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Christina 24 Weight on December 1, 2011- 272 Goal Weight for December- 262 Dietary goal for December- More Veggies, More Veggies Exercise goal for December- Keep up my routine....water class , zumba, and training for a 5k Personal goal for December- Just to stick with my plan and stay focus even when on VACA, and not allow a weight gain this VACA. Date Banded- Sept. 16, 2011 Total Weight loss since banding/ pre-op- 40 pounds

I'm not a fan of birthcontrol at all. I did one round of depovrovera injection back when I was 19 or twenty, and I turned itno such a misrible person on it. I stoped it and did not do any form of bc since then. I also have had menstral irregularites from fibroids in the usterus. I also have PCOS, and fibroids and menstral problems go hand in hand with the weight gain. Have any of you girls that have bad pain with your cycles been scanned for fibroids? they can make you very ill when you get your ycle. I did ont voimit but I did feel nauseus and had bad pain with my period and the bleeding was very heavy wich lead to anemia. My doctor encourages me to use some form of birthcontrol to prevent pregnancy. I feel like laughing omg like pregnancy would ever happen? But with my luck i'd dropp like 1/2 of my desired amount then get pregnant. I have an allergy to latex so rubbers are out of the question for us, so my husband said he would obstain for like a year. what would be our chances of conceoption anyway i think they are pretty slim to none at this point without medical intervention. My surgon says i can be banded and pregnant I just have to use some caution as far as banding is considered i guess.

Thanks GG, good luck on getting more protein in...I find it very hard to do. I did have some "cheat days" over the holidays, but thanks to the lap band I didn't gain any weight! This morning my scale put me at 193 and Dr. scale this afternoon (fully clothed) put me at 195.5. 5 pounds lost since the last weigh in at my doctors. I am feeling good, liquids for one day then soft food for a day or two. My in-laws will be here Saturday, I am happy I got the fill so I will not have to worry about weight gain. Usually a visit from family means eating out every single meal and trying all of the places here in San Antonio they have seen on the food channel. I am going to work on trying to get more protein in as well. As for the getting stuck, I have learned/decided no more pills in the morning, and maybe liquid or protein shake for breakfast. Only real meals will be lunch and dinner.. 1100 calories, huh? My fitnesspal tells me I should get 1200 and when I eat under that I usually lose better. Well good luck to all out there over the holidays, I KNOW they can be hard!

I had surgery in January 2011.... My starting weight was 278lbs and I am down to about 225.... I have been stuck here for MONTHS! I am so embarrassed and I feel terrible... I skipped my last fill because I was to embarrassed to go to the dr with no weight loss and possibly a weight gain of a few lbs. I am very emotional and short with the people I care about. I am currently on the depo shot and I am wondering if this is also hindering my weight loss. I have made the decision to discontinue the depo shot and I also made an appointment for a fill on Friday. I was just wondering if anyone else has delt with this or has any good advice? I am not good about following the rules and I recently started nursing school which I feel is hindering my weight loss even more due to poor meal planning.... I am just reaching out for any advice or words of wisdom anyone may have! Thanks

First of all sounds like you're doing well! 21 lbs already WAY TO GO! Well I have been at this 1 year and 6 months and have lost 153 lbs. Let me tell you I have weighed myself every single day! I even took my scale with me on vacatoin. It helps me see weight gain and loss patterns, I track it and I have been able to see what eating patterns affect the scale for me. Your weight will usually fluxuate within a few lbs but if you do everything you're supposed to you shouldn't see huge weight gains.

He may not be jealous. It may be that he is afraid of you leaving him behind. He might be even depressed about his weight gain and feels helpless. Hopefully he will come around and be supportive again.

