Search the Community

No only am I BP (medicted) but my birth daughter, husband, and adopted daughter are also. It can be a struggle but so much more so when we aren't on meds. thsnks God doctors now see it and can help us find the right ones but sometimes the side effects is weight gain (as if we need another struggle) On here we support each other no matter the struggle so feel free to share yours some of us are going throught the same thing and we can learn from you.Thanks so much for sharing you have already helped us.....................line dancer

I completely understand what your going through. Two months before lap band I gained 62 pounds. I ate so much junk food, fast food preparing for this new life style. My family kept telling me I was sabatogizing myself and they were completely right. My advice is: each pound you gain before lap band surgery is only making you further from your ultimate goal. I am so incredibly mad at myself for gaining so much weight right before surgery. Start now!! They say with lap band we can expect one-two pounds per week of Weightloss. Each pound you gain preparing for surgery is adding a week to loose...I know my body can gain one pound per day and it did. If I only didn't do what I did I'd be almost 200 pounds today but instead I'm 275. Also, my surgeon explained to me that the weight we gain before surgery is belly fat that can cause complications during surgery. He said the fat all stays in belly first and makes the surgery harder to perform. That scared me, and I wish I knew this before gaining 62 pounds right before surgery. Also, be careful about weight gain because you can get denied if they weigh you, and a month later you've gained more. It shows insurance and surgeon unreadiness for life style change. Also, try going on a shake morning and lunch..and eat sensible dinner..I lost twelve pounds week before surgery drinking the two shakes and having dinner. Three weeks of liquids is a lot....and mentally if you know you don't have too, it makes it very difficult. Try one day of replacing breakfast and lunch with shake and see if you can manage that before going straight to all liquids.....

@@Hiraeth That's amazing! I am so happy for you. I have PCOS and the fatigue and weight gain (plus sleep apnea!) were miserable. It feels so wonderful to get your life back. Keep up the great work. Can't wait to hear more on your progress.

Thanks, hikerdog. Your numbers are impressive, especially the presurgery numbers. My daily commute gets me a minimum of 2 miles in a day. I walk another 2-3 miles during lunch and a mile after dinner. It's been 10 years but I'm going to lace up my hockey skates and have a go at some pickup hockey this Friday. Cross your fingers I don't hurt myself. I played competitively growing up but an injury and the weight gain that ensued has mostly kept me off of the ice for 19 years. I played in few leagues off and on but I re-injured myself 10 years ago and haven't gone back. The new me is inspired to try it again. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I also have sleep apnea and have had it for quite awhile. I'm on my 3rd CPAP machine and I have to tell you ....I've never gotten used to it. I am quite anxious when it comes to having anything around my head and face and though I know there is forced air pressure, I feel like I am being suffocated. I never found a mask that was comfortable, and believe me, I've tried dozens of them!! The nasal pillows are by far the best or at least easiest to tolerate. All of my doctors stress how dangerous the Sleep Apnea is.. not to mention that it causes weight gain and could slow down you weight loss after surgery. I do try to use it but I have to say I am not 100% compliant and I remove it many times in my sleep in the middle of the night. I can only relate my experience, I don't know how to make it easier for you...all I can say is try it. A friend of mine was hesitant about using a cpap until his doctor showed him the video of him sleeping. He flipped and flopped all night like a beached croaker. It made a believer out of him and now he is sold on his CPAP. Maybe it just takes getting used to. Good luck.

Hi dreamers! First of all, take a deep breath. I had a lot of worries going into this too, knowing I wanted to make the change but not believing that I could after so many years of unhealthy habits. Congratulations for quitting smoking -- you have just added YEARS to your life! Many of us went into panic mode that week before starting the pre op diet. I hit all of my favorite restaurants and drive thru's. You know that you are only sabotaging yourself, so it is essential to reach out for help. What does your doctor say about the 30lb weight gain? Are you required to see a nutritionist or therapist? Please set up an appointment ASAP so they can help you get to the root of this. As far as practical suggestions -- how is your exercise? You have not been banded yet but the earlier you start, the better. Even just 15 minutes. Have you considered a personal trainer for motivation and accountability? If hubby is willing to work out with you, even better. Figure out your trigger foods because frankly those will have to go for the next few months. DO NOT have any unhealthy foods in your house, period. Pack your lunches for work. It is not worth damaging your chances of having the surgery, and later damaging your band. How would you feel knowing you threw away this life changing opportunity just for the temporary satisfaction of junk food? You deserve better.

