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Golly, what rotten luck. You are right though, I simply cannot understand that if you use your head, use the band the right way and bloody well teach yourself some decent eating habits, why there is any need in the world for you to gain weight back. Keep up your exercise, keep up your new sensible habits and you should be right. Get right onto any small weight gains immediately. For the record, I find it much easier to avoid gaining weight than I do losing it. I managed to get through my third pregnancy without gaining anything significant, and since I realised 10 or so years ago that I could easily gain 7kg on a 2 week holiday, I've never gained a gram on holidays since. It doesnt require quite the same deprivation as dieting does - for me I find it requires a big commitment to loads of exercise. Then I can afford a treat here or there and I dont gain. You can do that too. You know you can. Surely with banding there's an element of it being a crutch, to allow you to work on your head issues without that exhausting expectation of failure. You've done the hard yards, now you can just keep going! Good luck and I hope it goes well for you

Does it seem difficult to lose weight before during and after your menstual cycle it seems I always put a .5 to 1 pound on prior to my period and it takes so long to get it back off it is so frustrating. The bloat and the retention just frustrated

I haven't had any weight gain at all since the surgery, but this specific issue was not a problem pre-op for me either. I am wondering about this though, I am 5 1/2 months out from surgery and have not had my period in 2 months, the doctor can't really answer why and doesn't seem concerned, I thnk it might be the surgery/body changes combined with stress. Menopause (I am 40) Has anyone else experienced this?

Hi !! How are all you members going that have had your banding ?? are you glad you did it ..any down side..?? I am going to a film and talk on the banding tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday) ..I really think its the only way left for me to go ..I have just given up on all other ways to loose weight.. I am a oldie ...62yrs old in February ..I don`t want to be fat on my 63rd Birthday so hopefully will get the surgery asap after seeing the specialists .. What am I in for ..?? My weight gain has continued slowly from about 50years of age (menapause and the empty nest syndrome hitting at the same time)..I was slightyly over weight in my mid to late forties , so I thought but when I look back now , I wish I was back at my then weight... I am about 118.00 Kilos.. so need to loose 40 to 50 kilos ..................I wonder if its too late sometimes ... I am so sad to have let myself come to this and just want to hide away from the world... O.K I hope after tomorrowI have the courage to go ahead with this plan... Excersizing is hard , I have no enegy or motivation ..and worse of all my joints scream with aches and pains just walking which I am trying to do starting 3 times a week ..when the weather is extreamly hot I just can`t do it ..I am too ashamed to get into swimmers to use a pool which I am told would be easier on my knees.... Oh ! well I will see when I get to speak to the specialist see what hope they give me.... I hope you are all doing well and I would love to read about your experiences Good and bad .. Chat later .. Majj

I so afraid of weight gain due to hypothyroid condition. I am not a bringer, small amounts of foods is enough for me and satisfying. My problem is that I have only lost 10 pounds since being banded Dec 28, 2009. I am exercising and watching my food intake. What do I have to do to lose more weight. I am disappointed that I have not lost more. I started out weighing 191 and down to 179, but today my scale showed I gained three pounds (183). What can I do to lose more weight? Do I go back to liquid diet again?

Hello Fellow Vets! I was just wondering what everyone's plans are for getting back on track after the Christimas Season? I haven't really done terrible but I did gain 3 pounds in the past two months. It really scares me. I don't really feel I eat more just made some bad choices. But with the weight gain, I HAVE to be eating more. Seems that old "sugar" habit is sneaking back in my life. I've decided to set a new goal for myself and be at goal by my 2 year surgeversay in May. I really want to have a BMI of less than 25 and be at my healthy goal of 145 to 150 by then. I'm excited about getting back on track and having some normalcy in my life after the holidays. I've also had a lot of stress in my life lately and am still dealing with the GERD issues and esophageal spasms. I've decided to try and live with it even though I'm on meds and probably will be forever. I still can't sleep on my sides and have to sleep propped up on my back or else I will get a spasm and they hurt like CRAZY!! Bypass isn't an option as long as I can function without doing more surgery. I can keep down food obviously so I pray that things stay stablized. Well, would love to hear how you guys are doing and what ideas y'all have for the new year! OH NSV.. Even though I gained three pounds, I was able to buy a size 10 jeans yesterday and they fit comfortably. I don't think I will be able to wear a size 10 in everything but I was happy happy happy to buy these! Decided to post these before and afters. I am still so grateful to have made it this far! Would love to see before and afters of my fellow vets! It really does help to see how far we ALL have come. GOD BLESS!

