Search the Community

Jess, you have already accomplished what some people never do: you are aware of your triggers, and understand how your faulty beliefs have created an emotional dependence on eating. Build on that awareness, because in addition to having an emotional dependence on eating as a coping mechanism to manage stress in your life, now you are engaging in self blame, anger, and shame. All of these are incredibly negative thoughts, which set you up for a cycle of unending self criticisms and anger at yourself. You need to break the cycle... To break this cycle, it is essential that you do a reality check; if you could have lost all of the weight you needed to without the band, why did you not accomplish that? It is necessary to change your perspective, and re-frame your thinking so that you are not engaging in allowing your flawed thinking to generate negative thoughts of anger towards yourself and the world in general. There are numerous coping techniques you can use to distract your thoughts, and it does, to some degree involve "mind games". Only you control your thoughts, and we all, to varying degrees, have some automatic thinking, which is subconscious. Looking at ways to change the messages on those tapes of automatic thoughts will be a core issue for you and your therapist to address. The mind, like the band, is a powerful tool; learn how to use it to your advantage. Give yourself permission to be patient with yourself. Your thoughts did not get to their current perspective overnight, so understand that it is unrealistic to expect immediate results with anything which involves a process of change. Change, whether it involves mindful thinking or behavior modification is a process, and not an event. I do recommend that you seek treatment with a licensed therapist; though understand ahead of time that psychotherapy only works if the client is receptive to the therapy and the insights to be gained from that different perspective. You should approach working with a counselor with an open mind. Too often, if the client is not ready to engage in an honest self inventory to assess what the core issues really are, the therapy is destined to fail. I did read some of the other posts, and most contained valid insights. I encourage you to be your own person, and think for yourself. You know yourself best. It is unfortunate that some of the participants on this forum engage in writing in terms of gross generalizations; that is their perspective of a "one size fits all" solution. We may share some basic commonalities, but for the most part our path to here was as unique are we are. There are many reasons why a person may become obese, and certainly genetics can play a major role, along with the family relationship dynamics and home environment. I vehemently disagree with the belief that "we all have an eating disorder", as another individual has written in response to your original post. Emotional dependence on eating as a coping mechanism does not qualify as a diagnosis for an eating disorder. There are so many factors which contribute to one's weight issues. In my own case, it was medications which caused the weight gain, coupled with a metabolism which due to age sort of went into hibernation. Being angry at the doctor who prescribed the medication does nothing constructive to alleviate the problem; taking positive action to loose weight under medical supervision provides a solution path to improved health. Self inventories, which you are already in the process of doing, as evidenced by your writing about your new awareness of how your flawed thinking is a major contributor to your eating, can be difficult. Many people choose to live in denial rather than accept that their thoughts need to be modified. Give yourself the credit you deserve to have gotten to a place of awareness. I sincerely hope that you will continue on your journeys...both with the weight loss and with your awareness that you hold the keys and the power for your success. Only you will hold yourself back! Good luck!

Had my appointment with the nut today. According to their scale I am down 27 lbs, which coincides with my 3 lb weight gain from this morning. I can now eat soft foods, including fish, chicken, cottage cheese, yogurt, veggies and fruits. So after the appointment we went to the mall since we drive an hour to the doctor but only spent 10 minutes there. I had forgotten to bring a protein shake, so we went to Ruby Tuesday for lunch. It was my first real meal since surgery and I was in a restaurant, yikes! I ordered Salmon Florentine, which is salmon topped with spinach and artichoke sauce. It was perfect because the fish was soft and the sauce made it even mushier. I shared with DH, so I only ate 1/3 of the salmon, and I had mashed cauliflower on the side. It was so nice to have a real meal again, but I was so nervous. It took me a long time to swallow my first bite, lol. I also found out that I do have fluid in my band, 4 cc's in 10 cc band.

Compulsive overeating, also sometimes called FOOD ADDICTION is characterized by an obsessive/compulsive relationship to food. An individual suffering from compulsive overeating disorder engages in frequent episodes of uncontrolled eating, or binge eating, during which they may feel frenzied or out of control, often consuming food past the point of being comfortably full. Bingeing in this way is generally followed by feelings of guilt and depression. Unlike individuals with bulimia, compulsive overeaters do not attempt to compensate for their bingeing with purging behaviors such as fasting, laxative use or vomiting. Compulsive overeaters will typically eat when they are not hungry. Their obsession is demonstrated in that they spend excessive amounts of time and thought devoted to food, and secretly plan or fantasize about eating alone. Compulsive overeating usually leads to weight gain and obesity, but not everyone who is obese is also a compulsive overeater. While compulsive overeaters tend to be overweight or obese, persons of normal or average weight can also be affected. In addition to binge eating, compulsive overeaters can also engage in grazing behavior, during which they return to pick at food throughout the day. These things result in a large overall number of calories consumed even if the quantities eaten at any one time may be small. When a compulsive eater overeats primarily through bingeing, he or she can be said to have binge eating disorder. Left untreated, compulsive overeating can lead to serious medical conditions including high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, sleep apnea, and major depression. Additional long-term side effects of the condition also include kidney disease, arthritis, bone deterioration and stroke. Other negative effects may include the amount of money that is wasted on food and the feelings of low self-esteem that comes as a result of bingeing. Signs and symptoms Binge eating, or eating uncontrollably even when not physically hungry Eating much more rapidly than normal Eating alone due to shame and embarrassment Feelings of guilt due to overeating Preoccupation with body weight Depression or mood swings Awareness that eating patterns are abnormal Rapid weight gain or sudden onset of obesity Significantly decreased mobility due to weight gain History of weight fluctuations Withdrawal from activities because of embarrassment about weight History of many different unsuccessful diets Eating little in public, but maintaining a high body weight Very low self-esteem and feeling need to eat greater and greater amounts. Addiction During binges, compulsive overeaters may consume from 5000 to 15,000 food calories daily, resulting in a temporary release from psychological stress through an addictive high not unlike that experienced through drug abuse. In bulimics, this high may be intensified by the act of purging. Researchers have speculated there is an abnormality of endorphin metabolism in the brain of binge eaters that triggers the addictive process. This is in line with other theories of addiction that attribute it not to avoidance of withdrawal symptoms, but to a primary problem in the reward centers of the brain. For the Compulsive Overeater, the ingestion of trigger foods causes release of the neurotransmitter, serotonin. This could be another sign of neurobiological factors contributing to the addictive process. Abstinence from addictive food and food eating processes causes withdrawal symptoms in those with eating disorders. There may be higher levels of depression and anxiety due to the decreased levels of serotonin in the individual. There are complexities with the biology of compulsive eating that separate it from a pure substance abuse analogy. Food is a complex mixture of chemicals that can affect the body in multiple ways, which is magnified by stomach-brain communication. In some ways, it may be much more difficult for compulsive overeaters to recover than drug addicts. There is an anecdotal saying among Overeaters Anonymous members that "when you are addicted to drugs you put the tiger in the cage to recover; when you are addicted to food you put the tiger in the cage, but take it out three times a day for a walk. The physical explanation of compulsive overeating may be attributed to an overeaters' increased tendency to secrete insulin at the sight and smell of food, though medical evidence supporting this is controversial. Research has found a link between the sugar and fat content of foods and binging behaviors.

They did lol! Thus the weight gain... Sent from my SM-T550 using BariatricPal mobile app

Steph you look terrific. I think the weight gain is all those things, just remember it is likely more fluid and hormone related than actual fat. Your body wants to hold onto everything it can - after all you traumatized it by having major surgery and now it is fighting back! One day soon it will forgive you again :thumbup:

Well hello there!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just posted on facebook that I'm getting a fill next Wednesday, I'm fed up with the weight gain, my round face. So lets seeeeeeeeeeeeee Life......... Life is good. Robby is still Robby...... however his ped.. said his ODD is FAR outweighing his ADHD so I'm on a waiting list for KU to call.. to get him into their program...... You all know that Charles and I are done........ been done for a while.......... so ok.. who out there saw it coming? LOL My V'sssssssssss been there for me since before..... Robby needs counseling....... he has lost the only dad and brothers he's ever known, although he is happy.... he misses them....... misses the chaous......not me. All I feel is relief and peace when it comes to that part. I recently put myself on the online thang........ mainly for grins...... and some funny stories have happened..... OH and you might remember that I no longer work for nuns..... and I have to tell you...... IT IS WONDERFUL! To be free of Charles and the judgemental NUN(s) I am now the Business Office Manager at a small skilled nursing facility, and it is sooooooooooo nice to have the red carpet rolled out for me and to have everyone say how fast I'm learning it all........... FREE...... Robby and I have also moved out of the old depressing house with tons of bills............. ( I filed bankrupsty, and was able to start fresh) in yet another way............. We now live in a very nice apartment (4plex) in a small town and the best thing is I have no trouble making ends meet... so I guess now its time for me to get back on track with this gained weight............ time to take on the next step again. My violets have never left my heart........ SO HEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY:w00t:

1. My program had me do liquids for 2 weeks pre-surgery and I think it was 10 days post surgery. I think I lost 7 lbs presurgically during liquid phase and 13 lbs in the liquid phase post surgically for a total of 20. That is going to be different for everyone depending on your starting weight etc. 2. A lot of weight is lost during the liquid phase but it is also done for proper preparation and healing of your stomach. I personally think the choices you make once you can begin eating solid food is the most important because this is where you are making the choices/changes that will hopefully change your habits for the long term lifestyle change. I also think the liquid phases are not real life- you have a list with very specific things you can/cannot eat. Once you are on solid food you have recommendations to follow and must choose to avoid the things that contribute to weight gain. I did however keep some of the tricks from the liquid phase (sugar free popsicles, sf jello, broth, protein drinks/shakes to fight hunger. Pre-op I lost 29 lbs from my first surgery consult until day of surgery. (27.3% of the weight lost) Post-op I lost 13 lbs during the liquid phase after surgery (12.3% of the weight lost) 64 of my 106 lbs has been lost during the soft/solid phase. (60.4% of the weight lost) 3. I personally had no brain fog or weakness/fatigue after surgery. I actually felt very enrgized after surgery. I made sure to get some carbohydrates as permitted by my program in my liquid phase (G2 instead of Gatorade zero to add some carbs). Some of the fatigue/fog can be related to anesthesia. Luckily I recover well from anesthesia, but not sure that is something that can be controlled. I had to take 4 weeks off work because I do heavy lifting at work. I really think that time off was beneficial because that is when I developed a new routine of walking 2 times daily and really had nothing else to distract me from making changes to my eating habits, searched for recipes, had time to shop for all the food I needed, and was able to have reduced stress for 4 weeks. I highly recommend if you can afford to take a few weeks off work to do so in order to get organized/develop new habits/heal properly. 't. 4. Advice- listen to your surgeon/program and follow the program. I know some people say that exercise is not important, but I really feel that my activity/exercise level is what has contributed greatly to my current weight loss. I also believe there is research indicating that those that exercise regularly have better long term success than those that don't. Exercise is a good way to get away from the kitchen when you are hungry as well as burning calories and improving overall health. I also learned to roast vegetables which has made a huge difference in my food choices. I used to rarely eat vegetables. I now usually roast green beans, zucchini, carrots, sweet potatoes, onions etc with my protein (chicken, pork, beef, fish). Learn to read food labels- it now takes me longer to shop because I read the food labels before buying something. Also have found a lot of things at Aldi's that are good choices for my new lifestyle. Keep seeking support via this group and/or other groups. This is also something that contributes to long term success. Good Luck on your journey!

J, You biked an extreme amount of miles this weekend. You would NOT of been able to do that without fueling your body. Your body is going to burn fat, but you have to have an input of energy too. My thought is that your muscles are still in recovery mode right now, holding onto water to repair. A day or two and you will have lost that 2 pounds plus some. Also, what about the other factors? Did you eat something with more sodium than usual, you did say you detoured for lunch, was is restaurant food, which has lots of sodium????? Is it PMS pounds???? I really think that your body holds onto all the water you can drink when you are biking like that. You are sweating sooo much and I think your body doesn't want to let it go, it needs it to repair. J, you are sooooo awesome and have done sooo damn good. 74 pounds!!!!!!! WHAT? DID I SAY 74 POUNDS??????? That is freakin awesome!!!! How many times have you lost 74 pounds and knew in your heart that it was really the LAST time you would ever see those 74 pounds?????? You rock sistah!!!! About the pictures, I tried to post some pictures and it said they were too big. Maybe I will try to paste some, but I wish I knew how people were putting up their before and afters with no problems. Maybe I will do a search on that..... HP, thank you for the compliment. Also, I would think that canoeing would be an extreme amount of calories burned!!!!! Google calories burned by canoeing and see what you come up with. I bet it is A LOT!!!! We went to the lake both Sat and Sun and I really really really wanted to get into the water from the boat but, once again the fat fear monster wouldn't let me. We don't have a ladder or platform on the back of the boat, so you have to get helped in. I was scared if I jumped off, my poor DH who weighs in at 169...the jerk....would NOT be able to help me get back in the boat. So, once again, I did not get to have as much fun as if I was thin and boating. I keep saying next year, next year. But, you know what??? I am TIRED of thinking next year. I want to live my life now!!!!! I am sooooooo tired of waiting....shit, I feel better now...thanks all for listening... Oh, BTW, I go to the fill appt. today. I will ask the EP what he thinks about the weight gain after biking so much this weekend. Maybe he can give some insight to it.

Have a great News Eve guys! You are all sounding so positive and motivated! I haven't set myself any goals for 2013 yet! I haven't hoped on the scales for a couple of weeks and I must admit I am a bit scared too - I have not been eating so well over this Christmas period and just don't want to face any weight gain. Just a fear of going backwards and having that feeling of failure after so much progress! Lila - I too had a dose of the sun - my skin hasn't seen the light of day for years so I think it got a bit of a shock when I wore a tank top and went for a walk on the beach - it was really nice to feel the sun on my skin but I could have put lotion on - go figure! Dean - shame you have to work but thanks for doing your job to keep us all safe - hope you do get home to Celebrate the new year in with your better half and family :-) Aussie Girl - you are an inspiration! With your great outlook, I am sure some gorgeous man will want to be part of it! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hi everyone! I am to be banded this coming friday on Feb 6 and am a little nervous! I think I am reading tooooo much! lol...Anyhow, the dietician told me that I was to do a liquid diet for 2 weeks but when i saw my surgeon on Thursday he said that I just needed to do high protein and low carb, low fat to shrink my liver. He said that the dietician uses the two weeks as a standard but everyone is different. I am 5'7 and 250 but I wasn't told I had to do a liquid diet. I did start yesterday on just liquids and am doing protein shakes and broth. I noticed a lot of people didn't like the shakes and is wondering if anyone ha stried Lean Body by Labrada. The ready to drink shakes are 260 calories, 40 grams of protein, 9 grams of Carbs, and no sugar. To keep my intake small, I drink half a shake at a time. It is a pretty large shake (about 17 oz). I know the Optifast is only 160 calories and about 20 grams of proteins and 20 carbs. But my shakes have less carbs and more protein. I know if I do half and half...that is still 130 calories, 20 protein, 4.5 carbs...and they taste really good!!! I am still pretty nervous about Friday though. I guess I wouldn't be normal if I wasn't even just a tad! I'm 37 and have been a size 8-10 my whole life and an athlete. About 7 years ago, I was diagnosed with LUPUS and have been up and down with my weight being on steroids. Each time I have gained and lost, gained and lost etc...but last couple of times have not lost and have been tired from the weight gain and not working out. My twenty year reunion is in July and I am stoked about getting back down and fit once again! Not too mention I am doing the Susan Komen 3 day 60 mile walk in November for Breast Cancer!! :cheated: Hopefully I haven't bored any of you by my long disertation, but I have been on the website a couple of months and only posted a couple of things and really just reading eveyrones posts. I must say I am touched and in awe of the amount of support I see for each other on here! So good luck to all you Feb bandsters! I'll be keeping you in my prayers! :tongue2:

Joan checking in, no weight gain or loss. I'm blaming it on my new scale! Larry~ Happy Birthday! Have a great ukele adventure. I am glad you have met your personal goal so well! I'll be at the YMCA camp next week for the whole week. Like Amy said, we need a youtube video of you playing YMCA! My personal goal for this month was to get together w/ friends at least once a week. I have been having a great time achieving this goal. TGIF! Joan

I just have to post this regarding weight scales. They are a good thing but can also be your worst enemy. I have read countless post regarding people that get on the scale and do not lose any weight and then get depressed and feel like if they did not lose they might just as well eat. YOUR SCALE IS YOUR WORSE ENEMY AND YOUR BEST FRIEND.....................you just have to know when to use it. For those of you who feel the need to weigh on a daily basis............STOP. When you were gaining weight did you weigh daily..NO......WHY???? because you did not want to know how much you had gained since yesterday. This weight gain may not have even been due to the amount of food or what you ate. Maybe the food you had was full of sodium and your body held on to more fluids and that is where you weight gain came from. It is the same after you have the surgery.......WHY WEIGH DAILY???? You did not put this weight on in a day so why do you think that it is going to come off in a day. Yes some of you will lose weight fast and on a daily basis but this is not true for all of us. My suggestion would be that you pick a day of the week and weigh only on that day. This will keep you from being down on yourself so often as you may not lose weight everyday or even may gain a pound. If you can stay away from weighing daily then take your scale to a friends or the neighbors and go and weigh once a week. You will know when you are losing weight when your clothes are getting lose, your pants do not fit as tight or you are not huffing and puffing so much going up the stairs. The scale is only a measurement and can not be used as the single instrument in your weight loss. Please to those of you who let the scale control your life after WLS get rid of them.

NATALIE forgive yourself honey your doing great and when it my time of month i eat all the wrong stuff my skin gets spotty and i blame hormones rather than my increase of chocolate........i bet weight gain not too bad you probably feeling 10lb of guilt...lol BRANDI you sound like life alot of fun at the moment !!!dont worry about knowing how to cope with the attention just go with the flow you will soon know if there is just one you want to be with all the time then concentrate on seeing where that goes ...dont pressure yourself youve taken an amazing journey and this just part of the trip so relax ...enjoy and take control ..it suits you to be confident ..you rock girl ,il be popping in for updates. well im fine now just odd nausea ..not many pains still feel a little gassy but feeling lighter and better...i cant tell though as my son soaked my scales and im praying they dry out and work again .

@@F_it thanks for chiming in on your experience with Cymbalta. We are all so different and such bags of chemicals. Like you, I am very sensitive to drugs of any kind so my trial with low-dose Cymbalta for arthritis relief didn't last very long. I felt like I needed to give it a go and I do think there was some perceived relief, but it didn't agree with me. The first night I took it I felt like I was tripping so I backed off to a lower dose to begin -- that should have been a signal right there. The thing is, at 53 with this much pain if there's anything out there that may possibly work then I want to make sure I've at least investigated. Unfortunately we have to be our own guinea pigs sometimes. So sorry for everything you went through with the Fibromyalgia and your experience on Cymbalta. We have got to do something about these auto-immune disorders, for crying out loud! I have had horrific experiences with steroids -- in fact the overnight weight gain I had from Prednisone (ha, that just auto-corrected to "prisoner") kicked off twenty years of overweight and all kinds of other complications in my body. The arthritis has been really flaring lately and I know that has to do with the change in weather. I have been walking outdoors most and now that the temps are under fifty (we've had the thirties here, eek!) I find that cold really exacerbates the joint pain later in the day. Last night I took a couple of Tylenol -- has never done much for me -- and a couple of tequila cocktails. That is something that helps, and I figure alcohol as a drug is better than a lot of what gets prescribed by various physicians even though they generally disapprove of that. But you got to do what you've got to do! I use ice packs, too. Seems so ironic that cold makes arthritis worse yet ice packs reduce inflammation -- makes no sense!

Ooh, Kelly, I'm with you in hoping you're not allergic to dairy! I'm a cheese girl, too, even more than ever now, since sleevie doesn't like most meats or eggs. Globe, I really think you should contact your doctor. Something's off, and it's not something you're doing, as far as I can read. Sounds like you're doing exactly what you should with your diet, and you exercise a LOT, in my opinion. Seems like you're burning more calories than you take in, so I'm really puzzled about the weight gain. So strange! But definitely check with your doc and keep us posted! So the last few days I've been kind of overdoing the carbs, even for me (I've never really restricted carbs because of the pickiness of my sleeve). I'm going to get back on a more "normal" diet for me--I'm thinking I'm going to up my salad veggies, lower my chips/crackers and cheese, and up my shrimp. I'm also going to try chicken again--maybe a bite or two with some salad, just to see. I tried turkey on Monday and it was rather emphatically rejected by my sleeve, but I really want to find a good animal Protein source that I can rely on besides shrimp. Need the Iron and protein!

Do you have kids? They said it is easier if you do so was curious... I was suppose to get the skyla this past Tuesday but as I stated before I couldn't don't know if it was because my period was here or of the medicine they gave me to soften my cervix but I couldn't do it. Yes! I was beyond scared but days passing I have been thinking about weight gain on pills and other complications that may occur. And I'm hitting the gym tonight [emoji1491](period slowing down)

Hey All. It's my first post. I was sleeved 5 weeks ago today. I've been weighing myself once a week. I lost fast the first three weeks then week four only 1/2 a lb but still a loss. Then today I get on the scale and I am up 3lbs!! It was very alarming as I've been following my diet to a T and trying to get between 600-800 calories a day (closer to 600 typically). I don't know what to think. I am at a loss -- a 3lb gain is not a 1lb fluctuation. Has anyone else had an early gain and it resolved itself or is this going to be it for me for weight loss and now I"m going to be fighting to keep even these few lbs off?

Dottie, I am retired and staying at home. I retired early almost 5 years ago (Aug 2004), hubby retired about 2 years later, but he had a hard time adjusting and wanted to add some income. He went to work full time at BassPro when they opened a store here about 18 months ago. After a work life of sales and primarily sales management, the retail environment has been a tough adjustment for him. He is firearms specialist for the store - and they could not have a better one. I tell him the job description was written for him! He loves most of the job, but really does not like some of it. Like any job, I guess. At any rate, I am home with my dog most days so Jack and I have frequent conversations. I am an art quilter and enjoy having the time to work in the studio. Oddly though, I find many distractions, family obligations, multiple quilt & knitting group obligations, friendships, etc. None of these are bad things in any way, but take me out of the studio. I have decided it's best to just go with the flow and enjoy everything I can... The hardest thing about retirement for me has been STRUCTURE! No commute, no office, everything is up to me. After a lot of years with structure being decided by others it has been a constant struggle to structure my own time! It's so good to hear your thoughts about maintenance. I have read in a couple of books that our bodies seem to find the right weight as we approach that "normal" status, and we tend to maintain that weight naturally as long as we continue active lives and the exercise we have established. Our food intake does not necessarily change a whole lot, according to those authors. Some of the participants in this thread have had a somewhat different experience. I sure understand that we must always be aware and ready to deal with any weight gain, no matter how small. A soldier on guard!! Please feel free to p.m. me...

I just need to put my two cents worth in about the sleep study. No, it was not pleasant, but I would rather go thru that (study) than die. Apnea causes many, many things. Cardiac failure, high blood pressure,WEIGHT GAIN, just to name a few. Personally, I was glad to find out what was causing my inability to sleep a full nite. Or even 3 hours. And I feel 110% better since I have been on my machine and had surgery. But I guess everyone has their own opinion. Paula, burping is kinda funny for me. When I get uncomfortable, I (go to the bathroom or somewhere where there aren't any people) and bend over at the waist. Sounds like rolling thunder. I sometimes get tickled at myself. I have NEVER done that. lol When I hiccup the first time, I quit eating. I am full. To cure the hiccups, see above suggestion. lol Glad to see that everyone is doing so well. I have been stuck, but (knock on wood) I am starting to loose again. Haven't changed my ticker on purpose. Hang in there Sugarbear, it's not much longer now. My favorite liquid for post-op was the soup from chicken noodle soup. Tastes a lot better than just broth. (and slim fast) lisa

I've read several articles about how sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain. Isn't that strange? I think that it's hormonal. I still am too stupid to go to bed at a decent hour! It must be stupidity because I'm plenty tired................

@CamillaCallie just done all my pre op testing. It was really just blood work more ? From the Dr. EKG that's it. I have to start my clear liquid diet tomorrow because of the weight gain I have to do 3 weeks. But other then that it was fine.

Finally. Surgery day is here! God, I can't do this without You. I completed my 14-day clear liquid sugar-free and caffeine-free diet along with some protein drinks. I didn't cheat once. That in itself is a miracle! I've lost 10 lbs. during this time, and 25 lbs. overall (since January 1st). I was placed on prednisone (steroid) twice this past Spring, which set me back. It causes. much weight gain whenever I'm on it and it takes many weeks to get the weight off. So as I was losing, I'd gain weight while on that medication. So frustrating, but it's behind me, hopefully forever. These two weeks really prepared my mind for this journey moving forward. I will work to continue strengthening this new mindset. Not easy, right? I appreciate the input this forum - you beautiful people - has provided. I hope optimal health and strong minds for you all. Onward! 💟

Hi Everyone - Don't put me out on a siesta yet. I am here and happening until Tues am. However, my mind is going a mile a minute trying to get it all together. Jenifermarch - your timeline looked so familiar. yes, we can lose on a diet, but it all falls apart and then it is a terrible thing psychologically, emotionally and physically. I haven't been close to "perfect" on my band diet, but am taking measures to really change my lifestyle, and even under tremendous stress (yes, the binge eating reemerges) - but I have other positive things in place that pull me back into positive eating behaviors that save an extreme weight gain. In addition to my band I have a trainer, psychologist and until last week an acupuncturist, that I will go back to on an as needed basis. I am really under construction with marvelous positive people around me. It takes that for me to change, because the pattern has lasted for so many years (I'm 57). Hugs all, have wonderful weekends, Michelle

Congratulations on the losses everyone. Great job with the minor flux in weight gain, could have been steeper (think of our history beforeWLS). MissMom - I'm glad you weren't filled as well. Ack! Prty- I have read indications there are problems were things like overeating, not able to eat, pain in that area of the stomach, difficulty swallowing, reflux, ... Glad that CT scan was checked by doctor K. I wish he could do my two hernias. He's a great surgeon. My scars are so minor and my recovery was so quick. *speaking of hernias, I had a CT done of my stomach. I was pushing 400 at one point so I have wondered if there was any 'damage' done to my abdomen for bearing all that weight. Found out I do have a herniated navel deep inside that I will notice more and more as the weight comes off my stomach. Right now I'm thinking and have been that nothing I ate was ever worth a herniated navel.

Hi: I am a post Hystorectomy (Total). 210 pounds, 5 ft 7 inches, BMI around 31-32 moderate activity Insurance won't cover. I will have to self-pay and if I do should I look at sleeves instead of the band? I'm looking for a long term permanent solution. My weight gain is related to the removal of my ovaries with a dramatic body change in 5 years from 120 pounds to now. My doctors say I would have to gain more weight to get approved for surgery. I can't imagine doing that. So hey: 1. If you had to choose and were paying for it out of pocket anyways band or sleeve? 2. If you had it done over-seas what doctor did you use, and are you happy with the results? I can't afford in country options. Thank you so much for any help this topic is eating me up.