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Yeah, a lot of my issues were based on poor lifestyle habits...lots of simple/processed carbs and not eating ANYTHING all day sometimes until dinner at which point I'd pig out almost all night until bedtime because I was starving. We all have different things that got us to the point of needing surgery! But once I made up my mind that I was ready to change my old habits I lost weight, gained energy and greatly improved my health. So, it is worth it to me to forego those old pizza and Pasta pig outs!!!!

My band eroded. put in feb 2003, emergency removal and fixed hole in stomach 4/07. I had NO symptoms at all except weight gain due to no restriction! They couldnt even see the erosion thru the fluoro. THey only saw it in an endoscopy and took me right into surgery to get it out. Pretty bad...ICU, etc. I think that people with slips have more "symptoms" and can try to unfill and play around with it to fix it first before having it removed. Doc said no more bands for me, trying for DS surgery now. Gained all weight back. good luck, make sure you get a fluoro, and perhaps take out some fluid!

Dorrie...do you feel comfortable with the weight you are at now? At times I wonder if i will be able to get to goal? I have over 40 pounds to go and it is slow going, but I am still very committed. One thing about being in menopause is not experiencing the water weight gain around that time of the month..

I was reading my medicine I've been taking for my eyes - Most people only have to take it for 1 or 2 weeks, I've been having to take it for a month now. Anyhow, one of the side effects is WEIGHT GAIN! I noticed my face is very round this morning, and so I started reading the side effects and come to find out, I'm taking steroids. I didn't realize it was steroids, I thought I was just taking antiobotics. My eyes are healing, however, I am not at a crisp clear 20/20, and I'm just one of those slow healers, not sure if its because of my diabetes or what, but I always seem to take longer to heal. Anyhow, that helps to explain my dramatic weight gain I think. I am hoping to be off the steroids at the end of this week. I go see my eye doc on March 3rd, so I'm hoping she will take me off of them. I hope everyone had a great weekend.

I've been banded as of 24 days ago. I didn't lose much weight pre-op, but in total lost around 17lbs. I was told my first fill is in 6 weeks which will be may 3rd. I have not been very active but am watching what I'm eating and am feeling frustrated because my weight goes from 234-238lbs which goes back & forth. I'm getting annoyed with my scale and I don't know what the problem is. I have not gotten stuck, but also feel that I have no restriction when I eat. Can someone explain what I'm doing wrong?

This has been the hardest week so far. I was sleeved 6-26-14 am down 32 lbs and at a stall. I know stalls are to be expected. I am more afraid that now I am eating solid foods that I am causing the stall & possible weight gain in the future. I eat the right foods but the last 2 days I ate a bigger portion at dinner time. I a one who used to eat the majority of food/calories at right. I am terrified I will get back into that habit. I was so hopeful until ow that I could control my new way of eating but not so confident now. Help!

Pretty much the same here in the U.S. at my house on Christmas..LOL Luckily for me I had not weight gain because of it..however I only ate 1/4 of my weight in chocolate

I can understand the opening poster's frustration. She is a young working woman with a very, very high BMI. Because she is seriously obese she feels that her health issues should be fixed and that this should be covered by her health insurance plan. Because she is supporting herself by working and is also paying into a health plan she feels that she is behaving in a responsible and adult manner and should be able to benefit from this health plan. I agree with her. I paid for my own Lap Band surgery (up here where I live our provincial plan does not cover band surgery) and I was 200 lbs when I arranged to have it done. I am 5'6" and so didn't look all that big compared to some of the other women who were sharing the waiting room with me. This made me feel a little bit embarrassed initially but my weight gain, however, had been a steady post-menopausal gain and I was on a one-way street if I didn't have the surgery. This is a fact that perhaps the opening poster did not understand until she had it explained to her. I think that the other lower BMI folks who have posted on this thread have done a fine job of providing explanations as to why they, too, needed the surgery. I also think that the opening poster has indicated that she understands this and thus it is time to stop flaming her for her initial remarks. It's time to show her the sympathy and support that we all deserve.

