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I'd agree with a couple posts above...it sounds like you might be a tad too tight as it is right now. I'm 36w5d pregnant and haven't had to have an adjustment...I do have to eat a smaller amount for Breakfast, but a normal (for me) size lunch and dinner, plus a couple Snacks in there too. I've been craving milk, so I'm getting more Protein from milk throughout the day as well. I had decided early on to not worry about weight gain and if I needed an unfill, I'd cross that bridge when I came to it. It's about getting enough nutrients to your baby, BUT as far as "eat an extra 300 calories a day" philosophy...yeah, I haven't done that so much. Still eating what I was eating before, plus some extra milk...and OJ (another craving!) My baby is right on track for how far along I am...not too big or too small. And I've only gained about 15 pounds or so with about 3 weeks to go! I've also been waking up lately at like 3am, hungry! So that's new. Ha! I'll have some milk and a piece of toast and normally that is plenty to make it to breakfast. Good luck, mama!!

This is a great forum for women who have underlying issues that contributed to weight gain. I didnt have emotional related weight gain, so like myself I leaned toward thinking all overweight people were similar to me just fat and lazy, but I thank you women for sharing your stories, I think it will open a lot of our eyes(especially me), as well as encourage other women to evaluate themselves and grow.

I have been on Antidepressants for years. I have tried zoloft, prozac, wellbutrin, effexor and now Pristiq. Some of these caused weight gain, well probably most of them. The Effexor was probably the worst. I had other side effects from Effexor. Since being on Pristiq, which I know is just an updated version of effexor, a lot of the symtoms have gone away. So they must have somehow improved on the drug. The pills are small enough that there is no problem getting it down. I am on a fairly low dose, the lowest I've been on in years.

The sodium content in cold cuts can affect your weight gain/loss. As will the sodium content of any packaged food. Maybe try not to be obsessive with the tracking of the calories and splurge a bit, and trick your body into thinking differently and see if that helps break the plateau. Our bodies get used to and grow a tolerance to the things we do all the time. The same exercise the same food, so shake it up a bit and give your body something that you don't normally eat every day. Take a break from all the tracking for a day or a weekend and then go back to it. See if that works.

Thank you, DJMohr. I do eat slowly & I do drink a lot of water. Mind you it's flavoured with crystal lite. My issues are grazing & meds. I graze on carbs...millennium mix from nut mans. I am on a lot of antidepressants, & hormones for menopause. These all add to my weight gain. On blood pressure meds too now. I would love to get off of these!! That's why I was thinking the sooner than later might be best for me & why I am even considering paying what is a fortune to me. Getting off these meds would help immensely. That & the grazing of course....

So I was advanced to purée food on Thursday. And I know how bad it is to step on the scale everyday, but I have been because i want to see results. Now I have heard of stalls within 2-3 weeks out post op but I haven't heard of weight gain. Within the first week I lost a good 12lbs but within the second week the weight has slowly been creeping back up. A total of 2lb within the 1 1/2 week. I have been going to the gym and lifting slight weights (doctor approved). I would be happy at a stall (staying the same weight) vs. gaining. I know people say you can't compare yourself to the next person but it would be nice to know that someone else went through this and passed through it too. I'm sure you guys must know how scary it can be to step on the scale and see the weight going up after all you just went through. It's scary to think this too might not work for you... Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I agree that it works for some people, and some people want to be able to eat a more varied diet. But for me, I literally didn't have room for carbs(even an apple) if I wanted to get in my Protein grams in 4 meals per day which is what was prescribed by my surgeon. As for carbs on labels, it's hard to screw up carbs on fresh or frozen (no preservatives, no salt, nothing added) on green Beans, broccoli, pinto/black beans(which I made from raw form) and romaine lettuce which is pretty much the veggies I ate through my losing stage. I even skipped using mayo/miracle whip and subbed in greek yogurt for a lot of my meals for chicken/tuna/egg salad, with a little mustard, or dry ranch dressing. I also relied on the glycemic index for veggies/fruits intake for counts. If it was over 55 points on the glycemic index, I never ate it in my losing stage. My goal was to lose as quick as possible. I won't deny that at all. For me, my goal was to hit goal, and worry about maintenance when I got there. I should add that because eating carbs even the "good ones" didn't work for me in the past. I was diligent with weight watchers, and my body fought to lose with eating little portions of "good foods". I did the points system and the "whole foods" program numerous times, and both had minimal results. I didn't see it as a diet, I never felt deprived so that could be why I was so stringent on my intake. I think people just have to find what works for them, and how they want to lose weight, change their relationship with food, and really change their habits. My losing stage taught me a lot about what I was able to tolerate, what I could eat without feeling deprived, and I learned tricks to make food more "sleeve-friendly" while not losing flavor. I live an extreme life of moderation in maintenance because it's what works for me. I drink soda, I eat bread, Pasta, rice, potatoes, all veggies, alcoholic beverages are weekly indulgences (before the pregnancy) so by no means do I live a life of dieting or monitoring all my intake like I did during my losing stage. For me moderation in maintenance is what works for me, also that moderation can easily get out of hand, and luckily, I can go back to "better choices" cutting carbs to an extent, and still lose weight. I should add that I had another driving force to losing quickly. My husband was deployed during my revision. After my complications, and a slow start with weight loss (I was fed 1800 calories a day for almost 2 weeks via a TPN bag/picc line so I didn't lose a ton of weight), a 2nd hospitalization that resulted in weight gain again, I had a goal to lose 60lbs before his return in 4 months from the day of my revision. Because I was so stringent on my intake, I had dropped about 80lbs by the time he came home and he walked right by me at the airport. So, there were some other driving forces to me losing quickly, getting healthy, and making a full recovery after extensive complications. I had to "get better" before he came home. He wasn't allowed to come home during my complications, he was in a shithole of Afghanistan, dealing with the the mental issues of deployment on top of his wife nearly dying due to complications, he was worried that I was going to be "sickly" and not myself. Sorry for the ramble, I just thought I should clarify some of my reasoning and what all went into my decision-making process during my losing stage.

