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A lot of people who have never struggled with their weight (or people who have only had to lose, like, 20 pounds) want to think of weight as a personal or moral attribute. They want to believe that their ability to control their weight is indicative of their personal superiority, so they feel threatened by the thought of some of us -- whom they view as inferior based solely on weight -- can "cheat" our way into their category. Many people who haven't looked into weight loss surgery also have no idea how hard it is. I think back to the first time I read about gastric bypass and thought it sounded like absolute magic -- the answer to all my problems! You get your stomach stapled and the weight just falls right off. And then I found out about all the risks and potential complications, dumping syndrome, and the fact that some people still regain the weight, and that was enough to turn me off from weight loss surgery for 15+ years. And even then, it wasn't until I actually started the process that I found out about the pre-op diet and all the post-op phases, having to constantly sip water all day just to avoid dehydration and go for weeks without solid food. I'd be willing to bet that most people have no clue how hard it is to get through all the pre-op requirements and post-op phases. Ironically, it's those people who have never had to think about weight loss surgery who really have the easy way out in that they don't have the propensity for weight gain in the first place. They have no idea how hard some of us have to work to lose weight and/or keep it off.

Mine isnt BCBS...it's BC CA PPO, but I wanted to point out that it changes fairly quickly. Here's from my BC site: Medical Policy Subject: Surgery for Clinically Severe Obesity Policy #: SURG.00024 Current Effective Date: 11/13/2006 Status: Reviewed Last Review Date: 09/14/2006 Description/Scope Clinically severe obesity is a result of persistent and uncontrollable weight gain that constitutes a present or potential threat to life. There are a variety of surgical procedures intended for the treatment of clinically severe obesity. This policy addresses those procedures. Policy Statement Medically Necessary: Gastric bypass with a Roux Y procedure up to 150 cm, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (the Lap-Band® System), vertical banded gastroplasty, or biliopancreatic bypass with duodenal switch as a single surgery, is considered medically necessary for the treatment of clinically severe obesity for selected adults (18 years and older) who meet the following criteria: 1. BMI of 40 or greater, or BMI of 35 or greater with co-morbid conditions including, but not limited to, life threatening cardio-pulmonary problems (severe sleep apnea, Pickwickian syndrome and obesity related cardiomyopathy), severe diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease or hypertension. AND *Note: Individuals considering the laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (Lap-Band®) procedure must meet the above minimum BMI requirement and, in addition, have a maximum BMI of less than 50.

@@judy vsg Yes, being hyper kept my weight off for most of my life, but it turned 2 years ago, while still hyper and I had a massive, rapid weight gain. I became one of those 5% hyperthyroid sufferers that gained weight! I did not like my shaking hands, the sweats and feeling hot all the time, the irritability, racing pulse, high blood pressure, horrible headaches, muscle spasms, the runs and insomnia. Now, with treatment most of those symptoms disappeared, except insomnia and feeling hot on and off. Thank you for your well wishes.

Deb, Well that is one thing I have done. I've gone to the same Doc for the past 15 yrs for everything. He has lots of documentation of weight gain, weight loss, energy levels,joint pain, he knows my weight struggles, which is good he is also very easy to talk to. I don't feel I will have any trouble getting his support. Heidi

Does PCOS cause weight gain? I was once told I might have this, but it has not been diagnosed.

