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39 lbs. may not seem like a lot to you right now, but it's more than 10% of your body weight lost. That is significant. I have read lots of posts here where menstrual cycles started again (if they had stopped due to weight gain) or became more regular. My cycle was not the most reliable pre-op. After about 2 months, it is like clockwork. As with anything that dramatically changes, check with your doctor and let them know what is going on just to be on the safe side.

The "advice" 3 dieting attemps ago was NEVER lacking in my case, LOL. We low carbed for 2 years at one point. (Hubby lost 100, I lost 50). Mind you most people can't get through their heads that there's a difference between LOW carb and NO carb. Even sitting across from you watching you eat salad, cooked veggies, and berries they are lecturing about the dangers. The minute we'd pass on white bread all the other stuff became invisible. Although my meat portion was no bigger than theirs the fact that I chose green Beans over baked potato meant my meat was going to destroy my kidneys. HUH? It was almost comical. Then many of the same people reminded me of how successful we were at low carbing when (after regaining what we lost and more) we decided on WLS and thought we should do that instead of surgery. ANd there were people who thought hubby should have WLS and praised his success then 2 1/2 years later made it clear that I should "consider" diet and exercise first. I really think that people (and we all do it in different ways) find giving advice and/or back-handed compliments to be a way of showing interest and care. It makes life less frustrating if I think of it that way. LOL I recently called a beloved niece who’s had RNY and has gained some weight back to tell her about the “band over bypass” surgery. I tried to think of how to bring it up so she’d have the information without coming off sounding like, “hey I’ve noticed you’ve gained a bit of weight too.” Know what? There is really no way to say it without that coming across. But I love this niece heavy or thin. AND she DOES have a pretty face heavy or thin. (I didn’t say that of course.) But knowing how much she’d gone through and how much WLS has changed her life I wanted to share that her weight gain isn’t because she failed to do what she should (as most people assume) but because the surgery had failed her (5 yrs out). I could tell that even though she still loves me and we are still close, she didn’t love that I mentioned it. She had previously mentioned her weight gain and what she’s trying to do to reverse it before I called with my golden information. Some areas are just touchy no matter how well meaning and encouraging we think we are being. Of course I also knew she was noticing MY weight gain due to having my band unfilled. But she didn’t call me to tell me to try RNY or sleeve. LOL Ironically just last night I was telling another RNY person the same (band over bypass) information and SHE was excited and is going to look into it. This whole conversation wasn’t initiated by me directly making a phone call. Maybe that made the difference? Maybe the relationship? Who knows. But I’ve obviously been on both sides of this fence. So since my comments are out of genuine love and concern, I have to assume other people's are too. :thumbup:

LOL. Carlene, you have NO idea how good your psych skills are. Yeah, he told me he has a sex addiction. He does. But I sort of do too. It was controllable for several years... I think I tried to control it with the weight gain... but now that the weight is off it's back. I've had 2 non-committal makeout sessions with guys this week - one that resulted in 'services' rendered for one man. It's not a good thing. I'm working on it. I'd never tell these kinds of things to people I actually knew. Glad this site is anonymous! You're also right about his rotten relationship skills. He called me on Tuesday because he was in the depths of sorrow (for a reason too long to go into here) and wanted moral support. At this point I was in 'friend' rather than 'girlfriend' mode for him. Yeah, he has some selfish points to him. And the way he said 'athletic' I knew he meant skinny. So maybe in a couple months, after the tummy tuck and boob job, I'll email him a photo with the caption 'Athletic enough?' Kidding.

I had over 12 pounds of skin removed yet the scale crept up immediately after surgery. It wasn't weight gain though, it was serious Fluid retention. When they do a tummy tuck, they cut the lymphatic channels between your upper and lower torso/legs. This can cause some pretty serious fluid retention. What you're experiencing isn't uncommon at all. Give it a couple more weeks. In the meantime, stay away from salt and if you see the scale still creeping up, see if maybe your doctor will give you something for the Water weight. Btw, if you see your legs increasing in size dramatically and have leg pain? Insist you're checked for blood clots. I ended up with life threatening blood clots in both legs which landed me in the ICU for 8 days. It was pure hell. Best wishes and hang in there.

