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HAHAHAHAAHA! IKR? Pretty much MASSIVE amounts of alcohol would need to be involved and then I'd pass out before the deed was done! LOL But I know we will figure it all out! TY for listening and helping!!

NewHope) Nykee, girl, I'm glad that you're using Fitday. It really does help show you what you're doing. I know today was Easter and there was a lot of junk food around (candies). But this isn't your normal day's diet, is it? girl) No, its not my normal but it does happen.. Newhope) Eating that much sugar is very dangerous, especially if you have diabetic tendencies. girl) I have diabeties. My points are 8.2 (whatever that means) I realize it was alot of sugar, but I have had more than that.. Newhope) You need to eat hard Proteins (lean, moist meats) first, then vegetables, and finally carbs (if still room left.) girl) I eat mixed foods. I dont cook. This sounds very hard to implement ot me.. BUt i know your right, Newhope) Wait one hour to drink liquids after any meals. Then get as much Water in as you can. girl) this is the hardest part! this is really where I need to concentrate., Lamadam, I was on a low carb diet for the month before I got my lapband. I know how carbs work... and I know I am addicted to them (mostly in juice) I hate low carbing.. but I am gonna try to keep em under 100 carbs a day after i get myt fill. Jack) I am diabetic. Simply put, if I ate this list it would kill me. If I ate half of it, I would be driven into a chemical imbalance that would act like pouring kerosine on a fire to put it out. Those carbs and sugars simply have no place in a human body. girl) I have diabeties and nothing happens to me.. I am grumpy and emotional and OBESE is all I can tell anyway. I used to drink a gallon of juice a day and eat like 10 Cookies (not two)(like Oreo's) and whole candy car (not a few mini bites) and Nothing happened then either. Doesnt mean I should do it, I KNOW I shouldnt. I got my blood done for diabeties two weeks ago and the level was 8.2.. I dont know what that means.. cept my doctor said he would like it at 8.0 Jack) I was never a person who could eat one donut....If I had ONE that would put me in a frenzy where 6 or 10 were not enough... I slowly learned I could manage by NOT taking that first bite...just about like an alcoholic. Girl) I have never done that. I have never consumed a whole bag of chips, or pizza or a quart of icecream or anything even close to that. I eat too much. I awknowlege that. My meals are not real big though. Though they need to be WAY WAY SMALLER!! Donali) Just an observation - 1137 of those calories were from LIQUIDS!!! Almost your whole day's calorie allotment! Those liquid calories are sneaky!! girl) I know, its horrible. I been addicted to milk and juice for like 10 years. Over a gallon a day habit up until I was banded. This is so much less.. but still way more than reasonable. NOT drinking with food is gonna be my biggest challenge. Thanks everyone for your input and advice, its very welcome. Sorry if any of my process distrsses anyone. I do not claim to be a model lapband patient but I will be 100% honest. I didnt get this thing because I WAS ABLE to control my habits, I got it because I couldnt... The truth is, I am gonna have to be reallly tightly banded for this to work OR GET MY HEAD OUT OF MY ASS.. and that hasnt happened in all these years so I dont see it happening now... BUT YA NEVER KNOW> I AM TRYING.. IN MY honestly.. do not mistake it for My being apathetic and not trying. I am doing MY best.

Thank you, Debbie. I really appreciate all the compliments, especially since I just had a birthday on Christmas Eve and am feeling soooooooooooo old! My DH couldn't wait to be eligible for "senior citizen" discounts. Trust me, I can wait. I'd rather pay full price any day. But to answer your question....it's taken some effort to maintain, but it's not been as bad as you might think. The trick is to NOT kid yourself. If you gain 5 pounds, they will shortly be followed by 15 more unless you make some changes. I had to stop buying Cheetos. I just can't have them in the house because I am helpless in the presence of crunchy Cheetos. I will eat the whole bag in a day, or two, if I'm really trying to be good...ha! The band will not make all your food choices for you. It makes some....I can't eat bread any more, and bread had a LOT to do with my weight. But ice cream and chocolate (and Cheetos) will still go down easily and in large quantities. So if you want ice cream, drive to the ice cream shop and buy a single dip. Do not buy a half gallon and bring it home, or you will eat that one and end up buying another. Soon you will realize just how much we have in common with alcoholics and drug users!

Hello everyone. I've been absent from the forums for a while, I got a bunch of great information and asked a few questions which got me through the decision + the stages to be able to eat again. I was a self pay so the process was much easier than I expected. Psychology wise, I've adapted to the new lifestyle pretty well. I have my moments where I'd really like to eat something shouldn't. Anyhow, I'm fairly impressed with my progress, if not a little shocked. I'm currently around 55 lbs lost in about 12 weeks. I certainly didn't think it would come off this quick and I'm expecting it to slow. My original goal is ~120 lbs down, actually, anything near 200 would be awesome. Most importantly, I don't let things go to my head. Even with Thanksgiving and a wedding in the span of four days, I kept myself on the straight and narrow. During the holidays I just kept saying to myself that I wanted to have a whole new wardrobe by next Christmas. I did indulge a bit, had alcohol, had some sweets. I find I can't eat many breads, few pastas, and that's fine with me -- probably where I got most of my calories. I'm stepping up the physical activity over the next few months. I had no delusions about it coming off, it will, I'm just going to work as hard as I can to make it happen. Anyway, I hope the New Year is treating you all well. So far, I haven't even had a fill yet, the doctor is happy with the progress. Any advice from anyone in the same place as me? Anything you'd do differently? I'm not over confident, if anything I'm the opposite. I will tell you, it feels great to eat so little compared to what I did and feel full. I'm not sure if I can say with any assurance that I could ever feel full before surgery. I was either starving of stuffed, not "full". My best to you all. John

Correct no alcohol has to deal with common sense snd intelligence which is obviously lacking here . A severe debilitating injury was the cause of my weight gain.

I was told no alcohol for a year, and I am assuming that is because I am not supposed to have any drinks with my meals for a year; alcohol on an empty stomach may go to your head fast! .As others have mentioned, follow your surgeon and NUT's instructions. We chose to have this life changing surgery for a reason, no need to screw it up now.

Paula, looks like you are on the right track, then. I appreciate the codependant comments. I dated an alcoholic in college and learned alot about myself by attending AlAnon. I wonder if some of my "codependant tendencies" are still hanging around! LOL I'll pick up a book at the library today, I think.

