Search the Community

I actually think about this! Before I gained the weight a few years ago, I always used to get hit on and complimented on my looks. Since the weight gain, nada. (Not that I’m fishing for compliments) It was a noticeable difference in how people treat me that I really had a hard time dealing with. I worry that I’ll be “jaded” when I do lose the weight. Like, would you have even noticed my existence if I still had the weight on me? If that makes sense.

Skin texture changes and irregularity are the most common cosmetic complication of lipo, and weight loss patients will be at higher risk as their skin has been stretched and damaged by the obesity and weight gain-loss cycles. Plusa there is just a whole lot more of the skin ! Not to sound crass or disrespectful but just doesn't sound right. But if you have seen before and after photos of other patients who look like you do, and you like the results then go for it. My recommendation has always been to seek out a board-certified PS for a PS procedure as that is the only way you can be sure your doc has had formal training on the technique.

Please don't set yourself up for failure. There is no average weight loss and 13 days post op might find you with a weight gain due to swelling, fluids, etc. Just take this journey to wherever it leads you and know that as long as you follow your doctor's guidelines, you should do well. Good luck!

I was just wondering if anyone has had any problems losing the "baby weight" after having the VSG surgery. I am contemplating having another child when my IUD is done in about 2 years. I already have 2 year old twins, but I had them pre-op. I am terrified that I will not be able to lose the weight I will gain with a pregnancy. Any helpful advice would be much appreciated!!

I'm just curious what people have gained or what other doctors are recommending for weight gain during pregnancy?

I had my sleeve a year and a half ago and was wondering about approximate weight gain 2 or more years after surgery when the stomach has had time to stretch a little? Just looking for several years post surgery experiences. It seems like most people are pre surgery or only a few months post surgery on here. I weighed 231 and at goal weight of 135 but was wondering how hard it is to maintain as time goes by.

Well I knew that it would happen someday but I didn't think it would happen this quickly. I gained weight this week (1 lb) It’s a real sucky feeling but I have no one to blame but myself! For the 4 days this past week I didn't get in enough Protein and I know a big key to my weight loss is getting in 60+g of protein EVERYDAY. I also took in a lot more carbs then I usually do and I didn't make it to the gym in two weeks now. I was sick one week and then the next I just didn't go because I would have only been able to go one day since the rest we were out of town. So like I said, My Fault all the way! I KNOW what I need to be doing now I must just do it! For whatever reason it seems that now I can "see" myself and my excuses better than I used to! I guess before surgery I chose to not see and now I chose to see. By making excuses I am just hurting myself and I don't want to do that! I WANT to be healthy and lose all my weight, I WANT to feel good in my own skin and I WANT to be physically fit! I can only do those things if I Choose to eat the right things and I go to the gym! Today is a new day and I'm going to Choose the right way!

Hello everyone, So this is my first post here and here is my story… I am 29 years and I will hit the dreaded 30 next month. Not that I think 30 is old, I just can't believe that I am gonna be thirty and after all these years I have not be able to successfully manage my weight. Right now my scale is tipping at about 250. I haven't always been this fat. I would say that back in my high school days I was a little chubby. The last lowest weight I can last remember was 165 lbs in 2001. So I have gained 85 lbs in 8 years…wow. I have been happily married to my high school sweet heart for 6 years now and he is absolutely wonderful to me. He loves me as I am, no matter what. We have a awesome 18 month old son, who is the center of our universe. I was diagnosed with a under active thyroid (hypothyroid) when I was 16 years old. Both my mother and grandmother were also hypothyroid and overweight as well, so my all of issues are definitely built into my genetic make up. But I will admit that I have contributed to my 85lb weight gain by eating improperly and being lazy. We moved away from our family and friends right after we got married, so I have spent the last six years some what isolated from our loved ones. We happily spend every weekend lazy, in love and alone on our sofa. Fortunately my husband has been blessed with a amazing metabolism, and he is the same 160 lbs that he weighed on the day we got married. Now I will admit that I do have a food problem. But I am not a emotional eater. I actually lose my appetite when I am really upset. I am a 'bored' and 'lonely' eater. I snack when my husband isn't around. And I have no shame when it comes to making poor food choices…buffalo chicken, cheese burger, fries, pizza, chinese food…none of them any good. I have tried to lose weight in the past but always became easily discouraged and distracted when I didn't see any immediate results. I have always simply blamed my failed thyroid for holding me back. Although I know that is not 100% true. My life style certainly contributes. I saw a new endocrinologist a few years back and asked him if he had any insight on how I can approach weight loss while living with hypothyroidism. I mean, obviously he has seen plenty of patients with my condition…he must know someone who has had success. I just wanted him to share their secret with me. Should I give weight watchers another try…should I try jenny craig…should I see a nutritionist…can he give me a magic pill?!?!?! And then he gave me the old diet and exercise talk…as if I was stupid and never heard of it before. Ugh, whatever…thanks for nothing! I then decided to start seeing a new endocrinologist just because his office was closer to work and it was convenient. I asked him if he knew what the secret to weight loss was. Now before I tell you what he told me, I want to paint this visual for you. My endo is a 5 ft tall chinese man. He is straight from china and I really have to focus when he talks so I can understand his words clearly through his accent. He speaks very abrubtly and to the point. So when I told him that I don't believe I eat a lot but I just wanted know what he thinks I need to do, he told me…"it doesn't matter what you eat, just eat half! If the only thing you eat all day is a peanut, then only eat HALF a peanut the next day!" What?!?! As if that was even possible. I felt defeated again. But he actually seemed to take more interest in the health of my thyroid. He gave attention to a 2 cm nodule that my last endo identified and did nothing with. My new endo conducted ultra sounds and a biopsy. The biopsy results revealed that my nodule is non-cancerous but it was also not begin. My nodule cells are just irregular. They could remain irregular for the rest of my life or there is also the potential that they can become cancer at some point. Thyroid cancer is very, very slow growing. Regardless of what they are or would be, the option of having surgery to remove that part of my thyroid was completely in my hands. I could chose to monitor to the grow or I could choose to cut it out. So this is the part of my story that brings me here today...the whole idea of any type of surgery scares me. I don't want to be put to sleep and I know it is vain but don't want the scar on my neck. But I know that I want to live the rest of my life free and clear of the potential of cancer. My thyroid is sick to begin with and hasn't been working probably since I was 16 years old. I already take 224 mcg of synthetic thyroid replacement medication. I came to the conclusion that my thyroid is useless and they may as well remove the whole thing. My total thyroidectomy is scheduled for Feb 3rd. So I have been thinking about my endo's "half a peanut" theory and began to seriously consider lap band surgery. My mom has gastric bypass surgery a few years back and it has given her a new life. She has no regrets other than not doing it sooner. I want to live the next 30 years of my life differently from the way that I currently do. I want to run and play with my son. I want to look good standing next to my hubby. This posting is long enough, I am sure I don't need tell you guys everything that I want because I am sure they are same things that you want from life. So spoke to my husband, my mom and friend and I think I feel good about pursuing this. I am going to attend a Introductory Bariatric Meeting on 2/13. I know that this isn't the going to be the final resolution I was searching for. It is not a magic pill. But I believe that it a tool that will put me in the rigth direction. Thanks for your time!

My new favorite saying "You haven't failed until you quit!" as long as you are working with your band you can not be termed a failure. You have lost almost 100 pounds. How many people have done that? Seriously. I got a fill last month that just kept getting tighter, .7 then I went back 10 days later and they took .3 out. What a relief! There is no reason for you to suffer. Take a little out. The band is for teaching you sustainable eating habits. You cant live the rest of your life on a few bites of food at a time, besides it will encourage grazing and then weight gain. A half unfill isn't bad. Then you will still have some restriction. I don't think you can be getting your proper nutrients from the way you describe eating. So yes I think lack of food could be affecting your mood. Have you talked to your Dr that prescribes your depression meds? Maybe they just need tweaked. Plus we could all use some sunshine. I'm sorry that you are feeling sad, do you have some preop pictures that you could compare to your current ones? (If you don't have current ones you really need to take some) Sometimes when I am sad I minimize my accomplishments and if I have a visual reminder that cant be denied it will make me feel better. 100 pounds has to make a real difference in your appearance! Try and concentrate on the positive. Try and silence the inner voice that is saying bad things (OK maybe you don't have this but I do, I have to shut it up a lot!) Good luck and keep us posted.

