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I am one year and one month post-op, and I have lost 90 pounds from my heaviest weight. I'm feeling a lot better, sleeping better, eating better, and moving more. However, since January, the scale hasn't moved at all. I spoke with my surgeon's assistant at my one year check-in, and she said I should still be losing about 3 pounds a month, albeit slowly, and to reduce my calories if I'm not meeting that goal (I eat between 1200-1500 calories a day, but usually closer to 1500). But, I've also noticed, the last few months I've been really struggling with sweet cravings. Before my surgery I'd like some sugary things every now and then, but lately I've had these really intense cravings that feel like almost every day. I try to choose fruit, or make a chocolate protein drink, but I'm more annoyed by the cravings than anything. I really wish they'd go away. I always feel awful after I eat something sugary, too, so I know it's not going to sit well in my stomach but that pang is still there. Can anyone offer advice on how to cope with this?

Hi everyone, I'm new to this website and I was hoping I could get some thoughts/ input on my experiences five days post-op. I had surgery on the 20th and have been on my liquid/ protein diet since my second day post-op. It hasn't been that long on that diet, but I feel like I'm losing my mind a bit. I'm living at home with my family at the moment and I have to watch them eat good looking foods all day while I'm stuck sipping water, tea, broth, and protein shakes all day. I have to do this diet until the 6th of July, which feels forever away at this point. After that, I start a week of pureed foods, which I doubt will be much more satisfying. I was doing alright for the most part up until last night. Today is not much better. I'm feeling irritable and I wish I could just have something to eat. I'm not even craving unhealthy foods the way I used to and I'm not feeling hungry at all, I just feel like I need to eat something. I was under the impression that my cravings would be under control after surgery. Ugh. Anyone else have similar experiences or tips to get through the next few weeks?

It's a cold and snowy day here. My husband works nights and is sleeping. It's quiet. There's not much to do. You get the picture... I pulled out a couple of favorite cookbooks to write down ingredients on my grocery list. I continued browsing and came across 'monkey bread'. If you're not familiar with it, it's simple matter of canned biscuits, cinnamon, sugar and butter. Oh my gosh. Just seeing that recipe, I could imagine myself sitting there eating as much of it as I wanted. Just chowing down. A binge. That led my mind toward other foods that I'd really like to binge on. It seems my mind is absolutely wrapped around food (or lack thereof) today. Anybody out there that can empathize?

Hello, I had my surgery 6 days ago. for the first few days I felt good but on day 5 and today I been craving real food (not liquids or jello or popsicles) to the point where thats all I can think of. I know I had the surgery to control my eating and not my cravings but I been feeling hungry. I don't feel full and I am wondering is there something wrong. I can drink clear protein drinks, eat the jello or have the popsicle but my stomach does not feel full. I am doing my best to follow the diet but I am ready to make myself some eggs or maybe some fish. I feel weak and I am sleepy the entire day. what can I do??

Hunger/Cravings/Emotional/Habitual: [ FEEL FREE TO RELATE AND LAUGH WHILE READING ] If you have lived as a human on this planet we like to call Earth, you have experienced these different forms of eating habits. For some us, we have mastered the eating maze and are healthy and happy individuals. For some of us, we were just blessed with good genes that kept and continue to keep us skinny. Others may choose other methods of dealing with hunger and/or engage in habits that keeps them thin (but are in no way beneficial to their health): anemia, bulimia, drugs, even smoking (so I have been told). And then there is the rest of the world, the majority, who simply eat. Well as promised, I stated that I would share as I learned. So here we go. Three days ago, I started to have a strange craving for salt. I figured I just wanted something salty: French fries or something. The first day, I tried saltine crackers- didn't work. The Second Day, I broke down and got a small fry from McDonalds - after three fries and a terrible time swallowing it- I threw the rest away. I figured chips would hurt worse than fries so I didn't go there. By the third day, I was ready to pour salt in my hand and eat it. I ended up eating mashed potatoes with salt and Cajun seasoning. I wasn't really hungry nor did I want any of the things I mentioned. I just wanted the salt. We are conditioned to believe that cravings are ALWAYS remnants of are past BAD eating habits: nothing good can come of it. So I didn't mention it to the doctor. Well, I had a routine follow up scheduled the next day: blood, urine and so forth. Come to find out, I was Dehydrated. One of the symptoms associated with Dehydration is craving salt. Upon finding out this information, I told my doctor about the last three days. He listened and then he explained. There are several types of eating habits, but to simplify here are four main types: hunger or regular, cravings, emotional, and habitual eating. Hunger: Regular - Biologically Necessary Eating: When the food you have previously consumed has been digested and used, the body sends off signals to the brain to start the process of alerting you ( growling stomach, headache, and so forth) that you need nourishment. Insert a bunch of doctor talk here....and then arrive to the point. You need to eat small portions throughout the day to keep your system fueled and your blood sugar levels regulated. Cravings: Mostly a mental hunger but can occasionally be a symptom of a bigger health issue. Cravings are greatly linked to the wonderful neurotransmitters we call endorphins: the feel good stuff. Deserts, fast food, candy, and so forth can all be linked to cravings associated with the release of endorphins. Giving into a craving WITH MODERATION every now and then is not a bad thing. As my doctor has stated once before: deprivation is the mother of all diet breaking habits. Deprive yourself of something long enough and you will most likely binge when you do eat it. A few potato chips did not make you overweight OVER NIGHT. It took Several Bags of Chips over Several Nights to add the pounds. MODERATION is the key. Keeping a food log is a great help in this department. You will begin to see patterns in your eating habits. For example, when and what types of cravings you have and how you dealt with them. And if you find yourself craving something over and over again, do not hesitate to talk to your doctor or nutritionist. In some cases, as it was with my need for salt, there may be a greater medical issue at hand. Emotional eating: Well this topic needs no introduction and has a simple explanation: attempting to make us temporarily feel better through eating. We usually engage in emotional eating during times of Stress, Grief, Anxiousness, Indecision, Depression, Helplessness, and so forth. The best way to combat this eating habit, is to locate the source of the problem. Eating rarely if ever solves the problem that is causing the strong and usually negative emotion. Exercise, counseling, reaching out to others, and sometimes taking time to heal oneself are all great tactics. Once again keeping a journal of what triggers the emotional eating will help you get a better grasp on the problem at hand. NOW WE MOVE ON TO THE UNIVERSAL EATING HABIT ACCURATLEY NAMED HABITUAL (OR RITUAL) Eating: ITS JUST WHAT WE DO. I believe that most people indulge in this eating habit and the following are some examples of when we do it: You are going to the Football/Baseball/Basketball/Hockey game: Hotdogs, Chips, Beer, Liquor. You are going to the movies: Popcorn, Coke, Pretzels, Funnel cake, Pizza or whatever the concession item of your choice is. Its the Holiday Season: I must have all of the usual favorites: Grandma's turkey, Great Aunt's Caramel Cake, Your Spouse's Sweet Potatoes, Your Neighbor's Candy Yams, Christmas Punch, and so forth. The Girls Venting Session: must have Ice Cream of some flavor and LOTS of it and alcohol. The Birthday party: most have party favors and Cake. Men's night: Steaks, Burgers, Chips, Ribs, and Beer. You are bored and in the house doing nothing: Must. Eat. Whatever. Its just what we do. LOL. MOST of us do it and have been conditioned all of our lives to do it. This conditioning has been formed through family traditions, societal norms, peer influences, workplace etiquette, school related gatherings, church and community functions, and almighty MEDIA (just to name a few). The best solution to this is MODERATION. Also, start a new tradition of your own. When all else fails, before you eat something ask yourself the following ( I practice this daily): Are you hungry, have you eaten this lately, how do you feel, and what are you doing at this moment. I usually find that asking myself these questions leads to further questions and eventually to answers. I will either talk myself out of it or I will understand why I am doing it. MOST IMPORTANTLY, No man has ever survived without making mistakes, without setbacks, or without occasional over indulgence. It just happens. Do not beat yourself up about it. Just continue to move forward. You will only be as successful as you allow yourself to be. Surround yourself with supportive people, practice good habits, start new traditions, keep a journal, exercise, and ENJOY your second chance at life. You only live once.

Everyone has a craving sometime. It might be for pizza, ice cream, tacos, Pasta, or any of the other foods that you used to eat – or overeat – before weight loss surgery. What do you do when a craving hits? Wait until it passes, even if it’s a few days. Wait a day, and then give in if the craving is still there. Make a healthy substitute, such as sugar-free hot chocolate instead of brownies or light popcorn as a salty, crunchy substitute for potato chips. Have a bit or two of the real thing, since that is the only thing that will satisfy you. Give in. Enjoy your treat, and worry about the consequences tomorrow. Choose your answer, and explain it in the conversation below. Share your tips for dealing with cravings, and include any recipe swaps that you use to deal with your cravings in a healthy way!

I can honestly say before this process I would have never ever craved something as simple as a turkey and provolone sandwich with/ lite mayo and lettuce. And I don't mean like the huge kind you get at a sandwich shop or restaurant.. I mean the 5th grade kind your mom would make at home and send in your lunch box. That and eggs. I'm excited about eggs.... How crazy is that.. I thought for sure I'd be missing chocolate or cupcakes. But honestly all my cravings seem pretty tame thus far. Does anyone else have odd cravings.. or maybe things that they never thought they would miss?

It's been six months since my doctor removed 85% of my stomach. Since then, I haven't had any regrets...unless you take in consideration the thought that went through my head when I woke up while they were removing my breathing tube. But I don't count that since I was all drugged up and not thinking straight. Also, having Nurse Hatchet didn't help matters. However, with fall here and winter around the corner, I have to admit, there are a times I miss it a little. Not much, only a little bit. Like, I wish I had 25% of my stomach instead of 15%. Now, before you all go jumping on my back allow me to explain. Tonight for dinner I made homemade chicken and dumplings. Now, that's bad enough for a sleever but I had to add more temptation to the mix. I had to make corn bread from scratch as well. I mean come on, you can't have one with out the other. It's just not Southern!!!! No self respecting Southerner would make chicken and dumplings with out making cornbread. And, though I'm not quite Southern...I'm below the Mason-Dixon line, so I'm close enough. LOL Also, I started feeling bad for my husband. Since my surgery, his diet has consisted of PB&Js and chicken. Not at the same time. But considering he's a meat and potato man, it's been a hard six months for him. He considers it a treat if I stop at McDonald's for him. Which is VERY hard for me as the smell has always turned my stomach but after surgery it's even worse. So, I decided that if I were going to make him eat chicken again, I would make something he enjoys. I thought I would be fine with it. I know I can have about 1/4 a cup (a little less) of the chicken and dumplings (mostly chicken...maybe one or two dumplings) and maybe a bite of two of the cornbread. The problem is, I had forgotten how much I love both of these things. This is one thing my tastes buds did not change their opinion of....which isn't a good thing. Why couldn't they find both as disgusting as they find Whey protein? Or better yet, like Whey protein and hate the other? So, after a little nibble of cornbread (a very little nibble), I wanted to eat the whole pan! This is the first time in six months that I've wanted to just gorge myself. Then, top it off with the chicken and dumplings and I actually had the thought of, "Man, I wish I had my stomach right now!" WHAT??? Why am I thinking thoughts like this? I know I won't over eat any of this yummy stuff in my kitchen but the thought of, "I would if I could", crossed my mind more than once. Now, the reason I find this so strange is that I have always been a carb fanatic. I loved bread and pasta. I could eat a whole loaf of fresh baked bread in one sitting with no bad feelings. However, since surgery, I haven't really craved either things. Don't get me wrong, there are times I will have a little less than a 1/2 slice of wheat bread, toasted, with some type of protein but most times, i don't even think about it. That was not the case today. Those simple carbs wanted me and I have to admit, I wanted them. The attraction is still there despite how far we have both moved on with our lives. So, with all this said, it's a good thing I only have 15% of my tummy. Because no matter how good either look, smell or taste....I wouldn't give up my 100+ pound weight loss for either things. That doesn't mean I can't dream about them...and how yummy a big bowl of chicken and dumplings and two or three slices of homemade, buttery cornbread would taste.....yes, I can dream and lose weight or I can eat and slime and possibly stretch my tummy out. I'll take that dream and weight loss any day of the week and twice on Sundays. So readers, have you had anything like this happen to you yet? I think for me it has more to do with fall and winter coming and what I consider "comfort" food. All the warm, cheesy, gooey, stick to your ribs (and add pound after pound to your weight) has always been one if not the only good thing about a cold winter day. Looks like I'm going to have to find something else to take it's place....let's just hope it's not more chicken. I think my husband will finally leave me if I don't come up with something new for us to eat. I swear if he found a woman who cooked like I used to, he'd be a little tempted to cheat on me just for the food. Just kidding....I know he would never do it JUST for the food. LOL

Hi everyone! I will hopefully be getting my sleeve early November, and I was wondering if any of you post-sleevers ever just do a bite here and there if your favorite junk foods (cookie dough, Publix’s sub, chips, sip of margarita…. You get it). Of course I’m planning on sticking to all the rules so I heal properly, but I’m thinking long term here. Do you feel satisfied with just a taste here and there of your old favorites?

Hello, all. I am new here. I am pre-op. I am excited but also really nervous. Mostly about controlling cravings. I have strong cravings for sweets/carbs every day. I am trying to change my diet pre-op so that I can create better habits but I am finding it really hard and I give in to the temptations. My biggest fear with the surgery is that afterward, my cravings will return and I won't be able to control them. I have like almost zero will power, too, which doesn't help. Can anyone tell me what cravings are like after the surgery? Do they go away? Do they come back with a vengeance?

I just want to share, now that I have finally broken through my carbohydrate-binge after entering Onederland May 13th (and celebrating with occasional chips and ice cream). Because of my own actions--and the pull of carbs, causing hunger and cravings!--I got stuck in the 190s for two freakin' months. But I regrouped and finally got back on track last week. This morning I was 189.6! That's still too close to 190, but I'll take it; and I've been a really good (and motivated) girl all day. With my next milestone goal of 175 [hopefully by September], and the 180s now in view, I purged another component of my past weight-battle life: I gathered ALL the weight-loss crap/diet supplements I had around the house, in cabinets, and dumped them in the trash can [see picture]. Sensa. Xenadrine. Boxes of Optifast shakes and chicken Soup. Medifast. Venon (diet pills). Some other stuff--some chemicals that work on the brain to affect mood and the satiety center, etc. A bunch of stuff. It felt good to say "no more!!" Another NSV. Yeah. This reinforced a life lesson: It's easier and better to not get into trouble [don't even start the bad carbs], then to try to get out of it [fighting cravings].

Today my weight dropped to 75kg (165 Ibs). I was told that at 74kg (162.8 Ibs) I'd be a success. I am now 10kg (22 Ibs) away from my goal weight, and 15kg (33 Ibs) away from my stretch goal of 60kg (132 Ibs). It is amazing to see how sugar caused few stalls, and even a little gain in the past. Since I stopped eating ice-cream and frozen yoghurt, and sticking to the food plan, suddenly my weight is peeling off again. It is like my body can't process sugar and stores it as fat instead. So, I have to be mindful constantly of what I put in my mouth. The sugar and its bad effects will never change. If I eat sugary food, I put on weight, if I don't eat it, I lose weight. So this will be lifelong process for me .... Happy to say though that melons and frozen berries satisfy my sugar cravings after dinner, and are a much healthier substitute. Funny, I never used to eat much of rock melon or honey dew, now I love them It is good to see the scales moving down again! I swapped ice-cream for frozen yoghurt because I thought it was healthier and lower in calories ..... alas what started with a small serving of frozen yoghurt became larger and larger servings. It was emotional eating for me, as I had lot of stress recently, so I felt I needed a reward..... Thankfully I realised what I was doing, and went back on track, back to basics. Basics work for me, and I have to be mindful of the Sugar Demon!

Today my weight dropped to 75kg (165 Ibs). I was told that at 74kg (162.8 Ibs) I'd be a success. I am now 10kg (22 Ibs) away from my goal weight, and 15kg (33 Ibs) away from my stretch goal of 60kg (132 Ibs). It is amazing to see how sugar caused few stalls, and even a little gain in the past. Since I stopped eating ice-cream and frozen yoghurt, and sticking to the food plan, suddenly my weight is peeling off again. It is like my body can't process sugar and stores it as fat instead. So, I have to be mindful constantly of what I put in my mouth. The sugar and its bad effects will never change. If I eat sugary food, I put on weight, if I don't eat it, I lose weight. So this will be lifelong process for me .... Happy to say though that melons and frozen berries satisfy my sugar cravings after dinner, and are a much healthier substitute. Funny, I never used to eat much of rock melon or honey dew, now I love them It is good to see the scales moving down again! I swapped ice-cream for frozen yoghurt because I thought it was healthier and lower in calories ..... alas what started with a small serving of frozen yoghurt became larger and larger servings. It was emotional eating for me, as I had lot of stress recently, so I felt I needed a reward..... Thankfully I realised what I was doing, and went back on track, back to basics. Basics work for me, and I have to be mindful of the Sugar Demon!

I've been talking about potato skins (and all things appetizer) since the week of my surgery. The past two weeks the object of my desire has been a chocolate brownie with chocolate frosting. Guess what my lovely husband did for Valentine's Day, when I am 8 weeks post-op? I came home from work to a three course meal! 6:30pm Appetizer: One small potato skin containing cheese, bacon and green onion. 8:30pm Dinner: 2.5 oz of filet mignon and one large onion ring I was absolutely stuffed. No more food, I said! But when, at 10:30pm, he mentioned the dessert options, I suddenly was unstuffed. 10:30pm Dessert: One small chocolate covered strawberry and two bites of a chocolate brownie with chocolate frosting I went to bed completely sated. I suppose this is what it's like to savor one's food in normal sized portions...? I awoke this morning with no obsessive thoughts about what my food choices would be for the day - or worse, what I wouldn't be having. The What-Food-Am-I-Missing-Out-On Monster was quiet. I got back on plan today without a single negative thought or regret. Bonus? I weighed this morning and found that I didn't negatively impact my progress. In fact, I lost 2/10 of a pound. Love my man! He knew what I needed and what I could handle. There will be a life where I can enjoy food again; I can see it now. Very empowering night for me!

Today I am 6 days post-op. For the previous 5 days I haven't had any real desire to eat or drink anything. No real appeal in eating, and in some cases, thinking about foods made me feel a little queasy. Today - I feel hungry. I had a 5.3oz yogurt for breakfast (took about 90 minutes to eat, I think from about 7:30 to 9am). It is not just after 10:30 and my tummy and mouth say "eat!" Logically, I know that I have only consumed 120 calories today and I need to continue to eat and sip small amounts to heal but a part of me is thinking "This is how it starts all over again. You're hungry all the time. You won't stop eating. You'll gain every ounce back and THIS WAS FOR NOTHING." This paranoia is compounded by the fact that I had, what I believe, was my first case of extremely mild dumping syndrome. I had been having trouble finding any drinks appealing and thought a very watered down bit of pineapple juice would do the trick - I was right. I had about 1/2 cup pineapple juice to 2 cups water over the course of a few hours. FOr those who don't know, a serving of pineapple juice can exceed 30 grams of sugar. I expect I may have had about 10. I've now become obsessed with the idea that my pineapple juice has reawakened the sugar demon and all is lost. I know that sounds incredibly dramatic, but I've noticed over the last few days that these kinds of fears keep sprouting up. I can't shake this fear that this isn't a fresh start, just a pit stop on the same ol', same ol. Ugh. Anyone else dealing with similar feelings? How did you cope?

Also posted in veteran's forum Through trial & error, I have hit a point where maintenance just feels normal. My eating habits are so ingrained that I'd actually have to TRY to regain. NEVER thought I'd say THAT! My sleeve was 1/23/12 and I was 275. Within 9 months I was at goal, had tt/panni 10/2013. Maintenance was a very thin tight-rope. I was following the plan, high Protein, low fat, almost no carbs. It worked but 1 tiny splurge and I'd be up a pound or so. I hovered around 120-125. Which is great, but it was taking so much vigilance. About a year ago, I noticed that when I ate my favorite ribs from a local BBQ place, my weight dropped. Calories didn't seem to matter?? After noticing this pattern for a bit, I began experimenting with other fatty foods. Olive oil, butter, real cheese, eggs, Mayonnaise, avocados, burgers (sans bun) When I eat these foods, I get full quickly and have no hunger for HOURS! Fat at Breakfast is important for me as then I naturally eat less throughout the day. I eat whatever I want, stop at the 1st sign of full, only eat when PHYSICALLY hungry. I splurge once a month or so (really, that's all I desire as I am very satisfied with my eating) When I DO splurge on pizza, bagel, dessert, etc... I THOROUGHLY enjoy the F#*K out of it! Now, I eat what I want, enjoy what I eat, no cravings, no weighing or measuring, no counting calories & no stress maintenance. My desires to binge eat have been gone for a long time. Surprisingly my cholesterol is NORMAL, I feel great and my weight hovers between 116-117. Now I (FINALLY) can eat to live not live to eat! I'm very happy that I've found what works for me, I would love to understand WHY?

I joined the gym on monday and have been going consistently since then. It has made me extremely tired and I have finally felt my hunger again. It has definitely been a difficult past few days. I'm tired, hungry, and I think I am dehydrated. I still have some things to work on as far as eating goes. I go too long without eating and let myself get famished. By the time I eat, I am so hungry that I kind of want to just stuff my face. Of course I can't, so what I end up doing is taking a huge bite (and then I remember and get afraid) and slowly chew and every once in awhile I will swallow. I have to work on eating every 2-3 hours. I know it isn't an excuse, but sometimes I get so busy that I don't get a chance to. The other thing I am failing on is giving my body enough water. I get my recommended dose, but I don't think it is enough. I still feel thirsty. I haven't really been carrying around a water bottle all day which is what I think I need to do. Oh and I definitely still need to work on my half hour before and after no drinking rule. I am getting better, but it is sooooo hard. Well, back to the hunger. I keep feeling hungry and not quite satisfied. Except today (because I ate some chicken at chili's) I have been averaging about 600 calories...so I haven't necessarily been eating more food. I really think it is the cardio and weight lifting that is making me feel like I need more food because my belly feels full, but just doesn't feel like it is enough. I am going to put more effort into drinking water ALL day long instead of what is convenient. I am hoping this puts a dent in things.

Into my fourth week after vertical sleeve and I started @299lbs and now 282lbs with hunger and cravings isn't suppose to take those away? and can they adjust it?

So I am on my 6th week post op (I think) and well....I am wondering from all females, what do you do when you crave chocolate when you are about or on your period? I know when mine is coming, because I automatically look for chocolate at the store. Stuff I don't normally do. Like, I was at the candy section where you buy by the pound and got dark chocolate covered cranberries. I know this is proabably a big NO NO. But I can't help it. My periods are harsh.

I has the sleeve in Sept 2015, its been 1 year 8 months and I was maintaining for a while. I noticed my weight at 155lbs last June to April this year 139.4lbs. I weighed my self today and I am 143.0lbs.. that is the 1st time I have seen a weight gain and it makes me nervous, I know its only 4lbs but just seeing the weight go up is freaking me out.... I need to get back down and I know I have been eating not all the healthy lately due to being busy. I have fell off track for the last year or so.. what I do : I eat anything I want or crave just not big amounts I eat protein 1st all the time carbs last I eat every 3 to 4 hours depending on what I eat, sometimes every 2hrs. I can only no matter how hard I try drink 36oz of water, during the week 16oz of coffee and here and there 20 oz of life water. I have been super tired I take vit d, b12 complex, b 12 sublingual, a hair and nail collagen pill and estroven. I drink socially( always with people I trust) I never have problems. I do not have a exercise routine nor a gym membership, just do squats and walk and punches. I do have a sweet tooth nibble here and there but not whole candy bars or anything. Please no rude comments this is for support and I know no one is perfect. I knew this day would come and it could be just because I am older and in menopause. But 4lbs to me is 100 Thanks

As I approach my 2nd meeting with my surgeon, I am getting more excited but anxious too. I will finally have all the paperwork ready when I meet her on the 27th. She will then submit it to Medicare and hopefully I'll get approved very soon. I really want to get this done already. I am concerned about a few things though. First, sagging skin I worry about it on my chin since I have a double chin now maybe even triple, lol,...I hate it and I hope it disappears with the weight loss. I'm very self conscious about it. Of course, my stomach, arms and thighs are also a concern for the loose skin. Besides walking and exercising how soon until that is resolved. I want to be able to wear a bathing suit without wanting to hide all the time. Anyway, second thing that I've been reading is that some of the people that have had this surgery feel blue/sad/depressed afetrward. Why is that? My concern is because I already have a history of depression so I am on meds and I am afraid of the mood swings or being more depressed because it will not help me when I am trying to help myself in the recovery process. My doctor told me that sometimes Gastrci Bypass patients need less medication after surgery and some even stop needing it. Also, how will I know when I am well enough to be active. I know I must walk even a little bit each day after surgery but when I can walk up a flight of stairs, when can I exercise on a treadmill or bike at the gym, when can I do exercise to strengthen my stomach muscles, light weight lifting, etc. When would I be able to be intimate with my partner again? That is something he really wants to know. He doesn't even agree with the idea of me having this surgery, but I do it for my health mainly. If anyone can tell me their experiences and what they've read from others, please give me some input. I would like to know and I would really really appreciate it. Thanks so much everyone. Hope you're all having a good summer. Mari

I thought this was another great article on how on one hand, we're being scolded and treated as outcasts for being fat, and at the same time, food companies are engineering foods that are designed to create cravings and make us fatter. I am all for taking personal responsibility, but at some point you have to realize they are targeting us and creating products that overwhelm our natural stopping point when eating and creating a craving for unhealthy foods. The only way to strike back at these companies is to quit buying their products! According to Michael Moss, the Pulitzer prizing-winning reporter and author of the new book Soups, tomato sauces and hundreds of other food products have put millions of individuals’ health at risk. But the Quest for bigger profits and a larger share of the consumer market has compelled the processed food industry to turn a blind eye to the dangers and consequences of eating those very products. How do the food giants trick consumers? Moss gives several examples: “At Cargill, scientists are altering the physical shape of salt, pulverizing it into a fine powder to hit the taste buds faster and harder, improving what the company calls its ‘flavor burst.’” “Scientists at Nestle are currently fiddling with the distribution and shape of fat globules to affect their absorption rate and, as it’s known in the industry, ‘their mouthfeel.’” “To make a new soda guaranteed to create a craving requires the high math of regression analysis and intricate charts to plot what industry insiders call the “bliss point,” or the precise amount of sugar or fat that will send consumers over the moon.” http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/food-companies-trick-consumers-eating-unhealthy-products-132949611.html

What the heck is happening to me! This is the first time PO that I have been eating non-stop, due to PMS! I thought that cycle was finally beaten! I am eating anything that comes into view, healthy or unhealthy. Normally I can up my water and enjoy some extra dark chocolate and I get through. I am terrified that I will have gained weight once this period is over!!! Help me! ( Laughing but serious,) For the record, I have been excessively trying to keep good snacks and food prep for work, per the usual. I am eating all the good food and extra.

Hello all! I was banded on July 29, 2014. I am at 6 cc's and have good restriction. I find that I am no longer hungry much. After years of emotional, boredom, and all the other reasons we shove food in our mouth eating I don't really know what to do with myself sometimes. I find it hard to know when I should be eating now. I don't want to wait until my tummy growls but I don't want to eat just because I "should be" at some specified time. I guess I am now working on my new normals. It's funny, I am literally building a whole other life. I thought it would be just dietary changes but my activities are changing. My thought process is changing. I actually think about doing thinks like half-marathons, walking my son to school, etc. I'm not doing everything I think about at this point due to my issues with working nights and trying to get enough sleep to be happy and healthy. In general life is good. I want to increase my loses some but it's a learning process. I've got a few new favorites, among them the infamous Quest Bars, baked colossal shrimp, and yes I still have a couple tbsp's of pie every now and then but apple pie Quest Bars are really turning into my go to when I want something like that. Wow this is all so new.

I'm currently on a 6 month diet of low sugar, low fat, high protein eating. I'm awful at cooking and I'm really struggling with dessert cravings. Are there any recipes or quick fixes you have for these times?