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I'm so happy that your hubby's reservations have changed & am happy I could help with that Men are very visual creatures and it helps seeing another 'regular' person v's a model like we get bombarded with on TV weight loss commercials.... I think our failed attempts at those diets made our guys lose faith in the ability of things to work for us since we aren't models/actors.... and since the band is more scarey sounding than a normal diet (cause of surgery) as well as more expensive they get both scared and think we might be being 'conned' yet again... . plus they are our 'protectors', they love us and don't want us to feel like we have 'failed' again if it was just like one of those other diets. My BMI (i guess that's the only way we can compare being different heights) I think was 39 going into surgery, (sz.22 at millers, 20 at 16/26, medium at my size). I went to genesis for a month (where i seemed to be most peoples idea of their worst weight nightmare) and then switched to fernwood (heaps better!) and went religously once the doc cleared me for exercise and got the best runners for my feet (for me that was nike tn's at the time $249, now with current changed needs is nike shocks $199 but footlocker frequently have 30% off sales so you can get better prices - without the best shoes for your feet - and everybody is different - you wont be comfortable or have the same drive - i couldn't believe just how much difference the right shoes for my feet made).... it took ages for me to get restriction (literally - it was october 12th 2005 when I put my foot down and went to a different surgeon to get restriction to make sure I wouldn't gain my weight back because my motivation and will power was really stretched to the limit and I was sick of living on appetite supressants when I had a band - wasn't going to take t he 'waiting 8 weeks' between adjustments any longer, I had had this thing in me long enough it should be doing some of the work by now! - he gave me a huge fill (what i was suposed to have was not in there) and I finally knew what having a band was all about) but I persevered without much restriction those first 8 1/2 months and it took 10 months 13 days to get to 'healthy' bmi. With your attitude I know you will do it too!! I attribute my weight loss to my band because without my band I would not have had the motivation to actually lose all that weight - every other diet proved that - but every other diet didn't cost as much as the band (even if the band didn't do all or any of the work physically those first months just being in me brought out the tight ass in me that wasn't going to spend all that money and fail!). I did gain back nearly (shock!) 12kg when I lost that precious restriction and was hungry 24/7 like a rabid hyiena. A year had passed so it was to be expected; I saw my surgeon who didn't think it was a big deal since he still thought i was skinny and my bmi was still (barely) healthy and then I went back to that other surgeon again (i mean i didn't want to be gaining and crazy out of mind hungry) - he gave me an adjustment which took away my hunger - those 12kg melted back off once the hunger was gone. Therefore I know my band is the only reason I am still a normal weight - if that rabid hunger and weight gain continued i'd be obese again by now.... gut wrenching hunger regardless of how much you eat is the most awful thing.... the band squeezing the vargus nerve just right stops that which is a miracle. I eat a tonne more than most because I don't have a "tight" band like others describe..... I still get up in the middle of the night sometimes and have a piece of vegemite toast with my dog (now when I cook 2 pieces one is for me and one is for her.... before it was 2 each!) - other people hear that and I can see the pained look on their face as they imagine trying to swallow toast lol. The band is so individual, we all need it to work differently in terms of tightness for our lifestyle.

Hi J, I think you are right that Sarah does not really seem ready or willing to get the weight off. She didn't really want to exercise either, although I can understand that at her weight it must be hard and painful. I think if she comes back she has more of a chance of changing her life. The home environment may have contributed to her weight gain in the first place. These girls like her and Cat ( Who looks amazing) are so lucky to have men that love them and care for them. I just figure at my weight that I can't find a man who would love me so I just hide because I fear rejection. I would like to find a special someone, because I don't want to be alone anymore, and I would like to have a baby because the clock is ticking. Right now it is all too hard to deal with for me. I have too much on my plate to be honest. Susannah

Regarding this week's question, my response is probably different than most. I have stayed on plan. This was a planned weight gain period and I am now on a planned weight loss period. I am a bodybuilding fan and planned periods of bulking and cutting are part of the of the work to change your physique. That said, I absolutely effed up this bulk, it was my first and it confirmed that I am an abstainer and not a moderator. I have to have a structured eating plan to gain or lose weight otherwise it will be a food free for all. So while I now put in the work to get off the fat off, I do not think I gained any appreciable level of muscle during my bulk.

