!! Then others started talking about weight gain too 50+ lbs. then I realized it was a RNY forum. but.... Yikes!

I was curious how much weight gain is expected during pregnancy. I know everyone probably has different numbers I'm starting to plan for my little bean and curious how much most of you have gained. I'm 8 months post op and down 76 pounds bringing me to 182. I know in my heart i should probably wait till I get down some more but truthfully I can't get this thought out of my head. I want a baby so bad this was the reason for my surgery..

Hi! I would try to stay off the scales if I were you. The weight gain that you are experiencing is probably due to fluid imbalance/redistribution. My doctor said not to pay attention to the scale until after you get a fill. He said that your body needs a good 6 weeks to heal itself. It sounds like you are doing well. I am only 6 days post-band. I am so tempted to get on the scale,but at the same time kind of afraid. I lost 16lbs on the pre-surgery diet. I hope I've lost more despite of what my MD says about the 1st 6 weeks being a time for healing and not weight loss. Best of luck to you-Gigi:)

Newbie here, I’m getting sleeved on the 22nd of March at a BMI of 35.1 Ive had so many people tell me I’m not “that” fat but I’m sorry, 35.1 is severely obese (even though I may not look “that fat”) and as a doctor I know the risks that come with excess weight. I also know the research around weight loss and that this is my best shot of losing the weight and maintaining it long term. I have tried every diet known to man, been to see countless dietitians, have tried all the medications, I exercise like crazy and all I’ve managed is to stall the weight gain. My hubby and I want to start a family next year and I want to give myself the best opportunity for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby- which means I need a healthy weight. I feel my weight is impacting on my chronic migraines and my asthma, and I’m really hoping that losing the weight and feeling better about myself will be that last thing I need to finally fully recover from years of severe treatment resistant depression. So yes, many reasons why I am choosing to have a sleeve at a “low” BMI. Mostly I just want to be healthy! Thanks for reading...

I read the whole post and all the responses here is what I can share and hope it helps: I had thyroid cancer so I don't have a thyroid, my TSH levels must be kept at hypo (slow) rather than normal or hyper. This has Always caused weight gain or extremely slow weight loss. I went to many seminars listening to every dr and after awhile they all sounded like used car sales people! Then I met a dr who said the band is not the cure all its not magic and if you do this you have to think of it as a marriage, you must love me and I must love you but above all that we must work as a team. 2011 June I got my lap band from then till now I am down 110 however that is a number. Not every plan works for every person, I decided to stay on weight watchers and go to weekly meetings. This kept my focus and my sanity. It also kept me eating healthy. I eat my Protein first, then my veggies last my complex carb. I only eat on a appetizer plate. I weigh and measure all my food, I take Calcium supplements. I work out, Pilates has done wonders for me. I finally after 54 years put myself first. If I'm hungry in between a meal I will eat an apple or some small fruit or yogurt. If I was in your shoes the first thing I would do is get all your medical records and see another doctor, I would then see a nutritionist. Finally I will say that I am married to a professional chef and the one thing he has taught me is every calorie is not the same. Just because your only eating 900 calories a day does not mean they are the right calories that are going to burn the fat not store the fat. Hope this helps you, please remember when you put something out there on a public forum your going to get many opinions the hope is that you can get some support where you need it. Good Luck

