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I am a 45 yr old female. After my overies were removed 10 years ago they did test all my hormones. All my hormone levels were almost nonexistant including testosterone levels. They put me on testosterone , messed with dosages, and it gave me severe acne, so I opted out. This may have contributed to my rapid weight gain in those 10 years (along with other things) I took estrogen for 5 years. Now I take none. I guess I should get some hormone testing done, but with no health insurance I avoid any added medical costs.

Bell, I am getting banded in 2 weeks. I have been researching the band for over a year. You are asking some great questions. Different people get banded for different reasons. I have absolutely no problem losing weight. I never have. Unfortunately, I am even better at gaining it. I am getting banded for portion control. I look at the band as a tool for stopping or slowing weight gain. I think I will be successful with it because I usually eat the right things, meat and potatoes. Just too much of them. I will do my part by losing the weight when I can and the band will play its part but keeping me from gaining it back when my willpower dwindles.

It is early. I'm always surprised how early patients are discharged sometimes. Routine discharge here is on 5th post-op day but only when all post-op labs, ultrasound and cinematography are fine. Sleeve must be so different. I can't imagine the level of restriction patients must be having. From what I saw when I was at the clinic (for whatever procedure...) the bypass people seemed to have less issues drinking their fluids and felt less crappy after surgery. How big is a Chobani yoghurt, like how many grams? One yoghurt wasn't a problem for me either. The "being full after three spoonfuls" seems to be one of the many WLS myths that by far not all patients experience. I never did. Back in the days it did kind of scare me as well. Today I'm grateful for the amount of food I can eat (or rather could before revision, at the moment I'm eating more frequently but the meals are smaller). It makes eating life feel more normal. You're only a few days post-op. You didn't really want to have this surgery (meh, how I can relate to this...) and I feel this contributes to this "feeling awful and frustrated". We didn't go into this with the high expectations of someone who gets the first WLS. No weight to lose, no weight-loss-rewards rolling in, no awesome changes in life how people treat you differently because you've lost weight. We hope for no pain, no complications and we certainly hope that we won't experience any weight gain because of revision. Fear/Anxiety, not hope, is the predominant feeling for many people having revision because of some other reason than "weight loss". Will my weight stay stable? Will my reflux really be gone? I don't know if the "weight gain thought" is really a rational thought to have but it's nagging in the back of my brain since surgery, messing up my relationship with food (again). It slowly gets better but there is still this in my head: "Is long limb RNY as good as MGB when it comes to maintaining weight?! Will I magically start gaining weight even though I don't eat more than before with the MGB?! Will I be fine in the future with this surgery weight wise?! What if reflux comes back?! What if this was the wrong decision?!" I totally get your thoughts and feelings and I hope it makes you feel less alone.

One thing I would HIGHLY recommend you research is the issues with malabsorption with the GP. In short, after about 12 to 18 months, the body typically resets itself and while it might only actually absorb half the calories you are consuming for that first 12 to 18 months, steadily your body will adjust and absorb more calories until you are almost where you were prior to surgery. So, if you were used to eating say 1,500 to 2,000 calories after surgery, your body is likely going to only absorb half of that in the beginning. Eventually, your body will adjust and it will start seeing all or nearly all of those calories leading to weight gain because you won't realize what is happening with your body. This is most often what leads to re-gain for those that have the GP. Also, understand that you are signing up for frequent labwork for LIFE to be sure your body is getting the necessary Vitamins it needs to keep you from having other health issues. Just imagine if you had this surgery, started regaining weight and left with the side effects of having to take a laundry list of vitamins just to stay healthy. No thank you! Just try to research the best you can. Ultimately you have to feel comfortable with your own choice. Just sharing some of the thoughts that went into how I made my decision for the sleeve. I have absolutely no regrets except that I didn't do it sooner!

