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Okay, so here we are at (or slightly below) our goal weight. Now what? We've been existing on Protein and green veggies for a long time, but now we need (or want) to stop losing, stabilize our weight, and start maintaining. So many questions come to mind, but let's start with these: If we just keep eating the same way, will our bodies find their "set point" weight and remain there, or will we continue to lose until we're too thin? If we need to add some variety (uh... carbs) back into the picture, which ones are a good idea and which are a bad idea. I mean, some choices are obvious: good = quinoa, barley, oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat Pasta, and sweet potatoes. And bad = white bread, white rice, white pasta, white potatoes, and anything containing refined sugar, right? But what else should we think about? What about corn and peas? What else works or doesn't work? As long as we stayed in ketosis, fat and calories didn't seem to have much of an effect on our weight loss. But now, if we knock ourselves out of ketosis by adding in more carbs, will those fat calories start to work against us and cause weight gain? In other words, if we've been eating tons of nuts, cheese, and butter and still losing, if we keep eating them the same way in maintenance will they start causing weight gain? The tricky (but wonderful) part of this is our permanent restriction. How do we make room for new foods, while still taking in enough protein? Eventually we do start to get more hungry. What do we do about an increasing appetite that makes us want to eat between meals? Who's been there, who's there now, and do you have any tips for the maintenance newbies? Thanks, and congratulations to everyone who is beginning or succeeding in maintenance!!! Rog

I feel great! I just finished up 5 days in Disney World doing 8-12 hour days at tha parks, pushing 75 pound stroller. Lol. I did most rides except I pushed it a bit with the Big thunder Mountain, comes to an abrupt stop and I was a tiny bit sore. Day one after surgery I felt crappy. I had to be up by 5am for my surgery so I was definilty tired later in the day. I thought I would be up and walkin laps around the place (bc a few people I knew had been just after surgery). I was 2 hours post op and like I'm ready to go, let's walk!! And then 1/2 way down the hall I was like, ok let's go back. 😂 But every 2 hours (even overnight) I got up and walked, each time going further and more steady. I passed my swallow test with no problem and tolerated the water, protein shake and jello, so I wasn't out by 1:00 the next day. They said to catch up on my sleep on my first day home and then I could go to the gym and they wanted as much moving as possible. I don't go to the gym, but I used my eliptical every couple of hours for 5-15 minutes day one and then every couple of hours for 10-20 the next. That helped so much with the gas pain. My gas pain wasn't that bad and was totally gone by day 3. I did use a few gasX strips each day, but I'm not sure if it helped, but it couldn't hurt. I was driving by day 3, but sore and tired. Since I have kids I couldn't take the narcotics too much (driving, etc) but I took Tylenol during the day and the oxy at night for the first 2 nights home. I went back to work day 4, but my work pants hurt my incisions (yoga pants we so comfy that I didn't factor in a belt and sitting at a desk) so I only made it 3-4 hours. But day 7 I was back normally with no problems. My only complication so far was a wicked rash that formed on my abdomen. I took benedryl each night (again can't get doped up on meds when you've got kids depending on you). They weren't sure what was causing it, because it wasn't really around the incisions, lightly all over but heavy on my sides. But it started to get super itchy near the incisions and the glue was coming off (after 8-9 days) so I peeled it off and the next day the rash improved and after that nearly gone. So I'm thinking it was an allergic reaction to the glue they used OR from the stitches. Either way, if that's my worst complication I'll be blessed. It WAS hard to get my protein and water in those first 2 days, but I make it my business to get it in. I over pack stuff for work and travel just to be safe and I track EVERTHING on baritastic (app). That's the most user friendly app for me personally and has been a very valuable tool. As far as weight loss, I'm hopeful. I'm away now, and I have. Even perfect on my diet. I ordered shakes and had them delivered to the hotel along with some foods I can have (yogurt, cheese) but I will see tomorrow when I weigh in at my mother in laws house. One big thing I WAS NOT prepared for was the weight gain after surgery. I was UP about 6-8 pounds on my home scale the day I came home. This apparently is common bc they have you on IV from an hour or so before surgery until a few minutes before discharge (which for me, was about 30 hours straight. I lost that over the first 4-5 days and now I'm about 10 pounds down from surgery. Since pre-op (about 4 weeks ago) I'm down 20 But I FEEL good. I have energy. I already look visibly better in clothes. I'm starting to see my old shape I'm not sure if they work, but I take biotin pills (COSTCO) and vitamin patches (patchmd.com) calcium/Vit D, B-12 and multi vitamin, and biotin plus. I told my PA at the office and she said other patients had good results, so I'm hopeful and I think they are helping with my energy. I'm praying they keep my hair fro falling out, but I've read that it says futile lol Don't overpack for the hospital. Just comfy clothes to walk in (I'm not a fan of the gown. And comfy clothes for the car ride home (and a pillow to hold over your stomach for the ride home). Someone posted about dry mouth here and it was helpful. It's NO JOKE. I packed a dry mouth spray and that was good. You can't swallow, but 2 sprays was soaked up immediately in my dry mouth- yuk. I'm typing on my phone half asleep- so sorry if there are typos

