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So this last week has been a busy week. I had my nutritionist consult at Starbucks. She was nice I guess, but looked at me like I was out of my mind when I said I was going to self-pay. She literally stopped talking, put her papers down, her eyes got big, her mouth hung open a little, and she just stared at me for what felt like 3 hours. I know a lot of people (my husband and mother-in-law...) don't understand why I would go that far in debt for this, but I guess I can't really expect them to understand. They haven't lived their whole lives like this. Feeling like an outsider all the time. And now that I'm older (ripe old age of 25), and heavier, the daily physical pain, lack of energy, not being able to really be "me." My heart breaks when I can't play with my daughter more than a couple of minutes without being exhausted and winded. She deserves better than that, and I deserve to be able to be the kind of mom I want to be. Ah well, I'm rambling... So I had the nutrition consult. Took maybe 30-40 minutes. She had the nerve to drink Starbucks in front of me. I've cut Starbucks out cold turkey. I almost asked her if I could just take a sniff of her coffee. But that would have been weird... Then Thursday I had my first appointment with the surgeon's office. $150 to watch a video explaining the lap-band surgery . That was pretty much it. They weighed me, and I found out I weigh 5 lbs more than I thought I did. I thought I was at 405, but no, I am at 410. Sigh. Then I had to watch that video for an hour. Then, the lady gave me a paper with how much the cost of everything will be and the loan amount I need to take out. Yipee. Stupid employer exclusion... Friday, I had an appointment with my family doctor. I love him. He is so supportive of this decision. He had his letter recommending me for the lap-band surgery already written and typed up before he even came in the room. He also ordered the bloodwork, x-rays, EKG, upper GI, etc that the surgeon's office needs. I was so happy that he ordered it for me. That means my insurance will probably cover those tests since he ordered them, instead of my lap-band doctor. He completely understood and was very happy to do so. He said that he has several patients who have had the lap-band and been very successful. One lady was actually around my current weight, and is now down in the low 200's. He reminded me to be saving my money for plastic surgery as I lose the weight. The most interesting of all the pre-op appointments on my checklist, was the psych eval. It was on Friday too, after the family doc appointment. The psychologist/psychiatrist was very nice, and really funny. He cursed like a sailor and had really funny stories to tell (including one story about a man that liked to have sex while wearing his CPAP machine :thumbup:). He picked at my brain a little, but I think he could tell I'm ready for this surgery and fully aware of the physical & non-physical risks. There was only one thing that stumped me, and I've been thinking about it ever since. He said he has lots of patients that have been banded and aren't successful with it. They either don't lose much weight at all, don't lose any weight, gain weight, etc. Basically, the band just does not work for them, usually because they aren't sticking to the program, exercising, etc. He asked me, what about me makes me different from any of them. I told him that I am super-motivated and I'm going to do my very best. He replied that that's how they all felt in the beginning too. That kind of hit me hard. There are lots of bandsters that were just as motivated as I currently am with all the intentions to do everything right and lose all the weight, but they failed at it. What is going to make me different? I didn't know the answer to this and I couldn't answer him. I still don't know the answer to this. I wish now that I had thought to ask him if he had any suggestions of what could make me different from them. This question is kind of getting to me. What is going to make me different? So the only thing I've got left on my checklist is my upper GI stuff. I think that's usually done at a hospital. Someone is supposed to call me for a date for that. Even though I don't want the surgery until the last week of May or the first week of June (so DH, the teacher, will be out of school and can help out with our 2 year old), I feel so relieved to have pretty much everything done and out of the way.

