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That is alot of calories especially if you have medical issues that cause weight gain and not active - I currently am running on 400-500 calories a day and loose weight every week - STOP checking your weight every day you will drive yourself nuts. I weigh in every Sunday Morning and record - My goal is 5.5 pounds per week. I hit it every week by controlling intake and moving about I also use a nutritionist and she has me at 450 a day - so not sure where the 1000 came from. I agree with above it is been said that the long run you should be higher - My attitude is this lets loose it all and figure that out later

Well since I was in Mexicali, they don't do major pain meds like Dilaudid; they do the initial morphine spinal (an odd pain medication delivery system to me, but whatever) and after that you get under the tongue pain meds which aren't very effective. Most of my discomfort was from gas, bloating, queasiness, and everything associated with stomach upset rather than real PAIN. Dilaudid is a heavy-duty morphine pain med; I had it when I broke my leg as that was the appropriate pain relief medication for that situation. I had to have surgery to fix my fracture (and thus began my 10 year spiral of weight gain, but that's another story). For this type of surgery, in my humble opinion Dilaudid is way over-kill. Not that I would have turned it down, mind you, but apparently such a heavy duty drug is not the protocol at Hospital Almater.:laugh0: The liquids are going. I use a straw. The first 5 days (that's all I got so far) it still hurts a little when I drink. That supposedly goes away after a week according to Dr. Aceves. Hope so. I am sipping, not gulping (as if!) but I still feel that spot that the Water hits when it goes down, especially in the middle of night when my pump is not primed like during the day, if you know what I mean.

I was banded march 2012. I am down almost 90 lbs. I had a fill in January that put me in the red zone. They removed the fill. I was ok at my February appointment and didn't need or want a fill. Last month, I felt I needed an adjustment (since ice been on a plateau since January). They gave me .2, I can't tolerate anything more than that. Anything more takes me right in the red. Anyways,,,, I've always been tight in the morning, coffee is my morning beverage of choice always. I have trouble with tiny tiny sips for about the first 2 hours in awake. About 4 hours after I'm awake, I can comfortable eat oatmeal and nothing else. Breakfast is usually about 10 am. lunch comes at noon and usually I can eat my lunchtime meal. After lunch my band is really open and I'm totally in the yellow zone and constantly hungry till about 6 pm. About that time, I'm in that wonderful green zone. I tighten up almost immediately as soon as I lay down. My first and second meal have to stay on schedule... If I don't have my lunch on time, it's Soup the rest of the day or I have to start over with oatmeal. If I go more than a few hours without eating... I close up. I've never had symptoms of being too tight. Besides the over restricted, nothing is getting through this baby bandster hell. No night cough, reflux, weight gain... Nothing. At my last appointment last week, they did a swallow, due to my appointment, I skipped my noon meal and of course I was over restricted. The barium was sitting right on top of my band. I had a tiny bit of dilation but not enough to warrant a complete unfill or even a partial unfill which shocked me. She put me on the 2/2 as if I had a fill and said to come back if I had anymore problems. Before being banded, I had really bad reflux. Once I was banded it completely disappeared. There was NO hiatal hernia repair either. There are times I feel burning around my band, but nothing like the reflux I experienced post-banding. I'm finally losing again, being 4 lbs the last month! Not much, but so glad I'm on the losers bench again. Has anyone ever experienced this kind of fluctuation between zones? What have your experiences been? Mine are: No more than .2 at a fill 2-4 weeks before I'm adjusted to the fill Extreme morning restriction If I lay down more than 5 minutes, I'm super tight. After 30 minutes... It's as if I'm at my morning tightness. I have to eat on schedule Any recommendations? It's really hard to keep a newborn eating schedule and I live in constant fear of eating! As long as I stick to my schedule, the PBing is maybe 4-6 times a week. Thanks for any input!

