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Good morning. I am new to the forum. I have been reading quite a bit but have not found this issue. I am on the six month diet required by my surgeon. I lost some weight then my lab work showed low levels of potassium and iron. My doctor changed my blood pressure medication from a Triamterene/hyrochlorothiazide which I had been on for eight years to Amlodipine. The scale has gone up dramatically. I am worried I will be penalized for this gain though my calories have remained at 1500-1800 a day. Can someone give me some advice?

You guys. Wow. Thank you for the responses. I mentioned earlier that we have other marriage problems... most of our marriage (since I was pregnant with #1 so 8 years at least) has been fighting about beer/drinking and also his weight gain/unhealthy life choices. I realized last year that he was early stage alcoholic, he uses it for coping with stress from a high power job. Didn’t know what being an alcoholic really meant until I educated myself and once I figured it out I was done (another story for another day). Once I realized this I was very clear, quit or we are getting divorced. Through a few ups and downs the last few months he’s admitted he has an alcohol addiction and had quit. But this has to also go hand and hand with the weight gain. The two have been so intertwined. I feel bad for him, I want to help him and I’ve told him for a long time that I want him to get healthy so he can be around for the kids and me. ugh this is so complicated. Sorry to spill here. My life is complicated. I go to therapy myself and we’ve gone together as well. So much therapy. I worry that if he decides on WLS it will only be to save our marriage and I don’t know if that’s a good enough reason to do it, I don’t want him unhappy with his decision and ending up making things worse. yes, I also think deep down he’s depressed and I pray he works through that with his therapist. so I guess I support him if he decides to look more into WLS. We have a consultation tomorrow so I guess I’ll learn more there.

You don't actually know for sure that losing weight will make your husband happier. Weight gain and lack of weight loss/yo-yo dieting can happen for complex reasons...significant overeating, unhealthy eating, yo-you dieting etc can sometimes be symptoms of something else that going on in someone's life that is more to do with emotions and mental health. You can't force your husband to lose weight and you can't force him to want to. You can explain to him that you love him and want him healthy so as he can enjoy a long and healthy life with you, your children and grandchildren...but he is going to have want to do it himself, its then you can support him. I am not entirely sure you understand how hard it is to make life style changes that stick long enough to make long term sustainable changes. A diet mentality isn't going to work...that's why we are all here. Is he suffering with depression? If so, that needs to be treated appropriately. Can the work pressures be dealt with? Different role and/or employer? Having a partner with different values can be frustrating for both, seems to me you both may need counselling sessions together and your own separate sessions, see if there is a middle ground that is a win/win for both.

Hi All, Had my surgery Jan 16th, had problems signing in to be a part of this group...finally able to get in to comment. I've been following along since beginning of Jan....so much good info from you guys!!! It's helped me alot!!! I'm down 22 pounds as of this am. Was 23 lbs, but gained a pound this past week?? My visit with Dr. last week went real well. He's pretty much cleared me to eat anything now, stating everyone is different and your stomach will tell you if you shouldn't eat it. Wants me to weigh in once a week instead of everyday. I asked about calorie intake, he's more concerned about protien instead. I've been having a very hard time getting protien in. Cannot drink shakes, tried all of them. Thought I'd do good on Clear Protien water....nope too sweet and I gag when I drink it. Finally found Fairlife Core & Core Elite (from reading comments on here). Also gag now with water!! Never had a problem with water before 3 weeks ago...now it's a struggle. Ice chips work instead. This past week I tried tuna fish!! It goes down easy and high in protien....I find I'm craving salt! I started eating Saltines, letting them "melt" in my mouth. Thinking I maybe eating too many since I have a weight gain this week.(?) I have 2-3 at a time....about 3 times a day. My average calorie intake is 520 or less. Staying within macros guidelines. So I'm a bit upset about the weight gain, since calorie intake is so little. I walk a mile and a half everyday. Ride bike for a mile and do some strengthening excercises for upper body 3 x's a week. I thought I'd be down a pound[emoji53]. Had the 3 week stall, got through that. Thanks to all of you talking me through it![emoji4] I have found I really need to push my plate away, taking the one more bite throws me over into "stuffed", therefore getting that pain where esophagus meets stomach. And boy-oh-boy it hurts!! I'm finally getting a handle on how much my new belly can hold. Thank you all for the good advice you've posted. We are in this together, and you do get me through stuff!! Sent from my SM-G960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi all, I’m new here and only 1 day post op. I was excited to get home and step on the scale but I’m up 7 pounds! I also have my menses. Anyone else experience this?

