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Kat, I keep my calories ,which I am fairly faithful with writing down, between 1000 and 1200. I did weight watchers a couple years ago and it took me ten months to lose thirty pounds. Half of it came back real quick and I fought to keep the other half off while waiting to get the band in. That almost one year I was on WW, was very helpful in learning portion control and making good food choices. I weigh and measure my Protein at most meals at home. My downfall when I was on WW were the weekends. (*paragraph below) Now post band, I have a treat once in a while, but mostly I eat salad, meat like beef, (more often chicken), fish ( tuna, salmon, shrimp, sole or flounder) with a veggie. A lean cuisine for lunch, a yogurt, apple or a Protein Bar for a snack, maybe a 100 calorie pack. I dont eat much bread but I will have a piece of whole grain bread or a Fiber one bar for the fiber once or twice a week and my morning Cereal is a high fiber one b/c the high protein diets can be low in fiber. I'm great at not drinking with eating and waiting the hour but that is b/c I never drank much when i ate, so that rule was kind of easy for me. It seems to be more of an issue when I go out to eat, b/c the drink is in front of me. I wait one hour after a meal and I have a bottle of flavored Water. I actually find myself checking the clock when I finish eating, so I'll know when the hour is up. I get about three or four bottles of water in an average day and exercise with all the trips to the bathroom! I'm trying to make all these things a habit. I figure bodies like routine. If I used to eat b'fast everyday at a certain time, then my body and stomach expected that meal at that time every day. So if I subsitute a smaller portion and a higher protein, lower carb cereal at the same time every day, my body will get used to that and expect that and be happy with it. Same with lunch and dinner and the band is definitely helping my stomach to say, yeah this is OK. The message the band sends is a little weak, (I have to really pay attention) but with more restriction is should get stronger. Looks like you were recently banded. What food stage are you on? Is there a band rule you're finding more difficult than another? One that's easy for you? I see you went to Mexico. Many people on the forum have and loved the experience. Was that how it was for you? do you have a local Dr for fills or are you close enough to go back to mexico for them? Oops, this paragraph was supposed to be in a different place* A long Ct. winter meant not much walking (after surgery) which I was doing before surgery, just to prevent weight gain before banding. I have begun to start walking again, but not as regularly as I was last fall, but managed to walk three miles in just under an hour three times last week. I want to make it closer to five days.

Hi Betty, Good post. I don't know if I would neccessarily call my obesity an illness but in my case it is obviously hereditary. I am the spitting image of my grandmother and great great grandmother. Heaviness runs in my family everywhere. I also know people who are very thin and can eat whatever they want. It seems obvious there is something different in my metabolism when I see people like that. I was thin till I was about 3 years old and then I started getting heavy. My parents were dealing with emotional stuff at the time so I don't know if that changed their meals or what but I also have always eaten too big of portions and I think being on the depo shot for the last 9 years has played a role in my adult obesity. One clinic had quit giving me the shot because of my huge weight gain but I continued getting it elsewhere. New evidence shows that shot definitely causes bone loss, so just recently I switched off of it to a lower dose pill. I think many factors have played a role in my weight problem and they have all compounded it. I think insurance companies should be more willing to treat it as a disease and treat it as such. If I even mention weight when I see my family practitioner my insurance refuses to pay and sends me the bill for the entire visit regardless of what the appointment was actually for. That is very wrong in my books. Best wishes, Teresa

Not neccessarily Read this please it is from Inamed's handbook With the Lap Band system in place, you should be able to eat only small ammount so the food you eat should be as healthy as possible. Do not fill your stomach pouch with :junk: food that lacks Vitamins and other important nutrients. Your meals should be high in Protein and vitamins and low in carbs. solid food is more important then liquid food or soft food. The lap Band system will have little or no effect if you only eat liquid or soft food. It passes through the stomach outlet very quickly and does not make you feel full. Here is another excerpt form the book If the adjustment (fill) results in too tight of a stomach opening you could have a hard time eating most foods, sometimes this causes people to avoid solid foods. They may drink liquid meals or soft food meals and this may result in weight gain. A band that is too tight may cause reflux symptoms and can also cause frequent vomiting. Too me it sounds like you are too tight..Are you planning on having some Fluid removed? You do not want to risk your band or health. Please call your Dr. and see him or her ASAP. Until then focus on Protein drinks so if you do lose weight it is not lean muscle mass...losing lean muscle mass results in flabbyness. Protein prevents the loss of lean muscle mass I hope this helps you

