Search the Community

The big losers do not necessarily have more willpower or desire. The important difference between the big losers and the re-gainers may be how easy they find the journey to be. Surprisingly, you can control a large part of how easy or hard it is to lose weight. The weight loss journey is not just about changing your digestive system through surgery. It is also about changing your entire lifestyle to facilitate weight loss. Weight Loss Surgery is a Weight Loss Tool, Not a Cure Weight loss surgery is a tool. It can make you less hungry by reducing the size of your stomach by inserting a band around your stomach (Lap-band), removing the majority of your stomach pouch (vertical sleeve gastrectomy) or folding or stapling away the majority of your stomach pouch (gastric bypass, duodenal switch, and sleeve plication). The vertical sleeve gastrectomy reduces hunger by reducing the amount of ghrelin, a hunger hormone, that your stomach produces. The gastric bypass and duodenal switch reduce nutrient absorption. All of these surgeries can help you eat less and lose weight, but none of these surgeries are fail-proof. You can “cheat” by eating high-calorie foods, drinking high-calorie beverages, drinking beverages while you eat solid foods, and eating without measuring your portions. Successful weight loss requires good choices on your part, and making good choices is easier if you focus on your entire lifestyle, not just the part of your digestive system that was changed with surgery. The Influence of Your Surroundings on Your Weight Think about this scenario. You leave home without breakfast and order a muffin and ice coffee at the drive-through on your way to work. You grab a doughnut at your morning meeting, and go out for lunch with your friends. You order the lunch special with a salad, breadstick, fettuccine alfredo and cheesecake. You nibble on some chocolates from your secretary’s desk as you make your way to the vending machine for a soda in the afternoon. You pick up a pizza on your way home because you know that there is nothing else for dinner. Now compare it to this second scenario. You wake up early to meet your friend for a walk before you get home for a breakfast of scrambled egg whites and spinach. You drive to work and have yogurt and some fruit at your morning meeting. Lunch with your coworkers consists of a green salad with canned tuna, and you have a hard-boiled egg for your afternoon snack. You are able to get dinner on the table quickly when you get home because you only need to defrost the meals that you prepared earlier in the week. Which scenario do you think you can help you lose weight? The second one, of course. So why not make it a reality? Do Your Surroundings Encourage Weight Loss or Weight Gain? You have battled your weight for years, if not for your entire life before weight loss surgery. In all likelihood, your environment was set up for you to eat. Take a good, hard look at your environment. Is it more like the first scenario or the second one described above? You have the ability to make it more like the second one. Notice the following items from the two scenarios. Exercise was automatic in the second one because you planned to meet a friend – so you couldn’t back out. Preparing your dinners ahead of time meant that you could eat quickly without going to a fast food restaurant. Packing your own snacks meant that you did not have to eat a doughnut in your morning meeting or chocolates in the afternoon. Make the “Right” Choice Automatic The fewer tough choices you have, the less likely you are to make poor decisions. Set up your environment so that the healthier actions are easier. To make healthy eating easier: Prepare plenty of meals ahead of time so that you always have a ready-to-eat, healthy option to prevent you from opting for take-out. Throw away the take-out menus that you used to store in the kitchen. The extra time it takes you to look up the phone numbers and menus online may be enough to let you come to your sense and realize that you don’t want fast food. Keep your kitchen stocked with all kinds of healthy foods, so that no matter your craving, you have a healthy answer. Do not keep unhealthy foods at home. If they are not there, you cannot eat them. Make sure that the healthy option is the default option. For example, measure your cheese and cut and wash fruits and vegetables ahead of time so that it is easier to snack on them than on cookies. Also consider these ideas: Meet your friends for walks or shopping trips instead of for meals at restaurants. Park your car a few blocks away from work so that you have no choice but to walk those few blocks again at the end of the day as you leave work. Do not drive past drive-thrus if they are too tempting. Also, do not keep money in the car, and consider removing your car’s cup holders so that eating in the car is no longer an option. All weight loss surgery patients have their own struggles. Far from being wimpy, removing these obstacles rather than fighting them is the best way to overcome them. The weight loss journey path will always have speed bumps and potholes, but it will be a lot smoother if you set up your lifestyle to promote better choices all day.

You Choose: How Easy Do You Want Losing Weight to Be? Weight loss surgery is a substantial step in the battle to control your weight. It is proof of your long-term commitment to eating better and becoming healthier. Research clearly shows that weight loss surgery can be far more effective for significant long-term weight loss than diet and exercise, so why don’t all weight loss surgery patients achieve their goal weights after weight loss surgery? Why do some people find the journey easier than others, even though both sets of individuals are motivated to follow the weight loss surgery diet? The big losers do not necessarily have more willpower or desire. The important difference between the big losers and the re-gainers may be how easy they find the journey to be. Surprisingly, you can control a large part of how easy or hard it is to lose weight. The weight loss journey is not just about changing your digestive system through surgery. It is also about changing your entire lifestyle to facilitate weight loss. Weight Loss Surgery is a Weight Loss Tool, Not a Cure Weight loss surgery is a tool. It can make you less hungry by reducing the size of your stomach by inserting a band around your stomach (Lap-band), removing the majority of your stomach pouch (vertical sleeve gastrectomy) or folding or stapling away the majority of your stomach pouch (gastric bypass, duodenal switch, and sleeve plication). The vertical sleeve gastrectomy reduces hunger by reducing the amount of ghrelin, a hunger hormone, that your stomach produces. The gastric bypass and duodenal switch reduce nutrient absorption. All of these surgeries can help you eat less and lose weight, but none of these surgeries are fail-proof. You can “cheat” by eating high-calorie foods, drinking high-calorie beverages, drinking beverages while you eat solid foods, and eating without measuring your portions. Successful weight loss requires good choices on your part, and making good choices is easier if you focus on your entire lifestyle, not just the part of your digestive system that was changed with surgery. The Influence of Your Surroundings on Your Weight Think about this scenario. You leave home without breakfast and order a muffin and ice coffee at the drive-through on your way to work. You grab a doughnut at your morning meeting, and go out for lunch with your friends. You order the lunch special with a salad, breadstick, fettuccine alfredo and cheesecake. You nibble on some chocolates from your secretary’s desk as you make your way to the vending machine for a soda in the afternoon. You pick up a pizza on your way home because you know that there is nothing else for dinner. Now compare it to this second scenario. You wake up early to meet your friend for a walk before you get home for a breakfast of scrambled egg whites and spinach. You drive to work and have yogurt and some fruit at your morning meeting. Lunch with your coworkers consists of a green salad with canned tuna, and you have a hard-boiled egg for your afternoon snack. You are able to get dinner on the table quickly when you get home because you only need to defrost the meals that you prepared earlier in the week. Which scenario do you think you can help you lose weight? The second one, of course. So why not make it a reality? Do Your Surroundings Encourage Weight Loss or Weight Gain? You have battled your weight for years, if not for your entire life before weight loss surgery. In all likelihood, your environment was set up for you to eat. Take a good, hard look at your environment. Is it more like the first scenario or the second one described above? You have the ability to make it more like the second one. Notice the following items from the two scenarios. Exercise was automatic in the second one because you planned to meet a friend – so you couldn’t back out. Preparing your dinners ahead of time meant that you could eat quickly without going to a fast food restaurant. Packing your own snacks meant that you did not have to eat a doughnut in your morning meeting or chocolates in the afternoon. Make the “Right” Choice Automatic The fewer tough choices you have, the less likely you are to make poor decisions. Set up your environment so that the healthier actions are easier. To make healthy eating easier: Prepare plenty of meals ahead of time so that you always have a ready-to-eat, healthy option to prevent you from opting for take-out. Throw away the take-out menus that you used to store in the kitchen. The extra time it takes you to look up the phone numbers and menus online may be enough to let you come to your sense and realize that you don’t want fast food. Keep your kitchen stocked with all kinds of healthy foods, so that no matter your craving, you have a healthy answer. Do not keep unhealthy foods at home. If they are not there, you cannot eat them. Make sure that the healthy option is the default option. For example, measure your cheese and cut and wash fruits and vegetables ahead of time so that it is easier to snack on them than on cookies. Also consider these ideas: Meet your friends for walks or shopping trips instead of for meals at restaurants. Park your car a few blocks away from work so that you have no choice but to walk those few blocks again at the end of the day as you leave work. Do not drive past drive-thrus if they are too tempting. Also, do not keep money in the car, and consider removing your car’s cup holders so that eating in the car is no longer an option. All weight loss surgery patients have their own struggles. Far from being wimpy, removing these obstacles rather than fighting them is the best way to overcome them. The weight loss journey path will always have speed bumps and potholes, but it will be a lot smoother if you set up your lifestyle to promote better choices all day.

Hi guys, Im now 22, but have always been a fit and active teenager. At ages 20, I developed narcolepsy and the amount of exercise I could do in a day dropped dramatically thanks to always been insanely tired, and the medication I've been prescribed has side effects of weight gain. I'm now BMI 35, but since I developed narcolepsy I've tried to get back into my sport (which I do enjoy), gyms, personal trainers etc but I just can't do enough exercise to keep up with how much I eat and I'm worried that if I don't change something, I'll keep getting bigger and have worse health complications like diabetes etc. Has anyone got narcolepsy and has considered weight loss surgery? Thanks!

Look, The body is an amazing machine. It will allow us to abuse it and use it and continue to work when it is run down and give us the energy we need to go on when things have tired it out. It has the capability to adjust if you are injured so that no matter what you will still see the horizon...Those are just a few things it does.... i call it the perfect city! One piece goes wrong the rest of the city starts to change to either accommodate it or shut the system down for repairs. Our bodies will go into rest to protect us from what it considers a possible threat to its well being. It will hold off weight loss if it thinks that it is being harmed in any way. Or it feels it does not have enough to continue to keep the city running smooth. It will hold on to fat if it thinks these things. I call it going into a rest period. We have put our bodies into so much stress over the years with weight gain, then weight loss, then gain again. It has constantly adjusted to keep us going until it cannot handle the changes anymore and we begin to see unhealthy conditions creep into our city. You are doing something to fix your body and your body is confused. that is normal. How long has it been since you fed it good quality food like Protein, Water, vegetables and fruits..It is doing the happy dance! But it still does not trust you so it rests and waits to see if you are going to continue to care for it.....When it feels that you are okay, the weight will start to drop off again......If you look at it this way you will see the body the way I do...A marvelous machine or city that will protect itself from serious harm..... You will drop weight again..Your body just needs to catch up... This is how an Osteopath explained the body to me and I loved the examples!!! Made me appreciate the human body more!

Hi there. Thank u so much for your reply. I guess its good to know im not the only one thinking this way about the weight gain. If I can ask what are your portion sizes now like? I can comfortably eat one scrambled egg on a slice of toast with onion but I just dont want to be doing any damage. So some advice on portion sizes I should be eating would be great. Thanks, Tanya

I had zero weight gain in about 9 months. Then i gained like 10lbs but was still eating correctly and working out like crazy. It was my body adjusting.. Ive sinced taken that 10lbs off plus another 6lbs and reached goal weight.. SO IT IS NORMAL!!! Keep going. Chris

BlueSea, Isnt it amazing when your on the path to WLS that you notice the small things in life. Especailly how others eat their food. I agree with your decision to continue to be private about your upcoming surgery. And even with the knowledge of your friends possible WLS you had the respect to allow her to continue her journey for a healthier life style. No matter what that is something you should be proud of! When I started WLS journey I knew it is something I feel I want to guard with all my heart. Not because I feel I am weak as a person because all of us have face the unsettling judgement of others during weight gain moments of our life. I just want to protect myself and my journey and not be derailed by others comments. I am doing this for me and my family to have a long and healthy life. I lost my father to obesity plan and simple he was very young. So for me I have been on this journey to get healthy and happy with the wonderful tool of VSG also I didnt want my daughter to go through the same pain in her young life. And I have a little cheerleader on my side!! So Happy I did this!! Wishing you the very best!

I'm hoping to get some advice/insight. I was sleeved on 5/30/13 and since then have lost almost 100 lbs. My husband and I are wanting to try for another baby. Today I actually got my Mirena IUD taken out (which hurt like a mofo lol) so now the real thing is to start trying within the next few months. Sooooo..... to those who have gotten pregnant after having the surgery. . How long did you wait? Any complications health or delivery wise? food intake? Weight gain/loss? I'm just trying to get as much info as possible so anything will help

tanya when I was a newbie - people didn't talk much on the board about gaining weight after maintennance seemed like a taboo subject i am glad that weight gain "issue" is brought up more often when you/me/we are first sleeved - "most" of us consistently follow the necessary rules to lose their weight how great is that!!!! but.........some people don't realize/or don't act on the fact that having/working with the sleeve is something we need to do for the rests of our lives we must consistently follow all the rules that we had after surgery Water, eating slowly, moderation, waiting after eating before you drink etc etc maintennance, yes its easier to slip into old bad habits and gain back some weight it happens to the best of us none of us are perfect (except me of course ) its "ok" to think of the possibility you might gain weight might help keep you on the straight and narrow!!! hopefully you/me et al won't gain but.......... we've all worked too hard, became too healthy and happy to now "blow" it now fluctuate sometimes 1-3 lbs but thats ok by me never said this was easy (despite what non WLS OP say about this being the "easy way out") you've lost 90 lbs woo hoo party dance party dance kathy congrats

Living with addiction is hard, I kept trying to fix things only to realize I could only control myself. I hated who I had become, I let myself become consumed with his alcoholism and lost myself completely. This was the beginning of my weight gain, the more out control his drinking became the bigger I got. Use this time apart to get clarity, who are you, who is he, do you value the same things, you'll rediscover yourself. When you are clear about yourself you won't get sucked into his drama, its his not yours, your yelling and name calling keeps you stuck in his game. Who knows what time apart will give him, just know your boundaries and limits so that if you do reconcile the rules are clear. I divorced and my ex died from his alcoholism.

Funny I read this thread. I woke up this morning and the scale showed I gained back the 6lbs I lost for my pre-opt diet. At first I was WTF?! Then I remember my cycle is less then a week away. A big weight gain before The Curse is normal for me. As soon as my period starts my weight go back down. It goes down quicker if I take water pills though.

Everyone is different, so I can only speak from my experiences, but many of the fears, rumors, advice has turned out to be far, far off base. I am not promoting or endorsing any of my particular choices for others, but I've found that I can still have anything and everything I like to eat and drink and more. I rarely exercise, I can drink any form of alcohol I like, with no difference in tolerance from pre surgery. No special gear, eating utensils, measuring devices, apps, fitness gear is necessary. If anyone is told they need any of those things by other post vsg individuals, they really don't (unless it is the advice of a surgeon/doctor). But, hey ...if it works for you or makes you feel better, by all means go for it. Weight goes up and down. Stalls happen. Weight gain happens. Its not hard to get back on track. Paying close attention to what my body is telling me is one of the big differences for me. hair falls out, hair grows back. With a large weight loss at an older age, there is extra skin that I may or may not address at a later time. My latest lesson is that there are extremely unpleasant consequences to missing B12 supplements for very long: shaking, numb hands and fingers bruises weakness breathlessness extreme...very extreme, joint pain debilitating back pain Sometimes I'm not hungry and don't eat all day. Other days I eat constantly.

I don't eat much bread because I am paranoid about weight gain, plus it swells up in my belly and i get that stuck feeling if i am not careful. I especially am not a bread fan because I don't drink with my food so my mouth feels dried out after i'mdone and i'm stuck feeling that way for 30mins. lol right now my husband and I just ate some cold cuts. he ate 7 inches. I had like half of a 3in and was full.

Good afternoon, I am now three weeks out-down 25lbs and total of 38lbs since I had to lose some to make the insurance requirements. All my blood work that was done last Saturday came back great, except for my blood sugar. It was 185 for fasting. I took 3 units before bed as it was 169. My bariatric surgeon placed me on a sliding scale for the insulin. So my endo calls me. She's not happy with that number. She wants to add either metformin along with the insulin being bumped up and maybe long acting insulin at night. WTH? The reason I did this surgery was to get off all these darned meds. In three weeks, I am feeling better than I have in years because I am not on all those meds. I am actually sleep fully the whole night through. They were the death knell for me. I am walking-targeting 10,000 steps per day-last week I walked 18.79 miles. Not too shabby. But my numbers aren't budging on the blood sugars even after a hour on the treadmill and bringing my target heart rate up to 130. I don't get it. I am very frustrated. I don't want to go back on those meds as they all have weight gain! Then I may as well NOT have done this surgery. She says it to help me heal faster. Bull. I don't buy it at all. I just want to sit and cry. I am so sick of having type 2-that appears to never go away as others have. Anyone else in this boat? Nell

Katie Keane So sorry you are having such a tough time. I wouldn't last on anything a didn't enjoy either. I have never heard or tried have the Protein drink guys name. Tried a few and tried unjury vanilla. It's good but you get bored. I started adding Int'l delight coffee creamer flavors and other things tats my base. They come sugar free, fat free. etc I get the regular. I didn't get fat on that. and add a 1/4 cup to my shake. I'm 2 Years in and thrilled. Lost 80 lbs. and that's it. Far as I want to go. I am older and do not want the skin falling off my face and neck. Some before and afters are a little to much. I wanted health, to feel and look good. And be able to move well. I have done that. I even had 2 let outs before the holidays and no weight gain. Starting to eat a little better. Also started juicing to round out nutrients. Feel Fab as a large love me my life my clothes. I was 30. Good Luck Girls.

My advice is to research various bipolar medications and see if 1) they have an association with weight gain and 2) they have an association with raising resting glucose levels. I am a disabled veteran with BP disorder (honorable d/c Nov 2002, not a war veteran) and in my view my weight gradually but slowly went up taking various psych medications. You don't want to reach your weigh loss goal and then start to gain because of taking this "mind candy". I should also emphasize that as you quickly lose weight in the beginning (4-5 lbs/week) you need to have your BLOOD LEVEL of these drugs tested monthly. I was taking 4 lithium capsules for a long time as a fatso but within a month post op, my psychiatrist cut it to 2 capsules because my level was approaching the toxic level and had it not been reduced I would have soon been showing signs and symptoms of chronic lithium toxicity. Was it my psychiatrist who called me in for a blood test? NO! You have to instinctively understand as you get smaller and the amount of blood in your body decreases that all medications will become more concentrated. So it was ME who called HER and said I wanted a blood draw for Lithium. Since that time 1 1/2 months ago, I have gone down 20 more. I will be getting another blood test next week. And again, it was ME who made the call. I cannot speak for the chronic toxicity syndromes of other bipolar drugs. Just research it yourself and get your blood level tested. Having anxiety about whether or not to get the operation is only normal. Gastric Bypass is major surgery. Having you gall bladder taken out, for example, is minor surgery. For those of us who are middle aged and never have "gone under the knife" this is a very scary idea. For us taking on this operation it is a "leap of faith". The night before I reported to the hospital I was having this back and forth conversation in my head. Luckily the "man" part won and I had the operation. So maybe you could use a little more clonazepam to reduce the anxiety and its physical symptoms. I congratulate you on your cleverness stuffing weights in your bra! That shows me that you really know this operation will improve your life. I am just agast at the incompetency of the insurance people you have dealt with. Could we double welfare payments so that they could just stay home? Because of being a disabled vet I have Medicare at the age of 46 and with Medicare all I had to prove is that I had a BMI of 35-39 with two co-morbidities (BMI above 40 they do with no questions asked). The good thing about Medicare is that they only pay for the surgery at a "Center of Excellence" a moniker earned by the gastric bypass surgeons at that facility based on their past published surgery results. Norton Community Hospital in Louisville (95 miles from my home in "deep southern" Indiana) is the only center in Kentucky that won that distinction. The hospital 2 miles south of me does the operation but they are not a "Center of Excellence" But really the only person you care about competency for is the surgeon. Make sure you investigate your surgeon well. Mine has been doing weight loss surgery only and has never had a "leak"

I didn't want to take lyrica because of the possible weight gain. I've tried everything and I'm on Lexapro and Cymbalta. But the only thing that takes the edge off is hydrocodone. And it totally is a catch 22 because it is so painful to exercise.... Especially afterwards, it feels like my muscles just tighten up and I can hardly move:/

I can soooooo appreciate this thread. I am actually going through the EXACT same issue. Plus more prone to the weepys. I'm guessing that the weight loss has caused an added release of Estrogen into my system making everything haywire including the 3# weight gain. Which makes me pissy them weepy. I do hope next month will be better. Until then I cheated and had a 3 oz dark chocolate bar that took forever to eat. I guess that's the good news. LOL

OK, caveat here: I'm 55 so not in your age group. I am 6 months out from my surgery, have dropped a little over half the 100 pounds I plan to lose. I don't exercise much beyond walking, and I have been very relaxed with my food intake. My daily goal is to meet protien needs then from there, whatever I want. I lose an average of 7 to 10 pounds a month which is very slow compared to many others. I do find that I have floppy arms, but I've always had issues with my upper arms. Beyond that, my belly apron is receding and the skin is firm. The skin on my legs is also firm. If I exercised, I'm sure it would be even better. In fact, I'm planning plastics, but really only my arms and boobs. I think the response of our skin is genetics, age, life experience (I've had two kids and had a massive abdominal surgery.) Pre-weight gain, I never had the apron till I hit 170 and as I drop back that direction, it looks like it may go away. Believe me, I'm crosssing my fingers!! My doctor suggested exercise, moisturizing and hydration for optimal skin thickening. I also believe that rapid weight loss contributes to the skin bagging. I use baby oil gel, body butters and oil formulated for scars and stretch marks. And I drink a LOT of fluids, and avoid sodium and alcohol. Best of luck!

melis there is a thread on the board called Pregnancy with gastric sleeve i'm sure there is a lot of good info that will help you sounds like your new bundle was a little bit of a surprise but i can tell are looking forward to having a cutie you've lost 78 lbs!!!! terrific!!!! you "maybe/probably" won't/shouldn't lose weight through these next months of being preggo you'll be eating, giving your "newbie" good nurishment try not to gain too much - but some weight gain i think is inevidable good luck kathy congrats

Look at it this way. Say you were getting just enough calories to maintain a weight. Then you decided to add one Twinkie a day to your diet. You would not see the weight gain immediately but over the course of time it would show up. This is easy to believe. Why is it harder for us to believe the opposite? If you maintain a calorie deficit over time your body will lose to fit that reality. It may hold on for awhile but eventually it will give way. I realized this early on. I weighed out of curiosity of how my body was doing it, it was fascinating. Up, down, stall, up, down, down, etc. I should have kept a chart for fun. I had no doubt that goal would be met. My body had a lower goal in mind than the arbitrary one my mind picked as you can see by my signature.

Hi Zuzupetals Good luck with your journey. I see you've chosen the sleeve. I will share my experience. Right now I feel like I've failed. I had a band and it worked well for 10 years and I got to a normal BMI! Oh joy, true joy. But then band has failed (it failed mechanically, so had to be taken out). Without the band Ive regained weight and am back up to an obese BMI again, which I am finding really frustrating as I'd been at a healthy BMI for so long. Now I want to get revision surgery to sleeve gastrectomy. I am waiting each day to get a surgery date confirmed. I wish I was postop. I am struggling with weight gain and feeling frustrated and demoralised. I so want to get a chance to turn things around with a sleeve.

Hi everyone, Thanks so much for your responses and helpful suggestions! I really appreciate your enthusiasm and feedback. Your positive reactions have made me confident that BariatricPal Local Chapters can become reality in the near future. Below, I’ll try to answer a few questions that were raised in this conversation. Can BariatricPal provide help finding local venues where meetings can be held? Yes! We can provide a general list of suggested places to try, such as local church buildings, schools, parks and hospitals. We can also provide a letter or email that you can send to local contacts to ask if you can hold Local Chapter meetings at these places. We can work with you more if you need it. How long is each meeting? It depends on the meeting’s agenda and on the group dynamics set by the group leader and the meeting’s participants. A meeting with a simple lesson and discussion might be as short as an hour, while a meeting that includes a group walk and a cooking lesson might take two or more hours. Are “+1’s” allowed? Spouses and other close supporters are absolutely welcome at special events, such as any national meeting or cruise that BariatricPal might sponsor. Some weight loss surgery patients are uncomfortable having non- weight loss surgery patients or candidates present at meetings, so we are still deciding whether they are welcome at regular Local Chapter meetings. What are your thoughts? How will we know if meeting locations are accessible? Since many weight loss surgery patients may be dealing with mobility issues, accessible Local Chapter locations will be marked with a special icon to indicate that they are wheelchair-friendly. You have suggested a lot of great ideas for BP Local Chapter meetings! These are some of the activities that it looks like you may be interested in. Grocery store visit Lessons led by your group leader. Topics may include: Reading nutrition and ingredients labels How to start and keep a food journal Getting back on track and how to battle plateaus and weight gain. Replacement and transfer addictions How to beat mental/emotional hunger (“head hunger”) What to do when your friends or family are not as supportive as they could be Food choices: what to eat, what not to eat, and healthy meal ideas Workout support: how to start exercising and stay motivated for the long-term. Meet at restaurant so that everyone can work together to figure out healthy food choices Lectures from a visiting expert, such as a bariatric surgeon, nutritionist, skin removal surgeon, or psychologist. Periodic clothing exchanges Outside activities, such as walking for fun or training for charity runs/walks which your entire Local Chapter can participate in together. The consensus so far seems to be that most of you would like some guidance on agendas for Local Chapter meetings, but some flexibility would be helpful, too. That way, BariatricPal Local Chapters everywhere can feel more unified and group leaders are supported in their efforts, but Local Chapters can have the freedom to customize their meetings to their members’ needs. Again, thank you for the discussion and your enthusiasm. Please keep the ideas coming!

I will give you the opposite side since I see my clinic as more conservative than most I see here. We are told that we should ALWAYS follow the 30/30/30 rule. That rule is no drinking 30 minutes before eating, chew every bite 30 times, and no drinking for 30 minutes after finishing eating. Drinking while eating allows you to eat more since it pushes the food through your pouch. Stopping drinking and waiting to drink is making use of the tool that RNY is. Not following his rule most believe will lead to weight gain over time. As for eating carbs... We should always eat our Protein first. We must also make our protein goal. Once those are met adding in some carbs is fine. I have had potatoes, rice, crackers, and bread. The one thing that my NUT told me I should not go back to is Cereal for Breakfast. I always enjoyed oatmeal for breakfast. There is simply not enough protein in any of the cereals to make the daily protein goal. It's different for each of us, but I hope this helps. Good luck!!

Hello everyone, My surgery is rearing it's head, coming up on March 24th so I thought I would give you some insight on my journey. Maybe you can relate, maybe not. If my story resonates with one person than I am glad I posted! I decided to look into weight loss surgery 2 1/2 years ago when I hit an all time high of 318lbs. After numerous failed attempts at weight watchers, hcg, medifast... you name it.. I knew something had to be done. I suffer from depression and PTSD. A huge part of my weight gain can be directly related to events in my childhood. I grew up in a well off family, I never starved or had to worry about not having food. It was one year after I was sexually abused by a family member (more than once) that I began noticing I was bigger than the other kids in my class. Prior to this I was modeling for ABC kids and teens and had a very supportive loving family who encouraged me to be who I wanted to be, my entire life my parents have supported me in every decision (lucky). I never said anything to my parents about being sexually abused because I thought it was my fault and I was embarrassed. I didn't want to hurt my parents or feel like I let them down. I struggled with this weight on my shoulders for about 15 years of my life until 2 years ago when I sought out therapy and someone to talk to. I didn't want to be on anti depressants any longer or anxiety medication because I didn't feel like I was living but merely existing. It was time I figured out a healthy way to cope. Through therapy I was able to come to a lot of realizations just by finally talking to someone about it and reflecting (as hard as that was). One of the realizations I had during therapy was that I was eating A] because I felt it was the only thing in my life I could control and B] because I was using my weight as a shield, as comfort, as protection. I thought if I was big people could not and would not want to abuse me. During my two years of therapy I got off of all of my medications, and gained more weight and hit an all time high of 343. Now I was eating for comfort because of all of these repressed memories I was dealing with and without medication. I was self-medicating with food. Once I had this realization I sought out to get educated on EVERYTHING I was putting into my body. All those words in the ingredients you cant pronounce, I looked them up and read how they affected my body and how my body breaks them down or doesn't. It is amazing how a little education and self discovery can shift your relationship with food! I have recently lost 45 lbs since I have changed my relationship with food. I can finally say I am at a place where I can now eat to live and not live to eat. I spent a lot of time working on me before I decided I was "ready" for WLS. Once I decided I was ready I attended several classes on mastering weight management. This is not something I have taken lightly as I really want to be a better person and live my life for me. This is my second chance at life, better yet the chance I felt was robbed from me. I wanted to be as emotionally, mentally, and physically prepared as I possibly could be before starting this new chapter in my journey, to ensure I would have nothing short of success on what I was about to set out to do. I know this was a long read so thank you to those of you who stuck with me here. P.S. I am so ready! :-D