Search the Community

Hi all! I’m 18 months post op from my VSG and I’m still 24 pounds out from my goal weight. My highest weight was 313 and surgery day I was 289. I’m currently 204. I was able to get down to 197 a few months ago but I have gained some back. I’m battling constant hunger. I have been strength training a lot the past 6 months, which at first I attributed to my increase in hunger, but the past 2 months it’s gotten out of control. I eat anywhere between 100-130 grams of protein a day. Drink 120 ounces of water a day. Take my vitamins. I just can’t shake this hunger, which in turn makes me have bad food choices, usually later at night. Has anyone else struggled with this at this point in their journey? And what advice do you have? I’m terrified of weight gain and desperately want to reach my goal!

Hi everyone! Chrissy!! That is GREAT!! Congratulations!! 100 lbs gone! My goal is going to be to be below 200 lbs by my 1 year bandiversary on 1/26. Even with my current weight gain I think I can still do it. Ladybandido- it is such a slippery slope, isn't it! But it's still something we can conquer. Horsegirl, I laughed too after being done, it was just so gross! And since I really haven't been eating fast food in my car I had only the few napkins they'd thrown into the bag. It was all over my sweater and shirt. Super icky! Luckily it was just the clear stuff, ya know? LOL. Only here would I post this!!!! So I haven't been exercising like I was since Thanksgiving. I brought my stuff today and am definitely going to the Y at lunch, since I have to stay really late today- I need that time out of the office! I am reading that carb cycling book and it's really good- and I haven't even gotten to the carb cycling part! He talks about committing to yourself an integrity- keeping promises you make with yourself and how your mind has to rule your body. It's good stuff and speaking to me - helping me get back into my groove. Still have sinus issues going on, not really getting better but not worse. So I just have to power through! Everyone have a great day and just do it! Nicki

Hey guys how is everyone. I haven't been on here in a while nor have I been to group. Things are not going great for me at all. : ( I got sick back in Oct. I caught the flu and had to go into the hospital which meant STEROIDS which is not good. I then got sick again in Nov and had to go on them again this time a larger dose and a longer time on. I had an asthma attack in Dec and once again was in the hospital on another round of STEROIDS through IV. So if u haven't guessed by now I gained back alot of my weight. I got frustrated and stopped trying b/c I felt like I was once again fighting a battle I could not win. I didn't get a fill for about 4mos. I cut myself off from group which was BAAAAAD. I really think I needed u guys but I just could not bring myself to come to any of the group meetings. I went in for a fill last week and am proud to say that I think I am back on track. I talked to Lisa and told her that I was on the verge of giving up and she told me NO that is what they are all there for, TO HELP. I will hopefully be at group this month. Please keep me in ur prayers b/c I really need the strength to make it through this. The steroids scare me b/c that is where alot of my weight gain came from and haveing to continue to be put on them to better my breathing scares me into thinking that I will never lose my weight and be able to keep it off.

I recently got a tattoo on my arm (a beautiful lady, nothing gangster or scary) and my mom freaked out! I am 30years old, have my masters and am a successful professional and my mother won't talk to me. She cursed me out, cried and said very mean things because of this tattoo (which can be covered by my sleeve). My dad was not happy about the tattoo but said he will love me no matter what. I explained to my dad that I have never liked my body enough to show it off and I finally feel confident to display art that I want. I waited until I was ready. My dad understands. This all triggered me as my mom's history as a parent. Everything was about how I looked and how others perceived us. My sister was skinny and had boyfriends and I was overweight. I have been trying to lose weight all my life and she supports me but when I was younger she would point to morbidly obese people in scooters and say I would become them if I didn't stop gaining weight. Then she would buy me fast food because she didn't want to cook. I'm not upset about the tattoo, I respect that she needs time to accept it, but I am feeling like the child she would constantly remind of how important my looks are and that makes me very upset. I have been upset for days. The good thing is my dad and siblings are very supportive and my boyfriend has always made me feel beautiful with my weight gain, weight loss, tattoos, no tattoos... I finally am proud of all of me and my mom feels I ruined our relationship. I'm shocked.

