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I have very severe depression with some anxiety, severe enough that before they got me on the cocktail I'm taking now of medications that work for me, I was actively trying to suicide for over a year, and spent weeks, sometimes months at a time hospitalized. It took time before they found medication that was effective for me, I take high doses of Effexor, remeron and seroquel. I can never safely go off of them. My depression is very biological, I don't have normal brain chemistry on my own, and if I don't take medication, I go downhill, and fast. I was on the heavier side pre-depression and medication, but not obese. Most people on the medications I'm on, gain anywhere from 60-150lbs, it's standard, according to my psychiatrist. They are all 3 of them medications associated with weight gain, they slow my metabolism, they make me feel hungry all the time, and make me crave carbohydrates. They also cause me to overheat, and make me tired, making excerising anywhere than a swimming pool pretty much impossible. I gained 100lbs from the time I started taking them 4 years ago. Lap-band was a tricky decision for me, how would it work when so much of my weight gain was tied into my medications?, and the fact that I currently still have active depression, I don't get full relief with my meds, I'm unable to work, and I often find myself house bound and unable to get out, or exercise? Would/could lap band make a difference. Talking with my psychiatrist, my family Dr. and the surgeon, the answer seemed to be yes, it could make all the difference. If I don't take my medication my depression will kill me. If I don't lose weight, my body will. There was no other tool that may work for me. I'm two weeks post op. I have very rarely felt hunger, my caloric intake and my Protein, carb and fat intake I chart every day on fitday.com, I've averaged 1200 calories a day, and 75 grams of protein, low fat. I started my journey post-op 295, pre-op diet got me down to 280 day of surgery, and now I'm 274.5 (though my period started today, the day I normally weigh myself, and I -always- retain 3-7lbs. So I know it's even less than that). I believe it will work for me. I believe I can stay on my medications and can lose the weight. I don't believe the lap-band does it all, but it's a tool. I believe your mental and emotional health is -very- important. I also know from experience that anxiety left untreated can and often will deplete your brain chemsitry and can cause depression, and depression left untreated can worsen and worsen, and that the longer it goes untreated the more it takes to 'fix', if you have mild anxiety and or depression you need lower doses of medication typically to fix it, it will then often stabilize, your brain chemsitry will normalize, and you may be able to go off medication and maintain your own normal balance. The more severe your anxiety/depression is, and/or the longer it goes untreated, the more medication it takes to balance out to normal again, and the longer typically you need to use it, and sometimes, like with me, it becomes unlikely you can ever live without medication. My personal belief, is letting a mood disorder be untreated is like being a diabetic and not taking insulin when you need it, you are possibly causing yourself more damage, and you are diminishing your health and your quality of life. I know not everyone agrees, but that is how I see it, these are biochemical illnesses, and medicine helps restore normalicy. Yes there are side effects, but they are not insurmountable, maybe we will have to work a little harder than some other lap banders, life doesn't dole out fair portions on our plates. I would give your medications a try, I would at least see what happens, see if you can treat yourself with them and restore your mental/emotional health while still working on your healthy weight loss. Maybe it will slow it down, or even plateau for you, but maybe it won't, and maybe it will just be a temporary fix. Don't risk things getting worse with your mood, it's just not worth it. We're all different, we all have different health needs, consult with doctors you trust and decide what is safest and best for you, and the best of luck with it. XO Leila

Lynn, Glad to hear you are doing fine. Please take it easy as you don't want to overtire yourself. Getting up and moving around will definitely help with the gas pain from surgery. Make sure to drink your Protein drinks and get plenty of Water. Once on mushies you can get real creative. My favorite is refried Beans, chili con queso. I mix them together on my plate. Yummy. Also bean and bacon soup puree. It is very tasty and filling. Just remember that when you do go to solids you might see a little weight gain. During this phase you are healing from surgery and shouldn't be concerned with weight loss. The first fill will start giving you restriction. Right now you are wide open so will be able to eat once the swelling goes down. Good luck on your journey.

Julie, Look how darn cute you are in your cap and gown. You should be so proud. So I want to poll you guys: At any given time since having the lapband put on(other than complications do to a complete unfill and weight gain) what is the most you have gone up in weight???? I would love to know, now that you guys are about 18 months out and getting close to your goal weight, can you pretty much use the band to maintain????

Around 6 months ago I ran into a friend that had been sleeved and she looked amazing. This got me on a path that will end with my own surgery May 21. I have research the heck out of this procedure and feel fine with my decision. I will be paying out of pocket and will be going to Mexico for this..... Because I am self pay (and a single mom) I needed to find a place to save money so I could justify the expense of the Medicard payment. So my big decision was to quit smoking, I had my last cigarette Feb 14, obviously there were other reasons to quit but needless to say I am pretty proud of myself. Now here's my problem, when I decided to quit smoking I figured one issue many people had was weight gain and I thought "who cares about that right now, Im getting sleeved in a couple months, I will eat what I want when I want as long as I quit." Well 3 months later I went from being 293lbs to 312lbs. I am pretty disappointed in myself for letting my eating get out of control so badly. I know I will never smoke again, my daughter is too proud of me to even think about it. Is it bad that Ive gained this extra weight before surgery? I start my pre-op diet on Friday.

I have used 40%/30%/30%, protein/fat/carbs since my surgery and up to the present. I check the percentages daily to give me an idea of anything I need to increase or decrease the following day. I also check it weekly which I think is the more important information. Seems like you never hit it right on the button but I'm usually pretty close. Last weeks numbers for example were 37%/35%/28%. My starting weight was 285 and my weight stabilized thirteen months later at 155. It's been steady at 155 plus or minus a couple of pounds for the last eight months. I have MFP configured with a daily calorie goal of 1620. I've had 2000 calorie days and 1000 calorie days and both are fine as long as I maintain the 1620 average. I don't know if you're familiar with set-points but at 1000 calories a day, I suspect that the reason you haven't started losing yet is because your body is doing everything it can to maintain your current weight. Set-points usually have a range of about 10% of body weight. So at 157, the range of your set-points would be about 15 pounds. You may be at the lower end of the current set-point that you are in. Which is a long-winded way of saying that your body is defending the set-point. It's trying to maintain your current weight by reducing metabolism and heart rate, increasing hunger, and using a complex set of hormones and chemicals - all working to maintain your current weight. Your body's negative response to weight loss (and reducing the existing set-point) is quite strong, to weight gain (and increasing the current set-point) comparatively weak. Set-points are the underlying basis for what is often referred to as your body going into "famine" or "starvation" mode. So the key is to be patient. There is absolutely no doubt that maintaining a daily calorie intake of 1000 calories will, over time, result in weight loss. You might jump start your weight loss by increasing your calorie intake to say 1200 for a few days. Or you can just stay the course with the 1000 calories knowing that sooner or later, you will start losing weight. The good news is that once you start losing, it will likely drop fairly quickly until you reach the next set point which should be pretty close to your goal. The bad news is that you will need to maintain that goal weight for about six months in order to establish the new, lower set point. Hope this helps and please keep us posted on your progress!!

Have any of you taken up bike riding since you have lost your weight? I loved to ride bikes before my weight gain and it has been years since i have been on a bike. Have any of you had any problems riding a bike as exercise since your surgery? (after being released by your doctor of course). This is one of my goals after the surgery. I have begun to make a list of things I look forward to after the surgery that I have not been able to do for years. Thanks.

Great idea! My list is... 1. Mobility-my knees, I couldn't do crap because it killed my knees. This is already nearly resolved and I am just 2 weeks out heh. 2. Health-been crazy healthy my whole life til 2 years ago. Had something else go awry in my body and had transfusions.... within 2 months I was diabetic, an MS diagnosis, high blood pressure, a huge weight gain, and such severe exhaustion and fatigue that I could barely make it to the bathroom, much less do anything or go anywhere. And I NEVER wanna be that way again so here I am post op already off Metformin and bp meds as I no longer have those conditions... and I can walk around my neighborhood! 3. Family-I love them so much, I wanna keep being involved with them for a long time 4. Longevity-Again, I love my hubby and kids and grandkids sooooo much, I wanna be around to enjoy them a good while longer! 5. Looks-bonus! But I dont think I would have had bariatric surgery over primarily looks, its just the icing on the cake to be better looking lol 6. Romance- doesn't matter, I have the best, kindest, most awesome hubby I could ever hope for already! He's amazing and makes my heart flutter and my world go round!

