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It's the sunday after my surgery (Wed Nov 4th was the surgery). I was in the hospital from 6am to 1pm the next day. Surgery must have been a breeze according to the dr. But my dad said the doc was very proud of himself for finding a hiatal hernia and 'fixing it'. Now I don't know too much about them but I do know that I have had many years of misery with my stomach! Was told I just had acid reflux. The gastro doc did every test imaginable and that was the diagnosis. Here take this pill, there is nothing else I can do. And then it was the allergist to test for food allergies. No allergies there, but I had asthma! Where the heck did that come from? Never had it in my life before! Then it just was one thing after another....bad back, sleep disorder, stress....and now the hiatal hernia is 'fixed'. It seems that was the problem! I ate because it relieved the a nausea. I woke up every morning sick to my stomach and green looking even after trying 5 different acid reflux medications. And it took me deciding to have lap band surgery and taking my health into my own hands to figure out what was really going on. Dang! I feel so much better. Sore from the staples, stitches and surgery and I didn't do too well in the hospital with the anesthesia, but I would do it all again just to get rid of the constant nausea, lack of sleep and continual weight gain!!! What a blessing! After a horrible year, this has been the easiest thing I have dealt with. I look forward to my journey and again being a 'hot mamma'! And will gladly share it all!

As a young adult, I wore a size 7. Through the years of weight gains, I moved up to a size 8 1/2 and was fast headed for a size 9. Now my shoes are getting loose, so I guess I'll be down sizing soon. I look forward to a size 7 again. So, in answer to your question, your shoe size does change.

I just had my lap band surgery on 11/2/09. I'm 5 days post-op and feel pretty good except some intermittent pain under my left rib cage. Dr. Hoffman and the staff and the comprehensive weight loss center are amazing. I started my journey in August @ 277 and was 247 on the day of surgery. By keeping my food logs and following the south beach/low glycemic diet as well as exercising it's been easy. As a matter of fact, I'm chomping at the bit to get back to the gym. Right now I'm only able to tolerate 1 to 2 oz of protein shake every hour and am down 6 lbs since surgery. I have my follow-up with Dr. Hoffman on Tuesday. I also like the fact that they have the weight loss support group that meets monthly. I went even prior to having my surgery and it was great to talk with everyone that was there. I'm hoping to go to this months meeting and then I'll be there regularly starting in January (had conflict with bowling on Wednesdays). I saw a bunch of post regarding weight gain and my advise it to start doing food logs again and jump on the south beach wagon again. Make sure you're getting your exercise too. I swear by the food logs. It makes you accountable for your choices. Surgery is a tool but you have to be incontrol of what you put in your mouth.

Hi, I've wandered around the forum quite a bit a put up a couple of posts but never really introduced myself... I'm currently at about a 35 BMI...and gaining. I have been almost this heavy three years ago, then dropped about thirty five pounds, then gained it all back plus some...but prior to that I had always been overweight, not obese as I am now. Am I going to run into a "you lost it before, you can do it again" sort of attitude before I can be approved for surgery? I feel so certain that this is the right path for me BUT I'm having massive mood swings over the whole thing. Panic, then elation, over the PERMANENCE of it all....thinking this is the best idea I've ever had, then that I'm completely out of my mind.....did anybody else go through this? A lot of my weight gain is due to medications for fibromyalgia and depression.....some of them make me eat, others just seem to magically attract fat--what if I go through the surgery and it doesn't solve the problem? Then....I'm doomed. Scary thought. Somebody, please tell me this is normal! (By the way, I love you guys already. You're fabulous.)

Hey all! Another banded and pg gal here! I'm 9 wks pregnant (found out right at 4 weeks) and had planned to keep my fill until I needed it out (with the blessing of my doc.) Last week I ended up in the ER with a gall bladder attack. We managed to avoid surgery (thank goodness!) but with all the violent throwing up (about 24 hours worth) I opted for a complete unfill so that I didn't end up with a slipped band. Even the anti-nausea meds weren't doing anything. So, here I am, 9 weeks in and no fill. I've been fairly nauseated all day long (though thankfully, not to much actual throwing up outside of the gall bladder stuff.) But man, am I hungry! No weight gain yet, but I'm trying to decide if I should try to get a partial fill, or just try to get through the pregnancy and stay unfilled in case the gall bladder kicks up again. (Took several hours to find somebody who could do an unfill . . .) What would you do?

