Anyone GAIN WEIGHT since getting restriction?

[Guest ZenGarden]

I went in for my 8th fill in late May and by late June I began to notice that I FINALLY had great restriction after being banded for 14 months. Now, I'm eating less, drinking less, and have gained 7 pounds since. Has anyone else experienced this??? I know we all plateau from time to time, but I'm really frustrated now since it took me FOREVER to get great restriction, and now I'm gaining instead of losing. GRRRR...

[juliatabor 0]

oh no! i am gutted for you. I justcant understand how can that be? I wish you all the best and hope the weight starts coming off soon

Julia

[notateechanow 7]

I started going to my surgeon every 6 weeks for a fill/check up. After my 3rd fill and good restriction, I actually gained a few pounds in the 6 weeks following. The great news is that at the next appointment--6 weeks after that--I lost 16 pounds. I continue to lose 5-7 pounds at every follow up appointment. You never know how this appointment coincided with things that affect your weight--your cycle, food you've eaten, the time you've worked out, etc. I know that the day after a workout I usually gain a few pounds, but if I skip working out for 2 or 3 days before weigh in, I have more loss. Crazy, I know, but it has to do with how your body/muscles retain Water. I also tend to lose more weight when I get adequate sleep...

Don't give up. Keep eating as you were directed by your doctor and workout regularly. It will come off!! Good luck!

[HeatherO 7]

It all depends on what you are ingesting. Great restriction can lead to more soft calories and a subsequent gain. Another possibility is if your calorie intake has actually diminished greatly you might be going into starvation mode but typically that cause you to hold steady and not gain.

I think the biggest trick to make the band work is to have enough restriction to still have the ability to eat solid Proteins and plenty of vegetable and maintain a feeling of fullness. Being overly restricted takes away from the bands function.

[apple 0]

I lost 10# in one week because of overfill, then to gain it all back over the last 2 months from the unfill. Hope I don't gain more in this Aug. month. Checking to see if others are having this same problem. Doctor goes very very slowly on fills. Had a fill monthly since June.

[notateechanow 7]

I lost 10# in one week because of overfill, then to gain it all back over the last 2 months from the unfill. Hope I don't gain more in this Aug. month. Checking to see if others are having this same problem. Doctor goes very very slowly on fills. Had a fill monthly since June.

Apple, I have a 2 part response for you....

1) Are you keeping your eating in check? Sure, starving yourself and consuming only liquids, even without the Lap band will make you lose weight in the short term, but eventually, that will stop. The band is a tool to enable you to better control your consumption, but you must work with it. Measure and journal your food to be sure you're eating only what you are told to eat. I know that once I started writing down everything I put in my mouth, I was pretty surprised at the little things I wasn't accounting--licks, tastes, and bites all count! Be sure to have adequate Water and an average of 30 minutes of exercise a day. I started jogging at 280 pounds and I see you weigh less than that. Move--any kind of extra movement, even vacuuming, is good for you.

2) My other question is have you discussed this with your surgeon at length. I know my dr. told me that the largest amount of weight I lose will be in the first 2 years. If I'm reading your ticker correctly, you're nearly 3 years post-op. I realize the band doesn't work for everyone, but if you've lost 40 pounds over the course of 2.5 years and regain 1/4 of that because of an unfill, I'd be concerned. Clearly there's a disconnect somewhere. Maybe you have other health issues going on....Either this isn't working for you, or you're not working with it. (I'm really sorry to be so blunt. I hope what I've said isn't hurtful. It certainly isn't intended to be. I know many people are patient, but 3 years is a long time....)

I wish you the best and hope that it all works out for you.