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OMG!!! I forgot about the Weight Gain 4000 episode! Gotta love every bit Cartman does!

Had surgery 3/19 ..193lbs...Bm on 3/23..192lbs Monday morning 195...can anyone tell me what's going on? We all are Superstars!*

So this is where Im at. I am 18 days post op. I habe a picc line for nutrition-I wasnt getting enought through liquids and dr. Didnt want to advance me to next stage due to stomache inflammation. No leaks ct was good.So since Ive been on nutrition (4days) Ive gained 6lbs. Does anyone know if this is normal??

Thanks all! I think reading these boards and seeing all the different ways our bodies adapt, feel, and change has helped as well as the fact that everyone seems to experience success overall, despite lulls and challenges. I'm 13 days post op now and pretty sure I'm about to start my period. For me... that's typically about 6 to 8 pounds of retention on a typical month, I'm pretty convinced I'll have a big drop once it passes given I have all the symptoms EXCEPT the weight gain... pretty much staying steady. Thanks for the support and encouragement!

Knee pain can be quite debilitating and cause misery ,I had a knee replacement in 2014 after trying so many pain management techniques, it turned out that I had early arthritis and the cartilage in my knee had worn out so it was bone rubbing on bone, fast forward 5 years and weight gain and the knee pain came back. Now with VSG done 3/7/2019, am managing the pain and doing my walks and dropping weight gradually, I trust that when am about 70 pounds lighter the discomfort will be manageable. But please check the root cause of the pain and get help so that when you do the VSG you can exercise without so much discomfort.

Turns out I had my thyroid checked with blood work and I have hypo-thyroid. Dizziness is one of the leading side effects among weight gain. Encronoligist gave me a pill to level my thyroid and I will have blood work again in October. FYI, thyroid levels are not checked in routine blood work unless you ask fir them to be checked.

It’s been almost two years since I got the sleeve and I’m not satisfied where I am. I feel like I could be doing more but I have no motivation in me. I still try to eat healthy but it’s kind of out of control now. I’m scared to be 300 lbs again or to gain any more weight. Lowest weight was 185 I’m at 194 right now. I feel kind of depressed to be honest like I let myself down.. I just need support I guess.

I just got the letter that my PCP sent to the surgeon's office (which was part of the fax to insurance). It said I had been on Jenny Craig (I've been on LA Weightloss for a year) it said I had knee problems I don't have, and said nothing of the pre-diabetic condition. It did include my sleep apnea and my weight loss and the weight gain. I've been with him since 2001 which he included, and he recommended the surgery. I"ve got CIGNA insurance. Should I just sit tight and see what the insurance comes back with, or should I call to correct the problems??? I need help with this one. Anyone out there had an experience like this?:confused2: molly

The standard Protein recommendation is 60-80 grams of high quality protein daily. I don't know your individual circumstances so I can't say what's wisest for you. You absolutely CAN have too much protein however. Check in with your bariatric team or dietitian and see if they can make a personalized recommendation. All things being normal, anything over 90 grams per day for a healthy female would make me ask some questions. Good luck! Elizabeth, thanks for your response (just saw it now). What would cause your concern about more than 90 grams of protein/day for "a healthy women"? Is it that more protein than that would stress one's kidneys? BTW, yes, I am a healthy, active female (nearly 70 years old). The reason I asked about the protein is that there's considerable interest on the part of WLS patients in maintenance wanting to avoid eating highly processed, sugar-laden carbs. And given our stomachs' smaller sizes, there's a bit of a limit on how many cruciferous vegetables we can eat per day. We've learned to eat high protein during weight loss -- and been highly rewarded for doing so: meats of all kinds, dairy products, Beans, and protein supplements. There's also some alleged evidence and plenty of talk "out there" that eating more than 150 carbs a day will put us in weight gaining mode. So for active, healthy women in maintenance who are eating 1500 - 2000 calories a day (that's me) should I focus on adding more fats? I realize I've expanded my question a bit, but would appreciate hearing your thoughts on all of this if you are able. Thanks in advance.

