* Grazing is a sure thing in regaining weight from surgery. Grazing is different than snacking. Snacks are planned; grazing is unplanned eating that usually lasts for an extended period of time. Rather than eat regular meals with planned snacks, grazing can creep back in our lives very easily. Grazing results in eating too many calories which cause weight regain. You can eat around your surgery by grazing. You don't fill your pouch enough to register that you've eaten yet you consume excess calories. Usually grazing is on high carbohydrate, sugary foods.

* Identify and stop emotional eating. Tune into your emotions rather than eat over them. Check in with yourself if you're eating from physical hunger or head hunger. Head hunger feeds emotions and can result in weight gain. Physical hunger feeds your body and results in good levels of energy and health.

If you've regained weight, think back to a time post-operatively when you were successfully losing weight. What were you doing? What habits had you created that led to your success? Have you returned to old habits that made you heavy? To lose weight, go back to the basics of what worked for you. You were successful in losing weight, you can do it again.

The significant weight loss that occurs within the first period of time after surgery is a big motivator. Food urges return and we must learn to cope with food urges and emotions without acting on them by eating. Isn't it more important to feel good about ourselves than make an unhealthy choice and gaining weight?

Weight loss surgery is a wonderful tool to lose weight. Success from our surgery depends on adopting lifelong healthy habits that include changes in our nutrition, exercise, and behavioral health. What you eat and how you eat changes after surgery, but the benefits of weight loss and improved health are yours. Your surgical tool is yours to use; for weight regain you can choose to lose.

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