I don't know. The two things I know I have absolutely no control over I have very simply not reintroduced into my diet. Ice Cream and flavored chips. I haven't had ice cream since June of 2011 and the flavored chips, I had a handful at Christmas at a party, not in my house. These two items are not allowed in my house, if the husband wants them, he has to either eat them all gone before I get home or eat them outside the house.

To be honest, I do sometimes want the chips, almost have a slight craving for them. So far, not the ice cream. But I do not feel deprived in any way shape or form. Not having these things is my choice, so no need to feel deprived or sorry for myself. I've also discovered that I've switched my chip addiction to Cheese-Its (4 cheese flavor), so when the box at home is gone there will be no more of those either.

Didn"t really answer your question did I? I think it's a very personal thing. What doesn't bother me may bother you or the other way around. The surgery is a tool. Staying on track, losing the weight and keeping it off is all about changing our eating and exercise habits. And for me it was about changing my attitude about food too. One of my friends here put it really well. He said he used to live to eat. Since the surgery he now eats to live. Food is no longer the #1 motivator for him. That's where our heads need to be. You can do this. You can make the changes you need to make physically and mentally. I did. And if I can, so can you.

I think the seeds are always there, but with time, and work, you have less contact with acting on those triggers. I will say this, for me, I couldn't have done it, without my therapist. She specializes in overeating and obesity issues, and while I know the VSG was the tool that worked for me, the therapy and the things I've learned about myself and how to deal with my food addiction is what will keep me losing and keep it off. You have to address the mental stuff. And really about 85% is mental.

I agree with what’s been said…and here’s a bit of my two cents…for what it’s worth. I don’t claim to be an expert and I would never presume to tell someone the absolutes of this journey. But I love to share because I don’t know what I would have done, if others hadn’t shared their journey’s with me.

What I know about food addiction is - like any addiction - the propensity is always there; that it is born of a combination of emotion coping mechanisms, behaviors and hormones. Which, on the bright side, makes it 100% manageable - once I learn to cope differently the amount of havoc the addiction creates in my life (i.e. cravings) dissipates. The surgery helps give me a physical mechanism to restrict my intake and as long as I learn and use healthy ways of taking care of myself – I’m good. If I don’t act and eat in new ways, surgery or not, my addiction will run amok…not a pleasant thought.

For me, I could not be successful without the surgery, my therapist, the elimination of certain foods from my home and breaking the "drive-thru" habit. And several of the other things my Surgeon refers to as successful habits – I eat measured portions and track all my food (for better or worse), I exercise and track the activity (or lack of), I eat measured 3 high protein meals and 2 high protein snacks (if I need a snack) – don’t laugh, I have a food scale at work in case I need to break open a can of tuna. I also attend support groups and/or go to several of the WLS boards for support. The support has been amazing here in this forum.

And with some amazement I can say – so far, so…well…I’d have to say, really good. I’ve had my moments (I’m human). I definitely feel better. Have adopted a much healthier lifestyle and couldn’t have done it without the surgery. My cravings are manageable. I don’t eat morning, noon and night.

That’s not to say I haven’t cried when I have chosen not to eat something I was desperately craving, or did eat it and paid both a mental and physical price – because there have been tears and food funerals. And there have been plenty of oh @#%# moments when the thought of indulging in food behaviors would have felt heavenly. It’s not all rainbows and unicorns. Like anything else, it’s, well…real life and there are moments that suck. But they are not the majority. Nor do they suck so bad that I want to go back to my pre-surgery days.

I can honestly say, I thought I would fail. I was convinced I was the one person on planet earth whose addiction to food would result in immediate, total and utter failure. I did not want to undergo surgery, shell out the money, and deal with the associated risks, if I wasn't going to lose the weight permanently.

Okay, I did have to accept there is no permanent weight loss magic pill (or should I surgery). I certainly have been successful in changing my behaviors (perfectly imperfect) and working to being healthy and the weight is coming off.

For me – that makes this journey so far a solid success.

Best wishes to you on your journey - surgery or no surgery!

That is something i am also worried about. I often hear people in the support group talking about their sleeve and how much they love it and how they attribute their success all to it and how they no longer over eat, however its obvious that they dont realize that there is still sooo much work ahead.

The sleeve is just a tool to help us restrict our eating however over time we can eat more and the 'honeymoon' will end and we'll be in the same place that we were before - i.e. cravings and limitations.

I have gone to Overeaters Anonymous (OA) to check it out and although I am not sure about my commitment to this 12 step program listening to the people speak about their "compulsive overeating" as an addiction really puts it into light what is required to properly deal with the food addiction.

Definitely have your support system in place...seeing food around me after surgery made me feel sort of left out and it was really hard to to cope with the reality that I couldn't eat the same things I loved in the months right after surgery. It was emotional for me, but I had to find my own ways to cope. I hope your surgery goes well and I wish you success...