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It is not bulemia (which you know already is vomiting). It is closer to anorexia if anything (because you never actually ingest your food), but either way it is an unhealthy relationship with food. Taking this to an extreme is what makes it an eating disorder. If you want the flavor but are so adverse to the calories that you would rather spit out your food (hence your nutrients) it is bound to cause a problem eventually. Below I have listed the diagnostic criteria for an eating disorder from the DSM IV: Eating Disorder Diagnostic Criteria from DSM IV-TR 307.1 Anorexia Nervosa * Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height, for example, weight loss leading to maintenance of body weight less than 85% of that expected or failure to make expected weight gain during period of growth, leading to body weight less than 85% of that expected. * Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight. * Disturbance in the way one's body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape on self evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight. * In postmenarcheal females, amenorrhea, i.e., the absence of at least 3 consecutive menstrual cycles. A woman having periods only while on hormone medication (e.g. estrogen) still qualifies as having amenorrhea. Type Restricting Type: During the current episode of Anorexia Nervosa, the person has not regularly engaged in binge-eating or purging behavior (self-induced vomiting or misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas). Binge Eating/Purging Type: During the current episode of Anorexia Nervosa, the person has regularly engaged in binge-eating or purging behavior. 307.51 Bulimia Nervosa * Recurrent episodes of binge eating characterized by both 1. Eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat during a similar period of time and under similar circumstances. 2. A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode, (such as a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating). * Recurrent inappropriate compensatory behavior to prevent weight gain, such as selfinduced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, diuretics, enemas, or other medications, fasting, or excessive exercise. * The binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behavior both occur, on average, at least twice a week for 3 months. * Self evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and weight. * The disturbance does not occur exclusively during episodes of Anorexia Nervosa. Type Purging Type: During the current episode of Bulimia Nervosa, the person has regularly engaged in self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas. Nonpurging Type: During the current episode of Bulimia Nervosa, the person has used other inappropriate compensatory behavior but has not regularly engaged in selfinduced vomiting or misused laxatives, diuretics, or enemas. 307.50 Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified This diagnosis includes disorders of eating that do not meet the criteria for the above two eating disorder diagnoses. Examples include 1. For female patients, all of the criteria for Anorexia Nervosa are met except that the patient has regular menses. 2. All of the criteria for Anorexia Nervosa are met except that, despite significant weight loss, the patient's current weight is in the normal range. 3. All of the criteria for Bulimia Nervosa are met except that the binge eating and inappropriate compensatory mechanisms occur less than twice a week or for less than 3 months. 4. The patient has normal body weight and regularly uses inappropriate compensatory behavior after eating small amounts of food (e.g., self-induced vomiting after consuming two cookies). 5. The patient engages in repeatedly chewing and spitting out, but not swallowing, large amounts of food. 6. Binge-eating disorder: recurrent episodes of binge eating in the absence if regular inappropriate compensatory behavior characteristic of Bulimia Nervosa. So this would classify as something known as EDNOS (eating disorder not otherwise specified). I don't believe chewing gum and this have anything to do with one another from what I read above. The DSM IV references psychological requirements for EDNOS (which is where this disorder is placed) but both psychological and physical requirements for Anorexia and Bulemia.

Missy, I hear you, girlfriend....I feel that same exact way.....like a new person (or should I say like my old self prior to much weight gain!!). I am planning things I would have never had the energy for prior to the surgery....trips, doing more with my daughter, just going to the store without feeling like a played a game of football, etc. I called my sister today and she said that even my voice has changed...happier, perky!!! And as you mentioned, we are just starting the journey...imagine the rest the trip!!!!!!!! And I also believe someone must have "banded" my brain as I am making MUCH better choices and eating only to survivor NOT to comfort myself. Missy, keep up the great work and keep enjoying your new life!!

i agree with the other ladies,u should be able to eat some kind of fruit or vegtable and v8 is very nutritious. u may need a small unfill. it can be scary especially when u are afraid to regain weight like alot of us are but sometimes a small unfill may not doom u to weight gain because if you are too tight not it may get worse and cause unneccesary stress when u do conceive and i pray u conceive soon cause trying can also be stressful( i know im trying again after miscarrying at 12 weeks with a d&c). all of it is stressful but the best thing to do is try to relax ,pray and try to manage our weight even during preg with healthy eating. hopefully we all will have very beautiful,healthy babies nine months from now.:smile:

Hi everyone! I was sleeved on 2/11 weighing in at 213 but today when I got home I weighed 227.2? I feel like my skin is going to burst with how tight it is! Has anyone else experienced Water weight gain? I was on IV fluids all 4 days at the hospital. How do I get rid of this extra weight? Did anyone else have this happen to them? Talk about frustrating!!!

