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People tend to forget or just not realize weight loss is not only a physical change but a mental. Your body has changed faster than your brain has had time to process. That's why photos are always a huge help to help with mental growth. When our minds don't follow our weight loss progress it has been known to slow progress and sometimes cause regression in weight gain. Don't let this happen to you. Losing 140lbs in four months is a lot of weight and I'm sure any psychologist would tell you that your mind has to catch up to your body. I can tell you from a personal experience, the scale means everything to me for psychological reasons. So for me the scale doesn't move, but my clothing sizes do and because I can't see the weight change, I have failed in the past (prior to wls) because of this. Take your time, don't be in a rush to lose the weight and allow your mind and body to change together. You'll find in the long run it's much easier and healthier. But CONGRATS on the huge weightloss, that's amazing.

@@Margie122 Pounds Lost - Pounds to go vases. My best investment from the dollar store You get the satisfaction of sound when you move a stone over to the pounds lost jar..(hate it when I have to move one back for a weight gain. After reaching goal they look pretty and are a great reminder of how far you have come. 2 glass vases 3 Bags of glass stones (any color) 1 pack of peal and stick letters

Did anyone gain weight in the purée stage if so how much?

Sorry to hear you've been in the hospital, there must be something in the air(it couldn't be we're making poor food choices,) I too gained weight for the first time , it's been my biggest fear, I guess the real test is how we deal with the weight gain. Good luck & I hope you feel better soon Peace,Mary

Hi. I am almost a month out and I am having energy issues. By the end of the day, I am exhausted. It has, to be fair gotten better, but i just don't know how to better manage my food or Vitamins to get to somewhat normal energy levels. I have lost about 20 pounds from the day of surgery ( including post surgery weight gain ). I look different and my clothes are falling off of me. I feel like I can't enjoy the new me quite as much as I would have thought. The nutritionist told me to eat more and workout less ( which is a dream to hear ), but I don't feel right and my work is starting to suffer due to lack of interest and motivation. I feel bored, and I don't know why. I assume that it's due to lack of energy and lack of mental clarity. Any suggestions on foods that may help pick me up?

I would call the insurance company’s member services and have the rep send you the coding for bariatric surgery documentation. Sometimes member service doesn’t explain everything to you over the phone. There might be an alternative to get around stuff. For example, I had to choose between a six months diet with an A*** network dietitian or have a private bariatric dietitian for three months. I choose to see the private dietitian which I had to pay out of pocket first. I also had to get two years documentation of my BMI being over 50 but dietitian and staff worked really fast with pre-certification process. They clue me in with a lot of stuff. Did you go to the GYN; they probably have your weight information in their records? If you just type a really nice report with your weight gains with photos stamp dates and weight related illnesses including irregular periods. List Current Year: 2008 Weight: ______________ Year: 2007 Weight: ______________ Year: 2006 Weight: ______________ Year: 2005 Weight: ______________ Year: 2004 Weight: ______________ Year: 2003 Weight: ______________ Name every type(s) of diet(s), if any, have you followed in the past. Alternative Medicine, Fad Diets, Overeaters Anonymous, Jenny Craig, Over the Counter Diet pills Like you mention, froggi1975 the doctor couldn't weight you because the scale never went high enough to get your weight. He should have sent you to another doctor if he didn't have the tools to treat you properly. Never settle for bad health care service. Remember you pay them! Try sending the insurance company all this information – sometimes it helps. You can always appeal and appeal the decision. From the insurance perspective, weight loss surgery has always been considered “medically necessary.” This means that weight loss surgery is not considered cosmetic but rather is performed to decrease the health risks associated with severe obesity. Lastly you can always try to finance it at www.capitalonehealthcarefinance.com Hope this helps!

I had my band done in Oct last year and starting in Nov, began having these horrible pains once or twice a month that would last anywhere 4rom 15 min to 12 hrs. I thought maybe I was getting food stuck but I find out 5 months later that it's been gallbladder attacks. I ended up having 2 b admitted a week after I was diagnosed with gallstones in the ER due 2 the fact that I had another attack that weekend at which time 5 stones had passed through and became stuck in my common bile duct. ouch !!!! :eek: I had my band unfilled so they could do an endoscopic procedure 2 remove the stones, then 2 days later had the gallbladder removed. I was in the hospital 4 a total of 4 days..one of which was my birthday. What a way 2 spend it.:thumbup: During my time in the hospital, I wasn't allowed 2 eat or drink for about 4 days. That was rough. Prior 2 going in for all of this drama, I had been stuck 4 about 3 weeks at the same weight which is typical 4 me. I'll not loose weekly but instead every 2 or 3 weeks, then 2 or 3lbs will come off. A couple of days after the gallbladder removal 4 lbs came off. I thought, finally. A week later another pound, a bonus. Must've been the 4 day starvation. But now about 3 weeks post op, I've put back on the 5lbs. granted my band isn't filled but my diet hasn't changed. What the heck's going on? I've heard that people sometimes put on weight after this type of surgery but I'm already on a low fat diet and I have a band so why did I gain? I'm gonna get refilled halfway 2 what I was this Tues. I'm gonna b sure 2 ask my Dr. if weight gain is normal and will I gain more. I hope not, I'll b so mad !! Anyone else have this happen 2 them?