My periods are screwed up as well. I had surgery 2 weeks ago with period during the surgery time now started period ago and im on birth control. Weight gain and cramps and back pain. Pcos stinks.

Get back on the horse. You can do it. If you are anything like me, half that weight gained is Water weight and will come right off. I was on a business trip last week and ate much more than I intended, but I'm back on track now. Don't beat yourself up. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Our normal monthly lap band support group meeting in New Haven was a good one this month...two new people who were looking for information, one lady who was newly post-op (about 2 weeks out from her surgery), one lady who is scheduled for surgery within the next 2 weeks, plus our session leader and myself. We stayed past the regular 8 pm stop time, we were having so much fun talking. :cursing: It's really cool to meet new people who haven't yet been banded and help them through their journey. The band is so individual and everyone's experience is a bit different, but having that support is so valuable. I really like sharing the ups and downs (mostly ups) with others...I learn something every time I go to the support group. I've told everyone who I meet there about LBT - hoping that they too will find their way here and get additional information that will help them on their banded journey. Some wonderful NSV's have been happening for me lately...I'm a fan of Lane Bryant's clothing, and my sizes keep dropping. I'm sitting here right now wearing a pair of Right Fit Jeans (taking advantage of Casual Friday) in a size Red 2. When I started my weight loss journey, I was wearing size Yellow 5's. That means not only am I down three clothing sizes, my body is reshaping and my waistline is gaining definition. Beyond the obvious aesthetic benefit, it also means that one of the determining factors in heart disease - carrying excess weight in the midsection - is going away for me. I've read articles that say the "apple" shaped body is one that has a higher potential for heart disease because the excess fat surrounds your vital organs and can affect your heart and lungs more than when you carry your weight in your hips and thighs. It is mostly men who carry their weight in the "apple" shape - more women are shaped like "pears" - at least that's the theory. I have noticed over the years that I am seeing more and more women with apple-shaped bodies rather than pear-shaped bodies and it scares me. I did not want to become a statistic, hence my becoming banded. Losing weight in my waist also means that I can experiment with belts more...I just bought a dress at Lane Bryant (on sale - I try never to pay retail!) that has an elastic belt that goes along with it. In the past (my pre-banded life) I would have just snipped off the belt loops and worn the dress without a belt - they never looked good on me.:thumbdown: Now that I've lost 37 pounds, however, and because I am active and working out, I can wear that dress with the belt and it looks good -at least that's what my hubby has said! I'm thrilled that I think I look good in the dress as well - we are always harder on ourselves than anyone else in our lives. I'm just finishing up my lunch - one half of a turkey sandwich on wheat, with lettuce, tomatoes and provolone cheese. In my pre-banded life, I would have scarfed down that sandwich and been looking for seconds. It was an exercise in patience to finish half of the sandwich. I'm so happy I could just scream! :cursing: I am looking forward to summer for the first time in a LOT of years - because I know I'll be in better physical shape and be able to enjoy it more. I'm looking forward to traveling and having fun this summer without food being the major emphasis. It's funny in a way - I referred to my relationship with food in the past as an obsessive (and abusive) love affair. No matter how badly the food I ate treated me, I kept going back for more - I couldn't stand for someone else to get more of it than I did. I equated food with love - that started in my early teens, and funnily enough, so did my weight gain. Now that I must truly make choices with food that allow me to "eat to live, not live to eat", I am making better choices. I do sometimes mourn the comfort I used to be able to find in food - now I have to find it within myself. I am looking forward to finding out more about ME - all the things I wouldn't allow myself to experience because I was afraid I might stand out too much because of my weight and size...how much life have I missed? I can't get that lost time back, but I can commit to never hiding from life again! For those of you on this banded journey, take time to reflect on who you are becoming...your interactions with others, the "inner voice" you use to talk to yourself, and what you truly see when you look in the mirror. If you're not yet banded, I encourage you to keep up your search for information, but realize there will never be a perfect time to be banded - LIFE will always get in the way. Don't wait so long that your options are limited - do something for YOU, for your health NOW. As always, email me if you have questions, or just want to talk...I'm here for ya!

