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OMG...I just thought of another one...from my dad. He is not skinny though. He had always tried to express his concerns to me about losing weight as best he could. Lose weight for your health, please lose weight so that you do not have to be like me, I love you and I want you to be healthy, etc. But one day out of the blue...I guess I had been on a weight gain or something and my dad pulls me over to him. "You know i love ya right?" "yes", I reply...then he says "well I know that you like boys but as your father, I do have to tell you that guys don't like fat girls...I know this because I AM a guy...baby, you have got to lose weight!" I was like "no he did not just go there"!

If you Google "weight gain paxil" you'll see lots of articles like this one: Paxil and Weight Gain FYI, I take Lexapro and weaned myself off to see if it would help me with my weight loss 'stall'....and it did not. My dr. told me that Lexapro is the best one for avoiding weight gain. It might help, but you'll gain it right back when you get back on the pill. I think the hormones in the pills cause you to gain Water weight.

Dear Jeter2: Thanks so much for your reply. I have actually talked to my dr and he gave me the instructions for weaning myself off the Paxil. So, I am in the process of doing that SLOWLY - I get VERY ill if I cut down too much at a time or too fast! My biggest obstacle is that I used to work for my family doctor - the one that prescribed the Paxil 3 years ago. He INSISTS that, if anything, it will have a weight LOSS side effect - but NOT weight gain. And because I can't find weight GAIN as a documented side effect - he refuses to admit that that is even a possibility. I haven't tried any other anti-depressants in the past; but may get up the nerve to ask him for something different - if I can't make it without anything. Thanks again! As for the bc pill - I quit taking it. I see my "girly" doctor the beginning of December so I'll talk to her about other options; however, that one does have documented side effects of weight gain.

Good morning ladies- I am cramping so bad :thumbup:. Still have not seen tom though. My cycle has been so screwy lately. Maybe the weight gain then the losing is throwing my body out of whack. I can not wait to hear about the concert Pamela went to. I'll bet it was so much fun! TracyinKS-how is the unfill so far? Terry-did you make an appt to get a fill before the holidays? Michelle-a closet alcoholic? :w00t: Have a fantastic day everyone :smile2: I will be moving around as little as possible. Maybe a heating pad will help.

Hi! Paxil is a NOTORIOUS weight gainer! You're lucky you've been able to keep the 12 lbs. off that you lost. I've seen many people gain 5-10 lbs. A MONTH on Paxil. Of course, this doesn't happen to everyone, but Paxil has gained the reputation as one of the antidepressants that can cause the most weight gain. While everyone is different, have you tried Lexapro? In MOST patients it is weight neutral and in some can help w/weight loss at the beginning of use. Good Luck! Give yourself a pat on the back that you have been able to keep that intial weight loss and not gain more. One thing I will say, though, never stop taking your meds without talking to your doctor and you will probably have to be weaned off the Paxil slowly, in increments, if that's what you and your doctor decide.

It sounds to me as if you may be going into a manic episode. When I start to lose wieght it is easier for me to have them too. Just make an appointment with your doc and see if he can give you something to ease your irratability. I would also mention to him any other symptoms you have been having and the fact that you are banded and trying to lose weight as several of the mood stabilizer meds can cause weight gain.

Has ANYONE else found that medications they were on was partly to blame for their slow weight loss? I am 18 mos out from banding and have only lost 12-15 pounds - and that was during the pre-op diet - haven't gained or lost since surgery. This is VERY frustrating to me. No, I am not a perfect eater, and no, I don't exercise religiously. I'm also not blaming my slow weight loss entirely on medications. However, I do take Paxil and birth control daily. Are these making it more difficult to lose the weight, than if I weren't on them? I know there is documented proof that weight gain is a side effect of birth control; however, that is not a side effect listed on my information from the pharmacy for the Paxil. Although, I have heard many, many times that anti-depressants can cause weight gain. So, if they cause weight gain, is there a chance that they are hindering my weight loss? I have given up so many things (ice cream, pop, etc.)that I feel I should have lost SOME weight by now. What do you think?? Please let me know - I'd like someone to either validate my concern or tell me I'm crazy. Thanks

Thanks for the replies. That makes me feel better. I need to stop reading the baby books. As for weight gain, I didn't gain any weight during the first 11 weeks (because of band restriction), and then I got unfilled and gained 6 pounds in the last two weeks. In the last few days I am hungy ALL THE FREAKING TIME! I don't know if this is because I'm pregnant or unfilled (probably a combo of the both). I'm trying to make good decisions and eating lots of fruits and veggies. But yesterday, I literally HAD to eat every single hour because my stomach was growling. I almost gave up and went to the McDonalds to get a double quarter pounder with cheese, but I held on. I know I shouldn't care too much about weight gain because it's about doing what's best for the baby and not necessarily caring about my figure right now. But with my predisposition for gestational diabetes (my mother is Type I and I'm obviously overweight), I'm worried that giving in to the Reece's Peanut Butter cups isn't the best decision right now. Good luck to us all. This is a tough time, but I'm hoping it gets better.

Just checking in! I am not getting on the scale today. I'm scared my 283 was a fluke! So not going to weigh!!! I'm keeping that 51 lbs! Everyone says I look good. I can't really tell a difference yet. Clothes are fitting loser/better. Maybe have to get some new jeans soon. The ones I have are so nice but they are stretch and after like an hour they are falling off me. They fit nice when they go on right out of the wash/dryer! I have to share this story because only you guys will appreciate just how thoughtful this was. I belong to a Mommy/play group. One of the Mother's Husband is an Oncologist. I had read that cancer patients and bariatric patients drink a lot of the same protein drinks. So I asked her if her husband had any samples or anything in his office for his patients. He didn't have anything that was good for me, because he is encouraging weight gain usually and not weight lose. So, yesterday we went to their house for their son's first birthday party. He was so excited to see me, and he bought me 20 of the pre-made EAS drinks from Wal-Mart!! Now, we all know how much the pre-made drinks cost. How sweet was that???

I'm 16 weeks and I still have no signs of pregnancy.. so.. don't feel bad!! I feel fat when I push on my belly, and no kicks or anything exciting. I am also 6'0 and due to my first trimester weight gain (ahem) I am back to needing to lose 50lbs.

For me, the biggest advantage to going low carb is that when I eat carbs, I crave more carbs. This causes weight gain, not weight loss. I wish I could get them out of my diet completely, and when I do, I am a much happier person. Then someone brings chocolate chip Cookies to work, and all my will power goes out the window.

Most anit depressants do cause weight gain.Birth control can cause weight gain too. The only thing you can do to combat these medications is lots and lots of cardio. See my post above to see if you are exercising in your target heart rate for weight loss. You need to do at least 5 days a week in your target heart rate for at least 45 min each time. I had to hire a trainer to get me there and learn all of this, but it was worth it.

I just wanted to say that about 3 years ago I quit smoking and, without changing my eating habits, I gained weight...weight gain is very common when you quit smoking...hang in there you'll be okay!!! Try a hobby if you feel the need to munch on something...I took up crocheting and painting...anytime I feel hungry for a snack I start crocheting and then I don't want to stop Good luck

It's out. I had a stack sitting on the porch when hubby got home last night and he took care of it. Probably took it to work. My official weight this morning was 212. Ugh. A 3 pound weight gain this week. A bit of a wake up call. It's all my eating because my exercise hasn't changed at all.

Georgia... WTG Girl!!!! I'm so happy for you! Now you are all set for Sat. Don't worry about the weight gain... it'll come off! Renewed... keep on sittin around and heal up so you can continue to kick whosya's butt! Sugar... sounds like we are both very close in our battle. Its totally emotional now for me! I so badly want to get to Onederland, but also to that 100lb mark, which comes close on the heals of Onederland. I'll cheer for you and you cheer for me! Leslie... congrats on getting back to running. I hope you're still going for the race on Sat with Georgia. It'll be a good motivator for you. Well, I didn't get my run in today. I rolled over when the alarm went off instead of getting up, and now I'm just pooched! I knew it was going to be hard to get in a routine for running once back to work... but I'll do it!

