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hi there and welcome! I am glad you are taking steps now to get healthy! My weight also came on after my second child. I gained 60lbs in that pregnancy and never lost it after. I just keep gaining. Unfortunately I waited another 32 years to do something about it. I will do my best to answer your questions. 1) My insurance requires a 6 month diet. I just had a baby this past December. I'm a diabetic so I had to follow a strict diet my while pregnancy. I saw my endo once a month. My question is, do you think this will count as my 6 months or will I need to start over? My insurance company was pretty strict about the 6 month supervised diet. They had a specific form that had to be completed by a physician or nutritionist. I did not have to lose weight. I started the process at the end of December and had surgery at the end of September. The good news is I was able to begin building good habits during that time in preparation for post surgery. 2) After my baby was born I ballooned in weight and it hasn't stopped. I've gained 60 lbs since then. I want to stop gaining and hopefully lose before my surgery. What kind of diets did people follow pre-op? (Not the 2 week liver shrink one) I used a high Protein low carb diet. I started drinking 64 oz. of Water immediately. No alcohol, soda or sugary drinks. No caffeine. For me this was fairly easy as I didn't drink, smoke, drink soda or caffeine. The biggest change was getting my liquids in. Sounds easy, it is not if you normally don't do it. So many times hunger pangs are actually signs of dehydration. 3) After your insurance approved the surgery how long did it take for you to get the operation? I got my approval back the same day it was submitted. I was in the operating room 3 weeks later. 4) Last one! I'll need to pay 30% of the surgery plus my deductible. I'm getting the RNY. How much was your surgery cost (before insurance)? Did you need to pay it all upfront? And how did you afford the part insurance won't pay? I had met my $6000 deductible prior to my surgery so I cannot help you with this one. I had so many medical issues that just my meds alone helped to meet this. This is what happens when you wait too long to lose weight and get healthy. I went from 8 very expensive medications to 2. I wish you all the best moving forward and I truly am thrilled that you are doing something about it while you are young and hopefully before you do damage to your body. We only get one body, and I have learned the hard way that you must take care of it.

The body does not require carbohydrates to live properly. The body does require Protein and fat. That said, if you do not have any diabetes or pre-diabetes carbs are not as critical to restrict. Atkins bars are tricky. They contain sugar alcohols and according to Atkins diet planning do not count towards carb count.....neither does the Fiber. I find sugar alcohols do count towards my carb count as well as provide side effects that cause me uncontrolled diarrhea. If your NUT is one you trust....trust. If not, find another that is less Atkins in his/her approach. I did spend quite some time eating red meat only and lived just fine on ZERO carbs for over a year. it is really what you can modify in your diet and live with LONG-TERM. Otherwise it is nothing but a quick fix that will not be followed and weight regain will occur. I know all about this.

I told my mom because she was my ride home from the hospital. I asked her not to tell other family members except my dad. I don't think of my family as "haters" but they are definitely judgy and many are the "skinny all my life; fat people are lazy and gluttonous" types. Actually, the overweight ones are worse in that they know all the answers, they just haven't gotten around to applying them. My husband made me tell the kids and that was the right thing to do. I'm not telling any friends except 3 close ones. They have all been very supportive. I'm happy that I haven't told other friends, family or any coworkers. I just don't want to be judged or questioned about my choice. But I will share this one great conversation I had with my close friend (size 4 her whole life) about my concerns that some people would judge me that I'd taken "the easy way" out of my weight problem. Her response? "B*tch, please! You just told me that you've given up coffee, alcohol, smoking, and croissants! That sure doesn't sound like the easy way to me!" I love that chick.

I was having trouble with the idea of having surgery. I then started to think about food as an addiction. I asked myself whether or not a drug addict or an alcoholic who had the option to have surgery would do it, and whether or not their choice to do so would be frowned upon. This helped me with my decision to get the sleeve. This is a GREAT post. Thanks!

It has been over a year since I blogged? wow, I cannot believe it. I am holding up okay, right at 165-168. I do need to loose more, but I have not really been working at it. I have had another issue, come up and I just want to talk about it a litte. I have been drinking wayyy too much. I used to be someone who could have 1/2 glass of wine and throw it away because I just didn't want anymore. I guess I have a cross additction. I have been searching the internet about the topic and apparently it is more prevelant than I thought. I thought I was the only one. I am relieved that I am not. It started in 2009, I think. I would buy some 2.5 buck chuck from Trader Joes. It went down so easy and tasted so good, I just kept buying it, by the caseload! I knew something was not right, but I could not stop and it continued. I really noticed that I had been drinking at least one bottle of wine in December of 2009. I could not remember a day when I did not have anything to drink, crazy, right? I could go one or two days without drinking. But not a week and not a month. I would say to myself (just like the diets) "okay as of the first of the month, I am not going to drink or I am not going to drink until my next vacation. Well, that would never happen. I would keep drinking and drinking. I have now become an alcoholic, which is a bad thing, but the great thing is I was able to go to a meeting yesterday and with the help of AA, I hope to have a sober life. I am taking it one day at a time. I am sharing this because if you are having the same issues, weather it be alcohol, drugs, gambling, sex, etc. I want you to know that you are not alone and can contact me at anytime, for support. I thought I had my food addiction kicked, but it just manifested itself in another addiction.

It been a year so far and i had that moment in the first few weeks of what did I do when you realize all the things you have to keep up with and can't eat. I am really glad I had the surgery. I went from a 24 to a 10 and have lost 105lbs. My only regret is while losing I almost lost myself and became a lil vain. Honestly this has disrupted my life and I became someone I was not and did somethings i would never do. Now im paying for them. I'm not gonna get into the details but your eating habbits and addictions can transfer into alcohol or attention like they did for me. Message me if you want more details but I still wouldn't have changed my decision for surgery. I thought I did all my homework but forgot to look at the emotional after effects of the surgery. Good luck.

Thanks so much for the kind words! I obviously can't speak for everyone but it seems to me that the bad and the ugly, along with the good, is how we learn. I think of myself as a "recovering" foodaholic. And just like a "recovering" alcoholic, I'll a l w a y s be a "recovering" foodaholic. Thanks to RNY, I fully expect to live a long life and that means I'll have to be cautious and aware of potential pitfalls - for a long time. Along those lines, I'd love to hear about what you have learned regarding the cause of the dilated anastamosis. How common is it? Does it often occur at a specific time range or period following RNY? Is it related to too much food? Or perhaps getting in the habit of not chewing well enough or taking bites that are too large? Anything you would care to share, post or PM, would be very much appreciated. Thanks again!!

Morning, everyone, I remember when I first met with my surgeon, we talked about our shared love of good wine...grief, I think we have about 3 cases of the stuff in our basement! My husband and I have had wonderful times going to wineries in various parts of the country and seeing what they have to offer. We've even taken wine tasting classes, so we can at least APPEAR intelligent when we're at the tasting bars, lol! Met some nice people, too. Anyway, my surgeon said, "It's a good thing, then, that you're choosing the Band- eventually, you'll be able to have small amounts of wine from time to time. It will affect you more quickly in much smaller amounts than you're used to, though, so you'll have to be prepared for that." Everything is a choice, as others have said. Although I enjoy wine, if I had been told that I could never drink again in exchange for prolonging my life and regaining good health, it would definitely not be a difficult decision for me not to drink. I'm not going to sit in judgement, though, for those who make other choices. Just a small suggestion, for what it's worth...you might want to think about trying alcohol at home the first time round, so that you'll experience whatever new effects you may have in a private environment. Then, if you decide to go forward and drink in public, you'll at least know what to expect. I hope it works out for you! Best, Chris

LOL I love the title of your post. YES, you can have a freakin drink for sure!!! It will not hurt your band and your stomach will process it the same as it did pre-band. Those that say that it goes to their head faster... that can be explained just by the fact that taking in fewer calories (like being on any diet), you will get tipsy/drunk faster because you have less food in your stomach. Of course, it is high in calories, and they are empty calories so you gotta watch that aspect of it (just like you would on a diet). And, just like someone who loves Cookies and has one or two as a treat, that is fine if you can really stop at one or two. If you gotta eat the whole bag once you get started, then you are surely better off just giving it up. I think its great that you are already thinking about doing extra exercise to make up for it. Also, make sure to drink extra Water (since alcohol is dehydrating).

