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AnnJones, i understand. Life is not easy. I am sorry to hear of your losses. Tthis has to be so overwhelming at times. (I , too lost my mother , when I was losing weight w/o the band and I did a 360 on weight loss and gained it all back). You only gained 20 #, which is remarkable.You know what the changeds are and you can make further changes for your health. Many thingse ,i am learning , affect one's band, esp emotions, coughing, crying- sinus problems. I''ve been on liquids only after a sinus infection which was 'gone' (but the sinus draining continued to point I woke up vomitting at night). yes i drank stuff I shouldn't simply to get something down. Ann, do see your doctor if your band is that tight, still. Do talk with someone, even us; about losing your son and BIL This would to knock anyone for a loop; You deserve to be nice to yourself and not beat yourself up about the weight gain. If there is a local WLS group or some other group you might like, do join them. Do let us know how you are doing. Remember, Your sone and BIL would not want you to be unhappy.

Sue, that's GREAT news!!! I'm so happy for you. Don't be embarrassed about the weight gain. If we could control our weight on our own, I'm just sure none of us would be having surgery. I know I wouldn't have spent $13,500 out of pocket either.

So, the first thing I'm going to say is very "tough love." If you aren't losing weight, that means you are probably eating too much and/or not exercising enough. Remember that as you lose weight, you require even less "fuel" to keep your smaller body going. That said, there are also other things that might be going on. 1. Weight gain can be the only/first sign of band slippage. You should talk to your doctor about that possibility. He/she can order a simple chest x-ray to check the angle of the band, 2. Have you had your thyroid hormone levels checked? 3. Your doctor might have other recommendations. You should definitely check with him/her. Do you need another fill? Do you need to spend more time with a dietitian or counselor? Best of luck!

Does anyone know of a way to avoid the 6 month diet requirement that insurance requires?... yes Im impatient I just want to get this done. Currently I dont have a job and if this were done NOW while out of work I could then not worry about needing time off or have to wait till possibly NEXT year to do this.(because some employers wont give you time off for the first year) I have been treated by the same DR for over 5 yrs... he has watched my weight gain and has been on me to loose and has given me diets to go on but since I dont have 6 consequtive months Im SOL.... I dont wanna be SOL... Any ideas?

thank you for that post, because after my dr appt on monday, i was very discouraged with my 6lbs weight gain. i happen to know why i gained, because i have developed this crazy sweet tooth, and i know i have to work hard on that. so thanks tod

food allowance". The Latin word diaeta and Greek word diaita mean "a way of life, a regimen". According to Medilexicon`s medical dictionary, a diet means "1. Food and drink in general. 2. A prescribed course of eating and drinking in which the amount and kind of food, as well as the times at which it is to be taken, are regulated for therapeutic purposes. 3. Reduction of caloric intake so as to lose weight. 4. To follow any prescribed or specific diet." In this article "diet" refers to a food and drink consumption regime with the aim to either lose weight, to prevent weight gain, or a lifestyle and philosophy. We selected the most popular diets according to three criteria: 1. How many articles there are around about these diets/lifestyles. 2. How popular they seem to be generally. 3. How often we receive feedback on them. Below you can see a list of the seven diets, some information about each one, and links to more information. Atkins The Atkins Diet, or Atkins Nutritional Approach, focuses on controlling the levels of insulin in our bodies through diet. If we consume large amounts of refined carbohydrates our insulin levels will rise rapidly, and then fall rapidly. Rising insulin levels will trigger our bodies to store as much of the energy we eat as possible - it will also make it less likely that our bodies use stored fat as a source of energy. Most people on the Atkins Diet will consume a higher proportion of Proteins than they normally do. The Zone The Zone Diet aims for a nutritional balance of 40% carbohydrates, 30% fats, and 30% Protein each time we eat. The focus is also on controlling insulin levels, which result in more successful weight loss and body weight control. The Zone Diet encourages the consumption of good quality carbohydrates - unrefined carbohydrates, and fats, such as olive oil, avocado, and nuts. Vegetarian There are various types of vegetarian - Lacto vegetarian, Fruitarian vegetarian, Lacto-ovo-vegetarian, Living food diet vegetarian, Ovo-vegetarian, Pescovegetarian, and Semi-vegetarian. The majority of vegetarians are lacto-ovovegetarians, in other words, they do not eat animal-based foods, except for eggs, dairy, and honey. Several studies over the last few years have shown that vegetarians have a lower body weight, suffer less from diseases, and generally have a longer life expectancy than people who eat meat. Vegan Veganism is more of a way of life and a philosophy than a diet. A vegan does not eat anything that is animal based, including eggs, dairy, and honey. Vegans do not generally adopt veganism just for health reasons, but also for environmental and ethical/compassionate reasons. Vegans believe that modern intensive farming methods are bad for our environment and unsustainable in the long term. If all our food were plant based our environment would benefit, animals would suffer less, more food would be produced, and people would generally enjoy better physical and mental health, vegans say. Weight Watchers Weight Watchers focuses on losing weight through diet, exercise, and a support network. Weight Watchers Inc. was born in the 1960s when a homemaker (housewife) who had lost some weight and was concerned she might put it back on. So, she created a network of friends. Weight Watchers is a huge company, with branches all over the world. Dieters can join either physically, and attend regular meetings, or online. In both cases there is a great deal of support and education available for the dieter. South Beach The South Beach Diet was started by a cardiologist, Dr. Agatston, and a nutritionist, Marie Almon. It also focuses on the control of insulin levels, and the benefits of unrefined slow carbohydrates versus fast carbs. Dr. Agatston devised the South Beach Diet during the 1990s because he was disappointed with the low-fat, high-carb diet backed by the American Heart Association. He believed and found that low-fat regimes were not effective over the long term. Raw Food The Raw Food Diet, or Raw Foodism, involves consuming foods and drinks which are not processed, are completely plant-based, and ideally organic. Raw Foodists generally say that at least three-quarters of your food intake should consist of uncooked food. A significant number of raw foodists are also vegans - they do not eat or drink anything which is animal based. There are four main types of raw foodists: 1. Raw vegetarians. 2. Raw vegans. 3. Raw omnivores. 4. Raw carnivores. Mediterranean The Mediterranean Diet is Southern European, and more specifically focuses on the nutritional habits of the people of Crete, Greece, and southern Italy. Nowadays, Spain, southern France, and Portugal are also included; even though Portugal does not touch the Mediterranean Sea. The emphasis is on lots of plant foods, fresh fruits as dessert, Beans, nuts, cereals, seeds, olive oil as the main source of dietary fats, cheese and yogurts are the main dairy foods, moderate amounts of fish and poultry, up to about four eggs per week, small amounts of red meat, and low/moderate amounts of wine. 25% to 35% of the Mediterranean diet consists of fat, with saturated fats not exceeding 8% of calorie intake. News on Nutrition / Diet For the latest news and research on Nutrition / Diet, please visit our Nutrition / Diet news section. Written by Christian Nordqvist Original article date: 11 Feb 2004 Article updated: 12 May 2009

:rolleyes2:Does anyone who has had the lap band procedure also have bi-polar health concerns? I have been reading about possible weight gain from the meds that the doc puts one one and wish to know if anyone has had problems with their plan?

Boy, that was dramatic. Maybe if you hurry, you can get your old stomach back. Seriously ... in less than a month post-op you lost 15 pounds. FYI, my surgery weight 8 weeks ago was 216. One month (30 days) later, I'd lost 10.4 pounds. And I was thrilled. Thrilled! I cannot remember (decades ago?) the last time I lost 10.4 pounds in 30 days. Also consider this: About a month ago, I gained four pounds in two days. And then two days after that I stepped on the scales and had suddenly lost 8 pounds, for a net loss of four pounds in four days. It's not typical. But it happens. I would suggest that with the purees you've taken in some salt and maybe also have some constipation that's causing a temporary weight gain. Don't go off the deep end every time you get on the scales and see they've gone up or haven't gone down--especially if you're eating/drinking what's recommended by your surgeon. Give yourself a break and appreciate that you / we will NOT lose our overweight in a straight downward path. (Also google "three week stall" if you don't know about that. Happens to almost everyone.)

I hope not to bring anyone down here... I had my surgery on Dec 7th. It has been an interesting adjustment. I did not go "Number 2" for 4 days, then when I did it was like birthing a baby. So much pain. My husband almost took me to the emergency room. I must have passed pounds of stuff - literally. Even after the 'flush' that I did before the surgery which was extreme..... Now I have "The Runs" Also, I am So Hungry!!!! I wish that I was like others. My hunger has increased. It is so bad that it is hard to concentrate This is not "Head Hunger" my stomach is just rumbling and grumbling... You can hear it when you stand next to me. I know that some of it is thirst. Water has been hard to drink. Isopure has been hard to drink The only thing I can tolerate well is Premier Protein shakes and chicken broth. I have been drinking chicken broth all day long. I think that salt in it is causing water weight gain. I tried to switch to tea. Oh, the joy..... I know if is going to get better. Just being honest about my first 12 days post-op.