One of my patients last week asked about gallbladder removal during her upcoming Lap Band so I offer some thoughts: Many people who have not had weight loss surgery end up with stones in their gallbladder, but not all of those stones are symptomatic and cause pain. Since rapid weight loss or weight gain can cause the formation of gallstones it is an area of interest to bariatric physicians and patients. There is a debate among physicians as to whether or not to perform a gallbladder removal at the time of weight-loss surgery. I recall that it was a topic of discussion at the American Society of Bariatric Surgery meeting I attended a couple of years ago, and there was no consensus as to whether or not remove the gallbladder. Some laparoscopic gastric bypass surgeons commented that the placement of the instruments for the bypass is not ideal for removal of the gallbladder, and hence that makes the surgery more difficult or makes it necessary to place more ports for instruments into the patient. I am not aware of many Lap Band surgeons that remove the gallbladder at the time of surgery for the following reasons: 1) By removing the gallbladder you introduce the possibility of having bacteria enter the bloodstream or abdominal cavity, since the bile in the gallbladder can harbor bacteria. You would prefer not to do this in the presence of a foreign body, the Lap Band. 2) The port placement for the Lap Band may not be ideal for removing the gallbladder and more ports may need to be added. 3) It is felt by some that the more gradual weight loss seen with the Lap Band compared to gastric bypass makes the likelihood of developing gallstones lower. 4) While generally a safe surgery, gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy) does entail its own specific risks that are unique to that surgery, therefore adding a cholecystectomy to the Lap Band, theoretically adds to the risk of surgery. To answer Amy's original question about the recovery from the surgery: The laparoscopic cholecystectomy is generally well tolerated and most patients return to regular activity within a few days. I remember a patient who was a high school football couch and went to run practice the afternoon after his cholecystectomy. As with any surgery, everyone has a unique recovery based upon how their body responds to the surgery. Good luck!

Sleeved 12/27 and weighed 246 that morning at home. Yesterday I weighed 253 so still have hospital weight gain.

So true the cleaner/healthier we eat our bodies hate junk /processed food. Yes the cruise will have good choices as well as for me I'm packing some Protein powder and bars for mine. I can't eat in the am until late morning so I Make protein lattes n back a bar for the excursions just in case. I found my band has been tighter the past few weeks and when I went for my annual check up he said it looked good but a but a tad tight and asked if I wanted an slight unfill I was scared about gaining weight do I sad no after a horrible weekend of not keeping much down I'm going Thursday to get a slight unfill just to make sure I won't be sick on my cruise. I already eat right and work out so a slight unfill hopefully won't cause weight gain . I think it's in my head so the first year was great I'm going to make the lifetime band living better than great so I'll take a few bumps as we adjust to living together forever . Lol not sure if it's the weather or some stress I'm going through (who doesn't have stres) but I must do what's necessary to keep my band and myself in sync with the help of my dr

Unfortunately the feeling of failing is very common. A lot of it comes from poor information from your surgeon & your team. I don’t understand why they don’t prepare people better on what to expect. It would greatly reduce a lot of the anxiety people experience after surgery. Makes me angry. So sorry your surgeon & team didn’t private you & don’t seem to be on your side through this. Ok, first. The heady amounts of weight you lose at the beginning doesn’t continue. The rate at which you lose will reduce as you get closer to goal & are eating more. Losing about 1-2lbs a week is pretty average by months 3 or 4. Some my lose more, others less. You will lose at your rate. Many factors affect the rate (age, starting weight, previous weight loss history, gender, etc.). Stalls (plateaus) happen. Think of them as your body taking a break to come to terms with the stress of the diet & weight loss. You may stall from 1-3 weeks at a time. Every pound you lose is a win. Sorry but eating one meal a day is ridiculous. How are you able to consume 60g of protein plus a variety of other nutrient sources in one meal? It’s physically impossible for you! No wonder you’re feeling hungry. You are hungry!!! Do you have a dietician/nutritionalist? Once eating solid foods the goal should be introducing healthy eating habits (when you eat, what you eat, why you eat) which is why we’re advised to eat 3 meals a day & some (like me) are encouraged to add snacks as we progress to ensure protein & other nutrient goals are being met. Your portion sizes will increase as you progress too. Eat slowly. Don’t be afraid to graze on a meal for 30+ minutes if necessary. It takes time for the message you’re full to get through. I still try to eat only until I’ve had enough. (Do I really need the next bite or just want it?) Keep protein the biggest part of any meal or snack & eat it first if possible. Having a small amount of whole or multi grain carbs is ok - I was allowed to eat rolled oats from the purée stage. I even could have any fruit from around months 3/4. I went to my dietician every two weeks but honestly, I worked most of my eating plan out myself - she just confirmed I was making sensible choices & suggested some alternatives. You have to work out a way of eating that works for you & while you’re losing is the perfect time to begin. Do lots of reading (avoid the fad stuff - they’re never sustainable), reflect on your eating habits (trigger foods, foods you crave, what drives you to eat, weight gain/loss history, etc.) & how your lifestyle may impact your eating plan in the future (you have to be able to maintain a weight you’re happy & healthy at while still being able enjoy your life). A too restrictive diet will fail because it will limit you enjoying your life. You will get where you want to be. Good luck.

@@bevmccarthy did you gain any weight on your last weigh in ??? FYI Aetna is strict on any weight gain So if you did not gain weight on your last weigh in then you are good to go. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My weight (gain or loss) had been the center of my existence ofr years. I mean you could pretty much tell where i was in my eternal "diet" by my mood. If i got on the scale and I was down a few pounds...I am ready to break out the streamers and the champagne cuz all was well with the world. if the scale (liar that it is) had the *audacity* to tell me that I had gained weight.. then Off with It's head and cancel Christmas. I had to stop living like that. It was "this would not be (insert problem here) if i was not fat. it sounds really dramtic to me now...but every once in a while it seems like the purest logic in teh world. even before i decided to have this WLS i was telling myself that everything would be all rainbows and kittens once I lost this weight and started looking more like an "after" photo than a "before" photo. I have to give myself reality checks quite often. I am not a huge fan of Dr. Phil, but I will give him credit for this one. Reality check: you can never, ever, use weight loss to solve problems that are not related to your weight. At your goal weight or not, you still have to live with yourself and deal with your problems. You will still have the same husband, the same job, the same kids, and the same life. Losing weight is not a cure for life. ~Phillip C. McGraw I am slowly teaching myself that I can not use the scale as in indicator of my happiness. I am not going to act as if i have perfected this, but i am trying very hard to not do it. I have already accepted the fact that there will be times that I will still be unhappy with my weight, but i cant let it pull the rest of my life down. I have also realized that my weight will always be an inssue for me...it WILL be something that I have to manage for the rest of my life. However, the key thing is that I won't let my weight completely manage my happiness. It will be a factor in my happiness...i cant help that...but it will not be the sole captain of my happiness. Mia, i honestly think if you keep the attitude that you have you will do great. I can tell by the way you brought out that "S" on your chest and your cape near the end of your post! :blushing: Not to mention you have the support of some of the most fantastic people in the state of Georgia :cough: bagnato bandits :cough:. Note: I do apologize for the length of my posts and the fact that i think i sounded like a psychiatrist..but none of my freinds who are of normal weight have this "the scale rules my life" attitude and they jsut dont seem to grasp it. it still hurts me when i see people doing that because i was the Ultra Princess Diva of allowing my happiness to go up and down with the scales.

