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I was told that when you have a stall, your body is reabsorbing all the extra veins that formed with the weight gain. It is a period of time for your body to adjust.

I had surgery in January 2011.... My starting weight was 278lbs and I am down to about 225.... I have been stuck here for MONTHS! I am so embarrassed and I feel terrible... I skipped my last fill because I was to embarrassed to go to the dr with no weight loss and possibly a weight gain of a few lbs. I am very emotional and short with the people I care about. I am currently on the depo shot and I am wondering if this is also hindering my weight loss. I have made the decision to discontinue the depo shot and I also made an appointment for a fill on Friday. I was just wondering if anyone else has delt with this or has any good advice? I am not good about following the rules and I recently started nursing school which I feel is hindering my weight loss even more due to poor meal planning.... I am just reaching out for any advice or words of wisdom anyone may have! Thanks

So do I! I thought I was the only one this anal (I mean no disrespect either). I really like to see the progression. I also have my measurements on a sheet all it's own along with other sheets of information. Back to the thread topic: I think I lost about 15/16 lbs. I lost the weight, but I never gained it back, which I was grateful for. When I went from clears to fulls I noticed a few pounds of weight gain, but it fell off quickly and I started to lose again. Same thing for mushies, and then solids. I was just fortunate I guess. Everyone is different.

Same here. I'm also a sleever and I've been small in the past but this weight gain over the past few years has ruined my self-confidence and my relationship. Before I had kids I was 150 now I'm 310 that's over half weight gain. Sent from my SM-N910T using BariatricPal mobile app

Snuffy your advice is spot on! I have fought depression for years, ha - like since birth! Exercise really helps. I do take meds also but if I exercise they work much better and I am in a better mood. I had a real downhill snowball effect earlier in the year. I was doing relatively well at the exercise thing (crap at dieting, but that was pre-band). Not sure what I did but my back and hips (I'm hyperflexible, they pop out of place sometimes and swell) flaired up something severe and I had to start physical therapy. So I was told the only exercise I could do was what they were having me do there. A nice combiniation of pain all the time, weight gain, and not getting good cardio and I was a complete mess. I didn't start coming out of the funk again until I got over the hump of my pre-op diet and then recovered from the surgery. Back on the road to wellville now. Still having pain but of course exercise helps that too as long as I don't start thinking I am training for the Olympics again! My PCP says once I get to a weight where they'll take me seriously I can go to a sports medicine specialist. We can give each other good and correct info but you catch a lot more flies with honey as they say.

Jenn, I feel your pain, but what Miss Mary said is 100%. Since you're obsessed with the scale (like I am :-) you should get a tanita scale that measures your fat, water, and bone density; this way you can see where the weight gain is (and weight loss for that matter). It will give you a peace of mind, because our bodies will hold on to water, especially when there is a drastic change. Even exercise can make you retain sometimes. Drink plenty of water to flush out the water and you'll be fine (physically and mentally But I do feel ya on the appetite, I have been sooooooo hungry and NOT for a damn protein drink either, I want to CHEW!

I am 60 and had my surgery 2 years ago 1/14. Now I can eat anything. Not good! I gave in to the holiday food! Weight gain! Scared to get on the scales but tomorrow is the day to get this weight back off! My advice would be to get as much weight off within 18 months as possible. I failed to research. This week I found two different support groups and that has encouraged me. I don't have that at home. So if this helps you, I'm thankful! Good luck! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hey fellow MA bandsters -- I haven't been down to this end of LBT in a while b/c there's usually no posts! Boy was I surprised to see all I've been missing! Welcome to the site all you newbies! I, too was banded at BIDMC. My doc was Schneider. I live in Medway -- (close to you Sherry!) which is just inside of 495 a little SW of Boston. I love my band and hope you all do too. If there's any questions I can answer, feel free to PM me or post here...........As far as protein shakes go, I like the Designer protein b/c it has 28 g of protein and I want to get the maximum bang per ounce since post surgery it's like every little drop counts...........It was interesting in the end, I ended up with strawberry and vanilla flavors and never found a chocolate one I liked -- totally not like me! Off to meet the school bus -- I too have twins (and two singletons). I guess my weight gain could pretty much be summed up (sort of) right there -- 4 kids in 5 years...........20lbs, 20lbs, 20lbs...........great checkin in with you guys!

