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Julie, you are absolutely right. No one should compare themselves to others. What we do to lose the weight is what we do. If someone wishes to piggy back off of it and does it in the most healthy and health conscious way, then go for it. If you are referring to me as far as the 3x per day exercise..then your facts are right. I was told by a few trainers that cramming all of the workouts in at one single time is ok and good but if you spread it out ..morning, noon and night then you are making your body burn continuously all day long. Yes I am losing weight and losing it very fast. But I am losing it on my own terms. I refuse to have a fill for the simple fact that I am really trying to train my brain to manually stop overeating. I have overeaten several times and I didn't stop. I am working on that. Prior to all of the weight gain I was an athlete. I swam 5 - 10 miles per day, ran 1 - 2 hours per day and ate very well. I swam for my college, so what I am doing now is basically what I did then. So again, please don't compare yourselves to me. I am the exception to the rule (per Tricia's words). I do not use a thread to boast my stenuous exercise.. I have a thread that allows you to see what I do and what several other very active members do. Tricia_k for instance. She does hundreds, literally hundreds of leg lifts per day. She runs, does weight training at home and has lost alot of weight and she's very toned. I personally cannot do 500 leg lifts, but I can bike 35 miles. I can't compare myself to her. Her leg endurance with weights compared to mine is unparalled. DOC - swims miles upon miles per day. Niche - puts in nice hours at the gym several days per week, alternating upper body and lower body Jachut - Cardio queen ..she can put in 4 - 6 miles daily and there are several others I have not mentioned that do great things... but you get my point. I do find it offensive that you indirectly accuse me or whomever else of boasting a 3x's per day or a 3 hour a day exercise regimine. The tone is sarcastic and offensive to me. There is nothing wrong with working out 3 hours per day. Practical to everyone?? No, but then again, don't compare yourself to anyone else on here. And yes, I will stand by the fact that if I can do it, so can you attitude. It's all attitude and not fact stating. It's just gung-ho attitude that keeps me going.

The key difference between the two situations are vast, one can be avoided the other could not. Does my husband love me unconditionally, absolutely, is it right for me to sit around and let life happen to me or get up out of my pity party and do something about it. Now out of my hubbys own mouth he has said if I had a medical condition that prevented me from losing weight it'd be an entirely different story. Don't both parties deserve to be happy in a marriage? Imo extreme weight gain prevents couples from doing a lot, is the other person required to stop living because of the others negligence of their bodies. Negligence and tragedy are two totally different things. This is a reality I had to face myself, if I had taken care of my business as soon as I saw things going on a way I didn't like I would have never ballooned up to this weight. If you have a person who wants to obtain a law degree, but doesn't put nearly the amount of work into their studies to be successful, and they come crying to you about their failure, what will be your response to them. Even after being sleeved one must exercise their will to "not be obese" through their lifestyle point blank or all this will have been for naught. This is my reality which fuels my change.

Jess, Gallbladders are tricky. Many people experience Biliary Colic and don't attribute it to their Gallbladder. It often resembles indigestion. Some women like me find out about their gallstones during pregnancy as a result of the OB Ultrasounds. I was probably experiencing the symptoms for years without knowing what was the cause. Was this enough to make me have it removed? Nope, but add-in upcoming sleeve surgery (hopefully in July) and now I'm ready. Rapid/Frequent weight gain/loss can contribute to the formation of the stones. I take Zofran as needed for nausea and digestive enzymes for acid, fatty or spicy food. I was sooooo relieved when the surgeon said he would just remove it at the time of the sleeve without forcing me to pay for additional imaging (ultrasounds, HIDA Scans, etc.). I have a $3000 deductible and don't want to incur the costs. Does your surgeon require an abdominal ultrasound prior to surgery? If so, then he/she can make an informed decision about your Gallbladder. Not everyone needs a Cholecystectomy after the sleeve. But those that lose the weight really quickly may be at a higher risk. Hope this helps. Ally

I had that happen with my first wound. Actually, I don't know that it tunneled. New tissue grew too far up, closing over the top of a hole/tunnel. My Dr. had to re-cut through this tissue inside my wound 2 times b/c of this. The nursing service that comes to my house during the week sends a wound specialist every Friday to take care of me. His expertise has been wonderful to have and it seems that I have questions for him almost every week. He (and other nurses) have said that abdominal wounds just tend to take longer to heal. I know I'm just getting impatient, but I really am! I think it was easier to be on the wound vac with my first wound b/c there was a light at the end of the tunnel. A new port once my hole closed up. Now there's nothing to look forward to. No light, only weight gain :cry I know I will pull myself out of this, but it's been a hell of a long, trying almost 6 months. I never thought I would be here on my 6 month 'Band-anniversary'. I have a LOT of pictures on the OH website if you click on the link in my siggy, if anyone's interested. They're pretty graphic though, so consider yourself warned! I've gained 5 lbs in the last 6 weeks or so. I have just GOT to stop gaining! My Dr. prescribed Xenical last week to help me lose, but I haven't noticed anything yet (weight related anyway, BM's are another story!) I'm not eating like I used to, but still more than I did while banded. Hunger sucks!!! Anyone have any experience with Xenical (my Insurance doesn't cover it and it was $215 out of pocket :omg: ) or any other pill that seemed to help at all? Also, I know we've all dieted like crazy (and failed) or we wouldn't have had or be looking into surgery, but did anyone ever do something that really did work? Non surgical obviously. TIA!!!

What a Jerk Face! Bands aren't dying out. My doctor does more bands then bypasses. Also...You are only suppose to loose up to 70% of your excess weight in 5 years. So if you are a 100 over you are expected to loose 70lbs in 5 years. Be proud of your accomplishments. You are truely an inspiration to everyone. I have been banded for almost 2 years and I had a horrible weight gain and my doctor keeps pushing me. KEEP GOING BE PROUD!

@ - I'm not sure it is a simple as "he dumped me because I got fat." My GF and I challenge each other all the time physically. We are both 53 and we both want to be there for each other in the long haul, and that means taking care of ourselves. In many relationships the weight gain is an overt sign that something else is wrong. I know there are superficial jerks who would leave because things are not as perky as they used to be, but I also know women who quit taking care of themselves, their homes, their relationships et.al. (same could be said for guys, but we are usually the more superficial sex) so the reason for leaving is all of the above, but since everyone else can see the weight, they assume that is the cause.

GoyaChula, first of all you need to discuss this with your band surgeon, but the standard is that you need to wait 12-18 months after being banded before you try to get pregnant. You need to let your body heal and get used to your new lifestyle, and that will give you time to lose the majority, if not all, of your excess weight. I am almost positive that your surgeon will tell you that you need to be on hormonal birth control right now. If you have had fertility issues due to weight gain, you will probably become more fertile as you lose weight. Many bandsters have become pregnant without trying, after years of infertility, because they have lost weight. I got married very young (age 18) and have been married for almost 14 years. I have had bouts over the years of really wanting to get pregnant, but we chose to wait, mostly for financial reasons but also to grow together more as a couple. I understand how it feels when it seems like everybody around you is pregnant or has children. Most of my friends have children, including those several years younger than me. I have always been big but also gained weight during the marriage and hit 302 pounds at my highest point. When I turned 30, I felt ready to get pregnant in every way but physically. I knew I wanted to be at a healthier weight when I got pregnant and that is part of why I got banded. A little over a year later I am 14 pounds from my goal weight, feel great and am trying to conceive with the support of my band doc and my OB/GYN. I would suggest that you and your husband focus on getting healthy now and think again about getting pregnant a year from now (or however long your doctor advises to wait). You have plenty of time. That's my opinion.

Well, for me, I had WLS in order to be healthier. Taking a drug that raises my blood pressure and increases my chances of cardiac disease kind of defeats that purpose. Thanks anyways, but I'll stick with a healthy diet, smart food choices and physical activity to keep my weight off. THATS what I signed up for. And if a bariatric patient is having difficulty following the guidelines, their doctor ought to be prescribing counseling or therapy, not drugs. And what I gather from the OP, this is someone early out of surgery, not someone struggling with long term weight gain. She only has two posts...one asking how soon they can drink soda and the other how soon they can take amphetamines for a little "pep". That was the scenario I assumed from the post and what I based my response on.