So I've finally caught up, took me 3 days to do it but here I am. No questions about it, I'm an addict. Not just to sugar and carbs but to food. FOOD still tastes good to me on a daily basis. I haven't given my sleeve anything that it didn't tolerate just fine. As I have gotten further out it has become harder to stay on track because now I don't have this list of like 4 foods that it is okay for me to eat. I actually have to choose to eat what I should, and for the most part, I do. I have days that I fall off the wagon, but each day is a new day. I get up, brush myself off and start again. I am from Louiaiana. Not just from the south but from one of the most obese states in our country. You know there are "starving kids in China" so we don't throw food away, or at least that's what we were told growing up. My grandmother was a feeder. Everyday after school (after finishing off a big grab bag of flaming hot cheetos and a large icee) she would have cookies or cake or fried chicken fixed and just hanging around. We got to eat what ever, when ever we wanted. This was all before the age of 13. It didn't stop. When I was in my early teens my parents did a dieting program through our church and lost weight. I didn't lose weight. I ate what they ate but I ate as much as I wanted. When I was a junior or senior in high school, I went through the program with them and lost 30 pounds. When I started college my freshman 15 turned into my sophomore 60 and stuck around for my senior 70. I seriously gained around 80 pounds in my 4 years of college. I lost some while working on my second degree but then got pregnant just before I graduated. When I went in to have my son I was 286 pounds (I had gained somewhere between 50-80 pounds during my pregnancy). I lost about 20 after I had him but within 4 months put it back on. Fast forward 5 years and I can't get pregnant. We think it's because of my weight gain (I'm now about 320) so I decide to go for a sleeve. A month before my sleeve was scheduled to be done, I find out I'm pregnant. And you know what, I was SAD!!! I wanted this surgery. I wanted to be healthy for my pregnancy but here I was super morbidly obese and pregnant. Gross. I only gained 23 pounds during my second pregnancy and the baby weighed almost 10 pounds so not too bad. That weight came off pretty quick and then I was sleeved when the baby was 4 weeks old. It was the best decision I have ever made. I have learned a lot already. I know that I have limited will power. My will power stops when I take a bite of anything. I can resist any food all day long until I take one bite and then it is all over. I can't stop myself. Carbs are a nightmare. If I start the day off with them, I'm hungry all day and wanting to eat. Same goes for sugar. But it isn't just those. Like Cheri, it fried goodness, burgers, savory, spicy, chips and salsa, FOOD! I have eaten out of bordom, I ate when I was happy and when I was sad. Something good happened, "Oh, lets celebrate! Where do you want to go eat?" Something bad happened, "Oh, bless your heart. What can I get you to eat?" It was never ending. I haven't been a big food sneaker but there were times that I did. I could, and probably still can but have not tried, to polish off a pint of ice cream in a single sitting. I never ate a whole pizza but I sure could eat half a large by myself. I was the one who finished my husbands food, and the kid's. I was the same as someone before who would go to McD's and get a large value meal and get chicken nuggets to go with it. I was out of control. Now I am not a slave to food. I don't think about it all the time. I enjoy it but it does not rule my life. I have an amazing support system and my hubby is happy to finish my left overs So much has changed about me in the last 8 months, on the inside and the outside. I am liking this new person I am becoming. I used to tell people that people liked me for the same reasons they like Santa Claus, cause I was fat and jolly! I'm still jolly. My joy is dependent on far more than the weight I carry or my circumstances but people are going to have to find a new reason to like me!

I admit I did it... but I was also self-pay. The surgeon I went to see first wouldn't even consider doing the surgery (self pay or not) if you weren't 40 BMI or 35 with co-mortalities. He wouldn't even consider high cholesterol or high trygliserides or an immediate family history of diabetes and heart disease. My insurance had an exclusion so it didn't matter what my BMI was they weren't paying for it. I was desperate because I had struggled for so many years and all the diets and exercise and hard work just got me about 30 pounds more each year. I wanted and needed to stop the weight gain... for my health. I went to another doctor and he also said the same about the 40 or 35 BMI so I added clothes and rocks and heavy shoes... I was 5 pounds shy of the 40 BMI they needed. I later found out that my new doctor was way nicer and would have done it without the deception. He made exceptions for self-pay that the other center wouldn’t. I asked them but didn’t ask again because they told me it was the law. (it was a law I was willing to break – kind of like speeding) I'd do it again in a minute. I couldn't take another day of failing at diets, which really just felt like failing. It was a daily struggle not to let my weight balloon 100's of pounds out of control. <!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o></o> Since I was self-pay I don’t feel too bad about it.

