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My feet are shrinking too -- I thought it was just the width from weight loss, but when I got out my sandals from last year -- you know how you can see the footprint -- (gross but true) Well the actual length of my foot is shorter. I was in a 10 and now I'm a 9! I was an 8.5 before kids & weight gain maybe I'll get there again!

Cheryl is an obesity health activist who writes as My Bariatric Life on Health Central and PM360 Online. She recently launched her new site, My Bariatric Life, and you can follow her on social media, including on Twitter @MyBariatricLife and on Google+. Weight Gain, Gastric Bypass Surgery, and Lasting Weight Loss Cheryl was an active teen, but she went from “fit to fat” as she turned to processed food. At 5’7”, she got up to a weight of 285 pounds and a size 24W. Cheryl got the gastric bypass surgery in 2003. She had diabetes, celiac disease, depression, acid reflux, asthma, and hypertension. She lost over 100 pounds, managed to get off of 9 of her 10 prescription drugs, and does not have chronic back pain anymore. You can see before and after pictures documenting her transformation by watching this video. A Typical Day in Cheryl’s Life As proof that you can follow a diet without red meat and stick to a high-protein weight loss surgery diet, here is a sample day’s diet in Cheryl’s life. The following day has 1,789 calories, 165 grams of protein, and 79 grams of carbohydrates. Breakfast 2-egg omelet with homemade creamed spinach (dairy-free) and turkey bacon Snack Coffee with coconut milk, roasted coconut juice, and egg white protein powder Mineral water Vitamins/supplements Scivation Xtend intraworkout drink with branched chain amino acids Lunch Tuna salad Baby spring mix and grape tomatoes with lemon vinaigrette Terra Real vegetable chips Dinner Smoked turkey leg, no skin 1 cup turnip greens Snack Egg white protein powder in water Getting Rid of the Traces of Obesity After losing over 100 pounds after the gastric bypass surgery in 2003, Cheryl had a lot of extra skin. In 2006, she met a plastic surgeon whom she really liked. In 2013, she decided to get a tummy tuck. The extra skin hadn’t gone away after weight loss surgery, and she wanted to get rid of it. As she describes below, she was delighted with her surgeon and the results of the tummy tuck, and decided to go further. I went from a size 14 jeans being tight to a perfect size 8 in just 4-months. I was so thrilled with the transformation that I decided to do "all of me." In October 2013, Dr. Joseph F. Capella revised the tummy tuck to a lower body lift, and performed a medial thigh lift, extended arm lift, and breast lift. Dr. Capella removed 11 pounds of skin and one liter of fat, and this enabled me to get active in ways that I was unable to with my hanging pannis and inner thighs that rubbed together. I ran my first 3k with my daughter and granddaughter and eventually I was running 5k. What's more, the muscle plication from the tummy tuck placed renewed constriction on my pouch so I am full with less food, as well, I tightened up on my diet by doing Whole30 [a strict 30-day low-carb diet] and going Paleo. In total, I lost 50 inches and 50 pounds after my body contouring plastic surgery. Today I am a size 2, down from a 24W before my gastric bypass surgery. You can go to HealthCentral to read about Cheryl’s decision to get total body contouring after her tummy tuck. She describes the emotional rollercoaster of the experience, the surgery, and her long road to recovery. She is still dealing with complications from her brachioplasty, but stresses the end goal and her luck in finding a fantastic surgeon who cares about her. She didn’t stop there, and instead decided “to reach for the stars” and see a facial plastic surgeon. In one surgery, Dr. Catherine Winslow took about 15 years off my face, restoring the once pretty face that I had when I was thin. I had a total of 10 procedures: deep plane face lift, neck lift, upper eye lid lift, SMAS (superficial muscular aponeurotic system) to tear troughs and lips, lip lift, chin implant, 35% TCA peel, Botox and filler. I go back from time to time to Nurse Triste at Dr. Winslow's practice for filler and Botox. I look at this maintenance routine along the same vein as maintaining my hair cut and color. Destined to Be a Healer Do you believe in fate? When Cheryl visited Guatemala in May of 2011, a Mayan shaman told her her Mayan symbols showed she was a healer. She could, he said, heal herself and others. As Cheryl tells it below, she wasn’t so sure at first. Then she figured it out. I visited a Mayan Shaman when I was in Guatemala back in May 2011. He said my Mayan symbols told that I am a healer. I can heal myself and I can heal others. He said that I needed to heal others, to not keep this gift to myself, or else I would experience sickness or pain and that this was the only way to cure my chronic back pain, which I had suffered with for years. The Shaman said that I need to realize my true self. The Shaman also said the symbols revealed that I am creative — that I knew for sure, but I wondered was he right about me being a healer? So I tried to heal my beloved mother who was stricken with a rare disease. And I tried to heal my beloved boxer dog, Cindi Lu, who was stricken with an aggressive cancer. But I could not save them and felt that I had failed my destiny. Then in 2012 during a personal development training, I discussed this matter with the instructor. And he replied that maybe I was meant to heal people with my words. I did not give much thought to it after that until one night in 2013, I bolted up from my bed and realized that both the shaman and the instructor were right! Healing with Words Cheryl’s work has exploded. She describes the growth of her writing and advocacy career since finding her voice. I began writing as My Bariatric Life for the HealthCentral Obesity vertical in March 2011, nearly eight years after my gastric bypass. I started out writing just a few articles per month as a health guide -- a patient who would share her real world experience in defeating obesity, diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and GERD. My work grew legs. I now write 18 articles and develop two recipes per month for HealthCentral where I have a following of roughly 75,000 unique monthly readers. I also write a quarterly patient advocacy column for PM360 Magazine under my name, Cheryl Ann Borne, and I am a long-standing member of their editorial advisory board. Cheryl also makes her voice heard by posting as My Bariatric Life on social media, including Flickr, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest. She is active on BariatricPal and a site for cosmetic procedure patients called RealSelf. Her goal is to provide fair and trustworthy reviews. And this month I will begin writing a monthly opinion piece as My Bariatric Life for BariatricPal. I also am exploring opportunities with the Obesity Action Coalition, and in the past have partnered with Obesity PPM and the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). ! Daring Move to a New Career as a Digital Health Strategy Consultant Cheryl has been in the health industry since before her surgery. She explains her career as a digital health strategy consultant. My career has been as a promotions strategist, writer, and designer in the healthcare space with the last 12-yrs in digital marketing. I’ve worked with pharmaceutical and biotech companies and digital health ad agencies and non-CME medical education agencies. I help them to understand the evolving digital health ecosystem and, based on their unique market circumstances, specifically how to communicate with patients and physicians in meaningful ways via digital channels and to ultimately achieve better health outcomes. Cheryl is determined to help people improve their lives. Transforming healthcare is important to me. It's is all about the patient. I want to make a difference; I want to help people live healthier lives. When her company cut her position in 2013, she took a positive approach and decided to focus her energy on fighting obesity. She developed a business plan as a digital health strategy consultant with an emphasis on growing My Bariatric Life, her obesity health activist brand. Paleo Follower and Recipe Developer Cheryl believes in the benefits of the Paleolithic Diet. It is a high-protein diet that you can follow after weight loss surgery. It emphasizes meat, fish, poultry, fruits, vegetables, eggs, nuts, seeds, and oils. It forbids grains, processed foods, dairy products, and potatoes. She plans to help others follow this way of eating. One aspect of my business plan is to launch the brand Borne Appétit in order to teach healthy eating habits and show busy families/couples/singles that it is easy to prepare real food, real simple, and break the cycle of time starvation and over reliance on convenience/processed foods and obesity. To truly understand what it means to eat healthy and break this cycle was something I had to achieve in my own life, and I want to share with people what I have learned through years of experience and experiment. I find the Paleolitihic Diet works best for me…and I enjoy the art of creating delicious recipes within those constraints. I also eat no red meat, only fish and fowl, so this adds an extra level of complexity, which I find stimulating to develop recipes that are not mundane or repetitious. Valuable Life Lessons You can be sure Cheryl has learned a lot of valuable lessons from her weight loss surgery and plastic surgery experiences. She knows the value of maintaining her results, living life fully, and challenging herself to live a life she loves. She also recognizes she has gained freedom and an ability to grow. Beyond the physical transformation are (very unexpected) emotional and spiritual transformations. I’ve returned to some of my roots: ideals and philosophies around the nature of existence that I had walled off (or perhaps ate to insulate myself against) when the emotional pain became too much for my sensitive nature. Plastic surgery was very freeing for me; it freed my jailed spirit. I’ve never been a wallflower but when it came to my body I was timid because I lacked body confidence. And this trickled over into other areas of my life. There were parts of my life that I hid, or situations in which I could not share my feelings, because I was inhibited by the fear of being rejected or judged. And that’s no longer true. I am now able to be my true self, comfortable in my nakedness both physically and emotionally. I am still learning and growing in these areas, particularly in understanding soul relationships and the expression of real love. We are here to play and experience as much as we possibly can. We are here to grow. Often it is through times of adversity that we grow the most because these times force us to get out of our comfort zones. I have come to understand that there are only two emotions. We are either acting out of love or we are acting out of fear, which is the opposite of love. All other emotions are a derivative of love (compassion, forgiveness, self-sacrifice) or a derivative of fear (selfishness, retaliation, deceit). From now on I choose always to act out of love. Do I let go of control and trust my intuition and follow my heart even when it defies my rational faculties or can’t be proven? If I am to act out of love, then yes. Otherwise I return to acting out of fear. As well, I have learned that I need to protect myself from the negative energies of toxic people — those emotional vampires who can turn my love into fear. An Exciting Year to Come Cheryl is expecting a big 2015 in addition to growing her presence as My Bariatric Life and working on Borne Appétit. At the Pharma Marketing Summit in Palm Beach in May, she will be presenting as My Bariatric Life and sharing her story of defeating obesity and its co-morbidities. Also new for this year, I'll finally launch my websites, a dream I've had for a couple of years. I've already launched MyBariatricLife.org for transformative information on defeating obesity and co-morbid diseases. I'll also launch my healthy recipe site BorneAppetit.com and my eating healthy on-the-road travel site BorneVoyage.com. These sites will help a lot of people. It definitely looks as though the Mayan shaman was right when he said Cheryl is a healer. She has come a long way toward healing herself through weight loss surgery, plastic surgery, and healthy living, and she is dedicated to helping others become healthier. Don’t forget to follow Cheryl on social media and through her channel on HealthCentral, and watch for her new monthly opinion piece to be published on BariatricPal! Please click here to read My Bariatric Life's articles in BariatricPal's Weight Loss Surgery Magazine.

Hi. I am sorry you had a weight gain. I never heard of PGX. Have you thought of going back to your surgeon and dietitian for help? They maybe the best people to help you get back on track. Good luck.

Thank you! It is the kind of support I need! Just having someone to help me understand at least. I've been through all kind of appointments since August 2016, and my last meeting with the nutritionist was 2 weeks ago, and nobody mentioned anything about the weight gain. I'm on day 6 of the liquid diet, which only allows me 3 Protein shakes a day, broth, tea, and some green veggies with no oil or dressings. And I've done it perfectly!! I'm very proud of myself because it has not been easy at all, but I'm so excited and committed to this. I asked to meet with the surgeon tomorrow, but they seemed pretty sure about their decision. I'm going to try anyway. It's very unprofessional and heartbreaking for me to hear that I've made it this far to not know now of a date. Thank you again for your support. It feels good to let the frustration out. At least I know now that I can use this forum groups for support instead of using food and alcohol when things go the wrong way and I'm filled with anxiety

Stacey, I have no experience with birth control pills, but I've seen some other threads where people talked about weight gain as a result. Three pounds though...that sounds like maybe Water weight (wishful thinking, am I? ). Nah...we'll call it good thoughts. Are you logging your food into something like fitday.com? Is it possible that you have some hidden calories there? Just thinking out loud. .

I think that normally, as in, compared to other forms of hormonal birth control, the Mirena has a very low incidence of weight gain. But the way our hormones are completely out of whack for a while after surgery has got to play a part in the issues a lot of women have with hormonal birth control post op. I've read that our fat cells store hormones and as they burn off this could play a part. I have no idea. I can say that I was a slow loser the entire time I was trying to lose, but after a very brief period where I was initially happy with my Mirena, I had a very tough time losing. I'd hate for you to remove the IUD if it's working for you, only to discover that you lose no faster. That said, I'd hate to see you have the same struggle with very sluggish loss like I did. It's all a coin toss, unfortunately, with no real guarantees. Good luck whatever you decide. Here's the post I made in May 2011 after I had mine removed: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/17214-is-your-birth-control-the-culprit/page__hl__%2Bbirth+%2Bcontrol+%2Bculprit ~Cheri

I have been lurking for a couple of weeks and finally joined today. I have gotten a tentative approval for VSG. Final approval is dependent on heart health clearance via results of echocardiogram, which is scheduled mid-February. Hopefully, I can set up my surgery in March. I view Gastric Sleeve and all bariatric procedures, as tools to help, not as a sure fix....it is not the easy way out as some would claim! I have been severely hypothyroid since I was 20 years old after having most of my thyroid removed because of Graves' Disease (autoimmune hyperthyroid). Although, I take thyroid replacement, synthetic drugs do not work as well as your own natural hormones. For the past 40 years, my weight issues have been cyclical "hills and valleys". I would normally stay slim about 12 years and then would go into a gaining pattern but never topping more than 163, lasting 6 to 7 years before dropping the excess weight again. In 2012, I suffered a head injury and my weight exploded. I went from 117 to 212 in 8 months! The medical community is now starting to study the relationship of TBI's (traumatic brain injury) and weight gain. I can relate a definitive change in my food cravings and appetite. This time, I couldn't get the weight off even though I had a history of successful dieting. My resolve was as strong as ever but something had changed with the head injury. What this proves is the path to losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight is rockier and steeper for some than others through no fault of their own. The adverse changes to my health was the catalyst that motivated me to look into VSG. I recently had to start on HBP meds and have a been experiencing knee issues. I have always enjoyed an active lifestyle but the extra weight has elevated my fears of a stroke or heart attack due to heart palpitations and shortness of breath with even the slightest exertion. I am certain I will be asking lots of questions and am grateful for such a knowledgeable and supportive group.

Today Tell Newyear's Day The Average Person Will Gain 7pound's Of Weight. Due To Over Eating And,( Also Liquid Calorie's ) Add Up Fast. Putting Off, There Daily Walk. I,will Do It Tomorrow. Mine Is Over Eating Candy! That Is My Down Fall! I'allow My Self To Eat Some What Of Junk Food One Day,a Few More Hundred Calorie' Intake That Day Then Fight The Calorie's The Rest Of The Week! I Hope Every One Out There In Band Land Will Have A Safe And Loving Time With Your Family's And Friend's Over Christmass!!! And Also Remember To Think About All Your Choice's Of Food,however If You Been Fitting A Few Pound's For A While Now Is Not The Time To Let Your Self Go With Eating As You May End Up Fighting For Another Month.weight Loss. Well Good Luck Most Of All God Bless You All! Have A Safe Hoilday! And No Drinking And Driving "i Want To See You All Here Back After Christmass.johnq

