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I am currently working on an appeal for the very same reason, insurance denial. I chose the sleeve for several reasons, 1. malabsorption - I want t be able to absorb all the nutrients my body needs. 2. food choices - I want to be able to eat a variety of foods and eat foods recommended by the national guidelines for healthy eating. (relatively little chance of dumping syndrome) 3. I want to maintain my stomach's pyloric sphincter. In the RNY, the bottom of the pouch does not have a sphincter, instead it just has a small opening which can stretch out over time, resulting in food passing through the stomach quickly, and becoming hungry quicker. This often results in weight gain. 4. The fundus of the stomach (which produces ghrelin to make you hungry) is removed, often resulting in lessening hunger pains. 5. the part of the stomach that is left is not as stretchy, and less likely to stretch out of shape over time. 6. the amount of food that can be eaten is a little larger than the RNY and I think that amount is healthier and better for me. These are the things that have made me stick to my decision despite ignorant insurance companies.

I had the RNY bypass only last week but had been thinking about wls for some time. My husband was exactly the same as yours - very anxious about the risks of the operation and not understanding why I couldn't just lose through dieting as I had in the past. Anybody who has not been obese/morbidly obese almost certainly doesn't understand the issues around weight gain/loss for those who are. I had various co-morbidities and once I decided that I was going ahead with the surgery, just powered through his anxieties by saying I'd rather die of the surgery than spend 10 years having limb amputations due to diabetes. The day before my surgery somebody recommended to me Dr Matthew Weiner's book - How Weight Loss Surgery Really Works - and I read this immediately before my surgery. It validated all of my decision making and I highly recommend reading it if you're undecided about the surgery. If you, like me, are a yo-yo dieter who can lose weight on a diet and then gradually regains it all - it will resonate with you and give insights. Good luck with the decision making!

I wonder if I've always had thyroid problems--since early childhood, I mean. I wonder if my TSH has always been on the edge, making it easier for me to gain weight. I remember being sluggish as a child--tired a lot, too. I've been overweight as long as I can remember. I'm not blaming my thyroid for all my weight gain, but I am a very active person now--and I have such a difficult time losing weight--even when on my meds. But--with my TSH regulated, with regular exercise, and with a major decrease in calories (hopefully due to the band), I believe I will be successful at weight loss. I really don't care if it takes me 2-3 years to lose it all--as long as it happens. Blessings to you all on this weight loss/health journey.

If you do add some weights to cause that needed weight gain and are able to get approved for surgery, just think how successful you will appear to the doc when they weigh you the day of surgery. He/She will think you did super with your pre-op diet. I pray your appointment goes well and you get approved by your insurance company. I was self-pay and borrowed the money from my 401k. I didn't even tell my primary physician about the surgery yet because she is one of those people that believes in alternative medicine and I know she wouldn't approve. Plus my insurance company would only pay for Docs doing surgery locally through the hospital where I work and since they are fairly new to this type of surgery, I didn't want to take a chance and chose someone out of network. Best wishes, Stephanie

I had extreme swelling too but I was able to get liquids down, slowly, by only sipping through a 1 ounce med cup and I could get very little in at first. Do or did you have any sort of chronic inflammation issues or have you seen a rheumotologist in the past? I assumed my swelling is the fact that I get chronic inflammation throughout my body due to mixed tissue disease / Lupus. You could visibly see that my stomach (about 2 inches above my belly button) was extremely swollen 5 weeks after surgery. It does get better every day. Hopefully they do a blood test on you since they are actually starting you steroids to check for inflammation and check for positive ana's. In case you are worried about the steroids/weight gain don't. Steroids will not make you fat. They do increase the appetite which may help you get liquids down and they actually can give you extra energy, something I am sure you are lacking right now. Since you can't get liquids down you aren't going to overeat. If you aren't using a one ounce med cup try using that to take slow sips, and realize this is temporary. I am so sorry you are going through this and I'm sending you my thoughts and prayers.

Weight before sleeve: 388 Current weight: 308 9 weeks post op No weight gain. 80 pounds lost

Thanks for the update Gail!! I hope things get better for you and you can get another fill and get back on track.:laugh: We have the same dr. and i'm petrafied of weight gain. I have a pre op appt on Monday and I'm sure he will give me the rules & regs on being in this program. Best of luck & keep checking in!!