Hi all! I am currently deciding to moving forward with gastric revision option. I had the sleeve originally. I was 287 lbs the day of my surgery My lowest weight was 130 and im back up to 185. I had a lifestyle, I chose exercise over food to cope. I was strong and I was so happy. Then it all changed!!!! I was diagnosed as bipolar and throughout the ‘learning’ curves of depression & the medication (which is known for weight gain) i lost my way health and nutrition wise. My depression consumed me and my I was taking meds notorious for weight loss. This along with my first detrimental ‘episode’ led to old bad habit. I see a psychiatrist monthly & psychologist weekly. Ive tried everything to loose weight but nothing worked. So now I want to know about some of your experiences! I am only 28 years old I want to run up the stairs without exhaustion, I’m getting married in the near future, I want kids. I want my lifestyle back I want to be a role model. I want to take my life back , a second chance, and live a happy life. I’ve searched everywhere but I haven’t found any information regarding treatment Resistant Depression & the ECT therapy. •Is it possible to do electroconvulsive therapy & surgery??? Has you done ECT AFTER surgery? / BEFORE surgery? •Has anyone had experience or success as a bipolar candidate? /// What did your surgeon think or say in the matter? •Has anyone had electroconvulsive therapy ( ECT) and Bariatric surgery??

Congrats on your pregancy btw!!!! 130lb weight loss is AMAZING!!!!!!!! So you are due at the end of March I take it? Do you know what your having? I'm having another boy! I have a 6 year old daughter and a 3.5 year old boy. Both I had before I was banded! This is my first band baby. I feel you on the weight gain jitters.....Seeing every week the numbers go up is so hard for me. I haven't been eating a ton but I have a major sweet tooth Its killing me.....lol......Started out at 116ish and I'm now 135.5......My due date is March 10th but I'm sure my OBGYN will induce me a week early as my husband works out west and will have to make arrangements to be home....

It has been quiet and I guess I've not posted much either. I was fortunate to have someone that was about my age and size that had the surgery and walked this journey 2 years in front of me. I've also been texting a with a guy from our group that again, about my size and had the December surgery. The process is so unique to each of us as individuals that sharing experiences is great, but the drive and passion absolutely come from within. I feel like i know when I am doing well way before my scale says so. I am losing the weight as planned, walking/ jogging on treadmill 5-6 times per week and eating fairly well. When I deviate from the food plan, I know it comes with risks of my stomach disliking it (milk/ red meat) and even having a 1-2 day weight gain because of those choices. I've dabbled with alcohol, albeit, maybe 1-2 glasses of red wine from time to time and have had no bad side affects. Yesterday when I stepped on the scale in the morning and saw 244.7 lbs. I was very happy and declared yesterday a cheat day. I didn't go wild, but I made a small dish of my favorite nachos and ate about 1/3 of a box of whoppers. Didn't feel guilty in the least, but I made sure to get up this morning and put my 20 minutes of walking/ jogging in with 10 minutes of resistance bands. I'm not perfect by any means, but I am dedicated to the process and make sure that with each speed bump (planned or unplanned) that I follow it up with some good decisions to even things out. Fearing that I turn one cheat day/ bad day into 2 or 3 is my drive to stay focused. That's my 60 days post surgery story, what's yours?

back to topic guys "what was your final straw" i had so many trips/falls due to my heavy weight - knee replacements femur broke twice, etc i slowly realized that all my excess weight caused these problems falling since i had problems because of my "excess" weight i was always so sad about my weight weight gain, weight loss, weight gain etc, etc realized i had so many health problems i needed help, immediately hello sleeve good by diabetes meds/high blood pressure meds, no more CPAP my big NSV one was having my epilepsy meds dosage cut in half i was taking dosage for someone that weighed 235 lbs now that my weight was going down, down etc - i was taking too taking to many meds/pills so meds were less for a smaller person life is great now that's my story and i'm sticking to it kathy

