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Anyone else rededicating? I'm ready to get started again on my weight loss. Here is my latest blog post. The link is in my signature if you're interested in seeing the whole blog. Melissa Well, I'm back. I'm ready to get this weight off and get back to my pre-baby size. So here we go! As of right now I have no fill in my band. The nearest fill-doctor is over four hours away, so as of right now, I'm going to see what I can do on my own without having it filled. If I get stuck and can't lose any more, then I will look into getting fluid put back in my band. Honestly, I don't miss the restrictions of the band as far as having to eat slowly and some foods that I can't tolerate. If I can do this without having to get that restriction, I think I will enjoy the eating aspect of my life much more. So as I posted before, I gained way more weight with this pregnancy than I had ever intended to. It ended up being about 75 lbs. So, right now, in order to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, I have 50 pounds left to lose. Yay for already being 25 pounds down from my baby's birth three weeks ago! I have tried to exercise a couple of times since baby was born, but both times I ended up in pain and really worn out. I think I was jumping the gun just a bit. I went for a walk around the neighborhood. I didn't make it more than about half a mile either time. My abdominal muscles were very weak and sore throughout. I will try again soon and see if I'm ready yet. My biggest problems that have caused my weight gain are not exercising and eating too many sweets. So this week, I started back on not eating sweets. I will allow myself one occasion of sweet-eating per week. (Like a party, or movie, etc.) I'm on day three of no desserts and down four pounds so far. Not bad results. It really shows me that sweets make a huge difference in my weight. So I will be posting much more regularly to keep myself accountable and update you on my progress. Stay tuned!

Both the weight gain and the hunger are normal. Like the other said, the extra weight will come off quickly and once your new stomach heals a bit the hunger will disappear. I'm only 16 days post-op, and for me it took 2 full weeks for my hunger to go away. Hang in there and be encouraged. Things will come together in time. All the best, Niki

Ezma - Your attitude is great. Kepp it up. A trip to California sounds great - poarticularly when your house is undergoing renovations! Who needs that chaos?? Enjoy! EXACTLY!!!! YAY you! Hi Jul. And welcome! We are here to support you - we alll know EXACTLY what you are talking about. We have good days, bad days, plateaus, weight gains, frustrations, and milestones! It's all part of the process, and I find posting here a big help! Keep posting, and we'll give you are words of wisdom/experience. To quote one of our more steadfast memebers: just keep swimming! Lori's back - YEAH!!!! And such a positive message too! Glad you had a great vacation, and those pounds you gained will be gone again - get back in the groove, Lori! Im hoping to take some vacation in September, and sure as shootin' I'll gain a few pounds - so until then I want to be REALLY careful to allow myself some 'wiggle room'. Not that I am losing any weigt; I think I am where I am going to remain (unless I have some plastic surgery). YAY Ezma! Maybe it was just a reaction of being away from stressors - your entire system just took a deep breath and relaxed and somehow this translated into a weight loss. You've had a very rough past few months; maybe your body was holding onto the fat as a defence or something. Who knows. Don't questions it - go with it!!!! Oh CKK - I hope things are ok. Have you gone to the Doc? If yes, what did he/she say? If not, are you planning too? Tell us how you are doing. That is just so FABULOUS LilMiss! The right fill makes all the difference - so glad that you reached this spot, and that you haven't given up on yourself or the band. Small fills and only as required. Not too tight. Talking to the group was probably good for you AND the group. Sometimes we need to hear it from another bandster NOT the doc/nurse/nutritionist. We need to hear it from ourselves (so to speak) to finally hear the message. TOO TIGHT IS NOT GOOD. And of course, starting over is always an option. ALWAYS! This is a lifetime commitment and so we have a lifetime to work with it to be successful. I'm here. I've been feeling sorry for myself or something. Just have had the 'blahs'. The 'why bother to post, no one cares' moodies. I'm over it now. I think. Shiny/RSG/ST Louis/Jaime where are you?????

