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Hi all I'm new to this blog stuff so please cut my a little slack. I've been searching for a solution to weight issues all my life and have done and tried almost all things out there About 10 years ago a good friend and business associate had a bypass he is 6'7" and was 450 or so. His was a forced issue as his family history of heart attacks was catching up to him. Results were mixed 150 plus loss but plenty of complications along the way. So while considering and studying this I decided it was not for me. Another friend had lapband and results were fantastic BUT after a year or so weight came creeping back along with the out of control feeling and helplessness. I remembered these feelings well as I lost 109 lbs in 90 days on pills and shots That was back in the 80's I could watch a commercial on TV and gain 5 lbs devastating feeling. I also learned that this procedure had its fair share of complications and weight gain was not insignificant. So here I am 61 years old retired since 04 going to do something for myself. Type A guy intense all the attributes. Gastric sleeve is for me. Starting weight about 2 wks ago was 362 not my highest but up there started th 1200 calorie about 9 days ago and will go until surgery march 6. Dr Nicholson out of Dallas is my guy. My regular drs partners wife (got that) had hers done there and I've since found a lot of drs send themselves their family members to him that shortened my search a lot These forums have truly been a blessing to me and I am going to try to contribute in a meaningful way as I travel along Thanks to all

WTF????? I do not understand what is going on with me and my scale. I got my latest fill a few weeks ago. It worked very well, I was so motivated and lost 8 pounds pretty fast. Then last week, TOM, and Water weight gain + cravings. I didn't give in to cravings, etc. Now, understand that I retain SERIOUS water - like 5 to 10 lbs of water. It sucks. Okay, so water gone, scale went back to normal. I fully admit I fell off the wagon on Friday night and gave in to temptation (Marble Slab Creamery is the of the devil). I logged my food at thedailyplate, and yes, I was way over, but not enough to even gain a pound, much less the NINE pounds that my scale reflected Saturday. I thought it was a fluke, but it was still there Sunday and this morning. NINE pounds - as in, heavier than before my fill. Again - WTF??????

Hi All, I am Renee' from Washington state. I am a wife to a wonderful man (together for 17 memorable years), mother to 2 fantastic children, one beautiful daughter (who has given me 2 beautiful precious granddaughters and a wonderful son-in-law) and a handsome fun loving son. I think my weight story starts in my memory when I was about 10-11 and in 4th grade. I really was not extremly overweight just "chubby". I now do not even think I was that chubby but the teasing from the other kids assured me I was. Once I hit teenage years, I started dieting and got quite thin. I had my daughter at the tender age of 16 and after birth started the "Jane Fonda" craze. It was easy becasue at 16 and 17 you have all that energy anyways. I even got thinner then before pregnancy. At the age of 24-25 the weight started creeping up slow at first, then I was in a car accident that messed up my back and neck and the weight really started to pack on due to the lack of phyiscal excercise (which I really needed to lose and keep it off). I remember when I hit about 200 lbs, I was looking at my knees and I thought something was wrong with them because they looked different, not really realizing it was because they were fatter. From that point on, I think I blocked out my weight gains, even though I have weighed myself every week now for 26 years and have kept a weight diary just as long. I had joined Nutrisystem when I was about 27 and was able to lose about 35 lbs at that time. I joined a TOPS group about 1999 and got down to 246 at the time I stopped going. What a wonderful group of people. I have joined Weightwatchers at least 3 times, all with some degree of success, only to stop going due to finances or other reasons and gain it all back and then some. In 2003 I really started looking into weight loss surgery. I even attended a couple of seminars put on by the surgeons only to find out my insurance did not cover it. In August 2008 I weighed in at my highest weight ever, 305lbs, an extreme amount on a 5'4" frame. At this point my knees were so bad I was heading for a wheelchair fast. I learned in 2005 that I have Degenerative Joint disease in both knees and also arthritis in both knees. In October 2007 I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes. My father died at the age of 39 (when I was 12) from a heart attack. He was extremly obese as well. Being a long haul truck driver did not help his weight. All of these aliments and all the odds against me and having such a wonderful family, I finally got serious about doing something about my morbid obesity. Wow what a hard word to say about yourself, morbid obese, morbid meaning death. When the realization came, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was way too young to keep on living this way and my family watching me suffer, how unfair to them. In April of 2008 I started the battle with my insurance. Even with all my co-morbitities and several doctor recommedations and appeals, I lost. Talk about a punch in the stomach, it hurt hard and deep. It also did something else, it made me so determined to find a way to get surgery, that I was like a freight train with a vengeance! My husband attended yet another seminar with me that my surgeon Dr. Lee Trotter was putting on, this was in early September 2008. Out of all the seminars that I had gone to, this one was "the one", the one that really insipred me, informed me and gave me the strenghth to pursue a Bariatric Surgery. It was at this that I learned about the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. I had heard and read up to this point about RYN and the band. I was leaning towards the band until this seminar. After I got home, I researched the VSG and at first thought I must say I was like no way, I am not removing a good portion of my stomach! The more I researched though, being that I would have to self-pay, the band would have extra costs for fills and possible slippage (which would be extra cost which I do not have), and the RYN was way more extreme (and more costly) then I wanted to go. At the seminar the surgeon handed out the paperwork if you were interested in WLS you had to go out and get several tests. Within 2 weeks and the hard work of me and my husband we got the finance part figured out and I got all the tests that were required. I made my appoinment with Dr. Trotter. At the first appointmnt we discussed the different surgeries. I shared with him my research and felt that the VSG would be best for me, he agreed. I was able to make my sugery date for 2 weeks later on October 20th, 2008, a date I will never forget! The day of surgery I was at 292, down 13 pounds since my high at the end of August. I remember being so at peace, I knew this was for me. My surgery went well and I went home after about 28 hours. My surgery cost me 17,000.00 which included 1 year monthly followups with Dr. Trotter, labs done every 3 months and a BIA (Bio-electrical Impedance Analysis) at each visit. My experience from start until now has been phenomenal and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat! Within 3 months of surgery I was off of all my diabetes medication. I am still currently on Hypertension meds but only a half a tablet a day now. I can now walk more then a mile at at a time which I could not do for so long! To date (8/1/09) I have lost 93 pounds since surgery (just 9 months) and 106 lbs (less then 1 year!) since my high last August 25th, 2008! I am like a whole new person which and I am so thankful to have met Dr.Trotter and for his tremendous talent, experience and compassion, he helped me get my life back! My family is so supportive and I am so glad I am here for them and they for me. I wish each and every one of you reading this, the best whether you have had surgery or seeking surgery! Dont give up, you are worth it! Renee'

