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I am not at my personal goal yet, but am with my Surgeon's goal. I do admire how you have reached your goal and also am worried about myself being at goal and letting my guard down, and then the weight gain begins. So for me, I suspect I will always have to watch what I'm eating. I'm also going to weight myself 2 times a week at least. I am curious to know how others are with maintenance. Sleeve of Steel,you have done a great job and CONGRATS! You are very successful and will continue to be successful with maintenance.

I am new here. I have been approved for the sleeve surgery and will be having it done pretty quick. My original surgery date was July 3rd at the hospital. The called last Friday with a cancellation and the surgery date has been moved up to May 22nd !! I am both excited and scared at the same time! My employer is quite okay with the change and my coworkers are quite supportive. Here is brief history about me. I have only been heavy since I was 25/26. I have a history of brittle asthma. I was exposed to field burning smoke after harvest while at school. I was constantly on prednisone and gained a lot of weight. as a result. I came home from school and lost a little weight. However, I was living in an apartment while sustained a crack in the ceiling and subsequent Water leak (winter 2003). I started having increased asthma trouble shortly afterwards. I suspected trouble with the apartment and a pulse oximeter confirmed them. January 2003 - A lab tested and confirmed that I was being exposed to toxic mold (Stachybotris chartrum). The improperly repaired apartment after major water damage (which I found out after I moved out – March 2005). I have gained over 100 pounds with the prednisone weight gain. Has anyone else experienced this? Anyways, my efforts to lose weight have been futile. I would lose the weight just to gain it all back and more. I tried diets, mild exercise, portion control, diabetes diets, Byetta. None of them had any long lasting positive results. I decided I have had enough dealing with the weight and pursue weight loss surgery Dec 2011. I originally pursued getting the lapband. However after further consultations and research I decided to go with the sleeve. I am doing okay right now despite the pain and the asthma has stabilized. I still have to be on prednisone bursts sometimes but have been off of them for several months. I am looking forward to changing my life for the better. I deal with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, chronic back/neck/shoulder pain(car accidents), hip pain, foot pain, bad knee, and asthma. I have hope that this will improve the weight loss. I have lost a little weight already from the pre-op diet. 3 out of my 4 meals are Protein shakes and I have one sensible meal a day the dr was okay with this). I work different hours (3am-11am) hence I need the 4th meal. I am quite used to the shift. I work as a telecomm tech that has the responsibility fixing and maintaining 3 room-sized dial tone computers so I have to work these hours. They are quite demanding but I do love my job. Sorry about the long introduction. I just wanted you to know where I was coming from and tell you my unique story. I am looking forward to taking my life back from morbid obesity and the adverse effects. I hope that everyone is doing well. Have a nice day.

I've been big virtually all my life. I started gaining massive weight when I was 7 years old, even though I was active in my local Boys and Girls club playing soccer and basketball. I never dropped the weight. I was so big during elementary school, I couldn't fit into a size 52 pants, and my elementary school days (specifically grades 3-6) I had to wear sweat pants and sweat shirts, that how overweight I was. As I grew up, though, through middle school and high school, I was able to fit into pants and t-shirts, though I never wore smaller than a 42 waist. Post-high school, I managed to lose about 30 pounds during summer by walking 6 miles round trip to my local mall and play Dance Dance Revolution all day. After a while, I moved closer to the mall (litterally 2 blocks away), so I stopped walking, and then I got a car, and virtually stopped walking and playing Dance Dance Revolution altogether. I didn't watch what I ate, and that was a tri-fecta of weight gain. I went from 250 to 380 pounds in a little over a year. I was wholly disgusted with myself, but never did anything active about it, until I started the process for the Lapband procedure.

I am or I was between 2 programs. The nutritionist I was seeing, on my last visit, tried to convince me the band was now working despite being unfilled and why would I want a revision?? I was slightly ticked since I have had weight gain, SEVERE reflux, dilatation and a slipped band. I was dumbstruck! Why would I change my mind now that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!!! If I have to go back to school myself, I will teach myself what I need to know nutritionally speaking.

I was thinking of when I weighed 169 pounds right before I had my daughter, although I was only 17 I remember being very firm and very athletic. I would deff describe my built as a large frame. I haven't been under 200 pounds in over 29 years so I have no clue what it even feels like. The closest I ever got down to was 259, I have to say I really felt good and comfortable even at that weight, even though it didn't last long before I would jump right back up to 300. This is my heaviest ever right now, i had gained 70 pounds in 9 months of 2011. I was soon diagnosed with having an underactive thyroid and I don't know if that amount of weight gain contributed to it. I think out of everything I learned with my ups and downs with the weight is how tiring it becomes, the feeling of being so uncomfortable has to be the worse. Moving, simple things like bending and just getting around is complicated at this weight.

It is not bulemia (which you know already is vomiting). It is closer to anorexia if anything (because you never actually ingest your food), but either way it is an unhealthy relationship with food. Taking this to an extreme is what makes it an eating disorder. If you want the flavor but are so adverse to the calories that you would rather spit out your food (hence your nutrients) it is bound to cause a problem eventually. Below I have listed the diagnostic criteria for an eating disorder from the DSM IV: Eating Disorder Diagnostic Criteria from DSM IV-TR 307.1 Anorexia Nervosa * Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height, for example, weight loss leading to maintenance of body weight less than 85% of that expected or failure to make expected weight gain during period of growth, leading to body weight less than 85% of that expected. * Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight. * Disturbance in the way one's body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape on self evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight. * In postmenarcheal females, amenorrhea, i.e., the absence of at least 3 consecutive menstrual cycles. A woman having periods only while on hormone medication (e.g. estrogen) still qualifies as having amenorrhea. Type Restricting Type: During the current episode of Anorexia Nervosa, the person has not regularly engaged in binge-eating or purging behavior (self-induced vomiting or misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas). Binge Eating/Purging Type: During the current episode of Anorexia Nervosa, the person has regularly engaged in binge-eating or purging behavior. 307.51 Bulimia Nervosa * Recurrent episodes of binge eating characterized by both 1. Eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat during a similar period of time and under similar circumstances. 2. A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode, (such as a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating). * Recurrent inappropriate compensatory behavior to prevent weight gain, such as selfinduced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, diuretics, enemas, or other medications, fasting, or excessive exercise. * The binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behavior both occur, on average, at least twice a week for 3 months. * Self evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and weight. * The disturbance does not occur exclusively during episodes of Anorexia Nervosa. Type Purging Type: During the current episode of Bulimia Nervosa, the person has regularly engaged in self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas. Nonpurging Type: During the current episode of Bulimia Nervosa, the person has used other inappropriate compensatory behavior but has not regularly engaged in selfinduced vomiting or misused laxatives, diuretics, or enemas. 307.50 Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified This diagnosis includes disorders of eating that do not meet the criteria for the above two eating disorder diagnoses. Examples include 1. For female patients, all of the criteria for Anorexia Nervosa are met except that the patient has regular menses. 2. All of the criteria for Anorexia Nervosa are met except that, despite significant weight loss, the patient's current weight is in the normal range. 3. All of the criteria for Bulimia Nervosa are met except that the binge eating and inappropriate compensatory mechanisms occur less than twice a week or for less than 3 months. 4. The patient has normal body weight and regularly uses inappropriate compensatory behavior after eating small amounts of food (e.g., self-induced vomiting after consuming two cookies). 5. The patient engages in repeatedly chewing and spitting out, but not swallowing, large amounts of food. 6. Binge-eating disorder: recurrent episodes of binge eating in the absence if regular inappropriate compensatory behavior characteristic of Bulimia Nervosa. So this would classify as something known as EDNOS (eating disorder not otherwise specified). I don't believe chewing gum and this have anything to do with one another from what I read above. The DSM IV references psychological requirements for EDNOS (which is where this disorder is placed) but both psychological and physical requirements for Anorexia and Bulemia.

So I'm pretty bummed right now. I got an unfil for plastic surgery may 1st, brachiplasty may 3rd. Since then I have gained 30 lbs!!!! Wtf! I realize I haven't been eating the healthiest but dang thats a lot of weight in 2 wks. I do have quite a bit of swelling still which accounts for some. I'm also not supposed to exercise for 3 wks minimum So I decided to check my eating habits & I'm going to adk my ps if I can @ least start walking or riding a recumbent bike a little. I was feeling super good prior to this... down 120 lbs in 13 months. I feel like a failure right now

The decision of whether or not to proceed with WLS needs to be carefully considered, because the lifestyle changes which are required are made for life. No one but you are able to process your motivations and priorities for your life but you. There have been 3 other times in my life when I lost significant amounts of weight; after 2 pregnancies (first time I lost 85 pounds, then I lost 65 pounds after my third son), and once after gaining weight with medication I was prescribed (lost 60 pounds). Between those 3 episodes, I was able to maintain a healthy weight of 130. About 10 years ago, it was medication again which caused the weight gain which stayed with me until having my WLS this past February. I had tried to loose the weight on my own, but being post menopause, my metabolism would not help me the way that it did when I was younger. What caused me to move forward with the surgery was finding out that my A1C levels had crossed the threshold of a diabetes diagnosis. I successfully lowered the A1C with diet and exercise, but then I was in a serious car accident, and could not be active except for physical therapy for 5 months. My insulin resistance was worse, and I knew that I would never be a compliant diabetic. The band provided the opportunity to regain some of the health that my excess weight was taking from me. The weight loss journey is not an easy one, but one which I strongly feel that most everyone is pleased with the results of their hard work. Loosing the excess weight while you are young, you should be able to avoid many of the health issues which present when you are older. IMHO, your mileage may vary. Good luck with your continuing deliberations!

