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I complained to a friend about my latest plateau and she sent me the following. By Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS When you're trying to lose weight, the question isn't whether or not you'll hit a plateau, it's when. Plateaus are like bad weather on a long hike: it's inevitable that you'll run into it, but knowing that in advance won't make it one bit less frustrating or annoying when it happens. Cheer up! Since plateaus are as common as rain, we have a pretty good idea what to do about them. At least one of the following techniques should help you break through a plateau and start losing again. 1. Be a Calorie Detective When clients tell me they've stopped losing weight, the first thing I ask is this: how many calories a day are you eating? Calories have a way of creeping up while we're not paying attention. Be brutally honest with yourself: food diary for a while is a great way to monitor this. And yes, sodas and alcoholic beverages count! A good calorie goal for dieters is your target weight times 10. 2. Change It Up When you're not making gains in an exercise program you change your routine. Same holds true with your eating plan. Low-carbers could go higher carb for a few days, high-carbers might switch to a plan like shake things up. 3. Try a Temporary Ban Food sensitivities can cause weight gain and bloat, and the frustrating thing is that most of us don't always know which foods are the culprits. So play the odds. Highest on the list of "usual suspects" are grains (wheat in particular), dairy and sugar. Temporarily ban all three and see what happens. 4. Take Your Workout Up a Notch Forget the "fat burning zone." High intensity intervals -- 30 to 60 seconds -- are the wave of the future. If you're accustomed to level three on your cardio machine, ramp it up to level 6 for a minute then slow down, catch your breath and repeat. Ever see a sprinter with love handles? Protein Studies show that higher protein diets make it easier to lose fat. Protein boosts the metabolism (in one study as much as 100 percent for 24 hours), and increases satiety, making it more likely that you won't overeat. A higher protein diet could be just what you need to break that plateau. 7. Try a Detox Unsupervised fasting is a really bad idea, but the idea of giving your system a rest makes sense. Try a "smart fast" of nothing but fruits and vegetables for a couple of days. The added Fiber is always helpful, and the massive amount of nutrients and phytochemicals is like "spring cleaning" for your sleep or medication. Take a look at what else is going on in your life that might need attention. Sometimes when you clean up the problems in one area of your life, problems in other areas just naturally take care of themselves. Anyone else out there struggling with a plateau? Some of these ideas might not be best for bandsters (i.e., instense workouts for newer bandsters), but it did give me cause to change my exercise time to evenings and decrease soy consumption.

I think you are reading too much into my reply. It was meant as an example not a rule of thumb. My own experience is what I based it on but I am only 6 years out so am not an expert. I DO know you CAN stretch your stomach back to what it was before VSG , I do know that going back to old habits can cause weight gain, I do know that some foods can trigger old habits and I do know that some types of food trigger a body response to crave more of that type of food. the easiest way to continue to lose weight is to stay on the program given to you by your DR and not stray. If your Dr says pizza, beer and pasta is ok then go for it.

I have a 10cc standard band as well, and I have been banded almost 2yrs and I have less than 5ccs in my band. I have learned from experiences it's never good to be too tight. When someone becomes too tight it encourage poor food choices and you run the risk of developing reflux issues (not fun at all). I have found for (me) that my success came from learning when enough was enough and not to take that next bit of food. A band is a tool and it 's not going to do the work for you. Yes, some people do gain for several different reasons. It could be water weight/ slider foods that may be higher in calories. You just need to look at all the different thigns that is going on with you to determine what's causes your weight gain. Also, do you work at ? Good luck. Always remember that more in your band don't mean more weight lost! Everyone's tolerance is totally different.

I had gastric bypass on march 2013 I gained weight back how can I lose it again?

While I have not experienced this my cousin has & I know she to is struggling with wt gain I think u almost have to give urself a lil mental "check" and tell urself u r going to recommit & that it is worth it! Don't beat urself up to bad about the weight gain. Remember that u have kept 30 lbs off! Way to go! R u still tracking ur food? If not start. R u exercisin? If not start. I hope the fill helps u...

