Alex Brecher

Awesome! Really looking forward to hearing about your results. The only Vitamin I was (very slightly) deficient was Vitamin D. I find taking 1 daily chewable a lot more convenient.

I posted 50 codes for each book. Can't get more codes, sorry.

Kelly, Thanks for your article. It is so true that we all have an inner beast. The first instinct is to give in to it, like we did before surgery, and we can’t really do that because the consequences are so severe and quick! The second instinct is to try to ignore the voice or pretend it doesn’t exist…but it does, and running from it will just lead to trouble. As you say, the best thing is to recognize it. I love how you name it (“the beast”) so you can face it head-on. What a great strategy! When you recognize, define, and face your enemy, you can defeat it. You can strategize how not to give in to the voice. Thanks for the valuable lesson!

Why can't I ever have the last word, darn it!!!

@@blashlee, good luck, and keep us posted. How exciting! That is absolutely wonderful that your boyfriend is supporting you so well. If he keeps it up, your entire journey will be so much easier.

@@GreenEyes604, Should someone get bent out of shape over a discussion forum post? No. Might they? Yes. People on this board can be in very vulnerable positions. They may be seriously worried about a complication, or whether they’re eating right, or any number of other things that are very, very important to them. They may have nowhere else to turn, and they feel that the answer they receive here is the “truth.” Or, they may be taking out their insecurities on this board because they need to keep functioning in their real lives. So, no, nobody should get upset, but when you’re posting, remember that they really can.

@@LipstickLady, yes, I agree with you completely. I want so badly to say something when I see people, especially young people, who are clearly on their way to needing WLS or other serious interventions…but of course we can’t. I wish I could wear a sign on my forehead that said, “I used to be 100 lbs heavier and I lost it with WLS. Ask me for the details if you want!” That way, it would be their choice to find out how much of a struggle it is, and how they should do whatever they can to prevent it! YES we need nutrition education! But if we can’t even keep up funding for physical education, we’re far from having kids learn basic nutrition. Administrators and teachers don’t want to give up class time for something as useless as basic nutrition. Oh, wait. It saves lives. As for saying something to people with bad habits, like overweight coworkers eating potato chips, that just goes in the category of needing to filter myself. It’s just like when I see someone wearing some terrible combination of clothes – it’s none of my business.

Nope, I don’t follow a paleo diet. I can’t ignore all the studies linking whole grain consumption to reduced risk for heart disease and diabetes. And I really don’t see a problem with Beans and dairy (as long as you’re not lactose intolerant, of course). Yes, it’s great to cut out many processed foods with added sugars, solid fats, and too much salt, as the paleo diet does. I think there’s a happy medium between the SAD and a paleo diet. For me personally, it’s about the calories. If I eat the same number of calories, I can eat them from (say) oatmeal and yogurt (non-paleo) or from (say) chicken and broccoli (paleo) and my weight will turn out the same. So, I try to eat unprocessed, high-Fiber, and high-Protein, but I don’t eliminate food groups like whole grains and dairy and legumes.

Oh, come on…we’d be great at the 1,000-year-old egg eating challenge. We’re all professional egg eaters here…at least the whites.

@@kndoster, Sorry to hear you are disappointed…but you shouldn’t be! You’ve been losing 3 lbs per week. At that rate, you’ll hit your goal weight of 130 in 6 months. That would be incredible! How long have you struggled with obesity? And to possibly hit goal weight in six months?? You’d look back at this post and laugh at yourself! You can’t compare your own weight loss speed to others’. Everyone’s body is different. Plus, you’re smaller than a lot of other WLS patients, so your weight may come off more slowly. The only thing you can do is be super honest with yourself when you count calories and do your exercise. Don’t worry about low-fat versus low-carb as long as you’re getting in your Protein. As long as the calories are low, you’ll lose weight…like you are. As for your mom, don’t let her “disappointment” affect you. You’re doing great!

