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My "railing" is against Almanza. He is a narcissistic A**hole who cares only about money. He is a terrible surgeon as well as a horrible person. I have been accused of all sorts of crap on this message board.. working for another doctor, not following my original lifestyle changes. I dont even care anymore, I certainly do not have to explain myself. I was simply wanting to WARN people about Almanza. I dont have to do that anymore, His name is all over the news, the interned for putting people in comas, dropping off a near dead man at the border. My slow weight gain came 7 years after my wt loss from Mexicali Bariatric Hospital ((((WONDERFUL))) .. oh and NO i dont work for them, LOL. I am self employed living now in NorCal Tending to my ageing mother. My lifestyle really changed when I moved here, not much to do, no bike trails, I didnt know anyone and I became very depressed. It took about a year but I climbed about 40 pounds up the scale. Desperation and insufficient research led me to almanza. I knew there was something very wrong about him within 10 minutes of meeting him. red flags were popping like fireworks. I should have trusted my feeling and FLED. MY BAD. I own that. He cut me and created the worst adhesions, and he ran out of time before doing any resleeve. (all of this is documented at his strip mall "clinic", in spanish of course but I got one of the staff to run a copy of my 'eyes only' notes and its wasnt difficult to have it translated.) So he sloppily sewed me back up NEVER having so much as touched my stomach. I ended up going BACK to Mexicali Bariatric and they had much work to do to cut down and cut out some of large adhesions, one of which had attached to my bowel. They performed a duodinal switch (did i spell that right) and chose not to re-cut my stomach. I wish they would have but I trust their decision making. I am 15 - 20 pounds from my goal, getting a handle on the depression, making friends, finding bike trails and parks, waking in the mornings and all in all things are looking up. So go ahead and speculate, blame, accuse ... there are certainly a few of you on here. For the most part those who i have corresponded with personally from here have been absolutely delightful. And the fact that THIS website will do anything to avoid association with almanza should speak volumes. Best of luck to everyone, even my detractors. I'm pretty much done here, but I wish you all the best. OH i actually WISH i worked from one of the DOCS, haha, I would have some extra skin removed!!!!! baahaaahaa

you are just precious but the vicious cycle of depression/ weight gain/ fractured hip... loss of income.... im just too weak. I need surgical help

I am 8 weeks post op and have lost 35 lbs so far. I started exercising last Monday. I have gained 3 lbs since then. What the hell?! It was literally overnight. Anyone have this happen? I had the lapband with plication and no fills yet.

Fear of failure or critisim and shame are powerful tools that sabotage us. It's likely the reason why many of us comfort ourselves in different ways. Food, alcohol, sex, religion or other substances and activities help distract us or let us escape from those feelings. Sadly, some of the ways we can self medicate have negative affects. Maybe if you start your conversation by telling the drs that you're afraid they'll chastise you, it will help them understand. Remember that they've likely had other patients who've experienced this come to seek help. I hope any dr who helps people who are over weight realizes that weight gain is not a cause, it's an effect. That's seems like a simpe concept and I'm not a dr. You need to be helped, not scolded or told by your Dr or from some Dudley do right on their own journey who loves to feel so enlightend by stating the obvious (ex: "You have to stop eating the white chocolate."). I've had the band for seven years now and I understand now that it's not the biggest resason I lost weight. I lost nearly half my weight going from 289 lbs to 148 lbs, went up to a more comfortable weight of 165lbs after being told I looked sick and now I'm up to 180lbs. I was freaking out over the fear of getting huge again. For me that was a hellish prison. I'm a bit older now and maybe my motivation isn't as fired up as it used to be but I thought maybe by going to the gym and joining this site it will help trigger some reaction. "For every action theres a reaction", right? Your fear or shame may be the real problem here so don't beat yourself up. It sounds like the time I had to climb this really tall ladder. I stood at the bottom of it for quite some time, staring at the top of it thinking "how the heck is my foot going to reach that high up?". After feeling very nervous and thinking it might be easier not to bother trying at all, I looked down and saw the first step. It was only a small step up but it got me closer than staying still. That's obviously a fictional storey and simpler compared to what we are really dealing with but things can only get better if you do something, even a small thing. Actually, you already made your first step by posting the problem and you may have helped someone else who can relate to you..... like me!

