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@@Fatty McFatster I hope everything is okay! I'm a little concerned for you. That weight gain is very odd. How are you feeling? Do you feel unwell or okay? Yes, please keep us posted!

Lauren I'm with you 100%. Since day one I made a promise to myself not to eat processed foods and for 95% of the time I'm on board with it. I start each day with a cup of coffee (wait 30 minutes) then eat my breakfast which is a yogurt and hard boiled egg. In September after a weight gain and a spike in my A1c I stopped eating at 7PM and didn't eat agin until 8AM. This seems to have been a missing part of my weight maintenance. As for food I prepare and cook my dinners but for lunch it's usually a can fish such as sardines, tuna or salmon. Thanks for the tips. Every little bit helps in this life long struggle. Continue the healthy life.

yes! I think the smaller sizes are often not worn because people buy them hoping they will fit, trying to loose weight. when they don't loose weight they donate. or if they are lightly worn it's due to weight gain. Glad you found some lovely things!

1st off, I'm so sorry you're having to deal with all of this, and without your surgeon's team for support! You really have an uphill battle!! Prednisone will work against you - it will cause cravings and weight gain all on its own. My rheumatologist (I have RA/PsA) won't give me prednisone unless I'm in a huge flare. If your rheumy hasn't started working you towards other anti-inflammatories, find a new rheumy. Methotrexate didn't work for me (and then I had an allergic reaction) but sulfasalazine is helping quite a bit, and we're considering plaquenil. We'll move to biologics before we'll do prednisone again unless I get a horrendous flare. I know how awesome prednisone is, I just got through telling my PCP that I wish it was safe to take long-term because I feel completely human on 10-20mg a day. But the side effects long term are awful, and it will absolutely work against you with weight loss. I can't do ultra-low carb like many of the people here, but I work to keep my carbs moderately low (I usually get 70-80g a day) and make sure I'm eating complex carbs like whole grains and Beans and not eating simple sugars. I focus mainly on getting my Protein and Water in, though some days it's very hard and I fall short but I keep working to do better the next day. If I get all my protein and fluids in, I often don't have room for a lot of carbs. I am so out of shape, have a reconstructed knee (not artificial, but they had to repair/replace cartilage and re-structure the joint), and the best thing I have found for exercise is to get in the pool. I found a close gym with an indoor pool. I can't even kick laps yet, but just get in and walk. The cooler water keeps the inflammation down, and the buoyancy keeps from overloading my joints. When I had my knee reconstructed in 2008, I couldn't afford a gym, but found that my city had an indoor pool at the senior citizen's center, and was able to go water walk there. So I highly recommend finding a pool you can use to get some exercise in and get those joints moving. I don't know what your options are for finding a doc since you don't have your original one. If you can't find a bariatric surgeon who will work with you, try and find a good PCP who is educated about WLS or maybe a gastroenterologist. If you can't find one to follow up with, there are a lot of resources online. Which isn't the best option, but it's better than having no support. I have been very impressed with the videos by Dr. Weiner https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4qN8k1ix0DoCLM6VhDvz8w for example. Several bariatric centers publish their post-surgical programs. I highly recommend that you get on one and work really hard to follow it. Even though I can't follow the ultra low-carb programs that most here are using, I'm working really hard to change my eating patterns and my relationship with food permanently so that my tool will work. Best of luck to you!

Thank you for starting this post. I never thought I would admit this but we will be married 20 years this fall but our sex life ended 17 years ago. I know my weight gain was directly related to my feelings of loneliness and emptiness and not wanting to be attractive (so my outside would match my insides). It's good to know that i'm not the only one on the planet with this problem, 'cause it sure seems like it from TV and movies! I know nothing will change if I lose weight. I do know it is very uncomfortable to get attention from other men now that I have dropped a bit of weight. BTW, i'm a trekkie too (live long and prosper)

