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I am scheduled for surgery on October 28. I'm self pay (in US, not in Mexico) and have my second appointment with my surgeon in a few days. The problem is that I have been gorging on food because I feel like I'm saying goodbye to a lifelong friend and habit. I'm so ashamed that I've gained at least 5 pounds and maybe more in a month and feel like the surgeon is going to be upset. Did any of you have any weight gain in the weeks before you started your pre-op diet?

While my weight gain has affected my health some, and my family life more (mostly through extreme laziness), I definitely agree that my weight is negatively impacting my work as well. As far as time off, I have the kind of job that it's almost not even worth taking a few days off because you walk back in to all sorts of issues and problems... So taking time off to heal 3/4 weeks is scary in my case, but I don't want to rush back either after the surgery and risk a problem from, for example, lifting something heavy because I forgot I couldn't yet - for that split second... Ahhhhhhh!

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen! My name is Brenda and on September 2nd I had the gastric bypass surgery. It took me a few years to get myself to admit I needed this, and I am happy I made this decision.My surgery took longer than the surgeon anticipated due to scar tissue from a previous surgery. The surgeon was still able to do the surgery laparoscopic after cleaning up the scar tissue. After one setback due to diarrhea and dehydration I pray I am on the right path now. Discouraged at first because of an 8 lb weight gain(which the surgeon said was due to all the intravenous fluids I was given) I am happy to say in a week I've lost 10 lbs! Prayers for great success for all of you on this weight loss journey. Here's to a happier and healthier lifestyle ????????

Well the bad news is I didn't see a great deal of movement on my scale this week - in fact the only movement I had went up slightly - 300g, Taking me back to 12kg loss total!!! The good news is that I saw my dietician this morning and have been well assured that this is actually normal. I clearly need to have another fill which is scheduled for next Friday. I was really bummed about my weight gain yesterday and thank goodness for some very close friends of mine that are there for me all the way and supporting me because I really needed it yesterday. Today I have a much clearer mind and totally understand that it's a process!!!!! livelovelapband.blogspot.com.au

Ok, I just got off the phone with my insurance and they said weight gain would not effect me since I'm already approved but I'm still going to try to get the extra weight off before the surgery so liquid diet, here I come Thank you for your response and guidance!!

Of course not- it actually works and does not cross the blood brain barrier (like REGLAN- the perferred drug of choice which can cause depression or suicide in some women) AND IS AN OFF MARKET USE. dOMPERIDONE (20 mg 4x per day) IN THE AMOUNTS NEEDED TO INCREASE PROLACTIN - HORMONE MAJORLY RESPONSIBLE FOR MILK PRODUCTION is no where near what they were talking about and the heart attacks were for introvenous use- again not the same. This drug is used in almost all other countries (England, Canada, Australia, New Zeland,France, etc) as a stomach aide for children and adults and sold over counter in most. But we the fount of all knowledge find it unreasonable to let medical professionals and people decide what works best for them and ruin our ability to help lactating women with problems. On a note- your doctor can prescribe reglan if there is an issue- but I wouldn't use it. The cross the blood brain barrier and probability to personality and mood changes was too much of a side effect for me. Also iusing anything to enhance proolactin- usually cause some mile weight gain due to increased appetite. If you haven't guessed --- I used domperidone to facilitate lactation for my adopted little ones- before Adrian. I also believe it helped me so well that I had/threw the one and only egg I ever mad e to get pregnant with Adrian. So I am happy it is there and that the American Assoc.,of Pediatricians is still recommending as preferred drug for lactation enhancement

Already started my journey and I meet with my surgeon on the 30th to talk all about the surgery...but today has been a bad day. Went to go get dressed for the day and I noticed that I have so many new stretch marks all over my stomach that I'm in so much pain! For gaining 100 lbs in one year I'm so uncomfortable... I've been on prednisone for 3 years and the weight gain is so bad. I have been so strong about this because I know its the medication but going to my moms today.... I broke down. I am so looking forward to the surgery. . I want to just be comfortable and have a day where I go to put on a T-shirt I bought last week and have it fit!! Feel like I'm moving in slow motion!!!!

Hi. I just had a lap band removed and gastric done on the 21st. Tomorrow will be week and wow am i still sore. Since I "kinda" had two surgeries my doctor expected me to take a little longer to heal. I'm trying real hard to get the Protein in since they say it promotes healing and of course I need it. The lapband stopped working and we had to remove all the saline resulting in weight gain. So I started Gastric at the same lapband weight from 2010, ugh. My diabetes went away the day after surgery. That was amazing. Been researching full liquid recipes so i will post if i find something something really good. Glad to be here.

I've been reading a lot about food addiction, and I'm trying to honestly assess myself. I have a huge passion for good food, but I don't eat a lot of junk or processed food. I haven't eaten fast food in probably 2 years. My husband has a candy habit, but I don't eat much of it. I love to cook, but my cooking style tends to be more Mediterranean than homestyle. I'm not much of a baker, so I don't make cakes or Cookies very often. When I get stressed or upset, I tend to cook and eat less than when I'm feeling good. I can get a little obsessive over food, but it tends to be more about individual ingredients. For instance, I'm always looking for new olive oils to try, and over the last few months I've probably bought a dozen types of sea salt. I have 2 lbs of French green lentils in the pantry that I'm excited to try. I'm looking forward to figuring out ways to up the Protein in everything I make post-op. Of course, I didn't get to this weight without over-enjoying a whole lot of great food. In my case, bad knee issues made it very hard to exercise, which just exacerbated the weight gain. But, I know I think about food a lot. I read cookbooks, watch a lot of cooking shows, and search out food blogs. I know that I will face head hunger and the challenges of all the life changes post-op. But how do you tell the difference between food passion and food addiction?

I'm at the very beginning stages.... Had my first appt end of April! I see people saying that they didn't get approved because of a weight gain, but what are they referring to? Can you not gain any weight from first spot to surgery date? Or is it month by month? Or just on pre-op diet? I'm so confused.... I'm 3 lbs heavier than my spot last month... Will this be an issue?

I realize that everyones case is different but it would be nice if there were guidelines that all the Drs. have to follow. I also was also found to have a "pouch" apparently my band was too tight and I ended up with the flu one weekend...needless to say there was alot of throwing up. They are guessing this is the reason for the pouch. I am completely unfilled and am to stay that way for 1 month. Then I am to have another fluero, if it is ok then I will start with small fills and if not then another month of non fill. I hate having no restriction and I am scared to death of any weight gain I may have during this time. Just makes me wonder when I read that some are told soft foods where as I have no restrictions of any kind as far as foods.

Very interesting article that I thought I'd share. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Some of the most firmly held beliefs about weight loss are unproven or downright untrue, according to an analysis comparing concepts promoted in the popular media with data from the scientific literature. The findings were published online January 31 in a special article in the New England Journal of Medicine. "False and scientifically unsupported beliefs about obesity are pervasive in both scientific literature and the popular press," write Krista Casazza, PhD, RD, from the Department of Nutrition Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and colleagues. The authors discuss a total of 7 myths, along with refuting evidence. Here are some examples: Small changes in food intake and/or exercise will produce large, long term weight changes — This idea was based on the old idea that 3500 kcal equals 1 pound of weight. But it does not take into account the fact that energy requirements change as body mass changes over time. So, as weight is lost, it takes increasingly more exercise and reduced intake to perpetuate the loss. Realistic weight-loss goals will keep people motivated — This idea seems reasonable, but it is not supported by evidence. In fact, several studies have shown that people with very ambitious goals lose more weight (eg, TV's The Biggest Loser). Slow, gradual weight loss is best for long-term success — Actually, a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled weight-loss trials found that rapid weight loss via very-low-calorie diets resulted in significantly more weight loss (16% vs 10% of body weight) at 6 months, and differences in weight loss persisted up to 18 months (Int J Behav Med. 2010;17:161-167). A bout of sexual activity burns 100 to 300 kcal per person — With intense sexual activity, a 154-pound man burns approximately 3.5 kcal per minute. However, given that the average amount of time spent during one stimulation and orgasm session is about 6 minutes, this man might expend about 21 kcal total. But, he would burn about 7 kcal just lying on the couch, so that amount has to be subtracted, which gives a grand total of 14 kcals of energy expended. The article also explores 6 "presumptions," or widely accepted beliefs that are neither proven nor disproven. Among them: Eating Breakfast prevents obesity — Actually, 2 studies showed no effect of eating vs skipping breakfast. Adding fruits and vegetables to the diet results in weight loss — Adding more calories of any type without making any other changes is likely to cause weight gain. Eating fruits and vegetables is healthful, however. Weight cycling, aka "yoyo dieting," increases mortality — The data are from observational studies and likely confounded by health status. Finally, the authors offer 9 facts about obesity and weight loss that are supported by data, among them: Moderate environmental changes can promote as much weight loss as even the best weight-loss drugs. Diets do produce weight loss, but attempting to diet and telling someone to diet are not necessarily the same thing. Physical activity does help in promoting weight loss and has health benefits even in the absence of weight loss. For overweight children, involving the family and home environment in weight-loss efforts is ideal. Providing actual meals or Meal Replacements works better for weight loss than does general advice about food choices. Both weight-loss drugs and bariatric surgery can help achieve long-term weight loss in some individuals. According to Dr. Casazza and colleagues, "The myths and presumptions about obesity that we have discussed are just a sampling of the numerous unsupported beliefs held by many people, including academics, regulators, and journalists, as well as the general public. Yet there are facts about obesity of which we may be reasonably certain — facts that are useful today." And they conclude, "While we work to generate additional useful knowledge, we may in some cases justifiably move forward with hypothesized, but not proven, strategies. However, as a scientific community, we must always be open and honest with the public about the state of our knowledge and should rigorously evaluate unproved strategies." Original article: http://www.medscape....warticle/778600

It's been 8 months since my surgery. For me, the honeymoon phase of never being hungry is O-V-E-R. I caught myself grazing a few times this week, and those calories add up. My old habits made me fat, so it's time for new ones. I needed to find out how naturally thin people eat, so I did a little Google-fu and found this article on Prevention.com that pretty much breaks down the difference between the fats and the fat-nots. I'm posting a slightly shortened/edited version of the article here. Most of you will know this stuff (I'd forgotten all about HALT), but I hope it's helpful to some of you. Habit #2 might be my biggest issue. In my brain, hunger = brink of death = MUST EAT RIGHT NOW. 8 Habits of Skinny People 1. They Choose Satisfied Over Stuffed On a fullness scale of 1 to 10, skinny people stop eating at a level of 6 or 7. The rest of us may keep going to an 8 or 10. Why? Maybe you mistakenly equate the sensation of fullness with satisfaction and feel deprived if you stop short. Or maybe you were raised to clean your plate. Copy Them: About halfway through your next meal, stop eating and rate your level of fullness on a scale of 1-10. Do it again when you have about five bites left. The goal is to increase your awareness of how satisfied you feel during a meal. (Bonus: It also slows down your eating, which allows the sensation of fullness to settle in.) 2. They Realize Hunger Isn't An Emergency We often view hunger as a condition that needs to be cured. If you fear hunger, you might routinely overeat to avoid it. Thin people tolerate it because they know hunger pangs always come and go, buying them some time to eat later. Copy Them: Pick a busy day to purposely delay lunch by an hour or two, and see that you can still function just fine. Then next time you feel those grumbles, maybe you'll hold off before making a beeline for the fridge. 3. They Don't Use food To Cure The Blues It's not that skinny people are immune to emotional eating, they just tend to recognize when they're doing it and stop. Copy Them: Add the word 'Halt' to your vocabulary. More than just a command, it's an acronym that stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired --the four most common triggers for emotional eating. If you're truly hungry, eat a balanced snack to tide you over until your next meal. But if you're angry, lonely, or tired, seek an alternative calorie-free solution to your emotional need. (Personal note: Food as a solution makes no sense. If a friend told you they were lonely, would you tell them that a fish stick will fix it? Sorry, Finding Nemo. Fish are food, not friends.) 4. They Eat More Fruit Skinny people, on average, have one more serving of fruit and eat more Fiber and less fat per day than overweight people. Copy Them: Find ways to add whole fruits (not juices) to your meals and Snacks. Sprinkle berries on your yogurt. Add sliced pears to your turkey sandwich, or bake an apple for dessert. Keep a bowl of fruit on your kitchen table or desk to motivate you to think fruit first, vending machine never. 5. They're Creatures Of Habit A varied diet is good, but too much variety can backfire. Too many tastes and textures encourage you to overeat. Thin people have a "food groove". Most of their meals consist of staples. There are a few surprises thrown in, but for the most part, their diets are fairly predictable. Copy Them: Try to eat as consistently as possible with your major meals--have Cereal for Breakfast, a salad at lunch, and so forth. It's okay to add grilled chicken to the salad one day and tuna the next, but by sticking to a loosely prescribed meal schedule, you limit the opportunities to overindulge. 6. They Have A Self-Control Gene Researchers at Tufts University found that the biggest predictor of weight gain among women in their 50s and 60s was their level of disinhibition, or unrestrained behavior. Women with low disinhibition (in other words, a finely tuned sense of restraint) had the lowest body mass index. High disinhibition (i.e., low restraint) was linked to an adult weight gain of as much as 33 pounds. Copy Them: Prepare for moments when your disinhibition is likely to be higher--such as when you're in a festive atmosphere with a large group of friends. If you're at a party, tell yourself you'll take one of every fourth passed hors d'oeuvre. If you're out at dinner, order an appetizer portion and share dessert. Or if you're stressed, make sure you have a source of crunchy snacks (like fruit or carrot sticks) at the ready. 7. They're Movers And Shakers On average, skinny women are on their feet an extra 2 1/2 hours per day--which can help burn off 33 pounds a year. Copy Them: Try a reality check. People often overestimate how active they really are. Most people actually spend 16 to 20 hours a day just sitting. Wear a pedometer on an average day, and see how close you get to the recommended 10,000 steps. Your day should combine 30 minutes of structured exercise with a variety of healthy habits, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or mopping the floor with extra vigor. 8. They Sleep--Well Skinny women snooze 2 more hours per week, compared with overweight people. Researchers theorize that a lack of shut-eye is linked to lower levels of appetite-suppressing hormones like leptin and higher levels of the appetite-boosting hormone ghrelin. Copy Them: Break it down: Two extra hours of sleep a week is only 17 more minutes a day--a lot more manageable, even for the most packed of schedules. Start there and slowly work toward 8 hours of snooze time a night. This might be a little tl;dr for some of you, but I tried to trim the fat! Pun totally intended.

Yup, this! I have a lap band and my weight loss rate is much slower than someone who had RNY. For one thing, I'm not 100% restricted yet - probably about halfway there as I can still eat ~2500 calories a day. But that's less than my standard 3500 calorie diet so I consider that to be a win either way. It's enough of a difference that I lose about a pound a week. I'd lose about a pound a week through diet and exercise alone. The only difference (right now) is that I'm not suffering like I did before I had my band placed. Weight loss used to be torture. Now it just kind of happens, which is great! I'm looking forward to increased restriction so I can lose weight even faster but for now 1 pound a week is better than 0 pounds a week, or worse, weight gain! Now if you have RNY, you get the benefits of reduced absorption in addition to restriction and that helps the weight come off faster. So yes, it depends on the type of surgery you have. Regardless of what type it is, you will lose weight and just remember that any loss is good. Don't get discouraged if it's not as fast as you hope While it would be absolutely lovely to get to my goal weight in a couple months it just ain't gonna happen. It took a long time for me to get this fat, and it'll take a long time before I'm normal again.

Congratulations @@feelinggood! Your not alone, I so cried when my surgeon was speaking to me right before they wheeled me into the or. I have been speaking to numerous people who've gone thru either sleeve or bypass and the concensus is this: initially we are making these crazy drastic changes. Doing so much good for our body. Getting it healthy so we can correct our initial mistakes of more than likely overindulgence. When we reach our points of what makes us feel great, energetic, beautiful or handsome we can then introduce in extreme modification those little thimgs we once enjoyed. I've began to understand carbonation will absolutely ruin your ability to completely maintain as it is a main trigger for weight gain bc it slowly allows you to stretch your pouch and not allow you to feel the restriction of maybe one or two Hershey's kisses and suddenly you've had twelve... I love sprite. It's absolutely delish to me, but when I began this journey I said if I want this bad enough this is what will ruin me and set me up to fail so I can give you up! I'm glad your doing well. Three weeks out is great. I imagine you still on your moist, soft proteins, you can't go eat everything right?

Its really not bad at all. The lady I met with sooooo nice. They have even called to check on me to see that I was approved. I will certainly do my post-op follow up with them. Mine lasted a couple hours (mostly just BS'ing and talking about family history and my weight gain historty) They basically want to see that you are mentally compotent enough to undergo the surgery and comply with the post-op regimen and make the lifetime commitment this requires. I took the MMPI (Minnesota Multi-Phasic Personality Inventory) which she had me do about 376 true/false questions out of 500 something. Let me tell you these questions, alot of them were sooooo silly like, " I would enjoy the work of a carpenter". or "I hear voices telling me to do bad things". etc. I had a good laugh, you will too. I had fun doing mine. If I could afford to see her regularly, I would, just to chat with her. LOL Good luck and don't worry a bit! They want to help you get approved!

After being overweight my entire life I decided to get the lap band in dec. 2012. I really wanted gastric sleeve surgery at the time, but my insurance didn't cover it and I felt bypass was "too extreme". My band never could get in the "green zone" and because I traveled for work, often times would be in horrible pain because due to cabin pressure the saline in my band would get tighter. I was miserable! After continually vomiting, uncontrollable acid reflux and weight gain I decided to switch surgical programs and seek new advice. My new doctor advised me on having a revision done and now my insurance approves the sleeve surgery. I thought about it a few months as I was hesitant with feeling like such a failure with the band. In fact I was quite open with my first surgery but people would say later "I thought you were supposed to lose lots of weight?". It just added to my feelings of failure and this round I'm being much more protective of who I talk to about it. I've not gotten a lot of support for my choice but hope by joining this group others will be able to understand my journey and share their own. I'm now going through the approval process and hope to get my sleeve at the end of June.

When I need to get the scale moving again I go on the plateau buster's diet - which is basically just going back to the lapband "rules". Protein, veggies, then carbs. I started back on it on Monday after some weight gain (8 lbs) and I've already lost 4 lbs. If you'd like I can send you the guidelines.

Actually, the fact you're not losing and eating mostly soft foods are just more signs you're too tight. Contrary to the myths out there, being too tight can lead to stalled weight loss and even weight gain. The reason being, you're resorting to slider type foods and "soft calorie syndrome" because you can't eat the healthy things you should be. Have a look at this article, it is about being too tight and is really good info: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/page/index.html/_/support/post-op-support/tighter-isnt-always-better-r118 I think you can safely ride it out until Monday, but do get in to see your doctor. Best wishes

Do not give up girl! I remember running back and forth to my primary for recommendations and paperwork to give to my surgeon so they can submit it! My primary even made a graph showing my yearly weight gain. Insurances are never easy but you break em sooner or later! Good luck you'll be fine!!!! Let us know your surgery date;)

Well i got approved with some extra documentation. i ducked out of here because i had gone on the 2 shake diet, lost 14 lbs and then they told me I was going to have to do weight watchers for 6 months. So I compleatly wigged out because the surgery planner told me to just maintain that weight for six months. They said if; lost too much more, i wouldn't be covered. I have to be over 40 Bmi even with all my medical problems. I have never been a weight I needed to maintain...so no surprise, I now have 10 lbs to Lose again. Once my doc faxed over the proof of weigh once a month at his office, they approved it. Sooooo my pre-op class is Friday at 8 am. They are calling me back to schedule a surgery date. It could be this month, I will have to waiting and see....but I am approved. I am mad at myself for the weight gain...now I am back to shakes starting tonight since I already ate lunch. I am feeling very nervous now. I am worried I won't lose it in time...I am going to have to be close by Friday.....how am I going to lose 10 lbs by Friday? Any suggestions? I know it is my fault for reacting in this way and I know it is my responsibility to lose this weightl but I am seriouse about this...please help it you can.

I didn't have the same problem but I have had similar frustrations. In Jan last year they found I had a leak. I was checked for erosion and slip as well and had neither. In March I got the port and tube replaced but three months later, after complaining of not getting any restriction, they agreed that I was still losing Fluid and I had another operation in August. They checked the band while I was under and couldn't find a leak so they put everything back in and sewed me up. I still couldn't get restriction (got 10cc in my 10cc band at one point) and this past Friday, after not seeing my dr for 4 months, they've discovered I've lost almost 4cc from my band. I've had two operations and the leak is still there. And from Jan to August I gained 12kgs despite not going crazy with food. In Sept I started calorie counting and exercising formally again to stop my weight gain and I managed to stabilise, but it takes work. I have some fill in my band but I've always needed a high level of fill to feel restriction so I might as well not have any in. It's so disheartening, having something be relatively easy then lose it. To gain that weight back so easily, and to lose it be SO hard. So I feel you

I had lap band surgery 11 days ago (7/10/2008). I was on a liquid diet for 4 days prior to my surgery. Between the liquid diet and the recovery after my surgery I lost 23 pounds. I have now gained 5 pounds back?? Has anyone else experienced weight gain prior to their first fill. I guess I am just confused and maybe even a little discouraged because I feel like I am not hardly eating yet gained weight. Can someone please tell me, is this normal, has anyone else experienced this? Does this mean I am going to fail? Prior to Sugery: 304 lbs :seeya: Today: 285 lbs :ihih:

I am 9 Weeks out, down 32lbs. I still worry that I wont hit my goal weight. I can tell you that you can not eat the portions you ate before. It is painful to eat too fast or too much. Every time I eat, I think about it. Not because it is a habit, but you feel it. I don't eat mindlessly. Because I eat so much less now, what I eat is a lot more important to me. Protein first, always. Yes, I've had cookies. But not a bag full, 2 little cookies. And that's all I needed. I went a couple Weeks and gained a pound! But my body re adjusted and I am back to losing. Being scared or anxious is normal. The sleeve is what you make it, it will not cure you, it is a tool. I have to re program my brain and my relationship with food. It won't happen overnight, but neither did the weight gain. Trust your doctor and when the pounds start coming off, you'll be so happy, eating crap food doesn't sound so great. It motivates me.

all4gizmo. I too have struggled with a little weight gain since having a revision surgery. I have 5 cc in my band and can't tolerate more. I have had to readjust my food intake and mind. Try joing myfitnespal and logging your intake and exercise, it is helping me! Best wishes, Karen,,aka..kll724