Greetings. I know this post will be contradictory to everything you just read. So bare with me... Here in the US, the band is typical for BMI 40 and higher (35 w/ comorbidities) However, this can be circumvented if you are self pay as there are no insurance hoops to jump through. Our peers in other countries (Europe and Australia specifically) have been doing this much longer and many of their participants are lower in BMI. I would be assumptive to believe their average 'obese' person in their population is not the same as ours. I am not sure at what your height is, but for me 195-200 would be a BMI of 30 for me. And for me, that is obese an unacceptable standard. And despite differing opinions, if you were to ask bandsters if they would find it acceptable to remove the band at BMI 30 because they are not fat enough anymore, they would all balk. I get peeved when I hear others state whom they feel is an appropriate candidate for the procedure. It is likened to family and friends discouraging someone from the band because they deem it drastic. Because hey, all you have to do is eat less right? But in reality, you are suffering like the rest of us. You can mask it with all the positives you want, but in reality, you are out of control and struggle with maintenance like the rest of us. We just managed to gain more. I am certain you can find others here who have the same habits (ie binging etc) and ended up in the yo-yo effect you are living out. Whether you are 300, 250 or 200 the lifestyle, the habits are the same. The negative effects you are having on your body are not mitigated by the 'healthy cholesterol and low sugar' bit. Your playing havoc on your metabolism, wasting muscle weight with fat and setting yourself up for easier weight gain each and every time you reattempt to lose. This is the bodies natural response to this kind of loss-gain-loss-gain cycle. So let's talk mental for a minute. You avoid life as a consequence of being overweight. You feel devalued at work. You feed the emotions etc. This is more of a burden than the weight itself wouldn't you agree? It's the impact fat has on your life, your decisions and your relationships that create this vicious cycle. If all your efforts are unsuccessful, or temporary, you need another solution. We all sat at this intersection and had to determine if the band was that solution. Sure you and I have different circumstances, but our needs are the same. Being vegan you should already be savvy on how to achieve minimum Protein levels through your current diet. I personally find vegan Proteins (ie tofu, Beans etc) much easier to digest than meat proteins so, in reality, you may have a head start on us. Can you achieve 80g min of healthy protein daily in your current diet? Recognize you will be limited to about 1c of food per serving. If so, than you'll be like the rest of us calculating protein levels and finding creative solutions to achieve those numbers. As for the longevity/success of the band. If you want a guarantee, you won't get one...that's true for any diet or wls procedure. However, the band is designed to be placed once and for the life of the patient. True, some need revisions, repairs, replacements or removals for various reasons. But this is still the minority statistic. Much of the success is up to the patient to be compliant. But side note, specific to maintenance. I too was easy at losing weight initally. My issue was always maintenance as I reverted back to old habits. And this is where the band saved me personally. After getting banded I lost 50 lbs easy. THan got pregnant, than had a bad accident that put me into rehab for ovr 8 months. That's 18 months of not dieting. But unlike my 1st pregnancy where I gained 50 lbs, I only gained 20 w/ the band which I readily lost after the pregnancy. And because I am horrible stress eater, I ate poorly the entire 8 months I was in rehab. I would equate it to preop eating but the trick was..I couldnt eat as much. Would you believe I didnt gain weight?!?!?! And in January when symptoms got better I decided it was time to start again and I lost another 50 lbs. There is no way I could have done it w/out the band. Even today, I have a +3lb rule. Where when I go easy on myself and eat more freely, I will go back to strict eating if I gain more than 3 lbs to maintain. It's harder to gain 3+ lbs as it was before and thus I find maintenance to be a cinch. This is how the band can help someone like you. I know that if I did not have the band, not only would I gain weight back readily, but I would find maintenance an impossibility long term. And that's how the band serves me. Just my personal take on it.

“Words are tears that have been written down. Tears are words that need to be shed. Without them, joy loses all its brilliance and sadness has no end.” Paulo Coelho Via Mary Jo Rapini’s Food Addiction Group Karen Askins Nov. 17, 2014 It all started out as another lie, not one intention to ever try- Once again I wanted an easy fix, because I was up to my usual tricks. I knew the words I needed to say, for her required signature to start me on the way- This time surgery would be the lucky charm, hopefully there would no lasting harm. She probably knew as well as I, that I was sick and would probably soon die- If I didn't get myself together, and start making me a whole lot healthier. I wanted to believe that it was only about food, not about everything that was affecting my mood- But she said I was eating to not deal with life’s pain, adding up yearly to a significant weight gain. I have always latched on to some current craze, the other surgeries, pills, diets, and starvation days-Maintenance was the problem that was never addressed, it would always come back quicker than I confessed. Just twelve steps, how hard could that be? I decided to try and just kind of see- So the first month I did as little as I could, of all the work I was told that I should. Step two was the first time I wrote in the book, I thought I'd write anything- who was going to look? What I found was not what had been expected, instead of a diet plan, it was like church resurrected. Higher Power this and surrender to that, what did that have to do with being so fat? Be of service, have faith, and listen to the call, meditation and prayer were suggested for all. What was the problem? I did all of that, lots of pretty feathers sitting in my hat- This would be a breeze once a month to meet, I could do this group and not miss a beat. The women there were all nice enough, but they had problems that were really tough- And then there was the tiny psychotherapist Mary Jo, what in the world could she possibly know? The irony of it all was that I already knew in my heart, the two words I resisted from the very start- After time was wasted denying the fact, I finally admitted that I was a Food Addict. That in itself was enough to make me blue, but there were also my legs and hands severely cramping every night like on cue- One doctor said vitamin deficiency, one RLS, and still another dehydration, all I knew was I couldn't take the horrible, all night sensation. The doctor had me try several medications- finally Flexeril, it would dull the pain, and he said, “As needed, just refill”- It didn’t get better on 10 mg. once a day, but he finally got it right when he said with 40 they’d go away. I didn’t hear any warnings about side effects, my other medications were not really checked- My mind became a blur and life started getting worse, I blamed everyone, God, and mainly the step study as my curse. For months I thought I was going to be like my grandmother, who had dementia worse than any other- She was functional one day and not lucid the next, that was me all because I didn't want my legs and hands to flex. When I could think straight, I was really on top of it, doing what I could to get my mind and body fit-But it was up and down around and back, my emotions were like a roller coaster track. I felt so depressed and couldn't always comprehend right, but I was sure that I still had pretty good insight- Still trying to believe it was a food issue and really wanting to win that battle, to try and not make every plate, fork, and spoon rattle. The “win” was bittersweet as my “perfect” life fell apart, and I hurt everyone I loved with all of my heart- There was no satisfaction with me as the boss, and my peace and happiness were at a complete loss. Beating myself up and causing more pain, literally drove me completely insane- It was all I could do to survive. I hated the way I was living; my husband kept saying that I was just barely existing. I was brought to my senses several times along the way, obviously though, I was still there to play- Panic attacks, totaling our truck, being paralyzed by fear, weren't even enough to see my way clear. I think I knew that the medicine wasn’t good but kept taking each prescribed dose, and it turned who I was into someone different, someone very gross- It made the original goal to deal with food addiction, a journey that was more like science fiction. Here I am in Mexico where I was forced to stay, mortified to wake up in basically a “detox unit” yesterday- Where everyone must have thought I was a long time street druggie, until they figured out it was a legitimate prescription written just for me. The doctor took away the Flexeril, allergy, asthma--all of my needed prescriptions, and the pain started back much to my aggravation- They brought in food- a lot of fattening Mexican stuff, and when I refused, the nurse threatened to get mean and tough. She gave me IV’s and a bottle of Ensure, and yelled, “You eat or you drink this!” as I tried to keep my composure- It was bad enough this mess I was in, no way was I going to eat that junk and screw up surgery once again. Doing last minute planning just two weeks before my son’s wedding I was forced to get aid, my family cried and yelled that I should I have known better, but mostly they prayed- And within 24 hours of passing out cold, my mind felt almost clear, and I had to get bold. With plenty of time here to sort it all through, I asked myself, “What in the world am I going to do?” Then there on the table left by my husband in plain view, was Mary Jo on Facebook clearly coming through. Yesterday, Sunday, Nov.16, her post spoke loudly and went straight to my heart, that is what made me decide I needed a fresh start- The picture screamed, “Be still- I’ve got this.” It was a message from God, and her added words stung like a lightning rod. She wrote what I knew but needed to hear, it was hard for me to swallow, but I gave her my ear- How could I ever have been so remiss? Her lecture ended with, “… trust God to be God, he’s got this- his promise.” I am pretty sure that I have been given a choice, self-destruct or stop and listen to His voice- It is now or never, and now is looking really good, for me to be honest and deal with what I should. All the fertility treatments, my children being my husband’s family blood and not mine, my mom’s death, my friend Barbara dying on Flight 77 on 9/11--all of that and more over time- To be strong for everyone else I always pushed away pain, and sucked down the food with no way to abstain. For several months I was crying most of the time and not actually comprehending what was making it so tough, but I think I kept trying to get through it because I was afraid of even more bad stuff- The confusion in my head sometimes made me think I wanted to die, but I had enough snap to question if I would get the chance to look God in the eye. So I read and studied when I could, but I would lose sight, I was in turmoil, and it was like I was in a life and death fight- To be truthful the cause wasn’t really food, nor 100% the medicine, and definitely not liquor, I know now the actual battle was over control between me and my creator. Realizing way too late that I am ready to begin, the opportunity of a lifetime that is quickly coming to an end- Wanting what I had started the step study for- a plan of action, to keep myself from eating even if it means being in traction. Mary Jo sent the answer to that and much more- what an idiot I have been, the wife, the mother, the one who everyone knew to be the “wonderful Christian”- Knowing much better, I had tried on my own to run the show, thinking I would eventually win- I guess like at a Las Vegas casino. She told us that she had felt God’s love. Not me, I went to Hell, but both had experiences we can surely tell- Grateful I didn’t make it my final destination, because I was given a chance for a needed transformation. Being as old as I am and with the “good life” I have led, no way should I have gotten so close to being dead- The truth is I did it to myself trying to go solo, sending life as I knew it down to practically zero. Mary Jo’s near death experience was a blessing to us all, she was sent back with a mission and accepted the call- To share God’s love, mercy, and grace, I can tell it’s authentic by the glow on her face. She told how it changed her own way of thinking, prayer, surrender, service, and love all linking- How she helps people and how she really cares, has inspired me to want to spend the rest of my life in His care. I feel that now I have a new purpose for which I must live, with love unconditional to receive and more for me to give- I have to let go and to be sure of my intention, and not just use this experience and God as a brief intervention. It's the gift of relearning what life is really all about, that the 12 step study journey gave me without a doubt- Something I never thought I would ever need, because I was always living “perfectly” I knew indeed. My inventories and amends were minor to compare, I needed a transplant or a full heart repair- May Jo said she pleaded with God not to send her away, but if He hadn’t, I would have never had this day. To know with 100% assurance, that I do have it in me for the endurance- It's really about how I used to live but more recently kept struggling to concede, the hardest thing for me was “the faith of a mustard seed.” The food addiction thing will be for all of my time, always aware of why I eat and on what I must dine- But that’s not the triumph of my battle when all is said and done, it is that I waved the white flag and allowed God back as number one. I am thankful from the bottom of my heart, for the group and Mary Jo’s words that guided me toward a new start- The path I took was awful to trudge for a year, but the journey gave me my wings and brand new flight gear. I took the long road with all the pot holes and detours, but I finally get it I know for sure- There is a sense of clarity and my mind is peacefully at rest, I am only going forward and will give it my best. The replay button has to go; it has to be left behind, in order to get through each new day with a clear, sane mind- I have done some stupid (mostly recently) things in my life, but the worst thing I did was cut God out with a knife. It is hard to believe that just a few days ago, I was so bitterly miserable from my head to my toe- Feeling horrible to be imprisoned that way, but now I am free, because I was reminded that there is a better life with the one who really cares for me. Strength and help for everyone else has always been there, but I never took time for myself to receive care- I don’t have all the answers nor can I say I’m not afraid, but I know I can trust that His loving hands on me are laid. I truly believe with all of my heart and soul, that our group was brought together each one with a role- Dana, Kathryn, Anita, and I came with one common thread, to learn to keep food from running our head. I learned a lot about them; sometimes more than I thought I needed to know, but God used them all to show me the way I should go- And that life is uncertain and forever changing, and that He is the only constant with love and forgiveness so amazing. Kathryn with her wit, humor, and wisdom to share, already knew there would be so much more for me there- She’s successfully been in recovery for an impressive amount of time, a real testament to me that being an addict is no crime. Anita Joy was given the perfect name, her face and her smile allude to why she came- To help bring that joy and light to the darkest place I could know, because she shares His love wherever she goes. Dana sat beside me just beautiful to see, ten years younger but way ahead of me- She shared her heart’s burden and taught me a lesson, about judgment and compassion sending me straight to confession. We were a small group. I’m sure there could have been more, but God’s plan was for there to be only four- Who would have guessed that the answer to managing an addiction to food, would be to relearn from all of them that God is so good? They never had a chance to know who I really was, since for more than half of our time together I was totally buzzed- They were too nice to say what my children and husband told, that for the definition of a fool I had broken the mold. I can’t believe I didn’t stop what was happening and see, the very thing many of my friends have asked for help for their loved ones from me- To steer them away from what could destroy their mind, the only difference was theirs were bought on the street and prescribed were my kind. I didn’t have an actual near-death experience, but as far as genuinely living, from that I was the farthest distance- The painful lesson I learned which I want to share with all, is that everything will fall into place, even managing a food addiction, when your life is lived listening to the Higher Power’s call. Writing this all down was for my often annoying, analytical brain, attempting to make sense of it all and understand that my suffering doesn’t have to have been in vain- It will be here to remind me just in case I ever forget, and going backwards suddenly becomes a major threat. I don't know what the future will bring, it’s too late now, but I wish from the beginning I had taken more advantage of this 12 step group thing- We are going to disband. Each one will go her way, but I will remember and thank God daily for them as I pray. I wish there was a way to make the ones like me who will come through this group understand from day one, that the only way they will conquer the food addiction thing is to give the program and their Higher Power their all even though it may not seem like much fun- Mary Jo, please tell them for me that whatever it is on their journey they may face, that their life is worth the fight and for them not to wait like I did to claim God’s marvelous grace.

