its a marathon, not a sprint. I dont know a whole lot about your background, what you expect to lose, what your habits are. Gastric bypass is a major life change, and not easy by any stretch of the imagination. I can not tell you if you did the right thing; but it is what you did.... and now its time to make it right.

Take it one meal, even one bite a time. You can do it!

In all actuality if you can't overcome your food obsessions.. you can sabotage either procedure.. the surgery isn't going to fix your thinking.. that is something you are going to need to work on as all of us do. The Lap-Band is pointless. if you do have an uncontrollable sweet tooth.. because you can eat all the sweets you want with it.. and there are no repercussions.

GBS is not a "fix all". It is hard work. I had GBS on aug 2007, my exhusband's girlfreind had the lap band a month later. I have lost 181 pounds so far, she has only lost 25 pounds.with the band you loose slower and some no loose at all. The sweet tooth can be controlled. when you feel that you want to eat it go for a walk, vaccume the carpet, dust the house...... just do something else that will keep your hands busy. The surgery is just a physical change but you have to work on the mental changes for it to succede. Good luck hon, you can do it!

I suspect that before you had the surgery you had plenty of preliminary appts with a psyciatrist and nutritionist to help youd determine which sugery if any was right for you. i read your bio you suffer from morbid obesity, i emphasize the word "suffer". You can undo the surgery you can undo the good it has to offer. I think you should go back and visit the psyciatrist and let them know how you are feeling. Do you attend any post-op support meetings or have an OA (overeaters anon) group nearby. No matter what way you lose weight the reasons for why you got that heavy wont be removed with either surgery. WE ALL STRUGGLE WITH OUR OLD DEMONS. Look at this surgery as a gift, a gift of life, one that can give you your life back if you follow the rules. Everyday, and I mean this everyday i reflect on how lucky I am to be given a second chance, to feel better than i have my entire adult life, to look forward to going to the gym, looking forward to taking my daily walk, sure i struggle with the food, almost daily, but then i think back to life before this surgery and there is no way i am going back. please find someone to talk to, OA offers sponsorship in which you have to commit to what you are going to eat on a given day (and only eat what you committed). Good luck and keep us posted.

GBS is not a magic cure. I am 33 months post-op and I struggle with weight gain and the fact that I can eat sugar, which got me fat to begin with. I have to get a handle on it and get my act together. The lapband is not for people that are sugarholics, according to my surgeon. Because, with the lapband, you lose the weight way slower than GBS AND, if you don't behave, you can eat anything you want. Sure, they can tighten the band, but that just means that you eat smaller amounts of the wrong thing ALL DAY LONG, if you let that happen. You have to be patient, exercise (I should be doing THAT), and have faith that you did the right thing. Go to a support group!! Your surgeon's office must have a support group intact. If not, go to Overeaters Anonymous or something like that. Whether or not you did the right thing doesn't matter anymore...it's in the past. Now you have to put a positive spin on your lifechanging choice and make the best of it. You can do it!!

Charlene

Okay, this is why I like this site. You have all been so encouraging to me. Your suggestions are like grabbing ahold of my shoulders and shaking me to make some sense out of all of this. THANKS!

I have gotten so discouraged that I forgot to look at the bigger picture. I need to pull myself up by the bootstraps and starting to getting real with myself. I haven't seen my counselor for some time so I went ahead and made an appointment with her. I have not been going to the support meetings because I know what they will say and I just didn't want to hear it. I guess that my depression has been getting the best of me even though I have been taking my medicine.

I want to thank all of you for the stiff kick in the keeeester. I needed it!. I am so glad that I found you all. You have been such support to me. I am glad that I can talk to you every day if I have to. I appreciate each of you.

Karen

GOOD FOR YOU, KAREN!!! You have taken the first step to getting back on track. I have depression and anxiety too, so I know how each day is a struggle in many ways. Keep it up! You're encouraging me too!!

Thanks!
Charlene

My nut calls the lap band a cruising diet. It goes slow and many times we want to adjust the band for special ocassions celebrated around food. Less saline more food. Back on track more saline. I guess the bottom line is that we aall are faced with realizing our addiction and learning ways to handle it. Even following the proper food diet it is hard. Just remmber that everything not GBS approved is poison. Menaing no chips, crackers, popcorn, cookies, soda, sugar and high fat. We have been given a second chance at a quality life. So don't second guess your decision instead journal about why you want the sweets so bad. Maybe there is a hidden trigger or old habit that hasn't been addressed. You can do this!

Hi Karen,
Like you I loved my sweets. I am 8 week post op, and when I feel like something sweet, I take a nice cold, sweet apple (honeycrist is delicious) cut a few slices, and slowly eat and enjoy it. Don't forget to peel it first. By the way, I am also loosing slowly, I have about 110lbs I'd like to loose, and have lost 35 since 10-22. Like you, I'm trying to be patient.
Good luck
MGully203

Gastric bypass is the best thing I have ever done for myself. After losing 130 lbs. I feel like I have been let out of jail. I can walk all I want without pain, sit in booths,shop almost anywhere and I have so much more energy.I am feeling so much better I don't care if I can't have sweets or greasy food. After 53 years of overeating I have had enough crappy food.

Hang in there and try your best!! I know after I have my bypass, I will have to try to eat right and stay away from the bad food myself. I am addicted to food. I used it as my comfort source,when I am sad or happy. I have been diagnosed with depression and so I know how you feel in a way.

It is so comforting to know that some of you also suffer from depression. It really gets in the way sometimes, kinds of screws with your reality.

Thanks for encouragement and talks. You don't know how you have helped me during this time. Now I know other suffer from 'wanting to eat things that are not good for you' and that eating sugar is not a good thing.

You were right when you said that being able to eat sugar was a good thing - now I know what dumping is and know that I don't want to do that again. Isn't that crazy, I am looking for side effects so I don't do them again. I think it is weird thinking but it is what it is.

Anyway, instead of rambling, thanks to those who have listened and given 'good thoughts' to me. I appreciate it and get better when I read them over and over again. Keep up the good work and I will try also.

Karen

I had the Bypass too. I eat sweets but thats life. I just don't eat anywhere near as much rubbish as i used to but a little of what you fancy does you good. ( if you can control it) I never stop myself from having what i want, or the craving would just be too much. And i would never have considered the band. Bypass i believe is the way to go for permanant weightloss. I too am not really quick its been around 70lb since May. To some thats quick i guess, but compared to some others not. But i realised were all different, and were never all gonna loose at the same rate.
It will happen though, just be patient.
Fay x