possible to gain 5 pounds in three days have my first fill two week ago no weight loss not gain 5lbs crazy omg Sent from my iPhone using LapBandTalk

Hi Mallory it's Karen. I hope you are feeling a little better today. I found that one day can really make a difference. Meeting was good. A couple of people had band to sleeve revision. I was the newest post op there. Others had over four years! The topic was weight gain. You and I aren't on that side but it was great to be around fellow surgery people. I ate 1/2 a scrambled egg today. Was sooo full. Still trying to get in enough fluids. My allergic reaction to the dermabond is subsiding thanks to the steroids. No more itch. Looking forward to meeting you.

Your feedback last Wed. and Don Mills of Inamed have already made a great deal of difference cause the information was so timly. I can deal with most things if I have the facts to make informed decisions. I just need to be the one to make the call about my body and quality of life. I was not given that at my clinic on that day. I am sure I will try to have a 2nd band and I pray that it will workout for the long term.. But I have started getting control of my weight gain by getting serveral new tools (Diet Assistant 6.0 PDA& desktop SW and OTC appetite control pills) to hopfully help me stay focused. My goal is to go into January as healthy as I possible can by not gaining any more weight. This leak could not have happen at a better time of the year :faint: cause I truly believe the Lord is telling me to trust in Him and not my prosthetic. He is using this season to drive it home. I just wanted to close and again thank those who replied to this post.

I had the same fears pre op. 60% of my excess weight still leaves me in the "obese" catagory with 40 more # to lose to be normal. What I'm OK with now, 3 weeks post op in a one week stall, is that this small stomach will be a weight loss tool for the rest of my life. I don't find it hard to stay on primarily Protein with veggie back up. I now drink a lot of Water because I'm thirsty, not because I have to force myself. Down the road, if I go off the plan I'll still be eating MUCH less and I doubt weight gain will be an issue as I swim every day. Losing weight down the road is easier, I hear, by re-conforming to the diet in concert with the "baby stomach".

Hello everyone, This is my first post. I have been peeking at your site for months reading your posts. I'm scheduled for LB on 6/21. That's probably the first time I've said that outloud. My story is the familiar one. Yo-yo dieting, comfort eating, no time for me. I am truly hopeful that the LB will be a tool to overcome the many pitfalls and vicious cycle I have subjected myself to over the past 10 years. It's odd--I'm not scared, it's almost as if I can't believe it is true that I'm actually going to go through with this. What I have noticed the most while reading the posts these few months is that most everyone on this board who have/had weight issues are never at a loss to accept responsibility for the weight gain. It's like we know exactly what we do wrong but have trouble fixing it. Well seeing all the success stories it really makes me feel like I'm doing the right thing! Please wish me luck, as I have secretly done for all you who have been recently banded. I think this forum is great.

I had a tummy tuck. After my second child. Since then I had another child and the weight gain etc. My tummy always remained flat after. Flat and hard. The only problem is with TT and Lipo is the remove the fat, acess skin from that area. IF you were to gain weight you gain it back in other areas instead like back, legs, arms etc. Probably not a problem for us anymore with the sleeve. But yes. still rockin the TT! Also its a toughie for recovery. Harder than my C sections. But you get through it. And IMO its worth it.

Claudia, I have been on a variety of antidepresants for several years, and regardless of the sideeffects of possible weight gain-you need to acknowledge the benefits. I may have gained some weight over the several years but I really think the benefits of the medication definately outweigh the few pounds. Best of luck on your journey, remember you and your health are the most important.

