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I had my first fill on 2/12, and up until 3 days ago, it was not like I couldnt eat what I ate before, it was just that I seemed to got full faster. I was still snacking, but, still not eating as much. Now, it is really bad..I ate like 4-5 full sized chicken strips, and some girl scout cookies..I understand that the first 3-5 fills can be this way..my doctor doesnt expect a good weight loss, or even a weight gain the first 3 months after surgery.. I go in next week for my second fill and I know I need it..I have gained about 3 lbs...geri

Glad to hear it helped sex drive in some people.. In the past about 6 months, mine has been dead. I have to work REALLY hard to get psyched up for it.. and it's unusual, we use to be horn dogs and the sex is great with fiance.. but some reason I've just been really tuned out and turned off. I have gained quite a bit of weight in the past year, so I was HOPING it just had to do with the weight gain and when I lose weight it would help. I don't want to think we've hit any plateau at such an early age!

I am not working out. I can't due to other health issues. I walk on a regular basis but that's it. This isn't muscle. I average 50 oz of fluid a day. I already saw my dietitian. This is not diet related as I was successfully maintaining pre revision while eating more. I absolutely cannot physically eat enough calories to be gaining weight. I am also vomiting up much of what I eat. My maintenance TDEE is 1548 calories to maintain 140 pounds. I am tracking my calories and averaging 800 in my fitness pal daily. I measure everything. Even if I was off at all I am not eating double that amount of calories. It's literally impossible. Again I was successfully maintaining while eating more. This is completely unexplained weight gain and not diet related. I am so tired of suggestions to see my dietitian when I just saw her. I have a diet plan from her that I am following. I have a follow up with my surgeon next week.

That's it...I give. I can't... I've been struggling to not gain back weight. For a few months now, I've been saying each and every morning, 'today I will make good choices'. And more often than not, I am eating more than I should. I presumed it was stress eating, head hunger, happy new relationship overeating, blah blah blah. Turns out, I'm just plain hungry. Went to see my doctor and told her of my struggles. I've gained ten pounds over the last six months. Some of my clothes are getting tight. I refuse to buy anything that's going to accommodate weight gain. My doctor explained that the fat cells aren't gone..they're just dormant. And now, they are waking up again and my body is begging to gain weight back again. She swears it's biological and not emotional. I feel like I'm failing and she tells me that failing is not doing anything about this new found hunger, and not requesting a fill. So...Friday will get my first fill after nearly three years banded. I'm both troubled and relieved. This reminds me of when I recently had surgery and went off my anti-inflammatory meds. Was in so much discomfort that I couldn't even walk standing straight. All my joints hurt. I couldn't believe how much the meds were keeping me pain free. The band needing Fluid is sort of the same thing I guess. I'm not 'cured' from overeating and obesity. The band manages my hunger enough for me to make good choices. Without it, I'm back to square one. I have to think the same about the band as I do about the meds I take. Prevention in order to not suffer from my arthritis, or my obesity. It really is a disease...and not a vice.

Wow I'm so torn, I'm so thrilled to finally be losing my weight that I can't stand the thought of gaining it back, but the idea of my pain being gone is a dream come true. Which is better, thin and in pain or fat without pain? I didn't realize weight gain was such a common side effect, but now that I've read this I'm wondering if my slow loss the last couple months is because of the Lyrica. Arg what to do!!!

It has been a complete miracle for me. I am taking 450 mgs each day. Each capsule has 150 mgs so I spread them out during the day. My only bad side effect has been the weight gain which lead me to this surgery. Before Lyrica, I spent a great deal of time laying in bed watching TV - I was in too much pain and too exhausted to do much of anything. I would say it cut 40 percent of the pain. I have been able to reduce my pain medicine and go on walks with my dog - sometimes two or three each day. Of course, I'm nowhere near being back to "normal" but I can function. I would love to be able to go back to work someday - that is my dream.

I weighed myself in the morning and I had a hystorectomy so I cant have a period. I know some are thinking I gorged myself on halloween candy but I actually got rid of it all so I wouldnt eat it. I have not started any new meds. I wonder if I could have some water weight for some reason I hope thats what it is but thats ALOT of water. My butt doesnt even fit in my computer chair as well as it did before so I can really notice the weight gain. I wonder how many people have had a fill actually take several weeks to work and maybe mine will kick in soon or maybe I just need another fill.

I agree with a lot of what's been said on this topic but this is a WLS support forum and everyone is entitled to rant and/or ask questions. A lot of the more recent surgery patients just want to make comparisons I think so that may be the reason for some of the questions that we may find silly or uninformed. Either way, we're here to support one another so I try to stay on a positive note because in the real world people are not so supportive. They dog you for your weight gain and then find WLS repulsive. You can't make some people happy so folks come here in hopes of finding understanding "friends and supporters" that will help them along this path of uncertainty. Weight loss is not easy, even with the surgery , and the diet gets old so I can understand the rants and questions about eating and drinking things they shouldn't. Just remember....... Just because we can doesn't mean we should. Follow the doctor's orders.

I know exactly what you mean. It is like a switch has been flipped in my brain that just had it makes sense very suddenly. I've only been overweight/obese for the last six years (gained 100lbs in a single 12-month period, very rough year). The last 30-40 pounds came on over the subsequent years being frustrated with the initial weight gain. Joints hurt every time I tried to get into a routine again, I could not find sports bras that fit me in my new large size. It depressed me, so my eating habits actually got much worse after gaining that extra weight. Funny, I had to gain weight to eat worse than I did before. Not to mention hitting my 30's and what that does to hormones and metabolism. I wasn't really eating differently than what I ate when I was 28 years old, but I wasn't exercising at all and I was older. It was terribly difficult to see that I needed to adapt. Even the year or so before surgery, I was eating so healthy. Salads, lean meats, no soda, avoid fried foods, etc. -- except I wasn't journaling and even healthy foods in "too large" quantities can be high in calories. I know the healthier eating habits staved off getting any higher than I was (I stayed at 265 for a long time), but I was still working myself like crazy 60+ hours per week and not getting active. I have two very healthy doctors in my family, many friends who are trainers or do triathlons, and yet I just couldn't get it. I had the knowlege of "calories in/calories out" and nutrition, sleeping well, killing soda and avoid refined sugars and carbs. But I wasn't always applying it. The other odd thing is that even though I went from buying 4/6 and XS clothing all the way to buying 22/24 and 1-2/X clothing, I never perceived myself as fat. I always saw the skinny me when I looked down. Then I'd look in a mirror and it felt like I was looking at another person. Or I'd get in an airplane seat and the belt wouldn't fit. Or some innocent kid would ask me if I was having a baby. These little innocuous events seemed weird to me, like I truly thought the airlines were making their belts shorter and taking away legroom. The brain is really funny that way, how it can be your worst enemy. Now that I've had the surgery and dropped nearly 55 pounds, I get it. I totally see what I was missing. Now that I journal and measure my foods, I see how the large portion sizes eating out are not smart. I understand how staying hydrated helps the body shed. And it's amazing how much I want to tell other people now what they're doing wrong. I see it in their eyes when they're ordering in restaurants how they are keeping themselves unhappy. They see surgery as extreme, but I see it as having on of the healthiest relationships with food I've ever had in my life!

Hi i got diagnoses with pcos about 8 years ago. I wasnt a heavy kid or teen. I never had regular periods. I'm 5'8" I always weight 150 to 165. In less then 2 years I was 262. Once I figured out what I had I hit the gym like crazy. 6 days a week. Strict diet. I hit 180 and got pregnant. It was my merical baby. I was so scared to loose the baby I stopped exercising. I weighed 252 when I delivered. Then I got pregnant again. My boys are 11 months apart . The weight gain was an additional 18 pounds. I started working out again. Then boom car accident. Two pinched nerves two herniated disks. Constant injections in my back. I just want my life back. I want to play with my kids. My mistake was not watching my weight dieting my first pregnancy. With pcos once the weight comes on its a slippery slop. I'm having the surgury to reclaim my life. I just urge everyone with pcos to be careful when you do get pregnant. It's such a blessing as we all know. But pcos makes it so hard before during and unfortunately after pregnancy.

The band was not a fix it all for your weight issues, so you will probably need to get professional help to find the root cause of your emotional eating. Emotional eating is not something that will go away, it has to delt with. Until you understand and learn how to turn your emotions to something else besides food when things get hard. You have learn tools to deal with your stress and emotions, not food. You have to replace food with something else when you get stressed. I read you're a runner, and if running is not helping with your stress then I would recommend talking with someone. The weight gain is a symptom, and maybe talking to your surgeon will help. Good luck!

I think this article both makes and misses a couple of great points. What it gets right: 1. Muscle mass does not increase RMR as much as people believe it does. 2. It is not easy to add significant amounts of lean mass - especially in a calorie deficit - especially with age - especially with other comorbidities. What it get's wrong: 1. The goal for us post-op should be to reduce muscle loss as much as possible. It is far easier to keep what was already there supporting our greater pre-op weight than it is to lose the lean mass and then try and get it back. 2. The contribution of muscle mass to RMR does not have to be that large to be beneficial. Rough numbers of course but assuming 3500 calories in 1lb of adipose tissue and a 50lb weight gain over 5 years is a 175,000 calorie excess over 1825 days or an average daily excess of just 100 calories. Could preserving 20lbs muscle during during a 100lbs weight loss be beneficial? Using the article's 6 calories per pound of muscle per day that equals an additional 120 calories per day. 3. The best way to maintain muscle mass is lifting weights. The benefit is not only during the actual exercise but also in the post-exercise period where metabolic rate and protein synthesis remain elevated. This along with HIIT gives you 'twofer" as far as calories burned and also maintains muscles mass. I know people's abilities here vary greatly but resistance training has been shown be beneficial across the board for those who can tolerate it. The fact is many of us gained weight over a sufficiently long period of time that while in a calories excess (and yes I know there are compensatory changes to metabolism both in a calorie excess and deficit but let's keep it simple) that actual excess was not huge. Just 100 calories per day over 10 years will give a 100lbs gain. So my point...I think maintaining muscle mass during weight loss is absolutely important to longterm weight loss and maintenance...evenif the contribution to RMR is not as high as what that charlatan Dr. Oz claims.

I was the complete same way. I was denied by my insurance(Aetna). I had my pcp to write a letter saying that I couldn't exercise or anything because of my back and she asked them to reconsider my case. I have arthritis, degenerative disc disorder, and bulging disc as well all in my lower back. I got all my medical records from her as well and sent it in. I also wrote a letter. With all that my denial was reversed to approved! My biggest worry is that I don't have any diagnosed conditions that keep me from exercise. The weight makes my knees and back hurt, so it's more difficult, but no ruptures or disc issues. Bout the only thing I have that would affect my weight is hypothyroidism. I take medication for it, but losing weight is a lot more difficult even with that. Funny thing is, I wasn't gaining weight like this before I started the diet, but I also began taking amitriptyline (a low dosage for pain) the same month I started this. I began researching the medications I was taking after I kept gaining and saw that one of the side effects of that medication is weight gain - a lot of people said they gained 20lbs or more no matter what they ate. I talked with my PCP about it, but he doesn't think my dosage is high enough for it. However, he's very supportive of my decision for surgery, so I know he'd be willing to do whatever he could if I get denied. I just hope it doesn't come to that!

I have my VSG booked for next month; from the general research I've done and from what my surgeon says, WLS is a good solution for the uncontrolled weight gain, even though it's hormonal. I know everyone's journey is different, but are there any women with PCOS who have WLS success stories you'd be willing to share? I'm very nervous that I will do this serious surgery and it won't work, even if I do everything right. I'm so tired of gaining weight, though, and I need to get ahead of it before it gets totally out of control. Thanks in advance for sharing your stories with me!

I am feeling very grateful this morning, toward my medical team, this community and most of all, toward my amazing husband, who has been so supportive of my journey. I am just over five months out, and the scale showed 146 pounds this morning. I'm planning on wearing a pair of 29-inch waist jeans today. Yes, jeans (!) - something I never allowed myself before. For the most part, I am wearing size 8 clothing, down from a 16/18. Sometimes a 6 and occasionally a 10. Best of all, in my mid-50's, I like myself and am proud of myself. I no longer avoid being seen in public, as I have in the past. While I would not mind losing another 10 pounds, I think it more important that I stay at a weight that I can hopefully maintain for the long-term - for me, the point of the surgery was to stop struggling and being on a perpetual yo-yo of weight gain and loss, as I have been for my entire life. So, what are your BEST maintenance tips? I have been weak on exercise, but excellent at staying away from grains, sugar and carbs that don't come in the form of fresh fruit and vegetables. Please help me to succeed by sharing what is working for you. Thank you!

I am really glad to hear you're going to be able to do this. Good luck to you. :cool: I've heard from people who had tummy tucks that generally even if they had more weight gain/loss after the tuck that their tummy still looked better than it did before the plastic surgery...so I think it's probably well worth it even if you need touch up work later. A tummy tuck is the one plastic surgery procedure I would dearly love to have. I haven't had any kids (or any other abdominal procedures) but my panniculus is about a "grade 2" also. Everyone thought my skin would snap back from the weight loss because I'm relatively young (I'm 21) but I have a lot of stretch marks on my tummy and I think it was just stretched beyond the point of return at my highest weight. It's bad enough that I had a lady I was helping at work ask me if I was pregnant! Agh! (By the way, for those who don't already realize it, it's NEVER a good idea to ask a woman if she's pregnant unless you already know the answer - both of us felt bad after I had to tell her, no, I'm not pregnant :cool: ) I would LOVE to be able to get a tummy tuck right now but haven't really pursued it because I thought that the surgeons would surely decline to do it until I'm at goal. It gives me hope that you have found surgeons who are willing to do it.

Hey sweet My sister looked into this to. Her surgeon adviced her that she would be under him to monitor her throughout her pregnancy. Healthy eating, Fluid intake, Vitamins will all help darlz. Your 1 yr post op which is fantastic so you are able to eat. 9 months of dedication and you will be rewarded. Please dont worry about weight gain - this is absolutely normal. All I can say is do it right. Even if you eat small portions regularly and those portions are healthy. Get regular blood tests to check your Iron and other levels. Always check with your doctor about vitamins and what is best and safe for you and bub. Even before you fall pregnant get your levels checked. Being fully prepared body wise will be all the better for you and bubby. My surgeon told me that he had patients who fell pregnant and had 8 pound babies but he made them go under him for monitoring as well as their baby doctor. Sorry I havent been through this myself to offer you personal experiences but I wish you all the best and cant wait to aee how you go. Xx Sent from my SM-G925I using the BariatricPal App

This is the start to my journey back to a former life. Yesterday I complete the six month doctor visits that is required by my insurance company (BCBS). I am now waiting for the insurance companies OK stamp on my paperwork. I know how slow paperwork can creep through the system, so I am a month or more from surgery. I am starting off a 365lbs at 5'11" and BMI about 50. I am borderline with a few medical issues that haven't cropped up yet, so I better do something. Yes, I have tried the diet plans from A to Z and a few I have tried a few more than once. Part of my problem is a bad back problem I recieved for a car accident in May 1990. At that time I was a 210, six foot military man in good shape. Since, it has been a downward spiral of weight gain and pain... Now, is the time for me to turn this around before medical issues crop up or death replaces this life. If you care to read my journey, I plan on posting at each event while going through this change of life. Since, my goal is 210, I might be writing for awhile. If you care to comment I would love to hear from you. -Bill