Welcome. You will find support, love and laughter here. A quote that helped me pre-op. I posted this everywhere i mean everywhere in the house so i would see it. Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. I was pretry much bed bound for 2 years. Yes i could walk but it would exhaust me. Sister i can go to miles. Lol could probably do more but my walking buddy has little legs and he gets tired. You are fighting head hunger. The root of all weight gaining. Occupy yourself with walking or doing something without food. Drink drink drink and eat Protein it will help. Good luck. HW 255# surgerversary 04/29/13 cw 202#

My GP informed me my metabolism level dropped significantly after I went thru menopause which was causing the weight gain at such a fast rate. Don't get me wrong, I also wasn't moving like I had been (workouts went from 3-4/week to just walks around my neighborhood). This was due to the unexpected fatigue that hit me hard at that time. So I started Weight Watchers, followed everything by the book for seven weeks. Not only did I not lose anything (weight or inches), I actually gained a little. My GP said it was because I was post-menopausal. This is why she recommended me for this surgery. I recognize my fears are creating these negative thoughts, therefore, I think I'm going to create a scrapbook of this amazing journey. I'm hoping it will keep me busy and motivated while I conquer this thing called obesity.

so, i had m surgery on July 14, and first time i have weighed myself since surgery (same scale) I am up 5 pounds. Since i am tracking my intake and know that i am consuming about 600 calories, i ask....is this normal? Am i just holding surgical/anesthesia/fluid? So odd.

That's very important. Realizing that you're having a weight gain problem and working on it as soon as you can. You seem to have it under control. Keep us posted. Good Luck.

I'm still banded, but curious about the replies. I do wonder about weight gain after band to sleeve for the reasons you mentioned. Foods I can't eat now, I'll be able eat post sleeve. Congratulations on being so close to goal.

