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Kat, you are a phenominal grandmother. Lindzie (and the rest) is lucky to have you! That is such a thoughtful gift. I bet it gives her an interest in art that she will carry all her life, along with that precious and cherished memory Bluehill noted. That's so cool. And Bluehill, you're so right -- the correct emotion is envy, not jealousy. There's no resentment in the April bandsters' successes. I want all the success in the world for all of us. With the band, I know we'll get it too, no matter the order. I was at a work function tonight -- it was a Texas Hold'em contest between a bunch of lawyers. I've got to tell you, it was a whole different world from other functions I've been to -- even at just 30 or so lbs heavier than I am now. First, remember I'm a 34 year old single woman. Then think about the fact that my profession (particularly my sub-field) is 95% men. Throw in beer (for the men -- I had to hit the treadmill later so no alcohol for me) and poker and somehow all my jokes were funny! There were only about 4 women there out of 40. I was up $3500 (fake) dollars and was one of about 12 left in the game (i.e. who still had chips left) when I announced I had to go to the gym, handed my chips to the cute guy to my left, winked at him and walked out. It was a blast! Usually work functions are such a drag, but they're getting better.... And, I did go to the gym to make it exactly 40 minutes on the treadmill before they kicked me out (closing time at 10 pm)! Hey Kat, maybe I'm the one who dropped a dumbell on my head -- winning at poker and leaving a group of cute boys to go to the gym?? Nite,

It took me a long time to realize that eating was an addictive behavior. Ever since I was a kid I knew that I would need to be careful around alcohol because my grandparents were alcoholics, along with a number of my other relatives, so I knew that it ran in my family... what I didn't realize was that it's 'addictive behavior' that runs in the family, not alcoholism... I was talking to my fiance, who is an alcoholic (not the raging drunk kind, the few beers a night to relax kind), and he was talking about how he needed to stop drinking and not bring alcohol into the house at all in order to quit (that moderation wouldn't work for him), and I said something to the effect that I wish my addiction was that easy. He said "well, I just drink a couple of beers to wind down and relax at the end of the day" and I said "Yes. I understand" and he said (rather sarcastically) "well, does eating calm you down?" and I said "YES". I think that was the first time he kind of 'got it'. He still doesn't 'understand' not REALLY, but it gave him a better idea. I still have to be careful of my drinking, if I find myself drinking every day, I stop for like at least a month, just to be sure I don't get 'sucked in' so to speak. I think I could easily become a shopping addict too. My house is already full of trinkets and crap I don't need. Something else that I think helps me is that I am in counseling. I know that I'll probably always have an addictive personality, but I feel like if I feel more in control of the things in my life, this will be one of those things.

Let me give you some perspective. Your boyfriend is NOT going to change. He has the BAD SEED of addiction and he has it for life. You need to get saway from him as fast as you can. I have been through what you are going through....and put up with it for 10 YEARS. MY BAD. I met my boyfriend when I was 37. Long story short, he turne out to be drug and alcoholic addictive. He couldn't hold down a job. He stole from me. I had never been into drugs before and within a year of being with him I was snorting speed and coke on a fairly regular basis. Six years into this I realized I was doing it to appease him, I was weak, and I said NO MORE. I stopped the drugs cold turkey and never looked back. I also told him to get out. He was a master manipulator...the perfect "victim" and I fell for it every time. But I finally put my foot down. He continued to abuse his body and mind, and not be able to hold a job for more than a few months at a time. He died this past May of a suspected drug overdose and heart attack. He was 57. Get away NOW. He will NEVER change and he will drag you down with him. Guaranteed. I have BEEN THERE.

You may find after a period of not drinking that you have no desire to. You might only go out once or twice every couple months now, but when you lose weight and have more energy and a new attitude towards life, you will probably go out more. Plus 21 is coming up and you will actually be legal. I expect you will want to party and enjoy life. A lot of people your age binge drink anyway, I know I did at that age, well kinda. You can drink socially, just be careful. Everything that OkPirate said was good advice. Now I enjoy being sober and being the designated driver. I have a big personality and I don't need alcohol to be fun. It is also interesting to watch other people drink and how it affects them. Just think about it carefully and proceed with caution. Sometimes when these alcohol threads come up everyone says you will be come a drunk or whatever. That really isn't the case for everyone. Just being aware can help you avoid a lot of the pitfalls.

Ok, so I have a question for all you who have been banded and like to go out. I love going out with friends. I go to bars and parties or where ever we can have a good time. When I go out I do enjoy the occasional drink but am mostly there for the social environment. I am ok with giving up the alcohol, but I was wondering how you felt post-band about going out or if you had any negative/positive experiences with it. All comments and advice are welcomed.

For me, I have eliminated: carbonation, alcohol, anything fried, sugary things like cake, most starches most of the time, pasta, and anything sugary like fruit juice.

Yeah some people don't get that for a lot of us going through this (not all but still quite a few) there is an addiction aspect. Why should you HAVE to learn to eat just one cookie? There is no reason why you have to eat a cookie at all. So if you choose not to have any, that should be fine. Just like it should be fine for someone to eat just one cookie. I applaud you for knowing yourself and your triggers well enough to know what to avoid so you don't fall prey to the addiction side of it. Seriously - would she tell an alcoholic they have to learn to drink just one beer? or a heroin addict that they have to learn to just shoot up once?

@@SleeveSoon yes, I think that' a wise strategy! In addition to some lovely IPAs, I also have a nice stash of lambics that are delicious and pretty low alcohol/low calorie. It was a long, tough winter for me being laid up with the foot surgery and a house full of BA Russian Imperials! I talked to my surgeon extensively about beer and it being part of a healthy post-surgical diet, it definitely can be, just have to be a bit more careful and definitely keep off it when I don't have exercise to counter-balance! Thanks for the post and cheers!

Just checking in with a little positivity. I have been extremely lucky so far and am down 105 lbs since January. My only struggle was until just recently getting enough water intake. Kept waking up at night or in the morning with dry mouth. I have been walking 2-3 miles a day 5-6 times per week and lifting a few weights. There have been a couple periods where I don't lose for a week and then it comes off quickly. My doctor said 2 lbs a week should be a goal on average. I am back to eating normal foods(no bread, no rice and only the occasional wrap for a subway sandwich. My diet consists mostly of oatmeal for breakfast, protein shake at lunch, then a normal meal for dinner(meat & veggies). Have zero regrets on having the surgery. I didn't have any health problems prior to, just wanted to lose the weight. I did notice my blood pressure went down 30%, almost too low now(:)). But that was mostly because of my lifetime of tobacco use that no longer happens. I just got back from vacation, doctor told me I could have a little alcohol, and I did. I didn't experience getting tipsy like a lot of people mentioned you would. I did notice that my weight stays the same every time I have a few drinks, so I am going to have to keep my cocktails to a minimum to hit my goal. Keep up your faith and discipline. The weight loss will happen.

Wow! I always thought I was a pretty savvy NFL fan, but I only recently learned that the Packers are a fan-owned franchise. I think that is absolutely fabooooooo! Sure, professional sports are big business...but it's great to see a fanbase that actually has more invested than the typical fair-weather loyalty that most clubs see. Win or lose, Packbackers seem to be loyal. I asked my dietician during my consult about the prohibition on alcohol after the band. She said that it wasn't just about it having empty calories. Since your stomach is so much smaller, you won't have much food in it at a time. Since there isn't any food to slow things down, the alcohol you drink goes straight into your system. She never understood how true this was until she did a guest speaking at a support group and heard that most folks get smashed on a single shot. She said that some folks have wine now and then, but since you cannot drink with your meals she said you'd have to keep an eye on how you tolerate the wine on it's own. :crying:

If the cheeseheads were not so heavy the possibility of wearing it would probably be greater, which also includes the amount of alcohol that was in my body. Anyway I get that asked quite often! I am a season ticket holder and the tailgating rocks! What else do you have to do in the winter????:crying:

Hello. Yes i take something like nexium, parriet. My dr prescribed parriet to take for a month on the morning. I dont have reflux, i made also hiatal hernia surgery before the sleeve thats why i don't feel the reflux thanks God. About the alcohol, im not addicted to it but i have mane occasions coming and i was checking if it was ok to have one glass. Sent from my SM-F700F using BariatricPal mobile app