I was hopeful that losing weight would help to reduce the amount of facial hair I have, but I'm down to a size two and still dealing with it. I had been taking 200mg of spironolactone ever since being diagnosed with PCOS at age 19, but over time it had become much less effective and caused numerous undesirable side effects like depression, fatigue, and weight gain due to the increased appetite it gave me. I slowly tapered off of it, and finally stopped taking it all together. This has meant that I've seen more facial hair growth, but am not contemplating going back on it because I'd rather deal with one problem than multiple ones caused by this medicine. I just started taking birth control again on Sunday to help with facial hair, but am going to discontinue it because it's causing severe insomnia, nausea, and hot flashes (I'm 20 years too young for menopause). I was also given a prescription for Vaniqa at my recent doctor's appointment, which is a cream that helps to retard hair growth. It takes about 8 weeks to see any results, and the 1 ounce tube was $169. o.O I bought it anyway because desperate measures and all...... In reviews of it I read some women called it a holy grail product that had changed their life for the better, and others said it was not only ineffective but caused breakouts. I am hopeful that a method I've just started trying will be effective, and the medicine and cream won't be necessary. I recently started having it removed with sugaring and have been fortunate to not have any breakouts as a result. It's painful, but not excruciatingly so. I live in Los Angeles, and the woman who did it for me came highly recommended on Yelp and only charged $6 for the chin (I was trying one area at a time). I don't know how much it cost elsewhere, but it's definitely less than electrolysis and laser (which I was told wouldn't work for me because my hair is blonde). Ladies on another forum, Soul Cysters, had recommended a product from Amazon that you apply immediately after removing facial hair (whether by waxing, shaving, threading, etc) to prevent ingrown hairs and acne, and it's been really helpful. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C4YJL96/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I'd felt trapped in a cycle where removing hair caused breakouts, which made me want to hermit as much as possible (which is dismaying because I want to show off the weight loss and go out there and have fun), but the facial hair made me want to hermit as well. I've only been using this product for a few weeks, but thus far it's been a huge relief. You can have higher androgen levels without having PCOS, and that will cause excessive facial hair growth too. PCOS can also be tricky to diagnose because the name is a bit of a misnomer. My endocrinologist said that many women with it do not actually have cysts, so they look at other criteria like your hormone levels and symptoms. Women who are not obese can also have PCOS and facial hair. I'm a young professor, and because of that my students tend to confide in me more than they would older professors. One of my 19-year-old students was telling me how depressed she was due to facial hair and acne caused by PCOS, and she's very slim. If she lost any weight she'd be medically underweight.

Hi all I'm new to this blog stuff so please cut my a little slack. I've been searching for a solution to weight issues all my life and have done and tried almost all things out there About 10 years ago a good friend and business associate had a bypass he is 6'7" and was 450 or so. His was a forced issue as his family history of heart attacks was catching up to him. Results were mixed 150 plus loss but plenty of complications along the way. So while considering and studying this I decided it was not for me. Another friend had lapband and results were fantastic BUT after a year or so weight came creeping back along with the out of control feeling and helplessness. I remembered these feelings well as I lost 109 lbs in 90 days on pills and shots That was back in the 80's I could watch a commercial on TV and gain 5 lbs devastating feeling. I also learned that this procedure had its fair share of complications and weight gain was not insignificant. So here I am 61 years old retired since 04 going to do something for myself. Type A guy intense all the attributes. Gastric sleeve is for me. Starting weight about 2 wks ago was 362 not my highest but up there started th 1200 calorie about 9 days ago and will go until surgery march 6. Dr Nicholson out of Dallas is my guy. My regular drs partners wife (got that) had hers done there and I've since found a lot of drs send themselves their family members to him that shortened my search a lot These forums have truly been a blessing to me and I am going to try to contribute in a meaningful way as I travel along Thanks to all

At one of the three seminars I attended at the beginning of this process, a nutritionist gave out information on a study that was done on successful weight-loss patients. I thought it was interesting to hear that one of the indicators for being successful is getting enough sleep at night, but she didn’t really explain why. This paragraph is about my sleep, you can skip this and go to the next one to hear about you. I’ve always had a lot of trouble sleeping; takes me a minimum of ½ hour to fall asleep, I have to use a sound machine because I’m such a light sleeper and I wake up during the night several times. Add to that, that I’ve had frequent migraines that usually wake me up in the wee hours of the morning, and I wasn’t getting enough sleep. After having a crippling migraine for three days one week I finally sought help and am now on a medication that has been a miracle for me…and one of the side effects is that you have deeper sleep. I’ve had a few episodes where I’ve woken in the night with the beginnings of a migraine, but then I’ve fallen back to sleep. That NEVER would have happened before. It doesn’t help me to fall asleep, and I wake up groggy, but I’m getting more hours of sleep, which is good. OK, here’s why it’s good. The Today Show featured a story today where Glamour Magazine looked at all the studies that showed a correlation between lack of sleep and weight gain. People who don’t get enough sleep on average eat 200 calories more per day. Glamour got women to change their sleep to at least 7.5 hours per night…and whataya know…they lost weight (they had more energy during the day to do more). When you don’t get enough sleep the body is under stress and craves carbs and fats as an energy source. When you get enough sleep (called sleep hygiene) the leptin (hormone that regulates how hungry you are) in the brain is kept in balance. Leptin goes down with sleep deprivation, which increases your appetite. If you Google ‘sleep deprivation and obesity’ you’ll find an avalanche of recent studies on this issue. The obesity epidemic has gone up at the same rate that average amount of sleep has gone down. So get your zzzz’s!!! Here’s the Today Show segment: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/29098028#29098028

