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Jenpa, thank you as well. It's comforting to read the physicians are comfortable and successful. Abdominal compliance is definitely challenging. I am tight and with the weight gain I feel extremely tigh. Which of course makes me so nervous. I've decided to go with Dr. Illan in May. So if anyone has used him after TT. I would love their input as well.

Keep your head up. Never know it could be water weight gain. Also maybe their scales are different that your wls office too. All 3 of my Drs say I weigh a different amount

Juices are high in sugar and no good. Unless you make your own veggie juice with a juicer or limit your juice to very small portions and make it yourself. Fruit juices are high in sugar. Pop is no good either, bad nutrition and sugar content is off the charts. Diet pop is as bad as non diet pop, the aspartame can cause weight gain, stroke, and a myriad of other issues. Plus carbonation is uncomfortable for some sleeved patients. Eventually the carbonation will stretch the pouch as well if consumed too much in one sitting, just as regular water can if consumed too close to eating time and in one sitting. Both doctor and dietician said as much regarding all this.

This happened to me for a very long time and I did not know why. I let it go and let it go, I was eating tums like they were candy, had weird noises when I would eat or drink, would wake up coughing cause I was choking on whatever I had drank that night. Finally due to small weight gain I went to the doctors. It turns out my band was to tight and had been for about three months. My esophagus was 8 times its normal size when they sent me immediately for my upper GI. This was due to the fact that the liquids were sitting in my throat at night tearing away at the lining. I ended up having to have my band unfilled for three months, on a liquid diet all three months and had to pray that the swelling would go down. My band ended up slipping. I have been able to get it filled again as the swelling did go down, but my band DOES NOT work the same as it did. I have gained about 30 pounds and my weight is a struggle to keep off now. I went from a size 5 to a 10 in just 6 months. I am at 6.5cc's in my 10cc band. I would speak with your doctor as soon as possible. I would hate for you to have to struggle like I am now. I took being skinny for granted!!! I wish you all luck!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

Margarine is NOT made out of chemicals.Butter is full of saturated fat on one hand and full of vitamins A,B,K on the other.Margarine is made from seeds oils so it is full of polyunsaturated fats and omega3 and 6 but on the other hand it is full of trans fats.American Heart Association (AHA), National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NJLBI) and National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) prefer " trans free" margarine. But imho .. fat is fat.Period.When consumed in excess amount fats contribute to weight gain and heart disease.You should eat it but you have to wisely choose your fat (from fish,nuts,olive oil,etc etc) and not to overdo it.Everything in moderation (something i never did as a fat person )

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.

Thanx for replying "mum"! I truly appreciate the encouragement. I see you are almost at your goal! CONGRATS!!! And best of luck to you!!!! I've been battling constant weight gain for years. I've had multitudes of tests (including the REE tests for measure caloric expenditure by exhaling) and my endocronologist diagnosed me as have a very slow metabolism. I am disciplined in eating healthy and exercising (love step aerobics), but my body doesn't want to give up the pounds! Just last October, I joined a fitness club. I exercised 5 days a week (M-F). Three of those days were 30 min with an EXPENSIVE personal trainer for 30 minutes and an addition 40 minutes of step aerobics. The other two days, 45 minutes on the olyptical and a medium pace. Only to GAIN 6 pounds and for my clothes to SCREAM at me!!!! Uuuugh! :biggrin: That is when I stopped going to the gym and I quit my personal trainer. I am so discouraged right now. I am hoping if I go the lap band, I can actually see the scale go to the Left instead of always to the Right! Sorry, thanx for listening to my whining!

Hi everyone...Just wanted to let you guys know that tomorrow is the start of my journey, and can't wait!! I love reading all of the post on the site of all the succes that everyone has had since surgery, I just hope that I can add to the succes! A little about me...My name is Jason from New Orleans. I have high BP...sleep apnea...I just turned 40 in August, and my wife and I just had our first child (Logan) in July! If that is not enough motivation to do something about your healt/weight, then I don't know what is!! In high school I was a little runt and did everything I could to gain weight, and I think all those weight gainer shakes caught up with me!! LOL! After high school I went into the Marine Corps weighing 160lbs and 4yrs later when I got out I was weighing about 195lbs. I would say that that weight gain was more toned muscle, rater than extra weight, but...from that time until now I have put on weight. My highest weight was around 270lbs and was at the begining of 2011 at that time, I had came to the realization that I was just a "big guy" and kinda excepted my weight. Well since that time I brought a child into the world and I realized, that I have to be here for him!! Not only will I be an "older" parent, but I was fat and unhealthy and really needed to do something about it. That is the time I started getting serious about weight lose. Being that my wife has had WLS, she was very supportive of my decision to look into the Sleeve. She was not familiar with the sleeve but after asking her Dr. about it, her mind was put at ease. At my first visit in Aug. I weighed 266lbs with a BMI of 38,but because I have high blood pressure and slep apnea, the Dr. thought that I would make a good canidate for the sleeve even with a BMI below 40. Since that first visit it has all moved very quick, because I am a self pay patient I did not have to deal with insurance companies. Which brings me to now...my "Surgery Eve" I guess you could say. I only had to do my liquid pre-op diet for a week, and all I can say is wow!! Definatley a enlightining experience!! I am ready for tomorrow to get here, so I can get started! So....at 6:30am tommorow my journey will begin! I am looking forward to getting to know some of you and being able to share my progress with!

Thank you Cindi_Augustine your words are very encouraging! I didn't know that stress can cause weight gain also, so I'm definitely going to try to relax.

Hi I am always worried about weight gain after my surgery I am 4 months post op , and there's days that go by and I only eat very few calories but all from healthy foods and there is usually one day out of the week that I feel that I m like a little piggy , and I m scared to death to get on the scale the next day but it's CRAZY because instead of gaining any weight I actually usually loose more? Has anyone else been seeing this? Sent from my REVVL V+ 5G using BariatricPal mobile app

I have had a similar experience after seven years - after I had to totally unfill for another surgery. My belief is that small changes, slacking off every so slightly that its not even noticeable, add up to weight gain over time. I've not "gained" per se - in that I ended up at about 150lb until I got sick - and I'm still 145. But I dropped to 130 - really really thin for me at 5ft 10 and havent been able to hold that weight (why i wanted to is a whole nother story, it looked awful). Its been due to a reliance on slider foods, eating more overall, less restriction from my band. I had a tummy tuck 12 weeks ago - which I didnt unfill for - and the necessary reduction in exercise afer that was the final straw - I bounced up 8lb to 145. I have this lovely flat stomach but my love handles are hanging over the BACK of my jeans now, grrrrrr. The only answer is NOT to slack off. Get off those slider foods, get back in the gym, it takes work your whole life to maintain this new weight. We were discussing this in another thread but what seems to happen is that veteran bandsters get to the point where they cant "feel" tightness or restriction, think they need nore fill and end up with reflux and heartburn. It has certainly happened to me. I know I cant have more fill than I have - so I have to work with it. I was astounded yesterday - barely eat sandwiches coz I dont like bread much and particularly dont like sandwiches - but that was what was on offer yesterday for lunch, so I had a tuna sandwich. Down the hatch in minutes, easy as. I was full yes, I only wanted one, i didnt eat again all afternoon but I could never have done that 2 years ago! My doc said to me that I may have to accept being slightly heavier (My BMI is 20) - dont want to but that may be the way it is.

