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I was banded June 5, 2007. Went from 341 down to 220. Played with 220-230 for 4 yrs. Last yr was having heartburn, acid reflux, slimming all the time, so went in and got several cc taken out. I did not go back and the weight came back quickly. I went back this past tuesday at 271.5. Went back to liquids for 2 days, then soft foods. As of this am I was at 263.5. I will admit I want to be thin, I want this and that, but I cannot make my mind follow my heart. I go back 2nd wk of April to have my band tweeked again. Hoping it works this time. No excuse for my weight gain except I went right back to eating the way I use to. Hard to believe I gained almost 50 lbs in 1 yr. Oh well all I can do is try. I was ill as a hornet today because it was raining, cold, grandkids were here; everyone was eating all the things I wanted, but I didn't and it just put me in a bad mood. But it is 10 pm and I did not eat the junk food I have been eating.

Puppyphat - that is fantastic. Fit, loves animals and can obviously hold a good conversation - sounds like a winning combination to me! Lissa - Glad your holiday went well - the next six months will fly - you have done so well with your weight loss - Are you energy levels good now? A progress report on me - I stopped eating sweet things for a week and have lost weight - 62.5 kg now but generally I seem to be maintaining. I really want to get rid of this habit of having a cake for a snack as I know as we can eat more this will cause me weight gain and I DON'T want to get on that guilt road again. Can't wait to see my dietician so she can give me a slap on the wrist! Can't wait to get back to work so I have money to finally join the gym or step into life classes - I need to be pushed it comes to exercise as I don't enjoy it!

A progress report on me - I stopped eating sweet things for a week and have lost weight - 62.5 kg now but generally I seem to be maintaining. I really want to get rid of this habit of having a cake for a snack as I know as we can eat more this will cause me weight gain and I DON'T want to get on that guilt road again. Can't wait to see my dietician so she can give me a slap on the wrist! Can't wait to get back to work so I have money to finally join the gym or step into life classes - I need to be pushed it comes to exercise as I don't enjoy it!

I've been walking alot and for the last one week my w8 has increased by 1 kg! Frm 100 to 101kgs it's killing me! I dnt eat much.. I drink lots of water.. I'm just one month post op! What in the worlds wrong!!!!

Almost 2 weeks post op. Surgery weight-262 Yesterday-248 This AM-251 Yesterday- Protein shake, fat free cream of chick lunch, and last night puréed chicken with fat free sour cream, not counting my water! What the hell?!

Holy Crap!.. i dont know what to say to that Joe, other then thanks for preparing me. I think i better stay off the scale. I don't want to see a weight gain. I think i would just sit in a corner and cry. well that said I know it isn't the end of the weight loss so keep up the good work plug along and you will see a loss soon.

When someone loses weight,gets a better education,has more money,moves to a better area,drives a flasher car...It's called Status and suddenly you are perceived as being more Successful ! There are plenty of people who don't want u to do better or to improve your self. When someone is moving up in there life, your Status ranking has changed. This can challenge so called family and friends because it means they will have to make more effort either with there weight or there behaviour toward 's you. As you will be perceived as having more options. Beautiful slim people are perceived as having preferential treatment. So many people think WLS is a magic and easy way to weight loss. It isn't U still have to work at it !!! The only way u can gain weight after WLS is by not sticking to the rules I am 5years out i have gained 14kg in less than a year my personal life has been a mess so i am sorting that out plus working on getting rid of the weight gain

I stumbled upon this excellent article discussing NJ Governor Chris Christie's weight struggle. As a NJ resident, it is a frequent topic when discussing him. I think this Dr. makes an excellent comparison of morbid obesity to heart disease when discussing societal discrimination. Interested to hear others opinions. THE MORBID OBESITY EPIDEMIC AND GOVERNOR CHRISTIE by Mitchell Roslin, MD, FACS As a physician that specializes in the treatment of morbid and severe obesity, the recent exchange between Governor Chris Christie and Dr. Connie Mariano, made me contemplate many of the misunderstood and misappropriated issues and perceptions that surround obesity in our society. Governor Christie decided to appear on The Late Show with David Letterman. To demonstrate his humor and humility, he pulled a doughnut from his pocket and began to eat while Letterman chuckled. The following day, a former White House physician, Dr. Connie Mariano declared that the Governor’s weight was no laughing matter. Furthermore, she stated that he was a ticking time bomb, and if elected president, could die in office. To some, these comments may represent the honest opinion of a famous physician. From my perspective, they demonstrate how unique obesity is over every other medical condition. The difference in our collective perception and beliefs regarding obesity and other chronic medical issues can be shown by comparing the medical history of Governor Christie to that of former Vice President Richard Cheney. d**k Cheney was 59 years old when he was elected, with George W. Bush, to serve as Vice President. As Vice President, he was barely one medical event or disaster away from becoming Commander in Chief. While Dr. Mariano may believe that Christie is a ticking time bomb, Cheney was alive in 2000 because of timely medical care and the incredible advancements made in his lifetime in the management of coronary artery disease. Before, during, and after office, Cheney has been the recipient of virtually every new procedure and technique to treat heart disease. He had his first major heart attack at the age of 37. Prior to becoming Vice President he had four heart attacks, a cardiac arrest and underwent open-heart surgery. While in office, he had multiple angioplasties and stents placed, as well as an implantable defibrillator to treat a potentially fatal arrhythmia. After leaving office, he underwent heart transplantation. While many would not describe Cheney as an empathetic figure, his medical condition was handled with respect and compassion. Despite the multiple cardiac events that occurred, his capacity to serve – based on his medical condition -was rarely questioned. Where it was fair to debate his policies and positions, he was never attacked and/or viewed as being incapable because of the severity of his heart disease. During hurricane Sandy and its aftermath, we all saw Governor Christie climbing through rubble and traveling throughout the state of New Jersey. Appearing with President Obama, he was vibrant and full of energy. Appearing on television regularly, his size could not be missed. However, he never appeared to be limited or impacted by his girth, nor was he hospitalized or treated for any medical issue during this stressful period. The contrast and irony is startling. Christie, who has never had a major medical issue in office, is labeled to be a ticking time bomb. Yet, little attention has been paid to Cheney’s extensive medical condition and complex cardiac history. In fact, you could say that his bomb had already detonated. The difference? Christie’s obesity is not transparent. Everyday, every second, all can see his girth. In contrast, the blockages in Cheney’s heart cannot be seen. While intellectually, we can understand their significance, an angiogram or a map of his circulation is not shown by his side. Much more is also taking place. It is with trepidation and even fear of legal implications that one questions whether someone can or cannot perform their professional tasks secondary to a medical condition. Yet, the implication of Dr. Mariano’s statement is that corporeal weight and body habitus can be implicated in the determining whether someone is qualified for employment. She questioned whether Governor Christie would be able to perform the duties of national office. Thus, on the basis of size, he may not be the right man for the job. If we extrapolate this thought, it would mean that all employers could believe that a person of ideal weight many be better able to work in their establishment than a severely obese individual. Thus, when it comes to obesity, it is acceptable to discriminate. Unfortunately, this is not new news. To protect individuals that have other medical conditions, we have even passed laws such as HIPAA to preserve their privacy. It certainly can be argued that if you are an employer, you would not want to hire someone with a similar cardiac history as Vice President Cheney. Individuals, such as Mr. Cheney, are more likely to miss work time and cost more to employers and tax payers to provide sufficient health care, regarding their dire conditions. That is why, for most positions, your medical record is kept private. In contrast, in the case of morbid obesity, there is no anonymity and a test is not needed to diagnose. It is physically and socially self-evident. Imagine someone of Dr. Mariano’s status commenting on an issue of race, religion, sexual orientation, or even other any other status of adverse medical condition. Her comments would be treated with outrage. It seems that obesity is the last bastion of accepted prejudice. In a world were we have become socially and legally evolved enough to understand and accept all divergent issues, whether they be diverse in ethnic, religious, economic, racial and sexual identifications, obesity still endears itself to cultural stereotyping and profiling. It may be my prejudice, but I think Dr. Mariano was saying much more with her comments: if you are not able to balance your caloric intake, do you have the self-control to balance our budget? Can a person who is morbidly obese be a proper role model to be Commander In Chief? If you do not have the discipline to manage yourself, how can you manage our country? Also if you are not potentially in denial, would you not seek treatment and accept responsibility for creating then solving your own medical problem that would impede you from such? All such simply continues to add to the misperceptions and misappropriations regarding obesity. They also explain why surveys and studies have shown that people would rather be dead than severely obese. No matter how ridiculous this sounds, when you are obese, society looks at you with scorn. You are responsible for your condition. As a result, little compassion is expressed. Besides having a strong family history for heart disease, Vice President Cheney smoked heavily for 20 years prior to his first heart attack. Although, this certainly contributed to his heart disease, his heart disease was viewed as a medical condition, and not equated with character flaws. Obesity is not viewed with such largesse toward any individual. Another unspoken message was that Governor Christie was in denial or should be actively working to lose weight. The truth, in my opinion, is that he struggles everyday and is very much aware of the issue and frustrated by it. It has been my experience that people who are successful and severely obese wonder: ‘how can I succeed in most everything else and still fail this battle?’. So what have we learned about obesity? Is there truth to Dr Mariano’s comments? Is this just another essay that states that no one should be held accountable or have personal responsibility? Severe and morbid obesity combined with a sedentary lifestyle is the biggest medical issue that people, and de facto, our country faces. Despite medical innovation, life expectancy is expected to decline, only seconded to the epidemic of obesity and diabetes. Thus, clearly, someone that is as obese as Governor Christie is at a substantially increased risk of significant heath detriment than someone of similar age, who has a normal body mass. His statement that he is the healthiest fat person is one that I hear commonly. It usually means that he requires no medication for hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia. Obesity is representative of an energy imbalance. The causes are multifactorial and the impact variable. Not all severely obese individuals are diabetic or prone to heart disease. Those such propensities depends on the distribution of the adipose or fat tissue. Those that have central obesity, especially with fat in their abdominal cavity, are much more likely to have metabolic disease. When the majority of fat resides in the subcutaneous tissues these co-morbidities are less likely. However, their excess adiposity has other consequences. There are only few people that I have cared for that are Governor Christie’s size that do not have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition that generally results in patients awakening at night to get adequate oxygen, due to the stress on the body of excess weight. The blood vessels in the lungs contract and this puts strain on the heart. As a result, the heart is more likely to have rhythm disturbances. In addition, excess corporeal weight causes undue and substantial wear on joints and the lower extremities. It is a misnomer that Gov. Christie does not care about his physical state or is in denial about such. Besides surgery, there is absolutely no documented or successful treatment option. Laymen watch popular television shows like the Biggest Loser or daytime talk shows and think that weight loss is easy. Unfortunately, the majority of people that lose large sums of weight – regardless of whatever method – suffer cataclysmic recidivism. Intuitively, most believe that we can be trained or be taught to change our behavior and maintain weight loss. However, science contradicts these widely-held beliefs. The body resists weight loss. When caloric intake is curtailed, we respond by becoming more efficient and reducing our metabolic rate. A registry is kept of people that have lost substantial sums of weight and maintained the weight loss for five or more years. On average, to preserve their weight, at the new loss state, they eat less than 1200 calories and exercise more than an hour per day. The story of Dr. Stuart Berger is typical of the weight loss struggle. Dr. Berger was perhaps the first famous television diet doctor. While in medical school at Tufts University, he weighed in excess of 400 pounds. He lost a substantial sum of weight and authored The South Hampton Diet. His diet book was widely-publicized and he became a weight-loss guru. He died from heart disease at the age of 42. At the time of his death, his weight was again 400 pounds. With the development of minimally invasive techniques, bariatric surgery has become safer than virtually any other abdominal or weight-loss operation. Despite these improvements, surgery is a frightening proposition. Family and friends who believe that all that is needed is further education and more willpower discourage many people. This circle also differentiates obesity. In most every other condition when you reach a threshold, treatment is mandatory. In obesity, the desperation of the patients and their desire to seek options determines who gets treated. The differences in how obesity is handled and viewed continue when the decision to pursue treatment occurs. Rather than have a physician decide when a patient is ready or qualifies for a specific procedure, insurance companies require a detailed pre-certification process. This typically includes documentation of a recent diet that is supervised by a physician and includes monthly medical visits. For people like Governor Christie, this means that their life-long struggle is unimportant. Instead, they need to duplicate and relive their frustrations to obtain treatment. Such an approval process exists in no other area of medicine. d**k Cheney did not have to document his gym regimen before one of his many heart surgeries was approved. When proper treatments are met with such difficult fiduciary remuneration, it is not surprising that there are few new remedies. It is estimated that 36% of the American population is now obese. At current growth rates, by the year 2050 the entire population will be obese. Thus it would seem that products that effectively treat obesity would have a large market and a priority for ambitious entrepreneurs. Yet, this is not the case. There has been only one medical device and one pharmaceutical product approved by the FDA in the past ten years. The reasons are multifold. There is no agreement about who should be treated for obesity. There is no agreement as to what constitutes successful or meaningful treatment. Additionally, obtaining insurance reimbursement for obesity treatments is an obstacle. The approval process for surgery is arduous. Less than 30% of insurance plans cover weight-loss pharmaceuticals. In comparison, look at the new products and procedures that were developed for heart disease during d**k Cheney’s life. They include stents, defibrillators, as well as surgical procedures such as coronary artery bypass grafting and cardiac transplantation. All benefited from widespread public acceptance and a clear path for reimbursement. More than 20 years ago, former Surgeon General, Dr. Everett Koop, wrote Shape Up America. He became the first public health figure to recognize the significance of the obesity epidemic. Regardless of the dangers of obesity that have been published since its publication, the emphasis has been placed on education rather than cure. Hence, the epidemic has continued. We must realize that behavioral modification techniques that have not even succeeded in halting the rise in the prevalence of obesity are unlikely to be successful as a treatment for morbid obesity. Stated succinctly, prevention and treatment are different. We prevent bacterial infections by washing hands and avoiding contact with infected sources. We treat people, de rigeur, with surgical debridement and medications such as antibiotics. It is possible that if Vice President Cheney never smoked, he would not have had a heart attack at 37 years of age. However, no one would treat his heart disease by only having him stop smoking and change his diet. While an important component, such efforts would be combined with medications. Yet, in obesity, we still want to believe that the same techniques that are used to prevent weight gain will result in successful treatment. It is time to address the obesity epidemic. Just as we check blood pressure, we need to measure body-mass index. At a young age, those with a mildly elevated BMI need to be referred for treatment. There needs to be reimbursement for these treatments. If initial approaches are not successful, a different approach is warranted. At the end of the line will be surgical procedures. The combination of a mandatory treatment threshold and reimbursement will stimulate the search for better solutions. Coverage should be mandatory. Only with mandatory coverage will insurance companies take preventive efforts seriously. We also need to face that combatting the obesity epidemic will require difficult decisions that will limit personal choice. I am not sure that Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s sugar tax will be successful or the correct approach. But, I highly commend his attempt to bring awareness to this issue. It is naïve to continue to rely on nutritional education. We need to be bold and explore even unpopular options. These may include higher prices for items such as soda and other simple carbohydrates. An emphasis has to be placed on physical fitness. Each week, I see people in their early twenties that are permanently disabled secondary to medical issues caused by morbid obesity. Our society cannot afford for this trend to continue. What about Governor Christie? We should judge him based on his ability to govern and the record he has assembled. Should he ever feel his obesity is interfering with his public duties, effective surgical treatment exists. In all probability he could return to his normal duties in 7 to 10 days. With current surgical techniques, his obesity is far easier to treat than Vice President Cheney’s heart disease. What we also have to realize is that Dr. Mariano was talking about a lot more than the medical implications of obesity. What I heard was a fat man does not appear to be presidential. Additionally, by not addressing his obesity he has character flaws that she does not find acceptable. However, looks can be deceiving. FDR led us through WWII, and The Depression from a wheelchair. What should not be questioned is Christie’s determination and inner strength. As a leader, as a person. Despite constant ridicule and jokes about his weight, he has risen to become a national leader and is being urged to run for president. To survive the discrimination he has faced, he probably has had to perform better than those who merely look the part.

You guys are so silly !!! Okay so, Sleeve of Steel .... I am new to these boards and wanted to ask you a couple of questions regarding some previous post I have read ... How can I contact you ? I don't know how to do it through here .... ???? Stop laughing people !!! I am not very forum savvy !! I posted another tread earlier today regarding my week 4 weight gain after moving to regular food .... Was hoping you'd read it and supply some feedback on your experience ... Thanks for showing up !! Kiss kiss ????☺hahahha these guys are clowns !

I'm definitely not new to what kind of head games can happen with the scale, so I have embedded a lot of this just from how it impacted me whilst dieting. I'm not immune to hopping on the scale daily - I do it right now. I just have my "official" weigh-in once a week that I actually track, and I take the rest of the week with a hefty grain of salt (oh, wait, excess salt may increase my Water weight gain. Hmm, maybe with a grain of salt substitute?). It all comes down to knowing your body's rhythms so you don't get too upset over a short term minor stall or gain. I've fought that demon innumerable times already, and I'm sure I'll do so again, but hopefully will talk myself down before I scream something about the sky falling! I hear you about the weight loss not matching at the weight loss center, though I've become immune to that to some degree. I expect what I see there will likely be about 4 lbs different from what I see at home, between clothes and the fact that my appointments tend to be mid afternoon However, I see the weight loss center far less than my scale at home, so as long as I'm consistent about my weighing habits I will see an accurate assessment of my progress in the long term, and be able to jump on it reasonably quickly if things start going in a bad direction.

If the diet pill worked so well in the past, then why did you need the surgery? Diet pills don't work and there is always bound to be weight gain after stopping them. You know what you have to do to get the weight moving again in the right direction. Eat protein first, drink lots of water, moderate exercise, etc. Maybe start tracking your food intake again. Don't waste your time with diet pills. My sister took those pills and lost 50 pounds and guess what? she gained it all back and then some. My friend was taking another diet pill and now has heart problems from years of using them. She lost a lot of weight while taking them but guess what? Now she's gained back all the weight and then some. She's heavier than ever now. Diet pills don't work, hell if they did I wouldn't of needed weight loss surgery.

In your GP's annual physical you can ask to have your estrogen/progesterone tested. When women stop ovulating they lose progesterone, when we age our estrogen hikes to try to pump out more eggs anyway and with fat it really hikes high and everything gets bogged down. Google Estrogen dominance, it's terrible. There are different signs of it and sometimes there are no signs. Susanne Somers used bio identical hormone replacement therapy. If you keep the fat off your estrogen won't hike as high but one of the side effects of estrogen dominance is weight gain I take progesterone cream. Progesterone relaxes your muscles, helps you sleep, helps immune function, balances estrogen etc. I recommend a blood test every few years along with your physical just to keep an eye on it. http://www.ehow.com/how_4423839_increase-progesterone-naturally.html I never thought i'd have to deal with this at 37.

I got the lap band in April of 2011 and was able to lose over 60lbs. Since I got married in August I started to slip with eating habits when I enjoyed myself on my honeymoon. I then started a very stressful internship in the fall with a hospice agency. I have very little time between school, work, internship, and my marriage and find that I stopped planing meals, stopped exercising, and started stress eating. Since my honeymoon I put about 20lbs back on. I am so ashamed of this but I want to put a stop to it before things get even more out of control. I am worried that I have stretched my band and my pouch. Is it possible for your band to stretch if you over eat for a while? If so how is this issue resolved? What happens to the band and the liquid inside it when you over eat? I have started the 5 day pouch test (diet of 2 days liquid and gradually back to solids) to help tighten up my Pouch. I heard this helps WLS patients get back some feeling of restriction. I have also made an appointment to see my surgeon on Monday and hope I can get some help with this. I have also went grocery shopping and made sure to stock up on healthier food to get back on track. I plan to start up with the gym again 1 day a week. I know it's a small start but at least it's something. I started taking B12 because I feel tired all the time so hopefully this will help me get back to exercise. Can anyone answer these questions Or has anyone been in a similar situation?

Gonna get sooo flammed for this but : Ankle weights? Gain 15 + weights for the rest? Eat tons of salty food& take psuedophed right before your blood pressure test? Manipulate the test. Think of ur babies getting hit by a car, or other stressful situations during test? Eat sugary foods after midnight on the days of your glucose test. Hey- insurance wants to play- fight fire with fire! Not advocatibg this but, iit an option ifyou can still sleep at night knowing you gamed the system.

I really just need to vent. I have all but talked myself out of this surgery and that in itself frustrates me beyond belief. First off I have no choice but to be approved through insurance because I cannot afford another self-pay surgery (I had the lap band in 2006). Even if I am approved I have a deductible of $6000. That is STEEP to say the least. In order to try and get approved I have to gain weight before I can be considered for insurance coverage because I don't have any "check list" health problems and my BMI is under 40. I was told I would have to gain 25lbs. Seriously!! That goes against everything I am trying to do! It goes against everything I have been trying to achieve for the last 34 years of my life. I also, have no support with this surgery. It feels like everyone closest to me just wants to talk me out of it. They keep saying "Oh I know you can do it with diet and exercise". OH REALLY? Well let's do the math. I am 34 years old and have been obese my entire young adult/adult life. I was also heavy when I was young. I literally spent 2 years of my adult life not being obese. It was between the ages of 19 and 21. I had no relationship, no husband, no job, no kids, no job, virtually NO STRESS AND I was exercising 4 HOURS A DAY !!! Of course I was able to do it. It took me a year to lose 80lbs which was all I needed to lose at the time and I kept it off a year. That in NO WAY is a success. I gained it back plus 30+lbs so OBVIOUSLY I need help. I know that the opinions o2 weight loss surgery are vastly different. Some people are for it and some people think it is the worst thing you can do. I have found there very rarely is any middle ground. I know it doesn't help that I already had the lap band and "failed at it" but the more I learn and the more the lap band is around I see that the band is just not going to work with everyone. I try not to be hard on myself but BELIEVE ME I am and I feel bad that I wasn't able to succeed with the band. It is a huge disappointment. Not to mention embarrassing. Everyone knows that you had it so it is obvious you aren't succeeding with it. I know that there are so many worse things in life that I could be dealing with but right now this is my hell. I have these waves of excitement thinking that I could possibly get a handle on this once and for all. Then it switches to nervousness thinking about having a part of my body removed. Then I just get waves of complete "I am just going to throw my hands up and quit and I will just have to deal with being fat until I die." It helps to have somewhere to vent especially since nobody gets it until they have been there.

Has anyone gained water weight while taking OTC's? Last week was a weird week. I got really sick (cold) and was on my cycle. I gained 7lbs. I knew it could not be right. Granted I had not worked out since last Thursday, but knew there was NO way I could gain 7lbs! I dropped 4 of those lbs yesterday. I am still suffering with congestion, but feel much better. Has anyone else experienced anything like this? I go to Drs 1st week of April and will talk to him about it then as well. I was actually drinking more water to help flush out the cold and eating less. I knew I was not flushing because my urinating was not the greatest.

Hi everybody! After finally getting enough of my still increasing weight I found this site and decided to take the leap and join. Well, where to start?! Having been BIG all my life and having to endure everyone's pitiful looks and hurtful comments for too long, plus the immense difficulty of trying to find clothes in my size that look half way decent (like, not from the 40's or my grandma's closet) yet not having to save up money to just buy a simple shirt for almost $100 (yes, Europe is expensive and different that way!) I decided, not only for convenience and my own comfort and health reasons, to get RNY surgery. At that time my weight was 335 pounds and a clothes size of 28/30. I was on the waiting list for a bit over a year before the military hospital in NC asked for volunteers to have the surgery done laproscopically, so I did and my surgery was in the beginning of May 2005. At first everything was good, the weight dropped left and right and my excitement rose with each smaller clothing size. I did NOT turn out to become lactose intolerant (thank God! since milk is my coffee!) but red meats and rice still to this day give me trouble. I hit a small bump bout 6 months in, tossing my Cookies a lot, feeling dizzy and sick whenever I moved. That time wasn't fun, but a little later they removed my gallbladder and everything was fine and dandy again. The weight kept coming off, with me surfing a small plateau in 2007 just around 240/250 pounds, but I was still happy and not too concerned since everything was going fine otherwise. Then, about 6 months later, I started losing again, but at a much slower rate. I crept down to my lowest weight of 196 pounds in September 2008 at a great size 16!!! Gosh was I happy, feeling good, sexy as heck and couldn't wait to show off my wonderful new me in nicely fitting clothes that were purchased at a regular store in the "normal people" section. The first time I was able to do that, I had a high that lasted for a few weeks!!! Anyways, then all hell broke lose around me, my personal life fell apart, then merging to become an emotional rollercoaster with extreme highs and lows that plummeted into the loss of a child in my second trimester after being told all those years before that I wasn't able to have/carry a child of my own, yet a miracle had happened! Obviously I was devastated and am still dealing today with depression and the loss I suffered. With the pregnancy I only slightly gained a few pounds (about 10) before all hell broke lose. I lost my child and my uncle on the same day, my mother had nothing better to do than to blame me for all of it, telling me how ungrateful I am and that it is all my fault. Yes, that surely didn't help me then (or now even) so I did what I did best all those years ago: I started eating. Right around Christmas 2012 I got my act together, moved back stateside, got my meds in order but my weight kept increasing, although I went back to pretty much everything as I did before I became pregnant. Yet to this day, every month I gain about another 2-5 pounds, am back in clothes size 24 and am absolutely NOT happy, healthy or otherwise enthused about it! So, if you have bared with me this far (and I gotta apologize for my lengthy introduction), I am just putting out the question to all of you, who have had RNY successfully also, lost the weight, just to gain it back. My eating habits are the same as they were after the surgery, my thyroid levels checked out normal, yes I'm aenemic ever since the surgery but OTC meds are still the same too, and otherwise nothing else is wrong physically. So WHY am I still gaining weight back slowly but surely?!?!?!? I don't wanna go back to where I was/came from and I was perfectly fine and good in my new body sized 16/18. Does anyone have any ideas what could cause this? Any ideas on what I could do to reverse the direction again? Please let me know about your experiences, since I'm running out of ideas and clues on what's going on with me... any comments are greatly appreciated!

For the last meal of the day would you take a shake or a low carb protein bar? I have nu go bars which are 20 g protein and 20 g carb (not from sugar, but from fiber and sugar alcohols). I have been taking shakes before bed for several months now and want to try the bar if it is not going to mess with weight gain. What do you think?

Hello, I am new to this site, but I just finished my 6 month of the weight management required by my insurance. I must admit I have put on weight. I have just this month lost 5 lbs but I put a total of 19 pounds in the 6 months. I go see the surgeon tomorrow and am a little worried that my weight gain may get me denied. Has anyone had this problem?

While you have a very valid point about carbs, I think you are being a little too general in your response. Good carbs are foundational for the physical processes that take place in your body from moment to moment. You need them for energy, especially if you are active. They feed your brain for all psychosomatic processes. That being said, I agree with you that folks should stay away from bad carbs like candy, white bread, processed foods, etc. These will not support your body in the way that optimizes the psychosomatic and physical response. They lead to weight gain and bring out the carb monster - an uncontrollable desire to keep eating more bad carbs. A good place to start is to eat more green vegetables like green Beans, brussle sprouts and spinach in addition to fibrous fruits like apples and pears. The Fiber in the fruit helps the natural sugars to absorb more slowly. lentils and nuts are also a good carb. Try and eat low glycemic foods and you will feel both satisfied and be able to function in an optimal manner. Look up the paleo diet. Do not let my use of the word diet throw you. i am only suggesting that this is the type of foods that trained athletes will eat for optimal performance. It also helps non athletes like you and I find peace with eating and function well. I have also found energy squares from nuts.com also fill the need for eating good carbs. This is only my opinion and I hope it helps. Others might have good advice about good carb and low glycemic eating. I am still learning about proper nutrition myself for maintaining goal weight while also feeding my body for all activities in life.

A lot of insurance carriers have paid for the revision with out a hitch and others drag their feet. I'm thinking it depends on yours. I was self paid because my insurance doesn't cover wls at all. As for weight gain between band and sleeve.. UGH... I gained 75 lbs, but because of severe complications and damage from lapband I had to wait 18 months to be cleared for sleeve. Good luck!