First off I gained 5 lbs this week. Not lost. Gained. :thumbdown: Medications - Up until last Saturday I had been talking the following medications. Benicar - Blood pressure medication Antenolol - Blood pressure medication Furosemide - Heavy diuretic (water pill) Klor-con - Potassium pill (counter balance to the furosemide) It's great that I am able to go off these medications now and that my blood pressure is doing so well. My blood pressure reads on a continual basis to be in the middle of the normal blood pressure range. With my legs over the last week I have had a minuet amount of swelling not the measurable amount that I had in the past. I also have not worn the compression socks that I have so I will wear those over the next week and see if that makes a measurable difference. What I am not sure about is going off the Furosemide. I know that some of the weight I gained this week is water weight but I just don't know how much of that is. It's something I have to work through. Exercise - I have to say this has been a decent week for exercise. Of course walking every evening after work but also I have been good also in getting out at lunch time to walk. It feels great to know that I am pushing myself harder with this but I can tell that I still need more. I am going to have to add some additional exercises to my daily program to continue my weight loss. Food - I have made some bad food choices this week. There has been a couple of times that I snacked on stuff I shouldn't have and I know that I am eating more then I should. This has to change and is changing starting today. I can tell that I need a fill and I do have a scheduled fill on the 26th. I just wish it was sooner to help me with this hunger that I have been getting. I have to be strong once again and have the will to keep working at the weight loss. I am so close to breaking that 400 lbs mark and continue on down. Overall - Overall this week is a wash to me. Off medications and doing good with walking but bad food choices resulting in a weight gain. I have to really step it up more this next week. I have had a steady weight loss since the middle of October. In the middle of October I weighed 465 lbs and today I weigh 415 lbs. So yes that is a total of 50 lbs since then and since my highest weight in January of 2008 I have lost a total of 70 lbs but I have a lot more to go and need to keep focus on what it is I am doing. I guess this is my two steps forward and one step back week. Now get moving forward and don't let this discourage me is what I have to do now.

I'm feeling pretty depressed and guilty and discouraged and and and... and I'm tired of feeling this way! I've got my band in april of last year and didnt get my first fill until 6 months later. I've lost 55 pounds since but just cant seem to stay on track these days. Ice cream.. crackers.. mini candy bars at work... sometimes in the afternoon at work, I cant stop thinking about a snack. I obsess over it and end up becoming grouchy because I cant stop thinking about it. I end up feeling deprived and punished because I cant eat what I want... then the guilt that I even feel like that in the first place makes it worse. sigh... WHATS WRONG WITH ME??? I'm so happy with my success so far, but I feel I cant do it anymore. I was going to the gym 3 times a week, so even when I cheated, I wouldnt gain. Unfortunately I fell and hurt my ankle 4 weeks ago and can only do so much before I'm in too much pain.... so now I only go 1 or 2 times a week. I was working back to my consistency, but then I must of reinjured it because it started swelling up and hurting so I am back to square one. Boo! Although I know my depression meds contribute to my weight gain and my lust for sweets, it doesnt make me feel any better. Feels like excuses. Its my 41st bday today and I had wanted to reach my first goal of 200 pounds by today, but am 11 pounds short... and its my fault. I get up every morning and tell myself that today I wont eat anything I am not suppose to and that I will go to the gym and be proud of myself... but that never seams to happen 100%. I'm sorry I didnt have any words of wisdom or positive energy to contribute... maybe I shouldnt of posted at all... anyway, good luck to you...

Lap band was removed a couple of months ago, because of slippage after 10 years. Lost 180 lbs, and I must say I looked great, so proud of myself. First they loosened the band until the surgery for removal could take place. I started gaining weight right away. I have gained 40 lbs in 4 short months, and I am starting to panic. I joined a weight loss center, and nothing seems to be working for me. Low carb, counting calories, but the weight just seems to coming back on so quickly. Is it true that since I was so obese before the surgery that now I have all those fat cells that seem to soak up the fat so easily now. It doesn't make any sense, I have been really trying, don't want to go back to my old self, I was so depressed and had no stamina, now I am active and feel good about the way I look, but its quickly going away, and i'm scared. Any tips would really be helpful. thanks

For me, the biggest advantage to going low carb is that when I eat carbs, I crave more carbs. This causes weight gain, not weight loss. I wish I could get them out of my diet completely, and when I do, I am a much happier person. Then someone brings chocolate chip Cookies to work, and all my will power goes out the window.

Well I did my first day of mooshies! Everything went just fine. I am nervous to see the scale at the end of the week though. I am being very careful but it only stands to reason that eating food instead of liquids should produce some kind of weight gain. We shall see. I have been told that this is the limbo stage for banders and it is easy to gain during this phase if you are not careful. God willing I won't. I am excited for my first fill.

