Dear Melissa...Congratulations on taking this positive step to a wonderful new life. May God bless you with a successful surgery, a speedy and pain-free recovery and much future success. It is natural to eat a lot of last meals. I think I gained 8 pounds before my surgery. But afterward, I felt I had eaten what I wanted before hand and I haven't had a hard time sticking to my plan. With love and best wishes, Marilyn (surgery date June 3, 2002)