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It's been an exercise in frustration, vomiting, regurgitating and doctor's visits. I have had it prolapse and then replaced. Initially lost 60 lbs, but after the prolapse, weight keeping coming back, even w/the vomiting. In an effort to protect my stomach and esophagus my dr decided to unfilled me, which then led to additional weight gain.. Bottom line, band has not been successful for me nor have I been successful with it. Regardless, I need to have it removed. Why keep this foreign object in me if it is doing me no good?

I was just approved to have my lapband removed on 10/30/13, but I am freaking out a bit. I have had an unfilled band for 3 years now and weigh about 10 lbs less than I did when I got banded. My weight keeps rising, and would be higher, but I work out religiously. My BMI is about 35. I am terrified of gaining weight after the band is removed. My surgeon has a policy of waiting 3 months before scheduling a sleeve, so that's three months of potentional gain. Also, I don't yet have approval for the sleeve, so working hard to lose weight during the 3 month period will make approval even more unlikely, especially if my BMI drops a little bit. I know myself and while it would be wonderful to get my BMI down after removal, it wouldn't last and I would be exactly where I started before I got banded. I am 53 years old and losing weight gets harder and harder each year. I guess my question is, do people who have gone thru the removal gained much between surgeries? Was the lapband removal surgury difficult to recover from? Days? Weeks? Terrified of going backwards. Thanks.

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.

Hi all, Only a few things taste different for me. Only artificial sweetener I can tolerate is Splenda. Whatever is in sugar free pudding didn't used to bother me but now I can taste it big time. Someone recommended using sugar free pudding mix with the greek yogurt. Yuck! And I'm losing my taste for Spaghetti Sauce because it gives me heartburn. Also less prone to go nuts on sweets or fats for more than one day running because I feel crappy the next day (not to mention the weight gain!). Lynda

Beyond any shadow of a doubt, hands down, absolutely positively the single most powerful tool you can possibly have in your arsenal, regardless of where you're at in your journey - pre-op, rapid weight loss, maintenance, and yes - getting back on track following weight gain. Nuff said.

I am 3 months and one week post op and i weigh everyday. i have lost 58 pounds and feel like i am a very slow loser. There are weeks i do not lose anything at all then have dropped up to 6 the next week. My doctor told me to expect this. He said when i do not lose pounds i am most likely losing inches. i thought i would be further along than i am. I keep telling myself that as long as i don't see any weight gain when i step on the scales then i am doing ok.

Sux what do you attribute your weight gain too?

The others have made some great suggestions: eating Peanut Butter , eating calorie dense foods and eating more often. I also agree eating a small meal every 2 hours is a great idea so your body gets used to wanting a higher caloric load during the day. You might also try drinking some higher calorie Protein shakes. For example, mine has 400 calories a serving. I have also seen mass building Protein Shakes that give you 600-700 calories a serving. Drinking a casein shake right before bed is a great way to finish out the day with an extra 200-300 calories. Eat complex carbs and good fats. Try eating oatmeal with Protein powder mixed in. Try eating avocados, olives and salmon. I love to eat salmon because it is not only tasty, but gives you good fats with the protein. My weight oscillates between 175 and 178 for the last month and I am trying my darndest to pack on muscle so am shoveling in as much protein as possible during the day. At 175, I am almost mid BMI healthy range for my height of 5'11". Let's see, what else can help you? Perhaps eat some healthy Cereal like Fiber one (200 calories for 1/2 cup). Eat fruit when you can. Bananas are higher on the glycemic index and will "stick to you" more than, say, an apple. Getting your carbs over 150 a day should help you gain a little. Once you are at 130 or where ever you want to stop, drop daily carbs to about 80-100. Just be a little careful about making good food choices as it will be easy to tip the scales in the other direction. If you eat not so good choices of food, you may find yourself with the opposite problem: too much weight gain. It is a careful balancing act to figure out where your caloric and macro loads need to be in order to hit that sweet maintain range and stay there. Good luck.

Hi everyone, I'm a newbie. After 3 yrs of back and forth (and weight gain), I decided to make a change. The insurance approval finally came, and the surgery date happened so fast! My liquid pre-op diet starts tomorrow, surgery 8/26. I'm getting a little nervous bc I'be tried EVERY diet known to man, but never a liquid diet for 2 wks. Im going to get dressed now and pick up some shakes/vitamins. Just wanted to say hi and that I'm happy there is a forum of ppl who understand the weightloss struggle. Im def anxious to start my new healthy way of life :-) Tiff

Here is a recently article on the Gov. & His weight gain after Gastric Bypass. Karen Tumulty, who interviewed Huckabee in February for the Washingotn Post observed this scene: Huckabee was tucking into a Breakfast of eggs and butter-slathered pancakes at a trendy New York hotel overlooking Times Square. His much-discussed diet – he famously lost more than 100 pounds after a diabetes diagnosis in 2003 and wrote a book about eating right – is apparently on hiatus. This can happen to you or I or anyone who Desires to change our health and to live longer. Personally I am tired of all the meds I take daily and the fact I can hardly walk as pain in my knees and hips are so bad. Being in ministry it makes others question my faith by saying where is my faith believing GOD for a miracle. GOD isn't going to give me or you a miracle, if we don't do as we should; eat right and change our LIFE! I was banded in June 4th, so s little over two months ago after much sickness since 2008. Previously I walked daily 5-10 a day and ate right too. U had heart & kidney failure in Nov 22, 2008 And feel and broke both knees in Jan 2009. The weight piled on after this point from 230-240 to 318 at my surgery date. Last year working with my dr and her staff I was eating right and reduced down to 275 only to gain it back so my BMI would be correct to be approved by insurance. I regret regaining the weight, when with my health issues the insurance would have not turned me down. I should have never listened to the Lap band departments insurance staff. That being behind me after these few weeks I am down to 287 and hope to be down to 210-220 by the holidays. I will be praying for Gov Huckabee.

I Lost ALL my excess weight also....without really trying either....what I mean is, that with the lap band I eat less, a lot less, than what I used to because the band controls my portions....Since my portions are now controlled, I now concentrate on eating healthy, low fat, high Protein foods....I do not count calories....and there are foods I will not, and in some cases cannot, eat anymore....pasta, breads, red meat, rice, etc, etc... With the band, it has become a new lifestyle...eating good nutritious foods, and never overeating...it becomes a day to day, natural part of me without giving it a second thought.... I was fat because I ate too much, and always the wrong foods....now, and for the rest of my life, that is the complete opposite....so that old lifestyle caused to me gain weight, UN-naturally, with this new lifestyle I naturally returned to a normal weight..... My Dr. says there is simply no excess weight - fat, left to loose, and that as planned, my body reached a equilibrium, a natural - normal state of balance.... Most importantly, this is not a diet where when I reach a goal I can turn it on or off....it is a permanent thing!! Always to be there and always to be this way....so I have no fear of ever "Falling off the wagon" and ever gaining the weight back...I do not see how that would be possible...as long as the band is there, it is impossible for me to over eat....and it is difficult to eat bad foods..... With the band, I still have to think through why someone would only loose 50-60 %, OR LESS, and then stop....of course, one's weight is always equivalent to one's eating habits....perhaps they are holding back and not letting the band work to it's intended potential....following bad advice? From those who have not accomplished it themselves and think they know all the answers? There is certainly a lot of that going around. But it is something I'll never know.......but everyone is different and one thing is for sure....I will not and cannot argue with other peoples success experiences....if it worked, then that's all that matters.... I do know, that I am 100% happy where I am at right now...and have been for over 2 years...in the Green Zone....I also know that if I were to get any Fluid taken out at all, even the slightest, (not that I need or want to), it would tip that balance and my hunger/cravings would return, plus my portion sizes would increase, which result in weight gain...so I hope that never needs to happen....

Interesting study....and perhaps I'm missing something, but it still looks like correlation. Even in the study, they cannot "prove" cause, they only list "possible causes for shift work related weight gain." To me, that's like the correlation between watching too much TV and obesity. Yes, people who watch alot of TV may be more likely to be overweight, but watching the TV is not the cause. And correlation is not causation. Never mind....I'm not trying to get picky. I'm a shift worker, but I'm making plans to give it up. Trying to eat right and stay fit are difficult enough. Doing it while being a shift worker takes it to a whole other level of difficulty, but I'm living proof it can be done.

Hi friends. I had a hysterectomy yesterday and was weighed before surgery---187. Today, 199. What the heck???? I am so upset.

I have used 40%/30%/30%, protein/fat/carbs since my surgery and up to the present. I check the percentages daily to give me an idea of anything I need to increase or decrease the following day. I also check it weekly which I think is the more important information. Seems like you never hit it right on the button but I'm usually pretty close. Last weeks numbers for example were 37%/35%/28%. My starting weight was 285 and my weight stabilized thirteen months later at 155. It's been steady at 155 plus or minus a couple of pounds for the last eight months. I have MFP configured with a daily calorie goal of 1620. I've had 2000 calorie days and 1000 calorie days and both are fine as long as I maintain the 1620 average. I don't know if you're familiar with set-points but at 1000 calories a day, I suspect that the reason you haven't started losing yet is because your body is doing everything it can to maintain your current weight. Set-points usually have a range of about 10% of body weight. So at 157, the range of your set-points would be about 15 pounds. You may be at the lower end of the current set-point that you are in. Which is a long-winded way of saying that your body is defending the set-point. It's trying to maintain your current weight by reducing metabolism and heart rate, increasing hunger, and using a complex set of hormones and chemicals - all working to maintain your current weight. Your body's negative response to weight loss (and reducing the existing set-point) is quite strong, to weight gain (and increasing the current set-point) comparatively weak. Set-points are the underlying basis for what is often referred to as your body going into "famine" or "starvation" mode. So the key is to be patient. There is absolutely no doubt that maintaining a daily calorie intake of 1000 calories will, over time, result in weight loss. You might jump start your weight loss by increasing your calorie intake to say 1200 for a few days. Or you can just stay the course with the 1000 calories knowing that sooner or later, you will start losing weight. The good news is that once you start losing, it will likely drop fairly quickly until you reach the next set point which should be pretty close to your goal. The bad news is that you will need to maintain that goal weight for about six months in order to establish the new, lower set point. Hope this helps and please keep us posted on your progress!!