I came across this article a few months ago and it helps a lot to keep things in perspective for long term success. Top 10 Most Common Mistakes WLS Patients Make I will also post it here just to make it easier... ----------------------------------------------------------- While weight loss surgery (WLS) is considered the most successful treatment for morbid obesity, it is just the first step toward a fresh start. Weight regain is a common phenomenon, as is illness when weight loss surgery patients do not follow recommended guidelines. Breaking old patterns, establishing an effective post-WLS lifestyle, and addressing the emotional issues that often complicate obesity takes more than commitment; it takes support, information, and resources. The National Association for Weight Loss Surgery (NAWLS) helps WLS patients shape new lives. We teach people what they need to know and help them makes the changes they need to make to achieve long-term WLS success -- physically, mentally, and spiritually. In a November 2005 poll conducted by NAWLS, the following were identified as the top 10 mistakes WLS patients make: 1st Mistake: Not Taking Vitamins, supplements, or Minerals Every WLS patient has specific nutritional needs depending on the type of surgery you have had. Not only is it a good idea to ask your surgeon for guidelines, but also consult with an experienced WLS nutritionist. Understand there is not a standard practice that all surgeons and nutritionists follow in guiding WLS patients. So, it is important to do your own research, get your lab tests done regularly, and learn how to read the results. Some conditions and symptoms that can occur when you are deficient in vitamins, supplements, or minerals include: Osteoporosis; pernicious anemia; muscle spasms; high blood pressure; burning tongue; fatigue; loss of appetite; weakness; constipation and diarrhea; numbness and tingling in the hands and feet; being tired, lethargic, or dizzy; forgetfulness, and lowered immune functioning. Keep in mind, too, that some conditions caused by not taking your vitamins, supplements, or minerals are irreversible. For example, a Vitamin B-1 deficiency can result in permanent neurological deficits, including the loss of the ability to walk. 2nd Mistake: Assuming You Have Been Cured of Your Obesity A "pink cloud" or honeymoon experience is common following WLS. When you are feeling better than you have in years, and the weight is coming off easily, it's hard to imagine you will ever struggle again. But unfortunately, it is very common for WLS patients to not lose to their goal weight or to regain some of their weight back. A small weight regain may be normal, but huge gains usually can be avoided with support, education, effort, and careful attention to living a healthy WLS lifestyle. For most WLSers, if you don't change what you've always done, you're going to keep getting what you've always gotten -- even after weight loss surgery. 3rd Mistake: Drinking with Meals Yes, it's hard for some people to avoid drinking with meals, but the tool of not drinking with meals is a critical key to long-term success. If you drink while you eat, your food washes out of your stomach much more quickly, you can eat more, you get hungry sooner, and you are at more risk for snacking. Being too hungry is much more likely to lead to poor food choices and/or overeating. 4th Mistake: Not Eating Right Of course everyone should eat right, but in this society eating right is a challenge. You have to make it as easy on yourself as possible. Eat all your meals--don't skip. Don't keep unhealthy food in sight where it will call to you all the time. Try to feed yourself at regular intervals so that you aren't as tempted to make a poor choice. And consider having a couple of absolutes: for example, avoid fried foods completely, avoid sugary foods, always use low-fat options, or only eat in a restaurant once a week. Choose your "absolutes" based on your trigger foods and your self knowledge about what foods and/or situations are problematic for you. 5th Mistake: Not Drinking Enough Water Most WLS patients are at risk for dehydration. Drinking a minimum of 64 oz. of water per day will help you avoid this risk. Adequate water intake will also help you flush out your system as you lose weight and avoid kidney stones. Drinking enough water helps with your weight loss, too. 6th Mistake: Grazing Many people who have had WLS regret that they ever started grazing, which is nibbling small amounts here and there over the course of the day. It's one thing to eat the three to five small meals you and your doctor agree you need. It's something else altogether when you start to graze, eating any number of unplanned Snacks. Grazing can easily make your weight creep up. Eating enough at meal time, and eating planned snacks when necessary, will help you resist grazing. Make a plan for what you will do when you crave food, but are not truly hungry. For example, take up a hobby to keep your hands busy or call on someone in your support group for encouragement. 7th Mistake: Not Exercising Regularly Exercise is one of the best weapons a WLS patient has to fight weight regain. Not only does exercise boost your spirits, it is a great way to keep your metabolism running strong. When you exercise, you build muscle. The more muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn, even at rest! 8th Mistake: Eating the Wrong Carbs (or Eating Too Much) Let's face it, refined carbohydrates are addictive. If you eat refined carbohydrates they will make you crave more refined carbohydrates. There are plenty of complex carbohydrates to choose from, which have beneficial vitamins. For example, if you can handle pastas, try whole grain Kamut pasta--in moderation, of course. (Kamut Pasta doesn't have the flavor some people find unpleasant in the whole wheat pastas.) Try using your complex carbohydrates as "condiments," rather than as the center point of your meal. Try sprinkling a tablespoon of brown rice on your stir-fried meat and veggies. 9th Mistake: Going Back to Drinking Soda Drinking soda is controversial in WLS circles. Some people claim soda stretches your stomach or pouch. What we know it does is keep you from getting the hydration your body requires after WLS--because when you're drinking soda, you're not drinking water! In addition, diet soda has been connected to weight gain in the general population. The best thing you can do is find other, healthier drinks to fall in love with. They are out there. 10th Mistake: Drinking Alcohol If you drank alcohol before surgery, you are likely to want to resume drinking alcohol following surgery. Most surgeons recommend waiting one year after surgery. And it is in your best interest to understand the consequences of drinking alcohol before you do it. Alcohol is connected with weight regain, because alcohol has 7 calories per gram, while Protein and vegetables have 4 calories per gram. Also, some people develop an addiction to alcohol after WLS, so be very cautious. Depending on your type of WLS, you may get drunker, quicker after surgery, which can cause health problems and put you in dangerous situations. If you think you have a drinking problem, get help right away. Putting off stopping drinking doesn't make it any easier, and could make you a lot sicker.