The band was not a fix it all for your weight issues, so you will probably need to get professional help to find the root cause of your emotional eating. Emotional eating is not something that will go away, it has to delt with. Until you understand and learn how to turn your emotions to something else besides food when things get hard. You have learn tools to deal with your stress and emotions, not food. You have to replace food with something else when you get stressed. I read you're a runner, and if running is not helping with your stress then I would recommend talking with someone. The weight gain is a symptom, and maybe talking to your surgeon will help. Good luck!

Can't believe it's been 16 months since I was banded. I was still breastfeeding when I started my journey. The baby was 9 months old and I was gaining weight. At my heaviest I was 314 pounds. I weighed myself today and I'm now at 242lbs - yeah! The emotional breakthrough about my weight gain has been instrumental in keeping me going. I work with a psychotherapist at CIBO Clinic in Toronto where I was banded. I can now see why and how I became overweight and how my relationship with food is changing. Thank you Lap-Band, I feel so excited about life again. I pat myself on the back everyday because I invested in myself. It's a tool - you learn how to use it. :thumbup:

I just want to stress that it didn't take over night to become overweight. We all had many years of practice. So it's not going to take overnight to be thin. It's also going to take many years of practice to break that cycle, even when you DO reach your goal weight. Weightloss is a never ending battle. Weight Gain is a battle worth fighting. As for the fear of gaining the weight back because of your personal experiences with mostly bypass patients. My doc told me that after 2 years the bypass stops working because you have already reached a certain amount of weight and it can't be adjusted. After that 2 years it's up to you. The lapband can be adjusted. But I'm not saying you don't have to continue your battle. What I will say is that YOU look amazing. And I know you have worked hard and will continue to work hard. Be proud of yourself that you got this far. Don't look to far in the future because it is very scary. Take things one day at a time.

Jen, I'm so sorry that you are still so sick. Try to take it easy if you can. Get better soon! Thanks for the info. I think it's all stuff I can deal with for a time. I know there is always adjustment time with certain meds and figured this would be one since it involves chemical brain changes. Fatigue, light headedness, minor nausea, last night in the kitchen while making the muffins, had to sit down before I passed out. Never got close but started feeling it. I think I can deal. I will definitely talked to my doc if anything too serious happens. Thanks for the info! Depo, I found out, causes weight gain! It also causes major mood changes. Every. Single. Person., I've talked to since going on it, has hated Depo! The only person who loved it is the one who suggested it to me before I ever went on it! I'm glad to be off of it. Prozac doesn't have any indications of weight gain, so I'm hopeful. It can cause some appetite suppression to I'm kinda looking forward to that side effect if it happens! LOL! I am hearing that it's best to take it at night so we'll see what happens. Strange what's happening w/TOM. I'm sure it will work itself out but in the meantime, hang in there! Hope you had a great breakfast! Best wishes on the shoe shopping too! AST is on natgeo (national geographic channel). Wed night is the regular showing and then it's repeated on Saturday night, I think. Can't remember now, could be Friday. But DO you have to cope with it? That is the question. MUST you have this job? For some reason, I thought it was a "just in case something happened w/Rick's job" job. I'd have walked out a long time ago and told her where to stick it so I'm no help here! I'm sorry the girls are still sick. They just need to watch for secondary infections and get in ASAP if anything strange happens. And now the baby is sick! :tt2: Kat, I can see why you are stressing so bad right now. I wish I had some advice or solutions for you but I don't, or they wouldn't be helpful! :thumbup: LOL! You are in my prayers. Lots of hugs. I hope you enjoy it. Those who have seen it seem to really like it. I won't go see it. I preferred the early MJ. After the late 80's something happened to him and he was never the same to me again. Then after all of the accusations and his paying people off - I'd lost all respect for him and refuse to fund his legacy now. BUT that is just ME and my opinion. I truly do hope you enjoy the film. :cursing: ~~~~~ Not much going on today. MUST. GET. LAUNDRY. DONE!!! LOL!! Have a great day! BBL!

Well for me, being fat has been a life long struggle. From childhood to age 17 I was VERY active, on soccer teams, dance, tap, cheerleading, gymnastics, then when I was in 7th grade my school started a swim team. I always loved to swim and I thought I was pretty good, so I tried out, and I made it, from 7th grade until when I dropped out in 11th, I was a competitive swimmer. I worked out 6x a week 2-3 hours a day. And guess what? I was the second biggest girl on the team! I wasn't consuming huge amounts of food besides the night before a meet when we carb loaded. After I dropped out, that's when things went downhill. I started realizing that there was something wrong, like why couldn't I be a normal size when I was working out so much. Well then came college a few months later, and being such a shy person, I didn't ever want to go to the gym alone, so I rarely went. Then I left that school, got a job, had no means of working out really. Then I was back in school, but still didn't work out, and basically I haven't really worked out since I left high school. I did discover that the constant weight gain was due to PCOS, and that I was almost fighting a losing battle. Finding out about the PCOS was such a breakthrough it explained a lot, like dark black facial hair, yeah, how embarrassing. Late 2008 I finally decided to look into weight loss surgery. Now I'm STILL trying to get surgery, having difficulty due to stupid doctors who are big babies, or assholes. But I'm close.

BM's are normal, thanks for asking :lol0:. I do eat pretty much anything and everything I want just less of it. Life is too short to not have what you want. Moderation is the key. I can eat ice cream, but just a scoop because it is all relative and one scoop feels like 2 cups (which is probably what I used to eat). I also eat alot of edamame. I snack on it at night. Very good for you and even if you don't like it much at first you grow to love it for some reason. I probably eat 1500 calories a day on average without weight gain. I don't exercise unfortunately but I am going to start one day soon!

Morning Girls. I hate when I have a crappy sleeping night. Oh well. This morning is our Family Breakfast, so I need to go in and get my hair dried and get dressed. Need to get the butt moving. Afterwards we are going over to Shoe Carnival. They are haveing a shoe sale and I need to find me some new walking shoes. Last time we went, they didn't have my size so I'm hoping I have luck today. "Alaska State Troopers"? Never heard of that one. I bet it's kinda good though. What channel is it on? Michelle, I've never taken anything like that so I have no advice for you. But I would be weary of anything that does cause a weight gain. Kat, Is it possible to hang on and look for a new job? I hate that if it wasn't for the OM, that you would have the ideal job. Good Luck. Jenn, Hugs to you and hope you get to feeling better. I'm off to go eat, lol. Everyone have a great day.

How is it that one can go from being skinny and seeing herself as fat to being fat and still see the skinny person inside? When I was a teenager/20-something year old, I was thin and thought I was fat. It makes me sad to realize just how warped my view of myself was. How could I not hear my friends when they called me "Barbie"? They even tried to explain to me, sincerely, why they called me that... How could I not hear the company commanders in boot camp when they called me "Miss America"? I always thought to myself - they are doing something like calling a huge man (tall AND wide) 'tiny'. I was the opposite of what they called me in my eye. How could I not understand and realize and see for myself what my mom always told me. When I walked around a mall - I'd leave men turning their heads. She always thought it was pretty neat walking around with me - because I didn't know I was even doing that. All I REALLY heard was the rest of my family. My uncle told me at the age of 15 I "was getting too pudgy". My aunt slapped him. Harm was done, nonetheless. My dad called me "thunderthighs" because he "thought it was funny". Maybe it was a "joke" but harm was done, nonetheless. My grandmother told me "I would never be able to attract a man if I continued to look like I did" (at 132 pounds which was technically underweight for my height.) Apparently she wanted me to be a waif - which I consider unhealthy. I was smart enough to know then that waifs are unhealthy. I was not smart enough, if you will, to know that I was being pressured into "society's norms". I was an athlete. I swam for miles. I was also in drill team. So when I wasn't swimming, I was marching for miles or dancing on football fields. Between the two activities, I had something going "all year long". And in my spare time I was in choir and drama. And in my "leftover" spare time, I was never sitting down. I look back NOW and I KNOW I was healthy and fit and JUST FINE! Is it wrong of me to just be mad mad mad at this family of mine? Because somewhere in this weight gain journey I began to realize EXACTLY how off base they all were. But. BUT. NOW....I look in the mirror...and I still see my skinny self. I look at pictures and I cannot be deceived in those cases. So I don't take pictures - and if they are taken for some horrendous reason - I DO NOT LOOK AT THEM. Who wants to see a puffed out hideous puff ball when in the minds eye, there is still a waist line? In the minds eye there are still muscular legs? In the minds eye there are still curves where curves are supposed to be. I can still see who I used to be. Don't get me wrong - I'm not entirely delusional. I AM fat! I DO need to lose weight? I DO have fat sitting on top of muscles that used to show through easily. I DO have curves where curves should not exist. I just know NOW that once upon a time - I WAS ok. I'm ok, you're ok, right? :smile2: I don't want to forget that this thinking has evolved like this. I want to remember when I am at a healthy weight that HEALTHY is what looks best. I want to remember when I am at a healthy weight that I must follow my own heart. Forget my grandmother who worked in the fashion industry. Forget my uncle who thinks that women cannot be athletes and who considered muscle "pudge". Forget my dad who just didn't know better. Forget them all. It's what I think about myself that matters.

How is it that one can go from being skinny and seeing herself as fat to being fat and still see the skinny person inside? When I was a teenager/20-something year old, I was thin and thought I was fat. It makes me sad to realize just how warped my view of myself was. How could I not hear my friends when they called me "Barbie"? They even tried to explain to me, sincerely, why they called me that... How could I not hear the company commanders in boot camp when they called me "Miss America"? I always thought to myself - they are doing something like calling a huge man (tall AND wide) 'tiny'. I was the opposite of what they called me in my eye. How could I not understand and realize and see for myself what my mom always told me. When I walked around a mall - I'd leave men turning their heads. She always thought it was pretty neat walking around with me - because I didn't know I was even doing that. All I REALLY heard was the rest of my family. My uncle told me at the age of 15 I "was getting too pudgy". My aunt slapped him. Harm was done, nonetheless. My dad called me "thunderthighs" because he "thought it was funny". Maybe it was a "joke" but harm was done, nonetheless. My grandmother told me "I would never be able to attract a man if I continued to look like I did" (at 132 pounds which was technically underweight for my height.) Apparently she wanted me to be a waif - which I consider unhealthy. I was smart enough to know then that waifs are unhealthy. I was not smart enough, if you will, to know that I was being pressured into "society's norms". I was an athlete. I swam for miles. I was also in drill team. So when I wasn't swimming, I was marching for miles or dancing on football fields. Between the two activities, I had something going "all year long". And in my spare time I was in choir and drama. And in my "leftover" spare time, I was never sitting down. I look back NOW and I KNOW I was healthy and fit and JUST FINE! Is it wrong of me to just be mad mad mad at this family of mine? Because somewhere in this weight gain journey I began to realize EXACTLY how off base they all were. But. BUT. NOW....I look in the mirror...and I still see my skinny self. I look at pictures and I cannot be deceived in those cases. So I don't take pictures - and if they are taken for some horrendous reason - I DO NOT LOOK AT THEM. Who wants to see a puffed out hideous puff ball when in the minds eye, there is still a waist line? In the minds eye there are still muscular legs? In the minds eye there are still curves where curves are supposed to be. I can still see who I used to be. Don't get me wrong - I'm not entirely delusional. I AM fat! I DO need to lose weight? I DO have fat sitting on top of muscles that used to show through easily. I DO have curves where curves should not exist. I just know NOW that once upon a time - I WAS ok. I'm ok, you're ok, right? I don't want to forget that this thinking has evolved like this. I want to remember when I am at a healthy weight that HEALTHY is what looks best. I want to remember when I am at a healthy weight that I must follow my own heart. Forget my grandmother who worked in the fashion industry. Forget my uncle who thinks that women cannot be athletes and who considered muscle "pudge". Forget my dad who just didn't know better. Forget them all. It's what I think about myself that matters.

Hi Ladies....I hope you are all doing well! I am doing great- albeit for the usual fatigue and morning sickness. I have an update and interested in your experiences/feedback as well: -Met with new bariatric surgeon ( just moved) and he told me to leave my band as is; which is currently filled to 5.5 cc. He said as long as I can eat well with no vomiting, etc that there is no need to unfill. Of course he said to evaluate as we go along but I guess I am still concerned because I thought when pushing during labor I could damage the band if it is filled- but he said no. Thsi seems to be contradicting what I have read here- what do you ladies think and what have you done? - H1N1- have you recieved the vaccine? First of all I can't even get the regular flu shot- everyone is out! In regards to the H1N1, I don't know- I feel very uncertain about it- it's such a new vaccine and was rushed to market so quickly how does anyone really know what effect is could have long term? -Weight Gain: OMG...before I tested positive for pregnancy I was down to 260- almost 85 pounds from 2/3/09!!! Now 9 weeks along, I have already gained 8 pounds and I am very nervous. How much weight did you gain in first trimester? I am eating more, even with a restricted band. I find that I am eating more carbs than I have the whole time pst banding; I think it is because Protein is making me ill right now and the carbs help ease my queasiness. chicken, meat, turkey, all turning me off right now where prior to pregnancy I was eating majority protein and veggies. I am so scared I will put on everything I took off by the time I deliver...what did you ladies do to control weight gain- did you have similar cravings for sweet and carbs and did it pass? Thanks for your help!! xoxo