that weight gain you get from weight training is temporary. Or temporary as long as you don't increase your eating. It's just muscle development (and as you know, muscle weighs more than fat). Having more muscle increases your metabolism, so if your calories stay the same, you'll eventually start LOSING weight. Or so they say...

So I am 12 days post op and have done okay with the weight loss. But today when I weighed myself I gained 1.5 lbs from yesterday. I've been trying not to weigh myself daily but over the past few days I have not moved the scale so I was curious and saw the gain. I'm doing everything they tell me to do. I want to cry!

Hang in there, I'm right behind you time wise, but you are way ahead of me weight loss wise. So be proud of that fact! I see that you are only in your 30's. Could the weight gain be due to it being that time or near that time of the month? I don't have that excuse any more. :scared2:

Hey all, I've been lurking a little bit, just trying to educate myself on the surgery. If it says anything about me, I'm not too worried about most of the side effects except hair loss...LOL! I haven't chosen a surgeon but plan on flying into San Diego. I've been talking to Janese at A Lighter You and thankfully she's not high pressure. She suggested I schedule in April or May while the doctors were running specials, but I have two large conventions to attend in May and can't see myself sipping protien drink at the banquets. LOL! I'm roughly 100 pounds over, and have been on WW many times, Medi fast, Spark People...I'm sure there's other plans. Initially I lose a little and stop. I think that's because I can't really exercise hard...given my weight my feet are breaking down and I have back issues. Its only been this last 10 pounds gained that my BP has begun to rise so that has me worried. I'm a writer so my day job is very sedentry. My weight gain started about 20 years ago following an accident and has just been such a burden. Any wisdom and advice would be appreciated, and if you have a doctor you just love, let me know. I'm looking at scheduling in June. Belinda

Hello all! I am coming up to my 3rd & final weight loss management class. I am having to have my PCP weigh me after each class & fax it over to my surgeon's office. On my last weight management weigh in I was up 5 lbs from my first weigh in. Now Im afraid that the insurance may deny me for gaining while on the 3 month weight management program. I am dieting like crazy so I can be down some on my final weigh in on August 9th. Do insurance companies get paticular in the weight gain or loss during those 3 months? I'm unfamilair with this. Thank you for your insight!

Yay! Its going to be a good august. Not only that but hopefully no holiday weight gain. I'm super excited to get this done before the holidays. I don't want them centered around food anymore! Good look to both of you too!

Thanks for the input and questions. I don't count calories because the NUT instructed the class to focus on low carb high Protein. I have looked back at what I have eaten for the past week and the calories are around 1000. I swim laps in the community pool (big) and alternate the breast stroke, side stroke, back stroke and don't coast after turning. My main concern is the low protein (yes the weight gain is bothersome but if I am not absorbing the protein consumed I worry that I will become malnourished) I am not against increasing my protein intake, actually I have tried adding addition protein Snacks to get up to 100 gm of protein. I managed to get to goal one day but I was eating almost constantly. I had to stay aware of the time and make the snacks in advance so they were handy. Eating constantly is not a lifestyle I want to adopt and taking food with me when running errands is not especially convenient.

I only gained 12 - 14 lbs with my last three kids. They wete fine. 2 came out 9 lbs and they took the othrr early bc I had a history of *** babies. I did not have the band then but I was careful on my weight gain. Congrats on your pregnancy!

I was banded a week before you and have not lost nearly as much weight - you are doing a great job. Weight gain might just be fluid retention - a few extra carbs over the weekend or maybe some annoying hormones? Perhaps give it another week and see if things go back to normal - you might get a nice surprise and a sudden big drop next time.

