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Sheryl you have done amazingly well with your plastics and losing weight after wl. Weight gain is probably something we will always have to be on top of our gain. Congrats on your daughters 13 th birthday! As far as eating terribly, I've also been in that same boat! I just want to munch. My son's girlfriend brought home donuts and I had no cravings or thoughts of eating doughnuts until then. I ate 2 of them throughout the day. Some of it was emotional eating I know. But what the heck.... My DH shopped at target and we got a telephone call from our Southwest Airlines card and they were inquiring about a recent purchase for a trip to the Cayman Islands......We didn't schedule it so the credit card company canceled it and issued us another card. Checked my bank account and nothing is taken. I had applied for the red card at target but put down some miss information bc I didn't want them to have that info. Best thing I ever did for myself. I do miss the 5% discount though. Georgia sorry you had to deal with the extra stressors and the pork butt smoked sounds delicious. I have been very busy with stuff.....Last 2 days we have been making tamales. We haven't done this for years but I was getting tired of tasting other family members so we jumped right in. We made a batch of meat that was delicious and for some reason, it spoiled and we had to throw it out......So frustrating......So we made more.....Now it's done and they are so delicious. However in the past few days I have put one a couple of lbs to my bounce and it is such a reminder that I can not be eating cr**! I am so dishearten. Cognitively I knew this could happen, but emotionally, I wasn't expecting to gain I guess. Today is back to he drawing board for me. I will be going shopping with a friend bc I have done no shopping what's so ever so it will be impossible to keep my calorie intake at 500. So Instead I will be focusing on proteins.

You probably just have excess Fluid weight gain. Your weight will drop off as Bandista said. Best of luck, tr to clam down. Back away from the scale!!You are in the healing process! Best wishes for your healing! Karen...aka..kll724

I will be two years out Feb. 2. I started at 358 now I fluctuate between 200-205. I feel I should have lost more but I guess my body is settling. Yes, there are time I notice weight gain. The most I've gotten up to is 210. When I see that happening it's time to do something. So, believe it or not I go back to the liver shrink diet we had to do before surgery. Protein shake and a piece for fruit for breakfast and lunch. My dinner consists of 4oz meat and unlimited non starchy vegetables. I got those extra pounds off.

I'm feeling frustrated. Surgery (banding) was the 16th. I'm not hungry and not eating that much but I'm still not below my pre-surgery weight. I've been taking the milk of magnesia (so things are moving). I'm struggling to get to 800 calories but I'm just so frustrated that I'm not even back down to surgery weigh in. Anyone else have this problem?

I'm afraid of the weight gain with b/c. I was on it since I was 16 because of my periods. So I'm now completely lost as far as bc goes. My husband and I were trying to get pregnant but now we're obviously waiting the 18 months.

