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hiya girls jumped on scales this morning and weight i gained now lost again ...where is this baby ?can you believe im complaining about weight loss...lol..think some weight gain due to constipation which has now passed...eww...tmi think it also might be stress weight loss i gave up childminding job and girl who is minding baby now stressed out as baby bumped her head yesterday and she called me to go see her and check her over she was fine but i was dreading her parents reaction later when she saw her poor big purple bruise on forehead..shes crawling and headbutting anything in her way !! then i went to collect my boys from school and saw man accidently run over his own sons foot with his car and he was caught under the tyre screaming and i ran over to help and dozey buggar was about to reverse back arggggggggh i managed to free him but i reckon it was broken ...i spent rest of day feeling so dizzy and sick . thanks for kind comments on pics ...must put up some clothed ones though im a trollop..i do feel really well "glowing"but i get tired so easily and want to lay down and sleep alot unfortunately i dont get opportunity,well im off to do mount everest sized ironing pile....see i got tired just thinking about it !!

hiya girls dooney... big hugs sweetie ..i wish i could be more comort on reliabily of downs test but i really dont know but have faith and we will all pray you and baby be fine. raynie.....dont worry about the nits ..lol..i you or anyone else has caught them use a whole bottle of conditioner and lice comb and comb like mad thing or a few days and they will go,i have four sons who go to nursery and school and have caught them before ........lol...i did freak out though as the word nits makes you itch!!!!!! lay of them cookies....you will only regret it ...they sound good but they BAD BAD BAD....LOL...IM HUNGRY NOW . <!-- google_ad_section_start(weight=ignore) -->niecyrenee....i think that we will initially gain weight as calorie intake goes up as we have been eating so low in cals but im hoping that it will settle down ..or maybe im just being an optimist,as for doctor i think he shouldnt be getting his knickers in twist about 5lb gain its not alot and he would be more concerned if you losing weight ..ive lost weight since my 8 week check and i dont think they will be pleased at all with me and im so worried for baby as i was so preoccupied with myself i was still eating too little as i feared weight gain i was exhausted...i must add eating well now and totally unfilled.<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> vbmenu_register("postmenu_597146", true); </SCRIPT> oh and about weight gain every single person different and all pregnancy different..a normal heathy gain is between 24-28lbs total but it depends on weight at beginning and size of baby etc and even sex of baby apparently carrying a girl = more weight so not looking good or me as the 4 lb i gained came back off....i think it was caused by constipation..how embarassing but remember this my fifth so my body not going through quite as a dramatic change it done it b4 and you never really quite go back to the way you were i wish i had some signs a lump at front as is just my deflated tyre looking at me .

When I was stuck on a plateau, I went back on the liquid diet. The Protein powder that I used has 120 calories in it. I drank 3-4 of those per day and I started losing again. I am still not a fast loser. I have lost 10lbs since August. I see some weight gain coming this week. Thurs. is my birthday. Going out to dinner with friends thurs fri and sat nights. I am sure there will also be some birthday cake involved too. If I gain 5 lbs in one weekend, it will probably take me a month to lose it. :mad: I will do Protein shakes for Breakfast and lunch those days so I can save my calories for dinner and make sure I do a lot of cardio on those days too. I will try to avoid it, but it seems to happen anyway if I go out to eat.

Hello, Im 17 weeks now and have gained 4lbs. I didnt really start gaining until I was about 13 weeks. Keep in mind though I also didnt lose as much weight as you did, I was banded february 21, 07 and had only lost 50lbs before I became pregnant. So Im probably still carrying more weight than you are, which means I could afford to avoid the drastic weight gain. My doctor says that the baby is fine growth wise, and that I'd probably not need to gain any weight as long as im taking my vitamins. We're taking it month by month though. I'm going to schedule an appointment with my surgeon for a defill of at least 0.5cc, Ive never had one and Im currently at 3.1cc, but im still able to eat lots of goodies:)

