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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:

No I did not realize this weight gain was to be expected this is why I created this post asking if any one else had gained 14 pounds. Thanks for the info

The hardest part about chronic "dieting" is fighting cravings that pop up when I'm in social situations. For example, yesterday, I wanted to pack up my baby and visit my mother's house so she could spend time with her grandson. But I didn't go. I didn't go because I was afraid I would end up falling off my low carb plan. For one, I could have been "ambushed" with a pizza or dessert that they had. Or, oftentimes my parents stress me out with their comments, etc., so that could have led me to emotional eating. Third, just being around them makes me want to eat. I associate their house with eating. Unfortunately, my parents frequently indulge in cakes and high calorie foods. Now take today. Suddenly my SO decides that he wants us to visit a church that is an hour away. Of course, I'm panicking. I went ahead and cooked my food for today, but I'm worried that the road trip will make me fall off plan. I associate long car rides with being able to stop for food. I know that this is not the way to live--either overeating with no restrictions, or eating right, but avoiding everyone and staying at home. My hope is that by the time I'm 6 months post op, I will be at my goal weight and I will never have to dodge a social situation again due to fear of breaking a diet and/or weight gain. My hope is that the sleeve will allow me to eat just a little of whatever is available or whatever I choose, and then I get full and that's it. Or, if that's not possible, just make it so that I'm so afraid to eat certain foods that I bring my own foods with me.

MFP really helps me to keep on track. No tracking? Weight gain! I also gained 22 pounds over around a 9 month period... I just got it back off and it took me 5 months! I used the 5:2....You can do it! Protein first, no Water with meals, and get moving girl.... and oh yes... hang out here for support! So true!

I love all the information I have found on this site and all the help I have received and I can't wait till I'm banded to be able to help others but until then I can help others hopefully in this area....... May 2006 when I lost a lot of weight from Phentermine I had a hanging tummy . If I was naked it would be down to my pubic area. I had Tricare at the time and they denied twice to pay for it so I went ahead and self-pay. I think it was 5k, maybe not that much even. Anyways..... I got down to 180 and felt that I can resume that weight after the Tummy Tuck...WRONG!:tt1: For about 2 months I maintained that weight but I had to switch medications and my eating habits were worse then before so the weight just came back full force! Now I am about 65 pounds heavier and decided to get my life back on track. I hope to be getting the lap band end of Feb or early March. I refuse to go through my whole Tummy Tuck process to just get it back! I refuse to do that! Here's pictures of me. PictureTrail If I could be any help please let me know. Oh and I love my new Tummy even with this new weight gain. Best 5k I ever spent!!!!!!!

Sorry it took me so long to get back on here. Where in Cali are you originally from?? It is definatley something to get used to being all the way over here. I am from Sacramento, and miss my home too. But if i never came here, then i might have never known about the surgery. Wow, thank you for telling me about being denied for surgery if you gain even one pound on the supervised diet. I think thats crazy but understand. Have you lost any weight on your diet yet? and if so, how much. I was just trying to compare progress, even though i have pretty much made NONE!! lol But at the group meetings, they don't talk about weight gain during the program. I would have never known until i came upon this site. Well i hope you have a great Thanksgiving!!!!!

Hey Everyone, Please share with us what your form of exercise is. For me I knew working out in a gym was never going to work. I just hated the thought of “having” to go to a gym and working out. For many others this is just want they need. The have a personal trainer—great thing to do. I know me and that just didn’t appeal to me. For me walking was something that didn’t really require a lot of equipment and was something that most anyone can do. This is what I have learned about walking. “Walk for 45 minutes a day. The reason we’re suggesting 45 minutes instead of the typical 30 is that a Duke University study found that while 30 minutes of daily walking is enough to prevent weight gain in most relatively sedentary people, exercise beyond 30 minutes results in weight and fat loss. Burning an additional 300 calories a day with three miles of brisk walking (45 minutes should do it) could help you lose 30 pounds in a year without even changing how much you’re eating.” I found this information on the Web about walking a long time ago. So I knew I was changing my lifestyle when it came to eating, which means that I could lose a lot more weight if I just walked. It really has worked for me and also relieved stress in my life too. In the winter time, I walk inside a mall. I also swim now and then too. I would love to hear what you do for exercise. Let’s share some ideas, it might just help others. Suzanne Sleeved 10/21/2008 Lost 105 pounds.

