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Thank you everybody for your help. I declined surgery ladt minute that was set to happen yesterday, I am working hard on weight loss and will potentialy have the sleeve surgery in October. I currently weigh 190 pounds, I had been able to maintain 150 pound weight loss for 14 years until right after I started taking gabapentin. My doctor said that gabapentin can infact cause weight gain for some. Thank you again for saving me from a bad choice!

Hi everyone! I'm 5'2 236 lbs BMI is 43. I'm scheduled for gastric sleeve on August 9th. After doing some research I'm seeing that many gain back if not, all their weight. I totally understand that this surgery is merely a tool, but up to me, to change my bad eating habits. I'm just wondering if anyone had permanent or serious health changes due to the surgery? Eg; fatigue due to vitamin loss, hormonal changes, permanent hair loss, no weight loss at all, etc. And anything you would share with me! Thank you!

I've got to agree with LJB on the weight gain thing. A lot of them say they cause weight gain in the list of side effect. I've been on a variety of psych meds through my adult life and have always found I put on weight with them, or maybe it is just eating away my depression?? I'd say to follow your doctors orders. Even if the xanax is helping you, being addicted to it is not worth it. You will lose the weight anyway...it may just take longer.

Well, went for my wellness check up this past Wednesday and my family doctor brought up the dirty "S" word. Surgery. Not just surgery but weight loss surgery. I'm not even sure why, but the whole idea scares the crap out of me. I think if a surgeon said "knee replacement" or "midfoot fusion" or "hip replacement", I'd be nervous but not so scared if that makes sense. I've done nothing but obsess since Wednesday. Checked with my insurance and bariatric surgery is covered. I was kinda hoping it wouldn't because I wouldn't have to consider it which would decrease my anxiety and result in less emotional eating which will result in even more weight gain. Don't ya just love vicious cycles? I now have a bookmark folder just for bariatric surgery. That's serious for me. Hope I can get advice from all of you as I go through the decision-making process and then through the journey itself if I decide to make the journey. Thanks for listening.

prozac can cause weight gain, but the majority of gain usually happens in the first few months and it generally is around 10 lbs total throughout the course of treatment. it shouldn't keep you from losing with this surgery, however. If you are concerned about the meds and your doc is open to it, you could talk to them about switching to a non-SSRI, like wellbutrin/bupropion. people tend to lose weight on it and it has less libidinal side effects. if you have ever had anxiety or manic symptoms, however, it is not a good idea to switch to this med.

You are not consuming enough to be worried about weight gain at this stage of the game...don't obsess.

It was a great visit. He took out 1cc and I can feel the diff already. He thinks the marriage issues I'm having is contributing to my reflux and weight gain

I had gastric sleeve surgery April 2013 before that I had lap band surgery put in and takin out...I weighted 205 at surgery my lowest weight after my second surgery was 147 now I'm back up to 160...I need help getting back on track!!!

I also have a leaking port or band. Dr. had to fix my band last January 2011 and since then I haven't held a good fill and have not lost weight. I had only lost 40 lbs total in the first 6 months then gained 10 of it back and have stayed there until now. Its been over 2 years now. I am fighting to keep the weight gain from happening and its now getting to hard. I have started gaining and hunger is out of control again. I have had several fills since January and I lose fluid each time. Yesterday I went to the Dr and he was in the room when they pulled out the fluid under fluoro and he said yes I have less fluid. I told him everytime I have come in it hasn't held. He was mad because I didn't come to HIM and let him know I was having problems. I thought his nurses would tell him. Anyway, I have to wait 2 more weeks and he will check it again himself. He said I may need a port change but I want him to put contrast in the tubing to see where it is leaking because I don't want to have a port change and find out it is the band not the port. My band was causing me horrible pain when they would unfill. It was so bad that he agreed something was wrong and went in and fixed it.I didn't get a new band. He adjusted the band and I wonder if he nicked it or something and thats where the problem is. He is working hard with me on my issues and gave me hope again yesterday that my HUGE cash payment for the band was worth it. I hope to lose 40 more pounds in the next year. Not asking to much but sure want the band to work properly so I can use my Tool as they constantly say. Hope is in the wind. He hasn't talked about money to do this so I don't know how much it will be. My insurance now coveres Lapband and they will cover me also after appeals on my part were done when I found out they covered the surgery when I had it done. They told me it wasn't a covered expense and the book said that and so did the on line benefits. So I paid out of pocket for it. We must keep the faith. I read so much about it not working and all the problems. I am counting on my DR to get me back on track and he seems to be willing so we will see.

I woke up one day a couple of weeks ago and boom no restriction, well hardly any. I have had perfect restriction for mths or so. My Dr was worried and did more checks today. I dont have a leak or a slip so he put it down to one of those things. He finally gave me .5ml today because I have put on 4 kgs in the last few weeks and I was really starting to panic about the weight gain thing. I know one day I can eat something and the next day I cant, but I am used to that now, this lack of restriction lasted like I said 2 or 3 weeks, so I know it was pretty much gone.

I been paranoid about complaining.. but if I dont make the thread, it doesnt count.. lol A note about whining... I have a ton of possitive stiff I could write about.... but, its the crappy stuff that I feel compelled to write about because I am working through it, I am figuring stuff out, I am LETTING IT all out, ..... I think it helps me. I am sorry if anyone feels cruddy over it. This is not how I feel all the time or in total... BUT feel free to say anything you want to me... I am not looking for attention, but I welcome it. Dont ever feel like you have to hold back. I hate to think of that happeneing.. anyway. ................. Dont mind the highlighting, i did that for my notes... sorry. BAD times. I have lost about 100 pounds. I have alot of mixed emotions. I am not myself. I didnt exspect myself to change mentally as much as I have. (I wont go into all of that now) I have this crappy mood. I KNOW I have lost 100 pounds and thats a good thing, and I should be celebrating and trying my new bod out.... But, instead... I have stopped dating. (I had a blast, BTW. I am single, and happily) I have stopped going out. ( I am down 95% of my normal outside time) I have stopped trying to look nice. (I wear my old pants, so baggy they fall off, that used to be something I would never tolerate, now I dont care) I hate my body. (and I thought I hated it before!) I feel discusting. It was just fat, now its nasty blobing deformation. I dont like my picture taken like I did when I first got the band. I dont even get naked in front of my kids anymore. (tub, changing, ect..and thats crazy cuz I WOULD never have self consciousness with my children in the normal frame of mind as I see it as real real low.. IT is NOT cuz I cant handle all the new things.... blah blah I have not experienced anything yet. I hide in my old clothes. I dont talk about my process much at all (embarrassed how slow I am loosing due to all the complications and $ troubles) I Dont want to say "I lost 100 pounds" and have so little to show for it. Its simply cuz I feel I look discustingly ugly.... I feel worse now about my looks than I did before I lost the weight. Plus I am dissapointed too. Plus I am worried about what will happen to my mood when I loose the next 100 pounds.. (making me a 200 pound fatso) I got used to my body. It was 400 pounds and It wasnt pretty. I did not look good by any means. BUT I was used to my body and I had accepted it and did the best I could with it. I was extremely self conscious, constantly 'fixing' myself. (But I hid it, lol) The things I had to worry about were: My skin was very white and streachmarks everywhere, I think I might have let the fattness go,l but the white streachmarks were really bad. I could not tan (didnt work) and self tanning stank and make me sweat. I didnt go fully naked ever. I had things to cover me up, just as much as needed. It took alot to show my legs, only to good frineds cuz they were very blobby, huge blobs... I wore capris that just hid the bloobs, always worried about them riding up. My ankles were normal thank goodness. My upper arms are deformed. They always have been the worst thing that happened to me with my weight gain. One of them has this ridge thats seriously abnormal, and sleeves never fit. I am poor, or else I would never wear anything but long or 3/4 sleeves... But I had to make the best of it, It was a constant thing worrying about if my arm fat was hanging out in a gross way. I mean there are certain levels of FATTNESS that should be contained! It was my duty to the world. GAWD MY upper arms have tortured me for so long.. My lower arms are normal as can be, (making them look even weirder!) My back, butt, fathump... So I dont have a butt, my actual buttcheeks are the size of the palm of my hands. I have what we call the 'fat hump'.. its a hump above my butt below my back, that HURTS like heck to be touched.. and I have the extra set of boobs on my back, literally big Double D boobies... Its all I can do to keep my bra strap covering them so they are as little as possible, it rides up unable to contain the boobies in back, but that didnt stop me from adjusting myself every five minutes, my back boobs so embarrassing. I hide them at all cost on important occassions.. other times, I HAVE always been shocked, never got used to how I looked when I caught my reflection sitting, By back as big as by front.. Double chin, when I went from 350 pounds to 400 pounds, THAT was a real noticeable change, no matter what I did, I could not hide it... It was too much, my face engorged all the time.. It really bothered me, alot. ok........ all that stuff, I got used to. Yeah, I hated it, obsessed over it, but It wasnt a big deal.. I call it FATTIE maintenence, its just what I did.. I didnt seem like a big ordeal at all.. ITS NOT that I want that body back.!!!!!!!!!!!! ITS not that I want to be 400 pounds instead of 300 pounds.. I DONT. I would never want to go back, NOT at all.. This is my body now, and I am NOT used to it.. I dont know what to do with it... but hate. It was surpose to be great. I HAVE LOST 100 pounds, HELLO.. I never thought it would happen, I dreamed of it for so long.. (I do have lots of possitives, but I am not in that place rightnow) ...My skin is still white and streachmarked.. But it is also, brown in spots, puckered, wrinkled, pock marked, blotchy and red pores all over. The pores and pocks and such used to be streached out I guess loooking like my actual skin, now they arent and parts of my body are corroded looking (they are not corroded, nothing could be done about it, its mostly pores from years and years of being clogged and cleaned, just like a face.. YUCK) This is mostly happening in my thighs and butt area. It all hangs, but not down so much as inward. When i sit, there it all is, my inner things squishing up inbetween my legs.. I have this 'cool' (lol) way of sitting, Its hard to explain..but it was my best way to 'hang out' 'look ok' 'relax'.... And now when i do it, all I do is expose all the blobulating fat in all its glory.. (this makes me LOOK, and feel FATTER.. BTW) Also, I have this really nice swim dress for the ymca, and it covered me just enough so that I didnt need to wear capris like I always used to... NOW, I hang below the swim dress.. I can feel it swinging back and forth and giggling all over.. IT looks like a massive vagina (the lips) inbetween my legs.. the swim dress still covers it I HOPE.. I cant enjoy my suit. (plus its too big, lol) OK, along with all of that... I have folds and creases with their own folds qnd creases.. It started out with one, and I proudly showed it off.. I use cleansing wipes when I go to the bathroom aslways, and it was my little ritual to use to wipe and clean my new blobs crease cuz It needed more cleaning than my regular bathing...... So, NOW.... I cannot afford that many wipes (they are a luxery as it is) and they smell and a few times now have developed rashes and they make me want to vomit to feel them. I Dont even know where they are all anymore. I have stopped paying attention, I dont look.. I cant imagine anyone touching me with all these creases in the way... THESE creases and folds make me feel fatter than EVER! My double chin is still there.. BUt theres something worse than a double chin.. its this droopy look to my face, especially around my cheeks and mouth.. that looks so off.. No one else can notice it, but I'm in the mirror enough to know its wierd looking.. I look older, I think it will get even worse. I STILL want to look like me. Everyone says I would be brittney spears if I was thin.... NOT (I never thought so).. everyone will FINALLY see what I have been saying all along, I AM UGLY! (FAT AND ugly) MY UPPER ARMS... I dreamed of the days I got some normalcy back in my upper arms, not to have to constantly worry whats hanging out my sleeves. .............. Oooooooooops, i didnt think about how worse it would be to wear sleeves, how all the fat has sagged downward instead of a big bunched up ball... so, I feel worse all the time.. it looks alot worse, it makes me feel fatter! iT MAKES ME look fatter too. One thing I like is to hold my arms up and let the fat sag to my arm pit (a fold or two here) ONLY then can I look at my arms and happy that the huge bunched up deforemed balls are GONE.. I am glad about that.. I love to giggle my LEDGE thats a slope now... My back... IS awesome.. ... WOW WOW WOW.. My back boobies have sagged into my sides, under my arms.... My bra easily holds everything in and doesnt ride up and the nightmear of adjusting constantly is over.. I walk by the mirror and look at my backside and think.. WOW, I am Skinny.. lol If I had one of those support back bra things, I could easily look as if I never had boobies on my back! The only other time I can think this is looking at my wrists and ankles. They are tiny.. way noticeable.. BUT, there is my stomach... OMG.. of course I never liked my stomach, but this is feeling like a deal breaker. In its tranformation, It only makes me look and feel fatter than ever. To look at me, or for myself to look down at me... its just a mass of fat all over the place, add my back boobies under my arms, my arms larger than ever, and my inner thighs with no where to go but my lap.. My lower stomach sits on my lap like a foot lower.. I swear it will end up at my knees.. plus it hangs over the sides of my legs too, in all its creases. It feels wrong, parts of my legs I always had access to, are covered in tummy and moist and need releif by lifting my tummy. One thing I didnt have to do much was lift my tummy, IT doesnt feel right and I have an aversion to it. I had this really tiny upper stomach that sat just under my boobies and was maybe a couple inches a roll.. my lower tummy held it there. NOW, it has not only dropped way below my breast line into "tummy area" but it has seperated into two parts and is traveling to the left.. I do sleep that way, so I guess thats why.. I am totally lopsided gravity not for me.. Oh, the bloobs on my legs.. have gotton smaller.. BUT they are drooping and I can no longer contain them nicely in capri's... THAT make me happy, to manage capri pants.. I dont want that luxery to have to end. OH.. and damn my boobs.. I have always hated them, always wanted a reduction.. always dreamed of little titties..... I was DD at age 12. For years they been deflating.. BUT now I cant maintain clevage.... they are wrinkled too.. suddenly I care about boobs! I wish i had appreciated them all those years! Whats a fat chic with out clevage??? ................HUmmmmm, is that all.........?? NO... BUt I bet no one has even read this much of my drivil.. Oh well, its for me anyway... ..... So, thats how and why I Do not feel as good as I had hoped to after loosing 100 pounds.. Also it was a big mistake to think I would be like I was before at 300 pounds.... I was 18 yrs old.......... DUH, it wont be the same.. And YES, I KNEW my body would sag and bag.. I know how people need plastic surgery ecspecially when starting out at 400 pounds.. I thought I was prepared for it.. I ALWAYS said "I will never look good" "I will look hideaous" "I will never be 150 pounds due to flab skin alone"........... BUT THAT WAS OK, anything is better than being over 200 pounds overweight... I am surprised at how I feel. I didnt know I was so vain. I knew I would never look good. I was being realistic I thought. Being able to get back surgery, and better health is GOOD enough. I will never have the funds for plastic surgery (unless I marry a guy who has some credit, a morgage?? something..,.. but thats unlikelly) Imight get my tummy done medically nessesary (I HOPE) (I have the whole rashes thing,, (everytime I get one I take a picture and file it on my computer, I can get rid of it in two days, but I wanna be prepared to show evidence.. Also I am more and more incontinent, I guess from the hanging belly) and Maybe my legs... I cant imagine the mess if I lose another 100 pounds, it would be medically needed for sure.. I WANT MY ARMS DONE!!! wahhhhh anyone know of a reason medically necesary for flabby arms.. (back pain??) and my boobs of course (a dream) I saw a pic of a butt.. hanging flab after 250 pounds lost, she didnt care to get it done, IT WAS SOOOOOOOOOO GROSS.. and I KNOW it will happen to me.. yuck. NO one will call that needed. I cant even imagine my Fupa's problems.. god I wish it would just shrink! I am on goverment medical so its unlikely, but I plan to do medical transcription or a call center after my back surgery.. so MAYBE some kind of insurence will cover it... ????? I have serious doubts about loosing another 100 pounds anyway.... I have a bad feeling my band is good for this 100 is all... I hope I am wrong.. I think my whole bad attitude would change for the better AFTER another 100 pounds... I hope.. I just cant trust my self these days... it does NO good to KNOW yourself so well, if your gonna go and change! lol ..........

It sounds like abuse to me. I'm currently doing therapy. Once I had the surgery my tolerance for unacceptable behavior became less than zero. I hadn't been bothered by it before. And now I don't have over eating to cover up with. Now I look and say watch your mouth or watch me pack. I'm not a guaranteed thing in not a possession. This is after less than a month. I even am making a single life fund. My ex loved me when my body was beautiful every time he would see me during my weight gain he would bring up how he should of married me. And how beautiful our kids would of been. Now he's married and I picked poorly.

Hi! In the first denial letter they stated that my bmi was not high enough(it was 37 at the time), and I did not have comorbidities such as sleep apnea, hypertension, or diabetes. In the second denial letter they stated they would stand by their first decision. However if you read their operative language carefully they do not state that one has to have those exact co-morbid conditions. I would not get too discouraged about the weight gain, my bmi has been moving around the 30s for awhile, and when I was searching googled I do not have some of the co-morbid conditions that people were listing. So I gained weight intentionally to get my BMI in the forties( and I did that during my 3 months of supervised diet). Even when I did get my BMI to 41 they said, I do not have any comorbidities, which I do, so they chose to deny me that second time. I called every day and the main thing they are looking at is do you have any comorbidities or has your BMI been in the 40s for two years. If you get denied I will be happy to help you through the appeal process.

We’re all (or were) fatties so there’s no bluffing here, but typical weight gain w steroid is nill. I happen to be an educated fatty with a masters degree. You chose the calories you put in your face, same as the lady who had a death. It is a food problem if you are putting too much food in your mouth. All of us did. Denial is rampant on internet.. i am the third person to agree with the posters above saying you have a food problem. Hope it helps for your reality check to help you be more healthy otherwise i wouldnt have commented. Hope you have lots of success denial can get in the way of that 🧸

For years, we've all been taught that Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I have finally stumbled upon the science behind intermittent fasting and how our bodies work during it. At first, I was afraid to go without breakfast, but when I did (this was when I was weight training hard), I saw my body changing. It was amazing. Unfortunately, I usually hurt myself or some big life thing happens and I end up having to stop and I go back to old ways. The reason why I brought this up is because we tend to learn what we think is true and the norm. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." I used to "beat up others" because they wouldn't eat breakfast. After I had educated myself on the science behind it all (why it's truly breaking your fast -no matter what time), it made sense and I had to trust it was true and good. Much the same way as you'd have to trust to up your calorie intake to start losing weight again/break your stall. So, here's a little story, true story I might add. I have a brother. He's 6"5" and used to be like 350lbs plus. He went to a nutritionist and was told to log what he was eating for a bit. The nutritionist looked it over and said, "You're not eating enough" Mind you, he was obese!!! So, she upped his calories and his weight started to fall off. Today, he's a healthy weight. My doctor has always gotten on to me for not eating enough. Thus my weight gain. (The body thinks it's in starving mode and will hang on to every fat calorie it gets). I'm sure the other aspects are the terrible food/drink choices I have made in the past. But anyway, I stumbled on the eat more to lose site one day and decided to apply it. That's when I was losing inches/gaining more muscle. Still, I have trouble eating more and I have too much fat on my body still. But I know it works. When I get my sleeve, it's to reset my metabolism. Once I figure out how much my body really needs for maintenance, I'll be making sure I get my calories in---ALTHOUGH, I ABSOLUTELY ABHOR the thought of counting calories, I will in the beginning, if I have to. I hope this helps!!!

I too wonder what my maintenance calories are because never in my life have I reached that stage. I am quite short so any sort of weight gain is always apparent , so dont really wanna gain 10 pounds extra down the line when Ive reached my weight goal....

I was sleeved on 22 Nov 2017 I hit my lowest weight 96 lbs then gradually on next year I gained weight to 125 lbs I am 4'8 height so its so hard I am afraid and terrified to gain all my pre op weight back any help or recommendation or advises ?

Your story sounds so much like mine. Was even born a big baby, and overweight as a child, but not obese until I got into college (which also happens to be when they finally tested me for hypothyroidism and reluctantly started to treat me for it). I was really active in high school - lettered in two sports - and as much as I walked in college, the cafeteria food did me no favors! Bad eating, a decrease in intense physical activity, the alcohol that frequently accompanies college days, and hypothyroidism led to a 50 lbs weight gain in less than two years. I just had my endoscopy today, no abnormalities found, so I'm excited for my sleeve date of May 12. I, too, had some initial good results with the Band, but slowly gained back a bit over time and then it just seemed to be rejected by my body.

Yes I was fat in Aug. But I think u read my post wrong. It's not about weight gain or holidays..its about adjusting to life with the sleeve. Thanks anyhow Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Is it normal to gain weight (3 lbs) since eating full liquids? I'm only 2 weeks out. Makes me very nervous.

It's been an exercise in frustration, vomiting, regurgitating and doctor's visits. I have had it prolapse and then replaced. Initially lost 60 lbs, but after the prolapse, weight keeping coming back, even w/the vomiting. In an effort to protect my stomach and esophagus my dr decided to unfilled me, which then led to additional weight gain.. Bottom line, band has not been successful for me nor have I been successful with it. Regardless, I need to have it removed. Why keep this foreign object in me if it is doing me no good?

Is anyone else as tired as I am of throwing up, shoulder pain and the loss/gain of weight? I've had my band for quite some time and I have litterly had to start the whole process over again and again. When I first was banded I lost almost 80 lbs. I was super excited and felt amazing. Then life kicked me in the a$$. Husband lost his job, lost our insurance and daughter got pregnant all in about 6 mo. With in that time Stress took over my life and I gained almost all my weight back. STRESS EATING around the band is what did me in. Maintained my weight gain for 2 years. Went back to dr after we got insurance again and started from scratch. Fill, Pre op diet. 1100 cal diet. Started losing again. Lost almost all I regained until I hit a stopping point. Wasn't losing for anything. And boom. Got hit with the worse stress ever. Lost my dad on January 7 of 14, lost my father in law January 9 of 14, and found out I was gonna be a Nana again. So the weight was slowly comn back. Yep u guessed it. Constantly getting sick, the shoulder pain from drinking, gaining weight and getting tight. Finally I had them take all but 3cc out of my band. I've gained all my weight back and at 1 point I didn't care. I was able to eat and not get sick, able to drink and not get the pain. I was being selfish. Well now I'm having the"fat girl panic attacks" at night. Those dreaded ones about having a heart attack and not surviving. I'm now to the point of having this out and doing a revision. I just want to feel normal. Sent from my SM-N900V using the BariatricPal App

I posted a small introduction but in case you missed it, I am a 40 y.o. wife, mother and nana to a beautiful family. My family is my life and I have spent more than half of mine taking care of all of them. My weight gain started after my 4th child, after starting work in an office and after quitting smoking. But, I guess that doesn't matter now. What DOES matter is that I took a step to change my lifestyle and was banded on June 24. I've had some minor and major set-backs but after 2 fills I have more restriction now, so I am on my way. food has always been the focus of our family gatherings. I would cook these huge meals, have family over and we would eat, talk, play games, etc. The hardest part for me was that I felt that I had to give that up, in order to stick with the lab band diet. If I cooked a huge meal, I felt too tempted to over-eat. If I didn't cook the way I used to, I felt guilty for depriving my family. If I take a walk around the block, I sometimes feel like the house will burn down. The other day I went to an essential oil conference at a beautiful resort. I wasn't there 10 minutes until I was getting calls from home and I had to run to save the day. It just seems that my family has always known that I would be there for them and the minute they think I can't be, they freak out. Don't get me wrong, they would do anything for me but they are so darned dependent upon me!! I am physically and mentally exhausted. I work full-time then come home and take care of my husband, my 14 y.o. daughter and my husband's 23 y.o. son who is living with us and not working! My married daughter is in school in the evenings so I take care of the grandbaby for her. I know I am rambling but my point is...why do I feel so bad if I do anything for myself? What is with this stupid guilt complex and grieving for the old me? Ugh! Am I being selfish? I fully intend to join the support group in September, but am a little worried about it due to all the posts I've seen about it on here. Thanks for listening, I am sorry to be so negative!

Until recently I would have told you that I was content where I was. I have been overweight my entire life... I am only 20 and I cannot remember ever being at a normal weight. I was a "chubby" kid and then an overweight pre-teen and then an obese teen and now I have a BMI close to 50... I don't have any pain, I can sleep on my stomach, I can play with my 5 year old sister for long periods of time, I have never been a shopper so shopping for clothes is neutral for me, I have never been bullied because of my weight, I am a confident person, and I like who I am. I can also truly say that I did not notice how big I was getting until a year or so ago. My weight gain was gradual and steady and I didn't notice the 5 pounds here and then the 5 pounds there. I saw someone's reflection in the window at the mall and I was honestly shocked when I realized it was me. At that point I went to my PCP and asked for help. I found out then that I am borderline diabetic but other than that I have no issues. I just couldn't lose the weight. Until that point when I quite literally shocked myself out my bubble I was very happy and content with being a fat person. Not all fat people have physical problems and I also think that the majority of fat people who are "happy" are in a state of denial. I know that a large majority of fat people are also in the lower socio-economical bracket. Those people do not go to doctors, heck they might not even have one. They struggle to keep their heads up on a day-to-day basis and the extra expanse of doctor bills is going to be enough of a deterrent to prevent them from being checked out. Those people will never know that they have high blood pressure, or diabetes, or any of the other issues until there is an emergency. That is what I mean by denial. Also, can anybody truly say they have no problems with how they are? Whether they are fat/average/skinny/anorexic... everybody has something they don't like or wish they could change. That doesn't mean that they are not happy though. If you asked a skinny person if they were happy to be skinny they would probably say yes... and then go complain about how bony their shoulders are or how much they hate the diet they are on. I guess it is just all about perspective and each individual's definition of happy.

It's been 20 years since my bypass. My surgery weight was 379. My lowest was 170. The most I weighed post opp was 243. I'm now 218 and I'm struggling to get under 200. Anyone else here has this problem. I know alcohol is one of the biggest set back