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Guys, I am so happy to say that I have a positive update and one that might help other women in the 45 to 55 age category who are going to do VSG or in the process of having had it and experiencing difficulty getting weight to move. I am very hard on myself. While I was not being perfect on my journey, I have a tendency to always feel that if something is not going right, it is all my fault. I was a food addict for so many years and did everything wrong that I almost felt like when my weight plateaued and then stopped and then I started to gain weight that it was just because I let myself down. To cut a very long story short. I had a gynecological emergency about a month ago and ended up having to go through a bunch of tests. It was discovered that I was producing next to zero progesterone and my estrogen was also extremely low. It was causing me SO MANY problems which I will not get into so that I will not digress from the main point. As a result I was put on hormones and almost immediately I started to loose weight again! I have lost 10 lbs since I started taking hormones 3 weeks ago. The reason why is that hormones have a major role to play in weight loss and weight gain. The reason why I was gaining and not loosing was not because I was being so terrible in my disciplines but because the lack of estrogen and progesterone, the total imbalance was actually causing me to GAIN weight. So I am working with my doctor now to see how HRT may be able to not only help my perimenopause/going into menopause issues but also to help bring better balance to help the weight loss process kick in further. I feel like an entirely different woman - I cant even articulate it the difference in overall feeling but certainly the fact that I have lost the weight I had gained and now back to making the scale go down instead of up. You can read my previous thread to get a better context of where this post is coming from. If you are having similar struggles and are female in the age range of 45 to 55 it might be well worth your time to have your hormone levels tested and see if hormone therapy can help you get balanced again and improve your weight loss. I am just one lbs away from being in another weight bracket and after not loosing for 4 months I feel like a million bucks There are many articles and information on Google that you can look up and research regarding hormonal imbalance and the role it might be playing in extremely difficulty in weight loss, especially in women of a certain age. I am just putting this out there for your consideration in case you are a woman like me that may be struggling in this area and not even know it. Talk to your gyno and get your hormones tested. I will soon post an updated photo when I hit that next weight bracket

Hi All, I did pretty well eating this weekend. I made pretty good choices, chewed well and ate slowly and......I still gained 2 pounds. Oh well! I have been debating whether or not to schedule another fill and, my weight gain this weekend decided it for me. My doctor is out of the country right now so I am scheduled for Aug. 11. I still have restriction but, I am noticing that I can eat more and definately don't stay full as long. I'm still paranoid about getting too much of a fill and becoming too tight. I like the fact that I can eat just about any food right now just not nearly as much of it as I used to. I'm thinking about changing my September challenge goal to 250 by my b-day which is 9/15. By the way, 3Loves, your kids are adorable. I saw the pictures you posted on Amy's thread. Oh, I almost forgot, welcome the gang Barbara!

I am a former D1 college wrestler (heavyweight). I've been big all my life, and wrestling/football kept my weight under control. I wrestled at 285 in college and now I weigh 475. While I once blame the immobilization of my two herniated discs in my lower back and the meds administered afterward for my weight increase (common med steroids) ,I think we all know that terrible eating and drinking habits are the true culprits to my excessive weight gain over 2.5 years. Im 6 ft 5 in. So how on God's earth can I go through the sleeve operation without having the extreme drooping and sagging of my skin after losing the weight so quickly?? I hope to schedule my surgery before Christmas '14, but I feel I need to get a gym membership to lift and run asap to start the process now. What are tips and workouts to follow before, during, and after my procedure to keep from having skin removal surgery? I am open to any and everything! I am getting married to the love of my life on 6-4-16, and I want to look as amazing (265) and fit as I did when Liz first met me. I also want to increase muscle mass along with the weight loss. Again, any advice is welcome. Thank you for your help, -Adam

