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Hello, My name is Andrea from New Jersey. had my VSG done in September of 2012. At my largest, I was 250lbs. In less than a year post op, I went down to 165lbs. I felt that I looked good! I could fit into so many cute outfits without feeling ashamed of how I felt in my body. Health-wise, it was a bit more complicated. Between my “water-nausea”, not being able to drink and eat at the same time, needing to take vitamins everyday, feeling sick after enthusiastically eating my favorite foods, and then, of course getting gall stones and needing my gallbladder removed in 2013, my VSG came with a lot of mixed feelings. Nevertheless, I was happy to feel like I looked good and have the energy that came along with that. Fast forward to February of 2017, I find out I’m pregnant with my first child. At that point, I had been able to maintain a steady 165-170 lbs. At 36 weeks, I went into labor and subsequently had my daughter a month before her due date. On the day I gave birth, I weighed 200lbs. I thought it was normal. The few days following the birth of my baby girl, I actually went down to 180lbs. Not exactly where I wanted to be, but at the time I thought my body would go back to 165-170lbs. ....Boy was I wrong. My daughter was born in September of 2017. In the winter months, specifically January, February and March of 2018 my daughter was diagnosed with RSV, Influenza Type A, and Metapneumovirus, respectively. My husband and I spent many days in the hospital with her.... stressing, worrying, sad, not getting paid time off (in my case), and, of course.....eating. During this time is when I believe my body began to turn on me. Today, I weigh 209lbs. I went from a size 8 to a 14, I feel that I have less energy, and I know that I’m unhealthy. I seem to have regained an almost insatiable hunger fueled by my constant anxiety and stress. Not to say that I didn’t suffer from these things before, but honestly, I don’t know what has changed exactly that doesn’t allow my body to metabolize quicker and keep the pounds off. I need help, but I’m scared of the actual work of exercising and eating better, because even though in theory, it sounds pretty simple, let’s be honest, those things require a great amount of inner strength and discipline. Just trying to figure out if I can actually do that creates a significant amount of anxiety, stress and, thus ultimately makes me want to eat. That’s the way I find comfort, the way I shut up that voice on the inside. Prior to having my baby girl, I could literally eat whatever the eff’ I wanted, and if I made a minuscule change to my diet, I would lose weight immediately. That’s no longer the case. Nowadays, I feel more like I used to pre-op, and that makes me feel very depressed. I don’t fit in like 95% of my old clothes and I’m slowly but surely needing bigger and bigger sizes. A few months ago, I followed up with my bariatric surgeon to see if there was anything that could be done. He prescribed Topiramate, so I wouldn’t get hungry at night. (It doesn’t work). My other doc prescribed Zoloft (for depression), Bupropion (for weight loss and depression), and Klonopin (for anxiety). Nothing’s really changed. I want to have another baby (hopefully) in a year or two, and I have strongly toyed with the idea of a revision immediately after that. For now though, I don’t feel mentally strong enough to change my circumstances, but I pray that side of me will eventually change, along with my circumstances. Blessings to you all in your journey too 😌 Any kind advice and/or your own stories welcome. ❤️

I was worried about the skin as I am not able to do weight lifting or anything over 15 lbs even after the incisions heal from surgery as I still have a fist size incisional hernia the doctor will not repair until 8 months later that limits me. This is what motivated me to finally do this surgery as I has other surgical doctors that would not repair until I lost 50lbs. The incisional hernia is a previous mesh repair that was cut through for another surgery and became a hernia with weight gain. It's all so frustrating as I know lifting weights is my fastest way to weight loss but I have been limited here for quite some time. I am also needing a shoulder rotator cuff repair and will probably have that surgery in 6 to 8 weeks and this again will limit me. My only choice is walking. I do have a treadmill and a stationary bike. Just not sure when it is ok to use bike? The nurse at the hospital told me not to use the treadmill for awhile but my house is small and I feel like a hamster in a wheel walking circles in my house. I am thinking this morning I will go ahead and use my treadmill and just keep it flat and slow, I don't see any harm in this? Anyone else used there treadmill 9 days post-op?

Not on that combo (I'm on Lamictal and Effexor), but I've heard it can be a good combo for wls patients because Paxil boosts the effectiveness of the Wellbutrin for depression at lower doses. That's extra good for us because pretty much all the antidepressants have weight gain as a potential side effect, with Wellbutrin being the only one with the potential of loss or staying stable. Adding a low dose of Paxil to "boost" you makes sense. Just keep an eye on how you feel, keep showing up here in all your awesomeness, and let your doc know ASAP If you feel "off." [emoji4] ~SW: 278 CW: 165~ RNY 1/5/2005 "What got you here won't get you there."

I started this thread 11 months ago. I am back to report that in May of last year I started gradually falling off my wagon mostly due to the expectations of others and because so many (not here but in real life) mocked my WOL and guilted me and I fell for it. My own fault but it is hard to stay strong and put self first. When you fall off besides weight gain I find that I get depressed eating carbs and sugar and am just not happy at all! It is like a deep dark hole that you don’t know how to get out of it and the vortex of eating for comfort and carbs just keep sucking you in. I gained about 25 back of the 35 I had lost last spring. I am re reading what I wrote above to get myself back on track with baby steps. I never read some of these comments before so will comment now that I never had experience with met forum as was never diabetic (though close). When I am a carb eater I do get shakes and ravenous however and “need” a fix or feel nauseous. I did not want to advertise my “failure” but decided to do so to let anyone reading to feel they are not alone if they also struggle. Only seeing success stories can be depressing when you are struggling so wanted to let everyone to know to keep fighting the good fight and never give up!

I was so excited to get to the final stage but with my weight gain I wish I hadn't. How does everyone do it? I don't like water, yuk!! But I have to drink it. I need to raise my protein intake. Any suggestions? Sent from my SM-G960U using BariatricPal mobile app

You do know that being tight generally causes weight gain rather than loss? Because you can’t eat the satisfying foods you subconsciously eat sliders . You need to go and see a Dr. You may need tests. However you may also need to accept that your band has come to the end of its lifespan and will never again do for you what it was intended to do. It might be time to start researching other options.

Yes I was fat in Aug. But I think u read my post wrong. It's not about weight gain or holidays..its about adjusting to life with the sleeve. Thanks anyhow Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Me! I am in process of revision from VSG to RNY. My sleeve was dilated with the end of my esophagus due to stricture/dysphagia. This caused VSG to fail resulted in 65 lb weight gain. I have completed all pre testing. I have psych eval on 1/9 then we submit to insurance. Hopeful and ready.

Don't blame the holidays for weight gain, you were probably fat in August too!

Pouch reset is a fad diet and doesn’t work. Liquids and mushy food slide through our pouches so just consuming them won’t do or prove anything. And 5 days is not enough time to make lasting changes, diet or otherwise. Just clean out your cupboards, stop drinking with meals, weigh and track every morsel you eat, and most importantly eat dense protein first followed by non-starchy vegetables. Your weight gain is most likely due to eating sugar, processed food, simple carbs, junk food, desserts - you know why. Stick with meat and veggies only for 5-7 days and that will help curb your cravings and get you back on track.

I'm a bariatric baby, but I love this comment. No one becomes morbidly obese and qualifies for weight loss surgery unless they have a problem with food except for the rare person with a medical issue that can only be solved with severe calorie restriction (I have PCOS and depression but I know that is responsible for only part of my weight gain, not all or even most of it). It bugs me to see how quickly people forget their pre-surgery life and become judgemental. There are people on this thread questioning this man's mental health because he ate a small amount of protein. He didn't eat an entire cake or a gallon of ice cream.

I did well durning the holidays. No weight gain, I lost 6 lbs this month so far. My surgery is January 15th . I start my 14 day liquid only pre op diet on December 31. I celebrated New Years with my husband yesterday with my last glass of wine. I am not nervous at this point, but I am sure the nerves will show up eventually.

Well. It happened. Someone (online) said to me "seems like dieting and exercising would have just been easier" in response to a convo I was having with other bypass/vsg patients. I wrote this long snarky reply along the lines of "WOW! I never considered that once in the 10 years I've been super morbidly obese and struggling with eating disorders since I was a child! You could have saved me SO much time and money!" etc etc. And then started explaining energy expenditure rates between bypass patients and dieters. But then I deleted it. UGH. WTF do people truly think? That we just wake up one day and decide, without ever attempting to lose weight via other means, that you just jump into the OR and have 95% of your stomach chopped off? I mean WTF. Sorry, but it is so hard to bite my tongue, but I did. And I am proud of myself for not engaging. lol. Not something I do regularly. My mother was like this, too, pre-op. She just hammered that I never *really* tried and that if I stuck to a diet for years I would *eventually* lose the weight, albeit being completely and utterly miserable and at-risk for rebound weight gain exponentially higher than WLS patients, etc. You all know the stats. BUT, I did argue back and forth with her. She never supported it, but is really my only family and pretends to be supportive now. When I have problems she blows them way out of proportion, but generally has cooled her jets about the whole thing. She tries. Do you guys ever engage with the "why didn't you just diet and exercise" people? Or just roll your eyes so far in the back of your head they get stuck there for a while? Sometimes I feel like I want to educate, but I also know it's a lost cause.

Hi! Question ( not judging promise just looking for clarification) Your food choices were Still plan perfect and you gained 60lbs? No medication interactions? Only reduced exercise caused weight gain? Thanks! Oh and speedy recovery 🎈

Everyone says grazing is a sure way back to weight gain. My skinny friends never eat more than one piece of pizza

So much to catch up on! Laxative tea question .... like @ElectricBoogaloo ... I'm not regular, but never constipated, if that makes sense. I go irregularly, sometimes a few days in a row, then sometimes twice in a week. But I never feel uncomfortable even if it has been days. My first laxative I ever took was mag citrate to clear me out before WLS! That was not fun, so I'm good with my irregular self. As I've mentioned, I have an ex who's a GI. When I had too much to drink one night I worked up the nerve to ask him if going only twice a week was a problem. He assured me that as long as it's not a change, and I don't have any discomfort, it's fine, and what's normal for me. I do think that slow motility (his term) is connected to weight gain. I think foods sit around longer in me, and more calories get absorbed vs. someone who cycles food in/out in 12 hrs. That's just my theory though. Google tells me nothing conclusive on the topic

I had my sleeve done last Wednesday at Blossom, and they are as advertised. That practice is a well-oiled machine, and less than a week out I am feeling surprisingly good. I did not even have much in the way of gas pains. The worst of it was the side effects of the anesthesia and anti-nausea meds, which was gone within 2 days of surgery. I seriously debated flying out on day 5 or staying an extra day, but really wanted to get home to recover rather than stay in a motel room. I was able to fly as scheduled on Friday without any problems. I am post-menopausal and had reached a point where after years of yo-yo dieting, I simply could not lose and keep off weight. Last summer I tried a diet clinic and ended up even worse off, gaining back 15 pounds I had lost earlier in the year. YouTube's Dr. Weiner says that weight loss surgery is basically a one-time offer--only redeem if you cannot lose and keep weight off any other way. I feel I had certainly reached that point, and I had the surgery with a BMI around 35. I am down 16 pounds since I started my pre-op diet December 1 (a few days early). In comparison, earlier in the year it took me about twice as long to lose the same amount, and I plateaued after losing 25. This was on a low fat, low carb, low calorie diet that was torture the entire time. I am glad that I did this after entering menopause, because I rapidly gained a lot of weight at that time and hope that the hormonal aspect of weight gain is behind me now, so that my redeeming this offer will result in a lifelong improvement in my health.

I'd talk to your pdoc about it and also any future possible bariatric doc. As far as I know, once you're habituated to seroquel the weight gain stops. But you may find you lose slower than normal and maybe not as much weight overall as others, that's what Dr Weiner said on one of his YouTube videos. Hope that helps. Sent from my SM-G930F using BariatricPal mobile app

You will need to speak/work with your prescriber and bariatric team about this. (You may be removed from the med prior to surgery and for a little while after then resume regularly provided it's not time released or switched to a non time released formula) Since you have been on this med already and are not starting fresh It *may* be as simple as you lose what you lose (not sure if it would be more or less, too variant to tell/bariatric team will have better answers based on experience) Not surprisingly, a lot of people are on meds that also affect weight gain/loss so teams are aware of these things being a factor. Safe Journey 🎈

I am looking to get Gastric sleeve done. I am concerned that surgery will not be succesful because i am bipolar and one of my medications is seraqul. Seraquel is known for weight gain. Seraquel has been working very good for my bipolar. Does anyone know if Seraquel and gastric sleeve would be successful?

Feeling so miserable today. I saw my surgeon yesterday and he was unhappy with my progress. I got sleeved on Oct 31. I have a heart condition - AFib - which I try and manage with Bisoprolol - a beta blocker. I just take them when my heart rate increases to over 140 beats a minute. Side effect is weight gain / slow metabolism... it’s almost impossible to lose weight and recently I gained 2.5lbs because the AFib has been getting more frequent which means more medication to stop it. Not sure what I can do and feeling hopeless right now. My cardiologist said that if the first cardio ablation didn’t work (I had it in June) he might need to do another but I really don’t want another surgery yet - the ablation took a lot out of me and made me so tired for about 8 weeks. And my boss isn’t a very tolerant soul. Just feeling a bit defeated 😕

And by terrified I mean a constant, all consuming anxiety coupled with assumptions of weight gain and failure.

I have a friend who went though the surgery and started to experience weight gain on only 1400 calories a day . She started working with a very good Nutritiomist and physiologist and started dropping weight while eating 2000 calories a day . She works out differently , heavier weight workouts versus cardio and eats some really different protein rich things

It sounds like you really have a lust to pursue your goals based on the things you said about your education. That's a boon in your favor when it comes to deciding how to address your health too. Shows you have guts to see difficult things through and WLS will be a difficult thing. No one can tell you to do surgery, or don't do surgery. In the end, that is entirely YOUR personal decision, but it's completely natural to feel apprehensive and unsure. Try not to let the unfortunate stumbling blocks you had in the past influence your decision now. It wasn't a supernatural force trying to save you from a bad decision, just coincidence and happen chance. Things to consider when making your decision: How much over weight are you? How many times have you tried to get things right and failed? How long have you been over weight? How much is your physical activity hindered by it? Do you have any other weight-related health issues? The surgery doesn't just help you with losing weight from where you are now, but it will help you avoid future weight gain. The older you are, the sicker you are, the heavier you are, will make this procedure more risky. I waited until I had high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and my body was in a physically terrible place. So was my mind. I wish wish wish, I had pursued help sooner! My body will always bear the scars of the heavy, unhappy person I used to be. I'm not vain, but there is something of a disappointment in seeing excesses of skin draping from my shrinking body. Not only that, but I resigned myself to only have one child who is now eighteen. My unchecked obesity completely interfered with anymore babies and now at 43 and a son in college, I don't feel it would be responsible to risk more babies even though I would have loved to try for a girl. It is what it is. Both my mother and father are super morbidly obese. This was another factor I took into consideration. The same genetics and poor eating habits they suffer from are likely the same things I'm contending with. My job security was in jeopardy. I was having trouble doing all the things I needed to be doing in a timely manner and I was beginning to see signs this was wearing on the patience of my superiors. Likewise, obesity can interfere with job pursuit. You will NEVER know if it was your weight that put them off to select a different candidate for the job but it will be on your mind when you get rejections. I know I've painted a picture that shows more favor to having the surgery than choosing a different path to success. That's because I'm terribly biased in favor of surgery from my own personal experience, but I do believe it's not an appropriate choice for everyone. I had complication from my initial sleeve that put me back in the hospital twice since then for a total of three surgeries and hospital stays in less than a year. All seems to be right now, but it hasn't been easy. I want to punch anyone who tries to suggest I took the easy way out. Despite how hard it all was, I wouldn't take it back. If I could go back in time for a redo, I would do it all over again. Good luck making your decision. Be brave and make a plan weather you do surgery or not.

I hope you do get some answers as it sounds awful. Cushings is something that causes lots or weight gain so if this is the issue it’s a pity they didn’t test and rule it out prior to surgery as then you may not have required the WLS as well. Are you still bleeding or has that resolved?