Good thread. I always sit on the fence about labeling myself an addict, but whatever you call it (or don't call it) the behaviors were destructive enough to allow me to get up to 300 pounds. I used to say cake is like crack to me, and it still is. I weighed 140 pounds when I met my husband, and he enabled me to gain that weight. He would offer and go get whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted it. Now he enables me to lose weight by not doing that, and encouraging me every day to stay on track. I never blamed him for my weight gain - that was all on me. He couldn't stop me from gaining now if I wanted to. So I know I have to monitor myself and my habits and intake all day, every day, forever. I'm not perfect, and don't even care to be, but at least I know what I'm consuming. If I had to point to just one thing that I've learned and feel has contributed to my success so far, I would say that it is tracking and being honest with myself about what I eat - ALWAYS. Even when I don't want to, and even when I've eaten too much, I force myself to face it.

Mindfulness basically just means paying attention to something - without judgment. Mindful eating is paying attention to your food, and to your appetite cues - again, without judgment (that's the hard part!). Dieting vs. Mindful Eating: Diet = Weight gain: 95% of people who diet will regain the weight they lost within 5 years. 2/3 of those people will regain more than they lost, ultimately resulting in overall weight gain. All about willpower and rigidity. Relies on external cues. Restrictive and depriving. Food & body are the enemy. Mindful Eating = Weight loss: Studies show that mindful eating programs result in weight loss, fewer calories consumed, lower fat intake and increased self-confidence (Timmerman et al., 2012) All about trust and acceptance. Relies on internal appetite cues. Permissive and satisfying. Food & body are the ally. Which would you prefer? For me, I'd much rather give mindful eating a shot. Especially since dieting was what led up to most people having bariatric surgery in the first place. Step-by-step how to eat mindfully: Pick a calm and quiet place to sit down and eat. Check in with your hunger. Are you physically hungry? If not, wait until later when you are hungry. The food will be much more satisfying if you enter the experience hungry. Choose a food that will be satisfying. Give yourself permission to eat that food without judgment (toward the food or yourself) or guilt. Use all of your senses - look at the food, touch the food, smell the food, taste the food, feel it in your mouth, move it around and notice the way the texture and taste changes as you chew. Chew slowly and thoroughly. As you swallow, feel the food going down your esophagus and into your stomach. Notice how the food feels in your stomach. Ask yourself if you want more. If so, take another bite and repeat until you feel satisfied. At the end, take a moment to express gratitude for the experience, for the food, and for your body. Carry the awareness of mindful attention to other areas of your life - you'll be shocked at what a big difference this makes! Be patient with yourself. The practice of mindful eating is just that - a practice. Your mind and attention will wander, you will inevitably catch yourself judging yourself or the food. That's ok - it's normal. Just notice it, and return your attention to the experience. Practice this as often as you are able. Of course, it's not possible to eat mindfully 100% of the time, so don't be rigid with it. As you get more skilled at mindful eating, it will become more effortless and second nature. See, I told you this wasn't just for hippies! Mindful eating is very doable for all of us. We just have to make the conscious decision to do it. Paying attention to our food and our bodies allows us to get infinite more pleasure out of life. Give it a shot and let me know what you think. Share your experience in the comments below. What was it like to pay close attention to the taste and texture of the food? What was it like to refrain from judgment about yourself for eating the food? What surprised you about mindful eating?

