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I am sure you'll be fine! It's all done laproscopically now, so much less chance of complications and healing time is quicker. I would advise staying away from reading up on complications now as you'll just freak yourself out. Be prepared for a little weight gain after surgery; you're just wanting to heal at that point. Good luck, it will all go well!

Your weight gain is from the IV fluids. Don't worry, it will go away soon!

newhope - I came home with a 10 lb weight gain and FREAKED! Over the first week it came off. Your's will too. You sound like you are doing exactly right with tiny sips every few minutes. I don't know your diet, but warm chicken broth sure felt good too. I also had a hard time sleeping on my back for a few days, I think it was the fourth day I used the headboard to get on my side and it was okay then. I loved my heating pad on my tummy too. Keep up the good work!

I didn't tell anyone I got the band. I didn't need any "expert" advice. Yesterday on the Today show they had a segment on a fellow named David Smith. He was on a program a few years ago. It was titled the "650 lb. Virgin." He lost all of his weight, had plastic surgery, and looked teriffic. Now he has gained 250 lbs. back. It was heartbreaking to watch him crying about his weight gain. All I could think of was, it was too bad he didn't have weight loss surgery to maintain his loss. Research has shown that the brain of an alcoholic, drug user and obese person are the same. They have fewer dopamine receptors(Nature Neuroscience 2005). The failure rate is 95%. Do the math and come to your own conclusion.

haha, yes! A magic wand is just what I need. I too never listened to the naysayers who warned the honeymoon would end. And to be totally honest, a lot of it is ME. The band is there, it does give restriction but my behaviours have overridden it a lot of the time. Unfilling really derailed me, and although my band has never been the same, neither have I. And I truly believe that the treatment and resulting menopause has played havoc with my metabolism, those sugar cravings came outta nowhere, and were SO strong. I lived on nothing but coffee and biscuits for the last part of 2011, until I went onto HRT and testosterone. That's when I regained all the lost "sick weight". Since then, I have struggled. The trouble is, people think after eight years banded and five years at a BMI below 21 that you're 'cured'. All of my specialists (not my lapband doc) have expressed the belief that I shoudlnt need it anymore. So have my family and friends. What they dont get is that my body has lived on 1500 calories or less a day for the last seven years. I cannot EVER eat what I shoudl be able to eat. With the help of the band, i have starved my body into a depressed metabolic state - that is what we are all doing and why weight loss is rarely permanent without weight loss surgery. It is insane that I can weigh 145lb by eating so little and exercising so much, i should be emaciated and skeletal. I eat way less than everyone I know. Life has to be a diet for EVER more to keep this weight away. I would not hesitate, not even for a second, to have a new band or revise to a different surgery - although my clinic does bands and bands only. That does not mean I could not go somewhere else, it would just cost me a lot as I am entitled to revision surgery with no out of pocket cost where I am. I dont regret the band for a second either. Afterall, hard as the last year or two have been, I'm still only 65kg. I have not regained weight and am close to the bottom of my healthy weight range. It just used to be so easy. But it would be way harder without my (not so well functioning) band. So I guess we struggle on and accept we were put on this earth with bodies that want to be cuddly and it is just our lot to work hard to be the way we want. I dont really know many people that can absolutely eat what they want and not exercise and stay thin into middle and old age. The ones I actually envy are my myriad of friends who are fat and happy, live the way they want, dont beat themselves up over their weight, see it as normal. yes, they are prone to certain health problems, but I have seriously created a mental monster for myself over this. I cant tolerate a 2lb weight gain without feeling disgusting,fat, disappointed in myself. I restrict my eating every single day, i exercise like a fiend, its a pretty hard job. In a lot of ways I wish I just didnt care. But I would even choose to live with heartburn than be fat again. Sad but true.

