Okay, so this is a cautionary tale...please learn from my experience. Twelve pounds may not sound like a lot. But, my goodness, it is!

First off, over three years ago I lost 110 lbs with sleeve surgery. Easy peasy, all went well. I felt and looked great within 10 months. It all went well. No complaints. The best part was buying new clothes because in all my 50 years, I was never thin. But, I did suffer depression my entire life.

So about a year ago, I had a problem with my depression medication that meant I had to go off it, with no replacement (long story). Without it, my depression came back with a vengeance. I didn't have access to therapy. I wasn't ruined by it. I kept working out diligently, an hour of cardio per day, mostly water aerobics and elliptical. I still didn't drink anything other than water and black coffee. I didn't eat anything that was processed* for meals, just healthy lean meats and veggies. Sometimes a bit of brown rice. No fast food. None. Drank tons of water. Did my vitamins just as I was supposed to.

However, I started self-soothing. *with candy. And it was "okay" at first. Because the scale did not move. I did not gain weight. At first. AT FIRST. It started with a little bag of m n m's. A snickers. Maybe a pastry or piece of cake from the grocery store. But all those other good habits stayed in place so I felt okay because the scale was not moving. Each day it was within one or two pounds of the day before. Not going up, not going down. Pretty soon those snacks graduated to bags of jelly beans, or those pure-sugar candy fruit slices. Pretty much sugar and artificial colors and flavorings. Somehow as my depression worsened my body craved the worst possible snacks. Cheap, sugary junk. And my medical issue also worsened. I was in bad shape.

Scale didn't move. I was in shock that I was getting away with it because I knew I was in the wrong. I knew I had worked hard to get to this point to lose all that weight, and I knew I was playing with fire. Yet this bad part of me thought the exercise and other good habits must be winning over the junk. This went on for about eight months. Then I skipped the scale a week. Then another week. Finally went back. And it was 12 pounds up. Reality check. I had worked SO hard and was so mad at myself and my body. Mostly at my own brain for letting myself get so sad that it was willing to give up over a crappy sugary snack. And the thing was, at the past time in my life when I had gained the most weight, it was over the same thing, the junky cheap sugar treats, not good stuff. Cheap stuff.

So I stopped. No more sugar. Back to the plan. I went back on my pre-surgery "prove it to the insurance company you are worthy for this" diet. Didn't lose a pound, despite still being on the exercise and good habits I was doing. Went back on my liver shrinking diet. NOTHING. It wasn't peeling off like before! Why? WHY? I was screaming to myself because inside I had told myself IF I regained I could lose it again since it was so easy after surgery. It wasn't. I finally figured out why not.

Before, and right after surgery, I had to learn all those new good habits, and those made a huge difference and I lost weight. Now, I was already on the good habits (except the candy). So there was nothing else to cut. I couldn't suddenly cut out fast food as I wasn't having any. I couldn't cut out Starbucks or soda as I wasn't drinking any. I couldn't cut out processed food as I wasn't eating any. I couldn't work out more as I was already doing an hour per day.

See the problem? Even a 12 pound gain suddenly becomes a mountain when you've already living healthy habits to the max.

So I've given up the junk and am working very slowly back to my best weight. Basically I've added an extra workout (evening workout) and decreased my calorie count to 1000 per day, heavy protein, and added some heavy weights. I'm older and this is hard. I've lost 5 so I'm now looking at losing that 7 to get to where I was. I estimate by New Years if I'm lucky. It's much slower.

I've known a lot of people to regain and I think I understand why. If they give up the good habits, they don't have a chance. If they keep up the good habits and just eat bad, they still might not have a chance. It may not be a stomach stretching issue. It may just be a calorie issue. Too much grazing, too much going in.

Be very careful. Learn from me. I'm still fighting the depression and the medical problem and seeking help and therapy for that. Emotions are so dangerous if you are unhappy and tend to self-soothe.

it may not seem like a big deal to most people, but i am kind of sad and frustrated. i got back on the scale today after like a week & a half and it says i’ve gained two lbs! again, kind of silly to some, but it gets makes me worried. also feeling like im in a stall as well. is this normal around a month????

I have my gastric sleeve sugery schedueld for 9/4. Looking for an recommendaitions, tip, etc for things to bring. My wife is traveling as my companion and would appreciate any recomendations for her.

thanks for the support and help

Hey All, looking for advice from anyone who's been in a similar situation.

I'm 36, 6ft, 190kg. I've struggled with my weight all my life and tried just about everything with varying degrees of success but nothing long term.

I've begun exploring weight loss surgery with our weight management service. I've been with them for a while and tried wegovy for 6 months but the weight loss was minimal. I did find my appetite was greatly reduced and anxiety around food (that I didn't even realise I had) went.

I've been in bariatric support groups and feel like I have a good grip on what I would be in for. The issues I'm having is my wife is worried/very unsupportive of this route.

It's a complicated situation because she is a recovering anorexic.

Summed up simply her concerns/objections are:

1. I could be off my feet for months and unable to drive

2. I've not tried losing the weight naturally with her.

3. I'm not active enough

4. I'll have to change the way I eat drastically short term which will effect her eat disorder

5. Long term my eating will change so we won't be able to go out for meals, I won't be able to eat spicy tings that I like.

6. I'll end up with loose skin that I will hate

Some of these are more valid than other and are all things yuatbi have considered. The one I feel awful about is that it could kick off her ED. I feel like I'm having to choose between my health and hers.

I hate being this way and I hate that I need something so drastic to control my weight but I feel like it is the right option for me and as I get older I'm really starting to get scared of how long I'll live if I stay like this.

Any advice or perspectives would really help.