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Newlife.. Congrats on the pregnancy! just hang in there with the gaining thing.. try to eat healthy and eat small frequent meals and dont watch the scale to closely. pregnancy brings on all sorts of weight gains without rhyme or reason so if you keep track of the scale you may get really frusterated.. theres water weight, doubling of your blood supply, added fat that you body uses to balance your growing tummy.. and lets not forget the placenta, baby and aminotic fluid!! having something in my stomach was the trick for me too.. if i even got close to being done digesting I would turn green!! try to eat high protein things that take longer to digest.. carbs will go right through you and youll have to eat again sooner.. with both my pregnancies I ate a lot of lean cusine type things.. portion controlled and helped me stay full. Obviously you have to eat what you feel like eating too.. meat was hard for me the first 4 months so I ate peanut butter, beans and granola. good luck!! and remember every pregnancy is different!!

I'm not banded yet, but my mom is and has been for 3 years this month. For a while there she was eating candy like EVERY DAY. Lately she's cut back, I'm very proud of her, but in my opinion, your sweet tooth will not be a major problem, just monitor how much sweets you're eating, limit yourself when you need to, and keep your activity level up so that you're not just taking in empty calories and doing nothing which will lead to weight gain.

Hi guys I've not been on here for a while, I just seem to have had hardly any time to myself since starting back at work a couple of months back. I'm nearly 19 weeks pregnant now, can you believe where the time has gone?!! I'm starting to show a bit now, but I think it's also down to the chocolate cravings I seem to be having - typical! Why can't I crave celery or tomatoes!?! Well, I had 0.5ml out when I first found out I was pregnant which took me back down to 6ml in a 7-9ml band. I was glad I did as the band tightening with the wrenching down the toilet! When I got to 13 weeks and the nausea had past I had the 0.5ml back in over 2 fills. I do have a bit of restriction but not great. I was tempted to have a bit more in just to stop me from eating too much but I think it'd be pointless as I just need to start eating the right stuff and not give in to my chocolate obsession! In the last 19 weeks, I lost about 5lbs in the first 12 weeks but they seem to have gone back on now. But I am pretty much the same weight now as pre-pregnancy but I suspect I may have gained a couple of lbs the last few days. But at this stage with Harrison I'd put on at least a stone may be more so I am pleased to in effect not have put anything on. Wendy at WLS was happy for me to lose 20lb of fat throughout the pregnancy but I just don't think that's going to happen. But I'd be happy with just a moderate weight gain and then start again after the baby is born in March. It doesn't help because our fridge freezer is broken and keep losing it's 'coolness' so I can't put much in there. The fault is really rare and it's been a nightmare getting it sorted and sourcing the part. I should all be fixed in another couple of weeks so I can start buying more and freezing stuff again. Hubby went back for another 8 weeks last week (was 3 weeks waiting for his visa so we had him home for nearly 2 months which was fab!) so it's down to cooking for myself which I find hard. Any ideas for easy suppers for one?!! Anyway I'll stop babbling! How is everyone, I've not had time to go back and read any posts unfortunately. I just hope everyone is doing well and their eating is more in control than mine!! I'm putting this last few days down to comfort eating too since hubby went back to work! :confused:

I would not worry to much about the weight gain. I would attribute that to like post op when you go from liquids and mushies to regular solid food. You see a lot of people on here who gain during that period. Give it a couple of days, make the right food choices and exercise. Wishing you positive thoughts and good health.

Good morning all. I just had my second fill this past Tuesday. I have a realize band and now am up to 7ccs. After my first fill, 3.5, I had no restriction and could eat everything, although I didn't and did not gain nor lose weight. Now, after the 2nd fill, I definitely have pretty good restriction and am eating about half as much but have gained about 5 lbs. My guess is my body thinks it is being starved and is hanging onto eveything it has and will readjust in another few days and start burning the food again. Anyone else go through this or am I just crazy. Thanks, Tom

Yikes! I am actually up 2 lbs from two weeks ago. I am not sure what to think. I stopped taking my blood pressure medication last week, so I would like to think that has somethng to do with it. I didn't think it woud cause weight gain because it was a Beta Blocker. I didn't think it would cause a change in Water weight. I hope I am wrong. I guess I'll see what happens. Success to everyone next week!