Hi. I have United Healthcare. My BMI is 37, a bit over the 35. I had to do a 6 month program prior to surgery. And today I finished the program but I gained 3 lbs from my starting weight. I was told to keep it steady and I really did. Will insurance deny me for 3lbs? :(

Hello All I Need Some Input and/or advice, Had Lap band in 2007 did really well on it and lost 122 Pounds 288 down to 166! Last 18 months My weight has gone up, but was unable to be adjusted, Radiology MD said I was to tight and would not adjust me. I attempted multiple adjustments and every time the Radiology MD said no Im to tight. Went to my Bariatric surgeon and he finally removed all the fill and said rest 30 days and lets try a fill. That was before Thanksgiving. From then until Mid January I packed on 30 pounds! Finally got a fill of 1.5 CC (my band holds 4CC) and... nothing. It should be noted that I have no problems with GERD, reflux or any other issues - just no weight loss. Went to a new doctor (only changed because he is closer to work/home) recommended revision to BY-Pass, but I was thinking sleeve. He says if I want to get back down to 166 by-pass is the way to go. I know some people that had By-pass started off great and then gained weight. Here are my questions: Which way to go Sleeve or By-Pass? If you converted from band to sleeve how much did you loose in total? Did you loose as much as you had with the lap band? If you chose By- pass how much did you loose in total? Im not worried about the surgery or recovery - Im just worried about living with my choice how it will affect my eating and possible weight gain - I do not want to have a third weight loss surgery. Thanks in advance for your help.

Thank you soooo much everyone for sharing your eating struggles and how you approach your daily life post surgery & weight loss. So enlightening & reaffirming. I too eat the same basic menu every day so I don’t have to think about what I’m going to prep & eat - makes grocery shopping a breeze too cause I buy the same foods every week. If I’m going out to eat, I check the menu & choose what I’ll order before I go so being tempted by what’s on the menu (or agonising over what I can eat) is greatly reduced. Genetics and hormones make losing weight a fight you have with one hand tied behind your back. I grew up hearing about my overweight relatives & how I would have to always watch my diet or I’d end up like them. I first put on weight when I went through puberty & then the last large weight gain was during menopause. I grew up on a vegetable farm so eating ‘healthy’ was my norm - lots of meat & vegetables & being very active. I believe my weight problems were exacerbated because I didn’t eat until dinner throughout my high school years. And then regularly skipped lunch when I was working - too busy to stop & eat. So I killed my own metabolism. At the moment it seems to have been resurrected & hopefully it will have a long, long life. Thank you for sharing.

This week my calories were in the 1000 - 1200 range each day. My carbs were around 100, and my protein at about 80. I got some cottage cheese to try, I remember disliking it in my teens, but MsSS has inspired me to give it another go. My weight stayed pretty consistent this week, which, given the increased carbs is awesome. Increased carbs tends to = water weight gains for me. My size has shrunk, so I’d say I’m still losing fat. Our household has worked out a meal scheme. My husband and eldest are each responsible for one dinner a week, I’m responsible for 2, and youngest (the best cook) is taking 3. The dinners each have to include a veggie as well as protein. Tonight I made chicken pot pie from one of the Skinny Taste books. I subbed gardein scalopinis for the chicken, and used vegetarian “chicken” broth. So, the whole family can eat it. I have to say, the increased carbs have me feeling a MILLION times better. My weekend trail run is up to 4 miles, I added in tempo work to my during the week running schedule, and I don’t even feel like utter crap! I was really feeling run down prior to switching to maintenance.

