I started my journey in June of 2012. I had just gotten back from Spain with 11 high school kids for 10 days. The trip was the the last deciding factor for my vertical sleeve surgery. I coudn't walk or breathe. My feet were so swollen. I was scad and very disappointed in myself. I am never going to stop taking kids to Spain but I am never going to go in that horrible condition again. I meet with my surgeon tomorrow. I am ready for surgery. My question is I was 10 pounds down in June after all the walking in Spain. I have gained 12 pounds since my first initial weigh in. I have also stopped smoking after 25 years.I believe after I start my 2 week pre-op diet that I will be able to lose. I don't think I can lose until then because I am an addict to food. Has anyone else experienced this thought or outcome?

It's a very common thought. Many of us here were food addicts in one form or another before surgery. But my advice to you is do not plan on waiting till your surgery to tackle your addiction. Yes, some aspects of surgery make it easier...but not for everyone. The best thing you can do is deal with your addiction now while you're preop, because once you have surgery your options will be limited.

A food addict who is determined to eat around their sleeve can do great harm to himself.

I mostly agree with BTB on this one. Yes, you will eventually be forced to face this addiction. The sleeve is only a tool, much like a counselor is a tool. It will only work if you utilize it properly. Otherwise, you're wasting your time! You will still be a food addict post op. The only difference will be a smaller capacity. That, and a food addiction could kill you if you choose to overeat during the very strict post op liquid diet, when leaks are a serious risk.

I think you need to start working on this now. Don't look at dropping a bunch of weight before surgery as your primary focus, though. Start small. Journal what you eat and record your calories. Ask yourself why you're eating before you eat so you can learn your triggers and coping mechanisms. If you don't learn how to stop the disordered eating, you will not succeed long term unless you treat the sleeve like a lifelong diet. Everyone here has tried and failed at diets, and the same applies to approaching the sleeve this way. It will not work in the long term. And like BTB said, you can eat around the sleeve if you're determined to do so, which will not only stop or slow loss but could contribute to regaining.

By recording what you eat you will have the tool you need to make better food choices. If you record every bite that goes in your mouth and are completely honest with yourself, you should be able to see where you can easily cut calories and make smarter food choices. By cutting your caloric intake by 20% and trying to keep your Protein, carbs and fat to a good, healthy ratio (40/30/30 works great for most women; men do better on low carbs than women), you should be able to see success on the scale without feeling deprived.

All of that said, the initial six to nine months post op are a GREAT time to work on those food issues. Your hunger, if you're lucky, will be gone completely. If it's not gone, it will at least be far easier to satisfy. You'll have such a limited capacity that you might find, like many of us do, that food isn't a temptation - that it's actually unappealing. For me, eating became a chore because I had a very small capacity, a diet limited by lactose intolerance and a caloric goal that was difficult to reach until several months post op.

So you should start now and take advantage of this opportunity to start down the right path. Expecting surgery to do the head work gets a lot of sleeve patients in trouble. You will see many people say this and it's true: they operate on your stomach, not your head. If you don't work on the head/emotional aspects you will struggle not only to lose but to maintain.

Best of luck. Congrats on successfully quitting your smoking addiction. Take this time to work ahead on issues you'll have to tackle later.

~Cheri