Many of us will agree that recent advancements in technology are a double-edged sword: on the one hand, they’ve made our lives so much easier, making tasks that are already simple even more convenient; on the other, these added conveniences have made it so the amount of physical exercise we do is dramatically lessened, making it that much easier to put on a few extra pounds. But with global obesity rates continuing to climb higher, developers of smartphones and smart technology have finally begun developing features that not just help, but encourage weight loss in their users – and users haven’t been ones to be left behind. Kantar Media’s MARS OTC/DTC 2014 study showed that 34% of smartphone owners look for health-related information online using their phones, and 32% of smartphone owners have also used a health- or fitness-related app. More than just using apps, however, there are other ways use smart technology for fitness. The Hype of Google Glass for Fitness Last January, PCMag’s Jill Duffy talked about “The Internet of Fitness Things” – one of the biggest trends seen in fitness technology today. She wrote about how today’s fitness devices now need to be tightly integrated with an interface that lets users monitor their fitness and workout levels. This is where Google Glass comes in. When fitness devices are integrated with Google Glass, workouts become more interactive and streamlined – not to mention tailor-fit for the user’s fitness goals. This is seen in Race Yourself, a Glass app that tracks your time, distance, and calories while running. Unlike other fitness apps, however, this Google Glass-integrated app comes with different games such as Zombie Chase and Giant Boulder, for high-intensity workouts. Google’s partnership with Technogym also means that Google Glass can now control treadmills through voice prompts. The device can even scan barcodes on treadmills to determine the kind of workouts and settings that are optimal for the machine. Smartphones with Built-In Health Tracking Apps Jill Duffy also mentioned that another apparent trend in fitness devices was seen in how developers seemed to be closing in on one detail of fitness: heart health. This is apparent not just in the number of heart rate monitoring devices out in the market now, but also in how even smartphone developers have begun integrating health and heart-tracking apps into their latest models. • Samsung Galaxy S5 The revamped features of the S Health app include a Heart Rate Sensor, which is tasked to check the status of your heart at any time of the day. Samsung’s Exercise Mate was also enhanced with the addition of a Hiking option, allowing users to track their progress while walking, cycling, and running. Android and Me has also reported that Samsung’s update of the app allows the Heart Rate Sensor to monitor stress levels. • HTC One M8 Pocket-Lint reported that HTC had partnered with FitBit to provide the One M8 with fitness tracking software, and the results were rather impressive. With BlinkFeed, you can track information such as fitness goals, achievements, and calories burned. There’s even a Smart Alarm that can wake you up at the most optimal time. O2 reports that the HTC One has also been equipped with HTC Boomsound, which the Smart Alarm makes use of quite extensively. Video Games Making People More Active Most people will agree that video games may have been a factor in their weight gain, as playing these games meant sitting in front a TV or computer for hours at a time, munching on junk food. Today’s video games, however, can be a far cry from games of old. Ace Fitness cites a study by Primack in 2012 that showed that active video games can be used to increase a person’s energy levels. Players interact with images on their screen using body movements, playing games like tennis, gold, boxing, and football. Developers like Nintendo have been hard at work creating games that not only set the benchmark for interactive games, but also meet the industry guidelines for cardiorespiratory fitness – meaning playing their games is a sure-fire way to get some aerobic exercise in. Healthcare from the Perspective of Medical Professionals While there are tons of services to track your health on your own, there are also significant developments intended to enhance how medical professionals provide care services. Ellen Lee of Forbes reported that this year, the revenues of venture capitalists in healthcare IT have tripled to $955, from the $343 million invested three years ago. Here are ways Lee believes medical professionals will leverage technology: • “Watson” Lee said IBM is developing “Watson,” a supercomputer tasked to assist physicians in recommending treatments and making accurate diagnoses. It also tracks patient history, analyze treatment methods, and assists medical research. • Doximity Social media is also a product of technology, allowing doctors to connect together to provide better care to patients. The importance of Doximity, a social networking site exclusive to physicians, is that the platform allows physicians in the US to collaborate online. With these significant improvements, the notion that technology induces more harm to our health is put to rest. As it improves in a heartbeat, we transition to an era where securing our health becomes a walk in the park.