@@Casey235, Welcome to the forum! You don’t have to exercise to lose weight and keep it off, but it sure helps. It’s not just about the calorie burn, although it does help to burn off a couple hundred extra calories each day. Exercise also helps you lose weight because it helps you stay focused on your goal. You can feel yourself getting stronger And exercise isn’t just about the weight loss. It makes you feel good – proud, confident, and strong. And it puts you in a better mood and relaxes you. But you’ve probably heard all that before. You don’t ever have to set foot in a gym. You can walk, hula hoop, dance, or do workout video. You can work out at home or in the park. Shoot hoops in your backyard or at the park. The point is, you can find something fun. It doesn’t matter what, as long as you’re moving. Even the gym can be fun, even if you don’t like the traditional treadmill, bike, or weights. Try a new exercise class – almost all of them can be modified to your own level of ability. Work out with a buddy. Whatever you do, make it fun. That’s the key. And don’t be afraid! Nobody cares if you look silly. We all start out as beginners. Good luck on your journey, and it’s great that you’re thinking ahead so carefully.

Congratulations on hitting this goal weight! What an amazing accomplishment…more than 2 years of serious commitment and dedication. You look fantastic, and I hope you are as happy and proud as you appear and deserve to be! Good for you for being brave enough to set your sights higher (or lower!) than your surgeon’s goals. Keep letting us know how you’re doing.

I tried them for a week or so. Had no way to tell if they were working as advertised. I should have taken my labs before and after to test these. Wish there was more research available to show the efficacy of these patches.

Here are more download codes: "The Big Book on the Gastric Bypass": www.audible.com/pd/B00S6VO8SU 1. PTJLCRJPYKZWQ 2. QE7PGXTAR4UBF 3. BRQXK8PTSB3J4 4. Q3D3CXFG5X5KP 5. 562RCYXUGGUQ5 6. YKLM6M4HMXFHE 7. SQU8HQD22GKX4 8. 4Z772LS4SCDEX 9. 5GX3QPBZFSUX7 10. NNY2P56PN5RST 11. YPC7QP4P32WPY 12. CBUG53AX8KM35 13. 9NWJ3MNMZ9F5F 14. EDZDLMD73ZCUR 15. UGTJFX5CFR998 16. HGZ6M7E3S5HSN 17. UMUUG69MTNYKL 18. 2T59H5PG57KBJ 19. YYQRULU8QTRWQ 20. 3XG73HSNJCEAH 21. X7XZTPFE5TD4C 22. YZREURP45XJBB 23. QGJDLL7SH7EY4 24. E5BKJB3AHPG9G 25. FA4J4Q2RDQXHF ______________________________________________________________________________________ "The BIG Book on Bariatric Surgery": www.audible.com/pd/B00UTU77IY 1. SBSYY3FACB39P 2. 7UGTRPC8LGEP6 3. 7CS7WGSDN2KQZ 4. Z6EDNJ9PK8YS2 5. CL4LHDR5QRRYP 6. 4FTFR2CAB2W6Z 7. U473RCHRDPPKD 8. GWZ64QRG9EEZ5 9. DKMZSBQ2R4Y7Q 10. LSB4ZBSTZDUA8 11. 5SD75QZNLEK5W 12. 5X36W8GKWTTSA 13. GSHRCKDFAWCB6 14. EA7WPUSQAHKFM 15. C42HQGBUQ5BMB 16. 3U47MFLHNEU42 17. 4MQHMHX47DDKQ 18. DTPDHPRYQDCCZ 19. 49928XHJGEPTS 20. E56ATBEZBG6BS 21. AZ68QP4BLAGB4 22. YSXAKKFSYR53B 23. 36CBU5PMCH7K3 24. X2LTLGHKU8386 25. LADYTUSE98BDT ______________________________________________________________________________________ "The BIG Book on the Gastric Sleeve": www.audible.com/pd/B00RN9RX4W 1. HPC6DYBZFWYXX 2. WSH3CTJBEBGE7 3. W2FQ2EDF59AAY 4. Z6GT9QTDKDYSR 5. 8D8Y5CU8BPLAB 6. FMLWNAE73WLYB 7. EYAJ2FQ562ADC 8. CPNA3LQG3G3UW 9. Z255UDCA6D9D4 10. UB227RPA7AD4R 11. 9YTTN46RJBLUY 12. MR8DCUBRTKX87 13. DW9QHKNCE795Q 14. AWK4R68KH27T3 15. B5YU4E6TUTBK9 16. URFC3ZCKCQWFM 17. PZL4J7PF7JGFF 18. X52DUHZMYSRHR 19. 2WXAQWQ4S5HXY 20. 4JJK2AEDRSLB4 21. WT4D6HLD47FDX 22. M2B5A68MRE2EM 23. UWUA2K4BZSYA6 24. DTDCC7NYE788M 25. Y5S2FX92M4CSS ______________________________________________________________________________________ "The BIG Book on the Lap-Band": www.audible.com/pd/B00UZOWD4M 1. 6YJXB8UZQDNAB 2. ZJPPYK2CNNXAE 3. NYGTMFZ9P67KK 4. 8JPJKJUZBHQGR 5. UL77AFLKZPBND 6. 29PJQ2NXSZ3ZB 7. 482TGXF8XDG8B 8. DZX7XFGZW5QF4 9. WBB3XK9CYNF8E 10. GKYMGECUHZRZG 11. 7L24W278FK9FU 12. J4FDHNZ77ZPW3 13. N66BMZFTEKKXK 14. 2U9ZCW73H9W9P 15. SW5CBFKJTS76R 16. 8P5WAJSBTKSYL 17. PDUHWCZTF5KG4 18. D2AWSFCLABCGZ 19. JJ9RK9PBDZBE5 20. KXFET5QCLDCQP 21. MGLF83ZUKUGUF 22. WZQ7ERX888K7H 23. MWRNYTTH2AXDM 24. G7EHG9DTHJTR5 25. 4X2UPHWG7TJRQ

Jaime “Pandora” Williams has not had anything handed to her. She has worked hard for everything she has, including every pound of her 250-lb weight loss. From weight loss surgery and overcoming food addiction to figuring out how to deal with her father’s death to paying for training for a new career, Pandora has kept moving forward and earned her spot as one of our weight loss surgery heroes. Jaime “Pandora” Williams has not had anything handed to her. She has worked hard for everything she has, including every pound of her 250-lb weight loss. From weight loss surgery and overcoming food addiction to figuring out how to deal with her father’s death to paying for training for a new career, Pandora has kept moving forward and earned her spot as one of our weight loss surgery heroes. Throughout it all, she has kept her determination to help others. She has shared every step of her journey on her Desperately Seeking Slender blog, and has made a career as a weight loss and wellness coach. Find out how Pandora Williams, who was “Desperately Seeking Slender,” turned her life around and is helping others do the same! Struggling with Weight from Childhood to Early Adulthood Pandora comes from a family that did not eat healthy. They ate fast food often, and home cooked meals were likely to be tacos, pot roast and potatoes, and other high-calorie foods. She remembers father loving his sweets, and her mother struggled with weight gain and obesity after quitting smoking. With a diet of cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets, not surprisingly, Pandora had been overweight since childhood. She hit the 400-lb. mark 4 years after graduating high school, and also had chronic depression, diabetes, and sleep apnea. Atkins and intense exercise helped her get down to 225 lbs. before getting married, but the weight came back after marriage. Weight Loss Surgery and a New Lifestyle Pandora wanted weight loss surgery, but put it off for a few years because she couldn’t afford it. She got serious when her health insurance began to cover it, and got the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in 2010. She chronicled her entire weight loss journey on her blog. She lost 100 pounds by December of 2010, 200 pounds six months later in June of 2011, and entered “Onederland” (under 200 pounds) in October of 2011. Now, she maintains a weight of 165 lb. – quite a difference from her highest BMI of 69.9! Needless to say, she threw away the old habits of eating a half-gallon of ice cream or a dozen tacos. She worked hard to overcome her food addiction. Portion control and measuring were new behaviors she had to follow. Now, five years post-op, she is able to get away without writing down every bite when things are going right. Still, she keeps herself on track by food journaling and calorie counting the second she is unsure of herself, whether because of a jump on the scale or a high-sodium day. Pandora follows a carb cycling plan where she eats higher and lower amounts of carbs on alternating days. She’s an exercise addict, and that also helps her keep her weight in check. Body Image and Reconstructive Surgery Despite maintaining a healthy weight and feeling more confident in overcoming her food addiction, Pandora says her body image is a bit of a struggle. She has had 6 rounds of reconstructive surgery, and still has trouble accepting the mistakes she made in the past with her body and health. A Life-Changing Letter to Chris Powell! By August of 2012, Pandora’s weight was well under control, but she was not satisfied with that. She wanted to help others do the same. She knew she had the “the passion, desire to help, and love” for people who were struggling with their weight, because she knew exactly what they were struggling with. What she needed was help figuring out how to help them, and she just couldn’t get in touch with someone who could guide her. Then, in August of 2012, Pandora wrote a letter to Chris Powell, the celebrity trainer on “Extreme Makeover.” After some persistence, she managed to get her letter to him, and she received a reply! He posted an encouraging message on Facebook, and that was enough to keep her motivated. Since then, she has had a couple more interactions with him on social media – including an encouraging message when she was feeling down – and was able to meet him in Hollywood at the Extreme Makeover Finale. She considers him and his wife Heidi an inspiration. A Day in the Life Between taking care of herself and helping others be the best they can be, Pandora is very busy! Here is a typical day in her life. 8:00 a.m. Wake up, food prep, get ready for work. Coffee, coffee, coffee! 9:30 a.m. Arrive at the gym. May do a 4 to 5-mile run or take a group exercise class like yoga before work. 10:30 a.m. Breakfast: Quest protein bar. 11:00 a.m. Start work - working the front desk and doing either one-on-one training or weight loss/wellness coaching sessions. 12:30 p.m. Lunch: Veggies (cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, baby carrots): about five of each and either some low-sodium turkey breast with low-fat Swiss cheese or some hard-boiled egg whites filled with chicken salad made with a Greek yogurt base and green onions. 2:30 p.m. Snack: Usually a container of Greek yogurt or some homemade steel cut oats from home. 3:00 p.m. Leads a weight loss boot camp group training session with light weights and cardio – usually works out with the group. 5:00 p.m. Snack: Usually a piece of fruit like an apple or an orange, or a banana on higher-mileage days. 7:00 p.m. Leads a weight loss boot camp group training session with light weights and cardio – usually works out with the group. 8:30 p.m. Finishes running for the day if she didn’t get in an early morning run or get more than 5 miles already that day. 10:00 p.m. Home/Shower/Dinner: usually a lean protein like baked chicken or turkey and steamed veggies. Uses spices and changes the vegetables a lot for variety. Includes a serving of brown rice, couscous, quinoa or whole wheat pasta on days she eats carbs. 11:00 p.m. Snack: Usually Greek yogurt, no sugar added ice cream sandwich, a frozen protein bar, or an extra-thick protein shake. 12:00 a.m. Bedtime Pandora tries to run longer distances after work if she doesn’t get to work out during her weight loss boot camp classes. Her days off on Sundays and some Thursdays may include an extra kickboxing class, a spin class, or a run over 10 miles. New Lifestyle, New Career, and Paying It Forward. As a morbidly obese high school graduate, Pandora had been limited in her career options. She made a living working from home at jobs such as customer support and data entry. Since losing weight and getting healthy, she has thrown herself into something she is passionate about – helping others get and stay healthy through lifestyle. Now, Pandora works as a weight loss and wellness coach at a ladies-only fitness facility gym, and has earned multiple certifications in the fitness and coaching industry. She also pays it forward as a weight loss surgery advocate. She has spoken at the Obesity Action Coalition and Weight Loss Surgery Foundation of America (WLSFA), as well as at other bariatric support clinics and groups. She publishes articles regularly, including here on BariatricPal! You can follow Pandora on Desperately Seeking Slender and on Facebook and Twitter @SeekingSlender.

Hey BariatricPal members, The BariatricPal Big Book series is still your best option for weight loss surgery books – my opinion may be a little biased, but I sincerely believe it’s true . If you’re just considering or getting ready for weight loss surgery or you’re still getting used to the bariatric surgery lifestyle, you can get a lot out of these books. The BIG Book on the Gastric Sleeve: Everything You Need To Know To Lose Weight and Live Well with the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy The BIG Book on the Gastric Bypass: Everything You Need To Know To Lose Weight and Live Well with the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery The BIG Book on the Gastric Sleeve: Everything You Need To Know To Lose Weight and Live Well with the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy If you’re thinking about life after weight loss surgery, you’re looking for tips and tricks to get ready for the long haul, and even if you’re a weight loss surgery veteran, look for our latest BariatricPal book to help you live your healthiest life after weight loss surgery. It is “The Big Book on Bariatric Surgery: Your Essential Guide to Life After Weight Loss Surgery.” By now, you’ve probably heard about these Big Books. But here’s the big news. The books are now available in audio! That’s right. If your eyes aren’t up for heavy reading, you don’t have time to curl up with a book or your kindle, or you like to listen while you drive, bike, or do the dishes, you can download your Big Books on audio. BariatricPal is so excited about these audio books that we’re giving them away! The first 25 BariatricPal members to download these books will get their copy free. BariatricPal is giving away 25 free copies of each Big Book. Here’s how to get your free copy. Go to my book's page on Audible.com: The BIG Book on the Gastric Sleeve: Everything You Need to Know to Lose Weight and Live Well with the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy The Big Book on the Gastric Bypass: Everything You Need to Know to Lose Weight and Live Well with the Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery The BIG Book on the Lap-Band: Everything You Need to Know to Lose Weight and Live Well with the Adjustable Gastric Band The BIG Book on Bariatric Surgery: Living Your Best Life After Weight Loss Surgery: The BIG Books on Weight Loss Surgery Add the audiobook to your cart. Create a new Audible.com account or log in. Enter the promo code and click "Redeem" on the cart page. To change the price from full price to $0.00, click the box next to "1 Credit" and click the "update" button to apply the credit to your purchase. Complete checkout, and start listening to the free copy of the book. These are the 25 free Audible.com download codes for The BIG Book on the Gastric Sleeve: Everything You Need To Know To Lose Weight and Live Well with the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy: 6WMZLZ5PBDYEN 3HXLJFTH4KZAK G74TSY4JDL8Y5 3JY4U5QQKWXPL TSQUT9LKNJHJ3 48JH4GH9UTENK 9WGKH8XGZ7LPG XMT4Z4PP8BN78 2Z3GN9CED7QAE UKYRQGCXY9SST AN5FF8KS5K9PX Y94QGJUEW67HR DWEC57AJ3Y47T YQHQRDFQ8DZ2D EF4LDXYDALEJW K9ME78SRNPN5A NF5STDN6C27WL HCMDK8DUE7NFN D5PPYMLLWE9EW 93T4NAMKK5KAJ L54BPASSBHF79 BHL2RKD2ZRT6H U65G6JMTSZJCR F6L3T83CUWRSC EGCTG9ES49R79 These are the 25 free Audible.com download codes for The BIG Book on the Gastric Bypass: Everything You Need to Know to Lose Weight and Live Well with the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery: R5FM8E7CTJXQS HEZM7TNSUFTU5 K4F3ECYLC4WN3 ZLJ8RXKRZ97SG HXGJ9TNW7AT4N ZWDU9J6ER9EM8 KSG5ZHHDABD9C KYW7YZJT6FYAK 98N4RPKCTQL88 DTY3YD3UG34TZ JLH8FNXLAGCN6 5SJK78NQJX2J4 6DSHC6F49HMRC 2CNA5M4NTZGYJ 7DW7EZBFSKKCK JD6WJN7YD7WWG TS46NMY825KQZ JCCKQTMERJG58 BPUSUB4PSU2HU N6A9B7HLKRMYT 9T68ETM3D9QGH N27SGEPFYKDHE AZRMLR8YZZMJA D4KKH5TKHED5B EPLSCYT9QWMUB These are the 25 free Audible.com download codes for The BIG Book on Bariatric Surgery: Living Your Best Life After Weight Loss Surgery: 3HE24Q8FXUMLB RKFHAE4LT6PBT M7R5Q2Z9KLG9K QELAJQUTGXHE4 EJLPTTNFSK48B ZHMJ6YLU9KTBE SYXMXXRLFAHLQ RWFLDQCEHB7NL Y39CGLXJR8KU7 6CRKSKFKRLP65 WE7XMECFZFEEW CDUL6XKA4ACX4 URRNFT859JHN8 TAB7XETLS8KMK PQRNFKP5LSUR7 Q3M2MAHTZRAAW ZCETRWMH2ZW2J NP6D27CULQRAM LE68RFLQPYZEG AC3XKLFKMUZPF PZ8N3NB8XH83D 3MWU5M79EY8GC XQL7CTTKRAXMD MSLZBFXJ23TFQ 2TT3GEMFX8CPF We will post 25 free codes for The BIG Book on the Lap-Band: Everything You Need To Know To Lose Weight and Live Well with the Adjustable Gastric Band in a day or two. Here’s the catch. After you download your copy, you must post on this thread to let everyone know which version you downloaded and which free code you used. This is super important! And that’s it! So hurry and get your free copy! Of course, you can still get the e-reader and hard copy versions, too. Just go to the BariatricPal Big Books page for information and don’t forget to share the books and link with your friends! And, please leave a review wherever you get your Big Books from! Thanks for checking out the Big Books! I hope you love them. Happy listening!

Sadly, I will not be able to personally attend the WLSFA event this year . I have a scheduling conflict and can't switch things. Hope I'm able to attend next year.

Very OK with me!

Please see our Lap-Band recipes section: http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/80-cooking-baking-and-recipes/ as well as our general weight loss surgery recipes section: http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/1052-recipe-sharing/

Hey, BariatricPal Members, I wanted to let you know about BariatricPal’s latest accomplishment – we recently welcomed member number 250,000! That’s a quarter-million members! Thanks to each of you for making this possible. Every single one of you had a role to play, and I am grateful every day for what you contribute to this community. It has been an amazing journey to get to this point. I started LapBandTalk.com right after my surgery in 2003. I needed somewhere to go where I could chat with other lap-band patients to get answers to my questions. At the time, there were no other resources for me to turn to where I could get instant, friendly support. And LapBandTalk.com took off! Its success inspired me to create VerticalSleeveTalk.com, RNYTalk.com, and SleevePlicationTalk.com. These separate communities grew and developed the next 10 years until I decided we should band together as unified weight loss surgery. That community is BariatricPal. 250,000 members is quite a feat, and let’s keep the momentum going! I ask you to take a few seconds to share BariatricPal with someone you think it can help. Spread the word over Facebook, Twitter, other social media, or in person, and let’s keep this community growing! I continue to be inspired and touched every day to see how BariatricPal is able to support weight loss surgery pre and post-op patients like you. I am excited for BariatricPal to continue to grow and to evolve to meet the needs of our community. From our mobile apps and “Big Book” series to the exciting plans we have for the future, BariatricPal always has something in the works! None of this could be possible without you, our members. My heartfelt thanks to you and everything you contribute to this community.

Thinside, You’ve gotten some good replies here. To some extent, yes, you are going to have a food-centered life if you get WLS and follow the plan. However, wouldn’t you say you have a food-centered life now? For me, at least, the difference is in the control. Before WLS, food controlled me. After WLS, I control it. I may still think about food a lot, but at least now I am winning the battle. I think different WLS patients are food-centric to different extents. I know people who continue to count every bite and think about food constantly for years after WLS so they can maintain their weight loss. I know other patients who are “over” food after WLS – they don’t really think much about it because it’s just not as appealing or it’s not the outlet it used to be. You don’t know how WLS will affect you in particular, but I would encourage to think honestly about how much you think about food and how much time you spend on it even when you’re not hard-core dieting. Is it ruling your life? Good luck with your decision!

Very true – thanks for the list! How about, “When someone asks you how long you’re going to keep dieting, your answer is, ‘the rest of my life.’”

That sounds about right, but you’ll get used to it. It’s more a question of remembering. Taking those vitamin and mineral pills is, in my opinion, the easy part of WLS! It’s easier than eating right and exercising every day!

To the original poster, I’m sorry you had this experience on this site. I aim to make BariatricPal a friendly, welcoming community – and as you can see from a lot of the responses on this thread, most members here really are trying to be helpful! This is a place where I want members to feel comfortable posting their questions, concerns, and triumphs. Please don’t leave the site just because a few members were rude or were perceived as rude. My advice would be to read what they said and see if you can get anything useful out of their words. If you are already eating healthy and you know which healthy foods to choose and how much to eat when you do find yourself at a fast food restaurant, you’re doing fine. You’re doing better than fine – you’re doing great. And another poster was right – anyone who is/was in the position to get weight loss surgery isn’t/wasn’t always perfect with their diets. Don’t let others get you down.

This is a tough one, and I don’t use marijuana so I can’t speak from personal experience. Like the others, I would worry about two things. One would be the possibility of a replacement addiction – would you start to depend on marijuana more frequently for a high if you were not using food to get a high? My other concern would be if using marijuana made you eat more, whether from increased appetite or from decreased inhibition. If you are planning to continue to use it only once a week and you are aware of the risks of overeating, maybe you can take steps to prevent overeating, such as eating a salad that night. This definitely sounds like something you should ask your doctor, and also ask about the immediate post-surgery stage when you are recovering. Good luck!