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It'll be 6 weeks tomorrow & I haven't lost any in 2 weeks, GRRR !! I know we all go through it, but it's so frustrating . Going to start the gym tomorrow , hopefully that will help, at least there's no weight gain. Just had to vent .Any tips would help , thanks

Donna, I know you don't know me but I just want to tell you how proud I am of you! Your honesty is inspirational. My weight gain in the past was ALWAYS tied to emotional pain, family problems, and a lack of self esteem. I am slowly beginning to heal, and I know that you will too.

So I am 12 days post op and have done okay with the weight loss. But today when I weighed myself I gained 1.5 lbs from yesterday. I've been trying not to weigh myself daily but over the past few days I have not moved the scale so I was curious and saw the gain. I'm doing everything they tell me to do. I want to cry!

there are virtually no dumping with the sleeve and its extremly rare, no malabsorb with the sleeve, no puking, no limit of size food to a point that one eats, or great restriction. Yer band is in there just as long as somone who started at 400 pounds. If you had to have it remove, and didnt want weight gain again you would still have to do a revision surgery. You still have the same odds of typical LB problems popping up as any of the others with more weight to lose. JMO, but I think you have subjected yourself to the same issues you didnt want t have, down the road. JMO, no offense intended. Sandy

Brave girl to post in honesty. Yes! My caloric intake is below yours on most days because we all are different, higher calories for me would mean weight gain. As you said, we all need to find where we are comfortable Congrats, you look amazing!

I wish you all the best..... continue your research. Look into the sleeve too. I love my band, i just didn't love having to go to the dr. and get fills. and i don't like the idea about erosion and slips... etc. That scares me. My current insurance does not cover WLS, so if anything goes wrong... i'm on my own. I personally would not do the Gastric Bypass.... too scary for me. And it has a higher re weight gain than any of the surgeries.... Look into them all and talk to your doctor and really think about the changes you will have to make for a life time. It's not like weight watchers were you can just stop counting point and not weight in.... or Jenny and stop buying her food.... This is forever.... I haven't had a hamburger on bun in three years.... or a deep dish slice of pizza.. But it's all worth it. Saturday will be my three year anniversary... and i LOVE the new me. Get healthy for you and your future family..... All the rest is just "icing on the cake" so to speak.... One more thing.... you also have to take into consideration how this will not only effect you, but your entire family..... My husband didn't want me to get the band at all and still make remarks about it. He was very secure with me at 223#. He knew that at that weight i had no self confidence and most men would not take a second look at me... Now he has a hard time with the size 6 Christina and has even said that losing weight was the worse thing that happened to us... He hates when other men look at me and feels like one day i will get a better "offer" and leave him.... On the other hand.. he loves the new me in Private... loves the more energy me, the more sexual me, the more confident me...but only in private. My daughter in law (whom i love very much) had a hard time with my weight loss. She was jealous of it, and still is... but it's getting better. My Sister in law, that had the band done in Mexico two years before me, gained weight with the band... (three weeks ago had GB) will not come around me if my brother was with her. He would com pair she and i and say..... why can't you lose weight... my sister did. Which was wrong on his part, but it's what happened. Be prepared to lose friends.... your fat friends won't want to be around you because you will be thinner and will be jealous of you and your thinner friends will start sabotaging you, because they will fear you... no longer will you be "the fat friend".... They will say things like... how much weight are you planning on losing... your getting too thin. Your face is sunk in... You want to come eat ice-cream... a little bit won't hurt..... So you will start getting the attention of being the thin girl in the fat group and the pretty thin girl in the thin group....