Hi good friends, You are all SO right about the weight gain. One of my biggest goals in life is to enjoy the truly memorable, rare moments. Being pregnant and getting to eat lotsa yummy food or justifying a bowl of Cereal every night before bed is one of those fun parts and I will not give that up. So I'm resigned to the fact that I may hit about 30 lbs before this over...that allows me to gain slightly more than a pound a week, very fair. Besides, there are weeks where I don't each much and don't gain at all, so hopefully it'll even out. I was like Heather and gained very little the first 4 months, so I figured it would continue that way. I wanted to say thanks for your remarks about my surgical scars. They bother me, but I'm more confident every day that it shouldn't be a big issue to keep them under wraps. I just have loved ones that won't understand, won't respect my decision, etc. As far as updates go, it's been kinda a crazy week. I had my work baby shower last Friday, it was a blast and we got tons of cute stuff! I will have one with friends and family next month. Also Friday, I had to rush to the OBGYN's office because I had gone 2 days without feeling the baby move and a blood test showed elevated levels of B12, which can put the baby in duress. Everything was fine, but it was a scary ride to the doctor's office! I've felt him daily since then, but the doc was great and basically said I could drive to the clinic every day if I wanted to hear the heartbeat and they wouldn't mind. Weekend was nice and pleasant, got a maternity swimsuit for those weekends at the pool that me and my girlfriends love so much, went out to lunch and shopping with a girlfriend. Late Sunday afternoon my hubby got in a bad car accident. He is completely fine, but he totaled his car. This actually works in our favor. We had 4 or 5 yrs left of payments on it, it was starting to have expensive repairs issues (it's an Audi), and he missed his Jeep days, so now that the insurance co has declared it a total loss and paid off his car loan, we get to find him a better car, more baby-friendly and less expensive to maintain. So it looks like we're both getting new cars soon, because my trusty old Ford Focus, while an amazing and perfect car for the past 10 yrs isn't the most baby-friendly either. I'm actually a bit sentimental and sad to see it go! Cherry, I am so excited to start post-baby weight loss support! I know we will do great. Fairy, how is life as a mom? I'm a first-timer like you.

Newlife.. Congrats on the pregnancy! just hang in there with the gaining thing.. try to eat healthy and eat small frequent meals and dont watch the scale to closely. pregnancy brings on all sorts of weight gains without rhyme or reason so if you keep track of the scale you may get really frusterated.. theres water weight, doubling of your blood supply, added fat that you body uses to balance your growing tummy.. and lets not forget the placenta, baby and aminotic fluid!! having something in my stomach was the trick for me too.. if i even got close to being done digesting I would turn green!! try to eat high protein things that take longer to digest.. carbs will go right through you and youll have to eat again sooner.. with both my pregnancies I ate a lot of lean cusine type things.. portion controlled and helped me stay full. Obviously you have to eat what you feel like eating too.. meat was hard for me the first 4 months so I ate peanut butter, beans and granola. good luck!! and remember every pregnancy is different!!

Ok, so I'm sure this thread has been posted before, however, I am a new sleever (Dec, 2011,) and I would like to know which foods five you battle hardened vets the most trouble. I would like to know the most dangerous of my old favorites that will cause me undue pain and suffering, and I don't mean weight gain. A couple days ago, on my 7th day post-op I was feeling pretty good and decided to have a tiny cup of Cream of Wheat..............WHHHOOOOAAAA, NELLLLIIIEE. Big Mistake....I guess I flew too close to the Sun. I was sickernadawg. I would like to follow everything to the letter now, but would like input from you guys on what foods are the mist problematic with regard to dumping. Thank you and please be specific.

