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Hi Sarah, I have been reading thru your thread and am so sorry to hear about your difficulties! I hope things are a little better for you now...please don't get hung up on the water weight gain...you know as well as I that it is only water and will be gone shortly. What does Huy have to say about what has happened to you? Is is common? I really liked him a lot and am looking forward to having him for a surgeon. I know you are further North than I, the storms have passed and it actually a little brighter....Please take care of yourself and God Bless. Kimberly

My boobs are saggy from the weight gain over the years and I am only 26. When I lose all my weight I am planning on getting the girls fixed so they are nice and perky.

For me I think the sleeve is hard work, but in a different way than dieting before the sleeve was hard work. Before the sleeve, dieting was mostly about resisting temptation, and damn, that was HARD. Keeping my mind off food while eating "only" 1200-1500 calories a day was hard. Now, post-sleeve, temptation isn't a problem for me (yet, I assume it's coming down the road some time). Choosing to eat small portions of food is not hard, it's easy. But in the past I didn't have to be completely OCD about tracking everything I ate in terms of calories, fat grams, protein grams, carbs, etc. I wasn't rigid about getting my vitamins every day; in fact, I rarely took vitamins. I didn't weigh or measure all my food - I hardly ever did. If I wanted a "cheat" meal or day or snack, I took it. That's all gone. Now I'm following someone else's extremely rigid rules with no room for variance. This is all hard, not in the sense that I want to be doing it another way, but in the sense that it takes a lot of work and vigilance. OP, don't get me wrong, I am not complaining. I love my sleeve and think it's the best decision I've ever made for myself, for my physical and emotional health. I have been exactly where you are with the yo-yo dieting and weight gain. I also struggled with admitting that I needed medical intervention and couldn't do it "on my own." Good luck in your progress - I believe you'll surprise those around you and even yourself with your ability to succeed with help from modern medicine. And there's nothing wrong with taking advantage of medical advances even if there may be some people who don't understand that.

Thanks Ziahmama for your concern. I don't plan to exercise as hard as I was prior to the pregnancy but I do plan to keep walking a few miles a day. Hopefully that will delay any weight gain. The doctor said to try to gain a minimal amount of weight because I am still overweight and the baby will get what it needs. I am soooo tired right now. I had an ultrasound yesterday and I am 6 weeks and 2 days pregnant my baby is due Aug. 2nd, 2010. Good luck to all the pregnant ladies out there.:rolleyes2:

Hi - my doctor requires a 10 day pre-op liquid diet. So I can have clear liquids, protein shakes, etc. Then the day before the surgery it is clear liquids only and nothing after midnight. I'm really surprised about the variation of diets for before the surgery. It never occurred to me that everyone wouldn't be on the same type of diet! Anyway, after the surgery is 1 week of clear liquids again, 3 days of full liquids (like yogurt, cream soups, etc.), 3 days of pureed foods, 1 week of mashed, 1 week of soft foods (like eggs, cottage cheese, etc) and then a normal band diet. But I am really lucky that there are no requirements as to weight gain or anything. So even if I happen to gain weight before the surgery, they aren't going to cancel it. YEAH!! :smile:

Hi Everyone- Private Teresita & Shore thank you again for holding down the fort - even as I type. This has been a HORRIBLE week & I have had zero time to do anything. My mother had surgery & that went fine except she pinched a nerve in her back & welll I have had to travel or spend the night over there through out the week. Than the rain & my ceilings leaking!! Holy COw! The guy is out of business & its only 8 years old. Crappy job he did. So I am dealing with workers. Than of course things in 3-----one of my dearest friend's Mother dies yesterday. So I have food to make & a wake & furneral to go to. So Please all of you keep doing what your doing & know that I am so stinking diligent during this week that I haven't messed up but one time. (over my frineds death) & even than I still haven't gained an ounce. --Why ??? Because of all of YOU!! I don't want to start rep[orting in tomorrow or Sat & have any weight gain - only loss'. Miss you all & I am back just in the BRINK right now;0)

I'm now 11 weeks post op and I drink plain or black cherry seltzer water from time to time and haven't had any issues at all. My surgeon told me that as long as it has no calories or sugar and it's not brown soda (as the caramel coloring is the worst part) it's fine in moderation. The only thing I'm having an issue digesting is salad. Everyone is different though! and it's important to listen to your Doctor! The Doctors give you best advice based on your individual health issues. Like the saying goes "Everything ain't for Everybody" Be safe, Ask First! Also, I haven't experienced any stalls or weight gain. My scale just keeps going down! started at 345 lbs and today I'm 270lbs! 75 lbs in 5 months! I love my sleeve!

I wasn't sure if this should go in the Ladies Gone Wild section, but then I really wanted input from men as well, so I figured I would put it here. I have often wondered if many of us put on weight as a defense mechanism, I think it has been proven time and again -especially with females- that massive weight gain happens after a sexual assault or abuse or something. I'm not saying this means every last fat person was abused, so please, those of you chomping at the bit for someone to flame - no. What I'm trying to say is ... I was invisible for a very long time. During the years when I should have been learning how to interact with men, get my heart broken, get tough, get wise, learn from romantic mistakes, learn to spot predators - I was cocooned in my obese isolation and never learned any of those things. I never learned what other women learn about other women, that there are so many out there that are so crippled by insecurity that they will attempt to destroy you just to secure their own positions. I never learned that if you appear to present any sort of "threat" to these kinds of women that they will stop at nothing - including destructive gossip and libel, to eradicate you as a threat. I also didn't learn how to interact with men or rather, I never learned that there are consequences to my behavior; as an obese invisible individual, I was, ironically, treated as a person not a "woman" with all the connotation and baggage therein. I was treated by men as an honorary dude and got to joke and be bawdy and opinionated and they were comfortable around me. Now, if I make eye contact with any man, they see it as an invitation. Now, men are aggressive in trying to mark their territory, and I'm the territory! Now I am viewed as physically weak and now for the first time in my life, I am afraid when I have to walk somewhere alone in the dark. I don't know how to deal with all of this, I don't know how to weild this power, I was never taught. Help?

Thank your girls for chiming in! I really appreciate it. I also noticed that I woke up SUPER crabby today. I'm stuffing it all inside and its kindof festering and I feel like I might explode. Darn hormones! I DO need to go for a walk. Then maybe ill feel like taking on all of today's tasks. I really need to poop. I think it's been like 5 days. I'm going to make a green smoothie today, those usually make me feel better about myself and feel cleaner and should get things moving. Lol I know dh isn't the whole problem. I'm also having air of emotions about exercise, the way my body is changing, wether or not I should weigh in weekly or monthly (tomorrow is wi day), these kittens I need to find a home for in a week and I SO wish it was this week but Not because they are bad, just because I feel like I have too much on my plate. Whether or not I should go on antidepressants(common side effect, weight gain), etc. I'm a mess. And I can't eat my emotions, so I'm angry that everyone else can go on like normal, eating. BUT!!! I really do loove my sleeve and I wouldn't have It any other way, so I'm pulling up my big girl panties and figuring this thing out. (Hug)

I doubt you are adding a lot of muscle mass at this point. Running doesn't really bulk you up ... at all. What it does do, though, is help store glycogen more efficiently in your muscles. Glycogen is mainly stored in your liver, but when your body sees it needs more resources, due to additional exercise, it will begin to also store glycogen in muscles. One of the differences, though, is when it is stored in muscles, it must also bond with Water in a 4 to 1 ratio. So, if you are storing an additional pound of glycogen, you also have to store an additional 4 pounds of water. This equates to 5 additional pounds! So then you think, "Woa! I'm giving up all exercise, then!" Well, as you mention, your clothes are fitting better. I'm also guessing you have great energy and have a better overall feeling of wellness. Not even to mention the heightened metabolism. I know when I was running regularly, my body was a furnace and my weight loss was incredible. Don't worry about the scale or your doctors if you decide to stay committed to this. They will understand what exercise is doing for you. And ditch the scale. It measures weight, not fat. What are you looking to lose? Another great post by PdxMan! Thank you for explaining it so well! My typical response is that the body is holding onto water more (in a non-bloated way) with the exercise. This is so much better! Bottom line.....the weight gain is not fat and that's the main thing. Dr's who ONLY look at the number on the scale and judging their pateints by that are not really looking out for their patient's best interest. Again.....great post!

Peace with food and weight loss that lasts are possible, and yet, these aren’t the places where most women who struggle with overeating end up. Emotional eating and overeating can feel like a never-ending battle and a roller coaster ride of diets, gimmicks, and “new” approaches that don’t take you where you want to go. It doesn’t have to be this way. Here are some common traps that even the smartest women fall for and the success strategies you can use to avoid them: 1. Getting too focused on what to eat. Cycles of overeating and weight gain are rarely fixed by focusing only on the food. A focus on what to eat doesn’t address or fix the situations, feelings, or relationships that may be triggering overeating. Yes, portion size matters and sometimes food intolerances or metabolic difficulties cause weight gain. However, even these situations become clearer and easier to sort out when you start listening to yourself and paying attention to how you feel, instead of focusing your attention on every bite, calorie, or fat gram that you put into your mouth. 2. Disregarding what you really need. You know yourself better than anyone. Instead of focusing on what “should” work and what you “should” do, take this bold step that many high-achieving women skip: Ask yourself what you really need to be successful—and then give it to yourself. You’re likely to spend less time, energy, heartache and even money in the long run when you trust your inner wisdom. Do you need the help of an expert? Be honest about that. Better tools to deal with stress or difficult emotions? Do you need some one-on-one mentoring or support? Don’t cheat yourself. Investing in what you know to be true and getting the targeted help you need will likely make more of a difference than all the self-help books you can’t figure out how to make work for you. Too many women spend too much money on solutions that aren’t comprehensive or individualized enough and don’t really meet their needs. Not only does this lead to failure, it burns up your hope and your sense of effectiveness. Do you feel like you know what you need but it isn’t possible? Don’t let that stop you. Ask yourself what it would take to make it happen and ask what is do-able that would start allowing you to have more of what you need. Start believing that you deserve to get what you need and start asking for it. You might be surprised what shows up. 3. Refusing to ask for help. High-achievers can fall into the trap of believing that lifestyle change has to happen solo. Many women who are successful in other areas of their lives feel embarrassed and even ashamed of their struggles with overeating. They feel like they are alone in their struggles. Unfortunately, not reaching out for help increases the sense of isolation and decreases your potential effectiveness. Asking for help might be the scariest step you take in order to make peace with food, but stepping outside of your own head, your own mindset, beliefs, and traps, can start change happening—and quickly. 4. Not addressing time issues. My heart almost broke when I heard an outwardly successful professional woman tell me that given the hectic state of her life, she believed that she wouldn’t be able to focus on her own goals for the next ten years. Really? What kind of life is that and what kind of example are you living? Change requires a commitment to making it happen. Whether it’s taking the time to attend a class, listen to audios, create a plan for healthy meals, or meet with a coach, if you don’t create the time, it isn’t really a priority. Honest truth. If you need help learning how to make or find the time, or how to put yourself first, make this your first action step. Coaching Challenge: What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to making peace with food? Where do you get stuck or thrown off course? Please join the conversation by sharing a comment. I’d love to hear from you. Then, be bold and share one step you will take to start doing it differently. Peace with food is possible. I challenge you to go for it.

I've walked by it a few times... just don't want to do it! UGH! I'm trying to figure out what body part I can have surgically removed to equal my weight gain so I can break even!!!!!! LOL!

Ladies, For those of you who are really and truly "stuck" at a weight, and feel like you're already doing everything you can, I wonder if you've considered body fat testing? I think body compositions can very so much, and it may be that you're where you should be regardless of what the scale says. Those "extra" pounds may be muscle, or extra skin. I recently discovered there's a mobile service in my area that does submersion body fat testing, and the pricing's pretty good. I'm pretty tempted to give it a try at some point, just to satisfy my own curiosity about how I'm doing. I totally understand having a goal, and not wanting to give up on that goal, and my blessings and support go out to everyone that's working so hard to get to where they want to be, but I know for myself that I have a bad habit of getting more and more disciplined to reach a particular goal, and not being able to maintain that discipline long term. The last time I lost a lot of weight I started training for a 10.5 mile event (walk/jog for me, mostly walk). In order to build up the endurance for mileage I was doing 2+ hour workouts regularly. It simply wasn't something I could imagine keeping up indefinitely, though, and once the event was over the weight started to creep back on, sending me spinning into a downward spiral of weight gain >> depression >> more weight gain. I'm not saying this is an issue for anyone else, but I'm working hard to make sure that whatever I'm doing now is something I can honestly and truly contemplate doing for the forseeable future, because otherwise the weight it helps me lose isn't going to stay off. (And, as time goes on and my metabolism changes, I may have to get even more disciplined just to maintain!) I'd definitely still like to lose a few pounds, and I suspect they'd come off more quickly if I tightened things up a bit, but I remind myself that I've made HUGE progress, I look great, I should be really proud of what I HAVE achieved, and the most important thing is to continue to work on good, healthy habits I can stick with. If I take off a few more pounds in the process, that's just "icing on the cake" (if you'll forgive the expression!)

I haven't reached goal, but I plan on tracking my food pretty much for the rest of my life. I'd advise you to go back to tracking and measuring so you can get back in control of your portions and fat/carb/protein and calorie counts so you can see where you're going off track. You may only need to do this for a few weeks as a reminder/reset. If the weight keeps creeping up, then you could do a 5 day pouch test to go back to the beginning. It is very easy, and I did do it once already when my carb levels started creeping up (it knocked them back down and got rid of my carb cravings). http://5daypouchtest.com/plan/theplan.html Don't be depressed; you have options. If you let the sad overwhelm you, then you end up doing nothing. Use this weight gain as motivation to get back on track!

Hey Vicki whats going on with you?/ New fixed band= weight gain huh??

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

@@VSGAnn2014 I am sorry you have to be "experienced" in the world of cancer, BUT I am THRILLED that your husband is in remission!!!!! That is our goal, as well. Obviously! The days can be challenging, and the nighttimes sometime even more so. For both he and I. Once he has the PET scan, that should help, for it is the unknowing of the extent of his cancer that is so worrisome. He should have the test next week, I hope. I will fight for it, one way or another. They haven't seen me mad, yet, and I don't envy those who will see it. I don't do "mad" well! Yesterday's "play-day" was much-needed, and has given me some energy for awhile. I tried melatonin for sleep, and it didn't seem to phase me. I'll try it again another time. I don't like to take stuff for sleep, as I need to hear what is going on, especially Dave. But I get bits of sleep here and there, quickie-naps during the day when he is at work and the dogs outside. I am maintaining! I just bought a slushy maker that also makes shakes, and that is what he is craving...chocolate milkshakes. It makes a single serving for him, and he just stirs it until it is the consistency he likes. I hope he can get more calories in that way. I'm going to see if he can add Protein powder to it without it getting gross. He needs all he can get. He fights me sometimes on getting him to eat all he should (and drink, too). We have to get his body ready for the surgery and radiation that is to come. The healthier, the better! Was there any tricks you used to get more into your husband, and to help with weight gain? I think I'm going to gain weight just looking at all the fattening stuff he is supposed to eat!!! Quite a challenge keeping us both where we're supposed to be! Any tips or tricks you guys used would be much appreciated, in getting Dave through this challenge, the more the better! And again, thanks everyone for your continued prayers and support. With it we have EVERYTHING! Hugs to all!!!!

Hey y'all: Well, I got on the scale this morning and was exactly the same as before my conference. I'm telling you, it's kind of great and kind of weird all at the same time, because while at this conference I just ate and drank whatever sounded good at the time--I'm talking about drinking at least 2 glasses of wine a night, a Starbucks full-fat, full-sugar mocha a day (which really didn't sit very well, I have to be honest and say--kind of quease-inducing), meals that had multiple courses (although I tried and mostly succeeded at keeping things very veggie-centric), and--brace yourselves--dessert. Yes. I ate a few bites of tiramisu at dinner Saturday night, and it was ah-may-zing. I was really kind of scared to get on my scale this morning and frankly shocked to see no weight gain at all--no loss, but no gain, either. I feel like I've dodged a few bullets, although I was mentally prepared to see a higher number. The whole process of this conference has really been eye-opening for me in lots of ways. First, I realize now that I really can relax about eating--my sleeve definitely does its job and restricts the amount of food I can tolerate. It also restricts the types of food I am able to comfortably eat--I "can" physically eat lots of different sorts of food that I couldn't tolerate at all when first sleeved, but I don't feel comfortable when I eat certain things--most of them happen to be not such healthy choices--so I'm not nearly as interested in eating them any more. Vegetables, however, are completely sleeve-friendly, plus I love them, plus I like how I feel physically when I eat them. Sweet Starbucks coffee--not so much; I drank it because it was available and my usual wasn't available, but I will not be making that a regular thing, as it didn't make me feel good enough to overcome the queasiness from the sugar (and I absolutely will not drink artificial sweeteners--just a personal aversion to that). I was able to find appetizer-sized meals that worked in every restaurant we visited. I ate in public with friends almost every meal. Not one person ever commented about how little I ate except my mentor; we went to lunch, and my waiter was quite concerned that I didn't like my grilled asparagus vinaigrette because I couldn't finish the appetizer-sized portion. My mentor, who had seen me eat several meals by that time of the conference, told the waiter, "She doesn't eat much--that's why she looks so great!" I just grinned and told the waiter it was delicious but I was full. All's well that ends well. I walked past people that I've known for twenty years and had them not recognize me until I spoke to them. Had a lot of double-takes. Had one guy come over to my table, sit down, and start talking with my mentor--I have worked closely with this person in the past at a conference--when my mentor turned to me with a comment and used my name, this guy's jaw dropped open and he spent about ten straight minutes apologizing for not recognizing me. I got used to saying, "Yeah, it's pretty different for me, too!" I was startled to have men break into a trot from behind me in order to get to a door first to open it. My carry-on luggage was stowed for me and retrieved by various guys on the plane--and believe you me, I'm 6'2" and perfectly capable of lifting my little carry-on bag into and out of the overhead bin. LOL I was flirted with by several strangers, waiters, old friends, and colleagues at the conference--not in an ugly way, mind you, just friendly flirting. My husband said, "You have lost your invisibility. What an ironic thing that you got smaller and are no longer invisible." He is 100% right! No more invisibility. And I realized that where I used to get really uncomfortable with men noticing me, I'm able to deal with the flirting in a friendly way (most of the time, just a big smile) and just take it for what it is, which for me is as a non-pressure compliment. So, all in all, a very enjoyable conference, both for the content of the conference itself and also for the nice responses to the "new" me. I had a lot of questions about "how I did it," and I responded quite honestly that "I had surgery, and it took!"

I originally wanted gastric sleeve. My Mayo primary care Dr. Suggested I have gastric by-pass. I had consultation with bariatric Dr. & he also suggested by-pass. My first nutritional class at Mayo was excellent. She went in detail all the options. Gastric by-pass is the most successful, you lose approximately 70% of your body went. Studies show after 5 years the average weight gain is 20% of weight lost. So if you lost 100 lbs most gained back was 20lbs. That's manageable to lose. Suffice to say I chose by-pass, surgery Nov 28. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I had a revision front band to gastric sleeve.......I never "ate around my band" and it was highly effective for 8 years until I began having reflux during the night and aspirating. Aspiration pneumonia can kill you!! I was unable to have enough fill in my band for it to be effective, so without my "tool"......my weight began creeping back up. I developed pre-diabetes at end began having joint problems due to the weight gain. So glad you surgeon recommended the sleeve. He said it was a restrictive procedure like the band, and since I did so well with the band that it should work for me. Band failure can be completely unrelated to the direct actions of an individual. Sent from my SM-G930V using the BariatricPal App

I count my calories but went on a bit of a hiatus for the last month and stopped tracking. I did not stop losing but I ate whatever I wanted, just Protein first and always hit 80g. I have noticed that when I don't count, I eat very little and have a tendency to snack and not get in my protein. No weight gain but totally not good in the long run so I am back to tracking. I don't really count carbs and calories, mostly just track my protein and try to stay around 1,000 calories. I usually end up between 800-1,000. I got this surgery to change my relationship with food. One of the things I have to learn is portion control and to stop when I am full. Thankfully, this surgery makes this part easy. I never had a horrible diet of only fast food. I usually ate decent food, but too much of it and I snacked a lot on nuts and I did eat chips. Now I feel full with a portion controlled sized meal and I have had no problems with eating whatever I want (no dumping, puking, etc.) I feel so much more in control of myself. My main "bad behavior" is snacking/grazing so I try really hard to keep that under control. The one thing is that my weight loss has been "slow" compared to other people's. I am headed into my 6 month anniversary and I will clear a 60lb post-op loss. I lose a consistent 2lbs a week (about 10lbs per month) no matter how much I control carbs or calories so I eat carbs and have no regrets. I think my previous dieting experience of VLCDs of 500-600 calories is more the culprit in my slower loss. But hey, I will take it. I am actually quite happy with the way I look now even though I am still technically obese. I would like to lose another 40lbs but will be happy with 20lbs. My menu today: Breakfast: Premiere Protein shake Lunch: 3oz of costco rotisserie chicken Dinner: 3oz of salmon baked with mayo, dill, caper, lemon sauce Snacks: 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 Kellog protein/fiber bar (like a candy bar!), 1oz harvest crisps lentil snack. I will have some cucumber with chili and lemon later tonight. 825 calories, 98g protein, 43g carbs (31g net) My menu on a "bad day" Breakfast: Premier Protein - vanilla Shake Lunch: pineapple - Raw - Fresh, 3 oz, Chicken Breast, 3 oz, Mayo 0.25 tablespoon Dinner: Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Icing, 0.2 slice, Pepperidge Farm - Garlic Bread - Texas Toast, 1 Slice, Chunky Blue Cheese dressing 1 tbsp, Spaghetti meat Sauce 1/2 cup, Romaine Lettuce, 0.5 cups, Cucumber 0.15 cup Snacks: Low Fat Cottage Cheese, 1/2 cup, Chardonnay, 2 serving - 5oz, Generic - Pineapple - Raw - Fresh, 3 oz Calories 979, Protein 90g, Carbs 96g

@Cat225, I hate the "You have such a pretty face" saying!!! I imagine punching the person in the face as those words come tumbling out of their mouth. I have struggled with my weight since middle school and have done every diet out there. My Mom took to me to a weight loss clinic when I was 15 and the doctor told me to take the pills and drink coffee and not to eat. I am serious that is what he said. My weight has gone up and down and I am now at my biggest weight gain ever since having my 2nd child. I am now 36 and I feel that the Lap-Band is what is right for me and I am doing this for me and only me! I see so many wonderful posts here in this forum and can not wait to get my surgery!

Scrappy I could say "ditto" to most of the things you say. I'm also obsessed by the food, thinking about it, chewing it, eating it, regurgitating it, trying to eat again, going on the scale 1-2x a day. I was never ever to really diet before the band also. But I don't exervise like you. I'm trying. Don't worry about the weight gain because from the looks of it you'll get it right down again with the way you structure yourself . I wish I would stop at 1.000 calories. and you are below your goal. that is so amazing. I have a very big problem with nightime eating. I feel like I'm binging all night. The food seems to go down much easier at night, and I usually watch tv by myself when I eat. Sometimes it's really fattening food like ice cream and Peanut Butter, and sometimes it's low calorie but then I eat large quantities. I am really annoyed and frustrated with myself. I just don't think about my struggles and just eat - like a magnet without stopping to think. Oh well, I have to learn to change this somehow. And Christine, I am trying to chew beter. Thanks

I saw someone post once, "No one asked me the details about my weight gain or how I got there, so they don't need to know the details of my weight loss or how I'm getting there" LOL! For me only my immediate family know as well as 3 close friends.

So today I had an appointment with the nutritionist. I am currently 308 lbs @5'5 . Most of my weight gain is from having kids. I have three. So of course I'm too busy to exercise and focus in me. But I'm excited to finally do something by having bypass . I have to lose weight and keep track of the foods I eat. This is going to be the hardest challenge ever! If I could lose weight by dieting I wouldn't be getting wls.