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Thank you all for responding. I know myself and turning to alcohol is not a potentional problem. I can live without certain foods but I like to have drinks once in awhile. So from what I understand aside from calories and not loosing weight, the sleeve is not affected from occasional social drinking.

Here’s something my dietician provided me for the pre-op diet, the basic and alternative if you can’t do all liquid. The Diet: 1. Drink at least 64 ounces of fluids per day (all must be sugar-free, calorie free, and non-carbonated) 2. One multi-Vitamin with essential minerals per day. 3. Consume 1000 - 1200 mg of Calcium per day 4. No Alcoholic beverages 5. Drink 4 - 6 no sugar added Meal Replacement shakes each day (recommends Adkins Advantage even though it has 1 gram of sugar. They taste great and have 15 grams of Protein and 24 essential nutrients plus calcium and no trans fats) Sample Day: Breakfast: 1 shake Lunch: 1 Shake 4pm: 1 Shake (optional) Dinner: 1 Shake Bedtime: 1 Shake (optional) What if you break the liquid fast or just cannot follow a liquid diet for 2 weeks? Plan B - A shake and food meal plan that will keep the fat extremely low. The goal is still to lose as much weight as possible before surgery. The Meal Plan: 2-4 8-11 ounce high Protein Shakes a day 1 meal a day, composed of 3 oz seafood, turkey or chicken (no skin) Or 1 cup Non-fat/low-fat yogurt, cottage cheese or ricotta cheese And Non-starchy vegetables - up to one cup No corn, peas, potatoes, sweet potatoes or baked Beans Fresh Fruit - 1 piece (1 cup) per day Olive oil - 1 tablespoon a day, no salad dressing, no mayonnaise Eat only 1 meal a day. Limited to 20 minutes per meal. Sample Day 1: Breakfast: 1 Shake Lunch: 1 Shake Dinner: Stir-fry 3 oz chicken ? cup broccoli ? cup mushrooms 1 tbsp Mrs. Dash 10-minute Mesquite Marinade 1 tbsp Olive oil Snack: 1 Shake Sample Day 2: Breakfast: 1 cup 2% Cottage Cheese 1 cup fresh peaches 1 cup Lettuce Lunch: 1 Shake Dinner: 1 Shake Snack: 1 Shake Sample Day 3: Breakfast: 1 Shake Lunch: 3 oz shrimp Lettuce 1 cup zucchini 1 tbsp Olive Oil Salsa 1 Pear Dinner: 1 Shake Snack: 1 Shake Hope this gives you some alternatives. Hugs, JoAnne

The doctor said my wound looked good. Cleaning it with antibacterial soap and keeping it dry helped. Peroxide, alcohol and iodine will dry out the skin and will heal at a slower rate. They make a medical grade cleaning solution for wound care at CVS but simple antibacterial soap will work.

I had a cocktail about 5 weeks out. There was a celebration and I went for it. Had no adverse reaction. Life goes on. Just don't turn to alcohol to replace your addiction with food... Be very careful switching one addiction for another. It happens.

I was about 8 weeks out before I tried a beer. Its considered a fairly big NO-NO considering the carbonation. I enjoyed it and had no real adverse effects (might have burped a bit more than usual? ) The biggest difficulty with alcohol is the calories. Any high calorie "drink" that slips on past the band is always best in moderation. There are other ways that alcohol hinders our greatest goal.....to be healthier and thinner...if you are interested check out this article. Just How Bad Is Alcohol for Weight Loss? Read more: Just How Bad Is Alcohol For Weight Loss? | LIVESTRONG.COM

My doc said NO to alcohol pretty much ever again. I've got no problem with it. I think if in doubt, just don't do it.

Welcome all. I was banded July 1 2013 down 78 lbs by far the best decision of my life. Grateful I found this site some people here are amazing and so motivating . I can't explain how the band has changed my thinking as well which is why I think I have been so successful. I follow the drs rules protein small bites n portions no drinking while eating my vitamins. I also got the gym 5-7 days a week combination of cardio j weight training. I started at 297 wearing size 22/24 I am Now 217 wearing a size 16 . And only 6 months out . There will be some emotions along the way especially as you get closer to surgery I was scared to go through with it but then I said if I d nothing in letting bad things happen to me as well so let me try and do the healthy thing. I have been on a diet since age 10 27 tears of dieting at at age 38 I decided to get banded actually got the approval on my 38 bday. I still go out to dinner eat way less and don't really drink alcohol but the drinking is by my chose. Good luck and we are here for you !!!!

