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Here is what i think. Statistically, people experience some weight regain 2-3 plus years post WLS. We have lots of anecdotal stories to go with that and i believe it happens with all the surgery types. Those of us that keep a positive mental attitude (ie don't just give up, all or nothing thinking, or beat themselves up too bad) generally find a way to whittle those pounds back off, or stop the regain at some sort of "reasonable" amount. It is the story of nearly woman over about 40 that i know... they battle with at least some weight (maybe it is only 10#, maybe more). It is part of life, we must accept it and have a plan for tackling it. I was happy at my goal of 158. I was estatic when I got to 150. I didn't plan to get to 140, but once I was feeling better I started liking it. I have regained up to 145# and while i am okay with it, i liked it better 5# lighter. If that little feeling of disappointment creeps up - I pull out my collage of before, during and after. I realize that even if I wind up back at 158 somehow, I still look and feel damn good! So, I think this battle of the 12# or 20# or whatever is really really normal and we can all support each other in ways to work it back off... and more importantly support each other in learning to not let it be too distressing either. If I keep gaining I will likely be one of those posting this type of topic... you have my permission to throw my own words back at me.

I used to eat 10 double cheese burgers with no problems. I'm lucky now to even eat half of one. I used to eat two extra large pizzas from Papa Johns with no issues. Now, 1 slice does me in. I do miss the taste. LOL

I only have to do the liquid diet for 8 days ahead of time. So i willl start on 7/10. I have a last pre-op appt. with my dietician on 7/9 to get specifics ofthe liquid diet. What is your liquid diet like?

Hi, I like the Optifast coffee milkshake. tastes just like iced coffee to me and easy to drink. I am two days post op - banded 6/10/07 and struggling with sips of water - so actually looking forward to a coffee milkshake!!! cheers Jude

I do two of the things mentioned above @GreenTealael mentioned, I try to stave off hunger by drinking fluids. Similar to @FluffyChix mentioned, I focus on my commitment to weight loss, and making one good choice at a time (choosing jerky over a brownie for instance) I also focus on my NSV, and how great those make me feel, crossing my legs without even thinking about it, wearing size 10 jeans, wearing size M shirts, easily fitting in an airplane seat, feeling sexy af, lol. This is vain, but I also think about the compliments I have received. It's one thing to think I look great, but it is affirming to hear others say it.

Bear in mind Australian sizes are smaller than American. 16 is our largest "normal store" size by and large and that's a US 12. I hit that size at about 185lb at 5ft 10. Anything over that and I'm doomed to plus sizes. And one of my goals was never ever ever to buy ANYTHING in My Size again (one of our major plus size stores) and since the day I was banded I havent.

I am now at 150 and can wear an all too form fitting size 8 or a comfortably loose size 10 in pants with a medium shirt. I feel that I am as normal a size as normal can be . . . right in the middle. I can shop anywhere . . . but I still walk around in the plus sized section first from time to time. My brain has just not fully adjusted yet. Also when I hold up a medium shirt and look at how wide it is, I really truly think there is no way on earth it is going to fit me, but they do 90% of the time and they fit well without being too form fitting.

My sugery is also February 23rd and I get to do the pre-op diet for 14 days prior to surgery. About the 3rd day into my protien shake diet I had a complete break down and was sobbing like a child. All I wanted was real food. And then I thought about it all. I told myself that I hadn't come 6 months through the pre-op work up to loose it all now. We are doing the shakes to shrink our liver to make the surgery easier and safer. I get to have 4 unjury shakes a day or the unjury broth for one of them and then I can have one unsweetened applesauce, 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese, 1 sugar free pudding per day and sugar free Jello. (The cottage cheese was a life saver.) The unjury gives you 20 gm protien per shake. After that rough day, things just got easier. The weight is coming off on the pre-op diet. 8 lbs in 10 days...so that helps too. I do agree with the previous two posts, if you can't do the liquids now....how are you going to do/cope post surgery? Best of luck to you!!

i have had cysts, the doctor found out because i am now 18 well be 19 in 15 days, and i have yet to have a period... but my diabetes doctor said that it was also the inslin i am takeing that stoped my periods

The pain meds make me sleepy.:notagree So if I take the pain meds then I don't even feel like getting out of my chair. I just took 2 Gas-X's, prior to today I could only manage 1, as I had such a full feeling. I wasn't able to eat or should I say drink much. I just sipped all day and did the best that I could. Today, my tinkle was really yellow, so I know I need to get the Water into me and soon. Good thing I can drink better today. So the goal is to get the water down and see if I can get my Protein drink in too. I have managed to eat 10 oz of cream of chicken soup and about 8oz of water. Just opened up a new water. Cheers!:mad: How are you coping/doing with your band?

Hey you guys. Got a question. I have only had 2 small fills in the last 10 months. I have since gained about 7 lbs.:wub: I was told by a fellow bandster that I would not be able to get a fill since I have gained a couple of pounds. Has this happened to anyone else and was you denied a fill because of this? Dont want to go through the bother of taking off work for a day only to find out that I wont be able to get a fill.

Hang in there! There are many different flavors/types of protein powder and protein shots and protein drinks. Have you tried liquid nutritional supplements like boost? ensure? Those both have some protein in them. How about making some broth and adding one of the unjury chicken or beef flavored powders while it's warm (not hot)? Protein is super important, as I'm sure you know. Maybe ask your doctor to prescribe some medicine for nausea? My doctor gave me 600ml of phenergan liquid. I take 10-15ml once every couple days when I feel nauseous and it helps worlds (Although beware, it does make you tired!)

I wanted to update this, incase anyone looking at having this process reads it and is curious to know my outcome. This was a scary decision for me, but I did it and I am still alive. Soon I will be 5 months and my life is completely normal. I am happy, eating, drinking, and losing weight. I have lost about 80lbs since 10/18/2013, today is 3/3/2014 (4.5 months). WOW!!!! THAT IS CRAZY. I am happy I did this and would not go back to my old life. I still want to make changes to my new life, but at least weight is not one of them. Thank you Forum friends for coaching me through this.

I've always said, I will not listen to anyone giving me advice who hasn't been through the same journey. I hope that my story will add some credibility to my posts and inspire someone considered WLS. I'm on a quest to find the woman I lost years ago. She's somewhere in this body, I know that, I just haven't seen here in almost a decade. I'm almost 300 pounds on a 5 foot 7 frame. My family medical history is like Wal-Mart, you name it someone has it. I want to break the cycle of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc. . I can't get back the years I've already lost, but I can make the years I have left that much better. I have a carb addiction, disillusion about the amount of food I should be eating, and an emotional eating habit. I was taught as a child to clean my plate, I remember at 8 years old looking forward to going to my grandma's because she always had pound cake made, and dinner consisted of meat, a few veggies, heaping mounds of carbs (rice/potatos) and rolls. 20 Years I've been addicted to carbs. My mom and I could go to a restaurant and finish an entire basket of rolls before our food came and still eat everything on our plate, plus another basket of rolls. Needless to say, I've never had a good example when it came to eating. Fast forward through middle school, when at 5"7 and 130 lbs I was the tallest girl in my entire school. Talk about a complex. At 9 I thought I was fat. Junior high, I'm still tall and muscular but everyone else is catching up. Rumors start that I'm taking steroids. Hence another complex about being "thick" and muscular. High School, the Revolution Years. I rebelled against EVERYTHING! Stress at home= emotional eating. I remember coming home from school and eating half a loaf of bread, toasted with butter and jelly because it made me feel better. Nutrition? What's that? It wasn't taught at our school. Lunch for 4 years, FOUR YEARS, consisted of chili cheese fries with extra cheese and sweet and sour dipping sauce, juice or soda, and some other high carb or fried food. FOUR. YEARS. I do remember a salad but it was far and few in-between. I think back on this and I cringe. What the heck are we doing to our kids??? My saving grace was band. The amount of practice we did counteracted some of the weight gain. I stayed around 180-200 lbs. College, the fittest years of my life. I decided to major in Nutrition, the one thing I had no knowledge of. Freedom to come and go as I pleased means more time in the gym. HBCU band practice consisted of intense PT at 5 am and intense practice from 3-7. I was at my fittest ever. I wouldn't believe it myself if I didn't have pics to prove it. Grad school I continued my good gym habits, but even a nutrition degree can't combat the psychological condition of emotional eating. I started gaining weight. Then I got pregnant. My weight shot up to 230 with the first pregnancy and miscarriage and I gained 20 more from the stress. Pregnant again at 260 with the help of pills. I went up to 285. Lost 20 and have been stuck at 270 for 3 years. This brings us to today. 10 days from VSG surgery and positive about where my life is heading. I'm not one for sharing a lot of personal information, but I will try to keep this "blog" updated as I progress through. I need to learn how to let people in and break down this brick wall that I've built.

I tried so many protien drink mixes and could not stand the taste or smell. I have since found two brands that are so good they are like a treat. Special K Protien shake 10 prot. 160 cal. 25 carb Love the dark chocolate, milk chocolate caramel. EAS AdvantEdge carb control 17 prot. 110 cal 10 carb my favorites are mocha something, dark chocolate and cafe caramel. They are really good, at least to me. Hope this helps. It will get better.

I worried about this so much before my surgery, because we are very social. ,I didn't eat out much at first because it just wasn't much fun. But by the 3 month point we were eating out all the time again. I usually get what I want and have lots of leftovers, which I feel no guilt about throwing out if I don't get to it all. Often if we go to a place that has add-ons (e,g,, crab legs for $10 with an entree, or grilled shrimp). I'll get that with a side of veggies or baked potato. That usually works out well for me, although I still only eat about 2 bites of potato. Avoid bread, rice and pasta. They will swell in your stomach and hurt. Honestly, I don't left out at all. If people get an appetizer, I eat one or two tiny bites. Never dessert anymore. No room! The only thing I really miss is a big salad.

I am separated and have not yet gone out on a real date since my separation 2+ years ago. Hopefully that is going to change this year! :-) I was just banded on Friday 4/16/10. I'm a ways away from this being an issue. But... I think my suggestion is- why not suggest non-food oriented dates for a while? Why does every get together people have always involve food? I recently wondered this when my father came up here from out of state to be with me before, during and post surgery. Every single event involved food with him and my other family up here. Why is that? Someone suggested that dinner is a god place to talk and get to know one another. Why couldn't something else be as well? Go to a museum. Or a bookstore. If you have dogs, go to the dog park. Go on a hike, a boat, or a bike ride (get exercise in too! LOL). Go bowling, or doing some other kind of sport that is friendly competition at the most. At the very least, meet for coffee/tea the first time. Or for Breakfast or lunch, where smaller meals are more common. If going to a restaurant is still your preference with so many people doing low-carb this or that (men AND women), I think you could reasonably say you are on a low-carb diet, if he asks why you avoid bread or other carb choices. And if you take half the meal home (or more), perhaps you should suggest that, like most restaurants (here in America anyway), the restaurant you went to had overly large portions and you prefer to eat sensibly. I'm not someone who keeps things to myself either, so I am more likely to share it early on than not. But...if you prefer to keep things to yourself, I think there are many ways to do so without rousing too much suspicion. Good luck!

I ride an 01 Road King with the crazy 88.....sweet ride! Will be getting smaller gear in the spring!! Yahoooo!

I had surgery on 10/25. Everything went great. Went home the same day. First day I was only able to take a few sips and I was full. Second day...I was able to drink more. On the 3 rd day I am starving and I can drink as much as I want . I am scared that I am stretching my pouch out. Any advice how much is the ideal amount of fluids I shwould be drinking at a time..I am on all clears until Friday

I'm on the coast, Newport area. I was sleeved 10/03/12 by Dr. Scarborough in Corvallis.

I am 14 weeks out and this is my typical day: Breakfast: 1/2 english muffin with Peanut Butter and 1/2 banana sliced on top snack: baby bell cheese lunch: 3/4 of a healthy choice type frozen meal-- one with at least 10 grams of protien or more. I try to eat the meat out and leave the noodles or rice. snack: handful of nuts or a can of tuna plain Dinner: chicken breast, or meatloaf, or pot roast, or whatever meat my roommates and I are in the mood for. and a few bites of veggies. On the days when I work out I also drink a protien shake made with ice, protien powder, peanut butter, banana, and thats an extra 50 grams of protien, Feeling great!!! Calories range from 1000-1300 usually.

Thanks Kala And well done you for taking control of your life at such a young age. I wish I'd done this 10-15 years ago - things could have worked out a lot different!

I work at a convenience store 50 hours a week which is definitely not a sedentary job but I've begun to sneak some extra walking around. Today I logged over 7 thousand steps from briskly walking up and down the aisles in between helping customers. I also do 10 body squats at the top of each hour while at work which adds up too. and I'm walking a half mile to and from work. Beyond that I'm not doing any vigorous exercise. Today I went 200 calories OVER my 800 limit I got stuck at work for three extra hours and wound up eating some nuts...yikes.. but that's only the second time in the whole month I've been over so for me that's pretty good... and thank GOD, I've managed to stay out of the junk food.

Finally made it. Sore, sick, but excited... HW 302 STW 291 (01/08/18) SGW 274.9. (07/25/18) CW 274.9 GW 151

Hi there, I was banded Dec 13, 2011 at 225 lbs, I quickly hit 175 on August 1, 2012. I then slowed down weight loss wise, it took me another year to get to 160. It was a very easy surgery and recovery. I just followed my Drs rules about protein, water and exercise, and so far I have'nt had any problems. I love my band !!! As far as my average daily diet ? I can eat 90 % of what I ate before, I eat fairly healthy, mostly home cooking. We eat out maybe 1-2 x a month. So, here goes.........6:30 am - hot tea, 8am Belvita breakfast biscuts (4 in a pkg) and a piece or 2 of turkey jerky. 10 am Swiss Miss ( made with water), & 4 wheat thins w/ PB. Lunch- usually fish, chicken, or small piece of meat, with fruit or raw veggies, Or today spinach salad with chicken , strawberries, tiny amt of cheese and almonds. 4pm -snack , small fruit or cookie (sigh.....my sweet tooth attack), 6 pm same as dinner. Very easy, no weird foods etc. Hope this helps !! Im very glad I was banded, im healthy and happy again !! Good luck !!