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Been on Seasonale for years. The best part (besides not getting pregnant), only get a period every 3 months. A little spotting when I first took it and no weight gain.

For myself and maybe for others, I seem to retain Water during my cycle. After its over I go back to my original weight. I know there are meds to relieve the bloating, but its only a temporary thing, so try not to panic when you see a lil weight gain at that time. Ann

I did the same thing...I only told 1 family member and thats because 1. My family is messy, they spent many years talking about my weight gain, so I felt they needed no part in my weight loss..I live in a different state from them, so next time they see me, I will be a new me and they can kiss my new booty lol..and @. I told the one family member because I felt if something did happen, I really wanted someone back home to know the facts. So far, no fill yet, had surgery on July 5th and I am still amazed I have lost weight without being filled, looking foward to the fill, no date yet but I am figuring probably be mid aug when I get it. So dont feel bad your family doesnt know just watch the amazment in their faces when they see the new you. I am going home in October, I wont be at my goal but I know there will be enough weight loss for them to drop their jaws lol. Ann

So I just got back from my Dr. visit. Leave it to me to pick a PCM that doesn't recommend the lap band surgery. My weight today was 210, which is good in terms of being closer to having insurance approve my surgery. I go back in the morning for all of my lab work to make sure there isn't an underlying issue with my health for the weight gain (i know there isn't) and he recommends that I try medication such as amphetamines for weight loss before I go the surgery route, but said when I return to him in two weeks, If I still don't want the medication and would like to be referred to the surgeon that he would do so for me. Medication..amphetamines..for what? So I can be addicted to those instead of food? No thanks! My father is an addict and I am not taking any chances! So when I go back in two weeks, I will get a referral to a surgeon and hopefully be approved for this! In a way (i know its a horrible way to think) I kinda hope that when my labs come back, I have some kind of co-morbidy that will make me eligible for the surgery right off hand without the hassle. My entire family is obese, with a few members that are morbidly obese.. I NEED this surgery. I don't want to be morbidly obese as well

I am just about a year out (on the 12th of August I think). I had posted on a couple of threads that lately I had gained 5 pounds and that I felt like I was able to eat WAYYY too much. I was planning a trip down to TJ to visit my doctor and get a contrast xray of my sleeve in a week or two. About 3 months ago I started experiencing some really bad nerve pains in my left arm, one day I woke up with my arm spasming from shoulder to wrist and it turns out I had a herniated disc in my c-spine. The doctor prescribed vicodin for the pain and ibuprofen for the inflamation. It took about 2 months for the arm to feel well enough that tylenol and the ibuprofen alone handled the pain. So I stopped taking the vicodin and HOLY HELL if my body didn't flip out on me. I realized that while I didn't abuse the vicodin and I didn't get a high from the vicodin that my body was in fact experiencing withdraws from not having it. It was the middle of the night and I was having a horrible panic attack and I woke up with my arms flailing and my mind racing and sweating like a pig. I realized immediately that I was having DT's. I had an appt the next day so I popped a half a vicodin and went to sleep about a half hour later and felt fine. I decided because it was going to be physically difficult and emotionally draining to come off them that I was going to wait until after a couple of family trips we had planned. So I continued to use them (not in excess) for the following 3 weeks. Last week I had a huge panic attack, so bad that I called my mother-in-law who lives next door (we live on a farm) to come over because my hubby was not home. I was freaked out because I thought I was having a reaction to the vicodin. Anyways long story made a bit shorter, I stopped taking them that night. I took some anti anxiety drugs to counteract the anxiety I was having and the withdraws at night and the first 5 nights were HELL. I really have a newfound respect for anyone who has kicked an addiction habit. My mother, mother-in-law and hubby were rocks and kept me feeling safe, secure and loved. It has been 11 days and I don't feel the withdraws anymore. My head is clearer then it has been in 3 months. I have a little bit of depression going on which I read is normal after coming off opiates but I am getting out and staying busy and getting plenty of sunshine. Here is the kicker after the 2nd day I realized my hunger had gone back to sleeve norm and I lost 6 pounds over the course of the first 7 days. After reading up more on side effects of Vicodin weight gain is one of the most prevalant. I guess it sort of dulls your sense you dont recognize you are full and it causes you to crave a lot of foods and retain a lot of Water. All-in-all it just is hell for losing weight. So I don't know if anyone suffers from some sort of chronic pain that they have to take a painkiller like vicodin but keep in mind if you are having a stall or changes in weight if you start taking the meds that it could be because of them that things are not moving along. Thanks for letting me ramble

