Search the Community

I often give in to my cravings around that time. Right before my period, when I am crankiest, is when I'm the most hungry and the most able to eat a lot. But I know that as soon as my period starts, my band tightens up big time, and I can sometimes only tolerate liquids. The calories seem to balance out, as it doesn't result in a permanent weight gain or loss.

I was unfilled for nine months while I had chemo. It was hard work but I didnt gain. I ran and went to the gym (rpm and bodypump) like normal during treatment, yeah I was pretty run down but I had to do it! I couldnt let myself gain! If I can do that through two surgeries, radiation and chemo and keep the weight gain away for nine months you CAN do this!

I know what you mean about wanting to be thin and healthy. I dont have any kids, that's the main reason I decided to do this because I have a disorder called PCOS and it led to my weight gain and infertility issues. This surgery is supposed to help if not correct it. So I hope in a few years I will be running around chasing my kiddos. You will do great I'm sure, you already know mostly what to expect, about won't be a total shock. How long before you know about insurance approval?

My blog from today: So I had a few minutes to spare and found myself rehashing all the "what if's" of wls. It almost feels like my health and happiness are hinged on this. I guess in a way it is. In my immediate family there is a history of CAD, DM, CVA's, Colon CA, etc. So the reality of it is if I don't lose the weight, the aforementioned is what I have in my future. Not acceptable. I've lost weight a hundred times over only to gain it right back. I don't eat unhealthy foods, I just eat too much. I exercise about 3x's per week, I drink Water, limit my intake of sodas and I've never smoked a cigarette. I'm 5'2 and about 206lbs today. My belly is about to burst out of my size 14 jeans that are too small, but I continue to wear them anyway (denial). I am sick of painful joints, back pain, being winded with activity, avoiding social events, sleeping all weekend, urinary incontinence and all the other stuff that goes with being fat. So I was desperate... I am refinancing my first home (2yrs into mortgage) in order to pay for this. My employer has an obesity exclusion on our insurance at work... I expect they'll remove that exclusion as the company grows, but for now I'm on my own. I could make a list a mile long of "what if's" as to why NOT to have surgery, but instead I choose to focus on the "what if's" as to why it's so crucial for me to have surgery. What if I have a heart attack? What if I am dx'd with Diabetes? What if I have a stroke? What if I get cancer? Who'll take care of my son, my mother, my niece, my employees, etc. Who will fight for what's right for the patients I take care of? Who will grow old with my BFF? The thought of all those haunting questions are much scarier to me than the "what if's" that go with surgery. When my daddy went in to have an abdominal aneurysm removed he told a friend of his he'd die without the surgery. His buddy asked him "but what if you die from the surgery?" My daddy (always full of advice) simply told him he at least had to try.... and try he did. I do have some concerns about undergoing major surgery in order to lose weight. It terrifies me. Change is terrifying, but oh so necessary. So why should I have surgery? Physically - I want to be able to go for a walk or run, I want to not have huge "cankles" at the end of the day, I want to not be out of breath coming back from the mailbox, I want to be free of arthritic pain in my hips, I want to put on clothes without a struggle. Emotionally - I want to be proud of who I see in the mirror, I want to get off the vicious cycle of weight gain & depression, I want the inner me to like the outter me. Spiritually - I have no excuse for not going to church, except that I feel so ashamed of the weight I've put on. I know they aren't staring at me, but that is exactly how it feels. I want to be able to go to the altar and worship once again... Financially - I love my job, but since I've put on the weight I've stopped scheduling speaking engagements (something I LOVE), calling on new accounts, visiting old accounts, speaking at meetings, etc. It's almost like I've given up on me. So the more of all that stuff I do, the more money I can make Socially - I have no social life anymore. I hate going to anything where there is a crowd of people. I avoid it all costs. My clothes are too small, I feel horrible and I just wind up miserable. I have the most amazing boyfriend who LOVES to get out and socialize and yet he's stuck with me... at home... every weekend. So there ya go... I don't feel like I really have a choice. It's either another yo-yo round of dieting with impending disappointment from the scales or a true lifestyle change... I'm 40yrs old and I have so much living and loving left to do. This is for a better me so I can be a better mom, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, girlfriend, boss and hopefully encourage others to do the same. Here's to the living, loving and laughing that is yet to come!

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.

