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I wish you and your dear daughter well and pray that the decision that you make is the best all around....I fully understand how you feel since one of my kid's sufffered all of the same issues....he was born large and due to many factors(medical as well as emotional) the weight krept up through the years....I found the best teaching hospital with a pediatric program( they have them) and worked with a comprehensive team approach to deal with the underlying issues(medical and emotional)...there were medical tests that yeilded problems in the pituatary and adrenal glands that helped create the weight gain........ had to change the kitchen(as a family) and eating habits....had the kid in a program that taught self worth and good eating habits....and an exercise program geared to young kids....and regular meetings with a good therapist......it was a long road .....and hard work.... going to Mexico is a gamble.....on many levels...iif you could try and find a good program that is part of a teaching hospital.....you might be able to receive funding for the help......wishing you good health and every success in your journey........i

Hey there ... Quick update on a few things. I got on my fancy FitBit scale this morning. I have officially lost the alcohol induced weight gain from my Florida trip plus a little bit more. As a matter of fact, my integrated FitBit app tells me I have 14.7 more pounds to lose to hit my goal of 169. A couple thoughts on that 169. First, I must tell you that the weight is falling off at glacial speed. Which means very, very slow. I am still really trying to stick to the plan that has brought me this far, but the results are far more frustrating than when I started this adventure. Sure, I get it. More ass, more weight loss. Less ass, less weight loss. Statistically speaking, a half pound loss of smaller ass is the percentage equal of a full pound loss of fat ass. So I got that going for me. But I am not doing this to amuse some pudgy mathematician. I really don't give a rat's patooty about a percentage loss. I'm in the game for poundage! The excitement of hitting the home stretch to 169 has been tempered down quite a bit since Dr. X gave me the news back in December that he wants me to go for 150. If you remember, he also told me that we have another year and half to go. New goal date is May 15, 2015. Yes, this kind of took the wind out of my sails. I think I mentally took a breather and took my eye off the ball a bit. Maybe that's why I have been hovering here at the 183ish level for a month or so. I need to get re-motivated. First off, my travel schedule is definitely counterproductive to to maintaining a strict diet plan. Yes, I do really well choosing my food options. I choose healthy foods and reasonable portions. However, these healthy choices are the choices that people make when they are trying to maintain their weight. Not the more restricted menu a weight cutter should be making. It's not that easy when you're dining out for every meal for a week straight. And then there is Al C Hall. There is no way that more than several adult beverages a day is good for weight loss. I know it and you know it. But while I am on a precious vacation, I have to imbibe. Ya know, just to be polite. This is why I settle for maintaining my weight while I'm jet-setting. So here I am. I'm under 15 pounds from my original goal. Working through a hectic travel schedule and trying to maintain my weight. That's not the plan. My plan was to be 169 by May 15, 2014, and I am gonna stick with that plan. That means I'm going to have to change a few things. Honestly, I really need to get more active. It's super hard to get motivated when you're ball deep in snow. Yeah, I'm using the treadmill a bit. And I hit the weights occasionally. But it's not enough and I know it. I enjoy walking on a beautiful summer day during a rousing round of golf. Working the treadmill and staring at the wall, not so much. Maybe I'll try the Shred that Lap Band Girl is always touting? She is my muse. She is always reminding me of what it takes to get to your goal and maintain it. Suffice to say, sitting on my backside is not in the equation. That's it for now. Same goal - 169. Same goal date May, 2014. Same plan? I'm going to have to think on this one. More activity is definitely on the schedule. And maybe I'll cut off one of my now thinner legs. Buh Bye JT Fat Fanatics! Email your comments and questions to: mccgolfer99@gmail.com I will answer all questions and, who knows, your pithy comments might make the blog!

I feel sad for you losing your lifelong friend. I have been on both sides of this coin. I have one friend who lost 200+ pounds, by cutting out all carbs. Every single time we ran in to people we knew, she had to go through the story of the weight loss transformation..... All the while my 327 pound self stood there to hear it yet again. I WAS JEALOUS..... Didn't want to be, but I was. But, nonetheless, I was supportive and encouraged her all the way. I mean, she is my friend. That's what friends do....... Now, I've lost a little over 100 pounds and I was worried about my relationship with my two BEST friends who are overweight. One of them has joined the gym with me and has been by my side on a daily basis. She is doing fabulous as well bc of all the exercise. The other friend stated out loud that she is jealous, but she can handle it too. So, I am lucky. The three of us have been like sisters since elementary school ( and we are 53)..... So a very long time. We have supported each other when one of us is down and we gave been the rock for each other when there have been deaths in the families, and we are true friends..... No weight gain or weight loss could break that friendship. It just makes me think that your friend is perhaps weak. She doesn't know how to be supportive and happy for you. She doesn't know how to work through the jealousy. Sorry for your loss of your friend.

