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I was just sleeved on November 19th. I weighed myself on the 20th and had GAINED 12 pounds!!! As of today I've lost 6 of that. My original thoughts were to not weigh at all until my 2 week appointment, but someone commented that I looked thinner already so I was curious. HA Anyone else weigh themselves right after surgery, to find a gain?? I'm sure it's just Water weight, but STILL!!! That's not what I was wanting to see... Also, my incisions are starting to itch... healing?? The largest of the incisions made a "dent" in my stomach. It is so weird and gross looking. Did this happen to anyone else??

I surpassed my goal Not sure how but I won't weigh for a while so I won't see the expected weight gain after such an unexpected loss. Today's weight 178, goal was 180 Happy Thanksgiving!

Some protein drinks are high in sugar for good reason - the resultant insulin spike helps in transport of the protein to the muscle cells to start repairing them after a workout. This is a good thing for those who are working to build muscle mass but they aren't the appropriate thing for most of us during weight loss when we are simply trying to maintain what muscle mass that we have. Check the label and look for ones that are low in sugar. As others have suggested, log what you are eating so that you can see where problems may lie. Some minor weight fluctuation (including minor gains) is to be expected as we lose due to changes in hydration and water retention, and there are lots of things that influence that - salt in diet, TOM, glycogen/carb depletion, etc., but 12 lb is a lot from that source. To the OP - was your early protein drink trial run in addition to what you were already eating, or were they meal substitutions? In our early stages, it's difficult to get enough calories in to create any genuine weight gain, but there are many reasons for stalls, and the classic third week stall is one that most experience irrespective their dietary phase.

Ugh, a lesson learned the hard way! I LOVE to cook, especially the holiday dinners. I'm a pretty rockin' cook, hence all the weight gain after married life began and I had to learn to cook!! So since surgery was just last Monday, we decided to order all of our Thanksgiving dinner from Honey Baked Ham Co. My poor husband is very much a country boy and looks forward every year to my cornbread dressing and cranberry sauce. I also had to make deviled eggs. No big deal. I can throw those together in an hour. I don't know if it a southern thing, but I don't use recipes. I taste everything step by step to make sure it is awesome. Did the deviled eggs and took just baby samples to make sure I was on track. Thought I did pretty good and was proud of myself until I was done with that and went on to my dressing. I was/am so miserably full that I can hardly breathe. I am miserable. Stupid deviled eggs. I still had to taste the dressing in the meantime. I put a baby bite in my mouth knowing that I was going to spit it out and my mom rounded the corner and saw me tasting after I had already told her that I was a complete idiot and she yells "just spit it out!". Poor thing, she is so worried about me, but I had learned my lesson and told her that she was reading my mind and I was definitely spitting it out. So, I will continue to cook and cook well, but I will never swallow that food again! Sorry for the long post. Needed someone to vent to!!!!

I'm with you ladies!!! I was operated on November 12, my surgery weight was 230... when I was released from the hospital 2 days later I weighted myself and I was at 240 A weight gain of 10 pounds, but I figured it had to be all the IV that was given to me, also the swelling and keep in mind that a lot of us don't have bowel movements right away (TMI): In fact I was constipated probably 5 days before my surgery... but today is day 9... I checked my weight and I'm at 227 - sounds awesome but have you have remember I gained 10 pounds...so in really I'm down 3 pounds... but it's okay it will start to come off!!!!

Thank goodness my doctor and nurse warned me about the hospital weight gain. I came home 17 pounds more than the day I left for surgery. I have lost all of that and 17 more. My surgery was 11/8. Tomorrow I can begin on pureed foods, going very slow with that. My issue is I don't like sweet stuff, so the protein drinks are challenging at best. Good luck - it will get better!

All food and liquid is supposed to pass through the band, nothing is supposed to come back up. It only takes about a minute for food to pass through the band if the bite is small enough and chewed properly. The band constricts around your stomach and when properly placed, puts just enough pressure on the vagus nerve to help lessen the hunger response. You don't want slider foods because they immediately pass through so it doesn't trigger the "oh I'm not hungry" response. Slider foods are easily over-eaten and usually cause weight gain, like ice cream.

