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So I have been walking everyday and not changing my diet for the worse. I haven't been eating great but my surgery us Nov. 9 and my Pre-op first is set for Nov. 1. I have gained so much weight!! Is it stress? Water? What? It's making me so nervous for my physical. I have been approved and the date is set. There is no way I won't have it right? God I'm so scared!! And I have no clothes that fit me cause I'm gaining. I just bought some sweatpants and I look like..well I hate it! I wish my surgery was yesterday I'm so anxious!

Hello. My name is Tessa and I am a newbie to BariatricPal. My sleeve was 6/12/15. So I am currently 4 weeks post op. Things were going great until I introduced soft foods this week. I'm up 5 pounds since my weigh in Thursday. I don't understand. I'm eating SMALLER. Why am I gaining? I understand that eating and drinking to together will do that. I wait 20 minutes after drinking and wait 30 after eating to drink again. Could it be the sodium? Not all of my food is low in sodium. I have been so hungry that I haven't cared to check. Could it be sugar? I drink 98% water but will have organic lemonade every once in a while. Please help. I am having major regrets about this surgery. I didn't have it to still gain weight. It is so depressing. Thanks, Tessa

Sorry, no actual swinging in this one! :thumbup: As we are all pretty much obsessed with food, does anybody else find themselves obsessed with not eating food while on their pre-op diets? When I was in high school I went days without eating and walked a minimum of 4-5km a day. It was the only way I could keep my weight below 140lbs and I was just a little obsessed with keeping food out of my mouth. (Yes, I told the clinic people this) After high school I got out of that pattern, got sick, and subsequently packed on huge weight. Part of the weight gain is my fault and part of it is a combination of the drugs and unfortunate genetics. Since I'm having so much trouble with the Protein Shakes, I've had to abandon them in favour of a veg and Protein diet and I was told "to go hardcore" on it. It was like a kick to my subconscious and I feel exactly like I'm in high school again. I'm reliving those days when I enjoyed being hungry and right back in that pattern like I never left it. So far for the week my biggest eating day was 900 calories. Yesterday was my best at 450. I went to bed hungry and happy. I was supposed to get down to 294lbs for surgery and, at the rate I'm going, I'll likely blow by that as I've got two more weeks of pre-op diet and only 5 more pounds to lose. Am I a freak here or is this common... the swing from compulsive overeating to compulsive undereating? Do we always need something to obsess over?

I have Anthem BC/BS. Our plan is called a POS (point of service) Don't know how that differs from PPO or HMO. I am in the early stages of this process. My doctor did a referral in Jan. and I will see the surgeon for the 1st time on March 13. Because I have read about such a variety of experiences w/ BC/BS I did a little investigating in regards to the policy I have through my employer. What I found is copied below. The caveat is that this is specific to the policy my employer subscribes to. If you go to the Anthem site (http://www.anthem.com/ ) and look up your state, you may be able to find out what the policy is re: WLS based upon the plan you subscribe to. Medical Policy Subject:Surgery for Clinically Severe ObesityPolicy #: SURG.00024Current Effective Date: 04/16/2008Status:RevisedLast Review Date: 02/21/2008 Description/Scope Clinically severe obesity is a result of persistent and uncontrollable weight gain that constitutes a present or potential threat to life. There are a variety of surgical procedures intended for the treatment of clinically severe obesity. This document addresses those procedures. Policy Statement Medically Necessary: Gastric bypass and gastric restrictive procedures with a Roux-en-Y procedure up to 150 cm, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (for example the Lap-Band® System or the REALIZE™ Adjustable Gastric Band), vertical banded gastroplasty, or biliopancreatic bypass with duodenal switch as a single surgery, is considered medically necessary for the treatment of clinically severe obesity for selected adults (18 years and older) who meet ALL the following criteria: BMI of 40 or greater, or BMI of 35 or greater with co-morbid conditions including, but not limited to, life threatening cardio-pulmonary problems (severe sleep apnea, Pickwickian syndrome and obesity related cardiomyopathy), diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease or hypertension; AND The patient must have actively participated in non-surgical methods of weight reduction; these efforts must be fully appraised by the physician requesting authorization for surgery; AND The physician requesting authorization for the surgery must confirm the following: The patient's psychiatric profile is such that the patient is able to understand, tolerate and comply with all phases of care and is committed to long-term follow-up requirements; and The patient's post-operative expectations have been addressed; and The patient has undergone a preoperative medical consultation and is felt to be an acceptable surgical candidate; and The patient has undergone a preoperative mental health assessment and is felt to be an acceptable candidate; and The patient has received a thorough explanation of the risks, benefits, and uncertainties of the procedure; and The patient's treatment plan includes pre- and post-operative dietary evaluations and nutritional counseling; and The patient's treatment plan includes counseling regarding exercise, psychological issues and the availability of supportive resources when needed. Surgical repair following gastric bypass and gastric restrictive procedures is considered medically necessary when there is documentation of a surgical complication related to the original surgery, such as a fistula, obstruction, erosion, disruption/leakage of a suture/staple line, band hermiation, or pouch enlargement due to vomiting. Not Medically Necessary: Stretching of a stomach pouch formed by a previous gastric bypass/restrictive surgery, due to the patient overeating, does not constitute a surgical complication and the revision of this condition is considered not medically necessary.

I was sleeved 2/18/14. My starting weight was around 300, Day of surgery 278 and I dropped down to 198. However, I have been taking care of my dad and working a lot lately and have completely falling off but I don't know how. My weight has jumped to near 230 since February. I'm sooooo depressed. I need help bad.

Thanks for the advise, it will be hard to find a new Protein drink. This one is pre-made and not thick it goes down so smooth with no after taste. My stomach is very particular, if something smells funny, I'm nauseous. If I look at food that is slimy or bloody ect, I'm nauseous. If food has a bad taste or is gritty or leaves a bad after taste, I'm nauseous. These nauseous feelings have led to throwing up, hart burn, & the sweats. My parents stopped saying "just try it" along time ago. Lol The Protein drinks I've tried are: muscle milk (both powdered & pre-mixed), EAS Advanced Edge, EAS Myoplex, ensure , Special K, stuff from lifetime fitness, pure protein ready to drink, boost, Isopure all of which made me nauseous & threw up after one. If anybody knows of any Liquid Protein drinks that are real good, please let me know. As for the weight gain you were right I just weighed myself & I went down to 205lbs. Also I'm taking your advise on the home made Soup, problem is I'm not a cook, but I have a crock pot & the will to try. Thank you so much.

If you really think about it, and I’m not being sarcastic, you couldn’t physically gain 5 pounds of fat in a week right? So it had to be fluid. Every person who panics about weight gain after surgery needs to remember that it’s not possible to gain fat if you’re not eating and if it’s that rapid (5-10 lbs in a week)

I am wondering for those who needed surgery to try to combat PCOS or just trying to get pregnant, which surgery did you decide and why? Are you pregnant? Have you had weight gain that you can't loose after pregnancy? Any struggles?

Gee I didn't have to give any pre-surgery weight history at all. I do think BCBS is a bit less strict. They want letters from your primary care doctor and from the surgeon stating why you need the surgery. I got my approval yesterday. I have gained weight since 1985. Up and down 50 lbs. here and there. I had early menopause and hypothyroidism that wasn't diagnosed for a few years. I gained a lot of weight then. Showing a weight gain shouldn't be that bad since your having the surgery because of that weight gain. A history and a letter from your doctors saying you have tried to lose weight and were unsuccessful over those 5 years should be all they need. Good luck everyone Having surgery August 7, 2008

I know that some psych meds make you gain weight. Would the sleeve help that? Is there any research on med related weight gain and surgery? Tia

I had surgery on Dec 26, 2017. I’ve lost only 21lbs since surgery, and 34 total. I got down to 173 and stayed there for a whole week, so I think it wasn’t scale error. But now I’m at 179 and have stayed here for over a week, so it can’t just be water weight. I went up 6 lbs literally over night, not gradually. This is worse than a plateau!! I’m less than two months out. Could my weight loss be over? I stay under 1,200 caps and over 65 protein a day. I don’t drink as much water as I should, but I’ve increased water a lot from pre-surgery. I try to keep carbs under 50 a day. I work out for an hour five times per week and definitely feel stronger. I know muscle weighs more than fat, but from what I’ve read on line, one can only gain 0.5-1 lb of muscle per week, so I have a hard time believing a six lb weight gain is all muscle. What is going on???? PS. 1200 Cals May sound high, but with my work outs, and the fact that I rarely eat 1,200 and am usually around 1,000, I don’t think the calories can be to blame.

I'm 3 years post surgery. I've recently been able to eat whatever I want and I have no will power! I've gained 12 lbs in one month. Anyone have suggestions? Advice? I've heard some pills can be taken. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

When I started this process I could not believe there was any way to gain weight. You could only eat this little amount or you'll be ill....This doesn't taste good, that doesn't set well....Well I was wrong....Over the holidays at Christmas I finally had a chance to bake and did I...My kitchen looked like the Keebler Elfs kitchen...Every counter filled, then Cookies boxed up and counters re-filled...Well stupid me fell into that cookie dough habit and gained 4lbs. over 2 months....And I have had issues going on at home, mother in a pre-dimentia state that has increasingly gotten worse all while I've been trying to get my business degree....So in 3 months another 6lbs. gained....I know I'm a stress eater and I know I've fallen back into my old ways of eating...I'm so angry with myself and I feel like I've waisted my money....Yes I lost 100lbs but my support system is losing her faculties slowly and I feel like I'm on my own so who cares what I do...I'm not being held accountable to anyone but me...Which I am an adult and should be able to deal with this but ??????.....I'm afraid I've stretched my stomach but yet I still can only hold about the 3oz. and that is something I don't want to do....I'm the one doing the cooking in the home but 9 times outta 10 I can't eat but a half a cup of whatever I cook...I cook from scratch and not a bunch of startchy stuff...Turkey/chicken no beef....Salads, fish...all the right things except when I get to the quiet part of the night and relaxing....Help me....I know I need to get the stress under control but.... Maybe I shoulda of joined the astronaughts that were sent to the moon for a year.... kim

Maybe someone on here can help me because everytime I call Humana for an answer I get a different one. So the requirements are changing for surgery effective May 1,2017, to me this means that I would need to complete each of these requirements within 6 months before my surgery. What do u all think? Clinical record* of participation in and compliance with a multidisciplinary surgical preparatory regimen (within 6 months prior to surgery) which includes the following: o Absence of weight gain during the course of the program; AND Behavior modification regarding dietary intake and physical activity (unless medically contraindicated); AND o Nutrition education/counseling with a dietician or nutritionist that addresses pre- and postoperative dietary intake expectations; AND • Preoperative psychological evaluation and clearance (within 12 months prior to procedure) to rule out psychiatric disorders (eg, chemical dependency, major depression or schizophrenia), inability to provide informed consent or inability to comply with pre- and postoperative regimens *Clinical record documentation must include a summary of historical (failed attempts) as well as details of present exercise program participation (eg, physical activity, workout plan), nutrition program (eg, calorie intake, meal plan, diet followed), BMI and/or weight. So, if I started this journey in January 2017 but dont want to have my surgery until maybe July-August would I submit everything now before May 1 before these changes take effect? I kno I should be asking my insurance company but nobody seems to know and I havent got the same answer twice after calling for clarification atleast 5 times. So now I want to know what you all think, do I sound like Im right or no?

Hi Penpen, If you are a stable weight right now, and not fluctuating up and down, then don't be worried about weight gain during pregnancy as long as you gain the recommended 25-35 pounds. This extra weight gain is normal and easily drops off after delivery. Just be sure to plan a healthy pregnancy diet when you do get pregnant, and keep a pregnancy diet plan as well. You should be fine. Good luck... http://www.signs-of-pregnancy-week-by-week.com/weight-gain-during-pregnancy.html

Before my sleeve, I would work hard to lose over weeks and months to lose 10 pounds, and I would gain it back in one weekend. Right now I am in a stall, and I have been for weeks. I am not losing weight, but my body is changing. Muscles are emerging. Still, the lack of movement on the scale is discouraging. And I realize that in the past, I would get to this point and console myself with food, which led to the weight gain. Now, I can't console myself with food. I'm not losing pounds, but I'm not gaining them back either. My body is changing, and I just need to make sure I let it.

Agreed, <3 my nuvaring! I don't trust pills post RNY, WAY too many about to be new mommas around here!!! The shot can cause significant ant weight gain. I had a Mirena and didn't like the hormonal side effects.

I had the same exact fear. I knew I was depressed because of the weight gain, and I was afraid this would hinder the clearance. took a 600 question true false test. The psychologist basically said " I know it will come back as your depressed". They really just want to make sure that you don't have any eating disorders or any other self sabatoging behavior that will put you at risk after surgery. Don't worry it will be fine.

Be careful with anti-depressents because some of them can cause weight gain. I know my doctor put me on Wellbutrin because it is not supposed to cause weight gain. I'd ask him which one would be right for you.