Hi LadyTonya! The weight management people are (supposed to be anyway) registered dieticians to help you in your weight loss journey..I have seen mine once so far--11 more visits to go. They help you make good decisions when it comes to eating..esp after being banded. Endocrinology is for glands and hormones...hmm not sure on that one, but maybe they want to rule out any glandular problems that would cause weight gain...cause then the banding would be useless. I called my pulm docs office to ask a question and they got all up in arms...they were completely unreasonable! I asked them if I could go to another sleep apnea location (same company mind you) and they told me the doc doesn't read there and I explained that my insurance covered the "other" location and ----they could get me in way sooner than where they wanted me to go...doc promised to get me in asap...and the staff scheduled me for 5 weeks later!!!! Ummmmm, no that doesn't work for me! They were so rude they told the person at the other sleep center that I called them, and the new girl had the nerve to tell me that me getting the sleep apnea test sooner wouldn't get me surgery sooner!!!!!!! OMG....so I explained to her that I could not afford to pay out of pocket and as a patient I had the right to make sure that everyone got paid for services rendered. She was much better after that! I wanted to slap her. My surgeon specifically told me the sooner the sleep test, the sooner the band. Don't feel that you are being a pest......it is your right to see that anything related to your surgery goes smoothly!! I haven't been banded yet, I am like you--I really want this to happen!!! Best Wishes!!! Let us know how you are doing!!

another critical reason for getting your protein: When you reduce your calories, your body will burn both fat and muscle to get the needed energy...muscle wastage is a bad thing, especially since your heart is a muscle... So...by adding Protein and exercising, you're building muscle instead. Again, my nutritionists recommended against use of the 'bulking' or 'weight gain' Protein shakes because they have high calories and don't stay in the pouch...being liquid, it runs right through into the stomach, and doesn't provide the 'full' feeling that solid food would.

I am so sorry that you were told by him that you couldn't be scheduled for surgery. I know that would have been the point of melting for me. I have had my share of emotional wrecks through this and yes they should know that we are putting our hearts and souls as well as a lot of time and money into this. I had to take the whole day off of work to drive from Rocklin to SSF for a half hour appt. I totally agree that they need to get this stuff happening up here. As for what I asked, I was requested by another woman to ask how strick they were going to be as far as weight goes. She too is going to see Dr. Le and is having trouble loosing the weight required. Having lost more than the required weight put me in a position of trying to ask without making him suspicious. So in trying to get the information for someone who asked me to, I decided to find out if they would cancel someone's appt for that time of the month. I mean when I even broched the subject I got a really funny look because I have lost twice their required weight loss. The look said "What do you plan on gaining a bunch back?" Having opened the subject I HAD to go somewhere. His response was that they have people banging down the doors and they don't have to give surgery to people who don't want to follow the program. He also said that they would NOT stop surgery because of Water weight gain for that time of the month. He said "we're not concerned with 5 pounds." I am sorry that he told me one thing and then denied you because of that reason. I truly don't think my question caused that and I would do it again because someone who was having trouble loosing the weight asked me too. If it were me, I would call and ask him (or email) if I could prove it was my time of the month water weight gain by weighing in at the class on the 27th would he schedule me? By the way, they are scheduling for late February. Again, I am so sorry that you got denied but I didn't break anyone's trust. I only did what was requested of me.

Mine lasted about 2 hours. Did labs, EKG, told me everything that was going to happened. I was supposed to talk with the anesthesiologist but he was running behind and I didn't want to wait. I asked if they did a leak check but my doctor doesn't unless he felt there was reason for it. The one thing I would suggest packing was Chapstick for the hospital. I forgot that and really wish I would have had some. Good luck!!! Thank you meganmom! Everything went GREAT today!! I love my surgeon, he has the best bed side manner ever and despite the 10 pound weight gain, he told me to enjoy my Christmas and he would see me on the 28th. Going today has just made me even more excited about this life style choice I chose! All I did today as far as tests go was labs. He said he would do a leak test, get a sample of my liver (if its fatty or abnormal) and put a scope down my throat to check it but all that will be done while I'm under anesthesia. How are you doing?

