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No way man, don't not have the band done, you might figure out how to beat the band, (By grazing and eating soft foods) But with the right adjustment you won't be able to do even that. I would tell you to have it done and for as long a possiable not eat till you throw up. You want to have the band firmly in place, and it takes about 4 to 5 weeks. When they tell you to start eating regular food, beleive me, you will know right away what you can eat and what you can't. Even for as long as I have had this band I ate some micro eggs 2 days ago, and I did not chew that good.......... and some of the eggs got stuck in the hole. Well....... for almost all of the day I could not eat anything, shit, I could hardly drink. When I mean drink, I mean drink like we fatty's drink, we guzzle down whatever. I had to take little drinks and I was fine, except I could not eat, whatever I ate I threw up. I then figured, this was a good thing and it started me on a couple of really good day, with protine shakes in the morning, 1/2 sandwhich for lunch, and a modest dinner, if any. So it worked out good, but either way on the 19th I am going for a fill in NY, and try to have it maxed out. I am now after 5 years ready to have this done, I want to be done with this weight. NOW........... about why we eat so much, who knows, we do. They can put any name they want on it but, we are fat because we eat too dam much, way beyond any normal sense of the word, we are eating our self's to death. Just like the alcoholic who can't (or does not want to stop drinking) OR, the drug addict who uses........ whatever...... and keeps useing till he is either dead or in jail, takeing everyone with them. If there is anyone left. We fatty's, are just like that, we use food like a addict uses heroin, we keep useing till we hit a bottom. Sometimes the addict can hide his useing for a long time, but with us fatty's there ain't no hiding, no matter how much black we wear, LOL. You ever see a fatty swimming in a pool with a big Ol' shirt over there bathing suit ????? They think they are hiding something, like no one can tell they'er fat under the tee shirt. LOL. How stupid can we be........... telling our self's if I wear big shirts and baggin stuff, no one will be able to tell we're fat. We joke about it here at home, we are all fat here some more then others (OK I am at the top of the list, For now), LOL. We don't hide our fat, if your fat you might as well be honest about it. Like, when someone say's, "Man, My Feet Hurt", I will say: "You Know Why Your Feet Hurt ??", "It's Cause Your FAT". Anyway............ we can't hide being fat, when we're fat, everyone see's it. Not that I let people hurt my feeling anymore, I am through with that shit. If someone makes a off color, or a rude comment about me being fat and I take it to heart......... Well they better look out, because they are about to get the same back, and I can be just as crud as they are, and maybe a little more. Why is it OK to to insult fat people, but you will let some hard ass or bully walk around and not say anything to him or her. Anyway............ it's time we as fat people start to tell the truth about ourself's to ourself's. We are the first person we have to tell the truth to. NO MORE DENILE, no more lieing about what or how much we eat, no more hiding our eating. I would do this thing, I called it the "Glen Cove, figure 8." there was a Micky D's across the street for Wendy's, so I would order 2 different meals, one from each drive-in. I was thinking...... I did not want the person taking the order's to think I was too fat and all the food I was ordering was for ME. So I would split it between the 2 places........ NOW how sick is that !!!!!!! I cared about some pimple faced kid taking orders for $6 an hour. BOY HOW CRAZY CAN WE BE !!!!! Butch

I've found two beers that I can tolerate because they have very limited carbonation-Guinness and Tetley. If you are like I was in college, you won't be drinking 12 packs of these mainly because they're too damn expensive. But they aren't bubbly, so they don't make me bloated the way that regular beer or soda does. Whiskey doesn't have carbonation, so if you're not drinking it with club soda it should go down okay. The biggest issue with alcohol, though, isn't the carbonation. It's the calories. Lots of empty calories that go straight through the band. I don't drink much anymore because doing so would undermine maintaining my weight loss. Of course, I'm also 36 and drinking a lot isn't nearly so important to me as it was when I was 21. Good luck.

Quest bars are my favorite, I eat one every day. Vanilla Almond is my favorite, soooo good! Not only are they delicious, but they have the most protein and fiber of any I have found, with no sugar alcohols. Love them!

Ooops.. I had a little candy and some alcohol...

Check liver light! Now that was funny! Regarding the posts about the calories in alcohol - yes, those are liquid calories, but in my case, the danger of weight gain from drinking has been the overeating afterwards. All common sense would go out the window. Now, I don't (can't) do that, and I hope I never do! There was a time when I drank sweet frozen and mixed drinks and didn't pay attention to the calories. I was pretty big, larger than I was when I started this VSG process. Well, one day I actually read the label on the frozen mixers and I actually cried at how many calories I had been drinking in mixer alone! No wonder I was so big. I have never touched those mixers since then and have had maybe half a dozen margaritas in the last ten years. Now I only drink wine, or alcohol mixed with a no/low calorie mixer.

2B Thin, Thanks. I am not happy you are going through this too, but happy I'm not alone. Yesterday, I feel like I ate so much. BUT, I WAS SOOOO HUNGRY! I ate: Turkey Sausage for BRKFT, Jimboy's Veggie Burrito (3/4) for lunch, Tomato Soup for a Snack (I usually don't need a snack), and for dinner, about 3 cups of veggies/rice with sauce. I did everything I could to not snack on all the junk food in this house: Brownie Cookies, Ritz, Halloween Candy, BBQ Potato chips, etc. I kept myself occupied with lots of coffee, hot tea and even a glass of wine. But, I am realizing that alcohol makes me hungry. So, I am not going to drink anything 'till my fill apt. I can't believe I have to wait 'till the 30th, then drive 7 hours to Mexico for this. (Do I need to buy Mexi-Insurance for my car?) Anyway, I am going to do my best today to fill up on veggies. I bought a dill veggie dip, it's not non-fat, but better than nothing I guess. I also need to try to drink my Protein shakes more often. Hope everything goes well for you! Wish me luck!

Six months is the recommendation at my group, but the overwhelming advice it to avoid it permanently. I know some people do continue to drink after six months, but alcohol will feel different...both in absorption rate and the way it's digested. It might cause you problems, so approach reintroduction very cautiously.

I too was wondering the same thing? Drinking as in swallowing or drinking as in alcohol? I had roux ny done in 2000 and was just banded this past May 16th....my pouch, after all these years stretched and so lap band was the only thing offered to help this ...I am doing well so far as I was good most of the time on my eating habits with the bypass..it was just one of those things, however, nothing in a drinking matter afflicted me...I like to have a glass of wine or maybe two but I don't see the correlation between bariatrics and alcoholism?

What my doctor told me was, very often people trade addictions. So after WLS, some patients will trade their food addiction for alcoholism or drug abuse. He said this one of the reasons he tells his WLS patients to avoid alcohol, not only because it's empty calories but because of the increase risk of addiction.

By Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS When you're trying to lose weight, the question isn't whether or not you'll hit a plateau, it's when. Plateaus are like bad weather on a long hike: it's inevitable that you'll run into it, but knowing that in advance won't make it one bit less frustrating or annoying when it happens. Cheer up! Since plateaus are as common as rain, we have a pretty good idea what to do about them. At least one of the following techniques should help you break through a plateau and start losing again. 1. Be a Calorie Detective When clients tell me they've stopped losing weight, the first thing I ask is this: how many calories a day are you eating? Calories have a way of creeping up while we're not paying attention. Be brutally honest with yourself: how much are you eating? Using a food diary for a while is a great way to monitor this. And yes, sodas and alcoholic beverages count! A good calorie goal for dieters is your target weight times 10. 2. Change It Up When you're not making gains in an exercise program you change your routine. Same holds true with your eating plan. Low-carbers could go higher carb for a few days, high-carbers might switch to a plan like Atkins or South Beach. Varying calorie intake may have a positive effect: If you're averaging 1,500 calories daily, try dropping to 1,200, going up to 2,000 and then dropping back to 1,500. You get the idea. Your body's gotten comfortable, so it's time to shake things up. 3. Try a Temporary Ban Food sensitivities can cause weight gain and bloat, and the frustrating thing is that most of us don't always know which foods are the culprits. So play the odds. Highest on the list of "usual suspects" are grains (wheat in particular), dairy and sugar. Temporarily ban all three and see what happens. 4. Take Your Workout Up a Notch Forget the "fat burning zone." High intensity intervals -- 30 to 60 seconds -- are the wave of the future. If you're accustomed to level three on your cardio machine, ramp it up to level 6 for a minute then slow down, catch your breath and repeat. Ever see a sprinter with love handles? Training like a sprinter will lower your body fat faster than any technique I know of, plus it'll boost your metabolism and lower your weight. 5. Strength Training If you're not strength training, start now. And if you are, ramp it up a notch. Muscle is your greatest ally in breaking a plateau. Unfortunately many women train with weights too light to produce the metabolic boost they need. Don't be afraid of heavier weights. They should be heavy enough that you can only do between 8 and 12 reps. 6. Up Your Protein Studies show that higher protein diets make it easier to lose fat. Protein boosts the metabolism (in one study as much as 100 percent for 24 hours), and increases satiety, making it more likely that you won't overeat. A higher protein diet could be just what you need to break that plateau. 7. Try a Detox Unsupervised fasting is a really bad idea, but the idea of giving your system a rest makes sense. Try a "smart fast" of nothing but fruits and vegetables for a couple of days. The added fiber is always helpful, and the massive amount of nutrients and phytochemicals is like "spring cleaning" for your metabolism. 8. Take Inventory Other things besides diet and exercise could be stalling your weight loss, such as stress, lack of sleep or medication. Take a look at what else is going on in your life that might need attention. Sometimes when you clean up the problems in one area of your life, problems in other areas just naturally take care of themselves.

I tried everything n the only thing I found to take it off was marykay oil free eye makeup remover. It came off by just rubbing with cotton ball no scrubbing. I have very sensitive skin n the tape/ glue always takes my skin with it even alcohol or baby oil didn't help. I wore it for 15 days post op n it started looking really nasty so from the advice of a friend I tried the Mary Kay stuff. Good luck Sent from my iPhone using LapBandTalk

Havent had alcohol but six months out and i can chug water but not after eating

It's nice that your doctor is amenable to wine! A lot of the info I've read has said no alcohol for a full year after the procedure, but if your doctor is okay with it, I'm glad for you!

Raspberry Ice crystal light and vodka - the best almost 0 carbs!! Bandsters shouldn't have a problem with alcohol going to your head (unless it always has) because we are still conected to all of our intestines. RNY have trouble with it - just another reason to hang with the band!

Can I ever have a milk dud again? Or is that a food that pulls your fillings out and may just pull your band out! Are there any foods that are for sure a nono for life? I know cokes are gone for over but what about tonic or club soda? I LOVE how my father in law makes me vodka tonics. Do I have to have my last one for life on Saturday night when I see him? I don't mind, I just need to know. And is Saturday to close to the surgery date to have alcohol? What about McD's?

I still love my diet coke and my doctor knows I have some on occasion. He's fine with it as long as I don't overdo it - of all the vices one can have, he sees this as the least offensive (since I could be smoking or drinking alcohol instead).

Hi everyone.:biggrin: Yesterday I went to the Veterans Hospital as normal for routine testing. Found out I have what is called NASH...Non Alcoholic ???? of the liver. In layman's terms Fatty Liver which can be a pre cursor to liver disease down the road, this is in addition to my high BP, high cholesterol, diabetic ... great, as far as I am concerned its just one more reason I need the surgery. And my doctor agreed. Here is the problem, the Veterans Hospital in Philly, as I found out yesterday, will only do the VGB procedure and I only want the Lap Band procedure. So I am a bit :frown:depressed and irritated. Makes me feel like I ever get is second best and as usual have to compromise. Ya I know its the depression talking. So my plan B is to try to tap into my civilian/HMO insurance. The problem with that is the civilian Dr. has never meat me, has no clue about me. The VA is very happy to send my files and test over to the civilian doctor to help out. I called my HMO yesterday and they have no provider who will take my NJ HMO over at the University of Penn in Philly (where I wanted the Lap Band done), in NJ since its a form of Medicaid.

My Doctor had put me on Cholestrol Meds. They check your liver function. Well, it seems my liver tests raised up - a lot. My Doc told me I had fatty liver and it could cause problems and that I needed to loose weight. I didn't of course. So we waited and he checked them again. Still elavated. I had to cut down on the Cholestrol Meds, but still bad liver tests. Finally he told me I might have to go off the Meds, I thought he said to so I did. Well when my next liver test came back crappy he said well I guess you will need to go off the meds. You should have seen his face when I told him I already had. This was right after I had spoken to him about the band. So now I checked out Fatty Liver and found out what the real name is and how bad it is. And yes, it can kill your liver, which you can't live without. So when the Surgeon spoke at the Seminar about shrinking the liver, I knew I was in deep do do. Anyway here is the defination. I don't drink so it freaks me out, I have seen an alcholic liver. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) refers to a wide spectrum of liver disease ranging from simple fatty liver (steatosis), to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), to cirrhosis (irreversible, advanced scarring of the liver). All of the stages of NAFLD have in common the accumulation of fat (fatty infiltration) in the liver cells (hepatocytes). In NASH, the fat accumulation is associated with varying degrees of inflammation (hepatitis) and scarring (fibrosis) of the liver. The term nonalcoholic is used because NAFLD and NASH occur in individuals who do not consume excessive amounts of alcohol. Yet, in many respects, the histological picture of NAFLD (when we look at a biopsy piece of liver under the microscope) is similar to what can be seen in liver disease that is due to excessive intake of alcohol. As we shall see, however, the clinical circumstances in NAFLD and NASH are very different from those in alcoholic liver disease (ALD).

My husband is also thin and loves me fat or thin which is great. I look forward to the day when I actually weigh less than him! I don't regret it. Glad you're committed but it will be harder than you think. I see a lot of people on this forum who seem to have had unrealistic expectations going. I see complaints about "only" losing 15 pounds in their first month, etc. I would suggest you start making gradual changes now. Find Protein shakes you like. Personally, I see Protein Shakes as a daily staple for the next 2 years. Give up carbonated drinks, caffeine, and alcohol. Make sure you aren't drinking 45 minutes before and after your meals. There is a lot to get used to but I know it's totally worth it.

Know this: If you stop and listen to yourself... I mean really listen... you will always know how to act in a way that honors your Highest Good. You will always know the next right thing to do! (Isn’t that coooool? You already have all the answers inside you... It really is exciting if you think about it!) I believe we are all born these perfect little psychic bundles of love. As infants, if we’re happy we laugh, sad we cry, hungry we eat, full we stop eating. We are our Truth in every moment and have no fear about expressing who we are or how we feel. In fact, we don’t know how not to take care of ourselves. It doesn’t occur to us to not ask, or for that matter demand, that our needs be met. But soon after our birth, we begin receiving millions of messages that it is not okay or safe to express our Truth, to follow the natural flow of our Soul’s Wisdom, to ask for what we need. These messages come in the form of statements like— “Ooohh, stop crying!” “That didn’t hurt.” “Big boys don’t cry!” “Children should be seen but not heard.” “That was a stupid thing to say.” “I don’t care what you want to do; you need to do what I tell you to do.” “Never let other people know that our family is not perfect” “You can’t possibly be hungry now.” Or maybe the messages took on a physical form and you were beaten when you expressed a feeling or spoke out of line, or even for no apparent reason. Over time after being bombarded with messages like these, even though many of them may have been said with the best of intentions, you stop looking inward for guidance; you learn to silence your sacred voice of wisdom. Then one day someone comes along and asks you, “What color is the sky?” And you think, “Well, I think it’s blue, but I don’t know if what I think or feel about the sky is right because the other day I heard my parents arguing and I asked Mommy what was wrong and she told me that nothing was wrong, everything was just fine... but it didn’t feel fine to me, it felt like my parents were really angry, like something wasn’t right with them... but Mommy who is the expert about life said everything was “OK”... so something must be wrong with the way I think or perceive things... so maybe the sky is really purple or green... Ahhhh I don’t know what to say, I don’t know what to do... I think it is blue, but I am not sure if that really is the right answer, or if it is the answer they want... “I just wish I knew what they wanted me to say.” This thought process is the beginning of you disconnecting from your inner voice, your Divine Wisdom. This is where you get lost. When you are unable to say your Truth, or live from Source Energy, you will inevitably notice some emotional and/or physical discomfort which typically manifests as anxiety, depression, sadness, anger, nausea, exhaustion, sleeplessness, chronic headaches, joint pain, or intestinal distress. In order to calm down those feelings you may have learned to turn to things outside of yourself for comfort like food, drugs, alcohol, people pleasing, shopping, or compulsive work. Well, it’s time for you to come home to Yourself!! Before you can change a behavior you have to be aware that it exists. Below I have listed signs of "disconnection." Indications of Disconnection from Your Authentic Self * You worry about what other people think of you. * You over/under eat, smoke, drink a little too much, or depend on prescription medications more than you would like to get through a day. * You are always the peace maker. * You find it difficult to say “no” to people or set boundaries. * You are the “life of the party” to your family and friends, but secretly feel stressed and depressed. * You seemingly “have it all” but still feel an uncomfortable emptiness, like something is just missing from your life. * You feel disappointed with the way your life has turned out so far. * You are regretful about things that happened in your past. * You are afraid to make changes in your life. * You feel responsible for the happiness of others. * You spend most of your day tending to the needs of others. * Your days are so busy that you find yourself being really forgetful and making silly mistakes. * Your mood is dependent upon the mood or actions of others. * You worry a lot. * You gossip. * You have an underlying feeling of unworthiness. * You are in an abusive relationship (you may be the abuser or the abused). * Your self worth is determined by the “things you have”, the money you make, the number on the scale, the position you hold at your job, or the success of your children or spouse * You avoid disagreements at all costs... or * You argue all the time. * You are uncomfortable with silence. * You feel like you are always “putting out fires” or living in constant chaos. * You feel like you are “walking on eggshells” around significant people in your life. * You are afraid to speak up for yourself. * You often feel anxious, depressed, angry, or sad. * You have a low tolerance for or feel very judgmental of people who have opinions or values that differ from yours. * You feel like you always have to defend or explain yourself. * You have difficulty accepting compliments. * It is very difficult for you to look in a mirror, directly into your eyes, and say, “I love you! You are the most important person in the world to me and I am going to take good care of you!’” ____ _______________________________________________________ Notice if there is a time this week when you act from a place of disconnection, when you choose to not listen to your Intuition. Write about the situation, how it turned out, and how it felt to ignore your Inner Voice. Take some time to reflect on how you may have learned to disconnect from your Authentic Self. Also, notice a specific time this week when you did listen and respond in accordance with your Intuition, when you felt like you were being your True Self. Write about the situation, how it turned out, and how it felt to “Be Your Truth.” How was your experience different when you acted from a “place of disconnect” versus when you acted in accordance with your Inner Wisdom or Truth?

I have food addictions but what I do is faithfully log everything I eat. I try to keep my carbs in line and my calorie intake between 1200 and 1600. ONCE IN A WHILE I will treat myself (usually by splitting a cookie or candy bar with my 3 year old) but those are treats (as I keep reminding him). No junk food in the house. I have absolutely no will power over them. Like the old Lays commercial said "bet you can't eat just one." I also have to be vigilant after dinner. I like to munch in front of the computer so instead I bring a bottle of water (not too much since I hate being up all night running to the bathroom). Am I successful? Mostly. I still have problems but I know it's going to take time to correct my problems. I compare my addiction to an alcoholic except that I'm a recovering food addict.

My neighbor's celebrating her1 year anniversary this month. Shes lost 60lbs in 12 months when u average it out thts only 5lbs per month. Her highest weight was 307. And she has no loose skin. She looks Great! She doesnt eat right she has small portions of junk all day long. She drinks alcohol on weekends sodas and even breads whenever she wants. She says shes excited to have lost the 60 than to have gained 60 I love her rock star personality!

Well you got hungover because you hardly ate anything and probably was dehydrated too, not having much in your system will make the alcohol affect you even more than normal, so never never drink on an empty stomach or a nearly empty one As for feeling like you did i totally understand why u felt like it, even with the weight i have lost i still feel big and awkward, this is not how i used to be when i was younger but i feel it 10 times more now.. I can put on clothes even now and i hate myself, not because i am fat because im not really anymore but because i dont see what other see, i still see the person who looked huge felt huge and felt like i dont belong, so you dont hear compliments u dont see what others see and it puts u on edge, it can make u paranoid. Getting ready in a hurry doesnt help, or round someones place instead of your own home all im sure added up to u feeling what i would term as stressed. You werent in the frame of mind to enjoy yourself and you didnt ..what u need to do to avoid feeling that way again is to plan things better, take some food to work to eat before u leave so u arent reliant on fast food, make sure u try on what u want to wear the night before u go out, plan acessories to give u a feeling like the whole package. Think of how some famous people who are heavy look and deal with the 'glamour' side of life.. Just plan things a little better and im sure u wont have an evening like it again

Hi Tiffany, I am in the same boat as you - going through the pre-op stuff and hoping against hope that this works! I have been to other boards and have seen some absolutely amazing before and after photos. I would say that whether or not it works for you depends on how well you stick to your program. I've seen that some people have had slow weight loss or have gained weight back by drinking their calories (shakes, ice cream, alcohol...that sort of thing) or making poor food choices. I can't imagine you won't lose weight with the sleeve. I fantasize about shopping at Target for "regular" clothes and not needing a seatbelt extender when we go on vacation next summer. That helps to keep some of the negative thoughts away. Good luck with your process! Autumn

Sugar alcohol can act like a laxative... so do this in moderation. :-)