I am in the VERY beginning! I was actually a lot farther along in the process about 4 years ago....until my husband's employer took ALL weight loss treatments off the table. It was so heart breaking, I can't even describe it. Due to other health problems, I have been on disability for 2 years and will qualify for Medicare in Feb. Medicare covers Weight Loss Surgery!! I am even heavier than I was due to the meds I was on for so long caused excessive weight gain. I am doing much much better with my health and am off that medication...so its time to do something about this. Losing weight won't necessarliy "cure" whats wrong, but I am tired of being tired and run down all the time due to being soooo heavy! I just want to keep up with the kids activities, to be able to sit in seat at a concert, fit in an airplane seat...just the little things in life!! Anyways, back to your question, I am just getting started choosing a doctor!

I went natural 3 years ago, I just wash, twist and keep going. I feel so much better, no having to worry about my hair sweating out during my workout sessions. I have been banded since May 7, 2012 and have since lost 36 pounds without a fill. I am thinking that this is slow weight loss, but my doctors tells me that I am doing pretty good to not have had a fill yet. There are weeks that I get frustrated due to water weight gain and muscle gain. Just trying to stay encouraged.

For the dark green bowel movements, contact your primary doc. If you aren't eating a lot of leafy greens, then it could indicate excess bile - not saying that is what it is, just that you should discuss with your primary and let the doctor determine if it is something to be concerned about. And don't beat yourself. You have identified the problem with the weight gain, you know what to do - get back on plan. You are catching it early. And you always have support here.

Hello! I just wanted to pop in with a few updates. My husband is doing very well! They had him up and walking today, and he managed to do a full lap around the floor (a total of about 150ft) 3 times, which is apparently a big deal. In addition, they were able to take all drainage tubes out so he is feeling MUCH better. There is a possibility he may even get to come home on Friday! He is already getting up from the bed/chair with minimal assistance, and using the rest room on his own. It truly is a wonder how far we have come in medical field. My mom has decided to basically move in next week and the week after to help. I have to work next week to train my coverage for my own surgery, which at this point I am proceeding with. If he struggles this weekend, I will definitely push it out. Now for the not so great news... living off hospital food has caused me to gain 4lbs. They had very little gluten free options (unless I wanted wilted salad) and so in addition to the weight gain I have stomach pain too. Joy. Thankfully I have at most 2 days left, then I am putting myself on a liquid diet next week in hopes of losing those 4lbs I just put on Once again, I wish to thank you all for your kindness and support. It has been an immense help to me by keeping me distracted during this chaotic time. Kind regards, Kay

Hi everyone. I'm a New York girl, transplanted to Florida's Tampa Bay in 2006. I'm 59 years old, divorced, a disabled RN. I've been obese most of my life, and even had an open "stomach stapling" back in the early 1980's, when it was still a new procedure and a very big deal. My surgery took hours. I was in ICU for almost a week afterwards, then in Progressive Care for a few weeks. Finally to a regular room and then home. I was hospitalized altogether for about a month and a half. I lost 160 lbs in just maybe 6 months, but ended up, through the years, gaining it all back. Either my stomach stretched out or the staples let go. So I found myself mostly at 340 lbs most of the time, til I ended up on Prednisone, which caused a massive weight gain; then the insulin I was prescribed to bring down my insane blood sugars caused an additional weight gain. I peaked at 402 lbs, at which time I was unable to bathe or dress myself, take more than a few steps, get out of bed myself, move myself in bed, fit into any of my chairs, fit into my car, or find any position that was not painful. It was a living nightmare. I was already half-way through the procedure to obtain insurance approval. I started a serious low-carb portion controlled diet and stopped both of those meds. I dropped 71 lbs in four months but started putting it back on when I got the call that my surgery was approved. I started the pre-surgery 2 weeks of Optifast and dropped about 35 lbs in 10 days. Then found out my PCP wouldn't give me surgical clearance due to cardiac and renal issues, plus scary anemia. I'm currently drinking over the counter Protein shakes and planning on having a little chicken now and then, waiting for my new surgery date of June 18 to arrive. I've lost 95 lbs since November 2012. Can't wait for the surgery to reach my goal weight and save what's left of my life.