Most things in life are OK in moderation. That includes food, alcohol, shopping, gambling...etc...etc. I could go on for days, but the fact of the matter is that this is all a learning experience because if we were all able to "control" ourselves and all of our things in moderation we wouldn't be on this board.:biggrin: So, with that....I have indulged twice since being banded. Prior to healthy lifestyle, I could easy drink a small bottle of wine at a holiday or dinner party. Since the band...half way through the first glass, I am buzzed. I like my new life!

Sheesh, lighten up already! We have to have normal lives. Yes, we know the occasional drink or cookie is not good for us, but the operative word is occasional. I also heard that a little alcohol goes a long way, so I'd say drink v e r y slowly and follow with a glass of Water. Do more talking with your friends than drinking, pick a DD, and enjoy yourself.

Really? You can't get over it? LOL Look, at 4 weeks postop, there's little to no restriction. There just AREN'T the brakes yet in place. It's the time when we should be focusing on adopting healthier new habits---which, sure, will be breached from time to time. The time to breach those new habits is once they are firmly in place---not right out of the starting gate. Yes, life will involve veering off plan occasionally. Often deliberately, and usually with absolutely no adverse consequence. But why NOT take advantage of this time to master the learning curve. After you've got it down, THEN you can play around a little. Really--is a drink all that important? So important that you "can't get over" the advice not to drink so early in the game? Because if that's the case, you may well be one of the ones posting, in a year, that you just can't get over how you've only lost 10 pounds since you were banded. Re: absorption of alcohol. Our stomach capacities are smaller. Alcohol will therefore take the place of other foods and fluids our bodies need. It's dehydrating, so it's important to alternate it with nonalcoholic Fluid, and to put the brakes on early so that you can give your BODY what it NEEDS--not your MIND what it WANTS. And no, the enhanced intoxication isn't psychological. Tolerance is reduced when intake is so low.

I think i'm just having one of those pitty party days. . . i'm just feeling sorry for myself today. . . i don't want to discourage anyone from getting their surgery, it's a good surgery and will help anyone who needs it. . . but i didn't realize that food is used for so many things. .as a comfort tool and that i snacked so much before. . i always thought i had it under control . . . now that i can't even get as much as 4 oz in, and only of 1 thing, well i'm feeling sorry for myself. . . i'll get over it, probably just "withdrawal" sorta like an alcoholic i guess. . . have to go to a support class which falls on the 21st. . . the eye opened yesterday when daughter and i came home from getting her stitches out from her surgery. . . usually we would go to our favorite restaurant and have have a nice Mexican dinner. . .El Saboritos . . . this time all i could do is take her to sonic and watch. . . . but i did good, i hung in there with my stupid cottage cheese and Jello . . . yummmy . . . then of course i still have to cook for my family, well today is pot roast, mashed potatoes and corn. . . me, well yogurt and Protein powder, yummmmy. . . . i know this will pass one day but in the mean time i'm just feeling under the weather i guess. . . . thanks for listening!