I agree, something here does not make sense at all. I wonder if you either have a serious medical condition or a serious eating disorder. You are the only person that can actually make yourself eat and timely. It has to become your priority if you want to stay healthy in the long term. With RNY you really do get your hunger back, I am not sure why that hasn't happened for you but I am guessing when you are hungry, you are ignoring it because you are busy. If you don't want to keep dropping weight you need to pay attention and act on it. It sounds like you can pretty much eat whatever you want without the repercussions of weight gain. The only issue is some foods you dump on and others that would likely make you dump, you don't. I will say that I have met many RNY patients who still dump many many years later so I am not convinced at all that ever stops completely. They just learn how to live with it differently. The same is true about the malabsorption factor. I met a guy that had RNY 15 years ago. He eats small meals all day long because his body still malabsorbs. He looks great, still has a lot of restriction which requires that he eats small amounts all day long. I know my pouch is definitely on the small side which means to get to my Protein count and about 1000 calories a day, I have to eat 3 good meals a day and snack in between. I have to really concentrate when I eat or I might just eat a tiny amount and be hungry a short time later.

Hi Dr Jossart Some of the medical literature seems unclear on this point; does ghrelin return 3-5 years after surgery? Is that a possible reason for weight gain? I understand that this procedure is still considered experimental by some and there is paltry information on long term effects, but when can we expect to see studies that aren't just anecdotal, that include quantitative information?