A total weight gain? Like you weighed more at your final weigh in than you did when you started? Or did you gain a pound or so while doing your weigh ins?

I had a blood clot in 03 after an ankle fracture. I do NOT remember a big amount of weight gain however I believe that cumadin will have you hold onto water more so it's probably just water weight. Don't sweat it. You won't be on it that long I'm sure.

I’m guessing most of us understand that the disease of obesity is a complicated one. There are a number of factors that contribute to obesity. Some of these factors you may be very aware of; others you may be surprised about. Some of the causes of obesity are things you cannot do anything about; other causes of obesity are things you can influence. BARIATRIC REALITIES: Causes of Obesity – What Factors can YOU Influence? (Part One of Three) I’m guessing most of us understand that the disease of obesity is a complicated one. There are a number of factors that contribute to obesity. Some of these factors you may be very aware of; others you may be surprised about. Some of the causes of obesity are things you cannot do anything about; other causes of obesity are things you can influence. It’s important to recognize the difference. Why? For starters, you can stop beating yourself up over the things you can’t do anything about. It’s also important that you focus on putting forth effort where it will get you the best results! It’s essential for both doctors and those suffering from obesity to have a mutual understanding of these causes of obesity and which people can influence, so that: 1) Doctors can develop or increase empathy for the struggles of those suffering with obesity. When doctors better understand that many people with obesity have struggles that go beyond fighting their biology which negatively impact their weight, the doctors can more compassionately and appropriately address these issues and refer patients to see other professionals, if need be. 2) People struggling with their weight can evaluate the numerous factors impacting obesity and work toward accepting those things they cannot influence. In addition, they can take responsibility for putting forth effort into those aspects of their struggles with weight that they can positively impact. All righty, then! Let’s look at three of the main contributing factors of obesity and then talk about each one, emphasizing what, if anything, each person can do to have a positive impact on their weight. Genetics Culture and Environment Metabolism Genetics Obesity definitely has some genetic determinants, as researchers have clearly discovered. If there are a lot of obese people in your extended family, you have a better chance of being obese than someone from a family without a history of weight problems. Although there are many more obese people in the current population than in previous generations, this cannot all be linked to genetics. The genetic composition of the population does not change rapidly. Therefore, the large increase in obesity reflects major changes in non-genetic factors. Listen to this… According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2002): “Since 1960, adult Americans have increased in height an average of 1 inch but have increased in weight by 25 pounds.” So in 50 years, the human species has grown taller by only an inch but heavier by 25 pounds. That tells us there is more than genetics influencing weight gain in this country. PATIENTS: Even if you have a genetic predisposition for obesity, there are other factors involved, including the food choices you make and whether or not you exercise on a regular basis. Some of these behavioral factors are habits learned in your family, so what appears to be a genetic predisposition may be a familial pattern of unhealthy habits that can be broken. DOCTORS: Remind yourself that patients cannot “eat less/move more” and have any effect on their current genetic makeup. Acknowledge to patients their genetic predisposition for obesity in a compassionate manner. Help to gently educate them about the factors affecting their weight that they can influence. Do so in a “firm and fair” way, providing encouragement rather than admonishment. Culture And Environment In addition to one’s genes, a person’s culture and environment play a large role in causing people to be overweight and obese. The environment and culture in which you were raised impacts how and what you eat. Some people were taught to eat everything on their plate and couldn’t get up from the table until they did so. Others never sat at a table for a meal but watched television while they ate. Some kids are fed well-balanced meals while others exist on fast food or microwaved mac and cheese with hot dogs. In some cultures, simple carbs make up a substantial part of every meal. In other cultures, fruits and vegetables are consumed regularly. When you are a child, you’re not in charge of buying the groceries or providing the meals. You did learn, however, about what and how to eat from those with whom you lived. And guess what that means? How you feed your children is what they will think of as “normal” and will most likely be how they eat as adults. (I’m always concerned when weight loss surgery patients tell me their kids are “just fine” even though they eat the same unhealthy foods as the obese parent. It’s only a matter of time before the kids start to gain weight and have