Haha.... just noticed this forum and the requirements to post here... I hit 18 months March 4th, I guess that makes me a vet lol! Current stats: 5'4.5" and between 126-129 pounds depending on the day. Hit my goal at 7 months and was well under my goal by a year. Overall I have been maintaining for a year now.... did have some challenges recently and weight was beginning to creep up... but I managed to quickly ditch those few extra pounds and am back at my happy maintenance weight. I get thrilled every time my husband or daughter comment at how skinny I am. My daughter says she never realized I was really overweight or "fat" until I lost it all. Now when we look at photos from just 2 years ago it is obvious. Now I am a size 4 and i look healthy. I can't go any lower than 124 though... 124 seems to be right where I am on the verge of looking too skinny. Health is great. Sleep apnea is being treated. Heart condition resolved. High cholesterol and tachycardia resolved. The medical consensus is that severe undiagnosed sleep apnea is what triggered my sudden weight gain... and my heart health was what prevented me from losing weight. Now I feel better than ever and feel that as long as I continue to control diet and exercise regularly I will have no problem maintaining. Of course... controlling diet is key. I was never a big calorie consumer.... but I wasn't always eating good foods and then I did drink calories in the form of Pepsi. Most of the time I don't have an issue controlling diet... but when life is excessively stressful... that is when I can get into trouble. That is when I am most likely to not eat right and consuming the wrong foods. I have taken steps to increase access to healthy food at work, which is also important for me. Exercise.... still trying to get back in a regular routine after a horrible few months at work. Doing much better... but still have a ways to go. So... 2020 I had planned to walk the Camino De Santiago (You walk all the way across northern Spain). It was going to be my reward for losing weight and a way to improve my physical fitness. Had to cancel. Then I had to cancel the trip I rescheduled for this summer. Boo! Instead... I am gearing up to do an 8 week hike on either the Pacific Crest Trail or the Appalachian Trail. I will probably do the Appalachian Trail this summer and wait for the PCT. I am excited and nervous at the same time. I really wanted to do the Camino first, because that is more of a spiritual/cultural walk and you don't have to carry your tent/food/extra water. With either of these I will have to carry all of those items. I know I can do it... but it would have been so much better to do the other walk before either of these hikes. My challenge now? Trying to make sure I eat properly on the trail! Just bought a dehydrator and am assembling/dehydrating meals that I can eat so I don't have to rely on crap food available along the way. I need to be able to eat enough calories to sustain me, but not so many that I develop bad habits. Most people load up on carbs... I need to avoid that and only load up on healthy carbs. Anyhow... that's me! New WLS "VET"

It is hard to not want to look at the scale every day, buuuut you need to stop doing that to yourself! It is negative reinforcement and doesn't help the psyche either. Also the 1 pound weight gain could simply be due to increased water intake, I went through that a lot post-surgery two years ago. It was hard to not want to step on the scale every day and see what was happening. You should pick one or may two days out of the week and use those as the days to hop on the scale. By doing this you will be able to keep a healthy routine and not stress yourself out so much about what is or isn't happening. I wish you the best on your journey and keep up the great work, just keep active and take care of yourself and everything else will fall into place... just be as patient as you can

Thanks, hikerdog. Your numbers are impressive, especially the presurgery numbers. My daily commute gets me a minimum of 2 miles in a day. I walk another 2-3 miles during lunch and a mile after dinner. It's been 10 years but I'm going to lace up my hockey skates and have a go at some pickup hockey this Friday. Cross your fingers I don't hurt myself. I played competitively growing up but an injury and the weight gain that ensued has mostly kept me off of the ice for 19 years. I played in few leagues off and on but I re-injured myself 10 years ago and haven't gone back. The new me is inspired to try it again. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My husband has always been 100 % supportive of my WLS, (he never said anything negative but I know he wasn't happy with my weight gain ) and while he's always making positive comments about my slimmer ,healthy body, he also makes nice comments to others about my good exercise habits, and jokingly "complains " about them. Now, if I could just get him to build that work out area in our basement, we'd be set !!

