Search the Community

I agree with a statement above regarding that the marriage was not a happy marriage before only because the person stayed in the marriage because that was comfortable with them and their weight. My husband and I were on the same page we are doing this (he didn't have surgery but is on a diet) to become a healthier family unit. I was skinny when I met my husband but he has stuck with me throughout my weight gain and NEVER commented on my body figure once. I love him with all of my heart.........I couldn't imagine a divorce after this. He is my soul mate and we have a wonderful little family. I can see how it could be hard if you are married to an extremely unhealthy person after this who continues to make you day to day lifestyle change hard for you. But in that case I think the other person may need to be talked, I know my hubby cheats but he hides all temptation from me. He does this to make my transition easier.

4x 3 x shrine to 1x and large ( want go any smaller then that bc of my breast but I can not fit in all my shirts I wore before my weight gain) Pants I went from a 24/26 to a 16/18 now All mine before ranged from 11-14 50 lbs more to lose , march 9 th ill be 5 months post op

I have no clue why this popped up on my phone this morning but as I read first post then second a few more then I stopped reading. I forgot I had the app honestly because I stopped being on here. I had just decided to do the surgery a few months ago, went to the seminar, my first appt was done and I was still up on the air about it. As I started to go through the process, all of the testing read more and I joined this forum to get other people's experiences, see how you all are doing, looked at some on youtube videos I guess to see if I really wanted to do it this time. I started the process three years ago and stopped halfway said I didn't need it because I eat healthy salads, veggies not alot of food, bake not fry and I excercise but here I am three years later. Still weigh the same as when I started, I'll lose it and gain it right back but never go over what I've been. It wasn't my time back then and one thing that I read that I absolutely agree with is that you truly have to mentally prepare yourself for this. I've made my decision based on the fact that I want to be healthier without all the meds I take daily. I can and will honestly say I don't have a problem with food because I barely eat. Which is also a problem lack of eating which I've been working on. I have health issues high blood pressure, asthma, pseudotumorcerebri, and REM apnea as to why I qualify for the surgery because your BMI has to be 40 or above mine is and was 38 my first dr visit. My weight gain came from me taking the birth control shot years ago and I have never been able to go back to under 200 lbs and currently 248 I'm 5' 7". I'm scheduled for surgery Dec 6th and I have my last pre op test today. No backing out this time. I am stocked and ready to start my liquid diet in 2 weeks. Wish you all the best of luck on your journeys ????

I am really nervous. I am not eating that much, but have gained 5 pounds in the last week. Am I doing something terribly wrong? I'm not eating bad stuff - carbs, pasta, rice or anything. I have sausage or eggs for breakfast. Tuna, turkey, chicken salad for lunch or dinner. If I have a late breakfast, I won't be hungry for lunch so I'll have the salad for dinner. This weight gain has me worried. Any advice?

weight gain and loss is a mental issue and some of us needed to get some counsoling to go along with it...I couldn't just do do the weight loss I had to I was eating and what... I needed to do to be able to loss the weight medication and counsoling and now the LB and zi am losing and loving it.

@@globetrotter You've lost about a pound a week. Good for you. I think you've established you have a slow metabolism, and now I think you've established you know what to do to lose weight, and that you can lose it. That's good news for you! My advice is to stop stewing in the fact that it's slower than you want, and a lot of hard work, because when you are fighting yourself, that just makes the weight loss battle that much worse. If you were my daughter (and I have 3 of them whom I love more than anything) I would tell you to stop wallowing in your own self pity because you are making yourself miserable. I always remind them not to be a victim. We choose our happiness. But since you are not my daughter, I won't tell you that. Having said all that, I do understand where you are coming from. Most of us got dealt a bad hand when it comes to weight management. Whether it's a genetic predisposition to weight gain, a lifetime of bad habits, or something else resulting in weight gain, there is not one WLS person who doesn't have to battle. The realization that it's going to be a lifetime of rigid dieting and there is no wiggle room is a little disheartening. It's probably our worst nightmare on so many levels to experience regain. Staying thin is not as simple as "a new way of life" for me. It is a full time job for me, and I consider it job one, all day, everyday. I wish that weren't true, but it's my reality. I've learned to be happy anyway.