OH you wanted to lose weight and have this surgery???? Silly.... (I can be sarcastic...I've been down your road my dear). Let me just say first, I'm sorry you are suffering! I was down for just under two months, 22 days of that in the hospital having my lungs drained and a second surgery five weeks after the first. My first surgery was aug 23 and the second sept 28. I GAINED 40lbs going through much of what you did. TPN feedings, tube feedings etc. Weight gain and retention after such a major struggle is normal because your body is holding onto all of those extra fluids just in case it needs to protect itself again. I saw that gain slowly drop a few weeks after I got out of the hospital (Oct 6th) and then after that I took some dramatic losses as it finally decided I was going to be ok and the retention gave up it's battle. I'm down half of my goal weight (over 40lbs) loss now, just over six weeks after I returned home, but I was told it could take up to four months for my body to normalize again, so I was actually lucky. Unfortunately due to the trauma you have the same issue. But I assure you, it will go away. You're still too weak to get much movement I'm sure and likely you are in early stages of food I'd guess? Just like the healing, you have to give it a bit more time than anyone who went a more "normal" recovery route. My battle was hell and frankly I was just happy to come out alive. Weight loss is a bonus Right now I'd just focus on getting in all of your Protein so you heal properly this time, and your fluids, and rest as much as you need. You'll find you will see those pounds go away as your energy increases, but don't push it. You have been through the wringer, let your body rest! Take care!!!

I'm mortified this morning. I have really and truly been following all the rules and not only did I hit a plateau, I've gained three pounds in two weeks. I ecxercise 45 minutes a day and I'm eating less than 1,000 calories a day. I do have hashimotos disease, but I take thyroid medicine for that and my t3 and t4 is normal! I'm calling the doctor today. This is insane! And the story of my life and how I got here in the first place. I track every morsel I eat in my fitness pal and I track my exercise as well. I'm dying........... Any suggestions are welcome! I had my surgery on 8 oct 12 and had lost 30 pounds total, pre and post weight loss, now 28 pounds, obviously...... This is awful!

I went shopping for our annual Thanksgiving meal yesterday. I was trying to think of wise food choices this year - not just for me but for the family. I opted on grilled vegetables in place of starchy corn, turkey & ham (Protein, Protein, protein), etc. I do not believe that weight gain is inevitable during the holidays. There is no rule that you have to gorge until you are over-full. I am focusing on the great times with family and friends rather than the food. A different perspective perhaps. I will make my families favorites such as stuffing balls, sweet potato souffle, and the likes. I'm thinking a late Thanksgiving walk may be a way to ward off any unwanted calories. Stay tuned...

I was told not to have caffeine at all as it can slow your weight loss (that's all it took for me to give it up completely). I started walking in the hospital and regular exercise after 8 week check-up. The other questions don't apply because I do not drink or smoke. My advice is to adhere to the guidelines your NUT and Doc give you so that you can reach your goal quicker. Don't look for reasons to break the rules. I've seen people not follow the guidelines post-op and I've seen "slow" weight loss as a result. I've even seen weight gain in those that went back to old habits. We all loose quickly at first, you have to work it to keep it going. The sleeve is merely a tool to make it easier for you Think back to the motivation you had when you went into this and don't loose sight of your goals because you are focused on getting back to "normal" your "normal" is what got you here to begin with.

Personally I would be very very concerned about your stuck episodes. I am 2 and a half years out and can count my stuck episodes on 1 hand. I absolutely do not think that you need a fill if anything you may need an until. Some people keep their bands really tight because they think it should stop you from eating certain foods. My doctor does not hold that philosophy. If your band is in reality not too tight then my guess is you could be eating some foods that don't agree with you. Having a too tight band will lead you. to choosing slider foods that go down without getting stuck. Problem with slider Foods is 1 they tend to be higher in calories and 2 since they don't keep you full you eat more of them. This will lead to weight gain. In the years I've been on this site I've read more than enough postings of people who started to eat ice cream and shakes from McDonald's because they go down so easily.

I feel like all the protein is making me gain weight or at the very least stall. I had problems with this pre op also while doing a trial run of protein shakes I gained 12#. Anyone know why?