My sister had bypass around the same time carni wilson in San Diego. Now, after weight gain is considering lapband over bypass. Her daughter is having it done tomorrow. I am truly excited for both.

if u know u r eating poorly then stop lol. the weight gain could be perfectly normal. about 3 weeks out i gained 2 lbs and hit a stall. i just kept following the plan and after 2 weeks the scale went down again. remember, protein first! at 2 weeks u shouldn't be past mushies so be careful. even if u feel ok u can still damage ur sleeve.

Yea, unfortunately, women can be mean and jealous! I don't like this aspect of our kind!! I have too have experienced this first hand ... I've told the story before, but I will tell again (now I find it amusing). Just after my sleeve - nearly 2 yrs ago - a friend of mine saw how I was losing weight. She had just had a baby and was caring extra weight. OUt of the blue, like so many other stories, she became a diet and exerise 'expert'. She worked out 7 days a week and hardly ate a thing - her mother had her two kids for her to do this btw. She kept telling me how many inches she was losing, howmany pounds she had lost and what size she was. This would be followed by a half hearted question about my own weight loss. She knew about my sleeve. She used me as competition. She couldn't stand the thoought of me being smaller than her... I have ALWAYS been the biggest in our friendship group. She even gave me her clothes that were 'too big' for her, these included several maternity trousers. She explained this by stating that: 'I know your problem area is your tummy, so these are perfect!' Implying that I looked pregnant! Anyway, fast forward two years... here I am currently maintaining at my 72lb weight loss and I fit nicely into a UK14. My friend however, has put a lot of weight back on and is now a good 14lbs if not more heavier than me and at least one clothing size bigger. I have not said ANYTHING about her weight gain. I have been tempted to pay back her back handed compliments, but I am being the bigger -metaphorically of course - person! Try to ignore comments with negative undertones and outright negative elements... this is your experience. This is your time to get healthy, fit and happy.... bugger everyone else!! Good luck to you ... =]

Unfortunately my fiancee likes Star Wars, Star Trek, and Computers..pretty much it. He's lucky that he has the metabolism that he has really. He's not big on swimming but he is starting to get interested in weights because he err's on the side of scrawny a lot and he's hoping to put on some muscle. I told him I was gonna start secretly feeding him Weight Gain 3000 and see what happens lol!

As my surgeon says... if you eat right and exercise YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT... your husband is wise and sounds very supportive :-) Keep telling yourself you own that scale and you will take it back. Not moving is also better than moving in the wrong direction coming from the same person that is letting the scale get her down over a 2 pound weight gain and I know it can't be right given what I am eating.

What should you eat to lose weight? How much energy have you devoted to this question? Low carb? Raw food? Jenny Craig? Women spend billions of dollars on weight loss, and create a lot of stress making decisions about which diet or weight loss plan to try this time. It’s ironic, because deep down, we know that diets don’t work. And in fact, many of us have lived out the lesson that diets can lead to binge eating and weight gain and bigger problems with food than we started with. It’s not hopeless. Healthy weight loss and what I call peace with food are possible, but they don’t begin with a diet. Here’s the important truth: The battle with overeating isn’t going to be solved by a diet because the root battle with most overeating isn’t about the food. If you want to break free from overeating cycles and weight loss battles, the critical question you need to be asking is this: What are you using the food for? What’s triggering you to overeat? What propels you towards the vending machine or sends you straight for the comfort food? What role does food play in your life? How does your current way of eating serve you? THESE are the million dollar questions. The truth is, you are smart and resourceful and you better believe that you are turning to food for a reason. The way you are currently eating does something important for you. Maybe your eating distracts you or comforts you. Food might momentarily boost your mood or your energy. Maybe you use it to procrastinate or hide out or reward yourself. Are you eating to cope with stress or frustration or exhaustion? Be curious about your hunger and the reasons that you eat. Understanding the meaning of your overeating changes everything. Understanding the purpose of your overeating helps you move beyond unhelpful self-blame and shame and guilt and into a place of compassionate understanding. From this place it’s possible to start addressing the real root causes. Because it’s probably not about the food. If you are a stress eater, you’ll want some more effective tools for addressing the stress in your life. Comfort eater? With the right tools, you can definitely find a better way. Exhausted? Overwhelmed? Nervous? Upset? There are better tools and strategies to address these feelings. And the truth is, once you have the tools and strategies to feel effective, food just doesn’t have the same appeal. Really. Effective weight loss doesn’t start with the food—and—when you address the root cause of your overeating, you don’t just change your weight. You change your life.

