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"WLS....but I can't see someone only giving out part of the information that makes them look good or feel accepted." I find my weight no ones business. And I certainly don't give partial info just to make myself look good or feel accepted. I don't give a **** if someone thinks I'm good at something or accept me. To me, my weight gain and/or loss is very personal to me. I guess I could take your advice and when someone insists on prying and asks me about my weight.. And instead of giving a partial answer, I will simply not answer and see how that flies

I have lifelong major depressive disorder and have been on all kinds of meds. I've been taking Wellbutrin since 1995 and have added and subtracted other meds along the way. My long-term psychiatrist always said that it was very important that I sleep, which was a big problem. Benzos don't work for me (Valium, etc). The best thing that worked was a combination of Ambien and Thorazine. But who wants to take Thorazine?! So after a while he suggested Seroquel (just for the insomnia, I'm not bipolar or schizophrenic). Started at 100 mg maybe 8 years ago. Gradually worked my way down to 25 mg. Then my doctor died. In the midst of this, I had a VSG in Jan 2010. Beginning weight was 385, day of surgery 361, lowest 285, today 335. I've learned to eat around the restriction, obviously, but could the Seroquel be part of the problem? Meanwhile, I'm not sure the Seroquel is working as well for sleep. My new doctor isn't too happy to prescribe it. She would like to see me off of it because it's not supposed to be a sleep medicine, although she's always saying what a low dose it is. (200mg is a low dose; 800mg is a high dose.) So I don't think she'll increase it. Seroquel is known to increase weight, but she says the effect lasts about 12 hours, so since I take it at night, it shouldn't be a problem. But since it's not working well anyway, and since it might be causing weight gain, I decided to go off of it on a trial basis. Today is day 4. The first two nights were hell. The second two nights were better, but still not good enough to function. But I do feel less driven to eat. Do you think that Seroquel could be a factor in my less than stellar weight loss results? How long should I suffer through sleepless nights before going back on it? Should I try something else to sleep?

Hi - I take Lamictal, and when I found out that my nurse wouldn't give it to me the night I was in the hospital I freaked out. My mom and husband tried to talk to her - it wasn't her, but my surgeon. I take Xanax as well as 2 antidepressants and 1 sleep med. Nurse asked for Ativan since it can be given IV. He came back and offered benadryl...... it was a bad situation - I don't say this to scare you, but to share so you can cross that bridge up front. The preoperative nurse said they'd have all my meds for me, so I thought I was fine. Please ask your team - it was a rough night, as I'm sure you can imagine. The good news!!!! I'm 4 days post op, can swallow meds (some have to be cut, and very very spaced out) and I think they fill my little stomach up as I'm struggling with protein/calories. But my mental health is fine, just the same as it was before surgery so don't worry. I also worked hard to be mentally stable, the meds are part of my weight gain, but I am good post op so wanted to share and reassure you. Please just ask about your overnight hospital stay ❤???? Sent from my SM-T550 using the BariatricPal App

You offer some great and well-founded insights and I thank you for taking the time to tell your story. I spoke too fast (and perhaps too naively) when I wrote that other WLS are plug and play. I think they just seem that way when one has experienced complications with a lapband. I also suspect that we haven't yet seen the long term effects of the more recent WLS and that is why those surgeries currently appear to be so much more attractive than the lapband. Let's get 10-15 years of data collecting behind the more recent WLS options and then we can talk! The rapid weight gain after an unfill, or getting one's band removed, is logical so don't be hard on yourself. The lapband, when optimally adjusted, really allows us to live on 900-1,000 calories/day without the hunger or feeling of deprivation. Take away the lapband (or its optimal fill) and there is no one in the world who could hang on to 900 calories a day comfortably....at least no former obese person. All the best, and welcome back to the banded life.

okay so let me dispell a few things. There are MANY weight gain, bulk up phase, Protein powders on the market, just as there are many weight loss protein powders on the market. There is a huge difference , however. Yes many Weight gain , bulk up products contain slow release protein, BUT they also come close to and including up to 2000 calories or more. The Syntrax matrix are not the same by any means. It is why I have always told people high protein does not mean low cal. many, many protein supplements are for weight gain, not weight conscious people. Syntrax Matrix products contain both slow release and fast release Proteins. And they are weight loss friendly. Do not confuse these products with bulk enhancing protein powders

You are owning up to your failure and that takes guts. Drinking is one big weight gain problem and if you put your mind to it then yes you will succeed. 24 minutes is better then nothing. I wish you nothing but success.

This is like torture remembering diets, weight loss, weight gain, especially when I have been in a perpetual state of yo yo dieting for the last 8 years. I have my appointment with the surgeon on January 7th, I will let you know what he says about my diet history sheets. I will provide you with this information, hopefully it will help so you will have an easier time.

HI all! Just wanted to give an update on this as it seems there is definitely some commonality here with unfills and getting back to the "green zone"..I don't know if we can ever really achieve where we were before. I think the initial fill series and weight loss is our chance to do it. From there the band, for me, was a tool to keep the weight off..and it did that for quite a few years. Turned out I lived with being too tight, stretched my esophagus..but my weight was maintained. Who knows what my caloric intake was at that time. I did get food and drinks in and didn't count calories..but I stayed within a 5lb range usually. Now I am approaching almost a year since my unfill..it was September of last year. So 10 months later I am still up 40lbs. I got my last fill a few months ago..I was up 50, but my boyfriend of over a year unexpectedly left me in May. I lost almost 10lbs on the "heartbreak" diet..wouldn't recommend it, but it finally pushed the lbs down. Now..I am maintaining that loss. What I will need to do to kickstart the rest of it...not sure. I don't think I want to get any tighter. I don't want to go back to where I was. I was talking to someone about this last night..explaining my journey over the last year of rapid gain even though I was severely restricting calories. I think I am back to almost "mere mortal" status where I really have to restrict low, exercise my rear off and work harder to get off these 40lbs..and THEN..let the band do its job of keeping it off. I don't think these last 40lbs will come off solely relying on the band. My hunger has dimished to back where it was pre-unfill..of course the stress and heartache also help curb the hunger..I have lost interest in food, but still eat and maintain. For now..letting myself heal from the breakup and other things going on before I start full force to lose again. I also am kinda waiting for track season to wind down as my larger motorcycle suit I got to replace the one that no longer fit will be dangerously too big if I lose another 10-20lbs now and it is too costly to have it altered again and again..so waiting until I am back to my normal weight before I alter it one last time..so torn about losing too much before November comes....ahhh priorities!! Keep sharing stories..I don't think the surgeons REALLY understand what isgoing on with the unfill process. They assume we are all gorging on the things we couldn't eat when we were filled. Sheesh I gained 5lbs on air!! Seriously..the initial few weeks were scary fast weight gain..even on nothing!!!

Recently, I was reading the back of a Special K® Protein cereal box and saw a statement that lack of sleep can increase the feeling of hunger by 25 percent. Since I’m in a profession that is science based, I did some research on the National Library of Medicine website to verify this. Recently, I was reading the back of a Special K® Protein cereal box and saw a statement that lack of sleep can increase the feeling of hunger by 25 percent. Since I’m in a profession that is science based, I did some research on the National Library of Medicine website to verify this. I didn’t find the study that supported detailed that 25 percent increase in hunger when you don’t sleep enough. However, there were several areas where researchers are linking poor sleep and weight gain. If you are tired, you usually don’t feel like exercising. You move less, so you burn fewer calories. Being tired makes you more likely to choose a food like cake instead of salad. There were a couple of studies that did find an increase in ghrelin after poor sleep. Ghrelin is the gut hormone that makes you hungry. Sounds like the perfect storm for weight gain, right? You produce less ghrelin after surgery, which leads to less food intake. Part of weight loss after surgery is that you produce less ghrelin, which leads to less food intake. If eating more healthfully is a challenge for you, it may be that you need to start with better sleeping habits. By the way, that Special K protein cereal is a great add-in to light Greek yogurt. This is a great snack before surgery and about two months after surgery. Happy Zzzz’s!

No insulin, apparently it can cause weight gain so I'm on quite a mix of meds. Have gained weight though so worried though.