The thing that led to me cinsiddering weight loss surgery was my last failed diet and weight gain that followed. At 346 lbs I was feeling doomed. After all my research this is what most strongly made me say "the band is for me!" 1. My Dr explained that there are different body types-- mine is the type that holds fat reserves and craves the kinds of foods that tend to put it on. My ancestors were the type that probably did hard labor, had lean winters or long boat trips and needed food stores to survive. Thusly there are high metabolism people with ancestors that wouldn't have survived those things. 2. I belong to a very large, supportive weight loss group that has many people who have successfully lost 100 lbs or more with dieting/life style change. They FIGHT the good fight against food every day. It can be done, BUT I'm so tired of FIGHTING so dang hard. I need some help. That's what the band is for me H-E-L-P. I want to hurry up and get with living!

Sleeve is an easier surgery for doctors to perform and it's an easier recovery usually. I was back home the day of surgery and back to normal within a week or so. My surgeon recommended it over the bypass because if it wasn't successful there was still the bypass to do later, which is what ended up happening. I got severe GERD from the sleeve and ended up gaining some weight back. I just had the revision to bypass last month and wish I had just went straight to bypass a few years ago instead of doing the sleeve first. Sleeve recovery was simple and I lost 78 lbs in a year, then my gallbladder had to be removed, acid reflux/GERD got worse, and the weight gain started right after that. I didn't have acid/GERD issues before the sleeve. Recovery after bypass was harder for me, took me about a month to get my energy levels back up, but totally worth it so far. I took 3 weeks off work, but should have taken 4 weeks, but I work from home so I got through it. Congrats on getting your surgery date!

I am meeting with surgeon in a couple weeks and we are discussing the sleeve verses bypass. I am 50 years old, no other health concerns except my knees are bad from my extra weight and the obvious.. I am overweight scratch that obese : ) So for those of you who have had bypass I was wondering if you would now have considered the sleeve or visa versa. THANK YOU ahead of time as I am a newbie. Losing weight Gaining Life, Cindy Virden www.cindyvirden.com

I lost 130 pounds on my own back in 1996...went from 254 to 124 and stayed there for ten + years. Started the weight gain back in 2009. I know I needed help this time. LAst time I did 800-1000 calories a day, did not watch Protein intake...but then again did not have surgery... I was only on a Protein shake pre op for 3 days..then surgery.... i want to get the protein in, I am going to say that l need to get more protein, but the shakes for me are hard to take... One day at a time... I have found other protein sources of course, but have to wait till i can eat them..

I think I may be the only one on here that has the balls to admit I am currently taking Phentermine after WLS. I was sleeved on August 31, 2012 and have lost 60lbs. I got very discouraged in my weight loss venture. I am human and give in to temptation just like most of us do. My weakness is Mr Pibb. I know it's a horrible thing and I'd lose way more if I'd stop drinking 2 sodas a day. Which is a huge improvement from about 2 -2 liters a day before surgery. I don't need anyone preaching to me what I already know. I have a hard time drinking Water and yes I've put everything known to man in it to make it more desirable, but no luck. I can go 12 plus hours with out drinking a drop of anything. My Dr says I have water weight gain and has put me on the Phentermine to make me thirsty and to help with the water weight. Phentermine isn't a quick fix and I still have lots of weight to lose, but it has helped me get over the depression I have felt for quite sometime about the weight not coming off. I lost 10lbs on it and I am way thirsty. He only prescribed it a month and I'm glad he did. I have found that if I actually get out and walk around for a little while I start to notice more energy. I also have learned to pre-weigh and pre-pack my lunches and dinners for the week. This is a huge life changing journey and man what a roller coaster ride it has been. I'm sure most of you are appalled about the phentermine after surgery, but some of us need that little extra boost to help us get through hard times. Especially when there is no support and a strong ear would be nice to have for thoughts and wonders. So before you are quick to judge me, remember we are all human and no-one on this earth is perfect.

There's no way, physiologically or otherwise, that you can gain 6 pounds of true fat after one or two so-called "cheat days." 6 pounds of fat gain would have required you to consume and store 21,000 excess calories as body fat. It cannot happen in a couple of days. What is happening is water gain due to consumption of too many starches. Eating too many carbohydrates without enough physical activity will cause bloat. Foods with a high carbohydrate level cause the body to store three times as much water compared to protein. This storage is in the form of glycogen, which requires a considerable amount of water. The end result of eating too many carbs without enough activity is water weight gain, at least in susceptible people. In carb-sensitive people, carbohydrate loading (a.k.a. "cheating") causes fluid retention that results in a lot of temporary water weight gain. Recall that the liver utilizes water as it creates and stores glycogen from all the carbs one eats. Thus, water weight gain will show up on the scale as a heavier weight. I do not have cheat foods or cheat days. If I want a slice of pizza or a cheeseburger or taco, I eat it. Since I have no forbidden foods, I have minimal desire to go off the rails. "Cheat days" are a part of the dieter mentality. I sucked at diets; therefore, I am not on a diet. As long as that burger can be worked into my daily calorie budget, it is not a cheat food for me.

What happens is.... once you reach your goal determine if you continue to lose weight/gain, or what. If you determine that you still lose weight you would go to your doc for a slight unfill. Somewhere between .2 and .5cc depending upon many factors. After a while, like 1,2,3, or 4 weeks you reaccess...are you gaining again? If so, go back for that fill. Are you losing still? Go back for a slight untill. Are you maintaining? Then you are done. I've often wondered what happens now. I met goal and had an unfill in January of the .3cc. I'm maintaining. I see the scales go up a few pounds but they tend to come right back off without dieting or exercise...just a fluke of sorts. But those extra pounds, like those w/o WLS...tell me to watch what I eat or drink. When I gain a few pounds the first thing I do is watch the soda pop intake. That usually does it for me. Fill Centers USA called to check up on me as they haven't heard from me in 3 months...but all is well. I'll call them when I need them!

yesterday's goals 1) walk 60 minutes with weighted shoes - did 20 minutes walk with weighted shoes and 20 minute walk in regular shoes 2) not eat after 7 ---- blew the crap out of this one 3) spend my noon getting closet doors - took an hour vacation yesterday to go buy them I think I got in over my head hiring people to remodel while I go to Mexico for 2 weeks. I forgot about all the decisions I have to make in a hurry. Today's goals 1) face the music - weight gain - when I see the surgeon and nutritionist today 2) 40 minutes on the treadmill - done 3) pick out medicine cabinet, toilet topper, blind, towel racks, floor tile, counter top for bathroom (this may take 2 days) 4) not eat after 8 5) remember to relax and unwind

I weigh every day. It keeps me focused. and acts as a gentle daily reminder to file in the back of my head for the rest of the day. I found in past dieting that when I weighed daily, I did better....no kidding myself that having that piece of cake won't make that much difference....and most of the time, it is a positive reinforcer. The thing is, occasional weight gain is inevitable-- Water retention, body chemistry changes, whatever. I have had times when I am eating and taking in liquids perfectly (I keep daily track of all that), and I stay the same weight for days--then all of a sudden, I lose 2 lbs overnight! So please don't get discouraged about occasional weight gain...it's just that if it's on-going, that may take some re-evaluating. Please don't worry about the weight gain right after surgery. My doc said almost everyone does. Your body went through so much, including lots of gas, water retention, etc. You'll feel so much better about everything in a week or two. AND, if you are taking any pain meds, that means constipation! Best of luck to you! I think you will do great!

I too am a cancer surviver. I didn't do lapband til 2 yrs post surgery removal but those 2 yrs of putting down cigs and having a hysterectomy caused a great deal of my weight gain. I think the best thing out of it all is living.. We survived... I wish you the best..

Hello all! I'm new to the forum. I went today to see my primary doc about getting banded. Now I have to wait on blood work to come back and to hear from the pre-authorization. I'm nervous about that because my BMI is just 36. However, I have had 2 knee surgeries and 2 major back surgeries. My last spinal fusion was in June, which resulted in a 4-level lumbar fusion. I've struggled with my weight my whole life, but these surgeries have left me continuing to gain. I was placed on a medication that helps with depression as well as nerve damage and pain. That caused even greater weight gain. I'm tired of getting depressed when I go shopping with my daughters so here I am. While I'm waiting on the authorization, is there something I need to be going ahead and doing besides the diary?

I relied so heavily on this forum and others in the months leading up to my procedure that I promised myself I would provide a 12 month update, FAQ and experience summary for others planning the same thing for the same reasons. I recently posted this to Reddit and bariatricpal rounds out the plan. My story is positive – overwhelmingly positive – but I think most importantly my story is not emotional. I don’t have a psychological problem with food. I was never tormented or made to suffer for my weight (beyond finding flights uncomfortable and shirts being too short). I made this choice on statistical grounds – it would extend my life on average and go a long way to improving my diabetes. I wanted to provide a vanilla story to remind everyone this pretty survivable and the majority of people have non-descript and unexciting recoveries. My lift is pretty much the same - I just eat a lot less, dont shoot insulin and hopefully will live longer. Forums tend to have an over representation of negative outcomes - that makes perfect sense and it's absolutely fine for people to use them to get some reassurance and communicate with people in the same situation. For everyone else - just remember you're less likely to jump on a forum and tell your story if nothing went wrong or it wasn't any different from other people and as a result it can seem like a higher proportion of people are suffering than maybe is the case. I was a lower-BMI diabetic, not quite type 1 or type 2, but insulin dependent nonetheless. My BMI was 31, my surgeryweight was 126kg (277lbs) and I’m 196cm tall (6’5). I was diagnosed at 100kg (220lbs) but assumed type 1 as I wasn’t visually overweight. However in the 5 years since diagnosis I’ve continued to produce some insulin suggesting I’m not a pure type 1 or 2 - but closer to type 2. I gained 26kg in a year after diagnosis once i started on insulin. I’m broad shouldered/chesty with skinny legs - like an apple jammed on some chopsticks. Maybe like the fat Mr Incredible. My intention for having the bypass was not solely weight loss – I suspected that my diabetes was closer to type 2. I suspected the improvements people see immediately in diabetes management post bypass may apply to me. It was a gamble that paid off, My decision making process was quite straight forward – I had a young daughter at the time (now have a son too) and had lost my father to a heart attack when I was 7. He was fit and not diabetic but had a heart condition. I new statistically I was due for a similar fate carrying excess weight plus diabetes onboard. This was the best way to knock out one of those (the weight side) and hopefully improve the diabetes. I went from 126kg to 83kg (180lb), my BMI is low end of healthy. My biggest positive is my immediate cessation of insulin shots and a current HBA1c of 5.8 with oral meds only. It took about 6 months to get to my goal weight of 90kg. I'm still slowly losing and need to stop. Lead-up and Prep I was not obese to look at visually. The majority of healthcare professionals I spoke to did not think surgery, let alone Gastric Bypass, was necessary. In the end – my PCP, endo and surgeon all agreed that, while not essential, bypass was a prudent decision with potentially long-term benefits. The surgeon did not want me to bother with a gastric sleeve – if the endgame was diabetes improvement then the gold standard was a bypass. In Australia you need to be over 35 BMI or over 30 with a comorbidity to be eligible. I had slightly elevated Blood Pressure - that plus the diabetes made me eligible. I paid $2000 out of pocket, my private health insurance paid the rest. No psych required, I had a few meetings with a nutritionist and everything was greenlit. From first enquiry to surgery was four months. The fee I paid includes lifetime consults with the surgeon. I did not need a pre-op diet as i was not that overweight and my liver was not a concern. Surgery My procedure was in June 2018. My anaesthetic recovery was rough, but otherwise the process was fine. The most discomfort was immediately in the 12 hours following – in part due to surgical site pain but mostly because the bed could not accommodate my height so I was forever crossing my legs or scrunching them up, only to have a nurse slap them and wake me up for fear of DVT. Nurses kept promising to find a bed extender - eventually I lashed out in a post-anaesthetic haze at a nurse who slapped my feet - she took the end off the bed with a flourish. My feet shot out, I cried in relief, apologised profusely and slept for eight hours. Day two was stiff and sore but i was mobile, able to shower and sipping fine. I went home the morning of day three. I had PHENOMENAL life ruining headaches from day two. I went home with some serious opiates because I lived 90 minuts from my surgeon and couldn’t drive to get a script if they hit again. On day four my dietician cleared me for coffee and it immediately wiped out the headache – turns out I’d been in caffeine withdrawal. So I really recommend you taper that off in advance if you have a problem with coffee like i do. If you're diabetic then buy a freestyle libre glucose monitor for the procedure if you dont have a CGM. They want hourly blood glucoses, instead of being woken and pin pricked every hour I could just show them how to use the scanner and they'd take it while i slept. I had some minor aches 6 weeks out and one of the surgery sites oozed a little clear fluid. It subsided immediately. I was home for two weeks. I could have gone back at one week. I'm an accountant though and my starting weight was comparatively low so i was mobile quick. I completely understand if you're starting form a heavier weight then you should plan to take the full time. Food/Eating The normal progression of foods was fine and unremarkable from what is described on most forms. I graduated to solids a little earlier than I should have. I cheated like mad and was feeling fine, it was only when I snuck a tiny piece of casserole beef and vomited violently did I start to behave myself. I was vomiting once or twice a week from eating too much or too fast. Savoury ricotta bake, hearty soups and coconut water were my saviors. The vomiting subsided, 18 months out I vomit maybe once every two or three months and only when I do something stupid. My problem before surgery was eating very fast and taking large bites – that has been hard to deal with post surgery. In fact I tend to still eat large bites and then sit unable to eat for extended periods. I was very sensitive to sugar post-op and frequently had dumping. That subsided in a month with changes in eating, changes in my appetite and better food/liquid rules. I currently only get dumping in the morning, and only if I eat something sugary. I do get nauseous easily in the morning too – it’s something I’m working with my nutritionist on to find out why. Otherwise I can eat whatever I want within reason. I don’t drink soda, but had quit it before my procedure. Milky protein makes me nauseous too (any type of creamy protein really) so I use a water protein additive from costpricesupplements. This helps me hit 2L fluids daily. I can eat about a cup and a half food. Liquidy foods – stews, soups, casseroles – I can eat a lot more than that. Tougher foods like steak or dry chicken much less. I gulp liquids. I had a sensitive stomach before the surgery and took Metamucil religiously to keep my gut regular. I have not had any issues post op with flatulence but have had looser bowels. Metamucil still helps – but no worse or in any way less manageable than pre-op. Diabetes I went off insulin immediately after my surgery. It wasn’t a cure – I’m still diabetic – but metformin and trajenta keep me in an aggressively managed hba1c. I have a so-so diet – I eat too much sugary junk food and carbs. I could go without diabetic meds I believe but my diet would be depressing so ive truck a compromise. On this basis alone this was the best decision I could have made for my physical wellbeing. My blood pressure is fine, my cholesterol is non-existent and I'm able to even job a moderate distance without discomfort. Random observations • I’m cold. So cold. It’s 35 degree outside where I am (90’s Fahrenheit) but as soon as I go into any office I need a sweater. I really became dependant on sweaters, long johns and socks this last winter. Im not cooler in summer – just as hot and bothered as before. Maybe a better way to describe it is that I feel the temperature more in general, like I lost my insulation. • I am too skinny. Clothes don’t fit that great – most men this tall have a bit more chest/gut on them. Australia has limited/no tall clothing ranges domestically so I’m importing loads of stuff from the UK/USA. i still think i look fat when i look in the mirror. • My bum is bony and I need cushions to sit comfortably. I also had a cyst on a butt cheek I didn’t know about – now im so bony there I’ll need to get it removed so I can sit on kitchen chairs comfortably again. • I gained about 1.5” of penis length. It was a welcome addition. I needed to learn how to be more gentle and patient using it. With a young family and little sleep it's yet to be fully road tested – but I’ll be ready when we start to sleep again. • I have a little loose skin. nothing dramatic. mostly around the gut and love handles. • I am very sensitive to meds and drugs. I'm not much of a drinker but i like weed edibles - what would give me a mild buzz before gets me quite high now. I sober up quicker now too. I take xanax on flights to help sleep - i take a quarter of the dose now. • I drink red wine socially and now cannot really get drunk. I sober up quite fast but get a mild buzz pretty quickly too. • Dumping sucks but it should not be a discouraging factor. Its not life ruining – anyone who’s had a hypo as a diabetic it’s a bit like that with some gastro thrown in. It resolves pretty fast (30ish minutes for me) and is a self-reinforcing feedback loop for shitty food behaviours. For this reason alone I consider the bypass as the better choice for me. • I’ve lost a fair bit of muscle tone and will need to somehow up my protein and start some weight training to recover it. This needs to be balanced with not losing for further weight. • I have to remind myself to eat. Not just because of low appetite, but because once my pouch shrinks for a day then eating again can be uncomfortable and time consuming. As long as I eat fairly frequently my pouch is all good and I can eat quite a lot pretty fast – forget about it for 2 or 4 hours and I’ll need to take some time to eat a bit and get my appetite back. • I was hungry for 33 years and bordered on a pathological inability to waste food. I ate my meal and anything my wife or kid didn’t eat. I’d eat a meal out, go home and have a sandwich. We ate at bars and pubs because the servings were larger. I would eat until I was very uncomfortable if the portion was large enough. Now I still can’t bring myself to leave food – so I have this silly aversion to ordering anything more than something off the appetisers list. I don’t like asking for to-go containers (it’s an Australian thing – it’s really stupid because we pay so much for food out we should keep every bloody morsel) but have started to now order what I actually want instead of what I think I can finish. It’s funny – I went from ordering what I thought would be the biggest portion so I didn’t feel hungry (instead of what I thought looked good) to ordering what I thought I could finish and not waste. Regrets? None to speak of specifically. In a very minor way travel is less fun. I looooove travelling to southeast asia and the USA and love eating all the different things. My appetite is so low now, and eating can be so inconvenient, that I don’t get to eat anywhere near as much variety when I travel. I was recently in SE Asia and looking forward to a huge array of currys. I ate only two in five days as I had no appetite at all. I just need to travel differently now - actually plan to stop for meals instead of just charging all over a city and snacking on the way. I wish id been more sensitive to my wife's emotional processing of the scenario. She's gone from having the tall, chubby guy that was the physical build she was attracted to, to having a skinny beanpole. This was while she was having our second kid and all the very natural weight gain associated. She's not overweight and is, objectively i reckon, absolutely gorgeous but definitely feels marginalised by the process and is quick to colour me as vain or obsessed with my image now I am buying new clothes. I think i could have been more mindful of what I said or did. She was overwhelmingly supportive though and agrees this was worthwhile. Closing thoughts If you are considering this process and maybe you're on the margins of eligibility my experience would say go for it. my hope here was to give a vanilla experience to the mix, unique only in my taking the more permanent bypass on despite my lower starting weight. Sent from my SM-A705YN using BariatricPal mobile app

Comparing info... I asked my Dr. at our initial consultation if you can gain weight back after the sleeve? He told me the new stomach can not stretch more than 5%. At my psych eval, I mentioned that & the psychologist was floored; said he knew people that gained it all back after the sleeve! That scares me. Curious what others' bariatric surgeons told them about possibility of weight gain? My doctor, Dr. Kuhn, also sad the max. you could expect to lose is 80% excess body weight (on his web site, it says 70%).. Yet, on the forums, I see people who have lost more weight. Wondering if that is a rare occurrence? What did your Dr. Tell you?

Did anyone have weight gain within the 90 days and still got approved? Sent from my SM-G920R4 using the BariatricPal App

So Im a little sad that my request was partially approved. Aetna approved the removal of the Lap Band but not the sleeve. Spoke to my doctor's office and they said they will have my doctor to a Peer-to-Peer Appeal. So I wont know until maybe Wed or Thurs what the outcome of that is. I was so excited and looking forward to it to. I didnt really understand the reason for their denial either. They said I was non-compliant with the band because of my weight gain but dont see the issues I had with it. So heres hoping for the best.

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

My candid advice? Keep them. I know that sounds like a deadweight loss and a lost opportunity to be charitable, but I honestly think that getting rid of them is a jinx. I never gave anything away, but when I lost weight without surgery a few years ago, I stored them away in a place I would really never go to for any reason (my gross attic). Alas, I needed most of them back within about a year and needed to wear them until surgery. My solution this time? Keep them around, and have them there to think of how much you never want to wear them again. Weight gain after surgery is real and happens for many people, but I think it is far more within our control than maintaining non-surgical weight loss.

Ok I've been reading this thread for days. Round and round we go. This is my personal experience with carbonated beverages post sleeve. It is not to be construed as advice one way or another. Just one person's take on this subject. I drank a few sips of Dr Pepper about a week post op. Only 3 or 4 small sips because the carbonation made me feel like I'd explode. Nothing bad happened. I drank a little of it here and there, never could manage more than a few small drinks but I certainly had some any time I wanted it. Nothing bad happened. At 3 years out I will sometimes get a small Coke or whatever at 7-11 if I want one. I can drink the small size but it takes a while due to the carbonation making me feel like a big balloon. I prefer Slurpees. I can drink a small one in about 30 minutes and it satisfies any urge I have to drink Cokes. I have one or 2 each week ( ok maybe 3 sometimes) and they are delicious. Again, nothing bad happened. My sleeve works great, it sure as heck hasn't stretched, and I do not have a problem with gaining weight. If I gain a pound or 2 occasionally I just cut out the candy and slurpees for a few days and the pounds fall off. I eat what I want, drink what I want, and have done so since week 2 post op. I'm healthy, have a fully functioning sleeve, and am doing very well. No stretching of the sleeve, no uncontrollable weight gain, no adverse consequence.

How does zero calorie and zero sugar diet pop cause you to gain weight? I see Chrystal Light talked about here a lot and it has aspartame and a list of chemicals longer than diet pop. Why is that recommend over diet pop? Just because a doctor says so is not good enough for me. When I was a kid our family doctor told us we would all have heart attacks if we continued to eat eggs. Anti eggs was the fad back then and most doctors went with it. Now eggs are considered a super food. What happened? Why did doctors suddenly change? Diet pop has been out for 50 years and yet there are very few studies that actually study causation. The ones I have found show that people do not gain anymore weight by drinking diet pop. I personally have lost 70 pounds and counting drinking diet pop. None of the ingredients in diet pop has been proven to cause weight gain. Diet pop is just a carbonated version of Water and Chrystal Light.

How does zero calorie and zero sugar diet pop cause you to gain weight? I see Chrystal Light talked about here a lot and it has aspartame and a list of chemicals longer than diet pop. Why is that recommend over diet pop? Just because a doctor says so is not good enough for me. When I was a kid our family doctor told us we would all have heart attacks if we continued to eat eggs. Anti eggs was the fad back then and most doctors went with it. Now eggs are considered a super food. What happened? Why did doctors suddenly change? Diet pop has been out for 50 years and yet there are very few studies that actually study causation. The ones I have found show that people do not gain anymore weight by drinking diet pop. I personally have lost 70 pounds and counting drinking diet pop. None of the ingredients in diet pop has been proven to cause weight gain. Diet pop is just a carbonated version of Water and Chrystal Light. Never listen to a doctor. Just do what ever you think is right.

At a normal weight I only had a B cup. Then I breastfed and got a lil larger. Weight gain made me a C almost D. I'd take the B's as long as I can keep some hips and booty!.

I hope I'm not alone here, but weighing once a month, I never saw a platau. I'm sure I had them, but I was afraid I would get discouraged if I saw a stall or any weight gain. I knew this journey wasn't going to be a straight line from start to goal, but have ups, downs and plataus, so I didn't weigh very often. So, I never saw stalls, plataus or increases. I was always encouraged. May have had something to do with my success, as I never did feel discouraged and was able to stay motivated with my exercise and eating habits. Option isn't available on the poll, so I couldn't answer ...