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hello guys, so today i weighted in @ 219.6...... yeaaaaaa for me. that brings me to a total of 7.4 lbs loss. still a ways to go but the way im starting to see it now is sum loss is better than no loss, and way better than sum weight gain. how is everyone doing?? im going to go to the gym in a lil while to ride the bike again that bike is a monster, but it must be doign sumthing for me. how many of u guys are working out?? can u tell me what u are doing and is there anything good for the stomach, besides sit-ups, lol.

Amen sista! The low carb revolution gave people a new lease on low-glycemic eating, but with the launch of so many low-carb substitutions (Splenda included) we haven't learned how to eat differently - we just substitute it for engineered, low-carb alternatives. I just can't imagine we're not paying a dear price for this. Our bodies just don't recognize the content of some of these chemical bonds and the result is free radicals roaming around your body, resulting in aging, weight gain, loss of energy, and in some cases cancer. I'm an organic gal, myself. I figured I'd change it ALL when I got banded and began to eat organic, non-processed foods. You can't imagine how quickly the craving for sugar dissipates. Your eyes are brighter, your skin looks better, you have a lot more energy! But it's definitely a lifestyle alteration; one that's not easy to convert to (ecspecially if you have a family).

I know. I hate it. my choices are so limited compared to others. I can't have anything that Heather listed. I'm really curious how each diet's statistics are as far as weight gain back or not goes...

I was sleeved 4/16 and have had two periods since. The first one was brutal because I hadn't had one in 2 years. Dr put me on birth control and the second one wasn't so bad and not heavy like the other. Thank God! Pcos sucks. Weight gain, excess body hair, thinning hair and possible infertility sucks. And no one knows anything about it unless they have it. No one else understands either. My weight loss has been pretty good. Had about a 3 week stall but seems fine now. Surgery weight was 284 and now I'm 210. Hopefully these pcos symptoms go away. Hubby and I want a baby. That was the main reason for surgery. I'm 30 will be 31 in August. My clock is ticking really fast!! The 18 month wait is gonna be the hardest!

Hey Mandy is that you? I haven't checked out this site for about a year. So much have changed. I'm single again. My total weight loss so far is 85 lbs. I just had a defil in Ottawa with Dr Bishop and now I can eat everything I want. I'm still being careful but I have had at least a 5lb weight gain. I am waiting for a Barium swallo to she if the band has slipped. They don't think that it's possible but they want to make sure. Are you married yet? Are you maintaining your weight loss. So much catching up to do Louise

Yeah, and just pointing out...i'm a guy and i'm 19...so my metabolism is faster (not as much as my skinny roomate who takes weight gain protein..2500 calories per serving...GOD I HATE THAT) Try and tell me my metabolism is high and i'll laugh. But in all seriousness guys lose weight easier than girls, and the age factor goes the same way. And yeah, comparing weight is the easiest way to get discouraged so dont...trust me i'm not ready for before and after photos yet...i dont see a difference..i've still got a good 100 lbs to lose.

Hey VV. I haven't been through the fire yet, but I feel your pain. I can only imagine how it must feel to sit around people and not be able to eat any of what they're having. I'm really worried about that. But, try to keep in mind that very soon, you will be able to eat small amounts of what everyone else is eating. And from what others here say, you'll be satisfied with that small amount. Counseling or joining an existing WLS support group should help you develop some good strategies to deal with these kinds of situations. I'm doing individual now and might switch to a support group post-op. I personally think scales are evil and should be avoided in the early stages of weight loss. Any weight gain or lack of weight loss can send you in a downward spiral immediately. Instead of weighing yourself, keep focusing on the change in how your clothes fit and let your weigh-ins happen at the docs office. Also, please continue to be careful with your diet. It sounds like you're doing a really good job with that or you wouldn't be so frustrated. :crying: I'm nobody to preach about good eating habits, but better safe than sorry. I would consider contacting your surgeon's office to see if someone can review your diet with you. Maybe there's something you could be eating that's more satistying but it just hasn't occured to you yet, or you forgot about it. I've heard of people being blamed for post-surgical complications, like leaks, because supposedly they ate something they weren't supposed to early on. I personally think that's rubbish in most cases, but we know it's a possibility. Why risk it?