2+ yrs post op, in maintenance. BMI 21.5 this morning. Currently trying (albeit, not very hard) to lose the remaining 2.5 lbs from my pandemic weight gain. Here are the deets from yesterday; 1788 calories (I did go swimming for over an hour yesterday so this was likely reduced) 56g protein 120g NET carbs (currently addicted to these mushroom "chips" that are padding this number. Sigh) 67g fat edited to add: 50g sugars

I gained weight quick once becoming pregnant with just a SLIGHT unfill.. the last couple months I felt wide open, I think he was kinking the band, after birth my restriction has come back.. it's where it was when they unfilled a little--I know I need a slight fill to get back to where I was. I ended up going from 212-282 (70lb) by time I delivered, the day I came home from hospital I was up to 285!!! I guess it was fluid, I am losing steadily (thank goodness) and am down to 262lb today. I tried putting on pre-pregnancy pants for the first time today and they fit, a bit snug but still doable. I was fretting about the weight gain, but eventually said to hell with it.. I'll work on it when he comes along. He made me soooo hungry, and that has stopped (maybe has to do with restriction coming back). I don't eat nearly what I did while pregnant, and don't have the desire to. So if yer like me and pack on the pounds, just keep in mind you can get back to working with the band when baby comes.. don't stress yourself, it stresses baby!

@starrspunn I've been on Lyrica for almost 2 years. Started out 75mg 2x per day but now 200mg 3x per day (max dose). Sleepiness was my #1 issue. Every time they upped my dose it would literally put me out for the day. By day 2, I'd be better. Never affected appetite or weight gain.

I am 2 years post-op from RNY and my weight is flat-lined. As a matter of fact I weighed myself this morning and I am at my lowest weight thus far. So what am I doing. First, I am not hypersensitive about my weight loss. I weigh myself each morning but I use the scale only as a tool, not something to beat myself over the head with. It only tells me if I am making the wrong decisions on my experimentation with food. Second, I am getting most of my Protein from meals. I consume high protein meals and do not take protein supplements any longer. Third, I strictly stay away from processed sugars. I use low calorie sweeteners (such as Stevia), no calorie artificial sweeteners (such as Splenda), natural sugars (found in fruits and milk) and sugar alcohols. I had diabetes prior to surgery and have been in remission since the surgery and periodically monitor my blood sugar levels. And the testing shows this approach works. Fourth, I consume fats. Fats have the power to take away hunger. So generally, I am rarely hungry. Generally, I have a cup of coffee in the morning with a giant scoop of home made whip cream. I make it myself and use Splenda in place of sugar. I use whole milk and real butter. I might have 3 Adkins treats during the day which also have fats and no processed sugar. They take the edge away from hunger. I asked my nutritionist "Why do people have surgery only to gain some or all of their weight back over the years?" Her response was "grazing" which is probably synonymous with snacking. I will be the first to admit that I snack, but I think it is important to understand what is appropriate to snack on. I snack on protein and fats and exclude processed sugar. Fifth, I do not drink carbonated beverages anymore. I believe it is the carbonation that causes weight gain. It is like generating miniature explosions in my stomach that over time expand it out and allow it to grow and as a result, I gain weight. Six, I am aware of the conditions that cause me to loose additional weight and will sometimes take advantage of these conditions to capture and achieve additional long term weight loss. These fall into two categories. I have found that when I get the stomach flu, I will lose weight. I have also found that when I travel and am forced to eat out, I generally lose weight.

Many thanks to all that replied…Here's an update on me. The first thing I did was have an attitude adjustment with myself - I was feeling sorry for myself and discouraged. So, I pulled on my big girl panties and marched on…I changed my mindset from "this sucks", "the weight gain sucks", etc. to looking at this as an opportunity. There are people that have things much worse than I do - I have a great life, full support of family, a great job and a husband, son and dog that love me. I am blessed. I did well yesterday with the two appetite suppressants - I didn't feel weird, maybe a little jacked up (I also woke up this morning at 4:00 am wide awake). I had very little food yesterday compared to a normal day lately - I quickly realized how much I have been grazing. Today - same story. Very little interest in food. I feel like I'm feeling my restriction better - I'm probably more alert and I am going back to mindful eating. I almost feel like I'm at the 6 month post-op mark - remember those days? So, I'm going to keep on keeping' on for the next 6 weeks with the appetite suppressants until I see my doc for follow up. By that time, I will have had my upper GI and ultra sound on the gall bladder and we will see where the road takes me. Thanks again for the advice, kind words, and suggestions. This is an awesome forum with awesome people - I'm glad I came back.

On the "goal weight" topic - I gave up on my unrealistic pre-op goal weight a long time ago. Around the 18 month mark, when I hit my lowest weight, I realized that I was never going to get there and I was totally OK with that. During this process, this has become about so much more than a number on a scale. For 43 years I identified myself as the funny fat girl - I would make self-depricating remarks and people would laugh and I wouldn't let people know how unhappy, sad and full of self loathing I was. I would eat in private - I would actually look forward to when my husband and son would leave so I could eat. It was a horrible hell in which I lived. So, I was avoiding the 17 pound weight gain - If I didn't talk about it, it didn't happen. My jeans weren't THAT tight. My fear of going back to where I was 2 years ago, quite frankly, scared the **** out of me. After a few days of regaining control, with the help of the appetite suppressants, I'm not feeling like that any more. I feel like I'm working TOWARDS my goal of healthy living, not avoiding (there is not a number attached to that "healthy living" goal"). I mentioned above this process has become more than the number on the scale - I want to expound on that, especially for the newly sleeved or the pre-oppers. My life is wonderful. This process has made me a better person - I have found out I am stronger than I ever realized. I smile ALL THE TIME. I am genuinely happy. I've become more outgoing - I make it a goal when I travel to spend time talking to one random stranger daily - that has helped with shyness and has helped me come out of my shell. My husband and I have a great relationship - we did before surgery, but now it's more (not too much detail, but the physical aspect of our relationship is much better - that was my hangup not his). My son sees me as a role model for physical activity - we work out together, we go to hot yoga together, we cook together, our relationship is stronger. Work - that has been a wild ride. I went from wanting to quit my job 14 months ago, to getting a promotion and now being viewed a valued member of the executive team. That wouldn't have happened 75 pounds ago when I was perfectly happy giving my ideas away freely and not speaking up in meetings. I now walk into a conference room and take a seat at the table as opposed to sitting in the background with my back against the wall. I simply adore what you wrote about goals and how a goal weight is not what's important. I bounce around between 120 and as much as 129. My lowest weight was 112. The numbers are not not not important. What's important is how my life has changed for the better because I'm a normal size once again. I try to stay around the same weight because I want my clothes to not be tight, and I want to feel in control. Otherwise this is all about how my life has improved. No, it's not perfect, but it's so different than it was three years ago. I am happy and healthy for the most part. I do what I want and nothing stops me...not my size, not my mobility..or lack thereof. My three year anniversary is coming up and this is what I will write about. Thanks for providing the topic @McButterpants.

Yikes! I am actually up 2 lbs from two weeks ago. I am not sure what to think. I stopped taking my blood pressure medication last week, so I would like to think that has somethng to do with it. I didn't think it woud cause weight gain because it was a Beta Blocker. I didn't think it would cause a change in Water weight. I hope I am wrong. I guess I'll see what happens. Success to everyone next week!

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.

Here's my story: I was right at 170 to 180 pounds back in 1995 a few years after my Army days. I had no problem with getting a Woman or a date for that matter. Then I met my children's Mom right after I had started to experience back problems. I had explained to her--how the military service had caused it. She insisted she was a bit phased. We soon was pregnant with child. My son was born in June of 1996. I went back to work without a problem mid 1995. within 3 years--I have major problems. I started to m7y weight go up to, due me always missing work for back pain. In July 1998 I had to have surgery. All of a sudden at the end of 1998 I was totally unappealing. I found out my thyroid was almost asleep. I started on thyroid meds. Soon I got the cold shoulder. During this time--a second child was born. Speeding up a bit--she walked out, complaining hot big and fat I had got--how I was just 1/2 a Man. I went through the up and down weight slide. Down to 250, back up to 300. Tried this diet and that diet. Nothing worked, When I kicked butt with a serious weight loss in 2003--My knee was gone. A full knee replacement, then a second neck surgery. Yes I am disabled, But I pride myself on bouncing back. Now I am 270 and holding. My ex-wife saw me in 2005 and claimed I was l0ooking good. No way I could go back. The mral of the story is, with all of my surgeries, weight gain, weight loss and medical issues. I can't blame my ex-wife. The best thing that came out of it--winning hild custody of my 2 sons--now soon to be and 11 years old. Now I am not even attempting to get a new wife nor girlfriend. I am totally focused on my weight loss--getting the "Lap Band"--even as the medicare policy has changed with the new cuts. I can't blame the ex because--Many years ago before my Marriage. I was really feeling good about this Woman I knew. We attempted dating--but she said --No, No, No. She was like a fit size 8 to 10. But all of sudden she started to gain weight. She had developed Hyperthyroidism--where you lose weight. So her Dr has to place her the meds to gain weight back. Since that is not a clear cut science--she went from that 1o to a large 20 as I would guess. I saw her--I was trying to get away from her. So would I expect someone to date me due to my weight loss and not date me now--again my answer is maybe. I know how folks feel since I have gone from skinny to fat and back.....

It's healthy to want the things you want. What you desire is healthy. The problem is when we are unhealthy for whatever reason emotionally, we choose unhealthy partners. I'm going to go out on a little limb here and may be way off base. What I think from all you say is that early on you both had issues. I suspect he was really the charmer when you initially met as young adults. I also suspect that the mask fell off very fast, and you've been dealing with a lot. I also suspect he's a bit Narcissistic. I don't like labels but the comment regarding you being crazy as you implore him to not treat you as he does by asking WHY he does, kind of stood out like a huge red flag. Whatever is happening with him is bad. There is a poster on here who suggested a book for you and described her own abuse. She hit the nail on the head. And you did too when you talked about the fat you gained being so tied to your childhood issues once you were married and realized the status quo of your bad marriage. The weight gain is like insulation, comfort when hurt. I think your best recourse is to get counseling on your own. I even suggest a therapist, because if he is a Narcissist, or has some other mental issue, he's probably nearly broken your spirit. I can almost imagine the emotional roller coaster you've been on. The label doesn't even matter, what matters is he's being utterly selfish and cruel. And I'll tell you something, I was with an abusive guy too. Spent 14 years trying to get away, once I did, wow. I felt better. I learned a lot. What we don't know is how stumped our own self growth is when we stay in relationships that negate us from who we really are. I think counseling as you break away will help you, this way if things get ugly you're not completely without someone to lean on. Also one last piece of unwarranted advice, please. Don't engage him about the weight issue. Don't bring it up. If he brings up your weight, just listen and say you understand his views and let it go. Be kind and pleasant but don't engage arguments or rude comments. Be like a strong object, feel little, react even less. Otherwise he just takes more pot shots and you give him more fuel to fire. You'll be in my prayers and thoughts. If you feel you need to message for any reason, please do.

Monieanne - I'm transitioning from lapband to sleeve too! I am over all this weight gain. With sleeve I went down to 119lbs but then complications. I"m up to 209lbs now and feeling miserable. I'm can't wait to get my high energy life back! 8/26/15

I'm in month 2 of a 3 month medically supervised diet as required by my insurance. My first month I lost 17 lbs. This last month I had a harder time staying on track and also weighed in when I was seriously bloated from menstruation. As a result, I gained 8 lbs. I'm terrified that insurance won't approve me. I'm confident that I can lose this month and that I will have lost weight overall during the 3 month period, but I can't erase that +8 for this months weigh-in. Please, if anyone has gone through this, can you tell me how insurance handled it? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

You told yourself in the post....you're over thinking this. You're stressing (which is a major contributor to weight gain) and this is not good. Instead of thinking about it so much and crunching the numbers until you are cross-eyed, how about going for a walk and taking a look around. Enjoying the fresh air, the pretty trees, the summer flowers, the birds overhead. Gatorade and Powerades are VERY high in sugar. This could be contributing as well. I heard someone say (in one of the MANY weight loss attempts I've tried) that sugar is a inflamitory (and addictive!). In other words, the more sugar you have, the more your body will become inflamed and store the sugar it doesn't need as fat. I've worked very hard to get off of sugar. I know it's hard, but you might move to the G2 or the Powerades with lighter sugar. Also, in that same course, she said to always eat Protein before you eat sugar, as the protein helps your insulin stores deal with the increase of sucrose. PS. Don't over think how your posts will sound. We're all individuals and have different ways of expressing ourselves. I'm sure some of what I say on here is easily ignored, but maybe somewhere, some time something I say might help. Good luck!!!

I told one person in my department, the one that can't keep a secret, so she could tell everybody my plans to have surgery. I'm not ashamed, they've seen me lose weight, gain weight, and so on and so forth. I put it out there that I'd tried everything else, and surgery was my last option. I've not heard a single negative comment, however, two other nurses came out of the closet with their plans to have WLS too. Another is seriously considering it after talking to us openly about it.

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?