ryguy - are you tracking your food? You cant fix anything you dont measure. track every bit of food for 7 days and then look at those macros. will you see carbs leading the way. The desire to eat after eating is driven by your insulin rising quickly after carbs and sugar and when it drops 2-3 hours later you will feel hunger again. this up down cycle of your insulin is the driver of the weight gain train. after you track your food for a week try this- Zero sugar for 1 week - none of the fake sugars this week no bread no flour for this whole week no starches this week no fruit this week get your carbs from veggies No snacking - eat 3 meals and take at least 20 minutes to eat your meal - if you eat to fast then try eating 1/2 the plate of food then stepping away for 15 minutes then return and eat the other half good luck and dont give up

I wish I could have done it in one surgery too. I had to wait 18 months and go through countless endoscopic procedures before I could be cleared for sleeve. Hence my 75lb weight gain!?!! As long as I was getting sleeved I didn't care what size my stomach was going to be.. And I'm ecstatic with what ever it is..

Mamaz2ndbaby, My consultation is next Thursday OMG it's only a week away. I am almost certain (99% before seeing the doctor) that I will have the band done if the insurance approves it. The honeymoon is over, I know about erosions, and slippages p'bings, etc but I do think that this if for me. FOR ME the RNY is too permanant and I worry about malnutrition from the malabsorption of an RNY, and there are more complications. The lap-band is reversible although I hope everything goes well and does not need to be taken out. I can not for the life of me imagine why being a black woman vs a white woman would make a difference. Since you have 3 months before they will submit to your insurance can I make a suggestion? I bought the book "Lap-Band for Life" by Dr. Ortiz and a couple of others from Amazon. The other 2 haven't been delivered yet and I forget what they were. All I remember is that one of them is humorous in nature and very expensive. I am also thinking about getting the 2 books by Carnie Wilson. She had the RNY and has had problems with her weight afterwards. She had a baby afterwards, which explains some of her weight gain, but she ended up on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club. I can't imagine losing most of my stomach and still having a weight problem. Of course we tend to focus on the apperance aspect of it and not the fat brain that we have. Another good book is "Body Clutter" by Leanne Ely and Marla Cilly available at amazon.com and flylady.net. They help to deal with the fat brain. My opinion is you know you have 3 month before they submit to insurance. Use that time wisely and make the best decision for you. What is right for me may not be right for you. Good luck, Susan

Wow I didn't know it could cause weight gain down the road, thanks for that info. I'm struggling with this too. Once or twice I've drank my meals and had no room for nutrients. One time I ate and drank and got sick. I have to break this bad habit and I think it'll be the hard way for me. Sent from my SM-G900T using the BariatricPal App

I completely agree with you. I've always been an athlete and I was in the Army and could eat a hardy diet and stay only slightly overweight, and teeter totter back and forth into a healthy BMI when I was required to. The problem was once I stopped working out my appetite was still there and I wasn't working out nearly as much, the weight didn't come on over night, maybe 3 to 4 lbs a month over the course of a few years that added to about a 50+ lbs weight gain. The bigger I got, the hungerier I was, allllll the time. Dr. Alavarez was my surgeon and he did diagnose me with a metabolic disorder just as you had mentioned. The bigger I got, the hungier I was, and I had complete insulin resistance and was even put on medications for it. After surgery my hunger went almost completely away, and now I have it but in the faintest form. Nothing like it was before- that by itself was life altering. I know how to eat healthy and workout, but my brain was always hungry and I was never on the same page with my body. Self control is mysterious to me- so much self control in other areas of my life, and yet I struggled so fiercely with my weight and controlling my eating habbits

Believe me.....I KNOW it's not easy! My doctor put me on a 1200 calorie per day diet for two weeks prior to surgery. I didn't even stick with that; ate more like 1400-1500. And THAT was a stretch. All of this WILL be much easier once banded (after you go through bandster hell), and 1500 calories will seem like a lot. After my little meltdown yesterday, I felt like my 1500 calories was 4000 calories! That is the beauty of the band (and plication....for me). 1500 calories on a bad day will not cause weight gain, and my need to add those extras got me through a difficult day. Today......back to my usual 1000. I hate "diets" too, but really, I feel like I still AM dieting. The difference now is, that I'm able to comfortably stick to a lower calorie plan, and not feel hungry all the time.