Per what everyone else is saying: You are too tight. If you can't eat solids by lunch and are throwing up more than once a week (we all take bigger bites sometimes) then you are too tight. Get half of your last fill taken out. Your teeth are changing because of the vomiting and lack of nutrition. You will need to see a dentist to get that addressed - if you can't go for a few months do four things: 1) sign up for Groupon wherever you are, they often have dentist deals 2) use sensodyne whitening toothpaste and brush three times a day and floss but never brush after throwing up for at least 30 minutes 3) after throwing up rinse with Water only, generally you won't get much stomach acid with the band, more food from the pouch 4) start taking Prilosec OTC (you can use the generic too) and take that until you get to see a dentist because it will reduce the amount of acid you are producing to reduce the negative impact on your teeth. The biggest thing is to go get a partial unfill. Fills are expensive. I've paid for mine since day 1 and they cost me between $280-560 each time. But being too full has much greater consequences (band slip, swollen stomach and esophagus, teeth issues, band erosion, etc.). Once you get the unfill go back to your post surgery diet. Two to four days of liquids, two to four days of mushies, two to four days of soft food, then start with the normal food. That will give your system time to settle down. You'll get through it, due to issues I've had I've stalled with weight loss as well. You may also want to fit in a blood test and get your ANA level checked specifically. If it's elevated you may have Lupus - which can cause weight gain, hair loss, changes in teeth, and more.

Remember too, my weight gain was due solely from my Plastic Surgeries. I've actually LOST weight since then. I was just "keeping it real" is all. ;o) Really I've only gained at most 4 Lbs due to TOM. Never more than that and it always drops right back off with a few friends.

Soooo Thanksgiving was rough for me .... I honestly felt sad because I couldn't eat. I was happy that I couldn't buuut I just missed the food. I didn't measure my food I just put a little bit of this/that on my plate and couldn't eat 1/2 of it ... heck I couldn't even eat a fourth of it. I did enjoy my friends but ... couldn't help mourning my old friend ... food. I know I had too many carbs because I didn't start with Proteins. I was kind of scared to weigh myself because I felt that i'd gained. Today I weighed myself and my suspicions were confirmed. I'm not gonna trip out about the gain ... just making note of it and the cause and moving forward.

i am scheduled for surgery end of December and inam zoo mad at myself because during the past 3 months I have put on 15 pounds and am at my heaviest. It's like I was trying to eat everything before I "couldn't". Well I start my 2 week pre op on Dec 14th and am hoping to drop some of this weight I put on.... Anyone else been in the same scenario?

I'm so happy to see that 1-5 lbs. (so far) is what seems to be weight gained for a sleeve patient. I am 14 months out and I'm still in that category as well. After Thanksgiving I lost any weight ever gained and actually dropped an additional .4 and dropped to 144.3, so far, so good...yayyyy! Thank you sleevie!

I'm so happy to see that 1-5 lbs. (so far) is what seems to be weight gained for a sleeve patient. I am 14 months out and I'm still in that category as well. After Thanksgiving I lost any weight ever gained and actually dropped an additional .4 and dropped to 144.3, so far, so good...yayyyy! Thank you sleevie!

Well, I would agree with you. I dont think I quite have the metabolism of a snail, but something sure doesnt add up and I'm glad I have my band. I weigh 140lb at 5ft 10, quite slim, yeah, but a healthy weight, near the bottom of my range. I eat about 1800 calories a day to maintain that weight - so I'm not complaining,that's an OK deal. But I need a lapband to stay within that calorie range. I also run an hour some days or do a spin class and a body pump class the other days. I'm very active. All the charts say I shoudl be eating 2,500 to 2800 calories a day! At the very least, you'd think I coudl eat the 2000 to 2200 recommended for the average woman. But there's no way I can eat that much and not gain. I'm not sure where the weight gain would stop, whether I'd be heavier but still in the healthy range or whether I'd become overweight again, but I dont care to find out either. I certainly know I got obese on somethign like 2,500 a day - I wasnt a binge eater, didnt eat amounts that seemed huge compared to other peple by any stretch of the imagination. What I wonder though is which came first? Did I get fat because my metabolism was slower than it shoudl be or am do I now need to stick to a fairly limited, low calorie diet to maintain my weight precisely BECAUSE I have lost a lot of weight through long standing calorie deprivation? I suspect it is the latter. Once you've cut calories as low as we tend to do for a long time, you cant eat like a normal person ever again. Your body is just conditioned to run on much less. I certainly eat less and do more than my 120lb sister.

I survived Thanksgiving with no weight gained or lost. I put a little of everything I wanted on my plate, at till I was full. I even had a piece of pie much later in the day. Even with all of that and FIVE deviled eggs, I still didn't hit 1400 calories for the day. I feel good about that. I also made my Protein and Water goals for the day, which was great. But, most importantly, I learned that I can resist temptation, with a little help from my friend the sleeve.

Personally I don't think anything really more is needed. You STILL have your sleeve, and I don't believe it was stretched out more than it really ever could be. Have you tried the yogurt volume test? You pack your sleeve with as much yogurt as you can as quickly as you can and judge exactly how much volume your sleeve can really hold that way. I'm thinking it's not as big as you might believe. Could it be you are grazing too? You fill your sleeve then wait an hour or a little longer and fill it again? That is something we always have to look out for because doing this you will eat far more calories in the day than you are burning, of course leading to weight gain. Also, slider foods being high in fat and bad carbohydrates will lead a sleever to gain weight. The unfortunate things about these "cheats" are that no weight loss surgery will ever stop this. Only our brains will. Likely you need to just start over. Perhaps with your very next meal promise to do the right thing, pick healthy Snacks and wait at least 3 hours before each time you eat. The first few days will be tough, but once you get those cravings out of your system you should be good to go. Watch your volumes too.. definitely don't go over 3 quarter cups at any one time. Blessings and I hope you can get back on track quickly. For me, winter (Holidays) has always been the toughest time of year for me. I cannot walk or do any activities outside for it's too cold and I tend to eat foods that aren't the best for me. We are all in this together!

To Honk and the others, no I don't think you are being mean spirited... I know you mean well and I appreciate your honesty. I will call my doctor's office today and let them know I honestly don't think I can do "all liquids" for the next 2 weeks and 5 or so days. Everytime I try, I fail. No one in my family feels I can do it either and they feel I shouldn't get the surgery at all. If I don't loose the weight I won't be getting the surgery. I can't understand how I WAS loosing before they TOLD ME to loose more, as soon as they said that I started gaining. Yes, my portions are big because I stay hungry. I'm on medicine that causes weight gain as well. The other night, I made it all the way up til bedtime, then I ate my grand daughter's chicken nuggets that she didn't want. (I HATE chicken nuggets) but I was so hungry I threw them in my mouth regretting only after I ate them. And Honk you are a inspiration.. you did the liquid diet so many months before surgery - that is amazing. How did you do it? I can't even get a good 1 day in without cheating. I'm going to try again today.

I have always been a little confused by the information regarding coffee from a few posters here, the information in the uk from my surgeon is that coffee is fine. It certainly is regarded as more of a small help to weight loss than a hinderance in the UK. I found a good article including info from the Mayo clinic which i hope will help some of you ............ The idea that drinking coffee can keep you from getting hungry and aid in losing weight is a common one, and it may be true to an extent. As you might expect, there is more to it than that. While there is some evidence to suggest that drinking coffee will ward off hunger, there is also evidence that a weight-loss plan based around excessive coffee drinking could be misguided.Related Searches: Side Effects of Coffee Coffee and Tea Appetite Suppressant Yes, coffee is a natural appetite suppressant to a certain extent, because of its caffeine content. According to the Mayo Clinic, caffeine may reduce your desire to eat for a brief time, but there is not enough evidence to state that long-term consumption will help with weight loss. When hunger strikes, coffee can come to rescue for the moment. Naturalstrongappetitesuppressants.com says that one way to stop hunger, and keep it at bay for three hours, is to eat a handful (no more than 10) of peanuts and chase them with a few sips of coffee. This combination is said to nullify hunger within minutes. However, eating a comparable 30-calorie snack of any kind may stop hunger just as well if you give it a few minutes for the signal to be relayed to your brain. How much longer the caffeine in coffee will stop hunger is the key question, and the results may vary for different people. Coffee and Weight Loss In addition to the beverage's potential ability to control hunger, there are a couple of reasons why coffee may be effective in jumpstarting a weight-loss plan. Caffeine night stimulate thermogenesis, according the Mayo Clinic. Thermogenesis is a way the body produces heat and energy by digesting food and "burning" calories. Coffee also acts as a diuretic, which may cause some people to urinate more frequently and at higher volumes. This process will eliminate Water weight from the body, and could seem to indicate quick weight loss. However, the loss does not indicate a reduction in fat deposits, and metabolic processes can be stressed by functional dehydration. Side Effects Too much coffee or other heavily caffeinated beverages can lead to nervousness, restlessness and insomnia, and while black coffee may be effective for short-term appetite control, specialty coffees with high fat and sugar content are likely cause weight gain. Read more: Does Coffee Suppress Your Appetite? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/way_5404063_coffee-suppress-appetite.html#ixzz1eyqqgonh

