Search the Community

It sounds like you're too tight. You shouldn't be resorting to slider foods and you shouldn't have such a hard time eating healthy foods. Contrary to popular belief, being too tight can actually drastically slow weight loss or even result in weight gain because of the inability to eat healthy foods. Here's a great article on being too tight: http://www.lapbandta...0#commentsStart

DOn't know if this OP is still looking for replies, but for other visitors...I didn't stretch my pouch, but stretched my esophagus! I was too tight for too long and overeating and managed to make my esophagus an extra part of my stomach. I didn't realize anything was wrong for years..just thought I had usual band quirks. Decided last summer to finally go and get a routine check. My surgeon is in Mexico, but luckily I have Kaiser and they covered me getting checked out. WIth a routine flouro, I had barely any barium passing and the next week, I was completely unfilled to let my esophagus rest for 3 months. I gained 45lbs in that time waiting for a recheck. I went back and esophagus was back to normal. surgeon waited an additional few weeks to get me refilled. I am on the journey back to where I was before..hoping I can get this weight off. So I recommend getting a flouro check routinely. It had been at least 5+ years I was down for a check to Mexico. My last fills were done "blind" by a northern california doctor who accepted mexico patients. Last saw him for a fill 3-4+ years ago and had been stable at my goal weight all those years. Glad I decided to check it out. Hated the weight gain, but hoping I reversed the damage and will be more vigilant now!!

BACK WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE, WE DIDN'T HAVE APPS FOR OUR CELL PHONES!!!! LOL I'm in a funny (ha ha funny mood today) which made me think about technology has helped me as a bandster, and I have to thank my dirty little secret... fat secret that is Not only is it a FREE app for your phone, but it also is online as well, and it links your accounts. Where my office is, I have no cell reception. But, being the sometimes good bandster that I am, the food that I'm eating is already recorded on my app, but for example if I don't eat something, I can go on my computer, log into my account on fatsecret.com and update the food for that day, then when I do have cell phone service and check the app it's updated. Sooo freaking cool! I swear this is not an advertisement they are def not paying me to promote the app. Let's see I weighed myself this morning, gained 4 lbs, but down 2 lbs since Monday so I'm blaming Aunt Flo for the 4lb weight gain she is such a pain! Went to the gym last night for only a half hour, but I have to say that usually when it is my TOM I don't want to go to the gym at all. Today I'll go for 35 minutes, Thursday 40 minutes and Friday 45 minutes. Also just received my Keurig brewer for my office in the mail yesterday, I'll bring it in Friday (I take the train to work and the train is least crowded on Friday). I usually need that ONE cup of coffee around 3pm to get through the rest of the day. I already brought in my mug, a teaspoon, and non dairy creamer. Tomorrow I'll bring in some K-cups. As a bandster I thought it would be good, because after every fill, I'm on liquids for one full day, so I can bring in some cup of soups and use the Keurig to heat up the water for it! I realized last night that changing jobs has helped me be a good bandster. My old job required me to have such a sporadic schedule that sometimes I would only have a few minutes (literally 5) to eat lunch. The job I have now I'm so independent, that at 9am, I stop whatever I'm doing have my breakfast and at 2pm stop everything again and have my lunch. Sometimes a life change will change your health too. Now I'm not recommending everyone leave their jobs for something else. I did it for the independence, the stable hours (M-F 8-4:30) and the flexibility for time off. And I love every minute of it! Well enough blabbing for today. To people that read this, I'm going to start asking you questions for input....when you work out and start to do weight training, how do you find what's best for you? Do you hire a trainer? Go online? Or just wing it?

This morning I spent some time trying on clothes in my closet that until recently no longer fit. What a pleasant surprise. I have a bunch of things I can wear without having to go out and purchase "temporary" clothes. About 6 years ago, I lost just over 150 pounds, then 4 years ago I quit smoking and found the weight again. Because the weight gain is fairly recent, and over a relatively short period of time, I have clothes in various sizes. In fact, I have jeans in 7(!) different sizes. There's such a temptation to buy new clothes at every new size, but I am going to try and be patient, save the money, and do major shopping when I get to goal!

