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I guess I'm lucky as far as it comes to the process. I've met my surgeon and really like him! It has been pretty easy and pretty fast. I am just ready for this change, i'm ready to star seeing results. I feel so lost, I have gained so much weight I don't even recognize myself! I'm recently single after 5 years and I am afraid to visit with old friends (guys and girls) because of the weight gain!

I find it creeps back in periodically for me too, and a fill is not always the answer. I always manage to get on top of it again, before weight gain gets out of control and exercise helps a LOT to avoid putting on weight when you eat a bit more than normal. This is what maintenance is for me. Keeping on top of my bad habits, not anything as negative as a constant struggle but to think that I'm cured and never have to think about my diet or exercise is complete fantasy. In reality I have to work on it every single day and will have to do so for the rest of my life. If I let myself just go, I will eat when I'm not hungry, I will choose poor foods much more often etc. I will never be "fixed" but with my band I can manage my situation. Recommitting is necessary periodically, definitely.

well it is day # 21 post op. doing really well, still having to battle the food demons, but guess what I am in control this time around, so haha food. No weight lost no weight gained cant wait to go the my doctor in 2 weeks and fingers crossed i will get a fill.

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!

you're eating way too few calories to have any real weight gain. It's either water or intestinal contents. And yes - most of us do experience our first stall around the third week post-surgery, so that's almost certainly what's going on. Just stick to your plan and stay off the scale for a few days if you need to. It'll break and you'll be on your way again

As a "lower BMI bandster" I've never thought for a moment that I faced the same journey. The health and fitness I enjoyed even as an obese person was a blessing and made my journey that much easier. The fact that I never became super morbidly obese was because my obesity was due to lifestyle factors - the typical weight gain that happens when you have kids, stop work etc. I wasnt just piling on more and more pounds, I'd reached max fatness and held it for a few years before I got banded. I didnt have anything like the headwork to do, anything like the dysfunctional eating to battle and absolutely none of the emotional scarring to heal. I've never not fit in a movie seat, a booth, an aeroplane seat. I got banded becuase I was worried about my ankle, yes, but more so because I didnt like the way I looked. It was totally a decision based on vanity. I've never tried to pretend I totally understand what others are going through, I'm sure actually my "just do it" attitude has at times been insensitive even, because honestly, when people post that they need more and more restriction or they've gained or they cant stop eating chocolate, I really do just marvel that they've gone so far as to have surgery and they STILL cant control themselves? I know that I just dont get it. I try to be respectful of it as a journey totally different to mine and I hope that that works in reverse and people understand that a little bit of weight is much easier to tackle than a lot so why the hell not do it now before it gets even harder?

I met my husband in 2002, I was around 260 then. We moved in together before we got married and we both started to gain weight together. He was a very healthy weight when we met so his weight gain was about 30-40lbs over the course of 8yrs, my weight gain was 100lbs to 370 by 2013. At a yearly check up with a new PCP she looked at me astounded that all of my blood work was fine, no hyperglycemia, I was still very mobile, only a slightly high BP. She behooved us to try the DASH diet for weight loss telling me my good numbers would not last. So my husband and I did and very successfully lost weight with diet and exercise. My husband lost down to a BMI of 25 and I lost 93lbs to 277. Then last summer we planned a Caribbean getaway and fell off the wagon starting in June. It was slow, but I did start gaining back and by November had gained back 25lbs. I tried again the reset method from the DASH diet of no carbs/sugars for two weeks and only lost 4lbs... Discouraged I went to a seminar with a coworker who was loud and proud about having it done. I was always a naysayer about WLS thinking if you can eat like that after surgery why can't you do it now? I was uneducated!! My husband is very supportive of me and has loved me unconditionally at all sizes that I've been. I decided to make this change so I can travel comfortably in an airplane seat and see the world. My kids are grown and my main focus can be me for a change. My husband was scared about surgery and he, in a moment of complete honesty, said he was happy right now with the way things were which included planning a place to eat out on the days we were off together. I told him it was the simple things he takes for granted, like running into Walmart and buying a cheap Tshirt (I know Walmart has plus size, but plus size belly shirts, they're so short!), not thinking twice about a booth in a restaurant hoping the table wasn't bolted to the floor, not worrying not having your elderly dad say "sit in that chair right there, I think it will hold you"....Those things!

