Search the Community

So I when to see my doctor he cleared me to eat regular food, but I have some questions regarding wraps, breads(turkey sandwich) broccoli, salad and alcohol. I asked so many questions that I forgot to ask him about these. How did u guys eat on a regular diet.

Here is some advice I can give you. Eat off small plates (cake plates) this is a mind game when you see the plate is full. Put your fork completely down between bites. When you don't feel empty and more stop eating and you can eat somemore later. Try little bites of things to see if it still agrees with you or that you even like the taste of it. Use a table spoon when serving out your plate. Alcohol. hummm, I just tried it for the first time and what I had would have been a gulp for anyone else but it too me all day until I gave up on it. I hope this helps you and good luck.

Avoid alcohol - empty calories. And it hits you harder since you're banded. Alcoholism in banded patients increase. Just saying. Why trade foodaholic for alcoholism?

To answer a few of your questions, no one answer fits everybody as @Arabesque say. Will your hair fall out ?? who knows, Has mine? OMG yes but I can feel the new hair sprouting. Will you wrinkle ?? who knows, Have I ? OMG yes but I was a very overweight soon to be 63 years old. Do I care ? nope because I wear pants and 3/4 sleeve tops that hide it all. My face is fine yet. I might have plastics in a few years if it bothers me then. I am saving just in case. I only told my friend of 57 years, my husband and my son. I don't want judgement or other peoples opinion, its irrelevant. I was a weekend drinker in my early years but I like to be fairly sober these days as it messes with my medication. I have had a few drinks since surgery, I am quite partial to a Bloody Mary. I can probably count the drinks I have had in 6 months on one hand. I get a buzz off one. Will I become alcoholic ? No thanks Keep doing your research, keep asking questions because in the end you are the only one who knows if its for you

I am now past the 6 month mark and I'm down close to 60 pounds. (55 to be exact) I am starting to get comments from people about looking like I've lost weight and I'm down to a size 16 on bottom and a 14 on top. I tend to struggle the most with stopping when I'm starting to feel full and also not drinking calories...must remember to stay away from high calorie alcoholic beverages and to keep my Starbucks drinks to a minimal amount of calories. I tried eating more protein as my doctor suggested which prevented me from losing and stopped the hair loss...as soon as I stopped eating as much protein then I started loosing again and my hair started falling out again. It's a Catch-22... I am looking at old photos to see the difference from now to then and I do see some but not as much as I'd like to see. I really don't think I'm going to be really pleased until I get below 200...17 more pounds. My goal is to lose this by my birthday...July 28th. I am a little concerned because I'm up to 8.3 cc's in a 10 cc band and I've barely just gotten to the point of restriction. I still can and have always been able to eat more than the 1/4 cup so...I am the proof that you have to use the tool correctly because it is only a tool and not a be all end all. I also started going to a local support group so I can remind myself to stay on track and give back to other people who are just starting out. Aside from that...I'll check in next month.

I am now past the 6 month mark and I'm down close to 60 pounds. (55 to be exact) I am starting to get comments from people about looking like I've lost weight and I'm down to a size 16 on bottom and a 14 on top. I tend to struggle the most with stopping when I'm starting to feel full and also not drinking calories...must remember to stay away from high calorie alcoholic beverages and to keep my Starbucks drinks to a minimal amount of calories. I tried eating more protein as my doctor suggested which prevented me from losing and stopped the hair loss...as soon as I stopped eating as much protein then I started loosing again and my hair started falling out again. It's a Catch-22... I am looking at old photos to see the difference from now to then and I do see some but not as much as I'd like to see. I really don't think I'm going to be really pleased until I get below 200...17 more pounds. My goal is to lose this by my birthday...July 28th. I am a little concerned because I'm up to 8.3 cc's in a 10 cc band and I've barely just gotten to the point of restriction. I still can and have always been able to eat more than the 1/4 cup so...I am the proof that you have to use the tool correctly because it is only a tool and not a be all end all. I also started going to a local support group so I can remind myself to stay on track and give back to other people who are just starting out. Aside from that...I'll check in next month.

I'm not sure if there is already a thread here for cancer survivors or people who currently have cancer, with the sleeve or pre-sleeve? Would love to know that I'm not alone! I am a bladder cancer survivor. I have my 2.5 year scans coming up next week, along with all my pre-testing for my sleeve surgery. I have my story all printed up already because it's a long one...but I wanted to see if others have gone through cancer here? I believe it puts things into a different perspective if you've come through cancer. I was diagnosed with bladder cancer when I was 42. We found out that I was pregnant, surprise! We had already lost two babies, our son Daniel in the second trimester and then an early loss. We are foster parents and had already had three failed adoptions as well. When we found out I was pregnant, they did an ultrasound. They could not see the baby, but did find numerous tumors in my bladder. There started a whirlwind of tests, day surgeries, chemo, and finally major 12 hour surgery in March 2011, to remove my bladder and rebuild a "fake" bladder inside of me. 2.5 years later, I'm recovering still, have a hernia the size of a basketball due to the surgery, and need to lose some weight before I can have my "big" hernia surgery to fix my hernia, and start living again. My story This is what we consider to be our "last chance" at having a child in our lives. I'm 45 now. I've lost three children and two years ago lost my bladder and uterus to cancer. We've fostered children for years and had four failed adoptions. Last chance adoption. If we can afford it. My life reads like a soap opera. When I was 11, my sisters and I were hit by a car while waiting for the school bus. My little sister Kathy didn't survive. I was raised by a wonderful Mom and an abusive alcoholic Father. And then I married an abusive, drug addicted husband. Stayed with him for 12 years until I had the strength to leave. In 2001, I met Mark, the most wonderful man ever. We married in 2003. In 2005, at the age of 37, Mark and I conceived our first child. In 2006, I gave birth to our son Daniel, too early for him to survive. Later that year, we lost our second child. Fast forward to 2010 (time spent between 2006 and 2010 resulted in our becoming foster parents and having three failed adoptions). At the age of 42, I found out I was pregnant. Went for an ultrasound, where they found numerous tumors in my bladder. I lost the baby and started chemotherapy in Dec 2010. In March 2011, I had my bladder surgically removed, along with my uterus....losing any chance of having our own baby. But, in the end, I was/am currently cancer-free. We named our third baby "Angel" for saving my life. We became licensed as foster parents again, and had a 15 month old baby girl placed with us. On March 1, 2013, after living with us for over a year, baby girl was taken and given to an Aunt in another state. Failed adoption number 4. Through all of this, my husband Mark has been the best friend, nurse, Father, husband, caretaker ever. He deserves to have a child. WE deserve to have a child. We've looked into adoption and have started the process, which could take years.

I had sleeve on 4/25/2018. Sw: 215 cw: 192 gw: 145. I’ve been struggling with depression and binging on the soft foods for about a week. Here’s what I’ve come up with: walking is my meditation. Bariatric is my hobby for the foreseeable future. Like an alcoholic I NEED support. Having low energy and being inside too much really brought me down. Also my hormones are whacked right now. Estrogen is off. Sex is off. So I’m sure our hormones and serotonin are off so walk. If you want to connect directly I’m kgbhalloween@gmail.com

I had my surgery on October 10th of this year and have struggled with exactly the same thing. I'm so glad you posted about this. I did not realize what a huge role food and alcohol played in my life until they were no longer an option for me. I'm only down a total of 26 pounds from my heaviest weight, and only 16 since surgery, and I'm having trouble remembering EVERY SINGLE NEW THING that must be incorporated into my life: all the vitamins, getting down 64 ounces of water every day, trying to exercise 5x a week, waiting 30 minutes between eating and drinking, counting and getting in 50-60 grams of protein every day but never having a serving size bigger than 1/3 of a cup, strictly limiting carbs... ALL of it! I get emotional so easily and my poor family, god love them, has no idea what I'm going through or how to help. I do appreciate their patience with me as I navigate this new lifestyle. I've started a food journal where I also log how I'm feeling that day, and put the bariatric support group dates on my calendar. Now if I can just add making myself stop mourning the death of my relationship with food and wine I'll be good to go! I do have a therapist I check in with every two weeks, and that is my saving grace right now. I'd recommend finding one who can give you the support you need and keep posting here. Thanks again for bringing up a tough subject. Take care.

if you wouldn't rub alcohol on a wound outside your body less than 30 days post op, then I wouldn't consume it internally. please wait until you are fully healed and medically cleared.

I was a coffee drinker and like my bevies so I can relate! I had surgery in early August.. I tried a coffee a couple of days ago and it doesn't sit all that well with me. I was told that it wasn't about the caffeine but something else in the coffee itself, so it didn't matter if it was decaf or regular. When I spoke to my surgeon he said it was best to wait 3 months for coffee. I find that I no longer like it.. how strange is that? As for alcohol, I was told that at 6 weeks a small glass of wine or a drink was perfectly fine. I have had a couple of glasses of wine since surgery with no issue. You are going to find that everyone has a different protocol from their surgeon so you end up needing to just make a decision based on many responses. Hope this helps

it's very encouraging to hear coffee may be ok fairly quickly! Coffee has been a part of my families life for a long time (were English, maybe it's ok to give kids coffee in England?! ) and I don't see being able to give it up entirely, my dad roasts his own Beans, my husband and I do too. Realistically, I only have 1-2 cups a day, but it's nice to know I can enjoy coffee again after. I tried a 100% alcohol free night at our night club (all the way until 4am!), and it was great! I never get genuinely "drunk" at our club, but its nice to know I am fine interacting with our drunk customers while completely sober. I agree that alcohol is not conducive to healing, so I'm gonna lay off that one as long as dr. Kelly recommends, perhaps longer.

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?

The Irish say Everyone has a wee bit of Irish in them on St. Patrick’s Day. So being a wee bit Irish today I set off to find out about everything Irish. Even the Obama’s are Irish today. Michelle and her leprechauns dyed the White House fountains green today. Pittsburgh's own Dan Rooney (owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers) was named Ambassador to Ireland today. It’s all about this guy… If you don’t wear green you’ll get pinched by everyone but your boss (sexual harassment and all that). I sent both of my boys off to school without reminding them…no green….BWhaahaahaahaaha (evil laugh). Hey, teenage boys getting pinched by the girls…I think I did them a favor. If you tell people you're Irish they have to kiss you...keep breathmints on hand. Of course, they eat potatoes and corned beef, but they also eat some of this today…I don’t even want to know…haggis… They drink a LOT of this today. This pic is of Guiness beer, but it looks the same as Irish coffee with clotted cream on top…to the Irish, it really doesn’t matter as long as it has alcohol in it…and after awhile the pub bartenders can serve either and no one knows the difference…it’s all good… After a few drinks they run around looking for their Pot-O-Gold… …or if the line at the Port-O-Pot-O-Gold is too long they use this one… Then they dance the Irish jig…and apparently if done fast enough you'll eventually levitate through the air… Then they fall down into the grass and look for these… And if they're really lucky, they'll catch one of these guys...probably passed out right next to them... A toast to you on St. Patty's Day.... For each petal on the shamrock This brings a wish your way. Good health, good luck, and happiness For each and every day. Slainté! (health)

Hi all, check your sugar free items I had trouble at the beginning with sugar alcohol. Also had trouble with splenda items. I am doing much better now 6 weeks out. But I too ate Popsicle and fudge pops. When I would do one after another I figured out it was too much "fake" sugar at once. Also my doctor suggested the lactose pills before my Protein. Again my body has changed enough 6 weeks out that I don't need them. i had to keep changing my Protein powder until i found one that wasn't so hard on my system. Good luck it is a trial time period. I promise it does get easier.

My post-op diet was: Week 1 clear liquids- sugar free (broth, Jello, popsicles, Fruit drinks, sherbert, Water, decaf coffee and tea, skim milk, Protein shakes) Week 2 full liquids- (all the same as above but can add low fat or fat free yogurt and cottage cheese) Weeks 3 & 4 pureed foods- ( food pureed with liquid to applesauce consistency, can add spices) Weeks 5 & 6 soft foods - (soft cooked moist meats and veggies, soft fruit, ground lean meat) After week 6 I can have pretty much anything I can tolerate with the exception of alcohol and salad. I have to wait until 6 months post op to add those things. From what I have learned on here, doctors vary greatly on their post op diets so ask any and all questions so you fully understand yours. I emailed my poor NUT several times a week in the beginning but she was great!

After the sleeve, I found that my tastes had changed. Basically, you stick to the rules your NUT gave you: Eat Protein first, then veggies. IF you have more room, it's OK to have carbs. Don't drink within an hour before or after a meal. Not a good idea to drink alcohol.

The only reason they say 6 months is the calorie intake. That being said, alcohol will be okay. Try to stay away from carbonation though. Also, keep in mind you are not eating as much. You may find that you get buzzed more quickly. Good luck.

This is me thinking about how I sometimes react to alcohol...I never know when it will make me feel queasy which could then possibly lead to getting sick or dry heaves which in turn could lead to somehow damaging the band...but sometimes I don't know when to say when either so I guess everyone is different.

I am a long-term yo-yo dieter (up to 50# at a time). I no longer diet at all. I eat what my family eats and I still drink alcohol in moderation, almost every weekend and wine with an occassional weekday dinner. I've been an obsessive exerciser with past 'diets' and I exercise now about 2-3x a week for 30-45 min....for me this was all about living my new lifestyle from the very beginning. The hardest part...NOT dieting...I'm a good dieter, but who can live that way forever...it's been slower WL than dieting, but I can truly say I'm not going to be doing anything any differently when I get to goal...I've been in the 'normal BMI' range for a month or so now. I'm an open book on my blog: THE SWEET SPOT

Does anyone know how much sugar alcohol you are allowed a day? I know regular sugar is 8 grams.

I really screwed up on pre-op diet tonight. i was doing ok--until this evening, when party food made its debut at my place. disaster. no alcohol tho. tomorrow--back on strict pre-op diet. hope i'm not doomed. what does anyone else think????? :cry :cry :cry

I just had a drink this past weekend. (Sleeved 1/25/10) I sipped very small sips and I did not finish but probably 1/3 of it. I ordered a lemonade type drink with vodka. I told them to keep it light on the alcohol and they did. I couldn't stop thinking about the lemonade having so much sugar, so I just didn't finish it. I never even felt buzzed. Vacation is next week and I will probably do it again but under the same limitations.

do you eat anything with sugar alcohol in it? Most sugsr free foods have some. My protien bars had 9g and I was having the worst gas ever. I switched bars and it is a lot better now. Just something to look into Good luck,

oh also clear alcohol has less calories and carbs than others so like vodka, and gin etc....