I agree with AvaFern! After this time you know what you need to do. Yes, it is hard. I have a 10 pound regain too. I'm trying 5:2 to drop it and I'm limiting drinks and treats to 2 days per week. So, I'll have two days of semi fasting with very low calorie lunch and dinner, three days of three meals and two healthy Snacks, and two days where I can splurge with cocktails, desert, etc. I'm hoping that will do the trick. If not, I'll have to cut back more. One final thought: You can't hate yourself thin. So next time you start beating yourself up over the weight gain, ask yourself what you would tell your best friend and then say that to yourself instead. Lynda

Up- My surgery was at 7:30 in the morning. i was aloud to have liquid up until 3:30 in the morning. My hospital was an hour away from me. My but got up at 3 am and drank a small cup. And don't worry i had an hour argument about decaf with my surgeon it was the only thing that I was completely grumpy about. It took me 4 days to drink coffee after surgery I did not care to have it. Then it was like "ok" i feel better about getting liquids down and decaf worked for a week and then I just went back to reg. Caffeinated. All i can tell you is keep sipping liquids don't down it. You really can't it just uncomfortable. Next week is a month for me. Now, I can take normal gulps. Oh and DON'T be depressed about weight gain in the hospital i gained 10lbs. It took a week for the Water weight to come off. No matter what please walk no matter how much you just want to lay in bed. It was My savior it hepled so much. I brought my slippers, and my robe to the hospital. The slippers made it easier to walk on the ground. Please walk and do more than the normal two hours. It gets things moving down there and you will feel so much better. You don't have to walk fast but just keep walking. Every time I had to pee I walked even if I just got done walking half hour later. Your stomach makes crazy noises! I even said to my surgeon its making noises like its empty and I need to eat. She told me to ignore my brain its because it doesn't know what to do with itself because 6 ounces of your stomach is gone. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

heya Dana, I'm guessing I gained 10 lbs. I've been on alot of bed rest and taking progesterone which im thinking is the weight gain. One I found out I was pregnant I went a little crazy too with the sugar. I did stop that fast lol. I'm being way more careful to what I eat. I feel awful! I'm not vomiting I just feel like I need to all the time. Plus I'm dead tired. So pretty much my excerise routines I had working for me are out the window. But i'm told in a few weeks the fatigue phase of pregnancy will stop. How are you feeling ? Has a stupid question for you. How would we know if we did slip a band? I hope you are well Dana !!!

Hi Sandee! If you have the financial resources and having the surgery won't burden your family financially, then DO it!!! I knew that I would have to battle weight gain, weight loss for the rest of my life and THAT depressed me. My weight is coming off slowly (normal for us low BMI folks) but at least I know now that once off, always off. As far as your friends and family thinking your crazy, that's because there are so many misconceptions about surgery in Mexico (or anywhere outside the US for that matter). I didn't tell anyone, including my children, for at least two weeks afterward. Only my husband knew and he supported me completely. A lapband is simply a tool---not a simple tool though. It's taken some getting used to for instance, when I talk and eat, I don't chew well enough and it gets lodged in my smaller stomach (stoma). It's pretty uncomfortable when that happens. Also a little scary----don't want to hurt my band, stoma, or waste money. Also, I can't eat breads anymore for the same reason---pain. But hey! Go figure that I can still eat chips and salsa! I am so glad because before the surgery, I wasn't sure if life was worth living if I couldn't eat chips and salsa. I'm grateful for that. Everyone is different with what they can and cannot eat after surgery. I can eat soft cuts of meat just fine with no problem if I remember the rules of the band----eat slowly and chew, chew, chew-----take small bites----don't drink fluids with the meal (this is not only because you will somewhat negate the reason for the band in the first-place but also because the fluid will make the lump of food get stuck in the stoma opening--ouch!!!). Lettuce sometimes gives me a problem but popcorn does not---nor do nuts (chew well). I also keep jerky in my car for moments of perceived starvation! Did you know one whole package of jerky only has about 550 calories!? Lots of sodium but who cares. It's a good way to get your protein and requires you to chew it completely before swallowing. I know a lot of people have problems with eggs but I don't. The band takes a lot of getting used to and I am still learning. I'm glad I did it though. Remember, if your friends and family are giving you slack now----just don't tell them. Don't lie, just keep the secret to yourself until you start seeing results. The lapband way of life is not the easy way out that some people think it is. It's actually a lot harder than a normal diet ------but it's permanent and that's why I did it. I don't know if this ranting has answered any of your concerns but I'm open to keeping the dialog open so you can feel free to ask away! There are many really smart, and funny, people on this board with many varying experiences in lap-band world. It's a good idea to keep checking in to learn from them all. Stay plugged in after surgery as well. We are all here to support each other in this journey. My opinion----GO FOR IT! You won't regret it!

