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I weigh every morning, every night. If you understand how food, exercise, fluids affect your body you won't go mental over a few lbs here and there. If you don't weigh but once a week and you're up 5 lbs at the end of the week, how do you know which foods affected your weight gain? Quick gains of 1-3 lbs are often just the body retaining water from exercise, sodium or too many carbs and can be easily shed by changing our sodium or carb intake.

I know! I am excited to get this weight off! The start of my weight gain was fertility drugs! 45 pounds, 3 sets of drugs, and a surgery later I got pregnant. Lost weight in beginning of pregnancy and only had 3 positive pound weight gain. Over the years I had surgery for my gallbladder, appendix, stat csection, and 7 laparoscopic procedures for endometriosis. The final surgery my hysterectomy really added the weight! I just gave up! So tired of trying every diet and failing!! I exercise but I have so much belly fat from the hormones being imbalanced and scar tissue! Hoping to get this weight off and start running again! I am ready for my old self to come back!

I agree with what the others say but also have a different point if view to share. I had RNY in 2005. I have now gained almost all my weight back. My weight gain didn't start till 4 years later when I started eating whatever I wanted. I can eat anything now and it took a very short time for me to get to that point. I still have dumping and had my gallbladder removed 11months after RNY. FYI my god awful gallstone attack was after eating one blueberry muffin. I am not one to tell you what to do since I messed up but I would be concerned if you are already doing this so soon after surgery.

I agree with what the others say but also have a different point if view to share. I had RNY in 2005. I have now gained almost all my weight back. My weight gain didn't start till 4 years later when I started eating whatever I wanted. I can eat anything now and it took a very short time for me to get to that point. I still have dumping and had my gallbladder removed 11months after RNY. FYI my god awful gallstone attack was after eating one blueberry muffin. I am not one to tell you what to do since I messed up but I would be concerned if you are already doing this so soon after surgery.

I had my lap band in 2003, I started at 215 & within the first year I lost 157lbs, & reached my goal weight, I had great success. At the end of my 9th year, i was vomiting quite often, couldn't get much food down, I had an esophagram & my lap band had slipped, so I had emergency surgery with my original surgeon & unfortunatly the damage was realy bad & it had to come out. So now I'm on month 3 without it & up 15 pounds. I have been eating healthy & exercising. I am very frustrated & so afraid of gaining any more weight back. Any diets known for those who had to have thier band removed????!!!! HELP

Hi Vince, I too am looking at a surgery date of 1st week in December if all goes planned with insurance. I went back and forth since I know (As a busy mom of 3) that this is a crazy time of the year with alot of trigger foods. My motto is however, there is NO time like the present. If its not the holidays, it's Valentines, Halloween etc. candy snd sweets are always around. I can no longer make excuses...it's time for me to get off this roller coaster weight gain/loss journey. I'm done...and ready for the new me to be revealed!!! If you end up being banded in December would love to create a support team of 'Team Holiday' Bandsters!!! We can do this!!!!!

Hi Vince, I too am looking at a surgery date of 1st week in December if all goes planned with insurance. I went back and forth since I know (As a busy mom of 3) that this is a crazy time of the year with alot of trigger foods. My motto is however, there is NO time like the present. If its not the holidays, it's Valentines, Halloween etc. candy snd sweets are always around. I can no longer make excuses...it's time for me to get off this roller coaster weight gain/loss journey. I'm done...and ready for the new me to be revealed!!! If you end up being banded in December would love to create a support team of 'Team Holiday' Bandsters!!! We can do this!!!!!

I never lose weight on the weekend and most weekends I gain, despite following my normal eating regiment. Overall, I am extremely happy with my loss, but would like some guidance in dealing with weekend weight gain. Thanks!

I never lose weight on the weekend and most weekends I gain, despite following my normal eating regiment. Overall, I am extremely happy with my loss, but would like some guidance in dealing with weekend weight gain. Thanks!

My surgeon shares the following poem with all of his WLS patients. I was shocked so much of this was true for me and I think this helped me come to terms with some of my issues. There were also a lot of tears shed as I tried to read it to my husband. LISTEN TO THE LIFE OF THE MORBIDLY OBESE Author Unknown LISTEN to the embarrassment we encounter in our everyday life. The name-calling, stares, rude comments and looks of disgust we endure battling the last acceptable form of discrimination. People we meet that give us a far wider berth than we need when passing us on the street, in the hall ... in life. Afraid that somehow our disease of obesity might be contagious. LISTEN to our apprehension as we expertly eye the chair. Will we break it, or will we fit. Will we ever fit into life, as "normal" people know it? LISTEN to our agony as we just walk and perform the simple activities of daily living on joints screaming in pain from an incredible burden they were never meant to carry. LISTEN to the pain of our humiliation when ridiculed by a doctor for "allowing" ourselves to get so fat. Realizing even the doctor's office is not a "safe" place, we tend to neglect our health even more. Hey doctor, didn't you take an oath to help? LISTEN to our hopelessness after being turned down over and over for a job or promotion because we don't "match the corporate image" of the person they envision for this position. LISTEN to our guilt. Because of our size, we feel we've cheated those we love out of the parent, spouse, child or friend we feel we should've been. Our embarrassment has now become theirs as well. LISTEN to our anticipation as we eagerly embark on yet another diet. THIS will be the one. This time I WILL SUCEED! LISTEN to our frustration as once again we fail at another attempt to lose weight, reinforcing once again our feelings of worthlessness, failure and defeat. LISTEN to our fear for what life holds if we don't have surgery. We try to ignore it, to stuff it down, but when we are brutally honest with ourselves, we realize an early death is an almost certainty. LISTEN to our indecision as we do extensive research, trying to outweigh the risk of complications (up to and including death) versus the chance of a new life. A chance to improve our health, move without pain, play with our children, the opportunity to just "fit in" to society. LISTEN to our indecision as we second-guess our decision to have surgery. As we ask ourselves, "Should I try just one more diet?" ... And tell ourselves, "If I only had more willpower." Knowing that willpower isn't the whole answer. LISTEN to us as we eagerly meet with the surgeon, with our five-page, single-spaced, list of questions in hand. Let down by the medical profession in the past, can I really trust this person who looks at me with compassion, as he assures me I'm a "good candidate" and he can help? Please God, I want to believe him, tell me I'm not setting myself up for failure once again. LISTEN to our feelings of helplessness as we place our future in the hands of an insurance company. Fully aware that with a simple denial letter, all the work we have done to this point, may be pointless. This surgery is not without cost, physical, emotional and monetary. LISTEN to our joy as we open the long awaited "approval letter" or obtain financing to make this dream a reality. LISTEN to us as we grasp for a chance at improved health, of moving with ease and just living life as a "normal" person. LISTEN to our renewed hope of living long enough to see our children grow up, get married, play with grandchildren and grow old alongside our mate. LISTEN to our fear as we roll into the surgical suite. The sights, the smells, the needles, the faceless people behind the masks. Do you care? Do you understand, or will you too make cracks about my weight once I'm asleep? My life is now in your hands, please take care of me. I have a brand new life ahead of me, and so much to live for. LISTEN to the Sigh of relief as we wake up in pain ... but alive! Stand up, walk a few steps, cough and deep breathe. Sure nurse, whatever you say, I can handle it ... because I'm alive! LISTEN to our delight as the weight starts to drop off, realizing this is for real. We are actually on the losing side. LISTEN to our misery as the body we once knew so well, now betrays us with nausea and vomiting when we attempt to eat. LISTEN to our frustration as we attempt to do something as simple as drinking a glass of Water. LISTEN to our panic at the first plateau or weight gain. As that little voice inside tells us, "Once again I'm a failure." LISTEN to us relax and let out our breath as we watch the numbers on the scale edge down once again. Plateau over. Renewed hope. Maybe I will make it after all. LISTEN to our efforts to move as we slowly and painfully attempt to exercise in a body that is still morbidly obese. LISTEN to our confusion as our emotions wreck havoc with us. Why am I crying? Why do I feel depressed? Why am I mean and snapping at the ones I love? I don't like this person that has taken over my emotions. LISTEN to our sense of accomplishment the first time we walk a mile. It rivals the high of any runner completing their first marathon. LISTEN to our depression when we realize we can no longer soothe our emotions with food. We now have to learn to feel and deal with these emotions. LISTEN to our tears as we mourn the loss of that brief but satisfying sensation of gratification we once obtained from the "comfort foods" we can no longer have. LISTEN to our obsession surrounding the scale, Vitamins, Protein drinks and carb counts, determined not to fail "this time". LISTEN to our sense of accomplishment as we pass up that calorie laden, high carbohydrate treat, telling ourselves, "My new life is sweeter than any dessert." LISTEN to our elation as we reach that "century mark" that once seemed so distant, but now is a reality. LISTEN to our resolve to reach our goals. Moving the weight on the scale down another notch, reaching a new "century" of numbers, wearing the dream outfit and attaining our "goal" weight. LISTEN to the gratefulness in our hearts as we thank our surgeon for not only their technical skills, but equally important, their understanding and compassion for the morbidly obese. Thank you doctor for the opportunity to rejoin society and live a fulfilling life. LISTEN to our amazement as we come to the realization that "reaching goal" wasn't the most important thing in life. It was the lessons we learned, the friends we made and the sense of accomplishment we gained along the way. LISTEN, don't talk, don't give advice, don't judge, just listen. And then, maybe then, you will start to understand the life of a morbidly obese person.

Hello All: I just returned from my pre op appointment with my surgeon. I wanted to share with you the questions I asked and the answers I received. Q. Can I take my capsule (Cymbalta) medication after surgery? A. Yes, do not stop taking it, but open the capsule pour the contains in something to get it down. Q. I am allergic to vicodin and codeine. What can I take after surgery when I get home? A. You will be prescribed something nice and strong, but it will be in pill form and need to be crushed up before taking it. Q. What is the deal-o with "gas" after surgery? Is that due to the surgeon's technique or specific to the patient? A. All the gas pumped into you during the surgery is removed while you are asleep. There are three types of pain, 1. incision pain 2. irratation from the gas 3. ..... oh heck I forgot lol if you did well with your gallbladder surgery, you should breeze through this no problem. Q. Do you make everyone's tummy the same size or is it based on the patient's orginal tummy size? A. The stomach size is a constant, determined by the tube used as a "pattern" to guide the cutting. The only variable that is not controllable is the length of a persons stomach. Q. Is there anything you might find during surgery that would cause me to wake up without being sleeved? A. 1 in a million chance that there would be anything that would be found during surgery that was not identified during the pre op testing. He has never had a surgery that ended in no sleeve. Q. Straws? What is the theory behind straws? A. The straw mystery is a myth. However you can get your liquids down is fine by him. Q. Weight gain from/after surgery? A. Yes there will be some bloating and Water retention. Don't bother weighing yourself for a week. Q. I had to out right ask... do you... or are you going to do a nicotine test? A. No. "Should I?" lol I think those were my primary questions as I can remember them. Most of my questions I was able to find answers on the internet or VST. My surgery is a go for October 22nd. I officially clocked in today at the doctor's -15#'s. I start my pre-op diet on the 9th. And I am super excited and very ready to get this party started. Thanks for reading. Bonnie

no violation of laws, simply a matter of not assuming that metabolic rates are a constant function driven by nothing other than weight/age, (e.g., all 250 lb women lose weight if they eat 1200 calories) and that individual "machines" (humans) process information/calories differently, and that many other factors impact weight gain and loss rather than just calories in/calories out.

Treating yourself occasionally is one thing, a morbidly obese person eating ice cream pre-op regularly is another. That should be a time to be very focused on learning the new food and lifestyle guidelines, giving up the old habits that caused weight gain, and creating new healthful habits. Once the weight loss is complete and healthy habits are ingrained, then have an occasional treat.

Jean, Thanks for sharing. I hope our other members see this post and respond. I'm sure some can relate, and it's a good topic. I was one of the lucky ones. I was thin all my life until 13 years ago when the steroids I took for chemo caused a massive weight gain ... and the train just kept on going, gaining weight as it went. I went from 175 to 431 in no time.