When I first started my band journey I had a hard time setting a goal weight (OK I STILL have a hard time setting one) at the time I was trying to weigh what the BMI chart was saying was right for my height with doctor saying that the current research was showing most successful band patients were only losing around 50% of their excess weight. I NEVER wanted to consider a weight loss of only 50% of my excess to be a success but it made me give pause in setting a goal of the full 100% for Fear (yes fear) that it was just setting me up for more failure and depression leading to sabatoge and weight gain. While trying to figure it out I found the following website very insightful. Better Ideal Weight Body Calculations It shows a variety of methods for determining your ideal weight from the frequently used MetLife Charts, to BMI and others, including one that takes into account what other current peers, in age, current weight and sex, think (emphasize THINK) would be their ideal weight. At least in my case I found it surprisingly accurate. My only hope is that the accuracy doesn't hold as I found that at my height and age my "peers" won't think I'm at an ideal weight until I hit 115 which is a BMI of 20 barely a point above the LOWEST BMI considered in the healthy range! I really want to believe I will be satisfied at the higher end of the healthy BMI, like maybe a 23-24. Another even more interesting point perhaps is that it claims that many of the charts for women are misleading. Such as the Met Life Chart which is the leading industry standard chart that Stacy is quoting from. It says this chart was developed for use on women ages ages 25-59 and based on lowest mortality rates. In addition it was assumed that the women were wearing 3 pounds of clothes and wearing 1" heels. Not all of us fall into this age category and I would dare say most if not all of us didn't know we were suppose to add 1" to our height when reading the table. A minor side note to this table would be that according to the website Met Life introduced this chart in 1943. and it was only revised slightly in 1983. They were called "desirable" weights, which would indicate those persons with the lowest mortality rates. However, the phrase "ideal weight" gradually became associated with these tables in common usage, even though the word "ideal" was not specifically published with the tables. PS - Stacy - Please understand I am NOT flaming your post in any way. I just was shocked when I found that I was suppose to add an inch to my height when looking at that chart I still refer to it myself but thought others might find it usefull to know.

All my life i struggled with my weight. My father made me feel like i was less of a person because of it. As i got older it is still stuck with me as to being a failure. i have tried every weight loss pill, diet and program there ever was. i finally lost weight down to 210 and was a nice size 14 for i am tall. i got married and pregnant and then my husband made me feel like i was nothing for 3 years because of my weight gain. when i got my band and starting losing weight, my self esteem came back and i stopped letting him treat me as if i had a problem with my weight when he was the one with the problem. He wouldn`t even take me places. so i vowed to lose weight and then leave him. if you can`t be with me on the journey down i don`t need you on my way up. but he`s probably smiling because i`m not loosing maybe gaining. I decided to get the band after 2 months of research and did it self pay. I was banded july 30th and have only lost 20 pounds. i suck. what is wrong with me. food has been my comfort for so long its hard to kick the habit. i am tired of sayin tomorrow and just want to do it. I always slip up and look back at bein a failure like my dad said and how my husband used to treat me. I need motivation and help. i read other threads and get upset and sometimes motivated because i need to know what will kick my drive off to success, why do i always feel the need to have something in my mouth. i stayed a size 14 for 8 years and once i got married the weight piled on. the band may not be for me. i have had two fills and yet i feel restriction sometimes but i can eat more then a half of cup. so is any one having the same problems. i also will start counting calories again tomorrow. i am challenging myself to weight lost of at least 25 to 30 pounds by christmas and i hope you all will join. i got the band to feel better about myself and i`m tired of cryin over spilled milk or maybe i was just meant to be fat. so any motivation, help or encouragement will do me good.:help::help::help::help::help::help::help::help::help::help::help::help::help::help::help:

sanadramae - I am sorry for your loss and other issues, I know how hard these things can be.. But I am going to tell you right now STOP STOP EATING THAT CRAP.... It really doesn't make you feel any better - no it makes you feel guility... Quit eating right this very second..... Go back to eating healthy you can do it - you did it before In our lives we allow for a margin of error – which we should also do when trying to eat healthy – if you are eating 1000-1200 calories a day – allow for some of those calories to be used for a little bit of something you really want (chocolate - have a healthy choice fudgecicle - it's s/f & 80 calories)- you need wiggle room in your diet to make it work (I save my morning and afternoon snacks for night time which is my worst time) – the all or nothing practices has to be thrown our of your mind. You can learn to reprogram your mind to strip away the guilt that comes with dieting. You have to realize that it’s not that the first slice of cake that will doom your diet – it’s the second or third or whole thing that leads to weight gain. You have to listen to your body & respond smartly to your cravings and emotions but over time you will learn how to eat right and mange your craving and that’s when you’ll train your brain to stop obsessing about eating right and punishing yourself – If you stop over thinking you’ll stop over eating.. Good Luck to you...<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

