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I had my surgery on 11/26. I have lost 30 lbs from my pre-op diet til now. Finally, I seem to have lost the weight gain from the hospital. I am having alot of trouble getting my Protein and fluids in. Today, I've had 2 yogurts, 1 Protein shake, and about a cup of tomato Soup and about a half cup of thai ginger sweet potato soup. That's about 60 gm protein, but almost NO Water. It's really hard to eat as slowly as I need to. I tried the thai sweet potato soup because I was craving food, not something sweet, but I had a terrible time getting any down. It's soft but guess I am not ready for it. If I try again tomorrow, I will dilute it a lot. It's hard to go as slow as I need to eat, and consequently I often feel a lot of gas pain. I hope to get the hang of this soon. Feeling good, lots of energy, and have stopped pain pills today. That said, after an errand, I come home and collapse for a nap. Next week, back to work. Not looking forward to having a group lunch on Thursday when I don't know what I will be able to eat. Or what to say.....

I think this is the hard part about me losing the weight.. Part of me likes being invisible. I don't like entering the potentially attractive world. Last time I lost weight I was picked up on! I was giddy happy I couldn't believe it!! (Oh I'm married so it doesn't matter) He was so handsome! I went home and binged? I hate my fat self but I'm scared of my small self. Is that why I've always regained? This is me!!! Laura I have told you before how much I like you and can identify with your personally. (I don't show it here online much) back to being invisible even on here. I'm a binge eater a sneak eater and am ashamed! Over the holiday I struggled more than I want to admit! The site is a life line in away. I read and post some but still hide. I read and it helps me learn how to deal with my addiction... Here's me..... My sister and I were raised by our Dad. He was a wonderful dad! Never remarried only had a handful of girlfriends in the last 30 years since our mother was murdered back in 83'. Our dad was a great provider for us. He was a hard worker and came to all our sports games. I was never a skinny kid like my sister but I was never fat also. I was a solid kid I played sports I was active. I ate like a pig. In the summers we would go to Nebraska and spend the summers with our mothers side of the family. They spoiled up with treats. I ate like a piggy but my sister not so much. My grandmother cooked A LOT she always made us finish our food. Heaps of bacon eggs waffles with lots of syrup "My fav!!" candy cookies cakes homemade treats ect. I was always the first done and the only going back for more. I remember one summer at our aunts I ate 2 boxes of lucky charms for breakfast with almost a whole gallon of milk. I was cut off then in the mornings at two bowls of cereal. As I grew up I learned to cook for my sister dad and I. I was in control of my/our food habits. I like sweet foods and processed foods so that's what we ate mostly. I baked cakes, cookies, brownies, sticky buns ect.. (as I write this it's raising my demons)!! We ate whatever we wanted. I loved it then. Our dad did cook for us also good meals but he was also working like a dog trying to raise two teenage girls. Anyway.... I gain weight to hide myself. I was always a "thick" athletic girl. Always the bigger girl. I never had or wanted a boyfriend until a few weeks before I graduated high school I never wanted to be noticed. I met my husband when I was 19 and I had lost 40 pounds after high school. I teased him about tricking him with being skinny and then being fat. He has never cared either way after 13 years together 12 married he still rubs my big body with the love reflected in them. I really started to gain just about a year after we married. He was military and we always had party's and hosted huge dinners for the soldiers who stayed for the holidays. The unwanted attention started. I was appalled that "I was getting hit on in my own home" they said it was my fault. My husband never believed it. But in order to "protect" myself I gained. I would wake up 2 or 3 times in the middle of the night and eat cereal huge bowls then pass out only to wake up again and crave more. I always hid it from my husband I was ashamed. I would buy cakes form the store and eat it in my car right after I ate fast food. It got to a point where when asked to get me a piece cake I got a whole cake. He didn't want to piss me off! After gaining a huge amount I lost and gained for years and years after all that been a struggle ever since. I quit caring what I looked like or how I felt. After hitting my all time HW at 278 while pregnant I was ok with it. Weird I know. I lost it and gained again a few times in the 2 years after our son was born via IVF. (that's a whole different thread for me) It also contributed to my weight gain in 2010, the meds messed me up. I hit my HW again this January and realized I wasn't able to PLAY with my son. I couldn't keep up. I couldn't run and chase him daddy had to. I was miserable and I hated myself and resented my husband for being able to move the way he did. I took charge again, I still have good days and bad like I always have. I still want to binge I almost stopped while writing this to look for sweets. Anyway I just went on and on and probably missed the point of the thread but I wanted to get it out. Sorry

Looking for support from long time banded. I was banded in 2007. As with everyone I have had ups and downs. Overall happy since I was able to stop my weight gain but haven't had the large weigh loss. I am 230 , was 260, want to be 180. I eat lots of small meals can't eat any more than about a cup of anything but like I said, lots of small meals. Had slippage a few months ago so was unfilled and let the band settle. Band ended up ok so was refilled. I guess I'm looking for words of encouragement and support. I find once I get pounds off they stay off, am considering opti fast to get weight down. Any advice out there?

This struck such a chord with me. My mum has always had a lot of control over my life (even now at 23 years old she opens and inspects my bank statements) and ever since I can remember I had sneaked food out of the cupboards and hid the wrappers in places I didn't think she would find. She has always been very slim and really controlled everything I ate because she wanted me to be just like her. I was always bigger than average because of this but my weight didn't get so out of control until she coerced me into doing something when I was 20 that I have hated myself for ever since. I thought that my weight gain was the emotional fall out of what I did, but you have really got me thinking that maybe it was my way of rebelling against her. Definitely something to consider. Thank you (and everybody else) for sharing so much in this thread. I am very much a lurker rather than a poster but you have all helped me feel so much less alone. I think you're all amazing.

So I recently (mid sept) had an total unfill because I was having surgery and then I had surgical complications and wound up losing 13 lbs. I was enjoying being 170 lbs...the thinnest I've been since I was a kid. But I was also enjoying eating and my weight went up to 179. I know, I know, its just 9 lbs and many of us would be very excited to be at 179... But this AM, after the person Im dating told me, as nicely as a person can say such a thing (I love you and want you to be the healthy vibrant person you should be) that they are no longer attracted to me sexually because of the weight gain. Of course they offered to diet with me and they are not breaking up...but the email I got made it clear that the weight gain is really not ok. My first impulse is to not that 1) I weighed 185 when we met and you were into me then.... 2) I hate to point out that you have gained quite a bit of weight since I met you also....but the truth is none of this is relevant. It really hurts to hear someone you are so in love with and attracted to isn't attracted to you. This was my first relationship post surgery and presurgery I hadnt been with anyone sexually for a long time. The chemistry that we had was so good for my self esteem, it was just so amazing to be that way again. But now I'm just feeling so mortified to read an email that says, "Ive been noticing how you fill your plate and then eat everything" "I see you lumbering out of bed and I know the weight isnt helping". We are supposed to go on a vacation next week and I dont know how to face eating meals together, sleeping in the same bed together etc. My impulse is to end the relationship and see if I can lose the weight. I just want to crawl under a rock. Then I keep telling myself that setbacks happen, and you start over. I shouldnt make such a big deal of it. But I need advice. Im at work and cant stop crying. Im glad all of this happened via email. I could not have handled this face to face. But what now? I need support people...

Working out almost always causes weight gain in the days following. The primary reason is that protein synthesis pulls water into the muscles as part of the conversion of carbohydrates and fat into glycogen. Muscles will use this glycogen in the process of protein synthesis. And so the cycle continues and effects on the body are additive, meaning that you will see a net loss over time (e.g. a few days, a week, a month, etc. For this reason, it is best not to gauge the effectiveness of a workout solely on scale weight, especially the next day. <br><br><br><br><br> Also you need to eat enough calories and enough carbohydrates to fuel the workout. Insanity is going to require a lot of carbohydrates in order not to hit a wall during a workout or, worse, blackout, as you have stated almost happened a few times on your first day. Your body will work against you if it does not have enough fuel to support the expenditure of energy, as a defense mechanism, so eating is very important. No starvation diets if you want to reap the benefits. Not only will 500 calories cause you to hit a wall during a workout, but continually eating at such a deficit is going to put your metabolism into hibernation (you are 3 + years post op; I would not say the same thing to a 4 month post op individual). <br><br><br><br><br> Good luck on your insanity program. It should be a good one and will help you change body composition in addition to weight loss.

I am sorry Gamergirl but the abuse you suffered at the hands of those boys is enough to make any person very emotionally and mentally sick... Of course in your case it was not your parents..But that played a part in your future. It had to! We have an inward conscience of what is right and wrong if we are not mass murderers and or people who are wired to cause pain and suffering to others....But it did play a part in your mind...Way back and deep it was hidden...It is amazing what the body will do to give it some ease or protect itself.... I will never say that building walls or eating until you are extremely obese is the answer. But it seems to me that there are a lot of people who suffered some tragedy in their life to assist in weight gain.... We are one screwed up world for sure and it is always children who suffer the worst and pay for it later......

No weight gain. Enjoyed good Turkey and couple bites of pumpkin pie with rediwhip - yum! Actually lost a pound. Was off work from last Wednesday thru Sunday and was able to walk 3-4 miles each day except Saturday. Now to get thru December!

Must go and live life today.. Including getting blood tests to show everything is good and in track But I wanted to put this out there.. This is me. I'm doing well, but this is me I have OCD and it may make things a little more challenging at times.. Thank you for indulging me Compulsive overeating, also sometimes called food addiction, is characterized by the compulsive eating of food. Professionals address this with either a behavior therapy model or a food-addiction model.[1] An individual suffering from compulsive overeating engages in frequent episodes of uncontrolled eating, or binge eating, during which she or he may feel frenzied or out of control, often consuming food past the point of being comfortably full. Bingeing in this way is generally followed by feelings of guilt and depression. Unlike individuals with bulimia, compulsive overeaters do not attempt to compensate for their bingeing with purging behaviors such as fasting, laxative use, or vomiting. Compulsive overeaters will typically eat when they are not hungry. Their obsession is demonstrated in that they spend excessive amounts of time and thought devoted to food, and secretly plan or fantasize about eating alone. Compulsive overeating usually leads to weight gain and obesity, but is not the only cause of obesity. While compulsive overeaters tend to be overweight or obese, persons of normal or average weight can also be affected. In addition to binge eating, compulsive overeaters can also engage in grazing behavior, during which they return to pick at food throughout the day. These things result in a large overall number of calories consumed even if the quantities eaten at any one time may be small. When a compulsive eater overeats primarily through bingeing, he or she can be said to have binge eating disorder. Signs and symptoms Binge eating, or eating uncontrollably even when not physically hungry Eating much more rapidly than normal Eating alone due to shame and embarrassment Feelings of guilt due to overeating Preoccupation with body weight Depression or mood swings Awareness that eating patterns are abnormal Rapid weight gain or sudden onset of obesity Significantly decreased mobility due to weight gain History of weight fluctuations Withdrawal from activities because of embarrassment about weight History of many different unsuccessful diets Eating little in public, but maintaining a high body weight Very low self-esteem and feeling need to eat greater and greater amounts. Addiction During binges, compulsive overeaters may consume from 5,000 to 15,000 food calories daily, resulting in a temporary release from psychological stress through an addictive high not unlike that experienced through drug abuse. In bulimics, this high may be intensified by the act of purging. Researchers have speculated there is an abnormality of endorphin metabolism in the brain of binge eaters that triggers the addictive process. This is in line with other theories of addiction that attribute it not to avoidance of withdrawal symptoms, but to a primary problem in the reward centers of the brain. For the compulsive overeater, the ingestion of trigger foods causes release of the neurotransmitter, serotonin. This could be another sign of neurobiological factors contributing to the addictive process. Abstinence from addictive food and food eating processes causes withdrawal symptoms in those with eating disorders. There may be higher levels of depression and anxiety due to the decreased levels of serotonin in the individual.[2] There are complexities with the biology of compulsive eating that separate it from a pure substance abuse analogy. Food is a complex mixture of chemicals that can affect the body in multiple ways, which is magnified by stomach-brain communication. In some ways, it may be much more difficult for compulsive overeaters to recover than drug addicts. There is an anecdotal saying among Overeaters Anonymous members that "when you are addicted to drugs you put the tiger in the cage to recover; when you are addicted to food you put the tiger in the cage, but take it out three times a day for a walk."[2] The physical explanation of compulsive overeating may be attributed to an overeaters' increased tendency to secrete insulin at the sight and smell of food, though medical evidence supporting this is controversial.[3] Research has found a link between the sugar and fat content of foods and bingeing behaviors.[4]

Hi I can relate to your problem because I have that problem I am bipolar rapid cycling. I take 22 pills a dayand just 10 of them are psychiatric drugs some weight gaining. I've had bipolar diagnosed for over 15 years and the symptoms for another 15+ years. I was banded 8-23. No fills yet as I have alot of stuck problems, sliming, and somedays just have protein smoothies. But I have learned from my many bouts of sliming that I can eat foods and meats cooked in a certain way. My best protein I can eat is fish...tilapia...fried in a little olive oil and take small bites and chew usually get a portion down no problem but do have times when I eat too fast or to big of a bite I get stuck. I am learning my abilities to eat with the lap band. If you aren't filled too tight , I feel you have a mental block....afraid to eat not even trying to see what works. I've had 30+ years of depression and I could write a book on my experiences. It took me 20 years before I forgave my abusers the shackles of hate fell off and I began to heal. But I'm on anti depressents , antipsychotics, antianxiety, and two or three others that I will never get off of...I have to work around them while working with my band. I still don't like to go out much..but I do. I start my exercise program at a gym through my mentalhealth disability social security where my insurance pays for fees. How long will I keep at it? I don't know but I keep trying. I have several chronics diseases...like diabetes, low thyroid, etc that also works against me losing weight. If you really want this....eating, losing weight, feeling better, then you need to come at this from all different sides. Do your health assessment, nutritionist, and begin from the beginning again but with thoughts of how you CAN do this. I know depression leaches out every ounce of will if you let it control you and you don't fight against it. It festers and gets a little more of you each day if you don't do something positive to stave it off. See your mental health provider and maybe you need a psychologist to talk to. But don't jyst sit there and let it win....fight back...it's your only life you'll have..how willing are you take it back and start to enjoy and join life again? I wish you only the best...it's a hard life...but it is a life with happiness and sadness..ups and downs...love...friendships...hope for better things to come. Refigure your reasons for having surgery...you made the decision to better your life don't stop now when the hard work has to begin. You won't be sorry. Don't just stagnant...push yourself forward. Things can and will get better if you only fight back a little each day until one day you are more up than down. It happened to me. It won't happen overnight but it can happen. Remember the band is the tool...it's up to you to use it wisely. Blessings and prayers my friend. It's hard but doable. And you can do this. Keep in touch.

It begins with YOU, and only You. What you put in your mouth must be quality food items and Not junk or high carbed items. More Protein items, less carbs and YOU will lost weight. Give it some time. Not everybody here loses weight instantly. Your weight gain took years to develop and now you must have patience in obtaining your ideal weight goal. Best wishes and Keep the Faith.

Thanks Misty - you and everyone else is well on their way too - can't wait until you guys join me on the maintenance bench - it is quite an adjustment after focusing on losing for so long. I still focus on protein but I am not eating enough green veges and tend to gravitate back to carbs. I have not had a weight gain at all from this but I am not sure how that will go long term. I am still eating very regularly and find if I do go without food for too long I can get quite hungry now. This is when I am most likely to morn not being able to eat a lot of food, because of course now, being hungry doesn't mean you can fit anymore in - so you never get that old full feeling just the new full feeling which is more of a physical feeling. Hard to describe but some of you might understand what I mean. Any feeling of missing the old full passes really quickly. I now clearly recognise it as truly emotional hunger because there is a certain amount of comfort attached to it - but like I said, it passes quickly once you have eaten.

If I were you, I'd make appointments with both your surgeon and your nutritionist. With you surgeon, tell him how you haven't eaten meat and are resorting to soft foods. I'm no doctor, but it sounds like you actually might be a little tight and are resorting to "soft calorie syndrome". Contrary to popular belief, tighter isn't always better with the band, in fact it can lead to weight gain and complications. Here's a great article about it: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/161269-tighter-isnt-always-better/ With your nutritionist, let them help you establish both a eating routine and calorie guidelines specific to you and your nutritional needs. Best wishes.

Definitely wait until you have reached and maintained your goal weight. Your body is going to change so many times before you reach goal. In addition remember when you take fat cell out of one area of your body your body will readjust and any weight gain will be in another part of your body (not that you will gain). Extra weight on the body is always better in the lower extremities than the middle. By the time you reach goal your thighs will be so much thinner and you will probably just want to get rid of the extra skin by then.

After a trip to see my family for Thanksgiving and successfully sticking to my healthy eating, it was particularly hard to see my obese brother who has probably gained about 30 lbs this year. When I took a good look at him, I realized his neck was so heavy I could barely see his chin and that his ears seemed disproportionaly small compared to his face. He seemed uncomfortable with my own weight loss story, in fact, he put off coming to see me from Sunday until Thanksgiving, having excuse after excuse to stay away. When he saw how slowly I ate my meal (which now seems normal to me), he said he couldn't possibly take 30 minutes to eat lunch because the best employees are expected to take only 5 minutes. When I started to respond that this is a behavioral change my WLS team helped me to make, he cut me off before I could finish. When I was served Thanksgiving dinner, he said "are you going to be able to eat that?" He was hesitant to eat at a restaurant with me because he thought I would not be able to eat anything. On the other hand, he chose the restaurant where he could get a large prime rib and as he ate the prime rib, he actually spread butter on it (though he made it a point not to butter the roll he ate). He wasn't able to come with me while I walked the dogs, decided not to shop at Walmart because he would have to park too far away ( the parking lot was not that large) and was thrilled when my mom ordered him some special kind of tongs to pick things off the floor with because he can't bend down. When I stopped by his house, there was a belgium waffle maker on the counter that he was obviously using. There are a couple of issues for me here. First I just feel very sad to see how obesity has affected him, though he says his blood sugar, cholesteral and blood pressure are all fine - I don't see how it can be long before he has serious health issues. I've lost 2 male friends his age, that were in better shape, to sudden cardiac arrest. He lives alone and seems to be isolating himself more and more. I know how isolating obesity can be, and about the cravings for fats and carbs and sweets, how hard it is to move when you are that overweight. BUT I don't see him making any attempt to make healthy choices. Second is his passive/agresive comments and behavior, I have a few now former "friends" who have been unaccepting of my new lifestyle and body and I've learned to avoid them if I want to continue my success and not risk sabotaging my weight loss. But this is my brother, my only sibling and I found myself wanting to totally avoid him too! My mom says he should get surgery too but I know he doesn't have the medical resources or support that I had and he is not willing to change his behavior. Plus, his recent weight gain would put him at a higher risk. Since obesity runs in families, does anyone else have insight as to how to deal with this?

They can kiss azzes because they ain't pooping staples ???? Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled program. My reason for the sleeve. First, my surgeon doesn't do the band, only continues care for his patients that he banded previously, due to low success rates and increasing long term complications of slippage, erosion, obstruction etc. Gastric bypass was a no go because I have Crohns Disease and already had a bowel resection. So rerouting of my GI tract and malabsorption/malnutrition was not an option. I didn't look into and never really thought of the RNY- no particular reason. My reason for my sleeve and the beauty of it. My main cause of weight gain (as is most of us) was portion and carb control. Removing 85% of my stomach took care of the portion control issue. The diet plan is Protein first then fruits and veggies then starch. I never have room for starches by the time I eat my protein. I wanted a permanent solution for a permanent problem. All of the functionality of my GI tract stays the same. Risk of complications is low, latest I've heard is 3-4%. I just had a hysterectomy 1 week ago and my OB/GYN said the risks of complications for hysterectomy (which is a routine surgery done for decades) is 5.5%. I have completely changed my lifestyle and I feel awesome. I am 10 months post op and have lost 95lbs.

Wow Misty - really brings it home how much you have lost. My only momento I kept from my old life is my life time membership card to Jenny Craig which I look at occasionally - it just makes me feel grateful every time I look at it to know I will never struggle against weight gain again like I did in the past - all my old clothes have gone now - I think I have a couple of coats left. Anyway, here is another update - we were off to the races - I am no gambler but it is great day out with friends!

I bet it's not a real weight gain. Probably water from salt. Drink lots of water and lighten up on startchy carbs and I bet it comes right off.

My mum lost my dad 4 years ago and had been adapting to living alone and finding it very hard actually. She used to be very careful about her flood intake and was always watching her weight now she lives for food and has gradually been gaining weight. She's only 5'1 so even putting on the 30 or so pounds she's gained really shows and now she breathes really heavy going upstairs and her general health has declined. She's now 73 and has developed asthma and lately if she goes on any long walks she becomes bowel incontinent! I'm so worried about her. She's watched me lose weight and cut down my food intake since my surgery and now she jokes that she's picked up where I left off. She's now paying large health bills to have her incontinence investigated as its horrible for her but I wonder if her weight gain might have something to do with it? I'm also now paying to have her house cleaned as she's stopped doing it and with a little dog it needs to be done! It's so sad. I can't suggest this surgery to her she often says she lives for her meals now what a sad situation.

Greetings November Sleevers..... I've had some difficulty getting enough liquids and Proteins, but today is the 4th day and everything seems to be settling down. My sleeve feels pretty comfortable and I'm moving around pretty normally. I didn't have any difficulty finishing my 30g Protein drink this a.m. and am sipping a nice chai latte now. Feels pretty normal. Not hungry, and feeling much more like I will be "myself" soon. But, get ready for this: I went downstairs to weigh myself this a.m. because I am/was convinced I must have dropped a few pounds since I went in the hospital. I have GAINED 4 lbs! I know it must be Fluid retention, no BM yet, but it was a shock, I have to tell you. I have barely eaten anything (maybe 400 calories/day?) so I wasn't expecting this. I am not alarmed but I am shocked. Has anyone else experienced a weight gain after coming home? Jeez.

It's like 6 of one and a half a dozen of the other. I'm going to have the surgery, nothing is going to stop it unless something goes terribly awry between now and Monday morning at 7:30am, but I understand what you're saying. I was lying in bed last night thinking, you know this is permanent, you can't go back and ask for your stomach. It can't be reversed, it will be gone forever! Are you sure? I answered myself too. I had emergency surgery 5 years ago to save my life. Didn't even think twice about it. Can't get the internal organs back from that surgery. They are gone forever and even though I've had some issues because of the lack of those things, i.e., insane hot flashes, sleepless nights, weight gain, losing all my hair--I know it was the right thing to do and I'm healthier and alive for it! So, I said, I'm approaching this the same way--I'm once again doing this to save my life! We all are.

As a society, I believe we are conditioned to thinness. Even as a former "fattie" at times I already find myself somewhat looking differently at a larger person than a thinner one. And I WAS that person. People feel free to ask if we've lost weight and even somewhat angrily. Lol. But not so with weight gain. I got used to hearing it from everybody I knew when I initially lost weight and like FYE, it stopped when I picked up a few pounds I had lost. And began again when I re-lost the weight gain. "Are you STILL losing weight?" You are SOOO thin? almost accusingly. Lol

This is so very true. I pat myself on the back for deciding to get banded rather than live the rest of my life either in constant diet (i.e. hunger and deprivation) mode or (worse) constant eating/searching for more food mode. When I check in on some of the blogs I used to read "for inspiration"--blogs authored by overweight/obese writers who document their "journey" to lose weight by traditional (non-surgical) methods, I shake my head at what an exercise in frustration that life used to be for me. Those bloggers continue to roll that stone up the hill--they weigh more today than what they weighed this time last year--and believe that one day, they will beat this thing with their diet and self-discipline alone. I believed that for myself, too, for 30+ years. Then I finally admitted to defeat and researched WLS, deciding on a lapband. This year, I'm not scared of the holiday season nor am I associating this time of year with a freefall into food and resultant weight gain. I weigh almost 50 pounds less today than I did at last year's Thanksgiving. But more importantly, I am not salivating at the idea of how much I will eat at the Thanksgiving meal, nor frustrated at the idea that I'm going to have to count "points" or starve myself all day so I can eat a bunch of stuffing and pie. And I know I can wake up the next day not hating myself because I didn't stick to my plan. I am so very grateful to my band, and that I took the courageous step to have this surgery.

Good advice. Just beware runaway weight gain, get on top of it quick, its harder to lose the second time!

Try to consider your new stomach as a new baby that has to be progressed SLOWLY. The food guidelines provided to us are to help our swollen and upset stomachs heal. Can you get down a few bites that aren't allowed? Probably. Will it cause damage or be a problem? Maybe. Should you talk to your Doctor? ABSOLUTELY! Try to stick to the diet so you heal properly and so that you don't being micro-stretching your stomach. The name of the game is to eat until full and not a drop more. That way you'll always fill up faster. If you stretch it out, you're going to run into plateaus and possible future weight gain. Stick to the program. It was designed this way for a VERY specific purpose. Just my 2 cents. J