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I don't like the term "bandster hell". It just seems like kicking your own @$$ when you're already down! Why associate this good thing in life with such a negative state of being. But again, that's just me! I've tried very hard to remain positive throughout this journey and to anticipate that there will be small failures. The battle is when it's time to pick yourself up and move on from those failures. Just keep in mind the big picture, all the things you've already done for yourself that are going to improve your lifestyle! I will admit, during these 4 weeks since my surgery, I wondered about all the pizza, ice cream, cake and buffets i'm missing out on in life! It was my husband who finally put it into perspective when he said "buffet? people aren't supposed to eat like that!" The past two weeks have been especially tricky. Work has been busy and stressful, I accepted a promotion right before surgery and returned to a heavy training schedule and being thrown in with the sharks to figure out this new job! Needless to say, before surgery, i'd cope by ordering pizza for dinner, pigging out and having some oreos. It somehow made everything feel better. It's not an option anymore! I found myself window shopping(more like walking around) for 4 hours from store to store because i didn't know how to deal with the frustration i was feeling! All i could do was walk, walk, and walk some more until i felt level headed again. My poor husband got the nasty side of this episode, but it's a lifestyle change right? Just remember, it took us all our lives up until the time of surgery to get this way! It's not going to change in just 4 weeks! It's going to take some time. A positive attitude goes a long way, and so does medication! This is not an easy journey to embark on, but it's definately a worthwhile one! Don't beat yourself up too much about the little setbacks (stalled weight, gaining a few pounds), a year from now when you're doing so great, they only be a speck on this fantastic voyage! Good luck and cheer up, you're going to be just fine

I was about where you are 4 days ago, but today is my 15th day post-op and I turned a corner (thankfully)! I feel amazing today, minimal pain and it's the last day I have be on Clear liquids. It was also my first day back to work! I'm not sure if you are on clear or full liquids? Clear liquids-drink broth, Protein shakes made with water, Isopure, SF/no carb Jello, SF/no-carb popsicles. Full liquids-Drink protein with almond or skim milk (Syntrax nectar is my favorite protein-no carbs, mixes well with water or milks), low-fat creamy Soups (such as low fat/low carb butternut squash Soup or tomato soup or cream of broccoli soup with the chunks strained out). I use Ideal Protein or Barwise products, but you can also make your own from scratch if you have time. Soft foods phase-eat scrambled eggs or tofu, low-fat cottage cheese, low-fat SF yogurt (use Fage Greek fat free for optimal protein with low carbs). Eat only 2 oz at a time. Do not drink 30 minutes before or after you eat to train yourself to eat slowly and fill on 2 oz. If you drink while you eat, you will eat more than you should and can stretch your stomach which will ultimately lead to slowed or stopped weight loss. Eventually this will become weight gain. Phase 4-lifelong phase is food you can tolerate, only 2 oz at a time, chew/chew/chew! No beverage 30 minutes before and after eating. Set a timer on your phone to help you. Journal everything you eat to hold yourself accountable. Please let me know if you want me to email you my post-op eating plan. All the best to you! It will get better and suddenly you will feel amazing!

I do understand. I took prednisone for a few months many years ago and the weight gain and other affects were awful during that short span. I understand WW and/or dieting in general is difficult which is why you got the band, but I was trying to offer a suggestion that may help you to minimize your weight gain so that you don't have to lose even more weight once you get to feeling better and get your band in working order again. I'm not really sure what it is you would like us to say to you or what kind of suggestions you are looking for so I'll just bow out now rather than say the wrong thing.

Since all weight loss comes from calorie deficit (burning more than eating), the key to all successful weight loss is to create a calorie deficit. There are many great tools to help track this and most of them are free. My favorites are the iPhone app, "LoseIt"; www.FitDay.com and www.Livestrong.com go to Calorie Tracker and myPlate and create an account. These programs track your deficit and help point out areas of improvement. In general, you should get about a third of your calories from each of the main food groups: Proteins, fats, carbs. If you see higher percentages of fats or carbs, replace those calories with Protein calories and it will really help you eat smarter instead of just less. Over the past 20 years we are eating many more calories and burning far fewer calories. The secret to weight loss is to work toward a calorie deficit whatever it takes. Most people losing weight successfully are eating about 1200 calories per day (women) and 1400 calories per day for men. Below this, your body tends to start freaking out and hanging on to everything you eat. It is also important to drink at least 64 ounces of Water per day. Our bodies store environmental toxins in the fat and when you lose weight, all this stuff is coming out and your kidneys will really appreciate it if you drink plenty of water. This helps battle constipation as well. Also, take a multi-Vitamin every day. The Calcium and B-Vitamins really help with weight loss not to mention the other minerals. Nutritional psychology is a hot new topic. Bad nutrition causes depression and low energy which makes us want to eat more to feel better and we snowball into bad weight gain. Better nutrition is required for successful weight loss and we feel better. Also, we eat way too much sugar and this raises our insulin levels which takes all that blood sugar and turns it into fat which drops the blood sugar which makes us hungry and we eat more sugar and this snowballs into weight gain. We eat way too much processed food and we have to get back to healthy foods. Brilliant food chemistry has not helped us. Cheap food sweetener (HFCS - high fructose corn syrup) is in everything now (sugary drinks, Pasta sauce, ketchup) and our bodies don't know what to do with this stuff so we store it as fat. We consume massive quantities of this stuff and it doesn't help us lose weight. High tech fats such as trans fats and hydrogenated oils allow foods to have a much longer shelf-life because bacteria can't break it down but the problem is that we can't break it down either and we just store it as fat. A great rule of thumb is that if it doesn't spoil we shouldn't eat it. The classic example is an oatmeal pie that our kids drop in the mini-van and we find it a year later and it still looks good. We shouldn't be eating brilliant food chemistry. The more we preare our own meals and take our lunch instead of getting most of our meals at restaurants, the easier it is to lose weight successfully. Proteins - we should get about 45gms of protein a day (women) and about 60 grams per day for men. A 20gm protein portion (meat, chicken, fish, etc) is about the size of the palm of your hand or a deck of cards. Protein keeps us full longer because it doesn't mess with insulin and we need protein while we're losing weight so that we lose fat and not muscle. Fats - are the highest caloric density food. Each gram of fat has twice the number of calories as proteins and carbs. Believe it or not there are actually "good" fats (unsaturated). You want to avoid saturated (bad) fats. Saturated fats raise our cholesterol and clog our arteries. Unsaturated fats actually lower our cholesterol. To lose weight, you should limit fat grams to 20 gms per day and keep saturated fats below 10gms per day. Trans fats and hydrogenated oils should be zero. All this is easier these days with nutrition labels. Examples of good (unsaturated) fats include avocados, peanuts, soybeans, olives and oils such as olive, canola, peanut, corn, safflower, sunflower. French fries from peanut or safflower oil are actually healthier than those fried in saturated oils - ask your restaurant which they use. Fats actually release a gut hormone called CCK (cholecystokinin) which causes the gallbladder to contract and it is a powerful natural appetite suppressant. If you give CCK to rat they won't eat. Therefore, if you snack on a handful of almonds or dip vegetable sticks in olive oil, you manage your hunger and it is healthier. Bison (buffalo) has a great beef flavor and it has much less saturated fat than cow beef. Bison burgers and steaks are a much healthier way to enjoy beef than the cows that predominate our diet. Carbs - when eaten shoot up the insulin levels which turn blood sugar into fat and this drops our blood sugar level which makes us hungry. If you want to lose weight you have to manage carbs (sugar, bread, potato, rice - "white foods"). I see a lot of patients who go all day without eating and then eat a huge pasta dinner before going to bed. This is a perfect way not to lose weight. Carbs are best eaten earlier in the day when you have a chance to burn off all that energy. Eating three meals per day will keep us out of intense hunger and we eat fewer calories overall. I don't like Atkins type diets simply because they are hard to sustain. Better to manage carbs - keep them below 33% of total calories and eat them earlier in the day. Ice cream is enemy number one for weight loss. A great substitute is to make your own fruit smoothies at home. It is a sweet dessert but it is fruit instead of sugar and fat. Many stores have smoothie blends so you just toss it in the blender with diet apple juice or plain yogurt and it's easy. Be careful and avoid sugar added smoothie blends. Just get plain frozen fruit or make your own from fresh fruit. Great way to spoil yourself and eat healthier. I will post topics on Fitness and Brain Stuff (I don't like terms like behavior modification) which are the other two main disciplines of successful weight loss. I put this info and much more on YouTube if you search Watkins Weight Loss Class. Weight loss surgery simply makes all this stuff much easier but knowledge plus change is where you will find success. I hope this helps. Brad Watkins MD

what stage of food are you on I was warned to not be surprised at a weight gain going from liquids/mushies to solids

Do all sleeves or bariatric surgeries need revisions? I’m seeing posts that some people think the sleeve stops working and will need a revision at some point. Where are people getting this information? Yes, some people may need surgery revision. It can happen with any type of surgery. This site is filled with new people and people that have gained weight. People that are maintaining have no need for support here. I’m wondering if this is the reason people think surgeries will “need revisions” That we are all doomed to regain. Understand some may need a revision for various reason: examples: (I’m sure there are more reasons than what I have listed) Complications procedure not done correctly it was the wrong type of surgery for an individual. Many reasons why people gain weight. (Most People can control gains on their own, If the contiune to gain, they can consult their surgeon on options) Examples: Hormones medical conditions medications pregnancy/ menopause eating disorders stress Grazing – Eating a combination of heathy and unhealthy food over their calories and macros. The sensation is no restriction. Its as if you never had surgery and you will gain weight. Mistaking stretching as your restriction becomes less as you progress out from surgery (Your stomach is not back to full size) You still can fill it with food within your calories and macro’s Not knowing how many calories they are eating daily Will all surgeries stop working. NO. Will everyone gain weight - no. If you gain you can work it back down. Weigh yourself before a 20 pound gain continues on to a 40, 80, or 100+ weight gain.

First and foremost, wanted to say a huge congrats to all who have made the decision to get surgery. There's a misconception that it is the "easy way out" and given the research I've needed to do in order to even get this far, I know it is no where NEAR easy. So congrats to y'all. A little bit about me: I've been struggling with my weight ever since I was in high school but most significantly since I entered college. Of course there's the "freshman 15" but I gained about 35 pounds that year alone. Two years later my boyfriend of four years past away and that set me on a depression that lead to even more weight gain. I've been unhappy with myself and completely lost self confidence. After a frank and honest discussion with my family, we decided that more extreme measures needed to be taken as diet and exercise wasn't working. Unfortunately, my health insurance will not cover the surgery (due to the plan we have) and it's too much to pay out of pocket in the US. So I have made the decision to go forward with surgery in Mexico and have already taken the first step in submitting the questionnaire. For context, I'm 24(soon to be 25) Female Cw:332 Height: 5"6 Long term goal weight: 140 I hope to have RNY Gastric Bypass Surgery. I am excited and nervous to begin this journey, so any and all tips, words of encouragement, advice or information any of you have will be greatly appreciated!! Looking forward to being a part of the community here!

Hi, A 2 lb weight gain in one day's time is most likely Water retention. If you review your food intake for the past two days, you'll probably see some high salt foods that were eaten. Remember that 3500 calories are needed to gain one lb so not likely you consumed 7000 calories!! One quart of water weighs about 2 lbs. Weighing every day can be stressful because there are going to be fluctuation, i.e., water retention, constipation, etc.. Consider weighing less often and focus on the exercise and healthy, lower salt choices recommended from the program. Good luck!

I was sleeved on may 2015 with a low bmi of 31. Im male 6"1 and was 230 pounds. I went down to as low as 177.. i had maintained a very balanced weight approach of 180-182 throughout time but since october of this past year the weight has slowly gone back up and im going insane because i dont know what is happening. I have gained 12 pounds now and have gotten alot of testing done to see if there are any abnormalities with the sleeve pouch itself and all has come back normal. The only minor thing that was found was a slight dilation but it is minimal so i dont think that it has to do with the weight gain. I drink plenty of Water daily, consume Protein ranging from 100-125 grams daily along with exercise as well. Not taking any medication that could trigger weight gain. My surgeon is lost in words and doesnt know why or what is triggering this weight gain. Dont know if any sleevers out there have similar experiences but i would appreciate all the feedback from everyone. This is truly stressful and i just want to go back to how things were not to long ago. I am aware that im almost 2 yrs out but is not to the point where i should be having issues or complications with the sleeve soo soon. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

In order to give birth to a healthy child, it is important to have some weight gain. When my wife and I went through Natural Childbirth classes 40 years ago, the nominal number was 35 pounds minimum at full term. My wife is short. She is 4' 11". At the time she became pregnant, she weighted around 95 pounds. At full term she had gained 52.5 pounds. She had no problem losing the weight with the first nor the second child. Both my children were born without any physical defects or mental retardation. The directions for food during pregnancy are very similar to those for weight loss: Protein, and plenty of Vitamin C and stay away from unhealthy foods such as potato chips. And plenty of exercise.

Being able to wrap a towel completely around my body. Tired of hearing." "You'd look amazing if you lost some weight." "You have a pretty face for a big girl." Buying an arm strap for my phone that actually fits my arms. Being pregnant without the fear of people not knowing if I'm overweight or pregnant. Tired of not wanting to go out in public and enjoy my life because of my weight. Fear of other people's responses and judgments bc of my weight gain. Not having to hide or feel invisible anymore. I feel like people often don't take me seriously bc of my weight or judge me bc of my food choices (whether healthy or not healthy). Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Ready for some RAW confessions-I have spent the last 8 years living (or dying to be thin) with my band. For the most part I have lived a life of chronic vomiting, severe restriction, with a trade off of loosing 190 lbs at one point. About two years ago, my weight has been creeping up, at 6ft tall I can hide pounds pretty easily...but after 20 lbs the battle was on. At 205 I started to panic and got a trainer, and really watched my food. For the most part, because I could not eat alot without vomiting...I was always eating. And because I was always vomiting, I thought I could eat whatever I wanted...because I would throw it up after all. On June 15th of this year, I managed to gain 10 lbs over a weekend. I thought this is crazy, what is happening with my body? I found a trainer, and began working out every day...still doing my daily gig of eating and vomiting. Well, I went to see a new PCP, and admitted to my band problems and concern with weight gain at very high rates. All labs have come out normal...and I thought this is it, I am going to eat well and get my life in control...so off I went for my first upper GI since banded...and guess what, total restriction, nothing getting through & my esophagous was 3 times the size it should be. The radiologist was wonderful, and being a Clinical Nurse Specialist I am pretty wise in medical stuff, and can talk my way (or manipulate) through most things. So I told him I would go get it assessed and unfilled. I did, I was following the rules to be healthy. I weighed in at 207 (working out, eating well) and was actually really excited to eat normal for the first time in 8 years. I felt like I was freed from survivor and off the island and could eat! I guzzled water, I ate...and did not binge but enjoyed every meal. On Monday getting ready for work, my pants were TIGHT...got on the scale and in FIVE days gained 23 lbs. I freaked, called my PCP, ran blood work, all normal. I had a theory my fat cells were trying to blow up again. Yesterday I met with a new surgeon and he confirmed that exactly that....that my body was trying like hell to reset to 360lbs. SO my question for you all, can you relate to anything I am saying? I am scared to death, crying, sobbing and grieving this weight nightmare. He has recommended a conversion to the sleeve...Please help me understand the good & the bad? He went ahead and filled me with 2.5 cc to stop the rapid weight gain...and so now my puking has resumed. I have never been so open about my experience, but I am ready to live again...and cannot believe I have destroyed my metabolism...I thank you in advance for your help.

I'm new here tonight Cowgirljane, This was a great story, i'm so nervous about this, and now I feel great. I go Oct 9th to remove my Band and the Doc will do the Sleeve in Jan. He said it is better to have good tissue to work with. We did get approval for both surgeries already. He wrote them about both and wanted approval on both. I am nervous about weight gain when the band comes out after reading all these, but i'm so glad their are so many of you here to talk to. This is great. Thanks to all of you. :wub:JewelJ :wub:

All protein bars are not created equal. You just have to read labels. Some bars are for weight gain, some are for building muscle mass, and some are meal replacements. Some are just glorified candy bars, but there are some really healthy ones, also. Remember to subtract grams of fiber from carbohydrates to get "net carbs". It is entirely possible to be successful using protein bars to supplement a healthy diet. Some people just can't eat enough food to get all the protein necessary. Do your homework and find what works for you. Your NUT should be able to help as well.

Ok, is this normal?? I gained 7.8 lbs while I was in the hospital. Surgery was Tuesday, I only had water, small container of apple juice and ice chips while I was in the hospital. Came home yesterday and took it easy only drinking water. Weighed myself this morning thinking I would have another large loss and I GAINED over seven pounds!! WTF Tell me this is normal??

I am hesistant to post this but its on my mind so I wanted to share. I somehow gained 6lbs between Sunday morning and Tuesday morning. Monday mornings are my usual weigh in but I missed it yesterday. As I have mentioned I do still struggle with making the right choices but I have not experienced any weight gain till this point but 6lbs was alarming. I blame the birthday cake but I had a slice not the whole cake. It was a bit of a wake up call just how quickly things can change but I will chalk this up to carb bloat.

The reason why bariatric surgery is the most successful procedure for severely overweight people is because it resets your metabolic floor, to an extent. Normal dieting doesn't do that. Basically, if you're an identical twin and you gain to 350 while your sister stays at 150, if you diet your metabolism generally doesn't recover to match your sister's - you CAN diet down to 150, but to stay at that weight you'll have to ingest far, far fewer calories than your sister does to maintain and that means you feel like you're starving the whole time. It's a weird spooky piece of science that hasn't quite been cracked yet, but bariatric surgery seems to avoid that trap. That's why many of us get it; not just because we can lose weight and feel restriction, but because it means when we get to 150 we can ingest a reasonable amount of daily calories without gaining again. Your metabolism isn't at that stage yet, in fact your metabolism sounds like it's pretty manageable. And the issues you're describing sound psychological, like food addiction, or might be metabolic like PCOS. Both of those are manageable without surgery, especially if you're tackling it now when you're still young and close to a healthy weight. When people say they're having weight loss surgery to prevent getting ill or grinding down their knees, they're talking about something that is the logical trajectory of inaction from their current weight. You're not there yet, you're talking about the surgery to prevent getting obese and in turn prevent other complications. But you're not obese, so tackle that part first. It's called "weight loss surgery" for a reason, and is not "prevention of weight gain surgery" for that same reason. Don't get sliced up without exhausting all available options for managing your weight while you're still in a healthy range. This is not a quick fix and it definitely won't prevent you from eating enough calories to gain if you're still working through a food fixation. That's why YouTube is full of regain videos.

I use Myfitnesspal to track and report my food journal to my doctor. When I went for my 7 week check-up yesterday I was told that I am having too many carbs, not enough Protein and I shouldn't indulge in sugar free treats such as pudding and popsicles. She said that the taste of sweet items will keep my sugar addiction going and could eventually cause weight gain. She even offered putting me on Contrave to stop the addiction feeling. It is strange though because all my Protein shakes are sweet so what is the difference? I am eating for better health. not pleasure. so I need to break that habit. I am having a hard time with protein because post-op the taste of Protein drinks gag me. I have 7 different powder flavors and brands and they were all good prior to surgery. I am going to try to do a protein mug brownie to see if that will help. I have tried the clear liquid Protein drinks and they are also gross. I go to a local nutrition store and do tastings to see what I can switch, but that hasn’t helped either. Things sometimes taste good at first but then goes back to gross after a few times. I have updated my goals to match as close as I can to her recommendations. She suggested 600-800 calories, and 100-120 grams of protein. She was happy I lost fat, gained muscle and my hydration was up, but she just wasn't satisfied with what I am eating. The item she did point out was a baked potato. I know it is full of carbs but my husband stopped at Wendy's and that was the only thing I could have on the menu and I didn't think that would blow my month. I could only eat half of it, and ate the other half the next day. I'm not throwing in the towel by no means but I am aggravated because I don't think I am doing what I should be doing but I'm not sure how to correct it without just drinking protein shakes or eating Protein Bars. I may be putting too much thought and stress on myself to make this work. Sorry I feel like I am just blabbering and making no sense. For anyone that says having weight loss surgery is the easy way out, they have no clue. It takes dedication, determination, control, and much more to become a new healthy you. This is today's log and I already ate dinner and I am already hungry. Jimmy Dean - Ham & cheese Frozen Omelets, 1 omelet Cream - Half and half, 2 tsp(s) coffee - Brewed from grounds, 1 cup (8 fl oz) lunch Atkins Snack/light Meal - Carmel chocolate Peanut Nougat Bar, 1.6 oz Publix - 2% American Cheese, 0.5 slice Publix - Ground Sirloin Beef, 4 oz Dinner Publix Lean Pork - Boneless Pork Loin Chops, 4 oz (112g) Bush's - Original Bake Beans, 0.5 g (1/2 cup) Calories 831 Carbs 27 Fat 53 Protein 71 Sodium 1235 Sugar 5 Any suggestions? My current goals. Calories 850 Carbohydrates 32 g 15 % Fat 38 g 40 % Protein 96 g 45 %

Heya Annie, did you not get my pm to you??! lol How you doin? 44pnds that's awesome!! Well done! I haven't skipped a period but mine are irregular anywayz as I have the implanon in, but prior to being banded when I lost a lot of weight before, I didn't get a period for a while. I was told by my doc it was cause of the weight loss, it messes with your hormones. It could also be stress (that has happened to me before too!) I just googled it and found this list ... Why do some women's periods stop altogether (amenorrhoea)? Periods can stop for a number of reasons. The most common are: pregnancy. premature menopause (this can affect women in their early twenties). weight loss. weight gain. some forms of medication including the contraceptive pill or injections. drug abuse. stress. hormonal imbalances such as an underactive thyroid gland or the overproduction of a hormone called prolactin. a condition called polycystic ovaries is a very common cause of irregular or absent periods.

It cost me $10,600 to pay for my surgery in Mexico. Plus airfare. If gaining 10 pounds - or even 20 pounds - would have made my insurance pay for the surgery, I would have done it. I expect my response will get a lot of negative feedback, but in reality, if you're willing to pay more than $10,000 to lose the weight, a relatively small weight gain to save that much seems like a no-brainer to me. Now, if you have to gain 30, 40, or 50 pounds to make the cut, that's a different story. At least it is in my Fairytale. Good luck with your decision - let us know what you decide.

I was banded October 29, 2012. Initially I had went from 342lbs to 188lbs. I felt incredible. Over the last year or so I have been having major issues due to the band slipping twice. After the first unfill the band adjusted and went back into place. After the second time they unfilled it they refused to fill it again. Since then I have went from 188lbs to 265lbs and it is devastating to me. I finally spoke up to my surgeon and am now in the process of trying to get approved for the sleeve. When I was trying to gain approval for the lapland surgery it was a pain because even though I was huge, I had little health issues as far as a co-morbidy would go. I finally (BARELY) got approved. This is why I didn't think I had any options due to not having any current health issues. I am just uncomfortable and down on myself for it. The very sweet lady that is helping me get it approved through my insurance thinks even though I don't have any major health issues that due to all my issues( two slips) with the lapland, GERD and weight gain that I may not have a problem getting approved. I know I shouldn't have a problem getting it revised and having it removed. Wondering how hard it would be to have the actual sleeve approved. Anyone have any experience with what I am going through?

I feel like such a failure! I have now gained back more than half of my original weight lost back . I have been out of control for a long time now. I just looked back and in September I was planning to be back to plan. Now 7 months later I've gained more weight and still not losing. I have an appointment for May 21 to get a fill. I honestly feel like I have no idea what to do anymore. I need a step by step plan again. When I just try to eat when hungry, I just eat eat eat. I go from eating plan to plan with no avail. Any ideas how to get back on track before the dr appointment?

It is not a good idea to "snack all day". That is considered grazing and is one of the ways around this surgery to cause weight gain. At the stage you are now at, I was eating (and still am) 3 meals a day and 1 snack. Around 1000 calories a day. You need to write down every single thing you are putting in your mouth and figure out how many calories you are getting a day and if you are getting in the correct amount of protein. Exercise is also very important and can knock your metabolism into high gear. You might want to think about talking with your nutritionist to get her advice as well. Good luck and let us know how you are doing. Lina12 - I know it is frustrating but I would give the same advice to you as to Canadianchick. Sometimes just because we have the surgery we think it should fall off, (I'm including myself in that ) but it still takes work and good habits, tracking, and exercising. Praying for you!

Congratulations on your weight loss. The first stages Liquid soft puree can be a bit rough for hunger. . Make sure you are hitting your protein goal 60-100 grams It will help with hunger. Log your food . It gets better once you get to the "real food" stage. Hunger is a tricky thing to figure out. Sometimes it may be head hunger, Eating out of boredom or stress/emotional eating. With surgery you will still feel real hunger at times. You will learn strategies on how to satisfy your new stomach. Eating three meals and two snack throughout the day. Keeping healthy options for sweet and salty cravings on hand. Fear of weight gain can be a good thing. It will help keep you on track. Take it one day at a time. Work your eating plan.

Hi, I understand how you feel about the weight gain after your HYST. I had a total one done when I was 35 and then I quit smoking.....oh boy what a combo. I am now 51. I had the Lap Band done Feb of 07. I have lost 76 lbs as of today. The weight came off nice and slow but now I am just sitting here not doing much. Partly my fault, just not as active as I should be. But I still lost 15 pounds over the winter so I am still very happy that I had it done or I would still be gaining instead of losing. I can tell you I feel a thousands times better than I did before. I have much more get up and go then I have in years. Go for it and have it done. Its not an easy fix, because you still have to work at it but it is one helpful tool. Good luck, Debbie