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Im here. And nothing is happening. Ok, thats not COMPLETELY true. Who am I today and how did I get here...here goes... Im 39 and will be 40 next month. Wow, as if that isnt something breathing down my neck in regards to pressure! I work in a financial call center and spend most of my day sitting on my rear. I am engaged to be married for the THIRD time, they say that it will be the charm, I hope so because at this point im concerned my family will refer to me as Liz (that would be JLO to all your younger gals, for a point of reference). I am a mom in a blended family, DH has two sons, one who lives with us and I have a 16yo DS and 13yo twins, boy and girl. So how did I expand to my maximum density? Slow but steady like the turtle. I think back to Jr High weighing 115 and thinking, I need to lose 10lbs! I could really smack myself now in retrospect. But puberty got to me VERY early and that started the hips and booty expansion, but the serious weight gain happened after my first marriage because we loved to eat and I ballooned from 145 to 190. Then I lost weight after the divorce 3 years later and HAHA looked good enough to get pregnant and went up to 215 delivering a 10lb child! Marriage number 2 and the twins came along but I was careful to only gain 25lbs with those kiddos but my husband owned a pizza place and that was good for 3 years then he sold to my parents so it stayed in the family. I went down to 190, then back up. I tried Weight Watchers (lost 15lbs gained it back). Did the Cabbage Soup diet, Atkins and the 30 Day Body Makeover (I did lose 32 lbs but gained it and then some with current DH). When I met current DH I was feeling good about weighing 207. Thats right, 207lbs. Did I mention im only 5'2"? People have told me that I carry my weight well and I dont look as big as I say I am. Well I may not look it but I feel it. And thats what got me here. I met DH and worked on maintaining. But I ate just like he ate, the same trap that got me eating like my male coworkers ate 8 years earlier. I was eating like a 6ft early 20's guy and I was a mid 30's hispanic woman! We moved to Dallas last year and I gained 20 more pounds from just wanting to leave work. I was eating the way I said I never would, going through drive throughs and eating in my car in the parking lot. I was embarrassed because I was getting winded just going upstairs in our home. Our kids could get away with not doing their chores upstairs because they knew Mom wasnt getting her rear up off the couch to check. What finally did it was when we went to Ross for who knows what and I stepped on the scale and it read 250. I almost cried. I was embarrassed and asked DH to step on it to test how accurate it was. It was accurate alright. So I called the WLS center and started my journey. So where does the Microwave Mentality come in? Well, as a kid I really loved Joan Rivers. I just thought she was hilarious. She had this joke that Elizabeth Taylor was so fat that she would stand in front of a microwave and yell "HURRY!". Well that was me when I was reheating a meal and thats sometimes how impatient I feel about the weight loss process. I want it done in a hurry. And im learning it doesnt work that way. Normally when I am interested in something I research the heck out of it. I went though the WLS center and read all my stuff and had the surgery on May 1, 2012. However, 2 days after my surgery did I notice the line on my Doctors list of do's and don'ts that state I will not get a fill until 3 months after my surgery. WHAT??!!?? 3 months? I check other's blogs and their posts and see some people who got some of a fill at their surgery and others about a month later. I am almost 2 months out and I feel I havent even arrived to the race. WTH??!! I lost 15lbs in the first week and kept it off until 2 days ago where I have gained about 4lbs back. Because it feels like nothiing has ever changed and it feels like I have no restriction. Because I went back to my old eating ways. I did quit soda altogether. I do make better food choices. I started working out, walk/jogging on a treadmill and did Zumba on Monday. But at the same time, even though its early days, I feel a little cheated. And this is where the Microwave Mentality creeps in. So im rising to the challenge another lap band blogger threw out to the lurkers. BLOG- hold yourself accountable. Make goals and track accomplishments. My body, my health, needs this to work. Starting weight 262 on surgery date 5/1/12 247lbs 5/16/2012 251 lbs 6/27/2012

I use to use food for my depression I got up to 315 after surgery I dropped down to 195 well that was three years ago I started to use food as a crutch after the passing of my son I went back to my old habits and know back to 225 I still can't eat a lot but just can't drop weight like I did right after surgery any suggestions.. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using BariatricPal mobile app

Thank you guys !! i have written down all shampoos and biotin!! I have also read about ovationnhair therapy, it is even used with quimio patients, I and willing to try everything, and yes, even washing my hair less times per week !!!!! A friend used zinc, that also could be an option. I know hair loss is normal, as stall, nut when you are actually going thru it it just sucks !, no matter how normal !!! May we continue to lose weight....gain hair !! Thank you again !!

