Search the Community

i had UHC Only.... i went to the free seminar, got the packet, met with the surgeon, they set up all my appts. I asked for as many in one day as possible. So i did the bar-am swallow, nutritionist, and the nurse in one day. Did the cardo and sleep study in the same day/night. Went from the Cardo to the sleep study that night. got my referral from my family dr that show the 5 year progression of weight gain. They complied all the info along with a surg. day and submitted it to UHC..... got approved the first shot out. I really think having the dr. compile everything and sending in all together with a date was the key. UHC likes to "lose" paperwork. It's easier to lose one sheet than a whole packet...... First dr. visit was in Aug. and my surg. was 11/10/09. Normally, you have to submit to your primary insurance first... if you have insurance on you thru your work, and your husband has insurance on you at his work..... your insurance will be primary for you and your husbands will be secondary. For your husband his work insurance would be primary and your insurance would be secondary. You can't choose which one you want to be primary. UHC required that i call before they started any test so that they would be covered. Hope that helps

In a number of posts lately, opinions have been expressed that some people are gaining or at least not losing weight due to a lack of carbs in their diet. I've spent the better part of my spare time for the past three days trying to find any scientific proof of this theory. All I could come up with was a discredited study from some years ago. If any one has proof that this theory has some basis in fact, could you please present it on this forum so we might have a new reason for lack of weight loss.

I have read so many posts about being discouraged and "losing faith" in the process, and, believe me I've had my own struggles. The one thing I've found that REALLY helps and makes total sense is this. When I start wondering why I'm working so hard and not seeing any results, I ask myself this.. "If I continue to eat the correct foods and portions, and continue to exercise, will I gain weight long term?" The answer to that question is obviously no. Then I realize, that even if the scale or my clothes are not showing me the results I want, I ABSOLUTELY KNOW, without ANY DOUBT WHATSOEVER, that what I am doing is the BEST for my body FOR LIFE!! Not for the day, not for the week, not for the month, but FOR LIFE!! Believe me, every single one of you, if you KEEP doing what you're suppose to do, YOU WILL see results!!!! It took me 2 MONTHS (yes, 8 weeks people) of seeing NOTHING but weight GAIN here and there with proper diet and working out like a fiend. Then, one day...BAM!!!!! The scale MOVED and STAYED!! I lost 6lbs and stayed there. I have gone down ever since, but I KNOW I will STALL again! If you have realistic expecations, and understand that you DON'T understand how your body is going to react, AND Understand that what you are doing is EXACTLY what you need to do, you will be ok. PLEASE don't expect to lose a pound a day, or 3 pounds a week and get discouraged if you don't. NOBODY can predict what the human body can do and is capable of, but EVERYBODY knows that proper diet and exercise are the recipe for long term success!!!!!

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.

That is alot of calories especially if you have medical issues that cause weight gain and not active - I currently am running on 400-500 calories a day and loose weight every week - STOP checking your weight every day you will drive yourself nuts. I weigh in every Sunday Morning and record - My goal is 5.5 pounds per week. I hit it every week by controlling intake and moving about I also use a nutritionist and she has me at 450 a day - so not sure where the 1000 came from. I agree with above it is been said that the long run you should be higher - My attitude is this lets loose it all and figure that out later

I'm a 34yr male. 6'1 and currently weighing 225 pounds. I had succesful lap band surgery in march 2007 and lost 80 pounds. From 265 went down to 185. I had maintained overall weight loss success until sometime last year in january 2014 when i started to notice the GERD getting worse and also some weight gain. For the first time in 5 years when i hit the scale i saw numbers over the 200 range. I started to worry because i knew something was not right. Got an upper GI series done and all it showed was mild pouch dilation. Doctor left band as is and never suggested any course of treatment for the dilation and for the GERD. Fast forward now to 2015 and I seeked a second opinion from another surgeon. Surgeon performed an EGD and it shows that there is band slippage, gastritis and presence of GERD. Surgeon suggested a revision for the lap band and to convert it to either a gastric sleeve or gastric bypass. Insurance has approved the revision but need guidance or help in deciding which one is better for me. I see soo many mix responses from people suggesting or prefering one over the other. I will say that yes the band did work for me and do its job. It improved my health alot but now is the GERD that is just kicking me in the rear end very bad. Like stated before I weight 225 now and for the long term success and achivement I'm undecided as to what procedure is more suited for me at this point of my life. I do need the surgery to aliviate the discomfort plus without any bariatric procedure on me I would go back to how i was prior to the lapband. I tried it all before deciding doing bariatric surgery in 2007. Thank you.