Thanks guys I needed that bit of support today. I know the last two days i was more in 1500 calorie range, and I am ashamed to say the filets were breaded. I told my hubby in the future we can't buy the breaded ones. And for me, I have insulin issues, if I eat any carbs at all from a non veggie source my body produces large excesses of insulin. Then my body turns all those little carbs into stored fat. I am actually one of those people who's weight gain isn't entirely my fault, mostly, but not entirely. I did after all eat the doritos with sour cream when I would PMS after all. Insulin issues or not, I did choose to eat the junk that made it all far worse. But this is a new life without the junk!:clap2: And I can do this Oh and Yoda, my advice to you would be to not eat the baby food in front of your hubby. If he is anything like mine he will get grossed out. I grossed mine out a few times on the combos of foods I'd put in the blender. The one that really did it was refried beans, cottage cheese a little taco seasoning and a little bit of milk to thin it out.

As we all know, how dedicated we are to CHOOSING to change our old, familiar eating and lifestyle habits and adopt new HEALTHY habits FOR LIFE during our first year after surgery dictates how much (or how little) freedom from struggles with food (and weight gain) we will have. Total freedom tastes REALLY good...

I have pizza all the time. It's just not pizza from a restaurant. I do a "skillet" version, using a cast Iron skillet, a carb master tortilla, organic/low carb marinara sauce, turkey pepperoni, with pizza cheese and veggies. They are about the size of a personal pan pizza, have a thin crispy crust and are lovely when you finish them up in the oven under a broiler so the cheese gets all bubbly and gets those little bits of brown. I can eat half at a meal and it's under 300 calories and low carb to boot, with some decent Protein. You can have all the things you used to love eventually. Just better (healthy) versions, or in smaller quantities/much less often. And the big thing to realize - you may not even want most of the really bad for you foods once you relearn how to eat healthy foods, and feel and look better overall. food issues that lead to obesity usually aren't just because a person is hungry; overeating or eating crap foods to the point of serious weight gain. Most of us have other reasons to medicate with food - low self esteem, fear, depression, using food as a reward/comfort/distraction. You're focusing on food obsession and fears and worrying over changing something that has been a huge part of your life, but likely has caused you more grief than happiness. No matter what, change is hard and can be scary. But if you are a candidate for WLS, then you either have serious health issues exacerbated by the weight, or high enough weight alone where the doctor feels that this is the best path for you to regain your health and give you a fighting chance to relearn how to eat properly - it will give you the time to regain control so you can start over with your relationship with food. .

Thank you for the reply...actually i DO have sleep apnea, asthma, and high blood pressure...all of which my doctor believes is related to my weight gain. So should i just contact him and have him resubmit the paperwork?

Tomatogirl and Meggie, GOOD LUCK TOMORROW. Let us know as soon as you guys can how you are feeling. So happy for you guys. I should be getting my letter tomorrow, but I already knew it would be a NO since Meggie and JWRN got their approval so fast. Well I went to my PCM and gave her a letter asking her to give me a letter of referral and pretty much telling her what I need her to say. I was trying to fax all the paperwork to Travis but my fax did not work, I don't know why. I did write a letter (almost the same I wrote to Tricare) but I don't know if it will help me since my main problem is not have any comorbidity (diabetes or high blood preassure). I do have the family history and a very bad acid reflux desease getting worse with the weight gain. Since I have a rod and six screws in my leg I am trying to play the joint pain card. Do you guys think this will work???? DO they only take the BMI? If they go thru Tricare I don't think I should go thru the trouble. Well, GOOD LUCK again Meggie and Tomatogirl.

