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I am just starting this whole process. I called the insurance Co. and they sent me a list of requirements they need before approval. One of them is *Documentation from multidisciplinary non surgical weight loss program with unsuccessful weight loss or weight loss followed by weight gain* They don't say for how long? I have been on a million diets, just none of them have been supervised. Does this mean I have to do the supervised diet thing? Already getting frustrated and I have just started!

Hi I got my sleeve surgery on August 22nd .. I've lost about 50 pounds but I was in the hospital a few days with sepsis and now I just got on the scale and gained like 8 pounds? I've barley eating so I'm confused any help ? Start weight 302 Surgery weight 288 Monday 251 today 260..

I was started on zoloft prior to surgery, I didn't notice any weight gain then. I've continued on it since surgery and to my knowledge it has not had any effect on that aspect of things.

I am getting my band August 31, 2012 and it is a done deal, I was excited and now I have major doubts. It doesn’t help that my loved ones closest to me have the same doubts as I now do. I have told two people my mom (just in passing so she doesn’t know I am doing it in 11 days) and my boyfriend. Both never had weight issues, super healthy and fitness freaks. I have never really shared my weight struggles and agony with my boyfriend so he just thinks I haven’t tried hard enough, that I am quick to give up a lot. Maybe he is right and maybe this will not work and I will be out of a lot of money. I am looking to not do this alone and have someone that understands weight gain and loss. Who understand why I am doing this and we can support each other to be successful.

POOP QUESTION ALERT So I've been clogged up. Had to go the fleet route to get things flowing but it was still bad. So I started taking colace 1x day and that did nothing. So now I'm tAking 2x day. I've noticed that I've GAINED 2 pounds since doing this. Is it making me retain Water? Why the weight gain?

I have not seen much posted about non-fat frozen yogurt? Which I must confess, I find somewhat surprising...so it has led me to ask. Is there some inherent evil associated with this diet friendly treat and the Lapband? An inquiring mind wants to know… I am planning on it being part of my post-op repertoire…or so I think? Second, it may just be my imagination, but it seems (no scientific data), that many of the newer banders are struggling with post-op weight gain and slow starts. While a few fortunate souls are making rapid progress, again the individual variable strikes…no two banders are the same. No real point to make…just an observation. Other than that it was a good gym day and we went to the Long Beach Grand Prix and got to meet Danica Patrick. Yes, she is as adorable in person. I am sorry to report, that they had the good corners of the drifting competition reserved for the VIP seats. The events held at Irwindale Speedway are much better, the venue is easier to get to and the layout is more crowd friendly. I everyone had a good weekend.

Pictures are the best way I think. You see yourself everyday so the changes are not really noticed. At least in my experiences with weight gain/loss over the years. :biggrin1:

You're absolutely right, Loretta. After the initial loss right after surgery, doctors say 1-2 lbs a week, which also prevents weight gain after you lose it too fast.

There are lots of links in my signature, but I thought I would start a post here if anyone is interested in reading. One of the biggest side effects of chewing and spitting (outside of weight gain), are stomach ulcers. When you salivate (which starts breaking down food in your mouth), it triggers your stomach to begin producing digestive juices in anticipation of the food that you are about to swallow. When you spit that food out, your tummy doesn't know that. So you're left with an empty tummy pumping out digestive juices. This is how ulcers form. Why would you want to do that to your teeny tiny tummy? They don't have anything to cut out anymore if you develop ulcers, you've already lost 85% of your stomach! You're also doing damage to your teeth, because the saliva that starts breaking down the food is very acidic. And more people report weight gain than weight loss going this route. Plus, you're just trading one addiction for another and going down a very slippery slope. You can find healthy alternatives to whatever it is you're craving and feel you need to chew and spit for. If you want something crunchy, Protein for a vegetable) and you can bake it into kale chips which are fantastic. They crunch and melt in your mouth! Please post here and let members help you find something to eat that is safe for your tummy and whatever stage you're in, rather than endangering your health (both physical and mental) by starting the habit of chewing and spitting.

hi stephh! i just had my baby 9-28-15. i started at 257 and was reached my goal of 150 when i was 14months out, then two weeks later i found out i was pregnant. i too was only taking in about 700-800 pre pregnancy. around 13 weeks pregnant i started getting insanely hungry, literally every two hours. for me it really didn't ease up until i was about 32weeks. my dr wanted me to take in about 1800 calories a day i ended up putting on 42lbs in total. i lost 15lbs after my c section taking me from 192 to 177. i have been stuck there for the past two minths unfortunately, the scale just doesn't want to move for me. keep taking in as much Protein as you can. keep high protein Snacks with you if you're getting hungry often! congratulations on your pregnancy, you can pm me if any questions Thank you so much for responding!!!!!! I feel like I'm in the exact same scenario you were. I feel so much better knowing that someone else is hungry too. I was afraid of it being head hunger. Congratulations on your new baby! How was your pregnancy besides being hungry? Had you been pregnant before? Was it different? Sorry, I have SO many questions!!! Your weight gain doesn't seem bad to me. It seems like a manageable weight and will probably come off. I already have argued with my Dr about gaining weight... He said I could aim for 10-20 pounds because I'm at the top end of my healthy weight range. So far, I've stayed steady, but I'm not very far along.

This is my first challenge, I am new to this board and I am trying to get back on track after a year of steady weight gain. Name, real or screen~ Maggie Goal weight for March 31st~ 175 Weight on March 1st~ 184 Age~ 38 Dietary goal for March~ NO DRINKING while I eat Exercise goal for March~ 60 min 3X a week Personal goal for March~ don't give up Date banded~ 3/12/10 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~ Lost 80, then Gained 40 = Net loss about 40 What is your good luck charm? mys hubby

The thought of surgery was my biggest and probably only obstacle. First of all, I had lost (and gained back) hundreds of pounds over the course of my mostly obese adulthood through diet and exercise. But that no longer worked for me. Secondly, I personally know several people that had WLS, lost lots of weight and then regained it. I never had surgery, and I was mortified knowing that I too could possibly regain all my weight if I had surgery. But, I was just too fat (pardon that word) and out of shape and that was making work even more miserable since my job involves lots of walking and climbing steps. So I had surgery last August and dropped about 75 pounds. I'm very grateful, but I still fear the addiction and possibility of weight gain.

Hello there DESTROYED! It;s going to be OK.... take a deep breath, relax.. now try to focus and remember why you started down this path in the fist place. I am in your shoes so I understand. I am pre-op too and haven't even been given a surgery date because they thought I was too depressed to have surgery... I on the other hand didn't think I was as depressed as they said. ANYWAY... back to you. I think what you are experiencing is normal we are such creatures of habit and WE OBVIOUSLY LOVED FOOD! It is hard to think we are going to have to give up stuff we love, but I am trying to tell myself by giving myself this pep talk.... Hey look, you need to do this, you need to get this weight off, It's only food, and the food will be there when I am on my path to my new healthier life, you will be able to eat some of the thing you love, just less of them Lol. I didn't think I could do it either but to tell you a short story, back in 2010, I made up my mind to get the weight loss surgery after I met someone that lost 90 lbs in 3 months (by the bypass) at that time my insurance required 6 months on a diet seeing a Dr. I made it through up to a few weeks of my 6th month and final dr visit before they would approve me. I starting this weight loss adventure thinking well if I have surgery I am going to have to be able to do the 2 wks of liquids so needless to say over this 6 month struggle I rotated every 2 weeks on eating a liquid diet, and then I would eat regular foods but just less. I lost 80 lbs within that 6 months times on my own LOL!!!! BUT here is the bad part of my story... I was so close to surgery, then I was diagnosed with CML (Chronic Myloid Leukemia) and was not allowed to have ANY SURGERIES!!! until I was in remission. The big side effect of the chemo pill I take is (drum roll) rapid weight gain and adema! so I have gained it all back, the first 10 lbs within 3 day of treatment. It is only within the last year and a half that I am able to have surgery, and I restarted my bariatric journey last Nov but the clinic held me back because of depression) and PTL I am in remission and waiting for approval. My point is that I kept trying ... you see nothing is perfect, you are going to reach road blocks, but just keep your car somewhere between the white lines on the road, and moving in the direction of your goals!!! YOU CAN DO THIS! Please don't give up...the pinto Beans will be waiting for you and for me in our new lives. Stay strong

Hello Stimpy, welcome back! You are a success story, believe that! Trust me we all fall for the sugar demon from time to time. What sets us apart from others though is that we have a tiny tummy that will help keep us from over eating and gaining significant weight back. It makes it a lot easier to get back to being right and not stressing over 10 lbs weight gains, etc. Let the Cookies go for now. The Holidays are approaching and you don't want to be caught up in a downward spiral with all the sugary treats staring you in the face. You are strong and I KNOW you can do it. You have already lost so much, and you are sooo close to the finish line. Let this time be for getting there instead of the latter. NOW GO GET EM!

