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You didn't feel good at 115. What weight do you feel healthy at? I understand the freakout over a weight gain. It's great that you are right on top of this gain and working it back off. I have given myself a 10 pound bounce range to maintain. When the scale moves up. I go back into weightloss eating mode logging food to hit calorie and carb goals. When I get it back to where I feel healthy I try to balance it out with healthy carbs. I seem to be chasing the same 10 to 15 pounds up and down.... I maintained easily the first two years. At three years out it changed. It's easy for me to gain and the weight comes off slowly. (frustrating) I had to dial in my diet to find the point where my body loses weight. I used a tdee calculator..If interested in the info let me know. Most of maintaining has been trial and error for me. Wish you the best, Jenn

Hi All! Well, i'm back! I had replied to a post on here earlier about an elimination diet i started January 1st to see if it would help control some of my cravings, etc. I am happy to say that it has worked! I have lost 10 lbs and have managed to look at this "diet" as a new way of eating. I also feel that it has "renewed my sleeve" (if that's even possible). I guess I was feeling before I started this that I could eat so much more.. and thus gaining weight. I'm now back to literally having a few bites of things and then feeling full (the way we all felt post op to about 1 year after). The elimination diet is from a book a friend gave to me called the Virgin Diet (by JJ Virgin). I believe that the reason it has worked for me thus far is that you have to be completely obsessed about what you are eating all day in order to keep certain things out of your diet. You have to read every ingredient in everything you buy. You have to be extremely creative in the meals that you prepare for yourself. It might not be the healthiest approach, but in essence, I obsess about food anyway, all day, what I can eat what i "shouldn't" eat, which creates a lot of shame, and then tells my brain to eat more for comfort. This diet is allowing me to continue the obsession, but in doing so, i'm searching for healthy alternatives. I'm eating almost no processed foods (which is a huge culprit in weight gain). And by eating mainly Proteins and vegetables, brown rice, etc. this slows down the digestive process, which allows you to feel full longer.... and also, fills up your sleeve quicker. I will admit the past 4 days or so I had a few bites of a cupcake on Valentine's day....a chocolate....two bites of a cheese quesadilla and yesterday, totally forgot to order a "pizza" gluten free. (I say "pizza" becuase it was actually a huge farmers market salad on top of a gluten free crust... i just forgot to say gluten free and thus suffered the consequences). Yep, turns out that since I haven't eating gluten for almost 2 months, I had a reaction to it when I ate it yesterday (mouth numb and tingling and stomach issues). Also, since not eating eggs for the same amount of time, when I tried to reintroduce them, they made me want to gag. I know this sort of thing won't work for everyone, but I feel such success and a new way of looking at food, that I never thought I would EVER see.... I want to share it with all of you that have similar obsessive food issues and emotional eating. You can still eat as much as you want (which us sleevers know ,its isnt much)... that's why I dont really call it a diet... i'm not restricting myself. BTW, the cupcake and the chocolate did not taste good AT ALL! All I could taste was the sugar. I will say, however, the few bites of cheese quesadilla tasted incredible! I chewed and savored both bites of it.... but that was enough. Becuase I know that if I even attempted to eat an entire slice of a cheese quesadilla, the consequences that I would suffer the next few hours following that slice, is entirely not worth it. Anyway, thank you to everyone that posted on this thread. I've read all of your posts and appreciate all of the support here. My spirits are up and I feel like I am in a much better place. I never thought that my sleeve was going to work again for me, and I was completely wrong. We can get out of this.... and its not about willpower becuase that NEVER works. I didn't think I could change my eating habits, but I do feel so much better in my body and this feeling, of not waking up every morning to diarrhea (sorry to be gross but its true), is worth me staying on this path of food decisions. I do suggest you check out the book (or maybe you can find parts of it on line if you dont want to buy it). Take care, everyone!