I recommend that you work with your nutricianist from your surgeons office. For the health of the child, losing weight during pregnancy is not desirable, because it deprives the little one from important nutrients and Vitamins. Generally weight gain at full term is O.K. if it is obtained from nutritious food such as foods with a high content of Protein and vitamins.

I have to say I'd be careful with a SSRI such as Zoloft they all cause significant weight gain. That said living with panic attacks and depression is no good either so you have to do what's best for your health. A psychiatrist would be best to advise you on it. There are meds that don't have the wt gain side effect if that is even something you are worried about. Deep breaths and Good luck with it.

I have been on anti depressants / anti anxiety pills since I was 15 and diagnosed with chronic depression/anxiety. I was off pills for a few years and then had such bad post partum after my third son, I was put on 100mg of Zoloft. It was the best anti anxiety med I've ever been on, didn't cause weight gain (because I was overweight to begin with and every doctor will tell you the "weight gain" happens with people who have weight to gain and it's usually only 5-10 pounds). I am now taking it post surgery and since I'm only a week out, my hormones are all messed up and making me very cranky. If I weren't in the Zoloft I believe I might have had a break down yesterday. (It was a bad day). Talk to your PCP. If they're any good, they'll start you on a small dose and monitor you. Natural pills never have worked for me in this area simply due to the severity of my anxiety Lastly, take this as concern only, if your anxiety is triggered by a plateau and weight, I would believe counseling or psychology would be the best first step. Then reassess during that process to see if pills are a good idea. I went to a few years of counseling before I was put on pills at 15. I went to a few more years of counseling while off pills in my late 20s. The only reason why I went back on was due to major hormonal shifts from pregnancy. I plan to get off of them again as soon as my hormones finish adjusting from weight loss. HW: 328 (02/21/17) SW: 271 (05/24/17) CW:

im still a slob too. i wish i had that substitute addiction. But i beleive My sub-addict is working out. I feel like crying sometimes when i go too long(a few days) wihtout workingout. Especially now that im almost 6months out and i eat a hell of a lot moree than before.I get so scared that im eating to the point of weight gain. Myrealistic side tells me it's almost impossible considering how few calories i take in, But my crazy, semi malnurished, delusional side just feel like im going to gain it all back right this minute if i dont go for atleast an hour jog.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome I was just wondering if there's any other women out there that have this? I have it and due to it I don't ovulate at all and I have darkening of my skin on my neck and armpits and around my waist line. I'm just wondering if this all changes after having the band and losing the weight. Symptoms of this are: infrequent menstrual periods, no menstrual periods, and/or irregular bleeding infertility or inability to get pregnant because of not ovulating increased growth of hair on the face, chest, stomach, back, thumbs, or toes acne, oily skin, or dandruff pelvic pain weight gain or obesity, usually carrying extra weight around the waist type 2 diabetes high cholesterol high blood pressure male-pattern baldness or thinning hair patches of thickened and dark brown or black skin on the neck, arms, breasts, or thighs skin tags, or tiny excess flaps of skin in the armpits or neck area sleep apnea―excessive snoring and breathing stops at times while asleep I'm sorry if this is a reaccuring topic. I didn't see anything about it. Does having this make it harder to lose the weight even with lap band? Any insight would be great. Thanks!

I have had it for years, but was only diagnosed this year. My symptoms are: infertility or inability to get pregnant because of not ovulating increased growth of hair on the face, chest, stomach, back, thumbs, or toes acne, oily skin, or dandruff weight gain or obesity, usually carrying extra weight around the waist type 2 diabetes (I don't quite have it, but am borderline, with pre-diabetes) skin tags, or tiny excess flaps of skin in the armpits or neck area sleep apnea―excessive snoring and breathing stops at times while asleep

Good one... I hadn't though about that, but its great to hear your confidence is up and that you're diggin' your new appearance. 112 lbs down is amazing! I think there's a positive to everything... even being fat. My wife had a birthday party yesterday and some folks we know were complimenting me on the weight loss. Afterwards, I was thinking about it some more... and realized that I've definitely improved my overall eatings habits tremendously because of all this. I wasn't a terrible eater before, my weight gain was a 15 year journey with undiagnosed insulin resistance... but by NO MEANS did I eat a healthy diet, or was some picture of perfection. I've really learned to study what's in my food, and even if I put some of this weight back on... I know that I've gained something from all this.

Vegas... perhaps you are not eating enough and your body went into starvation mode and is hoarding all your calories? Add 1 more shake a day, see if that helps. Also, your period is a big contributor. Mine should be starting any day now too, and I am hoping this weight gain is partly due to that, but I'm not counting on it. Also, are you exercising at all? that might help some too. These are just guesses from a lifetime of dieting. Fingers crossed for you to see that scale move the other direction soon.

Before I got banded, I resolved to weigh myself once a month. In the past, I have weighed myself daily and if I didn't lose or if I (gasp!) gained, I would be so depressed I'd binge. I was terrified that it would happen again, so I didn't want to weigh myself too often and get obsessed. But then I got my band - and started weighing myself every day. It was addictive, because every single day, the number was lower than the day before. It was so thrilling to see the weight coming off so steadily. It gave me confidence that I am going to succeed in this. As the honeymoon phase came to an end, and the weight loss slowed down, I decided to weigh myself weekly, so I wouldn't be disappointed by not losing every single day. I have since learned my lesson. Now that I couldn't binge even if I wanted to, the scale has become a valuable tool for me. One of the reasons why I weighed 266 pounds is because I stopped paying attention to my weight and the poundage just kept creeping up and up. I'm never going to be "surprised" like that again, so not weighing myself isn't an option. Also, weighing myself weekly built up so much anticipation, that if I didn't lose weight, or lost a tiny amount like 0.2 lbs, I would be really disappointed and feel like all of my hard work was for nothing - which lead to skipping exercise and eating junk food for the next couple of days. Now I weigh myself in the mornings, when I've got too much restriction to drown my sorrows in vast quantities of food. Weighing myself daily rather than weekly keeps me from convincing myself it's ok to eat an entire box of graham crackers on Monday because I can diet for the rest of the week and still lose weight by Sunday's weigh-in. Monday always lead to Tuesday which lead to Wednesday, and then I'd have to fast for the rest of the week, which I could never pull off. Now, if I eat too much on one day, I see it on the scale and correct it the very next day. The cause and effect relationship between eating and weight gain is much clearer to me now. In a strange way, I find the daily fluctuations in my weight sort of comforting. Given the way I'm eating now, It is physically impossible for me to gain two pounds in one day. So if I'm 248 today and 250 tomorrow, I know that it's just a normal fluctuation and not actual weight gain. I know that not only will I succeed, but even if I do gain some weight back after reaching goal, I will be able to catch myself before it goes too far and becomes 20, 50, or 100 pounds. It's a good thing.

Since you are at the beginning of this process, I would recommend three things. 1. Take a good before photograph of yourself, so that you have something to compare to after surgery. Many times we are blind to our obesity. We do not see ourselves. Therefore when the weight begins to drop off rather dramatically, we question if this is really happening. Photographs are a good visualization of our success. Many people carry a before and after photo with them, just to remind themselves of their success. 2. Walk 30 minutes each day, every day until surgery (or equivalent exercise). Walking helps the recovery process go smoothly and minimized the pain levels from surgery. 3. Wean yourself from caffeine and carbonated beverages now. After I gave up my 6 diet coke a day habit, I suffered from a week of severe withdrawal syndrome consisting of severe headaches and body aches. I was miserable. You don't want to combine the effects of caffeine withdrawal with the effects of surgery. Also stress can cause weight gain. So the recommendation to stay off the scale may be appropriate.

I also fear going back to the places I was as I lose this weight. As I hit new milestones I think "this is what I was doing at this weight in my life". The emotional and physical abuse I suffered was the main reason for my weight gain and going through it again will be hard. I have spent the last 24 years of my total 30 on earth building up this wall of fat to protect me. I am ready now to get it off and hopefully deal with the reasons behind it. Thank you for sharing this. It really hit home with me. And also gives me hope that I can go through it and make to the other side.

1. How difficult did you find the pre-op diet? I didn't have a "preop" diet but I was required to lose 10lbs and then light dinner the night before surgery and nothing after midnight by mouth. I did a modified Atkins anyways and dropped 25 lbs before surgery (my doctor removed my gallbladder 3.5 weeks earlier and said that he could see much better inside due to dropping the weight. 2. I have had 3 cesareans and my gallbladder laproscopically removed. Does anyone know how the pain and/or recovery is in comparison? I had 2 c sections, one lap gallbladder removal and the band. The C sections were the worst, I had stones but no symptoms so my gallbladder was a breeze - the band would fall right in the middle for me. I went back to an office job with modified duties (no filing) at day 9 and did just fine. 3. Now this is one I really haven't seen at all and am a bit shy to ask, but it's better to ask now then end up in the ER. How soon can one umm hmmm be intimate and are you limited in well you know <WHISPERS>positions? I have to agree - when you feel up to it. One week is the most I could get away with! 4. After going on solids, is there a weight gain? I plan on eating only healthy (low carbs) on the liquid and solid stages and fear that once I go on solids I may actually gain weight. Should I jus eat whatever I can tolerate on liquids and solids and worry about losing the weight and low carbing after I go on solids? I did not gain any when I went over to solids but I was a chicken - I am afraid to test the limits of my band so I did just fine. 6. For some reason it is very easy for me to lose 40lbs (after each of my 3 pregnancies I have lost all of my pregnacy weight which has been 40-45lbs within 2 weeks after delivery AND each time I have done Atkins I have lost 40lbs and then I stall). Do people stall on this and if they do and it has nothing to do with the restriction, how can you tweak your program to break the stall? Or is it a matter of just being patient and waiting it out? I'll let you know when I get there. Good luck!

1. How difficult did you find the pre-op diet? My Dr only does pre op diets for ppl with a BMI over 50. 2. I have had 3 cesareans and my gallbladder laproscopically removed. Does anyone know how the pain and/or recovery is in comparison? I have had 2 ceasars and it wasnt even comparable. I will say it was painful but NOTHING compared to my ceasars. 3. Now this is one I really haven't seen at all and am a bit shy to ask, but it's better to ask now then end up in the ER. How soon can one umm hmmm be intimate and are you limited in well you know <WHISPERS>positions? I waited about 2 weeks or so. 4. After going on solids, is there a weight gain? I plan on eating only healthy (low carbs) on the liquid and solid stages and fear that once I go on solids I may actually gain weight. Should I jus eat whatever I can tolerate on liquids and solids and worry about losing the weight and low carbing after I go on solids? I gained back a fair few lbs switcing, and then some more when I needed a fill. Nothing huge just Fluid mostly I think. 6. For some reason it is very easy for me to lose 40lbs (after each of my 3 pregnancies I have lost all of my pregnacy weight which has been 40-45lbs within 2 weeks after delivery AND each time I have done Atkins I have lost 40lbs and then I stall). Do people stall on this and if they do and it has nothing to do with the restriction, how can you tweak your program to break the stall? Or is it a matter of just being patient and waiting it out? I have lost 59 lbs and mine has stalled alot over the last few months. I dont mind though, at least it is coming off. Good Luck :eek:

Sigh, another newbie. Oh well, I'll answer...AGAIN. :eek: 1. How difficult did you find the pre-op diet? I keep thinking I can't possibly do a liquid diet for a week. Not everyone has to do a pre-op diet. If you do, it's not as hard as you think. A week goes by faster than you imagine, and if you really think about what's it's for you'll find the motivation to continue. I once did a liquid diet for 12 weeks and there was no surgery at the end of it to keep me honest. But I stayed on it anyway. 2. I have had 3 cesareans and my gallbladder laproscopically removed. Does anyone know how the pain and/or recovery is in comparison? Can't answer this, never having had abdominal surgery before. I will say banding surgery was easier than giving birth naturally. 3. Now this is one I really haven't seen at all and am a bit shy to ask, but it's better to ask now then end up in the ER. How soon can one umm hmmm be intimate and are you limited in well you know <whispers> positions? If it feels good do it! The only restriction on physical activity, usually, is no heavy lifting for several weeks. But otherwise if you feel up to doing whatever activity floats your boat, your body knows best. 4. After going on solids, is there a weight gain? I plan on eating only healthy (low carbs) on the liquid and solid stages and fear that once I go on solids I may actually gain weight. Should I jus eat whatever I can tolerate on liquids and solids and worry about losing the weight and low carbing after I go on solids? You might gain weight, you might not. I don't remember gaining any once I started on solids, but the weight LOSS certainly slowed down in a hurry at that point. The most important thing during the liquid stage is staying on liquids so you can heal, and IMO that means it's important not to get too hungry. It's not a time to be worrying about calories. 5. What is the longest a person went without any fills (after surgury) and STILL lost weight? There are people who have never needed a fill. But that's meaningless to you, because the only thing that matters is when YOU need a fill. The band can't do it's job without proper, personalized adjustment and you just won't know what that is until you get there. You might need a fill, you might not, you might need 8. What's the difference? You'll find out what's right for you when the time comes. 6. For some reason it is very easy for me to lose 40lbs (after each of my 3 pregnancies I have lost all of my pregnacy weight which has been 40-45lbs within 2 weeks after delivery AND each time I have done Atkins I have lost 40lbs and then I stall). Do people stall on this and if they do and it has nothing to do with the restriction, how can you tweak your program to break the stall? Or is it a matter of just being patient and waiting it out? That has always been my downfall with Atkins, I would get discouarged and just start eating the foods I liked again because I figured I wasn't losing anyway. I don't like the word "stall." It's a simple fact of weight loss that there will be plateaus, and this is NORMAL. But what IS different about being banded and hitting one is that you simply CAN'T go back to your pre-banded eating habits. The band is still there, keeping you from overdoing it and destroying your progress. And since that's the case, the "stall" ends and your weight loss starts again. THIS IS NOT A DIET, and it's not about being "on" a plan and trying to rack up a certain amount of loss in a certain amount of time before you go "off" the plan. If you plan on being banded for the rest of your life, there's no point in worrying about stalls and plateaus. It is all just part of the journey.

High sodium contributes to Water retention, which we all know translates into weight gain. It's just speculation based on my own experiences. If you are on a low sodium diet, this is probably not the case for you. Just throwin stuff out there.

I'm a revision from lapband to sleeve so a little nervous over leak. Lapband 8 years and no weight loss and no weight gain but 2 partial knees and diabetic now! I'm ready for my sleeve! I'm ready for a healthy tool to assist my body to health! Best wishes to all.

Hi Elcee, They had to completely unfill due to all of the swelling. I allowed a month to go by barely eating anything as I thought it was me and the last week I could barely keep liquids down. So he stated due to the urgency of the situation we had to unfill completely to allow healing. He explained it as it was like I just had the surgery. He is also very reserved and the first fill I had 4cc put back in and the last one only 1 cc. He says it is fine and the weight gain is normal, however I am an all or nothing person. When I see one pound gained it is like 100 to me. I feel great physically, but mentally I am a mess.

I weigh myself all the time and I know that makes me a "slave to the scale!" Anytime I'm at home I get on the scale - all hours of day & night. I work during the day (btw). I contribute some of my weight gain for not having a scale for a few years and it was "out of sight - out of mind." It's probably better to weigh once a week. Whatever is best for you! I'm a little psycho about it (lol) & I know I am!

There is absolutely nothing easy about making the decision and ultimately having weight loss surgery. It is a mental battle that one fights daily. You simply have a tool to help control the amount of food you put in your body. You, are still in charge of what you put in your body. You will still deal with and learn to control head hunger. You will have to pay very close attention to your intake of Protein, Vitamins and Water. You will potentially go through a period where you mourn the foods that you love. You will have to come to terms with a whole new relationship with food. Obesity is a disease and most people do not understand what that means. It means years and years of weight gain, loss and then gaining more. It means down the road you will likely have comorbitities that can actually take your life early. At the end of the day the only advice I can give you is that you MUST be ready before you move forward. If you go into this with a scared negative attitude, you will struggle with this whole new life required of you. I can tell you from the shirt experience I have had, it is all worth it, absolutely, positively. I was in the place where my comorbitities were actually killing me. Slowly and painfully. Now, I am very very healthy and most important, I feel fantastic. A whole new life. I was ready, and excited and I try to keep a positive attitude even when things are tough. It helps me to live with my decision. My only regret is I did not do this 10 years earlier. I wish the best of luck for you. Just please make sure you are ready before you move forward.