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LeeB1946 is right, insurance companies do not pay for tummy tucks but will pay for a panniculectomy (skin removal only) IF medically necessary. If you have any rashes under the skin fold, see your doctor, take photos; that's your best bet for it being medically necessary. Also make sure your weight loss has been documented by your doctor, as your insurance company might want to see documentation of your weight loss & that your are serious about keeping the weight off; my insurance required this documentation. My insurance paid for the panniculectomy & I paid the difference for the full tummy tuck. With a tummy tuck more of the skin is removed (a lot more in my case) and your muscles are repairs (tightened back to normal, as they were stretched with your weight gain too, just as your skin was stretched). I had so much extra skin I immediately went down 2 pant sizes after surgery & after all swelling went down ultimately went down 4 pant sizes after the tummy tuck!! Scars...yes there are scars. I have a scar from hip to hip...literally!! HOWEVER, placement of the scar is key. Doctors differ on their technique & this is an art, so make sure you research your doctor & see before & after photos from your doctors other patients. I was able to wear a bikini (YES A BIKINI!!!!!) for the first time in 20 years last weekend & my scar was completely covered. My doctor did an AWESOME job placing the scar low with a perfect curve! I will also add this surgery is NO JOKE!! It was the worse surgery recovery I have ever had & I've had my share of surgeries. I was down for a month & SLOWLY got back to normal thereafter. It is painful & takes everything out of you to heal...leaves you with NO ENERGY!! Even knowing how awful the recovery was, I would do it again knowing the results I have! The Lapband changed my life & the my TT changed my life to a place I never dreamed! Without that roll of skin I am able to property exercise, I can wear pants that actually fit me, I can be completely proud of my hard work & weight loss AND did I mention I was in a bikini for the first time since I was a teenager! TOTALLY worth every minute of the recovery. Just do your research on the doctor you choose. Good luck with your journey!

hi, I'm not expecting yet, but can i give you some advice? Listen to what your obgyn recomends as far as your weight gain, and also talk to your lapband surgon about how to safely eat while pregnant and banded. The obgyn is looking for your baby to get the proper nutrtion via what you eat diet wise and maybe with the help of a nutrtionist and your lapband team you can give your baby the healthy nutrtion it needs for growth, and you can avoid the massive weight gain that for some comes with pregnancy via the old school of thought that momma should gain 50 for her baby. Congrats on your baby and keep me posted on how you are doing, as I'm hoping to get pregnant after i hit my goal with the lapband.

You didn't feel good at 115. What weight do you feel healthy at? I understand the freakout over a weight gain. It's great that you are right on top of this gain and working it back off. I have given myself a 10 pound bounce range to maintain. When the scale moves up. I go back into weightloss eating mode logging food to hit calorie and carb goals. When I get it back to where I feel healthy I try to balance it out with healthy carbs. I seem to be chasing the same 10 to 15 pounds up and down.... I maintained easily the first two years. At three years out it changed. It's easy for me to gain and the weight comes off slowly. (frustrating) I had to dial in my diet to find the point where my body loses weight. I used a tdee calculator..If interested in the info let me know. Most of maintaining has been trial and error for me. Wish you the best, Jenn

The reason for the weight gain is because you can still eat all the stuff you shouldn't eat if you are dieting and eating right. chips, candy, icecream, donuts....you name it. Yes, surgery cuts down the quantity at one sitting....but it doesn't stop you from eating all day and eating all the unhealthy stuff your heart desires. With any diet....its you who controls what you put in your mouth. Surgery is not a quick, forever, fix. It is no where near the "easy way out" so many people seem to think it is. Continue to do your research and make a choice that's right for you. Just keep in mind there is nothing out there that will take the weight off and keep it off without constant hard work. Nothing. Good Luck to you!

