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I'm sorry that you are struggling.... the food addiction and pyschological issues that go along with it are horrible! I've been in therapy for 8 years trying to overcome it ,but its incredibly difficult, since most of us equate food with love. It's something that we learned at an early age, its comforting.... and its very shameful, which is why we mostly eat/ binge alone. And if we're not alone we're always "explaining away" why we're eating what we're eating. It's especially shameful to have gone through weight loss surgery only to be having the same problem. I have been trying a new approach to this... and I don't know how long its going to work, or maybe it will be a new way of eating for me, but a friend gave me this book called The 21 day Virgin Diet, written by JJ Virgin. And its basically a book to see if you have allergies to foods.... foods that maybe you are having an allergic reaction to, that causes inflammation or weight gain, and we just don't realize it. The summary is... you cut out dairy, eggs, gluten, soy, corn, sugar and artificial sweeteners for 21 days. After that, you reintroduce these foods, one at a time for a week at a time, to see if your body has any reaction to it. I've been doing this for about 8 days... and have lost about 4 lbs. But i'm trying to not make it about the weight for me, becuase that takes me to a bad place. If I can convince myself that maybe I do have a food allergy... maybe cheese, although i love it, isnt the best thing for my body to be ingesting? Or maybe i shouldnt be eating soy? Sometimes, we can convince our brains that this is not a diet... I mean, you can eat as much as you want, just not any of those things.. therefore.. i'm not restricted, therefore, its not a diet. I figure its worth a shot... i have nothing to lose... you may want to look into it and see if its something that might help. Take care! Nikki

So nothing was said about my 2.2 pound weight gain. I should set my date up tomorrow for surgery but it also depends on my insurance/union.

When I was 160 pounds pre-weight gain I wore a 36C...went up to a 42DD at 294 pounds..Down to 138 pounds and was a 36A...Got implants and lift and now back up to 36C/D.. Wow the journey of my boobs! lol

I went on the pill this past October. The first month was kinda frustrating because I immediately hit a 6 week plateau, but I did start losing again and have been fine ever since. When I went in, I was interested in Depo-Provera. My gyno said no way she'd put me on it because of the massive weight gain people experience on it. So, she recommended the pill. I'm happy with it, however, everyone is different and the hormones effect everyone differently. I'd talk to your doc about it.

Merhaba! I am American and have been married to a Turkish man for over 15 years and we have 3 kids that all are fluent in Turkish. I love his culture and want my kids to understand that side of there heritage. We live in Michigan, but we go back to Istanbul every summer for 6 weeks. One of my main concerns is tea time! I'm not wanting to tell my husbands family about the sleeve surgery since I had the lapband before and they acted like it was the easy way out. I felt like they couldnt appreciate that I worked hard to lose the weight and felt constantly judged, even more than when I was overweight! When my appendix ruptured in 2010, they had to remove the band because I became septic, and I've gained 80 lbs back in 2 years. Last summer I felt so depressed while we were there because pretty much everyone mentioned my weight gain. It's like it proved their point that the band did the work for me and now that it was gone, I was a failure. I'm getting sleeved next week, so I am hoping to lose at least 60 lbs by July when we go back to Turkey. I plan to tell them I lost it from portion control and exercise. Now, back to why I'm concerned about tea time! In Turkey they have tea twice a day with little appetizers and cookies/biscuits. If I can't eat and drink tea at the same time, I feel like it will be obvious and I may have to explain why. Has anyone 6 months out had little sips while they eat? I guess I'm being kind of ridiculous, but even my husband agrees that it will be easier to not have to explain my surgery to them. I think its mostly because he doesn't want to have to translate for me though! Lol... I speak Tarzan Turkish. I can understand a good amount, but when I speak, I guess I mix up the subject and verb and speak in a very simple way. Sorry for the novel! So nice to meet others from that side of the world!

When I was a baby, my father remarked to my mother: 'She's going to have problems with her weight in the future.' Apparently I was physically very similar to his mother. It turned out he was right but not for the reasons he believed. Ironically, it was his life choices that set me on the road to super morbid obesity. Whenever I want to imagine myself as slim and fit I have to go way back through the photo albums to the age of twelve or so. My thighs were so muscular, tanned and slim then! I ate normally, felt normally, behaved normally. I had friends at school, worked hard, and as the daughter of a vicar, was expected to behave impeccably. At the age of twelve my father abruptly left his children, his job and his wife for another woman and we had to vacate the vicarage quickly. We moved to a small, moldering terraced house in a rough part of Manchester. Our diet changed to extremely poor quality food as my mother struggled to care for her three children without the assistance of Child Support (I don't think it had been invented then). I ate to comfort myself, to choke down my feelings of abandonment and sadness. I stole change from my mother to buy sweets, I sneaked out of school at lunchtimes to go home and eat chips and cry on my own. My weight gain and my obvious differences in life experiences from my new classmates meant I was bullied, not only by the 'in crowd' of girls in their smart clothes, but also by my sadistic PE teacher, who on one occasion brought a tape measure into the girls' changing rooms and measured everyone's vital statistics. The closer to the fabled 36-24-36 they were, the more they were congratulated upon for being 'nearly right'. My home life didn't improve. My mother met a man who was an alcoholic and he moved in after their second date. Years of drink, violence, abuse and other horrors took its toll on my mental health and I began self-harming in secret. How is a fourteen year old schoolgirl, already reeling from changes in her life supposed to react when she comes home from school to find her stepfather passed out in the garden, his trousers to his knees, fully exposed and wet from urinating on himself? Worse still was later on when he had come round, expected to sit around the dinner table as if nothing had happened. My weight climbed and my self-esteem plummeted. At fifteen I went on my first ever diet. A quarter of a glass of grapefruit juice for breakfast, half a slice of dry toast for lunch and a quarter of a tin of mushroom soup for dinner. I lost weight, I obsessed about food constantly and my yo-yo had begun its lifelong twirling. I dieted several times in my life - sure to lose many stones then just as surely putting them back on and some. One does not simply wake up at 27 stone, it is the peak of years of food use, abuse and denial. My last big loss was in 2008 when I lost almost eight stone through strict diet and increased exercise. Four years later ... every stone is back and they, as always, brought a couple of friends back with them. I know this would have been the pattern for my almost certainly truncated life had I not had the incredible good fortune to have a mother about to receive a hefty inheritance along with a deep sense of guilt and regret for some of her life choices. I asked her several months ago if she would consider releasing some of the funds that she intended leaving to her children in the future early, enabling me to have private WLS. She said yes. It has happened very, very quickly. A medical screen by a bariatric nurse yesterday, followed by a consultation with a surgeon booked for next Tuesday. As soon as the funds come through (early December) I will have a date for a sleeve gastrectomy booked. The WLS is only ever going to be an aid, not a cure for my weight. I know I have years of poor eating habits and psychological difficulties to work on. But I have never been in a happier place personally than I am now. A husband (blimey!), a sense of direction (future children and employment) and a maturity of self set me in good stead for this undertaking. Bring it on.

It's been six months since my sleeve surgery (6-12-12). It's been up and down, but mostly up. I'm incredibly pleased with my 75 lb. weight loss. Yes, 75 lbs! I feel like a completely different person. I have 25 more pounds to my goal of 100 lbs. lost. I not only used the surgery as a tool to eat a considerably less amount of food, but I hired a personal trainer to help me tone and ward off the potential weight gain from old habits that don't seem to go away. Yes, it is almost impossible for me to consume amounts of food like I used to, but its the wrong kinds of foods you must be aware of! If there is anyone on the fence about this surgery, you have every rig to be scared or to wonder if this is right for you. It isn't right for everyone. You can really hurt yourself if you don't listen to your body! It took me awhile to realize the pain in my chest, that was my body telling me I'm full and I need to put down the fork, NOW! At times I would get sick, and you learn. I stay away from most breads and rices because they just aren't worth it to me, and they are carbs, so it is a win/win! I get the occasional criticism, "oh, you cheated," or "it was the easy way out." Look, you go lay in that hospital bed after I woke up from having major surgery, and we'll discuss what was the easy way. It hurts. It's hard. It's also expensive. But it's worth it. I would be 27 with diabetes and high blood pressure, hitting the scale at around 250-260. I think I did what was best for me. Thank you for listening. And to whoever set up this site, thank you. Before and after my surgery, I checked this app daily. It was extremely useful!

