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I went to my Dr for my 1st appointment about a month ago. But I do my grocery shopping once a month and had already done my shopping for the month. (My appointment was a last minute appointment because there was a cancelation) So the Dr said it would be ok to do Weight Watchers for a couple weeks then to start on the Medifast Lean and Green diet. Well I didnt lose any weight on the Weight Watchers, because of the medicine my primary Dr had me on (which had a side effect of weight gain) I am no longer on that medicine, it caused me to gain 3 pounds. Anyways, I started the Lean and Green diet on Monday. I hate it. Most of the foods I am allowed, I dont like. I am just so hungry all the time. When I go to the Dr on the 22nd I plan on getting the Medifast shakes which from what I hear, will fill me up for a few hours. I am started to get cranky and I am just so miserable. I cant make this feeling of hunger go away. And to top it off, my husband comes home with pizza for himself for lunch! Now I know he has every right to eat whatever he wants but did he have to eat it right in front of me?! I dont know if all Dr's have you do the same pre surgery diet, but if any of you did this lean and green, please tell me what to do to make myself feel full. I am so scared that I am just gonna get to the point where I am so hungry and I am gonna pig out. Thanks for any advice.

I have lost every single one of my friends due to my weight gain. So for me this is a chance to make new friends. I'm sorry your friend isn't talking to you. Maybe try to get her to go to a seminar and consider the surgery for herself?

Hello everyone! I'm 2 years post op and I was wondering if any bypass veterans out there developed an intolerance to dairy this far out after surgery. I've never had a problem before, but now it seems like anytime I eat dairy, especially milk or heavy milk based foods, that I have terrible gas and my tummy rumbles like crazy. Sorry for the info!! I'm blushing as I share this, but I need advice. I bought fat free Lactaid and it was too sweet! Yuck!! I've noticed some weight gain too and constipation issues. Today I got some light unsweetened soy milk and it was pretty good. I'm going to try it in a shake tomorrow. If it is lactose intolerance, I'll be bummed. Yogurt, string cheese, and skim milk are some of my faves. However the gas part is embarrassing and uncomfortable at times. Thanks in advance for any input!!!

I'm not sure which to choose? I am waiting on a referral to go see a WL doctor. I'm nervous! I keep gaining weight! I think in the last year I've gaine 100lbs. My blood tests show no abnormal levels to explain weight gain! It's so hard to lose the weight! My knees and back hurt all the time! My self esteem is down in the dumps! I have no energy! I feel trapped in this body of unhealthiness! I feel ashamed I've become this way! I weigh 282 and am 5'6.....45 BMI! ???? So frustrating!

Hello everyone my name is Jessica and I am sure that my story can relate to many others. I've been having my entire life coming from a family that is also very overweight and I wanted to make a difference in my life. I love being active and working out and trying to do different weightlifting and things like that but I found that because of my weight I would get injured often. I ended up getting a tear in my meniscus which sent me to physical therapy for an extended period of time and then occasionally it would still hurt when trying to work out on it. I realize that I really needed something to help me with the eating aspect of dieting and becoming healthier so that I could be able to work out and really be as active as I want to be! I actually looked into getting gastric bypass in the past and my insurance didn't cover it and at the time I do not have the funds to pay for it, So When it came to my attention that I would be able to get a surgery for weight loss and have it be covered by my insurance it was a breath of fresh air! I am also a preschool teacher and being so overweight I feel as if I am almost a bad role model for those students. It makes me sad to think that they look up to me so much and I should get healthy role model to them! I got married in April 2013 and one day we want to have children. I feel if I were to get pregnant now at a weight of 369 pounds that I would have complications with my pregnancy and it could not only hurt myself but also my future child! At first I decided on the sleeve procedure and then I went to a support group and I realize that a lot of the patients that had gotten the sleeve then went on to get the gastric bypass years later. I realized that perhaps just going straight for the gold and getting the bypass was the best option for me! I called my doctor the next day after researching it with my husband and I actually switched my procedure to gastric bypass weeks before my actual procedure! I have battled with weight gain and loss and self-esteem issues my entire life, and now I feel that I finally have a tool that can really help me to lose the weight and to keep it off and to be healthy and live a long, long life! When I started this journey with the preoperation diet on December 10 I weighed 368 pounds. On the day of surgery I weigh 347 pounds. At my doctors appointment after the surgery on December 26 I weighed 334 pounds! So I am down 34 pounds 10 days post-op and I'm feeling great! I am definitely looking forward to being cleared to exercise to help with the weight loss! I feel so great to a found a forum in which you can actually talk about all of the different things that you're going through during the process of weight loss surgery! So I'm very excited to get to know everyone and be able to answer any questions that I can personally answer ( although I am kind of a newbie at this point) but also to be able to ask those questions of you guys who have experienced what I am experiencing!!!!

That's just hospital fluids. It's not a real weight gain. I'm glad ur doing better and out of the hospital

I take Zoloft for clinical depression and anxiety. I took it for years before surgery and am still taking it. I also take birth control pills(yes even at 50) or I will have trouble with cysts. I have lost weight maybe slower than others but I am 50. if you do not mind what antidepressant are you on? Some can cause weight gain. I gained 40 lbs. on Paxil over a 4 month period. It takes at least a month up to 6 weeks for them to kick in and you really feel a difference. You might also consider this. if you are an emotional eater and food was your friend and now it is not there to comfort you . . . it can make you feel crazy, looking for something to make you feel like you do when you can eat for comfort. I do not know you so you may not be an emotional eater but if you are that might be your problem and if you are stressed and depressed it is a tough road to go down without food. If you think that is you go see a therapist and learn some coping skills. That is what I have to rely on. Cheri

Hi Mellisa, I also have bipolar and am pre-op. I was diagnosed in July and put on depakote and gained 10 lbs in 2 months because of it! After informing my psychiatrist of my decision to get the band and my strong feelings that the depakote was making me gain weight AND worsen my anxiety (I was worrying about gaining weight lol), she changed my medication to trileptyl. My suggestion is to inform your psychiatrist of your plans to get the band. Mine had many patients that had it done actually and she started changing my medication right away. I haven't had any weight gain on this medication and had enough time pre-surgery to get my body adjusted to the new meds. I know changing can be a pain in the butt, but when the medication is counteracting what you're trying to do with the surgery, it's going to make it much more frustrating and stressful. I hope that helped! Good luck to you!

My blood work was done before submitting to insurance. I can't speak for every type of insurance, but BCBS of North Carolina wanted to know that I did not have some underlying condition with my thyroid that would be a factor in weight gain. A TSH blood test measures thyroid levels (free T4) and was part of a routine blood workup that was done. I may have to do more blood work right before surgery, not sure.

Hi Jen Well I had a long journey to getting my WLS BUT it may not be the same for you in Yorkshire. My doctor referred to an Endocrinologist to double check that there was no other reason for my weight gain and also checked me for diabetes, sleep apnoea and many other co-morbities often associated with obesity. I then had to do a monitored diet program, diet pills etc to see if I could sustain weight loss in this way. (This was carried for over a year but I think the average is 6 months). In the end I was getting so down about it all I started over eating again. My BMI shot up and I then qualified for WLS surgery.... Not the ideal situation for anyone. So in all, by the time I get into surgery (Oct 2010) I would have been on my journey for over 3 years. BUT please don’t get down hearted when you read 3 years as I don’t think that is the norm. My Health Authority are very strict about who they allow to have Bariatric Surgery. Your referral will go to your local PCT, which is where the funds for your surgery will come from. They in turn will send you a letter and advice which hospital will do your surgery and then that hospital will contact you in due course to start their procedures with you. I hope that has helped??? I don’t think my journey is typical in terms of the time it has taken. I had to go this route as I don’t have the money to go privately. I’m sure your journey will be a lot easier..... Wishing you all the best Take care Sue

Is your doctor concerend that you can still drink liquids at 3.5cc's. I'm at 2cc's and if the liquid is too cold or too thick I cant drink it. I can not imagine what I would be like at 3.5..probably all closed up. 2cc's is hard enough. Does he do your fills under fluoro? Do you drink the barium so he can see your restriction? That makes a big difference for me to be able to see it for myself , to know he hit my port and to see the barium trickling down through the band... The Wellbutrin will help like the prozac did but without the weight gain, be careful, you may feel nauseas the first week or so and with the band you do not want to be throwing up. I took wellbutrin( pre band) but the nausea was so bad the first 10 days I had to stop taking it, I knew it was going to get better as it got into my system but I could not hang on for that too happen. I had no appetite what so ever..I'm glad I was able to make you feel a little better..hang in there!

Hey Sultana don't get down..getting off the Prozac will help. I was on Paxil for a year and a half and gained 65 pounds. I weaned myself off it after my doctor told me a side affect was weight gain and that it slows down your metabolic rate ( wish he would of told me this before he prescribed it for me) Once the prozac is completely out of your system you will notice a huge difference. You are not a faliure.. losing 30 pounds the first year is better then gaining 30 pounds ...would you have lost the 30 pounds without the help of your band? I'm sure the answer is NO or you would of never gotten the band right? You're doing great! The way I see it...any weight loss is better then any weight gain! Keep it up and try not to get discouraged

Aha! You, too, have been on the weight gain train. I needed to lose 130-150 pounds. Twenty or thirty came along with a very early surgically-related menopause. And then there were Prednisone pounds...about forty of those. And then there were Prozac pounds, p'rolly around thirty, and then there were the twenty or thirty from the Effexor/Paxil/Zoloft months. Which explains the lion's share of my weight gain. PLEASE, PLEASE tell me how the Wellbutrin works.

Well, I have been pretty vocal about my slow weight loss. Im 3 months out and have only lost about 37 lbs. Some days the restriction is full on, other days, like today, I barely feel anything. I dont know why some days are more restricted than others. Most times, more often then not, Im crying over slow weight loss and other days.. well, Im happy about things so far. HIT OR MISS..What helped me was looking at pics of me prior to my weight loss and pics of me now. I had 80lbs to go and I am half way there in three months. Well, not to bad all things considered, but I wanted to lose at least 15 per month so in my opinion, im behind about 8 lbs. But, at least there is loss. I remember for years one month turning into the next, no loss and in fact weight gain. Im done with being negative because whats done is done.. Cant go back.. just gonna think positive and DO MY PART, MEANING Water AND EXERCISE. I realized way in the first few weeks, this really is ONLY TOOL. I watch what I eat more now than ever. Still, I would have to say, no regrets.. In no way, absolutely no way do i feel like a lab rat. Hell, I remember in 2001 wanting and researching LapBand. People didnt have long term clinical studies and it was considered experimental then. Soooo... at the least I am a LAB DIVA!

I am 13 months out from surgery (at goal weight) and frequent the BP boards for the exact reasons you stated. I agree that it is way too easy to become relaxed once you are at maintenance and let old habits creep in. I find "checking in" daily helps me with accountability and even though reading the same posts over and over again from the newbies about hair loss, Protein intake, incision care, the best Protein drinks to buy, Vitamins making them sick, etc. gets really boring after awhile, I'm also reminded of the rules over and over again that I should be following that I sometimes have become relaxed on! Reading these posts and sharing my experience helps keep me on track! I help them to help me! Sadly, it becomes all too common for those of us farther out from surgery to abandon the support of these boards. I think that is a BIG MISTAKE. The reality is there IS truth to a honeymoon phase. There will come a time were you will stop losing weight. There will come a time where you can eat whatever you want. I chuckle every time I read a post from someone who just had surgery worried that they can hardly eat anything. Now with that being said, I can now sit in a restaurant and eat like a "normal" person but my new normal is far from where I was pre-surgery. I know how big my new tummy is and I don't try and eat beyond it's capability. I still get a full feeling after eating 3/4-1 cup of food. Certain foods now make me feel sick (sandwiches) so I avoid them. I didn't come into this process with food addiction issues (PCOS contributed to my weight gain) so I had one less thing to make the process difficult. With that being said, I even find old habits starting to creep in. My tendency not to plan meals ahead of time and eat on the go was a biggie for me. I was finding myself eating out more than a few times this past week. These extra calories will add up over time. I'm being extra vigilant planning meals ahead of time this week. We all need to take a look at what contributed to our weight gain. Especially those dealing with food addiction issues. It is common to substitute one addiction for another. What I can say, is losing weight has been the easy part in this process for me. I was able to get to my goal weight without issue. What I wasn't prepared for was the process I would go through in accepting my new body. I still view my body with a fat lens at times and its only when I see myself in photographs that I realize how much weight I've lost! Anyway.... Welcome back! There's no judging here. The fact that you came back and made your post shows how committed you are. I applaud you for sharing your experience with others. Let the newbies learn from our mistakes. We will continue to pick ourselves up and carry on. This is a ongoing journey that never ends. We are all here to support you. ????

Imaducky, What do you know of certain astrological signs and weight issues. I've read that Taurus and Cancer have issues with weight gain, do you know anything about that? brandyII, (:smile:not looking for another excuse)

Eating out a lot for me always causes weight gain or no loss even though I am careful with my selections. Restaurants add a lot of salt, butter, oils and who knows what else to make the food taste really good and there is a tendency to eat just a little more of it then I would if eating at home. You might try checking out menus online to you know in advance what you are going to order along with the calories and nutritional value. At least you will know how much you are really consuming. If you are having problems with portion control you can try eating no more than the size of your fist and see if you are satisfied for 3 to 4 hours. If you find you are hungry still or snacking in between you might need a little tweak of a fill. Good luck!

I have yet to be sleeved, but I ALWAYS gain weight after surgery. They pump so much fluid in you, it's bound to happen. As a matter of fact, after I had a c-section (delievered an 8lb baby and all that goes with it) I came home and got on the scale because I wanted to see how much weight I lost after having a baby. Much to my dismay, I actually had gained a pound. lol I frantically called my OB/GYN to see what was going on. They said it was due to the surgery and all the fluids. It took a good two weeks before the weight started to go down. So moral of the story is, the weight gain is due to the surgery. Let your body heal

Welcome Saqueen! and Congrats on your new band! How did you feel post - op and how long after were you able to start walking? I am looking forward to becoming more active, I used to walk about 4 mi. per day before my illness and weight gain. Also, I too have sleep apnea and can't tolerate the machine. I looked into other alternative treatments and none were acceptable to me, so I'm looking to the weightloss to resolve this issue (hopefully). Thanks for the 'good luck' and right back at 'cha! Any less pain with fibro is GREAT!

That was the case for me, I was over 60bmi and as such my insurance did not require me to do the 6months physician weight loss plan. but despite being given the green light, I opted for the 6 physician visits, because I wanted to learn more about my body and the food I consumed and as i result i learned more about me. It was sort of strange, every one at my surgeons office from the Physician assistant to the NUT asked me why i wanted to do it this way, and my response was something like, surgery is not a silver bullet, if I don't mentally prepare I will fail.. I am glad I took the extra time.. despite the extra weight gain and pressure to get under 400lbs to even have the surgery, it was worth the battle for me.

Well I guess there will be no chocolate for me this Valentine's Day and I am completely fine with that. :smile1: I will be going in for my VSG that day. My fiance just had his done on January 3rd and he is doing very well with his adjustments. I will admit I am a little afraid with some of the recovery issues I see with him but I think overall this is the best decision for me. I have been on a roller coaster ride with my weight-- gaining and losing 100, 50, 80, 35 pounds back and forth. This definitely cannot be good for my body, not to mention the heredity of heart disease, hbp, diabetes etc. etc. I guess I just have to keep convincing myself that I am doing the right thing. I am fairly new to this website and find so many inspiring stories on these forums, I really do thank you all and enjoy the good reads. Wish me luck and I will be back on to share my journey with all of you wonderful people.

Yup, this! I have a lap band and my weight loss rate is much slower than someone who had RNY. For one thing, I'm not 100% restricted yet - probably about halfway there as I can still eat ~2500 calories a day. But that's less than my standard 3500 calorie diet so I consider that to be a win either way. It's enough of a difference that I lose about a pound a week. I'd lose about a pound a week through diet and exercise alone. The only difference (right now) is that I'm not suffering like I did before I had my band placed. Weight loss used to be torture. Now it just kind of happens, which is great! I'm looking forward to increased restriction so I can lose weight even faster but for now 1 pound a week is better than 0 pounds a week, or worse, weight gain! Now if you have RNY, you get the benefits of reduced absorption in addition to restriction and that helps the weight come off faster. So yes, it depends on the type of surgery you have. Regardless of what type it is, you will lose weight and just remember that any loss is good. Don't get discouraged if it's not as fast as you hope While it would be absolutely lovely to get to my goal weight in a couple months it just ain't gonna happen. It took a long time for me to get this fat, and it'll take a long time before I'm normal again.

I am so frustrated! I have to be the only person to have gained weight before my surgery. Rationally I know that there is not food I will not eat again, just in moderation. But for some reason I have been eating like I will never eat again. I go on my liquid pre-op diet on 11-29 for surgery on 12-13. My preop appointment is set for Dec 1st---I can't sleep worrying that my Dr. will not want to do the surgery because of the weight gain!!! Has this happened to anyone-anyone ever been denied at their preop appt for weight gain?

I worked in behavioral health for fifteen years and medications for bipolar often cause weight gain and difficulty losing weight. The fact that you lost 17 pounds is a victory. Remember the tale of the tortoise and the hare......it seemed like the tortoise wasn’t going to get to the finish line but he did.

Here's my little story! December 9, 2011 I had Gastric Sleeve surgery and thought that i had it all figured out. Turns out i did real good for awhile but my weightloss stopped may 2012 and hasnt ever restarted, its been 2 years and i have gained 30lbs back. I find myself back to fad dieting and getting depressed. Also i never even got close to my goal weight. I wanna know if there is anyone else out there that has had this problem and if soo what they were doing that has had to change or health issues anything i need some insight . thank you