I'm only 2 months out, but I have a few things to contribute that I feel are appropriate. I stressed a lot over which surgery to have. BMI 40 at the highest. I wanted something reversible. I was scared. My mother had early bypass in the 90's and she suffers terribly now from mal-absorption, cant swallow important meds, can't eat. I got lucky with a rep for a travel surgery company over the phone who spent time with me discussing sleeve. Thank goodness she was insistent. I'm having an experience that seems not typical, but I am believing one thing from research and limited experience. Gastric sleeve makes the most logical sense as a concept when you break it down. Individuals vary but logically . . . It does not actually change the flow of the human body, or digestive system, it just keeps the natural flow, but reduces the pouch of your stomach size. It does not leave foreign objects like the band, port, etc in the body. Scarring is minimal, invasion is lower, recovery is faster. For me the recovery has been so fast it's almost unbelievable. It simply restricts you from overeating and presents you with a nauseous reminder to STOP, or SLOW DOWN constantly. Recovery seems to be the fastest for a general observation, Side effects for me have been nearly non-existent. I had a home made seltzer yesterday as an experiment (I do NOT call that "soda") and surprise, I did not die, explode, tear out my staples. Like all things in life, be smart, listen to your body. Seltzer provides an oral stimulation I enjoy within reason, and a squirt of some taste also can happen. Vitamin effectiveness is too early to gauge at 8 weeks, but at least taking those larger pill presents no problem like the eternal suffering my mother's radical bypass endures for 25 years, causing non adherence to vitamins, which then causes more problems. My anecdotal research tells me men have a vastly different easier experience when compared to women overall. ANECDOTAL. I'm just 2 months out, and of course years of a journey lie ahead. Oh by the way, I'm also HIV positive, 35 years healthy, never needed meds until proactive treatments started recently, and even those I have no problems with post surgery. Negatives I'm becoming aware of . . . you can find unhealthy high calorie foods that can slow or stop weight loss and slip by the restriction process. My personal example is Low Sugar Fudgesicles. I'm craving chocolate, I did not used to. I used to binge eat popsicles in general, now regular popsicles taste weird, but the sugar free chocolate products like Peppermint Patties, dark chocolate, in general also help because they have a laxative effect. I ate too many "Outshine' fruit low sugar popsicles last night watching Netflix (with no chill unfortunately) - and I vomited in my sleep, which strikes me as a bit potentially dangerous. I hope the negative reinforcement works. Tastes seem to change a bit. Cravings change. Whiskey/Scotch/Vodka tastes gross now unless it's an expensive super high quality bourbon. That may seem minor to you, but taste and craving changes can seem bizarre. I can sense a long term danger that mentally, I will "figure out" how to outsmart the surgery when I'm stressed and resorting to old eating behaviors and patterns. Last week I went to support a friend who is a cabaret theater singer, and there was pressure to order food and drink to keep the prime seating location we were in. I felt guilty for the waiter with me milking an appetizer and one drink for an hour and I pushed it ordering more food, and more alcohol, ill advised. I gained 2 pounds just from that stupid exercise. Thankfully avoided vomiting, but perhaps that would have been better mentally. My weight loss was so slow at first I was genuinely scared then angry. Then I resumed cardio exercises and teaching Zumba, which is twice as much exercise as just taking Zumba. Then the weight started falling off. Muscle tone is weird. I need to lift weights as I did when very overweight. It feels different. Hope this contributes and helps.

I drink bubbles occasionally with no issues. I do agree though that it can be quite acidic so I recommend going for top quality and dry. Think champagne rather than methode traditionelle. Of course,t his is dependant on how far out you are. I am twenty months post OP and had the all clear for alcohol at 6 weeks post OP. It was six months post OP before I had champagne. So your own plan needs to be taken into account here.

I would say No, IMO, in her case. The band does give some behavior modification.....over eat and you will experience pain, and/or vomiting. It has definitely changed my approach to food! It takes somewhat of a even tempered individual to understand, "This pain in my head only happens when I constantly hit myself in the head with a hammer" so "If I stop banging my head with the hammer, the pain will go away" DUH! People with addictions know all too well what the outcomes will be....they just don't care! They're either in denial or have a "Death Wish" I've known both, and lost some friends at an early age. Getting banded, Strictly IMO, would probably create more damage than help. I don't think, again IMO, that they would get the Physc. clearance which is part of the pre-op testing. Compulsive disorders are all the same, it's just the "mechanism" that changes. Eating, Alcohol, Gambling, Drugs, Smoking.....generally brough about by anxiety. I know many Dr's prescribe Welbutrin, but to what success, I don't know.

Grace from Utah I can help but wonder where you got your information about Bill Clinton's cheating? He's heated on her for years and years and Monica wasn't the last time? How exactly do you know that? You got a crystal ball? How do you feel about George W. Bush's alcohol abuse, cocaine use and bad, bad performance in business? Same goes? He's always abused alcohol and the rest and he'll always abuse alcohol and the other stuff?