Well I knew that it would happen someday but I didn't think it would happen this quickly. I gained weight this week (1 lb) It’s a real sucky feeling but I have no one to blame but myself! For the 4 days this past week I didn't get in enough Protein and I know a big key to my weight loss is getting in 60+g of protein EVERYDAY. I also took in a lot more carbs then I usually do and I didn't make it to the gym in two weeks now. I was sick one week and then the next I just didn't go because I would have only been able to go one day since the rest we were out of town. So like I said, My Fault all the way! I KNOW what I need to be doing now I must just do it! For whatever reason it seems that now I can "see" myself and my excuses better than I used to! I guess before surgery I chose to not see and now I chose to see. By making excuses I am just hurting myself and I don't want to do that! I WANT to be healthy and lose all my weight, I WANT to feel good in my own skin and I WANT to be physically fit! I can only do those things if I Choose to eat the right things and I go to the gym! Today is a new day and I'm going to Choose the right way!

It is realistic to be a normal weight. Yes, it does take work (if you call eating healthy and taking the recommended amount of daily exercise work) but it is worth doing. And I don't actually know anyone who is a healthy weight who doesn't exercise daily, eat well, and take care of their health. I set my goal weight, and my Dr agreed that for a woman of my height, it was a good weight. I have maintained 107 (a BMI of 19) for over 18 months now with no "rebound" weight gain at all.

Today was my last weigh in for the six-month medically supervised diet program. The final word is a 12 pound weight GAIN! Yep! So, as a form of punishment I ate three double cheese burgers from White Castle, potato chips, cake and ice cream. I was so sad and humiliated by performing so badly and possibly jeopardizing my chance for insurance approval for my surgery that I just had to make myself pay. I keep asking myself why I can't master this. Why can't I simply get my weight and eating under control? I say that it's all I want so why can't I make that one thing happen? I ask and ask and ask and I can't come up with an answer. A friend of mine reminded me that in spite of all of her success and the fact that she has access to anything in the world she wants, Oprah can't get it right either. That's an excellent point, but it still doesn't help. I keep beating myself with every weapon I can find because I can't get a handle on this. My question for the day is if one cannot see a future for oneself does that mean that it's time to die. I haven't been able to see a future for myself in decades, but now it frightens and worries me. I don't see more than a few hours in front of me and maybe I don't need to. I remember someone saying that when you're driving on the open highway at night, your headlights only illuminate so many feet in front of you and that's all you need to see in order to complete your journey. I know that I want lap band surgery. I know that I want to release my "Kick Ass" self and get over all the bullshit that I hold on to as beliefs. I know that I want to live. So, I trudge forward boldly sending my record from the program to my surgeon for submittal to the insurance company. I'll have to see what happens. More to come!

Ok, so I tried to quit smoking and gained 8lbs. I found my slider food and did the snack, snack, snack thing on all carbs! Salty carbs to boot so I'm sure some of it was water retention. I'm going to weight (hahaha pun intended) until I hit 10lbs below goal and then try again so I have some wiggle room for the notorious weight gain that comes with quitting. But I'm still going to stick to the plan and see what happenes at the end of the challenge. Gotta keep on fighting!!! SN.......Starting weight.....Current.......Goal.......Lbs to Goal Raine.........179...................182.............165........17LBS It is interesting, I was talking to Renee' (ybnormal) about it too, I almost sabataged myself yet again! It was always when I started to get compliments that I would start to gain the weight back again. I knew it was too soon to quit, and I knew what I would do if I tried and damned if it didn't happen exactly as I thought. Thank goodness for the sleeve because the 8lbs easily could have been 18 or 28! Back on track now.

I've been using a c-pap for about 4 years. It has been great for the most part. To tell the truth, some nights I fight it. But I will not even take a nap without it. Not able to sleep without it. I was 180 when I first got it, now I'm 220 and all my old symptoms are back. I have already talked to my dr and he said with the weight gain, my apena might have gotten worse. He wants to do another sleep study. I have been putting this off hoping that after my band and my weight loss that the apena will get better. Just hope that I get a "go" date soon or I'm going to bite the bullet and go in for the study. I can still remember after I used my c-pap that first night, even though I was not used to it and had a little trouble falling asleep, the next day I was awake all day with no headaches. I was heaven.

