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It really depends on your insurance company. If it doesn't say anything in the bulletin, you should be fine. I have Aetna and in the bulletin it states that you can not have a net weight gain during the program. I gained weight during the process and was denied but was later approved by appealing.

The term emotional eating is thrown around a lot, but not everyone understands what emotional eating really is. Emotional eating is eating and overeating that occurs when we use food as a way to cope with a feeling, situation, or a need that is not physical hunger. Emotional eating is eating that happens when we want to eat but our bodies don’t really need the fuel. Common kinds of emotional eating are “nervous eating,” eating when you are bored, using food as a “reward” (to feel good), or eating when you are lonely. Because this kind of eating isn’t tied to a physical need for food, it can easily cause weight gain. Here are three things EVERY weight loss surgery patient needs to know about emotional eating: 1. Many people don’t know that they are emotional eaters. How’s that? Well, emotional eating isn’t always as straightforward as feeling a feeling (“I’m anxious”) and then making a choice to eat. Here’s the tricky part. Over time, if you’ve learned to use food as a way to cope with certain feeling states or situations, your brain can stop identifying that you are eating for emotional reasons. Here’s an example. If when you’re stressed, you reach for a snack to comfort yourself, over time, your brain stops telling you, “You are stressed and you are going to try to cope with it by eating a cookie.” Over time, your brain may start skipping the emotion and move directly to interpreting that stressed feeling as physical hunger. You might not even realize that you are feeling stress. Your thinking will go like this: Something stressful will happen and you will start wanting a snack. You might even feel physically hungry. Food, not stress, will be the central thought in your mind. If you are someone who feels hungry “all the time,” emotional eating could very well be playing a hidden role. 2. Emotional eating and self-blame, shame and guilt go hand in hand. If you are feeling “out of control with your eating,” odds are that emotional eating is happening. The problem is, if emotional eating goes unrecognized, or if we don’t take it seriously, it’s easy to fall into a trap of guilt and self-blame for not being able to “stay in control” of your eating. Shame and guilt are never helpful when it comes to long term weight loss. They tend to breed isolation, negative self esteem, decreased hope, and ultimately more emotional eating and self-sabotage. If you are struggling with emotional eating and you don’t learn the tools you need to cope with the feelings, the odds are that you will continue to feel out of control with food. 3. If you don’t take control of emotional eating, it can take control of your weight loss plans. Research studies of individuals trying to lose weight find that people who eat for emotional reasons lose less weight and have a harder time keeping it off. The journal Obesity recently published an article concluding that successful weight loss programs should teach clients how to cope with emotional eating in order to improve the clients’ ability to lose weight and not regain it. The risk of weight gain is not the only reason that emotional eating is important to address. Failure to address emotional eating—using food to cope with feelings and needs and circumstances other than physiological hunger—can also contribute to difficulties with cross-addictions after weight loss surgery. If emotional eating is something that you struggle with, it’s important to know that no diet and no weight loss surgery will fix that for you. Taking control of emotional eating requires learning new effective ways to cope with your emotions. It’s not about the food. It’s also important to know that learning new tools to cope with emotional eating can be one of the most rewarding and life-changing gifts that you can give yourself. Learning new ways to cope with life issues and feelings allows you to tackle life head-on. When you do this, food becomes simpler, and your life grows bigger, and ultimately, more rewarding. Melissa McCreery, Ph.D. is a Psychologist and the founder of Enduring Change Coaching. She helps her clients create and live the life they crave. She is also the creator of the Emotional Eating Toolbox 28-day Program for Taking Control and Moving Beyond Dieting. Sign up for a free 5 part Self-care Package Audio Course, learn about upcoming WLS seminars and other programs or contact her www.enduringchange.com.

I'm in the same boat! Today is week 10 and my first gain. It's disheartening. Any other diet, this would be the time I would throw in the towel. However, logically, I know there is no way I have consumed enough calories within the last week to constitute a 2 pound weight gain. Also, I started in the gym this week, both cardio and strength training. I know that probably has something to do with the weight gain as well. So, this week it is all about getting my water and Protein in!! Keep on keepin' on!!

