6 1/2 Months Pregnant with the Lapband(Major Weight Gain)

Hello all

It has been some time since I posted and this is my first time posting to this board. I had Lapband surger in May 2007. My highest weight was 367 pounds. I got down to 204 and was at 210 when I found out I was pregnant.

I made the mistake of having my surgeon remove all the fluid from my band when I got pregnant. I have gotten up to 302 pounds  since then. That is a gain of 92 pounds in less than 7 months. I am so ashamed of myself and don't know how to get things under control so that I don't gain anymore before having the baby. My pregnancy is high risk so I have been advised against getting any fluid put back in my band before having my baby.

I am looking for any advice from any other women who have experienced this. I feel like I am the only who has let this happen. Also for those women who were able to keep your weight under control while pregnant with an empty band, I would like to know how you did it. Thanks in advance.

Do you keep track of what you eat? fitday.com is a great place to log your meals and see where all the calories are coming from. You don't gain 92 lbs on accident, so holding yourself accountable for what and how much you're eating seems like a good place to start.

((hugs))
Goodluck! Once the baby is here you can get you band filled again and get back on track.Breastfeeding is also a HUGE calorie burner and will help you loose the baby weight.
For now try to focus on eating as healthy as possible for both you and your baby.

I have not been keeping track of my eating but I will definitely go check out fitday.com. I do plan to breastfeed. Thank you so much for your feedback!!

Why wont they put some fluid back in your band? I would persist on that. Try not to eat any sugary slider foods, like ice cream. When I had my band, I felt like cottage cheese filled me up for a while. It was a lifesaver in the beginning before I found the "sweet spot". Just make sure it is the 1% though.
Is it the surgeon or OBGYN that doesn't want you to get a fill?

It is both my regular OB and high risk pregnancy doctor that do not want me to have any fluid put back in my band. I am going to concentrate on going back to band basics because I have definitely reverted back to my old eating habits that I had prior to band placement. The cottage cheese suggestion reminded me that I need to go back and start over to my band basics. Thanks for the feedback.

Don't your doctors think you will be even higher risk if you continue to gain weight at that rate, though? It IS your body, and I'm willing to bet your prenatal doctors are not that familiar with the band. As long as you weren't having band problems before you got a total unfill, I would still consider pressing your WL surgeon for at least half the fluid back so that you don gain any more. As long as you could eat solids with your band, then I don't see why it would be an issue. But, obviously I'm not a doctor lol. Good luck with everything.

 Sadly, a lot of docs talk their patient's into unfills that aren't necessary. I too would think that the risk from the weight gain would be greater than the risk of filling your band, but you might have a hard time convincing your docs of that. The good news is, you can start turning things around now by getting back on track the best you can. YOu can expect to lose 15-20 lbs when you have the baby and in the following couple of days due to all the extra fluids you are carrying, so if you get yourself back on track now, you can still end up in a better position than you were when you had the surgery.

 I'm still TTC, but I wanted to let you know that you are not alone with the weight gain after a complete unfill. I had a pouch dilation, and my surgeon completely unfilled my band. I too gained 90 pounds in a matter of months. The worst part was, my highest ever weight before lapband surgery was 340... I got down to just below 300 before the slip. After gaining 90 pounds, I got up to over 390!!!! Absolutely devastating! I'm still working my way back down :(
At least you have being pregnant as an excuse! 
The only thing that works for me is avoiding sugar and binge foods. Good luck!

What I have done is maintain the same sort of diet and exercise I did before, but added a few more calories and reduced the intensity of my exercise so the net bonus calories are about 300 or so.  I was on the loose side of perfect when I got pregnant and didn't get an unfill though, so that probably helps.

It is so hard to eat small portions when you have a complete unfill. I kept my fill during my pregnancy but the day of my C section they had to completely unfil me due to me retaining fluids and not being able to keep even water down. So I had a completely unfilled band for 6 weeks. I could eat anything and was always hungry just like before the surgery. I would just say to try to eat healthy foods as much as possible until you can get a fill. It is so hard, I completely understand.