You may want to put the work into changing this now... You are still early out, but when you get further along flushing out your food will become an issue (as in weight gain when you are able to eat more and hunger returns) what starts out as a little will become more after awhile in my experience. the "rule" is there for a really good reason and although I don't follow every rule (I drink coffee in the mornings) I find following most of them sets you up for success long term.

Welcome back Globetrotter! I am new to the group since you have been gone, but have been on the boards a long time. I can absolutely relate to auto-immune issues - rather than gut, intestine, celiac stuff - I have a lot of severe issues with my skin and my eyes, which have both been diagnosed as auto-immune responses (dyshidrotic eczema - my hands and feet blister badly on the palms and soles, and severe chronic conjunctivitis - infections of the lining of the eye) - currently I have been in remission for a good while (thank goodness!) but the last flare-up I had was devastating. I was on heavy compounded doses of prednisone for a long time which is just awful - talk about weight gain - I literally could not stop eating, and I spent so many months on various steroids that I was run down and worn out. Shortly after is when I started the year long pre-op journey with starting to change my diet - and by cutting down on the white stuff flours, sugar, rice, wheat in general - I have not seen a flare yet. This is the time of year my body usually starts to trigger, so far so good. I too take meds to help with my brain chemistry - Buproprion and Clonazepam (hi trauma and one of my nutritionists who is always the science gal tells me how those meds have positive impacts for those of us trying to shed pounds. I think you can get green tea capsule - I should get some of those heh

I'm in serious learning mode here. I've been struggling a bit and want to learn everything I can about exactly how the metabolism works and how different actions, macronutrients, hormones, etc. affect it. For the layman, I have pretty much only found diet books, which is not at all what I'm looking for. I thought about purchasing a textbook, but am not real excited about spending several hundred dollars on a (current, up-to-date) book that may or may not be what I'm really looking for. Then, of course, there's the option to read some random crap on the internet (because they wouldn't let them put it on the internet if it wasn't true!!!). I just came out of several weeks of forced semi-starvation between early surgery recovery and then fighting nausea (8 weeks of sub-500 cal/day. For my body, that is a real problem and was causing some really worrisome side effects). A couple weeks ago, we got it figured out and I have been able to eat in my calorie range as prescribed by my nutritionist. Now, I'm left with the aftereffects of weight gain and significant weakness/fatigue, which has felt glacially slow to improve. I immediately gained 10 pounds in about 10 days following beginning to eat "normally" (keeping in mind that "normally" is still 700-1000 cal deficit compared to what I was burning immediately prior to my semi-starvation period). My macronutrient ratios are pretty reasonable. Nothing is out of whack as far as what general guidelines would be. (For example: today I have 30% carb, 29% fat, and 41% Protein, with 78g of protein so far and I will probably have a piece of lowfat cheese or something before I go to bed) I am not eating low-carb, as I am not confident that reducing carbs any further wouldn't have an adverse affect on my already very low energy level. I wasn't too worried at first, but then I lost 3 pounds over the weekend, gained 2 pounds on Monday, gained another 1/2 pound yesterday. The last thing I read (and who knows if it's credible...) is that this can go on for about 3 weeks, but I'm real close to that 3 week mark and feel like I'm all over the place. I want to read something credible and detailed so that I can work out what's going on, how best to address it, and what I can expect going forward. I haven't managed to come up with the correct search terms to find what I'm looking for without going with some diet book (and we all know how accurate all those things are...) or going full-on $300-something textbook for medical students. I will be discussing this with my surgeon during my next followup in a couple weeks, and am thinking I'll probably make an appointment with my nutritionist as well, but either way, I still want to learn. (and let's face it... I'm a bit of a do-it-yourselfer...) Thanks for any info that can point me in the right direction!

1st fill if it happens. I have lots of troubles getting so many pills about 20-27 pills a day 4-5 x's throughout the day. It fills me up with luquid and takes awhile before I feel like eating then there are days I can't hardly eat at all but not losing weight too much because some pills are weight gaining meds. So we'll see how much I've lost in since preop and guess at what I might lose if filled.