Interesting. I'd like to see those because I've only seen studies that show a correlation between lack of sleep and weight gain, not proof. Great thread. I'm a chemical plant operator (no....not a telephone type operator). I make detergents that go into your car's engine oil. But I'm about to quit to go back to school full time to be a vet tech. Ssshhhhh....don't tell them. Oh yeah....part time massage therapist and part time bicycle mechanic as well. I stay busy.

BTB I can be happy with that and would be. My problem is that over and over I read "one week out and 15 lbs down" or " 30 lbs my forst month" i expected to lose 1-3 lbs a week after i got rolling. I also expected a really amazing first month though. Almost all of my loss came on the first week then nothing at all for a week. That was basically my food funeral weight gain amount. It's a bummer for me but I will muddle through it. I have no choice. RJsBeginning, goirish78 and gamergirl thank you all.

Midnights did contribute to my weight gain. There are studies out now stating lack of sleep is proven in weight gain. 15 yrs of midnights did a number to me. Are you northern lower Michigan or northern UP Michigan??

I haven't been sleeved yet, but I can speak to losing weight after pregnancy when you are already obese. My youngest daughter came as a surprise, and I already weighed 200 lbs at conception. I was terrified that I would gain the large amounts of weight had gained with my first two pregnancies 8 and 11 years earlier. Not only was I concerned from a vanity point of view, but more so for the well being of the baby, my own health and ease of delivery. So I was determined to keep the weight gain in check, but in a healthy way. And I managed to keep it to less than 20 lbs by eating healthfully (no empty calories!) and getting cardio in everyday. It worked! Weight gain was minimal and quite easy to lose afterward. And while I was still overweight, at least it wasn't made worse by the pregnancy. Have faith that you can do this...you are strong and in control. I mean really, look at what you've accomplished so far! Good luck and keep us posted!

Cheri I really love how you process your thoughts on here...very well said and so many of us have the same struggles too. I can't do moderation so I do try and stay away from junk foods. But I do go out an get some every now and then. It has gotten me in trouble but i did reduce 1/2 of the weight gain. I know I need to increase my exercise more to burn more calories. I have just begun my maintenance phase and look forward to hearing more experiences with maintenance too.

I got pregnant on the band and did not need to unfill during the pregnancy. With that being said, I maintained my 5cc fill throughout pregnancy as well as breastfeeding and it did not result in early drying or lack of milk/poor weight gain. Consult with your physician.

It's day 4 for me now and I've realized that the discomfort I've been having is definitely gas. I wake up in the morning and feel fine, then as soon as I have something to sip, the pain starts and lasts for a couple of hours. The pain is to the left of the port site and radiates to my left shoulder. So trying to sip less and sip slower.. As for the weight gain, I too have put on 3 pounds since the surgery. But have been told to expect that because of all the fluids that have been pumped into me. So I'm trying to be strong and not look at the scales for a week or so!

Also throwing it out there, muscle cramps are very frequently caused by dehydration. Sodium levels play a big part in cramps. More so than potassium issues. Another thread we were discussing how a few sips of pickle juice helps with the dehydration and sodium deficiencies. It really works. And there is mounting evidence to support it. Like a shot glass full - not a lot. But rhabdo can have less shocking symptoms than tea or cola colored urine. Decreased urine output (oliguria), muscle soreness, stiffness (especially if you're not upping your workout and you're staying sore), fatigue, muscle stiffness, unintentional weight gain (likely edema) and joint pain. Treatment involves upping the fluids, but also adding sodium bicarbonate. Hospital it is given IV. Sodium bicarb is found in many antacids. It protects the kidneys from the byproducts of muscle breakdown that can damage them. Severe cases of rhabdo can cause acute renal failure. Nothing to play with. The combination of severe muscle trauma (including from workouts) with suboptimal hydration can cause rhabdo. A mild case can cause damage to the kidneys. Hydration is ssoooooo freakin' important! edit - Don't try to treat yourself if you suspect rhabdo. They are trying to flush the kidneys. But outside of a clinical setting you are risking Fluid overload if your kidneys start shutting down. You may not get the alarming symptoms until irreparable harm has been done to the kidneys. It only takes 60-90 minutes of decreased blood flow to the kidneys to end up on dialysis.