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If I had a STABLE BMI of 38 and I wasn't afraid of going higher then No, I would not even consider this procedure. BUT my situation is much different than yours. When I was in the low 200s, my shape was very much a pear shape. I held most of my weight in my thighs and hips and very little in my abdomen. I had no comorbidities(and still don't even at 40 years old and 330 pounds) I had no joint pain at that weight. I could do everything I wanted to do.... I could even jog and I could hike for 20 miles in a single day! so no. I would not have had the surgery at a 38 BMI unless it was to prevent future weight gain... NOW, If I was YOU, I would DEFINITELY have the surgery. If you have comorbidities, then your body is begging you to lose the weight. No two bodies are the same so it's really not fair to compare. I was in a way "blessed" genetically. Yeah, I do have some thyroid issues.. and I have a propensity to gain and hold on to weight and compounded with a healthy appetite and not always the best choices I wound up at 330 pounds... BUT I have low cholesterol, no signs of heart disease, normal liver profile, normal blood sugar.. etc. I am fortunate. Not everyone can be so lucky, so I say take advantage of this surgery in order to combat against your genetic predisposition! Best wishes to you!

I believe that any weight gain through menopause is due to bad eating habits. I may or may not be menopausal. I had a hysterectomy last year but I still have my ovary(only one) and I am not sure if it is functioning or not. I get the occasional hot flush but far more cold flushes. I have no idea what a libido is , I may have had one once but that was a long time ago. I used to have a brilliant memory , I could watch the first 5 seconds of a TV show and remember the whole thing, these days I know I've seen it before but it comes back to me slowly. I don't think I'm moody but my kids might beg to differ. I have been getting quite bad palpitations - I have just been for blood tests to try to find the cause so I'm not sure if I can blame those on menopause yet or not. I have gained a couple of kgs since the beginning of the year. Is that because of menopause? Well it would be nice if I could blame that but realistically I think it is because I am eating more junk. I haven't been working much so I'm at home bored and surrounded by temptation. I think what you need to do is be honest with yourself. Make a note of what you are eating. You can use a site like my fitness pal or just write it down or even take photo's. You will probably be surprised. It is quite likely that odd Snacks have crept in here or there and the calories soon add up. Good luck, hope you get back on track soon. I need someone to kick my a@@e and get me back on track.

I was banded on February 7, 2012, ten months ago. So what has changed? Ten Months Ago Today Weight 250lbs Weight 175lbs BMI 37 BMI 25 Pant size 22 Pant size 10 3 different meds for high blood pressure Don’t take any meds for high blood pressure Diagnosed pre-diabetic All blood work is NORMAL Hated myself, depressed Very happy with myself! Isolated myself, no friends Love all my new friends (especially the Banded Bs) Couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs without being out of breath Walk up 8 floors of stairs to my office every morning When I started this journey I knew I would have to change a lot of things (food I ate, volume I ate, exercise, etc…), I knew it would be a long hard journey and I hoped I would have the strength to be successful. Now here I am ten months later, at goal and starting the next chapter of my journey (maintaining). I make it sound easy, but I have to say IT’S NOT! I struggled many times. I got frustrated and wished I didn’t have to follow the rules. I had weight gains and plateaus. BUT, I didn’t give up. I kept plugging along and it worked. Here I am happier than I have been in 30 years. Now, I am focused on maintaining my weight and hopefully saving enough money for a tummy tuck next year. Lol To all the newly banded or about to be banded, success is a wonderful thing. It takes hard work, dedication and wantpower (CG I love your term). I love my band!!!!

I have gone back and forth on 1.5lb this week so no real change trying not to think about it and keep moving!!! Did anyone find that muscle weight gain made it challenging to see some loss? I have been focusing on work out and see loss of inches but weight is hovering at not moving.