Weight loss surgery is challenging at any time of the year. The weight loss surgery diet is strict, and following it takes a lot of discipline and planning. Acquaintances and close friends alike may make comments about your weight loss and appearance. People who don’t know the first thing about weight loss surgery may not be shy about sharing their opinions of it. This can all get more intense around the holidays. You need even more discipline and planning when there are holiday treats everywhere you turn. People may notice your weight loss even more because you may see them only once a year. And the ones who share their negative opinions of weight loss surgery may be your relatives. It’s easy to lose sight of the big picture and get down on yourself during this season. But you’ll get through it, and come out on the other side ready to keep losing weight and following a healthy lifestyle. Staying positive helps. Here are some of the barriers you might come across, and how you can try to overcome them and stay positive. Comments from Other People Regarding Your Weight or Weight Loss Surgery You probably get some comments all year. People may notice your weight loss, or want to talk about your weight loss surgery once they find out about it. But during the holidays, this can get nearly unbearable. The people noticing your weight loss may be friends or family who are in town only once a year, and haven’t seen you since last year. They can be shocked at, proud of, or jealous of your weight loss, and any of these reactions can be uncomfortable if you’re not the type to enjoy attention. The other set of comments you might get include comments on your weight loss surgery. Almost every bariatric surgery patient has heard some unfair things about bariatric surgery, such as people saying that it’s “cheating.” What makes them worse now is when they come from family members. These comments can get you down. You may start to feel self-conscious about your body. You may feel defensive about your decisions. The negative feelings can wear you down. What to do about it. You have a few different options here. First, try talking to the people who are making the comments. For example, tell them: “Thank you for complimenting me on my weight loss. I appreciate it, but it makes me feel self-conscious. Do you mind not mentioning it, especially in front of other people?” “Thank you for your concern over my weight, but I think I’m doing okay. I’m working closely with my doctor and surgeon, and they both agree that I still have a few pounds to lose.” “I wish weight loss surgery were a magic solution, but it’s actually not. Would you like to hear about how it works and what I have to do to lose weight? Until you tell them directly, people may honestly not realize that it bothers you to hear comments about your weight. They may not know that weight loss surgery isn’t magic, and that you really do work hard every single day to lose weight and stay healthy. Talking won’t solve every problem. The next step is to prepare for the comments. If you know they’re coming, you can put up your guard mentally so they don’t get a reaction out of you or make you feel bad or defensive. You can also recruit a few allies, such as close friends, your spouse, or your parents. Ask them to stick with you at parties and gatherings so they can change the subject if your weight loss or weight loss surgery come up. Feeling Guilty. You go to a party. You eat a bit of this and a little of that, and then find yourself in the bathroom with dumping syndrome. Or you sneak in a treat here and a taste there, and at your weekly weigh-in, you find that you’ve gained weight. Bad eating and weight gain happen all the time during the holidays, and they can make you feel guilty. The problem is that guilt isn’t usually very productive. It’s more likely to drag you into a vicious cycle of overeating, feeling guilty, and overeating. What to do about it. First, forgive yourself. You can’t work with yourself if you’re mad at yourself. Admit you did something you’re not proud of, then accept your apology to yourself. It’s time to move on. Next, focus on the future. You can’t change the past, but you can shape the future. Recognize that you feel guilty, figure out why you have been making poor choices, and think of what you can do to do better next time. Log every bite, good or bad. Something as simple as keeping an honest record of what you eat is enough to stop you from taking that extra bite. Predict problems, and avoid them. If you know you can’t pass up fudge, don’t walk by the candy shop with free samples in the mall. Plan ahead. Take a salad, some chicken skewers, or a basket of mandarin oranges to your next holiday party so you can be sure there will be healthy food to eat. Feeling Deprived. The holidays are filled with delicious food. There’s candy at work, Christmas cookies from your neighbors, egg nog and finger foods at parties, and feasts with family. The problem is, you can’t have any of it. At least, you can’t eat the way you could before weight loss surgery. You’re limited to a few bites of certain treats. It’s easy to feel deprived. Your feelings can be even worse if you feel sorry for yourself for “needing” to work out, especially if you’re getting up early or staying up late to squeeze in a workout. The solution. This one’s not easy, but you can make it a lot better by changing your attitude. First, know that you’re not alone. Everyone feels that way. Don’t believe it? Go up to the most fit-looking person you know and ask. They will tell you that they are tempted by the holiday food, and they work very hard not to overeat. They’ll also tell you that they have to work to make exercise a priority during this busy season. Next, try to think about what you’ve gained by changing your lifestyle, and not about what you’ve lost. Sure, you can’t eat frosted cinnamon rolls anymore because they’ll give you an obstruction or dumping syndrome, but you can keep up with your friends at the mall. Or, you can’t drink spiked eggnog at Christmas parties, but you can fit into a flattering dress or suit to wear to the party. The holidays are about celebrating, being grateful, and appreciating friends and family, but you’re not alone if you find yourself getting down during the season. Weight loss surgery changes your life, and some of the changes can be magnified during this time. You can fight this by staying positive and planning ahead – just like you do to succeed the rest of the year.

