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And oh..you can click on my profile and click on Gallery to check my pics to see if I got to my goal weight or not.... Remember once you get to goal, does not mean you will stay there with no small weight gain...

So much to touch on here and it may ramble but it all has a point so stick with me. 😂🤞. The first day I met my new doc 6 months ago, the last thing he said was, “I can tell who will be successful after surgery by the amount they lose before surgery”. Talk about pressure! Lol. Anyway, fast forward 6 months and the surgery scheduler calls to say I’ve been approved for surgery. I was nervous initially because I ended my 6 months 3 pounds heavier than I began so I was stoked that I was approved so quickly. SS said if I was able to take the next day off work (9/27), I could have surgery on 10/8! Oh boy! First person I call is my husband, who immediately starts in on me about how I need to wait until AT LEAST November because we can’t afford surgery now! Never congratulated me or anything. I actually hung up on him. Then I tell my bosses/receptionist. Bosses and nearby co workers all start in on what an inconvenience it will be with me out. God forbid they call their own patients or check their patients auth. No congrats there. Receptionist is like I don’t care what you do, I just want to go to Vegas for Halloween. 😒. I finally call my mother in law, who is loaning us money for this surgery and she immediately screams, “YAHOO!!!! CONGRATS!!! IM SO PROUD OF YOU!!”. Tells me to absolutely do the 8th. Don’t wait! Go for it! I get to my desk and after 30 seconds of pause just cry because only one person of the 6 I just told was happy for me. I let my old insecurities set in and figure, if more people are against sx so soon then maybe I should wait. So I scheduled it for 10/22. Fast forward to today. I’ve been incredibly agitated the last two weeks. Everyone at work is worried about how my sx will inconvenience them. I went from two weeks off work to one week and two weeks half days to maybe I can work from the hospital since I’m not doing anything. I’ve been binging on food left in the pantry (pasta, brownie mix, coffee) because I tell myself my hubs will be more relaxed if I eat shit and save money these last two weeks. In the back of my mind though I have the doc...”I know who will be successful after surgery based on how much weight they lose before surgery”. I KNOW I’ve gained weight the past two weeks. Wouldn’t be surprised if it was 10 pounds. 🤷‍♀️. So the self loathing begins. “The doc thinks I’m a shit patient for gaining weight and he’s wasting his time working on me because he knows I won’t be successful”. “I’m worthless”. “Why can’t you just make people happy and lose weight?!”. Tonight I told hubs I was going to bed early because I was “agitated” and when I laid down I stared at the ceiling sobbing my eyes out. I couldn’t cry harder if I tried. Then it hit me: why am I letting these people control my life?! So I text my husband to come to the bedroom to talk (I’m a millennial. It’s what we do). I proceed to tell him how angry I am. I’m angry that he was so concerned about money that he never congratulated me for a year of hard work. I’m angry that I let my co workers dictate my pre and post op care. I’m angry that I let my husband choose my surgery date. Most importantly, I’m angry at myself. Angry for letting them take away my initial happiness. Angry for being concerned about my co workers feelings over my own. Angry that something my doc probably meant as encouraging was twisted by my mind to negate everything I’ve done in the last year because I gained weight. As if the weight gain negated all the physical therapy, the personal training, psychology work, food logging, nutrition appointments, weekly classes for united healthcare, monthly support groups and $8000 in money to better my health for this surgery and life change. Angry that I let my emotions get the best of me and ate shit instead of grabbing my mother in laws credit card like she offered and getting the proper food I need pre op. He listened and apologized. We chatted a bit over his fears/concerns, my concerns (I’m not afraid of surgery) and my need to work on my people pleasing. It was cathartic. It was also humbling that I thought I had this mental aspect under control when clearly I did not if I let all of these people live rent free in my mind. Friday I’m going to for my pre op appointment and I’m going to be open, honest and an advocate for myself. I’ll probably stumble at some point in the future but I’m taking a screenshot of this post to remind myself that it’s ok to advocate for yourself and then pick myself back up.

5'7'' surgery date 12-12-11 HW: 265 GWfS: 250 DoS: 238.1 CW: 186.8 GW:150 Today is 3-19-2012, I am starting a new work out regimen so that I can prepare myself for TOUGH MUDDER! I am really excited about this journey and because I want to do everything in my power to succeed I went and got myself a personal trainer! Now this is only for 3 months, so Im making a short term goal! MY GOAL IS TO HIT MY GOAL WEIGHT BY THE END OF JUNE! I think its very doable. Now in all reality I don't care if I really hit goal because I will be doing a lot of strength training which undoubtedly will build muscle which mean possible weight gain or just lack of loss.. as you can see by the fact that I have only lost half a lb since my last weigh-in.. But im not discouraged because even tho im not losing weight i am toning up and losin inches... thats all that really matters.. Hopefully I will have great news come next week about my training.. but until then i leave you with pictures...lol

If you had PMS, bloating & weight gain before surgery, you will still have it after surgery. Relax. It's all a part of the process. In a few months you will have something to compare this against. Blessings2u--BJ

Cindy, the elliptical is OK as long as I move slowly. Walking a lot hurts because of the up and down motion on my neck. That accident is what did me in with this weight gain. I had other issues too but the lack of activity is what makes it so hard to lose and easy to gain. I agree with you that it's better to lose it slowly even if we get impatient. I'm concerned about loose skin too which I already had on my belly from the kids. Even when I was much, much thinner the belly was sagging from excess skin. Now I can't imagine what it will look like when the weight is off. At this point, I will be happy to look good in clothes. Worry about the skin later. A tummy tuck may not be out of the question for me except I am tired of having surgery. A year before my neck surgery, I had my gall bladder removed. Apparently putting on 50 lbs in one year when my dad was sick gave me gallstones. So I have had 3 surgeries in 15 months. Too much! I could play "connect the dots" with my scars! I figure if the loose skin really bugs me, I'll think about plastic surgery. What's another scar? Anyway, you must look great! Don't worry about the excess skin and concentrate on how good you look 100 lbs thinner!

That was a great article. It just goes to show how much some of us just need WLS. I was going to the gym and exercising my brains out for 3 years 6 days a week before I got WLS. All it did was depress me because I never could lose it and keep it off. Even eating healthy foods can cause weight gain if you eat the wrong size portions.

I don't understand how you think that eating pizza and three slices at that is on the list of what you can eat foods. Nothing on your diet that you have listed is healthy. Especially all the soda you are drinking. Soda causes weight gain and hinders weight loss. I think the real problem here is you are eating with the same mentality you did before you got the band. I am not sayin a slice of pizza now and then is bad but no way can I now or before any fills could eat three slices of pizza. If you are just trying to make our hair stand up then you have done your job. If you seriously are eating like you stated then no way would any of us lose weight. I don't see why if you have good cuts of meat that are tenderly cooked that you can not eat them. Some days for me its hit and miss but the days that I can eat meat I take advantage of it. The days I cant eat meat I find other things that are healthy and not pizza and soda. You have to know that those things are what got you over weight to begin with. Why not some cottage cheese instead of meat with some fruit on it. Why not some nicely cooked seasoned beans. Your choice of foods is why you did not do well with the band so it probably is a good idea for you to get it out. If you don't change your eating habits once the band is in place then it will not help you do its job. You have to help. Point blank.

Alex, I have always had an ALL-OR-NOTHING mentality throughout my life..... only where weight loss, dieting, and exercise was concerned. Thus, I had never been able to MAINTAIN a weight loss. As soon as I would lose, and hit my first plateau, I would start to gain. But, my decision to give up daily and weekly weigh-ins has changed me. I don't see the stalls or plateaus as much, so I don't throw in the towel, so to speak. It was very liberating for ME. Plateaus in the past, would put me over the edge, and in the end, always resulted in weight GAIN, because I couldn't handle them. Enjoyed your article. It made me realize again that the road to weight loss and getting fit is NOT a straight path, but a road with twists, turns, and even plateaus along the way!

Has anyone else noticed weight gain after having a skin removal surgery? When I had my first surgery which was three procedures at once, a lower face/neck lift, a arm lift and a breast lift with implant, I was in such pain that I babied myself with food during recovery. Eating what sounded good and not really noticing fat or carbs, then after recovery I found myself up 10 lbs. rather than being down some weight which I was expecting. Then last year when I had my lower body lift, I told myself I wasn't going to let that happen again, but low and behold that 10 lbs. came back. I have heard there is swelling and that could be part of it. But shouldn't the removed skin take care of that weight? I have a good friend who has had a total body makeover and has had this same thing happen, so it makes me wonder if it's some part of self destruction that's deep inside of us??? I am currently getting in the best shape I can so I will be as fit as possible when I go in for my long thigh lift at the end of summer, and this time it's not going to happen...hopefully.

The thing is, I was once a mildly overweight person with a BMI of 28 for years and years and years. I was miserable about my appearance, I coudlnt wear what I wanted, I was fat. Not as fat as I got, but I was still fat. I was always going to get fatter and that's precisely what I did once I started having babies. I think its a real shame that the very bare minimum is 30, but you have to draw the line somewhere and many people with a BMI of 28 ARE capable of losing the weight and keeping it off. Its down to personality types and the cause of weight gain. Arguably, when you've just had a baby six months ago, you're yet to normalise and resettle, and you've had big changes to your lifestyle that gradually can be overcome. But if you KNOW that you really have eating problems and its almost certain that you WILL become obese in the future, then a lapband would certainly be as beneficial for someone with a BMI of 28 as it would for someone with a BMI of 38. I always ate well, but I always ate too much. But if you've gained a lot during pregnancy and its taking a bit longer than you want for it to come off, but you basically eat normally then its probably too drastic a step. If you could find a surgeon that is, Australia generally is more liberal than the US but you couldnt get it done at that BMI here.

Wednesday evening I wound up in the Chiro's office with a compacted C4 vertebrae and pinched nerve in my neck and have NO idea how the hell I managed all that. Guess it was the sumo wrestling and bungee jumping from the week before? :biggrin1: NOT. Anyway, fast forward to Friday, I've been through 4 Chiro visits and been flat on my back for the past day and a half... I feel better and finally returned to work this morning, but dang it's been a rough week. On top of that, yesterday I started new diabetes meds. I've been taken off Avandaryl, which apparently has contributed to some of my weight gain in the past few months. I'm now on a new medication called Byetta, which you have to inject, but the good news is there are very few lows or crashes with this medication, and in the clinical trials, most people lost weight! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: It would be nice if this were finally the answer to me losing weight and I wound up not having to have the surgery. Who knows. At least I know I still have the option.

I have PCOS too. The whole hair thing drives me crazy. UGH. Anyway I saw some news report lately (can't remember which show, sorry!) that PCOS is now sometimes being called Androgen excessive disorder. Apparently since not everyone with PCOS actually HAS the cysts, but all seem to have an excessive amount of the male hormone Androgen-hence the hairiness, weight gain in the stomach area, fertility issues, male pattern baldness etc etc.... they feel it's a more appropriate name for it. Anywhoo that was my biggest worry when I was banded- that because of PCOS I would not lose weight. I have lost over 30 lbs already though. The loss is slowing down now to about 2 lbs a week. The key has been getting that Protein in, and the Water too, I think. No one has really noticed the weight loss yet or at least they haven't mentioned it- but someone last week said my skin looked like it was "glowing" and I attribute that to my water intake....but I've always had such horrible skin issues that they had no idea how much they made my day!

I agree with people who said not to starve or overly restrict yourself. It's great if you are not going to have daily food funerals til September and avoid weight gain; dropping a few pounds would be the icing on the cake, but honestly, you cannot even begin to compare the amount of work needed to drop 5 lbs pre-op vs. post-op. However, I think it's a good time to start exercising regularly, if you are not already doing it - you'll have an easier time recovering and won't be as affected by the post-op muscle loss as you are rapidly losing weight.

Oh Amber... I really hope things pick up for you too.. That is my biggest concern... not losing the weight... It was slow going with the lap band... and I'm hoping that the sleeve will be faster... For me, It took forever to get the band tight where I could and would lose weight and then, I started having the problems with the blockages... Since removing the Fluid from my band... I've gained about 20 lbs back... which is so discouraging. My conversion is not scheduled until August 9, so, I'm a big concerned about the continued weight gain....

I agree with DL. About a month ago I started getting lax with logging my food intake. As I am a slave to the scale... yes I know you don't agree DL.. ha...I caught a 2 lb gain quickly. I vowed when I started this journey that it is much easier to lose under 5 lbs then 190 lbs. So, when I caught the weight gain.. I quickly got back to logging everything that goes in my mouth and upped my exercise. I was excited to see the weight come off with in 3 days. So am back to logging everything and exercising like a beast. We have come to far to see our efforts fail. Get back on the wagon and use any and every tool in your arsenal. Excuses are like butt holes ... everyones got one... only way to get it off is to be accountable!! You got this.

My weight struggles also began with Prednisone. Prior to a very bad posin ivy episode I had been a vegetarian 17 years and did a lot of juice fasting, etc. was always worried about my weight but I really wasn't fat. I think I set my system up for storage big time and when I was given IV prednisone in an ER I gained about 50 pounds very quickly. Then the panic dieting, the up and down yo yo series of diets always resulting in more weight gain. That initial 50 got a companion 50 over time and I've never been able to lose it. Instead I have about another 20 on top of that that fluctuates. I'll never get down to where I was but I'd like to be about 100 pounds thinner. Bring on the band! To the women above who experienced abuse, I am so sorry for your painful histories -- you both have a lot of courage. Thanks for sharing!

I feel we are SOOOO similar. I definitely want to go to counseling after surgery. Just to deal with my underlying issues of WHY I gained weight in the first place. But I have to figure out if its covered on my insurance. I am definitely going to support groups though. My mother has ALWAYS commented on my weight, even when I was skinny! I feel thats a huge reason of my weight gain over the years. And I have always been the same, losing when I am in a new love and gaining it all when Im single or after the honeymoon phase of the relationship. Ugh. We also have similar stats! Im 5'3 and 230!

Pseudotumor Cerebri Details Pseudotumor Cerebri Symptoms The common symptoms are headache, dizziness and impaired vision. Headache is often worse on awakening, and can be intensified by coughing, laughing, bending over, crying, and increased physical activity. Impaired vision shows up in several ways. It can be visual blurring, brief moments of dimming or loss of vision called transient visual obscurations (TVO's), small specks appearing or vision distortions (items moving up or down). Blindness can occur. Other symptoms affecting PTC patients include: shoulder/arm pain, neck pain, memory problems, awkward coordination, muscle weakness, fatigue, back pain, and depression. Possible symptoms include dizziness, hearing loss, ringing in the ears or noises within the head called tinnitus. Regarding headaches: a study showed 92% of patients interviewed had headaches; 93% of those with headaches said it was the most severe headache they had ever experienced. The head pain was described as a pulsing headache that kept increasing in intensity. Another description was a "pressure" headache, resembling a percolator. Seventy four percent of those with headaches had it on a daily basis. Can also experience neck stiffness or nausea. Pseudotumor Cerebri Characteristics By appearance, a person looks well. PTC can last for months or for years. It can go into remission. For those in remission, PTC can re-occur 5% to 10% of the time. 80% of PTC patients have some positive response to treatment. (This means that the PTC symptoms improve, not that the PTC necessarily goes away.) Pseudotumor Cerebri most commonly appears in women of child-bearing age. However, this disease also occurs in children and teenagers (both male and female) and adult males. For women of child-bearing age, there is often a history of menstrual problems. Frequently these women are overweight and/or have had a recent weight gain. Although physicians recommend weight loss, there are patients whose weight loss has not affected their PTC. A number of PTC patients have had a previous history of sinus problems. Many patients are light-sensitive; bright lights bother them and fluorescent light will fatigue and bring on confusion. Endocrine studies can appear normal. Often PTC is complicated with high blood pressure. PTC does appear to have a relationship to adrenal hormones. Things Linked to PTC Secondary PTC has appeared with the use of oral contraceptives, prolonged use of corticosteroids, large doses of Vitamin A, use of tetracycline , nalidixic acid, nitrofurantoin, sulfa drugs, lithium, indomethacin, and phenytoin. Rapid recovery often occurs when drug use is stopped. Chlordane toxicity (an insecticide) can also cause PTC. Other things linked to PTC include: Tetracyclines (including doxycycline and minocycline, antibiotics for chlamydia and acne) Lithium carbonate (a mineral salt to treat bipolar or manic-depressive disorder) Systemic lupus erythematosus Lyme disease Addison's disease (a condition in which the adrenal glands hypofunction) Cushing's disease (a condition in which the adrenal glands hyperfunction) Prednisone (and other steroids, possibly by any route including topically, nasally, orally, etc.) Hypo-thyroidism Hyper-thyroidism Pregnancy Obesity Head Trauma Irritable Bowel Syndrome Empty Sella Syndrome (condition in which the pituitary hypofunctions) Licorice (the inciting ingredient is glycericic acid) Vitamin A or its derivatives (used in bone marrow transplantation patients and to treat acne) Respiratory infections sleep apnea (a condition in which the patient snores and has headaches upon awakening) Norplant (a contraceptive that is implanted under the skin) Growth hormone therapy Climacteric (the start of menopause) Kidney disorders and kidney transplants

Texas give the upping calories a week b4 you judge weight gain. If you were eating too little b4 you body needs a week to realize you are doing the right thing. Then you will lose again. Are you feeling less faint??? Less tired???

This is not going to be your favorite reply. Please understand that I'm not being judgemental in ANY way. I'm at my max weight as we speak. You have to save yourself (and your SO) by losing the weight you've regained. Don't throw things at me. I SOOOOO know it's easier said than done but you've got to try. Has the snoring resumed in the last 5 - 10 pounds of weight gain? Try to get just those pounds back off. You can do it. You've done it in the past and you can do it again. I've heard that some people are having good experiences with controlling their appetite and/or head hunger by going on anti-depressants. Effexor is the one I've heard mentioned recently but I understand Wellbutrin has been effective too. Please don't be upset with me I just want to encourage you to help yourself in the only way I can think of. Spray snore relief didn't work for me but I couldn't tolerate the taste/feel of it. I'm being banded on March 7th and I'd like to believe that the lessons I will learn will help me if I ever have to have the band removed. Don't wait - try to nip this thing in the bud. Best wishes to you.

Best of luck to you. You have made a great decision. I am one week out and am feeling great today. You are about the same size that I was. I weighed 198.1 the morning of surgery and weighed 204 the day I came home. That is normal!!! If I hadn't read about the fluid weight gain before I had surgery, I would have freaked out!!! I wish the very best for you. It is a journey, but well worth it. I have 2 more weeks of liquids only then some very soft foods. Although I am not hungry, I am ready to break the monotony. HOpe all goes well for you. Will be praying for an easy recovery!!

I'd hate to come on here and say well, I'm unfilled and I havent gained so you can do it too, its patronising and not helpful. But perhaps I can share my take on it and you can take or leave my opinion, but if it helps you at all then I'm glad. I've been unfilled for a couple of months now because I had rectal cancer, and had to have chemo, radiation and a major surgery, which involved creating an ileostomy so I have a bag for now. I'm now having more chemo and will have the ileostomy reversed sometime in the next few months. Chemo hasnt made me the type of sick that means i dont want to eat so my appetite is quite normal. I was so devastated/angry/frustrated/terrified of being unfilled, I'd been so successful with my band. But I had no freaking choice. So I sat myself down and said to myself "you're a grown up and you know you have to face the consequences of your actions". I was also feeling so out of control with the whole disease that is cancer, my life was just taken out of my hands and I had a new schedule for the coming 12 months, my job, our travel plans, even our plans for a new house, I've just had to let them all go, so I was absolutely adamant that it would not take over my weight and self image too! I have continued to exercise like always, I run daily, I do bootcamp, I circuit train with my son - exercise is your prime weapon, it is just so important. Do lots and lots of cardio. I follow what I call my no bullshit diet, but amazingly, the other day I found someone has put it up on the web, lol - google the NOS diet or the no "s" diet. No sweets, no seconds, no Snacks is all it is basically. I eat three meals a day - healthy meals, meals that satisfy - I dont even try to stick to bandster portions, because only bandsters can do that! I've been logging calories, weighing and measuring but I stopped, because I felt that despite not gaining, I was losing all I'd worked so hard for and starting to become obsessed with food and dieting again - so yeah, 3 healthy meals, no snacks. That's only a couple of rules. No agonising over can I eat this, how much Protein does that have, how many calories do I have left for the day. I can eat enjoyable food, but not junk. Its really really worked for me, my weight has stayed pretty stable. Now I've had a slight advantage in that I had a big surgery in there and lost a couple of kilos that I was able to gain back, and unfortunately my 3 healthy meals included LOTS of salad to fill the gaps. Salads and ostomates and chemotherapy dont mix - I've just come home from hospital following a bowel obstruction (painful, you dont want one!) and I am simply going to have to cave in and follow the recommended diet of lots of white bread, potato, rice and not too many fruits and vegies - and especially no skins. It freaks me out - all those white carbs - but I really believe with the no bullshit approach, I still wont gain weight! You are the one in control of this, it is only you and you must make your choices. It is as plain as that. I wish there were a secret but there simply isnt. You're only human and you still might gain weight, statistically most unfilled or de-banded people do. But you dont have to absolutely pile it back on at lightening speed. You need to protect your self esteem, your sense of achievement and if you can contain the weight gain, you'll feel better than if you simply give up. Best of luck to you.

I felt like I had a few minor stalls, but looking back at my charts it was really a pretty steady decline. I weighed myself every day & only added it to my tracker if it went down. A few Lbs up or down is not usually weight gain, its usually just normal fluctuations based on the time of day, fluids, etc. I would keep tracking, focus on whole foods & add walking to your routine- that always helped me.

I am so excited I can barely sleep at night! I have always been a big girl but I quit smoking in 2006 and that started the weight gain. Then I quit my job to be a stay at home mom in 2008(9) and that made it worse. Then in 2015 our daughter committed suicide at the age of 18 and depression and stress was the last straw. I now weigh 333lbs and can’t even remember being less than 300 anymore. I am still a stay at home mom and my son does online school so I am basically a homeschool mom too. I am also active with my church. I love to cook so I have always looked for ways to change things up - thus the questions about SF pudding and spices..... lol..... I am so sorry about your band turning on you like that! It sounds like you have had a rough go of it but seems like you are on the road to recovery both physically and mentally! When is your surgery date? Will be sending prayers before during and after!

I think what you are experiencing is normal. It took me about 6 months for my mentality to change about desiring food, even if I wasn't truly hungry. Desiring to chew, taste, swallow and feel full the old way. The lap band changes your relationship with food in my experience. That change does take some time and you will "challenge" the band and not be able to keep it down. Eventually, you will tire of this and learn to live with your band, physically and psychologically. I had my band put in March 2009. I lost 115lbs the first year and have since maintained that loss (I'm 145lbs, 5'7".) Currently, I can eat just about anything if I eat a bite or two and then wait 15 minutes to eat another bite. That's ok for the taste and act of eating, but I feel it's hard for me to get my nutrition that way. I bought a vitmix blender...IT'S GREAT!! For me, my strategy is to make sure I get my fluids, protien and vitamins in first, then I dabble with eating bites at a time. I feel so much better and more energetic since I've began using my vitmix blender. It will liquify ANYTHING. I really missed my veggies with the lapband. I can't tolerate the skins of veggies. In this blender I can put in any mixture of veggies, skin, stalk and all and always a bit of kale, to make a liquid veggie drink. I add a good quality chicken bullion for taste and my powdered protien and I have a vitamin, fiber, fluid, protien packed tasty drink. I've done yogurt and blueberries as a smoothie and can tolerate that too. I thank GOD for this machine. These drinks don't replace all other foods, but they are the base to my nutrition. Everything else is extra and for the act of eating, chewing, and enjoying a few bites of regular food. For me, this works and it quite satisfying and certainly health boosting. Of course, I still enjoy a dilly bar whenever I want one and haven't had any weight gain what so ever. I remember the dietitian saying you shouldn't have to puree foods to be able to eat, that you were too tight if you had to do that. But they tell you to stew, or slow cook things until they are mush....whats the difference? The difference is cooking out all the nutrients is not good. The vitamix blender liquifies raw veggies, retaining all vitamins and fiber. I don't have stock in this company, I am truly just very excited to have come across this. It's very expensive 350-400 bucks, so I thought about it for 6 months before I broke down and got one. Best investment I've made since I got the lap band. I love the lap band!! Us bandsters just have to figure out how to have optimal health with the restriction that has allowed us to achieve our healthier weights.