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Your EF is good so I don't think that would be an issue or contra-indication to getting approval for the surgery. Leg swelling and weight gain is not associated with colds but it is with CHF so you might want to check it out with your MD.

I have bcbs of al. I had to do a required 6 month supervised diet with my pcp. I had documentation from my ob/gyn dr saying that I had been overweight for a number of years prior to this. I was on the lower side with my bmi so I had to have a comorbidity and I didn't really have anything major I had elev cholesterol once and I had an instance of high blood pressure. Over all I was fairly healthy. I do have some mild back pain caused by weight gain. I just followed a reg diet and that was monitored by my pcp. I was approved with bcbs within 3 days! I will get my surgery June 12!!!!

I'd agree with a couple posts above...it sounds like you might be a tad too tight as it is right now. I'm 36w5d pregnant and haven't had to have an adjustment...I do have to eat a smaller amount for Breakfast, but a normal (for me) size lunch and dinner, plus a couple Snacks in there too. I've been craving milk, so I'm getting more Protein from milk throughout the day as well. I had decided early on to not worry about weight gain and if I needed an unfill, I'd cross that bridge when I came to it. It's about getting enough nutrients to your baby, BUT as far as "eat an extra 300 calories a day" philosophy...yeah, I haven't done that so much. Still eating what I was eating before, plus some extra milk...and OJ (another craving!) My baby is right on track for how far along I am...not too big or too small. And I've only gained about 15 pounds or so with about 3 weeks to go! I've also been waking up lately at like 3am, hungry! So that's new. Ha! I'll have some milk and a piece of toast and normally that is plenty to make it to breakfast. Good luck, mama!!

My band has helped reduce hunger, and increase satiety. Those were MY major issues with weight-gain; Always hungry & a bottomless pit. I was already eating pretty healthy most of the time, except for binging on McD's 1/4 pounders once in awhile. Head-hunger. Had to learn to fill my emotional bottomless pit with other things. Still working on that.

I am on Yasmin as well. I am a continuous use gal.. I take the sugar pills at the end of the pack one time a year, (or so my gyno suggests..) which makes for a short spotty 3-4 day cycle, then I'm back to skipping the sugar pills. Yasmin has been the best for me so far, helping immensely with PMDD, and my skin... Plus no weight gain:)

My clinic say no weight gain. I'm freaking out about it as I haven't been good in what I've been eating lately. I gotta get back on track and stop eating myself out of surgery.

Long story short, I have been going to my doctors since November of last year when I was 255 with concerns about unexplained rapid weight gain. Now, its is August, I have been working with the weight and wellness center since March , but I have gone up to 284 and I am just getting zero support from any medical professional. They keep telling me to cut my calories, exercise, etc etc. I am already at 800-1000 calories a day, and swimming for an hour 6 days a week. I have met my insurance requirement of 6 months but the doctors at the weight and wellness center will not even see me until I've lost 10% of my weight. I have followed everything they wanted me to do, and done all the tests. Yet I leave every appointment crying because I am not meeting their weight loss expectations. Feeling completely discouraged and unsupported.

thanks all for the input, I have tried to limit my carb intake and up my water- im currently at 285. my first weigh in was 276 and my second at 281, I have to weigh in next week for sure im hoping to get back down to 281 so I don't show a gain. I did start birth control so im hoping a note from the doctor may explain some of the weight gain. when is everyone else due to submit to insurance for approval? I would love to be able to talk to others with emblem health!

Ditto the previous posts. But I would advise that you weigh daily or at least weekly with or without a filled band. Had you watched your weight gain I'm sure you would have put an end to it earlier. It's a slippppppery slope so be sure to stay on top of managing your loss and your eating habits at all times

Exact same medical issue. Sleeved 4 yes ago. Hiatal hernia present, mild weight gain, surgeon recommended sleeve to bypass conversion on March 19th Sent from my LM-Q710(FGN) using BariatricPal mobile app

Wow! You are me ... or I am you ... or something ... At 15 months post I had a micro-discectomy on L4/5 as I had numbness in my right foot which was emanating up into my right leg. Due to the disc leakage and now removal of said disc leakage stuff, the space between the vertebrae had lessened to the point where now bone was pressing against the nerve and now I had numbness in my left foot. A laminectomy 3 months later was the solution. Prior to surgery, I had been an exercising machine. I would run ~30 miles a week and participated in many races even winning my age/division a few times. Then the numbness ... So, as you are experiencing, my activity basically went to nil. I mean nothing. Everything was painful as pretty much any and all motion goes through your core and well ... yeah ... not going to happen. Walking, sitting or standing was painful after a few minutes. 2 months post second surgery, I began physical therapy which was a slow process. I was somewhat compliant with my at home exercises, but it was difficult as it was painful, but I knew it was the only way I could get moving again. I was finally cleared for exercise 4 months after starting PT, but wasn't able to do what I wanted as it was too painful, so I stuck with the basics from PT hoping I would strengthen. About a month ago I was finally able to run more than one block without having to stop due to pain. I attribute this to doing elliptical as it is very low impact. I am now able to run a mile and a half at about an 8 minute per mile pace. I also do an hour of weight training about 5 times a week at the gym focusing on lower back and core strength. So ... what about eating? I had been at goal and maintaining for about 10 months when I stopped exercising. I quickly added 10 pounds as I did not change my eating habits, so I knew that I would have to change that. What I did was to get back to basics stringently. I ate Protein first, didn't drink with meals and chewed very well. I stopped eating before I was full and limited my "cheats". This halted my weight gain and I lost 5 of the 10 I had gained. Since getting back into exercise I have lost the other 5 pounds and have eased how stringent I follow the guidelines as I do understand that I need calories to maintain my current level of activity. So, that is what worked for me. Follow the guidelines closer until you can get back to being active. If you need to, track everything in MyFitnessPal. Just to let you know, my numbness has been reduced drastically, but I do still have a little, which I will probably have the rest of my life. It is by far tolerable compared to where I was, which was occasionally falling as I didn't get the feedback from my feet when walking. It takes time and did get worse before it got better. Good luck!

Most people try dieting and do not succeed in losing weight. That is why they opt for surgery. The result of yo-yo dieting is in general additional weight gain. People lose weight while dieting and when they get of the diet, they gain it back and then some. Each time they do this they add additional pounds. It rarely works long term.

I started my 6 month charting back in June. Tomorrow is my last weigh in and I am totally terrified to see what the scales say. I lost weight the first 4 months and last month had a 3lb gain. I was told not to worry about it to much because different clothing and different scales can make a world of difference when weight is involved. I have done nothing but freak out about this last weigh in. I was told if I had any weight gain they would see it as me not trying and not approve the surgery. I have busted my butt to loose weight but it's no longer coming off. Infact I am gaining weight now. It never fails I loose loose loose and then it all comes back.. It's very frustrating to know that I am putting in an hour a day at the gym and watching what I eat, but the weight is staying. Is this going to affect my approval? Please anyone tell me your experience with insurance and getting approved..

Hey Everyone!!! Been gone for last week on an AP Science Conference in San Antonio Texas---some might think that would be fun----but you would be wrong!! I stayed in a dorm apartment at UTSA with my BF with now tv and very limited internet access---in fact it would kick me off every five minutes so I just gave up. Did pretty well on my weight--no weight gain, but no weight lost---aargh yet another plateau! Congrats Juli on the Tour de France challenge! I tried to get my ticker to update ---but alas no---I did not make the challenge-it has been raining so much here in Dallas and I tried to ride in San Antonio but it was raining everyday I was there--so I only did 75 miles of the 220--but I did do many workouts at the gym ( so that has to account for something ) Momlambert! Congrats on the babies!!! demsvmejm If you want to do a while you were out at my house I leave a key he he!! Tammy, Kethrya, Carol stay strong sisters!!! Got two weeks left of summer--:faint:

Ok, you have me laughing. I just had the boob conversation with my best friend. I don't want to lose my boobs! I have big boobs and I want to keep big boobs. Ok, all joking aside, here is what I am looking forward to in no particular order: Not being embarassed of my body anymore. Getting of my diabetes meds Resolving my adrenal gland issues Reducing my PCOS symptoms Wearing clothes that I like and not wearing clothes just because they fit. I can't wait to see my face again... The face I always had before the weight gain. CONFIDENCE a good role model for my children HEALTH Energy sharing the journey with people on this message board. not having to wear the sexy CPAP mask. wearing a nice nightgown if you know what I mean. helping others buying new clothes everytime I drop a size.

It has band awhile since I posted. I have been making wrong food choices and have re-gain my weight and plus.... I noticed yesterday for lunch I had a few pieces of chicken and that was it. I could not eat any more. About 30 minutes later I threw up. I know the band is working.. again with my weight gain its about wrong food choices. Well time to start up again. I weighted in this morning at 333.6 lbs ( sucks )... Goal weight 200 lbs My lowest after being banded was 269 lbs back in 5-16-06. I had no issues weighting my food then and working out was a biggie for me . Did it all the time in the past, and have to do it now. I need help with a menu, if you can post what you eat daily that would be a start me for. Thanks everyone! Joe H.

I completely and totally understand the frustrations you are experiencing. I'm so sorry you are going through this. When a band goes bad it affects every single area of your life. If you are having major band problems I wouldn't wait long to have it removed. I waited too long and have permanent problems because of it. If you slip and an unfill doesn't do the trick they won't be able to do a revision in one surgery, two surgeries is much more expensive. If you erode... again, two surgeries. Then the weight gain while you wait for surgery #2 for revision. If you are self pay don't wait, get it done as soon as financially possible.

I've put on 10 lbs in 7 mos. and too ashamed to go back to the Dr.

Why would you be ashamed? Did you have a setback? Yes, are you human? Hopefully! If you were able to do this completely on your own, you would not have had the surgery in the first place. That is true for most of us! Think of yourself before it gets out of hand. Do what is right for you to get the weight back off. Admit that you had a weakness and the weight gain was preventable, or not. Get back on track and quit beating yourself up! A little secret....I bet you are not the first to have a gain....a bigger secret...you are probably one of the few that admits it! I admire you for that. Now, do what's right for you!

I put on alot of weight pre band too. I had all the last suppers of all my fave foods I thought I would never be eating again. Well sitting here 8mths later with pretty good restriction there is nothing I really cant eat if I am careful...so all that binging trying to get everything on was a waste. Actually I can eat steak but I find it so not worth the chewing chewing for so long...so if you like a good sized steak Id recomend that, because I dont think I have seen anyone here who is properly restricted and can eat steak easily. Anyhow I really wouldnt worry too much about the weight gain, but I do look back and wish I hadnt put on so much pre op because it was so much more I had to lose. Good Luck

MRS. HUSKER CONGRAtS ON BEING NED!!!! This is wonderful news, and im so happy for you. Im glad that you are not letting the weight gain get to. You had to deal with kicking cancers butt!!! :eek: So i have been struggling majorly with my weight!!! :wink: I dont know what happened, i was doing so wonderfully and then i got lazy and things spun out of control... I havent been on here so long because i was embarrassed with myself... Also ive been kind of in denial with it as well... I realized part of the reason i was doing well was when i was weighing in every morning and coming on here and posting every day.. the support helps so much.... I have to create a schedule where i can fit in time to go to the gym and stick to it... its so hard working full time an going to school full time finding time to do homework and go to the gym plus sleep... So rather than miss out on too much sleep ive been skipping the gym, leading to poor food choices. Also ive been missing out on sleep and leading to more poor food choices.. So its a vicious cycle that must be broken!!!! so my goal for this week is to lose 1-2lbs this week. and to check in here at least every 3rd day... Anyone else with me?? -Jeni M.

Hi ladies! Has anyone had any experiences with getting the depo shot post-surgery? My surgery was Nov. 23rd, 2018. I'm terrified of the weight gain aspect and I was thinking of switching to the patch instead. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thank-you. [emoji3] Sent from my SM-G960U using BariatricPal mobile app

LOL. Carlene, you have NO idea how good your psych skills are. Yeah, he told me he has a sex addiction. He does. But I sort of do too. It was controllable for several years... I think I tried to control it with the weight gain... but now that the weight is off it's back. I've had 2 non-committal makeout sessions with guys this week - one that resulted in 'services' rendered for one man. It's not a good thing. I'm working on it. I'd never tell these kinds of things to people I actually knew. Glad this site is anonymous! You're also right about his rotten relationship skills. He called me on Tuesday because he was in the depths of sorrow (for a reason too long to go into here) and wanted moral support. At this point I was in 'friend' rather than 'girlfriend' mode for him. Yeah, he has some selfish points to him. And the way he said 'athletic' I knew he meant skinny. So maybe in a couple months, after the tummy tuck and boob job, I'll email him a photo with the caption 'Athletic enough?' Kidding.

My BMI was 37 as well, and there is a three year weight list for people with higher BMI! (Varies from province to province). My doc says the Canadian medical assoc just came out with the position that WLS should be offered to individuals before they develop the co-morbidities that go along with obesity, if there is a history of weight gain, loss regain etc. I feel the same as you, I don't want to go down that path....good luck. My surgery is Monday, November 18.

Cheryl Ann Borne hit a high weight of 285 pounds, and got the gastric bypass surgery in 2003. She maintained her weight loss, but the extra skin didn’t go away on its own. In 2013 she began a series of plastic surgeries including a tummy tuck, total body contouring, and facial surgery, and is now a size 2. Cheryl is an obesity health activist who writes as My Bariatric Life on Health Central and PM360 Online. She recently launched her new site, My Bariatric Life, and you can follow her on social media, including on Twitter @MyBariatricLife and on Google+. Weight Gain, Gastric Bypass Surgery, and Lasting Weight Loss Cheryl was an active teen, but she went from “fit to fat” as she turned to processed food. At 5’7”, she got up to a weight of 285 pounds and a size 24W. Cheryl got the gastric bypass surgery in 2003. She had diabetes, celiac disease, depression, acid reflux, asthma, and hypertension. She lost over 100 pounds, managed to get off of 9 of her 10 prescription drugs, and does not have chronic back pain anymore. You can see before and after pictures documenting her transformation by watching this video. A Typical Day in Cheryl’s Life As proof that you can follow a diet without red meat and stick to a high-protein weight loss surgery diet, here is a sample day’s diet in Cheryl’s life. The following day has 1,789 calories, 165 grams of protein, and 79 grams of carbohydrates. Breakfast 2-egg omelet with homemade creamed spinach (dairy-free) and turkey bacon Snack Coffee with coconut milk, roasted coconut juice, and egg white protein powder Mineral water Vitamins/supplements Scivation Xtend intraworkout drink with branched chain amino acids Lunch Tuna salad Baby spring mix and grape tomatoes with lemon vinaigrette Terra Real vegetable chips Dinner Smoked turkey leg, no skin 1 cup turnip greens Snack Egg white protein powder in water Getting Rid of the Traces of Obesity After losing over 100 pounds after the gastric bypass surgery in 2003, Cheryl had a lot of extra skin. In 2006, she met a plastic surgeon whom she really liked. In 2013, she decided to get a tummy tuck. The extra skin hadn’t gone away after weight loss surgery, and she wanted to get rid of it. As she describes below, she was delighted with her surgeon and the results of the tummy tuck, and decided to go further. I went from a size 14 jeans being tight to a perfect size 8 in just 4-months. I was so thrilled with the transformation that I decided to do "all of me." In October 2013, Dr. Joseph F. Capella revised the tummy tuck to a lower body lift, and performed a medial thigh lift, extended arm lift, and breast lift. Dr. Capella removed 11 pounds of skin and one liter of fat, and this enabled me to get active in ways that I was unable to with my hanging pannis and inner thighs that rubbed together. I ran my first 3k with my daughter and granddaughter and eventually I was running 5k. What's more, the muscle plication from the tummy tuck placed renewed constriction on my pouch so I am full with less food, as well, I tightened up on my diet by doing Whole30 [a strict 30-day low-carb diet] and going Paleo. In total, I lost 50 inches and 50 pounds after my body contouring plastic surgery. Today I am a size 2, down from a 24W before my gastric bypass surgery. You can go to HealthCentral to read about Cheryl’s decision to get total body contouring after her tummy tuck. She describes the emotional rollercoaster of the experience, the surgery, and her long road to recovery. She is still dealing with complications from her brachioplasty, but stresses the end goal and her luck in finding a fantastic surgeon who cares about her. She didn’t stop there, and instead decided “to reach for the stars” and see a facial plastic surgeon. In one surgery, Dr. Catherine Winslow took about 15 years off my face, restoring the once pretty face that I had when I was thin. I had a total of 10 procedures: deep plane face lift, neck lift, upper eye lid lift, SMAS (superficial muscular aponeurotic system) to tear troughs and lips, lip lift, chin implant, 35% TCA peel, Botox and filler. I go back from time to time to Nurse Triste at Dr. Winslow's practice for filler and Botox. I look at this maintenance routine along the same vein as maintaining my hair cut and color. Destined to Be a Healer Do you believe in fate? When Cheryl visited Guatemala in May of 2011, a Mayan shaman told her her Mayan symbols showed she was a healer. She could, he said, heal herself and others. As Cheryl tells it below, she wasn’t so sure at first. Then she figured it out. I visited a Mayan Shaman when I was in Guatemala back in May 2011. He said my Mayan symbols told that I am a healer. I can heal myself and I can heal others. He said that I needed to heal others, to not keep this gift to myself, or else I would experience sickness or pain and that this was the only way to cure my chronic back pain, which I had suffered with for years. The Shaman said that I need to realize my true self. The Shaman also said the symbols revealed that I am creative — that I knew for sure, but I wondered was he right about me being a healer? So I tried to heal my beloved mother who was stricken with a rare disease. And I tried to heal my beloved boxer dog, Cindi Lu, who was stricken with an aggressive cancer. But I could not save them and felt that I had failed my destiny. Then in 2012 during a personal development training, I discussed this matter with the instructor. And he replied that maybe I was meant to heal people with my words. I did not give much thought to it after that until one night in 2013, I bolted up from my bed and realized that both the shaman and the instructor were right! Healing with Words Cheryl’s work has exploded. She describes the growth of her writing and advocacy career since finding her voice. I began writing as My Bariatric Life for the HealthCentral Obesity vertical in March 2011, nearly eight years after my gastric bypass. I started out writing just a few articles per month as a health guide -- a patient who would share her real world experience in defeating obesity, diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and GERD. My work grew legs. I now write 18 articles and develop two recipes per month for HealthCentral where I have a following of roughly 75,000 unique monthly readers. I also write a quarterly patient advocacy column for PM360 Magazine under my name, Cheryl Ann Borne, and