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@@Oregondaisy how are you doing? has the surgeon told you what activities you are allowed to do? I think you should view it like I did recovery from plastics. Not an excuse to get fat, but not a time to severely restrict either. I emphasized Fluid, Protein and no junky food, no alcohol etc. I maintained during that time. I went to a Mariners game yesterday my friend had suite tickets - with buffet and everything. It was really fun. We did a bunch of selfies and I admit I didn't like how I look. People say they can't tell that I have regained, but I look so much bigger then my "thin" friends it was a reminder why i need to stick with what I am doing and even if it takes me a year, to get my weight back down....

My relationship with junk food is reminiscent of the alcoholic/drug user to their drug. If I slip, then I use it as an excuse to fall over the cliff, I can't even watch tv shows or read books where there is food being eaten or described, it instigates the desire. There were times when I would rather be eating than having sex (in my defense the sex was not that good). I cannot keep food in my living quarters because it will get eaten, all at once, not a little at a time. I cannot have one fried mozzarella stick, I want 10. I have successfully fasted the past 2 days and will do so again today, rebooting the system after last weeks carb madness. The first few days without sugar and white carbs - you really do feel like a junkie with the DTs but after about 3 days it goes away and so does your appetite. But if I could, honestly, I could eat 10 grilled cheese sandwiches, 20, all day long.

It's only 10 am and I feel like I have already over eaten. I had an uber high carb day yesterday and boy is my body responding - saying FEED ME!!!! What a difference it makes if you can control those carbs... so, yesterday was interesting. Don't know if you remember, but over a month ago I had a very embarrassing incident of going out with someone I had met just a few times and having too many martinis. He swore I was fine, but, it was not a proud next morning because we made out and it was only like the 3rd time I had met him and I just didn't like that - and it was alcohol induced...not good. Anyway, we finally got together again. Spent the day in Seattle, took a walk along Alki Beach etc. We watched a movie and just hung out and talked. It was a nice time, but this guy is really high stressed out and I am feeling that energy even today. He used to live in Asia and came home 6 years ago to care for his aging parents. His dad passed away last summer and his 95 year old mom has parkinsons. There are financial matters, a house, caregivers and all sorts of stressors. He likes to talk to me because i went through similiar things with my mother, a couple of stepdads and of course my sister. That is all in my past, but I must still hold some trauma - it was HARD - because I "feel" it this morning - a bit shaken up over his stress. I need to think about this - nice guy, cool guy, loves adventure and travel - but i am not sure I need this in my world anytime soon. I have stopped dating for now, while I sort things out with getting my EX moved out and moved on, so it was kinda on a whim that I agreed to hang out with him anyway. He also eats really high carb food and I felt like just spending the day with him encouraged me to overeat. I don't blame HIM for that, but I definately try to keep company of people who are less food oriented usually.

