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I choose the Lapband it was safe and losing the weight Would be a slow for me. I witness several of my friends who did the evasive gastric bypass and it has been couple of years now. Three out of seven are happy with their Decision. The rest are having a hard time with their gastric bypass medically. As for me I am at 11 cc from 300 lbs down to 272 lbs currently. I have to remember losing the weight takes time. It's a new way of life for me. I know My reasons for the weight gain a mixture of medical and personal but I know where I at each day. At times I forget during myself a sense so to speak I get frustrated with myself and I go into my self pity mode. I guess I need this now and then for a reality check. Lol I have lost my clothes size which tells me I am ln the right track lol Excess skin gets in the way lol oh well. It's been two years of having the Lapband and I am so very grateful. I look forward when I reach my goal. I would appreciate people to give their input where I am at its hard to get to any support group meetings. The nearest place would be by plane!

I had my sleeve 20th and lost 10 lbs the first week. I have gained 2 lbs since then. How can that happen. Only eating protein shakes and some eggs and ricotta cheese. So upset!

Wow! thankyou, great advice. I'm thinking I might try something similar. I started going to a gym 3 times a week 2 months ago and will keep that up but I'm basically eating good healthy foods for morning and lunch. it's when i get home I go off the rails and I sit watching tv diving into a bowl of popcorn or having bread. I could continue this pattern and closely monitor for weight gain and if it starts to creep up, then I'll have to pull back in the evenings, or try your approach with controlled days and not so controlled weekends. Thanks for the tips - as I said, never had to really hold steady with my weight before (my BMI is 40) so I dont want to go too far under either.

I was in BH for over 3 months with no weight loss and no weight gain. It's disappointing when we go into this thinking we'll immediately start losing a lot of weight only to find we didn't read the fine print. Looking back, for me, it's been a blessing to take longer for the band to begin to work. I've learned much about myself, my eating habits and how to communicate with my band. tmf

So I was sleeved yesterday afternoon. I weighed in at the hospital yesterday morning at 241#. I got released home today & stepped on my scale.. 256#?!?!?!?!? Are you kidding me?!?!? The doc said I would have some extra weight from all the IV fluids & gas pumped in to me.. But 15#??? Did anyone else gain this much immediately after surgery? If so, how long did it take you to lose it?

My doctor didn't require one either, just no weight gain

Hello, Well I had the gall bladder taken out and THEY SAVED MY LAP-BAND® I am so happy!!! I definitely think the vomiting from the gall bladder stones took a toll on the LAP-BAND® too! The LAP-BAND® is a piece of cake over this gall bladder. Very interesting fact for you guys. Essentially when you are on a low fat diet for along time like we all have been for the most part...the bile in the gall bladder which really is just cholesterol becomes hard hence turning into stones. In other words the liver shoots out bile when you eat a high fat meal, if it can't keep up it has the gall bladder shoot some bile to break down the fat. But if you don't eat high fat meals the gall bladder's bile turns sludgy then can turn into stones. Unlike kidney stones these stones can not be broken and must come out. So if you guys get food regurgitation into your mouth, bloating, rotten egg burps right shoulder pain and pain in your stomach check your gall bladder. I have to start all over again with Clear Liquids, full , puree, mushies, soft...I can barley remember the stages. You guys reading your posts I see you beat yourselves up over those ten lbs up and down, but the more people I see that have had the full RNY have large weight gains back, hang in there. I have had so many complications but still love my band. __________________

hf2havefun, I live in Central Texas. I live in the Killeen / Harker Heights area and work in the Temple / Belton area. If anyone does have recommendations for a doctor, I'm all ears! My primary care physician of the last year hasn't listened to anything I've said. She recommended I try Weight Watchers (again). I'm only 23, but I also have been diagnosed with PCOS, one of the major symptoms of which is massive weight gain at a rapid pace. I had my son almost 3 years ago and since then have packed on the weight no matter what I do. I used to be very healthy, I worked at different local gyms for years before my pregnancy and loved working out and eating healthy, but at the weight I am now it's so frustrating to try and lose anything. I just don't have the will power to do it alone, yet I refuse to let it control my life like it has been. Sheesh, you gotta love the anonymity of the internet huh? I haven't said half this stuff to my closest friends! Thanks so much for the well wishes and advice!