So I decided to drop a friend who literally told me I was "taking the easy way out" if I got this surgery and all the months leading up to it would say I was "pathetic" and "lazy" just threw a slew of disgusting insults my way which made me feel shitty Little back story: I'm 22 and struggled with my weight my whole life (due to PCOS and other medical things) from 13-19 years old I suffered anorexia and got down to 80 something pounds (I was literally on my death bed)so right when I graduated high school for an entire year after I was inpatient in the hospital and recovering from the anorexia when I got out I guess I just couldn't stop gaining weight? (PCOS, hereditary etc)It started triggering me a lot and I would try everything to lose weight! I'm a vegetarian I work with dogs running around all day with them constantly moving very active job so you can imagine my frustration so I decided to go this route and I'm 3 weeks out and 25 pounds down and I'm doing very well this is kinda going all over the place lol sorry to whoever reads this Anywhoooo my "friend" would just put me down constantly and they knew me during my anorexic days they knew me during the recovery days they saw how much I struggled with weight gain and loss and still had the audacity to say if I went through with this procedure I was taking the "easy way out" and they'd "never be able to look at me the same" so a couple days before my surgery I dropped them and I gotta say I don't miss them at all if anything this surgery is HARDER than doing it on your own it's a fucking surgery for fucks sake #1 and #2 there is no going back you gotta learn new ways to eat you gotta take vitamins and minerals you gotta make sure you get a certain amount of protein everyday this is by no means "easy" and it still fuckin annoys me that people have the audacity to say some dumb shit like that Sorry this went like all over the place I'm just annoyed at the moment and I had to vent about it

We have one side of the family that is solidly built, that's Dad's side. German heritage, and we're all tall, and pear shaped. Tend to be heavy, but getting to a BMI of 36 was really alarmingly heavy to me, way fatter than mum, dad or either of my sisters. My youngest sister is built like me, but just has never got beyond a BMI of (I'm guessing) 31 or 32. Mum's side is short and round, lol. My mum has never been obese, but her sister is, but she's a diabetic and has been since infancy, she got massive at one point but lost it all and never regained it. But her daughter, is very very big, probably a BMI of 45 or so. But those are the only two in our family. So I dont think I can blame genetics for my weight, it was much more poor lifestyle choices and lack of time that led to poor choices. Plus the common post pregnancy suddenly home looking after babies all day type weight gain.

I agree with Missy. My weight fluctuates 3-4 pounds everyday. It's usually due to Water retention. That is why I am trying to get away from weighing everyday. It isn't a good measure of weight loss. Once a week is plenty. However, it usually does correct itself. You can help by drinking lots of water and keep up with the exercising. That will help you body let go of the excess water. Also, 20 pounds in 1 month is AMAZING!! You should be proud of that!! Your body is basically a machine and sometimes, it has to recalibrate itself. So, after loosing that much weight, your body is rebooting and moving stuff around. That can cause a temporary weight gain. I seriously doubt you gained 3 pounds of fat. It's probably just your body readjusting. Mine has done it numerous times throughout my weight loss. I will gain 5 pounds one week and the next, it's all gone plus 2 pounds. It's completely normal and nothing to fret over. Just keep doing what you are doing and it will correct itself. Again, big congrats on getting back on track and with the 20 pounds. It makes my little 5 pound/month weight loss seem petty. LOL Best of luck to you!!

