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Lettuce compare bad dates ( NOT the fruit) Current mood:Sylvan Category: Blogging So, before I get started I have 2 important announcements: 1) - Our newest blog friend, Misbehaving ( I assume everybody has met MB and read his blogs? M, I'm talking to you.....don't be shy......he writes good stuff) pointed out that I've totally ignored my tradition of dedicating a blog to the newest kid on the block, so to speak. This blog is dedicated to you, MB (although the "honor" may be a little dubious). 2) - This blog has been blatantly inspired by MB's latest. Ciss kinda went into it in her comments, and I realized that the story has to be told. In all of its ugliness. To really understand how I got into this mess, everybody needs to understand 2 things about me ( side note- Is this "2 things" a recurring theme? I don't know, my friend.....I don't know): I have trouble telling people "no", and I'm waaaaay too nice. I understand your skepticism, but it's true. The "dog-eat-dog" atmosphere of Atlanta High School was so oppressive, that I had gained a reputation as a "really nice guy" (no better way to get laid in high school, right? yeah) by doing nothing more than NOT insulting people to their faces. Apparently I'd also, by my junior year, captured the attention of a senior lass (Her name is ****). Her father and my father were......not good friends, exactly, but......they knew each other really well. Throughout the year I had avoided going to ****'s Halloween party ( She told me "I'll be wearing a toga"), ****'s Thanksgiving party ( "We're gonna play seven minutes in Heaven"....I didn't know what that was, but I didn't like the sound of it), and ****'s Christmas & New Year's parties ( I knew all about the hazards of mistletoe and 12:00). Spring was rolling around fast, though, and so was prom season. At my house, hints were getting dropped that **** wanted to ask me to her prom. This was an actual conversation: Dad: "I saw Jerry ***** today." Me: "Really." Dad: "He said his daughter thinks you're a fine young man, and so does he" Me: "........." Dad: "He thought you might be a good date for her prom. She's cute." Me: "Dad, she's kinda ugly" Dad: "........." (sending out silent, powerful waves of disapproval) The very next day at school, **** cornered me and asked me to the prom. It was a little awkward, because we almost never spoke. I hemmed and hawed, but for every half-excuse I gave, she had a comeback (I cracked under pressure and couldn't think of a iron-clad excuse. Besides, I was trying to give her the opportunity to save some face, but she was having none of it). Finally, she administered the coup-de-grace: "I've already bought the tickets, and there's nobody else to go with...PLEASE?" Prom time. Everybody parked their cars at the high school and boarded a chartered bus to go to the big city of Texarkana. The whole ride down (about 45 mins) was incredibly awkward and silent. I didn't have any friends in the SR. class of 1987, and I didn't know squat about my date. Since it was a chartered bus, the chaperones were not exactly vigilant about screening for alcohol, and everybody was drinking like a fish (except.....somebody forgot to give me the memo. And I could have used a stiff drink). All throughout the night, I fought off a tipsy, dry-humping **** who was trying to kiss my neck. At one point, my date told me "You ought to take off your shirt and just wear your jacket and bowtie".....(WTF?!?). I declined. It was a looooooooong dance. The bus ride back was even worse. It was very dark, and the slobbery sounds of kissing seemed to be preternaturally amplified. I stared straight ahead, thinking how much of a good-night kiss I'd have to pony up to avoid being talked about. At this point, **** takes my arm, puts it around her shoulder, and for good measure, down the front of her dress. So now I've got a handful of boob (Another sidebar....as a commited boob man, that part wasn't so bad. It was just a little unexpected). It was time to man up and take one for the team, so I made out with her. Just for a little while. When the bus arrived back at the high school, **** and I went to my car (unluckily, like MB, it had bench seats. Because I'm a quick, quick learner, I planted my right hand firmly on the steering wheel). **** leaned over and breathlessly wispered "I don't have to be back anytime. My parents trust you....we can do anything you want.....". What I wanted to say was "Ok, then.....we're off to find some hot chicks". Instead, what came out of my mouth was "Er.....It's already a little past my curfew.....I have to go home". I thought that would get my point across. Wrong. **** was incredibly unfazed, saying "....Well, call me tomorrow and we can do something then". Wow.......I didn't call. Every so often for the rest of the year, My dad would ask if I'd seen **** around, or had heard from her. I would just look at him in stony silence. He got the message. Years later, Ciss and I saw **** at the local Super Wal-Mart ( the social nexus of Cass County) going grocery shopping. **** was loading her buggy up with frozen entreees. "Hmmmmm", said Ciss, "Dinner for one, ****?" It was the best and meanest line I had heard in a long time.

