Search the Community

Glad to see some of the old timers here. My story is long- and I really don't feel like typing all the problems that caused 4 back surgeries. I can't really exercise the way I used to. I have almost given up caring about my weight gain. Wearing a 14 is way better than wearing a 24. I do eat right but I can't wear any of the clothes I saved in case I gained weight back. The pants I wore when I was 145 during my first year after being sleeved don't even come close to fitting. I have lost all the muscle I gained when I was going to the gym every day. It makes me mad that I weigh 145 and clothes I wore at 145 before don't fit, but I can't risk doing anything to hurt my back. I can barely walk now. I am in a lot of pain if I try to walk even a block.

Always consult with your medical professionals Option (1) Stay on your bariatric plan. How intense is your workout? I worked out five to six days a week on my bariatric plan until goal. Bariatric plan seems to be working well for you. down 47 and another 47 pounds to go...Really think this through if you choose to go off plan. Option (2) Fitting your new macros in. It takes all day eating small meals. If you choose to follow your trainers plan. Monitor and make sure you stay in weightloss mode. If your trainers plan causes weight gain..Go back to your tried and true bariatric plan. __________________________ A few things I can relate to..... My surgeons office had no advice when it came down to my exercise/fitness level. I did consult a sports medicine dietitian. She has no experience with a athletic bariatric patient. I distance run and lift weights. I am at the gym two hours five days a week. I also have long run days. (two to three hours on a route) ______________________________

Hello All, I'm about 13 months post op (sleeve). I generally have no problems eating and following my prescribed diet. I'm staying at about 1,000 to 1,200 calories a day, getting 65mg of protein in, drinking my water, and staying away from bread, pasta, etc. The only vice I have right now is drinking caffeinated coffee. While I have lost 100lbs since surgery (with 50 more to go), I've been stalled at my current weight for the last 3 months. To be honest, I'm dumbfounded about why I can't seem to lose any more weight. I really think it would be difficult to reduce my caloric intake much more while continuing to get in my daily protein allotment. I tried additional exercise on my recumbent bicycle but that resulted in a weight gain of 5lbs. Can anyone advise on what the secret is to restarting my weight loss? Thanks...Rev

How are you doing with your weight loss journey? My partner and I are going through the process except she had to take her nutrition classes over due to weight gain. My surgery date is Feb. 14, 2018.

I am bi-polar. Up until surgery I have been stable for almost 4 years. I was taking Welbutrin XR 450 mg am, xanax 1 mg 3 x a day and Seroquel 300 at bed. They never told me before surgery that I would not be able to use the Welbutrin XR any more. They have me on regular Welbutrin 400 mg am. (Can not take them later in the day, they keep me awake) I am snappy, anxious, depressed. I now have been isolating myself. Back to not wanting to do anything. Crying/sobbing moments at least 3x a day. I feel out of control. I am afraid they will try to put me back on an ssri, because that helped the weight gain and the loss of my depth perception. Plus the last one gave me horrible side effects and hallucinations. I cant see psych med until the first week of Feb. I see my counselor tomorrow. Anyone have/had these issues? SW 350 (11/15) BSW 260 (10/17/17) CW 223 (1/14/18) RGW 199 GW 175

The fear of weight gain can help keep you at a healty weight. Recognize if the fear gets to the point you obsess over your weight. Coments "you lost too much weight" can also make you question if you are too thin. If you are a healthy bmi ..ignore the comments. You are right. It's finding a balance. Recognize you are at a healthy weight. This is what maintaining looks like for me. I have a ten pound bounce range. If I gain weight. I work to bring it back in range. Dont let the regain posts freak you out. We all have our struggles with WLS. I am compassionate with anyone who has had regain. Sent from my SM-G920T using BariatricPal mobile app

I've told everybody (family, close friends, Facebook )... but that's who I am. When I was dealing with infertility a number of years ago, I talked about it openly too. For me, I like helping educate people on the realities of it, and helping to dispel any misinformation they may have. I wasn't always pro-WLS, but I did my research and found out I was wrong about a lot. Has everyone been positive about it? No. My sister was incredulous and dismissive about the whole thing. One friend expressed concerns because she knows my passion for cooking and is worried about how I'll adjust. I try to be honest about my struggles and my nervousness about the surgery, in hopes that if someone else is on the fence about it, maybe I can help them make a decision. Most of my family and friends, have been great about it. I'm not the first in my family to have WLS... an aunt and two SILs have had it done with differing levels of success. When I explain to those who ask why, I talk about my history of the cycle of weight loss/weight gain, the fad diets, the exercise programs I've tried. And I talk about my comorbidities... I'm the mom of two young kids and I want to be around when they graduate from high school, get married, have kids of their own, etc. Once they understand that I'm not just jumping into it willy-nilly, they're usually pretty on board.