Been awhile... I weighed myself a few weeks ago and I had gained 3.5lbs. I was so upset. The realization that I needed a fill took about a week to get thru my thick head since I was so set on not getting one until the new year. So I went in for a fill and really started watching what I ate alot closer than I had been. Yet even with this first fill I was able to eat anything and not feel the band at all. But I did end up losing another 3.8lbs which brought my weight loss down to -.3lbs from where it was before the weight gain. This past Tuesday (11/14) I had another fill and I can definitely feel this one so I think I am back on track. Trying to eat some meat at lunch today and I could feel the band working. The support group I attend every Thursday has been very helpful as well. It seems like everybody is going thru the same issues at the same time and we are all getting fills. I don't know if I would have been so aggressively approaching all these problems without the group. Looks like I'll weigh again this Saturday (11/18) and update my numbers for TickerFActory.com. LATER!!!

Been awhile... I weighed myself a few weeks ago and I had gained 3.5lbs. I was so upset. The realization that I needed a fill took about a week to get thru my thick head since I was so set on not getting one until the new year. So I went in for a fill and really started watching what I ate alot closer than I had been. Yet even with this first fill I was able to eat anything and not feel the band at all. But I did end up losing another 3.8lbs which brought my weight loss down to -.3lbs from where it was before the weight gain. This past Tuesday (11/14) I had another fill and I can definitely feel this one so I think I am back on track. Trying to eat some meat at lunch today and I could feel the band working. The support group I attend every Thursday has been very helpful as well. It seems like everybody is going thru the same issues at the same time and we are all getting fills. I don't know if I would have been so aggressively approaching all these problems without the group. Looks like I'll weigh again this Saturday (11/18) and update my numbers for TickerFActory.com. LATER!!!

You have time to lose the 5 pounds. What are you doing to lose? Perhaps you can add a Protein shake as a Meal Replacement for 1-2 meals and do some like exercise like walking. I'm sure you'll be fine. Most insurance companies/surgeons is more concerned with weight gain opposed to weight lost. There could be a number of reasons why you haven't lost so Im sure they will factor that in. I was told if I didn't lose as long as I didn't gain I would be fine. You'll do it. Let us know how things work out for you. Good luck.

I have chronic major depression and I take two antidepressants. Neither causes weight gain, in fact they're both known to sometimes suppress appetite so I've had no issues there. I have had to be treated with prednisone since my bariatric surgery for an unrelated condition and I didn't gain a lot of weight. As soon as I came off of it, I lost the water weight and the few pounds I had put on. Make sure to talk all your concerns out with your surgeon. I have a blood disorder and I am on anticoagulants for life. For this reason, my surgeon asked me to get clearance from my hematologist. The hemadoc told me I would need to switch anticoagulants after surgery because the one I was taking required a lot of food to be bioavailable. I tried to get the one he recommended but my insurance wouldn't cover it. It was too expensive for me to pay for out of pocket, so I stayed on my original anticoagulant. Six months later, I developed a blood clot just as my hemadoc predicted. So it's always good to make all your doctors aware that you are having surgery as there can be unexpected interactions between different areas of your health. Best of luck! 🤗

Meliwriter you make some really good points! Thank you! I'm not banded yet, but I AM starting to eat less, and already I've noticed that some people seem upset if I don't have seconds and thirds... they actually argue with me if I say "no thank you." and this really is all about a choice I've made for me and my health, and sticking up for that is something that folks that know me definitely are NOT used to. I can see already this will be an interesting ride, but I am positive that it's gonna be better than the slow suicide of weight gain I've put myself through. thanks for your comments! Stan