Just wanted to throw some thoughts in here....1) the fact that your doc is so pessimistic about the band and no longer does lb is a great indicator for you to find a new doc who is a little more enthused and knows how to manipulate the band properly to achieve YOUR goals. 2) I never understood this mentality the band doesn't make you lose weight... than why did we get it? The restriction of the band can grossly impact how/what and when we eat and that should be an understood. I noticed at 5cc was a great maintenance fill for 195. I couldn't gain on that fill for nothing (but had to work diligently to lose). After a 0.5cc fill I am now down to 155 and I consider this my maintenance fill for 155-160. Harder to gain but also having to work at losing.You have the right idea of taking out fluid to allow for weight gain, however, the key is how much. The quick (unassisted) release of saline does imply you were overfilled. You should meet slight resistance when putting saline in and not go beyond that. But if I were the doc, I'd of let the excess come out and not take any further. Also don't forget, position, menstruation can be correlative factors for why so much came out, so is it real? <shrugs> Didn't sound like you were having bad experiences/symptoms indicating overfill so who really knows. However, if I were you I'd get more put back in to find that happy 'maintenance' zone so you don't gain excessively.

I had my surgery about 2 months ago and have lost 30 lbs. I have received many compliments, I have felt really good about myself, and when people asked me (my surgeon included) if I was happy with the whole lap-band thing, my answer is A DEFINITE YES. It has been years since I felt I have control over my body, my weight. And for the first time, I am very sure (100% sure) that even if I may not reach my goal weight I will never be as heavy as I ever was. However, in the past two days I realized that there are parts of myself that I missed. Ok, not the weight, not the flabs, but I used to be quite fit (despite my weight gain/weight loss cycle). I climbed a mountain (non-technical climb), I did yoga, pilates, tennis (hard core). I ran. All more than 2-3x a week. I've walked since week 2 after my surgery, but I didnt try to get back to my previous workout habits until this week. I had no problem with 2.5 hrs hike over the weekend, but yesterday I did my pilates and I felt wobbly and dizzy. Today I went to a new yoga class and I could not even support myself with my arms, I could not do simple poses, and I could not even balance myself (I was very good at balancing before). I'm not sure why I suddenly have no control over my body and no strength esp upper body. It's only been 2 months since I really work out and am I that out of shape strength wise? I used to stop working out for 6 months before and I got into it just fine. Does anyone have this problem also restarting their workout? I think a few weeks ago I saw someone posted their exercise schedule and my impression of them are that they are quite rigorous, at least in terms of frequency and types. Is this a malnutrition issue? I am quite upset with myself...I quite the class halfway. I'm not a quitter! I just could not take it anymore. I also felt since the surgery a lethargicness in some ways - I don't mind walking, I walk everywhere: work, class, etc. But I can't seem to be able to lift - not even a bag full of groceries. I can't bend. I felt all my muscles are tight, too. I'm going to see my osteopathist next week. Hopefully she can help me....

Hi everyone. I too was banded on Nov. 20th. I just found the forum today after researching weight gain after surgery. I have gained 5 pounds post-op and have become very concerned. However, after reading the posts from others it seems to be normal. I hope all of you are doing well after your surgery. I am having some pain but it is dissipating. My husband thought I was a little crazy in going Christmas shopping yesterday. I am due back at work on Monday and my little one turns five tomorrow. No rest for the truly wicked! Hope to hear some of your experiences soon. Marilyn

I think the amount you consume depends on how far out you are from surgery. I personally feel you must remove the triggers to get some kind of control. If you are truly hungry feed your body some type of protein- I have tried drinking skim milk and waiting to see if that helps. 3 meals is what my NUT told me to aim for- since grazing will lead to weight gain. As you can tell that hasn't been what I've done lately! On a good day a Protein shake made with milk for breakfast- lunch about 2oz chicken breast chopped up in lettuce tomato carrots, with regular salad dressing- dinner 3oz pork chop with green Beans and about 1/4c of mashed pot. If hungry in between some Greek yogurt! I think I feel hungry when I am truly just thirsty... I have read that if you have all of your protein in for the day and you still feel hungry, drinking something will help. Be prepared have high protein food in your house. So when you go for something it will satisfy you longer. The sugar craving are getting better for me with each day I avoid them!

