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The belief that WLS will prevent one from recurring weight gain is a complete myth. You still have to do the right things to achieve it. Not over-eating (depends what your eating as well), maintaining a good physical workout routine etc. You CAN over-eat with the band and any other WLS. It's not fool proof, so people, please don't fool yourselves.

Hi, My name is Melonie, and I am from Calgary Canada. I am having my surgery in Toronto. I have struggled with weight most of my adult life, but have recently struggled more due to an injury to the cartilage in my knee. I have developed osteoarthritis and my lack of mobility has really fueled my weight gain. I am at my highest weight ever, 5'1" and 258! I only made my decision last week, and as I am self pay, they gave me a date of august 11th. I was in shock. A lot to get my head around in such a short time, but probably for the best as I would worry too much with a long wait. Good luck to all of you fellow August bandsters, I am looking forward to seeing how we all get along. Melonie

We can't really say for sure whether you need to do more ab exercises without knowing what you are doing now. But one thing you can do to make your workout more effective if you are not already doing it, is to make sure you keep your ab muscles tight as possible during your entire workout routine whether you are working your abs, legs, arm or doing cardio. It is hard to remember to keep up but it is effective. It helps to tighten your abs and improve posture. I actually had the opposite problem, my scale wouldn't budge but I was noticing my clothes getting looser. But the same problem as far as losing last in the stomach. It has always been the first area to show weight gain and it has been the last area to shrink and it is mainly genetics. My decision to continue to lose weight past my goal is because I still carry a little bit of a gut but I have been persistent and it is slowly going away.

During my initial consult, I was given a questionaire about weight gain, eating habits and goals. I set my goal at 200lbs and the PA said my goal was very conservative. Their goal weight for me is 177lbs...so, I decrease my goal to 190lbs...still conservative, I guess but, I'd be darn happy with it. They do use a formula to come up with your goal weight.

Hello my beautiful ladies! Today is my 9/80 day off, and so far I have spent it walking, cleaning, running my boys all over town, and EATING . . I mean bad! Good food and all - except for the 2 tbs. of commercial blue cheese dressing I had at Round Table - I am just eating SO MUCH!! 990 calories already today, and it's not even dinnertime yet! Yikes! I do have some restriction, but in the mornings only . . . I can eat like 1/4 cup of lentils and start in on 1/2 cup eggbeaters, but can't finish it cause I'm full. That lasts about 3 hours - then I am starving by 11, and no restriction at all by then. None for the rest of the day, unless I happen to take a nap then I am tight when I wake up again. AND I gained another lb. back! I was down 8 lbs. since the fill, now I am down only 4 and gaining! I think I need another .5 so I will email Dr. Baggs this week unless I can make this 4 lbs. go away again. Tina after I posted that about the 3 lb. liver, I did some research online and found out that for every oz. of glycogen (emergency sugar stored in the liver) in the liver, the body has to store 2 to 3 oz. of water! So a 3 lb. liver could mean a 6 to 9 lb. water-weight gain. Apparently, that is the weight that you will lose on the first week of atkins or south beach low-carb diets. Maybe I should go on south beach again for a week . . but that would be falling back on the "old" diet behaviors, so I am more inclined to just stop competing with all of my RNY friends, and say "well my body is taking a break right now, it lost weight too fast and now it is going to rest before I start again." I don't know . . head hunger is bad right now . . if I was irritable I would assume it was time for Aunt Flo to visit, but I don't feel moody, just hungry and all the other parts of hormonal

lol -you know those were my thoughts too...i was like until im approved im going to just kick back and go with the flow. of course extra weight gained is extra to lose but still i did it. there's also a class i have to go to before i can have my surgery, the class is on the 20th, lol. i did not want to do a band lifestyle change class until i knew i was getting the band.

So, I have been battling my weight since I was 13. I have tried too many diets to count. In August I will be starting my last semester of Nursing School. I will be getting married June 26th of 2010. With all these life changes (and a 15 pound weight gain during nursing school) I decided in May to join a gym since I would have some time over the summer. I wanted to get in shape for my wedding and lose some of this weight that has came and gone my whole life. I spent $2,000 on a personal trainer and 1 year gym membership. I have been going 5 times a week for 1 hour each time. I food journal everything I eat and my goal is less than 1,800 per day. I have cut out sugars and any carbs that are not whole wheat or brown rice. In 2 months I have gained 2.5 lbs. At dinner I began to complain to my fiancee's brother and his girlfriend (who both play college volleyball). I made the statement that I should have spent the $2,000 on the Lap Band instead. Which the flippant comment from her is "No you should just tape your mouth shut". I honestly can't express the pain and hurt I feel at being judged by my weigt. I am tired of being fat and trying so hard and putting so much in and GETTING NOTHING BACK. After the venting, I guess my question is, how do you know that the lap band will work for you. How do I know that I am not just going to throw MORE money and devote all this time into another weight loss thing. Sorry for the bi%*ing, Heidi

It's difficult (even with the band) to change the habits of a lifetime. I had some major MAJOR cheats and some weight gain in May while traveling for business. Once home, I started going to support groups again, made an appointment with the surgeon's office to talk with them (and have been going every couple of weeks to keep up with accountability), and cut back the cheats. You can do this..just need to get your head back in the game. Back to basics. xoxo

divorced......, There are plenty of folks around who have had them removed, I being one of them although our circumstances are much different. In fact this is the first I've heard of undigested food collecting above the band and causing an infection. I know a weight gain is traumatic but it seems like you have more important issues on the table right now and doing whatever you can do to make yourself healthier is what is important right now. Good luck to you, Nancy.

ok..this blog may be somewhat disjointed but stuff i just want to offload somewhere.........so clearly this evening is not finding me in a happy state. I find myself feeling lonely and sad this evening. I would like to blame this on anything other than what it is..... Who among us has felt at one time or another: 1. third wheel 2. the "pretty" fat girl with the great personality 3. last single one of your friends 4. etc. etc. Now, I do know (but apparently have a hard time believing) that I am a wonderful smart, successful woman, who is beautiful and who has a lot to offer- recently been told by a few people and one bandster friend- things of the sort. I look in the mirror and see who I want to be,who I can be, but why can't I see that I am me no matter what. -there is just a better/healthier me hiding in all this somewhere. It's amazing what doing all of this stuff for preperation for surgery will do to your mind too.....I think about they why's of my weight gain, why I am not in a relationship currently, - and how I blame a statement made long ago by my dad(who said it because he cares...?? misguided as it was and hurtful all the same) "no one will want to be with you if you don't lose some weight"......digging deep here/unload,unload unload....did i say this would be disjointed? (great news though- my dad is very supportive of me through all of this and I have told him how hurtful that statement was. ) Anyway- what I look forward to most is this journey, despite the things that it may dredge up, may make me acknowledge and ultimately bring me to the point of fabulousness that is truly me. :party: I am inspired and so glad to have this forum to just share....and hopefully soon I will be able to share weight loss with you all. Ok...new day tomorrow. Going to Yoga this week, going to move ever forward. Thanks all! my rant is done :cursing:

ok..this blog may be somewhat disjointed but stuff i just want to offload somewhere.........so clearly this evening is not finding me in a happy state. I find myself feeling lonely and sad this evening. I would like to blame this on anything other than what it is..... Who among us has felt at one time or another: 1. third wheel 2. the "pretty" fat girl with the great personality 3. last single one of your friends 4. etc. etc. Now, I do know (but apparently have a hard time believing) that I am a wonderful smart, successful woman, who is beautiful and who has a lot to offer- recently been told by a few people and one bandster friend- things of the sort. I look in the mirror and see who I want to be,who I can be, but why can't I see that I am me no matter what. -there is just a better/healthier me hiding in all this somewhere. It's amazing what doing all of this stuff for preperation for surgery will do to your mind too.....I think about they why's of my weight gain, why I am not in a relationship currently, - and how I blame a statement made long ago by my dad(who said it because he cares...?? misguided as it was and hurtful all the same) "no one will want to be with you if you don't lose some weight"......digging deep here/unload,unload unload....did i say this would be disjointed? (great news though- my dad is very supportive of me through all of this and I have told him how hurtful that statement was. ) Anyway- what I look forward to most is this journey, despite the things that it may dredge up, may make me acknowledge and ultimately bring me to the point of fabulousness that is truly me. I am inspired and so glad to have this forum to just share....and hopefully soon I will be able to share weight loss with you all. Ok...new day tomorrow. Going to Yoga this week, going to move ever forward. Thanks all! my rant is done

A PB is a bandster term for "productive burp" which happens thusly: Usually once you have good restriction, but possible any time, if you eat too large a bite, don't chew well enough, or are overfull, the bite of food can't fit through your stoma (hole formed by the band between your "pouch" or upper stomach and your lower stomach) and it has to go somewhere, so it comes back up. The esophagus isn't built to have things just sit there, it's a conveyor belt that likes to move things along. So it will spasm...and if the food doesn't go on through, the body produces a lot of mucous (called slime here) which lubricates the esophagus and offending bolus of food and helps move it up and out. it is different from vomiting in that there are usually no stomach spasms involved, and there is no stomach bile/acid expelled. It can be dangerous if you PB too strongly or too much at first, before your band is healed, and later on even if healed, if you PB a lot (some do it daily as a way of life) it is very hard on your innards and can cause the band to slip. An occasional misstep/PB, however, especially if it happens after you've healed from surgery, isn't really a cause for concern but it should be a lesson to be learned. They are almost always caused by "operator error"...not chewing well, bite too big, or overeating. Occasionally, though, a PB is caused by being too tight (too much fill) and if that's the case, you need to get a little saline removed quickly or risk poor weight loss/weight gain, problems with your band, etc.

If you are unhappy with your doctor, find another that you like. You are not going to want to go see your doctor if you don't like him, no matter how good of a doctor he is. I had a problem with my surgeon as well and I just recently found a new one that I LOVE. He is awesome and SO encouraging. Don't be afraid to go back in if you've gained back weight. That's what your doctor is there for, to assist you in the process after your surgery. Trust me, he's seen it before, and probably much more than a 30 lb weight gain, so don't worry about how he's going to react. You have it in you to do it, and it seems like you're on the right track by wanting to make it work and get this fixed. Just stick with it. You can always come here for support if you need it :-)

I had a 20 year reunion I didn't attend because of my weight gain. (I was a state champion gymnast weighing 110lbs, and homecoming queen and now I'm more than twice that.) My 30th year reunion is in October and I'd like to go but don't think I'll get surgery till August and I don't think I'll lose enough by then to feel good enough about myself to go :frown:. So, my list of things in a perfect world would be to: 1. run into some of those people and look really good in the near future, 2. to dance without being self conscious, 3. snow ski again, 4. Water ski again, 5. ride horses without hurting them!! 6. wear regular clothes with a single digit size, 7. buy my bras at Victoria's Secret just because I CAN! 8. take new family portraits (none since 13 yrs ago) 9. do my own pedicures 10. get rid of back, shoulder, knee and foot pain 11. See my mother just once without her asking me if I'm doing anything about my weight ( I've BEEN doing something, that's what got me where I am!) 12. My husband is wonderful, the very best but I don't feel even one bit sexy or like doing anything in that department looking like I do, so I'd like to have desire again, 13. I'd like to be able to clean my house and car without feeling run over by a truck. 14. Not feel hot ALL THE TIME (BUT IT IS A THOUSAND DEGREES OUTSIDE SO...) 15. Run on a treadmill at the gym on the second floor without feeling like I'll end up on the first floor 16. Run without feeling like I'm doing more damage than good to myself 17. to have energy!!!!! this should actually be #1 18. to swim without feeling like a whale 19. to not be embarrassed anymore 20. To sleep in skimpy little sexy nighties without "all that" hanging out Ok, I could go on and on.......... But the best part is looking forward to maybe a year or two from now, I'll actually get there instead of taking off some and putting on more!!

Wow, it all sounds so familiar. I'm really sorry you are going through this. The reflux is a serious issue, you *really* need to get a bit of an unfill. The reflux can cause damage if you don't get it resolved. Being too tight leads to soft food syndrome and that can lead to weight gain. Has you doctor put you on anything such as Prilosec or Nexium? Something to help with reflux? I get it about getting stuck on everything. I remember a business dinner once when I was banded and I was stuck on broth. I was mortified. What do you mean by concerns with Mexico? Are you referring to the gov't warnings out right now? The US, Mexican, and Canadian gov'ts are warning about specific cities in Mexico but Mexicali is not one of the cities they are specifically warning about. A leak is always a risk of surgery and since you are a revision like me, your risks are higher. All the more reason to go to an experienced revision surgeon. Hang in there and please get an unfill, you could cause even more problems than you have now if you stay too tight for much longer.

Hi Everyone~ Janet~ <hugs> Sorry to hear about work. I know this is NOT the same... I worked for several years as an ER nurse (in the same hospital I had been born in, my mother worked as a nurse and where I had worked as an ER tech for 2 years) and was leaving for the Peace Corps, they did NOTHING! It's not like I was leaving for a new fancy job.. I was going to a 3rd world country! Not even a card! Again 3 years versus 30 years! Geez Louise! That would really upset me too. Hope you are feeling better both emotionally and physically. I hate hangovers. Meredith~ I had a HUGE horrible seroma after my surgery. They drained it every week x 2 and then every two weeks x 2. It slowly got smaller and smaller. That may very well be what it is. They are very common. Also, if you don't have any signs of infection, as Janet said (redness, swelling, fever, pus)... that might be it. Charlene~ good luck for your son! WOW! that would be so cool!!! Let us know what happens. Tonight we have a babysitter and are going out to dinner and to a movie. I feel a little guilty b/c Nelson wanted to go with us. But it is so necessary to have adult time. His teacher is going to be his sitter and he LOVES her, so he will be ok. Nels slept for 12 hours last night after his dental surgery yesterday. He had vistaril and nitrous oxide and the whole ordeal wiped him out. Since my sister left, the scale has not moved! I know I need to start keeping a food diary again. I need to see exactly what I am doing with calories and Protein, etc. Ever since vacation when I got out of the habit, I have had a hard time sticking to documenting everything. I hate that. I am exercising. But it makes me feel somewhat "out of control" when I am not keeping track of my intake. TOMORROW I will start again. My sister was 246 when she arrived at my house and yesterday she was 239! She said that being so good (eating on plan and exercising) here at my house really helped her! I am happy for her. My niece so worries me. When we went to the grocery store they have one of those big scales at the entrance. I hopped on. The scale only goes to 250 so for the LONGEST time I couldn't weigh on it!!! I was sooo happy to finally be on there! Anyway my niece got on and I was shocked to see her at 209! She was 140 at my wedding in 2001. And only recently in the last 1-2 years put on the weight. We went clothes shopping and she was so bummed about her size. She was had to get 18s. I used the opportunity to talk to her about how I know how she was feeling, etc. I tried to motivate her with all the usual pep talks. That night after dinner she ate a whole Häagen-Dazs sorbet (i think it was a pint, said 3 servings at 150 cal each), then 2 bowls of Lucky Charms, a regular coke and then 2 ice cream sandwiches. I did NOT have this stuff in the house, she had gone to the store and bought it. It broke my heart to just watch her eat and eat. We have all been there. At one point she said "don't anyone say anything to me". So, what do you say to that?! She is 26, educated, has watched her mother and aunt deal with morbid obesity and is clearly not wanting interference. Her boyfriend that she lives with is really upset with her weight gain. They were together a year before moving in together last January. He even asked her to "promise" she would lose weight. I don't know is she is subconsciously trying to see if he will leave her... to test him?! I want to tell you guys more about my sister's visit. Will do it tomorrow. Have a good weekend everyone!

WARNING: I tend to ramble! :confused: My name is Amy, am 40 years old, married with two furry feline babies. My husband and I own a tanning salon in Little Rock, Arkansas. My struggles with weight started about 3rd grade, I remember having to shop at Sears in the "chubby sized section" (yes, it did say that on the signs) I remember watching my mom and grandmother constantly fight with their weight. When mom was on a diet, so was I - which I needed, but as soon as I was out of her sight, straight for the donut shop! In high school, I pretty much starved myself down to 125 lbs and can distinctly remember passing out in the shower several times because my blood sugar was so low. After one year in college, the weight came back in spades!! I have been over 200 lbs since 1989, which led to poor self image and self esteem, which led to bad relationships, which led to more weight gain. I'm happier in my life than I've ever been and it's time for me to get out of this fat body suit I've been wearing for 25 years. It took me until I reached 40 years old and having a wonderful husband to realize that I am worth it, dammit! I'm excited, nervous, scared, motivated, committed, fearful of failure all rolled into one. Anyone else with me? :ohmy:

Sounds as though this would be an expensive way to go. A bit like doing "lite n easy" or one of those other programs. I think it is important that we learn to cook nutritious, band friendly meals for ourselves. I'm not saying you are one of them but I know there are a lot of people that don't cook at all and I think in many instances this can be a contributing factor to weight gain. I like,as far as possible, to eat the same as the rest of my family. I don't want to be different. Occasionally however there is nothing wrong with using a service like this. Its also good to be able to have some healthy prepared meals in the freezer for when you don't have time to cook.

When my insurance finally gave the go ahead, things were rushed along so quickly that I didn't talk to the surgeon/doctor about the lap band being a tool. I had to talk to a psychiatrist who worked with the insurance patient approval for my lapband surgeon. He said that I had a lot of weight to loose and may need the gastric by-pass a little later to acheive my goals. He said I had a lot of physical problems that have caused this weight gain over my lifetime. He did make me promise to stick with the diet though. I see 2 surgeons for my fills in the same office for the lapband and they both say different things on what I am supposed to do. The surgeon that had a lapband done also, is more lenient and the younger surgeon sounds like a broken record of all my docotors I have had in my fat life who say diet, exercise, count calories. He really wants me to succeed because I was among his first patients.