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:

Hi... My name is linda...I've been approved for lap band surgery and my surgery date is Nov 14. I've been "going through the process" since January. I thought I wouldn't get the surgery until next year. So I'm a little shocked that it is happening so soon. But I'm happy! I found out three days ago, and ever since I've been eating like crazy. I guess it's the "Last Supper" syndrome. I weigh 265, the highest weight I have ever been in my entire life. I had two babies fourteen months apart, and it took a real toll on me. But most of my weight gain is due to overeating. Like most of you I have been on diets most of my life. The most I ever lost was 40 lbs five years ago. I dieted (low fat) and exercised (walking and lifting weights), but couldn't maintain it and gained it all back and quite a bit more. My surgeon is Dr. Bonanni in Reading, PA. I'm a sahm with four children. I look forward to reading the posts here and posting myself! Linda

@@dohickey01 When you are in a place to begin a new, healthier, happier, safer lifestyle, I believe it is always best to be completely honest. Many of our lives have included traumatic events that, eventually, cause us to begin turning towards food for comfort/peace/friendship/an outlet, etc. If we don't include psych help to deal with our issues that may, in fact, have helped/caused our eating disorder we may never be successful in our weight loss journey. The surgery causes us to eat less for a period of time. It does not resolve our emotional eating issues. When you come out of surgery those issues will still be there and you will still want/try to eat because of them. In my opinion - THAT is even a worse situation causing even greater anguish and, yet another, emotional issue. I say that because you will not be able to eat much, but will still try because of your long standing habit. Also because - if you persist - you will eventually be able to eat more which will cause the weight regain. Perhaps you've heard of the percentage of people who were unsuccessful in spite of the surgery. That may be because they had not dealt with some emotional issues that had to do with eating. I realize many of us just want the surgery by any means necessary, but if we truly want to be healthy, happy and successful in our long-term weight loss, I think we must deal with the deep down issues that may have played a part in the weight gain. I hope this makes sense and helps in some way. Blessings to you in your life AND weight loss.

I am now 19 days post op and have been doing great. I got on the scale this morning and I have gained 4 pounds! WTF? I don't know what I have done wrong. I haven't changed anything. Last night at work I kind of advanced myself to a regular diet, lol. I ate a very small "sandwich". I had a small strip of lettuce with about a teaspoon of pureed chicken salad, a small square of Colby jack cheese and a small amount of mustard, 3 whole grain chips and about a tablespoon of salsa. I did great with it. Went down and stayed down. Then today I had about 2 oz of grilled chicken and about 3 oz of broiled seasoned veggies (carrots zucchini and green beans) then for supper tonight I had 8 oz of low-fat chili with beans and about 1 oz of shredded cheddar cheese. I don't think I have done too bad since advancing myself. Has anyone else experienced a weight gain when returning to regular foods? I am such a worry wart and want to do everything right with this band and use it to the best of my advantage. My doc's protocol is that his patients wait 6 weeks for a fill. So I have 3 more weeks to go until I can have a fill. Am I stressing too much? Its very discouraging to see the scale trying to creep back up on me.

Hello angry. I feel u totally!! I too feel like eating, not binging, but eating as I've always done up until my 2 week preop diet. But, my doc, after weighing me our first visit, both he nd his nurse said, from now on u can't gain anymore weight, why? Uk, I've been maintaining this weight for a while now, dropping her or there, but now since they've said that, I'm paranoid about gaining b4 my surgery and I don't have a frekn date yet!!! It makes me so angry, I'm gonna ask them about that my next visit! I'm glad I'm not the only one but I do agree that u shud stop drinking cuz that's prob harder to stop just cold turkey, smoking as well. I don't mind the two week thing so much, yet, lol, but to say no more weight gain and not have a date or finish the visits, what is his point? hmph!!

I had a hysterectomy before my sleeve. I have been on hrt for a little over a yr and I know it causes weight gain. Im losing weight but compared to others im losing slowly. I can't get off my hrt because of awful menopause symptoms (even though I still have both ovaries and hormone levels test normal) Are y'all on hrt? highest weight 224#<br />sx weight 212# (11/20/12)<br />current weight 180#(2/8)

Mine is unfilled completely for another surgery I had a few months ago and my eating habits have not returned to preband days - but I had great restriction for over five years. At the moment, I plan on leaving it unfilled, but I wouldnt take it out - it pleased me to know that its there if I need it - and truthfully, I am not 100% confident about why I have been able to maintain a very low weight without restriction - I'm having chemo, have had major abdominal surgery, etc and although my appetite has remained healthy and I eat a good solid 3 meals a day, and have to use willpower to fight head hunger between meals, I'd want to be pretty sure that I could do it much longer term before I removed my band. Besides, its not doing any harm in there, so why would I have more surgery? It is generally designed to stay there long term and statistics show that if its removed, weight gain almost certainly follows.