My husband and 2 good friends know, and obviously my children, though they are very good at keeping quiet! I may end up telling more people, but for now I don't want to be involved in their issues, guilt trips, and accusations. Most of my friends are naturally thin, they have no idea how much harder it is to lose 100lbs+ and wouldn't be able to relate in a way helpful to either of us. My main motivation to tell would be so that I wouldn't feel I was lying to the few people in my life who are significantly overweight. Along with the obesity epidemic, there's a shame epidemic, that sense of "they can do it, but I can't, I'm a terrible person". Studies have shown that shame leads to weight gain, support (including positive things like beautiful plus sized clothing ranges and other things which make us feel accepted) leads to self acceptance, higher self-esteem, and the adoption of healthy lifestyle changes. But for now I'm not telling, I just don't want other people to think they have a place in my decision-making process. Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

I HATE PMS lol. About a week before I start ,I typically gain about 4 pounds and don't lose it again until about a day after I start ,I hate it and on top of that I crave salty stuff. Ugh. Do any of you have suggestions on how you deal with the pms weight gain and cravings? Thank you !

Was your band to sleeve revision done as a band removal first followed by a subsequent VSG to allow your stomach tissue to heal? Or were you able to have it done in one operation? If the latter, how long did your surgeon want your band empty so that the tissue could relax as much as possible before surgery? I guess that the risks of leaks are higher with the single operation method because the tissue is more fragile and there may be more scar tissue from the band. But the alternative involves being put under twice (each time is a risk, plus pain!), and you're highly likely to be gaining (potentially a lot of) weight during that interim period. My surgeon requires a 2 week liquid diet prior to surgery, and I'm hoping if I get the band emptied right beforehand, that would help the healing and prevent the weight gain. But is that a safe plan?

yes unfortunelty once you have the band removed or deflated weight gain in inevitable, but what is more important is to make sure that area is ready to receive the sleeve, in the 15 months I have had problems i have gained 60 lbs, i no longer know who is in the mirror (have gone from a size 0/2 to a 14) so i understand about the weight gain. it would be great to have done it all in one, but for some (and all who have an eroded band) that can not be done at once, and actually the surgeon does not know till they are in there.....great success for all with everything they pic....

Google says: How can I avoid gaining weight on Zoloft? Maintain your normal eating habits. Sertraline may affect your appetite, causing you to feel less satisfied by food than normal. To minimize weight gain, try to maintain your previous eating habits, such as food choices, portion sizes and meal timing.

I had a lot of head hunger for Taco Bell. But when I broke down and bought a taco, it was the most disappointing taco I had ever had. I found it to be repulsing and have no desire to eat there again. Oh, I couldn't believe their taco's were 99cents. So over priced for nothing. Hummmmm. I use to eat these all the time. Could they contribute to weight gain? TACO BELL bad food! No Taco Bell for me. LOL

Jodi In KY, come to think of it my BMI was 39 and my insurance company paid for mines. I'm with Carefirst Blue Cross Blue Shield. All insurance companies have there own requirements. I called my insurance company and spoke with a representative, who advised the requirements that I would have to had fulfilled before the insuance company would pay for my surgery. Luck I fit those requirements. Suffered with my weight gain for the last 5 years, 6 month supervised weightloss program in the last 2 years, either 6 months straight or 2 consecutive 3 month sessions would qualify. Two health physical or health problems related to weight gain. I did not have health problems and throught because my BMI was 39, I would not qualify for the surgery, but I was approved.

