So I’m halfway through the 6-month classes for my surgery. I have my cardiac and pulmonary clearances and I’m going to counseling for my psychiatric clearance. I know I am an emotional eater, and I know I’ve gained weight since my last weigh in. My insurance doesn’t require me to lose a certain amount of weight to get approved. I’m just struggling because I’m so stressed with everything. Has anyone else dealt with this? How did your doctor react? I just worry he’ll think I can’t do it. I’m working on it with therapy but it takes time. Ugh.

Your doctor wont think that. Most people that are overweight use food just like an alcoholic uses alcohol. They know that this is as much psychological as it is physical. If an alcoholic falls off the wagon, they just get back on. The same applies to you and your journey. If you don't have a structured diet plan, I can share mine. It's worked pretty well for me being pre-op. You need to track your food. Baritastic is my favorite free app for that. Good luck, you got this!

Hey, I’m a PreOp emotional eater, too! The truth is, we will have to entirely change our relationship with food. And the sleeve is a great tool to help with that! It’s normal to binge more during times of high stress, such as during the preop program. But just remember that you are so so close. Work through your issues and find other ways to relieve the stress.