Search the Community

I am a Botox junkie and I can answer any questions you have about it. I stopped doing it about a year ago and just had it done for the first time two weeks ago because like yourself I had some concerns about my face. I have kept the fullness in my cheeks but I just didn’t feel pretty. So I have 54 units stuck in my face. In fact just today they sent me a buy one get one free coupon for fillers so that will be my next task although I will say after the Botox I look pretty freaking good relative to how I did before. Very very happy with the results. I say, if it feels good - do it! I think you should stop reading the horror stories about weight gain. Everybody is so different. Celebrate those 60 pounds and don’t worry about them coming back but of course you need to stay mindful of your caloric intake just like the rest of us do. It’s not a problem till it’s a problem right?

Sorry for the late post! I have gained 2 pounds on the scale but do not think it is real. Not possible LOL. So technically I am 228 but I think without water weight gain I am still 226.

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.

hi everyone - Three weeks out. Yesterday one one of my incisions started oozing yellow. I had a small green spot on the scab as of last week. I messaged my care team. I have a feeling it is infected. It looked wonky since the start and they told me at my last appt it looked fine. All my others are nearly gone now. Still dealing with the seriously itchy welts from the Lovonox allergy. They have not gone away or gotten smaller. I have one 2-4 inches in diameter every place I injected for the first two weeks. Literally covered in then. Between weeks 2-3 I only lost half a pound (I only weighed Sunday). Either the stall came early, or all the Benadryl and swelling from my rash is keeping me from loosing (Benadryl can cause weight gain when taken over time, and I was taking it 3-4x per day for a week). Pretty down about everything. I feel like I am missing a chance for major weight loss and just ridiculously uncomfortable.

I had lost 12 or 13 lbs, I believe, before surgery. And of course post-surgery, it's very frustrating to get on the scale and note that you have gained weight (or at least I did) from the gas and the fluids I received IV during hospitalization. It took me at least five days to get rid of that and I am not 'counting' the weight gain...it was a pause in progress, really. Since surgery, though, I've lost 8 more lbs, and I'm feeling pretty darned cheery about that! Best, Deb WS

@@Cognorati001, I was always a "normal" size. I didn't gain my weight until I had my daughter & was diagnosed with thyroid disease (which also contributed to my weight gain)-I was 30. I managed to lose weight again but it only last for a couple years. I spent almost 12 years overweight before I decided on the surgery. I thought since I spent half of my life with no weight issues, it would be easy to return back, especially since I'm married. I do struggle with it some days-especially when I get attention from men. I would encourage you to speak to a therapist. Life doesn't miraculously get better with weight loss. It can definitely help. I am over the moon excited & wouldn't change a thing but...... It is a new normal and you have to learn how to live in your new skin. Best wishes.

I wanted to share a note about weight gain during the surgery. As a few posted before, the fluid from surgery makes you GAIN weight when you get it, so don't be sad or look at the scale for a while! I knew I would gain fluid, also since I missed a few doses of diuretic meds during/after the surgery. I gained TWELVE POUNDS when I got home- and this is after almost no calories for two days! So far I have lost two of those pounds (TMI- peed them right out, ha ha). It will take some time for the rest of the liquid to go away- I can feel a lot of it in my gut, etc. Even more TMI- my main incision (I have five- the big one is right above my bellybutton) is definitely worse than the others, and last night there was a lot of bloody drainage out of it. Hopefully this is normal, and it seems to have calmed down. Not fun cleaning that off the floor through :rolleyes2: I'm sure this happens to a lot of other people, so I think we should just not look at that scale (or realize it's all fluids!). I have to say I think I have more pain than some others on here, along with a killer headache- I think maybe it's just the different ways we are affected by surgery, and how much they have to dig in there to do the surgery. I have to take two vicodin every four hours just to manage. I found that instead of grinding them and putting them into a spoonful of yogurt, it actually tasted way less bad to just chew them a bit and swallow with water. It is lovely here in MI today so I walked outside, slowly, for half a mile. Being outside was a relief! I hope the rest of you are doing well!

I told less people than that, I do not think that is silly at all. For me it's not so much about the weight gain or loss, it's about the food policing I'll get, or the constant: "So how much have you lost?" Or if something happens and I need it removed, I don't want anyone to know about that, either. In all other aspects of my life I'm pretty much an open book, but this one I'm keeping shut tight.

Suzzzie I can relate to your weight gain. I have not lost any weight in such a long time. I have gained just a little bit of weight and it is so hard to take off. I am not exercising so I know that is one of my problems. I do not choose all the right food. I like junk food too much especially chocolate. I am at a point now that I almost wish I did gastric bypass. I don't feel like I will ever get to my goal weight. I realize that the band is just a tool. I need a little butt kicking around here. I don't even look like I have really lost any weight. I can still fit into all my clothes from pre-surgery. I am down 40 pounds and that is it. I hope your puppy gets better. My two cats has or had a case of fleas and it seems they will never stop scratching.

I used to diet in preparation for occasions: weddings, graduations, reunions, summer season. The eating plans would start after my January birthday and I would follow strictly for a set period of time. I always considered this way of eating to be 'temporary', and that meant my efforts, results, successes were also 'temporary'. I am a regular at the gym, 4-5 times a week. I have made friends there and have been supported and accountable to them, and them to me. Including instructors. Though, I am clearly the heaviest one in the group. These people have seen me lose weight, gain weight, continue to come to the gym regardless of my size. Recently, one of these people, who has had weight loss success herself, said to me, "I am concerned that we have not been seeing you lose weight even though you are here all the time. In fact, I think maybe you have gained some?" I know her intent was to help and support, and that is the spirit in which I took her comment. But having it out there, said aloud, is exactly like seeing a photograph of yourself. The reality is harsh. The comment was not the catalyst, though. Just one of several things I have taken notice of recently (in the last year). I have noticed that several exercises are uncomfortable or impossible for me to do because my belly is in the way. My ankles and knees and hips are less forgiving and are often exhausted after exercise (which is regular) and I find that I am in some pain (not the good pain) daily. And at my last annual physical exam with my doctor, I have been asked to regularly monitor my blood pressure. I have not yet been diagnosed or medicated for high blood pressure - but I sure do not want to. So, I decided that I am going to do something about my situation FOR ME. Forever. Not for an occasion, not for a while, not until I get bored with it. I'm 14 days away from the next chapter in my healthy life. Wish me luck.

There are a few things that really made me decide to have WLS. I am getting married in August 2016, and my fiance is British. We've been together for over seven years (I am 30) and lived together in the US for three. I was around 150lbs when we met and started dating. I was diagnosed with bipolar about a year into our relationship and my doctor perscribed a medication called Zyprexa, which is great for someone having a severe bipolar episode...but it is notorious for weight gain. I think I gained 5 pounds by simply filling the perscription! In my year taking it, I gained 100lbs with no change to my diet or exercise. I was very active...I played rugby and soccer, and I ate a low-carb and low-sugar diet. No matter what I did, the weight kept piling on until I visited my psychiatrist and told her I wanted to try something else because I was so incredibly depressed due to my weight gain. She swapped me to a new medication, but a lot of damage had already been done. The Zyprexa combined with some of the other medications I was taking essentially destroyed my metabolism, making it pretty impossible for me to lose weight no matter what diet and exercise plan I went on. Fortunately, I am now on medication that is weight-neutral, so I have not really gained anything more. I could not play rugby or soccer any longer because all my excess weight made running EXTREMELY hard on my joints, and giving that up was incredibly painful for me. I still tried to lose weight on my own over the course of several years, but nothing helped, including physician-supervised metabolic weight loss. I visited my fiance last May-June, and I could barely walk into town. Getting around London was an absolute nightmare. I started looking at WLS options on my own, but was far too afraid to actually go to a seminar or talk to my family about it. This August, I went to the bridal shop to buy my wedding dress. They did carry larger sizes (I am an 18-20 at the moment) so I was able to try on quite a few. I found the PERFECT dress, and while my parents and the bridal consultant said I looked beautiful...all I could see was how overweight I was. I *did* look pretty in the dress, but when I stared at myself in the mirror, I kept thinking how much better I would look and feel if I was able to lose some of the weight. A few days later, I mentioned the idea of WLS to my parents, who were very supportive of my decision. I was still very afraid because it is a pretty major surgery in my book, but a close friend of mine had the VSG a few weeks earlier and told me that it didn't hurt quite as badly as she thought it would, and she was recovering quickly. Not only that, but she was losing weight and feeling much, much better. I decided to look into it more seriously and attended a seminar...and I decided that it was the solution for me. I went into my surgeon's office for a height and weight check, and I qualified for WLS. After speaking to the program coordinator, I decided to go through with the surgery and made my first appointment. I will be seeing Dr. Sebastien this Tuesday, and I am incredibly excited and nervous at the same time. I feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I will finally be able to lose the weight so that I can get back to doing the things I enjoy as well as look great in my wedding pictures! Sorry for this long winded diatribe...I haven't really shared whis with many people, and once I started writing, it just kind of flowed out. xx, Polara

My last straw was a couple of years ago. I kept getting tired of buying new clothes (bigger sizes), taking HBP meds, being uncomforable and being disguted at my image in the mirror. I started to do something about it too, even went to a surgeon for the lapband, but shortly thereafter, I had a reoccurrence of cancer. So that was postponed, from there it was two long rounds of chemotherapy. Meanwhile, I kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger... I ate mostly from depression and self-isolation... I had lost four people very close to me to cancer within a year's time, plus I had to deal with my own cancer issues.. truth is, I had completely given up and just ate and ate and ate..like I wanted to die too.. I thought what the heck, we are all going to die anyway--then my doctor put me on an anti-depressant last Christmas and I started to feel much better..even while currently in chemotherapy. I finished chemo this past may and knew it was time to do something; to get serious and to take control of my life and my actions. I must say, I am also completely tired and fed up with wearing out the thighs of all my pants too.. I am embarrassed to be this size..this is the largest I've ever been and I'm uncomfortable, my knees hurt, my feet and back ache and I now have urinary stress incontinence attributed to my weight gain! My blood pressure stays high even w/meds (PCP added another pill today to bring it down or I won't be able to have surgery), my feet and ankles swell..ugh.. I'm just ready to get this party started... I want this weight off.. and I'm ready to tackle it...seriously. In a way glad the lapband didn't happen back then, going for the sleeve now and the process with my insurance company is much quicker than it was before, now its immediate approval with my health issues as opposed to a 6 month wait... Gotta look at the bright side... Thanks for reading...

Hi Denise, I had my surgery because of weight loss but my co-worker had the gastric bypass to lose weight but most importantly it was a cure for her diabetes. I'm surprised that they aren't performing the bypass since your having problems digesting your food but that's why they are the doctors and I'm not Have you ever considered a raw food diet? You may find it beneficial. I've been researching the Hippocrates Health Institute for some time and they have a program I would like to attend plus they break down the benefits of wheatgrass which I used to grow but got away from it among other good habits that lead to my weight gain in the first place. I wish you well; take it one day at a time.

We are all in the same boat, struggling with post-holiday weight gain, old, destructive eating habits coming back, and lack of exercise (other than shoveling snow). First of all I would gently suggest that you may have a sugar addiction. I know I do. So stop with the sweet tea and the cookies. You know what you need to do. I wasn't going to come back here either cuz I didn't like the new app but realized that I really need the support. So I'm back, hangin around. Check out the Valentine's Day challenge. That might help you get motivated. You are really close to goal, as am I, and I just need a little kick in the butt to get myself going again. Tell your hubby that you need his support and find out why he's potentially sabotaging you. He might think that you look just fine now or maybe he's tired of hearing you talk about the struggle. Up to you to have that conversation. For myself, it's the realization that I can't afford to become complacent about what I'm eating and not track my food. Otherwise, it's a quick and slippery slide back UP the scale!

I haven't had any weight gains but a couple of slow weeks where I lost only a pound or maybe 1/2 pound. I seem to average about 1&1/2 lb a week. I battle head hunger a lot too but I seem to have better self-control most of the time now than I ever had before surgery. I do eat things occasionally that are less than helpful choices for weight loss but I can't eat very much so it hasn't hurt me do far. Very sugary foods make me nauseous so I don't want that stuff as much, LOL! I crave a bowl of cereal sometimes so I have a little 1/2 cup custard bowl for that. Cracks me up when I think how much I used to eat. I suggest you try upping your daily calories to 1000 and add in some more protein and also a little omega 3 fats like avocado, egg, olive oil and see if that helps with the head hunger. The omega 3 fats are very important for the sense of satiation and for your overall health. pre-surgery weight 325; surgery date 2/28/2013; surgery weight 307; 8 weeks past-op weight 281.4; 12 weeks post-op 274

Are you on any type of steroids? Perhaps research your meds carefully and see if any cause weight gain ❤

Is squash sugar free? And is your tea unsweetened? Ok well, sounds like you've got all the answers you need. Here's a link to opiodes and how it can affect weight. Wish I could copy/paste my arthritis doc for you. That's where my information comes from and from my n=1 experience with them from my degenerative spine and hip disease. I'm blessed cuz after 155+ lbs of weight loss, I just tuff through my daily pain and no longer have to medicate. Additionally I'm on a cancer drug for life that puts me into deep menopause with COMPLETE hormonal disruption. It causes weight gain in the biggest percentage of people. And yet, somehow I have been able to lose weight in the face of taking. I learned last week I will likely have to stay on it for life. So I'm just gonna try to keep tricking my body and mixing things up. Have you tried Intermittent Fasting? BTW, you haven't mentioned WHAT you eat. WHAT you eat is as important as HOW many times you eat, HOW MUCH you eat. I can do a LOT of caloric damage with a 5inch plate. Just sayin. Maybe you could post a typical day or two of meals? Here's the article: https://blackbearrehab.com/blog/how-opiates-affect-your-eating-habits-and-appetite/

Well I’m still losing weight. I weighed 97.6 pounds today. I guess I’ll just blow away in the wind eventually. My doctor gave me a new medication that I started about three weeks ago called amitriptyline. I hear it’s an old-school anti depressant med that’s been around forever. I was prescribed this for sleep. For the last two years I have really struggled to stay asleep all night. I usually wake up around 2 AM in really bad pain and take a muscle relaxer. It’s an awful cycle to be in. This medication has allowed me to sleep all night. And wake up feeling much more comfortable and have less pain through the day. I also seem to be able to eat better although I am technically still losing weight according to my scale this morning. Some people have reported that it causes weight gain but for me that’s kind of a good thing. I am noticing that I’m eating larger portions now. And I just seem to be more hungry overall. So I’m expecting a turn around soon. I am OK at 97 pounds but I do NOT want to lose anymore weight. When I went to pick up the amitriptyline from the drugstore there was a lady picking up her medications and I overheard her say “is this the phentermine?”. I wanted to grab her and say no! Don’t do it! I took phentermine off and on for 20 years. I Personally think it damaged my metabolism although I may just be making that up. Oh guess what! I got invited to New York fashion week! I am going to this really cool show that’s being held at JFK airport on the runway. It’s a week from tomorrow. I haven’t bought a plane ticket or a dress or anything but I’m really going to try to make it. I’ll share some pictures if I end up going! Thanks everybody for sharing your updates. Can’t believe we are Days away from our surgaversary month! Wow!

I didn't think cauliflower had many carbs in it! That is crazy. Sheryl, I hope you continue to like this guy. I envy you having actual meet up groups that do things. I like my little small town sometimes, but for the most part I hate it because there are no opportunities for anything here. Bill is quitting the job. He was trying to counsel and teach very disturbed kids. One girl tried to kill her mother and one boy tried to kill his father. Bill has no way to discipline them when they tell him to F off, etc. due to the rules. All he can do is send them out of class back to their rooms, which is what they want. The money is poor and he feels it's not worth the aggravation. i try to distance myself from him as much as I can and just go out on dates with him. I've learned he's fun when he has an idea of something he wants to do, or a place he wants to take me to, but I can't get wrapped up in his drama. Jim is crazy in love with me. I don't know what to do about that. He tells me this all the time that it is true and " he's been looking for me all his life." He calls me constantly and asks if there is anything I need. As a single woman, there are always odd jobs I could have him do. I can't encourage him. I like to go dancing with him, but he keeps talking about a future together and I don't see my future with him. I'm having fun going out to dance as often as I can with my women friends, but I'm afraid it's going to come to a complete halt after the beginning of Nov. when I have my surgery. The doctor gave me a prescription today for an antidepressant that is supposed to help with anxiety and sleep, and I looked it up and it says causes appetite increase and weight gain. I will try it for a couple of days and see if I start to have carb cravings. That is what Elavil did to me, and I gained 40 lbs on it. This one is an old antidepressant, Doxepin.

Sounds horrible! Time for the gastroenterologist.... I don't know if its the same thing, but I had migrating pains under my ribs on both sides for around a year... much better now, not sure why.... haha maybe weight gain helped!? Anyway, my doc said it was probably strictures from the surgery... in the right place and position dependent... when I sit and slouch at the computer for hours.... it would really show up.

My counselor just got back from vacation. She called in my scrip... she actually thinks wellbuterin is an outstanding choice except there is a risk of suffering through anxiety while ramping up to thereuputic dose. She is prescribing something else to help with that in the short term. Reason she likes wellbuterin is that it doesn't have the weight gain, sexual killing side effects and is just generally well tolerated by people. I have an appointment with her monday, but I appreciated that she was supportive of me getting started on this ASAP. I have alot to talk to her about. The last week i have been driving my tractor, doing some earth moving, preparing planting beds for spring... and it is a time of contemplation. We shall see if she sees much into my recent epiphanies. I am going on a date tonight to listen to music. I am so unexcited about it... I better get my shit together soon... less than 2 hours and Prince Charming will be arriving to pick me up. I am sure I will have fun once i get there, but i somehow feel very tired today. My son told me that I have been grumpy for 2 days, although I don't think he means grumpy as we have had no altercations/arguments. I think he means that I am not smiling, not full of my usual pep and zest.... that is for sure.

I'm sure it's the Gabapentin that caused my weight gain. I say that because the scale would show a 2 lb gain when previous days, I had stayed on track the whole time. I'd like to try Welbutrin. It's one of the only ones I have not tried. I'm so afraid of weight gain. Everyone that starts an antidepressant tells me they have gained weight from it. A friend just told me she has gained 20 lbs since she started the Abilify 6 weeks ago. I bet I gained 75 lbs way back when I was on Amitriptiline (sp?) when the internet became available, I looked it up and it said as one of the side effects that it makes you crave sugar and carbs. I take Ativan if I am in freak out mode. I don't know what I am going to do now for a doctor since my nurse practioner left. It's really hard to get a doctor around here. They only want to take patients who don't have medical problems. People who only come in if they have a cold or need a physical. I think I am getting out of the hospital tomorrow. Now it's going to become really hard. I won't be able to drive and I can't sit on the couch or recliner. Of course I want to bone graft to take so I will follow doctor's orders, but I am going to be miserable.

Hey girlies, so glad you remembered me lol xxx. I wouldnt mind Scooby if i had been eating loads, I could deal with the weight gain, but it seems I have to eat hardly anything and not drink much either to lose. I will go for a little fill in August to take me back to near starvation, but I didnty reaLLY FEEL HUNGRY, IT WAS JUsT THE ACID REFLUX THAT CRIPPLED ME. oops sorry about the caps. Then in December I am going to have some taken out again like last year, family says I was starting to look drawn and ill, so maybe I'll be better next time around, I think maybe if I just lose about 21 pounds that will do me. Anyway enough about me, well done hunny on your 4stone loss, its really hard I know when you've got restriction, you have to re-think every mouthful, but hey it works!!!. Sarah well done you on going back to have the repair, I hope you werent charged? I only go to Freddyboy or Chris for my fills, they are both so good, and I trust them both completely. You'll soon be falling down grids lol. Take care of you. xxx Laila, its awful that damn nighttime reflux, but Freddy told me after a small de-fill, that if I left it for a month and then went back and had the bit put back in it would give my oesophagus chance to mend the inflamation, and it was quite correct, so dont despair, or m,aybe just about the money lol. Ask for a reduction, cos its not reqlly fair is it. Chris gave me a reduction to 60 euros when I had the last de-fill. And Freddyboy has even taken some out for free!!. Well girlies, nobody mentioned Jo Jo so I guess I have to wait till she replies. speak soon xxx

Thanks Odgemodge and Shoes for your encouragement. Having a weird time getting my head round things. I don't think it's regrets coz I'm really excited about my life ahead, I just know it can only get better as I lose weight, gain a bit more confidence and stop despising myself as much. I'm finding I keep bursting into tears for no reason :thumbup: and i got hauled in front of the bosses today for losing my rag and cursing at another worker. I'm so emotional just now but hopefully it will pass, 30th June seems like a lifetime away. I'm like a shark during a feeding frenzy just now aswell, I think I'm eating all food the for the next year in a week, I'm a chef, so food is all around, ooh that was a Troggs/ Wet, Wet, Wet song wasn't it :w00t:

Your weight gain will probably turn out to be fluid, because to have such serious medical issues you could very well have been de hydrated so it wont be fat, keep up the good work, water aerobics sound good, I even gain weight/fluid when I go swimming I know it sounds strange but my skin absorbs water, if I weigh before a bath and straight away after, with nothing to eat or drink in between I can gain 3lbs easily but its only fluid and temporary and is gone by the next morning. Happy days