Well thank you Kato. I'm happy to help where I'm not causing trouble:guess Ok I am not a personal trainer, nutritionist or a doctor, but I have done all that I am about to post and it is working for me. I've had lab work done and all of my labs came back negative for everything. I am very healthy. So here's what I've been doing. Forgive me if I seem a bit scatter brained. Exercise Routine & Weight Training Ok, I made up my routine however I did use a Personal trainer to get me aquainted with the circuit machines. My P.T. reviewed proper stance, movement and isolation using free weights. Please feel free to copy and paste my workouts and use them for yourself. Get a very supportive sportsbra, I would get mine a size smaller than I normally wore b/c it held me together better. Try to get 4 of them, that way there are enough to have for a 4 day per week workout. I have 6. Get a sweat jacket if you can. I used to wear the sauna suits to drop water weight and inches but it got to be too costly as I wrecked those suits every week. I use a sweater or sweat jacket and it works great. Keeps the heat in as I run and workout. Heat also allows your muscles to be less tense and more relaxed, so in other words, it will loosen up your muscles. After I run, I tend to get really cold so it keeps me warm. Just think about boxers in training. They wear sweat jackets, with their hoodies on. Weight training is great for you, toning your muscles and tightening your skin as you lose weight, however your weight will stall a bit during weight training. You will be building muscle hence speeding up your metabolism, causing you to be hungrier, more often. That's why I eat 6 times per day. I weight train 3x's per week. Word of advice - if you just want to tone and not bulk up then go with bigger repetitions and lower weights. If you want to bulk up and build muscle then up your weights heaviness and lower the repetition. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. Muscle burns more calories than fat. Food Choices & Food Portions Try to drink 64fl oz to 128 fl oz (1 gallon) per day. This will keep you hydrated and keep your system clean. Stay away from sugar and flour products. I stay away from pasta as well. Eat tuna if you can. It's packed with protein and very low in fat, abvout 1.5g of fat for 3oz. Albacore is the best. Salmon is high in protein and has good fats such as Omega 3's. Lean Chicken or any kind of Lean meats. I eat alot of Spinich leaves. It is high in iron, folic acid and full of nutrients, not like your iceberg lettuce. Iceberg is all water. I will also mix the Spinich greens with a bag of garden salad mix. I use fresh lime juice as dressing or I will use Asian Sesame or Mikoto dressing. I stay away from Italian, Thousand Island, French, Ranch, etc. They are very high in fat. Try to stay within whatever your nutritionist layed out for you with regards to caloric intake. If she said to stay around 1,000 calories then darnit, you better start counting. Calorie counting is a chore but it works. If you take in too few calories, you will lose weight BUT your body will go into "starvation mode". We don't want that. Starvation mode kills your metabolism and will allow you to survive and maintain at that calorie count. However, you will ruin your metabolism and if you started to take in more calories because you are hungrier then ..uh oh. Weight gain with a slower metabolism. Don't go under the recommended amount. If you are stalling on weight loss and you are taking in 1,000 calories.... crank up your exercise. You will exert the weight off in a healthy way. If you are running marathons or biking, jogging and lifting weights in the same day then you will need to up your caloric intake to over 2k calories. You need to understand that in order to drive yourself to these extremes, you have to fuel your body. If you are banded and are filled then you should be able to feel restriction and will know when to stop eating. However, the purpose of the band is to help remind you when to stop. You should be aware of portion size as well as be aware of how much you are eating on your own. You should pay attention to how much you are eating and stop yourself before the band does. I mean, we all know when enough is enough right? I got here b/c I had a bottomless pit I think, but I ate good foods, I just didn't know when to stop. I kept eating and eating and stopped exercising. So review time: Water - Drink lots of water Food Choices - Eat good, wholesome foods with alot of nutrients and low in fat, low in carbs. Complex carbs are better for you. Complex Carbs - potatoes, pasta, grains, beans, etc. Also may want to invest in some protein shakes. Isopure, Spiru-tein, Myoplex are good protein shakes to check out. Try to replace at least 1 meal a day with a shake. Cardio - Put in 45min - 1 hour of cardio per day for 5 - 6 days per week (if you can). Weight train at will but alternate muscle groups. Never work the same muscle groups 2 days in a row. It will do more harm than help you. (If you lift weights in a muscle group, you will create small tears in your muscles. This helps to build muscles as they heal. However if you go and weight train the same muscle groups the next day you will hurt that muscle and possibly damage it due to too much work and stress on it. Give it a day or so to recooperate). Portion Control - Know when you feel satisfied or pay atten to the band. Do not try to pouch pack. Vitamins - Take a multivitamin. I take GNC's Nature something..I forget it's a women's multivitamin. I also take biotin for hair, skin and nails and my hair is growing back after some recent hair loss. My skin is very clear, even glows and my nails are stronger than ever. I hope this helps a little.

