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It's also my fear of weight gain that I choose not to have soda Sent from my SM-G920T using the BariatricPal App

No, I always recommend the bypass over the sleeve because there is less gastric reflux. Also, if you follow the surgeons/dietitians instructions you will do great. I get nauseous if I eat meat without chewing thoroughly or eat too much. Or if I eat too much sugar/fat I’ll get an upset tummy. But the meat thing goes away the longer you are post surgery. I had a revision (weight gain totally my fault) and I am 5 months post op and can eat tender chicken, steak, and feel great. Just even as you can eat more don’t try to eat past being full and comfortable :)

OK, Although this is a good challenge and any other time I would be getting all "A's" I am suffering horrible and failing this challenge. Halloween with all it's trappings of candies, Cookies, popcorn, etc etc is making my life a living hell. Wonder if Boris Korloff had this problem when he filmed Count Dracula? Too much blood sucking lead to weight gain. HMMM??!! something to think about. Then as if Halloween with all it's sweets isn't something to worry about here come the Christmas Holiday's and New Year's parties. SIGH!! I think I am gonna rebel against this challenge till after the holidays. LOL!! Who is with me? Yes Lisa (LELA-I like that too), it was a HUGE bag of cheetos. Yes, you should be worried. Today is not any better. I ate a half bag of scoops Fritos with French onion dip, four or five mini hershey bars, and some Hot Tamales gummy candy. Is this not crazy?????? However I did manage to carve two pumpkins for our front porch. They are so cute. That was my exercise for the day. Beleive me Lela if I could get away for those two or three days I would be in the van with John heading to Vegas, but I just don't see it happening. BOO HOO!! After Halloween is over I am throwing away what candy is left. Or either putting it under lock and key and not giving myself one of the keys. LOL!!!! If it just didn't go down so flipping easy it wouldn't be so bad. But man is it band friendly. SIGH!! Love you guys and gals.

Mert and Endocollector, Welcome to you both. I drank all the liquids I wanted my first and second week out.My doctor admitted he made a mistake when he put boost and ensure on our list because they are for weight gaining. He also had slim fast but I changed to Atkins Advantage because of less calories and less sugar, still do one every morning. Endocollector why did they not take you off plavix and asprin a little before surgery. I take an asprin a day and they told me to quit one week before surgery.Good luck to you both and it will def. get so much better.

Hi Im going to have my life changing event in thw morning. I have lost weight. Gain it back fir the past 3yrs. Im ready to lose and keep it off. Im starting at 245. I pray that ill get to 160. With in 6 months.

Well surgery went through and I am home now. Never had any idea that the pain would be that horrific. They said we would wake up with a belly ache. Well let me tell you this that was no belly ache. But much better now getting better everyday. so my question now is what is with the 10 pound weight gain from the day of surgery till you go home. Is this from the IV's and all of the fluids they give your? Very discouraging . Wish they would have said tht before at lease I would of expected it. OK vent done and looking forward to the next stage of my new life.

Lol, catching fire on the table...haven't heard that one! Yes, there are risks. There are risks with anything as we all know...driving to work, getting a tooth pulled, etc. But as you said, having faith that all will go well and having confidence in your surgeon will help put the odds in your favor, or at least that's what I believe. I could be wrong on this so maybe someone who has lost 50 lbs could come by and help with this, but 50 lbs doesn't seem like enough weight to cause you to have loose skin. I know it depends on how you carry it, and your age also...but I wouldn't think that would be an issue for you. I guess there are people on here that have uneven areas of weight loss and get lipo to even everything out. I've only lost 36 lbs and already notice that I will eventually need a breast lift /augmentation, but I was contemplating that 5 years ago when I was much lighter. The weight gain and now loss has just made it worse. Good luck to you! I came off my blood pressure meds a week after surgery!

I had the vsg about 2 years ago. Lost about 100 lbs and felt amazing. But thennnnnn life happened. I became a nurse, my father passed and I miscarried. Needless to say, I've gained about 30 lbs back. Has this happened to anyone else? We're you able to lose again? If so, how? I'm just really trying to take my control back. I want to stop this weight gain now. Get back on track. If anyone has any advice. Or success stories involving gaining after the vsg then losing again, please share. I'm ready to take my life back again, I just need help on how to get started! Thanks!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

It's too bad that people don't view Bariatric surgery for what it is, a medical intervention. Nothing is easy about it except that the tool we are given causes all our efforts to finally actually work for us. People are plain ignorant about the medical reasons behind weight gain. After all the years of working out and dieting with no results, I say we deserve this. But it's easier for them to think we chose surgery over doing the work. No one has said anything negative to me yet, but if they do, I guess I'll have to school them. LOL

Salad condenses and slides down easily. I can eat a regular sized plate. I make them low calorie. No weight gain.

Hi, I am 4 weeks post-op, feeling good, but I really wanted to update this thread ( with the advantage of hind sight of course) My surgery was in the morning, I was pretty groggy but cheerful, I rested that afternoon, but went for a short walk to a local shopping mall that night to pick up some groceries. Second day post op was quite good! I spent the whole day at the shopping mall with my wife. I walked lots, and rested at each bench just to make sure I didn't over do it. I started to break my fast with fruit juces and strain chicken noodle soup from Tim Hortons. By the end of the day, I was pretty tired. I felt so good on day 2, We were planning on going to Naigra Falls on Day 3 but my experience the night before was terrible. My stomache had finally woken up from the anestetic ( hindsight) and the gas production in my stomache was in full swing. I was taking gas-x every hour or so, and I was interpreting the stomach cramps as needing to poop. I spend a great deal of time eternally optimistic sitting on the toilet hoping for a bowel movement. Day 3's trip to Niagra Falls was cancelled. Day 4 - If I thought Day 3 was bad, day 4 was more of the same and worse. By this time, I had stopped taking the codiene because I thought I was constipated. I was into the children's liquid tylenol( sickening sweet, almost gagging), I was taking milk of magnesia, and was also trying to induce a bowel movement with glycerine suppositories. I had also noticed that I had reverted back to an almost a Water fast. Nothing but water was weakening the heck out of me, yet, I didn't feel like I could handle anything else. Anyways, I started to force down the protien shake. And, I started to feel a bit better. Day 5 - because I was starting to feel better, we tried our luck at a trip to Niagra Falls. I was pretty much comatose on the drive there, and I don't think my wife realized how miserable I felt. We walked to the falls and spent about 30-40 minutes looking at the falls. She want to check out more attractions but I had to pull the plug on our plans, and asked to go back to the car. My wife was disappointed but understood. On the way home, we stopped at the Tim Hortons, and I was able to has a tiny tiny bowel movement. The first one since the surgery 5 days earlier. There was nothing solid about it , considering that my last meal was a ceasar salad the night before the surgery. I actually started to feel better on our ride back to the hotel room, but I was tired as hell. When we reached the hotel room, I was able to have another tiny tiny bowel movement, and that made me feel even better. Still tired so I laid down for a nap. Now here's an embarassing moment that I wouldn't be sharing if you knew my full name......I woke up after 45 minutes and went to the washroom to take another dump because I woke up having wet farts. Well, when I got to the toilet, I realized that I had completely soiled my drawers and the bed while I was sleeping. The milk of magnesia has finally unplugged me, and i made one hell of a gross mess. The whole experience was very embarassing. I don't think my wife totally understood what I was going through, but she got some change and laundry detergent and we cleaned the bedding ourselves at the hotel laundry mat. At least, I didn't have to call the cleaning staff in to take care of the mess. Day 6 and 7 were bad, but not as bad as before, because I was forcing down the protien shakes and my bowel movements were happening again. I lived in fear of diarehea. And, the gas production in my stomach surfaces as my biggest problem. Since day 3, every 2-3 hours I was getting gas pressure so bad it was causing me to hic up. Gas-X would settle it down. But I was taking it twice as often as the box was recommending, and I was begining to think the gas-x wasn't doing anything other than disolve the gas back into my stomache fluids so it could create more intestinal problems for me. I flew home on Day 7, it was a long 3 1/2 hour flight. I found myself finding a nuetral position that was most comfortable for me, which was an upright position. I was worn out and needed to sleep. I have sleep apnea and I'm unable to sleep well without a CPAP but that day I was able to breath ok by extending my jaw forward before drifting off to sleep. this trick is the first time I've ever tried it, and it probably doesn't work that well but it seemed to work well at least on that plane ride. Day 8, my first day of softfoods. I really didn't start to recover from my stomach problems until I started to eat soft pureed food. This leads me to beleive that existing on an almost liquid diet just isn't good for the stomache. After, I switched to cottage cheese, and apple sauce, and tuna, and mushed vegies, I felt better. By end of day 9, I was feeling better, and my hunger has returned. Today, I'm 2 days before my first fill, and I don't feel any restriction at all. This is discouraging because I find myself eating like I used to, and my weight loss has changed to weight gain. Anyway, this must be a pretty long rant by now. Good night, All! regards Tyler