Every insurance is different, so this is a good question to ask your doctor's office on your next visit!!!! My nutritionist was mostly interested in my following her recommendations! Protein intake first, followed by "good carbs," i.e. healthy vegetables while avoiding sugar, butter, fats, etc. The goal seems to be to see if you can follow a diet that puts protein intake first, with good carbs second. Fluid intake was another big deal for the NUT. Understanding portion sizes was another thing my NUT pushed. She didn't seem to care about weight gains or losses, but that is what she emphasized over my six visits. You and your NUT need to talk to ensure you are on the same page regarding your nutrition and calories over this required supervised nutritional period.

I keep coming back to these boards because of posts like this. I have almost stopped a couple of times because of super sensitive people or people who feel its there duty to tell me when they feel I am being "mean" to someone (I am direct when I detect people trying to "bargain" their way to poor behavior or having a pity party!) But this post alone has made it worthwhile for me. I have had 2 long stalls in the 29 weeks since I had my surgery. Both lasted for a month. The first one was the dreaded 3 week and was very frustrating. However, I could read here how this was normal and to quit worrying about it. I put the scale away and stopped weighing myself everyday, and instead just checked every week or so. After the stall ended, the weight fell off very rapidly. My waist went from a 48 to a 36 in a matter of 5 months. Stalled again around Haloween and just weighed again this morning to find I was losing pounds again. Am actually looking to lose about 5 more pounds and then start adding weight gain shakes into my diet to stop losing weight. My doctor doesn't want me to lose anymore. Weird place for me to be to say the least!

It is not a good idea to "snack all day". That is considered grazing and is one of the ways around this surgery to cause weight gain. At the stage you are now at, I was eating (and still am) 3 meals a day and 1 snack. Around 1000 calories a day. You need to write down every single thing you are putting in your mouth and figure out how many calories you are getting a day and if you are getting in the correct amount of protein. Exercise is also very important and can knock your metabolism into high gear. You might want to think about talking with your nutritionist to get her advice as well. Good luck and let us know how you are doing. Lina12 - I know it is frustrating but I would give the same advice to you as to Canadianchick. Sometimes just because we have the surgery we think it should fall off, (I'm including myself in that ) but it still takes work and good habits, tracking, and exercising. Praying for you!

You're married, you're a mother and what does that mean? That you're no longer officially a woman? You've already done that one by bloating up, but you decided to give it up by losing weight. Men look at women. It's one of the things they do. Do you know that you're looking, too? How else would you notice that you're being noticed? If it really makes you want to turn and run, you'll be doing a lot of running and very little in the way of getting errands completed. As you continue losing, will it get 'worse?' You'll be noticed more? I promise it isn't terminal. It sounds, from your telling, that something changed when you were younger, hence, the weight-gain. You once were comfortable in your own body, but then hid it away under extra weight. Lots of people, women and men, have to adjust emotionally to losing weight and all that goes with it. You may have other things going on that compound it. Consider seeing a therapist, preferably one with knowledge of body issues. Your losing weight is a gift to yourself. It would be a shame not to enjoy it.