Hello my wonderful 5:2 ladies and apologies! I didn't realize that it had been so long since I was here, and I just spent well over an hour getting all caught up. Thank you Coops for getting touch with me to say I went MIA and was everything ok! I am going to try and get thoughts out here but if I miss/forget anything please forgive me! Oh my gosh, my thoughts are with you Sue about Gary....I didn't realize and I'm so sorry. Hywel is still so young and I just can't imagine how that would affect my girls...I'm sure they would be a mess. I like what Dorrie said about something positive coming out of this and I love that line of thinking. I like that you and Steve can hopefully both be at the funeral and help him through this time. Hugs to you all! Dorrie, sorry things have been difficult with you and your marriage. I hear your voice a lot in my own line of thinking, because I do this all the time "Tomorrow I will fast. Tomorrow I won't eat junk. Tomorrow will give me a fresh start" arrrgh! How many times have I told myself that? Along those same lines of thinking...this seems random but isn't...I just read an article in Reader's Digest about alternative ways to tackle alcoholism. No, I'm not struggling with overuse of alcohol, BUT how many times have we said "well, if I was an alcoholic I could just STOP DRINKING, but since my drug is food, it's NOT like I can just STOP EATING!" Right? Well, there are alcoholic programs out there that encourage MODERATION. OMG. I didn't even know this! I am and will continue to be in the moderation camp when it comes to my eating. I refuse to life life in a black and white zone, I need to give myself patience and credit when it's due and I also need to know when I'm going OVER the line and need to reign it back in. Anyway, I hate to think that any of us are living in the tomorrow...for what about today? And happy early birthday Dorrie! Florinda, I didn't mean to stir up anything negative for you. I was just simply floored because I thought I had been following along pretty well with this group and then it hit me like a ton of bricks that you had lost 30 fuc*ing pounds!!! Holy sh*t woman had I lost -30lbs I would have been shouting it from the rooftops for anyone within listening range to hear. I understand where YOU were coming from with the "but I need to lose xxxx more..." but I think that can be a dangerous line of thinking. And I'm going to be honest here...I hear that from ALL of us to some degree. I mean this IS a group formed around one common thread afterall...WEIGHT LOSS...but I wish we did a little more celebrating and little less self-bashing here. Oh I know we all struggle in our own way and we should be allowed that, I just don't want us to wallow in the "but I'm not THERE yet" mode. I feel a little rambly and I hope that makes sense. We all share what we want when we want so no one should ever feel bad about that, I was honestly shocked because I thought you were STUCK and couldn't lose a pound, or at least that is what I took away from your posts and so to hear that you had lost so much, I honestly thought I had missed something. LOL. And I love what your male friends told you...that is awesome! Please do tell us more about your living conditions, as Sarah pointed out she envisions MASH and that comment made me laugh because I agree to some degree. Denise, I'm so happy for you with Bill. Sorry about the CPAP and the ex-GF, but it sounds like you guys are working through some of the kinks and I'm envisioning a happy relationship for the two of you. I'm sorry about your purse and I PRAY that someone turns it in. What a horrible winter we are having and the main thing is you are ok. Keep us posted about the purse! Cathy...YEAH GIRL!!! That is awesome! I'm sooo happy for you, dancing bananas all the way around (for any of you who didn't belong to this site like 2-3 years ago, they used to have a TON of crazy emoticons and you could put a GIANT dancing banana into any post...it was so cute!) So anyway, hats off to you...so exciting! FYE - OMG you DID marry a viking! Holy cow! That is crazy. Tell him all your 5:2 ladies are sending him get-well wishes. And with me being gone I also missed any grumbling about secret groups. Sigh. People need to get over the fact that we have our own space here. Sheryl, glad you are also ok, this has been a tough winter...seems like the entire US has been gripped in ice/snow/cold temps for the last 6+ weeks or so. Here in Denver, we should hit about 60 degree this week and sunshine...OMG sunshine...we are desperately addicted to our sunshine here, so we need some good light and 60+ is shorts weather around here. I'm glad your ex is gone and it sounds like you and Steven are working through some issues. If the issues COULD be worked around do you see yourself entering into a more long-term thing with him? Wanda, how is Curves going? I hope you are going as much as you can and that you like it. Please update us on that... Dee, I'm so sorry you are sick. Sounds like you have it really bad and I hope you are on some good meds. What a terrible time for you to be so sick. Getting back into your place and your stress levels sound really high right now...maybe that is why you fell ill...stress I think tends to weaken our immune system...hugs. Sarah, so glad you got a new stove...also hats off to you for baking and not partaking! I could never do that! You have done so well and you are such a great cheerleader around here! Thank you for that. Love that the girls all want your son to bring them goodies. I did that at Christmas let my 13 yo dd take fudge to all her friends at school...they were so happy! Kelly...CONGRATS to your Seahawks. They showed up and deserved the win. I'm not sure what happened to our boys...gosh it was a sad super bowl party. People left early, and depressed. LOL. United in Orange now must be referring to that sunshine we are going to get later this week. Georgia, I hope your granddaughter is feeling better! Going to check that link about the twins when I'm off from here! Thank you for sharing. Alas, I'm feeling as if I've already forgotten someone. Gah! Sorry if I did. As for me, I've started back to school (my last semester yay!) my first class was Jan. 27 and I might be wrong but it's been about that long since I hopped on here! WOW! Time sure does fly when your days are full of homework. HOwever, this class is really going to be a good one because it's all about us finding a JOB when we graduate in May. It's called Business for Creatives and we are working on getting together an online portfolio, writing an artists statement, polishing our resume, etc. So lots of work but really good stuff. Ironically I am sick today, hence being on here instead of working out. Hubby had been sick in mid-Jan and took meds, got better and then fell sick again on Sat. He's finally passed it to me (sore throat, cough, etc.) and so I decided to skip my workout today. Was planning to go then it hit how I really didn't feel so hot, so gave myself permission to skip. I will try to be better about coming here...having to read through 25+ pages in one fell swoop is no fun!

