Search the Community

Time to bump this. Wow, so much has changed since I originally started this thread. It was 3 months before I was banded, and I was really struggling with my asthma. I mean, really struggling. Death looked like a real possibility. I really thought that by now I would have lost if not all my excess weight, I would have lost a big whack of it. I was sure that I would be a size 16 by now, not still 22/24. But that is not in the cards for me. I still struggle with this. But I suppose I should have clued into the "sudden weight gain" since no one else seems to experience that particular "joy." I've since learned that it's one of the hallmarks of Cushing's, and I've had to come to terms with learning that my journy is not the typical journy. Someone on a recent thread was commenting on how pissed they were because someone told them that by having WLS they were not doing it "right" that they were not doing it the old fashioned way. That somehow having the band was cheating and so any loss woul be less valuable. I personally think that WLS is the easy way, because it makes it makes it possible for so many people to actually lose weight and keep it off for possibly the first time in their entire lives. I have absolutely no problem with this being the easy way, becaus I have no need for people to suffer. I see little value in adding suffering and grief to life. It's hard enough without looking for extra hardness to add.

I haven’t posted in so long, or even on the site. Since my surgery back in May 2012, life has flown by and I have been happy to say I do NOT regret my decision to have this surgery. One thing I have learned is that with anything, nothing is a “quick fix”. You have to put in the work to get the results you want. Losing weight doesn’t change who you are, and neither does the demons you are fighting in your life every “go away.” I still struggle with some of the same issues I did before the surgery, such as food addiction. No matter how hard I try, I realize now that it will never go away. The reality is that even though I may not be “hungry” or even want to eat, I still have the urge to do so out of habit. Currently I am at 168lbs. My goal was 180, but I was around 155 for almost year (been as low as 153)..until this summer. That’s when the weight gain began to creep up on me. Currently I am back in the gym and tracking everything that goes in this mouth, so I am hoping to be back in the 150s sometime by the end of October/Beginning of November. I am very determined not carry this extra weight with me to Thanksgiving! I hope all of you are doing well, and I look forward to being active again on the site!

