Search the Community

Torose, I am not sure if I am doing anything "special" or different. I try to eat my Protein (60g) , then vegetable, then starch. I also try to drink 64 ounces of Water, very little juice and I don't drink soda. I try to work out everyday but realistically, I average 3-4 days per week on the elipitical, for 25 minutes. I don't eat more than 1 cup of food per meal. I eat 3-4 meals per day and I eat fruits. I don't drink alcohol, also. I attend a monthly support meeting, visit my dietician and doctor, for follow-up visits and tests. Also, I try to track my food and exercise on www.MyFitnessPal.com.

Might be reflux developing (citrus, spices, alcohol, etc. make the burning worse). It's a very common banding side effect so keep an eye on things.

I discovered that I am intolerant of Xylitol, one of the "alcohol" types of artificial sweeteners. It causes gas, cramping, etc. I take some Gas-X when I inadvertently consume some and it takes care of the problem. It seems strange that you would be intolerant of all of those artificial sweeteners since many are not even chemically related. Does your surgeon require you to consult with a nutritionist as part of your pre-op plan? He/she would be the best person to help you with this issue. This should only be a problem for you during the liquid diet phases. Good luck........Dan

Well, you've had a little band vacation, and now it's time to get back to work! First of all, consider getting another fill. If you don't know how many cc's you had before the unfill, ask your surgeon or the person who does the fills. Then ask for a fill that's not quite as much as that. For example, if you had 8 cc's and they took out 1 cc, ask for a fill of .5 cc (that's just an example - there's no magic fill amount that will get you going again). Then, pick one thing to change about your behavior. If you've been drinking alcohol, that would be a good place to stop since alcohol is empty calories and loosens your inhibitions so that a bag of chips or Cookies looks like a dandy idea. When you've got that behavior under control, pick another one, like exercise. It might help if you found yourself a "jalkwing" buddy who'll expect you to show up to walk/run at a given time, and keep you company while you do it. Then pick another behavior, like eating sugary stuff. Go through your kitchen, pantry, fridge, freezer, car, desk, locker, or wherever else that stuff might be stashed. Throw out opened packages and donate the unopened ones to a food bank or neighbor or friend. You can do it!

I think it is different for different people. If the group of people who you spend time with socially only socialize based on eating food to excess, you may want to change the people you socialize with. It would be like alcoholics who give up drinking or drug addicts who give up the drugs not socializing with their previous drinking / drugging buddies. Other than that - I don't think your best friend and sister should be concerned. Good Luck with the journey! I have never been happier.

I'm not much of a drinker to begin with, but I'll admit that I had a sip of wine at 5 weeks out because it was my birthday. It kinda burned a little going down but otherwise did nothing. It was one sip of wine, no need to slam me. I had my first real drinks at 3 months out. I had 3 glasses of wine over the course of an evening. Guess what.. no difference at all in how I was affected. Nice little buzz but I wasn't falling down drunk, blacking out, or acting stupid. I haven't tried hard booze yet, but I can say from experience that wine affects me exactly the same way it did pre-surgery. If I want to get stupid drunk on wine, I'll have to drink a considerable amount of it. Fortunately I have no desire to get stupid drunk (or pile in all those extra calories.) As for weight loss, drinking is bound to have an adverse effect. Calories aside, the body will burn alcohol before anything else, so while you are burning alcohol, you aren't burning through those evil carbs or, in the absence of carbs, attacking the fat. All that said, I WILL be drinking 4th of July weekend and I might maybe possibly even choose to get drunk. If I gain weight over the weekend, it will be my own fault and I will pay for it and fix it. Even we sleevie peeps gotta live a little once in a while. Again, I'm not much of a drinker in any case, but I would say that anyone who has a great liking for alcohol should just avoid it entirely.

Hey everyone I was wondering when is it ok to go out for drinks like beers or liquor I'm 2 months out I know I sound stupid but it's gonna be 4th of July and I want to Celebrate Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

So I'm THREE days away from my surgery...more than a year into this program.my surgery is covered by my state insurance and I have complied to every criteria they have laid out. 6 months of nutrition classes, endoscopy, psych testing, quit smoking, don't do druids, don't drink, gave up coffee, lost 49 lbs, got the IVC filter...and 4 days before the surgery, they decide because I mentioned once in one of my many doctor visits in the past 6 months that I drink occasionally, that I did not follow the criteria for my state to cover the surgery. The thing is. I haven't had a drink, but I have consumed alcohol at random points in my life...weddings...party...once in a blue moon. I had to practically beg the lady at my state insurance co to believe me and I got an "I'll email the decision team and we will let you know." For real? Can this be before I start the Clear liquids diet on Wednesday and are you trying to test me??? Ugh. Thanks for letting me vent.