While shuffling down a longevity rabbit hole on PubMed, I found a fascinating study in the calorie restriction "genre" This one found, amongst other things, that low protein, high carbohydrate (20% fat) was associated with the greatest longevity and best overall metabolic health in spite of a tendency to weight gain as fat. The improvement was equal to caloric restriction alone, and combining the two had no additional metabolic benefits (LPHC also tended to expend the most energy) The version of the experiment where LPHC was combined with CR had the same longevity, but also avoided the increase in body mass from the high carbohydrate Intake. They also had the best immune systems The low carbohydrate, high protein group were found to have reduced longevity and poorer cardiovascular and metabolic health, though again, LCHP group with CR fared better than those allowed to eat freely. The area where LCHP created an advantage was in reproduction. Not in fertility, but in the actual process of reproduction, which makes complete sense. You can read the whole report here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4472496/ It should be mentioned this study is still one part of decades of research on Calorie Restriction and dietary composition. From the strong evidence in favor of dietary restriction, we should all be seeing increased life spans (depending on age of intervention, some will be more modest than others). But I wonder how the evidence building up for HCLP can be applied to us. HCLP emphasizes low glycemic index carb sources and 5-15% protein intake, but at our level of consumption 600-1000 calories a day in maintenance depending on your needs), that would only be 12.5-37.5g protein which seems like it would result in a deficiency. The famous Okinawan Ratio is on the low end of that, though people studied consumed about twice the calories (if I remember right, and I might not) which is still only 25g protein/day. And yet, I'm not seeing any of these deficiencies in the literature. No deficiencies in the Okinawans either. Curiouser and curiouser.

My husband and I are a couple that take advantage of the fact that the band is "adjustable". I love the fact that I am able to adjust the band to fit my life style. For an example, last year when my husband required hip replacement surgery he was able to un-fill his band enough to allow him to eat the amount of food and nutrition that he needed to help his body heal. When your band is at a certain restriction you may know that there are certain food intolerance that you might experience with fruits and vegetable and when you are recovering from major surgery it's good to be able to get those in without worrying about that and being banded he was able to relax his band during that time and concentrate on healing. The same has been true for myself. When I was sick with severe flu, I was able to relax my band to allow my body to eliminate the extra Fluid and mucus that my body was battling with. I have had to have several invasive tests and have had periods of high intensity stress that relaxing my band helped me to process and recover more quickly from. On the flip side going back to the Dr. once things are in balance I and my husband are able to add fluid back into the band to achieve that level of restriction where our food intake is lower due to lack of hunger and craving, and our weight loss continues. During the times when we have had our bands relaxed I can say that the most weight gained was about 2 pounds maybe 5 for hubby after hip replacement surgery but mostly due to IV fluids he lost that with in a week after discharge from the hospital. Slow and steady for us....the goal is at the end and today it's all about the journey.

Hi everyone, this is my first post so please be kind! ???? On March 5th, 2012 I had lap band surgery. My HW then was 371lbs., SW was 350 lbs. And within a year I lost about another 72lbs. After that, I seemed to hit a brick wall, and had issues with keeping things down. Long story short, I went to see my surgeon after another vomiting episode and had emergency gallbladder removal the next day. Ever since then, I had more and more issues with my band to the point where I had to go to the ER and have all my fluid removed due to constant slipping. Since that point my weight gain has sky rocketed from 384, to 391, and now 398! My heaviest weight ever! I have taken full responsibility for going off the handles since my band was deflated, but I am excited for this revision and to get my life back on track. Has anyone else had similar issues? Any and all stories are appreciated, its nice to feel like you're not alone. Best of luck to everyone on their WLJ!!! ????