16 December 2010 Suddenly, I'm one week away from undergoing a vertical sleeve gastrectomy. It is almost too much to digest that this truly is the beginning of the end of my 15-year battle of the bulge? The long-and-short of my story is that I was a chubby kid, athletic high-schooler, super-athletic collegiate (squash team) and, league player in my twenties and early thirties. A back injury (herniated disc) whilst training for a tournament spelt the end of competitive squash and any form of athletic activity. A job for a bachelor that involves numerous lunch meetings and after-hours cocktail functions is a recipe for disastrously rapid weight-gain. The trouble with athletes who suddenly quit working out is that they retain their appetites and eat with the same care-free abandon as they did when they were burning it up in the gym. Thus began my long addiction to food. A 10-year marriage-to-date to a wonderful wife and excellent cook fuelled the addiction. Despite sporadic forays into the gym and some tennis, I went from 85 kg (187 lbs) in my playing heyday to my current 160 kg (351 lbs). I've gained the equivalent in weight of another entire adult human being. Interspersed in this 15-year saga were numerous efforts to lose the weight, the likes of which are all too familiar: cabbage Soup, Exchange, Atkins, X-Diet, etc. There was one time that I managed to stick to a so-called 'detox' eating programme that caused me to lose weight possibly at the same rate as many bariatric post-ops. I actually fought through the back pain and starting playing squash again. It was tremendously gratifying to fit into my college clothing once more. The diet itself, though, was tantamount to starvation and led to my becoming incredibly sad. Although not diagnosed as such, I came about as close as I can imagine to being chemically depressed. It makes sense, I suppose, that if you deprive yourself of fat and not take supplements, plus cut out salt and sugar without electrolyte replacement, you're not going to absorb fat-soluble Vitamins which has to affect one's sense of well-being. Short-lived was my renewed thinness because at the end of the two-month crash diet, my resolve came crashing down too. So pleased was I with reaching my goal that I celebrated with a hearty double cheeseburger from the world's greatest supplier of lard disguised as food and have been supersizing ever since. Five years ago when my doctor noticed the increase in my blood sugar levels and expressed alarm at my increasing size, I took notice but was sure I had the strength of mind to return to my athletic ways. I didn't count on the severity of my backache nor the added damage that must have been caused to my back lugging all this weight around over the years. When he asked his assistant to find out who did bariatric surgery in Canada, I really froze in my tracks. A failed business contract, the commencement of accounting studies towards a different career and a home relocation found me in the offices of a new personal care provider. I discussed my weight with my new doctor and told him what the previous one had suggested. This time, I assured him, I wanted it too. That was two years ago. The wheels of the Canadian public healthcare system grind slowly. It took about a year to first see one of only three bariatric surgeons serving our entire province. At the time, the wait-list to have surgery here for free was around 3 years. I had two visits with the surgeon spaced six months apart. In that time, the only hospital where bariatric surgery is performed in our province announced a 60% cut in the budget for the procedure. This further clogged the bottleneck and increased the wait-time for surgery to 5 years. I couldn't afford to self-pay abroad so explored a not-so-well-published option of out-of-country-funding by our provincial health insurance for elective surgery. When I was approved, it felt like I had won the lottery (indeed I may have in terms of longevity). In fact, the first time I knew the outcome of my application was when I checked my voice-mail one evening early in November. There was a cheerful message from Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle regarding a referral. There was no mistaking then that funding had been approved. Until a few weeks ago, I was working nights as a security guard whilst studying accounting through night classes. I kept playing phone tag with the administrator of the bariatric office until we eventually connected and set the ball in motion. Since her first voice-mail on Nov 5, I have been scheduled for surgery on Dec 23 and am seeing my new, American surgeon for the first time this coming Monday. The pace of things South of the 49th parallel is at lightning speed by comparison. I had two final exams to distract me these past weeks but can now fully concentrate on preparing for surgery. I'm an irreligious, sceptical 46-year-old so there's some irony in getting a gift of sorts (we actually pay a sizable premium for health insurance so it's a right rather than privilege) when the rest of the Western world is exchanging trinkets and electronic gadgets in State-mandated spending sprees. I'm deliberately trivializing the arbitrary commercialization of the Winter solstice against what in my case will amount to better health and possibly, longer life. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 19 December 2010 With not a little trepidation, I pointed the car South and put pedal to the metal. It must have been the fatigue after a late night at Mark and Stacey's party rather than a hangover--I was careful not to overdo the Jägermeister and spiked punch--that made me want to get this journey over with. Testing a new pair of progressive lens glasses from behind the wheel for the first time, I made a beeline to Dave's house in Tacoma where I would be spending the night. Everything seemed a little clearer on the drive down. I have known Dave since I first started playing squash at the YMCA in the centre of Tacoma, WA. In 1990, I was wrapping up the penultimate year of my economics degree and Dave was a high-risk options broker. A substitute for one of two older brothers that I never had, Dave was a mentor and friend. In fact, it was on a trip that Dave sponsored to a squash tournament in Vancouver that sparked my love for the city that my wife and I now make our home. Cut back to a year earlier when I met fellow ex-South African, Claude where we played squash at the same club in Los Angeles. Claude had had his full of LA and when he heard that I was heading to the Pacific Northwest to complete my studies, he and his wife, Lynelle contemplated selling up and following suite. After a few visits to me in Tacoma, both were sold on the idea and moved. From being an only son with two sisters, I was privileged to now have two brothers in the same town. Needless to say, over the years, both these guys have watched anxiously as my weight practically doubled after my return to South Africa and subsequent emigration to Canada. They were always classy enough not to chide me but often asked how my squash was, as if to prod and propel me back onto the courts. Dave's wife, Rasha had prepared a magnificent prawn dinner with Pasta which we washed down with red wine followed by sliced kiwi fruit and pumpkin pie. Over several rounds of backgammon, we dissected and analysed the American economy. It was indeed a last supper of sorts. Having solved the problems of the world, we all turned in for the night. The next morning would be quite eventful for me. Dave had pancakes on the stove and heaps of bacon sizzling in a pan. The last Breakfast, he said. With a mouthful of pork, I told him this felt like taking a drink before meeting one's parole officer. When Dr. Jeffrey Hunter walked into the room with a beaming smile and firm handshake, I knew immediately that my surgery next Thursday would be in safe hands. During the 20-minute drive from Dave's house to the hospital, I didn't once doubt my decision to pursue the surgical path to wellness. This surgeon and his staff reinforced it. Everything at my first visit to the man who will next week be removing the greater curvature of my stomach, representing 85% of it's current size, went swimmingly. My visit included a lengthy stint with the nutritionist who walked me through the diet plan that will be the mantra that I chant over the next several weeks. With my sights set firmly on Protein shakes and lean cuts of meat with heaps of spinach leaves, I made tracks to Claude's in the hamlet of Woodinville a few kilometers Northeast of Seattle. Claude owns a house with a veritable park for a backyard complete with flowing stream all nestled amongst giant douglas firs. I love going there. With the clock ticking to get back to Canada to fetch Shamin at work, Claude and I barely had time to do a deep analysis of what Obama and the Democrats are doing to fix the problems of America before we spirited ourselves off to a Mexican restaurant. The last lunch, Claude called it. Faced with a two-hour drive, I declined any liquid nourishment and stuck to a black bean soup plus a quarter of Claude's chicken enchilada. Not only had my brothers treated me to some pretty amazing meals, but Shamin had ideas of her own when I fetched her. We made tracks to our favourite sushi spot in our hometown of White Rock and indulged as only convicts facing the gallows can, with the maki 18-piece combo, miso soup, agadashi tofu and mugs of green tea. Shamin said that this was our last supper. Since Saturday, I have had three last suppers, one last breakfast and one last lunch. And thanks to Mark and Stacey, one last party. -------------------------------------------------------------- 6 January 2011 It's 11h30 and two weeks to the hour that I was being wheeled into surgery. What Shamin expected to be a 45-minute routine procedure like a visit to the dentist, an impression I had created, turned out to be a 2-hr major operation that resulted in yanking out 80% of my stomach. Mostly the upper curvature, the stretchy part of the stomach, was removed leaving me with a pouch about 4-6 oz in volume, the size of a small banana or 2/3 of a cup. This new pouch does not stretch. I chose this particular version of bariatric surgery to avoid some of the malabsorptive issues related to Roux n Y (a.k.a. RnY or gastric bypass), the current gold standard of WLS, and to be able to take anti-inflammatories as and when I become lighter on my feet and engage in more sport. The sleeve gastrectomy went quite well and there were no complications. My first night post-surgery though, was rough. I was in a lot of pain from the surgery and kept burping which caused quite a bit of discomfort. The staff at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle is absolutely top-drawer and took excellent care of me. The next day, the barium drink during the x-ray in order to check for leaks and make sure that Fluid was passing through the stomach via. the pyloric valve into the small intestine, ranks amongst the most vile stuff I've ever drunk. It was all I could do to keep from throwing up. Isn't it remarkable how attuned you become to everyone's expressions when you're a patient? Why is the nurse frowning at my chart and how come the doctor is gesturing so animatedly? When the surgeon and the radiation team relaxed as the barium made it's way successfully through my tract, I also breathed a sigh of relief. Later, one of the nurses explained to me that they medicate the stomach to near-lifelessness in order to operate on it, then it becomes of paramount importance to revive it as soon as possible the next day. So they're constantly listening through the stethoscope for signs of activity. You'll never see from polite company or one's wife quite the kind of elation when you tell them that you've farted than erupts from the nursing staff when you inform them after bariatric surgery that you've passed gas. In fact, after your first bowel movement if indeed you have one, they're ready to hand you a trophy and send you home. Two days after surgery on the 2010th birthday of our lord Jesus, I was desperate for a shower. After I accidentally yanked out my glucose supply line, they deemed me fit to be discharged. Shamin helped me get my things back to the hotel room. No sooner did we set them down than we were in the car heading to Kirkland for lunch. Shamin drove. On the menu was medium rare sirloin, baked potato, crumbed shrimp and salad, with cheescake and chocolate for dessert. I pigged out on soup broth and sugar-free jelly. Wine flowed liberally so two days after surgery, high on oxycodon, it fell to me to drive back to the hotel. In fact, the next day, I took the wheel to blaze a trail out of Seattle and made it half-way back to Canada before succumbing to fatigue. Things went a little pear-shaped the next morning, my first back in Canada. I chewed on my gummy bear Multivitamin, followed by some flavoured Water with a crushed metformin. Later, a bit of cream of wheat fortified with whey protein isolate seemed to be competing for limited space. In the middle of a Skype chat with my sister in South Africa, the cream of wheat wanted out and I hurled for the first time. How on earth am I going to get in 70 - 100 g of protein with this little stomach volume? The summary of my food intake is protein and more protein, very, very little carbohydrates and almost no fats and sugars. I'm also on a cocktail of Multivitamins, Iron, B12 and Calcium supplements to compensate for the limitations of the new diet. Modern multivitamins and supplements are chewable and tasty so, incorporated as Snacks, you don't even feel like being medicated. Combating dehydration is now a way of life. I have to walk around with a bottle of water and sip constantly between meals. As it is early days yet and I'm only now graduating to pureed foods, I have to space out my spoonfuls in order to avoid an extreme sensation of fullness and subsequent pain. Recently, I was able to finish a whole cup of veggie soup over two hours whilst watching a movie. It now takes about 4-or-5 teaspoons of food to achieve a feeling of fullnes whereupon I start to belch. Any more hurts like hell. One more bite is like trying to stuff one more marble into an already full jar. There’s no give whatsoever. The greater curvature of the stomach is where your stretchy material resides. Mine has been removed and sealed shut with three lines of staples. My very compact stomach pouch has a valve on both it's entrance from the oesophagus and exit into the small intestine, respectively. Therefore, it is a closed container under pressure, implying no more fizzy drinks that could release carbon dioxide and cause immense discomfort. Adios beer, hello wine, vodka and whiskey on the rocks. I’m currently paying lip service to six meals a day; I can barely manage one, and two Protein Shakes. Yesterday morning, I bravely scrambled a single egg with a tiny amount of spinach and a sliver of cheese. I got through half of it, then ate the rest several hours later. Interspersed between meals, I’m supposed to sip about 2 litres of water. What a bloody joke! I’m averaging about a litre. The only things I’m making sure I consume are the multivitamins, iron supplement and chewable calcium sweets. They’re like dessert. Oh, I do get to enjoy as much sugar-free jelly that I can handle and I never seem to tire of it. Within a few weeks, there will be little external sign that I had any surgery. As the whole affair was done laparoscopically, I’m left with 5 little scars on my belly that is already mostly healed. Once fully-healed, I'm heading to the swimming pool to start exercising. I hate walking at the best of times. Oh yes, the million dollar question; I first met the surgeon on 13 Dec and went on a pre-op diet for 10 days. I lost 10 lbs (4.5 kg) in that time. In the 24 days since, I have shed a total of 36 lbs (16.3 kg). I have been told by my dietician that it is not unrealistic to expect to shed around 75% of my excess weight over the next six months. When I started out, I was 351 lbs (160 kg). I'm now 315 lbs (143 kg). The next milestone is to break the 300 lb mark, a weight I haven't been in over a decade. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 January 2011 If there's one thing that I've discovered post-op, it is precisely that old habits can die easily and very, very quickly at that. There is nothing quite as drastic as once being able to virtually inhale a three-egg omelette with cheese, green pepper, mushroom and bacon and, sausage and hash browns on the side, followed by a cup of coffee, to hoping-upon-hope that the single boiled egg you're just about to tackle for breakfast won't fill you after just three bites. Such is the drastic nature of this procedure. The sense of fullness isn't the same satisfactory one as before. Rather, it takes you by surprise. One minute you're savouring the taste of just your third spoonful, then you feel a slight burp and know you ought to stop right there-and-then. But being a man, you bravely go for the fourth and the pain hits from nowhere. The tightness in your stomach is indescribable. It feels like your chest is going to explode and you wonder why-oh-why you were ever so greedy as to dare to eat a whole fourth spoonful. This surgery is like having an electric shock device around your ankle when you're on parole. Any deviance in the eating department and you're very quickly zapped into line. All went well the first two weeks post-op with a little heartburn to contend with. These past few days, I thought I was going to meet an untimely demise from acid reflux. How embarrassing is that? Even in my drinking heyday, I had never felt anything quite like this. Back in the day, you puked, you rinsed, you slept (not necessarily in that order) then got up, nursed the hangover and picked up where you left off. This time, the reflux was a whole new kettle of fish. Anything short of standing bolt upright had acid gurgling at the back of my throat. sleep was almost impossible. Yesterday, I finally collected from the pharmacist in capsule form a potent antacid which has proven to be the elixir for which I had been waiting. Last night for the first time in days, I got a full night's sleep and am feeling very refreshed finally. The surgery is doing its work. I have shed 17 kg in 30 days. The last three days, there's been a slight lull from my average loss of a pound-a-day. It might be because I have been struggling to get in the dietitian's requirement of 70 - 100 g of protein per day. A single egg has just 8 g of protein. Given the minimal volume of my stomach of around 130 ml, it would be impossible to meet the protein requirement from food consumption, the equivalent of 9 - 12 eggs. The solution to the dilemma is whey protein isolate shakes that body builders use. I mix it with something called enriched milk (skim milk fortified with powdered milk for the extra protein) and knock them back in 15 g slugs. Even that requires about 5 drinks a day. As tasty as vanilla and chocolate flavour is, after a while you just want to gag. Interspersed in all this protein intake is a requirement to rehydrate constantly. Water, jelly, electrolyte drinks and more water, 2 litres minimum of the stuff per day, is what is required. There just isn't enough room for it all. To combat the potential for malnutrition, for the rest of my life I have to take a multivitamin and iron supplement with breakfast, then three doses of calcium supplements the rest of the day. They're all in chewable form so it feels like snacking on sweets for dessert. Also, once-a-month, I have to get a Vitamin B-12 injection. On the plus side, I've kicked the type II diabetes that required two metformin pills a day. Which would one rather have, is the big question. There's no telling what the consequences of diabetes is, ranging anywhere from gangrene and the amputation of a foot to a stroke from high blood pressure. Yikes! By far, the nuances of bariatric surgery are a nuisance I'd rather have. --------------------------------------------- 13 February 2011 It has been so long ago that I was last under 300 lbs, I have kind of forgotten which era of my life that was. There is a selection of still-new clothing in my closet that is too tight for me so I obviously bought them when I was thinner than I am now. I have to try to recall when I bought--and almost immediately outgrew--them. Did I buy them in Canada at my favourite fashion store, Walmart, or in South Africa at my similarly popular source of bulk thread, Makro? If memory serves me right, I don't think I ever felt this 'trim' since arriving in Canada in 2004, and I certainly had one hell of a paunch during my wedding in 2000, so we may well be looking at the late 90's. I would be lying if I didn't admit that my latest stall was getting the psychological better of me. I mean, here I am post-major-surgical-procedure to lose weight, barely able to imbibe half-a-cup of food per meal that fills me for hours, and getting nowhere near the required amount of protein, only to hover tantalizingly above 300 lbs for the last few weeks. Like everyone, I went dramatically from 351 lbs pre-op to around 305 lbs. The expectation that this kind of rate would be sustainable is rich to say the least, yet it becomes a pipe-dream for the morbidly obese. Luckily, I didn't go into the kind of depression that resulted in starvation to achieve this milestone. I stuck with the programme, sucked down protein shakes to make up the deficit, ate the soy sausages and even relished the chocolate-coated Protein Bars that 10 years ago would have made me gag. My exercise regimen has included some very basic exercises because I still feel a little too weak to go for lengthy walks, let alone jog or play squash. I timed my exercise routine. It took me exactly 13 minutes (12h00 to 12h13) to do 20 reps each of the following: squats (feet shoulder-width apart, only squatted as far as was comfortable) crunches (lying on back, hands clasped behind head, tried bringing up head to knees, could barely get my head off the ground) leg lifts (lying on back, palms face down under buttocks, just lift feet off ground) cheat pushups (on my knees instead of the traditional way) left bicep curl (using a shopping bag filled with our new duvet as a weight) right bicep curl (ditto) left tricep extension (ditto) right tricep extension (ditto) bench press (lay on bed and pushed the 'weight' towards the ceiling) shoulder press (shopping bag as weight, standing legs slightly apart, raised 'weight' to ceiling) left side bends (standing feet slightly apart, hands clasped behind head, lean twice to the left, then back upright, will use make-shift weight in future) right side bends I did these 12 exercises (so a little over a minute each on average) on a mat in the small space between the bed and the wall. My gym outfit was my boxer shorts and I went barefeet. I will continue to use my make-shift dumbbell until we find that ideal duvet cover. Who needs a gym, eh? It has now taken me longer to describe my exercise than the workout itself took. How did I find the excuses to avoid exercise in the past? Which brings me to the topic of constipation. What is up with that? I guess the minimal food intake is as much to blame as the lack of hydration. I have struggled to drink the suggested amount of water and am hoping that the protein shakes count as both nutrition and fluids. No doubt, the body tries to absorb as much of whatever little it is now getting and often tempers the metabolism in anticipation of famine rather than feast. So, as much as toilet humour provides endless hours of mirth in slapstick comedy, it is a serious topic when it comes to diet and weight-loss. Not having a bowel movement for two-to-three days is discomforting to say the least. The medical team knows about this and is ready to prescribe suitable 'stool softeners'. Instead, I've re-discovered prune juice. "What does all this have to do with the scale," one wonders? Well, when you're desperate to reach certain weight milestones, like lose 50 lbs or 100 lbs, or achieve a specific weight, 300 lbs in my case, you start to become very particular about what exactly it is that you're weighing. In my mind, any food or liquid in my intestine is not part of my body weight, hence has to be expunged before the weigh-in. How ridiculous is it that I was careful not to swallow any water whilst brushing my teeth in the morning? Sometimes, the mind concocts ideas that descend rapidly from the sublime to ridiculous. To cut to the chase, after yet another morning leaving the toilet tissue undisturbed, I stepped trepidly onto the scale and weighed in at 298.4 lbs. The sensation was overwhelming. For all intents and purposes at 05h30 on a Sunday morning, I ought still to have been in bed. But an early night and a full bladder resulted in an early morning and my usual interlude with the scale. My wife was still fast asleep so it took enormous restraint to squelch my desire to yelp. With an enormous weight off my shoulders, no pun intended, I have a spring in my step today. At last it feels like the programme is on track again. I have regained all of the confidence in the surgical procedure that I had going into it. The overwehlming evidence of its effectiveness just from the experiences of its alumni should have been convincing enough. However, it still requires one's own adventure with it to fully come to terms with its benefits. I look forward now to tackling the next 100 lbs. -------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday, 22 March 2011 I love numbers because, unless manipulated by accountants and politicians, they tend not to lie (a bold statement from a would-be-accountant). When I first started exploring bariatric surgery as a solution to my morbid obesity, one of its wilder claims that attracted me to it was that a person could lose 75% of his excess weight within 6 months. At the time, I was 351 lb (160 kg) and felt that I needed to get down to 220 lb (100 kg). In total, that would imply a loss of 131 lb (60 kg). 3/4 of that is 98 lb (45 kg). Could I really lose 45 kg in 6 months, in other words, 7.5 kg per month? It seemed too good to be true. A 45 kg loss in weight would put me at 115 kg, a weight at which I once used to play a half-way decent game of league-level squash. As I read more about the effectiveness of the surgery, I became giddy in anticipation of becoming a veritable gazelle within just six months. At the 3 month mark since my vertical sleeve gastrectomy, I weigh 280.4 lb (127.5 kg). I have lost a whopping 71 lb (32 kg). This implies a rate of loss of just over 22 lb (10 kg) per month. If this is sustainable for another three months, I'm on track to blitz right past the projected 6-month, 45 kg loss. It even tickles a tantalizing fantasy of shedding the entire 60 kg within 6 months. Reality dictates otherwise, however, because the initial rate of loss post-op is staggeringly high versus what it's become, hence a much larger drop in weight immediately post-op. Still, a gander at my weight graph in the health tracker shows a fairly straight line with a constant slope. With some hesitation, I'm tempted to adjust downward my overall weight-loss expectation to around 187 lb (85 kg). Before my op, I asked the surgeon whether this was feasible and he said it certainly was. At the time I didn't believe him but now I'm not so sure. I remember very well when I was last 85 kg. It was in 1991 when I was at my fittest ever and about to play in the B Divison at the US Open Squash Tournament in Portland, OR. In the second round, I lost a 5-game marathon to the top-seed and shed 8 lbs of water weight for my effort. Back then, I was a fairly well-oiled machine and knew intimately the effects of food on my body. A diet on a student budget, comprising instant noodles with broccoli, tuna, pinto Beans and chicken kept me in trim. Toasted sandwiches with hotdogs, cheese and mayo inevitably translated into an upward tick of the scale. -------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday, 27 March 2011 More on the numbers, this time regarding my recent lab tests. In summary, they're all good and a reversal of where they've been the past decade. I've moved into the normal