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I would have to agree with you on this one. I am 26 weeks pregnant now. Had my band for just a year prior to getting pregnant and lost about 50-60 lbs. I have since gained 40 lbs with the pregnancy so far. Yes it is frustrating, but puking through the band is way not cool!!!! Plus it hurts. So don't worry about the weight gain, if your MD recommends to get it unfilled then do it!. You lost the weight once, you can do it again.

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 !

Welcome back I'm newly banded, however I've been a mom for over 17 years, and one thing I know is weight gain during pregnancy is inevitable. I also know losing it after isn't easy. Have you considered approaching this like you're newly banded? Go back and meet the nutrionist again. Heck, maybe even go on a week's liquid diet just put yourself back in the mindset and "purge" your body of all the bad stuff? You did so well before, I really do believe you can again. I just think it's a matter of putting your mind to it. I think you also need to quit looking at it as though you failed. You most certainly did NOT fail. You had a beautiful baby and gained weight like almost every other mother does. You can only fail if you do nothing about the problem. You're here, you're trying, you're definitely doing something. ...think of this as just another new beginning

I haven't had the sleeve yet, but I have gone from 330lbs. to 128 and kept it off for five years and regained it due to surgery, depression, sickness which caused me to quit working out, which caused more and more weight gain back to over 300 again. I now am waiting for the sleeve and have been working hard for over six months waiting for the day I get the sleeve. You gained 20 lbs. not 30, 40 or 50 or more. Just a mere 20. Try adding some Protein shakes in your day, one or two, then high protein dinner, low carb (don't drink for 30 minutes after eating). Go back to the beginning. Park your car a little further at the grocery store, take the stairs at work, instead of sitting and watching TV, stand and walk in place. We all know what it is like to gain 10-20 lbs back after dieting. If we can stop it then, we won't have to look back when it's 50 or 60 or 100 and it seems nearly impossible again. I wish you the best of luck and it's great to hear from someone that has been through it and what life is like down the road.

That sounds so amazing!! That is how I want to feel!! I'm scheduled for surgery Oct 7 and I feel your joy in your words. I would like to know is it easy to gain weight back? If you can gain does that mean you need a fill? I read a lot about weight gain and I'm just trying to still to figure it all out. Thanks so much!! Keep up that great work you inspire me!

I am not near as sporty as you, and don't have the same problem as you... but was told by my Dr that depression comes with the WLS often. So I keep an eye out for it, and do feel that way sometimes too... with anxiety. Hopefully with the resolution of that, your routine will get back to normal. It would be very hard for me to eat 3000 a day, of good quality food, thats for sure! I eat up to 1600 on days that I exercise, and it feels like a feast! Perhaps weight gain shakes? Spacing out your meals to fit more in? Good luck with that, it sounds like a challange. Perhaps Butterthebean can chime in here, he runs a lot and seems to keep things in check...

hey lana, pcos is polly systic overian syndrom- basically the body cant break down sugars and there are many little systs on the ovaries which look very similar to fertilized eggs so the body thinks your preg. so you get cravings and weight gain like a preg person. some other common side effects are iregular period and exessive hair growth. its not fun. the doc give you a med (usually metformin or glucafoge) wich helps the body break down the glucose and then when you diet you should lose weight like a regular person but she told me thats not the case for me at all.....