I was banded March 2nd and was on liquids for two weeks and started mushies yesterday. I was dying for chinese food and I had it finally yesterday. I had steamed moo shou with sauce on the side. I was fine when I weighed my self.. i stood the same 25 lbs down since surgery. Today, I had liquids all day and had a little of the left over chinese food before class. Than six hours later I ate a little more and still have plenty left for tomorrow, but I have gained six pounds. I am so upset and I feel so guilty for eatting! Is that normal? I am so discourage and I do not know what I did wrong. Should I wait to eat until I get my first fill.. even though the first two weeks were tourcher..

Yes it sure is and the first time you sit on an unpadded chair-- you will see what I mean, You will swear your pelvic bones are going to extrude out your skin, because it feels like you have lost the last bit of gluteal fat. I am amazed daily what bone I will feel just below my skin surface, Tomkitten says I like to stroke my clavicle, maybe so, it had been many years,. they went "undervover with either the1st or secobd Great Weight Gain. And I stroke. it just to say "Great to see and feel you once again!"

A VSG procedure results in reducing the capacity of your stomach. That's it. That's all it does. I have NEVER read of a true "failed" sleeve. Stalls are normal. Failing to meet goal is not uncommon. Gaining all your weight back can happen. But NONE of these so called failures are the result of your sleeve not doing what it's supposed to do. "failures" are thpically the result of poor choices, unrealistic expectations, certain medications that cause weight gain, and/or other medical conditions. However, if you can eat 4-6 cups of food in one sitting, then yes, you have a failed sleeve. And, like cowgirljane mentioned, you can't possibly declare weight loss success or failure until you are at the very least a year or two out. And true success is really never reached....you not failing your sleeve is a challenge to be met every day for the rest of your life.

I've been on Coumadin since January for DVT it hasn't caused any hunger or weight gain. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I was banded in August 09 and have so far lost about 48 pounds.... which I'm very pleased with But I haven't really lost any weight since the beginning of the year and I'm really getting worried because its April now. I eat loads less than I did pre-band. I try to make the best decisions when I eat and keeping track of what I eat 90% of the time. I know The scale isn't the best source for motivation, but I really should see it trending down over time, right? This week alone has showed a 10 pound weight gain. How is that even possible? I KNOW I didn't eat enough for that! -- And I know my scale isn't broken because my Wii fit says I weigh the same number (I checked :thumbup:) I'm going to try and cut out some higher sodium foods this next week and see if that was the culprit, but I'm at a loss as of what I should be doing different. :sad: Anyone else seem to hit a plateau that they can't seem to get past this early on in the game? And what did you do to get past it? FYI - I'm eating mostly solid foods so I'm not to tight and trying to 'work around' the band when I eat. I have little syptoms as far as getting stuck or throwing up. My 'test' meals are at about 3-4 ounces of solid food at a time.

@the realmeishere I was having extreme weight gain in a short period, 20lbs in 6 weeks... As well as thinning hair and acne which I never had a pimple as a teenager... None of it life threatening but to me if things are happening that never have before you need to pay attention...no doctor before the endocrinologist ever mentioned it... It's just another test the perform on the blood they draw, don't see why you can't request to have one. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

How are things going with the weight gain? I have been having similiar issues. You are a few months ahead of me, just wondering how things are going?