I am so frustrated! I have to be the only person to have gained weight before my surgery. Rationally I know that there is not food I will not eat again, just in moderation. But for some reason I have been eating like I will never eat again. I go on my liquid pre-op diet on 11-29 for surgery on 12-13. My preop appointment is set for Dec 1st---I can't sleep worrying that my Dr. will not want to do the surgery because of the weight gain!!! Has this happened to anyone-anyone ever been denied at their preop appt for weight gain?

At first, like B-52 has said, I didnt find the band a "tool" either. For probably the first year, I found it surgically induced weight loss that I helped along by doing the right things, but I would have lost weight, anyway. I couldnt have helped it. I had very little real hunger, I had an appetite,but a very small one, I wasnt interested in eating between meals. Over time, despite getting more fills, I'm not sure whether that really waned, or whether my perception of it changed, I became less aware that the band was doing something and found it more work to continue losing. But that has a lot to do with the fact that I was 80lb lighter and already well under a BMI of 30, so that to lose more, I really had to 'diet'. Early on, it was very simply eat less, move more and the weight will pour off. I've now been banded six years. Head hunger, inappropriate appetite returned for me, despite fill levels. I'm the same old person, put cake before me, I'll want to eat it. Ive been forced over the years to really work on some habits like that - and the band doesnt help it - but at the same time, the band gives you a safety net. You dont have to be perfect, like if I do eat that cake, I cant eat dinner due to the band. I'm too full. That's not necessarily healthy, but it controls calories which at the end of the day, is what losing weight is all about. You finish the weight loss phase (and I never unfilled, my weight loss just got slower and slower till it stopped, and I maintained on that fill level), you dont go back to regular eating like you would have done. You keep your band, so you keep the banded lifestyle and amazingly, the weight doesnt go back on. Christmas, birthdays etc are big days, you eat more, you drink a bit of alcohol but its not enough to cause a 5lb weight gain, its incredible. I spoke about perception and mine is that now, I'd call myself a normal person with normal appetites who just eats a bit less than normal. But in reality, the band is still doing more for me than that. I notice that people all eat Snacks between meals, their meals are what I consider huge, they dont worry about adding dessert when they eat out, they drink calories, I do none of that becuase the band doesnt let me and has taught me not to see it as normal. Its a tool - it really is - after the honeymoon of a year or so, it does take a lot more work and a lot of your old self creeps back in, but its a totally workable tool that is easy to use if you have the right mindset - and that mindset develops over time.

I've had a pretty major flare-up of my ulcerative colitis which resulted in me getting severely dehydrated on Wednesday and ending up in the ER for an EKG, fluids and bloodwork. All was OK except the dehydration, so I was sent home with strict orders for gatorade, a potassium drink supplement for 10 days (YUCK) and my gastroenterologist prescribed me a 5-week course of prednisone. I'm hoping the prednisone works quickly because the flare-up is pretty miserable and has kept me from working out for close to a month. My weight loss has stayed pretty consistent but I expect that the pred will cause some temporary water-weight gain and facial swelling, so I'm preparing myself for looking like the "old me" for a bit. I know any weight gain will drop right off when I taper down from the pred, but I reserve the right to be whiny for a while about this. Carry on!

