Search the Community

I was so excited to get to the final stage but with my weight gain I wish I hadn't. How does everyone do it? I don't like water, yuk!! But I have to drink it. I need to raise my protein intake. Any suggestions? Sent from my SM-G960U using BariatricPal mobile app

A person who is building muscle will have a different diet plan than one that is wanting to 'cut' and show ripped muscles. Body beast by Beachbody is a program that is strictly designed for weight gains. The food program bulks you up then at end of program you go on a 'cut' diet plan to define the muscles you have been building up. It's a science.

There are only a few things that most of us have total control of.....total decision making ability. One of those is what goes into our mouths. It is a simple truth. Simple doesn't always translate to easy, though. Examine the why's behind your weight gain. Why are your behaviors not in line with your desires to lose weight? Why haven't you exerted control ? What will it take to reach the point where you are in control ? The surgery is not the prime mover. It is simply an aid.....a tool. It can be defeated if you allow it. Once you truly gather your resolve to lose the weight you will employ whatever tools that are available for you now.....pre-op...and the weight will begin to fall off. The surgery + your resolve will amplify the results.

La Madam, Wow, I had no idea that Paxil would do that. I was never diagnosed woth OCD so never took medication. I did go through a bad weight gain with steroids though. I always thought that they were kidding me about being OCD, but I actually think they may be right. I am glad I am going back to work soon.

hi all. proudgrammy, thats 20 lbs post-op. Maybe I am being too hard on myself. I think, staying off the scales is a good idea. My mom, who is a great inspiration to me agrees. I probably am not getting enough Protein or fluids because I can't keep from being nauseous. It feels like it is "right there" and it wont go anywhere, up or down. So I end up throwing up a lot of spit. I was 239 when I started and would LOVE to get down to 130. That would exceed my expectations. I feel like I wish I could have had the bypass but there are some medications that I will never get off of, like my psych meds. And, I know one of them does cause weight gain so I know I am fighting upstream with that one. But with all this being said, I do feel better already. There are some things that most people take for granted that I couldn't do 3 weeks ago that I can do now. I have severe RA but am determined to walk as much as I can. I am embracing my treadmill because I know if I just cant go any further, I can just step off of it and I am home near a seat. I have had a total left knee and my right one needs to be replaced. I really felt it yesterday when I was on the treadmill, but am determined not to have it replaced until one year post-op. I am so glad I found this site. I live out in the middle of nowhere where the nearest support group is 60 miles away. Even then, I plan on attending as many as I can. Thanks all for your wise thoughts.

To be strict or to be lax in this process is a personal choice. We are all adults and make are own food choices. The only one that has to be happy with your weight loss is you. Maintaining : I indulge once in a while. If it causes weight gain, I go back to bariatric food plan to get the weight off. Weight loss mode: I was consistent not perfect. I had slips and got right back on plan. We do have a cheats thread that shows you Yes, people eat foods that are off plan. I'm a bit conflicted about the thread. https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/417492-confessional-lets-post-our-cheatsconfessionsetc-so-others-can-see-that-we-are-all-human/?tab=comments#comment-4667931 Things to think about in going off plan or indulging once in a while: Adding carbohydrates and sugar makes you crave them more. It takes time to detox and get back on plan your first few months is your best weight loss. You also have your golden year. Weight loss is harder after your first year( still can be done) Monitor if indulging is slowing your weight loss down. Will it make getting to your goal take more time? WIll indulging become habit? Every weekend? Every month? How solid are you in behavior change? Going off plan can be a slippery slope for some. With the sleeve, you will get to a point that you noticeably can consume more food as your restriction becomes less. What has made people successful 2 years + out

Weightloss definitely impacts your hormone levels. BCP definitely manipulate hormones. The connection between the two could be none, or could be all - only your doc can say for sure. I haven't experienced anything hormonal (that I can tell anyway) with my weightloss, but I'm not on BCP, either. However I was on BCP during my weight gain, and had to stop taking them because I starting getting completely spontaneous superficial thrombophlebitis -- in really weird places.

I had gastric bypass in June 2005 I lost a total of 120 pounds and kept it of for 3-4 yrs. I gained 65pounds back and opted to get the band on Jan 4 2013, have lost 20 pounds so far.. I have 9.2 cc in a 14cc band.. I saw a question above about why would someone need B.O.B if they had gastric bypass... Well in my case I thought the surgery was a quick fix and yes the weight came off quick but I didn't have all the knowledge I have now.. I mean yes I was told it was a life style change but if at first when u get the surgery u can't eat bad things if u tried or u will throw up and feel awful and then over time those symptoms start to diminish and u start to get back to those old habits u will then start to gain weight.. For me am like there was no way I would be 303 pounds again even if I ate to much I still could hold that much in my pouch.. But what got me is bc I started to drink fluids with my meals and what that does is washes what I just ate out of my pouch and then in 1 hr or so am hungry again. There by taken in more and more calories.. and that equals weight gain... So after researching this lapband for 2 yrs plus getting educated and trying to live and eat right I feel like am better prepared for this journey. Yes it's totally different from my previous surgery bc in this u have time to learn how to work with the band and not against it. Nt to mention u can get adjustments as u go along. Good Luck all

I saw this post and I just had to reply because I hit my goal and I am living my bucket list! 1. Fly in an airplane in comfort...done! 2. Fly in a small plane where they need to know your weight before take off (and I told the truth!)...done! 3. Walk through town eating a ice cream cone (a small one) and not feel like people are staring at the fat lady...done! 4. Buy a single digit item of clothing...done!!!!!!!! 5. Buy boots in a department store...done!!! I started at 244 and I am now fluctuating between 129 and 131...I had a life long problem with obesity, and this is my first time living as a thinner person...I am on a drug known for weight gain, so I am watching daily...I am determined to never weigh over 135 again!!!

The most common side effect of trazodone is weight gain. I’d avoid that one!

Don't weigh every day! It'll drive you nuts. The body drops fat on its own schedule and the way it does it sometimes causes weight GAIN, because part of the process of the fat cells shrinking is that they take on Water, first. So you end up retaining water in your fat cells before they release it with the waste. If you're going to use the scale, use it every couple of weeks. Two days is not a stall. However, one thing you definitely need to do is get your minimum amount of Protein, no matter what. If that means you need to switch to a different drink (there are a ton of them) do it. Or even get some of the flavorless powder and mix it in with your crystal light or something. Just get that protein...it's crucial to the healing process and more importantly, you MUST maintain as much of your muscle mass as you possibly can. That muscle mass is what burns calories for you all day long. If you don't have that, your calorie-burning machine is compromised...and then no, you won't lose weight very fast, because you won't be burning many calories. Trust me, when you run the caloric deficit that we are in the weeks following surgery, your body is going to find that energy somewhere...and while being in ketosis will cause your body to seek energy from fat, it takes a lot longer to convert...muscle is a lot faster. So you WILL lose muscle mass if you don't protect it. Actually, you'll lose muscle mass even if you DO protect it, but you're going to lose a lot more if you aren't providing protein sufficiently. Nutrition is no joke, and post-surgery we have to take it even MORE seriously.

Yes..It is calories in vs. calories out. I will not lie, when i first went to solids...i gained a little. I freaked out, but was assured by my Dr. that it was very common and it would go away quickly...that my body was in a "starvation mode" and when it got the food it wanted to hold on to it. He was right (yay) and the weight gain came off quickly and i have been losing pretty steadily since. i can honestly say, I too don't totally keep track of calories, but i do know for sure that some days I really only get about 800 calories in me. Bad eating days (near TOM), it maybe even less. With the solid food, that little bit keeps you full longer because it takes much longer to go from your pouch to your lower stomach and so on. Liquids/mushies can pass right through...so in fact if you ate solely sliders, ate until you were full, and ate anytime you were hungry, you could cause yourself to GAIN weight because you could eat more. i could eat a whole tub of ice cream right now if I really wanted to because it is going to melt and pass right through the band...defeating the purpose. i hope maybe this makes sense :scared2:

I think we have all been there-those feelings! Unless I am reading your profile wrong - haven't you lost 19 pounds since surgery? If so...that is awesome - you may just be in a bit of a stall as your system tries to straighten out - that happened to almost everyone - I went back and checked and I was down 20 lbs 6 weeks out from surgery - where i had a week stall at the same weight (and a weight gain) even when following the program to a t - Now I know there is no way I could gain weight based on what I ate so It had to be Water weight etc - my recommendation (which you will see in many many posts) put the scale away or use it sparingly the first few months. I am 4 months out so still very new and weigh twice a week - fridays and mondays as i am able to eat more foods and I am exercising more - I want to see what the impact is on my weight in general. I want to make sure now that i am increasing my exercise and increasing my calories because the exercise is making me hhhuuunnngggrrryyyy that it is all still in line. so far so good. And I am sure it will all come in line for you as well - Countless posts are found here where the poster (me included) was second guessing or worried "if it is working" and by month 3 it is starting to make sense. Good luck to you!

I've only had three weeks out and I don't want to get discouraged. Is there anyone that can tell me that this is normal. The day of my surgery I weighed in at 226, this morning, I am at 230. My weight has been slowly inching up after my initial lost. I am confused because I exercise almost everyday. I have run up to two miles and walked up to three miles. I have done some resistant training with the bands and with my own body. I have joined my fitness pal to keep track of my caloric intake and I never go over 1000 calories, to be frank, I usually don't come close to that. I have to admit, I don't drink enough water and I am working on that, but I don't know what else to do. Should I just wait? I am reading everyday how others are losing this or that and many of you have said just be patient. My first fill will be April 2, I am trying to see if anything changes by then. My family and friends keep asking have I lost anything yet and I get frustrated. I expected at least six lbs by now. I know everyone's journey is different. Can anyone relate?

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

Not to be alarmist, but are you sure it is real weight gain and not something causing you to gain water? I had this happen a number of years ago, where I was legitimately NOT eating enough to gain fat, but the scale was increasing. I was dealing with a heart issue at the time, and the weight gain was from that. I had to get on diuretics until my heart was in a better place. Again, not trying to be alarmist in any way, just throwing out that maybe something else is going on and it's not the PCOS. Perhaps you've become more salt sensitive? During the timeframe I noted above, I really had to become aggressive about cutting salt. Not so much anymore, but at that time it was like pouring gasoline onto a fire. It's just usually weight gain of that kind is water weight, unless you are gorging on food day in and day out.

I haven't had any major complications, but there are definitely mental aspects to post-surgery life that I didn't really think about. First, you can't overeat - even if you have the worst day ever, you can't turn to food for comfort. Is that a con? Not really, but it does mean you have to find new ways to deal with your issues. Prepare yourself. Second, there are times that you are going to be pissed off that you can't eat what others are eating or as much as they are eating. I didn't expect that at all. You just have to change your way of thinking! You can't take a break from your new lifestyle. You will get sick and/or potentially cause harm to yourself if you don't follow your diet guidelines. This is 100% commitment for the rest of your life. I'm not saying you'll never eat normal foods, but you have to be committed to eating nutritious foods in the right quantities. Make sure you are ready for that before you take the plunge. I didn't have any major food issues before surgery . . . I just neglected myself for too long, which led to my weight gain. That being said, the mental aspects have still affected me from time to time. They are all manageable, but I definitely think this is more of a head game than people realize before surgery. Good luck with your decision! Even with all of the above, I do NOT regret my decision. I feel better than I have felt in years, and I'm really happy I went through with my surgery!!

Hi I am going to copy some of my story here for you. Hope it helps. I am in the process of insurance approval to have a revision from Band to RNY. I have had my band for seven years. I have been very lucky to have not had any complications, no slips ect. My band is unfilled now, because i never did get the 'sweet' spot, either to tight and things would come back up or I would revert to soft high carb foods, or too loose and I can pretty much eat anything. I had my surgery for the band in Cincinnati Ohio, (I live in Indianapolis) The surgeon Dr, Trace Curry was excellent, I do think traveling back and forth for fills ect did hinder me getting where I needed to be for my fill to be right. But no matter what the band was not going to help most of my medical issues. Since the band I have lost and gained the same 30 to 40 pounds. Now at my heaviest. And the band did not help any of my medical problems. I am hoping the RNY both with the smaller stomach and mal absorption and the actual surgery itself will help with my uncontrolled type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. I am so sensitive to insulin that I swell and ache all over but I have to take large amounts to keep my blood sugar down. It is like I am on a merry go round, hurt, can't exercise, can't exercise, gain weight, blood sugars out of control, more insulin, can't breath because of severe asthma and copd, need steriods about once a year, higher blood sugars, more weight gain, can't exercise, and around and around we go My hope and prayer is that this surgery will add years to my life that I can spend with my children and grandchildren. I need to GET a life, because what I am doing right now is not living seven years ago I thought the Bypass was too drastic. I didn't realize then the benefits besides weight loss that the Bypass can do. I think if you have a lot of weight to lose the Bypass would serve you better. I see so many revising from lap band to either the Sleeve or the Bypass. But even see some revise from the Sleeve to the Bypass. Read a lot here, ask questions and listen to your Doc's advice. Then make up your mind. I don't regret getting the band, but I do wish I had went all the way and had the Bypass seven years ago. Best Wishes to you.

I have had luck shocking my metabolism. I normally eat around 900-1000 calories a day. When I hit a plateau, I will have 1400 calories one day, 700 calories the next day, then back to 900-1000 calories a day. I don't do this unless I've gone at least 2 weeks without a loss, I know I've been eating right so it's not a matter of food choices, and I'm not on my period (because I know that can cause Water weight gain). But the two times I've done this, it's worked and I started losing again.

thankyou for all your well wishes people, ohh and due date is 6 July!! It seems that all the books i have read say that most sickness starts to clear up around 12 weeks soooo now at 13 weeks, i only get the odd sick feeling so i can conclude that the sickness was just one of those pregnancy deals that happens with or without WLS. YAYYYYY I have been having trouble exercising.... (and have stopped same as last pregnancy tho... another 12 week symptom, being tired) as i feel theres just not enough energy to go around but have still dropped 10kg since actually falling pregnant so happy days are still here. Hi Marci My baby is 14 months old I and thank god i had this surgury beforehand. there is NO WAY UNDER THE SUN i could keep up with my baby, and feeling all the general associated pregnancy hick ups at the weight i was before!! there is no way i could be keeping up with baby. I am hoping that by the end of this pregnancy i am still way more mobile than i was with the first, as i was able to sit and lounge around and relax at will. this time i dont have that luxury. i have dropped 100 odd pounds since my highest weight and think i am better equiped to not only keep up with my daughter but also avoid some of the joint pain i suffered last time around!! (fingers crossed and time will tell) I think the hardest thing for me so far is going to such extreme to lose weight and just getting my head around getting smaller, enjoying losing weight and considering the concept of maybe buying some smaller clothes to now having to wait/ put on hold that dream. my boobies are already getting bigger and filling out and my 'new' belly shape is also changing. At first i was totally devistated that i was going to be getting fat again, but now i just think hey...what the hell, im gonna lose weight, therefore not get anymore stretch marks. ha!!! lose weight gain baby at same time. ***laughs*** sounds greatttttt in theory... hey deedee I hope everything sorts itself out for you!!! wow! any plans in near future now that you are almost at your goal?? I also wonder about this baby and its size at birth.... it was an unanswered question that was going around my head. my girl was born 9Lbs 14oz so it will be interesting to find out on the day if my habbits have had any impact on birth weight. dont they say that babies get heavier with each pregnancy?? (that maybe for mythbusters) ohhh well the experiment beakers are out and time will tell!! lol cheers till soon Ange

HI! SOrry to hear about this incident. The band can definitely be quirky..filled or not. My band can get tighter when I am sick, when I go up in altitude..though the doc and his nurse thinkI am crazy because it is a "closed pressure" system..blah blah..but yeah whatever..I know what I feel!! WHen I got unfilled, I didnt know what to expect really. I had a really bad painful experience the first weekend..felt like air pressure was releasing and it sent me to ER. Turned out to be nothing..could have just been a release of pressure or air between the two parts of my stomach and the band..who knows. It was pretty scary how quick the weight piled on. The dietician just assumed I decided to go out and binge on all the things I could not eat beore like pizza and bread and yummy carbs! NOPE! I actually craved salad because that was always hard to get down. I didn't gorge..I am sure I was able to get in more calories than before...but I was not pigging out. It just piled on no matter what I did. I think our bodies hit a set point and when it can..it will try and get back to where it was before.. It is super easy to pile in calories..even if you are careful. I switched to water only..no calorie drinks other than milk in my Meal Replacement shake in the morning. Even counting calories and eating only what I SHOULD lose on I was gaining. The weight gain has stopped with an additional 45lbs on my body. Most of that was gained in the first few months! Yeah quick!! Right now I am bouncing up and down between a few lbs. That would be GREAT if I just wanted to maintain where I was! The worse part for me during the unfill period was having a normal person appetite again. The hunger pangs..I missed my loss of appetite from the band being filled. As I got refilled that finally has gotten back down to where I can forget about food for quite awhile. I am considering doing a pure liquid diet like HMR to control the calories I am taking in and get this weight off. It is not as easy as 48 as it was in my 30's when I was first banded. I would suggest REALLY watching your calories. Eliminate ALL caloric drinks and go to water only. No diet drinks either. I never liked fake sugars anyway..but stay as "pure" as you can without adding chemical crap to your body. Go to my fitness pal and enter your daily calories. Don't go off your maintenance weight calories..go off of calories for your body that you would need to LOSE on. If you see the scale going up rapidly, cut down further! It can be tempting to eat stuff that may have been hard while filled properly but don't tempt fate!!! So not worth it! I don't even want to think about how many hundreds of dollars I have spent on having to quickly replace an entire wardrobe in a few short months including expensive motorcycle gear! Sigh.. Best of luck with the band..praying for you that it is not anything serious and you can get refilled! Hang in there!!

Through my surgeons program you have to lose 5% of your body weight before he will submit to insurance. On sunday I was so nervous because on my scale I only showed I was 1 pound more than his goal. On Monday my appt was at 9am, I ate nothing, drank nothing before appt and came in 2 lbs under Talk about relief!!! Now just in the waiting game. My surgeon will not submit because if you cant lose 5% them he said it shows you are not making any changes and this surgery is a complete lifestyle change. Throughout all this I also quit smoking, which on the past wouldve added 20 lbs, so excited the small changes Ive made helped with the weight gain associated with quitting smoking.

