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I am sure Tiffykins will weigh in here (pun intended) as she just has a baby last week! She really wrestled with the weight gain too. Don't worry! Trust your body and DON'T diet! 15-25 pounds is not enough- trust your doctor and go with his/her guidelines. CONGRATULATIONS!

Those of us that were Morbidly Obese, are all depressed. It's a Hormonal thing, where everything is out of whack. Once you lose weight, and your Body gets back together, you lose the Depression that is do to weight gain. Any other type of Depression ? I can not comment on.

Belle's Progress: Weight, gain/loss: None. Maybe next week. Goals met: Worked out 4 times last week! Still snacking though. Other Issues: Being banded for almost a year, I am finding it extremely difficult to lose weight. It just flew off the first 9 months and all I was doing was jogging 3-4 times a week. Now, it is SO slow and I'm doing major cardio and weight lifting. I want to scream, but I will be okay. I haven't come this far to fail.

Hey Guys! My date is December 13th with Dr. Pompa in TJ. Can't wait to be on the other side! I start my liquid pre-op one week before, but I'm thinking of doing low carb for a few weeks before that so I can stop this barreling train of weight gain I'm on.

I am three weeks away from my banding surgery. It's funny how right now, although my diet is not restricted yet, I have no desire to eat things I shouldn't. My mind and body are SO ready for the surgery. I've even spent months learning to chew correctly...realizing that I've spent my life INHALING my food. My weight gain started after I had two babies within 17 months, and shortly after that broke my back. I found out I had Disc Degenerative Disease and that my back issues would continue to worsen. Since breaking my back in 2004, I've been sedate and have literally given up on my body, as I felt betrayed by this disease. At the age of 34 I had the back of an 85 year old. But now I'm 40, and I want to reclaim my health. I am TIRED of carrying around 180 extra pounds. It's making my back problems much worse, let alone killing my self-esteem. One thing I worry about...is sex. How long after surgery did you wait before you "split the sheets"? My husband is awesome. He loved me when we got married and I was 118 pounds, and loves me now that I'm a marble with a head. One thing that is important is being intimate. I know not being intimate makes my husband perceive that I'm upset with him. (Stop laughing.) I know that penetration does not equal intimacy, but it's clear that my husband finds it the best source of intimacy. (Sorry if this is TMI.) Any advice on what to expect? (Provided there aren't surgical complications.) I appreciate sharing of experiences...because it gives me hope and strength. Angela

I researched them all quite extensively before I decided to make my choice. I am a nurse and have taken care of many patients with bypass and sleeve procedures and have taken care of them when they had complications arising from the surgeries mainly from non-compliance with the dietary restrictions and electrolyte imbalances causing other problems based on nutrition. I have also taken care of banded patients as well who have their own complications from being too tight. Bypass and Duodenal switch procedures are restrictive and malabsorptive meaning that it will give you portion control but the malabsorptive part of it means that you don't absorb the nutrients that you need which can cause nutritional deficiencies and electrolyte imbalances. Hence, therefore its a must that you take Vitamin supplements for life. With bypass, the stomach is not removed but rerouted. With D/S, there is rerouting but the difference is that it limits absorption of fat The risks with either of these surgeries run significantly higher than other WLS procedures which include readmission due to complications causing long hospital stays. Weight loss with both are rapid. They both carry lists of risks and they are not reversible. One of the nurses I work with had gastric bypass and is having extreme difficulty retaining Calcium and Vitamin D levels. She has had many problems and 3 additional surgeries just this year from bowel obstructions and ileus.Our best man of our wedding also had bypass 6 years ago and has stretched his stomach out from overeating that now he has gained all of his weight back. The risk of all WLS is that if you overeat, you will stretch your pouches and the potential for gaining weight will happen if you don't change your dietary habits. Gastric Sleeve- this procedure will remove a large portion of your stomach (removed out of your body) that secretes an appetite stimulating hormone called Ghrelin. The stomach turns into a banana like bag and is a restrictive procedure. The risks are less than the bypass or D/S. This is not reversible. Lap-Band or AGB- is the lowest risk and safest WLS available. It is a restrictive procedure. It is reversible and safe for those who are pregnant, or who may want additional children. There are lists of risks associated with each WLS procedure that I will not list here. I encourage you to research each one and write down the list for each. With any WLS, if you don't change your dietary habits you will stretch your pouches causing weight gain and complications. For any person who is considering WLS, I recommend to educate yourself, make a list of questions to ask, and ask your surgeon. It is a personal choice. Just make sure you arm yourself with all of the information that you need to make the best possible decision for yourself because no one can make that choice for you, not even your surgeon. A list of pros and cons for each surgery may help you make the best decision. Ask "what if" questions for everything, remember this is your weight loss journey. Knowledge is power. I personally have chosen the Lap Band due to its reversibility, low risk of complications and safety for pregnancy if I choose to later have additional children. I will be banded 11/1611. Before I made my decision, I researched risks, complications, read blogs and forums such as this one, watched youtube videos of people who have had the band and what problems or positive outcomes they have experienced, I researched studies, and questioned my surgeon on numerous occasions to arm myself with the knowledge to make the choice for me. I am and have been addressing the behavioral part of dietary changes by seeing a behavioral therapist since the beginning of this year. If your mind is not in the right place, then you need to get it there before starting WLS or you will continue to make the same poor choices. I also have an excellent supportive husband who is completely on board with my decision. Best of luck to you

