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Thank you for that @@2muchfun, it means a lot to me. After 2 years of starvation mode and now adding the cardiac meds, which induce weight gain, my body is hanging on to every calorie. I'm worse off now than before, metabolically speaking. It's a bitter pill, but at least I CAN swallow it now

Are you getting in enough calories, Water, sleep and Vitamins?? Without enough calories your body will fight to keep you from losing and I have found I gain weight as well. The others also impact weight loss and weight gain. I tend to find that I gain and lose on a fairly regular basis, so do not worry too much, soon it will drop as long as you are doing all the things I listed including exercise often and enough Protein. You do not want your body going into starvation mode, that is not a good thing and makes things harder for you. At 2 weeks though calories is so much not a big issue, how about water intake? yes and your period can impact your weight, as well as your body is still recovering from surgery and will be fighting everything for a bit. Do not worry it will come off... look forward to a lot of this up and down thing, I have just come to accept it as part of the journey and try not to let it drive me crazy. Good luck

Feeling so miserable today. I saw my surgeon yesterday and he was unhappy with my progress. I got sleeved on Oct 31. I have a heart condition - AFib - which I try and manage with Bisoprolol - a beta blocker. I just take them when my heart rate increases to over 140 beats a minute. Side effect is weight gain / slow metabolism... it’s almost impossible to lose weight and recently I gained 2.5lbs because the AFib has been getting more frequent which means more medication to stop it. Not sure what I can do and feeling hopeless right now. My cardiologist said that if the first cardio ablation didn’t work (I had it in June) he might need to do another but I really don’t want another surgery yet - the ablation took a lot out of me and made me so tired for about 8 weeks. And my boss isn’t a very tolerant soul. Just feeling a bit defeated 😕

@@theantichick The weight gain may have been a result of the blood pressure med change. Hopefully they added a diuretic and you'll be down again.

With all this talk about band erosions, port infections, etc. and people second guessing themselves: Should I have gotten the band or not?, I'm slightly unsure now which WLS procedure to pursue. Anyhow-- Haven't they (bariatric surgeons) been doing Lap Band surgeries in Europe for years now? What do the studies/statistics show there? All the Lap band literature says that the band (ideally) should be left in (forever, if possible) to prevent weight gain. Are the Eurpoeans having these same issues 1-2 years down the road. Has anyone had the band in for over 5 years? 10 Years? If these procedures have been occurring for a long time--longer than in the US or Mexico--what is the consensus among European doctors? Just wondering if any of you had any info. on this. I want so badly to be successful...

Yikes! I have not had surgery yet but I am very worried about you. I am worried you are going to cause a leak in your staple line. I am also worried about such a rapid weight gain. Could it be retained fluids you are gaining? That worries me even more! No one should gain that much weight in a week. Something is wrong. Honestly......you need to see a Dr. like right now. Did you have your surgery in Mexico or in the U.S.? Get in to see a bariactric specialist if seeing your doctor in person is not an option. Please keep us updated.

eww!! First off most people would not say that to your face lol...well in jersey they wouldn't because us jersey gals can get rough if you mess with us!! :mad2: Second, all weight gain is a mental issue. I'm sorry--maybe this will not make me popular for saying this--but i believe very few people gain 100lbs because they just love food that much. I gained 150 because i 1) love food and 2) ate when bored and lonely. It was how i would cope with anything. SO if my theory is correct--then WW peps would have the same freaking issue!! I don't tell everyone that I have the band--just those i trust because many are ignorant.

I changed to a Nuvaring. I was told the pills may not absorb right. The shot may contribute to weight gain. I had surgery so I could have a baby after the 18 month wait so I did not want something that lasted as long as an IUD/Mirena.

I asked for phentermine a couple of weeks after my band was deflated because I could not control the weight gain. Doc was only willing to give me the lowest possible dosage and it wasn't doing anything except making me act bitchy. So I didn't use it. I've done well on higher dosages in the past. I know how you feel. Right now your stomach is stretched from the band. I was so hungry! The good news is every pound I gained feel off within two weeks post op. I had no pre op diet. Now just under five weeks out I am less than I was when they unfilled me.

I am 2 yrs going on 3 in February post op. I lost a total of 60 lbs in the first year but re gained 45lbs that's a lot. In that time I went through a separation, relocated to a new state and fell back to my old eating habits this is hard to admit but I need help again. I'm working on eating better however I need help, tips how do I start my weight loss again. BTW does anyone else feel hungry all the time?

Have any of Doctors ruled out an ulcer? That would definitely cause you to be unable to eat, and if it is a bleeding ulcer, the blood loss would definitely make you weak and dizzy and if it is irritated, that could cause an infection (leading to the fever). If it happens after a fill, the irritation of having the band adjusted in a fill could trigger the ulcer to become inflamed. Vomiting would also irritate it. One other thing, when I was pregnant, I was highly anemic and got the "fade to black" thing when I stood up to fast or was too active. Have your Iron level checked. However, I don't think anemia can cause the other symtoms you are having, but you never know. If I were you I would march into my doctor's office and DEMAND that he find out what is wrong. At your age, there should be no reason why you have to feel like you do. Just to add, I read an article recently about sugar free gum and consumption of aspertame. Do you chew alot of sugar free gum, drink diet drinks or eat alot of food sweetened with aspertame? Apparently quite a few people have recently found to have a sort of allery of sensitivity to aspertame (which also goes by many other names). The sensitivity or reaction includes quite alot of the symptoms that you are having. You might want to look into it. There is also literature that aspartame sensitivity can be linked to depression. I found this on Diagnose-Me: Treatment: Aspartame (Nutrasweet) Avoidance - I noticed quite a few of the symptoms you mentioned here. Hope this helps. If you want to send me a PM, I will try to find that email that I had and send it to you as well. I apologize for the length of this. "Adverse effects reported from short-term and/or long-term use of Aspartame include: Seizures and convulsions, dizziness, tremors, migraines and severe headaches (triggered or caused by chronic intake), memory loss (common toxicity effect), slurring of speech, confusion, numbness or tingling of extremities, chronic fatigue, depression, insomnia, irritability, panic attacks (common aspartame toxicity reaction), marked personality changes, phobias, rapid heart beat (tachycardia - another frequent reaction), asthma, chest pains, hypertension (high blood pressure), nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, swallowing pain, itching, hives / urticaria, other allergic reactions, blood sugar control problems (e.g. hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia), menstrual cramps and other menstrual problems or changes, impotency and sexual problems, food cravings, weight gain, hair loss / baldness or thinning of hair, burning urination & other urination problems, excessive thirst or excessive hunger, bloating, edema (fluid retention), infection susceptibility, joint pain, brain cancer (in pre-approval studies on animals), death. Aspartame Disease may mimic symptoms of, or worsen: Fibromyalgia, arthritis, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease, lupus, multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), diabetes and diabetic Complications, seizures, Alzheimer's disease, birth defects, chronic fatigue syndrome, lymphoma, Lyme's disease, attention deficit disorder (ADD and ADHD), panic disorder, depression and other psychological disorders."

Weighed 204 @ 8 Months. I finally look pregnant...like really pregnant. Baby is 4 lbs. 2 More months give or take to go. So total weight gain so far is somewhere between 40 and 44 pounds. Some days are better than others. It is true if you just stick with protein you crave less carbs...add that sugar or bread...man...talk about cravings. The fact that the heartburn is getting serious makes me not want to eat so much at one time. I am exhausted and have cankles at the end of the day. I am actually so excited about losing it. I will take prevacid as soon as I pop her out. I hope the hunger goes away, but if not I just feel like it won't be as strong. My hunger is OUT OF CONTROL. If I don't eat something...I will kill you! LOL. But...I still can't eat a lot at once. I will check in again soon. I am going every two weeks to the doctor now.

I really just need to vent. I have all but talked myself out of this surgery and that in itself frustrates me beyond belief. First off I have no choice but to be approved through insurance because I cannot afford another self-pay surgery (I had the lap band in 2006). Even if I am approved I have a deductible of $6000. That is STEEP to say the least. In order to try and get approved I have to gain weight before I can be considered for insurance coverage because I don't have any "check list" health problems and my BMI is under 40. I was told I would have to gain 25lbs. Seriously!! That goes against everything I am trying to do! It goes against everything I have been trying to achieve for the last 34 years of my life. I also, have no support with this surgery. It feels like everyone closest to me just wants to talk me out of it. They keep saying "Oh I know you can do it with diet and exercise". OH REALLY? Well let's do the math. I am 34 years old and have been obese my entire young adult/adult life. I was also heavy when I was young. I literally spent 2 years of my adult life not being obese. It was between the ages of 19 and 21. I had no relationship, no husband, no job, no kids, no job, virtually NO STRESS AND I was exercising 4 HOURS A DAY !!! Of course I was able to do it. It took me a year to lose 80lbs which was all I needed to lose at the time and I kept it off a year. That in NO WAY is a success. I gained it back plus 30+lbs so OBVIOUSLY I need help. I know that the opinions o2 weight loss surgery are vastly different. Some people are for it and some people think it is the worst thing you can do. I have found there very rarely is any middle ground. I know it doesn't help that I already had the lap band and "failed at it" but the more I learn and the more the lap band is around I see that the band is just not going to work with everyone. I try not to be hard on myself but BELIEVE ME I am and I feel bad that I wasn't able to succeed with the band. It is a huge disappointment. Not to mention embarrassing. Everyone knows that you had it so it is obvious you aren't succeeding with it. I know that there are so many worse things in life that I could be dealing with but right now this is my hell. I have these waves of excitement thinking that I could possibly get a handle on this once and for all. Then it switches to nervousness thinking about having a part of my body removed. Then I just get waves of complete "I am just going to throw my hands up and quit and I will just have to deal with being fat until I die." It helps to have somewhere to vent especially since nobody gets it until they have been there.

If I can stop shoveling the food in, I loose weight quickly. But historically, I also loose in spurts. I just found it interesting that this is also happening with the band, though it makes sense. The band isn't going to change how we loose weight, as far as I can figure it, it helps with the "shoveling food in" part. The real fun for me will come in a couple of months when it is warm enough to start cycling again, as I start training to do a Century in the fall, my weight will bounce all over the place as I spend more and more time on my bike. When I train heavily, I put on muscle, retain Water and see weight gains for weeks at a time to see 10 pounds drop in a week. It is a real "E" ticket ride.

I agree with everything already posted and I also believe that so many people are on antidepressants that cause weight gain that it is also a big factor in the higher weight that seems so prevalent. I am happy with lexapro- and was happy with celexa, but they both cause blood sugar issues that I know contributed to my weight gain. Seriously- there are so many prescriptions for these drugs that it is in our drinking water! When I met with my surgeon first time he actually said that my body has well protected me for a famine, while he will die!

I had my surgery yesterday and am up 5 pounds today -- am assuming this is pretty normal and probably the body's way of reacting to "trauma" and IV fluids, meds, etc? I know it can't be from overeating ha ha. I didn't get upset when I saw the scale, for maybe the first time in my life, but I just wanted feedback. Was this anyone else's experience? Thanks everyone!

I have BC/BS Illinois and I live in Alabama (my work's group policy) and I got denied--and denied on appeal. My BMI was high enough, I was over 100lbs...and I have no co-morbidities. I was told by the phone rep that if only I were a bit sicker--or heavier. (Yes, I'm serious.) They said I needed more of a 6 month diet and exercise history however, I've been seing doctors about weight loss and been on every diet known to man (all documented) since 2002. As if my weight gain popped up in the recent 6 months and somehow the next 6 months of doing the exact same thing I've done for 6 years prior--would be the magic weight loss bullet! So, I got a Capital One loan and wrote it off my taxes. I had my surgery in July of 2007--and after losing 30lbs....my surgeon's office accidentally billed my insurance for a "fill"--and guess what? They paid for the office portion--but not the fill. Go figure.

Name: Bergdorfblonde Weight loss from day of surgery: 32 lbs Total weight loss: 32 lbs Name: Brandottie01 Weight loss from day of surgery: 32 lbs Total weight loss: 32 Name: Candle Weight loss from day of surgery: 109.5 lbs Total weight loss: 123.5 lbs Name: Ceradad Weight loss from day of surgery: 102 Total weight loss: 122 Name: Frangipani Weight loss from day of surgery: 119 lbs Total weight loss: 125 lbs Name: Gometros Weight loss from day of surgery: 52.9 lbs Total weight loss: 74.9 Name:Gweniper weight loss from day of surgery: 57 total weight loss: 91 Name: hf2havefun Weight loss from day of surgery: 41 lbs Total weight loss: 56 lbs Name: JudiM weightloss from day of surgery: 73 lbs total weight loss: ?? Name: KarenG. Weight loss from day of surgery: 96 Total weight loss: 96 Name: LessNLess weightloss from day of surgery: 63 lbs total weight loss: 69 lbs Name: NanaRenan Weight loss from day of surgery: 71 Total weight loss: 91 Name: Nikki S Weight loss from day of surgery:102 Total weight loss:102 Name: Pammycakes Weight loss from day of surgery: 102 lbs Total weight loss: 104 lbs Name: Pizzicato66 Weight loss from day of surgery: 75.5 Total weight loss: 87.5 Name: purplegirl1818 weightloss from day of surgery: 73.5 lbs total weight loss: 90.5lbs Name: TexasBecky Weight loss from day of surgery: 111 Total weight loss: 121 Name: Salsa Weight loss from day of surgery: 105 lbs Total weight loss: 105 lbs Name: SPEBSQSAlady Weight loss from day of surgery: 57.8 Total weight loss: 57.8 Name: Valstar Weight loss from day of surgery: 52 lbs Total weight loss: 57 lbs ----------------------------------------- This didn't seem like much of an update, but considering I went on a long, driving vacation (translation: graze-fest!) I'm just happy to not have to report a weight GAIN!!:wink2:

You KNOW this weight gain is not real...you cannot gain 3lbs overnight. It is water retention, or BM related and will go back down. Chill, you are doing great!

I was banded in May, 2003. My loss has been slower than some, but really better than I felt I was doing. I have lost 63lbs to date and I can't tell you how my health has changed. When I began this journey, I had been recovering from a bout with deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in 2001. Between the year 2001 and 2003, my body basically just turned on me. Feet and ankles swelling to almost bursting, my lung capacity went to nothing after the embolism, my cholesterol went up to 306. I was started and stopped on several different medications which started a weight gain mode. I wound up gaining an additional 40 lbs on what was already a 210lb 5ft tall body. I was dying a slow miserable death. I had heard just bits and pieces about the lapband possibilities, but when I heard that a co-worker had gotten one and our insurance company paid. I got busy on finding out what I would have to do. I saw a doctor in Houston, who refused to band me due to my diagnosis of Systemic Lupus in 1983 and my past blood clotting problems. I was so ready to begin losing, but I had promised myself I would never do the yoyo dieting thing again. But, I was at the point of asking to be put on some sort of medical weight loss plan or consider gastric bypass. I was so depressed and out of shape, I was ready to give in, but I am single and had no one to fall back on, so I knew I HAD to do something to regain my health and be able to continue to provide for myself, so I set out on my research to find someone who would do the surgery for me. Long story a little less long, I read the yahoo message boards faithfully and everything else I could find and finally heard of a woman in San Francisco who had been banded and also had Lupus and DVT problems. My ex-husband and my son live in Northern California, so my daughter had wanted to move out there and asked me if I wanted to go with her. My job was 100% travel, so I was able to do that. I contacted the Dr and the rest is history. I was the first to ever have the lapband and a vena cava filter (to help prevent blood clots from moving to the lung, brain or heart) placed at the same time. My surgery went perfectly and along with learning how to deal with my band, I also have been able to work my health back to some semblance of normalcy. Instead of barely being able to do 10 minutes on a treadmill, I now go to Curves 3-5 times a week. I can walk much farther and I'm trying to get the guts to see if I can jog. (I don't know about that yet.) I've bought myself a bicycle, which I haven't tried in years. I have gone from 250- 187 (size 24-16). My cholesterol is no 168. I am beginning to feel more like the feminine, sexual being that I once was as opposed to the sexless blob I felt I had become. My whole outlook is back to something much better. I have had some complications recently, which I had repaired. My band was apparently positioned too low or had 'slipped' and I had a hiatal hernia repaired just 2 weeks ago, but I'm definitely not finished. I love my band and I missed the restriction when I was un-filled. I do have respect for the band, because I know it's not foolproof, but, yes. I'd definitely do it again. So, where in Texas are you located? I wish you much luck in your journey to be banded!!