Your feedback last Wed. and Don Mills of Inamed have already made a great deal of difference cause the information was so timly. I can deal with most things if I have the facts to make informed decisions. I just need to be the one to make the call about my body and quality of life. I was not given that at my clinic on that day. I am sure I will try to have a 2nd band and I pray that it will workout for the long term.. But I have started getting control of my weight gain by getting serveral new tools (Diet Assistant 6.0 PDA& desktop SW and OTC appetite control pills) to hopfully help me stay focused. My goal is to go into January as healthy as I possible can by not gaining any more weight. This leak could not have happen at a better time of the year :faint: cause I truly believe the Lord is telling me to trust in Him and not my prosthetic. He is using this season to drive it home. I just wanted to close and again thank those who replied to this post.

I am scheduled for 12/12 and I am still grappling with the decision. I have 2 preschoolers and I'm torn between wanting to be slimmer and more energetic as a mother, and being terrified that I'll die or become disabled, etc. I don't think I've ever spent so much time and research on a decision. There just is no easy answer and the lack of very long term data is rough. Ultimately, though, I keep moving forward because my risk of diabetes or even more weight gain is much higher than the risk of surgery. Sometimes I just wish the answer would magically appear!! I wish I'd know about this surgery before I had kids--I'd have done it without a second thought. All we can do is research and reflect and hope we choose correctly. Good luck!