I was up to a 52x32 pant size.. right now at 36-40x32 and they vary on tightness/looseness. i had went nuts shopping in the US for clothes, in PA where it was tax-free for those, with the 36-40s, but my weight gain happened so fast I literally outgrew them in a matter of weeks and was unable to wear them. I kept them around for several years until my weight plummeted back down to now and can wear them comfortably. They still look brand new.

It’s been almost two years since I got the sleeve and I’m not satisfied where I am. I feel like I could be doing more but I have no motivation in me. I still try to eat healthy but it’s kind of out of control now. I’m scared to be 300 lbs again or to gain any more weight. Lowest weight was 185 I’m at 194 right now. I feel kind of depressed to be honest like I let myself down.. I just need support I guess.

Sorry but you will just have to live with the weight gain until you are off steroids. There's nothing you can do to avoid it. I am so sorry. I would be so frustrated if I were you! But the good news is that once you are off the prednisone, the weight will fall off pretty quickly. Predisone will also m ess seriously with your moods and the condition of your skin. So be careful. Right now just work on getting good nutrition.

Mr Dr. is pretty aggressive. I was banded 7 months ago. Have been in to see him every 4 weeks since the surgery, and have had 6 fills based upon my appetite and weight gain/loss. Yes I did gain!!! Saw him just 3 days ago, and we both agreed I am at a good place. No fills this visit, will not be back to see him for 3 months now unless I feel I need to. I have a good feel of restriction. I am forced to eating only small amounts at any one sitting. If I wanted to, and I have once or twice, can go a full day without even wanting to eat. We went kyacking one day, and other than my Breakfast shake, I did not care to eat after that. (although I did have a few beers on the river!) I am aware of my band being there with every swallow, no matter what it is. It's not uncomfortable, or overly restricted, but I am aware it is there and after a small portion of food, I can not eat any more. Solid foods take a certain amount of time to pass through the band and eating anymore will only cause great discomfort. But be advised, it took me 5-6 months to get to this "Sweet Spot". I have found that most posts here with people freaking out about not loosing weight are those who have been banded very recently. You didn't get fat in one month.

I am sorry things did not work out for you. I agree with the previous poster. I hated that "full" feeling, i like the satisfied feeling much better. Nothing fun about feeling like a stuffed turkey. I agree about the sleeve. I have 2 friends who had the bypass done and lost a lot of weight, gained it all back, plus some in 2 years. One of them had it redone, and is losing again, but has all this saggy skin. They lose way fast and the body has not time to catch up with with the skin elasticity. I have one friend who had the sleeve done, and she has done great with it. My surgeon will not do the bypass because he feels it is a worthless procedure. good luck with your decision.

It's not that I care what anyone thinks. People who know me would be shocked I didn't say anything I an open book. My weight gains and losses have been an emotional struggle not just physical. I really want to do this with our anyone in my head other than me. If that makes sense. My boys are 15&19 they know and are excited for me. My boyfriend is as well. It's not that I want to do it alone it's that I need to do this for me. I finally need to make something just about me.

Hello everyone I'm posting this because I'm starting to feel really alone. I'm one month away from hitting my first year and I'm feel like I did nothing. Let me explain.. I have depression and I have to take meds for it everyday for the rest of my life. I feel like mentally i'm doing so much better. The one thing that is making me have big set backs is the meds and what they are doing to me. At this point in the game the meds have taken over and I can stop eating. I eat non stop even when I tell myself NO!! I have been up and down (mostly up) with my weight. I eat so much that it isn't even funny. I know my sleeve still works because at some point I stop and i'm full. Also the stuff i'm eating is sooo bad ( soda, candy, chips) . I try everyday to move forward and not fall back down the same road. I'm starting to take one day at a time and not be so down but it's so hard when you work so hard to get something and now you're messing it up. My partner and I are starting to count calories in hopes that will help me get back on track. I want to fix it. If I can fix my mental I can fix my physical . Please if anyone is having the sam issues as me let's talk being it suck having to feel alone in a place where there are so many of us.