Hey everyone! My name is Petra and I am considering lap band surgery. Ive been overweight most of my life...I started to gain weight when I was 7 or 8 years old and at age 13 (and around 200 lbs) found out I had hypothyroidism. I was put on medication and lost a lot of weight by 14 years old (and my slimmest at a size 9). I slowly gained weight since then and I am now 232 lbs. Ive struggled with hypothyroidism, and my major weight gains have happened due issues with medication dosages which cause a decrease in thyroid function. I have tried every diet except for pre packaged food and have lost 15-25 lbs but always gained it back. I now have high blood pressure and take a low dose of medication to control this. I am also at risk for diabetes since it runs in my family. Im tired of feeling horrible and depressed about myself, and Im tired of always feeling hungry even when I eat a "normal" sized meal. I want nothing more than to be able to shop for clothes freely without worrying if a store carries my size or not. I dont want pain due to excessive weight when I work out or do anything physical....and I would like for once just to feel comfortable in a bathing suite! I want to have lap band surgery, but I am also afraid. Im afraid that I will go through with it and it wont work! Im also afraid that I wont qualify or my insurance wont cover the procedure. I do know that I do not want a more invasive procedure and I started looking into the lap band since it is reversible. Any advice or guidance would be great...all I know from here is that I need to start talking with a surgeon. Petra

Kat, I keep my calories ,which I am fairly faithful with writing down, between 1000 and 1200. I did weight watchers a couple years ago and it took me ten months to lose thirty pounds. Half of it came back real quick and I fought to keep the other half off while waiting to get the band in. That almost one year I was on WW, was very helpful in learning portion control and making good food choices. I weigh and measure my Protein at most meals at home. My downfall when I was on WW were the weekends. (*paragraph below) Now post band, I have a treat once in a while, but mostly I eat salad, meat like beef, (more often chicken), fish ( tuna, salmon, shrimp, sole or flounder) with a veggie. A lean cuisine for lunch, a yogurt, apple or a Protein Bar for a snack, maybe a 100 calorie pack. I dont eat much bread but I will have a piece of whole grain bread or a Fiber one bar for the fiber once or twice a week and my morning Cereal is a high fiber one b/c the high protein diets can be low in fiber. I'm great at not drinking with eating and waiting the hour but that is b/c I never drank much when i ate, so that rule was kind of easy for me. It seems to be more of an issue when I go out to eat, b/c the drink is in front of me. I wait one hour after a meal and I have a bottle of flavored Water. I actually find myself checking the clock when I finish eating, so I'll know when the hour is up. I get about three or four bottles of water in an average day and exercise with all the trips to the bathroom! I'm trying to make all these things a habit. I figure bodies like routine. If I used to eat b'fast everyday at a certain time, then my body and stomach expected that meal at that time every day. So if I subsitute a smaller portion and a higher protein, lower carb cereal at the same time every day, my body will get used to that and expect that and be happy with it. Same with lunch and dinner and the band is definitely helping my stomach to say, yeah this is OK. The message the band sends is a little weak, (I have to really pay attention) but with more restriction is should get stronger. Looks like you were recently banded. What food stage are you on? Is there a band rule you're finding more difficult than another? One that's easy for you? I see you went to Mexico. Many people on the forum have and loved the experience. Was that how it was for you? do you have a local Dr for fills or are you close enough to go back to mexico for them? Oops, this paragraph was supposed to be in a different place* A long Ct. winter meant not much walking (after surgery) which I was doing before surgery, just to prevent weight gain before banding. I have begun to start walking again, but not as regularly as I was last fall, but managed to walk three miles in just under an hour three times last week. I want to make it closer to five days.

I’m struggling with maintenance. I have exceeded my weight loss goal and am currently at the bottom of the healthy BMI scale, but I’m very wary of weight gain because four years after my surgery I had regained almost half of the weight I lost. I’m currently adhering to the dietary recommendations given to me in the first year, but it has me losing slightly every week. I don’t seem to know how to maintain. I’m either gaining or losing.

"my nutritionist said it is the number 1 reason for re-weight gain after weight-loss surgery." I would love to see some research to back this up.

If it happens again, throw something at her, like a gym shoe. That should work. Seriously, steer clear of toxic people. She obviously has some personal issues. The majority of people would NOT make that statement. If your doctors increased your calories and carb consumption, it sounds like there was a good reason for it. Have you talked to them about the weight gain ? This may only be a temporary set-back as your body gets use to the change.

After a whole year (2012) of no fills due to lack of insurance, and me not being able to afford $350 p/fill, I went and got my 1st of 2 INSURED fill last month, I maintained my weight for the 11months i did not have a fill, which my Dr. said was pretty darn good, as he said he expected a weight gain, as did I. So we were both pretty surprised. 1st fill was 1/10/13 - weight was 259, 2nd January fill 1/31/13 - weight was 254. Im going for my 3rd tomorrow and i cant WAIT!!!! The hardest thing I think i had to "get used to again" was the restriction. After almost a year of being able to eat more than I should, its pretty difficult to only eat 1cup of food. Mentally this is hard. Sort of like starting over again but, Im excited and ready for 2013!!! Have any of you out there had the same experience, how did you overcome the mental hunger - bc its getting more difficult each day.

Its been a while since I posted, because I started working in August. I work with children, so my job is active. However, I noticed a little weight gain since I started working. No, I have not been to the gym that much. I am in school/college, and my time is pretty much consumed. I can do an at home work out, any suggestions on ones that really show results? I have always worked out when I was a stay at home mom, but working is throwing me a bit.

Although it seems obvious to me now that you mention it, I wasn't really thinking that I was at an energy deficit. Of course I would have to be to lose weight. I could probably start adding in a supplement like a once a day nutrition shake and just watch the weight gain. Perhaps I could just knock out the shake or cut back if I gain more than 2 pounds in a week. I just realized that with my pregnancy half finished, even if I gain a pound a week from this point forward I am still well within the appropriate range. I might have just become a little too uptight about weight loss after being so dedicated for such a long time. I guess I am a little nervous about losing my momentum.

I have no weight gain or loss to report on this challenge yet. Got a fill this a.m .3cc, think I need more but have decided to go a little at a time. Driving back to RI now, just came home to Ct for the appt. Don;t have much time for the forum lately. things will calm down soon and I'll check in on all the great weight losses I'm sure you're all posting!!!

Hey everyone! I was wondering if anyone has ever gotten "off track" and gained weight? What did you do to fix it? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

This is lateral femoral cutaneous nerve syndrome - it's a sensory nerve that gets affected by either rapid weight gain or loses. It's common, and harmless (but annoying)

Weird...I stayed overnight as well and had about 5 bags of saline and don't believe I gained anything...however, I WAS pretty dehydrated before I got to the hospital and was in and out of the bathroom for days. Maybe it was saline combined with swelling that was causing the weight gain from all the extra fluids?