I’m guessing most of us understand that the disease of obesity is a complicated one. There are a number of factors that contribute to obesity. Some of these factors you may be very aware of; others you may be surprised about. Some of the causes of obesity are things you cannot do anything about; other causes of obesity are things you can influence. BARIATRIC REALITIES: Causes of Obesity – What Factors can YOU Influence? (Part One of Three) I’m guessing most of us understand that the disease of obesity is a complicated one. There are a number of factors that contribute to obesity. Some of these factors you may be very aware of; others you may be surprised about. Some of the causes of obesity are things you cannot do anything about; other causes of obesity are things you can influence. It’s important to recognize the difference. Why? For starters, you can stop beating yourself up over the things you can’t do anything about. It’s also important that you focus on putting forth effort where it will get you the best results! It’s essential for both doctors and those suffering from obesity to have a mutual understanding of these causes of obesity and which people can influence, so that: 1) Doctors can develop or increase empathy for the struggles of those suffering with obesity. When doctors better understand that many people with obesity have struggles that go beyond fighting their biology which negatively impact their weight, the doctors can more compassionately and appropriately address these issues and refer patients to see other professionals, if need be. 2) People struggling with their weight can evaluate the numerous factors impacting obesity and work toward accepting those things they cannot influence. In addition, they can take responsibility for putting forth effort into those aspects of their struggles with weight that they can positively impact. All righty, then! Let’s look at three of the main contributing factors of obesity and then talk about each one, emphasizing what, if anything, each person can do to have a positive impact on their weight. Genetics Culture and Environment Metabolism Genetics Obesity definitely has some genetic determinants, as researchers have clearly discovered. If there are a lot of obese people in your extended family, you have a better chance of being obese than someone from a family without a history of weight problems. Although there are many more obese people in the current population than in previous generations, this cannot all be linked to genetics. The genetic composition of the population does not change rapidly. Therefore, the large increase in obesity reflects major changes in non-genetic factors. Listen to this… According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2002): “Since 1960, adult Americans have increased in height an average of 1 inch but have increased in weight by 25 pounds.” So in 50 years, the human species has grown taller by only an inch but heavier by 25 pounds. That tells us there is more than genetics influencing weight gain in this country. PATIENTS: Even if you have a genetic predisposition for obesity, there are other factors involved, including the food choices you make and whether or not you exercise on a regular basis. Some of these behavioral factors are habits learned in your family, so what appears to be a genetic predisposition may be a familial pattern of unhealthy habits that can be broken. DOCTORS: Remind yourself that patients cannot “eat less/move more” and have any effect on their current genetic makeup. Acknowledge to patients their genetic predisposition for obesity in a compassionate manner. Help to gently educate them about the factors affecting their weight that they can influence. Do so in a “firm and fair” way, providing encouragement rather than admonishment. Culture And Environment In addition to one’s genes, a person’s culture and environment play a large role in causing people to be overweight and obese. The environment and culture in which you were raised impacts how and what you eat. Some people were taught to eat everything on their plate and couldn’t get up from the table until they did so. Others never sat at a table for a meal but watched television while they ate. Some kids are fed well-balanced meals while others exist on fast food or microwaved mac and cheese with hot dogs. In some cultures, simple carbs make up a substantial part of every meal. In other cultures, fruits and vegetables are consumed regularly. When you are a child, you’re not in charge of buying the groceries or providing the meals. You did learn, however, about what and how to eat from those with whom you lived. And guess what that means? How you feed your children is what they will think of as “normal” and will most likely be how they eat as adults. (I’m always concerned when weight loss surgery patients tell me their kids are “just fine” even though they eat the same unhealthy foods as the obese parent. It’s only a matter of time before the kids start to gain weight and have health problems as a result of their unhealthy diet and learned eating behaviors.) PATIENTS: Although your genetic composition cannot be changed, the eating behaviors you learned in your family, from your