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You can do this. You cut out tobacco and alcohol. After plenty of years. If you can do that you can do this. You just have to do it now and not look back. Don't procrastinate. Do it now. Good luck.

I would definitely ask your surgeon about when you are cleared to exercise, your regular doctor would not be able to tell you that. Also ask your surgeon about alcohol. Many practices have different recommendations. My surgeon did not clear me for alcohol until 6 months out. I am a little over 14 months out and the bubbles from prosecco and Moscato don't bother me now but they may have 3 months out from surgery. I don't remember where I got my soft food recipes from but for regular food I usually use www.skinnytaste.com and www.emilybites.com

I think these things about myself too. I find myself correcting myself from "I should" "I would" to saying "I will." At least you aware of your demons cause then you can confront them head on. I have had some time to correct a few things because I am type 2 diabetic and not on insulin I have to MAKE myself, and sometimes fail, not gorge on something like Chinese - it is self correcting because I hate the feeling of being "sugar drunk." Or I can't eat too many carbs but trust me when I say I am fat cause I still make bad choices like how am I going to give up butter?????? And no straw?? And no diet mountain dew? We get all caught up in these unhealthy habits and it is going to take some undoing after surgery. Some of it will be self-correcting, I bet. I don't know. I am in the same boat, though, surgery is Sept 18 for me. And of course, here is me saying, go eat that chinese if you can for just this moment. I miss chinese food, especiall Thai. Good for you for kicking tobacco and alcohol. You must have a pretty strong determination if you got past those things.

The closer I get to my 2 week pre-op (Sept. 5th) the more I think about the life changes I am about to commit to,,,for life. I am cognizant, very aware and frustrated at the same time as my eating habits and style should be changing as we speak, and it has not. Knowing that I will be on this very strict diet for 2 weeks seems surreal to me, and knowing after the surgery I will have to be disciplined and very committed to this or I will not succeed in my new journey. Right now I think about going to a Chinese buffet for lunch and gorging myself, what the hell is that all about? How can I make the mental changes? I want to , I need to and I have to. Having worked with my Endocrinologist for a year now and talking with my therapist a few times has me thinking more about "getting it" and "doing it" mentality. This is an ongoing process, I understand this and I hate to say "but", but I am 61 years old and very used to my lifestyle. 17 years ago I quit tobacco and 2 years ago I quit alcohol, now if I can do those "cold turkey" then what the hell? How do I find the special key to unlock the part of my mind to overcome this? Personally, I do not ever speak my mind like this but I want it so bad it hurts. Any suggestions how I might find the peace to put these thought demons out of my head? Hopefully this makes sense and someone can relate with what I am going through, I don't have much time to "get it".

I got approval for the gym at 2 weeks with a weight limit of 10 pounds until 6 weeks. Check with your doctor though. I got approval for alcohol when I asked at my 8 week visit. I have had wine twice- definitely more sensitive to it. See how the sugar in juice makes you feel. I haven't had juice yet, but have eaten fruit- the plums taste so foo to me! No problems with them at all but so far I tolerate most things well. Check out the eggface recipes on Pinterest. She has one for ricotta bake that is really yummy. You can also just put gastric sleeve recipes on Pinterest and there are some great recipes/ Good luck!! Mich W Hw 223, SW 217 CW 191 GW 135

Yes! The sugar alcohol in the artificial sweeteners makes me so sick! I get a hot flash and cold sweat and super nauseous! Stevia doesn't do that to me just the ones with sugar alcohol. I think stevia is natural so that's probably why it doesn't make me sick. Good luck! It is awful! I can add a little sugar to coffee with no effect. I think that's better than artificial especially since I only only 2 packets and don't usually drink the whole cup Mich W Hw 223, SW 217 CW 191 GW 135

Stay away from the processed deli meats. They are loaded with sodium and preservatives that will make you retain water. And take it slow with the alcohol at first, nothing to sweet and go slow cause your tolerance will be a fraction of what it once was.

@JerseyJulesI haven't tried alcohol yet. When I was in San Diego last weekend I had a baby sip of a margarita but was too scared to really try it lol. Also deli meat...well turkey just makes me wanna gag as soon as I put it in my mouth...which sucks because it looks like a lot of people go to that for snacks and protein...oh well! lol But most things I haven't had a problem with either.

I had thought I understood that my surgeon would be setting my weight loss goal at our first post surgical appointment. I would swear the dietician I have been working with said that, that the surgeon would take into account my pre and post op weight loss, my historic weight highs and fluctuations, etc., and that we would come up with a goal together after surgery. But apparently I misunderstood. Talking to my surgeon Wednesday before discharge from the hospital, she said she doesn't do goals and believes firmly in letting my body find its balance. I have about 100 lbs to lose to get to the high end of a healthy BMI for my height, so I asked if once I reached a healthy BMI we would shift the diet to more of a maintenance mode rather than weight loss. She said that was totally unnecessary, that my body would shift into maintenance on its own at what it felt was the right time, with no conscious effort from me, that if I genuinely followed the diet plan, all would be ok without over-planning it. I guess I have 2 questions: * Has anyone else had a surgeon with this outlook? If so, how did it work for you? * Do you have any suggestions for motivation without a concrete numeric goal? I think she would be similarly opposed to clothing size or inches. I had been looking toward entering normal BMI at 150 as a time to evaluate how far I have come, if I want to lose a bit more, or start re-introducing in small quantities items forbidden on my post-op diet while working toward goal (grains of any kind (rice/flour/etc), alcohol, treats, non-lean meats). If I am just supposed to stay on this super-strict post-op diet forever, that feels really mentally hard, and not what I had been hearing in the support group with other patients of the same surgeon. The surgery went well and I am mobile and drinking ok, still have some very sharp pain from the two biggest incisions when I use my abdominals, but have pain meds to manage and it is better day after day. Since I am sleeping less today, I am starting to worry about this and the long term. I will definitely discuss with the surgeon at my August 31 followup, but I need some reassurance, I think, before then too.

My surgery was scheduled today!!! August 29th! All they said was no alcohol or aspirin two weeks before. I have not been dieting but now that I have a date I eating about 1400-1500 calories a day so I can lose a little before the surgery. I've only counted calories for 2 days and I'm starving. Not emotional, boredom or out-of-habit hungry BUT Real body hunger that's distracting and annoying! For those who have had the surgery, are you a lot less hungry?

I am 8 weeks post op...I decided to give up beer (hard to do), wine (even harder) and just have a low or non calorie drink or shot...i had a dirty martini, stayed at home because I was afraid of how it would affect me, aside from alcohol hitting faster I was fine, one was more than enough. Sent from my SM-G930T using BariatricPal mobile app

Oh great...my choice of flavors are dishsoap with bitter alcohol or super sweet Lysol! Certianly something to look forward to! Honestly, that is the least of my concerns following surgery. I'll do whatever they tell me I have to...heck, I'm giving up coffee! That shows my degree of willingness! One disgusting drink doesn't worry me a bit.

Hi there! and YES HE IS RIGHT. The contrast they make you drink after surgery right before the X-ray is worse than anything I've ever had in my entire life. That was probably the worst experience of my whole surgery lol. I literally cried and begged them to please not make me drink it. I was told I couldn't be discharged without this xray and without drinking it. Think consistency of dishwashing soap, with a taste of dishwashing soap and a bitter alcohol. So thick and gross. I chugged it, threw up and cried as I walked back to my room. lmao kind of funny now when I look back because I threw a tantrum like a child. It was bad. lol Good luck to you on your journey!

I am sure many of us are food addicts. This finally clicked with me. A response from a person about my head hunger really turned on a light for Mexican she said " I've heard head hunger is addiction". I don't know why, but it really turned on a light for me. I knew " sure there must be some sort of food addiction", but it never was a serious thought. Just kind of a " yeah, ok blaa blaa blaa" I am a recovering alcoholic, going on 10 years and I quit smoking the same time. I kicked my peanut butter addiction in March and now..... a food paddiction I am no longer in denial about. I'm sorry if this makes anyone upset that I've been in denial, like, who goes into weight loss surgery denying a food addiction. I'm almost 3 years post op and my head hunger was from day one. If I think of how many times I actually feel hunger.... 2 times a day. I need help I order to work on this. Not sure where to start.

This is the stage I am at right now: What to Eat and How to Eat? There are certain rules you have to adhere to: 1. Eat frequently but do not overeat: stop once you feel full. 2. Your diet should include 3 main normal sized meals and 2 or 3 small snacks. Depending on when you go to sleep you may add a third snack in the evening if you go to bed late, otherwise limit yourself to 2 small snacks a day only. 3. Every meal or snack should include some kind of low-fat protein. 4. The snack rule requires a combination of at least 2 ingredients: some kind of low-sugary fruit (or a combination of different types of fruit) and protein (or a combination of 2-3 kinds of protein). Examples of suggested snacks you can see on the pictures below. Make sure your snack includes approximately 50% of fruit and 50% of protein. Avoid certain types of fruit high in sugar: bananas, grapes, mangoes, etc. 5. Your daily protein intake should never be less than 40 g. Recommended protein intake is from 40 g to 100 g per day. 6. You may include all kinds of vegetables as part of your main meals. Avoid fried foods like French fries, potato chips, chicken wings, etc. Give preference to healthy cooking with little oil (olive, coconut, walnut, and avocado oil). 7. Use a rule of a palm: your main meal protein should always fit in your palm. The amount of protein will differ depending on the size of every person`s palm, thus the taller you are the more protein you will consume. Add approximately 1.5 palms of vegetables to your protein. Use very little low-fat dressing. See the images below. 8. Avoid sodas, any kind of refined carbs (rice, pasta, any kind of bread), coffee, smoothies, and alcohol. Drink 64 oz. of fluids daily.

@BigViffer lol thanks for the info. Sounds pretty accurate. I don't drink alcohol though. Too scared to since surgery lol. I'm one month post op as of yesterday and I lost almost 20lbs since surgery, the additional 6 lbs was pre-op a day before surgery. 20 lbs seems like the norm for weight loss after one month. I walked a lot this weekend on a mini vacay I took and yesterday even though I got home from work super late and was tired as f*ck I still went for a 30 minute walk. I'm trying, but the weight is barely going down. I just need to be patient. I don't think I'm eating enough either though. Wake up - on my way to work drink 8 oz of fluids Get to work - greek yogurt snack - either spoon of peanut butter or a string cheese lunch - a piece of chicken or protein shake snack - spoon of peanut butter dinner - yesterday I had a couple pieces of salami and cheese and like 3 olives I can't eat much more than that...mleh that's pretty bad eating habits huh?

The average US female is 5'4". The average US female weighs 166.2lbs The average US female consumes 2.5 servings of alcohol a day The average US female sleeps 6 hours & 41 minutes a day. The average US female wears a size 16. The problem with averages is that they are so homogenized that they can no longer be applicable to the individual. Unless you meet all the average statistics spelled out prior to surgery, there is very little chance the average weight loss will be applicable to you as well. Weight loss is strictly a matter of diet. Fitness comes from exercise. So even if you are not able to work out like some, you will still lose the weight if you stick to the plan provided by your surgeon. Testing your limits or tolerances or experimenting with food and/or alcohol will hamper your progress and could lead to bad habits forming. Relax, stay the course, and remain vigilant!

Well, here goes nothing... My name is Jim. I am from central California and have three absolutely beautiful daughters from two different marriages. They are smart too, which leads me to wonder where the heck they got their brains, because their moms and I definitely got the short end on that deal. lol I was born with severely deformed feet and legs. Spent my entire childhood in casts and braces. Surgeries were the norm to get me to where I could walk (almost) normally. I was also incredibly skinny and had a voracious appetite. The standing joke was that I stored all the food I ate within my casts. Because we were also quite poor and depended on assistance, my parents insisted that I clean my plate with each meal and nothing was allowed to be wasted. Pasta was plentiful because it was so cheap. As I got older, my appetite never let up, but I still did not gain weight. I was active and my body seemed to eat those extra calories with ease. Then, I hit 21. For whatever reason, the weight poured on. I went from 140 pounds to 175 in a few months. Then to 200. I felt like I was on a runaway freight train. I noticed with the increased weight, my feet and legs began to hurt more. My activity levels started to decrease because of the pain. Then, with the failure of my first marriage and the trauma of the disgusting divorce process, depression set in. I isolated myself and began to eat to take the pain away. Before I knew it, I was 250 pounds and my feet and legs were worse than ever. Over the years, I managed to diet, but fell into the 96 percentile and always gained the weight, plus extra, back. A few years ago, I suffered a work related injury to my left foot. I was told that, because of the deformities and the surgeries, that my work injury would never heal. Essentially, I re-sprain my foot every morning when I get out of bed. Although minor, it is painful ... daily. I also learned that I had limited mobility in my ankle and that the metatarsals were trying to pick up for the slack that my ankle was leaving. In short, I was told that I need to find a different career or I would not make it to retirement. The only solution for my problem will be to fuse all of the joints. In April, I went in to see my doctor and weighed in at 299 pounds. I am 5' 11", so I know that for many this is not as significant, but my BMI was 42. With a historical trend of increasing weight, HPB, sleep apnea, and severe joint pain, he recommended I look into the Kaiser bariatric program. This is where my journey begins .... June 29: Attended first orientation class in Stockton (299.0 lbs) July 03: Had a huge mental set back when I took my daughters to a theme park and was called out of line to see if I fit in the "test" chair. July 07: Attended official orientation at Bariatric Center in South Sacramento (298.8 lbs) July 10: Officially gave up carbonated drinks, alcohol, and caffeine. Started using post-op food plan religiously. July 21: First visit with Dr. Yenemula. Was informed I had already made goal weight (283.1 lbs) July 24: Attended nutrition class and that evening attended support group meeting (282.4 lbs) Aug. 07: Stopped by for official weigh in (270.2 lb) Aug. 16: I have my psych visit I have been very limiting on who I have included in my journey. My mom, significant other (SO), and kids know. I have also told my boss (a close friend), so he is aware of the time I may need coming up. Everyone has been extremely supportive, except that my SO is insistent that I do not get the surgery. She has never had weight issues and is a gym rat (talk about oil and water). She believes that all I need to do is continue with this diet that, as of now, has been extremely successful. The problem is, she has not been with me to see 20 years of struggling. The emotional and physical pains associated with losing, then gaining back more. She has not seen me getting dinner for the family on the way home and ordering an extra meal, just so I can hurry up and eat it before I get home for dinner. And, after wolfing that meal down, feeling the extreme shame in doing so. For me, this is a much-needed physical tool that will assist me in maintaining what I am doing right now. With this surgery, I will be lighter and able to return to exercising the way I used to. I see the possibility of retiring on my own terms…not a doctor’s. I am so sorry for this lengthy intro. Just started typing and it flowed. If there is anyone in my neck of the woods that is willing to chat (Stockton, Sacramento), I would love to learn more about your journey and maybe mutual support. While I value the support groups and do intend on going, I am not as comfortable in that group type environment. If you made it this far, thanks so much for reading.

Thank you! I think they read it as I'm a continuos weed smoker which I'm not I took a couple hits over the weekend and that was that. If they found THC in my system from when I first went and did a UTS then that was from months ago. The doctor asked if I drank alcohol and smoked cigarettes and I said no because I do neither. I was just simply asking a question I'm sure most people want to know and they all attacked lol

Well let me comment on how I feel! Cigarettes are different from weed along with alcohol. No place in anything that I have read you cant smoke weed. Unless you are her nurse or doctor STOP BEING HER JUDGE AND JURY! If you didnt have **** to say but bs then you need to keep **** to yourself. Things you missed in elementary school+

I agree this is a serious surgery and if you can't stop smoking pot they should disqualify you from surgery, my Dr wouldn't even do it on people that smoke cigarettes. Just like alcohol it is not recommended anywhere you read. DaleCruse you aren't the Bariatric police I can comment any way I feel. Sent from my N9519 using BariatricPal mobile app

My surgeon told all of us during our 1st orientation meeting that smoking cigarettes or weed is never allowed after surgery due to the deadly effects it will have. Smoking will narrow the blood flow and cause harm and weed will make you very hungry and force you to overeat and train your brain to be in constant food mode. Don't use a drug whether it's weed, alcohol or other calming substances to calm your nerves. Go exercise, paint, work with clay, learn to do active things that will give your mind other things to think about. See a therapist if your stress is too much. But relying on a drug only increases the need for even more to calm you. Even food is a drug and look how many of us use it to get us by. Sent from my SM-N900V using BariatricPal mobile app

I don't smoke and my doc recommended waiting 6 months or more before I drink. The rationale was that most alcohol is carbs and empty calories. I was also warned that alcohol will impact us more quickly - just take it easy until you know how it will affect you.

I'd recommend waiting 4-6 months so you can be confident in your ability to eat and drink water before imbibing. Alcohol can hit us like a ton of bricks, so going into it well hydrated and with food in your system, you'll fare best. Keep in mind our livers are under stress from the weight loss, another reason to wait as long as possible, and limit yourself to one drink in a night. Even though things will seem different, going out and having a good time is the main thing.

I stick to my diet no matter what. I never tried to introduce any food too early. I stuck to all phases like glue. 3 months out I am still measure everything I eat , I have not taken one bite of bread, crackers etc. I stay on a low carb diet ( less than 20 grams a day). I switched sugar for equal [emoji4]. And I have only drank water since the day of my surgery. Nothing else except for my half cup of coffee in the morning. Your brain will change from wanting food for taste and pleasure to eating for nutrition and moving on !! This is not easy but you can do it !! Remember YOU ARE WORTH IT. I have to tell myself that every day to stay on track ! Wishing you all the best !!!Oh .... and I never taste anything that is a danger zone for me. Hahahah. I have a spouse who is always saying " just one bite so you can taste it ". But I know that will be like an alcoholic taking a drink. My cravings would get out of control and I would succumb to them. Everyone is different. Find what works for you and rock this thing [emoji6].