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Hi everyone, I am new to this site and new to blogging as well. I got my band on 9/29/08 and was weighing myself about every three days. Driving me crazy. I made a New Year's Resolution to wiegh once a week. I showed no weight loss from last Thursday to this Thursday (actually showed a .2 oz weight gain) and am freaking out a little, so I know how you feel right now. But I'm going to hang in there and you hang in there too. I'm hoping we will eventually figure this all out.

Diphenhydramine/Ibuprofen All medicines can cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome when using Diphenhydramine/Ibuprofen: Constipation; diarrhea; dizziness; drowsiness; dry mouth, throat, and nose; excitability; gas; headache; heartburn; nausea; stomach pain or upset; thickening of mucus in nose or throat. Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur when using Diphenhydramine/Ibuprofen: Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; trouble breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); bloody or black, tarry stools; change in the amount of urine produced; chest pain; confusion; dark urine; depression; fainting; fast or irregular heartbeat; fever, chills, or persistent sore throat; hallucinations; mental or mood changes; numbness of an arm or leg; one-sided weakness; red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin; ringing in the ears; seizures; severe headache or dizziness; severe or persistent stomach pain or nausea; severe vomiting; shortness of breath; stiff neck; sudden or unexplained weight gain; swelling of hands, legs, or feet; tremor; unusual bruising or bleeding; unusual joint or muscle pain; unusual tiredness or weakness; vision or speech changes; vomit that looks like coffee grounds; wheezing; yellowing of the skin or eyes. Interesting thing is once I read the side effects I have actually been suffering from a few of these.....huh! I have also had a stiff neck lately and some unexplained dizziness. I guess I am a lucky one who had a negative reaction to this one.

So for the last few months or so I was having a terrible plateau and when I was losing the scale was barely moving down. Had a fill and the same thing, even though I felt more restriction this time! So I have been going crazy because I am following the plan, exercising and have been using spark for my food journal...nothing has changed in that way at all. I have increased my work outs in recent as well! I have notice I am hungry at night and have been making great snack choices, nothing bad! So anyway, I went for a 5 mile hike with my trainer yesterday and we got to talking. She just could not understand after reading my food and exercise journal why this was happening. (and talking how my weight loss has stopped....and actually now I am up four pounds) So she asked me if I take any meds and I said no just Advil PM. She literally stopped in her tracks and said DUH! that stuff will do it to you every time. She said it is an appetite stimulant, you hold Water weight ( I am so feeling bloated which is what started the conversation in the 1st place) and it increases constipation! Anything with with diphenhydramine in it can cause weight gain, when using at night because it slows you down too much, and apparently effects your metabolism! I started doing research and it is all over the net about this exact topic. I found this blog all about it! Cranky Mommy Anyway, I wanted to share just in case any of you use sleep aids or benedryl at night and your weight loss has not been exactly fast or slowing down. I have officially quit taking Advil and Tylenol PM as of tonight! And will certianly update you if the scale starts moving again. I just feel horrible that this could have sabotaged all the hard work I have done, it has also slowed my progress down immensely considering I have been taking this for a few months. UUUGGHHHH at least I figured it out now instead of later....

I am now 17 days post op and when I noticed my weight loss slowing down about a week ago, I decided I was not going to step on the scale again until I was 1 month post-op. I know that a weight gain or a stall would feel like crushing defeat, so I'd rather not know. I packed it away and put it on a tall shelf where it would be too much of an effort for me to get down. Don't let the stupid scale tell you how to feel!

Suddenly, my band tightened. Self diagnosed, I went to a clear liquid diet. It did not help, it became more uncomfortable and I could not get water down. I was also having regurgitation in my sleep. It was very unpleasant. I had an emergency appointment to relieve the pressure in my band. Immediately I felt relief. It took a few weeks for the reflux to subside. However, it did. My appetite never increased, nor did I regain any weight. I see many members suffering from "tightness", yet sacred to have any fluid removed in fear they will regain. I just want to confirm that a decrease in fluid from the band doesn't mean weight gain will occur. I remained in the "green zone". Please do not refrain from getting an "unfill" because of fear. The relief is priceless.

Well the fact that you two are in counseling shows a willingness from the both of you to make this marriage work.,. Without knowing what your problems are in the marriage. Do you think his insecurity is from just the surgery or does it come from something else? As far as being selfish... Well sometimes being "Selfish" is something we need to do to make us more available and healthy for our husbands and children.. I've never been "selfish" and I think that in part has led to my weight gain. So yes I did something for my "self" but my whole family benefits from it also.

UGH. I am so sorry. Definitely contact your surgeon back in Lebanon, and make sure you get copies of your files AND XRAYS. I don't think anyone is going to want to un-fill you without knowing exactly where your port is, and no-one is going to give you X-rays when you are pregnant (as they shouldn't). how do you feel, and how is your current weight gain? As long as that is on track and you can eat healthy foods, I don't think it is 100% the case all the time that you get unfilled for a pregnancy. If you aren't throwing up, and can use healthy slider foods to gain the right amount of weight, you might be OK! Anyway, if you can get a copy of your file/xrays that might really help regarding getting someone to help you, and if your surgeon knows anyone in the US, maybe that person could help?

Hi everyone, I am getting a little discouraged. I have been post op for a month and the weight was coming off regularly, but for the past two weeks I appear to have gained weight. I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if so, how did you deal with it.

First off, 20lbs in one week is amazing! I personally did not weigh myself for the first month. I knew that there would be some weight gain from all the fluids they pump you with in the hospital and I didn't want to start this process being obsessed with that. When I did weigh myself, I was so excited to see that I was down 21 lbs. Because of that, I have no idea if my weight went up and down at all during that time. I will say that in the last 4 months, I have weighed EVERY day and I have not had any gains at all. Lots of stalls but no gains and I am down 73.2lbs in 5 months! If you work your sleeve, it will work for you! Good luck!

Maybe change up the types of foods you're eating for a few weeks, like eat different vegetables or different proteins, or do different exercises to the extent your able to? But I agree with @catwoman7 that depo can cause weight gain so it could be from that, or just your body reacting to the medical procedure you just had. I hope you are able to lose again soon!

Jennifer, Thanks for the heads up on the weight gaining. I am a scale geek...weigh myself daily. I know it's bad, but I can't help myself. I am getting banded at Highland Park Hospital by Dr. Denham. Where did you get banded?

Great advice, @djmohr...Hang in there, @pollywolly--you are definitely fighting a beast with the prednisone-hunger and weight gain are know side effects.

This is quite a phenomenon that most girls can attribute alot of weight gain to over many years. I talked with my Psychiatrist about this and she told me that when your estrogen and testosterone levels change in your body, it signals a decrease in serotonin levels(this is a mood stablizing chemical) and causes you to crave foods to replenish serotonin. I don't know how to fix this, but just knowing it helps me. You can also take an antidepressant to help it, in fact prozac now makes a pill that you take only the week prior to your menstration.

So just got back from the Dr.'s office. Good news, 36# of weight loss since 09/19, start of my pre-op. #22 in two weeks. Bad news is, I don't have a hernia but I do have something called diastasis rect, or weakening and/or separation of the adominal muscles. It is not noticeable except for a small range of motion when getting out of bed, looks kind of like my belly is extended. Doc says it may go away with continued weight loss and was probably cause by rapid weight gain in the first place. Nothing serious, perhaps I shall give this thing living in my belly a name.....Alfred.

There's no way that weight gain is fat! Probably just water. Keep monitoring and I'm sure you'll find the right balance. I hope to have a similar problem in 6 months!

How exciting, and how exciting to have the surgery when you are young! When I was your age I was over 200 lbs. and managed to lose over 70 lbs. on my own (low cal diet, lots of exercise). I kept the weight off for a couple of years and then got engaged and then married, and started eating like a "normal person" again, and poof I started gaining weight like crazy. So now it's nearly 20 years later, and I have been back over 200 lbs. for the past 15 years or so, and every year I have told myself "THIS is the year I lose that 100 lbs again!" Every year I tried to lose weight and some years I would lose 20 lbs. But it's a LOT harder to lose weight in your 30s and 40s than in your 20s and I never was able to keep any weight loss off for more than a year. So now I've decided 2011 really IS the year I lose the extra weight, but this time I will have a powerful tool to help me and that is my VSG procedure. I'm so happy for you that you won't have the yo-yo diet & weight gain hell that I've had for 15 years. Yay for you!!!!!

I am having sleeve to bypass revision this Friday, 10/28! I was sleeved in January, 2012. I had great success for the first two years. Then between bad food choices and medication that causes weight gain, I gained it all back plus some. My acid reflux is bad and I have a hernia. I wasn't scared at all before but I must admit I have some fears this time around.

Anyone gain weight back? I am about 9 years out and have gained most of the weight back. Any ideas on how to get it off again.

I had the sleeve done in June 5th. I am having major backpain specifically in my right lower side. Also my stomach feels so much more bloated now then even before and I know it can’t be weight gain since I haven’t eaten anything! Anyone else experience this?

I guess I will start off by saying that I had rny surgery in January of this year and the last couple months my husband has been talking about wanting to have a baby. We already have a 2 year old son. Since starting this wls journey in November 2012 I have lost a total of 81 pounds. Just this week I finally hit 199 pounds ( first time being under 200 in years). Part of me doesn't want to have another pregnancy because I'm afraid of the weight gain and that I won't lose the baby weight and I've worked so hard to get where I am now and want to continue until I get to my goal weight and part of me feels guilty for not wanting another child because I don't wanna gain any weight. Anyone else feel this way or am I just being selfish. I'm so afraid to go back to the way I was before this journey started.

Without knowing what you're eating its hard to say. I know there's some that prescribe to the diet after lapband method but I'm not one of them. I got this so I can eat normally, just in controlled portions. I lose 2-4lbs a week eating whatever I want, but I make sure to eat balanced meals that provide me with the necessary calories and protein that allow me to continue to lose. I'm not so sure that WW can really provide you with the special needs of the Lapband, but I don't know for sure and if it works for you, GREAT! I can tell you though, that weekly weighins aren't always helpful, I make it a point to only weigh myself once a month because as women our weight can fluctuate dramatically from week to week. Also you mentioned you're working out.. it's quite possible that you're gaining muscle which is GREAT. That's the catalyst you need get you to the next level of fat burning. At month 3 I had lost 74lbs post op at month 5 I gained 40lbs back in muscle in month 6 I lost more weigh for a total of 43lbs lost since surgery. At first I was devastated but when I realized my body NEEDED that muscle gain to lose more and not to mention although the scale is up my sizes are down *BONUS* It'll all even out... I would say if you're doing all the right things and you're not seeing the scale move it's one of 3 things: 1.) Not enough calories - Starvation mode as you said. 2.) Not enough or too much protein 3.) Muscle mass weight gain. Hope the visit to the nutritionist is helpful to you! Best wishes!

Hi all, I am 5 days into my 8 day diet and I lost 17 lbs so far but this morning I gained one pound. I have remained faithful to a tee on the diet. Is this happening elsewhere?? Forgive my vulgarity but I haven't been using the restroom, perhaps in need of a laxative?

I have the hardest time making blog posts. So bear with me. I am undecided about having this surgery. On the one hand, this is a MAJOR surgery. It means cutting away a big part of one of my major organs and altering everything I do. Not only the way I eat and drink, but my activity level, my hobbies (as in getting new ones that aren't eating related), my lifestyle as a whole. On the other hand it means everything will be perfect, right. My dad will finally love me, I'll finally get that promotion I've been wanting... Ha. Kidding. I know those things won't happen just from losing weight. My dad will always be an asshole. I know I can look forward to more energy, more confidence, being able to do my job with less pain, no more size or weight restrictions on the things I want to do. Those things. Being able to fit on rides, for example; the potential for my back and feet not to hurt at work, to be able to play with my nephew who's on the way, or even play with my own kids if I ever have them; to be able to sit on the floor and not be in pain, then to be able to get up after without a surface to help me up and a bit of straining... I think that would be worth it. But the thought of major surgery is still effin (normally I would swear, but I don't know about that on here) scary. I know losing weight won't make my dad love me, my sister accept my lifestyle (she's religious, I'm not), get me the promotion I'm hoping for (hopefully I'll get it within the next few weeks anyway), magically make me better at my job so I can make the big bucks (gotta take classes and a different workplace for that). Even though I know weight loss won't cause these things to magically happen, I still hope from time to time. I do however, feel that losing weight will open opportunities that are either closed or that I think are closed to me. For example, becoming more confident will allow me to feel able to get another job. I know this process won't be easy. Drinking 64 oz (I'm good on 32) of water a day, only eating 2 oz of mostly protein per meal. Timing when I can drink, taking vitamins, all this stuff is not easy. Not being able to drink coke ever again. Or those frozen caramel coffee drinks from Panera that I love so much. (I hate Starbucks and am not a coffee drinker except for my bimonthly frozen caramels). Or Thai Iced Tea. OMG, if you haven't had one, they are amazing. Very high in caffeine though. You have been warned. So the real question is... Can I live without these things? Probably. I can live without the can's of Thai iced tea form the Asian market down the street. The best ones are made an hour away from me anyway at the best Thai place in the bay area; so lack of access helps. Coke? Well, I haven't had a more than a couple sips in at least a week if not longer. The entire month of August 2010 was soda free for me except for 3 Icees which my bf says count as sodas, but I say they don't. Sweet coffee drinks? Yes. I don't like coffee to begin with unless it's in sweet blended high calorie form. I do have a free frozen caramel at Panera from being a card member, so I'll have that, but I've been very good about not going crazy. Slurpees? My Slurpee and Icee consumption has gone down considerably. I don't get the Icees from the corner store anymore because they taste bad to me. Like they're made with tap water (I don't like our tap water), or like they don't clean the nozzles daily like they should. (BTW, this is why soda at some gas station marts doesn't taste good. They're supposed to clean the nozzles daily. BF worked at a gas station for a little while.) Sweet things? I am convinced that the occasional sweet thing won't hurt my weight loss. (I'm fat because I eat too much, not because I eat nothing but sweets. But they don't help things, obviously.) Sobe? Oh I love those. But I also don't have them very often. Maybe 3x a month. More if I'm on a kick, less if I'm not. Milk? I don't care what they say, I'm going to drink milk if I want to drink milk. I don't drink it every day. Soft serve? Most likely. There have been so many times I've wanted it lately but not gotten it and the cravings have been less and less and easier and easier to deal with. I don't want to never eat soft serve again in my life. I just want to get to the point where I can have a little bit, be satisfied, and move on with my life. I feel like I'm jabbering on and on. I have noticed that my tastes have changed a little. I can't finish a whole can of coke anymore. As I said, Icee's taste bad to me now, or at least the ones at the corner store do. The last slurpee I had was a little underwhelming. I haven't mentioned alcohol. I don't drink. My biggest fear right now, besides not wanting to die from surgery, is that I won't be able to eat anymore. What I mean, is really eat. Eat large portions of food. Eat whatever I want. Being satisfied that I've eaten too much, but it was so good. Isn't that the whole point of having surgery? To not be able to eat crap? YES. But this just seems scary to me. Like, oh no, what will I do now. And that's what I mean by needing to get new hobbies. Which brings me to exercise. You know, I actually used to like going to the gym. It's like, even though I know things, they don't compute in my brain now. Somewhere between beauty school, my first bf, and my current bf, I had lost like 50 to 70 pounds (IDK my highest weight back then, so this is my best guess based on what pant size I wore). I lost weight because of my DDR obsession, then I lost more weight from being dumped, then I met my current bf and put the weight back on and then some. And so did he. If you don't know what DDR is, you don't know what you're missing. Wait, you mean being good at DDR doesn't make you cool? Aw *frownie face*. DDR is Dance Dance Revolution. If you still don't know what it is, Google it. Being good at DDR is like this secret fantasy of mine. I feel like being good at DDR is so cool and make me cool. Not in real life, but I will be so cool in my own head. And that makes me happy. I used to be so much better at it than I am now. I could do a couple standard songs. I haven't played in a while, but the last time I did it was like, "I used to be able to do this." The first guy I ever dated introduced me to DDR. For about 2 years after that I became obsessed. There's this website that has DDR machine locations and I would go to places just to play. I think that's why I lost weight. I didn't think of it as exercise. After my first bf (different guy) dumped me I became very anxious. I had a hard time eating, but I still managed to eat crap. But I think even though I was eating badly, I was eating less? Maybe. I can't remember. Anyway, me and my mom started going to the gym regularly. We'd go at night when there was hardly anyone there. I got my routine down to doing 40 minutes or 400 calories burned (according to the display) on the elliptical, whichever came first, but it ended up being about the same. Then I would do weights. Usually arms more than legs. I was up to 50lbs on most of the arm machines. Now I can barely do 20. I want to get back to that. I got down to about 209/215. A size 20 is skinny for me. When bf and I got together I stopped going to the gym, started eating badly, and now 7 years later I'm up about 64lbs. I ended up being a bad influence on him as well b/c he had just lost weight on weight watchers and was drinking diet soda, and I thought diet soda was gross so he switched to regular and ate badly along with me. I want to get back into going to the gym again. But it's just so hard. Somebody call the wambulance! I know the more I go the better it will get and it will get easier as I lose weight, but right now that isn't connecting in my head. Like right now we're training for Bay to Breakers. We're behind on training due to the rain and general laziness. I walk very slow. I mean 30 minute mile slow. Right now I can't imagine walking faster. Of course this will change if/when the weight comes off, but right now it feels hopeless. It's hard for me to imagine myself smaller. In the past I didn't feel any different when I lost weight. I just felt like me. My clothes would just magically expand or shrink. So I'm having a hard time seeing myself loosing weight. I mean, so far I've lost about... 7 or 8 lbs, but my clothing doesn't fit any different yet, so it hasn't sunk in that this effort of eating better is working. A couple nights ago I made tacos (I'm not the cook, he is, and this is one of the few things I make). I fixed 2 for myself and a ramekin of re-fried beans with cheese. I could only eat one taco and half the beans. I did put some effort toward eating more beans and seriously considered trying to eat my other taco but I knew I couldn't. I literally could not have stuffed it down if I wanted to. And then something clicked. This is what you're supposed to do. You eat, you get full, you stop. Like some magical realization. Like, this is how it's going to be. This is how it works. Since then I've been making an honest effort to follow plan and write down what I eat. I have gone off plan a few times, and over eaten about 3 times, but I feel different about it now. I am having a problem though. When I follow plan I feel empty inside. Like I know I'm full but I still feel empty. I thought it was a physical emptiness, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was an emotional emptiness. And I've been having this weird pain in my chest/throat. I think it may be heartburn. It's like an uncomfortable feeling. Heartburn is the only way I can think to describe it. Oh, the water. So the plan I'm following calls for 64oz of water/fluid to be drunk per day. This includes crystal light, decaf teas, dunno if non fat milk counts (we drink whole in this house). 64 ounces is just too much for me. I'm good on 32 to maybe 50ish. 2 to 3 water bottles. When I try to drink all 64, and I'm rarely able to drink that much, I feel like I'm peeing all the time. And I'll wake up and have to pee anywhere from 2 to 5 times in the night. So for me personally, 64oz is too much. Plus my sister in law once told me that her doctor told her that she should not be drinking that much because some people don't need that much. I'm not saying that I know more than a doctor does, I'm saying I know certain aspects of my body better because it's me. Besides the fact that my job doesn't allow me to drink that much. I love what I do. I like where I do it, I have great coworkers, but it's becoming time to move on. As stated in my profile, I am a hair stylist. I have been at my current salon almost 6.5 years. I work in a select service salon. I know I am bordering on becoming stuck there. I want to move on and branch out to full service, or maybe even makeup and/or nails. I know I have more potential, I just haven't harnessed it yet. And part of that is I feel my weight is holding me back. I have 3 herniated disks in my back (not weight caused, but the weight isn't helping), so doing shampoos and bending isn't something I would be able to do on a regular basis. So I'm really hoping that I can lose the weight, gain confidence, and then move on. And in losing weight I hope to gain strength in my back and over all so I will be able to work. I actually found out about the surgery from a former coworker who got it done (she had r&y), lost weight, then moved on. I'd like to be able to do that as well. I'm almost 28. Ideally I want to be pregnant with our first child by 30. So I kinda feel like if I'm going to do this, I need to do it now and stop dragging my feet. I don't want to be fat and pregnant. I have this fear that if I were to get pregnant now (among a whole slew of other issues) that people wouldn't be able to tell and they'd just think I'm fat. Another fear is that what if I got pregnant and didn't know and couldn't tell b/c I'm fat and then suddenly had a baby. How embarrassing would that be. I'd just die. I know this probably isn't very realistic, but who ever said fears were rational? I have major daddy issues, which I may or may not get into in another entry. Basically he made my life a living hell growing up. Very emotionally abusive. Needless to say, I don't want to tell him if I get it done. Believe me, I want a relationship with him so badly, I really wish I had a dad, but he's an unmediated bipolar; it's not happening. It makes me so sad. And it makes me mad that I still love him even though I hate him so much. And it hurts so much knowing losing the weight won't make him love me. ;_; I don't feel comfortable telling my sister. She's the good one, the favorite. I love her dearly, but we just don't have an open relationship and I am very afraid of being judged. Plus given the comments she makes about fat people, being fat is probably the worst thing a person can be, to her. I wouldn't be comfortable with my grandma knowing. My dad has fed her lies about me, she's never approved of my weight, telling my parents to do something about it instead of being a grandma. And she doesn't approve of my living situation (unmarried & living together; I think if it bothers her that much she should pay for my wedding). As far as work and clients go, the girls at work would know, and clients don't need to know anything other than I'm following a meal plan, making lifestyle chances, exercising, ect. It's none of their business anyway. My bf supports me whatever I do. Whether I don't lose another pound or I get surgery and lose 100+. At first he was against it, but I think he knows what it means to me, so he's supportive. I told my mom. That was hard. But she was ok. I know she's not a fan of the idea, but she wouldn't give me a straight answer why. My sister in law doesn't want me to die. She's actually the only one who said that I'm fine the way I am. Idk if my brother knows. Idk if my nephew knows, or if he'd have much of an opinion since he's 16. My in-laws: mom is against it because she knows 2 people who had it done, one is gaining the weight back and the other almost died. She feels that I should stay the same or lose weight non surgically. Haven't gotten an opinion from dad yet. (Yes, I do call my bfs parents mom and dad, just not to their faces.) I have one aunt and uncle who I can see being supportive. My cousins I'm iffy about. One of my best friends hasn't said any opinion either way (so I think she'd be supportive either way, we've been friends for over 20 years), and my other best friend seems against it. I know I need therapy or something when it comes to food and all the feelings I have associated with it and my family, but I don't know where to get it. I can't afford a private therapist, and Kaiser sucks in that department. Ok. So now that you think I'm crazy.... On to what I'm sure you're probably more interested in: Highest weight: 281 Kaiser's starting weight for me: 278 Current weight (as of last weigh in): 273 Goal weight: 255 I'm 5'5.5", pear shaped, so if you saw a head shot, you'd probably think I'm much smaller than I am. Assuming I do get surgery, it will be at Kaiser Richmond. Right now I'm in the process of re-enrolling in the program. I should get a call from Robin in 7 to 10 days from Friday. Not sure if those are business days or not. From there I'll have to take a class or two. Past that I assume the process resumes as it was before with reaching goal, appointments, tests, and then surgery... to simplify it. Even if I don't get surgery, I feel that this group is the right place for me to be right now as far as my weight loss goes. Back in 2008 I got like 3lbs from goal then I gained all the weight I lost back plus 3lbs (I think I just wasn't ready). I stopped going, then I decided to go again after talking to a client who had it done. Now I'm down about 5lbs from my starting weight, and 8lbs from my highest (starting over) weight. I need to loose 18 more pounds. My personal goal is to loose 23 more. Once I meet that, I will begin saving for and planning a trip to Disneyland (that will be the weight I was the last time I went so I'll know for sure that I'll be able to fit on the rides). At first I wanted the LapBand. It still sounds like the best choice for me, but with all my concerns, ultimately, I feel that the sleeve is a better choice. In group (the support group at Kaiser Richmond) they said that if you set a goal for when you want to have surgery, it helps you get to goal and a lot of people who did this have had their surgery near the date they picked. I would prefer to have it done in the Spring, maybe Summer (with my luck it'd be a 100+ degree summer =/ ). Just not Winter. I know myself; I won't want to get up and walk if it's cold outside. So I think May through September would be good. I don't want to get it done right before the holidays because I just don't see it ending well. Either way, my first holidays post op should be with my in-laws. I think Valentines Day would be a really cool day to have it, but when I really think about it, it's still too cold then. I feel like May is too soon, as in I doubt I'll be at goal and have all the other things taken care of by then, plus Idk if I'll be mentally ready by then. But I don't want to wait till next Spring either. My current goal is to reach my goal weight by summer. So basically that means before September. My work doesn't want me to take December off, but I'm so tempted to... assuming that it worked out that way. This has been a slow process for me. As far as the meal plan goes, I started cutting back on soda, for example. Then I was loosely following the meal plan. And now I have about 1 meal a day that's plan, and the others are plan-ish, but not dead on. I have to work up to it. I can't just jump right in. And that's ok. Because I want to be sure. I want to be sure I can do this.

For sure! Thank you for the heavy pocket/ weights advice. I managed to weigh in at 199 after lunch, lol. We are waiting on results from stress test, then will put in for approval and get a surgery date for July. I need to weigh in no less than 198 and no greater than 200 (initial weigh in) lbs day of surgery which is really going to be tricky with two days of liquids prior to surgery. She said weigh every day and be very aware of weight gain and loss. They will not approve if you are above your first weigh in or if fall below 35. Where in Mexico are you having it done? i hope you have someone going with you. I have watched several youtube journeys of people who went to Mexico. They seem to have all had a good experience. Best of luck!

No specific amount during my pre-op workup. They just didn't want to see any weight gain over my initial consultation weight. I ended up going up and down during the 6-month workup period, but didn't ever end up going above my first weight. I'm now a clinical reviewer for my hospital's weight-loss surgery program and have seen many cases where patients gain and gain and gain up to their surgery day, and they still get approval.