Ridiculous. My child's OPINION on my situation pre op, does not make it fact! Nor does it change this actual topic. You can't "help" me like a sleeve. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Okay, this is going to be my last post directed towards you specifically. You somehow managed to miss the entire point even though I put it in bold. The point is that now that you're post op you're blaming your weight gain on your situation and specifically saying that you didn't have a problem with food and the entire thing wasn't your fault. When you were pre op, however, you blamed an addiction towards food and said that you couldn't stop overeating. You can't have it both ways, that was the point. It had nothing to do with your daughter. Sounds like you change your story depending on what suits you best. Once again, best of luck. Refer to other responses for yet more scintillating details of my life history. I am thrilled that you are so interested in trying to call me out, investigate me, insulting me etc rather than stick to the topic. Some people, including people here who message me, just don't like the sleeve. Stop deflecting. Stop trying to change the topic. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App STOP TRYING TO CHANGE THE TOPIC! SHE ONLY WANTS TO COMPLAIN AND MAKE EXCUSES! Sent from my SM-G930T using the BariatricPal App

Hand on my heart, totally and utterly honesty, I do not have "eating restrictions". I live a completely normal lifestyle, I just eat less than what I used to. I try to make healthy choices most of the time, I definitely choose better but I can do everything I used to. Holidays, going out to eat, socialising, none of them are a problem to me. I just ingest half of what I would previously have done and dont have to face the weight gain afterwards.

I had a sweet tooth and that is one of the reasons why I had to have the surgery. My sweet tooth led eventually over time to too much weight gain that then that lead to sugar diabetes. Diabetes is a terrible condition. I watched the effect of diabetes on my mother. She developed wounds on her feet. These were not heal because of diabetes. For 10 years before her death, she had to exercise great care to prevent her wounds from becoming infected. Many people with diabetes have their feet amputated. So sugar in a way is a journey down a deep dark death spiral. After my RNY gastric bypass surgery, I lost the weight and I maintained the weight loss and part of the reason why I maintained that loss was because I avoid sugar (in all its many forms) like the plague. I rely on artificial sweeteners and no calorie natural sweeteners. So I guess my question to you is "Have you tried no or low calorie natural sweeteners such as Stevia?"

Unless you can calibrate yours to say the same things as your doctors office, keep your sanity and listen to yours until your next appointment and then you'll see the difference between the two and are able to do the math. scales rarely say the same thing, even two identical models side by side. Just know that you're losing, pay attention to the one at home and like myori said....only weigh in the mornings. Sensitive scales will show a difference after you've eaten a meal or drank your 64 ounces of Fluid and show a weight gain. I hope this makes sense, I just woke up and am still kinda ditzy / foggy right now (not that this isn't normal even after I've been up all day LOL) xoxo, Renee`

Hi everyone! I am so thankful for this site and the many people on here who share their experiences. I was banded on 3/1/11 and am actually going in for my first fill this Friday (4/15/11). I lost approximately 15 pounds since the day I went in for surgery and I had a relatively easy post-op with no complications and now that I have healed, I am pretty much having no issues with eating ANYTHING or any stuck episodes (at least not yet). Due to this, I have been pretty much practicing the High Protein - NO Carb (as in no simple carbs, no Pasta, no rice, no potatoes, no bread) primarily because I am very much a carb addict (I looooove potatoes and bread and can eat them all day long). However, here is my problem, since I am completely new to this lifestyle and have been reading all of the posts on here and it seems as though everyone on here has incorporated SOME carbs into their diet without experiencing the weight gain that I am fearing will happen once I indulge even just a little bit. I am not a person who likes to cook and am slowly trying to overcome this obstacle. I think my main problem is I am quite confused on what to eat/make that would be satisfying but yet healthy and would still garner the intake i need to maintain weight loss with the band. I was hoping someone could possibly shed some light on the following for me: 1) what simple carbs can I incorporate into my diet and how much to still stay in ketosis (please keep in mind I cut all the "white" out of my diet previous to the LB surgery - white bread, rice pasta, etc.) 2) any good food ideas especially eating out that you can suggest? Any help would be greatly appreciated.. 3)

Ohhh thank you all for the input!! Glad to know its normal to have sine weight gain!! Thank you all for the support!