I forgot I was signed up... its free and very interesting! 'Caution' Warranted if Consuming Artificial Sweeteners Troy BrownJul 10, 2013 Consumption of noncaloric, artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) is associated with an increased risk for disease variety of chronic diseases, according to an opinion article by Susan E. Swithers, PhD, a professor of behavioral neuroscience at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, published onlineJuly 10 in Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism. "[F]requent consumers of these sugar substitutes may...be at increased risk of excessive weight gain, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease," Dr. Swithers writes. "This somewhat counterintuitive result may reflect negative consequences of interfering with learned relationships between sweet tastes and typical post-ingestive outcomes, which may result in impaired ability to compensate for energy provided when caloric sweeteners are consumed," Dr. Swithers writes. The prospective studies Dr. Swithers reviewed found an elevated risk for weight gain and obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and hypertension in those who consumed ASBs. No decreased risk for weight gain or increased body fat percentage was associated with ASB intake. It was often difficult to compare the magnitude of increased risk with that of participants who consumed sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), in part because of differences in intake. Participants who regularly consumed ASBs tended to have higher baseline body mass indexes compared with participants who did not, but some models that adjusted for that difference still found an increased risk. Studies that separately assessed risk among those who were not overweight or obese at baseline found that the risks of becoming overweight or obese, developing type 2 diabetes, and experiencing vascular events were increased even when considering baseline body mass indexes. Hormones, Brain Response Altered Dr. Swithers reviewed 2 interventional studies. The first found that children of normal weight who consume ASBs may have decreased weight gain compared with those who consume SSBs. The study did not compare children who consume ASBs with those who consume unsweetened beverages. In the second study, overweight and obese adults who substituted Water or ASBs for SSBs had no greater weight loss at 6 months than an attentional control group. ASB intake was not associated with improved fasting glucose, but water intake was. Brain responses are altered in those who consume artificial sweeteners compared with those who consume caloric sweeteners. In imaging studies of the human brain, sucrose activates dopaminergic midbrain areas involved with reward, but sucralose does not. Sucralose also reduces activation in other pathways related to taste when compared with sucrose. In addition, studies in humans have found that the release of hormones and markers of postprandial glucose homeostasis typically seen does not occur after ingestion of artificial sweeteners. Studies that combined artificial sweeteners in various ways with nutrients found that "artificial sweeteners may not augment nutrient-dependent release of insulin or the incretins in the same way that caloric sugars do," Dr. Swithers writes. "[C]urrent findings suggest that caution about the overall sweetening of the diet is warranted, regardless of whether the sweetener provides energy directly or not," Dr. Swithers concludes. Frank Hu, MD, PhD, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology and codirector of the program in obesity epidemiology and prevention at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, commented on the article in an email interview with Medscape Medical News. "Overall, I think the jury is still out regarding whether drinking diet sodas instead of SSBs is truly related to obesity and [cardiovascular disease] outcomes, in part because of the complex methodological problems in studying the effects of diet sodas in epidemiological studies. Small, short-term, [randomized controlled trials] do show that drinking diet sodas instead of SSBs reduces weight gain or induces more weight loss in controlled settings," Dr. Hu said. "Because [the] intense sweetness of ASBs may condition people towards greater preference for sweets and may enhance appetite, and because of the possibility that some consumers of diet soda may use this as a rationale for consuming other higher-calorie foods, caution is needed for recommending regular consumption of ASBs," Dr. Hu explained. "In [the] short-term, ASBs is preferable to the use of SSBs. For those who want to kick the habit of drinking sugary soda, diet soda may be the beverage equivalent of a nicotine patch: it can be used in small amounts, for a short time. For most people, plain water and unsweetened coffee or tea are more healthy alternatives to either SSBs or ASBs," Dr. Hu concluded. Walter Willett, MD, DrPH, Fredrick John Stare professor of epidemiology and nutrition and chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, commented on the article in an email interview with Medscape Medical News. He said that although he agrees with the author "that regular consumption of artificial sweeteners is not optimal, as these leave us conditioned to a high level of sweetness, which can distort our food choices," he considers a substantially better option than regular sugar-based choices. He notes, however, that the review by Dr. Swithers excludes a large analysis of beverages and weight gain, and some studies are misrepresented. "The risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease associated with artificial sweeteners is less than the risk associated with consumption of sugar," he emphasizes. This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Hu and Dr. Willett have disclosed no relevant financial relationships. Trends Endocrinol Metabol. Published online July 10, 2013. Full text

@@Boudala Don't worry about the weight gain from your period. The liquid diet is to shrink your leaking surgery safer- not really about weight loss. It'll go back down quickly. The stairs may be a little difficult but hold a pillow to your abdomen and take them slowly. Good luck.

What causes weight gain after sleeve surgery? The exact same things that cause it before surgery. Too much food and no exercise. The surgery is only gonna give you a helpful tool to limit you intake. The rest is up to you. You have to change all your eating habits and get you bod moving. Yeah, yeah, yeah.....I know....you dieted and exercised before. Really, you gonna stick with that story. The surgery is your chance to get it right. Eating small portions require you eat the correct nutritional food or you will become weak and tired. Eat too much and it will hurt. As you adjust to the new eating guidelines and begin losing weight, you'll gain the energy to exercise and workout and do all the things you've been missing. Then over time, these new guidelines will develop into new lifestyle habits which will stay with you when you reach your goals. So in the end........you won't overeat the wrong foods and sit around on your ass doing nothing and gaining weight. -