Scales, to weigh or not to weight. The scales can not always be your friend when losing weight. Everyone fluctuates 1-3 lbs daily from water weight gain. When you are doing the pre surgery diet, the goal is really not so much weight loss but shrinking the liver so when they do the surgery your liver is not in the way. In our anatomy the liver and stomach are very close and if the liver is enlarged it can prevent the physician from completing the procedure closed. In the beginning we all want that instant gratification of seeing the scale drop but for the long haul it is about results and a lot of our results are in inches not weight. As far as exercising during pre-surgery stages, your going to feel tired. Even now weighing 175 lbs it takes about 1700 calories just to maintain this weight if I wanted with little activity so if your only consuming 500-600 your body needs all of those calories just to maintain and when your exercising your body goes into starvation mode and holds onto every calorie because it needs it to provide energy to all your organs. Remember your heart is muscle and it needs protein also. Maybe taking a short walk in the evenings once or twice would be good but make it a nice walk, time to relax and center your self. Listen to relaxing music and prepare yourself mentally for the journey ahead. Your dedication to the pre-surgery diet will prepare you for the focus you need once your surgery is completed. Proud of you, you are doing great, the day is closer, only one week left.

The difference between a restrictive WLS and a malabsorbtion WLS..(IN MY OPINION) is that initially you will lose weight during the first 18mnths relatively easy with a malabsortion WLS ...even if you are not learning new eatting habits. With the Band you must begin to learn new eatting habits from the beginning...it takes a period of time to get to a "sweet spot" and during this time you must diet to lose weight. After the first 18mnth "honeymoon" period I've noticed that with the malabsorbtion WLS weight gain happens with some people because they never changed the things they were eatting...except for maybe the exclusion of sweets because of the dumping syndrome experienced. The band can be a slow process but IMO a better result in the longrun because it can be tweeked forever and when weight loss slows you can evalutate if it's because of wrong choices or needing a adjustment. It seems there is a window of opportunity with malabsorbtion WLS and if you don't learn new habits during this initial window the weight WILL come back on. For this reason I am glad I chose the Band.. I may have lost more weight with another surgery by this point but I feel I have learned better eatting habits and have a tool that I can adjust for a lifetime if need be.

It took me a lot of years to figure out that I never knew how to do the " 5 pounds to play with " thing. I can do that now. I live in Southern California and love going to Disneyland ! All sorts of very not weight loss friendly foods - but there are healthier choices that can be made - and not just salads. There are really good soups in some locations, I am a fan of their corn chowder (vegetarian) and one of the Mexican places makes a yummy grilled half chicken plate that I share with my adult daughter ! I pick my treats and plan on having what I really want, whether it is ice cream or something else..... and if I gain a pound or so... then I know how to take it off over the next week. I weigh myself every morning... so that I can figure out what the heck I did or did not do in the couple days earlier to deserve weight gain, or loss. For me, I don't use much salt. And a meal out .... even a nice salad; can put pounds on me. Took me a long time to figure that out. A diet frozen dinner with less than 300 calories will do it too. Those are full of sodium and it does it every time. I cook with a lot of fresh home grown herbs - getting ready to plant my spring garden - will do lots of lettuces and baby carrots, radishes and beans and peas.... later in the spring will plant cucumbers and tons of heirloom tomatoes for the hot hot summer. Find the things that make you happy, that make your body strong and healthy and take good care of yourself !

You and I are very close on our stats. When is your surgery? I want to get to 135 minimum. If it goes lower, great. I have an appointment for my 5th monthly weigh in on the 10th of 6 required by my insurance. Almost there. I go from 205-211lbs each weigh-in. I have been told to not lose anything because I am borderline bmi. But after that last weigh in and the insurance approves me I plan to do a two week liquid diet until surgery. I want to kick it off with a few lbs lost pre op at least and get myself used to liquids only. Been saying goodbye to some foods I feel I may miss. Idk they all say you change what you like after surgery. I am so excited though to get started. My friend at work is over 3 months post op now and is down 50lbs. That would make me so happy to be down that much in 3 months. That means by October for Halloween I would be about 150lbs and I can celebrate by buying a cute costume and feel good in it. I want to work hard and achieve my second mini goal to be at 140lbs or less by January for new years and goal by my birthday in February. But we will see. Everyone is so different. I'm going to follow my plan and see what my body does. I've started going through my massive clothing collection that ranges from size 10 to 16. I've quit smoking. I drink water and tea all day. I've joined a gym and I am trying to be committed to going but with my schedule it is tough. I work 6-2 /9-5/2-10/12-8/10-6/8-4. You name it. I work it. And it's different every week. I'm a front end manager for my Smiths grocery store. After I lose the weight I think I would like a career change. I feel like it's contributing to my weight gain. All the inconsistent hours. Anyways, sorry for going on and on. Just getting excited. Lol

I am on Medicare and also had my sleeve in 2017. I did not have to do any of the stuff I did the first time they just scheduled my surgery. I also was at original goal so if you have weight gain ect I am not sure how that would work. BTW I still have acid a month out of revision and I am not the only one their are others in this forum that still have it after revision. Good luck.

Thank you for the reply. Even though I had a some weight gain, I still fit in my clothes which is a good thing. I am getting back on track in terms of getting back to the basics. One thing I realized is that basically nothing I was told by my surgical staff/team is true. The hunger hormone disappeared for about two months post op and returned after that. For me hunger is real. In the beginning, I lived by 4 ounces religiously for about 6 months. No one told me that my sleeve capacity would increase. It's almost like I can eat a full meal now, kind of hard to explain. Overall I am still happy and I am getting compliments from people who I haven't seen in a while which is good. No one has said I look "sickly" which I guess is a positive thing. I do have an abundance of stress in my life which I need to turn into positive energy such as upping my exercise regimen.

There are a couple of reasons for my weight gain, but I suspect the biggest one is the slippage. My pouch is larger than it should be and not having it checked last year just made the weight gain worse. On top of that, a couple of years ago I underwent infertility treatment and gained about 25 lbs from the hormone injections. I am looking forward to getting back on track and getting this weight off once and for all.

I am one of ones here that can honestly remember being both skinny at 5'9" 112 pounds---I was skin and bones, not much muscle---just skinny. It was not intentional---it is how I was. I ate everything in sight, and never gained an ounce. I fought like crazy to gain up to 123 pounds so my wedding gown fit! Then I had a baby---and for the first time ever I gained weight. I went home in jeans I wore before the baby. But it soon ended! When I stopped nursing, I was hospitalized for a mastitis infection that hit my blood stream and caused sepsis---I gained 80 pounds in 3 months time! Seriously! I was not eating different. It was extreme! From there I went through bad marriage, abuse, and more serious weight gain! Ironically---some of it totally intentional! (shaking head at self here!!!) Before long, the weight was totally out of control. I could lose pretty well, but it would not stay off. Then it got to where losing so much as a pound took weeks of HARD work---and even then any semblence of normalcy and it come back! I found myself facing very close to 300 pounds, and being morbidly obese. In the time since being banded, I have had to have most of my thyroid removed, and in the medical processes for that, I learned that the inability to gain when I was younger was my first sign of thyroid trouble----and the hormone change of pregnancy, and sudden cessation of nursing, flipped the switch he said from hypo- to hyper thyroidism. Not an excuse, but an explanation---it was pretty scary to be young and out of control like that. But with no insurance, I had no real options for figuring things out. Both extremes, as well as the years I spent in the middle, at a normal weight are both well in my mind, and I can say without a doubt....no questions ask--------morbid obesity brought with it much, much more personal heartache, peoples cruel comments, and open disgust from not only yourself, but even medical personel! I do remember being told I needed to gain a few pounds--by assorted relatives I seldom saw and a Dr. None of which saw me eat! More people by far were envious of how I could eat without consequences---and for the most part I ate healthy enough, just more than you would imagine for remaining so bony! My hip bones jutted out so far, I would have to sew the front pockets of my jeans closed, because the white pocket was forced out and showed! I could have ---not based on looks, but on build---beenon any magazine cover with todays stars....I was EXTREMELY thin---I referred to myself as skinny. The word did not bother me then, nor does it now. None of it compares to morbid obesity. I do not mean to be argumentive Jachut----but as I went up the scale--it got worse the higher I got. The heavier I got, the more invisible I got to parts of society, and the more others thought they could say hateful things without issue! Every single thing you have health wise, is an easy call for a Dr. It is all due to your weight! Until you have felt/heard others talk about you based on nothing but your weight...had a room fall silent when you walked in, simply because they were staring, then jerking their heads away---seen them share looks with who they were with--or been "mooed" at, (and these just a few among many, many ways people find to be cruel) morbid obesity has not touched your life. These did not all happen to me, but I have read about them right here at LBT. I have read the pain involved in each of the situations---and experienced similar things personally, or similar enough situations to know the shame, the hurt, and even the anger they invoked. Should I have gotten control much earlier, of course! I am willing to bet most of us by far wish we had found help before reaching the morbidly obese category. For many of us it didn't come until further down the path of obesity though. Depression, lack of funds, lack of availability all figure into the issue--but having seen and lived from one end of the spectrum to the other----I do believe that unless one has lived and experienced morbid obesity, it is hard to understand or explain. I also believe it is hard to explain to someone in that position (obesity in general) how much better life is, or how much better they will FEEL---at a normal healthy weight. I am quite sure it is difficult for both to see or understand the other --obese vs. thin- without ever walking in those shoes. I think we all want to be accepted where we are--not just at where we want to be. Whether we all strive to be a perfect BMI, or if we are happy elsewhere, if we are working hard where we are, or if we have arrived at goal, and are thrilled with the newfound freedoms of not trying to lose weight still, we all just want to be accepted and have our efforts recognized. Belittling one another, whichever direction it goes is really kind of sad, and usually indicates an unhappiness in ourselves. My experiences show that people usually tear others down in an effort to build themselves up. Maybe the next LBT banner needs to be our own Dove commercial---but without me!!!! LOL Kat