Hi everyone! My name is Pilar and I'll have my bypass surgery on Monday March 9th. I have read your forum for months and I have to say thank you to everyone here. All the information you share is very useful and we can't feel alone seeing all that people sharing their experiences. So thank you very much to you all!! I'm so scared and I can't sleep very well these days, but I hope this is the right decision and it will improve my life quality in a long term. I'm 33 and I have a BMI of 45, that's morbid obesity. I don't have many additional problems but I'm suffering a thyroid illness that doesn't help me to maintain my weight. Even though I have good habits, I'm not able to stop my weight gaining. Not to mention to loss weight, that would be a miracle actually. I've been fighting against obesity my entire life and it's exhausting. I started my research on surgery, I was afraid of not be able to eat anymore. I didn't want it but I needed help. So, finally, following my endocrinologist's advise and consulting some friends that are doctors, I decided to have the surgery. The specialty of my surgeon is the "gastro-ileal bypass", (I don't know how to translate into English correctly, some help would be appreciate). It's a variation of the traditional bypass with a single anastomosis and theoretically reversible. Dr Resa (http://www.doctorresa.com) has developed this technique that originally was conceived as a first step of the bypass for extreme morbid obeses where the surgery was very risky. His intention was to make a second surgery to finish the traditional bypass after the patient loss a certain quantity of weight (less risky situation). But then, he and his team realized that the second surgery wasn't necessary. The risks are minimized and, after many years of practicing this technique, he and his team are able to make the surgery in about 30 minutes by laparoscopic way. So I'm here to share also my experience, hoping that helps to others (like yours helps me) and thank you for your sharing. Also I have to admit that I'm here seeking for your support and good company :-) I don't know if there is anyone from Spain here, I would like to know :-) In Spain there is a forum related to weight loss but, in my opinion, they are so focused to put you in contact with their own doctors that it seems to be an advertising business, not a support forum. I feel overwhelmed with so many messages from the forum administrator suggesting me surgeons and asking me my personal contact information. I actually provided my contact data and then I received a mail from a surgeon. Maybe they only want to help but the method they do, it's oppressive in my opinion. Thank you very much for reading such a long post. Let's keep in touch!

I'm three and a half years out, I've been maintaining for two and a half years and drink Coke Zero (from a straw!!) regularly. I can't drink it from a can or from bottle, but I do drink it poured over ice. It doesn't stretch (MY) sleeve. I don't feel gassy or bloated. It hasn't caused weight gain or cravings. There is really no difference between Coke Zero and Crystal Light besides carbonation, IMO. I waited until my doctor ok'd it. I was at least six or nine months out before I had any. For me, it wasn't a "rule".

I just joined. Im 3years in and Ive gained 50lbs back. I know my eating habits are crap how can I get this off

Hi My surgeon does the gastric sleeve and was a big fan of it until he went to a conference in Brazil last year. He said the longer term research (5 years) which is just starting to emerge shows that the sleeve can stretch and often does, leading to some weight gain. His recommendation was the band, although he said until he saw this research he was a huge fan of the sleeve. I guess your pouch can stretch just like the sleeve, so i really just went with his opinion as he is highly respected in the area. Hope this helps.

Diovan HCT 320/25 mg It's bp and waterpill all in one It really does help with the bp and doesn't give me the cough or massively swelled ankles. None of the other bp meds I tried helped. I was still at stroke levels. I'm sure it's only a small part in the recent weight gain.

I agree with Jachut in that I do see obesity as a sickness. I don't agree that eating too much and not exercising is the only things that will make you obese. I think the desire to eat too much is a symptom of the disease. I exercised moderately when I was bigger (not like I do now, but I was no couch potato either) and it did not stop me from gaining weight, like my sister who is considered underweight, but who doesn't gain despite not exercising a day in her life. Even at my biggest, I could walk farther than her, lift heavier loads than her, and was all around fitter than her. I also now watch her eat almost as much as I used to eat, and easily 4 times what I eat now, and realise I need FAR less food than she does to remain slim. I can't imagine most slim people could live their lives eating the equivelant of a 3yo just to maintain a healthy weight, yet that's exactly what I have to do. Yet another symptom of obesity as a disease. Genetics, pregnancy, hormone imbalance, age etc all play a part in weight gain as well, so not exercising and eating too much isn't the only reason people are obese, IMO.

I wanted to chime in here on the plateau issue. By tracking my weightloss over several months I discovered something very interesting about my metabolism and the way I loose weight. I don't loose for two to three weeks...and then in the fourth week I will loose 4-5 pounds. Then I maintain again for two to three weeks, then I'll loose about 3 pounds. I've been watching this happen for 8 months now. Now, if I'd follow Jesse's advice (from Smartbandsters) about getting a fill if you haven't lost in two to three weeks, I'd be way too tight. But, because I keep track and weigh myself once a week- I can see that I just have to hang in there a little longer to see results. Right about the time I start to panic, that fourth week will hit and I"ll be down. The only time I've gotten fills is when I've actually gained weight for more than two weeks. That seems to rule out Water weight gain and that time of the month stuff. I just thank God I got the band because I always thought I was a failure at dieting...when really if I would have stuck with it for another week or two I would have seen results. But my band doesn't let me quit and it helps insure my success. I have to keep plugging along. Megan

Good questions! How long did I wait? About 3-4 weeks. Wanted to make sure I was getting my full 64 oz of liquids first before any alcohol. For fear of dehydration! Any complications? I'm a big wine drinker and most of the time the acidity gives me major reflux or heart burn. Liquor I haven't noticed a problem. Don't mix with sugary stuff, high sugar can cause some "dumping" effects. Still can't handle carbonation, champagne, or beer, one sip can be painful. Weight gain? None, still loosing and I'm 6 months out. Drink much less than prior to surgery. Sip much slower. Addiction? I can stop whenever. It doesn't go down as fast and easy as it use too.

