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168 today. Didn't meet my goal but am still super happy to be in the 160's. I am still down and made it through the holidays without a 10+ lbs weight gain like a typical year. Onward to the next challenge. A huge thank you to you Susan???? for running these. These challenges are a huge motivator to stay on track for me ????

Thank you all for all of your help. Newmebithebypass, thank you I was completely unaware of trileptal. My doctor did explain the serious rash/death side effects that sometimes can happen to people, but he said it was that or seroquil, and that the people that could tolerate lamictal were very happy with the med and were not overly drowsy, brain fog, or weight gain. I am seeing your post after my visit, but he put me on a single 100mg sublingual dose in the morning. He gave me the option of the chewables and even if I wanted to adjust the dosage, but I am the "slow and steady" type personality when it comes to mental medications. He explained that lamictal originally came out as a sublingual, and that sublingual was the best way to get the medication into the blood. He did say (And expect) some flack from my insurance company, so it might take a week or two before I start it (My pharmacy is small and usually has to order out-of-the-ordinary meds). I will update this thread once I get on the sublingual ones.

Im so happy! I just spoke with my doctor, and my surgery is back on track for next Tuesday 21st! It was a few days of uncertainty and stress with the possibility of having to reschedule due to my previous weight gain, but I proved to myself and the doctors how committed I am. I have lost 8 pounds during the first week of liquid diet thanks for your support, and good luck to everyone on your journeys!!

I think I developed it with my first daughter as I have a lot of fluid retention throughout my body and just the sudden weight gain in the pregnancy yes I've been told that having the hernia repaired is going to change my life around I can't wait😁😁😁

I want to urge everyone not to compare your progress and weight loss to others on the forum. Some of us started at a lower weight and had less to lose, so we are of course closer to our goal in a relatively short time. Also, everybody's body reacts differently to this process, and some will take longer to settle in. Don't forget that we will be in our "honeymoon period" for another six to eight months, so we all have plenty of time to get near our goal weights. As long as you are making steady progress, even with some stalls or small weight gains, you are succeeding! And if you get off track, please reach out to the rest of us for the guidance and support you need--that's what this community is for. You are not in this alone!

cw 247.4 I just want to thank all the people that post weight gain. It shows that weigh gain or stalls do happen. I had no weight loss last week. Took a look at what i have be doing.... lack of exercise. Started walking and went to the gym. This week I'm down 5 pound. I'm now under 250. My doctors goal is 225, only 23 more pound. My goal is 190...would like to see my BMI under 30.

lol.. thanks, but I don't have any. If you click on that photo it will show the un-cropped image which has the granddaughter in question standing with me when she was 6- 7. So I have aged some. The reason I chose that photo is because that is how I saw myself in my head before my weight gain started. I was always the tall skinny girl. I could eat anything and never worried about my weight. Fast forward a few years and my immune system started silently attacking my thyroid and all hell broke loose. I gained 100lbs from the 145-150 I probably weighed in that photo. The metabolic dysfunction that took over ruined my health. So that photo was my inspiration post-op. It was from the last time I remembered feeling truly healthy and great. I should update it.

I’ll be honest I was confused when I look at these two pictures because I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be looking for in the first picture. You look so different!!! I know you’re frustrated but maybe it is some muscle weight gain? You look great!

My husband and I went on a trip last week for our honeymoon/anniversary. I was already advanced to regular foods, and I don't have any restriction. They warned me that I could gain some weight during my regular food and without restriction. I gained 5 pounds back!! So....I'm really watching everything I put in my mouth, truly focusing on drinking enough water, and getting my 60 g protein in everyday. I've also started exercising. Last night I did 30 min on wii fit, today I plan to hit the treadmill. I don't get a fill until 2/4. Has anyone else had problems with weight gain???

I usually try to stick to spirits if I drink and believe me...when I drink I binge drink out of control... It's summer and I'm 23. Last summer free before I have to buckle down for nursing school so you do the math! I do drink until oblivion but I also low carb and I usually drink bacardi and crystal light. I end up in the morning with little to no hangover. The first time I binged after my surgery I had drank vodka (smirnoff lemon) mixed with crystal light lemonade and the volume of it itself had me throwing up the next morning. Be careful with that! I am careful to only have one or two mixed drinks and just do shots along with them if/ when I drink. I also didn't drink any sort of alcohol until 4 months post op. The alcohol hasn't affected my weight gain/loss at all and I usually drink like that about 1x-2x a week.

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 have no clue why this popped up on my phone this morning but as I read first post then second a few more then I stopped reading. I forgot I had the app honestly because I stopped being on here. I had just decided to do the surgery a few months ago, went to the seminar, my first appt was done and I was still up on the air about it. As I started to go through the process, all of the testing read more and I joined this forum to get other people's experiences, see how you all are doing, looked at some on youtube videos I guess to see if I really wanted to do it this time. I started the process three years ago and stopped halfway said I didn't need it because I eat healthy salads, veggies not alot of food, bake not fry and I excercise but here I am three years later. Still weigh the same as when I started, I'll lose it and gain it right back but never go over what I've been. It wasn't my time back then and one thing that I read that I absolutely agree with is that you truly have to mentally prepare yourself for this. I've made my decision based on the fact that I want to be healthier without all the meds I take daily. I can and will honestly say I don't have a problem with food because I barely eat. Which is also a problem lack of eating which I've been working on. I have health issues high blood pressure, asthma, pseudotumorcerebri, and REM apnea as to why I qualify for the surgery because your BMI has to be 40 or above mine is and was 38 my first dr visit. My weight gain came from me taking the birth control shot years ago and I have never been able to go back to under 200 lbs and currently 248 I'm 5' 7". I'm scheduled for surgery Dec 6th and I have my last pre op test today. No backing out this time. I am stocked and ready to start my liquid diet in 2 weeks. Wish you all the best of luck on your journeys ????

I just love this group. I come here for support, to put things in the right perspective, and to get a quick kick if I stray. I think I'm starting to turn a corner. I asked DH to rid the house of the Cookies and candy. He could hide them, heave them, or eat them I didn't care as long as I didn't see them. I also went straight home and put a new hormone patch on. I read that lack of estrogen could cause carb and candy cravings. Not taking any chances. Last night I did something I haven't done in 8 months. I had a 100 calorie bag of popcorn. WOW, it went down easy, and satisfied my snacking urge. I felt better eating that then all of the crap of late. I don't want to eat a bag everyday, but feel now that once in a while in might be alright. I really want to get a fill, but I will wait a few more weeks. I hope the Doctor is at the support meeting tonight so I can ask about fills and my problems with them. I might just have to make an appointment with him and see if he can help me get the proper restriction. I weighed this morning and had dropped the 1 lb I picked up from PinkyLee's loss. :mad: I have 4 more to get back even from where I was a couple of weeks ago. I changed my ticker to reflect the weight gain so I could keep myself honest. And above all else, I am grateful for what I've lost so far. For me it has come slow, but it has come. As others have said, we are in this together.

Hello ladies!!! I hope you all had a wonderful day. Mine was fabulous. I just have to share. Before I do let me warn that this may be very LONG and RAMBLING and at times seem odd, but like any good story, I have to explain the whole thing.... My dad passed away almost 3 years ago. This threw me into a horrible depression. 1 week after he passed, I found out I was pregnant with Jai. I didn't want a baby that wouldn't know her grandfather, I didn't want to bring a baby into the world period, in 4 months I gained almost 40 pounds and just didn't give a rats patoot about anything. My world was falling apart. Jeff, bless his heart, tried to help and told me about this book "The Secret" and I was ready to try anything so I bought it. It was supposed to have THE answer. THE secret to life summed up in 200 pages. Well I got through the first 10 and said, "Like hell!!! How dare this woman say...." I was ANGRY. Well, I never picked the book back up and pushed it all out of my mind. Now while I was packing for this trip I came across my books on cd and was looking through to find something to listen to and here was "The Secret" that I must have bought at some time but never opened. Well, I'm in a much better frame of mind (not great but much better) and thought that I'd give it a go. If i hated it I could always turn it off. I have to say I've never had such an amazing journey as this trip across the state. It was below zero but my car ran wonderfully, the roads were perfect, someone pumped my gas when I went to fill up, the kids got along and were happy. (okay...aside....the kids can't have their happy meal toys until they eat their main "dish" and they know that. Well Nick ate his and was playing and Jai refused. I gave them to here a few times and she kept tossing them aside. Well nick says "Mom, I ate Jai's nuggets. Can she have her toy now?" That's how well they were getting along) It was epiphany after epiphany in the car today. I took a long hard look at my life as a whole and saw this "secret" played out over and over and over. I could see this "secret" in my spiritual faith. It wasn't contrary to it, it added to it. It was beautiful. Now the "secret" isn't this simple panacia to placate. It isn't wishful thinking. It's a way of living and I can see the work that it is going to take to bring about change in my life. But I'm worth it and I'm willing to work at it. So....what does this mean to you? I don't know. That depends on where you are in your world. I would recommend the book. I would urge you to give it a shot, but it's about ME, not you. EXCEPT....there was this part about how diets don't work....because we are focussing on the WEIGHT we want to lose, not on the outcome that we expect. We don't have our eye on the prize on a diet. We focus on the weight and that is what goes...but also what comes back...because it's our focus. If we change our focus to the healthy life we desire, and HEALTH is what we are striving for, the weight loss will follow naturally without the weight gain that accompanies a diet. It may seem like a very minute difference, but it makes so much sense...and I believe it. Okay...enough rambling. If you made it through that, bless your soul. If you want to know more about "The Secret" I highly recommend it. I've not felt this at peace with the world since I let go of my father over 15 months after he passed. Hugs ladies. I love you all. You are beautiful women and make such positive impacts on my life. Bless you.

ok guys, I need help! I am holding steady at the same weight. I was banded 7 weeks ago. I am mostly eating the right things and now walking 2 miles a day 4-5 days a week and going hiking on saturdays for at least 2 miles, sometimes more. I write down everything I eat and I'm going back over the last couple weeks. It seems I get on average of about 1000-1200 cal a day give or take (if I stay away from peanut m&ms!). I eat about 200 cal every couple of hours for about 5 mini-to-avg meals a day. My main focus is to get enough Protein because my biggest fear is my hair falling out. I do take a couple of meds that are on my doctor's list to cause weight gain so wondering if this is an issue also... Yesterday - this is mostly an average day (except when i cave on the chocolate) Breakfast: 4oz light cottage cheese, special k Protein Bar (260 cal) snack: apple (72 cal) lunch: progresso light soup, sugar free pudding (180 cal) snack: greek yogurt, banana (265 cal) dinner: jack in the box grilled chicken strips (4 strips) (250 cal) TOTAL: 1112 calories for the day (also walked for 35 minutes - almost 2 miles) I've had 1 fill but now have little restriction and just keep my meals small. Am I eating too much? What is the average calories per day you guys are eating? give me some ideas of meals you eat? PLEASE HELP! I still think about eating too much. I am scheduled for a 2nd fill next week.

Dear Dave, I completely agree with what you are saying but (there always has to be one ) the drinking with meals seems to be washing my food through my stoma and allowing me to eat more food before my brain gets the signal that I am full. You're right in that water has zero calories so more food was being taken in than I needed hence the stalling and now weight gain. I currently spend 2 hours 4-5 times a week at the gym doing mostly cardio exercise and I don't want to do any more than that right now. I am on day 3 of avoiding water with meals and its very tough for me to do but I have noted a decrease in food intake due to this small change. I hope that I did not give the impression that I believed that the water caused my weight stall and gain if so I apologize to anyone that thought that was what I was saying. I absolutely was overeating and the water flushing my food through was making it possible for me to do so. I will continue with withholding the fluids during meals at least until I see the doctor again in 10 days I really hope that this breaks the stalemate and that I begin a cascade of weight loss. If this happens I will know for sure that the no drinking guideline is one that I will have to follow. Thanks, Dave, for the good thoughts and well wishes, I really appreciate having you root me on and also for the sharing of your personal experience. I'll certainly let everyone know how it turns out the Tuesday, August 9th after I see the doctor again. Tom

There's no telling how many computer games I have been addicted to over the years. Bookworm was definitely one of them! I'm not the greatest at it b/c I freeze up! I'm better at puzzle-type games. Do we need to watch for your to vaseline up or take off your jewelry? :thumbup: OK what does pwnd mean? Busted out laughing at this one!!! First, I completely admit that I have no memory!! Tell me again how you know you have a thyroid condition; has the doctor done the TSH blood test? If you you have hypothyroidism and are not on meds yet, then the weight gain can also be caused by the thyroid condition b/c that's where your metabolism comes from! So if you aren't on meds, your metabolism could be in the crapper! I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism 17 years ago and am 5th generation - partay! Gloucester - you hussy!!! Danggggg! Tell them that they aren't promoting you nearly quickly enough! That's awesome!!!

Little baby Shane Update - He is still in NICU. He has been put back on the feeding tube and the IV restarted. He has gone from 8 lbs 4 oz to 7 lbs 14 oz. They have determined that although he is large because of my sisters gestational diabetes he is actually a premature baby. He does not have a suck reflect yet. If you rub his cheek he does not turn his head looking to suckle. His bilirubin is down which is great news. It was so high they checked him to brain damage. Thank you all again for keeping him in your thoguhts and prayers. He will not be going home until he is feeding and showing weight gain.

Karla - yep have them design one small though - and I have to figure a place to put it.. I have one on my ankle already - I just don't know where I would put it - Yes darlling you have to add a #7 to your turtle !!!!! Connie - it will be here before you know it.... Karla - that's the problem you didn't weigh in when you got back so you don't know how much you actually gained while away - so you don't know if you had a loss this week - since the scales are the same... So hiding your head in the sand didn't help - it just made things worse.. You have to deal with a gain - not getting on the scales after a bad weekend - is denial... Denial is what got us fat in the 1st place. So after a bad weekend of food you have to learn to deal with what the scales says - most of it's usually just water weight but depending on what you ate it can be real pounds - remember it take 3500 extra food to gain a pound.. And it could be when you got on the scales today - you are retaining water - scales are fickled things and our weight can vary from hour to hour by as much as a pound.. So after I scolded you for not weighing in after your weekend - you can't take that weight as an absoult but you do have to deal with what it said.. You need to start counting calories - you give us what you eat but not the calories - how is your restriction are you still to tight?? As for the July Challenge - I think that 1 lbs a week is a good starting point - as most of us #7 are 2 yrs out and we aren't going to lose quickly - and pple like Phyl will lose 3 -4 lbs in a week and not lose for the rest of the month - That's really up to you guys - Karri & I would be strickly maintance... Candice is gone for 15 days and I assume that she will have a bit of a weight gain as she is on vacation and food choice along with adult beverages And then at the end of the month we 5 of us are going to Canada - so again our mini vacations we won't the perfert banders - but again since we are all together it will be an all or none kind of thing - we will all choose to eat good - or bad which ever the case may be.. So I don't know how good a challenge would be - those of you who want to participate can - challenge each other - Maybe you and Steph can have a challenge - See me and my DD had challenges without even posting that we were - I wanted to keep up with her and she didn't want me to get a head of her - we talked about that when she was here - it was never a public challenge and never really spoken between us - it's just the way we were - one time I got a couple of lbs to her and that made her focuse to get the 10 lbs that she usually was infront of me :0) Cuz Gf we are food addicts - cuz everything we do with others centers around food - we don't want to feel deprived - it's a b to find the happy medium... You are even - so that's better than being up !!! I know you are not an exercise girl - but if you would I bet you would see a difference - just a suggestion - try it you may like it :0) and gf it's ok to be selfish !!!! I think it's a good thing... I do it all the time !!! Steph Happy that you are .7 lighter have a safe trip.. Well gang - napped yesterday afternoon - went to bed at 9 and up at six - have been on the computer ever since and it's almost 9.... It takes along time to reply to post..... My mentor thread which I didn't post to yesterday - had a poster on my Dr Bobby thread - the 50's thread - and here and then emails .. I still haven't gotten to my paper yet !!! Well today is nails and food shopping for the week - I need to get my butt in gear.... Weather report - next week we are suppose to hit 110 !!! For me anything below 105 is fine - but 110 is hot.... ok going to go get paper another cup of coffee CBL:wub:

Hi ladies. Just a quick check in. Everyone yell!!!! STEPH GOTTA FILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bad news was the weight gain since November but PA wasn't too harsh since I've been unfilled since beginning of November. This winter has been super harsh. I'm going to get it off though. Not too stressed. It is going to happen. Liquids for 2 days. today and tomorrow I'm traveling cross state so it will be fine to be on liquids. Okay...very tired and back is very sore. Yes, Janet, I know you need to lecture me about the snowmobile incident...but I did ask doc if it was okay and he said it was alright. Okay...gotta get to bed. I will try to answer the other things tomorrow. Pills are getting me dopey! Hugs to everyone.

I was always bigger than the girls my age. As a kid growing up I was taller than all the other girls. I was also a tomboy growing up and was always aware that I was bigger than girls my age. Growing up I was a little chubby as a kid, but lost the chubbyness as I continued to grow, but I can remember eating a lot as a kid, 2-3 bowls of Cereal, getting large portions at meal time but athletics helped me keep the weight off in high school. Yet as a child growing up, I can still remember my Aunt Irene telling my mom that I was fat. Also in High school I remember my doctor always telling me I was fat, but looking back I can honestly say I wasn't. I was 5'7 in middle school and high school and because of basketball, softball and bike riding I had a lot of muscle. I was in great shape in high school, playing ball and running track, yet I always felt bigger. I remember the girls on the track team getting "small" shorts and I'd get the large or xlarge shorts, and that made me feel big and fat when I compared myself to them. Yet I know looking at the pictures I wasn't. I started to gain weight in college and I was aware of it. Walking to classes, I'd see my shadow on the sidewalk and it was bigger than my friends and I was always embarrassed yet all through college I still wasn't "fat" I got chubby. I stopped playing sports due to a knee injury and the doctor told me if I continued to play, then my knee would be ruined and I'd seriously in jury it. After I quite playing sports I really gained weight. I didn't realize it then but that is the time my PCOS kicked in and the weight gain began to rapidly increase. In 1997 I weight 275 and I took a job on the road as a stage tech for a company. It was physical work and I lost a lot of weight. I got down to 220 and I remember going into a bar, being carded and the guy at the door taking a double take at my drivers license. I told him "I've lost a lot of weight" and he said "Yeah, you have." and he smiled. It made me feel so good. After the job and the physical labor, I gained the weight back. I took an office job at a company who had a cafe in the building and I was sitting at my desk all day, not eating healthy and not exercising. It wasn't until a year ago that I went over the 300# mark. It was after I stopped taking topomax and i got depressed over the weight gain. I've been hovering around 335 for a while now. I've wanted the lap band for about 4 years. I tried through insurance at that time but they said no. I switched jobs 2 years ago but didn't think my new insurance covered the surgery. I discovered a lump on my thyroid last year and went to a doctor at Centennial. While looking at the website for Centennial I noticed a link to their womans hospital and the the lap band program they have. I read the insurance page and saw that others who had my insurance had the operation and it was covered. I kept thinking about it but never looked into it. It wasn't until March of this year when a co-worker had a heart attack that I took a good look at my life. It scared me. I'm 35 and I want to live a healthy life not just for me but for my husband. I'm lucky because he loves me for me and the weight doesn't bother him. I went to the seminar in April and filled out the paperwork and sent it in, but they called me the day after they received the paperwork and said my insurance didn't cover it. I started to get depressed and I could tell my husband was disapointed for me. I remember calling my mom crying because I couldn't afford to do a self pay. The next day my mom called me and said my dad and her talked and they were going to give me the money. It would come out of the money I'd receive when they pass away. I said I'd only agree to accept the money if my brother was OK with the idea. They talked to him and he agreed. He said a lady he worked with had the surgery and he saw the difference it made. Plus he has always been worried about my weight and knew this was something I needed to do. So, the next day I contacted the office and set up an appointment to see the doctor. The rest is history. My surgery is scheduled for July 18. Am I scared, yes but I'm more scared of not having the surgery. This is something I need to help me live a healthy life. Oh, I almost forgot, I know being overweight affects me and how I'm viewed. 5 years ago I was passed over for a promotion because of my weight. I almost sued for discrimination and became depressed and gained more weight because of it. My husband loves amusement parks and I'm looking forward to going to a park and being able to ride the rides with him. I know my weight affects him too in the things we can't do together but he's so understanding and has never said a bad word about my weight. I know he supports me no matter what and I love him so much. I want to do this not just for me but for him as well. Plus as an added bonus, he's agreed to stop smoking once I have the surgery. I told him if I'm doing this to become healthy so we can live a long life together he needs to do something too and he agreed. We will both be working toward living healthy for each other and support each other through both our changes.

Hi there. I hope you had a nice holiday! Don't beat yourself up about the weight gain, as you said it would've been far more without the band!! At least when you have another fill it will get you back on the straight and narrow. Ur weight loss so far is great! I think we were banded about the same time.

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.

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:

No problem about the question. I am actually not on it for depression but rather for anxiety which is weight related. I have obsessive compulsive personality disorder (not OCD but sort of related) and I was obsessively counting calories and freaking out over any weight gain. I had lost 100 pounds and had a total melt down (if you go to my blog and go to older posts...i think in early June...you can read what happened). Anyways my PCP thinks it is a chemical imbalance and wants to keep me on them. The anxiety and obsessive behavior was greatly interferring with my life. I was constantly hyperventilating and throwing turkey sausages across my kitchen. As for the depression...mine is pretty much gone. However I haven't felt the same since I had my TT and have been unable to exercise. But that should all change tonight when I have been given the clearance to return to full exercise with NO limitations. That is right i can do ANYTHING. :eek: So you are very much correct that exercise can help with depression but unfortunately for me it didn't help with the anxiety. I wish you the best of luck with your band. I was banded in August 2007 but was lovingly adopted by the lucky#7's. They have been there for me every step of the way...through the good, the bad and the UGLY! This has been an amazing journey for me, which is why I freaked out about the cravings!