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The foods that you mention nuts , butters and avocados, but also dried and fresh fruits, whole grain breads, potatoes (sweet and white), oatmeal, full fat dairy, I have ate from day one. Except pasta , high carb food. Are you saying to eat pasta , high carb foods? Of course I have since trying to put weight on. Healthy dense calorie food does not help with weight gain. But that’s for me. Everyone is different. I do need to mention my stomach feels more restricted. I was up to two cups of food 1 year out. Now being 2 plus years I’m down to 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup. Any ideas anyone.

From an article on www.mayoclinic.com: A few studies indicate that large amounts of caffeine — the equivalent of six cups of coffee a day — may slightly enhance weight loss in people who exercise and maintain a low-fat diet. But no studies indicate that weight loss from large amounts of caffeine is significant or permanent. There's also no evidence that increasing caffeine intake alone has any effect on weight loss. Is caffeine an appetite suppressant? Yes, but this effect lasts only a very brief period — not long enough to lead to significant weight loss. Does caffeine increase your body's ability to burn calories? Maybe, but again, probably not enough to result in significant weight loss. Caffeine does act as a diuretic, which means it causes an increase in the amount of urine you excrete. This Water loss may decrease your body weight. But it doesn't decrease body fat. Also, keep in mind that caffeine is a stimulant that can increase your heart rate and blood pressure, interrupt your sleep, and cause nervousness and irritability. Also, many caffeinated beverages are high in calories, which can contribute to unwanted weight gain. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also, I recommend this article to everyone. It explains why water is so important and it discussed caffeine as well. http://www.inch-aweigh.com/water.html

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.

Talk to your NP. Make sure you are logging your food counts accurately by using an online tool like FitDay or MyFitnessPal and that you include everything--even your coffee/tea and "no cal" sweetener and that 1/4 oz. of cheddar you had the other day. (Wait. That was me.) I miscalculated twice last week and went over my counts even though I was carefully measuring and planning. It happens. Stalls also happen. They can be maddening. Have you taken measurements of yourself or written down things that have changed physically for you (crossing legs, not breathing so hard, feeling like you fit into that movie theater seat more easily, stuff like that). It's really tough to get through those periods. Can your surgeon point you to a support group you could attend? It always helps me to realize I'm not alone even if no one there actually knows how to fix it. I would make absolutely certain I was eating correctly 100% for quite some time and still experiencing weight gain before I even thought of putting myself through the expense and health ramifications of another surgery. You know what? You can do this. You went through I don't know how many months' weight loss before your pre-op diet, a week or two or even a month of pre-op, plus all the post-op relearning. You've lost forty-eight pounds. That is freaking amazing. You should be damned proud of yourself. Your hard work will pay off. Sometimes it takes our bodies a little extra time to catch up.

I continue to weigh myself, but noticed I don't do it every day. I do it about once a week now. Last time I was thin and stopped weighing myself I gained it all back plus. I promised myself I won't let that happen again. Clothes aren't a good judge for me because I wear relaxed fit clothing. So I could gain 10-20 pounds before I even noticed weight gain. (no, I don't wear jeans) Yes, if you are losing weight and need to stop, an unfill is in order...between .2 and .5cc. I got .3 unfill and am still losing weight, although at a rate of a pound every 3 weeks or so...so it's not alarming. If I get closer to 130, I'll go in for another unfill. Good luck and congrats on the weightloss!

I actually had an appointment with my therapist today, (thanks to everyone for encouraging me to get in with her sooner rather than later) and after a lot of talking and processing, I went no contact with my sister and 2 other acquaintances for my own mental health. I know I’m going to need every ounce of it in the next 6 months. It sucks, but this is for ME!! I have suffered from chronic Panic disorder since I was in a severe wreck, so when I feel like I’m being insulting, or mean, or anything like that I start to freak out, so I just try to avoid confrontation even if it’s something that hurts me (talk about unhealthy). But that’s something I’m working on. I’m learning quickly the thinner I physically get, the thicker my skin needs to be. My weight has never been a joke per se, but the people in my life have told me my wreck (and 7 major reconstructive surgeries), my hypertension, and the medicine I’m on (serious serious weight gain implications) (125 lbs in 18 months, eating cucumbers and balsamic for almost every meal) isn’t an excuse to have gained this weight nor a reason to have surgery to rid myself of it. So to them it’s just always been invalid. My therapist also mentioned that the reason I’m getting so many negative reactions, comments, and people walking away after telling me I’m an idiot, ignorant, going to be a failure, and am “ruining my life for one year max of looking good” is because almost everyone in my life is either obese or morbidly obese. And to them it’s seen as “not fair” and “the easy way out.” This board has provided more support to me in 13 days than anyone in my entire life. I’m so grateful to have found it and to be a part of this community. Thank you for taking the time to respond and provide me with some more insight and encouragement that I can do this! I know I seem like a wuss complaining and seeking advice and encouragement, and so many people do and have done this “alone.” Thanks again, I appreciate you. I’m gonna start practicing the BCABD way of life and tell people sayonara! I really hope I’m not being a burden on anyone. I know I’m long winded. I’m sorry!

It has been quiet and I guess I've not posted much either. I was fortunate to have someone that was about my age and size that had the surgery and walked this journey 2 years in front of me. I've also been texting a with a guy from our group that again, about my size and had the December surgery. The process is so unique to each of us as individuals that sharing experiences is great, but the drive and passion absolutely come from within. I feel like i know when I am doing well way before my scale says so. I am losing the weight as planned, walking/ jogging on treadmill 5-6 times per week and eating fairly well. When I deviate from the food plan, I know it comes with risks of my stomach disliking it (milk/ red meat) and even having a 1-2 day weight gain because of those choices. I've dabbled with alcohol, albeit, maybe 1-2 glasses of red wine from time to time and have had no bad side affects. Yesterday when I stepped on the scale in the morning and saw 244.7 lbs. I was very happy and declared yesterday a cheat day. I didn't go wild, but I made a small dish of my favorite nachos and ate about 1/3 of a box of whoppers. Didn't feel guilty in the least, but I made sure to get up this morning and put my 20 minutes of walking/ jogging in with 10 minutes of resistance bands. I'm not perfect by any means, but I am dedicated to the process and make sure that with each speed bump (planned or unplanned) that I follow it up with some good decisions to even things out. Fearing that I turn one cheat day/ bad day into 2 or 3 is my drive to stay focused. That's my 60 days post surgery story, what's yours?

Helllo alll, I am a bit depressed now, my friends are trying to talk me out of this surgery ! I am a lower BMI so they keep saying I dont need it .. "just do this or try that " ! ughgh I am getting soo frustrated, I have done everything ....lost weight gained it back plus more !! They just don't get it -- I will keep gaining and getting bigger and bigger if I don't do this. I am the heaviest I have ever been at 5'4 195 # . I don't want to go out anymore, I don't want people to see me ... In my mind this is what I need to do. I can't go on like this anymore. I understand that they're concerned because of the whole Mexico thing and complications and all but I have done soo much research. I just have to stick to what I believe and hope there are no problems !! Thank goodness for this site cuz I get encouragement here just by reading other people's experiences .. Thanks for listening all !

Has anybody with an autoimmune disease had this surgery?? I have Grave's disease (affects my thyroid). The surgeon did not seem to think that it would be a problem at all, but I am still going to talk to my endocrinologist on Jan. 22nd to see what he thinks about me having this surgery. I have done nothing but gain weight since I was diagnosed and treated with radioactive iodine for Grave's disease. (I had radioactive iodine which killed part of my thyroid and made me hypothyroid instead of hyperthyroid.) I am really wanting a solution to my 80 lb weight gain. :help: Thanks!!

This is probably going to come out a little more harsh than I mean it because I'm all stressed out but are you serious?! There are so many people who are above a 25 BMI but aren't overweight, even if that tells them they are. By the BMI standard anyone who body builds is overweight, should they have to pay this tax too? What about the people with actual health reasons (like Vinesqueen) for their weight gain or lack of weight loss? Or the people that just naturally bottom out above that BMI level, etc. I'll actually agree that the cigarette tax has gotten out of hand, but damn.. If you were being sarcastic, I'll take it all back, but I don't get the feeling you are.

Weight loss and weight gain is simple. It's calories in vs calories burned...we all know that. Sure, metabolism has some influence on that equation but every human still has a resting basal metabolic rate. Based on age and height/weight and activity level, it's a mathematical configuration that will tell you how many calories you need to maintain your current weight. If you eat more, you gain weight. I don't understand how a human being can eat at such a restrictive level, calorically speaking, and become morbidly obese. It's not that complicated and even if you had extremely poor metabolism, you still need at least 1,000 per day to pump blood through your heart and oxygenate your lungs, etc. Your situation is very interesting and suprising to learn about. Best of luck!

agree with Arabesque - common during menopause. Plus you said you're on prednisone - one of the side effects of that is weight gain. So there's two culprits right there... Yes - I'd have a chat with someone to see what your options are. Weight loss is going to be a struggle, so maybe they'd be willing to do something to help with that.

Well, my wife has been dieting and trying to eat about the same thing as me. Understand she is NOT banded. She has done terriffic, but the reason I got banded is because I believe everyone can lose weight until biologically we are driven to start eating too much again. I just believe, for most people it is inevitable to regain on a diet because we have in our basic genetic code too many things that work against us. I watch how hard she is working and I remember how difficult it used to be, and it really makes me feel bad. In fact it is down right upsetting. I wanted her to get either banded or get a gastric sleeve at the same time as me, but she just doesn't want to do it. She wants to lose it on her own. Well she is a strong women who has proven she can do it, but it is a terrible thing to watch how hard it is for her. I also feel that she has lost the weight in the past and can do it again, but has also always gained it back. Why can't she see how futile it is without some help? I'm just really frustated for her, and I feel guilty, about how well and how much easier this is with help. And then I dred what I think is inevitable, the biological need to eat will force her back into weight gain and make her feel like a failure.

Hey Leslie!!! I posted on the other thread, but I thought I'd post it here too. Copied and pasted...Well hey there, Leslie! It's been a while. Sorry you are not doing so well with your band. When are you having your band removed? I have heard lots of good things about the sleeve. Might be worth checking into. I miss talking to you! I was thinking about the 5k we ran a while back and how you got lost on the course, lol. Good times I haven't been doing too hot either. I'm still 40 lbs lighter than I was when I had my surgery, but still...I have gained A LOT of weight back. My weight gain started when I noticed I was losing restriction really fast after my fills. They started measuring the fluid and I was losing fluid everytime I went in. I thought they were going to fix my band, but they kept putting it off saying I wasn't losing "enough" fluid to validate surgery. I was having to go in every 2 weeks to get a fill and I just got fed up with it and stopped going all together. I was also diagnosed with cluster headaches a while back and had to go on a high dose of steroids for 2 months. I gained 30 lbs in two months from the steroid and I couldn't seem to get back on track after that. I've been meaning to post too. I've been walking with a friend of mine for a couple of weeks and that's been helping. It's nice having a workout buddy....it makes all the difference! I really miss the support we all used to give each other. Anyway, it was good hearing from you! Please check back in and keep us updated! Are you on facebook? If you are, look me up and add me. I keep up with most of my lapband buddies on there now instead of LBT. georgia girl

Yes, extreme indeed. I couldn't keep my own saliva down. I think that was the worst. If it was just or even if it was just water maybe my night wouldn't have been soooo horrible. But OMG -- you can't stop your body from producting spit. LOL, I was getting creative to make it through the night. Trying to spit out any saliva before it escaped down my throat. Of course, saliva is not only produce in your mouth so my attempts for futile and the foam just kept coming. and coming ... Yes, I'm glad that I had an unfill. I'm not worried about weight gain ... That's the least of my worries. Just happy to be healthy, pain, and foam free. Honestly, after the horrible experience -- these 3 days of liquids only have been the equivalent of eating a steak dinner to me .. I'm happy as can be and hope I never have the experience of an overfill again ....

I am really nervous. I am not eating that much, but have gained 5 pounds in the last week. Am I doing something terribly wrong? I'm not eating bad stuff - carbs, pasta, rice or anything. I have sausage or eggs for breakfast. Tuna, turkey, chicken salad for lunch or dinner. If I have a late breakfast, I won't be hungry for lunch so I'll have the salad for dinner. This weight gain has me worried. Any advice?

Papa - this is a great list. I have saved it so I can re-read it when I need a refresher. I think the 2nd mistake could be expanded to include the need to understand why you got into the situation where you needed WLS - what your inappropriate behaviors were (portion control, carb addiction, etc) and what your triggers were.etc. This may take going through conseling to find out and address them. If a person doesn't figure out what drove them to end up where they were before surgery, I think they are likely to end up there again in a few years. People who have significant weight gain never address the underlying issues. They figure out how to abuse their sleeve and meet those unmet needs. The sleeve to me is only one of the tools I am using to end up being a thinner, healthy person. Best of luck in getting to your goal, Papa Jack. You are doing outstanding!

Before I had this surgery I was worried about loose skin and not having any muscle tone after the surgery. Well I am proud to say that I am a year out of surgery and I don’t have any loose skin. I have always lifted weights and wanted continue after I had my surgery. I am going to be honest when I got back in the gym after surgery I was extremely weak, in college I could bench about 475 lbs., when I got back in the gym I could barely bench 145 lbs. I stuck to it and now I am up to 375 lbs., I work out 4 days a week and I swim 3 say a week. I don’t run or walk because of the stress on my knees, I think once I get to my target weight I will start to run. Just recently I have noticed that I have gained 15 lbs. but my waist and my shirt size has reduced by 3 sizes. At first I was frustrated about the weight gain but I was told that I am gaining muscle mass and it is much heavier than fat. I think I am going to add more cardio to my routine so I can get to my target weight then I will continue my weight regimen. I am so glad I decided to have this surgery..it has really changed my life!!!

There is a lot of science now that is demonstrating links to obesity not just in sugared soda, but also diet. It creates chemical changes in your gut and hormonal changes that contribute to weight gain. I'm a lifelong Coke addict and I swore of soda completely. I would recommend you do the same. The point of getting this surgery is to make a permanent change. That has to include mental changes and if you think you'll just eventually go back to how you used to do things, you'll gain weight back. Commit to change. Let go of the soda. Just my two cents, I know I'm not a veteran but I DO read a lot.

Pretty common sense stuff, but I thought this was a good distillation of a lot of common themes from threads across Bariatric Pal. http://www.everydayhealth.com/news/ways-avoid-weight-gain-after-bariatric-surgery/

My pre op diet is very minimal like broth, and slim fast, decaf coffee, sugar free jello. I don't have a dietitian or nut, I did email my contact, she didn't seem too worried about the weight gain. I'm having surgery in Mexico and its a 15 hour drive for us, I don't want to get there and them not be able to do it that would be devastating!!

Thing is... we all have food issues or we wouldn't have gotten fat. So while it is true that some target groups will try harder and put forth more effort, I don't think anyone goes into this thinking that they aren't going to put some effort into it. Most people I have seen fail any WLS type goes into this determined to change their eating habits and food choices just to discover that maybe they can't do it afterall. The band or sleeve or any other WLS type doesn't do a thing to fix your head. It seems so easy on some levels, get surgery and darn well just change head stuff. It doesn't work that way. You really don't discover just how many food issues you have until AFTER surgery and then you also discover the severity of these food issues. Before my surgery I kinda didn't believe it was going to work. I knew I was going to try very hard to do it but I really didn't think I could change my food choices and habits. I shocked myself when I did it. Today I prefer healthy foods and getting back to basics. I won't eat a burger from Mickey D's, you couldn't pay me to do it. I never thought I could give up fast food but I did. I'm lucky, a lot of people try their best and have the best of intentions and they discover they just can't do it. So you can't really take just those that are able to change food habits and use that as a target group for average bandsters because they aren't average, they are above average. The average bandster will lose about 55% of their excess weight (considering loss and the well known regain for all procedures) by 5 years time. That includes people like me that really seriously changed diets, added exercise, etc. AND it includes those that just can't hack it. Then there are issues of another nature. One problem with banding is that each time you have a complication the fill is removed and you are put on liquids for a time and then solids but with no fill. Esophageal dilation, pouch dilation, slip, etc., it's an unfill. That puts a dead stop to weight loss and actually turns into weight gain for most. Then the problem is resolved and you are back to getting fills again and finding a sweet spot. This is one reason banded folks have slower weight loss on average. Then you have mechanical failure. Leaks in the tubing, port, or band itself. You lose restriction and quite frankly if we could do this without restriction we wouldn't have had surgery to begin with. Without restriction weight gain happens again until surgical repair. I guess my point is that you can't just take successful bandsters and use that target group as the average WLS person. They aren't average, not in the least. We all make all sorts of plans and promises to ourselves that we will do this or that but the true test is when it's time to do it. Then we discover it wasn't as easy as we thought. My guess is 100%. Nobody is perfect with food issues all the time. Some do a better job than others. LOL! You are in for a big surprise. Banded and sleeved people make cheap dates too. ;o) It's also a matter of less food in your body to slow down absorption of alcohol.

I have lost 25 pounds since surgery November 19th. That includes the weight gain from the IV. I have not been 216 pounds or in size 16 pants in ten years! I am not complaining but it does cross my mind that the loss should be faster. I examine myself all the time to see what I can do better or differently. I work out 4-5 days a week for a hour or two . I am trying new things at the gym all the time. I do not feel well if I eat below 800-900 calories, so I stick with that most days.

awwwww....you guys are so great!!! i'm all teary right now, not b/c of what Daddy said but b/c of what you all said. It is so nice to know that "strangers" can be so kind and loving!!! please know that i am very very very happy about my 18 pounds of weight loss!!! I LOVE IT!!!! i was just crushed to know that it wasnt even noticable..... maybe it was just a good 'reality check'??? anyway...i love the thought of not reporting my weight loss b/c i certainly did NOT report my weight gain!!! great idea!!! :tt2: THANK YOU!!!

Thank you Gmanbat! I'll pick some up tonight...it certainly sounds like its worth a chance. My head has been so upset over the weight gain that I didn't stop to evaluate my supplements. Great advice to everyone...