I initally had great loss, I was going like gang busters. I lost 35 pounds by almost the 3 month. Yes, 10 or 15 pounds were water weight because I had a sever edema problem. Yes no more edema was one of my first NSVS. But whee! the weight was coming off! Then my weight loss stopped. I gained about 5 pounds before my first fill. After my first fill last month I lost 1 pound. This month I lost 1 pound. 2 months, 2 pounds. At the support meeting this week, I had my official weigh-in. 1 pound down since last month. I was so angry and pissed off and discouraged, words fail to express my disapointment. I have attempted to be the model bandster. I feel like I had good restriction, and my food has been ... small. My calories have been in the zone. But no loss. 2 months and 2 pounds. So angry. So many tears. Yes, I have had so many NSV I've thought about starting a thread dedicated to all my NSV. Yes, this weekend I actually bought a LARGE jacket, not a XXL jacket. But this NSV was completely obliteraged by my non-loss. Stupid scale. Failure me. 5 months ago They were considering putting me on oxygen therapy. Again. Today I don't even cary a puffer with me, and I run for the bus without a second thought. Okay, my second thought is "I wonder what these people think of big fat me running," and my thrid thought is "don't get in my way!" I chased my sweet 6' tall baby through a parking lot this weekend, him trying his best to not get caught, me doing my dardest to catch him. We ran around for about 2 minutes. Yeah, not long, but I was running to catch him. Not even out of breath, except for maybe the laughter. But the scale hasn't moved in 2 months and I feel like a failure. I was so angry I actually had a temper tantrum. I was so upset I almost quit everything related to the band. I was so upset to the point that I almost came here a deleted every one of my posts. All of them. I felt like a lier, like what could I possibly have to contribute because I am not loosing. But I waited. I know better to act in the heat of my anger. Of course, my wonderful Spudboy and DH have tried to put things into perspective for me. They have noticed my size change. They have noticed my increased energy and my increased spirits. They keep pointing out that I've been really sick for so long, and that my body is probably rebuiling the muscle that I've lost. This summer, I have had on going health issues that are not related to the band. I've had on going GYN issues, including a ruptured overian cyst. Talk about painful! I never passed out from the pain from tthat, but man I was close. I went through almost an entire bottle of phenegren in two weeks because of the pain induced nausia. Anyway, I spent 2 months on various drugs that normally cause weight gain, but I maintained. I suppose that is an NSV, but again, the NSV is obliterated by the scale. I know the scale lies. I've known that it lies for at least decade, but yet I still listen to what it says. I am so very discouraged. I have a fill appointment schedule so I have a fill before I go off to Idaho. The next opportunity I have for a fill will be November. Why can't I take my own advice? Why can't I be kind to myself? Stupid scale.

I've lost 100 pounds in 8 months, so it is definitely working for me. Ladies, just remember if you've had PCOS related infertility, that could change with weight loss. On one hand, that could be a blessing. On the other hand, that could bring on quite a surprise. PCOS, for the poster who asked, stands for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. It's name is a bit of a misnomer since it has much more to do with insulin problems than with cysts in the ovaries. Some of the symptoms are: Irregular periods - Nine or fewer menstrual cycles per year may be a sign of PCOS. Bleeding may be heavier than normal. These conditions are caused by a hormone problem, because the ovaries are not working properly and producing hormones that keep the menstrual cycle regular. Infertility - Because women with PCOS don't have regular menstrual cycles, many are unable to get pregnant. With help, women with PCOS can get pregnant, however. A number of infertility treatments are available. (See section on Treatments.) Hirsutism - Hirsutism means excess hair, which can be a difficult symptom for many women. For most women with PCOS, hair in the mustache and beard areas becomes heavier and darker. Masculine hair on the arms and legs and more hair growing in the pubic region, abdomen, chest or back are also possible. This symptom is caused by high levels of male hormones (androgens), as are thinning hair and acne. Thinning hair - Just as heavier hair growth is possible, scalp hair thinning may be present. This is caused by higher levels of androgens. Acne - Acne (pimples and oily skin) can also bother women with PCOS. The acne is usually found around the face (especially along the jaw line), chest, and back. Weight gain - Many women with PCOS gain weight around their middles taking on an apple shape rather than a pear shape. Such weight gain is linked with problems with the proper use of glucose and insulin in the body. Other skin problems - Skin tags, thick lumps of skin that can be as large as raisins, can form and usually are found in the armpits or neck. These can easily be removed. Darkening and thickening of the skin also can occur around the neck, groin, underarms, or skin folds. This condition, called acanthosis nigricans, is a sign of an insulin abnormality. Depression and anxiety - Because of the nature of many of these symptoms, woman may find themselves more anxious or depressed by their appearance, or by their inability to become pregnant.

I was sleeved 9/26/12 I am on the shot had it a few weeks before my sleeve I will not be getting it again. Now I have been on it for 5 years so I do love it but do not love the Side effects weight gain slow weight loss. DH got a vasectomy today so I would not have to worrie today I was due for my shot he did this instead.

Update. Now over 3 weeks post band removal. Feeling good. Energy level returning to normal. Delighted no weight gain - haven't become a ravenous beast. Determined to maintain current weight.

Funny that this is the first post I found while searching lap band info. I suffer from sleep apnea and apparently have my entire life without knowing. The more weight I gained, the worse it had gotten. I had a stroke in March of 2007. It took the neurologist 8 months and 80+ lbs until he sent me for a sleep study, last resort to find out what was going on. I am only 38, which they found to be unusual for a stroke. Anyway, the sleep apnea made me feel absolutely horrible but I never realized I had it. (During sleep study one I quit breathing 158 times per hour) - Once diagnosed and put on a CPAP I feel incredible, except for the weight I have gained along the way. I met with my Ob/Gyn this morning and he made me an appointment with a local surgeon who is well respected and does thousands of lap band and gastric bypass surgeries..........I have never been heavy until the stroke. The undiagnosed sleep apnea, medications, inactivity for a lengthy period and my eating habits for several months after the stroke (dysphagia) lead to an incredible weight gain. I am NEW to this board (so hello to everyone) and am looking to have the Lap Band procedure done. I am such a chicken but know that I need help getting the weight off.

I’m 16 months post op & 130 lbs down. At Drs goal but want to lose another 15. During my journey experienced many stalls for no reason at all. For 2 MONTHS stuck at 160-161. Back & forth. Then all of a sudden dropped to 155. Did nothing different. Just followed the course. Since this stall happened later in the journey didn’t stress as much as I had in the beginning. Remember. When you stress it raises cortisol which can create weight gain. For beginners I’ve always suggested to take measurements, try on clothes vs always jumping on scale. For me that was very hard habit to break. Used to weigh daily. Finally during losing process I was able to pick the same day each week- Wednesday- & weigh then. When you get to goal you should weigh yourself more frequently so any weight gain can be addressed immediately. I have great program were we had weekly support group meetings & we still continue now with zoom meetings. It’s so important to reach out to others like this so keep doing it. I’ve learned so much by sharing & with our therapist who leads group. Biggest lesson. Stay the course. It works!

