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Hey Jay9mal, this is such a truth! I think that the goal focus thing only puts a massive amount of pressure and stress on us. Believe me a year ago, I was admant that I would be a goal by now and one groovy hot chick... the reality is that, my body just ain't ready to be that groovy hot chick yet... ok, perhaps just a groovy chick!!! When my year marker came and I still hadn't reached my surgeons's goal, I was disappointed but happy with the progress... yet another conflicting mental state. Grrrrr! I really have come to appreciate that I will get there in my own time. I have been struggling with weight gain and being morbidly obese for so many years, it is hard not to feel a little scared that my goal weight is ever going to happen. I know I am doing all I can, I think there are many of us here that are doing the same thing. As long as we are true to ourselves, we will do this. There are days - not many - when I let go ... I eat as I please only much less, obviously. 6mths ago I would have been racked with guilt but now I feel that it is ok.... I am human and like I said, it is only now and again; perhaps once every 4-6 weeks. Remember, slow but sure wins the race... =]

October 6, 2009 165 lbs. Last Wednesday, I had .25 removed from my band. Since then, I have been able to eat more than I ever. Consequently, I have gained over 5 lbs. I am somewhat confused and I don't know what to do. I don't want to be miserable as I was, but I think I need a little more restriction. I am torn. I also realize that I have a sick addiction to overeating.

Hi from Sydney Australia, I am going to my first information night next month and I am scared after reading mixed responses to the band on the internet. Some failed, some weight gain and some think its wonderful.... So what do you think? :tongue2:

I am on the way to the pot of gold. I am so excited that I could sing, wait a minute I am singing. :redface: I am scheduled for my surgery on 12/8/09 at 5:00 am. I am told I should be on my way home by 2:00. I start my liquid diet on the 24th. I am working on getting us to that diet. I am finding it hard to eat only a dime size bite as well as chewing that piece 30 times. I have always drank something with every meal and now that too has been hard. I know I shouldn't complain after reading pages and pages of stuff on this site. I have nothing but to forge on. I will do that. I am not sure where to get protein drinks from. My son said that you can get it just about anywhere but that a lot of them are nasty tasting. If there is anyone out there that can fill me in on the do's and dont's of protein shakes. That would be wonderful. I am 48 years old and am about 180 lbs over weight. That is a terrifying weight gain when you think about how toxic fat cells can be to your body. I am so ashamed of myself for getting this size.:confused: I truly didn't think about the weight until I became diabetic then took a long look at myself (I think that was the scaryest of all so far) and here I am. After the blood pressure was going up and up. I began this process. I would be lying if I said that it is all overwhelming right now. I have information swimming around my head like a over crowded fish bowl. This to shall pass I have to doubt. :confused: So as the journey is underway. Lay back and enjoy the ride. TaTa For Now:smile2: . How can you beat that

...for the benefit of any journal visitors! (edited and updated form introductions thread) I am SOOOO glad I found this forum - reading posts over the past few weeks, and viewing all those inspirational before / after shots has helped me in my decisions and plans immensely. God Bless all LBTers for sharing and caring so much:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: - I hope that I may contribute to the forum as well as the benefits I'm already enjoying. I'm 34, a mother of one boy (who's 5), married to a WONDERFUL man (he always cheers me on, and thinks I'm sexy however I look! Bless him!). I work part-time as a consulting environmental scientist. I have been thinking of getting banded for over a year - but only just started to discuss it with my hubby in July. I got a referral from my GP this week, and first met with surgeon in early August (with Mr Chris Hensman at EndoSurgery Victoria, Mulgrave).:nervous I have fought the battle of the bulge since I was 16 - when my mum joined me at WW - since then I've been the classic yo-yo ride of WL support systems, diets and pills. Depression and control issues with food haven't helped either :Banane10: (Man! How do I relate to some of the stories posted to the forum!) I want to GET OFF THE ROLLER COASTER - NOWWWW!!!! My weight has hovered around 135kg since just after my son was born. My hubby was made redundant from his job at the same time, so my emotions and eating were all over the place for a LONG time. I maxed out at 138 - 140kg during last year.:omg: I'm currently around 132kg. (I'm so ashamed...) The thing is, until recently, I've never felt big or heavy. Because I'm a pear-shape, and therefore most my fat is on my legs / hips / rear end, it's kind of "out of sight, out of mind". Only this year have I felt too big / fat / tired / slovenly / unfit / "insert any other of your favourite self-depretiating terms here" (they'd apply here) to get off my but and do things - even things I love to do like play with son (who can run like the wind) or gardening. Cleaning the house even feels like too much effort... I feel like that a lot of the emotional baggage I've been carrying around has been put down over the past year, and is now GONE FOR GOOD. :clap2: Hubby and I have a stable, Christian marriage, we have a loving home life and good jobs and career prospects. It was a long struggle. I also feel like I'm able to finally put down the bags I've carried siince school days, feelings of insecurity and inadequacy (God knows why I have them in the first place, but the mind is a beast...). I honestly feel that if I can make a break in the weight gain-loss cycle, and lose the excess weight once and for all, that I'd have a great chance that the fat would also be GONE FOR GOOD. I guess none of this is new to many / most of you in LapBandTalk land. Anyway, it's these new feelings about myself that have shocked me into doing something more to lose the kilos- enter the LAPBAND - dadadadaaaaaa!!!:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: My hubby & I REALLY want more babies - but right now I'm too scared of complications / dying to contemplate getting pregnant yet. I can't seem to lose the 15kgs and 5 years of age I put on since I had my son... The desire to make some new people for our family to love is also contributing influence to my decisions right now, but not the main motivation. Initially, I'd like to get down under 100kg before trying for another baby, and then after that continue on towards an ultimate goal of 60kg - 70kg (would be nice on a 5ft 4inch girl...). I think I was about 15 when I last saw my weight defined by a number lower than 70kg.:cry :faint: :help: I'd like to hear from anyone who has conceived / had a baby after LapBanding. My GP suggested we had a baby (or two) first, and then the LapBand - the way I feel right now, I don't think that would be sensible - I can almost feel diabetes or a heart attack at the thought of it!:sick The surgeon said at least three months, although the longer we wait after the banding, obviously, the better th weight loss would have been. Also, I am really nervous about how I will adjust to the Bandster's lifestyle given how much and how often I eat. Feelings of hunger / fullness / satiety etc are almost meaningless to me right now. I'm looking forward to changing this, but for now, the thought of restricting food volume and types fires up those old feelings of rebellion!:hungry: :angry :Banane20: Definitely need counselling, support and reflection in this area.:nervous Anyway - enough introductions - let's make music!!!

Hi everyone, new here to the forum! i have been lurking for awhile and have decided to get started in the process of getting banded. i have been overweight practically my entire life. everyone would always tell me, "well you're tall" or "you're have a bigger build" and i always felt fat. now at 27, i am the most i've ever weighed! i was always an active person, but the weight just kept coming back plus some. now i have three herniated discs and knee problems which make it hard to stay as active as i was once. i have to take meds for my bi-polar disorder for the rest of my life. these meds help but all have weight gain associated with them. my entire immediate family has weight poblems. i feel like this will definitely help me to improve my overal quality of life. i have a 4 year old son who i love and want to be able to keep up with him. ahh and this is tmi, but my weight gain is mostly in the stomach and lower body. i have no chest whatsoever! sucks but it literally all went straight to my butt! i saw my pcp on friday, and he said he would refer me to a doc at the universit of penn. he wanted to check out my blood work so we're doing that on monday to rule out thyroid problems. if all is clear, he'll refer me so i could get started with that part of the process. i'm nervous, i know i need to gain some weight to have at least a bmi of 35 for my insurance company to cover it, but i'm so scared to willfully gain weight and then be denied. i cannot self-pay at this time or anytime soon. thanks for reading, any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated. good luck to everyone in their journey!

Ok ladies and gemtlmen. I have a serious question. I am concerned because on 12-4 i weighed in at 288 this was my one month. That was 25lbs in 30 days. I am so excited. I am following the rules and having issues with nausea yet I'm still working through and staying positive. I checked my weight yesterday and it shows an 8lb gain? Could this be accurate? I'm puzzled. I'm interested to know if anyone else experienced such torture lol. In remaining positive and keep telling myself it's water.

I would say that for nearly 20 years the numbers on the scale had the power to affect how i felt about myself each day. Now though, I think i'm so much more than the number on the scale--or the number on anything else for that matter (i'm so much more than my age, my height, my income, my shoe size, or my dress size!) For me personally, I find that obsessing about anything does not feel good to me--especially obsessing about the numbers on the scale. I try not to weigh more than once a week and I remind myself that it takes 3500 calories to gain one true pound of fat. If the scale shows a two pound weight gain from one day to the next, does that mean I ate an extra 7000 calories?! No. Water weighs a lot...those two pounds are more than likely water retention. I think bodies are tricky things to try to control...they sometimes have their own agenda/wisdom. If you're exercising and eating right, then eventually the mathematics of what you're doing right will show up on the scale or on the tape measure. Best of luck.

I am putting on weight....body just doesnt respond... feeling desperate....how much protein can you go on eating.... if i eat chicken weight is stable...otherwise...weight is increasing.. I have severe arthritis....cant walk much....am slow with all activities...hence low metabolism... please motivate me...

I was told the stomach will stretch the smallest bit just life but never as big as pre surgery and weight gain is not due to anatomy but due to reverting back to bad habits

Today is day 10 of my liquid diet. It has been rough, and I hate it. I have started these gas pains and tremendous bouts of gas inside my tummy. Today, I woke, no weight gained nor lost, but, Im bloated, and my jeans are tight. Three days ago, these very jeans, fit. And fit good. Now, they feel as if I was poured into them. I feel bloated, and full of gas, that I cant release. I dont know what to do about it. I just cant wait until this is over. Maybe just maybe I need to lay off soup for a while. I have noticed when I do eat the soup I get more gassy. So, back to the basics, just plain ole liquid thats sure to make me sick. And to top it all off, Im depressed cause I cant eat good food. And a certain someone in my life finds it ok to eat in front of me, tons of good food without remorse. Anyway, I had to rant. Any solutions for the gas? :cursing:

Hey guys, I'm new around here, and I'm hoping you guys can offer some advice. I'm 10 weeks pregnant and was banded a few years ago. Was about 25 pounds from goal when I found out we'd conceived. My doctor is one that requires an unfill during pregnancy. No biggie, I thought.. I'm having a huge problem with weight gain though. Between my first OB's visit and my second (5 weeks) I had gained 14 pounds. During that time, I was constantly queasy (keeping food in tummy made queasiness better), had quit smoking (can't smoke? EAT! ) and received my unfill. So things are not stacked in my favor. However, after going to the OB and being told nicely that that is a freakish amount of weight to gain, I've really been trying to cut down on everything. When I'm hungry, I'm snacking on fruits and veggies and having a Protein shake for Breakfast. I'm *still* gaining about 2 pounds every few days. It's insane! I dunno what else I can do to get control of this. I am exercising and there's no greasy foods in my diet. Ugh. Has anyone experienced anything like this? I feel full of shame. I'm not at all worried about losing after the baby is born, but I don't want my baby to get an unhealthy start at life, yknow? :thumbup:

We love sharing good news. This morning Staten Island Live did a feature story on NYC Marathoner and LAP-BAND Patient, Michelle Stiglitz. Click here to view the article. Michelle has lost 130 lbs. since her LAP-BAND procedure and states, “My weight loss journey has truly changed my life and I am so proud to now call myself a runner. Soon to be a marathoner!” Like so many WLS patients, Michelle is paying it forward by running with the Leukemia and Lymphoma's Team in Training. She has also become a personal trainer and fitness instructor "in hopes to help others live a more healthy life." Her story has appeared countless times over the past year in major news outlets like these below: http://abc7ny.com/553678/ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3015117/Woman-gained-120lbs-hormonal-disorder-drops-HALF-body-weight-completes-two-half-marathons.html http://www.womansday.com/health-fitness/a50113/the-extreme-thing-i-never-thought-id-do-after-i-gained-back-120-pounds/ http://www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fitness/news/a37670/how-this-woman-lost-135-pounds/ http://www.glamourpage.com/youll-never-guess-how-this-woman-lost-135-pounds/ http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/diet-nutrition/a31849/extreme-weight-gain/?src=spr_FBPAGE&spr_id=1443_161265505 Please join us in congratulating her on her accomplishments!

I am fairly new into the process. I have completed my psych eval and will be doing my EGD on Wednesday. Ever since my first appointment, I have eaten well and exercised due to my doctor telling me that he wants me to stay the same weight or lose weight. Well I weighed myself this morning and I have GAINED 7 pounds since seeing my doctor last and i do not know why! I am freaking out that when I see him on Wednesday, he will tell me I cannot have the surgery. Anyone deal with something like this and what was the outcome?? Thank you all in advance!!!

I have a question. I'm drinking about a gallon of Water a day but I'm not peeing but maybe every other day. Does anyone have any ideas because I think I'm retraining it but don't know why and I think that's the reason for my weight gain last week. Sent from my SAMSUNG-NOTE using RNYTalk

Call your surgeon. Have you lifted anything, or twisted weird, is the pain by an incision? Do you have a fever? The weight gain could be Water weight so don't fret over that aspect.

I'm at Day 17 since my surgery and I think I may have turned the corner today! I have felt like my belly was wrapped in barbed wire for most of the time but today seems better. Nobody prepared me for the swelling and weight gain.....but it's normal (it's Water from the IV's mainly). At my follow up they told me to expect swelling for 6-8 weeks, and I've heard some people say theirs lasted longer. Best wishes to you in your recovery and your future life as a thin woman with a flat belly!! Yea!!!!!

Sagging skin is inevitable for most successful bariatric patients. The only way to resolve it is with plastic surgery. I’m 5’8” and weigh 125 lbs. I look good (not too thin/skeletal) but am hoping that I can get PS one of these days. I would like an arm lift and tummy tuck. For now, I’m doing lots of Bikram hot yoga to improve my posture and develop muscle tone and flexibility. OP: i can’t imagine trying to gain weight when you’re not malnourished. Your body will find its new set point. I worry that doing what you’re doing will result in bad habits and greater weight gain than you desire, resulting in worsening health and inability to maintain weight loss long term.

she frustrates me but u can only lead the horse to Water. she is always going to start her diet on Monday. sorry but having WLS is well beyond the "diet" mentality. i eep telling her to get the band deflated and quit torchering herself but she doesn't want her dr to see her weight gain. sorry about spelling but I'm on my kindle and cant figure out how to turn off this auto word stuff.

So 5/18/21 was my gastric sleeve surgery. Just 6 years ago I was at my goal weight of 141. In 6 year I reached 267. The biggest I’ve ever been. in the past was 217, (31 years ago after the birth of my second daughter) I do believe I know the reason for so much weight gain in six years. If anyone is interested I’ll share later to compare stories. Anyway the first couple of days weren’t bad. I felt more pain then anything. But for three days now I’ve been hungry but have no intentions of not eating right. For now I’ve learned to stay out of the kitchen and my daughter is giving great support and encouragement. If anyone could share with me about bowel habits and changes, colors, pain in the middle chest, or any other types of changes I’d appreciate it.

Well, I ended up in the ER. The surgeon on call did not want to touch it, and neither did the ER doc. The following day, a surgeon was able to access my tricky port after about 20 sticks. Looks like the port has flipped some and will have to be replaced. Also, it may be that the band has formed a capsule around it, causing it to be tight. Now I have no restriction and have no sense of fullness. Ugh..This thing is coming out! Going to look into converting to the sleeve, as this yo-yo weight gain/loss is killing me!

Has anyone gained any weight since they have had the lap-band???:hungry:

Congrats on reaching your "regular food" stage. Sure, some people experience a temporary weight gain somewhere along the way like you described. Is 3 oz of Protein the amount that is recommended at this stage for you? 2 oz sounds more typical for 6 wks out, but every program is different. Your best bet is to just as carefully as you can, follow the quantities recommended by your program, especially in the first 6 months. Eating out frequently can be a slippery slope. Even when you ask for those "special requests," you really do not have the control over how your food is prepared and what the actual ingredients are that you are consuming. There is nothing that compares to preparing your food at home--you know exactly what you are eating. Yep, so many of us eat out due to our busy lives and just run out of time to eat at home. I know I had to really get creative with "brown bagging" more often (especially for Breakfast and lunch meals). It takes a lot of planning, but now I pick one day a week (usually Sunday) to do a mini-marthon cooking session and divide up "to go" food for the week (or at least for 4-5 days) so at least I'm eating healthier MOST of the time. Then, for example, on Wednesday, it feels so good that I have already made my food decision for the week--I just grab it and go! Keep up the good work. Just keep following your program and your scale will keep moving in the direction you want it to.

Oh, how frustrating! And I hope you found a new dr after the one said, "Learn to close your mouth." I want to smack him for you. Have you talked to your bariatric surgeon about the meds and the associated weight gain? Some drugs cause weight gain by making you hungry, but others cause weight gain via other means. I've been on two different drugs that didn't make me hungry, but they did cause very fast weight gain. Not sure the sleeve would have helped me in those cases. Might want to confirm with your surgeon. Good luck!

I guess weight loss is a very sensitive issue -- I obviously knew weight GAIN was but who would think the opposite would be true? I was just questioning this myself as very few people comment on my weight loss and I had myself convinced you couldn't even tell. I think actually it is just that people don't know what to say or how to say it! My parents are very happy for my weight loss, but my Dad doesn't ask me about it any more, and I am convinced it is b/c he is heavy himself and like your hair dresser, has issues with my success losing wieght.......................