I also have a struggle going on with my weight gain. I would also suggest talking with someone regarding your sleep issues. I also want you to know that is NEVER too late! I'm not giving up and you shouldn't either! It isn't going to be easy, none of this has been. I've lost, then I gained. I'm going to loose again and you can too. I need to do better at logging what I eat...no matter what it is...good or bad. I will write it down so I can see it and then make better choices, I hope. I am hoping the good eating habits will lead to better exercise and less stress. We can only give it our best and try and try and try.

I was. Sleeved in June 2013 and now I only weigh about once a month. I cannot deal with stalls or weight gain and this way it have not had any!

I have PCOS as well, and 8 weeks out, down 54 pounds. I've been taking Giovanni for years for PMDD due to PCOS. Weight gain has not been an issue. Can you switch meds?

Thank you for the reminder. I hope the newbies take note. I had a weight gain due to moving in with my Mom to take care of her. I gained seventy lbs. I have lost forty but am struggling with the thirty left before I make it back to 200 lb. I lost the forty just by moving out of my mom's house away from all her goodies. This last thirty is a killer. I have a lot of issues surrounding food. And dieting often exacerbates them. It tends to be a trigger for me. So how do I diet with out dieting is my constant struggle. The newbie should not be scared away they just need to take note that the struggle isn't over just because you lost the weight. I so wish it had.

if you are gaining many muscle that might have to do with the weight gain....muscle weighs more than fat. maybe it would help if you measured your waist instead of pounds. i am at a plateau right now...and i desperately need motivation too...guess we just gotta stick with it good luck

I used to work midnights as well (part of my huge weight gain was from it). Is 1am a time that works slows down and you have more free time? I figured out that I was snacking out of sheer boredom. Between 1am and 2am the night started really dragging on. Can you try taking a quick walk around the boat, the bldg, something? Maybe just to clear your head? Or can you take a 10 minute break and read a chapter in a book? Working mids is really rough on the body. You've been doing really well though, keep up the good work!

Hey there Kaz, I was actually thinking bout you today and wondering how you were doing. Ahhh mazing by the way!- .5 is still .5 take that and add it to the rest it will all add up in due course. I've learnt early on to remember not every time i overate or ate wrong foods did I see immediate weight gain but sometimes I did and sometimes it came on slowly but eventually it did of course - therefore on the flip side, I expect I should see some immediate losses, some slow ones and some stalls.... Just coming out of a stall and slow loss these last three weeks. Keep going strong - and remember all the good advice and support you give to everyone else :-) Thanks, I needed that. Yes, slipped off the bandwagon into a chocolate lake again. Not the answer! Have to keep reminding myself of the money and pain I've put myself through for this; I'm determined again! X Hi Kazyy! I think we are both walking the same path but we will not be defeated! I know stalls are frustrating but we have to push forward. One of my tools is to only weigh myself once a month or I just wait until I go to the doctor. I took someone else's strategy about getting more Protein in. I also let my clothes tell me if I am losing. I bought a dress on 4/25 that was too small for me (it was bulging on all sides, lol). Yesterday was my second time wearing it and it is now too big. I didn't realize how big it was until I saw myself in a photo my friend took. So although the numbers on the scale aren't necessarily going down, my body is obviously getting smaller. So.....take it slow, keep eating healthy, exercising and getting in your Water and protein and you will do just fine.

I did the same thing...I only told 1 family member and thats because 1. My family is messy, they spent many years talking about my weight gain, so I felt they needed no part in my weight loss..I live in a different state from them, so next time they see me, I will be a new me and they can kiss my new booty lol..and @. I told the one family member because I felt if something did happen, I really wanted someone back home to know the facts. So far, no fill yet, had surgery on July 5th and I am still amazed I have lost weight without being filled, looking foward to the fill, no date yet but I am figuring probably be mid aug when I get it. So dont feel bad your family doesnt know just watch the amazment in their faces when they see the new you. I am going home in October, I wont be at my goal but I know there will be enough weight loss for them to drop their jaws lol. Ann

I revised from Band to VSG 8 weeks ago My insurance did not pay for the band 10 years ago -- but different insurance and a doctor who wrote up the request based on the esophogeal issues got an approval within a week. No pre-op diet, no psych eval --- I met with the Nutritionist to go over the post-op plan and did a 1 hour orientation at the hospital --- so, had my surgery within a month of going in for an office visit to discuss reflux and weight gain. Really happy I did it. I am down 20 pounds in 8 weeks (at age 61) and removal of fluid from my band relieved the reflux almost immediately -- and it has not come back with the VSG.

Speaking for myself - to manage this as a permanent change, I must use the scale. What I have been dealing with is rehabilitating my relationship to the scale. To effectively manage the disease (obesity) that I have, I must deal rigorously what the facts - calorie intake, protein intake, the quality of the nutrients and most fundamentally my weight. In my job I use statistics rigorously to deal with my performance and the performance of my team. This is no different. I weigh myself daily at the same time (after I pee and brush my teeth). I record what it says - no drama, this morning 296 is just what it says. I have lost weight many times in my life - losing weight has never been my problem. I have discovered that certain things impede weight loss for me (insufficient water intake, processed foods of any kind, carbohydrates, insufficient fat in my diet). I am at the beginning of my VSG journey, so I will see if that still applies and rigorously tracking weight and food/water intake will give me access to tweaking my diet in the future. Every time I have lost weight in the past I hit a point where the hunger, cravings, etc. begin to rage and I did not control them. I believe VSG will help me manage that. I suspect that the people who are effective at long term weight loss/management learn from trial and error what works best for their body. There are people who do better on lower fats and people who do better on higher fats. Our basal metabolism differs. There are things that may trigger fluid retention or weight gain. But tweaking and discovering what is going to work and be effective (as with anything in life) requires a powerful and empowering relationship to the facts. So my recommendation is different from others - don't resist the scale. Reform your relationship to the scale. Get what the scale says as nothing other than a fact and then look at what's happening with your diet, is there anything to tweak and most importantly, look at trends and patterns not day by day. The day to day probably doesn't tell us much. We are in this for the long haul. I used to avoid the scale - now I bring discipline to recording daily what is happening. It doesn't mean I always like it :-)

