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Sunta: Very good news that you don't have a blood clot. Have you tried the Campbells Microwavable soups that you can drink? They have a velvety potato one that doesn't have the little chunks. Tammy: I'm sorry about the weight gain. I would be upset too even though you know that it is normal. I'm sure with some restriction you will lose. Hang in there. Janet (and others): I have been really up and down with my mood swings too. This healing period is rough. I had more but my Mom just got here so I gotta run.

2 of my 3 children are prone to putting on weight but seem to maintain most of the time. They are now 20 and 18. My 15 year old is a skinny thing. Any way every so often one of them will complain about weight gain and talk about dieting - my reply is always - no diets , just cut out some of the junk and get out and exercise. I think this has worked quite well. I believe my weight gain got out of control from my mother putting me on every fad diet that came along and restricting all my food intake - this led to sneaking food and as i got older, instead of that one piece of cake with everyone else i would sneak off and buy a whole cake and then have to eat it all so i wouldn't be found out. With 2 kids prone to weight gain and one who is skinny i really believe genetics play a big role, cause i don't feed them any differently.

I don't know why I haven't seen this thread before but anyway... I'm here now. I really need something to get me back on track. The weight is not coming off as fast as I'd like it to and I have been stuck in the same 35# range since Thanksgiving. Do I cheat? Yes, sometimes. But I wanted the band to keep me from cheating or at least give me a punch when I tried to cheat. That is not easy after years and years of bad habits. I wouldn't say it was any one bad habit in particular, it was just negligence. Years went by and I realized one day that I had gained 150# in a space of about 10 years. All that time I did nothing to stop it. I guess I just kept making excuses and ignored the weight gain. It wasn't until health problems started occuring that I decided to do something about it. Now, I'm stuck yet hopeful. Maybe this thread and support from other men will help. I never had a goal weight but I remember a friend years ago told me that if I would just lose 30# she would be all over me 24/7. At that time my weight was the lowest I can remember at 235#. So I think 30# less and I will have my goal weight!

Mindfulness basically just means paying attention to something - without judgment. Mindful eating is paying attention to your food, and to your appetite cues - again, without judgment (that's the hard part!). Dieting vs. Mindful Eating: Diet = Weight gain: 95% of people who diet will regain the weight they lost within 5 years. 2/3 of those people will regain more than they lost, ultimately resulting in overall weight gain. All about willpower and rigidity. Relies on external cues. Restrictive and depriving. Food & body are the enemy. Mindful Eating = Weight loss: Studies show that mindful eating programs result in weight loss, fewer calories consumed, lower fat intake and increased self-confidence (Timmerman et al., 2012) All about trust and acceptance. Relies on internal appetite cues. Permissive and satisfying. Food & body are the ally. Which would you prefer? For me, I'd much rather give mindful eating a shot. Especially since dieting was what led up to most people having bariatric surgery in the first place. Step-by-step how to eat mindfully: Pick a calm and quiet place to sit down and eat. Check in with your hunger. Are you physically hungry? If not, wait until later when you are hungry. The food will be much more satisfying if you enter the experience hungry. Choose a food that will be satisfying. Give yourself permission to eat that food without judgment (toward the food or yourself) or guilt. Use all of your senses - look at the food, touch the food, smell the food, taste the food, feel it in your mouth, move it around and notice the way the texture and taste changes as you chew. Chew slowly and thoroughly. As you swallow, feel the food going down your esophagus and into your stomach. Notice how the food feels in your stomach. Ask yourself if you want more. If so, take another bite and repeat until you feel satisfied. At the end, take a moment to express gratitude for the experience, for the food, and for your body. Carry the awareness of mindful attention to other areas of your life - you'll be shocked at what a big difference this makes! Be patient with yourself. The practice of mindful eating is just that - a practice. Your mind and attention will wander, you will inevitably catch yourself judging yourself or the food. That's ok - it's normal. Just notice it, and return your attention to the experience. Practice this as often as you are able. Of course, it's not possible to eat mindfully 100% of the time, so don't be rigid with it. As you get more skilled at mindful eating, it will become more effortless and second nature. See, I told you this wasn't just for hippies! Mindful eating is very doable for all of us. We just have to make the conscious decision to do it. Paying attention to our food and our bodies allows us to get infinite more pleasure out of life. Give it a shot and let me know what you think. Share your experience in the comments below. What was it like to pay close attention to the taste and texture of the food? What was it like to refrain from judgment about yourself for eating the food? What surprised you about mindful eating?

One year ago I was rolled down the isle in an 2XL gown, big ole booties and a smile because I knew my life would change. I went in prepared to face the challenges and joy that this decision would cause me. The first month I survived the liquid diet, post-surgery pain and discomfort and lost bonus 10 lbs that I have yet to see again. The second month I noticed my clothes getting looser and another 5 lbs gone, I can eat but the problem was I wanted to eat everything so I was welcomed to Bandster-Hell. The third month I had gotten my first fill 2ccs humm felt tight for like a day then back to eating it up… good thing no weight gain and another 2lbs gone. Month four, I noticed my size 22’s are falling off of me literally and another 2lbs gone, this is going slow I thought time for a fill and off I went another 2cc’s now 4ccs in a 10cc band. Month five another 2lbs goneI am still hungry and my 20’s are fitting loser, food still goes down pretty easily, and I have yet to experience a stuck episode I was so happy. Another .5 ccs in the band. 4.5 ccs Month Six no weight loss nothing, not a pound, I am starting to feel full faster but I can still eat two burritos and taco bell. And my workouts are sporadic time to make an appointment with the doctor .5cc’s he said I say more but I will see. Month Seven, Had .5cc’s in my band I don’t think that will do much of anything for me, but I took the doctor said wait another week and if it doesn’t work out then I can come back however, I got really busy with life and alas no weight loss but bread is off the menu forever, I experienced my first episode of slime and stuck with a piece of pork chop, and then a piece of bread. 5.5 ccs in the band I am halfway full that has got to count for something. Month eight, I am feeling discouraged I ended up not losing any weight this month, I lost 5lbs with my fill and I gained it back. I don’t know why because I can’t eat as much, and I am moving more it is spring and hot around here. I ended up having hernia surgery and couldn’t get a fill until I recovered from my surgery and I finally got the fill I wanted 1 cc’s now I am more than half way there 6.5cc’s and I am really feeling that day to day stuff that I have read about on the boards, feeling tight in the morning, I can eat a yogurt and be stuffed, and be satisfied for hours oh and my 20’s are now gone, I am now in a very loose fitting 18…I can’t wait. Month nine, it has been a few weeks since my fill I lost another 5lbs which is nice and my 18’s are gone I am in a 16 which I haven’t been in since 2003, I still have a ways to go I somehow thought I would have gotten further in my pounds lost but it is not that bad. I would have hit this point without my band. My eating is good I think I have hit my sweet spot but some days I am a little tighter I have learned to eat slow, I can’t eat fries, bread, and dry turkey oh and nothing on the McDonalds dollar menu goes down… so no bad foods for me. Month ten, weight loss has slowed down I think my body is doing the starvation hold, so my goal to combat it is to increase my exercise. Month eleven, I have increased my exercise and I am starting to feel better, I went shopping and no matter what store I went in I fit the 16’s and some were even loose and I lost another 5lbs this month. Now at month twelve I don’t regret my decision to have the band, my life has changed in my activity level my confidence I am still struggling or say dealing with the consequences of not planning my meals, eating too fast or trying those forbidden foods, but I know I am this for the long haul which is awesome to me. I have increased my activity level and plan to keep that up, I will be at my goal weight next year this time and with my band to use as my food tool, and my motivation as my next I will be there… Happy Bandiversary!!!

We are all here in our own small way, to support each other . I truly value the input here as life changes (illnesses, deaths, divorces, and ok. Weight gains )keep happening and .... We have no choice but to deal with them head on! I send support to all my veteran friends who know how difficult the years get. ( i have a bit of indifference to those boasting about 3 month losses... yet I remember how good it felt to see the weight dropping) THIS is where I go to see the real, everyday struggles and achievements of my tribe. Fondly,

I'm still here!! I'm struggling with weight gain and am not at all happy about it. I'm stress eating and also finding it hard to watch my intake especially as Corey is all about the food. I'm not blaming him....this is my responsibility to be accountable for my food choices but I am indeed having a hard time at the moment. The good news is that I am happy as can be in my relationship and am looking forward to co-habitating sometime next year hopefully. Work sucks and that is the cause of much of my stress but I am looking at the big picture which for me is three more years in the workforce and then early retirement. Couldn't come fast enough for me...lol.

I'm pretty nervous as well. Both scare me, but I'm more worried that they will delay my surgery when I get weighed during pre-op on Monday. I've had 9 months to lose as much weight as I can, and I've lost weight, gained weight and I believe right now I am only 3 pounds lighter than I was at my last weigh in this past April.

I haven't had my first fill yet (Sept. 18th is the day) and I'm at a conference this week where there is food and drink everywhere!! Outside of each meeting room there is a supply of junk food (chocolates, chips, Cookies, ice-cream etc..). And the cafeteria serves food all day long - no $$ needed....I can't believe the amount of food here - if I weren't banded I would have easily gained 5 lbs per day...as it is I've gained 3 lbs in 3 days and have 2 more days to go!!! Although I have some restriction and I can easily get stuck if I don't take small bites and chew well - I'm still gaining - YIKES. Healthy food choices are limited here. I'm not eating anything other than at Breakfast lunch and dinner and using a salad plate instead of a dinner plate. I'm also avoiding carbs, sauces and Desserts...Still, I'm obviously getting more than I did at home given my weight gain. Not good....I have many more of these to attend over the next few months :thumbup: Must find a better strategy...hopefully my first fill will help.

Honey, it's a journey and this is just part of it. Both the weight gain and having to deal with Mr. Wonderful. Try to get him out of your head. He's just taking up space there and doing you no favors. He obviously triggers alot of stuff for you so you have to minimize your interaction with him and minimize any damage he tries to inflict. Keep us in the loop...text if you need support and I know we'll try to be there if not physically, at least virtually.

Everything I like is Illegal Immoral causes weight gain or refuses to text me back promptly.😦

Hello fellow DSers I have recently gained a few lbs and I’m freaking out. About 10 since fall with about 5-6 in the past 2 weeks (due to a bed rest situation/no exercise situation from a non related medical procedure I think). I am normally very active. I also do intermittent fasting. I work out about 2 hours a day 7 days a week with few exceptions. But to be honest I’m a terrible eater. I’m a sugar and carb addict and live my life a slave to my upset stomach (ds related) Again to be honest that has worked for me 2 years out I’ve lost 100% of my excess weight but it’s not working anymore. I went from 283 to 138 and am now about 148. How have you all handled these weight gains if you have had them? I’m afraid of the slippery slope. Should I go back to basics? Proteins and veggies? This is such a weird statement but I feel like the sugar is what has helped me get here bc I don’t keep the calories in (ya know) and I’m afraid to give it up. Any advise appreciated. TIA

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?

I asked for a female therapist that deals w issues that contributed to my weight gain. I have been seeing her for these inner emotions for a few months now. plus as a therapist its advised that u have a therapist of your own.... But overall their Job is to delve into the why with u and help u process and create new ways of thinking, reacting to the issues that are bigger than the food.... It also helps if u ask for a list of contacts of licensed counselors & then call them and ask. U can speak to the majority of them directly.

Ok so I started the 5 day pouch test yesterday. Surprisingly it wasn't that hard in terms of hunger but have had a headache this morning which I think is a withdrawal symptom from all of the sugar. That's ok with me. I ate or more accurately drank 4 cups of Soup yesterday which added up to a lot of carbs for the day (I had tomato soup and split pea). Ironically I got a letter in the mail from my bariatric surgeon that its time to schedule an appointment. This I took as a sign that its time to conquer this weight gain. I would dread to go back a failure. Going for a nice long walk now. Will check back again soon.

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.

Hello, I started my initial journey in 2010. My mother and I were in a terrible, and my journey came to a screeching halt. (At this point, I am still suffering from the accident.) My injuries required steroid therapy; so, doctor put me on steroids and I gained even more weight. Now, I have to explain that my PCP did not agree with any type of weight loss surgery at first. I had to threaten to find another doctor, if he wouldn't at least research it. He finally agreed and my journey began. My doctor was out of the country when my accident occured. So, when he returned, he could not believe the weight gain or the increase of my blood sugar levels. At this point, he had to put me on medicine for diabetes and made me promise to start the process for my surgery again. The accident made me look at things from a different prospective, and I made the decision to lose the weight on my own. Well, that was a disaster and the weight continued to pile on & my diabetes medicine wasn't working. After a major internal struggle, I decided to have lapband surgery. When I went to meet with my surgeon, he threw a monkey wrench into my plans and suggested the sleeve. I struggled with the sleeve because there isn't any long term data to support this type of weight loss surgery. So, I decided to start watching YouTube videos and join blogs to learn more informtion. When attend my third nutrition class in February, I can now tell them that I will be having the Gastric Sleeve surgery...

Just shy of 5 months post-op... Down 40lbs, when I was down almost 80... my doctor says "Don't worry Yvette, this is normal. Especially in people with your body type, your weight gain is muscle not fat, don't be upset." Ok so I'm not gonna lie, I'm a lil' upset. I KNOW I build muscle really fast, and I KNOW muscle weighs more than fat.. I get all that.. I KNOW my weight is down and so are my clothing sizes and inches. I'm just I dunno.. a lil' skewed on all of this. I finally got to a fill point where I was almost "too tight" but it was working.. I missed my follow up fill because I was traveling.. and so I went to my month appointment yesterday and although I was down 8.8 pounds which I know I should be happy about and I am.. I'm just like shouldn't it be MORE... I don't even know why I'm complaining.. I shouldn't be. I guess I'm just feeling the pressure of my 6 months and then my year coming up and my own personal goals in there.. relax Yvette...slow and steady wins the race... :thumbup:

PAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whew... You are aliveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! :confused: Sorry about the DS... It's unfortunate that a man's "wand of procreation" isn't a better judge of character. *sigh* One day he will come to his senses... hang on till then! Sorry about the weight gain... we'll kick your butt and you'll be back on track by Monday. :party: Yup... gaining the amount I have back has been devastating... BUT... there's no use crying over spilt milk! :party: Well... My DD and I took the pups for a 45 minute brisk walk. THe walks are a part of Ava's behavior modification program and she is doing really well! I can walk her with her leash draped over my shoulders most of the time and I can stop and talk to people without her flipping out. :party: We can walk by most distractions without her even turning her head to look... she looks at me instead. :party:

Ok! LOL. I'm trying really hard to get it. TY for your comments, they are all really helping me reframe my stinkin thinkin brain and SOOOO sorry to take over this thread. I am gonna go work on it and quit posting so much here. Swearsies!!! And I can't take much credit. It all goes to the PS on the foobs. He did a great job on my 3 reconstructions from BC. Double mast, they stay that size regardless of weight gain or loss. But they do look pretty bodacious in a smaller body than they did at 287lbs. That's for sure! (maybe one of the only perks of it. LOL!! hahahaha)