A big hello from Brisbane!! Your doctor is right, your fill will have settled, allowing you to eat more than you could when you were first filled. You will find that your next fill (depending on how much more your doc adds) will make a big difference in your restriction. Your weight loss will be a bit up and down at first. The weight we lose on fluids is a one time deal. We typically never lose weight that fast again. And sometimes, when people go from fluids to solids, there is even a slight weight gain. The trick is to not freak out, and keep eating right and exercising. Congrats! Sam.

B-man- Big hugs girl. I don't know why this shit is coming down on you! I swear it is like a big cosmic test. I am bummed for you. Hang in there and vent away! Sweet-wtg on the size 12 skirt. AWESOME! I am so happy for you. I hear you on the natural vs. low waist. I am with you on that. I have a big difference in mine too. I am hoping that will change with time. Ugh. Good job on getting through the weekend. I look forward to seeing a weight drop tomorrow. Nikki-glad you stopped by. Good luck on your scan this week. As soon as you start getting that baby bump, you will feel different about the weight gain. It is all worth it. Make the healthiest choices you can thru the pregnancy, and the weight will melt off after. I wish I heeded that advice but I used both my pregnancies as license to CHOW! I am really happy for you and I hope the head cold goes away soon. Nat-how did the cookie making go? What a good mommy. I used to be that good. You remind me I need to take some time to do that with my kids. Girls-I went out and danced my butt off last night. I was feeling so good in my size 16 jeans. The cut was really fitted and boot at the ankle. They were super long so I wore them with some red heels and a fitted top. I felt really hot. (i know hard to imagine at size 16 but I was rocking it!). I had a few drinks (maybe one or two too many) and was convinced I was the sexiest dancer there...hahahahahahha. Regardless, it was a blast, my legs and butt are killing me today and I am TIRED. I got in at 2:30am (wth was I thinking). I am off to recuperate the rest of the day. If you are interested in weighing in tomorrow, post your start/current/goal/change this week and I will compile it. Later~

In pre-surgery counseling, I was told there would be no follow-up, BUT, if I should feel depressed, should I reach a plateau, need someone to talk to, or even ask for medication, I CAN and with open arms, but it is up to me to ASK, and to ASK was stressed about a half-a-dozen times. I wanted my surgery very badly, and I was determined not to appear depressed in any way during my counseling session. I had to pass to get to the next level. When it comes to depression, thin people are just as depressed as large or obese people. Everyone has issues and there's no magic to solve any of them. But when there's severe weight loss, and then weight gain after all that, I just can't imagine not being being even more determined to keep it off. But it does depend what kind of self-medication is used by post bypass patience. BUT correctly said, food is our (my) "drug of choice". It made me feel good, it made me feel bad. We're the opposite of those who choose to starve themselves as their drug. Those who starve themselves get the "awe" media attention and "what a pity", while large people get "they just don't have any self-control" snipers. AND not all large people are large because of over-eating. My metabolism went wonky 20 years ago, and Synthroid for hypothyroidism helped to slow my weight gain, but it could not put the brakes on weight gain altogether. I'm up to 250mcg /day dose, (doctor's say it's high), with a metabolism that's way whacked out. If it remains the same once I achieve my weight goal, I will be the perfect candidate to put all my weight back on again. So I not only have to be goal oriented being banded, I have a lifestyle to change and maintain forever and I hope my forever is at least 40 more years.

