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P.P.S. My bariatric PA also said she sees a lot of people during maintenance who start to drink a lot more of their daily calories -- specifically in the form of alcohol. She didn't reference this as a "transfer addiction" issue, but as an "empty calories" issue.

Tssiemer I didn't have staples so I can't relate to that. But my physical recovery was a breeze compared to the mental recovery. Still a struggle almost a year out! Don't be worried about messing the process up and be denied. You will be more upset with yourself not trying if you gave up. Constipation can sometimes be an issue for me but only when I take ibuprofen. I was approved and instructed to take it while on my cycle because mine got worse with loosing the weight. So I take them very limited but when i do take them... Constipation strikes. But its usually fairly easy to take something and get it moving again. And as far as the easy way out.... You tell whomever to go to hell who says that! Sorry to be blunt but seriously.... This is not easy! I work so hard daily at this. Harder than I ever have!! I don't tolerate anyone telling me that because I know the dedication and time I put into this. I contemplate everything I eat, get up at 4:45am to work out before work, count my water all day long, gave up alcohol. Its not easy but still the best decision I ever made! I can't ease all your fears but I'm always here to try and talk and be honest about the process.

Great idea @@maggie409! During breaks I am going to walk up and down the stairs from the 4th floor where I work. Usually I just stay planted in my chair and browse the web or even sneak out for coffee. The alcohol I know must end. It's not good for my mental health in addition to the empty calories. Last, I am going to take your advice and eat stage 2 for a week. I have Isopure in my desk, I just loathe that taste but I think being thinner and reaching my goals are more important to me than an icky tasting drink. Thanks for taking the time to respond! I will keep this thread posted on my progress. Hugs!

Sure. But don't drink more than 10 drinks the first time. The second time you go out, no more than half a bottle. The third time, limit yourself to a liter of alcohol. Or 6 bottles of wine. You should be fine.

First, I would say don't beat yourself up. You really do have it in you to do this.... We all do! Second, stop drinking alcohol on the weekends. Especially 4-5 drinks. That is a lot of empty calories and heavy guilt. I completely understand the stressful job. I started carrying a cooler with me that has P3 Protein Snacks, Greek yogurt, Water and Protein shakes. If I get stuck or have forgotten to eat I have something healthy to fall back on. No matter the job, everyone is allowed breaks and meals. Is there a gym nearby you can join? Can you walk some steps or walk around the parking lot? Definitely log your food. I am absolutely overwhelmed with learning to eat a balanced diet, but like I said above, we can do this! We have it in us. The only other suggestion I can make is start over with a week of Clear liquids. Life is all about do-overs. I read somewhere once that we can't let failure define us, let getting back up and starting again and again and again and not giving up define us.

I am so disappointed in myself. I have gone from 290 date of surgery, March 16 2015 down to 235 as of today. The scale has not moved in 3-4 weeks. I eat about 1,000 - 1,200 calories a day. I'm not consistent with Protein or Water. I am failing myself. My stressful job keeps me occupied about 9am - 7pm. I don't exercise much, but am active on the weekends. I drink alcohol on the weekends, maybe 4-5 drinks a night, vodka and sugar free cranberry juice. I had my appendix out in late June and was out of commission for a couple weeks. My doctor already thinks I'm a failure, he said I'm not doing as good as other women have he has sleeved. I dread seeing him, it's always a lecture, statistics shoved down my throat and I end up feeling like a failure for getting sleeved and still being obese. Anyway, I would like some suggestions. I am starting to log my intake into MyFitnessPal and be mindful of what I am consuming. I've set a limit if 1,000 calories. Any motivating tips or encouragement would be appreciated. Anybody with similar stories who turned their ship around out there? Any advice, feedback or even tough love will be invited. I really want to hit my goal of 160 lbs, but doctor doesn't think I will based on statistics of my current weight loss and what I'm "trending". Hugs!