Jaime “Pandora” Williams has not had anything handed to her. She has worked hard for everything she has, including every pound of her 250-lb weight loss. From weight loss surgery and overcoming food addiction to figuring out how to deal with her father’s death to paying for training for a new career, Pandora has kept moving forward and earned her spot as one of our weight loss surgery heroes. Jaime “Pandora” Williams has not had anything handed to her. She has worked hard for everything she has, including every pound of her 250-lb weight loss. From weight loss surgery and overcoming food addiction to figuring out how to deal with her father’s death to paying for training for a new career, Pandora has kept moving forward and earned her spot as one of our weight loss surgery heroes. Throughout it all, she has kept her determination to help others. She has shared every step of her journey on her Desperately Seeking Slender blog, and has made a career as a weight loss and wellness coach. Find out how Pandora Williams, who was “Desperately Seeking Slender,” turned her life around and is helping others do the same! Struggling with Weight from Childhood to Early Adulthood Pandora comes from a family that did not eat healthy. They ate fast food often, and home cooked meals were likely to be tacos, pot roast and potatoes, and other high-calorie foods. She remembers father loving his sweets, and her mother struggled with weight gain and obesity after quitting smoking. With a diet of cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets, not surprisingly, Pandora had been overweight since childhood. She hit the 400-lb. mark 4 years after graduating high school, and also had chronic depression, diabetes, and sleep apnea. Atkins and intense exercise helped her get down to 225 lbs. before getting married, but the weight came back after marriage. Weight Loss Surgery and a New Lifestyle Pandora wanted weight loss surgery, but put it off for a few years because she couldn’t afford it. She got serious when her health insurance began to cover it, and got the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in 2010. She chronicled her entire weight loss journey on her blog. She lost 100 pounds by December of 2010, 200 pounds six months later in June of 2011, and entered “Onederland” (under 200 pounds) in October of 2011. Now, she maintains a weight of 165 lb. – quite a difference from her highest BMI of 69.9! Needless to say, she threw away the old habits of eating a half-gallon of ice cream or a dozen tacos. She worked hard to overcome her food addiction. Portion control and measuring were new behaviors she had to follow. Now, five years post-op, she is able to get away without writing down every bite when things are going right. Still, she keeps herself on track by food journaling and calorie counting the second she is unsure of herself, whether because of a jump on the scale or a high-sodium day. Pandora follows a carb cycling plan where she eats higher and lower amounts of carbs on alternating days. She’s an exercise addict, and that also helps her keep her weight in check. Body Image and Reconstructive Surgery Despite maintaining a healthy weight and feeling more confident in overcoming her food addiction, Pandora says her body image is a bit of a struggle. She has had 6 rounds of reconstructive surgery, and still has trouble accepting the mistakes she made in the past with her body and health. A Life-Changing Letter to Chris Powell! By August of 2012, Pandora’s weight was well under control, but she was not satisfied with that. She wanted to help others do the same. She knew she had the “the passion, desire to help, and love” for people who were struggling with their weight, because she knew exactly what they were struggling with. What she needed was help figuring out how to help them, and she just couldn’t get in touch with someone who could guide her. Then, in August of 2012, Pandora wrote a letter to Chris Powell, the celebrity trainer on “Extreme Makeover.” After some persistence, she managed to get her letter to him, and she received a reply! He posted an encouraging message on Facebook, and that was enough to keep her motivated. Since then, she has had a couple more interactions with him on social media – including an encouraging message when she was feeling down – and was able to meet him in Hollywood at the Extreme Makeover Finale. She considers him and his wife Heidi an inspiration. A Day in the Life Between taking care of herself and helping others be the best they can be, Pandora is very busy! Here is a typical day in her life. 8:00 a.m. Wake up, food prep, get ready for work. Coffee, coffee, coffee! 9:30 a.m. Arrive at the gym. May do a 4 to 5-mile run or take a group exercise class like yoga before work. 10:30 a.m. Breakfast: Quest protein bar. 11:00 a.m. Start work - working the front desk and doing either one-on-one training or weight loss/wellness coaching sessions. 12:30 p.m. Lunch: Veggies (cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, baby carrots): about five of each and either some low-sodium turkey breast with low-fat Swiss cheese or some hard-boiled egg whites filled with chicken salad made with a Greek yogurt base and green onions. 2:30 p.m. Snack: Usually a container of Greek yogurt or some homemade steel cut oats from home. 3:00 p.m. Leads a weight loss boot camp group training session with light weights and cardio – usually works out with the group. 5:00 p.m. Snack: Usually a piece of fruit like an apple or an orange, or a banana on higher-mileage days. 7:00 p.m. Leads a weight loss boot camp group training session with light weights and cardio – usually works out with the group. 8:30 p.m. Finishes running for the day if she didn’t get in an early morning run or get more than 5 miles already that day. 10:00 p.m. Home/Shower/Dinner: usually a lean protein like baked chicken or turkey and steamed veggies. Uses spices and changes the vegetables a lot for variety. Includes a serving of brown rice, couscous, quinoa or whole wheat pasta on days she eats carbs. 11:00 p.m. Snack: Usually Greek yogurt, no sugar added ice cream sandwich, a frozen protein bar, or an extra-thick protein shake. 12:00 a.m. Bedtime Pandora tries to run longer distances after work if she doesn’t get to work out during her weight loss boot camp classes. Her days off on Sundays and some Thursdays may include an extra kickboxing class, a spin class, or a run over 10 miles. New Lifestyle, New Career, and Paying It Forward. As a morbidly obese high school graduate, Pandora had been limited in her career options. She made a living working from home at jobs such as customer support and data entry. Since losing weight and getting healthy, she has thrown herself into something she is passionate about – helping others get and stay healthy through lifestyle. Now, Pandora works as a weight loss and wellness coach at a ladies-only fitness facility gym, and has earned multiple certifications in the fitness and coaching industry. She also pays it forward as a weight loss surgery advocate. She has spoken at the Obesity Action Coalition and Weight Loss Surgery Foundation of America (WLSFA), as well as at other bariatric support clinics and groups. She publishes articles regularly, including here on BariatricPal! You can follow Pandora on Desperately Seeking Slender and on Facebook and Twitter @SeekingSlender.