I don't know you so take what I say as not critical of you personally. I see so many people come to the forum with absolutely no knowledge of how our bodies lose weight and I mean, knowledge about their own body. Each of us will lose differently but it seems like many have never been on a diet that requires daily or weekly weigh-ins? Many are shocked that they can gain 1-5 lbs in one day? Many believe that the weight(fat) automatically falls off as soon as the band is placed? Our bodies contain fat, muscle, bone, organs and lots of water(LOTS). Obese people can retain 40+ lbs of Water depending on their height and weight. The early stages of any diet or WLS forces our bodies to shed many of those lbs or gallons of water stored in our fat cells. So, the weight loss is primarily water early on. Sure, some weight loss is losing fat, but losing fat is all part of the calories in and calories burned math equation. Losing fat is the goal and of course any weight loss be it fat or water is good. Weight gains at this point in your journey are normal until your body sheds most of the excess fluids retained in your fat cells. IMO 6 weeks out is when you can really start burning excess fat. Until then, it's mostly water loss. tmf

Ok, the last week has been kinda stressful and I know it's only going to get worse. My job is changing greatly over the next few months and I am having learn a lot of new things and work extra to keep up with my job while I learn a new system. So maybe I am just stressed, but I need to rant for a min...... WLS is Easy WTH. I saw someone this weekend who hadn't seen me for a while and told me I looked great. Of course the next thing out of her mouth was how did you lose so much weight? I said that I was really watching what I ate, eating healthier and moving more, and that I had lapband surgery. Her comment was, oh well you are lucky then you can't gain weight. I wanted to expload at that moment. The thing is with lapband or ANY WLS you can gain weight. Gaining weight is EASY, not losing it. I can gain by eating more than I expend- calorie layden thing (milkshakes, chips, ice cream, cake, ect). I can gain just like anyone else. It really bothers me that people still have this misconception that WLS makes it so much easier. Does it help, YES, does it make it easy HELL NO. BMI vs Size Ok so here is another thing that is buggin me. My entire life doctors have complained about my weight. I have been over weight since I was 5. Over 200 since middle school (now 190's). Now that I am losing and I have studied info, I congnitivly know that the scale isn't totally accurate when it comes to my health. I have lost 50+ lbs, while my weight is in the 190's I am far smaller than I thought I would be in the 190's. Why, because of my muscle to fat ratio. It is often said that muscle weighs more than fat, not exactly true. A pound of muscle takes up far less room than a pound of fat. A stick of butter and a ball bearing may weigh the same, but that ball bearing is much smaller. So my muscle mass has increased, and my shape has decreased, but the scale isn't moving these days. Yet when I go to the doctors they look at the scale and calculate my BMI and tisk tisk tisk. WTH- Doc please look at the whole pic instead of one fasit. I am a work in progress not a completed project. Fear factor I will be the first to say that I am scared, paranoid, terrified of gaining weight back. I have tried way to long to lose, now that it has begun I do not want to revert. So yes I am almost obsessive over it. Is this good, not really, but it's me. I look at what I eat, I weigh daily, I move more. Being a scientific person I like to see cause and effect. How does what I put in effect measurment and weight. I chart every thing so I can take it to my doctor. Judgements Ok, so maybe I am paranoid that people judge me when they aren't, but I think that comes from my years of low self esteem. I often see people state, Oh you are doing what your suppose to so don't worry about the scale, don't weigh it just drives you crazy, don't worry the weight will come off. Yes, I know all the data- about the scale doesn't show the whole picture, that we should keep on doing what we are suppose to when the scales stops and in time weight will come off. But, gee am I the only human on here that while I know this, it still doesn't make me happy that the scale isn't going down. Ok, so maybe I am judging others here, but here it goes.... some people post and make statements on here that make them appear that they are perfect. They are losing, they are doing what the doctor says, they aren't weighing daily- happy, happy, joy, joy. It's like they never get frustrated or impatient ever. I honestly wonder sometimes are they really like that, or are they just putting on a front on this sight. Because while this journey hasn't been the tooth and nail climb that diets have been in the past, it has not been all hunky dory and perfect. So my thought for them is be human, I have flaws I get stressed, and I know you do to, no matter if you want to admit it or not. I think newbies need to know and see the entire picture. Yes, you do what your doc and NUT say. Will this be easy - no. Will you hit plateaus- yes. Will you get frustrated at times- hell yes. Will what works for me work for you- maybe/maybe not. Okay so enough of my ranting. If I offended anyone sorry, chalk it up to me having a bee in my bonnett to day and had one straw to many put on my pile. Thanks for letting me rant!!

Have you had any weight gain after 2.5 years?

I'm on the paragaurd IUD. It has no hormones so no moodiness or weight gain. I've been on the depo shot and it made me horribly moody and impossible to lose weight no matter what I did.