Even if you lose under your personal goal, from what I have read of people 24-36 months post-op, there is sort of a "bounce-back" of weight gain--usually between 7-15 lbs. I don't mind being a little under goal because if it happens to me I will be right where I wanted to be in the first place. Being under goal by 13 lbs, I don't feel skinny; I feel slender. I'm 5'8". I stopped losing at 14 months post-op as I added in more food and higher-calorie Snacks. If you can't finish a snack, put it away for later. I often do. Also, I keep snacks in the car and my purse so that I can get in more calories when I am away from home without eating junk food.

haha...that is so funny. there are some days where I have no desire to eat at all, and my kids are like.....mom whats for dinner? the good part for me is that my kids are old enough to cook some things on their own. most of the times I manage to feed them just fine. the thing that is really hard for them to deal with is that I am not buying junk anymore. they are going through withdrawls. haha I used to spend about 600-800 a month on food for a family of 5....now I spend about 300! my grocery bill is definatly better now, but they are like.....we dont have anything good to eat. I say....um yeah there is tons of good stuff to eat, just none of the junk anymore. my husband has involuntarily lost 20 pounds since my surgery. lol he was not overweight at all btw, but now he is at the low end of healthy weight for his height. my kids are not losing any weight though...as a matter of fact my son has put on 30 pounds this year! he isnt fat, but i am always on him about how much he eats, and exercising because i dont want him to have the same problems with weight that I did. he is 13 now and going through puberty, and that is the only reason im not totally freaking out about his weight gain. good luck in making sure your kid doesnt starve lol

I was banded on 12/21/2010. Since that time, I've lost about 30 pounds and I have 7cc in my band. In all honesty, I was doing well for a while but then began going back to my old eating habits. I am not trying to make excuses but during that time I was sexually assaulted and began to suffer from SEVERE anxiety and depression. I was focused on just surviving on a day-to-day basis. Weight loss wasn't my top priority. However, I didn't gain any weight despite my eating habits. In fact, I lost a little bit of weight and I have generally held steady since my last fill. I feel some restriction (very little) but I can continue to eat what I want in somewhat smaller portions (but definitely not a 1/2 cup). I guess what I'm wondering: 1.) Did I stretch out my band/damage my band? I realize only a doctor can diagnose that, but wouldn't I have gained weight if that were the case? Would I feel anything different? What are the symptoms of lap band damage/slippage? Yes, I can eat more, but aside from that, no weight gain or side effects have taken place. 2.) If you fell off the wagon, how did you get back on track? How was it going back to the surgeon? 3.) If someone slips/damages their lap band, what is the treatment? Would I need to get the band removed? Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated. I want to get back on track but I'm a bit scared.

Oh my gosh...I am so glad you posted this...I was banded on 4/26 and I have also gained like 6 pounds. I have been on mushies this week...and that really isn't the heathiest I've discovered...but on Wed I start on real food and I am terrified that this weight gain will continue as I will be consuming more calories. My first fill is on 5/24--which I am very anxious and nervous about. Thanks for letting me know that I am not alone is this gain...I have a feeling the fill will be great...but until then.....?

Hi - Glad I jumped on here and read all your posts. I have not had the expected success with my lapband I thought I would. I too have a sweet tooth and get so tired of vomiting up other stuff. My nutritionalist & psychologists are now discussing revision surgery for me. I lost 30lbs on my presurgical diet starting at 230lbs, surgery day 6/29/11 I was 199lbs. I got down to 170lbs by 10/11 and have struggled with vomiting and weight gain ever since. I have gone back up to as much as 192lbs - which would really mean 7lbs post surgery. That is awful! I have not been able to get down past 185lbs. My asthma has improved but lately with the vomiting I feel like I either aspirate liquid into my lungs or am having acid reflux. I did have a hiatal hernia repair at banding. That was painful! I went with the band thinking it would be less evasive than a bypass and am now really confused and disappaointed not to mention severly depressed and on anitdrpressants and anti anxiety meds along with asthma maintance meds. I am usually not able to tolerate chicken, tofu & eggs leaving few interesting proteins to choose from. I end up eating sweets cause they seem to stay down. I see my asthma doc on Wednesday and plan to discuss all this with him. I see my bariatric doc for my year post check up June 4. I am sorry you all are having problems to, it is helpful to know others are in similar situations though. Best wishes to you all on feeling better. I will keep in touch and am very interested in how you all are doing. Thank you for sharing.