Three Years Later - What I've Learned Here's my experiences from the sleeve process years ago. I wish I had this information before getting the sleeve, so I wanted to share it with all of you: GAINING WEIGHT Gaining weight is easy: you simply eat when you're emotional, lonely, or not hungry. Even though my stomach would barely fit a slice of pizza, I could still suck down an entire large meat Lover's Supreme by eating a single slice, waiting until my stomach could fit some more and then eating another. Until the pizza was all gone. You can also do this with ice cream, burgers, fries, and all the other miscellaneous crap food widely available via drive thrus. This is why you're required to see a counselor and nutritionist - to handle your eating issues. If these aren't handled, then DON'T BOTHER WITH THE SURGERY. You will simply get fat again by eating smaller portions more frequently. If however you only eat when you're hungry - and stick to good foods then you're golden. Now OBVIOUSLY if you did that in the first place you wouldn't be fat. So surgery is a booster shot to your weight loss, and new way of life. Think of it as waging a war, and surgery is a tank. Now a tank is a formidable weapon. Can run over enemies, shoot some big artillery but eventually if all you have is that one tank, you'll probably lose a prolonged battle. So you gather some strategy and military air support (diet changes), some recruits and soldiers (lifestyle changes) and NOW you have a master battle plan for your war. And ultimately a better thought out path to success. You invested a lot of money and pain into this - don't screw it up. FIRST FEW MONTHS The first six months your weight will drop amazingly fast, because you're out of surgery and can only eat Soup broth for a week. And then slowly mushy foods come in, followed by a few solids. You don't really need a blender, there are ample canned goods you can eat. Baby food, blending a steak and other shocking posts you read about aren't required: just shop for other things that qualify. Going out with friends during this period is depressing, since your diet is so restrictive, you're staring blankly at the menu for a long time and finally decide on Water. Get everything you need together before coming home. You'll be on some pretty loopy meds when arriving home, and won't be in any shape to hit the local WalMart. Nor will your family want to bother with it - so plan ahead. FOOD AND STRETCHING You can only eat maybe a half cup of food during the first couple months. Then a cup after about five months, then two cups after longer. You can hurry this process along by stuffing your face until your stomach hurts so bad you need to go lay down, or vomit. But if your eating problem is that severe then see my multi-faceted approach to surgery from above. Each person is obviously different, but stretching your stomach (to me at least) seems difficult and a venture of pain and suffering. I can feel my stomach naturally taking in more food over time, however I've cycled that back down by going a few days drinking only delicious fruit smoothies. This makes my tummy literally shrink back to where it was after surgery, or pretty close, dependent upon how many days I go. You can also accomplish this via more extreme methods like water or veggie juice fasting, however banana/stawberry/pineapple with some coconut water and ice in the blender tastes much better in my humble opinion. If you do continue to gorge like a tick on bad foods, then yes your stomach will stretch. I've met a few people who's stomach has returned to normal size. Again - everybody is different, I'm just telling you MY story. How much food you can eat varies by food type: RICE - I can eat maybe five spoonfuls of this before I feel sick. Stuffing in another three before my body registers that I'm full and it's a vomit party. You need to eat slowly - there's a point in which eating more means bending over the toilet. And once you've experienced that joy, you quickly learn where the limit resides. Rice expands so you gotta be careful. An average meal of fried rice and an egg roll is a full day's worth of food, that requires splitting up. SODAS - Equivalent to drinking battery acid. I've met some people who've acclimated back to it, but why bother? MEAT - Steak is bad, try like five or six bites before calling it quits. chicken is similar. Fish goes down a little easier, and you can eat more, maybe because it's flaky. SALADS and FRUIT - I can eat one banana. Two is painful. Ditto with grapes, strawberries, etc. These foods process through your stomach quicker, so you can eat a little more often compared to stuffing down a sirlion. PIZZA - Takes me about 12 hours to suck down a large thin crust. Regular or deep crust, I end up tossing half of it into the trash. Desserts - They hurt. Bad. And then make me sleepy, ticked off and depressed. I mostly stick with natural sugars now like fruits and veggies. RESTAURANT EATING Eating out with friends has a lot of rules tagging along. You must wait 30 minutes after drinking water before eating (which works out great, since that's how long food takes to arrive). I order an appetizer or split a full meal with a friend, so this is not a big deal. I see and hear lots of drama about this mingling around, but it's not THAT bad, and you can easily make it look perfectly normal without telling people you had surgery. You don't need a little happy note from your doctor saying you had surgery, just get a doggie bag or go halfsies with a buddy. CONCLUSION These are just my two cents, and I hope they help someone. I lost about 100lbs, then gained back 50. I'm in the process of losing again thanks to a diet change (I went 100% raw food) and exercise.

I’m 2 days post op gastric bypass (sorry, not a long term success to share). I wanted to say , though, that that was my thought process too and my PA said “ listen, I’m not going to tell you what to do, I’m going to give you the facts. The bottom line is is that you have to be happy, because you’re going to keep coming back and checking in with me and I don’t want to see you with regret having chosen the sleeve and not bypass. “ Because of my history of weight gain and loss and eating disorders, bypass was the better option for me. I’m home, I spent 1 night in the hospital and have no regrets at this point in time. I knew myself well enough to know that if I got the sleeve, at some point, the chances of me regaining weight were higher than if I did the bypass. Everyone has a different experience; for me, I don’t look at dumping syndrome as a bad thing. To me it’s a tool to listen to my body and an assistant for making good choices. I went into this with a lot of information. People have complained about calcium deficiencies, but I learned that this could be because they weren’t the taking their vitamins. I work with a girl who doesn’t take her vitamins on the weekends, doesn’t like to exercise, drinks with a straw (no no!), makes not so great food choices, no drinks alcohol. She’s the kind of person who may, down the road, say how it didn’t work for her. I plan on being a success story. This was my first surgery, I was petrified! I went into the operating room and fell asleep and woke up in recovery. I was nauseous for a couple of hours, but that was it. The pain was nothing worse than I would have expected. Read all of the good and bad stories, learn why some people had bad experiences, was it something they could have prevented, was it because of a previous medical condition, etc,. The best of luck to you! You’ll make the right choice for yourself. Be honest with yourself, keep a journal, make goals to stick to, and feel free to reach out to folks because you’re not alone!