Ready for some RAW confessions-I have spent the last 8 years living (or dying to be thin) with my band. For the most part I have lived a life of chronic vomiting, severe restriction, with a trade off of loosing 190 lbs at one point. About two years ago, my weight has been creeping up, at 6ft tall I can hide pounds pretty easily...but after 20 lbs the battle was on. At 205 I started to panic and got a trainer, and really watched my food. For the most part, because I could not eat alot without vomiting...I was always eating. And because I was always vomiting, I thought I could eat whatever I wanted...because I would throw it up after all. On June 15th of this year, I managed to gain 10 lbs over a weekend. I thought this is crazy, what is happening with my body? I found a trainer, and began working out every day...still doing my daily gig of eating and vomiting. Well, I went to see a new PCP, and admitted to my band problems and concern with weight gain at very high rates. All labs have come out normal...and I thought this is it, I am going to eat well and get my life in control...so off I went for my first upper GI since banded...and guess what, total restriction, nothing getting through & my esophagous was 3 times the size it should be. The radiologist was wonderful, and being a Clinical Nurse Specialist I am pretty wise in medical stuff, and can talk my way (or manipulate) through most things. So I told him I would go get it assessed and unfilled. I did, I was following the rules to be healthy. I weighed in at 207 (working out, eating well) and was actually really excited to eat normal for the first time in 8 years. I felt like I was freed from survivor and off the island and could eat! I guzzled water, I ate...and did not binge but enjoyed every meal. On Monday getting ready for work, my pants were TIGHT...got on the scale and in FIVE days gained 23 lbs. I freaked, called my PCP, ran blood work, all normal. I had a theory my fat cells were trying to blow up again. Yesterday I met with a new surgeon and he confirmed that exactly that....that my body was trying like hell to reset to 360lbs. SO my question for you all, can you relate to anything I am saying? I am scared to death, crying, sobbing and grieving this weight nightmare. He has recommended a conversion to the sleeve...Please help me understand the good & the bad? He went ahead and filled me with 2.5 cc to stop the rapid weight gain...and so now my puking has resumed. I have never been so open about my experience, but I am ready to live again...and cannot believe I have destroyed my metabolism...I thank you in advance for your help.

I'm new here tonight Cowgirljane, This was a great story, i'm so nervous about this, and now I feel great. I go Oct 9th to remove my Band and the Doc will do the Sleeve in Jan. He said it is better to have good tissue to work with. We did get approval for both surgeries already. He wrote them about both and wanted approval on both. I am nervous about weight gain when the band comes out after reading all these, but i'm so glad their are so many of you here to talk to. This is great. Thanks to all of you. :wub:JewelJ :wub:

I have gained a bit of weight back, and I have to admit that it's hard not to freak out completely. I was reading up on post wls weight gain and came across this procedure. Have any of you used it? I am thinking it would be very extreme for the amount of weight I've gained. But I am curious.... http://gastro.ucla.edu/site.cfm?id=321

I am a 75 year old male that weighed 420 pounds when I first considered lapband surgery. My original consultation was to be in September 2008 but was interupted by a hospital stay and the consultation was postponed to December. While in the hospital, I was on a restrictive diet and lost weight. I decided to maintain a 12-1400 calorie diet upon release and have continued to lose weight. I know weigh 352 pounds. I am completing the pre operation tests and have an appointment with the surgeon the end on March and I assume a surgery date could be set at the time. I know the arguments that weight loss after dieting is usually followed by weight gain, but I feel very motivated by my results to date and am debating not going ahead with the surgery. To date, my diabetes, kidney and heart have all improved with the weight lost to date I am intersted in hearing from older memebers as how the judge the lapband proceedure and are there others who were able to reject the operation after positive diet results