Some Dieters Are Set Up to Regain Weight Appetite Hormone Levels May Predict Dieters' Success By Denise Mann WebMD Health News Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD Sept. 9, 2010 -- Weight regain is the bane of many a dieter's existence. Often dieters who regain weight after losing it are viewed as failures and judged for their lack of willpower, but new research may put an end to this blame game. Weight regain may not be solely a willpower issue. Some people may actually be programmed to gain weight back based on their levels of two key appetite hormones, leptin and ghrelin. The new study appears in an online version of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. "This knowledge could be used as a tool to personalize weight-loss programs that could guarantee success in keeping off the weight," says study author Ana Crujeiras, PhD, of Compejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago in Spain, in a news release. Slideshow: Simple Secrets to Portion Control and Healthy Eating Setting Dieters Up to Win, Not Fail In the new study, 104 obese or overweight men and women ate a low-calorie diet for eight weeks and were followed up with six months later. Their body weight, ghrelin, leptin, and insulin levels were measured before, during, and after the diet. Ghrelin is the "go" hormone that tells you when to eat, and leptin is the "stop" hormone that tells you when to stop eating. On average, study participants dropped about 5% of their body weight while adhering to the low-calorie diet. Six months later, 55 people maintained their weight loss, while 49 regained 10% or more of the weight they had lost. Those individuals with higher leptin and lower ghrelin levels before dieting were more prone to regain weight, the study showed. While this may seem counter-intuitive based on the actions of these hormones, the researchers suggest that it may be a matter of some people being resistant to the effects of these hormones. Their brains may not be getting the fullness or satiety messages that these hormones are delivering. You may have a lot of leptin, but your brain is resistant to its effects; much like people with type 2 diabetes become resistant to the effects of the hormone insulin. Going forward, "these hormone levels could be proposed as biomarkers for predicting obesity-treatment outcomes," the researchers conclude. "Our findings may provide endocrinology and nutrition professionals a tool to identify individuals in need of specialized weight-loss programs that first target appetite hormone levels before beginning conventional dietary treatment." Fullness Resistance Syndrome Louis Aronne, MD, founder and director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, agrees. "There is something physical going on in people who regain weight," he says. "Resistance to these hormones is a risk factor for weight regain," he says. Aronne dubs this condition "fullness resistance" and says that your brain is resistant to signals that come from your stomach and intestines telling you that you are full and to stop eating. Fullness Resistance Syndrome continued... "With leptin resistance, you don’t feel full and the more you eat, the hungrier you may get," he says. "We need to stop blaming people and start recognizing the physical basis of weight regain and manage it so people do better," he says. The new research likely applies to significant numbers of people who are finding the battle of the bulge to be an uphill one. "We are getting down to some of the final choke points of our weight regulating system, and these should apply to large numbers of people," he says. Drugs aimed at leptin resistance -- and there are some in the pipeline -- may help, he says. 'Ample Evidence' "There's no question that most people who easily gain weight, and/or quickly regain weight after losing it are different from other folks," says Scott Kahan, MD, co-director of the George Washington University Weight Management Program in Washington, D.C., in an email. "The general public tends to think of 'fat' people as lazy and as having no willpower [but] it couldn't be further from the truth." "Ample evidence, now including this study, suggests that there are physiologic reasons for weight gain, difficulty at losing weight, and rapid weight regain after a diet," he says. "There is no question that certain people are preconditioned to gain weight more easily and more quickly regain weight after dieting, just as some people are predisposed to having their blood pressure spike after eating salt whereas others can eat all the salt they want without having problems with hypertension," Kahan says. "This study is another small step toward ultimately ... [devising] new strategies for weight management and disease prevention that work with our bodies' physiologic makeup, rather than against it." When I brought up the issue of grehlin and leptin with my former surgeon he just rolled his eyes - which is one of the many reasons he is my former surgeon. I believe that I have a problem with these hormones because it has always taken a lot of food to get me to the point of satiety and that whole "wait 20 minutes" after eating to get full never worked for me. Sometimes if I ever do achieve satiety AFTER eating it can take 90 minutes or more. That's IF. To achieve a satisfied feeling while eating would take way too much food.

I keep telling myself if I hadn't gained that 25 extra pounds when I had to have my thyroid ablated because hyperthyroidism a year before I decided I had to have surgery intervention to lose this weight, I would be at my goal right now. After my thyroid was ablated, I gained 25-30 pounds in 3 months. Not my fault, mind you. I had no metabolism. I had to start on synthroid and get regulated and the weight gain stopped but not before I hit almost 300 pounds! It has been so difficult to get the scale to move. I'm so close!! Just can't get there. I've tried everything. The pouch test, going back to basics, the 5.2 diet. Ugh... I'm just tired. I realize I've done great but I want that 24 BMI and that 150 on the scale. I'm 5'6" and I want to get there. I'm 169 right now. I keep gaining and losing two pounds. Since my one year surgeversary, I've not really lost anything. I'm 15 months out andI have to do something. No, I don't exercise everyday but I do walk 3 to 4 times a week. I have a bad back with bulging disc and stenosis so I have to be careful as to what kind of exercise I do. Ok.. just ranting and praying that one day I will get to goal.

I don't have Alopecea, however I do know both surgery and not getting enough Protein in your diet can cause hair loss. I personally take 5000mcg of Biotin daily and am careful to get in all my protein daily. I don't think Biotin was the cause of your weight gain, btw. There is no medical evidence linking Biotin to weight gain, in fact, Biotin helps you metabolize fats and carbohydrates more efficiently, helping to actually increase weight loss. Here's a great article on it: http://www.livestrong.com/article/324249-effects-of-biotin-on-the-weight-loss/ Best wishes!

Hi everyone, I am new here and I have finally decided to go through with doing the Gastric Sleeve. My surgeon told me that my insurance requires a 6 month medically supervised weight loss with my primary care provider. I am scheduled March 24th for my surgery, but I have gained 8 pounds within the last two months of my supervised weight loss. The nurse told me try not to gain, and insurance can deny me if I do gain. I have tried to get answers from my insurance company, but nobody has been able to answer my question. I am located in New York, and my hospital plan is city of New York Blue Cross Blue Shield ppo. I am supposed to go on 2 week liquid diet on March 10th, and I believe I'll lose the weight I gained from that. I am just really nervous of denial, and was wondering if anyone has my insurance, or has been denied for weight gain on the supervised weight loss? Thanks!

As stated above, square inch for square inch Muscle weighs more than fat. So as you reduce fat stores and increase muscle mass, you can see weight gains. That's why I've pushed so hard for people to stop tracking weight as a specific number and start looking at the trend. I've tracked weight and body fat my whole process, not really caring about the numbers exactly, but what I was doing and which direction those numbers moved. The more I work out for muscle, my body fat drops and my weight gains. When I focus on cardio, my weight drops, sometimes body fat does as well, but not as fast as when working out for muscle gain. This is because larger muscle mass requires more energy in rest than smaller muscles do, so, bigger muscle mass, larger fuel requirements, faster fat breakdown. Plus,our bodies get used to what's going on and start to level off. Check into Intermittent Fasting if you haven't yet, really get me through some serious stalls.

Just checking in, really trying to stay consistent on the forums here seems to help me stay accountable. I am 22 months post op and was doing great at my lowest (although still not my goal), then i gained 10 lbs during a SUPER stressful two semesters of grad school and starting a new job, and switching that job from days to nights, and just life in general. Because I haven't seen my surgeon in about 9 months and didn't have the option to see my usual nutrition clinician (new insurance doesn't cover their services), I took the steps today to make an appointment with my surgeon in June AND called for a NUT appointment with the bariatric clinic in a nearby town that my insurance covers. I had every intention of starting a 5 day pouch test too, but having just accepted a huge promotion in my new job, my coworkers are giving me a big giant potluck tomorrow night and even though I'll eat healthy, i didn't want to stand there with a shake and turn my nose up at their efforts. So, 5 day pouch reset starting sunday night... I would love any input as far as pouch test success, getting back on track, etc. I currently have 10 lbs to get back to my lowest, and about 25 to my goal!! I CAN DO THIS.

I hate them. I have been happily period free due to the depo injection as i used to get heavy periods so despite the weight gain it causes I prefered to get rid of it , I thought I was safe. I had no periods at all.. Now I am greeted with my second one in 10 weeks , after none in 5 damn years. i hate it whyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!????? Anyone else? p.s dont lecture me on periods being natural bla bla, lol ive had two kids i get the use of periods lol i dont want them lol

Hello, thank you for your kind words. The reason I decided to go below my goal weight was this. I kept hearing about a 20 lb average weight gain at around 2 years out from surgery. I figured if that was a possibility, that I should prepare for that. I am 3 years 3 months out from my surgery date. Fortunately, I didn't gain the 20 lbs. I don't feel like I am too thin. Flabby yes. It has been a struggle to exercise since Covid19. I am sure I'm not the only one struggling. When will you have your surgery? What surgery did you decide on? I am praying for everyone playing the waiting game due to covid19.

Hi there. I had my lapband fitted about 5 years ago. Until recently I had no problems with it. I lost weight initially. But have since put plenty back on. Now I get substantial pain in my abdomen. I'm no doctor. But I feel as if my weight gain is somehow pulling on my lapband around my abdomen. It almost feels like it is moving around in there. Its really uncomfortable to say the least. I can almost feel the tubing in there.

That is the issue. When I did my last weigh out before going home they warned me of the weight gain. They said not to weigh myself for a week. I didn't listen. That water weight was dropping a pound to two pounds a day.

UPDATE - I changed my calories. Today is Monday, Saturday and Sunday I ate almost 1200 calories. It was exhausting, I never seemed to stop eating and when you have no hunger or desire to eat, it can get obnoxious pretty quick. However. I weighed myself this morning and ... I'm down a pound and a quarter. This is seriously stunning news. I went 5 weeks with absolutely zero movement on the scale - zero, unless you count constipation weight gain and actual gain when I thought going super low cal (600) was the way to go. I have been stuck at 235 for a month and after 48 hours on higher calorie I lose over a pound? Awesome! Now, I don't know what this means, it could just be reactionary weight loss. It has only been 2 days, I will continue the 1200 for 2 more days and keep exercising and monitor. Now I wonder if I should do a reverse shock - stay at 1200 five days a week, then drop down to 800 two days a week. We'll see. The thing is, when I first went from 600 to 800 calories I had initial success that first week, and then no more. If that happens again, I can't just keep increasing my calories.

Has anyone she had a problem with their xiphoid process? The xiphoid process is the smallest region of the sternum, or breastbone. It’s made up of cartilage at birth but develops into bone in adulthood. It’s located where the lower ribs attach to the breastbone. The tip of the xiphoid process resembles a sword. Mine sticks out and feels like a half of a golf ball most days. It is hard, uncomfortable, my bra rubs on it and it makes me nauseous most of the time when eating. My doctor said it can protrude out with weight gain, but should go back down with weight loss. Mine hasn't and I only have about 35 more pounds to go to my goal weight. I am getting surgery to remove it in about two weeks. Just wondering if anyone else has had this problem. Sent from my SM-G781U using BariatricPal mobile app

Lost story short, My mom is not being supportive of me having surgery. Honestly, it kind of sucks. My husband, sister, sister in law, brother in law, and best friend all are. I've only told them... but my mother is telling me I can lose the weight on my own. She knows how much I suffered with my weight all of my life... But she doesn't understand that PCOS, Endometriosis, Hypothyroid and Hypertension all cause water weight/weight gain (idk if she just doesn't believe it?)... Do/Did you have a family member or friend who wasn't supportive?

My PCP said much the same thing. We were discussing whether I should go back on fibro meds, given that ones I had been on before caused a lot of my weight gain. I am waiting to see how I do without them. I am counting on the weight loss to help.

I can't seem to shake the blues this morning. I had a vgb 27 years ago and a REY two weeks ago. I gained 20 pounds while in the hospital for my two day stay....and two weeks later I'm still up by 6 (and gained weight the last two days). My calorie intake is NOT causing this weight gain....and my head knows that this is surgery trauma trying to work itself out. But I'm now sitting here questioning everything. I lost 80 pounds prepping for this surgery. I wanted to stop vomiting......I wanted the assist of malabsorption.....but I'm queasy every time I put food in my mouth. I'm uncomfortable with the feeling of food in my pouch. I'm disappointed that my body won't play along. I can't drink enough. I can't stand the thought of having to have two protein shakes a day to get the required protein in. I'm just really wondering why I put myself through all of this again just to feel as miserable as I do in this moment?

I agree with you, There is not a lot of information and support for people maintaining or have weight gain. Most vets disappear from the forums because it's mostly new people. It's hard to see people struggle with a major weight gain. I know this is not easy from my own experience. You may not want to hear some of this. But, I'm saying it because I care. The work does not end after goal. Don't let this gain become 100+ pounds back. Are you willing to change, work and do things that are not convenient or comfortable? Suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. (1) As you progress out from sleeve surgery your restriction is less. You will be able to eat more food. (2) Stretching is rare. Very few revisions are done. You can make an appointment with your surgeon to see if you stretched your sleeve. Ask your dietician/surgeons office for help getting your diet back on track. (3) Many people confuse stretching for the the ability to eat more and grazing food throughout the day (combinations of health and unhealthy foods) Any of us can eat around our surgery. Eating more calories is causing the weight gain. (4) Pouch reset is a fancy way of saying getting back on track. Pouch reset is the old diet progression (liquid ,soft foods then real food stage) If you find this too restrictive try a different approach that is realistically sustainable for you long term. Contact your dietician or research diet options. (5) . Portion control/surgery restriction will only take you so far. To set your body back into weight loss mode is to know how many calories you are eating. You can use a food app. It makes it easier. Click the link below. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.myfitnesspal.android&hl=en

Ima try to say something here that will make you smile or make you happy or make you feel inspired. You don't necessarily have to become complicated about your eating. There is one truth for sure in all this. Weight gain means more calories than your activity level warrants. It's almost certain that you have a shitty metabolism and the only way to improve this is more activity and less or better food choices. This is a disgusting oversimplification of whats really going on in your body, both chemically, mentally and physically, but still, a simple truth that you hate, but know. Accept, no matter how frustrating, that you don't get to eat a 2000 calorie diet and maintain your goal weight. Rules to Follow: 1. Always eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. 2. Don't eat more than 1 level cup of food for a meal (1.5 cups if your a male) tiny plates and 1 cup bowls are great here. Its all I use anymore. 3. Eat for expected activity ahead. (example, more calories in your meal if you are going to demand more of yourself physically. Dinner should not be a calorie dense meal if you are going to veg out on the couch and wind down for the night.) I'm gonna leave it at three to make it look simple! So for now, don't worry about counting the calories, just worry about the portion size. If you find that you start losing weight quickly than consider adding in a mid morning snack and late afternoon snack that are no more than 100 calories to help stave off hunger. But first, see if you can start losing again and adjust from there. If you aren't losing weight, then you have to get more complicated with looking at and logging your calories. Hopefully you won't have to do that though! Please, love the food you eat. Become an absolute snob with your choices! I can tell you to eat 3 oz of lean protein, 2 oz of starch and 3 oz of veggies with each meal, but I feel like that kinda kills creativity. You get a cup so make it worth. This ratio is a guideline to bring balance to your meals, but don't let it stop you from making a variety of culinary art and excitement. Don't be scared to make casseroles, stir fry, soups, crazy salads with weird flavor combinations. And, you know it...but sugar is evil. I know you're absolutely dejected right now. It's sooooooo hard to admit to others and to yourself that something has gone wrong. You butchered your body to reach a goal that you didn't keep and now you feel like a turd. I want you to think of something else though. What if you didn't have the surgery? Where might you be right now? Maybe you would have done to yourself what I did. Maybe you might have been 475 lbs and super sick and then thinking about surgery. I have a flap of skin that hangs way down off my tummy area that covers my privates! Sorry for graphic imagery, but, it roles up like a cute burrito as well. Ima have to have that removed on my own dime or convince myself that its fun to think of Mexican food when I'm laying in bed at night! A lot of people get lost thinking about where they didn't get too in the positive direction after WLS, but in their self misery, they forget to consider where they didn't go in the negative direction too. This counts for something huge in my book!!!...and I do know huge very, very well. 😂 Pick yourself up, dust off your bum, and love yourself. You absolutely cannot reach a goal if you are hating yourself. Reach out for help from somebody, a nutritionist, a personal trainer, a friend, maybe a psychologist even. Keep visiting these forums and posting things as you go. Its very therapeutic. PS-My apologies if I have ruined Mexican food for anyone. Sometimes my humor gets a little morbid, but I do mean it all in good fun.

im so glad i found this post i too have aetna pos II and i have actually gained weight since my initial visit..im on the 90 day thing, but since i started and in dec 08 but skipped jan im having to do my final appt tomorrow.....but when i went to the initial visit on 12/21/08 i was 244 a bmi of exactly 40.0 so yea i aint gonna lie i knew that if i followed that 90 day thing with eating right and exercise daily i would loose and fall below 40 so i got on a "i will never get to eat like this again" binge and i have gained about 6lbs...since 12/31 to the present, which puts me at a bmi of 41 so im praying they approve me even with a slight weight gain in 4 mnths...and for the fact that i missed a month....but made it up by extending to april. Also my case mgr told me that aetna didnt require psych eval...that was up to the surgeon...i read on the aetna website that only if an individual has a history of psychological mishaps is when they would require a psych eval. and so far the surgeons office told me dr. marsden doesnt require it also.....so my last visit is tomorrow....and hopefully i will know something by 5/10/09!!

I have talked to the nutritionist and had to see a therpaist. I was with a nutritionist for 6 months prior to getting surgery and then after. I also had to meet with a therapist before and after. Everyone saying that I must have some issue with food because I do little treats I became upset. I actually called the nutritionist and she said my thought process is healthy. If I can have a small treat, like a chocolate covered cherry and it makes me happy then I should go with it. The reason being is it is the holidays and we have sooo many temptations so to choose one here and there is healthy. To give myself only certain days for those treats are even better. I keep track of what I eat in a food journal and the nutritionist said that they say people with mental connections to food and my connection isn't to sweet. My connection was to fast food and that was just because of cooking. I just forget to take something out and end up getting fast food. I am working on changing that. I can't eat fast food anymore it makes me sick. Blech, maybe that is a mental thing but all the grease turns my stomach. When I first started this process I had prepared myself for no sugar in anything. I have already written off soda, though I only used to have ginger ale which is a lesser of the evils but still evil. I only drink water with maybe a 6oz cup of ice tea once a week to take my morning pills. My friends and family live around going out to eat, so I try to make smart choices and plan outings when I know I will feel hungry and ask to see the calorie/protein information for their meals. I order my meal off of that. This lady at our support group I was talking to told me, "I give myself a little treat twice a week. I work hard at loosing weight, I watch what I eat all the time, exercise, and I believe that a treat will not kill me." My nutritionist says that during the holidays especially, to have this mindset is healthy, it prevents a person from gorging themselves on stuff they shouldn't. We all have snacks, cookies, treats and the like in our houses this time of year so being smart about our choices saves us a lot of headache and heartache later. I agree, as far as my weight gain, did I have a part in it? Well, my only part was probably eating out too often. However, the thing to point out was that even prior to the six months with the nutritionist a year prior to this, I excercised, I ate all protein and vegtables, proper amounts, did not cheat at all, stayed away from sugar and sugary drinks. I kept a food journal and didn't lie at all, I was honest because I wanted to find out why this is going on. I went to the gym five days a week and gained weight, even working with a personal trainer. So in the end, my doctors and my OBGYN told me, "with PCOS it is hard to loose the weight and gaining is super easy." He said that I shouldn't blame myself for my weight if I am trying to loose and keep on gaining. My doctor said that I should consider getting the lap band, that people with PCOS and Hypothyroid benefit from it. The doctors, trainers and everyone else sees how "little" I was eating and how much effort I had been putting into my weight loss to only gain. I don't have a mental thing with food, I do have an issue with authority that I will readily admit. IF someones tells me I can't have something, I strive harder to get it. So I had that battle early on in this process. As in Buddhism, there is a Middle Way, you do not have to seek extremes to move forward towards goals. I eat healthy, have my treats on Tuesday and/or Thursdays, depending on schedules. Some weeks I don't have anything. I believe that some of this will go away when I feel fuller with the next few fills. Part of the problem in my mind is that at night I am hungry. Once that fades out a little I am sure I will get and once these holidays are gone the treats will be out of the house and I won't crave them anymore. People asked me what kind of cake I want for my birthday this coming January, honestly, nothing sounds good. The thought of cake kind of turns my stomach. I think I will ask for a carrot cake and just have a little piece with out the frosting. I have been using Splenda for cooking and baking. Even though I don't end up eating 9/10ths of what I make. I don't know, I think I am doing great. The people who know me best say I am doing great and agree with me about the food issues. I have a friend who is going to a therapist for food issues and we talk all the time. I see her struggles and honestly, I could go with out the treats. She says, "the difference is I couldn't. I would HAVE to have that treat every tuesday and thursday if I set days up like that, so for me that wouldn't be healthy. For you it is a guideline." Last night, which was Thursday, I had no treats. Last Tuesday I had a chocolate covered cherry because I was up all night with a sick baby and was craving something sweet. The last few nights up with her I had nothing. So I don't know, I guess I don't see it the way you guys do. I view it as having healthy guidelines and realizing that by setting up windows of days that I can treat myself works for me.

I hope I'm not alone here, but weighing once a month, I never saw a platau. I'm sure I had them, but I was afraid I would get discouraged if I saw a stall or any weight gain. I knew this journey wasn't going to be a straight line from start to goal, but have ups, downs and plataus, so I didn't weigh very often. So, I never saw stalls, plataus or increases. I was always encouraged. May have had something to do with my success, as I never did feel discouraged and was able to stay motivated with my exercise and eating habits. Option isn't available on the poll, so I couldn't answer ...

I can SO relate. I have had many ups and downs in my lapband journey....between chronic abdominal pain....that still is left undiagnosed because GI said it's not GI related, band doctor said it's not band related and GYN says its not GYN related....real nice...I have had colonoscopy, EGD, flouroscopy, gallbladder removed w/exploratory while they were in there...and nothing. Then, I broke my ankle which required two surgeries. That REALLY set me back. So, now, being about 30lbs away from my goal I was left in a plateua w/some occasional weight gain. I just started the Ketogenic diet.... high Protein, high fat (like 65% of your caloric intake) and VERY low carb. It's similar to Adkins, but I am doing the carb cycling where you eat little to no carbs for 6 days and you have one carb up day where you can eat literally anything you want and all the carbs you want, then the next day you go back to the strict no carbs. It's a little confusing, but a lot of body builders and people who want to drop weight fast and still keep their muscle mass do this diet. A close friend of mine swears by it along with a lot of his friends, so I figured I'd try it. I'm only 4 days in, but I've already hit ketosis (which means my body is burning fat). Doing a 2-3 week trial to see where I'm at. My suggestion to you is to shock your body! When I am in a rut, I do a crazy "fad" diet to shock my body into losing weight and then gradually go back into the normal healthy lifestyle. Best of luck!

I did the samething you are doing, researched like crazy. Then my brother, whom is a surgical nurse, had the sleeve done. It was a breeze for him. I had SIPS. We both had our surgeries in 2015. He is now gaining again. I am steady at 148-150lbs. Zero weight gain. I have no regrets! In fact, I wish I had it earlier. Feel great. Have any questions, just ask.