Only slow down when both you and your surgeon are completely comfortable. Alot of people experience a bounce back of weight gain for various reasons once they are far enough out. You may want to go as low as possible to give yourself some room to grow... That's my plan...

Thanks everyone. I did the liquid diet pre-op diet yesterday, walked 4 miles, and as of this morning I have lost a half a pound (could be legit, could be water weight). I think this is just going to be harder and slower for me than others and than I was hoping it would be. I’ll talk to my Dr. at my next check up and will do whatever she says. I’m hopeful the nutritionist will give me a menu to follow because I seem to do better when I follow a rigid restricted menu, clearly. Mostly, I needed to vent my frustration to people who would understand and sympathize. Thank you for all for reading, lending some thoughtful advice, and having my back. I was really hoping for a bigger loss by now and just haven’t had the same experience as other testimonials I read. I’m losing, even if not quick. The disappointment overcomes me sometimes... *I am weighing at home. It is linked to my Dr’s record via an app. Batteries are good. **I eat 1 or 2 dried prunes occasionally to keep regular because my bowel movements are few and far in between. ***I have a mobility-limiting degenerative spinal birth defect so many physical exercises are off limits. It is a contributing factor to my weight gain over the years and limits my exercise options. I do as much as I can within my limits. In addition to walking, I have a Wii and do the bike ride, marches, yoga, and balance related games. My job involves walking all day, across a large campus, and going up and down flights of stairs all day. I only wear my Apple watch when i walk at the park. The miles I list here are above and beyond the usual 1-2 miles I do in the course of a day at work. I’m not sedintary but I don’t do Zumba, ya know? ****I don’t measure inches, but clothes all fit exactly the same and nothing is looser.

I was SO good about watching my weight & proud of my weight loss. I looked & felt great. I averaged around 140 pds, which was good for me. I mean, come one, I went from a size 22+ to an 8. WHOA, me, at 8?! Then, life happened, and it happened hard. I lost my job& was unemployed for 5 months. I gained about 20 pds from simply sitting around looking for jobs all damn day. I accepted the job, because I needed one & it paid OK. However, my commute is an hour+ each way every day. Therefore, when I get home, I'm just not motivated to do anything. My son also had a major incident in his life that left us helping him financially & dealing with major stress. Oh, it's his stress, but affects me directly as his mom. Fast forward to present day... I now weigh around 168 pounds! Yea, that's what I said. WTF people! How did this happen? Yea, yea, I know HOW it happened, but I'm so disappointed in myself. How could I let this happen after being so successful & feeling so good. I'm now in a size 14, and I now hate my reflection yet again. Self image & confidence go hand in hand with your weight. At least, it does for me! Do over~ As the saying goes, every day is an opportunity to start over. As such, I have most recently started to watch what I'm eating by once again monitoring my food intake via myfitnesspal.com. It helps, I guess. I mean, I'm not eating as much crap as before & trying to watch what I eat. I've also started working out, and by 'working out' I mean going on my newly purchased recumbent bike 15 minutes each day. Better than nothing. I've even gone as far as putting a few post-it notes on my bathroom mirror to keep me focused & in hopes of staying positive. The sweet thing is that my 15 1/2 yr old daughter added a few positive, thoughtful notes to the collection as well. :-) Starting over sucks! My goal is to get back to 150. I think I can be happy at that weight as it seems realistic. Yesterday morning I was 165.8 then today 167.4. I'm not 100% sure what I did to gain a few pounds again, but it makes this journey quite frustrating - UGH!!!! Give me strength!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone have any advice on the transition to phase 3 (soft solid foods) weight stall and/or weight gain? I started my transition this Friday (11 days out), per my doctor. It started with just 1 ounce of salmon (lunch and dinner) on friday, then 2 ounces of salmon (lunch) and 1 egg (dinner) on Saturday. During the Friday and Saturday my weight stalled and this morning (sunday), I'm up 0.2 ounces. I know it's not much, but I am trying to prepare my mind for the "if" I have larger gains. I also was able to increase my protein intake from an avg 50g - 60g per day, to 80-90g over Friday and saturday. Any experiences, advice or comments would help. Thank you Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi. Has anyone out there had success despite taking mood stabilizers that can cause weight gain? I’m on a low dose of lithium and am considering Gastric Sleeve. I obviously don’t want to just regain all of the weight due to the meds. Thanks

I had the exact same fear!! The sleeve is completely different. You won't fail in the short term. Looking term, weight gain is possible, as in all WLS. Hostile Hopefully, we will have mastered it by the time we are at goal.