Kudos to you and your decision to go through with it... I do not and I repeat DO NOT plan on walking around with an unreasonable amount of loose skin. I don't imagine I'll have a lot but after losing 110 lbs much can be expected. I'm going to a seminar in Sept at my surgeons clinic about cosmetic surgery following bariatric surgery. I am looking to get it as soon as I can if I have to. I know for sure boobs. I had them before weight gain but they were on the droopy side so... yeah I'm doing that. I'm watching my tummy. Never really had one prior to weight gain... when I 've lost in the past it always snatched back. Its pulling in real nicely right now thanks to PLANK TWISTS but again 110 lbs later who knows. I hadn't thought about arms and thighs until the last year. So I'm trying to figure out which is more important to me right now and so far 1. Boobs 2. Arms and Tummy are in for a close 2nd 3. Butt 5. Thighs I would probably never do that much plastic surgery in my lifetime. So it's likely I may pick 2-3 body parts and make it count in one procedure. Keep us posted on your progress!!! Wishing you a peaceful and speeeeeeeeedy recovery.

I'm three years post op. I think the biggest mistake I have made was to believe that I was "normal" . I felt good about my weight for the first time in my adult life. People were nicer to me. I was nicer to me. It felt really good. But something clicked in my brain. I was angry for losing all those years that I didn't & couldn't live a normal life. I was angry for losing my Father to Alzheimer's. I was angry that I had to move in with my Mother (my choice but not easy) to help her after my Father died. So what do I do when I am angry? Yep, you guessed it, I eat. All of a sudden I felt as if I had starved myself for three years so I ate whatever I wanted. I didn't plan any meals and I grazed all day. That's what normal people do, right? Anyway I was maintaining for a year ,even though I didn't reach my goal. Then maintenance turned into fighting 3 -5 pounds, up and down, up and down. Then it turned into weight gain that refuses to budge. I'm up 18 pounds and I know what I'm supposed to do but I don't know why I don't do it.

@@glitterdaisies, it doesn't sound to me that your therapist is opposed to bariatric surgery, but is concerned that you learn to overcome the emotional eating you've described. Surgery isn't a 'cure' for it. Our own strategies and understanding what makes us tick are what matter. Jargon comes and goes. Don't get hung up on labels. Eating that causes weight gain and/or impedes weight loss is important to tackle. Whether it's a "disorder" or no, so what? Your best bet would be to ask the therapist what she had in mind.

I'm 8 months out and I've forgotten what does drinking with meals do to us. Does it cause weight gain or just flush the nutrients out? I haven't mastered not doing this.

Here is the medical reasoning for the weight gain. Once you stop exercising for a few weeks or even days you have to get the muscles going again. When you do this, Fluid gathers around the muscles you are working. This is a protective mechanism to keep the stretches muscled lubricated and to keep the joints lubricated. As for the muscle weight compared to the fat weight ... Yes, a pound is a pound is a pound. However, it takes a LOT more muscle to fill the spaces than it does fat. It is denser than fat and it is tighter "wound" if you will than fat. So, ideally, muscle does weigh more than fat since it takes a lot more muscle fibers to fill a glass for instance than it takes loose-fibered blubber. Hope this helps!

Hi guys, I started my pre-op diet last week. I can have 1 healthy meal a day and shakes the rest. My calorie intake can be no more than 1200. I had lost 5lbs when I weighed in on Friday, but when I weighed this morning I gained 3 lbs. back?!? I don’t get what’s going on since I’m following the diet and not having more than 1200 calories. Anyone experiencing this?

All calories aren't equal. Sometimes it could be salt, sodium, water retention or carbs that cause that weight gain.