I'm New York, and within the past few months - bleh. The lockdown didn't bother me so much as a concept, weight wasn't a problem for the first two months. I was VERY involved in a virus-related contact tracing effort that has basically consumed all of my time, and obviously the status of healthcare in America means that I've spent since mid-Feb bashing my head against a wall to try and make things happen and hitting political and insurance roadblocks and let's just go ahead and agree that being 20 feet away from the kitchen during 13-hour days when you can't leave home without wearing a mask is... not ideal for maintaining weight loss? Long story short, I am a whopping 30lbs up on my lowest weight right now. It's reversible, and in fact with some of the virus-related work finally getting traction (Americans finally stop living in denial, hopefully?) and being parceled off to other teams I'm actually seeing work hours go back down to a normal schedule, but I'm rebooting starting this week through Orgain protein shakes twice a day and one carefully planned meal, plus coffee, water and a cheese stick. I've deliberately and proactively sectioned off my calendar to make sure I don't keep working until 8pm every damn night anymore. I have done terrifying things in Salesforce so now all of my spinning plates are in view at all times. How did I get here? Well... Stocked up in late-Feb when I realized that this was going to be a pandemic. Then tried to order once or twice a week from restaurants when it was clear they'd otherwise shut down, which meant a single dinner lasted three nights. Two months in, I started going to the store occasionally for simple human contact, usually ended up buying stuff I didn't need as an excuse to make the trip. By the end of the spring, the stocked-up stuff started to reach the end of its expiry date, which meant I had to eat it... You see how this spirals. I hate summer. Hate it. Seasonal depression (yes, it does exist for summer). Oh, and then this year it turned out I developed a sun allergy. So even if I did go out to exercise, I risked days of an itchy, poison ivy-like rash. Pool closed, obviously. Work stress. Firstly, trying to make sure I kept my team employed and occupied and engaged as they ended up stranded in apartments and parents' spare rooms in rural towns and assure them that layoffs aren't coming to get them. Secondly, all the virus work. Work happy hours at the start of the lockdown. I had maybe 3-4 drinks every MONTH before lockdown. But then everyone started having happy hours to stay connected, and about three weeks in I think the cocktail started representing the time you officially stopped work so we were all starting making it more of a daily ritual. And once you're having a drink every afternoon when you shut your laptop, you start having two on the days things are particularly rough, and now it's August and I have consumed a remarkable amount of calories via gin, tonic and cider and definitely need to change that pattern. Pandemic stress and constant, haunting thoughts about why I didn't get New Zealand citizenship when I lived there and could do it, dammit. Stopped wearing proper clothing. I vowed to keep wearing my jeans and nice work tops, and stuck to it for about two months. Then I realized that wrap dresses worked great on calls and were cooler. Then started wearing yoga pants (but not doing actual yoga!) and a nice top on calls. Over the last three or four weeks, I've worn zip-up hoodies on internal calls. So it was easy to ignore the weight gain. My wireless scale broke and it took me three months to buy a new one. Anyhow. The pandemic sucks, so many things about living in the US reality distortion field suck right now, but one thing I very much can control is my food intake so it's back to basics on that count. The grocery supply chain is just fine, I've bought a projector TV so I can lock my dog out of the room and do yoga with an image projected on a wall instead of trying to contort myself to do yoga via computer while battling weak wifi, and IT'S GOING TO BE AUTUMN!!! Also I'm taking a week off. Also one of my NZ friends is now living in Sweden, so we spend a lot of time WTF-ing at each other about our situation compared to our friends' situations. How are all of you doing? Working parents, I am not one of your number but know that as one of your colleagues, I do not mind seeing your kids onscreen, totally understand you can't make that deadline, and basically just want to make sure you can make it through the week with 50% or more of your sanity intact. This pandemic has not fallen equally across all shoulders by a long shot, and anyone who's trying to make you stick to a Before Times schedule or gets ratty about "unprofessional" childcare complications can go stuff themselves. **definitely not looking for any advice or encouragement here, and am in fact allergic to both unless expressly requested - just figured since this is a check-in I’d update on current state of play for anyone interested in comparison.

It could be Fluid retention, im nine days post op and just moving onto mushies, I know it's a time for healing but I am still losing weight. We are all individuals and our bodies respond differently. Keep doing what your surgeon has asked you to do. Like someone else said in a few days you'll probably find that weight gain has disappeared. Unless you are eating like before it can't be fat gain, it's fluid. I wish you well on your journey. Also that time if the month plays havoc on the scales if you're female.

For me, I experience fat discrimination in the work place mostely. I have been in management for several years now, and usually manage anywhere between 80 and 200 employees at one time, with the help of 1-3 other managers and 1-2 other supervisors. It is a HARD job, managing people. A lot of the employees are young, in the their 20's. I started managing in my 20's, and now I'm in my 30's. Over the years, I have gained weight. With age comes more respect, but with weight gain comes more disrespect. Being the only fat manager is hard. I have to work 4 times harder to earn people's respect. I have to PROVE to the staff that I have the ability to do my job. Where the other managers can walk into a room and gain instant respect because of how they look. My old co-worker is a perfect example. Him and I worked so well together, both had lots of experience and great ideas to increase sales, etc. BUT, we looked opposite. He was 36 years old, great shape, HOT AT HELL... and here I was: 236 pounds, hair not bleached blond, didn't wear the nice girly-suits that hugged my body, etc. The staff treated us totally different. Let's also not forget the fact that I am a woman and he's a man and well right there is a challenge in itself. I'm not complaining about our staff, but more about society and how we look at people. It's just a true fact that people are thought of differently when they are overweight: dumb, lazy, incomp, etc. During my stay at this one location, I did join a weight loss group and took off 30 pounds. As the weight came off, I did notice a difference in how the staff treated me. They would approach me with a smile instead of a look of demand. They would wait till I was off the phone to ask me a question instead of inturrupting me. They would show more respect for me in front of other co-workers instead of disrespect. I could go on and on and on about this subject. In fact, I am. So, I'll stop now. By losing weight you change your entire life. It's such a positive thing. I can't wait 'till I'm at goal and then I will have nobody and no 'thing' to blame anything on again. If somebody treats me like crap, it's because I deserve it. Period. Thanks for listening!

On May 18th 2011, I had whats called a sleeve gastrectomy. My weight gain was due to something called polycystic ovarian syndrome. I couldnt lose weight and it was affecting my metabolism. Then in December 2010 I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. And the weight was putting a strain on my heart. Not including all the stress I was under with the mindless, useless drama that invaded my life and is now finally over. After everything I started researching options, talking to my Dr and was then referred for a surgery consult. I ended up at Balboa in March after starting the process outside of Balboa in December, it took 5 mos total of classes (nutrition), tests, etc before they would do the surgery. Its very in depth and a lot of information. I weighed 240 in March when I saw the Balboa surgeon and was a size 20-22. As of 3.6.12 I now weigh 143 and am a size 6. I am currently 3 lbs from my goal. This surgery was explained to me that it will eventually replace the lap band because of its effectiveness and its way safer than a bypass. If it wasnt for the medical necessity I probably would have kept trying exercise and all the fad diets, but they just werent working. Now I walk alot, eat better, feel better and am starting to return to my old self. I look forward to chasing my kids around and exercising with my Wonderful Husband who has been one of my biggest supporters as well as my Amazing Family. Before I was afraid to tell anyone, but then I thought why? It was to help me and for me to be around for my kids and family

Hello everyone! I am just beginning my journey. Today I met with my psychologist and tomorrow I meet for the first time with my bariatric nutritionist (RD). I do not have to do a 6 month program with a nutritionist according to my insurance, but the program requires "up to three" visits with the RD. Any insight on what I can expect for that first RD visit? Also... the psychologist I met with today challenged me a bit (appropriately) on what my plans are post-op when I feel stress... she wanted to know what I will substitute for food to prevent future weight gain. I told her that I typically find solace in my friends, prayer, and food; I am wondering, what have you found helpful to prevent stress eating (I know the sleeve restricts intake... has this been enough to deter you from this behavior?) Thanks so much, in advance, for your counsel as I begin my journey!

Thanks for sharing this info. May I ask, what attributed to your weight gain? Had you started back eating what made you heavy to begin with? I'm preop and just observing real life stories concerning how to keep the weight off? I know it's a struggle...but, how can we maintain the weight loss? Sent from my SM-G935T using the BariatricPal App My exercise decreased and I stopped lifting weights. Carbs started to slip back into my diet. I can eat more and feel hunger or more like hangry. The mind state of not screwing up diminished. I got lazy and then it was 10lbs, 20lbs. I did the pouch reset. I went back to the basics. I went back to the gym but hurt my knee. Seems like the Protein shakes make me gain. In November I joined Weight Watchers but so far only losing and gaining the same 5 lbs. My metabolism has changed. It's like I have developed a resistance to what worked previously. Sent from my SM-N920P using the BariatricPal App

Glad to hear you broke your stall. I find that if I just keep going it breaks. I have also found significant (about 3-5 ibs) weight gain my TOM and a short stall during ovulation. It is like clockwork for me.

Nah, I can't tell a difference. Pretty much every personality I trust agrees that monohydrate is the best way to go if you are going to do creatine. And it doesn't have to be the expensive brand either. Bodytech is what I was using and I think it was like $10. Supplementation is only really necessary when you cannot obtain the results naturally. I cannot get in the 150-200 grams of protein I need for my lifting regimen so I supplement protein. I do use BCAA's because I tend to take a while to recover. I tried creatine again late last year and cycled on/off on 30 day stints. The only difference I truly saw with the creatine was jitteriness and water weight gain.

I am 2 years 4 months post op and I know I have stretched my sleeve all that it's going to stretch. I can't possibly eat more than I could at one year out. Getting too full just plain hurts. That does not mean you can't graze and eat Snacks that cause weight gain.

I'm sure you all have heard this question several times. I have researched and talked about it myself. I just want an honest opinion. I originally wanted to get the sleeve, but I did not want to only lose 100lbs. I want to lose more. I'm currently 378, 5'5 and I carry my weight in pretty well places . So my question is..... If I went with the sleeve will I lose weight slower than having gastric bypass? Will the sleeve help me keep my shape? Will the sleeve be better for me because I have NO Health issues besides being overweight? Will I get under 200 lbs with the sleeve? That's based on my current weight. Or have you sleevers been unsatisfied with your results and got a revision? Did you get a revision because of easy weight gain? Not enough weight loss ? I really would like to know. I'm getting closer to surgery and need to get serious here. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Jaysleever, yep, we all have to do what works best for us (and what our bariatric team recommends, ESPECIALLY during the first year when we're establishing our new habits). I agree with Babbs though. Eating after 6pm is not going to cause weight gain (unless you have a specific metabollic medical condition). And if you're prone to nightmares, you are probably better off not eating after 6. Usually just a light snack wouldn't cause nightmares--more like a very heavy meal. I personally enjoy my evening snack. I learned that by adjusting my eating times/caloric intake throughout the day, I can include that snack, guilt free. It's just another element of pleasure to my WLS adventure. I love not having to punish myself or feel guilty about anything related to my consumption of food. I think that's mainly because it's a lot easier now to make much healthier choices. I also happen to personally believe that "set points" can be changed and are not necessarily what we are doomed to be stuck with. Also, some people are particularly sensitive to weight gain in their consumption of the starchy carbs (I unfortunately am one of them). But once you know that about yourself there are so many other choices that work just as well, if not better! If you KNOW you have adjusted your eating habits and food choices the absolute BEST you can, maybe it is time to make the decision that your weight is where your body is comfortable. But if you KNOW there are some adjustments you can make to eat CLEANER maybe it's worth a try to see if you get get closer to that 30 waist. Congrats on your progress as of now!

HELLO ALL :). So i am post gastric sleeve op day 4 and really bothered by the amount of fluid retention/weight gain of 9 lbs since Monday surg. PLEASE tell me this will go away soon?? :(

(((HUG)))) I know that after surgery that's the last thing we want to see on the scale. Believe it or not, I'm up about six pounds from my pre-admission weight. I'm certain none of it is a real weight gain, because I feel like a bloated balloon at the moment. Either way, your body is just recovering, and there's no way you have gained actual pounds of fat right now. it's probably just reorganizing and holding in Water to help you heal. I'm sure it will come back off in no time =)

Hi all, I'm scheduled to be banded on 1/18/10 - my insurance is only a 3 month wait. At my 2nd nutritionist class I lost 2 pounds but the very next day (12/8) I left for Jamaica for one week (an all inclusive) and after that we flew right into the holidays - got weighed today and I'm up 10 POUNDS!!!! I always gain weight around the holidays and usually lose it right after new years BUT my third and final nutritionist class/weigh in is on Jan 4th - that's not enough time to lose that much. I'll admit, I enjoyed Jamaica quite a bit - an all inclusive with everyone serving us delicious drinks and awesome food all day and night - did I mention the drinks!?!?!? haha Anyway - question is .........Will my insurance company throw me out into the denial pile for a weight gain....? even one that isn't SO big - maybe I could lose 5 by next Monday but not sure about 10. Did anyone that's been banded have this problem....?

My name is Sakoia I am 28 years old, I weigh 262 pounds and I live in the Milwaukee,WI area. On June 30th at an office vist with my pcp I decided to move forward to have LapBand surgery. By having this surgery I know I no longer have to deal with low self-esteem, high blood pressure, depression/anxiety, and other health complications i've faced over time. My weight gain started in 2005 after being in an abusive relationship and being a single mother. But I am now have three beautiful girls and a loving, supportive husband of three years. I now want to move forward in my life by dropping the baggage/weight and be the Sakoia thats trapped inside. I found this community after searching for info on the procedure and I know I will meet postive supporters and find motivition on this journey. I have so many questions about the rules, excerise, excessive skin, the mental change, and much more. I hope to soon find a mentor/buddie that could help me along the way too. Thanks Sakoia

I think I had several things that got me here. First, I was always overweight, even as a kid, not a lot, but some, but I felt huge, because I was always the fat girl in school and my mom was petite and skinny when I was little. (Althought looking back, I wasn't nearly as fat as I thought I was!) I weighed about 160-170ish in high school, dropped to 140-150 in college/early marriage but always thought I had to be 120ish to no be "fat" (I'm 5-7). When we had kid#1 I weight 180, and gained 20lbs, 200 with Kid#2, and gained 30ish, then gained maybe 5lbs/year afterwards. But what really got me started was my DH who had struggled his whole career in the USAF to keep his weight down retired from the AF in 2000 looking totally hot and fit and completely lost control. He gained nearly 200lbs in about 2 yrs and it freaked me out. He was already having some health/stress related problems before his weight gain but the extra weight made everything worse very quickly. I soon realized I had better start taking care of myself because he was putting me on the road to widowhood. (Our kids were just 11 and 6 when he retired, now 20 and 15) I decided I had to lose weight so there was at least one healthy parent! I also hoped if I lead the way, DH would follow, if not, I still needed to do this for me. So I tried dieting on my own for a couple of years, but just couldn't seem to lose anything. I finally went into see my doctor for an annual exam and told her my problems and she figured out I had PCOS. Put me on Metforin, BCPs, and Xenical and I dropped 40lbs with diet and exercise over the next year but couldn't seem to get any farther and in researching the PCOS I started reading about people who were having lapbands. So I started researching the surgery. I knew I'd never consider RNY but this looked like it had potential. So I tried to get approved for surgery and my insurance came back with an approval for RNY but not Lapband. I opted to wait. In the 2 years afterwards I gained back the 40lbs. Meanwhile my DH's health has continued to worsen, HBP, lots of pains, can't even climb the stairs to bed without being out of breath. One day last year I got an newletter from Tricare saying they were now paying for Lapband procedures, and I called for an appointment that same week. While DH would never consider surgery for himself, he was supportive of me (not that I gave him much choice). Got approved, had the surgery, ran into post op complications (the surgeon accidentally perforated or burned my stomach leading to an infection), so she removed the band the next week and I spent 2 weeks in the hospital on antibiotics. DH was terrified he could lose me and I was probably about 24 hrs from being dead when I was admitted to the hospital although we didn't realize it at the time. I've now spent 6 months recovering and my surgeon thinks I'm ready for another try. I'm scheduled for surgery March 4th. I'm going in to talk to her next week and discuss if she thinks a lapband or a VSG is the best option for me. Either way, starting next month I'm taking control of my personal health. On a happy note, my DH who has been super supportive of me even while he lived in denial himself, has finally come to the decision that he has to lose weight. We're going to the educational class for him on Monday to start the process for him to get surgery too. This is a huge step for him because he was always against having surgery, and when mine didn't go smoothly, I though he'd never consider it. Always Hunzi

I can relate to what everyone is saying. This week is the third time in 1 year that I have moved to within 4 pounds of my pre op goal weight. After about 4 weeks of my pre op diet plan, I am so bored with my food I want to scream. So I go and buy a cookie. I suppose my issue is that I cannot even imagine being thinner , having more energy, being able to bend over and tie my shoes without puffomg. So, on this side of weight surgery, all I see is eating protein until ot comes shooting out my ears And, it's on this type of day, that I ask myself, "What are you thinking. Having your stomach removed? " I can trace my weight gain to 1996 when I first started taking anti depressants I am still on them, and probably will still be on them post up. And, unfortunately the research does not show what happens to people who are post op and taking anti depressants. Will I be taking them forever and 1 day?

What about side effects? I am worried about weight gain and acne. I have been told it is really good, but since I have lost my 72 lbs my husband has been all over me. So I am glad I have a good form of birth control. Just a little worried about side effects.

Has anyone used the mirena iud? I read that it can cause weight gain hair loss etc? Advice welcome!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello I am currently on quite a few bipolar meds (been taking them since 2006). Before I started those medications my weight was around 170. I definitely think that the meds played a big part in my weight gain over the years. Since my sleeve surgery, I have steadily been losing weight, with only a few stalls. I think that the sleeve is working great despite my taking some meds that are known to cause weight gain.