I had my RNY at 47, and have lost 100 lbs, would like to lose another 8 lbs, surgery was 20 mos ago. Except for my stomach, I have virtually no loose skin. That said, I have a fair complexion, have never tanned, didn't get many stretch marks during my one pregnancy or all my weight gain. I have also never smoked as much as on cigarette. All this worked in my favor for not having a lot of lose skin. All the things I mentioned are causes or signs or less elasticity. I do a fair amount of weight training so the muscle tone will help loose skin appear firmer, I think but won't "cure " lose skin. Now I'm not saying I will ever wear a bikini but I feel.100 percent comfortable in sleeveless shirts.

Way to go Kim! Now start getting in a multi Vitamin morning and night until you can check back with the WLS team maybe. B12 is almost always recommended too, and can give you energy. I found myself getting depressed after a long stall about 5 to 6 months out, and I contacted my doctor because I recognize the depression symptoms from some years back. I'm now on wellbutrin because it isn't known to have a weight gain affect, and seeing a counselor a couple times really helped. I am thrilled for you that you made the call – and that you got on this site to reach out for some help. Smart woman! You can do this, even though it's hard. You go girl! Kate

Hi everyone! I am new to the forums.. I could really use some advice before considering lap band surgery. I keep going back & forth, making consultation appts then not going. Its been awhile again and here I am considering it again. I have 3 family members that had it done & had great success. I am worried about qualifying mostly at this point... My bmi is 38 now.. I have Medicare as my primary insurance & I'm hoping I can qualify to have the procedure covered. Also, I am 32... 5'3, 212pds I have been struggling with my weight for years now though... lost & gained it back several times and I am just frustrated a permanent solution sounds so good to me at this point although I know it will still take some work on my part. I just hope it would be the right decision, I was never overweight until around age 24 ..after that and having my daughter the weight started adding on.. & medications I have to take just make it harder to lose the weight or cause weight gain. Anyways.. sorry for rambling..any advice is appreciated

Hi Travelen, It sounds like you have a good handle on the situation so far! I was thinking just yesterday that pre-band I used to "self-medicate" with food and the side-effect of that food/medication was weight gain. Then I started thinking, well, isn't that the same thing as other meds causing sides effects, such as weight gain. My self-medication (food) was making me fat. Now, with that taken away, yes, it is something I have to recken with every day. I wish I had a magic answer for you, but I am struggling right now with working from home, getting overly stressed out with my job, and having food readily available to me. Being alone and not in an office invironment ( with other people watching) takes a lot of discipline on my part. Every situation is different, but yes, I agree with the others that there are replacements for food and you have to embrace this new healthy lifestyle and remember this is something you are doing for YOU! Good luck. You sound like you are on the right road!

I eat sushi (cooked and uncooked) all the time. Before I was banded I used to be able to polish 5-6 large rolls in one sitting. food poisining: If you eat at a decent sushi joint you should not have these issues. I know my sushi place gets a fresh fish delivery every single day. They are also very careful handling and storing the food. PB Worries: If you eat SLOWLY and in small amounts and you make sure the sushi is moist or dipped in (low calorie) soy you should not have any problems. Some people are more sensitive than others and you'll just have to test the foods yourself. I did ask my Dr. and nutritionist about sushi and they said it was perfectly fine. Weight Gain: Before I was banded I gained a decent amount just from (over)eating sushi. Now I have 2 regular sized rolls and I'm pretty filled. People think sushi is healthy but in reality the rice is high in carbs and most sushi chefs dress the rolls in all sorts of crap (mayo, high cal dressing etc.) Good luck and don't let one in a million stories scare you off .

I was told not to have rice because it expands and continues to expand in your stomach. Not sure how true that is, but that is what I was told. LOL. For those of us who havent had a fill and have no restriction, be careful!!!! You quickly learn that without restriction, you can basically eat whatever you want. But you will pay for it with weight gain, as I did. Over Thanksgiving weekend I gained 6 pounds. Luckily, I am back on track, but I still have to be careful because I dont have that restriction. Best of luck!

Hey everyone! I have not posted in a long time...I read but don't post. I was dismayed to see how many prominent bandsters had lost their bands like DeLArla, La Madam, and Penni. They truly helped me early on and I wish them the very best here today. I have managed to stay within 147-152 pounds for most of the time except when I needed an unfill due to illness. I have learned when I get sick with a mucus related thing I don't tolerate it well with the band. Both times I was unfilled and gained.. I just wanted to say hello and say yes I am so much happier and would do it again today. If i ever have any problems I will get a new one and this latest weight gain has brought me to my knees emotionally making me realize again I have no control. I never have never will. I just was filled today and am getting mentally ready to stay focused and start losing again. I never thought I would go up two sizes again... I was in Florida over spring break and covering up my stomach in my bathing suit. It hurt to come this far and start to go backwards... I must pull myself up out of being down and keep using this tool. I should never have put off my refill for 8weeks!!!!! I won't let that happen again!!! Cheers to you all out there !