I have a friend who had a band (like me) and it failed (like mine). So she transitioned to a sleeve (like me) and she lost a lot of weight, but then she got pregnant, ate whatever she wanted, gained more weight than she lost on the sleeve and then gained back the weight she lost on the band. She transitioned to a DS about a month before my sleeve surgery. For months, she pressured me to get the DS. Because she is long distance, I couldn't see what she was eating, so I had no way of knowing if this was a true failure of her surgeries. So because 8 years with a failed band made me paranoid that I was the failure, not the band really took a toll, I just started thinking the sleeve would fail, and that I really needed a DS (even though my BMI was 36.1). When I brought it up to my NP at a pre-op visit, she demanded to see the texts from my friend. With her experience, she was able to tell right away what was going on. "This is behavioral. Your friend has a lot of excuses, I can't believe her surgeon is doing a third surgery. Look at all of the excuses she has for her weight gain! I've known you for almost 10 years, and you don't do this. You are honest about your failings." My NP was right, my friend had excuse after excuse. When I feel tempted to eat a cookie, or ice cream, I pull out my phone and read her texts. I do eat junk food sometimes (I had half an Oreo last night), but the threat of a DS is enough to keep me from doing something stupid over and over and over until it becomes a pattern.

Many smart women struggle with their weight and many busy, successful professional women resort to food to cope with the stress. Are you looking for solutions? Many smart women struggle with their weight and many busy, successful professional women resort to food to cope with the stress, uncertainty, and other emotions that occur in a full, high-pressure life. Unfortunately, for many, these battles with food become vicious cycles that look something like this: “Fresh starts” and plans that don’t work or don’t last, followed by feelings of defeat and inadequacy, followed by overeating and a period of trying to generate motivation (again), followed by another “fresh start.” This vicious cycle leaves women feeling bad about themselves and ineffective. It also often leads to weight gain instead of weight loss. If you are a high-achiever—a woman who is successful in many areas of her life who finds herself stuck in this cycle—there is a way out. Here are three tips to start breaking the yo-yo diet emotional eating cycle: Let go of the belief that you are alone and the only one struggling like this. If you are caught in this cycle with food and overeating, you’re in some great company. One of the most self-defeating actions you can take is to continue to struggle alone, heaping on self-blame and even shame. Find someone to talk to. Open your eyes to the possibility of support. Ask other women what they do when they struggle. Consider investing in yourself the same way you invest in your career and your family and your home and pursuing emotional eating solutions that can help you. Take control of perfectionism. You’re human and you’ll never be perfect. Perfectionism or all-or-nothing thinking is common among women who expect a lot of themselves. It can get you stuck in a pattern where making a poor choice is interpreted as “blowing it.” Women trying to lose weight fall for this all the time. Instead of continuing forward and allowing the next choice to be a better one, the tendency is to cash in all your chips and start down a road of overeating because you’re upset with yourself and you “failed.” Plan for imperfection. Train your mind to notice your progress and not just your missteps. Stop relying on willpower. This is a biggie. You are a high-achiever. You probably have a lot of willpower and stick-to-it-ness in other areas of your life. You may be lost in a mindset of beating yourself up over this cycle you are stuck in. If so, you probably tell yourself things like: “What’s wrong with me that I can’t get a grip on this?” “This should be easy.” “I’m just not trying hard enough.” “This is an embarrassment and I need to stop being lazy and just take a tough line with myself.” If you are still feeling stuck, read my first two tips again. The truth is that you’re stuck because your method isn’t effective. You’re missing something. Start with compassion for yourself for how big and deep and exhausting this struggle is. Try holding yourself in the same positive mental light that you’d hold a dear friend. Take a deep breath and allow yourself to treat this issue as a legitimate problem. Allow yourself to respect that you are in a tough spot. Instead of blaming yourself, give yourself permission to take the situation seriously. Now ask yourself what you need that you don’t have that could help. You may be tempted to choose some kind of judgment (“I’m lazy”), but instead, focus on identifying the outside resource or concept that could help (“I'm overloaded and I'm at a loss about how to feel better without overeating. I need some new tools.”). I find that high-achievers who are stuck in this overeating cycle hesitate (or don’t even think to) ask for: Help with finding motivation Help with creating time for themselves Help with accountability Help developing new skills and strategies Help with getting to the root of what’s triggering their overeating Help. Period. Approaching the problem with respect and allowing yourself the resources you need to be effective can make a world of difference. Are you stuck? Are you tired of spinning your wheels and feeling like you are wasting your energy? What small change could you start making today? Leave a comment and share your thoughts

