Swampdoggie

For me, one of the BEST of many great things about this surgery is that I'm not focused on food every minute of the day. I'm not hungry in the way I used to be. Yeah, I get hungry but not so much I'm willing to eat the carpet anymore; I can slow me down and go for the healthy stuff. And then when I do eat, its so much less than before. For sure, it still takes work, but its been a miracle for me even so. Good luck to you!

I'm thinking judiciously arranged frosting. Maybe it becomes Pavlovian and the sight of your scars get your partner drooling?

@@ShellMilliner yes, only 5 or 6 ounces, since I don't fill them to the top of my coffee cup. I mean shot glass.

Having explored just about every diet on the planet, except the grapefruit diet, I can report that this concept (in diet diet form) comes from one called the Shangri-La Diet, developed by Seth Roberts. For info see: http://sethroberts.net/.%C2'> I've read that many people have had success but I don't believe there have been any formal trials, so the levels of success seem to be mostly hearsay. @@AussieSam you'll have to let us know if you have success with it.

Can we drink six cups of wine with a bailey's chaser over here?

Alright smart people, I am swayed by your excellent and persuasive comments that cheating is not a correct term in this context.

I am band to sleeve and I had a little of that in the beginning too, but really nothing now (almost 4 months out)

@@LipstickLady so long as nothing on you actually lights up (or makes weird sounds) its all good.

@@ProjectMe That's what I was trying to express. Its semantic. All cheating involves a choice, but not all choices are cheating. In any case, I don't care really (and don't even use the term for myself) and agree with the gist of what we're all trying to put forward. OWN all your choices.

Good discussion and j think we have 2 issues going on. I am going to respectfully disagree with some of you in that cheating is a choice yes but that doesn't necssarily mean it not cheating. In my view there's no such thing as accidental or mindless cheating but not all choices are good ones and cheating is (are?) those choices that are bad for you, whatever that may be under your regimen. For me, eating bacon without nitrites, avocados, cream are not cheats and not bad choices. Thats not true for everyone. Same for sodas, LL embraces those with a straw and thats not cheating for her. For me, cheating is eating stuff I have decided are not good for me but am choosing to do so anyway. I'm cheating on myself with a bad choice, like a brownie or donut. (Donut - slobber yum yum). Or a long island iced tea. Yes I have and no its not a good choice but normally I have planned for it, its deliberate and I accept the fact that it will set me back, and I'm not gonna feel bad. But then I can't grouse about a stall cuz I knew what was coming. OK second issue, posting. I very much agree that lots of people are posting for confession, accountability, to see how others handle things, to get encouraged away from the dark side or even to get spanked back onto the straight and narrow. They are owning it. I think these are fine, great, helpful. And then there are others who seem to want approval to do things they know are bad choices, to disregard Dr plans, to binge, not exercise (OK I don't exercise too much and I have reasons but I know its still a poor choice). What makes me laugh though is when these people making deliberate bad choices want approval and fellow travelers for their poor decision choices and then get all crazy when approval isn't given. I believe those people are going to have a really tough time being successful. Make your bad choice, I'm OK with that, but don't expect to get my approval for it.

That was always my fear too, that I'd lose enough on my own and they'd not approve me. I didn't have a goal set for me to lose before surgery so I worked at maintenance until I got my approval and then I went to town. I can't believe they wouldn't be aware of this type of behavior. I guess maybe my dr was aware and so never got on me for not losing during the six month readying phase. As most of us have experienced, its not the losing that was the problem - it was (is) the regaining what was lost that many of us need this procedure for.

@@devillynn Good for you. I like the accountability of telling us your plans. As Miss Mac said, welcome back to the wagon. Miss Mac has a lot of great farm metaphors. @@Miss Mac I just got back from DeKalb, visiting my mom for Mom's day :>

Great story!

Argh. Good for you for being on top of it all.

I'm guessing your innards are probably still swollen. I'd give it time and stick to pretty soft stuff well chewed.

Hi @@stephh 210 - after a long weekend vacay yea!

Welcome! You're going to be so happy. It isn't easy but it's easier, and it does work!

You look utterly fabulous. Congrats!

I drink diet ginger ale every so often to soothe the nausea of the meds I'm on. I let it go mostly flat. The burbs help me. My surgeon is aware and doesn't love it but doesn't ban it either. Strong carbonation bothers my stomach but weak I find helpful. On an infrequent basis.

I was in totally manageable pain, active and in great spirits. But I was really tired that whole first week. I did not have the piercing pain some people have with gas causing radiating pain to the shoulder though I did when I had the band and was expecting it.

And the other friends who suggested you write. I got steamed up and singleminded.

In my experience these people are fairly few and far between, thankfully, which makes them so noticeable when you have to ill fortune to get one of them. I am really sad and perturbed about this because you are clearly an optimistic happy go lucky kind of canyon baby so if this was anxiety producing to you it must have been bad. I agree with lipstick lady that the hospital needs to be informed, not only for you but for the next ones who are subject to this rotten behavior. Some people just suck.

I've never really liked grocery shopping but I do like to cook, so sometimes I gotta shop. My husband and I alternate shopping. But when I was on pre op and early post op we agreed that it was cruel and unusual punishment to expect me to shop and to cook. The fam ate what they wanted and I ate what I needed to and we were all happy enough. Now that I can eat food again it's so much easier to deal with what other people can have. But those early days will test your metal. Just realize they're short term and will be worth it for how much better you will feel. Good luck!

@@snowkitten I've been there, when I had the band, and it was really tough to get back on the right path. What works for me is to read on the science of why this is healthy. And now that winter is over and it feels so good to get out in the sun, some activity may help jump start you. Best of luck!

@@Veronica Page hang tough. I feel like you're going to have a windfall one of these days.