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Oh, the unsolicited advice & sometimes hurtful comments. People do get over it & as @ms.sss sud it becomes old news. Now I just get comments about how good I look 😉. When you first loose the weight it is a bit of a shock to others & yourself. They (& you) have a picture of you in their heads & it dues to align anymore. Like they can’t recognise you anymore. It takes time to get used to how you look being so much slimmer & for that fat image to be replaced. Also you will find that once your weight stabilises your remaining fat seems to resettle around your body. At first it seemed I had lost my hour glass shape & I had no butt at all. Now, my waist is definitely there again & I have a little booty but my weight has not changed. If you are working on toning you’ll likely notice the resettling more. And don’t forget either that muscle weighs more than fat. As @ms.sss also said your weight will be lower if you have skin removal. So it is something to take into consideration. I think you may even find that the abdominal fat you see is really just loose skin. I didn’t go down the skin removal path as I don’t have much loose skin. (It doesn’t impede me in any way & isn’t noticeable even in fitted body con clothes.) There are a lot of factors that influence how much loose skin you end up with: highest weight, how long you were overweight, age, gender, genetics, weight gain & loss history, etc. So you can never really compare what you look like with others. Though we’re human & we can’t always stop ourselves doing that. 😉 I always say you have to find a weight you are happy with, are healthy at & can maintain without having to make too restrictive sacrifices that limit how you enjoy your life. Only you know what weight that is. Congrats on your weight loss. You’re looking amazing.

There is a study on the recidivism-weight gain of participants on the show. I read it while I was doing research. One of the points made was that the contestants do 90 minutes of cardio a day with "suggested" times of up to 3 hours more. They are not fed a certain diet, and can choose what they eat. Before weigh-ins, many are dehydrated, etc. (like my WW weigh ins for sure;-( ) once off the ranch, they try to keep to these same measures to win. I don't know anyone who has an outside life of family, kids, dogs, jobs etc, who has time to work out 4 1/2 HOURS a day. Not to mention, it is near impossible to keep up. I used to watch the show and loved it, until I realized that like many of us, they lost all that weight to regain much of it. I do have my guilty pleasure of my 600 pound life...

As one of those 200+ers out there, I just want you to find hope in my story. I've had a number of knee operations over the years, mostly related to athletic injuries, and they allowed me to use the knee pain as an excuse so avoid the work I needed to get into some kind of shape (other than round ). In no way was it as severe as osteoarthritis but I still used it as an excuse and allowed myself to excuse my gain weight. As the weight gain got worse, so did my knee issues. I was looking at knee replacements but I knew, in my case, that it was more related to weight gain so I kept putting it off and dealing with the pain. Eventually, as the rest of my health deteriorated, WLS became the solution to address my problems. As I lost weight, I gained energy and I wanted to lose more. Losing more meant exercise and I started with walking. I enjoyed it and got hooked. Being competitive, I looked for an outlet to challenge myself. I've found it and each of you will too. 200+ is a lot to lose. In fact you will lose 1/2 of yourself in this process but gain so much more than you can imagine. Good luck and we are here to support you.

I chose this surgery so I would not fall off the wagon. Falling off for me wasn't just a meal or a day, it was a month and wasn't just a few pounds but 10-15. I was so tired of the yo-yo dieting and weight gain/weight loss. No matter what restrictive surgery you choose, you will still have to watch what you eat (more quality than quantity) and exercise.