That was the biggest surprise of my life. I had to undergo more than a year of fertility treatment and artificial insemination to have my daughter and now, when I least expecetd, I got this blessing. I am 3 month post VSG and almost 6 weeks pregant. I am still afraid, concerned about the nutrition of the fetus, weight gain, breatsfeeding ... finances... and all those things... but I am sooooo HAPPY about this baby. May God bring him/her in good health! I will keep you all posted.

On a similar note I wonder - what if friends start treating me differently in a negative way?? My best friend has already distanced herself from me, and I've only lost 10 lbs. We have been friends 12 years. She was never overweight until a couple years ago, and even still she's not too bad (about 200 lbs). I have a feeling that I always made her feel better about herself by being the big fat ugly friend. I am not sure how she will react once I lose all of this weight. Has anyone had people in their life who started treating them negatively after losing weight/gaining confidence?

My weight gain came from pregnancy. Looking back i now understand that I knew how to maintain a weight but not lose weight.

Hello everyone, Well my name is Angel and I just recieved word from our insurance that they approve Lapband and I had seen the commercials almost everyday and just decided to see the doctor to see if I qualify, I did! I have been battling my weight now for 4 yrs ever since I had my eptopic pregnancy I have just been getting bigger and bigger no matter what diet or new exercise I did. Well we finally got stationed here in Jacksonville and I went to meet my new doctor and tell her everything that has been going on, we did the blood work and also found out I have PCOS which not only explains the weight gain but my infertility as well. So now I am medicated for that and again was approved for the lapband so I go and meet with that doctor. I am really excited and have read through some of the forums on this site and I just feel more ready to get this done so I can start my new life too. Well I will let u all know how my appointment goes! Talk 2 u then!Oh i did forget to mention I weigh 240 and am only 4'11 so yeah it is time for this new life to come already!

BigViffer has some good thoughts. Since you need the calories, go for the full fat cheese, yogurt and milk. Avocado is good, so is Peanut Butter. Use a little olive oil in your cooking. One of my kids has feeding and weight gain issues. I make sure to keep Greek yogurt with fat in it around just for him. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am extremely carb-sensitive. I have had PCOS for 25 years, and full-blown type 2 diabetes for 10 years. In MY world, there is no difference between a "good" carb and a "bad" carb. All carbs cause me to gain weight and spike my blood sugar. I eat an extremely low-carb diet, with my PCP's blessing. My endocrinologist loves my diabetes numbers when I am eating "vlc" (very low carb). I have successfully lost HUNDREDS of pounds over my lifetime by eliminating carbs. Weakness has caused me to allow carbs back into my life every single time and that leads to weight gain. There were other issues at play prior to my getting sleeved, including the shape of my pre-surgery stomach . . . my surgeon said that he was pretty surprised when he got in there and saw what it looked like . . . that made it so easy for me to gain weight . . . and the sleeve has done exactly what I wanted it to do. I am down 43.5 pounds in 7 weeks. But no matter what my sleeve makes possible, I will ALWAYS have to be aware of my carb intake. That is something I accepted a long time ago. However, I know that there are plenty of people who can eat carbs and lose weight quite well. I used to be jealous of people who could eat carbs and still lose weight, but I got over it! Every one of us is different, with different tolerances for different things. No one can say, "you HAVE to eat carbs to live," anymore than anyone can say, "you can't lose weight while you are still eating carbs." I KNOW my body . . . and I KNOW that I can't eat carbs. That being said . . . I still LIKE carbs! And I love apples. This time of year has always been hard for me because it's freaking apple season! I allow myself an occasional piece of apple. It's definitely easier to only eat a "little piece of apple" with my sleeve!

