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I think I may be the only one on here that has the balls to admit I am currently taking Phentermine after WLS. I was sleeved on August 31, 2012 and have lost 60lbs. I got very discouraged in my weight loss venture. I am human and give in to temptation just like most of us do. My weakness is Mr Pibb. I know it's a horrible thing and I'd lose way more if I'd stop drinking 2 sodas a day. Which is a huge improvement from about 2 -2 liters a day before surgery. I don't need anyone preaching to me what I already know. I have a hard time drinking Water and yes I've put everything known to man in it to make it more desirable, but no luck. I can go 12 plus hours with out drinking a drop of anything. My Dr says I have water weight gain and has put me on the Phentermine to make me thirsty and to help with the water weight. Phentermine isn't a quick fix and I still have lots of weight to lose, but it has helped me get over the depression I have felt for quite sometime about the weight not coming off. I lost 10lbs on it and I am way thirsty. He only prescribed it a month and I'm glad he did. I have found that if I actually get out and walk around for a little while I start to notice more energy. I also have learned to pre-weigh and pre-pack my lunches and dinners for the week. This is a huge life changing journey and man what a roller coaster ride it has been. I'm sure most of you are appalled about the phentermine after surgery, but some of us need that little extra boost to help us get through hard times. Especially when there is no support and a strong ear would be nice to have for thoughts and wonders. So before you are quick to judge me, remember we are all human and no-one on this earth is perfect.

It depends. Are you going to let the numbers on the scale dictate how the rest of your day goes? Are you going to be able to deal with stalls and even weight gain if you weigh daily? If you think that's not going to bother you, by all means weigh daily. If it is a problem for you, stay off the scale and weigh weekly, bi monthly or even monthly if you feel that will work best for you. I weigh once a week, Monday morning no fail. Even weekly still can be annoying when you're in a longer stall

Good one... I hadn't though about that, but its great to hear your confidence is up and that you're diggin' your new appearance. 112 lbs down is amazing! I think there's a positive to everything... even being fat. My wife had a birthday party yesterday and some folks we know were complimenting me on the weight loss. Afterwards, I was thinking about it some more... and realized that I've definitely improved my overall eatings habits tremendously because of all this. I wasn't a terrible eater before, my weight gain was a 15 year journey with undiagnosed insulin resistance... but by NO MEANS did I eat a healthy diet, or was some picture of perfection. I've really learned to study what's in my food, and even if I put some of this weight back on... I know that I've gained something from all this.

Hey Jenn! I have a quick question for ya; how did you find out that you were allergic to Splenda?? Did the Dr. just conclude that, or did they do some sort of test? I used to use Equal and was fine with it, then my sister kept pushing me to use Splenda instead, so I switched a few months ago. It could just be a coincidence, but now I am always bloated and swollen, although that may be from my weight gain too. What do you think? Thanks.

I don't understand how I could possibly be gaining weight since I have been extremly strict with my diet progression through the appropriate stages and my amounts are staggeringly small.....3 or 4 tbls of food at each meal. How is that happening? Doesn't that mean that when I'm able to eat real food that I'll continue gaining? This is so depressing and I was so close to canceling my suregery anyway cuz I thought I was doing so good on the preop diet (20 lbs lost). I've read that post surgery is about healing more so than weight loss, but how terrible I feel to be gaining on such small amounts of food. Anyone know why this happens or has happened to anyone else or is it just me failing once again at weight loss?

Take your scale out back and smash it with a sledge hammer. You are sabotaging yourself. Seriously I never weighed myself throughout my losing process. I never had a stall or a gain. Always happy with the progress because I only got weighed at my doctors office. As long as you are following your doctors plan you will make it. You also have to remember you are still healing. Your body is under attack and it is trying to adjust. You are still flushing out the meds they gave you and your body is also starting to flush out the toxins you stored up. That does not happen over night. That will happen a long the way as well. But you are not in a place right now to worry about a stall or weight gain. As long as you are looking straight ahead and doing what you are suppose to do. You will be who you want to be. Okay hun!

If you are taking any medication whatsoever, get in touch with your surgeon and ask him/her to review the prescriptions in order to determine if any have weight gain as a side effect. In particular, there are several prescriptions prescribed for psychological/psychiatric issues that can cause great weight gain. There are other non-psyche meds that, while not causing weight gain, tend to inhibit losses. For example, in one interesting study, researchers found that WLS patients who took Metformin post-surgery lost much less weight and plateaued while those who didn't take it showed much more drastic weight loss.