I also agree with all the above posts. I have a similar relationship with my mother. Appearance is everything to her. I started gaining weight about 8 years ago and along with my body shape my relationship with her also changed. First she became VERY embarressed of my weight and would make excuses to people about my appearance (She has PCOS you know....was her usual way of introducing me to people). Then she became very judgemental of me, not just my weight gain but every aspect of my life (my career choice, my parenting skills, etc). Next came hostility......."why don't you just DO something about your size???" or "You're not wearing THAT are you???" In the last couple of years it's become pity....she would give me these sad looks like I was dying or something and make comments like "you must be so tired all the time" or "don't clean the whole house you might have a heart attack or something...just do one room each day". So when I finally decided to have my WLS I spoke at lenghth to my husband and the psychologist about whether I should tell her. My husband said a definite NO!......he believed she would definitely judge me on my choice. The psychologist also pointed out that these type of people (with very over enflated egos and views) often have big reactions to things they don't understand or disapprove of and that I must decide if it was "worth the trouble".....she was also concerned that my mother would also try to "sabotage" my weight loss efforts. In the end I decided it was NOT worth the drama. I saw my mother 3 days ago and she actually seemed a little "hostile" and critical about my recent weightloss. My brother was at my parents house and when I walked in the door he said "Wow look at you ...you've lost alot of weight....lookin good!" My mother just looked me up and down, sighed and said "but she's got a LONG way to go to look normal again". Need I say anymore!

Hi Butterfly512, We handle hundreds of these kinds of denials (band conversion cases) so I wanted to share something before you went to surgeons thinking you might have to talk them out of a "required" six-month diet. Remember, despite what you might be told, there is no evidence-based medicine to support these bogus 6-month diets and the society of bariatric surgeons has soundly rejected the concept of insurer requirements like this. However it is quite possible that isn't even relevant in your case if you are having your band removed (with a conversion to a new procedure) because of a complication . While most people only think of band complications as being a flipped port or the band slipping or eroding, there are other complications we see every day, most of which result in stalled weight loss, weight gain, severe reflux and other serious problems. Often overlooked, even by surgical practices whose dieticians are often trying to paint we patients as the ones to blame if a surgery "fails", is a recognized complication called "band intolerance." That means, in essence, you cannot get it adjusted in the "green zone" so you're either too tight which results in severe reflux, regurgitation, vomiting, and pain (sometimes) or you are open and getting no satiety or restriction and can eat anything. Either way is bad but having a band too tight is often something people try to muddle through - often by eating softer, usually higher calorie foods because they go down easier than the dense proteins we are supposed to eat. When complications are present and your band has to be removed because there is no other way of treating your symptoms, there is no medical reason to be forced to undergo a 6 month diet. Think about it and you know the answer to this: how is a diet going to help alleviate something that can only be fixed surgically? Sadly too many bariatric practices simply have knee-jerk reactions about these diet programs which make no sense - they do it because they have allowed insurance companies to make these medical decisions. Hopefully this information helps you interview surgeons in your area and gives you some "ammunition" if someone in their office (or the surgeon themselves) tries to convince you that going on the dreaded six-month diet is necessary. And feel free to call us at 877-992-7732 if we can help in any way, even if you haven't had a request sent to your insurer. Good luck! For Patients' Sakes - Drive The Bus!

weight gain right after surgery is normal, relax, your body is healing. a month from now you should be dropping, but right now my advice is don't even get on the scale for 4 weeks.

I ask myself that sometimes. I think there's something to be said for making a commitment like this. Now that I've spent the money, went through a surgery, had to recover from it... how am I not going to follow through. It's easier to make some sort of tangible commitment - like paying for something - than it is for me to make a promise to myself. Also, I felt this was kind of a last resort. Not to be too dramatic. Same as you, other stuff didn't work, didn't make me exercise, didn't make me do anything else I didn't want to do. However... My biggest problem with weight gain was portion control. That's why I opted for a band instead of a bypass even. In this case, the band is helping me. I know that I can't take that last bite when I'm full, because I could get sick. I hate hate hate feeling that sick, so I know I won't push it. Again, the rest of the stuff falls into place because you're doing this for you - no one's going to lose weight for you, make you exercise, make you eat right. If you're committed to getting the band, then you have to commit to all the "rules" it comes with. It's not always easy, but neither were any of the other diets I tried!

