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I really believe it is a multi-layered issue - I know that I am much better to able to control my own, as well as my family's weight gain and moods by eliminating processed carbs and sugar from the house. I read a great book last year about these issues called The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite - by David Kessler, former head of the FDA. http://www.amazon.com/The-End-Overeating-Insatiable-American/dp/1605297852 He himself wanted to lose a few lbs and found it quite challenging, as a scientist he started to do research as to why humans have been roughly the same body composition since the beginning of time (with considerations for improved hygiene, advances in medicine etc.) and why in the 1980's obesity numbers began to skyrocket. He talks about how the combination of sugar and fat is one that does not exist in nature - two substances that we are genetically hardwired to want to consume in quantity when available - our biology has not had time to catch up with our industry in nutshell. Lab rats consume 'rat chow' as their main form of nutrition, when scientists started to feed them layered combinations of fat, sugar, salt (as restaurants such as Cheesecake Factory, Red Robin, and the like do.) these rats no longer would eat their nutritious yet bland rat chow - their dopamine centers lit up like a Christmas tree, setting up a cycle of addiction - so much so that these rats would cross electrified floors that would almost kill them to get to the bad stuff. These substances do the same things to us. It is a good read. One thing that the nutritionist at my surgeon's office said is that there are no essential carbohydrates - our bodies will make what we need from Protein and fats. I have noticed that when I drop the carbs down to 20g or less a day - which is akin to Atkin's induction levels and my pre-surgical recommendation - I am always satisfied with very little and do not have hunger cravings like I do when I consumed carbs, sugar, caffeine, and diet soda.

first off i want to say i know this is similiar to the thread "the "voice" is back". i didnt know if i should post this there or start my own, so i started my own just in case. i have another fill scheduled, but its not for a couple weeks. i am just out of control. i cant stop snacking. i tell myself stop! no more. and i throw whatever it is away. but then, shortly after i find something else in my hand on its way to my mouth! it is driving me nuts. i feel hungry all the time, even though i know i am not. i had a hysterectomy in october. i am now on replacement hormones. would/could these be having an effect? i am also on an antidepressant. it used to be if i forgot to take it i could tell because i would want to eat everything in sight. maybe it needs adjusted now too? this is all so frustrating and upsetting. i was a slow loser, but at least i was a loser. now i am a fast gainer. and its making me more upset and frustrated which in turn makes me want to eat more...its a bad cycle i have fallen back into. and on top of that my back is killing me again. is that from the regain too? i dont know! but i know by the time i get home from work i can barely move some nights. and then its take care of the kids-dinner, boxing practice, baths-i just have no energy. i collapse on the couch when i get the baby into bed! my house is a mess, i am not cleaning like i should. i barely exercise anymore. and i know all this is part of if not the problem with my weight gain. but what do i do? instead of getting up and doing something i sit and whine. i have an appt for the regular doctor this thursday to see about adjusting my meds. i hope that will help. anyone with any advice please please respond. even if its a kick in the butt, i need that too!

Today Tell Newyear's Day The Average Person Will Gain 7pound's Of Weight. Due To Over Eating And,( Also Liquid Calorie's ) Add Up Fast. Putting Off, There Daily Walk. I,will Do It Tomorrow. Mine Is Over Eating Candy! That Is My Down Fall! I'allow My Self To Eat Some What Of Junk Food One Day,a Few More Hundred Calorie' Intake That Day Then Fight The Calorie's The Rest Of The Week! I Hope Every One Out There In Band Land Will Have A Safe And Loving Time With Your Family's And Friend's Over Christmass!!! And Also Remember To Think About All Your Choice's Of Food,however If You Been Fitting A Few Pound's For A While Now Is Not The Time To Let Your Self Go With Eating As You May End Up Fighting For Another Month.weight Loss. Well Good Luck Most Of All God Bless You All! Have A Safe Hoilday! And No Drinking And Driving "i Want To See You All Here Back After Christmass.johnq

So one week out. Going back to work tonight. Have to do a couple weeks of GRAVEYARD yuck!! I feel fine. I have hypothyroidism. I am hungry all the time though. I have to admit I cheated a little and had some cottage cheese and mashed potatoes. I'm supposed to wait another week but the liquids aren't cutting it. No pain really. A slight bubbly feeling sometimes that feels like I have a leak or something but proBably just internal rumblings cause I'm not sick no fever etc. I'm a police dispatcher so no physical hard work. I'm more in pain about working graveyard then over my surgery. Well thanks everyone for being so candid on here. It helps me allot to see I'm where I need to be and what's ahead. I had lost 100lbs naturally 6 years ago. Kept if off for 5 years had $30,000 worth of tummy tucks boob job face lift then gained it all back from emotional eating. I don't want to fight this fight anymore. I hope this is the end if my battle and that the weight gain didn't completely ruin all this plastic surgery I already did.

I lost 103 pounds after the first five months after surgery and hit goal of 140 pounds lost at 7.5 months post op. While this may seem fast, it was originally what I set out to do from the beginning. There was willpower involved, of course, and I never ate unless I was hungry. My eating plan was under the supervision of my doctor and I stuck strictly to the rules 99% of the time. Nobody informed me that problems could occur when losing weight at this rate. I had heard others mention that you get more loose skin when losing this quickly, but I don't believe that to be true. Most post ops develop loose skin no matter what rate they lose and the body adjusts once you his maintenance. So, it all evens out over time. My issue with this rate of weight loss is what it does to your hormones. I'm beginning to go through menopause at age 38. The hot flashes and skin blotches are nothing compared to the mood swings. The medication available to help correct the issue is full of side effects, with the number one being WEIGHT GAIN. I've pretty much decided against it. I just wish that I was made aware that this could happen so that I could've been proactive. I want to hear from others that have lost this quickly and their experience.

My surgeon says that there can be some "stretching" but mostly there is an increase in the opening from the stomach to the intestines allowing food to pass through quickly. He claims most weight gain is because people learn to eat around their stomachs by consuming liquids and sliders.

Hello everyone, So this is my first post here and here is my story… I am 29 years and I will hit the dreaded 30 next month. Not that I think 30 is old, I just can't believe that I am gonna be thirty and after all these years I have not be able to successfully manage my weight. Right now my scale is tipping at about 250. I haven't always been this fat. I would say that back in my high school days I was a little chubby. The last lowest weight I can last remember was 165 lbs in 2001. So I have gained 85 lbs in 8 years…wow. I have been happily married to my high school sweet heart for 6 years now and he is absolutely wonderful to me. He loves me as I am, no matter what. We have a awesome 18 month old son, who is the center of our universe. I was diagnosed with a under active thyroid (hypothyroid) when I was 16 years old. Both my mother and grandmother were also hypothyroid and overweight as well, so my all of issues are definitely built into my genetic make up. But I will admit that I have contributed to my 85lb weight gain by eating improperly and being lazy. We moved away from our family and friends right after we got married, so I have spent the last six years some what isolated from our loved ones. We happily spend every weekend lazy, in love and alone on our sofa. Fortunately my husband has been blessed with a amazing metabolism, and he is the same 160 lbs that he weighed on the day we got married. Now I will admit that I do have a food problem. But I am not a emotional eater. I actually lose my appetite when I am really upset. I am a 'bored' and 'lonely' eater. I snack when my husband isn't around. And I have no shame when it comes to making poor food choices…buffalo chicken, cheese burger, fries, pizza, chinese food…none of them any good. I have tried to lose weight in the past but always became easily discouraged and distracted when I didn't see any immediate results. I have always simply blamed my failed thyroid for holding me back. Although I know that is not 100% true. My life style certainly contributes. I saw a new endocrinologist a few years back and asked him if he had any insight on how I can approach weight loss while living with hypothyroidism. I mean, obviously he has seen plenty of patients with my condition…he must know someone who has had success. I just wanted him to share their secret with me. Should I give weight watchers another try…should I try jenny craig…should I see a nutritionist…can he give me a magic pill?!?!?! And then he gave me the old diet and exercise talk…as if I was stupid and never heard of it before. Ugh, whatever…thanks for nothing! I then decided to start seeing a new endocrinologist just because his office was closer to work and it was convenient. I asked him if he knew what the secret to weight loss was. Now before I tell you what he told me, I want to paint this visual for you. My endo is a 5 ft tall chinese man. He is straight from china and I really have to focus when he talks so I can understand his words clearly through his accent. He speaks very abrubtly and to the point. So when I told him that I don't believe I eat a lot but I just wanted know what he thinks I need to do, he told me…"it doesn't matter what you eat, just eat half! If the only thing you eat all day is a peanut, then only eat HALF a peanut the next day!" What?!?! As if that was even possible. I felt defeated again. But he actually seemed to take more interest in the health of my thyroid. He gave attention to a 2 cm nodule that my last endo identified and did nothing with. My new endo conducted ultra sounds and a biopsy. The biopsy results revealed that my nodule is non-cancerous but it was also not begin. My nodule cells are just irregular. They could remain irregular for the rest of my life or there is also the potential that they can become cancer at some point. Thyroid cancer is very, very slow growing. Regardless of what they are or would be, the option of having surgery to remove that part of my thyroid was completely in my hands. I could chose to monitor to the grow or I could choose to cut it out. So this is the part of my story that brings me here today...the whole idea of any type of surgery scares me. I don't want to be put to sleep and I know it is vain but don't want the scar on my neck. But I know that I want to live the rest of my life free and clear of the potential of cancer. My thyroid is sick to begin with and hasn't been working probably since I was 16 years old. I already take 224 mcg of synthetic thyroid replacement medication. I came to the conclusion that my thyroid is useless and they may as well remove the whole thing. My total thyroidectomy is scheduled for Feb 3rd. So I have been thinking about my endo's "half a peanut" theory and began to seriously consider lap band surgery. My mom has gastric bypass surgery a few years back and it has given her a new life. She has no regrets other than not doing it sooner. I want to live the next 30 years of my life differently from the way that I currently do. I want to run and play with my son. I want to look good standing next to my hubby. This posting is long enough, I am sure I don't need tell you guys everything that I want because I am sure they are same things that you want from life. So spoke to my husband, my mom and friend and I think I feel good about pursuing this. I am going to attend a Introductory Bariatric Meeting on 2/13. I know that this isn't the going to be the final resolution I was searching for. It is not a magic pill. But I believe that it a tool that will put me in the rigth direction. Thanks for your time!

I unfortuately had to have my band removed in Dec due to erosion..almost died in the process, because I only weighed about 93 lbs...anywho I have gained almost all of my weight back and now the insurance company will not pay for a reband...I don't meet the criteria because my BMI is 32!!! Seriously...so I have to gain all of my weight back to be qualified? I am sooooo depressed right now...I hate going out, I hate seeing ppl I knew when I was thin, I really really hate myself...I look in the mirror and I see the huge fat girl again...that i thought I left behind 2 years ago...So I really hate insurance companies!! WHY...I am supposed to go home and see my family and I am so ashamed of the weight gain...I dont want to go! HELP ME

I wouldn't worry to much.. I was 39. Something and thought oh crap and gained a few pounds... They approved my at my original weight! Gained for nothing and had an extra 7 pounds to deal with 0_o

A few years ago I was diagnosed with something called Polycystic ovarian syndrome. It is actually a very common problem amongst overweight women. It causes irregular periods and small cysts in the ovaries. It is also linked with weight gain, diabetes, and heart disease. PCOS is one of the reasons why I finally decided to have weight loss surgery. There is not much awareness about it and although I had textbook symptoms since I was a teen. I was not diagnosed until my 30s. Anyway my point is talk to your Obgyn about your irregular periods. It's important to get your hormones under control.

Was wondering if any of you have been pregnant since the band. My husband wants to have another baby of course I am going to wait longer but we r thinking of trying come fall... How was pregnancy, eating, and weight gain???

In April/2008, I had surgery for the lapband. I had nothing but pain and trouble with the location of the port. My doctor, at that time, and his staff refused to listen to me. They kept telling me that the pain would subside and the band and port would settle into my body and be fine. The pain was so intense that I was on an rx for pain. In August/2008, I ended up having a second surgery to correct the position of the port because it had flipped. After that surgery, I continued to have pain, at the port site and where the band was placed. My dr, again, denied that anything was wrong and just gave me pain meds. I went to another doctor, for a second opinion. His diagnosis, the port had flipped again and the band was possibly positioned incorrectly or something totally unrelated was going on. So from August/2008 until the end of April/2009, I ended up seeing not only seeing my original surgeon, the 2nd opinion doctor and yet a 3rd bariatric doctor. I ended up going to the emergency room several times. Then was hospitalized for almost a week to be monitored and tested , having 2 cat scans, an MRI, endoscopy,heart cath, barium series, ultrasound and of course labs. Nothing was found to be wrong except the port had flipped. So the 3rd surgeon was the one that made a decision to do an exploratory surgery to correct the port and see if anything else was going on. The surgery went well and I was without some of the pain but on a scale from 1-10 my pain level was always at least a 4 or 5. The port was very difficult to locate, possibly flipped again. Also, the weight loss was slow. Finally, in January/2010, I asked my doctor( the 3rd one) to remove the lapband and port. That surgery was February/2010. The port had definitely flipped again, plus the lapband had eroded into my stomach. No wonder I had pain. My doctor suggested having surgery for the sleeve. I was torn between the bypass and the sleeve. I ended up having the sleeve in April/2010. I have had weight loss and weight gains. My starting weight in April/2008 was 268. My lowest weight was 215. Then because of all the problems with food,pain, etc my weight flexuated between 215 and 240. My last visit with my dr was, Nov/2010. She explained the opening of my sleeve is larger than most because of the erosion caused by the band, so therefore more food can get into my stomach. I always have had hunger since the sleeve, too. On top of everything else, my dr left the practice, that I am in. I am currently waiting for my insurance company to approve a visit to the other, doctor in the practice. I feel like such a failure. I do want to lose weight. My goal weight is 125, my height is 5'4". My current weight is 238. I have 113 unwanted pounds. I have been so down and depressed about my journey. I DON'T WANT TO GIVE UP but I am not sure what is next.

hello everyone, I'm new at this so just want to introduce myself and ask a few question about the lap band. i had my lap-band surgery on Nov. 3, 2008 i had weighed 215lbs. I have had 3 adjustment and I i have only lost 23 lbs and now i feel stuck. I just had my 3rd adjustment on Tuesday when i weight in it shown that i gain 2lbs is that normal? i can eat anything except bread and rice, and i don't feel any restriction what so ever. I still throw-up a lot when i do eat bread and rice. so is anyone having this same problem? am I doing something wrong? i see the Dr. every 6 weeks instead of 4, by the time i see him again i'm so discourage that i think i made a mistake doing this. Another thing, the weight i have lost I don't feel any different i just know that i lost a few lbs because my clothes doesn't fit so tight, looking in a mirror i still see FAT! whats up with that lol i'm I having an eye problem? maybe i should have done the gastric bypass. will someone please hit me back......

Having the band put in was the best thing I have ever done for myself. I have the Lapband not the realize. My doc showed me both and the size of the realize scared me. (really small) My doc said for men he prefers the Lapband because we seem to have bigger stoma's. I have lost weight, gained weight so many times I can't remember. So I decided I wanted to stay healthy for the long run and not go back. I can tell you that if I didn't have a band I would have gained some weight back. Sometimes in my mind I forget I even have a band and try to go back to my old eating habits. The band however always reminds me that 'i'm still here'! No matter what I do I can't eat the volumes like I use to. Good luck on making your decision.:wub:

Has anyone gained weight or stayed the same weight during the 6 mo pre op diet? If so, were you still approved?

My new life date. I have leads had a problem with weight. I was still very active, until 1993. I was in a plane crash and really messed up my foot. I know some are wondering how can a messed up foot case weight gain. It's simple you get to the point where you don't eat because it hurts to stand up and cook. So basically my body went into starvation mode and it holds on to everything I eat. In 2004 I had the lab band surgery and where a lot of people were saying their band didn't work mine did great. I lost 170lbs was healthy and again very active. In 2008 my world turned upside down when I went in to have my band fix do to a slippage. The bad had to be removed due to it being slipped to long and of course the weight came back on with a vengeance. Here I am the day before my sleeve surgery and excited as well as nervous that the same thing will happen again. I'm glad I found this app and I hope to receive a lot of support as well as being a great supporter for others. Thanks for reading my journey.

My doctor didn't require any weight loss, just no weight gain during 6 month pre-op appointments.

Hi everyone. I'm a New York girl, transplanted to Florida's Tampa Bay in 2006. I'm 59 years old, divorced, a disabled RN. I've been obese most of my life, and even had an open "stomach stapling" back in the early 1980's, when it was still a new procedure and a very big deal. My surgery took hours. I was in ICU for almost a week afterwards, then in Progressive Care for a few weeks. Finally to a regular room and then home. I was hospitalized altogether for about a month and a half. I lost 160 lbs in just maybe 6 months, but ended up, through the years, gaining it all back. Either my stomach stretched out or the staples let go. So I found myself mostly at 340 lbs most of the time, til I ended up on Prednisone, which caused a massive weight gain; then the insulin I was prescribed to bring down my insane blood sugars caused an additional weight gain. I peaked at 402 lbs, at which time I was unable to bathe or dress myself, take more than a few steps, get out of bed myself, move myself in bed, fit into any of my chairs, fit into my car, or find any position that was not painful. It was a living nightmare. I was already half-way through the procedure to obtain insurance approval. I started a serious low-carb portion controlled diet and stopped both of those meds. I dropped 71 lbs in four months but started putting it back on when I got the call that my surgery was approved. I started the pre-surgery 2 weeks of Optifast and dropped about 35 lbs in 10 days. Then found out my PCP wouldn't give me surgical clearance due to cardiac and renal issues, plus scary anemia. I'm currently drinking over the counter Protein shakes and planning on having a little chicken now and then, waiting for my new surgery date of June 18 to arrive. I've lost 95 lbs since November 2012. Can't wait for the surgery to reach my goal weight and save what's left of my life.

I was struggling with a fill which was far too tight for a while. I was losing weight well, with Oneder land in my reach. I kept telling myself that once I lost enough weight the fill would feel looser and I would be fine.Riding it out was a bad bad idea. After a while I started to have difficulty eating solid Protein and turned to mushies. Which caused a small weight gain (5 lbs) but I quickly re- lost that weight by exercising more. I really became concerned when I started to have bad reflux and was coughing up acid at night. At which point I finally came to my senses, realized the damage that I could be doing my stomach and my band and went to the doctor. I needed a complete unfill, but thankfully didn't cause any lasting damage. So now I am waiting for my stomach to heal and to begin the process of finding the sweet spot. I have regained about 15 lbs and weigh as much as I did back in July 08 (7 months ago) when I got the fill that put me over the top. So from this experience I broke even and I consider myself to be very fortunate that I am able to keep my band. If I had gone for a slight unfill at any of the initial signs of discomfort instead of being stubborn I probably would have continued to lose even if it was more gradual. I am immensly frustrated with myself and my all or nothing mentality. Here endeth the lesson

Greek yogurt. Soups So long as you remember that this is a temporary measure until you get to the Dr for that slight unfill. You do not want to stay too tight. It is dangerous and can often lead to weight gain as slider foods are higher in calories and do not keep you satisfied.

I just had my 4 year anniversary in July. When I had my surgery I was young and it was two weeks after my Dad died. I also went though a divorce within 6 months of having the surgery. I am not making excuses but I can honestly say now that I want in the right mindset for the surgery. I am now 37lbs heavier than my lowest. And I cannot seem to get the weight to come off. I am very discouraged.

most approvals are based on the STRUGGLE of losing and keeping the weight off...so if you've gained weight BEFORE you've started the approval process is should not be a problem. again i would be more concerned with not gaining during the approval process because i have heard of surgeries being postponed due to weight gain = liver not shrinking. yes WW should have your weigh ins and payment history. if i read correctly you have not been enrolled in a couple of months....RE-ENROLL IMMEDIATELY! i had stopped my WW membership in December 2011 and decided to have wls in March 2012...as soon as my coordinator found out she told me to re-enroll before my first visit with their office. I re-enrolled the that very day...i'm due to have my surgery this month!

Careful with Boost. That is a product designed for people who need nutrution and weight gain. It is NOT designed for dieters. I like Matrix. I like it because the quality is high, the protein/calorie ratio is perfect, I like the flavor, and I don't have to mix it with milk. Milk... blehhh unjury is another great quality Protein and you can mix it in anything, Jello, broth, juice, milk, whatever your preference. Isopure is also another high quality protein but it tastes what like dog pooh smells like. It's just disgusting. Stay away from the bullets, shots, and shooters. The protein quality is about the lowest on the market right now. Regarding protein quality Matrix, Unjury, and Isopure are the best and most consistant quality products on the market. They range in quality (scale from 1-100) from 80-100. The bullets, shots, and shooters (stuff in a plastic test tube) are between 4-6 depending on brand and flavor.

i just got home and stepped on the scale to see a 15 lb weight gain how can this be?

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!