I was surprised as well. My list from my doctor is: Clear Liquid Diet in hospital (day of surgery + next day) Full Liquid Diet, 1-day post-op - 1-week post-op. Chopped Diet, 1-week post-op - 1-month post-op. Avoid foods with more than 2gm sugar alcohol 8 cups of fluid between meals Take multi-vitamins Exercise - No lifting over 10lbs first eight weeks after surgery. I do have the Premier Protein shakes, which I liked before the surgery, but after the only one I can tolerate is the chocolate one. I do like the clear one, but it is only 20g, but it also counts as a liquid, so that is a win-win. I was all prepared with caffeine-free coffee and everything, but I was told coffee is fine, so happy dance. I do like seaweed, so I am going to get some of those for snacks and just add protein powders to everything I can since 92 grams seems like a lot.

I use to be a wine consultant, so wine is my favorite! I also drank it in moderation. And actually before I decided on surgery my NUT told me I could have 4 oz a day. But when I decided on surgery I stopped drinking. And it was refreshing. I save so much $ too. Because I would open a bottle and then drink a glass and that be it. Red wine is only good for two days once opened. But now I am six weeks out and still no craving for alcohol. I set a goal though. Going on vacation end of March to New Orleans so planning to have a drink or two. Wine has sugar so I'll make sure to have no sugar foods that time. I also know that it's all temporary. I'm still in healing phase. The key is Moderation!

I loved wine especially red but read several articles on how easy it could be to become an alcoholic after gastric surgery because it hits you blood stream really fast. Also the dopamine crave.I am just a few days post op and really want to try not to until probably 1 year But I do think however soon you choose be careful it's a slippery slope.

Normally, I'm not into artificial sweetners, but I spotted this new product at the store today that is called: Eat Well, Be Well, sugar-free, no sugar alcohols, diabetic friendly chocolate bar. So I bought it thinking it will probably be like eating cardboard, but it's good! It's definitely a dark chocolate taste and I like it. Just thought I would share for any trying to curb that sweet tooth. Kelli

Sugar alcohols can cause diarrhea and GI issues if you consume to many be aware....

LAP-BAND AND ALCOHOL: CAN YOU DRINK AFTER LAP-BAND SURGERY? Thursday, 15 December 2011 11:54 You may have heard conflicting information about your ability to drink alcohol after Lap-Band surgery, or even horror stories about WLS surgery patients who have had a dangerously high blood alcohol content after just one drink. Some doctors may warn you that you can never drink alcohol again - ever - after being banded, because of the risk of damaging your liver. Others say that it's fine to begin drinking moderately six months after surgery, but to exercise caution. So why the difference in opinion? WLS AND ALCOHOL The warnings about WLS and blood alcohol content apply mainly to patients who have undergone Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RNY). Because of the changes to the digestive system that occur with RNY, alcohol passes directly into the intestines, where it is rapidly absorbed. This can cause patients to become dangerously intoxicated from small amounts of alcohol. Gastric bypass patients should use extreme caution when drinking, and should never drink and drive. Lap-Band patients do not undergo the same changes in anatomy and therefore do not experience the same rapid absorption of alcohol as RNY patients. However, that doesn't mean that Lap-Band patients don't experience some risks related to alcohol consumption. There are some important considerations to take into account when deciding whether or not to pick up a beer or pour yourself a glass of wine. ALCOHOL MAY STILL AFFECT YOU DIFFERENTLY You're losing weight and eating less, which means that you may feel the effects of alcohol more strongly, especially if you drink on an empty stomach. If you do decide to drink, do so in a safe environment, and never drink and drive. Sip slowly and keep your alcohol consumption low until you know how it will affect you. ALCOHOL CONTAINS A LOT OF CALORIES Many doctors prefer that their Lap-Band patients don't drink because of the empty calories in alcohol. Mixed drinks such as margaritas, mai tais, pina coladas, and long island iced teas contain a lot of sugar and as much as 600 calories. Always factors in calories when drinking, and opt for low-cal drinks such as dry wine, vodka mixed with Crystal Light, or light beer - if you can tolerate the carbonation. Some Lap-Band patients find beer easier to drink than soda, but it may take some experimentation to find out what works for you. If champagne is your drink of choice, you may need to open it well in advance and let it go a little flat. SOME WLS PATIENTS STRUGGLE WITH ADDICTIONS Your doctor may prefer that you err on the side of caution as many WLS patients experience a phenomenon known as addiction transference. Because they are no longer able to overeat, they may turn to other unhealthy behaviors for dealing with stress and emotions. If you have a history of alcohol abuse, it's best to avoid it completely. If you want to continue enjoying an occasional drink after Lap-Band surgery, consult your medical team and follow their recommendations as closely. They may advise you to wait six months following surgery to give yourself time to heal and adjust to your new diet. http://www.malleysurgical.com/news/lap-band-and-alcohol-can-you-drink-after-lap-band-surgery.html

I had my first drink (diet coke and rum over ice) at 4.5 months out. I felt a little tipsier than I would have felt from one drink before, but I've never been a big drinker. Several weeks ago, I attended a bachelorette party where I drank 8 drinks over the course of about 7 hours, along with several glasses of water to combat the diuretic effects. I felt buzzed for a bit, then sobered up REALLY fast. I'm sure my liver hated me, but I had no adverse effects. No weight gain, no hangover and we had a blast. I did dance all night, so maybe that affected my alcohol absorption.

Ok I have been going through the thread and I am wondering. Why do some lose 50, 100 pounds in less than a year and it takes some two years to do so. I have a friend who was 208 pre-op and now she is 146 or was now she is 152. She was banded in 2004. I'm thinking it has to be lack of excercise and following the bandster rules. Three years to lose 60 pounds seems rediculous to me. Maybe because my friend is older I dont know. She doesn't excercise either and she is a major sweet eater. Me I'm a volumn meat eater which why I chose the band. But wouldn't you want to excercise and do right to get the weight off and keep it off? I'm 244 at 5ft2 and my goal is 130-140 I dont want to be 3yrs trying to get it off! So those of who have succeeded to 75-100 pounds in less than a year please post what you ate and how much you excercised. Did you stop eating after 6 or 7? What excercise routine did you do? Did you drink alcohol? Cut sugar? How many fills?

There are too many individual factors that contribute to weightloss rates to answer "why do some people lose so quickly?" Motivation, individual metabolism, lifestyle, genetic disposition, psychological disposition, luck of the draw... and on... and on... and one of the biggest - how much weight you need to lose. I could say I lost 200# in my first year, but that wouldn't mean you should expect to do the same, especially if I had 600 lbs to lose and you had 50. Almost every piece of literature will gauge progress on a percentage of excess weight lost, and not pounds lost. There's no way I could post everything I've eaten. And I didn't journal it on a public site, so no easy links. As for your other questions: Did you stop eating after 6 or 7? Maybe - if I wasn't hungry after then, but there were many occasions I know I ate considerably later than that. What excercise routine did you do? No set routine. I tried the set routines and they bored me too much. Did you drink alcohol? Sometimes, if I wanted a drink. For me, "I want a drink" means one drink every couple of months. Not a big drinker. Cut sugar? I did in the beginning, didn't worry about it so much later on. How many fills? I didn't keep track of the number of fills. I think what's more important is fill level. I'm at 2.75 in a 4. (IMO it doesn't matter if it took me one fill to get there or 20, what matters is that 2.75/4 is a good place for me). I'm reticent to answer questions like this because often we'll see follow-ups of "I tried what so and so did and it didn't work" -- and it's SO important to go into this understanding that you may be the fasest loser, and you may be the slowest (probably you will be somewhere in between), and that it's all one big learning curve toward figuring out what works for you and what doesn't. There are no "givens" when it comes to what works.

From what I have read, this particular kind of euphoria is rare, everyone feels good after exercise but this is different. I could count myself lucky to feel such mind bending pleasure from strenuous activity *cough*, but I also think it has something to do with a genetic predisposition toward addiction, basically our brains are overly sensitive to pleasure, we feel pleasure more intensely than normal people. So, some addicts abuse this gift with heroin, others with alcohol. Me, I hit the cheeseburgers. And people can legitimately become addicted to exercise, I'm sure I'm a looong way from that, but I get it.

I think alot of children of alcoholic parent(s) grow up having no choice but to have a good sense of humor, its the only way out. I am also the youngest of 7 so my elders taught me well. To this day we still do silly stuff and we are all in our 40's and 50's. Life is to short not to laugh.

Ok I am jumping in on this From a differnt angle NO WLS will not fix a abuser of food and alcohol! Most likely will make it worse My Male Ass Story! There is no doubt i went thru some rough times with this, To put it bluntly was a complete Prick! Moody grumpy and all out miserable! Until i got my head on straight. This is a huge issue with both males and females, the extreme changes our bodies go thru make is different. So this tool will never fix those issues I am not married but very close physically and mentally to my x wife. She saw the changes and it got ugly again. I have a few other friends with privileges and they noticed it also. Even my Male friends said WTF! I am 52 and ended up in a Lake side bar brawl with a bunch of 21 year old. Temper was short and they did cross the line, But I would have never even let it bother me pre WLS. Lucky for me i crashed and got help getting my stuff together. I am fine now but it took some time, back to the old person i was. I did not get divorced from WLS i have been divorced a long time. I suggest you get his closest friend or brother to talk to him Man to Man. In other words Man up or you will loose a lot around you. Then get him a Head Doc that specializes in Divorce saving and behavior Changes. Anything can be fixed! Just may not be easy. But i fully understand Hard to Break a ALpha Male Complex

45 years old, 5'5"; HW 238; SW 216; CW 145. I never wrote down what my weight loss was as I went, so I don't know what I lost 1 month, 2 months out, etcetera. According to my ticker I met goal weight on 7/7 ( 6 1/2 months ). I STRONGLY suggest you don't weigh yourself daily or compare yourself to others. The unhappiest people on these boards are the ones that do. I only weighed about 2-3 times/month in the beginning, then weekly, now a couple times/month, mostly to have something to put on my ticker. Gauge your success by how you feel, how your clothes fit and all the other NSV's that matter way more than numbers on a scale. For me, my milestones and highlights were my rings fitting (but now they're too big), being able to shop for clothes in regular stores, crossing my legs, not feeling obsessed by food, not drinking alcohol, my knees and feet not hurting everyday, and having to buy a new saddle because my butt got way too small for my old one.

I drink about as much as I did preband - a glass of wine 2 or 3 times a week. I dont think that much is going to do too much harm to the diet, but just like preband, I tend to consume too many alcohol kilojoules when I'm out that one glass of wine becomes two or three. My alcohol tolerance did change a bit after banding but only for a short time becuase I went so long without a drink. But I"m used to it again now and can easily handle say 2 drinks over the course of a dinner, whereas I was getting quite hilariously tipsy on that amount for a while there.

