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Hi EJones2 I' probably quite late into coming into this conversation, have you had it removed already? How are you finding it? I had my band removed 2 years and 1month ago. I sustained a number of band problems prior to having it removed due to the fact that the surgeon over filled the band and I also got ill causing me to be sick a lot. This then meant I had a band slippage and it caused me ongoing esophageal damage and damage to my pouch including a pronounced area of my abdomen and inability, eventually, to eat without severe pain. When I went into A&E, they had to call my surgeon who came the next day. It was actually supposed to be corrective surgery but he decided to take it out. This was really hard for me as I'm sure you are anticipating for yourself. I very much needed the band and was not finished losing weight! After the procedure I was sore and was on liquids for about 8 days before moving to mushy foods, very small portions and eating regularly as you might when you had the band. Due to the soreness going back to the gym was not possible for about 6 weeks so I just went on really long walks each day, sometimes two or three hours a day so that weight gain would not happen to fast. Most of all i just want to reassure you that everything will be okay, and I hope you are able to get your health back after removal. It's a scary thought going without the crutch of the band to prop yourself up, and undoubtedly weight gain will happen over time (I think I've gained 25(ish) pounds since) but I've learned there is more to life than deprivation and being thin and in control. Try to do the things you enjoy, get outside and be in the company of others. It all helps, it's going to be okay. Best wishes and I hope all goes well, Bryony

Hi JennMarie7979 I can understand your nervousness and sure there is much anticipation involved as you await the removal procedure I had my band removed 2 years and 1month ago. I sustained a number of band problems prior to having it removed due to the fact that the surgeon over filled the band and I also got ill causing me to be sick a lot. This then meant I had a band slippage and it caused me ongoing esophageal damage and damage to my pouch including a pronounced area of my abdomen and inability, eventually, to eat without severe pain. When I went into A&E, they had to call my surgeon who came the next day. It was actually supposed to be corrective surgery but he decided to take it out. This was really hard for me as I'm sure you are anticipating for yourself. I very much needed the band and was not finished losing weight! I am from the UK so fortunately NHS was able to cover it (even though I had the initial op through a private clinic) as if this had been left untreated I would have run the risk of my stomach dieing and internal infection. So monetary things will be different for you. After the procedure I was sore and was on liquids for about 8 days before moving to mushy foods, very small portions and eating regularly as you might when you had the band. Due to the soreness going back to the gym was not possible for about 6 weeks so I just went on really long walks each day, sometimes two or three hours a day so that weight gain would not happen to fast. Most of all i just want to reassure you that everything will be okay, and I hope you are able to get your health back after removal. It's a scary thought going without the crutch of the band to prop yourself up, and undoubtedly weight gain will happen over time (I think I've gained 25(ish) pounds since) but I've learned there is more to life than deprivation and being thin and in control. Try to do the things you enjoy, get outside and be in the company of others. It all helps, it's going to be okay. Best wishes and I hope all goes well, Bryony

It is common to have some limited weight gain after weight loss surgery. They call it a 20 pound bounce. The important thing is not let go beyond this 20 pounds. Most times this weight gain is due to a poor choice of snacks. Snacks should be limited to primarily to whole food options: nuts, natural nut butters, fruits, veggies, boiled eggs, string cheese, yogurt with berries and almonds, tuna pouches. Avoid processed packaged foods as much as possible. Also do not expect to lose weight at a rate similar to right after surgery. Generally if you gained the additional weight over a couple years, then it may take a couple years of watching what you eat to get back down.

I had this issue when I'deat things I wasn't supposed to eat and with a 40 pound weight gain that's probably your issue as well. The best solution is to change your eating habits back to day 1 if you can and go from there. If you never got in to exercise or physically unable tt hat would also help. Good luck.

I hate them. I have been happily period free due to the depo injection as i used to get heavy periods so despite the weight gain it causes I prefered to get rid of it , I thought I was safe. I had no periods at all.. Now I am greeted with my second one in 10 weeks , after none in 5 damn years. i hate it whyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!????? Anyone else? p.s dont lecture me on periods being natural bla bla, lol ive had two kids i get the use of periods lol i dont want them lol

I do the same thing, I am just happy to see the weight going down on a scale vs going up, its harmless and I am also prepared to see it stay in the same spot for awhile while I work through a stall. Hopefully by the time that hits I will be able to increase the amount that I am working out. One of my personal goals is to be able to do a 5k without having to stop, or slow down, before my weight gain I was doing a 5k in less than 27 minutes, and once I get to that point again this big boy will be doing cartwheels down the street!!!!

Hi all!!! I'm new to this app. I had gastric sleeve surgery 2 weeks ago and instantly lost 14 pounds. Well I have gained 3 pounds back and it's causing some extreme anxiety. I feel like I'm gonna fail this time as I have so many times before. Anybody else experience this?

I know you are 5 foot 2 but at 216 pounds, you are not going to drop a ton of weight really fast. Stalls are normal. If you keep doing the same thing you will still lose. I stalled for a week or 2 at a time all the time during my weight loss. I still lost 172 pounds post op, not relying on protein shakes. I stalled every single time I had my period, and sometimes that came with a weight gain of 5 pounds. I had a period every 2 weeks for over a year. So imagine all the stalls I had. It is better to track your weight loss by the month, not the week, even if you weigh everyday. Monthly totals matte more than weekly totals. You can lose more weight faster with real food because your body burns calories just processing real food. When you have protein shakes you are giving your body immediately available calories it does not have to work for. Stalls are a part of the process get used to them.

Most of the time slowly is best. I guess because it was medication that brought on my weight gain and once I had this surgery, it came off to fast. I've gone from a 22-6 in less than a year and I'm even trying to find ways to stop this loss. I'm never hungry, and when I do eat, I'm still under 1oz of food without pain. The drs are looking into what could be causing the pain, but the weight loss is rapid and I'm losing to much muscle. So slow gets it done. And you'll be more healthier for it. Good luck

I had surgery 8/21 and lost 29 pounds! Then this morning gained 2! Getting tons of water, walking, following food guide..... will this pass??? Also, I have an IUD AND I have had my period - light- on and off this whole post op. I'm getting nervous that that this ( like everything else) will not work for me. I also felt super light this morning- until the horrific scale. Any thoughts are welcome!

Wow, Lisa......I'm so sorry about your heart issues. And that you had an attack during childbirth! You are already coming into this with some serious potential issues, so you do need to make sure that you're not jumping from the pot into the fire. Though there are no guarantees either way, there is something reactive going on in your body, so you need to be SUPER careful. And I agree, no, I do not think that ALL issues are weight related. Weight does put a strain on so many things and causes other health issues, but it's not EVERYthing. I've done so much research on this; pre-surgery and now looking at a revision. With the bypass, the biggest (common) food issue is sugar. If you have a sweet tooth and eat a lot of it, you might get very sick (dumping). My next door neighbor had a bypass many years ago, and though she tolerates just about everything, certain things are hard for her to eat.......like popcorn. I guess everyone has to find their own balance once the surgery is done and we're back on regular food. As for the sleeve, if reflux is or has even been an issue, the sleeve isn't a good option. Reflux gets worse, and even those who never had it, get it. For me, there isn't enough long term data on that procedure, and I'm always afraid of the possible leakage from the staples. Though it doesn't happen often, if it does, you can be in the hospital for several weeks/months. I'm self employed, so that would pretty much put me right out of business. Since the bypass has been the gold standard for many years, I guess I'm just more comfortable with it. I've also heard that revisions don't lose weight as quickly/easily as "surgical virgins". I've heard this with both the bypass and sleeve. People lose, but it's a different experience over first timers. I think for you, given what you've said about your history, it might be a good idea for you to see your cardiologist to discuss. The heart issue is concerning and I'd want his/her take on putting your body through another bariatric surgery. This is serious stuff! But with that aside, you have to ask yourself the questions we always have to ask..... Will your weight continue to climb if you don't have surgical intervention? Though weight isn't the beginning and end all, I can tell you......as you get older, the health issues increase. From my 30 pound weight gain, I'm back on blood pressure meds. I had knee surgery in March and my knees are still painful. Ultimately, I will have knee replacement, but that is something I won't do unless my weight is down. The artificial joints have about a 15 year life, but with extra weight, even less. If I keep gaining weight, I'll probably end up with pre-diabetes/diabetes. When I was younger, all I cared about was how I looked. Now, it's all about the way I feel and staying healthy. No, I'm not thrilled seeing the extra weight come back on, but feel worse physically and have other health issues that are exacerbated by the extra stress on my body. You question about possible rejection to the sleeve is a good question. Honestly, because once the stomach is gone, what then? The bypass can be reversed, though I don't think it's as simple as removing a band. My doctor said he does about 4 reversals a year. He also said that band revisions are now about 20% of his practice. He rarely places them anymore; it's old technology. He seems to prefer the bypass over anything else. I will think of other questions, too. My doctor told me that I worry too much about things I don't need to worry about. Easy for him to say! Surgeons.....nothing is a big deal to them. But it is to me/us

Your body weight will fluctuate by several pounds on a daily basis. Many things can cause this fluctuation such as water weight gain, the clothes you wear, the time of day. Generally I weigh myself first thing in the morning, butt naked before breakfast. This tends to be my lowest weight. My clothes, coats and shoes can add 5 pounds to my weight. So generally the weight at the doctor's office is higher. The problem may also be due to your scale. After I had surgery, my scale was giving me all types of bad readings. I would step on the scale and weight myself and then repeat a couple seconds later and get a totally different reading, sometime a 5 pound difference. So I replaced my scale with one that was accurate to 0.2 pounds, repeatable readings, and a large visible backlit digital reading. I am half blind and since I weigh myself with my glasses off, it was difficult to step off the scale and bend down and read the results before the scale went off. Some digital scales will give erratic readings when the batteries are low.

Our weight fluctuates daily based on a number of factors (water intake, where you are in your menstrual cycle, how much water your body is retaining on any given day, bowel movements etc). I would pretty confidently say that the scale isn't giving you false readings and is instead just demonstrating that our weight is more than how much body fat we have. As many suggest on this site, either weigh less often so you can get a better sense of whether things are generally moving downwards, or learn more about the factors that cause weight gain or loss and become more comfortable with daily fluctuation. I weigh daily and don't get discouraged anymore by day to day fluctuation. Hope that helps, and good luck!

I doubt red wine and ginger ale (regular or diet?) are the sole factors in your weight gain (though neither is a great idea, as you no doubt know). I'd suggest going back to MyFitnessPal or a similar app to log everything you eat and drink and see how the calories stack up.

I am so worried about this. I am currently almost 26 weeks pregnant and up almost 15 pounds. I don't think you should beat yourself up over it. Sometimes, worrying about it makes it so we can't lose the weight. I have been stressing about my weight gain so much because I have gained so much just in the past 6 weeks. So, you know the basics and it sounds like you have tried it. Are you drinking enough water? What is your exercise program? Do you do cardio and weights? That was the magic combo for me. Before pregnancy, I was doing zumba once a week, running 5 days a week (anywhere from 3 to 12 miles), yoga once a week, and weight training 2 to 3 times a week. I lost 180 pounds my first year after surgery. The 2nd year, I lost NOTHING, I actually gained 10 pounds of muscle, but I went down 3 dress sizes. Make sure you are getting enough carbs to handle what your body is doing. When I first started training for a half marathon, I was not eating enough food so my body was holding on to everything. I had to up my calories and carbs. I actually did a metabolic test to see how many calories my body needs. My body burns 1350 calories just breathing and basic functioning. Before I had the test done, I was only eating about 1000 to 1200 calories a day. I upped it to 1600 to 1800 (over 2000 on long race days) and boom! weight adjusted.

If you low carb, then eat carbs. Your liver gains glycogen/water weight and you can go up 2-10 pounds over a weekend just eating carbs. If you are steadying intaking carbs, then you weight will remain steady. The weight gain after eating carbs following a low carb diet is not true fat gain, at least not initially. You just have to make a lifestyle change, it has to be a lifestyle not a diet. You don't cheat with a lifestyle change. It is hard for everyone. You can get a burger without the bun at a fast food resturant, make them wrap it in lettuce. Fries are my weekness, there is no low carb substitute, but you just have to decided if fries are worth being fat. Good luck!

Haha, well I ate plenty the two weeks we were in Japan - lots of rice and bread - you only live once, right? And I did the same the whole month we were in Europe - no weight gain to mention. So, I think you're okay!! I do just fine on roughly 800-1000 per day when we aren't traveling, AND I work out a lot. I don't deny myself much, so...who knows?!

That's funny (not funny ha ha). I've only had food issues with seroquel and have never heard of it with gaba. I take 3200 mg of gabapentin. Weight gain is basically a side effect of every medication (except when it's weight loss) but so is nausea, blurry vision, etc.

I was on gabapentin a couple of years ago and I would find myself eating large amounts of chocolate, like 10 to 20 Hershey kisses several times per day. As soon as I quit the drug this eating stopped. I also cried a lot on gabapentin (not usual for me at all). I think there are a lot of possible side effects with it. I'm 100% sure weight gain is one! Sent from my SM-N910T using BariatricPal mobile app

What the heck is "mindful eating" anyway? It might sound like some hippie thing, but it backed by real science. You'll be losing weight and feeling great again, all while enjoying food to the fullest. Check it out here! Mindfulness basically just means paying attention to something - without judgment. Mindful eating is paying attention to your food, and to your appetite cues - again, without judgment (that's the hard part!). Dieting vs. Mindful Eating: Diet = Weight gain: 95% of people who diet will regain the weight they lost within 5 years. 2/3 of those people will regain more than they lost, ultimately resulting in overall weight gain. All about willpower and rigidity. Relies on external cues. Restrictive and depriving. Food & body are the enemy. Mindful Eating = Weight loss: Studies show that mindful eating programs result in weight loss, fewer calories consumed, lower fat intake and increased self-confidence (Timmerman et al., 2012) All about trust and acceptance. Relies on internal appetite cues. Permissive and satisfying. Food & body are the ally. Which would you prefer? For me, I'd much rather give mindful eating a shot. Especially since dieting was what led up to most people having bariatric surgery in the first place. Step-by-step how to eat mindfully: Pick a calm and quiet place to sit down and eat. Check in with your hunger. Are you physically hungry? If not, wait until later when you are hungry. The food will be much more satisfying if you enter the experience hungry. Choose a food that will be satisfying. Give yourself permission to eat that food without judgment (toward the food or yourself) or guilt. Use all of your senses - look at the food, touch the food, smell the food, taste the food, feel it in your mouth, move it around and notice the way the texture and taste changes as you chew. Chew slowly and thoroughly. As you swallow, feel the food going down your esophagus and into your stomach. Notice how the food feels in your stomach. Ask yourself if you want more. If so, take another bite and repeat until you feel satisfied. At the end, take a moment to express gratitude for the experience, for the food, and for your body. Carry the awareness of mindful attention to other areas of your life - you'll be shocked at what a big difference this makes! Be patient with yourself. The practice of mindful eating is just that - a practice. Your mind and attention will wander, you will inevitably catch yourself judging yourself or the food. That's ok - it's normal. Just notice it, and return your attention to the experience. Practice this as often as you are able. Of course, it's not possible to eat mindfully 100% of the time, so don't be rigid with it. As you get more skilled at mindful eating, it will become more effortless and second nature. See, I told you this wasn't just for hippies! Mindful eating is very doable for all of us. We just have to make the conscious decision to do it. Paying attention to our food and our bodies allows us to get infinite more pleasure out of life. Give it a shot and let me know what you think. Share your experience in the comments below. What was it like to pay close attention to the taste and texture of the food? What was it like to refrain from judgment about yourself for eating the food? What surprised you about mindful eating?

Mindfulness basically just means paying attention to something - without judgment. Mindful eating is paying attention to your food, and to your appetite cues - again, without judgment (that's the hard part!). Dieting vs. Mindful Eating: Diet = Weight gain: 95% of people who diet will regain the weight they lost within 5 years. 2/3 of those people will regain more than they lost, ultimately resulting in overall weight gain. All about willpower and rigidity. Relies on external cues. Restrictive and depriving. Food & body are the enemy. Mindful Eating = Weight loss: Studies show that mindful eating programs result in weight loss, fewer calories consumed, lower fat intake and increased self-confidence (Timmerman et al., 2012) All about trust and acceptance. Relies on internal appetite cues. Permissive and satisfying. Food & body are the ally. Which would you prefer? For me, I'd much rather give mindful eating a shot. Especially since dieting was what led up to most people having bariatric surgery in the first place. Step-by-step how to eat mindfully: Pick a calm and quiet place to sit down and eat. Check in with your hunger. Are you physically hungry? If not, wait until later when you are hungry. The food will be much more satisfying if you enter the experience hungry. Choose a food that will be satisfying. Give yourself permission to eat that food without judgment (toward the food or yourself) or guilt. Use all of your senses - look at the food, touch the food, smell the food, taste the food, feel it in your mouth, move it around and notice the way the texture and taste changes as you chew. Chew slowly and thoroughly. As you swallow, feel the food going down your esophagus and into your stomach. Notice how the food feels in your stomach. Ask yourself if you want more. If so, take another bite and repeat until you feel satisfied. At the end, take a moment to express gratitude for the experience, for the food, and for your body. Carry the awareness of mindful attention to other areas of your life - you'll be shocked at what a big difference this makes! Be patient with yourself. The practice of mindful eating is just that - a practice. Your mind and attention will wander, you will inevitably catch yourself judging yourself or the food. That's ok - it's normal. Just notice it, and return your attention to the experience. Practice this as often as you are able. Of course, it's not possible to eat mindfully 100% of the time, so don't be rigid with it. As you get more skilled at mindful eating, it will become more effortless and second nature. See, I told you this wasn't just for hippies! Mindful eating is very doable for all of us. We just have to make the conscious decision to do it. Paying attention to our food and our bodies allows us to get infinite more pleasure out of life. Give it a shot and let me know what you think. Share your experience in the comments below. What was it like to pay close attention to the taste and texture of the food? What was it like to refrain from judgment about yourself for eating the food? What surprised you about mindful eating?

The same thing happened to me when I started running. When you first begin exercising it can cause some water weight gain in your muscles. It will come back off in week or so. Exercise stresses our bodies and that plays a roll.

@Michelle71 I know how frustrating stalls are! Lets keep working at it! @rubia72I hope you made it through the storm just fine! @facebro29I have your starting weight as 216 so no weight gain on the challenge! Plus the travel gain will most likely come off quickly!

Also, PS - weight loss is 80% in the kitchen and 20% in the gym. MANY, many people lose weight without ever setting foot in a gym. Do I suggest that? Nope - working out is great for your mental health, burning a few extra calories, and for tightening and toning. But will it make or break your weight loss? Nope. Stick to your plan in the kitchen, and I promise - a few days off from the gym won't bring weight gain.

Our u weighing yourself daily or once a week on same day? Weight gain can happen daily but over course of weeks should be losing.