Hi there. I'm a newbie to this site/forum. Used ObesityHealth for all my pre/post op journey. I hadn't heard of this site though so giving it a go. You can never have to much support! My story, very briefly is that come Nov 2nd I'll be 4years post op from having a VSG. I just turned 31 on the 22nd of August, was 27 when I had the surgery though wanted it forever. I was always the fat kid even in high school when I suffered thru Ana/Mia/EDNOS. Had crazy co morbitities before surgery. High BP (took meds), type 2 diabetes (took needs and SS insulin), high cholesterol and my triglycerides were SO high my Dr couldn't get a read on the blood work-we tried numerous times. Needless to say everything became normal and after 6months post op I was able to drop all meds and insulin. I don't even test my blood sugar anymore. I was 6'4" and at my highest weight 435 lbs. I was 410 by surgery. My goal for myself was between 200&180lbs though I went and still go more by inches and measurements and how I feel more so than the scale. I quickly dropped to my lowest post-surgery weight of 220lbs within about 14months. However, I cross addicted and returned to old patterns of EXCESSIVE excersise to fill the other voids in my life I didn't want to face. It was to the point where if I had to work at 9am I'd be getting up at 2:30/3am to workout before work. And I always worked out at home. I'd start with a 15min Oxycise session (an aerobic breathing program that focuses on isometric/isotonic and stretch positions) then I'd move to weightlifting for an hour then a 30-40min session of Hip Hop Abs followed by 2hrs of Tae Bo and I'd finish it all off with an hour of Power Vinyasa Yoga. I did this daily for months on end and often without rest days. Eventually life happened and I started to realize how crazy I was being and tried to adjust. At this point I was happy with my body-in retrospect I was happy with myself but at the time I still saw the fat guy in the mirror who's Dr wanted me down to 170, I would have made peace with 200 at that point bc I was almost art my personal goal. Still, as fit as I was by scientific standards I was still obese, had a Dr pushing more loss and friends/daily worried I was "too skinny" and through all this I never took a breath to actually ask myself what I thought, where I wanted to be and where I'd be comfortable. Yeah, stupid. Then, started going out with friends, experiencing restaurant foods and things I'd never touched since surgery...including alcohol. Started dating and now living with my partner but in my comfort, indulgences and dealing with a back injury that limits my workouts now-prob for the best-I managed to gain back about 90lbs over the next 2 years or so which brings us to present day. I'm back looking for support from others who may have regained and are in the same boat and hopefully finding a friend(s) to lose the regain with. Also hoping to continue to help other post op newbies from making the same mistakes I made. Its quite easy if you're not careful. Anywho, that's my Story and why I'm here. Hope to chat with some of you and see you around the boards. Anyone else in this room in the regain boat?

Hi there. I'm a newbie to this site/forum. Used ObesityHealth for all my pre/post op journey. I hadn't heard of this site though so giving it a go. You can never have to much support! My story, very briefly is that come Nov 2nd I'll be 4years post op from having a VSG. I just turned 31 on the 22nd of August, was 27 when I had the surgery though wanted it forever. I was always the fat kid even in high school when I suffered thru Ana/Mia/EDNOS. Had crazy co morbitities before surgery. High BP (took meds), type 2 diabetes (took needs and SS insulin), high cholesterol and my triglycerides were SO high my Dr couldn't get a read on the blood work-we tried numerous times. I was 6'4" and at my highest weight 435 lbs. I was 410 by surgery. My goal for myself was between 200&180lbs though I went and still go more by inches and measurements and how I feel more so than the scale. I quickly dropped to my lowest post-surgery weight of 220lbs within about 14months. However, I cross addicted and returned to old patterns of EXCESSIVE excersise to fill the other voids in my life I didn't want to face. It was to the point where if I had to work at 9am I'd be getting up at 2:30/3am to workout before work. And I always worked out at home. I'd start with a 15min Oxycise session (an aerobic breathing program that focuses on isometric/isotonic and stretch positions) then I'd move to weightlifting for an hour then a 30-40min session of Hip Hop Abs followed by 2hrs of Tae Bo and I'd finish it all off with an hour of Power Vinyasa Yoga. I did this daily for months on end and often without rest days. Eventually life happened and I started to realize how crazy I was being and tried to adjust. At this point I was happy with my body-in retrospect I was happy with myself but at the time I still saw the fat guy in the mirror who's Dr wanted me down to 170, I would have made peace with 200 at that point bc I was almost art my personal goal. Still, as fit as I was by scientific standards I was still obese, had a Dr pushing more loss and friends/daily worried I was "too skinny" and through all this I never took a breath to actually ask myself what I thought, where I wanted to be and where I'd be comfortable. Yeah, stupid. Then, started going out with friends, experiencing restaurant foods and things I'd never touched since surgery...including alcohol. Started dating and now living with my partner but in my comfort, indulgences and dealing with a back injury that limits my workouts now-prob for the best-I managed to gain back about 90lbs over the next 2 years or so which brings us to present day. I'm back looking for support from others who may have regained and are in the same boat and hopefully finding a friend(s) to lose the regain with. Also hoping to continue to help other post op newbies from making the same mistakes I made. Its quite easy if you're not careful. Anywho, that's my Story and why I'm here. Hope to chat with some of you and see you around the boards. Anyone else in this room in the regain boat?

