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Aetna is no net weight gain. U cannot weigh more than your first weigh in.

Hi Justathing, I've just (re)joined bariatricpal to get some support myself. I am 9 years out. I got all the way down to 132 (120 lb loss). Than I started to gain, slowly but surely and am now sitting at 165. I am pretty certain I have a leak going on. Anyway, I too contribute excess stress to my weight gain (divorce, career change, ft work, blah blah). Certainly nothing compared to losing a child, which I am terribly sorry to hear about your loss. The reason I wanted to reach out to you is because you mentioned "forgetting" the basics. I suffer from the same problem. It's been so long that my life pre band seems like another lifetime and I'm not hyperfocused on the band/rules. After all the stressful times I went through, my brain thought stress before band issues. How bizarre is that? After spending years focusing on the band and being in the green, I'm now needing to relearn these basics and practicing them. I also need to get back to green (which may mean a placement of a 2nd band to get me restarted). I think this is a common phenomenon for us 'old banders' and its one of the primary reasons Im back on the site. I need to think, breath, and be the band again so I can stay accountable and get better management of my weight again.

Hi, everyone! My name is Lisa. I'm 43 years old, live in Michigan, and am married, with a 7 year old daughter and a 22 year old stepson. I'm scheduled to have a VSG through St John Providence in August. I'm 5'3" and weighed 225 when I started the process a few months ago. A little about me: I've been overweight my whole life - "chubby" as a child/teen and just plain fat as an adult. You know how some people can carry excess weight and still look good? Well, I'm not one of those people. Although I'm not much of a snacker and don't get into sweets, I have a terrible time with portion control. I've had bad reflux for about ten years. When I was pregnant in 2005/2006, I started having terrible back and knee pain and developed sleep apnea, too. I ended up with preeclampsia and delivered early. I had been sick most of the pregnancy and the majority of the weight gain was from Water retention, which I lost fairly quickly, but the sleep apnea, back and knee pain never resolved. I ended up with an apron of fat that hangs at my waist (yuck) and a fat deposit at the top of my back that pushes my neck and head forward like a hunchback (I can't tip my head back and look at the ceiling). I'm tired and uncomfortable all the time, and sick of not being able to bend over to tie my shoes. I'm really lucky that my husband loves me enough to give me pretty manicures, but I hate that I can't do it myself. I buy Skecher shoes that don't have laces (gah! I used to laugh at people who wore those!), elastic waist skirts (think: grandma's), and the pictures of me in a bathing suit when my daughter was an infant were the stuff of nightmares. If you look at the scrapbooks I've lovingly created for her, there's not a single photo of me. How sad is that? I'm excited about the surgery, but worried about being able to change my portion control problem. I swing between being ready to do it RIGHT NOW and thinking maybe I shouldn't do it at all. My husband is very supportive and says that he loves me just the way I am, but wants me to feel better physically and emotionally and he will do whatever I need to help me in that endeavor. However, my parents aren't as supportive and my friends keep saying, "Oh, you don't need to have weight loss surgery." I feel like I'm being pulled in all different directions. And it doesn't help that I'm a little (well, okay - a LOT) resistant to change. You know, that fear of "out of the frying pan, into the fire"? So, that's me. Anyone out there with thoughts? Similar concerns?

Julie: Thanks for letting us hear from you. I have been on antidepressants off and on through the years and when you need them you need. My internists actually recommend them at my last visit because I have so much anxiety right now. I think it's temporary due to my upcoming PS and DD's wedding in May. It really scares me to think about going back on anti-depressants because of weight gain. How has your experience been with this aspect of it? Take care!

Hello August Sleevers! My name is Julie & I'll be sleeved on the 9th! Anyone care to join me?? ) Just started my 10-day liquid Protein pre-op diet yesterday, so the countdown has officially begun! I can't believe it's coming up so quickly! Yesterday was pretty easy, little hunger today. Will get through it, though! Thought I'd introduce myself! ...I'm a married mother of 2 awesome teenage boys (17 & 14) from Credit River, Minnesota. I'm an interior designer by trade, but have been a full-time glass bead artist & jewelry designer for the last 5 years. I love what I do! (who wouldn't? I get to play with fire!!) If you want to check out my work, feel free to visit my website by clicking the "glass artist" link below my name in my signature. I've always been creative & am so happy being able to do what I do. I'm also very blessed to have a husband who supports his family & gives me the freedom to do what I love! I've dealt w/ weight issues my entire adult life, actually since high school. Not one to jump on the fad diet bandwagon, I've mainly done programs like Weight Watchers, having small short lived successes, but have never been able to really maintain any kind of loss for long. A few years ago my doctor brought up WLS & I didn't even consider it.... one one hand it seemed too extreme & on the other, it seemed like the easy way out (yes, I know better!) Over time, however, w/ much research & even more weight gain, I realized that I was in a never ending cycle that I seriously needed to do something about. I stopped looking @ WLS as an easy fix.... realizing that I was still going to be required to do all of the work & instead, I started looking at WLS as an amazing tool that I've never had access to before. Yeah, I know how to lose weight & yeah, I should be able to do this on my own, but for some reason, I haven't been able to. WLS is a permanent fix. Yeah, I know weight can still be gained if you aren't doing what's necessary, but the fact is that a large part of my stomach is going to be removed & I'm going to have minimum capacity there. I'm taking a huge risk to do this & I'm not about to be stupid about it. I know how important getting the right nutrition is going to be & I also know I'll need to move my butt. This is the heavy hand that I obviously need to get this job done! I'm not taking this lightly. I'm thrilled to have a local friend going through the vertical sleeve procedure w/ me... her surgery date is set for early September, so it'll be great for us to be there to support eachother.... but I'm really happy to have found you guys & this awesome message board / support system. I've already been inspired by so many success stories & I'm really looking forward to becoming part of the community... really enjoy connecting w/ & motivating/inspiring others! I've decided to blog my experience... something to help me document this new journey of mine. Oh yeah... I started this journey w/ my first appointment in January this year @ 285lbs, my heaviest ever. I'm sitting @ 272lbs, pre-post-op diet. Will be interesting to see where I am this time next week before surgery & can't wait to see where things go from here!! xoxox....

Darcey - I'm really envious now - my best buds live outside Portland and a trip up there for a fill would be awesome. But feel I must return to Ortiz for the first - just to make sure all is right in bandland. Maybe this summer we could rendezvous during the blues festival and tighten up!!!! Good luck to you; give me an update after this fill and I'll cross my fingers that it's good for another 20. Jonathan, as to the soup thing - I think that's the culprit for my weight gain - well that and the elimination of Diet Coke. Good luck to you; if you begin gaining refer to these posts and wait it out patiently till fill #1. Marla

Long story short, I have been going to my doctors since November of last year when I was 255 with concerns about unexplained rapid weight gain. Now, its is August, I have been working with the weight and wellness center since March , but I have gone up to 284 and I am just getting zero support from any medical professional. They keep telling me to cut my calories, exercise, etc etc. I am already at 800-1000 calories a day, and swimming for an hour 6 days a week. I have met my insurance requirement of 6 months but the doctors at the weight and wellness center will not even see me until I've lost 10% of my weight. I have followed everything they wanted me to do, and done all the tests. Yet I leave every appointment crying because I am not meeting their weight loss expectations. Feeling completely discouraged and unsupported.

Unexplained weight gain as in.. You were just eating salads and the weight piled on ? Did they find a reason for this unexplained weight gain? After wls you eat about 800+ calories. If you are 100% only eating 800 calories and not losing a lb what do you feel weight loss surgery will help with? ...Unless....Your possibly eating more than 800 calories...Sometimes.. And admittedly need help with portion control like the rest of us. For Me the first step was being honest with myself. Yes I ate low calorie all day. Higher than I needed other times. It adds up. But only you know the truth. If you have a medical condition causing you to gain when you are eating in a deficit that needs to be addressed before WLS. No judgment just trying to help. Sent from my Swift 2 using BariatricPal mobile app

I was 145 before having a baby i was a year postop im all over the place with weight might be my scale my baby is 3 months now and im at 153 to 155 i was 150 anf quit brest feeding and went back up to 153 im really upset about the weight gain does it take a bit to come off or will it just not come off:(

I had to take the 2 antibiotics and a PPI's for this. Make sure you take all three because it can come back. I didn't gain weight. It can cause weight gain if you get an overgrowth from yeast because of the antibiotics . Also after you are done with the meds start taking a very good probiotic. There are good ones like Dr. Oheria I think is the best. There are others like Renew Life. Best of luck to you

I agree. Start as if you had surgery yesterday with the liquid diet and follow the 5 day pouch reset. That will help get a lot of the sugar toxins out of your system and it will jump start you. Then, focus on the rules: 1. No drinking anything 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after you eat. 2. Limit your beverage calories. Try to stay on Water or sugar free non carbonated beverages. Stay away from alcohol. If you can, even limit caffeine as it really does cause you to feel hunger. 3. Mindful eating, remove distractions so you can pay attention to your pouch. Your tool is still there, you just need to retrain it. 4. Eat your meals slowly chewing well in between eat bite. Put the fork down in between but do not go over 30 minutes for your meal as your pouch begins emptying at that point. 5. Drink a minimum of 64oz of water or SF non carbonated liquids. 6. Ensure you get a minimum of 1 gram of Protein for every inch you are tall. Even a little more is better. Make sure that you get that protein mostly from dense Proteins like fish, seafood, beef, chicken and pork. These foods will keep your pouch fuller longer and provide you with much needed protein grams. 7. If you have not done this recently, you should have a full Bariatric blood panel drawn to ensure you are not lacking any nutritional elements that could cause you problems. 8. Are you still taking lifelong Vitamins like B12, Calcium Citrate or any other vitamins your Bariatric Doctor put you on? If not, you will want that nutritional panel to inform those decisions. 9. No grazing.....this is where most people start to have weight gain. Eat your 3 meals a day and try to avoid snacking. If you are one of those people like me who has reactive hypoglycemia, then have 5 smaller meals. 10. Avoid sugar, potatoes, Pasta, rice and bread. Same thing with any prepackaged processed foods. Get rid of the junk and stick to good quality proteins and veggies and fruits. Once you hit goal again, then you can introduce some whole grains back into your diet slowly until you get to a good maintenance schedule. 11. Try to get some exercise even if it is just walking daily. These are the things that I will do if I ever start to regain my weight. It really is getting back to the basics.

Well....my day is here! As of this morning...I have hit my goal weight of 165lbs!:wub: I knew this day would come but until you actually see it, you just don't believe it!:thumbup: Funny, I thought I'd be jumping up and down and screaming over it, but I am pretty calm about it and happy as a lark. I had to go for a tad bit of unfill yesterday. I am down to 5.2cc's. My body is adjusting a bit and I may have to go in again for another tweak by getting more taken out so I can maintain. It's amazing to me that I don't need as much fill as others. I mean I just assumed we all were pretty much on the same with that but not needing much more than 5cc's is amazing to me. Anything too much over 5.4cc and I get stuck and throw up in my sleep. Which is NOT a pleasant feeling at all.:scared2: It's scary because I think, what if I don't wake up and I choke?! So now, the major question is....do I need to lose more or should I be happy with what I am now? My initial goal was 170 but then I thought 165 would be better for BMI purposes. Now I am not really sure if I want to stop. What about 160? Plan for the monthly weight gain, blah, blah, blah. Am I turning into one of those skinny bitties who obsesses over the scale!:crying: There are some places I feel need to get a little thinner but I am not sure if it's because they are not quite as toned as I want them to be or if it's really just a tad bit flabby. Everyone knows from previous posts I am not exactly happy with where my tummy is but I want to give it a full year before considering anything else. I tried on a size 10 and danced all around the dressing room when they fit. I am thrilled with that....so what is it in me right now that wants more? I am going to have to meditate on that. I mean, I don't want to look sickly! Shape and curves are good.:thumbup: RIGHT???? I am feeling really silly right now...why am I not as happy as I thought I would be? On a different note...my doc left the office where he was. He is on an extended vacation right now and when he comes back he will decide where he will be. Not sure how I feel about that. I love him but I love my nurses too. I bet my main nurse will go with him and if that happens I will move my files with him. Didn't see that coming!:thumbdown: As always....I AM BLESSED! Why not go out on a limb? Isn't that where the fruit is?:tongue2: Surgery Date: May 21, 2009 Starting Weight: 280lbs Dr. Michael Metz - St. Luke's Hospital Denver, CO:thumbup: Follow my progress thru photos: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/members/5...lbums3475.html

One thing that will help is that most doctors recommend that you track what you eat. Assuming you weigh yourself regularly, you'll be able to spot weight gain early and then you can look back at what you were eating to determine why. Emotional eating can still happen post-surgery, but part of the work we have to do as WLS patients is finding different ways to cope rather than food.

Like I said, I don’t think I cope using food on a regular basis. I’ve tracked food for years now and there aren’t any patterns that suggest emotional eating outside of that one period of heavy trauma. I guess that’s why it never occurred to me that the trauma caused my weight gain because I haven’t been an emotional eater before or since. Maybe it happened because my other methods of coping were cut during the abuse (he wouldn’t let me see friends and I was too depressed to do my usual hobbies)? Idk. But thanks for the advice, that is a good way to ensure that I don’t fall into that again post-surgery without realizing it if something else happens. I’ve been trying to find a therapist to talk about these things with but they’re so expensive!

I had my tubes tied but because of heavy periods the doctor put me on Yaz. That caused blood clots from my legs to travel into both lungs and almost killed me. So now the doctor put me on the Mirena and I haven't had a period since July of last year. No addl weight gain or any problems with it. I love it.

A little test, it may seem odd but try this. Close your eyes and relax (Make sure you remember these steps because you need to keep your eyes closed as you do this) Imagine that you are going to take a journey wherever you and your imagination choose. Lets do a short test flight, imagine that you are going to travle back to yesterday, you will travel on a scooter that is guided by a line that intersects your body. Imagine this line as it intersects your body allowing you to travel both to the past and to the future. Now answer this question Where does this line intersect your body and in what direction does it point, head or flow. You can use this visualization technique to travel back in time in your mind and re-visit the significant events in your life that impacted your weight gain. You can also travel to the future and see yourself as thin and then travel back and view all of the things that you must do to achieve your target. By traveling to the future in your imagination you can adjust your subliminal vision of how you think being thin will change your life. If you truly do fear being thin your imagination will take you to a place that is not positive, if you then force yourself to change this vision by imagining a positive scenario and if you continue to do this your subliminal view of being thin can be modified from a more negative to a morte positive view. I use this technique more as a tool to help me prepare for stressfull work assignments. I visualize the event being completed in a positive way then I travel back to today and record all of the tasks that I needed to complete to bring about that result. I would never suggest that this will cure or resolve any major internal issues but it can change you attitude about being thin from negative to positive. It is much harder to complete a task if you believe that a negative outcome will result. Now the $64000.00 question, where does that line intersect your body and in which direction?

Actually my insurance doesn't state weight gain part at all. I was just worried because I read many cases that have been denied.

Yes....I do know exactly what you are talking about. Including the complete fear of weight gain. There are days where I am hungry all day long and other days where I can barely eat anything. As i hit the 2 year post op mark, it has become even more difficult. I just have to be aware and stay on top of it. I knew that when i hit goal, I could not stop watching what I eat. If I did, i would be in trouble. I have lost and gained the same 5 lbs 2 or 3 times now since March. I hate to tell you but I think we are forever going to be focused on our food plans if we want to stay smaller.

Hall says his findings have implications for the diet wars — vegan versus low-carb or low-fat diets. "They all have something in common. ... Proponents of healthy versions of those diets suggest that people cut out ultra-processed foods." He says that this elimination might account for at least part of the success that people have on these diets. Popkin says the take-home message for consumers is, "We should try to eat as much real food as we can. That can be plant food. It can be animal food. It can be beef, pork, chicken, fish or vegetables and fruits. And one has to be very careful once one begins to go into other kinds of food." https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/05/16/723693839/its-not-just-salt-sugar-fat-study-finds-ultra-processed-foods-drive-weight-gain?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=science Full study is linked in NPR article

Ironically I've stalled as well at 6 months as well. I've focused on maintaining portion size and upping the exercise. I gave myself two weeks off 'dieting' and watching every calorie over the holidays. Fortunately no weight gain. Hoping after treating my body to some treats, I'm back to work, in routine, tracking calories and looking at changing my exercise routine to something more intense to jump start the weight loss again.

