Search the Community

OMG!!! I have thought for years that I am some sort of freak b/c i have male-patterned facial and body hair and couldn't lose weight no matter what I tried. I didn't realize that my now-becoming-irregular periods are also a symptom of PCOS due to chronic weight gain. I am crying like a baby while sitting here typing this message b/c I have been so down on myself for so long and so very frustrated at all the medical personnel who just perscribed a cream for the facial hair and told me to just "lose weight." I am going to a new dr. on April 14 to discuss my PCOS concerns. I WILL NOT SIT BY ANY LONGER FEELING LIKE A SUB-HUMAN b/c of my size and excess hair. Thank you so very much for making me feel not so alone:)

Pamela, that sucks about the airline schedule!! What a pain to have to deal with!! Tracy I am waiting for the spark to rejuice myself. If you find it let me know!! I am trying to stay positive about this weight gain, but not being very strong. It really has gotten me down a lot!! I am now a little over 300 a place I never wanted to visit again. I have an appointment on the 14th for a fill and will weigh then, but I really don't think I have lost anything. Really need to get inside my head and see what the problem is. Why are some people sooo successful. Why can't I feel the way I did a month or so after my surgery? At that point I thought there is no way anyone could gain weight!! Eat around the band? What does that mean? I want this so bad, so why am I struggling with it? What makes some people struggle with it, and some people have it come easy for them. It doesn't mean that I am weaker or less deserving. I learned this the hard way. When I had my brain tumor, it is a death sentance for a lot of people, I was one of the lucky ones, but it didn't mean anything, the people that died from it were not any less special or deserving of life. It was just in their cards. Wow am I getting very deep or what!! I am going to stop now. Jane

I must say I have fallen off the "band wagon" as I have not been to this site since August. I am at 6.5 CC in a 10 CC band and have very little restriction (occassionally if I swallow my food whole I get stuck :wink:) This can indeed be frustrating, I have gained back 10 lbs of my 50 lbs weight gain and completely hate myself. I am taking the initiative to go for another fill on monday but hate that I have let it get this far. I am embarrased that I havent been committing to my band the way I should and this shame has put me into the mindset that I want to loose what I gained before I go back to my Dr and admit failure (it sounds so stupid as I type it). Hang in there and I hope you hit your spot soon. It is frustrating past the point of tears to go through all this to only feel you will never acheive your goal.

AS IF SUMMONED FROM THE MISTS OF TIME - I reappear! Hey all. I'm back. I see that a few of us have had rough months, but the important thing is we're still in the game. I did really badly in March, I completely let myself go. Ate TERRIBLY, blah blah blah. It's been super high stress here, eased a bit now. And I enjoyed eating badly, or, at least, parts of it, but I've had enough of that, and want to get back up on the horse. So I'm just back from getting a fill, and now, I suspect, I'll have some real restriction. It's a good feeling, actually, getting back to what I know I should've been doing all along. And we have some great role models here - Scrappy and Andrew stand out, but I think we've all done pretty well for a year out. One thing that's hard is finding time for exercise (at least right now, when I have major time constraints). I'm working out at least twice a week with my trainer, who's great (after my last session, I told her that I felt like the town hooker after a particularly busy Fleet Week), but I've not been doing as much cardio since they re-arranged the machines - now it feels like you're getting on stage if you ever step onto a treadmill. Anyway, I'll get back to cardio. But I ain't weighing-in until next Friday! I don't think I could take the full-on hit of my weight gain tomorrow, and a week'll let me get rid of the Water weight and a little more... SO. Good to be back! Nice to see you all!

I had a complete hysterectomy Mar 08 and then had my lapband surgery Aug 08. I am also taking 1 mg of Estradiol daily and have also wondered if that is causing me to lose so slowly - I also take 20 mg of Fluoxetine (generic Prozac) daily and wonder if both of them can cause slow weight loss or even weight gain. I would like to wean myself off of both of them, but am not sure I should.

ME TOO!! I think that is partially to blame for my weight gain. People who exercised or took the time to care for themselves were selfish and vain and i totaly took that and ran with it. I do for others and didnt take time for myself. It is still a struggle to not feel selfish for the time it takes for me to exercise In fact I haven't gone all week because I dont want to take away from 'family' time. Thanks for the reminder!

absolutely - we'll tell you exactly what you want to hear...LOL:) ok - i'm going to do the tank test for body fat next wk. has anyone else done this ? it's personal issue of mine and my dr said it was the only true test.....and to shut me up i think on monday about me complaining about a small weight gain, he says i'm dropping body fat - but i want the G2 on it all and see what the tank shows vs what the scales at the dr's or the pincher thing at the gym says. ok off rant.