The shot does cause weight gain... i truly believe that's what started my biggest weight issues as a teen.

Antibiotics mess with the natural flora in the digestive tract which can cause bloating, and affect the scale. If you do a search of doxycyline and weight gain you'll find several forums of people listing many pounds of gain in short periods of time. It is usually temporary, but that doesn't mean it isn't frustrating at the time. "Back in the day" I was a Weight Watchers leader for a couple of years. I can't tell you how many times I was at the scales with someone who'd had a gain, and told me they had been on program the entire week. Upon further discussion I found they had been on antibiotics, it is something we were trained to discuss. Sure it is anecdotal and the people could have been lying, but as often as I saw this occur...I don't think everyone was.

Thank you all for these tips. I found through my weight loss I became very obsessive and would be self conscious anytime I ate something I wasn’t suppose to : which is good and bad, good bc I’m aware, bad because I beat myself up over it. The weight gain was fast and unexpected. I started today my do over diet, I didn’t realize how off track I. W.a.s because I found myself lost at what to pack for lunch. I appreciate all your support, I forget that this is a life long journey not just a quick fix and I really do need to work at it. I’m happy you guys responded to me and helped. Thanks so much.

1.5 years out, have been around the same weight for a year now. Like LilMissDiva mentioned above, you'll have your "bad" days occasionally, and the possibility of regaining 2-3 lbs is always there, but it's easy to stop. I can't vouch for what things will be like 3.5 years down the road, but just taking things a year at a time, I don't see myself gaining any significant weight a year from now. To gain weight with the sleeve, you really have to eat a LOT of junk food - you won't be able to consume large enough amounts of normal foods to cause weight gain. I've had a few periods of 2-3 days of non-stop chocolate consumption, but I don't find it too hard to get back on the wagon. I always make sure I hit the gym hard at least twice a week no matter how busy I am, even during weeks when I work 80 hours. Most weeks I work out 3-4 times/week. If I notice I've put on a pound or two, I just rein myself in a bit - I go back to drinking water with my meals instead of alcohol when I go out, get a medium latte instead of a large in the morning, etc. All those "sensible choices" that women's magazines always harp on about are an awful lot easier to make once you've had the sleeve.

Thanks Donali... I know that my weight problem has taken on a life of it's own over the years... and I also know that I have let it stop me from enjoying life to the fullest. I think that being taunted and teased on a daily bases from third grade on somehow pounded the idea that my weight was directly connected to my worth. That seed of thought has grown with each passing year and has become stronger and stronger. I am so ready to spread the Round-up and tend to a healthier garden of thought. Please be assured that I don't look upon the Lap Band as a miracle cure. I do look upon this surgery as providing me with a tool that will help control the quantities of food that I eat as I learn to deal with emotions and fears differently. I am really not counting on quick weight-loss with this surgery... mostly my hopes are focused on permanent weight-loss. My sister had the quick weight-loss with the RNY... but she is now battling weight gain much like she did before her surgery. I hope that the surgery I have chosen will give me lifelong success in a time period that the changes in my head can keep up with the changes in my body. It's like quitting smoking... I just couldn't do it without the patch... I needed help... I needed a tool to help me make a better choice. I think that is why waiting for the surgery has benn tough... I want to stop thinking about this... planning for this... waiting for this... I just want to get the surgery behind me so that I can start the journey to a healthier and happier me. Donali... you are awesome and you look MAUVELOUS DARLINK! Thank you so much for reminding me to look at the other great things in life that are totally unrelated to my weight.

