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Hi everyone. I found this forum while trying to research the gastric surgery options. Both my GP and my GYN have suggested a sleeve because of my weight gain and the depression it causes. I will be 50 years old in August and every time I think about how I have struggled with my weight all my life, I start ugly crying. I am 5'2" and 212lbs which is the heaviest I have ever been. I feel old and tired and cant reach my feet. I am terrified of getting this surgery. I have been able to get to a healthy weight only once after having my kids and it was a very strict low carb diet and working out 5 days a week but I was not able to sustain it and it only lasted about a year before I crashed and then Covid happened and I gained more, then my mom died and I gained more. I am reading how stressful the pre-op liquid diet is, and how much pain is suffering from post-op gas and its just worrying me more. My first appt with a gastroenterologist is in 3 weeks.

Nina-- If you aren't vomitting and can get a reasonable amount of food down, there's no reason your band should slip. Talk to your doc about weight loss/weight gain during pregnancy depending on what you decide to do. My doc was ok with me maintaining weight, though I'm on track to gain an appropriate amount of weight-- 20-ish pounds. I had a total unfill, so I'm happy with that. Some people have reported that their doc was find with weight loss as long as the patient was eating enough food and baby was growing. Depends on the doc and the person. If you decide to continue with your pregnancy, your band will still be there when you're done. I know it's frustrating, but the band doesn't have a "honeymoon" period like some weight loss surgeries. Yes, the full signals may be a softer as time goes on, but there are a lot of people who lose a little weight early on and go on to finish losing weight years after their band is installed. Good luck with your decision!

Way to go, great before and after. I have been giving the fat clothes away on Craigslist, from 3xl to 2 xl. Got to be honest, my reaction to your post is that when the 18 months honeymoon is over, and your body clicks into normal weight gain, you are one who, according to my surgeon and my nutritionists, and my daughter's father in law (bariatric surgeon) is at very high risk of gaining your weight back. The honeymoon of easy weight loss is when we cement our better food habits. Beer, lots of Desserts, no vitamins/calcium (you are young enough you might get away with that but it may effect your bone strength in your 40's) means that you have not changed enough habits to maintain post honeymoon. No criticism intended, I have 100 pounds to go, but every week my core food habits are better, I am Never going to be fat again.

Hello, I started my 2 week pre-op diet on Monday.. Weighed myself Sunday night, and was 283. By Tuesday I was down to 278. Yesterday I was 276 and today I'm back to 278.. how the heck did that happen? I'm on two bariatric shakes plus one healthy meal a day. Usually 3oz chicken or steak with brocolli or green beans. I drink a crazy amount of water and I'm using Metamucil like the doctor asked.. What am I doing wrong? Sent from my Z982 using BariatricPal mobile app

YES IT IS NORMAL! Don't get worried, many people experience slight weight gain after the transition because there is actually real food for the body to process/digest. I even remember reading that B52 (who is now at goal) gained some weight the first few months. Just watch your portion sizes and try to make the best choices possible.

Yes unfortunately, your hunger does come back but what helps is all you’ve learnt about yourself & your eating habits. Like is what you’re feeling real hunger or head hunger? If it’s head hunger, try a strategy to help manage those feelings (distraction, glass of water, go for a walk, etc.). You said you feel like you’ve put on weight but have you actually put on weight? But you’re not alone worrying about possible or real weight gain. Doesn’t really matter how far along you are, possible weight gain can make you anxious & reflecting on your eating behaviours & your physical & emotional health is the first place to start & then start making any necessary changes. I’m currently battling a small gain so I’ve been revising my food choices & portion sizes. Have I become a little complacent? Is my metabolism slowing a little? Do I need to up my activity? Am I meeting my protein & fluid goals? Is my body ‘settling’ into a new happy place? Should it become my new happy place - more head work? Is my HRT the wrong dose now as I’ve been getting acne lately (WTF?!?!?)? So I’ve started by adding a little more activity, been more vigilant about my water intake, reduced my fruit intake, didn’t have wine at our girls’ lunch. We’ve got this. All the best.

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?

For those of you that need or have had revision surgery, what do you think was the gateway to the weight gain? What do those undergoing WLS really need to be careful about?