culture, or developed on your own can be changed. You alone now determine what kind, and how much exercise you do and what and when you eat. Your behavior is completely within your control. Work toward accepting the fact that you are in charge of, and responsible for, your behavior and every food choice you make. For every choice, there is a consequence, positive or negative. And NO EXCUSES! It doesn’t matter how busy you are, whether you get a lunch break at the office or whether you have to cook for a family. Even if you have five kids in different activities and spend your life taxi-ing them from one place to another, you are the adult and you are responsible for how you eat and how you feed your children. It takes a very responsible person to acknowledge, “Although I have a genetic predisposition for obesity, I am responsible for making healthy choices about my eating and exercise. For me and for my children.” Focusing on what you do have control over rather than that over which you are powerless, leads to believing in your capabilities. So take charge and make positive changes happen! DOCTORS: Engage your patient in a discussion about the cultural and environmental factors that helped shape their current food choices and exercise behaviors. Empathize with them, noting they are going to have to put forth consistent effort to change years of bad habit formation. Encourage them to get support, whether it is from friends with a healthy lifestyle, a health coach, a personal trainer, or the use of free online exercise videos. Help them set a short-term, reasonable goal and set an appointment with you to follow up. Remember, docs: That which is reinforced is repeated. Reinforce even small steps forward you see in your patients. This can go a long way in encouraging them to continue making healthier choices. A step forward is a step forward. Notice and praise every single step forward your patient makes! Resting Metabolic Rate Resting Metabolic Rate (or RMR) is simply the energy needed to keep the body functioning when it’s at rest. In other words, RMR describes how many calories it takes to live if you’re just relaxing. Resting Metabolic Rate can vary quite a bit from one person to another, which may help explain why some people gain weight more quickly than others. And why some people seem to find it more difficult to lose weight than others. There are some factors related to metabolism that you can’t change, but there are actually some that you can influence and change. Things you cannot change about metabolic rate: Metabolic rate decreases with each passing decade, which means the older you are, the slower your metabolism gets, making weight loss more difficult. Sorry ladies - Men generally have a higher metabolism, meaning they burn calories more quickly than women. You can inherit your metabolic rate from previous generations - which can be a benefit… or not. An underactive or overactive thyroid gland can slow down or speed up metabolism. Some things you can do to influence your metabolism and burn more calories include: Eat small, frequent meals. Drink ice water. You can boost metabolism temporarily with aerobic exercise. You can boost metabolism in the long run with weight training. PATIENTS: I’ll bet you didn’t there was much of anything you could do that would increase your metabolism. I’m hoping you choose to implement the ways you can help your body burn more calories. And what do you know? They are completely consistent with healthy post-op behaviors that you’re supposed to do anyway: 1) Eat small, frequent meals. CHECK. 2) Drink water (so add ice and boost that RMR). CHECK. 3) Engage in exercise, both aerobic and weight bearing. CHECK. There’s no reason NOT to anymore! (That’s a slogan from a really old commercial…) The point is, your specific RMR is both something that is unique to you, and that will slow down with age, is gender-influenced, and can be affected by thyroid issues. Accept the things you cannot change and DO the things you can to get the most out of your own, unique RMR. You DO have choices! Opt not to make excuses and JUST DO THE THINGS YOU CAN! DOCTORS: I’m pretty sure that educating patients is in your job description. Even though you have an allotted set of minutes during which to accomplish all your goals with a patient, point out the ways they can boost their metabolism while you’re looking into their ears, or hitting them on the knee with that little hammer. Present it as a, “Hey! Guess what I was reminded of today?” sort of thing. It’ll probably be absorbed better than a mini-lecture. Leave yourself a sticky note in the patient’s folder to bring it up in your next session… and then a new educational point for the next meeting, along with the small goal you set with them so you can be sure to praise them for their efforts! Patients and Doctors and all Allied Health Professionals: We need to work together to do the following: 1) End Fat Shaming 2) End Blaming 3) End Lecturing 4) Encourage reciprocal AWARENESS and ACCOUNTABILTIY 5) Encourage reciprocal EDUCATION and DISCUSSION 6) Encourage reciprocal GOAL-SETTING and FOLLOW-UP Stay tuned for Part Two of BARIATRIC REALITIES: Causes of Obesity – What Factors can YOU Influence?