If cheating is eating small, balanced portions, restricting carbs, fats, soda and alcohol , staying hydrated, & exercising FOR LIFE, then I guess I am a cheater. If my friends think they could lose 100# honestly eating carrots and celery sticks, they are saints. If losing weight were easy requiring NO SACRIFICES then the whole world would never struggle with their weight. Honestly, I hope the few friends I DO tell will feel a level of compassion for me that I had to go to such extreme measures to be normal

I think you both need help. It sounds to me like this marriage has perhaps been desolving for a while. Here is something I want you to think about.... I am the child of a mother who had just one or two glasses of wine a night. If you are to the point of falling down drunk, that is an alcoholic. If you can not live with alcohol and you are refusing to quit because you like it too much, you are on your way to becoming an alcoholic. I think you personally need to evaluate your personal issues. I think your husband needs to evaluate his personal issues. Heck we all have them, we all need to grow up. Compromise and learning each other. Wasn't he a smart ass before this point? Is this new? If my husband did that I would laugh. Thing is I sometimes take things too seriously and he tries to remind me that life isn't that serious. To have fun with it. Your marriage is in trouble it has nothing to do with the weight loss.

I’m suffering. I’m rubbish. I’m a failure. I can’t do it. I didn’t think I should write about this on a weight loss surgery blog as it doesn’t entirely have relevance. Especially as I signed out almost two months ago saying I wouldn’t be writing any more. Ah, but how the slow winter nights of insomnia have a way of thrusting the urge to splurge upon one’s frame. So, why am I suffering? Why am I rubbish? A failure? And what exactly can’t I do? All will be revealed in the next exciting paragraph. With as much stalling as I can muster – I am slowly coming to the painful realisation that I might well be an alcoholic. Ouch. Did I say that? Well – I may not be an alcoholic, but indeed I am a heavy drinker. All who know me and love or hate me will vouch for that very fact. But when it comes to being a true alcoholic – the definitions seem so muddy, I am not sure. Or am I? I have no withdrawal symptoms when I stop and I am not dependent, but – I continue to drink despite the negative social effects, despite the financial drain on my less than healthy financial state and despite the effects it has on my health. This is where I am stretching the relevance to a weight loss issue. But lately, I am wondering whether it is more closely linked than I initially thought. Over the last few months, my progress into the halls of The Temple of Normal BMI has halted. My eating has lessened and my exercise has increased. My drinking has also picked up a tad. Goddammit, there lies the big bloody bastard bugger-face staring me straight in the eyes. I know it’s there. I can see it plainly and simply. Alcohol is causing me to not lose weight, despite being over-tightened on the band front. Alcohol is causing me to slowly lose friends. Alcohol is causing me to lose money. Alcohol is having great effects on my family life and alcohol is causing me to hate myself. So you can see the attraction I have to it, eh! I am writing this because I am so disappointed in myself and have used this outlet to vent and eventually feel better about the problems at hand. However, I don’t think this problem is going to be sorted by vitriolic venting. What has become clear in this whole gastric band journey is the addiction I had to food – and probably still do. You may well catch me of an evening desperately trying to eat a juicy steak. After each mouthful – running to the lavatory to expel what I have just swallowed as my band is currently just a little too tight. I could easily eat less cumbersome things to ensure ease of passage – but I want the steak. And I will return to the plate and repeat the same procedure perhaps four or five times. Because the band hasn’t cured my need to satisfy my desire for flesh! But it has offered me a way to control it should I so desire. It has helped me realise my addiction more than anything else. A knowledge which I am grateful for; but sometimes a little foolhardy with. I have so far, despite my pitfalls and apparent bulimic state, been relatively good with all other food (I won’t bore you with my chocolate rushes). Booze on the other hand has no control in place. I am at its mercy. In fact, I am at MY mercy. Let’s face it – I decide when to drink – I am aware and I am fully conscious of what it is doing. I was under the grand illusions as I started to lose weight that I would quit drinking. I know the reason I do it and it is sadly very simple. I do it because I am terribly shy. When I have had a drink however, I am quite the opposite. I become bombastic, gregarious and hugely annoying and people, despite their best efforts, can’t fail to notice me. Something in me likes that. The shy retiring giant hates being shy and retiring and craves people to remember him. Even if it means the memories for them are bad and the memories for me are non-existent. I figured it would be the end to my drinking because I wouldn’t be so shy. Losing weight would give me more confidence and make me more outgoing and allow me to stand tall and have conversations with people on an equal standing knowing that they were talking to a person, not a walrus. But, such is life that when a walrus loses weight – it is still a walrus. I am still painfully shy and I still find it difficult to talk to people. Maybe years of fatness have ingrained shyness into my psyche or maybe I am just shy because I am. The gastric band has given me a great opportunity to overcome some of my demons. An opportunity that I sometimes abuse and take for granted – time has a wonderful way of letting one forget their blessings. What it hasn’t done is offer me a cure for all of my other failings. Perhaps writing this will be the first step on another journey of self-discovery and perhaps it will just be another piece of prose that adds to my posthumous biography that will never be written. I decided to write this because I do feel it is of relevance to people considering having the surgery as it has shown me that I was perhaps a little over-eager to consider it the answer to my problems instead of a pretty good guide to help me find my own answers – a guide that is sometimes ignored. So, after that marathon outpouring of in most angst and in summation: I’m suffering - yes I am, but I am admitting I need help, so my suffering on that side of things is perhaps no longer in silence and it may well help my future efforts. I’m rubbish - yes again. But, I know I have a way to crawl out of the trash can. It’s just up to me to do it. I’m a failure - not entirely, because it’s not yet over. Maybe I can turn things around. I can’t do it - Yes I can. Originally posted at: www.lapbandblog.org.uk

I’m suffering. I’m rubbish. I’m a failure. I can’t do it. I didn’t think I should write about this on a weight loss surgery blog as it doesn’t entirely have relevance. Especially as I signed out almost two months ago saying I wouldn’t be writing any more. Ah, but how the slow winter nights of insomnia have a way of thrusting the urge to splurge upon one’s frame. So, why am I suffering? Why am I rubbish? A failure? And what exactly can’t I do? All will be revealed in the next exciting paragraph. With as much stalling as I can muster – I am slowly coming to the painful realisation that I might well be an alcoholic. Ouch. Did I say that? Well – I may not be an alcoholic, but indeed I am a heavy drinker. All who know me and love or hate me will vouch for that very fact. But when it comes to being a true alcoholic – the definitions seem so muddy, I am not sure. Or am I? I have no withdrawal symptoms when I stop and I am not dependent, but – I continue to drink despite the negative social effects, despite the financial drain on my less than healthy financial state and despite the effects it has on my health. This is where I am stretching the relevance to a weight loss issue. But lately, I am wondering whether it is more closely linked than I initially thought. Over the last few months, my progress into the halls of The Temple of Normal BMI has halted. My eating has lessened and my exercise has increased. My drinking has also picked up a tad. Goddammit, there lies the big bloody bastard bugger-face staring me straight in the eyes. I know it’s there. I can see it plainly and simply. Alcohol is causing me to not lose weight, despite being over-tightened on the band front. Alcohol is causing me to slowly lose friends. Alcohol is causing me to lose money. Alcohol is having great effects on my family life and alcohol is causing me to hate myself. So you can see the attraction I have to it, eh! I am writing this because I am so disappointed in myself and have used this outlet to vent and eventually feel better about the problems at hand. However, I don’t think this problem is going to be sorted by vitriolic venting. What has become clear in this whole gastric band journey is the addiction I had to food – and probably still do. You may well catch me of an evening desperately trying to eat a juicy steak. After each mouthful – running to the lavatory to expel what I have just swallowed as my band is currently just a little too tight. I could easily eat less cumbersome things to ensure ease of passage – but I want the steak. And I will return to the plate and repeat the same procedure perhaps four or five times. Because the band hasn’t cured my need to satisfy my desire for flesh! But it has offered me a way to control it should I so desire. It has helped me realise my addiction more than anything else. A knowledge which I am grateful for; but sometimes a little foolhardy with. I have so far, despite my pitfalls and apparent bulimic state, been relatively good with all other food (I won’t bore you with my chocolate rushes). Booze on the other hand has no control in place. I am at its mercy. In fact, I am at MY mercy. Let’s face it – I decide when to drink – I am aware and I am fully conscious of what it is doing. I was under the grand illusions as I started to lose weight that I would quit drinking. I know the reason I do it and it is sadly very simple. I do it because I am terribly shy. When I have had a drink however, I am quite the opposite. I become bombastic, gregarious and hugely annoying and people, despite their best efforts, can’t fail to notice me. Something in me likes that. The shy retiring giant hates being shy and retiring and craves people to remember him. Even if it means the memories for them are bad and the memories for me are non-existent. I figured it would be the end to my drinking because I wouldn’t be so shy. Losing weight would give me more confidence and make me more outgoing and allow me to stand tall and have conversations with people on an equal standing knowing that they were talking to a person, not a walrus. But, such is life that when a walrus loses weight – it is still a walrus. I am still painfully shy and I still find it difficult to talk to people. Maybe years of fatness have ingrained shyness into my psyche or maybe I am just shy because I am. The gastric band has given me a great opportunity to overcome some of my demons. An opportunity that I sometimes abuse and take for granted – time has a wonderful way of letting one forget their blessings. What it hasn’t done is offer me a cure for all of my other failings. Perhaps writing this will be the first step on another journey of self-discovery and perhaps it will just be another piece of prose that adds to my posthumous biography that will never be written. I decided to write this because I do feel it is of relevance to people considering having the surgery as it has shown me that I was perhaps a little over-eager to consider it the answer to my problems instead of a pretty good guide to help me find my own answers – a guide that is sometimes ignored. So, after that marathon outpouring of in most angst and in summation: I’m suffering - yes I am, but I am admitting I need help, so my suffering on that side of things is perhaps no longer in silence and it may well help my future efforts. I’m rubbish - yes again. But, I know I have a way to crawl out of the trash can. It’s just up to me to do it. I’m a failure - not entirely, because it’s not yet over. Maybe I can turn things around. I can’t do it - Yes I can. Originally posted at: www.lapbandblog.org.uk

Hello I'm post op 15 years sugar dumping is caused by all kinds of things just because it say no sugar add dosnt mean sugar free. Even sugar free has sugar alcohol witch may cause dumping.

It's about understanding and applying the energy balance - plain and simple.... Everything else (snacking, slider foods, grazing, alcohol, blah, blah, blah) is a side show... As I sit here typing while eating peanut M and M's... :tt2: Brad

Good Morning All. Still pre-RnY but have something else to share. I'm yodellng my yodel, honking my horn, ring my bell, whatever. I discovered something new to add to the vitamin lineup. It is called Wellesse Calcium and Vitamin D and is a,liquid. Shake it up and it tastes like a melted orange push-up treat. Containes calcium citrate our form of choice for calcium 500 units, Vitamin D 500 units and Magnesium 20 mg, color is from fruit/vegetable,so no artificial, no sugar, less than 1gr sugar alcohols and 125 mcg Boron. Cost me less than $10 at WalMart, so I imagine Meijier and Target might have it also. I've been a looking for Calcium Citrate pills every since my,preoprative lab results came back and I did have some vitamin/mineral deficiencies. Happened across this and so far I'm liking it. Like I said in another posting I'm now,on prenatal vitamins for the Fe(iron for you non- chemists) content. Wow, I got a few raised up eyebrows for that, I'm 72, not a typical prenatal,vitamins ingester! Doing pretty good,withbthat and my itty,bitty Vitamin A pills as long as they don't get lost,in the rug pile bouncing away. Yes it is the 2000s but my rug is still a " flower child" poor old thing!

You will be able to, physically. For me, they don't taste as good as they smell and they fill me up very fast and make me feel like crap. If I really want one I just steal one from someone else's plate and then I remember why i don't eat them. There is nothing you physically won't be able to have, unless you develop an intolerance. There are things that most successful people choose not to have during the losing phase, or to have often. This kind of thread comes up all the time. Do a search for pizza, fries, ice cream, burgers, alcohol, or whatever food you are curious about, and someone will have asked about it and got answers. One thing you should never do is advance your post-op diet faster than your surgeon's plan. That is for your physical health while healing, rather than for weight loss reasons.