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Jaime “Pandora” Williams has not had anything handed to her. She has worked hard for everything she has, including every pound of her 250-lb weight loss. From weight loss surgery and overcoming food addiction to figuring out how to deal with her father’s death to paying for training for a new career, Pandora has kept moving forward and earned her spot as one of our weight loss surgery heroes. Throughout it all, she has kept her determination to help others. She has shared every step of her journey on her Desperately Seeking Slender blog, and has made a career as a weight loss and wellness coach. Find out how Pandora Williams, who was “Desperately Seeking Slender,” turned her life around and is helping others do the same! Struggling with Weight from Childhood to Early Adulthood Pandora comes from a family that did not eat healthy. They ate fast food often, and home cooked meals were likely to be tacos, pot roast and potatoes, and other high-calorie foods. She remembers father loving his sweets, and her mother struggled with weight gain and obesity after quitting smoking. With a diet of cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets, not surprisingly, Pandora had been overweight since childhood. She hit the 400-lb. mark 4 years after graduating high school, and also had chronic depression, diabetes, and sleep apnea. Atkins and intense exercise helped her get down to 225 lbs. before getting married, but the weight came back after marriage. Weight Loss Surgery and a New Lifestyle Pandora wanted weight loss surgery, but put it off for a few years because she couldn’t afford it. She got serious when her health insurance began to cover it, and got the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in 2010. She chronicled her entire weight loss journey on her blog. She lost 100 pounds by December of 2010, 200 pounds six months later in June of 2011, and entered “Onederland” (under 200 pounds) in October of 2011. Now, she maintains a weight of 165 lb. – quite a difference from her highest BMI of 69.9! Needless to say, she threw away the old habits of eating a half-gallon of ice cream or a dozen tacos. She worked hard to overcome her food addiction. Portion control and measuring were new behaviors she had to follow. Now, five years post-op, she is able to get away without writing down every bite when things are going right. Still, she keeps herself on track by food journaling and calorie counting the second she is unsure of herself, whether because of a jump on the scale or a high-sodium day. Pandora follows a carb cycling plan where she eats higher and lower amounts of carbs on alternating days. She’s an exercise addict, and that also helps her keep her weight in check. Body Image and Reconstructive Surgery Despite maintaining a healthy weight and feeling more confident in overcoming her food addiction, Pandora says her body image is a bit of a struggle. She has had 6 rounds of reconstructive surgery, and still has trouble accepting the mistakes she made in the past with her body and health. A Life-Changing Letter to Chris Powell! By August of 2012, Pandora’s weight was well under control, but she was not satisfied with that. She wanted to help others do the same. She knew she had the “the passion, desire to help, and love” for people who were struggling with their weight, because she knew exactly what they were struggling with. What she needed was help figuring out how to help them, and she just couldn’t get in touch with someone who could guide her. Then, in August of 2012, Pandora wrote a letter to Chris Powell, the celebrity trainer on “Extreme Makeover.” After some persistence, she managed to get her letter to him, and she received a reply! He posted an encouraging message on Facebook, and that was enough to keep her motivated. Since then, she has had a couple more interactions with him on social media – including an encouraging message when she was feeling down – and was able to meet him in Hollywood at the Extreme Makeover Finale. She considers him and his wife Heidi an inspiration. A Day in the Life Between taking care of herself and helping others be the best they can be, Pandora is very busy! Here is a typical day in her life. 8:00 a.m. Wake up, food prep, get ready for work. Coffee, coffee, coffee! 9:30 a.m. Arrive at the gym. May do a 4 to 5-mile run or take a group exercise class like yoga before work. 10:30 a.m. Breakfast: Quest protein bar. 11:00 a.m. Start work - working the front desk and doing either one-on-one training or weight loss/wellness coaching sessions. 12:30 p.m. Lunch: Veggies (cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, baby carrots): about five of each and either some low-sodium turkey breast with low-fat Swiss cheese or some hard-boiled egg whites filled with chicken salad made with a Greek yogurt base and green onions. 2:30 p.m. Snack: Usually a container of Greek yogurt or some homemade steel cut oats from home. 3:00 p.m. Leads a weight loss boot camp group training session with light weights and cardio – usually works out with the group. 5:00 p.m. Snack: Usually a piece of fruit like an apple or an orange, or a banana on higher-mileage days. 7:00 p.m. Leads a weight loss boot camp group training session with light weights and cardio – usually works out with the group. 8:30 p.m. Finishes running for the day if she didn’t get in an early morning run or get more than 5 miles already that day. 10:00 p.m. Home/Shower/Dinner: usually a lean protein like baked chicken or turkey and steamed veggies. Uses spices and changes the vegetables a lot for variety. Includes a serving of brown rice, couscous, quinoa or whole wheat pasta on days she eats carbs. 11:00 p.m. Snack: Usually Greek yogurt, no sugar added ice cream sandwich, a frozen protein bar, or an extra-thick protein shake. 12:00 a.m. Bedtime Pandora tries to run longer distances after work if she doesn’t get to work out during her weight loss boot camp classes. Her days off on Sundays and some Thursdays may include an extra kickboxing class, a spin class, or a run over 10 miles. New Lifestyle, New Career, and Paying It Forward. As a morbidly obese high school graduate, Pandora had been limited in her career options. She made a living working from home at jobs such as customer support and data entry. Since losing weight and getting healthy, she has thrown herself into something she is passionate about – helping others get and stay healthy through lifestyle. Now, Pandora works as a weight loss and wellness coach at a ladies-only fitness facility gym, and has earned multiple certifications in the fitness and coaching industry. She also pays it forward as a weight loss surgery advocate. She has spoken at the Obesity Action Coalition and Weight Loss Surgery Foundation of America (WLSFA), as well as at other bariatric support clinics and groups. She publishes articles regularly, including here on BariatricPal! You can follow Pandora on Desperately Seeking Slender and on Facebook and Twitter @SeekingSlender.

