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Hey guys! Great news. I saw my surgeon and he says I’m doing great-except the alcohol of course. So, last appointment he told be to cook and I’ve been cooking ever since. Lots of Protein and veggies in my foods. I keep forgetting to take photos. So, my exercise is great as usual and he said I’m only 6 lbs off my 6 month goal. Also, please remember that this is my journey. I’m not perfect and that’s the point! This is my place to document what I’m going through, good and bad. My blood work was perfect as well. I’m super great with my vitamins, not drinking with meals, etc. 

When I quit smoking I went through almost a year of depression and anxiety. Finally, my body became adjusted to the intense change I had put it through by breaking an addiction. I fully expect to face the same problems with weight loss. If it were easy to break an addiction, everyone would just toss their cigarettes, drugs, alcohol and chocolate cake and take up knitting! Even if you can mentally adjust it takes many months, even years, for your body chemistry to calm down. I would not be surprised to hear that there is an increase in chemical imbalance after weight surgery but I have not found any legitimate studies that indicate an increase in suicide. Can you please provide a link to these studies that you mention? Otherwise, it seems a bit irresponsible to drop a subject line like that on a message board like this.

Blackberry! I was the original person who mentioned reading.. it's in Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies on pg. 133. Basically it's a chapter on "Knowing what you can eat for the first few months." Toward the end of the chapter, it has a "warning" like a little sidenote: For at least the first one to two months after surgery, you should not have any of the following foods or beverages, because they can cause stomach irritation and discomfort. Then there is a bullet list with alcohol, caffeinated beverages, carbonated beverages, citrus juices, etc.... One of the bullets is "Sugar and other sugar sweeteners, including the following: dextrin, dextrose, high fructose corn syrup, fructose, fruit juice concentrate, glactose, lactose, maltose, mannitol, polyol, sorghum, sucrose, turbinado. I took this to mean what is says. Any kind of sugar can be irritable to the stomach as you're healing. Which I was saying to the original poster who wanted to know why sugar free? So underneath this list it says, "There is a big difference between "sugar-free" and "no sugar added." You may be very sensitive to any sweetness following surgery. "No sugar added" may sound harmless, but a "No-sugar added" food or drink may have a high natural sugar content, and it can make you nauseated. Proceed with caution." Then on the bottom of the page, there's a big block with different sugar substitutes, mentions aspartame, splenda, etc... I hope this helps!

I waited until I was 6 weeks out. Alcohol can be a major stomach irritant, and since you are on liquids it's highly likely to affect you much faster than it would if you could eat real food. I would definately follow ALL of the rules to the letter for the first 6 weeks after surgery. It's supposed to be the healing phase, and you don't want anything to go against your healing.

I was going to wait until next month when we are 18 months post-op but I thought it might be good to do a check in before the end of the year and also because this is our first holiday season fully healed and I know there is a lot of food temptation at this time of year. How is everyone doing? I have exceeded my own personal expectations, and it seems like I am actually going to make my goal well before 2 years, which I am going to revise pretty soon for a stretch goal of 165 I think. After going so long not eating lots of stuff, I find it very easy to pass things up. Holiday candy doesn't appeal to me. Alcohol doesn't interest me. Even when I get a drink I usually only have one sip and I am bored.

Hi Walter, I haven't had my surgery yet, so you can take this with a grain of salt if you wish. The odds of you losing weight (and keeping it off) the so-called "natural" way is almost zero. A lot of people say you have a less than 5% chance of keeping the weight off non-surgically, but I've read other studies were the odds were worse than that - 0.015% for women, and for men it's closer to 0.001% (sorry, I can't find the study now, but I'll try to look for it). The human body, for whatever reason, will fight you tooth and nail to stay fat, if you are obese. The best book I've read so far about this is by Dr. Robert Lustig, called Fat Chance. If you prefer YouTube, my favourite videos about all things related to bariatric surgery are by Dr. Matthew Weiner. He explains things very well. You might also want to watch this HBO special, called The Weight of the Nation. If you want to see the effects of how bariatric surgery can help obese people, there's a great series out of the UK also on YouTube called Fat Doctor which focuses on real people struggling with obesity, and doesn't have the Jerry Springer-like feel of some of the U.S.-based shows. You say you are worried about the surgery, but honestly, for most people, the odds of anything happening to you are about the same as having gall bladder surgery or an appendectomy. And those are pretty routine surgeries. But remember - if you stay the weight that you are, any surgery will be a risk, as it is for all people who struggle with obesity. You listed quite a number of conditions that you suffer from -- two questions to ask yourself is, 1) do you want to keep suffering from them and know that they will only get worse with time? and 2) what odds are better for you, in terms of being around for your family - staying morbidly obese, or having the surgery and be given a real chance to not only lose weight, but to keep it off? Sorry to be blunt, but there it is. Is this a big decision? Of course it is. Could there be complications? Yes, but that's true of any surgery. However, I think most people who have had the surgery will say it was the best decision they ever made, and that they wish they had done it sooner. For whatever reason, sleeve or bypass (not lapband, which few surgeons do anymore do to low success rates and other problems) "resets" the body in many ways - within 24 hours to a few weeks to a few months after surgery, people may no longer be diabetic, get off high blood pressure or cholesterol meds, have no hunger to fight against (some forever, but most regain some sort of hunger pangs within a year and a half of surgery), and there can be major changes to your metabolism. Your taste buds will probably change, and you may find that certain foods that you used to like will no longer appeal to you after you've had surgery. Of course, there can be some negative side effects too, like food restrictions and gerd and dumping syndrome, needing gall bladder surgery, some depression (immediately after surgery, but I haven't come across any long-term stats about that), and sometimes addiction transfer (for example, changing your food addiction to something like alcohol addiction). I would really recommend to write down a list of all your concerns and talk about them with your surgeon. Finding a therapist would probably also help. I don't know where you are (I'm assuming the U.S.) so if you have insurance I'm sure you'll have to jump through a few hoops in order to qualify for the surgery, but that can be a good thing, as it gives you time to deal with your fears/concerns before having the surgery. Whenever I get worried about anything, my motto is: think of the solution, not the problem. I find it really helps to get my mind out of the self-defeating loop that will make the problem seem bigger than it is. In this case, I think educating yourself about the surgery, about anesthesia, etc. will help you feel better (or not) about having the surgery done. Good luck.

i would avoid "sugar free" anything & definitely wouldn't eat splenda... http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/08/23/splenda-part-one.aspx Please note that I do not advise using Splenda. Nearly three years ago I posted an article describing the dangers of Splenda (sucralose). Why not use Splenda? Well, research in animals has shown that sucralose can cause many problems. Nearly every month we receive a report from someone who has had an adverse reaction to Splenda, and you can see many of them posted on our site. Reduced growth rate in newborns and adults at levels above 500 mg/kg.day Decreased red blood cells -- sign of anemia (at levels abofe 1500 mg/kd/day Decreased thyroxine levels (thyroid function) (According to McNeil, since this only occurred on male rats and no abnormalities were observed with the thyroid tissue, this was considered insignificant.) Mineral losses (magnesium and phosphorus) McNeil stated that these patterns were variable and at times not dose related so they were not significant. Decreased urination Enlarged colon (The FDA Final Rule states cecal enlargement is often seen with poorly absorbed substances and is not significant.) Enlarged liver and brain (McNeil stated these were insignificant due to a lack of a dose response.) Shrunken ovaries Shrunken thymus aboe 3 grams per day Enlarged and calcified kidneys (McNeil stated this is often seen with poorly absorbed substances and was of no toxicological significance. The FDA Final Rule agreed that these are findings that are common in aged female rats and are not significant.) Increased adrenal cortical hemorrhagic degeneration (McNeil stated that this is a variable finding common in aged rats and not toxicologically significant.) Increased cataracts (McNeil stated that cataracts were discovered upon microscopic sections of the eye tissue and that this was not as accurate as in-life ophthalmological examinations and did not reveal any treatment- related ocular findings. Abnormal liver cells (The FDA Final Rule states that this was only marginal and probably not treatment related due to the severity of the lesion was not contaminant with the dosage.) McNeil concluded that all of these findings could be explained by reasons other than sucralose toxicity and were insignificant. This seems to be a pattern in all of McNeil"s study conclusions. I find it suspect that for every single adverse finding in the animal studies, McNeil always has some rationale that renders it "insignificant." Their downplaying every harmful finding makes it seem as if they are more interested in making sucralose appear safe than making sure that the people are not harmed. The FDA concluded that most of these findings had no toxicological significance and those that did such as the decrease in thymus weight and the decreased red blood cells, would not be a problem because they occurred at doses of sucralose much higher than what people would consume.. As a physician, I beg to differ. I believe that these findings are not of no significance." Many of these are symptoms of serious pathology. ----------- most sugar free stuff has aspartame in it... http://www.naturalnews.com/026849_aspartame_drug_diet.html The aspartame horror began in 1981 due to Donald Rumsfeld, as head of the G.D. Searle pharmaceutical company, when he used his political clout to put a known carcinogen on the market to poison a nation all in the name of money. In a Washington Post article of December 12, 2001 about Donald Rumsfeld, there was a one liner that was so incredibly relevant. That sentence was: "He could be swilling Diet Coke with the secure knowledge that if not for his turnaround of Big Pharma giant G.D.Searle & Co. and successful touting of the sweetener aspartame, the beverage would not be possible". If Donald Rumsfeld had never been born think of how many millions of people the world over would not suffer headaches and dizziness. Thousands blind from the free methyl alcohol in aspartame would have sight, and there would be much fewer cases of optic neuritis and macular degeneration. Millions suffering seizures would live normal lives and wouldn`t be taking anti-seizure medication that won`t work because aspartame interacts with drugs and vaccines. Think of the runner, Flo Jo, who drank Diet Coke and died of a grand mal seizure. She, no doubt, would still be alive. Brain fog and memory loss, skyrocketing symptoms of aspartame disease, would not be epidemic. Millions suffer insomnia because of the depletion of serotonin. Think of Heath Ledger. He took that horrible drug, Ambian CR for sleep, which makes your optic nerve and face swell and gives you horrible headaches. Plus, he drank Diet Coke and took other drugs and died of polypharmacy. Since aspartame has been proven to be a multi potential carcinogen, would Farrah Fawcett still be alive? Consider the constant plague of fallen athletes. Aspartame triggers an irregular heart rhythm and interacts with all cardiac medication. It damages the cardiac conduction system and causes sudden death. Thousands of athletes have fallen. Doctors H.J. Roberts and Russell Blaylock wrote these alerts: http://www.wnho.net/aspartame msg scd.htm and http://www.wnho.net/aspartame and arrhythmias.htm Epidemiological studies should be done on MS and lupus because of their link to aspartame use. Hundreds of thousands of people suffer from aspartame induced multiple sclerosis and lupus, and if not warned in time could lose their lives as many have. Hospice nurses have reported Alzheimer`s disease in 30 year olds as it skyrockets from Rumsfeld`s plague. Think of Michael Jackson, a former Diet Pepsi spokesman. He developed lupus, then came the drugs, then came the serious joint pain, and then he died of cardiac arrest which aspartame causes. As the phenylalanine in aspartame deletes serotonin, it triggers all kinds of psychiatric and behavioral problems. The mental hospitals are full of patients who are nothing but aspartame victims. If Donald Rumsfeld had never been born, the revoked petition for approval of aspartame would have been signed by FDA commissioner Jere Goyan and the mental hospitals would house probably 50% less victims. Jere Goyan would never have been fired at 3:00 AM by the Reagan transition Team to over-rule the Board of Inquiry. Instead, FDA commissioner Jere Goyan would have signed the revoked petition into law. See: http:/www.mpwhi.com/fda petition1.doc. The FDA today would still be Big Pharma`s adversary instead of being their "hooker". If aspartame had not been approved, Lou Gehrig`s Disease, Parkinson`s and other neuro-degenerative diseases would not be knocking off the public in record numbers. Michael Fox, a Diet Pepsi spokesman, would never have gotten Parkinson`s at age 30. He would probably still be making movies, young and healthy. Aspartame interacts with L-dopa and other Parkinson drugs. Parcopa has aspartame in it and the pharmaceutical company refuses to remove it. One has to take a deep breath when you think how heartless it is that there is not even a warning for pregnant women. Aspartame triggers every