Hey Vicki, Don't be discouraged, all will be well for you after surgery. I lost 15 lbs the first 10 days pre-op, but by the time I had my surgery, I had gained 3 of it back and I was true to my liquids, I did not cheat at all. Since my surgery though I (March 15, 2012) I'm getting close to 35 lbs lost total. Every ones body loses at a diferent rate, and dependinng on metabolism and how much weight one has to lose. Trust me, if you have this surgery, and follow all the doctors instructions during your recovery and stay true to each post-surgery food phase along with proper excercise for what ever stage you're in, then you will lose the weight. Also, I've noticed that even when I had my first weightloss stall at 6 weeks out, I still was losing inches, because I was able to fit comfortably in clothes that were too tight just 2 weeks before. My doctor said that my body was adjusting itself to the weight I had already lost and that muscle was replacing itself in places where fat used to be. So even though the scale had not moved, I was still getting smaller. Remember, a pound is a pound, but muscle is leaner, so the couple of pounds you've seen return may be gained muscle or it could simply be water weight gain, you know, that happens to us girls all the time. Good luck on your surgery, and looking forward to hearing about your progress along this journey. Keep Smiling!!

My current OBGYN has referred me to the bariatrics team at LGMC. He advised that there were other, pharmacological forms of treatment that we could try before using surgery as a solution, but I was insistent that I needed to take this next step as all that I’ve tried has failed and I didn’t hold out much hope for other "similar but different" treatment options, let alone I was afraid of being kicked off of insurance before finding/completing treatment. I weigh 242lbs. I went to a mandatory seminar at LGMC within a week of seeing the doctor. I was worried it was going to be more of the same, trying to talk me out of surgery as an option, citing it was “easy to lose weight, fatty”. To my joy, that was not the case. They took my insurance card and my weight. I sat through a presentation about the different surgeries offered by one of the laparoscopic surgeons. I was visibly the smallest, youngest person there. It has made me think that I am less worthy of a surgery. I don’t know. I just feel like I might be thought less deserving of this tool. The nurses advised they would use my insurance information to call and check on coverage and call me back within a week. I felt giddy. Elated. Just, lighter. Relieved. I got a call back promptly from the surgery center and have scheduled my first meeting with a surgeon. The nurse also let me know that the only requirement from my insurance was to have a psychiatric evaluation. Our first meeting is scheduled 02/21/2017. I'm excited to meet the surgeon although just the appointment is $250! I will be calling them Monday to see how much the surgery will cost and what my out of pocket will be-if they know. This money will be contributed to the total amount of surgery if I go through them, but if they are 5k more than someone else, I might want to look at other options. I hate to let my frugal flag fly, but money is not disposable to me. While it is important that I go through a reputable surgeon, I can’t bankrupt myself doing so. There must be a balance. Their program and facility are very impressive, though. I know someone who went through self-pay with them. They have a very involved team for the bariatric surgery center, and a high success rate. I think they put a lot of effort into it because we live in the south with a high rate of morbid obesity and a culture of “clean your plate”, so it’s easy to fall right back into bad habits. The first ingredient in many things my family cooks is butter. My adopted family is French – Lebanese, several family members have wrestled with weight gain over the years. On my birth mothers side, they are Italian- American with few weight issues in immediate family. My paternal grandmother, it seems, lived with undiagnosed PCOS, and I pulled the short straw when it came to inheriting those genes. Though, I am the tallest, so nyah! I feel nervous about the evaluation. I know why it’s necessary. I just worry about being denied and having to start over or something. Unfounded worries about something that probably isn't that bad. Reading everyone's posts here has done a lot for my internal dialogue. I feel like if I keep a level head and don't stress about everything coming up, take everything one step at a time, I will be ok.

Hi Pam Your story is very much like mine, except I'm still waiting to have my surgery done.:clap2: As a child and a teenager I was thin and athletic. Upon getting my driver's license I started to gain weight. I continued eating whatever I wanted although I wasn't getting the exercise like I used to. (on the basketball team and just bike riding everywhere)I remember my senior prom, I weighed 157 and was soo mad that I couldn't get down to 150. :mad:If I only knew than what I know now....I'm weighing in at 260 now and would kill to be 200. I think I can blame some of my weight gain on my marriage right out of high school. Or at least my low self esteem. :rain:Why do you never realize who some people are until after you've married them. Let's just say he was a controlling, emotionally, and verbally abusive jerk. I spent alot of time at home eating while he was out having fun, because it was clear that he needed "guy" time and I wasn't invitied. Finally, 6 years later I got a clue and told him I didn't think he should come home. ANYWAY>>>gotten off the subject.....I had a blood work up about 2 months ago-first ever that I can recall- and I'm very healthy! No high blood sugar, cholesterol. Even my good cholesterol is high. I'm a healthy person with the exception that i'm just about 100+ pounds overweight. Plus I was adopted so me or my parents have no idea what my medical history entales. Three years ago this coming March, my fiance left me after being together for the last 10 years. I think alot of it was my weight. I couldn't or didn't want to participate in alot of acitivities that we particiapted in regulary. I've been doing the diet thing for the last 20 years. I've been thinking about Lap band for the last year when finally I decided to pursue it. Now I'm 1&1/2 months from having my paperwork ready to be sent off to my insurance company. I can't wait!!!My lifestyle and the person that I feel that I am, needs to be healthy and look good. I hope that I don't need to have any type of skin removal, which is why I'm going to give working out my best, although I hate it like you do. But I am looking forward to a boob job. Never had much there to begin with and everything always drooped alittle anyway. Already see a psych. for the obvious reasons, and am really going to get into the finding out why I eat when I'm not hungry. I know that the Band isn't a miracle, you have to work the program. The band is just a tool to help you achieve your goals. Sorry to ramble on and on, but your blog inspired me to tell mine as I'm sure mine will inspire others to tell theirs. :bounce: Susan