As @catwoman7 said some of those changes you mentioned are just temporary. Like hair loss usually persists for about 3 months & your hormones settle once you’ve lost most of your weight (oestrogen is stored in fat so as you lose all the excess oestrogen is released into blood stream). Large weight regain can occur because of complacency & people slipping back into old eating habits. It can occur because how they were eating wasn’t sustainable &/or was too restrictive. It didn’t allow them to live their life as they wanted & hindered them doing what they enjoyed. Or they didn’t do the head work to understand & learn to manage their old eating behaviours & what drove them to eat. All things the surgery doesn’t do anything about. But it does give you the time to explore these factors. Also remember the average weight loss at about the three year mark is 60% of the weight that had to be lost. This can include the bounce back ‘resettling’ weight gain, complacency & adjusting to a more flexible eating plan. Or it could just be the weight your body is happier at. Sure there is always a chance to develop an issue that has to be monitored but it’s rare. Comparatively, there are very few complications from weight loss surgery. Some of the issues may not have anything to do with the surgery. I have a protein malabsorption issue. Not from my 3 yr old sleeve but from my gall being removed last year. (Malabsorption issues are very rare with sleeve.) I have low BP. I had a genetic predisposition before surgery now it’s all the time because of my lower weight not the surgery. Gerd is probably the highest risk after sleeve - about 15-20% I believe. But it can be managed or treated by a revision to bypass. Some issues may be revealed because you likely are being monitored medically more closely now then before or your weight & associated comorbidities may have been masking what were pre existing conditions. You’ll likely read & hear about people with problems because they they post to seek help & support. They don’t often post about what the cause was or the remedy. In comparison, people tend not to post or talk about their successes. I know many people who’ve had the surgery. No one has experienced long term or developed new issues because of the surgery. A couple regained most of their weight because they went back to their old eating habits. Certainly the benefits far outweigh any temporary side effects or the very rare problem.

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!

Hi, I don't know if this is the right thread and this is my first post, but I am so impatient! I went to the info session on Aug 14 and have done the psych exam and visited the dietitian twice. I have been told that I need to lose 5 pounds prior to the surgery but have gained 2 so now I need to lose 7 pounds. I am so ready to get this thing on the road but don't know when my surgery will be scheduled. My next dietitian appt is this Monday and I'm hoping to hear good news, however; I know she's going to talk to me about my weight gain. Here's what I need to know... 1. How long from the info session to surgery does it take? 2. Does the weight loss affect when the doctor schedules the surgery? 3. Am I being unrealistic and need to calm down?

TGIF!!! Well good news, I am down 4lbs since my weight gain. You were right, I guess my body just needed to adjust. Tomorrow is girls night out and Sunday is family dinner. I plan to eat a little of everything (even a piece of cake) but not get out of control. Won't be able to exercise tomorrow but I am going to on Sunday morning. Have upped my Protein from 70g to about 80g a day, cals are at 1050ish. I feel like i have more energy. Breakfast - 6oz yogurt, 6 almonds, a few banana slices lunch - 1/2 pita with 2 tbsp Peanut Butter, 3 strawberries Dinner - 1/2c braised beef, 1/2c mashed yam snack - 5oz vanilla yogurt, 1/2 Protein Bar liquids - Water, 10oz skim milk Exercise - 20 min bollywood dance dvd, 15 min pilates

I’m so sorry ur experiencing this with the LB n it’s unfortunately cuz u’ll continue with all those symptoms until u make the right choice in removing it n instead settling for a revision. I can fully relate to ur experience/symptoms cuz I too had the LB for 11 yrs n all my symptoms started a few months after getting it. So, I just put up with all the symptoms n tolerated the band cuz it was a nice little tool that DID the JOB in helping me loose weight by not OVER EAT or able to eat anything at all. I was 210 lbs when I got it. I went down to 135/40 lbs n loving/liking the way I LOOKED even though the symptoms SUCKED. I became ANEMIC n at one time got an AWFUL BACTERIAL infection that I DON’T wish on anyone. Believe me it was a SACRIFICE having the band. But unfortunately n cuz I had no other choice; in 2018 I had the band removed due to LOTS of problems with the port after getting a tummy tuck n too was tired of all the TERRIBLE/AWFUL symptoms that came with it. If I would’ve FULLY RESEARCHED n known of all the LB symptoms; I would’ve instead OPTED for a bypass. Unfortunately I did gain ALL my weight back but that was only due to lots of medical issues once I entered MENOPAUSE n being put on medication. So now, due to all my weight gain I REFUSE to let myself go n NOT EXHAUST all options for OVERALL BETTER HEALTH. Therefore, I’m currently being monitored by a nutritionist n dietician along with my bariatric doctor for a possible GASTRIC BYPASS that was recommended by my doctor. Hope my sharing helped n u make the right choice for ur OVERALL HEALTH. May God illuminate/bless you in DOING THE RIGHT THING.🙏🏽

So I started soft foods at 2 weeks post op and I still have some problems. For eggs I learned the egg whites r the only things I can handle. The yolk has too much fat and it makes me feel horrible it hurts and I feel sick. So I only do a soft scramble egg white. Tofu I can not do. I can do 1/4 of a price of tilapia sometime I will mix it with black beans for extra protein. What silverware are you using? I use my babies spoons lol so they r tiny and I can have about 4-5 bites of that size. If I was using a bigger spoon it would probably be one bite. I learned also that chewing really good helped me ALOT. I thought it was BS at first but then I tried to chew really good defiantly like meats and eggs etc and it helped ALOT!! For comstipation my surgeon and his PA recommends taking stool softener everyday ever 4 hours until you become regular. And if you don’t have a BM within 3 days then take a stimulant laxative to get things moving. They really push push push us to take a stool softener. Because it is not healthy to be backed up and can cause “weight gain” on the scale and get u upset. Due to it being waste weight. Also a lot of high protein diets will make people constipated because we are not getting enough fiber because fruits and grains are off limits. My surgeon only recommends 45-50 grams of protein a day. He said our bodies will not absorb more than that. But follow what your surgeon suggests. There are also DR V videos on protein intake that support my surgeons theory also where too much protein can be a pain with gout etc. anyways off topic lol I agree not a bowel blockage as you wouldn’t be able to keep anything down. It would come up and bile would also come up. Hope this helps

Mine has always been mild, nothing crazy and most of it was due to how I ate which was so horrible and obviously led to all my weight gain. I didn't really have to take medicine before surgery except for the rare occasion my food sat horrible with me. This is a new kind of burn though. My surgeon knew all about this and knew all other factors about my health and agreed the sleeve would be a good choice. So I don't feel in confident about my choice of surgery, just wasn't sure how common it was to have acid attacks in the middle of the night. I didn't think about the lying flat so I will try sleeping elevated tonight, thank you! Sent from my ZTE A2017U using the BariatricPal App Unconfident* Sent from my ZTE A2017U using the BariatricPal App

@@PuraVida37 congrats. How is the pregnancy going? I'm 29 weeks. My first baby post lapband. I wasn't sure about getting unfilled and my doctor wasn't pushing it so I left it unfilled. Now that I am this far along, it seems that I am getting stuck more often and am really tight so I decided to get unfilled. I go in tomorrow. I think I will just ask for 1 cc to be taken out. I didn't want to gain too much weight, which I haven't (I think Im at about 3 or 4 pounds gainged) but I am starting to worry about baby's weight gain. My doctor still doesnt seem to be worried about babys weight. But just for my peace of mind and also so that I can keep things down, I will go and get unfilled. I only have 3cc's in there...so that will put me at 2cc's in a 10cc band. I havent been on much but I have been reading all the updates via emails sent to my every time someone posts on this thread. Sounds like we are/were all on the same page of standing still as far as weight goes. I was stuck at 245 before baby came for about 3 months...and now that I am pregnant I am at about 247, give or take. I hope that I don't gain a whole ton after my unfill tomorrow and I hope that I can get on track after baby gets here and be able to lose weight. This has most def been a really trying and frustrating journey. With all the stand still on my weight loss and all the getting stuck. I have never been able to eat right after because everything I eat usually gets stuck and so it has kinda forced me to do shakes and chips and other sliders, just so that I feel that I am getting things down. I'm hoping to get a better diet in after i get this cc taken out. And with a regular exercise routine after baby comes, I hope I can get back on track. I'm 17 months post surgery and I have only lost about 1/3 of what I was hoping to lose by now. Anyways, hope all is going well with everyone else. Have a good week

Well i got approved with some extra documentation. i ducked out of here because i had gone on the 2 shake diet, lost 14 lbs and then they told me I was going to have to do weight watchers for 6 months. So I compleatly wigged out because the surgery planner told me to just maintain that weight for six months. They said if; lost too much more, i wouldn't be covered. I have to be over 40 Bmi even with all my medical problems. I have never been a weight I needed to maintain...so no surprise, I now have 10 lbs to Lose again. Once my doc faxed over the proof of weigh once a month at his office, they approved it. Sooooo my pre-op class is Friday at 8 am. They are calling me back to schedule a surgery date. It could be this month, I will have to waiting and see....but I am approved. I am mad at myself for the weight gain...now I am back to shakes starting tonight since I already ate lunch. I am feeling very nervous now. I am worried I won't lose it in time...I am going to have to be close by Friday.....how am I going to lose 10 lbs by Friday? Any suggestions? I know it is my fault for reacting in this way and I know it is my responsibility to lose this weightl but I am seriouse about this...please help it you can.

Worried surgery was 2/16 lost 26 lbs the first 2 weeks then stall went to the nut and she was mad that I only lost 2 more lbs total 28 lbs now I'm 3.5 weeks and gaining weight! What is going on? Gained 3 lbs! Trying very hard the last week to get more protein in is that causing the weight gain?

Too true Rachel....it is so nice to be able to still eat a nice variaty of foods and not have to stress about things getting stuck so much....then I know if its too tight we tend to go for the easy option of junk that slides down and then you have the weight gain.....like someone said on the video on the sight you suggested "If only they could come up with a band for the brain" ....hey then I would be set

ok guys, I need help! I am holding steady at the same weight. I am mostly eating the right things and now walking 2 miles a day 4-5 days a week and going hiking on saturdays for at least 2 miles, sometimes more. I write down everything I eat and I'm going back over the last couple weeks. It seems I get on average of about 1000-1200 cal a day give or take (if I stay away from peanut m&ms!). I eat about 200 cal every couple of hours for about 5 mini-to-avg meals a day. My main focus is to get enough Protein because my biggest fear is my hair falling out. I do take a couple of meds that are on my doctor's list to cause weight gain so wondering if this is an issue also... I've had 1 fill but now have little restriction and just keep my meals small. Am I eating too much? What is the average calories per day you guys are eating? give me some ideas of meals you eat?

i really like this idea, though i still don't think the purple team water loaded. very well could be (daughters) TOM, or body just saying - taking a break this wk. i just refuse to go on the scale during PMS because i can be up 7lbs on any given day during that time & it's not real weight gain because it's gone the following wk. i think water loading takes place - just dont' think so w/the purple team....i also really like them along w/blue. the crying just makes me annoyed @yellow. so the mouthy one (can't remember names) who barked at joelle last wk - who lost 2lbs lost what this wk 1lb???? yeah, how about run & shut up...she was still bossy at the after "weighing" mtg. still pulling for brown - that kid had an emotional wk, and he pulled thru - very happy for him.

Re: the ones who gain the weight back I found this article online about one of the contestants, Kai from season three. It's a really interesting read and sad in many ways. She talks about some of the product placement Biggest Loser pushes. Less attention was paid to diet, though there were plenty of product placements. Like the day they did a segment on drinking milk as part of a weight-loss plan. "That was sponsored by the dairy board," she said. "The minute the cameras shut off, my trainer was like, 'Spit it out.'" Here's the link if anyone wants to read it. Alaska 'Loser' contestant still fighting weight gain - Juneau Empire

Hi to ALL! My name is Marisa I'm 48 years old, I'm having lap band surgery on SEPT 10th At Unity hospital in Fridley MN. My Doc is Jeff Baker. My weight gain started 17 years ago when I had 4 children close together. I had gained over 50 lbs with the first pregnancy and never returned to baseline again. My weight in 2006-2007 was 250lbs @ 5'3".My health was declining rapidly. I couldn't walk up a flight stairs without being short of breath and strength. I attended an informational meeting and felt moved to tears-- that this procedure was a definite God-Sed. I started the long application process in January, I visited a dietitian for 3 months. My weight began dropping just by beginning to eat small pieces and increasing my activity a bit. Gradually I've lost 24 lbs. I was shocked to find how satisfied small portions can be. I've been weaning myself off breads so that It won't be a total shock ... I've decided I can live without the soft breads and possibly rice and pasta cause there's alot of other choices out there. I'm excited to be joining up with the September group of Lap Banders I'll be praying all our surgeries go well!

I'm glad ur day went well n ur enjoying ur mushies! Started solids today. Pretty scared since the scale didn't budge on mushies. Am planning on starting my walks today (as I can't do full work-outs till after month). Hoping that will prevent any weight gain from the solids. =\ Good luck with ur workout!!! What exercises are u planning on doing?

I have been dieting all my life, and they don't work. I didn't want my intestines cut, and pulled out, because there is no going back! So I chose the band. It was good in the beginning. You stick to what your Dr. and Dietitian tell you, and your good to go. You will lose weight. I lost over 120lbs. with a 4cc band. I went in for a fill, I was at 1.8cc, and they filled me with0.2cc. Total of saline in the band 2cc. It blew the band ! I kept trying to figure how could this happen? It's only 1/2 full? Well I quit beating my head of the wall and believe that it was defective. I never had any problem before, and it blew the line, or port. I'm hoping to get in to see a surgeon soon now that I have Ins. again. When I went back to my surgeon, he seen some weight gain, and told his student to instruct me to control my appetite, come back when I have lost weight, and will talk about a fill. Then I was escorted out. I was furious ! This was my last month of Ins. due to being laid off, but no one would let me see him so I was escorted out. I have regained all of my weight, and I am trying threw things that I have learned to cut back. It is hard. I have gotten the attention of another surgeon to see me VERY HARD TO DO! So I weight daily for a call, I will call tomorrow and see if they can work in a outsider. Just so you know. This is a plastic tool, and can break, and will somewhere down the line... So,, make sure you have a excellent surgeon. Find out if you develop a leak will he fix you, Ask questions! Find the answers to your questions before surgery. Then do what you want. Yes it is a Weight Loss Tool! It also works ! The choice is up to you. I know it works, but I know it can come with some problems. I wish you Luck. Shirley Banded 10/31/2006 Dr. Jeffrey Genaw "Chief Bariatric Surgeon" Henry Ford Hospital "Center of Excellence" Detroit, Michigan.

One thing I try to be really conscious of is avoiding "dieting". I believe fad diets, eating too little, etc... can destroy your metabolism and I think that was part of my problem pre-surgery. Years of yo-yo diets meant my metabolism (aka Calories Out) was destroyed. I am really trying to not do that this time around. I did have a little weight gain over the holidays and am trying to eat around 1700 a day with working out and the little I gained is slowly coming off in what I hope is a healthy way.

My blood work was done before submitting to insurance. I can't speak for every type of insurance, but BCBS of North Carolina wanted to know that I did not have some underlying condition with my thyroid that would be a factor in weight gain. A TSH blood test measures thyroid levels (free T4) and was part of a routine blood workup that was done. I may have to do more blood work right before surgery, not sure.

You are quite the ass - to put it as nicely as I possibly can. You assume that everyone who is overweight eats like a horse. You have such a horrible perception of obesity. People gain weight for a variety of reasons, some are involved in accidents that cause them not be active, some have other diseases that the medications given actually cause weight gain, and many contrary to your simple minded beliefs actually have ruined their metabolisms with yo- yo dieting. Obesity is a disease, not a choice and for many a death sentence if not corrected. Do you honestly believe that people go through this hell just because they don't want to diet anymore? I honestly feel sorry for Rick he is probably raking leaves not to hear you run your mouth. You want a Protein suggestion for him - mini meatballs. Just don't put sugar in them. If you really want recipes - google them like everyone else does. Why do you expect a bunch of fat losers to help you when you clearly are to lazy to help yourself. Find somewhere else to bother people please - you are a plague upon this site. Sorry I am blunt and honest too!

Enjoy your babies and your new body. I have 3. Gained and lost 80 with all 3. Then gradually came back to gain 80 because of stress causing me to not care anymore about food coming into my body. Although I ate healthy- salads protein healthy carbs- my portions were huge. ( plus had to go back to work full time for financial reasons- so no time to exercise like I used to. ) that’s how I gained weight. Gained weight. I also was never thin to begin with so before 80 pounds weight gain I was a Sz 12 looking voluptuous and quite happy- but at + 80 I was a cow! Too tired to wake up at 5:30 am to work out before job- then family stuff after work day. Now that I’ve lost over 60 pounds I have more energy to exercise and energy to wake up early. But kids are hard- always food around. Always cooking baking and packing lunches. I have def shared a bite here and there and even a slice of pizza at times. I try to do the best most of the time but do like to feel normal. Since I’m not a binge eater nor do I have food issues- just enjoy food and had a big appetite- the sleeve is working well for me as my portions are so much smaller and I don’t get sick with any foods so I do w joy food. ( except Chinese - which I don’t enjoy anyway). Im thinking you are similar to me so wanted to reassure you that it sounds like you are back on the right track again! You can do it! HW. 289 SW. 284 Height. 5’8

it's funny how small dishes give you a total outlook on stuff. . .i use a teacup saucer as my plate and a normal fork and teaspoon. . .after having done this for the past 6 months, when we go out to eat the plates they bring out look ENORMOUS!!! I always make a funny noise when they bring the plates and straight away ask for a take out box. . .that food i take home usually lasts me 2 days. . . it's really weird how this has changed the way i eat. . . sure i eat slider foods but only a bit, not in hugh gobs like before the surgery. . . i've been blessed with no serious weight gain. . .1 or 2 pounds but that is usually water weight, take some lasix and poof it's gone. . .but those small dishes sure do give you a different sense of life. . . good luck

I have PCOS and it was the reason for my weight gain, I tried everything including eating air and I still couldn't lose weight, I am coming In to my ninth month post surgery and I am 4 kilos to goal weight yay, I still don't get my period though only had it once since surgery, but planning on baby number two hopefully it doesn't take 7 years to fall this time with the added help of the weight loss. Lilly