So I'm new to BariatricPal, but I've been on this Bariatric train since April when I first saw my surgeon about it. Actually, even in April I saw my doctor and asked him if he thought I was a candidate. He said he thought I was since in the last few months my weight gain was severe and there was no medical cause for it according to him. So he put in a referral to the same practice my mom used when she had her surgery 5 year ago. I thought it would take ages to get a call from them, referrals to a specialist always do. Well, a week later, I got a call and they had an opening that Friday (this never happens, last time I saw a specialist, I had to wait a month). So I went in to that appointment with my mom because I'm 24 and I still need her to ask all the questions sometimes. My BMI was 30.4, which is what I needed since I don't have any other risk factors that the insurance requires. We went over the options, talked about everything, we all asked questions. And then at the end, he just says "I think you're a great candidate!" I wish it was solely up to him. But there's the insurance requirements. I did the scope of my upper GI: passed with flying colors; saw the psychologist: wonderful appointment, although some of the tests made me feel crazy; and I've had 3 of the 4 appointments with my dietitian (my 4th is next week). And then everything is up to the insurance company and I am so scared. I think that right now, that is what I am fearing the most. They are going to hold my future in their hands. I don't know what I'd do if they said no because God knows I can't keep living like this. My mom tells me not to worry about it, but the closer I get to the end of this, the worse it gets for me.

I am wondering for those who needed surgery to try to combat PCOS or just trying to get pregnant, which surgery did you decide and why? Are you pregnant? Have you had weight gain that you can't loose after pregnancy? Any struggles?

Hi my name is Bonnie I'm 23 years old and I've been struggling with my weight all my life. I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was held back in the first grade, from there they put me on Adderall and I was gaining 10 pounds every month, I didn't understand because I wouldn't eat breakfast or lunch at school because the medication it would make me nauseous. By the time I would get home it would be dinner time and I would be hungry. This continued through my high school years where I couldn't even stand to be in the lunch room I would just go to the library and hang out til' lunch was over. I was still active and try to keep up the best I could with all my friends that were three times smaller than me. Finally when I was 17 years old the doctor told me it was rare but a side effect of weight gain on adderall. I stopped taking my medication and I lost 30 pounds right after that. I still suffer with the same eating habits and I've gained more weight over the years. Oh I'm ready to take this next step and better my life I can't wait and I'm so excited.

Tracymom- I can't believe you only have 2 more days to go! I'm anxious to hear how your surgery goes. My ps called me at home today to see how I was doing. I didn't get a chance to talk to him after surgery because I was so out of it. He said he removed a total of about 12 pounds between the excess skin and lipo. I weighed myself this morning and I'm down exactly 12 pounds from the morning of surgery. I weighed myself one day after surgery and I was up 2 pounds. My ps says that in another week or two I'll be down even more once my body gets rid of all the excess Fluid. I figure I'll be able to exercise again around 4-5 weeks post op so I'm not too concerned about weight gain. I've been eating lots of Protein, fruits, and veggies and trying to stay away from the bad carbs. I have another 15 pounds until I reach my goal weight. Suemagoo- I think you are going to do great with your surgery. I'll be following your posts closely. Lellow- I hear ya on the extra hip padding. I've had that for so many years that it is like looking at a different person in the mirror when I see myself without that! How are you doing?

Thanks KD! I may just stick with the spanx. I am hoping that my drains will come out next week and that will end the problem. Did you have swelling issues after 2 weeks? Did you have weight gain right after the surgery? K

Fran: If you are eating right don't worry about the weight gain. You are probably retaining fluids from the major shock your body is going through. I haven't had plastic surgery yet, but after I was banded I gained 9 pounds in 3 days and I was only on liquids. It took about ten days before it started to come off. Chin up and drink alot. Weird how drinking makes our fluids flush, but that's what they tell me. Take care. Sue

Years before surgery I had only tried Depo. I really didn't care about the weight gain, now I do...lol. So I think I've pretty much ruled that one out. My doctor gave me the mini pill to try but she said she had little faith in it and really recommends that Mirena IUD. I'm just so scared of having something implanted. But it would be worse if the mini pill was ineffective...lol! I am such a baby when it comes to pain, but I have to ask......did the actual placement of the device hurt? Can you feel it everyday? Is it uncomfortable? What about the side effects? It says possible hair loss....lol....=0 .....more loss? Ugh! Did that happen to anyone?

To answer the questions: I'm as active as I can be. I have fibromyalgia, which is incredibly painful and makes it hard to exercise. If I do too much in one day, I run the risk of not being able to walk at all for the next two or three days. I do get a fair bit of exercise at work because I do as much field work as my body will allow, but of course I could get more. I would acutally love to get more and I remember the days when I could ride my bike, but now I'm pretty much restricted to yoga and what I do at work, which is walking and the occasional groundwater sampling. Even at work I can only do so much exercise and field work before I collapse from the pain and exhaustion. Some days I suck it up and push through the pain to get work done, but ultimately I pay the price. Yep, the drugs I'm on do cause significant weight gain. Not much I can do there becuase without the drugs I am unable to function on the most basic level. The PB-ing stopped once I got out that bit of fill. I haven't had an instance of it in about a month now. It was only that one particularly bad week. Part of the problem may have been that I ran out of my anti-inflammatory drug and everything in my body puffed up. Yeah, we won't be letting that happen again. I do keep track of my food as time allows. I work about 50-60hrs a week, and with the 9-10hrs a day of sleep I need to keep my fibro under some control, there isn't a lot of time left some days. I do the best I can on the food front and get as much Protein in as possible. I unfortunately cannot have the protein powders. I have tried a wide variety of them and all of them leave me writhing on the floor in agony within the first few sips. Only when I was a week into my 3 week pre-op diet did it come out of my mother's mouth that I am biologically unable to digest a large number of Proteins due to a birth defect. Thanks for holding that little gem back mother... it's not like that could be important or anything :thumbup:. So my protein has to come from actual food, and even then that doesn't always sit well. Beans, chicken and fish... the holy trinity of the band. It sounds like I'm making 1000 excuses as to why this isn't working, but I am trying. With all the medical problems I have, some days it just isn't fun being me. Believe me, it's in my best interests to make this work. If it doesn't, there is a fairly good chance that the pressure that is building up in my brain will pull the retinas off my eyeballs, causing permanent blindness. If that's not a carrot in front of a carriage, I don't know what is. As I said, it's not always fun being me. Most days it really rather sucks.

I am on Yasmin as well. I am a continuous use gal.. I take the sugar pills at the end of the pack one time a year, (or so my gyno suggests..) which makes for a short spotty 3-4 day cycle, then I'm back to skipping the sugar pills. Yasmin has been the best for me so far, helping immensely with PMDD, and my skin... Plus no weight gain:)

