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absolutely agree that stress (and also sleep) have a huge impact on the metabolism and therefore can cause weight gain.

Hi and congratulations to everyone else with their ops scheduled in May (I'm getting VSG on 2 May - my ticker keeps saying 1 May but that might be because we here in Aussieland are a half day ahead of US?). Quite a few of us are also chatting in the "Any MAY sleevers???" post in the gastric sleeve forum.- feel free to join us there too. I plan to post/talk a lot in these forums to help keep myself focused and accountable. I made the decision at the start of February that I'd be having the gastric sleeve surgery (I had stopped dieting more than 10 years prior due to the rebound weight gain and mental health damage it caused me every time, focusing instead on figuring out my food intolerances, sourcing and growing nutritionally better quality food, and starting our family). Fingers crossed the lack of recent dieting works in my favour. I still feel very strongly that all people deserve respect and I hate how aggressively anti-fat society is. While with weight loss I will get to enjoy no longer having to worry about seat widths, weight limits, limited clothing choices etc I'm still going to be angry at the systemic oppression of fat people in the modern world.

I am new here. I am looking for support and friends that are in the same weight loss surgery boat! I was sleeved in Aug 2016. I have lost very slowly and actually have gained 19 pounds. I take a medication that causes weight gain (although my dr. says it is unknown as to why it causes gain) and I am struggling with eating when I am not hungry and don't exercise at all anymore. I really need to be on top of all the things (eating every 2-3 hrs, staying off the sweets, drinking enough water, eating enough protein, exercising) I need to do even more so as the meds make it additionally hard to loose. I don't have any friends who've had wls and the support here is lacking. I am so concerned that I will not be able to loose any more...yet, I know that I am not doing what I need to do in order to loose. Anyone out there had any success while being on meds that make it difficult to loose or far too easy to gain?...or have any other advice? Thanks.

Let me be clear I don’t want to upset anyone. This is my opinion. I was taught to love myself at any size. I did not have a weight problem growing up I was the typical high school school and all the way up to my 30’s my weight gain started with kids and eating on the run ( yeah blaming kids) but we were constantly at different sports event and traveling so we ate fast foods but to get back on subject . My size was a 18 when I started my journey and now I am a 14 since my 3-22 sleeve. I look at my size 18 and they are hanging off so to be happy like I wanna be I decided yeah I need new clothes I still wanna look good so I was just saying out with the old in with the new I know a lot of people on this site are larger and had to struggle as I did with weight and we are at different stages but congratulations to all who are doing something about it so no shade

To preface, many moons ago I played soccer in college and despite my weight gain, I still identify as an athlete. Exercise is not punishment for me, it’s something I’m excited to do again and to have more successful with. That being said, I recently hit 4 wks and doc cleared me for cardio. I downloaded a couch to 5k app and for the last 5 days have been going on hour long run/walks for about 3-4 miles. Combined with daily activity I’m getting in 5-6 miles/day. Problem is that I get really tired in the afternoon and am constantly hungry. I’m eating about 800-900 cal/day but wondering if I need to up that? Also following a keto diet. I’ve been doing soft foods for a couple weeks and am capable of eating more but have been trying to stay less than 900...for no other reason than most people on here are eating so damn little after 4 weeks and I’m trying to follow suit. A typical day may be: 8am - Decaf coffee w/ half premier protein 9am - 2 scrambled eggs 11am - Half serving ground beef noodle-less lasagna 2pm - other half lasagna 5pm - Greek yogurt 7pm - 2 oz Smoked Salmon, one soft cheese wedge 9pm - 1/4 cup cottage cheese 11pm - Decaf coffee w/ half premier protein I’ve been keeping track in MyFitnessPal and you can see the breakdown. Questions - for those that exercise, how many calories are you consuming? Any suggestions on why I’m hitting a wall in the afternoon and need a nap? If I don’t eat every 2 hours my stomach starts grumbling and I get light headed. Should I be eating more at meals? I’ve been hesitant to because I’m nervous that I’ll still need the snack and will go too high on calories for the day. I’ve also been in a pretty major stall over the last 3 weeks. 10 days with nothing, then 5lbs in 2 days, now another 6 days with no loss. Thanks for any help! Sleeved 3/12/18, HW 270, SW 253, CW 238, GW 160, 5’9”

Hi all! I am 13 months post op and 8 weeks pregnant. I am really struggling dealing with the food cravings and being hungry all the time! I am still king mostly healthy choices but if I don’t eat like every two hours I feel sick. I have gained a few pounds already and was hoping for some diet help. I can’t eat cold meats or deli meats which made up most of my diet before. Does anyone have a diet plan they follow during pregnancy? I understand I will gain weight but I want it to be a healthy weight gain. Thanks!

Hi Baripals! So I originally had VSG surgery in October 2012. At 253 lbs. the morning of weight in, I was pre-diabetic and had PCOS among other things. Fast forward almost 6 years, my doctor & I have made the decision to have a revision. I had initially lost about 95 lbs. and kept it off for 4 years until I had my son July of 2016. Even after I had him, I had only gained about 20 lbs. during pregnancy. I totally went off the "deep end" and started to go back to old habits like eating and drinking at the same time, not making healthy food choices, not chewing enough, eating/drinking ravenously, drinking carbonated beverages. etc. I was also switched on anti-depressants during my pregnancy and then switched again and then AGAIN! The previous anti-depressants had weight gain as a side effect on top of my poor eating habits. Doc. requested blood work and an upper GI test and confirmed I had dilated my pouch. I honestly feel like a failure but I know what I have to do. My husband will be going in to have VSG sometime this year too so I know I have to be strong for both of us. I don't want him to end up like I did. Has anyone else had sleeve revision. Any tips for this struggling mom?

Update: 7 Weeks Post - 198.4lbs (-24lbs from SW of 222.4lbs--hey, that's 3.4lbs/wk--I'll take it!!!) Basic Macros for 6 Weeks: 450-550 cals; 60-65g protein; <25g fat; <20g carbs Food Volume: 1/2c by volume ALWAYS. I go by volume first. That's about 1.75-2oz protein; 1/2-1oz veggies (no more than 3.5oz by weight) Wow! Big things happened this week, not least of which were doctor appointments that resulted in changing up medications and also discontinuing a medication! Yippeee!!! The cardiologist took me off one of my big time BP drugs and started up a diuretic again -- a different one though. It seems to really help. My BP looks better than before and I'm slowly losing my cankles. Thank you sweet baby Jesus! And my pulmonologist said we should try to discontinue an asthma drug I've been on since about 2000. It's an inhaled steroid and there can be weight gain associated with it. So far, so good on both changes! And the happy miracle is that this week, I've lost about about 8lbs. Now, before everyone goes all sappy. Let me just remind you that most or all of that is fluid. Not real fat loss. But hey, carrying around 8lbs less fluid is grrrrrrEAT! Haha, see what I did there? I also had a NSV! I appropriated a pair of jeans from Mr. No-Hiney himself. They are too big in the waist, but I fill the hiney just fine. They make a great pair of boyfriend jeans. And that means, I can just borrow them and not have to buy anything. Yay me! It's the first time I can claim being more than 25lbs lighter than him since we met! In fact, I haven't been this weight since about 2000. Wowza! I still can't admit that I feel like I'm actually gonna make goal. I'm working on that one. I know it "will come" with time and continued success. But I look at the scale at 198 and think..."Gah! I can't wait until I'm 160lbs again." That was the weight I was when Mr. F. and I first met. And I felt sorta kinda like "all that and a bucket of fried chicken too." I thought I was Miss Thang! Cuz, you know, I was only 10lbs more than my high school weight. LOL. OMG. So weird. I'm still eating repetitiously of the same foods I know I can tolerate (which is a pretty broad food list!). At 6 weeks I'm still eating 1/2c by volume. And I try to limit the weight of any meal to about 3 to 3.5oz max by weight. I honestly don't know if my tummy is talking to my brain. Mainly cuz I think 1/2c volume stretches my tummy, but it doesn't stretch it to top/full capacity. So I'm just abiding by the set volume and knowing that I'm probably safe with that quantity and will do no harm. I'm not gonna test it to see if I can actually eat 3/4c of food by volume. You know? I'm getting about 60-65g of protein in each day and most of that is coming from foods. I look forward to the day (God I hope I don't regret this thought...) when I CAN eat 3/4c of food because I'd like to add in that 1/4c of low carb veggies. So far, I'm staying very low carb, less than 20g per day total carbs. I'm eating protein, a TINY bit of fat from spray EVOO, and eating about 1/2-1oz (weight) of veggies per meal. That leaves me with 1.75-2oz (weight) of protein per meal. It's right on target with the amounts my RD has in the BIG BOOK OF BARIATRICS. LOL. My calories still average between 450-550cals/day. I'm getting in all of my water each day with a minimum of 100fl oz and often going as much as 120fl oz. So all in all--a good and productive week. I'll be back next week to report more.

Recent Events-I was 217 at my initial appointment in February, I did some celebration eating...As I learned more about the process and filled out the 5 million psychiatric questionnaires at my last appointment I realized I needed to get my stuff together or this surgery isn't going to help me. I work at a school and lost 20lbs over the summer with a personal trainer twice a week. I gained it all back plus some after school started. When the weight gain started getting serious is when my husband got COPD (along with many other desert storm vets). I quit smoking before him to encourage him to quit. He also has a tumor on his adrenal gland and has to eat a lot to maintain his weight (the only time I saw him thinner is when he returned from desert storm). Then my Mom died. My daughter went off to college, my oldest son got commissioned after college ROTC (he stayed at home and went to school while serving in the Texas Guard). He is a 1LT serving in Iraq right now. He is stationed at Fort Hood which is close to our home so he should be back in a couple of months. My youngest son is in his JR year of high school, but got ahead by earning lots of high school credits in middle school. He plans on completing his remaining 2.5 credits at an online high school so he can start college in the fall (community college at first so he will still be at home). One advantage of paying out of pocket is that I don't have to have insurance approval, so I am confident the surgery will happen. Since I work for a non-profit they only cover half of the insurance cost for employees and the VA costs me $0 per month. I already pay close to $300 per month for my youngest son to have the worst *** insurance available (there was a cheaper option, but no providers in my area accept the insurance). I won't lose the house if he has to go to the hospital, but he is only covered to go to the Dr. twice a year with a $40 co-pay. Then it is out of pocket until we reach the $7000 deductible. I think I would save money just having catastrophic and paying for individual appointments. I say that to say, yes I complain about the VA a bit, but the available health plans in my area suck even worse and you have to pay for the privilege of waiting for the "health plan" to approve treatments instead of just doing what you and your Doctor think is right.

https://www.aaaai.org/ask-the-expert/antihistamines-weight-gain swearsies.

Hey guys! So I’m showing my stomach today. Haven’t done that since surgery.. sometimes I am ashamed of my surgery scars but at the end of the day it’s my body and I love myself and I’ve learned not to care about anyone’s negative opinion. Self consciously of course no one can see too much but it still feels good to dress like the old me, before the weight gain. I’m going out with 2 old friends today and I’m excited. Stomach doesn’t look too bad right?? I’ve been using dove lotion with pure coconut oil from whole foods and coco butter to reduce visibility of stretch marks on my stomach as well. goal - 140 sleeved on - 121416 ! (Idk my measurements now they are prob still the same, for those who do ask whenever I post pics)

I’m one week out from surgery and my husband and best friend are making menhavwbsecond thoughts. They have no idea they both agree. My husband says I’ve had enough surgeries during my lifetime from car accidents and complications post car accident. I’ve also have a history of sepsis (infection) every time I get opens up for surgery. He know what I went through with all that.ni think he’s just afraid of what could happen or me not pulling through this time ans my friend said likewise. I really and and nee this surgery but now I feel like I’m second guessing myself. My initial plan was to have the sleev but the doctor takes me into duodenal switch because it’s less likely for weight gain. I agreed but also has second thoughts about that particular lad surgery just because of all the additional nutrients you malabsorption va the other surgeries. In my head I was also think duodenal would allow me to lose weight faster than the sleeve. Then again i don’t want to loose too much I don’t want to be looking too skinny from excessive weight lost from duodenal (CW 232 GW 150-160). Although not reversible the sleeve is less invasive and not switching around parts. Then again I’ve had a gastric ballon (obera ballon) and maybe lost 10 pound at most so that was also my reasoning for wanting duodenal switch more aggressive than sleeve as to me the obera balloonMimics restriction just like sleeve but it’s temporary. As you can see I’m a week out from surgery and all over the place. HELP!!! Has anyone that is slightly obese or obese who has extremely hard time losing weight even with diet or excercise had success from the sleeve? How fast did you lose weight?

I’m one week out from surgery and my husband and best friend are making menhavwbsecond thoughts. They have no idea they both agree. My husband says I’ve had enough surgeries during my lifetime from car accidents and complications post car accident. I’ve also have a history of sepsis (infection) every time I get opens up for surgery. He know what I went through with all that.ni think he’s just afraid of what could happen or me not pulling through this time ans my friend said likewise. I really and and nee this surgery but now I feel like I’m second guessing myself. My initial plan was to have the sleev but the doctor takes me into duodenal switch because it’s less likely for weight gain. I agreed but also has second thoughts about that particular lad surgery just because of all the additional nutrients you malabsorption va the other surgeries. In my head I was also think duodenal would allow me to lose weight faster than the sleeve. Then again i don’t want to loose too much I don’t want to be looking too skinny from excessive weight lost from duodenal (CW 232 GW 150-160). Although not reversible the sleeve is less invasive and not switching around parts. Then again I’ve had a gastric ballon (obera ballon) and maybe lost 10 pound at most so that was also my reasoning for wanting duodenal switch more aggressive than sleeve as to me the obera balloonMimics restriction just like sleeve but it’s temporary. As you can see I’m a week out from surgery and all over the place. HELP!!! Has anyone that is slightly obese or obese who has extremely hard time losing weight even with diet or excercise had success from the sleeve? How fast did you lose weight?

Doing the pre-surgery liquid diet, on day 7 and instead of losing weight I somehow managed to gain 1 lb. I'm told it is water weight due to the increased H20 and high sodium content in the broth but it still concerns me. My surgery is Monday and it's freaking me out at this point. Has anyone else experienced weight gain during the 600 calorie, no sugar liquid diet?

Hi all! I was sleeved on March 29th after my band was removed. I was banded 16 years..had some issues last few years and ended last week with removal. I am now a week post op. I know it's still early..but I have gained 5lbs. I know I shouldn't weigh myself, but of course I see others here who have dropped weight the first week. I know newbies are different than previously banded..but my weight has just stuck at 206.2. It has not budged down even an ounce. Yesterday while getting a pedicure, I finally noticed that my feet, ankles and legs looked a little swollen. Wondered why the flip flops felt a little tighter..but subtly..so I figure I am retaining fluids..wondering if anyone else has? Probably the newbies dropping weight right away may not have noticed this..but is already discouraging to see nothing happening. I had band completely unfilled 2 years ago after a routine check after many years showed my esophagus had expanded. I had quickly gained 30 lbs in a month and added another 20. So been 50lbs up since..even after being refilled. At least i didn't gain back 130lb I lost with band..but really would like to see this 50lbs go. Hoping that this turns around. I realized I had this tea by Traditional Medicinals in the house called Weightless for temporary water weight gain..so herbal diaruretic tea..see if that helps. Anyone else have this??

