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Hi Butterfly512, We handle hundreds of these kinds of denials (band conversion cases) so I wanted to share something before you went to surgeons thinking you might have to talk them out of a "required" six-month diet. Remember, despite what you might be told, there is no evidence-based medicine to support these bogus 6-month diets and the society of bariatric surgeons has soundly rejected the concept of insurer requirements like this. However it is quite possible that isn't even relevant in your case if you are having your band removed (with a conversion to a new procedure) because of a complication . While most people only think of band complications as being a flipped port or the band slipping or eroding, there are other complications we see every day, most of which result in stalled weight loss, weight gain, severe reflux and other serious problems. Often overlooked, even by surgical practices whose dieticians are often trying to paint we patients as the ones to blame if a surgery "fails", is a recognized complication called "band intolerance." That means, in essence, you cannot get it adjusted in the "green zone" so you're either too tight which results in severe reflux, regurgitation, vomiting, and pain (sometimes) or you are open and getting no satiety or restriction and can eat anything. Either way is bad but having a band too tight is often something people try to muddle through - often by eating softer, usually higher calorie foods because they go down easier than the dense proteins we are supposed to eat. When complications are present and your band has to be removed because there is no other way of treating your symptoms, there is no medical reason to be forced to undergo a 6 month diet. Think about it and you know the answer to this: how is a diet going to help alleviate something that can only be fixed surgically? Sadly too many bariatric practices simply have knee-jerk reactions about these diet programs which make no sense - they do it because they have allowed insurance companies to make these medical decisions. Hopefully this information helps you interview surgeons in your area and gives you some "ammunition" if someone in their office (or the surgeon themselves) tries to convince you that going on the dreaded six-month diet is necessary. And feel free to call us at 877-992-7732 if we can help in any way, even if you haven't had a request sent to your insurer. Good luck! For Patients' Sakes - Drive The Bus!

I am new to the forum. I recently moved from Wisconsin to Texas and I gained 20 pounds with that transition. I have it down to 15, but I am very upset with myself. I want to be back at my original weight loss weight. Does anyone have a similar story or how to triumph?? Thank you so much.

Hello Beautiful Ladies, This is my first time on any site and admit the same thoughts and deep enter personal true core soul the center of who we are feelings. Majority of us have never truly have ever had truly mixed emotions all at one time. The true core soul questions. We where most miserable,lonely woman when we where to the peak Of our weight gain when we truly hit rock bottom to the soul emotion. That moment we all made the choice that was enough. We might have said to ourselves that's the last time I have the core soul raw heart to heart with our soul and said, 1. if I have weight loss surgery I will be healthier and can stop my meds 2. I would regain the eye of that special person we all love, wish we could love the one my eye would love to love. 3. I would once again feel sexy and not care who was looking at us. We had confidence smile and keep going. 4. Buy any cloths again something cute and of course sexy to be in but would catch the eye of that special someone. 5. We could once again fill our dreams with an activity that we have only dreamed of or was once a passion once before Now that we have had the surgery and have either reached that goal or lower and think once again hard on ourselves we thought or we imagine and or dreamed of what we would look like or should I say society influence on how woman should look. We are at the best part of the journey we started on and thought that all I needed to do was loose the weight. Well I have just mentioned thought, feelings and emotional roller coaster since I was 9 years old. Now being almost 55years old!!!! Yes let me just say to ALL woman from my heart and core soul no matter where we are on this journey called Life remember these words. I am Beautiful to me I am worth the moon I am blessed for the chance to be alive again and be true to Me I am so Thankful to myself to allow me to finally just be me. Dont know if it's my age or just tired of feeling like I'm always being judge or criticized by other people for obese when I was my worst critic. Now that I have chosen this path stay true to yourself. We have all made this choice for ourselves. Remember be happy to in control of our own body. We have been given a tool to use if we so want it. If we choose to not use it is our own choice. Dont blame others if we slid. Get up,move it and keep that control. So yes being in our head at our worst and now wiser stage of our lives to finally say this is my Life and who I am. Yes I am and you all are Beautiful woman, why because we are ALL special in our own ways. When you really LOVE ourselves we can have that confidence we once had years ago or never had that feeling and are first walk in front of those she only dreamed we could catch that special persons eye and now we do. Say yes," Girl you got this ****!!!!!" That's right the confidence not b***h type but deep core soul feelings this is what we have all worked for....you have worked for ???? LIVE IT, LOVE IT, LAUGH You have talked the talk now take the walk as you are the Beatiful Woman in the room as you see each and every woman in the room as your deep core soul sister and we share an true woman with confidence. Reach out to woman you meet, stand next too, in line at the store, come face to face with as you pass by, the woman having a miserable moment...you share the feeling with them with empathy, none judgemental, smile, simple hello, how are you today? A compliment. So as that woman that is just starting this journey or one can share this journey with those who had those questions and worry of the outcome, pain , suffering this new journey may bring on this so called being a woman we all can help one another with verbal and emotional support. I wish we as woman the beautiful humans God has created with such strong shoulders we bare, loving arms we hug those we love so tightly, the legs in which we use to carry our young to the heart and core soul of each and everyone of us deserve to be at peace and find that inner beauty we all have. Girl this is just truly the beginning I have found I'm finally finding peace within myself at my rip age off almost 55. Now matter what age on this journey you are on find that inner core soul peace. The Confidence!!!! I can feel each of you a part of me at some point and thinking wow we all feel it but never express to each other and share. Share with one another life is too short not to. Remember GO LIVE IT GO LOVE IT JUST LAUGH!!! GIRL YOU GOT THIS ****!!!!! Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

@lark60 It’s great to talk with people years out. Sorry to hear about all the personal stress. Sounds like you have found what puts your body back into weight loss mode. Eight pounds down is fantastic. You can also inspire others struggling with weight gain. Welcome back, Jenn

Did anyone gain weight in the purée stage if so how much?

So I am 5 years post sleeve. I managed to get within 5 lbs of my goal and slowly slipped back into bad habits. When I went for my annual PCP appointment and saw the scales were reading 175, I almost cried. I hadn't been weighing myself over this past year due to my house flooding and all my stuff was in storage for 6 months. I realized that I had been wearing stretchy leggings and hadn't tried on a pair of jeans in a year (again everything was in storage and I bought a few comfy outfits to tide me over till the home repairs were complete) I went through my kitchen and pulled all processed foods, bread, flour, sugars, root veggies, fruits, cereals, pasta and rice. I gave these things away to my neighbors. I researched diets and weight gain after sleeve procedure. I have started following a modified Keto diet. I say modified because I try to keep my protein at 80 grams a day. So basically I have replaced carbs with healthy fats. My next step back on track was to come back to this site and read the different topics. It has been 2 weeks on my version of Keto and have lost 8 lbs! I still have problems eating enough calories and know my metabolism is slow so I eat what I can and spread a meal to be a 1/2 cup meal and 1/2 cup snack 2-3 hours later. I have found some great recipes online and have bought a few books about Keto diet. I have read up on resistant starches because I have not taken beans out of my diet. They are my source of Fiber and some protein. Since I only eat a couple tablespoon full of beans, I am testing the theory about resistant starches by eating the beans cold. Apparently when certain foods are cooked and then cooled, the carbs crystalize and become resistant to digestion (but are great food for gut flora). I bought a new scale (my old one was lost in the flood) and have started keeping track of what I eat. Coming back to this site and writing my story will help me keep on track to getting back to my goal weight.

Guys, I am so happy to say that I have a positive update and one that might help other women in the 45 to 55 age category who are going to do VSG or in the process of having had it and experiencing difficulty getting weight to move. I am very hard on myself. While I was not being perfect on my journey, I have a tendency to always feel that if something is not going right, it is all my fault. I was a food addict for so many years and did everything wrong that I almost felt like when my weight plateaued and then stopped and then I started to gain weight that it was just because I let myself down. To cut a very long story short. I had a gynecological emergency about a month ago and ended up having to go through a bunch of tests. It was discovered that I was producing next to zero progesterone and my estrogen was also extremely low. It was causing me SO MANY problems which I will not get into so that I will not digress from the main point. As a result I was put on hormones and almost immediately I started to loose weight again! I have lost 10 lbs since I started taking hormones 3 weeks ago. The reason why is that hormones have a major role to play in weight loss and weight gain. The reason why I was gaining and not loosing was not because I was being so terrible in my disciplines but because the lack of estrogen and progesterone, the total imbalance was actually causing me to GAIN weight. So I am working with my doctor now to see how HRT may be able to not only help my perimenopause/going into menopause issues but also to help bring better balance to help the weight loss process kick in further. I feel like an entirely different woman - I cant even articulate it the difference in overall feeling but certainly the fact that I have lost the weight I had gained and now back to making the scale go down instead of up. You can read my previous thread to get a better context of where this post is coming from. If you are having similar struggles and are female in the age range of 45 to 55 it might be well worth your time to have your hormone levels tested and see if hormone therapy can help you get balanced again and improve your weight loss. I am just one lbs away from being in another weight bracket and after not loosing for 4 months I feel like a million bucks There are many articles and information on Google that you can look up and research regarding hormonal imbalance and the role it might be playing in extremely difficulty in weight loss, especially in women of a certain age. I am just putting this out there for your consideration in case you are a woman like me that may be struggling in this area and not even know it. Talk to your gyno and get your hormones tested. I will soon post an updated photo when I hit that next weight bracket

Have you incorporated weight lifting in your workouts? If so weights add weight in a good way. I had my surgery in December too and I had to stop weighing myself so much. I now give myself a weigh in date at least every 2 to 3 weeks. I found that helps keep me sane. Don't be discouraged on the weight gain, it can be a number of things. I'm sure you're not doing anything wrong.. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

I had gastric sleeve in December 2018. I started out at 258 pounds and I'm 5'3''. I was down to 222 the day of surgery. One month out I was down to 201. My doctor commented it may be too much too fast. I haven't really changed anything and now 2 months out I'm up to 205. Not sure why, still exercising, no sweets, eating 2 oz of food every meal. Any ideas? Hard not to be discouraged. Maybe I am looking at the scale too often. Maybe I need to take it in months and not weeks. But if I am doing something wrong or could do something better, I would like to know....

I know. I brought it up a couple of times with the pdocs but they have not been keen. I don't want it for weightloss so much as I want a bipolar med that won't cause weight gain [emoji30] Sent from my SM-G930F using BariatricPal mobile app

Thank you for your responses. I knew what I have been experiencing since the weight gain was real. I definitely relate to people almost looking through you or being invisible. You guys nailed it. Also I feel like they think because I'm obese that I'm "lower class". It's sad that being obese not only comes with aches and pains but "silent fat shaming" . As far as the sabotaging I've also seen that first hand from some, women mostly, when there friends were trying to diet. They would bring doughnuts, candy, pizza whatever it took and practically beg there "friends" to eat it. It's definitely their insecurities.

Ta. It's used for bipolar and I was hoping to see if I could use that because every other bipolar med causes weight gain. *sigh * I'm currently refusing bipolar meds because of this issue although I'm well under control with being vigilant with my sleep and exercise. Sent from my SM-G930F using BariatricPal mobile app

I’m expecting this question from my MIL. I’m going to ask her why she is asking and why she thinks discussing my weight (gain or loss) is any of her business. If she has the nerve to continue then I will tell her that even though it’s absolutely non of her business, yes I did. And I’m leaving it at that. I say it’s ok to be rude to anyone asking you just to be nosy.

Both the “RNY” and DS are kinda of Bileopancreatic Diversions but they are vastly different in possible outcomes. You will get a bigger weight loss from the DS and better chance of no weight gain as time goes on. However you might consider that the Gastric Sleeve might be all you need if your issue is just portion control. And you can have that revised to the DS if your weight loss is not ideal. But you’ll be eating more normally but smaller portions.

I had a similar conversation with a friend recently, (my BMI is supposed to be 100 lbs. I would be happy at 135-145! But my nutritionist suggested if I strive toward closer to my BMI, when the natural weight gain happens, I will be around 125.... ) she completely didn't see the point of getting so tiny and it really confused me. . I am so glad to share this with someone.

Well done so far. The big weight losses will slow down and there will be stalls along the way. Weight gain after surgery is usually due to iv fluids and inflammation and then the fluid retention usually goes within a few days, hence the big losses. Just checking you are getting plenty of fluids and the required amount of protein??? What food stage are you at?

Congrats on 105! Glad you’re doing therapy to help with binge eating. Are you looking at pouch rest for a weight gain? or behavior change? Pouch reset is basically going back through your food progression. (Liquids, soft and real food) It may help with surgery restriction. Some feel it’s too restrictive. Some go back to real food basics. Months/years out, you can consume more food. This is normal with the sleeve. (it has not stretched back to normal size) It's unnerving when you experience this for yourself. Weight gain seems easy. losing is slow. You may have less body fat to burn. This will make weight loss slow. Finding strategies to fill/satisfy your new sleeve compacity. It’s important to log and stay within your weight loss/maintaining calories and macros. Eat dense protein Eat as much veggies as you want until full Carbs and sugar will make you crave more of the, Keep healthy sweet and salty options on hand. Get temptation foods out of the house. If you crave pizza, Make healthy pizza. Find healthy recipes that you enjoy. Join a weight loss challenge

I doubt the 4.5 pound weight gain had anything to do with adding puree/soft foods into your diet. Women's weight naturally fluctuates more then men's over the course of the month. If you're retaining water, you can be burning fat tissue, but it isn't going to show up on the scale. Daily weight fluctuations can be really frustrating, but you can't look at it as how much you gain or lose in any given day. You have to track trends over time--how you did in a week, month, two months etc. I know my rate of weight loss is leveling out and the days of of seeing 2 pounds loses overnight may be a thing of the past. That's ok!! If I losing an average of one to two pounds a week (average---not that you actually lose two pounds every week), I'll reach my goal weight sometime in 4 to 8 months from now . That is awesome and is more than I could have hoped for and expect from having this surgery. Even if it takes another year, I'll still be thrilled since I never imagined I could ever lose this much weight and feel this good again--plus I am off my T2DM meds which is just awesome.

Hi, thread connects to the one I just created asking whether anyone who had gone to Mexico for WLS had also gotten dental work there. I have several baby teeth that lack permanent roots and have become problematic recently. I currently have temporary fillings in teeth that need to have expensive and time-intensive implants ($3000 per tooth), and was advised to avoid chewing with them. That is really difficult because the teeth are located on both sides of my mouth. I've been eating more soft foods and liquids lately, but that has caused weight gain since the food tends to be higher in carbs. I lost weight following having the VSG at quite a slow pace, and I think this helped my body to adapt. It had been relatively simple to keep the weight off. I haven't had much of a yo-yo until recently. Last summer I lost a bit too much weight while in Africa, getting down a size 0. I gained weight when I returned to the US, which was positive. I got back to the weight I'd been maintaining. Lately I've been gaining weight much more rapidly because I'm taking a medicine that has a side effect of stimulating my appetite (for an unrelated health issue to weight and my teeth) and have been eating a lot more soft food that is high in carbs. Soft bread and muffins, pasta, mashed potatoes. I'm considering going back on a liquid / soft food diet that is similar to what I followed post-surgery, but not as extreme. I typically eat a lower carb, high protein diet, and that has not been as feasible with the dental situation. I was wondering if anyone has tips on soft foods and liquids to have that are reasonably nutritious and can help me to lose the weight I've gained recently, while not causing a dramatic loss like a diet consisting of protein shakes and smoothies would. I know this is a bit of an odd question, but would appreciate any help anyone could give me.

Read this every day. You all keep me encouraged. Sometimes I must admit I get overwhelmingly jealous, but that’s ok!!! I’m 6 weeks post surgery and at 2 weeks I had lost 20 lbs, then I added purée/soft foods and immediately gained 4.5 lbs. I have truly had major issues with bladder and kidney problems. Just don’t feel good. Therefore my “exercise” program has mainly been running to the bathroom. Ha! But....FINALLY, this past week the weight gained is gone plus a couple more lbs. yeah I wish I could say, “6 weeks and I’ve lost 35 lbs,” but I’m seriously glad for my 23+!!

I'm a sleeve. four1/2 year’s out. I maintain in the 130's. I give myself a ten-pound bounce range. when the scale moves up, I go back eating my bariatric food plan to stay in range. I'm in maintenance phase. I eat mainly clean, I do indulge occasionally. My third year, my weight got up to 147. (still a BMI 24.5 normal range) had to dial in my diet to lose the weight. I'm back in the 130's My two cents on regains. Weight gain can happen with any type of bariatric surgery. Some factors in regain: Complications from surgery Medical issues and medications pregnancy/menopause Not weighing yourself regularly Getting complaisant as the years pass You will reach a point that you noticeably can feel less restriction with the sleeve (it has not stretched) Just because you can consume more food, does not mean you should. Its important not to go over your calories and macros for the day. Stretching is rare. Get it diagnosed by your surgeon for a revision Eating around your surgery. Grazing is consistently eating sever small meals of healthy and unhealthy foods. The total will be over your calories and macros. It’s as if you never had surgery. You can eat 3000+calories. YOU WILL GAIN WEIGHT Ask for help if you have a gain (surgeons office, dietician and counselling) - Easier to lose a 20 pound gain than a 40, 60, 80, 100+

Had RNY August of 2007. Maintained well until 2013. Slow and steadily gaining all of my weight back. I am so frustrated! Day of surgery weight 260, lowest weight 144, back to 210. Help

You certainly can't base your calorie intake on mine so I'm not suggesting that. I am a large guy that even if I had zero fat on my body I'd weigh 250 lbs probably and I am 6'6". But I eat 2200 calories a day post-sleeve and the world hasn't ended. I still lose weight because it is below my BMR. I don't know your height, weight, age, etc... but I would imagine that 1100 calories is probably still under your BMR. You'll be fine. You can't live on 5-600 calories a day the rest of your life. The important things to do in this early stage, in this order and in my opinion are: 1. Make correct food choices -- protein, first. Healthy food first. If you get to the end of your day and still have calories left and you've hit all your macros then you can have a reward. I usually eat a half a cup of ice cream on days like that. Calories are calories. Don't buy the bull that there are 'bad calories.' It is all situational. If cookies are a building block of your diet then yes, that is bad. Not because the calries in a cookie are worse than the calories in a piece of chicken but because they are devoid of any nutrition. This is why you wait until the end of your day for any 'reward' food. If I have 200 calories left over on my day and I've hit all my macros, I use those 200 calories on whatever the hell I want. You should do the same. It keeps me from craving those things by occasionally enjoying them as treats. 2. Drink water, tea or some form of zero calorie liquid all day, every day. It will help with weight loss and constipation. 3. Log everything that goes into your mouth. You have to learn to do this because it makes you keenly aware of what you can and cannot eat. It makes you aware of what you are eating, too. 4. Get active. Don't squander this opportunity. For many of this -- at least, I felt this way for myself -- this is the last chance to live a long, healthy life. You don't want to go out without your best shot. If the weight beats you, don't let it be because you didn't give it your all. 5. Do not weigh yourself daily if you freak out about weight gain. If you must always weigh yourself at the same time every day. First thing in the morning, last thing before you go to bed and keep that routine. The reason being, your weight WILL fluctuate day to day and even during the day based on hydration levels and in the case of this surgery, constipation is cruel to your scale numbers too.

To be strict or to be lax in this process is a personal choice. We are all adults and make are own food choices. The only one that has to be happy with your weight loss is you. Maintaining : I indulge once in a while. If it causes weight gain, I go back to bariatric food plan to get the weight off. Weight loss mode: I was consistent not perfect. I had slips and got right back on plan. We do have a cheats thread that shows you Yes, people eat foods that are off plan. I'm a bit conflicted about the thread. https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/417492-confessional-lets-post-our-cheatsconfessionsetc-so-others-can-see-that-we-are-all-human/?tab=comments#comment-4667931 Things to think about in going off plan or indulging once in a while: Adding carbohydrates and sugar makes you crave them more. It takes time to detox and get back on plan your first few months is your best weight loss. You also have your golden year. Weight loss is harder after your first year( still can be done) Monitor if indulging is slowing your weight loss down. Will it make getting to your goal take more time? WIll indulging become habit? Every weekend? Every month? How solid are you in behavior change? Going off plan can be a slippery slope for some. With the sleeve, you will get to a point that you noticeably can consume more food as your restriction becomes less. What has made people successful 2 years + out

Boredom,stress and thinking it was necessary to eat THAT before it spoiled and turned bad, that's My trifecta of Weight Gain. The refridgerator and cupboards stayed empty, but neither told me how much they were grateful, did they? LOL through my tears!💦