Having been diagnosed with MS on 9th November, I have had many ups and downs for the last 2 months. Anyway to give you an outline/timeline May time, had back pain/arm pain, trips to physio and accupuncture and 4 weekls later gone.... August, symptoms return and get worse and worse, niggly back pain in shoulderblade region to the left and raditing down arm which is very very painful, having to hand my arm to my side to try to relieve the pain and no matter where I put it it still hurt, of course I thought some of the pain was to do with the op post Sept 26th. Saw physio once a week and accu once aweek. Went to hydrotherapy, hot room, sauna, spa in an attemp to relieve the pain. late Oct, finally had enough and went to see doc(friday), he referred me for bone scan and CT scan, had CT scan monday and bone scan Friday, both test picked up results next day and both normal, bugger bugger bugger. Funny how you wish for something to be wrong just so you can have an answer to your problem. Back to doc on Monday who at least did not stand on his laurels and brush me off (even though he is at lest 70), said next step is MRI but needs a neuro to refer. OK I rang the specilist and no appts for at least 6 weeks. Well it just so happens that I work at the hospital in the cardiology dept alongside neuro dept and had a quiet word with receptionist who had a quiet word with neuro (tues) and he agreed to refer me without consult. Wasnt in till Thurs so in I went and thanked him big time for doing this and how frustrated I was and mentioned that my left side of my face was numbish. Oh he said that isnt right and off he popped to the MRI dept and organised a MRI for Tues for me and free too..... chuffed to pieces off home I went and shock of shock overnight my feet went numb and going to work the next day I fell up the steps. Panicking I was whisked to A&E under same neuro and one brain scan/upper spine scan it was diagnosed. 5 days in hospital on IV steriods and 6 weeks of oral steriods later (and no weight gain) the pain in my arm and back is back, it took 4 painkillers to even stop the pain this morning and they are the ones with codine, 2 neuro plus and 2 paracetamol codenine. I cant fault my treatment, from doc to diagnosis 10 days including all tests and results. Had a full spine MRI 2 weeks later which showed 5 leisions on the spine from top to bottom. I am so over the pain. I popped into see neuro (perk of working next door) and he said that my upper leison was extremly large and could take a few months to get over. So at the moment my band has taken a bit of a back seat, I had a fill about 5 weeks ago and explained the situ to the doc and we decided a very conservative fill was needed because of the need to take vast amonts of pills and I was worried they would get stuck. We both decided that weight loss was not a big issue and being on seriods and such wouldnt help. Anyway went for another fill today and woohoo lost 1.5 kg which isnt a lot but great as far as i'm concerned and we did another conservative one today too. The scales have been going in the right direction anyway albeit slowly. Total loss todate is now 12.5 kg about 28lbs. If you hear a rattling noise its just me popping more pills. Jo

I just recently told my mom, who thought it was a fantastic thing, and wants me to talk to my older brother about the Lapband for himself. I've not shared w/friends - only hubby (also banded w/me) and my younger brother know, and for as slow as the weight loss has been (which is fine w/me) I'm glad I've not shared just yet -... so not to get the "what did you loose so far" comments. I'm sure I'll evolve & let others know my process, but right now I'm kinda private (except here..LOL) about my WLS - as I was with my weight gain....Best to you~

An interesting study was published in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) this week, that looked at three different diets after weight loss and their effect on weight gain. It's a little complicated to read, but basically the high Protein, low carb diet that we are supposed to follow with our band should contribute to keeping the weight off, not just losing it. Here's the link: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1199154

I was admitted to the hospital yesterday and had my gallbladder removed. I was discharged today and while I'm in pain, I'm recovering nicely. BUT I'm pissed at the scale because it shows an 8 pound gain. I haven't eaten any food since Sunday afternoon. I know it's from the IV fluids but it still really upsets me.

Thank You for you words, But I had been working out everyday and was told to limit myself to 3 times a week. And yes i see a nutritionist every month for three years now. But the weight gain is driving me crazy.

Yes it was a relatively low weight to start with but I am an extremely petite individual, not just in height. My bone structure is small and both my primary doctor and the surgeon felt it was a good option for me. My thighs are the biggest part on me and it was getting hard just to walk and the pain in my legs was keeping me up at night. Not to mention a whole lot of other ailments that many people at much higher weights experience. The doctors and I all knew that I would never lose the weight on my own. I was gaining in excess of 10 lbs a year and had gained 50 pounds from 2015 until 2018. So I decided to try to mitigate the weight gain. I can't tolerate the protein shakes, they make me sick and then I get too full and can't get in any regular food which the doctor would prefer I eat.

Hi: I gained 9 pounds in the first 3 days post-op. It's just Fluid retention. I think it was day 5 or 6 when I started peeing like a sun of a gun. I dropped five pounds in one day because the fluid finally left. I was surprised with the weight gain, but my doctor told me it was very normal. As long as you follow the band rules you'll start to lose and keep losing. Best wishes to you newbie. I love my band and my new flat tummy. Sue