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I have to agree that once you start, it's hard to stop... this has been my problem the last week or so... all those xmas parties and food. I try to stick with the plan but have noticed that I want more food than I was having. I so desperately want to get through xmas without too much damage but with my current level of restriction I'm afraid that I will go in the wrong direction. So far no weight gain but the idea is to lose. Good luck getting through this.

i'm lucky to have the hourglass shape, and i love being short, but i can't wait to be truly petite. all the women in my family are tiny (none of the men are heavy either...except my dad..we are the only ones). anyways, my mom is 4'10" and most of her life she weighed 85 lbs (she is a nice healthy 120 now, and she thinks she's fat :faint:..haha..she still wears a size 5...but i do joke with her that she just might be considered obese now.. (haha..she has bad health problems and really doesn't need any extra weight, but her new med's caused a quick weight gain..she always sayed things to me out of concern..so now i'm returning the favor..although she is almost 50 and i would rather her be an older woman with some meat on her bones...). anyways..back to the subject, i have a cousin who is the same as my mom 4'10" wears a size 0, a sister who has had 4 kids and is 5'0" and half my size...lol. only one girl in the whole family who is taller than me..... so, i'll be glad when we can go to christmas gatherings, etc., and i won't feel like the giant (hhahaha...it's hard to believe i'm the giant at 5'2").

Believe it or not, this is normal. Your body is simply rehydrating. The next 4-6 weeks will be the hardest. You have to let your body heal, and you need nutrition for that. Don't worry about minor weight gain during this time. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. After your restriction (which may take several fills to get right) things get better. One thing I've found really useful is to use a weighted rolling average to keep track of my weight trend. There's a useful tool at https://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/HackDiet/ that keeps track of your weight and generates charts that show your true trend, rather than the instantaneous point. That's useful, especially when Water weight and other variables make the daily/weekly weigh-in unreliable.

wow ..it is really hard to get back on track when i havent been online ive tried back reading posts but my head hurts...lol still no new laptop have to wait for santa but i know its in his sack for me ..he he he:whoo: im using hubbys today but it goes back to work tomorrow and i need to look for some pressies online well just quick update on me .... im feeling fat ,can you believe it i have now got a bump but because it hidden under my spare tyres it just pushing my flab forward and i feel huge... such negativity sucks im friggin 5 months pregnant for goodness sake.although i think i just wanted to look slim at hubbys xmas party this friday night and everthing i try on i look flabby and fat and not pregnant and blooming!!!:faint: on much more positive note my little man is doing great went for 3d scan yesterday ..baby in wrong position( i.e stuck in crevice at my hip bone) that pics were not great and i have to make new appointment but he was growing well sucking his fingers sticking his tongue out and wiggling his little willy around showing hes not modest...lol i will post picture i did get when hubby scans it for me but its not great quality ....but you can see him. my band anniversary is on tuesday and it seems like a million years ago funnily enough my best friend having the op done tomorrow and i still feel like its a distant memory but im happy with results i just wish i didnt still feel like the fat girl ,i guess the op doesnt fix your mindset. also i have developed a sweet tooth in recent weeks havent paid too dearly yet so im still indulging it .....i reckon im happy to play pregnancy card for that one...lol ok so not at lowest weight for my one year anniversary but here goes this is me 12 months on ..... starting weight..270lbs................now..178lbs bmi...41.1.................................now..27.1 hips ...51&half inches..................now..43inches waist...44 inches........................now 39inches(gone up from 37 but baby in there) thighs...24&half inches.................now..22inches calfs.......16 & a half.....................now 15 inches dress size 22...............................now.... comfy 16 i have realised that my target weight was too high but hey at 270 lbs 168 seemed a dream my new goal b4 i get surgery for tummy and thigh lift will be 154 or there abouts im not going to tie myself to numbers il know when i feel im at right weight but thats next years goal for now im a pregnant woman looking forward to greeting her new son in springtime so here is my baby bandster ticker as i now know the weight gain approaches and no point getting worried it means my little man is growing !!!

