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@Jessless great work on the one pound. It all adds up over time. Additionally getting the snacks out of the house always helps! It sounds like you know what the issue is. I had a poop ton of weight gain and I am now down 13 pounds. I’m over the moon. It has been S L O W and steady but I went back to protein first, not drinking with meals, cutting out crappy food, and exercising 4 days a week. We’ve got this. Keep at it and be patient with results.

Everyone's NUT has different suggested diets. Mine says that we ARE allowed full fat ranch, mayo, cheese etc etc since we only eat a few bites at a meal anyway. I however, choose to eat low fat, low carb. I will NOT let myself become overweight again once my goal is reached. Many people are denied this surgery and I appreciate so much that I wasn't. So I will not sabotage myself for a few minutes of satisfaction followed by hours of guilt and possible weight gain. I am taking advantage of the lack of hunger and not listening to my head. Head hunger is the worst. Meal prepping has been a life saver so there are no last minute changes in what I plan to eat. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

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.

You are asking yourself the right question. At 4 years post sleeve, I can eat anything and everything in large enough quantities to gain weight. And even though I can't eat as much at once as I used to, I can graze all day and eat enough to weigh 300 pounds. Maintenance is hard. And losing any regain is just as hard as losing weight before surgery - almost impossible. So, you have to be diligent all day, every day. Having said that, I would still do it again. What IS different is that I know what it takes to lose weight. For me, a 1200-1500 calorie diet will cause weight gain. I know that I need around 800-900 calories a day to lose, and the year it took to lose my weight taught me how. So just because it's not a magic bullet doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. Only you can decide if you are ready to commit - and it's only worth it if you are committed.

That’s correct, sleeve surgery removes around 75-80% of your tummy but gastric bypass creates a much smaller tummy from your tummy & attaches it to your rerouted intestines. Your remaining tummy is still there after bypass but no food can enter it. Further conversations with your surgeon may be needed to help you understand the differences in the surgeries, how they impact your body & which may be best for your needs. It may help ease some of your nerves too. (Nerves before surgery are very common - fear of the unknown, uncertainty, etc.) With both surgeries your ability to consume large portions is reduced. Initially after either surgery when you start consuming purées you will only be able to eat 1/4 - 1/3 cup of food. This slowly increases. (By 6 months I could eat about a cup of food & now I eat about the recommended serving size or a little less.) And it is possible for you to eventually eat around your smaller tummy which of course results in weight gain & something to be aware of. Changing your eating habits, your relationship with food, understanding the nutritional benefits of food, etc. are vital aspects of losing your weight & maintaining the loss. This is the work you have to do & has nothing to do with the surgery. Many find the temporary changes to our sense taste & sometimes smell after surgery is an opportunity to try different & healthier foods. I have some food sensitivities so I recognise you may as well but are they legitimate food sensitivities or just you don’t like to eat certain foods (taste, texture, etc.)? A dietician can help with this as well. Often working with a therapist is very helpful to work through your relationship ship with find & what is behind your eating habits., as well as your hunger (distinguishing between head hunger & real hunger). Focus on eating your protein first at every meal. Then eat your vegetables. Finally if you are able eat any carbs. This will be the same advice you will be given after surgery & when your able to eat solid foods. There were many meals I only ate my protein & couldn’t or didn’t want to eat anything else. ( I still have days like this almost 4 years out.) Start tracking your food (portion sizes, calories, protein & other macros). There are some great apps you can use. You can be successful with either surgery but after the honeymoon stage when things like your appetite returns, most of your success depends upon you. You have to be ready for the surgery & the changes it brings & the changes you have to make. Surgery was the best thing I ever did. All the best whatever you decide to do.

