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Hi All, I am relatively new here but I had my band out recently in preparation for a sleeve in a few months. I found lap band talk very helpful when I lost 100+ lbs with my band before the trouble started (as it seems to). When I had my band surgery I was clear that there was no long term data on the durability of the band but I took that risk. I know that the sleeve hasn't been done for that many years as a stand alone procedure (not part of the DS) but as I look through the posts I don't see many posts from people who are more than a couple of years out. Do we think that this because they have moved on with their life and don't need the support of this board too much or is it because they have regained? Does anyone know sleeve patients in real life who are many years out? Like 5+? I know that obesity is a life-long problem and I will have to be constantly vigilant. I also feel confident that I can make the sleeve work and lose the weight I need to -- I am so concerned about regain and I was hoping I could have some input from you all about that. My body loves to gain weight as evidenced by the rapid weight gain every time my band was loosened and then removed.

So... I've been a busy new mom, so I haven't been on posting as much as I'd like, but I thought I'd update everyone on how things went. Hopefully this will be encouraging to other bandsters who want to have babies! So after several years of infertility, I do believe that my weight loss from being banded helped me get pregnant, have a healthy pregnancy, and a healthy baby. I got pregnant in July of 2011 (one month after being banded!) and had a miscarriage. Then I got my a** in gear and worked with my doc to balance out my hormones; but she said that she thought I was healthy enough to go for it! I got pregnant with my daughter in January 2012. These were my fears: 1) Nausea and vomiting would make me slip my band... Well, I'm glad to report that although I did have a fair amount of nausea, I was just really careful about keeping it under control as much as I could, and when I did throw up, to treat myself as well as possible. No slippage! 2) Weight Gain Well, I have 2cc in my band, and I still have 2cc in my band, and I still have restriction. I still don't know if I'll ever need a fill or not. I only gained about 17 pounds total for the whole pregnancy, and I've lost that and then some since she's been born (Yay breastfeeding!) 3) Other complications I had NO gestational diabetes. I think though, that this is because I was EXTREMELY picky about my diet throughout my pregnancy. I realized that everything I was eating went directly to the baby, and with the lapband, I had to make the best choices possible nutritionally so that I got enough nutrition in to help my little one grow. That being said, I did have a couple problems. I don't know if they were related to my weight or not... certainly not to the band, but here they are: Kidney stones: Yes, I had them. They HURT so bad!!! I thought I was going into early labor; but nope. Kidney stones! Fortunately, they were small enough that I just passed them. OW! Pre-Eclampsia: I developed high blood pressure at about 26 weeks. It just didn't go away... eventually it got worse and worse, and there was Protein in my urine. I got induced two days before my due date and my blood pressure was 190/110!! Fortunately, the cure for pre-eclampsia is to have a baby! Swelling: I had a lot of swelling, but I think it was due to the pre-eclampsia more than anything. I got scolded by doctors for 'doing too much.' I was told to stop exercising at 7.5 months. C-Section: This was most likely related to being induced. A lot of the time, when the body is in an unnatural state of labor, ie induction, it's just too much stress on you and the baby. I never dilated past 4cm, and the baby's heartrate was fluctuating dangerously. I tried to labor. I labored for over 30 hours, and nothing... so I got a C section. I'm actually not disappointed. The medical staff was awesome, and I really liked my doctor, and they took good care of me. My baby girl was born perfectly healthy 7lbs 8 oz with an apgar score of 9! She had no health issues whatsoever. Funny things: Doctors kept thinking that my port was the baby's foot. It poked out a lot during pregnancy. I called it my 'turkey timer.' So I hope that provides some perspective. I really hope that all of y'all who are hoping to have babies get to experience this joy. You all deserve it! If anyone has any questions, I'll be happy to answer them! Here's my little sweetheart! She's now 3 months old!