The holiday season is here and it’s time for us all to quickly gain ten pounds. What? Why would I say that? I say that because it’s written all over the place. Over the next few weeks, you are going to see and hear references to our tendency to gain weight during this time of year in every newspaper, magazine, website, blog and television news program. And while the opportunities to eat may increase this time of year and the kinds of foods pushed on us are often not the healthiest, you don’t have to gain weight. However, if you expect to…you will. The holiday season is here and it’s time for us all to quickly gain ten pounds. What? Why would I say that? I say that because it’s written all over the place. Over the next few weeks, you are going to see and hear references to our tendency to gain weight during this time of year in every newspaper, magazine, website, blog and television news program. And while the opportunities to eat may increase this time of year and the kinds of foods pushed on us are often not the healthiest, you don’t have to gain weight. However, if you expect to…you will. What do expectations have to do with weight gain? Think of expectations as a combination of predictions and learned patterns of behavior. Outcomes that have occurred in the past, we generally expect to happen again. Take Thanksgiving for example, or what I like to call “National Binge Eating Day.” Thanksgiving is one of those few days of the year where the holiday seems to be about overeating. Of course, Thanksgiving is supposed to be about taking the opportunity to give thanks for how fortunate we are to live in this great country and to count our blessings for what we have. However, if you ask most Americans what comes to mind when they think of Thanksgiving I’ll bet turkey, stuffing, pie and football come long before giving thanks. More importantly, it’s not only food and eating that we think of but overeating and overindulging. This is so common that it’s often parodied in television commercials. Companies that manufacture antacids run ads showing people with exploding pant buttons or slumped back in the big armchair following the big meal. Thanksgiving, holiday parties and overeating seem to be synonymous. Many of us expect to overeat on Thanksgiving and at holiday parties so we inadvertently mentally gear up for this to happen. With this expectation of overeating in mind, our behavior becomes less controllable…you’re psychologically setting the stage for a binge to occur by expecting a huge meal to be served and by recalling previous Thanksgivings when you overate. Similarly, this is the season of holiday parties. Holiday parties tend to include foods that are rich, highly caloric and plentiful. And let’s not forget the alcohol. When you attend holiday parties, many of us expect these foods and drinks to be available and we are more likely to overindulge if that has been our pattern in the past. You’re certainly not a drone who is unable to make change, but it is infinitely less likely unless you take active steps to make that change. What can you do to prevent overeating at this time of year and gaining those extra pounds? Change your expectations by planning what you will do ahead of time. On the morning of Thanksgiving, think about what the likely layout will be where you are having the meal. Have you been there before? Do you know what to expect to be on the table? If so, plan ahead. Make some decisions about what you will eat and how much. Promise yourself that you will not overeat. After all, it’s just one meal and ironically many people who overeat say they’re not particularly fond of Thanksgiving food. They just get caught up in the collective binge mentality and the rest is history. If you plan ahead and carefully consider what to do instead of binging, you have a much better chance of controlling yourself and feeling good about your eating behavior afterwards. Consider that while eating may be a significant and enjoyable part of holiday parties and gatherings, OVEREATING does not need to be. Try not to give yourself permission to overindulge. Let’s face it…eating is fun and enjoyable and is a large part of holiday merriment. However, there is no fun in feeling nauseas or uncomfortable just after the meal and guilty and self-deprecating hours later. Don’t starve yourself on Thanksgiving morning or on the day of a holiday party. This is one of the most common, yet foolish strategies people employ. The calories you give up by skipping breakfast and lunch usually pale in comparison to the calorie content of the evening binge at Thanksgiving or the holiday party. Instead, eat normally during the day which may actually help keep you from binging later. You are far more likely to control yourself if you are mostly full during the day rather than starving when you walk in the door of the party. Consider making some eating compromises. Who said you have to have turkey only on Thanksgiving? Is pecan pie banned at other times of year? Consider having the foods that truly are once a year items rather than loading up on everything. And even then, you don’t need five pounds of the special foods. If you only get to eat your grandmother’s special stuffing once a year, you certainly shouldn’t pass that up. However, I promise you that eating a ton of it will not make you happier than having two nice size tablespoons of the stuff. Again, plan ahead and make decisions earlier in the day. Watch the booze. Alcohol causes our judgment to get a little fuzzy. You are going to be more successful controlling your behavior if your brain is firing on all cylinders. If you drink too much too early in the day, you’re going to have a tougher time sticking to whatever plan you created. Also, too much alcohol causes us to make other foolish decisions. There are enough unfortunate tragedies that happen this time of year. Make sure you’re not a part of one. I’m not suggesting in any way that you be a killjoy and I certainly don’t believe that it’s necessary to avoid holiday parties or gatherings where food is available. By planning ahead, changing your expectations, and making a few specific eating compromises, you can truly have your cake and eat it too. Happy Holidays!

The holiday season is here and it’s time for us all to quickly gain ten pounds. What? Why would I say that? I say that because it’s written all over the place. Over the next few weeks, you are going to see and hear references to our tendency to gain weight during this time of year in every newspaper, magazine, website, blog and television news program. And while the opportunities to eat may increase this time of year and the kinds of foods pushed on us are often not the healthiest, you don’t have to gain weight. However, if you expect to…you will. What do expectations have to do with weight gain? Think of expectations as a combination of predictions and learned patterns of behavior. Outcomes that have occurred in the past, we generally expect to happen again. Take Thanksgiving for example, or what I like to call “National Binge Eating Day.” Thanksgiving is one of those few days of the year where the holiday seems to be about overeating. Of course, Thanksgiving is supposed to be about taking the opportunity to give thanks for how fortunate we are to live in this great country and to count our blessings for what we have. However, if you ask most Americans what comes to mind when they think of Thanksgiving I’ll bet turkey, stuffing, pie and football come long before giving thanks. More importantly, it’s not only food and eating that we think of but overeating and overindulging. This is so common that it’s often parodied in television commercials. Companies that manufacture antacids run ads showing people with exploding pant buttons or slumped back in the big armchair following the big meal. Thanksgiving, holiday parties and overeating seem to be synonymous. Many of us expect to overeat on Thanksgiving and at holiday parties so we inadvertently mentally gear up for this to happen. With this expectation of overeating in mind, our behavior becomes less controllable…you’re psychologically setting the stage for a binge to occur by expecting a huge meal to be served and by recalling previous Thanksgivings when you overate. Similarly, this is the season of holiday parties. Holiday parties tend to include foods that are rich, highly caloric and plentiful. And let’s not forget the alcohol. When you attend holiday parties, many of us expect these foods and drinks to be available and we are more likely to overindulge if that has been our pattern in the past. You’re certainly not a drone who is unable to make change, but it is infinitely less likely unless you take active steps to make that change. What can you do to prevent overeating at this time of year and gaining those extra pounds? Change your expectations by planning what you will do ahead of time. On the morning of Thanksgiving, think about what the likely layout will be where you are having the meal. Have you been there before? Do you know what to expect to be on the table? If so, plan ahead. Make some decisions about what you will eat and how much. Promise yourself that you will not overeat. After all, it’s just one meal and ironically many people who overeat say they’re not particularly fond of Thanksgiving food. They just get caught up in the collective binge mentality and the rest is history. If you plan ahead and carefully consider what to do instead of binging, you have a much better chance of controlling yourself and feeling good about your eating behavior afterwards. Consider that while eating may be a significant and enjoyable part of holiday parties and gatherings, OVEREATING does not need to be. Try not to give yourself permission to overindulge. Let’s face it…eating is fun and enjoyable and is a large part of holiday merriment. However, there is no fun in feeling nauseas or uncomfortable just after the meal and guilty and self-deprecating hours later. Don’t starve yourself on Thanksgiving morning or on the day of a holiday party. This is one of the most common, yet foolish strategies people employ. The calories you give up by skipping breakfast and lunch usually pale in comparison to the calorie content of the evening binge at Thanksgiving or the holiday party. Instead, eat normally during the day which may actually help keep you from binging later. You are far more likely to control yourself if you are mostly full during the day rather than starving when you walk in the door of the party. Consider making some eating compromises. Who said you have to have turkey only on Thanksgiving? Is pecan pie banned at other times of year? Consider having the foods that truly are once a year items rather than loading up on everything. And even then, you don’t need five pounds of the special foods. If you only get to eat your grandmother’s special stuffing once a year, you certainly shouldn’t pass that up. However, I promise you that eating a ton of it will not make you happier than having two nice size tablespoons of the stuff. Again, plan ahead and make decisions earlier in the day. Watch the booze. Alcohol causes our judgment to get a little fuzzy. You are going to be more successful controlling your behavior if your brain is firing on all cylinders. If you drink too much too early in the day, you’re going to have a tougher time sticking to whatever plan you created. Also, too much alcohol causes us to make other foolish decisions. There are enough unfortunate tragedies that happen this time of year. Make sure you’re not a part of one. I’m not suggesting in any way that you be a killjoy and I certainly don’t believe that it’s necessary to avoid holiday parties or gatherings where food is available. By planning ahead, changing your expectations, and making a few specific eating compromises, you can truly have your cake and eat it too. Happy Holidays!

I love my band, everybody has a different reason for getting their surgery. I am also a quantity eater and this limits you or else you suffer the consequences like getting stuck or feeling so full I can't stand myself. The sleeve or bypass does not limit the amount of food from what I have read. I am 4 years out and do not ever plan on getting my band removed unless it is definitely causing any major problems. I still gain a few pounds over the holidays but get back to business after the first of the year. I love my popcorn and tend to go overboard on that for a while and then I am good for a few months. I believe the weight gain is the salt because we do not use salt at our dinner table or in cooking. This is a choice you need to make on your own and I really don't care if anybody else agrees or not with me. This band has saved my life and that is proof to me that this was the right choice. If something drastic changed and I had to have the band removed I don't know what drastic surgery I would choose. The sleeve and gastric are very risky operations and right now I would not be comfortable with either one if I had to choose. Good luck and enjoy your band and don't let people get you down because if it works for you that is all that matters.

I remember being thin... 10 years ago after we got married before I got pregnant. I have a whole photo album of us in our first apartment we got right after high school. Me and my hubby in the hot tub with friends happy and smiling, me not being afraid to take pictures in a bathing suit...yes, good times! And as a result of the weight gain from both pregnancies, the effects of the pituitary tumor I had and then the weight gain from the meds to shrink the tumor, I have barely been in any pictures with my husband, kids and family since. I'm so ready to get my self confidence and self esteem back! Like shackwacky said, my tummy is already saggy from 2 pregnancies with each daughter being 9 pounds, one a vag. delivery the second being a c section because baby #1 got stuck on the way out, but hey, thats what the control body briefs are for! Hubby does love me though and is behind me if i want a tummy tuck 100 percent.

I already have a baggy tummy -- four ten plus pound babies, two c-sections, and a lifetime of rollercoaster weight gain and loss. Part of my drive to get my band this year is because I want to have my tummy fixed when I turn 50 (so that gives me two years to find the new me). I have to say though, I am more excited than anything else. I have only lost a few pounds so far, but I found cheekbones I had forgotten were there. Bring on the new, saggy, skinny me. I think at least she will be able to do the stairs without gasping....

Many smart women struggle with their weight and many busy, successful professional women resort to food to cope with the stress, uncertainty, and other emotions that occur in a full, high-pressure life. Unfortunately, for many, these battles with food become vicious cycles that look something like this: “Fresh starts” and plans that don’t work or don’t last, followed by feelings of defeat and inadequacy, followed by overeating and a period of trying to generate motivation (again), followed by another “fresh start.” This vicious cycle leaves women feeling bad about themselves and ineffective. It also often leads to weight gain instead of weight loss. If you are a high-achiever—a woman who is successful in many areas of her life who finds herself stuck in this cycle—there is a way out. Here are three tips to start breaking the yo-yo diet emotional eating cycle: Let go of the belief that you are alone and the only one struggling like this. If you are caught in this cycle with food and overeating, you’re in some great company. One of the most self-defeating actions you can take is to continue to struggle alone, heaping on self-blame and even shame. Find someone to talk to. Open your eyes to the possibility of support. Ask other women what they do when they struggle. Consider investing in yourself the same way you invest in your career and your family and your home and pursuing emotional eating solutions that can help you. Take control of perfectionism. You’re human and you’ll never be perfect. Perfectionism or all-or-nothing thinking is common among women who expect a lot of themselves. It can get you stuck in a pattern where making a poor choice is interpreted as “blowing it.” Women trying to lose weight fall for this all the time. Instead of continuing forward and allowing the next choice to be a better one, the tendency is to cash in all your chips and start down a road of overeating because you’re upset with yourself and you “failed.” Plan for imperfection. Train your mind to notice your progress and not just your missteps. Stop relying on willpower. This is a biggie. You are a high-achiever. You probably have a lot of willpower and stick-to-it-ness in other areas of your life. You may be lost in a mindset of beating yourself up over this cycle you are stuck in. If so, you probably tell yourself things like: “What’s wrong with me that I can’t get a grip on this?” “This should be easy.” “I’m just not trying hard enough.” “This is an embarrassment and I need to stop being lazy and just take a tough line with myself.” If you are still feeling stuck, read my first two tips again. The truth is that you’re stuck because your method isn’t effective. You’re missing something. Start with compassion for yourself for how big and deep and exhausting this struggle is. Try holding yourself in the same positive mental light that you’d hold a dear friend. Take a deep breath and allow yourself to treat this issue as a legitimate problem. Allow yourself to respect that you are in a tough spot. Instead of blaming yourself, give yourself permission to take the situation seriously. Now ask yourself what you need that you don’t have that could help. You may be tempted to choose some kind of judgment (“I’m lazy”), but instead, focus on identifying the outside resource or concept that could help (“I'm overloaded and I'm at a loss about how to feel better without overeating. I need some new tools.”). I find that high-achievers who are stuck in this overeating cycle hesitate (or don’t even think to) ask for: Help with finding motivation Help with creating time for themselves Help with accountability Help developing new skills and strategies Help with getting to the root of what’s triggering their overeating Help. Period. Approaching the problem with respect and allowing yourself the resources you need to be effective can make a world of difference. Are you stuck? Are you tired of spinning your wheels and feeling like you are wasting your energy? What small change could you start making today? Leave a comment and share your thoughts

Many smart women struggle with their weight and many busy, successful professional women resort to food to cope with the stress. Are you looking for solutions? Many smart women struggle with their weight and many busy, successful professional women resort to food to cope with the stress, uncertainty, and other emotions that occur in a full, high-pressure life. Unfortunately, for many, these battles with food become vicious cycles that look something like this: “Fresh starts” and plans that don’t work or don’t last, followed by feelings of defeat and inadequacy, followed by overeating and a period of trying to generate motivation (again), followed by another “fresh start.” This vicious cycle leaves women feeling bad about themselves and ineffective. It also often leads to weight gain instead of weight loss. If you are a high-achiever—a woman who is successful in many areas of her life who finds herself stuck in this cycle—there is a way out. Here are three tips to start breaking the yo-yo diet emotional eating cycle: Let go of the belief that you are alone and the only one struggling like this. If you are caught in this cycle with food and overeating, you’re in some great company. One of the most self-defeating actions you can take is to continue to struggle alone, heaping on self-blame and even shame. Find someone to talk to. Open your eyes to the possibility of support. Ask other women what they do when they struggle. Consider investing in yourself the same way you invest in your career and your family and your home and pursuing emotional eating solutions that can help you. Take control of perfectionism. You’re human and you’ll never be perfect. Perfectionism or all-or-nothing thinking is common among women who expect a lot of themselves. It can get you stuck in a pattern where making a poor choice is interpreted as “blowing it.” Women trying to lose weight fall for this all the time. Instead of continuing forward and allowing the next choice to be a better one, the tendency is to cash in all your chips and start down a road of overeating because you’re upset with yourself and you “failed.” Plan for imperfection. Train your mind to notice your progress and not just your missteps. Stop relying on willpower. This is a biggie. You are a high-achiever. You probably have a lot of willpower and stick-to-it-ness in other areas of your life. You may be lost in a mindset of beating yourself up over this cycle you are stuck in. If so, you probably tell yourself things like: “What’s wrong with me that I can’t get a grip on this?” “This should be easy.” “I’m just not trying hard enough.” “This is an embarrassment and I need to stop being lazy and just take a tough line with myself.” If you are still feeling stuck, read my first two tips again. The truth is that you’re stuck because your method isn’t effective. You’re missing something. Start with compassion for yourself for how big and deep and exhausting this struggle is. Try holding yourself in the same positive mental light that you’d hold a dear friend. Take a deep breath and allow yourself to treat this issue as a legitimate problem. Allow yourself to respect that you are in a tough spot. Instead of blaming yourself, give yourself permission to take the situation seriously. Now ask yourself what you need that you don’t have that could help. You may be tempted to choose some kind of judgment (“I’m lazy”), but instead, focus on identifying the outside resource or concept that could help (“I'm overloaded and I'm at a loss about how to feel better without overeating. I need some new tools.”). I find that high-achievers who are stuck in this overeating cycle hesitate (or don’t even think to) ask for: Help with finding motivation Help with creating time for themselves Help with accountability Help developing new skills and strategies Help with getting to the root of what’s triggering their overeating Help. Period. Approaching the problem with respect and allowing yourself the resources you need to be effective can make a world of difference. Are you stuck? Are you tired of spinning your wheels and feeling like you are wasting your energy? What small change could you start making today? Leave a comment and share your thoughts

I'm up 2 lbs this week. I'm 10 weeks out and went up 2 lbs this week. I never believed stressed caused weight gain but I think so. I'm averaging no more than 700 cal a day between 50-70g of Proteins I do struggle with Water its just the timing things out that screws me up. My carbs. have only been over 30 a couple of times but I've been going through some crap. I just wish I would've waited to have the surgery. I did post before the surgery with second thoughts and wanting to cancel because the family wasnt very supportive. Well now I really wished I waited. I'm 21/2 months out was down 31 lbs now 29 and i'm stressing about only having 6-8 months of restriction. I stalled for 2 weeks now up 2. This is crazy I've been working out running walking cardiovascular weights everything. Anyone go through stress and still loose.

These are the things that I think have made me successful: DIET: I eat 1200 cal a day and I break it down as follows: 50% Protein (150gm) 40% fat (53gm) and 10% net carbs (30gm). Net carbs is derived from taking the total carbohydrate and subtracting the grams of Fiber. I religiously keep track of all my food and exercise at myfitnesspal.com and you can manually input the calories and p/c/f any way you want. I use it a lot for planning as well. Around lunch time, I see how much of each I have left and I play around and input different things that I could have for supper, and choose the one that fits in to what I have left for the day. Some of my favorite foods are: string cheese, Atkins chocolate Peanut Butter and Caramel Nut Chew Bars, a homemade ham, cheese and spinach omlette, 100 cal packs of almonds, Smart Ones Salisbury Steak & Veg, Turkey & Potatoes, Roast Beef and Potatoes, Lean Cusine Herb chicken & Veg, Healthy Choice Beef Merlot. Hungry Girl Flat Out breads make great sandwiches, pizzas, burritos, tacos, sloppy joes, etc.-get the whole wheat with flax one (always near the deli) and I like Nature's Own Whole Wheat Double Fiber. I have to have bread toasted to go thru my band. My go-to fast food is a small Wendy's chili. You can find the nutritional information for most all restaurants at dwlz.com and exercise4weightloss.com. There will be restaurant links. I also drink 10-12 cups of Water per day, so I label the 16oz bottles 1-6, because I lose track if I'm busy at work. I will occasionally use the sugar free flavorings. My favorites are Hawaiin Punch Lemon berry and Cherry Limeade. I drink nothing carbonated, nor do I drink any caffeine. I was told the carbonation stretched out your stomach and makes you hungrier. First thing in the morning, I get down 2 bottles of water, 1 on the way to work and I make a point of finishing it before I get there. Then I drink my Protein shake about 9am. Then I dont drink anymore water until about 30min-1hr before lunch and I have my 3rd bottle. Otherwise, you will wash the shake down and get less benefit from it making you feel full. I do not ever drink anything 20 min before a meal, during, or 1-2 hr after, then I drink one late in the day and one on the way home. I always eat the protein 1st, then vegetable, then carb. I almost always eat a lower carb WW, Healthy Choice or Lean Cuisine meal for lunch, then reasonable dinner. You can look at the nutritional content of each of the frozen meals online and then it is easier to pick them up at the store than looking at the back of every box. I probably eat the same 10-12 meals all the time. I really don't snack much. If I do, I try to eat a Protein Bar on the way home for work so I'm not tempted while I'm cooking supper. PROTEIN: This is by far the single most important part of my success. For Breakfast everyday I have a protein shake. My favorite is Pure Protein, which comes in an 11oz can with 35gm of protein. I like the Chocolate, banana and strawberry the best. vanilla was just ok. I did not like the consistancy of the Cookies and creme. I havent found a chocolate mint one in the store to try yet because it is new. I only get the 35 gm ones- that way you get more "bang for your buck" as far as higher protein content for the least amt of carbs and calories. If you end up not liking them, you still only have to drink just the 11 ounces. They are kind of expensive- they end up being about $2.25 each, but who doesnt spend that at a drive thru anyway? It has been worth the investment for me and IT WORKS. I always feel full before I finish the shake.You can buy single cans to try at Vitamin Shoppe, but once I figured out which ones I liked, I bought them by the case thru amazon.com. I also like a powder made by Forza Pro in chocolate mint. It is a very smooth powder and mixes well and only availabe tha Nurtishops. It has 30gm of protein a scoop. HEAD HUNGER: This has improved over time for me, but this is the one thing that no one can really prepare you for pre-op. It just plain hard sometimes. Have I ever cheated? Sure. But just because you take one step back, it doesnt mean you have to fall down the whole flight of stairs. I kind of have a 5 bite rule: if I want something really bad- I eat 5 bites and walk away. Get it in your head this is a TOOL, not a cure. You can sabotage this easily with slider foods. You will still be on a "diet" with the band. You still have to make good decisions everyday for the rest of your life. Which do you want more???? WEIGHT: I do well with negative feedback- I choose to let it motivate me instead of discourage me. Therefore, I weigh myself every single day, first thing in the morning. I also track it on myfitnesspal.com. If my weight is up, I can look back over the previous day or two and identify the problem. Then I correct it, not dwell on it, and MOVE ON. Pat Summitt, famous coach of the Lady Vols and my hero, always said you get 24 hours to Celebrate a victory and 24 hours to feel sorry for yourself when you lose a game, then get over it and get back to work. That what I try to do. I would not do well if I had a big surprise 3-5 lb weight gain after not weiging for a week and then trying to figure out where I went wrong. Some people hate weighing every day. I want to know sooner than later. I have figured out to a science how many carbs, fat, protein, etc I can have a day to lose and it takes the guesswork out of it, but this took several weeks, and it keep changing as I lose also. I got annoyed with my scale at home, so I did some research and bought one on Amazon called EatSmart Precision Digital scale and I really like it. I make sure it on the same tile block in my kitchen everyday and I zero it out then step on- and only once. I searched a really long time for the perfect one and this has certainly been worth it. That is the mentality I use. I do go to Weight Watchers religiously. No one is going to teach a nurse and master dieter something she doesnt already know. Some people think it silly to pay a weekly fee to let someone else weigh you. It's a proven fact that people who go to meetings lose 1/3 more weight than people who do it online or on their own. I am as proud of my 10% keychain, my 25lb, 50lb and 75lb charms as anything. I am also always good on Mondays before weigh in. Another negative feedback thing for me. EXERCISE: 45 minutes of aerobics twice a week with my girlfriends from church who don't care how stupid we look doing it. I hope this helps someone! Maybe bits and pieces of what I do may help you in some way. That is what were are all here for! Good luck on your journey!

This is pretty scarey but you can stop the weight gain right now and go back to eating Protein first and then some veggies. I do highly recommend that you get back to therapy and work on those negative thoughts in your head to curve this cycle. You are not at a loss, this is just a learning lesson that we all must learn..... Here is a copy of LilMissDiva's "The Basic Bootcamp Diet" that will get the sugar out of your system, to abort the sweet cravings.......BTW i don't believe 150 lbs is where your going to stop, so let your body do the work it is suppose too. Eat under 1200 calories a day. You can do this.. Here is the plan: The BASICS BOOTCAMP: For 5 STRICT DAYS I will eat only... Proteins: Seafoods, Poultry and eggs, Dairies, nuts/seeds including Peanut Butter. Veggies: Green only. Fruits: None. Breads/Cereals/Other Carbs: None. Fluids: One gallon of Water (128 oz.) or Protein drinks. Avoid: Sugar and Sodium Once the 5 days are over, I am pretty much over the Sugar Carb Demon. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate carbs! I do need them to live a healthy life and since I workout a lot it is important I have them. However, I need GOOD carbs. Whole grains, fruits, veggies... But I don't need processed sugars. White carbs, in cereals, breads, rice... etc.

I had my Mirena removed because of the weight gain, headaches, and low sex drive! The side affects sucked!!! Since having it removed I feel 200% better! I went to a web site called curezone to research if what and how I was feeling was because of the Mirena. I discovered I was not alone in what I was feeling and I was not the only one being affected by most of the side effects. If the Mirena works for you that is great! It doesn't work for everyone! I am happy with the decision I made.

Hi all! I want to share my story because I feel like things are "hopeless" again like they did all of those years I had been dieting prior to having my gastric sleeve. I was sleeved in September of 2010 by Dr. Aceves in Mexicali. I had a wonderful experience there and would do it again in a heartbeat. In fact, I feel like I may need to do it again since the weight gain has started. I started at 240 lbs and the lowest weight I got to, which was last year at this same time, was 150 lbs. At that time, I stuidly felt like I was losing too much weight, as I wanted to stay curvy, so a friend of mine who has had the lap band, suggested I find something high calorie to substitute my daily intake with so I was getting enough calories to not lose any more weight. Being an emotional eater, this should have been a huge red flag for me, but here was an excuse for me to overindulge, so I took it. cheese was what worked for me. I ate a lot of cheese.. sometimes, nothing but cheese once I figured out it would go down easy. After that I moved onto processed crackers and Cookies, again, things that go down easily without getting full and without getting the sick feeling. I weighed myself yesterday and I'm back up to 167 lbs. Two months ago I was at 163 lbs, so i'm rapidly climbing back up the scale. I do go to the gym, was twice a week, but in the last two weeks i've bumped it up to 3 times a week. I do strength training with weights and cardio. I am fairly active on the weekends, as I am fortunate enough to live in an area where everything is either walking or biking distance. The problem is, and i'm suspecting this will be most of our problem here on this site, is that we are emotional eaters. And it was great at first with the sleeve because you literally could not eat anything.. .or you were so afraid to eat anything that you just wouldn't eat it in fear of getting "that feeling" (you all know what i'm talking about). I can take the literature and read it over and over... my doctor can send me emails and tell me what to do (eat your Protein first, dont snack, etc). In a perfect world, if I could do that, then I wouldn't have needed to have weight loss surgery in the first place. My brain tells me to eat for comfort, eat when you're happy, eat when you're sad, eat to Celebrate.... and the hard part is, now that I've figured out what I can eat with the sleeve, its becoming more and more difficult to overcome this feeling. I have been in therapy for about 8 years trying to overcome this emotional eating issue, but its so easy to go back to what we know, rather than change it. Not making excuses... i'm just reaching out to others who may have the same feelings and eating disorder as I do... and maybe if we can get rid of that shame we feel by sharing with each other, we can overcome this need to eat to stuff our emotions. Because I do feel very shameful that I paid all of this money, risked my life in Mexico to have this surgery done... and now i'm sabotaging myself and undoing the very thing that I've wanted my entire life... to be thin and "normal". Whatever normal is... If you haven't had the sleeve yet, please, make sure you get in tune with yourself with regard to the emotional eating, becuase although the first year or so of the weight loss is great! If you dont get your disorder under control, it will all come back, eventually. I said at the beginning of this post that I feel hopeless, but by letting me share here, I do feel a little more hopeful than I did when I started writing this. Thank you for listening. Nikki