Ralheit - You lost 60 lbs that is no small feat - it you did it then you can continue to do it and get the rest of the weight off - you just have become complacent You know that you struggle with emotional issues of confidence & esteem that comes with being fat. But you may not know that you could be what are called as an avoider. This is due to the turmoil that comes with public & private dislike for obesity and you avoid confronting your situation at because of the fear of not being able to beat it. Here is how an avoider thinks – once you deviate even slightly from a diet or healthy eating you figure you might as we drop the whole thing – this stars a cycle that avoider can’t find a way out of – We are fat we try to lose weight we deviate just a little we feel rejection for the perceived failure we isolate ourselves from people we stop talking about it, we stop the diet we eat a pound of candy – we get fat then we try to lose weight and the cycle continues Instead of avoiding bad foods avoider tend to want to avoid other things like the people who want to help them and the disciple of trying to eat healthy. Avoiders try to separate themselves from these 2 strong emotion associated with dieting. The minute you ban any food from your diet you are setting yourself up for failure. If you eat half a cookie or a couple of fires from that banned food list – the diet is dead and that’s where the guilt sets in and now you feel that you lack the strength to succeed. This shame spins you back into the cycle of avoidance When you reach an obstacle you decide that instead of trying to find a way around it you might a well turn around and go back to the beginning – four fry’s leads to a handful then the whole bag. One way to handling emotional eating is you live & eat in the now – not being upset about what you are in the past and not obsessing about what you will eat in the future. The very thing that’s designed to help people lose weight is the very thing that promotes this heavier – diets promote the all or nothing mentality. In our lives we allow for a margin of error – which we should also do when trying to eat healthy – if you are eating 1000-1200 calories a day – allow for some of those calories to be used for a little bit of something you really want - you need wiggle room in your diet to make it work – the all or nothing practices has to be thrown our of your mind. You can learn to reprogram your mind to strip away the guilt that comes with dieting. You have to realize that it’s not that the first slice of cake that will doom your diet – it’s the second or third or whole thing that leads to weight gain. You have to listen to your body & respond smartly to your cravings and emotions but over time you will learn how to eat right and mange your craving and that’s when you’ll train your brain to stop obsessing about eating right and punishing yourself – If you stop overthinking you’ll stop over eating.. Go back to making healthy food choices – low fat – sugar free – I personally love WW style of eating – you get everything but it’s all about portion control – see your doc about your band – why are you pbing – eating too fast?? Not Chewing?? Trying to eat the wrong food?? Sweetie you can do this !!! You have proven you can by the 60 lbs loss – you took a little vacation and now it’s time to get back to work…

Bexleygal-Halfway!!! I know my next ultrasound is about 2-3 weeks away and that's when we will learn the sex (if the baby is coorperating) and I can hardly stand the wait. I can't imagine how long your weekend is going to be waiting to hear your news on Monday! Be sure and let us know how it goes. Raynie-A boy! How exciting! I can't wait until our next ultrasound to learn the sex. I too have that feeling that I am having a girl, don't know why really, but we are kinda hoping for a boy. We will be ecstatic with either though! Ok, I have to ask this question as my next doctor's appointment is next week and I am already worrying myself about the scale....How much weight is everyone gaining and at what point in your pregnancy are you? I am 16 weeks and the last time I saw my doctor (at 13 weeks), I had gained a total of 5 lbs. and he said we needed to watch that. I was really proud that I had only gained 5 but he wasn't overly thrilled with it. I am just wondering if that is normal, not normal? I have no idea seeings how I have never been pregnant before. I know from my scale at home that I have put on a little more weight and I just dread that part of the appt. I really can't help but wonder if my weight gain is due not only to the baby and placenta growing but to the totally different lifestyle I have. I mean, before I got pregnant, I exercised a whole lot more than I do now and I was so strict on my eating. All I am accomplishing now as far as exercise is walking and I hate to admit, I'm not as faithful as I should be. And I know they say you only need 300 more calories when you are pregnant, but can that be true based on how little we bandsters ate before? I was STRICT! I lost over 125 in 8 months, I was a fanatic about it. Now, I am not focused on that and am eating more because I know that my baby needs it. I guess what I am asking is, could our weight gain not be "textbook" because we are adding more than just 300 calories because our intake before was so low? I can't help but wonder if that's the case. What's your opinions?