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

...and I've decided that there is too much drama on OH, so I'm gonna have to bail from that forum for a while. Why all the venom when folks are just looking for a place to garner support for a healthier life? Crazy! Anyway......I'm down 38.5 pounds since December 1, including my 16 pounds from preop. I think I'll stop dividing the two weigh losses and just claim it all! I have my six week followup next week, and I just realized it is at the same time as I will generally have major PMS and weight gain...delightful! Things are going well, and I'm averaging about 650-800 calories daily, 25-45 carbs, and 65-100 grams of protein. I feel good about tracking and making healthy food choices. And, I'm getting in a two mile walk and a little on the elliptical each day. I hope to add some light weights next week to help with the flabby arms! I'm a little annoyed with my clothing right now. As always, I'm losing all upstairs, so seven people could live in the top half of my shirts, but the bottoms are still fitting. I have a closet of either too big and sloppy or still too snug around the ol' hips and booty. Sigh.....

Good point! Maybe not enough of both. Would this cause weight gain if not?

HI! I just found the board tonight and am glad I did. I am in the process of gathering information for a band. I had not heard of them until about 2-3 months ago while trying to find another "diet" and talking to a friend of mine (who is a nurse). I'm tired of dieting (not to say the bad influences that they have had on my five daughters! with me yo yoing for the last 10 years). The more I read the more I feel this is the best way for me to go. I have fought weight loss/gain/loss/gain problems from the time I was in Jr. High. I lost a bunch of weight just before I met my husband (went from a size 18 to a size 9 in a year) and then got pregnant. I gained 65 pounds with her. That was 21 years ago (she'll be 21 in June). I then waited (and didn't care about my weight gain at that time, I wasn't "too horrible" and besides I had a new baby) two and a half years and got pregnant with my 2nd daughter. I didn't wait between kids, I had four babies in less than 4 years. They are 11 months apart, four times with the exception of the last one who is 18 months from the one just before her. I was losing weight and exercising when I discovered the surprise pregnancy of the last one. From there I have just kept fighting weight. :help: My family history is that of obesity and I lost my mother in 1998 when she was 56 years old. I am now 42 and looking at either facing the facts that I won't live to see all of my grandchildren OR taking ahold of what the obesity has done to my family and fight it like H***. Well, I guess since I'm here, you all know what choice I have made. I think I can say I"m the only one I know of who has GAINED on several of the diets following them to a "T". So trying another one of then at this point is NOT an option. I fight depression, severe osteoarthritis in my feet, knees, back and hip. I have had two knee surgeries on my left knee and one on my right. I have GERD as well as pre-diabetes (which is also another family hand me down!). I am looking for as much info as I can to take to my GP on the 26th of this month. He is a great doctor and I have before brought him information about other medications/ideas and he listens and helps me with either deciding they are good and moving forward or bad and directing me to another source/help. I think he will be happy that I want to take control of my weight and my life! He has been telling me to exercise and eat less. Why is it that people cannot understand that if I could exercise I would? I have a hard time walking long enough to get groceries, but I will say that I REFUSE to ride the little cart and have only used wheelchairs if there is absolutely NO possible way for me to walk. I want to LIVE, LAUGH and ENJOY my up and coming new grand baby and to watch him/her grow up as well as any other's my girls may bless me with. I want to WATCH my girls as they marry, succeed in college and move on with their lives. But I also want to be able to WALK down the aisles as the mother of the bride and NOT roll down it. Thus, I need help! And at this point the Band is the source of what I feel will keep me on the help line for the rest of my life. I LOVE healthy food, but I am hungry ALL the time....and thus, I eat. At this point my 5'4" frame is holding up (barely) 310 pounds. I KNOW that there is a small sexy woman under all of this fat....but I only see the fat lady at this point. And as I have always said, it ain't over until the fat lady sings...well this fat lady will hopefully be singing this fall when they roll my stretcher into surgery and I can begin a new life! Can't wait to hear from you all and your stories! I need lots of support too! My brother's all live out of state. My parents are gone, my in-laws are gone. I have my husband of 22 years and 5 girls and my best friend in Canada that will be support. But they will never (except my best friend as she has weight problems too!) totally understand the hurt when someone looks at you and points, or a child makes fun of your child because you are fat. The world is mean and I want to survive it now more than ever! I want to be ME! Finally! sorry, i have a lip problem (well, lol, finger problem when typing), family calls it diarehha of the lip. Hugs!

It looks like you've lost 8 pounds since your surgery. You're doing good. You didn't put the weight on overnight. It's not going to come off overnight either. When they blow your body up with gas to do the surgery, it causes a weight gain. That weight will come off as the gas dissipates from your body. That takes a while too. It sounds like you're doing everything right. Keep it up, the weight will come off. If it helps, in the beginning, I had months where I only lost 3 lbs. Then I would have a month where I lost 15 or more.

It does sound like a thyroid issue. I have hypothyroidism, dry skin-yup. itchy - yup. lethargic - yup. HAIR LOSS - BIG TIME YUP!!!!! (I know you didn't mention hair loss, but it is a big symptom). Synthroid has solved my issues, no problem with the once in the a.m. tiny pill. Oh, and weight gain was another BIG YUP. I've HAD IT SINCE 1995. Just get checked, most people who have it don't know it because the symptoms creep up so quietly. And a lot of people have it. Good luck and feel better soon!

I too was so worried about going to my doctors this morning for my fill worried that she would scold me because I knew I had gained weight over the holidays, well needless to say I gained 4 POUNDS!! UGH, but she did not scold me. We identified the reasons for the weight gain and decided on a path forward. I recieved a fill and I'm back on track and ready to lose!! Don't be so hard on yourself, it happens.

Hey guys! So I have yet to get lap band, but I am really interested in getting it. I have looked into a few times and each time I think to myself that I can just lose the weight myself by dieting and working out alone. I think I am finally ready to take the first step and talk to a doctor about getting this procedure done. I’m 20 years old 285 lbs. have awful asthma as well as lower back pains and knee pain. I know I need to do something about this issue while am young. I am hoping that I can get some real information from people who have had this done! I know the basic information that you read online, but what are some of the things that you experienced pre and post op? “(examples: hunger, food you can eat, can’t eat, exercises and when you can start exercising, pain, weight loss and then weight gain, rapid weight loss and extra skin..) I am hoping to gather as much information for myself so that I can better prepare myself…. Also…are any of picky eaters? If so did you find that to be an issue for you after the surgery? Really any information would be great! -Heather

Best of luck!!!! And you WILL be gaining - the GOOD kind of gaining - not gaining weight - gaining a new life!!!!

Has anyone out there, 18 most or longer post-op, seen any weight gain. I was at 365, then 330 or so day of surgery, and got down to 226. Which my physician was about dead on with (my goal was 190, he laughed and said 225 was more realistic due to my bone density). I floated between 226 and 229 for about a year. Then as if like entering the next stage or something, I've begun gaining weight. 230, 235, 240, 245... So I begin a walking regiment. I do about 3-4 miles a time 5 times a week (3mph, 3.5 incline). I dropped to 241 within a couple weeks, but today I'm up to 244 again. I'll be honest, after 2.5 years post op, my biggest issue isn't that I feel hungry, it's that I never truly feel full compare to a year ago.

Hi all. I'm 2 and a half months out. I just started really working out. I started trying to do C25K. I'm still pretty big and also out of shape so it's taken me a while to working up to complete even day one. I've done it 3 times this week as well as a 'boot camp' style workout with my best friend one night. I've also been walking in between and doing some floor exercises at home every morning (crunches, jumping jacks etc) Anyway I noticed my weight hasn't moved this week since starting all this. Intact it's gone up. I was 305 last week and now I'm 307. Is this normal? I've been going pretty hard at this, I'm pretty sore and swollen so maybe it's Water weight? Any input much appreciated!

Fantastic news about your husband. Much respect for losing that amount of weight! Switching up your diet can always lead to some complications, but heartburn and gas are definitely better than weight gain. Gas-x and nexium should help those issues.

Kettle bells are pretty awesome at creating muscle. Keep it up! I would not be too concerned about weight gain after strength training. It always happens. I bet your clothes are fitting better and weight will begin to drop again soon.

It could also be a stall - extremely common - except for the weight gain issue. Stalls usually start in week 3 but can start earlier or later & can last for 1 to 3 weeks. I liked to think of them as my body taking a breath to catch up with all the changes - the surgery, reduced caloric intake, change of diet, change of activity levels... You’ll experience these along your journey. Some say increasing or decreasing your caloric intake or activity level will kick start your weight loss again. I just stuck to my plan & the weight would start to drop again. If you’re keeping to your plan, weighing/measuring your food, logging what you’re eating & drinking, making healthy food choices you’ll lose weight. Good luck.