Strength training is awesome! I was told I may gain some weight once I started, but I didn't. I think it really just depends. And even if you do, just know that it's temporary. The benefits are totally worth a temporary weight gain! I believe strength training is necessary because although you would lose weight with just cardio, your body will look odd. Oh and definitely ask the doc before starting on the weights. I had to wait 2 months I think. Good luck!

Post-op "starvation" is very common. Know that you all are not alone!! Liquids pretty much just run right through the band. Think of it like a funnel. They just drain right down through. It would be hard to do any damage to your stomach. Once you are back on solids you will feel so much better. I was ready to eat the kitchen sink, my dog, the couch, anything I could get my hands on that wasn't moving faster than I was during that time--the dog got lucky! Also, note that a bit of weight gain prior to the first fill is not uncommon, as there is little to no restriction. It is like having a beautiful new car with an empty gas tank. You have to fill the tank to get performance out of it. Borrowing the metaphor from a poster back when I was first banded. Heal and feel better. Over time as you get fills and find the sweet spot you will find the appetite control and the weight will come off. Denise

I think that normally, as in, compared to other forms of hormonal birth control, the Mirena has a very low incidence of weight gain. But the way our hormones are completely out of whack for a while after surgery has got to play a part in the issues a lot of women have with hormonal birth control post op. I've read that our fat cells store hormones and as they burn off this could play a part. I have no idea. I can say that I was a slow loser the entire time I was trying to lose, but after a very brief period where I was initially happy with my Mirena, I had a very tough time losing. I'd hate for you to remove the IUD if it's working for you, only to discover that you lose no faster. That said, I'd hate to see you have the same struggle with very sluggish loss like I did. It's all a coin toss, unfortunately, with no real guarantees. Good luck whatever you decide. Here's the post I made in May 2011 after I had mine removed: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/17214-is-your-birth-control-the-culprit/page__hl__%2Bbirth+%2Bcontrol+%2Bculprit ~Cheri

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 received this email today from www.myfitnesspal.com . Basically, it says to avoid long-term weight gain we should: 1. Eat more Protein 2. Eat more healthy carbs (colored, high-Fiber veggies; fruits; whole grains) 3. Eat fewer highly processed "slider foods" (highly refined sweets, starches, chips, crackers, breads, white rice, white potatoes, white Pasta, etc.) Duh, huh? The emphasis was on both how much and what kind of foods we should eat. It made the point that every calorie doesn't count exactly like all other calories and described how high-glycemic foods cause the body to produce more insulin, which favors fat storage. http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/2-science-backed-strategies-to-avoid-long-term-weight-gain/?utm_source=mfp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly20150504&mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRokv6rBZKXonjHpfsX56e8rWaWyhIkz2EFye%2BLIHETpodcMTsZiN6%2BTFAwTG5toziV8R7DBLM153N8QXRTg

Our marriage wasn't affected by the surgery but rather by my weight gain. I got to the point where I hated myself so much I never wanted to leave the house and to be honest it affected our intimacy which I know was hard on him. But I'm down 120lbs and can walk more and I want to go out more now. Unfortunately he got used to me behaving like a hermit so now whenever I say I want to do things he doesn't really believe me I do wish he was more generous with the compliments. Sometimes I really have to beg for them. And one day after hearing him say how good one of our friends looked in a costume she wore for a musical they were both in I had to finally tell him that "I'm working so hard to loose weight, can you not talk about her like that, it really makes things harder for me"

Wonderful news on the lack-of-cancer news! Congrats. That must be such a HUGE relief. I'm so happy for you. It sounds like you have really evaluated what is important in life. Glad you aren't beating yourself up over weight gain. I'm sure you'll get back to where you want to be--all things in due time. Stay positive--your attitude as served you well throughout your cancer and lapband journey. You are an inspiration. Thanks so much for the compliment. Unfortunately, my computer crashed last year and I lost all of my before pictures. I'm sure I can find some around and get them scanned or something but I really don't have any right now that I can use for comparison purposes. I'm surprised you remember how I looked (I hardly do!). You made my day. Take care and keep us posted--it's so good to hear from you and so good to hear such great news. Karen

I think I had several things that got me here. First, I was always overweight, even as a kid, not a lot, but some, but I felt huge, because I was always the fat girl in school and my mom was petite and skinny when I was little. (Althought looking back, I wasn't nearly as fat as I thought I was!) I weighed about 160-170ish in high school, dropped to 140-150 in college/early marriage but always thought I had to be 120ish to no be "fat" (I'm 5-7). When we had kid#1 I weight 180, and gained 20lbs, 200 with Kid#2, and gained 30ish, then gained maybe 5lbs/year afterwards. But what really got me started was my DH who had struggled his whole career in the USAF to keep his weight down retired from the AF in 2000 looking totally hot and fit and completely lost control. He gained nearly 200lbs in about 2 yrs and it freaked me out. He was already having some health/stress related problems before his weight gain but the extra weight made everything worse very quickly. I soon realized I had better start taking care of myself because he was putting me on the road to widowhood. (Our kids were just 11 and 6 when he retired, now 20 and 15) I decided I had to lose weight so there was at least one healthy parent! I also hoped if I lead the way, DH would follow, if not, I still needed to do this for me. So I tried dieting on my own for a couple of years, but just couldn't seem to lose anything. I finally went into see my doctor for an annual exam and told her my problems and she figured out I had PCOS. Put me on Metforin, BCPs, and Xenical and I dropped 40lbs with diet and exercise over the next year but couldn't seem to get any farther and in researching the PCOS I started reading about people who were having lapbands. So I started researching the surgery. I knew I'd never consider RNY but this looked like it had potential. So I tried to get approved for surgery and my insurance came back with an approval for RNY but not Lapband. I opted to wait. In the 2 years afterwards I gained back the 40lbs. Meanwhile my DH's health has continued to worsen, HBP, lots of pains, can't even climb the stairs to bed without being out of breath. One day last year I got an newletter from Tricare saying they were now paying for Lapband procedures, and I called for an appointment that same week. While DH would never consider surgery for himself, he was supportive of me (not that I gave him much choice). Got approved, had the surgery, ran into post op complications (the surgeon accidentally perforated or burned my stomach leading to an infection), so she removed the band the next week and I spent 2 weeks in the hospital on antibiotics. DH was terrified he could lose me and I was probably about 24 hrs from being dead when I was admitted to the hospital although we didn't realize it at the time. I've now spent 6 months recovering and my surgeon thinks I'm ready for another try. I'm scheduled for surgery March 4th. I'm going in to talk to her next week and discuss if she thinks a lapband or a VSG is the best option for me. Either way, starting next month I'm taking control of my personal health. On a happy note, my DH who has been super supportive of me even while he lived in denial himself, has finally come to the decision that he has to lose weight. We're going to the educational class for him on Monday to start the process for him to get surgery too. This is a huge step for him because he was always against having surgery, and when mine didn't go smoothly, I though he'd never consider it. Always Hunzi

I know what you mean about wanting to be thin and healthy. I dont have any kids, that's the main reason I decided to do this because I have a disorder called PCOS and it led to my weight gain and infertility issues. This surgery is supposed to help if not correct it. So I hope in a few years I will be running around chasing my kiddos. You will do great I'm sure, you already know mostly what to expect, about won't be a total shock. How long before you know about insurance approval?

I was one of those who originally was going for the lapband, mainly because I am younger and didn't want something permanently done to my insides. After researching thoroughly about all the complications, weight gain, etc that comes with a lot of lapband patients, I switched to the sleeve. My reasons for not even considering gastric bypass?: Didn't want my system rerouted. A lot higher chance of dumping syndrome. Malabsorption issues, which can lead to malnutrition. The weight loss is just about the same as the sleeve. Obstruction seems to happen more often, like with the lapband. Going to support group meetings, I notice that people who had the bypass looked more sickly than ones who had the sleeve. Not everyone did, but just a trend I noticed. Right now, I only get acid reflux when I have something with bad butter (like the buttery topping on popcorn), margarine is fine though. I don't have to take a daily pill for it, I just pop a couple of Tums when I have it and it goes away pretty quickly.

I not a good example in a lot of ways because I put back the weight I lost on the pre-op liquid diet which was around 25 lbs, 10% of my body weight at the start. Actually I was around 253lbs when I started. Today I got on the scale and it was 245. something, no shoes though! Anyway a lot of my issues have been "head" related and not everyone has that easy of a time. But I refused to give up, jeese, after $30,000 for a little band I'm not going to revision because I haven't worked out all the "kinks", that's figuratively not literally. As many know I've had a few "fill" issues and are probably different for everyone. There have been some mistakes made in my fills which cost me some of my motivation. I'm also on some meds which tend to slow down my metabolism. I'm also almost 50, enough said. I have to move past this and even if I don't get down to what most bansters want as their goal weight, I'm looking at 200 lbs and am 5'6", I still am going to give it a try! Now if brandyII can get the GD scale moving on the down side instead of the wrong direction for a change then you guys can too. That hunger thing, is it around PMS time? I know it's my hardest time and I also have PCOS. It's the worse and when I want sweets which we all know miraculously go through the band like water!!!!! Or are you hungry all the time. I still get hungry and I think it's good to know what hunger feels like and if you have a band and eat food the hunger should go away. If this isn't happening I'd discuss it with your doctor and none of that I'm too embarrassed to see my doctor crap because I'm a failure. He gave you that band and he should seeing this thing through with you not against you! He's not the one that has to live in your body though so it's up to you to be proactive and get whatever help you need from your doctor. Fills are tricky things, believe me I know, getting one doesn't always help, it can work against you. Those that have hit the perpetual "sweet spot" are very lucky people because I myself don't necessarily know if it's possible, I believe they can change for many reasons anyway especially with weight loss it's going to change. Anyway we're here to support you, don't want you giving up by all means and if you need to talk and open up more about what you think is going on this is the place to do it. But don't forget your doctors are there to help you and I don't want anyone afraid to go discuss the weight gain/no loss issues with them because you don't want to face them. If they do have really, really bad bedside manners then I'd say get a new doctor but otherwise take control and tell him what you expect from your banding, you didn't go through this for nothing, brandyII.

I ordered the one called Potatoes Not Prozac: How to Control Depression, Food Cravings and Weight Gain... Sounds real good!@ thanks again

Thanks for the good wishes everyone. I truly had no symptoms other than being able to eat a lot more and subsequent weight gain. I had a renewed effort and had three or four fills in a very short period and still didn't feel any restriction. My surgeon did a barium swallow and when he made me drink the barium three times I knew something was up. His staff scheduled me for endoscopy. When I woke from the endoscopy I knew there was a problem because they left some pictures on the table next to me. It really is shocking to see that stomach acid can turn that band from white to black. Ewwwww. So, we'll see how this goes. I'm guessing I won't be a candidate for ever getting another band because I've already had two. I just have to get my butt in gear and exercise. From 6/21 to now I've lost 9 pounds, so that's a great start. I don't know how the band eroded. It certainly was never too tight for me. On 12/24/12 I had oral surgery and had a lot of vomiting afterwards, but I never had pain. Would have been hard to tell if my band was different then because of the oral surgery I was eating only soft foods. So, I'm really guessing that it happened then. Again, thanks for the good wishes.

In addition to all of the above comments, which I agree with completely, you want to review your eating plan. Are you eating a low-carb, low-fat diet? Are you eating three discrete meals a day, or are you grazing throughout the day? Grazing is the most common reason for weight gain after surgery. Take a look at the following blog: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ She has some wonderful ideas, including great recipes.