I wish I knew . . . . . . some Protein shakes can taste horrible. I should have gotten a sample before I bought a very expensive barrel sized canister of Protein shake that has been gathering dust in my kitchen closet for six months now. . . . ready to drink Isopure clear shakes were tolerable to drink and helpful for protein intake directly after surgery since they fit in as a clear protein. . . . I did not realize logging all calories and protein on fitday.com would be so helpful during the early days. . . . I thought the journey really started when I was banded, but the help did not really come until after my second fill. I did not have realistic expectations of the unfilled portion in the early days where you are soooo hungry but can not eat anything much. I also did not realize that so many people had weightloss stalls (or some even gain)at this point. . . . I did not realize that weight loss comes in fits and starts. It was only easy and steady directly after surgery during the liquid phases. In general for me it looked more like this 202, 202, 201, 198, 202, 199, 202, 200, 199, 199, 198, 200, 198. I now have a rule that I don't change a ticker value unless I maintain a maximum weight for at least three days. . . . I didn't realize that plateaus can be easily broken if you know what to do, so I suffered a little more in the beginning than necessary. . . . I didn't realize that my TOM means an automatic weight gain(3-5 pounds in the beginning and 1-3 pounds now) that comes and goes in about a week. . . . I did not know that losing weight rapidly floods your body with hormones so that your TOM can be drastically worse than normal (not to mention that you can be verrrryyyy moody as well). However, six months out and I think I have stabilized somewhat. Perhaps the general tone sounds like complaints, but it is not. All of the good far, far, far outweighs the bad. If I listed all the good, I could go on for pages and pages. I love my band and I can not tell you how much better I look and feel at this stage of the game. Congratulations on selecting a most interesting journey and change in lifestyle.

Anyone gain weight while doing pre-op test? I feel that once I mentally committed to getting the sleeve and started this process and knowing I wouldnt be able to eat like I do now, I got out of control for a lil bit. I gained 10lbs in 3 months. I felt ashamed when I met with my surgeon for the 2nd time and gained 10lbs. I gotta get mentally ready for this lifestyle change.

I experience a four or five pound variation day-to-day, and that is taking my weight first thing in the morning and just before bed. Just watch the new "lows." They are a better indicator of where you are heading. So long as you see a new low weight over a period of time, you can be pretty confident that you are losing. Temporary water weight gain is common. Just taking a shower will leave me with extra weight until the skin dries out.

Me! I am in process of revision from VSG to RNY. My sleeve was dilated with the end of my esophagus due to stricture/dysphagia. This caused VSG to fail resulted in 65 lb weight gain. I have completed all pre testing. I have psych eval on 1/9 then we submit to insurance. Hopeful and ready.

Thanks guys. I've been doing a little better. I'm still not where I need to be, but atlest the weight gain has stopped.

Hello Everyone: I am 4 1/2 years out from gastric bypass and am experiencing weight gain. It didn’t just start and I know it’s because of how I am eating. I have gained about 25 pounds from my lowest weight since surgery and need to get back on track. Head hunger is the problem. I am back on this site for support and advice. Any words of wisdom to combat the head hunger? Fortunately I still dump if I eat too much sugar but unfortunately I have no problem eating carbs.

It has been just about a year since I visited this site. That date coincides with having my band removed for medical reasons. I am not writing this post to "bash" the band. I am thankful for my opportunity to lose weight with my band, and to get my life back. I wanted to let others know that should they have the misfortune of having to have their band removed, it is not the end of your healthier life. I wanted to share my experiences, as I know what an emotional journey it has been for me, and to perhaps inspire others to never give up on themselves. Unlike many others who opted to revise to another WLS, I chose to not have a revision because my PCP advised me to give my inflamed GI tract a rest, as there was excessive scar tissue at my band site. I am amazed that if not careful, I am still able to get food stuck, even after the initial adjustment post band removal. I believe I knew from the beginning that I would not have a long relationship with my band. I decided to make the most of my banded life, and embraced my new banded lifestyle. I was the poster child for diet and exercise compliance. And I feel I was reasonably successful with losing 90+ pounds during the 22 months I was banded. Now, about a year later, I have gained 5-6 pounds. The surgeon who removed my band told me to expect to gain around 10 pounds. I feel good about not gaining 10 pounds, but I need to be vigilant every day post band, as I was while I had my band to make healthy food choices and control my portions. What has worked to help me to maintain a healthier weight: Continue to eat like a banister. I still choose a lean Protein and a produce carb for every meal. My portions are still band sized, with the exception of adding a couple of ounces of lean protein for meals. I look for signs of satiety, and leave leftovers on my plate. Exercise continues to be a priority, both cardio and toning. Snacks are limited to Greek yogurt, pumpkin seeds, and a few raw nuts. Above all I am thankful for the opportunity to have lost weight, and with continued good choices for diet and exercise am so far maintaining a healthier weight. I never achieved my goal weight, a huge disappointment for me. However, there is so much more on the positive side for me. I am now in training, and on pace to complete my first Half Marathon in February. This event is on my bucket list! There are the same challenges every day, with or without the band. I have to manage my hunger, drink sufficient Water to help avoid eating between meals and in the evening. I keep my mind active with other focal points. My best practice I want to share, is that awareness and mindful eating is a life long event for anyone who has had to battle their weight. So is getting active with exercise, and continuing to be dedicated to your goals. My enduring motivation to continue to make good choices is always to remember how much my overall health has improved. I had several serious co-morbidities prior to being banded, and now am able to walk for miles with no pain and without getting winded. Most of my health issues are resolved. I am mindful that I could lose all of the benefits I have gained through weight loss if I lose my focus on my healthier habits. Those habits have become internalized, and now are second nature. Can I eat more if I wanted to, yes. I feel good about choosing not to. Can I choose slider foods that are high in fat and calories? Of course, we all can. But for me, it just feels better, both physically and psychologically not to. Am I hungry? Yes, most times than not. It is my accepted "normal". I wanted to let others know that losing your band can be a very scary and anxiety provoking event. This past year has been a proverbial emotional roller coaster for me. But it does not mean that it is the end of a healthier life and inevitable excessive weight gain. Do I sometimes question the wisdom of not choosing to have a revision? Yes, and I know that if my weight ever were to get out of control I do have the option to choose another WLS. Above all, I understand that my future with my weight is dependent on the choices I make every day. I am up for the challenge, every day. And we all take a day at a time. Best wishes for continuing success to us all!