I thought I would jump in and give perspective from someone who is about to hit my 5 year "bandiversary" in August. Would I do it again knowing what I know now? Yes! I can't say it has been a picnic and my loss was very slow over the last 5 years BUT I did not get this surgery expecting to lose it all in the first 6 months and be done with it. I KNOW we all expect it will be fast and some are very quick losers, but I decided I did not want to be a perfect bandster and I eat crap when I want to..but I don't beat myself up about knowing what the consequences are..slow loss vs fast loss.. I feel sad when I read Zengirl's reply that she is already given up on the band in a few months and wished she had bypass. You REALLY don't, girl. There is absolutely no benefit to losing it faster or what you may think is easier. I have personal experience with both. I was banded in 2002 at 286lbs. I initially lost 20lbs pretty quickly, but then it really came off in slow chunks from there..after a good fill a little came off..I would get the flu and drop 10lbs(not a fun way to lose but it happened) and no matter how "perfect" I thought I was..I would not budge..your body will be like that. You need to reverse your thinking on this band. Not how fast or easy the weight comes off, but how much easier it will be to KEEP IT OFF!! I have not gained back an ounce in almost 5 years..took me as long to lose it, but I managed to maintain it! Okay..fast forward to 2005 when my best friend, weighing around 285lbs at her sugery had gastric bypass. For some medical reasons, she explained to me gastric bypass was a better option(personally I think she made that up because her insurance would not cover the band but would cover the bypass or she felt that bypass was better to her..don't know) At the time of her surgery..I think I was just about 200lbs..can't remember..had already lost 85lbs..but after almost 3 years banded..still had another 50+ to go. My friend quickly lost down almost to her goal in the first year of her surgery. She passed me and kept on going. She was bound and determined to not "cheat" or even have sugar pass her lips in fear of dumping. Well that quickly ended when she did indeed have surgar. She doesn't "dump" and get really sick..she just gets extremely tired. She can quickly pass out after a few drinks..she gets stupid drunk fast and I worry about her dating men she doesn't know who could take advantage of this. I tell her not to drink but a glass a wine at the most when around other people. We eat about the same amount and just about the same foods, but she does watch how much sugar she consumes. I finally did get down to about the same weight..I weigh around 150 now..she got to 140 something, but has since started to gain a little weight. So I think she actually weighs a little more than me now. She just started having to take B12 injections and I really don't think she gets enough Vitamins in as she should. Her doctor told her to take a flintstone Vitamin. Not much in those even for kids never mind a bypass patient. She is almost 50 and will need extra nutritional support as she ages..but we shall see. So..you see..we both reached goal..she has more worry about weight gain than I do. I keep my band pretty snug and if I needed to..still do have some room to make it tighter..but I am pretty set where I am at right now. I don't have the worry about eating certain foods or consuming too much alchohol(and we are not talking ALOT to get her seriously screwed up!..a few glasses of wine can do it!) I would worry about the long term effects of actually bypassing stuff and getting nutritional support to my body..she always seems more tired than I am..but I am 9 years younger..but I know people who are 80 and more active than her! Looks like most of you are pretty recently banded and barely begun getting fills. It can take a while to get to a good fill..depending on how your doctor fills you and how agressive he/she is in keeping up with you. I was banded in Mexico and went down for fills, but I don't think my doctor ever really filled me enough worrying that I may have to come back for an unfill (and I live in Nor Calif!)..I finally started going to a fill doctor in Tahoe area(only a 3 hour drive instead of a 9 hour drive to Mexico) and though he fills "blind"(no flouro)...he gave me excellent fills and I finally started feeling like this was working. He spent more time with me each visit and really laid down the law with me...some of which I listened to and other stuff I was the typical "yeah, yeah, I know it all!"..but mentally..I needed a kick in the pants and it worked. Don't Don't Don't give up on this band and wish for that bypass..DON'T assume to be a hare and be fine with a tortoise as long as you don't gain it back. The journey..your journey will be different than EVERYONE"s elses journey..so don't compare. Don't beat yourself up about being too slow..I think we are more concerned about what our friends and family will think if we don't peel of the weight in a few months and THEY think it is a failure or you made a mistake..tell as few people as possible about the surgery..it will save you some agony on your journey. My in-laws were just told earlier this year! They obviously have seen my loss..but I never admitted to surgery until recently..now that I am done, they can know the truth. Does it feel good to be down to a "normal" weight finally? Yes..it does..lots of times my friend and I complain how uncomfy it is being too bony on hard chairs and feeling bones protrude where they didn't before. I was talking to her about seeing a pair of pants on ebay that I used to buy in size 20..in a size 2 and always thought..no way would I ever be there..but last week I tried a size 4 on at a dept store (I usually wear size 8-10 now with a few 6's and few 12's depending on cut)..so 2 now just does not seem that far off! Very weird. It will happen ladies and gents...don't fight it..don't regret anything..just enjoy the journey! Patty

