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So how did you do holding off on the foie gras and other goodies? Perhaps you could have them today? This is a hard delimma for me I have little will power at times. LOL I do know that I have lost a total of 2 lbs and is holding steady. Tomorrow is another fast day and the remainder of the weight gained on vacay will likely drop off.....meanwhile I'm just eating proteins.......and veggies.................. Oh I love hearing that others eat pizza like me, the toppings and not the bready part......

You said you hear from the dietitian.... What about your surgeon? Does he/she know what's going on? I would definitely make an appointment to see the surgeon. And if you feel like you should be living off liquids only, how about an unfill instead o a fill. A band that's too tight can lead to stall or worse, weight gain. I know it's tough and disappointing when we expect one outcome and it doesn't materialize, but DON'T GIVE UP!! There will always be people who will wanna kick a horse that's down, SPECIALLY those closest to us. Don't let that defeat you... You CAN be a success story, but never give up. Keep searching and searching until you find an answer. Just because right now you're not in a good place doesn't mean you won't find your way... Just keep swimming!! ((HUG))

I am excited and nervous I complete my last part Of my insurance necessity's Today and then I just have to wait for a surgery date. I had my band placed back in October 2008 and have been having complications with it and weight gain since The end of 2011. I now have my two insurance to help cover all costs! Can someone please let me know if they had lots of nausea with the band and if you have more or less with the sleeve???? Tell me your stories about what the biggest differences please I crave information!!!!

Almost six year this September with the Band. For me any weight gain has been my fault the band has always helped me at meal times with the quantity. When I have gained weight has been eating after nine at night. Another problem was snacking to much during the day. I also stopped exercising. So naturally I gained weight none of this has been the bands fault. On January 1, 2013 I had made my way back to 250 and have recommitted myself to go back on the journey. I try to go to bed by nine at night. I limit my snacking during the day and I restarted my exercise program. My exercise of choice is resistant band training and walking. The band has helped in that I no longer take metformin, no longer have sleep apnea, no longer have to take pain medicine for knee and back pain. In any case I love my Band and all the NSV,s that come with it.

PT is right you are not out of control. If I read your post right you just had surgery? If that's true then you need some time to heal, and you might even find a bit of a weight gain from all the fluids and swelling from surgery. Everybody and every person's experience is different. My husband and I were banded in the same week, we have gone through all the phases together. Today at our Dr. visit I needed a fill and he did not. I lost weight and this month he maintained. Everyone has their own rate of healing and weight loss. The key is to find what works for you, and work it. Don't feel discouraged and try not to beat yourself up, just be honest with yourself and you will soon find those pounds melting away and your health getting better every day. Best of luck to you.

.... here is the rest of the list... Generalizations about Gut Bacteria Each healthy human maintains a subset of a couple of hundred of the couple of thousand different species of bacteria found in humans around the globe. The diverse community in each individual may differ in species, but has approximately the same complement of genes in people sharing the same diet. 1-200 different species of bacteria per person 1-2000 different species of human gut bacteria 1 million different genes among the different bacteria Most genes are involved in digesting plant carbohydrates, i.e. soluble fiber, inulin, pectin, fructans, algal sulfated polysaccharides, etc. Diet diversity, e.g. the Modern American Diet, reduces the diversity of the gut bacterial community, presumably because the rapid change in foods permits survival of only generalist bacteria that can digest many different foods. Simple diets produce gut flora diversity, but only if there is access to diverse bacteria. Health may result from diverse gut flora developed from a simplified diet and ample bacterial resources. Obesity and other diseases may result from simplified gut flora developed from a changing, complex diet and a sterile environment/isolation. Vegan and paleo extremes can lead to healthy gut flora diversity, if the gut bacterial community is permitted to adjust to the diet composition by avoiding rapid changes and providing diverse bacterial sources. meat contains complex polysaccharides, e.g. glycosaminoglycans, such as chondroitin sulfate and heparan sulfate proteoglycans, which are bacterial fodder equivalent to soluble fiber. Probiotics are unique bacterial species that do not persist in the gut of adults, but dominate the gut of milk eating babies and stimulate development of the gut and immune system. Probiotic bacteria can temporarily provide developmental signals for immune system development that are normally provided by a healthy gut flora. Damage to Gut Flora is Not Repaired by Diet Alone There is little or no effort being made by the medical industry to develop approaches to repair gut flora damaged by disease, unhealthy diets or medical procedures. This is similar to a surgeon stepping away from removal of a diseased organ without closing the wound. Antibiotics leave a gut flora that will remain permanently damaged without systematic, monitored repair. It might also be suspected that disruption of gut flora by antibiotics and the introduction of large amounts of new foods, such as high fructose corn syrup and vegetable oils may contribute to or cause the modern prominence of obesity. After all, gain or loss of weight changes gut flora, obese individuals have damaged gut flora, and trading gut flora between fat and lean animals, trades weight gain/loss behaviors.

Hi nursejen. take a breath and think for a minute how you will deal with plateaus and even weight gains. If this will discourage you, no need to broadcast it and make it worse. I see too many people on this forum focus on the scale and the number. If you can deal with it, great. If you think this tactic will keep you accountable, then go for it girl. Just remember it's only a number and there are so many other successes that have nothing to do with the scale. For me, there was nothing better than the first time in years that I could sit in a plane seat and not request the seatbelt extenter, and I could put the armrest and tray down without any issues. If I could have, I'd have told everyone on that darm plane about it, I was so excited. Don't get me wrong, do whatever works for you...just remember it's alot more than a number on the scale. Good luck and welcome to the forum.

Thank you all for your condolences. I don't think my weight gain has anything to do with Phycological trouble or things I haven't dealt with. I had a rough first year but now my life is fantastic, I'm back on my feet and loving life again. I think most of my weight was due to not making proper meals and endless snacking cause I didn't have someone there to give me the sideways glance when I go for the huge bowl of ice cream. Or popcorn, coke and bag of candy at the movies. Lol Even my dog has gained weight cause I now share with her instead of my late hubby. I really really want the change and currently feel like I'm a young skinny athletic girl trapped in this fat girl body. I know I hear all the success stores but I just worry with out having someone to be accountable to I will fail myself and the band. I have an amazing surgeon lined up but he's based across the country. What tricks helped you stay in track and accountable? I'm also concerned because for the last 12 yrs I've struggled with esophagitis and this causes me to choke on my food and have bad reflex. Is there anyone out there that has dealt with this issue and the band was still successful or the esophagitis got better after the band?? Thanks again!

I want to have a realistic picture of what this surgery will mean. I am trying to tally up the worst case scenarios, and maybe they are just the "likely" or "eh...could happen" scenarios. From what I've learned on vst, here's what I can expect, in stages: (Although everyone is different!) -Excitement and counting down the days -Hatred of pre-op diet -Nervous, scared, possibly terrified -Sore, nauseous, tired, puking, thirsty -Low energy,trouble drinking, buyer's remorse -Dehydration, weeks of nausea -Sick of Protein shakes, miss chewing -Difficult adjustment, missing food as comfort mechanism, depression -3 week stall, fits and starts, disappointment in slow loss -Judgment from people who know -Trial and error of foods, vomiting when intolerant or too much -Trouble eating in restaurants, missing old life -hair loss, sagging skin, face looking older -Encouraging weight gain, adjustment to new life -Happiness, feeling of accomplishment as getting close to goal -Realization that battle isn't won, won't ever be "over" -Dedication and diligence -Hunger, capacity to eat increases -Rededication after small regain -Acceptance that the fight is eternal I'm the type of person who feels more comfortable having a complete picture of what can happen. I don't want to go into this with rose colored glasses. Any additions? Subtractions? Thoughts? I know that NOT ALL people have all or even some of these. Again -trying to look at possible downsides so I don't get caught up in thinking this is the solution to all life's problems.

Hi Megan, I suppose at 5 years post banding, I am not what you would call someone in the 'first flush' of the glory days of my band. Nor am I by any means a newbie, and as time goes on I am more interested than ever in posts that discuss the longevity of the band, especially with regards to symptoms experienced, in the hopes that I can in fact be vigilant of possible complications. First let me qualify that I'm Australian, and Australian surgeons have been placing bands for a lot longer than American doctors. My surgeon has well over a decade's worth of experience and to this day, still thinks the band is the most effective wls there is. I just wanted to make that clear so you understand where I stand on this. I recently had band replacement surgery as a result of a leaky band. I had the option of revising to a sleeve but both my surgeon and myself agreed that the band was a better choice. I have lost 100% of my excess weight, I have not experienced pain, reflux, nothing at all that has caused me concern, and even when my band was leaking for 15 months, I only gained 35lbs of which I then lost 40% of without the band's help before my replacement. All the recent posts I have read regarding complications experienced by banders who have had the band for 5 years or more have the same theme to it: pain, reflux, weight gain, discomfort, damage etc. I have experienced none of these. I maintain my weight easily when my band is working. I live with my band very easily. I have had a multitude of tests as a result of my leak and I have no physical issues or damage caused by the band. I have no reason to believe that will change, either, seeing as it hasn't happened yet, and if it was going to, I'd expect it to have happened before now. I also have a good lot of bandster friends on FB who have been quietly living their lives with the bands without complications, who have had their bands as long or longer than me, who just don't talk about it that much any more, unlike when they were first banded. So just to provide some balance, I do believe people have complications, and in many cases, serious ones too. And I do believe you have and it's always a wake-up call to see it talked about. But I don't think it's a foregone conclusion that everyone will, or that it will even be as common as some people make it out to be. Nothing you've said about your personal experience or anything I've seen posted about complications just recently has convinced me of that at all, especially since I see so few similarities with my own experiences with the band. So I'm piping in, I guess, to give a different view of what long-term life with the band is like so anyone reading understands that there is more than just one point of view to everything. And I personally have nearly nothing bad to say about my experience with the band.

Im in week 34 & im 1 year an 7 months post op my food intake is greater than before pregnancy i find myself always hungry , ive been working out daily at the gym an have gained 30lbs so far almost done with this pregnancy any tips for dieting and losing baby weight gain afterwards? Well wish me luck

Hi! My name is Christen, I'm 25 years old, from central California and am hoping to have the gastric bypass surgery. I am 5'5" and 240 lbs with a bmi of 40 and a diagnosis of PCOS. I've been reading in the forum for a while and have been looking into gastric bypass for about a year. I officially started the process back in June. I have always been heavy and in recent years have put on more weight. Not only was I gaining weight with no changes in diet or exercise ( I actually was working out and dieting more and gaining) I was having terrible migraines regularly that caused me to miss work. After looking into my migraines and weight gain I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). I was told that I hit a point in my life where my hormones were going even more outta whack than ever before. At this point the possibility of me having a successful pregnancy are super slim. Even though I do not want kids just yet I would like to have children in the next few years. The doc told me the only way for me to fix my hormones would be to lose a large amount of weight. But because of the PCOS I am gaining weight which is making my hormones more crazy! It's a vicious cycle! So my options were to be placed on tons of medicine which may or may not help or have weight loss surgery. My dad and sister have both had the surgery and are very supportive. I started on my checklist of things to do before they'll submit my approval request. I was originally on Aetna and had completely all the requirements except for the psychological eval and my 2 remaining monthly dietician appointments. In July however I was hired full time with a new company and would be getting insurance through SISC Anthem Blue Cross August 1st. They do not require 3 months with a dietician so the only thing I had left was the psychological eval! I completed that last week and received a call on friday from the psychologist letting me know that he sending over my approved eval! I already spoke to my surgeons office and they said as soon as they get the eval they are going to submit the approval request! My doc is closed on Fridays so on Monday they will submit it! I'm so nervous and anxious! I really hope I get approved but don't want to get my hopes up too much. Does anyone else go through Anthem Blue Cross? How long until you heard from them? Thanks! And sorry for the long rambling post I just really needed to vent out my nerves lol Christen

Hi All - I have been reading and not posting too. I guess it is because I am at the stage of trying to maintain and I need some more company on this bench! As I have confessed before, I have developed a terrible sweet tooth and also have never embraced exercise - I have never counted calories and apart from the early weeks, have not been vigilant with my Water consumption - so you could say I have not stuck to the rules! In spite of all this I have reached goal and I am managing to stay around 60kg (BMI around 21) - my challenges are that I can lose weight very easily if I cut out the crapy foods so I was quite concerned that I was developing some bad habits (or going back to old habits) of eating at night and on top of that eating sweet things to maintain weight.. So my dietician recommend a visit to the psychologist to see what type of 'hunger' I was experiencing at night to try and break the bad habit. Her rational behind that is that you don't want to reestablish the bad habits that cause your weight gain. So I go to the psychologist and she says why are you punishing yourself about these so called 'bad foods' when you are not putting on weight... good point but I am so confused. You kind of get mixed messages from different professions as they are coming at if from different directions ..has anyone else experienced this? Anyway, my conclusion is back at where I started. Keep doing what I am doing and don't worry about it!

Ok so I'm extremely bloated, constipated, have tons of gas, and my pouch is so tight it can be painful to consume food. My jeans hate me lol they are tight, no weight gain. I needed to talk to the doc about a laxative. I'm thinking going back to strictly liquid with my shakes mashed fruits and veggies. I feel huge yet no weight gain. A little frustrated and making me consider not having another after this(which is still a few years away). But this pregnancy is definitely more difficult than my previous. More food isn't agreeing with my pouch, I'm having to relearn what's ok and what's not with foods that once agreed. Soften, I tried to get off of it, and I threw up two days in a row. Now don't be afraid. I'm sure my experience is unique to me. But just an informative journal so you ladies can get an idea what post sleeve pregnancy is like. Now a few things to consider, I am pregnant 8 months post OP, until the month before I got pregnant I had a great restriction anyway. I do crave unhealthy food but fried food doesn't work in my stomach, I get very ill. I love love love pancakes. But I can't get much of it in. I spend a lot of time eating yogurt, cheese and eggs. I boil my eggs because I cannot use butter in to cook my eggs. I have a cup of coffee in the morning and I'm denouncing carbs again because I let myself eat those before my restriction came back. Baby needs what I can get in. And it needs to be of value. So I'm bank to figuring this all out again. I may be criticized by a few. But if honesty helps the few who need it. I'm willing to endure the few on here that are holier than thou. (no pun intended towards God, but their attitudes because after this sleeve NO ONE is allowed to make a mistake smh). Sent from my EVO using VST