Nope I don't mind at all! I have lost a good bit of weight (gained about half back now) and I think lap band would be best for me. I know how to eat right I just need a little push. My husband is rather young and close minded and also needs to loose about 300 pounds. he knows folks who have had exceptional results with GB and that's really what he's interested in. there is a guy in our neighborhood who is banded who is HUGE not because LB does not work but because he does not follow the rules.... that's what my DH sees... the failure of it. besides we've had THREE doctors suggest GB for him. (his internist, the doc that took out his Gall bladder (and had a heck of a time) and his orthopedist. since we are different people with different opinions

Only 7 days post op and was dropping the pounds nicely. About 15lbs at day 6. So it surprised me a lot that today GAINED .80 LBS ! How can that happen on liquid diet? I figured about 540 calories daily from protein shakes and broth comes in very cheap @ no more than 10 calories per serving in using bouillon!

Hi - all good questions. :-) While some people struggle with the balloon, most do not for the "first few weeks" ... it's more like the first few days. I did not feel great for the first few days, but I was not horribly miserable, either (and after a week - maybe less - I was fine). I ended up throwing up three times in first two days, but that's it. If you are properly prepared (with meds, nutrition, etc.), it's not that bad ... certainly not as bad as I expected. Having said that, different people react differently. I know three people who had it within a week of me - two did better than I did (not throwing up in those first few days at all, although one did later) and one did worse (she was really miserable). Just like with surgery, you don't know how your body will respond. In terms of why the balloon rather than surgery, the balloon is much less invasive, has fewer risks and, despite those first few yucky days, has a faster recovery time. I was always too chicken to permanently alter my anatomy, so this was a good option for me, despite not being covered by insurance (it is ~ $5000-$8500 for the insertion, removal and a year of doctor/dietitian support ... some places even offer exercise physiologist and therapy support). Having said that, I would not be surprised if insurance starts to cover it soon (it's so new that I just don't think the insurance companies have had a chance to process it yet). I talked to the gentleman who lost 77 pounds after he had his balloon removed and he was doing well. He was VERY motivated to lose more, so I would be surprised if he's gained anything back (he only had it removed a few weeks ago). Please note that 77 pounds is not typical. Most people report 25-50 pounds in the six months. Please also note that you cannot get the balloon in the US if your BMI is over 40 ... so most people who get it have less to lose than people who have surgery. Do people gain the weight back ... some do and some don't, and some just gain some of it back. It all depends on whether or not they treat the six months as an opportunity to change their habits and commit to a lifestyle change. It also depends on whether or not they take advantage of the additional six months of support that are included in the package. In other words, the balloon is just a tool than can be used to kick-start weight loss ... it's not a magic bullet. (However, I would say the same thing about surgery - unfortunately most of the people I know who have had surgery have not lost as much as they had hoped [some not at all!] and/or gained some weight back after an initial loss because they had not made necessary lifestyle changes.) Having said all of that, in balloon studies, people who had had balloons did a better job of maintaining than people who did not. In summary, the decision to get a balloon or to have surgery is a big one - no one should take it lightly. I highly recommend doing a lot of research, reading the studies and meeting with more than one doctor. But at the end of the day, whatever someone decides, it is just a tool - it's not the answer. As my doctor said, his job was the easy part - the hard work was mine to do. No matter how you approach weight loss (even if you just do a diet) it requires planning, commitment and diligence ... forever. And if you do it with the balloon, that six months should be used to not only drop the pounds, but also to get counseling and support to work through the issues that caused the weight gain in the first place. I hope that helps. Please feel free to reach out with any other questions. Regardless, best of luck to you and your friend!

