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It has been 3 months since yesterday. And, yes I do feel back to normal I suppose. I haven't been too active on this thread as I'm a bit disappointed/disgusted with myself right now. Despite the surgery removing 10 pounds from me I am now up 7 pounds from my pre-surgery weight. That makes a total weight gain of 17 pounds! Yes I know there is some swelling. Yes my swellling though not painful or uncomfortable in any way does seem to be more than most people. But I just can't believe that all 17 pounds are from the swelling. Especially considering the VERY poor food choices I've been making. I am still very happy with how my stomach is looking. And I do think I've turned a corner with the food. Both yesterday and today so far I've been following the high Protein low carb regime very well. Let's hope it is a trend. No matter how my resolve stands up with food I will post an updated photo for everyone to see at the end of the month when I have my official 3 month follow up appointment with the PS.

I'm really glad you're back too! I missed your posts! I hope you use a computer and not a phone to post. People are having trouble with the app. It's so much easier on a PC or laptop to see all the forums. There are several threads about all of us working on regain. One is weight gained since sleeved. I'm working on taking 10 lbs off again but it is really hard. I hope to see you posting every day!

@@Kindle - Firstly, big hugs to you. I'm so sorry you're suffering. I take Wellbutrin, and have for many years. It's one of the only anti-depressants that isn't known to cause weight gain in a lot of patients, and it generally doesn't affect sleep if you take it in the morning. I however take one in the morning and one with dinner and I have no trouble sleeping. I wish you the very best of luck and please know it will get better. <3

So my grief counselor has suggested I try Wellbutrin. Things have been especially bad for me lately because its coming up on the 1 year anniversary of my friend's suicide. We've also been exploring some buried emotions from my brother's death that I never really got over (apparently drowning them in alcohol didn't make them go away ;(. ). At this point I'm having difficulties experiencing any sort of emotion besides sadness.....most of my days are spent going through the motions and putting on a show for others and quite frankly I'm exhausted. She thinks the Wellbutrin will help me with the biochemical issues I may be having that are hindering my healing process. So I'm going in to see my PCP on Friday to get his OK for the Rx. So anyone else taking it for depression? How's it working for you? Just wondering if there are any weight loss/weight gain/appetite issues I could expect by taking this medication. Any other weird side effects? I've taken Prozac and other SSRIs in the past for anxiety and stress, but the main problem was I could not sleep while on them. Not sleeping was worse than the reasons I was taking them in the first place so I had to stop.

Not the dreaded "Blarg!" No! not that! One of the things to keep in mind with these types of scales that use electrical impeedence is that your hydration level is very, very important. I can't account for the apperent weight gain

I weigh just about every morning too. I used to do it after I pooped but before breakfast but my routine has changed so it’s after breakfast & after I poop now. Just underwear. I only record the highs & lows of my regular fluctuations (up & down just under 1 kg) - no point recording 100g increments unless it’s a new low or a new high. My current low is 48.6 & high is 49.4kg. I think if I hit 50kg I’d re-examine what I was eating. It’s a small window but I know what I’m like in regards to weight gain. Weighing regularly keeps me honest & on track. In the past, I’d stop weighing myself if I thought I was putting on weight but I was just trying to ignore the truth of my gains. If I didn’t know how much I weighed I could pretend I hadn’t put on weight.

If you have GERD and take a PPI. I dont know of other reasons. I do know some people are able to get a revision for weight gain, but you even have to be more diligent if you are doing it for weight loss. It is not like your original surgery where you had lots of restriction and the weight came off. Personally I liked the sleeve better I had way more restriction with it. I rarely feel anything with this bypass.

I was a 36DD before my kids and crazy weight gain...They got as big as a 40FF while breast feeding and were a 38F before surgery now I am back to a very saggy 36DD

I didn't count either of my hospital stays. It is very disheartening to lose weight, go in for surgery and gain a lot of weight. I didn't count the water weight gain from IVs either time into my lose. The day of surgery I weighed 237. That was Dec 15. Now I'm at 201. I've been a slow loser too, I believe. I'm 8 weeks out from RNY w a total of 36lb lose. I went in for second surgery @ 204, gained 14 lbs. so back up to 218. I was so discourage but what could I do but wait for the water weight to come back off and it has. The numbers on the scale are discouraging. You have to look passed those #s and look at what Smile was talking about and the positive NSV statements. We have to remain positive cuz all negativity ever did for us was help us put on the weight. We all are going to reach stalls but we need to restructure on minds on how to deal w those stalls. Gen :-) 12/15/12

Karen Congratulations on 100 and I am happy you had a great TG day. Linnylou - meet the turtle. I lose 1/2 lbs per week and have been on a plateau for 3 months. As we get older, we require less food and the weight is harder to come off, but believe me it does come off with careful control of your solid proteins, etc. There are many of us that lose slowly but all it means, it takes us longer to meet our goals. But isn't it wonderful to step on the scales and not show a weight gain or even a slight loss. This I do know, the band prevents me from overeating. Good luck on your journey.

I am 34, I had my surgery a week ago on 4/16/13. I am an RN and I work in Neonatal ICU. I have been happily married for 13 years, but we've not been able to have children. My husband actually had gastric bypass in 2009 and lost 150 lbs. Our pets are our "children" for now - we have a yellow lab and 3 kitties, all of whom are very spoiled! I have 2 little nephews (also spoiled by me!) and adult neice who is about to graduate from grad school and an adult nephew who just graduated college. Also I have 2 sisters and 2 brothers, and my best friend who I consider a sister as well. I was a thin child, underweight actually until puberty. My weight gain was gradual starting around age 17. I married at 20 and was diagnosed a couple years later with PCOS while we were still in college. We were told we could not conceive without medical intervention, which turned out to be true. When we graduated college and were ready to start a family, we went on fertility treatments right away. 3 pregnancies in about 6 years of active fertility treatments (everything but IVF) all ending in early first trimester miscarriages. After extensive testing, no reason was found for the miscarriages except for my PCOS and insulin resistance. We are very hopeful that reaching my goal weight after surgery will help with conceiving and carrying a child.

@BayougirlMrsS It's not just you making post's like this. We are are all entitled to an opinion or rant. It's ok to disagree. We had weight loss surgery because of after own struggles with weight, RIght? We are here for support. I hope anyone struggling with weight gain stays on the site.

whoooo..... hold up ..... I was no way looking down on anyone.... It was a question. Isn't that what this site is for.... Are is it to just nod and agree? Weight gain and reasons are a legitimate question. What does the fact that i'm a two-time WLS patient have to do with my question.....IN THE RANT AND RAVE SECTION..... very happy for both of my SX's. So what of it. If you didn't like my post.... KEEP ON Scrolling.... just like i do when i don't like something someone says.... no one is forcing you to say anything.... Been here since 2009 and i have never not once been forced to make a comment on anything i didn't want too.

I am glad this holiday and all it's food are over with. I hope nobody feels the need to bring me any Christmas goodies. I don't want to start the new year with a weight gain but it's going to take a lot of willpower to say no to all the stuff people keep trying to get me to eat.

Hi, my name is Nikki. I'm 39 yrs old and I'm from Mississippi. I have 4 children ages 22,15,14,and 13. I'm recently divorced and very happy. I'm a massage therapist that works for a chiropractor for the past 9 years. I've been overweight probably for the past 4 years. I started to seriously gain weight when my oldest son fell ill with complications from sickle cell disease. I had to stop working out and give him all of my attention and support. Emotional eating played a big role in my weight gain too! I've researched WLS for the past year and just decided that enough is enough in this weight gain/loss roller coaster. My surgery is set for October 21, 2014 and I'm very excited and nervous all at the same time. I can't wait to be happy with my self image again!

My name is Alex and I'm a 39 year old male living in Tennessee. I am divorced with three children. My highest weight was 323 and I became more and more concerned with my overall health condition. In 2007 I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, and just two years ago, atrial fibrillation. When it was suggested that all of these problems could be related to my obesity, I started looking for more extreme ways to try to lose weight. I have struggled with weight gain my entire life, trying all kinds of diets, losing 60 pounds when I was 16 but gaining it back by the time I was 22. My ex-wife had Roux en Y surgery in 2007, and had a dramatic weight loss. Unfortunately, she did not heed the advice of the doctors and dieticians and never took her supplements, so the weight came right back within two years. This has turned me away from having the surgery until a mutual friend of hers, a lap bander, had me speak to another friend who had recently had the gastric sleeve surgery, which I had not heard of until earlier this summer. I got very excited after researching the surgery and called my insurance company for physicians in network who perform it. I signed up for a consultation with the Vanderbilt Center for Surgical Weight Loss in Nashville in July and that is when I was sure this was the right time and the right thing to do. When the surgeon, Dr. Brandon Williams came in during the presentation I realized I went to high school with him and felt another sense of ease since we already knew one another. I had complete encouragement from my parents, my fiancée, and my personal physician, who wrote the letter of recommendation for me to have the surgery. And my insurance company was very easy to deal with, and only required a few standard prerequisites prior to having the surgery. (Psych eval, attendance of support group, evidence of trying other diets, etc). Four months later my surgery took place 11/21/2013. My only complication during the surgery was during post op; my heart went into atrial fibrillation while I was in the recovery room. I was moved to the cardiology floor at Vanderbilt for monitoring. The first night in the hospital was spent seeing many cardiologist trying to figure out how to get my heart rate below 130 where it stayed for hours. By morning, it was down to the 80s, since I was able to take my beta blockers crushed (yuck!). I was discharged the next day since my heart rate was back in the 60s. It has almost been 2 weeks since I had the surgery, and the only pain I feel is in my right side around the ribs, which is close to where they removed most of my stomach. I am now past the soft foods stage and can drink and eat ok, long as I resist the temptation to eat too big of a bite of food. I still crave the old foods I am no longer allowed to eat, but am putting in the toughest battle to stay with this diet by the book. I am 27 pounds down and hope to lose more and when I return to work I hope I can keep in control of my daily diet. That's enough about me... Good luck to everyone out there. I feel good about what I have done, no regrets.

Cheryl, Grats on getting the surgery! I know it is hard when we are used to eating till we are stuffed, but I try and focus on how little I can get by on rather than how much I can eat. Eat until your hunger pains are gone and that is enough. If you are experiencing a lot of hunger ask yourself how much protein you are having. You are only 3 weeks out from surgery you should still be on mushies and they will never "fill" you up, especially with your band unfilled. You are healing, this isn't the time to worry about weight loss. Your weight gain could be fluid retention or just your body adjusting to mushies after liquids. Many people gain when they switch to musihes, it is very normal.

Ok, let's have some drama for the weekend and shake the tree!!!! Question: Is the only difference between meeting your goal and maintaining it long term versus losing some of the weight and regaining part or all, only about following your diet, weighing/measuring/logging and exercising (i.e. maintaining healthy diet/exercise practices)? ORRRRRRRRR Does weight gain at year 2 or 3 "just magically happen" through no fault of your own and despite continuing to eat the SAME exact healthy diet you were eating to lose and initially maintain? I mean, if you're still eating 1000-1200 cals/day and exercising 4-5 days a week, 45 minutes a day--will you regain the 10-20lbs regardless of how pure you are? Or is regain ONLY gonna happen when we revert to old poor food behaviors and overeating/eating crap or eating around our surgeries? I'm honestly terrified of being in this second group. I want to know what I must be on-guard about after surgery. Like I can't fool myself into believing that after surgery moderation in everything will allow me to lose and maintain my losses. It's just illogical. I never had balance before. I crave bad crap. Often eat emotionally. Etc. If I don't revise ALL of those things, it seems to me, I'm just a few bites away from regaining all the hard won losses? True? Or false? Will all of you who've maintained their losses please share your secrets for maintaining your weight losses without a regain or only a tiny regain, please????

Hi girls, thanks for all of your input. First of all, a little history: My name is Beckyo. I am 53 years old and have a 34 year old daughter, 23 year old daughter and twin boy and girl age 22. I have been a homeaker since my twins were born. I was always thin until I started staying home and I injured by back at a fit club six weeks after my 23 year old was born. the bad back is what started my weight gain journey as I have been limited and then just got lazy. I lost weight many times on weight watchers but gained it back. I know I can be good with the band and my food choices but it takes the weight loss to help me stay motivated. I have started with walking and will gradually build up to that but I am an avid gardener so that also helps me with exercise. I also have a pool which i will be using this summer. My height is 5'3", weight is 246. All of my blood work and tests say that I am in good health, I have a small hiatal hernia and cholesteral problems but surgeon says it should come down with weight loss. I have become very lazy since my weight has gotten this high but I am still trying to garden, etc. My surgery is next Wednesday, June 18. I start my fasting (all liquids for five days) tomorrow.Thanks everyone Beckyo

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.

One day at a time...today is Day 3 on Atkins Induction. Surprisingly, I'm not craving as much as I have in the past when I went on induction. Maybe it's the mental attitude of seeing my carbs as a true addiction and knowing that I'm avoiding them completely for that reason...and not just a diet to lose weight? Who knows the head games we play with ourselves. :smile: At any rate, my headache is finally gone and I feel better than I usually do the first week. The mental fog seems to be gone as well. Bonus - my belly is shrinking again. At some point, after that initial reshifting of body weight (skinny legs, no butt or hips, belly reducing) any weight gain (which I did when I went from onederland back up about 20 pounds) went right to the tummy so it's nice to see it shrinking back down. Since I'm on the induction phase I don't worry about monitoring the quantity...just making sure I'm eating minimal carbs. So, since it's a cold, rainy day I think I'm going to make a pot of my chinese Soup so I can sip on it throughout the day. It's pretty low calorie anyway but very satisfying. Only 4 more days to Disney! WOOHOO! .

It's not specific tests, as in Medical tests. It's more counseling with psychotherapists that have a very specific expertise and experience in eating disorders and bariatrics. This is one of the "missing links" in the whole bariatric surgery experience, I think, and it's not being addressed nearly to the degree that it should be. There are people who need RESTRICTIVE procedures (band, Sleeve), and there are those who need MALABSORBTIVE procedures, such as the Bypass. And, of course, there are those for whom no surgery will work on any long term basis, because of a combination of issues. It takes a skilled therapist or Dr to be able to help a patient look closely at their personal history of weight gain/loss, eating habits, etc, and come to a conclusion about the right surgery for them....IF surgery is really even necessary. This, I think, is one of the reasons that there is such a high failure rate for all of the WLS procedures....people get the wrong kind of surgery for their particular eating disorder/personality/physiology. There ARE those people for whom ANY WLS will work, because they are willing to DO the work required to MAKE it a success. But I think those people are kind of rare. I firmly believe that if Drs spent more time working with their patients prior to surgery, and required some fairly long-term committment of Counseling with the right kind of Therapist, the entire experience of WLS would have a much higher level of success and satisfaction. As it stands now, MOST Drs/insurance only require a simple single-session interview with a Mental Health professional, and that is usually just a rubber-stamp process. HH

So how did you do holding off on the foie gras and other goodies? Perhaps you could have them today? This is a hard delimma for me I have little will power at times. LOL I do know that I have lost a total of 2 lbs and is holding steady. Tomorrow is another fast day and the remainder of the weight gained on vacay will likely drop off.....meanwhile I'm just eating proteins.......and veggies.................. Oh I love hearing that others eat pizza like me, the toppings and not the bready part......

What colour are you now and what colour do you intend to become? Wine is my downfall because when we have the wine we also have crisps and chocolate. So lots of calories but no nutrition. See I know what the problem is I'm just not tackling it. At least Sheryl you have upped your exercise to compensate for things. I'm not doing any at the moment. I don't like exercise and I did have to force myself to do it but I must admit I do feel better afterwards. I need to get my head in the right place again. How come weight gained is twice as hard to lose?

I'm doing Mondays and Thursdays too. I am a little worried because of my back fusion. I'm not supposed to diet. I have to though. I put on a favorite sweatshirt and it looked horrible. I looked pregnant. I'm going to try to eat a lot of vegetables. My diet is totally lacking vegetables most of the time. Hope you're feeling better Sheryl. I wish I could take Welbutrin. I'm sure I would feel better if I could. I'm sure you're right about the late eating. I just saw something on tv about that being the cause of weight gain in America. I just need to eat my 3 small meals and not snack. Coops you need to find another doctor. I'm still on HRT and my doctor really feels like I need to stay on it since my bone scan shows the beginning of osteoporosis. There are bioidentical hormones that are not as risky as the Premerin of the past which was made from horse urine. disgusting. Mine are made at a compounding pharmacy just for me. I'd find a different doctor for sure. I'm sure you'll have a great time at Disney. It's the happiest place on earth, after all. (their advertisements) I wish I could come to florida and meet you!