Thanks for the responses guys... Carol - This is exactly what my parents are saying about it. I know that I feel in a way that I can't control what I eat and that's a problem. The thing that is annoying me is that it's really hard to control not eating junk when it's being forced upon you all around the place. It's on the TV, when you go out it's all around you. And the healthy food when you go out is actually more expensive than the junk food in some ways. Unless I go to the supermarket and do stuff from home that is. And this is what is freaking me out as well. I'm really scared because if I can't control what I'm eating now then what makes me think that I can do it with the band? The band is meant to stop me from doing it, but if you can get around that then what's to say I can't just keep going the way I am going now? I hate feeling like the "big" person wherever I go. Especially if I go out to eat somewhere. And I don't want to die at 40 either. And I also have PCOS, which a side effect is Weight Gain, which is why I have been steadily gaining weight from when I was a teenager to now, I have never been this heavy before. I have alot of lower back problems as well. And people keep saying if I get banding that is going to go away. But I'm still worried that I'm going to find another way around the band. LilMisfit - I'd love to chat with you. My email address is Brumbie06@hotmail.com if you want to email me. It would be nice to have another perspective.

Since often our bodies synthesize D from sunshine, living here in sunny south texas I think it's pretty uncommon. You do know that with insufficient D you also run the risk of Calcium problems because your body needs D to process calcium.... That being said, I think both weight loss and weight gain are complex issues with many many facets. Many things can cause rapid gain or slow loss; it isn't just "calories in vs energy used" like they used to think. Whether D was slowing your loss or not, it's good it's been found and you're "fixing" the problem. I take a supplement with TONS of D in it but even at that, without adequate sunshine the body can't process it properly...so it's good to be aware.

Portion control, and getting enough Protein are necessary to maintain weight loss. I know that if I am not getting enough protein, my weight loss stalls. Try not to get angry at yourself; the scale will fluctuate. You're doing the right thing to look for the reasons and the solution for the weight gain. Follow the rules, measure everything, exercise, and the weight will come off... Best wishes...

If you don't mind me asking what was the reason, weight gain? Also how do they perform it? Did insurance cover it? Thank you

I am not a nutritionist nor have I had the surgery yet... But my advice would be to really try to get in your water.. If you don't drink enough water, your body will start to retain what little water you DO take in.. So drink lotsa water so you won't have any water weight gain

Hi my name is stacie I live on the coast of ms I'm going for pre op blossom work this week have been approved for by pass I'm so excited can't wait wish they would give me a date already I'm a supervisor in retail an need to be at work for holidays I've read n read everything on here an other places watched you tube video I'm so ready just concern of the excess skin watched video of it really freaked me out but I have been the big girl all my.life lost weight gained it back you know so I'm really ready to.make this work an excited to begin my journey to a better me I have pinch nerves in neck on both sides an back pain hope this helps high blood pressure an joint pain my highest was 309 in 08 taking care of my mother dieing I weigh 265 now lost 10 lbs last month yea

There are about 1001 methods of birth control and most are healthier than depo which can also contribute to weight gain. Depo seriously depletes your bones of calcium and if you are under 29 years old it can prevent your bones from EVER maxing out your bone density. You should discuss the benefits and risks of each with your doctor. There are several low dose birth control pills, iuds, and many other methods. I believe there is also a low dose weekly patch version of "the pill." If you are capable of getting a period you can conceive. You can also be fertile for several weeks before you actually get a period if you are coming off depo. So please consider one hormonal method (patch, ring, pill) and one barrier method (condoms, diaphragm, etc), and/or an iud. IUDs are THE most effective form of birth control out there. Of course consult with your Dr. for what is best for you.