Hey there... It looks like your doing good with the foods and your calories are really low so maybe up you calorie intake by adding some veggies that you really like. Try spicing them up for a better flavor if you don't like plain foods...... I see that you have issues with your throid and this is a good time to go see you doc or call him and have blood work up done to see if you need to either have your thyroid meds titraded up or down. This can have a negative effect on weight loss etc. Your weight gain is water weight so maybe cut back on the salty foods some. I know that I have really low bp and my doc told me to up my salt intake and I have gained 4 lbs just from the salt intake. But I'm not dizzy anymore. You can look at myfitnesspal.com page and my user name is dorrierobles2003@yahoo.com and i will add you as a friend. I have also posted something on the vet's forum about the reasons for weight gain on a low calorie diet.... It's very informative. Hope this helps and keep up the good work. I believe that a balanced approach of food does help with our cravings and stuff and I work on staying away from breads, pastas,rice, and anything that has flour. the art to this is balancing our blood sugar levels so they don't plunge to low levels......

I’ve got two tattoos so far. My next will be a lucky cat, probably on my outer/upper arm.  This will be for the surgery, as I feel lucky to have the opportunity and means to have the surgery. I also want to get a tribute piece for my dad and incorporate some of the lyrics from Dropkick Murphy’s “Rose Tattoo”. I’ve got my cats name on my shoulder and I’d like to get it touched up, as weight gain prior to surgery kind of made it too fuzzy to read clearly. Have to make it more visible or cover it with another tribute to her. (I sound like a crazy cat lady, but I’m cool with it!) I’ve also got a shamrock on my back hip. Most of my cousins on one side all have some form of shamrock or clover tattoo. My husband is not a tattoo person, but yeah, he’d never in a million years tell me not to get any more. That just wouldn’t go over well. 😂

C 261.0/ CB MI 44.6 +1 (-118.9 lbs total) This is what I get for bragging on a other thread yesterday about no weight gain in 6 months! No more vacations!! I'll lose it next week.

My clinic told me. I worked with my pcp on the DASH diet, it is helpful for blood pressure but wouldn't necessarily make me gain weight. Think south beach with no salt (grain rice, grain Pasta, fish/chicken). My weight gain is also heavily from rx meds. So it's impossible to get off without serious intervention ie surgery.

I'm 3 years post op this month. It doesn't seem possible as it went by so quickly. I have gained 20 pounds and never hit my goal weight. So with this extra 20 I'm 40 lbs away. I'm worried my pouch isn't working or I stretched it, which docs say hasn't happened. But I'm wondering if this pouch reset of going back on liquids is a real thing. I have no issues going to liquids and I only eat low carb. I'm confused on this weight gain and disappointed in myself. I have no doubt that I have screwed this up because I have cheated in the past. But getting this weight off is so much more important than eating things I'm not supposed to. Does anyone have a success story on gaining weight and losing it again or any ideas? I'm willing to do anything at this point. I don't experience dumping anymore at all and I have to take miralax daily for Bm's. Help!

I agree with ProjectMe. I was hesitant about going to the Thanksgiving get together because I didn't want anyone to mention my surgery or weight. So, I phoned my mother up a week before and declared that we weren't going if anyone at Thanksgiving dinner mentioned my weight or surgery. This was a big deal because we didn't go to Thanksgiving last year because I was too embarrassed about my weight gain. I only told my mother about my surgery 2 months ago, but she is one that likes to talk. I was pretty sure word had gotten around. Thanksgiving dinner with the relatives went great. All I got was wonderful compliments. I didn't hear any whispering behind my back either. Who knows what they said when I left the room. I just don't really care. I am happy with how well things are going and I'm really not interested in their opinion. Your relatives may be more inclined to give their opinion if you talk about surgery or weight loss issues with them frequently. That is what is so great about this forum. If I want to get advice or share something to do with surgery or weight loss, I can just go here. I've been around people that talk endlessly about their diet, exercise regimine, or the obesity epidemic. So annoying!

