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Gaynor, give yourself credit. I am sure you lost alot of weight with the band. You have managed to keep most of that off and know your limitations. Just knowing that any cheating has a price is something most of us forgot before. I just lost my band 11 weeks ago and I loved my band. I am struggling to like life without it. Stopping the weight gain, trying to figure out what I can eat, and exercising are consuming my life. I hope to get where you are soon - knowing your stabized weight and how to maintain it. Hang in there and recognize the good you have done.

I guess I'm lucky as far as it comes to the process. I've met my surgeon and really like him! It has been pretty easy and pretty fast. I am just ready for this change, i'm ready to star seeing results. I feel so lost, I have gained so much weight I don't even recognize myself! I'm recently single after 5 years and I am afraid to visit with old friends (guys and girls) because of the weight gain!

Good Morning It has been 3 years since I was banded and I just cannot get this last 8 lbs to get to one of my goal points. I had gotten off track for a while and since about May I have been back on track. I found a new doctor, and it was found that I am deficient in many Vitamins. So back I went to the nutritionist and she and I discussed all this. She has me on a 1200 calorie regimen daily but sometimes I really just don’t get in those 1200 calories worth of food. Could this be causing a weight gain? The band had been checked and the doctor seems to think I am tight enough by the way the Fluid flows through. I do have a 10cc band and right now I am at 8.5 cc full. He will not fill it again as he don’t want to cause any problems for me, I can totally respect that. Although I am very health conscious as to what I put into my mouth and I did find this app for my Iphone called My Fitness Pal and I keep track of everything, even the one or two packets of Splenda I might use in my tea. Even the things I think are BAD foods I keep track. I am not big on caffeine’s; I am not big on sweets although a cookie now and then (which is counted) is very yummy. I have not had my Ice Cream or Starbucks since May so going on two full months and really I do not miss it. I make my own coffee, and eat fruit pops if I feel like I am in need of that Ice Cream fix I gave up. I do not eat out at all; I cook everything fresh and from scratch. I just do not understand how I could be gaining weight! Could it be my hormones (going through the change) I have pumped up on the Proteins I intake as well although I am certain that I am not getting in all they recommend. I hate exercise and that might be a downfall I don't know. I am simply at a loss any input anyone might have as to the same struggle you had like this and how you overcame it would be helpful. Thanks so much for your help Michele

Nope no soda for me. It was a bummer and I still on occasion really want one but I don't partake. I too have read the information that diet soda does cause weight gain. More than anything I gave it up and don't want to start it back up. I have taken to drinking tea and half decaf coffee (1 in the morning) and obviously Water.

I went out with the girls friday after work and had one cranberry juice and parot bay rum. I enjoyed it and stopped at one. Drinking poses no problem for me other than the calories in the mixers. At home or at friends houses I do vodka with lemonade crystal light and have had no weight gain from it - but always in moderation. Good luck,

Oh, and there's plenty of women who still have weight lose who lose weight until the end. It's NOT out of the ordinary to not gain weight in pregnancy especially after weight loss surgery. I have a very close, personal friend here in real life, she just had a baby, gained a whopping 12 pounds and delivered a healthy, thriving, full term 8lb baby. So, weight gain is NOT inevitable, and you might continue to lose a few pounds here and there. I didn't gain for months into my pregnancy, and here I am 3 days away from delivery with a 35lb gain which is what the doctors predicted and told me to shoot for.

hey, don't be to hard on yourself, I bet you have been eaten a lot less then you did before you where banded. Some people say it takes 5 or more fills to reach the "sweet spot". And thats especially true when you are getting filled in the usa. The fills are like .5 or 1 cc at a time. So have patience and just try to do the best you can. As for Water, you really have to drink enough water, read the below article and you will understand why that is. btw on my site in the links section there are some wonderfull documents that I have found on the web and posted have a look there. "The Benefits of H20" By Donald S. Robertson, M.D., M. Sc. Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits. Here's why: The kidneys can't function properly without enough water. When they don't work to capacity, some of their workload is dumped onto the liver. One of the liver's primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy for the body. But, if the liver has to do some of the kidney's work, it can't operate at full throttle. As a result, it metabolizes less fat, more fat remains stored in the body and weight loss stops. Drinking enough water is the best treatment for Fluid retention. When the body gets less water, it perceives this as a threat to survival and begins to hold on to every drop. Water is stored in extra cellular spaces (outside of the cells). This shows up as swollen feet, legs, and hands. Diuretics offer a temporary solution at best. They force out stored water along with some essential nutrients. Again, the body perceives a threat and will replace the lost water at the first opportunity. Thus, the condition quickly returns. The best way to over come the problem of water retention is to give your body what it needs---plenty of water. Only then will stored water be released. If you have a constant problem with water retention, excess salt may be to blame. Your body will tolerate sodium only in a certain concentration. The more salt you eat, the more water you system retains to dilute it. But getting rid of un-needed salt is easy---just drink more water. As it's forced through the kidneys, it takes away excess sodium. The overweight person needs more water then the thin one. Larger people have larger metabolic loads. Since we know that water is the key to fat metabolism, it follows that the overweight person needs more water. Water helps maintain proper muscle tone by giving muscles their natural contract and by preventing dehydration. It also helps to prevent the sagging skin that usually follows weight loss--- shrinking cells are buoyed by water, which plumps the skin and leaves it clear and resilient. Water helps rid the body of waste. During weight loss, the body has a lot more waste to get rid of---all the metabolized fat must be shed. Again, adequate water helps flush out the waste. Water can help relieve constipation. When the body gets too little water, it siphons what it needs from internal sources. The colon is one primary source. Result? Constipation. But, when a person drinks enough water, normal bowel function usually returns. So far, we've discovered some remarkable truths about water and weight loss: - The body will not function properly without enough water and can't metabolize stored fat efficiently. - Retained water shows up as excess weight. - To get rid of excess water you must drink more water. - Drinking water is essential to weight loss. How much water is enough? On the average, a person should drink eight 8-ounce glasses every day. That's about 2 quarts. However, the overweight person needs one additional glass for every 25 pounds of excess weight. The amount you drink also should be increased if you exercise briskly or if the weather is hot and dry. Water should preferably be cold. It's absorbed into the system more quickly than warm water. And some evidence suggests that drinking cold water can actually help burn calories. When the body gets the water it needs to function optimally, it's fluids are perfectly balanced. When this happens, you have reached the "breakthrough point." What does this mean? - Endocrine-gland function improves. - Fluid retention is alleviated, as stored water is lost. - More fat is used as fuel because the liver is free to metabolize stored fat. - Natural thirst returns. - There is a loss of hunger almost overnight. If you stop drinking enough water, your body fluids will be thrown out of balance again, and you may experience fluid retention, unexplained weight gain, and loss of natural thirst. To remedy the situation you'll have to go back and force another "breakthrough."

Thursday I'm going for a WLS information session. I'm a little nervous about the whole thing, but also anxious. I'm very lucky that my insurance covers WLS after the 6-month prep. In fact, where I work I can't throw a stone without hitting someone that's had it, but usually they opt for bypass. My preference is to have an implant as opposed to removing part of my innards. Plus I know a few people that had the bypass and wound up stretching their stomach back after a few years. And I don't want to lose my ability to digest sugar, cuz I'd still like to eat a small piece of cake on my birthday! My breaking point has been the weight gain from a recent pregnancy putting me higher than I've ever been combined with a venous insufficiency in my left leg. My left foot is always swollen up, and with a family history of diabetes, I'm pretty terrified I might wind up eventually losing my foot if my weight doesn't go down. I can't even find decent shoes to fit my fat, swollen feet anymore. I've never been under a size 16 in my entire adult life. If I ever get under a 10 I'll probably die of shock, lol! But I'll just be happy to not groan and hear my knees grind when I get up from a chair.

Hi All, Nightline on ABC will be doing a story on sleeve surgeries tonight 10/25 here is a link about it: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/fighting-weight-gain-radical-stomach-removal-surgery/story?id=11964731&page=1

Sounds like you have what we call "soft calorie syndrome." It happens when your band is too tight and you end up favoring soft, often high-calorie foods (like ice cream) that provide little or no satiety rather than the solid, healthy food that provides satiety and gives your body the fuel it needs. If you can hardly even drink tea in the morning, I really think you need a slight unfill. I'd make an appt. to talk to your surgeon about this soon so the two of you can come up with an action plan and nip the weight gain in the bud.