I expected big things from 2011...just not me! I was banded on September 30th, 2010. It has been a long, but quick process, if that makes sense. I have gone from 325-327 (by my at home scale) to 293.6 , as of this morning. It seemed so daunting when I first started the insurance process, seminars, etc, in April of last year. But, it truly went by quickly. Before I knew it, I was banded. If anyone is reading this and is overwhelmed by insurance hoops, don't be discouraged. Just take it one step at a time because the payoff is HUGE! My last fill, # 3, they put in a little more in my band. That was 3 weeks ago and I've lost about 6 pounds since then. Slowly, but surely! Fill 1 was okay...no real restriction, though, fill 2 was an overfill---followed by some being taken out, then fill 3, I feel, is my sweet spot. I feel like I eat too much (i'm so paranoid about overeating), but my husband says I hardly eat anything. In comparing what I ate before, he's probably right. I still keep track of everything on sparkpeople and really am trying to watch everything. It certainly something that isn't easy and is something that we all have to continually work at. Each day, I still argue with my body about what to put in it. I think it will get easier and easier, but it has hard not to stop at McDonalds in the morning for a breakfast sandwich (not that I can really eat it without getting stuck anyway!), but my mouth would still try. I have just started really trying to get serious about working out. I don't really have time for an actual gym between my kids and my husband's crazy work hours. I have picked up Zumba and also love working out to my Wii! My doctor's office has a program they refer to as 'Bootcamp'. It is 3 nights a week for 6 weeks. Of all of the places in my city, it happens to be held just a few miles from my house, which is great. You work out with a personal trainer those 3 nights, meet with a counselor for a few minutes on 2 of those nights and meet with a nutritionist the other night after your workout. And, as long as you don't miss more than 3 sessions, it is all free. So, I will be beginning that on their next session start next month. I really can't wait! I am starting to have loose clothing, which is great, and my knees are already feeling better when I go upstairs. I love that. When I met my husband, I was hovering around 270. Still fat, but nothing as to what I turned into over 5 years! I guess my happiness was directly correlated with my weight gain, which, ironically, caused unhappiness. But, one the road to being a better me feels good! I recognize I will never, realistically, be 135 pounds ever, but I'm okay with that as long as I can get down to a healthy weight of maybe 170. I really can't wait to to do things with my kids this summer! I can already tell I'm getting more energy and can't wait to see how that goes up, too. Anyway, those are the thought that are in my head today. I hope everyone is doing well after the holidays!

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 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.

I've been sleeved since 7/2015. I've put on about some weight this past year. I went back to my doctor and he suggested I do an EGD scope to see if there is anything going on especially since I've been having acid reflux. He found I have a retained fundus - which is a poooch out at the top of my sleeve. He said this is the cause of the weight gain and reflux. Since I'm a candidate for the revision to do the DS switch I have started the process for that next step. He will fix the retained fundus at the time of the next surgery. Has anyone dealt with this?

Well, if you go to OH which is a anti-lap band website you will hear nothing but negativity about the band. Anyone who post there nowadays are seeking revisions and are very bitter about their band experience. Also, you have to take into perspective the type of complications that occur with the band, most are simple things, like vomiting, reflux, heartburn, port leaks and tubing leaks, these are the majority of issues that occur with the band. Frequent reflux/vomiting is a symptom of lap band problems, such as slippage or dilation. Some people live with a slipped band for years, who don't have good aftercare, and end up needing emergency surgery to remove the band. Port and tubing leaks are not dangerous, but annoying and can get costly if someone is self pay and don't have money to fix or replace the band, this is why many people who are self pay should have a rainy day fund for any unforeseen lap band issues. However, these things can get severe if not treated promptly, like food obstruction can get life threatening and cause repeating vomiting and dehydration if someone does not seek medical attention by a lap band surgeon immediately. There are many people that do not have aftercare with their bands, many went to Mexico and don't have a surgeon to see them regularly in the US, some people have very poor aftercare with the surgeon that sees them in the US also, some lose their insurance, and no longer can afford the aftercare with their bands, so if you dig deep in how most people suffer complications, they are usually not really caused by the lap band. Also things like food obstruction which usually can be easily treated easily, can turn into a horrible complication if the patient does not see their lap band surgeon immediately to remove saline from the band. Also, everyone's body reacts differently with the band, some people have a weak or short esophagus and are not good candidates for the band, and they can't stand the pressure of a tight band and sometimes this will cause esophageal motility issues long term, but from all the studies I've read even people with a weak esophagus and motility issues return to normal after the band is removed. , Also I agree with the above poster Lellow, Australia have better lap band stats than the US because they have better aftercare surgeons, many surgeons in the US do not like offering aftercare and filling the lap band-- many surgeon view aftercare with the lap band to be annoying, many in the past have pushed them to Primary Care Physicians for fills, and other fill givers that do not fill the band properly, who know nothing about the band. Many of these surgeons were Bypass surgeons and only did the band as a "side project" because MOST people WANT the lap band and the bypass surgeons would do a bait and switch on patients, not fill the band properly and many people never get to the green zone, either too tight or not enough and patients would get so frustrated and remove the band, and the Bypass surgeon would gladly remove the band and revise them to the bypass, and that happens WAY too much in the US. I've had a lap band for almost 8 years and I would not change to any other procedure, I could have revised to the Bypass or Sleeve last year when I got my band replaced due to a hiatal hernia, but I see too many Bypassers and Sleevers struggling with weight gain long term, and dealing with other long term health issues such as reflux, Vitamin deficiency and hypoglycemia. I will risk lap band complications any day before I would risk Sleeve, or Bypass complications. Also check out the revision forum on OH, many people are desperate and seeking help from weight gain with the Sleeve and Bypass, many long term Bypassers are NOW seeking bands over their bypass, my surgeons also says many Sleevers are asking for bands too, but they can't because they don't have enough stomach left, but their small stomach has stretched too much to be effective without serious deiting, but some surgeons are putting some type of mesh bands over Sleeves, never let negative people fool you some have other motives for band bashing. Good luck.