I am a long-standing member of their editorial advisory board. Cheryl also makes her voice heard by posting as My Bariatric Life on social media, including Flickr, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest. She is active on BariatricPal and a site for cosmetic procedure patients called RealSelf. Her goal is to provide fair and trustworthy reviews. And this month I will begin writing a monthly opinion piece as My Bariatric Life for BariatricPal. I also am exploring opportunities with the Obesity Action Coalition, and in the past have partnered with Obesity PPM and the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). ! Daring Move to a New Career as a Digital Health Strategy Consultant Cheryl has been in the health industry since before her surgery. She explains her career as a digital health strategy consultant. My career has been as a promotions strategist, writer, and designer in the healthcare space with the last 12-yrs in digital marketing. I’ve worked with pharmaceutical and biotech companies and digital health ad agencies and non-CME medical education agencies. I help them to understand the evolving digital health ecosystem and, based on their unique market circumstances, specifically how to communicate with patients and physicians in meaningful ways via digital channels and to ultimately achieve better health outcomes. Cheryl is determined to help people improve their lives. Transforming healthcare is important to me. It's is all about the patient. I want to make a difference; I want to help people live healthier lives. When her company cut her position in 2013, she took a positive approach and decided to focus her energy on fighting obesity. She developed a business plan as a digital health strategy consultant with an emphasis on growing My Bariatric Life, her obesity health activist brand. Paleo Follower and Recipe Developer Cheryl believes in the benefits of the Paleolithic Diet. It is a high-protein diet that you can follow after weight loss surgery. It emphasizes meat, fish, poultry, fruits, vegetables, eggs, nuts, seeds, and oils. It forbids grains, processed foods, dairy products, and potatoes. She plans to help others follow this way of eating. One aspect of my business plan is to launch the brand Borne Appétit in order to teach healthy eating habits and show busy families/couples/singles that it is easy to prepare real food, real simple, and break the cycle of time starvation and over reliance on convenience/processed foods and obesity. To truly understand what it means to eat healthy and break this cycle was something I had to achieve in my own life, and I want to share with people what I have learned through years of experience and experiment. I find the Paleolitihic Diet works best for me…and I enjoy the art of creating delicious recipes within those constraints. I also eat no red meat, only fish and fowl, so this adds an extra level of complexity, which I find stimulating to develop recipes that are not mundane or repetitious. Valuable Life Lessons You can be sure Cheryl has learned a lot of valuable lessons from her weight loss surgery and plastic surgery experiences. She knows the value of maintaining her results, living life fully, and challenging herself to live a life she loves. She also recognizes she has gained freedom and an ability to grow. Beyond the physical transformation are (very unexpected) emotional and spiritual transformations. I’ve returned to some of my roots: ideals and philosophies around the nature of existence that I had walled off (or perhaps ate to insulate myself against) when the emotional pain became too much for my sensitive nature. Plastic surgery was very freeing for me; it freed my jailed spirit. I’ve never been a wallflower but when it came to my body I was timid because I lacked body confidence. And this trickled over into other areas of my life. There were parts of my life that I hid, or situations in which I could not share my feelings, because I was inhibited by the fear of being rejected or judged. And that’s no longer true. I am now able to be my true self, comfortable in my nakedness both physically and emotionally. I am still learning and growing in these areas, particularly in understanding soul relationships and the expression of real love. We are here to play and experience as much as we possibly can. We are here to grow. Often it is through times of adversity that we grow the most because these times force us to get out of our comfort zones. I have come to understand that there are only two emotions. We are either acting out of love or we are acting out of fear, which is the opposite of love. All other emotions are a derivative of love (compassion, forgiveness, self-sacrifice) or a derivative of fear (selfishness, retaliation, deceit). From now on I choose always to act out of love. Do I let go of control and trust my intuition and follow my heart even when it defies my rational faculties or can’t be proven? If I am to act out of love, then yes. Otherwise I return to acting out of fear. As well, I have learned that I need to protect myself from the negative energies of toxic people — those emotional vampires who can turn my love into fear. An Exciting Year to Come Cheryl is expecting a big 2015 in addition to growing her presence as My Bariatric Life and working on Borne Appétit. At the Pharma Marketing Summit in Palm Beach in May, she will be presenting as My Bariatric Life and sharing her story of defeating obesity and its co-morbidities. Also new for this year, I'll finally launch my websites, a dream I've had for a couple of years. I've already launched MyBariatricLife.org for transformative information on defeating obesity and co-morbid diseases. I'll also launch my healthy recipe site BorneAppetit.com and my eating healthy on-the-road travel site BorneVoyage.com. These sites will help a lot of people. It definitely looks as though the Mayan shaman was right when he said Cheryl is a healer. She has come a long way toward healing herself through weight loss surgery, plastic surgery, and healthy living, and she is dedicated to helping others become healthier. Don’t forget to follow Cheryl on social media and through her channel on HealthCentral, and watch for her new monthly opinion piece to be published on BariatricPal! Please click here to read My Bariatric Life's articles in BariatricPal's Weight Loss Surgery Magazine.