Hey guys, I'm new around here, and I'm hoping you guys can offer some advice. I'm 10 weeks pregnant and was banded a few years ago. Was about 25 pounds from goal when I found out we'd conceived. My doctor is one that requires an unfill during pregnancy. No biggie, I thought.. I'm having a huge problem with weight gain though. Between my first OB's visit and my second (5 weeks) I had gained 14 pounds. During that time, I was constantly queasy (keeping food in tummy made queasiness better), had quit smoking (can't smoke? EAT! ) and received my unfill. So things are not stacked in my favor. However, after going to the OB and being told nicely that that is a freakish amount of weight to gain, I've really been trying to cut down on everything. When I'm hungry, I'm snacking on fruits and veggies and having a Protein shake for Breakfast. I'm *still* gaining about 2 pounds every few days. It's insane! I dunno what else I can do to get control of this. I am exercising and there's no greasy foods in my diet. Ugh. Has anyone experienced anything like this? I feel full of shame. I'm not at all worried about losing after the baby is born, but I don't want my baby to get an unhealthy start at life, yknow? :thumbup:

My doctor is fully supportive of keeping my fill during pregnancy EXCEPT, if i am having bad morning sickness and am vomiting, he will want to take liquid out. He says that vomiting is really risky and can cause slippages and since i won't be able to have floro (no xrays while pregnant) he won't be able to check to see if the band is ok. If i do have some taken out due to morning sickness, then i can always have it filled back up one the morning sickness passes (2nd trimester or so). But i am with you on wanting to have my fill to help me control pregnancy weight gain!

I've been making myself iced decaf coffee lattes with Splenda. I have a 20 oz container that I fill twice a day. I use a lot of 1% milk so that helps me get my milk as well as my 64 oz of Fluid a day. The milk provides constant Protein and a little fat and carbs and I think it keeps my blood sugar stable between meals. And it tastes good. The thing that made me want to totally stay away from pop is that the bubbles can stretch your new tiny tummy during the time when its still trying to stabilize and heal. I also don't want to get any more stuck gas in me than I already have. It can also cause reflux. You also lose some of your restriction if you stretch the tummy. Find a tasty substitute for the pop. Also for the ice cream if possible. I try not to keep it in the house, but my husband bought it for himself. He did, however, make me some ff sf choc. pudding to eat at night. The ice cream may be alright for you if you're sticking to the 1/4 to 1/2 cup guideline. Ice cream is one of my trigger foods so you'll have to judge whether it causes you to crave having more. I find that exploring and posting on this site is helping me. I was banded June 18th and I started a blog the week before to help me deal with all the other issues that go along with compulsive overeating. Its like journaling daily. On yesterday's blog I talked about eating disorders and their causes and my history of weight gain and dieting. If you'd like to view the blog you can do it at: IF YOUR STOMACH OFFENDS YOU, TIE IT OFF Dealing with the addiction in these ways has really helped me stay on top of my cravings. Don't beat yourself up. Guilting and shaming yourself will drive you right back into the food.

morning Thanks Laura and Suzie I feel pretty good on this and it has only been a week, so it works for quitting smoking, and you wont gain weight on it, i highly recommend..LOL with everything going on, I am happy to be -14 in 2 weeks, i lost the first 4 on high Protein and the rest on the meds. so i'm back to where i was to start over, I have a dr appt this month so at least I won't be up a ton. I don't think i'm going to get a fill or unfil, i think i'm just going to tell him about the lexapro and weight gain and all my issues with eating because of stress and schedule another appointment in 3 months. sorry, thinking outloud Terry- i hope you are having a great time Tracyk- how are things going with the dsd? things calming down I am off to paint, have my memorial service this weekend here

Like you said, this isn't a diet...so in the scheme of this new 'lifestyle change' where NOTHING is off limits we just have to make good choices most of the time. I've been trying hard not to think of these moments of poor choices as 'cheating' as we've all been in that diet/cheat cycle for so long and beating yourself up leads to stress, which leads to weight gain. You made some poor choices this weekend, so did I, don't beat yourself up. Just try to make better choices this week...one day at a time. That's the great thing about the band...it will be with you for life.