LAPAROSCOPIC GASTRIC SLEEVE DIET Introduction The following information provides guidelines for you to follow before and after Gastric Sleeve Surgery and for the rest of your life. Gastric Sleeve Surgery is a weight loss tool. After surgery, you will be required to make lifelong changes in your eating habits and to exercise on a regular basis in order to achieve and maintain your weight loss goals. Gastric Sleeve Surgery reduces the size of the stomach which restricts the volume of food that you can consume at one time. This means that you will feel full after eating a small amount. The surgery also induces hormonal changes which help prevent you from feeling excessively hungry. You should avoid drinking liquids with meals. This is to prevent overfilling of the stomach. Frequent snacking or grazing must also be avoided as this contributes to excess calorie intake and can slow weight loss or cause you to gain weight. Exercise is an important component of weight loss success. Exercise is recommended before and after surgery in order to maximize the amount of weight that you lose and keep off. If you have not been an active exerciser, always consult with your physician for clearance and recommendations before beginning any exercise program. It is important to follow the lifetime Gastric Sleeve diet rules, supplement guidelines, and exercise recommendations in order to achieve and maintain optimum weight loss success. In order to begin preparing for surgery, start implementing the pre-surgery diet goals listed on the next page. 4 Pre-Surgery Diet Practice Tips 1. Choose low-fat foods, and avoid fried foods. 2. Stop using sugar. Use sugar substitutes such as Sweet & low, Equal, or Splenda. 3. Decrease intake of Desserts and candy. 4. Stop drinking sugar-sweetened beverages such as regular soda and sweetened Kool-Aid. 5. Start weaning off of caffeine and carbonated beverages. 6. Start cutting back on fast food and eating out. Begin making healthy meal choices when eating out and at home. 7. Eat 3 meals a day. Do not skip Breakfast. 8. Start decreasing portion sizes. 9. Eat more fruits and vegetables. 10. Practice drinking Water and other fluids between meals, not with meals. 11. Drink 64 ounces water a day. 12. Practice sipping liquids. 13. Avoid alcohol. 14. Begin some form of exercise. 15. Review the following information on the gastric sleeve diet. 16. Practice chewing foods thoroughly, 20 - 40 times or to paste consistency. 17. Purchase your Protein drinks or supplements. 18. Purchase your Vitamin and mineral supplements. 19. Begin planning a schedule for mealtime, fluids and vitamin and mineral supplements. 5 Post Gastric Sleeve Surgery Diet Important Diet Guidelines: 1. Eat 3 meals per day. Avoid snacking and grazing. 2. Eat small amounts. Initial portion size should be no more than 1 - 2 ounces - approximately 2 - 4 Tablespoons - of food per meal for the first month. At first you may not be able to tolerate this amount. Over time, you will slowly tolerate more volume at each meal. Long term, the stomach will eventually hold about 4 - 8 ounces (1/2 - 1 cup) of food per meal. 3. Eat protein foods first. 4. Do not try to eat food and drink liquid together. • Consume liquid 30 to 60 minutes before and/or 30 to 60 minutes after eating meals but not during meals. 5. You are required to take a multi-vitamin with minerals for the rest of your life. 6. Eat slowly! • Each meal should last 30minutes or longer. • Avoid gulping foods and drinks. • All foods must be well-chewed to a paste consistency. • Using a small fork or spoon (i.e. baby utensils) can help control portion sizes. • Have one place to eat (such as at the table) and avoid reading or watching TV while you eat. This helps you to enjoy your food, concentrate on eating slower and to realize when your stomach is full. 7. Drink plenty of calorie-free, non-carbonated, caffeine- free fluids between meals . • Drink slowly-sip fluids, never gulp. • Calorie-containing beverages should be limited to skim milk and Protein Drinks. • Limit juice to no more than 4oz. per day. • Consume zero-calorie beverages throughout the day. 6 Diet Progression After Surgery The diet after gastric sleeve surgery progresses through several stages. Your surgeon will let you know when it is okay to progress to the next stage. Day 1 - 2 after surgery: Clear liquid diet The clear liquid diet means fluids or foods that are liquid at body temperature and can almost be seen through. You will be on a clear liquid diet while you’re in the hospital. Examples of Clear Liquid Diet (No Added Sugar/ Sugar Free): • Clear (diluted) fruit juices without added sugar: apple, grape or white grape or diet cranberry • sugar-free Crystal Light drink mix or popsicles, Sugar-free Kool-Aid • Herbal tea, caffeine-free tea • flat soda • Sugar-free Popsicles • Sugar-free Gelatin • Clear broth • Water ???? It is best to dilute juices by 50% with water. ???? Avoid citrus juices (orange/grapefruit) and tomato juice for the first three weeks. ???? coffee and de-caffeinated coffee contain acids which are irritating to the stomach lining and should be avoided for the first few weeks for healing. Day 3 through Week 2: Full Liquid Diet The next stage is the full liquid diet which consists of sugar-free, low-fat milk products and the Clear Liquids listed above. You will need to supplement with protein (drinks or powder) after surgery. Remember to sip liquids, do not gulp. Examples of Full Liquid Diet (No Added Sugar/Sugar-Free, Low Fat): • Skim Milk or Lactaid milk • Soy Milk (non-fat) • Low fat, thin, strained cream Soup (smooth, no pieces of food) • Sugar-free instant breakfast • Protein drinks – Start daily when you get home from the hospital. (See section on protein and protein drinks) • Plain or “light” (no sugar added) yogurt with no fruit pieces • Sugar-free pudding or custard • Thinned cream of wheat or rice Cereal 7 Week 3 through Week 8: pureed Diet You may now begin a pureed diet. This includes all items listed for clear and full liquids, and the items listed for the pureed (blenderized) diet. • Eat PROTEIN foods first • Make sure foods are well blended. • Start slowly. If you do not tolerate pureed foods go back to the liquid diet and try again in a few days. • Remember to drink liquids between meals, not with meals. • Continue protein drinks or protein supplements every day. Examples for the Pureed Diet (Sugar-Free/No Sugar Added, Low Fat): eggs cheese Pureed or blenderized scrambled eggs or egg substitute or cheese omelet; melted low-fat cheese, low-fat or non-fat cream cheese, ricotta cheese, very smooth/mashed soft cheese such as mozzarella, string cheese, low-fat or non-fat smooth or small curd cottage cheese meat, Fish, Poultry, Baby food meat or pureed meat or poultry moistened with broth or low-fat gravy Blenderized shrimp, scallops or fish Pureed tuna or salmon (canned in water) or pureed egg salad with low-fat or non-fat mayonnaise Potted meats thinned with broth; smooth deviled ham Starches Unsweetened instant oatmeal (strained), cream of wheat or rice cereal, mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes, smooth polenta, hummus, refried beans; low-fat or baked crackers or chips Vegetables Baby food vegetables or pureed cooked vegetables (no corn or peas) Mashed winter squash, tomato juice or sauce, pureed salsa, marinara Soup Strained, low-fat cream soup made with skim milk; fat-free broth Blenderized lentil or split pea soup or chili Fruit Baby food fruits (bananas, pears, applesauce, peaches, mango, etc) Unsweetened applesauce (smooth) Unsweetened canned fruit – blenderized Unsweetened fruit juice (diluted, no sugar added) Remember: IF YOU CAN CHEW IT, DON’T DO IT! 8 Tips to Get Started Everything that you eat on the pureed diet should be sugar-free or no sugar added, low fat and blended to the consistency of baby food or smooth applesauce. • You will need a blender or food processor or you can purchase baby food. • Start with 1 ounce (2 Tablespoon) portions - no more than 4 Tablespoons at the most. Listen to your body and stop eating as soon as you feel full. • Eat protein foods first. Then if you are not too full, try vegetables or fruits. • Continue protein supplements (80 g protein per day from supplement). Helpful Hints for Blenderizing • Cut foods into small pieces before putting into the blender or food processor. • Remove seeds, skins and fat. • Add liquid for ease of blending. Add enough liquid to cover the blades. Options include skim milk, broth, strained low-fat cream soup, low-fat gravy, low-fat or non-fat sour cream or fat-free half & half. • Blend the item to a smooth, applesauce consistency. • Make sure there are no particles, seeds or lumps remaining. If so put through a sieve or strainer. • If you have leftover blenderized foods, try freezing in single serving portions in ice cube trays and put the frozen cubes into plastic freezer bags. Meats – Very lean and dry meats puree better by adding a small amount of fat (margarine, oil, light mayonnaise, gravy, etc.) Fish also tends to be dry. Improve the texture by adding small amount of lemon juice, light mayonnaise or strained low-fat tartar sauce. Starches – Try pureed peas, canned Beans, sweet potatoes. Starches puree better when hot. Rice and potatoes tend to puree into a gummy paste and are not recommended. Substitute cream of rice cereal prepared with a flavorful broth and seasoned with margarine. Pasta or noodles are not recommended as they are not well-tolerated. Vegetables – Cook vegetables until soft. If using canned vegetables, drain first. Add melted margarine and puree. Add a small amount of liquid until it reaches the smooth applesauce consistency. Fruit – If using canned fruit, drain first. Add a few drops of lemon juice to help prevent them from discoloring. Begin to take advantage of your favorite leftovers before surgery. Process these foods, and freeze them in an ice cube tray. (Each cube is approximately 1/2 to 1 ounce). When frozen, pop out into Zip-lock bag; label and date, and freeze cubes until needed. 9 Meal Guidelines for the Pureed Diet (See Sample Pureed Meals listed in the Appendix) Once you begin to eat pureed foods (which are considered solids) you will want to start differentiating between liquids and solids – meals should include pureed foods, and so liquids (including protein drinks) should be taken separately from your meals. • You should eat 3 meals a day with protein drinks between meals. • Protein drinks containing at least 20 grams of protein per serving should be consumed as needed to meet 80 g/day goal. • Start with a portion size of 1 to 2 tablespoons of pureed food for the first month. At first you may not be able to tolerate this amount. Eat your protein source first, and then if you have room a small amount of fruit, vegetables or other foods may be consumed. Hints for Measuring Foods: Liquids or soft/pureed foods are best measured in measuring cups or spoons; they can be measured in ounces, Tablespoons or mls. 1 cup 8 Fluid ounces 240 ml 16 tablespoons 3/4 cup 6 fluid ounces 180 ml 12 tablespoons 1/2 cup 4 fluid ounces 120 ml 8 tablespoons 1/4 cup 2 fluid ounces 60 ml 4 tablespoons 1/8 cup 1 fluid ounce 30 ml 2 tablespoons 1 Tablespoon = 3 teaspoons 1/2 Tablespoon = 1-1/2 teaspoons Week 9-12 After Surgery: Soft solid food Diet If you have been tolerating pureed foods, you may now begin a soft diet. This includes all items listed for clear and full liquids and pureed diets plus items listed for the soft diet. Try 1 to 2 new foods a day. This will help you to learn what foods you tolerate. • Remember your stomach pouch empties more slowly with more solid or dense foods than with liquids, so you will be able to tolerate a smaller quantity of food than you could with liquids . • Go slowly. If you do not tolerate the trial of soft foods, resume pureed foods and try again in a week. • Eat protein foods first • Avoid foods high in sugar and fat. • Space meals 4-5 hours apart • Continue your protein drinks between meals • Drink other fluids constantly between meals 10 Examples of Soft Diet (No Added Sugar/Sugar-Free, Low Fat): • Baked fish (no bones) • Imitation crab meat, baby shrimp • Bananas • Canned peaches or pears in water or juice • Well-cooked vegetables without seeds or skin (no corn or peas) • Scrambled, poached or hard boiled eggs • Tuna or egg salad (no onions, celery, pimientos, etc.) • Finely shaved deli meat • Baked, grilled or rotisserie chicken o Moist foods will be better tolerated. Moisten meats with broth, low fat mayonnaise, or low-fat gravy or sauce. o Fish and seafood Proteins are softer and easier to break down than poultry or red meat proteins. o Reheating foods tends to make them dry out and hard to tolerate. Common Problem Foods (Avoid for 3 months after surgery) • Red meat such as steak, roast beef, pork. Red meat is high in muscle Fiber, which is difficult to separate even with a great deal of chewing. Avoid hamburger for one month after surgery. • Un-toasted bread; rolls, biscuits. (Toasted bread may be better-tolerated.) • Pasta • Rice • Membrane of citrus fruits • Dried fruits, nuts, popcorn, coconut • Salads, fresh fruits (except banana) and fresh uncooked vegetables, potato skins. Month 4 After Surgery: Regular Diet • Problem foods as listed above can now be tried. • Rice, pasta and doughy bread may not be tolerated for 6 months or more. • Try fresh fruits without the skin first. If tolerated, the skin can be tried the next time. Salads are generally well-tolerated if chewed well. • Go slowly. Try a small amount to see how you feel. • Avoid high sugar and high fat foods to avoid a high calorie intake. 11 Foods to Avoid : Hard/crunchy foods may always be poorly tolerated. Nuts and seeds are difficult to break down. Fried foods/greasy foods are hard to digest and are very high in calories. • Corn chips, potato chips, tortilla chips, hard taco shells • Nuts and seeds • Fried foods and greasy foods Points to Remember: • Solid foods will fill your stomach pouch more than liquids so you will be eating smaller quantities of foods versus liquids. • If you don’t tolerate a food the first time, wait a week and try again. • You may find that you tolerate a certain food one day and not the next. It is normal for this to happen. • If you don’t tolerate certain foods or notice nausea, vomiting or diarrhea during or after eating, ask yourself the following questions: o Did I chew to a paste consistency? o Did I eat too fast? o Did I eat too much volume? o Did I drink fluid with my real meal or too close to my meal? o Did I eat something high in sugar or fat? o Was the food moist or was it too dry? Steps for adding solid foods: • Try only 1 small bite of the new food and chew well. Wait awhile and if there are no problems, take another bite. • If at any time you feel too full, nauseated or vomit, stop eating and rest. Take only clear liquids at the next meal and add blended foods and liquids at the following meal. Try one solid food again the next day. 12 PROTEIN Protein is the most important nutrient to concentrate on when resuming your diet. Because the volume of your meals will be limited, you should aim for a minimum of 80 grams of protein per day – this needs to come from your protein supplement . Why is protein important? • Wound healing • Sparing loss of muscle • Minimizing hair loss • Preventing protein malnutrition Remember to eat protein foods first at each meal, followed by vegetables and fruit. These are some good sources of protein: Protein Sources Serving size Protein (g) Skim or 1% milk 1 cup 8 Evaporated skim milk (canned) 1 cup 19 Soy milk beverage 1 cup (8 ounces) 7 Non fat dry milk powder 1/3 cup powder 8 Nonfat, sugar free yogurt 1 cup (8 ounces) 8 Nonfat or low fat cottage cheese ½ cup (4 ounces) 14 Nonfat or low fat cheese slices String cheese *1 ounce/ 1 slice 6 LEAN meats – skinless chicken or turkey breast, fish, beef, ham, Deli meats *1 ounce 7 Egg or Egg substitute 1 egg or ¼ cup subst. 7 Peanut Butter (creamy) 1 Tablespoon 5 Tofu ¼ cup 5 Legumes; dried beans peas or lentils Chili, bean soup ½ cup cooked ½ cup 7-9 6-7 Soy/vegetable patty (like Gardenburger) 1 patty 8 - 10 Hummus ½ cup 6 Measuring Hints: *1 ounce of meat is equal to about 3 – 4 Tablespoons of chopped or ground meat. 1 ounce of grated or cottage cheese, tuna or egg salad is ~ 1/4 th cup (4 Tablespoons). A 3-ounce portion size of chicken or meat is about the size of a deck of cards. 13 High Protein Ideas Chicken or Turkey Pureed – Use baby food or make your own. Try mixing it into strained low-fat cream soup. Breast – baked or grilled Thin-sliced/shaved deli slices Ground – meatballs, meatloaf Canned – works great for chicken salad Strained out of canned soup – tends to be very moist Fish (avoid bones) Baked, broiled, poached, or grilled fish Shrimp Imitation or regular crab meat Fresh or canned salmon in water Canned tuna in water Sushi Beef or Veal (Extra Lean) Ground – meatballs, meatloaf Pork Shaved deli ham Eggs or Egg substitute Scrambled eggs or omelet Homemade eggnog made with skim milk, sugar-substitute Diet custard Egg salad Quiche or frittata Deviled eggs Low-fat Dairy Products Milk (skim or 1%) Yogurt (plain or no-sugar added) Low-fat cheeses including cottage cheese, string cheese, ricotta, or any other cheeses which are reduced-fat or non-fat. Legumes Peanut Butter – smooth Dried beans or lentils – or Soups, stews or chili made from these Hummus Vegetarian or fat-free refried beans Tofu 14 Protein Supplements ???? Because of the limited volume capacity of the stomach, it will be nearly impossible to meet your protein needs from food sources for up to a year after surgery. ???? You will need to consume a protein drinks to get a total of 80 g protein per day – This would be 2 protein drinks

The other night I had alcohol for the first time since my surgery (very little, yes I'm allowed per my surgeon, no I'm not an alcoholic) And realized I had no idea what the hell to drink. Most drinks have carbonation and extra/excess sugar or are mixed with **** I don't need. What are the best options for a post sleeve patient to drink responsibly? I really don't drink often enough to where it'll be a huge issue, but I figure any opportunity to improve is always a good one. I'm sure there's old threads on this, but I mostly just found ones centered on when/how much rather than drink selection

I'm gonna try to catch up with everyone: Brandy- too much alcohol. And NO Water TO COMPENSATE? ONLY 9 POUNDS!!! It will go away fast if you drink GALLONS of water. Really. Gallons. Do a no salt and lots of water day or two. You'll feel much better. Carol- YAY. 1.5 is a lot for me so if the same if true for you, you'll have good restriction. At least your doctor is trying to correct the error and take care of you. And getting you in fast is part of that. YAY....I better watch cause you're coming right up behind me. And believe me, my behind is easy to locate- LOL. As to journaling, this is my best way....to write to you guys. But yes, I do write down the food- that kind of journaling, for the first time in my life. Only skip it when I'm eating in restaurants and can't really figure it out...but I try. I use a pay to play site called www.myfooddiary.com. Yes, I had to add some things in (I keep Kosher, so I had some products not listed) but after a couple of weeks that dropped to almost never. My range for day to day isn't that big. And they do have a LOT prelisted. I add them to my on-line "fridge" and the regulars are just there for me each day. I see Protein, calories, fat,etc and it tracks exercise, weight etc etc. It adjusts calories exercised as you change the weight. The funniest so far was sex. It's listed as an exercise. The first time, I chose low to moderate paced sex (funny,eh) and 10 minutes duration, and it said I'd used 3 CALORIES!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hilarious. Instead of low to moderate, they should have said "lays like a lox". But I really like the site so I pay the $9 a month. For now, it's another support system. If money gets too tight I'll deal with it. As far as what I'm eating.....not much. Protein drinks during the day, I can't eat during the day until weeks after a fill. At night, mostly fish. I buy salmon burgers and dover sole and Tilapia (which I cover with bread crumbs). I dont' eat more than a few ounces, so it's not costly. I buy 2/3 days at a time. I also like dark meat chicken so I make a bunch of thighs and eat them one at a time. I make my own soups- nothing complicated. And I give my husband the chunky version, while I puree mine. I use some canned mandarin oranges in lite syrup, low calorie soy ice cream for a treat, or a healthy choice fudge bar. Diet hot choc late at night when I'm nudgy, and I try to have a cup of milk everyday. And at least 8 glasses of water. I don't lose if I don't drink. Leslie- don't hate the new scale anymore. Decided to just go with it. If it's a pound or 2 off, so what? The overall is the answer. Maybe this scale is good and the old one was off. I use the monthly weigh in at the doctor as my official anyway. And now that it's coming off, I feel that it's not about a pound or 2- it's about 120 of them. So as long as the number keeps going down this time, I just refuse to care (until I hit a plateau....then you'll hear my whining again). Later.

I respect how you feel, but I believe bougie size DOES make a difference. I see NO harm is asking someone what their surgeon used. No need to be a "bougie police"... we all have different experiences and questions-- have you seen the post-op diets? Surgeons are all over the place with that, they do not all agree. Some say alcohol, some say no eating for 4 weeks, some say eat a week later- its depends.

It's a surprising, but common error for folks to read on message boards of one or two persons' WLS experiences and then extrapolate from that to "all WLS patients' experiences." As in ... "everybody who has WLS has complications / regains all their weight / becomes anorexic / loses their teeth / becomes an alcoholic / gets divorced / can't eat real food / whatever." FTR, at 15 months post-op (sleeve) I've never thrown up once. I average 90-100 grams of Protein a day. I still have a protein drink about 5 times a week. It's just food. Like milk. Like chicken, burgers, eggs and Beans. BTW, my sister who has never had WLS also has a protein drink for Breakfast during the week. She finds it convenient.

I read a lot about constipation prior to my surgery. While in the hospital they gave me sugar free jello, which I know has Sugar Alcohol which side effects is a laxative. So I ate one at every meal. It worked when I got home. I've had some form of diarrhea since being home every day. About the gas, oh my, it's horrible and at times very painful. I think I'd rather have a loose bm than constipation that I've read hurts really bad. I just try to keep up with my liquid requirements so that might help you. Also adding Benefiber to my protein shake helped. Today is one month since my surgery and I've lost 18 post op. Got really sick for the last 2+ weeks and I stopped losing even though I didn't eat much. I was dehydrated that entire time and still get my liquids but it's on the lower requirements. Now I'm losing again. As for your hiatal hernia, as much as you didn't know you had one prior to surgery, it won't give you any pain afterwards either. I had one 6 yrs ago and it was repaired when I had lap band surgery. Never felt a thing and my doctor said I wouldn't. With this sleeve surgery he said he did a few stitches with the hernia to help support it (I had a blockage last year which they think stretched it). Be sure to eat and drink slow or else you can backed up or the stomach get full too fast and hurt. I've only had a few times where I can feel it wanting to come up but I slowed down, stood up and it went down. I haven't yet get anything backed up to my throat or throwing up. I have a bad habit of eating too fast so there's been times I have and my new sleeve really hurts and I have to deal with it. Now I've backed off eating some things, went back to softer foods and stopped eating before I feel I'm full. That's helped. I don't think swallowing has to do with the hernia but maybe go back on shakes only and see if that helps.

Hey everyone! I just wanted to update you on my progress. I had surgery on Dec 20th and have lost 52lbs since Dec 1st when starting my pre-op diet. My starting weight was 296 and I'm now at 244. But I started dieting a couple of years ago on phentermine diet pills and gained half the weight back after I quit taking them. So I've lost 95lbs total so far from my highest weight of 339. I don't know how many inches I've lost but I can really tell the difference in my clothes. I used to wear a 5x in scrub tops and now I wear a 2x. Also I bought my first x-large top last week which is very exciting. I really don't like the flabby skin on my arms so I've been working out a little with some weights and I joined Curves last week so hopefully I can tighten up some of the loose skin. Today is my birthday so I had my first alcoholic beverage last night while celebrating the superbowl game and today I had my first dessert since my surgery which was a chocholate cupcake to celebrate. I wish everyone good luck and hope all is going well!!!

Well, you have to do what you think is best, but think about it this way. If you had a good friend who was an alcoholic, and they decided to sober up, would you sit down with a six pack and drink it in front of them the first week they're trying to stay sober? If you're a good friend, then probably not. You're not asking him to quit eating forever, you're just asking him to not chow down right in front of you while you are literally starving in preparation for surgery. Anyway, sorry for throwing my 2 cents at you. I'm on my liquid diet right now too, so I know how hard it is. If my husband came home with a sack of cheeseburgers I think I'd have to kill him.

so...here come the emotional issues welling up...spoke to someone I'm very close to last night, who loves me, but also has a terrible way of making me feel unworthy. I've gotten much better at letting that stuff roll off my back and even calling him on it (with the help of therapy) but it rears it's ugly head now and then, and I think because I'm feeling particularly vulnerable right now, it's more apparent. This person congratulated me on already losing some 17 lbs or so..but of course mentioned that it was surely mostly water loss...so that's a dig right there. Then last night, same person asked how I was feeling and doing, and then had to mention they were at dinner at an Italian restaurant eating eggplant parm and it was delicious. Would you tell an alcoholic you were at a bar and downing a delicious cold beer? I would hope not. I told this person that his comments were not nice and there was no reason for saying what he did and he realized it was a cruel thing to do because he got embarrassed and tried to make a joke out of it. An apology would have been better. Anyway...just wanted to get that off my chest so I can let it go and move on. Thanks to you all for letting me vent in what feels like a safe place to do so.

I don't like the taste of alcohol, but I love me a good amaretto sour - Disaronno, of course. I PBed today. Happy anniversary to me. But when I weighed this morning I was down another 4 lbs which makes a year total of just under 130lbs. And I'd drink to that!

I am wondering something, and I'll ask the doctor also, but, the drinking and eating situation. Is that an on going thing, or later will that change? I think about that every time I eat now, when I take a drink, I tell myself that I'm not going to be able to do that after surgery. Like you, not drinking alcohol will not be an issue, I rarely drink now. I have given up all carbonated drinks already. Yes, I will probably just grab a few bites off my hubby's plate. Thanks

Everyone is doing SO awesome. I'm amazed and astounded by everyone. Especially those of you who run or jog. My bra size has definitly (and sadly) decreased, but I still can't find a sports bra that would make anything other than a brisk walk OK. I need to look on-line, Walmart's the only thing we have here, and not really the place to buy something like that I guess. So I'm sure the problem is not unique to me, but I have this total "all or nothing" mindset that definitely hurts my progress, rather than being helpful. It's not new since the surgery, it's always been my problem. But I know I need to fix so many things - I need to eat more healthy, drink more Water, drink less alcohol, work out more, be better about the money I spend, keep my house cleaner, treat my car better, walk my dog more, spend more time with my family, and be more focused at work. So I decide I'll fix it all. I make rules for myself in every aspect, and when I fail at one, I decide it's hopeless and give up on everything. Logically, I realize I should just pick one thing and focus on it, I can fix the rest later, you know? So, that's my main goal for June. Focus on a few things, and don't beat myself up for the other things I should be better about. Therefore, I've decided to concentrate on the following: WATER CONSUMPTION - there's no way I'm taking in enough water, and I can actually feel that I'm dehydrated way to often. I will drink (and by drink I mean drink and FINISH, not take a few swallows then leave it lying around somewhere) two of my bottles of water - each bottle is 33.8 ounces. NO FAST food - I don't eat a lot of it, but chicken McNuggets are my answer to a quick meal, and I'm fooling myself that they're OK. Just because they're chicken by name, does not make them healthy. Also, it's like 2000 degrees where I live (forecast for the next two days is 106) and my treat is a Mister Misty Float from Dairy Queen (if you've never had one, it's kind of like a rootbeer float, but it's vanilla ice cream in a slushie). And it's not I like I get the smallest one they have ... though I will say I never finish the ones I buy anymore. But it's sugar and crap I don't need, and a total waste of calories. So, fast food is gone. This I can do. WORKING OUT - my goals are small and wimpy, but I've been so bad about the workouts I'm starting smaller. First of all, I will walk at least one block a day. This is such a small thing, but I go so many days now without even this amount of exersize. And if for no other reason, it's mean not to take my dog out at least that much (I pretty much walk to the corner and back with him when he needs to go out, which is just not right). And I will go back to the gym. I will. Here I have to succeed. Thanks for everyone's support. Oh, and that's my other goal - I'll log on here at least 4 times a week - I won't go two days without logging onto this site. It keeps me focused and keeps my goals in mind, and otherwise I can turn a blind eye to my band and my goals and my reasons for being here in the first place. So I'll remember the support I have hear, and use it as one more tool to help me towards my goals.

Welcome back to all those who were on holidays!!!! Change is so nice for the mind and soul;. Well things are moving I am so happy to say, just hope I can keep them that way. Thanks for your tips, I think The benefibre has surely helped, I think "Ben" and I are going to be best buds! Have a good weekend everybody. I am off to the beach for a girls weekend. I shall be testing the band with booze . I haven't done too much drinking ( Alcohol) since getting the band. Only one person THat I will be partying with knows that I have the band. I hope that I can Still handle my booze. It just might be a liquid diet for the weekend. I am so excited about having a drink that I went to the liquor store and spent $200.00 because I couldn't decide what I might want to drink??????? Hope to talk to you all on Monday. Wish me luck.

I was given the following reasons to refrain from alcohol: (1) empty calories (2) can contribute to worsening GERD (3) metabolization of the alcohol may have undesired effects with your new digestive system (4) risk of transfer addiction. I was not told never to have it again, but to use caution before proceeding. I rarely had alcohol during weight loss phase, I would guess probably less than 10 times the entire time, and these times wouldn't even be an entire regular "serving". It was always dry red wine or gin/vodka with soda (less calories and less carbs). I once had a couple sips of a flavoured soju like 2 months post op and ended up on the bathroom floor for over an hour. Not pretty. I can get tipsy/drunk reeeaaalllly quickly (and on much, much, much less than pre-op). But I also sober up astonishingly quickly as well. 1 drink and I'm def affected. 2 drinks and I'm drunk. But about an hour later I'm totally back to normal again. I'm almost 2 years post op now and I drink fairly regularly (particularly since COVID started!), though I still stick to red wines and spirits with no sugary mixers for the most part (with the exception of Kahlua, an important ingredient in espresso martinis) P.S. I am NOT advocating drinking to all, especially if your team advises against it. Everyone is different and should aim to know their limitations and stay within them. Some may have more trouble with this, which is probably why lots say to just stay away. It can become a slippery slope.... Edited to add: I just realized the title of this thread was for bypass. Oopsies, I'm a sleeve, and I think it may be a bit different, between the two: alcohol will bypass a portion (or all?) of the small intestine in by-passers and go directly to the the large intestine, which results in different alcohol metabolization rates...

Doctors' philosophy on this vary from a few weeks to never again depending upon their experiences. The basic issues are: Healing - alcohol is somewhat corrosive to the stomach lining so one needs to give things a chance to heal first, Typically we see a few weeks to a few months sited for this. Alcohol tolerance - rapid stomach emptying means it tends to hit faster, and with less (i.e., a "cheap drunk") so care must be taken there, Transfer addiction - we can no longer satisfy whatever addictive tendencies we have with food, so it is easy to transfer that addiction to something else, like alcohol, drugs, shopping, gambling, etc. What was a casual habit of a glass of wine with dinner occasionally can easily turn into full blown alcoholism. Liver health - starting as morbidly obese, or worse, our livers are not usually in very good shape to begin with (hence the "liver shrinking" pre-op diets that are often prescribed) and the liver is further stressed from its role in metabolizing all that fat that we are rapidly losing. It doesn't need any more stress from ingesting a known liver toxin like alcohol (not a judgemental thing, just our physiology at work). My surgeon is also a biliopancreatic (livers and pancreas) transplant surgeon, so he is in the no alcohol as long as we are losing weight camp (and ideally forever) and indeed we sign a contract to that effect - he doesn't want any of his bariatric patients coming back onto his transplant table! Those are the issues in play, and some aspects bother different surgeons to different degrees, so they have different policies. Check with what your surgeon's policy is, and decide for yourself - we are all adults here.

So 3 for 3 answers that yes alcohol loosens the band. Anyone else? As far as my weight loss, It feels like maybe. I am moving tomorrow, lot's of stress....not easy. I will give myself another month to post whether or not I have had a loss.

1) I am a huge (no pun intended) Star Trek fan, too. My husband and I gave each other the Vulcan Salute when we married. 2) I've been married to my (for lack of a better phrase) soul-mate for 18 years on August 11th. We enjoy an active and loving relationship. He doesn't keep his hands off me now--and he's already talking about "elevator" sex when I've lost weight. Oy vey. I refer to my husband as my "crash test dummy" sometimes. Oh, honey! Will this work? Now, hold that position...I need to capture it in my mind and translate it onto paper! 3) I write romance novels. I write steamy, spicy, happily-ever-after and even a few happy-for-now novels. I once received an email from a reader saying that reading my book aloud as a couple was the best foreplay they'd had in years. Cough! I have older relatives who call me the "Porno Queen." Grrrr. I do not write porno. I do write bodice-rippers and crotch-burners, but there's a huge difference between romance novels and interent porn! HUGE! I have some very strong opinions about porno addiction, to wit: It broke up my cousin's 17 year marriage. It removes a level of intimacy in marriage (or bonded couples), and leaves them both unsatisfied. It desensitizes and anesthetizes. It can be a gateway drug to a seemy, smarmy underbelly of images that are both illegal and immoral--not just sexually titilating. It is a serious addiction. If you know someone with an addiction, talk to them about getting help. Alcohol, drugs, gambling, whatever. Pray, talk, point them in a direction where they can learn to overcome their addictions and regain their lives. I truly want all women to know love; to know the joys of intimacy and even if it's achieved alone, the release of climax. If, for any reason, you are not finding satisfaction in your life with your partner, please discuss it, pray on it, go seek medical advice. Loving relations are too wonderful to dismiss! I don't usually discuss this kind of thing on forums, so if I've offended anyone, I apologize. Darr

You know those pregnant girls, Judy... crazy cravings! :thumbup: I have the "Cookbook Collector on reserve @ the library. Right now I'm reading "Little Bee". How about that new Oprah fav? Women, food, and God... O says it'll "end your war with food". Here's an excerpt: Women, Food, and God by Geneen Roth When I was in high school, I used to dream about having Melissa Morris's legs, Toni Oliver's eyes, and Amy Breyer's hair. I liked my skin, my breasts, and my lips, but everything else had to go. Then, in my 20s, I dreamed about slicing off pieces of my thighs and arms the way you carve a turkey, certain that if I could cut away what was wrong, only the good parts?the pretty parts, the thin parts?would be left. I believed there was an end goal, a place at which I would arrive and forevermore be at peace. And since I also believed that the way to get there was by judging and shaming and hating myself, I also believed in diets. Diets are based on the unspoken fear that you are a madwoman, a food terrorist, a lunatic. The promise of a diet is not only that you will have a different body; it is that in having a different body, you will have a different life. If you hate yourself enough, you will love yourself. If you torture yourself enough, you will become a peaceful, relaxed human being. Although the very notion that hatred leads to love and that torture leads to relaxation is absolutely insane, we hypnotize ourselves into believing that the end justifies the means. We treat ourselves and the rest of the world as if deprivation, punishment, and shame lead to change. We treat our bodies as if they are the enemy and the only acceptable outcome is annihilation. Our deeply ingrained belief is that hatred and torture work. And although I've never met anyone?not one person?for whom warring with their bodies led to long-lasting change, we continue to believe that with a little more self-disgust, we'll prevail. But the truth is that kindness, not hatred, is the answer. The shape of your body obeys the shape of your beliefs about love, value, and possibility. To change your body, you must first understand that which is shaping it. Not fight it. Not force it. Not deprive it. Not shame it. Not do anything but accept and?yes, Virginia?understand it. Because if you force and deprive and shame yourself into being thin, you end up a deprived, shamed, fearful person who will also be thin for ten minutes. When you abuse yourself (by taunting or threatening yourself), you become a bruised human being no matter how much you weigh. When you demonize yourself, when you pit one part of you against another?your ironclad will against your bottomless hunger?you end up feeling split and crazed and afraid that the part you locked away will, when you are least prepared, take over and ruin your life. Losing weight on any program in which you tell yourself that left to your real impulses you would devour the universe is like building a skyscraper on sand: Without a foundation, the new structure collapses. Change, if it is to be long-lasting, must occur on the unseen levels first. With understanding, inquiry, openness. With the realization that you eat the way you do for lifesaving reasons. I tell my retreat students that there are always exquisitely good reasons why they turn to food. Can you imagine how your life would have been different if each time you were feeling sad or angry as a kid, an adult said to you, "Come here, sweetheart, tell me all about it"? If when you were overcome with grief at your best friend's rejection, someone said to you, "Oh, darling, tell me more. Tell me where you feel those feelings. Tell me how your belly feels, your chest. I want to know every little thing. I'm here to listen to you, hold you, be with you." All any feeling wants is to be welcomed with tenderness. It wants room to unfold. It wants to relax and tell its story. It wants to dissolve like a thousand writhing snakes that with a flick of kindness become harmless strands of rope. The path from obsession to feelings to presence is not about healing our "wounded children" or feeling every bit of rage or grief we never felt so that we can be successful, thin, and happy. We are not trying to put ourselves together. We are taking who we think we are apart. We feel the feelings not so that we can blame our parents for not saying, "Oh, darling," not so that we can express our anger to everyone we've never confronted, but because unmet feelings obscure our ability to know ourselves. As long as we take ourselves to be the child who was hurt by an unconscious parent, we will never grow up. We will never know who we actually are. We will keep looking for the parent who never showed up and forget to see that the one who is looking is no longer a child. I tell my retreat students that they need to remember two things: to eat what they want when they're hungry and to feel what they feel when they're not. Inquiry?the feel-what-you-feel part?allows you to relate to your feelings instead of retreat from them. Sometimes when I ask students what they are feeling in their bodies, they have no idea. It's been a couple of light-years since they felt anything in or about their bodies that wasn't judgment or loathing. So it's good to ask some questions that allow you to focus on the sensations themselves. You can ask yourself if the feeling has a shape, a temperature, a color. You can ask yourself how it affects you to feel this. And since no feeling is static, you keep noticing the changes that occur in your body as you ask yourself these questions. If you get stuck, it's usually because you're having a reaction to a particular feeling?you don't want to feel this way, you'd rather be happy right now, you don't like people who feel like this?or you're locked into comparing/judging mode. So, be precise. "I feel a gray heap of ashes in my chest" rather than "I feel something odd and heavy." Don't try to direct the process by having preferences or agendas. Let the inquiry move in its own direction. Notice whatever arises, even if it surprises you. "Oh, I thought I was sad, but now I see that this is loneliness. It feels like a ball of rubber bands in my stomach." Welcome the rubber bands. Give them room. Watch what happens. Keep coming back to the direct sensations in your body. Pay attention to things you've never told anyone, secrets you've kept to yourself. Do not censor anything. Do not get discouraged. It takes a while to trust the immediacy of inquiry since we are so used to directing everything with our minds. It is helpful, though not necessary, to do inquiry with a guide or a partner so that you can have a witness and a living reminder to come back to the sensation and the location. Most of all, remember that inquiry is not about discovering answers to puzzling problems but a direct and experiential revelation process. It's fueled by love. It's like taking a dive into the secret of existence itself; it is full of surprises, twists, side trips. You engage in it because you want to penetrate the unknown, comprehend the incomprehensible. Because when you evoke curiosity and openness with a lack of judgment, you align yourself with beauty and delight and love?for their own sake. You become the benevolence of God in action. A few years ago, I received a letter from someone who'd included a Weight Watchers ribbon on which was embossed "I lost ten pounds." Underneath the gold writing, the letter writer added "And I still feel like crap." We think we're miserable because of what we weigh. And to the extent that our joints hurt and our knees ache and we can't walk three blocks without losing our breath, we probably are physically miserable because of extra weight. But if we've spent the last five, 20, 50 years obsessing about the same ten or 20 pounds, something else is going on. Something that has nothing to do with weight. Most people are so glad to read about, hear about, and then begin any approach that doesn't focus on weight loss as its main agenda that they take it to be license to eat without restraint. "Aha!" they say. "Someone finally understands that it's not about the weight." It's never been about the weight. It's not even about food. "Great," they say, "let's eat. A lot. Let's not stop." And the truth is that it's not about the weight. Either you want to wake up or you want to go to sleep. You either want to anesthetize yourself or you do not. You either want to live or you want to die. But it's also not not about the weight. No one can argue that being a hundred pounds overweight is not physically challenging; the reality of sheer poundage and its physical consequences cannot be denied. Some people at my retreats can't sit in a chair comfortably. They can't walk up a slight incline without feeling pain. Their doctors tell them their lives are in danger unless they lose weight. They need knee replacements, hip replacements, LAP-BAND surgeries. The pressure on their hearts, their kidneys, their joints is too much for their body to tolerate and still function well. So it is about the weight to the extent that weight gets in the way of basic function: of feelings, of doing, of moving, of being fully alive. The bottom line, whether you weigh 340 pounds or 150 pounds, is that when you eat when you are not hungry, you are using food as a drug, grappling with boredom or illness or loss or grief or emptiness or loneliness or rejection. Food is only the middleman, the means to the end. Of altering your emotions. Of making yourself numb. Of creating a secondary problem when the original problem becomes too uncomfortable. Of dying slowly rather than coming to terms with your messy, magnificent, and very, very short?even at a hundred years?life. The means to these ends happens to be food, but it could be alcohol, it could be work, it could be sex, it could be cocaine. Surfing the Internet. Talking on the phone. For a variety of reasons we don't fully understand (genetics, temperament, environment), those of us who are compulsive eaters choose food. Not because of its taste. Not because of its texture or its color. We want quantity, volume, bulk. We need it?a lot of it?to go unconscious. To wipe out what's going on. The unconsciousness is what's important, not the food. Sometimes people will say, "But I just like the taste of food. In fact, I love the taste! Why can't it be that simple? I overeat because I like food." But. When you like something, you pay attention to it. When you like something?love something?you take time with it. You want to be present for every second of the rapture. But overeating does not lead to rapture: It leads to burping and farting and being so sick that you can't think of anything but how full you are. That's not love; that's suffering. I'm not exactly proud to say that I have been miserable anywhere, with anything, with anyone. I've been miserable standing in a field of a thousand sunflowers in southern France in mid-June. I've been miserable weighing 80 pounds and wearing a size 0. And I've been happy wearing a size 18, been happy sitting with my dying father, been happy being a switchboard operator. But like many people, I've had the "When I Get Thin (Change Jobs, Move, Find a Relationship, Leave This Relationship, Have Money) Blues." It's called the "If Only" refrain. It's called postponing your life and your ability to be happy to a future date when then, oh then, you will finally get what you want and life will be good. You will stop turning to food when you start understanding in your body, not just your mind, that there is something better than turning to food. And this time, when you lose weight, you will keep it off. Truth, not force, does the work of ending compulsive eating. The poet Galway Kinnell wrote that "sometimes it is necessary to reteach a thing its loveliness." Everything we do, I tell my students, is to reteach ourselves our loveliness. Diets are the result of your belief that you have to atone for being yourself to be worthy of existing. Until the belief is understood and questioned, no amount of weight loss will touch the part of you that is convinced it is damaged. It will make sense to you that hatred leads to love and that torture leads to peace because you will be operating on the conviction that you must starve or deprive or punish the badness out of you. You won't keep extra weight off, because being at your natural weight does not match your convictions about the way life unfolds. But once the belief and the subsequent decisions are questioned, diets and being uncomfortable in your body lose their seductive allure. Only kindness makes sense. Anything else is excruciating. You are not a mistake. You are not a problem to be solved. The Sufi poet Rumi, writing about birds learning to fly, wrote: "How do they learn it? They fall, and falling, they're given wings." If you wait until you have Toni Oliver's eyes and Amy Breyer's hair, if you wait to respect yourself until you are at the weight you imagine you need to be to respect yourself, you will never respect yourself. To be given wings, you've got to be willing to believe that you were put on this Earth for more than your endless attempts to lose the same 30 pounds 300 times for 80 years. And that goodness and loveliness are possible, even in something as mundane as what you put in your mouth for Breakfast. Beginning now.