I guess I will start off by telling you a little about myself. I am a mother of three beautiful children. They are aged 8, 7, & 5. My struggle with weight gain came after having my first child. With my first child I gained about 15 pounds. Not too bad. But when my second child came I got preeclampsia. U swelled up and retained a bunch of water. I gained 100 pounds during that pregnancy. Then 13 months after that pregnancy I got pregnant again. So the weight just kept piling on top of weight. My weight before my first pregnancy was a hundred and fifty pounds I am now topping the scales at 324 pound. Throughout my pregnancies and weight gain I developed a few medical conditions. I have fibromyalgia, GERD, and PCOS. The doctor has tried to put me on several medications. I was told that metformin would help with the PCOS and help me with weight loss. However taking it for a couple weeks I developed major headaches. I felt sick all the time. So I stopped taking it. I tried losing weight on my own going to the gym and eating healthy. I would lose about 20 pounds and then couldn't lose anymore. If I could do it on my own I would but I feel that I can't. No matter how hard I try I'm not going to achieve losing almost 180 pounds. Gosh it's mind-boggling just to think about how much I have to lose. I am only 27 years old. I want to get healthy and I want to lose the weight. I'm tired of feeling like I'm walking around in a fat suit. But the thing is I can't take it off at the end of the day it's always with me. I'm tired of laying around in bed all day watching TV and stuffing my face. I'm tired of not getting out and enjoying my kids. I'm tired of feeling like I'm an embarrassment to my kids when taking them to school functions or being out in public. Now my 8 year old daughter who should weigh about 70 pounds weighs a hundred and ten pounds. I worry about her every day. I don't want her to feel the way I feel and I don't want her to be bullied or made fun of. I know I need to do the weight loss surgery but I'm so scared. What if I don't lose the weight? what if die? What if I get a serious blood clot? What if I get too skinny and unhealthy that I look sick? What if I can't enjoy the holidays and my grandmas awesome cooking because everything makes me sick? Then I'm faced with the question do I do the gastric bypass or do I do the sleeve? I've heard the pros and cons of both. I thought I was set on gastric bypass but after having a support group meeting I started to question whether or not the sleeve would be a good idea. I need help. Which one do I do? Am I going to be safe? Am I going to come out alive? Are my kids going to have a mother? Am I going to be sicker after the surgery than before the surgery? Or is god going to watch over me in every step that I take and everything will end up perfect? Will I be healthy? Will I lose the weight? Will I be able to enjoy my life again? So many questions please help. All advice is welcome.

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

Done! I have hair loss, unexplained weight gain, and muscle weakness. Ready to find out if I have it or not!!! Don't want to drink that barium though!!! Yuck! Thursday is the day of the catscan! If it means that I can finish my weight loss and get my hair back I'll pretend that barium is a Sonic shake!! Chalk flavored of course!!

I started going to the gym on Monday after several years of sitting and I've done nothing but gain both days! Almost 3 lbs now! Am I missing something? Is this normal?

My apologies. I sincerely thought it must have been a typo and was teasing to be funny, not hurtful in any way. That being said, if a person is overweight it's a result of calories in versus calories out....overeating. You are right that there are other ways to become overweight, such as drastic hormone imbalances or certain drugs that cause weight gain. But those reasons don't land you on a WLS forum.

you are me. I'm 9 weeks out. I had no other issues outside of PCOS (on the verge of diabetes). I have impeccable eating habits as well. Any more weight gain could have pushed me into a whole different territory. I wanted to be around for my kids like my eating habits show. Surgery has helped me lose almost 50 lbs in just 9 weeks. You have to be ready though and their is no shame in changing your mind. It's such a personal decision. I can say for me I thought I was happy and confident prior to surgery, but my actual weightloss has revealed something completely different. I'm truly finding myself now.

Welcome! Its interesting that you say there may be a corallation between TBI and weight gain. My son in law was always slim until he fell and had a severe head injury. He gained a huge amount of weight and developed diabetes because of it. We just thought it was because he wasnt able to be as active and because he sleep eats in the middle of the night. He is also looking into WLS. Good luck to you. I hope you get to have your surgery soon. I am also just waiting for my Echo and my EGD and hopefully will have a date too.

Folks, I cringe to read the title of my own post. I think it's every Baratric patients nightmare. The mix of embarrassment, guilt and resentment that I feel is horrid. Especially because my lapband failed and the Sleeve was supposed to work. Now I'm not saying it did not work, I'm saying that I have seriously fallen from grace and need your help and compassion to get back up again I was doing great, working out North of an hour a day and loosing weight steady eddy! At my 4 month appointment my doc could not be prouder, he told me to keep doing what I'm doing and he'll see me in another six months...by month 6 I'd lost a total of 69lbs, and at 204lbs's I was just 1 lb shy of the big 70, and 4 lb's shy of the amazing Onederland that I have not seen in 16 years...life was good. And with my new found confidence, I finally made a move and took my dream job, that is a mix of stay at home and travel, and that was the tipping point... Although the best career move ever, my new regimen of working from home (moving less), but even worse the travel, with the pitfalls of constant restaurant eating, company functions and buffets, I let my guard down! One carb led to another, and the travel accompanied by sedentary tiredness, socializing and pressures of breaking in and fitting into my new job left me with less focus on my bariatric journey and not much will power to dedicate. In a short month (between month 6 and 7) I blinked and even though I maintained workouts (albiet no so intense), on sheer food alone, I gained back 10lbs!!!!!!!! Woa? How could this have happened? Surely it's Water or monthly hormonal gain, but who was I kidding...the weight stuck! In complete panic, I cut out the obvious crap that I know I was doing wrong in the carb department, and cut out the diet sodas that crept back in etc, and have lost 3 of the 10lbs in the last few weeks...but it's slow and painful and I'm so down trodden about it. How could I actually GAIN at a time when I should be in loosing honeymoon? I mean I expected this perhaps a couple years out, but the sheer ferociousness with which the lb's jumped back on is beyond scary! So here's my problem...I've cut out the crap and I'm back to my old workout routine, BUT I'm constantly craving carbs and although I'm eating the right things...I know I'm eating too much of them and in the wrong quantities.., I get full on more than what should fill me...then 30mins latter I'm hungry again, so I pop another Protein bar, or bowl of cherries, or low at mozzarella cheese stick with a wassa cracker, or cup of lowfat yoghurt and fruit., or some nuts..you get the picture, and on some mornings I can do all of the above slowly via grazing. But I just get SOOO hungry. What happened to all the Grelin being gone?? I also eat late at night as it is when the kids go to bed, I hop on my laptop to catchup on work and I like to have a nice hot cup of tea and something to munch on. Pals, Iike I said, I know I have only myself to blame and I feel horrid about it ...I've avoided even coming on Bariatric pal (did not want to move my ticker 6lb's UP, which I just made myself do!!!), I want to hide like an Ostrich and pretend this is not happening, I should be loosing, not regaining and trying to loose what I regained!!! ..but...I need you, and if I'm not accountable and if I don't plug into a source of help, well...I don't even want to think where I'm headed for. So any thoughts, encouragement, similar situations, advise...ANYTHING, would be so much appreciated in this time of disappointment in myself. PS: I called my docs office after re-gaining the first 5lbs...I don't live very close to them. The nurse told me to track all I eat for 3 days and said I'll be fine "you know what to do! You got this!". But then I suddenly had to travel for work events involving TONS of the hardest to resist food, and the 5lb's became 10lbs (3 of which I have spent the last 2 weeks loosing). It's like my stomach can eat so much more now and it's constantly wanting more...I'm quite embarrassed to call my doc's office and tell them I'm further in the hole.