Hi there

I have tried many, many, many weight loss methods since I was 19 years old (the first time I joined Weight Watchers, but not the first time I was 'fat'). That's 30 years of the weight loss insanity

And while I had success on many of them (temporary success, obviously), the one thing that was never addressed was "Why am I overweight in the first place?"

Weight loss programs focus on losing weight. Some of them have a 'keeping it off' element, but not many do. So, the focus is on reacting to the symptoms rather than causes (starting where it started with the weight gain).

Why did the weight gain start? Is it ALL because of lack of willpower or self-control? Is it because of genetics? Is it emotions? Hormones? Why are some people predisposed to putting weight on when others face similar situations and are not so predisposed? Why is weight loss so hard to maintain?

I doubt very much that I'm overweight because I'm lazy, don't try hard enough, can't control myself, etc. Which are easy judgements from people who have never had a weight issue.

I look forward to your posts.

_{Almost everyone in my family- on both sides- either has a serious weight problem or constantly diets to avoid becoming very overweight. I was told as a child that we were missing the part of our brain that would tell us to stop eating. I spent most of my childhood in fear that I would eat so much that I would literally explode and die. I learned not to trust myself or my body. At the same time, I found eating, especially forbidden foods, very pleasurable and turned to food whenever I felt sad or overwhelmed or anxious to numb my feelings. I have a long history of yo yo dieting and have gained and lost and regained 100s of pounds over the past 20 years. I chose to get sleeved in the hope that this tool would help me discover a healthier, more moderate relationship with food and eating and would enable me to break out of the constant yo yo cycle.}

tiredmama: thanks for the link to your blog. I checked it out. Aren't you going to add a weight loss status to your comments? I appreciate the other insight, but what is still my focus (pre-op) is what weight loss looks like at your stage.