New Study of Splenda Reveals Shocking Information About Potential Harmful Effects Posted By Dr. Mercola | February 10 2009 | 296,373 views [/url]James Turner, the chairman of the national consumer education group Citizens for Health, has expressed shock and outrage after reading a new report from scientists outlining the dangers of the artificial sweetener Splenda (sucralose).In animals examined for the study, Splenda reduced the amount of good bacteria in the intestines by 50 percent, increased the pH level in the intestines, contributed to increases in body weight and affected P-glycoprotein (P-gp) levels in such a way that crucial health-related drugs could be rejected. The P-gp effect could result in medications used in chemotherapy, AIDS treatment and treatments for heart conditions being shunted back into the intestines, rather than being absorbed by the body. According to Turner, "The report makes it clear that the artificial sweetener Splenda and its key component sucralose pose a threat to the people who consume the product. Hundreds of consumers have complained to us about side effects from using Splenda and this study ... confirms that the chemicals in the little yellow package should carry a big red warning label." Sources: Globe Newswire September 28, 2008 Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Part A 2008;71(21):1415-29 Dr. Mercola's Comments: It’s very important to realize that Splenda (sucralose) is actually NOT sugar, despite its marketing slogan “Made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar”. Rather it’s a chlorinated artificial sweetener in line with aspartame and saccharin, and with detrimental health effects to match. Splenda was approved by the FDA in 1998 as a tabletop sweetener and for use in products such as baked goods, nonalcoholic beverages, chewing gum, frozen dairy Desserts, fruit juices, and gelatins. Sucralose is also permitted as a general-purpose sweetener for all processed foods. The approval was given after the FDA supposedly reviewed more than 110 animal and human safety studies, but as you’ll soon find out, out of these 110 studies, only two were human studies, and the longest one was conducted for four days! There’s overwhelming evidence that consuming artificial sweeteners will likely wreak havoc on your body. Previous news has centered mainly around artificial sweeteners’ ability to impair your appetite regulation and leading to weight gain. For example, it’s been discovered that diet soda increases your risk of metabolic syndrome and, ultimately, heart disease. However, the study mentioned above, published in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, found even further disturbing news besides weight gain. Splenda: reduces the amount of good bacteria in your intestines by 50 percent increases the pH level in your intestines, and affects a glycoprotein in your body that can have crucial health effects, particularly if you’re on certain medications They also found unmistakable evidence that Splenda is absorbed by fat, contrary to previous claims. It’s truly disturbing that Splenda can destroy up to 50 percent of your healthy intestinal bacteria, as these bacteria help maintain your body's overall balance of friendly versus unfriendly micro-organisms, and support your general health. Many people are already deficient in healthy bacteria due to choosing highly processed foods. This is why a high quality probiotic is one of the very few supplements I highly recommend for nearly everyone. The Diet Fallacy The belief that consuming artificially sweetened foods and drinks will help you to lose or maintain weight is a carefully orchestrated deception. So if you are still opting for diet choices for this reason, please understand that you have been sorely misled. In reality, these diet foods and drinks can cause serious distortions in your biochemistry and ruin your body's ability to control calories. As a matter of fact, it’s been shown that diet soft drinks can double your risk of obesity! Nearly a decade ago, studies were already revealing that artificial sweeteners can: Stimulate your appetite Increase carbohydrate cravings Stimulate fat storage and weight gain Unfortunately, most public health agencies and nutritionists in the United States still recommend these toxic artificial sweeteners as an acceptable alternative to sugar. Now, I am definitely not a fan of sugar, but if I had to choose between sugar and any artificial sweetener, I would choose sugar, hands down, without question. I strongly believe artificial sweeteners are even more dangerous to your health than an excess of sugar. The Health Dangers of Splenda According to James Turner, the chairman of the national consumer education group Citizens for Health: "This report followed accepted policies and procedures and the results make clear the potential for disturbing side effects from the ingestion of Splenda. It is like putting a pesticide in your body. And this is at levels of intake erroneously approved by the food and Drug Administration. A person eating two slices of cake and drinking two cups of coffee containing Splenda would ingest enough sucralose to affect the P-glycoprotein, while consuming just seven little Splenda packages reduces good bacteria." The web site www.truthaboutsplenda.com lists a variety of consumer complaints from Splenda consumption, such as: Gastrointestinal problems Migraines Seizures Dizziness Blurred vision Allergic reactions Blood sugar increases Weight gain My site also contains a long list of personal testimonials from readers who have suffered side effects from Splenda. In fact, we have more people on our site that have reported adverse reactions to Splenda than were formally studied in the research submitted for FDA approval! The symptoms are so numerous I can’t include them all here, but the following are common symptoms, usually noticed within a 24-hour period following consumption of Splenda