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I'm an apple too. Lost in my boobs first and have one less chin now. Surgery May 8th down 32lbs. I used to wear my hair really short, but weight gain made me look like a bowling pin! Will cut my hair when I lose the weight.

I cannot warn you away from Mirena fast enough. Great for 18 months, no period at all, just 30 lbs of weight gain IMMEDIATELY. Nothing else changed. Then the spotting started and continued constantly for two years. Yes ladies years. And to top it off even though insurance covered putting it in I had to pay $300 to get it out. I realized within minutes of having it removed that the horrible abdominal pressure i had been living with was gone. It is great birth control though because you sure never want to have sex!

I had Dr. Kurian when my 1st band was placed on oct 2007. I lost weight gained it back due to steriods. I didnt go bAck to her since 2012 . We found out there was a leak in my band so she put xray dye to see if it will stay since its more thick. I went back didnt work. I made another appt with dr. Kurian to talk about surgery n i wAited over 2 hrs n she said can the nurse practioner see u??? I gotta go get my hair done i am already a half hr late n her hair dresser doesnt like when she is late! I couldnt believe it! She ditched me to get her damn hair done!!!! So i ditched her and a dr i worl for referred me to Dr. Bradley Schwack. Boy did i wish he was in NYU before i let kurian touch me! Dr. Schwack just replaced my bAnd on march 1,2013. He told me he replaced my whole band cause nothing looked righg n dr. KuriAn plAced my band low n thAts probably a big reason why when my band wAs full before the leak i still felt hungry. He is great! He listens to u n answers all your questions and he doesnt try to rush u out of the room to see his next patient. I was so nervous when i was there on the operating table crying cause I was so nervous. N he wAs right there with me telling me everything will be alright. Another main reason about Dr. Kurian that i dont like is... My sis in law (my bros wife) had gastric bypass ln nov. 2007 and she passes away in march cuz they found her intestines were twisted. When I called Dr. KuriAn thAt my sis in law passed away i feel like she didnt really care... So that was the biggest reaSon as to why i was so nervous and crying when Dr. Schwack did it cause i was so upset what happened to my sis in law n i didnt wanna be the same. My niece and 2 nephews lost their mom at such a young age its just so terrible to me till this day.

Hello everyone!! I had my sleeve June 12th, been doing good, following meal plan and all however I am still struggling with my water intake. I have been losing about a pound a day however yesterday and today I gained a pound. There are no changes in my meal intake, is this normal?

I am on a Diet to drop my extra pounds I put on but did you still get approved even with weight gain? Sent from my SM-G920R4 using the BariatricPal App

You can always get more in by eating more often. Heck, any bigger, and you will have trouble with weight gain, and if you eat too often, you will still be capable of gain. Just nothing like you are capable of now.

I'm on prozac and latuda and have noticed a slight weight gain maybe 2# not much but its better then felling depressed

I felt the same way. I mean hell we should be able to on our own. It's will power and working out right? Wrong, there are solo many aspects that go into our relationship with food and with ourselves that affect our mental, emotional, and physical health. Stop looking at this surgery as you failed at doing this correctly. This is a tool to help you make the changes maybe you knew you needed to make and some you didn't. I don't know about any of you but, my family taught me very bad food habits. I'm married with no kids but I book for an army because that was how I was taught. Or I work long days it's easier to get McDonald's than to make a healthy meal to take with me. Yeah, excuses. We can come up with hundred s if we tried from medications, mental health, physically I just can't work out or I'm tired. Bottom line is how long have you been trying this on your own? The tools you have used in the past diets, work out marathons, medication who knows what all you tried. I however tried them all. I'm an athlete I was injured in a car accident and broke my back. My weight gain started there but it didn't stop. After 12yrs battling with losing what I learned is I don't have all the tools or information. Our society is built for convenience which makes us far and lazy. Then fills us with shame and guilt. I say dump the shame and choose to mindful instead. You wouldn't be in this chat if you were doing it well in your own. Great news, your not alone! We have a chance to learn from each other and better yet pass on the knew knowledge and healthy living to the kids. Just my opinion but use this as the tool you need to kick start some major changes you need. Is it hard? yes, does it hurt? Yes. Is it worth it? I'm 14 days post op and down 21lbs. I've learned that it I didn't have all the tools to do it on my own and now I'm seeking the healthy ones out. So yes it's worth it to me. I wish you all the best. But to me it's scarier going on the way I was diabetic, suck, unhealthy, and unhappy. You still have time to change your mind. Until they take you back you can cancel so just decide can you do it on your own? I couldn't. Sent from my QTASUN1 using BariatricPal mobile app

