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@ PDXMan....you're not just cute....you're smart! I would like to say one thing in defense of men.....poor guys; they often do say things that come out wrong; but how many men out there have been supportive of us through this weight loss journey and loved us through all of our weight gains? Speaking for myself; I was very defensive in the beginning and very much in denial and had every excuse in the world for not losing weight (some of the valid mind you). Still, my guy stood by me and loved me at 223 lbs, and was there every moment on the way down (with some really really intense talks along the way). Does he love me more now that I am thinner? I'm not sure, but I do know this experience has brought us much closer because we are so much more open now than we ever were.....I guess I'm just saying, that we're not perfect either and that opening up to each other in a loving, non-defensive way is a good thing; men and women are wired differently, but look at the big picture.

Lyrica causes weight gain. A friend of mine is on it and she says it makes her very hungry. Elavil did that to me. It makes me crave sugar like crazy. ambien for me is the only thing that has no side effects. BBK, are you going to get an unfill? You could easily add a little bit of food back into your diet to stop losing. I wish I had that problem! I am struggling to lose 1 lb.

Rene, my 25th reunion is in 2 years as well, never thought about it till you pointed it out. When I was in HS I weighed over 300 lbs (at graduation)... When I went back for my 10 year reunion, I weighed 150 lbs. BLEW their socks off because the cheerleaders got ugly, the jocks got fat and bald and I just got BETTER Okay well I'm back up over 100+ lbs and I refused to go to my 20th year just because of my weight gain. :devious ***evil grin*** :devious guess I'll be going to my 25th

To answer some of your questions. The weight gain (blah)...yes, it happens. I gained the 40 lbs between 2003 and 2006 and, after a significant breakup, I just needed something else to focus on. I started simple with walking and eating only vegetarian. I didn't join the gym until about 3 years ago but, since then, I am a regular and do not go less than 5 days a week/often 7. I held on to two pair of my favorite post op/weight loss pants and was determined to get back into them...they fit big now. I think the way you can get motivated is to put it into your schedule. It should be as regular as making dinner, going to work, taking a shower..the gym/working out needs to be added to your day schedule. Even if it's just 20 mins walking around your neighborhood! I have managed to avoid a bunch of loose skin and I contribute that to being active and drinking TONS of Water. I don't drink soda anymore and my "soft drink" will either be Crystal Light or iced tea/with Splenda. Also, when I got back to work after two weeks of recovery, I started walking around my office during my 15 minute breaks. Now I'm that crazy workout lady who walks during her lunch too :-) Oh and as far as hydration goes, try coconut water...if you can find it in your area. It's SO good and refreshing, with different flavors like mango and pineapple. I feel extra hydrated when I have coconut water. PS...my dear friend had GB a year after I did. At first she refused to get it done because she was going to do the "cabbage Soup diet"...well, that didn't work...obviously. She is one of the people who wasn't dedicated and has gained a lot of her weight back She had a lot of loose skin, went to Mexico to get it removed and I really think they just took her money and didn't do anything but cut her open and sew her up (swear). Now she's on the "pouch shrinking" diet. What? Yes, that's a real diet and I just let her vent and tell me she doesn't eat that much, etc. But I've seen her snack on sugary things a lot. Hope this helped! Betsie

Hi @GradyCat okay sooo I’ve just stepped on the scales again and it’s gone from 116.7 to 116.9 Kg. On the edge of a breakdown! How do I control this weight gain is it normal because I am seriously not even eating unhealthy or anything !

Mine are over the muscle - which is not considered good by all plastic surgeons. i dont have any visible scarring as they were able to do this just via the nipple. I know that mine look and feel much more natural than some women have. My advice is to make sure your surgeon's "asthetics" align with yours. also, be sue that you get multiple consults... that guided me alot in determining size etc. I was told the same thing that many hear - that people regret going to small. I had plans to go much bigger than I did until a woman PS asked me how I would feel about needing to wear a large top considering that my butt is like a size 2/4/6 range. She made a compelling case once I looked at it from an overall "look" perspective. My lover at the time tried to talk me out of doing it at all. He said something that influenced me too... I was on my way to a vacation in NYC - and he told me to notice all the 60 year old women with huge implants and with age and weight gain, perhaps look way heavier due to the implants. I did notice it, and recognized with my body type,i could someday look like that - which i didn't care for. Even though my implants are small, I am considered big breasted in my circle of friends and get more attention about it than I would actually prefer. I am one of those who does NOT regret keeping the implants a modest size. Just another voice to the conversation - it is a very personal decision.