Have any of Doctors ruled out an ulcer? That would definitely cause you to be unable to eat, and if it is a bleeding ulcer, the blood loss would definitely make you weak and dizzy and if it is irritated, that could cause an infection (leading to the fever). If it happens after a fill, the irritation of having the band adjusted in a fill could trigger the ulcer to become inflamed. Vomiting would also irritate it. One other thing, when I was pregnant, I was highly anemic and got the "fade to black" thing when I stood up to fast or was too active. Have your Iron level checked. However, I don't think anemia can cause the other symtoms you are having, but you never know. If I were you I would march into my doctor's office and DEMAND that he find out what is wrong. At your age, there should be no reason why you have to feel like you do. Just to add, I read an article recently about sugar free gum and consumption of aspertame. Do you chew alot of sugar free gum, drink diet drinks or eat alot of food sweetened with aspertame? Apparently quite a few people have recently found to have a sort of allery of sensitivity to aspertame (which also goes by many other names). The sensitivity or reaction includes quite alot of the symptoms that you are having. You might want to look into it. There is also literature that aspartame sensitivity can be linked to depression. I found this on Diagnose-Me: Treatment: Aspartame (Nutrasweet) Avoidance - I noticed quite a few of the symptoms you mentioned here. Hope this helps. If you want to send me a PM, I will try to find that email that I had and send it to you as well. I apologize for the length of this. "Adverse effects reported from short-term and/or long-term use of Aspartame include: Seizures and convulsions, dizziness, tremors, migraines and severe headaches (triggered or caused by chronic intake), memory loss (common toxicity effect), slurring of speech, confusion, numbness or tingling of extremities, chronic fatigue, depression, insomnia, irritability, panic attacks (common aspartame toxicity reaction), marked personality changes, phobias, rapid heart beat (tachycardia - another frequent reaction), asthma, chest pains, hypertension (high blood pressure), nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, swallowing pain, itching, hives / urticaria, other allergic reactions, blood sugar control problems (e.g. hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia), menstrual cramps and other menstrual problems or changes, impotency and sexual problems, food cravings, weight gain, hair loss / baldness or thinning of hair, burning urination & other urination problems, excessive thirst or excessive hunger, bloating, edema (fluid retention), infection susceptibility, joint pain, brain cancer (in pre-approval studies on animals), death. Aspartame Disease may mimic symptoms of, or worsen: Fibromyalgia, arthritis, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease, lupus, multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), diabetes and diabetic Complications, seizures, Alzheimer's disease, birth defects, chronic fatigue syndrome, lymphoma, Lyme's disease, attention deficit disorder (ADD and ADHD), panic disorder, depression and other psychological disorders."

Some of the reasons for the 6 week liquids are prob the liver size, like you mentioned, and some doctors want to see if you can keep doing something you are told to for an extended amount of time. Your success will hinge on being able to follow orders for a LONG time. That includes not drinking coffee (make that caffein...) and alcahol, fizzy diet or reg sodas, beer and such. The reasoning behind not drinking sodas are that the long term studies are pointing to weight gain with regular AND diet sodas. The fizz does seem to cause some problems as well. We all know beer is full of carbs, and our little stomachs will be tender for quite a while, perhaps over a year. I am almost at 2 years, and there are still things that tummy just doesnt agree with, and i have a pretty cast iron tummy. I can just now eat hot chili after two years, and I always used to eat things HOT. We have a set of habits, some of which have gotten us into trouble... now is the time to change as many of them long term that we can... or at least part of the weight will come back on. I speak from experience, having gained 11-12 pounds. I know it is from eating habits (junk food and grazing) and a reduction in exercise (knee bone spurs... working to remedy this) Even those 12 pounds tell me the sleeve is working pretty well because my portion sizes are better than before surgery... the more changes you can willingly make in the quality of what you eat, the better for you and your kids and busy lifestyle. I have a glass of wine now and then, I stay away from caffein, I eat almost anything I want, protein first, and try and keep the portion sizes down... do the best you can. It will pay off in better weight loss and maintenance. Best of luck.

Thanks guys for all your kind words. I really don't think I was having the "last meal" mind set. I was just living the life that got me this way and gearing up for the changes after surgery. I feel much better now. I walked, had some slimfast and a Nap! (I think the nap was most helpful) I just hate losing the time. The dental office I work for is going to our confrence in South Beach Miami this November, and I wanna be able to wear something slightly stylish and keep up with my skinny coworkers. I was just in shock this morning. But it may be for the best now. I'm gonna get better mentally prepared this way having to do the liquids before hand. Why didn't he require it in the first place????? He said he had to cancel 5 surgeries this week because of weight gain, and was mad at his staff because of it. I guess HE SHOULD BE MORE CLEAR IN HIS INSTRUCTIONS. How about a good old hand out or something? He didn't even respond when I told him about the unusual stress level I have had lately. But he's supposed to be the best in the area, so I guess bedside manor will have to suffer. I'm trying to get rid of my "poopy pants". All your comments have helped. Thanks Nana and Julie!

Hey there. So...I had the lap band in 2008 and had a pretty stable and successful lap band life up until last year. I started at 225 and the lowest I got was about 165. My goal is around 155-160 so I was pretty close. Last year, around this time of year, I started having a lot of issues PBing and I could barely keep anything down. This went on for a few months and it was very difficult because I moved to a new state and the doctor there was giving me problems about scheduling an appointment because I had the surgery elsewhere. After dealing with it for so long, getting frustrated then finally throwing up blood, i decided to go to the ER. They unfilled me completely and said I had some reflux along with pre-ulcer symptoms. They advised me to keep it unfilled for a while and follow up with a lap band doctor. Well, then I had to move again for work to another state. So in the process of all that, I haven't had it refilled again since then. With that said....I'm now back up to 210lbs. That's about a 40lb weight gain from where I was this time last year. :-( Discouraged and disappointment doesn't even begin to explain how I feel. It took so long to get to the weight I was comfortable with. After moving it took months to finally get an appointment scheduled with a lap band doctor where I'm living now and I have an appointment for next week. In the photos you can see me at my heaviest and lightest. I'm not all the way back where I was but I'm almost there. The picture of me in blue button down sweater is recent and feel like that's going to be my "heavy" picture again. I feel like I'm starting all over again.

I'm not going to get into an argument with someone on a message board. I simply stated that you shouldn't assume anything yet you're doing it again. Read up a bit on PCOS and you might learn something. PCOS is typically treated with diabetic medications, such as Glucophage. However, because one of the symptoms of PCOS is weight gain, many women (like myself) have failed to lose weight even with proper dieting and exercise. I'm not, nor have I ever been, obsessed with food. Prior to getting my band, I didn't over eat. I may not have always made the right food choices, but I was not one to over eat. Please read my post on the following thread about why I am fat. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=5223&page=8&pp=15 Please refer to my answer above to seehawksimms.

It is possible with the band or with GBP to eat "around" it and regain. Slider foods, high calorie drinks can cause weight gain. Either procedure is a "tool" that you must help to work and neither is a "magic wand".

Let me know how you like that website.. I love it.. went to my support group last night and their is a weight gain due to the water weight coming back after eating real food again.. but as long as you dont gain it should start coming off.. that web-site saves me.. even if I want to cheat I know how much I can taste of something as long as I dont go over my calories for the day.. or if you want to do carbs you can set it up for that too...

Hi, My name is Melonie, and I am from Calgary Canada. I am having my surgery in Toronto. I have struggled with weight most of my adult life, but have recently struggled more due to an injury to the cartilage in my knee. I have developed osteoarthritis and my lack of mobility has really fueled my weight gain. I am at my highest weight ever, 5'1" and 258! I only made my decision last week, and as I am self pay, they gave me a date of august 11th. I was in shock. A lot to get my head around in such a short time, but probably for the best as I would worry too much with a long wait. Good luck to all of you fellow August bandsters, I am looking forward to seeing how we all get along. Melonie

I've been in this WLS world for close to twenty years, since the initial work up to my wife's DS and then my VSG some years later, and from what I have seen from many in our support groups, most everyone can lose up to around 30lb of regain - it takes some effort and a few months, but it comes off more or less like a "normal" person. 50lb or regain is more a a 50-50 proposition - some can lose it on their own, and some need a revision to help it along. My general feeling is that the revision should be your last step rather than your first. Go back to some basics and try to understand where your regain happened, as if it happened, once, it can happen again after a revision., so you need to get your head around the root of the problem. Is it a head problem, meaning that maybe some therapy is in order, or not really understanding the nutritional side of things and how to eat and live to maintain a healthy weight - an RD can be helpful for this. Or, maybe a bit of both. Unfortunately, our WLS, and by extension a revision for regain (rather than for complications) is really more of a "do over" rather than a cure for the problem Very commonly, before we had WLS, the most frequent reason for failure in dieting is that the diet will yield some weight loss, maybe even to normalish weight, but then the person declares success and goes back to their old habits, and diet, that helped to promote the weight gain in the first place - they never really learned how to live, and eat, to maintain that healthy weight. This is why we frequently see people regaining fairly rapidly after notionally successful dieting. The same basic profile often happens after WLS, only it takes a while longer to happen owing to the lower volume that we can eat, but that tendency is still there. Another consideration is that every time we go inside to do surgery, we back ourselves further into a corner, limiting our options for future treatment should that be necessary, whether for regain revision or for something completely unrelated; you have limited any future surgeon's options in what they can do to help you with some future problem. This is why I am very shy about "wasting" a surgery if I can possibly treat the problem some other way. Again, let it be your last choice, rather than your first.