I’ll try and keep this as brief as possible. Sorry if I rant on and on. As I went from 240 lbs to 390 lbs between 2009-2019 I slowly hid myself away from friends and family. The truth is I was in denial about how bad things were getting and I was embarrassed. I was ashamed of how I couldn’t keep up with my friends just walking around the city or fitting into booths at restaurants for family milestones. I was out of breath walking into work from the parking lot. I felt like if I could avoid these things in front of other people, if other people couldn’t confirm how limited I had become, it somehow made it less true. I have missed SO many adventures and huge important events in my loved ones lives simply because I was physically unable. This hurts my heart. In 2018 I ditched a good friend’s bachelorette weekend out of town because I was so anxious about how I wouldn’t be able to keep up with everyone. Like literally I could not walk around and I felt ridiculous going to clubs with girls wearing their best outfits and me in an oversized T-shirt. By that point I couldn’t stand for 5 mins without my lower back screaming. Our friendship has not been the same since. I have always thought that was the turning point in our friendship. Now fast forward to late 2019. I happened to be invited to another good friend’s bachelorette weekend. This is a friend I met in college and we were so close we lived together for a couple of years. This is also when my depression/weight gain really got bad. I did my best to hide it, but I’m sure it was obvious. Over the last 7 years I have make excuses to avoid meeting up with her because she is so active. I even prayed she wouldn’t ask me to be a bridesmaid. How sad is that? I really didn’t think I could make it through the dress shopping bit. Pre-surgery I was 390 lbs and a size 26. This friend has run the NYC marathon and I was at least 220 lbs heavier than any other girl in her friend circle. When I was invited on the bachelorette weekend I immediately thought of ways to get out of it. I told one of the maids of honor that I didn’t think it would be a good idea since it was still early after surgery and I wasn’t sure how I’d feel. Well it’s been almost 5 months and I’ve been so lucky to have zero complications. My mobility is much better too. I am also sober by choice. I was never a big drinker anyways. I partied pretty hard as a teen so by the time I got to college I was somewhat past that phase. It doesn’t make me feel good and now with a sleeve I feel like alcohol serves me no purpose. Anyways what I am looking for is real honest advice. I feel immense guilt over declining this invite. I have thought about how I would feel if I was my friend. I could see how she would be upset or disappointed. Am I wrong to not go? I don’t drink and I’m trying so hard to stick to my diet. I know if I really wanted to I could make it work. I don’t want people to tell me what I want to hear. I guess I just want someone to say they understand what I’m saying and feeling. I don’t have anyone in my family or friends that are even overweight. I feel like no one can relate. Has anyone else been through this? Did things get better as you lost weight?

Hi Dee. How are you?. You and I had surgery about the same time. I remember you from our September 2019 surgery thread. My surgery date was September 16th 2019 and I have lost 90 lbs so far. I had a two week stall similar to you recently which just broke last week. I even gained 2 lbs in the second week. However in the 3rd week I lost 6 lbs. Go figure. I have read and done so much research on stalls I was not really worried when it happened. I knew it was my body adjusting. The week right before the stall I started exercising and I lost 8 lbs that week. Then came two weeks of a stall and weight gain but I just rode it out and stuck to the plan. Plus I'm sure we are losing inches though its not being reflected on the scale. So when I see a stall I will get excited cause I know a good loss is coming because I normally lose 3 lbs a week on average. Hang in there Dee. Stick with the program and be patient cause you are doing great. Congrats on your weight loss so far. HW 342.8 beg of 2 wk preop liquid diet SW 327.8 Sept 16th 2019 CW 252.2 5 months PO

Hello I recently gained a few pounds. I am shocked! I am under 600 calories a day and I exercise pretty much EVERYDAY. I did the surgery last month. Did anyone experience this ? Thanks Dani B

That's a lot of weight to lose in 6-7 months! I had my surgery in July 2019 too but am only down 53 lbs from surgery date (261-209). That's an average of 7.5 lbs per month, which I believe is a normal and healthy speed. Your body is probably just readjusting. Plus, at that lower weight, you don't need the calories you needed to maintain anything over 200 so check what your current calories needs are. Eat sensibly, exercise, and let your body work it out. And make sure you don't repeat the mistakes you made leading up to the weight gain! It's hard because it's so much a part of who we are but we have to fight temptations and rejoice in the healthier lifestyle!

