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I recall being in college and happy about weighing 145lbs. Had nice curves, but was not fat. My surgeon's office set my goal weight at 155 and said I could go lower if I chose to. The way I figure, when I get to 145, if I seem sick looking I could gain a few pounds. Heck, I am a weight GAINING expert! Putting on a few pounds shouldn't be a big deal!!! Just want to be at a stable weight.

I was told that you should never drink soda or anything carbonated nor chew gum because it puts gas in your belly and causes it to expand therefore you can eat more food then weight gain continues… I’ve had sips here and there and can certainly feel the difference within myself…I was sleeved 5 yrs ago and gained a little but am back on track and back down the 15lbs I put back on…

I'm on Omeprazole daily. And as of today I actually gained 4 pounds!!! Like, how?? Why??? It's so demoralizing because I didn't have these issues when I did keto. I steadily lost, I didn't have a fear of eating, I only had 1 short stall. My issue was that I couldn't keep it off once I lost 100 pounds (in 9 months). I'm finding it's 10x harder to lose weight after this surgery than it was with just doing keto. Only now I can't do keto again because I had the surgery and I have to have low fat instead of high fat (both require low carbs, low sugar, and high protein). I thought maybe if I did keto again, then it would be easier to lose and the surgery would help me keep it off. But then I read that you can't do keto once you have the surgery. So I ended up afraid to eat because it seems like everything causes weight gain....and now here we are. *sigh*

Hey Julie -- I had to go look upCellucor - and was struck with the one thing that differs between Protein drinks & meal replacement drinks --- the amount of protein and then the nutrients. The best way I can explain the difference between the two - imagine two plates, one has just a chicken breast, the other has a smaller chicken breast, but it includes veggies & some simple carbs. Protein supplements do not garner the "Meal Replacement" moniker unless they have a decent percentage of the common 23 Vitamins & minerals that the USDA recognizes as necessary to thrive. Cellucor looks to be a weight gainer type of Protein Drink, one used by serious athletes, (weight gain is not fat but muscle). Is it a bad drink? Probably not. Is it a good source of protein? To a degree. I just like to balance my "meal" replacement offers with the nutrients, the amount of calories, the type of calories, and of course the amount of protein I get when I substitute my meal. I have used Meal Replacements drinks for a long time. I found whey works better for me, over the soy based ones. I like NatureAde, it isn't as high in protein as many of the whey products, but I am always open to new products. Cellucor is only 130 calories - a definite plus for 30 grams of protein, but it does not include any of the USDA recommended nutrients. Chike is a happy balance of protein and nutrients, and I like the flavors - all 5 of the meal replacement and the additional coffee flavor. It will be a a personal taste preference, for sure! You won't get benefits from a drink you will not drink daily. Chike isn't too sweet for me, so I am more able to enjoy instead of just "gulp it down" for the protein. When you have a limit as to how much you can eat, you have to eat more creatively My suggestion, contact Chike, see if they have samples, then you will have a better view if it is the right product for you. That is how I started using Chike, they talked with me over the phone, asked if I knew the difference between protein vs. meal replacement drinks (I did, as I was on a seven month program years ago), and they sent me FREE samples. I have been a fan & user of Chike for YEARS, and drink it for 2 of my 5 meals each day. I am a lay person, but I think after losing over 200 pounds, I may have an idea how this process works. I just got my two year follow up blood test, and my numbers are great! Give Chike a try, try LOTS of products, then you will know what YOU like and will continue to use. Brenda : )~

Right after surgery I was able to lose weight faster than a speeding bullet, my restriction was more powerful than a locomotive and my metabolism could easily leap a tall building with a single bound. Today, my kryptonite is time. Time has made me once again a weight loss mortal. I am able to gain weigh even though my diet has remained healthy. I don't lose the weight gained as fast and I am able to eat more. What to do? I actually fore saw this problem. The first year of my WLS journey when I was researching and going through the process to be approved I went to as many group meetings that I was allowed to attend. I always picked the brain of the people in attendance. Like many on this board they were ALL newbies with the success stories only newbies can tell. Not a single failure in the group. That is until one day a woman showed up and started telling us her story. She was five years out from surgery lost a lot of weight and put most of it back on. She warned everyone that things would change as you get further out from surgery and that it wouldn't necessarily be for the better. She had wished that she did not get caught up in the euphoria of her early success. She said that it's like winning the lottery. One day you have more money than you'd ever dream of having. If you don't plan on saving it you'll go bankrupt. That's what happened to her. She won the weight loss lottery. She lost more weight than she could have dreamed losing. Trouble was, she didn't plan her long term weight loss and now, she went "bankrupt". As I went through my daily routine I came across others who had WLS and many had indeed gained the weight back. I was in my doctors office and the medical attendant there told me about her failure when I told her that I was going through the process to get approved for WLS. She told me that it creeps up on you. Two pounds turns to four, four to eight than you're back to where you started. You start to Feel helpless and give up. As I went to the group meetings pre and post surgery I noticed not many people stuck around. There were no veterans in the group just eager newbies who can attest to the success of WLS. Seems as if the veterans drift away and either gain the weight back in silence or just get tired of hearing the same stories of success over and over. I knew that I would probably lose my WLS super powers someday and I had hoped to plan for it. First, I did lose a lot of weight in the mid 90's and I never thought that I'd get back to being obese. I was so wrong. Like my medical attendant experienced, five pounds turned to ten then to 20 and you know the rest. It took me less that four years to gain back the weight and then some. It took another 17 years to get WLS. I decided that I would use every tool that I could in order to keep the weight off and maintain my health. I joined Over Eaters Anonymous. It's another support group away from the support group my surgeon has. I started seeing a therapist who specializes in eating disorders. ( I'm a compulsive over eater) and I have family and friends who have had WLS who I can call to get and give support to. I also weigh myself every week at the same time on the same scale and set a "Red Alert" weight of 160lbs. ( Have a log since the day of my surgery) If I go above the 160 I know that I must redouble my efforts. Here is where my lost WLS super powers comes in. Despite all this I am having a difficult time losing the five pounds that I am over. I feel as if I am now a mere weight loss mortal who has to work two to three times harder to lose and maintain the weight loss. I can't say it wasn't expected. From all the people I spoke to I knew this day would come. It's that, I was once a WLS immortal and now I have to struggle like all others to lose weight. My saving grace (I hope it is) I planned for it since I went through it before and I took the advice of those who went before me seriously. For all of you newbies who are experiencing the euphoria of being WLS immortal plan for day like me when you lose that super power. Just a note, there are many who do maintain their WLS super powers. They are on this forum and they are truly superstars. They unfortunately are the exception to the trend. I find their advice to be invaluable and I look for their posts for such advice. To everyone, good luck with your new found health.

Hormones, where you are in your cycle, can wreak havoc on weight gain or loss. Also I would take a look at the sodium content of what you are eating. I can tell you right now you mention pepperoni and that's very high in sodium. If you are using a food journal like MyFitnessPal you can look at your daily sodium intake. Just my humble opinion. Keep plugging away. Sent from my SM-G900T using the BariatricPal App

I was also worried because I had gained weight for my final weigh-in, and was scared they would postpone my surgery. Like you, I was still below my initial recorded weight, so I guess as long as you're not over your initial weight, it should be okay. They didn't even mention the weight gain that was noted between my previous weigh in and my last weigh in. That was certainly a load of my chest!

Thanks for the replies. That makes me feel better. I need to stop reading the baby books. As for weight gain, I didn't gain any weight during the first 11 weeks (because of band restriction), and then I got unfilled and gained 6 pounds in the last two weeks. In the last few days I am hungy ALL THE FREAKING TIME! I don't know if this is because I'm pregnant or unfilled (probably a combo of the both). I'm trying to make good decisions and eating lots of fruits and veggies. But yesterday, I literally HAD to eat every single hour because my stomach was growling. I almost gave up and went to the McDonalds to get a double quarter pounder with cheese, but I held on. I know I shouldn't care too much about weight gain because it's about doing what's best for the baby and not necessarily caring about my figure right now. But with my predisposition for gestational diabetes (my mother is Type I and I'm obviously overweight), I'm worried that giving in to the Reece's Peanut Butter cups isn't the best decision right now. Good luck to us all. This is a tough time, but I'm hoping it gets better.

Hi, I'm from just outside Berea, KY and just now looking into getting banded. I've been working out for about four months and the last month I've been very regular at it. I go to the gym at least three days a week, do cardio five and six days a week, lift weights and do the machines three and four days a week. I've lost 27 lbs. but the last month have gained 10 back. I'm so discouraged because I'm working out harder than before but gaining weight. I'm hoping the banding will help me gain control of my hand-mouth disease and get my weight under control in the process. I'm 44 and thinking that my slow metabolism might have something to do with the slow weight loss and then I think the weight lifting is probably what's contributing to the weight gain. If I knew for sure it was "muscle gain", I wouldn't be so down about it but who knows? I am scheduled to attend a seminar on April 14 at the Georgetown Hospital, the Bariatric Clinic. They wouldn't tell me much on the phone except that it will cost just under $18,000.00. My husband is behind me 100%. It kind of made me wonder if my weight bothers him that much and he said he just knows it bothers ME that much and wants me to be happy. I'm 5'2 and currently weigh 230. I'm size 16/18 and would like to weigh in the neighborhood of 120 and size 8. According to "the graphs", I should be 115ish. PJ, I thought about going to Vanderbuilt (I think that's the hospital but could be the town in TN, I'll have to check with my cousin) for the surgery. I've heard they have excellent doctors there but not researched it thoroughly yet. Caramel, I am approx. 76 miles from TN border so I could go to Louisville as easily as I could go to TN. Georgetown is the closest place for me so far but when a doctor comes with such high recommendations as Doctor Lusco, it would be worth the extra hour to drive. Can you give me their phone number so I can contact them and schedule a consult or maybe attend their seminar? I will be a self-pay so it will take me a few more months to get the rest of the funds together. At Georgetown, they also told me that the price I was quoted covers all the fill fees for life. I'm looking forward to the seminar so I can ask questions and get answers. Gale

I can do relate to you. The weird weight gains and slow losses are frustrating. I’ve been using happy scale to track weight loss, so I can see a slow loss is happening. It’s just frustrating because I was losing faster on a higher calorie diet before the surgery than I am now. My nut has told me not to worry and that things will start happening soon. It’s hard to be patient, though. Especially when reading that the first 2-3 months after are when you experience the greatest weight loss. And at almost a month out, I haven’t lost a great deal at all.

Here's a bariatric-friendly recipe you could try at home! One of the things I've been really proactive about doing while I'm still on liquids is trying to find recipes NOW that mimic foods I used to have but are healthier swaps. These are things that my whole family could enjoy in their portion size but at the same time allow me to eat without fear of weight gain. There's lots of great books and websites out there! Spend an hour or two just browsing google and amazon and you're sure to find some awesome stuff.

I have PCOS and I have my initial visit with the dietitian at my surgeons office Mar 5 and decided on the gastric bypass vs the sleeve because of the PCOS. My symptoms are not that bad right now. I have the hair growth on the face and chest, and weight gain. Has anyone of you ladies noticed alot of weightloss since surgery? My biggest fear is getting the surgery only to discover that the weight is coming off really slow

Congratulations on your new band! The answer is yes, of course I would do it again in a heartbeat. Just like many of the others on here, I wish that I would have done it sooner instead of waiting, dieting losing weight, gained it back, etc. Finally this is helping me to put a "safety" so I don't fall back in my old ways. I love it!

Thanks @jenn1 So as most say it is a long time battle with managing the foods you eat and the weight gain. I guess it a big jump start and most keep most of their weight off but it's not easy. I guess they have so much vested probably or have better tools to cope with urges. I mean realistically I never really hungry now but love to eat and crave sweets big time. I'm just trying to wrap my brain around how I will be successful long term when I have lost my weight (70lbs) before but have not been able to keep it off. I appreciate your detailed input and congrats on success!!

Karey, I am so sorry to hear you are having trouble. DH and I were talking about this very thing yesterday. My weight gain was eye opening fo rme too. It is sooo easy to put it back on. I told him that if I ever have to have my band removed I think I will do a sleeve. I am so fearful of gaining the weight back. I used to wish that fear would go away, but after the holidays I think it is probably necessary to keep the weight off. In one of your posts you said that someone told you (your daughter I think) that skinny people are skinny because they watch what they eat. That has really stuck with me. To be healthy we must watch what we put in our mouths, and that is for everyone, not jsut us banded people. Anyway, hope things get better for you real soon!! Keep me posted!

i have been going back and forth on rather i was gonna blog this today, but i must own up to my failures as well as my successes. well i am going in for a fill today. i got on the scale and it has been slowly creeping up. today it said 210!!! i had gotten to 202..that was from february till now. to some that may seem like not a lot, but mentallu to see that second number as a 1 and not a zero just sent me into a mental place i dont need to be. i just cant believe i let it go this far. i take full responsibility for my weight gain. yes i still was in the gym but my eating habits have become less than desirable..ok let me not sugar coat it..i was down right wrong. now i know i need a fill, but i found myself in the past few weeks thinking..it didnt matter what i ate cuz i was gettn a fill and i would just get back on track then. this is the same thinking that held me captive at a size20!! now my 12's still fit, but i know it's only a matter of time before that changes. i think i blogged this to show myself that even though i am one year post op i still have some mental changing to do when it comes to my weight loss journey. i thought that one year out it would be a walk in the park. i long for the day that i dont have to make a conscience effort to always think about what i am eating for the day. i long for the day that my weight is not always on my mind..but i dont think that day will ever come. so i've come to accept that my way of life is to be constantly aware of my weight and food intake. jennifer

The people you've heard about and have met regained weight because they chose to eat poorly. They chose to eat the foods and the amounts of food that cause weight-gain. It is possible to gain weight after any of the surgery options. Maintaining weight loss requires changed eating habits forever. There is no magic about it.

I am 47 and weigh 420lbs and 6 ft tall and have to many problems to list. I jump through my last ins. hoop wed the 25th ins. said they will fast track me so I get to skip the 6 month weight loss. I have done enough research to know i want the vsg and the nut was unable to tell me anything I did not know from this site. She told me one thing I had not read and that was not lieing down after you eat for a hour because of presure. I do not own a scale and do not plan on using one to reach a "goal" my goals are to be able to walk and get some exersise and play with my two young daughters as I really can not do much now without large quanities of pain med. I have had 4 back sur. and one knee scoped and this has stopped all activities that i enjoy. I went back to school and received a degree in Civil Engineering in 2009 so the desk job has added to the weight gain. My wife is completely behind this and has provided much support. I live in a small town in SD 3 hours from the nearest town with a support group so I may have to start my own.

I have to get my band removed and have opted to get a bypass the same time the band is removed. I have NO fill in my band and I still get food hung constantly and my surgeon says it's not a matter of "if" my stomach totally occluded but a matter of "when". When I got the band 10 years ago United Healthcare paid for the first one. Now I'm on Medicare and the patient coordinator at the first office I consulted with said that Medicare had a strict rule that once you've had a procedure Medicare wouldn't pay for a second one. Well the doctor I'm seeing now said that was ridiculous since Medicare didn't even pay for the first surgery, and now I have to have the band removed through no fault of my own. They are making me meet Medicare's criteria of a three month supervised diet, and the surgeon is hoping I won't occlude before this time is done. I also have to have a BMI of 35 with a comorbidity but since last year I've developed high blood pressure and some maturity onset diabetes and with the weight gain from the failed band no problems there... I just would like something in writing that Medicare WILL cover it...I'd hate to be denied after the fact an be stuck with that bill!

I had gastric bypass surgery February this year, and I haven't loss nothing, anything I gained, this month my nut did a stomach scope to see if something was wrong, she said everything was fine. But why am I still not losing any weight. So one please help. Sent from my SM-N976V using BariatricPal mobile app

Don't worry, I was banded two days before you, lost 16 lbs during the pre-op diet and after surgery did one week of clear, and then one week of full liquids. I'm now into mushy foods and haven't looked at the scale since BEFORE I had surgery. I've done enough weight loss battles in my life to know I would experience weight gain after the liquid period and didn't want to feel "owned" by the scale anymore. I'll check the scale after a month or so, for now its do what I'm supposed to and things will play out accordingly. Don't let the scale be the ultimate judge, ESPECIALLY when you just entered the mushy phase. Good luck

Everyone pretty much answered what I was thinking! In addition to their comment, I see you're on Seroquel. Did your dr explain to you than you can gain weight with that drug? When going over my options for a med to help me sleep, he brought up Seroquel. I siad let's try it. Then my psychiatrist adds "it'll probably put 10 more pounds on you", I said no. Has something to do with messing up your blood sugar. I've sinced learned from several docs that Seroquel causes weight gain. However, if that med is working for you, don't stop taking it because I said you'd gain weight - I'm just giving you facts about it. Google it. I hope things start going better for you, sweety! It was about 5 mths before I started losing anything also. I'm now at 8 mths - 36 lbs - it'll start for you too! Marci

I had the lapband in 2006 and just had it converted to the sleeve. Zazi I had shoulder pain, too! And weight gain. And constant pain in my port site. And constant HUNGER! I'm THRILLED to have that band out of me. If the sleeve had been a viable option in 2006, I would have done that instead of the lapband. It's obviously your choice, but I've been more successful my first 30 days on the sleeve than I was with the band. I'm 35 lbs down and haven't had any hunger since surgery.

Wanted to ask you all if having a hiatal hernia is a cause or can it cause weight gain? I got sleeved in May 2015 and a few weeks ago my surgeon did an EGD and he found that i have a hiatal hernia which i think is way to early since i am only 1 year post-op and also mild dilation. My weight has been fluctuating alot recently and now i am seeing numbers that i had not seen in a long time. I'm a 6"1 male and i was always at the 180-182 mark but now my weight is hovering at the 188-190 mark.. my diet and routine has been consistent which also makes me feel somewhat frustrated with this weight gain. if anyone has any information please share. I am going back to see the surgeon in 2 weeks to discuss the results and see what is the next course of action. Thank you Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App