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I gained 30+ pounds in 2018; 1. because I stopped taking diet pills after 20 years of taking them off and on, 2. I was in an accident and sustained a pretty bad back injury and mild head injury - couldn't walk at first so exercise was limited; 3. My mom got critically ill with ovarian cancer, I was her caretaker - she died in December; and if you want to add more stress - 4. My husband and I were both unemployed for about 5 months last year, after moving to Florida for his new job (which didn't work out because the project he was relocated for got put on hold and they no longer could afford to keep him). So - by the time all of that was said and done, I was already 25 pounds heavier. I decided for my back pain, depression and general health I wanted to explore this surgery. So I did gain about 5 pounds just to hit the BMI mark because I knew once I stopped those diet pills my weight gain was really just starting. I did have to be self-pay, but overall I'm sooooooo much better now than I was a year ago in pretty much every aspect. I start a new job this month (well, my old company is hiring me back - very generous), which I'm so happy about having quit my job last year to care for my Mom. There is so much more to this whole background/story, but anyway, sometimes you have to do what you have to do! I know now I made the right decision. We are also buying a new house so I'm out house shopping pretty much all day these days after being renters for almost a decade. Things are good in my life, no complaints. Sounds like you made the right decision too... So happy your sleep apnea has improved! On another note - I love salads and have no problems with lettuce. Spicy food seems to be a problem for me.

MDM....don't leave. You are important to your sleeve sisters....and we are all here to support each other. @ green....thank you. @Jenn....since surgery 55lbs and total of 102 from preop program started June 4th. Last week I had a stall and weight gain of 2-3 lbs....I was freaking out....it broke and I tried on pair of "skinny" jeans and they FIT!! This process has been way harder than I expected.....this site and you gals have helped me so much. Still have long way to go......

Hi Everyone! So it has definitely been a while since the last time I shared. I am 26 days out... 4 weeks to be exact on Monday. A week prior to surgery I weighed 245 lbs., the day of surgery I weighed 234 lbs and as of last Monday I weighed 219 lbs. I am 15 lbs. lighter since surgery and wildly confused about my latest eating experiences. For the first two weeks, I was basically on all fluids, Soups, Protein shakes, sf popsicles and Water was not well tolerated at all. After my two week follow-up appmt with the surgeon and the NUT I was cleared to eat "pureed" foods. I was given the green light on lots of different types of food, except rice, bread, Pasta, and other "carbs" that my NUT didn't think would help my supposed "high protein diet" that included Beans, oatmeal, Cereal, cooked carrots, corn and potatoes. Also, she said no to creamed soups, because they have too many preservatives or additives. I tried to be good and so far I've been cooking almost every night pretty healthy meals including baked skinless chicken with veggies including carrots and corn (lol), baked salmon with veggies, ground beef with red, green peppers, small pieces of potatoes, onions, sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese, parmesan crusted- pan seared salmon fillet and veggies and soups including creamed soups. For fluids, I am still having the "stuck" feeling with water and yet sf popsicles are super easy to eat and my personal favorite drink green tea with unsweetened lemonade and two splendas goes down super easy as well. Plus, since I commute to New York City for work Monday through Friday, I walk about 30 minutes at day at a fast pace (in other words, that is my exercise)...Lol Soooo, for the most part I stay on track not eating those "no no foods" however, lately it seems like I've been more relaxed with the rules and I've eaten everything from popcorn (at the movie theatres), to an 8oz slurpee, and a few Oreos (without the cream). I've taken bites of some junk food here and there, though I steer clear of bread, rice and pasta no matter how much I want to chomp down on them....and finding accompaniments for meat and fish has become a creative process. Lol. Sort to say. So with all this said, I am pretty worried, because many times I have been able to eat everything that I wanted at pretty high portions like 6oz of meat or fish and 3 or 4 oz of veggies even though it takes me a few hours to finish, but I get it down. Lately I've been asking myself if I'm even sleeved?? Geez! I'm almost sure I am. Lol, but I am so scared to gain weight, I have gone through the weight loss/ weight gain thing wayy too many times and I should be sure that since I'm sleeved I will go down, but I am not 100% confident. Is it possible to dialate my tummy already???... Our sleeve is a tool, I just hope I'm using it the right way. I'm sure that I don't even get half of the liquids that I am supposed to be drinking, TMI ALERT: my pee is way dark and definitely no enough at all times due to my lack of liquid in take, but I'm sure eating. My goal is to be 160-165 lbs. much sooner than later. I hope it happens. Good luck to all of you out there, reading your posts helps me immensely. I wish all of you that are having serious complications and financial issues blessings and that all gets better soon. I'm having financial issues too. But it will get better! ...and to all of you that are doing good/great keep it up! =)