Ok....I've heard about the dreaded 3 week stall, but I'm 5 weeks out today and I GAINED 1.8lbs!! What in the world?? I'm sticking to a low-carb (30g or less), high protein (90g) diet; I started working out last week; I'm getting in all my water.......I have no idea what's going on. I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing, because, up until now, it's been working! Any suggestions? Thanks, Bewildered and Confused in Texas

I was in the hospital, admitted this past Wednesday and discharged Friday. All of my Vitamin levels were low and I was dehydrated. I don't know if my weight gain is from all of the fluids they were giving me but my diet really hasn't changed. I gained 2lbs. Has this happened to anyone? Sent from my iPhone using VST

I had an identical experience to what you are describing after having an unfill, and then refills. When I asked my surgeon why we "refillers" seem to report a lack of being able to refind original sensations of fullness/lack of hunger between meals/restriction, he answered "We don't know." It's a drag, but it may be helpful to get in the mindset that your band ultimately doesn't do the bulk of the work after the initial, glorius first year (or so). Mine ran full power for the first year, making the weight drop off with little effort on my part, other than eating in a band-friendly way which was super easy due to my perfect restriction. Then I started having complications and a first unfill. I never found the original restriction once I was cleared to start refilling. As time went by, and my weight started slowly climbing, I told myself I had to throw out the fantasy that my band was going to do all the work for me. So I brought in my old tools (from my dieting years) and polished those off. The weight gain halted (I've been at the same weight for more than a year now--no losses, but no gains). I had to let go of feeling badly that I was "back to dieting" but you know what? At the end of the day, it still is easier, at least for me, to do this with a band (mine is now unfilled completely, due to other complications) than to do this as an unbanded person. In short, I understand and have lived exactly what you are experiencing. My only "tip" is to "live like you have an active band" even if you aren't feeling it. (I know, it's not as easy as when the band was indeed active.)

So here I am speaking from the horses mouth..................I had my revision with Dr Garcia September 10th. He only charged me $500.00 to take out the band. IMO it would be the best decision to do it in one surgery. I had a small stomach hernia and he fixed it also for free. I had no complications and had the band for 5 years. There is nothing to "heal" if you have no issues with your band, don't risk the weight gain by doing two surgeries. You could probably have your surgery this year and be well on your way by cruise time.

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!

30 min after a meal, most certainly; 30 min before meals, maybe (depends on specific program instructions.) You don't want to drink after meals to keep the food in the stomach as long as possible; drinking too soon can help empty the stomach sooner leading to more inter-meal hunger and is associated with weight gain or poor loss. Drinking before meals can be a problem for some for a while immediately after surgery as with the potential for inflammation in the stomach, fluids may still be in the stomach at meal time, impeding getting the food in. As the inflammation resolves - a few days to a few weeks, the fluids move through the stomach easily and quickly and drain out in just a couple of minutes, so the pre-meal limitation is no longer needed. Some programs mention this last detail and open up pre-meal drinking at some point, but many don't bother and leave their patients hanging. (Similar problem as to how long does one need to sip, sip, sip their water before one can drink normally - many programs don't bother saying.)

I have very sudden weight gains, which is the same way I lose. Nothing, nothing, nothing... 6 lbs. Nothing, nothing, nothing... 9 lbs. Even now that I'm comfortably into my 3rd trimester a lot of my gain fluctuates around fluid. I may go up 15 lbs in two weeks, and hold it for a month, and then drop 12 of them. Despite the fluctuating, the scale is undoubtedly also climbing up and I have gained weight, though not the ridiculous amount I would have gained had I not been banded.

I am not a foodie but have gained 100 pounds after being started on some meds known to cause weight gain. My Doctor recommended WLS after mutilple failed attempts at weight loss. Unlike others here who have lost and gained, I have never lost an ounce. I am scared I will do a drastic surgery and not lose the weight. Is there anyone out there who had surgery for the same reason, and did you succeed?

Thank you to everyone who posted about avoiding the carbs because whenever you try them, they lead to cravings for more. That's exactly what I needed to hear! I haven't tried them yet for fear of the slippery carb slope, and your posts inspire me to keep avoiding them. Thus far in maintenance, nuts, cheeses, and decadent meats have been my treats; and so far they have not led to weight gain. Thanks again for your really helpful advice!

Has anyone ever gained back there weight and went for a second vertical sleeve surgery? I ask because I am back to my old depressed self and I have gained back almost 50 lbs I cant seem to lose the weight im back to eating really restricted one week then fall off the wagon for three days then get back on it and my weight does not go down but 1 lbs at a time seems to increase.

Well said Mac, I think if any of us were put under a microscope like a fat* actor we'd all be a bit more understanding. fat=anything bigger than a size 0 in Hollywood! Most women and now men tend to judge themselves and others on their weight/gain/loss/size. It's a lot of pressure and really silly/superficial/insane if you think about it but we're kind of stuck doing this in our society. OK, I know we all got surgery for our health but let's be honest we all feel the pressure to look good! I think she's a beautiful actress no matter what size she is or what her weight is. She's not just a "pretty face" and is a good comedic actor. She's lucky to have very beautiful and striking features and carries most of her weight below the waist. So it's easier to camoflage. I envy that as I'm an "apple" and cannot hide much! As I've stated before I'm the last to throw stones in my glass house as I've been a skinny beeeeach and gained it all back again and have repeated that same scenerio a few times. Once you get closer to 50 it gets a lot harder to get back to skinny beeeeach hence the RNY I am now getting! I hope everyone that has gotten thin and is able to now judge those that are not as thin as they think they should be realize it can all go away again under certain circumstances. That pumpkin we all want to go away sometimes comes back! Nancy.

I really appreciate all of you responding to me so quickly. How long have you all been banded? Have any of you had any weight gain? And by the way, I am post menopausal! Tell me about some of your experiences. Gratefully, Cindy

Would love some BTDT success stories. I had a successful VSG 2.5 years ago and initially lost 70lbs. Sadly with the pandemic I have regained 25-30 lbs. I am crushed. I think my pouch is still small as I cannot eat large amounts of food but I’m afraid I’m addicted to sugar. Anyone able to get back on track after weight gain. ☹️

Hello everyone, I'm MIke. I'm 38 (or am I 39, I forget), from New Orleans and I wanted to formally introduce myself to the forums. I've been a little chubby but the bulk, 100 pounds, I gained in past two years. I'm in drug recovery since February 16, 2010. I've switched addictions from drugs to food. Most of my weight gain in the last two years is a result of being clean and off drugs as well as the medication and a lot of tres leches cake., now that I have successfully passed my two year goal of being totally clean and have graduated from the medication, here I am 100 pounds heavier! My insurance (Medicaid) has approved my lap-band surgery and I am soooo looking forward to this new life of not only sobriety but with a new healthy body. I was scheduled for this Wednesday the 29th. to finalize all my surgery paperwork, but with the hurricane Isaac but to hit New Orleans on tomorrow and Wednesday, my appointment had to be rescheduled for September 13th. Damn, It seemed like it took forever to finally get to the 29th, now these next 2 weeks are going feel like an eternity! The most peculiar thing is that I was scheduled for gastric bypass August 29, 2005, the very day that hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, as a result all the computer hard drives and patient records were lost, now on the anniversary of hurricane Katrina, seven years later, another hurricane is wrecking havoc and causing problems with my surgery. If I was a superstitious man, that would really give me something to think about. By the way, if anybody want to be friends and add me to Facebook here I am: https://www.facebook.com/mjuniordominguez Peace. One Love!

Hey girl you and I were sleeved on the same day. I'm 12 weeks pregnant. Congrats! I'm in a 3lb bounce no real significant weight gain. Had really bad morning sickness that lasted all day. But getting better everyday! How many weeks are you? Sent from my EVO using VST