Thanks for the help. Im getting really depressed. Do you ever eat oatmeal? The weight gain started around the time I started eating oatmeal. I also was diagnosed with a brain tumor and had brain surgery around the same time so I dont know what did it. I will try to reduce my portions. Thanks again

Well, I must say I learned a lot today at my post op. I wish it had been sooner so I could be privy to this info but I am glad just the same. I learned several things. 1st--my doc does not have us on a long liquid phase after surgery because he has found more success in his patients if they are re-introduced slowly to foods as soon as possible. Less cheating and damage to the band. Plus since he does not put any fluid in the band the healing time is less. 2nd--I should be eating a "salad plate" size portion at each meal. And here I thought I was eating too much. 3rd--I must eat 1200 cal a day. Eating low low calories can cause weight gain or I would stop losing weight. As it was explained to me, I should not be struggling with my diet. The only thing I should have to be concerned with is healthy choices. The amount I eat should be dictated by my band. Hence the reason for follow ups and fills, of course we all know that. Got to get to the "green zone otherwise known as the "sweet spot". Well I weight in and have lost a total of.....33 POUNDS!! 14.7 lbs since surgery. Not a lot but REALLY excited. My doctor is thrilled with it. He said slow is the way to go. As he put it, if you expected to lose a lot weight fast then you should have chosen one of the other surgeries. So true!! My BP is down. It is normal so that thrills me. I am off the reflux meds now. I haven't had any since surgery. Ok, so I had my 1st fill. I didn't have anything in the band and now I have 3 cc's. It was interesting. It didn't hurt one bit. We chatted as the nurse practitioner did my fill. It was tight and all day I sipped water and ate mushy foods. The swelling is down now because I am no longer burping when I swallow water. Then...I get home today and a local hospital (not the one I went to) sends me an invitation to their weightloss surgery seminar. I had never even inquired there. Strange.

Personally I would be very very concerned about your stuck episodes. I am 2 and a half years out and can count my stuck episodes on 1 hand. I absolutely do not think that you need a fill if anything you may need an until. Some people keep their bands really tight because they think it should stop you from eating certain foods. My doctor does not hold that philosophy. If your band is in reality not too tight then my guess is you could be eating some foods that don't agree with you. Having a too tight band will lead you. to choosing slider foods that go down without getting stuck. Problem with slider Foods is 1 they tend to be higher in calories and 2 since they don't keep you full you eat more of them. This will lead to weight gain. In the years I've been on this site I've read more than enough postings of people who started to eat ice cream and shakes from McDonald's because they go down so easily.

I wouldn't worry about the weight gain; obviously your body is trying to heal right now. I'm sorry you're going through this, it sounds awful. Just from what you're describing (and of course I'm no expert or doctor) you aren't drinking enough and it seems like you may need to stay with the clear liquids (water, broth) for longer than usual. Keep in touch with your doctors as they will be the best to help you!

I unfilled my band two months ago because I was experiencing the same exact things you mention in your post. I gained 20 lbs. Just went back in and had it filled to 2 cc's so ..... hopefully I can get those 20 lbs off and then some. My head just wasn't there and no restriction for two months really did get my head back into the game. Well, actually it was the gaining of the 20 lbs that did that, but I wouldn't have gained if I hadn't unfilled. I don't know how else I could have got my head back in the lap band world, I tried many times unsuccessfully before the unfill. Gaining weight really gives you the push you need. I wish I hadn't let it go so long but I am back in full force now and maybe it will be just what I needed to lose the 20 + more. Good luck with your unfill! My advice is keep a REALLY close eye on any weight gain and don't wait until you're up to 20 lbs to go back in to see your doctor.

This will be my first blog here, so I'll briefly introduce myself to the world of blog-readers, though it may be small. I'm 29 (until a week from tomorrow) and I had surgery on March 6, 2009. I have an Allergan 4cc band placed in Juarez, Mexico by Dr. Jose Rodriguez. Before I decided to have the surgery, I was at my heaviest ever. Shortly after losing 30 pounds or so on Atkins, I started re-gaining weight very quickly; roughly 70 pounds in just a few months following my parent's breakup. Nothing had ever affected me as profoundly as when my parents split up - not even my own divorce. Anyway, one day at 272 (my highest weight) I realized I had fat hands, which I had never had in all my 25+ years of being overweight They were so plump that they dimpled in at the knuckles. I snapped and realized I had a closet full of clothes that didn't fit anymore, and ankle pain every morning when my feet hit the floor. I dreaded that ankle pain every time the alarm clock woke me up. I truly believe I had (have) a food addiction. I would go to McDonald's with my kids, eat my meal (often with dessert) and wait for my kids to finish so I could glean what was left of their happy meals. A couple of nuggets, an extra order of fries. I would eat it all, and it didn't matter if the fries were cold. I once confided in my good friend that I had a food addiction. She thought I was joking and we laughed about it, but deep inside I knew it was true and that I had to do something. I did a quick search for food addiction on the internet and I found a video advertisement of a young lady who had lapband. I thought she was so beautiful, and her story was so much like my own - heavy all her life. There are some things about having had the surgery that I hate. But for the most part, I love that I made the decision to get the band. For example, I hate that I told so many people because I can't stand when someone says, "You can't eat that, can you?" UGH!! lol. "Watch me!" If you're reading this and thinking about having the surgery, consider who you tell. Some people love to tell everyone, and they have that screw-you attitude. I'm not quite as resilient. I wish I hadn't confided in as many people as I did. Another thing is - be ready for criticism. People will tell you you're taking the easy way out. (Lemme tell ya - this is anything BUT easy. The band will make you confront demons you never knew you had. It will force you to think about everything that you put in your mouth. It will cause - at times - physical pain like you've never experienced. It will sometimes scare the heck outta you). Others will say "shouldn't you have lost more weight by now?" or "is it healthy to lose weight that fast?" "why don't you just get that thing taken out?" "I couldn't live with that thing inside of me" all with a sly attitude about them, of course. I had one friend who said, "well, I'm not big enough to have lapband, I just need to lose about 50 pounds," while she was (is) morbidly obese. I think this was her way of telling me she wasn't near as fat as me. In my part of the country, we have a name for those kinds of people - haters. What I love: I LOVE that I've lost nearly 40 pounds and I'm back to feeling like me. I LOVE that soon I won't feel like myself anymore because I'll be an all-new-to-me thin person! I've never been thin, and at my least-fat, I was 198 pounds. (After some serious weight loss, I celebrated breaking 200 by gaining it all back. Go figure.) I LOVE that I always only order the kid-size meal when we go out, and I can't finish it. Now my kids eat my leftovers. :thumbup: I LOVE that my ankles don't hurt every morning, and my clothes are starting to fit again. I LOVE that all the fat clothes I had bought to accommodate my weight gain are now too big for me. And for the first time in my life, I know I won't be fat forever. There is light at the end of this tunnel. I used to say that I was just destined to be a big girl. I LOVE that I don't believe that anymore.

First of all I take it you are currently obessee? the lap band system is designed for use with folks with 100 or more pounds to loose. If fifty is all you need to sheed I'd continue with your carb free diet and exercise along with your insulin sensitizing tablet. (glumetta?) If that tablet is not doing the trick I'd ask about metformin it is a stronger insulin sensitizing agent and many with pcos take it to lower their insulin and possibly give the body an easier time to ovulate. If you continue to gain weight as if often the case with pcos I'd deffinately look into surgery and you can get pregnant sometimes with pcos if your body dropps enough weight(they are called "band babies"). Look into the lap band and how the system works and ask questions about health durring pregnancy with the band with your surgon if this is the route you choose. I have pcos and i'm obesse I have about 80 or so more pounds to loose before I can even think about getting pregnant. But because i've lost over fifty so far, my doctor's office told me to be "careful". This pcos can be a real bear with the weight gain so keep an eye on your gain/loss and report any adverse effects to your doctor ASAP. Because it seems like with me overnight i'd put on fifty plus pounds, but also withn six months i've lost over fifty. **** luck let me know what you choose.--icestorm

Thank you Mami! I don't want you to have an accident over something I posted. It feels good to share that. There is a lot I keep to myself and it feels good to open up. And even better that anyone cares enough to read. It's hard to talk about my weight because skinny people just think its all excuses. So I was always the one to make the jokes before others did and laugh about my weight with them. What they didn't know, was at night I would cry myself to sleep. I got good enough to smile while pushing back the tears. Even my bf doesn't know that I would be crying right next to him. The bc started this whole thing and I strongly recommend that people look into all the possibilities before putting anything into their bodies. Since then I swear I would refuse a blood transfusion if one of the listed side effects were weight gain!....lol I will post before and update pics as soon as I find the courage. Again, thanks Mami for making me feel less alone. *hugs*

Tmrrw makes 1 week postop for me. I gained 4.2lbs while being in the hospital for surgery. I’m down those extra pounds & 2.6lbs on top of that. I know that the extra weight came from IV & probably also water retention. I woke up out of anesthesia burping & the following day, started to pass gas. I was finally able to poop this morning with the help of milk of magnesia. I’m able to get down 2 protein shakes a day, crystal light & other fluids. Can’t wait til I see the true weight come off. I’m big on taking measurements & celebrating NSVs, but it was a shocker to see the weight gain after surgery. You can keep up with my journey on IG @CurlyGirl_GetsFit

I'm kinda having a similiar experience. I was banded on 2/13/09 - exactly 2 months ago today. I lost 20 lbs the first month (Yay). I felt fabulous. My goal is to lose 3-5 lbs per month. I felt like I was on a roll. I was a little surpised at how much I could eat. There is a model of a stomach with the lap band in my Doc's office and it looks like the stomach is the size of a walnut. I had also been warned that my stomach could accomodate about 6 grapes worth of food. I could easily eat a cup - a cup and a half of food. What I could eat was definitely less than the gobs of food I could eat before but I had this idea in my head that I would take 2 bites of a sandwhich and be about to burst. Au Contraire. I was supposed to get my first fill at 4 weeks out but because of some complications with finding my port we decided to wait 2 more weeks. When I returned 2 weeks later I had GAINED FOUR LBS. I was devastated. My Doc said it was okay - that the band before your first fill is open and attributed the weight gain to this. I received 4 ccs. I felt like a I got full a TAD bit faster but not much. Since then I have become scale obsessed and weigh myself 3-5 times a day (ok - maybe more - basically every time I go by the scale) Week 7 according to my home scale, which can be a little capricious, I lost about 9 lbs. Week 8 I shot back up like 6 lbs and pretty much stayed the same all week. I returned to the doc this past saturday for what I thought would be another fill. I had lost 3 lbs. So basically I was at a total weight loss of 19 lbs (1 lbs less than I was a month ago). The doc asked me how much I could eat, I told him a cup or so, he said that sounds perfect. He said I should be losing about 1-2 lbs a week - no more. I told him that I stay full for 3-4 hours. He said I was doing fine and would not give me a fill. I was so excited about getting a fill because I want to see steady and substantial weight loss - which I feel I'm not getting right now. But my doc insisted I was doing well. I felt a little discouraged yesterday but now I'm feeling okay. I looked through some of the before and after pics on one of the posts and I saw so many people with dramatic weight loss. It was then that I realized that I probably am right on track. One girl lost 100 lbs in nine months. If you break that down that is 10 -12 lbs a month. I've lost 20 in 2 months which would mean 100 lbs in 10 months. To lose 100 lbs in 10 months would be AWESOME. So I'm gonna give it some time and see how it goes.

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.

My new favorite saying "You haven't failed until you quit!" as long as you are working with your band you can not be termed a failure. You have lost almost 100 pounds. How many people have done that? Seriously. I got a fill last month that just kept getting tighter, .7 then I went back 10 days later and they took .3 out. What a relief! There is no reason for you to suffer. Take a little out. The band is for teaching you sustainable eating habits. You cant live the rest of your life on a few bites of food at a time, besides it will encourage grazing and then weight gain. A half unfill isn't bad. Then you will still have some restriction. I don't think you can be getting your proper nutrients from the way you describe eating. So yes I think lack of food could be affecting your mood. Have you talked to your Dr that prescribes your depression meds? Maybe they just need tweaked. Plus we could all use some sunshine. I'm sorry that you are feeling sad, do you have some preop pictures that you could compare to your current ones? (If you don't have current ones you really need to take some) Sometimes when I am sad I minimize my accomplishments and if I have a visual reminder that cant be denied it will make me feel better. 100 pounds has to make a real difference in your appearance! Try and concentrate on the positive. Try and silence the inner voice that is saying bad things (OK maybe you don't have this but I do, I have to shut it up a lot!) Good luck and keep us posted.

Hi everyone. I’m new to this site and just had surgery on 2/27. I was wondering if any ladies who have had their surgery experienced weight gain right after surgery? The morning of my surgery they weighed me and 2 1/2 days later when I was discharged, they weighed me again and I was 11 lbs. heavier. I understand bloating but have never been so bloated that I gained that much more weight. So just curious if anyone else had a similar experience.

I have Aetna. Did the 3 month multi-disciplinary requirements. Approved 4 days after my dr office submitted to insurance. No issues at all. I had no net weight gain during the 3 month period and was over 41BMI at the beginning.

My name is Becky and I just turned 21, I'm a nursing student and am engaged to the love of my life. I started my WLS journey in November of 2012 and got the gastric sleeve at the end of December 2012. My starting weight was 260. From the moment I woke up, I had a stricture and had pain with swallowing. We decided as I healed this would calm down and eating would become less painful. Well, that never happened..I've had roughly 10 endoscopy's and they have dilated the stricture each time hoping to help ease the pain. I've been hospitalized for pain and malnutrition roughly 5-6 times and it's been a tough journey. Now it's July of 2014 and I haven't eaten solid food since my surgery in 2012. I am in constant pain and have been taking the liquid Vicodin on and off this whole time. Living life has been a real struggle because I can't get in enough Protein or Water to stay energized or hydrated so I sleep a lot. I was a relatively healthy (besides some comorbitities) full time nursing student and now I'm barely staying afloat in school. I've pushed back my clinicals which pushes back my graduation date because I just don't have the energy to start them; plus I'm in the hospital so often that I miss class which is not allowed once I start working in the hospital. I went back to my surgeon two months ago and they ran all sorts of tests, he told me if I didn't get this fixed I was heading in the direction of Barret's and esophageal cancer which scared the crap out of me at 21. He said the only way to fix the severe esophageal spasms and the swollen inflamed stricture is to revise to a bypass which would stop the bile reflux and change the anatomy of the stomach which will hopefully help the irregular pressures in my esophagus and let the stricture heal. I agreed since that seemed to be the only option AND I haven't lost any weight...ZERO. It's because I can't eat what I'm supposed to eat, I can barely get down pudding and ice cream much less vegetables or protein so my metabolism is basically shut down and I'm stuck. We are hoping the bypass fixes my pain but it would also be an added bonus to lose the weight like I originally planned. We had set a date of 7/11/2014 which is today but I got a call on Wednesday saying the insurance retracted my approval because they want another EGD done. He did the EGD on that same Wednesday and came back out to talk to me about what he found. He said it's significantly worse than it was two months ago, my esophagus is eroding from the bile that keeps irritating the already swollen stricture. I asked about Barret's and he said not YET...so scary! My surgeon himself called the medical director of the insurance company to tell him how badly I need this surgery. He said he would be very surprised if we didn't get it approved and set a new date for next Friday. Here's to hoping I suppose. I will keep you guys informed when I have a date and I will update on how I'm feeling. Hopefully in a couple of months this will be another success thread, I'm crossing my fingers and toes! I already have all of my Vitamins and Protein shakes from the last go around and have tried a ton of stuff and have a ton of experience with all things bariatric that are soft. I'm happy to answer any questions anyone has and am thankful for all of the support that you guys provide. My current weight is the same as my starting weight at 260 but like I said, I'm more concerned with the pain stopping than the weight gain although I'm hopeful that this will help me with both. My surgeon wants to keep me 2 nights in the hospital and saying the surgery will take 2-3 hours. I'll post pictures soon and update the title with the date we select..hopefully it will be 7/18. Pictures: Pre-Sleeve 2012: Pre-Bypass 2014: Recent Face Shot 2014: UPDATE: Surgery is approved but won't happen until August 1st because my surgeon is out of town I'm keeping my head up and am thankful that it is approved at all even if the date is farther out than I had been hoping. I will keep everyone updated and am on a cancellation list so maybe I'll get in sooner.

I feel you, I hear every day from co-workers and family how fat I am getting. I am so tired of hearing it. People act as though you can drop the weight just by thinking it. They tell me these things as if I do not know it. Some are as big as I am but think they aren't. I was so tired of hearing it along with me hating the weight gain myself. That's what brought me to the band on 22 Jan 09. I have only told two people. the rest just know I had herina repair. I get no support at home with this. I want to do as well as you have, but with out support I am not sure it if well do well. Keep up the great work. you inspire me.

I would like to here from some members that may have had weight gain a year out from surgery. I know it’s from my eating habits and poor exercise regime. I have started back this week to exercise and I need to work on improving my eating habits. I started at 250, my lowest was 172, and right now I’m 186. My ultimate goal was to get to 150. I feel like such a failure, one of my biggest fears of having the surgery was failing and I feel that has happened. I looking for encouragement, guidance and I’m hoping that being honest and up front in a large group will help with accountability. Thank you for your support in advance. MKT