Hi. My name is Lauren. I'm 25 years old, 5'4'', 252 lbs. (BMI about 42/43?)I have been struggling with my weight since I was about 15 when I was put on prescription medication for depression. As a result of the medication, I gained a signifigant amount of weight in a short amount of time. Fortunately I was able to loose that initial weight gain with diet and exercise. Then I changed medications again, gained weight...lost the weight. Changed medications again etc etc. In summary, I have been yo-yo-ing for about ten years, going from skinny to obese and back about 3 times. Each time I yo-yo I gain back the weight, and then some. Familar story for a lot of us. IN 2008 I weighed about 155 lbs. Then a bunch of things happened: went through a breakup, lost my job, havent been able to find a job (I'm a teacher). Now I'm 251 lbs. and feeling really bad I'm depressed and ready for a change. I have been thinking about bariatric surgery for a couple of months now. At first, I was thinking of gastric bypass, but then I found out about the band. In July I met with Dr, Edward Garber (York, PA, USA) about the possibility of getting the band. I went into the appointment thinking, "They will say no. They will say no." Because so many bad things have been happening in my life I was sure no one would be able to help me. Good News. Dr. Garber said the surgery could help me. He said people around my height/weight have a lot of trouble loosing weight. This made me feel like, "Ok, this is a problem other people have." For so long I just blamed myself and blamed myself, and ate, and blamed myself. Now I don't feel so alone. So far, I have gone to 2 nutrition classes, and had a pulmonary exam. I still have to go through a psych eval. which I am worried about since I'm depressed (but stable) . Then I have to meet with the dietician, and also go to a support meeting. After all that's done, I hope to send my paperwork in and get an insurance approval. My insurance is different than a lot of people's in that I don't have a mandatory supervised pre-op diet. I am thankful for that because I have been dieting and exercising all year to no avail. I hope to get the surgery in Novemberish/Decemberish depending on when the insurance approval comes through. I am hoping and praying to get approved as I know this can be a complicated and disappointing process. I am trying my best to stay calm and mantain my weight. I can't wait to make these changes that will improve my quality of life!

Caryn do what i did , i looked up food online that had no cal, like popcorn Truly Zero Calorie Foods Water is the only true zero calorie food that occurs naturally. Water is a great addition to your diet in a variety of ways. Eight 12-ounce servings of water every day are suggested as a healthy part of any diet. However, it has an added benefit when you're trying to diet to lose weight: it helps fill you up! Water can be frozen into ice and crushed or shaved in order to add a different consistency to your diet. In addition to water, diet soda pop is found in zero-calorie versions. It comes in name brands and generics and is typically sweetened with artificial sweeteners. Quite a bit of debate surrounds these beverages and whether they are healthy additions to your diet because of the artificial sweetener aspect. Experts offer conflicting claims that artificial sweeteners cause health problems or contribute to obesity and some studies show that diet soda may actually contribute to weight gain. Negative Calorie Foods There are several fruits and vegetables that occur in nature that while they have calories when consumed, are said to actually result in negative calories or a calorie deficit after digested. According to this theory, these foods cause the body to extend more calories to digest than contained in their nutritional content. The result would make them zero calorie foods after digestion. If you believe this theory, then these foods can basically be consumed without feeling guilty. They are healthy and provide nutritional content your body needs, but they do contain calories. Keep in mind, also, that even according to this zero calorie theory these foods only have this negative calorie effect when consumed without extras added to them like butter, sugar or dips. Negative Calorie Foods Asparagus Apple Beet Cranberries Broccoli Grapefruit Cabbage Lemon Carrot Mango Cauliflower Orange Celery Pineapple Chile peppers Raspberries Cucumber Strawberries Dandelion Tangerine Endive Garden cress Garlic Green beans Lettuce Onion Papaya Radishes Spinach Turnip Zucchini Eat Healthy

I just use condoms now (every time), but I'm thinking about getting an IUD too. I used to be on birth control pills, but stopped taking them because they contributed to some rapid weight gain. A copper IUD would be the best thing for me. I personally don't want to stop using condoms, even if I get an IUD. Too many people I'm close to have had unplanned pregnancies (that of course turned their lives around), and I don't want to risk it- especially since I'm getting the band next week.

The one I am on is called Camilla. It is usually used by nursing mothers. Have not seen a weight gain because of it and I have been on it for a couple years So maybe that will be the one for you too!

Alright Moni, you are killing me, really? 25-30 carbs, wow, that is impressive, I shoot for 60 and feel great if I make that. you have to share what your typical meal day looks like? I can't imagine. Especially because some days I try to do less meat, like I probably do vegetarian like 3 times a week, and those days of course the carbs are higher, many years of being a vegetarian, and even a vegan, and now I see that probably had something / well a lot to do with my constant weight gain. anyway I'm dying to hear if you are willing to share.

Any feedback will be appreciated. In March I was diagnoised with severe acid reflux and had all my fill taken out. In May I had breast reduction surgery and am loving that. But since March, I have put back on 25 pounds. I am ashamed of myself and am kicking my butt over it. I am working on getting back to that food diet and consumption of food. My biggest concern is going back to get fillled again. I know I've done wrong, but I need to get back on the horse, so to speak. Any of you out there ever backtracked like this? Thanks....

Kate, At least you know you are off the wagon and there isa reason for weight gain. You know that you can get back in gear, get ready for your fill coming up and you can start to fill up faster with less food. I haven't lost anything for over a week and I am still on freakin mushies. Hang in there, Kid. Lisa

Surgery is painful. Everyone experiences pain differently. For me, the pain medicines made me comfortable. I am in my 40s, I was back to normal in about 2 weeks. The weight does not fall off at first. With a band, it can take several months to get to the appropriate fill level for the band to give the most help. The band is a strictly restrictive procedure. the weight loss you achieve is based on calorie restriction, not on restriction and malabsorption like gastric bypass. Lapband patients are advised to expect losses of 1-2 pounds per week. Being at a higher weight, you might lose faster at first, once your calorie consumption is under control. If you are looking for rapid weight loss, gastric bypass or vertical sleeve is the way to go, not banding. Exercise, you do what you can. Even lifting weights or dancing in a chair will help until you can start weight bearing exercises. The band is not meant to be a temporary item. It seems when most people get their bands removed or unfilled, old habits creep back in and weight gain occurs. When there is no Fluid in a band, for most of us, it is like we have no band. We can generally eat the same amounts we could before surgery. There are some here who have restriction without any fill in their bands, but they seem to be the exception, not the rule. I have never had all the fill removed from my band since I had it installed. Having unfills for special events in life is just not something I would consider. My new way of eating is for life, and it is not dependent on chances to eat more food or new foods. I can experience plenty of food without unfilling it. Steak...well, it can be problematic for many banded people. Like a previous poster, I can eat it if I cut it into very small pieces and chew VERY well. I tend to get tired of chewing before my portion is gone. It is a lot of work to eat. You might be able to eat it, you might not. It is something you will have to be willing to give up if it turns out to be something you cannot eat. Keep the questions coming, the better informed you are, the better decision you can make!!

I had a very good experience. I did not have gas pains and only took liquid Tylenol. My biggest issue really was having to get up every 15 minutes the night I was in the hospital to go to the bathroom because of the IV fluids. Though on the upside I did not have the high liquid weight gain some get the day after surgery. In addition to doing short walks the first couple days I was back at the gym on day four on the treadmill.

My PCP was not exactly thrilled either when I told him I was having the procedure. He too warned about the weight gain. I calmly explained everything to him on what I have learned and then he said "oh! Well in that case I wish you luck on your surgery!" Once he sees how success I WILL BE I think then he is evern the type to suggest it to other patients. But of course he was coming from a caring perspective. Your pcp was beiing an ass. He will learn the hard way when you go skipping your skinny butt past him if you are there that long. lol

there's a new procedure call ROSE for people who has had the RNY years ago with weight gain.. I don't know if that's what they are going to do for your friend. ROSE, which stands for Restorative Obesity Surgery, Endolumenal, is a new, safer, incisionless, gastric bypass revision. It is not a primary method of weight loss surgery, but a follow-up procedure that is specifically designed for gastric bypass patients with weight regain. The ROSE procedure is indicated for gastric bypass patients who were initially successful in losing the excess weight but are now regaining some of the lost weight because the stomach and stoma have stretched out and no longer effectively control hunger and food intake.

The doctor's secretary stated that I would need to see a cardiologist, pulmonologist and a psychiatrist for medical clearance and I was fortunate enough to have all my appointments completed this week. If anyone is looking for a psychiatrist, cardiologist or pulmonoligist in the Northern NJ Bergen/Passaic County area, let me know. More than happy to reccomend. Each of them were great and all accept United Healthcare/Americhoice. The cardiologist had me undergo a stress test and echocardiogram. They also did blood work and checked my thyroid levels. The pulmonologist is sending me for a sleep test which wasn't a requirement but I am going to do it in 2 weeks. It will help address my snoring which has increased since my weight gain. As of today I am 268lbs. I also met with a psychiatrist whose main goal was to really determine if I have given real thought to the process of the lapband and if I FULLY understand the changes I need to make in my lifestyle and eating habits. He was very kind and after going over my history and making sure that I knew what I was signing on for with this surgery he did go ahead and aprove me. My recommendation to anyone would be that it should not matter if your insurance requires these steps or not. You should undergo them for your own safety and peace of mind not just for you but your loved ones as well. I think a whole lot about my family especially my kids and how they would be affected if somrthing unforeseen were to happen to me so for that reason alone I am taking all the precautions and making sure that I am clear on all angles. Dr. Vasquez is one of the few that requested these tests not just for his protection but mines as well. I have spoken with some people who had the procedure who said that they had the surgery without even having clearance on their heart, breathing or otherwise. Not good, not good I say. But I am glad things worked out for them. At any rate ...take the extra steps! the life you save may be your own.

Dear Dave, I completely agree with what you are saying but (there always has to be one ) the drinking with meals seems to be washing my food through my stoma and allowing me to eat more food before my brain gets the signal that I am full. You're right in that water has zero calories so more food was being taken in than I needed hence the stalling and now weight gain. I currently spend 2 hours 4-5 times a week at the gym doing mostly cardio exercise and I don't want to do any more than that right now. I am on day 3 of avoiding water with meals and its very tough for me to do but I have noted a decrease in food intake due to this small change. I hope that I did not give the impression that I believed that the water caused my weight stall and gain if so I apologize to anyone that thought that was what I was saying. I absolutely was overeating and the water flushing my food through was making it possible for me to do so. I will continue with withholding the fluids during meals at least until I see the doctor again in 10 days I really hope that this breaks the stalemate and that I begin a cascade of weight loss. If this happens I will know for sure that the no drinking guideline is one that I will have to follow. Thanks, Dave, for the good thoughts and well wishes, I really appreciate having you root me on and also for the sharing of your personal experience. I'll certainly let everyone know how it turns out the Tuesday, August 9th after I see the doctor again. Tom

I contacted Ultimate Nutrition, and I did get some free samples. Just make sure to emphasize that you want to lose weight, because I got samples for weight-gaining powders for body builders, haha XD. I'm going to give them to my dad who has cancer and is seriously underweight. Whatever helps To be fair, I also got 2 samples of the regular Protein powder (25g of protein and 120 calories!), so that's great. Premier Nutrition currently isn't offering free samples. Set Point Health will give you a sample of four products (you can choose which ones) on their website for $10 USD (no shipping). So, no free samples, but it's a decent deal. Thanks again for this awesome list!

Well had a long chat with my surgeon after a 7 pound weight gain on my 5 month follow up two days ago. This issue came up as I told him I routinely drink 24 or more oz. of water with every meal. I havn't been loseing anything for 3 months and he was surprised that I was drinking like that. He thought I was following the no drinking with meals guideline and confirmed what others have said that drinking with meals is the # 1 reason for non weight loss. This highlighted a real dilemma as adjustment to this non drinking mode is scary and a hard habit hadn't been able to break. I can look back on it now and without bullshi**ing myself that I have been eating much more than I thought I was and in effect self sabotaging my weight loss goal. Sheesh! do I feel dumb! The doctor gave me lots of non judgemental encouragement and re-eductated me on the band basics. For the past two days per his instructions I have avoided drinking 15 min prior, during and 30 min after meals. God its hard. First couple of bites of my first meal after seeing him I realized that along with the drinking issue I was taking too large a bite and not chewing long enough thus I got stuck for a few mins. I waited for the food to pass and thank God it did. I then resumed eating with much smaller bites and lots of chewing and the meals now take a lot longer. Now I'm the last one done. I have noticed already that I feel full sooner and stay satiated longer and don't need a snack between meals (I was browsing a bit too, lotsa bad habits I now see) Perhaps these adjustments will make the difference and get the scale moving. I have a follow up appointment in 2 weeks to see how I am doing and hopefully the scale will show improvement and joy back to mudville... So to all of us who like to slosh our food down and derive comfort while eating that way I can really relate. If this turns out like I think it will with the weight coming off quicker I'll be sure to share that info. Gosh it's had to give up the fluids while enjoying the meal but I am determind to get slimmer and this may be the key to why the weight hasn't been coming off. Heck, I am sure that its a major part of the problem. Good luck everyone.. Tom

I agree with everything Jachut said. Pull yourself up. Stop having a pity party and MOVE FORWARD!!! If you don't like the doctor; find another one! You are the customer. Stop them when they want to run out of the room quickly. I had to do this to mine. I had to say "Wait, I have more questions and if you've got something else to do, I'll be right here waiting for you when you finish!". They knew then, I was one they were going to have to take their time with. He turned around and smiled and asked, "What's on your mind?". I then began to tell them that I'm a 25% payer and I don't have the time to continuously come there for small fills and then file the claim, take off of work for both, etc., etc. SPEAK UP, they will listen! Build a rapport with whatever doctor you choose. You are so close to your goal ( according to your ticker). Don't you lose heart or hope. Remember, the band is a tool. No tool ever works unless you grab it and use it! We've all had setbacks. Join the club, honey. But, be a part of us who move past our setbacks, weight gain, and self sabotage. You can do this!

Just wondering if anyone out there my have the same problem as me. I was banded mid May this year and have lost 40 pounds. I have had no fills. I feel great not too hungry and was losing weight so last week at my doc visit she said no need to fill as I'm losing just fine. OK well this week...I GAINED 4 pounds!!! I have never cheated I exercise at Curves 5 days a week. I eat 1000 to 1200 calories a day and 100 grams of protein. I can't figure this out. Except to say I was on HCTZ (a water pill) to help with my blood pressure and on Monday the doc took me off it and I have put on a pound or do a day. I'm soo afraid the weight won't stop coming back and afraid I won't get back to losing. Anyone out there have any advice?

Hi Everyone!!! I had my Lap-Band surgery in 2009 and at first I did great. I was loosing weight at a study rate, not too fast or too slow. I was able to do things I hadn't done in some time. I got to shop in regular sizes, I didn't feel wore out when I participated in different activities. My grandmother was diagnosed with cancer at the same time I had my surgery, as her cancer became progressively worse, I began to loose weight rapidly. My Grandma died in January 2010, and I had reached my lowest weight at 193 pounds. I was weak, looked guant and to find out I was dehydrated. The doctor began to slowly take Fluid out of my band, and I began to gain weight back. While this was going on I began to have adaptive eating habits, and I gained back over 75 pounds. Because of the weight gain I have become very depressed and anger with myself. I've lost focus of why I did the band in the first place. I met with my doctor yesterday and I'm going to start focusing on changing my eating habits and do the right thing. The weight gain has hurt the person I was. Instead I'm loosing me and hurting the ones I love.

I guess I’m doing this backwards because I should have come to the “Tell your story” section when I first started perusing VST. I can’t even remember how I found this site honestly. I was using Obesity Help and quickly got turned off by that site because there is a lot of unnecessary drama happenin over there. People leaving nasty and negative comments for each other and what not…just wasn’t for me. So I’ve decided to do all my sleevin here on VST. I’ve gotten so much advice, inspiration and insight from the people here. VST rocks. Now, for the “my story” part. What can I tell you about my overweight life that you haven’t already heard from everyone else? My story is typical - heavy as a child and all through my adult life. Dieted endlessly..lost weight, gained weight, had babies, gained more weight, found love, lost love, isolated myself, battled with self confidence, gained more weight, found love again, yada yada yada. So here I am in my 40s heading into Sleeveland, and I’m asking all of you directions on how to get there and stay there. I have four children and a great husband who deserve to have an active Mom/Wife in their lives so I’m not just doing this for me, but I’m also doing it for them. My husband is the only person that knows of my surgery plans. What’s my reason for keeping it secret? I just don’t want to tell people. I don’t want to hear what people have to say about my decision. I just want people to see me and have their jaws drop. Stop looking at me like that. It’s no different than when people get botox or face lifts. They wanna look better, right? Well in my instance, I’ll look better AND I’ll be improving my health. And the big bonus is that I’ll get to re-ignite that inner me that has been hiding for way to long. I’m bringin Sexy back! My official weight loss surgery journey started in late May, and I’m officially on my way to getting sleeved. As of today, I still have a couple of procedures and tests to complete, and I’m doing my best to get those done so my surgeon’s office can submit my paperwork to my insurance company. (I wanna get sleeved in September *fingers crossed*) In the meantime, I’ll be posting, blogging, and researching everything sleeve here with you guys on VST. My ideal story ends with me getting sleeved, slimming down, and living happily and healthierly ever after…. (yeah, I know that’s not a word, but it has a real nice ring to it). So…that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

I had a lot of stretch marks and 80 pound weight gain with my first child prior to banding. I had 1 band baby and found that after losing the weight with the band baby, the small excess of skin was enough to allow me to grow with pregnancy without getting bigger or any stretchmarks. I am now 30 weeks pregnant with the second baby and I still have not had one stretch-mark or extra skin. It seems like the extra skin from weight loss allows pregnancy to occur without additional impact in my case.