No I won’t he fired, and I was vague about the company as I don’t want to promote products or come accross as doing so (just like wls having a negative connotation) sometimes mentioning companies products it’s interpreted incredibly wrong so I just want to keep that part out of it. But my audience is very large and my organization is very large and unfortunately they have seen me gain about 60lbs over the last year! I do take supplements on a daily basis but they aren’t for weight loss though some it does help them with that. Me not so much, but also I was on adderal for years for adhd and came off of that about 15 months ago hence the major weight gain. It’s for sure tricky but I am very very honest with my audience and try to keep it real for them which is why I’m nervous to share this but at the same time it’s such a personal journey I am for sure nervous to break down the barrier on this topic... hope that explains a little.... I think I’m just scared of how it will all be interpreted.

Hello everyone, it has been a long time since I have been on here, I was banded in 2009 and haven't lost done to goal. The doctor I had went out of business a year after I got my band. I really haven't had any problems with the band but found the weight was not coming off. I found a new doctor last year and he did a fill under fluro and found my port is tilted as well as the band. I had a endoscopy yesterday in which he stated I had a non functional pouch. I am worried to death right now. My weight gain started about six months ago. I am right back where I started. I have searched and searched to see what a non functional pouch is, no information found, Is this something to worry about? We spoke about revision prior to this appointment but I am unclear as to what this is means. Please if anyone has any information I would appreciate some insight. My next appointment is not until the 17th. I am really worried about all of this.

I am exactly the same way and was nervous going into surgery thinking it would be yet another 'quick fix' and I would eventually gain all of my weight back. One of the reasons I chose the RnY was because I figured it might give me some negative feedback when I ate things with a lot of sugar or fat. That didn't exactly play out because I'm one of the lucky ones who does not experience dumping syndrome...but the fear of getting sick carried me long enough to get through the cravings and carb/sugar withdraw. I'm only a little over a year out so I can't speak to keeping off the weight long term but when I start to see bad habits creep back in I am much quicker to stop them right away. Mainly because I put so much effort into this surgery - it's not like a diet that I can just quit. My insides were cut apart and rearranged and sewn back together and I can't undo that. If I "cheat" not only am I risking weight gain I'm also literally risking my health, especially during the first several months. And that extra motivation (or fear) has kept me from falling off the wagon so far. I also recommend looking into therapy to address the food issues. That way when you are a few years out you have other tools to fall back on instead of the food.

I feel like I know all of the information, I started the process 10 months ago but due to my insurance being so strict I had to attend many classes, seminars, appointments, clearances, over the phone courses, etc. So I feel like the knowledge is there, however from joining this site I am learning new things every day, especially when looking at the post op forums. I know unexpected things will pop up and am prepared for the stalls including the famous 3 week stall and some initial weight gain from water immediately after surgery. Vitamins are something I definitely need to work on. My vitamin D was previously low but I am working on that. Iron is also another issue that I need to be prepared for as I am borderline anemic. I've heard of many post ops being hospitalized and having health issues from not keeping up with their Iron. Working in healthcare I have access to the providers and their knowledge on the subject. One thing with multivitamins is if you overdose on Iron that can be an issue too that can cause issues with your can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and in extreme cases liver failure. Therefore, I am going to be in constant contact with my provider and request routine blood work on all of my levels. Since we have surgery in April, most of us will be meeting our deductibles and out of pocket max so aside from any copay's we can get as much work done that our insurance deems as medically necessary. This includes blood work and labs on nutrition and vitamin levels. For instance, my deductible is $750 and out of pocket max is $3000. Since my surgery is around $30,000 I met my out of pocket max of $3000 and can get as much work done as I need to for the remainder of the year. Again, copay's still need to be paid for each visit. If I get blood work done by my primary care provider my copay is only $10 compared to the $50 to go to a specialist who will do the same thing. So in general I feel like I am pretty prepared when it comes to the aftercare and communication with my provider's and insurance policies to make sure I can keep in touch with my body to know where I am deficient and what vitamins I will need to increase during the weight loss. I still have a lot to learn about the vitamins. I just cannot get past the taste of chewable vitamins. I tried the Flinstone Chewables my surgeon's office recommended and they are absolutely disgusting with an aftertaste that returns all day. Therefore, I think crushing my pills and putting them in yogurt might be my best option. One tablespoon I do not think will be too hard to get down. I have to take anxiety medication anyways so this won't be too hard I think. In regards to protein, I am currently doing Premier Protein and I am in LOVE!! They recently came out with new flavors such as Oreo & Cream, Peaches & Cream, Caramel, Banana & Cream, along with their traditional of Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberries & Cream. The reason I chose this was it has 30 grams of protein in 11oz so even if I cannot consume much in a day, 2 shakes meets my minimum protein for the day and can also double as liquids so will at least give me 22 oz of that. It has 1 gram of sugar per shake, 160 calories, 24 vitamins and nutrients, 5 grams of carbs, and 3 grams of fat, so it works perfect for the traditional Keto Diet. Along with this I will buy myself a rotisserie chicken and slowly pick through that throughout the week. Seems like a pretty cheap diet and I can treat myself to steak every once in a while. My nutritionist wants me to get my protein intake for the day before I move to vegetables, and then carbs which I will rarely be able to ever meet during the weight loss period. After surgery I am prepared for the possibility of not being able to consume Premier Protein anymore. A lot of people say dairy becomes hard to consume after surgery, in which case I think the clear, non dairy Isopure would be a great substitute. Popsicles made from protein drinks also sounds like a fabulous idea. I'd love any other suggestions anyone else may have, and am SUPER excited to get to meet some fellow April Sleever's. I'd love to keep in touch so we can all help each other on our journey!!

Hi! I am almost 5 years out from my lap band. I lost 70 pounds during that time and over the course of the last 2 years I have gained about 20 back. the scale hasn't changed one direction or the other over the last year. I was doing ok with this as I workout 5 days a week and run quite a bit. (ran my first half marathon last November). I was diagnosed last month with breast cancer. Thankfully, it was caught early. I've already had a lumpectomy and am currently recovering from a lymph node biopsy, which was clear. My oncologist has recommended 6 weeks radiation therapy and then 10 years of tamoxifen, a hormone blocker, in attempts to prevent the cancer from returning. My biggest fear is the tamoxifen. It has so many side effects that scare me to death. Two of them being being joint pain which could decrease my activity and the second weight gain. I like my body, other than having to get used to the newest scars. I am trying to get myself back on track nutritionally, I have reached out to my nutritionist at my surgery center, so far without success. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on how to get back on track. Reset my head and diet so to speak. The way I see it, I have 2 months to get the scale going in the right direction prior to starting this new med. Any suggestions or words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated!

Yep, had the full work up! All normal. My weight gain was probably 60% medical, annnnd 40% bad habits. I had HG while pregnant, resulting in being on TPN through an PICC line for 6months. I then had to do food therapy to reintroduce solid foods, and put on weight RAPIDLY. The past 30lbs though, that was all me only making time for one large meal a day.

I often wonder if I should consider removal. I had my band placed in Oct 2010. Last April I had an issue and had all the fluid removed. Apparently I had learned nothing about food consumption and that resulted in about a 50 lb weight gain. Almost a year later, I have some restriction but the weight is barely falling off. I am afraid that if I got a revision, I would just gain more weight again.

Jenpa, thank you as well. It's comforting to read the physicians are comfortable and successful. Abdominal compliance is definitely challenging. I am tight and with the weight gain I feel extremely tigh. Which of course makes me so nervous. I've decided to go with Dr. Illan in May. So if anyone has used him after TT. I would love their input as well.

Thank you for replying. Do u mind if I ask who did your VSG, was it in Mexico? I have schedule to go with Dr. Illan and I'm pretty nervous about it. I' definitely tight from the weight gain. Parially due to my thyroid bottoming out. Again thank u for sharing

So Monday is my surgery pending insurance clearance. Thursday I have a pre-op pre-admission test. I had a 6 month nutrition program that I had to lose 25 pounds to qualify and I did. Exactly 25. My problem now is that I gained some of that back. I’m so worried they will deny me, the doctor at least. I worry about everything.