Same here. I'm also a sleever and I've been small in the past but this weight gain over the past few years has ruined my self-confidence and my relationship. Before I had kids I was 150 now I'm 310 that's over half weight gain. Sent from my SM-N910T using BariatricPal mobile app

Well the doctor submitted everything and the insurance company didn’t mention my weight gain...they did however say they needed more information before they will approve such as my A1Cs for the diabetes and my sleep study paperwork with my BIPAP settings. Please keep fingers crossed for me [emoji16]

Hello everyone, I am moving along the process of my gastric bypass fairly well, no surgery date yet, but 2 months left of the classes and all I's will be dotted. I'm actually writing this for my wife. My wife is going along the process with me, but she is about a month behind me. She has many issues, and we're trying to figure out the best surgery for her. In order to keep this post as short as possible, I will briefly summarize here: Early forties Beginning stages of abnormal menstration (irregular/delayed menses) Migraines, sometimes occular. She has tried Topamax, but it caused significant (permanent) hair loss (Has been off it a year). It helped, but made her nauseous when she took it and became somewhat forgetful. The Triptains sometimes help, but sometimes are worse. The only thing that helps more than half the time is excedrin migraine, which has an NSAID in it. She had them in 20's onwards, sometimes birth control helped, sometimes not. They seem to have gotten worse after the birth of our child. She no longer takes BC because it is not needed (I got a vasectomy). She also has GERD quite bad. Docs put her on protonix, but we are very concerned about the anticholinergic effects of PPIs (Alzheimers and Dementia) and so she grins and bears it using zantac (Still anticholinergic, but a lower amount) and tums. We have yet to try Pepcid AC, which is not anticholinergic. She has very bad knee and hip pain, and has restless leg syndrome She has a sweet tooth (Pastries being the worst). She is not a diabetic, but her fasting blood levels are over 100, so she is technically prediabetic. Her father has diabetes. She is a bit worried that after bypass, she will no longer be able to eat sweet foods at all. While it is certainly not a good idea (After all they got us here), for legitimately rare circumstances (Holidays and birthdays) can sugar-free items be consumed (ice cream/cake/pastries)? She has a slow metabolism, but didn't like how ill she felt on synthroid, so she stopped taking it. I think she has high testosterone and low estrogen, but I could be wrong, I can't remember the test results. She also has motion sickness pretty bad. I don't know if that is connected to the migraines, or if others that had it noticed it went away or got worse after WLS? According to the surgeon, the bypass is the best cure for GERD in the world, because it is impossible to get it with no stomach acid. But, NSAIDS are a no-no. The Sleeve (I've read) allows for NSAIDS, but sometimes makes GERD even worse. Plue the Sleeve doesn't have a negative reinforcement of high carbs like the bypass does. In the information seminar, they mentioned that WLS sometimes reduces or cures migraines, so maybe that is a moot issue? Between the two, I think the migraines are the more severe. She gets them several times a month, at least once to twice a week, and they are worse before/during/after menses. She has not tried botox injections (Botulism is not something we want to inject into our bodies), and she has not tried antidepressants or acupuncture. Antidepressants because of the weight gain, and the anticholinergic effects many of them have. (I take Luvox and Lamictal, but they are both very low). I'm sure that others here have had similar NSAID/GERD & Bypass/Sleeve decisions, and I'm curious which direction you're going (or did go), why, and if you like or regret your decision. Diabetes runs rampant in my family, and because of that, I want the bypass, and I think that is the best way for her as well (Get rid of the GERD and the Pre-Diabetes, and likely lose the most weight helping the sore knees/hips), but I want to cry (And I'm a guy) when I see her constantly suffering with the migraines. My wife and I thank you very much for any advice you have. God bless you all!

Wow, congratulations. At the rate I am going I will be lucky to lose half that much in 6 months. But at least it will be less and not weight gain. Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

WHEN THE BASICS DON'T WORK ANY MORE WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO GET THE WEIGHT BACK DOWN? (Please don't post Going back to basics, TDEE method or the pouch reset . I have tried them all) NO...I'm not eating off plan and YES I exercise 2 hours five days a week like a beast. i have battle the same 15 pounds up and down for a year. Weight loss is painfully slow. ____________________________________________ I started carb cycling and its working well. I'm down 12 pounds as of this morning. My weight loss speed has picked up. So far what I am doing is finally working. But, I'm still waiting to see if I have the dreaded weight gain bounce back. What have you tried and what is actually working?

We had a change in insurance mid year and I had to start all my check ups again but I didn't have to re-do any of the medical test. I only had to do a 3 year weight history and since I didn't have it because we moved 2 yrs ago and I havent seen a doctor I just had to write a letter and send 3 yrs of pictures to show the weight gain. Hang in there it is so worth it.

Hello NJ !! I’m from New York but moved to Florida 4 years ago , the winters were brutal in the Hudson Valley I blamed my weight gain on the long depressing winters and then when I got to Florida , the excuse was the feel of being on the never ending vacation and so many people visiting Go Figure ! Lol. I enjoyed reading your posts, you are a very good writer. I def related to your pre-surgery posts , my sleeve is scheduled for Feb 6th. I’m feeling everything you did at that time ! The unknown is scary ! Thank you for giving us updates post surgery as well. Selfishly I want to hear more ! It sounds like you are doing so well and moving on with great success One of my fears is I will go thru this and won’t lose as much as I would like. I would like to lose 85-90 pounds. Ugh ! Could you give me some tips on what you ate when you got home ? Was it hard to drink water at first and to get your fluids in ? What does a day of food look like today for you ? Sorry for all the questions , I’m starving for any insight to Life post surgery and tips on how to make this process easier Thank you in advance and keep going Girl ! I love the part about you now wearing yoga pants ! I can’t wait ~ New Wardrobe here I come !! Lol

Thank you Sherrie, I'm sorry to hear of our similar struggle. I am thinking that the first step will be for me to talk with my doctor and stop ignoring the issue. I think I feel a lot of guilt and shame related to weight gain as if I am failing the process when all I'm doing is hurting myself with that attitude. I came to this site because it's the next best thing to an in person support group for me and wanted to be able to walk through the steps on how to get back on track. We all started in the same place and worked through the program step by step. Need to get back to holding myself accountable and just moving forward in a positive way from here on. But of course if anyone else has any methods that they recommend I would love to hear. I've heard of a kickstart diet for sleevers who are +1 year post op called the 5 and 2 or another called the 4 and 3, which is a modification of the original 5 and 2. I'll let you know what I find! Best of health to you

This sounds rough. Losing a loved one is very hard. May I ask what kind of food choices you were making during weight gain periods? Also do you still see your surgeon or are your follow up visits only yearly?

In May I will celebrate my 3rd surgiversary and I should be thrilled but this past year has been a struggle. I started out at 250lbs, did excellent the first year of my sleeve with weight loss, by May of 2016 I'd released about 80lbs and was 170lbs -about 10-15lbs from my 155-160 lb goal. Then I started having gallbladder attacks and ended up having it removed in an emergency procedure in August of that same year. The following month my father passed away (he was only 65) and I started to notice that I wasn't following my diet plan as closely. I gained about 10lbs within and was 180lbs by January of 2017. A few months later I had some other family changes that involved several very close family members moving away out of state, some of my core support. I tried to stay on track with exercise, training for a 5k then developed a bone spur (osteoarthritis) and was told not to run by my Dr. That was this past summer. I am now at 192lbs and feel like I can eat more before becoming full, have been completely unmotivated to exercise and eat right. I'm feeling angry, guilty, upset and completely confused about how this is getting out of control. Has something similar happened to anyone else? Can anyone please recommend some resources to help motivate me or get me back on the journey towards my healthy goal? I am very independent and hate asking for help, but for goodness sake, I had an operation that involved cutting out half my stomach and now I'm gaining weight again? I never thought I'd find myself here...

So frustrated just got back from dietician and I have gained 2 of the pounds I lost [emoji19] Sent from my XT1650 using BariatricPal mobile app

I had my Lapband January, 2011 - it was nothing but problems the entire time. I had too much restriction the entire time and the weight gain. The last three, or so, years of that torture device, I was unable to eat and in doubled over pain most of the time. I also developed severe GERD. My gastro referred me to a different Bariatric doctor. Long story short - the Lapband caused multiple problems and I had to have an emergency revision to gastric bypass. Dr. Did not recommend the sleeve for me because a high percentage of patients that already have GERD, it makes it worse. Please see another doctor before your situation gets worse like mine did. I don’t think you will be sorry with a revision to sleeve or bypass. It was a wonderful decision for me - not constantly sick anymore!