It's a proven fact that any kind of anti depressant slows down your metabolic rate. Many doctors will not tell you this. I was on Paxil and it was my demise with my weight gain. Also 1000 calories a day is not enough. Try upping it to 1200-1300 ...many people think if they do not eatthey will ose weight, you have to eat to lose weight. Eat more often throughtout th day like 6 mini meals to keep your metabolism going especially if you are taking and anti depressant. Just my 2 cents worth...good luck

Like a lot of you I have struggled with weight my entire life. I've dieted, lost weight, gained weight etc. I went to the seminar 2 weeks ago and had consultation appointment tonight. I have chosen to go with the lap band with plication and pending all the tests will have the surgery in February. I'm very excited, nervous etc. Thankfully my wonderful mother is my support system. I made the mistake of telling one of my very good friends about the surgery. At first she didn't say much and then called me tonight to ask how the consultation went when I told her she went off how she is so against it and then said "why don't you just go to the gym more ?". She's skinny and has ALWAYS been skinny and just doesn't get it. Now I'm scared to tell anyone! She made me feel like such crap. Just curious how you all went about telling your close friends, etc? Any tips? People who have never struggled with weight just don't seem to get it at all. Thank you.

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?

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!

My journey has been life-long. I was overweight as a young child, medically obese by around age 7. Should you choose to read on, you will get a glimpse of the factors that contributed to my struggle in comforting myself with food and attempting to render myself unattractive. I had been through the tumultuous divorce of my parents and felt abandoned by my father at age 6. Within a year of my parents' divorce, I was molested by an adult male friend of the family. A few years later, I was molested by an older boy, another family friend. As a teen, searching for love and male attention to fill the hole in my heart, I began a sexual relationship with my boyfriend at 15. I became pregnant within a year and decided to abort my child. I believed the lies of the abortion industry, that it was a painless procedure, that my baby was just a "clump of cells," and went through with the abortion. Immediately afterwards, I knew I could never go through with, or put myself in that position EVER AGAIN! This is when I really saw my weight balloon, in what I now see was an effort to make myself undesirable by men. If no one was attracted to me, I wouldn't have sex, so I couldn't get pregnant, and would never again face abortion. This is when I graduated to morbid obesity. I had gained around 80 pounds within a year. My family excused the weight gain by comparing me to other family members who were large. It seemed natural to them, that because I was becoming a woman and there was a family history of obesity, the weight gain was unavoidable. No one relized that I was filling an emotional hole with food. No one saw the isolating behaviors I was exhibiting. Thirteen years later, at age 29, after having had four children, married and divorced, I had come to know God and started a process of recovery from all of my past hurts. Since then, layer upon layer of pain has been peeled away, and I am truly a new person! I won't say that the weight is the last thing I need to peel away, but I can say that I am ready to work on this part of me now! I had thought about gastric bypass many times over the years, since 1999, but never with the healing behind me and the mindset I have now. For me, shedding this weight is symbolic of breaking free from the shackles of all the pain that was holding me back. Thank you for taking the time to read my story!