Were you worried at all that your insurance would deny you because of weight gain? I'm a little worried if my clinic weights me in the will not do the surgery. I finished the 3 month trial and I'm tentatively scheduled for June 9th; just waiting on BCBS insurance approval.

You may be slipping up in minor ways that add up in the long run. Weigh and measure everything. Track your food on an app like Baritastic. It will keep you aware of what you are actually eating. You could also try resetting your set point by returning to all liquids, and build up again to solid foods over several weeks. If you have achieved your goal and stayed there for a while, a bit of weight gain is quite normal.

A little primer on alcohol (I am in the industry) One of the things you might like to know is the quickest buzz is consumed with straight spirits, sipped slowly. Much of the alcohol will actually be absorbed right in your mouth, and it is a quick path to the brain. Unfortunately a lot of people drink too fast, and or mix spirits with various sodas, juices, etc so there is no immediate transfer of a good feeling. So then they drink more and more and eventually it is all absorbed into your blood stream through the stomach and intestine walls, where you end up having consumed twice as much, to get the feeling sipping straight or slightly altered spirits would have given an hour earlier. Extra money, extra calories from both the alcohol and the mixers. Think martinis , or bourbon or rum on the rocks. About the worst thing you can do, is drink shots. You might as well tip your head back and have someone pour 4 tablespoons of raw sugar in your throat 🍰🍪 For every shot. Actually worse than that (From a WLS stand) are liqueurs or cordials. By law they must contain a minimum of 2.5% raw sugar syrup back into the previously distilled spirits. Some add up to 15%.. Same with those creme based spirits, and that isn't just sugar they also add whole creme fat that keeps the alcohol in solution and prevent curdling. I have also read on many blogs people claiming they used to drink before WLS, but now get drunk easier. We'll of course you do. Because in most cases WLS patients end up with much less body mass to absorb and assimilate the same amount of alcohol. A breath anaylizer is a very good tool to have in your pocket or purse, to obtain optimal enjoyment, plus remain legal to drive (but it is always best to take an uber, or DD home. 0.04 is the ideal euphoric effect. there is also the fear of transference from food to alcohol and you must remain vigilant to not allow this to occur. the other item that seems to be misunderstood is that some believe sugar and alcohol react differently than each other in weight gain. It's simply not true. Alcohol is sugar/starch to begin with (from a variety of plants, or sugar cane, grapes, etc. Alcohol producers then add yeast to those various items , and said yeast "converts" note I sad "converts, not consumes" those plant sugars into alcohol and Carbon-dioxide these is no difference between raw sugar and alcohol. Except one can make you feel better if used appropriately. I am not writing this to push one guilty pleasure over the other, I am just pointing out that you should perhaps look up the caloric content of the alcohol you drink, with the same intensity as I beleive many do with the sugar/carb load of food. It's just calories, either way, and if you are going to drink in moderation,you shoul calculate those calories into you meal plan.