Just a bit off topic, but as a newly banded - still sipping fluids all day long- member of this forum, I have a question. Those of you who are eating too much because you haven't had your first fill yet, do you mean you are actually able to eat like you did before the band? I'm just curious because just the idea of chewing something and swallowing it and not feeling like someone put a golfball in my chest sounds so great right now.... I'm all for the GOALS idea too! I just don't know yet what's realistic since I'm still dragging around my hospital weight gain! What's UP with that anyway ?? Good morning .. and TGIF! Judy

I will be banded 3 weeks from today, 11/8. I have always prepared healthy meals, but my 18 y/o daughter has gained a lot of weight in the past year from eating junk that she gets at school, stopping at McD's and DQ for ice cream and eating snacks that are really a meal. It started happening when her dad and I separated. She has asked me for help and I have shown her how to weigh, measure, keep a food diary, etc. It's getting her to continue that is difficult. She's angry with me because, in her words, now she'll be the only fat one in the house. Has anyone had the experience that others in the family are more motivated to lose weight after someone in the household has been banded? She has refused counseling to talk about her anger, which I know plays a huge part in her weight gain. I am so afraid that she'll end up as large and unhappy as I have been.

And if it takes off we can sticky it as another quick reference. So I'll start, then you add. 1. Starvation mode. If our bodies could really just "stop" breaking down & metabolizing fat and muscle when it is not getting adequate nourishment (aka starvation mode), then no one would ever starve to death. This one doesn't even make sense to me. Even if there was some way by which our bodies could do this, we'd have to be down to such a ridiculously low percentage of body fat that we wouldn't have the energy, state of mind, or - hell - enough eyesight or musclular control to post a question about it. So in other words, if you're here, you're not in starvation mode! 2. You have to remove carbs from your diet to lose weight. You can remove any singular nutritional component from your diet and lose weight. It doesn't have to be carbs. Remove fat from your diet, you'll lose weight. Remove Protein from your diet, you'll lose weight. But come on, are you really going to eat 2gm fat a day for the rest of your life? You're much better off finding an all-around approach that you can really live with. Most of the time, this is a caloric reduction. Then if you want to reduce something else, do it to supplement, but not as its own means of weightloss. No one here is interested in temporarily losing weight, and then gaining it back as soon as old habits are resumed. 3. Eating late at night causes weight gain. If you're eating more than your body requires to function during the day, you will gain weight. It doesn't matter if you're eating in the morning or at night. If you eat a 10,000 calorie Breakfast, and have a sedintary lifestyle, you will gain weight. If you eat nothing throughout an extremely active day, and then have a 4000 calorie dinner, you will not automatically gain weight just because you ate the calories at night. 4. The scale shows how much fat you have, or fat and weight are the same thing The scale shows nothing more than how much you weigh at any given point in time. Think about your weight for a second. There's a lot more to it than fat. There's your hair, your clothes, your body, and everything in or on your body. Weighing 200 lbs Monday night and 205 lbs Tuesday morning DOES NOT mean you gained fat overnight, just that you weigh 5 lbs more. I see people freaking out -- "omg I ate chocolate lastnight and now I weight 10 pounds more I'm never eating chocolate again!" Yeah, maybe you weigh 10 pounds more, but it's physically impossible for a chocolate bar (one you can carry, anyway!) to convert to 10 pounds of fat. For that matter, assuming you're (a normal) human, it's pretty much impossible. You'd have to eat about 35,000 calories on top of your BMR. That's like eating 50 sticks of butter on top of whatever number of calories you needed to function that day. Not gonna happen! If you see a quick change to the scale, it's most likely a function of Fluid retention. This is why the scale should not be looked at daily. Some people can see upwards of 20 lbs daily fluctuation. And this is why the scale should not be used, at all, if you want an accurate way to see how your body is changing.

