I had a gastric bypass three and a half years ago for the sole reason to improve some serious health problems I had. I was on Depakote at the time (by the way, liquid Depakote is yukky!) and lost as much as I possibly could. Anyway, I managed to lose about 70% of my goal weight and had to settle for that because of the meds. Then over the past two years, I had seven traumatic events occur (deaths, accidents, illnesses and other losses) which landed me into the hospital but along the way I gained 18 lbs. After I got out, my pdoc absolutely does not understand why I'm freaking out about the weight gain. I already noticed a slight rise in my blood pressure. I WILL NOT gain that weight back! But he is reluctant to prescribe the Topamax that my hospital doctor recommended as an add-on. I am about to scream. I cannot take Lamictal or Tegretol and won't take Lithium. But I can get away with only 1000mg of Depakote if he will crank up the Topamax to 100mg. So I am sharing your frustration. He mentioned some other options so I hope he comes to understand how important this is to me. Incidentally, one rule of thumb for post-bypass patients that seems to be similar to Adkins is eat your proteins first, then complex carbs. One thing that is never smart to eat is saturated fat at all. Unless you simply treat yourself to a piece of bacon once a month or so. But some proteins, particularly beans of various types, are wonderful foods. Also, eggs are great. They are not as dangerous as their reputation as long as you don't overdo it. One major myth about dieting is that salads are really not as healthy as their reputation says. It is better to make a salad out of brown rice mixed with various chopped vegetables or bulgar wheat with vegetables. Fiber is always important. Raw veggies are ok but all that lettuce is deceiving and you are hungry soon afterward. I'm sure this is more than you wanted to know but maybe some of it helps.