Hi All!!! A little about me: I'm 27 and my current weight is 259 (wow did I just say that out loud? Lol) oh and I'm 5'5. I just had my consultation with my surgeon on this past Friday and I'm stoked. My surgeon told me that I was a "star candidate" and the insurance rep told me that my insurance was perfect since it would only cost me about $250 out of pocket for the syrgery. The only thing is that I have to wait another 5 mos before I can have the surgery due to insurance requurements (not so perfect after all). So it'll be around December or January before I'm banded. Like many of you I have been battling with my weight as long as I could remember..I was at my smallest my last two years of hs when I was fitting comfortably in size 12 jeans...and even then I thought I was fat (crazy much?) But since then things have spiraled out of control. I've been up and down beteween 30-40 lbs but the weight loss never lasts and the weight gain is always around the corner. Last year was the first time I contemplated the band but my insurance didn't cover it so I kind of just gave up. Then this year I got a new job with really good benefits and revisited the possibility of having the procedure done. And so here I am. I know that this will be the kick in the pants that I need to get me to the healthy me that lies underneath the fat girl that has been smothering me for all these years.I love swimming and want to start running and I'm so excited that I will finally get the chance to do both freely while eating healthily. So in the closing of my intro I would like to say thank you to all of the members of this platform. The joyrney pics, the success stories, the fall off stories, the pain stories (pre and post op) and just the openess and honesty of each and every one of you has encouraged me to follow in your foot steps and take control of my life. I am open to any comments or suggestions as to how I can be successful in my journey. (Steps down off soap box:) Thanks! Sweets27

I had my surgery 12/12 and have lost 55 lbs as of today, 5/8! yea, me! but does anyone know where I can get statistics on this surgery in terms of effectiveness, weight loss, weight gained back, anything like that?

I have watched a lot of sleeves, in my work, and seen the increase in one stage revisions, and finally, I decided to go from Band to sleeve, on the 15 th September, so I texted the surgeon and made appointment with him, made gastroscopy appointment to check hiatal hernia and oesophagus, and spoke to surgeons rooms to book surgery. I was operated on last Tuesday 14th, and was home on the Wednesday.. Shoulder tip and back pain were my main issues but managed fine. I am still on free fluids, and have no hunger what so ever. I am managing on around 80 grams of protein, added to either soup or yoghurt and thinned down with skim milk.. Otherwise a lot of herbal teas, and one black coffee per day. And water.. So far so good.. I see surgeon on Wednesday.. I was a maladapted eater for over 18 months, and it had also given up smoking, had shocking reflux and heartburn, and basically bloody miserable with 40 pounds weight gain and as slipped band..so I feel so released, so relaxed, so new, happy.. I have been given an opportunity to do this the right way. The band was a Dream come true in 2007 for me, and I lost 65 pounds with it, but life wasn't always good.. Work lunches were a moment of panic, breakfast was hit and miss, and the reflux was a killer, sleeping with 3 pillows. Going out to dinner meant scouring the menu for a risotto or a mashed potato side dish with fish, and long haul flights meant I could not eat after for 24 hours due to restriction..plus hit and miss with travel insurance coverage on each trip.. Sometimes they would cover me, other times, not, which is scary , going to the USA, and being technically uninsured..(live in Australia) Now? One pillow..no gaviscon, so blockage, no cravings, no more weight gain, and I was a 10 coffees a day person, and now no coffee or cigarette cravings.. Weird, really weird.. But, yes, very very very happy with my decision..