health problems as a result of their unhealthy diet and learned eating behaviors.) PATIENTS: Although your genetic composition cannot be changed, the eating behaviors you learned in your family, from your culture, or developed on your own can be changed. You alone now determine what kind, and how much exercise you do and what and when you eat. Your behavior is completely within your control. Work toward accepting the fact that you are in charge of, and responsible for, your behavior and every food choice you make. For every choice, there is a consequence, positive or negative. And NO EXCUSES! It doesn’t matter how busy you are, whether you get a lunch break at the office or whether you have to cook for a family. Even if you have five kids in different activities and spend your life taxi-ing them from one place to another, you are the adult and you are responsible for how you eat and how you feed your children. It takes a very responsible person to acknowledge, “Although I have a genetic predisposition for obesity, I am responsible for making healthy choices about my eating and exercise. For me and for my children.” Focusing on what you do have control over rather than that over which you are powerless, leads to believing in your capabilities. So take charge and make positive changes happen! DOCTORS: Engage your patient in a discussion about the cultural and environmental factors that helped shape their current food choices and exercise behaviors. Empathize with them, noting they are going to have to put forth consistent effort to change years of bad habit formation. Encourage them to get support, whether it is from friends with a healthy lifestyle, a health coach, a personal trainer, or the use of free online exercise videos. Help them set a short-term, reasonable goal and set an appointment with you to follow up. Remember, docs: That which is reinforced is repeated. Reinforce even small steps forward you see in your patients. This can go a long way in encouraging them to continue making healthier choices. A step forward is a step forward. Notice and praise every single step forward your patient makes! Resting Metabolic Rate Resting Metabolic Rate (or RMR) is simply the energy needed to keep the body functioning when it’s at rest. In other words, RMR describes how many calories it takes to live if you’re just relaxing. Resting Metabolic Rate can vary quite a bit from one person to another, which may help explain why some people gain weight more quickly than others. And why some people seem to find it more difficult to lose weight than others. There are some factors related to metabolism that you can’t change, but there are actually some that you can influence and change. Things you cannot change about metabolic rate: Metabolic rate decreases with each passing decade, which means the older you are, the slower your metabolism gets, making weight loss more difficult. Sorry ladies - Men generally have a higher metabolism, meaning they burn calories more quickly than women. You can inherit your metabolic rate from previous generations - which can be a benefit… or not. An underactive or overactive thyroid gland can slow down or speed up metabolism. Some things you can do to influence your metabolism and burn more calories include: Eat small, frequent meals. Drink ice water. You can boost metabolism temporarily with aerobic exercise. You can boost metabolism in the long run with weight training. PATIENTS: I’ll bet you didn’t there was much of anything you could do that would increase your metabolism. I’m hoping you choose to implement the ways you can help your body burn more calories. And what do you know? They are completely consistent with healthy post-op behaviors that you’re supposed to do anyway: 1) Eat small, frequent meals. CHECK. 2) Drink water (so add ice and boost that RMR). CHECK. 3) Engage in exercise, both aerobic and weight bearing. CHECK. There’s no reason NOT to anymore! (That’s a slogan from a really old commercial…) The point is, your specific RMR is both something that is unique to you, and that will slow down with age, is gender-influenced, and can be affected by thyroid issues. Accept the things you cannot change and DO the things you can to get the most out of your own, unique RMR. You DO have choices! Opt not to make excuses and JUST DO THE THINGS YOU CAN! DOCTORS: I’m pretty sure that educating patients is in your job description. Even though you have an allotted set of minutes during which to accomplish all your goals with a patient, point out the ways they can boost their metabolism while you’re looking into their ears, or hitting them on the knee with that little hammer. Present it as a, “Hey! Guess what I was reminded of today?” sort of thing. It’ll probably be absorbed better than a mini-lecture. Leave yourself a sticky note in the patient’s folder to bring it up in your next session… and then a new educational point for the next meeting, along with the small goal you set with them so you can be sure to praise them for their efforts! Patients and Doctors and all Allied Health Professionals: We need to work together to do the following: 1) End Fat Shaming 2) End Blaming 3) End Lecturing 4) Encourage reciprocal AWARENESS and ACCOUNTABILTIY 5) Encourage reciprocal EDUCATION and DISCUSSION 6) Encourage reciprocal GOAL-SETTING and FOLLOW-UP Stay tuned for Part Two of BARIATRIC REALITIES: Causes of Obesity – What Factors can YOU Influence?