I was told years ago that when we make fat cells we never lose them. They grow with weight gain, and shrink with loss, but still there. If we have enough from being very heavy, we need to get out fat % down to lowest for our best, but if we have a lot, will never be stealth like those that never got heavy. This is why liposuction is used to remove the cells.

When my band was leaking I gained 39lbs. And pretty fast too. But it was coz I was always hungry. So I ate. And not well either. I don't blame the weight gain on the band but I do admit that without the help of the band NOT gaining weight was tough. If it was easy to not gain, why would I have needed the Lapband in the first place, right? But the gain wasn't the band's fault. It was mine. Also in the note of being unfilled, I have been completely unfilled before and managed to get back to the green zone after. So I'm hopeful I will this time after band replacement as well. Though I know of many bandsters who struggle to find the green zone again after a complete unfill.

I am experiencing excatly what you described. I am 12 years banded and last fill was probably 5-6 years ago (don't even remember) I had 2cc in a 4cc Inamed band. my final fill finally got the last 30-40lbs off of a total of 130lbs. I felt it was "just right" but perhaps it was really too tight or I just started overeating and stuffing my pouch and eventually esophagus. Since I was banded in Mexico and everything was going okay..I stayed at my goal weight within a 5lb + or - so I never got follow up. I figured on my 12 year anniversay in August I should at least get a check up locally to make sure all was okay. Went in for Upper GI and the esophogeal dilation was found. 12 days ago I was completely unfilled in hopes of healing the esophagus. First few days was unbelievable gas pains and bloating..so bad I went to the ER because I had a bad spell where I had gas, sweating and tried to throw up. In those 12 days, I have put on 16lbs. I have weighed myself daily and 4lbs of that came OVERNIGHT!! WHUH? How can I have put on 4lbs in one day?? I am sure I am getting in more calories than before but because I was tight I probably relied on liquid calories and ate snacky easy foods..I am being careful with what I eat and how much. I started back at the gym again a few days ago so that effort has not kicked in yet..but food wise I am careful. The weight gain has bee very distressing. Just about all my clothes do not fit as I have been the same small size for years..I dont keep a range of sizes. It is very depressing. For those of you just saying " well watch what you eat" uhhh yeah...try a complete unfill and then give that advice. I didn't ever put on this amount of weight in a short amount of time pre-band. It's not that easy. There has to be the "starvation response" kicking in here. I cannot imagine I was not getting in no calories before.I had to survive. It's very scary to gain that much in a short amount of time. My world is upside down with 20lbs up from my usual. I am going to work at fighting it until I can get a refill..not sure how long this will be until my esophagus heals up. If it doesn't I have no clue what I will do..praying for healing but also praying I don't pork up any more. I wish everyone the best with the band..it is a fickle bitch and does require a ton of discipline to do the right thing!!

I'm at a stall. I've been between 170 and 175 for the past couple of months, which my DR. told me to expect after I dropped the amount of weight I did. The past week or so, I've been seeing that my weight is slowing creeping up to the 180 mark and I'm scared to death. I've been monitoring my carb and sugar intake and I've gone back on the protein shakes for breakfast or lunch. I'm extremely worried that i'm going to gain back all the weight. I've seen myself falling into past habits (binge eating disorder and weighing myself every day up to 3x a day), eating sugary food (candy) and not getting enough liquids in. It probably isn't helping that i'm trying to complete my degree for college and I signed myself up for 6 summer classes to finish in the next 4 months. I need help. I tried talking to my husband, and though he is sympathetic, his advice is stop eating bad food, which is easier said than done. If anybody has gone through something similar, i'd love to hear how you overcome this stall.

Well the day that all this started I was down 51 pounds. When they put me in the hospital they of course started putting all sorts of fluids in me so when I got out of the hospital I was up 5 pounds and only have 1 more of that five to lose and then go further. I existed mainly on liquids at the hospital so I was surprised to see the weight gain. Isn't it neat that you can have solids again? Chew chew chew. Do you have a fill yet? Take care Candle, shelli:ranger: