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Hi ya'll. I had my lap band about 3 years ago. I lost 80 pounds and was doing great. Then I had severe pain and had to have my gall bladder removed (and 3 stones that were stuck in my liver removed). After that I have had steady weight GAIN. I am so frustrated! I started at 320lbs, got down to 240 and now am at 300 again. Anyone know what I can do to reverse this??? I also moved to West TN and had to see a new surgeon. There are no support groups, only 1 doctor an hour away. I really feel lost here.

Since being back on the blood pressure meds I dropped 5 pounds....jippeee,and the bounced back one pound.I've also been having an uncomfortable pain in my kidney area and tonight when I got on the scale at 23:00,yes I know I shouldnt do that at all ever, I am up another 1,5 pounds.Did the keto stick and my goodness,I am in deeeeeep purple ketosis for the first time ever in my life. A few things might be causing this.It is now up in the 100 degrees (and over) every day and very humid.I have been struggling a bit with the water intake but not too bad.So I might be dehydrated a little.However I dont look or feel it. Then it might be that I am high on proteins.I have found these nifty little chicken breasts (frozen with a lemon and herb sauce) and that has been my main food for the past 2 days.2 of them weighs 80 grams and I have 22g of protein and I have had 6 of them yesterday and today.Breakfast,lunch and supper.Add to that about 5g protein for milk in my tea and a little in the veggies (2 tiny pieces of broccoli and half of a very small yellow squash that comes from SA and is low cal and low carb) Say it was a total of 75g for the day.The carbs was about 50 as I had a teaspoonof hummus,milk and veggies and a SF popcicle as well. If the pain persist tomorrow I will phone the BP dr. However,I have realized that I will have to start exercising pronto.As in today.To be sure that I do the right things and to not drive myself crazy all the time second guessing weather I am doing the right things,am I eating to much (I know with my head this is not possible) but my emosions tells me differently. How I hate the way the scale freaks me out.the only way I know to control this is to back to dieting the way I know well.I didnt want to obsess with food tracking,low carbing but I will have to.I also believe I should now start making hay while the sun still shines and lose as fast as I possibly can,and believe me,I have put in no effort what so ever until today.It was just lovely for it to just happen but I cannot take this out of control feeling any longer. 1.I will start by just doing walk away the pounds or some dvd here at home.I will play squash twice a week. Next week I will start going to the gym. The thing is for the first time ever I am so self concious when at the gym.I just am not motivated to expose myself to all the thin people...lol.(and we have a ladies only gym at the club as well) So,this is me for today.Crazy,obessed over weight gain that is not real and petrified because I might fail. Tomorrow will be the positive,new me....lol I have read some of my friends blogs and it is all so upbeat and positive and it seems that I am the only one with this crazy roller coaster emotions...or I am just an external prosessor that talks about it.And maybe I have to start fake it until I make it and not express myself the way I do.Maybe I will pretend that everything is just perfect and maybe it will become just that. xxo

You should probably call your doctor or nutritionist, maybe they can give you more information or suggestions. The only thing I can think of is that you need an adjustment or that you are working out and gaining muscle which can cause weight gain or no change at all.

I had complications with my band and required two extra surgeries. Right after that I had to take a drug that caused weight gain for a good stretch. I got discouraged because nothing was working and just had it completely unfilled. I tried losing weight in all sorts of ways over the years, nothing worked, and I finally came around to the band again. It's working this time!

I had my band emptied about a month before my surgery. This was purely my choice as they did tell me that I didnt necessarily have to have the band emptied before I had the surgery. I simply wanted not to be uncomfortable for the time before my surgery. I also wanted to enjoy some things I knew I wouldnt be able to eat once I am sleeved like bagels and sandwiches. I have gained about 5lbs and am not to concerned about weight gain. Surgery is in 3.5 weeks.

weight gain is normal! it is fluid and swelling. i promise you'll see a loss soon. just keep sipping once that drainage tube comes out, you'll feel much better! take care!

First of all your tired from smoking pot. Secondly you can drink if you want but its just empty calories and no you dont get drunk quicker with the band because it goes right through to the bottom part of the stomach. Dont you think that smoking pot is the reason for your weight gain to begin with. If you want to smoke and drink whats the point. In answer to your question yes you can drink and smoke but really whats the point of having surgery.

I had surgery in 8/09, lost 50#, had my port flip and have gained back 45#. I didn't like how I got stuck on healthy foods. I got in the habit of adding sauces, gravy, etc.. to be able to eat healthy food. Then I started eating more junk food like ice cream, yogurt, cookies, even an donuts sometimes. Junk food doesn't get stuck. I have been debating for over a year whether to have my port reattached or just have the lapband removed. Also if I did have it fixed, where to have it fixed. I had my surgery in Mexico, my fill doctor is 100 miles away. I am thinking that I want to get it fixed here in my hometown by a doctor that will do my fills and also have a regular councilor/ psychologist on staff that could help me work thru my issues. Do any of your doctors have a councilor on staff for regular sessions to help work thru issues? Thank you for any advice MaggieGT

No amount of restriction will help you choose the right food or stop 'cheating' by drinking while eating to get the food down. You dont mention exercise at all, the weight will not come off if u arent doing some. Yes there are a lucky few who dont need to exercise to lose weight but given your weight gain it doesnt sound unfortunately that u are one of those, so u need to start burning some calories. How many calories a day are u eating ? If u dont put a stop to this now u will continue to gain weight and could be facing some complications from the band as fatty deposits build up around your stomach, Seriously putting on a lot of weight with a band around your stomach is not a good idea. No weight loss surgery will make the right choices food wise for you so you need to start making them for yourself. Dont buy the food that you know is putting on weight, personally i would weigh yourself everyday, keep a food journal, drink your water and eat your protein and dont eat anything that doesnt say 0% fat or 0 sugar or low carbs. If you put on a lbs overnight then u know u need to reduce what u weat and move more the next day. I had a lot of weight to lose too and only by closely monitoring my weight, food and exercise did i manage to lose it all .. make it your mission in life to get healthy and start getting a life again, you have had your moments with food, now its time to get the hard work going... good luck and please ask if theres anything we can help you with

I got the lap band in 2006. I had a hematoma develop over the port site soon after surgery. Once that resolved, I got another hematoma over the port site. My doctor said my port was infected. I had a surgery to remove it, and later, a surgery to replace it. That's three lap band surgeries. At the same time, I had just started my first real job. I had a lot of responsibility and had to work with some VERY difficult personalities. I had to take Zyprexa to handle my growing anxiety about being at work. Zyprexa causes weight gain and increases risk of early onset of Type 2 Diabetes. I was very discouraged at this point and lost all confidence in the band. I had it completely unfilled. Six years later, I've tried several interesting diets and lost no weight. Giving up hope again, I remembered I still have a lap band! I've had three fills since mid-January and have lost 36 pounds. I like the amount of restriction I have, but it's been a problem the past two days when it comes to morning pill taking time. I think I need to change from cold lattes to hot lattes. I just don't think I like hot soy milk. I will find out tomorrow. I thought I would have to give up my vegan lifestyle, and started out with meat to meet that all important Protein requirement, but I've found it's easy to be vegan on the band. Soy milk for Breakfast, chickpeas and tabbouleh for lunch, and homemade bean chili with TVP for dinner, or something from Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Quinoa is a complete protein and is very filling even in small portions. I've found I've forgotten all the rules. I read Band Wagon and got a lot of answers. It's been a slow process getting back on board but I think I get better ideas every day. The last two days I had significant trouble with my morning pills. It felt like they just sat in my stomach all day and made me feel vomiting. Two days with headache, too. Must stop writing. Can't keep my eyes open

I lost 130 pounds on my own back in 1996...went from 254 to 124 and stayed there for ten + years. Started the weight gain back in 2009. I know I needed help this time. LAst time I did 800-1000 calories a day, did not watch Protein intake...but then again did not have surgery... I was only on a Protein shake pre op for 3 days..then surgery.... i want to get the protein in, I am going to say that l need to get more protein, but the shakes for me are hard to take... One day at a time... I have found other protein sources of course, but have to wait till i can eat them..

"Kayte"....some people say that you can't really get too much protein, but I would have to disagree. It is true that it takes your body more effort/energy (calories) to break down protein, but protein is still calories and doesn't have negative calories, and can eventually lead to weight gain in my opinion if consuming too many. Especially if you are getting plenty of protein from solid foods, then chugging 4-5 Protein shakes a day in addition to the solid protein. Eventually your body is going to get more protein than it can use and at some point (since they are calories), they will be stored as fat if you have too many. I think for us, it would be fairly difficult for us to get that many grams every day without drinking a ton of them. How many grams each individual needs varies and depends on factors such as overall body mass and it's composition (muscle), one's age, activity level, etc. I know for me, I don't go with the "1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day" theory like a lot of the other gym rats I lift with. I can't imagine consuming 240+ grams of protein, especially now. I don't care how lean that protein is, that's still a lot of calories. However, I probably do get in a lot more than most people on this message board. I'm guessing I get on average of 100-125 grams of proetin now. I lift weights very heavily and at a very high intensity and there is a lot of muscle broken down during my workouts, so they need the extra protein to repair and rebuild. But if I didn't lift weights or do much cardio, I would probably only shoot for around 60 grams of protein a day. But that's just my opinion as I know what works for me. Kayte, I would discuss this with your nutritionist as I'm sure he/she has a pretty good idea of your situation and needs. http://www.livestron...ou-gain-weight/

I had gastric bypass 8 years ago when my first daughter was two and i dont regret it in any way. My heath has improved and my life. I have the energy to keep up with my kids. I now live my life insted of never wanting to go out . Also i use to have depression but for some reason looseing the weight has resolved that issue. Prior to surgery i weighed 270 ils and now i am 148 ils. 3 years ago ihad my second child and was so scared of the weight gain and if the baby would get enough nutrients to grow but she is fine and the weight came off. I am not gona lie the first year was the hardest with the life style changes but if you have the surgery to become healthyer you will see it is all worth it.

Dear All; I'm soooo sad! Today I saw my surgeon to review the last details pre-surgery and he said that he changed his mind, because my BMI is too low now and he thinks that I could manage keep doing my diet in order to avoid the VSG at all !!!! I can't believe that my "reward" for loosing weight all these months would end in this! Yes, I'm a few pounds lighter now, but without VSG I'd not be able to broken my vicious cycle of loosing weight-gaining weight. I began with 37,5 BMI in December and the surgeon proposed to loose some weight for preparing myself for the sleeve, but now he says that I'm too healthy (I have no illnesses) and that I shouldn't risk myself with this. By the way, I was going to pay this by myself, so, he is loosing US 10000! I realy don't understand why he refused now (1 week before the surgery!!!) I am so sad and confused that I'm sure I made a zillion mistakes writing all this thoughts and feelings here.... I apologize again for my awful English and thank you all for reading... P.

First, take a deep breath. It's going to be OK!!! It is not at all unusual to gain weight once you begin to transition off liquids and onto mushies and solids. Generally these foods have more calories, plus I know that once I was allowed something other than liquids, my appetite came back with a vengeance, so I just wanted to eat more. You should almost expect to gain some weight between surgery and starting to get fills, because your band is not yet operational!!! This is very important to remember. The band is designed not to work with liquids and mushies, but to work with SOLID foods like chicken or other meats, vegetables, etc. Liquids and mushies rush right through the band so it can't do much to control those portions. It CAN control portions of solid foods because they take longer to pass through the band and spend time sitting in the pouch, thereby creating the feeling of fullness. Right now, your band isn't working, it's just settling in and your body is still healing. Once you're healed and your doctor begins adding saline to your band to tighten it far enough to give you restriction, that's when you can expect to really see weight loss. That's why this period (between surgery and fill restriction) is called Bandster Hell. It's a struggle. Trust me. Now, if you're really freaked out about the gain, there are a few things you can do. First, make sure you're obeying all your doctor's/nutritionist's instructions, but if you've got that covered you can and should also be tracking your calories (I use MyFitnessPal and I LOVE it). Your nutritionist may have given you guidelines for how man y calories to eat, but if not, most women do fairly well eating somewhere between 800-1200 calories per day. Keeping in that range might require you to chose alternative foods (fat free cheese, a baked potato mashed with skim milk as opposed to mashed potatoes with butter and cream, low-calorie cream soups, for example). Also, definitely make sure you're drinking enough Water for many reasons: it can help curb hunger, thirst is sometimes mistaken for hunger, it aids healing and helps your metabolism work more efficiently, and more. If you control your calories and drink plenty of water, you should be able to control weight gain until you have restriction, but I won't lie that it will be easy. Remember, it's Bandster Hell. But I think the most important thing to remember is that it's NORMAL to not lose or to even gain weight at this stage. Once you're healed, on solid foods, and have enough fill to restrict your eating, the weight WILL start to come off. Good luck!

It's April 26, 2012. In 18 days, my life will change forever, and I can't wait! Let me start by telling you about myself. (Apologies if this is long-winded, but I think it will give a more rounded picture of how I ended up here!) I am 42 years old. I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with my husband (my soulmate...I waited until 40 to marry, and he's my forever love!), and our 2 cats, Rosie and Maize. I was born October 20, 1969, a very very small (1.9 lbs!) and 8 weeks premature. My mother has smoked during her pregnancy and I think it impacted my growth. Back in those days, they didn't have neonatal intensive care units and ventilators etc. for preemies. I was just lucky to survive! Believe it or not, I think that is where my problems with my weight began! I used to drink 2 or 3 times the amount of formula my mother's Obstetrician has prescribed for me. It was as if my tiny little body was demanding more and more food to make up for the lack of size and development during the pregnancy! During my early childhood, I was actually average size and played a lot of sports. But food was starting to be more and more of a focus. I would have eating contests with my Dad. Food was a reward when something good happened, and a comfort when something bad happened. By the time I was 12, I was universally known as "chubby" amongst my family, friends, schoolmates. Despite all this, I continued to play many sports, and excel in all of them! High school brought fresh pain and more weight. I was shunned by the boys (more of a tomboy anyways, they saw me as "one of the guys"). Girls didn't want to be associated with me...I wasn't the right "clique" material. The only thing that made high school bearable was sports (I was both admired and mocked for my athleticism....a weird combination!) and music. I was captain of almost every team I played on (volleyball, softball, soccer, field hockey), but when we went to "away" games, I would hear people in the crowd openly call me names and laugh at me. It was very painful and even if we won and I was the star of the game, I would invariably end of crying on the way home. What would make me feel better? Food! McDonalds, Dairy Queen.....the more calories, the better! Of course, I went though ups and downs. I would try a diet, find some success, lose some weight.....then invariably, gain it all back plus. In my Junior year, a group of my friends and teachers I was very close with chipped in to buy me a birthday gift. Looking back now, it was incredibly generous, kindhearted and really demonstrated how much they loved me. But at the time, I was mortified (though I put on a brave face). They had bought me 10 sessions with a Nutritionist, so I could lose weight. OMG! Even the people I loved thought I was unacceptable the way I was. It put me in a depression and left an indelible mark on my psyche for a long time. I went to the sessions and tried to lose weight and keep it off. Of course, I failed (I didn't really want to succeed and prove them right, unconsciously of course). In the end, I graduated and went on to University and then the real floodgates of weight gain started. I was 198 lbs when I started University. I couldn't afford to go to school without a full time job (at the same time!) so I gave up competitive sports (I had enough talent to make Varsity....but no time to dedicate to it!). I was working full time hours from 4 pm to midnight most weekdays, and every other weekend. No time for regular meals (I would sleep late, skip Breakfast, grab a lunch to go that I could eat in class, then rush off to work). Often eating dinner from the vending machine at work, or grabbing fast good on quick 15 min breaks. My freshman "15" was more like "50". I continued my education after University, and became a Respiratory Therapist, but developed an anaphylactic allergy to latex. At the time, this was still quite rare, and most hospital equipment, etc. was still made using latex (especially gloves!). I had to quit my profession before it even really began! Backup plan was to turn to something I already loved as a hobby. Computers. The internet was starting to really grow (1997) and I taught myself HTML and online design/publishing. The rest (as they say) is history. I am now an E-Communications Analyst with our Provincial Government (yes, a public servant!). Needless to say, this is a very sedentary job. It's contributed to my weight gain. I've gone through numerous diets and was very successful in 2006 (lost 100 lbs!) with a strict 1200 calorie diet and ALOT of exercise. In 2007 my brother (who lived on the West Coast, on Vancouver Island) was getting very ill. He had been diagnosed with Brain Cancer 6 years earlier and was really a miracle case to still be alive! His health was deteriorating and I flew out to help him set up homecare and prepare for when he would need hospice. The stress was intense, and I started to regain my weight. Later in 2007, my mother unexpectedly passed away. She simply went to bed one night and never woke up! At 73, it was very very unexpected and I was suddenly thrust into caring for my father (79 yrs old at the time) who had many health problems and dementia. 5 months later, my brother passed away. The stress of all of this loss, sudden responsibility (caring for Dad, executor for Mom and my brother's estates, etc.) sent me over the edge. I regained most of the weight that I had lost. I did manage to lose 35 lbs for my wedding in Sept. 2010, but it has crept back on and I am now at 318 lbs and miserable. My asthma gets worse with each additional pound (when I lost the 100 lbs, I went off ALL my asthma meds and I was exercising like a fiend with no shortness of breath!). I am desperate to get back to a weight where I can exercise without feeling like I'm going to die from fatigue or lack of oxygen! I'm getting my VSG on May 14, 2012 from Dr. Ramos Kelly in Tijuana, Mexico. It's self-pay and it's the best money I'll even spend on anything (especially myself!). I am psyched!

This is me exactly and the whole reason I am getting the band is for that extra little support to keep me on track when I want to fall off. When I am on track, I am on track! But then i fall off and it takes me awhile to get back, so I lose weight, gain weight, lose weight, gain weight. I have lost 32 pounds of my 104 Im trying to lose. The motivation comes from the fact that I was doing the pre op diet. Im excited about doing this, so that was motivation. Like you, short term goals are great for me. My goal is another 8 pounds before surgery. I lose weight very quickly, but gain it just as fast, so I have to be careful. Good luck to you! May bandsters UNITE!!

Janet... I had a 6 pound weight gain after surgery. Don't fret. It took me almost 6 days to see a drop on the scale at home. If your bowels are not moving, that can have an impact. Also all those fluids in the hospital really did a number on me. As soon as I was able to drink more water and get in some proper nutrition, things really improved. I was 314 day of surgery. Two days post op on hospital scale I was 320!!! Today, I am 307. Take heart, it will get better. I am living proof. I thought what the heck...only I can go for WLS and GAIN weight!!!! Hang in there. You will do fine and sorry about the bruising. I still hurt too and bending over really gives me pain. We are going to make it. I know we will. Cyber hug to you.

Absolutely they can! Be very careful not to gain weight for that reason. If you do end up gaining weight be sure to wear lightweight clothing and weigh without shoes when you weigh in at your Nutritionist appoinment. If you have gained weight while on your menstrual cycle be sure your nutritionist puts that in the notes as the reason for possible weight gain. I had gained 2 or 3 pounds and my NUT made sure to notate that because she said that insurance companies are using weight gain as reason for denying or at least forcing you to delay your surgery.

So day 6 I was rather happy with the results on the scales down 5kg or 10.5lbs, and by day 8 down 7 kg (15lbs). However since day 8 I have been constantly hungry, and the more I drink the hungrier i get. As I am only on fluids it does not help. Day 10 and weight gain about 1kg (0.5lbs). How can this be with my intake being less than 800 cal a day. How can i get rid of this hunger while only on fluids. Its really discouraging as cals down but weight not doing anything I did not think I would plateu this soon into the journey. Does anyone have any ideas how to overcome this hunery and help with the weight loss. Up for any ideas at this stage.

The story you are about to read may be hard to believe. It is the kind of story that would occasionally make it into my email inbox, and I would scan it briefly before clicking delete and muttering about how this kind of junk gets past my spam filter. If it hadn't happened to me, I wouldn't believe it. But it did happen to me, and I pray that you read this and consider what it says. A few weeks ago, I was watching my favorite Christian television station. The show was a talk show-type discussion about hormones. I almost changed the channel, but something (Someone) made me stop and listen. The woman on the show was named Dr. Barbara Hoffman, and she was talking about her line of bio-identical progesterone creams. They discussed how progesterone balanced estrogen, and how it was very important to choose bio-identical over synthetic. Synthetic progesterone can do all kinds of awful things in the body, because the body just doesn't always know what to deal with it. This includes birth control pills and shots. I began to think back over the past few years, about how my health began a downward spiral after I had my son. Then it occurred to me that it was after I had him that I started on the depo-provera shot. I started to research progesterone, and came across all kinds of literature that talked about how progesterone deficiency can cause all kinds of problems, including some that were hauntingly familiar: fatigue, weight gain, mental fuzziness, painful periods, cravings for carbs and sweets, and body pain, to name a few. And on other pages, I read that depo-provera will cause the body to stop producing its own progesterone, since it is a synthetic form of the hormone and causes the body to think it has enough. After about a week of research, I decided to go ahead and order the cream that I had seen on tv (Better Heath Naturally ProHelp Moisture Treatment Cream). I figured that I would try it out, and if it made me feel bad I would stop, but hopefully it would help me with some of my fibromyalgia symptoms. When the cream arrived, I went ahead and put it on as per the directions on the container. That day, I didn't feel any different. The next day, I used the cream again, once in the morning, once in the evening, as the directions suggest. I thought I could notice a little bit of a difference, but brushed it off as being psychological. The third day, I woke up, went downstairs, and started making breakfast for my son before I realized that my body didn't hurt. At all. I went through the day without saying anything, because I again thought this must be a psychological thing, or I was just having a good day, or something like that. But my boyfriend noticed that I was much happier and seemed to be in less pain than normal. And after a few days, I had to say something. I had almost no pain. I was able to play with my son for the first time without hurting. I had tons of energy, and I just felt good. It just felt so good to feel good again. Then I noticed that I was starting to go longer between meals without being so hungry. While before I was counting the minutes until the next meal, now I could go for hours past "meal time" and not even notice. But what really got me was when I passed up chocolate. My son brought home some Easter candy, and was trying to feed it to me, but it just didn't sound appetizing. When it hit me that I had just passed up chocolate, I had to run and tell everybody I knew about this stuff. I have gone about a week now with no cravings at all. When I eat, I actually feel full before I am done, and it has helped me cut down on some of the high-processed carbs that are so bad for me. I sleep better at night, even though I have stopped taking my sleeping medication. Plus, I am cutting down on the meds that were previously keeping the pain in check, and am still feeling great. I feel happier, and my son loves being able to play with me without being afraid of hurting me. The scale has been going down steadily, but I have noticed that my body seems to be changing a lot more than it was. However, I'm confident that it will start going quicker soon, since I am more active and eating less. I know that no single thing is a "magic bullet" for everyone, but I just had to tell you all about how this cream has helped me. I am including a link below to the site where I bought it, and also the site of the manufacturer where you can read a little more about it. If you are considering trying this, please do some research first. Some women do fantastic on this stuff, but some don't. But if you are one of the ones that are helped by it, then it is so worth it. http://shop.daystar.com/ http://www.bhnformulas.com/

I recently got out of an outpatient surgery by Dr. Duckett from Northwest Ohio Surgery Specialists to repair my lapband. I was originally banded on September 2006. Over time; I lost quite a bit of weight- but during the last year; I noticed a sudden to gradual loss of restriction in my band. I found Dr. Duckett of Maumee and made an appointment with him after noticing some weight gain. I told him that I felt that I had gradually lost the restriction in the device. He checked the device and discovered that I was correct under the scope. The band had leaked at the port location and throughout. I have two incisions currently. The first is where my port is located under the left breast- the second is through my belly button. After having the tool for six years; I am glad to get a fresh start and start the journey for a second time. I plan on using this to my convenience to lose weight before my first pregnancy and to lose the weight after I deliver

stop looking at the scale for the next week at the very least. you shouldn't be weighing at all the first month. your body has had a shock and it will just go up and down. you will settle in eventually and the weight will come off. really, lock the scale up and have someone hide the key until you are out of the mushy phase and onto solid foods. this weight gain is totally normal.

Hgor, I haven't hit a stall, but I bounce like Tigger. Every time I lose, I bounce up a pound, stay there for a day or three, then drop. Then bounce. Then fall. It's been like that for the last 2 months. Zeus and Cathy are right. In the past, weight gain was usually our fault. With the sleeve, the body is trying to "balance" itself. Just keep doing what your doc tells you, and all will be well. Sounds to me like you are doing great. (I don't ever get enough water )