Is it time or near your time of the month? That can bring it on, as can stress, and sluggish digestion. The liver can also be the culprit. Here are some internet suggestions for under eye bags: Try to avoid stress and get extra rest, especially during menstrual discomfort. Drink plenty of warm Water. Avoid ice cold and carbonated drinks. Avoid stimulants such as caffeine and alcohol. Add coconuts, raisins, papaya and sweet juicy fruits to your diet. Only take a moderate amount of sugar. (or use agave nectar) Avoid red meat and heavy fried foods. Avoid drinking fluids before bed. Favor only natural beauty products Do not smoke, and avoid second hand smoke. Get plenty of sleep. Place a washcloth dipped in warm water over your eyes for 5 minutes once or twice daily. Make sure you are laughing every day it gives excersize to facial muscles. For puffy and swollen eyes, make facial steam or facial wash with warm, salty water. For tired eyes use silk eye pillow. For inflamed baggy eyes soak cotton pads in cold milk with rose water, or cucumber slices or cool tea bags placed over closed eyes for five to ten minutes.

I haven't blog in few weeks or months, but wanted to let everyone know I am still out here, reading the blogs and forums to keep up with everyone. I spend more time on MFP these days. I started working out with a personal trainer 5 weeks ago and that is really working out good for me. I had really hit a slump in my program and was pretty much dead in the water again. My band was working, but I just wasn't eating very well. I had hit a spot again when food just wasn't my focus and was eating way to few calories. My trainer told me I was pretty much starving my muscles and my body was holding on to those fat cells for dear life. Sad I had to pay someone to teach me how to eat, but it is working. At first I thought there is no way I can do this. I am suppose to eat 3 meals a day and that is it. But guess what 5 weeks later, I am eating my 3 meals a day but I am supplementing a protein shake twice a day for snacks and most days take in 100 plus grams of protein. I still have my days I struggle but they are fewer and further between. My first month I lost 5lbs and 9 inches. I am hoping to lose 4 lbs this month and I will finally be out of the 150's.. While what a mile stone, I have not been this petite since high school. I used to think a goal of 132 was unreachable but I am finding out if you have the right attitude you can make anything work. Now don't get me wrong I have my ups and downs with the band but for the most part this is the best thing I every did for me. And seriously it really is all about me at this time. This is my chance, my time and my journey. Lap band is not an easy journey, it is paved with trials and tribulations. It will test your passion, it will test your commitment, you will have to fight temptation on a daily basis. There will always be food and lots of it, you have to realize that food to you is no different than alcohol is to an alcoholic or drugs are to a drug addict. My journey has consisted of distancing myself from temptations, I do not allow certain foods in my house or more specifically in my cabinets or fridge. I have no control of what others do but I do have control over what I put in my mouth. I find my self more aware of what others eat and I often think, man I used to eat like that and look where it got me. I think now my goal has become an obsession, I work my butt off, 3 days with a trainer, 6 days a week of cardio and logging religiously every morsel I eat. I have a new set of fears now, I used to fear not losing weight, my new fear is how will I maintain? I am trying to make exercise routine and part of my life. To all you newbies and those weighting to have surgery and lose of you who are struggling, stay positive, stay focused and if you detour, forgive yourself, pick you up and move forward. We can all get caught up in the soulda, coulda, woulda! Look at everyday as a new beginning. Good luck to all of you and if you know a nurse be extra special to them this week, this is our week to celebrate. It is national nurse week, so hug your favorite nurse this week and tell her how much you appreciate what she does.

If you are talking about just average day to day life and merely a functioning body, plant based protein is more than fine. If you are talking about efficacy of protein for tissue repair and bio-availability, you just cannot beat diary & animal protein. They all do the same thing (except collagen protein, it's crap), it's just how effective it is. Think of it as alcohol. You can have several 750 ml bottles of liquor. They will all will get you drunk, but the Bacardi 151 will get you drunk faster and more immediately than the DiSaronno. (In this example, whey would be the rum and soy the amaretto.)

Eating out or at a party I say to myself "eating that food is bad for me, or now that the band is helping me with hunger I don't have the urge to eat a cookie just because it was offered". I like tasty foods (we are built that way); I just need help not eating something because it's there. I will say that many of us having been mistreated because of our weight need to remember those moments. My mother has always said "the only thing worse than a recovering alcoholic is a recovering fat person!" They are very quick to point out someone elses poor food choices.

