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June 05 2012... Is a Day i will Always remember is the Day i took the big Decision to stop my Overweight... Today 1 year Later i feel GREAT to be here with more Energy.. I was 258 pounds with a terrible hormone imbalance, my weight gain was after so many meds to try to conceive a Baby... That was my life Struggle, i was never a skinny Girl. But neither as big as i was... Unti one day i said ENOUGH and made the decision to Stop, today 1 year later i am almost my 100 less, with a much better health, no more PCOS in my LIFE.... Today i acomplish a Goal, setting a new one!!! Keep it off and work hard!!!

How often do you do cardio? Have you ever experienced a weight gain after doing a week of cardio? I have noticed when I bumped up my cardio I have gained 3 pounds..I dont get it.. I know muscle weighs more than fat..but I could not of gained 3 lbs o muscle in one week. Does anyone have any suggestions?/ and what do you eat for breakfast....do you eat oly three meals ...any snacks?

I haven't made my decision which surgery is best for me. Has anyone started to regain or not lose the desired amount of weight before 1 to 2 years post- op Sent from my 5056N using the BariatricPal App

Be nice to yourself, it looks like you are early in this journey and that is the hardest part! There will be a day when a restaurant serving of egg fu yung would last you a week if you ate it at every meal! Even if there are set backs (there willl be) or Christmas weight gain, I always tell people in a year or two none of it will matter and you will barely remember it! I know I agonized over every choice and every pound but now in maintenance I really dont! It has become easy and that will happen for you too!!

I weigh every morning, every night. If you understand how food, exercise, fluids affect your body you won't go mental over a few lbs here and there. If you don't weigh but once a week and you're up 5 lbs at the end of the week, how do you know which foods affected your weight gain? Quick gains of 1-3 lbs are often just the body retaining water from exercise, sodium or too many carbs and can be easily shed by changing our sodium or carb intake.

I was sleeved in 12/2012 and converted to bypass on 8/14. I went from 240-lowest 166. In July I was 166 using phentermine but have since gained 17 lbs since July. Had an upper GI don't and the area btwn small bowel and stomach has stretched. I go back in 1/25 to discuss options bc of cravings and weight gain. I feel like a failure. Who has 2 weight lose surgeries and can't maintain. I do eat fairly well and work out 5 days a week. I also had twins in oct 2015 so I'm always busy!! Any questions, comments or concerns welcome! Be nice please! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

So happy to hear from everybody! Prior to making the changes, I gained 10 lbs. I haven't been able to lose them yet with a better diet and exercise but I can say with all honesty that I feel better, mentally and physically. It's really hard to deal with weight gain after having been through so much. I really need to focus on losing it the right way now. Thanks for the replys!

Choose one day of the week for weigh day and stick to it. You are stressing over .2 and .4 weight gain. Think about it, is it really that significant? Unless you are weighing naked the weight difference could be your clothing. If you weigh after your shower it could be wet hair. It could be your scale. I hope you can stop stressing. Stress makes you make poor choices that leads to weight gain.

if that's seriously all you eat then there's something really not adding up, I agree, because your portions would have to be simply enormous to cause weight gain and a weight problem. Do you never eat butter, cheese, any dairy, any other food than that? Is it all no fat/steamed and no carb? is that fish and chicken simply plain, a fillet steamed or grilled? Or are you really eating processed foods of a much wider variety and whilst not obviously overeating or pigging out taking in more than your body uses? To weigh 340, your body would require significant calories to not lose weight and I cant fathom how you could possibly take in that many on such a tiny variety of low fat food. I'd be insisting that it be checked out. Keep a journal for a few weeks perhaps?

So I'm in the Options program with Kaiser and I'm just over a month into the six months of classes that they require of you in San Diego. I thought that by the time I was starting the class that I would be super focused on weight loss and going strong towards the 10% weight loss that Kaiser requires before having surgery. I even bought a fitbit to track my calories, but I returned it because I was doing better tracking everything through the site I was using in the first place. I know that I still have tons of time to lose that, but I don't know why the classes are so discouraging. I thought I would be getting good info on how to prep for surgery and what to expect after (I'm sure they will get to some of that at some point) but over a month in and I don't feel like I'm getting anything from the classes, so I'm just not amped about weight loss. Some of the people are in fact driving me nuts!! How can you say that you have tried EVERYTHING to lose weight but you don't realize that you can't eat grits with butter and bacon every morning and still lose weight?!?! Really!! So I'm letting it effect me in a negative way. I've definitely got that "I need to eat this while i still can" mentality and I've actually gained weight. I guess Im kinda just venting and looking for advice. I know what I need to do, It just seems that I can't get it started and the weight gain I've had in the past weeks is making me feel worse. Thanks for any thoughts!!

Sometimes the stress can add to your weight gain. I was told I had to give up my lemonade and almost fell out of my chair. I haven't switched to the crystal light yet (it's been six months). Maybe you can try limiting to 1-2 a day for a while and slowly wean off of them? Believe me I know it's hard giving up some of the things you have become comfortable with (for years). Don't get discouraged, it will happen. Now when I look in the mirror I tell myself "I'm done looking like this". I made Cookies for us yesterday and I threw them away. YES, threw them away. I have NEVER done that. Mentally I am just DONE with being big. I was nowhere near this state month’s back. I was not motivated and I was discouraged. Just take it day by day and try to find something new that helps curb your hunger. Good luck to you!

AH Madigan Army Medical what a wonderful place to get lost in bureaucracy lol. We were stationed at Ft. Lewis when all this started. They were the ones that denied my cervical cancer, after one of their doctors had performed a full radical hysterectomy . I’m glad you are feeling better about your situation. I know it’s an inconvenience, but I still feel you made the right move to get the ball rolling. My conditions stem from digestive troubles which ultimately led to weight gain that led to other disorders. And the rest is history. I personally feel like military doctors are programmed to discourage what they consider elective surgery. I got the same response for most of the doctors at Lewis that I just needed to exercise. They lacked to realize I was quickly declining in the ability to do so even though I struggled through and dieted and exercised as hard as I could and still do. I have actually had a physician from a military installation tell me he feels that spouse’s use the services of the Army medical to get surgeries they don’t need. And it is this mindset that has most likely discouraged many people who need specific treatments in order to obtain better health. My disease came with no warning signs or symptoms and it was by chance they discovered the fibrosis of my liver while I was having my gallbladder removed. With every part of my being I implore everyone to ask questions about your liver before or after surgery for your own sake. I wish you the best of luck and keep in touch on your progress J P.S. No charge on the Therapy session, it’s my job jkjkjkjk ( I’m a psychology student..lol)

Hi All, I'm new to the forum & need a little encouragement & support to keep me on track. I recently went to see my PCP and she suggested that I have the lap band surgery due to the numberous health concerns that have came about over the past few years due to the large amount of weight that I have gained. At first I was upset that she even suggested that I have the surgery but after I thought about these last few years and how much weight I have & all my health problems I decided that she was right & I needed to start taking this big weight gain seriously. I'm 34 with 2 kids and I am the biggest I've been in my entire life even while pregnant. I am really interested in the gastric sleeve for a number of reason but my insurance (Anthem) won't cover the procedure. I was sad to find this out and got in a big funk and said the hell with it I'm just not going to have anything done. I decided to look into the lap band procedure more and saw so many success stories that I decided to go forth with the lap band surgery. I had to remind myself that this surgery is not just about me but my kids as well. I use to love to go out & do things with my family & friends but since I've gained so much weight I hate going outside now to even go grocery shopping. I hate how people look at me & the one's that haven't seen me in awhile always start the conversation off like "Hey I didn't even know who you were you gotten so fat" I feel like running & hiding at the site of old friends. I've actually shut myself off from the outside world. My 13 yr old actually told me mom your a loner.....I felt like I wanted to die inside. Because he was right that's how I really feel at times. I lie to the few real friends (2) I have about why I can't go out just so I won't feel like the elephant in the room. Today was the day I decided to do something about it and contacted the surgeon's office to schedule my 1st appointment. From my understanding my insurance doesn't have any waiting periods or anything of that nature I know I have to see several specialist & attend a support group or two. I did the seminar online because I just hate going out since I've gotten so big. But I'm starting to get excited becasue I know today was really a big step for me & I can't wait to be a success story not just for me but for my kids as well. Blessings

1000 calories from protein & vegetables is the same as 1000 calories from pizza, burgers, fries, cake,… it’s just the protein & vegetables have better nutrients that contribute to a healthier you. Maybe on the day you had pizza or donuts, you consciously or sub consciously ate fewer calories. Who knows but I wouldn’t rely on that being a dependable or healthy way to lose weight or break a stall. At 4 months out, you’re not very far along in understanding & managing your drive to eat. What is an occasional break could easily become a regular thing & you’ll be back to where you started: cravings, weight gain, etc. In time, when you have better strategies in place to manage your cravings (because they never go), you may be able to have the odd pizza or donut. Stalls happen. They end too. Your body just needs to take a breath every now & again. You’re putting it through a lot of changes. When I stalled, I just kept to my program & I’d start to lose again. No cheating, no change to my activity or caloric intake & in a 1, 2 or 3 weeks, I’d be losing again. Good luck.

First off, a short back story as I havent visited this forum in years. I was banded in 2005 and had fantastic success, losing over 100% of my excess weight. I've had some regain since then due to a number of factors but not terrible. In 2010 I was diagnosed with rectal cancer - some of that fabulous weight loss, I believe the last 10kg, was due to having active cancer. I was treated, and am fine, albeit with a colostomy and I had my band totally unfilled (it was NEVER the same again) upon reflilling) I went through a sudden menopause, a brutal one, went back to full time work, stopped being able to focus entirely on myself etc and am now *just* within my healthy weight range. Still, all in all, a great success, although having a BMI of 19-20 was very very nice while it lasted. Anyway, since the early years, really, I had some very infrequent attacks of chest pain. It would start as a warning ache deep in my chest, and would radiate - the roof of my mouth, my jaw, the backs of my arms, through to my back, even my ears - it is excruciating - deep and vice like. It literally happened 3 or 4 times over 5 years though. I did mention it to a GP who really had not much to offer (when do they ever?). Last year I started to get a little night time reflux - I was too tight. In an effort to offset the weight gain, I'd overtightened rather than admit I needed to recommit to exercise and eat better around my crazy schedule. I had some fluid out and BAM the pain was frequent and the attacks unpredictable. When it starts, I know I cant stop it. It just aches, so deeply and radiates and its agony. Sometimes a hot drink can relieve it, and I always take a Nexium. I had a gastroscopy with my surgeon and I had esophagitis and was put onto Somac which I have stayed on. Havent had a problem in a year now but now I have a cough and its back, probably cuased by the coughing. Its honestly really frightening to think it may happen in public, last year I had to go off in an ambulance from work and had a full cardiac workup which was all normal. I guess my question is - if anyone can relate to this, could it be apband related? I assume it is, since unfilling tends to trigger it and I know i have a slight pouch and my band is ever so slightly out of position. I think I would find it comforting to hear that others have the same issue - I will be looking at my options as this cant go on. I fear revision surgery is on the cards. I am still so happy I made this decision, its been 12 good years and I always knew the band would need attention at some point in time, particularly since I have the old old 4ml version. I will also go to my GP this afternoon, I think more cardiac investigation is warranted, as well as looking at my lungs - this is some serious pain!

You can do it; but you can't do all of it all the time every day 100% perfect and certainly not starting from day 1. This is the lesson I've been struggling to learn. Yes, you can give up soda. No you don't have to give up artificial sweeteners. There are still many WLS patients who use artificial sweeteners and maintain a healthy weight and didn't grow horns and didn't develop cancer, whatever. There is a TON of junk science around artificial sweeteners. Like, they say that they cause weight gain. That is not true. The few controlled scientific studies there have been show that when people eat the same number of calories, artificial sweeteners do not cause weight gain. Also, I found that changing my pre-surgery diet to increase protein and decrease sugar made me feel less hungry and crave sweets LESS. SHOCKING!!! I couldn't believe it. But I'm not perfect. I still eat a little ice cream sometimes and I still eat fruit every day. I'm still months away from surgery and I'm struggling this week. I had to increase my medication that causes hunger/weight gain because I'm having bipolar symptoms, so I'm eating more, but still trying to focus on protein first, and I can't believe that between that and traveling to Miami last week for work, I am still losing weight. (But yesterday afternoon I was so hungry I cried... so yeah, I'm not going to lie it's really hard.) Try not to expect perfection. It is SOOO much. You have to do the work, but you can take it at your own pace and on your own terms. And take everyone's advice/rules with a grain of salt - I know at least one successful maintainer on here who drinks diet coke regularly. Nothing is forever, failure is not final.

Tuesday 07-24-2012 6:41 pm So although I've been a member of VST for a couple of weeks maybe and really, started my journey to WLS on March 4, I am first finding myself type something out to be able to reflect back at all of what I've been through. My first thought is- for pete sake- I'm a licensed psychotherapist who has encouraged LOTS of people to journal and where the heck have I been? Lazy. Story of my life My second thought is that I must first comment on my experience on this forum and the VST peeps I've been getting to know through their own journeys. I cannot tell you how inspired I am by so many others who have either gone through similar walks of life or who are going through it. I don't feel alone anymore which is so relieving in and of itself. In this career, I hear many reasons why we choose the profession we are in. For me, it really was nothing about my personal life as it was my true desire to know the brain and study human behavior. So, because of this, I feel my family and friends have highly underestimated my strength at times. Sometimes, even we need a little extra support. I'm probably the biggest person who will dispute this so to put so much emphasis on what others this of me isn't fair really. But it's easier. So, again, I have no major underlying issues. Sure, we all have our "stuff" but I can tell you that I have been through therapy many times with my marriage and honestly, have benefited greatly. I check in with close friends and colleagues as I believe that's just part of my life now- I need to do that...for me. Back to how I got here. Well, I'm not exactly sure HOW I got this so out of control. I do know that I have always struggled with weight but I really have carried it well in my life. I have watched friends and family go through surgeries for weight loss and always believed I ddin't need to do that. Then one day I was dx with autoimmune disorder which really- the only symptom that I have is extreme fatigue and with that comes lack of ambition to do anything. The process of finding the right doctor was exhausting but after years of battling this, I did. But he wanted me to go on a medication that could cause blindness AND he wasn't guarenteeing that this would help fatigue as this is difficult to control. (Have you heard of Plaquinil? I know some have as I have read other's posts about it). Well.....I decided not to do it. So the next year I spent extremely tired; no.... exhausted. Heck, if I didn't know better, I probably would have dx me with depression BUT I WASN"T DEPRESSED. I gained probably another 30 pounds (that was my last straw- I could have cared less that I didn't clean my house like I wanted to or do more things...it was the weight)....So my husband convinced me to try the med. "Just try it". Wouldn't you know it- it was a matter of 2 weeks and I had some of that energy back. I was on it for about a year and I did lose about 15 of those pounds. Then I gradually took myself off. Dr. asked to decrease so I just kept forgetting and then before you know it, I'm off. Then I'm gaining weight again. One would think an educated person such as myself would put 2 and 2 together. Common sense isn't necessarily a subject in college or grad school I didn't want to go back on the med. My doc had told me that exericse was really good too. Yeah, I hate exercising and try convincing someone who has absolutely nothing to give.....to give. It wasn't easy. THEN it happend. I got a new job and found out insurance did not exclude WLS. I cannot tell you how elated I was. I had my appointments all lined up as soon as insurance kicked in. All they require is a 6 month professional weight loss program documented. R U KIDDING ME? I've been through EVERYTHING at LEAST 1,0000000000 times. But nothing recording for 6 months consecutively. So here I go. But who cares right? My benefits at my new job don't kick in until I'm there six months anyway so no worries. Well, I've hit the six month mark at work. My last NUT appt (actually with the PA) is August 13. I told her I have a date in my head of Sept 10. She was excited and told me that they will have everything ready that day so all they have to do is print out her note and send it on. Insurance has 14 buisness days to respond. That quite possibly will be the longest wait of my life. We will see (because these days are long as well). I can tell you I've gained weight at every single appt with the NUT. I'm trying things they say and I KNOW I will follow through after. Remember my energy level is nothing. I didn't have them document the autoimmune stuff (although they do know) as I don't believe it's life threatening- I went to have my fatigue treated and it was totally up to me and nothing more. My feeling is that I want to see how weight loss effects my health rather than relying on meds so I'm dealing. I was worried about the weight gain but the PA tells me not to be concnerned. I'm going to go with that because if I don't....I'll drive myself crazy...... So the countdown begins....to my new life....on this new journey... I know life will change for me drastically. I'm ready....for whatever that means. And I will journal through it---- because I know that it's helpful and I also know- I have a great support system with VST PEEPS. Thank you for listening..... Justine........

I know. I hate it. my choices are so limited compared to others. I can't have anything that Heather listed. I'm really curious how each diet's statistics are as far as weight gain back or not goes...

Just curious -- I gained almost 20 lbs from surgery. It sucks. When do you finally lose the Water weight from all the IV fluids? I guess that's what this weight is. Tomorrow is day 5. I can now relate to people who are scared this won't work for them. i am seeing AGAIN the same pre-op weight I've looked at for 8 months. Sigh. It's haunting me.

From what my insurance says for revision due to weight gain, it must be over 2 years since first surgery, and less than 50% excess body weight loss, and following the nutrition guidelines for weight loss since the operation. Good luck!!

I had lapband in 2008 and had an erosion and had surgery for removal.....at that time the surgeon saidnwhen I was ready he will do the sleeve for me...after much hesitation and all my weight gained back I'm more than ready....but will by high mark bc/bs cover it?

I would never recommend depo to anyone. I would say birth control is a good idea, you can get low hormone ones and honestly if you are keeping yourself in check you should be fine. My antidepressant has a high weight gain probability, I've been on it 3-4 months and lost weight. I also keep myself in check.

I was banded a month ago. I hate breakfast so in March at my highest weight I started having shakes for breakfast and still do. They fill me. Since March I am down 44 lbs. I don't see it much but my clothes tell me! Today I put on shorts that are very big and they didn't fit in June.I never took measurements. I don't cheat, I feel I didn't do all this to cheat. I am allowed crab meat and love lump crab, it's very good and at BJ's priced right for a one pound can. Good luck and just think it took longer than a few months to get chubby. I didn't lose much weight this week but a few pounds is always better than a weight gain. Keep up the good work.

I am not at my personal goal yet, but am with my Surgeon's goal. I do admire how you have reached your goal and also am worried about myself being at goal and letting my guard down, and then the weight gain begins. So for me, I suspect I will always have to watch what I'm eating. I'm also going to weight myself 2 times a week at least. I am curious to know how others are with maintenance. Sleeve of Steel,you have done a great job and CONGRATS! You are very successful and will continue to be successful with maintenance.

Welcome!!!! I could not lose weight for many reasons including cancer treatment that made me susceptible to weight gain. I was 63 and had my sleeve gastronomy in Jan. 2012. I am down over 100 pounds since the pre-op diet started. I am 2 pounds from my goal and in very good physical shape. I would not go back and change my decision. My life has been so enriched by getting rid of this excess me. The sleeve is just a tool, the mind makes it work. Educate yourself, know what to expect, and understand that this is a permanent change, not a diet plan. It has risks but so does obesity. You must determine which is more detrimental to you and if the rewards are worth the risk.