Hey ladies! How long did you wait to get pregnant after vsg? My surgeon suggests waiting 18 months before trying to get pregnant. I have read about women who got pregnant unplanned, much sooner than that. I worry a bit about pregnancy weight gain, but mostly I want to be healthy and have a healthy baby. My husband and I do not have any children yet and have been getting a bit of baby fever lately. Of course it started after I was already in the process of trying to have surgery. We agreed I would do the surgery first, then think about having a baby. I feel like one year out would be ok to start trying. It may take awhile anyway. I am newly sleeved, so I have awhile to go yet, but it is something that is on my mind. And thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

I am roughly 2 years out at 18 months I started gaining. At the time I was doing p90x which is a pretty strict workout. Eating roughly 1300 healthy calories a day. My job is a fedex driver 12-14 hrs a day very active life 5 days a week. At like 14 months was told I had PCOS and hypothyroidism had to get blood work from an endocrinologist only thing wrong was vitamin D was low and thyroid hormone was not that crazy. I am on medication from both I made sure they didn't cause weight gain. NOW my endocrinologist put me on strict hypoglycemic diet and gave me a pill called Qsymia it's a doctor approved weight loss pill well 4 months in haven't lost one lb. I am at a loss off what to do and now I had back surgery on my herniated L3 and L4 last month so this is my new obstacle any suggestions?

For me, I guess I'd say travel. I was an Air Force brat in my younger years. We lived overseas in a few different countries - but I was a child and I couldn't really see the incredibly opportunities I had. As an adult, I'd love to travel to the places I once lived and to other places I still want to go. Being overweight, I can't travel comfortably and I am embarassed at the idea of possibly having to have two seats or a seatbelt extension. My best friend and I have planned a trip for next year - we're going to Thailand. I am part Thai and I have not been back there since I was 2 or 3 years old. I cannot wait to go back to my mother's native homeland and experience the exotic side of life. In addition, I really just want to be able to LIVE life. I've been overweight for about 10 years now. I wasn't able to enjoy most of my 20's due to my massive weight gain. I became a recluse and a wallflower. I am *so* ready to live out loud and enjoy life to the fullest. :biggrin2:

I have been on Ortho Tri Cyclen for 13 years and do not plan on going off it until I am trying to get pregnant. I think the only way for you to know for sure if your weight gain was related to the pills or the "Freshman 15" is to go back on them and see if your weight loss is slowed. That being said, I think it is important to consider why you were on the pill in the first place. There are lots of birth control options out there, so if you were only taking the pill for pregnancy prevention and are concerned about your weight loss slowing, I would talk with your ob/gyn about other options. If you were put on the pill for other reasons (such as PCOS, ovarian cycts, endometriosis, etc) I would strongly urge you to consider the potential consequences of not going back on the pill and rank those consequences against the potential of slowed weight loss. True, going back on the pill may slow your weight loss, but it will not stop the loss completely. Many women are on the pill and lose weight with LapBand.

I am going to make the call on Tuesday. WAHOOOOOO!!! All they can do is say that I don't qualify for the insurance to pay right? If that is the case then I will just have to go out of pocket. I am waiting for more blood work to come back. Checking the thyroid (again). I honestly have not been eating enough to cause this weight gain. I didn't even do Christmas Cookies this year. I know you must be excited about your appointment in a few weeks. Wish I were where you are know. The last few weeks will fly by so don't stress. Talk to you soon Jeanette

My journey has been life-long. I was overweight as a young child, medically obese by around age 7. Should you choose to read on, you will get a glimpse of the factors that contributed to my struggle in comforting myself with food and attempting to render myself unattractive. I had been through the tumultuous divorce of my parents and felt abandoned by my father at age 6. Within a year of my parents' divorce, I was molested by an adult male friend of the family. A few years later, I was molested by an older boy, another family friend. As a teen, searching for love and male attention to fill the hole in my heart, I began a sexual relationship with my boyfriend at 15. I became pregnant within a year and decided to abort my child. I believed the lies of the abortion industry, that it was a painless procedure, that my baby was just a "clump of cells," and went through with the abortion. Immediately afterwards, I knew I could never go through with, or put myself in that position EVER AGAIN! This is when I really saw my weight balloon, in what I now see was an effort to make myself undesirable by men. If no one was attracted to me, I wouldn't have sex, so I couldn't get pregnant, and would never again face abortion. This is when I graduated to morbid obesity. I had gained around 80 pounds within a year. My family excused the weight gain by comparing me to other family members who were large. It seemed natural to them, that because I was becoming a woman and there was a family history of obesity, the weight gain was unavoidable. No one relized that I was filling an emotional hole with food. No one saw the isolating behaviors I was exhibiting. Thirteen years later, at age 29, after having had four children, married and divorced, I had come to know God and started a process of recovery from all of my past hurts. Since then, layer upon layer of pain has been peeled away, and I am truly a new person! I won't say that the weight is the last thing I need to peel away, but I can say that I am ready to work on this part of me now! I had thought about gastric bypass many times over the years, since 1999, but never with the healing behind me and the mindset I have now. For me, shedding this weight is symbolic of breaking free from the shackles of all the pain that was holding me back. Thank you for taking the time to read my story!