Good morning all, and Happy Friday!!! SLG - Your trip sounded marvelous; hope you took some great pics! And as for your weight gain - you should be so proud of yourself! SHM - Congrats on the house! Now, I can focus all my good wishes on the promotion.... So, where is everyone else? How are you doing? If you are 'lurking', could I entice you to post even just once a month - I miss my VVs. And now for todays news bulletin - it snowed last night!!! ARGHH I don't have the garden winterized yet.....:scared2:

Wow its good to have someone experiencing similar things to me and I have MS also. I put a post up a few days ago about my band getting tighter and tighter and I am down to 2.85 mls in a 11 ml band and 2 years post op, I did get upto about 5.5 in the band. I cannot eat anything until about 3pm. I have lost a lot more than you but I have been the same weight now for the last 10-12 months (75kg). I am happy at this weight though so thats cool for me. My concern is that I was putting alittle back on and didnt want it to carry on. I have read on an MS website that anothe person was suffering the same fate as we seem to be and after some testing it was discovered that her oesphagus muscles werent working properly to push the food down probably due to MS. Also at the time of my weight gain I switched meds to copaxone and believe that this has played a small part in the weight problem. I also have had a few other issue. Meant to also say that I can eat bread occasionally with Soup. its Pasta, rice and salad stuff that I ahve issues with, anything with a skin, I take the skin off tomatoes, capsicum, cucumber or it sticks, kinda weird. My hubby is brilliant, we make lots of casseroles with both proper meat and mince so that I can eat some too, even curries this way. Or make meat balls which hubby freezes in 2s and pops them into whatever we are cooking with the real meat, you can get mince in all meats which is good. Also find that I eat more veggie dishes too which is great for your health and I make lots of homemade Soups too. Great for getting veggies into the kids too, my daughter loves my chicken soup which I make with chicken mince. Real chicken is my worst meat to eat. Jo

Things have settled a bit since the last lot taken out. The only issue now is that I cant seem to eat any food with even the smallest lumps before about 3pm or it sticks. For my evening meal though i can eat really well, mash potato, mince and soft veggies or home made burgers (hubby makes a mean thai chick burger) and as long as I avoid Pasta or rice it all seems good. I think the problem maybe that If I vomit It pushes a bit of stomach up through the band and this causes a blockage. I am just glad that I can eat some food and keep it down. Also on a MS web site I frequent another lady there had a similar problem with her band and it was discovered that her esophagus muscles where not working properly (due to the MS) and unable to push the food through the band if the hole was to small. although I am reluctant to blame the MS it could be playing a part in it, and in the last few days have also discovered that the new med I am on can cause unexplained weight gain so I will just have to be extra careful and cut out the milky drinks. Jo

Sunday, October 11, 2009 Celebration! Fun Without Fighting Fat and Food! Went to 125th Anniversary celebration of Roseland Christian School yesterday. Sang in the gospel choir and led the congregation in a song as an alto in a women's trio. Great speaker, great music. The 5th grade girls did a praise dance that was beautiful. I had to wear a black bottom and bright top for the choir. I wore form fitting low rise charcoal pants and a form fitting sweet-heart necked top. I couldn't believe it fit and I looked good. I had to wear an old strapless bra I never thought I'd fit in again. Then I went straight to my 40th class reunion. Fun in a different sort of way. However, hardly anybody I ever hung out with was there. I was not exactly Miss Popularity back in high school. However, three people I'm friends with on Facebook (though I never hung out with them in high school) did come up and mention how much they enjoy my blog. One of them is having LAP-BAND®® himself in December. His wife had a band which had to be removed and now she has a sleeve. She looked great. Like me, it was only 70 lbs but it was killing her emotionally as well as physically. I did my 2 protein shakes and nothing else so that I could eat normally at the banquet. By which I do not mean I ate the way I used to. But I ate some of everything served that I liked and went ahead and drank punch, water, and coffee while I ate, took tiny bites, and thoroughly enjoyed my food. No weight gain this morning so I must have done well. However, I will walk again today (once it warms up, brrrr) and will really watch my food as well. I'm going to tell the Dr. on my next fill that I want it filled to point where the food squeaks on its way through. I have no desire to ever go back to the old me. Celebration! What fun when you're not fighting fat and food!

Sunday, October 11, 2009 Celebration! Fun Without Fighting Fat and Food! Went to 125th Anniversary celebration of Roseland Christian School yesterday. Sang in the gospel choir and led the congregation in a song as an alto in a women's trio. Great speaker, great music. The 5th grade girls did a praise dance that was beautiful. I had to wear a black bottom and bright top for the choir. I wore form fitting low rise charcoal pants and a form fitting sweet-heart necked top. I couldn't believe it fit and I looked good. I had to wear an old strapless bra I never thought I'd fit in again. Then I went straight to my 40th class reunion. Fun in a different sort of way. However, hardly anybody I ever hung out with was there. I was not exactly Miss Popularity back in high school. However, three people I'm friends with on Facebook (though I never hung out with them in high school) did come up and mention how much they enjoy my blog. One of them is having LAP-BAND®® himself in December. His wife had a band which had to be removed and now she has a sleeve. She looked great. Like me, it was only 70 lbs but it was killing her emotionally as well as physically. I did my 2 protein shakes and nothing else so that I could eat normally at the banquet. By which I do not mean I ate the way I used to. But I ate some of everything served that I liked and went ahead and drank punch, water, and coffee while I ate, took tiny bites, and thoroughly enjoyed my food. No weight gain this morning so I must have done well. However, I will walk again today (once it warms up, brrrr) and will really watch my food as well. I'm going to tell the Dr. on my next fill that I want it filled to point where the food squeaks on its way through. I have no desire to ever go back to the old me. Celebration! What fun when you're not fighting fat and food!

Went to meet with the Bariatric Coordinator on Wednesday to start the process. She thinks I’m a good candidate and has given me all the first steps I need to do Already have all kinds of appointments set up... psyc consult, nutritionist and physical theory (that one was new to me... apparently its to help people who have not been active get active safely... she admitted it was silly for me but I have to go anyways). Go back in a month to see how I’m doing and how much weight I have lost (Need to lose 11lbs before I can have surgery). I’m very excited, but of course I had a curveball thrown at me today... found out I’m officially 'pre-diabetic' (exactly what I wanted to avoid) and I have some insulin issue too... now the doc wants to play the game of weight gain because of above or above because of weight gain :scared2:. This should be fun but seeing I have been over weight my whole life, I think the band will be a great tool for me. Well, that was long but what can I say... I’m excited :w00t:

Hello Patpie, In Reading about first fill experiences.. I can't wait to feel that restriction. I'm a type 2 diabetic and know what you mean about it seeming worse then the weight gain. Right after surgery my sugar levels were in the low 100's.. I was So HAPPY.. At that point the surgery was Sooo worth it. I had been on three different types of medications and it was still very difficult to control my sugars. Needless to say I was elated when the doctor told me to stop taking them except for one. But, like I said my sugars have been high and I would hate to start taking all those pills again. It seems that they have so many negative side effects.. Well we'll see how it goes tomorrow. I'm scheduled for 1pm and have to stop eating and drinking anything four hours prior... Good Luck and I'll be looking for your post..

Umystifyme , Way to GO!!:thumbup: You do not have to defend your position to us or anyone else. Each of us has our own personal saga of weight gain/loss/regain. We know how hard it is. We know of the other health problems associated with obesity the effects of the yo-yo dieting.And we were all questioned about our decision ( My DH did - only because he needs it more than I) All of us are with you. If someone questions you ask them why they would challenge such an intensely personal decision. It is none of their business. Everyone seems to think being fat makes one incompetent :cursing:and need to be told what to do..Let us know your band date!!! FYI, About the Fills, I have BCBS of NE; they cover everything but the copay for the office visit or the surgery center( if you need to go there) .

I disagree. If exercise was the answer to losing weight, then why are those who are exercising 3-4+ times a week still having trouble losing weight? As I said before, I lost 70 pounds...and have kept it off...with nothing more than diet. I have *never* exercised with any diet I was on and I still lost weight. Some 'experts' are now saying that exercise is not the key to losing weight and, in fact, may actually be the cause of weight gain because hunger increases. Logically, the Lap Band creates a situation where we should not be able to eat the calories we were prior to the band. The decrease in calories alone should cause weight loss. If not, then there's something wrong with the whole idea of how the Lap Band works. I've received a number of private e-mails from people who have shared with me that they eat just as they did prior to the lab band...but less. They eat like people who are not overweight. They don't count calories. They don't exercise. Their lives no longer revolve around food...either by overeating or by obsessing about calories and exercise. They've lost weight and they are happy. Sounds good to me. Please read my posts again. I don't care if I ever see 130 pounds again. I just want to be at a weight where I can Live! Live! Live! as Auntie Mame says...and that doesn't involve being a gym rat several times a week. I also don't care how long it takes. I'm changing my life...not 'dieting'. The point of this thread though was to find out whether the Lap Band did what it promised...or whether it was nothing more than a mental placebo where diet, exercise and hunger was still the rule of the day for losing the weight. Only a few have answered that question. .

Hi: I am wondering if you take meds with MS that are interfering with your weight loss? My Sister has MS and was taking meds that had a side effect of weight gain. Maybe you should discuss your weight issues with your Neurologist, Nutritionist, and your band doctor. Another thing I thought of when reading your post was whether you are getting enough nutrition or not. Are you getting at least 1200 calories per day? If not, you could be making your body go into "starvation" mode. I hope things improve for you soon. Sue

I still have 22 lbs to lose before I'm at pre-pregnancy weight. Sigh...i have been bad all week too, so who knows if I've gained? Probably. Just dealing with hunger sucks. I know I need a fill, but I am not wanting to be tighter than I am right now! Lately I don't eat large meals, but I notice I get growly tummy after breastfeeding. It's food choices, pure and simple. Cravings for the naughty foods are worse at night, so I will try to work harder at that. The main reason they measure your tummy is simple, for easy, quick checks of growth. Your tummy measurement should match your week, so 37 cm should mean you're 37 wks along. However, the measurements are not as accurate if you weren't slender to start with, so don't worry too much about it. One of my pregnant friends has measured very large since about 24 wks, always measuring about 5 wks ahead. This has prompted several sonograms. Her last tummy measurement was done when she was 36 wks, however it showed her at 41 wks...she has not had a healthy pregnancy. WAY too much weight gain, fatty, salty foods, etc has resulted in gallstones and gestational diabetes. Her docs aren't too happy with her, as she was obese to start with. So basically, the tummy measurement is a good diagnostic tool to determine if other tests should be done. They estimate her baby girl at over 9 lbs right now, and she isn't due until Halloween...so it's looking like a C section might be the only option. I love her to death, just hope she's getting nutritional food for the baby. Even if the veggies are drenched in ranch, I wish she was eating more of them. Abe is 10 weeks old and doing great, smiling and laughing constantly! He is in the 75th percentile for height, so he will hopefully be tall, and 50th percentile for weight, so he's gaining perfectly. How are all of you out there? Excited for the new babies to arrive soon!

Weight update: I have gained a TOTAL of 49.4 lbs this pregnancy so far....12 of those pounds I gained before I went in for my first intake appointment (because I had my lapband loosened and ate like there was NO tomorrow) so they are only counting 37 lbs gained on this pregnancy. My weight gain has slowed alot these past few weeks (less than a lb a week now) as the baby is getting bigger and i'm finally eating less...LOL How have the rest of you fared and how hard (for those of you with previous band babies) was it to take off afterwards??

ate high calorie snack foods. did not go to apptments. put back on 65 lbs. just got a fill 5 days ago. doing it right this time.

To not have any follow-up care and gain only 15 pounds in two years is verrrry good. But now you're back and ready to dive in again - good for you. I totally agree with Cathy. Get to the doctor. You're not the first person to go missing for awhile and definitely not the first person to have weight gain. I stopped going for follow-ups and gained, too, but I'm back on track. When the nurse gave me a little bit of a rough time about not eating right, etc, my response was a casual, "I know I've not been doing everything that I needed to do, but I'm here now. At least I came back." I got back into the good habits by following the post-fill instructions to the letter. By the time that was over, the cravings were gone. Good for you for getting your head back in the game. Good luck!

GREAT... I had a big weight gain, too. Surgery on Tues... when I got weighed on the Wii on the following Monday morning I was way up. Can't remember how much... but I think it was about 10 lb. But next Monday it was gone, following Monday about another 6 lb gone. It's not only the IV fluids, but your leg is quite swollen and lots of Water weight in that entire leg that you are not aware of. Trust me... it will drop off, probably in about another week. The more you move and exercise, the more the swelling will go down. CPM machines... (continuous passive motion) some doctors use them, others don't.. I didn't have that either. And they tried to put TED hose on me but my feet are small and my calves to big, so they had one on that leg but it fit so poorly that they took it of and left it off. I did have those little pumper things on my feet the first two days. Yes.... do contact your doc about the faintness/dizziness. Your blood count was low... BP low, you may need a transfusion.

If you're having trouble with solid protein then your band is too tight. I've read over and over people having trouble with solids, and then falling back to soft foods which don't give lasting satiety and are often high in calories. Then a vicious cycle evolves where there's soft food, quick hunger, soft food, followed by weight gain. That might not be the answer, but after reading your post, that's the first thing I would consider.

Good morning good morning! Hope everyone had a better weekend than I did. I went to San Francisco to watch the 49ers play and they never showed up it seems. *sigh* Oh well, it’s just gonna be one of those years where we’ll get some ugly wins, but that goes along with some ugly losses! Just sucks I had to be a part of one ugly loss! Kat, wow that’s a very strange and sad story. I think everyone in their life will go through a traumatic friendship story and is all a part of our growth. I have myself and though I’m still friends with this person it’s just never been as close as we were when we were younger. I always keep my guard up at all times. Thanks so much for your support! I really appreciate it!! J Shalee, thanks! It really was a tough decision, but as the days go by I’m believing it will be a good one. For yourself, I hope you can get your issues handled quickly! I think it might have been a contributor of myself I didn’t get to mine in good time and it ended up causing a whole host of other problems. And here’s hoping you find a job quick!! Tchr, thanks so much! I’ll definitely still post here at LBT but what I’ll probably do is post my journey at a RNY forum somewhere. I’ll always have a link up in my signature so others can follow that part if they want, they will just need to click it. No need to force others to read about that if they don’t want. J Suzie, no worries! I was never intending to leave this thread or LBT. I am just going to post my journey elsewhere but I’ll have a link in my signature. So, those who would like to follow along can simply click on it to read it. I’ve been here at LBT a long time! No way will I just leave! :-D You have a great job! I wish I could just run away from the grind and find something so peaceful. I think I was kinda born to do my own thing. Maybe someday! Tracy, love the pics! So cute! Good deal on the no weight gain! You see, that’s me too. I’m excellent at not gaining any more than what I did in the beginning. I’ve been at this weight for over a year now. So, I know I can maintain. But losing? I just can’t seem to do it! Heart, thanks for the support! That was a crazy ordeal with the bear! Wow… scary. Still glad I’m a city gal.. lol J But we deal with bears of a different sort here. Sorry you’re still sick. Get better soon! Whatever’s been going around is a real monster. L Sunny, I completely understand your frustration. If you ever need someone to talk to, my door is always open. Send me a PM anytime. J Okay whew! All caught up! I’m off today so I’ll probably come back a bit later to talk some more. Have a fantastic day everyone!!!

I was one of the Notorious Novembers banded Nov 08. I have watched them all drop their weight and post their success, come close to goal or reach their goals. I have watched it all...as I was going no where. I have lost only 35lbs in 11 months. I have been filled to the point that we don't think I can get any more. (Had to have the last fill taken out because I couldn't eat anything) I have told them all along there is something else going on...of course no one believed me! So I went to my regular doctor and after a gallon of blood taken (just kidding) they have finally figured out I am insulin resistant and a Pre-diabetic. So of course that causes the weight gain...and the difficulty in losing weight. So I am not a failure! I have struggled with this for the last year. I get the band and still don't lose weight it sure makes you feel like a total failure! So now I am starting again. I have to totally regroup and figure out a better diet. My goal is not only to lose weight but to change my diet enough to avoid becoming a diabetic. I have a hard road but I think by coming here I will be able to get the support and information I need. I have to say I started coming here last year and was in here all the time but when I was struggling so much I drifted away. But I am back...and ready to tackle this new issue!

Hey Shanda - I think the weight gain is probably water retention and one you start I am sure it will go away and so will the pounds. Don't weigh everyday - that might help, too -- and the measurement thing is a GREAT idea. Keep your positive attitude - you will get through this and start losing lbs. again.