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

It's interesting that you gained 30 lbs eating only 500 calories a day. The band does not change your metabolism, so I'm confused about that. But yes, for me the discomfort and constant feeling of having a heart attack is simply not worth it. I was absolutely miserable. It's only been 2 weeks since I've had no restriction but I haven't gained anything at all. There were times with the band where I gained 10 lbs in a week because I fell off the wagon with my diet. My eating habits are so much healthier now, so I'm looking forward to keeping a good attitude towards food without the band. I was also doing cardio and strength training 4-5 days a week, which I will get back to when I'm healed up from the removal. I was very encouraged by a post on this site by AZbandster. She had a very similar experience to mine and has done well maintaining without the band. I just found that the band did not actually stop weight gain for me. Like I mentioned, I could eat horrible and gain 10 lbs easily even with the band full. I had to make permanent changes to the way I thought about food. I actually began a pescatarian diet 6 months ago which helped me lose the most recent 10 lbs I lost. Now I'm looking forward to trying a more vegan based diet with seafood proteins a few times a week. The pescatarian diet is helping with my digestion, sleep, and so many other improvements, like my hair and skin so I'm hoping to continue to see benefits. With regard to the payment, my insurance covered the removal with no hoops but not a revision. Wish you the best as well. I'll be sure to check back in on you to see how you're doing.

After 25 years of struggling with the weight gain, I realized that I could not continue along this "path of self-detruction". I had my first child at 39, with all the complications that come with being obese and pregnant. When my son turned 5, I was diagnosed with Diabetes (after having gestational diabetes while pregnant). I continued gaining weight, yo-yo dieting, gaining more weight, and feeling like a failure after each diet attempt. I have high cholesterol, and need to take multiple meds. 1 year ago, I became insulin-dependent. I no longer have energy, and I want to be able to keep up with my very active, supportive husband, and teenage son. I want to feel "healthy" again. I want to feel attractive. My husband gives me compliments all the time, but I truly want to feel "cutely average". I don't want to be too thin - just average would suit me just fine. I want to enjoy the wonderful life I have with my new husband and my terrific son. They deserve someone who is fun and willing to be adventurous with them. My surgery is scheduled for May 23rd. A new chapter, a journey I am willing to take to finally make things right for me and my family. God has smiled down on me before, He is always there for me, always.

Yeah..it was interesting...on a day that I even was walking around San Francisco all day at a conference and logged over 20K steps..the next day I was up 5lbs!! I had seen this with a few other bandsters who had complete unfills..it was a quick weight gain with no stopping it with diet and excercise..any normal person restricted to 500-600 calories a day should be losing a few lbs a day..not gaining it..but I think it is just the abnormal state of being our bodies are throw into when banded..I think if I did not restrict my calories like I did, I would have gained more..my body adjusted to this new set point and now is maintaining there.. I wish I could trust that I would be okay with just living without a band and hope for the best and try with diet and excercise that failed many times before. I'm older and metabolism is slower, about to hit menopause anytime now which doesn't help..so if I can get this weight back off and maintain it..I would be happy. If I was good at eating healthy ALL the time and excercising all the time, I never would have been overweight and needed the band. We are humans..we need food..we love food..we will always slip and fall when it comes to food. I wish I had that willpower..never did and won't start now at age 50.. Anyway...best of luck to you!! I will post my follow up...