Best of luck Denise - I hope things are going well and you are on the mend already! I dont mind sharing what meds I take - not at all. I currently take Wellbutrin SR - the Sr stands for slow release I believe, I am supposed to take one in the am and another later in the day but oneseems just fine. I was prescribed this medicine when I wanted to stop smoking (which I did on November 1, 2010 after 28 years of a pack and a half a day habit.) My doc prescribed Wellbutrin because I have anxiety issues - mentioning that the other popular smoking cessation drug Chantix, could send folks with anxiety into a tail spin ( meaning it can really ramp you up). I asked my GP how it works and she said with a chuckle that they really aren't sure why it works so well to help quit smoking. It is not an SSRI, I have a long and diverse history with those as well. The nice thing about the Wellbutrin is that it does not have the heinous side effect of killing the libido or making it so that one cannot reach climax - which I hear is common. My docs at the WL surgery office have kept me on the Wellbutrin, as it also has a positive effect for folks trying to lose and maintain their weight, I don't notice a huge difference in how I feel with it - I do know that I seem to be on a much more even keel than in the past. I'll take it. I also take a lot of anti-histamines for allergy and dermatological issues - I worked with accelerated solvents and oxidizing chemicals for decades and I am hyper sensitive to my environment. My skin, eyes, and mucous membranes are super easy to irritate - so it is a continual battle to keep inflammation at bay. Interestingly enough - anti-histamines are also considered useful in the treatment of generalized anxiety symptoms - which I have along with PTSD/acute anxiety (i.e. panic disorder) in a nutshell, a brutally abusive childhood spent with a raging alcoholic stepdad and a horrifying car crash in my early 20's that put me out of commission for a year are big elements of where this all came from - 'hi, nothing, nowhere is a safe place to be.' and welcome to using food as a substance to soothe and disappear. I take Klonopin when life is just too edgy, and when I know I will be in the passenger seat of the car for a long trip. I used to take this one daily just to get through the day in the late 90's when I finally found my way to the therapists couch. The potent cocktail of drugs I used to take daily were Zoloft, Trazadone at bedtime, and Ativan and then Klonopin(Clonazepam) on a daily basis. I was in rough shape back then, confronting issues for the first time. I went to therapy 3 times a week and then was in an eating disorder group as well - which was challenging as most of the other members were anorectics and bulimics, which while very similar to bingers/compulsive overeaters (meaning that one can turn into the other pretty easily they say.) those folks can be very hard on those they few as inferior. So now I just use Wellbutrin and the clonazepam as needed, and a lot of anti-histamines - hubby and I take the Safeway brand sleepy medicine - which is just Benadryl but a whole lot cheaper - if you look at the price on Zeequil, its the same stuff and they just charge an arm and a leg. Diphenhydramine is the anti-histamine. I have heard good things about L-methyfolate and ​Sam-e. I recently went off of melatonin because once its built up to a therapeutic level in my system I get serious nosebleeds - which seems to have happened to a lot of folks. Sheryl I have also taken the 5HTTP, seemed like good stuff but I was using my other regular meds so I am not sure if it makes a lot of difference. What is interesting - when I was in bad shape all that medication make me feel normal, My normal from waking until sleep was like being on fire without meds - I wanted to die - just dart out into traffic and have the pain just stop. Now - one Clonopin knocks me on my ass - I really feel it - whereas before I was in such a state that it just made the day tolerable enough to get through - so I could do the work needed in therapy to get a little better. I know that I am permanently imprinted by the bad things that happened in my life, that I will always be afraid of things - but it is better than it used to be. I have considered trying that flashing light therapy to help with the PTSD - I have heard good things about it.

I'm almost 7 weeks out. My dr said I can have alcohol. Went out Saturday to a club and ordered Malibu rum and cranberry. Drank it over 2 hours with water. I was fine. I'm down 33 lbs and 30 more to go. Every dr is different. I am 52. Was told over and over didn't need calcium and had bloodwork done and my calcium was too high! Gave up soda a long time ago. Sometimes miss carbonation. Coffee ok too but I don't drink it.

