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I am extremely disappointed and disheartened by my failure so far. At first everything was great and I went from 220 to 198.4 in 3 weeks. After week 3 however I stalled which I understand is just part of the process. But during week 4 I am steady gaining weight and went from 198.4 to 203.2 on a diet of 700 calories. It should be practically impossible to be gaining weight on that few calories but somehow I'm doing it. I'm so mad that I was in onderland for so little time but now I'm back in the 200s slowly getting back where I started. I truly regret this surgery because all the sickness and discomfort it causes me is for nothing.

The scale becomes an addiction for many people. They discount the positive things that are happening with their weight loss if the scalar doesn't reflect the number they want. They build up expectations and are disappointed when it's "only" xx lbs lost. The scale is a snapshot, not scientific. Someone might weigh, eat a cupcake, then weigh again and show a loss of .5 lbs. The natural conclusion? Eat cupcakes to lose weight! Our weight is dynamic and changing all the time. Getting upset over a 1-2lb gain is going to release cortisol which is a stress hormone that promotes weight gain. Getting worried over nothing can literally give you something to worry about. I weigh once a week when I am home. More because I am curious. I'm expecting a stall any week now (haven't had one yet) and I'm not hung up on the numbers. I feel good, my clothes are getting looser, I see it in my face and hands, my rings are loose - so I know I'm going the right way.

I have MS! My initial presentation was very unusual in that I went deaf, so it took some time to diagnose (2012). As a result, I suffer from vertigo and nausea from my active lesion. I decided to go on medication last year after I started to get more physical symptoms, though thankfully my clinical symptoms have remained stable. (MS is apparently weird like that according to my neurologists). Exercise is difficult for me due to the fact that a) I fatigue more quickly than I used to b)I can have significant problems with my balance c) I am carrying extra weight gained through a high risk pregnancy that saw me hospitalised, fed an extremely high calorie diet and hooked up to drips in order TO gain weight (I was very ill and nearly lost my baby) and d) a combination of steroid medications I have had to take for a bunch of symptoms to do with MS (not my interferons) and for depression and anxiety So my eating habits are weird. I find it difficult to eat most of the time because I feel nauseated. This means I need to take lots of vitamins to avoid malnutrition. I would generally avoid food if possible, but have a lovely husband who makes sure I eat. However, when I am NOT feeling nauseated, I will eat whatever I like! It's ridiculous. I don't think that in my life I've ever had a sweet tooth (I'm a savoury fiend), yet I will crave something like chocolate and must eat it. And as for the food I DO like; shut the gate. I'm like the Netflix and no chill of food if I feel well! Obviously, whenever this happens, I get extremely sick. But it's ridiculous. My body has gone into some kind of starvation mode and just wants to feed itself. Anyway, after lots of tests, and long consultations with all of my specialists I'm going in for a sleeve. The hope is that with the pre-op diet, the new way of eating, the weight loss relieving some of the pressure on my body that my 'metabolism' for want of a better word, will be able to reset. That I will be able to stick to better patterns of eating - fueling my body correctly and helping it to combat this disorder. Im feeling hopeful. I see this as an opportunity to reset and give myself a better chance to make my body stronger and more healthy despite whatever little brain farts it has along the way to make it not as reliable into the future as it should be.

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.

@@rebecca wills I also have Graves Disease, had it most of my life, but only got formally diagnosed last year. It kept me slim till last 2 years 2014-2016 where I gained 41 kg (90.2 Ibs) !!! I had to have my thyroid destroyed and stabilised prior my VSG, so I finally was sleeved in March 2016, instead of July 2015 ... Auto-immune diseases, hormonal dysfunctions, they all can play havoc with the body/brain/mind and emotions. I am close to 3 months post op, have lost fair bit of weight, still suffering with thyroid issues, as the more weight I lose, the more hyper-thyroid I get, and my Thyroxine dose needs constant monitoring and adjusting. I am afraid that the Ghrelin will come back, after 6 months or so, don't know how this whole journey will pan out. Just trying to do my best one day at a time, and coping with hyper-thyroid symptoms again! The heart ones are the scariest, high blood pressure again and racing pulse, plus rebound insomnia .... As for the hunger and appetite, for now I have lost most of it, and lost my chocolate and sweet cravings. I am very mindful of high Protein diet, fluids, good veggies and vitamins/supplements. As I had such a massive, rapid weight gain in the past 2 years, so far the Sleeve is really helping me. I tried Duromine tablets before, and had to stop as my Graves could not cope with the speed/amphetamine type drugs. I wish you all the best, rebecca! Providing your labs (thyroid) are OK, the surgery should help. You're welcome to PM me. Margo

I have ulcerative colitis and am getting the VSG. My GI doc is hoping that losing a good amount of weight will help me better control my disease. I am on Remicade for treatment of my UC. My surgeon wasn't too excited about that but he has collaborated with my GI doc to come up with a plan. My surgery will be 4-6 weeks after an infusion and I won't be able to have another infusion until 4-6 weeks after surgery. I just hope I don't flare up! A lot of my weight gain came from using steroids a lot of the last 5 years. My surgery will be sometime in the next couple months! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I have had hypothyroidism all my adult life (am 52) and take Oroxine or Thyroxine. I only gain weight if I'm not getting enough of it. From what others have said here Synthoid is the same ( I don't think it's a brand we have DownUnder). It's the condition that causes weight gain, not the medication. Re thyroid cancer, Hashimoto's followed later by thyroid cancer certainly runs in my family... so I've grown up believing managing your thyroid function diligently was important. So many doctors just read the numbers off your blood test results without applying any other thought processes - how they think they can call themselves specialists and do that is beyond me. I could a child to diagnose me if that is all that is required - the "normal range" is always right alongside if your own result. But that's not just all there is to it, so if you don't feel well don't let your specialist get away with doing that to you! The "normal range" applies to the population, not to individuals - your personal TSH, T3 and T4 ideal levels don't travel up and down within the "normal range" (although they do change a bit with stress, weather, weight and activity levels). If you are inside the normal range but have symptoms of thyroid dysfunction then you are probably not at your correct level. I don't function well at either the high or low end of the supposed normal range, and need to be smack bang in the middle. Others do better at one end or the other. Join your country's Thyroid Association and you'll get great access to sensible information and articles - the Australian Thyroid Association is brilliant at empowering patients, and I've often printed off articles to share with my doctor. It always allows us to have a very sensible discussion about how well I feel and what contribution - if any - my thyroid function might be making to that. Good luck.

Well, If you have ever Dieted, lost weight, then gained it back over and over. "I see you have" This band can help prevent this. You might fall of the wagon, say,,, if you were to have a unfill for a reason. As soon as you see the scale going up ! You can stop, and get yourself back to the basics without any trouble. "I'll bet you can't do that now, or keep it going in your future..." Then, once filled again, you stay back on track. It really is a great tool. Also, I am addicted to food. certain foods "TRIGGER FOODS" could set me off ! Now ! I don't miss them, and I don't eat them. If I have a chip or two, I can deal with it because of the resistance from the band. The resistance takes away that drive to just sit back and eat, or go out to a Restaurant, and go in to the kitchen, and start cooking. My food bill has dropped allot ! So yep I know what your talking about, and I have lost weight, and it's still coming of. Also remember that yo yo dieting is very dangerous, and will really mess up your Matabilissim. That means more weight gain.....

It is hard to not want to look at the scale every day, buuuut you need to stop doing that to yourself! It is negative reinforcement and doesn't help the psyche either. Also the 1 pound weight gain could simply be due to increased water intake, I went through that a lot post-surgery two years ago. It was hard to not want to step on the scale every day and see what was happening. You should pick one or may two days out of the week and use those as the days to hop on the scale. By doing this you will be able to keep a healthy routine and not stress yourself out so much about what is or isn't happening. I wish you the best on your journey and keep up the great work, just keep active and take care of yourself and everything else will fall into place... just be as patient as you can

You are doing awesome and I admire your commitment and progress. What does a good day / bad day look like for me? I have more bad days than good. I am still trying to break out of my old habits of sitting around and pondering doing something. I must say that this sleeve has given me my life back. I was on all kinds of high blood pressure meds at least three, plus cholesterol med and taking the diabetic pill. I gained close to 20lbs in the time I signed up for the surgery and going through my meetings. I strongly believe my meds are to blame for most of my 20lb weight gain. but I digress. I also felt before surgery everyday as if I was about to have a heart attack, after surgery this pain went away. A good day: 7am- 8am Wake up drink my protein shale within 30min of waking 23 g protein. followed by a 20oz of water walk for 30 min followed by 20z of water wait 20 min 1 egg with spinach maybe low fat cheese/ turkey bacon (once a day multi Vitamin, Opurity, so gross) Snack hour later Protein Drink 23 g protein and a snack I love cucumbers and tomatoes in a sweet vinaigrette sauce with seasoning more 20oz water (when water gets boring I use a zero calorie sweeter) lunch grilled chicken breast (what I can eat of it) 20oz water ( 2 Calcium citrate pills) Snack boiled egg fancied up/ or chicken salad Dinner baked salmon (what I can eat) Broccoli/roasted sweet potato 20z water 45min to an hour later with 2 calcium citrate pills Snack diced apples/mixed nuts unsalted water I try to get in 120 oz of water which will hydrate me and flush out the fat. most days this isn't possible but I try also I try to get my longest walk in in the morning so anywhere from 30 min to an hour. 30 min is 1 1/2 mile and and an hour is about 3 miles my goal is 5 miles a day which most days do not happen. I usually get those in by doing 10 minutes at a time in-between doing other things. or late night on the treadmill catching a movie or video or something. Bad day they very from OMG bad to just barely bad wake up 9am and just lay there , Vitamins, protein shake 20oz of water no Breakfast no snack lunch is breakfast, no exercise fried egg or piece of chicken grilled (calcium citrate) usually no exercise on this day no snack/ no water / no protien dinner Grilled chicken water/ 2 calcium citrate snack protein drink I avoid carbs and usually look at the package if it has more than 5 g of carbs I usually avoid it there are some exceptions but very rare. I am losing slowly and I am okay with that because it is consistent. I know once my exercise picks up I will lose more. Right now I am averaging weight loss of maybe 2 or 3 pounds a week.

Thanks for the replies. Since my band has been un-filled, food passes through like I was never banded. All the food I did not or would not eat when my band was working I am now able to eat (hence the huge weight gain). I went into a full blown panic when my doctor told me they had to un-fill the band completely. I know myself and I have no self control with the amount of food I eat, that is why the band worked for me so well. It put limits on the amount I could eat. I am glad to hear that with the sleeve it has pretty much the same food limits as the band. As much as I tried to eat the same way as being banded it just does not work. The longer time goes on and the more weight I gain the more depressed I get. I have started hiding the amount of food I eat again. I have pretty much stopped going out (except when absolutely necessary) because I am embarresed with my weight gain. You know how you hear "you dont play well with others" well..... I dont play well with food. My doctor warned me about the scar tissue and such and although he is going to try the all in one surgery from band to sleeve there is a possibility I will wake up and only have the band removed. This thought alone drives me crazy. As for my insurance, my doctors office filed an appeal to get both the removal of the band and the sleeve surgery both covered and my insurance stayed steadfast with the fact they have a "lifetime weight loss benefit limit" and getting my band took 75% of that "lifetime limit". I did GOOGLE "Bougie Size" and found that information very interesting and helpful. Did anyone else go from band to sleeve and have that LONG period of time where they could eat anything they wanted and gain a whole bunch of their weight back?

I was just denied by Aetna due to weight gain. My doctor did a peer to peer appeal and they didnt overturn it. So Im waiting to see what the doctor says and whats my next step. I started birth control around the same time I went for my initial visit and I think that is the main reason that I had a lot of weight gain.

I am in the process of insurance approval to have a revision from Band to RNY. I have had my band for seven years. I have been very lucky to have not complications, no slips ect. My band is unfilled now, because i never did get the 'sweet' spot, either to tight and things would come back up or I would revert to soft high carb foods, or too loose and I can pretty much eat anything. But since the band I have lost and gained the same 30 to 40 pounds. Now at my heaviest. And the band did not help any of my medical problems. I am hoping the RNY both with the smaller stomach and mal absorption and the actual surgery itself will help with my uncontrolled type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. I am so sensitive to insulin that I swell and ache all over but I have to take large amounts to keep my blood sugar down. It is like I am on a merry go round, hurt, can't exercise, can't exercise, gain weight, blood sugars out of control, more insulin, can't breath because of severe asthma and copd, need steriods about once a year, higher blood sugars, more weight gain, can't exercise, and around and around we go.

Just curious for the Sleevers that have been sleeved 9 months or more. Has anyone fell off the wagon and gained back a significant amount of weight ?? Or some of there old weight back ? And is your restriction still good as far as how much you can eat?

I'm crossing my fingers I get approved I'm glad u did I hope dr doesn't say anything about weight gain fingers crossed

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'd hate to come on here and say well, I'm unfilled and I havent gained so you can do it too, its patronising and not helpful. But perhaps I can share my take on it and you can take or leave my opinion, but if it helps you at all then I'm glad. I've been unfilled for a couple of months now because I had rectal cancer, and had to have chemo, radiation and a major surgery, which involved creating an ileostomy so I have a bag for now. I'm now having more chemo and will have the ileostomy reversed sometime in the next few months. Chemo hasnt made me the type of sick that means i dont want to eat so my appetite is quite normal. I was so devastated/angry/frustrated/terrified of being unfilled, I'd been so successful with my band. But I had no freaking choice. So I sat myself down and said to myself "you're a grown up and you know you have to face the consequences of your actions". I was also feeling so out of control with the whole disease that is cancer, my life was just taken out of my hands and I had a new schedule for the coming 12 months, my job, our travel plans, even our plans for a new house, I've just had to let them all go, so I was absolutely adamant that it would not take over my weight and self image too! I have continued to exercise like always, I run daily, I do bootcamp, I circuit train with my son - exercise is your prime weapon, it is just so important. Do lots and lots of cardio. I follow what I call my no bullshit diet, but amazingly, the other day I found someone has put it up on the web, lol - google the NOS diet or the no "s" diet. No sweets, no seconds, no Snacks is all it is basically. I eat three meals a day - healthy meals, meals that satisfy - I dont even try to stick to bandster portions, because only bandsters can do that! I've been logging calories, weighing and measuring but I stopped, because I felt that despite not gaining, I was losing all I'd worked so hard for and starting to become obsessed with food and dieting again - so yeah, 3 healthy meals, no snacks. That's only a couple of rules. No agonising over can I eat this, how much Protein does that have, how many calories do I have left for the day. I can eat enjoyable food, but not junk. Its really really worked for me, my weight has stayed pretty stable. Now I've had a slight advantage in that I had a big surgery in there and lost a couple of kilos that I was able to gain back, and unfortunately my 3 healthy meals included LOTS of salad to fill the gaps. Salads and ostomates and chemotherapy dont mix - I've just come home from hospital following a bowel obstruction (painful, you dont want one!) and I am simply going to have to cave in and follow the recommended diet of lots of white bread, potato, rice and not too many fruits and vegies - and especially no skins. It freaks me out - all those white carbs - but I really believe with the no bullshit approach, I still wont gain weight! You are the one in control of this, it is only you and you must make your choices. It is as plain as that. I wish there were a secret but there simply isnt. You're only human and you still might gain weight, statistically most unfilled or de-banded people do. But you dont have to absolutely pile it back on at lightening speed. You need to protect your self esteem, your sense of achievement and if you can contain the weight gain, you'll feel better than if you simply give up. Best of luck to you.

I wish I was not obsessed with weighing daily. I weighed Monday morning before I went to the ER, then have been on the scales every morning since then. I have tried to not weigh-in but still find myself giving in and getting on the scales each morning. It would serve no purpose to ask a friend or family member to hide the scales from me because I would be relentless about replacing them. I know this isn't healthy, yet frankly, I am unwilling to work at it. I have read that people usually experience a weight gain after band surgery, so I fully expected to see a gain from my appendectomy and the bags of saline solution I received while I was hospitalized. However, I was not mentally prepared for an increase of 8.5 pounds. I think this increase is probably exacerbating my daily "need" to weigh: If I could somehow "see" even a slight decrease on the scales, then maybe I would accept that the gain is only temporary and consequently, would feel more in control. I didn't want to change my ticker today but decided I must face it, especially since I bought Easter candy last night and then again this morning at Walmart. My willpower has deserted me, and I have gone back to my old, candy-eating habits, consuming 530 calories in foiled-wrapped chocolate eggs prior to 9:30 this morning. If I hadn't temporarily removed myself from my chocolate-filled environment, I undoubtedly would have consumed even more, quite possibly the whole basket. My appetite has been completely out of control, but writing about these issues is therapeutic. I am going to grab a Greek yogurt from the refrigerator and work hard to get back on track by telling myself I need good nutrition so I will be as healthy as possible for my band surgery.

I had my surgery on 22 July.....I have started getting a little concerned as I have gained 3 lbs......Is this normal? Here is my weight loss so far: February 22: 233lbs May 22: 219 July 22 (surgery day): 219 3 week post: 198 Aug 12: 194 Aug 29: 198 Does anyone experience the roller coaster with their gastric sleeve?:tongue_smilie:

I HATE PMS lol. About a week before I start ,I typically gain about 4 pounds and don't lose it again until about a day after I start ,I hate it and on top of that I crave salty stuff. Ugh. Do any of you have suggestions on how you deal with the pms weight gain and cravings? Thank you !

Megan, Bright, Alex, You guys are so witty. Megan: Great thread. Most obese people think all of these things, but rarely share them with others because they don't think they will be understood especially by slender people. I do not know why I am obese other than the fact that I eat too much. I have never tried to pin it down to one specific or multiple things that occurred in my life that contributed to my weight gain. Way too deep for me!!! Yes, I come from a dysfunctional family, yes, I was mentally abused and physically abused as a child and yes I had at least one parent who forced me to eat everything on my plate and threatened me if I left food there. Would talking to someone about these issues help me? Probably to some degree, but I think I would benefit more from therapy to help me with some of the changes you mentioned rather than thrive on the past and why I got this way. I worry about lots of things; will I still feel the same way about my husband or will he feel the same way about me? Himself? WIll I want to take up skydiving or do something totally outrageous that was taboo before because of my weight? I got lots of questions... Bright: I am getting more and more excited for you as the big day comes! By the way, early eighties fashion is making a big comeback!!! Alex: Remember that one of the greatest strengths you have is the advice that you give others. Not many people are capable of this, so this is a wonderful asset which you have and I always enjoy your posts even if I have a difference of opinion. At least as far as this board goes, I have never thought that you were observing life from the outside. And from your photo, you look absolutely beautiful, so I am surprised to hear that you do not think you get lots of male attention now, but it is true that you will get more later! Babs in TX 334/289/180 6/23/03

I doubt red wine and ginger ale (regular or diet?) are the sole factors in your weight gain (though neither is a great idea, as you no doubt know). I'd suggest going back to MyFitnessPal or a similar app to log everything you eat and drink and see how the calories stack up.

I am on Day 10 of my 14 day liquid diet, the first of two! Yup my surgeon requires 2 weeks liquid, 2 weeks low cal, 2 weeks before surgery liquid again. I am so close, my surgery is April 18th. I fell very hard today and I cheated, I ate like 10 chocolate truffles! And I am on the verge of a total breakdown! I haven't been an angel so far but I haven't cheated this badly! I am so afraid it will have caused a weight gain and that I jeopardized my surgery. Has anyone else had a hard tome on liquid pre-op?:smile2:

I have Aetna, amd they require three months supervised diet, with no weight gain. I use this stuff called Teami tea, a colon cleanse that helps with a pound or two. I went through Irma this past month and had gained weight. So four days prior to weight in I went on a full liquid diet and drank the Teami tea (double dose) and lost 1.2 lbs from my previous months weigh in. I suggest you do this and get weighed again. Now I'm one month away and trying so hard not to binge this last weigh in is so important. Good luck to you. Keep us abreast of what's happening! Sent from my SM-G935P using BariatricPal mobile app

Is your doctor or insurance requiring you to lose a certain amount of weight or is it more to make sure that you have no weight gain for liver enlargement issues? Mine was so my liver did not get larger and not for the weight loss. I only lost 10 lbs on my MONTH long pre-op. Just double check with your surgeon and Nut. If you are truly doing everything you can then don't beat yourself up. We all don't lose the same.