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I was banded in February 2008. I blew that. I lost like 24 pounds. Then in June 2011, I was having problems. I had upper GI test and hiatal hernia. When I had surgery for that, he did a band revision. I said this is it.... Time to shine! NOT! I have two of my grand kids and it is hard when they want something for me not to dig in. I have fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and plantar facciitis. It is hard for me to move with pain and exhaustion. The meds I take cause weight gain!! I actually gave up. I stopped going for fills. I was due last month and said what's the point. I need help!!

I normally just read the comments, but this time time I feel this one. I in sync with you. I went on a 3 week vacation right after I had my fluid decreased. Now I can't seem to get back on track. My weight gain has taken my energy. How can I get started again. I did get a refill and throw up whenever I eat something negative. Am I the only one who has experienced this? If not, what did you do to get your rhythm back?

I did research on this and I think it's due to other surgeries sometimes having complications and weight gain after a few years. Most things I read said if you're part of a group (like at work) you're fine but the self insurance is hard to get. I agree about it being prejudicial for the same reasons. I wonder if we worded it "partial gastrectomy" (such as people with a large ulcer or stomach cancer might get) if that sounds better- just not saying the words WLS. Essentially that's what it is- right? partial gastrectomy (removal of part of stomach). If asked directly, legally you have to say weight loss surgery, but that might be the way around it.

Hi All! I spent the day yesterday with DH at a medical procedure. Yay! I ate okay, but did not get a work out in yesterday. I was going to get up this morning to work out but just didn't. So I will do something tonight, for sure. We may go to the beach this weekend- it's supposed to rain, but there's a reptile thing at the convention center in Myrtle Beach that dd (7) would love. Not sure if DH will be up to it, so it's up in the air. Sigh. I had a really bad stuck episode at dinner on Monday- really dry fish, I was bad for a good half an hour and pb'ed/slimed like never before. Ick. But then yesterday I ate a grilled chicken sandwich (no bun) and fries, no problem (the hospital cafeteria)- but boy did I take small bites and chewed like crazy. I am up 1 lb, but for the past 2 weeks still down 4.5 lbs, so it's all good. I feel bad for not exercising, but I figure since I'm good MOST of the time I am NOT going to beat myself up for the little bit of time I don't quite make it. Savannah! That is awesome to have lost your vacation weight gain so quickly!! I agree, before LBS I would have kept that on, plus who knows how much! It is nice to be on vay-cay, but good to be back into a routine. And 35 lbs down in 6 months is awesome!!!!! Hi to everyone, I hate to miss a day posting because I get a lot from all of you, so post!! Nicki

I don't understand it myself. I'm 9 weeks and I went another week without losing, after going 1-1/2 weeks going up and down a pound, up 2, down 2 the next day. My son went through everything that I have been eating and I'm between 450-600 was my max calories a day. I'm doing the gazelle an hour a day, swimming 1-2 hours, going to for walks. I'm staying at 20-30 carbohydrates a day (sometimes less) 60-70 Protein. Yesterday was my birthday and my husband and son kept nagging me about getting ice cream or yogurt and my son said listen Mom, you are doing everything right and it's like before, when you would diet hard and we would go out to eat and you would blow your diet and end up losing weight. Eat some no sugar added frozen yogurt and you will weigh 2 pounds less tomorrow. I don't know why I said yes to them. I haven't cheated once on this diet, I don't even allow myself the sugar-free puddings anymore, I get almost all my carbs with my Protein shakes or vegetables. I said yes. I went to bed literally frustrated that I ate 1/4 cup of no sugar added FroYo (which tasted not that great) but they were happy with their chocolate and I was mad that so they could treat themselves, I had to agree to have some, otherwise I wouldn't eat it. I told them no more of this, because if they want yogurt, ice cream etc. it's up to them, but stop bringing me into it. They both felt bad, something I promised I would not do to them, because let's face facts, this is my journey and they have been supporting me but they shouldn't have to go without because I have to. Well, guess what....I weigh two pounds less today and I was still under 600 calories yesterday and only hit 30 grams of carbs. It makes zero sense. It makes no sense when it says "you are in starvation mode" on myfitnesspal.com It makes no sense that consistently, for the past 6 weeks I have had a deficit in my calories vs. exercise and yet I am not losing as fast as I want to. What I can tell you is this though, bones are appearing where there was just chub, my arms are getting tight, the middle of my back is getting a chiseled dip and I look smaller, my clothes are hanging different this week than last week. It messes with my head a bit. I give a lot of pep talks to people that post the "I am failing" especially when people tell themselves enough they are failures, they can find ways to actually fail, they give up and I won't give up and I don't want others to give up. I can't say I'm a failure at this, because I know eventually the weight will fall off and I worked too hard to fail. Our biggest issue is using the scale consistently as a judge, jury and sometimes executioner to our self-esteem. I moved the scale from the bathroom (which gets kicked and moved and the steam in there and every time I brush my teeth, go to the bathroom, before a shower before bed I wanted to hop on it. Seeing the weight gain from first thing in the am or throughout the day would cause my head to spin. I don't have the discipline to not reweigh myself when it's in my face, so I moved the scale to my spare bedroom. I weigh once a day, I get up, after my first Pee, I go in the spare room, shut the door, take off my nightgown and weight, so it's only once a day and it's upped my mood a bit. Look at the whole picture, it's so easy to judge your success to someone elses. How many people look at my "total" weight loss and think wow, look at all she lost and she had surgery in June...I lost 10 pounds a month Pre-approval. If you look at my overall weight loss, guess what....it still equates to about 10 pounds a month. I started the plan in November had surgery in June and we're in August now! I lost faster after surgery (because I had to lose all that Water weight from the IV etc.) but we all got so used to that 1 or 2 pounds a day the first week and now, our body has to readjust. I promise you, if you keep getting in your nutrtion, drink your 64 ounces of water, chart your cals. carb. protein and you do the right thing, the inches will fall off, if you add exercise into the mix, the fat will fall off and be replaced by lean muscle, and eventually the scale will reflect this. I will reread this next time I start to wig out about the stupid scale. Good luck.

Week 19 Last week’s weight – 201.2 This week’s weight – 201.6 Total weight gained () this week – .4 Beginning weight – 246 lbs Total weight loss since surgery – 44.4 lbs Average weekly weight loss since surgery – 2.2 lbs I gained .4 this week which is not too surprising. I went out of town on Friday and ate out a lot and didn’t exercise Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday. I have started back at school (doing professional development) so my mornings are a bit messed up now and I need to get an exercise routine in place that will work with my new back-to-school schedule. I did my Walk Away the Pounds DVD this morning (just one mile – the DVD is broke up into five mile segments) and I am hoping to walk outside this afternoon after my class (if it is not raining). I have been noticing my hair coming out recently. I have to clear the drain in the bath tub of my hair every morning. The bar of soap has my hair on it and around the sink in the bathroom has my hair. Luckily I have very thick hair so it is by no means disastrous. It is, however, making me think about getting more protein into my day (and the need to clean the bathroom more ). My challenge this week is establishing (getting back into) an exercise routine that will work for me when school officially starts back for teachers this coming Monday. I also need to drink more water (which by the way I like ice cold since my sleeve…weird). Until next week!

Im almost 37 weeks and I have gained. But only about 16lbs. I have 10cc's in a 14 cc band and had none removed. Didnt have morning sickness and was able to still eat well. Im told that all the weight I gained will be lost at delivery due to baby, fluid and placenta. Although to be honest I could care less. I can always lose more weight but at 35 my chances of getting pregnant again go down. Dont worry about weight gain, its part of growing a human being!!

Even carbs from vegetables, melon and berries halt my weight loss and even can cause a 2lb weight gain, overnight. My NUT said not to eat any fruits/veggies for a while, so I'm sure that the carbs from whole wheat Pasta wouldn't be any better.

How many pounds should you fluctuate in the same day? Weighed 224 this morning and now weigh 228??? I know normally you shouldnt weigh twice so close together but my son said stand on it mommy lol so i did...is this normal? Sent from my DROID BIONIC using VST

I miss diet coke and diet dr pepper. But that was one of the bad habits I took up after my first RNY which could have lead to my weight gain. My surgeon says carbonation can stretch your pouch. I still crave the fizzy sweetness!!

Alicesandra, Weight gain is unwelcomed no matter how it arrives. I'm empathize with the pain of being overweight. After reading your post, I'm prompted to respond because from everything I know about the function of the band as a tool, it doesn't sound like it is the correct solution for you. The band works best to help those of us who tend to consume too much food to refrain from doing so. If you aren't consuming enough food, what are your expectations from band surgery? Congratulations on the weight loss!

I was diagnosed with hypothyroid about 10 yrs ago and even after starting synthroid I struggled with with severe weight gain. To make a long story short.... I finally found an enternist who would actually take the time to listen to me. She explained to me that thyroid medication is one of those medications where there can be a huge difference between name brand and generic. After 9 yrs of taking levothyroxine, she put me on synthroid (take exactly as instructed) and my levels have been in normal range every since. It's a little more pricy for name brand, but definitely worth it! I'm 3.5 weeks post op and have lost 15 pounds. Im 35 yrs old and I haven't felt this good since I was in high school.

In a couple of hours I will meet with Surgeon's office to find out more about what I need to do prior to my 8/23 surgery. I am a little nervous things went too fast and they forgot something. You see, I was there in June when they realized my Lapband was defective. I had that surgery several years ago. The doctor had the patient coordinator submit a request to insurance company to have Band removed and for me to get Sleeved. Once approved, we scheduled this date and surgery date. I was like, "don't I need to do something in between?" Initially they told me no. Well, persistant me called back about a week ago and asked again. The patient coordinator told me I needed my PCP to give me clearance for surgery. I am like, "wtf" and at the same time, like what else will you spring on me. Time is of the essence because at the end of this week I go out of the country and won't return until the week of surgery. I have limited days to do things and I like to plan and be prepared. I definitely don't want to be rescheduled because I did not have a particular test or something. I know when I went through process for LapBand, I had some tests......................just can't remember them. I hope there are no issues. My mind has been focused and on countdown for this date and 8/23/12. I don't think I could reset my mind on a day further away...........I don't want to. I am so fixated on this surgery that I was going to cancel my vacation travels out of the country losing some thousands of dollars. I did not care that is how much I want the surgery. I am like, my vacation won't be televised anyway....I will likely not be in any picture. I am so fixated on this surgery that my decision to have it the week I return back to work is premeditated for "ops, I am not feeling well..........can't make it to work for a few days....must have been something I ate while on vacation." If the surgeon could do it right now, I would. Fortunately I have friends in my life that have been helping me navigate. I was told to go on the vacation, have fun, get my mind right for this surgery. I am like, ok but whatever at the same time. I need to get this body right. My mind is on next year's vacation. I went shopping yesterday for this vaca and I am like, "I'm spending money on clothes I probably won't fit in a month or so from now." I have tried to diet before this vacation but that is the biggest contradiction ever. Yeah, I watched what I ate and did well for a while. At the same time, my mind was on not being able to have food as I know it. I don't know. The great thing is when I am on vacation I actually eat better than at home. Yes, most people come back from vacation with weight gain, I will come back with weight loss. I have digestive issues thus I don't want any problems so since I won't be in a controlled environment, I have to control myself. So, if it was up to me...bump vacation, I could be like many of you reading this blog and having surgery scheduled for 8/09, counting down to this Thursday but nope, I have to wait about 3 weeks....as long as they don't reschedule me, I'm happy.

It has been a long time since I have been on here. I don't know why, it was a very helpful site when I was first banded and then as I settled in to my band, I slowed on the site. I have had several surgeries and am restricted in exercising, I was doing really good maintaining, even though I really wanted to lose more. I lost several pounds in a surgery that had complications, I sure wanted to keep that weight loss. However, getting better led to weight gain. Back to my maintained weight. Now, my brother is dying with liver cancer and I am on exercise restrictions and PT, so I am eating everything that I see. I had to have some fluid removed because I was having reflux so bad, so I thought that would help me lose. NOT!! I started gaining, so back to adding to my band. I am not eating properly, so of course, I am not losing, I am gaining!!! I have gained 10 lbs, which doesn't sound like much, but I will bat my eyes and have gained another 10 and so on and so on. I feel like I did when I first started, kind of "what do I eat" what do I not eat" trying to eat right and then getting side tracked during the day. Tomorrow I resolve to start over. I tried to do the restart with slim fast, but I couldn't stay faithful to it, so I am just going to start eating properly for my band. Praying for willpower. Nite

Tomorrow I begin my two week full liquid diet, not looking forward to it! My revisional RNY is scheduled for 8/20. My original was back in 2004 & I lost a total of 170lbs. Over the last two to three years I began gaining weight (53lbs). I decided to have a revision after an endoscopy showed my anastamosis was dialated. I also had a upper GI that showed my pouch was not stretched. However having the dialation causes food to empty my pouch quicker causing hunger after a short period of time. This is something that just happened through no fault of my own. However I did pick up the habit of smoking for the last eight years after never smoking before that! I have succesfully quit since 6/20 & hope to stay that way! I also started drinking alcohol twice a month, which I attribute this bad behavior to part of my weight gain. I would just like to tell newbies that although I will be doing this again I do not feel like a failure. I have been extremely happy and most importantly healthy over the past 8 years; I was to a point that if I did not have surgery I would not be around today. I had severe complications my first time around & still have decided to go through with this revision because RNY saved my life. I am not doing this again to be a size zero or to look a certain way. I just want to continue to enjoy the quality of life that this surgery afforded me. It has been one hell of a ride that I plan to continue to enjoy. My best advice is that carbs/ sweets are the devil and you should really limit these! Enjoy each day that this great procedure allows us to enjoy it is magical & magnificent!

I started my weight loss loss journey in may. All of ny pre op paperwork is done and approved. Im sad because I have gained weight instead of loosing. During the exams the doc found out im hypo thyroid.Dont know if weight gain is due to hypo or me not really eating.

Let's get to know each other before our surgery...I'll go first. My name is Amy (37 years old). I live in central FL with my husband and two kids, 3 yo DS and 4.5 yo DD. I work in IT doing technical writing and operational readiness. I love photography and have a small side business, and when I'm thinner, I really enjoy running and spinning. I was banded in Nov 2009 at 374 lbs. From my banding until Dec 2011 (2 years), I lost 198 lbs. I was thrilled! Despite the occasional vomit and inability to eat certain foods, I was still 99.9% happy with my band. Right after Christmas this year, however, I got a terrible upper respiratory infection. I coughed and coughed and coughed. I coughed until I puked, which caused a slip. I got a complete unfill in early January. Once the slip was fixed, I started getting fills. But then my band developed a leak and slipped once again. Since the surgeon I was seeing was less than helpful, I found a new surgeon, Dr. Domkowski, who finally treated me without acting like I was crazy, as my last surgeon did. Based on his recommendations and test results, we decided to do the removal and sleeve in two separate surgeries. Dr. D removed my band on August 3, 2012. Because of the extent of damage done by the band, including scarring and pulling the fundus through the diaphragm, I am waiting around four months to be sleeved. I'd love to be banded on November 25, which would have been the three year anniversary of my band. I've gained about 70 lbs since December. Sigh. The good news is my surgeon is not at all concerned about my weight gain. He is 100% convinced that I'll lose it all once I'm sleeved, since I was so successful with the band. I'm a bit of a goody two-shoes, and I followed the rules to a "T", and I intend to do the same with the sleeve. I hope the next four months fly by!

Weight gain is totally normal. I was depressed until someone on the forum encouraged me to really measure myself. My waist alone was 3 inches larger than before surgery. That was an eye opener. I relaxed after that!

Yes....walk! It's really really important; even small steps up and down the hall, but you must get up and walk. This is a really important step in your recovery. The weight gain is normal; in a week or two you will start losing regularly. If things don't improve in a few days call your doctor.

Sherry77 is right! The weight gain is a result of all the IV that you received and the swelling from major surgery. During surgery I was told that my abdomen will be pumped up with air, and the best way to get rid of it is to walk. Simply. You might also notice that the pain travels to your shoulder area. I was told that was normal and to be expected. Again the solution was to walk. The incision site on the left did feel numb to touch at first as well as my navel area. But to be honest I did not worry much about that lol! When drinking, remember not to use a straw and to sip slowly taking small sip Be patient and Hope you feel better...

I am 5 days post op. I wouldn't worry about the weight gain as the hospital pumps you with so many IV fluids. Try using 1 oz cups to sip that helped me swallow less air. Also walk walk walk, that will help pass gas and alleviate pressure. I'm not sure what to say about the numbness in your tummy :-(. I hope this helps.

I'm prone to infections, so I couldn't do the Mirena or the Nuva Ring. And I had unbalanced hormones with the pill. The Depo caused nausea and weight gain. So I am now using the Ortho Evra Patch....so far so good.

What you have written about is normal...you are going through many physical adjustments, and hormone levels are gyrating as well. Mood swings are normal during this time of initial healing...and I do remember me asking myself "what the h#%* did you do to yourself?? The required diets for the pre op and post op times were the worst time for me...and it does get better as the days go by. The new awareness of your eating patterns that you also wrote about will serve you well as you continue on your weight loss journey. Remember that your relationship with food does need to change; and awareness of the problematic eating behaviors which contributed to your weight gain is the first step to that process of change. This journey is a process and not an event...there will be some days that are better than others. Keep yourself focused on your goals, and take a day at a time. Best wishes...

Hello! I found this forum when doing some on-line research. I am only now starting to think about having this surgery. A few years ago my primary doc brought it up, but I left it on the back burner. I have a new doc now and am nervous to even bring it up to her. I have been up and down with my weight....I lose some and gain it back. One time I managed to lose 100# over the course of a year or 2 but it slowly started creeping back on and now I am about 20# less than my starting weight from that time. But now I have more health issues that I am not even sure would preclude me from the surgery. Because of having RA I take a lot of meds, plus fibromyalgia and bipolar disease and interstitial cystitis. I know a couple of these meds can contribute to weight gain, but can't stop taking them without a lot of pain, etc. Without these meds I don't function so til now I've just thought weight gain was a necessary evil. I exercise but it doesn't help the weight, although does help a bit with pain, yet if I overdo it my pain is worse. So it's not like I can do a lot more than I do now. Whenever I try it sets me back. I hesitate to bring the surgery up to my doc for fear of being shot down, don't want to get my hopes up. My BMI is less than 40 (38) so not sure if I'd even qualify. I know I need to talk to my doc. Is there anybody here with similar health issues that has any insight or suggestions? Thanks

I am happy I decided to get the surgery. I have lost 25-30 easily in the past many times and regained it again. I started at 282 and am now today 259 on my second day of clear liquid diet and completed 10 of only protein shakes. I have lost a total of 22lbs. I am very excited and I am getting my Hiatial Hernia fixed as well. During my journey they discovered my Hiatial Hernia and Sleep apnea. I found out that sleep apnea can contribute to weight gain because your body is tired and you snack to compensate for that. Maybe that is why I have not been able to stay on the diet long enough to reach my goal along with stress and lives other events. I have been so excited about my journey that I have purchased some things to help me along the way after the surgery and these things I have been using now to keep me on my pre diet. I found an intelligent water bottle that keeps track of your intake and it has a straw that does not let air in your stomach "Hydracoach.com" also 2 different plates with covers that help with measuring your food consumption. They are Baribowl at "bariware.com" and EZ Weigh Plate at "store.ezweightplatestore.com". The baribowl is a tubberware type which is good for taking your lunch because it has 2 side that separate for hot and cold food so you can heat your food separately. On each side there are demarcations marks where you can slide these little plastic thin sleeves in to separate and measure 1oz sections and the whole bowl is 8 oz. A baratric surgeon invented it. It makes you feel/look like you are eating a lot, but is not deep at all. The other is a plate with cup like compartments that you can measure your food because the plate is semi-transparent and is also microwave safe. This I would use at home and especially when my husband cooks it will make it easier for him as well, he likes to cook and likes to make me a plate. Hope to connect and share ideas and accomplishments. Mybella