Surgeon: Dr. Patricia Choban Columbus, OH I can safely say I am a "Lap band Success Story" now. However, I had a very slow start. My wise surgeon told me the band was a "tool" and not a cure-all and that I would still have to diet. She was right, but I had a lot of other contributing factors which made me fat and kept me fat. Here is my story: I was always slim (size 8/10 135 lbs at 5' 7") until my second of 3 sons was born, 27 years ago, and I lost my father. 4 years later I had my 3rd son and lost my Mother. I went into a deep depression for which my family doctor put me on Zoloft. A year later I was up 150 lbs! Now I really WAS depressed!. I was also diagnosed with Hypothyroidism and was put on Synthroid. Each year my family doctor would test my blood and each year he would tell me my meds were fine. Yet, I had every classic hypothyroidism symptom in the medical books! I read him a list: hair loss, brittle nails, constipation, inability to lose weight, gain weight easily, lethargy, memory loss, inability to concentrate, etc.. He never dug deeper so for 20 years I stayed on Synthroid and felt lousy. I have since found out, General Practitioners get just a few days of training on Thyroid and glandular disorders. That's why they are all quick to write a script for the popular Synthroid. I joined a Medifast diet clinic and was on an 800 calorie ketogenic liquid diet yet could not lose a single lb. I was 5'7 and 318 lbs at my heaviest and wore a size 30 dress. My doctor decided to change my anti-depressant to Wellbutrin as he read Zoloft caused weight gain. I remember a different doctor saying, "When you are on the RIGHT dose of the RIGHT medication, you won't just feel better, you will feel WELL!" I wracked my brain to see if I could remember what "WELL" felt like. Well, after a week on Wellbutrin, I remember looking in the mirror as if I was Rumplestiltskin, waking up for the first time and I said, "What the hell have you let become of yourself?!" As the fog lifted, I effortlessly dropped 45 lbs, just changing meds. I tried many diets, still with very little success. I knew my surgeon through our sons and she suggested I get the Lap Band in 2006. I saved up $11,000 and had it done. I lost exactly 15 lbs the first week due to nausea and then never lost another lb for several years. It wasn't until the rest of the health puzzle fell into place that my Lap Band started to do its job. I went to a D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathy) in my town for hormone replacement to help me through menopause. I began to feel less moody and depressed right away. I read him the same list of Thyroid symptoms I read my family doc and my D.O. immediately pegged my Thyroid as the culprit. He did not just perform one blood test, which my family doc did each year, measuring T-4, but he measured 4 or 5 things. He reported at my next visit that my body was not converting T-4 to T-3 so it was not being absorbed into my cells. He started me on a new med, Tyrosint, and within days I began to feel better. I complained to him I was on Atkins and eating nearly zero carbs, yet I could not get my ketose dipstick to turn pink. He told me I must be insulin resistant and put me on Metformin. I am not a diabetic but insulin resistance is a possible precurser to Diabetes, if I continued the way I was headed. Within 2 hours of taking my first tablet, my dipstick was dark purple and the weight began melting off. So Hormone imbalance, Thyroid deficiency and Insulin Resistance were my biggest obstacles to weight loss. I had some other issues which he uncovered. I was borderline wheat gluten intolerant, mildly lactose intolerant, and I had burned out my Adrenals by eating wheat as a carb addict for 50 years. I felt so much better on the Atkins diet, which made sense as no dairy or grains were permitted. I now could remember what "WELL" felt like. My energy was back, I was back selling houses, I had energy, I no longer had to shop in the Women's department, I had my Mo-Jo back. In addition to using the Atkins Diet, I also did the HCG shots and a 500 calorie diet. This was a grueling diet and one which cannot be entered into lightly. You need to look at your calendar and make sure you have 90 full days for the 30 day diet, 30 day transition and 30 day maintenance before even starting on it. Otherwise you will gain it all back again and more. So I lost my weight in sort of a stair-step fashion. 20 lbs or so at a time over a few years. Alternating between Atkins and HCG. Luckily I never gained more than a couple lbs. in between. As I lost weight, people began treating me differently. I was no longer "invisible". Men began holding doors for me and making eye contact when I walked by. I was getting compliments from my female co-workers and it was fun to buy clothes again. So my road was a very long one. It was almost 5 years before I had all of the puzzle pieces in place and the band started doing it's job.. I saved up for a Circumferential Tummy Tuck last summer which carved off another 20 lbs. Now, at 159 lbs, I wear a size 10 at Talbotts. And without the belly fat, my blood profile has normalized. I am no longer insulin resitant and my cholesterol and Tryglycerides are now normal. There is more skin I would like to have removed. The surgeon did liposuction of the thighs but now I need a thigh lift. I would like to have a breast lift, arm lift and maybe an eye lift. But just getting the tummy tuck made a HUGE difference in my wardrobe and how I feel about myself. I can wear Spanx for my thighs and a good support bra and long sleeves to hide the arms, but there was no good way to disguise my gut. Having it off, I no longer have to wear a long jacket over every outfit I own. For the first time in 27 years, I feel pretty again. At least as pretty as you can feel at 57. LOL So my advice, before you drop $11,000 or $12,000 on bariatric surgery, go to a good D.O. or better yet, an Endocrinologist, and have a full Thyroid panel done, Vitamin D, hormones and have them check for insulin resistance and gluten sensitivity. Once you have these items addressed, see if you can lose weight without the band. Try a low carb diet like Atkins. If you feel great on it and lose weight, you may well have been gluten intolerant. You might not even need the band. The band is not without risks. I have had to work very hard to handle vitamin and mineral deficiencies from both dieting and the band. Healthy salads and fruits and veggies are hard to eat with the band. I rarely got in all the Protein I required without a supplement. I also have much more GERD or indigestion at night with the band. This can be very serious and cause esophageal cancer if left untreated. Our bed is propped up 6 inches and I can't eat spicy foods. The band has been a God Send but don't get it if you can lose weight on your own. Just get these items "ticked" off the list before you go under the knife. If nothing else, it will make your lap band more successful and you wont take 6 years like I did. While the band, never really caused me to lose weight. It has been helpful keeping the weight I lost off. I can take a a few bites of a small piece of pizza and be stuffed, I can take a tablespoonful of Thanksgiving goodies and try a taste of each thing, but push away from the table with a plate still half full. In fact, I had my band tightened just before Thanksgiving to make sure I did not put any holiday weight on. My band in 2006 was one of the early ones. The port is very prominent now that I have lost 100 or more lbs. and the band is tight even when empty. The new bands are larger in circumference when empty. I am going back in to have a new, lower profile port put in. When my plastic surgeon did my tummy tuck, he repaired 3 hernias. This caused the port to move to the mid-line since it was attached to the muscle and fascia he was pulling together. I want it moved back to under my ribs and right breast, where it originally was. Dr. Choban explained this replacement is not without some risk. She has to carve out a pocket for the newly moved port and then hope the empty pocket does not get infected. It is definitely not something I want a doctor doing who is inexperienced in lap bands. If you do decide to get a lap band and later a tummy tuck, allow for your bariatric surgeon to be present to adjust your port and possibly put a lower profile port in place. I thought it was something the Plastic Surgeon could have done but it turns out to be much more complicated than I originally thought. So discuss it with your Bariatric Surgeon first. Make sure your Bariatric Surgeon and Plastic Surgeon have privileges at the same hospital. It turns out, mine did not. Feel free to message me if you want more info on the HCG diet or doctors.

Thanks for being honest!!! I can totally relate!!! I am 1 yr post-op, and my appetite has increased, and my sweet craving too! Plus it doesn't help that its the holidays, and food is everywhere! Personally my weight goes up, and down 5 pounds or so. My Dr. wants me at 145, so if I go up past 150 I freak out ,and put myself in check! The good thing is that you realize your cravings... Acknowledging this is key. We are human... we will make mistakes! Put yourself in check! An occasional treat is ok! I like sugar-free popsicles, Jello & S/F pudding. Weigh yourself, and set a weight gain limit. It's normal to go up & down a few pounds... know your bodys norm. PS... Drink plenty of water!!! Good Luck!!!

I have been required by my insurance to participate in a 3 month supervised weight loss plan prior to submitting a request for weight loss surgery. I weighed in on November 07, 2013 and I have to do my final weigh in on December 19, 2013 prior to my doctor submitting a claim to my insurance, blue cross blue shield federal plan. My question is this, I believe I have gained about 4 pounds since my last weigh in and the whole time I have been on the diet I have lost. I am guessing I did not do as good as I thought throught the holidays. Has anyone ever gained weight in the supervised diet with blue cross blue shield federal and got denied or approved. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

I had a lap band 5 yrs ago I weighed 235 pounds I went down to 150-155 my goal is to stay at 155 I lost the weight in less than a year which was great I have gained 20 pounds which is a lot to me having a hard time staying on tract I went back for a fill 6 weeks ago I am going back thurs for another fill I do not feel the restriction I feel I need

Congrats on your pregancy btw!!!! 130lb weight loss is AMAZING!!!!!!!! So you are due at the end of March I take it? Do you know what your having? I'm having another boy! I have a 6 year old daughter and a 3.5 year old boy. Both I had before I was banded! This is my first band baby. I feel you on the weight gain jitters.....Seeing every week the numbers go up is so hard for me. I haven't been eating a ton but I have a major sweet tooth Its killing me.....lol......Started out at 116ish and I'm now 135.5......My due date is March 10th but I'm sure my OBGYN will induce me a week early as my husband works out west and will have to make arrangements to be home....

Well I'm 28 weeks now and am up to 135.5 lbs so getting close to 20lbs I've gained. I find I reach for Soups and yogurts and things that go down easily. I can eat an english muffin in the am with a HOT coffee and its fine. Anything really hot helps me get my foods down easily. If I try to take a few sips of Water that is cold I will throw that up. My OB thinks by 39 weeks when they plan to induce me I should be around the 145-150 mark so 35lb weight gain in total. I have a HUGE love affair with sweets that's def not helping me along with the weight gain....lol....Get's even worse when I'm breastfeeding...... Fritzy1980.......Do find you have restriction at all? Are there any foods you can't get down?

all4gizmo. I too have struggled with a little weight gain since having a revision surgery. I have 5 cc in my band and can't tolerate more. I have had to readjust my food intake and mind. Try joing myfitnespal and logging your intake and exercise, it is helping me! Best wishes, Karen,,aka..kll724

I weighed in at 272.0 lbs. I showed a weight gain. I know it's not much, but a gain is just that - a gain. I have showed a weight loss then I show a weight gain. It is very frustrating.

I have had wine a few times, I am almost 6 months out. I too got tipsy after 2 glasses. The big thing, I think, is the fact that alcohol is high in calories. Drinking your calories can easily cause weight gain. So I try to keep alcohol to special occasions and not too excess.

It sounds like you have a few issues to address. Firstly, you seem to have doubts about how well your op was done - NO food restrictions! Wow. I would be getting an independent medical review that ends with confirming your sleeve was done appropriately - or not - in regard to size/volume. Once that is confirmed, get an endocrine system full check - I'm particularly thinking of your thyroid function. Underactive thyroid is very common, and should be excluded. Even "subclinical" results (normal, but only just) can cause many symptoms like full blown thyroid dysfunction, including weight gain. Finally (or perhaps first), are you recording your diet? Many, many people on this forum will tell you they need to eat less than 1000 cal per day, low fat, low carb and zero alcohol in order to lose weight. With such a limited outcome over a year (unless you didn't have much to lose in the first place) you need to be systematic - and diligent - to get to the bottom of this. Good luck.

Hi Paulag. Yes, I had that concern and it acually happened to me until I gave my head a shake and took back control. You start to feel so god and gradually realize that you can eat almost anything you want even though the portions are smaller. It took an actual weight gain of 5 lbs to make me realize that I still have to watch what I eat. I am hopefully back on track now and loosing gradually. If you have any questions or concerns that I can help you with, please let me know. Take care and stay positive.

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.

This is to those of you how have done this already. I'll give hard numbers so it makes sense I hope. My surgery was two weeks ago tomorrow. The morning I went in I weighed 143. I don't know how much he took (I'd guess 6 pounds, I forgot to ask). Today I weight 144! I know I'm getting NO exercise, obviously, but I'm also being very careful about what I eat. I'm eating less than pre surgery to try to balance the lack of calorie use. I know once I can start even walking things will get back on track, but is this normal? Is this fluid? I have one drain still in, but it has finally stopped much output so it will be removed Tuesday. FYI, I feel like the weight is going to my thighs. Is this some weird head game I'm playing on myself, is this normal, did you guys go through this as well? I'm torn between eating to recover and not eating to take the weight off! Help!

Hi Kelli - sounds like the job is amazing although, there are little traps you will have to work out I guess my reflection on your post was that, wow, isn't it great that you're aware now of managing the weight and are dealing with a small weight gain of 2kg instead of just letting it go and go until voila, you have a "problem" again. I think that is the amazing thing about your post - acknowledging the pitfalls and looking for solutions. I think having a chat to other's on the veteran forum is a good idea - but even just doing an analysis of how the situation has developed (as you've done with buffet/ banquet type situations) and putting plans in place to manage that. Everyone has a "fix" to manage their weight - bariatric and non-bariatric people . What I think is great is how you're addressing it now to make a minor adjustment before you have to really hit the panic stations. It might even resolve itself by simply being more conscious that this is a trap for you - it is amazing how much you can adjust your behaviour by simply being aware and making better choices consistently than making amazing efforts over short periods (i.e. dieting lol). You're so close to goal, you must be able to "taste" it - sorry probably a bad pun Anyway Kelli, I think you're doing brilliantly and thank you for sharing your struggles! I know, as a sleever who's out a little over a year, that these are the things that are going to be problematic for me at some point too Cheers, Liss

HI! I had my band removed in September of this year after 3 years, but not for erosion. I'm sorry yours has eroded. It's good they found it early (or at least before you started having ugly symptoms). I chose to not have any more weight loss surgery. My insurance covered the removal as it was medically necessary. It also paid to have it implanted. Your idea of continuing to eat as though banded is good, in my opinion. It is what has helped me. I continue to lose weight or hold. At first I lost 8 pounds pretty quickly. Now it is slow and I sometimes stall for a while before it drops again. I want to lose at least 40 more pounds. Having your band removed is not an automatic sentence of weight gain! Not at all!!! Keep your goal as your top priority, no matter what. I feel so much better without the band because my body was rejecting it; so it helps me to feel how wonderful I feel being at a lighter weight and continuing on from here. I eat mostly protein and vegetables. I'm finding recipes from www.health-bent.com are helpful. My surgeon suggests a modified Mediterranean diet and also promotes the cook book found on health-bent called, Primal Cravings. I also take a high quality probiotic from Metagenics called, Acute Care. Banded or not, keep heading in the direction of your goal! I feel very fortunate to have found a surgeon who realized my band needed to come out. Your surgeon may have saved you a lot of pain and grief by getting to the problem before things got bad (as other people have described on this site). I had 3 years of discomfort, the last 2 quite miserable, before finding someone who could see clearly what needed to happen. I am so grateful. I'm glad you're being proactive about diet and thinking about how to proceed! ~hiddn~

Most doctors will talk to their patients about exercising - during pre op consultation- as a way to manage weight once they reach goal because almost everyone will be eating more then, say, the first 6 months or even the first year. And eating more will lead to weight gain without a consistent exercise plan.

I definitely think hormones can change with weight gain/loss.

Due to new stomach size, bc pills do not work the same as the body cannot absorb it as before, so you can get pregnant... I changed to the patch instead of the shots, bc weight gain is higher with the shots!... Talk to your Docs and/or GYN! 11 months out, total weight loss of 100lbs!... Best decision ever!... Trying for a baby!

Hi I had my surgery in the San Francisco Bay Area. Lol! most people here learn really quick not to talk to me about bougies I have very strong opinions on making them a factor in a "successful" surgery outcome. They do not do the work at losing the weight, you do A too small a bougie (32f) MAY increase complications (leaks, strictures) . The most common used is 32-40 F The bougie sizes are used as a guide for the doctor when removing your stomach. As far as getting a "bigger" or "smaller" sleeve the difference between the ALL bougies sizes are really very small.. Your doctor will know what is right for you! Everyone's stomachs are different some are small, some are long so even two people using the same size bougie can have different capacities after.. And as far as "getting one as small as you can" If your stomach is made to small there is a greater chance of long term problems. Wow as far as wishing I had done anything different? Not really.. I wish I would learn to love exercise and did it more... The hardest part of this journey will be you head. It takes a lot of work to get your head straight. Most of us didn't eat and get fat because we had extreme out of control REAL hunger. So head hunger is a major factor and should be dealt with in the early stages (first six months) because if not dealt with and relying solely on the sleeve can = weight gain down the line. We have to think long term not just the first year.

In defence of TurnThePage - I've been thinking about this thread a lot today, having read through the posts last night. It strikes a chord with me as sugary food (including chocolate) is one of my big problems. I'm not an 'eat one or two chocolates and put the rest away' type of person, although I have tried many times. So, I exclude sugar from my diet knowing how addictive it is for me and how it increases insulin which lays down more fat (in layman's terms). Since seeing my Dietician last week and realising that I really do have NO restriction and I'm not losing weight, I hit the 'oh sod it' button and let sugar back in. Ok, let's get some persepctive, it's only been ten days and I haven't binged on sweet stuff but it's right back in there, when for me, it is a huge contributor to my weight gain. So, I read the posts and can relate and whilst some people have mentioned that TurnThePage's reply was less than helpful and I do have to agree that tact is perhaps something she could improve upon - it has actually been her words ringing in my ears today. Regardless of what happens about my lack of restriction, I have just spent £11,500 pounds on a bypass. I was lucky enough to sail through the initial healing period and this isn't only a second chance, it's my last chance to solve this problem - and I do really want to solve it! I realised she's right, I am sabotaging and once I'd realised that, I relaised why I hit the 'oh sod it' button and let sugar back in. And from there I realised that this behaviour only takes me further away from my goal of losing the weight. So, it's her post that may have got me back on track and for that I can only be thankful.