Let's see...where do I begin? I think I should start by letting you all know that I am 30 pounds from my goal weight. I had my surgery in October of this year...just a couple of months ago...literally. Since then, I have lost 16 pounds. However, I lost an even greater amount of weight before my surgery. I have lost a total of 67 pounds since beginning my journey of weight loss back in June of this year. Now, I have to tell you that I am not your "normal" lapband patient. Nope! I eat normal...chicken, beef, popcorn...you name it, I can eat it. I swallow pills...regular pills...Not a problem. I live my life normal. BUT~~my normal is not YOUR normal. We are all different. My lapband is NOT the reason I have lost ANY of my weight...not even the 16 pounds since my surgery. Why? Because I made a conscience decision to begin eating healthier way before my surgery. I had already begun to get in the mindset of eating smaller portion...that is something "most skinny folks" do already. I had already begun making wiser choices in my food preparations. I had a healthy mindset. So why did I get lapband surgery? Because I wanted a backup plan. Yep! I had to gain weight three weeks before my surgery in order to make the cut off line of weight limit. We are not talking 20 pounds...only like 7 or so. I have always had the yoyo thing going on with weight gain and loss. So, gaining it was a breeze! Now, what I can say is that I have conditioned my mind and my body to eat "normal". And if my normal is 1/2 a cup...fine. If my normal is 3/4 cup fine. If my normal is 1 whole cup..GREAT! The deal is that my body is now working with my band. I am not overeating. I have never thrown up. I have a grasp on my life. I have a NEW life! But~~YOU may be different. And if so, just remember, just as I have a testimony, I also have had many tests...and I am certain I will have more! So, as you are going forward with your journey, remember you are awesome, and your journey is YOUR journey. You are an individual and what works for one person may not work for another. Smile! And you will have a story to tell! :-)

It's quite normal to put on weight during pregnancy! Your body is growing and changing to give your baby the best start in life. Here's where the extra weight comes from: At birth, the average baby weighs anywhere between 2.8 and 3.3kg. During pregnancy, the muscle layer of your womb (uterus) grows dramatically and weighs an extra 0.9kg. The placenta, which nourishes your baby, weighs just over 0.5kg. Your breasts weigh an extra 0.4kg. Your blood volume increases and weighs an extra 1.2kg. You have extra Fluid in your body, and amniotic fluid around the baby, weighing around 2.6kg. You will also lay down some fat during your pregnancy to provide you with extra energy for breastfeeding. This comes to about 2.5kg. So, by the end of your pregnancy you might weigh about 10.5 - 11kg more than you did before you became pregnant. This is an average weight gain but of course, you're not an average woman. And no woman is. Thanks Toronto Gazebos

My situation is/was a lot like Coltonwade above. I married my husband when I was a size 8. I gained 100+ pounds too. My husband NEVER criticized me or berated me or confronted me about my weight gain. It was never mentioned and he said he loved me all the time. We just started having sex less and less often until it was almost non existant. That was NOT my choice. So I knew it bothered him. I didn't know just how much until I listened to him cry his eyes out one evening about hating to see me so unhealthy and how it broke his heart that he was going to have to wheel me around in a wheelchair one day and that I would die young. I was stunned. I went to a lap band seminar the next week and had an appointment for a consult soon after. It took 11 months to get approval but I didn't give up. My DH didn't even know what a lap band was, so he didn't suggest it, but once I told him about it, he was on board from the get go. He is my biggest supporter. And just like Coltonwade's DH, he said the same thing...."I got my wife back!" He's been so happy about it. It actually strengthened our marriage. It needed a shot in the arm. We are closer than ever. Although I know for some it doesn't work out that way. He is a little more concerned about men taking an interest in me, and seems a little more insecure, but as a result, he's a lot more attentive. I respond to the attentiveness with a healthy lust, so it has worked out great. Maybe he's just scared about the surgery itself. Men are so funny about things like that. You would be surprised if you could hear their true feelings.

Amen sista! The low carb revolution gave people a new lease on low-glycemic eating, but with the launch of so many low-carb substitutions (Splenda included) we haven't learned how to eat differently - we just substitute it for engineered, low-carb alternatives. I just can't imagine we're not paying a dear price for this. Our bodies just don't recognize the content of some of these chemical bonds and the result is free radicals roaming around your body, resulting in aging, weight gain, loss of energy, and in some cases cancer. I'm an organic gal, myself. I figured I'd change it ALL when I got banded and began to eat organic, non-processed foods. You can't imagine how quickly the craving for sugar dissipates. Your eyes are brighter, your skin looks better, you have a lot more energy! But it's definitely a lifestyle alteration; one that's not easy to convert to (ecspecially if you have a family).

Are your feet swollen tonight after driving/riding 8 hours and this was the first time out of the whole trip? It could have nothing to do with how well you ate but alot more to do with fluids in your feet. I have this...I can in lots more detail. See if the swelling goes down over night as well as the "weight gain".

Pete, You are right, some of your weight gain may be from stoping the lasix. (furosemide) Are you noticing swelling especially in your lower extremities. If you are making good food choices and still gaining weight like that you need to let the doctor know. You don't want to put on a lot of fluid. It wouldn't be good for you. Keep up the great work. You will get there!

Pretty much the same here in the U.S. at my house on Christmas..LOL Luckily for me I had not weight gain because of it..however I only ate 1/4 of my weight in chocolate

Yeah, that would be my thought as well. Unlike RNY, the "stretchy" part of the stomach (the fundus) is removed with sleeve. So it really can't stretch all that much. I'm sure it stretches SOME and I am sure some of our vets can attest to that, but I'm pretty sure it's never going to stretch to the point of me eating a whole large pizza in one sitting again... I suspect that a lot of the weight gain experienced years out is due to eating around the sleeve and those patients could just as easily eat around this band.

Yes, that's exactly what he thinks. He thinks he's given me all the necessary time to devote to getting myself in shape, so he doesn't understand why it's not my #1 priority in life. Getting in shape and looking good so I don't want to hide in the house all the time is "putting my marriage and him first". He views my whole weight gain as me not loving him enough to want to look good for him, to put us back on the path of an intimate relationship, etc. I understand that, but I've resisted doing anything "for him" because of the tough love approach he has taken as his way of "encouraging me". I would get a job, but I want the weight gone first. We have enough money that I can have the surgery, and I even have my own money with an advisor, I just hate doing this behind his back. And once I do it, I doubt he will respect me not wanting the world to know. He's all about having integrity and being honest. Ugh I can't stop crying about all this

I had my surgery when I was 58, so I doubt that's it. Do you take any medications that cause weight gain?

You can do it; but you can't do all of it all the time every day 100% perfect and certainly not starting from day 1. This is the lesson I've been struggling to learn. Yes, you can give up soda. No you don't have to give up artificial sweeteners. There are still many WLS patients who use artificial sweeteners and maintain a healthy weight and didn't grow horns and didn't develop cancer, whatever. There is a TON of junk science around artificial sweeteners. Like, they say that they cause weight gain. That is not true. The few controlled scientific studies there have been show that when people eat the same number of calories, artificial sweeteners do not cause weight gain. Also, I found that changing my pre-surgery diet to increase protein and decrease sugar made me feel less hungry and crave sweets LESS. SHOCKING!!! I couldn't believe it. But I'm not perfect. I still eat a little ice cream sometimes and I still eat fruit every day. I'm still months away from surgery and I'm struggling this week. I had to increase my medication that causes hunger/weight gain because I'm having bipolar symptoms, so I'm eating more, but still trying to focus on protein first, and I can't believe that between that and traveling to Miami last week for work, I am still losing weight. (But yesterday afternoon I was so hungry I cried... so yeah, I'm not going to lie it's really hard.) Try not to expect perfection. It is SOOO much. You have to do the work, but you can take it at your own pace and on your own terms. And take everyone's advice/rules with a grain of salt - I know at least one successful maintainer on here who drinks diet coke regularly. Nothing is forever, failure is not final.

I've never been on an anti-depressant but my mother is on Prozac and is doing very well with no weight gain. Interestingly, Prozac is now being prescribed for people with rheumatiod arthritis so, if you have that condition, you might see an improvement in the pain from that condition. I hope the Prozac helps you and that you feel better soon.

I'm heading down to Miami for 7 weeks with the kids. They go to nature/archeology camp on Biscayne Bay and since the camp won't let me in (something about age limit Pffft) I have created my own Mommy Camp. I bike, collect mangos, can mango chutney no one will eat, kayak, explore, take yoga classes and tennis lessons. This is our 4th year going and the last few have been kind of rough because of major surgeries and subsequent weight gain. I'm so excited to head down his year lighter, fitter and happier than I have been in years. My husband and kids are loving the mom who is always on the go and I'm loving life. Bring on the South Florida heat and humidity! I'm ready for you this year! At the end of the summer we are going on an 8 day Alaska cruise with my husbands family. My goal is lose enough weight to feel comfortable in the wet suit I'm going to wear when we go snorkeling in Ketchikan. I have had a life long fear of wet suits (I'm convinced I will look like a seal in one) so I specifically booked this trip to motivate me to move this summer. Just the thought of me trying to shimmy into a wet suit on the shore of a freezing cold body of Water makes me laugh so hard I'm already burning calories... I love hearing everyone's plans. Be safe and wear sunscreen and post pictures! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Thanks for the responses guys... Carol - This is exactly what my parents are saying about it. I know that I feel in a way that I can't control what I eat and that's a problem. The thing that is annoying me is that it's really hard to control not eating junk when it's being forced upon you all around the place. It's on the TV, when you go out it's all around you. And the healthy food when you go out is actually more expensive than the junk food in some ways. Unless I go to the supermarket and do stuff from home that is. And this is what is freaking me out as well. I'm really scared because if I can't control what I'm eating now then what makes me think that I can do it with the band? The band is meant to stop me from doing it, but if you can get around that then what's to say I can't just keep going the way I am going now? I hate feeling like the "big" person wherever I go. Especially if I go out to eat somewhere. And I don't want to die at 40 either. And I also have PCOS, which a side effect is Weight Gain, which is why I have been steadily gaining weight from when I was a teenager to now, I have never been this heavy before. I have alot of lower back problems as well. And people keep saying if I get banding that is going to go away. But I'm still worried that I'm going to find another way around the band. LilMisfit - I'd love to chat with you. My email address is Brumbie06@hotmail.com if you want to email me. It would be nice to have another perspective.

I'm not sure if this is the best place to post this question, but here it is. I have suffered from depression all my life. I'm sure that has contributed greatly to my weight gain over time. Although I have my depression under control a good share of the time, I still suffer from depressive bouts that immobilize me. I am entering this WLS process without any support, although I am married. My husband is pretty much oblivious of me and my needs. He lives in his own world. I have a difficult time making friends so I don't have a support system there. So, I'm on my own. I am worried that I will fail because of my depression. I have been on several medications over time and have not had any success with them. My questions, how many of you suffer from depression and how do you or will you plan to handle it and succeed with WLS?

Well I haven't been on her for so long and it is good to read all of your posts! My surgery date was actually June 7, 2013 I have been out of town but for some reason I really wanted to share a little of my journey. I started this journey actually 2 years before I had the surgery. It took me that long to make the decision that once I had my surgery I would never turn back to my old eating patterns. Making such a change to your body was something I took very seriously and played the head games for 2 years. You know..........You can do this just eat right, exercise stay with the program! I was at the gym 3 times a week and trying so hard. I managed to lose about 25 pounds then my mother passed away. I kept up the same routine same eating patterns and despite all I gained 10 pounds back and finally said "That's it!" I knew I needed the help and made the decision to have the surgery. When I started the 2 weeks of liquid diet before surgery I had my answer to my biggest problem. I was a carbaholic that was the biggest insight into who I was and what was controlling me. I knew then and there I could no longer eat useless carbs. They were and are still a drug for me. Have you ever noticed when you eat a good piece of bread, cake, chip etc. it makes you want it more? It calls you from the cabinets and the frig......."I'm in here so close just come and have a few more!" Damn carbs!! I still fight this but know myself so well now I know what trigger foods to avoid and what I can treat myself with on an occasion. I am not anti carbs just the bad ones that pull you in. Avoid them! I haven't been the best at exercising but I do go twice a week during the school year (I work at a high school) and swim and bike ride during the summer. My goal weight was 160 pounds and I had a secret goal of 150 pounds. I knew I was going to make the 160 because I wasn't changing my body without a good outcome if I could help it. The day of surgery I weighed 293 pounds and today I weigh 149 pounds. I have been able to maintain this weight pretty easily (no boasting) and am amazed and give all the glory to God and my sleeve! When I returned home from my 3 week trip I had only gained 7 pounds and knew it was mostly bloat. By the end of the first week home it was gone and I marveled at how helpful this surgery actually is! To this day I still do not have hunger pains.........Thank the Lord!!! I know when my body is in need of food because I get an empty feeling or show signs of low blood sugar but that doesn't happen to often. Only if I am really really busy and honestly forget to eat. No eating disorder here.......no worries I still love my food! My body definitely has wrinkles all over the place and one day when I win the lottery I will have some surgery to fix myself up. The funny thing is when I was on vacation and was carrying some Water weight the wrinkles in some areas were not as bad. This is how I knew it was water weight. I missed my wrinkles and was happy to get them back because I felt back on track. Proof of being where I was supposed to be. Weird!! I still get a runny nose when I get full and can eat about 8 ounces on a really good day. I eat a high Protein diet with a lot of veggies and fruit. I have become a gluten free organic eater it made the difference for the last 5 pounds. I do love a Crown and diet organic coke or glass of wine. I didn't have a drink for about a year or more after surgery. This is one thing I caution everyone with. I quickly caught myself enjoying a drink in place of carb foods and put a stop to that. I thought well there is little calories and carbs in a Crown and diet coke so I will be okay and I didn't gain weight but drinking should just be kept at a minimum. You could easily fall into a really bad habit. For some reason eggs are still hard for me to eat I can't eat more than 2 on a really good day. What is up with that? Scrambled eggs........Really!! I take my Vitamins religiously and my blood work has come back great.......very grateful! One of my favorite treats is a cup of coffee with my half of a Premiere Protein Drink and some hazelnut creamer. It's a great middle of the day treat. I am still the person I was before surgery but with more confidence, self awareness and energy. I will protect this new person and body with all vigilance. The true answer to this surgery is getting to know the authentic self, recognizing your triggers and fixing them. Be it personal issues or food issues such as mine. Easier said then done I realize this full on. When I was on the liquid diet I put a whole new spin on being a bitch............My family was ready to run away! Every once in awhile I will go to a restaurant that overwhelms me and I tear up and get mad but I do not stray from my eating patterns. I know myself......... I would rather be mad for a few minutes than go down that slippery slope of gradual weight gain from getting addicted to carbs again. This was pretty long so if you hung in there and read the whole thing........Thank you!! I'm not perfect by a long shot and I'm sure there are some that would criticize. Please don't this is my life and I am feeling pretty darn good about it. I wish each and every one of you the best and brightest of outcomes!!!!

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.

I am new here. I am looking for support and friends that are in the same weight loss surgery boat! I was sleeved in Aug 2016. I have lost very slowly and actually have gained 19 pounds. I take a medication that causes weight gain (although my dr. says it is unknown as to why it causes gain) and I am struggling with eating when I am not hungry and don't exercise at all anymore. I really need to be on top of all the things (eating every 2-3 hrs, staying off the sweets, drinking enough water, eating enough protein, exercising) I need to do even more so as the meds make it additionally hard to loose. I don't have any friends who've had wls and the support here is lacking. I am so concerned that I will not be able to loose any more...yet, I know that I am not doing what I need to do in order to loose. Anyone out there had any success while being on meds that make it difficult to loose or far too easy to gain?...or have any other advice? Thanks.