range in just about all the important categories. Even going back 10 years to my mid-30's, my blood sugar levels--as measured by Hemoglobin A1C and Fasting Glucose--were always a couple of points above normal though nothing worth calling out the cavalry for. Even the Urine Albumin or ACR (Albumin/Creatinine Ratio) which is a gage of the level of functioning of the kidneys, was just above normal. When my personal care physician (PCP) a.k.a. family doctor diagnosed me with Type II Diabetes, it was almost tongue-in-cheek. He said that each measure, on its own, was not worth a diagnosis of diabetes but, together, ooh, aah, maybe, why not? "Diabetes! Take a couple of Metformin daily and see me again in three months." At the time, it sounded more like he was obliged for ethical and liability reasons to come to a conclusion of diabetes rather than any concrete proof of the disease. Thus began three-monthly visits to the labs to test these two variables, as well as an annual visit to the optometrist to photograph the back of my eye. This was to see if excess blood sugar was causing the rupture of capillaries back there. The eyesight of diabetics deteriorates for this reason rather than from the normal decline around middle-age from retinal mal-function. Another ominous feature of my blood was elevated pressure and high levels of cholesterol, especially the abnormally high ratio of total cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol. Neither was ever high-enough to warrant medication but required a change in diet that favoured fish and chicken over red meat and, an increase in leafy greens. My dietary approach was to ignore the advice. The PCP was vindicated in his diagnosis of diabetes. While the ocular capillaries were always intact, the blood sugar levels were not. I initially avoided the Metformin like the plague and it showed in the tests. As soon as I started taking them, the numbers came down though never into the normal range. It was plainly obvious that my body was not processing sugars normally. In fact, the endocrinologist to which my first bariatric surgeon had referred me emphatically increased my Metformin dosage from two- to three-a-day. There must have been something more compelling in the numbers that he saw leaving me feeling a little disingenuous for doubting my PCP. It's a coincidence that my three-monthly lab date was just before my VSG. It meant that I had fresh numbers for comparison and could attribute any changes in my digits directly to both the surgery and post-op dietary changes. Prior to those pre-op labs, I had been on a high-protein, leafy-green diet to shed some weight, get my body into ketosis mode and, reduce the size of the liver and rid it of fats and sugars. Despite that, my numbers were still off the charts. A tabular summary of the results are: Normal Early Immediately Post-op Range Dec '10 Pre-op Mar 2011 Glucose 3.6-5.5 mmol/l 7 (high) 6.4 (high) 5.3 (normal) A1C 4.8-6.2% 6.8 (high) 6.6 (high) 6.0 (normal) ACR < 2.0 2.1 (high) 0.8 (normal) Chol. 2.0-5.2 mmol/l 4.6 (normal) LDL 1.5-3.4 mmol/l 3.3 (normal) HDL >0.9 mmol/l 0.9 (low) Chol/HDL <5.0 5.1 (high) Triglyc. <2.3 mmol/l 0.9 (normal) BP 120/80 120/80 (normal) I'm reasonably pleased with the results though everything could come down a notch, especially the cholesterol level. -------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday, 24 May 2011 Almost 21 weeks since surgery, I find myself still picking from the hors d'oeuvres or soup section of the menu while my short, slightly-built wife has her pick of the Entrees. It's an ironic reversal that is actually working quite well for our appetites and budget. For the wait staff, however, it's enormously confusing. The order taker has to first scowl at me for declining anything to drink, not even water, then frown harder at my minimal order. I don't always feel that it's necessary for me to explain why I cannot drink 30 minutes before a meal. There is usually a progression from amusement to bewilderment as the paltriness of the order registers. "Are you sure that would be all?" I get asked whilst being physically sized up against my order. As he turns to leave, you can almost read the, "What a cheapskate!" facial expression. Initially it might be understandable that I'm too cheap to order a beer or glass of wine. But for such a big fellow to cut costs with just the cup (not even the main-course-sized alternative) of clam chowder while the lady chooses the lamb shank with potatoes and gravy is just wrong. It doesn't end there. If a different person actually brings the meal to the table from the kitchen, there is the almost mandatory politically correct query about which meal is for whom. To avoid any question of ridicule as it's obvious that the mountainous lamb shank is for the big chap and the lady is watching her figure, I find the main course heading my way. At least the order taker had time to digest the information; this poor character shakes his head almost as if we the customer got our own order wrong. ------------------------------------------------------ Thursday, 26 May 2011 The converse of the non-surgical victory (NSV), something with which bariatric post-ops become quite familiar even only a few months post-op, has to be the non-surgical disappointment (NSD). In the wake of the breakneck speed at which we lose weight, start fitting into old clothes, get compliments from people and become more active, we run the danger of expecting too much too soon. Coupled with a stall at the 22-week mark, I experienced my first NSD when my scuba wetsuit proved two inches too tight. If you know these infernal things, the zipper is at the back, like those embarrassing surgical gowns. I guess if it had been wet which is when it is more stretchy, I might have been able to squeeze it shut until my blood stopped flowing. So rather than pass out, I go it the heck off and resolved to be patient a few more weeks. -------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday, 23 June 2011 Today is a weight-loss surgery (WLS) milestone for me. Exactly 6 months ago to the hour, I was in my ward at the Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, WA recovering from my vertical sleeve gastrectomy earlier that morning. The six-month post-op period is significant in the WLS context because it is considered the 'honeymoon' period during which the most rapid rate of loss occurs, as much as 75% of the total weight needed to be reduced. Of the 70 kg (154 lb) that I needed to shed at surgery, I have kissed 49% away so my experience has been closer to average. I'm half-way there with the rest expected to take another year to come off. As a matter of fact, I reached my current weight about a month ago so my honeymoon may have ended prematurely. I seem to have entered the dreaded post honeymoon stall that is experienced by many WLS recipients. This is not the end of the loss because my caloric intake is still miniscule. It may be the body's response to what is essentially starvation (in relative terms, of course) in which it hangs on to whatever it is fed. That's all well-and-good and I'm not panicking. I continue to get full on tiny portions. I have pushed the envelope on a few occasions with one bite too many, and paid the price in the form of extreme pain and discomfort. It's a vast change in psyche compared to the heyday of binging with a stretchable stomach. That was when I could eat through any sensation of fullness whereas now I'm alert to any signal of fullness. Around three bites into a meal, I start to notice a slight churning in my stomach accompanied often by a tiny belch. Of course, this sensation is commonplace to anyone who hasn't had surgery. It is only unusual in my case because it occurs so much earlier. At that point, most normal people would be exlaiming that they have left just enough place for dessert. I, on the other hand am good for just one more bite which, if I reserved for dessert, would be depriving myself of a crucial opportunity to ingest protein. Most of this description in any event is pertinent to meals of dense protein comprising fish, chicken, red meat or soya. A small bag of popcorn goes a longer way in which I have to allocate an entire segment of about 3 hours to indulge. Cynics may be critical of the fear-driven disincentive to eat and they would be right. You should not be averse to food and certainly not terrified of getting full. That kind of mentality coupled with societal pressure to conform aesthetically spawns a whole range of eating disorders that include bulimia and anorexia. Overweight people such as I are often like petulant children who want our cake and want to eat it. The surgery is just the wooden spoon of discipline. So wish me luck as I tackle the next 50% over 12 months. -------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday, 26 June 2011 The irony of getting a question in a letter from someone named Ruth was enough to send me into paroxysms of laughter. She's not Dr. Ruth, just my friend's daughter whom I've known since the mid-80's. She wrote: "Wow, Neeven, you look so great! You must feel really good too! How has your weight loss changed your life? Ruth". To this I replied simply (yeah, right!), "Dear Ruth Thanks so much for the compliment. Indeed I feel good courtesy of numerous changes to my life, both psychological and physical. The most important of these has been a more optimistic outlook despite bleak circumstances. Just being able to leap out of bed with ten times more energy rather than dragging myself from under the covers is testimony to that. My mobility is vastly improved. I am walking everywhere now, back on the tennis courts with a vengeance and, after a few more lost pounds, even contemplating a squash membership. I played tennis this morning against a chap who 24 years ago used to play competitively. He tired after the first set while I was still good to go. It was a big boost to my confidence that my fitness has improved so much. I was chasing balls that I used to let fly past and taking the extra steps to better position myself without the fear of exhaustion. It is easier to get in-and-out of cars. I no longer have to shuffle in the aisles between restaurant tables and risk knocking over some poor diner’s beverage. I can see my shoelaces again and even bend down to tie them without needing a respirator afterward. From opting for the stairs, to sharing a bench with someone, to stepping aside in an elevator to allow one more person in, I’m considerably more self-confident. It’s taking some getting used to the attention I’m receiving from friends who are noticing the difference. Those who have been with me from the beginning have continued to be tremendously encouraging and supportive. Others who see me after a very long interval struggle with the awkwardness of commenting on my physique. They want to gush at how ‘good’ I now look but suddenly hesitate at the implied suggestion that I used to be a slob. Yesterday, at Shamin’s company’s annual Summer picnic, most of her colleagues had last seen me mere weeks before I had the surgery, squeezed into my suit and wolfing down chow at the Christmas function. This time, many targeted me for conversation to inquire how I felt, what I was eating and whether I had struggled. I’ve never been coy about talking about the surgery (and neither is Shamin at work, it appears) so I was flattered that they wanted to chat and heap praise on me. I soaked it all up Stephen Colbert style, like a seasoned celebrity. I made the mistake of not logging my body-dimensions pre-op but I guess my loosening clothing is measure-enough of what used to be. I say that tenuously because a lot of what is now too big for me, was actually once very tight for me. I used to bulge out of my jeans so my girth must have been a lot larger than the diameter of the trousers. Near the end, I couldn’t button my suit coat and the ski jacket that I wore during my Dec. ’09 visit to New York shows evidence of strain on more than a few seams. From shirt collars that used to choke me, to button holes that protested, to belts that didn’t even fit but now need new holes, there’s no shortage of evidence of my shrinkage in my wardrobe. Heck, even my feet slip into my shoes more comfortably. By far the biggest compliment I get is from Shamin who is highly critical of my aversion to spending instead of splurging on a few pants, shirts and jackets that actually fit. I sometimes catch her giggling at how much of a clown I look like in jeans with a crotch that hangs too low, or a favorite sweater that now reveals my clavicle. My logic is that I’m just a few inches from fitting into four brand new trousers that I outgrew the instant I bought them years ago. The reality is that as good as it has been, I’m only half-way down this journey with another 80 lb of loss still to navigate. I’m going to get much smaller (how many guys actually say that with a straight face?). It will now fall off slower but fall it will (hello, still talking about the weight here...!), so I’m biding my time before incurring the expense. We’re saving in other ways. I select from the appetizer section of restaurant menus and my share of the consumption of household groceries is negligible. That is partially offset by the introduction of pricey protein shakes, protein bars and a cocktail of nutritional supplements to the grocery list though there’s a net saving against breakfast Cereal, candy, soda and potato chips. My life was worsened for the sudden development of GERD post-op which persists intermittently but guaranteed to flare up by my favorite, curries. We used to prepare it spicily-enough to remove paint from a ship’s hull, whereas I can barely handle black pepper on my 4 oz steak now. I have become partial to fat-free, white-sauced foods rather than their tomato-based alternatives and, in general, just a whole lot more finicky about meals. I approach every meal with a certain trepidation. This selective eating is a two-edged sword that deprives me of the tastes I once savored, but further promotes my weight-loss. Now do you regret asking a simple question? Your friend Neeven"