Who told you that? If it wasn't a representative at Aetna, then I wouldn't worry too much about it, and three pounds isn't much, 3lbs of weight gain could be a number of things. I'll lose 3lbs if I take some Miralax and have a good dump. LOL

Unfortunately, I HAVE heard of people being denied because of weight gain. So be careful. All the more reason to follow your pre-op diet to a T! NOW is the time to start making new habits, exercise, eating cleanly.

I've got a cousin in Washington Heights....easy ride up to her on the A train...LOL. I hardly ever cook...who does in this city, right? Anyway, it's easy to put your own meals together...and healthier too. You can PM me so I don't bore others on this thread and I can give you some of my personal experiences. I know everyone has their own way of doing things, but I'm finding it pretty easy to do it this way and it gives me a nice variety which helps not get bored with the same thing all the time. Oh and I also eat out regularly as well. I just make some better choices when looking at the menu and I do fine. I'm literally 30 feet from the A train on 181. Just moved up here recently. Because of this I had to give up my dunkin donuts, Starbucks Snacks, and this crazy Irish restaurant all within the same one block radius. I'll miss them forever, but I'm just happy I am not going to be described at "the fat one". Guess what....the more weight you lose, the less important the dunkin donuts and other crappy foods become. Not to say you won't want it at times, but it feels so much better to be smaller then the fleeting feeling of eating something that tastes wonderful but isn't good for you. My friend calls it a foodgasm. Short, intense, and gone in an instant...LOL. Except the consequences don't go away in terms of weight gain and all the rest of it...high bp, blood sugar, cholesterol, etc. I was on hypertensive meds for years. No more. My sugars are normal as is my cholesterol. All good stuff.

Tomorrow will be one week since the surgery. I'm feeling pretty good. I still get an ache at the largest incision site, but nothing strong and no other issues at this point. Yay. Except the issues of itching incision sites, keep catching myself almost scratching but one touch of a staple and I stop cold. Yesterday I felt really hungry for the first time. I had already had my required minimums of Protein and Fluid, plus some. Seriously debated ignoring the hunger as it was at about 8:30 which back in my GERD treatment days was a time you should not eat or the stuff would be flowing back up when I slept. Finally just decided to heat up a cup of soup, blenderized cream of mushroom. Spooned it bit by bit until over half was eaten and was finally feeling full, or satisfied not really full. Hunger was totally gone. First pleasant surprise, no GERD type symptoms overnight. Awesome!!!! After the surgery weight gain I'd dropped a pound a day so I figured this would be my first day that I might not lose that pound since my calories were up (like almost 700 total LOL) and lo and behold I dropped 2 pounds more when I hit the scale this morning. So it may not be lightening speed but I've lost 5 pounds post op and I'm tickled with it. I've always been a slow loser so this is quick to me. I'll enjoy it while I can. I have always been a daily weigher so the fluctuations do not bother me. Actually in the past when I ignored the scale for any amount of time I was met with a gain so I will continue the daily weighs my self accountability. It's also a great way for me to see patterns of loss, gains and plateaus. Now to go get something for breakfast/lunch and then another lovely shower and walk. Life is good.

Losing weight with the band is not fast. Some do lose fast in the beginning but that is rare. Normal weight loss is 1 to 2lbs a week. There isn't any sense in getting upset, discouraged, or want to give up because you are a month post op or a few weeks and you haven't lost 70lbs. You didn't gain weight over night. It was a period of years of bad eating habits that caused you to gain 100 to 200lbs so getting it off in a short amount of time unless you are starving yourself is not going to happen. If there are those who lost weight quickly then good for them but it took me 3 years and of absolutely no cheating to get all my weight off. If you are a smoker and quit smoking it is even going to take you longer. Yes I know that from personal experience. You can't drop weight rapidly with the band unless you are some circus freak that lost 200lbs in a month. It's not a fast process but it works if you just allow it. 52lbs weight loss in a year is better then 52lbs of weight gain. A loss is a loss no matter how you lose it or how long it takes you to lose it. Be patient it will come. Rome wasn't built over night and neither is the road work here in Jacksonville done over night. More like a period of years. Stop weighing yourself everyday. If you can't wrap your head around the scale that your weight can fluctuate up to 9lbs because of Water weight then stop being a scale monger. Weigh yourself at your doctors office. The more you weigh yourself and get discouraged the more likely you are setting yourself up for failure. It's not a race and you don't have to be the first one to the finish line. Stop letting the scale wreck your day or month. Just do what you are supposed to and it will happen.

I have not had the mirena but for the past 3yrs I have had the nexiplon or implenon. It is a stick placed in the arm. I know its not in as long as the iud but this had less complications and no need to worry about a dislodged iud or tubal pregnancies. Or frequently checking it yourself. I love it and since my sleeve I haven't seen any weight gain effects.

I have not had the mirena but for the past 3yrs I have had the nexiplon or implenon. It is a stick placed in the arm. I know its not in as long as the iud but this had less complications and no need to worry about a dislodged iud or tubal pregnancies. Or frequently checking it yourself. I love it and since my sleeve I haven't seen any weight gain effects.

I am roughly 2 years out at 18 months I started gaining. At the time I was doing p90x which is a pretty strict workout. Eating roughly 1300 healthy calories a day. My job is a fedex driver 12-14 hrs a day very active life 5 days a week. At like 14 months was told I had PCOS and hypothyroidism had to get blood work from an endocrinologist only thing wrong was vitamin D was low and thyroid hormone was not that crazy. I am on medication from both I made sure they didn't cause weight gain. NOW my endocrinologist put me on strict hypoglycemic diet and gave me a pill called Qsymia it's a doctor approved weight loss pill well 4 months in haven't lost one lb. I am at a loss off what to do and now I had back surgery on my herniated L3 and L4 last month so this is my new obstacle any suggestions?

I'm just curious what people have gained or what other doctors are recommending for weight gain during pregnancy?

Hi Tracey! Welcome and congratulations! Your story is much like mine except I still have my thyroid (it is just non functioning). I also take 300mcg of Synthroid due to Hashimotos disease. I can assume that my thyroid contributed to my weight gain and failed attempts at prior weight loss. My surgery was on January 13th and I have done well with it as I am confident you will too. I have gained a lot of valuable information from folks here...just explore and read. It was such a comfort and inspiration pre surgery. Everyone is anxious about the hospital experience I suppose. The time spent in the hospital seems to fly by...my experience was much better than I could have imagined. The pain and misery I experienced in just existing made the pain of surgery doable. My abdomen was pretty tender for about 6 days then it was smooth sailing, actually. There have been a few days of exhaustion since but no more misery. Pre surgery, I could (and would) sleep at will but now my energy is much more abundant. Days following surgery, I did crave various food but that has since passed. Getting required Protein in post surgery has been a small challenge but if you track your intake through myfitnesspal, you eventually find a formula that works plus it is a great tool to log and track calories and nutrition. It has definitely been life changing already...in wonderful ways. Stay positive. This tool is a phenomenal gift! It's not always easy but it is worth it...YOU are worth it!! Blessings to you!

Also fogot to mention that since my first fill ofc3 cc I can only eat 2-3 bites then it comes up. But usually I can then eat the rest of my food. This happens at almost every meal. I am not as excited with this fill as I was before it. And I take a few weight gaining pills for my bipolar and even with the fill I am losing very slowly...almost too slow. I try to watch what I eat but when I get really hungry I eat whatever will go down the easiest. Bad choice? And my hair is falling out. It was thin bc of hypothyroidism but now have a few balding spots. I see my endocrinologist today so maybe get my thyroid in check and maybe with eating more protein my hair will start coming back. There's alot more but I'll leave it like this. Thx I am bipolar too. I had my Dr. switch as many as he could to liquids. Helps a lot since some of those pills are huge!

Thanks all! I think reading these boards and seeing all the different ways our bodies adapt, feel, and change has helped as well as the fact that everyone seems to experience success overall, despite lulls and challenges. I'm 13 days post op now and pretty sure I'm about to start my period. For me... that's typically about 6 to 8 pounds of retention on a typical month, I'm pretty convinced I'll have a big drop once it passes given I have all the symptoms EXCEPT the weight gain... pretty much staying steady. Thanks for the support and encouragement!

Weight gain after surgery is not such a big deal. It is IV water. When I left the hospital after a few days, I was up 17 #. I still was down 45 # by the end of the month. It will happen. Just wait for it...

I had surgery 2/11 and guess what! 14 lbs up since day of surgery! So tell me water weight or "search the forum" or whatever, but I am so DAMN angry it should be physically impossible to do this! So much for people who told me to eat less and I would lose weight well NO FOOD FOR 14 DAYS =WEIGHT GAIN. I know nobody wants to hear it but I have no one to talk to so here's my post. I have tears running down my face I am so upset. I am farther into the 300s wtf...I hate this.

Hey readytobehealthy! I am scheduled for 2/25 and I too feel alittle shamed that I could not lose and keep it off ......that I had to resort to surgery......but I know this is the way to a better life, for me. I have battled weight gain since high school and it has taken its toll on me.....lose 10, gain 15, lose 5, gain 8, etc etc....exercise, swim, walk.....this is the right decision for me now. I wish I had done this 10 years sooner, because I feel like I have l lost 10 years of living, sucumbing to existence only. Good luck!

@Cat225, I hate the "You have such a pretty face" saying!!! I imagine punching the person in the face as those words come tumbling out of their mouth. I have struggled with my weight since middle school and have done every diet out there. My Mom took to me to a weight loss clinic when I was 15 and the doctor told me to take the pills and drink coffee and not to eat. I am serious that is what he said. My weight has gone up and down and I am now at my biggest weight gain ever since having my 2nd child. I am now 36 and I feel that the Lap-Band is what is right for me and I am doing this for me and only me! I see so many wonderful posts here in this forum and can not wait to get my surgery!

Yes she is. And over then last two years she has put on a lot more weight. For the first time since I can remember I am smaller than she is. Well I wonder if it is more of a matter of her not being happy with herself and the weight gain and as she sees you shrink it reminds her of that. That's not to say you Mom doesn't love you or support you. She is having the problem, not you.

Stay away from the scale during the healing process..IT IS NOT YOUR FRIEND..yet.. Exactly what Kristina said!! good girl Kristina..finally people are getting it!!!!!...How soon we forget all we've learned in the research process before, during and after the "before" or pre-op classes,.Doctors, Nutri, physc, life coaches, etc.. and handbook info about weight gain and loss in the first 6 months after surgery. curious? All the Pre-op info is out the window. its like people panic and forget all the information they've heard, learned and obtained about this surgery?...Im not scolding you tk..its just this question gets answered so many times we should just put a permanent heading thread just for this question.

I'm sorry that I have taking so long to repost. I jus got off the phone with my bariatic clinic they say that every clinic may say something different. About what they want their patients to do but everyone is different but caffine can; prolong healing, cause dehydration, cause weight gain, and caluim absorbsion difficultly. Are all possible as well as it is addictive. Bad for your nervers. Yeah I was a coffee drinker but all that info just came from my clinic and that's why I posted it. Not cuz I didn't like it. But I must admit. I have cheated and tryed a sip or two but its jus not the same anymore. I've past my goal weight. Clinic said I had to be 222 before being able to seting appointment to see the surgeon.and I'm now at 215 so I will post again soon. Hope I was helpful. Keep in touch everyone. Stay focused.

I don't know of anything that will get you back on track and keep you on track better than logging your food. My Fitness Pal highly recommended but there are other apps that do pretty much the same thing. I've been logging for over two years and would be lost without it. I manage my weight. Literally. It's been well over a year since I hit my maintenance weight of 155 lbs. In that time my weight has never been outside of a 151 to 156 window. This morning it was 153.8. And I never experienced any "bounce back" weight gain. Log your food, weigh yourself often (I weigh daily since reaching my maintenance weight) and respond quickly to weight changes approaching the limits of your window. If your weight is a little too high, reduce your daily calorie goal by 100-200 calories for a day or two and it will come right back down. Weight a little too low (it does happen), increase your calorie goal by 100-200 calories for a day or two and it will come back up. I've done both. Many times. And it works like a charm. But it all starts with logging your food. Commit to logging for 90 days and you'll be amazed at how fast, easy and effective managing your weight can be!!

I'm 6 days post op and doing great! Lost the surgery weight gain plus 2 lbs.

Also fogot to mention that since my first fill ofc3 cc I can only eat 2-3 bites then it comes up. But usually I can then eat the rest of my food. This happens at almost every meal. I am not as excited with this fill as I was before it. And I take a few weight gaining pills for my bipolar and even with the fill I am losing very slowly...almost too slow. I try to watch what I eat but when I get really hungry I eat whatever will go down the easiest. Bad choice? And my hair is falling out. It was thin bc of hypothyroidism but now have a few balding spots. I see my endocrinologist today so maybe get my thyroid in check and maybe with eating more protein my hair will start coming back. There's alot more but I'll leave it like this. Thx