Here's a question back - why are you weighing 1 day into your pre-op diet? Don't do that! Liquid diets (assuming it's a low-carb or sugar free diet) purge extra sugars from your body. Your liver stores a lot of sugar, in the form of glycogen. 2 - 3 days into a sugar free diet there's usually a rush of weightloss as these sugar stores begin to deplete. Then there may be nothing for several days, even weeks. Your body is purging other fluids as well. About half of what you lose in the first week or two, possible more than half, is Fluid. This is why so may diets are quit before they can really do anything. People start a low carb diet, lost 8 or 10 pounds in a week and think "Wow I'll be at goal in no time" (not realizing only a small portion of that (if any, at that point) is fat loss. Their body depletes its stores, puts on the brakes, and focuses on trying to rebuild the stores so there's minute or no weightloss in the next week or two, so they say "Forget it, this diet isn't working, I'm not going to give up my <favorite food> and net even be losing weight..." <- and unfortuantely when the scale doesn't change, the most frequent reaction is "I am doing something wrong" so there's a really strong emotional component as well. Gaining a half of a pound is nothing. Sounds like you could very well be retaining Water. Keep in mind that 1 cup of water (8oz) weighs a little over half a pound. Most "inexplicable" weight gains are rooted in fluid.

J Whipple, I am sorry you are going through this. Life happens, whether we like it or not. They say the surgery and weight loss changes everything- including the relationship with your spouse. It is true. If she isn't taking her meds, and still goes through mood swings, sounds like she has something more than depression. There may be a silver lining to this (but it's hard to see, right now) Yes it hurts, but you need to focus on you. GET an attorney and change your accounts at the bank. If her name is on an account, she can empty it. YOU need to check with the attorney, child support office with your state Welfare agency or County Attorney. They can make adjustments to Child Support if you qualify. Do it ASAP- it isn't automatic. DO talk with your daughter- let her know you love her. ( REAL MEN honor their committments) Take to her Mom- let her know the stuation, too. And get moving. You need to do something. Apply for unemployment benefits, do volunteer work until you get a job ( it will help gain some perspective) Ther going is tough , you need to get going. Prozac can cause weight gain ( been there, done that), ED, and the sleeping. Anyone would be depressed in your situation. IT is short term. You can change. Good Luck!

This picture is the reason for my weight gain. Five surgeries in two years, 9 consecutive months in a long arm cast and months of rehab. I had my wrist fused and my ulna shortened. All from bench pressing. Needless to say I was very depressed and food became my drug. I don't think I'll ever be able to lift weights ever again like I used to. No more 405lb. bench for reps. But I am looking forward to having abs again, running 4 miles a day. Mt biking. I just love life again and it feels good to have the reigns again.

I read some research once that said that it took an average person 4-5 days to show true weight gain for something they had eaten. In other words, if I pigged out today and was all excited because it didn't show on the scales in the morning, then I should WATCH OUT on Thursday!!

It has band awhile since I posted. I have been making wrong food choices and have re-gain my weight and plus.... I noticed yesterday for lunch I had a few pieces of chicken and that was it. I could not eat any more. About 30 minutes later I threw up. I know the band is working.. again with my weight gain its about wrong food choices. Well time to start up again. I weighted in this morning at 333.6 lbs ( sucks )... Goal weight 200 lbs My lowest after being banded was 269 lbs back in 5-16-06. I had no issues weighting my food then and working out was a biggie for me . Did it all the time in the past, and have to do it now. I need help with a menu, if you can post what you eat daily that would be a start me for. Thanks everyone! Joe H.

Neither one is fool-proof...my sis lost a lot of weight with RNY but gained a lot back too!! So she lost the weight, gained it back, and still needs to get plastic surgery for the skin flaps. But the hospital told me on Thursday that a fireman had RNY and then developed Esophagus cancer...luckily he had that piece of stomach still there inside, they took the bad parts out and took the old stomach and attached it to his neck..and is now cancer free! Malabsorption is a prob with RNY. But not so much with banding. I would go to a support group and talk to the people there...it helps to actually meet with people in person. Best wishes in your decision!!!

Wow, thanks so much. That's very flattering. I wish I was a nurse but the reality is I work in my hubs law firm by day and psychic by night. lol As per having another surgery. The good thing about my TT is that even when I piled weight back on I never really gained anything in that area. There I was at 284 with no tummy, weird huh. I think I may get away with not having another one because I even had a baby with the TT and it didnt affect it at all. I will need some work done on my bum, and thighs and my boobs need doing again. I had them lifted and enlarged at the same time as my TT but a boob job doesnt fare well after several years and tons of weight gains and losses.

I have a very similar story. Lost about 85 pounds in about 14 months and then just stopped for about 2 and a half months. I also had an unfill in there which didn't help. I broke my plateau by cutting out all white flour and sugar, and counting strictly 1,000-1,300 calories per day, and exercising. Well, actually I'm not too good about the exercising part (only doing it about two or three times a week), but the other stuff has definitely helped. The first two weeks of this regimine I lost 6.4 pounds. Now I'm on week three, but I'm getting my period, and thus begins the monthly Water weight gain of between 3-5 pounds, which is so disheartening. But, I really think that my regimine is helping. I plan to resume white flour and sugar in limited portions, only after I reach goal.

I have just got back from a months holiday overseas and am really pleased that in spite of not eating very healthily I still lost weight. Down approx. 1.8kg and almost at goal. The main reason for the not eating as healthily as I should have should have is that for most of the holiday we were staying with other people so restaurants were selected that suited the larger group. We started off in California where we ate mainly Mexican or burger/ribs. I have to say that I like the fact that your restaurants allow and encourage meal sharing as it meant I could have some of hubby's food instead of having to order a huge plate of my own. I know the US has a reputation for huge meals but some of them are so oversized its not surprising so many people struggle with their weight, 4 sliders is not a starter and a sandwich is supposed to be 2 slices of bread not 4 plus chips! It was great to be able to eat ribs without spending the rest of the night in the toilet throwing up which is something that happened to me on countless occasions when I had my band. Then it was onto the UK home of the pub and pub meals. They are fine the first or second time but pubs are like Mexican restaurants - all the same once you get to no 3! We also ate a lot of lunches at store and stately home canteen style cafes. So I was sharing sandwiches with hubby and also sharing cake! One place I loved in both the UK and Hong Kong was Pret a Manger - they had lovely quick easy healthy options like Bircher muesli, yogurt with fruit, sandwiches etc. Our final destination was Hong Kong. This was the only part of the holiday where hubby and I were on our own. We should have had lots of lovely Asian food but we were so busy we mainly ate on the run. The "pasteis de nata" in Macau probably weren't the healthiest breakfast choice but they were fabulous. So essentially I ate a small portion of whatever I wanted without worrying about weight gain. Poor hubby did have lots of leftovers to eat and his relatives in the UK kept commenting on how little I ate although I thought I was eating heaps! I drank alcohol but not in huge quantities. The serves of wine and cider in the UK are huge, they would never allow that much to be served in 1 glass in Aus. I ate cake and I ate chocolate and even had an icecream. I ate that very cautiously as I was terrified I would dump but luckily I didn't. I did have 1 or 2 minor episodes of dumping ( nausea, shakes and palpitations) but that was when I deserved it for doing something stupid like eating chocolate first thing in the morning! Prior to my op I was very concerned as I kept reading about people that had accidents post op.I had visions of having to always carry spare undies or wear adult diapers. Luckily that hasn't been an issue although when I need to go I need to go - sometimes I had to find a loo in a hurry and the hardest place to do that was Hong Kong. Travelling with the bypass has been so much easier than travelling with a band and the variety of food I eat is so much greater and healthier.

I also don't understand why they would unfill it completely unless for surgery as in Jachut's case. I have heard lots of people say that it is hard to get the restriction right again after a complete unfill. It seems to do something to the band - a bit like when you blow up a balloon and then let it down and blow it up again. I would be stocking the fridge with healthy Snacks e.g crudites or making big pots of veggie Soup. Stuff that you can fill up on that won't cause weight gain. And I would probably also take the opportunity to fill up on the healthy foods that can be hard to eat when you have decent restrction e.g fruit salad, salad sandwich, steak. Good luck, hope it all goes well.

Pammers I caan relate to that about the weight gain. I was 234 on the day of my surgery, and when I came home 2 days later, I was 244.! They must have put a lot of water and air in our stomaches to operate on. My Doc did tell me that he puts water around the stomache and then puts air in it to make sure that there aren't any leaks. So I'm just going to blame the weight increase on him, I certainly haven't been eating anything!

I will be getting on some kind of birth control this week. But not sure what. Is there something out there that doesn't cause weight gain?? Thank you!

Bulimia Nervosa Bulimia nervosa is a serious disorder that involves a recurring pattern of binge eating followed by dangerous compensatory behaviors in an effort to counteract or “undo” the calories consumed during the binge. People with bulimia often feel trapped in this cycle of dysregulated eating, and there is a risk for major medical consequences associated with bulimic behaviors. Research has provided varying results but conservative estimates regarding bulimia indicate that about 1.5% of women and .5% of men will have bulimia at some point in their lifetime. In certain populations, prevalence rates are much higher, such as on college campuses where up to 20% of college-age females endorse symptoms of bulimia. Diagnostic criteria for Bulimia Nervosa (from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-V) Recurrent episodes of binge eating Recurrent inappropriate compensatory behaviors (such as self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, fasting, or excessive exercise) in order to prevent weight gain The binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviors both occur, on average, at least 1x/week for 3 months. Self-evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and weight. The disturbance does not occur exclusively during episodes of anorexia nervosa https://www.eatingdisorder.org/eating-disorder-information/bulimia-nervosa/

honey everyone has that feeling of "what did I do" after surgery. I spent about 2 weeks feeling like I had made a huge mistake. After that I realized it was the best thing I could have ever done for myself. initially your eating while healing is definitely different from your normal. The new normal starts to give you more choices and you will start seeing the results of your better choices which will give you a good mental attitude and motivation. I was 66 years old when I made the leap to surgery, I was banded in January 2013. When I had my surgery I had diabetes, which was getting increasingly worse with my weight gain and lack of mobility, I was on the verge of starting insulin and my cholesterol and blood pressure were getting higher. Since surgery I am normal and do not take any medications . You will be able to eat normally, but it will be a new normal, you can eat real food and enjoy eating out but your outlook will change. Hang in there and remember to focus on why you had your surgery. We are all here and there are so many here who have had all of the same feelings as you just ask questions and make sure you listen to your body and ask your Dr. for anything medical.

Wow, just in time for the holidays. Guess that solves the weight gain for holiday seasons. Good luck to you and definitely keep us posted. You will find wonderful support here, I know I have.

I recently started running again, I keep my calories at around 1200 and it seems like my scale is moving in the wrong direction! My clothes a fitting better though... But then there is that constant pressure to lose weight by my next Dr. Appt which has me stressed out! Have any of my fellow bandsters gone through this?

I doubt you are adding a lot of muscle mass at this point. Running doesn't really bulk you up ... at all. What it does do, though, is help store glycogen more efficiently in your muscles. Glycogen is mainly stored in your liver, but when your body sees it needs more resources, due to additional exercise, it will begin to also store glycogen in muscles. One of the differences, though, is when it is stored in muscles, it must also bond with Water in a 4 to 1 ratio. So, if you are storing an additional pound of glycogen, you also have to store an additional 4 pounds of water. This equates to 5 additional pounds! So then you think, "Woa! I'm giving up all exercise, then!" Well, as you mention, your clothes are fitting better. I'm also guessing you have great energy and have a better overall feeling of wellness. Not even to mention the heightened metabolism. I know when I was running regularly, my body was a furnace and my weight loss was incredible. Don't worry about the scale or your doctors if you decide to stay committed to this. They will understand what exercise is doing for you. And ditch the scale. It measures weight, not fat. What are you looking to lose? Another great post by PdxMan! Thank you for explaining it so well! My typical response is that the body is holding onto water more (in a non-bloated way) with the exercise. This is so much better! Bottom line.....the weight gain is not fat and that's the main thing. Dr's who ONLY look at the number on the scale and judging their pateints by that are not really looking out for their patient's best interest. Again.....great post!

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?

Oh Frank, I'm sorry for the weight gain. Its so hard to get back on track from the holidays isn't it. I'm having the same problem. This is what I'm going to do: First get rid of all the junk in my house. Second make a plan. Plan what your going to eat for the week on Sundays. Planning does help you stay on track and not wonder what your going to have for the next meal. Third, Water, track your water and make sure you get enuf. Forth and final.... Exercise (this is hard for me b/c I hate it) Even though I don't like to admit it, exercise is the key. Weather it be a walk or a run, what ever floats your boat.... just do it. Ask your wife to really get involved. It helps when an extra set of eyes are watching and can help us see things we don't. Good luck Frank, you've done amazing work so far and your wife gets a big BRAVO from me as well. HUGS !!!

Hi Guys, Has anyone gained weight between having surgery and getting your first fill? I have (about 7 lbs). I'm so glad I'm getting a fill tomarrow, maybe at least I'll feel I'm on my way to losing some weight! Patty