Search the Community

The holidays remind us of family get-togethers sharing food, laughter and bonding. If you are a food addict, the holidays may be one big guilt ridden binge. Food addicts think about food and have memories of food too, but they will most likely be linked with memories of hiding food, being punished by withdrawal of food, or being abandoned from loving relationships and using food for comfort. This is one reason the holidays are so stressful for people who struggle with food addictions. The frenzy and excitement brings stress, and food addicts comfort and calm their stress with food. Many people don’t understand the obese person’s journey with food. Nor can they relate to actually being under the influence of the intense food cravings, but ask any alcoholic or drug addict what these cravings feel like, and a food addict will be able to recount a very similar craving. The substance most craved with food addicts is sugar, and anyone who has tried to remove sugar from their diet knows how incredibly difficult that can be. The majority of food addicts have been brought up with another addiction. Maybe their parents were alcoholics, abusive, gamblers, smokers or hoarders. The child learned it was safer to turn to food or some other substance for comfort, because turning to a human for a hug or soothing words was impossible. Many food addicts lose weight to get married, only to find that they don’t have the skills to communicate loneliness, boredom, or anxiety to their partner. They slowly begin to turn to what has helped soothe them in the past, which is food. Before long, communication is compromised in the relationship. There is severe weight gain, which begins a disastrous cycle of withdrawing from sex, and turning to food. Soon the partner isn’t happy and the food addict feels shameful and guilty. These feelings of guilt and shame lock the cycle of turning to food even more securely. Weight loss surgery can help minimize disease and help people become more confident and mobile, but if there is an underlying sugar or food addiction, the weight will be re-gained. Sometimes that is in excess of eighty pounds. How can you help if you are addicted, married or know a food addict during the holidays? The key is to plan now. Realize that your partner or friend has a bigger problem than just eating too much. They need professional help, and they need it now. Find out who is on your plan for insurance and what it allows for help with eating disorders. Begin journaling your intake and talk to your partner about journaling theirs as well. This helps you become a team and to feel supported. Encourage your partner to begin turning to you for comfort or if you are alone, have someone who can accompany you to the party. Stay close to them, and when you feel alone turn to them for conversation or hold their hand. This helps delay your sense of needing food. Help them join a food addiction group, and if they are your partner, go with them if they need your support. There are several in Houston, and “Over Eaters Anonymous” offers a 12-step program for food addicts. Your partner suffers shame and guilt every day. Try to remember this, and be gentle. There is a lot of secrecy in this disorder. If they let you in, respect that. Food addicts are hurt, and we as a society can become part of the problem or part of the solution. Most addicts of food (and other addictions) have an enabler. The enabler complains about the behavior, but also supplies the fix. People who are co-dependent or have a low self-esteem may derive their security from enabling an addict. If you live with a food addict, or you suffer a food addiction, the best thing you can do prior to going to the party or being with friends where a lot of food will be present is to have a plan. Set a time limit for yourself at the party and have someone you are accountable to who helps you stay on track. –Mary Jo Rapini *As with all addictions, interventions only work if the addict wants to heal. Harping, nagging and pleading will be met with resistance to change until the addict is ready to make the change.

No I ain't had nothing to drink I knew that’s probably what you'd think If I dropped by this time of night Remember way back when I promised you I'd drop in At one of those meetings down at the Y Well, they started talkin bout steps you take Mistakes you make The hearts you break And the price you pay I almost walked away You could hear a pin drop When this old man Stood up and said I'm gonna' say it again Like I do every week For those who don't know me (Chorus) It's the simple things in life Like the kids at home and a loving wife That you miss the most, when you lose control And everything you love starts to disappear The devil takes your hand and says no fear Have another shot, just one more beer Yah, I've been there, that's why I'm here This ole boy stood up in the aisle Said he'd been living a life of denial And he cried as he talked about wasted years I couldn't believe what I heard It was my life word for word And all of the sudden it was clear (Repeat Chorus) That’s one of my favorite songs. It’s written and performed by Kenny Chesney, and for a long time I couldn’t hear it without crying; sometimes, I still can’t. I know it’s about alcoholism, but it’s also about me and my eating disorder. So many times, I thought, “I got this. I’m in control. I’m NOT an addict. I’m not ill.” Then there was the time when I lost 71 lbs. on Weight Watchers, and I was convinced that I was “fixed.” I was cured. I wasn’t “that” person anymore, and I was never going back; ever…but, I did. The devil definitely took my hand and I thought, “Just this once.” “Just this once” led to a downhill slide and a massive weight gain. I spent years beating myself up over that. I could not believe that after all that hard work that I blew it, like that. And then, my darkest days began. I felt as though my eating was so much bigger than me. It was something separate from me, that I couldn’t control. I hated life. Every day was a struggle of when do I eat/how much do I get to eat/when will I get to eat again/ what is there to eat? Worst of all, I knew that if I ever did get it together, that it wouldn’t stay together. And I hated everyone; but no one as much as myself...I really hated me. I think that everyone has to have their “moment of truth.” Mine came for me at 3:00 in the morning, watching a show on WLS. I remember thinking, “Life doesn’t have to be this hard.” I pretty much decided right then, that I was going to do this thing. You know, I would have NEVER thought that anything positive could have came from that 71 lb. weight gain, but I was wrong; several positive life lessons came from that. I learned that just when you think you’ve got your demon under control, and you get so high and mighty and complacent that it will rear its ugly head and kick your ass. I learned what to look out for, and what foods that I can’t handle; foods that are “triggers” for overeating. I learned that I am WAY stronger than I ever imagined. Lastly, I learned that the weight loss is secondary for me. The main thing is that I’m free. I’m free from the prison known as my eating disorder. And life is good. Life is very good.

Agreed :w00t: I think I want Koli to stay and Daris to go. I didn't care for Daris's attitude about his weight gain, it's like he didn't really care.

Donali, we're here for you, just as you have been here numerous times for us. Let us carry the load for a while and give your shoulders some rest. We know a band erosion is not a good thing. We know that it has to be removed. Your body will heal and then you can be rebanded. You don't want to leave that band in where it can get entangled and cause even more complications. Even temporarily without your band, you have such a wonderful set routine in your eating habits. You are so conscientous of your meals, vitamins, portion control. You will gain little, if no weight gain, during this down time. You've worked to hard to get where you are today. I look to see you continuing losing weight, maybe just on a little different plain. We're here for you! Take care and try to "destress".

Okay the latest. I called my doctor and a medical tech called me back. I can't eat hardly anything. She said that it was okay to eat soft foods. From what I know this can cause weight gain cause you start eating your unhealthy foods again because they go down easy. She said that eating chocolate Malto Meal was fine to eat in the morning. Yesterday I ate Chipotle and barely had anything. I did notice though you could only eat a couple Beans at a time or a tiny piece of chicken. Is this normal. That is so small! Last night I had just shrimp and it came up. So then I wanted the rest of a chocolate sundae that I have had a couple of times. Stopped eating that and forced myself to eat some turkey from a frozen meal. That went down fine. People who have gastric lose weight so fast. How is that when I see that we talk a lot about not eating enough then not losing any weight or hitting a plateu? So is my band too tight or I am just not eating the right foods and size. I had some pancakes and an egg on Friday. First time trying that with this fill (#8) and it all came up.

@@finding_onederland I had a small hiatus hernia over 20 years ago. I was most surprised after my pre op endoscopy, that it was gone! It fixed itself, amazing. As to reflux, I had a bit of intermittent reflux in the past couple of years, I put it down to my big weight gain, and eating lot of chocolates. I was given pantoprazole that I took for 2-3 weeks, and was good afterward. Post op, gastric sleeve however, I was horrified by the strong reflux I had, even while on rabeprazole. Every day I was uncomfortable or in pain during my nightly reflux foaming and frothing attacks. I also noticed that at every food phase change, reflux was bad again, even with me eating the correct food, eating slowly and chewing lots. So for me, Nexium was heaven sent. It fixed my reflux, and from then on I was fine. Good luck to you.

The sleeve really does help keep portions in control. I promise I did not diet during my maintenance time, but I was conscious of my food choices. I eat anything and everything I want. Grant it, about 85-90% of the time I still eat Protein first, but I enjoy all foods. I drink soda, alcohol(not in pregnancy), enjoy a lot of social gatherings which revolve around food. So, I do feel I live a pretty normal little life with food. BUT, I put in the work early out when really didn't have room for a lot of other foods. I remember even getting into maintenance, and being perfectly content with a few chips/crackers. Now, I can sit around mindlessly eat an entire "Big Grab" (those 99cent) bags of Funyuns.or half a sleeve of crackers without restriction. Those are the habits that I was talking about in my first reply. The sleeve really does help us not gain the weight back, but the sleeve doesn't stop ice cream, Cookies, carby/fat/fried foods from sliding right through. None of the WLS options stop carbs and sliders. So, we still have to be mindful and diligent in our food choices. My weight gain was over the holiday season last year. From Halloween to New Years, we attended a bunch of parties, social events, get togethers, etc etc and they all involved alcohol in copious amounts, party foods, Snacks. Seriously, every other weekend, I had somewhere to be and had food and booze in hand. Over those 3 months, I had a solid 7lb gain. I saw the scale gradually go up, and thought "oh it's Water weight from the booze". Low and behold, the new year came and those pounds were still there. I went back to just my normal eating habits, not dieting, just protein first for my meals, and I dropped those pounds in a little over a week. I admittedly hate working out. It's no different than scrubbing toilets. I could probably have more laxity in my food intake if I worked out more. However, I don't want to work out, I don't want to go to a gym, I really just hate exercising. That is a big part of my pregnancy weight gain. I'm eating 1700-1800( about 400-500 more calories than what I ate in maintenance) calories a day with a minimum of 100-200gr of carbs, and 80-100gr of protein per day. The sweet/junk food cravings are unbelievably difficult to fight at this point. I've never dealt with this level of head hunger, or cravings in my life. So, I know that it's pregnancy, and the fact that my eating habits have changed in pregnancy. The lack of physical hunger really is my #1 contributor to my success. I know my sleeve limits, I also know how to cheat the sleeve so it is still all on me to make the best decision on what goes in my mouth for every meal, every day. I can still go several hours without eating. I still never get a stomach growl, or any physical sign that I need to eat. But, I can eat every hour on the hour if I choose. That's the part that is very hard to overcome for me. I know I can eat a meal, and then an hour later I can wander into the pantry and eat more. I wanted to just put it out there that losing was easy, and maintenance is where I (and many others) struggle. That was my issue before surgery as well. I could lose on WW, or any other "diet attempt", but life would happen and I'd gain back what I lost and then some. For me, the most successful sleeve patients out there are the ones who made major behavioral modifications, and really adhered to a solid plan post-op. I have read 100s of topics from people who experience several stalls, slow weight loss, and/or their weight loss comes to a complete halt because they think that the sleeve will do all the work. Sadly, those same patients post how they don't want to diet, how they want normalcy. Well, I hate to say it, but most of us are NOT normal. If we were, none of us would have sought surgical intervention. Pretty much if you are diligent with food choices, and allow indulgences in moderation, the sleeve works. I can still suck down a milkshake, or eat an ice cream without issue. I really do live by the mantra of "just because I can; doesn't mean I should". It's not always easy, but the sleeve helps tremendously.

There is a difference between weight related health issues that should be addressed by healthcare professionals and outright size discrimination. I think most of what the people described here was clearly size discrimination. Sorry, but you go to a doctor to TREAT your pain or illness. If they are unwilling to do so because of your size, then that is discrimination and they are not doing their jobs. These doctors make fat people unwilling to seek medical attention. This is something that needs to be addressed and I am sure this is a compounding factor in why obese people have health problems. They go to the doctor for treatment and are turned away! Duh, if you go to a doctor for help and don't get it, by the time you do get help, it has gotten to be a serious illness or chronic pain (and chronic pain contributes to depression and weight gain, derp doctors, derp!) I've been lucky enough to find a PCP that actually helps me when I need help and doesn't lecture. http://www.prevention.com/health/healthy-living/weight-and-obesity-discrimination-doctors This one made me laugh even though I have a hard time believing it http://danceswithfat.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/so-my-doctor-tried-to-kill-me/

I can respect your opinion Cheryl, although I do disagree with you. I do think a forum like this can be used to talk about things like pain, etc and to get perspective from people who have actually had the procedure. Though surgeons are obviously educated they, most likely, never had this surgery. So they may not have tips and tricks that people here have. For example, I saw one thread for dealing with gas pain that discussed a yoga pose that was helping people deal with the gas pain. No ones surgeon knew that would help. That was discovered through talking to people in the same boat as you and someone figured out something that was helping others. To me, that is what this is all about. Yes it was a newly started thread that discussed that topic and it had a lot of activity. I get that this is a hot button issue for some of you. For me I see the value Ina new thread, but I believe forums allow for the ability to agree to disagree. That's part of the beauty. If you ever feel like someone is seeking advice that they should be paying for... Then I hope you exercise your right to move along. In my opinion, people aren't trying to use veterans in place of doctors.. It's more about talking to people with practical experience, who may have something to offer that a doctor doesn't. I can also assure you that I will not be eating an entire pie at Christmas and seeking your input about it. I've actually never had poor eating habits, so it's also not about changing the way I eat. My weight gain was due to a medication that I took for many years. I have always eaten healthily and made wise choices since I was a young child, as that's how I was raised. I was finally able to get off the medication and my doctor recommended this path for me. With that said though, people are human. They are going to make mistakes, and sometimes they are going to come here to talk about them. I'm sure there will be a time that I will put something in my mouth that I shouldn't have and I might go here to seek support from the only people who will really understand the torture that goes along with such a decision. I suppose why I commented I this thread is because I felt like there were comments intimating that newbies just didn't know how to play here correctly. I was hoping to remind everyone that all were newbies at one point in time. Perhaps my attempt failed or wasn't appreciated. Either way, I'm going to continue to post and be a part if this community even if the way I participate is frowned upon.

My surgeon requires birth control for her patients. I have the Mirena (going on 7 yrs. now) and while I do think it had something to do with some of my weight gain, I am keeping it in for now. If I find I can't lose weight, I will have it removed. I've only been weighed once since my surgery, so we'll see how it goes when I get weighed next week!

My husband and I had only been dating about a month (well a little over a month) when the going did get tough for me in terms of my health. That was the way I saw how truly amazing he was. I got sick, and it wasn't clearing up, whatever it was. And I sat down with him and I said that in case this turned out to be something wierd or lasted a while I would understand if he wanted to get out now and not be involved with me, because I couldn't do anything fun like go for walks and I never felt good, etc. I don't think he actually considered it. Well I got a lot sicker and for a lot longer than I ever imagined when I said that. And he was absolutely amazing. So I married him Seriously, I do not know what I would have done without him when I was at my sickest. I would spend days lying on his couch. He would feed me and get me medicine and just take care of me. And he took me to so many Dr apointments, to the ER, he asked the guys at work about gynecologists for me, etc. After we had been dating several months and my health started to improve a little (finally!) I gained some weight- about 20 pounds. Enough to get a bigger skirt size when I went shopping and have a bigger belly, so it was noticeable. And he did notice because he asked me if I had gained some weight. So I said, yes, about twenty pounds. I was nervous. What if he was disapointed in the weight gain? What if he asked me if I was going to lose it, etc? I had no plans to go on a diet. Instead he did the best thing he could possibly do: He said, "Ok, I was wondering." And then he kissed me on my big fat belly. So you see I had to marry him. My highest weight was actually just a couple of months before the wedding- I was just a couple of pounds under 300 pounds. But I got down to about 270 for the wedding, closer to my normal weight (I had ballooned on lyrica). He was nothing but supportive. Now I have never been thin (well unless you count when I was a tiny little girl). I was about 220 or 240 when we started dating. Of course I am also one of those morbidly obese people who doesn't seem to have the self esteem issues. I have tons of self esteem. Maybe a little too much. I think I am adorable. Granted, I am more adorable thiner, but I am still pretty damn cute morbidly obese. And I have awesome breasts. Anyway, I knew my husband liked bigger girls when he started dating me. I even asked him why. He said it was cause he felt that thinner girls were too thin and looked that twigs and he would worry about them snapping in half or breaking or something (he is actually very gentle). He just doesn't find skinny attractive. Guys I have dated in the past found me attractive. I never got past the second date with them because I never wanted to (i'm picky) so I figure I was ok. I wasn't going to date someone who jsut wanted a thinner version of me. And I wouldn't date somewhere who liked me but not my size-- unless- and this is the big unless-- unless my transformation to a healthier life style would be what promted them to ask me out instead of just my weight loss. If a guy was more impressed with better habbits and routines and energy and exercise and health, I could dig that. But if all a guy cared about was the scale, no way. Same with friends, etc. I know some people feel very negatively about obese people. Now maybe they don't care for what they feel is a lack of good grooming or something or other ignorant stereotypes. As I tend to be oblivious and still dress like a sloppy undergrad a lot (bleach stained t shirt, here I come), and I am more likely to forgot to brush my rather long red hair than I am to actually do anything with it (I haven't worn a ponytail in at least two years), I tend to have a bit of acne half the time because I can't be bothered to actually put on my acne cream, same deal with glasses and contacts, and I would like to wear makeup, its just that I would first have to remember, and then I would have to put it on. And that takes time and skill, and effort, and finding the makeup, and so forth. And I swear eyeliner requires an advanced degree in makeup technology. So on occasion, as I rush out of the house, it occurs to me I look like a fat slob. If I were to cultivate a more polished look and had people respond to the polished look I could understand that. But how does one figure out what one is responding to (other than asking because people do sometimes lie about things and I don't know how to tell if they are being honest)? Are people going to have a positive response to healthier lifestyle or lost weight? To polish look or to lost weight? Or is it impossible to distinguish?

1. No I would not date them, but that is only a personality quirk. I don't favor things that reject me. For example when I applied for a job at a certain business, and didn't get it, I stopped going there for almost a year. I had been a frequent customer before. 2. I would think that they liked my personality, but didn't find me attractive. I would also think that they view physical traits more importantly, or at least as importantly as personality traits. I don't think thats shallow though as everyone has the right to be attracted to whom they please - fat, thin, or wearing thigh high latex boots with a pink wig. 3. No the person doesn't have poor character. Many people believe that physical attraction is important not only in initiating a relationship, but also maintaining it. This is especially true in a dating situation. Unless he or she made a promise to love you no matter what then I don't believe they have an obligation to maintain a relationship with someone they no longer find attractive. To qualify this statement I am assuming that this is significant weight gain, not "I only like girly sixpacks and you gained FIVE WHOLE POUNDS" - that I would consider shallow. Marriage is a different matter as both parties have made vows to love and cherish each other in sickness and in health. I consider being significantly over weight to fall under sickness. Breaking that vow and abandoning a spouse under those circumstances would make me view the person leaving far less favorably.

@@Katy Walton Yay for you, Katy. CONGRATULATIONS on an amazing decision. Welcome to the other side. Should you have tried harder on your own? Well. Many of us, if not all, have asked ourselves the same question. Like most of us, you probably yo-yo dieted and experienced weight loss and weight gain and frustration and heartache until you just couldn't take it anymore. Chances are, YOU DID INDEED try hard enough. Now you have a tool that will help you FINALLY get where you need to be. What a great decision. Like you, I love to cook and experience new foods. For me this has NOT CHANGED. I'm 14 months out from being banded, and I have cooked loads of new things this year. I've been diving into the glorious world of Indian food and have made lots of new dishes this year. The thing is, I eat much less than I used to, and As for drinky-poos ... I had a few months there while I cut out wine completely. This helped me kickstart the weight-loss process when I hit a wee stall (where you don't lose weight for a few weeks). I now enjoy a glass or two every few days just as joyfully as I did before being banded. No cocktails for me, though - too much sugar/carbs. So life is good, Katy. I still love food but use it for nourishment now rather than therapy. The band has eliminated the 'hunger monster' that used to dominate my life. I am now in control, with the help of the band, and experience long periods of satiety and have NO CRAVINGS. Finally free! And 73 pounds skinnier for it! My husband and I still go out to dinner and have a great time. (And we go with friend, too, even though they don't know about my surgery). Dinners out are terrific as long as I follow my "new" way of eating - ordering appy sized portions and eating slooooooowly. I skip the bread, butter, rice, Pasta and potatoes. Instead, I hit the Protein - fish, chicken or red meat, and round out my plate with salad or veggies. I enjoy eating meals out just as much as I ever did before. You will adjust, you will heal and you will lose weight. Trust the process, be patient, be kind to yourself and get ready to watch the magic as the weight begins to fall off. Woo wee - - excited for you, Katy. You are doing great!

I agree. I have fibromyalgia. Bipolar depression and generalizes anxiety disorder. I take a lot of meds but it controls everything great once you get the right mixture. My problem was weight gain due to the meds but hopefully my commitment with the band will take care of that. Don't ever be afraid to get help there are a lot more depressed people out there than you think and you don't have to be depressed or stressed.

I'm embarrassed to admit I gained 25 pounds between the initial consultation appointment (October 2014) and the month of surgery (April 2015). The weight gain was due to food funerals, a.k.a. eating my favorite foods one last time before saying "goodbye." I also couldn't control my ravenous appetite. Luckily, my surgeon and insurance company were very lenient and didn't care whether I gained or lost weight during the pre-op phase as long as my BMI remained greater than 35.

My insurance didnt care about weight gain between appts but between your initial weight and final weight before submitting you could not show a gain-ie no net gain. Be sure you know what your ins stance is. Aetna is who i have and they would have denied coverage.

Not lie to the insurance company because I don't know exactly what they are looking for. I called them today and gave them the procedure code for the sleeve and I was told it was covered and I asked what requirments are needed to be met before the surgery and I was told only a pre-certification. So I don't know if maybe the guy I was talking to over the phone didn't know what the insurance company requires (qualification) or not. On the patient intake questionnaire for the bariatrics office they ask the following question: " which diets have you tried in the past, indicate for how many months and how much weight you lost". So it was on that form I was going to say 6 months with a dietician. I could probably get away with saying that I lost maybe 15 pounds because towards the end of that year I did go off my medications for hypothyroidism and I did let my thyroid specialist know this. So I could probably say my thyroid ended up being sluggish again (which is actually true and I have the blood work to prove that) and my weight started to come back on even while still following the dietary guidelines set forth by my dietician. That would explain the little difference in weight gain/loss from June until December. But then I don't know if they'll look at that and say I didn't put in much effort because I allowed my thyroid levels to become out of control. For the record I did go back on my thyroid medications and my levels have since returned back to normal. I *think* at the seminar meeting they said they understand that people don't always have documented weight loss attempts with a physician, but that they wanted to see that you did try to lose weight sometime in the last 5 years, for atleast 6 months or longer.

Did they stop coming here because of the weight gain or was it completely unrelated?

20 pounds in one week is a lot for the body to adjust to. Did you lose weight prior to surgery also? Your body takes time to figure this out. I was a slow loser. I tracked 100% of what I ate and was 100% honest with myself. I knew when I saw small fluctuations in my weight it wasn’t “weight gain” I was eating 500-700 calories a day . I stayed sane by reframing it. I’d tell myself, I weigh more today, I know I didn’t “gain weight”. It worked for me and it is true. Nobody gains weight eating that small amount. Salt, hydration, sleep, bathroom habits, stress and a lot of things factor into what the scale says any given day. I always joked that today must be a bad gravity day. It’s the overall trajectory that counts. I also didn’t write the slight fluctuations down because I’d get frustrated. I would wait until a morning when I felt like I lost weight and hop on then.

Hi All, I haven't been on this app in years. I was sleeved (after having my lap band removed) in 2013. It's been a while. I've had to reconnect bc of weight gain, oh yeah it's real. I'm 5' 9" HW: 259...left: 170 cw:201....when I saw that number over 200 I almost passed out. I just came back from my nutritionist and that was hard bc I've had to relive my worst fear. I will not go back. I've signed up for several 5ks, 10k's and half marathon over the next year. I'm currently walking on an incline on the treadmill bc that burns the calories the fastest. I've paid for weight training and hot yoga, which I will implement over the next few weeks. I will not go back. I've come way too far. But I need support. So if anyone has advice, pls share. My motivation is here bc of fear but I'd like it to stay bc I'm comfortable with how I'm challenging myself. Please join me MyFitnessPal: treciagesq99 Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

We are certainly all different, but I've done several n=1 experiments, and I have learned much about my body and metabolism. I have learned that anything beyond a small to moderate amount of cheese will stall my weight loss totally. So the many delicious and low carb cheese recipes come with the added knowledge that the scale will not budge. Starches are my Achilles' tendon. My blood sugar is impacted much more by bread than by sugar itself. The effect is longer and more pronounced, and thus anything made with wheat flour (whole grain or otherwise) will promote Water weight retention and weight gain besides. There is no moderate amount of starch for me, it has to be cut out totally. Corn products, be it through sugar or tortillas or whatever will make me crave more of the same to an almost unbearable extent. I will literally dream about tacos and wake up unsure if it was all a dream (nightmare) or I really ate like 12 tacos. Corn syrup is so ubiquitous in North America that it basically means eating real foods only to avoid them. No amount of time seems to improve my cravings for corn based foods, so I have to accept the reality that I can NEVER indulge that disastrous addiction. No different than a heroin addict having to swear the stuff off totally, lest they be dragged back into the life.

So I got surgery in December of 2011. My heaviest was 290-ish and my lowest post-op was 220. I admit that I didn't follow the rules and I drink pop now and looking back I would have lost so much more had I done everything right. It was just so nice to not worry about food for once in my life and eat what I wanted and not gain weight. I was only 17 so I was so young and stupid! Anyway I just had a baby, obviously gained weight from that. I was up to 270 when I finally gave birth and with some effort and help with medicine, I am now 244. I want to get down to my goal weight so I can finally get rid of the sagging skin and just feel more confident but I notice that I am eating more than I could. Obviously a little stretch is normal post op but I feel like depending on the food, I can eat so much more. I want to just lose the rest of the weight and ideally get down to 150-170. I have heard of the "re-sleeve diet" and was curious if anyone had success with that. I don't think I would qualify for a re-sleeve surgery. But if there anything I could do to utilize my sleeve again being 5+ years post op.

For sure! Thank you for the heavy pocket/ weights advice. I managed to weigh in at 199 after lunch, lol. We are waiting on results from stress test, then will put in for approval and get a surgery date for July. I need to weigh in no less than 198 and no greater than 200 (initial weigh in) lbs day of surgery which is really going to be tricky with two days of liquids prior to surgery. She said weigh every day and be very aware of weight gain and loss. They will not approve if you are above your first weigh in or if fall below 35. Where in Mexico are you having it done? i hope you have someone going with you. I have watched several youtube journeys of people who went to Mexico. They seem to have all had a good experience. Best of luck!

Hi there, I have been reading all the stories on this site for some time now & after getting some great advice on here, I feel it's time to tell my story. We were do I start! I am 35 years, weigh about 93kg & live in Australia. Up to around 8 or 9 years of age I lived a very healthy lifestyle of Water skiing on weekends with my family. I don't remember having any over eating problem however I do remember being told I didn't eat enough. At around 9 my parents separated & that's where the over eating began. I have suffered with weight problem ever since. Although I know how my problem started & accept that, how does one break life long habits when they can never avoid the drug (food). I have been anorexic, bulimic, binger & now just over eating sloth. I smoked when i was younger & had no problem cold turkey to give up. I don't have any other strong holds in my life so "why can't I beat this". Well I have tried every diet (as most of us on this site have) and I have had success loosing up to 25kg only to regain the weight again & again. I think I'm a strong person & I put everything in to what every project I'm doing but I just feel like such a failure when it comes to weight loss. Why is it so hard to stay slim! Last time I lost weight I said that's it never again!! I threw out all my fat clothes ( really regretting that now I have nothing to wear lol) I even went as far as to enroll myself in a fitness course. I spent 1 year full time studying fitness & nutrition once again I lost weight about 10kg & got a job as a fitness instructor (to my amazement) I was teaching les mills classes at around 85kg the weight was too much on my back & I was still eating more & more the stress became to much & I stopped. Since then I have gone back into a downwards spiral I'm still working in a gym but as a receptionist and i know everyone is noticing the weight gain. The more I'm there the worse I feel with the continued feelings of failure. Well that's where I am now. I feel I can't be on this merry-go-round any longer. Ive stopped solialising, caring for myself & I'm just a shell. I remember one small time in my life where I loved myself I was slim wore pretty clothes & loved the way it felt "I was slim"! My super has been released & I now have to take the big leap to book the surgery. I hope this tool will help me towards releasing my from my life long battle. Thanks for reading & would love to hear back from you. Your friend and colleague in the battle of the bulge

Hi everyone! Well I had to get a complete unfill exactly one week ago today. My band had suddenly clamped down out of the blue and I couldn't swallow liquids. I was terrified of hunger, weight gain, etc., so I decided to start a pretty intense regimine of supplements to offset being unfilled. Let me say that I do not endorse nor sell any supplement, but I do want to tell you all who are unfilled about my experience in the hope maybe it could help you. The first day after my unfill I was starving and I realized pretty quickly that I was going to gain weight. I went to my drug store and this what I picked up: Hoodia Sure Rapid Gels, Accelis, and Mega-T green tea liquid drops. I've been taking the Hoodia in the morning and evening (sometimes I even take an afternoon dose too even though it says to take it only twice a day.) I take the green tea drops in the morning and late afternoon. Then as directed, at bedtime, I take the Accelis (this one says it's "clinically proven" to cause weight loss). Well, I don't know if it's a placebo effect, or what, but my hunger level is much less than what it would be if I were not taking anything. my hunger level is about 20% more than when I am filled, but pre-surgery I would never have been able to stick to band portions as I would have passed out with hunger, and this entire week I have been sticking to band portions completely, with little trouble, and certainly no lightheadedness, dizziness, or irritability. Somehow, I have also managed to drop about 1.5 pounds and prior to this week I had been stuck on the same weight for over a month! so essentially, I'm doing better unfilled than filled!!! Like I said I have no clue if it's just a placebo effect, or what, but I wanted to share my story for those of you who are unfilled. I honestly do believe though that there are effective diet supplements out there and that the drug companies are the ones who start all the hype about nothing working. It seems that there are just too many anecdotal stories out there to discount every single supplement. So now, I'm acutally considering holding off on any fill for even longer (I'm supposed to get 1cc in next week), since I'm doing so well without one! And I loooove being able to eat scrambled eggs and hot dogs again! Anyway, that's my story and I hope no one thinks I am trying to endorse any supplement or anything but I did want to share my experience.