1st of all, I'm so sorry for the loss of your husband and dad. 5 yrs ago, I also lost my husband at age 46 (I was 40), so I know the depression and weight gain that it causes. Please try to find a support group for widows - it helped me tremendously. Ok, you want the top ten things? Here you go: 1. Don't drink while you're eating or for 30-45 minutes afterwards. They say it's because you wash down whats in your tummy before the fullness feeling. I can't drink while eating because it caused me to vomit. 2. Make sure you only eat the amount directed by your dr. Some say 1 cup, some 3/4 of a cup. Follow your drs advisments. Snack only if directed by your dr 3. AVOID VOMITING AT ALL COSTS! For 2 yrs, I ate way too fast and caused myself to vomit (not really pb'ing, as it's much more violent but only food comes up) about 4-6x a week. My band finally had it last year and slipped. I'm still paying for that decision. 4. Exercise. Looks like you're already doing that tho! 5. Don't drink your calories. Like grape juice has like 100 calories a cup, Water has 0. 6. Get your Protein in. If you have a choice between protein and carbs, choose the protein first 7. Make sure you get fills when necessary. The band doesn't work if you're not adjusted properly 8.Watch your calories. With only eating 1 cup per meal, the calories should be fine and you probably won't need to count them, but I do in my head anyway. 9. I don't do this but keep a journal of everything you eat. Studies say that people who write down everything they eat, lose more weight. 10. Don't drink soda! Whether it's diet or not. The carbonation wreaks havoc with your band. Hope that helps a little. I'm sure there's more "rules" but I'm not one for many rules and break them all the time! You shouldn't need to "diet" while the band is actually working, but until you get proper restriction, you may need to. Good luck to you! And you will be happy again someday. I promise. I thought I'd never be happy again after losing my husband. 5 yrs later, I'm remarried and loving my new life. I still thik about Kevin with fond memories, but I'm so happy now I could burst! Marci

I have watched a lot of sleeves, in my work, and seen the increase in one stage revisions, and finally, I decided to go from Band to sleeve, on the 15 th September, so I texted the surgeon and made appointment with him, made gastroscopy appointment to check hiatal hernia and oesophagus, and spoke to surgeons rooms to book surgery. I was operated on last Tuesday 14th, and was home on the Wednesday.. Shoulder tip and back pain were my main issues but managed fine. I am still on free fluids, and have no hunger what so ever. I am managing on around 80 grams of protein, added to either soup or yoghurt and thinned down with skim milk.. Otherwise a lot of herbal teas, and one black coffee per day. And water.. So far so good.. I see surgeon on Wednesday.. I was a maladapted eater for over 18 months, and it had also given up smoking, had shocking reflux and heartburn, and basically bloody miserable with 40 pounds weight gain and as slipped band..so I feel so released, so relaxed, so new, happy.. I have been given an opportunity to do this the right way. The band was a Dream come true in 2007 for me, and I lost 65 pounds with it, but life wasn't always good.. Work lunches were a moment of panic, breakfast was hit and miss, and the reflux was a killer, sleeping with 3 pillows. Going out to dinner meant scouring the menu for a risotto or a mashed potato side dish with fish, and long haul flights meant I could not eat after for 24 hours due to restriction..plus hit and miss with travel insurance coverage on each trip.. Sometimes they would cover me, other times, not, which is scary , going to the USA, and being technically uninsured..(live in Australia) Now? One pillow..no gaviscon, so blockage, no cravings, no more weight gain, and I was a 10 coffees a day person, and now no coffee or cigarette cravings.. Weird, really weird.. But, yes, very very very happy with my decision..

Yes, tomorrow I finally get to eat soft foods [emoji4] but with my weight gain I got worried. He actually wanted me to go on a liquid diet for another week since I was Dehydrated and was vomiting But he said if I felt better I could eat soft foods Sent from my SM-N976U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi everyone, I have had four cortisone shots in the past year, am on Naproxen (a popular Nsaid) and have done prednisone for two weeks several months ago. All of this is due to rheumatoid arthritis. I am waiting for the answer from my insurance company currently for the lapband.. and have tried so many things to get my weight under control and to get the scale moving before I get the band. I am young as well (will be twenty one very soon) This is definitely NOT the primary reason for my weight gain, Ive always struggled with it since early childhood, and was successful enough to lose seventy pounds before my diagnoses with chronic illness. Boy was that disappointing when i gained it all back plus some. I am not sure if my weight not budging is because of the prior steroids or not... It could be metabolism issues from lack of mobility. I have no education about them. I was wondering if anyone on this board has been on steroid therapy and have still lost any weight on the lap band? Thanks for your help -cha

Hello All, after being away for quite some time I am BACK to inspire, motivate, encourage and to be encouraged. I had my gastric bypass in Sept of 2015 and today I weighed myself and the SHOCK of seeing the scale read 201after 5 years was a SLAP in the face. Now today I need to lose 35 pounds. I need all of your help and encouragement. How do you lose weigh post gastric bypass? Can my stomach shrink? Has anyone else had this experience? Help need to reach my goal weight again. Please see recent photo below.

