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Troblyer-You need to give yourself some time. You probably still have Water weight gain from the surgery. Also the liquids can go down much easier than solids do. So you can consume larger amounts. Are you getting in enough Proteins? When do you see your surgeon again? If you are that hungry I would definitely call him or the nutritionist if one is available. I don't see how it could be possible to not lose weight on a liquids only diet unless your liquids were loaded with sugars and fats. I'm sorry you are having a rough time and I hope it gets better. Hang in there.

I was in the same boat, band slipped and had issues and gained some weight. That weight gain has been devastating for me. When everything came back as band had slipped, my doctor gave me option to put it back in place or have revision to sleeve. I know there is higher chance of band slipping again after first slip. Doctor told me about the sleeve and gave me a few weeks to research it and come back with any questions. So I did all that and decided that I really didn't want to have surgery again for band slipping because it has caused such awful acid reflux issues already. Last Monday, I had the band out and end of October will have revision to sleeve. I'm still very nervous about it but look forward to getting back on the downhill slide towards my goal.

I had the procedure on September 27th and since then lost around 70 pounds.. but I recently checked my weight and in the past 20 days I gained 5 pounds. I feel my diet has increased and I haven't been exercising. Is it possible to start gaining weight so fast? Or is it just fluctuating? Im really stressed.

When I gained a ton of weight I was convinced I had pcos but nope, the weight gain made my cycles irregular & I was having hard time to conceive. I was warned that I needed to be on bc for 12 months after vsg so I am excited to start trying after my one year post op I'm 25 yo also.

It's really, really important not to compare your process with others, as that will just discourage you. Make sure that you're losing, but over the long term -- don't weigh yourself ANY more frequently than once a week, and even that is pushing it (every other week or once a month would be better). Water weight gains can easily swallow week-to-week fluctuations. In the end, just focus on the fact that you ARE losing and it's a healthy loss. You'll get there, even if it's not right this instant.

I have ulcerative colitis and am getting the VSG. My GI doc is hoping that losing a good amount of weight will help me better control my disease. I am on Remicade for treatment of my UC. My surgeon wasn't too excited about that but he has collaborated with my GI doc to come up with a plan. My surgery will be 4-6 weeks after an infusion and I won't be able to have another infusion until 4-6 weeks after surgery. I just hope I don't flare up! A lot of my weight gain came from using steroids a lot of the last 5 years. My surgery will be sometime in the next couple months! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

a 10- to 20-lb weight gain after you hit your lowest weight is very common - usually in year 2 or 3. bruising - I don't think I've ever heard this and I've been hanging out here for seven years, so it may be unrelated to your surgery. I'd check with your PCP P.S. you can always lose weight by cutting calories, but if your body is most comfortable at 155, it'll be a challenge to lose weight and keep it off. It can be done, it'll just be a challenge if you have to fight your body to do it. also - brain fog and fatigue - I haven't heard that either, but I suppose it could be related to a deficiency. Hopefully they'll do bloodwork while you're there so they can see if your deficient in anything, Deficiencies are pretty rare if you keep on top of your supplements, though - and you're a sleeve patient, so they're rarer still. Hopefully your physical exam will uncover whatever it is that's going on.

... I'm hangin' my head too. I have NEVER exercised, not really, since surgery. I decided early on.....I wanted to make life changes. I know ME, I know I am LAZY and I know I have the attention span of a four year old. I did NOT want to lose weight in part with exercise because I was gung ho.....lose it, get bored and quit, only to regain part of my weight. I reached goal in just under five months, * doctor's goal * and my goal, five lbs less, a month later. 1200 calories keeps me where I need to be, it's been easy and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I make choices and not having 'real' hunger, it is much easier to make WISE choices most of the time. I weigh every single day and if I'm up 2 or 3 lbs (and yes, I swear, it CAN happen over night!!), I adjust and it comes right off. Some times it's Water, some times it is Pasta or Mexican food. Weight gain can happen so fast, but keeping track, keeps it easy. If I were to weigh once a week or once every two weeks....or YIKES, once a month...and were to be up 8 or 10 lbs, that would not be as easy to handle. I know how fast it can happen!!! Anyway....hardly any bread, seldom any at home, I nibble, some times more than I should, at restaurants. No chips, almost never. Sooooo, you are NOT alone. I too confess!!!