I posted this on my blog, but I thought it might be important to share here because I am sure I am not the only one who is experiencing this: I know I've been raking on DH a bit here, and usually he's a decent guy, but I don't know exactly what's happening here lately. It's either time for a sit-down or to really get this before a counselor to make it a bit more neutral because, frankly, I don't believe he'll see what he's doing. Since the "coming to Jesus" talk we had (okay, I had with him) a couple weeks ago, on more than one occasion he has made some bizarre comment when I've complimented him after making dinner. I'll say, "Oh, the chicken was good," and he'll reply, "Nah, it's okay. It's just food." The first time I asked what he was talking about and he said he needed to look at food as just sustenance and nothing else. Um, that's NOT what I said. What I said was that he lives to eat and makes everything about the food. So that's been going on a few times since that day. Tonight I said that he needs to stop it, to which he replied that he was only being supportive. I said no, what I feel like he's being is mocking, like he really doesn't get this whole thing I'm going through. I said that it's not bad to enjoy what we eat, it's just that he was so consumed with the act of eating that it was wharped. I said that I wished he was as into me as he is into food, and he thought I was being silly. Uh-huh... *eye roll* Another thing that just started on Friday is that I'm getting a blow-by-blow synopsis of the weight HE has lost by virtually doing nothing. I'm exercising four days a week and eating good meals, every meal, and he's lost over 20 freakin pounds by just not eating all the junk after dinner -- in front of me. And again, he attributes it to "supporting me" -- almost like, "Look how I'm suffering for you because I'm losing weight too." Okay, he's lost almost as much as I have, and now I feel like he's crowing about it (his weight has NEVER been discussed before). The problem with DH is, even if I try to discuss it with him, he is totally lacking in personality or person skills (read: he's very immature). He is not always good with other people, and he seems to lack the ability to understand anything or anyone beyond the end of his nose. Compassion is virtually nil. As Jennifer Aniston would say, there's a sensitivity chip missing sometimes. So when you explain something to him that he's doing, he only knows how to deny. Comprehension doesn't seem to be his strong suit -- especially when it comes from me, unfortunately. I always knew he was going to be the hardest part of this journey, but I guess I never realized just how hard. In the past when I was just dieting, he eventually got his way and we'd start back to eating out again, leading to my weight gain. I'm not blaming him, per se, but still -- if I was doing this only own, I'd have done lost it by now, I feel. But now it's as if he's pulling out all the stops. I dunno, maybe I'm just being sensitive or reading more into it than I should, but I'm not even three months into my journey and we've already had waaaay too many conversations over this. I think that's why I spend so much time on LBT and here -- because these are the places I get support, these are the people that understand what I'm going through. I find it sad that I can get that from people I've never met, yet a man I've known 17 years is either so self-absorbed or so clueless that he doesn't get it.

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 agree with a lot of the above posts. All I can really add is to ask yourself this... If you have the band removed, then what? Will you then be able to stick to a diet long term, to take off the weight? Will you be able to maintain that weight loss for a long, healthy life? Be really honest with yourself, and take a close look at your life long history with obesity. Now ask yourself, if you have the band removed, will your weight continue to climb? Is this "temporary" physical and emotional discomfort worse than living your life obese? Try to relax a bit, and let your body heal. The surgery is a huge assault to your body, and the anesthesia and pain meds can do a number on your mind. SO many of us went through a short bout of depression, but it does pass. I've had other major surgeries, and I really thought this one would be a slam dunk. I was really surprised at just how long it took for me to get back to feeling like myself. Granted, I also had plication, my gallbladder removed and a hernia repair, but even still, I thought I'd be feeling pretty good after a couple of weeks. It really took a good month, but never did I regret any of it. I thought long and hard before having the surgery, and in the (close to 12 months) of me deciding to move forward, I gained more weight. It was painfully clear, after I don't even KNOW how many failed attempts to lose weight, that I needed to do this to save my life. Now, close to 50 pounds down, I wake up, and don't agonize about what I'm going to wear. I go up and down the stairs without issue. And it will only get better. Please get some support, and hang on for another 2-3 weeks. This was a huge step, and I fear that if you reverse it so soon, you will regret it as continued weight gain becomes a reality. Feel better.....

Thank you so much for clearing that up . so what can I do now is start from the basics again.??? I feel bad because I really don't want any more weight gain .I have gained 3 lbs since thanksgiving. i can't drink anyy plain water w/o feeling full fast. sometimes I overeat and vomit .. Its a strong addiction to food that I have to work on . any groups you can recommend? I had surgery in April and I have lost atotal of 52 lbs but I gained 3 lbs last 2 days . It could have been cookies and cake foir the holidays .. I was eating all bad things .. now i got to get back to that basics and loose this weight .its so hard because i love to cook and I am a mother of 2 small kids that have to eat .. I have to try harder for that maximum weight loss.

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!!

I exercise four times per week. Running and cross-trainer. I have just went thru revision surgery and it is helping me combat this weight gain that I have struggled with since unfill, surgery, barely any fill, etc. If I didn't eat crap I probably would loose. But for me 153 is ok, not really where I liked previously. I felt more comfortable in a size 8 and 140 lbs. But until I am restricted I struggle? Go figure. I also am almost 4 years out so the doc said my stomach isn't a normal virgin one that would respond to the band like it did in the beginning. As long as I am restricted and keep my eating to 1 cup to 1.5 cups eating wise choices, exercising I was able to loose. best wishes to you. Dody

I think March is busiest month for lap band surgeons because people really start thinking about this surgery after the weight gain during the holidays and the New Year's Resolutions. By March, most testing and insurance companies have already given the ok and the surgery is done.