Hi Jacksbanster, I was banded back in 2004 and weight loss was great. I went from 322 pounds to 140 pounds. In 2010 my band seem to stop working and i started to gain weight (plus I stopped following the bandster rules) but that is because again I didn't feel I had the control the band gave me originally. Anyway, after gaining 60 pounds I was fed up and decided to investigate if others where experiencing the same thing with the band and if there were other options out there for me to look into. So I did a lot of reading and research and found out about the plication surgery. So I met with my Lap Band doctor and he told me more about this new investigational surgery called Plication. Fast forward, I had the surgery Dec 8th 2011. The surgery was a success, recovery was a breeze, the liquid diet was hard, but I got through it. My first post op visit I had lost 8 pounds. Then I got walking pneumonia and had to go on prednisone - this made me ravenously hungry and of course I regained all the weight I had lost back. I was so disappointed and frustrated that I wanted to die. But my doctor told me that prednisone is know for weight gain and I'll get back on track soon. So fast forward, my next appointment with him I had only lost 4 pounds which did not make me happy because before I had lost 8 and now I was starting all over and at a slower pace. It is now Feb 16th 2012 and I've not gotten on the scale because I don't feel like I've lost any weight. All my clothing fits the same and I just don't see any change and I've not weighed myself since my last fill. I've had two fills since my plication surgery and I'm still hungry (more than) I thought I would be with the band and the plication. This is a different experience than when I had the lap band surgery, the lap band surgery had the weight come off very quickly. I didn't even have to think about dieting I just wasn't hungry. With this surgery (albeit it is a revision of the previous band, new band with more capacity, and the plication) I'm not as pleased as I had expected. With all that said I think my expectations need to be adjusted. I wonder if people who have had the band and have had some type of complication with it (slippage, erosion, etc) it the pouch that is above the stomach is premanently stretched out of shape. I don't have the answer I just know that the experience is not the same. I'm having to really monitor what I eat and exercise everyday. So I eat around 900 to 1000 calories a day, and I exercise on the stairmaster for an hour/ or I go for a jog. I know that I need to incorporate some weight training but I'll just have to get to it when I can. As for your questions above: How was your recovery? Recovery was great. The first couple of days there was a little pain but after that it was a breeze. How soon did you go back to work? Surgery was on a Thursday I went back to work on the following Wednesday. Do you follow a low carb diet? I followed the liquid diet they put me on for about 4 weeks. Since then I've tried everything - right now I'm basically eatting lean cuisines or smart ones. But I think I'm going to try a one week Medi fast - we will see. Right now I'm so hungry between meals I doubt if I can pull that one off. Have you had to have any fills in your band? Yes I've had 2 fills since my surgery and they don't seem to have made that much of a difference. The doctors, are being cautious because they don't want me to get too tight and have another band slippage.. I understand that but in the meantime I wish I had more restriction. How is your hunger level? Higher than I thought it would be. But if I try to stay on an eat every 4 to 5 hour schedule I do okay. How much can you eat before you feel "full" If I allowed myself I could eat a lot. The think is I count every calorie that goes into my mouth. I use www.fatsecret.com they have an incredible food database - almost everything you can put into your mouth in in their database, So that helps. I hope that my story has helped you and I will keep you informed on my progress - I hope that you will do the same. Regards, Willowsdoweep

Mallorie, I have to say that it wasn't stressful for me at all. I've had the same PCP since I was 18 and I am now 36. I would complain to him about my weight issues for years, he gave me meridia at one time, it didn't work. About the letter, it was odd to me. I asked the Dr. for a referral to a nutritionist and at that time I asked his thoughts on WLS. He said that the Lapband would be a great choice for me, but he'd support the bypass if I chose too. ANYWAY back to my point. I went to the weightloss Dr. that he referred me too and that was pretty much it for me. I never heard about a letter of referal or anything else. This hospital did it all for me. SO as you asked.. was it that much of a big deal?In my case, it wasn't. My nutritionist, surgeon, Psych. eval and exam were all located in the same area of the hospital. They all worked together and got me approved, in a short period of time. Obviously, I had to have the insurance requirements met. I also wrote a letter explaining why I'd be a good candidate for surgery. My struggles of weight loss and gain, diets, pills, books, exercising history and all I could think of. What I did was made a timeline from my adolescent yrs. until now. It consisted of what I weighed, how active I was, any weight gain or loss within the time frame and so on. I gave every person involved in my WLS a copy. When I turned the timeline in to my nutritionist, she stated that this is awesome to send along with the papers to the ins. comp.. That way, they can read what your thoughts and struggles were/are. Sometimes when they can read what you have been through and hear a voice through your letter, they soften up.. more likely if their decision is on the fence. (so I was told). Anyhow, don't sweat the PCP. That, to me, was the easiest step of the whole process. Best of luck

I'm not sure. My friend's doc is making her do one and our BMI's are similar. That's one of the questions in asking at my visit this week. I'm nervous about weight gain so I'll be doing one to ensure that I don't gain a single pound. They will postpone my surgery if I do. I already bought my protein shakes. I'm ready to get it started.