Being able to wrap a towel completely around my body. Tired of hearing." "You'd look amazing if you lost some weight." "You have a pretty face for a big girl." Buying an arm strap for my phone that actually fits my arms. Being pregnant without the fear of people not knowing if I'm overweight or pregnant. Tired of not wanting to go out in public and enjoy my life because of my weight. Fear of other people's responses and judgments bc of my weight gain. Not having to hide or feel invisible anymore. I feel like people often don't take me seriously bc of my weight or judge me bc of my food choices (whether healthy or not healthy). Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I've had a pretty major flare-up of my ulcerative colitis which resulted in me getting severely dehydrated on Wednesday and ending up in the ER for an EKG, fluids and bloodwork. All was OK except the dehydration, so I was sent home with strict orders for gatorade, a potassium drink supplement for 10 days (YUCK) and my gastroenterologist prescribed me a 5-week course of prednisone. I'm hoping the prednisone works quickly because the flare-up is pretty miserable and has kept me from working out for close to a month. My weight loss has stayed pretty consistent but I expect that the pred will cause some temporary water-weight gain and facial swelling, so I'm preparing myself for looking like the "old me" for a bit. I know any weight gain will drop right off when I taper down from the pred, but I reserve the right to be whiny for a while about this. Carry on!

Have you seen a gynecoligist or other medical professional that would have taken weight down? I know I have five years of weight history from just my gynecologist, but was able to also get my pediatric growth chart showing when I went off the chart in terms of weight gain in relation to height...

Two things are possible, and one of them was my story as well. First possibility: I lost about 20 lbs during pre-op as well (2 weeks), and that makes it more likely that a stall will occur right away after surgery. It will pick up again, I promise. Second possibility: you may have gotten a lot of Fluid in the hospital from the IV...this initial would cause weight gain that can take up to a week to completely get out of your system. So, you may have lost some fat already, but until you completely lose the excess fluid weight, you will not see a net loss.

BMI Doesn't Tell The Whole Story, Health Risks Begin In Overweight Range 6/9/09 Being overweight is a health concern, and using only body mass index (BMI) to determine weight classification may not give an accurate picture of a person's health, according to an advisory published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. About one-third of the U.S. population is overweight - the middle range between normal weight and obesity. Overweight in adults is a BMI of 25.0 to 29.9. BMI is a numerical value of weight in relation to height. Studies that examined the relationship between overweight (as measured by BMI) and risk of death from all causes (often referred to as total mortality) have had contradictory results. However, considering death from all causes overlooks the role that overweight may play in the development of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Even among the young, overweight is related to the development of serious risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure, obesity, elevated levels of cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. Part of the problem with quantifying the true impact of overweight lies in the way it's commonly measured, say the experts. The widely-used body mass index doesn't distinguish between fat mass which is related to important health concerns - such as type 2 diabetes - and lean mass, including muscle, which reduces health risks. Also, BMI does not directly measure the distribution of fat, such as whether there is greater fat at the waist than at the hips, which may be more detrimental to health. Focusing on the relationship between total mortality and BMI misses the "larger picture," the statement said. "This larger picture includes important relationships between BMI and other health outcomes, such as cardiovascular disease and its risk factors," said Cora E. Lewis, M.D., M.S.P.H., lead author of the advisory and professor of medicine and public health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "Arguably, the most important relationship among the cardiovascular disease risk factors is diabetes, which is significantly more common in overweight than in normal-weight people." The advisory recommends doing research on overweight and health, beyond studies that focus solely on the relationship between total body mass index and risk of death. "Meanwhile, we cannot afford to wait for this research to begin addressing the problem of overweight in our patients and in our society," write the advisory authors. An increasing number of children are overweight, which puts them at risk for developing higher than normal blood pressure, blood cholesterol and blood sugar. "Weight gain is progressive and weight loss difficult. Although a young child is unlikely to have a heart attack, overweight children are likely to become overweight or obese adults, which puts them at risk for cardiovascular events as they mature. Achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight is of high importance for all Americans," said Lewis. Physical inactivity and excess weight increase risk of death and other adverse health outcomes; so overweight and obese persons in particular would benefit from adopting a physically active lifestyle and healthy eating habits. Advisory co-authors include Kathleen M. McTigue, M.D., M.P.H.; Lora E. Burke, Ph.D., M.P.H.; Paul Poirier, M.D., Ph.D.; Robert H. Eckel, M.D.; Barbara V. Howard, Ph.D.; David B. Allison, Ph.D.; Shiriki Kumanyika, Ph.D., M.P.H.; and F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer, M.D. Author disclosures are available on the manuscript. Source: Maggie Francis American Heart Association