Well I went yesterday for my first appointment. BMI 36.1, so I meet that requirement (remember I have diabetes and high triglycerides). Met with the endocrinologist (for diabetes) I have to get my blood sugar down under a 8A1C, currently at 9.3, had a ton of blood work done, met with nutritionist, and a surgery coordinator. Dr told me I have a 90-95% chance of leaving the hospital without my insulin pump! How awesome that will be! The surgery coordinator, gave me a list of requirements for my insurance. One BIG problem.....I have to give a 3 year weight history, well I have that, but I having not been over a 35 BMI for 3 years. My BMI blow up after being put on insulin. And continues to raise. I have been obese for years, but not morbid obese until the past year or so. I ask if my BMI had to be at 35+ for the past 3 years to be approved, she said, "normally, however it depends whose desk it lands on and sometimes what co-morbiditys you have"! I have called my insurance (CIGNA) and searched and searched everything I can find on the web and no where does it say that being at my current BMI for 3 years is required for approval. Dr said I have MAJOR insulin resistant which means, I make insulin, I take insulin, but my body cells won't allow it in. This mean I have to take more insulin!!! OMG, which causes more weight gain, it's a vicious cycle! So now of course I'm upset! The Dr said the surgery is the best thing I can do, to put my diabetes in remission and get off all the meds I'm on. I'm going to proceed. My company's insurance is self-funded, which I've read I can appeal with my employer if Cigna denies me. I can't imagine them denying me when I lay in front of them how much they pay out every year for all my medicine and Dr visits due to my diabetes! They will save a tone of money in the long run. So now I have to track my blood sugar before every meal for 5 days and fax that back to the endocrinologist . Then he will adjust my insulin! I have to make an appoint of course for my psych visit. Then I have to have a endoscopy of my esophagus, I also have major acid reflux and Barrettes esophagus. The surgeon wants to let at the "territory" before he operates. Plus 3 month of classes/diet. I suddenly feel like my head is falling off!!! It's a lot! I'm going to try and remain positive I need to make this happen! Ren

Hey Sara - my insurance covers this but I feel your pain with the infertility. I am still paying off my IVF. My husband and I struggled for a long time but we were blessed with children so keep working on it. I now have four crazy kids and a heap of credit card bills but I wouldn't change it for the world. As for the friend thing - I couldn't speak to my best friend for two weeks after she announced she was pregnant. I wanted so much to be happy for her but she told me on a day that I found out I wasn't. anyway, enough about me. keep you chin up and look into what Mrs Fuller said. Stress is a big factor in weight gain AND infertility so try and reduce yours. Best of luck to you. I'll keep you in my prayers

I decided to go back on BC pills and not have another mirena. I think that was a factor in my weight gain after my pregnancy.

Hey everyone, well my lap band baby is 8 months and I gained about 35 lbs during pregnancy. I had a lil trouble after the baby with tightness but it got better after going on liquids for a couple of days. Now I feel like I've totally lost control and have gained an additional 15 lbs since giving birth. This is my third so fitting in workouts is hard and squeezing them in at night is sometimes discouraging since I'm so off track. I can eat large portions and when I eat small portions I am hungry an hour later, if I eat the wrong things like bread I still pb. I am still nursing so I don't know if I should get a fill. Any advice on getting back on track, I feel like a total failure!

If you are eating carbs again and you weren't before you unfill (like I was) that could also contribute to a crazy fast weight gain. It should even out though! (at least it did for me)

It is almost physically impossible to gain two pounds of fat in one day. Especially with the sleeve. I echo the above posters, Water weight gain. Any number of reasons, but it is likely the culprit. As long as you are following your plan, I couldn't see it being anything else. Also, if you've had a thyroidectomy, you will want to check in with your endocrinologist or whoever is following your thyroid hormone levels. As you lose weight, your blood levels will need to be checked and you may need adjustments in your hormonies.

Hey fellow tall one! I know the desire to weigh yourself each day is pulling at you, but yes, I would say don't do it. Try to wean yourself off of that. Like start with every 2 days then every 3 until you can get to maybe once a week. Also, understand that there could be Water weight gain. If you are drinking that much water that could be it. If you are near your period, that could be it. Long story short...there are many reasons for a slight increase from day to day. Unless you find yourself going up by great leaps over a period of time, I wouldn't be too worried.

Hello I'm 13 days postoperative I was sleeved on 7/19 at Celebration hospital with Dr. Kim. Up until this week I had been consistently losing at least 0.5lb or more a day. My weight at surgery was 293.4. I know I'm going to be a slow loser as I have had a thryroidectomy and I my metabolism has been shot since then. Anyways here my question?! On 7/29 I was 280.8 On 7/30 I was 280.8 On 7/31 I was 280.2 Today I was 282.4???? That weight was on the same scale after using the bathroom. I did take some stool softeners and senna lax last night. And they did work this morning so how did I gain two pounds. I'm getting in at least 60oz of fluids and at least 60grams of protein(my NUT sat my Protein goals at 81-107grams because of my height I'm 6ft tall).

My heart breaks for you. I gained weight because of a medication I started taking (7 lbs in 3 weeks) but I was able to just quit taking it and the weight gain stopped. It is not as easy for you and it very much sounds like your body's hormones are out of whack. Can you have it removed or do they have to be in place for so long?? After I quit taking B/C to get pregnant with my first son, I never took it again because it had messed up my body so badly. But I know that is not an option for a lot of women. Oh, I had also sent you a PM about getting your thyroid checked...not sure if you got it or not, but it might also be something to think about if you haven't already. Just a thought. Keep us posted, I am thinking of you!

darlingkassy welcome gotta tell you girlfriend .....don't misunderstand, but........... you are "everyones" worst nightmare!!!! seeing a fellow sleever gain back their weight but.........its good to confirm/show us that it is possible to gain the weight back!!!!egads :ph34r: many/hopefully most people realize weight gain back is possible we tell ourselves it can't happen - but most of know better we have to work hard with all the rules we followed earlier so we can maintain i think its good to hear stories like yours, because it makes me/most of us realize that working with the sleeve is a must for the rest of our lives we always knew that - but i think many/some NEWBIES think once the weight is off - its permanent well it IS permanent - as long as we follow the lifestyle with water/protein et al that we've been taught I think many/most VETS are more aware/scared of gaining weight back knowing that there is/could be a prob with weight gain, is half the battle I/us most/all of us have always yo yo'd not able to keep the weight off now we are finally being given theis "tool" of the sleeve - we must abide by all the rules forever and a day!!!! guess i'm just repeating this to myself - because its so important - and i'm trying to convince myself of something i already know (about the possibility of weight gain) we've all gone through so much to lose this weight - KEEP it off my meds, comorbities are gone - i never want to go backwards!!!! I can't physically/mentally afford to go back to my old lifestyle I have in the past said this "spiel" to myself - to remind myself to stay on track!!!!! we/me still goof up sometimes - but hopefully/usually bounce back soon now............to finally answer your question darlingkassy :wub: my suggestion to you/and any of us in the future who fell off the wagon,,,,,,, go back to basics with the Protein shake drink as much Water as you can maybe stay on liquids only for a week - full liquids for another week this will give you that push, to start your weight loss again when back on solids - chew everything to death, eat very very slowly stop drinking about 30 minutes before you eat never drink with meals don't drink for about 45 minutes before you eat again drink at least 64 oz of H20 a day!!!! i'm repeating these essential rules in case you don't remember them, since its been a while since you were doing things correctly do some exercise - walking is great if you are just getting back into the groove glad you came here - we all do support each other, thats the name of the game the first step is the hardest and you made it by coming back here, realizing you have a problem, and wanting to go forward you can do this!!!! come back with any and all questions i'll be on the lookout for you glad you are here good luck kathy

I was always skinny until puberty hit when I was 12. Then the boobs popped out and the hips spread. To me it was great. I never tracked my weight as a teenager. I was about average size and able to wear whatever I wanted. Once I became an adult my life was less active n I gained weight. Even with the weight gain I was able to meet the army standards. I was 140 and my height is 5'5. After that I gained weight over the yrs and had to struggle to stay under 150 for the military guidelines. A few yrs ago I got deployed and a lot of things happen that I'll never be able to talk about. Once I got home I became a recluse. The weight piled on and I was too depressed to care. Slowly I came out of denial n tried to lose weigh. I never thought it would be so hard to exercise and lose weight once your over 50 lbs. Now I'm hoping with WLS I'll have the extra tool to help me.