I had to quit for 90 days or my doc wouldnt even make an appointment and then they did a carbon test on my blood. Came up positive because I was inhaling second hand smoke from my hubby's cigars. Had to do another 2 weeks later. They didn't do another test after that and I was smoking again from October to April. I did do little sneaky things so that he wouldnt know I was smoking, like showering and washing my clothes right before an office visit. No one said word one that they had any idea. The nurse said that it was up to the docs descretion if he does another one. I am still smoking. I am going to try and quit again after I reach my weight goal minus ten pounds for the notorious weight gain lol. Do I want to? Nope, but I know I should lol .

No way honey!!! No way. It will stretch your pouch. Maybe not all at once but over time. Diet coke causes weight gain. Research it. There have been many studies to support it. It's terrible for you, very hard on your stomach and could give you an ulcer. It has a ton of chemicals in it which are awful for you and your new lifestyle. http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20739512,00.html Must read this. Start exploring new things. Perhaps iced decaf tea? Decaf coffee chilled with a little cream? Crystal light.

I've enjoyed the crust my daughter doesn't eat. Trying to stay away the best I can. Pizza and soda is what cause my weight gain in the beginning.

The muscle tightening is almost always necessary. The muscle gets stretched after weight gain, and pregnancies. Simply removing the extra skin and fat, without tightening the muscle, does not give as good a result (ie flat belly!). Sometimes the muscle is in good condition and does not need to be tightened. This is more common in men. Standard TT should all include muscle tightening. If only the skin is removed, with no muscle tightening and no belly button moving, then it is called a panniculectomy.

I could stand to be involved again. I had surgery in 2007. Doing well but need to knock off some weight gain that I put on in the last year. I've had a crazy work-stress year. How is everyone?

I get it. I too had about a 3lb gain after being stable for a year or so. Yes a small gain but just like you it was concerning to me. My fluctuation had been 48.5-49.5kg but suddenly I was 51kg. I liked being under 50kg & I too worried it was the beginning of the end. I am a believer in your body settling into it’s correct set point & what it needs to function effectively which may be at a higher weight. Building muscle will result in some gain. Becoming more complacent & less vigilant in your choices, making adjustments to your way of eating to better suit your lifestyle, medication changes, or your original way of eating was too limiting all can contribute to weight gain. For me, I discovered a contributing factor was my HRT was no longer working (absorption issue after my gall removal. I also had increased my protein intake due to the same absorption problem. Changed to a patch, made a slight adjustment to the protein sources I’d added (legumes be gone - well reduced) & slowly I lost not all but most of that gain. I now fluctuate between 49.5-49.9kg & have been stable for about 6 months. Funny thing is I do eat more than I did at the lower weight (about 1300 then & about 1500 now) which, according to those BMR calculators, is about right for me. If you want to nip the regain in the bud, maybe start with tracking your food intake for a couple of weeks to see what may be contributing. 100 extra calories can result in a 10lb weight gain over a year. You mentioned you’ve been snacking more & that may be contributing. May be drop one or two of those snacks, reduce your snack portions or look for a lower calorie alternative. But only change those things that are sustainable & don’t affect how you want to enjoy your life. You have to decide if the changes you may need to make to your eating are worth weighing a little less or whether being a couple of pounds heavier is an acceptable increase. And what an acceptable fluctuation may be for you. Unfortunately, I think we will always have to be vigilant. We have too much history with eating & weight gain not to be. All the best.

Actually there is something called starvation mode. I actually had my two week post op today and met with my surgeon and nutritionist and they brought up starvation mode when I complained about my stop in weight loss. When you workout you gain muscle so that causes the stall and possible weight gain of a couple pounds before you actually start losing weight. Don't add to or take away from your diet with consulting your team first. Trust me that's what I did and I am medical for over 15yrs. Just keep following your diet and you will get past this no problem. By the way 15lbs is awesome congrats. Remember the small victories and don't be discouraged

Sleeved on Valentines Day. Came home from hospital on day 4. Stepped on scale to monitor progress...I was up 14 pounds after being down by 27 on day of surgery! What the heck...? Today I was down 5 of the 14. I had IV's while in the hospital and could understand a little water weight gain, but 14 pounds? Anyone have a similar experience or any answers?

I was sleeved Feb 25 (1 wk, 1 day ago) and now that I made it through "hell week" feel like I might survive lol. In the hospital I was nauseous and wobbly and once home I was in pain, my legs swelling and tingling and couldn't get more then a couple tblspns in a day of water or nourishment. Definitely couldn't stomach the shakes and had trouble finding anything that tasted right. I think my taste buds are finally headed back towards normal now- whew! Hubby was sleeved Dec 17 and sailed through everything with no problem, followed the diet with no problem, very little pain, was riding an exercise bike within a few days- basically the best possible outcome. I on the other hand was the complete opposite. I finally just decided I was going to have to eat a bit outside the norm or I was not going to make it and for me that made me start healing. So for example last night I had 1 oz of salmon mixed with a teeny amount of healthy mayo and this morn i am working my way through a scrambled egg and then will have a couple oz of OJ. Including my 2 wk pre-op diet I've now lost 22 lbs including all that fluid weight gain from the IV and surgery. Hubby and I both use myfitness pal- easy to use and nice to see the protein and calorie numbers. TMI: My 3rd day I pooped (hey, we all do it, lol) normally but then for the next few days I had diarrhea everytime I managed to eat something. Thankfully that seems to have passed. Maybe it was the Lobster Bisque, lol. I did have trouble bending over to wipe from the belly pain and hubby bought me this stick thing you attach the TP to but it really didn't work. Not worth the $15. Actually he had bought me a bidet attachment thing for the toilet but our toilet wasn't compatible- darn. Twice I wasn't sure I'd wiped well so I made those "shower now" days, lol. I'm a great tooter and happily no sharts Last night was my 1st night that I was able to sleep in my bed all night without having to move to the recliner. Yes I had a ton of pillows but I made it happen! Still looking forward to being able to curling up on my side for sleep but for now this is good My first week I had a tummy that would just spam and jump on it's own and an awful pain left of my belly button. That pain I was convinced was from splitting something inside because my 2nd trip to potty in the hospital I bet over a little and coughed and felt something there go POP all the way over to my bellybutton! I told the nurse and I told the surgeon but they didn't seem concerned. That was the pain I thought was going to do me in once I was home because I couldn't stomach the liquid pain med they gave and they told me to take tylenol and couldn't handle more then 1 pill a day at that point. That pain, just today is finally easing up- yay! My other big pain was my left shoulder. I had a (surprise) hiatal hernia repair done also and they said that shoulder pain was from the repair. Today I can breathe and not wince as that pain also is fading away finally. One thing I wished I had known sooner was it's really ok to take Aleve and gosh those pills are TINY and last longer! I am finally starting to get my meds and vitamins in but it's slow going. Still haven't had a day where I got them all in. For me besides Tylenol or Aleve, it's - Losartan pill for hypertension, Prilosec capsule to protect the tummy, Ursodial capsule to control the gallbladder (I do have a tiny gallstone), Multivitamin with iron (2 jumbo chewables daily), Calcium Citrade softchews with D3 (4/day), and Sublingual B12 once a week because I don't want the dreaded intramuscular B12 shots. I haven't started exercising yet other then a bit of walking but once I do I will use the exercise bike we have here at home and then move on from there. Hubby goes to Planet Fitness which he says is nice because it's not the kind of place where already fit people go, lol. They do have people there to show you the ropes too and it's only $10 a month and no contract (or $20 and you can use more then 1 location and bring a guest). Unfortunately it's not that close to home. He uses one at lunch near work and on weekends uses one in the next town over. So I was considering Curves for women which is 5 minutes away from home and do their 30 min circuit. My exercise specialist at the weight loss clinic said I could but that he didn't recommend it as a first choice. So I'm not sure.

That's a lot of weight to lose in 6-7 months! I had my surgery in July 2019 too but am only down 53 lbs from surgery date (261-209). That's an average of 7.5 lbs per month, which I believe is a normal and healthy speed. Your body is probably just readjusting. Plus, at that lower weight, you don't need the calories you needed to maintain anything over 200 so check what your current calories needs are. Eat sensibly, exercise, and let your body work it out. And make sure you don't repeat the mistakes you made leading up to the weight gain! It's hard because it's so much a part of who we are but we have to fight temptations and rejoice in the healthier lifestyle!

I don't think you're being paranoid. If you haven't experienced this type of ongoing pain before, then it's certainly something to ask your doctor about. I have been having the same problem; a constant stomach ache. It started a couple of weeks ago; some days better than others. I am also concerned about possible complications, and will discuss it with my surgeon next month. For me, this pain isn't something new, though. I had bouts of it pre-band, and I think it was stress and too much stomach acid. Knowing that, I went back on Prilosec a couple of days ago. And to be completely honest, during the holidays, I've pushed my stomach capacity to the limits. No weight gain, but giving into some old habits. My paranoia about this pain is because of that. As banded people, we do need to pay attention to symptoms of possible issues. Knowing how neurotic I can be, I paid very close attention to all of my gastric pains & other issues before surgery. I made mental notes so I wouldn't freak out that it was surgery related, afterward. Even so, I will rest easier when I address this current issue with my doctor. Our minds can really do a number on us

You look FAB! The weight gain could also be your period. Weight loss eventually slows down for all of us. Im losing 1-2 lbs. a week, and some weeks I don't even lose that. Just be patient! Good luck!

Debbie, your transformation is amazing. Liz, you nailed it when you promised yourself you won't leave the boards. As you guys know, I stalled for a year (yeah, I know a year is technically not a stall) and then gained a little over ten pounds before I was ready to get my sshit together. I wasn't ready until I was ready. But once I was, miracle of miracles, my band was as reliable as ever. In December I cleaned up my food. I dropped the crap that I knew was causing my weight gain. Dumped the fried everything. Dumped the movie crapcorn. Focused on p rotein instead of bread and p asta. Alcohol was already gone. I tracked the food honestly and even bought a kitchen food scale and used it. I faced the truth about what I was eating. And the truth was that I was regularly eating over 2000 calories a day. No way was this old shot-metabolism, zero-exercise body going to lose weight on that amount of calories per day. Slowly I got my calories down to approximately 1100-1200 per day. I've gone from 204 down to 189 since December. It's been slow but it's coming off. And that "tightened" my band without an additional adjustment. Funny how this contraption works. Feed it lean solid p rotein and no sliders for a couple of weeks and restriction comes back. Don't give up on yourself. I don't know why I stagnated for a year. Furthermore I don't know what emotionally kicked my butt into reenergizing. I have my theories, but today the reasons are less important than the success I am experiencing. It feels good to feel good again. You will too.

I've read on a lot of other threads that we can expect weight gain immediately after surgery mainly because of the IV fluids. It should all flush away in a few days. Carol, let me add my well wishes to all the other Merry Losers. I'm so sorry that things didn't go as planned and I really hope that you stay on-line with us all:) Good luck to all those with surgery dates tomorrow! Newblew

I agree that it works for some people, and some people want to be able to eat a more varied diet. But for me, I literally didn't have room for carbs(even an apple) if I wanted to get in my Protein grams in 4 meals per day which is what was prescribed by my surgeon. As for carbs on labels, it's hard to screw up carbs on fresh or frozen (no preservatives, no salt, nothing added) on green Beans, broccoli, pinto/black beans(which I made from raw form) and romaine lettuce which is pretty much the veggies I ate through my losing stage. I even skipped using mayo/miracle whip and subbed in greek yogurt for a lot of my meals for chicken/tuna/egg salad, with a little mustard, or dry ranch dressing. I also relied on the glycemic index for veggies/fruits intake for counts. If it was over 55 points on the glycemic index, I never ate it in my losing stage. My goal was to lose as quick as possible. I won't deny that at all. For me, my goal was to hit goal, and worry about maintenance when I got there. I should add that because eating carbs even the "good ones" didn't work for me in the past. I was diligent with weight watchers, and my body fought to lose with eating little portions of "good foods". I did the points system and the "whole foods" program numerous times, and both had minimal results. I didn't see it as a diet, I never felt deprived so that could be why I was so stringent on my intake. I think people just have to find what works for them, and how they want to lose weight, change their relationship with food, and really change their habits. My losing stage taught me a lot about what I was able to tolerate, what I could eat without feeling deprived, and I learned tricks to make food more "sleeve-friendly" while not losing flavor. I live an extreme life of moderation in maintenance because it's what works for me. I drink soda, I eat bread, Pasta, rice, potatoes, all veggies, alcoholic beverages are weekly indulgences (before the pregnancy) so by no means do I live a life of dieting or monitoring all my intake like I did during my losing stage. For me moderation in maintenance is what works for me, also that moderation can easily get out of hand, and luckily, I can go back to "better choices" cutting carbs to an extent, and still lose weight. I should add that I had another driving force to losing quickly. My husband was deployed during my revision. After my complications, and a slow start with weight loss (I was fed 1800 calories a day for almost 2 weeks via a TPN bag/picc line so I didn't lose a ton of weight), a 2nd hospitalization that resulted in weight gain again, I had a goal to lose 60lbs before his return in 4 months from the day of my revision. Because I was so stringent on my intake, I had dropped about 80lbs by the time he came home and he walked right by me at the airport. So, there were some other driving forces to me losing quickly, getting healthy, and making a full recovery after extensive complications. I had to "get better" before he came home. He wasn't allowed to come home during my complications, he was in a shithole of Afghanistan, dealing with the the mental issues of deployment on top of his wife nearly dying due to complications, he was worried that I was going to be "sickly" and not myself. Sorry for the ramble, I just thought I should clarify some of my reasoning and what all went into my decision-making process during my losing stage.

I have the same date as you both (Jan 6) at Lenox Hill Hospital in NYC and was told only to do clear liquids starting 24 hours before surgery. But I've been having a lot of "last meals" which I'm worried will cause more weight gain (I'm on vacation and have no scale) so I think I'll put myself on a low carb diet until the 5th and then do the day of liquids. I'm also weaning myself off of coffee and caffeine now because I really don't feel like going through caffeine withdrawal while trying to heal from surgery...lol

Long...I know where you are coming from on the getting your head set to match where you body is. 15 yrs ago I was a size 8. I could walk into a shop and pick anything off the rack and not even try it on. That all changed in a hurry when I packed on pound after pound. I guess through the weight gain I kept remembering what it was like to be slim and feel great (healthwise). Over the years I just kept wanting that back. I never want to feel that overwhelmed and rueful again. Hopefully the band will always be there for me. I know it is work with the band but just certain food issues are gone with me. I never felt like the rug was pulled out from under me when I got the band. I don't miss any certain foods. I do a lot of cooking and baking. (We are farmers and I feed a number of guys every day). I never seem to crave anything, even when I am cooking and serving the guys. The band has done that for me. I understand where you are coming from on never looking back. The only reason I will ever look back is to remind myself that I never want to be there again. You are really dropping the weight in the last couple of weeks. Hope you are feeling well.

Don't know what to say really. I had my band in November of 2007. I went from 400 pre-surgery to 272 at my lowest. Since Sx I have been in 3 different jobs in 2 different states. My wife and I have had 2 more children... moved 4 times... I am still below 300... currently sitting at about 290. I blame my 15-20 pound weight gain on the 6 months my family lived with my parents. I was laid off and had to move back across the country to Texas to survive the situation. I then found out that I could "stomach" beer again. Hmmmmm lots of empty calories i guess. I have been off the beer for a month now and low-and-behold... i think I have lost a few pounds! I am somewhat annoyed with my band. I have NO insurance and have been experiencing a lot of "first bite syndrome" I am beginning to think I am either too full or my band has slipped. SUX. I miss the community I once had here on LBT. Seems as though most of the other Nov07 bandsters have drifted away as I did. Thanks for the email and piquing my curiosity to return to the site.

Hi Carlene, My weight gain came during the pregnancy of my first child. I gained 50+ with my first, 30 with my second and 20 with my third. In between the pregnancies I gained and lost. Unfortunately, I gained more than I lost. I think being under 130 is fantastic. I would be thrilled to be there. It is people like you who give those of us just starting the journey hope that we can succeed. As far as PS, if I am financially able to get a TT, breast lift down the road than I will. These are the 2 things I definitely think I will need to be comfortable with myself. I know I will never had that pre-pregnancy body. I can live with that. I will be happy just to feel better and fit into my clothes. My NSV is to be able to tuck my shirt into my pants without my stomach hanging out.

You can also click my picture and go to my website and find my first fill on video. Its day 27. So, you just had your first fill. Not so bad, right? For the remainder of the day on your “fill days,” you should stick to just liquids: clear and full liquids. The band around your stomach is a little tighter so it may take a day or two for your body to adjust, so taking in only liquids for the day can prevent the possibility of anything getting “stuck” at the band site. Everybody’s fill volume is going to be different. And the amount of fills you get will vary from person to person. So, don’t compare yourself to others, thinking “why does she have only 5cc’s and I’m at 7cc, etc etc?” It can take a while until we reach the sweet spot of filling your band with just the right amount, to where you can still eat but feel comfortable and satisfied after a small amount of food, and continue to lose weight. Which brings us to the rules of how you should be eating. It’s not just “what” you eat, but also the way you consume your foods and liquids. For the most of us, we’ve been raised in the Clean Plate Club of America, with membership only granted to fast eaters. That behavior has got to change. Remember: SLOW, SMALL, and CHEW THOROUGHLY. When consuming foods and drinking liquids, take your time and slow down. Where’s the fire? When we eat too fast, we often end up eating too much. And when we finally feel full, we’re grossly stuffed. Sound familiar? Being so full, we have to excuse ourselves, unbutton our pants just so we can breathe. If you eat too much, over time, you may stretch your pouch. And stretching your pouch leads to a larger stomach that can hold more food. More food = more calories = weight GAIN. It takes about 20 minutes for our brains to register satiety. Once you train yourself to slow down, put the fork down between bites, and savor the food, you may find yourself being comfortably satisfied with less food than usual. Try it. After a couple bites of food, ask yourself: Do you feel full and satisfied with the amount you just ate? If so, this is a good stopping point and it’s time to step away from the table. For solid foods and liquids, make sure they are in small amounts. No more pelican mouth. If you eat too large of a bite, chances are that you probably won’t chew it well enough. This increases your chance of food getting lodged at the band site. The next thing you should do would be to locate the nearest sink/toilet/trashcan/whatever receptacle because what just went down will most likely want to come back up. Think of a funnel. Only small pieces can pass. Too large of anything: food, liquid, pills can clog up your pipe. With each bite of food, chew thoroughly. Now that you’re reminding yourself to slow down and take small bites, don’t forget to chew your food up quite well. Your stomach shouldn’t have to do much digesting. The food should be broken down well enough prior to entering the stomach. By chewing your food thoroughly, you decrease the likelihood of food getting stuck and increase the ability to tolerate more foods like beef, chicken, bread, etc. And also, chewing your food thoroughly will help you slow down the pace. All of this will come naturally, it just takes some practice. Keep reminding yourself and you’ll realize why it is so important to modify our eating behaviors. Lin Lin Shao, RD LD Bariatric Dietitian

Had surgery in January at 53 and menopausal. Have now lost 61lbs in 3 months so very happy. Hopefully no more monthly cycle water weight gain. Best thing I have ever done