I had the bypass and am now 6 years post op w complications. My new dr is going in and removing the hormone producing part of the stomach along when redoing the cut on my stomach. He explains back when I had it done they cut the stomach different which proved in many patients around the 3 year mark for their stomach to start stretching and taking a new sharp which resulted in weight gain. Since then they perform of differently.

bandit, Some people can be overly sensitive. And, I am sure that some are just jealous and wish they could have a BMI where you are, it is hard for them to relate. I know when I started gaining weight and I was where you are now, I felt similar to how you feel. I wished I would have had a way to stop the weight gain then, instead of waiting until I needed to lose 120. I am proud that you are being proactive in trying to find a solution that will help you. As you will read in many posts.....many wished they had had the surgery years ago. Just realize the Lapband is not an easy life. Is it what you really want to do at this point? With best regards, Denise

It is not bulemia (which you know already is vomiting). It is closer to anorexia if anything (because you never actually ingest your food), but either way it is an unhealthy relationship with food. Taking this to an extreme is what makes it an eating disorder. If you want the flavor but are so adverse to the calories that you would rather spit out your food (hence your nutrients) it is bound to cause a problem eventually. Below I have listed the diagnostic criteria for an eating disorder from the DSM IV: Eating Disorder Diagnostic Criteria from DSM IV-TR 307.1 Anorexia Nervosa * Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height, for example, weight loss leading to maintenance of body weight less than 85% of that expected or failure to make expected weight gain during period of growth, leading to body weight less than 85% of that expected. * Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight. * Disturbance in the way one's body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape on self evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight. * In postmenarcheal females, amenorrhea, i.e., the absence of at least 3 consecutive menstrual cycles. A woman having periods only while on hormone medication (e.g. estrogen) still qualifies as having amenorrhea. Type Restricting Type: During the current episode of Anorexia Nervosa, the person has not regularly engaged in binge-eating or purging behavior (self-induced vomiting or misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas). Binge Eating/Purging Type: During the current episode of Anorexia Nervosa, the person has regularly engaged in binge-eating or purging behavior. 307.51 Bulimia Nervosa * Recurrent episodes of binge eating characterized by both 1. Eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat during a similar period of time and under similar circumstances. 2. A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode, (such as a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating). * Recurrent inappropriate compensatory behavior to prevent weight gain, such as selfinduced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, diuretics, enemas, or other medications, fasting, or excessive exercise. * The binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behavior both occur, on average, at least twice a week for 3 months. * Self evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and weight. * The disturbance does not occur exclusively during episodes of Anorexia Nervosa. Type Purging Type: During the current episode of Bulimia Nervosa, the person has regularly engaged in self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas. Nonpurging Type: During the current episode of Bulimia Nervosa, the person has used other inappropriate compensatory behavior but has not regularly engaged in selfinduced vomiting or misused laxatives, diuretics, or enemas. 307.50 Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified This diagnosis includes disorders of eating that do not meet the criteria for the above two eating disorder diagnoses. Examples include 1. For female patients, all of the criteria for Anorexia Nervosa are met except that the patient has regular menses. 2. All of the criteria for Anorexia Nervosa are met except that, despite significant weight loss, the patient's current weight is in the normal range. 3. All of the criteria for Bulimia Nervosa are met except that the binge eating and inappropriate compensatory mechanisms occur less than twice a week or for less than 3 months. 4. The patient has normal body weight and regularly uses inappropriate compensatory behavior after eating small amounts of food (e.g., self-induced vomiting after consuming two cookies). 5. The patient engages in repeatedly chewing and spitting out, but not swallowing, large amounts of food. 6. Binge-eating disorder: recurrent episodes of binge eating in the absence if regular inappropriate compensatory behavior characteristic of Bulimia Nervosa. So this would classify as something known as EDNOS (eating disorder not otherwise specified). I don't believe chewing gum and this have anything to do with one another from what I read above. The DSM IV references psychological requirements for EDNOS (which is where this disorder is placed) but both psychological and physical requirements for Anorexia and Bulemia.

I eat at least 1 serving of oatmeal a day- NO worries with weight gain at all...Also et Oat Bran cereal and Oat muffins- NO problems

Oh man, am I ever THRILLED to find this thread!! I am in serious need of a re-commitment and I AM DOING IT NOW! So here's the cliff notes version of my story: -Highest weight: 374 -Weight on surgery day: 342 -Banded August 7, 2009 -As of May 2011, lost 162 pounds total (12 pounds from goal weight!) -Got married: gained 10 pounds (wedding stress much??) -Went off birth control: gained 10 more pounds -Had a small unfill due to horrible acid reflux: gained 10 MORE pounds -Gained 20 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas -Total weight gain since May: 50 pounds! YIKES!!! The good news is, I went to the doctor a couple weeks ago and discovered that my thyroid levels are off, so I'm back on synthroid. I honestly think that my weight gain has been part my own fault and part my thyroid. I've gotten so complacement, and I'm eating WAY more than I'm supposed to...or should even be able to (I ate a whole sub the other day. I shouldn't be able to do that!). I've also been struggling emotionally because hubby and I are having a hard time getting pregnant...so I've gone back to eating my emotions. Gaining all this weight is NOT going to help me make a baby, now is it? I'm also sure my stomach pouch has stretched some, based on how much I can eat on a regular basis, so it's time to shrink the sucker back. Soooo...here's my NEW plan: -Take synthroid religiously! -Giving up junk food for Lent (all of it!) -Back to basics of Lap Band diet - eating no more than a cup-sized meal, half of it Protein, half of it veggies/fruits/whole grain carbs -Exercising AT LEAST 5 days a week. -Starting Couch to 5K TOMORROW!!! And this time I'm actually going to finish it...well, unless I get pregnant first. -I'm going to blog again and HOLD MYSELF ACCOUNTABLE. -Had a chat with teh hubby tonight, and told him I can't do this without him. Meaning, he has to stop being my enabler and tell me NO to food sometimes (I think he's a little scared about this that I'll yell at him...and I might...but I told him to stand firm and remind me why I'm doing this. I'll get over it eventually and love him even more.) Alright people, LET'S DO THIS!

I haven't read through the entire thread, so forgive me if my post has repetitive information. Your stomach hasn't stretched, but it has healed since your surgery, thus allowing you to consume more without experiencing as much discomfort as you might have previously. There's a bariatric surgeon named Dr. Matthew Weiner who has a channel on YouTube with informative videos that I recommend you check out if you haven't seen then yet. He discusses common myths about bariatric surgery, including the misconception that your stomach stretches out. He explains how the healing progress impacts your feeling of satiety and comfort levels when eating. There are general guidelines for everyone who's had WLS or is trying to lose weight, but we also have to figure out what works best for us as individuals. Some people abstain entirely from all bread, rice, and Pasta, and are successful in their weight loss. Some have it in moderation, and are equally successful. I try to not make any food into a "forbidden fruit" by forbidding it from my diet, but instead have it in small quantities infrequently rather than habitually. Others go cold turkey. What's a boatload of food to one person is a reasonable amount for another. I think the key is to learn your body and your mind and do what works best for you. If you ate the second half of the sandwich because you were still hungry, I think that's fine. Your appetite can fluctuate depending on various factors, from what else you've eaten that day to your level of activity. There are days when I'm feeling ravenous and can eat more, and days when it takes me two attempts spaced an hour or more apart to have a cup of Greek yogurt. If you ate the second half just because it was still there, or because you felt compelled to finish it, then it's really not a big deal but you might want to avoid doing that again. I keep insulated lunch bags in my car and office for leftovers. I try to either eat when I'm genuinely hungry, or on a schedule (which helps me to avoid getting to the point where I'm so hungry I'd eat whatever wasn't nailed down). I don't really eat sandwiches all that often, but when I do I typically will take half the bread off and eat it open-face. If I'm really wanting something that feels like a sandwich I'll put the contents on a Wasa crispbread (low carb). In the early stages, tracking what you eat and focusing on your total goals for the day is helpful. There's so many useful tools. Many chain eateries let you figure out specific information for your meals through calculators they have online. You pick the bread, fillings, condiments, etc, and it then tells you the calories, carbs, fat. Subway probably has this if you're interested. I think what's important is putting meals into context. If you've eaten a flatbread turkey sandwich after a strenuous workout that burned a lot of calories, and you've had lower carb, healthy foods throughout the rest of the day, then it's not going to have the same impact as if you'd been sedentary and your other meals were carb-heavy. The Washington Post recently had an article about how it can be detrimental to cut your carbs too much if you've intensified your workouts. There's also plenty of research about how eating too many carbs when you're not exercising enough leads to weight gains or stalls. So you have to determine what works best for your own lifestyle.

I am post op bypass 13 months ( surgery was 10/07/2020) ) and am I now drinking alcohol every night . I have gained back a few pounds Like 8 and am scared to death. I feel like I am heading back toward terrible habits and need to regain back control now. I am working with a Psychologist that's not very good for PTSD issues and major depressive disorder. I have got control of that but I have now a new problem= alcohol! A year ago, I would never think of drinking on a week night or much at all but now it's become my new addiction and it leads to me over eating and then the dreaded weight gain. I have now drank every night for the past two months and I can't seem too let it go. This had never been me before as my family is filled with alcoholics and I could never understand it and now I do? It kills pain and drowns out so much. It definitely affects me differently after surgery and takes very little to have any affect at all. I am drunk or affected at sip 3. It is such a great escapism and good lord with Covid and the way of the world all I want to do is escape in a legal way and alcohol is legal. I am on disability and have a lot of pain issues and the doctors and psych's try to say its a lot mental / PTSD/ Stress related but they haven't lived in my body. I have had over 15 surgeries and have had many scars and all kinds of mesh - They don't live this body and don't feel my pain. They tell me I need to learn to live with it. Well hell , I am doing the best I can and alcohol does a great job of dimming that. But I know I need to find a better answer and am looking to my community as I know I can't be alone in my pain or journey. My New Year's resolution is to get back to that person that doesn't drink in response to pain. That learns to deal with it. That get's her weight under control in the meantime. Sending out an SOS to my community and asking for good advice or just shared empathy to know I am not the only one and that we do not travel on this journey alone.

Weight gain and stalls can happen, even this early out. Don't panic! Give your body time to adjust and adapt to all of the trauma it has been through. As for not feeling full, that is also common. The surgery can seriously damage your nerves and therefore mess up all the signals from your stomach to your brain. It is VERY VERY important to measure your food and eat on a schedule. DO NOT rely on signals from your body right now. Also, while it is good to be walking short distances frequently throughout the day, don't overdo it. You are still healing and recovering from major surgery. You shouldn't be worrying about calorie burn right now. You should be focusing on healing and getting all of your water and protein in.

I've always been overweight, but as I put more and more weight on, I didn't realize it. Maybe because most of my weight gain happend around pregnancies, I don't know. After having my last child (he's 5 1/2 now!) as I had to shop for bigger and bigger clothes, 5x, then 6x, then 7x, it still didn't click "hey girl, you are really putting it on" It wasn't until my husband took a photo of my son and I just so happended to be getting dressed in the background...all I had on was my underwear! I saw that and was like OMG!!!! WTF!!! Then it hit me, I am really really huge! YET, I still didn't do anything about my weight! I didn't do anything until my mom won a free 2 month membership for 2 to Curves. And I only went initially because it was free. But, even after losing so much weight, I still don't see myself accurately. I look in the mirror or in window as I'm passing by and think I look ok, but in photos, I'm like, UGH, why don't I look in the photos like I look in the mirror? It's very strange! I wonder if it will still be like that once I get even smaller?

Follow me.... my journey First, you need to have your metabolic rate tested before you can clam that 1500-1800 per day is the magic button. I had mine tested at my OBGYN's office and I only burn 980 cals per day so anything over that i'm gaining weight. Weight gain is simple just not easy. Calories in versus calories out. It you eat more than you burn you will gain weight. If you are gaining weight you are eating more than you burn. It is simple math just not simple to do. I was never over weight till I had my 2nd child at age 35. I went from a normal weight of 125 to 200 lbs. I have hypothyroid desease and a low metabolic rate. I can lose 30 lbs doing metafast or weight watchers only to gain it back in record time plus 5lbs. My Dr. couldn't figure it out either. My husand says i'm the healthiest fat person he knows (lovingly of course). I eat healthy, I never eat fast food, I avoid high calories foods and don't like sweets but i'm obese. After my first seminar the Dr. explained that with the Sleeve a hormone that makes us hungry will be removed and that often metabolic rates are reset. I have decided to have the Gastric Sleeve. In fact i'm one week post-op. Feb. 28th is my biggest loser day. I started my liquid diet today (to help shrink the liver before surgery). My starting weight is 215 and i'm 5'5" tall. Please follow my journey and I promise to be as candid as possible. Good luck with your decision. Kimberly from TX

@nenes78 thank you for taking the time to reply. I have been eating more or less the same everyday, and it certainly has plateaued but the weight gain? I walk 3 or 4 days week about an hr each time. Just do not understand where the hunger came from all of a sudden. Thank you and everyone here for your input!