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Well, the change that caused the weight gain was me getting sick. I was on severe steroid regimens that caused my weight to double in less than a year. So yes, I feel completely different - since I don't have the underlying illness going rampant and no more steroid treatments, I feel completely different. I tried to never let my weight define me. But in that, I did let it control me a bit. I didn't wanna be the fat girl in the room. I didn't wanna be the one that, my husband's friends would look at him quizzically after meeting me, wondering why he's with me. So I isolated myself a lot. It was actually pretty easy to do because when I was sick, I couldn't go places with people - I had such a poor immune system and getting sicker was not something I was going to contribute to. So after I started rebuilding my immunity, I just didn't change that. Now, I'm still not wanting to meet a whole lot of new people, or even see people that haven't seen me since I've been sick, but its getting better. I'm a very social person normally, so its getting harder and harder to resist going out and having fun. I've made plans for the future - the next 6 or so months. If i hit goals, or even come close to them, I'll go ahead with them. And I really want to go ahead with them so I'm going to stay on track and hope my body does the same.

If you have a good relationship to start out with, I think you will be in for a wonderful surprise!!! My marriage was good before the surgery but what I didn't realize is that my weight gain bothered my husband so much. Once we started talking about it, we decided on the surgery together and we have gotten SO much closer! It opened so many doors about our relationship, being more honest with each other and making a commitment to help each other become better people. He has never had a weight problem but he has been very understanding, patient, supportive and loving throughout the process. We had a good sex life before, but now it's amazing! Yes, your sex drive will come back! And you will find yourself laughing and talking and enjoying life so much more because you feel better about yourself. I am 4 months post op and I have been doing a weekly (every Sunday) blog about my journey. Happy to have you follow along. I was encouraged by someone else's blog and it was a true inspiration to me. www.queenofcrop.com When I look at my 'before' photos now, I'm embarrassed that I waited so long......so come on in....the Water is fine! www.queenofcrop.com

What solid foods are you eating? While there are no real negative-calorie foods some foods have a track record of not being weight gain friendly. You also want to avoid the suplements - they are not good for weight gain and expensive. I did not say they wouldn't work! I said not good. My sister and I had the same metabolic issues but different ends of the spectrum. I was overweight and starving at 1200 calories. she was underweight and starving at upwards of 3500 calories a day and for a few years a doctor supervised 4500 a day. She ate alot of stuff and was ok'd for crap, empty calories too, but among the healthy choices were: chicken, turkey, leaner red meats - buffalo is good. Chick peas, Edamame, heirloom Beans. starchy veggies. Potatoes are good. Oranges are good. Whole grain cereals. Berries, seeds, etc. Variety was a big deal for her too. Good luck.

I too can relate to the steroid weight gain, that is where a TON of mine came from- I have rheumatoid arthritis and that was the main treatment that worked for my symptoms. Its very frustrating that the treatment for one thing can cause another problem! So glad that you have overcome the trials that you have been given and are perservering!

I think that with the band it is better than with bypass as far as the long-teerm help from the procedure goes. I've been attending one of my surgeon's required pre-op meetings. He has some of his post-op folk go and sit on a panel for Q & As. I am the longest post-op aside from the facilitator who is 7 years GBP. The facilitator speaks a lot about the honeymoon phase with GBP, where you need to change your eating habits. She says that the body learns to work around the malabsorbption and can absorb everything you eat. She says this is the reason many bypassers regain weight. I just don't find that with the band. As we've absorbed every calorie we've consumed. Nothing has changed. Sure, we cannot keep forcing food down, else we can trigger a dilation. Or we can trigger a slip with extensive vomiting. But if all that is good and we are eating a bit too much, we can get a little fill to help us out. Nancy, don't wait to see your doctor because you are embarrassed by the weight gain. You might have problems with your band. Get it seen to. IMO, there is no point in keeping trying if your band isn't working right. That is the same thing that got us to needing WLS in the first place.