I was 216 on surgery date,my weight has always been up and down thing. I'm 5'5" I got down to 150 a few years ago on my own then menopause set in, weight gain yet again. My insurance covered everything so I went for it. I am 16 months post op and weight 163, a 53 lb loss is not my idea of bypass surgery but my dr. said stop focusing on the # but how you feel. I thought I would get down to at least 150 without any issues but this is what it is. I run 5 miles a day, eat what I am suppose to eat, it just won't come off. I also have thyroid issues as well.

I'm not with ICE. I'm happy that you CBP guys are getting 6c. FLETC's always been a zoo. When I was there along time back, I stayed in the townhouses - which are now offices. Since then, a bad injury, a slow recovery and a lot of weight gain. It's coming off now though. Good luck to you guys.

Hi all! I’m 18 months post op from my VSG and I’m still 24 pounds out from my goal weight. My highest weight was 313 and surgery day I was 289. I’m currently 204. I was able to get down to 197 a few months ago but I have gained some back. I’m battling constant hunger. I have been strength training a lot the past 6 months, which at first I attributed to my increase in hunger, but the past 2 months it’s gotten out of control. I eat anywhere between 100-130 grams of protein a day. Drink 120 ounces of water a day. Take my vitamins. I just can’t shake this hunger, which in turn makes me have bad food choices, usually later at night. Has anyone else struggled with this at this point in their journey? And what advice do you have? I’m terrified of weight gain and desperately want to reach my goal!

I don't think without the comorbidities you have a good chance. I am at 36-37 with high cholesteral and dr told me it was going to be tough to get approved and enjoy eating for now. Every additional 5 lbs is a point - checked it out in case I needed a little help. I called insurance and they told me that I met the criteria 35+ with one or more comorbidities, but until you go through all the pre-op stuff, I can't get pre-certed. So I have to do it all first before finding out if I really will be approved. This is all out of pocket expenses. I am hopeful but I do not know. Before you go in to see a surgeon, call insurance and explain what you think you currently have and could you be a canidate. If you get weighed at the surgeons, that is the weight they go by so you won't be able to gain at that point because it looks like you can't follow the nutrionist's program. It is crazy to me that there is a procedure out there that can prevent medical ailments and excessive weight gain, but you have to be "unhealthy" first. I think the best candidates are the people who are border line and have tried getting those extra 50+ lbs off before getting unhealthy. If you have the comorbidities it can cause complications. I wish you luck and hope I am wrong - just going by what I was told

ME TOO!! I think that is partially to blame for my weight gain. People who exercised or took the time to care for themselves were selfish and vain and i totaly took that and ran with it. I do for others and didnt take time for myself. It is still a struggle to not feel selfish for the time it takes for me to exercise In fact I haven't gone all week because I dont want to take away from 'family' time. Thanks for the reminder!

Wow, you ladies are very impressive with your exercise. several years ago I did a step aerobic program with a DVD and it did shape me up, but I just ate all the calories I burned. Problem was when I injured my knee and had surgery, exercise stopped and the same intake of food did not. Big weight gain and still have almost daily knee pain. So while I want to get back to my 3 mile walk, which I enjoy, I don't want to use heavier exercise for weight maintenance. It's just not a reliable source of burning calories for me. But it sure makes losing weight harder without it. I don't know how women with a family fit it all in! Have to admire your dedication!

I have a question… I had surgery a month ago and lost 20lbs. (That’s it 😒) then this week I weighed myself and I gained 2lbs! Is that normal? I’m doing everything the doctor told me too. Drinking a lot of water, eating a ton of protein and exercising. Am I doing something wrong? Thank you!

I finally stopped throwing up 3 weeks ago. Feel bad for you that you had to endure not feeling that well on your vacation. The weight gain could be Fluid retention from flying too. I usually swell up like a balloon on flights over 3 hours! I too am suffering from quite a bit of a queazy feelings after drinking anything. And for first time in my life I have been experiencing heart burn but mostly when I drink plain Water?!? Odd Overall though, I feel GREAT. Down 26lbs since surgery, now that my calories are between 800-1000 /day the weight is moving much quicker. Started up with my Pilates instructor for the first time since surgery and she was shocked. Said I looked like I lost half of me! I love her! She's probably exaggerating - but it was sure nice to hear. I have a brand new wardrobe weekly it seems. All of the beautiful clothes that I have bought over the past few years only to never wear them or rarely wear them do to my ever increasing size. Only now, I can wear them and some I've only worn once or twice and they are falling off now - what a tremendous journey. I hope everyone is doing well too!

I had the same thing, acid reflux terribly, weight gain just all around miserable. I had had the roux-n-y 15 years ago. I had called to check into the revision surgery and the first thing they did was an upper barium test. Low and behold I have a 2 1/2 cm fistula attaching my pouch to my remnant stomach. At that point, it became a repair of a complication instead of a revision. My surgery is coming up and I am so excited. Sent from my SM-G973U using BariatricPal mobile app

Marys - certainly sounds to me like u might have more going on than just being obese, sometime obesity can be a result of a medical condition. I hope you are able to get the answers you need. Maybe after you figure out why u cant loose weight with or without the band they can fix it and the band will then be the tool it was ment to be for you. My endocrinologist explained to me a few years back (see I told you I had a myriad of dr's) after a pcos dx that the relationship between fat and estrogeon, it can be a foundation for understanding obesity in women. estrogeon is stored in body fat, in abundance it can cause many health issues pcos, certain kinds of cancer, amenorreah(sp), migrains, blood sugar issues etc (oh yeah and more obesity) it is unknown (at least at that time) which came first, did the estrogeon cause weight gain or the weight gain cause estrogeon either way when they begin to fix the imbalances some weight will come off (they began to fix mine with metforman and birth control) without evan trying but certainly not all (according to the dr) it will require dedication and work from the patient as more weight is lost it should begin to clear up some of the problems. I hope u can figure out what is out of balance and get it fixed then tell us how your journey has ended with success! Good luck to u!

I was afraid of what would happen if I didn't get banded. At 43 years old I managed to avoid a lot of health conditions that run rampant in my family. My eating and weight gain was out of control and it was starting to affect my quality of life. My mobility was at stake and I was afraid of what my life would be like at 50.

As others have said - check with your program. It could be intentional to help keep your blood sugar from crashing and keep you out of ketosis during a short period pre-op and/or post-op. I know my program advocates for small amounts of 100% apple or grape juice for those reasons (yes, my program tries to keep us out of ketosis which is different from others). If you are only taking in clear liquids the amount of sugar you are getting from a moderate amount of apple or grape juice is not going to cause significant weight gain. Moderation is the key though - I wouldn't drink gallons of apple or grape juice all day long.