Guys I am hoping someone can give me some advice to help me. I am 17 months post-op from my switch surgery and I had done great until the past few months. Around August my weight loss begin to slow down and by October, I had plateau. Due to graduate school commitments, I was not able to devote time for exercise, but I stayed strict to my diet. From November till January I would fluctuate a few pounds. Since Christmas I am slowly putting on weight, despite me doing weight loss exercise classes four times a week. Being frustrated, I contacted my surgeon's office and explained my diet and exercise regimen, all I was told is "this is a small hump, and you just need to do a diet recall." I have worked too hard to lose this weight to put it on, and I am all out of options. I am desperately seeking help from any of you guys.... thank you in advance for any help!

Having chronic insomnia forever, and tried prescription and gone through major withdrawals from the prescription sleep med in the past I take otc diphenhydramine or doxylamine succinate at varying doses. Though I’ve got a weird routine personality. Maybe it’s because I also have adhd, am on the Autism spectrum, something with my chronic illness, who knows, I need caffeine at night to help me sleep a little better. But one key thing I’ve learned is the simpler the better when it comes to what you take for sleep. I was stressed worrying about if my surgery was going to be covered because the first doctor I went to gave me such a horrible attitude, meanwhile other people loved him. I fought until I was exhausted. Until finally an endocrinologist referred me to Cleveland Clinic. And I gave it my all. And had to just let it go and hope it was happen. It was either surgery or totally give up. My endocrinologist knew my metabolic disorders were sending me into a tailspin or weight gain and nothing i was doing could stop it. thankfully it did happen and it will happen for you.

I tried it in my early 20’s but maybe I should give it another whirl. And yes! Stress is a big factor here. It seems like as of late if I’m not worried about school I’m worried about being approved for surgery. I keep telling myself what’s meant to be will be, but for me that’s easier said than done. Luckily I got a call from the bariatric center letting me know that they’ve made a note of the med change & all aware that mirtazapine causes weight gain. I’m determined to plow through this because I really want this!

I'm 10 1/2 months post-sleeve, and I've had what I KNOW is a lot of success--HW of 406 exactly one year ago, 368 on surgery date, and I'm 228 today. Though...I was 221 only five days ago, but dear friends in town equaled two days of fantastic wine and eating all day as we played tourists in my hometown...aaaand I found myself at 231 on Tuesday morning. And now I want to scream: How did I screw up my own great progress, after a January of doggedly trying to break a stall, finally succeeding...and now I have to re-lose these ten pounds before getting back to it?? What's making it so anxiety producing is, I know this "weight gain" is mostly water--I mean, I can clearly see that my wrists and my feet especially are swollen, but the water weight is being pretty stubborn these past two days in coming off. This might be a fight. Dang it! How did I set myself back like this!! I have two questions, then: First, any tips on how to shed off the excess water? I am hydrating throughout the day, since a friend said that it's good to keep flushing your system (or something, it sounded believable). Tomorrow, I'm cutting way way back on salt (though I have to have some sodium or else I get light-headed)...any other tips? Second, anyone else go off-diet and yet found themself get back into the groove?? I have had some off-days before--just a couple over almost an entire year, and never more than two days in a row, but this feels different. Scarier. Like I derailed myself and there's no correcting it--maybe because I felt SO CLOSE when I saw that 221 on Friday morning. Like I could actually do it--my surgeon set a goal of 180 which I always thought was ridiculously impossible but when I saw the 221, yeah, suddenly I thought I really COULD get to the 180, let alone the 200 I had dreamed of when I thought of a "goal weight" pre-surgery. And now I've just slid so far back. Any experiences that you've had successfully coming back on the tracks, I'd love to hear--or even just bald reassurance, because I'll take any encouragement you have!

I read a book (or finished reading it) on Nov 1st. It's 'How to stop eating bad sugar' by Allen Carr. Since I stopped I've kicked my sugar habit which was wreaking havoc in my life. Not huge weight gain, but there was a slide upwards. It was just the mental nastiness - the feeling of constantly losing a battle and it made me sick and I'd started getting really bad reactive hypoglycaemia. So since then: no sugar, potatoes, sweeteners, honey, syrups and no processed food made with sugar. I still eat a lot of fruit but mainly apples (loads of fibre) and tangerines. Bananas are a slight problem - I note they increase sweet cravings and give me muscle cramps, but I'm recently bereaved and so allowing myself to skate that one for now. Dried fruit is also a big no. I eat meat, fish, veggies (often oven roasted), small amounts of organic proper wholewheat bread - have only found one brand - Cranks- which doesn't have a load of other nonsense in. I snack on nuts and fruit as above. I've lost 6lbs of my slide up from my lowest, but I think I might be at what is a healthy weight for me. (Need to get back to the gym really). I don't log or do macros but I aim to eat whole food, lots of veg and fibrous fruit. It's working in that I've only had the reactive hypoglycaemia a couple of times since Nov 1st (I think it was banana that did it!) and the cravings are generally gone. The evening hunger is fixed by eating a big apple very slowly and I sometimes have a bed time snack of a little fruit and cheese, or nuts, but the urge to do that is passing slowly. I do occasionally use Stevia in my posh hot milk and pure cacao/ashwaganda type drinks, but I try also to not make it a regular thing. I suppose my point will be, that having taken these steps, the obsession, and the compulsion have faded and now I'm free to deal with all my other problems!!! Good luck to you - your exercise regime is awesome. I so want exercise to be my next addiction!!

Seventeen lbs in a week this far along does sound odd. Like @sillykitty weighing myself regularly is a good motivator for me too. I weigh myself almost everyday and allow for fluctuations - unexpected change of diet, water retention, constipation (lol). (Hormones aren’t an issue for me anymore but they were a b*tch for unexplained weight gain/loss.) A lot of people take regular body measurements as well & have found the measurements will change even if the scales don’t. Also keep your scales in the exact same spot. Electronic scales are sensitive to uneven floors (tiles are the worst).

