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This subject does come up frequently, and it usually provokes some pretty strong opinions on all sides. I'll state the same things I have stated on this subject before: If you are really serious about losing weight, you need to consider giving up the booze. It is NOT conducive to good health OR weight loss, regardless of what some small studies say about the occasional glass of wine. Don't get me wrong; I always enjoyed a good blast of hootch, but NOTHING could make me feel as good as I do as a thin person. Sure, you could have a drink occasionally; you could also have a Snickers on occasion. Or a Hot Fudge Sundae. But WHY would you want to, after everything you have been through with your weight? It's the little decisions that we make on a moment to moment basis that impacts our health so dramatically. A shot of booze here, some cheez whiz there,....it all adds up. And you don't NEED a drink to be happy or have fun....if you DO,....well,,,,there are perhaps some other issues that you might want to address. There are certain things you need to eat to live..... Alchohol is one of those things you do NOT need. And it can hurt you in a number of ways. Also, consider the very real idea that after you have had one or two drinks, your will-power does tend to diminish, if not vanish entirely. This could lead to more drinks, and then the snacking that can often accompany a buzz. Sure, you can drink. Sure, you can have that piece of pizza, that slice of cake. But will that move you ANY closer to your goal? Nope. Will it keep you away from your goal? A little, tiny bit, yes. And will it continue to expose you to the foods that made you fat to begin with? Sure will. A couple of you have said your Drs have said that it is OK to have a drink.. Some have said their doctors advised against consuming alcohol. You will find Drs that say both. But….I would challenge you to ask any Dr if it would be better that you did NOT have a drink/Pizza/whatever. I can guarantee you that probably %100 would say that it would be better if you didn't. You always have a choice. And you should always strive to make the HEALTHY choice. S.

Change certainly is never easy. But as the saying goes. nothing worth having comes easy. This in my opinion one of the hardest things I can think of in regards to life changes. Lets face it, if you are an alcoholic, addicted to drugs, you fight to break that addiction, turn away from the drugs/alcohol and you work hard to never look back. But we have the more difficult task (NOT NOT NOT that I;m downplaying recovering addicts, I have tremendopus respect for them) but we can't walk away from our addiction...food. We have to face it every day, making it a daily battle. But deciding to do this, to get the sugery, to change our lives, shows we DO have the strength. Some days its just harder to find then others EEsMom...don't let the hurdles discourage you, so many of us had to go through them. Lets face it, we are doing this because we suffer health issues, so no wonder we hit some walls along the way! Each step though, is one step closer. Good luck to you!!! Heres another blog... Posted 3/23/11 One more week makes it 3 months. 3 months. Funny, I would think time would have felt like it flew. IT HASN'T! hehe. Its been a long 3 months if you ask me. Just yesterday and last night I was sick again. I know, I know, try not to be shocked. I wonder if that's ever going to stop or if it's a permanent price to pay. Not that its the end of the world, I mean this is annoying but diabetes would have eventually killed me. So its seemingly a small price. But on days like that I do find myself a little...perturbed. For all the seminars, meetings etc that I went to no one spoke about these down sides. Yes, yes they talked about eating too fast or too much making you sick, or eating the wrong thing may give you "dumping syndrome" (Really? with all the medical jargon out there they couldn't come up with a better phrase? Come on, that’s just gross) anyway... I don't know if they would tell us ahead of time of ALL the negative consequences that a lot of people would change their minds. I really don't think it would deter anyone. Hell, I made sure at the seminar I asked all about death rates from the surgery and that kind of stuff. Now mind you, they didn’t have it as part of the whole presentation but they did most graciously answer my questions.(Leave it to me to scare everyone) But anyway, why omit anything at all? I'm sorry but I had no idea how sick I was going to be all the time. Last night I was barely able to hold my Vitamins down. That’s just crazy! But it is what it is. I was talking to a friend of mine who told me he ran into an old friend. She had once been like 400 lbs, had the surgery a year ago and was looking and doing great. Then he told me she said yes, she still felt sick a lot.... ... ... ... A YEAR LATER?! So I gave up one sickness for another lol. Well ok, being nauseous all the time wont kill me so this is the better deal but I do find some kind of twisted amusement in this. All I know is that I have indeed learned this: I once claimed that having surgery was "taking the easy route" Well it may have been the fast route but easy? LIKE HELL!!! It has its own price, a worthy one but a price nonetheless... Call it karma, call it cosmic justice... just call me in some tums. Have a great holiday everyone!!

I am very angry. I discovered that yesterday when my husband came back from getting his hair cut (we use the same person), and said "We were talking about you getting the LapBand, and she (the hair stylist) said she sure wished you could see a nutritionist before doing this". Something snapped inside my head . . . I actually heard it. It took me a moment to realize that it was inside my head and not something that my husband heard. The anger came out . . . not literally, but all the anger that I have kept inside of me for years and years. I've never been good at expressing anger because I have always been "the nice one". Whenever my family or friends want to do something I do it (whether I really want to or not), because I'm "the nice one". My Mother taught me that we always put others first (that's what Christ did), and everyone's feelings come first. So, whenever I have gotten angry in the past, I felt guilty and so I hid it. Well, not anymore. I told my husband that I did not appreciate him discussing my LBand with anyone else. It wasn't his to discuss. It was my decision, and I will choose who I tell and who I don't. I left to go get ready for this award supper for his 15 years at the company, which I cannot tell you how much I did NOT want to go. I cried the entire time I was getting ready. He came in about 20 minutes later, and that's when I let him have it. I told him that he needed to take a couple of days and decide whether or not he was really going to support my decision. He's either on board with it or not. And it doesn't really matter to me at this point. His decision doesn't affect mine. For the 1st time, I told him this was ALL ABOUT ME!!! I am tired of being fat, and fearful that each time I step on the scales I will tip the 300lb mark. I watched "The Half Ton Man" on the Discovery Health Channel yesterday, and my husband said, "I don't have any idea how people can get to that point". I told him I understood completely, and that I could get to that point so very easily. He said he didn't believe me, so I got up and left. People with addictions get that way. I have an addictive personality. Smoking and eating are my addictions. The truth about a food addict is that it's the one addiction you can never get away from. Smokers, alcoholics and people who use drugs . . . . once they get sober, they don't ever use cigarettes, alcohol or drugs again. When you're a food addict, you can't not ever eat again. It's the one addiction that you have to keep using. Who am I angry with? Everyone and no one. I'm angry at my family and friends, the strangers I see at the store. I'm angry at me. Last night was torture. I smiled, made polite conversation and laughed in all the appropriate places, because socially that's what they expect you to do. Today, my husband asked me what was wrong, and I told him that I was angry. Not the yelling, spitting kind, but the kind that comes from way down deep. He asked if I was angry at him, and I told him that this wasn't about him, but me. I will talk with him about it when the time comes, but it's not now. Tomorrow I go for my first appt with the Doc about getting the LBand. I told my husband I didn't want him there.

When I first began my journey toward having a LapBand, I was told an odd fact: a fair percentage of bandsters often end up with other issues such as alcoholism. I thought that rather odd, and considered myself very well-adjusted. I couldn't imagine developing such a horrible problem back then. I can now. What's more, I now understand why. I'm a stress eater. When I get under stress, I run to the refrigerator, not a bottle. That is, I did until I was banded. While I can still swallow those naughty treats, I don't keep many around anymore. Even ice cream, which slides past my band like it wasn't even there isn't available as much anymore, long as I avoid temptation while in the grocery store. But where does that leave me when under stress? I don't smoke. I can't eat sweets and junk because I don't keep them around the house. Booze? Yes, it's here. I keep a small stock for cooking. Now I can see how some bandsters, deprived of their usual comforts when under stress, turn to booze. Oh, yeah. I have to admit, thanks to recent events here at home, I've had a few glasses of wine and actually considered going for the (yuk!) bourbon. I hate bourbon. But I was desperate for any tranquilizing feel-good effects. Okay, so clearly that's why my doctor has a shrink on staff. She may spot potential issues like OCD, or stress management issues long before they become irrepairable. I can see that now. Scary. Very scary. The trick has been to find new methods of calming down. Walking has worked. Working, like cleaning house, helped. Doing my crafts rather obsessively has helped. Finding a job that got me out of the house has helped. It's the little things.

When I first began my journey toward having a LapBand, I was told an odd fact: a fair percentage of bandsters often end up with other issues such as alcoholism. I thought that rather odd, and considered myself very well-adjusted. I couldn't imagine developing such a horrible problem back then. I can now. What's more, I now understand why. I'm a stress eater. When I get under stress, I run to the refrigerator, not a bottle. That is, I did until I was banded. While I can still swallow those naughty treats, I don't keep many around anymore. Even ice cream, which slides past my band like it wasn't even there isn't available as much anymore, long as I avoid temptation while in the grocery store. But where does that leave me when under stress? I don't smoke. I can't eat sweets and junk because I don't keep them around the house. Booze? Yes, it's here. I keep a small stock for cooking. Now I can see how some bandsters, deprived of their usual comforts when under stress, turn to booze. Oh, yeah. I have to admit, thanks to recent events here at home, I've had a few glasses of wine and actually considered going for the (yuk!) bourbon. I hate bourbon. But I was desperate for any tranquilizing feel-good effects. Okay, so clearly that's why my doctor has a shrink on staff. She may spot potential issues like OCD, or stress management issues long before they become irrepairable. I can see that now. Scary. Very scary. The trick has been to find new methods of calming down. Walking has worked. Working, like cleaning house, helped. Doing my crafts rather obsessively has helped. Finding a job that got me out of the house has helped. It's the little things.

My nutritionist recommended never drinking alcohol again. But this is not realistic. Moderation is key.

I am 16 months out (perhaps I should not call myself a vet, sorry!), and shared the symptoms with a VSG friend of feeling off balance for days to a week on end after having alcohol. We deduced this must be dehydration! I notice I am prone to this off balance feeling if I am even slightly dehydrated now, and the effects take awhile to go away. It's not your typical "room spinning" dizziness, but rather feeling off balance, like you're walking on a boat or in a plane- more like an equilibrium issue. I post this in here, because I did not suffer dehydration early on, and I'm wondering if other vets encountered these weird balance issues, and what has worked for you! I will add those both me and my friend have "normal" blood work- Protein was great, no anemia, Vitamin deficiencies, including thiamine and B-12. Anyone else suffer this after dehydration or drinking alcohol? Any other theories?

Glad to hear back from others with similar issues! My psychologist gave me the feedback that he thought balance issues after extreme weight loss were quite common- apparently a reduction in adipose tissue changes a lot more than size, and drastically effects how you respond to what you put in (or don't put in!) your body. Though you can remedy dehydration rapidly, the symptoms seem to stay for quite a while- even over a week. My only rationale after finding I have a normal blood panel is that perhaps the body is extremely sensitive to having its Fluid levels depleted- especially from something that works from the "inside" like alcohol. I have explored everything short of seeing a nuerologist (not cheap with my insurance!) but it seems to me if a lot of VSG patients experience these issues but have no off lab results, it's likely something that hopefully is temporary, related to the weight loss, and will not be a chronic issue.

I am considering getting banded and I have my first doctor's appointment May 19th. I have always been overweight...with the exception of 4 years when I popped diet pills from a shaddy doctor...anyways I found this website...which is great! But it leaves me with some quesitons. I would appreciate any information! 1. What is PB? That everone is referring too? 2. Can you still have alcohol? This is a grey area 3. Honestly, How long is the recovery time after surgery. 4. I have heard some people say that have to wait 6 months before having the surgery...just wondering why? Thanks!!!

THE MY WEIGHT Protein BARS DO NOT HAVE THE SUGAR ALCOHOLS IN THEM THEY COME IN SOME GREAT FLAVORS ROCKEY ROAD,CARAMEL BROWNIE, CARAMEL CRUNCH, Peanut Butter ECT THEY ARE JUST LIKE REAL CANDY BARS BUT WITH 160 CAL AND 15 Proteins THE PROBLEM IS U CAN ONLY GET THEM FROM MY SURGENT BUT HE WILL SHIP THEM TO U FOR LIKE 4 DOLLARS U GET 7 BARS FOR 14 WORTH EVERY DIME HIS NUMBER IS 985-234-3000 JUST ASK FOR THE MY WEIGHT Protein Bars THEY ALSO HAVE A VARITY PACK TOO THE WEB SITE SAYS WWW.WHYWEIGHT.COM BUT I DONT THINK U CAN ORDER THEM OFF OF THERE. HOPE THIS WORKS

So what are you eating? My surgeon gave me basic rules and never mentioned calories. In 11 months since surgery I haven't had a single postop visit with a nut or my surgeon. I don't count calories or track or measure my food. I pretty much just follow the basic guidelines....minimum 60g Protein (I get more like 80-100g), minimum 64oz Water and all my Vitamins. Everything else is based on healthy food choices. I eat veggies, fruit and whole grains and avoid "white carbs" (rice, Pasta, bread, alcohol, sugar) but still have them a few times/month. A lot of people do better when they track and count everything, it's just not something I've done postop (besides keeping rough track of protein and water in my head) I just do better keeping things simple and not feeling restricted by rules and restrictions. You really just need to find what works for you. If what you're doing isn't working, try more calories/less calories/more protein/less carbs....etc. if you need to count and track, then count and track. You don't necessarily need a nut to tell you what to eat. You know what's healthy and what's not and there's tons of good food ideas on these forums.

My last meal before the 2 week liver shrinking diet was hot Buffalo wings, fries, and tuna steak. Actually shared with someone else so I didn't eat a large amount of food. So yummy!! Also had an frozen umbrella drink. Now I am at goal I still eat this stuff on rare occasions... But it ends up being one wing, 1 fry and a couple bites of tuna steak. I totally gave up real high calorie alcoholic drinks.

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!

I definitely do! I travel a lot, in fact, I went to Germany when I was a month post-op. Although I never thought of myself as a big foodie when I travelled (I've always had a sensitive stomach so have had to be careful), it's so much different now as I am now painfully aware of what I can't eat. There's a whole lot more can't than can. :-( Even though I never went totally off plan, I did have a couple of small breakfast sausages, a bit of bread here or there, and lots of cheese (the only source of protein that was available wherever I went). I ended losing about a pound a day on that trip, so maybe my body liked the change up in foods. It was also the first trip I've been on where I hadn't had any alcohol. I'm very much still in the "zone", that is, I don't crave food, I rarely feel any real hunger (and if I do it may just be gas/acid), and I have no problem passing over what I used to eat and drink all the time. But I do feel like you sometimes, I mourn food, I miss being able to eat what I want, to go with friends and not worry if there will be something on the menu that I can mostly eat, etc. But I never want to go back to where I was, so eventually I hope the mourning period will pass.

I do believe that sugar is toxic for us....Here is an article I thought you might like to read and give your opinion on..... Your Brain on Sugar It gives you a rush, messes with your mind, and always leaves you wanting more - and now researchers are calling for the government to regulate the sweet stuff like a drug. Is sugar worse for you than, say, cocaine? According to a 2012 article in the journal Nature, it's a toxic substance that should be regulated like tobacco and alcohol. Researchers point to studies that show that too much sugar (both in the form of natural sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup) not only makes us fat, it also wreaks havoc on our liver, mucks up our metabolism, impairs brain function, and may leave us susceptible to heart disease, diabetes, even cancer. So far, no federal action has been taken (advocates blame industry lobbyists), and experts say simply raising awareness isn't enough, especially when 80 percent of our food choices contain sugar. "It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion," says coauthor Laura Schmidt, Ph.D., a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco. Nevertheless, after the shock of hearing the news, many of us shrugged and turned back to our cupcakes. Yet, truth is, women in their 20s and 30s may already be feeling the effects of too much sugar without even realizing it. Here, the most common sugar-induced issues and how to beat them to prevent long-term damage—and feel your best right now. STRESS EATING For a pick-me-up, you may feel the urge to inhale a bag of M&M's or scarf down a box of Cookies. But the impulse goes deeper. To examine the hold sugar can have over us, substance-abuse researchers have performed brain scans on subjects eating something sweet. What they've seen resembles the mind of a drug addict: When tasting sugar, the brain lights up in the same regions as it would in an alcoholic with a bottle of gin. Dopamine—the so-called reward chemical—spikes and reinforces the desire to have more. (Sugar also fuels the calming hormone serotonin.) THE FIX In times of stress, dieters are more likely to binge, studies conclude. That said, a cookie once in a while (say, twice a week) is fine, but on most days go for oatmeal with brown sugar, suggests Jeffrey Fortuna, Ph.D., a health and behavior lecturer at California State University, Fullerton. The whole grains fill you up and the sweetness is just enough to release serotonin. INEXPLICABLE WEIGHT GAIN You stay away from burgers and drink diet soda. But sugar—both real and artificial—is the secret saboteur. When the pancreas senses sugar, the body releases insulin, which causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen for energy. Eat too much at once, though, and insulin levels spike, then drop. The aftermath? You feel tired, then crave more sustenance to perk up. Faux sugars don't help. "Artificial sweeteners travel to the part of the brain associated with desire but not to the part responsible for reward," says Dr. Gene-Jack Wang, a researcher at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York. Nor do they trigger the release of the satiety hormones that real sugar does, so you're more likely to consume more calories. THE FIX Feed sweet cravings with fruit (the Fiber will help keep insulin in check), and sub in sparkling Water for diet soda. If you must indulge, go for a small snack made with real sugar, and eat slowly. Add fruit or yogurt to feel fuller and prevent a crash. BRAIN FOG Blanking out in the middle of a meeting? Research out of the University of California, Los Angeles, suggests that sugar forms free radicals in the brain's membrane and compromises nerve cells' ability to communicate. This could have repercussions in how well we remember instructions, process ideas, and handle our moods, says Fernando Gómez-Pinilla, Ph.D., author of the UCLA study. THE FIX Stay under the USDA limit of 10 teaspoons (40 grams) of added sugar a day. Read labels and available nutrition information at chains: A 16-ounce Starbucks vanilla latte and Einstein Bros. bagel will max out your day's allotment! A wiser choice: black coffee and plain yogurt with antioxidant-rich blueberries and walnuts, sweetened with honey. AGING SKIN Sugar causes premature aging, just as cigarettes and UV rays do. With young skin (generally under 35), when skin support structures collagen and elastin break down from sun or other free-radical exposure, cells repair themselves. But when sugar travels into the skin, its components cause nearby amino acids to form cross-links. These cross-links jam the repair mechanism and, over time, leave you with premature wrinkles. THE FIX Once cross-links form, they won't unhitch, so keep sugar intake to as close to zero as you can. "It's the enemy," says Dr. William Danby, a dermatologist with Dartmouth Medical School in New Hampshire. Avoid soda and processed pastries and trade sugar packets for cinnamon—it slows down cross-linking, as do cloves, oregano, ginger, and garlic. A SLUGGISH WORKOUT Muscles need sugar for fuel, so carbs (which break up into glucose, a type of sim-ple sugar) can kick-start your morning jog. But fruit or prepackaged Snacks touting "natural sweeteners" contain just fructose, which is metabolized in the liver, not the muscles. The result: bloat, or even the runs. THE FIX A glucose-packed snack with just 4 to 8 grams of fructose—it'll help increase glucose absorption, says Dr. Richard Johnson, professor of medicine at the University of Colorado, Denver. Try a sports drink like Gatorade or trail mix with dried fruit an hour before your workout.

Yes, between the small portions and no alcohol my hubby is thinking of taking me out more!! Haha! Thanks for all the positive comments. I love that I'm not the only one figuring out how to make the sleeve work for them without letting them work for it!

Hi December Kids! I started this journey at 268, sleeved at 255 and am now 226. My loss has been very slow but steady as I approach the 3 month mark. I am feeling meh about it. I had one of those iron stomachs that tolerated anything and other than the amount of food I can ingest, I have had no issues with anything... Not sure if that is a good thing? The only thing I have to look out for is the amount of food bc I do feel it if I eat too much. I try to do 3-5 small meals a day ... protein protein protein. I’ve given up most carbs but every now and then I “indulge” when it can’t be helped. My work keeps me traveling so I eat out a lot. I had my first alcoholic beverage two weeks ago... ate dinner prior to the drink and sipped slowly. I had two more drinks on different days in the following week. I ate a few bites of desert and a nibble of chocolate. I also get scared that I’m eating too normal as aimee jones said. I eat protein first and sometimes am still not full. So 30 mins later I try to fill up a on water. Eventually we are supposed to be able to eat more than a few ounces though I didn’t expect to be able to so soon and that worries me. I actually don’t have an end goal weight so I’m just going one day at a time. Sorry.. no point to this post ... just talking. Would love to continue chatting up December kids though!

Pearlygirl I do not believe that Alcoholism is a weakness of character. I thought that would be clear by the tone of my post that I believe alcoholism is a disease. I apologize if it was not clear. I would have preferred if you would have asked me to clarify my position before calling me ignorant.

When I received my ABO card in Louisiana they made it very clear to me that you shouldn't serve someone who was obviously drunk. I was more speaking of people who serve or purchase alcohol for someone under 21. But now that you bring it up, bars should do more to encourage designated drivers. Like free cokes, Water, juice whatever. Being the DD sucks so bars that don't should really consider at least doing that for them.

Dub, good lessons being learned. I am with you, I pretty much do not eat out in a normal way anymore, just not worth it. When I do eat out, I just order an appetizer. Now that my weight loss "fast" time is done, I know that weight gain is possible... so being very vigliant about my eating and exercise. I had a major shoulder injury four months ago, but that is better and am able to start swimming again this Monday. On eating fast -- I was always an inhaler... very fast and very big servings. The stomach will not allow big servings so even with the small serving, I was still eating way too fast. At 5 months, began in earnest to change that habit. Set an old fashioned timer (the one with the avocado green dial and a big ringer) for 20 minutes, and the divided all of my food into thirds, to be eaten at 6-7 minute intervals. Sometimes I would space out and forget, and all of a sudden the food was gone. Finally, now at 10 months, I have my slow going on.... 98% of the time. Whew. Same thing on drinking Water with meals. Big bad habit. Now, never drink 25 before or 30 after, it is finally habit... Still trying to figure alcohol out. At 10 months, had my first beer last night, actually 1/2 beer, sipped. A 1/4 cup of wine sipped over 30 minutes is my normal. It goes right to my head.

You can eat around a lap band, you can eat around gastric bypass. It happens. Slider foods, sugary drinks, too many carbs and alcohol are just come of the things that can contribute to regaining weight. I assume since you are here posting, you don't like what's happen and want to fix it. So my questions are, when was the last time you went to the doctor and got a fill? How full are you and what size band? If you haven't been to the doctor in the past six months, GO. Fluid levels in bands can decrease slightly over time; bands can sometimes leak. Get it all checked out, get a fill ... and get to work.

My husband (and his family) have gout really badly. I can tell you if he touches red sauce, beef, grapefruit or alcohol he is in serious pain. I also know that his dad has a prescription from his doctor that seems to keep the gout at bay. Maybe that will help you? SoccerMamma73 is right about gout though... Water, water... and then more water is the best way to feel better fast. I hope you feel better soon!

my surgery is on the 10th and my doctor has me on a full clear liquid diet i cant have any solid and absolutely no alcohol or cigerattes for the 5days pre op..

I have always loved to shop and now that I have lost weight and have had a face lift and have inherited money it became even more fun but I believe that I am finally hitting the wall with this particular recreation. I have recently been finding that although I still enjoy looking I am not too interested in buying anymore. :faint: Finally!!! :whoo:This is because I like the stuff I already have as much as or better than any of the stuff that I am seeing in the stores. My mate and I went out for lunch and a little recreational shopping yesterday - he likes to shop, too - and all I came home with was an arm load of books which were on sale. This was after looking at clothes, boots, bags, belts, etc. My husband bought himself some dark chocolate. We actually found ourselves whining to each other that everything looked the same and that there was nothing new to buy! :phanvan Dealing with alcohol has always been an issue for me. I am a depressive and we do tend to want to self-medicate whenever we are feeling lousy. :help:

I agree, I have a friend who became an alcoholic after her rny. I think that is one of the many reasons why my doc stresses walking (or some other type of work out) daily. Wouldn't it be great if it was just as easy to focus that energy on something positive?