Okay I had my 3rd fill and I gained 2lbs. Now I must accept resonsibility, because I know I have made the worse food choices this past six weeks. I've even been drinking, wine :thumbdown: and mojitos. Forgive me (I'm holding my head down in shame). Now I can two 1 of two things at this point. Feel sorry for myself or be greatful that it was only a 2lb weight gain and get off my butt and do what I know is right. I choose to get off my butt and do what I know is right. I didn't go through all this for nothing I tell you that. The surgery, time off of work, the money I've invested So today is a new day for me and I'm going to start making the right choices. and move forward. My birthday is July 23rd and I will be 43 years old. My current weight is 262,. My goal is to be at 225 by my birthday. That is a weight lost of 37lbs in 3.5 months. That is something that I should be able to do. So here I go... Hope to hear from you ladies soon. Our board was one of the most happening spots and now I hear crickets when I sign on ...

I have been dealing with back problems for almost 10 years -- in fact this injury is what caused my weight gain. My surgeon had me stop my celebrex prior to surgery and post surgery I have been okay with it although I can restart if I want to. I have visited with my back doc and he says I can have my epidural steriod injections whenever I need them - no problem. So far I have been able to stave them off with yoga which I practice a couple of times a week -- works wonders. Seems that one of the benefits of the weight loss is that hopefully we will eventually be able to get off these meds :biggrin: Share your concerns with your doc -- dealing with chronic pain problems is really tough and it is scary to think about not being able to take meds if you need them. Good Luck!

I have only told my husband and one co-worker. She had GBS last year. I have been on this roller coaster for most of my adult life. I intend on telling no one else. My weight gain has been a private struggle. After my surgery I will change into sweats to make my co-workers think my wieghtloss is only due to exercise. We are adding a home gym, so I can jiggle in the privacy of my home! I don't feel like explaining who, what, when, where and why!

i had a complete hysterectomy in october and having been struggling with losing, more like lack of losing, since then. more so then before to say the least. i am wondering if anyone else has experienced this. my doc says its normal, but i wanna hear experiences from other bansters. i am really freaking out about it. i am on a replacement hormone, estradial (sp?). when having the hysterectomy, i figured i would gain some, but not like this. and i didnt think it would be so hard to lose. i have gained 15 lbs since surgery. its killing me.

You said you had no co-morbidities and that your bloodwork came back fine. Did you have a sleep study? Did they rule out sleep apnea? What about a pulmonary breathing test? I presume you had all the heart stress tests, etc... If all of this too is negative, then go for the weight gain - it will be the only time in your life that you intentionally wanted to gain weight. Have fun, eat your favortie foods and wear your heaviest clothes. Good luck.

Hi there. I haven't posted in a really long time -- I usually just see what everyone else is talking about. But this weight issue is something I think I can help out with. I, too, have put on a considerable amount of weight -- 40 lbs and I'm at 34 weeks. I talked to my OB about it and she told me this: how much weight you gain is not as important as how big the baby is. If the baby is right on target growth-wise, she doesn't care how much weight I gain. If I gain too much and the baby starts to get too big, then that's a problem. So far, my belly has been measuring dead-on for where I am gestation-wise, so my doctor said nothing when I gained almost 10 lbs in two weeks. She also explained weight gain like this -- a pregnant woman has little control over how much weight she will gain during pregnancy. The body is going to adjust your metabolism to gain the amount of weight it wants to. And so even if you're really counting calories and eating super-clean, your body may want to just put on additional weight for whatever reason. Of course, there are the extremes like certain celebraties who used their pregnancies as an excuse to eat nothing but donuts. Obviously, their bodies could only do one thing, which was to gain excessive weight. And so a certain amount of self-control is necessary. But craving milk, juice, fruit, and such is not a bad thing. Additionally, a friend of mine who is a raw vegan gained 60 pounds with her daughter. That really put things into perspective for me. I had a hard time believing that someone who only ate plants could even eat enough to gain 60 pounds -- but it's another example of how the body is going to do what it wants to do. Finally, there has been research that shows that women who lose a significant amount of weight and then get pregnant soon thereafter will tend to gain more than average during pregnancy. This is because the body uses the pregnancy as a way to store up what it needs. You really do not have any control over this. For me, I saw so many stories of banded women gaining 10 or 15 pounds during their entire pregnancies, and so I got it into my head that I was only going to gain 20 lbs. Well, I've doubled that. God-willing, I will be able to breastfeed and that will help with weight loss. Nevertheless, I just had to give up control on this issue and accept the fact that I was going to gain more than the average (25-35 lbs). Of course, I am 6 ft. tall and the doctor also told me that someone of my height and stature is going to gain more anyway. Hope that helps.

thankss everyone!! heyy monkeyy i have glasses, my primary has checked it out, and i don't have any allergies that i know of! i have always had intense headaches ever since I was a child, but it has gotten worse with the weight gain ( hopefully it will clear up). thanks again everyone...you have been most helpful (as per usual) =]

I know that I had been fatigued and tired for years. I was willing to try anything. although I slept okay, I slept restlessly, awakening several times a night. I complained to my PCP for years. I have been told that I was depressed, had hypothyroid, too much cortisol, etc. I finally decided that my weight was the problem and that if I lost weight I would feel better. The weight doctor decided to send me for a sleep study. I discovered I had sleep apnea.I feel like a new person! Or better yet, like the person I used to be. It took awhile to get used to the machine but once I got used to it, wearing it feels very coomfortable. sleep apnea is associated with weight gain so now I'm wondering if I had recognized it earlier would I even need lapband surgery?

That's my fault. The weight gain number was a ballpark based on the maximum acceptable gain to me over that time period. I didn't base the gain on the additional calories I would expect to consume. I would not be putting down 3700 calories per day for 3 weeks straight. Of the 3 weeks, there are only 7-8 days that are a concern. The other 13-14 days I will be in situations where I will definitely not have cultural/communication issues related to eating and will be able to make appropriate food choices based only on my own dietary concerns.

I'd like to "weigh" in on the scale issue, and whether or not to weigh more than once a week. I was pretty faithful to that at first - weighing in only on Friday morning. Then I began to slip a little - curiosity was killing me - and I weighed again on Sundays and again on Tuesdays. Over the next few weeks, I realized my highest day was ALWAYS on Friday!! I began to weigh daily to test this out - turns out other days are almost always better. I've decided that I will weigh as often as I feel like it during any given week. I take the lowest weight of the week as my recorded weight. I know I am following the rules 95% of the time, my weight varies because of Water retention - can be up to 3 pounds. It is a matter of ignoring those water weight gains (while trying to weed out any particular foods that may be contributing to it) and concentrating on the importance of following the rules. I find I am much more aware of what I am eating every day - not just the day or so before my "official" weight day. I have come to the conclusion that "bad" carbs may be my worst enemies with respect to water retention and I have become much better at eliminating those little pests. I still have the heavier days, but the general trend is down and that makes me happy. and - Tuesday is usually my best day, Friday still my worst! This is just my personal experience. If you tend to want to "give up" when the scale is not your friend by a few tenths (or more!), this may not be the best method for you. For some reason I become more determined to beat the scale tomorrow, and it's easier to follow the rules. Whatever works!!

My wife and I are taking a three-week European trip this winter and will likely run into situations where much food will be foisted on us and it will be considered very rude of me to eat only what the band will allow me to eat. Has anyone had their band emptied so they can eat more when traveling and then refilled when they return? Are there any repercussions of a complete unfill followed by a refill several weeks later (besides the likely weight gain)?

Wow, six months!! I've lost 40 pounds and am officially in ONEderland!! I've still been wearing my big clothes because I haven't wanted to buy any clothes yet and too scared to try on any of my old clothes that I could no longer wear because of my weight gain. Well I tried on some size 16 pants and they were too BIG!!! So I ventured to try on a pair of 14 pants that I had buried in the back of my closet...I could get into them but they were a little snug. But SOON!! I think the working out will take me to the next level and push me into losing more weight. I've been working out but no consistently. So I need to plan on working out at 3 to 4 days a week minimum...but finding the time is so hard. With 4 kids, working, husband out of town 90% of the time...but I have to find a way!!

thanks everyone!!! mimi - weight gain oh my why?????

Congratulations on your loss (that sounds weird)! I too am at one year post and maitaining a 100 lb loss. Since you got a clean bill of health from your doctor, I can only hazard a guess about the weight gain. If you are sure it is Fluid, then you need to look at your new eating habits to see if something has changed recently. Have you cut back on the Water you are drinking? I know that sounds counter intuitive, but if you are dehydrated I believe your body may try to hang on to the water. Or are you drinking more caffeinated beverages. At group recently the dietician said they can dehydrate you and to make sure you are aiming for that 64 oz water goal each day. I would suggest a call to the dietician on the bariatric team, or the surgeon, if you are not due for a follow up appt. One of them might be able to suggest a reason for the retention and have some professional advice on what to do. I am just an amateur, trying to maintain my success like you.

Hello All, I'm new and will have 1 year with the band on April 4th and have lost 128 lbs. I have found it to be very rewarding and can (almost) keep up with my 2.5 year old boy, lol. My diabetes is gone and I feel great! My yard hasn't looked better, and I am driving my wife nuts with all of the projects I am doing around the house. I found this website due to the fact I am looking for some help. Recently I have been experiencing sever 12-15 lb Water retention weight gain. I went to the doctor, and had kidney and blood tests done, both fine and perfect. And I am looking for any help I can get, I am very active outside of work, I work out 3 times a week, walk the dog every night. So any help or advise would be appreciated, I am currently exploring this site, so bare with me if I make any etiquette errors. Thanks and hope to speak to you soon!

The nice thing is that some of your good nuts also have Protein as well. I just found this on nuts: Weight Control Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard School of Public Health found three times as many people trying to lose weight were able to stick to a Mediterranean-style moderate-fat weight loss diet that included nuts, peanuts and Peanut Butter versus the traditionally recommended low-fat diet. (International Journal of Obesity, Oct. 5, 2001). As long as you control total calories, eating a handful of nuts daily may help prevent weight gain and possibly promote weight loss. The fat, protein and fiber in nuts help you feel full longer, so you may eat less during the day. By helping induce a feeling of satiety, nuts may help people feel less deprived and not like they're "dieting." Just limit your portion to a healthy handful. Walnuts. One ounce of walnuts (about 14 shelled walnut halves) is all that is needed to meet the 2002 dietary recommendation of the food Nutrition Board of the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine for omega-3 fatty acids. Almonds. One ounce of almonds (about 20 to 24 shelled whole almonds) provides 35 percent of your daily value for Vitamin E. Vitamin E may help promote healthy aging. A study reported in the Journal of the American Association (June 26, 2002) suggests a diet rich in foods containing vitamin E may help protect some people against Alzheimer's disease. The study also found vitamin E in the form of supplements was not associated with a reduction in the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Peanuts. Though often discussed with nuts, peanuts are a legume along with dry beans, peas and lentils. One ounce of roasted peanuts provides about 10 percent of the daily value of folate, a B vitamin recommended to help reduce the incidence of birth defects and lower the risk of heart disease. Peanuts also are an excellent source of niacin, providing about 20 percent of the daily value. As a group, nuts also are important for what they DON'T offer: Cholesterol. Nuts are cholesterol-free. Sodium. Unless salt is added to nuts, they naturually contain, at most, just a trace of sodium. Diabetes Women in a Harvard School of Public Health study who reported eating 5 or more 1 ounce servings of nuts/peanuts per week reduced their risk of Type 2 diabetes by almost 30 percent compared to those who rarely or never ate nuts. Women in the study who ate five tablespoons of peanut butter each week reduced their risk for Type 2 diabetes almost 20 percent. (Journal of the American Medical Association, Nov. 27, 2002.) There's also a chart there which shows calories, protein, etc. that is not transferring over here properly, but it's very informative! http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftmar04.htm

My after care people were pretty good....could have been more informed but over all not too bad. Most do not know what got us to this point in our weight gain...most will never understand how it took us over and got the best of us. Which in turn means they will never understand how hard we will have to work to get it back off...but we will and we can be proud for doing that. It isn't easy at all....I am struggling big time. No magic bullet here that is for sure. I did think I would lose better than this so over all I am pretty disappointed with the process. But at least I am no longer gaining weight so I guess that is a bonus. We will see how it goes. I have to say though that if my results are not better in 1 to 2 more years I will have this removed. Assuming I continue to work out and watch my diet with no success! But once I hit the sweet spot I should see some improvement, at least that is what the doc says. I am hopeful J

Well you asked for opinions so here's mine. You are being utterly foolish. I have severe sleep apnea and my weight had nothing to do with it since I weighed 140 pounds or so when I developed it. Frustratingly I didn't know I had it for a long time but I knew something was really wrong since no matter what, every month I put on anywhere from 2-5 pounds. In two years I gained over 60 pounds...while on a 20 grams of fat per day diet. Apnea does horrific things to your entire physical system and the only treatment for it is cpap. If you were a diabetic would you refuse to take insulin? Apnea affects your brain, your heart, your metabolic system...I could go on and on. I use the cpap because I don't want to end up having a stroke due to blood pressures that were off the charts. I guess I would rather wear a cpap mask at night than sit in a chair drooling on myself, unable to communicate. However, all that aside, I am concerned that you are already "sneaking" around and doing things totally against the orders of your doctor. The surgery you have coming up will require you to follow very strict rules and guidelines. The band does not make you lose weight. You lose weight by using the band as a tool. However, there are things you have to do to make this happen. You can't just blow them off because you don't like them. I encourage you to really think hard about your readiness for this surgery. Your commitment has to be extremely high and you have to be able to follow the recommendations of your doctor, even if you don't like them, think they're foolish or just don't agree. Also...one of the biggest side effects of untreated apnea is weight gain. Your body knows it's not getting enough rest and it goes into a 'hoarding' phase. Your system thinks it is under attack and it turns virtually everything you eat into surgars to give you energy in case you need it to fight. However, since your system isn't revving up and pouring out the andrenaline, those sugars just sit there, turning to fat. I hope your pulmonologist is right and you "Just need to lose weight" to get rid of the apnea. Good luck to you no matter what you decide.