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First, always check with your doctor and follow his or her advice. That being said, I had my first glass of wine about 3-4 weeks after surgery. Neither my nutritionist nor my doctor ever said I had to cut out alcohol. What they DID say was to treat it like any other high-calorie/low-nutrient food and keep consumption low to avoid weight gain. I do find that since I'm eating fewer calories, the alcohol does go to my head a little faster, but I was a cheap date before banding, so it's not exactly a drastic difference. I'm 7 weeks post-op and I had a glass of wine with my dinner tonight. It was delicious

I was asked if I had reflux and I said I've had a bit of it but it's not bad at all. And I believe I got only because of weight gain anyway. I'd never had it prior nor with my 3 pregnancies, apart from one 10 min. episode with my 3rd pregnancy and it was awful. I haven't experience anything like that again. I don't want bypass for many reasons -but the main one is the bowel issues, dumping. I have bowel issues (all my life). The surgery would just make life even more miserable for me. I'll discuss this with the surgeon. But I would imagine they'll want to do the probe on me too.

Wow 4 hours of gagging is a lot! I usually gagged for an hour and no more. I agree so much with the dr. I know that it is a fine line and right now I am able to eat more then before, faster and drink if I choose. However I am doing my best to control it! I also understand now that my habits didn't change as much as they should have so I am working on that too. Now that I am more open it is easier to go back to old behaviors,,,I am getting a little more put in in another 3 weeks and this time it will be a little bit at a time,,,I never want to irritate my stomach like I did the last 3 months,,,yes I have also felt the food in my stomach. I actually get a shart pain in my neck when I eat too much,,weird huh? It is scary to see that many of my habits were forced to change when I was so overfilled but that I now have to rely on myself for control a little more although my intake isn't nearly as much as it was pre band. I think this is a good lesson for us all! I am happy to hear that you unfilled as the long2bfree is right,,,dehydration is not a means to lose weight and that Water just comes back and then we feel dread again at "weight gain" I need to drink more fluids anyway;,,,also dehydration is self injurous to say the least. I have done that too! Good luck and thank for that helpful info from the dr. Susan

Thanks Amazon! Yes, we are all so different. I, myself, have PCOS and have gained weight REALLY fast this year. Which is what prompted me to have the surgery now. I had POSE (it's in fda trials now) back in 2011 at 230 lbs. I lost down to 168 but never got below that. POSE is sooooo not close to the restriction that you get from sleeve but back then being cash pay I was scared to do the sleeve. Well, fast forward 4 years, a baby, fighting weight gain for about 2 years but kept it off and then BAM! Blink my eyes and 30 lbs back on me since March. So..I know I've got some issues working against me but I also know my stomach is stretched back out and I'm not satisfied on the smaller portions any longer. I also have my head wrapped around the fact that if I push it, I'll regain again and I refuse to do that. This is it for me so I'm praying all goes well and I'll get to goal and be grown up enough to keep myself there However, it is good to see those without 100 or more to lose hitting their goal because I know we don't lose as fast as those with over 100 to lose so I wondered if that affected the end result.

Good afternoon/evening, My name is Brad and I am a Microbiology research student at our state university. We are in opening talks for a "new" research direction, and I mentioned gastric bypass to the group of fellow researchers. (Back Story), My mother, her identical twin sister, and another sister (also my aunt) ALL had gastric bypass surgery on the same day at the same hospital, in 2002. The results were amazing and I'm convinced that the surgery prolonged my mother's life by decades. So this topic is both interesting as well as near and dear to me. Our research is mostly focused on how dietary changes affect the microbial life living in our stomachs and intestines. Within the last year, research as been pointing strongly toward overall body health being at the whim of our microbiome. Some of the research has been nothing short of miraculous. What we are trying to further understand is how an artificial sweetener (aspartame, saccharin, etc) rich diet post surgery may or may not lead to desired weight loss within an estimated time frame. Also, if a probiotic rich diet post surgery leads to more or less desirable weight loss within a defined time frame. Not to necessarily taint the waters with expected conclusions, but here is where we are LEANING. To date, research has been done regarding the affect of artificial sweeteners on the gut microbes. What the cursory research is showing us is that the artificial sweeteners favor a particular species of microbe living in your stomach. Since the species is favored, it is no longer held in check and their numbers begin to grow exponentially with the altered environment. These microbes are more capable of extracting greater nutrients (calories) from our eaten food. More absorbed calories COULD mean more weight gain or a slower weight loss. The most interesting part is how they are changing this behavior. Researchers are delivering high dose antibiotics to the test subjects to kill off all (most, anyway) of the microbes in the body, both good and bad. They then inoculate the test subjects with known "good" bacteria which establish a foothold in the gut and proliferate. This action, coupled with a change in diet away from the microbe altering foods, has shown some promising results. What we are trying to determine is, post gastric surgery, if there is a correlation with antibiotics given in recovery followed by the altered diet required by the surgery. My family well remembers the dietary changes we all undertook, but the idea of Probiotics wasn't even in an infancy phase. It was just too new. So, the crux of this entire post, is about post surgical dietary guidelines and if they include probiotic use. Have probiotics or prebiotics been making their way into gastric management in the 15 years since my family delved into the procedure? To those whom perhaps used probiotics, did you notice a weight loss change at a different rate than expected? Also, my mother had several other symptoms associated with her initial weight. Diabetes and hypertension were the two most prevalent. Within a short period of her surgery, before much weight loss, those symptoms had subsided. While we are not aware of any current links between hypertension and microbes, we cannot rule it out. I would be curious if people on this forum had similar results. I welcome any comments and feedback, Thanks, Brad

Hey, I heard about that guy who ate McDonalds for a month and ended up 30 pounds fatter, higher cholesterol, BP, etc... But wait... Now there's a guy challeging this weight gain. I heard him on my local station 2 weeks ago. He said he can eat McDonald's every day at every meal and remain happy - his theory is the first guy made all bad choices. So guy number two is going to do it being careful about menu selections and getting plenty of exercise... oh, and he's a body builder to begin with. So, if you have a lil yogurt cup for b-fast, plain broiled chicken for lunch, and salad sans dressing at dinner, sure, you can stay healthy while living off McD's. But who the heck can say "no" to all the other goodies other than some health freak? The reality of tomorrow's band is starting to sink in as I try to maintain my liquid fast. I'm so thankful all you people have faith in me while mine lacks (hopefully temporarily.) Thanks George, for making it not so scary!

I take small bites too. I don't have any issues with overeating; I'm just not making the best choices regarding WHAT I eat. Even if I eat bread, I can only take a few bites but I shouldn't be eating bread in the first place. While it may not be a huge issue now, I'm afraid it will lead to weight gain in the future when I am able to take more than a few bites.

It is not as simple as calories in vs calories expended. Our bodies react very differently to different calorie sources especially if you have a metabolic issue (PCOS, metabolic syndrome, syndrome X, insulin resistance, thyroid issues, Cushings Syndrome, etc.) There are plenty of documented cases of women with PCOS being vegetarian, on a diet, exercising and still gaining weight. I do believe most people who are obese have diagnosed or undiagnosed metabolic issues. I have PCOS and know for a fact that if I eat normal portions I gain weight no matter what. I have been eating on a salad plate for years and still was weighing 265 lbs when all of this started. In order to loose weight, I have to eat portions that fit on a dessert plate about what my 3 year old would eat. I cannot eat that portion without being ravenous. I got the lap-band to help curb hunger. I do get tired of doctors and others saying that there is no way a person cannot be loosing weight or even gaining on a limited diet. It happens all the time. If you are not loosing weight on a limited diet, perhaps you should see an endocrinologist and get a workup done to see if there are metabolic issues or other medical issues. Of course, see your PCP or pharmacist to find out if any medications you may be on is causing weight gain or slow metabolism.

One thing I want to say, and not in an alarmist way, is that even if you follow the guidelines, it is possible to fail. That is one fallacy I need to point out as untrue. Some people don't ever get the right restriction, for some people the band exacerbates health issues, and for others, the band fails (and I should know, I have experienced band failure in the form of a leak - this is NOT something that is caused by patient non-compliance). The GOOD thing about the band is that you have options to try to resolve issues. If you have health issues and these are picked up quickly enough, unfilling may help. If you have band failure, you can get a replacement band. But the band can also be frustrating, high maintenance and requires more input (I believe) from the patient than other WLS. As for hunger, in my case, when I'm in the green zone I lose all hunger. I am actually choosing not to seek out being in the green zone again (after replacement band surgery) because I want the balance of being able to eat relatively normally and still maintain my weight, and yet, as of this morning, I'm still losing. I've dropped another lb in the last week since my last fill, and it's simply because I'm eating less and it's keeping me full for longer already, but without the potential for stuck episodes or not being able to eat certain things. And lastly, I got to goal in 7 months, maintained for 3 years with the band, and the minute the leak happened, my hunger returned and I started to gain. I eventually managed to arrest the weight gain and even lose a little just prior to getting my band replaced but damn, it was bloody hard work fighting hunger all the time. So I cannot imagine, despite my success to date, being able to maintain easily without the band. Nor do I want to.

I am on Prozac 20 mg. My psychiatrist picked that drug specifically because it doesn't cause weight gain -- in fact, a lot of people lose weight on it.. I actually lost 15 lbs on it. I just was never hungry, but I did end up gaining the weight back (hence why I decided to have the sleeve), but did not put any MORE on. I love Prozac!

I'm not on them, but some are worse than others when it comes to weight gain. Paxil (paroxetine) is notorious for weight gain, but some of them are OK - just check with your doctor - he or she will know which ones tend not to have that as a side effect.

I am scheduled to have my surgery June 8th. My doctor's office requires us to go through a 'nutrition class' that explains how our diet should change after the lap band and what to do to make the liver as healthy as possible before the surgery. I was told that there would be weight loss the first 10 - 14 days after surgery, due to swelling. However, once the swelling goes down, I was told to expect some weight gain and not to let it get me down. One the fills start, the weight gain will start to slow and weight loss will begin once restriction begins to be felt. I was also told I wouldn't feel as restricted via fills as I will from the swelling. They also made a point of telling us that we are responsible for our weight loss. The lap band won't negate the calories in pizza and ice cream, LOL! I'm not saying that your weigh gain is due to improper dieting. It's most likely from the swelling going away. Good luck and don't try to beat the numbers on the scale. I limit myself to one weigh a week. If I weigh myself more, I try to beat the scale and end up sabotaging myself ... not good.

:thumbup: I'm feeling pretty depressed and guilty and discouraged and and and... and I'm tired of feeling this way! I've got my band in april of last year and didnt get my first fill until 6 months later. I've lost 55 pounds since but just cant seem to stay on track these days. Ice cream.. crackers.. mini candy bars at work... sometimes in the afternoon at work, I cant stop thinking about a snack. I obsess over it and end up becoming grouchy because I cant stop thinking about it. I end up feeling deprived and punished because I cant eat what I want... then the guilt that I even feel like that in the first place makes it worse. sigh... WHATS WRONG WITH ME??? I'm so happy with my success so far, but I feel I cant do it anymore. I was going to the gym 3 times a week, so even when I cheated, I wouldnt gain. Unfortunately I fell and hurt my ankle 4 weeks ago and can only do so much before I'm in too much pain.... so now I only go 1 or 2 times a week. I was working back to my consistency, but then I must of reinjured it because it started swelling up and hurting so I am back to square one. Boo! Although I know my depression meds contribute to my weight gain and my lust for sweets, it doesnt make me feel any better. Feels like excuses. Its my 41st bday today and I had wanted to reach my first goal of 200 pounds by today, but am 11 pounds short... and its my fault. I get up every morning and tell myself that today I wont eat anything I am not suppose to and that I will go to the gym and be proud of myself... but that never seams to happen. You only get what you put into it, and i'm not putting into it what I should. Sigh.... Sorry to be such a whiner, i'm just not in a good frame of mind...

I would just say that at this point, there's not a whole lot you can do to "fix" it. What is done is done. Just go into your appt and be open and honest with the surgeon. There's a chance he might cancel your surgery or post pone it, but I think the better bet is he'll just tell you to go on your liquid diet now and not fret about it. Unfortunately holiday weight gain is a problem that led many of us down this path and the only cure is to not to...which is easier post op.

The lap band is only going to help you if you've gained weight because of eating too much and not being able to stop. All the lap band does is force you to eat less. So if you think there is some other reason for your weight gain then it probably won't work. On the other hand you could be in denial. I was never overweight and then I had babies. I exercized a lot but could never lose the weight, I honestly thought it was because of my thyroid disease. I was 210 when I got the surgery and I am 5'7. In 7 months I lost about 40 pounds. It wasn't until after the surgery that I realized I had been sabotaging my weight loss by the amount of food I ate. I had no idea. Having the surgery was the best thing that ever happened to me.

I was super nervous too because I gained 15 pounds from my last PCP appt. to approval but then lost 5 of it and went to pre-op today and my surgeon didn't even mention the 10 pound weight gain as a matter of fact he told me to enjoy Christmas and he would see me on the 28th. Anyways, bottom line, I fretted over the weight gain for no reason and my insurance didn't require weight loss either.

I am at work and read through this post really fast and I have PMS and am easily ticked off... so bare with me if I make an a** out of myself. One thing I have learned is to listen to people I trust that are in the field. When I started investigating plastic surgeons, I asked my very trusted lap band surgeon who HE recommended because he knows a hell of a lot more about it than any friend, husband, etc. LISTEN TO YOUR FRIEND. Do not be in such a hurry that you have surgery with an innexperienced surgeon just because you can't wait. All the follow up in the world won't help if your band isn't properly placed in the beginning. My guess is that if you talk to the surgeon's office that your friend suggested he may have relationships with follow up care offices in your area. As for your husband saying he won't give you the money to have the surgery if you don't go to a different doctor- why the hell is he in charge of what you do with your body? Man, he is in for a rude awakening when you get the band, lose weight, gain some self esteem and kick his condescending, controlling butt to the curb. This your body. Your life. Your band future. Megan

I'm in the same boat and most psych meds have weight gain as a side effect. I've been dealing with psych meds since I was 18. Some have made me gain A LOT and others have made me gain in the beginning of taking them. I'm on a new med right now that if I forget to take one and start taking it again the next day, I am magnetized to food. I have fallen asleep eating dry cereal and woke up with the soggy chewed up remains. Now, once I've taken it for a few days, that draw to food seems to be gone. I take this medicine at night because of the drowsiness. The next day I feel like crap after I've been bingeing on food. I take 2 different psych meds at this time and they have been swapping and changing for the past 6 months because of my surgery. I'm unable to swallow pills so I have to crush them or get the dissolvable ones and since my wls I have a hard time stomaching bad tasting things.

My team said not to weigh myself so I don't get discouraged from the post-surgery weight gain. I did anyway and gained too. I lost it plus more a week later. Get your fluids and Protein and keep walking! You'll feel better as you heal. I didn't poop for a full week, btw. Best wishes! Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I am dealing with something similar. I have a lady who seems determined to make me feel deeply flawed for gaining 100 lbs since my last child. Apparently she thinks my weight gain is caused by my childhood. She sent me to be evaluated for an eating disorder and the institute staff said I didn't meet the criteria. Apparently, this lady disagrees with the leading eating disorder institute in our metro area... the same one she sent me to! I have had my personal therapist (seen her weekly for 3 years) submit a letter at this women's request. That's not good enough either. I have had the inital consult, plus 2 appointments with her, plus the mmpi, then the mmpi results meeting where she said it was inconclusive (which I know 80% end up inconclusive b/c she told me), and now she wants to meet for 30 mins in May and 1 hour in June. WTF! I feel your pain. I have done everything else since January and this women (desribed by me as about 110 lbs wearing 4 inch heels everyday - bugs me but not sure why... lol) seems bent on stalling by making up "what if's" every time we talk. I even called my insurance company thinking she was just trying to charge up as much as she could as she's contracted by the surgery clinic. Ugh! Rant over! Hope you have better luck.

@@Comfy_Blue I also got all those comments, and more. How I responded depended on who was asking. I worked at the same place for 30 years, since I was a teen. They saw me go from a cute young thing to an old, fat woman. They never commented to my face negatively about my weight gain, and I think the comments and questions were born out of two reasons: 1)Genuine happiness for me, and/or 2) They wanted to know what my magic bullet was. Even my non work friends, who mostly are thin or at least not very overweight (but work at not getting huge), wanted to know what I was doing. I told the people I was closest to that I had WLS, and the not the others. In both cases, I was forthcoming about my diet and exercise. I think it's funny, because there was always a little disappointment when they learned (in both cases) that it was still just diet and exercise, lol. It is not socially acceptable for people to ask why we are so fat, but it seems once we start losing, all bets are off. It's just the way society is, and I think it's probably because losing weight is "better", ergo, a compliment to mention it. Right or wrong, I think it's a cultural thing.

Congratulations on your loss (that sounds weird)! I too am at one year post and maitaining a 100 lb loss. Since you got a clean bill of health from your doctor, I can only hazard a guess about the weight gain. If you are sure it is Fluid, then you need to look at your new eating habits to see if something has changed recently. Have you cut back on the Water you are drinking? I know that sounds counter intuitive, but if you are dehydrated I believe your body may try to hang on to the water. Or are you drinking more caffeinated beverages. At group recently the dietician said they can dehydrate you and to make sure you are aiming for that 64 oz water goal each day. I would suggest a call to the dietician on the bariatric team, or the surgeon, if you are not due for a follow up appt. One of them might be able to suggest a reason for the retention and have some professional advice on what to do. I am just an amateur, trying to maintain my success like you.

Hello, I would like to have weight loss surgery, maybe lap band, but not sure exactly. I have completed a six month of supervised weight loss treatment with my family doctor per Medicaid insurance request in 2009. I was a BMI of 39 ½. I have asthma, insomnia, Gastro reflex disease, and chronic cough, usually occurs after meals. I have sent six month records to Winston Salem, I have not received a direct answer from them for two month. I contacted them one last time to check on the status, the nurse told me I was rejected, I wondered why and spoke with director. And found out my records were not read. Now in 2010, Even though my weight loss and weight gain is instable, I had been trying to lose weight to better cope with hyper ventilations. I went down to a BMI of 36. In the same time, I had pursued Duke Hospital around the month of April 2010, I have received a respond from them on August 27, 2010 that I am rejected because I don't have sleep Apnea. In the six month program I had to do I was a BMI of 39 1/2, a weight that I had since 13 years old, all records states that as well, I feel a bit cheated, but What do you guys think?

Hello- I was wondering what the average weight loss has been for anyone else that was banded in September '06? I was banded September 15, 2006 and was my Dr's first lap-band. Because of that, I have not had much support from his practice, as there are no previous patients to compare me to. I feel like my weight gain is too slow. :think I started at 282 pre-op and am now down to 235 and it has been 10 months. I now have 8.5 in a VG band. I had my most recent fill about 2 weeks ago. I had Thyroid Cancer 10 years ago and had my thyroid removed totally, so I am on synthroid replacement to help keep my metabolism working. Here is my daily meal schedule: I have coffee in the morning, and then I NEVER eat anything until at least Noon. then I have a small bowl of Cereal, a piece of cheese, or a couple bites of salad, until I feel like I am going to choke or I start sliming and I stop. Then I usually have small bites of things every hour or so, like a half a piece of string cheese, a couple chips, etc. I drink a lot of SoBe 0 calorie drinks to keep my fluids up. The thing that concerns me is I can eat like a half a bag of potato chips and am not restricted at all by the band. But if I eat regular sit-down-at-dinner food, I can only eat a few bites. Also, the only person who knows is my husband. Our children don't know, nor do any of my friends or family. They consider any type of weight loss surgery to be cheating. Sometimes when I visit my Dr he says I am supposed to be losing slowly, 1 - 2 pounds per week. But this last time I went and had lost only 10 pounds in 2 months, he criticized me and said I should have been well beyond the 50 pound mark by now. I am at 47 so far. I am confused as I had wanted a fill the visit before and he said no at that time. I think I need some encouragement. How are the rest of you September 2006 bandsters doing? Christine:help:

I am 2 weeks post op and while things seem to be going ok...I have gained 5 pounds back this week! HOW does one gain weight when they are on an all liquid diet of less than 800 calories a day? The only thing NEW is that my General Dr. cut out my heart pill which is a diuretic, and lowered my insulin in half and cut my BP meds down 75%. Not sure why the weight gain, but it is ticking me off to no end! It is not like I am cheating and EATING something... Very discouraged at this point!