I have a week left. A week until I leave for home, and a week until I also get defilled. I’m too tight, I know it, and have been for a while. When my plane lands, my parents are going to bring me to see some fill nurse I’ve never met before, and get either totally, or almost totally defilled. I have 1.3cc right now, and the clinic suggested I go down to 0.5cc, but if I felt more comfortable, I could get totally defilled. It’s nice to have that option, because I know the consequences (weight gain) will be a little less if I keep a 0.5 in my band, BUT… this is being done to try to reverse anything ‘wrong’ with me, be it a slip or stretched pouch, or maybe nothing at all, I’m doing myself a disservice by NOT going totally empty and giving myself the maximum repair time. I think I WILL go totally empty, and get refilled a bit, 3-4 weeks later. I gained 10lbs in 2 weeks last time I was defilled… this could be scary. But then again, maybe now if I CAN eat the healthier things for me, I WILL. You know? I will try my best. But for now, I don’t know if I even want to get to goal just to have to say goodbye to it again. I haven't quit my job yet. I will definitely wait until after Christmas. Don't get me wrong, it's not all about her... I don't want her to have THAT satisfaction. I don't like my job... it's not what I wanna be doing. I despise it. It just doesn't help having to work with someone who thinks that way about you, and SAYS it to other people. There's no way getting around working with her, it's gotta be that way. Dan and I had our Christmas tonight, since I'm leaving next friday, and we won't be able to have Christmas together. :huggie: I got lots of goodies, but most notably, clothes from THE GAP. Yeah, that's right. Up til now most of my stuff has come from Old Navy. That's because it's cheap, and with how quickly I've been growing out of stuff, it's just worked. I've gone into some nicer, more expensive stores to just try things on, but never bought anything. Anyways, he got me a nice, super colourful (and itchy) striped (freakin' HORIZONTALLY!) sweater, in MEDIUM, and some size 10 jeans. I looked at the sweater and said no way it would fit... but it did. The jeans... I dare to say they could probably be a size smaller?! They're very roomy in the hips. That's the latest from me. I'm going to bed now. 'Night.

Hi I was banded in Sep 2004 and lost 135 pounds to get to a normal BMI (just). I had a slip diagnosed in September this year and had my band repositioned. Both times i have had a fill since then I have had to go back to get some Fluid out because I was too tight. So I am feeling a little scared of going back for more fill. Plus I don't want to see my fill Dr because I have now gained over 50 pounds and I feel embarassed. I just can't stop eating - I know it's emotions. But I thought the band would help with the regain like everyone says. Josy

I can tell you how a person can become overweight without sweets and binging -- by dieting! There are studies that show that once you've lost weight, you will gain weight on fewer calories than someone who has never lost weight. In my case, I went on my first diet when I was five pounds overweight! I thought I was being responsible. Then every time I was pregnant, I went on a diet to lose the weight gained from pregnancy. By then, I was in the seemingly never-ending cycle. Like a lot of people on this board, I blamed myself, even though I never binged and I rarely ate sweets. Four years ago, I lost 70 pounds on Medifast. This time was going to be different! I watched every morsel that went into my mouth. I exercised like crazy, even commuting to work by bicycle, 34 miles round trip! I logged my calories and exercise in an online journal. I had my resting metabolic rate checked at the University of Texas Department of Kinesiology by the department chair. He determined that I should be able to lose weight on 1800 calories a day. I ate between 1400 and 1600 and exercised and STILL did not lose or even gained. Even on Medifast, at fewer than 1000 calories per day, I was a fairly slow loser. I realize now that I will not be able to lose weight on as many calories as the charts and tables say I should. And since I don't think I can make myself eat fewer than 1000 calories per day for the rest of my life, that's why I got the band. At my age, I'm fighting other sources of weight as well. I think there are a whole lot of variables involved, too. I definitely believe genetics play a part. I also believe that the explosion of obesity is related to the unhealthy added ingredients in our food supply, such as high fructose corn syrup, added to almost everything! Khaliah Ali and her doctors do a great job of explaining these issues in her book, "Fighting Weight." She and her doctor have been banded. And of course, we can develop bad eating habits, such as emotional eating and binging. We don't all have the same reasons for being overweight, just like people don't all have the same reasons for getting cancer (and we don't always know the cause of cancer, either.) There's a difference between blame and responsibility, too. I don't blame myself for being overweight because I feel like I did the best I could with the knowledge that I had and I genuinely fought it, just like most of us here. I don't think most people blame themselves for getting cancer, either. But all of us are taking responsibility for losing weight -- in our case, by getting banded.