Ok. I didn't ask about me because if I have lost 55 pounds and therefore they are not worried about me. If I came in with a 5 pound gain they would be workable. I also have had a hystorectomy and gone through menopause (all of this is in my chart) and don't have that problem anymore. I asked that way because I have a daughter and friends who are going through this program and I would never want to throw any red flags for them. I did re-read my post and I didn't tell him that it was not the truth. I meant that comment in the post to be a note to you guys that I was not using the real reason. I never told him that women were saying that and it was not the truth. I merely asked him if someone had a weight gain because of their time of month would they be delayed in getting their surgery. That was not the real reason for why I was asked to ask the question. That's what "which was not the truth" meant. I understand you are VERY upset about being told you would be delayed in getting your surgery. HELLO...WE ALL ARE. We were all told that it would be before the end of the year when we started this in spring or early summer. We all have had the disappointment that we will now have more than a four month wait until surgery AFTER the surgeon clears us. We are ALL frustrated with this system. The alternative is to self-pay or not get the surgery. I too have been delayed and delayed due to psychs cancelling their appointments due to jury duty. My surgeon's appointment was scheduled 6 weeks out because of that something that was not my fault. I too have followed the program to a T. BUT - you are delayed NOT denied! I also understand your frustration about having to go to SSF. I traveled from 25 miles east of Sacramento yesterday through all of that traffic. I also lost a full day's work/sick leave for a half hour appointment. I feel like you're looking for someone to take your frustrations out on and I landed in front of you. I was merely trying to pass on information to other people that are going through the program. Trust me I understand your pain. Been there done that. BUT I went to the people who caused it and didn't look for someone on a message board to kick. I didn't create your problem. It's funny that I cut/copied the post I put on this board to the person who asked me to ask and she said thank you.

My problem is why did you tell him the truth about the ladies. Why did you not just say that you were worried about Water weight gain yourself..... or say that the ladies were worried about water weight....not that the women were worried about not losing or having a difficult time losing.... that just makes it harder on the rest of us... I am lucky I have lots of support at home but some others might not be as fortunate as you and the weight might be coming off very slowly. Some women that have diabetes or other health issues might be having a difficult time.... BUT it just sucks for me.... to walk in with my period being 6lb heavier and when I told him I had my period he gave me a weird look and after reading your post.... it clicked. Has anyone ever had experience with the other surgeons at SSF and what are they like.... My experience with DR. Le was not good, he was rude, rushed and a bit unprofessional. Please post your thought if you have seen any of the other SSF surgeons. Thanks!

I am so sorry that you were told by him that you couldn't be scheduled for surgery. I know that would have been the point of melting for me. I have had my share of emotional wrecks through this and yes they should know that we are putting our hearts and souls as well as a lot of time and money into this. I had to take the whole day off of work to drive from Rocklin to SSF for a half hour appt. I totally agree that they need to get this stuff happening up here. As for what I asked, I was requested by another woman to ask how strick they were going to be as far as weight goes. She too is going to see Dr. Le and is having trouble loosing the weight required. Having lost more than the required weight put me in a position of trying to ask without making him suspicious. So in trying to get the information for someone who asked me to, I decided to find out if they would cancel someone's appt for that time of the month. I mean when I even broched the subject I got a really funny look because I have lost twice their required weight loss. The look said "What do you plan on gaining a bunch back?" Having opened the subject I HAD to go somewhere. His response was that they have people banging down the doors and they don't have to give surgery to people who don't want to follow the program. He also said that they would NOT stop surgery because of Water weight gain for that time of the month. He said "we're not concerned with 5 pounds." I am sorry that he told me one thing and then denied you because of that reason. I truly don't think my question caused that and I would do it again because someone who was having trouble loosing the weight asked me too. If it were me, I would call and ask him (or email) if I could prove it was my time of the month water weight gain by weighing in at the class on the 27th would he schedule me? By the way, they are scheduling for late February. Again, I am so sorry that you got denied but I didn't break anyone's trust. I only did what was requested of me.

