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Alexandra is absolutely right in that "success" is in the eyes of the person banded, and your ideas about what "success" is may have to be modified. I still have problems accepting that even if I got to "goal" weight, at 44 I am NEVER going to look like a swimsuit model - never! I probably will never look good in sleeveless outfits, shorts, or - naked, period. In my mind, however, I still cling to the fantasy of looking "someday" like some of the young beautiful people I see... lol As far as long term success - the truth is there are a lot of factors that determine this, and not all of them may be in your control. Some people return to their old habits, or inexplicably start to consume more calories via liquids/soft foods. That's something you can feel you have control over. But a reoccurring theme on the boards reserved for "experienced" bandsters is the fact that some are no longer able to tolerate the same level of restriction that got them to goal weight. So if you start having reflux problems 5 years out that are only resolved by getting an unfill - either paritially or completely - you are going to have more of a challenge on your hands, because your capacity for a higher quantity will go up, and that may allow you to exceed your caloric needs resulting in weight gain. The aging/lower metabolism beast will factor in, as well, as does certain types of medications. There is, however, NO WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY with the band - IF you are able to maintain the same level of restriction AND you continue to eat the same things in the same quantity as you did to lose your weight (or a little bit more to stop losing and maintain), then you will NOT gain your weight back due to a failure on the band's part. It cannot compensate for certain medications or the effects of aging. The best strategy in being successful is to remember that the changes you make to lose your weight are a LIFETIME COMMITMENT. This is not a diet that you "stop" when you reach goal. IF you change your eating habits and your physical activity levels to reach your goal weight, you HAVE to maintain that same lifestyle to keep it there. A reminder that muscle requires more energy to maintain than fat, so it is in everyone's interest to build and maintain muscle if at all possible - that will help combat the age/metabolism thing, but more importantly will increase your health, which really needs to be the focus in all of this. If you do not focus on HEALTH as the reason to make these changes, then once your reach "goal" you will no longer have "losing weight" as a source of motivation to continue with the changes you're making now. Good luck in your process!

deed87... I'm no expert but I think you are kinda going into this with the wrong mindset. You have to understand that this is a tough deal. Too many people call this "the easy way out" but its all but that. This is tough. The job you seek will serve as great motivation but the are many posts in here about people who don't have sucess with it. However, when you do reach your goal weight, you can stop getting fills, have some Fluid removed from the band, etc. I think once you get close it will motivate you to go further. I also get the feeling that you are like many of us that LOVE food and you are thinking that you will never be able to enjoy the good stuff again. Many people on this forum talk about how hard it is to maintain when you reach your goal. To take fluid out will only give more hunger and you will want more food which will give you more calories which will eventually lead to weight gain. Hope this helps.

In the soft foods phase, it is so easy to want to eat canned fruit, mashed potatoes, chicken noodle Soup with the noodles, Peanut Butter, pancakes, and chili with cheese, Beans, and sour cream. The calories and carbs can add up quickly. So long as you have a blender or food processor, you can take moist meats like chicken and roast beef and add some broth to make them even wetter. Your veggies need to be non-starchy, and fruit is a treat. I was allowed one serving of fruit a day. Watch out for processed foods because of the added sugar and salt. If you are doing your own food prep, learn to eat with minimal salt. I have found post-op that any time I have salt with my dinner, I will be up at least two pounds overnight. Some people can handle it; I cannot. It will take me a week to lose those two pounds. One other thing that causes me weight gain is medications. I had to go back on Lyrica in September and gained ten pounds in twelve days! That was enough for me, so I went back to the pain clinic to request different treatment. I gained twelve pounds during the two days I was in the hospital because of IV fluids. So, I had to lose that before even thinking about my post-op weight loss. One thing you will learn is how to listen to your body, and how to be a good detective. You will learn way more than you expect about health, anatomy, nutrition, and the psychology of person relationships. Just be mindful of following your program, and don't lose your momentum Hang in there.

I had my surgery in 2008 i was 415 pound i was 147 pounds when i found out i was 6 weeks pregnant. even before pregnant i had alot of restriction and was always dehydrated but rather gain back weight i just kept the restriction. when i found out i was 6 weeks pregnant i had 3 cc taken out of my band because i didnt want to chance having a misscarage or any problems with my baby, which left me with no restriction at all. I gained 20 pounds with in the first week and had swelling and i am still gaining weight at an insane rate atleast 5 pounds a week im in the gym almost 4 times a week for 35 minutes to an hour on the eliptical i and i eat alot of fruit and veggitables and i cant understand why in gaining so much weight im now 11 weeks pregnant and weigh 185 pounds. my obgyn has done test and all my brood work looks fine im just getting upset becasue im watching what im eating and exercising and cant seem to keep a steady normal weight gain. has anyone else gained alot of weight durring there pregnancy?

I have been on Lexapro for 3 years, and gained about 30 pounds within the first 6 months I was on it That tapered off then and now I have no problems with weight gain on it. My goal is to decrease the dose after taking off some of the weight and having my synthroid adjusted accordingly. Ironically, I was at my follow up visit with the surgeon today and have lost exactly 30 pounds since the start of my two week pre op diet... take that medication weight gain!

I thought that sounded a little familiar, so I pulled out my paperwork I got from the patient education seminar and saw a slide that read this: We expect weight loss prior to surgery Even a few pounds (5-10) can make a difference - Liver Do not gain weight May cx (cancel) surgery if there is weight gain ... So yeah, I need to be extra mindful about that.

My mother always blamed herself for my weight gain, even though I was out of the house & married off before it became an issue. She wasn't thrilled with the idea of my surgery because she was sad that it had "come down to that". She wished I could have found another way. She & dad drove down to the hospital to be with DH and I when I had my surgery. I didn't know this at the time, but she cried for hours the night before my surgery. Mostly tears of misplaced guilt, I believe. A few of fear. We both know sisters who were banded several years ago, and one has had some sognificant issues with her band that have lead to other problems including extreme (from size 36 to a loose 0) weightloss. And a few tears because she was afraid that it was a pure desperation move on my behalf. She never vocalized it, but she wished I wouldn't do it. Now that she sees I'm getting myself back, sees the changes in my personality, and my body... sees that I can get down & up again from the floor without any effort, and that I can rup up and down the stairs & still breathe... and most importantly that I'm still healthy, able to eat wholesome foods, and not having (yet) complications, she's thinking about the band herself. At the same time she has a lot of the issues you share about your mom. She is overweight, though I was by far the largest. She told me once, "If you do this and lose weight I'm going to be jealous." It always gave her a measure of comfort to not be the fattest one in the room, I'm sure, even if it caused her horrible guilt at the same time. We visited my parents last weekend and mom brought out all the food she had bought for me - Cookies, ice cream, chips. She meant well, but I told her I don't eat that stuff any more, and even when I do it's 1 cookie, not a box. She keeps insisting that, "With no more than what you eat, a few cookies isn't going to hurt you" or "You can use real butter, you need some more fat in your diet." She means well, but she too struggles with her proverbial demons. As does your mother. Have you tried a real heart-to-heart with her?

Jodi In KY, come to think of it my BMI was 39 and my insurance company paid for mines. I'm with Carefirst Blue Cross Blue Shield. All insurance companies have there own requirements. I called my insurance company and spoke with a representative, who advised the requirements that I would have to had fulfilled before the insuance company would pay for my surgery. Luck I fit those requirements. Suffered with my weight gain for the last 5 years, 6 month supervised weightloss program in the last 2 years, either 6 months straight or 2 consecutive 3 month sessions would qualify. Two health physical or health problems related to weight gain. I did not have health problems and throught because my BMI was 39, I would not qualify for the surgery, but I was approved.

Ok, I am taking Zoloft because my other medication was dangerous for my pregnancy. I am weaning my daughter from nursing now and ready to take any medicine required. Now, I am freaking out about reading that Zoloft causes weight gain. Is it that it makes you eat more or store more of what your eating?? I also have PCOS, not that it is really specific to Zoloft questions but I saw another poster that was really similar to my situation.

I did well durning the holidays. No weight gain, I lost 6 lbs this month so far. My surgery is January 15th . I start my 14 day liquid only pre op diet on December 31. I celebrated New Years with my husband yesterday with my last glass of wine. I am not nervous at this point, but I am sure the nerves will show up eventually.

keep in mind most everyone here has years upon years of weight loss / weight gain and try and fail. This pattern is ingrained and can be our undoing if we don't recognize it and guard against it. Post op is a mental game and we are the enemy. build a plan around your doctors instructions then work out how to do this day in day out without huge effort. The key is it must work with your life or like a DIET it will fail over the long run. Everyone will have a slightly different plan that fits the life they are building. good luck and i hope you have a great week and get back on track.

@@Proud2BMe It is wrong that you assume I am sitting around eating crap. The only carbs I have eaten in the last week have been a Tablespoon of banana apple puree and 1 melon ball of honeydew, besides the carbohydrates that are in veggie broth, spinach, tofu, and other veggies (which are very minimal). I have been religiously logging my food and measuring for every meal. Fruit based carbs are the only high carb food in my home (and raw seed crackers that I can't eat at this point). That is the reason I am worried about the weight gain. When I came on this forum expected for people to be helpful and uplifting, but reading your comments is disheartening and very negative. Side note: After consulting with my doctor he said the culprit is constipation and water retention.

You are trying to argue against opinions when the article itself is an opinion. You are not the be-all of Bariatric advice. As we are all (former) fat people we should all know the ability we have to deceive ourselves as to what we are consuming and the quantity thereof. I'm not laying into this poster at all nor am I throwing blame on her. I am just stating that if the problem is weight gain then too many carbs may be to blame. It may not be. So what? You are not an expert anymore than I am. Opinions are opinions and nobody here should be claiming there's is fact while someone's else is mere opinion. They are ALL opinions. So back up and take some time to think before going on the attack.

@@Proud2BMe It is wrong that you assume I am sitting around eating crap. The only carbs I have eaten in the last week have been a Tablespoon of banana apple puree and 1 melon ball of honeydew, besides the carbohydrates that are in veggie broth, spinach, tofu, and other veggies (which are very minimal). I have been religiously logging my food and measuring for every meal. Fruit based carbs are the only high carb food in my home (and raw seed crackers that I can't eat at this point). That is the reason I am worried about the weight gain. When I came on this forum expected for people to be helpful and uplifting, but reading your comments is disheartening and very negative. Side note: After consulting with my doctor he said the culprit is constipation and Water retention. **************************************** I never said you ate crap and I do not appreciate your implying such. I have not once been negative to you. It's only naturally to bring up the subject of ingesting too many carbs on posts where people are complaining of weight gain. FYI: Fruit based carbs are no different from other carbs. Just so you know. The sugar in some fruits can be on the same level as candy and fruit juices are worse, about the same as drinking a regular soda. I'm not saying you can't eat fruit or anything like that, just keep that in mind.

Howdy folks - I'm a 41 year old software engineer (tells you about how physically active my job is :), and since I was diagnosed with MDD about 3-4 years ago and started on a 100 mg Zoloft (sertraline) regimen, my weight went from around 180 lbs to a current 204 lbs (I'm 5'8"-ish), without any change in eating habits or exercise patterns. God bless psychiatry whom I was a major skeptic of until I realized depression for some people isn't caused only by situational circumstances but also genetics and heritage contribute to much of it as well... My entire family has been dealing with their own anxiety and depression in other ways, via alcohol, lustful activities, gambling, shopping, overeating - since I don't come originally from the USA, the taboo on psychiatrists is even greater back home where I'm from..... and taking an antidepressant for most people who suffer is almost non-existent. Zoloft has helped reduce, or rather, help me cope with 90% or more of the symptoms I experienced - basically reluctance to do anything and just curl up and cry due to the severity of the depression as well as the several times a day panic attacks each of which felt like impending doom and death knocking on the door... Good luck focusing on mental work with those experiences in your head/body - I don't wish them on anyone. What I never saw coming as a result of my SSRI regimen is the progressive weight gain that has been taking place... obviously partially this is due to age, but the majority of it is really due to the side effects of taking an SSRI like Zoloft. I've found it nearly impossible in terms of time consumed and habit change to manage my weight with exercise and nutrition alone and I've scheduled a surgery with Dr Ortiz for this April after reading here extensively, watching Dr Ariel Ortiz and Dr Juan Lopez Corvala perform this procedure on numerous patients. It was a tossup for me between Dr Ortiz and Dr Corvala, I guess I really liked Dr Ortiz's website and information provided better, so I picked him, but I feel that these 2 doctors are probably among the best at what they do in the Tijuana area.... With a BMI of 30 and no end of the weight gain in sight as age progresses... I feel like I've made the right choice for myself, my wife and my children. Wish me luck and pray for my speedy recovery. Many of my colleagues suffer from extreme obesity, so I'm hoping I start a trend here :). M.

1 cup Kale cut up raw with 1-2 tbspoons of Panera asian seasme dressing, sugared ginger sliced VERY thin, and 10 or so pumpkin seeds or dried cran berries. Bell pepper red, yellow or orange are filling and low calorie as are apples and you name cucumbers. Strawberries are low calorie as is cantaloupe. There is also Magic Pop large round wheat and rice tortilla looking crunchy wafer that satisfies the need to crunch. This is just my experience from an empty band to prevent weight gain- - my sleeve is thursday- these are space fillers that are low calorie though. Good luck !!

Weapon. Sound like a true plateau. And yes, they can last for months. To go off of Lisa's comment. Tricking the body is precisely what you want to do. You've been so clean for so long that the body has acclimated, metabolism has shifted etc. This is a an old bodybuilder trick. They eat clean for 6 days than eat like crap the 7th. As soon as the body starts detecting starvation, bam, it has a huge rise in cals and it calls off the plateau (or hoarding of fat reserves). Since you are well into your plateau. Forget one meal, or one day. Try a week. Truly, kick the diet for a week. Let your body 'think' it's flush w/ cals. After a week, go back on diet. Typically any weight gained flies off but you will see the scale start to go down. At that point my recommendation is to have a cheat meal or cheat day weekly to keep plateaus in check. Hope this helps. (and yes cal cycling is effective), however, your 900-1100 cal range is what Im at and Im a woman. Most banded men are a few hundred higher like 1100-1300 and that may be playing a factor. However, you won't hear from me not to weigh or track daily..that's a must in my book <wink>

Well for me is simple. During my sophomore year of high school I became depressed due to bad family situations and rape. The depression turned in to a food obsession. Ice cream never felt so sweet! Once I entered college it was all down hill from there, the drinking and eating was horrible for me. I also binged on food, kept a secret. I would eat two whole boxes of thin crust pizza and 20 buffalo wings :hurray: ouch! I also stopped exercising and that of course added to the weight gain!

@@MichiganChic Thanks, Do you have anything else you can share in terms of what the bad habits were that caused the weight gain? Also, what did you do to get rid of those pounds and why do you think it took so long? Thanks!

Ok feedback from my visit to the doctor, thank you for your support. I am now able to eat again, my surgeon was good this time and i didn't have any problems with her, but that was because my body was in starvation mode, she took out all Fluid and there was 4mls in there, i thought it was only meant to be 2.2mls so idon't know where the rest came from, she replaced 1.5mls and now i feel as though i have no restrictions, it is so good to be able to eat again and not spend my time feeling so awful, i go back in about 3 - 4 weeks to get a top up and in that time giving my body a chance to recover, i still have NO energy and i am trying to replenish the fluids. So bottom line i was overfilled and there was no way things were going through. my fear at the moment is the weight gain, but i just have to work through that and get back on top of things. So thank you from a happier me Cheers Jane

Vickietoo you can start over in your mind minus the surgery. I believe that with all my heart. This is the fourth time today I shared this article I read. I took a good long read at it this morning and it hit the spot. I was just filled on Friday. I live in Florida and fly to Colorado for my surgery, and now my fills and followups. I have to admit I was just in an odd place mentally and physically. I was SO GLAD I took the step to fly out to Denver. Sometimes doing the followup be it in our own hometowns or out of state or wherever, it looms at us larger if we are having difficulties. Take the step. Make an appointment with your doctor and follow through. I felt so great after leaving my doctor's office...joyous, victorous, and a reward and pride in myself that I care for myself to know that I need more than what I myself can give. So enjoy this read. Know you have many like you and much support here on Lapbandtalk. Think You Need a Fill? THINK AGAIN By Nikki Johnson Do you remember that feeling you had when you first had your band placed? For a while, everything was great. You didn't experience hunger, you felt satisfied with a small portion of good food, you had more energy, and you were thrilled with your initial weight loss progress. If you are like most people, your experience changed over time, Some of those feelings of hunger returned, and you stopped losing weight. You knew you needed something, so you went to your surgeon's office and asked for a "fill" right? If so, you might be surprised to learn that it is your thinking about your band, and not the band itself, that needs adjusting. The LAP-BAND Bad Word Paul O'Brien, MD, FRACS, is a skillful, compassionate surgeon and a foremost expert on the LAP-BAND System. he was involved in its design in the early 1990's and placed the first band in Australia in 1994. Since then, he has treated thousands of patients and is recognized worldwide for his expertise. When his patients utter that worst of four-letter words, "fill," in his office, they are asked to throw a dollar in the Red Cross donation bucket--a reminder that, according to Dr. O'Brien, thinking about a "fill" is just wrong thinking. How can a concept that we hear about so constantly be so very wrong? Dr. O'Brien's answer is simple: "Any adjustment to the band is something that only takes place in the context of clinical consultation--part of a relationship of trust, honesty and communication between patient and surgeon--that is much more key to the success of the patient than the precise number of milliliters of Fluid in the band. This concept of partnership is the central theme of Dr. O'Brien's new book, The Lap-Band Solution--A Partnership of Weight Loss. Patty's Note: Available on Amazon.com ISBN#9780522854121 Like many people, you might assume that weight gain or a sustained plateau means an incorrectly adjusted band; in fact, you may be right. But you may be surprised to learn that weight gain sometimes results from a band that is too tight. This is part of the reason why the "fill" concept is so misleading. If your surgeon determines that you are not losing weight as you should, then discovering why that is happening is crucial. Sometimes adding fluid to the band will only make matters worse. Life in the "GREEN ZONE" Most people who have the LAP-BAND operation will have an amazing feeling of disinterest in food for the first week after surgery, before any adjustments are even made to the fluid in the band. According to Dr. O'Brien, that lack of interest in food is referred to as satiety. A related but different feeling is satiation, or the feeling you get as you are eating, precisely at the point that you don't need any more food to eat but you do not have an uncomfortable feeling of fullness. These two feelings--satiety and satiation--are what the properly adjusted band helps you achieve, allowing you to maintain your new healthier eating habits. Your careful observation and truthful sharing of your feelings and eating behaviors, combined with the expert care and training of your surgeon and his or her staff, can make the very individual determination of whether your band is properly adjusted much more accurate. In order to help create the most effective partnership between themselves and their patients, Dr. O'Brien and his colleagues at the Australian Centre for Obesity Research and Education have developed a concept they refer to as the "Green Zone". When patients are in the green zone, they experience satiety, satiation after properly-sized small meals, and satisfactory weight loss or maintenance. However, there are also yellow and red zones, both of which indicate that the band is not optimally adjusted. If your band is too loose, you will not have the benefits the band's hunger-controlling mechanism. If your band is too tight, you will have trouble eating properly and may actually gain weight because the foods you can eat more comfortable, that tend to be liquid and calorie-rich, like ice cream and chocolate, do not provide the proper nutrition. Learning to recognize when you have the feelings and eating behaviors that signal a problem can help you give your surgeon the information he or she needs to help you keep the band optimally adjusted. Thinking Adjustment Once you have eliminated the concpet of "fills" from you Lap-Band vocabulary, you will be able to let go of much of the conventional thinking connected to it. Perhaps you have heard talk about the "ideal" amount of fluid in the Lap-Band. While it may be helpful to have some idea of how much fluid is in your band, Dr. O'Brien says there is no magic number. No perfect amount of fluid will provide the best results for everyone. He says, rather, that "whatever volume of fluid is needed to achieve the [feeling of non-hunger] is the correct volume." When you notice that you are feeling hungry or are not losing weight, your body is telling you it is time to revisit your partner in weight loss -- your surgeon. your success absolutely depends on this relationship. So rather than thinking "adjustments," adjust your thinking, and, in partnership with your surgeon, find a lifetime of health! For more information about all of the themes discussed in this article, please see Dr. O'Brien's book, The Lap-Band Solution--A Partnership for Weight Loss, which is available fro Amazon.com. We also invite you to visit LAP-BAND® System Forum - Home for more information and supportive resources.

I had my lap band in 2003, I started at 215 & within the first year I lost 157lbs, & reached my goal weight, I had great success. At the end of my 9th year, i was vomiting quite often, couldn't get much food down, I had an esophagram & my lap band had slipped, so I had emergency surgery with my original surgeon & unfortunatly the damage was realy bad & it had to come out. So now I'm on month 3 without it & up 15 pounds. I have been eating healthy & exercising. I am very frustrated & so afraid of gaining any more weight back. Any diets known for those who had to have thier band removed????!!!! HELP

The research group that I'm with believes that eating very low calories for too long...will set you up for a bad metabolic reset and more rebound weight gain at five years post op. You don't want a starvation metabolism. You want a hot burning furnace that supports lots of activity, healthy muscles and exercise. We are encouraged to eat 1200 calories per day as soon as possible after surgery. I've eaten 1200 calories daily since my third week post op. I feel terrific. Am almost to goal. It's important to listen to the professionals. Their advice is based on a broader perspective than just our own. And they've seen the consequences of lots of well intentioned nutritionally disastrous efforts. Be safe, be well, and best wishes!

Hi I am Shirley from Kansas. I am thinking about having the Lapband surgery. I weigh 235 lbs., 68 years old. Does this help with the desire to want food. I also did the FenPhen and had great results. Since I have retired, it has been hard to keep the weight off. I am very depressed about my weight gain.

Ok so I've met with my nutritionist once so far. I had gained 4 lbs when she weighed me from the time I met with the surgeon at 284 and she weighed me at 288. My question is will I automatically be denied from that initial weight gain? If I'm able to lose that weight by my next visit, which is on October 16, and continue to either lose or maintain that weight will I not be denied. I'm just getting really worried over that initial gain. I also think it's a bit ironic that the very thing we're getting surgery for could wind up denying us the surgery that would help alleviate that problem. Ugh, oh well, please if anyone has some info about Aetna and all this please respond! Thanks!!