OMG ..... If it's the Depo Shot..... STOPPPPPPP!!!!!! Years ago they removed the IUD and started me on the Depo... I gained 50lbs in one month.... it was horrible. Look into the Nuvo Ring. It was the best Birth control EVER.... I tried it all, the Pill (nausea all the time), diaphragm (terrible bladder and yeast infections), Condoms with and without foam (latex-sensitive), IUD (terrible bleeding), the shot (major weight gain, but i didn't bleed), then the Ring. It was the only one that worked for me. Then in my 30ies i had a partial hysterectomy.... OMG it was like the heavens parted and the angels were singing.... At 50 i started menopause and it sucks Ass..... I started gaining weight and couldn't control it, no matter what i did. So i decided enough was enough and paid OOP for a revision to the sleeve. Note: All of the birth control was before i was banded in 2009 SW: 232 LW 143: Removal 2017 at 143. Sleeved 8/28/19 at 173.5, today 131.4

Ok ladies I have a question about weight gain during your period. I have heard of some women noticing weight gain during your period. I guess before losing weight, I never noticed, or paid attention to my weight. That and I had stopped having my period all together. However, now it's back. I noticed this week during my weigh in that I had gained 5 lbs! Which of course freaked me out. Then I started my period. Have any of you gained 5 or more pounds during your period? If I would have been eating wrong, and not exercising I wouldn't have freaked out. But I work my butt off! lol..

I had a massive (cantaloupe-sized) cyst removed, along with one ovary and the attached fallopian tube, years before being banded. Actually, I think my obesity prevented me from identifying the problem early on; I assumed the newish protrusion was just a symptom of uneven weight gain. I'm sorry to tell you that you won't lose much permanent weight if your cyst is the size of mine or smaller. This surgery was done before I got my band, so I don't have any band-related tales to report. But last year, one year post-band, I had a hysterectomy. The band did not get in the way at all, and in fact the surgeon reported that my recovery would be easier than with the first surgery since I was nearly 70 pounds lighter this time around. I lost about 6-8 pounds in the first weeks after I left the hospital, due not to the weight of the fibroids (etc.) that left my body but to my lack of appetite. That little side effect didn't last long, though. Good luck to you. The surgery is no fun -- band placement is a lot easier on the body -- but you'll feel much better without that grapefruit pressing on your internal organs.

I had the VSG in August of 2015, reached my initial goal precisely one year later, and then maintained that for a year. I was very active traveling last summer and through the fall, and in December 2017 I hit the lowest weight I've been since the 8th grade. I was overjoyed. This year I've gained 11 pounds. It's been very frustrating and was bewildering at first. I take Metformin for PCOS and Wellbutrin due to depression regarding fertility issues, and both medications typically cause weight loss. Both can actually cause weight gain, though. I hadn't realized that when my endocrinologist increased my Metformin dosage in January. I soon became frequently ravenous, with a tremendous surge in appetite and shakiness coming on rapidly. I thought I needed to just acclimate to the medicine and so I stuck with it, but the hunger and shaking haven't abated. When I saw him again in April and mentioned the weight gain and hunger, he was nonchalant, absolutely unsurprised by it, saying that it can cause hypoglycemia and excessive hunger. He also said that Wellbutrin can cause weight gain in some people. Yet, when I asked him about both medications prior to taking them he said that I wouldn't gain weight, so..... He didn't seem to think the weight gain was a reason to be concerned because I'm still at a healthy BMI, but for me it's worrisome because it can escalate. I don't want to stop either medication because they have been helpful in other regards. I would definitely encourage anyone who is experiencing weight gain to not make the mistake I did by failing to properly and thoroughly read about all side effects of medications. Reading patient reviews carefully has also been helpful.

I woke up this morning and I'm heavier than I was last month at weigh in like .5lb...I'm so mad at myself and on the verge of crying cause I think I just screwed myself!! Did anyone gain during the 6month weightloss period and if so did you end up getting approved or denied?

Ok so all the weight gain and loss is that from everyone's 1st "official" weigh in or month to month? I haven't gained from my 1st "official" weighing just from the month before weight Ok I wweigh 312.8 at the visit with my surgeon (1st weigh in) and now I'm 308 last month I was 309.5 but my scale was showing 310 so that was up from last month's weight not the "overall weight" does that make sense? I worry, that's what I do and o talked to my ins UMR and they said there is "no guidlines" whatever that means so I guess all is ok and we shall see in about 2 months. Thank you all @@CourtneyLouise @@perforce @JessicaEllison-Correa @@provenzee @@cindyw41

For blue shield I had to go once a month for 6 months to the surgery doc office and meet with someone to satisfy the requirements for the insurance company to approve the surgery, and show no weight gain. After the 6 months and I had all the testing done they required, stress echo, endoscopy, it was only about 2-4 weeks before all was approved and scheduled a date. i am sure some are quicker and some may be longer. Good luck

That was the case for me, I was over 60bmi and as such my insurance did not require me to do the 6months physician weight loss plan. but despite being given the green light, I opted for the 6 physician visits, because I wanted to learn more about my body and the food I consumed and as i result i learned more about me. It was sort of strange, every one at my surgeons office from the Physician assistant to the NUT asked me why i wanted to do it this way, and my response was something like, surgery is not a silver bullet, if I don't mentally prepare I will fail.. I am glad I took the extra time.. despite the extra weight gain and pressure to get under 400lbs to even have the surgery, it was worth the battle for me.

Just a quick tidbit. Last week at weigh-in on Friday morning, I was just a tad over 216, which puts me at right around 15 pounds to goal. This morning I stepped on the scale, and was shocked to see 223.7! I KNOW I've been good, eating carefully, exercising a LOT (tons of cardio plus weight training plus calisthenics at home plus now yoga), so there was no reason for that much of a change. On a whim, I stepped off and back on the scale -- hmm, 221.5. Somehow I'd lost two pounds in 30 seconds. Oh right, where you stand on a scale and what your posture is, etc., drastically affects the weight reading. Weighed a couple more times, same number, around 221. So then I thinks "oh wait, I've had one and a half BIG (22 oz) cups of coffee this morning." I know the old "a pint (16oz)'s a pound" adage, but just to be sure, I go weigh a full cup of coffee, and it's almost three pounds. So, I've drank four pounds of coffee -- check. Then I realize: oh, I usually weigh in boxers or in the buff before my shower, and I'm wearing sweat pants and a t-shirt; surely those can't weigh more than a few ounces? No -- they weighed nearly three pounds. So I chuckle, realize that the scale is just not super accurate, and go about my day. I do my morning calisthenics plus my cardio (30 minutes of intense sweating, probably losing another pint of fluid). I go upstairs to shower, and weigh again in the buff, after going pee, using my regular foot positioning and posture -- 216.7. What does it mean? THE SCALE LIES. It's good to keep an eye on your weight, but you simply CANNOT get too hung up on little blips along the way. You can EASILY swing the number a couple pounds in one way or another just by standing differently. For the reading to have ANY use, you have to make sure that every damn thing is the same -- same amount of Fluid, same clothing, same time of day, same position and posture on the scale, everything. Even then, tiny Water weight gains can add or remove a couple pounds in a day, easy -- and when you're further along the weight loss thing, like me, it's good to lose a pound or two (of fat!) per month, so these "little" scale fluctuations can EASILY swallow up your "real" weight (fat) changes, and you simply can NOT let yourself get too hung up. Better is to measure your body fat percentage, if you have access to a body fat scale (or best yet, a dunk tank) since what you really want is not for your weight to go down, but your FAT to go down. Also, measure your shape changes -- tummy, hips, arms, legs, etc. -- so that you can see where your body shape is changing even when your weight isn't (even though my weight has been stubbornly in the 215-220 range for a while now, I can tell that I'm getting *buff*, so it's still progres). Bottom line, the scale lies. PLEASE don't get too hung up on the exact number. It'll drive you nuts! Just keep doing what you're supposed to do (eat lots of lean Protein, lots of good complex carbs, drink lots of water, get lots of exercise) and... live your life! Edit: I should add that my scale is a good, high quality weight watchers scale; it's about as good and accurate (even for larger weights) as you're going to get in a non swing-arm scale (you know, the kind in the doctor's office). It's not just a case of a crappy scale, it's a case of all scales being imprecise, and other factors making as much of a difference as actual fat weight changes.

So I spoke with my PCP and I have an appointment to come in next week because some new and fun things are going on. So I'm noticing pain in my lower abdomen. Happens mostly when I go #2 and I didn't think much of it. Then it started happening at other times, and it would get so bad I couldn't take a full breath. And even the lightest touch on my abdomen would have me in tears. Can last anywhere from 5 minutes to almost an hour, then just goes away. Having nausea when I eat, and sometimes when I don't. She doesn't like the sound of that, so I need to see her and they can do an ultrasound in her office and refer me to yet another specialist if needed. I still have no restriction at all whatsoever, which surprised her. But we're still waiting on the results of my scope, and now this. She said the rapid weight gain and the pain and nausea could be related and she wants to get to the bottom of it.

Hi Ninababy. I have a band, PCOS and stuffed up thyroid but good restriction and have lost 43Kg/95lbs since Aug 09...I think it took me 3 or 4 months to learn to live with my band and get my restriction right. Give it time and please be assured that slow weight loss is better than slow weight gain...all steps in the right direction will lead you to your destination. Stick with it girl :-)

Oh yea, of course we all have to change our eating habbits. I am not trying not take responsiblity. Let's face it, 90% of people here who had the lapband done was because of bad eating habbits, that was the purpose behind it. Right? I have Hypothyriodism, so losing weight is hard, and I do work out and eat healthy, and when I had my lapband done, I had only lost 45 pounds, because of it. I know it's hard, so it wasn't because I was eating burgers, tacos and pizza. I eat healthy. I went from a size 24 to an 18, and my goal was to be a 14. I like being fit, and I know what looks good on me. Not everyone wants to be a size 6. I just want to be comfortable. So my eating habbits did change, but not to the extreme. So please note that my weight gain wasn't because of poor eating habbits, it just what happens when your metabolism is out of whack and trying to get it back into track. If it was just for my poor eating habbits, then I think I would have lost more than just 45 pounds in 1 year, don't you think?

It's ok you have a lot of fluid after surgery . and a lot of swelling i am sure that's the answer to you weight gain. You will began to lose that as the days go by . so keep a chin up . Lynnlynn

I had gastric sleeve in Dec. 2013 after having reached a weight of about 440-450 and everything went according to plan the first 18 months or so. Since the spring of 2015 or so, I have been stuck in the 285-305 range (I'm 6'3" and 43 yo) and have been unable to get out of that no matter what I try, to the point where emotionally, I am basically back where I was at my highest weight. I can't stand to look at myself in the mirror, and I'm either a) obsessively counting carbs or calories or b) not caring what I eat and engaging in secret compulsive eating (though on a much, much smaller scale—instead of a dozen donuts, I'm going for one or two and not telling my wife or anyone else). The latest emotional defeat is this: I've spent the last three weeks doing a keto/Atkins-type thing, which was the only thing that ever worked for me before my surgery. Meticulous tracking, urine sticks showing I'm in ketosis, moderate walking exercise, and—here's the catch—a pretty extreme calorie deficit. Most days less than 2k per day, never more than 2,500, and in one four day period, I basically did the surgery prep diet of only protein shakes and broth, at about 800-1200 calories. After all that, I lost 2 pounds, which, when you're 292 pounds, is nothing. I'm already planning to eat poorly and secretly tomorrow, and I have absolutely no idea what to do. I feel essentially the same way I did before my surgery, though less intense, in that it seems like there's really nothing I can do. This is driving my wife crazy, and she's unable to understand or emotionally support me. I'm also trying very hard to not go back to some other addictive patterns. I know the first thing some are going to say is exercise more. I haven't done that lately, and there are two things holding me back on that point. At various periods in the last 4 years, I have done serious, several weeks-long programs with personal trainers in tandem with calorie deficit, and have had literally no success, other than gaining a little muscle, which resulted in a net weight gain. Also, I have some pretty extreme chronic degenerative disc pain, and it's hard to motivate myself to work past that pain when past results from diet and exercise have yielded little to no tangible benefit after great effort. One other thing that may be a factor: I had my gallbladder removed in 2017, and it had been basically shot since at least fall of 2015. I also had hiatal hernia repair the same time I had the gallbladder out. To be honest, I'm not really expecting any useful feedback. This may just be what life is for me now. But I had to say it somehow to someone.

@@dvons Absolutely..... it all about what you put into it. If you follow the rules and do what your supposed to... so will your WLS no matter which one it is. I have seen first hand weight gains with all of them... but i have seen success with all of them too. Like you said....complacency is the root of all evil....

In a number of posts lately, opinions have been expressed that some people are gaining or at least not losing weight due to a lack of carbs in their diet. I've spent the better part of my spare time for the past three days trying to find any scientific proof of this theory. All I could come up with was a discredited study from some years ago. If any one has proof that this theory has some basis in fact, could you please present it on this forum so we might have a new reason for lack of weight loss.

Calm down! 2 lbs can be nothing more than temporary water weight gain. Wait a couple of days and it will go back down.

I do find that snacking leads to stalls and or weight gain for me. I have to be very careful because I also get reactive hypoglycemia so i pretty much eat very small meals all day long. That is a slippery slope and can feel much like grazing which is the worst thing i can do. Early on while in weight loss mode my nut had me drink milk for a snack. it gives you added Protein, turns to a solid keeping you full for quite a while. And.....best of all you can add different types of tea to it. My favorite all time snack especially in the winter is chocolate chai tea. I use the loose tea version from teavanna and steep it for 3 minutes. It is especially delicious, hits the spot with NO added sugar other than what is in the milk. I use lactaid because i still have a lactose intolerance. If i dont have that, i will eat full fat cheese, pepperoni, shrimp, almonds and sometimes bariatric pal hot chocolate or bariatric pal vanilla capacciono.

Sleeve is an easier surgery for doctors to perform and it's an easier recovery usually. I was back home the day of surgery and back to normal within a week or so. My surgeon recommended it over the bypass because if it wasn't successful there was still the bypass to do later, which is what ended up happening. I got severe GERD from the sleeve and ended up gaining some weight back. I just had the revision to bypass last month and wish I had just went straight to bypass a few years ago instead of doing the sleeve first. Sleeve recovery was simple and I lost 78 lbs in a year, then my gallbladder had to be removed, acid reflux/GERD got worse, and the weight gain started right after that. I didn't have acid/GERD issues before the sleeve. Recovery after bypass was harder for me, took me about a month to get my energy levels back up, but totally worth it so far. I took 3 weeks off work, but should have taken 4 weeks, but I work from home so I got through it. Congrats on getting your surgery date!

Synthroid typically can make you lose weight, if infact your weight gain is because of hypothyroidism. There is a margain of TSH levels that you should be between. If you fear losing weight you can always ask your Endocrinologist or PCP to make sure your TSH levels are on the high end of normal. That way they don't get on the low end and you go into hyperthyroidism, which can cause increase in weight loss on just about anybody. There are actually some doctors that prescribe thyroid stimulating medications to people with normal TSH (thyroid hormone) to cause them to go into Hyperthyroidism and loose weight. I don't agree with it, but it's not unheard of. Oh, and make sure you're getting your TSH checked every 3-5 months to check your levels and see if your meds need adjusting. Good luck!