Hi guys - as a psychologist I just want to add that not all anti- depressants cause weight gain and if you are taking one that does just talk to your MD about getting onto a different med. anti depressants are really important and too often I hear people going off their meds due to weight gain rather than trying another type which can really compromise their wellbeing. Not saying you would go off them but it's something I hear quite frequently

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:)

2+ years (26 months) post op here. Got to my lowest weight this past summer, but now starting to put some back on. I know some is muscle since I've been working out a lot, but I'm thinking not all of the weight gain is lean mass....which worries me a little. So I'm going to have to pay a little more attention to my cal intake and be careful. I'm up to around 235 now and I need to get back to mid-upper 220's and learn to maintain there. #1 is before....around 320 #2 is after majority of weight loss (220's) #3 is current (235)

Beautiful day here also. If you didn't get outside and enjoy it you missed it. I took doggie for a walk. This morning I took the sheets off the bed and washed my winter flannel sheets and put them on the bed. Also got the electric blanket out and put it on. Tonight I'm gonna be all snuggly warm. I got 2 really nice compliments at church this evening. It made me feel good. Nice to know that people notice the weight loss. Haydee, I was so relieved to hear how you are doing. Really glad to know that things sre going smoothly right now. Keep it up. We went out to dinner with some friends. We went to Golden Corral. I ate a butt load of veggies. I then decided to treat myself and I had one chocolate cookie and a lemon bar. I have my doctor's appointment Monday and I don't think it's going to go well. I've lost some but not that much and than on top of that I have had some water weight gain. You can see it in my cankles. I'm hoping that I get a little fill. Need it to help me get thru the holidays. TracyK, I still have my jar of peanuts and bag of candy corn. I'll wait a little longer till I mix them up together. Have a great evening and waitng patiently for Judy to return.

I lost 110 lbs during my 7-month process to get the sleeve (had to have 6 months with monthly meetings with a nutritionist). I very nearly canceled my surgery. Here's why I didn't: - The chance of losing a significant amount of weight and KEEPING it off is really low. Within 5 years something like 95-98% of people who lost weight gained it back, usually with some extra on top. Even if I lost all the weight I needed to using diet/exercise, I have never maintained a loss. My sleeve is the tool that will help me do that. - My years of overeating had really messed up my stomach. My portions of food were still too big. I completely overhauled my diet and started eating low-carb, high Protein. However, I still ate quite a lot. I would just fill up on salad or veggies, usually at least 3 normal-sized servings. If I tried smaller portions, the hunger got overwhelming and I would end up cheating. I just didn't want to take the chance. Yeah, I MIGHT be able to do this without surgery, but with surgery my chances are much, much better. I NEVER want to be 400 lbs again. Also, both my surgeon and my nutritionist said that my loss prior to surgery is a really good sign that the sleeve will work wonderfully for me, especially over the long term.

Sorry I can't give you advice from someone who has done this. But I'm sure if you talk to your bariatric team and a nutritionist about your concerns they will help you come up with a game plan. I would think that if you develop a healthy lifestyle including an exercise routine that kind of excessive weight gain in pregnancy can be avoided. Don't go eating crap food again just because you're pregnant and "eating for two".

