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A few things that may sound familiar and affect many of us during the holiday season are: Family traditions and ethnic backgrounds with food memories that have followed us through life. Trauma, hardships or losses that make holiday cheer tough to enjoy or even tolerate on some levels. Falling back on a diet mindset and thinking it’s ok to eat recreate old habits from October 31-January 2. Awareness of mental and emotional struggles feeling more acute during the holiday season. For bariatric patients, an immediate fear presents itself: “How can I survive all the parties and family celebrations while embracing my post-surgery food choices so I don’t lose control with holiday eating and drinking this year?” The practical answer: Prepare for it, just as if the surgery was ahead of you. Think and plan for success with the least amount of guilt and destruction possible. Holiday foods are not “rewards” or “treats” or a reason to fall off the mindful thinking that you use every day. We all have family and cultural traditions of holiday foods, and the meanings behind them; that often follow us into adulthood. The connection is to people, not food itself. Holiday time often intensifies many people’s mental and emotional struggle with life issues. Food can often be an immediate distraction and way to receive immediate gratification in tough times. The trouble is, the stresses and issues remain after the food is consumed. Often, alcohol consumption increases at holiday time as well, so mindset is altered by allowing more uninhibited behavior to prevail. Using good judgment often decreases as well. So, if we can use the model of being prepared and accountable for ourselves, what would it look like? Think of the season on your terms. Where can you plan and take the lead on making good choices for yourself while still feeling the holiday spirit? Find control where you can make food to bring to others parties or meals. Host at your home to take pressure off of yourself. Be honest and ask to be considered when food is being prepared and served so that you can also taste but be flooded by the excessive choices and behaviors all around us. Find ways to relax and refresh so you are not overwhelmed or drained by the holiday madness. Keep a journal of your thoughts, fears, successes and challenges to remind you of the proud journey you are on now. Use meditative activities to bring a more even and peaceful attitude to the business of the season and the potential for burnout and self-destruction. Give of yourself to others that need to be uplifted. Find a community, group hobby or counselor if the season is troubling of extremely unmanageable. Many times the holiday triggers are too hard to handle alone. Ask for help and know that you are being proactive (helping yourself) instead of reactive (always behind and at the mercy of others decisions and actions). The key is to stay connected to the resources, the people, places and things that bring successful experiences to us, and avoid harmful or undermining circumstances that reinforce low self-esteem and bad, and often destructive, behaviors. As a bariatric patient, being accountable is helping yourself stay focused on a positive and productive mindset with help provide a fulfilling and peaceful holiday season each and every year. Yes, this is you, enjoying your life during the holidays.

Hi, I am Type 1 on a pump and have a date for Surgery in January 2015, I'm having the gastric by pass , any ideas on how to keep blood sugars normal after the op? Bit worried about having a lot of hypos as I won't be eating many Carbs

Expressing your feeling is not wrong but you do have control over the way you express them. The last thing you want is to develop a new coping mechanism (food no longer available) to deal with stress and becoming a A-hole is very possible. Specially since your statements will get some attention. It's amazing how the human mind can settle for negative attention and even crave it in the absence of what it needs. You will have to dig deep and find the things that make you happy and support you in order not to be so dependent on the negative attention. Try a time out before saying something rash. work the words in your head before saying them. Ask, is it necessary, what will it accomplish, is it kind, will it help me? any thought process to delay reactive responses is always good. If you find that you cannot control your emotions/statements then Therapy would be advisable.

Congrats! I also got reactive hypoglycemia that Bothers me too with the sleeve.

Hi Lisa, I started first seeing the surgeon in May and had surgery in September. I had to have 4 meetings with my PCP for weight management, 1 meeting with a psychiatrist, 4 meetings with nutritionist, loose 10% of my weight before surgery, a sleep study, stress test, EEG (in your case it would probably be an EKG), a throat scope and 1 bariatric meeting. I had bypass surgery and am very pleased with the results of that surgery. You ask about draw backs and the only one I have had is a developed reactive hypoglycemia which 1% to 2% get it and of course I had to be one of them. It's manageable with my what I eat. That's the only thing I can say was a draw back and if I had to choose again I would do it even knowing this could happen. Good luck with your decision and being a healthier you.

I'm 16 months post op and haven't lost a thing in 6 months! I've been having a terrible time with low blood sugar (they think I might have reactive hypoglycemia). Whenever I get these lows I feel ravenous and eat more than I normally would! I feel like an epic failure. I want to get back on track and I've tried, but every time I try to eat like I did before having these low blood sugar episodes I get the episodes again. It's a vicious cycle! I'm discouraged and ready to give up on ever being a normal weight again.

It expands your stomach and since we have little room it can cause some serious issues. Also it is a big red flag as there is no nutritional value to it at all and pushes the need for artificial sugars or the refined sugar to the extreme. My nut told me that if she sees a patient who drinks soda of any kind it means they are doomed. I took that seriously. I do not drink soda of any kind. Others can handle it. Me nope, and now that I have hypoglycemia (reactive) It is no longer even a thought.

I've been sleeved since April 2014 and have lost 73 lbs since my surgery date, and NO diarhea. Not at all. In fact I need to take Fiber if i want to ensure regularity. As for a doc like yours who sounds somewhat behind the times in his research, definitely get another option, or you could be back in a few years with worse complications and having gained more weight (mine crept up year after year anyway). It might be that your excess weight isn't high enough for this (not sure your height or BMI or anything), but it'd be far better to know and be advised by someone who's more up to date on the real life of WLS patients than one who's sounding somewhat reactive from old hype. So glad you're looking at options for a healthier life though!

Hi Julie, My band is very reactive to stress. When my stress level goes up, my band with tighten, to the point of being too tight and throwing up at every meal. I went through a period when I wasn't following up with my dr. and when I did it was because I was so miserable. I now know the signs and will gladly pay the $40 copay to get my band where it needs to be. Awesome job on your weight loss!

I'm the same as you (eat way less and better and think about food all the time) but I like it (? ) I enjoy finding the most nutritious food instead now. I can't do fly by seat of pants like him either, I find I put on when I eat reactively.

I ended up with emergency surgery. Leak reappeared and spleen abscess reactivated. My surgery was 5.5 hours. The stomach leak was fixed. Spleen fused to liver and pancreas so my spleen was removed along with a small piece of liver and pancreas. Due to the way sleeve was done they were able to just snip off a leakey piece of stomach. So far i am doing good.

Chelly, how do you manage your reactive hypoglycemia?

If you suffer from acid reflux then bypass is the best option. I know this because when I originally was going to have surgery I wanted the sleeve and was preparing for the sleeve but when I met with my gastric doctor he told me to have the bypass because of GERDS. I listened and I've had great success and even though I got Reactive Hypoglycemia which only 2% of gastric bypass patients get it I would do it all over again in minute. Reactive Hypoglycemia is different then regular Hypoglycemia and is really a very low risk of getting it. Good luck in your decision and best to you on your journey to a healthier you. P.S. I hope I haven't scared you with what I disclosed to you and if it worries you discuss it with your surgeon or nutritionist.

I always have a 1/2 lara bar before workout and 1/2 after. Complex carbs make a complete Protein and so therefore will bring sugars back up. Don't do this starving thing too often because we are susceptible to reactive hypoglycemia.

I'm having the same issue! I have momentary energy, but no stamina. It's hard to exercise because it just totally wears me out. I get my walking in, but to do more than that is almost unthinkable. Since I made 6 weeks out last week, I decided it was time to try to get back on the golf course. I walked 9 holes, with my push cart. By the third I felt that horrible exhausted/depleted feeling. I pushed through it, but it definintely took some of the joy away from being back out there. I haven't been sticking to a calorie limit, but a Protein goal set by my NUT (60-80g/day). This keeps me just under 800 calories a day. I'm wondering if I need to up the calories a bit. It's hard to do without adding carbs, since I'm getting enough protein. A bit perplexing! Maybe I just do it, say the heck with worrying about carbs, and see how it goes. My weightloss has also slowed to a crawl. 15lbs in 6.5 weeks. I've all ready stalled, and now it's just starting to inch down again. My pcp appointment was a short time ago, and my thyroid, Iron levels, and B12 are all fine. So I don't think it's a Vitamin deficiency, nor my thyroid (I have hypo). I would like to feel good after I exercise, not need to nap!

Long time member but i haven't posted anywhere in ages, but I used to be on the Lapband board. I was a long time very successful band patient i was orginally banded in Jan 02 (in Canada, pre FDC approval) lost weight at a great rate. My first band (Innamed) slipped a total of 3 times before it came out for six months, I also had surgeries to move my port and another because my tubing disconnect. Next we went to the J&J band and it was great until it slipped badly, I had it for about 6-7 years and it worked like a charm, restriction was great most of the time, lost to my goal size and then it self tightened and i left it there because of travel, personal stress etc and i thought it would release on its own when i went for a defill it completely slipped around my esophagus and it was horrible. With the J&J I had a port revision surgery in there too. Then we tried a 3rd band it never worked right, I couldn't get restriction because if we did more than i had instant reflux etc. I revised to the sleeve last week with a new surgeon in Philadelphia who told me the band was basically around my esophagus and i had no pouch which is why I had no restriction and why I could not be tightened any more. But I lost about 150 lbs in 12-16 months and maintained that loss for 10 years plus, with little to no effort. In the meantime because of the band with no restriction, some prescribed evil steroids that I had to take that put 30lbs on me in a matter of 8 days... (they change your brain chemistry in weird ways) hashimoto's disease (hypo thyroid) fluctuations for the last few years and a few other things I gained about 70-80 lbs that I could not lose weight I tried. I went gluten free and dairy free, nada, I tried the HCG diet lost 20 lbs gained it back and generally I don't eat more than 1500-1700 calories per day including when I am drinking wine, eating out 3 meals a day etc. I hired a trainer, almost went paleo not quite. Now in talking to my surgeon he has said there are new studies showing band patients 9-12 years out who suddenly gain weight they can't lose for love nor money. They try everything and it won't come off more restriction, calories restriction etc. So we made a joint strategic decision to go to the sleeve since I knew the risk, what type of lifestyle change I was in for, portion control etc. wouldn't be a problem since i had it already. In our conversations we talked a lot about Ghrelin which is produced in the stomach and it makes you hungry, when you are feeling that craving to overeat or binge typically it is ghrelin and obese people produce more ghrelin than non obese people typically with some exceptions. We also talked about leptin which makes you feel satiated and is produced in the brain. With the sleeve, about 70-90% of the ghrelin produced is surgically removed with the part of the stomach they remove. i am curious have you noticed a difference in how hungry you get, cravings and the satiation of cravings ie: I can eat two bites of cake vs. I want the whole cake now? Have you also noticed the full feelings getting different than before from the leptin. My surgeon has said in his conversations with his patients they noticed their cravings reduced which helps them with portion control and in making better choices which helps a number of other things. In other words the brain and stomach don't conspire to make cheetos seem like a great dinner choice or ben and jerry your best friend. Overall I eat very healthy without a ton of junk food in my life we cook at home, we make our own stocks and Soups etc. to help get me through the liquids phase. But we do eat well and drink wine, we might be foodies (we are told we are, I just like trying new things). I have never eaten out of control even with the last band and no restriction just trying to lose weight has been terrible, depressing and frustrating. Especially after my first experiences which was I lost well, ate well, exercised and it worked like it was supposed too. I am a consultant and I travel for my job excessively so hence the eat out three meals a day most of the time I don't have a choice in that, but you can make healthy choices even in eating out and I do. I look at fats and calories along with Proteins and make good choices. Any thoughts you have I would appreciate and any advice you have I would love to read. Thanks for reading and good luck

Hi I'm Jamey. 45 yro mother of two daughters 24 and 21. I'd say my weight issues started in college. My freshman 15 was 30. I married young and it was an abusive relationship, I lost some weight remarried and became a widow at 29. Goodbye normal body forever!! I'm now married to the love of my life and my girls are both going to be married in the next year or two. My highest weight was 325 (hysterectomy and hypo thyroid helped NOT) but by the day of my surgery which was just Tuesday 9/23 I was down to 289. My goal now is 165 but I'll maybe change that when I get to that point. Nice to meet you all.

Was hypo now hyper. Still on 800 calories a day Going to specialist today to get more info

Today I am officially one year out and I have a normal BMI. I just saw my nutritionist and she didn't recognize me at first. Which is funny and really nice. She also said she is very proud of me. Even though I developed Reactive Hypoglycemia which only 2% of Gastric Bypass patients get I wouldn't change a thing about having this surgery. The pluses out way the minus of getting this. It's been an educational journey which I will continue to take from this day forward. I wish all of you great success on your journeys too. Thank you for reading this.

I have reactive hypoglycemia presurgery. My surgery is in 3 days. 2 sisters have had the bypass. They both can have a few bites of the sweets but anything more and they dump. I am having the bypass. I was set on the sleeve, but after talking to a lot of people including the surgeon, and research, I decided bypass was best for me

Oh, thank you, for mentioning the Facebook thing. I'll be careful not to do that since I have decided, for now, not to tell anyone, except my husband. I am pretty sure I will share with friends and family, eventually. I just don't want to have to deal with any commentary/opinions for now. My side of the family is a little too honest at times. I remember, I hadn't seen my brother for about a year. I had had a baby, and when I saw him next his first statement to me was not even hello but a straight up "Boy, you have put on a lot of weight." Rude! When my children say something reactive like that, I always reming them; 1) You can have a whole thought process in your head but the world doesn't need to know about it and 2) If you have nothing good to say, say nothing at all. Hope your hip recovers soon. How did you get hurt?

If he is the kind of guy that shots you down before any real conversation gets underway, consider a letter. Write down all your feelings towards him first and why you are worried. Add statistics and anything you think may get through to him. End with how you would love to support him through the process (weight loss or bariatric surgery) towards a healthier him. Also, make sure he has sometime to read it and ponder about it. Not just an hour. Sometimes it's hard to get all your feelings out in a conversation before his reaction makes be reactive causing the whole thing to spiral into an unproductive conversation. Good luck, raising the issue is the right thing to do.

as a mom who had 2 homebirths, nursed my toddlers, co-slept with my kids (we didnt ever use a crib), and now homeschools... i am used to people being intrusive with me. in the homeschooling community we have what we call the "pass the bean dip" technique.... meaning when someone asks an inappropriate question or makes an out of line comment, you make a non-response... such as "hmmmm" or "interesting" or "thats a lot to think about," and then say, "pass the bean dip please (insert any distracting phrase)," then say nothing else. i have found that a bored smile, looking past the person's shoulder and then asking them something about themselves is a great technique. people LOVE to talk about themselves, its an awesome distraction! here's an example: pushy boss: you need another morning off for a doctor's appt???? what's going on with you?? why do you need to see the doctor again?? you: "the doctor ordered a test. that was when they scheduled it. its pretty standard." PB: what kind of test? why? you: the doctor ordered it. thanks for your concern. its pretty standard. PB: whats wrong with you? you: its a pretty standard test. *gentle smile* did you see sons of anarchy the other night? it's my favorite show! what's your guilty pleasure? do you want to go get coffee? did you see its going to be 80* this weekend? PB: uhhhhhh you have to be firm, non-responsive and patient. but it works wonders. if you are defensive and reactive, she will have the upper hand... which is what this is all about. so be calm, stand your ground and realize that you have the labor laws on your side.

Were you hypo or hyper?

To the OP: I think you've got your research straight and your head on straight about this. I would not have chosen the bypass route for myself. I started at 235 pounds and am 5'5". Didn't want or need lifelong malabsorption, anemia, potential reactive hypoglycemia, or more potential complications. Go for the sleeve. Only one little caveat -- is everyone but you in your neighborhood getting a bypass because the local surgeon has a lot more bypass surgery experience and not so much sleeve experience? If that's the case, I'd be a little nervous. What you want is a surgeon who has beaucoups experience and success doing the surgery YOU will have. Just a thought.