Thanks for those who have posted so far! I understand that bread equals weight gain but many fit people eat it in moderation so I was asking for this info once I hit that stage where I am at goal and wanting to just maintain. Again thanks everyone!

I am just like Happy to lose! No way. Bread/tortillas are out of the question at this point. I took a bite of my daughters burro on Sunday, and it went down, but very slowly. It is so wierd the way it feels. Stuck, dry, sideways. It is almost as if though your esophagus rejects it! Very strange. Not trying to preach, as i am the begining of my weight loss journey....but.... bread/tortillas=weight gain. Try and stay away from those types of foods. When you are able to eat real food.. stick to Proteins and green veggies. I love turkey burger patties with a slice of mozz/cheese, and broccoli. :thumbup:

WOW! Yay, Ebony! Fabulous! G4E - Don't stress over the weight gain - you have a few other things going on in your life to worry about that. Please keep us posted on how things are going. Hugs and best wishes. Glad to hear that! Good luck at the Docs.

Hi everyone, I'm very interested in being banded, but my BMI is currently at 35. I did have a surgeon approve me for the procedure, but I'd like to hear from any of you who started out at a lower starting BMI. I have fibromyalgia, and the drugs I take for that are not optional, however, they have resulted in a significant weight gain and a dramatic increase in my appetite. With the fibro, every extra pound means more pain, so I'm pretty desperate to at least stop this in its tracks. Can anybody share? Thanks.

wow, that is a long way off, but you will no doubt enjoy the holiday fiests. Just be mindful and do the best you can and worry about the weight gain later, you'll do fine. Me on the other hand, I have delved into the peanut butter cups and cant stop myself......aaaaahhhhh!!!!

Just got back from monthly weigh-in. Despite the EVIL Halloween candy from Saturday, I still lost six pounds since my fourth fill three weeks ago. I'm satisfied with that. I've noticed that as I lose more weight, the pounds are coming off more slowly. However, I've not had a weight gain since surgery, and that makes me very happy. I will have another fill in 1 1/2 weeks and am hoping for my sweet spot, but even if it doesn't take me to that spot, I know I'll be OK. I've learned how to make the band work for me, and I'm a better woman because of it. Looking forward to Thanksgiving and being with the family rather than eating myself into a stupor. Next weigh in--another six pounds? Stay tuned. . . . . Gator Gal!

This shot made me completely insane, was on it years ago for 2-3 year period. No one has commented on weight gain with it, so I must!! I gained 50-60lbs on this stuff...it is nasty and unlike pills, u are stuck with if for 3 months even if you want off of it.....to each his own, finally had tubal ligation after last son was born. Not to scare anyone, just check it out thoroughtly before trying.

WTG!!! Hope you had a blast! Hi!!!! So glad you found us! Totally didn't occur to me to PM you a link! Duh!!! Sorry about that! You totally can NOT worry about the weight gain right now! I am figuring it just gives you something else to focus on but really, it's not all that important right now! You need to keep yourself up and positive and ready to take on the world! You are in my prayers and I'm pulling for you!! Take good care and keep checking in when you can! ~~~~~ Have a gynp appt. tomorrow. Hoping to get some answers and some relief and a plan of action or something. We'll see what happens. Tired of the same old, same old. We'll also go to Trader Joe's and a couple of other errands while we're down there. Feeling better. Hoping I'm on the other side of this garbage now. Hate being sick! Better head to bed. Hope y'all have a great Monday!

Glad to hear it was just a question that your husband asked. There are too many stories on this board of people not doing what their Dr advised and then ending up in real trouble. Don't worry about the weight gain after surgery as that is very common due to Water retention. If you follow the plan it will disapear just like the rest of you. Many people don't even begin to lose weight until after their first fill. I managed to stay steady for the first month and got huge congradulations from my Dr. Good luck to you.