I have a healthy sex drive and unfortunately my long time boyfriend sex drive has drooped. When we First met we had sex almost everyday if not everyday. But since I've gain so much weight its like I'm pulling his teeth. I asked him was it my weight that was an issue he said yes. I was really hurt by it. I've tried everything to lose weight but I would gain it all over again. We're still together but its not the same, I always have that thing in the back of my mind that he'll leave because of my uncontrollable weight gain and other issues we are facing. :thumbup: (I have not had banding yet)

I just wanted to, as a nurse, that there are low dose birth control methods that you can try that do not cause weight gain. My fav is the NuvaRing. Its the lowest dose of hormone possible and it only works where it needs to and doesn't effect the entire body like oral pills do. Hope this helps because as i want you to lose the weight I don't want you to get pregnant if you don't want to :thumbup:.

Ahh okay I gotcha. Well under the circumstances girlie I wouldn't feel too bad about it. If they didn't put you on a strict "eat x y z" and then gave you something that has a side effect of weight gain then what do they expect! Good luck with everything and don't worry about the hijacking as long as there are no snakes on plane we're alright

Good morning fellow April Avengers! I hope you are all well. I'm feeling better today as I feel I'm finally back on track. I had to go back to LapBand 101 rules. I had totally gotten away from those rules. I went to the grocery store yesterday and stocked up on good protein and salad. Retraining myself to chew well and eat slowly. Since I had 1/4 cc taken out I've been able to eat pretty much whatever I wanted. So, I've taken the steps to avoid weight gain by getting my rear in gear!! I've also noticed the last few days that my stomach was really hurting and growling. It was like the worst hunger pains ever. They were so bad that they made me sick to my stomach. I felt like that right after surgery if I let my stomach get too empty. I finally figured out that I wasn't eating enough good protein and was having way too many carbs which left me hungry much too soon. Now that I've gone back to the "rules", it's much better. I also think part of the problem was not drinking enough water and I was getting dehydrated. I go back in two weeks to have my 1/4 cc put back in. So in the mean time it's going to have to be up to me to do what I know I need to do. By that time school will be back in session for all of us and I do so much better with a regular routine. It's been a nice relaxing summer, but I'm so ready to get back into the swing of things. Anyway, I hope you are all doing well. I've enjoyed reading everyone's posts and am glad we are all here to support each other. Have a great day!!!

I think it does cause weight gain

Is anyone doing "my last time for this" or "my last time for that" this month? LOL The very last weekend before I have to start full liquids, my honey is making me a roast with all the fixins. This coming weekend I'm going to get all my boxes of clothes from the attic and start sorting them into sizes. Lucky for me, I have a friend who lost some weight and she gave me a bunch of clothes in sizes 18 and 16. Bad thing is she has short legs, so the pants may be too short lol. I am currently in size 22. I have clothes from size 14 to size 20 in boxes, so at least I won't have to shop. Most of my weight gain has been in the last 6 years, I hpe my skin snaps back! lol I'm worried about the skin, but in the long run, I'd rather have some loose skin and feel better physically and mentally than have tight skin and feel like crap.

I'm 5 days out from surgery and can honestly say it wasn't as bad as I thought. The gas pains SUCKED the incisions were/are sore. By day 5 it's the port incision that bothers me the most. Be carefull getting up and down from a sitting position - I tore an internal stich and it hurt like all get out. The gas pain is worse than anything else and it's finally letting up - just mostly what felt like heartburn and pains in my left shoulder. Get up and move frequently. On the weight gain/loss side. My doctor - and many other sites really try to emphasis NOT to focus on weight gain/loss in the first month or two. Hard, I know, but we have to let our stomachs heal. We have to learn how to eat - Remember - the band is permanent. We have to learn how to eat and deal with it. I'm trying to focus on where I want to be 6, 9 months from now - not 6 or 9 weeks from now. Yes, it's surgery. Yes, it will hurt. Plan on taking at least a week of total down time. You may go faster than that (I'm working from home today and moving much better).

You cannot gain more than the weight of the item you eat. A five pound box of chocolates will produce a weight gain of no more than five pounds.

Hello Everyone, My name is Melissa and I am scheduled for surgery on July 9th. I am 50 years old and have been fighting the weight gain/loss battle for the past 20 years. I finally decided 1 1/2 years ago that I needed to finally take care of ME. In retrospect I feel like in the past I put everyone else before me. Now it is me time. Yeah!!!! So excited. Start my 2 week liquid diet next Saturday. Should be interesting.