My weight 'gain' was apparently just my scale being a bitch for a day. Back down now and actually lost 3 lbs this wk instead of gaining it. Woohoo HW(9/3/13)- 284, DOS(9/11/13)-270, CW-254(10/02/13), GW-155(by 9/21/14...my 26th birthday!)

I have taken anti depressant medication in the past and was warned about weight gain, however whilst there is a possibility of weight gain if you are sensible in your eating and exercise I have many friends who are taking psychotropic medication and have not gained . So I would suggest that you call your doctor and give yourself a break from the worry. You are very brave and deserve to be happy as well as slim !

Here is the advice I was given. Everyone will hear something different, and everyone IS different. So take it all with a grain of salt...I was told early on you can eat "normal" food with the sleeve, unlike the band or Roux-n-Y. I was also told a "once in a great while" splurge will not stretch the tummy out and ruin all your hard work. BUT...If you constantly eat foods that cause weight gain you WILL GAIN WEIGHT. Pretty simple idea, considering it is a fact of life. I will admit that was one of the defining moments to tell me the sleeve was what I needed and wanted. I like the idea of knowing that, someday, I will be able to have foods I like again. But I also know I have to stay true to myself and the plan. Eat my proteins first. Stay hydrated. Don't stuff to capacity. Learn to LIVE your life that includes food, not food as my life. So down the road, if I want to eat something not on the plan I will. But I will do in in complete moderation ( esp. since carbs are a big trigger for me) and get back to what works. This is forever. We all have to learn what works best for our forever....

thanks all for the responses and for understanding. Yes this is an issue for my psychiatrist but I'm an hour and half away from him, he's in Nashville and I'm Ky so it's not like I can jump in the car and make an appt and go see him on a whim. I have to do these things by phone. His assistant called today to ck on me and to see if the Depakote was helping and my response was :::"why in the world would he prescribe me something that causes major weight gain knowing I'm a wight loss surgery patient and on top of that due to my surgery I already am losing hair and this med causes that so no I'm taking it". she said oh, well, let me talk to him and call you back. Well, the day went on and never heard back from her. This is not like my dr, I've been with him for 7 yrs, love him to pcs, he's been there with me thru ups/downs and my separation/divorce but right now I am kinda peeved no one called me back today. On the otherhand my medical doc mentioned Lithium in a low dose...torn between doctors here. All I know is I cannot continue being short fused with everyone including the freakin dog of all things, she doesn't know any better. Zingy, like you I don't take criticism very well either or I take it to heart or wear my emotions on my shoulder so to speak. Thank you for sharing your story, it was brave of you. At least I'm not alone. Donna

It is the weirdest thing going in for my surgery and I am 208#. This is on September 26th Then when I leave 4 days later I am at 221.9#. I am going to assume that this is water weight as per I've been on liquid diet is anyone else leaving surgery had an influx in weight gain due to holding in water or fluid retention?? I feel bloated I have been passing gas I have been walking. Drinking tons of water but I guess I will go see when I meet with my surgeon tomorrow any thoughts on this. I am following the diet so it is just weird to me!!! I don't want to freak out!

I'm 19 days out from surgery and I've gained 3 lbs in the past 5 days. I'm seriously discouraged I've read a lot about stalls, but actual weight gain ugh. This blows HW(9/3/13)- 284, DOS(9/11/13)-270, CW-257(9/25/13), GW-155(by 9/21/14...my 26th birthday!)

ok so let me start off by saying before my surgery i was very active i played football for a good part of my life, was into gym lifting weights and started boxing was introduced to cross fit last year and had a blast!! due to past injuries i had to leave the gym and thats when my weight gaining started! but had my surgery to avoid a possible hernia surgery on my l4 l5 disk so been out of surgery 20 days now and was wondering o pick up my boxing routine atleast the cardio part of it. but not sure if jumping rope is allowed yet but wondered if anyone here has experience with this and if atleast working the heavy bag is ok because im kinda scared about actually being hit in the stomach and dying jeje