I actually thought I looked fine when I was 215lbs. I dressed well, was generally happy, never really felt unsexy, never suffered from lack of attention from men, but let's face it, I was still very overweight, and I was risking my health and my future if I didn't take control of my continuing weight gain. I understand seeing someone with a much lower BMI and not getting what they're unhappy about. But anything over a BMI of 35 is considered obese. And obese is obese. It isn't healthy and it isn't good for you in the long run, whether you're 50lbs overweight or 250lbs overweight. So people deciding to do something that will give them a longer life, better health and a better chance at less obesity-related disease is a good thing. Does it really matter *when* they decided to do that, in the grander scheme of things?

I got banded at 208, not too far from 199. I had alarm bells set at different weights. I think in kg, so at 70 a small alarm rang, at 80 it rang again, at 90 it was louder, at 95 it was really loud. I was at 95 for a few years till i decided to get banded because I saw myself headed for the next big alarm at 100 (222 pounds). I am not being mean, and I am positive that elcee wasn't either - she's always very supportive and positive in her responses. I knew myself and I could see the path I was headed for - and once that realization set in I decided to take action. I honestly do wonder why it takes some people longer to get this realization and to take drastic action - but not in a judge-y way... in a 'hmm I wonder why that is' kind of way. I too did not want to 'wait' because I knew I was headed for more weight gain. Not because I looked down on bigger people or thought badly of them - not at all!! - but because it would have taken me even more strength and courage and a longer road - something I don't think I would have been capable of. I think it's really admirable that YOU have that courage at the young age of 23! It is impressive, and your achievement will be bigger than mine. I will have run a 10K you will have run a marathon. But we will both reach our end destination hopefully and catch up to elcee here who's lookin' pretty hot here

Yeah, it's a pretty small amount of hormones, plus it's also local hormones, not systemic (as with a pill), so it's not likely to cause a ton of weight gain. Paragard tends to cause very heavy periods, so I don't know if you'd be happy with it. I'm on the pill, anyway.

I was diagnosed in Feb. 2009 with prostate cancer, 13 biopsy grabs, all came back positive. I was put on Lupron, the testosterone killer, and subjected to 49 external beam radiation treatments, steroids, and chemo through the rest of the year. The tests did not indicate any spreading and my psa went down to 0.0001. I gain 60 pounds during that short time due to Lupron and steroids, my eating did not change, went down if anything. My psa has slowly risen through the years, now at 0.4, quite under the normal.. My chemo doctor says the rise is normal due to the prostate healing itself after the radiation. My urologist, whom I affectionately call "Dr. Doom", is betting on the cancer returning. He is wanting to put me on Lupron again, more hot flashes, tiredness, achiness, crankiness, hot flashes, night sweats, and most important, weight gain. I am resisting, believing in the chemo doctor. I have lost 60 pounds since my sleeving and feel great. I have no symptoms of cancer; urinary problems, pain, etc. I have 50 pounds to go. I do not want to get fat again and keep my heart and general health at risk for the small chance that the cancer is returning . So I am opting for no further treatment at this time. Any of you folks have any experience with prostate or other cancer combined with sleeving?