I just want to stress that it didn't take over night to become overweight. We all had many years of practice. So it's not going to take overnight to be thin. It's also going to take many years of practice to break that cycle, even when you DO reach your goal weight. Weightloss is a never ending battle. Weight Gain is a battle worth fighting. As for the fear of gaining the weight back because of your personal experiences with mostly bypass patients. My doc told me that after 2 years the bypass stops working because you have already reached a certain amount of weight and it can't be adjusted. After that 2 years it's up to you. The lapband can be adjusted. But I'm not saying you don't have to continue your battle. What I will say is that YOU look amazing. And I know you have worked hard and will continue to work hard. Be proud of yourself that you got this far. Don't look to far in the future because it is very scary. Take things one day at a time.

It's like you were yelling out loud enough for me to get on line, and read your post. Today marks my 9th week of being banded. I see all the threads with so many people losing so much weight, and it makes me jealous... and oh so weary. I feel like I'm failing with this too. It's been a long crawl to today. My loss is about the same as it was after the first 10 days. I've gone thru 2 major infections, weight gain, and feelings of total frustration. I don't miss eating. I don't miss food. I don't miss hot meals. I don't miss bread, or cheesecake, or pasta. I miss feeling hopeful. I know this will take a year, and that at my age it's more difficult. I just wish I felt like it's really going to happen. To all of you with great loss, it's always good to let us know how you're doing it. If not for the forum, I wouldn't know much. When I spoke to my Dr this past week, about some of the things we all go thru - he acted like it was a news alert. Congrats to those of you doing well*

(*@%(&%^#@*$%$^#@&*$ *sigh* I read before that you 'sinc up' with your girlfriends on your monthly cycle if you hang out with them enough. I swear it seems to be true here too, I can't believe how many people are complaining about PMS, bloating, the monthly weight gain, etc, etc. I hate my scale with a deap dark passion. One day it will move and I wont hate it quite so much. And by move, I mean GO DOWN, of course.

(yesterday) I told my dad that i lost 18 pounds (b/c he is VERY displeased w/my weight gain) His reply: "hmpf! from where?!" so that let me know that i'm so fat, the 18 pounds isnt even noticable! I know that i should ignore him and i know his comment was mean but he's still an important person in my life. he is a big reason that i want to loose weight. he really doesnt like me fat. i think i even embarrass him around his friends and our family.....:frown:

Absolutely not if I dont eat right and workout the weight gain begins so no it was tool to help me start myjourney!

Fat2flat: Take a breath ... you are relatively new to band life and still need to adjust. You say you don't want to lose quick, then the band is the right "tool" for you. You also say that you want to lose faster than you are currently losing ... but you don't say how much you've lost. It is likely that you have not yet reached your sweet spot, so more fills are needed along with diet and exercise. Are you consistently exercising? Have you made "lifestyle" changes where your food is concerned? The band is (for most, for a few the weight falls off like GB) a tool that works only as hard a you work. Please note that "hard" is a relative term, it doesn't have to be hard -- if you are willing and ready to change your life. The good news is that if you are not quite ready to jump into the deep end, but need to walk from the shallow to the deep -- you HAVE the band and it will be there when you get to the deep end. I have always been a slow loser, but I am still very happy with my progress. I had been banded a little over a year before I started exercising consistently. I have a number of health problems that prevent me from doing strenuous exercise, but i do absolutely everything I can -- because I want to reach my goal and I am WILLING to do what it takes. I have been in physical therapy for months building muscle to strengthen my spine which is riddled with a degenerative disease. My ortho says that the only way around this issue is building muscle to take on the work that my spine can no longer do. This is a win, win because you lose more weight when you have more muscle. I would first recommend that you let go of the frustration ... it will only distract you from achieving your goal (i.e., losing weight). As you are working your way to your sweet spot do little things to change your diet, things you can live with; so that when you get to your sweet spot you will have many lifestyle changes already in place. Pay attention to how foods effect you. Some people are very sensitive to carbs and have to stay away from them; others require a more balanced diet to lose weight. Find what works for you ... let this be your focus and before you know it you will be at your sweet spot with a great new lifestyle AND you will lose weight. YOU CAN DO THIS. Be kind to yourself and ... patient. This journey is individual and very personal. What works for one person may not work for another. mamastwo; hate to say this, but fills are really necessary. It took 7 or 8 fills before I was got to my sweet spot. If you don't have time to get your fills, you can't really expect the band to do it's part. Again, the good news is that you have the band and when you have time to get enough fills to get to your sweet spot, your band will do it's part to assist you with weight loss. Don't give up. Try to make yourself a priority in your life so you can work this band. Find the time for fills, exercise and consciously making time to prepare your meals. Don't let frustration overtake you .... that will only put you on a cycle to nowhere ... we've already done that and all we got for our troubles was weight gain. Move as slowly as you need to, but KEEP MOVING FORWARD. Be kind to YOU! All the best to you both on your journey. This is a great website, with great support. Make it happen in 2012!!! ~Fran