I've been very open and honest in another thread about weight gain. I think it's called Weight Gained Since Surgery. There is also a Back on Track Thread. It's a battle for me for 2 reasons. One is that I can eat such bigger portions than I could when I was first sleeved. I try not to, but of course, it's hard to stop when it tastes good. Another is, I am a grazer, in the evenings. I want to have little Snacks all evening long. I am able to keep it to only 10 lbs gained back, but it's a battle. When I was fat, I didn't have a man in my life. Now I do, and he's one that can eat whatever he wants and does not gain any weight. It takes a lot more willpower and control than it did when I was early out and was so full all the time, I didn't even want to look at food. I'll be 4 years out in April and I have never stopped posting. It's comforting to me to come here and complain to people who understand, that I am still fighting this food battle . It's not because I am hungry. I am one of the people whose hunger has never returned. It's because food tastes so good and I still love to eat.

I didn't like Muscle Milk I thought it tasted "gross", I tried it thinking I didn't have to mix it and was just being lazy but "ick" couldn't stomach it. I use the Isopure Dutch chocolate w/Skim Plus Milk and I have it with Torani sugar free rasberry syrup which makes it taste extra good all in all very low in sugar, sugar adds to weight gain. Best Wishes!!

That you so much for sharing your struggles. It sounds like you are slowly getting yourself actively involved in getting back on track. It is generous of you to share and which will help all of us know how weight gain can occur creeping back into our lives! Your post reinforces me to continue my plan to track everything even while in maintenance, to keep making exercise a priority, and to mindfully choose what goes in my mouth. I won't be perfect but I can be accountable. Again, thanks again and I wish you all the best in getting back to your goal weight. Sounds like your eyes are wide open now and you are headed in the right direction! You got this!

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 a 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.

The Mayo Clinic diet looks really good. How do you do the portions? Just follow bariatric guidelines set forth by your team and then follow the Mayo food plan? I am also looking for my forever diet... Fad dieting was part of what led to my weight gain over the years. Any tips?

Laura , honey, I get to say honey because I guarantee I'm old enough be your grandmother or great grandmother. If you have gained it is almost certain you'll be put on the liquid diet , 1 to shrink your liver and 2 to pare a little weight off, just,pray surgeon doesn't move your surgery date back to give you 2 weeks or more on the regimen. Could Happen! Bariatric Surgeons don't have very good sense of humor when it comes to weight gain , especially this close to his circus party.😧

Roller, if you want this surgery FOR YOU. Then do it... Please don't do it because some a*****e knew the right thing to say to hurt your feelings. It has to be about you and only about you... Not some b***h on a plane... I know what it feels like to be judged.. I live in a very well to do area where most women don't even look human anymore because of the amount if plastic surgery they've had... Yes being fat is a sin here, I've had people judge and treat me less than because of my weight, I had one woman ask me how my husband felt about me since my weight gain, I told her "he loves me" and she was like "oh what a saint he is not to care and still love you" 0_o What the what??? Am I a leper ( no offense to lepers) but that man is LUCKY to have me and he knows it! I had this for me! Not for the assholes that judged me. Please make sure you are doing the same for yourself.. because at the end of the day you will be the only one that matters.

No, BFL, I used my Weber gas grill outside in my driveway. I used to use that thing at least twice a week pre VSG days! I would be out there cooking a 24 Oz Ribeye steak drinking a Margarita (my true source of weight gain) when it was 10 below zero here in Chicago. I'm NOT kidding.

This case study was for a patient who had a band to sleeve revision. He has the band removed following weight gain and then had sleeve. It also states this case was very rare .

I had my operation on 12/17 and stalled this past week where I would lose a pound one day, then gain a half pound the next etc. I got on the scale yesterday and it dropped 2 pounds and today I lost another 1.5 pounds. Go figure??? Weight loss has never been linear for anyone (neither has weight gain). It's all about trends and, for once, it's finally "trending" in the right direction. Today is my first day back to work since the surgery and it's been very strange. It seems like everyone in my office knows, but they have been very supportive (at least as far as I can tell). Still, I am suffering from a little brain fog that I didn't notice since my brain power wasn't an issue when I wasn't in the office. It was nice being home and being able to focus 100% on recovery. Now, I am back in the real world and it's not all about me and my weight loss efforts anymore. Anyone else struggling to adjust to getting back to work and the "real world"?