I have a stretched pouch,, and have been UNFILLED FOR 2, GOING ON 3 MONTHS.. I WENT today for a fill and Dr. said I am still stretched, but NOT SLIPPED>..So I am just going to stay unfilled and really watch what I eat so I dont gain any more weight.. I will take some weight gain over ANOTHER SLIPPED BAND, MY COST TO FIX A SLIPPED BAND IS 5000. I am a happy camper today

I thought I would stop by and say hello. I've been enjoying reading through this forum and reading up on some of your experiences. For example, I had no idea that I'd pretty much never get to drink diet soda again! Fascinating! Anyway, I got banded on Feb. 27, 2009 so I'm about 9 days into this. I started my Medifast pre-op diet on January 2nd at 224 (I am 5'2) pounds and I have lost 24 pounds so far. I'm only a pound from my "triple digit rollover!" I've a had a little history with yo-yo-ing weight. I was pretty much large all my life, but when I was 21 I decided to go to a doctor and get some help. He put me on a medication diet (Phentermine, Adipex) and I lost 50 pounds! I felt the best I have my whole life. I then moved to New York to go to graduate school and moved away from my doctor and started to gain weight gradually again. I tried SO HARD to keep the weight from coming on. I went to the gym 6 days a week (combination weight training and cardio). I had a personal trainer. I watched what I eat. I counted calories, carbs, fat, Protein, etc, like a maniac (kept everything written down in my food journal). I saw, oh, six doctors to try to find someone that would help me, to no avail. I tried everything I could to lose weight the "normal" way, the healthy way. No matter what, the weight just piled up. Finally, I asked my regular doc if she would recommend Lap-Band surgery, and she said yes since I have tried everything else to try to lose weight. I just barely scraped by on the minimum BMI requirement (40) so the bariatric center accepted me, and my insurance agreed to pay for it too! Like I said, so far I'm 24 pounds down, and I'm feeling VERY HOPEFUL that this will help me finally lose weight and embrace a life and lifestyle that I desperately miss. I am extremely active and love all kinds of sporty things like volleyball, rollerblading, mountain climbing, hiking, canoeing, etc....my weight gain has kept me from enjoying some of these things that I want to do. Hopefully this will be a year of change for me! I look forward to getting to know everyone here!! Here's a pic of me just for general reference:

Oh please, I know that my friends and family talked about my weight gain behind my back. I used to be much thinner and gained some of the weight rapidly. I gained 50 pounds in 1 year during the year between losing my mom and then my dad 13 months later. That was 2 years ago. It was the most stressful and sad time of my life and I ate whatever was easiest to grab. I don't even remember eating that much. But I know that the family was buzzing about me. So-called friends too. When I confronted some of them, they didn't deny it. They said, "But its because we're so worried about you and want you to take care of yourself and be healthy!". Yeah, right. I know it was idle gossip. Nothing we can do about it but show them up by getting thin. Wish they would all stop asking me how much I lost. Some even ask me why I'm losing so slowly. I really don't find that supportive. I did lose 50 pounds after all.

I know you're frustrated, but this is a good thing. If your thyroid is out of whack then you will need to be on medications to correct it. Otherwise, you won't lose weight even with the Lap Band. Unfortunately, just because you lose weight doesn't necessarily mean you'll be off all meds anyway. That's especially true when the damage to the body is already done or can't be fixed by weight loss. Thyroid issues are often not fixed by weight loss, in fact they are what causes the weight gain to begin with. Your doctor is doing the right thing. Be patient, it's all in your best interest.

I wanted to cry when I read your post because I know how other people's comments about your weight can send you spiraling into depression. I have severe thyroid issues. Had it all my life. In 5th grade I suddenly went from skinny to fat. Got put on medication and went from fat to skinny again.......but not before I took horrible verbal abuse from classmates and close family members. With each pregnancy I ballooned and each time got harshly reprimanded by my doctor even though I was eating extremely healthy and much less than non pregnant. Not once did they check my thyroid level or increase my dosage. It has since been studied and found that pregnancy causes lower thyroid functioning and needs to be monitored each trimester and medication increased. One doctor halfway ridiculed me. Looked me straight in the eye and I was 7 months pregnant and repeated twice with emphasis....that's a LOT of weight! I gained 8-10 pds. a month for a 50 pd. total weight gain each time and was made to feel so bad during my appointments that I would cry all the way home....and I wasn't even that big at the time. Lol. 183 pds. was my final weigh in before giving birth. I know how hurtful those appointments can be. I went to diet doctors who made me come in weekly and weigh in. This is after I passed the 200 pd. mark. in recent years...I'm 48 now. But I was so worried about what the stupid doctor might say to me if I failed to lose so I started taking laxatives....like 4 or 5 of them the day before weigh in. I always lost 5 or 6 pounds overnight that way but it was strictly Water weight. I dehydrated myself and got dizzy and all because I was afraid of what some doctor might say. Crazy I know! Please hang in there! This surgery works in more ways than restrictions calories. Google the studies done recently. Also, my brother had the sleeve done 2 years ago and he is 5'10" and went from 300 pds to 185. I've also known several others who had it and were successful so relax..don't stress! Try your best and they will approve you. Don't let it make you crazy...

If you expect to keep losing a pound a day, you will be very disappointed. A pound a week is what I expect, and it is what I get most of the time. In the beginning, though we do lose a ton of water and we get excited because we think it is going to keep going. It never does and we should actually know this after hundreds of attempts at losing weight over the years. Yes soups can cause weight gain because of the salt, depending on how salt sensitive you are. Don't forget to drink all of your water every day. Hugs to all!!!!

This thread is making me really nervous! Mirena was actually a godsend for me. It finally halted my period after being on my period for over a year straight....Bleeding for that long caused many trips to the ER (too much blood loss), general exhaustion, anemia, depression and weight gain...I can't go through that again!

I under stand what you are saying. I never had any periods of being normal weight, gained alot, lost & regained. Just consistently been "obese" ALL my life so have nothing to personally compare it to. I have not been my current weight since age 14 & I am now 40. At my highest weight I was 368 pounds, lost some on my own before band, on surgery day (1/07) was 300.5 & today I am around 225. So have lost like 140 pounds from my all time highest. Still getting used to the "new" me. I would love to have some plastic surgery for my breasts, arms & stomach but I know that it is not financially possible for me so I just have to deal with it. I was never ugly & always dressed well and fashionable but just looking in the mirror and feeling sexy is a problem at times with the sagginess that I see. And sometimes i still see the old me in mirror. During those times i go upstairs and try on some of the old clothes that I kept as reminders. But I try to stay positive because my blood pressure is good, blood sugar is normal, my knees & back feel better. That means more to me. But if I were to ever hit the lottery...

13 months post sleeve, lost 50 pounds gained almost 10 back. Feeling frustrated. Please send me some good vibes and any suggestions Thanks

I Feel your pain! I am in the same situation as you! On my first appt. I was 227 lbs with BMI @ 40.3. The nurse cautioned me that if I were to lose 2 lbs I would not qualify. That was on January 26th. I completed almost all my tests except for psych. Two weeks ago at my follow up I weighed in @ 229 lbs and the nurse cautioned me again that the Dr. didn't like it when we gain weight during this process because he wants to make sure we take it seriously however I reminded her that if I lose 2 lbs I don't qualify. She just suggested with a smile that I keep the same weight. Now, two days ago my dietician appointment I am 234 lbs..OMG I gained 5 lbs in two weeks. The point is I am so nervous to lose the weight, gain the weight, and maintain the weight that its freakin driving me insane! The only benefit is that prior to my first appointment I had seven months of an approved weight loss documentated plan @ a weight loss center, fortunately I just have to wait for my psych appointment which is next week and then they will submit to insurance. Thank you for your post it makes me feel that there is someone else in the same boat as me. I wish you good luck on your journey and I am sure with your kids ball season on the horizon you will be too busy running around the time will fly!