I have been on Seroquel for many years for my Bipolar disorder and it has worked amazingly well. Last month my Dr. increased my dosage due to some problems I was having. I gained 8 lbs. Now he says he will take me off Seroquel and put me on Geodone if I can't lose the weight. I SOOOO DON't want that and am working hard to lose the excess weight so I can stay on Seroquel. Has this happened to anyone else? Has a medicine made you gain weight? I thought it was up to me to control the weight, but Dr. says "NO" some medicines make you gain weight. Do you agree or disagree with my Doctor? Did any medicine make you gain weight? Thanks, Terry

I also had to change some of my prescribed meds. With no change in diet but new meds, my weight went up. After consulting my Dr, he changed 2 meds that clearly had weight gain as a side effect. It worked to substitute other meds... It is worth looking up as itwas frustrating til we figured it out. Good luck

I know that I had been fatigued and tired for years. I was willing to try anything. although I slept okay, I slept restlessly, awakening several times a night. I complained to my PCP for years. I have been told that I was depressed, had hypothyroid, too much cortisol, etc. I finally decided that my weight was the problem and that if I lost weight I would feel better. The weight doctor decided to send me for a sleep study. I discovered I had sleep apnea.I feel like a new person! Or better yet, like the person I used to be. It took awhile to get used to the machine but once I got used to it, wearing it feels very coomfortable. sleep apnea is associated with weight gain so now I'm wondering if I had recognized it earlier would I even need lapband surgery?

So yesterday wasn’t a great for me as far as following my diet. I weighed myself yesterday morning at 309.2 and this morning, the same scale, is reading 315-317!!!!!!!! I am not proud but yesterday I did eat more often than I should have. I had egg salad(without bread))for a snack and I usually do not snack. I also had part of a sno cone which did have sugar. I’m just unsure how there was such a dramatic increase in weight. TMI, But I will also add I have used the bathroom. I know you shouldn’t weigh everyday but I have never “gained” so much in one day even before surgery. I could go to a buffet and still not gain so much! Hw-378 Sw- 363 (2/27/18) CW-310.6

lucyavery, I think I get hung up on gaining the weight back because of the effect it has on everyone around me...When you are losing and feeling good, people are encouraging you and praising your hard work. Then, when I have gained the weight back, I feel like I let them down as well as myself. It's almost like if I was an alcoholic who keeps falling off the wagon. My friends are supportive but I begin to feel like they just stop saying anything because they figure I'll just gain the weight back. Pretty much, I'm a mental case with this weight loss. I mean having to go back to the gym after I let myself go and look at the people that were encouraging me and have them see me fail....it just sucks! The banding is a pretty big step, I just want to know that I'm doing the right thing if I go through with it. Obviously, I have seen people having some real success on the forum here. I'm so sick of food and being hungry...I'm going to the gym tomorrow, need to work out, holidays are over! Thanks for telling me like it is...and now I have dwelled on the weight gain even more, but maybe now you can see why I worry about it so much. I had a friend in the Navy, a lady, who said if she gained too much weight she just wouldn't eat until she was back where she wanted to be...I just thought, if it was only that simple. She couldn't understand why I didn't just do what she does.....................................

I think a little weight gain is normal but be very wary. For me, when I see my weight gain more than a couple of pounds I try to diet. If that doesnt work I go atkins untill my appetite and habits are under control. I also increase excercise it helps to control appetite. be very careful of carbs they can give you the urge to eat. I think that urge- appetite- is more of an enemy than real hunger. I think it will always be a battle for us but keep up the fight and dont feel discouraged. You got this far already !

I was sleeved 4/17/17 and, after a 10 day stall w/ walking 2-3 miles per day for the last 2 weeks, the scale finally moved today. Do not be disappointed as your body is just trying to catch up w/ the trauma it just endured. It will get better as your body heals, you will see the loss reflected on the scale. Rejoice in the non scale victories. A thinner face, looser pants and being able to resist temptation, as hard as THAT can be sometimes! I think when people ask "how much have you lost so far", I might just reply w/ "enough" as the change I see does not match the # reflected on the scale. Besides, I can't expect to lose 30 years of weight gain in less than one month. I know they are just curious but ask me in a year and I will give them a #. You will get there, just give it some time to work.

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!