Hi! I'm new here but I can attest for the weight gain. I had RNY in Feb 2004 starting weight was 320 and lost down to 190. Well, slowly but surely, I gained weight and began taking up bad habits and not exercising and ended up back to 274. I went to my surgeon and was able to have a revision on 6/28/12..... So I am starting this journey again and for the last time. It isn't easy and I am scared sometimes afraid it won't work or I won't lose anything. I'm trying very hard. I'm glad I found this group because I will need lots of support.

Hey Kendra, great to see you posting again. I think about you all the time but don't want to bombard you with notes because I know you're busy with getting better. Sorry about your hair but as Linda says, get sassy with some wigs. Now what colour do I want to be today? :frown:) Your trip sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun and I bet you're looking forward to catching up with your daughter. Enjoy! Don't worry about the weight gain, you'll get it off before you know it. I was taking steroids over xmas because of my allergy attack and I was bloated and hungry all the time... horrible! :thumbup: Take care of yourself and keep us posted on the next stage. Have a great time on your break!!

I had the sleeve in 2013 at 274 and my lowest was 170. I regained to 260 in 2017. I mainly wanted a revision for the weight gain but I too have Gerd and I didn’t know at the time it was caused by the sleeve. I thought it was normal to have heart burn. I’ve gotten back down to 233 in the summer last year 2020. I am currently I’m at 255. I’m having my revision to the RNY in about 5 hours but I’ll let you know how it goes with the weight loss.

Twitter Are your friends and family helping you lose weight or standing in your way? Don’t let your social network hold you back! Facebook Your friends and family can affect whether you lose weight as quickly as you’d like. You are more likely to become obese if your sibling, spouse, or friend is obese, and more likely to want to lose weight if your friends want to. Ask your friends to join you in eating well and exercising so that you can all get healthy and enjoy life more together! If You Want to Lose Weight, Keep an Eye on Your Social Network One of the first things you learn about weight loss surgery is that you need a support system. The more friends and family you have around, the more likely you are to lose weight. At least, that’s what you’re told. It’s mostly true but it’s not completely right. The truth is that your friends and family don’t always help you lose weight. If you have anyone sabotaging your efforts, you already know that. But your friends and family may be dragging you down without trying to. You may not even realize it’s happening. Once you do, though, you can resist the bad influence. Effect of Friends and Family on Weight Take a look at your friends and family. Are they overweight? If they are, they may be getting in the way of your own weight loss. Part of it may be genetic. If one sibling gains weight, the other is 40 percent more likely to also gain weight, according to research described in the December 2011 edition of the Harvard Men’s Health Watch. You might point to genes to explain why you can predict people’s weight gain based on their siblings’ weight gain. That may be partly true, but consider this. Spouses are 37 percent more likely to become obese if their spouse does. Okay, live together, eat together, gain or lose weight together. That makes sense, right? But do you know whose weight is most closely related to yours? It’s not the weight of your siblings or spouse. It’s your friends’ weights! If you have a close friend who becomes obese, your risk of becoming obese increases by a scary 57 percent! And, if your friends want to lose weight, you’re more likely to want to lose weight. How Your Friends Affect Your Weight You don’t live with your friends, and you don’t share their genes. So why should their weight affect yours? Part of it is just from trying to be a good friend. Your friend’s job is to cheer you up and accept you for who you are. That’s great in most cases because we all need someone on our side. Unfortunately, it works against you when you tell your friend that you just ate a half a pizza because you had a bad day at work, your friend may just tell you that you deserved that pizza. Worse, she might invite you out so that the two of you can split another pizza. Also, your perception of what is normal and acceptable might shift towards what your friends do and think. If they are overweight or obese, you may not see yourself as unhealthily overweight even if you are. If they share a few boxes of doughnuts every Sunday, you might not see any problem with those extra hundreds of calories. But continuing to do what they do can get in the way of hitting your weight loss goals. Make New Friends… When you’re getting started on your weight loss journey, think about making a few new friends who are going to support your new commitment to health. Other weight loss surgery patients: they’re going through exactly the same things that you are. Exercise buddies: find them at the gym, in the park, or through craiglist.com or meetup.com. Don’t be shy about asking if you can join them for a workout or two. If they say no, ask someone else. You might end up making a few new friends that you can hang out at other times during the day. …And Keep the Old You don’t have to ditch your old friends and stay away from your siblings and parents if they’re overweight. Ideally, you can be open with them. Explain how hard you are working to get healthy, and let them know how they can help. If you’re lucky, they’ll be willing to change some of their behaviors to support your goals and get healthier themselves. Meet to go shopping or take a walk in the park instead of to eat at a restaurant. Order an egg white omelet instead of pancakes with butter, syrup, and sausage when you go out for breakfast. Meet your friends to do crafts or pack lunches for a homeless shelter instead of baking and eating cookies. If your old friends and your family are unwilling to change, you don’t need to avoid them. Even being aware of how friends and family can affect you can protect you from following their leadwhile you’re hanging out with them. Be on the lookout for unhealthy behaviors, and make your own healthy decisions. Skip the table’s appetizers and enjoy your glass of ice water. Order what you know is right, like chicken breast or fish and vegetables, while everyone else is ordering pasta or steak, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Savor coffee while everyone else is digging into dessert. Lean on them for sympathy when you’re struggling, but don’t use them as eating buddies anymore. Eventually, they may see how happy and successful you are, and they may be ready to ask you for help losing weight. Your friends and family are there to support you, but sometimes their love for you isn’t good for your weight loss journey. Ask them to help you out by setting a good example, and keep yourself from following their lead if you know they’re eating badly.

Hey all, I had my pre-op class today and I have gained 6 lbs. I was told I should lose it as fresh weight gain goes right to the abdomen and takes up the room they need to operate.If there is not enough room for the intruments, they won't do the surgery. Yikes!

to be accurate: the DR in the videos maybe/ was wrong THEN, in 2012, he may be saying something else today. and also one article by one source is not the end of the conversation. However I wonder if he WAS correct on the location of the ghrelin 'spot' "....But neither of these theories fully explains improvements in beta-cell function and insulin sensitivity after bariatric surgery, Kashyap told MedPage Today." In addition I saw a medical researcher (will find if I can to document source) indicate that the CHANGE in diabetic response is IMMEDIATE within hours of the surgery...so not days or weeks of improvement, but 'something' in the (possible shock) to the body of disconnecting the stomach severely with WLS is what makes the difference. No studies yet to confirm I have seen..this may ALSO be wrongly interpreted, but for people with severe issues with BG/insulin problems this is one solution for them. shouting 'wrong' (like politico John McLaughlin) does not take away that real science is open to debate constantly as nothing is absolute. with a very short time of results of bariatric there is still much to be revealed. I am more concerned (for myself) with what I see on all the issues years out, weight gain, leaking sleeves, redoing RNY somehow again, etc.

Since this thread was revived, I’ll offer my two-cents’ worth. On this forum, we have an overwhelming number of self-assigned experts on weight loss, dieting, nutrition, and vertical sleeve gastrectomies based on a case study of one. For one year after my surgery, I attended a monthly support group of VSG patients in my doctor’s office. We would just go around the room sharing our experiences mostly. What amazed me was how different everyone’s experience with the surgery and recovery was. One guy reported he could enjoy steak at 4 weeks out and someone else would say that he couldn’t eat steak until 4 months after surgery. Some people can’t tolerate salad, I eat it with every dinner. I don’t think anything is more personal and individualized than weight gain, weight loss, and immediate and long-term responses to this surgery. I can tell you what worked for me and that’s it. As I see it, I have no right at all to instruct someone else about what they should be doing based on what worked for me or what my doctor advised me to do. Even with something like knee surgery, each recovery plan is very different based on the specific type of injury that was repaired. We all have different histories with weight gain, diets, and weight loss and different issues with food. I was a skinny kid and then a skinny adult until I had an accident. I didn’t get fat because I ate too much "junk food". I got fat because I ate too much food, period. I used to be a semi-professional athlete before a serious knee injury laid me up. When you are running 5 miles every day, you can come home and put away a 16 ounce steak and a big plate of spaghetti with no problem. I used to eat like there was no tomorrow and I never gained an ounce because I was always active. Problem is I continued to eat like that and even more after my injury because I got seriously depressed. I went from being a skinny guy to becoming a fat man in just two years. This surgery was perfect for me because it did what I needed it to do. It forced me to reduce my portions of food at each meal. I eat the same way now that I used to before the injury except just in much smaller quantities and I have been 8 pounds under goal for almost 9 months. Before my knee injury I was a young, healthy athlete and I occasionally ate a Big Mac, a piece of candy and a chunk of cake. Now, almost two years after surgery, I am a middle-aged healthy adult who still occasionally eats (a few bites of) a McDonald's sausage McMuffin with half an order of hash browns, a Baby Ruth candy bar, and a 3 oz portion of full fat ice cream. I am as physically healthy today as I was 5 years ago and I have the doctor's report and blood work to prove that. Still, I have no more right to warn forum members that they are going to fail because they are not learning how to eat all foods in moderation than someone else warning me that I am going to fail because I still eat chocolate and ice cream. Based on my sustained results, they would be 100% wrong. Even if there was a real doctor or licensed therapist on this forum, he or she would have no right to dispense warnings without at least reviewing that person’s medical file and then meeting with the patient. This is the real reason I am not a regular contributor on this forum. These forums appear not to be moderated and I have no interest in my posts being attacked or insulted by people who don't personally approve of my approach to weight loss and weight loss maintenance. I also don’t need or want lay medical advice. I have real licensed healthcare professionals that I rely on for that. Is strict calorie monitoring considered dieting? If so, then I will be on diet for the rest of my life. If eating everything I used to eat and want to eat now but in much smaller quantities means I'm not on a diet, then I can honestly write that I have never been on a diet even once during my entire life. From the first day I could start eating solid foods, I have been tracking all my calories. From one year ago, I started using the BodyMedia Fit Link armband to monitor my daily calorie burn. I didn’t have this surgery to leave anything to chance. I weigh myself every single morning as advised by my doctor and nutritionist and I monitor everything that I consume. I also keep records of my calorie intake and expenditures for each month and use them for review. What has made keeping the weight off effortless for me is following Dr. Michael Mosley’s Fast Diet. For two days out of the week (Monday and Thursday), I eat a 600 calorie high Protein diet divided into two meals and separated by a 12 hour period (like 250 calories at 7:30 am for Breakfast and then 350 calories at 7:30 pm for dinner). Then for the other five days, I eat 25% over my daily calorie burn to maintain my current weight. My nutritionist told me that a healthy diet is a well-balanced one and that includes carbohydrates, protein and fat, all three. I follow the percentages recommended by MFP. When I was still trying to lose, I would eat a little less so that I was running a 5200 calorie deficit a week, which comes to a pound and a half weight loss every week. Do a search on “Mosley Fast Diet” for free information about his Fast Diet if you are interested. This program has been very easy for me to follow. Please consult with your doctor before starting any type of fasting diet. I am not a doctor or a licensed psychotherapist so I can’t advise anyone about what they should be doing. I have seen members threaten other members here with failure, illness, an "unhealthy life", and even death if they didn’t follow the same program they had come up with for themselves. All I can do is write about what has worked very successfully for me. If you can relate to my story and reading about what has worked for me has you thinking or rethinking about what might work for you, wonderful. If not, please ignore what I just wrote and be sure to consult with your own healthcare professionals before trying anything new.

the gain is probably from the surgery and fluid build up in your abdomen from the trauma. It will disapate as time goes on. I had my GB out years ago and had the same weight gain issue but it was very temporary. Feel better soon, Diane

Hi MarilynJ6354! I've always equated any liquid diet to a kind of Jenny-Craig-Syndrome. It's all fine and dandy while you're on it, but humans are not made to survive on Clear Liquids (or prepackaged meals) alone! As soon as you come off of the diet, your body has to reregulate and adjust to not being starved anymore. Your body is just figuring things out right now. While the pre-op diet is essential, truth be told, it's main function is not to make you lose weight. They put you on liquids in an effort to reduce the fat around your liver, making for an easier surgery (and less chance of complications). Some of your liquid diet weightloss was Water weight, and with your exercising now and increased food options, the water weight has just returned. I know it's hard because your band is so new and exciting, but try not to stress about your weight too much right now. Let your body heal, follow your doctor's instructions, and your big weightloss will happen when you're back to real foods and have restriction. For what it's worth, I think going back to liquids would be a HUGE mistake. The only way for us to loose weight long term is to change our daily habits to something healthy and sustainable. A liquid diet is neither healthly nor sustainable. And you will experience the same weight gain everytime you go back to other foods. Hang in there! You're on the right path :-) Just try to focus on making good food choices and keep hitting the gym. The rest will fall into place.

I have a "secret band" too. Only my husband, parents and siblings know. I have had many oops moments where I excuse myself or just stop eating and its ok. Really I think more of what "people may think" is more in my head that in reality. I lost 40 lbs, I am expected to watch my intake since I need to stil loose more. For now, I just have to be preggo and keep eye on the weight gain of my big ol' butt, but more importantly, the baby's weight gain as per the ultrasounds has been totally on target! I must admit, I give in to ice cream MUCH more since finding out about the pregnancy :thumbup: More work for me after the baby is born to loose the extra pounds

I was 6 months into the band when we got preggos with number #2.. We were not trying persay.. but we were stopping it either :thumbup: anyhow.. I had just gotten a fill and I normally lose like 1-2 lbs in the day after the fill and I gained 6!! I was like something is wrong.. so I took a pregnancy test like a week later on a suspicion because I had been having some pain in my ovary area and we were pregnant! you're weight gain and band tightness could be hormonal from your body ovulating.. since its like a week after your period. but you never know. I just know this time that I knew so much sooner because had I not been watching my weight I might have not picked up on it. as it was I knew 7 days before my missed period.

There's two things - so so many people say that they could have done this without the band becuase they dont feel any restriction. Dont underestimate it. You may not "feel" restriction but it is there even if not optimal. Take it all out and see what happens! Even a tiny unfill can result in weight gain for some people. The other is no, i dont believe there's such a thing as an absolute sweet spot in that there's optimal fill for the band to work. Without exception, and after four years on this forum, when people talk about the 'sweet spot' they really mean a level of restriction in which the band does more work than they do amd weight loss becomes much easier. I also agree that a sweet spot is a restriction level that really sticks with you, it doesnt wane quickly. However, sweet spots are different for everyone. Becuase I was a lower BMI and still entirely mobile and pretty fit for a fat person, I was able to commence running very early in my journey so I was always able to lose on pretty high calories (1500+). I found restriction waned less and less quickly after the fill the more fills I had, but i certainly had optimal restriction from EVERY fill right from the very first, I would lose steadily. I just needed more as I lost. I certainly didnt have to wait until restriction kicked in six months later. So for me, there never was a 'sweet spot' but there certainly was a restriction level which I never needed to go past and which didnt need topping up. So to rephrase, the sweet spot does exist but it absolutely isnt necessary to find it for your band to work. No matter where you are restriction wise, the band wont make good food choices for you and it wont exercise for you. And if you dont do those things you can be at your sweet spot but never get to goal. The band, is quite simply, pretty hard work but its hard work you can do. Not fruitless hard work like losing weight pre band.

Yes those numbers are correct. But, I only had a total of 60 lbs to lose prior to surgery. I lost 25 w/i about 2-3 months but it has slowed since.When band was too tight I was eating higher calorie "slider foods" that caused the weight gain. In addition, I am too indulgent at social settings and that is my biggest obsticle b/c I tell myself "I deserve It" problem is I am very social!!!! I need to stop lying to myself. I know what I have to do...I just have a hard time actually doing it in this environment. I m having no issues with the surgery itself, I truly beleive in this surgery. I don't even feel as though I have had any procedure in terms of after effects, side effects etc. It is absolutely the best thing I have done for my weight and health issues. Biggest perk: being satisfied with less food/weight loss. Biggest drawback: not a big one but probably the scars. Back on track and I feel terrific

yuck fairy, i'm sorry about the heartburn, mine was so bad before banding that i have an esophagus that looks like chewed bubble gum, it's covered in scar tissue. banding MAJORLY got rid of it for me, but the doc said that it will return eventually with pregnancy, oh well... it's not beginning pre-eclampsia, actually my blood pressure is on the low end of normal, thank goodness. it has always been super low, which is odd as i consider myself a hyper, active, kinda high-strung lass. i was reading that Fluid retention settles in different places and i'm the only one who thinks my face looks fat, but it really feels different to me! the weight gain is hard LJM, my friend is in hospital right now for the same reason you are, and she's gaining like crazy..fluid tends to do that, even if you are "eliminating" it the normal way. my mother in law once gained about 19 lbs in 36 hours during a round of chemo treatments because of fluid retention.