Well, since I hadn't tried to buy it for personal use yet, I didn't know it took a doctors prescription. I would suppose that your Mom could get a prescription from her doc then. Just take him some information from the web site on how good it is for skin, since she is having problems with her skin. A lot of older folkes have skin that tears easily, and the extra nutrition would be wonderful for them. It isn't high in calories, so she wouldn't have to worry about weight gain. From what I've read of the ressearch though, it can help to promote lean body mass, which a lot of older folkes need. I'll have to see about getting an order in and see if they ask for a prescription. A cs. is 24 bottles. At $1.99 a bottle, it may be considered a little expensive. She could probably just drink one a day or one every other day and get good results and stretch her use of it out. They sent us double cases, of 48, but I would imagine that they can break them in to 24 a cs. I was planning to order a cs.

I've had 3 gradual unfils during my pregnancy. I had my first at 8 weeks which really helped, and then i had another one about halfway through. I was so scared by how wide open i felt and i literally thought i was going to start gaining uncontrollably, but eventually that fill started to get tighter and i settled back in. Then in the 3rd trimester i was too tight again, and back i went for my third unfil and that seems to have done the trick too. I've had very good success with this gradual unfil method. My weight gain has been very reasonable. I'm 35 weeks and have gained around 15 lbs which my doctor has been just fine with (my BMI before pregnancy was just a tick over the healthy range). This gradual unfil method has also worked for me because all my adjustments are 100% covered by my insurance so i have no pressure to limit the number of visits i have. I know others have to pay quite a bit or travel long distances so that effects their decisions. Anyway, i'm not exactly sure why my band has gotten tighter throughout, but i have assumed that in the beginning it had to do with the hormones, and now it's just the baby slamming my organs around and messing with my band. I'm curious to see what happens when i deliver. Part of me thinks that once the hormones die down a bit i might just be wide open! But i'm not worried, b/c i'll just go get a slight fill. My doctor and i are happy as long as i'm able to eat enough to nourish myself and my baby. Just wanted to share my experience with everyone. I've had a fantastic pregnancy with no morning sickness (if i had been throwing up i would have had to revise my unfil strategy for sure!) I'm just about in my final month and now everything is harder, but i feel like having controlled my weight gain has really helped me to feel good during this pregnancy (but maybe it's just been luck, who knows!) Good luck ladies!

Thank you for the advice, it sounds good except I upped my calories a couple of months ago to 1200 with high protein of 100g or more and I gained 5 lbs in two weeks instead of losing. needless to say I freaked and dropped it back down. Did I stop to soon because the weight gain was initial?

I'm really struggling with the decision to move ahead with surgery or not. Here's what I don't understand. How are you not destroying your metabolism by only eating 750 calories a day? Will you never be able to eat regularly again for risk of packing on the pounds? I did the HCG diet years ago (it's terrible. Never ever do it) In a nutshell... you gave yourself a shot every day that kept your body from realizing that it was being starved and then ate about 750 calories a day while your body worked hard to function as usual. The weight dropped off. I lost quickly over about 3 months and then stopped the injections and slowly eased back into a regular diet of about 1500-1800 calories a day. AND THE WEIGHT JUMPED BACK ON so fast I was floored. I was eating a healthy, well balanced diet on the low end of daily intake for my height and weight and activity. But I gained a pound a day until I was 20 pounds heavier than I was before the diet. Explain to me how this forced starvation doesn't do the same thing? My stomach will stretch. We know it does because we are told we can slowly eat more over time. Won't my metabolism think I've starving and halt? Am I really expected to only eat 800 calories a day for the rest of my life or expect to gain?? Thank you for sharing facts and experience.

Hey everyone! I am getting sleeved tomorrow and I'm as nervous as all get-out. This will be my 6th surgery over all- when I was a kid, I had open heart surgery. Then I had a lap band in 2009. Two skin removal surgeries in 2013. And I had a lap band removal in 2014. Now, I'm getting the sleeve. I have this nervous feeling that my body wont be able to handle anesthesia for a sixth time. I know there are a lot of people who have had more surgeries than me, but my anxiety has to manifest somehow, I guess. I'm also excited, though. Here's a little bit about my back story: I was 385 lbs at 21 years old when I had the lap band in 2009. Lost 170 lbs and ended up being around 212 lbs at my lowest, after skin removal. I was a size 10/12, down from a tight size 28. In 2014, I had weird abdominal pain and swelling they couldn't figure out (turned out to be a kidney infection) so as part of the testing, they did a CT on me. When they did the CT, they found that the lap band had moved from its position. Explained the year and a half of upper abdominal pain I was ignoring and my weight gain. I had gained about 30 lbs by then. They removed the saline from my lap band and I instantly gained 10 lbs. So when I met with my surgeon, he gave me three options: (1) fix the band, (2) remove the band, (3) convert to a sleeve. He was pushing for the last option, but I was sick and incredibly gun shy about having another surgery. I was not ready to have them do anything else to my body. And my husband and I also wanted to start trying to have a baby, and I would have been postponed by at least a year. So I told him to just take out the band. I knew how to work out and eat right and I had worked my ass off before, so I didn't see why I couldn't do so again. Probably the worst decision I have ever made. I experienced injury after injury that led to more and more weight gain, compounded by the depression (triggered by a lot of things, not least of which was losing one of my biggest life accomplishments, weight loss). Two years later, I'm 322 lbs (as of today- my highest pre-op weight was 338, pre-liquid diet), I'm on a CPAP, my knees creak all day, I have a bulging disc in my back, I can feel my skin stretching around my plastic surgery incisions (which is another huge worry of mine- the plastic surgery recovery was far worse than the lap band itself, so I really don't want to have to redo it), I'm prediabetic again, my PCOS is back, and my life is basically on hold. My worry that I would postpone trying for a baby for a year became 2 years of weight gain that will lead to at least another year, if not longer, of postponing the baby. That's 3 years, instead of the 1 if I had gotten the sleeve 2 years ago. But hindsight is 20/20, I guess. And if I wasn't ready for the sleeve, then I wouldn't have done well on it. So I'm glad that I'm doing it now. And I already feel better after losing 18 lbs on the liquid diet. My clothes fit better, I don't hear myself breathing as loudly as before all day. It's only gonna get better from here. I can't wait to get back to working out 6 days a week. Besides the clothes and the confidence, the thing I miss most is being strong and working out. I was doing an hour of cardio 6 days a week, yoga 5 days a week, and strength training 4 days a week. At 212 lbs., I was fit, pain free, with a flat stomach and probably no more than 30 lbs to lose. I need to get back to that, and continue down to a lower weight. If you pray, please pray for me tonight. If you don't, send out good vibes into the universe for me. And if you need a prayer, I'm happy to pray for you too. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

How many carbs/sugar are in a non-fat greek yogurt vs. a deep fried chicken tender covered in honey? It's how our body metabolizes the calories, carbs and sugar. At least that is how my nutritionist explained it to me. All I know is that I was still consuming about 1500 calories a day of fast food, and eating out with my family and friends for those 5 solid days in Texas, and then I came home, went back to my eating plan and normal sleeve regimen, and I lost the weight. Plus, I was running around with family and friends all week between the 4 mile walk at the zoo one day, one day fishing walking around a lake, one day out on my mom's 25 acres wandering around with the kiddo for lord only knows how long, and last week, I came home sat on my butt with the exception of a few errands and one day of bowling. So, all I can say is that food choices definitely contribute to my weight gain and loss. If I consume 400 calories of dense Protein, wouldn't that be better than 400 calories of mashed potatoes and gravy, as it is metabolized differently by our bodies?

I think it is going to be like this for a while with the nerves. Lol. On a positive note at least we won't be due in the winter so we can get right out and be active with the babies!? I'm really freaking about the weight gain, it's been a nice ten months watching the scale go down...to see it move the other way is going to be rough!

I am 10 months out from surgery and down 135 pounds and just found out I'm pregnant. I have to say I am just nervous about the weight gain and ability to lose post-baby. My weight has been pretty stable these last few months, so I'm not concerned that this pregnancy will be unhealthy for the baby but I also know I need to make some healthy changes and eat more. Just wondering about others in the same situation and how everyone is doing?

Well, another goal I'm not going to make........I wanted to be at my goal weight by my bday, which is next week. eeeek, not going to happen. So now I'm just hoping by my 3 year band anniversary which is in January! Eating has been good lately, exercise needs to pick up - it needs to be more consistant. I've got a plan for next week, so we'll see how that goes. Tomorrow taking a vacation day from work to just play. I plan on hanging out at my friends and lounging in her pool all day. Yay. The scale is going down, but not down as fast as it goes up. Why is that? Ever wonder how you can show a 2 lbs weight gain overnight and then only lose 1/2 pound the next day? Hmmmm. Wt 164.6

Well, another goal I'm not going to make........I wanted to be at my goal weight by my bday, which is next week. eeeek, not going to happen. So now I'm just hoping by my 3 year band anniversary which is in January! Eating has been good lately, exercise needs to pick up - it needs to be more consistant. I've got a plan for next week, so we'll see how that goes. Tomorrow taking a vacation day from work to just play. I plan on hanging out at my friends and lounging in her pool all day. Yay. The scale is going down, but not down as fast as it goes up. Why is that? Ever wonder how you can show a 2 lbs weight gain overnight and then only lose 1/2 pound the next day? Hmmmm. Wt 164.6

Ah ok, it isn't your eating disorder that is stopping you from eating. There are actually weight gain protein shakes that are pretty good. High calorie. I used to buy them for my father because he couldn't keep weight on.. Also, plenty of high calorie low volume foods like peanut butter, avocado... Etc. that you can add to your meals.

There really isn't a minimum weight gain for pregnancy these days. As long as you're taking in calories daily and your baby is growing appropriately (your provider should do more growth scans than a normal pregnancy) then you're good to go. There are people who don't gain any weight and have healthy babies. So keep on with 64+oz of water daily, and lots of protein. A little exercise is good also. No worries! Enjoy this exciting time!

i had by pass 6 days ago ,still have swelling and pain on left wound site and weigh more than I did pre op help!!

I am having the sleeve done because im tired of dealing with weight I have 3 small children n am tired of being tired I no my weight gain keeps me from being a more active mom n I am so tired of being told how pretty I am but should lose weight

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!!

I can eat more salad than other things, and I think that’s okay. Most of us did not become obese by eating salads. I would just be careful with the high calorie dressing. Hunger seems individual. I get hungry too. I myself do not drink a lot of protein shakes, I prefer to get my nutrients mostly from food. If protein shakes do not help you feel full it seems pointless to drink them in my opinion. You say you are indulging in “bad food”. If you are referring to slider type food, these foods will not help your hunger so stop eating them. They can easily contribute to weight gain post surgery. It sounds like you know what you need to do already. Drink more water, track intake, stick to a diet high in protein and vegetables....you can do it!

Yes, people can gain all their weight back. I see it all the time. The amount you can eat now won't be the amount you will be able to eat a year or two or five down the road. Some post ops can eat the equivalent of a small dinner plate of food years down the road. Why that happens is debatable, but it naturally happens with time. So a small dinner plate of high calorie fried food and mashed potatoes and gravy will have the same effect post op as it did pre op...weight gain. Grazing and drinking our calories is also a culprit of weight gain. Sure we may not be able to eat a lot in one sitting, but how easy is it to gulp down those 400 calorie coffees from Starbucks or eat a bag of chips through out the day? Heck, if you gave me enough time, I could probably polish off a whole pizza in a day

Wow, this is a tough one for me to respond to, but, I am going to be honest. It can be a very slippery slope. As many have already said, I too became a total lightweight after surgery. But, my real problem came in that I began substituting alcohol, White Russians, to be exact, as my choice of "comfort" instead of food. Unfortunately, that led to some major weight gain for me, nearly 40 pounds,which I am now working very hard to take back off. At six years out, it doesn't come off as easily as it did in the beginning. I am lucky now to lose a pound a week, which is quite frustrating. Now, I am drinking mostly Water 24/7. I will have an occasional drink, but for me, I have learned it is just not worth it.

I have had this my entire life also. Weight loss greatly magnifies this effect for me. I have tried every known sleep inducing agent that has a short half life, yet they always leave me with the "hangover" or they simply stop working altogother. My solution? Low dose lithium, we're talking 75mg, 150mg, maybe a max of 300mg (as opposed to the 900mg-1200mg range which is for bipolar). It can even be used every other day. It doesn't work instantly, I allow about 2 weeks for the effects to become noticable. At these doses it will not sedate you, but it will keep you asleep without feeling drugged. Also, the effects at this dosage are drastically different than those attained at high doses (lack of weight gain, etc). And I don't have bipolar, nor does it run in my family, I just happen to have a history of long enduring insomnia.