Visalus is NOT a good option because it is SOY protein which is bad because of something to do with Estrogen - it raises Estrogen levels which can cause weight gain.

Para guard is awesone! It's an IUD and no added hormones or weight gain and it's good for 10 years! Woohoo!

You should realllllllly consider BC. After the sleeve so many hormones are being released that you become extremely fertile. I have heard of women who were "sterile" for 15 years getting pregnant months after surgery. If you do get pregnant it is very dangerous for you and the baby to continue on, some women have done it with no problems, but the likelihood of having problems is huge. I am one of the few who is on depo and loves it, every 3 months I get one shot, no weight gain, no headaches or nausea. I guess I lucked out.

Is that when they put the scope down your throat and into your stomach? I'm pregnant so I know they won't be able to do anything like that until after I have the baby but I had an upper GI when all of these stomach pains started and I just needed to see if that would show erosion but after reading apparently erosion doesn't cause pain? Just weight gain? Who knows

Hi everyone, i just wanted to update you all. I am so excited that I've been no good all day at work. i went in to my first monitoring appointment since starting stims and i have 12 folies. I was so excited. my one ovary is working hard. Thanks for lissening (reading) Cjlm10- Great! I am so excited for you. You get used to the injections.They aren't that bad. I have learned that patience is the key to all these treatments. So am taking it easy. If i feel stressed i get on my treadmill n walk n read a book. Mnjhowell- congratulations! I cant wait to hold my baby. Hoping for girl. I am trying not to look at the scale right now. I am just eating right n walking everyday. I am consious of the weight gain from stims and feel like the incredible hulk at times but am concentrating my on my goal n put the weight monster out of my mind. Keep me posted on how you've concoured your weight moster and enjoy your little angel.

After a long month of complications following my brachioplasty I finally got my sutures removed! Looking forward to being able to get in the gym again for sure. I have a lovely 17 lb weight gain to work off. Despite the complications, popped my running stitch & had major gaping, I'm so happy I did it. Looking forward to feeling comfortable wearing tank tops!

I have been having anxiety about gaining weight. I would be fine if I stayed where I'm at. I'm a size 8. But I even have bad dreams about gaining it all back. I think it's because all my other attempts have failed at weightloss. Is anyone else having these same dreams/ anxiety/ fears???

Yesterday I hit a real wall. Was ready to go home and od on the insulin that I had to start after multiple problems that started last year. I was withing 30 lb of goal...165lbs lost. Then H pylori, anemia, kidney failure, kidney stone, dehydration, over medication, 8 car accidents. Then incompetent dr that punctured the tube from my port to the lap band. Finally went back to original surgeon (Dr. Rumbaut...great guy) who replaced my tube and started losing the 70lb + that were gained after fluid had been removed (after hospitalizations). So then I had to start insulin, but was beginning to loose weight. Now, I can't get fills, because of swelling. Barium won't pass through. But everything else can and am starting gain weight again. Diabetes continues to be real spiky, throwing up coffe color blood most mornings from irritated ulcer, gerd and pb. I am so tired of this and of fighting the losing battle. Hope to call Dr. in morning to see if it is the time of day or if the ulcer is making having the band difficult.. Am ready for something else, but not the weight gain and not the ocd dieting pattern again. Promised a friend I would not give up and hang in there a little longer....hope I can get some answers from the dr tomorrow. Thanks in advance or for any replys given. LA

Angie congrats on your IVF cycle. My husband and I did 3 cycles prior to my band, all we're a fail for us. After being banded for over 2 years I got pregnant. My daughter, Isabella, is 5 days old. She was born May 29 and prefect. I had a great pregnancy and my only complaint is that as I got to those last 6 weeks my port hurt tremendously. Soon as I gave birth the pain was gone!! I was a freak about my weight gain (35 pounds) but I've already lost 20 and planning a fill for 6 weeks. Just take it one day at a time and enjoy the experience!! Can't wait to hear your betas!!

Been there, done that, and didn't even get a tee-shirt. Like you, I found that my experience of restriction was different after a complete unfill, and a lot of people find the last 20 or so pounds hard to lose. IMO, the most important thing to address is not your weight gain but the reflux. I recently learned how severely reflux can damage the esophagus and wouldn't want you to lose your band because of tolerating reflux for an extended period of time. Have you tried taking omeprazole for it? Do you avoid eating a few hours before bedtime? As for the weight loss puzzle - I just wrote an article about breaking a weight loss plateau. Check it out here: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/page/index.html/_/plateaus-and-regain/breaking-a-weight-loss-plateau-r67

I am now at 18 months. I never got to my "normal" weight, but just a few pounds shy of it. I have been at the same weight for so long, I have come to think of myself at at maintenance. My scale broke, and it took me a couple of weeks to get a new one... and my weight/range went up two pounds. I guess with that in mind I am now averaging at the top of my old wieght range/bounce. So I have gained about 3 pounds and holding. I do need to watch it, and it is EASY to put on a few... I do snack, and eat carbs... I dont log everything as well as I have in the past... and I think this is key for me. After all my long term house guests head home, I hope to get back into a little more of a regulated lifestyle... just a little more.... and see how it goes. I hear about the 15 pound bounce at three years... perhaps this is what they are talking about? I also read that along with the weight gain, acid reflux often shows up as well.... have you noticed this?

You are only 8 days out. Did your doctor give you any directions? I am suppose to be on clear liquids for 2 weeks then when I get approval move to full liquids for a few weeks before I move to mushy food, then soft food then regular food. This should take close to 10 weeks. Your sleeve is still healing, what kind of food are you putting in it? Are you just doing protein shakes or eating real food? Also, the IV fluids cause weight gain, so if you had an IV for a few days that's going to take time to leave your system. Your stomach is still swollen and it takes well over a month for your stomach to full heal inside, so maybe someone else knows better than me, but I had several nutrition classes and they scared the heck out of me with the fact I should not be eating real food or solids because it could cause so many issues. Good luck.

all great advice up above. You said you have a hard time getting in your protein. Just a little side note. You get more bang for buck with protein. Not only does your body need it but it takes twice as much calories to break down protein than it does carbs. I was a huge carbie before surgery so I understand how hard it can be to get in the protein. At Christmas all rules went out the window and I ate all kinds of carbs, especially See's Candy and my own peanut brittle. I can honestly say what a huge negative affect it had on my body. Not only from weight gain, but I was so tired it was crazy! So get your mind in the game again and start following the rules! You lost 36 pounds, you CAN lose the other 87!

Sleeved Feb 17th 2012, starting weight 329 "according to the doc". Today is June 2,2012 and I weigh in at 248 even. I have had a 4lb weight gain from starting to lift weights and supplemental water weight gain but its starting to come off now. Thank god. Still to this day I am never hungry. God blessed me lol. Yes I am gonna win. Capacity is equal to 3 tablespoons max Foods not tolerated are switching up constantly except for chicken and eggs <-just cant eat them Overall I feel good, no problems, and I feel like I never had a surgery at all. I just take it a day at a time knowing that this was the best thing in my life that I could have done for myself. I am glad all of yall are doing good and feel good. May we all reach our goal and then some. Capt D