shaunaruder: If your doctor had you on a liquid pre-op diet in addition to the liquids/mushies stage post-op, the weight gain has a lot to do with you coming out of what is, for all intents and purposes, a starvation period. I know that I gained about 5-8 lbs once I went to solids, and that's totally okay. It's easy to get malnourished during the liquid stages...your body is probably just holding on to the food for dear life after the shock you gave it! I can't tell you when you'll get just the right restriction...for me, it took 3 fills before I really felt anything significant. But the fills *do* make a HUGE difference in the way we eat. Don't be discouraged...you're doing just fine!

I also have Aetna through my employer. I went to the Aetna page and printed the 55 pages on WLS. No where in there does it say that you can't gain any weight. But that is one of the first things the Nutritionist told me. She said that the insurance will deny you for 1oz of weight gain. Trust your doctor and his team! This is what they do. They won't tell you anything wrong. And they know what is needed and just how to get you approved. They will do all in there power to get you approved. I am a band to sleeve revision who just finished my last Nutritionist appt. losing only 8lbs. Psychological evaluation is July 18. No scheduled date yet and I have no idea what will happen with my insurance but I trust my doctor and his team. Best of luck to you all!!! Sent from my SM-T350 using the BariatricPal App

Well, I am divorced so have no dh to tell, but my dear mom knows and she is actually the one who suggested I think about it as she knows how unhappy I am with my roller coaster of weight loss/gains over and over. I get so depressed about it. My sisters and brother know I'm looking into it. My brother's mother in law had it and he is very supportive in me getting it. ..and surely my dad will know eventually. I just know that at first he will be one that's not too supportive of it.... He just doesn't understand how I can't just make up my mind and lose it and keep it off. He just doesn't get that. ..and more than that....I fear he will blab it to others. That's what I don't like about him knowing, but he will have to know before hand. Other than them, just a few of my friends know that I'm planning on it, if all works out with my insurance and they are supportive, except my very best friend has some issues with it, because she has heard negative things, but she KNOWS my weight issues as we've been friends for many years. I think in the end, if I choose to tell her before hand, she will be supportive. There is one gal at my work that had it a few years ago, although she did not have the funds to continue getting fills so she hasn't done much to help herself lose anything more than the first 20 lbs or so. She knows that I'm looking into it because I have asked questions over and over, but she also knows that I'm not putting it out there for the whole office to hear. I am NOT ashamed of it, but like some others, I just don't want to hear the opinions of those who DO NOT understand the emotional eating/binge eating roller coaster of weight gain all their life. They DO NOT understand what it's like to be a thinner/healthier person inside of a fat and unhealthy body. I do not need them critiquing everything they see me eat.....as they sometimes do now . I don't do well with "food police". I would be under less stress with them not knowing. And I really do not plan on telling the manager/supervisor. I will just tell them I have a dr. appt. for each of the appts. It's none of their business why. And as for the sugery....I have vacation time to take still, so I'll plan it at least 30 days out if all possible. Also, after being banded.....you are not lying when you tell people that you are eating healthier, lesser amounts...etc. That is true. From what I understand, YOU are still the one making the food choices and how much....so even though you have a tool to help you, YOU are the one making the choices that lead to the weight loss, so I won't just automatically tell people I'm banded if my weight loss comes up. Most people I know, also know that I have been a follower of weight watchers for years. I have lost over and over to gain over and over. Now if they flat out ask if I'm banded, I cannot lie, so I will tell them...but also point out that it's all about the food choices I make, just as before. Educate them.

I think that in some way we mourn our relationship with food. If you're like me, you use it to soothe yourself and now you don't have that crutch anymore so it sort of just all comes out. I suffer from anxiety badly so I understand how you feel. I have recently stopped taking my meds (lexapro) because over the course of a year I gained 50 lbs! Having said that, I think an anti depressant is a good idea - Wellbutrin is a good one for people because it doesn't lead to weight gain. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Try to drink Water, water, water. When I was in the hospital I was well filled with fluids from the IV. I had the IV working over 24 hours and came home nicely hydrated. For nearly two weeks I didn't really drink and boy did I lose weight. I had no desire to drink a drop (or eat) for the first two weeks. I was feeling very week and light headed. Most likely I was dehydrating. I finally started Crystal Lite mixes and it was much easier to drink. Once I started eating on Day 15, I was surprised that I could eat. With in a week I put on 10lbs and realized it was not a weight-gain it was putting water back in to my body. (I was only eating about 500 calories of healthyy food a day.) Wish I didn't let myself dehydrate. It was disappointing -- not discouraging -- to drop 31 lbs and then put 10 lbs right back on. I'm almost back to 31 lbs and it's been 7 weeks since surgery. So bottom-lining it...you may not be able to drink or have any desire to but keep a bottle of water in arms reach. And lastly walking around helped seem to empty the "water" from where it rested after the first sips. G'luck!

Three weeks out today and at Friday weigh in I am up 2.5 lbs! Reversing my weight loss from 10 to 7 lbs total since surgery! I have been super good about my puréed diet, protein and vitamins, plus I work on my feet 9 hrs all day. Discouraged, as I was hoping to see at least a 1lb loss/ week ????

I know this my LipstickLady friend, and yet...... I chose the cute little nuggets. But No more. I solemnly vow to never again go through a drive thru - even drove to Kansas from Florida and back, no weight gain. Gained 4 lbs. on a 7 day cruise, and lost it immediately. I am blessed to be old and retired. I got off track when my NUT said I was eating too much Protein, and I got gout in both big toe joints. I am going back to 1/2 filet mignon, fish, tuna, and more protein and a little exercise as I can, and I should see a difference. Cowgirl Jane posted some good pointers last night that opened my eyes. Sometimes we think we are on point and then duh! Not! Thanks for the help, LipstickLady, we all need it. As you can see Wynnie, we are all helped here. Best of luck. Linda

You need to go back to the Doctor, insist they do something a 50 lb weight gain is not good. that fluid building up in your body very unsafe. Please go asap.