I was banded on Feb 2nd. I lost about 20 lbs since then. As of the second day I have been walking 1 1/3 miles a day plus doing what I can on the Wii fit. Weighed myself today and I have gained almost 3 lbs! I have not cheated once, I have been on about 1100 calories aday average the last week. I am pretty upset right now and I do not understand the weight gain. It is bad enough that I feel no restriction and am doing this all on willpower because I want to be healthy but a 3 lb gain is ridiculous

WARNING: I tend to ramble! :confused: My name is Amy, am 40 years old, married with two furry feline babies. My husband and I own a tanning salon in Little Rock, Arkansas. My struggles with weight started about 3rd grade, I remember having to shop at Sears in the "chubby sized section" (yes, it did say that on the signs) I remember watching my mom and grandmother constantly fight with their weight. When mom was on a diet, so was I - which I needed, but as soon as I was out of her sight, straight for the donut shop! In high school, I pretty much starved myself down to 125 lbs and can distinctly remember passing out in the shower several times because my blood sugar was so low. After one year in college, the weight came back in spades!! I have been over 200 lbs since 1989, which led to poor self image and self esteem, which led to bad relationships, which led to more weight gain. I'm happier in my life than I've ever been and it's time for me to get out of this fat body suit I've been wearing for 25 years. It took me until I reached 40 years old and having a wonderful husband to realize that I am worth it, dammit! I'm excited, nervous, scared, motivated, committed, fearful of failure all rolled into one. Anyone else with me? :ohmy:

Oooh! That's an evil, evil comment but it is kinda witty. Nevertheless, I sure do hope that he blows up into a state of chubby. :heh: Bodies sure are interesting. Until I was banded I was a fatty grrl and many of my middle-aged pals are suffering from the same severe and tragic post-menopausal weight gain. I was never a curvy grrl when I was thin and I sure was not a curvy fattie. One of my friends was ultra curvy and although she was undeniably fat she could wear clothes which looked lousy on me. This was because she had big tits, a smallish waist and big hips and belly. She looked like a fertility figure and I looked like a Hummer with spider legs and arms. The best clothes for me were those which constructed like boxes. She looked fab in clothes which showed off her shape. Now that I have lost a bunch of weight I still wear cloth boxes, smaller ones is all. hah hah :faint:

Sounds like you may be getting too many calories, I aim for less than 1000 and I'm 5'6 at 177 right now. If you aren't working out as much you may be taking in more calories then you are burning which will cause weight gain. Hope that helps- good luck!!

I used to smoke too. I smoked for 25 years :/ Every time I would go to the doctor for anything they would blame it on smoking. "Your back hurts? It's because you smoke. You have a cold? It's because you smoke. You have an ingrown toenail? You smoke."!!!!!!! Every single time. Then I quit smoking cold turkey. I gained 60 pounds. Now when I go to the doctor it's "Your back hurts? You're overweight!" LOL Seriously. That is exactly how it is. But am I glad I quit smoking. Even with all the weight gain. I feel so much better. And I really loved to smoke. I prayed about it while I was quitting. I asked Jesus to help me not to indulge in something so unhealthy for me. I should have prayed not to replace cigarettes with twinkies..............SMH

From what little research I've done, I would think the weight gain was mainly from Water. As your body converts your food to glycogen, it takes 4 oz of water for every 1 oz of glycogen your body stores. And after WLS your restricted diet reduces your glycogen stores. It sounds like you had a small carb fest and your body took the opportunity to easily convert the carbs to glycogen. I had watched on Sleevers journey on Youtube and he correlated his weight loss directly to his Protein intake. On days of increased protein and decreased carbs, he lost weight. On the high carb days, his weight loss was slower or non existent.

I have had many periods of plateau's as well as some weight gain on my journey. I was banded over two years ago. But the best thing to remember is that although it is slow.. it is coming off. And it may take you longer than some others that you see on this site.. but it will happen for you! I have lost over 80 pounds... and Im still not there yet.. but hey.. thats better then where I was! My struggle now is making sure I do eat.. so make sure that you are eating because not eating you would think you would loose.. but you dont.. and Iv'e been stuck here for a while... so make sure you eat first thing in the morning to start your metabolism and keep it going all day with healthy snacks and good meals. You will get there... but it is a journey that takes time~!

I did the same thing a few times. I ate things that weren't good for me and gained 5 lbs back, lost that then gained 3 lbs then lost that. It only seems to happen when 1. I'm not home for a few days. 2. It's about to be shark week. The best thing to do when you know you caused the weight gain and not Mother Nature being a jerk is just to pick yourself back up. You may or may not be mad at yourself for messing up but just know that mistakes can be corrected. [emoji846] ---------------------------- HW- 273 Pre-op Wt- 230 SW- 226 CW- 173 GW- 130 Ht- 5'2.5" DOS- April 26th, 2017 "Only those who try will become." ~FFX