Search the Community

Hi, I am 6 1/2 years post op (gastric bypass), I’ve gained 54 pounds since my lowest weight of 245. I’m not up at 299 and need to loose the weight. I’ve taken the necessary steps to make it happen, but am struggling with my calorie goal each day (logging on My Fitness Pal), I can’t seem to pass the 900(ish) calorie goal, I’m eating VERY CLEAN and Lean. Is this too little calories or should I be consuming more? I do work out one on one with a trainer 3 times a week, and 2 other days, I’ll do Home walks and what not. In the past i went with calories suggested from MFP, and I lost 2 pounds in 2.5months (I was working out hard, and eating right, but eating the 1,875 calories MFP recommended. So this didn’t work for me. My trainer is training with other bypass ladies and says their goals are 1200-1300. Day. I can’t even eat that much unless I chose to go with pizza and icecream. Help me please, what should my calorie intake be to lose weight? I do realize my macros should be 60g of protein, but I’m clueless on fats and carbs too. Ugh, I’m so frustrated.

I think the reason this surgery makes us so nervous, aside from the obvious reasons, is that we are looking at making a life changing decision. We have come to a cross roads of letting go of food and fat and unveiling the inner person we all have hiding in us. It is a contradiction to the subconscious mind that has protected us so long and justified our eating weight gain. It is that very same subconscious that we hear all of those bargaining thoughts from as we travel down the road of this journey,,,things like Maybe I don't need surgery, I will just diet one more time, or I am not really that fat, ect..................

In my five years since vsg...I lost both my parents to heart disease and cancer. I am so so sorry for your loss. Stress = Weight Gain or Weight Stall for most of us. Yoga, therapy, friends, church, love. ..knowing your mother wanted you to be taken care of and happy. You need to continue where she left off. Love yourself like she loved and lived for you. You need to find it in you. I lost my way and am just now trying to find my own way back. I know it's possible.

Yeah, you are a complete light weight after banding. I can't remember how long I waited but it was probably at least a month, maybe longer. I used to LOVE beer - probably part of the reason for the weight gain. I can drink it a little now, but have to let it sit for a bit to settle carbonation otherwise it makes me feel horrible. Generally I stick with wine or mixers now but I rarerly drink anymore.

Surgery is painful. Everyone experiences pain differently. For me, the pain medicines made me comfortable. I am in my 40s, I was back to normal in about 2 weeks. The weight does not fall off at first. With a band, it can take several months to get to the appropriate fill level for the band to give the most help. The band is a strictly restrictive procedure. the weight loss you achieve is based on calorie restriction, not on restriction and malabsorption like gastric bypass. Lapband patients are advised to expect losses of 1-2 pounds per week. Being at a higher weight, you might lose faster at first, once your calorie consumption is under control. If you are looking for rapid weight loss, gastric bypass or vertical sleeve is the way to go, not banding. Exercise, you do what you can. Even lifting weights or dancing in a chair will help until you can start weight bearing exercises. The band is not meant to be a temporary item. It seems when most people get their bands removed or unfilled, old habits creep back in and weight gain occurs. When there is no Fluid in a band, for most of us, it is like we have no band. We can generally eat the same amounts we could before surgery. There are some here who have restriction without any fill in their bands, but they seem to be the exception, not the rule. I have never had all the fill removed from my band since I had it installed. Having unfills for special events in life is just not something I would consider. My new way of eating is for life, and it is not dependent on chances to eat more food or new foods. I can experience plenty of food without unfilling it. Steak...well, it can be problematic for many banded people. Like a previous poster, I can eat it if I cut it into very small pieces and chew VERY well. I tend to get tired of chewing before my portion is gone. It is a lot of work to eat. You might be able to eat it, you might not. It is something you will have to be willing to give up if it turns out to be something you cannot eat. Keep the questions coming, the better informed you are, the better decision you can make!!

The dr had recommended to not weigh ourselves until our first post op appt since she didn't want us freaking out over possible weight gain from the hospital so I don't know the 1st week. 2 weeks after surgery down 13lbs, 3rd week 18, I stalled for two weeks then 5 weeks down 22. I'm 11 weeks now and as of the beginning of this week I'm down almost 33lbs.

I had over 12 pounds of skin removed yet the scale crept up immediately after surgery. It wasn't weight gain though, it was serious Fluid retention. When they do a tummy tuck, they cut the lymphatic channels between your upper and lower torso/legs. This can cause some pretty serious fluid retention. What you're experiencing isn't uncommon at all. Give it a couple more weeks. In the meantime, stay away from salt and if you see the scale still creeping up, see if maybe your doctor will give you something for the Water weight. Btw, if you see your legs increasing in size dramatically and have leg pain? Insist you're checked for blood clots. I ended up with life threatening blood clots in both legs which landed me in the ICU for 8 days. It was pure hell. Best wishes and hang in there.

Hi, My surgery date was 3.16.16. Pretty quickly I began losing weight and achieved my weight goal in November 2016. My weight has stayed pretty close to 166-172 lbs since then but in the late 2 months my weight has jumped to 181 lbs. I am very concerned and afraid of this. Last month I weighed myself and was 181 lbs and Tuesday it was the same. I have ramped my excercise back up and clamped back down on the foods I am eating again. Has anyone had anything like this happen? Were you just as terrified? What reasons were you given as to what is a factor of the weight gain. Any tips anyone can give me to get rid of those 10 lbs? Thanks a Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi, my surgeon has recommended that I have the Fobi ring fitted when I have the sleeve operation, to help prevent future weight gain. Has anyone had experience with this???

I agree! Physicians as a whole tend to be dismissive of the mental aspects of our health. Not just bariatric surgeons, although one would think that doctors performing wls would be more in tune with the mental aspect of weight gain and loss. I'm disappointed with the lack of follow-up care with my surgeon. It's not bad, the center has monthly support groups, required visits with a nutritionist, and a patient coordinator who is available to answer questions. However, I find that the support group is more like a pep rally and doesn't give me much support. And my 3 month f/u was scheduled for 4 months, and I'm told by other patients that I won't even see the doctor. I'm ready to cancel it and wait for my 6 month f/u. Why pay the copay just to get weighed on their scale and tell them I have no questions? I've looked for support outside the wls community as well. I talk to a therapist and I've gone to oa meetings. It helps a lot.

I would suggest talking with your bariatric team/NUT/PCP, and going back to basics before even considering anything a drastic as diet pills or a new surgery. It may just be a matter of refocusing and recommitting to your program, which you can do! You have come so far already. Embrace the Stall! (Which can apply to weight gain.) http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

My doc says I should eat 70 grams of Protein and less than 30 grams of carbs each day. But not to worry about calories. Do you count protein grams? Carbohydrates? Calories? None of the above? Today marks my sixth week post op... I weigh myself on Mondays and today I am UP 2lbs. I am trying not to get discouraged... but it seems as though everyone does it differently... I know that last week I ate more than 30 grams of carbs a couple of days, but my caloric intake total was still around 650 calories... would this account for the weight gain?

After being denied the first time, TRS Active Care/BCBS approved me after my surgeon's office sent an appeal coupled with a letter from my family doctor stating that the band was medically necessary because of my diabetes and after many tried and failed attempts at weight loss programs. She also used the words morbidly obese more times than I ever wanted to see! At any rate, I just found out yesterday that the appeal was approved, so I haven't scheduled a date yet. In fact, I don't even think my surgeon's office knows it has been approved as I called BCBS late yesterday afternoon. They submitted the appeal on the 17th and I was approved yesterday! That's pretty quick, in my opinion. I am hoping to schedule my surgery for spring break as I am a teacher. Having that week off to get back on my feet should be enough. I'm just ecstatic to begin my journey. I am only 26 years old, and I have been diabetic for over year. After the diagnosis, I lost 33 lbs. on Weight Watchers but didn't maintain it because I was always hungry. I got sick of the deprivation. As a result of the weight gain, I now have hypertension to add to the list. I weigh 250 lbs. My surgeon thinks that I am the perfect candidate for the surgery. I know this isn't a magic bullet as I have done research and have two friends who have been banned; however, I think it is my best shot at a healthy lifestyle. :tongue_smilie:

has anyone gone through pregnancy being banded and going to a midwife? are they ok with having the band? i've lost about 40lb since AUG and am NOT looking forward to gaining any weight. I lost 35 through morning sickness with dd but gained it all back and then some after about 6 months. can having the band help keep weight gain to an absolute minimum or do they want you to gain like everyone else? i don't even want to step on a scale anymore.

I am one of those people who needs to understand the why behind everything. I've done everything by the book and I have been up three pounds the last two days. I haven't had over 1200 calories and most days and under that. i am definitely having a calorie deficit. So I know this isn't true weight gain, but what is it? I know your monthly friend can cause it, but that's not for a week. I haven't had a lot of sodium. I know the weight loss should be slow, but at 1200 calories a day, I am expecting results.

I just went to get started on birth control to control symptoms I get and I just told them I did not want any one that caused weight gain As for it affecting anything else, it will not affect anything. So you can go to any gyno

I joined this forum today and read a lot of interesting posts with different points of view on the Lap Band. I decided to share my story and let anyone who reads it take from it what helps them. I was banded three years ago in Mexico. To date I have lost 30 pounds. I would say it’s more of a maintenance weight of 185. Is it a “fail?” I don’t know… I’m still in deliberations. 1) I can tell you I have always had problems getting protein down from the beginning so I chose foods that went down easier. It didn’t matter what size fill I had. Protein was not my friend, ever. But I was eating 1/3 my normal portion and sometimes even less. But it was pasta, rice, and adding gravies made food go down even easier so I wouldn’t get stuck, which happened quite frequently. That was a wrong choice, so for any reader here, don’t do this! When my surgery was performed the Dr. fixed what he described the biggest Hiatal hernia he’d seen, which would explain the feeling of Satan living in my stomach for years. I recently had bouts of heart burn, waking from sleep choking, a lot of sliming episodes and it didn’t matter what I ate, I ignored it and went to liquids for a day or two on several occasions with success (but not this last time), again don’t do this! My point…I had to go back to the Dr. 2 weeks ago, it was an emergency visit because I let it get to the point where water was having a hard time going down and staying down (for a couple of days. You know what I’m going to say, don’t ignore this symptom of a tight band). The Dr. thought that I may have had a slipped band and had symptoms of a perforated stomach (from what happens when you get stuck repeatedly and ignore the signs of a tight band, yes, vomiting food back up). Turns out it was neither of the above and with an un-fill (now two weeks) I am fine and enjoying protein and other foods I still shouldn’t be eating BUT CAN. Big FAIL on my part! I realized the other day with a 5 pound gain in 2 weeks that HELL, like alcoholism, drug addiction, and other addictions, that food is an addiction for most of us on here that have had the surgery whether we have all realized that or not. We’re just not wired like thin people, bless their tiny little bodies . So I proclaim tomorrow is day one again for me with eyes wide open. I’ve already messed up breakfast today! In two weeks I’ll get a refill and start counting down again, smarter this time. A poke from someone on here now and then would be great. I will say that the band stopped weight gain but I don’t think my Dr. would agree that using this tool upside down is how it works. I’m glad I found this forum because when you have surgery in Mexico you go home and that’s it. You have no support group, no follow-up nutrition classes to go to, no nice office staff to check up on you to see how you are progressing or to give helpful pointers during plateauing. You are on your own to figure the whole band experience out for yourself, good, bad and indifferent.

I'm currently recovering from brachioplasty and have had some complications. I'm almost 3 weeks out and actually am going to have to take 2 more weeks off b/c I had to get 18 stitches today. I can't lift anything... pretty much need to baby my left arm. Since I'm a nurse I can't work without a left arm! All that said... don't be scared I don't regret a thing. I say wait absolutly! The reason... you never know if you will have complications. If you do have complications you don't want to rush back to work b/c you won't heal. The weight gain is also a factor! I gained 30 lbs at one point down 10 of that now but still have 20 lbs to work off. You don't want to have to do that twice! Plastic surgery is no joke. I found my brachioplasty to be the toughest surgery I've undergone. I've had my gallbladder out, pilinidal cyst removed, and the lap band.

I don't want to take the thread in a whole other direction so I'll try to answer short. =) All of the above. Here is what went wrong: I had a knee injury early last year which caused me to stop working out the way I loved to, so I became depressed (literally). I started eating terrible which both of which lead to the weight gain. Then I had knee surgery and was told I will never run again which caused more depression. I always had GERD since my lap band but in the past year it has gotten progressively worse. It's so bad right now I sound like a crying frog and cough like a 2 pack a day smoker and choke in my sleep. This does not help with the weight. I found out the Sleeve can make GERD worse so I went to see my surgeon via my insurance and he ordered tests to see if I did have it and if so how bad. Turns out my stomach looks like an hourglass and I do have GERD so bad I can't keep anything down, no matter what it is I'm eating. He has suggested the best offer he can give me to help me with my physical problems is to give me a bypass. I don't feel I have a choice because even though the tests did not show any issues yet but in time the GERD will lead to Barrett's or cancer, not a chance I'm willing to take. In the past few months I've gotten my attitude in order and working to get back into shape the best way I can and get off the bad foods. I'm doing good and doing everything I can to prepare myself for my revision. I kept all my weight off for nearly 3 years so I know I can do it. I just can't let depression get to me in the future like I did last time, and to stay diligent with any signs I'm having problems.

I have a question. I feel like since I will be having this surgery I am eating more. Ugh I ate so much today I got sick to my stomach can't figure this out. I need to get control. Has this happened to any of you? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I haven't made my decision which surgery is best for me. Has anyone started to regain or not lose the desired amount of weight before 1 to 2 years post- op Sent from my 5056N using the BariatricPal App

I'm 6 weeks post op and have gained about 6lbs. I'm thinking its from not reaching my water goal but not really sure. I get about 2/2.5 16 oz. bottles down a day. Which I know is definitely not enough. Anyone have any ideas on how to get more water in? I use the flavor packets but its still hard to get down.

I had my surgery November 8, 2008. I successfully went from 258 to 140. I had to have shoulder surgery in June of this year and now the fight is on. Blood sugar out of control, weight gain to 185, and thyroid medication d/t hypothyroidism, I am so ashamed of myself, I have gained all this weight and there seems to be nothing working. The Dr totally unfilled my band and since then he has put fluid back. No luck I am still gaining, and I feel like a hungry bear with no stopping. Blood sugar is crazy. i took 100 unit of insulin prior to surgery and I was able to go off the anything at all for blood sugar. My A1c has climbed and now having to do sliding scale. Anyone else having these issues?

Hello Group! Today is my first day here onsite. I started my lifestyle change on 3/9/2009 when I had my WLS-Lapband. I went through some immediate results but 6 years later I developed an erosion in the mouth of the stomach that caused my tool to be removed. I experienced a rapid weight gain! On April 19 2016, my surgeon revisited my case and I was approved for a revision. We agreed on the Gastric Bypass. The surgery went well. I take my vitamins, eat right etc. On august 16, 2019 I underwent the Panniculectomy surgery which went very well. The recovery process was about a month. I am very happy with the results. Now, what I am currently experiencing is the UPs and Downs of weight loss and weight gain due to the unprecedented times we are experiencing and the challenges we faces each day. In March 2020, I was required to work from home which was great but the exercising has been limited. OMG how I miss the gym... I visited my nutritionist and she recommended I join this website for some guidance, support or even a fruitful tip that can keep me motivated. I do not wish to go backwards, I want to continue losing and I just seem to have lost sight. HELP