I have MS! My initial presentation was very unusual in that I went deaf, so it took some time to diagnose (2012). As a result, I suffer from vertigo and nausea from my active lesion. I decided to go on medication last year after I started to get more physical symptoms, though thankfully my clinical symptoms have remained stable. (MS is apparently weird like that according to my neurologists). Exercise is difficult for me due to the fact that a) I fatigue more quickly than I used to b)I can have significant problems with my balance c) I am carrying extra weight gained through a high risk pregnancy that saw me hospitalised, fed an extremely high calorie diet and hooked up to drips in order TO gain weight (I was very ill and nearly lost my baby) and d) a combination of steroid medications I have had to take for a bunch of symptoms to do with MS (not my interferons) and for depression and anxiety So my eating habits are weird. I find it difficult to eat most of the time because I feel nauseated. This means I need to take lots of vitamins to avoid malnutrition. I would generally avoid food if possible, but have a lovely husband who makes sure I eat. However, when I am NOT feeling nauseated, I will eat whatever I like! It's ridiculous. I don't think that in my life I've ever had a sweet tooth (I'm a savoury fiend), yet I will crave something like chocolate and must eat it. And as for the food I DO like; shut the gate. I'm like the Netflix and no chill of food if I feel well! Obviously, whenever this happens, I get extremely sick. But it's ridiculous. My body has gone into some kind of starvation mode and just wants to feed itself. Anyway, after lots of tests, and long consultations with all of my specialists I'm going in for a sleeve. The hope is that with the pre-op diet, the new way of eating, the weight loss relieving some of the pressure on my body that my 'metabolism' for want of a better word, will be able to reset. That I will be able to stick to better patterns of eating - fueling my body correctly and helping it to combat this disorder. Im feeling hopeful. I see this as an opportunity to reset and give myself a better chance to make my body stronger and more healthy despite whatever little brain farts it has along the way to make it not as reliable into the future as it should be.

Hi Im actually in the middle of the master cleanse right now. I am pre surgery though. You not only drink the lemonade but you drink a laxative tea at night and do a saline flush in the morning. Im doing it to cleanse my liver before surgery. The liver and kidneys process toxins in the body and when its overloaded with chemicals and antibiotices from your food it stores it in your fat so as you lose fat you release the toxins back into your body. Im hoping to eliminate the toxins BEFORE losing the weight. so my body liver and kidneys can focus on getting the fat out haha. but mostly because its good for your skin and other organs in the body. Im not hungry but I crave foods...talk about the epitome of weight gain. Eating not because your hungry but siply because you WANT something. haha. Im learning alot about myself. As for after surgery my only concern might be dehydration during the flush. Otherwise I dont see why you COULDNT do it.Hope this helped.

Ok so I'm extremely bloated, constipated, have tons of gas, and my pouch is so tight it can be painful to consume food. My jeans hate me lol they are tight, no weight gain. I needed to talk to the doc about a laxative. I'm thinking going back to strictly liquid with my shakes mashed fruits and veggies. I feel huge yet no weight gain. A little frustrated and making me consider not having another after this(which is still a few years away). But this pregnancy is definitely more difficult than my previous. More food isn't agreeing with my pouch, I'm having to relearn what's ok and what's not with foods that once agreed. Soften, I tried to get off of it, and I threw up two days in a row. Now don't be afraid. I'm sure my experience is unique to me. But just an informative journal so you ladies can get an idea what post sleeve pregnancy is like. Now a few things to consider, I am pregnant 8 months post OP, until the month before I got pregnant I had a great restriction anyway. I do crave unhealthy food but fried food doesn't work in my stomach, I get very ill. I love love love pancakes. But I can't get much of it in. I spend a lot of time eating yogurt, cheese and eggs. I boil my eggs because I cannot use butter in to cook my eggs. I have a cup of coffee in the morning and I'm denouncing carbs again because I let myself eat those before my restriction came back. Baby needs what I can get in. And it needs to be of value. So I'm bank to figuring this all out again. I may be criticized by a few. But if honesty helps the few who need it. I'm willing to endure the few on here that are holier than thou. (no pun intended towards God, but their attitudes because after this sleeve NO ONE is allowed to make a mistake smh). Sent from my EVO using VST

1) Increase your calories a little if you can. There is no point in starving yourself, just take it slow, eat every couple hours, and make sure what you eat is high in protein - Your protein goal is far more important than calories. 2) Accept the stall. It's almost impossible to do while you're in it, but a few weeks out I hit a stall that lasted 3 full weeks. I was nutty at that point worrying that I'd gotten stuck and wouldn't continue losing. I tried EVERYTHING I could think of. Eventually it just broke on its own. I know I am gonna jinx myself typing this so *knock on wood* I have not had a stall since. My weight loss is slowing down a bit now (About 3.5 months out) but I'm still losing a good 2+ pounds a week. 3) Do something fun. All the stress just increases cortisol in your body, which can be a contributing factor to weight gain. I dunno if it really makes a huge difference, but either way - getting out and doing something for you so that you feel good is healthy! You're doing great. Hang in there and the pounds will just randomly start coming off again one day after your body finishes adjusting.

Is your doctor or insurance requiring you to lose a certain amount of weight or is it more to make sure that you have no weight gain for liver enlargement issues? Mine was so my liver did not get larger and not for the weight loss. I only lost 10 lbs on my MONTH long pre-op. Just double check with your surgeon and Nut. If you are truly doing everything you can then don't beat yourself up. We all don't lose the same.

I’ve always been heavy. Even as a kid I was the chubby kid, the funny class clown, the best friend. After high school I attempted different diets, all of which failed miserably. I was a Theater geek so it always hurt to not get cast into the characters I wanted to play. After various relationships and weight gain and loss I finally found the perfect person who I’m going to marry who is my partner in crime and hands down slightly funnier than I am. Slightly. When we started dating I knew our weight was a problem but it wasn’t until moving to Orlando that I really could tell that it had affected us. I was never a person to actually want to have kids but being with Holly has made me the happiest person in the world and I want nothing more than to start a family with her someday. So, I am excited to announce and pleased to share that we have a surgery date TOGETHER. That’s right we are doing this together and together we are both having the duodenal switch surgery. When I say that this went fast I am not exaggerating. April 12th - Orientation May - Various appointments (blood work, EKG, stress test etc) May 21st - Final Appoinments (psych evaluation and nutrition class) & Insurance Approval May 22nd - Call from surgeons office to schedule dates. Holly’s Surgery - July 30th My Surgery - August 2nd IM. SO. EXCITED!

I had to pay out of pocket for fills too. I was frustrated too. I would be really hungry, get a fill and then get sick even on protein shakes. That required another hour drive to the doc. and another payment to have some of the fluid removed. I did have months here and there where I had "restriction", but it overall wasn't the tool I hoped it would be. I did manage to loose all my excess weight by sticking to a lowcarb/lowfat diet and working out almost every day. Unfortunately I have gained quite a bit back. Struggling to get back on track. My band is not filled much, had a bunch taken out after I lost the weight. I wanted to be able to eat a real breakfast, not just a shake et.. I know I should go in for a fill, but my experience with them is not great as I've said. I also have to admit to being embarrassed about the weight gain. My plan now is lowfat, good carbs and lots of protein and work out regularly. I think I was too strict with myself and lost the weight too fast (107 pounds in 10 months). I never really made a "lifestyle" change. So far it's been a really good week. I am sorry the band isn't working as well for you as you would like. My doctor was really good about listening to me and giving fills when I felt I needed one. We talked together about it. You may want to have a talk with your dr. about more aggressive fills. .3 really isn't all that much. Go in with a record of what your eating when and how satisfied you are for how long. As mentioned, it may be that the previous issue you had is making him conservative with the fills. It's worth a heart to heart I think. Explain that also you have lost weight (which is awsome) but that you are dealing with a lot of hunger. Best of luck! Veronica

It is fairly common to have a little post-op weight gain and take several days for that to come off. Try to increase your fluid intake, because that will help you start peeing out some of those extra fluids... then shortly after you should start losing actual fatty weight. Be patient, it will come! Oh... and walk as much as you can.

So I first had a banded gastroplasty in 2001. I had to have a revision into a gastric bypass in 2012 because of scar tissue issues. I had lost 197 pounds between the two surgeries. I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve gained 150 pounds of that back. I’m not supposed to be able to eat sugar or high fatty foods due to dumping, but I can do both with no problems. I’m wondering if anybody else can eat anything they want after bypass? I’m so frustrated it sucks.

I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I think my ticker speaks for itself...and as you can see, my starting weight was where you are right now. My initial goal weight was to get back to where I thought I'd be comfortable (175ish--just like you're thinking) but I've been able to reach a normal BMI. Awesome stuff. My sister is getting sleeved in less than a month. Yes, there are risks of complications but the risks associated with obesity and yo-yo dieting/weight loss and weight gain are pretty intense, too. Do all of your homework and have all of the facts so that your sister knows that you know what you are doing and that you are 100% knowledgeable with this procedure as well as the aftercare. You can also remind your sister that gastrectomies have been performed for decades for people with stomach cancer, etc. The biggest regret you will hear from people on this board is that they didn't have the surgery sooner. I was 29 when I had mine and had struggled with obesity my whole life. I managed to lose a significant amount of weight and maintain the loss for a few years in my early/mid 20's but gained it back slowly, surely and with a vengeance. I kept trying *everything* else and spent tons of money on *everything* until at this time last year, I decided that I needed a more permanent fix to my problem. I couldn't keep doing the same things expecting different results or go on an expensive 'medically supervised diet' only to go off of it to save money and then gain weight back...I needed the restriction the sleeve has given me and it is a godsend. I also knew that I'd still be struggling in 1 year/5 years/10 years, etc. and wondering "what if" I did it sooner...? I wish you all the luck that your family will come to support your decision but remember, ultimately, it is your decision and they will surely understand that you have researched that this is the best option for a longer, healthier life. Do you live in Canada by any chance and might be working with Melanie/WLF?

Thanks Christina.Rose I am so pleased for you that its started to work again....that's fantastic news!!!! For me I have had no end of frustrations and complications and I am now getting severe reflux when my band is filled to a semi restrictive level. I have had "3" port revisions and I still have trouble eating with my bra on as the port is now under my bra line (4th spot they had put the port and only successful spot too) I had lost a lot of weight but then I think I have had a slip as I started to get really hungry all of a sudden and started gaining weight slowly but surely. Not long after that my reflux got to a point where it was so bad prescription meds couldnt help me so I had to have it let out and am almost back to square 1. My specialist wants me to have it out to prevent any or any further damage. I just dont think that the band likes me haha In all seriousness I think that my body is not agreeing with the foreign bodies (band and port) and is rejecting them. I have given it 4 years but now there seems to be a better option for me I think. SleeveConvert.......I know that the band and sleeve are only a tool and are not an easy answer. Anyone who has gone through what I have gone through to try to lose weight can not say I am taking the easy road. There is no magic thing that will make it work I know, and there are a lot easier ways to lose weight than what I personally have been through with 5 surgeries (and counting) so far for weight loss. but......I need this or it will never stay off This is because I am committed and by having to have my band unfilled for 6 months due to complications and gaining 30 kilos in that short time confirms to me that I can't do this forever without my tool for weight loss that is the band/sleeve. I am taking the hardest road possible and trying my best with every effort and I do get upset when all that I have been through people comment that I am taking the 'easy way out' I wish some could see/feel what I have been through to know its been a nightmare and something that I have to do in order to live life normally. I am morbidly obese and need help and this is my last resort. Something that made me feel a little better and understand obesity a lot better and may help some of you: I went to visit my surgeon after gaining back my 30 kilo's in 6 months. I said to him "I am so dissapointed with myself and embarressed that I have allowed myself to gain so much weight so quickly......I don't know how I let myself get to this" He quickly said "Do not ever say that about yourself, I do not ever want to hear you speak like that again. Obesity is a DISEASE! Just like diabeties etc........its most often genetic and such a terrible disease. There is no magic pill only help to control it. One day there might be but now and in the near future there is not so the best way we can help people with this disease it to give them as much control as possible. Do not feel guilty or embarressed about it EVER.....this 'is a disease' and we will help you with that the best way we can." Right then and there something clicked and I cried and understood my life long battle then and there. I am trying not to beat myself up about my weight gain and rather focus on the success to come with lots of hard work and determination I know I will get there and they will help me through every step of the way. Just to let you know he is not getting any money from me for this at all. When I got the lapband, they guaranteed in writing that they would help me lose weight and that any other surgery, if ever needed, even years down the track is free. What I paid for the fist surgery is all I will ever have to pay with them and they will work with me and do whatever it takes to help me get to a healthy weight. They are committed to helping people with this Disease that is Obesity. Gamblers can never gamble again, Alcoholics can never drink again but Obese people have to eat to survive...... and then we have some of the hardest obstacles to overcome

Then you should talk to your surgeon about it and possibly get a slight unfill. Slider foods lead to weight gain and a band too tight leads to slips.

thank you guys. i haven't had my first doctor's appointment yet, but i did ask my band doc. they said they used to unfill for every pregnancy and the women would gain 100 lbs. being obese, my ideal weight gain is 15 lbs. so, i'm going to try to stick with thtat. i think i've been preg for at least the past month and i've lost 20 lbs. i've read that you need to eat 2200 calories when pregnant. i can't wait to meet with my ob/gyn to find out minimum calorie requirements and Protein requirement. i know that the baby takes it from the mother, but it still worries me. my first son is 7 now, but i didn't know that i was pregnant until i was 4 months (i didn't have periods then, and i didn't have them this time either..crazy huh?) well, i was struggling with anorexia again, so i wasn't eating then either. when i got pregnant i was fine with eating, but i only gained the recommended weight (i was not heavy then). my baby turned out healthy-ish too. he was jaundice really bad and got down to 3 lbs, but they never said that was due to early diet. my band doc called last night and told me to do what i can to avoid throwing up. so, i'm sticking with Protein drinks and solid Proteins in the evening for now. hopefully i'll be getting enough nutrients and Vitamins from my prenatal.

Hello, I am new to this site, but I just finished my 6 month of the weight management required by my insurance. I must admit I have put on weight. I have just this month lost 5 lbs but I put a total of 19 pounds in the 6 months. I go see the surgeon tomorrow and am a little worried that my weight gain may get me denied. Has anyone had this problem?

Thank you guys! I'm just upset because going onto my 4th year, I just wanted to live like a normal person and not always just watch what I eat. . . guess not. I'm back on the wagon. I've been following the Atkins plan for nearly 1 year. It works well and when I went off and added some carbs which i wasn't supposed to yet, i guess my body retaliated and i did feel badly. Nausea, bloaty, swelling, weight gain. . etc. But I'm back on it now and won't be coming off it. Protein good, carbs bad. . . water good, soda bad! lol. . . . thanks again, i really feel better knowing that you all understood. . . blessings and pleasant journey (it's a damn long one)

I got a tight fill about 3 months ago and it got the last 30 pounds off. I had been at the same weight for 1 year. I am now get a little losser after the 30lbs loss. I hope to loss a little more in case of weight gain.

Is maladaptive eating slowing or sabotaging your weight loss? Let's take a look at how that happens and what we can do to change it. WHAT IS MALADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR? The term “adaptation” brings Charles Darwin to my mind. His theory of evolution is considered heresy where I live, but whatever your personal belief about the origin of the human species, you’ve probably observed many times that humans and other living things have an amazing ability to adapt their behavior, and even their forms, to better survive and thrive in its environment, and that as the environment changes, so do the creatures living in it. Here in Tennessee, the weather is getting hot enough to send us into our closets to bring out the shorts and sandals and bathing suits we need to comfortably survive the summer. At the same time, our dogs and cats are shedding the extra fur they’d acquired to keep them warm during the winter. The humans are adapting their dressing behavior and the cats are adapting their forms to adjust to hot weather. This is adaptation in its positive sense, but adaptation also has a dark side. Defining “maladaptation” requires us to assume that certain behaviors are normal, while others are abnormal. That does not necessarily mean that normal is healthy and abnormal is unhealthy. Someone (or something) is considered “normal” if they conform to a widely accepted standard or practice, and abnormal if they deviate from the norm. A behavior can be identified as maladaptive or abnormal only in the context of an environment. It is not intrinsically wrong or evil, and its degree of deviance or abnormality depends on things like cultural and social rules and norms (cannibalism may be a normal behavior in one society, but not in another), systems of psychological and medical thought (a mentally ill person may be “abnormal”, but able to function despite that); as well as political beliefs and ideals (in a democracy, the practice of communist principles is considered “wrong”). I’m going to try to bypass all those interesting but knotty aspects and give you definitions and examples that don’t require a PhD in sociology or psychology to decipher them. Some maladaptive behavior is disruptive to society because it interferes with group functioning. A child “acting out” at school in reaction to the stresses he experiences at home is an example of this. His frustration with his home life turns into anger that fuels temper tantrums in the classroom. His behavior is maladaptive because it doesn’t eliminate the stresses at home and creates a whole new spectrum of stresses and problems at school as his teachers and fellow students react to his aggression. He can’t learn lessons in school that he needs to learn because his “bad” behavior gets in the way. Other maladaptive behavior is expressed in an inward fashion. A shy, anxious art student is horrified when her painting teacher publically critiques her painting and tells her and the rest of the students that her artwork is exactly what they should not be doing. The art student loses confidence in her talent and changes her major to another subject. Her behavior is maladaptive because it makes it much harder for her to achieve her original goal of becoming an art teacher. My own definition of maladaptive behavior is this. It’s a nonproductive behavior that prevents you from adapting to situations, or changes in yourself or your environment, in a healthy way. It can begin as an attempt to deal with or avoid an unpleasant experience but it does not solve the original problem and eventually becomes dysfunctional. You adjust to a situation in a way that makes sense at the time but that eventually misdirects your energy and focus, and interferes with your personal and interpersonal functioning, your health, and your ability to achieve your goals. At the start, the behavior feels like a helpful, even positive response to abnormal, difficult, or negative circumstances. As a bandster, I used both old and new maladaptive eating behaviors. My decades-old behaviors, like eating to deal with stress, did not disappear on the morning of my band surgery, and 5 years later, I’m still working on changing that. I also developed new behaviors in response to the experience of having an adjustable gastric band. The long-term result of these maladaptive behaviors is unintended and undesirable. The maladaptive eating tactic may seem to solve a current problem while it's actually creating future problems: slowed or stopped weight loss, weight gain, band slippage, band erosion, and so on. SOFT CALORIE SYNDROME & OTHER DANGERS A classic example of bandster maladaptive eating behavior is known as Soft Calorie Syndrome. I discovered the perils of this syndrome for myself when I traveled to New York City to attend a trade show when I was about 8 months post-op. I had gotten a fill the day before I left, and by the time I got to New York I had realized that my band was too tight for me to tolerate. I couldn’t eat any solid food, so I spent the next 3 days eating soft, high-calorie, low-satiety foods like soup, milkshakes, and ice cream. I was just trying to survive long enough to go home and get an unfill. My eating behavior achieved a temporary goal (comfortable survival) while sabotaging my long term goal of losing weight. In fact, I gained weight during that trip and ended up feeling disappointed in myself. A frustrating aspect of maladaptive behavior is that it’s often easier to see in others than it is in yourself, but even someone who’s fully aware that her or his behavior is counterproductive may feel helpless to change it. If I had a dollar for every time a bandster has confessed to eating to relieve stress or boredom, I’d be a wealthy woman now. Emotional eating tends to be so longstanding and deep-rooted that it takes on a life of its town, like a devil lurking inside us who seductively whispers, “Chocolate! Chocolate will make you feel soooo much better!” when you’re too vulnerable, tired, or upset to make a different or healthier choice. When I was being treated for PTSD years ago, a counselor asked me to make a list of behaviors and activities that I could choose to do instead of engaging in self-destructive ones. At first the exercise seemed contrived and silly, but eventually I realized its usefulness. I was not able to think clearly and make good choices when in severe emotional distress. All I could think of was razor blades. My index card of alternate behaviors reminded me that I could telephone a friend, go for a walk, take a bath, listen to music, pet a dog, and the like instead of playing with sharp objects. Now, I very much hope that you’re not dealing with severe emotional distress (which I would wish only on my worst enemy), but I do believe you can benefit by making your own list of alternatives to emotional eating. Carry a copy of that list with you everywhere you go and keep a copy in an easily-accessible spot at home (I tacked mine to my bulletin board). TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES In the 1960’s and 70’s, contestants on the “Truth or Consequences” game show would try to answer ridiculously obscure trivia questions and be forced to perform silly stunts in punishment for getting the answers wrong. The host ended each episode by saying, “Bob Barker saying goodbye, and hoping all your consequences are happy ones!" The relief or pleasure or other immediate consequences of a maladaptive behavior may seem like happy ones, but they generally short-lived, so the behavior must be repeated over and over for the benefit to be felt. As with an addiction, it takes more and more of the behavior or substance to cause relief or pleasure. An anxious person, whose mother lost a leg to gangrene (death of flesh) from bacterial infection in an untreated injury, naturally fears germs. She washes her hands thoroughly and often, especially after touching anything that might harbor germs. At the start, her own home is clean and safe, but because her hand washing doesn’t remove her basic fear, eventually she must practice it all day, every day, over and over, even in her own home, until her skin is scrubbed raw. She sees the abrasions her scrubbing has caused as more vulnerable to germs and increases the hand washing. Soon the hand washing excludes all other activities and she dares not leave her home. The salutary practice of hand washing has become a maladaptive and destructive behavior. Unlike the hand washing or other compulsive, fear-based, abnormal and ritualistic behavior, maladaptive eating is rarely perceived as strange. Eating is socially acceptable as long as the meat on your plate belongs to a different species. It’s also something that’s easy to do in secret, while you’re alone in your car or your bathroom or wherever you go to escape other people. But when you do it over and over again, your repetition of the behavior cements it into a wall around you, keeping you locked inside instead venturing forth to find relief elsewhere. And should you confess to this maladaptive eating behavior, people who don’t use food in this way simply cannot fathom why you would do it. They say impatiently, “Put the fork down! Step away from the table! Just say no to chocolate!” Ah, if only it were that simple, that easy… SMALL-TIME CRIMINALS Some maladaptive behavior arises from ignorance, misconceptions or misunderstanding. Take the case of Martin. He received minimal pre-op education, so when he found himself PB’ing (regurgitating) on a daily basis after his 3rd fill, he assumed that this was simply a fact of life for bandsters. His problem is ignorance. The same thing happened to Annie, who assumed she was doing something wrong but was too shy, ashamed and embarrassed to ask her surgeon about it. Her problem is misconception. And when PB’ing intruded into Carol’s daily life, she believed it was like vomiting, caused by “a stomach bug”, so it never even occurred to her that her eating behavior might be causing it. Her problem is misunderstanding. All too often, a maladaptive behavior seems like such a small “crime” – it was just one ice cream cone – that the bandster minimizes its importance without realizing that the cumulative effect of a series of small crimes can be just as destructive as a single big one. It’s kind of like ignoring the posted speed limit when you’re driving your car. You shudder at the news of a fatal car accident when an acquaintance driving at 70 mph in a 35 mph zone loses control of his vehicle and crashes into a telephone pole. In that instance, ignoring the speed limit is clearly a bad choice. But when you’re late for work (again), run a few yellow or even red lights (again), and drive at 70 mph in a 35 mph zone (again) in your eagerness to get to work on time, and nothing bad happens, speeding doesn’t seem like such a terrible crime…until the day you can’t stop in time to avoid the car turning into your path and end up as a bleeding mess choking on dust from your car’s air bag while an ambulance carries off the person you killed because of your maladaptive behavior. IS THIS BEHAVIOR GETTING YOU WHERE YOU WANT TO GO? A bandster once confessed, “I eat pretty good all week and then I allow myself a junk food day...a bad mistake on the weekend since that usually means a junk food weekend...once I start, it’s so hard to stop and of course weight gain is the result and I end up beating myself up. I'm never going to be where I want to be if I continue this behavior.” I want to repeat that all-important last sentence: “I'm never going to be where I want to be if I continue this behavior.” That, my friends, is the take-home message of this article. Take it to heart, take it home, and take it out and study it often. Ask for help in identifying and dealing with your maladaptive eating behaviors. Take them seriously, but don’t build them into mountains right in the middle of your path to success. Sometimes the solution or treatment for a big maladaptive behavior can be a small piece of common sense. One of my favorites is: Don’t keep trigger foods in the house. If chocolate is your bête-noir (the black beast that’s the bane of your existence), you’re not going to be able to gorge yourself with it the next time you’re feeling weak if there is no chocolate in your house. Yes, I know you can hop in your car, ignore the posted speed limits, and pull up in front of the Chocoholic Market in a matter of minutes. That’s why we have to be vigilant, honest and aware. And remember this, from page 299 of Bandwagon: It takes anywhere from 18 to 254 days of daily repetition to make a new behavior automatic….so, practice, practice, practice!