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Fat2flat: Take a breath ... you are relatively new to band life and still need to adjust. You say you don't want to lose quick, then the band is the right "tool" for you. You also say that you want to lose faster than you are currently losing ... but you don't say how much you've lost. It is likely that you have not yet reached your sweet spot, so more fills are needed along with diet and exercise. Are you consistently exercising? Have you made "lifestyle" changes where your food is concerned? The band is (for most, for a few the weight falls off like GB) a tool that works only as hard a you work. Please note that "hard" is a relative term, it doesn't have to be hard -- if you are willing and ready to change your life. The good news is that if you are not quite ready to jump into the deep end, but need to walk from the shallow to the deep -- you HAVE the band and it will be there when you get to the deep end. I have always been a slow loser, but I am still very happy with my progress. I had been banded a little over a year before I started exercising consistently. I have a number of health problems that prevent me from doing strenuous exercise, but i do absolutely everything I can -- because I want to reach my goal and I am WILLING to do what it takes. I have been in physical therapy for months building muscle to strengthen my spine which is riddled with a degenerative disease. My ortho says that the only way around this issue is building muscle to take on the work that my spine can no longer do. This is a win, win because you lose more weight when you have more muscle. I would first recommend that you let go of the frustration ... it will only distract you from achieving your goal (i.e., losing weight). As you are working your way to your sweet spot do little things to change your diet, things you can live with; so that when you get to your sweet spot you will have many lifestyle changes already in place. Pay attention to how foods effect you. Some people are very sensitive to carbs and have to stay away from them; others require a more balanced diet to lose weight. Find what works for you ... let this be your focus and before you know it you will be at your sweet spot with a great new lifestyle AND you will lose weight. YOU CAN DO THIS. Be kind to yourself and ... patient. This journey is individual and very personal. What works for one person may not work for another. mamastwo; hate to say this, but fills are really necessary. It took 7 or 8 fills before I was got to my sweet spot. If you don't have time to get your fills, you can't really expect the band to do it's part. Again, the good news is that you have the band and when you have time to get enough fills to get to your sweet spot, your band will do it's part to assist you with weight loss. Don't give up. Try to make yourself a priority in your life so you can work this band. Find the time for fills, exercise and consciously making time to prepare your meals. Don't let frustration overtake you .... that will only put you on a cycle to nowhere ... we've already done that and all we got for our troubles was weight gain. Move as slowly as you need to, but KEEP MOVING FORWARD. Be kind to YOU! All the best to you both on your journey. This is a great website, with great support. Make it happen in 2012!!! ~Fran

Hello all, thanks for the happy anniversary wishes. I have some sad news and some good news. I had to have my band removed in May after loosing 97lbs. which was the happiest I have ever been in my life. That's saying a lot at the age of 56. Scar tissue developed to the point where nothing was going down and what was supposed to be a 45 min. procedure turned into 2 hrs bec. there was so much scar tissue. My Dr. suggested I go ahead and have the gastric while he was removing the scar tissue but I decided against it due to my husband's and my fear of the surgery. BIG MISTAKE! Hubby was supposed to be my support and we were going to exercise and he was going to lose 50lbs and I would keep my weight down. NOT! I have gained back 60lbs and he has not lost 1lb. Of course my life has been miserable, all the old pains have returned, back pain, knee pain, arthritis pain in shoulders worsened due to weight gain and the most painful my type 2 diabetes is returning. I was taken off of 3 diff. meds. 1 which I had to take twice a day and put on 1 small injection of Victoza. I cannot get back into my clothes size 12-14 from 24 -26 & I buy the size 20 I'm in now as needed. After much discussion with my husband and our both going back to talk to the Dr. about the gastric bypass and asking more precise questions about what went wrong with the lap band I opted to go ahead and have the procedure done. As it turned out the plastic from the band caused the scare tissue. By metal staples being used for the gastric I will not have that problem this time around. I had to repeat some steps like the psych eval. but I was willing to do everything that needed to be done. This was in the early part of December. Yesterday I got a call from the Hospital saying my insurance had been approved for the gastric bypass. I jumped up and down, praising the Lord and asking him to watch over me and the Dr. I'm scheduled for sometime in February and I look forward to the new me, AGAIN. Keep me in your prayers.

You really should be careful about allowing yourself anything pure in sugar. You really want to get yourself focused on sticking to your meal plan and if you start allowing yourself treats from early on, you will likely experience longer stalls and slower weight loss and that's if your carb monsters don't take over. It would be better to wait at least 4 or 5 months before you allow sweets as a treat back into your eating to be sure you have a handle on what your body can handle. Personally, anytime I find that I have a treat with high bad carbs/ sugar, I pay for it with a 1 to 3# weight gain which comes off but only after getting back on plan for several days or even longer in some cases. Just be careful. You need to try to approach this with a new attitude towards healthy eating.

I was sleeved on 12/19/11 and had my post op check in today. Down 15 lbs! Advanced to stage 3 diet, and I was in heaven eating an egg and some deli turkey meat for lunch when I got home! It has kept me more full than the liquids. The hardest part is feeling really tired every afternoon, the best park is fitting into smaller clothes! I wish I was losing faster, but have to remind myself that I have undone 6 years of weight gain in 2.5 weeks!! Yay! Kimmie

I too was so worried about going to my doctors this morning for my fill worried that she would scold me because I knew I had gained weight over the holidays, well needless to say I gained 4 POUNDS!! UGH, but she did not scold me. We identified the reasons for the weight gain and decided on a path forward. I recieved a fill and I'm back on track and ready to lose!! Don't be so hard on yourself, it happens.

So glad to find this post because I am also over 2 years out with my band and lost 65 pounds the first year and then put on 30 pounds the next year. I am really struggling, but like the suggestions here. I have a terrible addiction to sweets which seem to go down just fine with the band so I know my weight gain is due to too many calories in and little to no exercise. It is time I get back in control and like the idea of going back to the shakes. Thanks so much for the advice. I should have come on here a long time ago. It is nice to know that I am not the only one struggling.

I think what everyone has already said is excellent advice. The only thing to probably stress is that I really think that if you do the 5 day pouch test, you will find you can't eat a cup and a half in one sitting. There is a difference between eating a cup and a half of say a milk shake or a piece of cake because you are starting to get into what is referred to as "slider foods". That is the very reason they say to get your Proteins in first..... proteins in first.... I would be willing to bet that you wouldn't be able to eat a cup and a half of chicken or turkey in one sitting. Let that be your test to see where your at and like others have said, get yourself re-focused on your final goal. You know that even while pregnant you will need to stay focused on healthy eating and that should help you with weight gain for the baby. Good luck! You can do it.

Certainly don't worry about what the surgeon will think. The chances of you doing something he/she hasn't seen before are very remote! Leading up to my surgery, I ate like is was my last meal for 3 months. I managed to gain 18 pounds in that time, and frankly I enjoyed the hell out of it. In the end, all the weight gain pre-surgery means is a few more weeks until I eventually hit my goal. I figured I spent 40 years getting to where I was, so what's an extra few weeks.

I have to disagree with Xavier. It is not just about how much you eat but what you eat as well. It is not possible for the band to stop you eating the incorrect foods no matter how tight it is. chocolate, Cookies , icecream etc will always go down really easily and as they are high calorie they cause weight gain and they are also not satisfying.This is how the band is a tool - it helps to reduce hunger so that it is easier to make the correct choices but it does not make those choices for you. I think most of us would be really happy if they invented some kind of surgery where we could eat what we wanted in the quantities that we wanted and still lose weight. Unfortunately ( but probably luckily too) I don't think that this will ever happen. In order to stay healthy there are certain types of food that we should be eating a lot more of and others (the ones we would prefer to eat) that we should be eating a lot less of. As the others have said you have not failed until you have given up. Go back to your Dr and check that all is in order and that you have sufficient restriction and then recommit to making good choices. Remember it is about what you do 90% of the time that counts, no-one expects you to eat perfectly 100% of the time. Good luck

This is true, as is Water weight gain, that can happen too, but it will come off. That's why once you start the mushie stage, you will begin to see what is really coming off. You will count calories, and slowly see it come off. Go to myfitnesspal.com and sign up. It's free, and allot of us are there keeping track of calories, Protein, exercise, and more. It can even calculate what you could lose it a number of weeks. You can view other peoples Diary, and see how, and what they are eating. Also it's all kept in memory. That's why I say a loss is a loss. Sometimes it will keep going, or plateau, or gain some back. So Celebrate ! Your trying to do this, and your getting there one way or the other. I am Losingintime on MFP site.

As for the weight gain, you very well could be gaining muscle since you are in the gym 5 times a week! Hope you are able to figure out the pain and get to feeling better soon!

I've been banded for 4 years next month. I have a 10cc band. I lost all my weight in the 1st year and kept it off until recently. I started at 256lbs and made it down to 152 and fit comfortably in a size 6/8 for the past three years at 4.2 cc's. I slowly started having band issues over the past year. Pb's, acid reflux at night, and about a 10 lb weight gain over time. I had my doctor do a slight unfill (.25cc's). This helped my reflux for a short time, but it came back. I tried not eating after 6pm, propping up on pillows to sleep, but no matter how small the meal, my pouch was stretched and it would just sit in there and come back up when I laid down at night. My pouch had stretched over time and I didn't even know it. I didn't stuff food down my throat and sit there in agony until my pouch stretched day after day. It wasn't like that at all! Like other bandsters, sometimes I eat and am comfortable, other times not. My doctor said this is something fairly common when you've been banded for a while and that every now and then I would need a "reset". An unfill for 4-6 weeks, then slowly filling again. I had a complete unfill 2 months ago, then a 2cc fill about 3 weeks ago. I'm going in for another fill next week. In this time I've gained 13lbs. It's been hard for this "foodie" to not have restriction during the holidays. I have the lap band for a very good reason. I'm looking forward to getting back to where I feel restriction again so I can drop this weight I've gained. My doctor recommended doing this once a year to keep things in check. Hopefully this helps your curiosity about pouch stretching.

Laura you look fantastic! Juicing is a great option, but sometimes it can cause some weight gain. There is nothing wrong with increasing our diets to a more healthy, nutritious and great tasting. I fear for myself that I would over indulge and gain weight back. Then again, I'm mind is playing tricks on me. I am holding back from going out and buying a size 8 slacks for work. I just can't believe I'm in an 8. I am working my way up to it.

Ok so lets start with stats Heighest 270 Surgery: 238.1 Current 223.2 * I actually gained 4 lbs in 3 days* Height 5'7" So let me start off my saying... BLAH!!!!!!!! OK so here goes.. I thought I was doing really well.. I was going to the gym 5 days a week, staying motivated, drinking all my fluids, and trying my best to stay on the program.. Don't get me wrong im not perfect and I did cheat.. normally I don't regret it because I really work my butt off at the gym, but recently I think because I've been justifying my cheat with a "well ill just work extra hard at the gym" im actually seriously sabatoging my progress. Let me say though funny part is im not cheating my eating foods im not supposed to eat.. but because i work in a bar im having a drink instead.. SO NOT A GOOD THING as im only 3 weeks out of surgery. Why am I telling you this... BECAUSE I AM GOING TO HOLD MYSELF ACCOUNTABLE! Now here is the kicker... TODAY I WENT TO THE HOSPITAL FOR SEVERE ABDOMINAL PAIN ON THE LEFT SIDE... I was in the ER for 11 hours, and they still have absolutely no idea why i have this pain .. i don't honestly think its because of the alcohol, but it scared me enough to realize that even a small cheat can be DETRIMENTAL to my health. As of now i am still in a considerable amount of pain, docs did an iodine test to see if i have any leaks and a CT Scan, all which came back normal.. SO why the pain? If anyone has the answer to that... PLEASE LET ME KNOW. From now on though.. im stickin to the plan cuz one thing i do know.. even though the alcohol may not be causing my ab pain... It sure as hell is contributing to my WEIGHT GAIN! And it is wayyyyyyyyyyyyy to early to be gaining weight! I mean ive heard of the the 3 weeks stall... but the 3 week weight gain.. GET REAL! So here is my pledge.... I will abide by the rules, i will still hit the gym, and i will hold myself accountable!

My first fill was 10ccs in an 11cc band. I felt NOTHING. It was tight for a couple of hours after the fill, but once that feeling went away, I felt the same as I did before the fill. I was also able to eat anything I wanted- Pasta, bread, rice, steak- all with no hint of sticking. I was freaked out because I was thinking- 'he can only get one more cc in this thing- what if I'm one of those people that the band just doesn't work for?'. Well, yesterday I went for fill #2. He put in 0.5ccs. I had to wait for 10 minutes in the office to make sure I wasn't uncomfortable. I felt a little like I had heartburn and felt burpy- there was a definite difference with that tiny amount. But I didn't really feel totally uncomfortable, so, I left and hoped on the subway. I got about 3 stops away and decided something was wrong. I had a sharp pain in the middle of my back and in my chest. I called the office and they said it was the sign of too much fill. They gave me the option of coming back and getting a little out or letting it settle for a couple of days. I decided to get some out, so I headed back and as soon as they took a little out, the pain went away. The moral of the story is don't give up! It just may take your band being almost full to get you the restriction you want. My doctor is pretty agreesive with the first fill and has me coming in every 2 weeks to check my progress. You're gonna get there, it just takes a little patience and a little more saline! (oh! the weight gain might just be muscle building from the exercise- use body measurements and how your clothes fit to help gauge your progress when the scale discourages you!)

Thank you...y'all are probably right about savings- I love Lane Bryant but it gets expensive buying a new wardrobe every other year due to weight gain!! Good point about how difficult it will probably be to gain weight with less of a stomach. I looked into the 401K loans too - not bad! You just need to verify what your particular investment company requires if you switch employers or lose your job. Thanks for the words of encouragement!

This is where I laugh all the time. I could have died or ended up with some serious complications. Other than that, for me, this was absolutely the easy way out and thankfully this way existed. I mean why would you want to do it the hard way when there is an easier way. Losing weight is a full time job for us fatties and losing weight is not the kind of job I want. I am certain that in the next 5 months I will have to put some effort into losing the remaining weight until goal, but anything that will get me to where I need to be easier and faster...I will take it. I struggled long enough with the weight gain and losses - I was over it! So I paid for a scary, but excellent tool which makes it easier for me to lose weight. I don't really see this surgery as hard, but if anyone says to me...why did you take the easy way out...I would say to them...why wouldn't I? Struggling is overrated!

So today marks the end of the holidays and I am now post surgery 4 weeks. I am waiting for my first fill in 2 weeks and am adjusting to the need to implement portion control. I did very well during these 4 weeks by losing quickly and then hit a flatline with a slight uptick in weight when I moved to solid foods last week. In my first entry I talked about that frustration of going up a little and decided that I needed to continue to maintain focus, which I did and since the first posting (4 days ago) I am down 3 pounds and feeling good about making good decisions. I am purposefully moving to amore soft foods diet to avoid weight gain and build up my portion control focus. This is working well and everyone in the household is adjusting well. It was nice to hear from my wife, who is very fit, that my change in focus on food and the fact that several times I said no, or I can't have that, actually helped her stay on track as well. That was very energizing for me to have that positive comment and helps me to stand to making the right decisions. Today we went to Pink's hot dogs (yeah not great for a bander) but I was able to have fun with the family and have very small bites of a hot dog (no bun) and leave satisfied and happy with the experience without impacting anyone else. I go back to work tomorrow and will have to make good decisions there, but will go in a little later than before to have a good, healthy, portion-controlled breakfast at home (used to get something on the way...bad decisions were always my problem), leaving only lunch to worry about. I am finding that eating out and fast food are not something I will do as much and with a little planning things are working well. So leaving this second post, pre-fill I am feeling good about my mental progress of changing my lifestyle, which is what I knew had to be done to make this work anyway. I have a mental plan and with good focus each stage will go well, as I enter stage 2 I feel good so far. Stage 1 - Pre Surgery I had to focus on making this real for me and admit that I had a problem (sorta my own individual 12 step program). I followed the Optifast 800 fairly well and cut out fast food. This allowed me to lose 70 pounds in the year leading up to my surgery. For the first time in a long time I saw some positive results in pictures and this added to the motivation. Stage 2 - this stage is my goal between now and Christmas 2012. My goal is to lose 70 more pounds. I intend to up my walking and exercise during this time with the goal of being at a low enough weight to use an elliptical machine in my home by the end of the year for additional excercise. I am hoping that the band will help me to internalize new, better eating habits with portion control to make this stage a success. Stage 3 - this stage will begin immediately upon completing stage 2, but hopefully no later that Christmas 2012. This stage is where I leave the crutch of the band and need to make the changes "biggest loser" style with excercise. I will be adding a full time gym membership expectation with this stage with the goal to lose another 70 pounds (this would be a combined 210 in 3 stages). This stage is targeted to be complete in regard to body change and weight loss by Christmas 2013. This is my lifestyle change stage and should lend itself to a much more active family set of activities. Beyond - I will asses my weight and body at the end of stage 3 and add new goals in regard to weight, fitness, body composition but from this point on I am in a balance lifestyle with a maintaining focus. This is a while out, but I believe good gools come from having the end in mind. So 2012 is beginning well for me and I hope to continue this journey to a new, improved me!

Just remember, there are many benefits from this procedure. We loose weight, and yes, we do retain Water. That will add some weight but I'd rather retain water than get dehydrated. Our physical health is also getting better. We have less cholesterol, blood sugar is within normal range hopefully and most of us are taking our Vitamins on a daily basis now. We are more mindful of what we put in our mouths, and yes, we do cheat but that's ok. We just get back on track. Life is getting so much better now. Yes I hate have to buy new cloths just to have to turn around and buy smaller size cloths later. I'm not complaining, I love it, it's just cost $$$$$. I love my new smaller body. If you have a weight gain, it's a stall and your retaining water. I was drinking gatorade and that has a high sodium content which contributed to retaining water. LOL Hang in there and enjoy the new eating habits we are developing.

I gained a couple pounds when I started on puree/mushee too. Then I stalled. I was like GREAT! A stall AND a weight gain?! It came off plus 2 pounds after the stall broke. No worries. I have the same feelings.. "I'm going to be fat forever! I did this surgery in vain!" Don't fret, It WILL come off.

Relax! It happened to me too. It's not weight gain. It's probably water weight/ etc. theres no way you can be consuming enough calories to gain weight. Keep on plan and don't weigh yourself for a week and you will be down those pounds plus some. This is normal!

Absolutely not if I dont eat right and workout the weight gain begins so no it was tool to help me start myjourney!

I am on the YAZ with only 4 days off - I love it! No mood swings, no weight gain, super light periods.

To get back on the band wagon. Accept that my weight gain was unfortunate, but not the end of world. Just got my first refill and am excited to get going again and have learned a lot about myself over this last few years.

Hi XD and welcome. The only advice i would give anyone is not to think that the band (or any other weight loss surgery [WLS]) is going to be the solution to their weight issues. In fact far from it. Any WLS options can be sabotaged and you can end up right back where you started and maybe even worse. The big question you need to ask yourself is whether you can make the lifestyle changes required to achieve your goal. The WLS is a tool - purely that. It is not a fix all or total solution. Unless you honestly deal with the issues that actually caused weight gain and are prepared to make some significant lifestyle change choices, then you are going to struggle to succeed and, to be honest, you would be better not to bother having the surgery. I hope this doesn't sound like too much of a lecture - but I can't stress how important it is that you look carefully at this stuff before having surgery. Cheers AJ