First you aren't low carbing if you are eating chips. Not at all. You are naming off what you eat but leaving out the chips? what is your real food log like? If you keep eating chips you are going to keep gaining. Chips break down to nothing. I could easily eat a whole family size bag in one sitting if I wanted to. When you are low carbing you have basically no glycogen in your system. As soon as you eat carbs your liver starts filling up with glycogen again. Instant basically over night weight gain. Weigh your food, track your food. This is the easiest weight loss is ever going to be for you in your life. Work with your sleeve, not against it.

There's really no need for it, even during the weight loss period. We concentrate on protein early out because that is essential and there is no replacement - no supplements other than protein drinks until we can get by on real food. But even early out, our diets aren't really high protein, but rather "just right" protein to meet our needs; it's only high protein relative to everything else that we can, for a time, get from pills. Protein consumption later on, in maintenance and beyond, doesn't need to be any higher, but other things will be higher to go along with it, as our calorie needs increase from loss to maintenance. For an average or shorter than average woman, 60g per day of protein is usually considered to be plenty (if not more than plenty.) The only real exception to this is for those who get into body building and need extra protein for added muscle growth. The low carb part has never really been part of the "bariatric" diet, but is simply a carry over from the currently popular fad diets in the weight loss industry. Classic bariatric diets are simply protein first and then whatever else fits after; they are by default low carb and low fat, so no effort needs to be put into that aspect of an eating plan. Carbohydrates don't lead to any more weight gain long term than fats or protein does, rather it is the excess of any or all of them that leads to weight gain. It is only current diet mythology that preaches that low carb is needed to lose or maintain weight (because they still have lots of low carb diet products to sell....)

HELP! As a Naturopathic & Holistic Doctor, this APP has been informative and inspirational. In the past, I have been totally against invasive/gastric surgery. My Story: My PCP and Nutritionist informs me a month ago that I am in severe need of a gastric method; due to my personal medical conditions, such as: severe weight gain from 180 to 337, severe back problems with L5, S1, C2/3 neck, SI Joints, pre-diabetic, elevated cholesterol & severe hypertension. Interesting, I am an author and my motto have always been centered on "Living a Holistic and Healthier Lifestyle"! I often thought as a Military Brat, Military Officer, Holistic Doctor, Professor of Biology, Medicsl Terminology, Body Physics & Anatomy, not to mention, I facilitate holistic seminars, eat proper nutrition, eat on a saucer (I do not eat beef or pork, i am not an overeater) and i drink holistically! Really?? Me, yes! I often thought to myself, how did I fall in this category? I fell in this category because it can happen to ANYONE!!! Another reason, I was against these type of procedures are because I have personally assisted several patients/friends/relatives with failed gastric methods. Upon carefully reviewing each case; I noticed, the following: *Patient 1(Gastric Bypass): Patient had an unsuccessful surgery that was reversed and almost resulted in loss of life, due to poor surgeon & patient practices. *Patient 2 (Gastric Band): Patient was unsuccessful, due to a lack of proper eating and not ready to make a lifestyle change. This patient became very ill and suffered from band erosion several times and resulted in removal; due to over eating, dietary choices, did not follow dietiary plan and improper regime daily. In the above mentioned information, I have selected Gastrectomy Sleeve. For years, I followed a plan and excellent dietary choices. It appears that i have not loss much weight, however I did manage to lose 20 lbs. before i made this decision to purse my health further. I have stopped my practice, seminars, writing books, until i can improve my own life!! In leadership, I have always lead by example; so I started DrAshmonGetFit on FB social media to assist others. I know how to lose weight, my issue were the injections (steroids) that casused an extensive weight gain. I have stopped back injections because I could not lose weight; due to steroid injections, lack of mobility (in wheelchair 30% of the time) and exercise regiment. My PCP and Nutritonist have convinced me to proceed with surgery; due to my high BMI of 53, weight of 337 and other health issues listed above. Good news, on February 10th, I received a letter from surgeon. It states that I will report to main hospital on March 19th in DE for a meeting with Nutritionist and to watch a video; thereafter a conference is scheduled with surgeon and nurse on the same day for Q & A as well as to select the most appropriate procedure for my health conditions with surgeon. Therefore, I join this community for support because this process is not my specialty. In addition, I am willing to assist where my education and experience is needed! It is time to take my own life back!!