Hey! I am Pre-sleeve. I have been with my hubby for 12 years (high school sweetheart) and I was really chubby then. I am now 70-80 pounds heavier and have had two children and he loves me just as much or more. A few years ago I was thinking 'what if I was a healthy weight..Would we have gotten together? Is there anyone else out there that would want me? Did I settle for the first guy who liked me?' But honestly he has NEVER made any reference to my weight gain. Makes me feel special at any size. He really thinks I'm the sexiest thing ever. He is just a genuinely carling and loving man. And I think our relationship is just going to get better post-sleeve. I'm sure it will be tough the first few months because I'm going to be a hungry, crazy, emotional disaster until I find that balance and routine. But I will be more comfortable with MYSELF which in turn will allow me to be more comfortable with him. I'm not doing this for him, I'm doing it for me. So I can have a better quality of life and be a better remodel for my young children. We are all going to benefit from it and Mike and I will be able to grow old together! <3 Sheena :-)

Yeah, my brother is so hateful. He is usually calmer but all of the sudden he is just all over me. I called him today to tell him that I want to have a good relationship with him but I will not be talked to like that. It all spiraled out of control and he came right out and said "I won't support you, you're taking the easy way out. All you need is some self control. Just quit eating so much junk and excercise and I guarantee you will lose weight". It was no use explaining that I have all kinds of medical conditions that contribute to weight gain. He won't listen. He thinks he is right and that is it. I did speak with my dad today and I finally got a lot off my chest. I told him that he has hurt me a lot over the years with things he has said about my weight. I told him that I have a lot of anger towards him about it. He actually apologized and said that sometimes he has said things to me that he wishes he hadn't. He said that he thought if he kept saying things that it would somehow "jumpstart" me into doing something. I told him that I have tried many times and that my medical conditions really don't help. It was a really good talk and he is supporting me. I am really happy about it! As for my brother, well I guess we are going to be like those siblings that never talk to each other. My mom is really sad because she thinks that we are all each other has once her and my dad die. When I asked him why he has all of these angry feelings towards me and I started talking about feelings, he hung up on me. I think there is more than meets the eye with his anger but I don't know what it is. I told my mom that until he apologizes for his behavior, I am not speaking to him. The last thing I need in my life is another negative person. I just wish I didn't have to cut my own brother out of my life

Everyone pretty much answered what I was thinking! In addition to their comment, I see you're on Seroquel. Did your dr explain to you than you can gain weight with that drug? When going over my options for a med to help me sleep, he brought up Seroquel. I siad let's try it. Then my psychiatrist adds "it'll probably put 10 more pounds on you", I said no. Has something to do with messing up your blood sugar. I've sinced learned from several docs that Seroquel causes weight gain. However, if that med is working for you, don't stop taking it because I said you'd gain weight - I'm just giving you facts about it. Google it. I hope things start going better for you, sweety! It was about 5 mths before I started losing anything also. I'm now at 8 mths - 36 lbs - it'll start for you too! Marci

Absolutley! We have to accept at least a little......no really mroe than a little responsibility for our weight gain and subsequently ourweight loss. Naturally the surgeons would love to sell us more than one WLS. They will just keep getting richer and richer. Studies show the results are about the same at 5 years. I have a friend who had bypass and her daughter then her son then her husband had lapband. The 3 of them are doing great....she gained back about 80 percent of her weight back and consulted the surgeon about banding. He told her there is nothing wrong with her original stomach/surgery, she's just overfeeding it. We all know this could be our scenerio easily as well.

I will not deprive myself of anything in moderation. That being said, I didn't get to almost 300 pounds because I did anything in moderation, including food. I truly believe depriving yourself is a catalyst to failure. You will fill punished, you will feel regret, you will feel isolated, you will left-out and eventually those feelings will lead you to not just one slice of cake but several pieces, then those pieces give you permission to eat something else equally bad and before you know it you have started the journey of the slippery slope to weight gain. I understand that it takes great dedication to your health to decide on WLS and with that dedication came sacrifices. Many of those sacrifices include "tempting food" but for many people a slice of pie is just a slice of pie or a few french fries it just a few french fries. Being a WLS patient doesn't mean you give up the joy of tempting food. It simply means you know when and how to make the splurge.