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.

Sounds like we are all in the same boat, somewhat. I don't have grandkids but I do have an eight year old and a twelve year old who are very active. I hated that I could not be as active with them. I feel like I have not been living my life the past ten years due to the weight gain. I am definitely looking forward to being able to enjoy myself again!

my surgery date is january 5th....one month!!!! i am having surgery with dr aceves. i'm really worried about losing weight before the procedure. it seems like all of you lost weight before your procedure....but my weight has been fluctuating a lot lately...mostly on the up swing :mad0: i asked monica and she said if i gained a little weight it shouldn't be a problem....but it still concerns me. i just started a new BC, and hormone fluctuations cause weight gain with me....and the holidays!!! did any of you gain a little weight before your surgery? complications? help? ps: I am 5'3 and 250lbs

I completely understand the regain of weight after hitting our low weight or our goal. The biggest problem is that we graze and I am seeing grazing on a daily basis in my practice. I am a Family Medicine doctor and have been working on my own regain of 30#s in the last 2 years. I started with logging every morsel of food along with a rating of how hungry I am when I am eating it. Also assigning an emotion to the process. Day in and Day out I saw that I was eating out of good and bad emotions, but nothing having to do with hunger. So I started back at day 1 and went back to Protein shakes and am in the process of getting my act back together. What I have noticed with my patients is that we are all struggling with the lack of control we have in our lives. I think we have to embrace that and accept that we can only control our own actions and we need to be our own best friend first. The average weight gain among my patients in the last 3 months (since lockdown started in NV) has been 9-11 lbs. I finally had a couple of people last week who had lost weight with a great deal of effort on their part. The comment I loved the best was from Bev, who is 93 -- She said she wished her refrigerator had never learned English because it practices it all night! I completely agree, so now I am ignoring my refrigerator and planning out every day. The one think I know is accountability. That is really important so find someone you trust and can be honest with and ask for their help.

I lost 18lbs pre-op and 20lbs since surgery on 8/11/09. My wedding set has gotten very loose on me. I've already had mine sized twice; once when it was purchased and then again due to weight gain. I just picked up a ring guard from the jeweler for now as I want to wait until I have lost all the weight I want to before getting it sized again.

Hi I had my gastric bypass in 2011 i had lost 120 pounds. i have gained 60 pounds back. I am totally disapointed in my self. I have tried everything to get it back off.i was a slow loser to start with but it came off. also i had a transfer addiction with alcohol i have been sober 17 months i know it was between that and the over eating again as to why i gained the weight back. i just need some good support and disiplin i can get back on track. My name is Tammy I"m 56 from Michigan.i was excited when i found this sight hopefully this is a new tool i can use to get my body moving again lol Thank you