I had one about a year ago and it migrated up in my uterus and would pinch every time I sat down so I had it taken out. You an have increased bleeding or spotting the first few months then once you have had it you might stop having periods. There was only a 5% chance of weight gain in a study they did an it wasn't conclusive enough to say mirena caused the weight gain.

I go back to the doctor on November 13 for a check up that's long over do. I'm hoping to get my second fill and headed toward the GREEN ZONE. Keeping fingers crossed that my stomach has not stretched from my weight gain.

Went to meet with the Bariatric Coordinator on Wednesday to start the process. She thinks I’m a good candidate and has given me all the first steps I need to do Already have all kinds of appointments set up... psyc consult, nutritionist and physical theory (that one was new to me... apparently its to help people who have not been active get active safely... she admitted it was silly for me but I have to go anyways). Go back in a month to see how I’m doing and how much weight I have lost (Need to lose 11lbs before I can have surgery). I’m very excited, but of course I had a curveball thrown at me today... found out I’m officially 'pre-diabetic' (exactly what I wanted to avoid) and I have some insulin issue too... now the doc wants to play the game of weight gain because of above or above because of weight gain :scared2:. This should be fun but seeing I have been over weight my whole life, I think the band will be a great tool for me. Well, that was long but what can I say... I’m excited :w00t:

I had gastric bypass surgery February this year, and I haven't loss nothing, anything I gained, this month my nut did a stomach scope to see if something was wrong, she said everything was fine. But why am I still not losing any weight. So one please help. Sent from my SM-N976V using BariatricPal mobile app

I am sure you'll be fine! It's all done laproscopically now, so much less chance of complications and healing time is quicker. I would advise staying away from reading up on complications now as you'll just freak yourself out. Be prepared for a little weight gain after surgery; you're just wanting to heal at that point. Good luck, it will all go well!

I just asked this question to my nutritionist last week. She said that my surgeon's protocol is to loosen the band after a certain number of years (I can't remember how many) at goal weight. The reason for this is to avoid any complications linked with a potentially-inflammatory implanted device, especially as one gets older. My surgeon has observed that by that time...(the certain number of years maintaining), the patient has acquired the eating and exercise habit/mindset etc that will prevent him/her from gaining the weight back. If the patient observes weight gain after the band losening, he/she is instructed to return for a fill immediately.

Well the bad news is I didn't see a great deal of movement on my scale this week - in fact the only movement I had went up slightly - 300g, Taking me back to 12kg loss total!!! The good news is that I saw my dietician this morning and have been well assured that this is actually normal. I clearly need to have another fill which is scheduled for next Friday. I was really bummed about my weight gain yesterday and thank goodness for some very close friends of mine that are there for me all the way and supporting me because I really needed it yesterday. Today I have a much clearer mind and totally understand that it's a process!!!!! livelovelapband.blogspot.com.au

Well the bad news is I didn't see a great deal of movement on my scale this week - in fact the only movement I had went up slightly - 300g, Taking me back to 12kg loss total!!! The good news is that I saw my dietician this morning and have been well assured that this is actually normal. I clearly need to have another fill which is scheduled for next Friday. I was really bummed about my weight gain yesterday and thank goodness for some very close friends of mine that are there for me all the way and supporting me because I really needed it yesterday. Today I have a much clearer mind and totally understand that it's a process!!!!! livelovelapband.blogspot.com.au

My stats are almost identical to yours, only I'm STARVING. I'm scheduled for a fill tomorrow and it can't come fast enough for me. Having said that, I've stayed really close to the same diet as you and I also am only losing 1-2 pounds a week. This past week, I cheated once, went to Carlos Okelly's, had some drinks and chips and small dinner. It took me all week to get that weight gain back off, so for this week, I was ZERO pounds lost. :cursing: Hopefully I won't do that again any time soon. Sounds like you're doiing everything right, but I would'nt cancel that fill too soon. I noticed this past week I got hungrier and hungrier, so you may decide it would benefit you after all.

I think your concern is legitimate. I have never read of anyone who had their band removed and was able to keep their weight off. Even unfills seem to provoke weight gain, as I have experienced. Have you considered a revision surgery? There are many on this forum that have revised from the band to a sleeve or bypass, with excellent results and no issues.