Swim posts in the vets forum alot, just click on the link in her siggy and you pretty much get the picture. I thought I had a lot to learn from her but it is more conspiracy theories then anything useful to me. Stopped seeing Tino a bit ago. It just wasn't working out. I am not sure if he intentionally misled me in what he was looking for or perhaps he didn't really know or perhaps he just found me less appealing after all but I didn't want to be just dad's girlfriend... I want someone to do fun stuff with as a couple. Had a blast this last weekend, went dancing and stuff. Family tragedy has happened though, I am just sick over it. Someone I used to be very close to but who has sorta let alcoholism drive a wedge in her relationships has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. I am getting a bit of post traumatic stress due to my history of dealing with my sisters illness and death. This is just ugly and horrid and I will spare you all the details but it's really bad. I am immediately aware that I need to be very deliberate about not returning to depression, like, I just feel so emotionally overwhelmed by it that I just don't know. Right now I want to sleep but I need to work.

OTR Sleever isn't even searchable in the members' list anymore. I didn't realise he was post-op long enough to have started gaining. I wonder if he will see the Vets' forum and maybe give it another go. I hope so! As for Iggy -- do you know if she's all better now? Did all her complications eventually clear up? I was away from VST for a few months cos life intervened, so I missed some things I had been following up till then. I have totally had the same issue. For me it's because I'm grinding my teeth a bit, or at least tensing my jaw more. I hate it! I don't know why fasting causes that, but it seems to be a thing for me anyhow. Hmm. I'm sorry to hear that you are feeling so overwhelmed. I'm in a similar situation with alcohol, but not for the same reasons. I am not feeling the need to self-medicate (though I totally relate with that, been there in the past for sure), but I'm feeling this sort of...vindication? Or maybe a bit of anger? Where I JUST WANT TO HAVE SOME FUN GODD**MIT! You know what I mean? I've been slogging through one hard thing after another, dragging my sorry ass through misery and abuse and arghhhhhh, all while being sort of perpetually fat since the start of the 21st Century LOL. And now I FINALLY effing feel a bit better and I am FINALLY feeling good in my skin and I JUST WANT TO ENJOY IT. I WANT to go out with friends, I want to get tipsy and be an idiot. And I don't want to say no to any of it. So yeah. I'll have my summer of fun and then I'll knuckle down on that part too. Three weeks in the US will pretty much mean three weeks of no alcohol LOL. Good luck, Cheri. You're good people, believe that. <3

I think I have pinpointed 3 reasons why I am 10# over goal and holding... not losing. 1. my boys live with me so the house always has bread, potatos, noodles etc. In general, I avoid them, but a few times a week i have a slice a bread or half a sandwich or something like that that I never used to eat 2. I have lost alot of muscle. I am exercising an hour a day now, but it will be months before I get back even a portion of the fairly incredible muscle mass I had before. As we all know, fat just sits there inviting more fat to join it... muscle burns calories just to maintain itself. 3. I have been drinking more calories. I have alot of fun - whether it is the dance lessons with girlpals, the day at the horse races, going on dates... just alot more alcohol than I had before. I don't mean getting drunk, just having that margarita, wine or beer or whatever when others do - adds up fast. You know what the honest truth is? I don't want to drink less because I am currently loving this social life. I do want to regain muscle mass and not sure how to do it with all my physical problems... but I am working toward it.An Oh the carb temptation... the boys are great about not buying ice cream and keeping stuff like chips and candy in their bedrooms but I can hardly ask them to not have bread and pasta! I just need to stop, but it is hard. And it is not that a piece of bread will kill me, it is just that eating that way makes me hungrier! I really think those are the 3 key things - so it is a balancing act of enjoying a social life, having a somewhat normal homelife... and trying to be thinner againer!

I think you look great too, Sheryl. I like that you can buy tops and bottoms these days in 2 different sizes. I like these little swim shorts they have come out with these days. I got mine at old navy. I wear them over the bottoms. I also have little shorts that go with the top, instead of a one piece or bikini type bottoms. I just didn't want to deal with having to talk it over with Bill. He knows that I'm still friends with Don, but I don't think he wants me interacting with him. I know I'd be the same way. He's friends with his ex, but I'd prefer he not spend time with her. I haven't even liked it when they've had a phone covo. He would just worry even if I told him Don was gone, that somehow we would run into each other. He's not out of town. He just went to a party across Portland and didn't want to drive after having alcohol so he stayed the night. For all I know, he could be home any minute.

Wanda you said that so beautifully... Florinda...sending you a giant hug!! Also, I love the world of the Visible Girls. Omg. That is brilliant and so true. I'm sorry that one of your guys is in "shutdown" mode but you are smart to realize that everyone deals with death and grief in a slightly different manner. Nothing we do is the perfect recipe and everyone deals in different ways. Keep reaching out to this person... Laura glad you are "back" here and things are "back" to normal...sending you a giant hug also. Coops...I *forgot* that you have a mini cooper...how fitting, and I love her name. Don't beat yourself up over a bad day, we all have them and like you said thank you sleeve for preventing me from shoveling in more. As for me, after a proper "fast" day and a half-assed "fast" day, I've lost the 2lbs from the holidays and today I weigh what I did in early Nov. So now I need to keep things going...except we are joining a friend tonight for drinking...he had a birthday last week that most people forgot so he is throwing himself a party and naming quite aptly a "Pity Party" ...no kids but please bring your favorite alcohol...just hoping to keep it a few...New Years Eve I think I had about 6-7 drinks and somehow miraculously did not have much of a hangover except for a headache.

Been thinking about you girls... I've read all the posts that I've missed, and I truly love you all! My mind is foggy and I'm not sure I remember how to type! It sounds like some exciting news for some (vacations yay) and weight loss for others hooray! And holding steady for others (which is a feat in itself sometimes) an adventures in dating for others! Daisy he sounds like a superficial judgmental guy that lacks a filter. Trust me don't settle! Ok my week, it's been a mind game. I have had a rough time with food. I've done my fasts. I went over a little bit but trust me my mind wanted me to go over all the way! I've fought hard this week with insatiable hunger. I've talked about the "hole" and the need to fill it before, this week the hole was bottomless it seemed, and there were plenty of times I felt like falling into the abyss of it. I've been in a depression. Losing weight does not change everything as you know. I think part of the mind, mouth stomach struggle this week is a combo of things. The foods I ate last weekend just fueled my appetite that's for sure! And that in itself is so depressing! I'm coming up on my year, and it's a heady time. thinking about where I have been, where I still need to go and the struggle that I will always live with. It's not so easy for some of us huh? Just like life, it's the luck of the draw sometimes. Halloween is next week. It is driven by candy yeah? and I'm hoping to avoiding buying anything I like... So sweet tarts it is. Halloween is also my brothers birthday.. Addiction..... What can I say here, he was addicted to drugs and alcohol, he was also a successful man. Who fought his addictions tooth and nail so successfully sometimes.. a lot of the times actually. One day he got tired of fighting... He plays on my mind, because he was the stronger of the two of us I always felt. He was also my other half we knew each other's demons more so than anybody else. We were each other's witness to our past. You know our addictions were different, but actually he was fat as a child and it was most unacceptable to him. It was worse than drugs or alcohol to him.. His weight fluctuated a bit as an adult but like I said it was unacceptable. As long as he looked good that's all that matter and he did look good he spared no expense on his upkeep and went to spas and anti aging centers. He presented to the world, a very accomplished, well groomed, fit man. But behind the scenes the "hole" existed for him too. That hole scares me. It's about so much more than food, food is just what I fill it with. Even with the years of therapy it still exists.. Wow. If you read this far I applaud you! It has been a rough week. I have my anchors that help keep my from going to far adrift my husband my children (ok the are more like albatrosses sometimes ) And you guys... So here I am to fight another day.

Coops, love the pulley and matching slippers too, you have got the look. Globe I'm so glad you had a good day, I was concerned about you being on your own. It's good that you were able to connect with family. I know what you mean when emotions surface and it can be anything that sets it off. We have a crib set that is put out each year ( had it about 25 years) and baby Jesus is only put out on Christmas night - usually the last job I do before bed. I get quite emotional as I put the baby in the manger as I am usually reflecting on the year and giving thanks for all the blessings in my life. As a side, on Christmas morning everyone must visit the crib and see the 'baby', it is usually our first greeting to each other "happy Christmas, have you seen the 'baby'"?when the boys were young we used to assemble around the crib and sing Happy Birthday to the 'baby'. At 20 and 26 I think they are a bit old for that. Georgia, I like the insight of your post I too can see my role changing, the boys don't have partners yet but as and when that happens I imagine that the mum role diminishes a bit (though we will always be mum) as their life evolves around their own circumstances. I suppose we just need to look forward and decide what other 'role' we want to invite into our lives be it artist, musician, friend, befriended etc. LV I know you have said this might not be your best/ happiest season, glad you survived. The only naughty things in the house now are alcohol and chocolates, the alcohol I can leave but the chocolates are shouting out to me. I will have to encourage those men here to eat up. Got a piece of gammon on, boiling away nicely for dinner tonight and we are all off to the cinema in a couple of hours. The vote was anchorman 2 which sounds really daft but I will enjoy us all being together. Enjoy your day everyone.

I went to SILs funeral yesterday and I have to say it was the most amazing funeral I have ever been to. It really was a celebration of her life. The eulogy, given by her eldest daughter was amazing, the number of people who attended was beyond belief (approx 150 couldn't even get into the church!) and the wake went on until 3 am. We had to leave, without consuming alcohol cos we had to drive home and be up at 6am this morning. Pictures and video on FB showed that the rest of the family really partied and I'm sure Cathy would have approved. I thought it was going to be a really emotional and tiring day, and it was, but it was uplifting too. RIP Cathy Manley - you was one amazing lady.

Hello all. I'm so sorry it has been so long since I have been on here. It has been a very crazy summer to say the least. My previously, somewhat, healthy father in law was admitted to the hospital on July 5th becuase he couldn't breath. It quickly got worse. He was hospitalized for 3 weeks and then released with hospice. Once home he got "better". Up and moving around and even the hospice nurse said she didn't think he needed to be on hospice. That gave everyone a lot of hope. But sadly he died five days later, he was 11 days shy of his 55th birthday. Of course there is a ton more to this story...he was a functioning alcoholic, a smoker and we found out that he had been using meth for quite sometime. My husband is one of four siblings and organizing the funeral and dealing with the aftermath has been problematic to say the least...he's the executor and his sibling are not happy about it. I think they think he is going to rip them off or something. It's been very stressful and is no where near over. But again, I'm sorry for not coming on here at all. I want to say I just didn't have time...but there's always some time to catch up. I'm sorry. Anywho, I'm doing good. Down a little over 40 lbs and no fills yets. I've been trying to make it a point to exercise every morning and just take better care of myself in general. Oh and I just had my one year Smokiversary on Monday (did I tell you guys I used to smoke? Yup, smoked for 17 years). Mike is absolutely over joyed that I finally quit and we celebrated on Monday with a trip to Cold Stone Creamery. I got a very tiny frozen yogurt with caramel and almonds...it was delish. I hope you are all doing well. I tried to catch up a little...but the shear volume is just too much. I did see that Janet had her knee surgeries!!! That is awesome! And Dee and Teri met! Again, awesome! Oh and I saw Michelle is in Onederland, congrats!! And Dawn has way too much candy right behind her desk...I 100% could not control myself around that much goodness! Looking forward to catching up with all of you guys. Bye for now Oh and on a weird tech note...I lost all my friends sometime in the past couple months. I looked at my profile and I now have zero friends...very weird.

Thank you so much, I think I am getting there by realizing that I have to ditch the alcohol which leads to snacking. I also have to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day at least 5 days a week. Thank you for the support. I hate that this thread has slowed down so much because I really need the support. This has happened to me so many times since being banded the bottom line is we have to follow the rules as you know. Sometimes we self sabotage so I totally understand the I don't know why.

Yes, I have found that there is a steep learning curve with the band. I am not where I want to be at least 60 lbs down but I am down almost 40 and if I had not been banded God knows where I'd be. I have found the band to be harder than any plan I've ever done but I have no regrets and know that if I had lost it otherwise I would have been back up in my weight. I hate the stalls and the plateaus but at least the scale is going down and I know that would not be the case with anything else. I have learned that I cannot drink any alcohol because it stalls me so in my case having those drinks on the weekend just caused me to have back to back stalls. So for the next 6 months I'm ramping up my exercise by joining the gym and watching my portions and quality of food and I'm sorely in need of a fill which I'll get on 3/9/10. I'm also going to do a 24 hr detox every Monday. I still have hopes of reaching my goal by 8/16/11...my 1 year surgiversary. We will all make our goals.

Shues - as far as alcohol goes, the only things I am not allowed are beer and champagne (the carbonation thing). I too am looking forward to a glass of wine! I was told to keep it in moderation though -- a basic weightloss thing -- alcohol calories add up too! Maria

Last week I went to my three year surgery follow up at Kaiser Fremont. It was a group appointment that took a couple of hours and included talks by our Bariatric Medical Doctor, Bariatric Psychologist, Bariatric Nutritionist, and Bariatric Surgeon. If you needed one on one appt, they scheduled those after. Kaiser does a great job with education. There were a lot of good handouts and good information shared. Some highlights: From the Surgeon: When people get a revision, weight loss is only around 10 lbs., which the surgeon credited to the liquid diet followed before and after surgery. He said they don’t know why there is not substantial weight loss with the revision surgery, but he theorized that whatever was reset during the first operation was a one time thing. He also showed an image of stomach and how blood flow to the stomach is decreased with each operation. I hadn’t realized how many veins and arteries were connected to the part of our stomach that is removed. A lot! The stomach can only stretch so much. It does not continue stretching once it gets to maximum capacity. People may think they are eating more at one time because the brain adapts. Ulcer is leading cause of death in long term complications. Ulcers are caused by too much alcohol, smoking, and some drugs, including SSRIs, immunosuppressors and the usual suspects. Not spicy or acidic foods. From the medical doctor: Kaiser Vitamin recommendations have changed. For the latest, along with the latest Kaiser Bariatric Surgery Guidebook, see: Iron in Ferrous Sulfate form can cause stomach upset, that’s why they recommend Ferrous Fulmanate or Ferrous Gluconate. Take with stool softener if needed. Watch for birth control pill malabsorption. For those that don’t like pills, she offered the following schedule:Morning: Wellese liquid Calcium or calcium citrate chews, multi with iron Evening: Wellese liquid calcium or calcium citrate chews, multi with iron Weekly: 5000 mg B12, 250 mg B1, Iron with Vitamin C Once per month: 50,000 iuVitamin D From the Psychologist: Tip for eating less: Do not put serving plates on table. People eat more then. Serve from kitchen so people don’t see extra food and have to get up to have a second helping. Cross addiction is more common in year two than year one post op. She had a whole list of books for us, but strongly recommended Mindess Eating by Brian Wansin. She had a handout from AmiHungry.com for Mindful Eating After Bariatric Surgery. Download it here: Water, etc. From the Nutritionist: Eat 20-25 grams of Protein per meal (70 grams per day). 3-5 planned meals per day, 1200-1500 calories per day, limit carbs to 30 per meal (15 carbs average in 1 starch, dairy or fruit). Eat protein first, then up to ½ cup veggies, then carb such as whole grain, fruit or dairy. Eat protein with any foods with higher sugar content. For example, have some cheese with grapes.

My incision was looking a little read and I just put some alcohol on it. I had to be on a 3 week liquid diet. I barely get to eat solids on Saturday!!:faint: I am excited but then again I am scared. How is the food going down? Have you pb'd?

Thanks for sharing, AvaFern, - this is helpful to me, because I think I'm getting to that point. At about how many weeks were you when you went the alcohol route? And that was it, about a week later you were seroma free?

My ultrasound and CT scan showed that I had an enlarged liver and Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. I had to do a three month diet of 1200 low carb calories with 60 grams of lean Protein, 64 oz Water, unlimited non-starchy veggies, 1 serving of fruit per day. Then I had to do ten days of liquid diet with 5 small Protein shakes per day and unlimited water or non-caloric beverages. I lost 22 pounds pre-op.

I was advised by the dietician that wine along with all other alcoholic beverages were not to be used for a full year post-op, as they are irritants to the pouch, which needs that time to heal. I also enjoyed a glass of wine with dinner on an occasional basis, and just accepted going a year without any was just another part of my journey back to health and a normal weight. We all have choices to make; I would never question another individuals choices. I just know that my preferred approach to recovery from surgery is to stack the odds in my favor for as few chances for complications as possible!

Merry Christmas! Cindy: I know what you mean about not seeing yourself the way everyone else does. In my thin years, I always thought I was fat. Now that I actually am fat, I never quite saw myself as big as I really am. I also realized today that we have only 2 small mirrors in our house. Not surprising really -- but a real eye-opener as to how our inner thoughts can creep into our outer actions and environment when we don't even realize it! I guess maybe the mirror count in my house will be a testament to how successful I am! LOL! Audree: I didn't eat too much this weekend either, though I did drink my share of wine! Seeing as how I'm off alcohol for at least the next 6 weeks, there was no way I was missing out! Hi to Rose and Ted too! Maria

#3 on a day to day basis...no tracking, mindful of my protein and water intake, abstain from nothing but indulge in moderation. However, I tend to leap with both feet firm in the #2 camp over holidays and when on vacation. But afterwards my tummy usually hurts so bad from all the sugar and alcohol, I'm more than happy to return to the #3 camp.

I'm doing okay so far, but won't even take a taste of alcohol for fear I'll take it up again. We went to a party last night and it was not as hard as I thought it would be to not have a drink. Sent from my SM-N976V using BariatricPal mobile app

I am still feeling ok. I have had some Soup today and a Protein shake. My mouth is REALLY DRY even though I keep sipping Water. I would recommend y'all get some mints or candies to suck on. My dr said gum is not so good the first few days as it can cause air/gas. On the ride home from the hospital I was feeling kind of nauesous (sp?). The hospital had given me some alcohol strips to smell which definitely helped. The dr had given me a prescription for some anti-nausea pills but I left them at home. I wish I had taken 1 with me to the hospital. I took 1 when I came home and haven't felt sick since. In the hospital I started doing the deep breathes to clear my lungs of the anthesia right away. I really think it helps because I didn't feel groggy in the afternoon. It's good to hear everyone is doing well so far. I will keep you posted...