It's taken me a long time to get my head screwed on right. I went from being heavy to being too thin, and after a lot of analysing, I decided that I'm finally happy with my weight. Because I'm not all about my weight. This was a difficult mindset to come to. I sometimes wonder, when I was losing, whether or not I'd traded one obsession for another: food for weight loss. My whole goal was to lose, and it didn't matter what the scale said, I kept wanting to lose. My best friend eventually intervened. She told me she thought I was too thin. She could see the ribs in between my cleavage, my hip bones stuck out, my head looked too big for my body. My doctor did too. He said if I didn't stop losing, he would unfill me a little. So I worked to gain a little bit to get to a BMI of 23, not because I wanted to, but because I was scared that if he unfilled me I'd gain it all back. Fast forward a few years, and my band starts leaking. My worst fears come true - I start gaining. I get disillusioned with my doctor's failed attempts to fix it, and I fall off the grid, and off the wagon. I start gaining and I don't care. I've given up. Christmas comes around and I go on vacation to spend it with my son and when we go to the park, I realise that for the first time in 4 years I can't keep up with him. The penny drops and I remember why I got banded in the first place: for him. That same moment, I make a decision to turn my weight gain around. I start tracking my calories, and exercising, and I lose weight, and I then make an appt to see my dr again to try to get back on track. At that appt, he withdraws the fill and it's immediately apparent that my band is still leaking, and we discuss what we should do next. The next few weeks really confused me: Do I replace? Do I revise to a sleeve? Can I do this on my own? Am I really not capable of maintaining without the band? Am I really so hung up on weight loss that I'm going to go under the knife again?? And more importantly, was I really unhappy? My weight changing didn't change me, it just changed how people saw me. Did I really want to get on that rollercoaster of weight loss being so important that I'd get too thin? So I made a decision: I'd get a replacement, because maintaining my weight was a lot easier with a working band, but I would not make weight loss my goal. It was for this reason that I decided I didn't want to lose anymore, and instead would get lipo to 'take care' of the problem spots. I'm not 5 days post lipo and by all accounts I'm exactly where I want to be. So what's the point of this post? That self-same best friend yesterday asked me how much fat they'd taken out during lipo. Did I lose any weight? So this morning I weighed myself. And yes the scales have gone down. And I was ecstatic. And all day today I'm thinking 'maybe I should try to lose a few more kilos, I could still stand to lose some weight' until I caught myself and shook myself out of it. Body image. It's such an insidious damaging thing sometimes. Because we constantly have to convince ourselves we're good enough, that we're happy enough, that we don't need to be better than we already are and actually believe it. And it's a battle you can't ever let your guard down on. And I'm angry with myself for having succumbed to that vicious inner voice in my head today. She really needs to shut the hell up.

HI! I had my band removed in September of this year after 3 years, but not for erosion. I'm sorry yours has eroded. It's good they found it early (or at least before you started having ugly symptoms). I chose to not have any more weight loss surgery. My insurance covered the removal as it was medically necessary. It also paid to have it implanted. Your idea of continuing to eat as though banded is good, in my opinion. It is what has helped me. I continue to lose weight or hold. At first I lost 8 pounds pretty quickly. Now it is slow and I sometimes stall for a while before it drops again. I want to lose at least 40 more pounds. Having your band removed is not an automatic sentence of weight gain! Not at all!!! Keep your goal as your top priority, no matter what. I feel so much better without the band because my body was rejecting it; so it helps me to feel how wonderful I feel being at a lighter weight and continuing on from here. I eat mostly protein and vegetables. I'm finding recipes from www.health-bent.com are helpful. My surgeon suggests a modified Mediterranean diet and also promotes the cook book found on health-bent called, Primal Cravings. I also take a high quality probiotic from Metagenics called, Acute Care. Banded or not, keep heading in the direction of your goal! I feel very fortunate to have found a surgeon who realized my band needed to come out. Your surgeon may have saved you a lot of pain and grief by getting to the problem before things got bad (as other people have described on this site). I had 3 years of discomfort, the last 2 quite miserable, before finding someone who could see clearly what needed to happen. I am so grateful. I'm glad you're being proactive about diet and thinking about how to proceed! ~hiddn~