It's all about moderation. If you love Chinese, eat it once in a while. That won't hurt you. I went to a Japanese/Chinese buffet with my son and DIL last night. I'm OK in buffets now because I can manage the amount I eat. And I'm fine in a place where I can get fish. I don't eat the Chinese food when I'm eating there....I stay with the sushi and sashimi. Less rice that way. I had one plate of food....not three. And the one plate was not piled to the ceiling. Even so, I'm up about a pound today. No problem. I expected it. The soy sauce, even cut with Water as I do, has so much sodium that I know I'll gain weight. But it's water weight and will be gone in a day or two. You can eat out anywhere as long as you are smart about it and manage your expectations. Don't eat fried foods...eat veggies and Proteins. Easy on the Soup...again it's loaded with sodium. If you weigh yourself often, don't be surprised to see a temporary weight gain. Good luck, and keep us posted.

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

Guys have a hard time with there ego (Did I just say that) we don't like to admit we have issues especially in that dept. my wife is 5'1" and 105lbs soaking wet and I'm 350lbs dry She has a very high sex drive and mine always was to but with weight gain (145lbs over 10yrs) mine died. She was asking me if I was getting it somewhere else and I was in my mind thinking she would go somewhere else if I couldn't keep up so I went and got checked. Now we're like rabbits I'm just a big bunny scared I'm going to break her one day So that's why I'm getting the sleeve so maybe I can keep up with ease again. I married up in my opinion and would do anything to keep my wife we've never had any issues and I want to keep it that way. I'm only looking at your tiny avatar but you look to be an attractive woman and he should want to get checked out for you. He needs to know that to.

Good luck on your revision. If I had known what I know now, back then, I would have gone straight to bypass. Both the lap band and sleeve gave me many issues. Weight loss was good but the band cause esophagus issues so I had to switch to sleeve. Weight gain of course, when they removed the fluid for months to heal... And now the sleeve caused severe GERD and now I am revising to bypass. Sent from my SM-N986U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hang in there! I know the waiting is soooooo hard. It took me a whole year to get my surgery between the requirements by my insurance company and two appeals. Don't worry too much about the extra weight gain. This is one of the most stressful processes I have ever been through so, OF COURSE, I was gonna gain. The good thing is that you will drop that extra weight fast after you get the band. I'm not saying go out and go crazy, but try not to stress too much about it. You have enough stress already. One thing I would recommend to help you pass the time is try to start making some changes already that will prepare you for after surgery. If you haven't been exercising already, start an exercise program now. Don't worry about losing weight by exercising... just do it to create the habit and figure out what you would LIKE to do for exercise. I did this prior to surgery and it was so valuable for me. It was the first time I was exercising just for the sake of exercising and not because I was obsessively watching the scale and trying to lose weight. It helped me to learn how to enjoy exercise just for how it makes me feel. Also, if you haven't been drinking at least 64 oz of Water per day, start working on making that a daily goal. And, 60-80 grams of Protein per day (or whatever your surgeon recommends). These are all things you can start doing now that will help you later, but won't make you feel hungry or deprived since you don't have your band yet. Oh, another thing I did to pass the time pre-band, is I had a friend come over and help me go through all my clothes (in my closet and old stuff I had in boxes). We went through all of it and she made me get rid of anything that I should never wear again (either too old, out of style, not flattering). And, we took the stuff to save and sorted it into boxes for 'stage 1', 'stage 2', and 'stage 3'. Stage 1 is one to two sizes below what I currently wear, stage two is the next two sizes, etc. That way, when I shrink out of my clothes, I have boxes of clothes organized and ready that I will WANT to wear. The 'stage 1' boxes sit right above my current clothes in the closet as motivation to me. The rest are in the garage so I don't feel overwhelmed w/how far I have to go. There is nothing in my closet or drawers that doesn't fit me right NOW. That is a great feeling! I'm sure you can think of some other ways to pass the time. Best of luck to you. You are in the home stretch!!!