I can tell you how a person can become overweight without sweets and binging -- by dieting! There are studies that show that once you've lost weight, you will gain weight on fewer calories than someone who has never lost weight. In my case, I went on my first diet when I was five pounds overweight! I thought I was being responsible. Then every time I was pregnant, I went on a diet to lose the weight gained from pregnancy. By then, I was in the seemingly never-ending cycle. Like a lot of people on this board, I blamed myself, even though I never binged and I rarely ate sweets. Four years ago, I lost 70 pounds on Medifast. This time was going to be different! I watched every morsel that went into my mouth. I exercised like crazy, even commuting to work by bicycle, 34 miles round trip! I logged my calories and exercise in an online journal. I had my resting metabolic rate checked at the University of Texas Department of Kinesiology by the department chair. He determined that I should be able to lose weight on 1800 calories a day. I ate between 1400 and 1600 and exercised and STILL did not lose or even gained. Even on Medifast, at fewer than 1000 calories per day, I was a fairly slow loser. I realize now that I will not be able to lose weight on as many calories as the charts and tables say I should. And since I don't think I can make myself eat fewer than 1000 calories per day for the rest of my life, that's why I got the band. At my age, I'm fighting other sources of weight as well. I think there are a whole lot of variables involved, too. I definitely believe genetics play a part. I also believe that the explosion of obesity is related to the unhealthy added ingredients in our food supply, such as high fructose corn syrup, added to almost everything! Khaliah Ali and her doctors do a great job of explaining these issues in her book, "Fighting Weight." She and her doctor have been banded. And of course, we can develop bad eating habits, such as emotional eating and binging. We don't all have the same reasons for being overweight, just like people don't all have the same reasons for getting cancer (and we don't always know the cause of cancer, either.) There's a difference between blame and responsibility, too. I don't blame myself for being overweight because I feel like I did the best I could with the knowledge that I had and I genuinely fought it, just like most of us here. I don't think most people blame themselves for getting cancer, either. But all of us are taking responsibility for losing weight -- in our case, by getting banded.

Hi losefor life, I can relate to your physical condition. My BMI was only 32 when I was banded, but I had a lot of the other conditions. I had high blood pressure, high blood choloestrol and type 2 diabetes. I got immediate insurance approval (BCBS). The proceedure was a breeze but the waiting for it was long and the waiting afterward for the fills to kick in was tough. I was banded June 23 and I didn't lose any weight until just this last month (6 lbs). When you don't have a lot to lose like you it takes longer and LOTS of patience. I think it is good for your family because it aleviates you and them of the constant worry that something bad could happen to you. This is something that you can control when it seemed for so long that you couldn't control the weight gain no matter how hard you tried. I am not sorry at all that I did this. Good luck to you!!!

What Kristine73 said is very true, different meds work very differently for different people. It's interesting she said wellbutrin made her eat more. Many people have taken wellbutrin to cure cravings, some have used it for weight loss and to quit smoking. The weight gain possibility on it is very low, and as i said some people actually lose weight on it. I take wellbutrin for depression. It didn't help me lose weight, but it certainly helped my depression. It didn't make me gain gain weight either. Good luck. As mentioned above it may be a good idea to see a psych specialist to prescribe these types of meds .

@@jenn1, I LOOOOVE that meme! LMAO!!! I LOVE a great leg day...usually takes me two hours to get through my leg workout, and I know it was good when I can barely walk out of that gym! I got back into weight lifting two years ago. I lift 5-6 days a week, breaking up my workouts in various ways. Legs days are always stand alone, the other muscle groups are usually paired with a push and pull exercise, combining bi's and tri's, or chest and bi's, back and shoulders, etc. If I am targeting a specific muscle for growth, I will do stand alone workouts for that muscle as well, working it twice a week/or every 3-4 days. Like some of the others, I do not care about weight gain, as long as it is muscle mass that is packing on. I have actually added about 15 pounds of mass since hitting my lowest post surgery weight. I still wear the same size despite the added weight, I am just a lot leaner and packing extra mass. I have also added a lot of strength since starting this venture. When I first started, I couldn't even squat 95 pounds! Last leg day I got in 6 reps 205 (I haven't maxed out in a while, but after that session I know its increased)! I love lifting, I consider myself an officially addicted bonafide gym rat!!! It just sucks that is so much harder for females to add mass . It's taken me these two years to finally get to point that you can tell I'm packing some mass without having to lift the weight or flex. Anyway, loved the topic...thanks for posting!

I know every surgeon is different, but I to- went in to speak with my original surgeon about a resleeve procedure and he advised that is was a bit of a tricky procedure and heavily weighed on whether there was dilation of the pouch and/or scar tissue. We decided against it and I'm currently in pre-op for revision to RNY (GERD, weight gain) Of course, do what you feel is appropriate for you, but make sure to ask a lot of questions because I didn't take a lot of things into consideration when bringing the idea forward. Good luck!!!

The weight gain you experienced was probably just Fluid retention, so you haven't really derailed your weight loss efforts. On the other hand, the discomfort you felt was very real. I think it's clear that you've learned from this. And it's not like you sat down and at 3 slices of pizza in the first place -- it sound like you were very moderate in your consumption. So I wouldn't give this much more thought, except that if you find yourself ordering food lean more toward the healthier choices.

What I've found with these surgeries is that after the initial rapid weight loss, the weight loss for most actually evens out to more 'average' rates of loss like with conventional diets. Mine wasn't fast by any means. I also found when my weight loss would stall, increasing calories would not only break the stall, but jump start my weight loss again. I did that periodically the first year until I was at 1200 calories and hit my goal weight. To maintain my weight, I then upped my calories to 1300. Doing that also helped set my metabolic thermostat so I wasn't stuck having to eat 800 calories for the rest of my life. I've said it before, but I really think these surgeries mess with our physiology. The 'ol "calories in/calories out" adage seems to go out the window, and most of the time in the losing phase INCREASING calories is the key to steady, healthier weight loss. Once our metabolism adjusts, then things seem to go back to normal when too many calories will result in weight gain. That being said, from the hundreds of posts I've seen and in my own experience, there is little to nothing we can do to prevent hair loss and most loose skin. Sure exercise, age, heredity etc has a lot to do with skin elasticity, but once certain areas are stretched out, there's just no going back without surgery. And hair loss is truly the luck of the draw.

Hello everyone.. I’m new to this group... I had a upper GI the end of April and my EGD this past Thursday.. I’m going back to the doctor on 5/22/19to discuss my next options. I had a sleeve done 8/2013 and of course like I have read there has been weight gain and reflux and sleep apnea. I am still on blood pressure meds and my CW is 227... wondering if this process will be the same as before? Is it a harder recovery? Will I loose a significant amount of weight? I do have BCBS insurance..Just wondering what to expect...Any feed back is welcomed.

I have had 22 surgeries to date, thus LOTS of incisions. And lots and lots (thousands) of stitches.... One thing I have noticed is that not all wounds heal the same. I have had 3 surgeries through my belly button, and NOT the sleeve (too much scar tissue). I have had holes develop, and I think the reason is the scarring pushing up from underneath makes it look like the "hole" is getting larger, when in fact it is actually healing from underneath. Scar tissue is thicker, denser material than the tissue that was originally there, so misshapen formation is not uncommon, and eventually the scar will smooth out with a little ridging over the area where the scalpel was used. The skin on the body is not necessarily the same in one area that is is in another area. Skin that has been stretched from weight gain will not be of the same thickness necessarily as skin in an area the hasn't been stretched so much. So it seems reasonable that scarring will heal differently and may even look different on different parts of body. One thing to look for as a danger sign would be draining. Redness is common, to a degree, because the skin is angry it has been disrupted and it is in pain. Now it has to heal, and it wasn't planning on that! Just keep an eye on it, it will be painful for awhile, it is a deep scar. Always contact your Dr.s, even if they say the same thing over and over again, if you have concerns - it's what you've paid them for! Good luck to you, And keep us informed!

To the weight loss surgery patient slider foods are the bane of good intentions and ignorance often causing dumping syndrome, weight loss plateaus, and eventually weight gain.