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As a girl, pre-surgery, there was a time when I could polish off a large thick crust, extra cheese, super supreme pizza from Piggy Pies. It was NOT my finest hour. Also, have you ever lived with or had an alcoholic in your family, who hid booze? My grandfather had unopened pints of booze hidden everywhere in his house. Is it staged? Or not? I can't answer that--I'm not a producer. But I do believe this happens in real life--even if the show is a dramatization. You're entitled to your opinion. I actually love this doc. So to each his or her own. (side note: it IS interesting that I don't remember ever talking to you before and you come in and comment here suddenly out of the blue -- you don't have any stats posted beyond your low low post and like count. LOL. So why not take a minute and go fill out your profile and signature ticker so we can get to know you better?)

There is a lot of "one size fits all" advice here. I'm going to add my experience, not that it will be yours, but as a counterpoint to some of the other posts on here I'm 6 weeks post op, down 30 lbs - easiest weight I have ever lost I have zero physical hunger, none at all I do have cravings/head hunger. If I eliminate triggers, commercials, smells, cooking shows etc., then I go back to not being hungry Without hunger, it is easier to make good choices, skip over the mashed potatoes at the buffet and go for the chicken My stomach capacity at this point is 1 oz of solid food, so even if I give into cravings, I can't do too much damage When I have food I'm craving, it doesn't taste as good as I remembered I have had alcohol & carbs, I've become neither an alcoholic nor a carb craving hunger monster I had no preop diet, and if I had, I would have been terrible at it My surgeon has done 1000's of surgeries, without preop diets to shrink the liver I maybe alone in this, but I also had no pre op anxiety, The only point I felt nervous was once I got into the OR I plan to get plastics as soon as I get to goal weight (or as soon as I can spare the recovery time!), I'm going to do this because, I'm vain, but also to keep myself motivated to keep the weight off Hope this helps dispels some of the doom and gloom, and I wish you the best!

I'll tell you my experience. I could not lose weight without regaining or giving up. I paid $10k out of pocket, but I think the surgery is worth eyery penny. I'm about 6 weeks out. I've been lucky and can tolerate just about anything (I have not eaten carbs, had soda or alcohol). I can barely eat 1/2 c at a sitting HOWEVER an hour after eating I could eat again if I chose. I look at my kid's plates and would love to have just a taste. I could probably drink milkshakes without a problem. All of this is to say that the surgery is just the first step and a tool- some days I fight mind hunger, craving etc all day long. THAT for me is the hard part. Only you know if you will be able to control those parts of this journey. I wish you only the best and please know that my 2 cents is worth exactly that, 2 cents.

frust8 - thank you for sharing as well. There are far too many of us out there. 1 in 4 girls/1 in 6 boys are sexually abused by the age of 18 - 90% by someone they know, 68% by a family member. Most just never tell. Many combat their abuse through addiction - dissociation - drugs/alcohol/illicit sex - they continue to abuse themselves for it makes the pain bearable. Dr. Judith Herman, in her book Trauma and Recovery, states: “Many abused children cling to the hope that growing up will bring escape and freedom. But the personality formed in the environment of coercive control is not well adapted to adult life. The survivor is left with fundamental problems in basic trust, autonomy, and initiative. She approaches the task of early adulthood――establishing independence and intimacy――burdened by major impairments in self-care, in cognition and in memory, in identity, and in the capacity to form stable relationships. She is still a prisoner of her childhood; attempting to create a new life, she reencounters the trauma.” And on the subject of why people often don't believe the victim - but rather side with the adult - “It is very tempting to take the side of the perpetrator. All the perpetrator asks is that the bystander do nothing. He appeals to the universal desire to see, hear, and speak no evil. The victim, on the contrary, asks the bystander to share the burden of pain. The victim demands action, engagement, and remembering.”

I totally get it! I start pre op diet this Wednesday. We went out to dinner & a show over the wknd & I went all out w/ appetizers, dessert & plenty, actually way too much alcohol. And I plan on hitting up my favorite Chinese buffet in the two days.

My psych Evaluation was AWFUL! He told me I am an alcoholic and I have to attend AA. To appease him, I have stopped drinking and have gone to 2 meetings, but now I am afraid he will say I am not a candidate. So scared.

Let me ask you. What is your diet like? What do you typically eat in a day over a few days. Please list the good and the bad. Reason being? IF you are eating carby, fatty foods, or even if you're eating bread/grains/pasta/rice/tortillas/corn products/sugar/fats/dairy (cheese especially)/tomatoes/alcohol of any kind, your GERD will be through the roof to the moon, Alice. Some people (every member of my fam) who have GERD go on Whole 30 and drop all the above foods and every single one had relief from GERD. My sis was on 3 meds for it, so was my nephew... Just a thought for you!

Omg thank you I’m sure you look gorg!![emoji4][emoji176] Okay I’m 5’7 measurements are 32-25-38. Yes I have about 20 more pounds I need to lose but it’s hard cause I snack on and off! Yes at the gym I just do treadmill and elliptical, I did yoga for months, I did Zumba a few times but I’m done with that I still be out of breath fast [emoji81] way too fast to deal with Zumba. I honestly just google different ways to exercise and at home exercises also. But again I realized I can go hard in the gym and do other things but I won’t lose my last pounds if I keep snacking so also look at other things that could be slowing down your last goal!! I’m still miss protein to the T. I make sure to have eggs, yogurt or salmon atleast 2 of the 3 a day. I’m always at restaurants because I don’t know how to cook so I always get salmon or grilled chicken. Now I can eat salad so lately I get grilled salmon or chicken Cesar salads. I watch little things like dressings, condiments on sandwiches, butter whenever I try to make eggs etc. Also drinks are a big deal. I started drinking alcohol again for the first time in over 15 months... gained 3 pounds after I went out twice and had brunch. I know it’s from those drinks (still till this day I can barely finish half of a reg plate of food). So I stopped that also. I only drink water, maybe I’ll have some iced tea in the week but water is literally the key. Like when I’m properly hydrated I don’t feel hungry or wanna grab some Doritos. So yes it’s Little things that’s truly helped me! Water, STILL & always thinking about protein and watching my snack intake. Everybody is different but I hope these tips helped !!

There are creative ways to look like it's a real drink if you get to the waiter/bar tender ahead of time - twist of lime in sevenup, etc. You could say you are on antibiotic because of xyz (dental work, ear infection, sinus) and cannot drink alcohol. And attitude goes a long way - if you act like someone kicked your puppy because you can't drink well that is on you....if you yuck it up and make jokes, then no one is wizer. And I worked in IT - a very male dominated field, not to disparage my own sex but men are easier to get along with 75% of the time.

There's nothing wrong being a recovering alcoholic, I've been in recovery 7 years. Your sales job shouldn't have anything to do with how much you can drink or "hang with the boys". Sales is about how good you can pitch your product. There's numerous reasons not to drink, not including health reasons. A woman could be pregnant, it could be a religious moment (lint and Ramadan), people that fast to cleanse their body, don't enjoy alcohol, etc. Sent from my Z983 using BariatricPal mobile app

You may not I have ... but I have. I work in sales, in a male industry. My job includes a lot of travel and entertainment. That means closing down the bar and then being good to go the next morning. Would I get fired if I couldn't drink, no. But it would definitely lower my capital in my company. If I just sat there drinking water while everyone else drinks, I would either be not a team player, or assumed to be a recovering alcoholic. Right or wrong, that is the reality in some companiies/industries.

There's no need for a new man. Like any addiction, there's so many people out there that just don't get it. I'm a recovering alcoholic/addict ( 7 years this May). My mother in law just don't get it. Instead of making myself mad talking to her about addictions, I realize people are entitled to their opinion. Everyone else's feelings for me are none of my business. If I talk about recovery to those in AA, I am maintaining my own serenity. It's not up to anyone to provide me peace, but me. You have a slew of support right here. Just tell him that's his feeling and he had a ridge to his feeling. Then come on here and brag about that amazing weight loss. Sent from my Z983 using BariatricPal mobile app

I also find this an extremely judgmental statement. So occasional alcohol consumption = not preserving your health? What about balance and moderation? WLS doesn't mean our lives are filled with NEVER's and CAN'T's. My program is the same. I also am in sales and travel for business nearly every week. Drinking is a big part of the industry and my companies culture. I am also known for liking to drink and having a high tolerance. My first business trip was a week long, and I had about one drink a day. I had beer and Mai Tais (I was in Hawaii). I honestly had no desire to drink, I just did it to be social. After being gone a week, I weighed myself and gained 2 lbs. I was eating fairly healthily and very little, so I can only contribute it to the alcohol and sugar in the mixers. So because I'm not willing to sabotage my weight loss, I'm giving up drinking until I'm at goal (or go on vacation, lol). I'm explaining both my not drinking and my negligible eating on vague stomach problems, so tying them together helps deflect the questions I receive. Call me vain, but vanity is my main motivation. Vanity about how I look in a mirror. I'm single and the fact is a much narrower set of men are attracted to me than would be if I were thinner. But also vanity when I'm not able to hike up a hill or climb a pyramid with my friend. I hate the feeling when I'm completely winded and have to take breaks doing some activity that my fit friends have no problem doing. It's not the physical feeling, but this internal cringe and embarrassment of being fat, and knowing I'm being judged for it. I agree with this as well. Why is being reversible the most important factor for you? At first I considered reversible solutions because I thought, I'm not that big, I don't need/want my stomach removed. But then I started reading and found that the VSG was the right fit, and I do want a lifetime solution, not just a temporary one. You said you want to maintain on your own. Maintenance is the hardest part of weight loss. I think most of us at our weight has been successful at losing, but then we go back up again. I want/need the help to do both, lose and maintain. I'd suggest finding a surgeon to talk through your options with. You'll want a surgeon who is patient and good communicator, so you may have to try a few (my surgeon has no patience and is terribly brusque, for example) I looked at both as well. I eliminated the balloons because of poor reviews. On RealSelf it only has a 50% "I'd do it again" rating vs. 100% for the sleeve and 97% for Bypass. The reviews there and other places also spoke of extreme and constant nausea, so that was a deal breaker. For the Lapband has a 54% "I'd do it again" rating on RealSelf. I also read about all the negatives like erosion, slipping, lack of results. I also have a good friend who had the Lapband many years ago, and still has hers. She says she loves her lapband and has no problems. But I'm with her often and know she has a lot of digestive issues. She may deny it, but I can't help but think they are related to her band. I did go through a period of pretty extreme lightheartedness and general exhaustion weeks 2-3. I got a B12 shot and then I felt almost normal. Not sure if the shot helped, or a coincidence, but I know I'm going to get another shot in a month! At this point I probably couldn't do any kind of sustained physical activity. I'm told it's because of my low cals (300-400). But there are many on this board who are very active soon after surgery including running marathons. You'll just have to give yourself time to heal, then long term you should be able to do everything you could in the past, and even more being lighter and healthier.

I hate to even mention this but it did cross my mind... For all the reasons others are stating, plus the fact you aren't even of drinking age yet. I'm not saying to go out and be an alcoholic but enjoy your twenties. Let yourself be your own restrictions and not a life changing surgery. Best of luck! Sent from my LGMP450 using BariatricPal mobile app

Everything seems about right! Have you reached out to your NUT and surgeon? I'd say this is pretty slow loss considering what you are eating. One thing I can say, I stalled after 2 weeks post op, and did not start loosing until I started exercising. I mean, cardio with keeping my heart rate increased for 30mins+ per day. This isn't meant to sound bad, but obviously your physical activity at your job wasn't enough pre surgery, so it may not be enough post surgery. Some vets on here don't believe as much in exercise, but we have almost identical stats and exercise worked for me. I'm 8 weeks post op and down 65lbs. Also, I increased my calories at about 6 weeks post op to around 800-900 calories per day. I track 100% of my food & exercise on MyFitnessPal. I keep my carbs to under 50 grams per day and my protein at around 75 grams. I don't eat any pasta, white bread, processed sugar, processed foods (for the most part, about 95 fresh/5 processed split), caloric drinks, or alcohol. I'd like to see what your stats are after logging you food for one week.

I quit drinking alcohol before my surgery and have not started back. I don’t think I will, because I can really feel the difference abstaining has made. I wanted to change my life and have done that — if I’d been too concerned about preserving the way I was living before, I wouldn’t have done something as dramatic as WLS. I’m so happy that I did! All the best as you work through your decision process.

Welcome, Katie! My program allows alcohol after all procedures, but discourages the consumption of liquid calories in general. So depending on how often you have those business dinners (I used to fly from IAD to SFO every single week), liquid calories may or may not be an issue for you. I don't have personal experience with lap band or gastric balloon, but the feedback I got from my program indicates that almost everyone who gets a lap-band gets it removed, sometimes with permanent damage left behind. Regarding the balloon, not many have had it, but everyone who has had it at my hospital has regained their weight rapidly as soon as it was removed. I haven't heard about any sports or activity-related restrictions as a result of any type of surgery, but you won't be able to gulp water after most surgery types. RNY gastric bypass is considered reversible. My surgeon has successfully reversed it, but has only had one patient (of several thousand) that needed reversal.

@Katie Hasen welcome to the group newbie it is hard to understand how a person is speaking/tone of voice thru a computer monitor. i KNOW that @Sosewsue61 was talking to you in a normal way/tone - she was giving good info - that's all - no ill will intent was said/or meant. With a few exceptions - all OP on this board are obese or morbidly obese - if they/we weren't considered obese - we wouldn't have needed/had WLS. most everyone on the board had/will have WLS for their health. diabetes, BP - orthopedic reasons. due to my weight i had each knee replaced because of my "small" LOL excess weight. As OP lose weight, they usually do look better - that's the icing on the cake from WLS. health comes first doctors are choosing to perform fewer and fewer lap bands. too many problems "might" happen in a short time - or one year + later. i think the lap band will become extinct in the near future. i believe the balloon is very new - not that many stats on outcome/long term success. you can't/shouldn't weigh too much for this WLS . this is a fact too. OP will drink a little alcohol when their doc approves. could be 3, 6, months, one year. all docs/NUTS will give different advice. so yes, you'll be allowed to drink. PO many peeps have different reactions to alcohol. it takes very little alcohol to make you feel tipsy!! i don't think there are any limitations with physical activities. walking, jogging, running jogging, football etc. getting dizzy, this would probably occur to anyone who overdoes activity. you will be told to drink at least 64oz water/liquids - and then eat protein (chicken, fish) etc. veggies are very important to eat. (some diets are diff. - advocating no carbs or.....) not sure what LOL ask your questions - read the boards - you'll see posts referring to something you wanted to also know. you also should explore the SEARCH button in top right hand corner. knowledge is power !! most everyone here is very nice, thoughtful with their responses et al - you might see a bad apple on the board - just go to another orchard good luck with your decision on WLS. we ARE here to help kathy

FluffyChix and Sosewsue61 - I'm not looking to attempt to (Again) lose the weight without some sort of assistance. When I was in my 20's, I went from 263 to 163 entirely on my own. I was the poster child for the Subway diet. I went there 7 days a week, ate the exact same thing. Ate under 1000 cals a day, and burned almost 1000 a day (According to the calorie counts on the gym equipment). But as with all of my "successes" I gained it back quite quickly. Mistake? Maybe it was because I didn't incorporate heavy lifting. More likely, I did not have the support with discussion boards and blogs and so forth like this. I have always seemed to have a problem with the maintaining weight phase. I work in a highly scientific field, so being impartial and rigorously examining all paths and possibilities has essentially been ingrained in me for the last 15 years. It is because of this that I go to the nth degree down the pro's and con's path. Although bias is verboten within my field, I admit to myself that I am biased towards getting the surgery. Because of that, I think I spend more time trying to counter my bias examining potential. My intent for this post is that the two issues I mentioned are often not mentioned in "standard" (less academia) literature or discussed as a side effect during information seminars. It was a completely new angle for me to study, but I wanted to get some empirical evidence from my own population, since I am not satisfied with the conclusions made by the researchers thus far. As Creekimp13 mentioned, while informative, these studies (for the most part) concentrate only on WLS patients, and not the double blind "gold standard" of research. Granted, I am positive it is difficult to track WLS candidates that did not get WLS, but I would think such data would exist in simply brilliant record keeping such as the Framingham Nurses study. I agree, my path, without significant intervention, is ultimately diabetes and then cardiovascular death. Grandfather died of 2 strokes and a heart attack at 57. Father had a quintuple bypass in his 50's. Other grandfather died of a heart attack. (Granted grandfathers smoked like a chimney and were both alcoholics). Diabetes runs in my family, and thus far with an a1c of 4.9, I'm doing quite well, but I know that it is inevitable, and frankly it is the #1 motivator for me to get the surgery. Fix the root cause (obesity) and dozens (if not hundreds) of other related complications disappear or are mitigated by a great deal Sadly, I agree that dental work is in my future for sure, and if one wants something enough, they will make it happen by working extra jobs or lifestyle modifications (conserve money). I suppose my biggest concern is that the extraordinary cost that is inevitable, will be a recurrent expense (Due to the WLS-induced decreased longevity). That being said, I wholeheartedly admit this involves a lot of speculation and future prediction, something that I believe no one is skilled at other than the Lord. Thank you both for your honest and candid opinions, I am all ears, believe me. FluffyChix, thank you very much for sharing your resources, later today I intend to go through it.

You risk opinions by asking on a forum, you asked for opinions. I am not shaming you, I don't believe stating you are obese is inaccurate, I put myself in this category. Shaming would be saying 'fatty fatty two by four', ha ha ha. Permanent success is needed and not more failure. The balloon is not very successful in your bmi range, the band is largely being abandoned by physicians - also facts. If you are confident in your physician's estimation of your choice and success then you don't need opinions on here. If you are looking for just validation then you are insecure in your choice, we are not research scientists, we are opinionated wls patients and everyone is an individual with individual results and individual lifestyles as you may. Some drink alcohol, many do not - amounts vary. But you will not get it sugar coated.

I love my life. I am not doing this because I need to look good in the mirror. I am doing this because my weight has started to effect my ability to live my life. I posted my question on here to hopefully get some opinions from people about how they live their life. My doctor is the one that told me about this site and told me to post to ask questions because he could only give me medical recommendations and medical responses. Shame on you for pointing out that I am obese when you don't even know the reasons why I am and for pointing out that if I want to lose weight I have to give up my life. That is what I don't want to do. And my doctor told me I shouldn't have to, but to ask the questions of people who have had the surgeries to find out how they live their lives the way I do. I never said I wanted to go out and get drunk. I am trying to understand what people's experience is with alcohol so I understand real life limitations, not medical recommendations. Also shame on your for telling me that I should not do the Balloon because of how much I weigh. I was not asking for an oppinion on which I should get. The doctor and I have been talking about both and are working on making the right decision for me. I asked for people to share experiences with me, not their opinions of me.

From what I understand of these surgeries - the lapband is being dropped by most surgeons because it erodes and slips - it works for many people, but more and more are having them removed due to those issues. The balloon is usually for people not as obese as you are, as it is a short term fix for restriction, and I only know one person that had it and had issues so it didn't work well for her. Also if you are too worried about alcohol and a client's 'opinion' of you not drinking you need more reflection on what you really want/need. Your health preserved or a two minute observation on not consuming liquor. Really? You ARE morbidly obese. I am not trying to be unkind - I started at 41bmi, so that was me too. There are no quick, handy cute fixes.

Sammi, my post was not to scare others, I apologize it does sound like it frightened you. Everything I have found that is trustworthy show it is plausible. Some is conflicting saying that sugar-intake actually rises post-WLS, which I find a hard time believing. Nevertheless the Ketosis (Highly acidic, pseudo-alcohol breath) does explain it somewhat, along with acid erosion if people frequently eat until they vomit. Here are the studies I have been looking at. I won't bother citing them because I'm no longer in Graduate school, but the authors are listed in these links. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/29304473/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16989694 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5467377/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26409987 This is for the esophageal cancer, a very, very small population, so I would take it with a grain of salt. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3016829/ [edit] I realize this is just a single piece of evidence here, and I intend to investigate it further.

Hello! I have been fighting doing bariatric surgery for a few years now, but my health has gotten to the point where I have started to take medication for pre-diabetic that is going to be diabetes quick and my weight is not starting to effect my ability to be active, which I am VERY active. So I have made the decision to make some serious inquiries and research into it. I know I want something that is reversible, because I want help with the weight loss, but I really want to maintain it on my own. I went to the seminar at our bariatric surgery center to learn about the different types and the two that I am very seriously considering is the Lap-band and the Gasteric Balloon. I would like to step away from the medical professionals and get some real life input on what people's experiences have been with both. Things I am looking for are... Alcohol consumption (I know its not recommended, but can I really not have a glass of wine here or there?? I take clients out on a regular basis and I enjoy a glass) The Balloon states pretty much no carbs and a lot of veggies are out. So am I going to a liquid and meat diet??? What about physical activity of each??? Are any of you playing sports like softball, basketball, volleyball after you have the surgery? Do you feel any lightheadedness doing these type of activities? Any other issues with contact sports? Anything else that you all are willing to share to help me make a decision I would really appreciate.

That's very sad.. but alcohol does the same thing. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app