To the weight loss surgery patient slider foods are the bane of good intentions and ignorance often causing dumping syndrome, weight loss plateaus, and eventually weight gain. Slider foods, to weight loss surgery patients, are soft simple processed carbohydrates of little or no nutritional value that slide right through the surgical stomach pouch without providing nutrition or satiation. The most innocent of slider foods are saltine crackers, often eaten with warm tea or other beverages, to soothe the stomach in illness or while recovering from surgery. Understanding Slider Foods The most commonly consumed slider foods include pretzels, crackers (saltines, graham, Ritz, etc.) filled cracker snacks such as Ritz Bits, popcorn, cheese snacks (Cheetos) or cheese crackers, tortilla chips with salsa, potato chips, sugar-free cookies, cakes, and candy. You will notice these slider foods are often salty and cause a dry mouth so they must be ingested with liquid to be palatable. This is how they become slider foods. They are also, most often, void of nutritional value. For weight loss surgery patients the process of digestion is different than those who have not undergone gastric surgery. When slider foods are consumed they go into the stomach pouch and exit directly into the jejunum where the simple carbohydrate slurry is quickly absorbed and stored by the body. There is little thermic effect in the digestion of simple carbohydrates like there is in the digestion of protein so little metabolic energy is expended. In most cases patients in the phase of weight loss who eat slider foods will experience a weight loss plateau and possibly the setback of weight gain. And sadly, they will begin to believe their surgical stomach pouch is not functioning properly because they never feel fullness or restriction like they experience when eating protein. The very nature of the surgical gastric pouch is to cause feelings of tightness or restriction when one has eaten enough food. However, when soft simple carbohydrates are eaten this tightness or restriction does not result and one can continue to eat, unmeasured, copious amounts of non-nutritional food without ever feeling uncomfortable. Many patients turn to slider foods for this very reason. They do not like the discomfort that results when the pouch is full from eating a measured portion of lean animal or dairy protein without liquids. Yet it is this very restriction that is the desired result of the surgery. The discomfort is intended to signal the cessation of eating. Remembering the “Protein First” rule is crucial to weight management with bariatric surgery. Gastric bypass, gastric banding (lap-band) and gastric sleeve patients are instructed to follow a high protein diet to facilitate healing and promote weight loss. Bariatric centers advise what is commonly known among weight loss surgery patients as the “Four Rules” the most important of which is “Protein First.” That means of all nutrients (protein, veggies, complex carbohydrates, then fat and alcohol) the patient is required to eat protein first. Protein is not always the most comfortable food choice for weight loss surgery patients who feel restriction after eating a very small amount of food. However, for the surgical tool to work correctly a diet rich in protein and low in simple carbohydrate slider foods must be observed. The high protein diet must be followed even after healthy body weight has been achieved in order to maintain a healthy weight and avoid weight regain.

Is it time for your lap band to be adjusting? Source: http://hubpages.com/...-to-be-adjusted Video included Getting a lap-band and undergoing lap-band surgery isn't your typical weight loss surgery. You must follow very strict measures set forth by your doctor in order to continuously lose weight and recover properly. Non compliance with these orders may result in unfortunate results or further complications. One very important aspect is knowing when it is time to adjust your lap-band and communicating this to your doctor. Some factors that will aide in lap-band adjustment are the following; how long ago you had the surgery, your gastric band size relative to your situation and your diet to name a few. After you get a lap-band, your band will need to be adjusted periodically to bring about weight loss. This will depend on your newly acquired eating habits. You will be given specific foods to eat, foods not to eat, amounts of food/water and signs to look out for. Once you begin your new diet suited for your band you must monitor your body closely. This is the only way you can determine if it's time to adjust your gastric band. Primarily it will take some time before your first adjustment takes place under most circumstances. The early stages normally deal with healing and getting used to your band. Overtime your eating habits should begin to change and a loss of weight will follow. If you are following your new diet plan and exercising and still gain weight, you may need an adjustment. Speak with your doctor first about your liquid intake along with the amount of proteins you are ingesting. If you drink more liquid, you will feel fuller sooner and in turn, eat less. This may be a solution to weight loss instead of an adjustment. You could eat four pounds of unhealthy foods and four pound of healthy foods and gain the same amount of weight. It isn't the amount you eat but what types of food it is. Eating four pounds of certain foods may bring about weight loss which is the desired result. You have to watch and see how your body reacts to certain food and drinks. If you don't feel hungry after you eat a plate of salad but still fill hungry after you eat a plate of the same amount of another kind of food, salad would be good to eat regularly. If you are experiencing side effects after your lap-band surgery you should contact your doctor immediately. This may be caused by diet but it very well may be a sign that it's time for an adjustment. Other things to watch out for are acid reflux, stomach cramps, vomiting and weight gain. They are possible signs of needing a band adjustment. Spend some time doing further research and don't hesitate to seek medical attention when needed. Everyone's situation is different and these tips should be viewed as a general guide to lap-band adjustment.

I am almost two years out( July) I can not loose anymore weight. I went from 273 to 188 and now back to 199. I need help. I am getting married in July and want to look amazing. I am only 26 and this is starting to depress me. Hence the weight gain from depression meds.

I had to take the 2 antibiotics and a PPI's for this. Make sure you take all three because it can come back. I didn't gain weight. It can cause weight gain if you get an overgrowth from yeast because of the antibiotics . Also after you are done with the meds start taking a very good probiotic. There are good ones like Dr. Oheria I think is the best. There are others like Renew Life. Best of luck to you

I can attest to the pms weight gain. Every month it just soooo hsppened i was scheduled the week of my cycle, pure coincidence, to have my monthly meetings w/ the surgeon..!!!!! For this 3 month period ot actually looks like i gained weight from my initial appt. I just took some diurex or ramped up my Water intake from 64 to 80oz a day.. it helps!!!!! Best of luck and you should be fine Sent from my SAMSUNG GALAXY SII Skyrocket using LapBandTalk

I'm 3 weeks out and I'm hitting 350-400 calories. I don't think you are going to mess up at your metabolism at this point. I spent my six month pre-approval doing 800 calories a day and hitting 80 grams of Protein and staying about 45 -60 grams of carbs a day and I lost weight, gained muscle tone during that time. That's pre-surgery with a regular sized stomach. I think you would be pushing it to try to get in more calories. I'm still on liquids. The body will use up the carbs you are using for energy and there are plenty of fat stores for the body to have to burn through before you start messing up your metabolism and blowing through your protein stores. This should not even be a concern at this time. ps I think most people stay at about 800 calories a day until they are in maintenance and those that are extremely athletic may go up 1200, but on a whole, maintenance is about 1100.

I've been called fat since I was 145(in 6th grade at 5'1" tho) all the way up until my highest at 275. I had friends that told me this surgery was stupid and lazy, that I should do it with diet and exercise...DUR! gee I never thought of that...and this is coming from a person that is comparing her needed weight loss of 10 lbs to my 130 lbs. Also I had one person recently ask how my weight loss was going...I said fine, and she replied "I could never do that surgery...I think I'd just rather go run another 10 miles." My mom used to make comments every time I walked into the kitchen. She once said she'd rather have me be anorexic than fat, this coming from an overweight woman herself who has an anorexic and bulimic sister who has been struggling for 30 year. When I go to restaurants, they always assume my b/f and I are just friends...since he's normal sized and good looking. I have lost all my friends since I've gained weight. My teacher last year (during my worst months of weight gain) told me the biggest problem I had in writing my english papers was because I was lazy. The farthest from the truth, I was in multiple clubs, got damn-near straight A's, played violin for 9 years, took care of the house and bills from age 13-16 while my mom was on her deathbed, I helped take care of my nephew while my brother was in basic training and his ex-wife tried killing herself by jumping off a bridge, and I also was having a hard time with depression/bipolar-like mood swings and panic attacks. But I was lazy. I've been ignored everywhere. I once talked to a guy I met at a party, we were texting and he says "Oh yeah, you're the fat girl." I had a guy friend not go out with me, slept with me, but wouldn't go out with me unless I grew my hair out and lost weight. Now since I've lost 25 lbs, and my hair is longer, he's suddenly started talking to me again. It's hurtful to experience this....I'm only 19 for god's sake and I feel like I'm missing out on so much...I mean, should I really have to worry that when my b/f and I are..."together" and he closes his eyes, should I have to worry that he's digusted by me and wishing he was with someone else... I have to wonder if I'm insecure because I'm fat or insecure because I'm fat and I'm ashamed of that only because people discriminate me. Sorry this is so long, but I could go on for days, tons of stories...

I think I might join you Lisa. I don't own a scale either and don't plan to buy one until I hit goal so I can monitor any unwanted weight gain. I've been weighing myself here and there every week or so. I just went through the dreaded three week stall. I knew from the way my body was acting the minute it hit. Against my better judgement I got on a scale (at Walmart :001_tt2:) during that time and hadn't lost a thing from my previous weigh in the week before. Needless to say, I was pissed. But, I had read enough here to know that it was common and that it would pass. I didn't weigh again until I felt my body shifting and started to see a change in my clothes. I just broke my stall and lost 2 pounds. I wasn't thrilled that it was only two pounds, but I'll take it. After being mad for two or three days about the scale not changing I started thinking that I need to cut back to weighing even less frequently than every week. I just don't need the extra drama. I'm actually much more emotionally tied to how my clothes fit and getting smaller sizes than I am with how much I weigh, so why should I be stressing about the scale. I think I'm going to go for once a month weigh-ins too - at least until I get closer to goal! Count me in!

All I can say is I'm sorry for your experience. My father in law had an infectious colitis and it took him wasting away and getting very ill to get the correct diagnosis. It's been some time, but I believe a few rounds of antibiotics and he recovered fully. I can't recall exactly how long it went on but his biggest issue was actually diagnosing the problem. It's been a long time but he's absolutely fine now and has no problems. How far are you out from surgery? The only real issue with medication comes if you need it to spend a long time in the stomach or if it's something (like B12) that needs to be absorbed there. I've taken several rounds of antibiotics and many people take anti-inflammatory meds (we have a few folks here with lupus and other autoimmune disorders) without any problems. Wishing you the very best with your treatment and a speedy recovery. I know that your fear right now is gaining weight on meds, but if your case is infectious colitis it will clear up and go away, and you will only need the meds until it's gone. Colitis can be serious if left untreated, so I'd simply do what the doctor suggests (once your colonoscopy confirms what you've got going on) and worry about losing any possible weight gain once it's over and done with. Your quality of life with colitis will be crap. With a sleeve, there's no time limit on weight loss and you can easily take off any pounds gained on a treatment cycle afterward. Put your overall health first. ~Cheri

What about the weight gain pre op? Since I've quit smoking I put on 6 pounds in just a week! How that even happened I have no clue will it set me back??

There's are lots of ways to handle this, all of them good. I have noticed something in my weight loss that no one's mentioned here yet, so I'll put that on the table for ya. I track my weight on fitday.com...then you can see a little graph of your weight loss over time. I have a pattern: drop some weight, gain a little back, hold for a while (maybe even a week, or two), then whoosh some weight comes off. Repeat. My graph, while overall moving steadily downward, has little peaks in it where my weight goes up after it goes down. Now, I just consider the progress "interesting" and don't get emotional about it. It took 3 months to get the idea, and now I'm almost 5 months out from surgery...I like analzying things, so I like to watch the pattern. Probably just me. Do whatever works for you! Cindy

I have been banded for 3 years. I have no regrets about being banded. I started out at 241 pounds and now weigh 183 pounds. I was about 15 pounds lighter last year, but I gained some weight back. Even with the weight gain, I have lost over 50 percent of my excess weight. Last Friday, my doctor thought I should get a fill, and I think it is helping. I don't have any complaints about my band. I hate to think about how big I would be if I hadn't been banded 3 years ago. My sister was banded the same day as me. She has done about the same as I have done. We both have lost weight before--but have never kept it off for 3 years. I was terrified of the surgery and the life change, but I am glad that I went through with it.

Hi Frustr! I had a transoral bariatric surgery in 2009 that wasn't approved by FDA, as it was not working as they thought it would. I lost 100 lbs on my own! Working out and cutting out all the fried food i used to love and working out 6x a week. I was taking about 30k steps per day. Walking everywhere all the time. I maintained my weight loss for about 6 years....began fertility treatment which contribute to lots of weight gain, became pregnant and have struggled since, gained back almost all of my weight. HW 291=8, lowest 162, currently 250. Stopped working out, which doesn't help. i am doing revision to a surgery that gave me zero restriction. I am currently debating on going back to my original surgeon or a new one. I have a scheduled appointment with a new surgeon for consultation. Very excited to see him. Hope that helps! my surgeon suggest i do the bypass and i suggested he takes my suggestion of DS lol, which he agreed lol. The second surgeon is well known for DS and SIPS, so I am certain he will agree as well.

as i'm sure you all know, as you go UP in weight, periodically you'll clean out your closet in disgust, but there's usually one or two things you hold on to because you just KNOW that someday you'll fit into them again! today i'm wearing my last pair of back-of-the-closet treasures, and they're not even snug. i have reached the end of my tangible weight gain history. the next time i buy a new size of jeans - which i fully expect to be by the end of this month, given the way my 18s are fitting now - i will be buying a size that i wore so long ago that i can't even remember when it was. pretty cheerful about that, as you might imagine!

