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My last straw was a couple of years ago. I kept getting tired of buying new clothes (bigger sizes), taking HBP meds, being uncomforable and being disguted at my image in the mirror. I started to do something about it too, even went to a surgeon for the lapband, but shortly thereafter, I had a reoccurrence of cancer. So that was postponed, from there it was two long rounds of chemotherapy. Meanwhile, I kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger... I ate mostly from depression and self-isolation... I had lost four people very close to me to cancer within a year's time, plus I had to deal with my own cancer issues.. truth is, I had completely given up and just ate and ate and ate..like I wanted to die too.. I thought what the heck, we are all going to die anyway--then my doctor put me on an anti-depressant last Christmas and I started to feel much better..even while currently in chemotherapy. I finished chemo this past may and knew it was time to do something; to get serious and to take control of my life and my actions. I must say, I am also completely tired and fed up with wearing out the thighs of all my pants too.. I am embarrassed to be this size..this is the largest I've ever been and I'm uncomfortable, my knees hurt, my feet and back ache and I now have urinary stress incontinence attributed to my weight gain! My blood pressure stays high even w/meds (PCP added another pill today to bring it down or I won't be able to have surgery), my feet and ankles swell..ugh.. I'm just ready to get this party started... I want this weight off.. and I'm ready to tackle it...seriously. In a way glad the lapband didn't happen back then, going for the sleeve now and the process with my insurance company is much quicker than it was before, now its immediate approval with my health issues as opposed to a 6 month wait... Gotta look at the bright side... Thanks for reading...

Hi Friends, Just wanted to give you a status update. I am almost banded 1 year, June 6th. I had some issues last month and I couldn't hold down solids. I went to the doctor and he said that sometimes the stomach muscles can thicken around the band tightening it. So he took out 1/2 my fill and I promptly gained 4.5 lbs in 2 weeks. I am happy to report that I have now lost that 4.5 plus an additional 2.5. I am happy with my weight loss this year, although I do feel I could have lost more. I am down to 228 from a high of 282. So that puts me at 54 lbs in 11.5 months. I am an average loser. I also rejoined my gym about 3.5 weeks ago and since then I've lost 13 lbs. It is all part of my weight gain I had last month. I am really close to getting into a size 18 now. So that is what has been going on with me.

SouthBeach Diet Tips and Guides The SouthBeach Diet is different from the Atkins diet in that it is not a low carbohydrate diet. Regardless of which phase you are currently in, you should follow these recommendations: Drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water, decaffeinated beverages such as club soda, tea, coffee, or decaffeinated sugar-free soda every day Limit your intake of caffeine-containing beverages to 1 cup each day Take one multivitamin and mineral supplement daily Take 500 mg of calcium for both men and women under the age of 50, and 1,000 mg for women over the age of 50, each day Eating can be both pleasurable and healthy as long as you eat the proper foods. All the meals in the SouthBeach Diet consist of healthy combinations of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Dishes can be made by anyone and the ingredients can be found in most grocery stores. These foods will satisfy your hunger without depriving your system of the low-quality starches and sugars that caused problems with your blood chemistry in the first place. The SouthBeach Diet does not involve counting calories, fat grams, or portion sizes. This plan was designed to be simplistic and will help you understand the principles of metabolism and put it to work for your own body. A major key to success with the South Beach Diet is the Glycemic index (GI), which ranks carbohydrate foods based on the effect on blood sugar levels. When you start adding foods back into your diet in Phase 2, keep your focus on low-GI foods such as apples, berries, grapefruit, high-fiber cereal, and whole grain breads. Preparing For The Rest Of Your Life Mindset Change for South Beach Diet You have learned what the South Beach Diet is, how it works, and what to eat. Now, you need to get prepared to change the way you eat, for life. Start by accepting that the first couple of weeks will be a big change but one you will not regret. The first morning of this diet, you will eat a breakfast that may consist of a two-egg omelet with two slices of Canadian bacon, cooked in either spray canola or olive oil. In your old life, you may have toasted bread or a bagel and had fresh fruit or fruit juice to go along with your omelet. However, with the South Beach Diet, the bread will have to wait. Most people have been conditioned their entire life to add bread to meals. You have toast with breakfast, sandwiches on bread for lunch, dinner rolls with dinner, and cake, cookies, or pie for dessert. However, during Phase 1, you will have to forget about the bread. It may take a few days to leave old habits behind but keep in mind that it is during this time that your body’s inability to process sugars and starches is being reversed. After trying numerous diets, most leave you feeling hungry, is one of the most difficult aspects of any diet. A common denominator seen with overweight people is that most of them skip eating breakfast. When this happens, blood sugar drops, which then increases the desire for bad carbohydrates to escalate until lunch when the entire meal is blown. Planning for South Beach Diet Planning will help you stay away from snacking or substituting things that are not healthy and could cause weight gain. Remember that once you start into Phase 2, carbohydrates will start being introduced back into your diet along with fruits. You also need to remember to eat your mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks, even if you do not feel like it. Some of the greatest low-fats foods to incorporate into your planning include cheese and yogurt to replace the fats since they have no bad carbohydrates. In addition, the sugar is found in the lactose, milk sugar, is one of the things you can have with the South Beach Diet. The South Beach Diet is a lifetime change, lifetime commitment, and a lifetime of health and vitality! How Does The South Beach Diet Work? As mentioned, the South Beach Diet is unique, successful, easy, and works in a three-phase process. Unlike many other so-called diets, with the South Beach Diet, simply substitutes your bad carbohydrates and fats for good ones. After trying this, you will be amazed by how well and quickly it works. South Beach Diet Phase 1 South Beach Diet Phase 1 lasts for two weeks. During this first phase, you will eat normal meals of chicken, beef, turkey, fish, and shellfish, lots of vegetables, eggs, cheese, nuts, and garden salads using 100% olive oil for your salad dressing. Each day for 14 days, you will eat three, well-balanced meals. While eating until your hunger is satisfied may go against most diets, with the South Beach Diet, it is part of the plan. Trying to lose weight and become healthy by depriving the body of food makes no sense. In addition to the three meals each day, you will also eat a snack between breakfast and lunch, and then again between lunch and dinner. Even if you do not feel like eating these snacks, for the South Beach Diet to work, you need to, and after dinner, you will even have dessert. Additionally, during this phase, you can drink all the coffee and tea you want and be sure to drink lots of water. You may be thinking that this is a lot of food - it is! With most diets, you deprive your body, eating only small portions of foods that are unappealing. The change you will make during this phase is that you will cut out all bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, baked goods, fruit, candy, cake, cookies, ice cream, or sugar. Keep in mind that these eliminated foods will be added back into your diet, starting in Phase 2. In addition to taking these foods out of your diet temporarily, you will also need to avoid beer, or any kind of alcohol. Once you start Phase 2, reasonable amounts of wine can be added back in. Instead of feeling overwhelmed about the foods that will be taken out of your diet during the first two weeks, stop and think about this for a minute. To achieve a life of health and lose unwanted weight, two weeks is a small investment to make. After all, you are worth it! The first two or three days will be somewhat challenging, but breaking any bad habit starts out a little bumpy. Once you pass this small hurdle, the rest of the time will go by quicker than you think. When you see the results that these changes bring, you will be glad you did not give up!

I'm Julie. Born and raised in Louisiana but married a Mississippi man and moved here to be with him. I'm 40 y/o. Married to my soul mate and mother of a 17 yr old son with special needs. I work 2 jobs. So life is stressful. I was thin and even a beauty queen in my younger years but weight gain begin in my early 20's. my first consultation is Jan 14 w Dr Borland in Louisiana. I'm self pay ($9800) and I am hoping to schedule my surgery Feb 26. I hope to lose 130-160 lbs.