Melissa, OMG....I am at work stilll and I havent even finished by 20 oz bottle of water half way yet!!!! I know we got to drink water because thats how we flush fat!!!! Makes perfect sense but I just cant drink it anymore. I eat basically the same things over and over again but its not working! I know I need to drink more water I just cant make myself do it.!!!!!! I hardley have any restriction so I am trying to push the plate away these days. No weight gain but no weight loss either!!!! UUUUGGG!!! I am soooo close to goal but yet so far away!!!! 17 more lbs to go!!! SANDRA

also, about three weeks post-op I was able to eat ANYTHING and gained 3 pounds until my fill at 6 weeks. Doc said don't sweat it chickie, there is nothing in the band, it will feel just like you didn't have it once the swelling is down and that is a good thing because it tell him that I am healing well - he saw it as a positive and that totally changed everything for me. I was being so hard on myself, until he said that even weight gain during post op is not that unusual.

Hi ladies! My doctor will not perform surgery if there is a weight gain, no matter how slight, during the pre-surgery diet. I am vey scared--I meet with him tomorrow to go over details, but with PCOS, weight gain just seems constant no matter what I do. How has the pre-surgery diet worked for you with PCOS? Was weight loss possible? Any gainers out there? Thanks!

Hi Connie - I gained 1kg/2.2lbs on the scales last week, but some how I'm fitting into some clothes that I couldn't before that. I'm wondering if it is muscle gain, as I have been walking and doing weights. Could this be your weight gain? I also find I put on about 2kgs or 4.4lbs of Fluid a few days before I'm due for my period, then it's gone the next week. Like MrsJingles said - Hang in there.. Amy

I just found the following report on line....it doesn't totally answer the question, but it does in part: Lap Band Surgery: Pregnancy Of the 678 potential fertile women (age 18-51), 21 completed 25 pregnancies as of July 2002. Two pregnancies occurred after tubal ligation: one ectopic pregnancy and one producing a full-term infant. Three women had first-trimester miscarriages, and two had elective abortions. None had complications related to obesity. There were no reports of diabetes, hypertension, neural tube defects, or eclampsia. Among 18 deliveries, 15 were vaginal and four were caesarean (one urgent for decreased fetal heart rate, three for cephalopelvic disproportion, and one repeat caesarean for twins). All pregnancies were full-term, and all fetal weights were normal. The mean birth-weight was 3,680 g (range 2,385–3,989 g). Three women had two pregnancies each during the study. Eight women had their first pregnancies, although all women had previously tried to conceive at heavier weights. These eight women lost between 12.4 and 48.4 kg (mean 28.6 kg) over 6 months to 2.5 years before becoming pregnant. Eight women gained approximately twice the weight that is recommended for women of normal weight during their pregnancies. Patients with the most weight gain (one case with 46 kg) had no Fluid in their adjustable bands during pregnancy, and therefore no restriction of their food intake. Only two women required removal of fluid from the band for nausea and vomiting (one had a spontaneous abortion). The other 16 women who kept the diameters of their bands constant during gestation had 2.5 to 3.2 ml in their bands, resulting in three women losing weight (1.2 7.6 kg) and nine gaining weight (3.2-46.0 kg) during their pregnancies. Adjustment of bands consistently relieved nausea and vomiting when they became medical concerns. The changes in body weight during pregnancy and 6 months after were excluded from EWL and BMI evaluations for the laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) series.

Denise - I am glad that I can eat - what I consider a Normal about of food and still lose weight- I don't know how I would do if I had to eat less - NMSunshine - Yes I saw it the 1st time it was on - Oprah pisses me off some times - she seems to puts down people who have WLS - it's not just people who have WLS that can have transfer addicitions - people who lose weight without surgery can have the same issues too. Look at her she looses weight - gains weight back loose it again - want to talk about yo-yo - and she has the benefit of personal trainers and chefs where we don't - OMG if i could have someone else cook all my meals and a trainer to help me exercise - I would be in hog heaven. Notice how she talks about WLS she is negative about it - IMHO she needs to be banded Phyl - you DH is a very nice man I though his controlling was done with luv:) - I think you have a keeper in him... Have you called Dr B - I am scheduled to go in on the 19th but don't know if i need to - I have pretty good restiction when I eat really solid foods - soft go through but the solids keep me full for quite a long time and sometime if I drink to fast is sticks a little - Call him it can't hurt...

