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How much water are you actually drinking? What does your surgeon have to say about the amount of water you are drinking?

I have SisterLocks and am somewhat concerned (locked for 6 years, 450-500). I have my hair re-tightened every 4-5 weeks. I may have to rethink that, though I really hate how they look with new growth. I will investigate L-Lysine. Thanks for posting, GT! Btw, you locks are lovely!

Well CyndieRI, we are about the same size, let's see how we can rock this 🌏world! Watch out folks, 2 very pretty women👸👩are coming through!

Same here. Before sleeve I guzzled plain water. Loved it. After surgery it makes me nauseous. Have to add crystal light.

You are not alone. Studies are showing that people that have had bariatric sergery are more likely to get late onset alcoholism. I suggest to start cutting back if you noticed that cutting back causes you to have physical effects such as shaking I would mention it to your primary care doctor. You colossal look into AA meetings and your community. Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

It's time to address what's going on. Cross addictions after surgery are common. It's important that you have recognized that you are having an issue with alcohol. Look up treatment options in your area. Addiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. Dysfunction in these circuits leads to characteristic biological, psychological, social and spiritual manifestations. This is reflected in an individual pathologically pursuing reward and/or relief by substance use and other behaviors. Addiction is characterized by inability to consistently abstain, impairment in behavioral control, craving, diminished recognition of significant problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships, and a dysfunctional emotional response. Like other chronic diseases, addiction often involves cycles of relapse and remission. Without treatment or engagement in recovery activities, addiction is progressive and can result in disability or premature death. You can overcome this! Wish you the best, Jenn

This is what the pre-op psy exam is supposed to help flush out. Get to some addiction counseling / AA. Several bottles of wine a day, sadly, makes you an alcoholic. You seem to be accepting the addiction to wine, now you need to step up and get some help. Alcohol is in no way a healthier option than food, I don't see how you can justify wine as being healthier. 2 bottles of wine puts you into the 1300 - 1500 calorie a day mark, and with no protein or other required nutritional value... it's pure empty calories. So it's really no better than soda from a "health" standpoint. I hope you do get some help... this is bad on a few levels for a non-altered person, worse so for a WLS patient.

I had VGS surgery on 9/15/16; this was almost 18 months from my introductory class for the program. I put off the decision to have surgery almost 6 months, and then due to scheduling issues rescheduled a couple of times before finally having the surgery. My high weight once I decided to start the program was 287- so I have lost 104 pounds as of this morning. I was pretty dutiful in following the eating plan, both pre- and post- surgery until I was about 9 months post-op. By that time, I'd bypassed my surgeon's weight goal for me by about 7 pounds. At that point, I did some serious thinking about what I wanted out of this surgery, and made the following decisions: First, I didn't have this surgery, this elective mutilation, to NOT be successful. There is no way on this Earth that I am going to backslide and let my weight creep up. Second, I also decided that I don't want to be "on a diet" for the rest of my life. I have ALWAYS been on a diet, for as long as I can remember. I didn't have this surgery so I'd have to continue to always be on a diet. Third, I have to be happy with my life. SO... I decided that I was going to have to balance these things, figure out how to make eating "normal" food work without gaining weight. I've tested things out, learned my limits, learned how to eat and drink that work with my insides and my head. OCCASIONALLY I will eat pizza, nachos, drink beer, have ice cream or pie, etc., but NOT all the time, and NOT in large quantity. Fortunately my sleeve restriction is still snug; I can eat about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food at a sitting, depending on the food. What does this mean for something like pizza? I take one piece, I eat a couple of bites of the edge and also the toppings. I don't eat any of the crust, except those 2 bites of the edge. Believe me, it's enough for me, and if it's not, I"ll eat the topping only from part of another piece. I've tested out all my favorite foods, and yes, sadly, there are some things that I just don't eat because I can't, because they make me feel gross (haven't given up on 'good' bread yet, but rice and pasta are things of my past). I've learned that some things go down way too easily, and so I know where to be careful, what to avoid. I've also learned (take a deep breath, hard to admit) that I'm probably never going to weigh 135 pounds again, and that, regardless of my weight, I'll always feel like I need to lose 10 or 20 pounds. I don't think that's the after effect of being fat... I think it's the association of being a woman in the USA. It's OK... I can accept these things, because I have come so far and been so successful- in my doctor's eyes, in my husband's and daughter's eyes, and mostly, IN MY OWN OPINION. There are still things I can't do (eat and drink at the same time) or things I forget to do (eat slowly/chew lots) and I pay the price. HOWEVER... It's all been worth it. I am HAPPY. I don't wake up in the morning and hate myself for being weak, for being fat, for eating and drinking when I swore I wasn't going to. I went to Disney World with my daughter this summer and for the first time EVER (we've been going annually for 20 years), I happily posed for photos. She and I haven't had a photo in front of the castle since she was 6 (and she'll be 25 next week). I don't hate shopping for clothes anymore. I went to the pool in a bathing suit IN PUBLIC this summer and wasn't embarrassed. Most importantly, I look in the mirror and LIKE what I see there. Sometimes I even think, "Wow, you look cute!" I realize how much of my life I let go by because I felt fat, miserable, unsuccessful, unlovable, and I wish I'd done this surgery 10 years ago. I don't hate myself and my life anymore, and that is worth SO MUCH MORE than anything I could ever eat, in any quantity, at any restaurant. You know how they say, "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels?" That's sort-of true, but being skinny (and I'm not) doesn't hold a candle to not hating yourself all the time. I am just so damned happy now!

I have cheated on my pre op diet and my surgery is friday !!! ..... i feel really guilty, but i am having such a hard time.

If you are drinking so much that your stomach hurts then you probably need to cut back. Are you drinking too quickly? Have you tried sipping slowly?