I spent most of my life thin. I was a thin and active kid, thin through my 20s and early 30s and then BAM! my metabolism slowed to a virtual standstill and I gained weight effortlessly. I had it tested several times - if I ate > 800 cal a day I'd gain weight. I had test upon test to see why and nothing came back abnormal. I never ate much, rarely cleaned my plate. Not a big fan of sweets (only on special occasions), not a snacker - I could walk by the office candy bowl and not even think about it. Don't like Cheetoes. If I ate fast food, it was maybe once a month and then it would be a Happy Meal. People would assume I was a closet eater, but I wasn't. Didn't drink sugary soda or beverages. My SO and I could eat the exact same thing, I'd eat less and STILL gain weight. I ate only because I had to, no to fill some emotional void. I've frequently gone all day without eating just because I wasn't hungry. My point is genetics play a huge role in weight gain. My mother was overweight and didn't eat poorly either. There is nothing that I can look at in my eating habits and say "that's it! That's the problem!l" except eating out, an unfortunate byproduct of my career and lifestyle. With the sleeve that will change (and I'll save a ton of money!). But seriously, genetics do play a huge part in weight - don't discount that.

I ,too, am having fill issues. I had my 6th fill last Wed, thought it was going to be good because when I ate soup it made all of the grumblings that I hadn't heard in months! However, two days later on solids.....NO restriction! I am a self pay and each fill is $200.......YOUCH! That can eat a paycheck quickly! So, I dunno....calling fill doc on Friday to make a fill. However, I think I will set it up after vacation! :cool2: Right now, I have been drinking Slim Fast twice a day to try and ward off any weight gain. Any helpful hints/comments would be greatly appreciated! Oh, I haven't had any good restriction in about 2-2.5 months...

I find it facinating that the stats are just like alcoholism only 5% percent of us (I am one) stay sober for the long haul I think it is frustrating tht Star won't talk but Hey! whatever... I, sadly- am an open book.. I don't tell everyone my stuff but enough. I have given up etoh 10 yrs then nicotine 5 years and now my final and most daunting addiction FOOD. There are other ways to keep it off other than mechanical but for me its about my addiction and anything I can do to help I'm up for it. I went to AA for ETOH I did the patch for nicotine and now I did the band after years of rebound weight gain. I am okay with that but when I was heavier I had to give myself some self esteem and believe I was beautiful INSIDE just so I would not go insane. Right now I have been banded since Oct and have only lost 17 # mostly in first 2 mth. The scale has not budged I am down one --2 sizes but ouch. I see Star and think DAMN I am work ing hard at least I think I am had 2 fills exercising 4-5 days a week.. ARGGG anyway I don't think Star is as pretty now I think maybe a little more weight like a 12 or 14 and she'd be hot. I still want to be full and huggable I don't wan to be fragile Shoot I wan to be able to see my private parts and tie my shoes wear a nice dress and show my arms. Thanks guys I love reading you you make it bearable Elda

There is a significant amount of variability as to how much weight people lose following weight loss surgery. Research indicates that up to 20% of patients fail to lose the expected amount of weight following surgery. While there are surely surgical and medical explanations for this outcome, patient behavior has also been shown to play a role. Therefore, it is important for anyone having surgery to anticipate and understand factors under their control to improve outcome. I often tell patients, “The surgery does what the surgery does.” What I mean by this is that weight loss surgery almost certainly will affect how much food you can eat, but may do little to change what you eat. Weight loss surgery does not make you suddenly crave healthier and less caloric food. You have to make those choices for yourself. Additionally, while losing weight may make it easier for you to adopt a more active lifestyle, surgery itself will not make you suddenly fall in love with exercise. So making health behavior changes in addition to having surgery remains critical. So what specific health behavior changes have been shown to improve outcome? 1. Document what you eat – Many people strongly dislike writing down what they eat but there is evidence that this helps people after weight loss surgery as it does with non-surgical approaches. The reason is likely that documenting what you eat gives you valuable information about your behavior and allows you to make changes when necessary. Consider that your actual weight is the end product of what you eat, so weighing yourself gives you the results, but not the information necessary to make changes. For many, weighing themselves is a pass-fail exam. Either I’m a good boy or a bad boy. Consider that you can’t actually change your weight…you change what you eat and/or exercise, and that is what helps change your weight. Many people seem to have little or no objection to weighing themselves so why do so many people despise writing down what they eat? Writing down what you eat is the truth teller. It forces you to acknowledge what you are doing. To avoid seeing the truth, you can either change what you eat or stop writing it down. Unfortunately, many people choose the latter. The good news is that in the smartphone era, there are literally dozens of apps and other technological devices that can make documenting your food and activity level extremely easy. If you do a little research you can find one that is right for you. 2. Exercise – You probably saw this one coming as well because it makes sense. Regular exercise is a way of burning calories and losing weight that does not involve changing what you eat. Given how difficult it is to lose weight and keep it off, it would be silly not to take advantage of one of the few methods known to work. Ironically, it might not work the way you would expect. Many people who lose weight through exercise notice that it helps them not just by burning off calories, but also by affecting their food choices. In other words, when you discover how difficult it is to burn off 250 calories on a treadmill, you may think twice before having that chocolate bar afterwards. Not everyone finds this effect, but for those who do, it can make a big difference. When deciding what form of exercise to do, consider that you don’t need to become an Olympiad or a marathon runner. Many of the positive effects of exercise have been documented with just walking 30 minutes 3-4 times per week. If rigorous exercise is enjoyable for you, that’s great. But any time spent engaged in activity is beneficial...especially if you would otherwise be sitting on the couch watching all of those tempting food advertisements on television! 3. Stress Reduction – An increasing amount of research has documented a relationship between stress and weight gain. The obvious connection is that many people use food as a means of comforting themselves from distress, commonly called “emotional eating.” An interesting new discovery is that is that some people who report high levels of stress gain weight even when their calorie intake is unchanged. How is that possible? There is the suggestion that stress hormones and other chemicals may affect how our body metabolizes food and stores food. So even if you’re eating the same foods and the same number of calories, what your body does with those calories can vary. If you’re going to be successful in reducing stress, you need to begin by discovering what “pushes your buttons” and take steps to change. One first step could be to document the things that you find to be stressful. Sometimes just writing down your problems makes them less frightening now that they’re just words on a page. For other people, writing their sources of stress naturally leads them to write what they might do about them. Another good idea is to investigate some simple stress management techniques. Many refer to them as relaxation or meditation exercises. As discussed earlier, there are a number of excellent smartphone apps and other technology-based methods of relaxation that you can explore. No one is better than the rest so just find one that works for you and begin to incorporate relaxation/meditation into your daily routine. If reducing your stress requires more than practicing relaxation techniques, consider speaking to a psychologist or other mental health professional to get the help you need. 4. Get some sleep – Here’s another suggestion that you’ve probably seen in the media recently. There is growing consensus of an obesity-sleep connection. Like exercise, the benefits of sleep are more than meets the eye. The obvious connection is that if you’re up longer, you become hungrier and are likely to eat late at night. This interpretation is not wrong, however, new research suggests that people who get 7 or more hours of sleep tend to maintain lower weights even when people with fewer hours of sleep consume the same amount of calories. How is that possible? Again, it’s not just how many calories we eat…but what our bodies do with those calories. Unfortunately, an increasing number of people are so busy between their work and social lives (not to mention all those tempting television shows) that sleep is not a priority. Just know that making sleep the last priority comes at a cost. Consider how we train children to sleep. We create a nighttime ritual to ease kids to bed. There’s dinner, wind down time, then bath time, maybe reading a story or two in bed, and then lights out. Many adults however have a terrible routine. Eat a big dinner at 9pm, catch up on emails and pay bills, watch television for an hour or so and then fall asleep on the couch and stumble into bed at 2AM only to have to wake up three or four hours later. Try to change your sleep habits by changing your nighttime ritual. Eat an earlier dinner. Try to pay bills and check your emails at another time. Use the evening as wind down time. Rather than fall asleep on the couch, watch a set amount of television or Internet time and then turn it off and “put yourself to bed.” Begin by trying to go into bed a half-hour early every night for a week and see how you feel. If you notice some improvements in your level of energy, mood, appetite or other factors, see if you can make it permanent. 5. Join a Support Group – Some research has demonstrated that patients who participate in support groups lose and maintain more weight than those who don’t. Of course it may depend on the content of the group and who attends, but adding a social element to your weight loss and weight maintenance goals seems to help. This may relate to the accountability factor discussed earlier. If “we’re all in it together,” there may be more of a commitment to stick to your goals to help out the group. Or perhaps it motivates you not to be the one group member who is falling behind. Either way, participating in support groups seems to have benefits both in terms of weight loss as well as emotional well being after surgery. There are other suggestions of course, such as improving your diet by reducing carbohydrates in favor of lean protein and a more plant-based diet. However, for many people, changing their diet can push all of those emotional “diet” buttons; so before you make those changes (or in addition to making those changes), strongly consider some of the changes recommended above. There is evidence that the benefits are additive. For example, many people find that when they exercise, they sleep better and in turn these changes help them manage stress better. The key is to acknowledge whether or not some of the factors above are problem areas for you and to begin making small changes. Sometimes small changes can lead to big results!

Would love some BTDT success stories. I had a successful VSG 2.5 years ago and initially lost 70lbs. Sadly with the pandemic I have regained 25-30 lbs. I am crushed. I think my pouch is still small as I cannot eat large amounts of food but I’m afraid I’m addicted to sugar. Anyone able to get back on track after weight gain. ☹️

I'm 19 days out from surgery and I've gained 3 lbs in the past 5 days. I'm seriously discouraged I've read a lot about stalls, but actual weight gain ugh. This blows HW(9/3/13)- 284, DOS(9/11/13)-270, CW-257(9/25/13), GW-155(by 9/21/14...my 26th birthday!)

Dont panic yet - its simply a matter of getting restriction. I must say, the older 4cc bands seem to have people at their sweet spot much much quicker, I found with mine, I had the right restriction for me at that particular time each and every fill. But i know from four years on here that its very very normal to take even up to a year to get good restriction and start losing. till then, well you DO have to summon up some willpower. Dont underestimate yourself - you do have it. Maybe not enough to have 2lb coming off every week, but to start making healthy changes. The band has NOTHING to do with your exercise habits, for example, there's absolutely nothing to stop you going at that really hard and with dedication and that will prevent weight gain, if not see weight coming off. Its a shame its such a drawn out process, but you dont have a "window" in which you have to lose weight or the opportunity is lost, when you get good restriction, it will start happening.

In the beginning, it's important to eat according to the surgeon's plan to avoid issues healing. After that, it's smart to go on a slightly restricted diet until you learn to eat to your nutritional guidelines. Once your capacity increases, it's up to you on what you eat and how you do it. Keep in mind that just like prior to surgery, overindulging in any of those foods will cause a stall or an outright weight gain. I eat whatever I want, in moderation. I am not on a diet. I had the sleeve to control my portions and I refuse to live on Atkins forever. That said, eating a "normal" diet will cause you to shed the weight more slowly. So don't go in eating whatever you want once you heal and get angry that you're only losing a pound or two a week (if that). I started out immediately post op restricting my carbs very severely. After several months of slow loss, irritability, feeling denied and just plain old frustration, I opted to go a healthier route (for me) and to incorporate a more normal number of carbohydrates. My loss didn't slow noticeably, but then, I was a slower loser from day one and only averaged about six pounds off per month. So, do what you want. Again - if you sit down and consume all the ice cream you can eat (and boy, it will be a lot more than the amount of chicken breast you can eat) do not be surprised if you don't lose weight. Part of having the surgery is to learn how to eat properly and yes, sticking to a mostly healthy diet is important. I'd say I follow the "rules" (Protein first, veggies, then a tiny bit of carbs) about 90% of the time. But I eat cake or Cookies or bread if it's what I really want, in moderation. Good luck. ~Cheri

