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Bariatric surgery is not a quick fix for severe obesity. What comes after the actual surgery matters a lot too. Weight regain is normal and is not something to be ashamed about. But, hopefully, the amount of weight regain is minimal and can be managed. Bariatric surgery isn't like shopping at a convenience store. It requires a care team that appreciates and addressed the nutritional, psychological, physical activity and other challenges that occur in the years after the surgery. https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2018/10/22/what-happens-after-bariatric-surgery-makes-a-big-difference/#4e3dce3c29b1

You are not living on protein and vegetables life long. Amen! I would hate to see someone researching this site or new. Thinking that they are only going to eat protein and vegetables life long.

So good, you have to try it. 1/2 cup quick oats 1/4 cup cottage cheese two egg whites teaspoon of baking powder splash of milk (I use almond) Zap this in your friendly smoothie maker or blender Dump a few frozen or fresh blueberries in a pan Pour batter over them and cook just like you'd cook pancakes. Flip when they bubble. These are incredible. Maple Grove Farms Sugar free maple syrup is 15 calories for a quarter cup....tastes fantastic! Add some berries and walnuts on top. Enjoy!

Wow! So let me get this straight...lifestyle and diet modification is a MUST in order to experience long term weight loss? You really won't maintain long term if you continue to eat the things that "brang" ya to the Obesity Ball the first go-round? I'm actually pretty stoked to see this study. Thanks for posting it. I've believed that we had to change, and change fast and permanently since the year leading up to my surgery, and despite no matter how kind and gentle I shape my responses about this, I'm constantly slammed by "people who know better." People who want their proverbial cake and eat it too...(I'm not talking about the occasional "cheat" meal. I'm talking about people who think this is magic bean surgery that does all the heavy lifting for life and requires no effort or help from them. Who deny responsibility for their own behaviors re: food/alcohol/drugs/etc). This is most especially true on FB...not quite so much here in BP online community. Thanks for posting this. I'm def. gonna save it!

Good to Hear! You are starting to know your body-- appreciating your body---not sure that happens at,the same time_ Maybe Later?

I have SisterLocks and am somewhat concerned (locked for 6 years, 450-500). I have my hair re-tightened every 4-5 weeks. I may have to rethink that, though I really hate how they look with new growth. I will investigate L-Lysine. Thanks for posting, GT! Btw, you locks are lovely!

Yes on the hair color, no on the lashes. Waking up from anesthesia you may abruptly rub your eyes without you being aware..then it’s $$ wasted if they fall out.

Same here. Before sleeve I guzzled plain water. Loved it. After surgery it makes me nauseous. Have to add crystal light.

I had VGS surgery on 9/15/16; this was almost 18 months from my introductory class for the program. I put off the decision to have surgery almost 6 months, and then due to scheduling issues rescheduled a couple of times before finally having the surgery. My high weight once I decided to start the program was 287- so I have lost 104 pounds as of this morning. I was pretty dutiful in following the eating plan, both pre- and post- surgery until I was about 9 months post-op. By that time, I'd bypassed my surgeon's weight goal for me by about 7 pounds. At that point, I did some serious thinking about what I wanted out of this surgery, and made the following decisions: First, I didn't have this surgery, this elective mutilation, to NOT be successful. There is no way on this Earth that I am going to backslide and let my weight creep up. Second, I also decided that I don't want to be "on a diet" for the rest of my life. I have ALWAYS been on a diet, for as long as I can remember. I didn't have this surgery so I'd have to continue to always be on a diet. Third, I have to be happy with my life. SO... I decided that I was going to have to balance these things, figure out how to make eating "normal" food work without gaining weight. I've tested things out, learned my limits, learned how to eat and drink that work with my insides and my head. OCCASIONALLY I will eat pizza, nachos, drink beer, have ice cream or pie, etc., but NOT all the time, and NOT in large quantity. Fortunately my sleeve restriction is still snug; I can eat about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food at a sitting, depending on the food. What does this mean for something like pizza? I take one piece, I eat a couple of bites of the edge and also the toppings. I don't eat any of the crust, except those 2 bites of the edge. Believe me, it's enough for me, and if it's not, I"ll eat the topping only from part of another piece. I've tested out all my favorite foods, and yes, sadly, there are some things that I just don't eat because I can't, because they make me feel gross (haven't given up on 'good' bread yet, but rice and pasta are things of my past). I've learned that some things go down way too easily, and so I know where to be careful, what to avoid. I've also learned (take a deep breath, hard to admit) that I'm probably never going to weigh 135 pounds again, and that, regardless of my weight, I'll always feel like I need to lose 10 or 20 pounds. I don't think that's the after effect of being fat... I think it's the association of being a woman in the USA. It's OK... I can accept these things, because I have come so far and been so successful- in my doctor's eyes, in my husband's and daughter's eyes, and mostly, IN MY OWN OPINION. There are still things I can't do (eat and drink at the same time) or things I forget to do (eat slowly/chew lots) and I pay the price. HOWEVER... It's all been worth it. I am HAPPY. I don't wake up in the morning and hate myself for being weak, for being fat, for eating and drinking when I swore I wasn't going to. I went to Disney World with my daughter this summer and for the first time EVER (we've been going annually for 20 years), I happily posed for photos. She and I haven't had a photo in front of the castle since she was 6 (and she'll be 25 next week). I don't hate shopping for clothes anymore. I went to the pool in a bathing suit IN PUBLIC this summer and wasn't embarrassed. Most importantly, I look in the mirror and LIKE what I see there. Sometimes I even think, "Wow, you look cute!" I realize how much of my life I let go by because I felt fat, miserable, unsuccessful, unlovable, and I wish I'd done this surgery 10 years ago. I don't hate myself and my life anymore, and that is worth SO MUCH MORE than anything I could ever eat, in any quantity, at any restaurant. You know how they say, "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels?" That's sort-of true, but being skinny (and I'm not) doesn't hold a candle to not hating yourself all the time. I am just so damned happy now!

I have cheated on my pre op diet and my surgery is friday !!! ..... i feel really guilty, but i am having such a hard time.