I wrote this as a pre-op back in Feb 2004. It goes out to all of you with love!! Sung to "American Pie" by Don Mclean New version by Dori Mc-LEAN A long long time ago We can still remember How a twinkie used to make us smile And we knew if we had our chance That we'd soon outgrow our pants And maybe we'd be happy for a while But the weight gain made us shiver with every step our chins would quiver Good news found on a website We weren't alone in the fight We all shared how we'd cried Over failed diets that we'd tried Then we were banded deep inside And one day, the hunger died So.. Bye, bye to the fat on our thighs We were heavy, like a Chevy, so the band we did try Us good ole banders stick together, no lie Singing, tomorrow smaller pants I will buy Tomorrow smaller pants I will buy Did you write the post above? About your clothes fittin' like a glove? Does your mirror tell you so? Now do you believe fat takes it's toll? And bandin' might save your mortal soul? And can you teach yourself how to eat real slow? Well, I know that you'll be getting' thin Insurance approval will come in You'll kick off your blues Once you start to lose I was a lonely overweight eatin fool Any kinda food would make me drool But I knew I'd found some luck The day the hunger died. I started singing Bye, bye to the fat on my thighs I was heavy, like a Chevy, so the band we did try Us good ole banders stick together, no lie Singing, tomorrow smaller pants I will buy Tomorrow smaller pants I will buy Now, for ten years I was on my own And fat grew thick upon my bones But that's not how has to be With banding you can be so lean Wear smaller clothes than you've ever seen As the pounds fall off of you and me And as our weight is going down We might PB all over town Our food it will return Til proper chewing we have learned Some think this option is a lark But we'll do laps around the park And chat online until it's dark On how one day our hunger died We'll be singing Bye, bye to the fat on our thighs We were heavy, like a Chevy, so the band we did try Us good ole banders stick together, no lie Singing, tomorrow smaller pants I will buy Tomorrow smaller pants I will buy Helter skelter in the summer swelter pounds fly off with our fat melter Eight pounds down and falling fast I think came off of my ass A handsome man made a pass Perhaps celibacy will be in my past? Now half way to goal we'll start to bloom And turn heads when we enter a room We'll all get up to dance Not afraid to take the chance As the fat began to yield Our hipbones were revealed Do you recall with glee we squealed? The day our hunger died We started singing Bye, bye to the fat on our thighs We were heavy, like a Chevy, so the band we did try Us good ole banders stick together, no lie Singing, tomorrow smaller pants I will buy Tomorrow smaller pants I will buy Oh, and now we eat at a slower pace We no longer stuff our face With no room left to binge again So now we're nimble and we're quick And our waists are not so thick Cause the band is our true friend And as we lost our flabby cage Life's journey turned another page No pound cake made in hell Could break our losing spell And as the pounds went out of sight We knew our decision was right You'll see our post of sheer delight T he day our hunger died We were singing Bye, bye to the fat on our thighs We were heavy, like a Chevy, so the band we did try Us good ole banders stick together, no lie Singing, tomorrow smaller pants I will buy Tomorrow smaller pants I will buy I met a girl who sang the blues Because she had some pounds to lose But she got banded yesterday!!! Now she knows just what's in store As she starts losing pounds galore I n the future, it surely seems She'll achieve her weight loss dreams On food no longer choken Her plateaus all were broken And the fellow banders I admire most I can't wait to read their posts Of all of us, they've lost the most One day their hunger died And they were singing Bye, bye to the fat on our thighs We were heavy, like a Chevy, so the band we did try Us good ole banders stick together, no lie Singing, tomorrow smaller pants I will buy Tomorrow smaller pants I will buy

Insurance may cover removal of excess abdominal skin if it causes infections or rashes that do not repsond to medication over a period of months. Keep in mind that a simple skin removal (panniculectomy) is a far cry from a nicely done abdominoplasty. My website has links to many of the INS companies plans a criteria, plus some useful tips for getting coverage: http://www.drlomonaco.com/plastic-surgery-patient-resources.shtml As for pregnancy, I have a number of young patients who are not comfortable with themselves, much less another person, while undressed. Some have never even dated. For these individuals, a tummy tuck prior to pregnancy is a good option. In general, a tummy tuck will "undo" some of the result, but most patients will never re-develop the amount of skin they had after massive weight loss...assuming their pregnancy weight gain is normal.

Well I completed another task on my TO-DO LIST today.. I had a root canal done in a tooth that has had problems for a very long time. I haven't been chewing properly and now I will be able to again. I was very fortunate to have a good doctor and have not had any pain issues as of yet.. The weather here has been crazy and I have been struggling to get in enough walking. My son and I went yesterday and had to cut it short because it started to rain and thunder. We haven't been able to go swimming everyday either which was my goal.. I just reread my surgery and clinic information again and I am going to be required to lose 15 lbs even though my insurance doesn't think it is necessary.. I am really struggling with that, gained a pound according to the nutritionists scale. I believe I was retaining fluids that day because my hands were swollen,, and think is was the pizza sauce we ate the night before. I will try harder for the next two weeks and hope there is some change. It would be devestating to have my surgery cancelled because of weight gain. I wish the doctors had a better idea of what is going on with me, I don't want to fail.:frown:

One week ago I slipped and fell. I hit my head hard and my ribs and scapula are hurt too. The scale jumped up 6 pounds 2 days after. The scale has been down 4 pounds and back up 2 pounds. I'm eating the same. Is this weight gain from swelling?