I had my first fill today and was disappointed with only 3mls I don't feel any difference and feeling very hungry its going to kill me only having liquid, I lost 19lb pre-op and put on 4lb post op even though the band had 1ml put in during the op, feeling really down about the weight gain and struggling not to reach for the chocolate

I have not been in your position with the pain but I have been depressed in the past and I can feel your struggle in your words. I would for sure get a new therapist if they are not listening to you and realizing that you need help and not telling you to just deal with things. As far as the weight gain, the lack of exercise usually isn't the biggest cause. Some people can lose without any exercise at all. I totally understand your frustration to have your options so limited but you can only control so much. You are doing the best you can. I would look at your calories and you'll probably have to lower them to get the weight to come back off again. Alcohol is usually pretty high in calories, so it might be the main culprit. So for motivations sake, quitting the alcohol might make the weight gain stop and then when you feel better in control of your life you can make more diet changes and then lose the weight too. Sometimes just having something that you can control when everything else feels so out of control helps ground you and give you the mental stability to deal with things. So controlling your diet and calories could be a good start. I wish you the very best though and take care!

Darcey - I'm really envious now - my best buds live outside Portland and a trip up there for a fill would be awesome. But feel I must return to Ortiz for the first - just to make sure all is right in bandland. Maybe this summer we could rendezvous during the blues festival and tighten up!!!! Good luck to you; give me an update after this fill and I'll cross my fingers that it's good for another 20. Jonathan, as to the soup thing - I think that's the culprit for my weight gain - well that and the elimination of Diet Coke. Good luck to you; if you begin gaining refer to these posts and wait it out patiently till fill #1. Marla

I complete my six month nutritionist pre-op requirements. I have gained 10lbs. My doctor requested I lose 50?!?! Ugh I learned mindful eating and portion control. I eat relatively good. I am awaiting my psychologist to get approval and my psych test. Then checking with doctor insurance approval and scheduled date. I have waited for almost two years for this. I am nervous excited and scared all at the same time. I try to read and research everything I can find on the topic. I have no idea what my doctor is going to say ;( about weight gain it's strange I haven't gained in years all of a sudden here I am gaining?? I'm glad I am not the only one having issues with the pre op dietician diet, I was thinking I was a total failure everyone else can do it why not you??

I got my band Oct of 2012 and have only lost 40 pounds at first. Now since my one year bandaversary I have gained weight. I am having such a hard time losing. I have a 10 cc band (I guess) and have 7cc fill. I have not seen my Dr in months for another fill because I was ashamed of my weight gain. I fell like a failure and thinking about having the band removed. I am at the point that I just have to accept that I will always be a fat girl/mom/wife. My body is never going to change to matter how much I want it to. I feel like I wasted everyone's time and money getting this wonderful band in. I feel ashamed I have not lost any weight. I can eat full meals and not feel full. Now and then my food will get stuck and I get rid of it, but then I will take another bite to replace what I just lost. This just is not working out for me. I guess I am just that one person who will not succeed at losing weight.

I FEEL YOUR PAIN!!!! UGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I want to scream !!!!!!!! Yes,I completely understand the frustration, I too, have been denied in Dec and I hired an advocate to fight this denial. all of my paperwork was submitted with my first appeal and just last week 7/22/16 they upheld the denial even though I have one of the co morbidities listed and I have followed the 3 month program monitoring for surgery. so my advocate called Aetna on a conference call and the Medical general surgeon (who is not a bariatric surgeon) who made the decision to deny my claim was not helpful AT ALL! she just kept reading from a script explaining the details of my policy which we already knew. so finally, Dr says, bec you did not schedule your surgery within the 6 months of your initial start date and you gained 1.5 lbs your claim was denied. start date was 6/25/16 - 9/16/16 paper work submitted for authorization and immediately denied. COME ON' 1.5 lbs, that could be anything from clothing, time of the month ..... anything !!! I can see if it was a significant weight gain like 10 lbs. they need to have more so we are going for a second appeal and I really need to find out if I am spinning my wheels or do I just need to start over... I wish there is something more we all can do to fight the insurance companies to stop denying surgeries for the simplest thing.