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Ok...I'm freaking out. One of my best friends from childhood is getting married on 10/10...I have to drive out of town for the wedding. I'm freaking out about the food....I'm freaking out about all the liquor I know will be there. My friend and her family are all obese...so I don't know what to expect of the menu...so I was planning on bringing a pouch of tuna...my question...is that RUDE to not eat the meal they paid for me to eat? Also, do you think a glass of champagne is going to do me in? I haven't had a drop of alcohol since 8/9 (10 days prior to surgery)...I was never a huge drinker (just occasional)...but it's a wedding for crying out loud! LOL

Sugar alcohols = diarrhea lol sometimes I'll eat a couple sugar free candies or an Atkins bar to keep me regular. I made the mistake of getting excited about sf Chico sticks and ate too many. I had diarrhea for 2 days.

I was told my doc does a 90% sleeve which freaked me out at first! All I can tell you is that 2 years later, (heck, even 6 months later), I feel perfectly "normal". I can eat what I like in small quantities including pizza, Pasta, meats, rice, bread and alcohol, but I try and stick to higher Protein lower carb choices. They are the "prescription" and I feel less bloaty and have better energy when I follow it. Do I regain? Yep. But I weigh at least once per week, (not every day) and the difference is that now, I can recover from a five pound gain within a week or 2 simply by focusing back on the basics and giving up some of the less healthy choices. In short, I'm winning the maintenance battle now where I never could before. Life as a "normal" sized, health woman is AMAZING! Miss that 90%? Not. One. Bit!

Gareth J. Hollands from the University of Cambridge, U.K., and colleagues, examined data from 72 studies (meta-analysis) that compared at least two groups with respect to their choices of food, alcohol, or tobacco packaging, portion size and tableware (dishes and glasses) size on food consumption. They concluded "successfully reduce the size, availability and appeal of larger-sized portions, packages, individual units and tableware can contribute to meaningful reductions in the quantities of food (including non-alcoholic beverages) people select and consume in the immediate and short term.” http://acsh.org/2015/09/change-your-setting-to-help-you-eat-less/ In other words, one might conclude that in part obesity in the U.S. is related to the large overly generous portion size of meals served in many of our restaurants. Many undergoing WLS change their tableware (the size of their plates, bowls, glasses and spoons) after surgery. This change reduces portion size or the temptation to overeat. Even after 28 months post-op I use a miniature metal spoon to eat which slows the rate that I eat (I tend to gobble food down).

Some of the quest bars have the sugar alcohol that makes me very sick, also yes it is more sugar but as double of protein, usually is my lunch. I have to say that I'm getting tired of protein bars or shakes. I just wish I could eat " normal" food and still meet my protein goal.

I definitely realized something when this happened. I felt like an alcoholic in a desert having to choose between thirst and a cold beer. (Not sure where he got the cold beer ????). I'm so scared to cheat because I'm afraid I won't get back on track. Also afraid it will become a habit. That I will justify it the next time and then the next and the next. I didn't realize until that night that I was literally afraid of junk food and afraid of failure. I have already thrown some nuts in my glove compartment.

The elevations can have multiple causes. My dad has very high levels but he is alcoholic and his liver si finally showing signs of failure. Mine were high before being sleeved and combines with two other tests doc said I was becoming prediabetic. You also said you've been working out with a. Trainer. It could be you have damaged some muscles and you enzymes are high due to that. Here are some ideas http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/mobileart.asp?articlekey=6274&page=3