I guess I counted Monday, the day of surgery as Day 1 but really that should've been Day 0. Anyway - I weighed this morning at 268! I've lost 15 pounds in the first 6 days. I am still on liquids so I am attributing this to water weight and just the shock of my body going through the surgery. It makes me really wonder what the hell was I eating and how much was I really eating before surgery?! jeeeez. I admit that I am a restaurant lover. If I could, I would eat every meal out. I actually like cooking but hate the shopping, preparation and clean-up. If I could be a t.v. cook and have everyone do all of those other things for me I'd be sooo happy!! I could sweep in and prepare a fantastic, healthy meal for me and my family and walk out of the kitchen with the first bite! Ah if only! Anyway, I'm guessing that a lot of my recent weight gain came from 1. Not exercising 2. Eating out at restaurants or fast food places at least 5-6 times a week 3. Eating snacks late at night So because of this I'm trying to change those 3 things. The late night snacking I've gotten under control but that is mainly because it takes sooo little to fill me up. If I eat dinner around 6 or 7 pm I will usually have a sugar-free jello or pudding or popsicle around 9 or 10 pm and that's it. I drink water until I go to bed but I really want to learn to tame the night time eating. Today we went out to eat for the first time since my surgery. We were away from home and I had only had some crystal light with protein powder at about 9 am. By 2 pm I was feeling a little light headed. I could feel a teeny tiny bit of hunger but just barely. We met some friends at a phenomenal Mexican restaurant with a huge menu. The smells were amazing and I admit, for a moment, I was bummed I couldn't devour my usual basket of tortilla chips, salsa, 3-4 tortillas, 3-4 drinks plus my entree. I am supposed to be mainly on liquids until tomorrow so I ordered Caldo de Res, a vegetable/beef stew with broth. We were there with friends and 1 of my good friends knows I had the band and that I was planning on having plication. She was pretty amazed at how I was able to get around relatively well, considering. Anyway I really enjoyed sitting with friends and my family, enjoying their company. I sipped my broth and didn't feel weird or excluded or anything. I did take a bite or two of some super mashed, refried beans and a bite of the egg off a chili relleno, which were out-of-this-world!!! Other than that, I was pretty much on track. Everyone left complaining and holding their stomachs and I left pretty full myself but not miserable and stuffed (like usual). I'm so happy that things are going so well. I am still fairly sore and still take pain medicine at night before bed to help me sleep. I am planning on being off of work for another 4 more weeks as I have a very active profession so I'm hoping to fully recover before returning to work and to be able to start an exercise regimen. Take care, Jenn <a href="http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/wuVsfBP/"> <img border="0" src="http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/wuVsfBP/weight.png"></a>

I am a lil behind on posting as I was not to encouraged as this week I gained weight. I have read plenty posts about the dreaded 3 week stall or weight gain but I was convinced I would beat it...Not... But all in all it has been a good week. I started eating soft foods and it was a welcome addition. Eggs with cheese was my first meal. I have made some othe recipes from Emily Bites andTheworldaccordingtoeggface. Most of them have turned out pretty good...I even managed to eat some shrimp and handled it okay considering I did not like shrimp pre-surgery...However at 21g of protein and only 1.5g fat and 4g carbs, it will become a frequent visitor on my menu. Still eating about 2-3 ounces of food before I get full and still adjusting to making sure I chew my food well to avoid that stuck feeling in my chest. My body still has not figured out how to resume regular bowel movements. I could probably lose a few pounds justing taking a good ole dump...lol TMI I know...My heartburn has also become more frequent over the past couple of weeks so I am resolving to taking priolsec or something of that nature with my daily vitamins. I started but stopped but realizing at least for now this is not possible. This week I hung out with my cousin who had lapband surgery in Jan 2012. She has had minimal success with it. I was so amazed at how much she could eat compared to the amount I was able to eat. Now mind you she had 7 months on me but I still thought our eating habits would be the same. I took a high protein, low carb potluck dish over it went over well but all the things she made were so high in carbs or fatty. She also tend to graze which all the reading I have done said this is a way you "eat around" your band or sleeve. I also notice that her pantry was riddled with things I would be afraid to bring in the house because all willpower would be gone...I do not say all this to judge but i do so it to say that even with the surgery we have to still exercise healthy eating habits. The surgery is only a tool and if we do not use the tool properly it is unable to perform as intended. I was careful not to judge her because I did not want to come off as a surgery eating expert after just 4 weeks of diet compliance. It was just an eye opener to be cognizant to not let my old eating habits that led to me being overweight erode the sleeve. On to the good news...I started out my journey a size 18..Well, this week I got into a size 13/14 jeans I had bought about two years ago...A phenomenal feeling that was...so despite having gained two pounds this week, I looked over it as I twirled around in the mirror 4 sizes smaller than I was a month ago...And so many folk are noticing the weight loss and that too is a really good feeling. Something that nags at me is that thought no less than 20 people have told me I lost weight, my ex-boyfriend has not acknowledged my weight loss...I know he is an ex and I should not care...Obviously there was something that put him in the ex category and it wasnt good so I should let go. Easier said then done but that is another story. I also measured today (09/16/12) and was pleasantly surprised at those numbers as well. I first measured on 08/23 so just under a full month Neck -1 in Thigh -3/4 in Hi Wasit (just below breast) -2 in Natural Waist 2 in Belly Button (Abs) -3 3/4 in Chest 1 1/2 in Hips 2 1/4 in Biceps 1 in Shoulder -2.5 in.....Total Inches Lost 16.75.. :D VSG 08/17/12 HW 232 08/13/12 SW 227 CW 210.4

I have my surgery date set for tomorrow (March 11th). I am getting very nervous that I will not be able to enjoy certain foods eventually again. I am wanting to enjoy all foods just in smaller portions. I no this is a tool to help control food intake but am nervous to give up (pizza, bread, steak, roast) ect. I know some of these foods have also been the cause of my weight gain, but would still like to enjoy a slice of pizza once in a while, or a small steak, ect. Just wondering if other people have went through this or are going through this same phase. I sometimes feel I am to young (28) to have to give up some of the good foods for life. (I also posted in the pre-band section, but thought I would get some peoples thought from after they had the band put in) Thanks Any comments appreciated.

From all that I've read about the lapband, your band could have slipped, I believe that can cause weight gain and vommitting. You should definately go back to the doctor, you will feel so much better:redface:

I don’t carb load unless I'm running a half or full marathon. I'm forever carb sensitive and its automatic weight gain. This is my week leading up to my half marathon. I’ve gained five pounds with two more days of carb loading to go. Looking forward to race day on the 18th. Weight loss mode starts the 19th

Wow, been a long time since being banded in April '07. Done really well, stopped smoking, gained some back and am losing it again. Fellow long time bandsters can probably agree with this from experience....it is a life long battle with the band as well as without. It is just easier to win a battle when you have a weapon. And the band is our weapon. BUT, do not break the rules and lay the weapon down cause then you are in trouble. You have to be vigilant, day in and day out unless you want to get beaten. For example, if you would have told me this time a year ago that I would gain back 40 pounds I would have called you a liar. Sure, I quit smoking and that was the main reason for the weight gain but I mean really...the band did not keep me from gaining weight....the band HELPS to LOSE weight. So, I learned the hard way. I learned a lesson that you would think is common sense? Yep, but it happens. I forgave myself. Now I know...I have to WORK it. I have to work it today AND I have to work it tomorrow. And tomorrow I will tell myself to work it the next day...and so on and so on. I have 2 rewards in this...#1 I still do not smoke anymore and #2 I am smarter about my weapon. OH and #3 I did not have to gain ALL the weight back to realize my mistakes. I stopped the bleeding in time. The first few months with 'the weapon' was tough...losing it twice and keeping it off is tougher. BUT, it is going to happen.:eek: Once I learned that this is my life with the band and I learned to accept it, life has gotten better. I went through the 'oh, screw this' phase. You know, the inner fat girl saying "eat it, its OK". I wish I would have woke up before I gained 40 pounds but it is what it is and I am changing it. Like my violet friend Judy says "its not how you run the race, its how you finish". True, and I am running right now:tongue2: