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#1 - Don't waste time beating up on yourself. You have MAINTAINED a loss of 111 pounds. #2 - Get back to basics, log all your food, measure your water, 30-30-30, protein then veggies, then fruit, then carbs #3 - Take a break from processed foods and watch things that trigger you to overeat. For me, carbs make me crave more (and stupider choice) carbs. But you know what sets you off. #4 - No alcohol or sweet drinks It's really about getting back to what worked in the first place. I'm no expert on getting back on the wagon after surgery, but I've failed enough diet plans over the last 45 years to know what the reset button looks like. And, definitely, ask for support when you need it!

Ah, I see. Well, I'd guess there are a few options: 1) tell the other couple about your surgery and drink water; 2) don't tell them about the surgery but tell them you're dieting and drink water; 3) tell them in some fuzzy way you're on medication and can't mix it with alcohol, and drink water; 4) accept a drink when everyone else has one and then not drink it . . . with water on the side. I know people have widely varying positions on telling other people--I'm one of the folks who tells everybody about it, basically because I know what I'm doing and why I'm doing it and don't give a crap about someone else's probably ill-informed opinion about it. Actually, though, I've mostly gotten supportive comments.

I've been eating definitely eating more than 1,200 calories a day and need to reduce my food intake. I have cut out soda and alcohol, but not my morning coffee. It's definitely a challenge for me to think I will need to give it up for a stretch post surgery and I know I should start now. Thanks for sharing those guidelines and helping me focus. I am terrible at dieting and hence why all the excess weight has crept up on me over the last 15 years.

Hey, so glad to have an educator friend who has a similar situation to mine! Kaiser has a very clear pre-op diet that everyone is supposed to follow, and I've been sticking to it pretty religiously. If you'd like, I can take pictures of those pages of the binder! Basically it is: - No alcohol - No caffeine - No carbonated drinks - Breakfast: roughly 3 oz. protein, eaten first. Then fruit and a starch and fat. (There are very specific serving sizes depending on what food you're eating.) - Lunch & dinner: roughly 3 oz. protein, eaten first. Then veggies and a starch and fat. (Again, serving sizes in the binder. The result is that you're consuming roughly 1200 calories per day. No snacking allowed -- they really impressed upon us that the people who struggle to lose weight (or gain weight) after surgery are the people who snack. Happy to take pictures of the serving sizes for you if you want! It's basically my bible right now. I just went to the orientation a week ago and I've lost about 5 pounds already.

You probably have something in the materials given to you about this, but be aware that we're supposedly a lot more sensitive to alcohol--and for me, I was pretty sensitive to it before! And, of course, it's just empty calories than can blow your eating plan out of the water, so you don't want to drink much or often. All other considerations aside, pot is probably going to be easier on your system than alcohol.

Ok what about alcohol??? How doon can i have that Sent from my SM-G920T1 using BariatricPal mobile app

This is some of the most valid, straight up honest advice you are likely to receive here. The VSG is great, but you have to own your part of the responsibility. Im a year out and restriction is lessened. On the weekends, im very likely to cheat and have alcohol or a food that is indulgent, but during the week i am eating small and mostly protein. Its worked for me, but i can see where it wouldnt be hard to fall off the wagon. Im currently in a 4 lb swing back and forth, but i can live with it, because Im the same weight i was when i graduated high school, 30 years ago.

What kind of surgery did you have? Are you drinking while eating or failing to do the 30-30? Do you eat dense protein first? How much volume/weight are you eating at meals? Do you log what you eat? Do you snack all day? How many times are you eating? Do you drink alcohol? Are you eat a lot of carbs?

I haven't experienced this after surgery, but from all the diets I back-slid on: Go back to tracking every bite of food that goes into your mouth. If you've stopped, get back on the 30-30-30 plan. Don't eat within 3 hours of bedtime. No alcohol. Always get your protein in first. Don't despair. Your "tool" is still in place. You can recover from this!

Not sure what kind of preparation and evaluation you received before surgery but I would strongly recommend finding someone with experience in eating disorders that you are comfortable with to talk to. Many people use food (as well as drugs/alcohol) to treat depression and childhood trauma is a big causative factor especially in someone your age. It is entirely possible to stretch the sleeve out so you can eat what and how much you want to. I know people who have done this. However, it is vitally important that you follow your doctor's recommendations until you are fully healed to avoid life threatening complications. I am hoping that by then you will be feeling more accepting of the limitations. And this whole concept of "cheat days" only cheats yourself. There is a reasonable portion of anything that you can enjoy eventually. You ARE losing weight naturally, the sleeve is just a tool to help you. Please be gentle with yourself and take it one day at a time. Hugs!!

I am preop and scheduled for surgery the same day as you. I am not worried at all and am looking forward to it. I already feel so much better after 9 days on the preop diet that I know I am doing the right thing. Hardest thing post op for me will be the complete avoidance of alcohol since we are pretty "social" and enjoy hanging with friends listening to live music and watching football. I can have just as good of a time drinking water. I try to visualize myself at this time next year feeling SO MUCH BETTER and that helps a lot. Just try to focus on the positive aspects of the surgery and keep your eye on the prize.

Ok, first off, so sorry you are suffering so!!! ((hugs)) Chronic pain SUCKS. Chronic nerve/neuralgia sucks maybe even worse on top of that. It can definitely become the thief of joy and hope. I have degenerative disc disease and arthritic hips with chronic bursitis and SI-itis. But on top of that pain I also have a bone spur on my thoracic vertebra that causes a nerve intrapment in the intercostal muscle. (But wait! There's more! I also have a set of Ginzu steak knives! *snic*) On top of that, I have had multiple breast cancer and reconstructive surgeries that have left me with 360 degree neuralgia pain that is about 9 inches top to bottom across my chest and back. It's like a burning, stinging chemical burn or raw rash at my chest wall that feels like stings from fireants. I have this 24/7/365. And lastly I have neuralgia in my feet/toes and fingertips leftover from hand food syndrome during chemo cuz the chemo dose had to be so high for me. I tell you this not to top you or bore you. But to let you know possibilities. Last May I'd given up hope. I was WTD (waiting to die) and barely got my fat ass out of the recliner for longer than it takes to pee or down a Little Debbie Snack Cake -- or Whataburger Chicken Strip dinner with cream gravy and fries. I was isolated in my house and NEVER went out except to the doctor. Those (foods of crap origin) were my constant companions. Then I got staff in my toe and I realized I wasn't ready to die yet. I wanted to fight!! I wanted to take control back of my life!!! And I wanted it THEN! Immediately. LOL. So I started prepping for surgery. I dumped the crap and went to a very low carb, very low fat, very low calorie diet and started losing weight--slowly--but losing. ALL my cravings went away! And something miraculous happened. As I lost the weight, I was able to force myself up through the cloud of pain to walk for 1 minute--then 5 minutes--then 10 and so on. Fast forward to now, about 97lbs lighter than in May 2017 and my pain is much improved! The neuralgia is still there, Large and IN CHARGE! But the bone and arthritis has improved a bit. And it gets better with each pound lost. I get cortisone injections in my hips that help a lot. I work with a PT to strengthen my core muscles and improve my balance and endurance. And I'm looking forward to trying water exercises soon! I still have a FU*K load of burning, stinging, itching, aching pain each day. But my arthritis doc said, the best thing I can do for myself is get to a very low weight as quickly as I can. That a 30% drop in weight will significantly improve my life. I now walk 1 hour a day (30 minutes at a time), can stand to cook, go visit family, go out on dates with Mr. F. and am slowly taking back control of my life. I have a positive, hopeful outlook despite the chronic pain. I just CHOOSE to live life even in the face of pain and choose to have control--rather than being a victim of my surgeries and disease. (Not saying you're a victim--I'm saying I FELT I was a victim of them.) You take control back, by going back to your basic plan. No eating and drinking 30-30. If you're drinking alcohol stop. If you're taking more pain narcs than you absolutely need, wean off them. They blunt your desire for health. Eat dense protein first, veggies second, healthy fats and cut out the ALL the crap and contraband. Weigh, measure, and log everything! And know that 6-12months after surgery is sometimes what it takes for things to feel a little better. My big surgeries took me 6 months to begin to feel human again--each time! Sorry for writing a book...but please don't give up. WTD SUCKS! Congrats on your weight loss to date!

Ultimately, I think it's like an alcoholic with drinking buddies. You need to find other ways to spend time together that don't involve eating....or the relationship will get toxic. Or you have to 100% cool with each other's eating habits....which is also harder than it seems. Weirdly...my mom and I really struggle with this one. So many of our visits revolved around getting a meal out together, or cooking together. It's been sort of awkward to find different ways to enjoy time together. We're getting there....this week be bought and planted flowers. We've been playing cards and drinking tea, instead of soda, chips and dip. But yeah....a HUGE part of my relationship with my mom has a ton of eating activities attached that are really tough for me cause she doesn't struggle with her weight like I do. Mom activies of the past: Let's go get a donut. Let's make cookies. Let's make bread. Let's go grocery shopping and get fast food. Let's go to a new restaurant. Let's got get ice cream. Can you detect a pattern? LOLOLOL When I was a kid, every Friday was "Celebration junk food night". We'd get KFC (or pizza, or burgers), tabloid magazines, rent videos, and buy ice cream or candy to have with the movie. And scratchable lotto tickets. Two liters of cola. LOL. It was a celebration of God-awful choices....and You know what's messed up? I remember it really fondly. And if there's a day I'm gonna cheat....you can bet it will be on Friday. I remember about two months post-surgery...we went to a movie with my mom and she ducked out and came back with sodas and candy and popcorn! I'm like...Mom...I can't have this stuff......and the look on her face was so sad. It's like I'm taking away her enjoyment by not sharing her habits. I am rejecting her traditions!!!! Ultimately...she was totally on board with me not eating the snacks and she was sort of horrified she got them for me..... but I think she genuinely forgot, and it just felt disappointing to her not to "give me a treat" or revisit that tradition that reminds of of happy memories. My mother expresses love in fat, salt and sugar. LOL. Seriously. So yeah...it's been hard. Relationship changes are tough. Changing your activities so you're not always eating together....can be disarmingly tough.

You got this girl!! I have a family wedding to go to Saturday, and im kinda dreading it. You know cake, unhealthy foods, alcohol....SMH gotta stay strong!😄

Not everyone goes crazy after. Some started that way. In all seriousness though transfer addiction is a known issue after bariatric surgery. Some people have addictive personalities and it is easy to trade that food addiction for an addiction to drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, etc. Some of us have emotional issues along with the obesity like PTSD, depression, or anxiety. It is not uncommon for people that have mental health disorders to medicate themselves with substances and if you take food away it can create a situation where the person does turn towards a different substance. It is never a bad idea for any bariatric patient with or without a diagnosed disorder to seek therapy throughout the journey to help cope with the changes we must deal with.

Hey everyone! I am Juuuust starting the journey. Have spoken with my insurance and will be picking out a doctor in the next day or so. I have been over weight for far too long. All through high school and even throughout my time in the military, I was too skinny. (5'8" 120 - 129lbs). I got married my last year in the military and within a year, I gained over 100 lbs. The weight kept inching on over the years and no matter what I did, I would drop a few pounds and then gain back double. Finally, I began working for the post office where I had a walking route. I walked over 9 miles per day. I went from 270 lbs down to 218. I felt great and swore I would never gain the weight back. Unfortunately, I was hurt on the job and out of work for 6 months. When you walk 9 miles a day in the South GA heat, you have to eat...and I ate a lot. When I was out of work, I kept eating. I gained all the weight back and then some. When I was allowed to go back to work, I started working in IT, where I sit most of the day. I gained up to just a hair over 300 lbs (I'm now 5'9"). I did the same roller coaster weight loss and weight gain over the years. Last year, I started on a plan offered free through my work called Real Appeal. I was able to lose about 35 pounds and have for the most part not gained much back. I changed jobs at the beginning of this year and was surprised to find that my new insurance covers WLS, so I am in the process of going with the VGS. So you're probably wondering why I ask about going crazy in my title. My ex-wife had gastric bypass. She traded her eating addiction for alcohol and drugs. I then met a really nice girl, who, as it turns out, had bypass surgery also. She, traded her addiction for a sex addiction. I have had several friends and acquaintances over the years that have gotten bypass, or lap-bands, or VGS, and nearly every one of them have developed really bad habits and "gone crazy" I am a pretty normal person, or so I think. I don't feel like I'm addicted to food, I'm just lazy, so I am hoping I wont go crazy when I finally get the surgery. Anyone else have experience with this?

Depends on the person Some people can eat a cheat meal and go back to doing the right things the right way. Thats fine. Some people can eat a cheat meal and be like an alcoholic having one drink, and spiral out of control into a path of addiction and destruction. Obviously only one of those people "can" have a cheat meal.

I’m with you about coffee and wine! Makes me feel like an alcoholic that it’s so hard for me to give up. Don’t have more than two glasses ever, but I used to have one a night after the boys went to bed. So it comes down to be fat and keep getting fatter or give up wine....I choose give up wine.

I'd honestly ask to go to an endocrinologist or diabetologist at this point since you have such special circumstances with the surgery. Also, keep in mind that sometimes T1 can masquerade as T2. In reality it's really a special subset of T1-adult onset. Has to do with phenotypes I believe. So I would ask if there is any way they could make certain it's T2 and not another variation of it. I've had 2 friends who they found out were actually late onset T1s and not the T2s the docs had initially thought. How much sugar in the protein bar? How many sugar alcohols. There is some proof that many diabetics do not do well with SAs. That they metabolize >50% of the carbs in them as sugar. So you may be sabotaging your bgs with the Special K chips and also the bars/shakes? I know Mr. F. has a terrible spike with Atkins protein bars and doesn't tolerate protein drinks either. I know that's just anecdotal but just wanted to throw that out to you. If it were me, I'd also look up the book Normal Blood Sugars by Dr. Richard K. Bernstein, MD. He's a remarkable dude that pioneered the use of the home glucometer and eating to your meter. His A1c is lower than mine. He's over 70 and has zero diabetic neuropathy. He is a T1 and only take 5 units of slow acting insulin a day if I remember correctly. He's a diabetologist.

I can totally relate. My husband is slightly over weight but 60lbs less then me, pretty average Ordered pizza in front of me during pre-op, went thru McDonalds drive thru with me in the car on my pre diet, drinks pop and alcohol non stop, buys all the food he likes which consists of chips, tacos, chocolate and rice. I find the hardest is when he questions why at 2 weeks out I can’t have just one French fry or BBQ pork chop or buys me creamery style ice cream with chunks in it for a treat. I asked for plain Greek yogurt and he bought vanilla light yogurt because he doesn’t realize the sugar difference. I gave up coffee which I had a super hard side effects bc I drank so much prior and now he wants to know when I can have it again, I have tried to discuss the surgery and life after but doesn’t want to know the details just wants me to be thin. I was 90lbs lighter when we got married 6 years ago, so I have changed allot. I went to Mexico alone, it was hard to be alone I was the only one that didn’t have a support person in the clinic but everyone was super friendly and would stop in my room to say hi or see if I wanted to join in on their walk. As well you are recovering and tired allot. The hardest part for me was the hotel time, it was very lonely and having to set timers to take your drugs, sip water and you had to do everything in the hotel for yourself. As well no one to just talk with. Like my first sip of water or my first jello lol your pretty excited. I was sad I couldn’t share that with him. I did ask him to make me jello when I was due home and he made 2 batches of it. So I think they just need to learn by our day to day living our eating choices are going to be much different. Something to note; I was a heavy drinker so this has also changed in our relationship for the better, as I haven’t drank since the pre op diet started. Which as you can imagine is a massive adjustment which so far he is handling quite well.

I think that @FluffyChix makes a good point, and you should really evaluate your diet. I am over 5 years post-op. I had diabetes prior to surgery and that problem is still in remission. But I control what I eat. I strictly avoid processed sugars. I have a sweet tooth and that is one of the major causes that contributed to my weight gain over my lifetime. I limit myself to artificial sweeteners (such as Splenda and sugar alcohols), to natural low calorie sweeteners (such as Stevia) and to the natural sugars found in fruits and milk. I had diabetes. That went into remission when I left the hospital two days after surgery and I have not taken any diabetic medicine ever since and my blood sugar levels are good. I test my blood sugar levels periodically. I read the labels of all food that I consume. I look at the grams of sugar per serving. If it is above 5 grams, I look at the ingredients. The ingredients are listed in order by highest percentage, and if the first 5 ingredients contain processed sugar (in any of its many forms), then I avoid this food, like a plague. I also restrict myself to about one meal per day containing complex carbohydrates (such as pasta and bread). I also avoid all carbonated beverages. I lost 20 pounds pre-op solely on eliminating carbonated beverages from my diet and I will not go back.

Just checking in with a little positivity. I have been extremely lucky so far and am down 105 lbs since January. My only struggle was until just recently getting enough water intake. Kept waking up at night or in the morning with dry mouth. I have been walking 2-3 miles a day 5-6 times per week and lifting a few weights. There have been a couple periods where I don't lose for a week and then it comes off quickly. My doctor said 2 lbs a week should be a goal on average. I am back to eating normal foods(no bread, no rice and only the occasional wrap for a subway sandwich. My diet consists mostly of oatmeal for breakfast, protein shake at lunch, then a normal meal for dinner(meat & veggies). Have zero regrets on having the surgery. I didn't have any health problems prior to, just wanted to lose the weight. I did notice my blood pressure went down 30%, almost too low now(:)). But that was mostly because of my lifetime of tobacco use that no longer happens. I just got back from vacation, doctor told me I could have a little alcohol, and I did. I didn't experience getting tipsy like a lot of people mentioned you would. I did notice that my weight stays the same every time I have a few drinks, so I am going to have to keep my cocktails to a minimum to hit my goal. Keep up your faith and discipline. The weight loss will happen.

@LilMissDivaIrene, hi! I didn't know you in the Bad Old Days, but ProudGrammy did. if she's said you're a good one, I may have made myself a new friend. Kathy's been a good buddy, keeping me from going bonkers while I wait and struggle to get to surgery day. You have had 3 surgeries?, Well this will,be my third(and I hope final) attempt to convince a surgeon my proper place is on his operating table. I have somewhat jokingly said I would do my own RnY. I already own a box cutter, fishing line, hair clips and a Swingline stapeler, that pretty much covers things except for the 3-way mirror on top of my dressing table. I don't have any drinking alcohol let alone any other anesthesia but maybe I could hold my breath,until I pass out? I'm 72, time is running out for me, I don't have time for somone to dither around or go play darts somewhere. So I sit here in Central Ohio,with a smile pasted on my face,waiting to see what happens next in my life. I have an important(to me) appointment April 25 with Staff Psychologist Dr Kramer at Martha Morehouse Pavilion in Columbus Ohio and hopefully he will clear me for Bariatric Surgery at OSU-Wexner Medical,Center. Kathy says I should stop saying hopeful, she bellieves in me. I ten to think in a defeatist frame of mind and she says that will get me nowhere. So like Don Quixote ,I go forward to tilt with my own windmills.. Answer back,of you feel like it, okay?😭

Haha well I don't drink alcohol, never have, and probably not starting now 🤪🤪

I’m heading to Juarez to get sleeved by Dr Rod next week. I’m a little worried, because I do consume more alcohol than I should, but I think I’ll be ok. I had the orbera balloon last year and lost about 20 lbs, but gained it back as soon as they took it out. I’m excited and nervous for this surgery! I’m just looking forward to getting my confidence back. Anyone else going to be at hospital Angeles next week?