24 months ago I starting looking into WLS. And after 12 months of different appointment to talk over Lap bands and never felt comfortable with how quick I was told yes we can do a lap band, pay your deposit and you can be in next week. It felt like all the people I went to see was more interested in getting my cash than my health. I stopped looking into WLS and tried to diet determined I could do it. So the story started again lost and gained. lost weight again then gained more than I started off with! The final straw was three months ago when I was on a holiday in Sri Lanka and Dubai and I found myself deleting all the photos of myself because of the way I was looking. And also when swimming with dolphins I was to heavy for them to push. It was embarrassing in front of everyone. And From then I wouldn't take part in anything else. On top of being embarrassed was the Chubb rub! The pain and blistering from my thighs rubbing was painful. Now defeated and weighting nearly 200lb and a BMI 38 depressed I know it's time for change. I have found a surgeon I am happy and comfortable with and after meeting three times to talk over options and time to do research I have decided to go a head with a gastric sleeve instead of a lap band. Tomorrow I am booking my operation for 2nd November. I am feeling mixed emotions on all kinds of levels. Happy I have made a choice and can move forward. And make the change I so want. Excited to final made a decision and getting help. Then Angry I have got to this size and not been able to lose the weight via diet and excises. I am also questioning do I share this decision with family and friends or just keep it between myself and my partner! I come from a family where everything evolves around food. And most of my socialising with friends is food or alcohol driven. My friend will be so supportive I know that. I am just not sure they will understand why I have choice to have WLS . My friends are all size 6 and never put weight on. Even after having children. when I have spoke to them in the past about my weight they think there doing good by tell me I don't need to loss weight and I am fabulous the way I am. I know there only trying to make me feel good. Every group has that one fat and funny friend. That's me! Did you tell people right away? Did having the WLS effect your friendships or social life ect?

Have been banded for 3 1/2 years; never drink alcohol or carbonated beverages. Did you trying drink pineapple juice? Sometimes the enzymes will help you.

Hi there, so happy for you. I am not on a diet and have just the one rule for myself: to eat when I'm hungry and not eat if I'm not hungry. The first is more difficult than the latter because I was such a restricter in my former life. All that head chatter. Like you, sometimes this puts me late in the day for nourishment and for me this can set up evening grazing (particularly because unlike you I have not given up alcohol, which I know slows my progress, sigh). Happy Onederland and size 14, yippee. Isn't it fun? Oh the clothes I was missing all those years!

Readyforthislifechange, Thanks for the recipe idea! It sounds delicious, and a nice alternative to Protein shakes. Aside from the nutritionals, I just a quick warning for some people who may have sensitive stomachs. Sugar alcohols, like the ones they use in no sugar-added ice cream, can give you pretty bad diarrhea! It’s different for everyone. Some people are sensitive, and some can handle a bigger amount without problems. I’d definitely suggest trying only a tiny amount first, especially if you’re still on your post-op liquid or pureed diet and you may already be having stomach troubles.

Comicbookguy, Great question! I love this way of looking at it, because a “new hobby” to replace food as a hobby sounds so much better than replacing a food addiction with a “replacement addiction” like alcohol or drugs! Let’s see. I suppose I have replaced my food focus with work and family. I now work way more than I used to, but it doesn’t feel like work since it’s BariatricPal and I love it! I also get to spend quality time with my kids rather than just watching them. Of course, there’s working out, but I always have done that to some extent. I guess work and family don’t count as true “hobbies,” but they’re what I fill my time with.

I don't think the alcohol in two drops of extracts is a factor. Curious as to how you are mixing the shakes. The bariatric fusion label has conflicting directions. How many scoops are you using?

Im on the diet trying to stick to it...have 8 more days to go... Other than feeling like being hit by a mac truck i think im doing ok. Now if only my mom would pay attention to the instruction sheet and stop tempting me with foods i should not have.. Lol I got the shake mix the vanilla flavor and many different flavor extracts so that i can have variety of flavors... Which actually have saved me in morning with mint flavoring.. Also have almond, raspberry, anise, hazelnut, coconut, vanilla, orange, peppermint... Now the sheet says that extracts are allowed, but i did notice that all extracts have different levels of alcohol in them... Now this may be a dumb question should i ignore those levels?