I can't believe it has been 7 whole months since I was sleeved! It has gone so fast! And yet it seems that right now time is moving SO slowly! I know that you loose most of the weight in the first year, and I am SO anxious to loose the last few pounds I have to go. And I am getting nervous, knowing that I am over half way to the one year mark, when I will stop loosing. I want to get those last few pounds off while I still have time. This past summer (when I was living/working in California) I swam for an hour every morning. Since moving back to (cold and frozen) Iowa, I can't swim on a daily basis. I joined a work out center last week, but am having trouble getting there on a regular basis. I work 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM, so evenings are out, and I sleep during the day. So have had to confine my work out times to my days off. I NEED to get off my rear end and get to the work out center on a more regular basis! The sad fact is that joining and paying your money does NOT do anything for weight loss or toning, IF YOU DON'T GO AND WORK OUT!!! I also am trying to come to terms with what I am eating. To often I figure "will I can only eat a couple of bites of it, so I can't do THAT much harm, so might as well eat it.", instead of trying to eat healthy. I don't want to be one of those individuals who loose dramatically and then gain most (or all) of it back! I have a very good life long friend who had a Roux N Y done 7-8 years ago, and now has gained back almost all of her weight. I don't think she changed her eating habits a lot, and now she is stuck with a weight gain back to her (almost) original size. She is such a good friend, I feel so for her. After all she went through to have the surgery and then to gain most of the weight back! I LOVE to bake and cook, so it is a daily struggle not to eat what I am baking/cooking. I am trying to follow the rule "always get my protein first". But some days the pastry, or cookies, or cake, etc seem to be shouting my name as loudly as they can! I know I have to STOP, but some life long habits are SO hard to change! The good news is that I SO love being a Size 8, and I don't want to endanger it with weight gain! I also love all the compliments I have received on my weight loss since the surgery. I don't ever want to weight 258 pounds again! I am beginning to think that maintenance is harder than weight loss! The loosing period has been a relative breeze, it is the whole maintaining thing that is going to drive me crazy (and believe me, crazy is not a far trip for me!). Anybody have any good tips for maintenance?

With the myfitnesspal.com it asks some questions like your weight, height, even sex. It will determine what your calorie intake should then be. It's really a good idea to journal your food for calories, and Protein. You said you think there is something else wrong with you. Well, I have a hypothyroid, and that will cause sluggish weight loss or weight gain. If I were you,,, I would journal everything for a month, and get some exercise. If you have no luck, then see a Dr., and explain your situation. Good Health to you, Shirley.

Hello! I am new here, so I am still finding my way. I had weight gain his me over the past 10+ yrs. like it came on overnight. And I've tried and tried to diet but I always fall back-to-back habits. I had an eye-opening moment where I thought to myself, "You don't really see a lot of overweight elderly people" and that thought hit me hard. I am 40 and much too young to feel this old! My joints ache, my ankles swell, my back hurts, I have high blood pressure, sleep apnea, GERD and anxiety out the wazoo. I am nowhere near ready to die, and I sort of had a "come to Jesus" moment with myself and knew I had to get serious about my weight and health. I have so much to live for and I don't plan on going anywhere any time soon!! I am a mother to a wonderful adult son. I have an amazing boyfriend and a family whom I love dearly. I love my job and have so many blessings that I don't want to take for granted. I keep telling myself "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels", and I know that has to be true. I have one more appointment with my PCP before I can be submitted for insurance approval, and then hopefully a surgery date!

It sounds like you are way too tight. Contrary to popular belief tighter isn't better. It can lead to both weight gain and slips. You are clearly exhibiting "soft calorie" syndrome because you're too tight. Please read this article, it will help considerably: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/page/index.html/_/support/post-op-support/tighter-isnt-always-better-r118

I was banded last Friday and am surprised by the amount of pain I am in - I decided to weigh myself today and found that I had gained 1 1/2 pounds even though I am eating at the most 3 Protein shakes a day and Water. I decided today to stop using the pain medication prescribed by my Dr. I(in case it was increasing my constipation) even though I still feel very sore, especially when I lie down or get up from a lie-down position. I haven't been able to have a bowel movement and am wondering if that is increasing the soreness I am feeling. I started to take Colase (stool softener) and today I took Correctol but still no luck. I'm sort of ranting today - feeling uncertain about what to expect and whether this is normal. All I know is that I hurt, am constipated, have no hunger, but am gaining weight. Oh yeah! The other thing is that I am on an Insulin Pump and I haven't needed to add any insulin since this started which means the pump is giving me about 70 units a day spread out over 24 hours. Prior to getting the banding, I was using about 300 units a day and still had uncontrollable blood sugar levels.

My desire for lapband surgery began in the fall of 2006. I'd struggled with being fat for over 10 years and had many health problems including: PCOS, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, sleep apnea and depression. By doing my research and speaking with my doctors, I'd learned that it was the PCOS that caused my massive weight gain of 100 pounds in a year. It was also PCOS that made it damn near impossible for me to lose weight. My desire to be healthy and to be able to have children further cemented my resolve to have lapband surgery. I'd done the research and knew all the risks involved. These risks were nothing compared to the ticking timebomb of a heart attack that I'd surely have if I stayed at the weight I was. We went to a seminar and shortly after I was already done with my surgeon consult, nutrition class and psych evaluation. My family doctor and cardiologist were both on board and had written my letters of support for the surgery. Now the only road block was our insurance company. Blue Cross/Blue Shield of California had a BMI restriction in their policy. My BMI had to be 49 or less in order for them to approve coverage. Well, needless to say, my BMI was over 49. I struggled to lose the 15 pounds necessary to qualify for the surgery. If it was easy for me to lose weight, I wouldn't have been trying to get the surgery in the first damn place. After almost a year, I'd just about given up. Thankfully, my husband checked the insurance policy again and discovered that they had amended the restriction. So, in November of 2007 we called our insurance company (whose named changed to Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield) and they confirmed the restriction had been lifted. We then contacted our surgeon to get the ball rolling for approval. We explained to them that the policy had changed and we should now meet approval for coverage. They stated they would submit the paperwork right away. But...instead of listening to what we told them, they simply reviewed the printed policy they had in their office and sent us a letter stating the BMI requirement. So, we had to call them and reiterate the amendment in the policy. Due to their lack of attention, this set us back two weeks. Finally, they submitted the paperwork as they had originally promised and we got our approval. My surgery was scheduled for March 3rd, 2008. In preparation, I had to spend 4 hours at the hospital for various exams: Upper GI, barium swallow, chest x-ray, blood tests, etc. The week before was spent gathering everything I would need post-surgery. We also cleaned out our fridge and cabinets, tossing out most everything that would not be allowed on my menu. My pre-op consult was on February 28th, only a few days before the surgery. He asked if I had questions. I really didn't. We had done so much research that I felt fully prepared. The truth is that for the two weeks prior to the surgery, I was crying every other hour. I was so worried that something would go wrong. I was envisioning the worst - that I would die during surgery. My concerns revolved around leaving my husband and parents behind. My father has emphysema and COPD and my mother is not as strong as she used to be. I wanted this surgery so that I could be more help to my loved ones - not leave them behind. My hugs lasted longer. Late at night, tears would roll down my cheeks as my husband slept. I made a point to tell my friends how important they are to me. I tried to make sure everyone knew how much I loved them. I had a wonderful time saying good-bye to the foods that I loved. T-Bone steaks are one of my first loves. I was also a Coca-Cola addict. Being asian, jasmine rice was a staple at every dinner...this is probably one of the most difficult habits to break. Luckily, I'd become tired of food, so saying good-bye wasn't difficult. Ultimately, I knew that this was what I needed to do in order to take control of my life and my health. As scary as it was, I was ready.