Good morning, I wanted to take time to update everyone on my progress thus far and to share a bit of my experience following my surgery. I attempted to post this a few days after my surgery and forgot to save as I went along and lost everything. This time, I've learned. I'll start with the day before surgery. My boyfriend had been off work for the past three weeks and had to return to work on the 3rd, so I knew in advance that he would not be able to take me to the hospital that morning. I thought I had secured a ride to the hospital with one of the members of the support group I'm in but after not hearing from him I had to be pissed and mess up my chi (smile) or make other arrangements. I secured a car service to drive me to the hospital. I woke up on the 3rd in a good place, mentally and spiritually. I was overly concerned with what I was about to do, because for almost a year I had been preparing and prayparing for this time. Upon arrival at the hospital, I went through the admittance procedures. I was informed that they needed a urine sample (code for pregnancy test) and to draw blood (I hate needles). Once I completed those procedures I went to the waiting room. Within 20 minutes I was called to the back. I have to tell you I had the nicest surgical prep nurse ever. Her name is Bella and she took time to explain things to me as she went along which helped calm my nerves. Bella even mentioned the fact that I was a "pleasant patient to work with". At weigh-in I was 232lbs. This showed a 5 pound weight gain since my last pre-op visit with my doctor. I asked Bella if I could remove my shoes and the other extra clothes I had on. She re-weighed me and just by removing those items I weighed 229 1/2. I know weight can fluctuate a few pounds given the time of day etc, so I didn't worry so much about the extra two pounds. Once I got changed into my hospital gown, the doctors and technicians entering my room seemed unending. When Dr. Forrester arrived he asked me, "What are we here for today"? to which I replied, "to change my life". IV intact, I was ready to be wheeled into the operating room. I remember praying for myself and for my surgical team. Once I was inside the operating room, all I remember hearing was "sweetie, take two deep breaths" and that's all she wrote. When I woke up I was in recovery and my boyfriend was standing beside my bed talking with the doctor. I had no concept of time. Later I learned I had been in recovery since approximately 12:15 P.M. because my fluid levels were low and they were trying to get them stabilized. Once this happened I was ready to go to my room, but then I had to wait until they got it together as other bariatric patients were discharged and they had to wait for a room to be cleaned. I finally made it to my room about 9:30 P.M. and I was exhausted. I went to sleep and around 12:30, the nurse came in and told me I needed to walk a bit. I didn't complain and although I would have much rather slept, I got up and walked with her as instructed. At this point, I still have in the catheter and loved it. Not having to get up to go the bathroom was wonderful. I cannot say this is the case the next day when they removed my portable potty. I could not stop going to the bathroom. I knew it was because of the amount of fluids I got in recovery. A few times I almost had an accident, but was able to make it. Just had to time it right. Day one following surgery is when they bought me chicken broth, an 8 oz bottle of water, jello, and crystal light. I managed to take a few sips of the chicken broth, a few bites of jello and maybe one sip of water. I did keep the water on my tray and promised myself I 'd get to it later in the day. Lunch came with the same foods with the exception of beef broth instead of chicken. Didn't even attempt to sip any of that (not a big eater of beef or pork anymore). My visit by the doctor went well. He looked at my incisions ad said things looked good and that I would be discharged on Wednesday. The next day I was excited to get up and go home. When the covering doctor came in to remove my port, he asked why I had so many bottles of water (3 1/2) on my stand. I told him the water hurts to drink. He said if I did not drink the water I might not be able to go home, so start to sip I did. I managed to drink 16 1/2 oz of the 24 I needed to drink. I put the last bottle in my bag and took it home promising myself I would drink it later. That was January 5, 2011. I can say that while setting here typing I just downed my first 16 oz of water this morning and I feel great. In a few days I will graduate to soft foods and will see how that goes. I am so happy with the way things have progressed. For anyone that has not had the surgery, I know you may be second guessing yourself about the decision to take such drastic measures to make a change, but for me, it's worth it. Since my surgery, I have not had any pain medication (thank you) and I learned the more I chew and sip the easier it is to get foods down. If you have not already done so buy some sugar free popsicles. They helped me greatly. As you embark up on this journey know that you are not alone. In loss and love Theresa

Be nice to yourself, it looks like you are early in this journey and that is the hardest part! There will be a day when a restaurant serving of egg fu yung would last you a week if you ate it at every meal! Even if there are set backs (there willl be) or Christmas weight gain, I always tell people in a year or two none of it will matter and you will barely remember it! I know I agonized over every choice and every pound but now in maintenance I really dont! It has become easy and that will happen for you too!!

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.