Thanks everyone. I did the liquid diet pre-op diet yesterday, walked 4 miles, and as of this morning I have lost a half a pound (could be legit, could be water weight). I think this is just going to be harder and slower for me than others and than I was hoping it would be. I’ll talk to my Dr. at my next check up and will do whatever she says. I’m hopeful the nutritionist will give me a menu to follow because I seem to do better when I follow a rigid restricted menu, clearly. Mostly, I needed to vent my frustration to people who would understand and sympathize. Thank you for all for reading, lending some thoughtful advice, and having my back. I was really hoping for a bigger loss by now and just haven’t had the same experience as other testimonials I read. I’m losing, even if not quick. The disappointment overcomes me sometimes... *I am weighing at home. It is linked to my Dr’s record via an app. Batteries are good. **I eat 1 or 2 dried prunes occasionally to keep regular because my bowel movements are few and far in between. ***I have a mobility-limiting degenerative spinal birth defect so many physical exercises are off limits. It is a contributing factor to my weight gain over the years and limits my exercise options. I do as much as I can within my limits. In addition to walking, I have a Wii and do the bike ride, marches, yoga, and balance related games. My job involves walking all day, across a large campus, and going up and down flights of stairs all day. I only wear my Apple watch when i walk at the park. The miles I list here are above and beyond the usual 1-2 miles I do in the course of a day at work. I’m not sedintary but I don’t do Zumba, ya know? ****I don’t measure inches, but clothes all fit exactly the same and nothing is looser.

I have been coming here almost daily since deciding to have surgery! It is addicting! I am scheduled for the 28th this month. Only 2 weeks away! I am so glad I found this place, it has reaffirmed my decision and made me sure that I am doing the right thing and going into it with reasonable expectations. Now for the formal introduction. I am 38 and teach six grade. I have been happily married for 13 years, and have 2 great stepsons and one grandbaby. I started this battle with my weight in my early 20s and was at around 150 when I got married. I woke up shocked one day about 5 years ago to find that I was weighing over 200 lbs. That was literally a moment of desperation and depression for me. In my mind, ONE HUNDRED-anything meant I was "struggling with some extra weight". Over 200, I realized I was losing the battle. A series of serious diet attempts ensued. I have done the 20 lbs off and 25 lbs back on thing so many times that now I am up to 230. It is truly time for me to make a change that will help me get to a healthier weight. I confess I am a girly-girl....love the hair, makeup, clothes, bling-bling etc... Sadly, I never feel like any of it even looks good any more. And the health related issues are starting. I found out in May this year that I am insulin resistant, and have borderline high blood pressure. The combination of Actos and Benicar have left me with edema in my ankles and the last 10lb weight gain, which was literally the straw that broke the camels back. I feel like I must do something to get a grip on this before I hit 240, or 250, or so on. I am really excited to be getting the lapband, and cant wait for this process to begin. I want to reclaim my health, my energy, my confidence, my looks, my vitality.....Oh heck, you guys know where I am coming from with all that, lol. I am self-pay and will be going to Monterrey. I am so happy that I found this forum to come to for support, encouragment, and reassurance... especially in those first weeks post-0p. You guys are the greatest! (hey, i just realized that in 2 weeks i will BE one you!!!) I look forward to sharing our experiences on the journey.

Your weight is going to fluctuate. If you were to chart your weight over time, were your expectations to have that be a straight line sloping down? I hope not, because that is just not the way this works. Also, since you are using a scale, know that it only measures weight, not fat. What are you looking to lose weight or fat? Remember, it is generally accepted if you consume 3,500 more calories than you burn, you will gain a pound. Burn 3,500 calories more than you consume, you lose a pound. So, assuming your resting metabolic rate is 2,000 calories a day, let's do the math: 7 days in a week 2,000 calorie BMR 3,500 calories for 1 pound 7 (Days) x 2,000 (BMR) = 14,000 calories burned in a week sitting on your couch doing nothing 3,500 (calories in a pound) x 1.8 (amount of weight gained) = 6,300 calories (14,000 + 6,300) (number of calories to gain 1.8 pounds) / 7 (days in a week) = 2,900 calories per day. So then, if you think you have been consuming 2,900 calories a day, then you might have something to worry about as you are putting on fat. But if you are consuming less than that, then it is most likely Water weight. How's the hormones been lately?

Hello everyone. My name is Eric, and I'm a 29 year old Wildland Firefighter from San Bernardino. I have struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember. Despite my physical job, I just haven’t been able to lose weight. I'm 5' 10" 280 Lbs. BMI of 40 with the following lovely conditions: Hypertension, Sleep Apnea, T2 DM, Enlarged Fatty Liver, and kidneys that like to pee protein. I mentioned the Lap Band to my Dr. about 2 months ago. I got a letter saying that my referral to the Center for Health Promotion was approved for pre-bariatric counseling. I met with the dietician yesterday, and asked if I had already been approved for this surgery. She said she believed so. I am on the 3 month diet program and meet with the dietician and Dr. 2 times each before surgery. As far as the diet goes, what are they looking for? Will extreme weight gain or loss change the approval status of a surgery? Also, what can I look forward to when meeting the doctor during the 3 month supervised diet program? Just looking for some insight into the pre-surgery 3 month program. Thanks everyone! PS…does everyone receive an approval letter from their insurance? I have Pacificare HMO, and they do cover bariatric surgery…

Going well, for the most part. Trying to follow all the instructions to a T and make the most of this opportunity. Miss food, miss chewing, and miss crunchy-salty food. My weight dropped pretty quickly for 8 days then yesterday didn't move, so I'm wondering about that. I'm also wondering about my sleeve size since I can put down more than a half-cup of soup easily, and if that will mean eventual weight gain. Probably thinking too much about that stuff. I'm exercising and that feels good. How about you?

I don't think anyone here can really tell you if you should or shouldn't as it's a forever decision and some people might not be suitable for it. You just need to be 100% honest with yourself and what you want in life and what you're happy to sacrifice to have it. But I will be brutally honest with you and tell you my experience. Are you happy to spend the rest of your life unable to eat normal size meals? Are you happy spending the rest of your life prioritizing nutrition and protein and avoiding high calories/high sugar foods? You'll even have to monitor when you eat and drink as you can't do both at the same time. These are some things people don't realize you will have to do. I think there's a big misconception out there that you get the surgery, and the weight just falls off and you don't have to do anything but it's so far from that, people do fail with this surgery, people do stay obese and some even gain the weight back once they've lost a little, it happens. You will struggle, you will have to see a nutritionist, you will have to learn to eat right, you have to learn to focus on getting as much protein as possible and if you eat sugar and chocolate and cakes, the weight will just come right back only this time you'll also have deficiencies. Even so, it's not a bad thing. I think all of that is a lot easier than being obese and I'm happy to have this as a life, if it means I can run without knee pain. Also there's more deaths caused by obesity than the surgery, having the surgery adds years to your life, just make sure you go to a legit surgeon. I wanted the surgery 12 years ago, when i was only 215lbs, had 0 stretch marks and was still pretty young, but many people talked me out of it and I decided to go hard core instead and crash dieted my way to 150lbs, within a year I was at 200lbs again and then after another year 250lbs, then crash dieted again to 175lbs, then I went all the way up to 265lbs and yoyo'd like that for 7years. My weight gain had started when I met my now ex, before I met him I was tiny and fit, it took me many months of therapy after I left him, to find out I was dating a narcissist that was feeding me to keep me fat and then using my weight as justification to hurt me and call me names... and prevent me from leaving him thinking i wasn't good enough for anyone. Every time I had lost the weight in the past, he would freak out and make me feel bad, accuse me of trying to get fit to leave him and that was part of the reason I think I yoyo'd so bad. I was doing it for the wrong reasons, and i lived with someone that enjoyed watching me in pain. So the dieting would have never worked. I got the surgery thinking that it would be the end of arguments and part of me thought it would make him happy in the long run and things would change but no, our relationship ended and now I'm actually glad, because if I had stayed with him, even with the surgery, I'd still be obese. Am I happy I had it done? Yes, but there's times when I'm sad I can't just eat a normal meal at a restaurant, thankfully you can take left overs home and eat the rest as another meal later . There's people that will never understand and will say you cheated, talk behind your back and just be rude. It's gotten to the point I don't tell anyone I had the surgery because I'm tired of justifying it. Overall for me it was the right thing to do, even if i wasn't in the right mindset at the time, because it helped end a toxic relationship, it fixed my binge eating disorder, I got therapy and have been working on myself physically and mentally with the aim to maintain my health for life. I've still got a long way to go but i'm already feeling better about myself. I actually bought a corset for the first time in 10 years having loved them when i was younger... And it fit and looked good!!! My insurance wouldn't pay for the surgery, so i used all my life savings and I'm still happy I did. Take the time to really think about this, look at all the pros and cons. Decide if your reasons for wanting it are worth it. It is an amazing tool to help you lose weight and I think with the right guidance many people will benefit from having this done but you need to decided it you're one of them. Either way, if you decided to do the surgery or calorie count, we're always here to chat and support you. All the best on your journey to a healthier life.

Good morning.... So happy I found this site and have the opportunity to share my weight loss journey. I had surgury last August and have lost close to 70 pounds. My story is not typical although I have struggled with weight all my life. At 20 I lost over 100 pounds and kept it off for 10 years. At 30 illness entered my life and I gained it all back plus. I am so very grateful to have the opportunity to lose weight once again. But I have a fear of the success.... since I know nothing in life is guarenteed. I suffered for 8 years with my weight and my illness and now have the freedom to make the best of my health and I'm scared. For many reasons... but most of all, deep inside, I am indignant. Meaning that I know that the outside is only a shell for what's inside. I was forced to recognize this and accept that no matter how thin one is... it does not solve everything. So this morning I faced this fear that I face everyday.... but today I am chosing to throw caution to the wind and begin to maximize my weight loss potential... taking on an exercise ROUTINE and hoping for the best. My motivations for weight loss are difficult to manage. I am not a vain person but appreciate physical beauty. Somewhere along the line in my struggles I gave up on my own.... as if I was not worthy to enjoy that. I have an emotional and psychological illness that forced me to focus on my mental, emotional and spiritual health. I had to let the physical go... the medications played a huge role in the weight gain and my depression and anxiety kept me from trying to exercise to conteract what was happening to my body. I had to find self worth inside and let go of the rest. As I am losing weight, these issues are surfacing and my fear of success and having it taken away again is huge. Also, having experienced this medical/spirtual transformation... I know in my heart that people will be drawn to me for vain reasons and that upsets me. The advice I try to give myself is to stay in the moment and just do my best which is great... because I am maximum capacity person. I was wondering if anyone out there has a similar challenge/fear going on. I would love to here from you. I don't want to waste anymore time on waiting for the right motivation to come along.... This fire needs to be walked through and I welcome your support. Peace, love and understanding, Robin Marie Coley

Bella, What you have gone through is horrible. I hope you start feeling better soon. Once you get back to your old self I hope that you will start to look at the band as a good thing. I'm sure the weight gain is all the fluids. This will pass and things will start to fall into place and off the scale. I think most of us feel like this was our last option. If I had one more diet in me I would have dieted. This was the lifestyle change that many of us need. I hope that everything becomes text book for you after this. Remember all you have gone through to get the band. It isn't the band that created the problems...it was the surgeon and as much as we want to believe that our doctor is perfect we know that isn't possible. I will keep you in my thoughts. Please keep us posted.

I'm hoping to get some advice/insight. I was sleeved on 5/30/13 and since then have lost almost 100 lbs. My husband and I are wanting to try for another baby. Today I actually got my Mirena IUD taken out (which hurt like a mofo lol) so now the real thing is to start trying within the next few months. Sooooo..... to those who have gotten pregnant after having the surgery. . How long did you wait? Any complications health or delivery wise? food intake? Weight gain/loss? I'm just trying to get as much info as possible so anything will help

Banded in 2009. Slippage in 2013. Unfilled and weight gain. Revision surgery scheduled for August 31. Thank goodness for insurance. I so loved the band and lost a 100 pounds. Gained about half that back. Surgeon is doing by-pass instead of the sleeve because of what he figures is erosion to the esophagus. I am ready for this.

On feb 7th will be my one month post op. The first two weeks I lost 15 lbs... Now I've gained 4 lbs! My doc gave me no restrictions on food except steak and tough meat, which I haven't consumed. I make healthy choices... For example, I will chose salad over pizza or grilled chicken instead of fried. Anyone else going through or have gone through what I'm going through? Thanks! ❤️