Glo, did you go from liquids to solids? This could be why you are seeing a weight gain..most of us here oncewewent from liquids to either mushy or solids saw a weight gain, it is only normal. Do not worry, this is just the first few weeksm focus more on healing, once you get your fills, things will change. I know it is frustrating but you are normal.

My latest moment was at my grandma birthday celebration this past summer 2014..... Our family had identical shirts made and mine was a 2X, when I put it on the day of, it was too tight along with my too tight stretch pants! The kicker was when the photographer posted and tagged me AND everyone that was in the same pictures with me on facebook! I was horrified! My rear end looked like a wide load truck! I looked uncomfortably stuffed and you could see EVERY roll even what I didn't know that I had! Since my substantial weight gain, no one on FB had seen a full body shot of me! The only thing that I could do was untag myself:( I'm scheduled to have my life changing experience (VSG) September 26, 2014

Wow! I empathize with your frustration, but perhaps you should just wait until you calm down and think this through. Your reaction sounds a bit childish. You sound like Veruca in "Willy Wonka and The chocolate Factory". "I want it Daddy! I want it now!" Did you gain all your weight in a month? I doubt it. Sometimes it seems like weight gain came on really fast, but losing it takes even longer. It's not like the band goes in and wham - the weight falls off. Your body hasn't even had a chance to finish healing, so even though it may not feel like it, you probably still have some swelling. You also have to work with your body (and your mind) to kick it into weight loss mode. Whether you like it or not, the human body comes equipped with a strong survival instinct and will automatically kick into gear, slow it's metabolism if threatened with what it perceives to be starvation and/or injury. Your job is to give your metabolism a kick in the pants to get it going, eat healthy but fewer calories than you burn so you lose fat instead of muscle after you heal. You're not even far enough along to start a proper exercise regimen. Right now your body has been injured (surgery), or so it thinks and you've changed what it was used to consuming. Be patient, this takes work! I hope for your sake that your insurance and doctor do not give in and remove your band this early in the game. I don't think you have had it long enough to know whether or not this will work for you. Perhaps you need to find a support person or group and take a look around on this forum so you can see what it takes to make this work for you. You may be right that this is not for you, but since you've come this far, what have you got to lose (no pun intended) by sticking it out a little longer?

Hey @Ava324 - thats a really good plan... i think i would be ok with 150 over all... but i am shooting for 140. (esp if there is some weight gain later down the road) The doc had said he thought that surgery was a factor for the DVT, but i went on a business trip about 6 weeks out & he and another doc said "oh it was due to air plane ride"... well 5 weeks later the blood work came back & I tested positive for some clotting gene, i will see a blood dr in a week or so... i am not worried or upset about it... it is what it is. I cant change it nor could i have prevented it... honestly, had i not had the surgery, i might have not found out that i had the blood clot untill it was too late.... i would have continued to think i over extened my knee... so i look at it the Sleeved saved my life - more then just dropping the weight... I am gonna have to find something that works for me as far as fluids go... i know what i am currently doing is not enough - i drink for sure TWO 16.9 oz of Water a day... then about 4 oz of Protein shake - that is the bare bones... some days i might drink another 16.9 of water with another 4 oz of protein shake, but that is not my average... (not lately anyway) Well its MAY 2 - and i am going to get this train back on track! Keep in touch!!! would to hear about your progress & any tips you might have!

Thank you for all your replies about hospital weight gain. That makes me feel a lot better, another 5 disappeared today, fingers crossed the last 5 will be gone tomorrow. Jkpizano5, glad to hear you made it through fine and are feeling OK. I'm still gassy too but the Gas-X strips do seem to help. My doc said I could take them but he didn't think they would make a difference. Maybe it's all in my head, but it feels like they do.