I've learend to let what the bypass patient say go right through me, Time will tell, when the bypass patients are having health problems bypass related and are gaining their weight back because their pouches are stretched ..I get all the satisfaction I need For every person I have told about my band, they have all known someone who had the bypass and had some kind of problems whether it be malabsorption issues, weight gain, other major organ problems, they see me and I do not look like i had weight loss surgery, my skin tone is beautiful, I do not look gaunt, nor do I look flabby like bypass patients do. Iam my best advertisement for the band

This entry is for Monday, March 27, 2006 Breakfast: nothing, not hungry Lunch: beans, 1 oz. Mexican beef steak Dinner: Mexican beef steak, 3 tomillos Snack: serving cookies, cup cappaccino I notice since my husband has been home, I've been eating an actual dinner. And at about 8:00 p.m. I've been eating a snack. This is, I'm sure, the reason for my 2 pound weight gain. That, and I'm expecting my cycle soon. Now that I realize that in only a week's time, I can mke a change to my eating schedule.

Shelly, I was not told to lose any specific amount and I had like 134 to lose to get to my goal. What you can do now is jumpstart your loss and be in better shape for surgery and after. I guess you can address this with him first. I got the impression that as long as I didn't gain (remember period Water weight gain) before ANY of my preop one on one's with him, I was in the clear. I knew my monthy was coming and it's always good for a whopping 5-7 pounds of water for a few days, and I didn't want THAT to be the cause I couldn't get surgery. LOL! I worked darn hard to put a "wider" gap between my highest wieght, and what I was at the moment. I lost 13 pounds of fat, goodbye forever before surgery...and surprisingly, I stopped snoring so my chances of having obstructive apnea became less of an issue. I was lighter on my feet, and had more energy, even at that small of a loss. Why not ride the wave of good feeling while it's high and mighty? Just the thought of having the procedure done to help me keep the weight off was super duper motivating. All of a sudden I had willpower I didn't know I had in me. My only concern was that I didn't have any co-morbids and dipping below my MO status would risk my ability to get surgery. I started at 48...and I knew that if I lost more than 35 before surgery approval, I would be risking it...as I wasn't sure which NUMBER the dang insurance company was using to guage my BMI status...the beginning, the middle or the pre-op. ((HUGS)) It's all unofficial, but nekkid weight today puts me at 90 pounds to lose instead of the 134 I started at the first of July. I am no longer morbidly obese...oh how I hated that title, it was do depressing!!! Linda

I had a gastric sleeve on Tuesday, August 3. Have felt tired and drained since. Today was the first day I have weighed since surgery. I have gained 2 pounds since surgery. I am following the post op diet to the letter. Has this happened to anyone else?

Yep! I have them too! Not from kids (don't have any), just weight gain. I can remember going to a slumber party right as I was hitting puberty & my big boobs appeared. I had these horrible red stretch marks all over my boobs & when we were changing into our night clothes everyone freaked out cause they thought someone had clawed me. Of course they were all flat-chested skinny minnies! It's funny now, but it made me so self concious then! I think the weirdest place i have stretch marks are in my ACs (the bend of my arms). Try explaining that when you have blood drawn!

Morsaille, Joy's first meal after her doctor cleared her for mushies was mashed potatoes at Chili's. She's been doing cream soups, sugar free puddings, scrambled eggs, malt o meal, oatmeal. As for the sodium and the water weight gain, just keep drinking the water. I know it sounds kinda strange, but you need the water to flush your system.

There's two things - so so many people say that they could have done this without the band becuase they dont feel any restriction. Dont underestimate it. You may not "feel" restriction but it is there even if not optimal. Take it all out and see what happens! Even a tiny unfill can result in weight gain for some people. The other is no, i dont believe there's such a thing as an absolute sweet spot in that there's optimal fill for the band to work. Without exception, and after four years on this forum, when people talk about the 'sweet spot' they really mean a level of restriction in which the band does more work than they do amd weight loss becomes much easier. I also agree that a sweet spot is a restriction level that really sticks with you, it doesnt wane quickly. However, sweet spots are different for everyone. Becuase I was a lower BMI and still entirely mobile and pretty fit for a fat person, I was able to commence running very early in my journey so I was always able to lose on pretty high calories (1500+). I found restriction waned less and less quickly after the fill the more fills I had, but i certainly had optimal restriction from EVERY fill right from the very first, I would lose steadily. I just needed more as I lost. I certainly didnt have to wait until restriction kicked in six months later. So for me, there never was a 'sweet spot' but there certainly was a restriction level which I never needed to go past and which didnt need topping up. So to rephrase, the sweet spot does exist but it absolutely isnt necessary to find it for your band to work. No matter where you are restriction wise, the band wont make good food choices for you and it wont exercise for you. And if you dont do those things you can be at your sweet spot but never get to goal. The band, is quite simply, pretty hard work but its hard work you can do. Not fruitless hard work like losing weight pre band.

Pookey...I noticed his weight gain too and especially the sweaty, pasty part. It was amazing. I was reading an interview with Anthony Bourdain and he was even amazed at what Adam was doing. He also mentioned that the travel network made Adam sign all these health wavers because he was obviously going to be unhealthy from it. Have you noticed he isn't doing it anymore and now just 'coaching' others on how to beat an eating challenge?

If you can't eat solid Proteins and can only eat mushies then i would say you are too tight. If you are too tight then you are probably eating sliders which do not satisfy you and are often high calorie so can lead to weight gain. It is possible that you ended up too tight as you thought, as many mistakenly do, that a tighter band equals better weight loss. The converse is actually true. A band needs to be tight enough to help slow down the passage of food and increase levels of saiety on smaller portions but it also needs to be loose enough for a person to eat the right types of food . It is also possible that you thought that a tight band would stop you wanting/eating all those bad foods but that is something a band can never do. I think you need to go and have some fill out so that you can eat proper foods again. You should work with your dietician to see what and how much you should be eating. You will need to realise that the control is in your head or hands and that you are the "driver" of the band. You have to make the correct choices for it to work. If you have a problem with this as many do then you may need to see a food psychologist to find out why you eat when not hungry and techniques for managing it. Hope that you are able to get back on track and achieve the success that you want.

Hello. I had lap band surgery about 2 years ago. Tuesday I found out that I am pregnant. I am kinda worried about my diet related to my band and my baby. I feel very selfish because I DONT want to gain my weight back. I know some weight gain is normal and necessary but I have had 3 children and I have gained 50-60# with each one. I have only .75cc in my band I think that I would be ok but I dont know. Anyone out there that has been pregnant with their band??? What did you do??

Good afternoon All! I finally made it - I am down to 196 pounds - officially in ONEDERLAND!!!! I got a fill recently (that's what helped me make it) because my weight had been stuck for 6 weeks at 205. The hunger was back, I was starting to be able to eat more (and badly) and I was not ready to quit losing yet. Some friends and even a couple of family members said I was small enough - since I was now wearing size 16's and even a few 14W's, and they didn't want me to get "too thin". I really don't know what "too thin" would be for me, since I've been fighting my weight since I was 9 years old. Yep, you read that right... When I was 9, my mother took me to the doctor for a normal school physical and because she was concerned about my weight. My father and mother (God rest their souls) were both heavy. What I did not know at the time was that heart disease ran in my family and my mother was worried about the path I was on. The doctor told her (and me) that I needed to be careful about my weight gain or I would be at 200 pounds when I turned 18. Overachiever that I am, I made it at age 16...some of you will understand this - it was very HARD going through high school being overweight. My height saved me a little, but not enough. I could never wear the same clothes that my friends wore, could never seem to get the attention from the same guys that my friends talked to, etc, etc, etc. Now I'm at my lightest weight since I was 16 years old, and I'm ecstatic! :tt1: I went shopping for new pants last night, since the smallest size I had in my closet was an 18. Thank goodness for belts - I could make sure they didn't fall down, but they were really baggy! I went to Lane Bryant, because I knew they carried tall sizes pretty regularly, and since I'm 5' 11" tall, I definately NEED tall pants! I fit into their new Right Fit sizes at a Yellow 2. That means approximately a size 16, made for a body that is straighter from waist to hip. That was a revelation - I'd been buying the Red pants - sized for a body with more of a waist-to-hip difference. Getting the right size was amazing! Most pants had been baggy in the seat for me, totally not flattering, but these fit beautifully! No bagging, no sagging, and I could BREATHE in them! I'm in such a giddy state at the store, I bought two pairs of dress pants and a pair of jeans! The wonderful thing about the band is that I know I'm not done yet - I want to get down to around 165 (100 lbs lost) before I say I'm done...that, or to get off all my diabetes meds, which ever comes first. I was so happy about the new pants - I ran right home and showed my husband. His enthusiastic reaction let me know I had found the right size! I also got measured for new bras while I was there, since the store wasn't very busy. When I started this journey, I was wearing a 40K (yes, that's a K) and had to buy my bras overseas because very few places in the U.S. carried them. I left the store with a brand new size - 38DDD / 38F size prescription! I'm not going to go hog-wild crazy buying clothes just yet...I'll get enough to carry me through, because there is definately plastic surgery in my future...I believe my true size right now (sans extra skin) would be around a 14, maybe even a 12, but I believe I need to hold my weight loss for a while before investigating plastic surgery. I'll definately post again when that process begins! If you are reading this and you're not yet banded, please do your research and make a quality decision on what's right for you. The band was definately the right choice for me! If you are reading this and you are struggling with your band, don't give up! Talk to your doctor, the nutritionist, whoever you need to in order to get the help and support you need to make the band work for you - and you have to work WITH the band. If you are making good progress and loving your banded life as I am, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! I was banded in November 08 and it's now September 09 and I've lost 69 pounds. Allowing for recovery time from surgery, my weight loss really started in January 09 - that's when I got serious. I'm planning to be at my goal weight before the end of 2009, and with the help of my doctor, my family and my friends online and offline, I know I'll make it!

I had my sleeve Aug 8. down only 8 lbs since surgery as I had left the hospital with a weight gain of 4 lbs. I am very tired and weak and find I get short of breath easily. I started preop at 240 and am now at 221. I wish I could be skinny right away too but realize this is a patience thing. I am very thankful to have this opportunity so don't want to mess anything up. I have been walking for 40 minutes a day but other than that I am recovering. 1 more week of liquid diet and then I start mushy foods. I have a wedding on Saturday and it will be hard when the buffet line starts. Haven't figured out what I will do, probably go sit in the car LOL

I don't really know what to tell you about getting the fat person out of your head, but I do know what you mean. In the past three weeks I've put five pounds back on and I feel HORRIBLE. It's literally the first time in the two years since I've been banded that I've gained weight. I need a fill, for sure. I can eat bread (which I've never been able to do before no matter where my restriction level has been), which is not good. Anyway. Once you get used to your body being a certain place, it feels bad when it goes back (especially when you know how that weight gain felt before). I get that on a 225 pound girl like myself, 5 pounds isn't a ton. But it sure feels like it. I hate getting dressed for work because everything feels tight again. Dig in and get yourself back where you want to be. The whole weight loss thing takes longer as you get smaller. So that 15 pounds is just about the same as dropping 90 when you were bigger. Good luck and don't lose hope!

This is helpful, as you said to, come to terms with. Binging is dangerous and obviously leads to weight gain. I just need to find ways to cope and resist the urge post-sleeve so that I don't to real damage as well. Thank you for sharing the truth.

Everyone has feelings and ideas about this surgery and how they wish to relate it to the outside world. All are valid, they are yours and you have a right to them. My personal feeling about this surgery is that I am extremely proud of myself for coming out fighting. I was suffering extreme weight gain, the after effects of prostate cancer treatment. Steroids, lupron,( a testosterone killer), radiation, chemo, all took a toll on me. I was told I would never lose the weight gain and would die in a couple years, that was 2009. My urologist didn't like the surgery saying it was too hard on the body but signed off on it. My other doctors were on board. I knew I was dying, I felt like a heart attack or stroke would get me before the cancer would. I couldn't breath, I had no energy, aches and pains by the multitude. It was a fierce act. I was fully aware of the possible consequences. I prayed about it. I felt God's smile on me about it. I don't understand everything but I know I am loved by Him. I feel really good about what I did. It is a very personal thing but my dramatic change invites many questions. Truth is easy to remember, it is always the same. I chose not to hide it from anyone who asks. If you chose to, more power to you, you have my respect.