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I'm nearly 10 months out now. Lost 75 lb. I'm 5'6", starting weight 240, now 165 (which is goal according to my surgeon but I'd like to lose 10 more). I feel awesome, sleep better, take the stairs without thinking about it, have more energy, and get lots of attention from men (ok that's the downside, but have to admit it feels good!). My meals are protein-focused but i don't count grams anymore. I drink around 40 oz per day and no issues, take my Vitamins, my labs look great. No blood pressure medicine the last 6 months. I didn't advance my diet nearly as quickly as the previous poster, but tolerate everything well in general. Fried foods give me nausea so i avoid them (not good for me anyway so no big deal). I avoid bread, biscuits, Cereal, tortillas, etc (except the low-carb tortillas--I will have ONE and make a Taco or mini pizza out of it, and I'm full). I don't drink alcohol because my fiance is in alcohol recovery, but it has a ton of calories so it's best avoided anyway. As a snack i will eat a handful of nuts and a cheese stick or a Greek yogurt (which contains extra Protein compared to regular yogurt and i think it has a better texture). Sometimes i will have 8 or 10 Blue Diamond Nut Thins with a little cheese dip to squash that craving for something crunchy. I love to go to Red Lobster and order the snow crab. So yummy and my tummy tolerates it very very well. For exercise i walk about 12 miles/week or more. This is a new way of eating for me, and it's for life. It's working for me, I'm used to it now and i like it. I'm very happy. Only regret is i didn't do this 10 years ago. Don't be afraid. Realize this is the first step in a journey that will bring you joy, health, and a longer life!

Are there any Protein bars out there which do not have sugar alcohols in them? I'd like to up my protein a little but every bar I've tried has upset my pouch (RNY). Some of the common sugar alcohols include xylitol, maltitol, erythritol, etc.

I waited until maybe 5-6 weeks post-op. To avoid the possibility of dumping, get an edible with a very high THC content, and only have a teeny bit. My go-to is a chocolate, but because it has so many milligrams of THC, I only need about a pinky-nail sized amount. For the brand I use, this is about 0.8 grams of sugar. Another great option is to use a tincture. They can be either alcohol-based or glycerin-based. Although, tinctures work by absorbing into the bloodstream via the mouth, and therefore work more quickly than edibles.

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 was never a big drinker but decided post surgery I'd never consume alcohol again. Just my choice. Sent from my moto e5 (XT1920DL) using BariatricPal mobile app

I am almost a full 7 years post op. Since we aren't supposed to have carbonated beverages with bypass I haven't...but I have had mixed drinks...it hits me super quick....I get really really buzzed....and move to water and sober up pretty quickly. I don't really care for Alcohol regardless but I tried it and it hits me quick personally Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

I was a moderate drinker before surgery (wine at home on the weekends and occasional happy hours or dinners out during the week). My surgeon said no alcohol for a year, and ideally never. I'm now almost four months out and have not had a drink yet--and I'm hoping to give up drinking permanently. I'm not judging anyone for their choices, but I don't think my life will be less fulfilling without drinking. For me, it was more of a social thing than actually loving wine.

So I tried my first drinks and I thought I was going to feel the alcohol after my first or second drink but that wasn’t my case .. I ordered water with vodka and the bartenders looked at me like I was crazy lol

Well I made it! My surgery was at 4pm so I didn’t make it to my room until late. That first night was tough. I woke up from the surgery in a lot of pain but the nurse wasn’t giving me a lot of pain meds because I was breathing slowly. Luckily I was able to have my mom there because she works at the hospital. Yesterday was better. VERY sore at the incision sites, hard to tell if it’s the incisions or my insides that were hurting but the pain meds help wonders. Don’t hesitate to use the pain meds. Luckily I didn’t have much gas pain, I think they did a good job at removing the majority of it. I was still very sleepy from all the meds so I only walked 3-4 times during my stay in the hospital. They wanted to discharge me last night but I ended up staying last night and got discharged this morning. Only a little nauseous when I took the liquid Tylenol but they gave me Zoltan and oddly enough waving an alcohol swab in front of my nose helped wonders. I’m home now still in some pain but it’s most just tightness in my abdomen, still using the pain meds. I was a mess crying all the way up until I when to sleep but I survived and so will you! I’m having no trouble with water or protein shakes so that’s good

I'm more along the lines of KateP. I never limited myself to just Protein and veggies while losing, so ketosis didn't play a factor with me. I was eating MORE protein and fat than carbs, but I always tried to eat a balanced diet of protein, veggies, fruits, whole grains and nuts. I started adding in more fruit, more grains and more fat once I hit my surgeon's goal. But like you mentioned above, i still continued to lose another 20 pounds until my body found its new set point.....10 pounds below my personal goal. Yes, I can eat much more than I could once I hit goal and I my hunger returned in full force at around 10 months. I just had to find things to distract me from eating too much. I drink a lot of Water and tea, I clean my house a lot, I go outside and do whatever to get away from the kitchen. I don't buy stuff I shouldn't eat (resisting temptation once in the store is easier than resisting over and over if it was actually in the house). I basically just feel I'm eating like a "normal" thin person with no weird rules to follow. I choose protein over other options most of the time, but I don't hesitate to indulge in Desserts, candy, alcohol, or other "bad" carbs in moderation. Too much restriction would just piss me off and make me want it more. I have a 5 pound bounce range that I stick with. If I pop even 1 pound above, I will limit my carbs for However long it takes to get back into range. I'm only 17 months out, but have been maintaining this way for 9 of them.

Bloom, congratulations!! yes, I am the test case for bad behavior, or at least the only one who foolishly admits to it. It is not bad, but once you get that slight feeling of fullness, stop, and put down that fork. The next bite will cause you considerable discomfort! I have been able to eat in restaurants and socialize with friends, because I do not want to make a fool of myself and eat slowly and heed all warnings from my band. I was going to try a glass of wine, but did not do so. Will probably test the waters for alcohol over Labor day weekend as I will be camping with friends and not driving. I am not a big drinker anyway, but I do miss having one or two. Your head still wants to overeat, but it will cause instant pain. So I am hoping that the head will learn not to make the body hurt. As far as post surgical pain, I had virtually none. My "innards" have never felt pain, and minimal from the surgical spots. If I flop on my port during the night it hurts, but as the swelling goes down it seems to happen less. I have my nieces convinced that it is an alien ready to hatch. OK, hope I do not offend anyone, but because of the port do you have to always be on top for sex, LOL?

Unfortunately, as in society as a whole... when people come together in a group for a common purpose there's a tendency to judge others who are not "towing the line" in exactly the same way they are doing. It's a sad commentary on the human condition. One minute you're their buddy, but as soon as you step outside the bounds you're the enemy. I've known many people who have been successful with 12-step programs for alcohol, but also a few who simply replaced their alcohol addiction with a 12-step addiction. They dealt with the alcohol part of the equation, but not the underlying causes of the addiction. In essence, they became dry-drunks. Knowing what is right for you and not right for you in the addiction community is a very difficult thing. Personally, I much prefer Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which concentrates on our thinking process so as to replace our disfunctional, convoluted thoughts into productive healthy ones. A 12-step alcoholic has to stay away from alcohol for life (as per the program), but a 12-step food addict is faced with the even more difficult reality that a person can't just give up food altogether. We have to learn to live with it. Imagine telling your local AA group that their members will just have to learn to live with drinking alcohol in moderation and see how long it takes them to show you the door. I applaud any method that works for someone. I just, personally, find the 12-step one very difficult for food addicts.

1. Depends on the type of work you do - I went back 10 days post-op with no problems, and my days consisted of a 3+ hour commute (total) and meetings, meetings meetings. Since you're a teacher, just know that two weeks out you'll still be exhausted easily...but keep up your Protein, liquid & Vitamins and you'll soon get back into the habit! (As a side note, I went back to teaching after 10 days of "recovery" after my LapBand surgery - piece of cake...I'm just not a teacher anymore!) 2. Losing happens in the kitchen - fitness happens in exercise. Get some kind of activity in and you'll be just fine! 3. I wouldn't have needed help - my surgery was relatively easy and my recovery was quick...only sleepiness and low energy were my enemies! You DO need someone to drive you home from the hospital, so make sure you have that! If you clean your house ahead of time and stock up on liquids, you'll be fine! My boyfriend lives with me and wanted to take care of me and, honestly, he was bummed I didn't "need" him more! I let him make me smoothies/protein shakes 4. Follow your doctor's rules and listen to your body - my rules were no carbonation until 30 days post-op and no alcohol until 6 months post-op. Even after those timelines, I'll go slow and see how my body reacts!

I'm about 6 1/2 months out. I have had alcohol once and I haven't had a single bowl of cereal since I was sleeved. Nobody can make you drink and eat that stuff except for you. The sleeve doesn't make you change your eating habits--you do that. Remember the part about not drinking when you eat? You can't eat cereal with milk--same thing. You're just diluting the cereal down, it's passing straight through and you get hungry quicker. I strongly suggest meeting with a dietician. Your physician should have provided you with a meal plan. I lost hair between 3 and months. You should be taking a multi-vitamin, vit D, Vit B12 and Calcium at the very least. You should be eating 60+ grams of Protein a day. Stop buying cereal. You will not be able to eat like you used to and keep the weight off. I'm down 77 lbs and I still cheat every now and then. I keep chocolate chips in the freezer so I get a crunchy/sweet snack sometimes. I eat pretzels ( I count out 10) when I want something salty. Stop buying cereal. If it's not there, you won't be able to eat it. Don't even go down the cereal aisle. And lay off the partying for awhile. There are plenty of things you can enjoy without alcohol. My diet plan is basically 3-4 oz of protein 3 times a day. I can have a low-carb veg if I'm still hungry AFTER eating the protein. I stay between 500-800 calories a day. Sometimes I still do a Protein shake at Breakfast. I eat around 20 grams of carbs a day. It's really a mindset, changing your attitude about food and developing self-control. You have to do the work--the sleeve only helps you with portion control. There are days I eat crap too. I think probably everyone does sometimes--protein can be boring. Save the crap for special occasions or just the occasional splurge.

OP- only YOU can decide if you have a problem with alcohol. The reason we are all picking up on that is because it is fairly common to see an alcohol problem emerge after WLS. It seems to me that alcohol is very important to you. That doesn't necessarily mean you have a problem with it. But consider also, if it is not a 'problem', then it shouldn't be a problem to give it a rest for a while. I must tell you that I, personally, am a recovering addict with over 3 years free of drugs or alcohol. When we are having trouble succeeding, we have to look at our self-destructive behaviors which may be contributing to our failures. I wish you much success and hope you can get some assistance to help you get on track.

Last night I drank a whole bunch for halloween, and during the past four days or so I have gone through like almost 4 boxes of Cereal, and not the good kind. I see people post on a support group Im in (not sure why Im in it..like...it does nothing for me but see people succeeding...yay them...) All this surgery did for me was make me drop like 60 pounds in the matter of 6 weeks or so, and made me not handle my alcohol at ALL. So I'm THAT guy when I go to college parties. And by THAT guy, I mean the guy who is the most drunk. I dont want to be the most drunk. I wonder if my stomach stretched all the way out? I never feel full anymore. My hair is falling out at an alarming rate, my shower/bathtub is a mess because I have like tens of dozens of hair strands just all around... yay life.

As part of my band journey, I decided it was time to tackle my Diet Coke addiction (again). I gave it up about 6 years ago, but here it is back again. We're talking a minimum of 5 cans a day, plus 3 - 6 glasses a day while eating out at lunch and/or dinner. It's a serious matter in my life. I actually believe the aspartame poisoning aspect is worse than the caffeine portion. I know this, but I still guzzle it. Why!?! Not looking forward to my 1 - 2 weeks of detox headaches and other symptoms. Has anyone else successfully tackled this evil? If so, any and all tips are appreciated! According to Merriam-Webster: ad·dic·tion noun \ə-ˈdik-shən, a-\ : a strong and harmful need to regularly have something (such as a drug) or do something (such as gamble) : an unusually great interest in something or a need to do or have something Full Definition of ADDICTION 1 : the quality or state of being addicted <addiction to reading> 2 : compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly : persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful

Great thread - I'm game. Well I've lost 11lbs in the 1st month I had my fill on nov 9th and since then I have completely lost my mind! Eating and drinking alcohol like a mad woman -it's like I'm trying to self destruct on purpose so this is it I'm back on track as of this moment. I have 3 more weeks left in my months so I will commit to: losing 7lbs exercising every other day - 60 mins each session 3 meals a day and no drinking with meals visit this forum daily to keep me focused! Thanks everyone on this forum - if it wasn't for you guys this would be so much harder. Good luck everyone!!

Thank you! I'm one of those lucky people who had to do a six month supervised diet, lol. So far I've gained 5 pounds!!! So March 2nd is my final day... I have two appointments between now and then, the cardiologist and the shrink eval, and I have to have a drug and alcohol test! From what I hear my insurance is one of the few who requires that one. :thumbup:

Ok! I got a big thing of Margarita Mix, a big thing of Pina Colada mix (slurp), and a small thing of Zing Zang's bloody mary mix.. this is a semi-regional thing, if you like bloody marys, this is the best mix evah. Russ probably thinks I up and turned into an alcoholic.

I PB a couple times a week. If it's going to happen, it will happen in the first bite or two. Usually too big a bite or not chewing it enough. Also, in the morning I am tighter and also if I have been drinking the night before the next day is tight. I think drinking alcohol causes some swelling or tightness of the stoma. Then sometimes, I feel like I can eat anything no problem. When I PB, it's not too terribly bad. I start to burp and can feel the food stuck and not going down (it's quite uncomfortable). I go to the bathroom and basically spit up/throw up the obstruction. If I am having trouble bringing it up, I take a sip or two of water and that helps bring things up, since the water can't go down either, it's reaction is to come back up. The most important thing is if you feel the food stuck and your burping, get to a bathroom right away, especially if you're around people, you don't want it to happen in front of them. I have sometimes had to spit up in napkins if a bathroom isn't close at hand.

Actually, just last night i had a professor comment on one of the girls in my classes weight. She had taken him in a previous semester. She walked in late and the worst thing in the world happened, he said "Hello Ms. Ramos, glad to see your holidays went well, I see you drank a lot of alcohol and ate plenty of holiday food." OMG I could have died because I weigh a good 60 lbs more than she does, so I automatically began to think, "What is he gonna say about me?" I need this class, there is no dropping it. Also, my college doesnt have too many big girls, and if they do, they are just that, big girls, not obese or MO or anything. A little overweight or just plain overweight, mostly all under 200lbs. You dont see many that are obese or MO, I think I have seen like 3 or 4 MO, and a little more than that obese all year. ITS very discriminatory in my classes, the way you look. I am blond hair green eyed, "fat" girl. you know God wasted his time on my looks because he put me in a horrible body! Im not ugly by far, I know that, not to sound cocky, but I wanted you guys to know that I dont think that. Ive always been told how it was a waste for me to be so pretty and be so big. I sit in my classes, I am the ONLY blond! PERIOD! The only one out of 30-50 people, ONE BLOND. That is this semester, there were a few more last semester. I get it for that. However if I was Blonde and Thin, think of all the attention I would get in that field. No I dont have to be the center of attention, mainly because I dont know what that feels like, so I guess not. Im not loud and overbearing whatsoever, remember, they apparently dont hear me speaking. I was asked to leave conversation A, because it did not have anything to do with me, a friend of mine was trying to talk to a boy she liked and vise versa, I had no place in that conversation, it was definately a 2 person relationship. The other one I had no business in because it was the guy's best friend and my friend, and they were discussing something private between those two....it was none of my business whatsoever.....just felt weird, although i had no place in either conversation. I miss all the attention i got from going to the club....I dont go any more because of some drama, and school started back. Im probably going tomorro night tho. I love the way the gay guys compliment me and pay attention to me! Give me stuff and be so nice to me. The girls there dont even hit on me, they know I am straight, and they arent all judgemental on my weight NeWay. I feel comfortable there, hell i practically work there lol! I just want to find that one special guy that can soften my heart. Put up with my crazy antics. Listen to what I say. But put me in my place when I am wrong. A real man will stand up to me, but not be mean or rude, just stand up for themselves. I dunno??? I cant afford counseling by the way, my psychiatrist lives about 8-9 hours away and shes the only one I could ever trust with my head....Not to mention we cant afford it anymore anyways. Guys Im not depressed, i have a good time, i am happy with life, i just wish i was happier with life.....

I was really nervous telling my husband...he is on the other side of the planet right now...his ex wife had bypass years ago and she failed terribly and it enhanced her already changing personality (not in a good way) and she is now a bad alcoholic (she already had an unhealthy relationship with food and needed help prior to surgery and she replaced it with drinking) so needless to say he was not excited lol. When I told him it was dr’s recommendation and reminded him that I have medical issues that require drastic attention he was better. I made him admit (feelings not hurt at all bc it’s what I want as well), as he said he loves me the way I am (

Hi, @FifiLux! Thanks for sharing with us! I was going to say something about July 4th being an easy date to remember, but then I saw your location is Europe, so you don't have the Independence Day association we Americans do. 🙂 Kudos on taking the initiative to give up alcohol before surgery! I know that can be such a big change because it's not just to your diet but to how you spend your down time or hang out with friends. But you got this! You'll be thankful you made that change now when there are so many other changes to make after surgery. Knee surgery is a huge why to keep at the forefront on this journey. Losing weight can unlock so many other health improvements. I'm surprised you have no pre-op guidelines from your provider. As some others have mentioned here, a big reason for a liquid diet is to shrink your liver to make it easier for the surgeon to access your stomach. I just heard a story from one of the co-hosts of the Our Sleeved Life podcast who said her surgeon took her liver out temporarily and that caused her more pain during recovery than her friend whose surgeon worked around her liver. So you might want to ask your surgeon if s/he will take your liver out and if it's possible to prevent that

I am a food addict. My trigger is anything sugar or bread. I love most things carb related and will eat them even when I do not like the taste of them (because there is nothing else in the house to tame the craving at the time) Also some artificial sweeteners trigger me. I am slowly realizing that it is not just because I am hormonal that I react this way. For example, tonight we bought sweet rolls. I ate one. It didn't really trip my trigger. I wasn't hungry when I ate it, I just wanted sugar. An hour later, still not hungry I ate another and felt some acid reflux a bit from over eating, then about 20 mins later I picked up about 10 crackers and ate them trying to make the acid reflux go away when I was the one who caused it in the first place and I didn't even really "enjoy" any of that food and now I just had to take tums to help the extremely full indigestion I have going on. Before now I would not have picked up on this. It was my normal, as sad as it is. I will not eat anymore sweet rolls tonight BUT there is a good possibility that I may finish them tomorrow, even though I didn't really like them. At least now I am aware of what I done after the fact. Now I need to stop it before it happens. Sugar/carbs + mindless eating is one of the reasons I am morbidly obese. At times when I was thinner I had issues with how much alcohol I drank. I grew up in an alcoholic home. It was better to stuff our feelings with food than to be verbal and deal with the wrath of my dad on a non happy drunk day so I know there is an emotional connection as well.