I underwent my 1 1/2 year appointment with the nutritionist and doctor. One of the points I brought up was the story that I heard that the stomach begins to heal at 1 1/2 years and absorbs more calories. It turns out that is a "myth". The main reason for the weight gain (in the maintenance phase) is that individuals begin to graze and when they graze they expand their stomach and then take on more weight. They also said that after RNY surgery, the part of the stomach that absorbs sugars and fats has been cut away. Therefore if one eats too much sugars or fats, the intestines don't know what to do with this and pass it through the system (diarrhea). But as time goes on, the intestines begin to adapt and absorb sugars and fats. I am 18 months post-op and my pouch is still tight. I can tell because when I eat solid foods like steaks or chicken, at some point before I consume a cup, my stomach begins to warn me not to eat anymore. I attribute this tight pouch to my meal plan. From almost the beginning, I focused on consuming high Protein home-made Soups and chili. It is a softer food that because the ingredients were mixed had more flavor. Also it was easy to take the required amount using measuring cups and easy to heat using a microwave oven. Also the food went down smoother and didn't generate that painful experience when you eat too much. At the moment, I am about 10 pounds below my goal weight. I stay away from processed sugar. I rely on natural sugars found in fruits and milk, in synthetic sugar such as Splenda and other natural sugars such as Stevia. In the beginning if I grazed I concentrated on grazing on Proteins. But now I mainly graze on fats. Fats have the ability to take away hunger. I stay away from grazing on carbs. I do graze. But I also monitor my weight daily. I laid out what I was eating and my meal plan with the nutritionist. Their take was just keep doing what I am doing.

So I found a plan: Dr. Johnson's Alternate Day Diet (based on a lot of the research from Walter Longo, Krista Varady, et al and it was one of the original alternate day fasting diets with caloric restriction that came to the public. He's a doc out of LSU. And they found it helped their asthma patients, and helped with wl too. So I added it to my low carb principle. I'd lost from 325 to 160lb doing Atkins '72. But I'd been stuck for years at 260lbs. Nothing I did could budge it. I'd go up or down within a few pounds. My bloodwork was amazing, but I was stuck. I added it into the mix and started losing. (I had a hysterectomy and so was very hormone deficient and imbalanced hormonally.) I'd lost 30lbs when they discovered my breast cancer. Well I immediately said, "Fu*k It All!" And I went on my "Make-a-wish Diet" where I ate ALL. THE. CRAP. and I waited for all of my test results and to get into an amazing oncologist. It took a little over 2mons. In that time, I had a 25lb regain eating my MAW diet. And the oncologist was horrified. Cuz that can make cancer grow quickly (gaining after dx). So he said to get back on it. And I fasted all through chemo and radiation. I essentially went from 260lbs down through chemo, 1st surgery, radiation and lost to 218lbs. Incidentally, the chemo + fasting did something my onc had never witnessed. I had a high grade aggressive tumor that is historically a "lazy eater" of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. Meaning chemo will shrink the tumors a little bit, and stop/alter the cells...but you don't usually see complete remission or regression. They saw that my tumors shrank 60% with neoadjuvant chemo. And the path report showed that although there were some remaining living cells within my 12 lymph nodes (1 had pierced the node)--all the cancer cells showed genetic modification by the chemo which is unusual. So the research shows this to be true...fasting during chemo can be protective of healthy cells and helps boost the effectiveness of chemo and radiation. When I got down to 218lbs they worried about my radiation levels and I was getting huge burns/open wounds. So they told me to stop losing. I went back to a "more normal" Zone style diet 30-30-40. And maintained for a few months. Then after all my reconstructions and healings slowly began to regain up to my most recent 287lbs. The onc was freaking out and tried for 2 years to talk me into WLS. I resisted and pretended I didn't notice the weight gain, even though by that time, I was essentially bed-ridden. (I'm still on a cancer drug and will be on it for 10 years total. It puts me in "super-menopause" and shuts down my hormones as much as possible. So I'm extremely hormone deficient/imbalanced.) I haven't been doing alternate day fasting anymore. But yeah, you might be able to say I've been doing IF, cuz you know, at 650-850, I'm already in de facto keto from calorie reduction--a form of fasting, and I'm living in a full-time calorie restricted state. So I find no reason to add even more alternate day IF into the mix at this point, until I'm at a more normal maintenance level caloric load. Although, I do naturally fast for 12-14 hours (with breaking the fast with 3oz of Premier Protein in my coffee each day). So you could theoretically claim using your definition, that I've been IF since May 2017 when I weighed 287lbs. LOL. I get up, have protein in my coffee as creamer. Then I eat breakfast between 10-11am. I stop eating around 8-9pm. Today I weigh 164.6lbs. Sorry for the book!!