Hello All, I was wondering where you guys went? You made a few post in August and stopped. I too had the procedure with a low BMI. I spent 20 yrs in the Army, always on the over weight program. I would lose enough not to get put out. I was tired of the weight gain, weight loss roller coaster, this surgery, I believe is the best thing for me. I wish I could have had it when I was still active duty. I started this journey at 189lbs, my pre-op diet 4 Sep, surgery 17 Sep and today I'm 171. I hesitate to post in the general forums, seem like LBM bandsters aren't received that well. Anyway, good luck to everyone that had chosen this path. I hope to see you on the other side.

Congratulations to you all for taking the New Year "by the horns". You all have taken the 1st steps to controlling your weight gains. We are here for you, welcome back and best wishes to you all. Food is an addiction, we can't go "cold turkey" and be completely off, that is probably the hardest part of this addiction. We need to control our addiction with the help of great lapband tool. Karen

I'm sure that he has seen holiday weight gain before. That said, surgeons are quite variable as to what they expect or want of their patients pre-op. Some are really into pre-op diets and "proving you can do it" efforts while others are not. My doc takes the view that "if we could do it on our own, what do we need him for?" and doesn't go in for any pre-op dieting. YMMV Does your doc even require a pre-op diet, or are you going off of what others here online go through with different docs?

I’m scheduled for Jan 12. I think subconsciously my body is freaking out but probably because my mind is blocking it out. I’ve had serious stomach issues for like 2 weeks. I’m not doing the liquid diet since my BMI is lower but I have gained 70lbs in three years due to different medications and have lost myself along the way. Trying to nip this is in bud and the Dr’s believe this will help with my absorption of medications although I am now finally on a pill that doesn’t cause weight gain. Either way I do need buddies since others don’t seem to understand what I am doing.

I too have a lap band. My band slipped last year and I am having it removed and converted to a sleeve. I have never regretted having my band even though I am having problems with it now. My only regret is I didn't make myself maintain my weight loss when all the saline had to be removed from my band so next week I begin this journey all over again. I am so afraid of weight gain again once I get the weight back off with the sleeve. I am wondering should I have went for the bypass?

@@jaysmm I am similar height and also low BMI. Been slim all my life till 2 years ago when I had massive, rapid weight gain. This put me in a pre-diabetic state, beginning of non alcoholic fatty liver disease and other issues. I have been losing weight at a nice pace, not too fast, but good enough for me. The only loose skin I notice is in my arms, everywhere else my skin is tight. Slower loss can help the skin to stay tighter. As for hunger, I was hungry for weeks post op, till I moved into soft/mushy food. I also had bad reflux that can mimic hunger, so I was put on Nexium, and that helped. In my opinion, for me, the surgery helped to stop developing complications and now my glucose levels are great and my liver is healthy. Hang in there, it gets better with time

So I'm at the doctor...They say I've gained 8 pounds during week 3 and 4! I count my calories and average about 700 / day. I'm not terribly worried but would like any input on how anyone thinks this is possible lol Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App

There are a lot of variables to consider. IMO, BMI is flawed....the formula is based on an average body composition. It does not take in consideration frame size, bone mass, muscle mass, large breasted vs small breasted (boobs are heavy!), body shape (ectomorph, mesomorph & endomorph). If you were overweight in your youth and/or the majority of your life, your bones had to accommodate more weight so therefore are most likely larger and heavier than someone who has been slim most of their lives. Thirty years ago, the general rule for women was a baseline of 100 pounds for a 5 foot woman and 5 pounds for each additional inch. That is an average, but for me at 5'5", I am chubby at 125, where as; my daughter at 2 inches shorter, looks amazing at 135. Before the weight gain in 2012, my natural shape was hourglass (metomorph) with broad shoulders, heavy chested, small waist and slim legs on a small/medium frame. My daughter is rectangular (ectomorph) with broad shoulders, heavy chested, thick waisted, narrow hipped and thicker legs on a medium/large frame. My best weight is 112 to 117 but my daughter, even though she is 2 inches shorter, looks best at 132 to 138. Weight is a personal matter. You have to find where you are comfortable and a weight that can be easily maintained. Listen to your body and listen to your doctor but don't let others get into your head.

Nighttime snacking is definitely my downfall also. I eat a semi healthy Breakfast, lunch, and dinner (only eating 6-8 bites) but start my mindless snacking at nite when I lie in bed and watch tv. Thought about making my bedroom off limits for food. I have 22 lbs to get to goal and I made a deal with myself last month. I'd start trying to lose again after the holidays. Until then, I'm happy maintaining. Hubby also gained 40 lbs over the last 9 mths since he's been eating carbs willy nilly (he's usually an Atkins fan) and also has plans of starting Atkins Induction on Jan 2nd. So while I won't be doing Atkins, I can certainly cut down on my bad carbs and cut out the nighttime snacking. And my nightly glass of red wine - of course while in bed. I'm hoping my eating carbs (not to mention that we recently moved in with my FIL and hubbys daughter. MIL passed away 2 mths ago so we're helping out FIL) and others eating carbs (I don't eat much so I never really caused him to stumble but now that there's 2 other people in the household, not sure whats gunna happen) don't make my husband stumble. Anyway, as I was saying, I know where ur coming from. Snacking is the culprit on much of our weight gain or at least preventing us from losing. And I don't mean 1/2 an apple with PB. I'm talking a handful of cheese Its, a scoop of ice cream, 1/2 PB and banana sandwich, a few bits of dinner leftovers, a handful of corn nuts, 5-10 Hershey Kisses (who can resist the green and red ones at holiday time?), an ice cream sandwich, or 1/2 Starbucks biscotti. All things I've snacked on this past week So on jan 2nd, I will ban all food in my bedroom. That oughta help take off the final 22 lbs (albeit slowly. I know the last 20 are the hardest) Good luck to u too!

I get the B vitamins in the daily multi vitamin which I take twice a day. But in addition to that I was taking liquid vitamin b which was too much and was stimulating my appetite. I am very good with taking supplements, calcium, iron, biotin and all of the good stuff. Including ma veggies and putting some in my smoothies, with moringa, sometimes spirulina, my protein powders, etc Take a read of this. You can also google it further. Too much vitamin B definitely stimulates appetite https://www.livestrong.com/article/488651-vitamin-b-complex-and-weight-gain/

a lot of plastic surgeons want you to be at a stable weight for 6-12 months before getting plastic surgery. Reason being is a lot of us experience a 10-20 lb bounce back after hitting our lowest weight. Gaining or losing more than 10 or 12 lbs after plastic surgery can affect your results. I actually waited two years until I was absolutely sure I was at a stable weight. also, it's good to get someone who specializes in people who've had massive weight loss, or at minimum, someone who has done a truckload of these surgeries. It's supposed a pretty complicated subspecialty, so you want to make sure you have someone who's had a lot of experience with it. Keep in mind that the pictures they post on their Web site are probably going to reflect their best work, so look at sites like realself.com, too. Check belly buttons - those are supposedly hard to do. I've seen some crappy-looking post-surgical belly buttons.

I do the same thing, I am just happy to see the weight going down on a scale vs going up, its harmless and I am also prepared to see it stay in the same spot for awhile while I work through a stall. Hopefully by the time that hits I will be able to increase the amount that I am working out. One of my personal goals is to be able to do a 5k without having to stop, or slow down, before my weight gain I was doing a 5k in less than 27 minutes, and once I get to that point again this big boy will be doing cartwheels down the street!!!!

yes - it would be a huge mistake not to wait. A vast majority of people put on 10-20 lbs after hitting their lowest weight. You really need to be at your final weight - and stay there for a few months - before investing in plastic surgery. A weight gain or loss of more than 10 lbs or so will affect your results.