Obese people have all sorts of emotional connotations attached to the word "diet", so you'll hear many people saying that you don't need to diet with the band. The truth is, if you want to lose quickly, good old-fashioned diet and exercise are the best ways to do it. The difference now is that the band helps to control the Hunger Daemon that rages inside all of us, so that we can actually STICK to the diet week in and week out for the long haul needed to lose all the weight. Yes, you can lose slowly if you don't consciously diet, provided that you make reasonably sensible food choices. The restricted portions will allow you to eat pretty much anything in moderation and the scales will still slide slowly down. However, if you allow too much junk to creep into those restricted portions, you can stall your progress or even gain weight. The key word there is "IN MODERATION". If you want to lose quickly though, pay attention to what you eat, count your calories, do the exercise and let the band (wonderful invention that it is!) HELP you to achieve success. I think that one of the best things about the band is it's flexibility. You can control how quickly or slowly you lose. When you get to goal, you can let go of all that focus on "dieting" and live like a "normal" person. That means that, like normal people, you need to keep a general eye on what you eat and try not to overindulge too often, but can get away with treats now and then and not have to worry about binge eating or rollercoaster weight gains and losses. Good luck!!

Don't do it! The number one driver of weight gain is juice and sugared drinks. You need to find something that works for you. Try Water with fruit infused in it if you don't like crystal lite. Used lemons, limes, cucumbers, raspberries, strawberries and leave your water sit in the refrigerator with the fruit. It will not be sweet but it should quench your thirst. Honestly I cannot do any of those non sweetener drinks either so I had to get very used to drinking water. It is all I drink and is the most important thing in your diet besides Protein. I would hate to see you sabotage yourself. Try doing things to get your mind off of it. I crave chocolate a lot and have to entertain myself or convince myself that I would rather have nuts or Jerky. If I do that often enough my brain believes it and I can move past it. Good luck to you!

Hi. I've been lurking for months, but this is my first post. I've come to an abrupt end of my pre-surgical rigamarole, and am just waiting for the bariatric clinic to call me in order to schedule an appointment with my surgeon for the final consultation before scheduling surgery - I wasn't expecting it to be so soon, as I only started the process on April 11th. My insurance - Excellus BCBS - requires a 6 month stretch of supervised weight loss only if they don't feel that your previous attempts at weight loss were serious enough. I guess 25+ years of constant struggle was adequate, because after my 2nd nutritionist follow-up (a group seminar and 2 follow-ups scheduled a month apart are my clinic's required minimum) I was handed my post-surgical diet info and was told to expect a call within a week. Yikes! Anyway. My name is Amanda, I'll be 38 in a month (sigh) and am 5'7" and currently about 282 (and an increasingly snug size 22.) I'm married and I have a 5 year old daughter and I live in Rochester, NY. I'm an MFA grad student and work (incongruously to the MFA) in inpatient pharmacy compounding services at the big hospital in town. I have been fat since I was about 6 years old. When I was a teenager, I was about 170-180 and thought I was the fattest thing on two legs. I look back at pictures of myself and my heart breaks for all that self-hatred, sadness, and lost time - not only because I realize now that I wasn't fat at all (you wanna see fat, 16 year old Amanda?? I'll show you FAT!! flubflabflub) but also because I realize how much it never mattered to my friends and family. This is stuff I still struggle with, though. I started gaining rapidly around 18, and have more or less hit peak mass. I was abut 245 when I met my husband 11 years ago, 270ish after having my daughter 5 years ago, and was 291 when I was weighed at the beginning of the bariatric surgery process. I've attributed my weight gain over the last decade to the insidious "domestic spread" - both husband and I have gotten fatter in that time. But that doesn't explain away all the years before that. I have a progressive, hereditary autoimmune connective tissue disease that is treated sort of like cancer - I get infusions at the cancer center every month through a port in my chest and take a low dose of oral chemo at home every week. Women with autoimmune diseases sometimes see a worsening in disease progression after pregnancy, and this was certainly my experience. I've been having to treat my disease aggressively over the past 5 years, and I've recently reached a really stupid cyclical point where the more I weigh, the less effective my treatments are, the more immobile and depressed I become, the more weight I gain, the less effective my treatments are, and so on. This decline in my health and quality of life is what pushed me to reserve a spot in a bariatric seminar in April. As the reality of surgery looms on the horizon, I've begun to worry about some stuff. Somehow I managed to avoid that certain heartbreak that is endemic to fat kids - I was never bullied for my weight (I was popular in my high school, even as a weird kid with green hair and combat boots,) I have never been (obviously, anyways) discriminated against because of my weight, I've always been lucky in love and never had a problem with finding romantic companionship, and so on. The only person that has ever had a problem with my fatness is me. It's been the thing that I've blamed for every disappointment or unhappiness in my life, even though, intellectually, I know that's total nonsense. I worry about what will occupy my thoughts once the fat is gone. What will it be like to thoughtlessly sit in a chair without anxious thoughts of weight limits and chair-smashing public humiliation? What will it be like to not have to obsessively strategize my wardrobe for maximum chub-concealment? What will it be like to simply take up less space? I feel as though I have never not been fat, and I have no idea what to expect. So, Hi!