Hello Lisa’s Hope! I was one of your caring supporters during your darkest days when you first lost your husband. It is so good to see your post today! Most importantly—although it might not feel like it to you, you HAVE made tremendous progress in clawing your way back from your devastating loss. I know sometimes I get so tired of people telling me how “resilient” I am. Do you ever feel that way too? But, I personally believe that our lost loved ones want us to honor them in the best way there is, and that is to live out our lives joyfully in peace, and in the present day, not stuck in the past or in what could have been. OK--about your weight regain. YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE! Thousands upon thousands of people who go through far less traumatic experiences than you have REGAIN much more than 38 lbs. Some people LOSE a lot of weight during major emotional trauma. That’s who we are. Emotional humans. It doesn’t make us failures. I just want to share some of my thoughts with you because you've been through so much and I just wish you future happiness and contentment in your WLS life. Your post was really just venting and you didn't really ask for this advice, so I hope you don't find my post offensive. Have you thought about paying more attention to the negative talk you are telling yourself? It can really keep us weighed down (no pun intended) emotionally. Just a couple thoughts as you try to get yourself "Back to Basics:" The FIRST step to reclaim control of your eating habits is to BE KIND TO YOURSELF. The SECOND step is to focus on TODAY’s eating only. Not what happened yesterday. The THIRD step might be to actually sit down and make a written list of the exact foods that you KNOW are the biggest culprits that are most contributing to your weight gain. (This is a tough get-real moment for a lot of us). It might be that you need to go “cold turkey” and totally eliminate these foods until you reach your desired weight. Get them out of the house. Meanwhile, you find some acceptable substitutes for these foods so you don’t feel deprived. (Write the healthy substitute next to the culprit food.) For instance, you mentioned Fudgesicles—maybe find a recipe for frozen Greek yogurt drops. If you are near a Sams Club or Sprouts market, Fresh N Easy, check out Enlightened frozen bars—a satisfying 3.5 oz bar for Cal=80, Fat=2.5g,Carb=15g, Fib=5g, Sug=3g, Pro=9g. The FOURTH step is to be ready to commit to doing what it takes to consume your healthy 3 meals/2 Snacks per day, within your calorie/protein allotment. Do you have good bari recipes? Maybe visit www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.com for starters. Yep, preparing 3 meals and 2 snacks is a lot of work, but we learn to be smart about it by planning ahead, cooking ahead, freezing portions, etc. Makes it almost painless! It is never too late to get rid of your old unhealthy eating habits and create the new, healthy habits and lifestyle that the long-term WLS patients use to maintain their weight. You most likely did not have the time and dedication to establish those good, solid habits back then because you were in the throes of dealing with your husband’s illness. So, now is YOUR time. (Fad) DIETS don’t work! (No disrespect to those who post on here who use the 5:2. I know many of you find it very useful—I’m not calling it “fad”). We had WLS so we don’t have to be on DIETS for the rest of our lives. I've found that the formula for WLS eating is really pretty simple: Use food as fuel and medicine for the body. Our bodys' cells and systems know how to process real, whole foods to keep our health and weight in balance. It does not know what to do with all the processed junk food that we feed it, and the results are very predictable (weight gain; potential for disease). You mentioned that you thought the sleeve would help you for the rest of your life. It does and it will always, and it is sitting there ready to help you. But you have to hold up your end of the bargain for the rest of your life. I’m four years out, and like you, I can definitely eat as much as I could before surgery. Yes, I am surprised about that. Yes, I get hungrier than I thought I would. No, I didn’t think that’s how it would be. But I also know that if I eat junky carbs (sugar), my appetite goes way out of control immediately for days after. So, it’s just plain not worth it to me. It IS a CHOICE that we all ultimately must make for ourselves. Do we want to consciously control our food choices for the rest of our lives—or—don’t we? You can replace your fear, Lisa, with your POWER, and you can begin to practice removing “I can’t” and “if only” from your vocabulary! YOU CAN. Period. I know there are so many people here for you...

Only you can decide what's best for you. It's Unethical for a doctor to recommend one surgery over the other am Not fully disclose why they feel it's a better choice. But I wanted the sleeve day one! My lapband surgeon doesn't perform the sleeve or bypass. He told me often folks who have the sleeve gain it all back with in 2 yrs and it fails. My response... Only I can be the judge of my weight gain in the future. None the less My surgeon shouldn't have spoken ill of the Sleeve simply because was not his specialty. bottom line I never gained with the band but I never lost.. I sat steady at a 28 lb weight loss.. Even though I couldn't even swallow my own saliva. I regurgitated Water and vomited 3-4 times per week.

I never watched it because I just felt bad for them, but I know Jillian Michaels left the show because she thought that those people losing that much weight in such a short period of time (without WLS) was very unhealthy and obviously one of the reasons for their rebound weight gain. She spoke out against the show later on.

DonRondolfo, their prices are pretty cheap! The lady's that was $46,000 said she lived in Alaska, so I'm sure that's why. It's outrageous for anything there. I think mine will be around $23,000. After talking with the surgeon, we decided the bypass was the best way for me to go anyway. I have 5 comorbidities, two of which cause severe weight gain, so I absorb fat really easily. With the bypass, you don't absorb fat the same way. Yes, it's a lot more risky and has more complications, but I really don't have a choice. My PCP said I'd be dead within 2 years if I didn't do something. : (

1st let me say I am glad to have found this Forum. I found it yesterday after google 'ing bariatric support groups at the suggestion of my nutritionist. Along with a list of "what to start doing to get used to it" items she said I should find a support group for obvious reasons. I have very little knowledge on the subject bariatric surgery other than what I have learned from my visits with my surgeon and his group so far and what very little i learned from my brother having lap-band several years ago. Well gotta figure no better way to learn than to ask those that have gone through or are going through what I plan to. I've been reading topics here since yesterday and have come across some things I didn't know or even think about. So I figured I'd give details of my current situation and see if others have anything in common and if they could give me some ideas of what to expect. It's been just over a month since I first saw my surgeon and came to the decision to go through with the sleeve surgery. I did not initially go to see him for it though. His name was on a list I received from my primary care doc after she told me the lump on my belly button was an umbilical hernia. When I went to see him he said he could repair the hernia but there was a high chance of either it reopening or another opening somewhere else due to my weight and big ass gut (not his words). After his, what I 1st felt was a sales pitch, He showed me some videos gave me some info to read and suggested I take some time to think about it and talk it over with my wife. We read, I showed her the video, we talked about it and decided it was probably the smart thing to do. Over the past few years I've put on a significant amount of weight and it seems every time I try to diet it off, I pack more on. A little bit of medical history for ya...... According the old trusty BMI system I've been heavy since my late teens early 20's but that is because of my height. I was pretty fit and muscular back then. Stayed pretty fit but did gain weight heading into my 30's and put on more the older I got. I've had back issues since my late teens due to a vehicle accident but it was never anything more than a good cracking my back couldn't relieve. My line of work has always been very physical, so along with getting older and the weight gain my back issues became worse. Now about to hit my mid 40s I've been out of work for going on 3 years due to osteoarthritis, slipped/herniated disks and sciatica. I have very limited movement and seem to be stuck in my "snowball". Also because of the weight I am on blood pressure, cholesterol and get happy meds. I do not take pain killers other than occasional 800mg ibuprofen. I have an addictive nature and am terrified of getting hooked. Speaking of which I am an "alcoholic". On the wagon and have it under control but still might as well mention it. Damn I am one F***ed up specimen. Well, I'll leave it at that and hope for any feedback, experience or suggestions/advice that any of you care to give. Thanks so much in advance for reading and feedback. Sorry this turned out so LONG. J

Hi y'all.. .guess what??... I can log on here and finally post what I have been been reading from other for a year now..I HAVE A SURGERY DATE!!!!!! YEAH!!!!! March 17- St. Patrick's Day!!! I wish y'all could see the smile on my face as I am typing this- But, with that comes this great shadow of doom- the preop liver shrinking diet. I understand I need to drink liquids and eat one low fat meal a day such as grilled chicken and a salad. Will this work? I haven't been on the scales but I fear I've gained about 20 pounds over the last 9 months waiting to get my dr visits and preapproval done. Do you think I will be put on hold for the weight gain? And again, should I be able to do my liver anygood with a 2 week liquid diet? I feel like a fool.. help!:confused:

So, I just had my blood tests and MRSA swabs in advance of surgery next week (1st March) and decided that I would detail my journey here. Partly because I want to remember to come back on here when things get tough and I need a reminder of why I am doing this, and partly because I want to have a record of what I’m doing anyway, and I figure that having one that others can read, contribute to and, maybe, learn from (if I ever get to the point of having any lessons to teach) is as good a way as any. So, my background… I’m 29, living in London. I’ve always been overweight, ever since I was a kid, but my weight has fluctuated a lot. Generally, when I move to a new place, it falls, until I discover all the good places to eat, when it rises again. About five years ago I managed to get down to about 200lbs, but since then have crept steadily up and now I am about 290lbs. I think as I get a bit older, I’m realising a bit more the impact my weight is having on me. Over the last couple of years – walking has become more of a chore, for the first time, tying a seatbelt on an airplane has become a problem, I feel less and less energy and more strain on my joints. And I simply don’t want that to get worse. I haven’t felt any motivation to lose weight since that last time in 2009, and I had to admit to myself that I never will be able to do this on my own. So I have a choice. Continue to put on weight. Face into my thirtieth birthday at nearly 300lbs, maybe my 35th at 400lbs – who knows. And continue to see my body become more and more unable to cope. Or I stop. I take action, accept that I’m not going to be able to do it alone and take measures that will force me into a position of being healthier. It’s also driven by the fact that I want to have kids. As I’m gay, the most likely way for that is to adopt, but I’m pretty sure that I wouldn’t be approved as an adopter at my current weight. And even if I was, I don’t think I could be a good dad as I just wouldn’t have the energy to be rolling around playing with a kid and giving them the attention they deserve. I decided to self-fund for the operation. I have been diagnosed with sleep Apnoea (in December) through the NHS, and since that’s technically a comorbidity, my GP did say that I could be put on the NHS waiting list. But faced with a wait of two years or more, I decided it would be better to just get it done privately. So I met with my surgeon, Ameet Patel, before Christmas. I had hoped to have it done before Christmas, but I was due to start a new job on the 12th, and he said that if I had the operation on the 3rd or 4th January, he wouldn’t recommend me going to work on the 12th. So I decided to wait until Easter when I could take some time off work. As it turned out, there were no available dates at Easter, and leaving it later brings me too close to a trip I have planned at the end of May. So I ended up plumping for 1st March. I’ve had no pre-op diet to follow, so I’ve probably been a bit naughty in what I’ve been eating since I found out my date. I know I shouldn’t but I have been seeing these last weeks as an opportunity for one last hurrah with food. Biggest Fears I was sent my consent form in the post, and seeing the risks in black and white terrified me – especially where it just bluntly lists ‘Death’ as a risk. Even though I’ve talked them through with Dr Patel, and even though I know the risks are very low, they feel very real now. I’ve started to think about things I need to do in case the worst happens, and again, I know it’s a very low risk, but my family live in a different country, so I’m making sure my partner has their number in case he needs to call them etc. The reality of that is kinda scary. I’m also scared of complications – and not knowing whether pain is normal or a sign of something more serious. But my biggest fear is that I just won’t be able to be happy when I can’t eat what I want to. I keep telling myself that being able to go shopping for clothes or go for a run or exercise without wanting to collapse will all make up for any feeling of deprivation – and that I won’t feel that deprived because I just won’t have the same appetite that I have now. But it is probably my biggest fear that I will spend the rest of my life regretting what I’ve done. To combat that I just keep reminding myself that the price of having that total freedom to eat what I want is looking and feeling like I do now – I plan to keep a photo diary of my journey to remind myself that however much I regret not being able to eat what I want when I want, it will be nothing compared to the regret I would have if I had the opportunity to get healthy but turned it down. My Hopes This is the bit that keeps me going. My main hope – what I desperately hope – is that the tales I’ve heard of your tastes changing are true. I would dearly love to wake up from the operation and be revolted by the foods I used to love and suddenly find love for the foods I used to hate. If only I could like vegetables and low fat foods more! My biggest hope is that my tastes will change, so that when I can’t pig out on chips it won’t matter to me because I don’t want to pig out on chips. The same applies – big time – to Diet Coke. I’ve never been one for full fat soft drinks, I find them syrupy. But I love diet coke, and I am really dreading not being able to have it. If I could wake up and not desire it, that would be super. I’m not claiming these hopes are realistic. More generally – like everyone – I hope this works. My thirtieth birthday is in October and I have a vision of how I will look and feel for it. I hope that vision becomes a reality. I also hope that my relationship withstands the change. My partner has been incredibly supportive. I think one of the reasons I put on weight is that he loved me and found me attractive when we first met and I was overweight (but still, I was only about 200lbs) – I think my mind went ‘yay, you found someone who’s attracted to you even when you’re fat…eat away’. But my weight gain has made me feel less attractive and so has impacted on our relationship. As I say, he’s been really supportive and I just hope that the changes don’t result in any changes to how either of us feels about the other. So, having rattled on for too long, let the journey begin…

@@rachelr28, welcome and congrats on your decision. Fellow Garden Stater here. This will be a very different experience in countless ways. Without getting too technical, basically, the idea is that in the past, we have attempted to lose weight by reducing caloric intake which results in two physiological effects: 1) reduction in metabolism by the body in an attempt to prevent weight loss and 2) dramatic increase in hunger caused by the stomach sending a hunger hormone to the brain to demand compensatory eating until the body is back to the weight it was before you started the diet. The sleeve prevents the latter from happening. You will have a stomach that is about 15% of the volume of your current stomach, meaning you will become full much faster, and on far less food. However, your body would need the volume of food you consumed before to maintain weight with all your activities and energy output, so the result will be dramatic weight loss. Your metabolism will slow, but it can't slow enough to keep up with the huge disparity between the calories you need and the calories you can intake. The surgery's most important effect is that the hunger hormone is produced in the part of your stomach that is removed irreversibly during surgery. So you wind up with a double protection against weight gain...you just can't fit very much in, nor do you want to because there's much less signaling going up to you brain telling you that you are hungry (but there's just enough from other places to get you to eat to keep you healthy). There is even some evidence that the sleeve changes the bacteria in your stomach that results by some unknown mechanism to automatically reset your "set point" down to a healthy weight, whereas right now, it is fixed at a high weight, and your body is programmed to defend obesity in any way it can. So the way the previous poster described it, with you instead of against you, is exactly right. Best of luck!

My good friends who have always seen me for me and not focused on my weight gains ( pre-surgery) or weight loss. I did tell them about my surgery.....

I used to say to people that I could eat 1/2 pound of food and gain a pound. The biggest loser thing is nothing new to me. I kinda knew it all along. And if you apply it over a lifetime.....well, think about it........ You start off losing a bunch of weight real quick......so according to the new findings, your metabolism slows down...permanently ..then, of course you gain it all back. However, now you have that permanently slowed down metabolism working against you.......making you gain more with less food. A couple of years later, you go on another diet and lose alot of weight again....also really fast.....and further slow your already slow metabolism..........and yo and yo and yo....... get the idea now. Every time you lose you slow you metabolism down further. It's a exponentially increasing formula for failure and weight gain. So do I give up.?? No. My only shot is to obtain some restriction to limit food intake which will involuntarily counteract the bad habits, which developed over a lifetime of yo- yo dieting and gaining, mostly as a result of the metabolism thingy. Hey.....whatever it is....it is. It's all history now and whatever I gotta do to keep it off.....I'll suffer through it . Besides......with the help of my sleeve restriction, I still believe my brain is in charge and I can defeat that metabolism thingy. Or at best keep it in check.

Hi I'm scheduled for June surgery and I'm reading how some have gained some or all weight back I guess I thought with the Sleeve being that your stomach is much smaller it would be hard for the weight gain -- now I'm scared

congrats. Eat healthy and wise. that is the key to good weight gain with a baby. Many lose weight in the beginning. I lost weight with both my pregnancies and the second one was with twins.

I’m hoping that’s the case for me. Years ago when my cycle was regular, I know I would gain at least 5 lbs during that time. So I’m hoping once it goes off, the weight gain will follow. Sending you lots of positive vibes as you navigate your way through the pre-op phase!!

Sounds like hormonal weight gain (fluid retention) due to pms to me. Give it a few days and see where its at, hopefully the fluid retention will have gone.

I’m about 5 and a half weeks post-op, and my period showed up about a week ago. I haven’t seen a period in roughly 3 years (very irregular). The issue is this: sweet/salty cravings have surfaced, I’ve gained 2 lbs during this week that my period has been on. I’ve had horrible pms symptoms, my flow has been super heavy 😩. Has anyone else experienced weight gain this early on? Please tell me that I haven’t messed anything up. It’s very discouraging to see the scale go up when I was losing just fine. At 1 month post-op I was down a little over 30 lbs total from my highest weight. I’m just hoping to see the numbers on the scale start to go down again. Especially after my period has gone off; should the weight I’ve gained go away? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Happy New Year 🎆!!

Just read through this whole post and I am just in the beginning of this journey. So, I haven't had surgery yet. I'm still going through the appointments and consults. However, this story grabbed my attention because this is one of my fears of having this surgery. I don't ever want to go back to old ways. I've already given up a lot of things because of being diabetic. The older I get, the more difficult the diabetes is to control. I take insulin and the insulin causes weight gain. I quit eating carbs and did really well with giving up carbs and sugar stuff. However about almost a year ago my blood sugar numbers started going all kind of whacky. I have not been able to get control back since. I quit smoking over 1-1/2 years ago because of the diabetes as well. I'm so tired of giving things up and nothing changing for the better. This story grabbed me because I don't want to have this dilemma after going through all the appointments, surgery, and the whole liquid to pureed to solid food diet following surgery. I just want to be healthy. I think you are doing wonderful, but my only suggestion would be to quit buying popcorn and chocolate and keeping it available to eat. Keep only the healthy foods and put them in single serve sizes. I try to keep all bad food out of my house. If we host a party or picnic, I will have the foods here for that occasion, but at the end if someone doesn't take the leftovers, they get trashed. I cannot afford to have bad stuff hanging around the house, because if its there, I'll eat it. Hope that helps. Good Luck!

Even with the same insurance provider, policies can vary. Are you required to lose weight in order to be approved? This is typically information that your surgeon's office gets from your insurance provider, so I would check with them. You can also check with your insurance provider, but I've personally had issues with customer service reps giving out bad info. If your policy doesn't require any weight loss or exclude you from approval for weight gain, it shouldn't matter. You may also want to ask your surgeon if he or she will do surgery if you've gained weight, as some surgeons won't.

Thank you all so much for your responses I agree I need to actively try and get my highs from a new productive habit. I'll have a good think about it. It's so weird how similar the over eating and over spend cycling is.... the delicious anticipation and planning or the pure joy of a suprise temptation... the shutting out of the thoughts that tell you you will regret this.. the raised heart rate and excitement of the purchase or eating... the warm glow that follows and the brief high.... then the guilt sets in.....after a few cycles of that you face major weight gain or debt issues which add to the stress and of course you need to feel good again.... I guess I should be grateful I hate cigarettes and alcohol!

I am the exact same way! I was sleeved on 1/21/3. I can eat a whole yogurt, pudding, and egg... I get all my fluid no problem. I had a 2 pound weight gain in the past 2 days only lost 8 pounds since surgery. Very frustrated!!

Thank you everyone for your help. I am now taking the meds for hypothyroid and have lost 2 pounds I guess I just paniked. I find myself freaking out over anything that may cause weight gain. Thanks again! Their are some really good folk here.

So I'm 5 days away from my 8 month anniversary of VSG surgery and finally admitting that my old habits and obsession with snacking have not miraculously disappeared because of WLS. On May 28th, I had lost 60 pounds and was so positive that I'd reach goal by my 8 month anniversary. But rather than stay focused, eat healthy and follow the plan, I got over confident and reverted back to snacking on all the high carb, high sugar, high salt comfort foods that had originally caused my weight gain. I stopped going to my monthly support group meetings, stopped my daily involvement in on-line bariatric and weight loss support groups and as a result, I've gained 8 pounds rather than losing the last 6 pounds that would have gotten me to goal. I know what I have to do to get back on track. Any suggestions on how to break my addition to carbs? I'm focused on Protein today with the hope that once I break the carb cycle, I can get back to making better food choices for my late night Snacks. Yes, the honeymoon is over!!

There's a site called bariactriceating.com that has a bot, back on track for weight gain, this may help you..good luck.. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using the BariatricPal App

I also fear going back to the places I was as I lose this weight. As I hit new milestones I think "this is what I was doing at this weight in my life". The emotional and physical abuse I suffered was the main reason for my weight gain and going through it again will be hard. I have spent the last 24 years of my total 30 on earth building up this wall of fat to protect me. I am ready now to get it off and hopefully deal with the reasons behind it. Thank you for sharing this. It really hit home with me. And also gives me hope that I can go through it and make to the other side.