Has anyone that hasn't lost like they thought they should, found that a medication they were on was responsible? I know some medications cause weight gain, appetite changes, etc. I take Paxil and oral birth control and am wondering if either of these or possibly both are partly to blame for my EXTREMELY slow weight loss (banded 18 mos and down 15 pounds!!!!):thumbup:

i am currently 17 years old and weigh about 180 lbs. Writing in this forum is especially hard for me because for first off im having to actually finally accept the fact that i am over weight. The weight gain all started about two years ago...and in 2005 i weighed in at 98 pounds exactly. I have been small my entire life untill now and it is extremly hard having to cope with the new way of life im forced to live with. Three years ago i was sexually, emotionally and pyshically abused, after living in that situation for 11 months i came out of it a wreck. I was diagnosed with post tramatic stress disorder and had to undergo extensive therapy,hyonotherapy and a wide variety of medications. All of which seemed to get me out of my depressed state. What i didnt notice was i began gaining weight like crazy and i had no clue why. My entire body is coverd with stretch marks from gaining around 90 pounds in two years. I feel and look completly disgusting. I was once a 98 pound, active healthy happy girl. Since the weight gain came on, ive found out that i have a auto immune disease called hashimoto thyroiditis which caused excessive weight gain. But once i found out i had it and began meds, nothing got any easier. I now have mild narcolepsy,chrons disease,major thyroid issues, and acid reflux. I also have back pains and joint pains. I continue to gain weight to this day and i am miserable. My mom was over weight and got the lap band surgery and it worked wonders on her...shes lost over 60 pounds and feels and looks amazing. I am really confused and afriad to even think about this surgery, or to even think that my weight is causing me to be unhealthy. Untill i found this forum i felt like no one would be there to listen or understand my situation. I have breifly mentioned it to my doctors and they said it would be really hard to get insurence to help out...did anyone else have that problem when trying to get the surgery? Do you think i would actually be a good candidate for the surgery?

WOW! Congratulations Jaime!! Lose weight, gain a baby....should be interesting times for you! Mom - are you planning on a tummy tuck? I would love to have one, but as I am still paying off this surgery, another one isn't in the cards for me. It's a glorious Tuesday morning - sun is shining, weather is uncharacteristically balmy, and I'm just feeling pumped today...gotta enjoy it all!

I've been banded for over 3 years. I got down to 160ish from 297. I quit working prior to getting preggo and ended up starting this pregnancy at 234. Well 24 weeks later I'm at 236 and having a heck of a time eating. Yes, I've only gained 2 pounds at 6 months gestation! Prior to getting preggo I also had my band completely unfilled while I was trying to figure out if I wanted to switch to GBS rather than to continue my bumpy road with the band, thus the pre-pregnancy weight gain. Now I have no interest in food. My OB is monitoring the grown of the baby and isn't yelling at me as long as she continues to grow correctly. I've had some nausea, dry hurling and occasional vomiting but nothing extreme just no interest in eating. Anyone else in this frustrating situation??

I'm 42 days out and had lost 15 lbs in 3weeks but am loosing and gaining the same 5 lbs since...no change in calories and maintaining exercise...what is this about? I've read many opinions about weight gain but if one is eating less than 1200 calories and exercising then one should lose wt. banded or not?!!! hope the fills make things more consistent and clear..puzzled right now..i am moving foward and just keeping with the program....come this far. Want to love the band:redface:

Hi all! I am 18 mos from surgery and the only weight I've lost was the 12-15 pounds preop. I haven't lost OR GAINED anything since surgery. SOOOOO FRUSTRATING. I'm not a perfect eater, though I do considerably better during the week than on the weekends. And, I don't exercise at all, outside of the usual go to work, come home, clean house, fix supper, do laundry (thank God my washer and dryer are in the basement, at least I have to go up and down the stairs), get the kids in bed and start all over the next day. I really need to kick up the exercise, and get more protein in. But, the real reason for my post is I feel like I have given up a lot with this band, and should be seeing more results than I am. I got to thinking about the medications I take and reading on the internet about them. It appears that both of them have been shown to cause weight gain, and I wonder if that isn't part of my problem??? Just wondered if anyone on here has actually found that medications were part of or all of the cause of their lack of losing or possibly gaining, despite the band? I'm not blaming the medications on my entire lack of success, because I know I have not been as faithful as I should be. In case anyone's interested, the medications I'm specifically wondering about are Apri (generic birth control) and Paxil. Let me know if anyone has come across this, or think that this could contribute to my problem. thanks

((Tracy)) keep us posted!! Hopefully it's just cysts or something! Haydee you looked super cute. I never did find my pirate costume, and about 15 minutes after handing out candy I changed into jeans & pumpkin t-shirt. Just got back from the gyno, took them a while to find the heartbeat, so I was getting nervous.. guess the nurse could tell cause she was going 'it's a little heart, it can be hard to find sometimes, don't worry!'. When she finds it, she always gives me this big sly smile that makes me feel akward--like I'm suppose to cry tears of joy, and my smile isn't adequate enough.. anyway. Normally it's been 150-160 bmp, which according to an old wives tale means it's a girl. Today it was 140 bmp, which according to old wives tale is a boy. My next appt (Dec. 8) they do the anatomy thing, and tell me if it's a boy or girl!! So excited. I told them DH doesn't want to know the sex, but he wants to be there for that ultrasound, so she was saying there's a slight chance he would be able to tell from the picture.. but I've looked up pictures of how they tell and it took me a lot of effort to figure out what I was looking at. Even little girls have 3 ball looking area, so I am fairly confident Russell will have no idea what he is seeing. Regardless, I will just tell the technician when to tell him to look away. Their parking is so bad, it's 2 small parking lots, that always fill up. I drove around 15m with no luck, so I finally illegally parked on a curb. I crossed my fingers I didn't get towed.. luckily I started a trend, a lot of people were parked on the curb when I came out, whew. They also looked at the rash on my back, she didn't want to touch it, she thinks it's ringworm. My GP thought it was ringworm and put me on meds, I did it for 2 weeks with no change so I stopped. She told me to try another cream.. Lotrimin I think. Doesn't both me though! She made a comment about my weight gain that made me want to melt into a puddle and hide. I know I'm gaining too much, I told her how I feel and I'm so hungry all the time. She said it's the progesterone, and asked if I should see a nutritionist.. no not really, it's not like I don't know how to eat.. she asked if the banding folks told me how to eat well-- yes, yes they did. It's not ignorance, it's.. will power. So whatever. Today Russ goes back on Atkins, I'm going to make a point to cut out sugars that aren't naturla (re: fruit). No more candy, cookies.. blah blah. Brought all my leftover halloween candy to work today, they betta eat it! Ok have a good one ya'll!

Good morning everyone, I'm originally from Boston, currently reside in Philadelphia, been here for almost 5yrs now. I'm a single mother of a beautiful 3 year old girl; she is my sunshine and an inspiration to turn my life around. Currently in school, take care of my mother and work full and part time. I was told to join the website because the members on this site keep it real and any question's I may have, I can most certainly find the answer's here. About myself, I'm 30 yrs old and about 5'9...weighing over 300lbs :smile2::rolleyes2::drool::crying:I can go on endlessly on how I feel. I've been battling with the weight gain for almost 10yrs now. My goal is to weigh 175lbs or fit into a size 8!!! I am sweets and a fast food eater :w00t:...dislike veggies and fruits, even water! :thumbup: I've tried, weight watchers, Ediets, Medifast, Cookie Diet, over the counter meds, you named it I've tried it!! I strongly feel by submitting myself to the Lap Band and join a great support group I can shed these pounds for good. I really can't do this alone; I've failed doing so for 10yrs. I really look forward being part of this site and hope to speak with those that can relate to me. :glare: Chika

38. if i could have gotten the band placed to PREVENT the weight gain in the first place - i would have.

Hi, I am 4 weeks post-op, feeling good, but I really wanted to update this thread ( with the advantage of hind sight of course) My surgery was in the morning, I was pretty groggy but cheerful, I rested that afternoon, but went for a short walk to a local shopping mall that night to pick up some groceries. Second day post op was quite good! I spent the whole day at the shopping mall with my wife. I walked lots, and rested at each bench just to make sure I didn't over do it. I started to break my fast with fruit juces and strain chicken noodle soup from Tim Hortons. By the end of the day, I was pretty tired. I felt so good on day 2, We were planning on going to Naigra Falls on Day 3 but my experience the night before was terrible. My stomache had finally woken up from the anestetic ( hindsight) and the gas production in my stomache was in full swing. I was taking gas-x every hour or so, and I was interpreting the stomach cramps as needing to poop. I spend a great deal of time eternally optimistic sitting on the toilet hoping for a bowel movement. Day 3's trip to Niagra Falls was cancelled. Day 4 - If I thought Day 3 was bad, day 4 was more of the same and worse. By this time, I had stopped taking the codiene because I thought I was constipated. I was into the children's liquid tylenol( sickening sweet, almost gagging), I was taking milk of magnesia, and was also trying to induce a bowel movement with glycerine suppositories. I had also noticed that I had reverted back to an almost a Water fast. Nothing but water was weakening the heck out of me, yet, I didn't feel like I could handle anything else. Anyways, I started to force down the protien shake. And, I started to feel a bit better. Day 5 - because I was starting to feel better, we tried our luck at a trip to Niagra Falls. I was pretty much comatose on the drive there, and I don't think my wife realized how miserable I felt. We walked to the falls and spent about 30-40 minutes looking at the falls. She want to check out more attractions but I had to pull the plug on our plans, and asked to go back to the car. My wife was disappointed but understood. On the way home, we stopped at the Tim Hortons, and I was able to has a tiny tiny bowel movement. The first one since the surgery 5 days earlier. There was nothing solid about it , considering that my last meal was a ceasar salad the night before the surgery. I actually started to feel better on our ride back to the hotel room, but I was tired as hell. When we reached the hotel room, I was able to have another tiny tiny bowel movement, and that made me feel even better. Still tired so I laid down for a nap. Now here's an embarassing moment that I wouldn't be sharing if you knew my full name......I woke up after 45 minutes and went to the washroom to take another dump because I woke up having wet farts. Well, when I got to the toilet, I realized that I had completely soiled my drawers and the bed while I was sleeping. The milk of magnesia has finally unplugged me, and i made one hell of a gross mess. The whole experience was very embarassing. I don't think my wife totally understood what I was going through, but she got some change and laundry detergent and we cleaned the bedding ourselves at the hotel laundry mat. At least, I didn't have to call the cleaning staff in to take care of the mess. Day 6 and 7 were bad, but not as bad as before, because I was forcing down the protien shakes and my bowel movements were happening again. I lived in fear of diarehea. And, the gas production in my stomach surfaces as my biggest problem. Since day 3, every 2-3 hours I was getting gas pressure so bad it was causing me to hic up. Gas-X would settle it down. But I was taking it twice as often as the box was recommending, and I was begining to think the gas-x wasn't doing anything other than disolve the gas back into my stomache fluids so it could create more intestinal problems for me. I flew home on Day 7, it was a long 3 1/2 hour flight. I found myself finding a nuetral position that was most comfortable for me, which was an upright position. I was worn out and needed to sleep. I have sleep apnea and I'm unable to sleep well without a CPAP but that day I was able to breath ok by extending my jaw forward before drifting off to sleep. this trick is the first time I've ever tried it, and it probably doesn't work that well but it seemed to work well at least on that plane ride. Day 8, my first day of softfoods. I really didn't start to recover from my stomach problems until I started to eat soft pureed food. This leads me to beleive that existing on an almost liquid diet just isn't good for the stomache. After, I switched to cottage cheese, and apple sauce, and tuna, and mushed vegies, I felt better. By end of day 9, I was feeling better, and my hunger has returned. Today, I'm 2 days before my first fill, and I don't feel any restriction at all. This is discouraging because I find myself eating like I used to, and my weight loss has changed to weight gain. Anyway, this must be a pretty long rant by now. Good night, All! regards Tyler