I’m very pleased to meet another WFPB post-bariatric athlete here! Although I’m not as active as you, I’m somewhat athletic (active 7 days a week with hill hiking, race walking, distance cycling, squash, cardio, weights, sea kayaking, downhill skiing, etc. and currently training for a triathlon in August), and once I’m into maintenance, consuming enough (and the right types of) fuel for workouts is – and will continue to be – an ongoing experiment for me. If you, like me, were athletic at any point in your life prior to weight gain or WLS, then you’ll know that athletes need to eat more frequently than non-athletes, no matter what type of food lifestyle they’ve chosen, typically at least 6 meals per day – 3 meals and 3 snacks, depending on the intensity of training. So my best advice is to structure every meal and snack so that they support your workouts. The timing of all meals and snacks should support optimal performance and recovery, so for example, if you train after work, save one of your snacks for about 1 hour beforehand, and eat dinner within an hour after completing your training session. Obviously you’ll also have increased nutritional needs for optimal performance and health during long distance cardio training and events such as cycling. The typical recommendation is that endurance athletes get 60% of their calories from carbohydrates on training and event days. To calculate this, take your calorie intake for the day and multiply it by 0.6. Then divide that number by 4 to get the number of carbohydrate grams you need daily to support optimum performance. For example, on a 1500 calorie per day diet, that number is 225 grams. Carb needs will go above and beyond this on days with longer training sessions but you might not be able to hit such a high number due to space constraints or fear of dumping, so all you can do is increase your carbohydrate count slowly over time to see how your body reacts, making sure to use a variety of high quality complex carbohydrate sources such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. The mixed grain cereal you’ve mentioned in other posts is ideal. Immediately prior to an endurance training session or event, the typical recommendation is for an athlete to ingest 1-3 grams of easily digestible high quality carbs per kilogram of body weight (bananas, figs, etc.). Bariatric athletes won’t reach that number, so the goal would be to increase carb consumption before an event to a level at which you are physically comfortable, then note any performance improvement. Foods high in protein and fat are digested more slowly, so are usually avoided in the hour before an event. Just keep experimenting with pre-race fueling to see what works best for you. During a training session or event, endurance athletes typically take in 30-50 grams of carbohydrates per hour. Bariatric athletes will need to spread this out in smaller portions (protein bars, energy gels, dried fruit, lightweight hydration back packs with added electrolyte and carb powders, etc.). After a training session or event, endurance athletes usually consume about 15 grams of carbohydrate within 30 minutes of finishing. One to two hours later, another portion of high quality complex carb rich food with some protein mixed in is needed for muscle recovery (i.e., banana with peanut butter, a glass of Ripple milk, etc.). I have read studies that indicate that glucose ingested while exercising is less likely to lead to dumping syndrome, but this is an individual thing to be approached extremely carefully, but in general plant-based whole foods like fruit do not cause dumping syndrome as far as I’ve read and can be used in place of sports drinks and gels. To address any increase in hunger due to training, or to supplement in order to maintain weight, in the past I found that low calorie high nutrient shakes are ideal (i.e. Ripple milk, a few nuts and/or seeds, ½ c berries, a handful of raw dark green leaves, and 1-2 tbsp of blended pea/soy/rice/hemp/chia protein powder, and if needed, a handful of steel cut oats that have been soaked in water overnight to soften). Most Americans, as well as virtually all WLS-post-ops in maintenance from what I have read on these and other boards, consume too much protein, but endurance athletes actually do need a bit more protein, anywhere from are 1.0-1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight. Remember that all plants have protein in them, and to count their protein towards your daily intake. Re hydration, I monitor this closely, particularly at my early stage post-op (I use a hydration pack and will continue to). Taking a before and after workout weight on a calibrated digital scale is an excellent way to determine hydration status. If the post-workout weight is lower than the pre-workout weight, you’ll be able to track exactly how much water was lost through sweat and respiration. In terms of micronutrients, some endurance athletes may have increased needs for vits a, c, and e, as well as iron, calcium, potassium, sodium, and chloride. Get regular labs, keep taking vits, and rehydrate with electrolyte drinks or powders (I like Ultima Replenisher). Finally, investing in a WFPB bariatric nutritionist is worthwhile because calibrating nutrition for a post-bariatric athlete is both difficult and very individualized. Parts of what I’ve written here comes directly from notes I made during sessions with my own WFPB bariatric nutritionist. I will also try to put together a brief recommended reading list within the next day or two. Disclaimer: These suggestions are intended for bariatric endurance athletes in maintenance ONLY. If you are exercising at a low to moderate intensity for less than 2 hours per day for 6 to 7 days per week, you don’t need extra nutrition, calories, macronutrients, or micronutrients to support your exercise or recovery, and doing so will only hinder your weight loss or cause weight gain.

I am considering having a revision now due to weight gain during pregnancy. I didn’t gain back all my weight. 50 lbs out of the 117 I lost but I have been dieting for months and it’s just not coming off.

I agree with what everyone has said on this subject of slight weight gain. It messes with our mental health at times, and finding the correct balance is not easy. I think it is aLao a moving target depending on our current health, ability to exercise, ect... .

I had gastric sleeve 3 and a half years ago. I lost 4 and a half stone but have put 4 back on. Has anyone got any advise what to do? I am going through the menopause and finding it impossible to lose weight 😔 I paid for my surgery £8.800 and regret it now it was a waste if money.

Isn’t it crazy how our body is addicted to the very thing that’s bad for us? The only way I was able to resist carbs was because my doctor put me on naltrexone 50mg daily and for the first time in my life I was able to not only not even want carbs, I no longer wanted wine or any alcohol. I really thought I had the carb addiction beat but as soon as I stopped taking naltrexone the insane cravings returned. Add menopause to those cravings and I put back on 50 pounds in less than 6 months. The worst thing about insulin resistance is that my body couldn’t even process good carbs in fruit and eating fruit triggers my cravings for all carbs. People don’t understand that not all weight gain comes from bad eating. I gain weight even if I eat too much fruit. So glad to have someone here who understands that for some people, even good sugar is bad for us. I absolutely loved the way I felt physically on the Whole Foods diet, my body was so clean that I could actually smell the odor from meat eating people. I could smell everything!! It was as if all of my senses were heightened!! Maybe my new sleeve has changed my physiology, seeing that I can’t tolerate fat I might be able to process fruit now. I’ll definitely try again when I’m on regular foods.