Chickie -- I understand totally. Why then do you see the pronounced rebound weight gains in gastric bypass patients (group at large) but not in lap band patients over a 5 year span? My surgeon also explained to me (perhaps I misunderstood) that one option in some cases of pouch dilation for gastric bypass patients is to THEN apply a band. I'm not discounting your points at all and I don't want to appear to be a newcomer with all the answers. I've enjoyed reading your views on life with the band and think we are of similar mind. Particularly with regard to slow weight loss. My point to the original poster is that the studies clearly show a rebound weight gain long-term (3-5 years) that band patients don't show -- another plus in the band catagory. According to my surgeon one distinct reason for this is the adjustability of the band. Not that it will cure a dilated pouch from "abuse". With regard to slippage and erosion, I wonder how many folks out there have their band embricated to hold it in place and further reduce the chance for slippage and erosion? I'll post that as a seperate question.

Up here in Canada a lot of the advertising which is allowed south of border is simply not permitted. Much of this which is forbidden has to do with legal and medical services; we also have funny laws covering prescription pharmaceuticals. The way I heard about the lapband and the Toronto Lap Band Centre, the place were I went for my surgery, was through a girlfriend who had seen one of the surgeons interviewed on a local morning show. She had heard me whining about my weight gains for a long time and thought that I might be interested. Before I knew about the lapband I was thinking about extensive lipo but was terrified of the pain. The rest is happy history. :eek:

Please don't let my weight gain of 20 lbs scare you. I was irresponsible and continued vomiting wthout talking to my dr until my band slipped last year. And when he took my fill out is when I gained. So it had nothing to do with my band and what it can do for you. It was all on me. I'm working right now with a barely slipped band (he said as long as I have no more symptoms - severe reflux - that I'll be ok the way it is). I have enuf restriction to do what I need to do, but not as much as before so I really have to watch it. I've recently started the Atkins Induction (and I've always been against Atkins, against diets in general) and lost 8 of those lbs so far! So please don't let my post scare you. The band DOES work and it WILL work for you (if you follow the rules). Good luck! Marci

Good point Chickie! I'm only a newbie (banded 5/29) here but I've read every study I could get my hands on and discussed them with my doctor. While your point is certainly valid, I'm referring to study outcomes that I've seen comparing the two methods over multiyear spans. You can clearly see a rebound weight gain in the bypass line graph vs lap band pts. And, although no infinite adjustments, one advantage of the band is that it can be adjusted long term vs the bypass. Just pointing out another reason to look favorably on the band vs bypass.

Years before surgery I had only tried Depo. I really didn't care about the weight gain, now I do...lol. So I think I've pretty much ruled that one out. My doctor gave me the mini pill to try but she said she had little faith in it and really recommends that Mirena IUD. I'm just so scared of having something implanted. But it would be worse if the mini pill was ineffective...lol! I am such a baby when it comes to pain, but I have to ask......did the actual placement of the device hurt? Can you feel it everyday? Is it uncomfortable? What about the side effects? It says possible hair loss....lol....=0 .....more loss? Ugh! Did that happen to anyone?

There will be weeks sometimes months the scale wont move you cant give up and I had to stop weighing myself everyday it only makes things worse. I didnt lose for six months and that was with fills. You body has been overweight for so long it has to adjust and sometimes it just stalls itself out because it was so use to consuming large amounts of calories now it is starving and doesnt want to let go of the fat. keep doing what your doing it will move eventually. Is it frustrating hell yes but we didnt gain it all in three months either. You cant take off 10 to 30 years of weight gain in a few months it doesnt work like that.

I had Isopure, but my food list allows liquids but it doesn't have to be clear so I could have a slimfast if I wanted to. I'm on 4 weeks of liquids but there was no distinction made for clears. The list of what I can have for 4 weeks is very short though. I forgot to mention that I have gained 4 pounds since the morning of my surgery. I know it's not "real" weight gain as I have hardly had any calories at all for days now. It's still weird to see the scale go up.