I only heard, from the seminar that I attended before being banded, that alcohol is fine but do not drink it with a carbonated drink. Wine should be fine and other alcohol - probably not beer -- all in moderation though. Which brings me to the subject of carbonated drinks... Has anyone heard why we cannot have carbonated drinks (diet soda) - is it because of the air that gets into the stomach and is hard to get rid of? Or, can it do damage to the lapband? Please advise, anyone that knows!

So, this got me curious. I went to guinness.com and looked up the brewing process. Under Fermentation it says: Arthur's yeast in action; now the liquid is cooled, our special yeast is added and is allowed to ferment for a number of days. The yeast converts brewing sugars to alcohol and carbon dioxide gas, creating that wondrous flavor. This gas is collected and purified for re-use. Then in Packaging: The beer is now almost ready for packaging, but whatever the variant, GUINNESS® is always crowned with a distinctive head. With GUINNESS® Draught, nitrogen is added in the packaging process , this is what gives the pint the magical beauty. When the beer is served, the nitrogen bubbles will be released, bringing the beer alive and creating that famous surge, settle and wonderfully creamy head. With GUINNESS® Foreign Extra Stout — the depth of character in flavour is matched with the amount of entrained carbon dioxide. When poured from a bottle it releases an eruption of foam, creating the classic, slightly brown, full and creamy head. After packaging, every batch is tasted by the brewer before leaving the brewery, to ensure that it meets our exacting standards - one of the world's greatest jobs! It's the tradition, craft and passion, passed down through generations for 250 years, that makes it GUINNESS® beer, draught, or stout. Finally our creation is offically GUINNESS® beer, draught, or stout and it's ready for the rest of the journey. Whether in keg, bottle or can it's on the move again, bound for pubs and bars around the world (or the local just around the corner). I dunno what it means, but they mention both CO2 and Nitrogen.

I'm 18.5 weeks pregnant. I won't have any issues losing the pregnancy weight. I'll just low carb it again until I get the weight off. I gained a few pounds over the holidays and dropped those pounds in a little over a week just by cutting alcohol and carb consumption. As for the breakdown of weight gain with a pregnancy, this is what they've outlined for my weight gain: Maternal Fat- 7lbs Baby- 6-8lbs (average is 7.5lbs) Increases Fluid (blood volume)-2-4 ( a mother's blood volume typically doubles during pregnancy) Amniotic Fluid- 1-1.5lbs Placenta- 2lbs Breast tissue/mammary system weight increase - 1-2lbs Watch out for the ROSE procedure, it has an 85% failure rate. This is also discussed heavily on the obesityhelp.com Revision forum. ERNY (extended RNY, where they remove more intestine to start malabsorption again since intestinal adaptation has taken over at this point for you) is also an option. They will shorten your common channel by another 50-100cm. You definitely want to know before you agree to a revision if you have a pouch or stoma dilation because if you have actual mechanical failure with your RNY even a band over the pouch isn't going to do much because once the food passes through the band pouch into your RNY pouch, you will still be able to more food, and your malabsorption is gone. As for Jerusalem clinic, honestly, out of over 3 years on weight loss forums, I have never read of one patient having a RNY take down and revision to the VSG being performed there and honestly that is possibly why they are recommending the band over the bypass pouch to give you restriction again. Seriously, I can name 4 surgeons worldwide that are experienced with these surgeries, and with self-pay patients the cost just for the surgeon run upwards of 20-30k because it is such a complicated and exhausting surgery to take down an old RNY. I promise I researched revisions for months once I knew my band had to come out. The risks for complications especially leaks from scar tissue and adhesions literally quadruples with revisions vs. a virgin, unaltered stomach/intestinal tract. I had a leak with a band revision to VSG after only having the band for 8 months, and actually lost more stomach tissue because of the damage the band had done. My surgeon was experienced with revisions, and I happen to be a statistic of his that I'd like to take back. I was his first and only VSG leak so it can happen even with really experienced surgeons. I'm not slamming Jerusalem Clinic, but revisions are super tricky, complicated, and I would hate to see you fork out the money, get a surgery that is as high maintenance as the BOB procedure and then continue to struggle with your weight and be looking at or for another surgery. There have been RNY to VSG revisions performed due to reactive hypoglycemia symptoms and diagnosis after RNY, but again, it's a very complicated surgery with high risks. Just choose carefully, and continue to research your options.

No. That's not bad. It's your own personal business. I can think of lots of things people keep private. Can you imagine if all skinny people, for example, had to wear a T-shirt that displayed their problems the way our fat does for us? "I'm an alcoholic", "I lost my rent money gambling", "I had a testical removed" People keep their personal information private. Just because you're used to everyone knowing your business doesn't mean you have to tell them

Reality sucks sometimes, doesn't it? :sad_smile: The fact is, many people DO believe all their problems are due to their weight. It's a hard reality when we find out that the weight was just an additional problem to the ones we already had. I know that adjusting to my new body (when it happens) will be exciting and scary at the same time. I know that I must address the issues that made me overeat. Many people replace overeating for overdoing something else: shopping, exercising, gambling, sex addictions... all sorts of things. Which creates all NEW problems. My sister is like that. She was a bulimic. Now I believe she has that under control, but she is (I believe) an alcoholic. And when I saw her this past summer, she was WAY overdoing the exercise thing. It was absolutely manic. So long as we know these things going into this journey, we won't be surprised or potentially even more depressed in our thinner selves. I think it's very important that we heal the mental self as much as we are working so hard to heal the physical self. No matter how great thin feels, there was still something within us that drove us to get fat. Heal that as best you can and you will succeed in the long run, in my humble opinion.

What has your doctor recommended? If your bone loss & calcium absorption level is poor they should have you on appropriate meds, etc. to help you better manage it. A friend was put a high calcium diet (including more dairy, oily fish, tinned fish with soft bones -salmon, mackerel, beans, etc.) to support hers. She walks a fine line though as she also has a heart condition & too much calcium cause heart issues. How are your vitamin D levels? Your body needs D to help absorb calcium. Not sure if you drink alcohol but it impedes the body’s ability to absorb calcium & vitamin D. I was prescribed Creons (pancreatic enzymes) to help with my protein malabsorption issues. I believe they can help many malabsorption issues. Worth asking your doctor.

Making the decision to have weight loss surgery is a very big deal. It seems obvious to say that when someone agrees to weight-loss surgery they're desperate for help to change the way they're living, or not fully living their lives. Everyone goes into the procedure ready and willing to surgically alter their anatomy hoping for a better future. So why is it that so many will fall short of losing the optimal amount of weight for their health and will actually regain within 3 years much if not all of the weight they lost? Some studies say 1/3 of patients will regain most of their weight post-surgery. I think the number is actually higher because many people who regain simply fall out of contact with their bariatric surgeon and support staff because they feel ashamed, so the statistics do not include these people. So, why do most people regain the weight? What can you do to help insure that you will be one of the successful long-term losers of your excess weight? By examining why people fail you can create a plan for how you will succeed. The government agency, National Institutes for Health (NIH) defines weight-loss surgery as "merely a tool that helps people get a new start toward maintaining long-term good health. The surgery alone will not help someone lose weight and keep it off. Together with a reduced-calorie and low-fat diet and daily exercise, surgery will help an individual lose weight and maintain the weight loss.” Please read that a few times. That is how important this quote is! The surgery alone will not help someone lose weight and keep it off. We as weight-loss surgery patients have a history of seeking comfort, happiness and pleasure through food. We wouldn't be here if that weren't true. Me included. The process of surgically altering our anatomies does nothing to remove from us the tendency to seek comfort in familiar ways but assures there will be physical suffering if we do. Post-surgery we will still have the same brain that is used to comforting us with food, and we will still have the fingers and the arms that are used to lifting food to the same mouth to find comfort and pleasure. It is critically important that the WLS patient seek out new ways to soothe, comfort, and find pleasure in their world other than by eating. ONE main reason patients regain their weight is they search for ways to get around the surgery, still thinking of food as primarily a source of pleasure, not a source of fuel that can be pleasurable. This is often done relying on liquid calories, which may pass more easily, like high calorie coffee or juice bar drinks or alcohol. This is also done post-operatively by trying to maintain the presence of “trigger foods” in their lives. “Trigger foods” are often foods from the patient's past that helped cause obesity, do not satisfy hunger but instead create a craving. Many are high-calorie and highly processed, not nutritious. Trigger foods can include chocolate, chips, crackers, bread, cookies, ice cream, pudding, lattes, frapuccinos and alcoholic beverages. Really, any food can be a “trigger food” if there is so much pleasure in the “mouth-feel” or taste that repeating the pleasurable experience takes on more importance than actually feeding hunger. Very successful patients cultivate a mostly trigger-free post- surgical life. Bariatric surgeons and the NIH know the most common reason for regain and the most common post- surgical complication is “noncompliance.” Non-compliance is a fancy word that means the patient is not eating and exercising the way he/she agreed to before surgery. These people “talk the talk.” The successful patient “walks the walk” after surgery and changes how they eat and move. A SECOND reason people often regain beginning in the second or third year post-op is that the “honeymoon” is over. The “honeymoon” generally encompasses the first 12 to 18 months post- surgery. During this time many patients will say, "I could eat all the chocolate and ice cream I wanted and still lose weight. I didn't have to try and the weight just came off.” This is often true because the body has been through such a shock after surgery that it takes months for the body to reset itself and learn to function with its' new physiology. Patients who regain their weight often believe that this “honeymoon period” is the new way that it will always be and don't adopt healthy eating patterns. So when their “honeymoon period” ends as it will they believe that the surgery has somehow failed them. In reality they have failed their surgery! During the first 12-18 months post-op it is essential to develop healthy patterns around food and exercise. This is the time when it is actually easiest to do and to not do so wastes a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to begin a great new life with positive momentum. A THIRD reason many patients regain much of their lost weight is a lack of support. Humans are social animals and we desire and need the support of each other throughout our lives. For thousands, if not tens of thousands, of years people coming together as a family or a community over food has been a way we connect with each other. Post-surgery, when the patient isn't able to eat what others are eating or in the quantities others are eating, or others are eating their 'trigger foods”, life can feel very stressful and lonely. This can be compounded by being around unsupportive people or people who want to be supportive but don't know how. Patients fail by not surrounding themselves with supportive people in a safe environment where they also must be accountable for their actions and behavior with food and their bodies. It is key to have a community of professionals and non-professionals who understand the challenges and hardships faced by those carving a new life with a new anatomical structure. There are online and in-person support groups. Even patients who've gone abroad for weight loss surgery can often use the support services available with their local medical group's Bariatric department. Creating relationships that support and assist you in becoming a healthier person and that hold you accountable for making healthy choices are key. These are my top three. What would you add to this list? What plan will you create to deal with the items you add to this list? Who will support you on this journey of your life.....for your life?

When I was in the hospital nurse told me to sniff rubbing alcohol and put an ice cold cloth on my chest and that helped.

Avocado. The taste & texture of it seems gross now. I don’t really enjoy alcohol like I did. I have a glass about once a month but often don’t finish the glass.

Quick update - After my third fill (October 2012) I got stuck with everything I ate (7.2 cc in 14 cc band). I toughed it out for a while but then had 0.3 cc removed in December and 0.5 cc removed in March. I gained about 8 pounds back during this time. I was eating a lot of potato chips since they did not get stuck. Last week I got filled back up to 7.2, stopped buying and eating the chips and the scale shows 3 pounds lower this morning! I'm hoping my time in the wilderness is over. At the first information session the doctor talked about the addictive nature of food and how some bandsters end up substituting one addiction for another, mentioning alcohol. I never thought I'd have a potato chip addiction! Cold turkey got me off it and now I don't go near them at the store for fear they will jump into my basket. Thanks for all your posts - they're very encouraging.