I don't think that was very nice what you did to the women that asked you to ask the doctor about their periods & weight gain. You went and told the doctor the real reason was because they were having trouble with weight loss. That SUCKS what you did... those woman trusted you and you also ruined it for others. You know what THANKS ALOT.... I just came home from S.F to Sacramento very upset because Dr. Le whom I had an appt with just denied my surgery. I lost 21 lb but at my appt today I was up about 6lb and I told him it was from my period (WHICH WAS THE TRUTH) and he went and told me that he hears that all day long.... like I was some kind of LIAR... well now I know why, when people like you go in and make it harder for the rest of us by telling him that some woman were not losing weight and blaming their periods.... I have taken all the required classes, I never missed or rescheduled. I reached the goal weight set by Dr. Stiles.... only to have that Jerk(DR. Le)... treat me like I was a liar. Some of us have bent over backwards to make all the scheduled appt's, driving back and forth from Sac to S.F and doing everything to a T... only to get denied. I am so upset.... especially since the last time I saw Dr. Stiles... she said I would probably have my surgery before the New Year.... I am also SICK of having to drive to S.F. it is quite ridiculous that they have hundreds and hundreds of Sac, Yuba, Folsom, and surrounding area patients that are having to drive hundreds of miles to do this.... how wonderful it is for the enviroment as well as being horrrrrible for the patients driving all that way.... only for KAISER to save a buck!!! When this is all over I am going to write a NASTY letter to Kaiser and demand gas money, bridge money and other expenses for having to drive to S.F. Maybe then will they get a surgery team here in Sac or Roseville!!!! Sorry RANT over.... it has been a CRAPPY night!

Did anybody gain weight while in the hospital? I actually gained 6 lbs! It must be retaining water from the IV's cause I was only on liquids.

I've read several articles about how sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain. Isn't that strange? I think that it's hormonal. I still am too stupid to go to bed at a decent hour! It must be stupidity because I'm plenty tired................

Mandi, Welcome!!. I'm from Sydney and am being banded on 3 December. I think it's great that you are looking into this properly before making any decision. You may already have investigated this aspect, but have you been seen by an endocrinologist yet. Sometimes weight gain as a teenager is due to hormones. I am 47 and no one ever bothered to consider this until recently and it's been discovered that a lot of my problems are hormonal. This isn't a cure at my age so I'm still going ahead with the banding. I'm not trying to put you off banding - I think that whoever invented this surgery should be immortalised!! But please make sure that you have checked all possibilities for the cause of your weight issues first. Good luck with whatever you decide and let us know what you decide. Danna

<p>This is fitting since we're talking about motivation. I accidentally posted this to Before & After, but meant for it to go here.</p> <p> </p> <p>Seriously - if you don't already, and have any means to get it done, take naked pictures. Taking pictures in the same outfit over & over is well and good, but you aren't going to see the differences in your skin and shape.</p> <p> </p> <p>Every month I take pictures in 1) the same outfit from pre-op, 2) the closest I can get to skin tight current outfit, 3) completely naked.</p> <p> </p> <p>For the most part, I have DH take the naked pictures and write them to a VERY secure external & mostly detached hard drive. I can't stand looking at my naked pictures.</p> <p> </p> <p>Nearly 10 years ago, when I was on the upward swing of my extremely fast weight gain, I had hubby take some naked polaroids of me. (Yes kids, there was a day before every household had 15 digital cameras when you either had to take polariod, or risk every mallrat at the photo stand seeing your pictures). Not nearly as fun as it sounds, I promise. This was my way of motivating myself to do something about my increasing weight. Of course, all it really did was make me feel ashamed and disgusted.</p> <p> </p> <p>Tonight while cleaning out some old boxes o' stuff I found those named pictures. And you know what? I'm SOO glad I took them. When I looked at the clothed pictures, I can dismiss it away, always, to some extent. </p> <p> </p> <p>Naked, it is what it is.</p> <p> </p> <p>BTW, this before pic is WAY before. About 8.5 years before I was banded. It's also me about 50 lbs below my highest weight. Cropped for your viewing pleasure, of course. </p> <p> </p> <p></p>

Hi, another new person here. Thanks for such a valuable site for information on this procedure! Seeing my surgeon this week; hopeful I'll get an approval for January surgery. I've read several of the different threads, and I'm curious about those complaining about weight gain. Why do you not mention returning to your doctor's offices on a regular basis for consultation - and what about fills to assist you and get you back on track? Isn't that the purpose of the "adjustable" band?? Thanks - and good luck to all of you!

Know what you mean, two year ago I watched as my weight steadily climbed. Each doctors visit was 25 pounds more than the previous... I was 136 and ended up over 200 again. {entire family over weight and 136 came only after a year of Atkins} The band halted my weight gain and after the fills kicked in, has slowly reversed it. Hang in there and pray about it. You will make the right decision for you.