Hi all! I was banded back in 2003, and it took me 2 years to reach my goal weight. Then came the great lap band slippage of 2005. I went for the corrective procedure and was told all was well, since then I have had nothing but trouble - I've regained 60lbs and can't seem to loose any of it. It's as though EVERYTHING I eat causes me to gain weight - even though my diet consists mostly of veggie Soup (cause its about all I can keep down) and I wake every night choking on reflux, not to mention the constant pain at the port site. So today i went back to my surgeon and as suspected, the band has slipped again. I've discussed my options with Dr.D and have decided the best plan for me is to remove the band and have the revision to a sleeve. Dr.D tells me that I have to remove the band, wait 3 months for my stomach to relax then have the sleeve done. I've tried to argue with him re; the 3 month rest period but considering he is the surgeon, and I have no idea about surgical matters, I didn't get very far in my attempts to get him to do the removal and sleeve in one surgery. Has anyone had the same experience - Band out, few months wait then sleeved? I'm so worried about the weight gain in those 3 months - can anyone share their story? Did you gain weight? How rapidly? Or how did you maintain your weight loss over that time? I'm not going to lie, this is terrifying me - so I thought I'd reach out to fellow banders for support!

Sunshine: If it helps, try weighing yourself precisely on the same day every week at the same time in th same state of dress. Keep a record. Nothing wrong in weighing every day if you like, but that can be distressing to some and weight goes up and down all the time. Once your find your pattern of weight loss you will be more relaxed with gains. For instance, I start of real low at the lst of the month, and gain in the 3rd week then show my true weight at the end of the month. For fun and to keep me focused, I weigh in every few mornings to keep me on track but discount any weight gain. Others feel it better to throw away the scale and only weigh in at the doctors. Whatever suits you but remember you will show weight gains sometimes. Hope this helps

I'm JEALOUS!!! That is one Cruise I'd love to take and you thought I meant the weight gain...lol No actually I think you'll do fine What would you do if you were having the sleeve done next month? Try to lose weight or say to heck with it? I know what I'm going to hear "If you're not ready to change your diet then you're not ready for the sleeve". I AM ready. My band failed after 3 1/2 yrs (totally my fault, NOPE sorry I don't believe ANYONE is at fault, no matter what happens with the Band. frequent vomiting) and I NEED something to help me take off the rest and maintain forever. It's why I got the band in the first place. I hate dieting We ALL go into WLS because we need that extra TOOL When you have the sleeve I'm assuming you'll be on a pre-op diet? I think this will be a perfect time to get back in gear, personally I don't know that I could go on a cruise and not enjoy the Food and from what I've read concerning the sleeve your not going to be going 'full steam ahead" with eating even if your head wants to your body isn't going to let you, it seems most have a slowwwwwwww and steady restart. So stop fretting, what's done is done your GOING TO DO AWESOME with your Sleeve!!!!!!! ~~~Good Luck on your Journey ~~~

8 lbs! Wow. 3 previous cruises I didn't gain a lb. This is the first one with no fill in my band (slipped last month, waiting till late June for a sleeve revision). I ate with no abandon. eggs Benedict and corn beef hash for Breakfast, the buffet for lunch, a lavish dinner - and has anyone had Carnival Cruise Lines warm chocolate melting cake? It's to die for. I ate it EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. Then at about 11 pm, I'd order another dessert from room service- just because I could. Didn't go to the gym even once. Walked alot in ports, but obviously not enough. So it's official. I've now gained 30 lbs since getting married Dec 2011. It just crept up on me. About 1/2 of my closet doesn't fit anymore. I was down to an 8 and now I'm wearing about an 11/12. Hubby keeps telling me I should cut my carbs (he's a carb-a-phobe), but I feel like "hey, I'm having the sleeve done next month. Why not eat whatever I want?" I'm going to the dr on Monday to get my surgery date. I'm so embarrassed at my weight gain. And to top it off, we lost our camera on the last day of our cruise. All 500 pics of our week is gone. All those memories. No one turned it to lost and found. At least we have the memories to keep in our heads. What would you do if you were having the sleeve done next month? Try to lose weight or say to heack with it? I know what I'm going to hear "If you're not ready to change your diet then you're not ready for the sleeve". I AM ready. My band failed after 3 1/2 yrs (totally my fault, frequent vomiting) and I NEED something to help me take off the rest and maintain forever. It's why I got the band in the first place. I hate dieting. Marci

Does anybody have experience with weight gain after starting Prednisone? I have been gaining a 1/2 to 1 pound a day but am careful with my calorie intake. Will this gain leave as soon as I stop the Prednisone? I am on 10mg a day for 14 days for severe Sciatica pain. Which also means I had to stop exercising. Help!!!! Mimi