I was wondering if gaining back a couple pounds is an indication that I may need an adjustment. My last adjustment was in July, I went in August but the doctor didn't give me a fill. I am scheduled for another fill on the 25th of this month. Over this Labor Day weekend I did eat differently than I normally eat. Aside from my normal Breakfast and lunch the following is what I had for supper. For example; I went to a friends house on Saturday for dinner. She served Vietmanese food. Spicy shrimp with rice and Pho (a Soup mainly made out of chicken broth, bean sprouts, and rice noodles) a bite of eggplant and literally a bite of an ice cream pie. (I might mention non of it was measured except for the dessert) Sunday my step daughter was over for her birthday, I prepared bbq baby back ribs, shells and cheese, corn on the cob, biscuits and of course birthday cake. I however, had 3 baby back ribs, 1/2 ear of corn with butter spray, and 1/2 of a biscuit, with again literally one bite of cake. Monday I was back on track eating what I normally eat and measuring portions exact. I did exercise this weekend once, 70 minutes of uphill walking (I live in the mountains). Anyhow with what I have eaten over the weekend do you think maybe that is why I had gained some weight back?

RNYTalk Newsletter By Hey, RNYTalk members!Thanksgiving is behind us and the holiday season is officially underway! Filled with holiday shopping, festivities at work and spending time with friends and family, this time of year is can be the most rewarding. It can be hectic, too, so paying extra attention to your diet and health is even more important than usual. Use this newsletter as a reminder and some motivation to be extra cautious with your choices so that you can keep seeing the results you want from your weight loss journey. Here’s what’s coming up in this newsletter. Member Spotlight: Meet kristy3k! Tips for the Season: Thriving at Holiday Parties! Member Challenge: Activate Your Party Action Plan! A Big Thank-You to Our Members as 2012 Ends We know the hustle and bustle of this season make your life busy, but we hope you spend part of your holiday season with us at Alex Brecher Founder RNYTalk.com Member Spotlight: Meet kristy3k! Our Member Spotlight this month is on kristy3k from Oklahoma. Kristy3k has a family that many people only dream of: she has been married for 21 years and she has a 19-year-old daughter, a 15-year-old son and a 12-year-old son. She works as a USPS worker. As she says, she played the “constant blame game” for years as she blamed her weight gain first on her pregnancies and then on her night-shift job. Her wake-up call came when her father passed away last July. Finally, kristy3k realized that she needed to take control of what she could – her weight. Her high weight was 340 pounds. After a lot of research – including many hours lurking on RNYTalk.com! - kristy3k got the gastric bypass done in February of this year. Since then, she’s lost 149 pounds and is well on her way to her goal weight of 165 pounds. She tells us that she’s had so many highlights in her life since the surgery! Just a few include not having to use the handicapped stall in public restrooms because she couldn’t fit in regular stalls; not being out of breath all the time; and not being the “fat mom.” She gets a kick out of her kids telling her she’s skinny, and one of her greatest moments was when her husband was able to wrap his arms around her again. Throughout the process, kristy3k has gained a lot of self-esteem and general happiness. She still wonders how she let herself get so big in the first place, but she’s determined to continue her weight loss journey. She loves RNYTalk.com because she can get information and inspiration from it anytime. Everyone on the boards is “so upbeat.” Kristy3k is modest enough to say that she is hesitant to offer weight loss tips, but she suggests eating your Protein, drinking your Water, exercising and above all, being patient! We know you’re doing all of those things, kristy3k, and thanks for sharing them and your story with us! Please post in the food choices. Holiday parties can interfere with your best intentions to stay on track. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, parties can be regular events at work and the homes of family and friends. Frequently overeating can not only derail your weight loss, but also lead to bypass-related complications, such as dumping syndrome. Whether you’re a weight loss surgery veteran or this is your first holiday after getting the surgery, these tips can help you enjoy the holiday parties without doing damage to your diet. Eat before you go. You don’t want to go into the party on an empty stomach. If you’re starving when you get to the party, you might be tempted to grab whatever’s available – which probably won’t be that healthy. Enjoy the party. The holidays should be about appreciating people. Use parties as opportunities to spend time with coworkers and other people who mean a lot to you. Focus on enjoying the party, not on hiding yourself in the food. Take care of yourself. Make sure there’s something at the party that you can eat. One option is to pack a high-protein snack or two for yourself and eat it when it’s time for your regular meal or snack. You can also take a healthy dish for the host to serve at the party. Sip water. Carrying a glass of water around gives you something to do without adding any calories to your day. Another benefit of drinking water is that you know you shouldn’t eat solid foods when you’re drinking fluids. Avoid alcohol. Alcohol is a source of calories that you just don’t need. Worse yet is that it lowers your inhibition. That means that you’re less likely to resist unhealthy holiday foods. Member Challenge: Activate Your Holiday Action Plan! This newsletter’s challenge is related to our advice on holiday parties. The challenge is to choose a specific strategy designed to get you through the holidays without interfering with your weight loss goals. You can take one of the suggestions listed above, or choose your own. Some other ideas are to keep healthy Snacks at work so you’re not tempted by unhealthy snacks and to record each treat that you eat in your food record instead of pretending that it doesn’t count. Tell us in the Member Challenge Forum how you complete the challenge! Was it easy or difficult? What tips do you have for other RNYTalk.com members? We also want to know anytime you go back and complete an old Newsletter Challenge, which you can find in the archived Newsletter Forum. It’s never too late to try a Newsletter Challenge! A Big Thank-You to Our Members as 2012 Ends As we close out 2012, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank each member. We truly appreciate your support. We value each member, whether you post many times a day and use all of RNYTalk.com’s many features, or whether you log in infrequently to read just a few posts. You, the members, are essential to RNYTalk.com’s success, so a heartfelt thank-you to each of you! 2012 has seen rapid increases in the number of members, the beginning of regular newsletters and the launch of mobile apps to access all of the forum’s features. Big plans are in the works for the coming year, and it promises to be an exciting ride. We’re glad to have you on board! Of course, we’re always open to member suggestions, so please feel free to contact any board administrator. That’s it for this month’s newsletter. We hope it was inspirational and helpful. Have a safe and peaceful holiday season, and take care of yourself and each other, Alex ==============================================================If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: {unsubscribe}

So weight is up on these day more today than yesterday!!! Normal??

I got my APAP machine in January 2013 and have never slept better. I wish I'd have gone for my sleep study long before that. All those years without sleep really was one of my biggest contributors to my weight gain. Getting clearance for surgery from my pulmonary doctor was a requirement for WLS. When I had my upper GI endoscopy and when I had my WLS the hospital told me to bring my hose and mask with me. They said they had machines and would adjust the pressures as needed. But in both cases it was never used. Funny thing is when I went in for my surgery this past Monday I was admitted to the hospital for the night and it wouldn't have mattered if I had used the machine. They never let me get any sleep anyway. I was getting poked, prodded and checked every 15 minutes by one member of the staff or another. It ends up that I had become famous with the surgical staff since I woke up during the surgery and started having a conversation with the surgeon. I don't remember a dang thing, but I guess it freaked them out a bit.

That's interesting, because my doctor won't set the date until everything else is in place. I got my insurance approval in just one week. I do all my pre-op testing and blood work next week. Then, I see the surgeon and we set the date! I am hoping for the week of Dec. 16th, but we will see! So tips to get your primary doc to support you include the following: 1. Discussion of past attempts to lose weight and the outcomes of that over time. For me, each attempt eventually resulted in gaining MORE weight back than I had lost on various plans. So years of yo yo dieting is considered to be very bad. 2. Progressive weight gain year over year as you've aged. 3. Actual or emerging health concerns caused by or increased by being obese. 4. Physical and life limitations caused by your weight. 5. Therapist, family and or friend support of your weight loss goals. Hope this helps. Good luck!

Madigan is a great hospital. I'm a military wife also, and if you get the referral to the weight loss surgery program, you're already approved. You'll have to go through their "program" of nutrition visits etc. but you start out with an approval and the only thing that'll get you kicked out of the program is weight gain. You don't have to lose weight, but you can not gain weight. That's it!

This may or may not be a stupid question but during my 6mth pre op diet can my weight fluctuate? I weighed 272 at my initial visit I'm 5'8" that puts my BMI at 41.3 today was my 2nd mth visit I've gained 11lbs! They have me so stressed about not going under a 40 BMI that I'm gaining weight like crazy. So Dr is saying just don't go under the 40 BMI which will put my weight right at 263, so it's ok to go up and down right? But I should weigh less than my initial visit?

Bariatric surgery is every bit as much "weight gain prevention surgery" as it is "weight loss surgery." If you can document a history of morbid obesity, there's absolutely no reason an insurance company would deny you because you suddenly lost a bunch of weight. Your history would prove conclusively that you WILL gain it all back. Conversely, if you don't have a history of morbid obesity, and you just put on a bunch of weight in the last year or so, no insurance company would approve you because it's still possible the weight gain is temporary and your dieting will be successful.

Thank you Anaxila, your suggestions are very helpful! I'm 42, our profiles are very similar. I haven't heard of the DVDs you suggested I'll check them out. I'm planning on going to the Y, I just have to get over the intimidation factor of the whole bathing suit thing. It's been such a cycle for me of gaining weight and wanting to isolate because of my appearance which contributes to my weight gain and on and on. I'm ready to step off of this ride!