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

Another March 3rd here, Cammy C. You've probably gained weight from the IV meds, the gas that was used during your surgery, this is how my surgeon explained the temporary weight gain that would happen. I'm thankful that you are able to hydrate and at normal levels. My experience has been very similar to Mooki's, I was miserable the first 2 days. We've got this together, keep posting and working through the newness of our tools.

Your band your right to have a fill. You will find out soon the difference between a filled Band and an unfilled Band it is called “ hunger” followed by “weight gain”. You need the Band to help you keep the weight off. Congratulations on your results very very good! You should be so proud of yourself! That's why you were so sucessful cause you know what to do. Cheri

I don't like Shot Blocks because it's like eating salty licorice. :smile: The rule of thumb is to consume 200 calories an hour when doing endurance sports. I find that hard to do with just drinks, but I can't eat anything and run and I find the gels do nothing for me anyway. It's like they go right through me. What works best for me is a sports drink with a 3:1 carb to Protein ratio (my body hates pure carbs), Protein Bars and bananas. As for weight gain, are you tracking all your food and exercise? I track everything and so I can always go back when I get an unexpected number on the scale and analyze what happened. Without that information, you are just shooting in the dark and relying on (notoriously unreliable) memory.

Yes we can definitely do it! I really want to hit goal this year, and I have renewed my passion for it... :wink_smile: I made a New Year's Resolution with myself that I am no longer going to eat any type of chips, full fat or full sugar Ice-cream, or any types of pastries. Ever. Period. End of Story. Well today is day 5 and so far so good. I cannot eat these foods, because they are sliders and I never get full on them, they are loaded with everything I do not need and they are preventing me from losing and helped in the weight gain I experienced. I am now 244 (again) so I am right now at the goal I originally intended for myself. I now have a new goal to get back to 239 by my Bandiversary. Good luck all!!

Anyone gain weight? Surgery Date 5/6/15 SW 275, height 5"11; LowestW 249; CW 251. I do some form of working out 6 days a week. Increased my ability to jog (and have gotten 8-10k steps many times). No fried foods, no soda, no juice, no pork, very low carbs. One cheat day I ate banana pudding while still remaining under 1000kcal that day. Typically eat 500kcal a day. WTH did I gain weight? I'd expect at the least 35lbs down thus far. Feeling like I did all of this for nothing.

I weigh myself once each morning when I get up. I record the weight. I use this to evaluate the effect of my diet on my continued weight loss. It is not a negative obsession. If my weight goes up or down, I do not panic. It just informs me that my current approach may need some fine tweeking. Weighing yourself daily can become negative if this obsession alters your mood. This habit can cause stress which can lead in-and-of-itself to some weight gain. If this is the case, avoid weighing yourself, throw the scale out and let them weigh you at your doctor appointments.

I don't know of anything that will get you back on track and keep you on track better than logging your food. My Fitness Pal highly recommended but there are other apps that do pretty much the same thing. I've been logging for over two years and would be lost without it. I manage my weight. Literally. It's been well over a year since I hit my maintenance weight of 155 lbs. In that time my weight has never been outside of a 151 to 156 window. This morning it was 153.8. And I never experienced any "bounce back" weight gain. Log your food, weigh yourself often (I weigh daily since reaching my maintenance weight) and respond quickly to weight changes approaching the limits of your window. If your weight is a little too high, reduce your daily calorie goal by 100-200 calories for a day or two and it will come right back down. Weight a little too low (it does happen), increase your calorie goal by 100-200 calories for a day or two and it will come back up. I've done both. Many times. And it works like a charm. But it all starts with logging your food. Commit to logging for 90 days and you'll be amazed at how fast, easy and effective managing your weight can be!!

My best friend of 20 Years has remained my friend through most of my weight gain. She is a nurse and although she doesn't lecture me, we have talked about my health as it relates to my weight. When I told her of my decision she was very supportive. She is thinner than me and said that she can't wait until I'm able to do more stuff with her like we used to. When she said this, wow it hit me how much "life" I've been missing. I know she'll be my friend after the surgery and will probably be my biggest supporter as I go through this life-changing transition. I can't say that about anyone else in my life - I'm so blessed to have her!!!