Oh goodness. My surgery is Sept. 13th. I went to the pre-surgery class on Tuesday and I gained 5 lbs. from the day I saw the surgeon. I have exactly one week to lose the 5 lbs. otherwise they will cancel the surgery. The pressure is on. I started having 2 protein shakes and a small salad for lunch and lots of water and hot tea (still sick I caught bronchitis).And I will start the back at the gym today. Any suggestions? Thanks

@OKCPirate- thanks for the insight and the website! I def think being back on my meds is the way to go, but I can definitely see that based on my "new" stomach, some doses may end up being too much as I continue to lose. But, at least I'm on the way (in both senses). And I trust my surgeon, so I think it'll be OK- I have tried a lot of meds over the years and Seroquel (even with the side effect of weight gain) worked best, and my surgeon thinks this combo is a good one for the VSG and my mental health in general. All of my doctor's can see the other's notes, so it's being monitored. Like you said, there's no one right answer, we all react differently! Thanks again for the advice!!

I currently have the Implanon, had it now for almost the 3 years. I can say that I thought it was perfect for a long time untill I started noticing that the little bit of stray facial hair that I did have started getting to be more and more. The next year when I went to my OB/GYN, I asked her about it because I thought it was suspicious that it happened after I got the implanon. She told me that it has nothing to do with that and I took her work for it because I thought that she wouldnt lie. Recently, I started researching it because I was having really irregular periods (none for 6 months- a year, then having one for over a month) and I saw alot about the irregular periods (of course) but I also saw that alot of people had difficulty losing weight or weight gain, FACIAL HAIR GROWTH, and also a sensitivity to viruses. I can tell you after reading that, I could really see that stuff being true after reviewing my life for the past 3 years. You don't really put two and two together because it seems like such an insignificant thing but I kind believe it has been a source of problems for me. Back when I had it put in I did read on the pamplet that it had not been tested on people over a certain weight so I don't know how much that had to do with my problems. I would definately do as much research as you can online and talk to your doctor before deciding. Hope this helps! Best wishes! Monica

Try to consider your new stomach as a new baby that has to be progressed SLOWLY. The food guidelines provided to us are to help our swollen and upset stomachs heal. Can you get down a few bites that aren't allowed? Probably. Will it cause damage or be a problem? Maybe. Should you talk to your Doctor? ABSOLUTELY! Try to stick to the diet so you heal properly and so that you don't being micro-stretching your stomach. The name of the game is to eat until full and not a drop more. That way you'll always fill up faster. If you stretch it out, you're going to run into plateaus and possible future weight gain. Stick to the program. It was designed this way for a VERY specific purpose. Just my 2 cents. J

Hi All! My name is Jennifer. I am 44 years old. I am a wife and mother of 2 boys (24 and 16). I live outside of Houston, Texas and help run our family owned trucking company where I am a bookkeeper, sales manager, and A/R supervisor (we are that small LOL!). ​I had my VGS in October of 2011. I went from my highest weight of 308 (as far as I know - I don't know many who want to check the scale regularly at that weight ) to my lowest post surgery weight of 213 in 2012. I had hit a plateau in between and began training with a former college running back. I was doing well. Around 2013 I ran into a series of health setbacks. I was able to maintain my wait or close to it (didn't go over 217) for well over a year, perhaps 2. Within the past year I began gaining weight. I am currently struggling with this, and this is why I have come here. I am looking for advice, accountability, and to be a good WLS buddy to anyone who needs one. I am interested in what you guys are doing to meet your goals, what successes and what slip ups you may have dealt with, and how you are getting back on track now. Today is my first day here, and I can't wait to hear the journeys you have been on! I welcome any advice, shared experiences, or whatever you may have to offer! Thanks for having me! Jen