I was in the same boat as you when I first started, I thought I wanted the sleeve but after a little more digging and reading people's (long term) journey with the sleeve, I knew bypass would be best. I am now almost 2 weeks post op with bypass and so glad I made my choice. I've had zero complications no nausea, vomiting, heartburn, diarrhea nothing! I have NO issues with any foods I've tried so far which hasn't been much but I can tell I'll be one who can tolerate pretty much anything. I know if I had the sleeve I'd be like so many (not all) on here that have issues with weight gain, because I can see how the head hunger will get you even after surgery and if my pouch was the size of a sleever I could definitely see how most either stop losing after 5-6 months or slowly gain weight back. I would continue doing your research and ask your doctor, ALL of mine encouraged bypass. Just do what you think is best for you. You know your eating habits and patterns better than anyone. Oh and I'm a Teacher so I'm off for the summer but if I wasn't I'd need at least 2-3 weeks unless it was a desk job.

I'm 3 years post op this month. It doesn't seem possible as it went by so quickly. I have gained 20 pounds and never hit my goal weight. So with this extra 20 I'm 40 lbs away. I'm worried my pouch isn't working or I stretched it, which docs say hasn't happened. But I'm wondering if this pouch reset of going back on liquids is a real thing. I have no issues going to liquids and I only eat low carb. I'm confused on this weight gain and disappointed in myself. I have no doubt that I have screwed this up because I have cheated in the past. But getting this weight off is so much more important than eating things I'm not supposed to. Does anyone have a success story on gaining weight and losing it again or any ideas? I'm willing to do anything at this point. I don't experience dumping anymore at all and I have to take miralax daily for Bm's. Help!

Thanks for the info, @mayasmomma. I take it for medical necessity, not birth control. I had lost 74 pounds a couple of years ago - and almost as soon as I got the shot - my weight shot right back up and brought friends! I had no idea what was going on or why I was gaining weight until afterwards, and someone told me that Depo was problematic! Ugh. I was so upset! I cannot take traditional birth control pills any longer because I've had pulmonary emboli and DVT, and they've tried me on a range of other pills, none have been successful in controlling my menstrual problems. The Depo shot was like a Godsend. Until I found out about the weight gain, of course! It's a certain type of hormone I have to have in certain doses. I will talk to my gyno about it, however - maybe there's something else I can take! As much as I hate it, I'm terrified to come off of the Depo!

hi....I too am band to sleeve... I was a slow looser and now my weight loss has stopped instead I have put on..maybe its the gout....it says gout gives sudden weight gain... I am too low...I was always afraid this wouldnt work for me...I have arthritis ..cant walk much...metabolism is very slow...

Hello Dee2938, if it's any consolation, I went through a similar pattern of "food funerals" prior to my surgery and I sincerely wish I could say I regret it. I also had about a 10lbs to 13lbs weight gain within the span of 3 months due it. You are very lucky you only have 2 weeks more of crazy indulgence. My advice is that you focus on your absolutely favorites that you won't be able to have immediately OP or EVER and be mindful of portions.....ie don't go hog wild on every food you see, just your top favorites! Now the caveat for me doing this was the commitment I had with myself to follow my surgery team's plan to a T post OP and use this tool to lose 100% of my excess weight regardless of the expected weight loss of the surgery. I hope this helps center you some. Another alternative is to start a food journal and have your nutritionist keep you accountable if that's a possibility. Good luck🧡 Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app