If they told you that you can't have the op, how will you feel? Because honestly, if you don't get it together now, they might turn you down, especially with a weight gain. My pre-op diet was a lot stricter than your...it was all liquid, with some Jello and some bouillon. Yes, it's tough, especially when you're cooking or eating with others. Personally, I think that for me it was those losses that kept me spurred on. I kept telling myself that each time I lost weight, it was going to be "gone forever" ans a step closer to my goal. Keep busy....get creative with your shakes...buy Davinci sugar free syrups and add them to your shakes to get new flavors...or freeze them. Another thing I did was buy smaller clothes as an inspiration and motivation...that put big smiles on my face when I got into them. Hope you get it together soon so we can see you on the losers bench....good luck. Xxx

My face was bloated and definitely was the first place I showed weight gain. It’s not bloated anymore thank god. Four weeks out now and stalled. Hoping the weight loss will pick back up.

Your success looks great!! What happened with your fourth fill? (if you dont mind me asking) I am loosing slow but fighting othere things like menopause and weight gaining meds from diabetes. I know how hard it is to NOT get discouraged!!

This is very common with weight gain during post op. Some lose and then gain after liquid phase so that does happen. My weight loss did slow down after the liquids phase. Stick with eating protein first etc. Don't start eating all the wrong food cause in the end you will be very disappointed with yourself cause it is very easy gain weight.. losing it is the HARD part.. :cursing:I know it is not easy. But you are doing great with exercising and 9lbs is GREAT!! your body is still healing and your body is adjusting. I started keeping food journal this week and that has helped me cause writing everything down really make you realize how much you are eating. Hang in there and take care

For the past 6-8 years, I've been treated successfully with a combination of: 300 mg lithium (17 yrs) 300 mg seroquel 10 mg ambien 20 mg celexa The lithium influenced my weight gain, especially in the early days of treatment. The ambien caused me to be really hungry before bed. Fortunately, the band does not allow for those late-night munchies.

I'm there with you Teachamy -- I'm right around the 210 mark at 36 BMI. I just don't want to hear that "but you're not that big" comment so I'm not telling a lot of people before surgery. It's my decision to stop this weight gain cycle and improve my health before it gets so bad it makes the surgery more risky. I do have to admit, when I told my 20 yo son I was having the surgery, he did say "You're not as big as you think you are..." and it made me smile. He loves me a lot and thinks I'm too hard on myself. Of course, it doesn't sway my decision because he's my kid and doesn't get a vote, but, it still felt nice that he could express he cares.

Thanks, Japan! Awesome that you're erasing a year's worth of weight gain! It's cool that we have surgery dates so close together! I'm feeling hungrier in Day 2, though that may be because I wasn't as diligent in having in-between-meal Snacks (was really busy today). I'm finding that the snacks I'm loving the most are the "string cheese" snacks, kind of like the ones for kids. 80 calories, 6g fat (energy), 6g protein, and only 1 carb. What I'm focusing on is that I've felt hunger, no cravings. A snack will tie me over till mealtime. I'm not pining for foods on my no-no list. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Isn't there a whole room for mental illness where these things can be discussed and more people would benefit from. I'm not a doctor or an expert just a sufferer. I was diagnosed with a "borderline personality disorder" and when you first hear that you think they're insulting your personality, lol! I did not want to have depression or anxiety and it showed up during a good time in my life, when things were going well for me, prime of my life and I was thin, lol. It wasn't something that I could control. I have a sibling who also had it show up in his life also around the same age, early 20s and he has no weight problem and never did and I don't find mine to be weight related, it's a physical problem. Think of it like someone having a brain tumor, it's a brain disease. It's not just a painful, I'm so sad, I'm depressed, I hate my ass, my boyfriend dumped me type of situation. It's much deeper than that and it's uncontrollable fear, panic, sadness and a loss of pleasure in life! No one would wish that on anyone. One day you're fine and living a very productive life and the next day you're actually afraid to leave your house. It can be very debilitating. There's also a snowball effect that can happen where one thing affects another then another and makes many things in your life not as efficient and pleasant as they once were. It can take years of different types of therapy and experimenting with various drugs. The sad truth is that once you've been dealt "the card" I don't know that many people that are ever the same again. I've never gotten back there. It's very hard to explain unless you are living this but it can almost feel like part of your soul has died. Now I've gone through years of various therapies (still do) and that was wonderful and helped to an extent and have been on medications for many years and they keep me from jumping off a bridge or taking an overdose. Not once did I ever feel like I wanted people to surround me and feel sorry for me because of the stigma associated with mental illness I was too embarrassed to even talk about it so how could someone feel sorry for me because of my depression/anxiety when I wouldn't tell them? I have found that medications have affected many things sex drive, weight gain, constipation, but what are the alternatives? Maybe one day they'll come up with the perfect pill that won't have those side effects. I've worked with professions for many years to get through this and survive. Coming to terms with my mental illness and being able to discuss it with others who share also has helped me. I don't know why I was so ashamed but I think like some other poster said we tend to be much harder on ourselves and be perfectionists and when there is some kind of flaw, albeit we can't control, we hide it and don't want others to think badly of us. Anyway Kudos to tommaney for working on a mental health thread/social group as it will help us in two ways. One, it will help to educate people who don't know much about mental illness except for the various stereotypes out there and two, it will help the people who are actually dealing with mental illness come together for support they truly need! Thanks, Nanook.

Hello all the sleevers out there, My surgery is tomorrow morning at 6 am with Dr. Sinnostine in Georgetown Ky. I was wondering if the feeling I am having are normal. First of all, I would like to say thank you for every member on this post. If it wasn't for each of you, I don't think I would have the courage to be a sleever. It definetly takes a lot of courage!!! I have had so many mixed emotions in the past few months. I get excited about the weight loss but discouraged about the idea that i have to say good bye to all my favorite foods and life as I know it. My weight gain wasn't a result of eating too much in one sitting but not eating enough meals during the day, not getting enough activity, depo shots, smokers withdraw, and eating too much resturant foods. However, i do understand that if i eat less than of course i will lose the weight. When I look at all this paper work i am afraid that i will not be able to switch up enough foods to be satisfied during the first 3 weeks of full liquid diets. How am I going to eat and maintain when I am such the picky eater? How will I feel to have 9/10 of my stomach removed? Sometimes i get angry because if my family supported me more than always teasing me and reminding me about my weight than just maybe I wouldn't go thru this to lose the weight. On the flip side, I am excited about losing the weight, I just don't wanna fail. Thanks all and give me some feed back.

whey protein, cream-based soup, anything with flour in it, the majority of meat, including ground beef, fish, meatballs, sometimes chicken, sometimes steak. i haven't tried anything on my "no" list or my "you should probably be able to eat this now" list, because my stomach is so sensitive. i get very very hot/flushed and nauseous and a little dizzy and sometimes vomit. melted cheese (like in french onion soup) also gets a "stuck" feeling. i didn't know sleeve patients get dumping? TIL. my friend with sleeve can eat anything without consequence (except rebound weight gain, of course).

I think one of the reasons my program has lower protein requirements than you'll often see....is that my program serves a LOT of international clients, many of whom are vegetarian or semi-vegetarian culturally. High protein diets DO promote faster weight loss. This is undeniable. But I'm building my forever diet...and I'm trying to get my body used to a diet it can be on forever...so I don't have a big metabolic shift later. (or the weight gain that can occur with big dietary changes) For me, a high protein low carb diet is not a great choice for a forever diet. If I were 400 pounds...I would consider a very restrictive high protein diet for a short period of time for rapid weight loss. At 190...I want something sustainable and permanent. I want a forever diet that I can live with...well...forever. LOL:)

Am so glad someone talked about short term weight gain after surgery. I have gained about 8 lbs. and thought this was impossible. After all am eating practically nothing. I have only been out of surgery for 5 days. Looking forward to some weight loss. Now weigh more than when I went in the day of surgery. So is this common?

When I was still eating at McD's, I remember telling someone, "I don't even like it!" And yet, there I was - eating it again and again even though there were consequences (weight gain and bad feelings) for doing it. As a general thing - people don't like to give things up unless they have something to replace those things. Drive-thrus offer that immediate gratification. How else can you get that? The other thing that has worked for me is setting rules about those kinds of places. For example, at McD's - no more fries, remove the bun from any burgers. With enough rules in place - it just wasn't worth it to go there anymore - and now I don't.

I am almost 2 weeks post op & still on a liquid diet. I only have 2 more days left before I introduce mushies, but just within the past few days my weight has gone up! I don't understand how if I'm only having liquids I could be gaining. Did this happen to anyone else? It's freaking me out a bit that I am one if those statistics that the band is not going to work for. I'm following Dr orders, I'm walking every day, & I'm drinking my water. The only thing I can think the cause is that I'm not getting enough calories. I'm getting at the least 500 a day which was considered acceptable from my Dr at this stage. I need encouragement :-(