A year ago I would have said no, weight does not matter. But a year ago I was miserable and trapped and still drinking the kool-aid. I was living with someone I still care about very much...but he had gained so much weight that his knees could no longer support him. He needed to lose weight in order to get bilateral knee replacements. He was completely bedbound and I was his full-time caretaker. I fully admit that I was an enabler. I gave him what he asked for in terms of food. I trusted him when he said he did his physical therapy exercises while I was out of the house. I was blinded by my love for him and it was unhealthy for us both. I gained 60 lbs. while with him. Family and friends begged me to leave him, but I loved him, and I would not give up on someone I loved. I tried giving him healthier food, but he would beg for junk and guilt trip the heck out of me. I would try to get him to do his exercises, but he would have any number of excuses why he couldn't. Finally, I had to admit that he was not doing anything to help himself. He was simply not interested in getting better. For my own menatal, emotional and physical health, I found a care facility for him and moved far enough away that I can't visit him very often (every time I visit he begs for junk food and alcohol). He is doing slightly better in this facility but has not lost much weight, even though his diet is supervised. Weight SHOULD NOT matter in a relationship, unless someone else's weight and unhappiness is directly affecting your own. Now all I want is someone to go swing dancing with.

First, a disclaimer: I plan to have a glass of wine at Thanksgiving. So I'm not apposed to alcohol, especially in moderation. But I've read a couple of research studies on alcohol use with RNY patients. First, one glass of alcohol (any kind) generally hits us like 4 glasses of that alcohol did pre-surgery. So if you drink, don't drive. Second, there is a much higher incidence of alcoholism with RNY patients than with the population as a whole. Research is not clear on why, but speculation is it may be transference (can't binge on food anymore, so binge on alcohol). I'm not suggesting any of this will affect you, just pointing out the research, and why doctors are generally wary of RNY patients drinking much.

I really havent given up anything, its more about learning to do everything in moderation. You can still go out and enjoy a drink! It would have been harder when I was younger and did want to drink to the point of being drunk, nowadays I rarely do that but the occasional splurge doesnt hurt you. TO be fair though, I'm more into maintenance these days, to actively lose yes, I would cut down on alcohol. But you dont have to give it up forever, just choose wisely and abstain more often than you indulge. Maintenance is a lot easier and you get to enjoy a few more of those things within reason.

OK so my husband has finally agreed that I can have the sleeve and we will pay for it. Hard decision and he told me he even thought about leaving me. Let me explain, so we paid for the balloon, I lost weight and put it back. Then the band lost weight (all of it) now put back 20lbs the band failed. I want to go ahead with the sleeve but here is what I did not want; Reflux Can't sleep on my side Sick with everything I eat Can't eat chicken Can't eat bread Never have a cheese and tomatoe sandwich Can't eat fruit Can't eat vegetables Not much fun at a restaurant Can't drink alcohol Should I really go for the sleeve? Will these symptoms come back???

I had my first drink (white wine-one glass) at 4 months post op. My team recommended I wait 4 months to try it. I have had it a few times since then, and am at 11 months post op now. Haven't had any in over 3 months, because I am currently taking tramadol and gabapentin for pain. The most I've allowed myself in one sitting is 3 glasses of wine, and it gave me a buzz. Maybe just a little more of a buzz than before surgery. I used to like beer, but haven't tried that, even though I do fine with carbobation. The only drawback I see, is that incorporating alcohol takes up my calories and carbs. I made room for this, however, when I chose to drink. Just resulted in me not being able to eat as much good food on the particular days that I drank. I agree that everyone will react to alcohol in different ways. You may or may not be able to tolerate it post op. I also think we should listen to our doctor/bariatric team on when to start drinking again, if allowed.

When I got home from the hospital, and the pain was still a big part of my day, I looked at my situation and realized that my life needed to be different. I was initially embarrassed that I couldn't do it on my own and needed the surgery, and this embarrassment was motivation to not squander this opportunity to hit the "Reset Button" on my habits. I never have looked to be able to re-introduce bad foods, but instead I have looked for replacement foods, and activities. This is the new Football Sunday spread. Lol. Once I started losing the weight, I fell in love with the new "superpower" of a small stomach! I never wanted to have the craving monster come back in my life, so I have convinced myself that my addiction to crap needed to be treated as the disease it is. So I have sworn off of all trigger foods, and basically anything non-healthy. No breads, candy, Pasta, etc. I have never heard of an alcoholic program that has a goal of reintroducing social drinking.. lol. So why does our program have the final goal of being able to eat some of the foods that put us in trouble in the first place? Once you can find your "feel good" foods, things get much easier. For me it was home made Soups, yogurts, Fish, pickles, and almonds. Once you decide to eat to live and not live to eat, it just gets easier. One day at a time, the future is so bright! Surgery was Feb23rd this year... I was 381 and now 214 as of this morning. Down 167lbs Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

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.

I was so terrified of transfer addiction (my sister had gastric bypass about 20yrs ago and then turned to alcohol, she’s now 6yrs sober🙏) and just the mental aspect of the life changing journey! So I got established with a therapist prior to surgery day and I’m so glad I did, I feel it’s really made a difference for me!

I was not commenting on the effects of sugar alcohol, and xylitol. Also thank you for posting peer reviewed evidence as far too many people don't understand the importance of peer review. I always read real research ( peer reviewed), and never get sucked into the fitness woo( pseudoscience), and bro science. My advise also comes from my surgeons, and an outstanding registered dietitian, and not a nutritionist as nutritionist is not a professional title or actually certification. Net carbs does not have any actually scientific backing, and was created for marketing. There is no standard for how net carbs are counted on packaging or printed. All the current research does support the concept of net carbs. While xylitol for example has little effect on blood sugar, many packages use sugar alcohol as their reason to off set carbs in their net carbs calculation. That is very bad, and can be dangerous for some with diabetes. There is a reason net carbs don't appear on the nutrition labels. That's because it is not a regulated term by the FDA. It's a made up term by food manufacturers. It's also important to understand not all sugar alcohols are equal. Some do raise blood sugar. So how does the lay person know which raise blood sugar, and which don't? How do you calculate the net carbs not knowing if the sugar alcohol in that product has a higher glycemic index? You also need to be careful subtracting fiber in some products. Should someone subtract fiber to figure out net carbs? Well if they do that, and eat protein bars they need to be careful. Most protein bars use a form of fiber isomalto-oligosaccharides(IMO). IMO is highly processed and barely a fiber. On the glycemic index it is also equivalent to grapefruit or apple juice. I wouldn't call either of those low glycemic index. IMO also has 2 calories per gram. That counts for something. The point of my post is you need to be very careful with net carbs. You seem informed, and as such my post was directed at you, but it was for people who may just think net carbs printed on packages are what they can go by. It's much safer to count all carbs, and more important calories.

I drank coffee pre-op, I drunk coffee straight post op, drink a big jug every day, and never had any issues with it. My surgeon advised me not to give up coffee. My first drink in the hospital was with a straw, again no issues with straws. I chew gum at times, and this has been fine also. I gave up all alcohol 9 years ago, and I will not give up my enjoyment of coffee. So, for me no issues with the "controversial" drinks, straws etc. The only thing I haven't tried are carbonated drinks post op. I was never a big soda drinker, so I don't need it and I don't miss it.

Hi all...had surgery tuesday and got home thursday evening. Everything went well and the doctor even fixed a hiatal hernia that I didn't know I had. Surgery was about 2hrs long. I have 5 incisions and 1 is really sore because they worked it a lot. It feels like alcohol being poured on an open wound so, I'm taking my Percocet routinely. I had 1/4 cup pudding and 1/4 cup cream of wheats today and it's hard getting my water in. It's after 8pm and I still need another 20 ounces to drink. I'm thinking I'll go with protein shakes tomorrow so I can get some nutrition with my liquids.

The older I get, the longer it takes me to recover from drinking any amount of alcohol. I always feel like crap the next day. I'm inferring that RNY will just make all of that worse. Not sure it's worth it.

There are lots of non-carbonated mixed drinks (I hear ya though, I was a vodka and soda girl myself). Sea breeze, bay breeze, screwdriver, etc. but then you have to deal with sugar from the fruit juices. Wine? Or how about a vodka martini? Or a dirty martini? if you like spicy/savory, the vodka with veggie juice reminds me of a martini drink a friend turned me onto pre-surgery. Ask the bartender if they have any Bloody Mary mix made up. If yes, ask for a dry vodka martini with a heavy splash of Bloody Mary mix. Pre-surgery it would take me at least 30-40 minutes to drink one, I am thinking today it would take me an hour to drink one (and nibble on the olives) and probably knock me on my butt. I had a glass of wine on NYE and was buzzed on 1/2 glass. If you don't want to drink alcohol but do not want to let onto co-workers/friends that you aren't drinking, just ask the bartender for a small glass of Water or cranberry juice, and put a lime and a stirrer in it. No one will be the wiser.