I'm still in the Honeymoon losing stage, but that didn't stop me from attending Cleveland Clinic's group session yesterday with the topic of Weight Gain. The room was packed with a lot of veterans about 2 years out. The number one culprit per the presentation seems to be carbonated drinks (aka soda) that many cannot seem to give up permanently. I'm glad I was never a soda drinker, although I was as a kid (thanks mom - but they didn't know much about nutrition in the 50s and 60s; we also ate mashed potatoes nearly every dinner). And to add to Babbs list, you should continue with support groups or nutritionist visits even after the year honeymoon period is over. Maintain portion and calorie control. Eat Breakfast, don't skip meals. Plan and shop and cook smart. Avoid or limit alcohol. They don't believe in that 5 day pouch reset. They recommend going back to Phase IV diet plan. Here is a copy of the CCF entire plan that they released electronically. Enjoy http://my.clevelandclinic.org/florida/ccf/media/Files/Florida/bariatric-surgery/Bariatric_Nutrition_Manual.pdf?la=en

My mother had her first knee replacement in her late forties!! Then she had her hip replaced in her early 50's, a couple years later... her other knee. She's 57 and next month will have her other hip replaced. She's battled w/ being overweight after having my brother at 30. Her mom had major joint problems as well. I dont' want that life!!!! My dad resents her because he wanted to travel after retirement but she can't do the things he wants to do. I don't want THAT life either. :-( That's why I'm having this surgery. I was so active pre weight gain. I can still run/jog (2 miles in 28 minutes is what I'm up to and can walk an hour). I can no longer do incline training because the pain in my knee is awful. Even driving hurts. I'm glad to hear you're doing better since surgery. i can't wait until I can post that I did my 10 mile hike that I did when I first met my husband! :-)

It does have to do in part with your body adjusting and catching up. As "generic" as that may sound it's human physiology and your DR should know that maybe he didn't feel like explaining the human body, I don't know. I've been in college for going on 8 years to learn it so I wouldn't have time to explain it all either . There can be a million reasons why someone has a "stall" even when they are doing everything right. Just one example:Water weight can affect your total weight anywhere from 1-5 pounds and sometimes even more. It is important to understand what kinds of dietary factors can make these Fluid shifts happen. To start, many of the high Protein, low carbohydrate diets can cause a dramatic shift in your water weight. This is because as you cut back carbohydrate intake, your body starts breaking down the stored carbohydrates (glycogen) to use as energy and this breakdown causes the body to excrete large amounts of water. Once the body begins to use stored fat for energy, weight loss slows. This is the reason why most people lose a significant amount of weight right away on a low carb, high protein diet. (Which many of us do) When a person following a low carb plan eats a carbohydrate-rich food they can easily gain 1-3 pounds. However, this weight gain can be misleading because it is usually your body replenishing the fluid it lost and not gained fat. This 3 pound fluctuation becomes frustrating for many people and they end up yo-yoing back and forth with fluid weight thinking that it must be the half cup of rice they had the night before that caused them to gain that 3 pounds when in fact eating the rice just allowed them to regain some of the fluid they had lost from following a strict low carb plan. The fact is, carbohydrates do not affect your weight quite that simply. Excess carbohydrates can strongly stimulate insulin production, which may promote fat storage and increases appetite. This kind of weight gain will happen gradually, not dramatically overnight. Sodium is another dietary component that can lead to fluid gain. Sodium can cause the body to retain fluid, leading to these frustrating daily weight fluctuations. Some people are more sensitive to sodium than others.....blah blah blah. Now, see why it's easier for people to just call it a "stall" especially if they aren't medical experts or understand how the body works? That's just a few examples (still all body adjustments). Take it for what it's worth call it what you will the majority of people would just call it a stall....or AKA the part of the weigh loss journey that "sucks"

I struggled with hunger horribly once my lap band was removed. Tried all sorts of medical interventions because my husband was not on board with surgery. After 9 months and a 30 pound weight gain enough was enough. 5 months out from sleeve, 55 pounds down now. Still love to eat, but am so relieved I am satisfied with a smallish portion.

Relax! It happened to me too. It's not weight gain. It's probably water weight/ etc. theres no way you can be consuming enough calories to gain weight. Keep on plan and don't weigh yourself for a week and you will be down those pounds plus some. This is normal!

The nice thing is that some of your good nuts also have Protein as well. I just found this on nuts: Weight Control Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard School of Public Health found three times as many people trying to lose weight were able to stick to a Mediterranean-style moderate-fat weight loss diet that included nuts, peanuts and Peanut Butter versus the traditionally recommended low-fat diet. (International Journal of Obesity, Oct. 5, 2001). As long as you control total calories, eating a handful of nuts daily may help prevent weight gain and possibly promote weight loss. The fat, protein and fiber in nuts help you feel full longer, so you may eat less during the day. By helping induce a feeling of satiety, nuts may help people feel less deprived and not like they're "dieting." Just limit your portion to a healthy handful. Walnuts. One ounce of walnuts (about 14 shelled walnut halves) is all that is needed to meet the 2002 dietary recommendation of the food Nutrition Board of the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine for omega-3 fatty acids. Almonds. One ounce of almonds (about 20 to 24 shelled whole almonds) provides 35 percent of your daily value for Vitamin E. Vitamin E may help promote healthy aging. A study reported in the Journal of the American Association (June 26, 2002) suggests a diet rich in foods containing vitamin E may help protect some people against Alzheimer's disease. The study also found vitamin E in the form of supplements was not associated with a reduction in the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Peanuts. Though often discussed with nuts, peanuts are a legume along with dry beans, peas and lentils. One ounce of roasted peanuts provides about 10 percent of the daily value of folate, a B vitamin recommended to help reduce the incidence of birth defects and lower the risk of heart disease. Peanuts also are an excellent source of niacin, providing about 20 percent of the daily value. As a group, nuts also are important for what they DON'T offer: Cholesterol. Nuts are cholesterol-free. Sodium. Unless salt is added to nuts, they naturually contain, at most, just a trace of sodium. Diabetes Women in a Harvard School of Public Health study who reported eating 5 or more 1 ounce servings of nuts/peanuts per week reduced their risk of Type 2 diabetes by almost 30 percent compared to those who rarely or never ate nuts. Women in the study who ate five tablespoons of peanut butter each week reduced their risk for Type 2 diabetes almost 20 percent. (Journal of the American Medical Association, Nov. 27, 2002.) There's also a chart there which shows calories, protein, etc. that is not transferring over here properly, but it's very informative! http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftmar04.htm

I had my sleeve Aug 8. down only 8 lbs since surgery as I had left the hospital with a weight gain of 4 lbs. I am very tired and weak and find I get short of breath easily. I started preop at 240 and am now at 221. I wish I could be skinny right away too but realize this is a patience thing. I am very thankful to have this opportunity so don't want to mess anything up. I have been walking for 40 minutes a day but other than that I am recovering. 1 more week of liquid diet and then I start mushy foods. I have a wedding on Saturday and it will be hard when the buffet line starts. Haven't figured out what I will do, probably go sit in the car LOL

I think the type of pill makes a big difference in weight gain. Pills that have several different levels of hormones throughout the month may be worse, and are also worse if you have migraines or PMDD. At least that was what I was told. I've been taking birth control pills continuous cycling (I don't take the sugar pills) for more than a decade so I never get my period at all because I would get terrible mood issues (I have bipolar disorder), migraines, nausea, cramps, etc when I got my period. I am so terrified of having to stop the pill for surgery. I am considering getting an IUD when I stop the pill. I'm not at risk of pregnancy because I don't have sex, but I hate having my period.