Thanks do you think it’s to late if I have messed up. I fear I have stretched out my stomach I know it’s only been 3 months but I never thought I have any weight gain especially not this early. However it wasn’t the same scale but I know my clothes fit a little snugger then the week before. I also was on birth control that gave me crazy side affects

How much did or are you eating at 3 weeks post op VSG? Tomorrow will be my 3 weeks post op. I’m curious if I’m eating too much (I can eat up to 4oz). The pictures attached are all the guidelines I was given and even on the example meal plan seems way too much. I wasn’t given a calorie goal or anything. My mom was curious on how I was doing so she had me go on the scale Thursday and I had gained 1.6lbs. I know it’s not much but because I’m only on week 3. I make my protein goal of 50-60 grams a day but I’m always short from my 64oz of water by 20oz. I been back to work for 4 days now and I make it a priority to walk home from work since I live not even a mile from my job. Some NSV I have had since surgery are that I can almost touch my thumb and middle finger together around my wrist, I can sit on a conference room chair comfortably without the arm rests going into the sides of my thighs (now it still does but not as much as it use to), I see my face slimmer and as well as my stomach, I can wear jackets I had to put in the back of my closet because my arms were too big and I couldn’t zip them up.

I've told everybody (family, close friends, Facebook )... but that's who I am. When I was dealing with infertility a number of years ago, I talked about it openly too. For me, I like helping educate people on the realities of it, and helping to dispel any misinformation they may have. I wasn't always pro-WLS, but I did my research and found out I was wrong about a lot. Has everyone been positive about it? No. My sister was incredulous and dismissive about the whole thing. One friend expressed concerns because she knows my passion for cooking and is worried about how I'll adjust. I try to be honest about my struggles and my nervousness about the surgery, in hopes that if someone else is on the fence about it, maybe I can help them make a decision. Most of my family and friends, have been great about it. I'm not the first in my family to have WLS... an aunt and two SILs have had it done with differing levels of success. When I explain to those who ask why, I talk about my history of the cycle of weight loss/weight gain, the fad diets, the exercise programs I've tried. And I talk about my comorbidities... I'm the mom of two young kids and I want to be around when they graduate from high school, get married, have kids of their own, etc. Once they understand that I'm not just jumping into it willy-nilly, they're usually pretty on board.

Hello there. My name is Amanda and I am new to the group. I am here trying to regain my balance. I got a band in late May and did really well at first, but I moved from Philadelphia to New York, started a new job and moved back into my home in June. I was fine when I was not working but work seems to have sent my diet into a tizzy. The good thing is that I love to exercise. But it's the food I find such a huge challenge. I had my first fill in June and it was minimal. Since then, I have been constantly hungry and can't seem to put down my fork. Anyone have good suggestions on how to get back on track? I see my doctor in Philly soon for a fill but I am dreading that visit. I feel so disappointed in myself. This was a big decision and recovery was no piece of cake. I feel like I am blowing the journey just as it as truly just begin.