Hi i had my band fitted in feb last year and my weight loss has been slow infact 4.5 stone is all i have managed to shift i had a Barium Swallow after the all clear i was asked to come back in 3 months in wich i had gained 3 pounds (my first weight gain in nearly 2 years) the doctor said he wasnt sure how much my Band can take so gave me 1ml ive been having a few problems all day ive had some Soup and orange juice and it keeps coming back on me constantly before the 1ml was inserted my records showed i had 8.5ml but am sure this was wrong cause i was eating pretty normal! and the Barium Swallow prooved this but can 1ml make this amount of drastic change? i mean i have been sicking up little bits through out the day does anyone know exactly how much the swedish lapy band can be filled? many thanks and am glad i found this site Rossy :)

Hi Everyone! I am a 35 years old. I've been married for 3 years and together with my DH for 12 years total. I was a marketing exec for a bunch of large Fortune 500 companies up until the end of October (60 hour work weeks, traveling, drinking too much, eating way too much, etc.). I am taking 6 months to take care of myself. The most important is my new band! I have struggled with weight gain since about age 23. It just creeped up every year until I am where I am today - 98 lbs of fat, sleep apnea, difficulty breathing, cholesteral creeping up, blood pressure creeping up, etc., etc. I finally gave in to my need for this change when I call home and my mom has had 2 mini strokes, a heart attack, diabetes all before the age of 60. I don't want to die young and/or be disabled by health problems before I can even collect my SS checks:-) I stuggle because my DH is handicapped and this has really prevented me from being the active person I used to be. As part of my 6 months of time off, I need to get adjusted to eating healthy with the help of my band and finding a way to exercise properly. The Merry Losers Rock!!!

I'm sorry for offending some of you-I was trying to point out that your beliefs are like pollution to the rest of us. I voted that smoking in restaurants should be banned so the rest of the world wasn't forced to succomb to what other people enjoyed, but nobody minds cramming 2 months of BS in my face every years, and there's no avoiding it! And then in January comes the new post-Christmas thread about how everyone is so discouraged about all the weight gain, getting back on track and credit card debt. God bless.

I've made a decision that when the surgeon's office calls to set up my surgery date in the next few days or weeks, I am going to push for February. Preferrably the 11th, because where I work that would give me two Holidays off, plus one of my Friday's off. I have the 9/8/80 schedule if anyone out there knows what that is, or has it. I plan to take full two weeks off. Why not? I have plenty of time on my books, and I want to be sure I stick to my liquid diet 100%! That can be hard to do if you're stuck at work and end up not bringing enough to keep you satisfied during the day. So, anyone else out there with a date that month or trying to push for it? I'd love to hear from you and see how it's going. Here is my journey, I hope your up to a long read... I began looking into the lap-band surgery about three years ago when I first heard about the surgery. Not very intently at first of course, and I always said I'd never even consider bypass. Not long after hearing about it my PCP told me I had chronic hypertension. Well, I was only 30 years old at that time! I was blown away. I was a chubby child (not bad), but at about 12/13 I lost the weight and was able to keep it off until about 19. It was about 2 years later I met my husband and we married shortly afterward, and it was at that time I made the most of my weight gain. It was like I was sleeping all though it and I never realized it happened. My eyes were really opened that day my doctor informed me of my disease. Well, needless to say I hadn't even stepped on the scale in many, many years. I was wearing a size 28 at the time of my diagnosis. I made a conscious effort to lose some weight on my own, still not fully supporting the idea of surgery. I did pretty good. I did it through good old better eating and exercise. I lost about a pant size before making that ultimate step onto the scale. It said 315!!! OMG! :faint: You know, I knew I was pretty bad off, but still - even then - I didn't imagine it to be that bad. Keep in mind I'd already lost some weight. I've come to terms with it now, and can easily say I was probably at my max upwards into the 330's. Well, I continued to lose a little more weight in the same way - but somewhere betwee 270 and 280 I'd stopped. I've been yo-yo'ing the last ten pounds ever since. I've been this weight for probably the better of two years now. It was at the beginning of this year I realized I needed more help. I figured I needed a little something to keep my portions in control, as I noticed by journaling my intake I tend to "overeat" especially during dinner hour. Breakfast and lunch are perfect, as always. I do great when my mind is busy at work. It took a lot of courage to ask my PCP about bariatrics. It was almost as if I was admitting to myself especially that yes, I'm fat, and yes - I can't lose it alone. My travels from there have been long and arduous. But one moment of it, I do not regret. I am so thankful for the six month dietician appointments, as it prepared me a great deal and in so many ways. I don't think I will be as successful had I not done them. I am so close now, I can see the Bandland gates from here! So, anyone still going through the toughest part, HANG IN THERE!! It is, and it will be SO worth it. I simply can hardly wait!

Are the laser treatments expensive though ??? Bout how much do they run ?? LAurenrd .... you've lost alot of weight and you are still showing your PCOS symptoms ... I thought they go away once we lose the weight... Here are the symptoms and dandruff is in there... I have hair growth, dandruff, HUGE waistline, skin tags, oily skin, and the Patches of thick dark areas in between my breast on my neck and inner thighs!!! What are the symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)? Not all women with PCOS share the same symptoms. These are some of the symptoms of PCOS: infrequent menstrual periods, no menstrual periods, and/or irregular bleeding infertility (not able to get pregnant) because of not ovulating increased hair growth on the face, chest, stomach, back, thumbs, or toes—a condition called hirsutism (HER-suh-tiz-um) ovarian cysts acne, oily skin, or dandruff weight gain or obesity, usually carrying extra weight around the waist insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes high cholesterol high blood pressure male-pattern baldness or thinning hair patches of thickened and dark brown or black skin on the neck, arms, breasts, or thighs skin tags, or tiny excess flaps of skin in the armpits or neck area pelvic pain anxiety or depression due to appearance and/or infertility sleep apnea—excessive snoring and times when breathing stops while asleep

I've read on a lot of other threads that we can expect weight gain immediately after surgery mainly because of the IV fluids. It should all flush away in a few days. Carol, let me add my well wishes to all the other Merry Losers. I'm so sorry that things didn't go as planned and I really hope that you stay on-line with us all:) Good luck to all those with surgery dates tomorrow! Newblew

Hey Donna, welcome back. I am just coming off some problems with my band which resulted in some weight gain too. I had all my fill out for a while. I just got filled again yesterday and am starting over again, in my eyes. We just need to get ourselves motivated again.

All this talk about clothing sizes...does anyone else have THIS problem: my legs are probably a size 16, but 16s won't go around this ball of fat/skin that hangs down in front of me! I have to buy 18s (and they're TIGHT, but keep me from eating crap) and then they're loose on the legs! Same thing with dresses...have to buy the bigger size for my damn tummy, but it's loose everywhere else! Now I blame this pannis (technical term) on my 12 1/2 lbs. baby (and subsequent large babies) and just a little on my weight gain so sometimes I think I DESERVE to have this "badge of honor", but I'd sure like to have some pants/jeans that fit properly! I'm not having trouble with holiday treats...but I do make fudge for Christmas and ALWAYS have too much of that...maybe I'll do something different this year? ...... nah, I'll just work out more! :-)

Hello Va Gang again, JA9VA I really appreciate your reply, Thanks you so much . It's so great to have this place to vent. Those friends that are not in this realm have no idea of the torment that goes into making a decision like this because they have always been naturally thin. When I was younger I was very thin then around 22 I gained about 50 lbs in a year. I didn't understand it but it happened now I have been told that I probally had PCOS which causes huge sudden weight gains and could have been corrected. But then I tried to diet and excercised lost a little weight had baby packed on more weight, lost a little again, had another baby, gained more, and then repeated it one more time. I have tried so many diets but it's never been successful for long. One time I took Redux and lost 60 lbs I loved it but then it was taken off the market. But since that I have been extremely unsuccessful with weight lost. I also had to have Hysterectomy when I was 33. Recently developed Thyroid issues, reflux, joint pain and Diabetes. I guess thats enough of my justification. It's really difficult to want this so bad and still not even know if insurance has approved me yet. It seems like the process is so slow. Lumpy: I will definitely keep in touch with the process. I really wish you well with the surgery. Thanks for being here. Suzie

Did liquids today? Exercised this morning...on the right track again...leaving for FLorida on Thursday...want to lose a few pounds...know I will be eating out a lot while I'm there and don't want the weight gain.

Did liquids today? Exercised this morning...on the right track again...leaving for FLorida on Thursday...want to lose a few pounds...know I will be eating out a lot while I'm there and don't want the weight gain.

I'm finally getting back on track...decided to go back to liquids for a few days...I'm leaving for Florida Thursday morning...spending the weekend...so I know that I will be eating out a lot...hopefully, I'll make good choices and eat healthy. I do NOT want to come back with weight gain...