Ok so it's been a while since I last blogged but a lot has been going on. I'm from Iceland. An island way up north. So I just came back from travelling to Spain, a Mediterranean country and let me tell you, things there are different from what I'm used to. I've been to Spain 3 times before and never thought that much about food. I just ate what ever and loved it. But having the lap band is more difficult. The town I was staying at didn't have that many restaurants but when I went to them, they carried BREAD BREAD BREAD. They loved serving bread or huge dishes! I love tabas mmmm but it's served on bread, thick slices of bread. I can only eat thin slices. So when out eating, I ended up eating fries, omelette and lasange. But only found one restaurant carrying lasagne. But I tried cooking at home as well, so I wouldn't starve and didn't really want omelette or fries for every meal. The temperature! Gosh it was HOT. That mean that my polar body was swollen ever day with extra fluid and that also meant that my stomach opening was a lot smaller. I had to make a lot of trips to the bathroom spit out food that got stuck in the opening. The Productive burping was terrible! No matter what I ate. My worst case was a tomato!! Hello!! A tomato, a very well chewed tomato! I just had terrible time with it. That's why I was afraid to eat what ever was on the menu. But fries, I know they are deep fried and not that healthy, but I could chew them into baby food! What does a hot woman need in a hot weather??? ice cream. mmmm love some good ice cream. And I had a lot of it. It was a guilty pleasure. But it was so good in the hot weather. Alcohol. I was very very careful with that. I wanted a cold beer very badly but I stuck to cocktails with no carbonated liquids in it and yes that was just fine. And never got drunk or tipsy or what ever. Did not want to add hangover and throwing up to the PB!! I even at once point thought that it would be best to finish the trip off by eating only chocolate and ice cream because that went down very well haha. Also the company I was with. They were so nice and understanding but I was giving myself hard time for making them wait for me while I ate really really really slowly. We could never eat anywhere in hurry, ever. I came with a solution though, I sometimes grabbed a banana because that's easy to eat on a go. Now at home, I'm still swollen from the travel but I couldn't wait stepping on the scale and no weight gain!! to my surprise! I'll see how it went after my body has adjusted after the travel. I have to tell you though that for the first time in my life, I had lots of left overs at the restaurants I ate at. I felt like apologizing for it to the waiters, for not finishing my food. I've always finished everything at a restaurant but I was very careful, even though the portions were big, that I would only eat until I was satisfied (not full) and I'm proud of that. Overall, I did enjoy my trip very much and Spain is a fantastic country. And I've always enjoyed the food there before the lap band. But this was a difficult trip food wise and not that healthy I'm glad it didn't set me back tough. I'm happy to be home and on Monday hopefully my body has recovered and that I will not have any extra fluid.

JessiL--I'm writing to you as Brian88ss' wife. I'm 14 months out from my VSG (sleeve) surgery. Your post has struck a major chord in me. I've lived with anxiety my entire life, and it became acute in 2012. I sought help through I psychiatrist and counselor. I also live with chronic arthritis pain that I was told would be greatly reduced by several physicians (hasn't happened), which has really ratcheted up my anxiety. One of my friends, who is a psychologist (not the one I see) said, "when you live with anxiety, there's good news and bad news-the good news is you're going to live. The bad news is, you're going to live." I am working on something called mindfulness meditation (living with the anxiety and pain, but putting it in the back of your mind-like the needle on the record is down, but you don't have to always listen to it." I also switched from Xanax to clonazepam (which is like a longer-acting form of Xanax). That being said, I know that our population (bariatrics) is at a huge risk for cross-addiction (alcohol, pills, shopping, gambling, etc.) and I struggle with tension headaches, for which I take a medication that has a sedative in it (I have noticed myself using it more recently, so I know the anxiety is ratcheting back up ). What I do know, is there's hope. NEVER give up hope. You had this surgery to improve and extend your life (I have to tell myself that lots). I also know that one of the best anti-anxiety exercises out there is exercise. I'm not even talking anything hard-core, even getting outside for a walk can help (I know this because I use it as one of my tools to deal with what my friends and I call "the big A." When my husband read me your post, my heart totally went out to you. Please know there are people out there who care about you (and they are people you may not even know!). This is going to sound really weird, but I'm going to try something new-adult coloring books (you can find them on Amazon and if you have a Prime membership, you get a discount and free shipping. My online anxiety group has been raving about them, so I thought it would be worth a try. Remember that you are special. You have a purpose in this life. And you are the only "you" in this world. Thinking of you and sending you hugs and good vibes. If you want, you can message me through my hubby-I'm trying to limit my time online right now, as that might be a contributing factor to the increased anxiety. Please do take care and know that you are not alone. Julie

While I am not a healthcare provider, I work in liver disease. The goal of the pre-op diet is to help shrink the liver and alcohol is the worst toxin for the liver (and causes inflammation of the liver). I hate to tell you this but I'm worried that drinking could affect your liver and therefore the ease of surgery. I'm not saying I was perfect on my preop, but I was really careful the last two weeks and my surgeon said that he could tell by my liver. I don't envy you, this would be a tough decision for me as well. Best of luck

Have you ever been to an AA meeting or are you worried that showing up will risk your reputation? I would suggest at least trying it once. It may help you to talk about your struggles as you go through your transition into sobriety. Don't be afraid that they will judge your weaning process. It's not something you have to share. Sometimes it helps to take what you find useful and leave the rest. I've always found group settings to be more useful than talking to a therapist. Cognitive Behavioral therapy is also useful for people recovering from any addiction (food, alcohol, illegal substances) because you learn preventive strategies. You need to have a plan in action in case severe stress, anxiety, or depression arises and it becomes terribly challenging to turn away from alcohol.

This was sent to me in a private message by one of our members who wanted to stay anonymous but thought the information might be useful to other BariatricPal members: "Alex, I realized my drinking was getting excessive. Particularly when I woke up with my hands shaking. It was quickly going from drinking after working out, to wanting to take nips to quiet the nerves during the day. There are two schools of thought out there when it comes to alcohol - the AA/total abstention model and Harm Reduction model. In my typical fashion, I started researching it and realized that sudden withdrawal could be very dangerous. Just stopping drinking if you have been doing for an extended period of time can create bad withdrawal symptoms, the worst being known as Delirium Tremors (DT's), but it also can spike your blood pressure, elevate heart rate, night sweats. If I went into a medically supervised system, my options all involved sudden withdrawal with benzos and other anti-anxiety drugs. And at the same time you risk loss of professional licences, reputation, gun rights etc. Not a great solution to a problem. And it is a problem. Not only is it stalling my weight loss, but if I was in a accident, the hospital is not going to bring you a bourbon as medicine, instead you get to go through DT's. So I didn't want to risk being dependent on alcohol, the dangers are too great. Then I found these articles: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0022994 https://hamsnetwork.wordpress.com/2010/10/09/more-on-tapering-off-alcohol/ One of the benefits of controlled tapering of alcohol is avoiding a syndrome called "kindling." Some people who have repeatedly gone through cold turkey withdrawal without tapering off become more and more likely to have bad withdrawals from even small amounts of alcohol. This phenomenon is referred to as "kindling". People who have undergone kindling can suffer withdrawal seizures from drinking as little as a six pack of beer. Some decades ago some detox facilities forced clients to undergo cold turkey withdrawal to "teach them a lesson". Not only did this fail to stop people from drinking, it resulted in many people suffering from kindling. I used this system over three days and the result was a controlled landing. I've now been able to go through the last week alcohol-free without really bad withdrawals. Can't say it wasn't without discomfort. It did goof with my sleep and I have been agitated and muscles are a little sore, but it was bearable. Used a portable breathalyzer to monitor my BAC and home blood pressure monitor to make sure nothing spiked. My goal is to stay alcohol-free for the next month and re-evaluate. I need to re-learn my relationship with drinking, and make sure I bring my BAC down to 0 between drinks so I don't get back to that level again and make sure it is not an everyday activity. But that is my goal, not a recommendation."

Was wondering the same post sleeve. Not a heavy drinker to begin with, but it would be nice to have one here and there when I go to happy hour with my girlfriends...but fortunately I haven't craved alcohol one bit. I would, however, like to know. My doc suggested not to do it for one year, but I got the vibe that this was more about forming bad habits than causing damage to the sleeve/pouch. Although I know some bypassers can dump from alcohol, so in that case I would probably avoid it just to avoid the embarrassment of something going wrong in public. If you do venture out, maybe try at home first so you know what to expect.

Hey Molly! I did have my psych appointment today. Really no big deal. I had to answer some questions on paper that were looking for eating disorders and drug or alcohol problems. Also a couple questions on mental health stuff and how you have felt in the past week/month. Easy peasy and she approved me with no further psych stuff.

I had the psych eval and it seemed to go well...he told me to go to a support group meeting and call in when i lose the last few pounds. One thing that was a surprise is that he asked to speak to my therapist to ask about: 1. drugs and alcohol 2. eating disorders 3. contraindications to surgery I am completely fine with it, but didn't expect him to ask. Apparently it's policy if you have seen a therapist in the past 6 months. For the ladies who have had the surgery--- how long did the tiredness last? I'm 2 lbs away from pre-surgery goal weight and am trying to consider my clients when I schedule the surgery.

Sure some rules are pretty standard (crackers 4 days after surgery) but MANY vary by doctor and nutritionist simply because there are no controlled studies to back a lot of it up. It's what that doctor has seen provide their patients with the most success. Some plans advance faster than others. Some allow alcohol at a certain point. Some allow flavorings in the Water. THATS why we refer people back to the doctor and nutritionist that they chose, hopefully because they trusted that doctor enough to have surgery with them so hopefully they are motivated to follow the advice/plan of the doctor they trust.

Great thread. Here's my answers: What type of weight loss surgery have you had? Sleeve 1. How long have you been in maintenance mode? 7 months 2. What's your current height and weight? 5"2 120 lbs 3. How many calories do you eat daily (on average) to maintain your weight? I don't count or measure my food but I would guess around 1500 on a normal day 4. What kind of focus do you put on protein -- number of grams or anything else you want to say? I always have protein first and at least 60 grams but I don't measure it. I still have shakes and bars but only the one's I like. You still need to plan ahead and have protein snacks handy. 5. What kind of focus do you put on carbs - number of grams or anything else you want to say? I eat whatever is not processed in any amount. ie fruits and veggies I don't worry about. I do eat oatmeal almost everyday but I put in a scoop of unflavored protein. I find having the oatmeal keeps me regular. I don't do refined carbs unless it's a treat. I think someone else put on here they'd rather have a cookie than white bread. That's exactly how I am. Not wasting the carbs on rice or pasta. 6. What other nutritional tips / tricks are working for you that help you maintain? I try to stick to the basics. I take my vitamins, get enough sleep, workout, drink water, eat my protein first. 7. Which foods, if any, do you avoid altogether? Bread, rice, pasta, fast food, pop, alcohol 8. What exercise regimen (exercise types and frequency) do you follow? I workout everyday. It makes me feel so much better to start my day. I run 2x, spin 2x, weights 2x and do yoga once. I just did my first half marathon. I had the same workout program before surgery. I do it to be healthy not thinner. 9. What role, if any, has counseling or therapy played in your WLS success? Not much. I go to my sessions as part of my surgeons plan. I do love these boards that give me lots of advice and tips. It has helped me be successful. 10. What advice would you offer WLS patients to help them be successful? I don't weigh myself everyday but every few days to make sure I am not gaining. I stay within a 2 lb. range Be mindful of your weaknesses. Mine is sweets. I don't deprive myself but I also make sure to limit what I have or what's in the house. If it's going to be hard for me to resist it then I try to get rid of it. For example: I am fine with the chips ahoy cookies being in the pantry but if I make fresh baked cookies I usually put as many of them as I can in my kids lunches to get rid of them before I eat them all I think one thing that has really helped me is to truly think of this as a life style change vs a diet. I have to because 80% f my stomach is gone. In order for my body to run smoothly I need to eat this way. Remember none of us are perfect and none of us are the same so you need to find what works for you and stick with it. ~LA

Warning: this is more or less a variation on the never ending ‘should I tell a guy I’m dating’ & ‘how quys react to WLS’ theme, so if you are tired of that jibber jabber, move on to something else. I’m just 1 month out. I’ve recently met a guy and although I’m not exactly into dating at the moment, we immediately hit it off. So we went on a couple of foodless, decaf, non-alcoholic dates, and surprisingly had a lot of fun. Apart from me constantly having to come up with reasons for my unconventional dating behavior while still giving the impression of a sane person, of course. I hate lying on dates (not that I have moral issues, it just makes me more nervous), so coming up with answers that were truthful but wouldn’t expose the fact I had WLS has been EXHAUSTING. This is just a sample dialog: ‘Does 6 pm work for you?’ ‘Can we make it 7?’ ‘That’s fine. What do you do at 6?’ ‘I’m having dinner’ ‘Couldn’t we have dinner together?’ ‘I don’t think that’s the best idea’ ‘Why, do you have celery for dinner?’ etc. So yesterday he invited me over and it was all going very smoothly, except he kept offering me something to drink, and I just got tired of excuses, so… I told him I recently had the surgery to help me lose weight and I was in recovery, following a special diet. After a minute or two of what seemed to me like an awkward silence, ‘Ok. So are you allowed to have sex yet?’ Am I crazy to think out of all the answers he could have given, that one was actually pretty good?