So im post op sleeve gastrectomy 1yr and want another baby but am terifed of gaining any weight apart from the 10kgs baby how much should I gain if any ?And will it just fall off post birth as the same before pre pregnancy?

About 8 1/2 years ago, I finally got to the point where I was tired of being fat and started looking into having bariatric surgery. I researched everything I could find, and I thought that the Lap-Band was the best fit for me. At the time, the only options available to me were Lap-Band and RNY bypass. VSG was not very common in the United States at the time, and was not covered by most insurance plans. As a comparative light-weight (I was in the high 30s BMI, and just barely had a BMI of 40 the day of surgery), I thought that the lap-band was the perfect solution. At the time, it was being heavily advertised as "the next big thing" in bariatrics, with a projected success rate that rivaled or exceeded the RNY bypass at 5 years out, and was "fully reversible." So, I got approved by insurance. Everything started out well. Even though I was a "light-weight," once I had decent restriction, I was losing weight at a steady pace. And the restriction? Well, the common practice then was to make the band so tight that you were physically limited in the amounts and types of foods you could eat. We were encouraged to only be able to eat 1/4-1/2 cup of food at a time. The downside to this restriction? Severe acid reflux. My surgeon didn't think anything of it, and gave me the option of taking proton pump inhibitors or coming in to reduce the amount of Fluid. But when you've been fat your entire life, and you FINALLY have the dream of being thin within reach, what's a little acid reflux? Obviously, I chose the proton pump inhibitor. Eventually, that didn't even control the acid. I couldn't eat or drink within 4-5 hours of bed. I was sleeping propped up on a steep foam wedge with another pillow or two on top of it. And I was still waking up choking on stomach acid. Eventually, what broke the camel's back was that my chest was constantly hurting throughout the day, I had a nagging cough, and my voice was noticeably hoarse. I drove the 7 hours to see the doctor to have an emergency unfill. My acid reflux improved, but I was still having severe shoulder pain periodically and athough I'd reached my goal weight and lost 100% of my excess weight, I slowly began to gain weight. A few months after being unfilled, I received a job offer and moved across the country. My new job was in a tiny town several hours from the closest bariatric surgeon. Of course, even though I was gaining weight, I was much smaller than I started out. The weight gain continued, though. Eventually, I decided to find a new surgeon and get back on track for fills. At the first appointment, he looked at the band under fluoroscopy and said that it needed to be removed or replaced/repositioned, as I'd apparently been living for quite some time with a MASSIVE slip. He was surprised that I hadn't needed emergency intervention, since he said that even with most of the fill gone, I only had a space the size of a pencil eraser for food to pass from the upper chamber to the lower. At that point, I was interested in revising to the sleeve, but unfortunately, I was told that my insurance at the time probably wouldn't cover it. So, I got a new band. And the only thing that improved was that I didn't have reflux or shoulder pain. I couldn't obtain good restriction, and I was afraid to even attempt it because I was 7 hours from my surgeon. My weight just kept climbing and climbing. At the beginning of this year, I had a major issue. I made the mistake of trying to eat a raw carrot. I'd eaten them regulary. I chewed well. It still got stuck, and I suffered through a severe episode of PBing and sliming while at work. After that, my reflux came back with a vengeance, to the point where I had to have all of the fluid removed from my band. The Upper GI Series showed no slippage, so apparently I just can't tolerate the restriction anymore (even though I didn't have much in the first place). Eight years after my original surgery and 4 years after my replacement surgery, here I am. I'm only 10 pounds from my original pre-surgery weight. I finally decided that I'd had enough. It was time for either revision to another surgery or just yanking the damned thing out entirely. What's the point of having it if it isn't doing me any good? Without restriction, it's useless, and my body simply won't tolerate restriction from the band anymore. So, after 7 months of jumping through hoops, insurance denials, appeals, and finally resorting to a peer-to-peer appeal, I am approved for a revision. I'm getting this damned thing removed! I don't have my surgery date yet, but the end is in sight! I'd originally been interested in the sleeve, but after consulting with my new surgeon and doing a lot of research, I decided the best route would be RNY bypass, due to my metabolism issues and lack of long-term data for the VSG as a stand-alone surgery. I am so sick of this journey and I want it to be over. I'm sick of trying to do things "the hard way." We're so conditioned to think that something has to be difficult in order for it to be worthwhile. I've tried doing it the difficult way, and sure, I lost weight temporarily. I also got tooth and vocal chord damage, issues with my vagus nerve, vigilance about knowing where all the bathrooms are in a building, and my metabolism got shot to hell (even more than it already was with PCOS). So here's to me finally getting back on the loser's bench and getting on with my life. All I can say is that this has been a long, hard, embarrassing journey, and I'm glad it's finally coming to an end. For those of you who've had long-term success with the band, my hat is off to you, and I hope that you never get put in my position. For those of you who are just looking into the band as an option, all I can ask is that you consider my story and really put some thought into what you are doing. As much as it's reversibility is advertised, this isn't a simple surgery where you can just have it removed if it doesn't work and everything is just like you never had it. If you're in a position where it has to be removed, you're likely to have lasting damage to your stomach, damage to your esophagus or vocal chords, adhesions, scar tissue around your stomach or where the port was located, etc. So please, research, talk to people, network, and KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GETTING INTO. There is no "good as new" after this surgery.