@Panda333 I’m a sleeve five years out maintaining in the 130’s. I am type one diabetic. My surgeon suggested the sleeve because there are times, I need to eat sugar to raise my blood sugars. WIth the sleeve, my intestines are not altered, I don’t have dumping syndrome with sugar. I am now well controlled and hardly use insulin. I want people that are researching weight loss surgery to know, many of us have had no complications and have maintained years out. Weight gain or need for a revision does not happen to all of us. Do your research, trust your surgeon’s advice do what’s best for you. Any type of bariatric surgery may need a revision due to complications, surgery not performed correctly, eating to the point of stretching your surgery (big debate on this issue) Grazing/eating around your surgery, eating disorders, or simply not following your surgeons plan. Only my opinion: For some, the sleeve is the wrong choice for them. Things I wish people knew about the sleeve. Your sleeve restriction will become less over time. you can hold more food. (it’s not back to full size) Long term success will be diet and behavior change. Just because you have more space does not mean you have to eat over your calories and macros to gain weight. If your surgeon has diagnosed that you stretched your surgery. Get counseling before a revision to make sure you don’t stretch a second surgery. Your intestines are not altered with the sleeve. Most of us can tolerate sugar without dumping. If sugar is an issue for you, investigate surgeries that give you dumping syndrome. You will feel real and head hunger at times (true with any surgery type) Hunger is more manageable after surgery. age 45 day of surgery 2014 - age 50 2019

Ouch, I hear you, I'm not bipolar, I have major depression, but Effexor alone doesn't work for me, I have to take a cocktail of meds, and a few of the ones I take cause weight gain. You know counsellors and drug treatment programs are confidential. NA is confidential. The only people that will need to know are you, and which ever professionals or support groups you choose to involve. These are people who are either very experienced in working with addiction and are not judgemental, but understanding health workers, or people who share the same struggles you do. If you feel the need to hide it from people in your life and your family you can still do that and get help, you can tell them you are getting help around your depression or whatever, but don't let it hold you back. You might want to look into taking a mood stabilizer in a lower dose rather than cutting it out completely. Have you tried Tegretol? It's an anticonvulsant med like Depakote, some people find they have less side effects on some meds than on others, you may have less weight issues on one than you do on another. What I've chosen to do with my weight gaining side effect meds are to take as low a dose as I can with still getting a positive effect. A lot of the weight gain from these meds comes from them causing you to crave carbs and to cause you to feel hungry all the time, with the band, a lot of those side effects are minimized or gone totally. I'm still on my meds that cause weight gain, but since being banded I -am- losing weight. I talked about it a lot with my family Dr, with my psychiatrist, and with my surgeon, and they all felt you can still lose the weight with the band, while taking meds that cause weight gain. So don't give up on them. Get help, and get yourself back on track, you deserve it. big hugs Leila

Hello All I Need Some Input and/or advice, Had Lap band in 2007 did really well on it and lost 122 Pounds 288 down to 166! Last 18 months My weight has gone up, but was unable to be adjusted, Radiology MD said I was to tight and would not adjust me. I attempted multiple adjustments and every time the Radiology MD said no Im to tight. Went to my Bariatric surgeon and he finally removed all the fill and said rest 30 days and lets try a fill. That was before Thanksgiving. From then until Mid January I packed on 30 pounds! Finally got a fill of 1.5 CC (my band holds 4CC) and... nothing. It should be noted that I have no problems with GERD, reflux or any other issues - just no weight loss. Went to a new doctor (only changed because he is closer to work/home) recommended revision to BY-Pass, but I was thinking sleeve. He says if I want to get back down to 166 by-pass is the way to go. I know some people that had By-pass started off great and then gained weight. Here are my questions: Which way to go Sleeve or By-Pass? If you converted from band to sleeve how much did you loose in total? Did you loose as much as you had with the lap band? If you chose By- pass how much did you loose in total? Im not worried about the surgery or recovery - Im just worried about living with my choice how it will affect my eating and possible weight gain - I do not want to have a third weight loss surgery. Thanks in advance for your help.