I am 1 year out from the vertical or gastric sleeve. I chose this for several reasons. I had gained weight due to another health issue, where I had to take medications that caused a long term(10 years) weight gain of 75 lbs. I am still on some of these meds so weight loss continues to be an issue with me. Although I do not regret the decision to have wt. loss surgery, I do think I made a mistake in the type I chose. It is permanent-which seemed a good thing at the time, It is advertised as lowering your hunger-it does not, I am extremely hungry often, but am only able to eat very small portions, while drinking next to nothing during meals. I no longer can enjoy meals or activities surrounding get-togethers involving food. I become extremely uncomfortable quickly-often having to lie down somewhere until I recover. I have adjusted by eating very little in groups & not at all at work. Yes, I have lost weight but only 40 lbs so far. I experience GI difficulties all the time. Nausea, and worst is the gas-all the time-noisy like nothing I have had or experienced other than through teen-age movie antics. I am always uncomfortable worrying I will embarrass myself in this way. I would strongly suggest to anyone thinking of this to do the lap-band instead! I know people who have had this successfully & wish that I had one. It can be removed. I am stuck with this altered stomach-an organ that cannot be replaced & I did this to myself. I have no problem with wt. loss surgery itself. My recovery was uneventful. But, if I could go back & have the choice over I certainly would! I am depressed in a way that I wasn't prior to the surgery. Does anyone have a similiar experience or know of solutions to make me more comfortable?

Come to think of it ’m the same!! The last photo of me looking ‘normal’ was the end of Feb was and wearing 33” Jeans. was I don’t know what my weight was before but it must of been around 14-14.5 stone as all my clothes fit (size 33” men’s waist) but now none of my jeans fit and must be about a size 36” waist. Before I never really set to a strict diet, in fact I don’t know how I didn’t put in weight! My housemate is a couple of years younger and eats more than me but he must have a look at higher metabolism as he eats worse and more than Me yet stays around 31”/32” waist and about 12 stone. Does anyone have any ideas as what’s wrong with me and what to do? I read about the pouch reset to shrink the stomach and kick start the metabolism again? Im eating relatively well at the moment also, yesterday breakfast was 3 eggs with 1.5 pieces of sliced toast and butter, some grapes and followed by supper consisting of the follow (rough measurements based off visual inspection of 125g of Halloumi • Grilled Halloumi (125g) • Chop Ham Chunks (100g) • Mixed Salad (Filled base of bowel) • Sweet Chilli Sauce (30ml) The rest the Day I had Tea and nibbles on grapes. Zero exercise apart from walking the dogs (same as before) I never really exercised much apart from the daily dog walk and my weight still hung around 14/14.5 stone. Before the weight gain I would eat loads of rubbish and just slightly less than the average adult at meals but would make up for it in snacks etc. i really don’t know what’s going on It’s like my body just uses all the food as don’t often need to go to the toilet like I used to. Not sure if it’s because I’m eating less post weight gain?!

In regards to that, if you were large on top before you gained all the weight, will you still have them after the weight loss? As a teenager I was a 36 C and weighed 115 to 118 pounds but for over a decade now I have been overweight. Ok, not overweight but morbidly obese. I suspect a major part of the reason for the weight gain is hypothyroidism that went undiagnosed for several years because before that I was a healthy active teenager who loved being around people and doing things. Then one day I couldn't get out of bed and stopped having an appetite yet I was gaining weight fairly quickly. I had no idea what hypothyroidism was back then either. Anyways, I am now a 52 DDD but if I went down to a 36 C I would be more than happy with that.

I usually asked to replace the 7oz for a 5oz and the vegetables for Mashed potatoes, since veggies are not friends of my band. I ask also for the Sauce to help food go down. I bet what happened to you was because of the veggies. Use a juicer to get your veggies in. The weight gain is gases ... I can easily get 5 pounds and loose it in hours because I get so bloated that I guess i retain liquids. I didn't start enjoying my green zone until I relaxed about what I ate and when I stop counting, for me counting calories and ozs was a trigger to my anxiety then I ate more.

Hello! I have my final meeting with my nutritionist on January 19 and then meet with my surgeon again on January 20. Unfortunately I have recently gained about ten pounds. It happened very quickly, during the last month. Part of this was due to overeating at the Holidays and part of it is because I have been on prednisone for a pinched nerve. If I don't lose the weight, they will not go forward with the surgery. Starting today, I will do Protein shakes. Can I please have advice on how many a day, whether I should eat anything else at all, etc. Is my goal even feasible?