My desire for lapband surgery began in the fall of 2006. I'd struggled with being fat for over 10 years and had many health problems including: PCOS, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, sleep apnea and depression. By doing my research and speaking with my doctors, I'd learned that it was the PCOS that caused my massive weight gain of 100 pounds in a year. It was also PCOS that made it damn near impossible for me to lose weight. My desire to be healthy and to be able to have children further cemented my resolve to have lapband surgery. I'd done the research and knew all the risks involved. These risks were nothing compared to the ticking timebomb of a heart attack that I'd surely have if I stayed at the weight I was. We went to a seminar and shortly after I was already done with my surgeon consult, nutrition class and psych evaluation. My family doctor and cardiologist were both on board and had written my letters of support for the surgery. Now the only road block was our insurance company. Blue Cross/Blue Shield of California had a BMI restriction in their policy. My BMI had to be 49 or less in order for them to approve coverage. Well, needless to say, my BMI was over 49. I struggled to lose the 15 pounds necessary to qualify for the surgery. If it was easy for me to lose weight, I wouldn't have been trying to get the surgery in the first damn place. After almost a year, I'd just about given up. Thankfully, my husband checked the insurance policy again and discovered that they had amended the restriction. So, in November of 2007 we called our insurance company (whose named changed to Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield) and they confirmed the restriction had been lifted. We then contacted our surgeon to get the ball rolling for approval. We explained to them that the policy had changed and we should now meet approval for coverage. They stated they would submit the paperwork right away. But...instead of listening to what we told them, they simply reviewed the printed policy they had in their office and sent us a letter stating the BMI requirement. So, we had to call them and reiterate the amendment in the policy. Due to their lack of attention, this set us back two weeks. Finally, they submitted the paperwork as they had originally promised and we got our approval. My surgery was scheduled for March 3rd, 2008. In preparation, I had to spend 4 hours at the hospital for various exams: Upper GI, barium swallow, chest x-ray, blood tests, etc. The week before was spent gathering everything I would need post-surgery. We also cleaned out our fridge and cabinets, tossing out most everything that would not be allowed on my menu. My pre-op consult was on February 28th, only a few days before the surgery. He asked if I had questions. I really didn't. We had done so much research that I felt fully prepared. The truth is that for the two weeks prior to the surgery, I was crying every other hour. I was so worried that something would go wrong. I was envisioning the worst - that I would die during surgery. My concerns revolved around leaving my husband and parents behind. My father has emphysema and COPD and my mother is not as strong as she used to be. I wanted this surgery so that I could be more help to my loved ones - not leave them behind. My hugs lasted longer. Late at night, tears would roll down my cheeks as my husband slept. I made a point to tell my friends how important they are to me. I tried to make sure everyone knew how much I loved them. I had a wonderful time saying good-bye to the foods that I loved. T-Bone steaks are one of my first loves. I was also a Coca-Cola addict. Being asian, jasmine rice was a staple at every dinner...this is probably one of the most difficult habits to break. Luckily, I'd become tired of food, so saying good-bye wasn't difficult. Ultimately, I knew that this was what I needed to do in order to take control of my life and my health. As scary as it was, I was ready.

Well Here I am 4 days post op and I have to say that today is by far my best day. Again no problems with surgery, but I highly recommend not getting teeth done the same time..LOL. its like a double whammy on your body. This morning was the the first that I woke up without that excruciating pain in my jaw, and i was actually able to talk without feeling like my jaw was going to explode. I have shied away from the boards because of this. As far as the surgery, I feel wonderful!. I am unsure how much fluids I am getting down cause I keep forgetting to track it, but I do know it's enough as my urine is running very clear. I have no head hunger, but there are times that my tummy lets me know its time to feed it more fluids. I am very sorry for not updating as soon as I should have been, as I was taking all the time I needed to feel better in my mouth. The weight gain after surgery is horrid. i was down 14lbs before surgery from 322 to 308. The day I left I noticed I was weighing almost 2lbs heavier which I figured was water retention from nerves. Day of surgery i did weigh 310 on doctors scale. Day I got home Wednesday the 8th I weighed 319 lbs. I knew and read over and over about retaining fluids after surgery, but I guess you never really expect it or believe it until you see it. today, day 4 I am finally dropping a few, but I am staying off the scale until my weekly weigh ins. I have not tried too many different drinks so to speak. I am living off water and some gatorade. I did try some watered down apple juice, but in all honesty that gassed me up so bad. I am hesitant to try skim milk yet, but I sure am craving it. Today was the first day that I tried some chicken broth- again had to dilute it. I am not eating any jello as I am worried about jaw pain and not being able to chew very well. Everyday that passes is another day of my journey!

First of all, I'm so proud of you for reaching out to get treatment. That is truly the hardest part! As a fellow anxiety sufferer, I can tell that it DOES get better. As someone who also had WLS I will tell you, from my experience, any amount of weight my meds may have contributed to is NOTHING compared to feeling healthy and strong and not carrying the burden of chronic anxiety. I was on treatment prior to WLS so its hard to say what impact, if any, it had. But even if I were starting today, knowing it might impact me weight, I would absolutely do it in a heartbeat. YOU ARE WORTHY OF GOOD MENTAL HEALTH. That being said, Zoloft may contribute to a ~1% weight gain over the course of the first year of treatment, which is pretty negligible. And its helpful to remember that the med itself doesn't cause the weight gain, the changes in habits it can lead to are what cause the gain. So if you stick to your good habits (hit your protein, drink your water, move your body) you will be just fine. We are rooting for you!

I'm about 8 wks post op and have been doing really good... I think? I'm down 42lbs since day 1 preop, but have stalled and gained a few pounds back... I feel like I'm able to eat way more/bigger portions already... not intentionally, but lunch today I had a (what I think was a BIG) salad, and yesterday I ate two large lettuce wraps stuffed with chicken, etc.... I'm worried if I'm eating too much and that's what's leading to my weight gain....?? Should I still be trying to stick to 600-800 cals a day? I am desperate to reach my goal... Please help!!

It begins with YOU, and only You. What you put in your mouth must be quality food items and Not junk or high carbed items. More Protein items, less carbs and YOU will lost weight. Give it some time. Not everybody here loses weight instantly. Your weight gain took years to develop and now you must have patience in obtaining your ideal weight goal. Best wishes and Keep the Faith.

Hi, I need help! I had the sleeve in March of 2015. About a year ago I started gaining weight back. I've gained about 25 lbs back. I recently got a personal trainer and have been working out consistently for 2 months. The problem is the scale hasn't moved. My trainer focuses on strength training. So 4 of the 5 days we workout we are lifting and 1 day is cardio for about 30 minutes. He wants me to eat more because of this but physically I can't ( you guys can relate). He wants me to eat more than 1200 calories a day but I'm only getting in about 600. Maybe 700 or 800 on a good day. I just need advice. I don't know if I should cut back on the strength training or revamp my eating (which I don't know what I should do with my eating). I just want to lose the weight I gained so that I can feel better in my body like I did year 1 and 2 after surgery. Any advise who would! Thanks in advanced.

I'm in Portland, surgery tomorrow! Revision from sleeve to bypass due to acid reflux and weight gain. Dr Patterson is the surgeon, what about you guys?

Went to see my PCP this morning and I gained 10 pounds do you think when I see the surgeon at my preop appointment he will say anything? I don’t start my liquids until Nov 3rd. My preop is Nov 11th. I seem to be eating like I will never be allowed to eat again. I have decided to start to protein shakes a day and a small healthy dinner in the evening and see if I can make the extra ten pounds go away J I was hoping not to have to do that as I don’t want to get burnt out on the shakes before I even get the band.

I would love to find a mentor too:) Had my surgery last March down 57# wish more I have tough time food choices & meal planning trying new foods.Mother of 8 would prefer quick easy meal for brkfst & lunch I don't know....started curves to get moving more. I have daily back and hip pain on meds that cause weight gain. Having trouble getting protein in don't like fish some meats tough going down.Could use some help please )))

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen! My name is Brenda and on September 2nd I had the gastric bypass surgery. It took me a few years to get myself to admit I needed this, and I am happy I made this decision.My surgery took longer than the surgeon anticipated due to scar tissue from a previous surgery. The surgeon was still able to do the surgery laparoscopic after cleaning up the scar tissue. After one setback due to diarrhea and dehydration I pray I am on the right path now. Discouraged at first because of an 8 lb weight gain(which the surgeon said was due to all the intravenous fluids I was given) I am happy to say in a week I've lost 10 lbs! Prayers for great success for all of you on this weight loss journey. Here's to a happier and healthier lifestyle ????????

Hi guys! I haven't been diagnosed with PCOS but I've been doing some research on it and I have a lot of the symptoms. I have a medical appointment on the 24th and Im gonna bring it up. The hair growth on your chin omfg I've had that for YEARS this finally makes sense as a cause. I've also usually had very regular periods but he last year since I gained like 40lbs they have been very out of wack. I've also gotten some mild cramping latley not related to my TOM so im concerned. The hear growth on my chin has also been way worse with the weight gain then ever. Like I said I'm going to get this looked at.

I'm PISSED OFF BEYOND BELIEF! I had surgery 6/14 I lost 40 pounds but as of today 12 pounds came back..! How that fast did 12 pounds come back?? I didn't even gain that much weight eating McDonald's every other day in a week's time.. Please someone HELP!! I've called my doctors office.. No help.. I made an appointment with my dietitian can't see her until August.. I'm lost and getting discouraged.. I've been typing in to Google .. And I can't find no one that has experience this much weight gain so fast..smh Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app