Nope. I had the band, revised to RNY, and had this and every other problem with it. Never lost a single pound with it either. Can't help with the weight gain unfortunately.

Admittedly I freak out everytime that this happens, and I guess its not an extreme amount or anything, but still I haven't been losing weight in a little while and now I'm starting to put it back on! I was down to 188, which was great considering I started at 277. This week I'm 196. I haven't changed my diet significantly, so its a bit confusing for me. I work out constantly, and recently I've started doing some more intense lifting. Mainly squats, which I can feel reaking havoc on my leg muscles this morning. My question is, could some of the weight gain be related to liquids being retained in the damaged muscles from lifting? Or am i just getting plain fatter and should schedule another adjustment. I've only had 2 so far. thanks, Brendan

Well as an American I don't think OUR health system is messed up like you do, as a previous poster stated - half around the world. What is messed up are those people who instead of paying for insurance they buy everything else themselves (beer, cigarettes, etc) and then expect the govt to foot the bill when they get sick. When if they'd just do without a little they could pay for insurance themselves. There are cases where that IS NOT the case, of course. I have a disabled parent who absolutely would love to be able to work and pay their own way but it's impossible. That's the kind that deserve the help, not the moochers. But I do see way too often people doing just exactly what I stated before. Cheating the system is what it's called. When I was 184 I didn't feel obese at all. Overweight, yes. I didn't have trouble finding clothing. I know every body is different though and I am well proportioned and wore the weight well. No one would have guessed that I weighed that much ever. I always stumped the Six Flags weight guessers. I don't know about the others but all my weight gain has been through pregnancies. I never gain when I am not pregnant. I can eat and eat and never gain when not pregnant. But once the weight is there, it just stays there after pregnancy. I don't understand it either. I can, and have, lost weight lowcarbing though. It works great, but then when I stopped lowcaring and tried to do maintenance the weight came back and stopped again right at my highest weight. It's like my body has a stopping point or something as far as weight goes. Wish that stopping point was MUCH lower though. Even at my highest I stayed there eating whatever I wanted. Something goes nuts when I am pregnant though. I eat exactly as before and at the end even less because there simply isn't room left for a lot of food and gain like crazy. My dr. says it's the huge hormonal change. I am sure I've been pretty blunt in my posts. I won't edit them because that seems cowardly but I do want to say that the pain I am in from my surgery yesterday has made me hell on wheels (my husband said this) to everyone. I still say it's crazy to complain about LOSING weight when you are cramming cookie dough down your throat.

Thanks for this post! I am almost 6 years out and just this past year I have started gaining weight again....7 lbs in one year! And although, like you , I didn't have terrible eating habits; it was just a slow gain over a number of years before my surgery, this weight gain is due to bad habits and I must get control over it. Thanks for inspiring me. I am not in the US either , and went from learning about the sleeve to having it done within a month. (Self pay). I was early on in the Sleeve game....so wrote a book about it. Where are you? In Europe? I'm in Amsterdam, but I'm American.

I really dislike the fact that there are a million people out there who are looking for a quick fix that will work and are being taken advantage of. I know, i was one of them but I am also a skeptic and don't believe any of the commercials- but i really wanted to and wanted something that would work. the one size fits all approch is as missused by the medical community as by the commercial marketers. How many times have you heard " why just eat less and excersize and you will loose weight. Why can't you do that?" It is just not that easy for some and there are other reasons for weight gain. Neither drs. or weight loss "experts" can push a one size fits all approach, that is why i like the band- you have a tool to work with that works- if you work with it.

Hi...I am having the Lap-Band surgery on March 27th at Magee. Dr. Carol McCloskey is the surgeon. On March 10th., I go to Magee for pre-op tests. I don't know what they will consist of since I had so many tests already. When I questioned the need for more testing, I was told that the tests can be no more than 30 days pre-op. In July of 08, I attended an informational meeting about bariatric surgery at Magee. On Aug. 4th was the Pre-Operative Lifestyle Classes first meeting. The fee was $395.00 which could be paid in three installments of $145.00 each------the last one at the end of the six month life style classes. Also, I was instructed to keep a food/activity log for one week prior to the initial class. A nutritionist ran the class which had about thirty people gathered in the waiting room area of Suite 5600. I noticed that most of the people interested in the surgery were accompanied by another person. I went alone. The Nutritionist passed out several informational booklets which were about nutrition, behavioral basics, lifestyle changes and physical activity. One has the choice of either attending monthly classes at Magee or going to one's Primary Care Physician monthly. I chose to go to my PCP. The monthly PCP visit consisted of me bringing in my food and activity logs for each month. My PCP is closer than Magee and the parking is free, plus there was not the hassle of the drive on the Parkway East. Also, Magee had a list of the dates for the monthly classes. I was unable to attend any of the meetings scheduled in Oct. Thus, I had to schedule with my PCP at my convienience. It is imperative to attend a meeting each and every month. It makes no difference if your PCP meeting is one month and the next time you could meet is the next month only two weeks after the previous meeting. This was important to me and something I did not understand at first. It happened that I did have to schedule an appt. for Jan. 21st and the next one for Feb. 2nd. I had little to add to the activity log due to the pain in my knees but I did attempt to take more steps each day. Of course, there was the dreaded weigh-in. My PCP filled out the required After Visit Summary and faxed it to Magee after each visit. My weight at Magee was 243. My first weigh-in with my PCP on Sept. 3rd was 237. My last weigh in with my PCP on Feb. 2,09 was 217. I had a twenty dollar co-pay at each PCP visit. I am in my 60's so I had a ton of tests.......EGK, stress test, echocardiogram, Chest x-ray, blood work, sleep study(which showed I have sleep apnea so I had to have a second study). I have a minor blood disorder so I was also required to see a hematolgist. He sent me for more tests. It was a lot of testing but I did it all in Feb., and got it done quickly. I see a therapist, so I only had to take in the form for him to fill out and fax to Magee. That was the easy part since he was the one who first suggested that I consider the Lap-Band surgery. Before I scheduled all my tests, I spent hours on the phone with my insurer making sure that all the tests and the doctors were covered by my insurance. At the first meeting with the surgeon, I got all the scripts for each test to be done. After the six month program ended with the appt. with the nutritionist, all my records were sent to the insurance company. About ten days later, I got a call from Magee that my insurer wanted my PCP to send in a two year record of my weights. Only a week later........Feb. 27th., I was called by Magee to tell me that my surgery was approved. I have a confession that after my last PCP visit, I did lose my focus and start to eat badly again. I went on a three week vacation and fell into the same bad habits of overeating. I knew that I was not going to get approved for the surgery if I had any weight gain during the six months. That fear keep my on the straight and narrow.....well, mostly. I also knew that if I really stuck to a 1500 calorie plan that I would lose too much and get denied. There is a fine line to be walked. I attended one Magee Bariatric support group meeting and the person running the meeting said that someone had just gotten rejected because she lost 50 pounds on her own. I gained 7 pounds. I feel badly, but if I did not have a history of losing and gaining, I would not be having the surgery in the first place. I know this is long, but I thought it just may answer some questions for one or two people. I have been in the health field for over 35 years, but I found this process to be a bit confusing and complicated at times. Wish me luck.......this is my last chance.

I am a Physician Assistant with over 12 years of experience in internal medicine and gastric band management . I am a certified provider in band management and have done thousands of fills. I believe in the band because I have seen, first hand, how well it works.....if the patient has been taught how to use it!!! Too often, the patient is rushed in and out of the office for a fill and the provider doesn't address what the patient is doing right or wrong. The weight log does not tell the whole story, far from it. Unfortunately, most providers put far too much "weight" in the weight log. For instance, the patient comes in for a 2 week follow up and has lost 3 lbs, great right? Not quite, If the provider doesn't ask the appropriate questions he/she may not know that the patient is too tight and vomiting daily, surprisingly, many patients won't offer this info up to the provider because they are losing weight. The provider MUST spend time withe the patient to determine if the band is too tight or is the patient making mistakes that cause vomiting. This vomiting is risky for band patients because it may cause a slip or erode the mucosa of the esophogus as well as many other potential problems. Believe it or not, there are plenty of "band bulemics" out there and most aren't identified because the provider doesn't spend enough time with the patient. On the flip side, some patients come in with a weight gain, yet their band is very tight. This is actually a common dilema and again if the provider doesn't ask the right questions, the patient will end up getting a fill when in reality, they need a small defill. Most patients want their band as tight as possible because that equates to more weight loss, right? When the band is too tight, the patient knows that most foods will cause vomiting. Ironically, its the food that they shouldn't eat, that they end up eating, thus weight gain. In this patient, with a small defill, the vomiting will resolve and their weight will drop. I am available to answer any questions this community has via this forum or email at jvmed@me.com.

Had my sugery in Aug. 2008 @ 353 and at my lowest weight I was 225!!! But then I got a piece of food stuck and had to have all of the Fluid taken out. I've felt like I've lost control since then and can't get back on track. I've put off going back to the doctor because they've changed how they code the adjustments and it will cost at least $300 to have an adjustment. Finances are really tight right now. The other factor, and probably the most severe one for me, is that I'm embarrassed. I've been embarrassed to talk to my doctor about my recent weight gain of at least 50 lbs!!!! And I'm lost. I've tried dieting to get it off without success. That's how I've gained so much...binging. So I googled 'getting back on track with Lap-Band' and found this site. I'm just now deciding to get on track and I'm feeling overwhelmed and defeated. I am just now starting nursing school and time is limited which leads to emotional eating, poor food choices, and excuses to eat bad and not exercise.These are just a few. I'm hoping I can get back on this wagon. It's not my doctor's fault but I just am so nervous to admit/face him...I don't know how to do it...and even worse, facing the nurse; getting on that scale...her writing it down and telling me I've gain 58 lbs...then the questions 'have you been drinking with your meals? Eating between meals?'... Please, any advice is helpful!!!! Jess

My wife was in a similar situation, though no diabetes.. she has PCOS and weight gain isn't stopping. She was denied into the weight management program because her situation isn't dire enough. I don't know much about PCOS though so I can't comment on that. But I do know Notley and co have begun cutting funding to weight management so they're only accepting those in extreme cases for now. It's very unfortunate, but also might explain why things tend to do fairly quick here.

I woke up this morning and noticed my face was so round. Well, I started reading the side effects of my medication that I'm taking and it turns out the big side effect if taken more than 14 days is weight gain! I'm on steroids, and have been on them since 1/17/08. So that explains the weight gain. Although I haven't made the right food choices, I was a little shocked that I had gained so much, because I never have in the past while not making the right food choices. So, I was a little depressed. Well this weekend I did really good with eating, and still gained another 3 lbs. Then I noticed my face looked distorted this morning. So I started researching the medication I'm on. Well, not only am I takig orally steroid, I'm also putting steroid drops in my eyes, so needless to say, its causing a weight gain. I should be off of it all by the end of this week. Scale this mornng was really ugly 186.2. I do think once I quit taking the steroids I will start losing. Okay menu today Bfast 1 egg 2 slices of turkey bacon Mid moring cup of coffee w/cream Lunch salad dressing on side Dinner ground hamburger salsa Exercise -

I am 1 year and 3 months out and am wondering is it normal for the pouch to stretch and how much should I be able to eat at this point. I feel like I can eat more but should i? Also, is there a picture to see what our stomach (pouch) looks like now. How usual is it that the stomach would stretch to a very large size and is that what causes weight gain and if not what causes weight gain after surgery. Thanks, Irelandgrl

I need help and tips on loosing weight and maintaining it off my surgery date is not scheduled however the insurance won't approve me and that's my worry. I'm craving so much and I'm out of breath a lot lately I need help something.

I am six months out and have noticed I can eat more and am hungry more. I am happy with my weight loss and don't really care if I lose more. Maybe I am just paranoid but I know people can gain weight after this sugery and I know this is just a tool. Losing this weight has been so easy and quick for me that I am scared and kind of waiting for the other "foot to drop" so to speak. Do I need to go on a diet now? I weigh everyday and have not gained any yet but I am so scared. I love my new life and I don't want that monkey on my back again.

I am 20 weeks pregnant and 1.75 years out from the sleeve. I lost 130 pounds. At 5'11" I weight around 160. I am up to 183 as of today. That is 23 pounds weight gain in 21 weeks (21 on Wednesday). I have NO clue whether or not I am going to lose this weight, but my restriction might as well be a thing of the past. I can eat my FACE off! I am so hungry all the time! I am hoping that the hunger goes away after baby, but I don't know. I was in maintenance when I got pregnant...I wish I gotten pregnant while still losing, but hey. I am pregnant for the first time at 36! That is a miracle. I have gained weight all over and still can squeeze into my clothes from my thighs, but can not button anything in the tummy. Shirts are little snug in the arms but mostly in my tummy. I feel big, but I am not going to let it get me down. I am not working out which just is terrible. I can not function in this cold weather and I am waiting for the warm weather to hit so I can go walking. Did i mention I can eat? Like everything! So scary!

Not every one develops gall stones after weight loss surgery. Many actually had them already. They are caused by high cholesterol or high bilirubin levels & can develop during menopause. As you lose weight cholesterol, which is stored in your fat, is released as you lose weight & can cause stones to form. They found a stone at about my 6/7 month mark after a ultra sound to check my liver function. Don’t know when mine formed as I was menopausal before my sleeve, my cholesterol had gone from a steady for years 5 to 5.6 as I lost weight (it’s 4.1 now) & I have high bilirubin. I won the lottery of causes. Never had symptoms before my first attack 25 months after my sleeve surgery. I had my gall removed about two weeks later. The gall removal surgery recovery was similar but different to my sleeve. After sleeve, I had no gas or pulled or strained abdominal muscles. I had a lot of gas pains & muscle strain affecting my movements for a good week after the gall surgery. But no restricted diet, constipation or diarrhoea, no swallowing issues of course so that was a plus. My surgeon used the same incision sites he’d made for my sleeve. I was home the next day. Same weight restrictions for lifting & same no driving for a week again. He sent me home with some opioid pain meds but I didn’t take them. Did take one nurofen, with his permission, on day 3 but no pain meds at all after that. Just put up with the gas & muscle pain. Haven’t heard about a potential for weight gain. I have gained 2kgs in the last five months but continued to maintain my weight for 6 months after the gall was removed. I attribute the weight gain to starting a higher dose HRT & working on increasing my protein in that same five months. Plus I’m at the 3 year mark & there is always a potential for weight gain during that 2 or 3 year mark. Since my gall removal I don’t absorb protein well anymore which was unexpected & is likely just me. We tried medication (creons) for 3 months which didn’t seem to help hence my increasing my protein intake. I’m back on creons to give them a longer go. I am noticing my hair is thinner (not shedding like after the sleeve) & my nails are weaker because of the protein issue. The other odd side effect of no gall is I have random diarrhoea attacks. Usually every 2 or 3 weeks. Almost like there’s a build up acid, which the gall used to regulate. It irritates the bowel & causes the diarrhoea. My sister in law is the same & she hasn’t had weight loss surgery. My aunt says if she eats anything fatty she gets nauseous. Not everyone is prescribed meds for gall stones after surgery. Personally, it seems odd to prescribe meds to dissolve gall stones before you have them. I did ask my surgeon about dissolving the stone after my attack but he said: if you grow one stone you will grow another so it’s best to remove the gall. I have three friends who have had sleeve surgeries too within the last 4 years. None of us were prescribed urisidiol or similar & I’m the only one to form a stone. But your surgeon must have their reasons for doing so.

My own experience tells me that calories and carbs are the biggest contributors to weight gain or loss. I enter everything into My fitness Pal. I keep a scale on the counter to weigh everything that I eat. I have exceeded my goal and to keep from losing any more weight I have to eat about 2300-2500 calories a day. No Pasta, bread, or rice. No candy, cake, ice cream. NO CHEATING. I see postings where people cannot give up this or that. DISASTER. WLS is not a magic bullet to allow you to continue to eat as before. It is a tool to help but you ultimately are the one who has to make the intelligent choices.