Just post your weight, gain/loss, goals met, or any other comments in this topic. I will update the chart, usually over the following weekend.

I'm going thru the same thing. My surgeon told me he wanted me to lose 10-15 pounds before he would do my surgery. I initially lost about 12 pounds but now I am stuck in a bad spot. I have jumped up to only having a loss of 6 pounds. I am worried that when I see him on the 15th he will be angry and postpone my surgery date. I hope he won't, I have switched medications and I am on my period both of which can cause weight gain. I'm hoping for you. Like someone else said drink lots of Water and try not to stress. I have heard stressing can stall weight loss. Good Luck I'm sending good thoughts your way.

Hi Chris: \It is pretty funny that we both are experiencing the same "problems" with eating and asked the same questions, but I have received some TERRIFIC answers from people and I looked at your post and you did as well. There is a different way to know that you are full, and I am using all the advice I have received and working on fine-tuning my method of knowing when I have had enough PHYSICALLY! Physically is the operative word here. To work out what I want to eat EMOTIONALLY is a totally different subject and needs to be handled on emotional terms. NOT EASY to do. Believe me, I know all about it, but I am on the journey to work it out and I hope you can join me and the many others on this forum who managed to also work it out. A hugh undertaking, but well worth it. The first thing I did after posting my request for help here is to set specific times when I eat so I don't graze. This hasn't been that difficult to do because I have been keeping busy in between times. That is also important. That way I don't think about food until I eat my meal. I drink lots of Water in between. And I try to change my priorities to look for value in other things besides food, and things like that. I am also eating foods like fish which have a lot of Protein and little fat and if cooked properly, is pretty moist. I make a little tarter sauce with low fat mayo and relish and put a little bit (tiny bit) in a small bowl with a small amout of fish (I have cod today) and mix it up and eat it. I happen to love fish, so I guess I am lucky, but for now, it is something I can work on. The biggest problem I have, like you, is loving the taste and wanting to eat more than I can. But, besides becoming very uncomfortable, I know it will lead to weight gain in the future and I have to force myself to put controls on myself. So I also just put about 2 oz of whatever (now it is fish) in my tiny plate and sit down and eat it as slowly as possible. I don't get up to have more until I have stopped eating for at least 10 minutes. This is hard to do, but I am getting better at it. I also just recommended a book to Shea, above, and I will recommend it to you as well. I have found it very helpful with helpful tools. The WeightLoss Surgery Workbood, by Doreen Samelson, EdD, MSCP. There you can find different strategies for controling emotional eating. Good luck and let's keep in touch! Phyllis, aka Hopeful Spirit

I hate hate the spare tire. I have a big one and it goes big to small. That is my weight gain spot. I struggle with skinny jeans and I can never wear thirts. There is this little pocket around my belly button that hangs and it looks gross. It makes me sooo self conscious when I am being intimate with someone that I rather lay flat in bed so it doesn't look weird. You can't tell if I am standing but if I move it wiggles. I hate it. Inner thighs.. well forget it. Nobody sees those anyways. hahaha Also, under the arm is challenging.

My name is Jamie and I am 28. I currently weigh 255lbs. I have been overweight my whole life. I have been able to lose some weight with weight watchers, but never keep it off. Then I quit going and gain it all back. I have a 3 1/2 year old daughter and an almost 6 month old son. With each child has also come more pounds. My husband is also overweight and we both want to get the band. It was my idea originally. I am a nurse (I guess there are a lot of nurses who have the band) and I work in the mother-baby unit and work 12 hour nights (which doesn't help for weight gain either). I don't have any issues (yet) with blood pressure or blood sugars, but my body is starting to get a little sore. I recently had to go to a chiropractor for the first time and he took xrays. He said my discs are getting a little thin and allowing the bone to pinch the nerves. He adjusted me and it's been a lot better but I know that this would improve with weight loss too. I have suffered depression for a long time (treated by medication). I also know that I would feel better about myself and feel better in general if I lost weight. I have been researching the lap band and watching some vlogs on you tube of people going through the process, especially lapbandchick2010 (Whitney). I really relate to her and she has inspired me. The amount of information I have gained from watching her vlog is enourmous. I do understand that it will not be a fix all solution and that I am still going to have to work at it, but this might just be the tool I need to get the weight off and keep it off. I would love to weight 160, but still that is "overweight" for my height, which is 5-6. I am supposedly supposed to weigh less than 143 or something like that...I can't even imagine. I mean, I was 224 in high school. I never remember weighing anything close to 140. Ok, for those out there that also have to wear scrubs to work. They do not stretch. Ugh. As I gain weight, my scrubs get so tight and it just does not look or feel good. I get chaffing on my thighs because my legs are held so tightly together by my scrub pants (TMI?). I can't wait to wear all my "small" scrubs again. I have so many! Ok, so here is where I am in the process. I called my insurance company and they do cover it, but I have to go through the authorization process. I asked if there was a 6 month waiting period or anything like that since I have heard of others that had to diet for 6 months prior to getting authorized. They said that there isn't a set waiting period, but usually it's 3-6 months by the time people get all the required testing done. I hope to find out soon exactally what is required. I called the surgeon's office and they said I need to attend the seminar. That is TOMORROW! I know it's just an info meeting, but I am excited because that's one step closer for me. I hope to get my appointments and tests going soon. My husband called his insurance and they do not cover anything obesity related. So we have decided to add him to my insurance. It is open enrollment right now for next year, so that's perfect timing to get him on my insurance. We are hoping to get ours done in the same year so we only have to pay our out of pocket max and get both surgeries done. So far I have only told my husband and my best friend. I also plan on telling my mom, eventually. I will probably wait until the surgery is a for sure thing. I don't plan on telling other people, but we will see what I decide later on. I do not want to be people's science experiment and I don't want them to judge me or think I took the easy way out. I also don't want them monitoring what I eat or how much weight I am losing. I think that when people start asking me how I am losing weight, I will tell them that I am exercising and eating right (which will be true). I don't think that this is lying and it's really none of their business. Ok, I think I have rambled on long enough. I will update after the seminar and let you all know how it goes.

The best advice I have seen on this board said, “Hey, remember this is a lifestyle change. If the process of going-on-a-diet-failing-and-then-beating-yourself-up worked, none of us would have needed a lapband in the first place.” (I wish I could remember who posted it so I could give them credit) Anyway, this is a lifestyle, not a diet. The idea of being perfect everyday for the rest of your life is unreasonable. My fear when I see these types of post (or I see myself doing it) is that overly high expectations lead to self anger, self anger leads to hopelessness, hopelessness leads to sabotage, and sabotage leads to weight gain. Don’t go down that path. Breath. You’ve done awesome. It could be the PMS (definitely a factor). You know what you’re doing otherwise you wouldn’t have done so well this far. You know what you have to do, so do your best at it. Great job all around!

Yes, an interesting observation. I, also, am just over 2 years. I am maintaining, but had a slippage and a repositioning operation. I was completely empty, which I found tough. I was able to eat salad and raw fruit, which I hadn't had in 2 years. I, now, have 3 1/2 cc and do get a full feeling. Probably I will not get another fill unless I find a weight gain when I have an apt in 2 months. Karen

SO, I screwed up. I was doing well on my low-carb meals, but then I binged out & started a ball rolling in that direction. Now I have a meeting with my surgeon in 4 days & I am starting my liquid diet TODAY. He does not require one, but due to my weight gain & everything... I think that this is the way to go. SO, what does a pre-op liquid diet look like to you? Since he doesn't require it, I never got instruction on it.

I had a BMI of 52 and did not have to do a preop diet. I was clear liquids the day before but that was it. Definetly call your doctor and let him know. Also have you lost any weight preop dispite not adhering to the diet? My doctor warn me not to gain anymore weight before surgery because if I had a significant weight gain, then they would not do the surgery. Good Luck, I hope it works out. I do warn you that the lapband takes alot of work and you will not lose weight if you continue to eat bad things and not exercise. Its definetly a lifestyle change.

I lost 140lbs on my own about 6 years ago, and my ex had a horrible time with it. He was not happy until I gave up and cancelled my membership at the gym, and to make a long story short - I gained all 140lbs back + 30 more. I was miserable and hated myself for doing it, but it just got to the point where it was way to hard to fight him anymore. He was happy, but I wasn't. In addition, I had a hysterectomy about half way through the weight gain - and being post menopausal killed any chance I had for success to get the weight off on my own again. I'm always saying the definition for insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, so I finally came to the conclusion that I needed to do something different, and filed for divorce. That was not enough by itself though, because the housing market has dropped so badly in my area, we owed 95,000 more than we could get for it, and my ex was not on the mortgage, and filed bankruptcy to avoid paying anything at all. My lawyer suggested that I either paid the shortage, or I filed bankruptcy - so guess which route I was forced to choose??? The divorce was final 10/25/10, and the bankruptcy was discharged early in 12/10. After the first of the year, I started putting myself first, and began looking into the band. I got my band 9/15/11, and I've lost over 40 lbs to this point. I'm thrilled with all the changes in my life, and if I had to do it all over again, the only thing I'd do differently is I would have done them all 10 years ago! One thing that has always been a big factor for my is exercise. I feel so much better about myself when I'm working out, so if you don't have a gym membership - I'd recommend that you get one!! It's unbelievably hard to do at first, but once you get into a routine it's a big morale booster. I do "classes" 5 days a week - 3 times weight training 2 times cardio. A lot of the time on Saturdays or Sundays I'll go and just swim cause I love the Water, and this makes such a huge difference to my mental state that I can't believe it.

Worth reading. Portion significant to this conversation are in bold. "Why Carbonated beverages are "TABOO" after Bariatric Surgery" By: Cynthia Buffington, Ph.D Did you drink carbonated soft drinks prior to your Bariatric surgery? Do you still consume carbonated soft drinks? Were you advised by your surgeon or his/her nutritional staff NOT to drink carbonated drinks after surgery? Do you understand why drinking carbonated beverages, even if sugar-free, could jeopardize your weight loss success and, perhaps even your health? A carbonated beverage is an effervescent drink that releases carbon dioxide under conditions of normal atmospheric pressure. Carbonated drinks include most soft drinks, champagne, beer, and seltzer Water. If you consume a soft drink or other carbonated beverage while eating, the carbonation forces food through he stomach pouch, reducing the time food remains in the pouch. The less time food remains in your stomach pouch, the less satiety (feelings of fullness) you experience, enabling you to eat more with increased risk for weight gain. The gas released from a carbonated beverage might "stretch" your stomach pouch. Food forced through the pouch by the carbonation could also significantly enlarge the size of your stoma (the opening between the stomach pouch and intestines of patients who have had a gastric bypass or biliopancreatic diversion). An enlarged pouch or stoma would allow you to eat larger amounts of food at any one setting. In this way, consuming carbonated beverages, even if the drinks are diet or calorie free, may cause weight gain or interfere with maximal weight loss success. Soft drinks may also cause weight gain by reducing the absorption of dietary Calcium. Dietary calcium helps to stimulate fat breakdown and reduce its uptake into adipose tissue. Epidemiological and clinical studies have found a close association between obesity and low dietary calcium intake. Recent studies have found that maintaining sufficient amounts of dietary calcium helps to induce weight loss or prevent weight gain following diet. The high caffeine in carbonated sodas is one way that drinking carbonated soft drinks may reduce the absorption of calcium into the body. Studies have found that caffeine increases urinary calcium content, meaning that high caffeine may interfere with the uptake of dietary calcium into the body. Keep in mind that one 12 oz. can of Mountain Dew has 50 mg of caffeine, and Pepsi and Coke (diet or those with sugar) contain 37 mg of caffeine each. Colas, such as Pepsi and Coke (diet or with sugar), may also cause calcium deficiencies from the high amounts of phosphoric acid that they contain. Phosphate binds to calcium and the bound calcium cannot be absorbed into the body. Both animal and human studies have found that phosphoric acid is associated with altered calcium homeostasis and low calcium. Drinking carbonated beverages may also reduce dietary calcium because these beverages replace milk and other nutrient-containing drinks or foods in the diet. Several studies report inverse (negative) relationships between carbonated beverage usage and the amount of milk (particularly children) consume. Carbonated beverages, then, may reduce dietary calcium because of their high caffeine or phosphoric acid content or because drinking such beverages tends to reduce the consumption of calcium-containing foods and beverages. Such deficiencies in dietary calcium intake may be even more pronounced in Bariatric surgical patients. Calcium deficiencies with Bariatric surgery have been reported following gastric restrictive and/or malabsorptive procedures. The reduced amounts of calcium with bariatric surgery may occur as a result of low nutrient intake, low levels of Vitamin D, or, for patients who have had gastric bypass pr the biliopancreatic diversion (with or without the duodenal switch), from bypass of the portion of the gut where active absorption of calcium normally occurs. Drinking carbonated beverages may further increase the risk for dietary calcium deficiencies and, in this way, hinder maximal weight loss success. For all the reasons described above, including calcium deficits, reduced satiety, enlargement of pouch or stoma, drinking carbonated beverages, even those that are sugar-free, could lead to weight gain. Carbonated beverages that contain sugar, however, pose a substantially greater threat to the Bariatric patient in terms of weight loss and weight loss maintenance with surgery. Sugar-containing soft drinks have a relatively high glycemic index, meaning that blood sugar levels readily increase with their consumption. The rapid rise in blood sugar, in turn, increases the production of the hormone, insulin. , that acts to drive sugar into tissues where it is metabolized or processed for storage. High insulin levels, however, also contribute to fat accumulation, driving fat into the fat storage depots and inhibiting the breakdown of fat. Soft drinks with sugar are also high in calories. An average 12 oz. soft drink contains 10 teaspoons of refined sugar (40g). The typical 12-oz. can of soda contains 150 calories (Coke = 140 calories; Pepsi = 150; Dr. Pepper = 160; orange soda = 180; 7-up = 140; etc.). Soft drinks are the fifth largest source of calories for adults, accounting for 5.6% of all calories that Americans consume. Among adolescents, soft drinks provide 8%- to 9% of calories. An extra 150 calories per day from a soft drink over the course of a year, is equivalent to nearly 16 pounds and that weight gain multiplied by a few years could equate to “morbid obesity”. In addition to the adverse effects that carbonated drinks have on weight loss or weight loss maintenance, carbonated beverages may also have adverse effects on health. Soda beverages and other carbonated drinks are acidic with a pH of 3.0 or less. Drinking these acidic beverages on an empty stomach in the absence of food, as Bariatric patients are required to do, can upset the fragile acid-alkaline balance of the gastric pouch and intestines and increase the risk for ulcers or even the risk for gastrointestinal adenomas (cancer). Soft drink usage has also been found to be associated with various other health problems. These include an increased risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney stones, bone fractures and reduced bone density, allergies, cancer, acid-peptic disease, dental carries, gingivitis, and more. Soft drinks may, in addition, increase the risk for oxidative stress. This condition is believed to contribute significantly to aging and to diseases associated with aging and obesity, i.e. diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, reduced immune function, hypertension, and more. From the above discussion, do you now have a little better understanding of why your Bariatric surgeon or Bariatric nutritionist advised you NOT to consume carbonated sodas after surgery? Your Bariatric surgeon and his/her staff want to see you achieve the best results possible from your surgery – both in terms of weight loss and health status – and so do YOU. Consider the consequences of drinking such beverages now that you understand more clearly why such drinks are “Bariatric taboo”.

Well this is a hit in the head. Lost 12# one week post op. Next 2 days, I have gained 1 1/2 #. Getting 90% of water, 100% protein, and about 500 calories what with skim milk and protein mix. Anyone else had this happen?

I also don't understand why they would unfill it completely unless for surgery as in Jachut's case. I have heard lots of people say that it is hard to get the restriction right again after a complete unfill. It seems to do something to the band - a bit like when you blow up a balloon and then let it down and blow it up again. I would be stocking the fridge with healthy Snacks e.g crudites or making big pots of veggie Soup. Stuff that you can fill up on that won't cause weight gain. And I would probably also take the opportunity to fill up on the healthy foods that can be hard to eat when you have decent restrction e.g fruit salad, salad sandwich, steak. Good luck, hope it all goes well.

So, least to say, this week has been eventful, and I want to thank you all for the messages, good thoughts, prayers, and support sent our way this week. I apologize I haven't replied, it's just been hectic. Sunday, I woke up feeling very exhausted, and feeling lots of pressure in my pelvis and back. I just kept on getting things ready for the week, checking things off the list, and hanging out at the house. I laid down for a nap around 1pm, and woke up at 4pm to lots of pressure, and general cramping, just thinking it was normal Braxton Hicks pains, I didn't reallze I was in full active LABOR. Around, 5pm, we headed to Labor and Delivery just because I started feeling pretty weak. We get there, get hooked up, I'm having major contractions, and they checked me, dilated to 3cm, 50% efaced and already at -1 station. WHEW, I do admit I have a huge pain tolerance, and I never labored with my son so I was pretty oblivious to what all labor entailed. The doctors were amazed that I was tolerating everything so well. But, they knew I couldn't deliver vaginally so the pressure was on to get me prepped. Now, the time crunch begins to get me to the OR. Prepped and ready to go, Csection went off without any issue, my labs looked stellar, and at 9:33pm, Tatum entered this world screaming, kicking, flailing and ready to bring joy into our little world. We just arrived home today, both of us are doing great. I've already lost about 12-13lbs of the weight gained, but I'm retaining fluids, weaning off the prednisone. Breastfeeding has been a great success except my supply is way down, and we're supplementing due to her weight dropping pretty quickly. We're doing 70/30 breast/bottle. It's what is best for both of us. I'm trying ot eat more food since they would like me to hit about 2500-3000 calories a day to support both of us, but as we all know that's pretty touch without eating pure slider foods, and junk. However, I'm doing what is working for both of us, and confident with our choices thus far. She came out rooting around, latched immediately and has made it very easy on me and her. Our nights and days are mixed up, but I've gotten good at napping with her. 30 October 2011, 9:33pm, Weight 7lb 4.9oz 19inch long Perfect in every way. So far, blonde haired, blue -eyed ! ! ! "I'M HERE"

Hi All, Banded two years and noticed in past 6 months that upper stomach has had a gradual swelling...since I wasn't eating all the right foods, thought a bit of weight gain was going on, but weight is stable.. Suddenly I feel a hard lump/lunmovable in upper tummy just below rib cage on left side.. Not painful but eating is uncomfortable as I feel a pressure up under the ribs and into my back on left side.... Went to doc ...did xray.. band seems in place.. .had abdominal ultrasound and waiting results..tech thought I might have a epigastric hernia starting...but the muscle wall has not perforated yet... lump is becoming really uncomfortable any time I eat and laying down on tummy. After reading forums wondering if it's an adhesion from tubing on spleen/intestines, etc...Never had any hernia issues before, so will keep you all posted on what this turns out to be.. Anyone with similar story??????? Down almost 50 lbs, but ready to have band out if it's causing issues... I'll finish my last 25 with WWatchers if this is what happens with the Band....Not pleased at all....

Hi All- I've had my band for 18 months and yesterday had it completely drained. It was too tight and was starting to cause issues. Has anyone else had this happen and if so...were you as completely freaked out about weight gain as I am right now? I'm barely 24 hours in and I've checked my weight a dozen times and am counting every single calorie that I'm in-taking. They are going to start again with my fills on Dec 2nd and right now that seems scary far away Any insight would be greatly appreciated!!

High protein foods include meat, poultry and fish, eggs, dairy products, seeds and nuts, beans and lentils, grains like wheat, rice, barley and corn, and soy products. These are generally recommended for athletes and body builders in their Weight gain diet. High protein diet includes foods like eggs, milk, spinach, soybean, quinoa, meat, fish, whole grains, rice, beans, legumes, corn, oats, peas and peanut butter which are good sources of high protein.

In a number of posts lately, opinions have been expressed that some people are gaining or at least not losing weight due to a lack of carbs in their diet. I've spent the better part of my spare time for the past three days trying to find any scientific proof of this theory. All I could come up with was a discredited study from some years ago. If any one has proof that this theory has some basis in fact, could you please present it on this forum so we might have a new reason for lack of weight loss.

Tiffkins has posted some excellent things on this board that go into great detail about the issues with the different surgeries. I'm not trying to discourage you from speaking with someone, but there is ALOT of information out there that will help you. Some of the things that you will find with the issues over people who have had the gastric bypass is the failure rate is pretty high. The malabsorption changes pretty significantly after about 12 to 18 months which takes most people by surprise. So, if people are consuming say 2,000 or more calories per day but their body is only absorbing half that in the beginning and then eventually the body adapts and starts to absorb more calories which equals weight gain unless people adjust their eating habits. Also, one of the biggies that most people have issue with is the permanent state of being dependent on way more supplements because your body won't be able to absorb the nutrients like it could prior to surgery. Failure to stay compliant with that life long regimen of staying on supplements can lead to serious health consequences. This includes regular bloodwork (minimum annual) to ensure changes aren't necessary to the supplements your body needs. Also, NSAIDS will be a forever no-no. So, if the surgery does fail you, you are still stuck with the life long consequences of dependency on supplements the rest of your life. Are you prepared for that? It is your decision in the end- just be sure you have all the information you need before you move forward. One other suggestion. Go to www.obesityhelp.com as they have LOTS of threads for ALL the different types of surgeries including threads dedicated to people who have failed/ having problems succeeding with their surgery. The bulk and share of those posters are people who had the RnY and if you notice most of them are at least 12 to 18 months out. Several people can be successful but after about 18 to 24 months start having issues with weight regain.