Anyone else experience weight gain years after Gastric-Sleeve? I'm almost 200 lbs again and very frustrated. I know a few things I'm doing wrong - not getting enough nutrient dense foods, too many non- nutrients rich foods/calories - not enough water *I hate drinking water - not enough exercise - Depression and stress have taken their toll. Now I need to 'start over'. WIth a busy life - 4 children ages 10-30 and 2 3 yo grandchildren - 3 part time jobs - volunteer positions at church - it's hard to focus on self-care. I need help, encouragement, focus and answers to reverse the effects of it all. Hoping to get some practical advise here to help me get my life back on track. I want to live a long healthy life and just struggle with the enormity of variety and choices in the diet and health world...

agree with "Fluffychix" "you have to your health a priority." I was pushing and fighting for revision "due to GERD, gastritis, a hernia and weight gain." I fought for revision. Lost some battles and now on the road to winning. I can possibly get revised. However, when I achieved my goals over the mandatory next 6 months waiting period? I will no longer need revision. Well, I hope with medical support my weight loss and health goals will be achieved. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using BariatricPal mobile app

I thought about doing that, but I toughed it out. My doctor felt like it would be better for my sleeve surgery to have been unfilled prior to. His nurse said maybe two weeks before, but I went in a month before. It has gone fast, but the weight gain was fast too...

Scotland is very strict with our NHS and each area within Scotland is different too. I'm NHS Glasgow and it's taken me 10 years to get this far within the weight managment programme. Our basic timeline is like this. 1: GP sends referral if classed as morbid obese - referral can take 6 months. 2. Interview with dietitian and papers signed for referral to classes. Another 6-8 weeks before placement. 3. 12 classes to start with, one each fortnight, and during this if you lose more than 11lbs you are discharged. 4. If weight not lost then 4 classes, one each month, again if you reach 11lbs your discharged. If you gain more than 11lbs without obvious reason then you are discharged as proves your not trying 5. Repeat above with medication called Orlistat - 11Lb rule still applies . 6. If weight still not lost then you come back within 2 months to start a pre surgical class and get dates for the 4 mandatory classes that take place every 2 weeks. During this time you need to have weight loss and go on a practice surgical diet. 7. By the time you have done 2 classes you should have seen the surgeon, THEY make the final decision and will put you on the waiting list. If approved you normally will have surgery within 12 weeks. During this time you must lose weight or maintain with no more than 2Lb weight gain either way. Forgot to say, if you do leave by choice or discharged, you must wait 13 months before referral again and another 6 months potentially for going into all the classes again. No fast track happens and the rules have just changed in NHs so diabetics only get surgery unless special case. Getting plastic surgery for a Panni etc is even more difficult as you MUST have a skin infection or irritation for over a year before weight loss began or surgery was completed Hope this helps Fridge Pickers Wear Bigger Knickers ????

You bet! At 7 years post op, it’s definitely harder. I’m up 35 pounds from my goal weight I maintained for quite a few years. But life happened, and I went back to old habits. As time goes on after surgery, the easier it is to overeat. I’m happy to say I’m back on track again! And let me tell you, eating less and eating protein and lots of fiber has really brought my sleeve restriction back! I’m down 5 pounds and am already feeling physically better. Guys, don’t ignore weight gain after maintenance. You’ll have some “bounce” weight where your body wants to be, and that’s completely normal. But any gain after that take seriously. I was doing the “It’s only 10 pounds” It’s only 15 pounds” until 35 pounds, and then was like “What the hell happened??” I don’t want to get tiny again like the pic on the left at my lowest. I was comfortable at 160, and that’s realistically what I’m shooting for. I can do this! And YOU can, too! Oh, pic on the right is me currently.

Hi: I am wondering if you take meds with MS that are interfering with your weight loss? My Sister has MS and was taking meds that had a side effect of weight gain. Maybe you should discuss your weight issues with your Neurologist, Nutritionist, and your band doctor. Another thing I thought of when reading your post was whether you are getting enough nutrition or not. Are you getting at least 1200 calories per day? If not, you could be making your body go into "starvation" mode. I hope things improve for you soon. Sue

I'm not banded but I can try and give you some advice! Your first 2 weeks is usually when you see the weight drop quickly, especially if you had to do a liquid pre-op diet. Once you start moving on to more solid foods, a weight gain is not uncommon and shouldn't get you discouraged! A ton of people experience up to 10lbs of weight gain as their bodies shift from liquids to mushies or semi-solids. And walking will help you with the gas pain. And Gas X strips are recommended by lots. I hope this helps some! And welcome!! :thumbup:

Merhaba! I am American and have been married to a Turkish man for over 15 years and we have 3 kids that all are fluent in Turkish. I love his culture and want my kids to understand that side of there heritage. We live in Michigan, but we go back to Istanbul every summer for 6 weeks. One of my main concerns is tea time! I'm not wanting to tell my husbands family about the sleeve surgery since I had the lapband before and they acted like it was the easy way out. I felt like they couldnt appreciate that I worked hard to lose the weight and felt constantly judged, even more than when I was overweight! When my appendix ruptured in 2010, they had to remove the band because I became septic, and I've gained 80 lbs back in 2 years. Last summer I felt so depressed while we were there because pretty much everyone mentioned my weight gain. It's like it proved their point that the band did the work for me and now that it was gone, I was a failure. I'm getting sleeved next week, so I am hoping to lose at least 60 lbs by July when we go back to Turkey. I plan to tell them I lost it from portion control and exercise. Now, back to why I'm concerned about tea time! In Turkey they have tea twice a day with little appetizers and cookies/biscuits. If I can't eat and drink tea at the same time, I feel like it will be obvious and I may have to explain why. Has anyone 6 months out had little sips while they eat? I guess I'm being kind of ridiculous, but even my husband agrees that it will be easier to not have to explain my surgery to them. I think its mostly because he doesn't want to have to translate for me though! Lol... I speak Tarzan Turkish. I can understand a good amount, but when I speak, I guess I mix up the subject and verb and speak in a very simple way. Sorry for the novel! So nice to meet others from that side of the world!

I don't ever remember fitting into a size 8 or 10 so I would be so happy to get to either of those. I wore 18s in high school and 12/14/16 I think I missed size 8/10 completely (rapid weight gain after losing our house to a fire). I'm not too concerned with weight like you said as long as the scale number is going down

I normally just read the comments, but this time time I feel this one. I in sync with you. I went on a 3 week vacation right after I had my fluid decreased. Now I can't seem to get back on track. My weight gain has taken my energy. How can I get started again. I did get a refill and throw up whenever I eat something negative. Am I the only one who has experienced this? If not, what did you do to get your rhythm back?

Your band can get tighter because of stress. I had this happen when I had to go to St. Louis for a few days. The trip wasn't stressful, but I never felt that I had enough time to eat. Many people notice that their bands get tighter during their period -- well, right before it and when it first starts. My theory, you ask? Alot of women retain water before their period (thus the weight gain)...I think that affects the band too. Causes things ALL OVER to swell. If you had a PB, you should back off a little bit. If a PB was bad enough, your stomach might have been irritated because of the PB making you even tighter than you were before. This is very common -- alot of surgeons recommend going back to liquids for 12-24 hours after a PB because of this. The restriction may have kicked in. Alot of people swear that they don't feel their fill until 2-3 weeks after it. I haven't ever experienced this and I personally can't figure out the "science" behind it, but so many people have said it, that I just got to believe it to be true.

First of all I take it you are currently obessee? the lap band system is designed for use with folks with 100 or more pounds to loose. If fifty is all you need to sheed I'd continue with your carb free diet and exercise along with your insulin sensitizing tablet. (glumetta?) If that tablet is not doing the trick I'd ask about metformin it is a stronger insulin sensitizing agent and many with pcos take it to lower their insulin and possibly give the body an easier time to ovulate. If you continue to gain weight as if often the case with pcos I'd deffinately look into surgery and you can get pregnant sometimes with pcos if your body dropps enough weight(they are called "band babies"). Look into the lap band and how the system works and ask questions about health durring pregnancy with the band with your surgon if this is the route you choose. I have pcos and i'm obesse I have about 80 or so more pounds to loose before I can even think about getting pregnant. But because i've lost over fifty so far, my doctor's office told me to be "careful". This pcos can be a real bear with the weight gain so keep an eye on your gain/loss and report any adverse effects to your doctor ASAP. Because it seems like with me overnight i'd put on fifty plus pounds, but also withn six months i've lost over fifty. **** luck let me know what you choose.--icestorm

Hello Everyone.... I am not new here...I have actually been banded since May 5, 2005. I am struggling and need to get myself back on tract soooo here I am. I actually was very very very close to meeting my goal. Then, I got pregnant. I had my beautiful baby girl in December 2009~ and have not dropped the weight I gained with her. I was diabetic during my pregnancy so I think that sorta contributed to my weight gain...but I also fell off the radar and didnt do much in regard to keep my weight down.. I got all the Fluid removed from my band in the beginning of the pregnancy...and I didnt follow up with my LapBand doctor. I screwed up....ALOT..... BUT I am here now and I am recommiting to do this. I have set certain goals for myself and I am going back on the plan and I hope that within 6 weeks, by March 4th I would like to drop atleast 16 pounds. I am very much considering bypass surgery.....but.... I want to know I have done everything I can do with this LapBand before going through yet another surgery. As it stands right now, I am at 260 pounds, 5 foot 4 inches tall. When I got banded back in 2005 I weighed in at 289...... At my lowest weight during the last almost seven years, I was at 168 pounds~!~!~!~ I am an emotional wreck over this weight loss challange.... I recently also lost my father who was my biggest supporter in getting banded in the first place.....at this point....I am clawing my way back up, or down the weight loss ladder..... and I hope to reconnect with some old friends I made here...along with make some new ones..... Thanks for reading....and I will talk to you soon~!~ Ciao

you are me. I'm 9 weeks out. I had no other issues outside of PCOS (on the verge of diabetes). I have impeccable eating habits as well. Any more weight gain could have pushed me into a whole different territory. I wanted to be around for my kids like my eating habits show. Surgery has helped me lose almost 50 lbs in just 9 weeks. You have to be ready though and their is no shame in changing your mind. It's such a personal decision. I can say for me I thought I was happy and confident prior to surgery, but my actual weightloss has revealed something completely different. I'm truly finding myself now.

Just to give you a different perspective! I had lap RNY 2-1/2 years ago. I have recently gotten banded on top of it because I began to gain with the RNY. My stomach grew and my system got used to whatever they did. I find the weight gain and diets a common theme after 2 years post op!! With the band, you just get a fill.

I agree with elcee...menopause does not need to include weight gain, despite the gyrating hormones and possible feelings of depression. What can easily cause weight gain during this phase of life is antidepressant medications and a lack of exercise due to the depressed mood. Menopause is another phase of life...accept it for what it is...I experienced daily hot flashes which caused my skin to get flushes and my hair to become wet from perspiration within a matter of only a few minutes. HRT did help, though I was only on it for a minimum amount of time. Try to continue your daily structure of exercise and monitor what you eat. Any mood changes you experience will be tied to the chemical changes in your body. It's going to become even more important for you to get your Calcium daily.Likely your metabolism will also be slowing...so look for ways to keep that as active as possible. Menopause is life changing, but it doesn't need to be weight changing as well... Best wishes...

I lost 22 pounds in my 2 week liver shrinking diet and in the hospital I noticed I had gained back 3lbs. I am 4 days out of surgery and have gained and I was following everything perfectly. I am also frustrated because I expected to at least lose not gain. I talked to my surgeon and he told me that before surgery and during your hospital stay, they pump you full of fluids in your IV. So some people experience swelling of the ankles, feet, hands, and arms that is from the fluid. The fluid makes them have weight gain. However, once the fluid is urinated out over a couple weeks you will notice the weight loss. I'm not saying this is what is going on with you but it's something to consider that could be the problem.

Today is my first year bandiversary! I have lost 173 lbs this year and have gone from a size 28 to a size 14, from super morbidly obese to obese and teetering on the edge of overweight. This is a weird post to write. It feels like emotional homework. For whatever reason, I don't feel like taking inventory of all the things that have changed for me this year -- the new me is so good that I don't want to waste a single second on the time I spent unbanded. Not that they were bad years in every way -- of course not -- it's just that who I am now is who I'm supposed to be. I'm so content and so confident that I've found the long-term solution to my weight management that I don't need to focus on the way things were anymore. Does that make sense? <O:p</O:p<O:p Anyway, for those of you just starting out, I thought I’d give you my top 10's: 10 reasons to get banded:<O:p</O:p <O:p</O:p (1) I lost from 358 to 185 in exactly one year without doing anything I'd consider extraordinary. I'd like to lose 30 or 40 more, but if I don't, who cares. Life in Onederland can't be beat. <O:p</O:p(2) I can travel so much more comfortably. Since I live 10 states from my family, that's a huge deal. I can fly Air Tran and not pay to select my seat ahead of time because if I get stuck in the middle, it simply doesn't matter. I don't live in the world of seatbelt extenders anymore. In fact, I almost like being in the middle seat because I can sit there just as comfortably as anywhere else. (3) food has lost its importance in my life. I don't count the minutes or hours until my next binge. I don't order 2 (or more) Entrees at a "to go" place and come home and eat until I fall asleep. I actually enjoy going to a restaurant or cooking a good meal more now because I still feel good afterwards, since I only eat a reasonable portion for my body. Food doesn't kill the whole night. (4) I fit into life again. I used to walk up 4 blocks to make sure I got a single seat on the bus. Now I don't bother. If I get a double seat on the inside, that's fine too. I fit in a subway seat. I never worry about getting into a friend's car and whether the seatbelt will be comfortable. I don't worry about breaking office chairs our lawn chairs or whether a theater seat will accommodate me. (5) I've found other things that are almost as fun as food. Manicures. Pedicures. New clothes. Haircuts. Even exercise. I didn't do any of those things before. It was too hard to voluntarily look in the mirror. (6) I'm an extrovert. I was always an extrovert, then somewhere along the path of gaining 200 lbs, I became an introvert. Except I wasn't really an introvert, I was a closet extrovert who acted introverted because of the limitations of my size. That's painful and I don't do it anymore. (7) I don't worry about my health on a daily basis. I used to think every little pain was a sign I was about to have a heart attack, whether it was a pain in my arm or a heart palpitation, etc. Now I know I'm healthy. (8) I take no medications. I don't need blood pressure meds. I'm not a walking time-bomb for diabetes. I don't have migraines, lower back pain, or foot pain when I get out of bed in the morning. I have excellent bladder control, even when I sneeze. (9) I'm starting to feel comfortable telling my "story." I didn't tell many people about getting banded. Now I'm more comfortable telling people. I truly don't get bogged down in anyone thinking it's the "easy way out." Anyone who thinks that doesn't understand WLS. And, even if it were the easy way out, who cares? I want the people I care about to have an easy way out of a horrible disease. I don't go out of my way to tell people I have a band, but if I'm asked directly about the weight loss, I don't try to hide it anymore. That feels good. (10) When I daydream about the future, it doesn't make me sad. I'm starting to believe the things I daydream about could actually happen. 10 Things That Helped Me and Might Help You With Your Banding: (1) Just hold your breath and get banded. Quit second-guessing yourself. I second guessed my decision for 3 years of "research" and if I'd just accepted that needing the band is a responsible solution to weight management and isn't a sign of failure, I'd be at goal right now instead of having wasted that time. Yes, I could have lost the weight on my own, as I'd done before, but the band is the only reasonable tool to lose AND keep it off. (2) Once you're banded, quit expecting to lose tons and tons of weight before you get a good fill. Being banded but without a good fill is almost like not being banded. Your cravings won't be dimmed until you're filled. Quit expecting this to be anything other than what it is. Get filled and you'll lose weight. It's frustrating because you just had WLS and it isn't really activated yet, but it will be, so hang in there. (3) Exercise at least a little as soon as you're physically able. Realize this has to be part of your new life in order to lose steadily and maintain for the long term. (4) If you're not losing 1-2 lbs a week, count your calories for a few days or weeks to see where you're going wrong. I happen to believe all weight loss is calories in compared to calories out. Not everyone believes it's exclusively this, but everyone believes it's at least in part this. You don't have to count calories all the time, but if you're frustrated with your progress, it's one way to speed things along. (5) Once you're 4 or 5 months into it, consider finding someone to mentor. It'll help you stay focused on your own journey to help someone else with theirs. (6) Don't worry about sagging skin. You may have some, but it's more attractive than fat, and even if it isn't, if you've lost so much weight that you have sagging skin, think of how much healthier you must be. (7) Don't worry about having to have a revision surgery. Lap band surgery isn't that big of a deal, in terms of surgical recovery for most people. If you have to have a revision, so be it. At least you'll be 100 lbs thinner and having surgery to STAY thinner, not to get thinner. Your recovery will be a ton easier at a lower BMI. (8) Accept the fact that being too tight is not healthy and won't necessarily help you to lose quicker. Get an unfill if you even suspect that need it -- if you suspect it, you really do probably need it. (9) See a therapist as often as you can during the weight loss phase, if you can at all afford it. With very limited exception, there are emotional reasons why we carry extra weight. Even for those with medical reasons for weight gain (PCOS, etc.) there are emotional issues that come up from carrying the weight, even if the emotions themselves were less of a factor in the actual gain. As the weight comes off, you have to deal with those issues or else you might stall until your mind catches up. (10) Quit blaming yourself for being fat. You're a cool person. You're doing something about your weight now. Forgive yourself for not doing something about it before. Just jump on board and do something about it now. There's a whole new world waiting on you. Thank you to all the moderators and members of LBT who have gone through this life changing year with me. You have been my most stable and constant source of support and I am so very grateful.

Wow, yeah there's no way you're eating too little. Especially considering your work outs, you must have a huge calorie deficit. I'd very strongly suggest going to your primary care doctor and making sure there's no medical issue causing the weight gain. Thyroid, blood sugar, hormones, or many other imbalances in the body can cause weight gain. If I were you, I'd get a full blood work up to make sure there isn't an underlying problem.

I know, people for some odd reason don't like to comment about weight loss, weight gain yes, loss no. . . I remember I had lost 100 lbs about 4-5 years ago, my mom, who hadn't seen me in over 2 years came to visit and didn't say a thing. . then just before she left from her visit she turned to me and said "don't lose too much, it's not healthy" . . . thanks mom. . .

1. Pouch - -the upper small part of the stomach created by the lap band. 2. The stoma – the outlet between the pouch and the rest of the stomach. 3. The band physically restricts the amount of food a person can eat at one time. 4. Digestion happens in the pouch, just like it does in the stomach. 5. Solid food should not immediately go through the stoma so the pouch fills up with food. 6. Liquids go through the stoma readily and also help solid food go through the lumen. If you drink before, during or after meals, more of the solid food will go through the stoma into the stomach. 7. Fills (inflating the band) help to keep food in the pouch longer. 8. Fills (inflating) with saline do not make the pouch smaller, only the stoma between the pouch and the stomach becomes smaller. 9. The band can be surgically repositioned to adjust the size of the pouch. 10. Leptin is present in our digestive system to regulate our appetite (and in turn, our weight). Leptin affects the hypothalamus and suppresses appetite. It also helps burn fat that is stored in adipose (fatty) tissue. 11. When the pouch is full of food, just like if the stomach is full, the hormone Leptin is released. This goes to the brain and sates the appetite. 12. If the band is too tight, meals are inadequate and so people eat more often and tend to eat easier to digest food such as carbohydrate. This can result in weight gain. 13. It is very unlikely that you will ever lose all of your excess weight with a lapband.