Ironically I've stalled as well at 6 months as well. I've focused on maintaining portion size and upping the exercise. I gave myself two weeks off 'dieting' and watching every calorie over the holidays. Fortunately no weight gain. Hoping after treating my body to some treats, I'm back to work, in routine, tracking calories and looking at changing my exercise routine to something more intense to jump start the weight loss again.

The surgery is done on the actual stomach and not the abdomen or abdominal muscles. But your abdominal muscles could be due to the weight gain which would need to get fixed/ tightened by having abdominoplasty aka tummy tuck.

I think that normally, as in, compared to other forms of hormonal birth control, the Mirena has a very low incidence of weight gain. But the way our hormones are completely out of whack for a while after surgery has got to play a part in the issues a lot of women have with hormonal birth control post op. I've read that our fat cells store hormones and as they burn off this could play a part. I have no idea. I can say that I was a slow loser the entire time I was trying to lose, but after a very brief period where I was initially happy with my Mirena, I had a very tough time losing. I'd hate for you to remove the IUD if it's working for you, only to discover that you lose no faster. That said, I'd hate to see you have the same struggle with very sluggish loss like I did. It's all a coin toss, unfortunately, with no real guarantees. Good luck whatever you decide. Here's the post I made in May 2011 after I had mine removed: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/17214-is-your-birth-control-the-culprit/page__hl__%2Bbirth+%2Bcontrol+%2Bculprit ~Cheri

Has anyone else noticed the increased snoring with weight gain? I think I may have always been a light snorer (is that even a word?! lol), but it's getting ridiculous now! For those of you who snored before, can you tell a difference after losing weight?!

Hello, I got sleeved 20th decmber 2012. according to my Doc weight gain means your eating to many carbs and/or not exercising enough. 80 lb is amaizing great job:) get protein in first then vegies, carbs last. have 3 meals a day with healthy snacks in between. calorie intake should be 600 to 800 calories a day when your at goal weight you should never exceed 1200 a day, unless you go below target weight. I got all this info from the book my doctor gave me. Good luck I wish you the best, shrug it off and start a new day you can do it

Well i got approved with some extra documentation. i ducked out of here because i had gone on the 2 shake diet, lost 14 lbs and then they told me I was going to have to do weight watchers for 6 months. So I compleatly wigged out because the surgery planner told me to just maintain that weight for six months. They said if; lost too much more, i wouldn't be covered. I have to be over 40 Bmi even with all my medical problems. I have never been a weight I needed to maintain...so no surprise, I now have 10 lbs to Lose again. Once my doc faxed over the proof of weigh once a month at his office, they approved it. Sooooo my pre-op class is Friday at 8 am. They are calling me back to schedule a surgery date. It could be this month, I will have to waiting and see....but I am approved. I am mad at myself for the weight gain...now I am back to shakes starting tonight since I already ate lunch. I am feeling very nervous now. I am worried I won't lose it in time...I am going to have to be close by Friday.....how am I going to lose 10 lbs by Friday? Any suggestions? I know it is my fault for reacting in this way and I know it is my responsibility to lose this weightl but I am seriouse about this...please help it you can.

Changing tastebuds are a very common side effect of VSG. You may or may not regain a taste for sweets- many people do not. If sweets were a big part of your previous diet and contributed to weight gain, then I'd call it a victory. It will probably take months to feel "normal", but its all relative as your eating patterns are now permanently changed.

So... I've been a busy new mom, so I haven't been on posting as much as I'd like, but I thought I'd update everyone on how things went. Hopefully this will be encouraging to other bandsters who want to have babies! So after several years of infertility, I do believe that my weight loss from being banded helped me get pregnant, have a healthy pregnancy, and a healthy baby. I got pregnant in July of 2011 (one month after being banded!) and had a miscarriage. Then I got my a** in gear and worked with my doc to balance out my hormones; but she said that she thought I was healthy enough to go for it! I got pregnant with my daughter in January 2012. These were my fears: 1) Nausea and vomiting would make me slip my band... Well, I'm glad to report that although I did have a fair amount of nausea, I was just really careful about keeping it under control as much as I could, and when I did throw up, to treat myself as well as possible. No slippage! 2) Weight Gain Well, I have 2cc in my band, and I still have 2cc in my band, and I still have restriction. I still don't know if I'll ever need a fill or not. I only gained about 17 pounds total for the whole pregnancy, and I've lost that and then some since she's been born (Yay breastfeeding!) 3) Other complications I had NO gestational diabetes. I think though, that this is because I was EXTREMELY picky about my diet throughout my pregnancy. I realized that everything I was eating went directly to the baby, and with the lapband, I had to make the best choices possible nutritionally so that I got enough nutrition in to help my little one grow. That being said, I did have a couple problems. I don't know if they were related to my weight or not... certainly not to the band, but here they are: Kidney stones: Yes, I had them. They HURT so bad!!! I thought I was going into early labor; but nope. Kidney stones! Fortunately, they were small enough that I just passed them. OW! Pre-Eclampsia: I developed high blood pressure at about 26 weeks. It just didn't go away... eventually it got worse and worse, and there was Protein in my urine. I got induced two days before my due date and my blood pressure was 190/110!! Fortunately, the cure for pre-eclampsia is to have a baby! Swelling: I had a lot of swelling, but I think it was due to the pre-eclampsia more than anything. I got scolded by doctors for 'doing too much.' I was told to stop exercising at 7.5 months. C-Section: This was most likely related to being induced. A lot of the time, when the body is in an unnatural state of labor, ie induction, it's just too much stress on you and the baby. I never dilated past 4cm, and the baby's heartrate was fluctuating dangerously. I tried to labor. I labored for over 30 hours, and nothing... so I got a C section. I'm actually not disappointed. The medical staff was awesome, and I really liked my doctor, and they took good care of me. My baby girl was born perfectly healthy 7lbs 8 oz with an apgar score of 9! She had no health issues whatsoever. Funny things: Doctors kept thinking that my port was the baby's foot. It poked out a lot during pregnancy. I called it my 'turkey timer.' So I hope that provides some perspective. I really hope that all of y'all who are hoping to have babies get to experience this joy. You all deserve it! If anyone has any questions, I'll be happy to answer them! Here's my little sweetheart! She's now 3 months old!

Ohh good to hear that weight gain after you start to eat mushers is normal!! I was down 28 lbs between pre op and post op then started my mushies and gained 4 lbs!! I was so darn mad!! Lol I blamed it on getting sick with upper resp crap and being unable to continue with my mile walk each day! My option was walk or breath! Lol

Ohh good to hear that weight gain after you start to eat mushers is normal!! I was down 28 lbs between pre op and post op then started my mushies and gained 4 lbs!! I was so darn mad!! Lol I blamed it on getting sick with upper resp crap and being unable to continue with my mile walk each day! My option was walk or breath! Lol

Happy New Year everyone So I made it through the Christmas season without gaining a single pound. Now that is a first but we will see how the next 3 months goes because I start my supervised diet tomorrow. I have faith that I will do good and even though my doc doesn't care that I don't lose any weight I am still going to try. He actually is really excited about my journey as well as my registered nurse. I had an appointment with her on Friday and she was really giddy about me and my journey. I think that was the push that I needed to really work on the issue and be completely ready for my surgery in May. Any who....enough about that and more about the project that I have started with the encouragement from my therapist. When I was home for Christmas I looked through pictures of me from when I was born until high school and noticed the weight gain that I never noticed before. I think when I hit junior high school is when the weight started to increase. With that being said you can also notice the ups and downs weight that I had as a small child. I even found a picture of me stuffing my face (I think I was about 5 or 6) and my dad laying down on the couch eating as well. I guess father like daughter is actually true after seeing that picture While looking through the pictures I actually became sad. I noticed how cute I was as a child and what would it have been like if I wasn't as overweight in school and in my 20's. Would things be different or would I be different than I am now. I was so innocent as a child that I don't think I realized that what I did back then would actually hurt me today. I am about to turn 35 in less than 14 days and I have more motivation now than I did 10 years ago. 2013 is going to be my year and I soooo look forward to sharing it with each and every one of you all.

Ok so I am 3 weeks post op. I lost 30 pounds pre op and 21 pounds post op. week one I did protein shakes, broths, sugarfree pops,jellos, and sugarfree beverages. Week 2 same as week one but was able to add thin soups without chunks, now week 3 mushies like canned chicken and tuna in food processor with 1 tsp of light mayo, soft scrambled eggs, cooked veggies. I get to have solids on Thursday but I weigh once a week and this week I had a gain of 3 pounds. I was shocked...I only eat 3 times a day and drink all my water and I am not retaining any fluid and I am only consuming 400 to 700 calories a day. Did I gain cause I went from pure liquids to thicker foods now? Will I gain again when I go to solids? Has anyone else had this happen?

Great Idea My name is Lee Ann, I 41 years young. I have been married for 26 wonderful years to my soul mate. I have a son who is 23 and two beautiful daughters twins who are 22. I also have 2 dogs oscar and pookie. I am a Texas native, I have llived hear most of my life. I am also a stay at home wife. I only ever worked if I wanted to. What started as my weight gain was when I was 21 and my mother passed away at 56. She died from brain and lung cancer, so I started soothing my pain with food and kept on for years. I finally work up one day and said that it was enough. I love animals all kinds. I have a dream of doing so many different things before time runs out, like horse back riding, skydiving, wearing Victoria Secret, flying in an airplane. I always put others first in my and I still do. My family are the ones who finally encouraged me to do this, they always tell me that its my time. I guess I can really say that I am one of the luckiest people in the world because of the way my family appreciates and LOVES me. God Bless Everyone may your destination be your dream come true!!!

You're choking on a piece of chicken but able to eat Doritos because you're too tight. Doritos are slider foods and slider foods go down always and easy. This is exactly why a band that's too tight leads to weight gain. As for the band...it has tons of use when you use it correctly. I'm sorry your surgeon didn't properly educate you. Unfortunately, just because someone is a doctor doesn't mean they're a good one. The band is supposed to keep you satisfied on less food for longer periods of time. Isn't the fact you're expecting it to stop you from eating and make you feel full, yet it's not working, a clue that something is wrong? Like...maybe your expectations? Food for thought. Good luck.

I have been following a fairly low carb consumption since surgery. I don't count them but probably sit around 20 grams a day. Most recently one day I consumed 6 crackers, this sent me on an eating frenzy(as much as it can be) I felt that I ate more protein and didn't get my full feeling. Well the next day up 1.6 pounds. I know that carbs need water and I am sure that this is water weight but has anyone experienced this? Is this why it may be better to go a few pounds below goal because when you get to goal and start consuming more carbs you may retain the water needed for the carbs? Any insight is greatly appreciated.

I'm Julie. Born and raised in Louisiana but married a Mississippi man and moved here to be with him. I'm 40 y/o. Married to my soul mate and mother of a 17 yr old son with special needs. I work 2 jobs. So life is stressful. I was thin and even a beauty queen in my younger years but weight gain begin in my early 20's. my first consultation is Jan 14 w Dr Borland in Louisiana. I'm self pay ($9800) and I am hoping to schedule my surgery Feb 26. I hope to lose 130-160 lbs.

Well yes to gain a pound you still need to consume 3500 extra calories. I guess also though that any weight "gain" that we have has to be related to water. I can eat 200 more calories than normal and gain 1.5 pounds! It is frustrating but I guess I keep my carbs low and my excess water is nil at this point. So water fluctuations it is!!

You'd be shocked how many people walk around with bands too tight for fear of gaining weight- yet are already gaining weight- then actually start losing weight again once they get a little fluid removed and can actually eat healthy foods again. The band being too tight is likely a big part of your weight gain. Best wishes to you.