Bert99, based on your own unfortunate experience I can see where you might take a jaundiced view of the whole Lapband thing, but jumping on poor Hummingbird who offered understanding, concern, and a logical suggestion was a bit harsh. And as for lap band surgery being the easy way out- well, I reckon you've discovered it isn't easy at all. We still have to take responsibility for what we eat and how we eat it. On the chance my own experience will help, I'll share it. If it doesn't help, ignore it. I am not paid by a surgeon to write nice things about the band and I am not in the "wonderful" phase of the band. It has taken me two years and three months to lose 84 pounds. I've had ups and downs and looong plateaus. It has not been easy. I don't expect it to be much easier in the future, but I have learned some things that help me through the rough Patches. My band invariably feels tight during the early part of the day. I struggle with this, some times more than others. This week has been a particular challenge because I long for the emotional comfort of freely eating whatever I want. Of course, eating for emotional comfort eventually packed a hundred extra pounds on me. If I insist on eating early in the day when my band is tight, the food will come right back up. If I eat too much, up comes the food. If I don't chew well enough, same thing. If I wait until I am relaxed, actually hungry (and not just wanting to eat), and then eat a controlled portion of easily chewable food- well, life is golden. Most of all I have to guard against overeating, which means something quite different back in the days before the band. Overeating now can mean two bites. I know that feeling of too much food in the pouch- it is miserable until it is gone, one way or the other. It is a pain to have to pass up invitations to lunch because I know I am not going to be able to eat, but I've discovered my friends and family are quite understanding about my dietary limitations. We go for walks instead or get together to sew or garden or ride the horses. It is a continuing pain in the neck to not chew well enough, overeat, eat when I'm not hungry and end up having to walk around to let the food settle or actually go get rid of it in worst case scenarios. Sometimes I am better off just going back on liquids for a day or two and letting my stomach relax. Easy way out? Not on your life. But I can live with it because it is working for me. If the band is too much of a problem for you, by all means have it removed. But the weight gain you report is not a side effect of the band; it is the result of too many calories. That's not going to change once the band is gone. Overeating is an eating disorder, just like bulemia and anorexia. Hummingbird's suggestion to find a counselor to help you deal with that particular eating disorder is a good one. Please don't discount it. Good luck to you.

Not banded yet June 20 my date I know how I was in the past before the weight gain so I can just imagine afterwards. A lot of people I know who got banded got pregnant less than a year after being banded

I have to agree with Dolly. I'm approaching my 4 year anniversary in the bandster club and what a journey it has been! We all have our ups and downs while trying to find our way. At first, my family felt so guilty for eating certain things in front of me because I couldn't eat them. Now, they know that I always come prepared with my own food. I never put myself in the position to be without appropriate foods/portions. You have to work at this as it definitely is not a solution to the behavior that put us in the position of needing gastric surgery. This is a tool to help us. I've struggled with the mindset required to lose weight. I think we all do. Surround yourself with supportive people, stop hibernating and get out and exercise and I guarantee you'll feel better! I've had multiple spinal surgeries, which has resulted in weight gain from time to time. I'm still working on my last 30 lbs and it's tough, but I know if I eat right and exercise I'll get there. I'm an Army brat, so this has been drilled into my brain for years - Adapt and Overcome!

Don't do the last suppers!!! My friend did and put on 18 pounds in two weeks. Her op was a few years before mine. And now if there is a weight gain between the first consult and surgery, they stop the surgery. This is the surgeries rules, as the want everyone to get on board mentally before the op. I agree best option is eat health and similar to want is expected afterwards, although your portion pre-op are going to be alot larger. I'm 5days post op my meals are 4teaspoons of soft mushy food.

Well, I got on the scales today and I am up 2 lbs! What is up with this? I've been steadily losing a lb. a day and now I'm up. Guess I'll have to work a little harder.

Hi BBJ- I'm came into this post late so I'll be brief. Marriage is too hard to go into it without the promise of great sex to smooth out the rough edges. You're worth toe curling big Os AND a best friend that treats you right (that means not holding your former size over you). But you're smart and have already figured this out. I wish you peace and strength as you work through this break up. They're never easy; even when you do it for all of the right reasons. He hurting and likely to lash out right now. Continue to follow your instincts. It sounds like they're dead on. Hugs- Amanda PS Hubs (even with a 50 lb weight gain) still makes my toes curl after 11 years. That's what you deserve. Hold out for it.

That is a load of horse puckey, he's full of crap. They should know to expect weight regain. I had a slipped band that was removed. I went from about 280 (at removal, up from a low of about 215) to just under 350 in 7 months. It is not realistic to expect no weightloss to occur when you're waiting on a revision. For one, your body is wired to want to gain weight, especially if your complication resulted in extreme restriction. For two, no matter how hard you try, it's going to be really easy to slip back into bad behaviors eventually -- just because you can. I started eating a Breakfast sandwich every morning even though I wasn't hungry, because the novelty of being able to eat breakfast was just so awesome... and then it became a behavior. Here's my take. Maybe you can use some of these points to reason with your surgeon. regardless of weight, being banded has given you some tools that should help with success with the sleeve: core behavioral changes, and understanding of what the whole WLS process is like; an idea of the mental road coming; an ability to find balance rather than short-term deprivation, etc. with nothing in place to restrict intake, how are you supposed to maintain weight? It is proven that when you stop losing, your body makes it much harder than normal not to gain. So you're in a more volatile gain period, and have nothing to help you (mechanically speaking). You lost weight because you had a band, so what's his rationale for it not being OK to gain when the band is gone? When my band came out, I gained almost 20 lbs in a week. But I still felt restriction, and I was not eating much more than before surgery. What I gained was not fat. It was weight. I'd been so fricking dehydrated that the Water weight just packed on. Most people who have their bands removed are fairly dehydrated because of it. You're going to gain some weight, and it's a healthy gain (not fat gain, weight gain - hydration in this case) Instead of seeing it "if you can't do it on your own, you can't do it with the sleeve" (which, if that ws true, no one here would be anywhere near goal because I can pretty much guarantee that everyone here tried to do it on their own, yet here we are...) he should be seeing it as "you're that much ahead of someone doing this for the first time, so let's get you some help and get you healthy."

I have PCOS, but I'm pre-op. I've been on depoprovera for a few years, and I love it. No period, and no mood swings. I can't say that it causes weight gain, because I've been around this weight since diagnosis in my early 20s... long before depo.

YES IT IS NORMAL! Don't get worried, many people experience slight weight gain after the transition because there is actually real food for the body to process/digest. I even remember reading that B52 (who is now at goal) gained some weight the first few months. Just watch your portion sizes and try to make the best choices possible.

Hey, I am pre-sleeve and an active lurker at times - but I just wanted to chime in... I was in a similar situation and hope that my posting helps. My ex, was my best friend - I met him when I was 15 and just had a baby (yes, I know). Even though he was 16 and not ready to be a father, we had a great friendship and he helped me with my son whenever he could. After 7 years of unsuccessful relationships, depression, and a 80lb weight gain - he asked me to give him a chance. We started dating and I loved it. My son already had a great relationship with him, this guy already knew everything about me and accepted my flaws, and I knew it was going to work out. Well, that was until we had sex- a YEAR later!!! It was awkward and I thought it was because he was like a brother to me for so long. We both figured that it would take time to adjust and dismissed it. Well, it didn't change. We were not sexually compatible at all! I decided to keep on and try cheating. Well, I did, and cried all the way home because he was a great guy and I didn't want to hurt him. I went alone to a sex therapist, asked successful wives for their bedroom secrets, toys, etc... It took me 5 years of efforts, cheating (didnt get caught), and regrets to finally move on. I moved away - from NY to GA and guess what? He followed me! Guess what else? We had awful make-up sex and I ended up pregnant!! Oh and guess what else? I accepted his proposal. Lastly, guess what? Nothing changed. I went through my pregnancy horrible because I was salivating at the site of another man. I left him again after my daughter was born (4 months away from the wedding date) and now we are cordial, but he is still hurting. I am too- because he treated me like a queen and I know it just can't work. I feel like I blew my blessing and that I was selfish. But I know I cannot go back and hurt him again despite the fact that my love life is empty and non-existant. Don't wait until November.. I know that is a lot of money, but stringing someone (especially someone in love) along for 6 months is devastating. Plus they may SNAP! Have you seen that show? ( Snapped?) Sorry for the length!

snacks are important to keep from over eating at meals. And it helps from spiking blood sugars that lead to weight gain. I am at 1200 calories a day and losing about one pound a week with 30 minutes exercise per day at least. Sometime it just that your body is losing inches too. I keep track of inches too.