Read this, I hope it helps, it is normal to see a weight gain or no loss when you go from liquids to mushy, you will also see thesame thing most likely when you go from mushy to solids. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=9148&highlight=struggling+bandsters

Let your doctor advise you on what's best in YOUR case. Sometimes (in my case) that isn't determined until he can actually see what's in there (xray is helpful but not a substitute). Scar tissue won't go away because you have two separate surgeries. I would guess there could be more at the time of the second surgery because the band removal surgury is going to have it's own set of scars. I'm glad mine could be done in one surgery because: 1, I was under anesthetic once instead of twice 2, only one recovery period (less work days missed) 3, once going through the pre and post op regimes 4, not having to deal with excess weight gain (therefore risk) between the two surgeries. That being said, if the only SAFE way would have been with two surgeries, I would have done that. Actually I wouldn't have a choice, my doc will only do what is best for his patients' health. I suppose if it didn't matter I had a choice, I would prefer all in one. Hope this helps.

Hi smithpy--so sorry you are struggling. Those major life stressors can (and do) derail us big time. BUT, you are NOT IN DENIAL of the reasons for your weight gain, and that is something to pat yourself on the back for!!! You are taking ACTION!!!You have gotten great words of wisdom here so far from the above posters (as we all always do!). Please remember too, though, that you first have to get your responses to all the STRESS in your life under control before you can recommit to your WLS healthy eating habits and lifestyle. (You know-- Are you paying attention to how important it is to be GOOD TO YOURSELF EVERY DAY? Moms tend to put ourselves last, and that usually means zero time for US. Do you meditate? Do you do deep breathing? Do you take a fun short-term class/workshop? Do you meet a friend? Do find a self-help book of interest? Do you enjoy nature? Do you sing a motivational song, even if you can't sing? Do you journal? Do you buy some dumb little special thing for yourself once a week? Can you have just 4 hours a week that can be JUST YOU time that someone cares for the kids? etc etc? ). Only you know the answer to this, and of course it is not expected that you respond in any way to this here. Please do not take offense--you mentioned alcohol, and I'm sure you are aware of the potential of transfer addictions with WLS patients. Just wanted to offer a caution. You don't say how old your kid(s) are, but get them on the bandwagon with you, and create some FUN stuff to do together--both in healthy meal prep AND with fun exercise activity. Don't go this alone. This is a TEMPORARY setback, and you will clean up your habits and move on to your healthy lifestyle again! You go girl. . .

I'm almost 8 months out. In the immediate pre- and post-op sleeve environment, it had a really profound effect - changing my relationship with food, getting a full-body "reset", having little to no hunger, much more energy, etc. I never had any problems with any food or drink along the way. But I have since learned the hard way, that that's not necessarily a benefit. Over the summer I was travelling, for basically 4 weeks, and it became difficult to stay completely on track the entire time. So, occasionally at first, but then with more regularity, I started trying more foods that I've been avoiding - wraps for lunch, chai tea from Starbucks (the only thing other than regular tea that I can drink there), and other foods (mostly carbs) that I told myself were a one-time only thing (like my dad's birthday cake). But once I started introducing carbs/sugar back into my life I noticed 2 things - one, that my cravings came back with a vengeance, and that I didn't feel full or satisfied as I had in the past; and two, that my weight loss came to a complete and absolute standstill. It's clear that I can eat anything - I did not have any negative reactions to anything that I tried - therefore, I know that I will have to vigilant about food for the rest of my life. It's taken me a couple weeks to wean myself off the carbs and back into a proper diet, much harder than when I did the pre-op diet. It's been a real wake-up call for me. So I'm thankful that my sleeve (and the effects from it) is preventing any demotivating weight gain, and that I have a chance to get back on track.