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Well to all those who are saying how easy it is to so called "slide down the slippery slope" or hit "those rocks in the road" and us newbies who "have the tiger by the tail" and every other idiom out there all say that you obviously weren't mentally ready to engage in this new world of self awareness. Again...having surgery which ever method you decide to have..lap band, sleeve, or bypass... THIS IS NOT MAGIC SURGERY. It does not give you the permission to go out after words to the nearest buffet or fast food place or buy a family size bag of potato chips, and think OOHHH boy I had some magic surgery now I can eat anything I want (not to mention the unmentionable...exercise) . NO NO NO. So you need to decide am I going to be successful at this or not. If you are making excuses like "nobody is validating me any more" ... you're becoming healthier ..are you doing this for them or yourself? I'm going to try eating more sugar...why? I personally have type 2 diabetes and got so tired of taking large amounts of insulin everyday. I can't drink alcohol any more... boo hoo...maybe you have another issue to deal with?? What's an occasional splurge ? really? Cut out carbs all together.. again I made a decision to not eat carbs/ gluten anymore. There are so many subs to replace all the bread, rice, and pasta you crave. Try some. Any one of your Nuts out there will tell you if your putting more calories in your body than your burning your doing something wrong. SO NO SLIDDERS ! So if all you who have been out for 3 or 4 or 5 yrs plus have just forgotten why you had the surgery to begin with. Maybe you need a second so called "HONEYMOON" a few of you mention all the failures out there...what about all the successes !!! which I will be one of...It's not BULLSHIT... Obesity is manageable. Some of us need extra help such as the surgery of your choice...but healthy eating is a close second option. So make all the excuses you want. That's what they are EXCUSES. Nobody has a gun to your head saying eat that junk.. it was all your decision. So hate me all you want I will talk to you in 3 or 4 or 5 yrs from now and still be on my "HONEYMOON".

It's SO easy to be cocky newly post op (1-2 years). I remember. You think you have the tiger by the tail. Then the honeymoon period ends. Suddenly, you're hungrier. You can eat more. You've settled into "boring" maintenance. You no longer have the thrill of the scale moving downward. People are used to how you look now, and you aren't getting the validation of constant compliments on how great you look. You're fully healed and feel as normal as you did before surgery, and sometimes you're alarmed by how much more you can eat and how much hungrier you are. Behavior fatigue sets in, and you push the limits of how much sugar or alcohol or carbs you can consume before you see a gain. After all, you pretty much could still lose early out even after the occasional splurge. And if you did gain a pound or two, a couple days of cutting back on carbs and some extra water, it came right back off. Until you discover it doesn't work that way anymore. You gain much easier now for seemingly no reason, and no matter how hard you try, the weight won't come back off like it did before. You become complacent, almost accepting a 5, 10, or even 20 pound gain because it becomes so hard to lose it again. We won't even talk about the guilt and self loathing regain causes. You feel like a failure (even though you really aren't). A fairly new post op has no idea the struggles people 3, 4, 5 years out and more have, so telling people to just suck it up and have more willpower is utter bullshit.

I'm trying to understand why wine would be a problem or anything under 7%. They gave me hydrcodone and it has 7% alcohol.

I 100% have those worries. I feel as though eating, drinking alcohol and smoking are all the fun things in my life and that once I have the surgery and can't do those things, then I won't have fun. I am going to speak to someone about it as I don't want to develop adjustment issues or anything like that. I think we just have to find something that brings us as much joy as food and all those nasty things I am getting a puppy about a week after the surgery so I have that to look forward to and I know she will keep me busy. Good luck! I hope it all works out for you. I feel as though we aren't alone in our feelings and if everyone else can do it then we can too Sent from my SM-N9005 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi, thanks for your reply. I do realise that this will probably be the end of the road as far as surgery is concerned and I'm pleased about that as I don't want any more surgery. I have always had problems with portion control and grazing and have been working hard to deal with it, I am pleased at your will power and apparent success at conquering this issue. For me I am still hungry after eating 2 cups, of course I try not to eat and I swap unhealthy foods for healthy options and choose proteins first. But it's not always easy, hence most of our decisions to have surgery in the first place. I have also given up smoking after 25 years of smoking 2 packets a day and no longer drink any alcohol at all. I do have will power but for me it seems that I am gaining weight after an initial reasonable loss with the bypass, so for me my next option, which my surgeon agrees is the Overstitch. I had also started Saxenda with great initial results, I have only been on it for 2 weeks and am still titrating the dose but have noticed a marked decrease in appetite and have lost 4kg! Happy days, I am determined to get where I want to be eventually.

Well I never though I'd say this.........but I'm actually going in for my 4th WLS surgery / procedure this week [emoji15], I'm 3 days away from it on the 21st of July 2017 [emoji106][emoji4] My weight loss journey so far....back in 2004 I weighed 136kg / 300 pounds and am 182cm / 6ft. My GP in the UK wouldn't approve SAGB on the NHS so I self funded the operation at a hospital in the South of France. Operation went well, weight loss was good, got down to 90kg / 198 pounds. However, gradually I had more and more complications with the band, slippage and erosion. Weight went up to 116kg / 255 pounds. No matter how much fluids were put in or removed from my band, my restriction was either that tight I couldn't get water down or too loose so I could eat whatever I liked. I also developed reflux and experienced frequent vomiting. I had a revision from band to sleeve in the same operation in Australia 3 years ago (2014) got down to 84kg / 144 pounds with the sleeve. My sleeve stretched over a couple of years, partly due to the poor shape of the sleeve due to the damage done by the band (after my operation my surgeon said to me that my stomach was in such bad condition it looked looked "like a dogs breakfast in there!!") and if I'm honest partly due to me falling off the wagon, eating too much junk food and drinking a serious amount of alcohol, so my weight crept back up to 103kg / 227 pound. So anyway I finally stumped up the courage to go for the full gastric bypass 1 year ago at a weight of 103kg / 227 pound. Weight loss was great, felt full quickly, no major dumping, no complications / side effects. Got down to 80kg / 176 pound then recently crept back up to 93kg / 205 pound, so now I'm having the Overstitch this week, which I hope will be my final weight loss operation ever this Friday! In hindsight I wish I'd never had the band and sleeve and gone straight for the bypass all those years ago, but still grateful for the overall weight loss to date. I must have been quite lucky with the operations, I had no infections, significant pain or gas pain, I was waking around the ward on day of the bypass, got 1.5ltr of fluids down me same day and after the TT I was doing laps of the ward on day 2! Only real issue is I've become severely anaemic this week. I'm on iron tablets and Vit B12 injects. Now when I was in the mid-80kgs I had a fair bit of excess skin and I think the weight loss and the natural getting older process had made me look older than my years, so I went in for some plastic surgery to get my self sorted out. I had upper and lower blepharoplasty (reduction of loose skin above and below my eyes, liposuction to my neck, 2 separate neck lifts (first one unsatisfactory), liposuction to remaining man boobs, stomach, hips and back. Full abdominoplasty with new belly button. Oh and a complimentary mid-face lift whilst the surgeon was in doing my lower eyes, I actually didn't ask for the mid face lift but my surgeon couldn't resist doing it once he had perfect access to the areas / structures required to hitch up the face a little. I woke up to the unexpected news about the face lift and was thrilled with the results and even happier that is was for free!! I also had a fat transfer, where they sucked some fat out of my abdominal area and had it pumped in the jowls / cheeks / nasolabial folds to fill out my face a little!!! Now I just have a little Botox and some dermal fillers as maintenance to the face. Also had a vampire facelift lol. And OMG for those of you who have had full tummy tucks, as in skin and muscles, jeez how painful is the recovery from that bad boy!! Worst of all the WLS surgeries I've had and the other cosmetic procedure. You can't sit up, you can't laugh, sneeze, burp, fart, go for number 2's, well that was my experience with the TT recovery although I recovered very well form all of the procedures with no issues at all, thank-fully [emoji106] The Tummy Tuck for me is what makes me want to stay at around 80kg, any heavier and I feel the skin on my belly stretching because of the tightened skin. I gets quite uncomfortable so I have to get it oI don't want to ruin the effects of the surgery. All in all the procedure took 3 seperate operations they were 11 hours, 5 hours and 9 hours in duration. After the 11 hour operation I ended up in ICU on a cardiac monitor with a special one to one nurse as I was at risk of an adverse cardiac even due to excessive fluid loss. The three cosmetic operations cost me over $70k. Anyway, that's my story in its entirety, I thought I'd share this information with you as I have had so much done and gone through so many procedures, so please feel free to comment and ask me any questions. Thanks John [emoji4][emoji106] PS: No judgement please lol

Hello Everyone- Recently I've been reading through many posts and have been inspired to share my story. I started the VSG process about three years ago, however, got cold feet. I thought to myself, there's no way I can go through this, and that I could lose the weight myself. I was wrong! As a full time mom, with a full time career (and two hour commute each day), there was very little time for me to focus on myself. Three years and three co-morbidities later, I realized VSG was my best option to effectively lose the weight and keep it off! I started my journey in September of 2016 with a 6 month required nutrition based diet program by my insurance. I must say, I didn't do my best during these six months because I found myself in a shame spiral of "food funerals". I had so much FOMO that I doubled down on getting all of the things in that I would "no longer be able to have". I was so scared that I was going to fail at this. My weight increased to my highest ever at 310 lbs. (but everyone told me I didn't look that heavy because I carried it so well). Not really though. I was sore, my body ached daily and my knees started to buckle on occasion, which was scary. I couldn't muster the energy to keep a steady workout routine and when I did work out, I hurt myself. In the spring of 2017 I realized I couldn't keep it up and needed the change. That it was my time to get it done and do it right. I took a weekend trip with my husband, began meditating daily with Insight Timer and I sought professional help for the FOMO and food funerals and made great progress over three months time. Biggest lesson & light bub moment - Food is the fuel our body needs to function properly. It only has meaning, once you give it meaning. The decision was made and there was no turning back and failure is not an option. On 5/17 I began my liquid diet and on 5/31 I had my operation. I was able to come home that Friday and by Saturday, I was walking 10K steps and I haven't looked back or slowed down. I've kept up the walking momentum taking 30-45 minutes on my lunch to walk and if it's raining, I walk in our parking garage! I started the C25K program and just finished week 3 day 1. This week I will add strength training to the mix. I'm six weeks out from surgery and just celebrated 52 lbs lost - 254 lbs! It's been eight weeks that I've been without alcohol, added sugar, excess carbs, or caffeine and over 5 years since I've been this light (after having my second child) and everything from here on down is a bonus! I realized this truly is a lifestyle change for the better and that it's not an easy road. However, the things I had the most FOMO about, I haven't given a second thought or missed them in my life. I listen to my body now and it tells me when enough is enough. Even after surgery, you still have to make the choice to do the right thing which isn't always easy. But with every passing day, it gets easier. I'm so excited for these new beginnings and rediscovery. In the words of Jimmy Iovine - "When you're running after something, you should not look left or right. No. Go. Go. Go. Go." May you be well, may you be happy, may you have peace. Iconcinnity

Hello MsBrown76 I don't know a whole lot about the sleeve...I had the bypass. Having that procedure makes it next to if not impossible for me to over indulge. It is a shame you have gained those 20 - 25 lbs, after all that you've been through. Food can be an addiction just like drugs and alcohol. People don't see that because we do need food to survive. Here's some tough love MsBrown76. STOP IT !!!! LOL LOL Falling off the wagon is a state of mind and you know your doing it ... WHY ?? you work so hard at blaming and belittling yourself...WHY ??? Your sabotaging yourself.... why??? Yes food is like a sin to some of us ( we have all been there).... and we gravitate to medicate for something. But you have done some very positive things for yourself you have had the surgery...that's the first step and on to many other things. Healthy food does not have to be boring nor tasteless nor a sign of punishment for being heavy. (Notice I didn't say fat) words have dramatic effects on our minds. I also stay away from the word "DIET" because it has come to be a dirty word for food deprivation and again we equate it with punishment for being weight challenged. "Only FAT people DIET" !!! There are so many blogs and bariatric websites out there now for people like us who need to watch what we eat. Some great healthy alternatives full of flavour and a lot less calories. A quick story for you... a friend and I had a quick lunch at a fast food court lots of junk food places and the like. I found a bowl of chili (who doesn't like chili a much healthier option) at a Tim Hortons... personally I like Wendys better (but I digress) my friend had Burger King, I so wanted to reach over and take a fry or two, but NO!...I said NO! It was tough but I felt good. So I don't bore you anymore...keep in mind it's all in the mind and even if I don't know you... I know you have the strength to carry on. This blog has many wonderful people on it who are here to help and all know what you are going through. So keep yourself proud and happy of what you have accomplished those 20 - 25 lbs are a thing of the past and will be a small stumbling block on a road to success . EAT HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS NO -...YES -

Don't get me wrong. I'm not judging you. I said "junk food" because earlier, you listed things you usually eat and for ME that's junkfood. But who cares! If you like that, makes you feel good and works for you, that's awesome! It doesn't matter what I say! I just said that it doesn't appeal to me. I got sick if I eat too much sweets or processed food. On the other hand, I don't feel That I'm dieting anymore, I feel like giving high quality fuel to my body to function, it makes me feel energized. Good! If I have a party, I do drink alcohol without regrets (is so seldom that I don't get any regret). I might eat a chocolate sometime in a while but that's it.im not addicted to sweets and bread anymore. My point here is that every individual is different, for some it may work what you do, for others not. We have to find out ourselves. Otherwise, I personally believe that as long as someone with a WLS is in the loosing weight phase, should be disciplined and follow our doctor's recommendations. You look great by the way! Best of lucks!

Are you tracking what you eat and were you doing so after hitting goal and the gain? Were you weighing yourself regularly? I'm about six months behind you time wise - my surgery was on 8.23.16 and I'm still working toward goal, but I find if I'm not religious about tracking, weighing my food every few weeks to remind myself what portion sizes are supposed to look like and weighing myself at least once a week on the scale, it is very easy to get off track. I weighed myself before leaving on vacation on 7/1 and then again upon return on 7/9 - I knew I gained because I was drinking pina coladas, laying on a beach and eating way more, including snacks, than I should. I gained 8 pounds during vacation. Six of those came off in the first four days - I cut out alcohol and upped my activity and water intake. I figure and other few days and the remainder should be gone and I can get back to climbing over the 100 pound barrier I've been facing. From what I have read, not tracking and measuring portions can cause all kinds of problems. Best of luck.

I honestly wouldn't even do 1 a night, GOOD LORD, they're like 300-500 calories each on a cruise ship -- which is like half your daily calorie intake, I dare say! Of course you're an adult, who can make your own decisions, and usually I'm one of those people who's very flexible on taking little breaks (I love a square of chocolate in the evening) but....these are just a terrible idea. They're everything we're not supposed to do: high sugar/carb, no nutritional value AT ALL, liquid calories.... seriously, you're better off just drinking actual alcohol.

Good luck to you all. If spouses do not want wls, then make sure as your emotions change from surgery that you assure them that you are still attracted to them and value their company. It might be tough from time to time, and they may feel insecure, jealous, angry at your changes and unknowingly or knowingly sabotage your progress. In my first marriage when I would diet and lose weight insecurity would cause him to bring home all kinds of goodies to tempt me or want me to eat out and get a 'garbage basket' appetizer, etc. Now he wasn't overweight, but an insecure alcoholic that figured if I lost weight I would leave (I left fat, because I couldn't take the alcoholism)

I'm about 2 1/2 yrs out. Have lost 185 lbs with no regain. I walk 3 miles everyday to keep it off. I'd like to lose 40 more but Ive been stalled a while. Stay away from trigger foods & eat the way your supposed to & you'll be fine My meals are 6 oz of lean chicken or fish & 2 veggies. Don't drink with your meal. Protein shake for breakfast every morning. Take all your vitamins everyday. I have 2-3 snacks a day. Sugar free fruit cup or jello or sugar free pudding or popsickles. Fruit & fudgesickle are only 40 calories. As much as your working doubt you can exercise much. But try to do a little bit. Stay focused on the basics No sugar, no fried food, no fast food, no sodas or alcohol, no bread, pasta potatoes, or rice. Eat your protein first then veggies. It's great you've stayed on track without regain. Keep it up & you'll be fine. Good Luck to you. I live in Mesquite just outside of Dallas

Wow the liver split story is motivation enough for me!!! Day one I was like a dog but I was down nearly a kg ( mostly water I presume) but in a day it's unreal to think your weight can start to shift. I think it's eyes on the prize and Keep focused on the operation and life after. My surgeon was a little casual about everything and like just make sure I follow a low fat diet with no alcohol definitely nothing as severe as the milk plan you're on!! I'm just eating Exante diet food for the two weeks.

I too am a mother and understand that sometimes we need relaxation and alcohol can really hit the spot. I however have resorted to meditation I find that learning to relax takes away my need for alcohol. Also it's a really good thing to do with your child as they get older. Teaching a child how to relax can help if they develop sleep issues or anxiety. I know of somebody who has had a gastric sleeve and finds out how very easy to slip down his throat and has probably replaced one issue with another. It's always worth just keeping a check on these things I can slip very quickly. What you're suggesting in terms of drinking occasionally should not be a problem. In fact a delight. Enjoy and cheers.

Hi there! I was sleeved by Dr Hart also, on May 15th, so I'm exactly 8 weeks out today. Lost 35 since surgery, 50 since heaviest weight. I'm doing really well, but I like to drink alcohol a few times a week. Vodka doesn't bother me at all, but trying to find new ideas for mixers. Seems like everything is either sugary or carbonated. Any yummy suggestions for what you drink? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using BariatricPal mobile app

I am looking to book in my surgery soon but it's just hit me how much I rely on food smoking alcohol soft drinks as coping mechanisms. I don't have a happy life and I need to cope somehow. Has anyone else faced this issue and how did you cope post surgery. It feels scary to be without these things. Thanks Kate

I feel like I could have written this post! I'm 8 weeks out from surgery and I've been stuck for 3 weeks. It's so frustrating. I've lost 14 pounds since surgery. I'm getting 70 g of protein , averaging about 42 grams carbs, 32 g fat, and about 700 callories. Getting about 50 oz of water on average. I've heard eat more, eat less - i try and get more water in but it's tough. I don't exercise a lot but try and get on the exercise bike at least every other day. Just thought with as little as I'm eating and no alcohol compared to my past life (!) it would come off easier. What am I doing wrong?

Honestly from reading forums for years, people that "fall off the wagon" never seem to get back on it. It isn't like AA, you can just give up alcohol. You can't give up food and if you would never learn to control your eating and food when it was easy post-op, you probably never will. Post-op life shouldn't be on a wagon or off. You have to find a way to eat that is easy, normalized to your and HEALTHY. That way you don't fall off the wagon, don't feel deprived and don't cheat. If you really can't eat right, finding a therapist to help you work through your feelings about food might bring you some success.

hi all, I am in the process of of getting the Lap Band - should be able to get it in September. I am looking for any tips or advice you can give about the process. I would like to start purchasing food/supplies that I will need pre & post surgery. Does anyone have a list of things to get to stock a pantry in preparation of the surgery.... and any kitchen products that might be needed. anyone be willing to share their favorite recipes/tips for after surgery? How about the mushy/ soft food phase any tips/ recipes? Lapband questions- I sleep on my side, does it hurt.... or is it bad to sleep on the port? What does it feel like when food gets stuck from a tight band or bread or something that has expanded. I suppose it would not feel like choking, as you can still breathe.... but what's it feel like? How do you best resolve it? Alcohol & carbonation: i was under the assumption that liquids would pass through the band opening easily & into the big stomach- why do they say it may stretch the pouch? If I ate rice/pasta... and it swelled/got slimy so it did not go down in the pouch- how do you fix it? Do you drink water to loosen it up? THANK YOU all for any responses I am not sure if I can post my email in a posting.... but my username at Gmail dot com is my e-mail

I am going to challenge this part. It is important to make this realistic. Planning your food, being detailed, weighing your food, etc. is all part of the responsibilities you need to take on to be successful long-term. And yes, it takes time, but it is time well spent. I have food prepped every single weekend since I was able to start eating meat again (about week 5 post-op if I remember correctly). I cook up several pounds of chicken and then separate them into baggies of 3 oz (the serving size for me). Same thing with hamburger. I also cook a big pot of green beans (with all ingredients measured and weighed). That way, all week, I can pull out what I need easily, and stay on track, even with things get busy (or if I have to travel for work). And you're right. Food addicts can't stop eating like alcoholics can abstain from booze and drug addicts can abstain from drugs. That's what makes this kind of forethought and hard work even more important. Otherwise, it makes it very easy to fall back on old habits and excuses.

Personally I'd separate the social/forum ones from the weight loss/medical related ones. NAFLD: non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (more common than NASH) ac: before meals pc: after meals A1C/HBA1c - Glycated Hemoglobin, Type A1C (average 3 month plasma glucose aka blood sugar concentration) LFT = Liver function/diagnostic tests ALT - Alanine aminotransferase (enzyme along with AST & GGT primarily for liver function/diagnostic tests) AST - Aspartate aminotransferase (enzyme along with ALT & GGT primarily for liver function/diagnostic tests) GGT - Gamma-glutamyltransferase (enzyme along with ALT & AST primarily for liver function/diagnostic tests) PTT - Partial thromboplastin time (blood clotting factor diagnostic test) DM - diabetes mellitus IDDM - insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus EKG - should use ECG as well, EKG = Elektro-kardiographie (German), ECG = Electrocardiography (English) HDL - High density lipoprotein (good cholesterol) LDL - Low density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol) IBS - Irritable Bowel Syndrome

That's interesting perspective. I'm not totally sure I agree with you. I cook a lot and 20 minutes is not really realistic. And then there is the shopping and the planning. Yes it is better to cook a huge batch and freeze it and I will do that when I can, but that's not always realistically going to happen, especially when I go back to school (I am a teacher). I didn't get fat primarily from fast food, I got fat because I'm a great cook and could never figure out how to cook for one. That's not going to get any easier with the micro portions I can have now. I think a certain amount of practicality is important. Yes I admit I am an addict. But what makes food addiction the most difficult addiction (IMO) is the fact that you can't just stop eating like you can with drug or alcohol addiction. I feel like I need to have "safe foods" I can get on the go and not just tie myself to my kitchen.

I never realized before surgery how much of my social life revolves around food. All my thin friends always want to go to restaurants, and I used to think it was just me. People also are surprisingly pushy about getting me to drink alcohol, like I'm some sort of weirdo if I don't get a drink. They're always asking when I can eat or drink things. "Let me know when you can ______!" I also had no idea that after surgery you can't take ibuprofen (used to eat it like candy), that I would have to separate eating and drinking liquids, and that soup is a bad idea. The pre-op class was really surprising for me. The salad thing also surprised me but I can eat a little salad with my other food just fine, and straws and diet soda don't really cause me any issues. I'm fortunate that I haven't found anything I can't eat yet. I ate popcorn at the movies this weekend (got a kids' pack) and diet soda and was perfectly fine.

Congratulations I have pre op diet starting July 17 and on the 18th I have to go meet withy surgeon to sign off on my surgery I'm so exited I've cut out sodas sweets alcohol so far working on the rest