To answer some of your questions. The weight gain (blah)...yes, it happens. I gained the 40 lbs between 2003 and 2006 and, after a significant breakup, I just needed something else to focus on. I started simple with walking and eating only vegetarian. I didn't join the gym until about 3 years ago but, since then, I am a regular and do not go less than 5 days a week/often 7. I held on to two pair of my favorite post op/weight loss pants and was determined to get back into them...they fit big now. I think the way you can get motivated is to put it into your schedule. It should be as regular as making dinner, going to work, taking a shower..the gym/working out needs to be added to your day schedule. Even if it's just 20 mins walking around your neighborhood! I have managed to avoid a bunch of loose skin and I contribute that to being active and drinking TONS of Water. I don't drink soda anymore and my "soft drink" will either be Crystal Light or iced tea/with Splenda. Also, when I got back to work after two weeks of recovery, I started walking around my office during my 15 minute breaks. Now I'm that crazy workout lady who walks during her lunch too :-) Oh and as far as hydration goes, try coconut water...if you can find it in your area. It's SO good and refreshing, with different flavors like mango and pineapple. I feel extra hydrated when I have coconut water. PS...my dear friend had GB a year after I did. At first she refused to get it done because she was going to do the "cabbage Soup diet"...well, that didn't work...obviously. She is one of the people who wasn't dedicated and has gained a lot of her weight back She had a lot of loose skin, went to Mexico to get it removed and I really think they just took her money and didn't do anything but cut her open and sew her up (swear). Now she's on the "pouch shrinking" diet. What? Yes, that's a real diet and I just let her vent and tell me she doesn't eat that much, etc. But I've seen her snack on sugary things a lot. Hope this helped! Betsie

And the newbies in this site...there are no set standards for the surgery. My nutritionist was telling me to eat 1200 calories two weeks after I had surgery and telling me to drink 64 ounces...so what do most people in this board do...panic... They panic because they can't get their protien in, they panic because they can't drink all the water thief dumb ass nutritionist is telling who 99% of the time has no clue what they are talking about because they have never had this surgery. They don't talk about ketosis...I am on here telling people that you will be able to eat again. A lot more. And weight gain is possible. Lose as much as you can in the beginning. That is all I saying. You can do what you want and I expect everyone to do their research, but I hate hate hate seeing people who can't get those last pounds off and who are losing slow. We all go through this major surgery expecting to get thin and healthy. I just want everyone to reach their goal.

So I see my PCP in the morning for my last appt of my 3 month supervised diet. I have done horrible and haven't lost any weight, i have gained! If I could lose weight in the first place, I wouldn't be where I am now, right? My surgeon requires the 2 months of not smoking so I quit. Hardest thing I've ever done but how was I supposed to lose weight and quit smoking at the same time? Now I'm worried I'll be denied because of the weight gain. Anyone know how this will affect my chances? I hate to have come this far in the process and not get approved!! Does anyone know if I need to send my food journal in to the insurance company or if my doctor's progress notes are all that is require?. Ugh, I am so frustrated and nervous about this whole thing. Any advice will help!!

4 yrs ago had a Mirena placed. My body rejected it a couple months later. Exact same thing, bleeding like a miscarriage (3 months). August 2012 after over an hour appt with my GYN decided it was the best option to try again. Although my chances of a 2nd rejection are at 30%... So far so good. Still dealing with random spotting. Haven't had a heavy period yet (before 10+ days of Heavy flow). You guys have made me question the weight gain aspect though. Surgery date 5/16/12, I've lost 110 lbs but I've bounced up and down 2 lbs since it was placed. I really never put 2&2 together. Thank you I'll have to bring this up with my Dr.

It was definitely that hard for me. I'm not only battling obesity, but I also have Multiple Sclerosis. When I got my Lap Band surgery in January, I needed a handicapped parking sticker just to make it to the front of the grocery store and then a motorized cart to do my shopping. When I did walk, I used a cane. In fact when I first started going to the end of the street and back I had to use a cane to do it. So yes, it was probably even harder than I'm adequately describing here. As for my weight loss, yes I did lose a lot fast, but I'm human. Heck, I've been pretty much stuck for a month now and I'm currently experimenting with carb cycling in hopes of kicking my metabolism into working again. It's incredibly frustrating to be at a plateau like this but I know two things- 1. No weight loss is better than a weight gain and 2. It's normal and it'll pass eventually. Hang in there and don't give up, you can totally do this!

Let me first tell you a little about myself. I grew up as a very athletic and yes a very skinny kid without a care in the world. Then the teenage years hit and I started battling depression. As a result I was put on drug after drug, many of which cause weight gain or atleast an inevitable carb obsession which leads to obeseity. I essentially became my feelings: slow, sluggish. I used food to try to fix my problems. But it didn't work, so I ate more and more.Don't get me wrong even in my teens and twenties there were times when I was healthy and thin, but then I would yo-yo back everytime my medications would have to be changed or tweaked to treat my depression and anxiety. From the time I graduated college 2008 to 2011, I yo-yoed up 100 lbs from 155 lbs weight to almost 257 lbs at 5'4''. This was the position I found myself at when I started my process of approval for lapband surgery in July of 2011. I was over 250 lbs. A size 22 pants and xxl in tops. It was the seemingly little things that made life so miserable as an overweight person. Some of these little things included walking from my car into the schools for work. I got mad at myself everytime I forgot something upstairs because the walk up the steps took my breath away. I would get blinding back pain. And then there were the times when people asked me "when is the baby due?" that really ruined my self esteem. I guess it wasn't there fault. I did look like an egg on stilts with my apple shape and protruding tummy. I knew right away that a typical diet wouldn't work for me. As long as I was able to each such large amounts of food it wouldn't matter what food I was eating (even healthy food is not longer healthy if the quantity is too large). I needed something to help my control the bottomless pit that was my stomach. Something that would stop my stomach from being treated like the trash compactor that it had become. Most importantly I needed a solution that would allow me to still absorb the medications I needed to maintain my mood. The lapband was the tool I chose to help myself lose weight. Yes, it is a tool not a fix all or miracle cure. So far I have used my tool along with diet and exercise to lose about 60 lbs. I am now in what some people call "onderland" where that first number on the scale is a 1 instead of a 2,3,4 etc. It has to be one of the best feelings in the world. I now wear a size 14 pants and a large top. Even though I'm not what many people call skinny or what I even consider skinny, I know that the decision I made and the sucess I have earned and deserve is signifigant to my health and wellbeing. I now don't have to struggle so much with the physical and emotional weight that was taking over my life. I can walk, I can even run (a little) and I love cycling. It hasn't been easy. In fact, it has been really hard to give up the food that I was using to comfort myself; in fact I still battle emotions that cause me to overeat, but now I feel like it's a battle I can win.

I'm guessing it wasn't the food consistency or texture but rather the sugar and fat. Your body gets used to being fed healthy food. When we suddenly throw junk at it again, it goes "Oh hell no, what the heck is this?" and promptly rejects it. Hence the sick feeling. I wouldn't advise making yourself throw up, btw. It's very bad for the band. I look at moments like that as a reminder of why I need to continue to make good decisions. I totally over-indulged over Halloween and boy did I pay the price. Not in weight gain but I just felt horrible for a day after. Best wishes.

What symtems are you guys suffering from besides the weight gain. Mine are lots of hair loss, acne, facial hair

Great post. My profile picture is me...I was banded in 2007...lost 130 pounds, had a lower body lift and breast lift with augmentation in 2009 and this pic was from vacation in 2010...first time wearing a bikini. Now...in December 2010 I was diagnosed with breast cancer...kicked it's ass and then got pregnant in September 2011...delivered my third son on May 15, 2012 and now I'm fighting the pregnancy weight gain. I have 60 pounds to lose but I keep my profile pic the same to remind me that I did it once so I can do it again all of you are beautiful...never be embarrassed of your pictures!

Beautiful before, stunning afterwards photo. Thank you for reminding everyone that the hunger can come back. I get hungry now too, much to my dismay. Making bad choices can cause back weight gain. Hugs - and keep rocking your sleeve.

I realize this post was probably therapeutic for you more than anything else, but.... You have so much to be thankful for! Give yourself some credit! You've lost the weight before and you will lose it again. You have a new baby - congrats! You kicked cancer - congrats! Yes, the weight gain is a pain in the ass and I totally understand the defeated feelings... don't give up. You got this!

So a 130 pound loss in a year and 3 Months. That is pretty spectacular. My words of advice... Start working out before the surgery Lose as much weight as possible in the first six months by severe calorie restriction (500). I am hungry now, and I can eat WAY MORE...so weight gain is possible. That window of opportunity is small in comparison to the rest of your life. See...I ate breakfast, and I am hungry again already! It is 11:30am! I ate at 9:00am! So I have to drink something until lunch or else I will eat way to much during the day! Have fun and enjoy the ride!

Thank you ladies, all of you give me hope . I always thought the band would restrict my appetite , which has been my only problem with weight gain. I guess that was what I was looking for . Need to start working at it myself now I guess

I actually gained weight after my first fill and can still eat normal portion foods. I was banded on the 18 Sept and had my first fill 26 Oct. feeling horrible about the weight gain

I eat at least 1 serving of oatmeal a day- NO worries with weight gain at all...Also et Oat Bran cereal and Oat muffins- NO problems

Hi, I don't know how old you are, but if you still have a period that's your weight gain, women go through the Water gain.

I joined this forum today and read a lot of interesting posts with different points of view on the Lap Band. I decided to share my story and let anyone who reads it take from it what helps them. I was banded three years ago in Mexico. To date I have lost 30 pounds. I would say it’s more of a maintenance weight of 185. Is it a “fail?” I don’t know… I’m still in deliberations. 1) I can tell you I have always had problems getting protein down from the beginning so I chose foods that went down easier. It didn’t matter what size fill I had. Protein was not my friend, ever. But I was eating 1/3 my normal portion and sometimes even less. But it was pasta, rice, and adding gravies made food go down even easier so I wouldn’t get stuck, which happened quite frequently. That was a wrong choice, so for any reader here, don’t do this! When my surgery was performed the Dr. fixed what he described the biggest Hiatal hernia he’d seen, which would explain the feeling of Satan living in my stomach for years. I recently had bouts of heart burn, waking from sleep choking, a lot of sliming episodes and it didn’t matter what I ate, I ignored it and went to liquids for a day or two on several occasions with success (but not this last time), again don’t do this! My point…I had to go back to the Dr. 2 weeks ago, it was an emergency visit because I let it get to the point where water was having a hard time going down and staying down (for a couple of days. You know what I’m going to say, don’t ignore this symptom of a tight band). The Dr. thought that I may have had a slipped band and had symptoms of a perforated stomach (from what happens when you get stuck repeatedly and ignore the signs of a tight band, yes, vomiting food back up). Turns out it was neither of the above and with an un-fill (now two weeks) I am fine and enjoying protein and other foods I still shouldn’t be eating BUT CAN. Big FAIL on my part! I realized the other day with a 5 pound gain in 2 weeks that HELL, like alcoholism, drug addiction, and other addictions, that food is an addiction for most of us on here that have had the surgery whether we have all realized that or not. We’re just not wired like thin people, bless their tiny little bodies . So I proclaim tomorrow is day one again for me with eyes wide open. I’ve already messed up breakfast today! In two weeks I’ll get a refill and start counting down again, smarter this time. A poke from someone on here now and then would be great. I will say that the band stopped weight gain but I don’t think my Dr. would agree that using this tool upside down is how it works. I’m glad I found this forum because when you have surgery in Mexico you go home and that’s it. You have no support group, no follow-up nutrition classes to go to, no nice office staff to check up on you to see how you are progressing or to give helpful pointers during plateauing. You are on your own to figure the whole band experience out for yourself, good, bad and indifferent.

I too am a cancer surviver. I didn't do lapband til 2 yrs post surgery removal but those 2 yrs of putting down cigs and having a hysterectomy caused a great deal of my weight gain. I think the best thing out of it all is living.. We survived... I wish you the best..