In theory there shouldn't be any "cheat" foods. With a sleeve you are only restricting the amount of what you eat, not what you eat. If you are having problems digesting a certain food, after a bit of time, you should be able to eat them. I would never deny myself something that I really wanted, that's the easiest way to fail. Denying yourself then giving in, leads to guilt, guilt leads to more eating, more eating leads to weight gain. Eating healthy 99% with an occasional treat, is just fine and is a sensible approach. Your sleeve will let you know when you've gone overboard.

I have never heard eating too little can cause weight GAIN. A stall yes. But if your eating too little how are you able to gain fat ?

Diane: Keep us posted! and BTW folks, Diane looks AwESOME!!!!!!! even with her weight gain, she is still a hawtie (we have the same doc, and I just ran into here when I finally had my tiny unfill)

I had my sleeve surgery Jan 14, compared to others only lost 100lbs so already felt like a failure, now in the last 8 mths have put on 20lbs and just don't know where to start to head back in the right direction. I feel so alone and depressed but know I don't want to go back to my pre surgery weight. Is this my fault - absolutely it is.. Although I still have great restriction I sometimes don't eat the right foods and thus weight gain.. Any advise on a good starting point to get back on track would be most appreciated.. Many thanks

I think this is the hard part about me losing the weight.. Part of me likes being invisible. I don't like entering the potentially attractive world. Last time I lost weight I was picked up on! I was giddy happy I couldn't believe it!! (Oh I'm married so it doesn't matter) He was so handsome! I went home and binged? I hate my fat self but I'm scared of my small self. Is that why I've always regained? This is me!!! Laura I have told you before how much I like you and can identify with your personally. (I don't show it here online much) back to being invisible even on here. I'm a binge eater a sneak eater and am ashamed! Over the holiday I struggled more than I want to admit! The site is a life line in away. I read and post some but still hide. I read and it helps me learn how to deal with my addiction... Here's me..... My sister and I were raised by our Dad. He was a wonderful dad! Never remarried only had a handful of girlfriends in the last 30 years since our mother was murdered back in 83'. Our dad was a great provider for us. He was a hard worker and came to all our sports games. I was never a skinny kid like my sister but I was never fat also. I was a solid kid I played sports I was active. I ate like a pig. In the summers we would go to Nebraska and spend the summers with our mothers side of the family. They spoiled up with treats. I ate like a piggy but my sister not so much. My grandmother cooked A LOT she always made us finish our food. Heaps of bacon eggs waffles with lots of syrup "My fav!!" candy cookies cakes homemade treats ect. I was always the first done and the only going back for more. I remember one summer at our aunts I ate 2 boxes of lucky charms for breakfast with almost a whole gallon of milk. I was cut off then in the mornings at two bowls of cereal. As I grew up I learned to cook for my sister dad and I. I was in control of my/our food habits. I like sweet foods and processed foods so that's what we ate mostly. I baked cakes, cookies, brownies, sticky buns ect.. (as I write this it's raising my demons)!! We ate whatever we wanted. I loved it then. Our dad did cook for us also good meals but he was also working like a dog trying to raise two teenage girls. Anyway.... I gain weight to hide myself. I was always a "thick" athletic girl. Always the bigger girl. I never had or wanted a boyfriend until a few weeks before I graduated high school I never wanted to be noticed. I met my husband when I was 19 and I had lost 40 pounds after high school. I teased him about tricking him with being skinny and then being fat. He has never cared either way after 13 years together 12 married he still rubs my big body with the love reflected in them. I really started to gain just about a year after we married. He was military and we always had party's and hosted huge dinners for the soldiers who stayed for the holidays. The unwanted attention started. I was appalled that "I was getting hit on in my own home" they said it was my fault. My husband never believed it. But in order to "protect" myself I gained. I would wake up 2 or 3 times in the middle of the night and eat cereal huge bowls then pass out only to wake up again and crave more. I always hid it from my husband I was ashamed. I would buy cakes form the store and eat it in my car right after I ate fast food. It got to a point where when asked to get me a piece cake I got a whole cake. He didn't want to piss me off! After gaining a huge amount I lost and gained for years and years after all that been a struggle ever since. I quit caring what I looked like or how I felt. After hitting my all time HW at 278 while pregnant I was ok with it. Weird I know. I lost it and gained again a few times in the 2 years after our son was born via IVF. (that's a whole different thread for me) It also contributed to my weight gain in 2010, the meds messed me up. I hit my HW again this January and realized I wasn't able to PLAY with my son. I couldn't keep up. I couldn't run and chase him daddy had to. I was miserable and I hated myself and resented my husband for being able to move the way he did. I took charge again, I still have good days and bad like I always have. I still want to binge I almost stopped while writing this to look for sweets. Anyway I just went on and on and probably missed the point of the thread but I wanted to get it out. Sorry

Funny I read this thread. I woke up this morning and the scale showed I gained back the 6lbs I lost for my pre-opt diet. At first I was WTF?! Then I remember my cycle is less then a week away. A big weight gain before The Curse is normal for me. As soon as my period starts my weight go back down. It goes down quicker if I take water pills though.

Apnea should definitely count as a comorbodity. Also you might want to talk to your PCP and see if you have anything else going on. Lots of people have comorbidites and don't know it. I had early onset osteoarthritis, and had no clue... I just got a gritty sensation when I turned my head on humid days. I would throw in your BP and diabetes, too, because those will be costly to insurance in the long run. At your height, 218.5 lbs will put you at a BMI of 40. What has your weight gain looked like in the past few years? E.g. do you have a trend of gaining about 10 lbs a year or anything? You could also "project" (as long as you have history to back it) a likely timeframe when your BMI will reach 40, and include that info. It won't win you an appeal, but every little nudge in your favor helps. You can also see if your PCP could write you a letter explaining adjusted BMI. BMI really is a crock of poop. By any BMI stnadards, weightlifters with under 10% body fat are still "obese" because they're heavy. "Modern" BMI charts account for your age, gender, and build as well. One of my co-workers is very tall and lanky, "beanpole" if you will, and weighs around 200 and is categorized as "obese" and wears a 34" waist. Sigh...

Wheetsin, thank you for all the great suggestions! It had crossed my mind this morning that I could possibly get my Internist to maybe help me push on this since she was very supportive of me taking this path for help when I mentioned to her. And, of course she has the records of all my bloodwork, etc. We have been struggling for the past two years trying to find a cholesterol medication that would work for me which might could help too. The weight gain, in spite of multitudes of attemtpts to get it down, has been steadily going to up by 6-10 lbs every year. It's simply in my genes. My brother got sleeved last July and he just looks great and is so much happier, energetic, and healthy.

That sounds so amazing!! That is how I want to feel!! I'm scheduled for surgery Oct 7 and I feel your joy in your words. I would like to know is it easy to gain weight back? If you can gain does that mean you need a fill? I read a lot about weight gain and I'm just trying to still to figure it all out. Thanks so much!! Keep up that great work you inspire me!