hey guys! im not sure if any veterans still get on here or not but some of you may remember me from my horror experience with my leak. if you never heard of me, you can go to the complications section of this site & read the post "i definitely regret surgery..... so far!" well, let me start off by saying that i no longer regret surgery! took me almost 2yrs to be able to say that but its true! i was sleeved dec 20th, 2011 this surgery almost took my life but at the sametime, its given me life & now im able to give life to my beautiful baby girl. i wouldve never conceived had i not lost all the weight. i started off at 273lbs & im only 5'1. before pregnancy, i went down to 130lbs. i am now 145lbs & very happy, comfortable & secure with gaining the weight. if anything, i felt way too small at 130lbs so i was excited about some of the weight gain. baby girl is due 03.18.14 & i cant wait to hold my baby in my arms. <3

Dr. Garcia and team are highly recommended by me. I opted for same day surgery flew in on a Friday afternoon and had surgery around 3 p.m. I was to leave on Monday, but I had some issues going on with my lungs that were pre-existing. My PCP thought I had pneumonia before going to Mexico and was blaming all the shortage of breath on my weight gain. I will tell you this, "Dr. Luna, After Care Doctor, did not leave my side until I was back on US soil and followed up with me for many weeks. I guarantee that we would not get the same treatment in the states. Dr. Garcia is always available for his patients. He has a Facebook page; if you send him an email, he will respond in a timely manner. I had surgery on May 10 weight at 230; I weighed today (07.21.13) at 188; I am so happy that I pick Dr. Garcia. I added some pictures. The picture of my stomach is my incision. I had the single-incision and the incision showing is from the drainage tube.

Hello Everyone, This is my first post on vertical sleeve talk. I was sleeved at 8 AM on Tues Jan 24th 2012. My starting weight 3 days before surg was 198 LBS- got on the scale this AM & weigh 204 !!!!! I do understand that could be air/gas, fluids from all of the IV's. But WOW - was shocked to see that number. All I have had in my body since Jan 22 at midnight was : water, protein isopure water, chicken broth, ice chips, and sugar free popcicles. I should add that I seem to be very lucky, because I can consume my min of 40 OZ of water & jello since surg without any problems. Anybadvice would really help as an explanation for the weight gain. Thanks !

Jean, Thanks for sharing. I hope our other members see this post and respond. I'm sure some can relate, and it's a good topic. I was one of the lucky ones. I was thin all my life until 13 years ago when the steroids I took for chemo caused a massive weight gain ... and the train just kept on going, gaining weight as it went. I went from 175 to 431 in no time.

I will give you the opposite side since I see my clinic as more conservative than most I see here. We are told that we should ALWAYS follow the 30/30/30 rule. That rule is no drinking 30 minutes before eating, chew every bite 30 times, and no drinking for 30 minutes after finishing eating. Drinking while eating allows you to eat more since it pushes the food through your pouch. Stopping drinking and waiting to drink is making use of the tool that RNY is. Not following his rule most believe will lead to weight gain over time. As for eating carbs... We should always eat our Protein first. We must also make our protein goal. Once those are met adding in some carbs is fine. I have had potatoes, rice, crackers, and bread. The one thing that my NUT told me I should not go back to is Cereal for Breakfast. I always enjoyed oatmeal for breakfast. There is simply not enough protein in any of the cereals to make the daily protein goal. It's different for each of us, but I hope this helps. Good luck!!

@ Teshadb .... Yes eating small portions and feeling satisfied or not feeling always hungry like it was with the band I am looking forward to that And it really seems with that big portion of the stomach gone the gremlin production reduced makes the world of a difference in comparison to the feeling during the band. @ Cowgirljane .... WOW #160 that is amazing. That is a huge achievement !!! I would be happy to lose 60 or maybe 70 pounds. How much had you lost at your best during the lapband. I am really seeing the light at the end of the tunnel when I read your comments and see your amazing success. You girls look so vibrant and beautiful .... like it never was any different. I really hope I will go back to my normal self again , like before my illness and the weight gain started. For the last 5 years I though that was it for me, I never would be able to go back to having a normal life where eating is just normal and not a permanent issue to think about 24/7. Well I started the pre-surgery Optifast diet yesterday. 3 more weeks to go. It seems most people have only 2 weeks of optifast, we have 3 weeks to do. How long did you both do the optifast diet? And how did you do on it?

I am due to have my sleeve on 8/18. I am getting nervous. I was just on the veterans forum and I saw many people posting about weight gains, and struggling to maintain their weight using intermittent fasting. I used intermittent fasting, also a 500 calorie diet to lose 75 pounds several years ago....and it came back despite my struggling with excercise, sticking to a low carb, then moderate carb paleo diet. So, when I see people years post op talking about using weight loss techniques that I have tried and over time failed to stop regaining weight with....well it makes me wonder whether the surgery has lasting value. Will the sleeve help me lose weight? No doubt. Heck, I can lose weight on my own ( we all can) But what I am wondering if it will make it easier for me to maintain! I was hoping that after losing the weight, the sleeve would allow me to eat my normal healthy paleo way of eating ( Protein and vegetables and healthy fats) without always having to go hungry in order to keep from gaining weight. I am quite an easy gainer. Does the sleeve allow you to eat less food ( healthy food) and still feel full when you are greater than 1 year out? What benefits have you continued to notice after a year or more post op?

I stalled at around the same time as you, and I actually gained 5 pounds from my lowest weight. It took me almost 3 weeks to get back to where I was seeing actual weight loss. I definitely did stall, but I had lost 30 pounds since I started the preop diet. My surgeon told me that my body was reacting to the fact that I went from over 3000 calories a day of high-fat, high-carb foods to 500-700 calories a day of Protein. Made sense to me. I also reached out on the forum and I was told the same thing-don't worry about it so early on. I am now losing steadily again, thank goodness. I just followed the requirements for each stage I was in (I am still in the soft foods phase) and I keep my carbs below 25 grams a day. It reminds me of when I was on the Adkins diet, but without the bacon, lol. I also got severely constipated during the same time frame so I blame some of the weight "gain" on my body reacting to that. Turns out I cannot handle the Iron in 2 Flintstones Vitamins a day.

I know in the US, our requirements for insurance to cover the surgery (if you have insurance that does) is generally a BMI of 35 with co-morbidities (blood pressure, diabetes, etc), or 40 without. I've had similar struggles to yours, weight gain starting in my 20s blamed on thyroid. With diet and exercise I could lose a few pounds, but never enough. I hovered in the 190s until my late 20s, 210s in my 30s, climbing to 225+ in my 40s. I went to my weight management center that was connected with my hospital network for 6 years starting at age 43 and started with nutrition and lifestyle changes, followed by medical interventions (Contrave, Saxenda, Wegovy when you could get it). I never got below 204, and that was with a strict 1200-1500 calorie diet that I tracked religiously and 10k or more steps daily for a year (I never missed a single day!). As soon as I relaxed even a little, the weight came back with a vengeance. This summer, I hit 251 and also have hypertension and prediabetes (A1c of 5.9) . That was when my weight management doctor (an endocrinologist) finally asked if I wanted to talk to the team on the surgical side. I'm awaiting insurance approval now. It should be covered though I have no idea about out of pocket expenses. I don't really care at this point. I'll make it work. If you are considering paying out of pocket and concerned at all about going to Mexico (although my brother went that route many years ago and it was fine), I did see a self pay option here: https://www.poundofcureweightloss.com/bariatric-surgery-cost/ I know it's frustrating, and if there's one thing I wish, it's that I had dealt with this when I was turning 40 instead of 50. Wishing you luck!

Karey yes. I was told that depending on my mindset, situation on child bearing (if I was done) then I should consider waiting 6 months from reaching goal weight or 20lbs above goal weight to have plastic surgery. Would make no sense to have a tt when you haven't given your skin time to bounce back, however....for me... I have always had a small flap, even before my son. I was ..oh gosh 120lbs - 140lbs and still had a pouch. I knew I'd get it right away because I knew the flap would never go away. The doctors that I consulted with did not disagree with me when I told them about my history with my pouch. They seemed to not be against the surgery. My surgeon was the only one to question every aspect of my weight loss and my plastic surgery goals and expectations. He factored in the weight I was before the sudden weight gain. My weight gain was due to pregnancy in 2001. I was 145lbs before my pregnancy with my daughter, then shot up to 240lbs. He asked me how active I was before the gain..which I was always very active. I swam alot, took aerobics classes 4 times per week and some light weight training. He then asked me how long ago I was banded and how much have i lost with the band. Asked me about my new eating habits, etc. Alot of probing and finally ...an "OK, I think you're ready".

I think you had a unique situation because you needed to get off a drug because of bad side effects and having withdrawal symptoms that were not helped with the paxil. I've been on both drugs and have had good results with both. Of course one size does not fit all. I've totally gone off my meds before to go on Meridia and I remember how uncomforable the withdrawal phase was and then the un-med phase was just as bad or worse. Dizzy is one way to describe it although it's a different kind of dizzy. I also got what I call "brain sparks" which happened over a course of a couple of weeks and that is really awful. Even today if I miss a dose by 12 hours I'll get them, it's a little reminder of sorts I suppose. Recently I was researching on line because I was having those "brain sparks" and found all sorts of blogs from people describing issues they had going off effexor, so that must be one of those drugs that a lot of people have had probs with during withdrawal. Now a days if I'm going off an antidepressant I'm usually switching so depending on which drugs they are it can be done at the same time, lower dose of the first drug and adding the new one. My doctor usually informs me of the proper way to do it and I usually have no probs. I'm kind of surprised that a doctor wouldn't know about side effects on withdrawals from these types of meds. I have been on those "zombie" type drugs but mainly they were anti-anxiety types. Forgive me if I ask or re-ask if you're seeing a psych doctor or a regular doctor. Have you been diagnosed with something in particular? I think sometimes a lot of people don't like taking these types of drugs because they don't like the feeling like they're losing control of themselves. When I was first seeing my psych I believe I was crying at almost every visit in the beginning, my emotions were running rampant and I also had a very agitated side that was not good. Once she put me on my first antidepressant, sorry don't remember the name as it was a long time ago, those tears dried up and the lashing outs, diarrhea (yes that too) and the vulnerable feelings I was having disappeared. It's not to say that I don't ever cry but I cry when I'm supposed to, not all day long! I admit the loss of sex drive, plus I'm perimenopausal so could also contribute and weight gain are things that do bother me but I could not live without my meds anymore. Your doctor has to find the right diagnosis for you and the right combo of therapy and meds and of course the right combo of meds. Some people being misdiagnosed can be a problem, for example people who are bipolar and put on antidepressants. Not all bipolar people are alike. You typically think of manic highs and lows but some never have the highs only the lows so it can be tricky and if they're put on antidepressants it's not going to help and could do harm. Plus it takes awhile for you to get the full effects of the drug once you start. I went from Cymbalta to Pristiq but they are very similar in drug class and I've had the Cymbalta in my system for years but when you start it's a different situation. For some people they may have a bad reaction and need to stop like you did on effexor but there's no reason not to try another one. Some people do feel good right away and some it may take awhile. Anyway my big mouth has rambled on enough, lol. But I do hope you can find the right help for yourself and the right med that will help you feel better soon, nanook:smile:

I've been on a variety of antidepressants/anti-anxiety meds for 20 years and if I go off one for some reason or another I have terrible withdrawal symptoms unless I'm switching to another drug at the same time. I don't really feel dizzy but feel like there are weird "brain sparks" going on in my head which is very uncomfortable and hard to describe to someone whose never had them before. I'm still trying to get my drugs straight since my conversion to RNY and now take my Cymbalta at a lower dose but twice a day and that seems to be working. I belive it's considered one of the drugs that would cause the least amount of weight gain but that didn't help me when I was on the band. Wish everyone luck with their situations as it's not always easy to deal with, take care Nancy.

yes, I get dizzy if I miss just one dose of any SSRI, and prozac made me horribly agitated and I would guess you could call it psychotic. I have taken paxil, luvox, and most currently cymbalta and all have caused weight gain(increased appetite).

Hello everyone, I am a newbie to the site but am post op three years in September. My starting weight was 370lbs and 8 weeks ago I was 282lbs. I was thrilled but really struggling to eat. Something was blocking and I was choking at night while sleeping. Pretty scary to be woken up out of your sleep because you are choking on your own saliva. Anyway I went to the doctor and they immediatly emptied me out. It was such an incredble feeling to not have any restriction. They wanted me to be empty for a week or two to make sure I was ok. But I was supposed to still be careful with my food intake. Well I went haywire right away eating everything I have not been able to eat for the last two years.(pasta, bread and fast food). I did not go back to the doctor for three weeks and in that time I gained twenty pounds. They gave me a partial fill and told me to come back in a month or so depending on how I was feeling. Well it is a month later and I am dreading going back. I have gained another twenty pounds. I put on almost half the weight I fought to lose in just two months!! The worst part is I am so upset with myself, my cloths don't fit me, I threw out all my "fat" clothes and refuse to buy a larger size yet I cannot stop myself from eating. I now know what it feels like to be a drug addict. I am eating secretivly in my car figuring if nobody sees maybe I won't gain any weight. I am in a real bad place right now and need help. I am so glad I found this site, I believe it is a step in the right direction. So upsetting the jeans that were falling off of me 8 weeks ago I struggled to button this morning. I just hope I can get back on track. I know I have to go in for another adjustment but I am so embarressed by my weight gain I am afraid to face the doctors. So Sad JimmyXXL

I had my consultation. No real diet plan but I’ve been trying on my own. Not working. My insurance company didn’t require weight loss before surgery but I’m not allowed to gain. Well I am up 15 lbs. help!!! I’m trying to diet and exercise. Can’t do much exercising because of back and leg pain issues. Retaining water. They ordered lasix. It’s not doing much. And just got done with steroids for the back and leg pain. I’m exhausted by the time I get home. I did go swimming last night and did aqua exercises. Just worried I can’t get this extra weight off. No surgery date yet. Have an endoscopy scheduled for July 11th and that’s my last requirement. Just nervous and stressed between the pain and the weight gain. Thanks for reading. Advice appreciated.

For my visit, I talked on the phone to a nurse and after met virtually with the physician's assistant and dietitian. I can post about my dietitian's visit later if anyone is interested. First, I spoke with the nurse over the phone for about 15 minutes. She asked the following questions: What type of surgery or intervention are you interested in? What is your current weight? What is your blood pressure? Tell me about any prior surgeries? Next, I met with the physicians assistant (PA-C), for about 50 minutes. She asked the following questions: What is your weight history? How long have you struggled with weight? What do you think is the cause of weight gain? What are your lifestyle habits? Have you taken weight loss medication? Did the weight loss medication work for you? How much weight have you gained in the last year? What is motivating you to lose weight? What type of exercise are you doing? What's your living situation like? Do you eat out? Who does the cooking in the household? Do you eat three meals a day? Do you snack? What are you snacking on? Do you struggle with emotional eating? Have you been diagnosed with a kidney stone? Do you have an irregular heart rhythm? Have you had an EKG? Any bleeding disorders or blood clots? Have you been diagnosed with an eating disorder? Have you met with a therapist? Do you have heartburn? Do you have a stomach ulcer? Do you use your CPAP? Multiple family planning questions. Next, we discussed my medical history. She gave a general overview of: Obesity Metabolic processes Emotional health Coping skills Lifestyle changes Weight loss medications Expectations The differences in surgery, benefits, and risks associated with the sleeve and RNY were discussed. She made a surgical recommendation. There is a 2-form of contraception requirement. I was given an outline of tasks to complete. Those were: scheduling a blood draw and contacting my sleep center to request my CPAP usage download. A scheduler will call to schedule a psychological assessment, physical therapy, and an appointment with the nurse clinician who'll act as my contact throughout the process. It was also encouraged that I attend the support group for bariatric and weight management patients. Lastly, I was given the clinic's late policy and the reminder that if I gain 10 pounds before surgery, I will be re-evaluated to be sure I'm a good surgical candidate. I had the blood draw and eight tubes were taken. I was tested for vitamin deficiencies including B1, B6, D. Also, calcium, iron, prediabetes, cholesterol, creatinine for kidney function, parathyroid hormone, and others. Hope this helps anyone curious about the first visit.

Hey all :-) I've been banded for nearly 2 years now and I started my journey at 130kg. I lost 43kg in the first year yet I've slowly put on 10kg the last 10 months. I met my now fiancée a year ago and that's when I started getting "comfortable". I stopped going to the gym and started eating "junket" again (no where near as much as I was). I find if I eat I'm eating more than I use too. I need some tips on how to get back on track and I don't know if I need another fill, or should try the liquid stage again to "shrink" my pouch incase I've stretched it a bit. Any help will be greatly appreciated.... I'm ready to do it properly again I've let myself fall behind the 8 ball.

Ta. It's used for bipolar and I was hoping to see if I could use that because every other bipolar med causes weight gain. *sigh * I'm currently refusing bipolar meds because of this issue although I'm well under control with being vigilant with my sleep and exercise. Sent from my SM-G930F using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi! I can relate to your weight gain. I weighed about the same as you did, and then had a few traumatic events in my life. I gained over 100 lbs. 60 lbs. due to anti-depressants. Anyway, I think it is different for every state and every insurance company. My insurance did not cover mine. My husband had it done, also. I would find out if there are any local seminars you can attend. That was the first step for me. Once that was over with, the process just rolled on! They have a pre-op diet of liquids: Slim-Fast, clear broths, and Protein shakes, and Vitamins. This is to shrink your liver. You will have to have a sleep study, so if you want to get that under way, go ahead. Some places require a note from a psychologist. If you see a psychologist, it wouldn't hurt to do that. You definitely can have the surgery, and I think you would be more than pleased with it! It takes time, but it is worth it! At first, it seems overwhelming, but take it one day at a time, and before you know it...you are banded! You should be able to call your insurance company and ask if they cover morbid obesity. Good luck to you and in whatever you decision you make! Kristi:thumbup: