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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

Getting stuck is not a sign of proper restriction it is a sign that you are not eating properly or eating something that disagrees with you. I was able to get stuck on some things before I ever had a fill. Signs of needing a fill are eating too much, not staying satisfied between meals and weight gain...sounds to me like you need a fill.

I wrote this as a pre-op back in Feb 2004. It goes out to all of you with love!! Sung to "American Pie" by Don Mclean New version by Dori Mc-LEAN A long long time ago We can still remember How a twinkie used to make us smile And we knew if we had our chance That we'd soon outgrow our pants And maybe we'd be happy for a while But the weight gain made us shiver with every step our chins would quiver Good news found on a website We weren't alone in the fight We all shared how we'd cried Over failed diets that we'd tried Then we were banded deep inside And one day, the hunger died So.. Bye, bye to the fat on our thighs We were heavy, like a Chevy, so the band we did try Us good ole banders stick together, no lie Singing, tomorrow smaller pants I will buy Tomorrow smaller pants I will buy Did you write the post above? About your clothes fittin' like a glove? Does your mirror tell you so? Now do you believe fat takes it's toll? And bandin' might save your mortal soul? And can you teach yourself how to eat real slow? Well, I know that you'll be getting' thin Insurance approval will come in You'll kick off your blues Once you start to lose I was a lonely overweight eatin fool Any kinda food would make me drool But I knew I'd found some luck The day the hunger died. I started singing Bye, bye to the fat on my thighs I was heavy, like a Chevy, so the band we did try Us good ole banders stick together, no lie Singing, tomorrow smaller pants I will buy Tomorrow smaller pants I will buy Now, for ten years I was on my own And fat grew thick upon my bones But that's not how has to be With banding you can be so lean Wear smaller clothes than you've ever seen As the pounds fall off of you and me And as our weight is going down We might PB all over town Our food it will return Til proper chewing we have learned Some think this option is a lark But we'll do laps around the park And chat online until it's dark On how one day our hunger died We'll be singing Bye, bye to the fat on our thighs We were heavy, like a Chevy, so the band we did try Us good ole banders stick together, no lie Singing, tomorrow smaller pants I will buy Tomorrow smaller pants I will buy Helter skelter in the summer swelter pounds fly off with our fat melter Eight pounds down and falling fast I think came off of my ass A handsome man made a pass Perhaps celibacy will be in my past? Now half way to goal we'll start to bloom And turn heads when we enter a room We'll all get up to dance Not afraid to take the chance As the fat began to yield Our hipbones were revealed Do you recall with glee we squealed? The day our hunger died We started singing Bye, bye to the fat on our thighs We were heavy, like a Chevy, so the band we did try Us good ole banders stick together, no lie Singing, tomorrow smaller pants I will buy Tomorrow smaller pants I will buy Oh, and now we eat at a slower pace We no longer stuff our face With no room left to binge again So now we're nimble and we're quick And our waists are not so thick Cause the band is our true friend And as we lost our flabby cage Life's journey turned another page No pound cake made in hell Could break our losing spell And as the pounds went out of sight We knew our decision was right You'll see our post of sheer delight T he day our hunger died We were singing Bye, bye to the fat on our thighs We were heavy, like a Chevy, so the band we did try Us good ole banders stick together, no lie Singing, tomorrow smaller pants I will buy Tomorrow smaller pants I will buy I met a girl who sang the blues Because she had some pounds to lose But she got banded yesterday!!! Now she knows just what's in store As she starts losing pounds galore I n the future, it surely seems She'll achieve her weight loss dreams On food no longer choken Her plateaus all were broken And the fellow banders I admire most I can't wait to read their posts Of all of us, they've lost the most One day their hunger died And they were singing Bye, bye to the fat on our thighs We were heavy, like a Chevy, so the band we did try Us good ole banders stick together, no lie Singing, tomorrow smaller pants I will buy Tomorrow smaller pants I will buy

if you follow all the rules you will reduce your chances of having complications however there is no guarantee. however with out the surgery you are almost promised continued weight gain and complications later on such as hbp high chol and diabetes as well and heart problems personally id rather take my chances with the surgery than face all the health issues that come from obesity. good luck to you

I am 4 weeks out, the first 2 weeks I lost 27 lbs, on my 4 week checkup I gained a 1.5 lbs. How did this happen I can't even get hardly any food or drink in. Anyone else have this happen or any suggestions?