@dawn678. I am a nurse and actually worked for 5 years on a voluntary unit for patients who wanted to stop drugs and alcohol. I have never been judgemental with any of them. We are all human and we make choices that are good and not so good. I was inspired by many of them because they took the biggest step by admitting they had a problem. I loved working there, but my unit moved to a different hospital and I have been a nurse case manager ever since. I am by no means an expert and I am not providing medical advice, but I can tell you what I learned from my patients. Alcohol dependency is a very serious disease. Withdrawal symptoms can occur from stopping. After drinking for a period of time, a body can become dependent from the alcohol and adapts and it gets to the point where you drink just to function to avoid the withdrawal. Physical manifestations, irritability, confusion, fall risks, neuropathy, tremors, sweating, electrolyte imbalances, and abnormal cardiac rhythms. I took care of patients who were 1 bottle of wine a day to gallons of hard liquor per day. The patients who drank the heaviest would have the worst withdrawal and needed to be medically monitored with a heart monitor. Most of these patients would be treated with medication for the withdrawal for 3 days usually a benzodiazepine like Librium, or Arivan, and then started on Naltrexone, and then go to an inpatient therapy program for 21 to 30 days, or on going outpatient therapy. Inpatient is better, but outpatient can be successful if you have a good support system in place. AA is also a place to go for help. It depends on your insurance and also depends on what is available in your area. I have seen many patients be successful with treatment. It does work! If you don't have insurance, there are places that will take sliding scale, but keep in mind if you do go to any treatment facility, there will be people there that are not there for the right reasons. Don't allow anyone to distract or prevent you from getting better. The hardest part is making the call and just getting started. I truly wish you the best! You can do it!!!

@@Narda G congratulations on your surgery! I waited quite a while before having alcohol as I was worried about addiction transference. And I talked to my surgeon, who has no prohibitions for alcohol but recommends martinis over wine for the caloric intake. As for carbonation, I can't tolerate carbonation and it is not recommended for Lapband patients. Talk to your doctor and see what she/he has to say on both scores. And good luck to you -- you're doing beautifully.

Please don't judge, but I am looking for help. I drank a lot of alcohol before surgery and unfortunately have been drinking alcohol since about a month out and now I am almost a year out and at a stahl. I understand why and I would like to quit completely!!! It's very hard and want to know if anyone else is having this problem? What did you do to quit ? Thank you for not judging.

Just an update: I am so close to "One-derland" (weighing in the 100's) that I can taste it! Wah - I'm so excited! I was banded 8 months ago, and I am down 58 pounds. I currently weigh 201 lbs. I have not been in the 100's for 15 years... I was 160 when I became pregnant with our baby girl... and then I ballooned up to 259 lbs in the 15 years that followed. Now I'm down these 58 pounds I have changed my lifestyle and my relationship with food significantly. I am alcohol-free, (that habit was packing on thousands of calories a week!) plus I no longer eat rice, Pasta, bread or chips. I am on the treadmill 3-4 times a week and my FitBit tracks my steps. I have learned not to be too attached (yes, I still do some serious comparing from time to time) to the results of others and realize that my progress is mine and mine alone. unique to me. Patience, patience patience... and trusting in my process. This is why I am in love with my band - it is my constant companion and serves to remind me of what a healthier ME feels (and looks!) like.

I read through a few of your previous posts. You ate fried chicken the day before surgery and you've already tried alcohol when you aren't even a month post-op. Now you think starving yourself is the way to lose the most amount of weight so you can make your boyfriend happy? You need to go see a psychiatrist. Like now. Please. You are making so many stupid decisions that can hurt your body permanently or even kill you. I think you don't realize how serious this surgery is...

Well, I think I have the best doctor in the world and I had absolutely no alcohol restriction except that you should be avoiding getting calories from liquids. There is some statistical data that indicates a higher rate of alcoholism in WLS patients, but there is also a higher rate of sex addiction. The fact is that if you are a food addict and the surgery takes away, or impedes that addiction an addiction transfer can occur. Just take it easy and talk to your doctor if you can.

Just catching up on this thread -- not sure why it hasn't been coming up for me but glad that people are posting here in our little sub-group. We are having a beautiful summer here, which is so welcome after a long hard winter. Gardening a lot and quite active which feels good. I'm having anxiety, though, and trying to learn how not to anticipate situations and get tense in advance and generally how not to let myself get overwhelmed. A lot of aging parent issues, teenager at home, friend with ALS, needy neighbors. I have to go back to choosing myself first, seeing to it that my needs are met FIRST....did I take my Vitamins and BP medication, how is my sleep, am I having too much tea, how about alcohol, do I need to stretch, etc. I'm really better at taking care of other people and need to selfish-up again. Have been dealing with some employer harassment issues that are so complicated I had to get a therapist (guy is crazy). Being forced to stand up for myself in a major way and not be fearful. It has taken a lot out of me. There are the issues of my weight loss, looking and feeling good and then along came the inappropriate attention. Such a blow to my professional integrity and self-esteem but I will be stronger in the long run for getting in touch with this anger that I feel.

My surgeon also recommends no alcohol at all after surgery.

Also, don't forget that alcohol is predominately sugar in the way it is metabolized.

I've tried to approach it with a "why wait for the surgery to begin losing" view. It's been very revealing. I cut out beer, rum and all other alcohol at the very beginning. Turns out to have been easier than cutting back simple carbs. I've caved in to doughnuts and pizza more than once. A back injury woke me up and had me consider the bypass surgery.....healing has been stubborn but it's occurring while I'm slowly losing weight.....hoping to be able to begin exercise very soon. This will help me better prepare for the bypass procedure. I really needed to face this stuff now.....well ahead of my surgery. Like I said....it's been really revealing.

@@csg Hi - sorry about the delay in responding - I was on a wilderness vacation and without internet (what a treat!). Yes I was indeed tempted to overeat before I was in the green zone. This was case of me looking at food through my "old" eyes, rather than listening to my band and paying attention when it told me, "YOU HAVE HAD ENOUGH - time to STOP". I would overeat (old habits die hard) and then feel ill/bloated or have a "sticking" episode. I learned pretty quickly, even when I was not in the green zone, that I needed to listen to my body more and realize that I no longer had the capacity to eat the way I used to. No, I never did slider foods like ice cream. I don't have a sweet tooth and I dislike creamy anything! So for me, cutting out flour, rice and Pasta were the trick for me to begin my weight loss. That and listening to my band. When it gave me a cue that I was sated, I would stop. I watched Dr. O'Brien's "8 Golden Rules of lap band" videos again and again and again until the information was drilled into my head. These helped me a lot! The kicker for me was cutting out all alcohol (see my other post - "my wine-free life") and then I started exercising on a treadmill (seriously - a freakin' treadmill!). Those two things have been instrumental in kick-starting my decent down the scale.

I had to agree to never drink alcohol again. Yup, for the rest of my life. Apparently there is a high rate of WLS patients becoming alcoholics/drinking in large quantities after surgery. My surgeon called it food transfer addiction. Instead of being addicted to food we become can become addicted to alcohol. I don't miss it. But two weeks post op? Yikes! Your pouch is still new and is not healed.

How long before your doctor ok'd you to have alcohol? Mine is very strict, no booze what so ever for the first year. I had to sign a contract.

Were you given a post op eating plan from your surgeon or nutritionist? Everyone's plan varies a little bit, but I would say NO to alcohol that soon after surgery. Your stomach is brand new and healing. I can't imagine any doctor being ok with you drinking that soon post op.

Before surgery, I would have told you that I just liked the "taste" of food and that's why I was overweight. I am 4.5 months out and I can tell you that was only half of the story. I also liked the quantity of food that I ate. Once I was back on regular food at 6 weeks, I was excited to be able to go out to eat again. After a couple of times going out, I found myself saying "oh what the hell. I might as well not eat at all because I can only handle a couple of bites anyways." Now if I really only liked the "taste" of food, then eating out would have still been enjoyable. What I really missed was being able to sit around with friends for an hour and gorge on food. I never realized that until after the surgery which seems so dang obvious now. I have now gotten used to only being able to eat a little bit and it's not a problem for me anymore. I can enjoy going out to eat and not feel bummed out about it. The head game after surgery was much harder than the physical part of it. I went to a wedding a couple of weekends ago and they had an amazing chef cater the food. He did about 15 different appetizer type dishes and I was bummed that I could only have one bite of about 5-6 of them. What I wasn't bummed about was being 50 pounds lighter and not hiding when everyone pulled their cameras out. It is absolutely worth it but it IS an adjustment for sure. I feel better because I am eating food that is good for me and also because I am a couple of sizes smaller now. As for alcohol, I can take about 2 sips of beer and it makes me feel way too full. I can drink a small amount of wine but too much makes me feel sick. I think it's the sugar. Also, if I finish an entire glass of wine, I am seriously blitzed. It doesn't last long but I am a super cheap date now. Hopefully that answers some of your questions. Best of luck to you.