I've always said, I will not listen to anyone giving me advice who hasn't been through the same journey. I hope that my story will add some credibility to my posts and inspire someone considered WLS. I'm on a quest to find the woman I lost years ago. She's somewhere in this body, I know that, I just haven't seen here in almost a decade. I'm almost 300 pounds on a 5 foot 7 frame. My family medical history is like Wal-Mart, you name it someone has it. I want to break the cycle of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc. . I can't get back the years I've already lost, but I can make the years I have left that much better. I have a carb addiction, disillusion about the amount of food I should be eating, and an emotional eating habit. I was taught as a child to clean my plate, I remember at 8 years old looking forward to going to my grandma's because she always had pound cake made, and dinner consisted of meat, a few veggies, heaping mounds of carbs (rice/potatos) and rolls. 20 Years I've been addicted to carbs. My mom and I could go to a restaurant and finish an entire basket of rolls before our food came and still eat everything on our plate, plus another basket of rolls. Needless to say, I've never had a good example when it came to eating. Fast forward through middle school, when at 5"7 and 130 lbs I was the tallest girl in my entire school. Talk about a complex. At 9 I thought I was fat. Junior high, I'm still tall and muscular but everyone else is catching up. Rumors start that I'm taking steroids. Hence another complex about being "thick" and muscular. High School, the Revolution Years. I rebelled against EVERYTHING! Stress at home= emotional eating. I remember coming home from school and eating half a loaf of bread, toasted with butter and jelly because it made me feel better. Nutrition? What's that? It wasn't taught at our school. Lunch for 4 years, FOUR YEARS, consisted of chili cheese fries with extra cheese and sweet and sour dipping sauce, juice or soda, and some other high carb or fried food. FOUR. YEARS. I do remember a salad but it was far and few in-between. I think back on this and I cringe. What the heck are we doing to our kids??? My saving grace was band. The amount of practice we did counteracted some of the weight gain. I stayed around 180-200 lbs. College, the fittest years of my life. I decided to major in Nutrition, the one thing I had no knowledge of. Freedom to come and go as I pleased means more time in the gym. HBCU band practice consisted of intense PT at 5 am and intense practice from 3-7. I was at my fittest ever. I wouldn't believe it myself if I didn't have pics to prove it. Grad school I continued my good gym habits, but even a nutrition degree can't combat the psychological condition of emotional eating. I started gaining weight. Then I got pregnant. My weight shot up to 230 with the first pregnancy and miscarriage and I gained 20 more from the stress. Pregnant again at 260 with the help of pills. I went up to 285. Lost 20 and have been stuck at 270 for 3 years. This brings us to today. 10 days from VSG surgery and positive about where my life is heading. I'm not one for sharing a lot of personal information, but I will try to keep this "blog" updated as I progress through. I need to learn how to let people in and break down this brick wall that I've built.

We think alike , I have not hide the procedure from anyone, I have so many people that are looking at me as the guinee pig, lol. but if my surgery goes well and it will I have many that will follow. I ask what is there to be ashamed of, I am more ashamed of my obesity. I was always a large guy but after I quit a nasty tobacco habit 3 yrs ago the weight gain started. every time i stepped on a scale it was a larger # than before , i started going into a depression and quit doing allot like dancing (which I love) and many other things. Finally I hit 343 and a good friend of mine had pass away and I didnt have clothes to fit loosly to attend his funeral. At that point I said enough is enough. I want to help myself and help as many as I can. I am a leader and cant wait to share my success with others.I am down to 298 now and getting more excited . Wednesday is my sleeve day, leap year, well I want to leap by the end of the year without scoreing numbers on the richter scale.

I haven't posted anything on my blog for a while, because I always have to sit and get my thoughts organized and think about what I want to say. And quite truthfully, I have been to lazy to organize my thoughts and try to put them down in any coherant manner! But today I am taking a few minutes to sit and rest (have been cleaning house and baking all day long, preparing to go to work) and I thought, I really need to write down how I am thinking, doing, feeling, etc. It is Friday, and it is my weekend to work. Have to work tonight at 7:00 PM till 7:30 AM tomorrow morning, and again tomorrow night and Sunday night. So my weekend will be totally taken up with work. Will get off Monday morning at 7:30 AM, and have a couple of days off. I always get frantic before I have to work 3 or 4 nights in a row, trying to get my house clean, my laundry caught up, everything done that I know needs to be done, so that I don't have to worry about it while I am working, and think about getting it done when I get home. (I sleep at the hospital where I work when I work consecutive nights like this weekend. So won't even be home again till sometime Monday morning.) Today I weighed myself and saw that I am still gaining and losing the same 2 or 3 pounds that I have gained and lost a gazillion times since the beginning of December. And I asked myself "WHEN am I going to get serious and really TRY to make it past this stall that I have been in for almost three months now?" It is so easy to try "just a bite" of whatever is handy, or whatever I am baking, etc. And before I know it, I have eaten a couple hundred calories, just "trying a bite"! Today, I have decided that I need to get serious. I know, I have said this before, but today I mean it. I am starting to get concerned that I will never reach goal if I don't REALLY get serious about this whole weight loss thing. I mean, for YEARS and YEARS I have played the weight loss game. Lose a few pounds and then eat something that I know I shouldn't, and start the deadly weight gain again. So today, I went to the (dreaded, filthy, overcluttered, badly needing to be cleaned out) basement, and hauled my treadmill and exercise bike upstairs, where I would have to see them EVERYDAY that I am home, and get on them and do something good for myself! I just last week finished re-painting and decorating our bedroom, and there is now room for both of them in our bedroom. So I am placing them there, and going to MAKE myself get on each of them every day I am here at home. Furthermore, I am also going to start a log, and keep track of how much time I put in on each. I used to have a boss that always said "that which gets measured gets done", meaning the things that are important to you to accomplish need to be measured to make sure you are making progress toward getting them done. So fellow sleevers, wish me well! I need encouragement to get this thing accomplished. I REALLY WANT to make it to goal! I want to make a permanent change in my lifestyle and be healthier and happier. I just need to get off my behind and get serious, and get busy. That's it for today. Hope you all have a great weekend! (P.S. The baking I mentioned is for my daughter. I don't bake much for us anymore, cause I tend to eat it. I made pastries for her card party tonight, but they are ones that don't taste good till after they are baked, so I didn't even try them! Good for me!)

I don't own any full length mirrors and a little over a year ago we were at my Mother in-laws lake house...I took a shower and damn near the whole bath is full length mirrors....I looked at myself in HORROR....I thought My God this is what my husband see's....I came out of the bathroom in tears...sat down at the kitchen table with Mother in-law and hubs and cried my eyes out....what worries me with the weight loss is saggy skin...the only places on my body that are a bit "poogie" are my belly (not too much tho) and the insides of my legs (as well not real bad) so I am hoping with exercise that I will be able to tone those areas up...I see so many that have lost tons of weight and in clothes the look fabulous...I just wonder what they look like when the take off their "Spanks" or what ever they wear...I am 54 years old and have always been fit. Until I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in 2000 and that's when the weight gain started....Melanie(

Pookey...I noticed his weight gain too and especially the sweaty, pasty part. It was amazing. I was reading an interview with Anthony Bourdain and he was even amazed at what Adam was doing. He also mentioned that the travel network made Adam sign all these health wavers because he was obviously going to be unhealthy from it. Have you noticed he isn't doing it anymore and now just 'coaching' others on how to beat an eating challenge?

It's barely been a week, almost everyone has "buyers remorse" about this time, and many begin to suffer from depression. There are the hormone imbalances, after effects of the surgery and anesthesia-and of course the dreaded "full liquids" then "Mushies" diet. You are probably also struggling with water weight gain from the surgery. Fortunately my doctor realizes how sick people get of the soft foods and moves us right along quickly with a full regular diet at 4 weeks instead of the usual 6 or 8. Not advocating you go against your doctor-just saying different doctors have different programs. One thing that really helped me was to treat myself during this time. I went to Olive Garden and order soup to go. It lasted me about 4 meals. Well worth the cost. Many restaurants have good soups, go out to dinner and enjoy some time with your husband. I have seen that many people have good luck with Wendy's chili, you could even put some over your "liquidy mashed potatoes". Have you tried refried beans heated with cheese? There are some places here that have lists of protein shake ideas. Check out egg face's web site. She makes protein ice creams and tons of flavors of shakes. Anyways you are not the only one that has gone through this. Check out some of the forums for newly post-op people. Almost every post says the same thing. Good luck and hang in there.

Hello- I am new to this site (well I have come through and read others stories so not really). I have struggled ALL my life with my weight. I have tried EVERYTHING, and the weight will come off, but some how end up right back on if not more so. I have become so discouraged that I have all but given up. For the last 3.5 years I have been absolutely miserable, clothes dont fit, I have decreased energy, I am sweaty, and now seem to snore ALL the time ( I NEVER snore). I attribute this to the increase in meat on my bones. It's funny because people who don't have weight issues can ALWAYS provide you with "easy" answers. LOL I don't want to go anywhere because I don't feel good about my appearance. Being smaller doesnt solve all of life's problems (this I know), but it sure as hell makes life a "little" more easier not to mention enjoyable. I have made a concious decision to have this surgery to take back my life. I am scheduled to have it 4/20, in Mexico, but have questions. Anyone have it done at Jerusalim Hospital? How was your treatment? Recovery? Any words of wisdom anyone can offer I would be ETERNALLY gratefull. I don't have much support from my family members who seem to think I am taking the "easy" way out. Or who think my weight gain isnt that bad. I am 5'4" and weigh a good 270ish-I stopped getting on the scale cuz it was damn depressing. More than anything else I need words of encouragement as I am not getting that at home.

Oh man, am I ever THRILLED to find this thread!! I am in serious need of a re-commitment and I AM DOING IT NOW! So here's the cliff notes version of my story: -Highest weight: 374 -Weight on surgery day: 342 -Banded August 7, 2009 -As of May 2011, lost 162 pounds total (12 pounds from goal weight!) -Got married: gained 10 pounds (wedding stress much??) -Went off birth control: gained 10 more pounds -Had a small unfill due to horrible acid reflux: gained 10 MORE pounds -Gained 20 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas -Total weight gain since May: 50 pounds! YIKES!!! The good news is, I went to the doctor a couple weeks ago and discovered that my thyroid levels are off, so I'm back on synthroid. I honestly think that my weight gain has been part my own fault and part my thyroid. I've gotten so complacement, and I'm eating WAY more than I'm supposed to...or should even be able to (I ate a whole sub the other day. I shouldn't be able to do that!). I've also been struggling emotionally because hubby and I are having a hard time getting pregnant...so I've gone back to eating my emotions. Gaining all this weight is NOT going to help me make a baby, now is it? I'm also sure my stomach pouch has stretched some, based on how much I can eat on a regular basis, so it's time to shrink the sucker back. Soooo...here's my NEW plan: -Take synthroid religiously! -Giving up junk food for Lent (all of it!) -Back to basics of Lap Band diet - eating no more than a cup-sized meal, half of it Protein, half of it veggies/fruits/whole grain carbs -Exercising AT LEAST 5 days a week. -Starting Couch to 5K TOMORROW!!! And this time I'm actually going to finish it...well, unless I get pregnant first. -I'm going to blog again and HOLD MYSELF ACCOUNTABLE. -Had a chat with teh hubby tonight, and told him I can't do this without him. Meaning, he has to stop being my enabler and tell me NO to food sometimes (I think he's a little scared about this that I'll yell at him...and I might...but I told him to stand firm and remind me why I'm doing this. I'll get over it eventually and love him even more.) Alright people, LET'S DO THIS!

This should be setting off alarm bells. You say you already have restriction but you are having a fill every 3 weeks. WHY? You have admitted that your mind is not in the right place and you are deliberately setting yourself up for failure by not following the rules by drinking with food. What do you think more fills will do? How do you think they will help? If you continue to push the food through then the band will not work the way it should. But what will happen if you continue the way you are is that you will end up too tight, you won't be able to eat proper food, you will exist on sliders which will not fill you up and will contribute to weight gain and you risk a slip, erosion and serious reflux. Does your Dr know what you are doing? If not then it is time to be honest. The band won't work if you refuse to work with it.

I started Nuvaring because I was getting nauseous with birth control and it is working great. No weight gain and all of the benefits of being on BC (greatly minimized TOM issues). I highly recommend it. I should have gone with this option years ago.

Well let's see. I am a wife to a wonderful husband for 21+ years and mother to 3 children (17,15,13). I didn't really have much of a weight problem as a child. I mean I remember being a little chubby around the age of 10, but it didn't last long. If anything, as a teenager I was a little on the too skinny side. I remember being 14 and my now mother in law wouldn't let my now husband take me to the mall unless a had something to eat....I guess I was smaller than I thought.....That is NOT a problem now-haha. It seemed my issues came from having children. I gained large amounts of weight with each child. I was able to lose it in between kids until the last one. With 3 kids under 4 1/2 and a husband in the ARMY....there just wasn't time for me. I sometimes felt like I didn't have time for a shower, let alone an hour a day to exercise...I was just too tired!!! It just seemed like my body changed. When I would lose the weight in the past, it would stay off....until I got pregnant again--haha. But the third time was different. I worked so hard....eating right and exercising almost every day....almost excessively. And a would get 30 or 40 lbs off and be a decent size 10/12, but the day I would start to return to a normal food intake (and by normal, I simply mean about 1400 calories)and drop back to exercising 3 days a week....suddenly I would start slowly adding on the weight again. About a pound a month. So six months in I would be 6pounds heavier....a year later I would be 12 pounds heavier. you get the picture. Before I knew it I would be 30 pounds overweight. I would get serious again!!!drop back to 900 calories start exercising everyday and would get myself down again. and you know the rest. Repeat-above cycle two or three more times over 10 years, then just give up. That’s where I have been for the last 4 years...refusing to repeat the cycle anymore. As a result, that 12 pound a year weight gain is now 50 pounds. Add that to the 15 pounds I could never get off in the first place, and here we are... needing to lose 65 pounds (really to be ideal weight that would be 80 pounds)---but I'll be happy with the 65 pounds.....Honestly, I'd be happy just to be able to return to a life of camping, hiking and swimming like a used to do all the time....regardless of what the scale says. So now I'm playing the waiting game. I will have my last appointment on Tuesday February 21 (my 40th birthday) and from there everything heads to insurance for approval. I have Tricare North and have heard they are pretty good about approving the surgery. I didn't want to get this far in the process and have the insurance company decide they wanted me to do the supervised diet for 3 months, so I went ahead and did it voluntarily with my GP (lost 12 pounds for good faith effort). Just being proactive!! So hopefully on Tuesday I will get a surgery date; the sooner the better. I would like to have it done by the end of March. We are taking my oldest daughter on a cruise for her graduation present the first week in May and I want to be nicely healed from the surgery before I put myself on a boat in the middle of the ocean for a week Well that’s it. If you can offer any insite into how long it takes for tricare to give approval or if you have tricare and can educate me on anything, please let me know. Or any other advise is more than welcome too. This is such a lerning process. Thanks, Tina

I told my boss I was having my gallbladder removed. Some people take longer to recover an others. I don't think you have to tell HR what kind of surgery you're having. The doctor does have to complete the FLMA/ short term paperwork. Mine only listed the types of symptoms I was having weight gain, back pain, ... (very generic stuff). If you do end up saying something to HR they can not tell your boss or anyone else because of HIPAA regulations.

I did not experience the weight gain but Ihave heard a lot of people do! I am so happy you are doing good!!

Hi There, My surgery went very well! I am so glad it is behind me but doctor said I did very well... Guess my liver looked fabulous! I only had two bouts of nausea. One was when I was coming out of the anesthesia and then when they took me off the diauladin intravenous pain meds. But as soon as the gave me the anti-nausea meds I was fine. I stayed two nights in the hospital. I was very happy with my care at Lahey. I took a shower for the first time this morning and that felt wonderful. I get tired easily but each day I feel better. Trying to get down the recommended fluids is tough... If I sip too quickly I burp alot... It is a process getting use to the new you... I'm sore like I did a million situps but pain meds help with this. All in all I'm doing well!! Thanks so much for checking!!! I'll keep you posted as I progress.. Oh one thing that I think others have experienced but bummed me out was that I gained 9lbs while in the hospital. My sister-in-law who is a nurse said it is because of all the IV fluids they pumped into me and this weight will be lost quickly.... Did others experience this weight gain while in hospital??

25 lbs is a healthy weight gain. You'll lose like 10 right away at delivery, with the baby/placenta/amniotic fluid. The massive uterus (which went from the size of a small orange to bigger than a large watermelon) and the breast engorgement make up another good 5-7 lbs, so you can expect to drop that weight in the first month or so, at least as far as the uterine shrinkage is concerned. So most of this weight has nothing to do with fat. I think you'll be able to lose the odd 5 or so lbs of fat you gained by breastfeeding and using your sleeve to your advantage.