Hi- First of all, congratulations on starting the process of weight loss surgery. This is a great site and you can get a tremendous amount of information and support here. I suggest that once you have a date you find the "monthly" support group here, as you'll get to go through the surgery with a group having the same experiences as you- it's great. As to which type...there are lots of questions to answer, some which having to do with how much surgery you're interested in having; whether you want something that will change your organs or something that can be removed, etc. I think 2 key factors is amount one needs to lose (in general, gb folks lose more faster); and very important, what kind of eater you are. Sweet eaters have a lot of success with gb because you just cannot eat them...you get to ill. Volume eaters often are better off with the band because if you have bypass and build up volume again- the band can be stretched- it happens alot- and then you have trouble and weight gain. So, there's a lot to consider. For me, it would be important, above all, to have a doctor who believes in the procedure I need him to perform..... Best of luck!

Auri--That is something good to mention. The Water weight gain. My friend came home from the hospital and didn't lose anything for a while--she was big time depressed, regretting having the surgery done. But once she started losing, she lost great. 99 pounds total I believe! We can't focus on that darn scale for a while!!

Well, I am doing fine. No snacking, delaying bf about 3 hours and finding out it works for me. Cut carbs back most days around 24, the rest 30-50. Dr. Cywes really hit the ball out of the park for me it seems. He also said the reality is we cannot be perfect at this all the time, don't think of this journey as having a goal, THIS is the goal in essence. My occasionally (s) were more like frequently (s) of consuming the carbs. Can we just talk granddaughter's homemade strawberry cupcakes for her birthday here? LOL I baked them. Then I just thought about sugar nonstop - put down the cupcakes (drugs). I have had good restriction from the beginning, I just pretended (lying) I wasn't eating that many bad carbs. BUT those months might have been a glimpse at what maintenance looks like when I get there. At my age, it is unpredictable and since I have not been at a normal weight for over 42 years it will take some time to figure out. And from reading there are issues with weight gain 3-5 yrs out in many cases.... but at age 70 who knows what that will look like.

@FluffyChix And speaking of Ken, how is that whole "thang" goin? What's the latest and greatest news? Anything? Things are great, like need to pinch myself level of great. He met the fam on Easter. I got great feedback all around, my family liked him, and he liked my family. It was also really nice he is a totally self sufficient social butterfly. I was hosting, so I'm grateful he didn't need any handholding. Next big step will be meeting his mom when she come out to visit next month. This forum shows me that there is hope in Veteranville--that it is possible to maintain this weight longterm and that weight gain doesn't "arbitrarily" happen for the most part I agree, I feel confident that I've got this. Because I'm diligent about logging my food and weighing myself, I feel that I can easily course correct when needed. In the past I just buried my head in the sand because the thought of long term dieting was overwhelming. But making tweaks to my eating and/or exercise as I go feels totally manageable. When you say 4oz of semi solid food, is that volume or scalemeasurement? And I'm assuming 3oz solid protein is by scale? Yes, the weights are by scale. I'm guessing if I squished the burrito portion into a measuring cup it would probably be about 3/4-1 cup. Yes, protein is by weight. I don't eat a lot of solid protein at home, so I haven't weighed it out recently. But for instance, if I'm out and order an 8 oz steak (which are always 8 oz+), I can get through about a 3rd of it. In early days when I was eating pure protein at home and weighing, 3/4-1 oz had me stuffed. So I also can judge my current capacity because I can eat 3 x 4 times that now. I make a big enough dent in a small steak that it doesn't raised questions, which is so nice! We were out at the park all day at a festival and I had 2 Mich Ultras for the day. I raised a bottle to you. Did you see me? Nice! I fortunately I got over my IPA phase years ago, and prefer a lager these days, so much less cals! (I used to tease a guy I dated about drinking Ultra's, now I'm that guy! )

Magic always comes with a price. https://www.worldhealth.net/news/erythritol-weight-gain-biomarker/?fbclid=IwAR2QgpgFTkJgJAwZalnrsqBFKxiUNtEPVpadW_xdLDY3CDZC-6Tw_9JtUpM