This! The 100 lb weight loss has much more of an effect than the sleeve surgery. I drank 3 weeks post op, daily for a week. I found I had no taste for it, and therefore drank slowly and didn't finish my drinks. I never even felt buzzed. But I have a high tolerance, and I'm sure my weight is a big part of that. What it did do is sabotage my wight loss for that week. With the alcohol I averaged 700 cals, but managed to gain 2 lbs that week. So the weight gain has made me swear off drinking until I get near my goal!

Due to my weight gain, I had to put my ring in my jewelry box because i always told myself that I would loose the weight. Ha, I never did. Short story short, I have had rings fall off my finger in the weight loss process and I don't wear a wedding ring now. I will buy one as soon as I know that I'm at my goal weight. I remember we use to wrap yarn around the rings that were too big so they wouldn't fall off.

Just wondering...most of us have disclosed our fluid and protein intake, but how many calories are you guys getting? Back in 2008 I used to work at a weight loss clinic (go figure) but I did get down to 175 with suppressants, supplements, and a strict 500 calorie diet. It was a high protein low carb, low fat diet. What I noticed and what we would instruct our patients was never ever go under that 500 calories. It seemed to be the magic number that determined weight loss or weight gain! In the beginning, everyone lost huge amounts because it upended our routine but after week 2 if you weren't getting 500 calories, you would stay the same or gain. Over the weekend it hit me when I had 3 days of the same weight and a gain on day 4! My fitness pal was around 400 calories. So I made sure to get over 500 and started losing again. Also, for those excercising, if you consume 700 and burn 400 your're still under 500. I've noticed that on few posts of people excercising there butt off and getting their protein and water, but not losing. Anyway, I'm not an expert. Just a thought.

Completely agree with you that hard exercise does not lead to continuous weight loss. It is too hard on your body and will stall out weight loss or cause weight gain. The body will struggle with too low carbs and calories that are needed to support weight loss in the context of high caloric burn from the hard exercise. Therefore, strive for moderation even in exercise while you are losing weight. Getting the diet balanced for weight loss with moderate exercise works really well for weight loss.

Hi, thats really interesting, as far as the doctors are saying, is the hiatus hernia is caused by weight gain and when its repaired you need to lose the weight as well or it just comes back! As I've been struggling with a hiatal hernia for years and finally they're going to repair it, now I'm baffled😳😕 Well all the best to you hope your surgery fixes that problem🙏

I had my rny in 2011 and went from all time high of 412 lbs to 245. I had kept it off until last year, when I started to put it back on. I have gained back about 35lbs. I am having trouble getting back on track and getting my weight off. I gave a few other medical conditions that could be playing a part but honestly, it is mostly me. Can anyone offer some advice to help me get back on track and get some weight off

My surgery date is November 12 and i just went to my Pre- Ansesthesia Testing yesterday. I notice when i got weighed that i gained 5 pounds, my surgeon told me that she doesn't want me to gain anymore weight, now I'm stressed out I've been working out and cutting back calories as i was told to do. but instead of loosing I've gained, I don't know if me being on my period for the past month has anything to do with the weight gain either. I just hope this wont postponed my surgery I've worked so hard these past few weeks