Since all weight loss comes from calorie deficit (burning more than eating), the key to all successful weight loss is to create a calorie deficit. There are many great tools to help track this and most of them are free. My favorites are the iPhone app, "LoseIt"; www.FitDay.com and www.Livestrong.com go to Calorie Tracker and myPlate and create an account. These programs track your deficit and help point out areas of improvement. In general, you should get about a third of your calories from each of the main food groups: Proteins, fats, carbs. If you see higher percentages of fats or carbs, replace those calories with Protein calories and it will really help you eat smarter instead of just less. Over the past 20 years we are eating many more calories and burning far fewer calories. The secret to weight loss is to work toward a calorie deficit whatever it takes. Most people losing weight successfully are eating about 1200 calories per day (women) and 1400 calories per day for men. Below this, your body tends to start freaking out and hanging on to everything you eat. It is also important to drink at least 64 ounces of Water per day. Our bodies store environmental toxins in the fat and when you lose weight, all this stuff is coming out and your kidneys will really appreciate it if you drink plenty of water. This helps battle constipation as well. Also, take a multi-Vitamin every day. The Calcium and B-Vitamins really help with weight loss not to mention the other minerals. Nutritional psychology is a hot new topic. Bad nutrition causes depression and low energy which makes us want to eat more to feel better and we snowball into bad weight gain. Better nutrition is required for successful weight loss and we feel better. Also, we eat way too much sugar and this raises our insulin levels which takes all that blood sugar and turns it into fat which drops the blood sugar which makes us hungry and we eat more sugar and this snowballs into weight gain. We eat way too much processed food and we have to get back to healthy foods. Brilliant food chemistry has not helped us. Cheap food sweetener (HFCS - high fructose corn syrup) is in everything now (sugary drinks, Pasta sauce, ketchup) and our bodies don't know what to do with this stuff so we store it as fat. We consume massive quantities of this stuff and it doesn't help us lose weight. High tech fats such as trans fats and hydrogenated oils allow foods to have a much longer shelf-life because bacteria can't break it down but the problem is that we can't break it down either and we just store it as fat. A great rule of thumb is that if it doesn't spoil we shouldn't eat it. The classic example is an oatmeal pie that our kids drop in the mini-van and we find it a year later and it still looks good. We shouldn't be eating brilliant food chemistry. The more we preare our own meals and take our lunch instead of getting most of our meals at restaurants, the easier it is to lose weight successfully. Proteins - we should get about 45gms of protein a day (women) and about 60 grams per day for men. A 20gm protein portion (meat, chicken, fish, etc) is about the size of the palm of your hand or a deck of cards. Protein keeps us full longer because it doesn't mess with insulin and we need protein while we're losing weight so that we lose fat and not muscle. Fats - are the highest caloric density food. Each gram of fat has twice the number of calories as proteins and carbs. Believe it or not there are actually "good" fats (unsaturated). You want to avoid saturated (bad) fats. Saturated fats raise our cholesterol and clog our arteries. Unsaturated fats actually lower our cholesterol. To lose weight, you should limit fat grams to 20 gms per day and keep saturated fats below 10gms per day. Trans fats and hydrogenated oils should be zero. All this is easier these days with nutrition labels. Examples of good (unsaturated) fats include avocados, peanuts, soybeans, olives and oils such as olive, canola, peanut, corn, safflower, sunflower. French fries from peanut or safflower oil are actually healthier than those fried in saturated oils - ask your restaurant which they use. Fats actually release a gut hormone called CCK (cholecystokinin) which causes the gallbladder to contract and it is a powerful natural appetite suppressant. If you give CCK to rat they won't eat. Therefore, if you snack on a handful of almonds or dip vegetable sticks in olive oil, you manage your hunger and it is healthier. Bison (buffalo) has a great beef flavor and it has much less saturated fat than cow beef. Bison burgers and steaks are a much healthier way to enjoy beef than the cows that predominate our diet. Carbs - when eaten shoot up the insulin levels which turn blood sugar into fat and this drops our blood sugar level which makes us hungry. If you want to lose weight you have to manage carbs (sugar, bread, potato, rice - "white foods"). I see a lot of patients who go all day without eating and then eat a huge pasta dinner before going to bed. This is a perfect way not to lose weight. Carbs are best eaten earlier in the day when you have a chance to burn off all that energy. Eating three meals per day will keep us out of intense hunger and we eat fewer calories overall. I don't like Atkins type diets simply because they are hard to sustain. Better to manage carbs - keep them below 33% of total calories and eat them earlier in the day. Ice cream is enemy number one for weight loss. A great substitute is to make your own fruit smoothies at home. It is a sweet dessert but it is fruit instead of sugar and fat. Many stores have smoothie blends so you just toss it in the blender with diet apple juice or plain yogurt and it's easy. Be careful and avoid sugar added smoothie blends. Just get plain frozen fruit or make your own from fresh fruit. Great way to spoil yourself and eat healthier. I will post topics on Fitness and Brain Stuff (I don't like terms like behavior modification) which are the other two main disciplines of successful weight loss. I put this info and much more on YouTube if you search Watkins Weight Loss Class. Weight loss surgery simply makes all this stuff much easier but knowledge plus change is where you will find success. I hope this helps. Brad Watkins MD

Hello sleevers. it has been a while since I have posted anything, I think since my sleeve in 2019. I have been busy with life as i am sure as everyone else has. to make a long story short, being busy with life and the latest life change for everyone in our great world....the pandemic, God willing this passes quickly and we will see the sun shine once again....i have gained weight this passed year after a steady weight, i have gained about 20 lbs but have lost 2 lbs after stopping benadryl and other antihistimine for allergies. I also take anti depresents and have switched due to assuming they were causing weight gain....buprorion which is to have less affect on weight and cymbalta for chronic pain which did decrease appetite decreased my appetite. All of a sudden at the beginning of 2020 my appetite for sweets not food increased, mid you i also started taking anti histimines, not thinking of the hisitmines for the year and after switching medications assuming weight gain increased sweet tooth, it dawned on me about anti hiistimines causing weight gain , i realized this going over my sons medications in which he took cyproheptidine to manage migraines and to increase his appetite due to adhd meds decreasing his appetite. I looked up benadryl as well other antihistamines to see if they cause weight gain, and low and behold they cause an increase in weight gain if taken regulary/ daily for long time use. Has anyone else experienced weight gain by being on antihistamines? BY KNOW MEANS AM I DOCTOR/ MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL, OR ADVISING ANYONE TO STOP TAKING MEDICATIONS. I am just curious to know if anyone has experienced this or even aware. When going to see my provider, this is one medication i forget to tell them about, but will be sure to mention it at my next appointment. I have lost 2 lbs since stopping them last week and switched to nasal as needed. please excuse typos..

Laceemouse, I was 324 when I had the surgery, and 372 when I started the process. I'm wicked happy about the progress trust me! I am just a little concerned because of the weight gain. Wasn't sure if it was something to be calling the Dr about. I know I can't keep up the extreme weight loss, but wouldn't that be nice still have about 100lbs to go! Thanks for the input guys. I called my NUT earlier and she did recommend increasing my calories a bit and not working out as vigorously as I have been, so I'm going to try that. I'll let you know how I do

Hi everyone! I'm from Mobile, AL and I'm considering the Lap Band surgery. I'm 25 years old and have been overweight all of my life. What lead me to the idea of Lap Band is the fact that I have tried diet and exercise and nothing seems to work. Being young of course I've tried the crash diets and the diet pills but where my heartbreak has come in is two separate times in my life when I worked my hardest with hard exercise and saw no results. I am currently divorced but before I got married I spend 3 straight months on a watchful diet but worked out in the gym about 4 days a week, over an hour each time. This included aerobics class, weights, treadmill and cycle. I never saw any results that I thought I would have for that amount of work but I didn't let it bother me. I was getting married to a man that loved me no matter what, right? Fast forward 5 years later. Left me for another woman, same ole sad story. So of course my already non-existent self confidence left-even though she was no beauty queen & was older than I was, it really hurt me. I lost a lot of weight right after I left, which I joking called the "divorce diet" but 3 months later I fell in the yard and got a very, very rare ankle injury. That mixed with a quack of a doctor left me almost unable to walk for over a year so physical activity was impossible. That did nothing but put me in a complete panic about gaining weight. So 3 months ago I saw a new doctor (sadly thanks to my dad breaking his leg & needing 2 metal plates & 7 screws) but there was no way I would allow my mother to take him to the same orthopedic clinic!!! So after they saw the professionalism they asked my dad's dr. to look over my records. He forwarded it on to a surgeon who specializes only with ankle injuries. So on May 24th I had a major surgery that involved removing an entire section of my talus bone and implanting a section of bone & cartilage from a cadaver & screwing it all back together. So from this I have not been allowed to walk for six weeks. Again, panic mode about weight gain. So my point of that was to say that before this surgery I had given up on them finding a solution and decided I was going back to the gym. I didn't care if my ankle hurt because it hurt regardless, even to walk. (Bare in mind I was only able to walk with the help of a leg brace/air cast) But I hit the gym. 4 times a week, around 10 miles the cycle put on random hill (so there was varied resistance) as well as a mile or so on the treadmill at about 3.5 miles an hour w/ slight 2% incline. Lifted arm weights at home, total of 120 lifts a day (I did 6 different arm exercises, 10 reps each exercise but did this twice a day). I cut out all soda, starting drinking Water (almost no diet drinks due to preservatives), ate amazing (I can't eat veggies because they make me vomit) but ate nothing fried, went to GNC and started taking OxyElite Pro (for appetite control) as well as CLA to help with the belly fat--even though it takes a long time to work. So 2 1/2 months.......almost NO results. I'm at my wits ends! I was working out, pouring buckets of sweat, feeling sore and being so very hungry. Thinking about food alllllll day long and being so very hungry. I discovered than when you cut out junk food, that hunger is not just hunger--it's pain. So I've been reading up on the Lap Band and I like the idea because it's done laparoscopically & doesn't involve cutting & sewing of organs. The reason for my recent work out kick was not to just simply loose weight, it was because I wanted to change my lifestyle. I'm not worried about dieting and simply dropping pounds, I want to change my life. I was ok with the results taking a long time to see because I don't weight myself. I'm more concerned about what I see in the mirror as results. A lady my mother works with is a nurse and she's talked before about the procedure and raves about it. I'm not sure if my insurance will cover it, although with my ankle now being a life-long condition (I'll have to go several times a year for the rest of my life because that section of bone could collapse) I feel that it is important for my health and for the well being of my walking condition LOL. My major fears are post-op. I'd like to get the surgery done within a few months so the time out of work is kind of scary because I've been out for 2 months already, but I'm a dispatcher so I sit for 12 hours & do little physical activity (which I hate...but in this instance it's helpful) and because I work shift work I have a crazy schedule so if I take 2 days it's actually a full week. But only a week. If I take 2 more days it ends up being almost 2 weeks (Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs) then back that next Fri. I'm also worried about the food afterwards, eating only liquids for a while seems like that would be tough and I'm scared I'd be hungry. Although after looking at some recipes on the Lap Band site I see I could easily make them ahead of time & freeze. I'm worried about how long the operation takes and how bad the pain level is. I'm concerned about getting band adjustments because I read it takes several times to get right and I'm scared I won't see the weight come off. I would be committed to living a better lifestyle that included a better diet and exercise but spending months in a gym 8 hours a week and seeing almost nothing isn't going to help me. I just want to feel good. I never have, I've always been self conscious and I just want to not be anymore. I'd like to shop in more than 2 stores in the mall & not feel embarrassed to go into the women's department where the styles are so limited I'd almost want to wear a garbage bag. I want to be social, I want to go out and I want to meet people. I want to go do things and I want to have fun and honestly I feel like a living Eeyore (from Winnie the Pooh) and I'm just not like that. Where I use to work (when I felt half way confident) my co-workers described me as "bubbly" and I am. I'm single so I want to be able to go out and not be embarrassed anymore, I want to try and find a better job, one that might involve travel and I don't want to see that "Oh, she's the fat girl" look on their faces when I go into an interview. I'm just ready to change my life and I know that simply losing weight won't do that and I'll probably need some cousiling too but I gotta take that first step. ANY and ALL comments, opinions, hints, tips, advice is MORE than WELCOME & WANTED!!! Thanks soooo much!

I am 3 months pregnant. Having the same thing going on. I have gained about 4 lbs. I gain and lose the same few lbs. Doc told me not to worry so much about weight gain till the end of the 2nd trimester. So for now I am not going to stress. I do feel restriction similar to what it was when I was just out of surgery some days. It's a chore to eat anything. Still battling morning sickness most days... Hoping to feel better soon.

I was told 85% also. If they do not take enough of the stomach, then the stretchy part of the stomach will remain and can stretch back out again causing weight gain. They have to take out enough to get down to the non-stretchy part to keep good restriction. (I'm not very eloquent tonight, cheeeez!)

I am feeling so good now! I made my 100 lb loss mark this week! I was banded 4/14/10, 5 months ago. I lost 28 lbs pre-op (starting in the middle of March) with a ketosis diet prescribed by Dr. Hollis. I was 265 on surgery day. I used to wear XXXL, now just a large, and sometimes a medium in shirts. I still have 22 more lbs to go, but I am not worried about it. I am feeling so energetic and full of life again. Before I was very depressed and hating myself. I was only operating at 50%. There were may things I would not/could not do anymore. The biggest thing that stood out to me was riding horses! I have been a horse-person since I was 8 yrs old, owning my first horse at age 14. I have been riding and owning horses ever since (I am 42 now). But I had to give it up with this weight gain I expereinced over a 2 year period. I have been heavy before, and lost the weight with various aids. I think my biggest weight loss before this was 85 lbs, another time it was 65. I could not keep it off! I am hoping this will change this time and I can keep it off. I just have to remind myself how miserable I was when I was like that. I kept a diary (still do), so I can go back and read it when I feel weak. I can ride again! I have sold my horses a while back, but a friend has extras for me to ride, so I do (no $$!):smile2: So I am back in the saddle again! I look forward to mowing the 2 huge lots we have, riding bikes, exercising, etc.. because I know when I am sweating (in Texas!), I am burning calories, raising my metabolism, and dropping pounds, I get a nice body-high afterwards, I feel very light on my feet and strong! I have not felt this in many years. I am glad to be sharing this journey with all of you, and I hope you have sucess as well, and overcome any obstacles that have gotten in your way. I knowthere are a lot of you out there who are struggling with this still (from reading other posts here), and I truely hope and pray that something will work for you to help it happen like it should. My biggest incentives are putting on a pair of my XXXL clothes I saved, looking at old photos, and re-reading my diary I have been keeping. Maybe you could try the same>? Bless you all on your journey! Jen

I was sleeved on September 10 pre op I was 293 and post op I was 273. Last week I I was 264 and my current weight is 270. Is it normal to gain weight back even when sticking to the diet? I'm feeling really discourage right now and I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong.

Boy how time flies! As I approach my 4 year Bandiversary, I started thinking how the Lapband has changed my life or how I had to change my life to live with the Lapband. First off, I thank God every day for showing me there was an option and giving me the opportunity to have the Lapband procedure. Like most in my situation, I tried every diet that always ended in failure. I almost got to the point where I wouldn't want to diet because I KNEW I would gain the weight back and probably gain more. It was a horrible vicious cycle that I lived in for years. Living with the Lapband was a continual learning process for a while. I tested foods to see what I could eat and what gave me difficulties. I tested out drinking with meals and not drinking with meals. Unfortunately, I had to learn the hard way on a lot of these issues, but the key is I learned and now the changes that I have made in living with the Lapband are part of my normal way of living. I don't even think about it anymore. One of the most frustrating things about the Lapband is obtaining proper restriction level. On one end, I wish doctor's would be a little more aggressive with the fill amounts, on the other hand, I think that working your way up to the proper restriction level is the way to go to avoid getting filled too tight which can be very uncomfortable and dangerous. I think that more discussion needs to be made about preparing one's self for life after the band which includes the cost of adjustments/fills and the expectation of how many fills it may require to achieve proper restriction. For self payers, many people use all their financial means to pay for the actual Lapband surgery and then don't have the funds to get adjustments afterwards. This creates frustration because you just paid a lot of money and went through surgery and now want to lose the weight. Sounds reasonable....... But many feel like they wasted money when they don't lose weight after the surgery or they feel like they can eat like they could before the surgery which is true until the band is adjusted properly. So if someone is scheduled for surgery and they ask me about the band, I make a point of preparing them for after surgery. I also try to tell them that their patience level will be tested to the max until they get their bands filled properly. I've heard this said by many and it's so true "It took us a long time to become this overweight, we're not going to lose it all overnight" It may take some time to lose weight with the Lapband, but with a little patience and following some very basic rules, you will lose weight and you will be successful. Things that have changed for me after I was banded: I don't drink with meals. I found that this flushes food from my small upper pouch into my lower pouch which enables me to eat more food. This kind of defeats the band doesn't it? I don't want to eat more food, because this little thing called weight gain occurs if I do . Not drinking with meals was probably the hardest thing for me to get used to, but now I don't even think about it. I still take small bites and have slowed down while eating. I found that taking smaller bites and slowing down while eating actually fills me up quicker. I also don't look like I'm inhaling my food anymore, which was a very unattractive habit that I got into pre-band. I listen to my band. It tells me when to stop eating. Oh, I've tried to argue with my band in the past and tell it that I could eat more even when it warned me that I have had enough, but for some reason the band was always right. I paid a small price for trying to fight the band. I would feel horrible until the food passed through the band. Sometimes I would PB (not pleasant) and learned very quickly that it's just not worth fighting the band. It knows best, so now I listen to it. I try to stick to protein foods first. I'm not always good at this, but it's something that I feel is very important for Lapbanders. I have also found that when I eat protein foods first like chicken, fish ect... then I don't require as much food to feel full and I stay fuller longer. Not to mention the benefits to my health for eating protein. Since I can't eat as much as I used to, my food choices have changed. Before the band, I would eat horribly. It's because I could eat a lot of anything I wanted. So if I wanted to snack on chips before dinner, no problem. I would still be hungry enough at dinner to eat it, then have enough room for dessert afterwards. I now chose quality over quantity. I do this because I know I can't eat a lot, so what I DO eat becomes very important. I have found that if I eat chips now, I will fill up on them, and I won't feel hungry to eat what I should be eating. Then I end up feeling awful because "foods" like chips drain my energy if I try to use them as my source of nutrition. Don't get me wrong, I still eat things like chips, but I make a point of not eating them when I'm hungry because I know that I will fill up on them and won't eat what I need to be eating. So I will have junk food occassionally, but usually with my meal and have very little. I don't eat dinner late in the evening. I have a cut off time for dinner. I make sure that I don't go to bed for about 3 hours after I eat. I also don't drink a lot of fluids at night and I religiously take 2 Pepsid AC chewables before I go to bed. I believe that these things have decreased my chances of having acid reflux at night. So yes, the Lapband has totally changed my life. With almost 140 pounds gone I'm feeling terrific! I feel that the minor things that I have changed in my life (with eating) due to the band are so minor and so worth it to help insure that I keep this weight off. Don't get me wrong, I don't struggle to keep the weight off, which is fantastic, but I believe that the minor changes that I have made have contributed to this. The Lapband won't do it all. You'll need to help it some, but once your band is adjusted properly, the band will work for/with you instead of you working for the band. Life is wonderful! Tricia

Boy how time flies! As I approach my 4 year Bandiversary, I started thinking how the Lapband has changed my life or how I had to change my life to live with the Lapband. First off, I thank God every day for showing me there was an option and giving me the opportunity to have the Lapband procedure. Like most in my situation, I tried every diet that always ended in failure. I almost got to the point where I wouldn't want to diet because I KNEW I would gain the weight back and probably gain more. It was a horrible vicious cycle that I lived in for years. Living with the Lapband was a continual learning process for a while. I tested foods to see what I could eat and what gave me difficulties. I tested out drinking with meals and not drinking with meals. Unfortunately, I had to learn the hard way on a lot of these issues, but the key is I learned :cool: and now the changes that I have made in living with the Lapband are part of my normal way of living. I don't even think about it anymore. One of the most frustrating things about the Lapband is obtaining proper restriction level. On one end, I wish doctor's would be a little more aggressive with the fill amounts, on the other hand, I think that working your way up to the proper restriction level is the way to go to avoid getting filled too tight which can be very uncomfortable and dangerous. I think that more discussion needs to be made about preparing one's self for life after the band which includes the cost of adjustments/fills and the expectation of how many fills it may require to achieve proper restriction. For self payers, many people use all their financial means to pay for the actual Lapband surgery and then don't have the funds to get adjustments afterwards. This creates frustration because you just paid a lot of money and went through surgery and now want to lose the weight. Sounds reasonable....... But many feel like they wasted money when they don't lose weight after the surgery or they feel like they can eat like they could before the surgery which is true until the band is adjusted properly. So if someone is scheduled for surgery and they ask me about the band, I make a point of preparing them for after surgery. I also try to tell them that their patience level will be tested to the max until they get their bands filled properly. I've heard this said by many and it's so true "It took us a long time to become this overweight, we're not going to lose it all overnight" It may take some time to lose weight with the Lapband, but with a little patience and following some very basic rules, you will lose weight and you will be successful. Things that have changed for me after I was banded: I don't drink with meals. I found that this flushes food from my small upper pouch into my lower pouch which enables me to eat more food. This kind of defeats the band doesn't it? I don't want to eat more food, because this little thing called weight gain occurs if I do :tt1: . Not drinking with meals was probably the hardest thing for me to get used to, but now I don't even think about it. I still take small bites and have slowed down while eating. I found that taking smaller bites and slowing down while eating actually fills me up quicker. I also don't look like I'm inhaling my food anymore, which was a very unattractive habit that I got into pre-band. I listen to my band. It tells me when to stop eating. Oh, I've tried to argue with my band in the past and tell it that I could eat more even when it warned me that I have had enough, but for some reason the band was always right. I paid a small price for trying to fight the band. I would feel horrible until the food passed through the band. Sometimes I would PB (not pleasant) and learned very quickly that it's just not worth fighting the band. It knows best, so now I listen to it. I try to stick to protein foods first. I'm not always good at this, but it's something that I feel is very important for Lapbanders. I have also found that when I eat protein foods first like chicken, fish ect... then I don't require as much food to feel full and I stay fuller longer. Not to mention the benefits to my health for eating protein. Since I can't eat as much as I used to, my food choices have changed. Before the band, I would eat horribly. It's because I could eat a lot of anything I wanted. So if I wanted to snack on chips before dinner, no problem. I would still be hungry enough at dinner to eat it, then have enough room for dessert afterwards. I now chose quality over quantity. I do this because I know I can't eat a lot, so what I DO eat becomes very important. I have found that if I eat chips now, I will fill up on them, and I won't feel hungry to eat what I should be eating. Then I end up feeling awful because "foods" like chips drain my energy if I try to use them as my source of nutrition. Don't get me wrong, I still eat things like chips, but I make a point of not eating them when I'm hungry because I know that I will fill up on them and won't eat what I need to be eating. So I will have junk food occassionally, but usually with my meal and have very little. I don't eat dinner late in the evening. I have a cut off time for dinner. I make sure that I don't go to bed for about 3 hours after I eat. I also don't drink a lot of fluids at night and I religiously take 2 Pepsid AC chewables before I go to bed. I believe that these things have decreased my chances of having acid reflux at night. So yes, the Lapband has totally changed my life. With almost 140 pounds gone I'm feeling terrific! I feel that the minor things that I have changed in my life (with eating) due to the band are so minor and so worth it to help insure that I keep this weight off. Don't get me wrong, I don't struggle to keep the weight off, which is fantastic, but I believe that the minor changes that I have made have contributed to this. The Lapband won't do it all. You'll need to help it some, but once your band is adjusted properly, the band will work for/with you instead of you working for the band. Life is wonderful! Tricia

Hey, @@pinkbunies! First of all, big kudos for losing over 100 pounds--that's amazing! And good for you for being so dedicated at the gym, it sounds like the lifting is paying off. I'm not even going to jump into the whole "sleeves stretch v. no they don't" debate. And I'm certainly going to second-guess your Protein intake requirements. I can say, though, that I too have hunger again. I am nearly three years out and about 6 months ago I suddenly started to experience hunger again or at least a growling tummy. It was weird, it was like someone threw a switch, one day no rumbling, next day rumbling. I noticed, funny enough, watching a food commercial on TV. For years, I had no hunger response to food stimuli, no tummy rumbling when I saw or smelled something appetizing. But, suddenly, while close ups of big gloppy plates of Pasta passed across my TV screen. . .grumble. It actually startled me because I hadn't experienced that sensation in so long. I still don't quite experience "hunger" the way I did pre-sleeve. I am doing a fast day and I don't actually feel hungry even when I don't eat for 24 hours, but if I see something that looks or smells good, I feel "hungry." I do still have pretty significant restriction as well. I do, however, respond again to visuals of food or good food smells again. There is evidence that the sleeve significantly reduces the body's production of ghrelin, the "hunger" hormone, but as I recall from the research I read at the time of my sleeve, they don't really understand why cutting away part of the stomach reduces or seemingly eliminates the body's ghrelin production. I am assuming that in my case, at least, my body is now producing this hormone again after a 2+ year hiatus. Building muscle definitely requires a large supply of good quality protein and muscle burns significantly more calories than fat, so it's possible that your newly muscled body does need both more protein and more calories. However, you may, like me and from what I see anecdotally from my perusals of articles on this subject on line for other sleevers, may be producing the hunger hormone in larger quantities than you were after the sleeve. I've come to accept this and accept that it doesn't necessarily mean weight gain, just makes it a bit harder. I don't know that I have any specific advice other than to say that you should be aware of this and come up with strategies to determine what your body actually needs in terms of fuel v. a renewed desire for food. I wish you the best of luck!

I'm having a really hard time getting approved for my revision - I've had the lap band since 2008 and I've lost at most 60 lbs, I would get sick often, and haven't been able to afford a fill adjustment in awhile because I did not have insurance. Now that I have it - I find out about the sleeve and I really want to switch to it as I've weighed the pros and cons - but my insurance won't approve the revision unless I can prove medically necessary. I have some port pain, but I have a very high tolerance for pain, so I can ignore it most times... When I finally went for my band adjustment last July - they showed that the band had slipped a bit and that my pouch was enlarged. They unfilled it a bit and that is when I started doing research and found out about the sleeve. So many people were talking about all the issues they had with the band and not being able to be comfortable about going out to eat because you have to case the place basically to make sure you know where the restroom is and how quickly you can get to it, how some days I could eat a lil bit but then the next day its Soups or nothing kinda day... I thought - hey I could do the sleeve and I wouldn't have to worry about stuck food anymore and I would still have a restriction that would keep me from overdoing it - I was very careful about not overdoing it. I've done all the requirements for it and have met them all - I keep reading about all of you that have had the revision done and I'm starting to get really fustrated and upset because it seems like I'm trying to do this before I get really sick with any of the overweight caused diseases - I am right now at around 270 - because I gained back 20lbs ( i admit - I regained because I was suddenly able to eat all the things I hadn't been able to eat in the past 8 years, like bread, brocoli(sp), vegetables, steak, actual pizza, pasta - I do not eat junk like candy or processed bakery stuff and am a rather 'healthy' eater - I just over do it because I never feel full) after I got my band unfilled in preparation for surgery, atm I still do not have real health issues other then my joints are getting older and having a harder time at the gym because of the weight gain - I still go to the gym at least 1 - 2 times a week and work on the treadmill. Last week I went back to my surgeon and his assistant has put me on a liquid diet to help me lose some of the weight I gained back, and because my EDG and swallow study came back normal - they weren't able to prove that its medically necessary to remove the band - so we're trying for intolerance since I was getting sick before when it was filled. So, we agreed to get my band filled again with 2 ccs - I went for the appointment that was set up with the hospial and when I got there the lady that was supposed to do my fill was almost like she didn't want to do it because she was confused as to why I was there - she said I was telling her the wrong things - that because I told her I don't want to gain anymore weight and that I want to prove to the insurance that the band wasn't working for me, so I have to get it refilled and go back through everything I was going through before. She almost didn't fill it and as it is - I don't believe she put the whole 2ccs in either. I'm waiting until this week is done on the liquid diet, I still have port pain and it hurts sometimes like a bad stitch and sharp pain - but apparently that's not enough I'm not giving up - but I can't afford this as a self pay, my credit is really horrible, so I am unable to get approved for a loan to pay for the removal of the band. Please excuse any incorrect grammer and the fact that I skip from topic to topic - I'm not sure what its called but I type and talk in random sometimes jumping from topic to topic as my mind grabs a thought. I try to go back and edit, but if I missed something... I've done 7 nutrition visits now, provided my gym check ins, did all the requirements for a normal just getting the sleeve done as well as doing the requirements for getting a revision done - I just want to get this done, so I can get started... I don't understand how some people are getting approved for revisions or getting the sleeve done when they have so much less to lose then I do, and I'm having such difficulty - what am I doing wrong?! even my surgeon's assistant is at a loss, but she is trying to help me and hopefully we can prove intolerance... I feel almost as if I'm being pushed into self paying for it - which I can't afford to do...

I've just weighed myself and I've put on 12lbs in the past 4 weeks! Part of the reason will be that 4 weeks ago I had shoulder surgery and have been off work since, so a lot less active - the other reason ofcourse will be all the goodies that I have surrounded myself with thinking that I was too strong of mind to be tempted.. and I had a bit of the 'i'm thin and can eat anything' mentality.... oh how wrong I've been. Tomorrow I'm starting back on the Protein shakes - not sure at this moment if I will just have the Protein Shakes or if I should have some sort of meat product for a main meal.. either chicken or beef. Any thoughts or ideas out there? I take my Vitamins and supplements daily, so no chance of me not getting those in and I drink plenty fluids too - although not plain Water, its water with crystal light which I realise isn't ideal, but its the only way I get my fluids in. I couldn't drink plain water unless its ice cold.

I know that my surgeon said it is normal to gain at first. When a body is injured it collects fluid and that is notorious weight gain. I believe one gal of water weighs about eight pounds.

I was sleeved in December 2011, revised to bypass in Aug 2014 due to weight gain and acid reflux. And going for revision surgery in March 2017. The revision is for rapid gastric emptying. My pouch has not stretched at all. Has anyone had this?

I didn't have a pre-op liquid diet. Just a 'normal' weight loss diet. My recollection was that I gained weight which was a constant worry on surgery day. My surgeon repeatedly told me he would cancel my surgery on the day of if I didn't lose weight. Gaining was freaky. As it turned out there were things beyond our control as my surgery was open and instructional for other surgeons. So gain or lose it turns out the surgery was happening no matter what. I was lucky. For once. Good luck, Tek

I went shopping for our annual Thanksgiving meal yesterday. I was trying to think of wise food choices this year - not just for me but for the family. I opted on grilled vegetables in place of starchy corn, turkey & ham (Protein, Protein, protein), etc. I do not believe that weight gain is inevitable during the holidays. There is no rule that you have to gorge until you are over-full. I am focusing on the great times with family and friends rather than the food. A different perspective perhaps. I will make my families favorites such as stuffing balls, sweet potato souffle, and the likes. I'm thinking a late Thanksgiving walk may be a way to ward off any unwanted calories. Stay tuned...

September 21st Current Stats: Nationality: Canadian Age: 26 Height: 5'3 Weight: 195 lbs BMI: 30+ Surgery: Gastric Sleeve Date: Jan 5th, 2016 Reasons why I am being sleeved 1. Digestive issues: IBS like symptoms 2. Fertility: TTC 5 years 3. Intolerances: Wheat, Dairy: Hard to avoid, so I figure if stomach is smaller I would eat smaller amounts so it may cause less havoc on my system. Reasons for my weight gain: I always been small all through school age, ate like a bird. Once high school hit a total different story. I don't over eat, I just eat the wrong foods, mainly fast foods and restaurants. I do not like a whole lot of fruits and veggies, I am obsessed with pasta; especially mac n cheese. And I am not active, And my thyroid is low. Now balanced with meds. When TTC I was put on a lot of meds because I been through 4 IVFs in 2 years. That also caused weight gain. It started to increase over the past 5 years. I was in the 150's 5 years ago, now in the 190's. It may not seem much but it shows. Especially since I am short. My mother was really overweight my whole life, Got the sleeve last year and lost 110 lbs . My sister is also doing the sleeve with me in Jan. When its my turn I hope you will follow along with my journey, and hope to inspire others to take charge of their health. I do not have the attitude that this is "The Easy Way Out" because its not! It is just as much as struggle as anything else. This surgery is a tool to assist, we still got to put in the work of eating healthy, eating the right amount, and exercising. I will continue this blog in January

I am feeling really good. I had a lot of second thoughts at first. I canceled my first appt. and everything. I am just so sick of being fat and tired. I have a gorgeous husband and two handsome sons and I just feel out of place. My husband is supportive but, says he loves me no matter what. I know that is sweet but, I need to do this for me. I have a really bad back and I take some serious pain meds which probably helped with the weight gain. I work full time and honestly I don't know how I do it sometimes. I am 207.5lbs but, on a 5'0 frame. I feel so terrible. I fell like a 4x4 (hahahaha). I want me back and I am willing to do this to get me back. I know it is scary and I am not telling many about this. If they notice I am losing weight, I am going to say thanks and go about my merry way. My work people do not need to know, I don't need any judgements. Most we tell are like you are not big enough or you will just gain it all back, or my favorite, I heard someone died of complications of that surgery.....I will just keep it to myself for now. Did I hear you say you were going to Mexico? Tell me about that and I would also like to hear more about you......nice to have a pal on here. Thanks for posting.......Heather

I've gained 10 now but I bounce in weight up and down. Every body I have spoken with said your restriction returns and weightloss happens just make sure even if you indulge stay as best you can on diet. I haven't been putting enough Water in and eating instead that's how I've gained a bit. But because I want to breastfeed I'm trying to train myself now to start drinking more. I also struggle to keep my blood sugar up. It keeps diving so I have to eat late at night which also contributes. But don't fret the weight it comes off. congrats! By the way I was 7 months when I got preggers hw: 294 dos:261 when I got pregnant: 196-97 currently:207. I could worry I just don't look at myself in the mirror naked it reminds how I looked before all the weight was gone lol I'm currently 21 weeks most of the weight gained since I've started snacking late. I know this is all temporary. Sent from my EVO using VST