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Hi, I need help! I had the sleeve in March of 2015. About a year ago I started gaining weight back. I've gained about 25 lbs back. I recently got a personal trainer and have been working out consistently for 2 months. The problem is the scale hasn't moved. My trainer focuses on strength training. So 4 of the 5 days we workout we are lifting and 1 day is cardio for about 30 minutes. He wants me to eat more because of this but physically I can't ( you guys can relate). He wants me to eat more than 1200 calories a day but I'm only getting in about 600. Maybe 700 or 800 on a good day. I just need advice. I don't know if I should cut back on the strength training or revamp my eating (which I don't know what I should do with my eating). I just want to lose the weight I gained so that I can feel better in my body like I did year 1 and 2 after surgery. Any advise who would! Thanks in advanced.

Hi All! I have noticed that over the past 5 days or so, I have been gaining weight. This goes along with the beginning of weight training as well as an increase intake in salt. I must say that I have probably had more carbs than I should in the beginning but I am back on track. Do you think I should attribute this to muscle mass or the retention of Water due to the increased salt intake. Oh yeah, I am also 44 and could be starting menopause. I am just so frustrated. Any words of advice or motivation would definitely be appreciated.

My favorite protein bar is no protein bar . . . they are Satan's work IMO. Turkey jerky or some chopped up chicken breast in a little tupperware container is lower calorie, lower carb, higher protein, more filling, and often cheaper too. Nutritionally not much different from candy bars with protein added. I've noticed that people tend to get obsessive about their protein bars the way they used to with candy bars or brownies or whatever. True story -- my mom has a weight problem. She tends to be underweight! She has to work hard to keep her weight up to a normal range (yes I resent this bigtime). Her doctor ordered her to eat a protein bar every day in order to stop weight loss. If she finds she is losing weight, she has to eat two protein bars a day. It works for her! Protein bar = no more weight loss. Two protein bars = weight gain.

Aetna is no net weight gain. U cannot weigh more than your first weigh in.

That's a good plan:) I know I made myself crazy with the scale in the beginning. Right now you want to focus on recovering from surgery and your nutrition/hydration. If you do that, the weight loss will happen. At 3 years out, I weigh a few times per week. That may be too much for some, but I use to just ignore my weight and the scale. So if I'm not weighing often, it's a slippery slope for me. Once I got to my goal weight, I gave myself a 5-7 pound "buffer" that I wouldn't worry too much, but I don't allow myself to get beyond that. That way I'm catching any weight gain before it because overwhelming to me.

That's a good plan:) I know I made myself crazy with the scale in the beginning. Right now you want to focus on recovering from surgery and your nutrition/hydration. If you do that, the weight loss will happen. At 3 years out, I weigh a few times per week. That may be too much for some, but I use to just ignore my weight and the scale. So if I'm not weighing often, it's a slippery slope for me. Once I got to my goal weight, I gave myself a 5-7 pound "buffer" that I wouldn't worry too much, but I don't allow myself to get beyond that. That way I'm catching any weight gain before it because overwhelming to me. That's a good plan:) I know I made myself crazy with the scale in the beginning. Right now you want to focus on recovering from surgery and your nutrition/hydration. If you do that, the weight loss will happen. At 3 years out, I weigh a few times per week. That may be too much for some, but I use to just ignore my weight and the scale. So if I'm not weighing often, it's a slippery slope for me. Once I got to my goal weight, I gave myself a 5-7 pound "buffer" that I wouldn't worry too much, but I don't allow myself to get beyond that. That way I'm catching any weight gain before it because overwhelming to me.

Hello. i'm new on here. just want to share my story to seek advice. when i was 15 back in 2008, i got the lap band. it was the worst experience ever. i was only loosing weight because i threw up EVERY SINGLE bit of food i ate. i lost 80lb very very quickly and i was extremely sick. my doctor said it shouldn't be happening, so instead of trying to fix it he drained my band. After a year i started to gain weight. In 2012 i was revised to the gastric sleeve. at this time, this procedure was brand new to my doctor, he hadn't done it before. I got it done quickly after the appointments with him, maybe 3 months. i was a slow loser for a whole year. it took me a year to lose 70 pounds, even eating what i thought was healthy (Protein first and some vegetables and brown rice, wha i was taught). i wasn't never really taught about carbs at all, always just eat "whole grain everything but eat your protein first and you should be fine" none of the information that i learned now from the fb group. i got into my first relationship, went to the DR and was diagnosed with PCOS, like lots of girls are. I was put on birth control and as soon as i did my weight shit up. as it shot up and me not knowing why i threw myself into a mind change that i couldn't shake out. while working 2 jobs (13 hour days) i began to lose care about myself, and regained most my weight, shooting back up to 230. i hadn't noticed the weight gain for a while, either because i'd stopped weighing myself. last year i started to exercise and count my calories and lost 20 lbs. even continuing it again, i have not budged. does anyone have any advice? yes, i know that you need to diet with the sleeve. it wasn't till recently by following where i learned about macros and counting calories and Protein shakes. my mother recently got the sleeve procedure, and i was thinking of going to her doctor to discuss my options, because mine no longer takes my new insurance and he is a pediatric doctor. do you think he would help me, or just toss me to a nutritionist? thanks. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

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.

Babs you are probably gaining muscle. Also, Chinese sometimes causes Water weight gain. I wouldn't worry about it so much right now, wait for a few days and try again. Maybe your body is telling you that this is the perfect weight for you also.

Greetings everyone, Thanks for sharing your experiences with AETNA. I'm just completing my six month supervised diet and my concern is that I actually didn't lose any weight during the six months--I actually gained (I lost the six months prior to being medically supervising using Weight Watchers and attending 2-week program at Duke DFC). When I read the requirements from the AETNA website, it doesn't say that you actually have to be successful at the weight loss during the six month period, just supervised. My PCP agrees and says that there are many reasons for situations like mine and if anything, the weight gain shows that I do need the help that the LAPBAND will provide so he will provide the letter of medical necessity anyway. However the Doctor at the Bariatric program where I participated in six-month supervised diet feels that surgeon will not perform surgery because of the recent weight gain (although I'm still well within the parameters) and most importantly that AETNA will NOT even consider or approve my application for the surgery -- VERY DISCOURAGING. Has anyone had this experience? Specifically with AETNA either approving or denying the application although recording a weight gain during their six month supervised program? I do appreciate your replies, remarks and sharing! Thank you in advance for your continued generosity of spirit and support!!! Daniel in Atlanta P.S. I'm still trying to decide between a surgeon at Emory Crawford Long Hospital and DeKalb Medical -- any feedback on either?

I got the band 3 years ago. It was great the first year. I lost 60lbs, had great restriction, and felt like myself for the first time in a long time! I started getting reflux at night, waking me up w/ bile or acid in my mouth, as well as asperating into my lungs. This caused a persistent cough. I saw the P.A. at my dr's office. An esophagram showed nothing unusual. They advised me to stop eating 3 hours before bed and take reflux meds. I got pg w/ 2nd baby, got a slight unfill, reflux systems subsided and pg was great (w/o the excessive weight gain from 1st pg w/o band). As soon as baby was born, my reflux symptoms intensified so that I could not sleep at all. Anyone w/ a newborn knows this is torture! Dr. Ren unfilled me and had me get an endoscopy. Turns out I have a hiatal hernia (stomach tissue coming up through the band). I wanted to avoid another surgery, as My Dr. was not sure the hernia was causing the reflux and surgery would not necessarily improve the reflux. I waited and now she says that the placement of my band is probably causing the reflux. She said people who have the band placed higher up on their stomachs tend not to have this symptom. So I am scheduled to have the hernia repaired and the band repositioned later this month. I am awaiting insurance approval. I have been struggling w/ eating all year and even went back on weight watchers for a couple of months. I am hopeful everything will work out after the surgery (and that the approval will go through!). Has anyone had experience w/ re-positioning of the band? Thank you!

oh yes folks....get your tylenol ready for the headaches!!! I remember those days well. Thanks for the compliment Tres Chic....I remember all too well what it was like to be pre-op and it is nice to "give back". You will do so one day soon, too! Doriana....re. the weight gain....normal normal normal....don't forget your body will fluctuate a lot especially at the beginning as it gets "used" to things. How often are you weighing? I only weigh once a week and find that works much better for me than once a day.

I was sleeved 12/10 I ended up staying in the hospital 2 extra days because my heart rate was so unbelievably high. The first week I lost 10lbs and my doctor sped up my diet because I wasn't getting enough Calories. He told me to start soft foods over the weekend because I couldn't keep down purees. I have been religious about getting all my fluids (between 69-78 oz a day) and have been struggling to meet my protien goal. I have been walking and working out as much as I can stand but get EXTREMELY worn out very quickly. I have gained back 6 lbs of the 10 I lost the first week. I never get full or stuck/sick feeling. I feel like I am constantly hungry. It is really bumming me out and making me think the surgery didn't work. Is this weight gain normal? Is there something I am doing wrong or need to do better?

@@Proud2BMe No, there are scientific reasons for stalls and weight gain early out from these surgeries. And it's NOT because someone is eating too much or the wrong things, because it's physically impossible at that point. Further out when you can consume a little more? Of course! And no, I'm not the be all of bariatric advice. Not even close. Heck, i'm still a relative newbie. But experience and almost 2 years reading these forums and seeing HUNDREDS of posts about this very phenomenon of weight gain and stalling at the OP's time frame is enough evidence for me. It's okay. I remember thinking I knew it all at 6 months out, too. Just be careful giving advice when you clearly don't know what you're talking about.

Well you asked for opinions so here's mine. You are being utterly foolish. I have severe sleep apnea and my weight had nothing to do with it since I weighed 140 pounds or so when I developed it. Frustratingly I didn't know I had it for a long time but I knew something was really wrong since no matter what, every month I put on anywhere from 2-5 pounds. In two years I gained over 60 pounds...while on a 20 grams of fat per day diet. Apnea does horrific things to your entire physical system and the only treatment for it is cpap. If you were a diabetic would you refuse to take insulin? Apnea affects your brain, your heart, your metabolic system...I could go on and on. I use the cpap because I don't want to end up having a stroke due to blood pressures that were off the charts. I guess I would rather wear a cpap mask at night than sit in a chair drooling on myself, unable to communicate. However, all that aside, I am concerned that you are already "sneaking" around and doing things totally against the orders of your doctor. The surgery you have coming up will require you to follow very strict rules and guidelines. The band does not make you lose weight. You lose weight by using the band as a tool. However, there are things you have to do to make this happen. You can't just blow them off because you don't like them. I encourage you to really think hard about your readiness for this surgery. Your commitment has to be extremely high and you have to be able to follow the recommendations of your doctor, even if you don't like them, think they're foolish or just don't agree. Also...one of the biggest side effects of untreated apnea is weight gain. Your body knows it's not getting enough rest and it goes into a 'hoarding' phase. Your system thinks it is under attack and it turns virtually everything you eat into surgars to give you energy in case you need it to fight. However, since your system isn't revving up and pouring out the andrenaline, those sugars just sit there, turning to fat. I hope your pulmonologist is right and you "Just need to lose weight" to get rid of the apnea. Good luck to you no matter what you decide.

i had lap band six yrs ago and i am actually still loosing off and on ! I hqd actually lost more past my goal and people said i was looking to drawn and face sinking in !, LOL ! Anyway i had foot surgery 7 weeks ago and OMG i feel like such a blob and so worried aout weight gain ! Still on crutches just started to be able to put weight on it and tryimg to get off of the crutches . It has been hard to keep up with drinking my water as i cant keep running to the bathroom i cant wait to even use my eliptical i have gained a few but not as bad as i thought ! Cant wait to be be back to normal ! Any suggestions from anyone would be great !

I'm so angry with myself. I had my surgery June 14th and the last few weeks I've been doing really bad. I work out and I eat well all day, but at night I lose all control and I stuff my face. I was on medication for binge eating disorder and they took me off of it along with all my antidepressants. I ended up in the hospital a few weeks ago with pneumonia and they didn't like the fact I'm tachycardic so they took me off everything. I feel the depression sinking in and losing my motivation and willpower. I feel trapped. I can't even get in to see my psychiatrist for another few weeks. Has anyone lost their motivation this early, but found it again? Also my psychiatrist knows very little about meds after surgery is anyone here on meds post surgery that doesn't have weight gain as a side effect? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm ashamed to admit that I cheated. I was supposed to eat 1400 calories or less daily for the two week time period before surgery. I struggled terribly for a few days and went over my calorie limit with healthy foods. I did a lot of extra exercise then and with that considered, I was likely under my calorie limit, but I still felt guilty. I ended up telling the nurse who called me a few days before surgery. She told me not to mention it unless it came up. However, I felt the need to be honest, so I told my surgeon the day of surgery. I could tell by his body language that he was not pleased. Prior to this, during our small group pre-op meeting, his NP had warned us about gaining weight before surgery, saying that our surgeon had cancelled surgeries that week due to weight gain. According to my scales, I had lost 40+ pounds since I last saw my surgeon in January, so I pointed out to him that I had been working really hard to lose weight since I last saw him and explained that I didn't know what had happened to me on those days of the pre-op diet. He listened to everything I said, then asked how much weight I had lost. (The nurse who prepared me for surgery that morning had told me that my weight was not required on the day of surgery, so he truly didn't know.) I answered him while he wrote notes in my file. He is a man of few words, so that was the extent of our conversation. The next thing I knew, he told me we would be headed to surgery as soon as they had me ready. Right then, I felt like a horrible failure; he didn't say or do anything to make me feel that way but rather I chose not to follow his instructions and felt ashamed. Try your hardest not to cheat so that you can be proud of your pre-op diet efforts.

I saw the surgeon today and starting the process. My insurance covers this however, they require certain criteria. I was told I need a diet history for the last 6 months. I am not sure what all is needed. Can someone help me write this...what details do they want etc. For example..all I can say is tried Xenical for 3 months..didn't work...didn't loose any weight...gained weight later.. But I think they want more than that. Does anyone know how this should be written. Thanks

I thought about tapering off but decided the pain meds would help curb any withdrawl headaches after surgery. So I drank diet pepsi like a fish up to surgery. lol It was the last thing I had the night before and I'm not gonna lie, I was a little sad to throw it down the sink when I hit my liquids cut off. I was easily a 2 liter bottle a day person. The plan worked = no withdrawl. And I havent had soda since surgery and havent really wanted it, which SHOCKS me. I love the crisp taste that is lost if its flat so flat soda isnt an option for me. They say tastes change and its true, maybe not right away but they do. After surgery I could drink power ade straight. As time goes things like Powerade zero has to be diluted 3x down. And some people (like my surgeons assistant, who was sleeved) don't like plain Water anymore. I like *some* plain water but im much pickier. Sometimes I kinda want a little before I eat, but as someone said, its not worth the money before you eat. You can't chug it, and you can't drink it after you eat. I thought not drinking and eating at the same time would be the death of me. Its gotten much easier and I barely think about it anymore. A few times I took a decent drink after eating and the results arne't plesant, so my body doesnt go for it anymore after I eat - and thats just water!! I can't imagine throwing carbination into the mix I plan to drink soda again but not for awhile. Doc suggested about 6 months after being at goal, so you can see if it has any effect on sleeve stretch or cravings or weight gain.

Insane, right? My husband and I went to a consultation appointment last Saturday (1/31) and I was told that while I’m overweight, I’m not overweight ENOUGH to have my insurance cover the procedure – I can not afford to do this procedure out of pocket. Never, in a million years, would I have thought I’d hear that I need to GAIN weight (no my doctor didn’t utter the words “you need to gain weight” but he said “read between the lines”). The doctors asked that I come back in a few weeks (this upcoming Saturday) and weigh in again. They noted that since I had just completed my menstrual cycle it’s very possible that I would register a lower weight on 1/31 and that the bloating I normally experience might influence a higher weight. They also said if I weigh in again and I don’t meet the goal, I can drink Water to get myself there. Has anyone else experienced this? Being told you need to actually gain a few pounds? I stand at 5’7.75” with a weight of 252 and a BMI of 39.5. I’ve been on diets for about 20 years (I’m 28) and I’m finally allowing myself access to this tool after years of contemplating it. I’ve been on every diet known to man: Weight Watchers, Atkins, South Beach, Master Cleanse, Cabbage Soup, eat nothing after 7pm, eat only once for 2 hours, don’t eat anything white, drink two full glasses of water before meals, drink nothing before meals, carb cycle, Protein binge – you name it, I’ve done it. I’ve joined countless gyms, signed up for spin classes, yoga, pilates, yoga-lates, I’ve run a few 5ks, I used to get up at 6am (blerg!) to work out, I’d work out after work, I’d walk around the parking lot during lunch. I suffer from Hashimoto’s Thyroiditus AND PCOS – both make weight gain incredibly easy and weight loss nearly impossible. I am doing this as a last resort, I don’t like the idea that I’ve gotten so overweight that I need to have 3/4 of my stomach ripped out through my belly button in order to lose weight BUT I understand that I have done everything I can do and I deserve this. I deserve to walk into a store and not worry that they won’t have my size, I deserve to join CrossFit (as I’ve wanted to for years) and actually be able to complete the work out, I deserve to go into various yoga poses and not be literally suffocated by my weight. I deserve this and I’m ready. With that being said I’m struggling with the weight gain (“oh shut up!” I know, I’m sorry) and the mental anguish that goes with it. I genuinely enjoy eating healthy, I’ve played with Whole30 and the Paleo diet for over a year now and I love it. I feel amazing when I eat clean, I love all the different veggies that I’ve been exposed to (beets! rutabaga!) and it’s something I enjoy. Having a 3-4 pound weight gain to qualify for surgery looming over my head is more difficult than I thought it would be. I feel like shit…I eat shit and I feel like shit. I snack more and I eat more high calorie foods but I’m finding it very difficult to allow myself the sugar and dairy that I so carefully took out of my diet. I’m genuinely terrified that I’m going to step on the scale on Saturday (2/14) and not weigh enough. I can’t continue to eat like this. My clothing is starting to not fit correctly. I just need to make this weight and then I can go back to my healthy eating. Please offer some encouragement…something. Tell me I’m not alone. I’m freaking out.

I'm pregnant so I eat more than I used to, but my weight gain is normal for a pregnant lady and I figured it can't hurt to contribute. Here's yesterday which includes two meals out with local Kyrgyz people: Breakfast: Protein coffee (2 scoops Syntrax chocolate truffle with 10 oz. coffee and some ice); later on, 1/3 cup of oatmeal with dried blueberries (homemade) Snack: 1 hard boiled egg Lunch: 1 cup of shorpo-a beef broth soup that has carrots, potatoes and beef, but I skipped the actual beef; 1/2 cup choban (tomato, cucumber and dill salad), a few bites of cabbage salad (a vinegar based slaw, almost) Snack: 1/4 cup dried cranberries and 1 oz. Gruyere Swiss Dinner: 1/2 cup chickpea salad; 1/4 cup plov (rice with lamb, veggies)...after about a billion cups of tea while them men did toasts of vodka, I ate about 1/2 cup of roasted eggplant, zucchini and bell pepper, a small piece of lavash and maybe 1/4 cup of hummus with fresh vegetables Normally I'd have a small snack before bed but I was so thankful to be home (even with my vodka-soaked husband, poor guy) that I went straight to bed with just a glass of Water. I have to really guess on a lot of the nutritional info since I didn't make two of my meals, but MFP has me at roughly 1,300 calories (I aim for 1,400-1,600 a day in pregnancy) so that's not terrible, I guess. And I'd venture that my intake really was closer to 1,500 because I didn't make the food. This, honestly, is real life for me these days. We eat out with our counterparts a lot and I can't control what will be served. All I can do is not eat meat...and they think I'm crazy for skipping that! I drank water between meals and countless cups of green tea...which I paid for when I was up and down all night. Pregnancy is so glamorous. Oh, and I'm about 2.5 years post op. ~Cheri

I was diagnosed with PCOS last year, I am taking Actos and back on the 'ol pill,(which is ironic since I have been tubal ligated,)the meds relieve it somewhat, but i feel that the weight is more to blame for my symptoms now. I don't have menstration without the Actos now. I know it is due to my obesity, never had a problem with this before my weight gain. I quit smoking two years ago, I gained most of my weight since then. Bottom line for me, weight loss will help me tremendously.

My major health concern is my hypoglycemia. I am quite learned in how to control it with a high-Protein diet, eating every 2-3 hours, etc. (I've had it for 30 years!) And having to eat protein (with the usual associated fat) so often has contributed to my consistent weight gain over the years. I'm not an emotional eater, except that I am very emotional about avoiding low blood sugar!! I am quite sure that the band will allow me to regulate my blood sugar without so much food intake and will keep the frequent hunger pangs at bay. Am I on the right track here? How has the band affected your hypoglycemia and your ability to control it? How do you normally control it, with protein or with sugar (carbs)? Your input is really appreciated.

I agree on pants first. I was a 44" waist and didn't buy new pants until I was down 50 lbs. I bought 40's, 38's, and now 36's. I was a discount store shopper and never spent more than $25 on pants. I did TOTAL PURGES at goal. Gave away eight 55 gallon trash bags full of clothes. Looking back at my pre-wls weight gains, I never averaged more than 2-3 lbs a year, so I figure I'm 5+ years away from 38's worst case!