Not banded yet June 20 my date I know how I was in the past before the weight gain so I can just imagine afterwards. A lot of people I know who got banded got pregnant less than a year after being banded

My sister and I are bestfriends. We get asked all the time if we're twins, and we always tell the person asking that we are. They also reply with "wow, you're identical"! It's always been fun because we'd share eachother's clothes, make jokes about our weight, fight over leftovers, cry over clothes shopping and embarresment of more weight gain, binge together, and confide in each other about how much it hurts to always be "the big girl" and never the pretty girl. Misery loves company, right? We did everything together, and understood each other in terms of the low self-esteem that comes with being a young adult...a fat young adult, at that. But this all changed 3 weeks ago and 38 pounds later. My sister just had vertical sleeve surgery. I watched her struggle with her approval. I even bothered her about it when I was jealous when I had no insurance and mentioned often to her it was the "easy way out". I was excited for her, but her journey seemed exhausting with all the hoops insurance threw at her, that I honestly never thought we'd see the day come. She (was) before the surgery 38 pounds heavier than me. I found a sort of consolation in that, as hard as that is for me to admit. Why? I'm not sure. I think I felt and do feel so lousy about myself that I tried to believe that it was okay, and that I'd always be smaller than her, and that I wouldn't be the biggest one on the family. Selfish and mean of me considering how much she means to me. And now the weight is flying off of her, and now we're the same exact weight, and I suddenly feel...alone. I'm ecstatic for her. Thrilled that she is happy. So excited to see her daily progress, and so excited to see her confidence already begin to blossom. She's showered in compliments and oohs and ahhs. I'm scared. I admit to myself that I'm alone in this right now. The comfort of having a "binging partner" the comfort of knowing we'd always be big and miserable TOGETHER and never alone, and now it's changed. Now she gets full off of two bites, and I stare at her in disbelief, in both happiness, and bitterness. Jealousy is such a horrible trait to carry around...especially when it comes to jealousy over loved ones. It's such a evil, sinnister, disgusting little tyrant that continues to drain. I hate that. I just know that I've now become the biggest one. She, as well as food, was our security blanket...and I'm sure I was hers as well. Food provides consolation and comfort and solace. Our relationship consisted of a shared common interest in junk food and a shared understanding of what it felt like to be fat and miserable. My sister is the happiest she's ever been. So where does that leave me? Well, I decided in late May early June once I got insurance, that I would join in on her journey and take "the easy way out". This journey has been anything but easy. I want to rekindle a relationship with her not based on food, but based on making health a priority and positive changes for us both. I want us both to feel good. I want to transition to a new life with her. Most of all, I'd like to bond over real interests...not just what type of fast food joint we hope to eat at next. I want the rest of this year to focus on transitioning and good, healthy, positive changes. For everyone.

This has been my experience on who to tell? I just had my lapband done May 25th and initially told just immediate family members and two close friends. I was reluctant to tell a sister who quite frankly, has been condescending relative to my weight gain over the past ten years. To my surprise.... my two close friends were more than supportive and did have the capacity and sensitivity to understand the weight struggle (they both have weight issues but are not considered morbidly obese as I am.) My point being, I for one, am glad I chose to take a leap of faith and tell them because I do have thier support and it helps a lot, with one caveat, do not tell people that you know are not supportive or opportunistic in trying to sabatoge your weight loss journey. Just my two cents.

You are absolutely correct. The band alone will not do it; is up to the individual to practice behavioral modification. There is some procedure called banding over the band????? This is when some banders feel the band produced no results. Not “gradually” moving away from the old eating habits will eventually cause weight gain. After overcoming two Achilles tendon surgeries, being in a cast for five months--in my opinion was no reason for me to gain 15 pounds. This weight gain was as a result of drinking juice, little Snacks here and there, the list went on and on. I absolutely did not need to accept these food items, nor was I forced to eat them. The weight gain was totally my fault and not the band. I quickly caught myself and got back on track. I stopped people from bringing me junk. I split my plate of food in to two (lunch and dinner). I took small bites; allowing time for the food to register to my brain that I was actually full. I had to really overcome “taste” again, and I worked my upper body while watching a program called Sit and Be Fit. Once out of my cast, I pushed myself to walk distance regardless of the excruciating back pain from being in the bed for months. I can now walk at a minimal of five miles plus a day. If I can get back on track after two surgeries, hospitalization and strict bed rest, anyone can. The band alone won’t do it! Once out of my cast, I pushed myself to walk distance regardless of the excruciating back pain from being in the bed for months. I can now walk at a minimal of five miles plus a day. If I can get back on track after two surgeries, hospitalization and strict bed rest, anyone can. The band alone won’t do it! I went from 270 to 215 and ballooned up to 225-230 during my layup. I was totally discussed, but again