@@jenn1, I LOOOOVE that meme! LMAO!!! I LOVE a great leg day...usually takes me two hours to get through my leg workout, and I know it was good when I can barely walk out of that gym! I got back into weight lifting two years ago. I lift 5-6 days a week, breaking up my workouts in various ways. Legs days are always stand alone, the other muscle groups are usually paired with a push and pull exercise, combining bi's and tri's, or chest and bi's, back and shoulders, etc. If I am targeting a specific muscle for growth, I will do stand alone workouts for that muscle as well, working it twice a week/or every 3-4 days. Like some of the others, I do not care about weight gain, as long as it is muscle mass that is packing on. I have actually added about 15 pounds of mass since hitting my lowest post surgery weight. I still wear the same size despite the added weight, I am just a lot leaner and packing extra mass. I have also added a lot of strength since starting this venture. When I first started, I couldn't even squat 95 pounds! Last leg day I got in 6 reps 205 (I haven't maxed out in a while, but after that session I know its increased)! I love lifting, I consider myself an officially addicted bonafide gym rat!!! It just sucks that is so much harder for females to add mass . It's taken me these two years to finally get to point that you can tell I'm packing some mass without having to lift the weight or flex. Anyway, loved the topic...thanks for posting!

Dear Coffey - I’m thinking about having weight loss surgery, but I’m not too keen on living the rest of my life with extra, loose skin. What can I do to keep that from happening? Sincerely, Cecelia in CA Hey there, Cecelia - Congratulations on taking the reigns and exploring your options. I hope you find a good, honest surgeon who can help you figure out if weight loss surgery might be a strong choice for you. As with everything concerning our bodies, the topic of loose skin generates a whole lot of hype. The truth is there are exactly six things you can do to minimize excess, loose skin after weight loss - whether or not you have WLS. The first three are preventative, and apply to the period before weight is lost. The last three apply to the post-weight loss period. First, prevention. 1- Don’t wait. Ask any aesthetician or midwife and they’ll tell you: the younger we are, the more our skin can bounce back from a stretch. If you would be more comfortable weighing less and you’re afraid of having excess skin, the younger you are when you lose weight, the better. But don’t waste precious energy wishing you had lost weight in your early 20s. You have today, and today is where your power is. If there are choices you want to make in service to your health and happiness (whether or not they would result in weight loss) today is the day to make them. 2- Avoid the loss/gain cycle. Imagine how a once-inflated balloon looks and feels after you let the air out. Now imagine the same balloon after 4, 6, or 10 deflations. Much like the balloon, the more times we lose weight and gain it back, the looser our skin gets. Again, now is not the time to berate yourself for all those “successful” stints in Weight Watchers that ended with you gaining the weight back and then some - it happens to all of us, myself included. Today is the day to get yourself stronger, more sustainable tools - tools that support long-term weight loss and minimize the probability of gaining it back. These tools exist, and you can get an introduction to them in my free online workshop, Why We Sabotage Ourselves (with Food) (and What We Can Do About It). 3- Keep weight gain to a minimum. The heavier we get, the more our skin stretches, and the less likely it is to bounce back after we lose weight. You can’t do anything now about your weight history. Feeling badly about it or judging yourself for it will only make you want to numb out (if you’re anything like me, probably with food). If you are reading this at the heaviest weight you’ve ever been, then this is the heaviest you ever need to be. If weight loss is something you want to do for you, your skin will thank you for making caring choices toward that goal starting now. That covers the things you can do to minimize excess skin before you lose weight. Now let’s look at what you can do once the weight is gone. 4- Build muscle. Contrary to popular belief, strength training does not “tone” or “tighten” the skin. Skin elasticity has nothing - NOTHING - to do with exercise. But strength training gives loose skin something hot and firm to lie over - namely biceps, triceps, quads and abdominal muscles. Lots of folks - especially women - shy away from strength-training, or think it’s better to use smaller weights and do more reps. This is a myth that keeps women from ever seeing the results they want and deserve. Assuming you’re being safe and reasonable, the heavier and harder and you train, the more muscle you build, and the better you’re likely to feel about how your skin looks. 5- Have surgery. Even if you’re young, even if you lose weight just once, and even if you strength train like a boss, there’s still a limit to the impact we can have on excess skin after weight-loss. Some consider having skin removal surgery. If this is something you’re thinking about, be warned: Words like “lift,” “nip,” and “tuck” are misleading. Skin removal surgery is no joke. I know that because I had it. The surgery hurts like hell, and can put you out of commision for weeks or months. Also, the medication usually prescribed to manage the post-op pain is highly addictive. If you’ve got a compulsive / addictive relationship to food, you’re way more likely to get hooked on painkillers than someone who doesn’t struggle with the compulsive overeating. 6- Love yourself. Loving your body isn’t going to tighten, lift, or shape your skin after you lose weight, but it can minimize the negative impact that living with loose skin might have on you otherwise. Love is action. Love means making consistently caring choices because you deserve to be cared for, no matter what you weigh or how your body looks. If you struggle to make consistently caring choices, whether you’re pre-op, post-op, or no-op, you’re not alone, and there are practical, usable tools to help you get there. Where will you fall on the loose skin spectrum? You can’t really know unless and until you lose weight. I yo-yo dieted for 10+ years, maxing out at 307 pounds. I had Roux-en Y in my mid-twenties and lost over half my body weight. Eventually I started strength training and became a personal fitness trainer. Two years later, I opted to have abdominoplasty (aka a tummy tuck), because the excess skin on my stomach was beyond anything that could be mediated or improved with exercise. The surgery hurt like a son-of-a-b***h and had me out of work for a month. I’ve made peace with the loose skin on the rest of my body. The muscle I’ve built with regular strength training helps a lot. So has treating my body with care one choice at a time for over a decade. It’s given me self-respect and peace that make my batwings an insignificant afterthought. Loose skin post-weight loss is inevitable for those of us who are or have been obese. But if you would be healthier or more comfortable in your body weighing less, don’t let the fear of loose skin keep you from doing what you need to do to get there. Our bodies will never look like other people’s bodies, and that’s OK. Our bodies tell our stories, and our stories are our strength. All good things, Kelly Coffey PS: Whether or not you decide to have surgery - and even if you've already had it by the time you read this - you can use the tool that's helped me to turn my life and my health around. To learn it, click here to grab a seat in my free online workshop, "Why We Sabotage Ourselves (with Food) (and What We Can Do About It)"

I finally found an article about food addiction written in a way that is easily understood by all. Below you will find the normal behavior versus the addictive behavior. Here's an excerpt from that section: Dependence on food will be habitual, while addiction to food will be somewhat unpredictable (e.g., a morning cup of coffee versus the sudden, inexplicable drive to eat four servings of cheesecake) Dependence on food will have few, if any, emotional causes, but addiction to food is provoked by emotions and circumstances that cause feelings of powerlessness (e.g., a treat to get through a trying day at work versus a binge to avoid focusing on painful thoughts Dependence on food will have few, if any, emotional effects, whereas addiction to food will cause great anxiety if not properly attended to (e.g., being cranky due to caffeine deprivation versus feeling panicked because a planned binge is interrupted) Dependence on food will cause minimal interference in other areas of a person’s life, but addiction to food will disturb every aspect (e.g., a love for red wine with dinner versus preferring to eat alone for the sake of overeating) Dependence on food can be controlled at will, but food addiction appears as an unstoppable force in the person’s life (e.g., giving up pizza after noticing slight weight gain versus trying to stick to a healthy eating plan but derailing constantly; having a divided mind that seems to want opposite things) Dependence on food is pleasurable, but food addiction is a torment (e.g., traditional Christmas cookies versus the horror one has that one has eaten the whole box of cookies, coupled with the knowledge that one isn’t done yet) Dependence on food is casual, whereas food addiction appears to the addicted person to be closely tied to his or her identity (e.g., the guilty pleasure of Cheetos versus the shame and feelings of inadequacy that often accompany a binge) Perhaps one of the most important paragraphs is below: (helpful to read the entire article) What happened in this scenario demonstrates what, for many people, is the central issue of food addiction. Bingeing allows the food-addicted person to avoid dealing with threatening emotions (such as his or her perceived failure, powerlessness, or inferiority) by replacing them with guilt and shame, which are also threatening, but in a familiar, almost comfortable way. In the mind of the food-addicted person, the pivotal issue is lack of willpower. But in truth, they are using food to defend themselves against the pain in their life. By facilitating this transfer and avoidance of emotions, food has become a drug, and it is at this point that the food-addicted person needs to seek help. Bingeing has a different meaning for most people. When I was obese I thought it meant that you ate in the closet in the dark with a whole package of Oreos and a gallon of milk. Of course I didn't do that so I didn't think it applied to my behavior. (umm...denial) Finally I realized that my weekend routine of buying a huge Bucket 'O Chicken and locking myself in my apartment from Friday evening until going to work on Monday morning was certainly a form of bingeing. The same thing applied to my Quarter Pounder with Cheese obsession. I'm sure the Dallas quarterly earnings dropped significantly around the time I woke up to my dependence on this junk food. Most importantly please, please, please....do not walk the path of shame. From that same paragraph the very important part of the article... "In the mind of the food-addicted person, the pivotal issue is lack of willpower. But in truth, they are using food to defend themselves against the pain in their life." How sad it is that we are just trying to avoid the pain of life by using food. The problem is that it never works without paying a great price. Ask for help, educate yourself, and know that freedom from this disease is truly possible.

hi all. proudgrammy, thats 20 lbs post-op. Maybe I am being too hard on myself. I think, staying off the scales is a good idea. My mom, who is a great inspiration to me agrees. I probably am not getting enough Protein or fluids because I can't keep from being nauseous. It feels like it is "right there" and it wont go anywhere, up or down. So I end up throwing up a lot of spit. I was 239 when I started and would LOVE to get down to 130. That would exceed my expectations. I feel like I wish I could have had the bypass but there are some medications that I will never get off of, like my psych meds. And, I know one of them does cause weight gain so I know I am fighting upstream with that one. But with all this being said, I do feel better already. There are some things that most people take for granted that I couldn't do 3 weeks ago that I can do now. I have severe RA but am determined to walk as much as I can. I am embracing my treadmill because I know if I just cant go any further, I can just step off of it and I am home near a seat. I have had a total left knee and my right one needs to be replaced. I really felt it yesterday when I was on the treadmill, but am determined not to have it replaced until one year post-op. I am so glad I found this site. I live out in the middle of nowhere where the nearest support group is 60 miles away. Even then, I plan on attending as many as I can. Thanks all for your wise thoughts.

I learned something at the most recent presentation my doctor gave (I am required to go to two and this was my second.) He said that you have to see that the recommended weight for most people, based on those insurance tables, is usually 10-20 pounds heavier than their real ideal. So that when you calculate 65% of excess it is really a lot closr to your gola than you may think. Based on the tables, I should lose 150 pounds. The reality is, my goal, and the weight I was very happy with for all the years before all my accidents precipitated a huge weight gain, is to lose 115. Well, the 65% I am projected to lose is of the weight table goal, so is 65% of 150 = 98 pounds- a lot closer to my actual goal than you might think when you think of 65%. Also, that is an AVERAGE. And that includes the people who don't comply with the recommendations and eat around their sleeve as soon as they can. Know that we all have a great tool right here on VST that will put us all in the higher percentage...for sure!

I believe that many times our weight gain is not necessarily fat gained. My daughter and grankdkids came for a visit for 6 days. Grandkids are teenagers and we had chips, ice cream, breads and all kinds of bad stuff around that house and I ate my share. But, we did ride bikes most every day so I did get in my exercise. Long story short, I gained 7 lbs in 6 days. BUT, after they left I went back to my usual lapband friendly diet and lost 9 lbs in one week. Now it's impossible to lose 9 lbs of fat in one week but it's easy to gain or lose 7 lbs of Fluid in one week. So, the net loss was 2 lbs over the near two weeks they visited. So, don't dispair. Most of what you've gained is probably Water weight and not fat. tmf

2 years 8 months out. Doing good. Reached goal last August. I still have in the back of my mind the twenty pound weight gain they say will / can happen at the two or three year mark.. I weigh weekly so I can stay on top of that situation..

Howdy, All. Another glorious day in Mtg lending... DH & I spent yesterday doing yard work... the weeds are all mowed and I spent some time digging up the volunteer and squirel planted trees... That stinking Crepe Myrtle is the very devil. It grows from seed, AND the existing plants spread systemically - the roots are everywhere. ARRRRGH! I was able to get a couple of them completely out - roots and all - and I tamed the remaining bushes until I have the energy to go out and battle them again. Once a yard gets away from you, here, you might as well just get a flame thrower... it's nuts how awful my lawn is. Maybe I will put in a BIG patio..... So, today, every muscle in my back, butt & legs is SCREAMING every time I move. Nothing like spending several hours bent at the waist, pulling weeds and roots... *sigh* I guess I need to do yard work more frequently, eh? I think we are going to dedicate a day per weekend - at least that's what we are saying today... But you know how that goes. :] Kat - you won't get VERY lost... highway 20 is pretty easy to follow - and if we meet you part way, you won't even have to come into the big city. I am very excited. Now, when are you coming? I took about a minute of French - and I can fake it on the pronunciation - but it was too confusing to learn two languages that are SO similar. It messed me up with both languages pronunciation... so I dumped the French and devoted myself to Spanish. Mandy - I think I would have been quite surprised if "Flushed Away" DIDN'T have any toilet humor... it would seem to be expected in that particular film. Obviously I haven't been keeping up with my kid movies. I haven't seen any of these, yet. Chris - Don't worry too much about making any decisions regarding Andy... I think, in the end, you will find any decisions to be made are pretty obvious. Don't overthink it - just go with the flow and enjoy. Hugs! Eileenie - how awful to hear about such a horrid thing on a day dedicated to jokes! Hugs! So, how do you score a 4 day week? Did you take Good Friday off? Does your company give it as a Holiday? Spring has sprung, here, too. My peonies have big ol' pink buds on them. I should have flowers in the next day or two. LOVE peonies. St. Sherry - I think I like that... LOL! Sorry about the weight gain... Do you need a fill? Or have you just been eating around the band? I find my self eating more than I need on a pretty regular basis... which explains the fact that my scale is not budging from 287. *sigh* So, you are a Rieki Master, now... can you focus your Rieki energies toward weightloss? Or is that more of a spirit vs body thing? Betty - it truly was a fabulous day to be outside, yesterday, too. The sun was shining and it was lovely warm - but not scorchy at all. Ahhhh. Dianne - lol! Wouldn't THAT be something... AF Day passed me by, thankfully! I don't like practical jokes very much... and I am not in any mood to be surprised, these days. Hope that swelling goes down, soon. I know you are anxious to see what "the girls" will look like once they are at their normal size. Hugs!!! Cindy - MMMMMMmmmmm - crab cakes! Love those things... I would probably eat more than one... you are so good! I am going to have to try this "chess pie" stuff one of these days. It sounds so yummy! Darcy - if you skip exercise for an entire month, does that make you an exercise virgin, again? *sigh* OK - ZERO miles for March... so my YTD total remains 38 miles. How pathetic. Patty - HUGS!! I am glad DM is there to help out. I wouldn't fret TOO much... it will take the boys most of their vacation to figure out how to get into too much trouble... :] Hopefully, anything they get up to won't be permanently damaging. Well, I have lots more Spanish to study... I can't remember future or past tense verb forms, at ALL - so right now I speak a very limited version of pigeon spanish. Not so good if I want to teach the stuff. Back to the books! Hugs & Love to All!

Hey Twin yeah the website acting crazy had me bummed out. I get on here everyday or every other day just to kinda check in or read up on stuff but its wouldn't let me do anything ugh. So glad it's back to norm now. Your lucky to be starting foods now I can't start mine for another week. The mushies have been going good for me I find myself not as hungry and I still drink 2 protein shakes everyday. I mainly stick to cottage cheese and yogurt and I have 1 cup instant mashed potatos that I take to work if I get hungry. But so far so good. Easter i kinda ate a little more becuz it was a holiday lol. But it was all mushy So as far as no weight gain no weight lost it's going to happen no worries there just keep doing what your doing it's going to come off. As far as workout I have a gazelle it's like a sking machine i guess it works your whole body and it's fun. I aslo have a treadmill but it's a manuel one so it's super had to do. My dr cleared me so light exercise just no kinda ab workouts. My incision where my port is the corner is kinda infected so I have been cleaning it and putting neosporin on it, it's starting to itch so im assuming it's healing. But other then that everything is goin ok.

Talk to your NP. Make sure you are logging your food counts accurately by using an online tool like FitDay or MyFitnessPal and that you include everything--even your coffee/tea and "no cal" sweetener and that 1/4 oz. of cheddar you had the other day. (Wait. That was me.) I miscalculated twice last week and went over my counts even though I was carefully measuring and planning. It happens. Stalls also happen. They can be maddening. Have you taken measurements of yourself or written down things that have changed physically for you (crossing legs, not breathing so hard, feeling like you fit into that movie theater seat more easily, stuff like that). It's really tough to get through those periods. Can your surgeon point you to a support group you could attend? It always helps me to realize I'm not alone even if no one there actually knows how to fix it. I would make absolutely certain I was eating correctly 100% for quite some time and still experiencing weight gain before I even thought of putting myself through the expense and health ramifications of another surgery. You know what? You can do this. You went through I don't know how many months' weight loss before your pre-op diet, a week or two or even a month of pre-op, plus all the post-op relearning. You've lost forty-eight pounds. That is freaking amazing. You should be damned proud of yourself. Your hard work will pay off. Sometimes it takes our bodies a little extra time to catch up.

The only chocolate I get these days is the chocolate protein shake. Pre WLS I was a chocolate fiend. It wasn't a good relationship as it contributed to my weight gain and I'm sure it didn't help my diabetes. I'm trying to not introduce the foods that led to my health demise pre WLS. I'm the type that a "little" always turns into more than I should have.

There is a lot of science now that is demonstrating links to obesity not just in sugared soda, but also diet. It creates chemical changes in your gut and hormonal changes that contribute to weight gain. I'm a lifelong Coke addict and I swore of soda completely. I would recommend you do the same. The point of getting this surgery is to make a permanent change. That has to include mental changes and if you think you'll just eventually go back to how you used to do things, you'll gain weight back. Commit to change. Let go of the soda. Just my two cents, I know I'm not a veteran but I DO read a lot.

I was denied by aetna due to weight gain.

Do anyone have Aetna insurance? If so have anyone gained weight from the 1st day of the program and still got approved? iv gained 12 to 13 pounds and I am trying my best to get it off in 30 days if I don't will I get approved or denied?? My last nut appointment is the 15th Please help

The mind can do some mean things to us and missing your old food is one of them. Just think, it has been years that we run to chocolate cake and lovely carbs, but just as our journey begins we must let go of the past. We all risked our lives for a surgery, why on earth would we put toxic things back into our body? Miss your old food friends, but don't plan your reunion of when you can eat them again. Get excited about preparing healthy meals, losing weight, gaining control over head hunger. It is not always easy, I almost cried the other day for hot warm bread. But the moment passed eventually and I was very proud I did not visit that old friend bread:-) Hang in there and your feelings are very normal.

I just went through this entire thread, because I have Aetna as well, which is sponsored through my employer. I have read through all the documents on the requirements, and I am not seeing anywhere that is states there can not be weight gain through the process. Is this something that your surgeon advised you of? I just don't want any suprises:)

Whether you get stretch marks at all depends more on genetics and the rate you gained/lost the weight (slow gain/loss allows your skin more time to adjust, thus less chance of stretch marks and saggy skin happening). It also will depend on age too, since the younger you are, the better chance your skin may bounce back without too much damage. You can't get rid of or prevent stretch marks by using a lotion. If you stretched your skin too much too fast during weight gain, stretch marks will occur. They eventually fade so they aren't as noticeable, but no cream or topical ointment will remove/prevent them; these things only lessen the appearance temporarily. Do agree that keeping your skin hydrated is good for reducing the overall appearance of skin issues like stretch marks or saggy skin, but any decent lotion can do that if you're using it regularly.

Wow, it all sounds so familiar. I'm really sorry you are going through this. The reflux is a serious issue, you *really* need to get a bit of an unfill. The reflux can cause damage if you don't get it resolved. Being too tight leads to soft food syndrome and that can lead to weight gain. Has you doctor put you on anything such as Prilosec or Nexium? Something to help with reflux? I get it about getting stuck on everything. I remember a business dinner once when I was banded and I was stuck on broth. I was mortified. What do you mean by concerns with Mexico? Are you referring to the gov't warnings out right now? The US, Mexican, and Canadian gov'ts are warning about specific cities in Mexico but Mexicali is not one of the cities they are specifically warning about. A leak is always a risk of surgery and since you are a revision like me, your risks are higher. All the more reason to go to an experienced revision surgeon. Hang in there and please get an unfill, you could cause even more problems than you have now if you stay too tight for much longer.