kind of birth defect from autism and Tourettes` Syndrome to cleft palate. Aspartame is an abortifacient (a drug that induces abortion). As an example, out of 9 pregnancies, 8 were lost and the one that survived is schizophrenic. Multiply that all over the world due to Rumsfeld`s Plague. ADD and ADHD would be rare instead of rampant. It`s normal for young girls to look forward to marriage and children. Yet, many sip on diet soda or use aspartame products not realizing that aspartame is an endocrine disrupting agent, stimulating prolactin, which is a pituitary hormone that stimulates milk production at childbirth, changes the menstrual flow and causes infertility. Many go through life never knowing why they couldn`t have children. Aspartame even destroys marriages because it causes male sexual dysfunction and ruins female response. Aspartame causes every type of blood disorder from a low blood platelet count to leukemia. Because aspartame can precipitate diabetes the disease is epidemic. To make matters worse, it can simulate and aggravate diabetic retinopathy and neuopathy, destroy the optic nerve, cause diabetics to go into convulsions and interact with insulin. Diabetics lose limbs from the free methyl alcohol; professional organizations like the American Diabetes Association push and defend this poison because they take money from the manufactures. How many millions would not have diabetes if Rumsfeld had never been born? Aspartame (NutraSweet/Equal/Spoonful/E951/Candere/Benevia, etc) and MSG, another one of Ajinomoto`s horrors, are responsible for the epidemic of obesity the world over. Why? Because aspartame makes you crave carbohydrates and causes great toxicity to the liver. http:/www.mpwhi.com/ aspartame makes you fatter.htm The FDA report lists 92 symptoms from unconsciousness and coma to shortness of breath and shock. Medical texts list even more: "Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic", www.sunsetpress.com by H.J. Roberts, M.D., and "Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills" by neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock, M.D., www.russellblaylockmd.com. There is simply no end to the horrors triggered by this literal addictive, excitoneurotoxic, genetically engineered carcinogenic drug. This chemical poison is so deadly that Dr. Bill Deagle, www.nutrimedical.com , a noted Virologist once said it was worse than depleted uranium because it is found everywhere in food. The formaldehyde converted from the free methyl alcohol embalms living tissue and damages DNA according to the Trocho Study done in Barcelona in 1998. Even with this devastating study showing how serious a chemical poison aspartame is, the FDA has turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to it. With Monsanto attorney Michael Taylor now appointed as Deputy Commissioner to the FDA by Obama, it`s nothing more than Monsanto`s Washington Branch Office. Even before the Ramazzini Studies showing aspartame to be a multi-potential carcinogen, the FDA knew it. Their own toxicologist, Dr. Adrian Gross, even admitted that it violated the Delaney Amendment because of the brain tumors and brain cancer. Therefore, no allowable daily intake ever should have been able to be established. Aspartame caused all types of tumors from mammary, uterine, ovarian, pancreatic and thyroid to testicular and pituitary. Dr. Alemany, who did the Trocho Study, commented that aspartame could kill 200 million people. When you damage DNA you can destroy humanity. Dr. James Bowen told the FDA over 20 years ago that aspartame is mass poisoning the American public and likewise in more than 70 countries of the world. No wonder it`s called "Rumsfeld`s Plague". Big Pharma knows all about aspartame and they add it to drugs, including the ones used to treat the problems caused by aspartame. Big Pharma has made America a fascist government. People are so sick from aspartame and yet they keep selling these dangerous pharmaceuticals at outrageous prices. Dr. H.J. Roberts said in one of his books that you have to consider aspartame with killing children. We are talking about a drug that changes brain chemistry. Today children are medicated instead of educated. Death and disability is what Donald Rumsfeld has heaped on consumers just to make money. Think of the death of Charles Fleming who used to drink about 10 diet sodas a day. Then he used creatine on top of this, which interacts, and is considered the actual cause of death. Yet his wife, Diane Fleming, remains in a prison in Virginia convicted of his death, despite being the very one who tried to get her husband to stop using these dangerous products containing aspartame in the first place. The list never ends. At least six American Airlines` pilots, who were heavy users of aspartame, have died with one in flight drinking a Diet Coke. When American Airlines was written about removing aspartame they said, "leave the flying to us". Pilots too are sick and dying on aspartame, and when you fly your life is in the hands of the pilot. There was a case with a Delta pilot that died from esophageal cancer and had a history of consuming huge quantities of diet sodas. This was brought to the attention of the Delta management that refused the pilot`s wife`s request to alert other pilots. Then there`s the Persian Gulf where diet sodas sat on pallets daily in temperatures in the 100 to 120 degree range for as long as 9 weeks at a time before the soldiers drank them all day long. Remember, aspartame converts to formaldehyde at 86 degrees; it interacts with vaccines and damages the mitochondria or life of the cell, and the whole molecule breaks down to a brain tumor agent. There`s a book out there called, "Rumsfeld, His Rise, Fall and Catastrophic Legacy", by Andrew Cockburn that will substantiate all of this. And fittingly, Rumsfeld appropriately lives in a place called Mount Misery. In the video, "Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World", which you can view at www.healthtalkhawaii.com, attorney James Turner explains how Rumsfeld got his poison marketed for human consumption. To learn about how the CDC investigation was covered up - The Rumsfeld-Pepsi-Nixon Connection, go to http://www.sweetremedy.tv/pages/rumsfeld2.html or view it in its entirety at www.healthtalkhawaii.com. For over a quarter of a century there has been mass poisoning of the public in over 100 countries of the world by aspartame because Donald Rumsfeld, as he put it, "called in his markers". The aspartame industry has paid front groups and professional organizations to defend them and push it on the very people it can cause the most harm to. A suit was filed against the American Diabetes Association in 2004 for racketeering but they got out of it. The hands of physicians are tied. Most are clueless that a patient is using aspartame, and the drugs used to treat the aspartame problem will probably interact and may even contain aspartame. This is the world that Donald Rumsfeld is responsible for! Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/026849_aspartame_drug_diet.html#ixzz25VCzXW8t

I totally get what your saying! my mom was on the phone with me yesterday telling me that it was cruel and unusually punishment not to get the kids a basket and please just run out and get one! o_0. My children were fine I let them go across to the store and buy two Cadbury eggs each. I am a addict I cannot have that in my house. My mom doesn't understand, even though she is a recovering alcoholic.. I'm sorry that happened to you and I know how hard it is to take something away from your kids when they already have it..

Careypea, don't worry about the nurse. If (when) she starts to give you a hard time, tell her it has been an emotional thing with you - and you are there to get your fill because you are dealing with those issues. You are not there for a lecture, you are there for a fill. Does your surgeon have a psychologist set up for patients to work with? I have continued to see the one I saw prior to surgery - on an infrequent basis, but still seeing him about every 2-3 months. We are on an "as-needed" basis at this point. You have some issues he/she could help you with - practical help with emotional eating and such things. Most surgeons work with a person like that or have suggestions about some who help people with our disease cope with the emotional aspects of it. Required reading for my shrink is a book called "The Emotional First + Aid Kit" by Cynthia L. Alexander, PsyD. It is available on Amazon for a modest price (paperback). My shrink said to BUY it, not borrow it from the library, because I could find it very helpful to refer back to as needed. The unfortunate thing about our disease/addiction to food - the drug addict can stop - the alcoholic can stop - but we still have to eat. You have taken a huge step in putting your emotions down on paper. It has helped you to talk about it with your most treasured friends. There will always be those like the nurse who are well-meaning in intent, but mis-guided in action. Pay attention to their intent, and forgive them their action. You do not owe an explanation to those people, but you do owe your best effort to yourself. God has guided you to this point and He is not going to abandon your here. Let it go and concentrate on the steps to make this journey successful.

great question! I have had this conversation in my head a few times. For what its worth, what I came up with is the following: people get their cardiac anatomy rearranged all the time without the slightest hesitation or regret: cardiac bypass, stents. They are no more life saving than what we are doing. it may be more dramatic but both are arguably a result of genetic predisposition and lifestyle. I see no difference between the two, except that the cardiac rearangement is more socially accepted ( even if caused by decades of smoking and eating poorly and lack of exercise, excesive alcohol consumption etc.) and ours is judged much harsher. the question i asked myself, IF I had the evidence that I needed it, would I wait until i had a heart attack to get a bypass or would i act proactively? why not the same for weight induced issues ( of which heart disease is but one consequence)? alex

Hi all so I’ve tried searching for this but couldn’t find anything. I’m personally no where near the maintenance phase but for those who are do you imbibe? Is it anywhere as much as before? Does alcohol really hit you that much harder?

You can reintroduce when allowed by your surgeon... but start out slow and stick to moderation! Alcohol and weight loss don't really usually go together. Alcohol and maintenance only go together if you are monitoring calorie intake. And how fast you feel tipsy might be accelerated from before.. but that isn't the case for everyone. Me? I have had a couple sips... maybe twice... of wine in the last 18 months since surgery. Doing fine without it so not seeking it out. But not overtly avoiding it either.

I’m getting close to 8 months post op, and I’m not at maintenance yet but getting closer. I drink on occasion, maybe once every few weeks. I’ll have a glass of wine, or part of a beer. I was never a big drinker pre op but I feel like 5 ounces of wine every 2 weeks isn’t going to derail my efforts much. I have to admit I am I am very cautious about drinking too much because of my family history. My parents were one or two glass a night drinkers into their 50s/60s and then after they retired it spiraled out of control. They ended up becoming alcoholics and my mother had multiple strokes as a result of this. She is now wheelchair bound and cannot bathe herself, remember how to eat, etc. My dad has dementia in addition but it’s hard to tell what was caused by the drinking and what is caused by the natural cognitive decline. Their entire life is defined by when they can have their next drink, and they have lost all interest in living outside of it. They will likely die soon, and the last decade of their life has been a miserable existence, for them and honestly for me and my siblings as well. I’m not going to advocate teetotal lifestyle because that is not how I live my life. I just want to entreaty people to please be very careful, especially if you already know you have an addictive personality. I’ve witnessed firsthand smart, caring, highly educated people destroy their lives and relationships with this. My parents will still some days deny that they are alcoholics, as I have to search their house from top to bottom looking for hidden stashes of vodka in water bottles. This isn’t how you want to live your life, trust me.

This is my first time posting on here..I had my surgery on December 11th. I started my journey at 417 pounds. The surgery itself went very well. I spent the night in the hospital and went home the next day. I had minimal challenges after the surgery itself. I did the liquid diet for a week, then the blended food, etc. My only difficulty that I have is first thing in the morning I have a hard time drinking Water when I first wake up. Having a C-PAP machine I tend to be quite parched when I wake up. I was told that there is a build up of mucus and it's usually best to drink warm liquid first thing in the morning to break that up. I'm usually not a warm liquid drinker but it's helped. Since the surgery I've had 2 fills. The first fill was challenging in the first week but after that I was eating normally but my intake was a lot less. When I got my second fill last week I've noticed it to be more challenging to eat. I've had more foods getting stuck than in the past. I've learned that I have to make sure I really cut my food smaller. (especially steak) I've been able to tolerate a soda from time to time. I pour it in a cup and stir out the carbonation and I've had no issues with it. I know that I should avoid it not only because of the carbonation but for the sugar as well. Once in a while I've just gotta have one. I'm tolerating alcohol pretty well. I haven't had a beer yet but I've been doing mixed drinks and I haven't had any issues. I haven't really exercised that much other than walking further in the parking lot to the store because I intentionally park further away. So far since I've started I've lost 42 pounds!!! My pants are falling off my butt...shirts are getting big. I'm loving it!! I want to lose another 10-15 pounds before mid May so I can go to Six Flags and hopefully fit on a roller coaster again and ride with my kids!! My goal weight is 260 and I know I can get down to that.

Most in here have answered your questions very well. From my personal experience I love the weight loss my band has provided but at the same time it can be a pain in the ass. The constant tweaking to get to a good restriction almost always tempts people to get too tight with disastrous results. Let me list some things that annoy me about the band. 1) I can't drink liquids quickly. I can't tell you how much I would love to down a bottle of Water in a couple of gulps right now! Lol. 2) Can't go straight to bed after eating or it's very uncomfortable. 3) Veggies can go down slow and hurt sometimes. 4) Daily heartburn if I don't take Prilosec. 5) TIGHT DAYS...out of nowhere my band can tighten up like crazy...causes can be drinking alcohol, stress, exercise, dehydration, early in the morning. 6) LOOSE DAYS...sometimes I'm just loose and can eat more than normal and then I'm hungry. 7) Hunger. Yes. I get hungry. No I don't need a fill. If I get a fill I will be too tight and bad things will happen. 8) Fills can be annoying...I had to get over 20 adjustments to get good restriction. I currently have over 14cc in a 14cc band. 9) I can't sleep on my stomach. If I sleep on my stomach I get reflux. No I do not have a dilated pouch. 10) Sinus drainage wakes me up at night because the nasty Fluid pools in the back of my throat. Gross! This can wake me up choking and is quite disgusting. I'm sure operations like the sleeve has its own bag of nasty tricks but those are some that annoy me about this particular surgery and applies to me. Your mileage may vary. If I had the choice to make over again I would SERIOUSLY consider the sleeve. Would I get the band again? Yes. If I didn't think the sleeve was all people make it out to be after research then I'd get banded again. Getting lapband surgery because you think it is a 'gentle' surgery is a mistake. To anyone that thinks they don't want to get the sleeve or bypass because it's too invasive and they want a gentle surgery then you need to diet and exercise and stay away from a doctor with a knife completley. Surgery is surgery and there's no 'easy' way about it even with the lap band. Look at what a band does to a stomach after 5 years and it's not all daises and sunshine. Don't even get me started on erosion or a slip. Lapband surgery is SURGERY and alters your body. Don't choose it because you're scared of something else. That's not a good reason to make a decision in my opinion. Good reasons to choose lap band are that it's adjustable and you can control, to a point, the speed at which you lose weight. You can usually opt for sleeve or bypass if your band fails which is a plus. Anyway, I've listed reasons why it's a pain in the ass above, but you can still lose weight with it and that's what matters. Is it better than the sleeve? I don't know. All I can tell you is what I do know. Good luck with your choice.

I exercise regularly and I'm really watching what I eat so I think I'll just keep going on the pace that I'm on as far as the alcohol. I don't drink during the week and I'm not getting ****faced on the weekends. I need some type of outlet with all of the stress I'm dealing with now lol! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Two things- yes it will affect your loss. Your body will burn that alcohol before it burns anything else. THe people that I've seen going through regain MOSTLY have issues with alcohol. It's a lot of sugar and carbs, and even if you choose a lower carb option, choosing to drink less often will help in the long run, Secondly, transfer addiction is REAL. The number of patients I know that drink most nights or every weekend is HIGH. A gal I know had to have her lapband removed because she couldn't eat so she drank herself sick. Maintain control, don't let your drinking get to that point. Alcohol is not a coping mechanism. It's not an outlet. Use it sparingly. I would hold off on a lot of alcohol until you're MUCH further out, which is not advice anyone wants to hear but... yes it will affect your weight loss.

@Sheribear68 Ouch! So sorry to hear about your friend!!! ((hugs)) TG you are escaping that fate with every day of your lifestyle change!!! I know how you feel and can relate! And for anyone who is genuinely interested in hearing my journey and not just a rubbernecker, I will discuss the specifics. But for anyone else who looks at me, there is no doubt that I'm somewhat fanatical religious about making good choices--cuz like you, we have some big strikes we deal with. But sadly, no one likes reformed smokers or reformed alcoholics. So we do just have to live our lives. And sometimes the best testimony is through action rather than words. Live your life hon. Let your friends feel safe, coming to you when or if they are ready. ((hugs))

Eat slowly and chew thoroughly Food can pass through the new stoma only of it has been into very small pieces. Always remember to take more time for your meals and chew your food very well. Stop eating as soon as you feel full Once your stomach is full, your body receives a signal that you have eaten enough. It takes time, though, for you to become aware of this signal. If you rush through your meal, you may eat more than you need. This can lead to nausea and vomiting. Take time to eat you meal. Try to recognize the feeling the fullness - then stop eating at once. Do not drink while you are eating This operation can work only if you eat solid food. If you drink at mealtimes, the food you have eaten becomes liquid and the effectiveness of the LAP-BAND System is greatly reduced. You should not drink anything for one to two hours after a meal. This allows you to keep the feeling of fullness as long as possible. Do not eat between meals After a meal, do not eat anything else until the next meal. Eating snacks between meals is one of the major reasons for weight-loss failure. It is very important to break this habit. Patients with proper "fill" levels do not feel hungry in between meals. If you are, this may be a sign that your band is too loose and you should tell your clinician. Eat only good quality food With the LAP-BAND System in place, you should be able to able to eat only a small amount so the the food you eat should be as healthy as possible. Do not fill your small stomach pouch with junk food that lacks vitamins and other important nutrients. Your meals should be high in protein and vitamins. Fresh vegetables, fruit, meat and cereals are good foods to choose. Foods high in fat and sugar are not. You may eat apples and oranges, but try to avoid orange juice and and apple juice. Ask your doctor or dietician before you take any vitamin supplements. Avoid fibrous food Food such as asparagus that contains many fibers can block the stoma. That's because you can't chew this food well enough to break it up into small pieces and your saliva can't break it down. Fibrous food should be avoided. If you would like to eat asparagus or other fibrous foods once in a while, then you must be sure to cook them well, cut them into very small pieces and them chew them thoroughly. Drink enough fluids during the day If you lose weight, your fat content will drop. This results in waste products. You will need to drink large amounts of liquid every day in order to urinate more and excrete these waste products from your body. Individual needs will vary, but you should drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water a day. Drink only low-calorie liquids. Drinks, including those containing calories, simply run through the narrow outlet created by the band. If you drink liquids high in calories, you will lose little weight, even if you otherwise follow your diet. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day This rule is just as important as the other nine rules. Since physical exercise consumes energy and burns calories, it is very important to successful weight loss. Exercise can help improve your general health. Your size may make it hard for you to exercise as much as you should. But get started, even if it is a little at first. The more weight you lose, the easier it should get. Start with simple exercises such as walking and swimming. Gradually expand you program to include more vigorous forms of exercise such as cycling, jogging and aerobics. Increase your activity level in the course of daily living. For example, stand rather than sit, walk rather than stand, be outside rather than inside, walk rather than drive, climb the stairs rather than use the elevator, etc. Remember you should always check with your doctor about the amount and type of exercise that is best for you. Food Choices Use this section to help you plan what you eat. you may choose what you would like from each of these food groups on a daily basis: Fruits and vegetable 1 to 2 servings of fresh fruit daily 2 to 3 servings of fresh vegetable daily Bread and Cereals 1 small portion of corn flakes for breakfast 1 to 2 slices of whole wheat or rye bread each day Meat, Fish, Poultry, Eggs 1 oz. to 2 oz. of meat, fish or poultry or one egg each day (remove all visible fat from the meat. remove the ski from poultry. Grilling, steaming, microwaving or boiling are best ways to prepare them with low fat). Dairy Products Milk and yogurt are calories in liquid form. In theory, then, they should be avoided. But these types of food have calcium. That makes them an important part of a healthy daily diet. Choose a maximum of 2 cups of skimmed milk or low-fat yogurt and 1 oz. of cheese a day. Fats Restrict the use of fat to 3 to 4 teaspoons of margarine, butter or oil per day. You can have low-fat salad dressing and mayonnaise in moderation. Drink as many calorie-free liquids per day as you wish. Suitable drinks are: Tea or black coffee with low-calorie sweetener Water Non-carbonated beverages containing few or no calories Clear soup Note: Some doctors have reported that carbonated beverages may contribute to enlargement of the small pouch and should be avoided. Foods to Avoid Some foods have a concentrated supply of calories with little nutritional value and should be avoided as much as possible. They include: Sugar and foods containing large quantities of sugar, such as: High-calorie soft drinks Syrups Cakes Biscuits Sweets Jam Marmalade Honey High-fat foods including: Chocolate Pies Chips pastries Alcoholic drinks should also be consumed in moderation

ok the alabama meet and greet is now set in stone. details is as listed below. place - springvalley beach food there. and you are allow to bring food in the park if you would like to. they do have Lifeguards on duty. they are located 2 miles north of Blountsville off of Hwy 231 on County Road 55. you can map Quest it if you need be, if you have never been there like me. and remeber.... No alcohol is permitted. No diving is permitted. this is going to be a family meet and greet so bring your boyfreinds,husband,wifes, girlfreinds, and kids. and also please have a good time. this is what this is all about. meeting everyone and enjoying the day. and remember they have alot of pools and slides to enjoy so bring the swim suits :w00t: and enjoy. :wink2: this is a list of people coming so far. i will update it when new people tell me they are coming. 1. jason r,wife,and 2 kids 2. kaninag and husband 3. fordgal88, husband, and kids 4.swneighbours 5.gone 4 ever 6.naynayto2, daughter, and grandson 7.venzwife 8.southern missy 9.debbut ok if you are going to bring someone thats not listed please let me know.

P.P.S. My bariatric PA also said she sees a lot of people during maintenance who start to drink a lot more of their daily calories -- specifically in the form of alcohol. She didn't reference this as a "transfer addiction" issue, but as an "empty calories" issue.

I am glad that you said it before me. I am 6 months post op in a few weeks. I started out going crazy over protein goals and my doctor, at my second visit when I was healed and on solids, told me to stop. His view on the protein is that it is a number that was developed with no real solid reasoning behind it. Before anyone gets crazy about my doctor HE IS EXCELLENT. He is one of the top teaching surgeons in Houston and I can't say enough about him. I started out at 215 and am now 148.5 as of this morning and I feel terrific. My eating plan is clean eating. End of story. I also eat my protein first and then move on to vegetables and last carbs. I can tell you right now I barely eat carbs. I don't eat red meat because I just can't handle it and I don't drink alcohol. If I can "pick it, pluck it or kill it" I can eat it. I will start back in he gym this week. I was ahead of the curve this last 6 months and I have been able to walk but my doc didn't want me in the gym until around 6 months because I needed to be ready and feeling strong enough to get in there. Side note- I have lost very very little hair. I have always been a shedder and it just increased a little starting last month. Just thought i would share because I know the feeling of feeling like a failure immediately post op because you can't keep up with the goals and you are already incredibly emotional and I felt a loss lift when I was given simple instructions that's i could live th for the rest of my life.

Ppl treat alcoholics and drug users better than the obese. We all have the same triggers we just use different mediums to get our own utopia. I have grown a very thick skin and an excellent use of sarcasm. So bring on the nay-sayers, I will be a triple threat when I'm thin. Smart, beautiful and thin.

My doctor says no alcohol for 3 months.

I am two weeks post op and I am now starting to drink normally. I did have issues the first week +, but now it has pretty much evened out. ( No huge gulps though) I cannot drink alcohol. Not only because of the sleeve ( absorption issues & empty calories) but because I am blood thinners. Never a big drinker, I did enjoy it once in a while. But since earlier this year that has been cut from my life. Pre op I gave up soda because I knew post op they say no carbonation. I thought it would be harder than it really was. I have had one soda since August. Took a sip or two and thought "yuck". Now, if I had to give up ice tea I would be in trouble. (non sweetened) I also do not have a lot of caffeine. It messes with vitamin absorption so no-no. So far none of it has really bothered me nor have I missed it.