HB-That video is creepily beautiful lol! Is creepily a word?? Bobbie-Sorry to hear it didn't go quite as you had hoped. When a door shuts a window opens. Me-I really need to vent so sorry..apologizing in advance..and I am not looking for sympathy. I just keep asking myself can I DO THIS?? I have eaten crap, not exercised like I should and I just can't seem to get myself on track. There is no motivation and willpower at the moment and it is honestly breaking my heart. I hate that food is where I turn to. My feelings just make me want to run to ice cream. I used to smoke...that was my escape. Quit that for food. Gained lots and lots of weight (so who knows maybe I would've been healthier a smoker!). I don't deal with stress and anxiety well. There is alot of stress & anxiety in my life right now and I just can't deal with it...and now I am feeling like a failure on top of it :smile2:. I have an appt with my PCP, but soonest I could get in on an evening is the 22nd. I don't know if there is anything he can give me for anxiety/depression that doesn't have weight gain as a side effect. Also seeing him because it seems my exercise induced asthma is in full swing again (which is not helping with the whole weight loss thing). GRRRR....Isn't there just a skinny/happy/life is perfect pill??

I am home, safe and sound! We had some snow packed roads and drove in snow for awhile, but nothing too bad. Got my fill, he was not smug about my weight gain, he actually said for a year unfilled, with the surgery in the middle, it was not bad....shock! I have the 9.75 band that holds a max of 4 cc.'s and he gave me 1.5, water is a slow go today, but I figure part of that may be that I ate lunch prior to the fill and that can make it extra tight for the digestion time he said. So happy to get back in the right direction!!! Judy, when my parents celebrated 25 years, they planned a trip to Hawaii, and the month before they left, my brother was critically injured, and was actually still in the hospital long after they had planned to go. So the trip got put off. They ended up going for their 35th or something, and the tour guide at the Fern Grotto, included them in a marriage vow renewal! They loved it. Then they went back a few times when Manda lived there--we all did!! Was the only affordable way to do it frequently! If you get the chance to ever spend time on Oahu hit the Polynesian Culture Center, and the International Market Place. They also have an incredible flea market (although it is all new items through vendors---not used yard sale type sellers) at the Aloha Bowl football field. We spent most of our vacations on Oahu because that is where they were based, but I loved Kauai the most, for the tropical feel. The year the hurricane hit it, my Aunt & Uncle were on the island!! But all in all I had the most fun on the beaches of Maui. I wish I was going back with you!!! No sign of the guy out back. He has no idea where we went today---we left before 7----and just got home, I am sure after I have been so mad at him, he is concerned....makes me smile!!! Well I am exhausted, and going off to bed. Will catch up with all of you tomorrow. Haydee, so glad you are home and had a wonderful time!!! We listened to a Sue Grafton book on the way home---so Ifeel like my bedtime story has been read to me, time to sleep!!! Feel better Jenn! LOVED, LOVED the pics Pamela!!!

First treat BMI as a suggestion. Same with any goal you may choose. Body type, your build, age, lifestyle, health, genetics, etc. all influence what is the best weight for you & you can’t put a number on a scale against them. The other factor which you can’t do much about is your body’s natural set point. This is the weight at which your body seems to naturally settle. My surgeon did ask if I had a goal. I chose a weight which was the lowest I reached during my weight loss & gain cycles. It put me at about a 23 BMI. He thought it was sensible & achievable. I reached that in 6 months but continued to lose as I tried to find my maintenance balance. Initially my surgeon & doctor were concerned about my lower weight but it turns out I don’t have a larger frame as everyone thought! As one doctor said you’re actually quite a tiny person aren’t you & they all stopped worrying. Plus I don’t have bones protruding - I have plenty of flesh (fat ha!) on my bones. I’m about 2kgs heavier now than where I had initially stabilised for a year. (I believe an necessary increase in my HRT dosage & protein intake contributed to the sudden weight gain - all happened in the same month.) and I’ve been stable here for a good 7 months. My body seems happy at around this weight & so am I (except for those 2 kgs 😉). You’ll settle at a weight that is healthy & works for you and it’s okay if it ends up being more or less than you initially thought. My food choices & the way I eat to maintain my weight doesn’t restrict me living my life as I want. It’s been a sustainable way of eating for 2.5yrs now. I might make slight changes in the future but for now it’s working. I guess that ‘s the real goal. Being at a weight you can maintain in a healthy, sustainable way that allows you to enjoy your life as you want. PS - the slowing down of your weight loss is perfectly normal. It slows as you get closer to your body’s set point & your calorie intake is nearer to what your body needs to function effectively & healthily. Can you lose more if you want? Sure if you reduce your calories & intake your activity but can you maintain that without impacting your health or your life?

Funny I am still never hungry I went out one day all day and forgot to eat because I don't get hungry I eat every four hours only because I know Im supposed to I mean its crazy I hope I never get that hungry feeling back! I love that i Don't have to always satisfy a hunger feeling like I use to. That's the one thing I am honestly grateful for along with the limited space to abuse my body! Even when i am in bad mode i know no matter what I could only do so much damage I have fell off a few times but the next day would pick myself back up and act like it never happen. and funny I have never had weight gain from a bad day (cheat day)

Hello, I had a busy day today, but it was nice. I had an appointment first with my regular Dr. just for a check up, I have been on Effexor (antidepressant) and it is just too expensive, so I took the walgreens list of $4 drugs and he gave me generic prozac. Does anyone here know about prozac? I hope it works. He said alot of the other drugs cause weight gain. Then I went to a friends house and we met another friend at the casino here, we didn't gamble at least with money, we just ate, and ate, and ate, and then talked and then ate, ..... You get the idea!! We were all bad girls!!! It was nice to get together with old friends, we have all been friends since high school. Really nice day!! Now I am going to bed!! Glad you are back Haydeee!! Nice to see you TRACYKS!!

I have had a very hard time losing weight even before surgery. I lost like 10 pounds and gained 2 pounds in the third week after surgery. My body tends to get used to a certain weight and it will try to rebound to that point. Hearing that all of you have lost so much already has been something I'm pondering but I haven't given up hope. I just got back from a week-long cruise to the caribbean with all that entails. I was able to eat anything and everything. We went to the buffet for dinner each night instead of the fancy dinners. It was really very good. I was dreading coming home today and having a confrontation with Mr. scale. Well, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I hadn't gained any weight. I realized as I was going through the week that I was filling my plate up but eating very little of it. My husband was coaching me the entire time: "imagine what you think you would eat and cut that in half." Stuff like that. But I could really tell the difference between how much I could eat before and what I was able to eat now. Even so, I really was prepared for a weight gain. The last time I went on a cruise (April), I gained like 6 or 7 pounds. My point is that even though I feel like I can eat anything, my portions are obviously more under control (not from me) than they were. For this I am so grateful. I get my first fill on Nov. 20th and am really hoping for a bit of restriction to kick my weight loss into gear. Good to see you again Holly. I was worried about you. Have you seen NicNacNut?

Bob--welcome back from the Farm. I was beginning to think you'd been lost in a freak combine/thresher accident. What game will provide your next diversion? Dottie--I’m sorry your doctor wasn’t supportive. I am not sure why some doctors seem to approach giving fills as somehow bestowing a great, yet undeserved, gift. I’m with Leigha and Jim--remember that you’re paying him, and that he has a job to do. Heaven knows you’re doing your part of the job very well. Now he needs to do his. Preferably without making you feel bad in the process. (Phhht. Screw his stats. Does he really think they're reflective of his success? They're not.) TJ--I agree 100 percent with you. We have to be responsible for our own bodies. I’ve been remarkably lucky, because my doctor is very well-rounded and we click. But even so, there are decisions I make that don’t quite mesh with his “plan.” I am perfectly fine with that--and so is he. It works well. I’m glad you have a doctor who approaches things with you similarly. I think it makes a tremendous difference. Good aftercare is so important--and having it with a good doctor is a pleasure. Denise--I love your plate NSV! Good luck with the doctor--I hope you get set on a path to get good answers so that you feel well again. Stacey-- I will send a friend request on FB. I’m Betsy Banks-Golub. I’m glad you’re seeing your PCP. Getting your asthma under control will help a lot. But remember, exercise doesn’t have to be punishing in order to be effective. Can you walk without experiencing symptoms? I’m sorry you’re battling depression, too. It can throw a wrench into the works, for sure. There are lots of options for treatment. While some meds can produce weight gain, usually relieving depression makes it easier to comply with eating and exercise plans, so loss is quite often a feature that accompanies recovery. I took Cymbalta for fibromyalgia pain for a few years. It was very helpful in terms of weight loss. It’s one of the antidepressants for which this seems to be a common feature, so it might be worth looking in to. Wellbutrin, too, is frequently chosen because it promotes loss. But in general, the most important thing is getting the depression under control so that the lifestyle stuff can follow. Don't underestimate the value of exercise and good nutrition to reducing depression. Once you're in a better place (both in terms of your asthma and depression), you'll feel the changes these promote, and one good day will be the foundation for the next. Before you know it, you'll have a chain of successes. And that will help motivate you on the days when doing what you need to do just isn't all that appealing. I hope you get good guidance and help and are soon feeling much better. We’re all here for you. HB--That’s quite a video LOL Bobbie--I’m so sorry your “interview” wasn’t an interview. You must be so disappointed. We’ve had to endure the double-unemployment thing, and it’s so, so hard. Your family is in my prayers---I know you will find something soon.

Morning peeps...I'm out of bed, but don't know about 'up'. The pain in my arm is back with a vengeance and nothing is helping. I have to take my son into the doc today since he's decided he wants to switch from his pediatrician to a 'grownup doc' and I think I'll ask her if there's anything she can do as a temporary measure. Otherwise everything is going along swimmingly. The swelling has apparently gone down from my last fill 2 weeks ago and I could probably use another .25cc fill but I think I'm going to hold off and see how it goes over the next week. I normally don't step on the scale except Monday but needed a boost yesterday and found I dropped another 2 lbs but I'm not going to make it official until next Monday...at which time it will probably disappear and tell me I haven't lost anything. Betsy: I wish I could 'shop' in a daughter's closet, but I guess my husband's will have to do. Although, while his sweatshirts are co-ed, I'll never fit into his jeans. They're typical flat hipped men's pants and my curves just laugh at them. Bob: You probably could chalk the weight gain up to female hormones...but then you'd have some 'splainin' to do, Lucy. Bob, love the pics of your home on facebook. Want a roommate? I refer to my little home as 'the house from hell'. Liz: Don't worry about the scale. My scale didn't move for weeks but I could tell from my clothes that I was definitely losing. Leigha: I think our priorities change...plus, as we lose the weight, we're physically *able* to do more. Christie: I wouldn't worry about the crackers. My doc is one of those who says 'eat what you can, drink if you can't'. I was able to eat after every single fill without any problems, although my list of foods changed. HB: I stopped at a McD's to pick up something to eat for my son one day a few weeks back and ate one of his fries. *Big Big mistake*. Not only did I learn that (a) they weren't as good as I remembered and (:cursing: french fries do stick...I also learned that eating 'on the run' is a big nono. There is nothing worse than being stuck and having to pull over until the episode passes. It's not like I could take a gulp of his drink and let it all come back up because 'oversploding' on the side of the road with cars whizzing by just was not an option in my book. Ok...need to get to work. Have a great day everyone! Oh, and welcome to the newbies! .

What I find amazing even when I gain a little weight after a vacation. It is still nothing compared to what I would of gained before the lapband. And it feels really good to lose the weight again and not feel bad because of the momentary weight gain. Now it is time to get back on track because I am so worth it. I met someone today that I have not met for a year and used to be alot thinner then me. Now that person is alot larger then me.

I am a Botox junkie and I can answer any questions you have about it. I stopped doing it about a year ago and just had it done for the first time two weeks ago because like yourself I had some concerns about my face. I have kept the fullness in my cheeks but I just didn’t feel pretty. So I have 54 units stuck in my face. In fact just today they sent me a buy one get one free coupon for fillers so that will be my next task although I will say after the Botox I look pretty freaking good relative to how I did before. Very very happy with the results. I say, if it feels good - do it! I think you should stop reading the horror stories about weight gain. Everybody is so different. Celebrate those 60 pounds and don’t worry about them coming back but of course you need to stay mindful of your caloric intake just like the rest of us do. It’s not a problem till it’s a problem right?

I take opioids too. I have 5 bulging discs and have had back pain my whole adult life. I literally can not bend even a little without holding on to something. It's very debilitating. I thought it would get better with weightloss and I could get off the pain meds but no such luck. In my experience I think they contributed to my weight gain. Right now I'm dealing with struggling to stay on track. I've dabbled a little in forbidden foods, but not excessively. Last night for the first time I ate 4 cookies and it had 280 calories. I don't know what I was thinking. I have 85 pounds to lose and it is such a struggle now that I can eat more. Wishing you the best!

In my experience, end of year 2 is when I first had some weight gain. It seems like that is when the last of the sleeve magic wore off for me. The years after that were just like normal non-sleeve for gaining/losing weight (which I did several times). Capacity increased a lot too.

Hi to everyone tonight, Well Janet, today was weigh day and I am down exactly 2 lbs since last Wed. I'm HAPPY:thumbup:. Today I went to my sons house to have his cable installed. I had large cup of decaf coffee and then I had choc unjury drink for breakfast. Got home at lunch and had a half cup of cottage cheese and a small helping of applesauce. Went for a 1.2 mile walk, came home, did some laundry, soon it was time for supper, so I had 2 egg salad with a few crackers (soft ones.) Was full, so I went outside and worked in the garden for an hour. Plus I had about 3 bottles of water. I am like Jill and cathychatts. I am still on mushies for the rest of this week and next before solids and I am afraid to go to regular food, not for fear of weight gain but for fear of choking. I don't understand how everyone can eat salad but get stuck so easily on other things. I started to eat a half piece of bread today and I took two bites and got afraid so I threw it away. I just wanted to see if I really missed it or not. (NOT REALLY). Also I went to daily plate and tracked my meal yesterday, and I did very well except I had 49 grams of carbs, mostly coming from oatmeal. Now oatmeal is supposed to be good for you but what about the carbs. Next page for more Beckyo

Omg I am going to try this!!! I have been stuck for over 3 weeks!!!! Thanks sooo much missy!! You are truly great!!!! The best!!! I have been eating 800-900 calories a day and exercising no weight lose... :'( Need to increase my calories but have the fear of weight gain! I will defo try it starting from today! Hope it starts my weightloss again!! Thanks alot!!! Xxxx

Denise, is your infection all sorted now? Do you feel any better? Sorry to hear about the insurance crap -- that is always a huge PITA. I'm totally sick to my stomach right now. My husband just texted me that he gained 7kg...by moving the scales from the bathroom where we always keep them, and weigh on a tile floor -- to the hallway where there are hardwood floors, and his weight was 7kg higher on the wood floor. I can't even think about this or I am going to FREAK THE EFF OUT. I'm already dealing with 10+ kg weight gain, what if it's more like 15, or 20??!? OMG. I'm in hell.

Your weight gain will probably turn out to be fluid, because to have such serious medical issues you could very well have been de hydrated so it wont be fat, keep up the good work, water aerobics sound good, I even gain weight/fluid when I go swimming I know it sounds strange but my skin absorbs water, if I weigh before a bath and straight away after, with nothing to eat or drink in between I can gain 3lbs easily but its only fluid and temporary and is gone by the next morning. Happy days

I was banded 2/9/09 my journey So far has been very depressing ever since I got my surgery I have had nothing but bad news in my life 2 deaths & now I got laid off my job last week. they gave me a exit date of 6/19/09 thinking they are doing me a favor but I know they just need me here to clean up. I've been very depressed I gained 5pd that week eating, yes I do eat less but I eat a lot all day, everytime I could which make me feel terrible getting me deeper into depression I know it's all a mental thing but it keep my mind off things, the fullness & the getting sick if I do over eat just stops me from thinking of what's going on and about what the hell I'm going to do. I'm actually in tears right now. I get to the point when I just want to give up.My life has been nothing but hell since the age of 26 I had a brain tumor in my pituitary gland that is what caused the weight gain,that cause my diabetes and so much more there was so many complications do to that. blindness for over 6 months but with surgery I got some sight back but I'm still legally blind out of one eye. Any way it took me 2yrs to recover & still trying to get my life right but it just ain't happening I think I'm done trying. I have one more doc appt on the 17th to get my third fill I will go to the appt but may not get the fill because what if it's to tight & need to get some let out my insurance will be termed by then and i could never afford to pay for it myself so i'm at a loss of what to do and the more i feel bad the more I want to just throw my hands in the air and say f_ck it I guess I will just feel miserable with myself and live this life as it is. Damn I just want something good to happen in my life one thing to make me smile & laugh not just fake it in front of family so they don't worry about me.they've done enough of that.. I thought this was a start but ended up making things worse at least for me. I don't know my next step. Sorry I may not have made any sense. that's nothing new. well I guess i vented enough. As you can see on my wieght chart I haven't lost much weight then people I see on thuis site. I haven't even updated the chart to the 5pds I gained it make my sad to have to do that.

I don't mean to sound like a bummer, but I am curious now.. if you have your thyroid taken out, does it affect your weight? Isn't thyroid problems what causes some people to be overweight? So does this mean you'll lose MORE weight, gain weight, or it doesn't really affect it? (HUGS!)

I was is SO MUCH PAIN every day. It hurt to walk, climb stairs, carry groceries in, sit. I was always out of breath and had zero stamina. I was uncomfortable in my skin and the negativity that was running through my mind. I absolutely hated for my husband to see me naked, and pictures were very cringy to look at. I also dealt with mental health, and the medication I was on contributed to my weight gain (I gained 60 lbs in less than a year). I was just tired of being fat, unwell, and unhappy. I struggled to lose weight and needed help. I also had sleep apnea and high cholesterol. In the long term, I wanted to be well for my family and, eventually, my grandkids. I wanted to enjoy the second half of my life (I just turned 41). I didn't see that future at 262 lbs and the physical and mental condition I was in. Now, 71 lbs lighter, I have minimal pain (arthritis is still an issue), I'm growing stronger every day, and my stamina is higher. I strut around naked in front of my hubby and am confident in my own skin. I'm off all mental health medication, and my cholesterol is normal. I'm still having some sleep apnea issues, but I'm hopeful those will resolve by the time I get to my goal weight (30 lbs to go). And I feel hopeful for my future. I'm so incredibly thankful for the opportunity to have this surgery.

100% dieting. I was put on my first diet at 11 by my mother. I was a normal weight and she put me on slim fast. It hurt my body image and destroyed my natural intuition about how much food to eat. By high school I had gained some weight from poor eating habits... That I then took off with a crash diet. Worked like a dream. By college I was anorexic. I figured out dieting was like therapy- I equated thinness and striving to be thin with happiness and self worth. Through college I constantly dieted and rebound binged. I had a cycle of dieting and binge eating for years that kept my weight average to chubby. I always felt fat. I eventually became bulimic in a desperate attempt to deal with my ever increasing binge episodes. I became pregnant by accident when I was bulimic. I was 150 pounds at 5'6. Pregnancy was the first time in my adult life I wasn't on a diet. I binged and binged and binged and gained 100 pounds in 9 months. I could not handle the emotional stress of not dieting. Plus I was emotionally starved by that point. Over the next five years I sought therapy for my issues. They told me not to diet again, that as long as I did I would gain rebound weight. The e planned it was a biological reaction to lowering calories. Whenever I didn't diet my weight remained stable, but if I ever did, I would regain everything I lost and then some. My marriage fell apart over my weight gain and depression over my body. My ex tortured me about my looks and inactivity and I ate even more to cope with that. Dieting caused weight gain but I also ate to cope. Ever since that first diet I felt deprived of food and it became a way to treat myself to something extra special. Food was never just food for me. It was my drug of choice. Why do we gain weight.... Emotional eating.. Dieting... The addictive nature of the American processed diet... Lack of nutrition... Inactivity that only gets worse as one gains... So many reasons. This surgery allowed me to step away from my emotional eating and have some peace with my food relationship. I find other ways to deal with things now.

Don't give up!! If you really want this, you'll get it! Where there's a will, there's a way! And don't beat yourself up over the weight gain, that's why we're all here- things get us down and we eat. Do you have to lose the weight again to qualify or do you think they won't really need to see you until the Pre-op appointment? If you need to lose the weight, then do what you have to- I know you can! If not the. Don't even worry about the scale. Just start mentally preparing yourself for this huge change by making small changes. Believe me- (mommy can probably attest to this too!) nothing can possibly completely prepare you for the huge change you'll go through. I'm happy for you, getting more time with your kids! It's good you find a silver lining! Keep your chin up, keep going Good luck- keep us in the loop!