I don't think it's a good idea this early out, you're still healing. My doc recommends at least 3-6 months before alcohol. There can also be detrimental impact to your liver as it's working overtime due to rapid weight loss.

I say go for it! My philosophy is that you have to LIVE your life and squeeze as much joy out of it as you can. So, if that means you have a glass of wine occasionally, you should do it. Remember, however, that alcohol can lead to an increase in appetite and MINDLESS eating. So, be careful. I am 6 weeks out and had a glass of wine at my girlfriend's birthday at 3 weeks out. I took tiny sips all night long and really made it last! Plus, I carried the glass with me in one hand and a napkin in the other, so I had something in my hands all the time, which made me really think everytime I found myself reaching for chips and finger foods or the desserts that folks brought to the party. Good luck!

I've been banded since Aug and started experimenting with alcohol about 2 months out. Being in grad school, it was nice to be able to go out with friends. A few things to keep in mind: 1) double check with your doctor if it's ok 2) you won't be able to have a lot 3) instead of getting big drinks, ask for shots (or shot versions of your drinks) that way you get the taste of it without the calories or immense amount of liquid. Good luck and have fun!

I just turned 21 6 months ago and I'm about 6 weeks post op. I was wondering if anyone had tried drinking so soon after surgery? I know your not supposed to drink at least 6 months after surgery, but it seems to be really hard because all of my friends want to go out! Now I'm not talking about anything crazy because I know how alcohol is like pure calories but I was thinking maybe half a glass of wine or something. What are your thoughts?

I am 10 months out. Yes there is a very very small chance of a leak which is usually out of your control. I think the stats are 1%. Personally I have had no issues except a few gallbladder attacks from losing weight too quickly - which a lot of us unfortunately have to deal with. I can eat and drink whatever with no issues including alcohol it is the same for me as before. I have not experienced any form of dumping. So I still have my "treat" days. Weddings, parties etc. I am at first goal now of a normal BMI for the first time in my life and of course I have no regrets! My only concern now is maintenance and keeping vigilant about regain etc. Goodluck with your surgery and decision

I just returned from a cruise and came home 1/2 pound lighter than when I left! It was a little frustrating at times - cruises are known for their good food, in abundance! The good thing about it is that the portions are not huge so you can order a few courses and eat a bit of each and not overdo it. I'd order salad and an entree at dinner (when everyone else ordered appetizers and soup besides) and only eat a few bites of each (I'm really tight, had a fill just before I left - I wanted to be tight, I know that's weird but I couldn't bear the thought of gaining anything) I ordered dessert almost every night at dinner and still lost that 1/2 pound. Some tips: I took the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible. I walked a lot on shore excursions (I tried to choose ones that I knew involved lots of activity) I didn't drink calories - I know that's really hard for some people, but I'm not a huge drinker so not having alcohol wasn't that huge a deal for me - I'd rather have ice cream than a margarita. I drank water. I didn't eat anything between meals (that wasn't that hard - I ate enough at meals that I wasn't hungry between meals, half the time I wasn't hungry when I sat down to a meal either!) Have fun on your cruise!

I can tell you, the alcohol doesnt affect me any differently than before, BUT it definitely makes you say "to hell with this diet" and eat things you arent supposed to. Thats what I did last night and after going out drinking I stopped at Jack in The Box and binged on things Im not supposed to eat. Especially since I got my fill on Monday and am supposed to be only on full liquids for a week...so be careful!

You are pretty much supposed to leave those on (steri-strips) until they fall off. If they are a little ragged on the edges, trim it up so it doesn't catch on something. I wasn't given any instructions regarding those other than that they'd come off in about a week, so after about a week, I used a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol on it and it came right off, but you might talk to your doctor first just to be sure.

It's not worth it. I won't do the preachy thing as I am sure you heard it all before. But think about this major surgery as a beginning of healthier living. We were told that those who have WLS. often turn to alcohol (once permitted) b/c food was an addiction that the stomach does not allow. She did not say smoking b/c technically nobody should per their understanding, but I found it interesting that they've seen alcoholism with WLS and that addiction factor b/c you mentioned the need to smoke is similar to your old need to eat.

I have had pancreatitis myself, not a fun disease. I had my gallbladder removed in 1983, in the bad old days it was An open procedure. General surgeon walks in my room, announces We'll have to remove your gallbladder-haha,its been gone for 30+ years, then asks how long I've abused alcohol. Wrong Bozo, I don't drink. He further says But that's what usually causes it. Can you tell at at that point he is not,my favorite person? I had been laying there in a state of peace when he barreled in. Well Sherlock, I told him, you'd better,put, on your thinking cap cause you just struck out. They never did find out what caused my case so it went into the records as idiopathic, a fancy doctor word for Duhh I don't know what caused it either. You can get gallstones in your pancreatic duct as well as the biliary one.The two duct systems kinda go together and empty,their,products into the small intestine. My surgeon in 1983 said he put gallstones on a charm bracelet for his wife. Don't know how long they lasted before they disintergrated. Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

Sorry everyone, I haven't checked this forum as often as I should have. Since coming back I have been swamped by people on facebook asking questions lol here are the answers to your questions you asked Robbdtn... I have not heard of anyone have a bad or negative experience at anytime down there in Juarez and I have talked to A LOT of people. I even talked to a lady that went their the week after I cam home and talked her through every experience she had. She had lots of pain (more than I had) but we never could figure out why. The pre-op diet I was on lasted for 2 weeks. I started 3 days early just to give myself a chance to get used to it in case I slipped up. I thought I would totally blow it, but I never did. Come to find out, even if you do mess up on the diet, the Dr. Rod will still go ahead with the surgery. I was told by my facilitator that they have never turned anyone away, pre-op diet or not. The diet is just to help shrink your liver so there is less bleeding, but they are experienced enough to deal with a fatty bleeding liver though. Try to stick to the diet as best as possible though, the pre-op diet is easy peasy anyway, just gotta set your mind to do it. Lots of Water, lots of meat. That's about it lol if you love steak, it's the best diet ever! After surgery, I got nauseous twice in the hospital but as long as you keep a cottonball soaked in rubbing alcohol nearby to sniff when your mouth waters, you'll be fine. As far as pain goes. It was absolutely manageable with pain medicine. Even if you don't feel pain, if the nurses offer it...take it. Better safe than sorry lol as soon as you can stand up and walk, WALK. They want you to walk twice and hour, but I walked once ever few hours because I liked sleeping more. The breathing treatments hurt at first, but you have to keep blowing that damn tiny tuba until your diaphragm resets itself. But honestly, for me....at no point in time was the pain unbearable. Towards the end, the only pain I really complained about was my headache from sleeping too much. I am a full time student and don't work, but I returned to class exactly 5 days after surgery (3 days home) and just took it easy and wore loose fitting clothes and kept a small pillow with me for my back. Today marks 3 weeks after my surgery and I have lost 22 pounds since then. It's not a whole lot, but in the past 3 weeks my double chin is now gone. I have not been doing any exercising other than a few minutes of walking a day. My clothes are more loose and I can see considerable shrinkage all over. Remember, with all the Protein we take in, we are building muscle right now so weight loss might be slow, but we are still losing inches! The only thing I would do differently is packed lighter and not taken a bus across Texas LOL. All you really need to pack is pajamas, toiletries, cell phone/charger. You can go home in the clothes you came in as long as you don't sweat profusely! If you need anything else, feel free to message me directly Lastly, Mattr2...cute profile pic

I just left from Vegas. It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. At the buffets, I chose the meats first, and then ate vegetables. I just had a spoonful of desert. Even at a burger place. In took the meat off and ate that. The only issue I had was not drinking so close to eating, and if course the drinking alcohol. I realized that I am now that I can only drink 1 1/2 glasses of wine .

You'll have to make your own choice about whether or not to drink. I usually don't get any alcohol, but will sip from my husband's. YMMV. I thought I'd share this post from another band site discussing alcohol and it's effect on weight loss. Alcohol inhibits the hormones that make you feel full, promotes the hormones that make you hungry, and lowers your inhibitions. Yes, people tend to eat more when they drink. Plus alcohol is basically a toxin that your liver has to process and it doesn't process food in the same way while it's process alcohol. It takes about 3 days to get rid of the alcohol completely. So for every day you have a drink you'll generally go 3 days without losing weight. That doesn't seem like a good trade off. One can get by with a few sips of wine before dinner but a 5 ounce serving of red is about 130 calories. When one is trying to eat 1200 calories there's not a lot of room to spend a 10th of the daily allotment on alcohol.

My surgeon cleared alcohol after two months. He doesn't encourage it because of empty calories.

Slow and steady loss is probably much healthier, anyway - you're still well on your way. Dr. Fox mentioned at my first fill (and I had already found this out) ".. as far as alcohol, you ALWAYS have an empty stomach now". His nutritionist also mentioned that I would now be cheap date. How true.

Hello...I have 8 years clean and sober and I am being banded in Mexico on April 16, 2009...I feel like I am checking back into rehab now that I have a surgery date...I am looking to see if there is anyone local to me who would be interested in correspondence/support. It seems like staying clean is easy-just stay away from it, BUT WE ALL HAVE TO EAT!! UGH...I am taking it second by second.HOLDING ON!!!

How about vodka and cranberry? White wine? I don't think alcohol is conducive to weight loss but this sounds like a special occasion so in moderation should be just fine. Have a great time!