Well, remember 1st and foremost that you will go through phases and hormonal changes monthly can cause weight gain. I tried to keep this in mind when I saw the scale go up a pound or two....just wait it out. Having a fill doesn't mean you are adjusted to the correct amount. You may have to go back for another fill. We all hope we can be lucky enough to not have even 1 fill! Or hoping the first fill does the trick...but often times it does not. Just enjoy yourself these next four weeks before you see your doc again for another adjustment. Meantime, try to re-learn how to eat. Get a jump on a new way of eating for nutrition and wellness. pizza is a tough one...was my toughest. I would eat a bite...and then rationalize I could eat more/alot more and just slime it up. Yep, my children hated it when I ate pizza!

Do you find yourself stress eating, comfort eating or even boredom eating during your workday? That's emotional eating. Emotional eating is the eating that happens when you're procrastinating tackling a difficult project, struggling with writer's block, or avoiding a difficult conversation. Emotional eating also happens when we're trying to transform our feelings-like munching mindlessly in the late afternoon in an attempt to perk up or re-motivate. Emotional eating is a major cause of weight gain, weight loss difficulties, and weight re-gain after weight loss. It can be a major issue for many busy business owners and professionals who feel like they are facing a mounting to-do list, challenging projects, financial challenges, and too-little time. Before you reach for a snack-here are three ways to avoid emotional eating during your work day and build skills and awareness that will help you take charge of future challenges with emotional eating. 1. Identify Emotional Eating Lots of emotional eating happens without paying a lot of attention. When we eat without our full awareness we eat more, we often make poor choices, and we don't even fully taste and enjoy what we are eating. Don't put food where you can reach for it mindlessly. Use strategies that maximize your awareness of what you are doing-don't eat while you are working-in fact, set a personal policy of not multitasking at all while you eat. If you are feeling cravings or urges to eat that aren't hunger-driven, say what you know about what's going on-actually say it out loud (and without judgment). "I'm not physically hungry but all I can think about are those brownies in the kitchen. Something is triggering me to think about eating even though I don't need fuel right now." You might feel silly, but don't skip this step. If you are surrounded by other people and you can't really talk to yourself, pull out a piece of paper and write it down. Don't worry if you don't know anything more than "I'm not really hungry, but I want to eat." 2. Be Curious About Your Craving That urge to eat probably didn't pop up out of nowhere. The five minutes (or less) it takes to stop and explore what's going on will be worth it. See if you can identify what your craving is really about. Pull out a journal or type on your computer for a few minutes (yes, I know you're busy. Just take a FEW minutes). If you can, you might want to go for a short walk while you think. Why is eating suddenly so appealing? What was happening before you were thinking of it? What would you be doing or thinking of if you weren't focused on eating? What makes this hour different from one when food wasn't calling to you? Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and notice what comes to you. If you figure anything out, be direct with yourself and put it into words. "I'm not hungry but I'm focusing on eating candy. I just realized it's because I'm really stressed out about this presentation I need to get done and I'm worried about whether it will be good enough" If you hit pay dirt here, you'll now find you have a different problem. The problem isn't really about eating or not eating, it's figuring out how to take care of yourself and the feelings or issues you just identified. Sometimes, simply identifying the real cause of your hunger will be enough to shift how you feel. Sometimes you'll need to move to a strategy that addresses the real need or issue. 3. Create Options It's much easier not to turn to food if you have a plan for what you can do instead. Take the information you have gathered and start developing a list of everything you can think of that you could do to take care of that feeling or need in addition to eating. It's not about NOT eating, it's about figuring out what you can do INSTEAD. Take a break, switch tasks, drink a glass of Water, go wash your hands and put on lotion, commit to spending fifteen minutes on the task you are avoiding....You get the idea. Put the list somewhere where you can see it and can add ideas as you think of them. Don't censor your ideas for being unrealistic or impossible. Write down every strategy (big or small) you can think of to do in response to worry or anxiety or tiredness or boredom (or whatever you have identified). Make a commitment to try two of those things, this week when the emotional eating urge hits and tweak your list as you go. Are you a smart, busy woman struggling with emotional eating, overeating, and balancing work and life? Claim your free psychologist-designed audio series: “5 Simple Steps to Move Beyond Overwhelm With Food and Life” at http://TooMuchOnHerPlate.com Just look for the yellow post-it note at the top of the page Melissa McCreery, PhD, ACC, is a Psychologist, ICF Certified Life Coach, emotional eating expert, and the founder of http://toomuchonherplate.com, a company dedicated to providing smart resources to busy women struggling with food, weight and overwhelm.

Well, today I saw the Endo, but it didn't go quite how I would have liked. Becaue I don't have the strechmarks, and because I work out I don't have the thin arms and legs, he doesn't think I have cushings, but he ordered the 24 hour urine test and three other tests. (my husband has my PDA with that information). I do know they are testing my testosterone because of the increased body hair, the increased facial hair (6 laser hair removal treatments and it is all growing back) and the male patterned baldnes, he thinks I might have something wrong, like a masculinizing tumor, but probably not cushings. He wasn't interested in my sudden and unexplained weight gains, my fatigue, or my inability to lose weight. I think the man weighs 150 soaking wet. He's going to send me to a doctor that specializes in metabolic issues, although she mostly sees professional atheletes. He kept refering to me being obese (no kidding) and thinks that is why I'm having all the problems. He thinks I should work harder at losing weight. (hello! I had WLS for crying out loud, I work out, and I've managed to lose 15 pounds net since April. I'm not terribly optimistic, but he didn't dismiss me altogether either. He did tell me to stop taking the thyroid medication. He looked at my test results from Jan and couldn't believe the other doctor put me on thyroid medication. This doesn't mean that I don't have Cushing's, it just means that I won't know until after I get the test results back from the lab, and until I finish peeing in a bottle for 24 hours. Oh joy that one... I just sort of thought that after reading all that I've been able to read about Cushing's that some of the major symptoms that I have would have been looked at, and not brushed aside. He wasn't interested in my journals, my before and now pix to see the difference and I was disapointed at that. The Cushings's board said to bring all that stuff, and he didn't even want to see any of it.

The medical issue is major depression and anxiety. I've tried going of the meds over the past 10 years but it always ended in a mental breakdown so I'm not trying that again. Even with the meds I'm so so.. But I have a wife and 4 kids and got to keep on jugging onwards. Yes the weight came on in the first two years and I've been steady at 270 for the post 8 years. Doctor says my blood work shows fatty liver which would be good if I were a duck and very high cholesterol. I really want to do the sleeve if it will help me get on the right path but it's so expensive in the states..... Regarding taking took the shrink about the weight gain.... My exclusive is that they just look at the DSM and quote "you shouldn't have weight gain" they are pompous.

haha...that is so funny. there are some days where I have no desire to eat at all, and my kids are like.....mom whats for dinner? the good part for me is that my kids are old enough to cook some things on their own. most of the times I manage to feed them just fine. the thing that is really hard for them to deal with is that I am not buying junk anymore. they are going through withdrawls. haha I used to spend about 600-800 a month on food for a family of 5....now I spend about 300! my grocery bill is definatly better now, but they are like.....we dont have anything good to eat. I say....um yeah there is tons of good stuff to eat, just none of the junk anymore. my husband has involuntarily lost 20 pounds since my surgery. lol he was not overweight at all btw, but now he is at the low end of healthy weight for his height. my kids are not losing any weight though...as a matter of fact my son has put on 30 pounds this year! he isnt fat, but i am always on him about how much he eats, and exercising because i dont want him to have the same problems with weight that I did. he is 13 now and going through puberty, and that is the only reason im not totally freaking out about his weight gain. good luck in making sure your kid doesnt starve lol

Hi. I am 7 almost 8 mos post surgery. My weight loss has been great. Each visit I've lost weight and completely excited about it. Today I was going through some clothing that I thought were too big based off of size. Putting each item on i became more and more frustrated. Then I went and tried in things that I've been wearing all of the time now and are a little bit snug. I am now terrified that I have gained weight. Everyone around me is saying I am overreacting. But it all feels very real to me. So much so that I am just drinking Protein shakes and shrimp and vegetables. I plan on spending extra time in the gym. Anyone else going these "struggles"? What did yours end up being? What can I do? Sent from my SM-G935P using the BariatricPal App