Search the Community

This is me. I have checked after falling back asleep too. But the fluctuations don't bother me as long as I am in a downward trend, so I weigh myself every day if I'm home or at my parents' house where I know the scale more or less matches mine. I would say that if you find yourself getting panicked and wanting to do something extreme because of a 0.5 lb weight gain on any given day, probably you shouldn't weigh every day. I expect my weight might go up 1-2 days in a row but still be down for a the week. I just don't want to go a whole week without being accountable. YMMV.

I would ask your prescribing doctor to write something saying you are on rx that causes weight gain and give that to insurance with other appeal paperwork.

1) I think the answer to your (TEMPORARY!!!!) struggles is anesthesia. It takes AT LEAST one week to recover from its after-effects, and longer for most! 2) It is also really, really common to have these "why did I do this????" thoughts!! I was prepared for this when I had an elective surgery several years ago. The surgeon gave us a packet that went into this issue at length and it is all temporary, I 100% promise you!!!! You are EXHAUSTED right now!! Your body is recuperating!! As you probably have in read many, many posts in here on BP, the chorus line is "WHYYYYYYY didn't I do this earlier???" You have given yourself a tremendous gift - a second chance at health and...vibrancy!! This regret, remorse, what have I done feeling is going to pass!! 3) The 8.5# weight gain is also TEMPORARY. FAKE. WILL BE GONE VERY SOON. Remember that needle stuck on the back of your hand attached to the hat stand-looking thing with bags on it that you had to drag everywhere during your hospital stay (which I am going to gently remind you was only a MERE few days ago, my friend!! Be kind to yourself!!)? Those bags pumped your body with a lot - A LOT - of fluid. That 'weight' is going to be gone, plus more, VERY VERY SOON!!! So...I am hoping you find that place of optimism again very soon and please know that you have all of our support, encouragement & sincere wishes for your success and a brand new beginning!! Even if you don't feel it every second of the day during this journey - You've GOT this!!! You really do. xoxo

I had Gastric Bypass March 25th, so about 6 days ago. I am very frustrated, I have been having some weird post op experiences I never expected to deal with. 1. Bad constipation 2. Feeling incoherent at times, even being slightly combative 3. Feeling frustrated if not down right disappointed with myself. So first I have had extremly bad constipation. I still havent had a full bowl movement, today, tuesday 3/30 I sent my husband to buy milk of magnesia to help. It has helped a little so hopefully things will get better the rest of this week. Secondly is anyone else incoherent and even combative at times? It only happens when I am waking up from a nap. After exercise or activity I get really tired and almost feel like i am in a fog so I take a nap. My husband wakes me up every hour to 2 hours to get me to drink some water. When he does I am really out of it like I dont know whats going on but even worse I will argue with him. It scares him. Worse I dont really remeber it and I am not even medicated. I have been avoiding the pain medication to try to help relieve the constipation, so I know it is not drugs altering my perception. Its freaky! Lastly I feel like I am failing or the surgery was a failure. I know its the iv and stuff and I shouldn't let it get to me but the scale is showing a weight gain of almost 8.5 lbs. Add that to the swelling from the surgery and I feel so disappointed. I cant shake it. I havent gotten back on the scale since everyone let me know it takes time to get rid of the IV fluids they pump into u in the hospital. I have to keep reminding myself "I AM NOT GOING TO CHECK IT AGAIN UNTIL THE 2 WEEK Post Op" which is 9 days away. But that doesnt make the bad thoughts go away. I never thought I would deal with negative thoughts and feelings this close to the surgery! Anyone else struggling? I feel like its just me failing and it sucks so much!

Indeed, some of my "always thin" friends have been fighting against weight gain all their lives. They say that my eating now resembles theirs and there's nothing abnormal about it. When I pass up dessert or take more than half my meal home in a doggie bag, it looks no different from what they customarily do.

It’s really difficult to avoid all the artificial sweeteners. They seem to be in everything these days. I wanted to reduce or kill any craving for sweet/sugar after surgery. My way of overcoming them was to prepare & cook most of my food myself. It was the only way I could control the ingredients. I don’t use sugar alternatives either. I know there’s sweeteners in the yoghurt & protein bars I buy but that’s really it. I generally avoid sweet things except for naturally occurring sugars like in fruit & I do put a little bit of honey in my rolled oats to help offset the odd hypoglycaemic episodes I can have in the morning (I used to have them occasionally when I was slim in the past too). As soon as I passed the fluid only stage post surgery I never had another protein shake. I made a lot of soup as I went through the post surgery stages. Now if I want something dessert-like I make chia pudding (lactose free milk, chia seeds, vanilla extract). Cooking your own food my be a way for you to not consume the sweeteners you want to avoid. I like to cook so it wasn’t an issue for me. These 6 months will allow you to do lots of research into suitable alternatives. In Australia we don’t have the 6 month pre requisite. I had three weeks between the first appointment with my surgeon & my surgery. This is bit of a thing for me so I apologise if I sound preachy. There’s a lot of interesting research about now about the side effects of sweeteners & the disadvantages. Sure there’s lots of research showing replacing sweeteners with sugar will cause weight loss but of course it will. Going from consuming 100s/1000s of calories in non diet soft drink to 0 calories by drinking diet sodas will result in some weight loss. Dig deep & you will find some research that’s now showing sweeteners can cause weight gain. Good luck.

Lots of solid advice here. I am very grateful that I waited for breast work until I was at a stable weight. When I was at what I thought was my goal weight I was a solid C. I dropped 15 lbs below goal, and went from a C to an A in a month. So my breasts were drastically affected by relatively minor weight loss. On the other hand I am 10-15 lbs above my lowest weight, and my lower body lift has help up perfectly. So my experience also says weight loss is more detrimental that (small to moderate) weight gain.

I am new to this site. I just received my first order and I was under the impression that everything was going to be "carb friendly", which in fact, most everything has excessive carbs that I could have purchased at any local store. Any recommendations on products that are offered on here that are no high in carbs? I had the gastric sleeve in December of 2017. I have gained 25 pounds back. I don't really get hungry, but my metabolism drops, which in turn, causes me to eat impulsively, which of course, created the weight gain. Trying to figure out a "diet" that will help me meet all my needs and goals. Any advice?

I started having consults the month I reached goal (7 months post-op) with the intention of getting it done in a couple months. Turns out my doc was booked up, so I had to wait anyway. I ended up getting arm lift, breast lift and tummy tuck 6.5 months into maintenance (14 months post-op over all). In retrospect its good that there was a wait time because I ended up losing another 15-ish lbs by the time PS surgery came around. My doc did say that in terms of effect on results, weight loss results in more effect on results than weight gain. The reason being that scar tissue may not shrink as well as it expands. My PS was done in Dec 2019, and I'm supremely happy that I had it done. Having tight arms in tank tops and being able to go braless in a tube top is pure joy, lol. P.S. I had mine done in Canada, so I can offer no personal recommendations. I do hear that Columbia is an inexpensive and reliable place to consider though.

@creekimp13 I must be missing something. I've seen many food confessions. Most of us have been honest about bad days and food choices. Some people have a fabulous metabolism. They can work a more moderate or slack program and still lose or maintain weight. Some have more risk factors for weight gain, They may have to follow a strict program. Years out, I don't think anyone cares how I eat.

The scale keeps me aware of microtrends. I use MyFitnessPal to track my weight and I weigh daily. There have been three two-week intervals where I gained and lost 6-8 lbs. even though via food-tracking, I confirmed there was absolutely no change in my daily caloric intake. I reassured myself that these gain/losses were aberrations, not signs of actual weight gain. They could be explained by water retention, salt increase, medication changes, etc. So I look at 7 day, 30 day, 90 day, and 180 day trends. For the past six months, I've been relatively stable and I owe this to food diarying and daily weighing.

There’s some research coming out now saying artificial sweeteners actually encourage weight gain. The body tastes sweet but there’s no calories & no ‘sugar’ (glucose/fructose/etc.) which it does need in small amounts. Your body reacts by storing additional calories you consume as fat. That’s the basic explanation. So all those so called diet sofas & other no added sugar foods are actually making you gain weight. If I don’t let the bubbles go out or at least reduce a lot from the tonic in my occasional G&T, my restriction kicks in. Plus I get the hiccups. I drink a large glass of sparkling water everyday but I pour the glass in the morning & let it sit for ages till it’s practically flat. I usually don’t finish it until mid to late afternoon. It’s just a change from plain water which I also drink through out the day.

I have 10 years of data on my fitness pal showing me that every time I stop weighing myself routinely then I have a dramatic spike in weight. I’m very head-in-the-sand about weight gain, so I know I have to keep an eye on it. Normally I would be a once-a-day weigher, but since I’m in active weight loss right now I’m trying to limit it to 2-3x a week. That way I can (usually) see the scale drop at least a little each time and I don’t drive myself crazy with fluctuations.

It's not real weight gain. It reflects swelling, IV fluids they gave you in the hospital and water retention. The number on the scale doesn't mean much this early. You're good, this is normal healing!

You bet! At 7 years post op, it’s definitely harder. I’m up 35 pounds from my goal weight I maintained for quite a few years. But life happened, and I went back to old habits. As time goes on after surgery, the easier it is to overeat. I’m happy to say I’m back on track again! And let me tell you, eating less and eating protein and lots of fiber has really brought my sleeve restriction back! I’m down 5 pounds and am already feeling physically better. Guys, don’t ignore weight gain after maintenance. You’ll have some “bounce” weight where your body wants to be, and that’s completely normal. But any gain after that take seriously. I was doing the “It’s only 10 pounds” It’s only 15 pounds” until 35 pounds, and then was like “What the hell happened??” I don’t want to get tiny again like the pic on the left at my lowest. I was comfortable at 160, and that’s realistically what I’m shooting for. I can do this! And YOU can, too! Oh, pic on the right is me currently.

I wanted to preface this post with this optimistic fact. My husband had the surgery with amazing results and no problems whatsoever 15 years ago - it saved his life. He lost over 150 pounds and kept if off. He's gained and lost the same 25 pounds like your typical middle aged person, but it's been nothing but a blessing for him. We had different surgeons. My experience wasn't so awesome, and I feel it's so important to share a few facts so you choose the RIGHT surgeon and ask the RIGHT questions. I hope I can help people avoid the avoidable. I'm a big believer in the surgery - but I want you to not suffer. Let me help:) What's the problem? The sleeve has a common and serious side effect that I suffer with, and that many surgeons downplay. GERD. But this isn't the GERD you think you know - I'll jump into that later. GERD has up to a 30% rate of occurrence after VSG - that's a lot higher then what my doc told me. https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nyas.14467. Not only did my doctor gloss over it, and convey that it was "really rare", but he didn't really explain what this type of GERD is. I'm going to explain what this type of GERD is, and then I'm going to arm you with the right questions and research to do before you pick a surgeon. Because once it goes bad, your surgeon will pawn you off on a GERD doctor and that's that. Let me help you get proactive and avoid a bad result! What is VSG GERD? Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or chronic acid reflux is when acid shoots into your esophagus and throat. VSG GERD is different - that's why I'm giving it its own name. I never had GERD before the surgery. Now I get VSG GERD after drinking 4 oz. of water. It's NOT triggered by food. This isn't occasional, it's constant without dangerous meds. I now weigh 115 pounds, so it's not triggered by overindulgence or weight gain brought on by binging. Now you might think you already know GERD. Who hasn't had to pop a tums here and there? Not a bad trade off for a morbid obesity cure, right? THIS IS NOT THAT!!!! VSG GERD is an unrelenting tidal wave of persistent, burning acid that causes chest pain (and emergency room visits) that can only be somewhat managed by daily, longterm use of a class of drugs called PPI's. These PPI's lead to malabsorption and a host of side effects. I sit in my local cancer center to have my bi-annual 4-hour iron infusion with chemo patients to name just one. https://journals.lww.com/ajg/Fulltext/2018/10001/Effect_of_Long_Term_Proton_Pump_Inhibitor_Use_on.1227.aspx PPI's are a class of drugs that are only intended for 2 weeks of use because of their fairly horrific side effects. PPI's are linked to depression, blindness, cancer, and early death, (and this is the short list). There are several law firms dedicated to compensation for PPI victims. PPI's makes me feel like I've just downed a bottle of Mayo. I've been nauseous for years. I alternate between taking a bottle of tums a day so that I can take breaks from the PPI - but I always revert back to them after a short break to alleviate the pain. I am seriously at risk for a ton of really serious diseases, and my liver tests are really bad. PPI's are deadly. I'm in the process of finding a surgeon who can help. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-53622-3 The amount of VSG patients converting to the bypass/Linx system/etc. to rid themself of GERD and get off PPI's is exploding. Common sense would tell you that this isn't a" tums" sort of reflux! Hope for post VSG GERD As someone with no energy, horrible anemia, and low final weight - the bypass conversion sounds like a disaster because of the increased risk of malabsorption, but one surgeon told me it might be my only option. Some surgeons are discovering that a revision surgery to treat a hiatal hernial (HH) is the key to relief. I've had several scopes over the years, and they can never find a HH, but according to my husband's VSG surgeon, that isn't uncommon. He feels there is a possibility that my past the doctors missing it. I'm waiting on my barium swallow results. This gives me hope - that's why I wanted to share it. Hope is everything. I'm also going to talk with the doctor who wrote this article. "Laparoscopic Ligamentum Teres cardiopexy to the rescue; an old procedure with a new use in managing reflux after sleeve gastrectomy". Follow me and I'll keep you updated. https://www.americanjournalofsurgery.com/article/S0002-9610(20)30814-X/fulltext#gr2 Future VSG patients - ASK QUESTIONS! A few surgeons are now doing the sleeve with hiatal hernia repair at the same time, and some understand how important it is to consider GERD while doing the surgery. Different surgeons have different techniques. Some doctors "get it", and are being proactive because they've seen the pain that GERD causes. Some downplay it. I would suggest that ALL sleeve pre op patients have this discussion with their surgeon before moving forward. If he downplays it, RUN. ASK!!!! Ask your surgeon how many patients has he had who've had GERD. How does/or will he address it if you are unlucky? Ask about his follow up - does he even know what's going on with his past patients? How does he keep track? Has he sent any patients to a GERD specialist? If he says, "oh, only a few of my patients had that" - ask him how he handled it. (My surgeon sent me to the GERD doc and then cut off ties. He was not curious about my results - he did not want to know. He probably still tells patients that it is rare. He has no idea I've been suffering for 14 years.) Bariatric surgeons who've done the surgery and are on the forefront of GERD repair are a good bet. These doctors are rare and you need to really hunt for them. If your doctor does the whole "very rare", etc. (my doctor did), he's either: not reading recent studies, not listening to his patients, not following up on them, minimizing this horrific side effect, or all of the above. Don't settle for a doctor who acts like it's "super rare" or "no big deal". THIS IS A BIG DEAL. Find one that is proactive and discusses HOW they avoid it. I'm rooting for all of you! Let's get the surgery, but let's get it from the right people. Don't pick the guy in Mexico just because he's cheap. Don't pick the guy because he takes your insurance. Spend the money for a few consults to discuss the surgery with different surgeons. Come here and reach out to people who've gone to him/her. I went with a blind recommendation and didn't ask enough questions - and the price is really expensive - I'm still paying.

People all calculate differently. My surgeon and nutritionist both use the weight from my first consultation visit when assessing progress, so it includes the weight gained or lost while in the program leading up to date of surgery. In my case, the starting weight of 383.4 is from June of 2019. I was 337 on my surgery date in mid-July of 2020. However, my all-time highest weight is probably from 2016 when I weighed approximately 410. 410... 383.4... 337... it ends up being semantics IMO. The only thing that really matters is that the weight now is well below all three.

That's a lot of weight gain! Hopefully, as everyone's life gets back to normal they can lose it.

I was finally able to get some clarification regarding my coverage. Knowing what to expect puts me at ease. Gastric Bypass Surgery (Bariatric Surgery) is covered only if specific medical criteria are met:  Bariatric surgery may be indicated for patients 18 to 60 years of age. Requests for bariatric surgery for patients less than 18 years of age should include documentation that the primary care physician has addressed the risk of surgery on future growth, the patient's maturity level and the patient’s ability to understand the procedure and comply with postoperative instructions, as well as the adequacy of family support. Patients above 60 years of age may be considered if it is documented in the medical record that the patient’s physiologic age and co-morbid condition(s) result in a positive risk/benefit ratio. • The patient has been clinically evaluated by an MD or DO. The physician has documented failure of non-surgical management including a structured, professionally supervised (physician or non-physician) weight loss program for a minimum of six consecutive months within the last four years prior to the recommendation for bariatric surgery. The six consecutive month weight loss program listed above is waived for super morbidly obese individuals who have a BMI ≥50. Documentation should include periodic weights, dietary therapy and physical exercise, as well as behavioral therapy, counseling and pharmacotherapy, as indicated. • Documentation that the PCP and the patient have a good understanding of the risks involved and reasonable expectations that the patient will be compliant with all postsurgical requirements. • A psychological evaluation must be performed as a pre-surgical assessment by a contracted mental health professional in order to establish the patient’s emotional stability, ability to comprehend the risk of surgery and to give informed consent, and ability to cope with expected post-surgical lifestyle changes and limitations. Such psychological consultations may include one unit total of psychological testing for purposes of personality assessment (e.g., the MMPI-2 or adolescent version, the MMPI-A). • The physician needs to be aware and follow-up with individuals who have had gastric surgery for any long-term complications. • In cases where a revision of the original procedure is planned, documentation of all of the following is required: - Date and type of previous procedure - The factor(s) that precipitated failure - Any complications from the previous procedure that mandate (necessitate) the takedown - If the indication for the revision is a failure of the patient to lose a desired amount of 51 weight then the patient must meet all of the initial preoperative criteria. Note: The following surgical procedures are considered experimental/investigational because their safety and/or effectiveness have not been proven: • Loop gastric bypass gastroplasty - also known as mini-gastric bypass • Stomach stapling Endoscopic procedures to treat weight gain after bariatric surgery to remedy large gastric stoma or large gastric pouches are considered experimental/investigational.

That sucks... I have bipolar disorder and I gained 100 lbs in two years when I first started on meds when I was 14. Most of the bipolar meds cause weight gain. It's going to be hard for your doc to find one that doesn't! And insurance is always looking for a way to deny coverage anyway (seriously - I studied this in graduate school). I would wait until your meds are stable before trying again. Once you've been on a particular medication for a while your weight gain usually stops as long as you focus really hard. Plus, you want your mental health to be really stable before undergoing this process. I was told I had to get my psychiatrist to approve me since I have bipolar. I hope it works for you!

I’ve been able to tolerate pretty much everything at 4 month post op. I eat fruit and vegetables including lettuce frequently, I have spicy food, coffee, etc. I’ve not tried soda, I’ve never liked it and sweet beverages are not only gross but the quickest way to bypass your restriction and start gaining. My doctor said to avoid bread and rice so I’ve not bothered with it. Tbh I don’t have room in a meal for it anyway- if I have a curry I can just eat some vegetables and protein and then have enough left over for a few more meals, forget wasting space on rice! I think a lot of the problem is that there is so much you can have but probably shouldn’t from a weight gain perspective. I’m not drinking while I’m losing but when I get to maintenance I’m looking forward to having a half glass of dry white wine every few weeks, like I used to. Candy is such a huge problem for me I don’t know that I will ever effectively find a way to work it into my diet again. Based on how I react to other stuff I bet I physically could eat it, but it would completely undermine what I’m trying to do here. Some things may be better left in the past.

Haha.... just noticed this forum and the requirements to post here... I hit 18 months March 4th, I guess that makes me a vet lol! Current stats: 5'4.5" and between 126-129 pounds depending on the day. Hit my goal at 7 months and was well under my goal by a year. Overall I have been maintaining for a year now.... did have some challenges recently and weight was beginning to creep up... but I managed to quickly ditch those few extra pounds and am back at my happy maintenance weight. I get thrilled every time my husband or daughter comment at how skinny I am. My daughter says she never realized I was really overweight or "fat" until I lost it all. Now when we look at photos from just 2 years ago it is obvious. Now I am a size 4 and i look healthy. I can't go any lower than 124 though... 124 seems to be right where I am on the verge of looking too skinny. Health is great. Sleep apnea is being treated. Heart condition resolved. High cholesterol and tachycardia resolved. The medical consensus is that severe undiagnosed sleep apnea is what triggered my sudden weight gain... and my heart health was what prevented me from losing weight. Now I feel better than ever and feel that as long as I continue to control diet and exercise regularly I will have no problem maintaining. Of course... controlling diet is key. I was never a big calorie consumer.... but I wasn't always eating good foods and then I did drink calories in the form of Pepsi. Most of the time I don't have an issue controlling diet... but when life is excessively stressful... that is when I can get into trouble. That is when I am most likely to not eat right and consuming the wrong foods. I have taken steps to increase access to healthy food at work, which is also important for me. Exercise.... still trying to get back in a regular routine after a horrible few months at work. Doing much better... but still have a ways to go. So... 2020 I had planned to walk the Camino De Santiago (You walk all the way across northern Spain). It was going to be my reward for losing weight and a way to improve my physical fitness. Had to cancel. Then I had to cancel the trip I rescheduled for this summer. Boo! Instead... I am gearing up to do an 8 week hike on either the Pacific Crest Trail or the Appalachian Trail. I will probably do the Appalachian Trail this summer and wait for the PCT. I am excited and nervous at the same time. I really wanted to do the Camino first, because that is more of a spiritual/cultural walk and you don't have to carry your tent/food/extra water. With either of these I will have to carry all of those items. I know I can do it... but it would have been so much better to do the other walk before either of these hikes. My challenge now? Trying to make sure I eat properly on the trail! Just bought a dehydrator and am assembling/dehydrating meals that I can eat so I don't have to rely on crap food available along the way. I need to be able to eat enough calories to sustain me, but not so many that I develop bad habits. Most people load up on carbs... I need to avoid that and only load up on healthy carbs. Anyhow... that's me! New WLS "VET"

Wow.... offended much? And what exactly makes YOU an expert? LMAO The whole point of my post was to encourage the original poster to seek guidance from her HEALTH team. THEY are the experts And in my reply to you I said your doc SEEMS to be more of the exception than the rule. And exactly what AUTHORITATIVE comments did I make? I didn't tell anyone to do anything... but I did say in my posts (there were 3 of them... that the OP should consult their medical team. LMAO "Yeah, I keep hearing this. From people who were so good at consuming calories they had to have weight loss surgery " I especially love this sentence... I mean... Pot Calling the Kettle Black???? LMAO BTW.... my weight gain was caused by prolonged severe sleep apnea which caused a log of health issues... I took care of the sleep apnea and had weight loss surgery so I could regain my heart health. but go on making assumptions about people you have never met before!

Hey everyone! I'm back on here, looking for motivation and advice. Long story short, I've just had my first surgery following my final cancer treatment and the biopsy came back all clear! Looks like I beat the odds and tackled esophageal cancer in 16 months. I did not go through chemo, therefore the stress of the situation drove me back into bad eating habits and I put on 30 pounds. I'm 4 years and 3 months post-bypass. I've maintained at 200 pounds (down from 369 at my biggest) and was very proud of myself until recently. I have packed this weight on over the last 4 months. Winter. Holidays. Cancer. COVID. It all conspired to make for a rough patch, but I'm on the other side of the mountain now and determined to get back down to 200 which is where I'm happy and looking healthy. Thoughts? Advice? Words of encouragement?

Weight gain is a really common side effect of depakote! Let your prescribing doctor know that you are working towards weight loss surgery, and ask them to prescribe a medication with less likelihood of weight gain-there are definitely other options. I’m a psych nurse, we use depakote sometimes for a mood stabilizer and it also used to treat seizure disorders. Either way, there are other options that your doctor should be willing to prescribe.