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I had that same concern worry - as a revision from band patient I really thought about this! What I have to honestly say is that even in 2001 there were "early warning signs" that all was not well with the band. I lived in Europe where the band was already being done alot and while I didn't have any local support, I did belong to a yahoo group. My first clue was that there was a general list and then there was a "secret" list where the veterans posted. Once i hit the one year mark, with very limited success and was permitted in the veterans area I came to realize how many people where having complications and very commonly not losing as much weight as they wanted. As most people do pretty well at first with the band - the complications tend to increase over time, the general forum gave a very narrow view of the band experience. There was also a great deal of shaming on that particular website. I had alot of trouble with vomiting more than I should have but there was a culture of blaming/shaming the patient so I never really got the counseling/advice/help I needed to manage the band better. At that time the stock answer "can't help you if you aren't compliant". I would be thinking "compliant with what? what can I eat that won't get stuck and make me vomit and embarrased?" but instead would keep my mouth shut and try to do better - without really knowing "how to do better" At that time, there was less understanding about managing the right level of fill and lots of people had to travel for fills/unfills at great cost, including me, and so often lived with too tight of bands which led to oh so many problems. Well, in truth, my first first first clue should have been pre-op was when my surgeon had me sign a document acknowledging that the band should be considered temporary and would most likely require removal with risk of significant weight gain. I had put on such rose colored glasses I didn't even remember signing that until I went through my paperwork in preparing for my revision to sleeve. With the sleeve, I was looking for all the bad things - and surely found them (risk of leaks, etc etc) - but so far (will be 4 years in Dec) things have worked out as expected, or really better than expected and I feel like more was understood/ widely known about the sleeve in 2011 than was generally acknowledged about the band in 2001.

Hi everyone! I am approximately 9 weeks pregnant and feel super bloated and have already gained a few pounds and it is making me extremely nervous.. I had wanted to talk to my surgeon about my constant stall no matter what I was doing and my terrible reflux to get revision surgery prior to me getting pregnant.. now, I am not due until November, and was wondering how long after I give birth should I approach the revision? I am not going to breast feed due to my line of work and would like to have the revision done while I’m on maternity leave so I don’t have to take additional time off from work. Anyone do this or have any pointers? I’m super stressed about the weight gain :(

I will pray for you.Remember God has a plan for you. Maybe these obstacles are really an invite for you to decide if you really want this surgery and a time to reflect if you are willing to do the follow-up. Use this time constructively- read the posts on this website so you really know what you are in for. Go on a pre-op diet. Start slowly-maybe just cutting out all sugar- then cutting out all the useless carbs. I am sure your husband is just afraid. Spend this time educating yourself and him about the risks of this surgery. ALso go to other doctors' seminars and if you can, their support groups. This surgery is a change in lifestyle- you don't just get the surgery and viola, your different. See if you can figure out why you eat, besides hunger. I just got sleeved Tues 12/13, and even though I have been uncomfortable, I am confident I made the right decision for me and I honestly don't care about the negative people's opinions are . My husband has become very supportive and he also understands his part in my weight gain, and how those actions can't continue. (lack of wanting to exercise with me, junk food in the house, etc.) Try not to be overwhelmed and take things one day at a time. Good luck to you.

Have you talked to your surgeon? They would be best equipped to handle any weight gain issues. I'm only 1.5 years out so I can't say I've had reflux issues... do you eat small meals? Chew really well? I'd have your band checked for problems like dilation or a slip or erosion. If there's a problem like that the surgeon can probably do a revision, right?

I've been on Wellbutrin for a number of years. Didn't need to stop for surgery and still taking. Wellbutrin doesn't usually cause weight gain. I also take Klonopin which worries me that it might interfere with weight loss. But without it, my mood gets unstable. Sent from my SM-T580 using BariatricPal mobile app

Being 18 months out I constantly think about weight regain. I'm glad to see that even when there is a weight gain with determination and mindfulness there is a solution. Thank you all for sharing your stories and I wish you success and luck in your journey to lose the weight.

Listening to this podcast at the moment. Extremely interesting. A lot of scientific big words but even I understand it. Dom D’Agostino, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, and a senior research scientist at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC). Layne Norton is a renowned prep/physique coach and pro-natural bodybuilder/powerlifter with a PhD in Nutritional Sciences.

I had my lap band put in on June 12 th. It was a long process. I finally decided to pursue it after being rejected by a fertility clinic due to my weight which at the time was around 150 and because I was 40. I started going through the process of getting the surgery authorized when I decided to get a second opinion from another fertility clinic. They were willing to work with us. I am using my younger sister's eggs. Thank you sister! Any way because I was fearful of failure of either procedure failing I went through the process of both without informing one of the other until I knew for sure. I had to go through several appeals and hoops to get the lap band approved and as luck would have it they both were coming to fruition in June. So it was time for disclosure and Decisions. I went first to the lapband team at park nicollet in mn. I had had a very brief conversation with a nutritionist ptior to my second opinion and eas somewhat hopeful. The response from the surgeon once ascertaining my reasonings for waiting was that life is complicated, that the main concerns with bariatric and pregnancy is directed at nutrition. My surgeon noted minimal nutritional issues with the band, that the females bodies put needed nutrition to the baby first, and that people in poverty have healthy births. also noted was the majority of healthy births to women with lap bands. It was also pointed out that with the band that less weight gain during pregnancy the healthier. The fertility doc didn't care as long as the surgeon stayed away from my pelvic area. So. Surgery was completed and I am feeling geat and in about 7 days I will ( hopefully) have my Ivf implantation. I wanted to share my story to give a different experience or prompt new conversations with your treatment team. I wish you the best. Sorry for the length of this. I just ran across this site and was so excited.

I opted for sleeve surgery a few months back because my weight gain had been large enough that it was compromising my mobility. I had always had success with weight loss, the most being ten years ago when I lost 100 lbs. IN four years I gained it back and another 50 over the next few years after that. I knew I can lose the weight while dieting, but I was uncertain I could maintain it. The sleeve offered me the option to physically restrict food intake and calories. While it's only been three months, I am ecstatic with the results so far. It is hard work and tales perseverance, but I needed this change and I could not have accomplished what I have so far by dieting alone. You should takl a look and decide what works for you.

I got the sleeve in October 2017. I was down 135 lbs and it felt great. Last April started to gain some back. I wasn’t surprised since I wasn’t being as strict as I had been. Unfortunately, it has snowballed and I have gained back 35lbs. I feel like I have totally stretched my stomach out. I need more food to feel satisfied and my sweet tooth is out of control. Is it possible I stretched my stomach so much that I feel like I didn’t even have the surgery? How can I shrink it? Can I? Help! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I doubt the weight gain is directly responsible for your misery, but I'm not a doctor. I would recommend you contact a doctor. If it were me, I'd consult a gastroenterologist. Theories on your current situation: Theory #1: You may have long-term, silent reflux. After a while, it sort of erodes the lining of your stomach and causes an ulcer. Theory #2: The changes in your diet may be contributing to an exacerbation of your reflux. If you have reintroduced diet sodas, are they caffeinated? Caffeine can contribute to acid reflux (as per my doctor). The gluten in bread is more challenging to digest. Not to say you're gluten intolerant, it's just the nature of the beast. If you're eating too late into the evening/too soon before bedtime, you may have residual undigested food that's sort of "laying there" and causing your discomfort. Theory #3: The extra weight MIGHT be causing additional pressure on your diaphragm at night and contributing, but is unlikely a primary cause. Theory #4: A combination of theories 1-3. Long-term, untreated GERD can have lasting consequences. Please consult a doctor. In the meantime, if it were me, I'd implement standard GERD strategies: PPIs (prilosec/nexium), make changes in my diet to avoid foods that contribute, sleep on a wedge/inclined bed, do not eat 3 hours before bedtime, etc. Good luck!

Hi everyone, I had a slight weight gain (6lbs) between my very first visit with the clinic and surgeon ( I had my period and I was weighed at different times of the day) and I was told you can possibly be denied for that. I did call the clinic and they told me it was ok, you are allowed some fluctuation. I’m the same now. I am waiting for insurance approval at this point. Anyone have any experience with this? Thanks in advance!

The holiday season is here and it’s time for us all to quickly gain ten pounds. What? Why would I say that? I say that because it’s written all over the place. Over the next few weeks, you are going to see and hear references to our tendency to gain weight during this time of year in every newspaper, magazine, website, blog and television news program. And while the opportunities to eat may increase this time of year and the kinds of foods pushed on us are often not the healthiest, you don’t have to gain weight. However, if you expect to…you will. The holiday season is here and it’s time for us all to quickly gain ten pounds. What? Why would I say that? I say that because it’s written all over the place. Over the next few weeks, you are going to see and hear references to our tendency to gain weight during this time of year in every newspaper, magazine, website, blog and television news program. And while the opportunities to eat may increase this time of year and the kinds of foods pushed on us are often not the healthiest, you don’t have to gain weight. However, if you expect to…you will. What do expectations have to do with weight gain? Think of expectations as a combination of predictions and learned patterns of behavior. Outcomes that have occurred in the past, we generally expect to happen again. Take Thanksgiving for example, or what I like to call “National Binge Eating Day.” Thanksgiving is one of those few days of the year where the holiday seems to be about overeating. Of course, Thanksgiving is supposed to be about taking the opportunity to give thanks for how fortunate we are to live in this great country and to count our blessings for what we have. However, if you ask most Americans what comes to mind when they think of Thanksgiving I’ll bet turkey, stuffing, pie and football come long before giving thanks. More importantly, it’s not only food and eating that we think of but overeating and overindulging. This is so common that it’s often parodied in television commercials. Companies that manufacture antacids run ads showing people with exploding pant buttons or slumped back in the big armchair following the big meal. Thanksgiving, holiday parties and overeating seem to be synonymous. Many of us expect to overeat on Thanksgiving and at holiday parties so we inadvertently mentally gear up for this to happen. With this expectation of overeating in mind, our behavior becomes less controllable…you’re psychologically setting the stage for a binge to occur by expecting a huge meal to be served and by recalling previous Thanksgivings when you overate. Similarly, this is the season of holiday parties. Holiday parties tend to include foods that are rich, highly caloric and plentiful. And let’s not forget the alcohol. When you attend holiday parties, many of us expect these foods and drinks to be available and we are more likely to overindulge if that has been our pattern in the past. You’re certainly not a drone who is unable to make change, but it is infinitely less likely unless you take active steps to make that change. What can you do to prevent overeating at this time of year and gaining those extra pounds? Change your expectations by planning what you will do ahead of time. On the morning of Thanksgiving, think about what the likely layout will be where you are having the meal. Have you been there before? Do you know what to expect to be on the table? If so, plan ahead. Make some decisions about what you will eat and how much. Promise yourself that you will not overeat. After all, it’s just one meal and ironically many people who overeat say they’re not particularly fond of Thanksgiving food. They just get caught up in the collective binge mentality and the rest is history. If you plan ahead and carefully consider what to do instead of binging, you have a much better chance of controlling yourself and feeling good about your eating behavior afterwards. Consider that while eating may be a significant and enjoyable part of holiday parties and gatherings, OVEREATING does not need to be. Try not to give yourself permission to overindulge. Let’s face it…eating is fun and enjoyable and is a large part of holiday merriment. However, there is no fun in feeling nauseas or uncomfortable just after the meal and guilty and self-deprecating hours later. Don’t starve yourself on Thanksgiving morning or on the day of a holiday party. This is one of the most common, yet foolish strategies people employ. The calories you give up by skipping breakfast and lunch usually pale in comparison to the calorie content of the evening binge at Thanksgiving or the holiday party. Instead, eat normally during the day which may actually help keep you from binging later. You are far more likely to control yourself if you are mostly full during the day rather than starving when you walk in the door of the party. Consider making some eating compromises. Who said you have to have turkey only on Thanksgiving? Is pecan pie banned at other times of year? Consider having the foods that truly are once a year items rather than loading up on everything. And even then, you don’t need five pounds of the special foods. If you only get to eat your grandmother’s special stuffing once a year, you certainly shouldn’t pass that up. However, I promise you that eating a ton of it will not make you happier than having two nice size tablespoons of the stuff. Again, plan ahead and make decisions earlier in the day. Watch the booze. Alcohol causes our judgment to get a little fuzzy. You are going to be more successful controlling your behavior if your brain is firing on all cylinders. If you drink too much too early in the day, you’re going to have a tougher time sticking to whatever plan you created. Also, too much alcohol causes us to make other foolish decisions. There are enough unfortunate tragedies that happen this time of year. Make sure you’re not a part of one. I’m not suggesting in any way that you be a killjoy and I certainly don’t believe that it’s necessary to avoid holiday parties or gatherings where food is available. By planning ahead, changing your expectations, and making a few specific eating compromises, you can truly have your cake and eat it too. Happy Holidays!

Oh, the unsolicited advice & sometimes hurtful comments. People do get over it & as @ms.sss sud it becomes old news. Now I just get comments about how good I look 😉. When you first loose the weight it is a bit of a shock to others & yourself. They (& you) have a picture of you in their heads & it dues to align anymore. Like they can’t recognise you anymore. It takes time to get used to how you look being so much slimmer & for that fat image to be replaced. Also you will find that once your weight stabilises your remaining fat seems to resettle around your body. At first it seemed I had lost my hour glass shape & I had no butt at all. Now, my waist is definitely there again & I have a little booty but my weight has not changed. If you are working on toning you’ll likely notice the resettling more. And don’t forget either that muscle weighs more than fat. As @ms.sss also said your weight will be lower if you have skin removal. So it is something to take into consideration. I think you may even find that the abdominal fat you see is really just loose skin. I didn’t go down the skin removal path as I don’t have much loose skin. (It doesn’t impede me in any way & isn’t noticeable even in fitted body con clothes.) There are a lot of factors that influence how much loose skin you end up with: highest weight, how long you were overweight, age, gender, genetics, weight gain & loss history, etc. So you can never really compare what you look like with others. Though we’re human & we can’t always stop ourselves doing that. 😉 I always say you have to find a weight you are happy with, are healthy at & can maintain without having to make too restrictive sacrifices that limit how you enjoy your life. Only you know what weight that is. Congrats on your weight loss. You’re looking amazing.

As @catwoman7 said some of those changes you mentioned are just temporary. Like hair loss usually persists for about 3 months & your hormones settle once you’ve lost most of your weight (oestrogen is stored in fat so as you lose all the excess oestrogen is released into blood stream). Large weight regain can occur because of complacency & people slipping back into old eating habits. It can occur because how they were eating wasn’t sustainable &/or was too restrictive. It didn’t allow them to live their life as they wanted & hindered them doing what they enjoyed. Or they didn’t do the head work to understand & learn to manage their old eating behaviours & what drove them to eat. All things the surgery doesn’t do anything about. But it does give you the time to explore these factors. Also remember the average weight loss at about the three year mark is 60% of the weight that had to be lost. This can include the bounce back ‘resettling’ weight gain, complacency & adjusting to a more flexible eating plan. Or it could just be the weight your body is happier at. Sure there is always a chance to develop an issue that has to be monitored but it’s rare. Comparatively, there are very few complications from weight loss surgery. Some of the issues may not have anything to do with the surgery. I have a protein malabsorption issue. Not from my 3 yr old sleeve but from my gall being removed last year. (Malabsorption issues are very rare with sleeve.) I have low BP. I had a genetic predisposition before surgery now it’s all the time because of my lower weight not the surgery. Gerd is probably the highest risk after sleeve - about 15-20% I believe. But it can be managed or treated by a revision to bypass. Some issues may be revealed because you likely are being monitored medically more closely now then before or your weight & associated comorbidities may have been masking what were pre existing conditions. You’ll likely read & hear about people with problems because they they post to seek help & support. They don’t often post about what the cause was or the remedy. In comparison, people tend not to post or talk about their successes. I know many people who’ve had the surgery. No one has experienced long term or developed new issues because of the surgery. A couple regained most of their weight because they went back to their old eating habits. Certainly the benefits far outweigh any temporary side effects or the very rare problem.

My candid advice? Keep them. I know that sounds like a deadweight loss and a lost opportunity to be charitable, but I honestly think that getting rid of them is a jinx. I never gave anything away, but when I lost weight without surgery a few years ago, I stored them away in a place I would really never go to for any reason (my gross attic). Alas, I needed most of them back within about a year and needed to wear them until surgery. My solution this time? Keep them around, and have them there to think of how much you never want to wear them again. Weight gain after surgery is real and happens for many people, but I think it is far more within our control than maintaining non-surgical weight loss.

The holiday season is here and it’s time for us all to quickly gain ten pounds. What? Why would I say that? I say that because it’s written all over the place. Over the next few weeks, you are going to see and hear references to our tendency to gain weight during this time of year in every newspaper, magazine, website, blog and television news program. And while the opportunities to eat may increase this time of year and the kinds of foods pushed on us are often not the healthiest, you don’t have to gain weight. However, if you expect to…you will. What do expectations have to do with weight gain? Think of expectations as a combination of predictions and learned patterns of behavior. Outcomes that have occurred in the past, we generally expect to happen again. Take Thanksgiving for example, or what I like to call “National Binge Eating Day.” Thanksgiving is one of those few days of the year where the holiday seems to be about overeating. Of course, Thanksgiving is supposed to be about taking the opportunity to give thanks for how fortunate we are to live in this great country and to count our blessings for what we have. However, if you ask most Americans what comes to mind when they think of Thanksgiving I’ll bet turkey, stuffing, pie and football come long before giving thanks. More importantly, it’s not only food and eating that we think of but overeating and overindulging. This is so common that it’s often parodied in television commercials. Companies that manufacture antacids run ads showing people with exploding pant buttons or slumped back in the big armchair following the big meal. Thanksgiving, holiday parties and overeating seem to be synonymous. Many of us expect to overeat on Thanksgiving and at holiday parties so we inadvertently mentally gear up for this to happen. With this expectation of overeating in mind, our behavior becomes less controllable…you’re psychologically setting the stage for a binge to occur by expecting a huge meal to be served and by recalling previous Thanksgivings when you overate. Similarly, this is the season of holiday parties. Holiday parties tend to include foods that are rich, highly caloric and plentiful. And let’s not forget the alcohol. When you attend holiday parties, many of us expect these foods and drinks to be available and we are more likely to overindulge if that has been our pattern in the past. You’re certainly not a drone who is unable to make change, but it is infinitely less likely unless you take active steps to make that change. What can you do to prevent overeating at this time of year and gaining those extra pounds? Change your expectations by planning what you will do ahead of time. On the morning of Thanksgiving, think about what the likely layout will be where you are having the meal. Have you been there before? Do you know what to expect to be on the table? If so, plan ahead. Make some decisions about what you will eat and how much. Promise yourself that you will not overeat. After all, it’s just one meal and ironically many people who overeat say they’re not particularly fond of Thanksgiving food. They just get caught up in the collective binge mentality and the rest is history. If you plan ahead and carefully consider what to do instead of binging, you have a much better chance of controlling yourself and feeling good about your eating behavior afterwards. Consider that while eating may be a significant and enjoyable part of holiday parties and gatherings, OVEREATING does not need to be. Try not to give yourself permission to overindulge. Let’s face it…eating is fun and enjoyable and is a large part of holiday merriment. However, there is no fun in feeling nauseas or uncomfortable just after the meal and guilty and self-deprecating hours later. Don’t starve yourself on Thanksgiving morning or on the day of a holiday party. This is one of the most common, yet foolish strategies people employ. The calories you give up by skipping breakfast and lunch usually pale in comparison to the calorie content of the evening binge at Thanksgiving or the holiday party. Instead, eat normally during the day which may actually help keep you from binging later. You are far more likely to control yourself if you are mostly full during the day rather than starving when you walk in the door of the party. Consider making some eating compromises. Who said you have to have turkey only on Thanksgiving? Is pecan pie banned at other times of year? Consider having the foods that truly are once a year items rather than loading up on everything. And even then, you don’t need five pounds of the special foods. If you only get to eat your grandmother’s special stuffing once a year, you certainly shouldn’t pass that up. However, I promise you that eating a ton of it will not make you happier than having two nice size tablespoons of the stuff. Again, plan ahead and make decisions earlier in the day. Watch the booze. Alcohol causes our judgment to get a little fuzzy. You are going to be more successful controlling your behavior if your brain is firing on all cylinders. If you drink too much too early in the day, you’re going to have a tougher time sticking to whatever plan you created. Also, too much alcohol causes us to make other foolish decisions. There are enough unfortunate tragedies that happen this time of year. Make sure you’re not a part of one. I’m not suggesting in any way that you be a killjoy and I certainly don’t believe that it’s necessary to avoid holiday parties or gatherings where food is available. By planning ahead, changing your expectations, and making a few specific eating compromises, you can truly have your cake and eat it too. Happy Holidays!

I have yet to set up a consultation with a doctor, but have the paper work to start filling out before I can agree on an appointment. How likely of a candidate would I be for coverage from my insurance? I know all insurances are different, and they all have their set of rules. I just don't know if I would even be considered. Like most of you all, I've always struggled with weight. I've been able to lose weight, then gain it back and so forth and so on. This time around it's much worse as I had my spine fused a year ago, and have gained 70lbs and am in a lot of pain. I know it's largely because of the weight gain. With me being in pain it's very hard to eat healthy and find the energy to work out. Even if it's low impact excersising. I have a family history of type two diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure and I have asthma. Not sure if with all of this if it would even get my foot in the door. I'm 5'8 Male 265 lbs and 29 years old. My fusion was an L5-S1. Just looking for some input. Thanks!

definitely get on top of that ASAP. It'll be a lot easier to lose 10 lbs than 50! If you're not still weighing, measuring, and logging your food, I'd start there. do keep in mind, though, that a 10-20 lb rebound weight gain is very common in year 3. It's just your body settling into whatever weight it wants to be. That's not to say you're stuck there - you CAN lose it - but if this your body's new "set point", just be aware that it's going to take some work to get down to - and maintain - a lower weight.

Weight gain is totally normal - I always gain about 2-4 pounds during my cycle, I gain Water weight if I eat certain things or gain/stall if change up my exercise routine. And don't forget that fat also acts as a storehouse for things like hormones (like estrogen), so as you lose fat (weight) it is releasing tons of stored hormones back into your system. That can not only can that cause weight fluctuations, it can also make you feel moody and screw with your general well-being as well. But it is all perfect normal!

I'm sure I'll be having a hysterectomy, having had a large tumour right adjacent to where this growth now is, they're not going to muck around. I'm having an ultrasound tomorrow and one in three months to measure change - because fibroids shouldnt grow after menopause. But the HRT kind of explains that - dont worry, I'm in the hand of a gynecological oncologist. There's also the fact that since my bowel surgeries I suffer from obstructed defecation - meaning I cant have a bowel movement without an enema or a large dose of lactulose. My colorectal surgeon feels the growth (which is on the left and towards the back might be blocking my altered bowel. The gynae didnt think so but the condition is so awful to live with that I'd be willing to have an op just to see if it made any difference! I dont want to stop taking HRT partly because my bones are fairly bad - I've had two broken ribs this year but mostly because by the end of last year I was so depressed and anxious I was having serious suicidal thoughts. That and testosterone really made me feel loads better, but I'm just so terribly afraid of feeling that way again if I stop. But the weight gain and heartburn - hmmmm. I'd love to solve those issues! Thanks for listening. My forties has been the hardest part of my life so far - definitely more challenging than having babies! But I've got loads of support and am really very blessed.

@@rachelr28, welcome and congrats on your decision. Fellow Garden Stater here. This will be a very different experience in countless ways. Without getting too technical, basically, the idea is that in the past, we have attempted to lose weight by reducing caloric intake which results in two physiological effects: 1) reduction in metabolism by the body in an attempt to prevent weight loss and 2) dramatic increase in hunger caused by the stomach sending a hunger hormone to the brain to demand compensatory eating until the body is back to the weight it was before you started the diet. The sleeve prevents the latter from happening. You will have a stomach that is about 15% of the volume of your current stomach, meaning you will become full much faster, and on far less food. However, your body would need the volume of food you consumed before to maintain weight with all your activities and energy output, so the result will be dramatic weight loss. Your metabolism will slow, but it can't slow enough to keep up with the huge disparity between the calories you need and the calories you can intake. The surgery's most important effect is that the hunger hormone is produced in the part of your stomach that is removed irreversibly during surgery. So you wind up with a double protection against weight gain...you just can't fit very much in, nor do you want to because there's much less signaling going up to you brain telling you that you are hungry (but there's just enough from other places to get you to eat to keep you healthy). There is even some evidence that the sleeve changes the bacteria in your stomach that results by some unknown mechanism to automatically reset your "set point" down to a healthy weight, whereas right now, it is fixed at a high weight, and your body is programmed to defend obesity in any way it can. So the way the previous poster described it, with you instead of against you, is exactly right. Best of luck!

Emotional eating is one of the biggest causes of overeating, weight gain, and weight re-gain. April is Emotional Overeating Awareness month and to commemorate this, I'm offering a free teleclass to answer your questions about how to take control of emotional eating and struggles with food, weight and healthy lifestyle. The teleseminar will take place on Wednesday, April 22, 2009 at noon Pacific and 3pm Eastern. Creating change isn’t automatic and it isn’t always easy. However, it DOESN’T need to be a struggle. Join me for this free teleseminar where I'll answer your questions about how to end emotional eating battles and make peace with food—once and for all. Just go here to register and submit your question.

1) I think the answer to your (TEMPORARY!!!!) struggles is anesthesia. It takes AT LEAST one week to recover from its after-effects, and longer for most! 2) It is also really, really common to have these "why did I do this????" thoughts!! I was prepared for this when I had an elective surgery several years ago. The surgeon gave us a packet that went into this issue at length and it is all temporary, I 100% promise you!!!! You are EXHAUSTED right now!! Your body is recuperating!! As you probably have in read many, many posts in here on BP, the chorus line is "WHYYYYYYY didn't I do this earlier???" You have given yourself a tremendous gift - a second chance at health and...vibrancy!! This regret, remorse, what have I done feeling is going to pass!! 3) The 8.5# weight gain is also TEMPORARY. FAKE. WILL BE GONE VERY SOON. Remember that needle stuck on the back of your hand attached to the hat stand-looking thing with bags on it that you had to drag everywhere during your hospital stay (which I am going to gently remind you was only a MERE few days ago, my friend!! Be kind to yourself!!)? Those bags pumped your body with a lot - A LOT - of fluid. That 'weight' is going to be gone, plus more, VERY VERY SOON!!! So...I am hoping you find that place of optimism again very soon and please know that you have all of our support, encouragement & sincere wishes for your success and a brand new beginning!! Even if you don't feel it every second of the day during this journey - You've GOT this!!! You really do. xoxo

HAHA my hubby is a great cook that is my problem when we met I was weighing 135lbs and over the course of 7 years I have gain all my weight now I am at 216lbs so that isnt good, he is a good cook and for that I am how I am , I will have to control my self later on , I dont blame him for my weight gain but that is how I got where I am at today LOL He plans to get on a diet when I get banded LOL