It’s no secret that one of the most prominent diets-of-the-moment is the gluten free diet. Millions have jumped on the gluten free bandwagon, including many bariatric patients. Some sing the praises of the diet, claiming the health benefits are intensive. Others claim the diet is a fad and there is absolutely no nutritional benefit to eating this way. Here we will discuss some of the myths and truths of the gluten-free diet, and how it can affect someone with WLS. Myth #1: A Gluten-Free diet is a very healthy way to eat. FALSE: There are just as many UNhealthy gluten-free foods on the market as there are healthy ones. A trip down the gluten free aisle of any supermarket will prove that - cookies, cakes, pretzels, pastas, chips … There are as many gluten free choices in junk food as you can possibly imagine. And here’s the biggest problem with that: many gluten-free products have added sugar and/or fat to compensate to make the texture and/or flavor more palatable. It's also important to note that gluten free does NOT mean organic or GMO free, so if these are concerns for you, be sure to check for organic, non-gmo labels. Myth #2: Only people with celiac disease should follow a gluten-free diet FALSE: While celiac disease is the #1 cause for going gluten free, it’s not the only reason. There are millions of people that share a gluten sensitivity or intolerance that would greatly benefit from removing gluten from their diets. This can be characterized by bloating, digestive issues, rashes, migraines, and other health issues. The only way to be sure if you have a sensitivity or not is to undergo an elimination diet which completely removes gluten for a time period. After a period of time (generally a month or more) gluten is slowly reintroduced into the diet with notes made on any reaction that occurs. Myth #3: EVERYONE can benefit from a gluten free diet. FALSE: If you DON’T have celiac or an intolerance, there really is no health benefit to removing gluten from your diet. It won’t HURT you, to be sure, but it won’t necessarily HELP you either. Myth #4: You can’t go gluten-free without buying expensive products at your health food store. FALSE: It’s actually quite simple to eliminate gluten from your diet without having to buy anything special. Focusing your diet on fresh, whole foods like fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy will automatically put you on the right track. It’s also possible to find several breakfast cereals, snack crackers, and other items in your regular grocery store for not a huge amount of money - just be sure to read labels! Myth #5: Gluten is only found in wheat items, and if you eat corn, oats, or rice, you’re safe. FALSE: Many items made with corn, oats, and rice DO contain wheat or wheat by-products (such as dextrose). This is used to improve texture in many products. Additionally, some oat and corn products do contain gluten! It’s very important that if you’re going completely gluten free that you read labels. Of course you know to look for items such as wheat, but it’s also very important to look for other ingredients you might not think of. Dextrose, barley, rye, dextrin, vegetable protein, etc. For a full list of ingredients to avoid, do a google search - there are a multitude of great sites with this information. The simplest solution is to look for items that are labeled “gluten-free” right off the bat. While a gluten-free diet isn’t for everyone, there are still many people that benefit from it. Studies are showing that some WLS patients, especially sleevers, begin to show signs of gluten intolerance after surgery (along with lactose intolerance). If you think you might be gluten intolerant, try a gluten free diet for a time, then re-introduce wheat products slowly to check for a reaction. If you think you might have celiac disease, check with your doctor - they can run extensive tests to find out if you are. Symptoms of gluten intolerance include weight gain, bloating, depression, skin conditions, digestive issues, and a myriad of other ailments. Celiac disease is characterized by similar conditions, and also includes canker sores, numbness in extremities, and joint pain. . Sources of this article include Web MD, Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis, Go Gluten Free magazine, and various online websites. For a complete list of sources, contact the author at Admin@7BitesShow.com

Today makes 10 days since my surgery. I was 225 day of surgery and 7 days out, I was down to 216. I weighed myself this morning and I'm at 219! What is really going on? I started purée food Friday but I have yet to eat more than 600 calories a day and that is way less food than I ever eaten in a day! I am in panic mode about this weight gain and wondering if this sleeve was a bad idea. Anybody else experience this?

I had my surgery almost one year ago and originally I lost 65 pounds. I have gained 12 lbs back in the last two months. I have had numerous fills and the restriction usually only seems to work for a few days each time. I eat realtively big meals now and I'm constantly munching on Snacks that are about 100 calories each. After going thru a successful surgery with good weight loss, I now feel I'm losing it. My surgeon says my band is filled tightly enough. Weight gain happens to lap band patients but I don't see a lot of discussion here. Does anybody have any comments, suggestions, or thoughts?

I really find that lots of running cuts me a lot of slack in this area. I mean, I try to stay on track and eat well and I do 90% of the time, but for those times when I dont do so well, like holidays, being very active really prevents weight gain. I always found this prior to banding too.

I never knew what a thyroid did, until mine quit working. When I started exhibiting symptoms, I thought I had arthritis. The first doctor who saw me, diagnosed me wrong, but the second doctor knew just by the symptoms I had. I blood test confirmed it. My symptoms were: hair loss, clumps of hair falling out Severely tired (I could not get out of bed) Joint pain and overall body aches Weight gain (60 pounds in about 40 days)

I was banded September 09. Benn filled unfilled etc. never really lost more than 26. I'm now at 201. Esophagus dilation been totally unfilled for the last two months. I just realized there was a thread for revision only. I have a realize band. Thank god no weight gain. Since unfilled stated weight watchers for tracking etc. it's been good. I failed my band and my band failed me. I'm headed to the Brigham in Boston. I had such an easy recovery with the band I'm praying the same with the sleeve. I teach zumba so I love being active. But no matter how much you excercise it won't correct a bad diet or eating habits. I'm not nervous. But more afraid of the unknown pain. I didn't even have gas pain with the band. My third day post op I walked a 4 mile jaunt in the park. Any helpful suggestions would be greatly appreciated.