products: Skin -- Redness, itching, swelling, blistering, weeping, crusting, rash, eruptions, or hives (itchy bumps or welts). These are the most common allergic symptoms that people have. Lungs -- Wheezing, tightness, cough, or shortness of breath. Head -- Swelling of the face, eyelids, lips, tongue, or throat; headaches and migraines (severe headaches). Nose -- Stuffy nose, runny nose (clear, thin discharge), sneezing. Eyes -- Red (bloodshot), itchy, swollen, or watery. Stomach -- Bloating, gas, pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or bloody diarrhea. Heart -- Palpitations or fluttering. Joints -- Joint pains or aches. Neurological -- Anxiety, dizziness, spaced-out sensation, depression. Beware – You Could be Consuming Splenda Without Your Knowledge You also need to be aware of the fact that although the bulk of Splenda is sold to processed food manufacturers and soft drink bottlers, it could turn up in your medicine as well, as nearly 10 percent of all sucralose is sold to drug companies. Many times sucralose (Splenda) will not be listed in the drug information, so there simply is no way you would know you are consuming a potentially dangerous artificial sweetener. However, if you experience any of the symptoms above even though you’re avoiding Splenda and other artificial sweeteners, then it may be worth investigating the ingredients of any medications you’re taking as well. Splenda Has NEVER Been Proven Safe for Human Consumption As of 2006, only six human trials have been published on Splenda. Of these six trials, only two of the trials were completed and published before the FDA approved sucralose for human consumption, and the two published trials had a grand total of 36 total human subjects. 36 people sure doesn't sound like many, but wait, it gets worse: only 23 total were actually given sucralose for testing, and here is the real kicker -- The longest trial at this time had lasted only four days, and looked at sucralose in relation to tooth decay, not human tolerance. Even more shocking, the absorption of Splenda into the human body was studied on a grand total of six men! Based on that one human study, the FDA allowed the findings to be generalized as being representative of the entire human population. Including women, children, the elderly, and those with any chronic illness -- none of whom were ever examined. The FDA claims they reviewed over 100 studies conducted on Splenda. What they don't tell you is that most of the studies were on animals. And, those animal studies reveal plenty of problems, such as: Decreased red blood cells -- sign of anemia -- at levels above 1,500 mg/kg/day Increased male infertility by interfering with sperm production and vitality, as well as brain lesions at higher doses Enlarged and calcified kidneys (McNeil stated this is often seen with poorly absorbed substances and was of no toxicological significance. The FDA Final Rule agreed that these are findings that are common in aged female rats and are not significant.) Spontaneous abortions in nearly half the rabbit population given sucralose, compared to zero aborted pregnancies in the control group A 23 percent death rate in rabbits, compared to a 6 percent death rate in the control group Chemically, Splenda is More Similar to DDT Than Sugar Yes. Splenda bears more chemical similarity to DDT than it does to sugar. Sucralose is in fact a synthetic chemical that was originally cooked up in a laboratory. It does start off as a sugar molecule. Then, in a five-step patented process of making sucralose, three chlorine molecules are added to a sucrose (sugar) molecule. The chemical process to make sucralose alters the chemical composition of the sugar so much that it is somehow converted to a fructo-galactose molecule. This type of sugar molecule does not occur in nature, and therefore your body does not possess the ability to properly metabolize it. As a result of this "unique" biochemical make-up, McNeil Nutritionals makes its claim that Splenda is not digested or metabolized by the body, hence it has zero calories. But, if you look at the research (which is primarily extrapolated form animal studies) you will see that in fact an average of 15 percent of sucralose IS absorbed into your digestive system, and according to this latest study, it is also absorbed into your fat cells. Unfortunately, if you are healthy and your digestive system works well, you may be at HIGHER risk for breaking down this product in your stomach and intestines! Your Healthiest Alternatives If you have a craving for sweets, rather than trying to find "healthier" ways to continue indulging in them, it is in your best interest to learn ways to relieve your cravings. The obvious one would be to stop eating any of the products to begin with. But sweets are powerfully addictive – sugar has even been shown to be more addictive than cocaine. Stevia is a preferable natural substitute, which can be used in making most dishes and drinks. However, complete avoidance of sweets is often necessary to break your addictive cycle, as your hormones insulin and leptin likely play an important role in your cravings. If you are unable to achieve abstinence from sweets, your emotional connection to cravings might be an important factor for you. One of the most profound methods I know of for diminishing the effects of food cravings is the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). EFT is the psychological acupressure technique routinely used in my practice to help people reduce their cravings. There is enough evidence showing the dangers of consuming artificial sweeteners to fill an entire book -- which is exactly why I wrote Sweet Deception. If you or your loved ones drink diet beverages or eat diet foods, this book will explain how you've been deceived about the truth behind artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose -- for greed, for profits ... and at the expense of your own health.

my doctor explained to me that in the first six months there is still swelling and things are not back to normal, which is why your stomach can seem to stretch after the "honeymoon" period. the doctor told me they leave the least stretchy part of the stomach. I have no doubt that xray of stomach after surgery and after a year show a difference, but I do not think it is anything that someone has done "wrong" but rather a normal part of the process. I am pretty sure that weight gain would be due to eating around the sleeve, or drinking calories.

What did you mean by this statement? I thought you meant you were going to have an unfill..your not planning on going tighter are you? Please do not take offense to my post I'm only writing this out of concern and to offer you support but did you get the band to not eat? and only survive on two teaspoons of liquids or 1/2 cup of food for the day? . Sure you may lose weight now but eventually you will have to eat solids and then what? Your going to gain wieght back,how long do you think oyu can live like this with no nutrition? it is proven from liquids to solids there is weight gain. Its alos proven that if a person does not take in enough calories, their body goes into starvation mode and stores every calorie which wil lresult in no loss or even a gain. I sure hope it works for you. I know first hand of others in your situation who have lost their bands because they were too tight and did not take action and had the mindset you did..only to have their band slip. I can guarantee you that if Dr. Kuri knew you were not able to eat solids he would say you were too tight.I can also guarantee Inamed would feel the same way, the band was not designed to just live on Soup or 1/2 and not be able to eat anything of substance..I know Dr. Kuri's practice from several of my other bandster friends who have used him here in Orange County. Heck, other Dr.'s would think you were too tight..I know my Dr. would have a fit if I was just taking in soup and not able ot eat anything of substance, he would demand I come in for a slight unfill.....I'm sorry but It's thinking like this from bandsters that just frustrates the hell out of me..at what cost will you go to to lose weight? I got my band to control my protions, not live on liquids and not to be able to eat anything of substance..I'm sure others will agree! In your first post you say you can not eat anything of substance Then in your next post you say this What food are you eating since you can not eat anything of substance? Here is a link to Inameds handbook on the Lap Band..I reccomend you print it out and read it, you may find it very helpful and enlightening http://www.inamed.com/pdf/health/94829F_LB_Patient_Book.pdf I sure wish you the best, I hope you have no repracutions from leaving your band so tight.

I understand how weight gain can mess with your head. You are not alone. Many are here working a weight gain off on their own or having revisions. Surgery is only a tool. I think @round2wi explained things better than I ever could. Counseling is a good option to address your overeating issues. As for stretching, get it diagnosed by a surgeon to see if its due to complications, a botched surgery or overeating. If its overeating, get counseling so that you don’t stretch a second surgery. What I wish sleeve patients would know before surgery. (this might not be your situation) The sleeve might not be the right choice for some people. Your restriction will become less over time. It’s not back to full size but, you can hold more food volume. This is common experience with the sleeve. Just because you we hold more food does not mean we have to eat over our calories and macros and gain weight. It’s easy to graze/ eat around any type of bariatric surgery. Eating several smaller meals of healthy and non-healthy foods that total over your daily calories/macros. You don’t feel any surgery restriction with small meals. It’s as if you never had surgery. You will gain weight.

Okay so I’m late to the party, but here is my $0.02. 10 years ago I lost ALL of my hair when I was on chemo for TNBC. The single biggest risk factor for any kind of cancer is obesity. Eventually chemo ended, the hair came back (it was really weird hair for the first year— it was frizzy and a bit orange) and by 12-18 months post-Chemo, nobody would’ve known I was bald as an egg previously. I’m 4.5 months post sleeve, and I’ve noticed some thinning— especially around my temples and on the top of my scalp and it’s slightly annoying because I’d rather not cut my hair until I hit goal and don’t feel like emphasizing my face until then. If it thins much more I might have to cut it. Another side effect from having breast cancer is 2 reconstructive surgeries and scarring, etc. the side that got the radiation is much firmer than the unaffected breast and at the end of the day there’s only so much plastic surgeons can do. 🤷‍♀️ I’ve also got stretch marks in various places across my thighs, abdomen, and upper arms from rapid weight gain and pregnancy. My skin prior to surgery totally was a wreck to start with. I wanted to go into this detail because I’ve already experienced all of these things you’re worried about, and I was morbidly obese! How I look at it now is I can have all these issues and be fat, unhealthy, unhappy, and at continued high risk for cancer recurrence, or I can be fit, fabulous, and happy and decide later if I want/need plastics for excess skin. Honestly the plastic that I want most of all will be Lipo on my thighs. Even when I was in my 20’s and weighed at or under 135, I HATED my thunder thighs and I had massive cellulite even when I was a size 4/6. *sigh Edited to add... I’ve lost 61 pounds and have gone from a size 22 to a size 14 since February 6th.  

I had a tummy tuck 4 years ago and just got the lapband 3 months ago. I had no problems...my scar from the TT is way low and the lapband scars are pretty high. The part that I was worried about it them going through my belly button to inflate the gas bc my "new" bb is almond shaped and deep. I thought they would have problems, but they didn't have any problems. My weight gain since my TT is all in my upper stomach now and my back and butt. I had lose over 100lbs when I got my TT in 2003 and I was like "I am never going back" and of course I gained 80 lbs back. I am on my way back down!