I am there with you too. I got my first fill yesterday and he said I would probably want another one in a month. It is a process. I was on clear liquids for 24 hours and then could finally have a meal at lunchtime. I had a small chili from Wendy's, and now, 2-1/2 hours later, I am still not hungry, so I guess it's doing what it is supposed to be doing, for now. =) I was really struggling week three and several people and my nutritionist told me to try drinking a cup of milk while preparing a meal, so that I wouldn't be starving when it was time to eat...it worked. I actually attribute that to stopping the weight gain I was starting. Try it! I love organic milk...it doesn't upset my tummy!:smile2:

There is also the correlation between alcohol consumption and weight gain. I have read quite a bit about the increase in consumption and alcoholism concerns due to covid19.

I can tell you for sure that if I hadn't been in my pre-surgery weight loss stage when the pandemic started, I would have gained weight. I find it very easy to stick to my diet when I'm at work, simply because there is no food around. I bring my lunch every day and do not keep snacks at my desk. I usually avoid food that other people bring in due to hygiene concerns (it's amazing how few people take the time to wash their hands before they eat or handle food). So if this had happened a year ago, and I was stuck at home all the time with constant access to my kitchen and all the yummy food therein, I would have been snacking all day long. I also got most of my exercise by walking around at work, so that would have been a double whammy. I had a period of unemployment several years ago and that's exactly what happened, and I gained a lot of weight. As it went, I lost 60 pounds in the 5 months before my surgery. I often thought about how much I would have been eating if I weren't trying so hard to lose weight before surgery. I was kind of proud of myself and expecting that I would be the only one to lose weight while everybody else gained weight, but actually, most of my coworkers lost weight (or at least said they did), too. Nobody even noticed that I lost weight because I'm still the biggest person in the office. As far as how people use their time, sure, they could use it to exercise more and plan healthy meals, but for some people, it is really hard to get motivated to do this stuff, especially when they're stressed, scared, and possibly mourning the death of loved ones. Plus, many people work out at the gym and haven't had access to gyms during the pandemic, and although there are plenty of options to work out at home, it could be a big change and get people out of their exercise routines. The bottom line is that there are many, many factors for all of us that can lead to weight gain, and probably nobody knows that more than bariatric patients. I can easily see how major changes to our lives and our world, like a pandemic, could result in weight gain.

Thank you so much to everyone for your very informative, and especially to NCsQueen! When I got my band, I was only about the 5-6th patient my surgeon had done. There was no support group for lap band, only gastric bypass. I am not the only person who is having problems. I talk to others who have had the band in the time frame I have and we all feel like there was something "left out" when we had our initial consultations. The first three patients here in my hometown had a different band and they are doing very well. Theirs is a 5cc band, where mine is 10. (More visits = more $.) At the time I decided to have this surgery, there was hardly anything on the web about it. It's not like it is now, and this time 3 years ago, I wouldn't have gotten the response from everyone that I got today. I had the upper GI which only showed the reflux. I did not have reflux prior to the band. Cleo's mom-I called the MD and requested the CD today! Thanks for the awesome advice. I know I am my own worst enemy when it comes to my weight, but I paid a lot of money for something that really doesn't work like I thought it would. Cleo's mom-again-you are right on that the hunger pains don't seem to dissipate. At one particular visit, I had just started my cycle and the MD told me that this does not cause weight gain. I went back one week later and had lost 7 lbs from the week before. That's why I think I got a bum deal. I look at Sharon Osborne and she looks so good that I want to find out if she had a different band. I am going to take everyone's advice to heart and when my insurance kicks in April, I will get a second opinion. I don't want another fill because the reflux is too much, and I get it from everything I eat, including healthy food. Thank you to everyone who wrote back.