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I haven't been banded yet and while I am going to work out with weights and try to fill in the skin, drink plenty of water to hydrate my skin, and apply lotion frequently, I am realistic in knowing that I have had 2 babies back to back, which included a 50lbs weight gain with the last one, and both were c-section. It's not ever gonna look like abs of steal. My fiance is prepared to pay for a tummy tuck and a breast lift once I am at goal and I am completely ok with that!

I can't believe how quickly time flies! I honestly can't believe it's been two years since my surgery already. I'm pretty easily maintaining at goal, though I've found there is some truth to the "bounce-back" theory. Staying at 135 isn't always easy as my body seems happier just three pounds heavier and likes to stay there. However, I'm usually within 134-138 on the scale and I'm very happy with that. I eat like a normal person now. I've been able to increase my calories substantially since 18 months post op. I'm now consuming 1,400+ calories a day and it's not really affecting my weight. I like to stick around 90+ grams of Protein a day and I think this helps with maintenance. I hate eating first thing so I still start my day with protein coffee or tea. Everyone asks about loose skin and I'll say that there is a HUGE difference between one year out and two years out, so I encourage those considering plastics to maintain at goal as long as possible before seeking surgery. My case is a bit different as I have had twins, but at 17 months out my apron had much more adipose fat than now - now it's nearly flat, though still unsightly. I would have considered surgery on my arms and thighs necessary six months ago but now I think that exercise would firm them up nicely without surgery. I still hope for LBL and breast lift/augmentation one day but I'll have to put that off for now. Because I'm pregnant! We used up the last of our frozen embryos and the procedure worked. So I'll be sure to update on how things go for me and how the weight gain/appetite works, as well as how quickly I take the weight off again when I'm done. I will post some before and after photos, HOWEVER, I ask that you be nice to me. I've been on hormones for better than month now and I'm a bit bigger all around - my chest, arms and middle in particular feel a bit bloated - despite not gaining any real weight throughout this cycle. Actually, my breasts feel kind of obscene, after months of having them be so tiny they're busting out of all my shirts now! I'm also unable to wear my shapewear as it simply feels uncomfortably restrictive. So this is me, without the aid of gut-sucking shapewear, at two years out from VSG! I couldn't be happier. Life is just amazing at goal, and now that we're expecting again? It's like a dream come true. I wouldn't change my decision to do this surgery for anything and I'm thankful every single day that I had it done. ~Cheri

I'm not sure what specifics are going on in your situation. Are you pre - op? How far out from surgery are you? Are you having a stall or weight gain? Pre op. Not so sure you can do anything to make your stomach smaller. If this is a stall. Look up breaking the stall on this site. Stalls are normal. If you feel your stomach may be stretched, contact your surgeon's office. Many arguments out there about the ability of stretching your surgery . I won't touch on that. Clean you out? I've heard of people doing a diet cleanse to start over a diet. Look into it if you feel it will be beneficial to you. It's normal to be able to eat more as you get further out from surgery. The restriction is still there. It's just different. Kind of a reboot is going back through a liquid or soft food stage for a week... Helps to notice the volume you are able to hold and where you feel restriction at this point of your surgery. Go back to bariatric basics to continue weight loss I still log my food. I eat high protein andI add as much veggies as I want. It helps me to feel full. It keeps my calories down and my weight loss is back on track. Hope you are doing well, Jenn

My answers will be in blue. Our new insurance is going to kick in as of June 1, 2007 and this is when I'm going to start my journey of trying to get approved for the surgery. I don't even know if our insurance covers any of it but I am hopeful and I still want to get as much research as possible within me. We are going to have UHC so my guess some of it could be covered but who knows, I will find out in June once we get our cards, info packets, etc. etc. Anywho, here are my questions.... If you are enrolled, and just don't have active coverage yet, you should still be able to get a copy of the SPD. You should not have to wait. (I could be wrong about this, but that's what I think, anyway) 1) It's been a little over a year since I've had a pap smear. I'm going to go once our insurance kicks in and I'm going to let my doctor know that I haven't had a period in 7 months and that I am interested in having a weight loss surgery. I'm very sure it's due to my recent weight gain, do you think she would be willing to write a letter of recommendation to the insurance company that the reason for surgery is a health issue? First, your doctor will have to verify that your cessation of periods is due to weightloss. Your doctor won't write a letter of recommendation on your assumption that it is. General guidelines for insurance approval include history of obesity (5+ years) and BMI over 40 or over 35 with two or more comorbidities (doesn't sound like you have this). IF the periods were a result of weight gain, this might be one comorbidity, but honestly - I'm not sure. 2) How will I know what other procedures I need to get done before being considered for the surgery? Does the insurance company tell me this or the surgeon? Usually no other procedures are needed unless you have something that has to be medically corrected before the surgery can physically take place. There are general criteria that (usually) need to be met for insurane coverage. Common criteria include 6 months of medically supervised weightloss (6 months of being weighed in doesn't normally count, they require an additional 6 months of going specifically for Morbid Obesity - 278.01), psychologist approval, standard pre-op admissions (xray, labs, etc.). These vary by surgeon and insurance company. Your surgeon will probably have a set of criteria, as will your provider. 3)After that, do I just call up my surgeon (I'm wanting to go to Dr. Spivak in Houston, TX) and say "Hey! I'm interested in getting the lap band surgery!" and do they just guide me from there? Determine if you're covered by your insurance, or if you will be self pay. Dr. Spivak may or may not be an in network provider. If he isn't, you can either pay the difference or find someone who is. Once that decision is made, contact the surgeon's office. Most require you to attend an information seminar during which you're given the paperwork you need to begin the process. 4)Is it possible to lose weight w/ out fills or are they necessary? You can lost weight without fills, but you shouldn't count on it. The point of the band is to be restricted. Sometimes enough restriction is given by the band itself that fills aren't needed. 95%+ of the time this isn't the case. It's safe to assume you will need at least a few fills. ...Grr, that's all I can think of as of right now. I took a shower earlier and I swear that I had questions coming out of my ears! Anyway, thanks in advance for all of your help! 5) I know that some insurance companies require you to have a 6 month weight loss documentation. This is no problem for me considering I have joined Weight Watchers numerous times in the past. How do I get my information from them? I have long thrown away all of my weigh-in cards but I assume they also keep them on file? Weight Watchers is not medically supervised in and of itself. If it was something you and your doctor agreed on, and you were going to follow-up sessions with your doctor to monitor your progress. Weight Watchers weigh in cards are pretty much worthless as far as "medically supervised" goes. See above information.

Thank you all very much for answering my questions! BestyJane-I think it's awesome that you have the same surgeon that I am considering. All of your info helped me tremendously and I'll be sure to go to one of his seminars! azmensan-The first thing I'm going to do once our insurance kicks in is go ahead and get a pap smear and make sure that my recent weight gain is because of me eating cakes and Cookies and not a tumor, lol. My OB/GYN told me last year that I do have a slight condtion of PCOS and this could be why but I am really wanting to go and get this under control. Thank you so much for your concern!

Yes, PCOS can definitely cause the cessation of periods, and also can cause weight gain, chronic pain, etc. etc. For a while, that's what they thought I had. So yeah get checked out and ask for a hormone level check! If you have too much prolactin, it's your pituitary! L

II have depression/GAD. I can't take SSRIs due to side effects. I take Nefazodone and did take Xanax XR. I had to switch from Xanax XR to regular and I have trouble staying asleep all night. Overall the transition has been fine and has not affected my weight. This is why I picked Nefazodone over the many more modern options. "Unlike the SSRI antidepressants, nefazodone associated with minimal weight gain and minimal sexual side effects." @NikkiOwl Buspar just made me sleepy.

I was put on Cymbalta (duloxetine) following back surgery in early 2019, to help with nerve pain as well as anxiety/depression surrounding the ordeal. It apparently “worked” and got me through. Constipation and weight gain go hand in hand with it though😩, so I started weaning myself a few months ago. Just this week I decided to stop it, completely. As with anything, it’s totally individual as to the risk/reward of being on something like this. If you feel best on an SSRI, that reward seems like it would be greater than speed of weight loss. You will still lose, you may just need more patience with the scale. Only you and your Dr. can decide. In my case, Dr. said he was all for me going off. I just have to believe it messes with our metabolism, and I don’t trust the drug companies to admit it.🤦‍♀️ Good luck! And be sure to talk with your Dr. on this.💖

Hello Amanda; Forgive yourself and make plans for next time you might be in a similar situation. We are creatures of habit. I still struggle 7+ months out and yes, I had a Peanut Butter egg today also. I might gain a pound (or two cause I had some jelly Beans to wash down the PB egg) but I will start fresh and follow nutritional guidelines more closley tomorrow. Your stress levels are high, so help yourself by plotting for success in all situations. At my last check up I talked at length with my doc and NUT about my battles with food. Being sleeved does not give us a miracle weight loss without any issues. I am so proud you understand the battle is not won by being sleeved alone. Seeking professional advice means you are serious about your wellbeing mentally and physically. Being sleeved means you can lose weight if you choose to take the right steps. Again, forgive yourself and plan ahead next time your might face a similar situation since you are not strong enough to say NO just yet. or be smart enough to plan your food ahead. Were you really hungry? Was it just the egg that caused the weight gain or what else occured? This is war honey and I know you can WIN.

I had my gastric bypass Rny completed 10 years ago, on May 24th, 2004 to be exact. The surgery went well and the initially results were more then I could have asked for. My initial goal was to reach 150; when I reached 130 I was just amazed! The journey in itself was not always easy. I struggled with holding food down. Now fast forward to today, I can eat regular sized meals and am not limited on the foods. Now as great as this may seem, I am not struggling with keeping weight off. In fact, over the past two years, especially this past year, I have gained a tremendous amount of weight. I feel so defeated and just lost in what I should do. I am 42, so I do expect so weight gain. I recently had my thyroid checked just to narrow down the possibilities. As of now, I am even considering a revision surgery. Not sure if this will be needed, however; I am keeping those options open. Anyone else experiencing this or something similar?

ate high calorie snack foods. did not go to apptments. put back on 65 lbs. just got a fill 5 days ago. doing it right this time.

For me, I guess I'd say travel. I was an Air Force brat in my younger years. We lived overseas in a few different countries - but I was a child and I couldn't really see the incredibly opportunities I had. As an adult, I'd love to travel to the places I once lived and to other places I still want to go. Being overweight, I can't travel comfortably and I am embarassed at the idea of possibly having to have two seats or a seatbelt extension. My best friend and I have planned a trip for next year - we're going to Thailand. I am part Thai and I have not been back there since I was 2 or 3 years old. I cannot wait to go back to my mother's native homeland and experience the exotic side of life. In addition, I really just want to be able to LIVE life. I've been overweight for about 10 years now. I wasn't able to enjoy most of my 20's due to my massive weight gain. I became a recluse and a wallflower. I am *so* ready to live out loud and enjoy life to the fullest. :biggrin2:

Karen - I'm with ya! I've never been large breasted, but they became way larger with this last round of weight gain.....to a D cup. And I don't like it! They're starting to deflate, and I'm thrilled!

I've been suffering from complications with my band for years. I finally got the nerve to go back and see my doc (after long term vomiting, reflux, pain, weight gain), and she and my surgeon suggested a revision to bypass. Has anyone done this? What have your results been like? How does eating differ? Worried that I may fail with bypass the same way as I did with the band. I have so many questions, and while the forums I've seen have been very helpful I'm seeking more specifics! Thank you : )

I have had my band for exactly 9 years as of yesterday and I had an upper gi done yesterday due to issues with dysphagia, severe acid reflux and weight gain. Four weeks ago my surgeon removed 1cc of fluid and that has helped with the acid reflux severity at night but hasn't gotten rid of it entirely. I had no restriction and gained 15 pounds in 4 weeks ???????? However yesterday at my appointment after my upper gi, my doctor told me my band looks good but I have a small flap that could be considered a small slip but it's not too much to worry about yet and that my pouch is asymmetrical and bigger than it should be. He said that we are going to keep an eye on it and if it gets worse or I don't lose any weight more weight that we may look into a revision. He suggested a sleeve since my bmi is "low" (my bmi is 40). Wouldn't I qualify for bypass since I have co-morbidalities? (Sp) I'm so afraid of surgery now that I'm older but I'm also afraid of gaining all this weight back. I lost 80 pounds but I've gained 35 back just in the past few months

So I am waiting in the lobby of my surgeon's office yesterday for my 2 week post op appt. After a long, hard road, I finally got my Lap Band on April 10th. This attractive obese woman sitting next to me speaks up and warns me that the doctor is running approx. 45 minutes behind. We engage in small talk and when one of the staff members notice me and comments on my recent weight loss, she asks me when I had surgery. I tell her, and she was amazed that I was looking so "full of energy" so quickly. She is clearly obese, but tells she had the RNY surgery...6 years ago! (Not done by my surgeon, but another in a different town) It made me wonder what weight she may have started from. She is bundled up in a sweatshirt (it's 74 degrees) and I ask her if she's cold. She tells me she is just trying to hide her fat rolls. We laugh and I tell her she is in the safest place to not worry about that at the moment! She goes on to share with me that although she had orginally lost a significant amount of weight, she had started gaining. She said her weight gain was now out of control. She warned me..."whatever you do, make sure you change the way you eat!" "I could eat anything I wanted and still lost weight. I never learned to make any changes". I told her how the Band works, and how we must change our eating habits immediately after surgery. I told her that we still have absorbtion of all the calories and fat, etc. We are 'forced' to change our lifestyles as this is only a tool. She thought that was wonderful and wished that dietary changes had been stressed to her for long term success. She had come to see my surgeon to see if there was any further surgery that could be done to correct the stretched out pouch she'd created and hopefully get her back on track. I felt bad for her. I can't imagine going through all of this (or any other kind of WLS) only to gain it all back. How sad. She knew she was going to have to change her lifestyle. I have been struggling with hunger since surgery, but have so far found the will power and strength to resist eating too much, too often or the wrong food. I hope I am able to do this until my first fill or however many fills it takes to keep my Band working hard! I am so grateful that we are told up front that this is not easy. That we will have to work for it. That this is only a tool. I'm glad that I will get the satisfaction in the end of all this, knowing that I worked for the weight loss. That is didn't come easy. That I had to exercise and choose healthy foods. So meeting her, I realized that I don't want to see myself in a surgeon's office in 6 years warning someone else about watching what they eat and taking care of the gift we were given! So I just wanted to share and encourage everyone that we can do this! We were given this wonderful tool to help us get healthy, not just skinny. Let's make the best of it! Learn from the wonderful staff of doctors, nurses and dieticians! They are there to help us, and keep us accountable. And of course, we have eachother! Have a wonderful day and a great life! ~C

I’m 16 months post op & 130 lbs down. At Drs goal but want to lose another 15. During my journey experienced many stalls for no reason at all. For 2 MONTHS stuck at 160-161. Back & forth. Then all of a sudden dropped to 155. Did nothing different. Just followed the course. Since this stall happened later in the journey didn’t stress as much as I had in the beginning. Remember. When you stress it raises cortisol which can create weight gain. For beginners I’ve always suggested to take measurements, try on clothes vs always jumping on scale. For me that was very hard habit to break. Used to weigh daily. Finally during losing process I was able to pick the same day each week- Wednesday- & weigh then. When you get to goal you should weigh yourself more frequently so any weight gain can be addressed immediately. I have great program were we had weekly support group meetings & we still continue now with zoom meetings. It’s so important to reach out to others like this so keep doing it. I’ve learned so much by sharing & with our therapist who leads group. Biggest lesson. Stay the course. It works!

I would definitely let him remove the band. I would also move Heaven and Earth to try to revise to the sleeve. The things I've read about weight gain after band removal are horrifying. It doesn't even sound like "normal" weight gain. It sounds more like accelerated weight gain due to the body being so accustomed to such small amounts of food while banded.

Excellent article. This is the first place I've read that stress can cause weight gain even without additional calories. So I did some googling and lo-and-behold, the studies are out there. Why is this not front-page news? Stress caused by financial insecurity is at Depression-era levels, as obesity rates soar. The fact that stressful events and depression alter how we metabolize food (not just what we choose to eat, or how often we move) is BIG. As long as we pretend the problems of obesity are individual not systemic, we'll be chasing the wrong solutions. My story in brief: I was a 10-pound baby and grew up chubby but healthy. Gained 20 with children and post-partum depression, then lost a friend to suicide and put on 35, very quickly. I lost that 35 with hard work and low carbs, but a series of stressors occurred that left me with little appetite or energy. Yet within two years, I gained 55 pounds. I am not a binger. I eat sensibly and am moderately active (I walk, bike, swim, hike). I don't drink soda, eat very little sugar, and stay away from carbs. I honestly thought my doctor's scale was broken. She figured it was my genes kicking in (my parents are large), and no doubt suspected me of lying about my diet and activity levels. The big takeaway for me? Even after WLS, stress will effect how I metabolize food. Looks like stress-reduction will be just as critical to my success as keeping track of food and exercise. I'll plan to add "cushion time" on MyFitnessPal to log daily meditation. It may burn more calories than one thinks. And join a support group! I suspect the cortisol-lowering effects of being with sympathetic people are just as critical if not more so than the "accountability" factor.

Val, two words: Problem Solving E-Exercise W-Water HP-Huge Portions PS-Protein Shakes B-Bread WG-Weight Gain C-Other non complex carbs WL-weight Loss If... B+C+HP+W-E=WG then.. B-B+C-HP+PS+W+E=WL God I hope I did that right, anyway I made this example for you Problem solving and troubleshooting. Show your work!

"Emotional Eating" is one of the most common topics addressed with regards to weight loss surgery. Every weight loss surgery book, blog and website is full of articles explaining the causes of emotional eating and tips on how to defeat this dangerous villian that threatens to derail your success from surgery! Hold onto your seat because I'm going to try and convince you that "Emotional Eating" is an overused and incomplete expression to describe the very problem the problem it is supposed to address. I'm also going to provide you with a new way of thinking about your eating behavior and a methodology to change it so that you can have more success from weight loss surgery. "Emotional Eating" is generally thought of as eating that occurs in response to a particular emotional state. The basic premise is that a particular emotional state somehow triggers undesired eating. Some people eat when they're depressed, some when they're nervous and others when they're angry. Of course, others eat when they're happy or in the mood to Celebrate. In fact, virtually everyone on the planet does the latter. If humans didn't eat in response to positive emotions half of the restaurants around the world would close within the next few weeks. Thanksgiving would be cancelled and Christmas dinner would be no different than Tuesday's leftovers. What about eating in response to negative emotions...is that fairly universal as well? I can confidently tell you that in working with thousands of patients over the past 20 years, many of whom were NOT surgical weight loss patients, that almost everyone has used food on occasion to provide temporary relief from emotional distress. In fact, many researchers believe that our brains are actually pre-wired to use food in this manner. Such researchers will tell you that drugs such as heroin, cocaine and others are actually "hijacking" the receptors and neural pathways that were designed for food! So there you have my first problem with the expression "Emotional Eating"....JUST ABOUT EVERYONE IS AN EMOTIONAL EATER TO SOME DEGREE, so labeling yourself an "Emotional Eater" is to state the obvious. However, it is interesting that there is considerable variability in the behavior of those who describe themselves as emotional eaters. As I mentioned, some people eat in response to one emotion while others eat in response to others. Some people eat in response to mild disappointment while others eat only when they feel really distressed. Why is this so? The reason for this and for a wide variety of eating behaviors is that most eating behavior is "learned." I will spare you an Introduction to Psychology class and try to minimize the psychobabble, but consider that when it comes to human behavior, we do what we do either because of our genetic endowment or what we've learned. Nature (genetic) or nurture (learning). Much of this learning isn't voluntary. In other words, most of your eating behaviors were not learned the way you would learn to play the piano. Much of what we've learned we picked up by watching others or by being instructed by others or through trial and error and the positive or negative consequences that followed. Learning as it relates to food and eating begins on day one. Consider that at birth the behavior of a newborn is 100% genetic and 0% learning. Nothing has happened to the newborn child yet so they haven't learned a thing. Nurture has yet to exert an influence...it's all nature. Whatever a newborn does is pre-wired. But that changes almost immediately. Here comes the first bottle...yum! Sweet sugary milk. Lesson one: Milk tastes good and feels good going down. Later that day the baby cries...mommy rushes in with a bottle. Lesson number two has just occurred: I cry loud enough and mommy feeds me. I feel better and I stop screaming. Food is a reward and soothes my distress...and I am now in complete control of mommy!! "Learning Eating" quickly proceeds in leaps and bounds in childhood. There's a very good chance (for example) that you "learned" to clean your plate because your mother told you that you had to and that you wouldn't be allowed to have dessert if you didn't. Or perhaps you received Cookies as a reward for good report cards or for cleaning your room. Now as an adult, long after mom stopped giving cookies for good report cards, you continued the habit of rewarding yourself for your daily successes. I can think back to all of the times that I was offered chicken Soup by my grandmother when I was disappointed for some reason or another as a kid. There is still no scientific evidence that chicken soup is effective in treating disappointment or depression, but the soothing taste of the soup sure does make you feel a little better. Even better, eating chicken soup today at age 41 provides me with warm memories of my grandmother. Starting to get the picture? From a young age, we quickly "learn" to like certain foods for certain reasons and develop eating habits and preferences almost completely without effort and often without any awareness. By using the term "Learned Eating" you are more elegantly and accurately describing what is really going on here. The concept of "learning" better answers the questions of "Why do I eat this way?" and "How did I develop these problematic eating patterns?" Also, "Learned Eating" accounts for more of your eating behavior than just what is triggered by emotions. All of the behaviors that we commonly call "habits" are more accurately called "learned behaviors." So "Emotional Eating" is just one of the many types of eating behaviors that you've picked up (learned) throughout your life. The real #1 reason that I'm trying to get your vote for "Learned Eating" is that this expression makes you empowered and able to change. Everyone is familiar with the concept of learning because we are all students in our own way. You don't need to be a psychologist to understand "learning." "Learned Eating" is a simple concept: If you have "learned" maladaptive or destructive eating behaviors that have contributed to weight gain, you can also "unlearn" these behaviors and "learn" or "relearn" new ones that help you keep the weight off after surgery. Emotions are a whole other murky, mysterious matter. Many people feel confused by the concept of "Emotional Eating." It doesn't empower you. It doesn't tell you how to change. So many people ask me, "I can't just stop feeling depressed, anxious or even happy. So how can I stop eating in response to these emotions?" The answer is that you need to understand how your emotions have become triggers associated with eating. Only then can you change your behavior. That is the stuff of "learning." Here's an exercise to put the concept of "Learned Eating" to work in helping you to identify and correct some of your unwanted eating behaviors and to learn some new healthier ones. In fact, this exercise is one of the very exercises that I do with "emotional eaters" who come to me for assistance if they're struggling to make changes in their eating behavior either before or after weight loss surgery: Take out a few pieces of paper and make six columns going from the top to the bottom of each page. Write the following headers on top of each column from left to right: Food eaten, Time of day, Location, Reason, Thoughts, Feelings. Over the next two weeks (14 days) write down what you ate, when you ate it, where you ate it, why you ate it and what you were thinking and feeling when you ate it. I know, you hate writing things down. Want to learn? You've got to do your homework. The purpose of this exercise is to learn as many of the associations between your eating and its causes as possible. In case you're wondering, you can think of the feelings column as the "emotional eating" column. Now there are certainly more than 6 causes for your eating behavior, but this will give you tons of useful clues as to the cues that trigger your eating. By filling out these forms you will start to see what is pushing your eating buttons. Sometimes it will be genuine hunger. When this is the case, be sure to write "hungry" in the "why I ate it" column. Sometimes you're going to eat potato chips because you were bored. Write "bored" in the "why I ate it" column. Sometimes it will be an emotion like loneliness that triggers your urge to eat. Write "lonely" in the feelings column. Always fill out every column because you are going to find some surprising associations by completing these logs. You're going to find that where you are and the time of day are often the key triggers and not just that you were bored or lonely. You will find that feeling depressed isn't always the trigger for eating but feeling depressed when you're alone on a Friday night seems to push the potato chip eating button. Very important and useful information. Learning to identify all of the cues, triggers and associations between your internal world (thoughts and feelings) and external world (people, places, times of day, etc) allows you to see what pushes your brain's eating buttons. Having this information allows you to comprehensively assess your eating behavior and to identify where and how to make changes. For example: should you clearly see from your logs that being alone at home at night is almost 100% associated with eating ice cream, you now know that you must address what's going on at home under these circumstances. Perhaps you need to change what you're doing at home at night or consider finding ways of getting out of the house some evenings altogether! Here's another example that you probably already know: The very sight of certain foods is a big trigger for eating. This one is easy to fix and many of you already know this....stop bringing the foods you find irresistible into your home! Either unlearn the habit of bringing cake into your house or relearn by bringing in healthier foods to eat. Hopefully, I've convinced you that emotions are really just one of many triggers for eating and that "Emotional Eating" is no longer the best or most comprehensive concept to use if you want to make significant changes in your eating behavior. The concept of "Learned Eating" better explains how to understand, think about, and change your behavior. Take the time to learn as many of the cues, triggers and associations that relate to your eating behavior so that you can begin making changes in your eating and become more successful in keeping the weight off beginning right now. Do your homework...it's due tomorrow!! :wink2:

No advice, but good luck to you. The mental aspect of this journey can be difficult and I hope that part of your preparation for surgery has addressed this. I think your doctor is right. At your age, even with stretched skin from weight gain, all of your collagen is still intact. That gives you a snap back feature that older people lack. Working out consistently will ensure your success with skin rebound.

There are two phases to weight loss surgery - the Weight Loss Phase and the Maintenance phase. The strategies for each phase is different. This is the approach I used in the Maintenance phase. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf It is common to have some limited weight gain after gastric bypass surgery. They call it a 20 pound bounce. The important thing is not let go beyond it. According to my nutritionist, meals (at one year post op and beyond) should consist of equal parts of protein, fats and carbs after the first couple years post-op. Snacks should be limited to primarily whole food options: nuts, natural nut butters, fruits, veggies, boiled eggs, string cheese, yogurt with berries and almonds, tuna pouches. Avoid processed packaged foods as much as possible. Before surgery, I had constant hunger. When I was eating a meal, my mind was thinking what I would have for my next meal. It was incessant. Now the interesting thing that occurred after my RNY surgery was that I completely lost my hunger. It was not difficult to plan my minuscule meals because I wasn't really hungry. This condition does not last forever but for about a year and then the hunger returns. It just isn't as strong as before. I also had a sweet tooth before surgery. Chocolate by itself isn't the primary problem but the sugar is. During the winter I normally drink a cup of hot cocoa. But it must be the No Sugar Added variety. Also Adkins makes a number of chocolate treats that contain artifical sweeteners that might satisfy your sweet tooth.

Oh, Holly!! I'm so happy you're doing well and are even able to post while in the hospital! I dont really have much to say about your husband telling a lot of people though, cuz I'm the one who cant keep anything a secret. I had gotten so embarrassed by my weight gain that I was super excited to tell everyone in my family that I was having WLS. My family is not judgemental and are very supportive so I didnt even worry about telling them. I havent been sleeved yet and everyone at work knows what I'm doing and I could careless...especially since I was the one who told everyone! LOL... I'm glad you're doing well and please keep us all posted on your progress!

@@VSGAnn2014 Question...I talked with my surgeons office on the topic of weight gain after reaching goal. I was told they normally see a fifteen pound gain as your body adjusts. I have not seen anything out there that backs up that information. Anyone get this info from there surgeon's office????