I am on Depo too and have never had weight gain from it. I dont have a TOM either, but caution you that several people I know had a hard time getting pregnant after being on it. Was told that if you plan to have children then the implant is a better choice.

I have a Mirena (on 2nd one) and I love it! I didn't really notice any weight gain after having it put in.

I'm 13 days out too, and I hear ya on the scale moving up even after a tiny bit of 'real' food. I've been eating for about 5 days now, and the scale has gone up like 3lbs (although I refuse to change my ticker! hahaha). Don't worry, it will go down eventually. It's like we've been in starvation mode and when we get some food, our bodies do not want to let it go!! Also, I think Water weight gain happens to us more often than skinny people since we have more fat to hold the water. Who knows, I could be talking out of my butt...but that's my story and I'm sticking to it! :thumbup: As for being anorexic, highly unlikely. Mal-nourished, maybe...but not anorexic. Best of luck to you!!

If you are having trouble pooping, that could easily account for your "weight gain." Poop weighs more than you might think. Or it could be water weight or some weird bodily fluctuation or your scale malfunctioning. If you are following your surgeon's plan, consider it just a meaningless fluctuation unless it keeps going on this trajectory for three weeks or so.

What you eat matters to weight loss. It's not just calories in/calories out. Sugar and even high glycemic fruits and white starchy food, spikes blood sugar which can cause weight gain and metabolic syndrome, and then the blood sugar drop leads to hunger. Some foods cause cellular inflammation that leads to weight gain. These vary with individuals but can be wheat and corn. Anyway, as long as you get your nutritious foods, maintain your weight if you're happy where you are- I wouldn't compare to others. Everyone has something different that doesn't agree with their band.

Well I picked "healthy substitute" because that is my most frequent choice, but like many other long term sleevers at goal, I use most of the options occasionally: Wait until it passes, even if it’s a few days. I most often choose this option when I'm not at goal. Wait a day, and then give in if the craving is still there. I don't really use this option. Make a healthy substitute. Tips below! Have a bit or two of the real thing. If I can't resist, I use this option when not at goal. Give in. Enjoy your treat. Ah, life at goal! But if I've been craving a lot of crap, I might still choose Make a healthy substitute to head off weight gain. Healthy Substitutes: Sweet: Greek yogurt with a tablespoon of whipped cream cheese, sweetened with splenda, topped with splenda sweetened blueberries and a crushed graham cracker Winter time: Hot Sleepytime tea or Christmas Tea with Splenda Summer time: Lipton Diet Green Tea with Citrus Sweetened Cereal, such as chocolate Krave (measured portion using food scale) Fruit, such as Watermelon in summer, orange slices in winter (measured by container size) Crunchy: Pretzels or cheezit crackers instead of chips or cheetos (measured portion using food scale) Raw veggies with dip made from greek yogurt and ranch dressing mix or greek yogurt and little blue cheese. High Calorie coffee Drinks: Soy Latte with splash of sugar free caramel syrup. In the summer, I blend with ice for a homemade frappo. When ordering at Starbucks, I always get the tall instead of larger size. hot drink I get the soy latte and for frapp, I get the tall carramel frapp light, no whip. Just hungry: Sometimes I'm just hungry between meals. I eat a low calorie Protein, such as: light cheese stick rolled in a slice of low fat lunch meat tuna, blended with greek yogurt and mayonnaise to make a pate texture, then spread on whole wheat toast cut into quarters Deli Sandwich: I use lowfat lunchmeats. Gallo makes a great low fat salami. I like a bland cheese, and surprisingly, Velveta cheese has less calories than most. I make a full sandwich with whole wheat bread, 4 oz. of meat and 2 oz. of cheese, then I cut in half and eat half now and half for a different meal. Right before eating, I add tomatoes and lettuce. Fatty Italian: I love italian grilled veggies. I use a mandolin slicer to shave ribbons of zuchhini, yellow squash, and eggplant. Then I cut yellow and red peppers and toss in some halved cherry tomatoes. I spray all olive oil and roast. Right before it's done, I toss in a few fresh basil leaves. Top with 1/4 oz. shaved Parmesan. If you don't want to oven roast, you can pan roast the veggies too.

My scale(s) at home always displayed a lower weight than the ones at my various doctors' offices. At the doctors office, I usually weighed in at 3 to 4 pounds more than my home weight that same morning. Anyhow, insurance companies differ on how they proceed with an insured person's weight gain prior to surgery. My insurer apparently did not care because they still paid for my procedure although I had gained 25 pounds in four months while waiting to be sleeved (combination of food funerals and lack of self-control).