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Be careful sweet Vera with the Paxil, Paxil is what led to my demise of weight gain. I gained 65 lbs in 1.5 yrs. It slows down your metabolic rate to almost zero..however the stuff works for the mental part of it all ...I do not want to discourage you ,but just know there are other meds out there that dont have the side affect of so much weight gain and have the same affect on the mental part of it

Yes, my revision was done all in one surgery. My surgeon said it was the most common surgery she does. @@giugiu37 my insurance paid for the revision because when my band slipped I regained most of the weight I had lost, so I had to get it out either way and the weight gain showed that I would not be successful without restriction.

I take valproic acid ( depakote) for bipolar and they gave it to me in a liquid suspension and it is more stable than the pill was and they had to cut my daily dose on half!! That was a good thing as depakote causes weight gain! So just check with your doctor as there may be a liquid form of the medication you take.

I'm sorry, i realized this THREAD has nothing to do with Almanza in particular but it has to do with long term sleevers which I am, and i wanted to warn long termers that IF they experience weight gain... NOT to seek a 'resleeve' because it does not work. I would be happy to go into what I have now learned about how the previously sleeved stomach is in no way a candidate for another sleeve. IF anyone would care to know. I just want to prevent others from wasting their money and become as depressed as I am. I tried to deal with his staff but to no avail

A close friend of mine had the surgery and told me.. She started sharing pictures of people who had gone through with it and how great they looked. She recommended that I see if I can get it done since I am always complaining about my weight. The process to get started went pretty smoothly and I was super excited about the whole thing.. Made a post on FB and shared the news with everyone on my weight loss and that I was going to get surgery.. I also shared that it was going to be postponed due to the pandemic and haven't updated anyone on my new date or even any weight loss/weight gain besides my husband now.. which is honestly what I wish I had did from the beginning. I know there is a lot of judgement behind getting surgery due to ignorance and have already heard a few negative responses to the news. I hate the idea of lying to friends/family, but may just say that I didn't go through with it and that I just started eating less and exercising more.. I don't know!

I stopped the medicine and I thought the weight gain might stop but it has continued.

I do low carb, not "keto". I make that distinction cuz I am old-school. I don't do a bunch of fancy gyrations and artificial stimulation to get my fat high. My keto comes by simply doing no more and no less than dropping my carb level to <50g per day. That gets the body into ketosis. But to be fair, most of us who are eating <800cals per day are probably already in ketosis by proxy of a VLCD (very low calorie diet). So we're already producing ketones for fuel--unless you're consuming a butt load of daily carbs in that 800 or less per day diet. It's can be a good and healthy diet. I do low fat; choose low fat proteins and reduced fat dairy, but my fat still falls in about the 40% range. Anyway, it works for me. But if you over-consume carby food, you WILL see a jump from glycogen stores refilling with water and it takes 2-5 days to re-empty them. That's anywhere from a 2-8lb weight gain overnight. It can be brutal psychologically. But I truly believe this is the way that will maximize my weight loss period. For me.

MsCarla, I was banded at the end of July 2010 and am down 40 lbs. Mine was elective surgery and was out of pocket. I had to lose 55 lbs. I tried everything and nothing worked! I decided, after long consideration that lapband was my answer. When I spoke to my 10 year old son and asked him his opinion, he told me that he loved me just the way I was, but that if I didn't love myself I needed to go through with this. He is way wiser than his years. Being that i am a full-time single mom and we do everything together I felt the need to explain the procedure to him and the implications.My Mother was a much harder obstacle to surpass. Eventually she came around. Besides my son, parents, and a couple of good friends no one else knew about my lap band. I decided I got enough criticism about my weight gain and any changes I make in my life that it was my choice. Everyone wants to know what "diet" I am on and commenting how good I look. I just smile and tell them lots of exercise and eating right. Mind you, these are a lot of people who use to call me fat and ask me if I was pregnant. She who laughs last has the last alugh. I feel wonderful and am nearing my goal and no one needs to know how I got there. Barbie

HAD LAP BAND SURGERY 5 YEARS AGO. EVERTHING WENT GREAT UNTILL ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO. FOUND THAT I COULD EAT ALL I WANTED AND GAINED ALL MY WEIGHT BACK. THE DOCTOR FELT IT WAS MY PORT AND REPLACED IT IN JUNE OF 2010. STILL HAD WEIGHT GAIN. THE DOCTOR DID A DYE TEST AND FOUND IT WAS MY BAND LEAKING. I'M DUE FOR BAND REPLAACEMENT ON 1/11/2011. HAS ANYONE HAD THERE BAND REPLACED?

I'm Tammy (or Flutterby - the original name for a butterfly... ) I'm 45 yrs old, 5'8" tall. I weigh 295 lbs. My BMI is at 44.8. My first goal is 170 lbs. Ultimate goal is 137 lbs. I've struggled with my weight since my second child was born about 23 years ago. I tend to gain weight all over. Well, except my bust area (strange). However, in the last several years I have gained more in my belly. I look like I'm about eight months pregnant... Uggghh! Now, don’t get me wrong, I loved being pregnant and I adore being a mother, but I’m not having any more children and I’m ready to be able to lose all MY baby fat. The baby fat may have stayed with me, but I added a whole person’s weight to it. I need to lose half of my weight – a whole person’s worth. Only those who have been here understand how much that realization can hurt and disgust me. I have tried to lose weight by diet, exercise, supplements and programs just like so many others here. From Slim Fast, Cabbage Soup Diet, Herbal Life, fasting up to two weeks at a time,, Atkins, Low Calorie, Juicing Diets, Wheat Belly Diet, Gluten Free Diet, Gaps Diet, Hallelujah Diet, Mediterranean diet, Paleo Diet, HydroxiCut, Green Tea, many herbal supplements, OTC aids, a short span on prescription diet meds and thyroid medication and using vinegar as a diet aid. As I think about it, losing weight been a driving desire/force in my life since I turned 23. The endless weight loss/exercise and health-related books and internet ideas and “snake oil” type cures, well I’ve researched and attempted many of those as well. I've tried exercise alone, or in combination with diet plans. I've used 10 to 12 different exercise videos both aerobic and weight lifting combined with aerobics, walking, swimming, biking, stationary machines, free weights, machines like elliptical, treadmill, stationary bikes, etc. My results were sporadic and frustrating. I could stay with a weight loss or "get healthy" plan for months, sometimes even three years at a time but when I failed to lose weight at all or stalled with 10 or 15 pounds loss with hard work and high cost to sustain, I would slowly go back to eating my "normal diet". “Going back to my old ways” basically meant 70% healthy choices and still incorporating something new I learned, but I would stop resisting the dessert, the chips and dip, the popcorn with butter. I think the "extras" and "snacks" are one of my biggest weaknesses. I’ve also noticed in the last few months that I really do eat big portions especially when alone. I keep cooking for a big family and it’s only me and my teenage daughter at home to eat right now. No matter what, my weight has continued to climb the last 23 years. I get so sick of my failure to be able to control it or change it. Several times I have resigned myself to being fat. But as I got bigger and older, other things started happening to my health and I realized how much it affected my family and my ability to actually live life like I longed to. I kept thinking there had to be a "key" or a certain combination of things that would magically get my health back under control and I'd start losing weight. I had a sleep study done and found out I had severe obstructive sleep apnea. I was full of hope that using a CPAP would solve my problems because obviously I wasn't sleeping well with meant I wasn't getting proper rest. This in turn, I thought, surely meant it affected my metabolism and maybe perpetuated the problems with my weight. I considered that since I started gaining excess weight when my first marriage got emotionally and mentally and sexually abusive I might have been trying to be less desirable to protect myself from my husband at the time. I just wanted to be safe. I could write out that long story here, but suffice to say I got out of the marriage finally, after 16 years. What is frustrating is that even the strength and self esteem and “new lease on life” I gained by getting out of that marriage didn’t translate into the weight loss I should have or wanted to have and continued to try to have. So, was my weight gain or inability to lose it initially due to the stress of the bad marriage that involved sexual abuses? Maybe, maybe not. More likely it was also genetics and environmental (how I was raised nutritionally). Both my parents are obese and have struggled most of their adult lives trying to lose weight and now dealing with health problems related to being overweight. However I got here, I’m here. And I am so thankful and grateful that things have worked out for me to have this surgery. It’s such an answer to prayer and a dream come true. Honestly, I want this personally, but doing it for my family is a super-close second! One thing I am appreciative of is that I’ve probably learned enough about nutrition, vitamins, food, feeding a body, metabolism, weight gain concepts, healthy living and very interesting discoveries about foods like kefir, kombucha, barley green, apple cider vinegar, good water, food supplements, and the benefits of grass fed beef, range fed chickens & their eggs, and home grown vegetables to write my own book. However, since I’m having weight loss surgery – I doubt it would be deemed worthy of contributing to my health. It’s sad, but true. True because all these things didn’t “work” to help me lose weight. However, I do believe with all my heart that all I have learned will continue to be super valuable to feed my body right after I’m sleeved! My mantra has been, “If I don’t put myself first for once and lose the weight and get healthy, how can I be what my family needs me to be?” How can I truly give and serve and support and enjoy in my marriage and our children’s lives unless I first take care of me? Initially weight loss surgery can seem selfish and irresponsible. Only initially! In all truth, it is smart and right for me because it is what lines up with my vision of my future.

So how does one start a blog? I suppose I should just jump in... I'm 27 years old, and I live in Ohio with my longtime boyfriend and our adorable three-year-old son. I am a licensed massage therapist, but my physical condition makes it near impossible for me to practice anymore, so mostly I am a mommy. My boyfriend is back and forth between driving a van for Amish construction crews and taking care of his grandfather, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Our son is adorable, very friendly and smart. My journey up to this point in my life has been long and fairly painful, both physically and emotionally. I have always been overweight, so far as I can remember. I can very clearly recall being called an elephant in the third grade by another boy at school. My mom taught me to medicate myself with food, albeit unknowingly. My grandmother would go on and on about how I should lose weight, then offer me a plate of cookies. I remember tiptoeing into the kitchen late at night, being very careful not to wake my family, and sneaking food back to my room to eat. I can't remember if I was actually hungry, but the food filled some longing that I had within me, so I ate. The next period in my life was very difficult, full of lots of emotional trauma that is better saved for some other time. In any case, it all served to encourage me to pack on the pounds. I had done many different diet and exercise plans over the years, oftentimes losing quite a bit of weight only to have it creep back on. Fast forward to 2007, when I began school for massage therapy. I had finally found my calling, and was on my way to getting paid to do it. I lost weight fairly quickly then, being so much more active because of the massages and hauling around my portable massage table. Everyone was commenting on how good I looked, and I was sooooo happy. In February 2008, almost exactly halfway through my schooling, I found out I was pregnant. It was almost a shock, because my boyfriend and I had been taking precautions. I immediately quit smoking and found a good OB doctor. The pregnancy was borderline high-risk because of my weight (I was obese then) and the low levels of amniotic fluid around my baby. Then, in August, I fell while I was at school. I had been going to extra classes, creating my own "maternity leave" because I knew my due date was right around graduation. It was fairly early in the morning, and I was walking through the hallway to get a drink. The school had recently stripped and waxed the floors, and the mats and rugs were still piled up along the wall. I stepped on the edge of a mat and my feet came out from under me, and I sat down HARD. Two maintenance guys, who had been standing down the hall the whole time, stood there and watched me as I tested myself to see what hurt. After what seemed like forever, a lady in the main office stuck her head out the window, saw me sitting on the floor, and asked me if I was ok. The only thing I could get out of my mouth was "I'm pregnant!" Within minutes, the ambulance was there. They took me to the hospital, where they strapped me in to a fetal monitor and told me that I had to wait until their OB doc showed up and cleared me. Shortly after, a representative from the school came by to apologize and smooth things over. Long story short, I sat in the bed for 7 hours waiting to be checked out, and the OB never showed up. Finally they told me that everything looked fine, so I could go home. When I got up from the bed I could hardly walk. The school rep took me back to the school building and I headed home. In October 2008, I had my sweet baby boy. He was happy and healthy, with a full head of dark hair. I had a c-section, and was in a lot of pain afterwards, but I pressed on and graduated from school with an A average. Unfortunately for me, the pain never really went away. It would get better or worse depending on the day, but not ever actually go away. I would wake up in the morning feeling like I had steel rods fused to my spine, and I wouldn't be able to bend over for up to two hours after I got up. The pain would keep me up at night and wake me up in the morning. My primary care doc didn't seem to think it was anything, so I just tried to push through it. In 2009, we bought a house with a room in it for my home massage office, and I was overjoyed. I started getting clients and was doing fairly well. I had almost lost the 70 pounds that I had put on during my pregnancy. But instead of getting easier, each massage was more and more painful for me. I bought a TENS unit, and I would place the pads on my back before I would do the massage; then immediately after my client left, I would hook it up to the unit and turn it on so I could get some relief. In December 2010, I started having problems with my gallbladder. I had surgery scheduled to remove it in January, and referred my clients to other therapists in the area so I could have some time to recover. It was about a week before the surgery that another healthcare professional told me that she thought I might have fibromyalgia. Unfortunately, she turned out to be right. My surgery went smoothly, but the recovery took about two months instead of two weeks. At that point I was referred to a rheumatologist. Thus began the downward weight spiral. I hurt badly, so I wasn't as active as I had been before. I also tended to use food to comfort myself, since none of my doctors at that point were doing anything for my pain. Add to that several different medications that can cause weight gain and fluid retention, and an MRI that revealed 3 herniated discs, and you end up where I am today. I have been doing pool exercise, which is the most I can do at this point, and had even done several months of Medifast, and I have still managed to gain weight. My rheumatologist was the one who suggested the lap-band, saying that she thought it would definitely help my back if I could get some weight off, plus it might even help my fibromyalgia symptoms. I am praying that she is right. I was shocked to see the scale say that I weigh almost 400 pounds. FOUR. HUNDRED. POUNDS. How could that be? I know I have to do something to get my weight down. Not only am I physically miserable, but the emotional effects of chronic pain and supermorbid obesity can really get a girl down. I have been struggling with depression all my life also, and feeling like a disgusting excuse for a woman doesn't help the situation. Medication has helped lift it somewhat, but I just plain need to lose the weight. If I don't, I will follow in my dad's footsteps. He was nearly 800 pounds when he died of heart failure at the age of 52. He had already had 3 heart attacks, bad cellulitis in both of his legs, and he walked with a cane if he walked at all. I don't want to do that to my family. I want to live to see my son grow up. I want to meet my grandchildren. I have so much to live for, and I feel like this is the step that will help me extend my life and improve my health. I have my informational seminar with my surgeon in January. In the meantime, I am doing all the research I can to try and prepare for the journey that lies ahead. I know it won't be easy, but it will be worth it. So here's to the journey.

I just want to say that I know exactly where you are coming from! I have prayed for a long time for God to show me what i need to do to lose weight and keep it off. And i went to my dr and asked her what kind of diet i needed to be on to lose weight, and she then point blank said....“have you ever considered lapband?” And at first i was kinda stunned and didn't know what to think. But then I started to feel like I had failed bc I haven't been successful on my own. But I realized this surgery is a tool...not a overnight fix....and God knows it's a process, lol...but I need something that will change my life...and I truely feel like God said “this is it, this is your answer”. And of course as soon as I accepted this new chapter the devil has battled me. Making me feel like I will fail if I try this bc I have failed at losing weight my whole life. And then I felt doubt and confusion creep in...BUT then I remembered my Bible says that God does not create confusion....that satan does...so I knew I chose the right path. I am (almost) 27, I have a 6 year old daughter and a great life with my husband. But I feel like I have let them down bc of my weight gain....my weight has held me back for far too long. And i not only want to do this to make them proud of me...but I want to be proud of me. I am still going through my processing stages, and my insurance co. Has an awesome team of supporters that helped me get started. I still have a ways to go....but its exciting, sometimes scary and overwhelming....but I am confident in God that He will give me the strength to accomplish my goals. The devil has told me all my life that im a failure, I am unworthy and I should give up bc I will mess up and fail. BUT I CAN DO ALL* THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHICH STRENGTHENS ME....and so can u! Hold your head up! Rebuke the devil and the lies he is trying to feed u....and put him under your feet! You are a child of the ALMIGHTY and he has set you free! We don't earn forgiveness....he just shows us his love and mercy if we ask! (sorry so long)

NO TEN DAY chips. NO, NO, NO. This isn't Over Eater's Anonymous (I just stole their idea.) This is DeLarla's Boot Camp designed to get some of us off our asses and back from Hell (weight gain) to Reality (Svelt Land.) Have you not seen my ANGRY posts lately? Penni is pretty pissed, too. Nobody is getting off easy around here. Go play in the sandbox if you want a 10 day baby chip. NO TEN DAY CHIPS. Not in my thread. Don't make me eat your head, I'm damn hungry! On a lighter note, Renebean, you did a fabulous job on those chips, and now I really, really want one! I hate ticker tockers, but I want some of Rene's chips! Good luck everyone. GAME ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have pcos and an iud. I have the paraguard iud, I wanted that one because there is no hormones in it. So far it has been fine (installed in 2008) and has caused no other issues or weight gain. I would ask your doctor though. And yes pcos sucks in the carb department and it so does make a difference when you lower your carb intake. Good luck!

Remembr that you are healing. I had surgery on the 9th and I still get tired at times and have to know when to slow down and even tell myself to stop. As far as the gas it will be there for a while. Walk walk and walk is the best medicine. The pain in the left shoulder lasted about 1 week in a half and that was the worst part of it all. The intake will gradually come just do not get dehydrated. The week after surgery I lost 5 pounds now I fluctuate between 1-2 pounds weight gain over the last two weeks. I think it is time to step up my exercise. At first when walking on the treadmill I would get exhausted. Now I think I can walk a little more. The good thing is I can see a big difference in my clothes. So just hang in there it will get better.

And omg, how he responded to Miss California, calling her a "dumb bitch" on his blog. He's a piece of crap, pure and simple. Oh, and the weight gain thing? You're so right. And until recently, he was a fatso himself. Hypocrite.

I know several people who had the surgery around the same time as myself and have kept off most of their initial weight loss. Some have been more successful than others. After 10 years, many successful weight loss stories don't come back to the forum boards. You usually have had the people who weren't successful and are unhappy with themselves. My sister is having the surgery on 2/25 and I am her biggest cheerleader. She told me how some people are discouraged by people talking about their weight gain on this forum. I can honestly say it's one of the biggest and best decisions I have made in life.

I started this thread 11 months ago. I am back to report that in May of last year I started gradually falling off my wagon mostly due to the expectations of others and because so many (not here but in real life) mocked my WOL and guilted me and I fell for it. My own fault but it is hard to stay strong and put self first. When you fall off besides weight gain I find that I get depressed eating carbs and sugar and am just not happy at all! It is like a deep dark hole that you don’t know how to get out of it and the vortex of eating for comfort and carbs just keep sucking you in. I gained about 25 back of the 35 I had lost last spring. I am re reading what I wrote above to get myself back on track with baby steps. I never read some of these comments before so will comment now that I never had experience with met forum as was never diabetic (though close). When I am a carb eater I do get shakes and ravenous however and “need” a fix or feel nauseous. I did not want to advertise my “failure” but decided to do so to let anyone reading to feel they are not alone if they also struggle. Only seeing success stories can be depressing when you are struggling so wanted to let everyone to know to keep fighting the good fight and never give up!

Greg, I'm impressed by your willingness to sacrifice the safety -- no, the very existence -- of family and community just so you could hop on the scale. If there's a report of a massive fire in Detroit tonight we'll all know who to blame: Meijer's, your neighbors, and your sister! Me, I'm blaming my mother for the inevitable weight gain I haven't been able to face this morning. If she hadn't put on such a remarkable spread of goodies for three straight days. . . oh, hell, I probably would have found them someplace else. But I'm feeling so bloated that I'm actually looking forward to eating like a good little bandster again.

I would add having medical issues and using certain medications can contribute to weight gain that's hard to mitigate. (it's well documented that meds, steroids and psych, cause massive weight gains in a very short period of time) Congratulations on your new journey ♥️

Just a little words of wisedom. Your weight gain didn't happen over night and it's not going to all come off over night. Things take time and your body is adjusting to all of the changes it's going through. Eat right and move as much as possible and give yourself time. If you do all of the things you are suppose to do the weight will come off soonier or later. I know soonier is what you want to see but time is the only true judge!

Hi All! I'm 51, born and raised in Massachusetts, and married 28 years. Like so many of you I've battled being overweight ALL my life. I have NO "skinny" pictures in my family album. "Chubette" was a word I grew up with (pre "plus size" lingo for those yunguns out there...). I have lost over 100 pounds TWICE in my lifetime with the disappointing and devastating weight gain occuring within two years afterward. (Neither time did the 100 pound loss actually put me in the category of "thin".) There have been MANY MANY in-between weight losses ranging from 10-60 pounds at a time, NONE of them have obviously "stuck"! :faint: That is why I AM SO EXCITED :biggrin1: to DARE to BELIEVE that THIS time it will stay GONE FOREVER! I am not so ignorant to believe that it won't come with hard work and persistence, (As my history shows...) but what I needed most before banding was HOPE! Hope that THIS time will be different! That THIS time, even if not "thin" by the world's standards, I CAN BE less heavy and healthy (and STAY that way!) I read about the lap band on the internet years ago when I was in behavioral counseling for weight loss (which didn't work, obviously)... the hospital was just introducing the gastric bypass at the time which was offered to me, but I refused. I told them, SOME day, when this band comes to the U.S. (they had never heard of it) MAYBE I'll consider it! Well, SOME day has finally arrived for me and I feel wonderful, grateful, and HOPEFUL! A great BIG thank you to everyone who posts, I have "devoured" every wonderful word over the past couple months! This is a place of HOPE and I so appreciate you all! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

I am only 3 days out and I'm not hungry nor think about food at all. My recovery is going well so far thank god. I am drinking my 64 oz or close to it of water a day. I'm always thirsty. I am worried that I'm stretching my stomach by drinking all this water but that's what they told me to do and I want to follow their requirements. I only felt a little nausea the day after surgery thank god but I bought a wrist band that may have helped. Any way my start weight was 298 my weight at the hospital before surgery was 278 and today I am 279. They say the iv fluid may cause the weight gain after surgery. I can't wait to see my # on my scale to go down every month. Well good luck with your decision.

Bawse52 congrats on your 210 lbs weight loss - not to mention your weight "gain" this side effect/victory for men has been mentioned before but you seem to forget - women enjoy being on the "receiving" end of growth oh dear, you never know what this grammy might say continued good luck you are doing amazing with your weight loss keep doing what you are doing happy one year surgiversary +...... we never see you - come visit more often take care

I haven't had my surgery yet so my answer may not apply, but I have been on steroids previously due to pain associated with my Lupus. I began at the end July of 2015 and by early December 2015 I had packed on nearly 50lbs. I craved foods...particularly sweets and carbs. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920AZ using the BariatricPal App However...the steroids did manage my pain, but it definitely wasn't worth the weight gain Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920AZ using the BariatricPal App