Today marks my 1 week post op and what a week it has been. Let me recap in a few important catagories. Physical I've experience the pain, which in all honesty isn't as bad as I would have expected. If we ignore the day of surgery and the day after, the rest of the week has been ok. I haven't needed any pain meds since the 3rd day post op. Pain has been limited to gas pain and incision site pain, both completely tolerable. The begining of the week I was a bit more tired than usual and I became tired quicker when doing simple activities like walking, each day this gets a bit better. Today I went shopping with my mother, my fitbit says I took around 3500 steps and walked 1.4 miles. My knees feel better, my back feels better, my feet feel better. I am actually sleeping better and waking up feeling as if I slept, no more waking tired. Looking forward to the next week! Emotional This has been one of the toughest things to deal with, the disappointment in not being able to enjoy the foods I love has hit me pretty hard a few times, always when out. I went to breakfast with my wife and her dad, I assumed that the resturant would have yogurt for me to eat since most do, they didn't. So I sat there with a decaf coffee and a kids sized orange juice while they ate. I don't like eggs and what not, but the smell comming off of their plates was so amazing, it took most of what I had to keep from breaking down into tears. I focused on why I'm doing this and resolved in the fact that I would be able to eat again in a few weeks. The biggest test was Thanksgiving. My family are big eaters, Italian families know how to eat. So I was dreading Thanksgiving at my parents house. The night prior I jumped the gun on my puree phase and attempted some pureed meat pie, a tiny 1/4 inch slice and some beef broth, blended it up, poured it into my 1/4 cup ramekin and heated it up. It looked so nasty, but the taste, after all the liquids and puddings and jello's was so damn amazing. And lucky for me, I didn't have any problems with eating it, I finished the serving a little quick for my liking, but I held off and sure enough, I felt the fullness coming on, but it never got painful, so I knew I hit the mark size wise. This gave me a bit of a bump for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving came and I pureed some turkey with gravy, some corn and potatos and took a 1/2 slice of cranberry sauce about a cup of food in total. We all said our thanks and got to eating. I focused on taking my time, I watched the clock and put my spoon down between "bites". About 20 mins in I knew I should stop, the fullness was just starting to kick up, so I put down my spoon and pushed the plate away. Everyone was suprised by how little I could eat. But they were all impressed. So one more big eating day left and it will be a smooth year. Weight I saved the best for last. I weighted in at 350 when I finally decided that I had had enough and that diets and yo-yo weight gain/loss had to go. My last appointment with my surgeon I weighted in at 343. The last "official" weight in at my pre-op training class was 336.8. The night before surgery I weighed myself on a medical scale at 335. Pretty good. But these next numbers are amazing. I had surgery on Friday, the following Monday I weighed in at 329, Yesterday, I weighed 324. So from 335 to 324 in 1 week! and all without feeling underfed. This is the motivation I need. I'm feeling the weight loss in my clothes, on my back and knees. It's noticable. I'm greatful to everyone here for the information and support that you are providing. All comments, both positive and critical are appreciated. I understand that to learn we need to be shown our faults. Stay Strong LBT!

Burgandy, Most of us have some weight gain right after surgery from the fluids given via IV. Then, the dreaded 3 week stall hits almost as soon as we start seeing some improvement. It sounds like you might have both over-lapping. You lost 21 pounds pre-op? That might also contribute to the stall you are currently experiencing. TMI, but consider whether you are having BM's yet. I noticed that I lost some every time I had a BM, especially in the first couple of weeks. Are you feeling okay in general? Able to walk and move around without significant pain? As long as you are, then just keep following your surgeon's plan as much as possible. Walk, sip Water, try to get your Protein in, and repeat. Your tummy is so small after being sleeved that it's virtually impossible to not lose weight. It might take a little bit for that weight loss to kick into gear, though. For me, when I stall I find that patience is the key. I have to just keep drinking my water, getting in my protein, and doing my exercise. I have noticed that my clothes get bigger quickly when I'm not losing pounds. I am doing the stair-step plan, apparently. Lose a few pounds, then get stuck at a weight for a week or so, then lose a few more pounds. During that "stuck" period, I usually end up having to consign more clothing to the give-away box. If you are following your plan correctly, then you should start seeing weight loss within a couple of days...and it will probably be pretty dramatic. If you don't see some weight loss by early next week, check in with the doctor's office. I doubt there's anything wrong, but it will make you feel better.

I get so much pride and joy out of the smallest things that exercise gives me - for instance, I have unfortunately beein in and out of hospitals SO much this year, exercise sure didnt stop me getting cancer (but statisticaly, it WILL minimise the chances of recurrence) but I love getting my blood pressure and pulse taken - everyone always is amazed at ninety someting on fifty something and a pulse of 44, and comments that I'm either already dead or very fit. I like knowing that at least if my digestive system is genetically doomed, I can fight it with my good health and I am sure not going to risk my cardiovascular health knowingly through laziness and inertia. I never would have recovered as quickly as I did and coped with the treatment as well as I did without being so fit - and it was pretty hard, I've got to say, but could have been SO much worse. It was my coping mechanism all through those bleak months of treatment, it really helped to keep me sane. Not that that's all good - I mean I've managed to absolutely deplete my body's Iron stores, given that I'm menopausal and dont lose blood that way, its most likely that my insane 15kms runs whilst having chemo has used up everything my body had. I'm a bit obsessive like that and its important to learn when to take it a bit easy - yes, I'm taking it a little easier now. With regard to the weight gain from exercise, I feel like you do. I just like to see an ultra low weight on the scales and I am not interested in being muscular/curvy and a bit heavier BUT I got skeletal earlier in the year and I knew how important it was to put back muscle, not fat, so I pulled my finger out, ran less and did a lot of Body Pump and got the weight to go on over a period of six months. I've gained back about 10lb but I have not gone up even an inch around my waist, all my skinny jeans fit, and I look much better but still thin, so muscle weight is good weight, it is not something to worry about. Exercise is about a lot more than just weight loss, but the person who can lose 150lb and get down to a BMI of under 25 without some pretty hard and dedicated exercise is one in a million. More often, people lose but only a bit of their excess weight and they have a lot more trouble keeping it off.

I concur with everything already said. I have always found that every time I lost a lot of weight and was more "normal" that nearly everyone treated me better. At work, I would hate walking into a room full of people because I always felt the first thing they noticed was how fat I was. After a certain point of weight gain, I would stop trying that hard to dress nice because it just felt like a lost cause. I got tired of trying to find nice dress clothes as my sizes kept creeping. Nothing ever really fit right, either too big in the legs or pouchy in the front, you name it. It's a self-esteem issue totally, but knowing that even if I did dress to the 9's I would still have to contend with people who would still treat me like I was less than capable. I also find that when I'm heavier, I tend to come across more abrasive to people which I know is just a defense mechanism. Like Diva, it was something I learned as a coping mechanism growing up always having weight issues. As my weight has dropped, I know my self- esteem has improved, my self-confidence, etc. I now feel like a more "normal" person.... not thin (yet), but average. The discrimination against fat people is very real. It's a vicious cycle though because most who are overweight don't typically present themselves with the same level of confidence and so that just feeds into the stereotyping. I must say one thing though that really annoys me. No disrespect to any men on this board- or men at all really- but I think most women will agree with me whether in professional or personal life that it seems more acceptable for men to be heavy than woman. A guy with the potbelly is just viewed as cuddly with a few extra pounds. I have never understood why its more acceptable for men to be heavy and women not.... but that's been my experience.