Look up the terms 'cross addiction' or 'addiction transference.' Cross addiction is a very common phenomenon in the bariatric surgery population. Instead of overeating, many weight loss surgery patients simply adopt another addiction (e.g. alcohol abuse, shopping, smoking, gambling, risky sex, video gaming). Essentially, bariatric surgeons operate on our stomachs and not our brains. Therefore, overeaters who abused food still have addicted brains after weight loss surgery. Nothing, other than professional help, will properly address a person's addictive tendencies. Yes, the wine leads to weight gain, especially in the quantities you drink. It is full of empty calories. Combined with the sedentary lifestyle, it's a perfect recipe for weight regain.

I started Nuvaring because I was getting nauseous with birth control and it is working great. No weight gain and all of the benefits of being on BC (greatly minimized TOM issues). I highly recommend it. I should have gone with this option years ago.

First, here's my idea of how stress has affected you thus far in regards to your health. PLEASE forgive me if I'm being preachy. When we're under a lot of stress the body naturally goes into Fight or Flight mode. While this would work well if you were being chased by godzilla, stress causes numerous physiological responses. For the most part these are good but if you're under continuous stress the body isn't able to function as well over time. In the fight or flight response, the adrenal glands enlarge and spit out large amounts of adrenal cortical hormones. Cortisol, the name of the hormone, has been scientifically proven to cause weight gain because the body thinks that you're in a stressful situation and you may not get food for a while. So it holds onto every last calorie. Just a side note, when cortisol is released the body stops all healing processes and redirects energy to the vital organs. If you are healing from an injury or SURGERY, you need to be low stress to get better. Overtime, chronically elevated cortisol levels lead to abdominal fat, suppressed immunal function and even chronic fatigue syndrome. sleep plays a major role in stress reduction and weight loss. Grehlin a hormone in your stomach can cause you to feel VERY hungry and sleep deprivation raises levels of grehlin and cortisol. Both are released under stress and fatigue which probably significantly contributed to your weight gain thus far. However, I would think (I'm not a doctor yet, just studying medicine.... My mom's a nutritionist/dietician so I grew up with this stuff!) that with the band it will be easier to control your hunger but you might still have head hunger. For that, I would suggest seeing a therapist and getting some extra help for your mom. Also, if your stress continues to be a problem or you have trouble with being hungry after fills, there are all sorts of herbal remedies for helping with adrenal function. Ask your pcp for more information about what would be best for you. Hope this helps. Best of luck. With love, Sheila P.S. I know it's really tough... my grandparents are VERY resistent to change and caring for my grandfather's cancer and my grandmother's diabetes and alcoholism can be VERY stressful and tiring.

My name is Becky and I just turned 21, I'm a nursing student and am engaged to the love of my life. I started my WLS journey in November of 2012 and got the gastric sleeve at the end of December 2012. My starting weight was 260. From the moment I woke up, I had a stricture and had pain with swallowing. We decided as I healed this would calm down and eating would become less painful. Well, that never happened..I've had roughly 10 endoscopy's and they have dilated the stricture each time hoping to help ease the pain. I've been hospitalized for pain and malnutrition roughly 5-6 times and it's been a tough journey. Now it's July of 2014 and I haven't eaten solid food since my surgery in 2012. I am in constant pain and have been taking the liquid Vicodin on and off this whole time. Living life has been a real struggle because I can't get in enough Protein or Water to stay energized or hydrated so I sleep a lot. I was a relatively healthy (besides some comorbitities) full time nursing student and now I'm barely staying afloat in school. I've pushed back my clinicals which pushes back my graduation date because I just don't have the energy to start them; plus I'm in the hospital so often that I miss class which is not allowed once I start working in the hospital. I went back to my surgeon two months ago and they ran all sorts of tests, he told me if I didn't get this fixed I was heading in the direction of Barret's and esophageal cancer which scared the crap out of me at 21. He said the only way to fix the severe esophageal spasms and the swollen inflamed stricture is to revise to a bypass which would stop the bile reflux and change the anatomy of the stomach which will hopefully help the irregular pressures in my esophagus and let the stricture heal. I agreed since that seemed to be the only option AND I haven't lost any weight...ZERO. It's because I can't eat what I'm supposed to eat, I can barely get down pudding and ice cream much less vegetables or protein so my metabolism is basically shut down and I'm stuck. We are hoping the bypass fixes my pain but it would also be an added bonus to lose the weight like I originally planned. We had set a date of 7/11/2014 which is today but I got a call on Wednesday saying the insurance retracted my approval because they want another EGD done. He did the EGD on that same Wednesday and came back out to talk to me about what he found. He said it's significantly worse than it was two months ago, my esophagus is eroding from the bile that keeps irritating the already swollen stricture. I asked about Barret's and he said not YET...so scary! My surgeon himself called the medical director of the insurance company to tell him how badly I need this surgery. He said he would be very surprised if we didn't get it approved and set a new date for next Friday. Here's to hoping I suppose. I will keep you guys informed when I have a date and I will update on how I'm feeling. Hopefully in a couple of months this will be another success thread, I'm crossing my fingers and toes! I already have all of my Vitamins and Protein shakes from the last go around and have tried a ton of stuff and have a ton of experience with all things bariatric that are soft. I'm happy to answer any questions anyone has and am thankful for all of the support that you guys provide. My current weight is the same as my starting weight at 260 but like I said, I'm more concerned with the pain stopping than the weight gain although I'm hopeful that this will help me with both. My surgeon wants to keep me 2 nights in the hospital and saying the surgery will take 2-3 hours. I'll post pictures soon and update the title with the date we select..hopefully it will be 7/18. Pictures: Pre-Sleeve 2012: Pre-Bypass 2014: Recent Face Shot 2014: UPDATE: Surgery is approved but won't happen until August 1st because my surgeon is out of town I'm keeping my head up and am thankful that it is approved at all even if the date is farther out than I had been hoping. I will keep everyone updated and am on a cancellation list so maybe I'll get in sooner.

Having gone through this, I can tell you my symptoms: I had pain in the abdomen area, the port area was very tender as was my stomach. I found I was not feeling any restriction any longer. Also, and it took me a while to figure this one out; weight gain. I gained almost 30 pounds and was in denial the whole time. If you feel you have slipped, do not hesitate, check it out right away.

Sleeve stretching aside-I just came across this article regarding sodas: Diet-Soda Belly It's not surprising that drinking all the sugar in sodas would cause weight gain, but what is surprising is that even diet soda will pack on the pounds: Researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center monitored 475 adults for 10 years, and found that those who drank diet soda had a 70 percent increase in waist circumference over the 10-year study, compared with those who didn't drink any soda. Those who drank more than two diet sodas per day saw a 500 percent waist expansion! A separate study the same researchers conducted on mice suggested that it was the aspartame, which raised blood glucose levels, that caused the weight gain; when your liver encounters too much glucose, the excess is converted to body fat. Also: Researchers looked at people’s diet soda consumption between the years 2000 and 2002, and then screened them for type 2 diabetes between 2002 and 2007, People who drank at least one diet soda a day at the beginning of the study had a 67 percent higher relative risk of type 2 diabetes compared with the people who drank none. Zero-calorie soda also increased the risk of metabolic syndrome—a group of risk factors linked to obesity that increase your chances of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke—by 36 percent. So even diet sodas have their problems

Tough Love: Alcohol slows lipid oxidation (the burning of fat) by about 75%. So yes, it's likely the alcohol causing your weight gain. And it's probably contributing to your nutritional deficiencies. You should be eating nutritious food, not alcohol. Particularly if you are deficient. DUI is selfish and dangerous. You are extremely lucky that you...or anyone else.... wasn't injured/killed by your poor choices. 3-4 mixed drinks, or a whole bottle of wine a night....is an addiction. I think you're trading one dangerous addiction (food) for an even more dangerous addiction (alcohol). Try to stop drinking for a month. If you can't? Seek help. I don't mean this to sound overly harsh, it sounds like you've been through a lot. But sometimes being kind means being honest....even if the truth hurts a little. Please take care and let us know how you're doing.

I was diagnosed with hypothyroid about 10 yrs ago and even after starting synthroid I struggled with with severe weight gain. To make a long story short.... I finally found an enternist who would actually take the time to listen to me. She explained to me that thyroid medication is one of those medications where there can be a huge difference between name brand and generic. After 9 yrs of taking levothyroxine, she put me on synthroid (take exactly as instructed) and my levels have been in normal range every since. It's a little more pricy for name brand, but definitely worth it! I'm 3.5 weeks post op and have lost 15 pounds. Im 35 yrs old and I haven't felt this good since I was in high school.

thanks for all your support. i so look forward to the journey. i spend so much time on this forum and looking at before and after photos. i have even dreamed of issues related to the sleeve. so my mind is thinking even when i am sleeping. regarding my baby's birth. i have had infertility issues for the past 13 years. not weight related but related to an autoimmune disease. in the end after years of trying every thing and having multiple miscarries we sought our a gestational carrier for our children. my daughter is now 5 1/2 months old and our new baby will be born the end of august. i am totally in love. when i think about my children i just do not want them to witness my struggle with obesity. i know food will always have to be monitored but my relationship with food will be more normal i think with the sleeve. as for timing. i hope to have the sleeve the first week of august. if all works out i will have surgery about two to three weeks before our new baby arrives and hope to be feeling better by that point. i will then continue my recovery from surgery as i am also on maternity leave from my work. with having surgery i will also be able to use up my big bank of sick time and not use my vacation time on my maternity leave. so i think that is a great plan. at this time i am planning on going to dr aceves for my surgery since i have a bmi of 31.8 and will be self pay. i am a nurse and never thought i would consider mexico. i did talk to a doctor in tucson and he said i would not even qualify for his program. point blank. so for surgery in tucson i would need to wait for several years and more weight gain and more comorbidities..... that just seems crazy!!! i have 70-75 lbs to loose. and i have been on some kind of diet it seems my whole life.... well at least planning some sort of diet. the more i read of dr aceves and his program in mexicalli i get more convinced he is the doctor for me. i love that he has so many patients on this board that highly recommend him and from what i can find on my own research a great reputation and wonderful surgical stats. so that is that. thanks again for your support. kelly

It has been almost 3 yrs since I had been banded and I have started gaining weight!! I have have no major issues with the band, NO pain, NO anything out of the normal except major STRESS for the past year sitting all day working at a job I absolutely hate. I moved, working hard at getting my life in order. NONE the less there is a problem here I am so not sure what is going on. I do not seem to be eating anything out of the norm of what I had been but maybe what I had been has been wrong from the get go. I moved to NJ a little over a year ago and although my doctor is one of the best in the state I really feel as if he is not the best for me. I had a couple very small fills and it has been almost 8 or 9 months since he filled my band the last time. Now with the weight gain he seems to think that the band has reached its point of no use. It has NOT even been 3 yrs! He now wants to remove it and put in a sleeve..WHAT another surgery I DON'T THINK SO>> Now keep in mind that since I have found him when I moved here, He has not one time done an ultra sound to make sure all was ok with the band, not one time did he even do any kind of xray! Really how would he know anything was up or not.. So bottom line here is this, I have gained weight and I mean like 10 lbs of weight and I am angry with me and at him because his quick fix is to take out the band and do another surgery without every getting to the root of the problem. I am going to a new surgeon here closer to my home who once again has come to me highly recommend from many different directions and hopefully we can figure out what is going on. Maybe I just need a fill! Maybe there is a leak in the band, maybe something horrible is going on and I just don't know. Although if something very bad was going on I think I might know, don't you? I have been getting a bit of heartburn as of late so I am really a bit nervous about it... Please help..any thoughts or personal insight would be helpful. My appointment is at 2pm Est today Michele

I have currently experienced weight gain due to stress eating during a divorce process. I had RNY gastric bypass in 2012. I lost nearly 80 lbs. My highest weight was 280 lbs before surgery and support group. My lowest weight was 176 about 8 months after surgery. I had emergency gallbladder surgery in 2014. I had severe complications with internal bleeding and bile drainage. 5 surgeries were performed in a 2 month period to fix me. Soon after my gallbladder surgery, my husband and I separated. And I started seeing myself decline. Under the advice of my gynecologist, I had my tubes tied to prevent pregnancy. Slowly, I began to become sluggish and lazy, and so did my metabolism. I have gained 28 pounds back, and I am not happy. I blame myself most days. Please provide any information that would help. Sent from my SGH-T399N using the BariatricPal App

I am with you on the first 6 months. I lost my maximum weight the first 3-6 months. Then it slowed down when I reached 175 lbs. Then I kept it off, until I had complications with internal bleeding from gallbladder surgery. Then, soon after that, I had my tubes tied and I started to gain. I don't drink carbonated drinks. But, I do drink sweet tea occasionally. I do live in the south, so sweet tea is our choice of refreshment. Lol I am NOT complaining about my surgery at all, it has helped me keep my diabetes under control. My biggest problem right now is carbohydrates. Mostly snacking in between meals. Ive started taking CLA and Fat Burner along with a lean muscle mass supplement. And drinking at least 3 route 44 waters a day from Sonic. Lol hahaha I really love the crushed ice, reminds me of a slushie. I think its a mental thing, the crushed ice makes the Water exciting. My workout schedule needs tweaking. Mostly hit and miss when it comes to the gym. I have been trying to start walking around every day at our local park. And along with the water, and whatnot, I have noticed a significant impact on my bloating and weight gain. Starting to feel light on my feet again. I created a secondary page on Facebook, to use as an journal just between me and my counselor. I can keep up with my meals with posting about my meal with a picture. I need a few buddies on Facebook to keep me motivated though. Barbie Ann

I can't think of a better reason to experience a weight gain than two beautiful babies :frown: Welcome back--you've done it before, so you know you can do it now! The husband is tricky. I understand personal preferences, but "chubby" leaves a lot of room for leeway. In your shoes, I'd work hard to get to a weight that is healthy. He loves you, not your body fat. (I mean, my husband admires leggy 22-year-olds. I'm not leggy, and I'm not 22. It's just a preference, and I'd drive myself insane if I felt I had to become what I'm not.)

Thank you! I honestly wasn't fishing just wanting to show that I'm not a waif. And now today I am bout 13lbs heavier than that pic (which was actually taken 1.5 weeks post plastics so there is a bit of Water retention in them still).I know you weren't fishing ???? But i like to recognize hard work... Its interesting how different everyone can look.... being the same weight... I think you look very healthy and toned, and don't worry about the little weight gain... you have room for movement ????

I'm anxious to here replies to this also. My band slipped about 10 mths ago and even with unfills/fills/tweaks, it's still slipped. Since I have no symptoms now (I only have about 6 cc in a 14cc band now), my dr is leaving it alone, but I'm getting tired of dieting to prevent weight gain when I have a tool inside not doing it's job. Thinking about having it replaced sometime in the future and I was wondering these same things. I hate to start ALL OVER again, with all of the fills and whatnot, but I'm almost at goal and wish to stay there forever and I know without it I'll gain all the weight back. This time, however, I will follow all of the rules and NOT VOMIT everyday! So I'm also interested in hearing from people that have had a revision done.... Marci

I liked your entire post, but this part right here I think helps especially, if you can have a partner that's supportive, even better, if they're going through what you are. My wife has been going through weight gain herself. I see her diet is quite high in carbs, and she also has PCOS plus another allergy issue that stems from her pregnancy (was supposed to go away after giving birth but it didn't). She actually tried to get into weight management but they said she's not fat enough (5ft3 208 lbs, up from 115 lbs), though we both thought the PCOS would have pushed that over the top. Her support during this time is invaluable and it would have made life much tougher had she not been supportive or if I had been doing this alone. She's certainly going to need me in a similar way to be supportive when she goes through her weight loss, and I'll be in a much better position to help, besides kicking her in the ass to quit drinking soda and eating so many carbs per day.

Hi, I am new here and was looking for someone to talk with. I had my surgery on Nov. 20, 2014. The first month i had real problems, I couldn't eat or drink with out bring it back up. I went for 36 days with out eating or drinking alot, finally drs did a EGD and opened up the bottom of my pouch, sorry for got to tell you I had the Rou - Y bypass surgery. After that I seem to do better I have lost 40 pounds before surgery on my own and have lost the rest after everything got fixed. My weight now is 195 pounds and i started out at 279. But as of now I have been on a two week stall no weight gained or losted and I am really upset about it because I don't have anyone to help me or talk to around here where i live. There isn't any support groups and when i call the hospital to talk to someone there isn't anyone I can talk to. I have to leave messages everywhere and it is getting to me i have been crying all the time and my husband don't know what to say to me. I walk about two miles a day and Water excercise twice a week. I am not good getting my water in or my Protein, it just seems so hard to do. I eat what I am to eat and don't eat in between and have my snack at night. I really need some help. Thanks for listening to me, if any one can help please tell me .

Thx for the responses - I for some reason am hardly ever thirsty - you think bad water intake may be contributing to weight gain? I know a pound or two isn’t a big deal because it will come off but I guess I’m trying to connect it to fluid intake so I can force myself to drink more.

I wish to God I'd had it done at a BMI of 33---all the time (and weight gain despite perpetual ---correct, supervised---dieting) didn't change the fact that I require a level of intake so low that it was impossible to maintain, long-term, without the band. My doctor jokingly called me "only a little morbidly obese" when I had my first consult. But I view obesity kind of like pregnancy---you are, or you aren't. Why should people spend years working their way into ill health before intervention? Wouldn't you have preferred to have YOUR surgical intervention before you became 150 pounds overweight? It defies logic. The idea is to PREVENT the health problems associated with obesity! Ah, well this is where your thinking goes a bit astray. The 35-40 BMI isn't driven by doctors (or "medical engineers") who think it's best to wait. It's driven by insurers who don't want to pay for surgery.

I was sleeved 7-12 and only had to do 5 days of Protein n Water now can do pureed foods. My question is...how the hell am I gaining weight already?!?! I lost 21 lbs on 2 week liquid diet then 5 lbs after surgery n now I'm up 5 lbs from my lowest! I'm agrivated, disappointed, wondering what I'm doing so wrong? I drink my water, I can have pureed meat n can't eat a lot of it obviously a cpl small bites n I'm done. I just wonder am I doing something wrong? Is this not gonna work for me even though my stomach is small? Maybe I'm just meant to be fat no matter what... ☆Jeni☆