One area that I think many doctors don't do a good job of explaining is that there are two kinds of hunger. True physical hunger it's been 5 + hours since your last meal, you stomach is rumbling huger. The second kind is head hunger. It's been 3 hours since lunch, I'm bored, my boss is a pain in the $#%@%$, and I wish I was anywhere but here hunger. If you don't feel full, it has been a couple hours since lunch, you feel justified buying those Cookies from the vending machine. My doctor had 3 required group sessions with a pychologist where we dicussed physical/emotional/food triggers that led us to eat when we were'nt really hungry. Due to other health issues my journey from first consult to surgery was longer then most 7.5 months. My insurance did not have a required 6 months diet but I put those months to good use. I lost 50 pounds. I did a lot of work on my food choices. I also put those mindfull eating sessions to good use. I studied friends and family who are thin. How fast do they eat, what are their food choices, what are their exercise habits. There was medical journal article recently that showed in families where males are alcoholics the woman are more likely to be obese. I was like were they studying my family and did'nt tell me! My brother is a recovering alcoholic and I am a food addict, this is the pattern in on my maternal side. Willpower oh willpower! There are many people on this site who post that they get "restriction" (where they eat a bandster sized meal 1-1/2 cups of food, feel satiation/fullness, and can go 4-5 hours before they need to eat), after say 5CC's of fill. There are however several of us who don't feel full from smaller portions until 9+ CC's. Here's where the willpower comes in. You measure out your food; and when it's gone you are done eating. Stong likelihood you will not feel full. But you have to stop eating. That's where will power comes in. My doctor does'nt not want snacking between meals. So you've had a very small meal and it 4-5 hour before you can eat again. Enter "Bandster Hell". Here is also where frustration can set in. After months of preparing for surgery there is a huge let down where you are hungry after meals and you may not be losing weight very fast. I am pretty very conservative about my food choices, count calories, exercise an hour daily; and I am losing at average 1 lb per week. Perhaps now that I am at restriction I will lose at a quicker rate. The ever allusive full feeling. At 10.00 CCs after eating (again stopped when my measured food ran out) I felt a satiation, not full just not hungry. After about 5-10 minutes I would get a full sensation. I could go 3-3:30 hours before feeling hungry and would grit it out for 4 hours. Now at 10.6 ccs I do get a much stronger satiation closer to full feeling as I'm eating. My nurse said to eat until I feel like I can't eat another bite. I don't do that because I have never had vomiting or slim/Productive Burp and I don't care to. After eating I get a full feeling and don't feel hungry for 4-5 hours depending oh what I have eaten. Here's what I think the band does for me at this point. Head hunger. It's been 3 hours since lunch and I'm bored. I get food thoughts, I ask myself are you really hungry enough to eat? Really? Or are you bored? I consult my stomach (don't laugh) and it says' "No, not really hungry". This allows the logical side of my brain to will the battle. On diets preband I always eventually give up. While I do not make "treat" foods part of my normal diet; if I am at a party after I've eaten my Protein and some veggies I allow myself a small amount of diet unfriendly foods. Before banding it did'nt matter how much I had already eaten I always had room for as much high fat/calories food as I could my hands on. Now I don't feel hungry enough to keep eating serving after serving. I think it boils down to do you think you can stay on weight watchers for ever? If so do that. My problem is when I've gone on very strict diets (and 3 times in my life preband I lost over 100 pounds) eventually I just can't take it anymore. I start to let in high cal/fat foods and it snow balls and I don't eat them occationally or in small portions; I eat them all day everyday and in large portions. If you can't make food habits a life long commitment they eventually will stop and you will go back to unhealthy ones that will lead to weight gain.

Ugh, I'd definitely be up a size if I put on 5lb. I dont let my weight vary by more than 2. I'm very lucky, my weight stays VERY stable, it never goes down, but it doesnt usually go up by more than 1lb unless its period time. I take action at 1lb, I cut back for a few days. And I absolutely NEVER miss my exercise. I really believe that the true benefit of exercise in relation to weight is in preventing regain, I am amazed at how far I can push things without gaining weight, and I've had the same experience at times in my life before when I've been a regular exerciser for long periods. It'd be PANIC stations here if I gained 5lb. I dont even want to think about it happening. I must not be prone to Water weight gain becuase you're right, you're not gaining and losing fat really.

You are doing great Kareyquilts. Plateau's and minor weight gains can be contibuted to almost anything when it comes to women. If you want to kick in another cardio exercise that is great but try not to stress yourself. Keeping carbs and sodium low it can be helpful.

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.

I am also back from my appt. I ended up getting 3 cc's. I have the VanGuard band, so it holds 10 cc's. The RN said that I am working soooo hard that it is time to let the band do some of the work!!! I was kinda happy about that. They are VERY happy with my loss so far!!! J, I asked the Exercise Physiologist about a weight gain after long rides and he said it is almost ineviatable. Your muscles retain water to repair. SOOOOO, you are fine and going to be losing that extra fast!!!

Morning! Glad to see you back Terry :tongue2:) Violet dreams are the best, I get a kick out of em! I am at 227lbs, so YAAAAAAAY I plateaud with the weight gain and even lost 3lbs. Baby's heart is still strong and all that.. I check it every night. I'm reading the worst drinks list-- "Caffeine abstainers will find little nutritional refuge in Starbucks' hot chocolate concoctions." HRMPH. Well, they provide yummyness in my belly, so.. Luckily the only time I go to Starbucks for their hot chocolate is when I am in Tunica because they have one in the lobby of our hotel. There's no convenient ones in town. We actually only have 1 (weird concept eh?) and it's at a walk up mall that you gotta park a mile away to get to. Not going through all that for a drink. I found my title last night. It ended up in my shirt drawer.. how does that even happen?? Now I don't know where to go, we have DMV with loooong lines, then the DMV satellite but they do specific stuff I'm not sure about, then the courthouse a city away where we got our licenses last year with no wait.. but I don't know if they do titles.. and of course no one has people that answer phones anymore, it's all automated generic info. Holy cow!

Laura - that sucks about your doctor not being more supportive. Too late to find another one? I'm not saying that they need to pander to you but they should give you more than "duh" answers, like "eat vegetables", duh idiot. Oh and that's nice that Russell asked about your weight gain. That just means he's paying attention. Since you're probably sulking about it. Is he the type to help out with it, and do you even want help with it? Like if you're eating something you're not supposed to can he call you out on it?

Morning V's! We went to some Beatles tribute band last night, was out till 11pm and then we went to Waffle House and talked for a while, so we were home late! It's kicking my butt this morning, I'm sick as it is, my sinuses ache so bad.. my neck hurts. Hah hah I actually didn't get what Terry was saying.. woops. But I second Pam, the best way to get over a man is to get on top of a new one! I don't know that Chantix made me scatter brained, I'm pretty thorough at work and did not notice it slip. The only issue (besides weight gain) was the night terror things. I was waking up all throughout the night freaking out from nightmares. Too scared to get up and turn on the tv or light, I would sit there staring at DH and mad he didn't wake me up (it wasn't logical).

Thanks Dub, I appreciate it. I was injured at 9/11 and by two drunks in the line of duty. The last crash really almost killed me and made me permanently disabled, so it contributed to my weight gain. So everyday is a benchmark. Merry Christmas.

bbk - i just realized your having PS soon!! what are you having done / excited?? i myself going through a odd phase - but enjoying it! i think:rolleyes: i USE to be the small one (5'1 - 120lbs) among my friends, then gained 75lbs in 7yrs and basically stopped all social outtings. i was just disgusted w/how nothing fit properly - my thighs touching each other - and was constantly self conscious of what i was eating if i was having lunch w/the girls. i know my friends saw the weight gain & only my closest when alone would bring it up , and offer help to work out , etc. i choose the Lap Band, cause i needed help - diet & exercise weren't working, well they were - but if i had a halt in weightloss; i'd get frustrated & grab a bag of chips. i am very happy w/the results so far. 20lbs to go & have SO much fun going shopping in my guest closet for my cute clothes i outgrew over the yrs. i have from size 6-16, and it's been fun getting rid of the larger sizes each month. sat night DH and i had a wedding, where we hadn't seen friends since we were banded (hubby banded same day as me).....it WAS so awesome to be to told how good you look VS the "look" that represented (ooohhh you gained weight)... ....oh and the energy level...WAY up, i'm more active now than when in my 20's ps - North TX Resident as Well;

I'm condused ..you are losing weight well with your band right and because you have saline in it right? Well, seems to me the band is doing it's job..once you have thesalineremoved you may find you are not losing weight. I had my band unfilled for 2 months and believe me when I tel lyou, it's a whole different world with no saline..thank god it is only unfilled for 2 months or I could of been in some serious trouble with weight gain. If you do not want your band any longer, do not get it removed, get it unfilled, then see how you do, that is the great thing aboutthe band, if you start to gain you can always get it filled again...a question though...why are you sick of your band if it is working for you? How much fill do you have? Have you considered getting a partial unfill?

I am 46 years old - 260 lbs - I agree that even though our friends and family offer their support - they dont understand REALLY. I dont think anyone who is not going through this themselves. It has been such a roller coaster and I have not even had the surgery yet. I find myself trying not to talk too much about it to those around me because I think they are tired of hearing about it! I am scared, excited, worried and a lot of other feelings I cant explain. I am in info overload - yet feel I dont know enough. Have heard all the horror stories from friends who knew friends who didnt do well - you know there are people out there that want to scare you into not doing this. What I find though is those people generally weigh 120 lbs and have never fought weight in their whole life! They dont know how it feels to be someone else under all this fat! They also assume that if I would "watch what I eat" I could do this on my own. Well I have always tried to watch what I eat. I havent had a fried food in probably 15 years. I am not a binge eater nor an emotional eater. Though I do tend to graze when bored and I do have a sweet tooth from hell! I dont eat 3 hamburgers and a large fry with a diet coke in a single sitting! I do know I am fat because of the things I have put in my body and because I dont exercise. I also have thyroid issues and other health issues over the years that have added the weight as well.When I was 32 I had cancer - the treatments caused a 50lb weight gain in just a very short time. I have never been able to get rid of all of that even after all these years. They dont know crap! No I never was the type to just eat a small salad - but I also wasnt the type to over do it either! Anyway - none of us need to hear those types of comments. If we had not tried diets - starving ourselves only to gain more back once we figured out that being hungry all the time wasnt working. Do they really think this whole process is just a simple walk in the park? Do they not realize that we are cutting our insides in a last ditch effort to create a healthier happier person? Well that is the end of my rant..lol. I am here for you and anyone else who needs me. We can do this - we will do this - and we will be success stories!! You and me both. My date is also august 5th and scared to death.

I was thinking the same thing, mostly because that sounds like the kind of guy I would fall for! (and pay for it later...) Gotta love the comment from the guys! I would have been totally blushing! That is a great "moment" and a lovely reality check about what the guys are thinking too! I am doing a happy dance for you, but not singing at the same time yet... waiting for it to "stick" before I break out in song! OK, Im doing a play by play analysis of my holiday weight gain/loss... Looks like I actually gain before holidays rather than on them! (lead up parties I guessing!) the chart shows 5 pounds between the lines...

Florinda, I don't know anything but you describe picking at skin,out of control housekeeping etc...could your current weight gain be a symptom rather than cause of your distress? If you had weight loss rather than gain what would you do to feel better in these other areas? I ask this because it becomes a habit to blame everything on being heavier than we want but maybe the underlying issue is something else. I am trying exercise/kickboxing again... after a week of resting my knee. I am doing so good in so many ways but every once in a while I feel that sense of panic...what am I doing with my life??? I wish I could let go of this thinking but it rears its head sometimes. Today it hit me because i made a choice to go out with Steven rather than do fun stuff with a group on Saturday and I have people annoyeded at me over it. I am annoyed at me over it...like what am I doing? It is a very small thing actually but it made me feel like I am blowing in the wind rather than setting my own course. This was just over going out..Haha...on serious matters I feel similarly rudderless at times. I told my friend Shawn that I made one goal, it is fitness related and it made me feel good to have a plan for one thing in my life at least.

Sheryl you have done amazingly well with your plastics and losing weight after wl. Weight gain is probably something we will always have to be on top of our gain. Congrats on your daughters 13 th birthday! As far as eating terribly, I've also been in that same boat! I just want to munch. My son's girlfriend brought home donuts and I had no cravings or thoughts of eating doughnuts until then. I ate 2 of them throughout the day. Some of it was emotional eating I know. But what the heck.... My DH shopped at target and we got a telephone call from our Southwest Airlines card and they were inquiring about a recent purchase for a trip to the Cayman Islands......We didn't schedule it so the credit card company canceled it and issued us another card. Checked my bank account and nothing is taken. I had applied for the red card at target but put down some miss information bc I didn't want them to have that info. Best thing I ever did for myself. I do miss the 5% discount though. Georgia sorry you had to deal with the extra stressors and the pork butt smoked sounds delicious. I have been very busy with stuff.....Last 2 days we have been making tamales. We haven't done this for years but I was getting tired of tasting other family members so we jumped right in. We made a batch of meat that was delicious and for some reason, it spoiled and we had to throw it out......So frustrating......So we made more.....Now it's done and they are so delicious. However in the past few days I have put one a couple of lbs to my bounce and it is such a reminder that I can not be eating cr**! I am so dishearten. Cognitively I knew this could happen, but emotionally, I wasn't expecting to gain I guess. Today is back to he drawing board for me. I will be going shopping with a friend bc I have done no shopping what's so ever so it will be impossible to keep my calorie intake at 500. So Instead I will be focusing on proteins.

My dr told me that irregular periods are due to weight gain/loss. Throws the female system & hormones out of whack tremendously! When I was at my highest weight (about 325) I had 2 periods per year and they lasted about 6 weeks each!! Talk about horrible. It will all eventually work out as time goes by and we reach ideal body weights...or at least that is what I am hoping :confused: