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Liquids for the next couple of days. Non alcoholic. Ha ha. Trying to get my loss going again. My fill appointment got postponed due to my work schedule.

Hi back from holiday in Cyprus and happy to say I lost weight whilst there ! Three stone thinner than when I visited in May too. So glad I had this surgery. It's great to see that you are flying along with your weight loss. I am slow but steady so I'm hoping this will continue. Dined out last night but took a container with me and brought home what I did not eat. Might as well get the value as you are paying for it! So far I have stayed away from sweet stuff and no alcohol has passed my lips since early July. Never thought I would say it but not bothered if I ever have it again. All the best to you and any other UK sleeves reading this

The honeymoon period. The time period after the surgery, when the weight is coming off without much effort, and you feel like it was the best decision you ever made. The compliments are coming from everyone, you're fine with taking the supplements, the protein shakes, heck, you're even okay with losing some hair – it'll grow back, right? But what about when you've reached “that” point? The point where the weight loss has slowed. The “head hunger” has started and, well, the “fun” has worn off. Reality sinks in that this “real life.” This is something that you need to keep up with. This is now your...gulp...”everyday” life. Did you expect to have depression creep in? Or maybe creep back in? Most of us thought this surgery would correct our mood issues, thinking that losing the weight would help get rid of that which was bothering us. So what happened? Why are we sad, frustrated, mad? Why aren't we...well...happy? A lot of this can be attributed to losing our primary coping tool to deal with depression and stress: mindless consumption of food. We may not have realized it at the time, but food was our comfort, our companion, sometimes the only thing that was there for us when nothing/nobody else was. Now, that support is no longer something we can reach for in hard times to get us through. We are physically and emotionally missing/grieving our former “companion.” Our coping tool. Sometimes, our best friend. So what do we do? First, we have to look at the physical way food was affecting us. Not just related to weight, but in our brain. Food was giving us satisfaction in a way that was “rewarding” receptors in our brain that control the chemical dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical that makes us feel good. This is the same chemical that is triggered when someone uses drugs or alcohol. Yep, scary thought, huh? That's why we often hear about “food addiction.” We are literally “feeding” that addiction when we overeat. That's hard to accept, I know. Second, we have to look at WHY we may be overeating. What thoughts do we have that lead us to seek food as comfort? Are they thoughts about ourselves? Are we thinking that “I'm so fat” or “I shouldn't even try” or maybe even “Why do I even bother?” Sometimes the addiction is so deep, it's hard to identify the thoughts that made the behavior start. Then it may be more helpful to think about the feelings. What feelings direct us to start overeating? Is it anger? Boredom? Defeat? Do the words or actions of another make us feel “less than” and lead to lowered self worth, thus leading to the desire to overeat? The concept of looking at Thoughts-Feelings-Behaviors is at the core of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a standard therapeutic method of behavioral therapists. Finding a therapist that can help us figure out the source of how these 3 things work together to lead us on the path to overeating can go a long way toward correcting the behavior. The key to CBT is retraining those thoughts to become more positive, leading to more positive feelings and behaviors. Often, we get stuck with “ants” - Automatic Negative Thoughts – and they are hard to undo. With the assistance of a therapist that is trained in CBT, particularly one that is familiar with bariatric surgery, we can retrain our brains to think more positively about ourselves, thus leading to be less dependent on food to nurture feelings of happiness. What kind of “ANTs” do you want to get rid of? Can you think of a chain of Thoughts-Feelings-Behaviors that you would like to change? What would you rather that chain look like instead?

The honeymoon period. The time period after the surgery, when the weight is coming off without much effort, and you feel like it was the best decision you ever made. The compliments are coming from everyone, you're fine with taking the supplements, the protein shakes, heck, you're even okay with losing some hair – it'll grow back, right? But what about when you've reached “that” point? The point where the weight loss has slowed. The “head hunger” has started and, well, the “fun” has worn off. Reality sinks in that this “real life.” This is something that you need to keep up with. This is now your...gulp...”everyday” life. The honeymoon period. The time period after the surgery, when the weight is coming off without much effort, and you feel like it was the best decision you ever made. The compliments are coming from everyone, you're fine with taking the supplements, the protein shakes, heck, you're even okay with losing some hair – it'll grow back, right? But what about when you've reached “that” point? The point where the weight loss has slowed. The “head hunger” has started and, well, the “fun” has worn off. Reality sinks in that this “real life.” This is something that you need to keep up with. This is now your...gulp...”everyday” life. Did you expect to have depression creep in? Or maybe creep back in? Most of us thought this surgery would correct our mood issues, thinking that losing the weight would help get rid of that which was bothering us. So what happened? Why are we sad, frustrated, mad? Why aren't we...well...happy? A lot of this can be attributed to losing our primary coping tool to deal with depression and stress: mindless consumption of food. We may not have realized it at the time, but food was our comfort, our companion, sometimes the only thing that was there for us when nothing/nobody else was. Now, that support is no longer something we can reach for in hard times to get us through. We are physically and emotionally missing/grieving our former “companion.” Our coping tool. Sometimes, our best friend. So what do we do? First, we have to look at the physical way food was affecting us. Not just related to weight, but in our brain. Food was giving us satisfaction in a way that was “rewarding” receptors in our brain that control the chemical dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical that makes us feel good. This is the same chemical that is triggered when someone uses drugs or alcohol. Yep, scary thought, huh? That's why we often hear about “food addiction.” We are literally “feeding” that addiction when we overeat. That's hard to accept, I know. Second, we have to look at WHY we may be overeating. What thoughts do we have that lead us to seek food as comfort? Are they thoughts about ourselves? Are we thinking that “I'm so fat” or “I shouldn't even try” or maybe even “Why do I even bother?” Sometimes the addiction is so deep, it's hard to identify the thoughts that made the behavior start. Then it may be more helpful to think about the feelings. What feelings direct us to start overeating? Is it anger? Boredom? Defeat? Do the words or actions of another make us feel “less than” and lead to lowered self worth, thus leading to the desire to overeat? The concept of looking at Thoughts-Feelings-Behaviors is at the core of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a standard therapeutic method of behavioral therapists. Finding a therapist that can help us figure out the source of how these 3 things work together to lead us on the path to overeating can go a long way toward correcting the behavior. The key to CBT is retraining those thoughts to become more positive, leading to more positive feelings and behaviors. Often, we get stuck with “ants” - Automatic Negative Thoughts – and they are hard to undo. With the assistance of a therapist that is trained in CBT, particularly one that is familiar with bariatric surgery, we can retrain our brains to think more positively about ourselves, thus leading to be less dependent on food to nurture feelings of happiness. What kind of “ANTs” do you want to get rid of? Can you think of a chain of Thoughts-Feelings-Behaviors that you would like to change? What would you rather that chain look like instead?

Food addiction often turns to a different addiction such as alcoholism.

im a big fan of the Eades. ( sort of like Atkins) but they believe more in the high Protein low carbs that have come to be associated with our type of weight loss. They always gave that net carb formula. which is of course, total fiber + protein - carbs = net carbs. and it has really worked for me. Now im very grateful for the addition of the half sugar alcohols number to add in, i find the real sugar alcohol culprits are found in the s products like sugar free candies etc. things that we should probably stay away from anyway, sugar free cakes etc.

In my opinion, if you don't have acid reflux OR diabetes, they are both probably good choices. If you have those condistions, current evidence is that bypass is a better choice. My BMI was 52 when i revised to the sleeve and I have gotten to a normal weight/size and maintained for a few years now. The challenge in making this decision is that the sleeve has been around along time but not well studied for LONG term results. It appears to work "about" as well as the bypass, but the long term data just isn't there. At a high BMI, many surgeons nudge you toward the bypass because there is a clearer, well documented long term results history documented. I had my own reasons for choosing the sleeve and I think some of it was my bias against the bypass based on personal experience. I have known 3 bypass patients close enough to see them from pre surgery, through maintenance and they all "Scared me" 1. Died. but to be honest, she died because she was a diabetic who became an alcoholic drug addict after losing all that weight. It was absolutely terrible - in her 40s and died in her sleep. This was about 10 years ago. Lets be honest, that had nothing to do with bypass vs sleeve. 2. Horrible horrible recovery. But, this was mid 1990s. It only recently occured to me that her surgery was "open" not laproscopic. At the time, I thought the horrible recovery was due to the "rerouting" but I bet it had more to do with it being open surgery 3. The surgery and weight loss really aged her. She looked terrible post weight loss and never got to a normal weight. Again, to be fair, I don't know the reasons. This is someone I worked with about 5-6 years ago. She may have had other health problems and frankly most bypass patients I have seen pictures of or have met since then look great. I recognize my own biases and my views have changed. Now, 4 years post sleeve I tell everyone that I think they are both good procedures. I think they are both excellent choices versus remaining morbidly obese and suffering the increasing health issues over time. The bypass has more documented history, many more studies, and resolves reflux problems. Sleeve has been amazing for me, and many others too... but there are no 20 year studies either.

I wouldn't drink because alcohol will have an immediate and significant impact on your liver. Definitely talk to your surgeon ahead of time, but if it were me, that close to surgery, I wouldn't risk it. That said, you can still have fun without drinking. If your friends are true friends, then ask them to respect your decision not to drink. Have fun and Happy Birthday!

Get rid of the things that don't fit .... I'm all for keeping one shirt and one pants that you wore during your heaviest .... just to compare when you're thin and sexy ! Why keep it ? I agree with @@dhrguru about the alcoholics not keeping a bottle ... You have to be Out with the Old ... In with the New !!! Make lotsa room in the closet for the new sexy clothes you'll spend countless hours wearing and feeling like a million bucks !

I am not a drinker of alcohol. But i do like wine every once in a long while... So i was wondering if anyone had it yet and how it sat

@gbveteran4d @shelleylester Just because you CAN drink those things, doesn't mean you should. The two main ways people regain weight (or stop losing weight) is by drinking high-calorie drinks (such as full-sugar Gatorade, fruit juices, cafe mocha or similar sweet coffees, and alcohol) and grazing (eating small amounts of food constantly through the day). Having a glass of wine every once in a while is one thing (I would consider that fine), but making a habit of having it multiple times a week would be sabotaging your weight loss. For example, on average wine has 123 calories for a 5oz glass (although it varies widely based on type). Rum and Coke (2oz rum and 12oz coke) are 268 calories. Assuming you are in maintenance level, that one glass of wine is probably around 10% of your daily calorie intake, and the Rum and Coke is around 20%. 8oz of orange juice is 111 calories. If you are still in weight loss mode, these drinks will definitely slow down or stop your weight loss if you drink them regularly.

Vodka! With a crystal lite mix. If you must. Alcohol slows your weight loss. Or about 4oz of wine.

Oh man. All those sugar alcohols. With things like that, you need to take a serving portion and put the rest away. If you don't have the self control to put the rest away and not touch them, then take a portion and throw them away.

I'll tell you why not: * There's virtually no nutrition in that food -- and it's "expensive" for the calories that are in it (I'm guessing around 150 calories for a half-cup). That's a lot of calories. For 150 calories, you could eat more Protein, some very nutritious veggies and fruits, and even a little whole grain. The point to WLS is not just to lose weight any old way, but to get healthier. (I realize you may not care about this, but I did.) * It indeed may be a gateway drug -- and lead to a second, third, fourth half-cup serving. . * The sugar alcohols in there (that sweeten it) will give you diarrhea of the worst kind. Try eating two half-cups and see what happens. Best to you.

@@rnsamantha We are 2 peas in a pod! Although I'm much further out than you, I discovered recently I could drink diet soda without it hurting anymore. Well, the floodgates were open! I was in Reno last week, and I was drinking diet soda after diet soda while I was gambling. I figured it was better than drinking alcohol.... Well, needless to say, when I got home, I bought a 6 pack of Coke Zero. Although I don't believe the old wives tale about carbonation stretching your sleeve, I just can't see any good coming from drinking too much of that crap. Like you said, slippery slope. I pride myself on eating clean most of the time. There is NOTHING clean and unprocessed about diet soda! I ended up giving my Coke Zero to my grown kids for their house. No mas for me!

I completely eliminated alcohol almost three weeks ago. It hasn't affected my weight yet but I feel better about my choice. I made a fill appointment today with my NP for next Tuesday. I did join the Divorce Care group and tonight is the third session. It does help, so far. My second wedding anniversary after moving out is coming up next week as well. Seems like my life is in a holding pattern. Can't lose the weight I want, can't complete the divorce. There must be a lesson in here somewhere. Anyway. This next fill is going to be tricky. I get stuck more often these days, but my hunger has been coming back after three hours. It used to be 4 or 5 hours between hunger pangs. I sure hope I don't go too tight and mess things up. I've been wearing the same size clothes for a year. I guess that's a good thing, right? I just wish the clothes were a couple of sizes smaller.

I also told the cardiologist that i have passed out and was very lethargic a few times when drinking. May be unrelated but he said if i have sinus bradycardia, the alcohol could drop my pulse in the 30's hence the episodes i have had a few times. May make sense as i can go from ok to barely conscious in an instant. In all cases it was when i wasnt moving around / dancing etc.... Which could make sense as my pulse would drop back down when "resting" and alcohol potentially play a role in pushing it down further.

I have completed all of my pre-approval testing as of last week (Mamo, pap, ultrasound on liver and gallbladder, echocardiogram, nutritional class 1, psych eval, visit with cardiologist) and got flying colors on all of them. I also have a statement from my orthopedic guy that I need to lose 100 pounds before I can have my knee replacement (we are all hoping losing the weight will mean I won't have to have the knee replacement for a much longer period of time). Now waiting for the insurance company to do their thing (Tricare Prime) and approve the RnY surgery (apparently the only bariatric surgery they cover). I was hoping for the surgery in mid to late October, but we may not have the insurance okay until then, then we have to schedule the surgery, so I'm hoping early November. I have a large and important event scheduled at work the week of Thanksgiving and must be back to work before then. Surgeon has me starting a pre-op diet now to get used to what the post-op diet will be like (primarily Protein with veggies). We live too far from a gym (and it's too expensive anyway), so hubby and I are going for a home fitness gym and I have nine acres property I can walk everyday (as well as miles of country road). I've been caffeine free for three weeks, sugar and alcohol free for two weeks, bubbly diet soda free for three weeks... working on learning to chew.... having time to practice the new habits and give up the bad ones is good, but not sure how long I can really hold out with out the help of the surgery. ​ I'm worried the insurance people are going to drag their feet or worse yet, deny me. I started out 120 pounds over my ideal weight of 128. I've lost a couple of pounds in the last week thanks to the Post-op diet (but feel like I'm starving and craving sugar something fierce). Surgeon tells me I have no worries about being approved even though I am healthy despite my weight. My weight alone should be enough she says. Any experience with Tricare Prime?

Alright Banstista that's what I have been talking about I don't care who's watching or what they think I dance like nobody's around , in fact I went with another friend ( Woman) & we went to this little hole in the wall restaurant & three was a blues band , I dance pretty much to anything & it's good fun sweat exercise , shoot I didn't drink any type of alcohol for almost 20 + year's then I had 2 glasses of wine now I know that's all I can handle LOL started to get that tipsy feeling SO I drank a lot of water & flushed it out but MY family is like your not home much anymore LOL cause I actually get out & do more now I think even though I'm living with them their starting to miss me LOL

I've always subtracts out fiber and sugar alcohols. The human body doesn't have the enzyme to break down fiber that's derived from plants, including fruits, vegetables and grains. Because your body cannot digest fiber, it does not provide calories for energy or nutrients for cells. I try to stick to foods that are low on the glycemic index. @@BaileyBariatrics are you a RD?

So I feel like I've already had surgery. It's weird but I got a migraine for the first time and it really took away my appetite for like three days and so I guess in a way, I started my own pre-op diet. Started eating smaller portions cutting the carbs hit in the protein first no alcohol no type of pills for pain that can inhibit my liver so I guess I'm on a self-imposed pre-op diet.

i'm october 13th. SUPER EXCITED. can't wait. somehow i managed not to have to go thru a pre op diet. but i am not drinking any alcohol or taking anything that affects my liver (motrin or anything like that) just in case and trying to low carb as well. all my doctor said was don't gain any weight but no preop diet.

@@MrsSugarbabe There are a variety of ingredients in Quest Bars that may or may not sit well with certain people. Some of the flavors use Erythritol, a sugar alcohol that has been known to cause diarrhea and bloating in some people. Some use artificial sweeteners including Stevia and Sucralose, which many people have issues with. For me, none of those ingredients had caused any problems. I've been eating the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough bars for almost a year now. It was just the switch over from IMO to soluble corn fiber that started causing me problems. I imagine it will be just fine for a lot of people. I know that for many people, the S'mores flavor has been their favorite and that's one that's been using soluble corn fiber since the beginning.

Great article, but I have a question. Sometimes I will read a label and it will have a "total carbs" amount, for example: 20 total carbs. The label then lists the sugar carbs and sugar alcohol carbs and Fiber. But they don't always add up to the total carbs listed. Do you know what and why these unlisted carbs are? Thanks, Randy

Many of our patients enter the program with diabetes and pre-diabetes. The benefit of finding the “net” carbohydrate of a food serving is cutting back on the total amount of carbohydrates you consume, which can lead to better blood sugar control and some weight loss. “Net” carbs have also been listed on food labels as “impact carbs” or “effective carbs.” The food label can be a source of confusion, because there can be several types of carbohydrates listed under the total carbohydrates. Fiber and half the sugar alcohols can be subtracted from the total fiber to calculate “net” carbs. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that our bodies don’t absorb and doesn’t raise blood sugars. Fiber is in plant foods (grains, beans, fruits and vegetables,) helps with digestion and leads to feeling fuller longer. Sugar alcohols are still part of the carbohydrate world, but don’t raise blood sugars as much as other carbohydrates like sugars and starches. Sugar alcohols are used to help a food product taste sweet with less ability to raise blood sugars. Sugar alcohols can be found in the ingredient list and may include sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol, isomalt, erythritol, glycerol (can also be listed as glycerine,) hydrogenated starch, maltitol, lactitol or other ingredients that end in –ol. Be aware that sugar alcohols still have calories. Consuming too many sugar alcohols at a time can also lead to bloating and diarrhea. Click here for an explanation about how to calculate the net carbs from a high fiber food item. Click here for an explanation about how to calculate the net carbs for foods containing sugar alcohols. Keep in mind that the FDA has not approved a definition of net carbs. Your dietitian will work with you to find a carbohydrate goal to help you keep your blood sugars in better control and to start losing weight.