Alexandra is absolutely right in that "success" is in the eyes of the person banded, and your ideas about what "success" is may have to be modified. I still have problems accepting that even if I got to "goal" weight, at 44 I am NEVER going to look like a swimsuit model - never! I probably will never look good in sleeveless outfits, shorts, or - naked, period. In my mind, however, I still cling to the fantasy of looking "someday" like some of the young beautiful people I see... lol As far as long term success - the truth is there are a lot of factors that determine this, and not all of them may be in your control. Some people return to their old habits, or inexplicably start to consume more calories via liquids/soft foods. That's something you can feel you have control over. But a reoccurring theme on the boards reserved for "experienced" bandsters is the fact that some are no longer able to tolerate the same level of restriction that got them to goal weight. So if you start having reflux problems 5 years out that are only resolved by getting an unfill - either paritially or completely - you are going to have more of a challenge on your hands, because your capacity for a higher quantity will go up, and that may allow you to exceed your caloric needs resulting in weight gain. The aging/lower metabolism beast will factor in, as well, as does certain types of medications. There is, however, NO WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY with the band - IF you are able to maintain the same level of restriction AND you continue to eat the same things in the same quantity as you did to lose your weight (or a little bit more to stop losing and maintain), then you will NOT gain your weight back due to a failure on the band's part. It cannot compensate for certain medications or the effects of aging. The best strategy in being successful is to remember that the changes you make to lose your weight are a LIFETIME COMMITMENT. This is not a diet that you "stop" when you reach goal. IF you change your eating habits and your physical activity levels to reach your goal weight, you HAVE to maintain that same lifestyle to keep it there. A reminder that muscle requires more energy to maintain than fat, so it is in everyone's interest to build and maintain muscle if at all possible - that will help combat the age/metabolism thing, but more importantly will increase your health, which really needs to be the focus in all of this. If you do not focus on HEALTH as the reason to make these changes, then once your reach "goal" you will no longer have "losing weight" as a source of motivation to continue with the changes you're making now. Good luck in your process!

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 also want to add something that I have found to be true based on my experience. At first Intuitive Eating was really hard and scary. I thought I was going to blow up huge for SURE. I had to be so brave to even try it. At first I was negotiating with myself a lot. Like... I will try it for a week so I can enjoy my vacation.. or I'll try it but if I gain weight at all I will resume dieting. In the beginning I only managed short periods of time eating freely and then would restrict again. And it was like that for some time. But!! But. What happens is ... as you continue, the times where you let go- they are sooo good. You aren't overeating or binging, you are just eating enough.. and it feels soooooo good in your mind and body, that after awhile it feels more worthwhile than being super skinny or pleasing society or some stifling ideal. Being fed right is an amazing feeling, and it becomes harder and hard to go back to restrictive food behaviors. Over time my stretches became longer and longer and as I sought out more support and also saw my body remaining in a stable weight and started working on my body dysmorpia... everything just fell into place more and more. Suddenly you start to realize, wow I haven't thought about food intake or dieting in awhile! And wow what a freedom that is. Lifting that oppressive mindset and hunger out of your world is like coming out of a cloud. Life is so full and beautiful. Weight isn't what defines your happiness- health is. Mental and physical health. Food will make or break you for sure. Too much and your body and mind will suffer. Too little and your body and mind will suffer. It takes the right amount to be truly happy and ONLY YOUR INDIVIDUAL METABOLISM AND BODY can determine what that amount should be. I'm not writing these feed to threaten or undermine you. I'm not bragging about my success or weightloss. I'm offering out a hand to those who feel they want or need to try something different. If dieting works for you for now, great. But know that should you want something else, there is this. I want to give others what I have found and share my experience. I truly believe, in fact I KNOW dieting cannot be a sustainable practice for lifelong happiness. With dieting there will always be the highs of weight loss and the deep lows of weight gain. With intuitive eating, there is just consistency and underneath that freedom and joy.

I'm reading a lot about us controlling our portions and calories and carbohydrates. And there is merit to those posts. However, about 3 weeks ago I met with my NUT. She told me I should not fear sugar. This was a bit of a shock because for the past 14 months I have been avoiding sugar like the plague. She said that my hormones have now changed, I might be surprised and the experts are now moving away from numbers. Away from counting carbs, calories and keeping track of weight. She said not to be focused on numbers. She also advocates mindful eating which is similar if not basically the same thing as I understand it. i also just read the new article in Time magazine last week that says the one thing they do know is that we all require individualized plans. The exact same diet will work for one person but not for another. There are so many variables to our weight that science doesn't even know why we gain and loose weight differently. Our gut microbes, hormones, genes, bile acids, how our body processes what we eat (different for different people) and eating habits are all factors. No one thing is responsible, they all work together. Scientists can't even tell us why weight loss surgery works. Anyway, I ate everything I wanted. ice cream, nachos, dessert every night, some bread, shared 2 coffee coolatta things, and more. I gained 5 lbs in 7 days and it came off plus .4 more lbs in 3 days of just eating my normal diet. I haven't counted anything really since surgery. Just focused on protein and veggies mostly. I seriously don't know how that worked so quickly. I expected to work for weeks or months to take it off. Guessing this is my set point now. Very difficult to loose more, but apparently not too hard to loose when I gain a few. I just know we don't know how weight loss works. And I think people are too hard on themselves when there are so many factors involved in weight loss and weight gain. I don't want to dissuade anyone from posting something that helped them regardless of whether it is within the guidelines of what someone else believes to be true or not. We have so much to learn.

I am in the same boat. I had been taking Belviq and phentermine which stopped working after 6 months. In that time I had lost 38 pounds. When I went for my very first appointment about six months ago, I weighed 207. Today I weigh 225. I feel my weight gain is the result of having to stop the Belviq/phentermine combo so I am now ravenously hungry all the time. Surgery can’t come soon enough. Scheduled for 1/2/18. Good luck to you!

I was banded april 08 and have bipolar and experience severe mood swing when cut back on calories. I take mood stalbizers(lithium) and this helps very little. Does anyone else experience this and wondering if going up on lith would help make cutting back more smooth or be risk for weight gain? Anyone at goal weight, or close, taking heavy meds? Im having wloss, just slow:) maddy

rorysmom, Then obviously you do NOT think obesity is a disease, do you? Have you ever been obese? I certainly understand what you are saying about the other problems I mentioned--that they are things you can't help--like losing your eyesight, etc. I'm really passionate about this, so forgive me if I get slightly angry in tone... I have been overweight all my life. My mother tells me that she put sugar in my baby food (because my ped. doc. told her to). Along with this, she gave me honey Water as an infant. From studies I've read, all the fat cells that one will have in life is determined as a child. You cannot get rid of fat cells (unless you go the liposuction route); you can only shrink them. I believe that I obtained many fat cells as an infant. I exercise daily. In fact, in college, I jogged five miles/day and could never get below 175lbs. (I'm 5'5). Now, I jog 1-2 miles per day and take a powerlifting class 2-3 times per week. Along with this, I have an autoimmune disease, called hypothyroidism which makes it really difficult to keep weight off, much less lose it. I am not making excuses for all my weight gain--I have eaten too much in the past--and too many wrong things. BUT THERE ARE OTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO WHY I AM OBESE--MEDICAL FACTORS--THINGS I DID NOT ASK FOR IN LIFE--AS A PERSON WOULD NOT ASK FOR CANCER. Please understand that if you have never been obese (which most doctors say is a DISEASE) then you really can't give any valid comments. Have an eye-opening day!

I had an interesting conversation with the fitness director at the gym I work at today. I work out quite a bit, more than the average joe for sure. I'm at the gym 5 days a week at least, sometimes more. Last week I did 7.5 hours of t-shirt soaking cardio, and 3 hours of weight training. I think my average calorie intake a day last week was around 1300 calories. I gained 2lbs....actually I gained 6lbs, but 4lbs came off over the weekend so I'm guessing it was Water weight. Anyway I was talking to the fitness director and telling her this. She said, well maybe you aren't eating enough. Okay, maybe. I really want to get my metabolic rate checked soon. Get this...she eats around 1800-2000 calories a day, and runs 30 minutes 3-4 times a week. She didn't mention if she did any weight training. So lets review, she eats 500-700 calories MORE a day than me, and did 2 hours of cardio versis my 7.5. She weighs maybe 110 soaking wet? The lapband is not the easy way out, because as you can see above I am working it hard. I try to stick mainly to protiens, I don't drink any calories except the occasional protien shake. Overall I'm eating healthier than I have ever eaten in my entire life. I'm a bit on the frustrated side right now because of the weight gain. I had someone say something today that implied that this was the easy way and it kinda of bugged me...mainly because I don't think this is the EASY way.

Hi everyone, I am new to this site and new to blogging as well. I got my band on 9/29/08 and was weighing myself about every three days. Driving me crazy. I made a New Year's Resolution to wiegh once a week. I showed no weight loss from last Thursday to this Thursday (actually showed a .2 oz weight gain) and am freaking out a little, so I know how you feel right now. But I'm going to hang in there and you hang in there too. I'm hoping we will eventually figure this all out.

I'm sorry those you confided in about your surgery aren't supporting your decision. There's risks involved in every surgery and virtually every medication. What's important is measuring the risk. The VSG is a low-risk surgery, and few people experience long-term complications. For most, it significantly improves their health. You can find medical research about the safety and the effectiveness of WLS. I don't know if that would convince your mother that it's actually a very smart decision that you're making, that will improve your health rather than harm it. There's also risks in not pursuing medical intervention. Obesity significantly contributes to so many health conditions that can shorten or even claim your life. It also just robs you of so much joy. The other poster is completely right that only a small percentage of obese people lose weight and maintain that weight loss on their own. The VSG isn't a diet fad or a quick fix. I had the VSG in August of last year. My mom initially thought that the surgery "wasn't for me" because my BMI was low for it, but I explained that my endocrinologist had recommended it to me because other patients my size and age had benefitted from it. I have PCOS and showed her research about how the VSG has substantially helped to improve the health of women who have it. She got on board. My dad developed type 2 diabetes even though his highest BMI was just in the low 30s. This helps to reduce my risk of having it in the future. I've lost a little over 70 pounds, putting my BMI in the low 20s vs the low 30s. I've gone from a size 14 to a 4-6. I was on a series of medications for PCOS that I've gradually been able to taper off of because the weight loss has helped to improve problems. I've had zero complications. Even on the day of surgery the most pain I experienced was from my period starting and having severe cramps. I'm a professor and was back at work on my feet for most of the day within a few weeks. By 5 weeks post-op I felt well enough to bike to and from work every day instead of driving. I've lost little hair. I have absolutely no loose skin. Every fear I had pre-surgery turned out to not be valid for me. I'm in my early 30s and getting carded again. My blood test results have been excellent. Physically and mentally I feel so much better. I feel like I'm in control of my life, and it isn't being ruled by the scale or what I eat. I don't obsess about food. I don't feel deprived. In the past I'd lose 20 pounds then gain back 30. Besides the typical 2-4 pound fluctuation, I haven't had any weight gain. I've found that a lower-carb (not strict low carb) eating plan works best for my weight loss, and is surprisingly painless for me to follow. I've gone on vacation a few times where I just eat what I wish, within reason, and still have not had weight gain. I'm not daydreaming about danishes, or planning out the indulgences I'll pig out on once I've lost x amount of weight. I can actually eat Pasta, Desserts and treats without seeing a massive weight gain. The difference is that I'm satisfied with a much smaller quantity than before. This surgery is a tremendous gift to my life. I think it will help your life, too. If your loved ones continue to be unsupportive before surgery, just use that as even more of a reason to be successful. This time next year you'll likely have lost a lot of weight and will be feeling fantastic. That will give them (and you) peace of mind. You're being proactive and taking care of yourself.

Are you revising because of reflux, weight gain, or both? Not having restriction wont keep you from losing weight if that is what you are worried about. In fact I lost 12 lbs the first month after revision and weighed 180 at the time. In 2017 I weighed 296 the day of VSG surgery and only lost 14 lbs. You wont overeat because you will get sick and if you dump that is just as bad. ( at least it is for me lol ) I get violently ill and can lasts a few hours. Once it lasted 4 hours. Good luck to you !

I called my weight loss clinic and spoke with the insurance coordinator. She said I could definitely be denied due to weight gain but to have my doctor for my 6mo diet make notes about my medications changing. I have Carefirst BCBS. Now I'm even more nervous.