I'm about to have my final of six monthly nutritionist meetings and I've been worried because I've gained weight since the first meeting. Since I started six months ago my work hours have changed, I had a death in the family and I started taking Paxil for anxiety and depression. I'm not trying to make excuses, I have been trying, but it's been especially difficult to even maintain most months. How will gaining weight over the six months affect my chances of getting approved by insurance? I have BCBS. Anyone have any stories to relate? The reason I'm trying to get the band is because I obviously need help so im really hoping I don't get denied because of this!

For those of you who have AETNA, be careful about your weight gain. I have AETNA open access and I called the insurance company to verify because I was told previously that it was ok as long as there is no net gain at the end of my 3 months. WRONG! There cannot be any weight gain during your 3 month or 6 month weigh-ins with your PCP or surgeons office. You will be denied. Make sure you have lost weight each time you go in to weigh-in. With that being said make sure you know what your policy entails.

I'm about 6 weeks post now, losing nothing. Had 1 fill so far and going for another next week (although I'm really not sure I need one, I don't have any type of hunger that I can't deal with). I'm watching Protein (at least 60g) and carbs (around 50g) each day, not snacking and definitely finding it hard to get more than 600-700 calder unless I'm eating junk between meals. I know this could be a problem but.. I also take lithium for bipolar disorder (which I'm having a hard time with right now but that's a different story). Lithium's main side effect is weight gain. I don't have the option of not taking it (trust me). I was wondering if anyone else took it and if they find it affects their weight loss much? I'm scared that it's playing a huge role in mine but like I said there's not much I can do. Does anyone still lose while being on lithium? Do you lose like normal or slower?

POOP QUESTION ALERT So I've been clogged up. Had to go the fleet route to get things flowing but it was still bad. So I started taking colace 1x day and that did nothing. So now I'm tAking 2x day. I've noticed that I've GAINED 2 pounds since doing this. Is it making me retain Water? Why the weight gain?

I am 8 months post op and I feel afraid to eat,, I don't want to gain weight back!!!

I am 16 days post op. I had lost 29 lbs in 2 weeks. Now I gained 3 lbs! WTH! I don't understand? I am doing what I am supposed to. Is this normal? I am still on pureed foods. I added 1 tablespoon of pureed chicken breast instead of a protein shake to fight the fatigue. Could that have done it?

The recurrence of weight gain postOp is as welcome as the ex- coming to the new wedding. Giving up on the game at intermission after playing a winning first half is an alluring strategy that doesn't lead to victory. It is way too easy to slip back into Old Bad Eating Habits -- overeating and grazing during non-meal times---without really grasping how our path has turned in the wrong direction. The Band is a tool but it is our Mind, our Brain, our individual Determination that must be played every day, every meal, every snack, and every time we seek to soothe the Belly Beast. We must engage ourselves in the Daily Choice: do I eat to live, or do I live to eat? The habits of decades remain all to ready to leap into control of my own Daily Choice. re: "I gave up but recently considering going for another fill. Any similar stories?" In a word, yes. Don't give up. Don't give in. Get back in to your A-Game. Use your best moves, and engage your determination to succeed. The Enemy is Morbid Obesity. It has many tricks. Rededicate yourself to reach your goal. You can do it.

I was started on a new med that says it may cause weight gain. I've been on it 3 weeks. Anyway, I'm eating 1300 calories a day. 70 grams of Protein, 14-16 grams of Fiber and less than 100 carbs a day and I'm jogging 30 minutes 3 times per week and I've gained 2 pounds. I know that doesn't sound like much to some of you but I need to get a handle on it before it's 5 pounds, 7 pounds, 10 pounds. Ideas on what to change up? I'm 150 and I'm trying to get to 135.