THE MY WEIGHT Protein BARS DO NOT HAVE THE SUGAR ALCOHOLS IN THEM THEY COME IN SOME GREAT FLAVORS ROCKEY ROAD,CARAMEL BROWNIE, CARAMEL CRUNCH, Peanut Butter ECT THEY ARE JUST LIKE REAL CANDY BARS BUT WITH 160 CAL AND 15 Proteins THE PROBLEM IS U CAN ONLY GET THEM FROM MY SURGENT BUT HE WILL SHIP THEM TO U FOR LIKE 4 DOLLARS U GET 7 BARS FOR 14 WORTH EVERY DIME HIS NUMBER IS 985-234-3000 JUST ASK FOR THE MY WEIGHT Protein Bars THEY ALSO HAVE A VARITY PACK TOO THE WEB SITE SAYS WWW.WHYWEIGHT.COM BUT I DONT THINK U CAN ORDER THEM OFF OF THERE. HOPE THIS WORKS

1. What does your handle mean? It's my name. 2. What book are you currently reading, or did you last read? I read a lot and I've got several book going now. The last book I really ENJOYED was "The Power of One." 3. What do you do for a living? Auto & Home Insurance agent (for Mercury). 4. For what in your life are you most grateful? My sons. After that I'm grateful that my personal addiction is food and not something like alcohol or gambling. It's often difficult, but honestly I am grateful to have lived as a fat person (off & on) because it has made me a deeper and better human being. 5. What's one thing about you that you think would surprise other people? Um... well... is this one of those "first thing that comes to your mind" kind of games? Because the first thing that came to mine was how surprised some lovers have been by how passionate I am. (don't tell!!) 6. One word to describe yourself? Ebullient. 7. One word others use to describe you? Would probably depend on which others. 8. Would you rather play a game with someone better or worse at it than you? Equal or better.... maybe it depends on the game. Mostly I like to play with people who laugh. 9. Favorite movie? Favorite show? Just one? Can't do it. Three favorite movies: Last of the Mohicans, The Terminator, The Man Who Would Be King. All time favorite tv show: Northern Exposure (followed by the ST w/ Capt Pickard). 10. Something unusual about yourself I went to Europe on a 1-way ticket when I was 18 & lived there for about a year--6 mos of it traveling/camping thru many countries including the Turkish interior, communist satelite countries & USSR with only a backpack and no hot water for months.

I've been thinking about this issue for awhile and I have come to believe that it is more complicated than it may initially appear. Certainly Christians want to be assured of certain personal rights which have to do with their freedom to worship their God and those of us who are atheists are anxious that all civil rights be left free and clear of any infringement by any type of religious belief. In theory the answer should be simple: devout folks practice their beliefs privately when amongst themselves. Public places, such as schools, are left neutral; prayer, for example, is an activity that can be contained to church and home, as indeed can all references to God. Nevertheless, civilized western countries like to think that they are operating on rational and generous principles and that there is room for many different voices. I initially found the Muslim cabbies to be hypocritical in their stand on transporting passengers carrying alcohol. This was not because they were refusing the booze but because they were refusing to have their cabs carry some sort of identifying insignia - the different top light in this case - which would indicate to potential clients that their cars were dry cars. I still think that the logic in their reply to this suggestion is bizarre, and am surprised that the public's reaction to this tidy idea was negative. The only reason I can see for these cabbies being wary of being identifiable is that there is anti-Muslim sentiment which pervades much of Europe and America. Why buy further trouble, eh? What I would advise doing in this situation is kinda simple: Most of us call it lying. Repeat after Green: No sir, I do not carry alcohol with me.

Another thought... are there that many people leaving the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport with crateloads of alcohol? That's my kind of airport!

Acid has nothing to do with the reason to avoid coffee or alcohol. The moment the surgeon closed your stomach again it starts producing hydrochloric. That is far more acidic than anything that you will put in your mouth. The main reason for the avoidance of alcohol is the fact that it is a barbiturate(depressant) and a blood thinner and is famous for lowering inhibitions. In the case of a gastric patient, lowered inhibitions could mean "just one more bite" or something along those lines. On one hand I agree with you, it's a special occasion and it should be observed. However, you trusted the surgeon enough to knock you out and cut you open then remove a part of you, yet you are asking a bunch of strangers if it's OK to go against the surgeons recommendations. Do what you like, but realize that it is only 3 weeks post op and you already going against plan.

Because the questions are different in every center in every state I had to take a 340 online question test that asked a lot of the same questions just in different ways to make sure I'm not suicidal, a alcoholic or a druggie. He asked about my past and who supports me what I know about the surgery and what the risks were. then a few papers with questions about eating habits. It's different for a lot of people. I did mine last month. My name is Ashlie as well

I dont think so. But after surgery alcohol will become an issue if you start again. If your surgeons office requires a psychological evaluation then the alcohol will come up and you will need to discuss it with them. It was questioned in my eval but i dont drink. As for the surgeon alcohol never really came up other than no drinking once the pre op diet starts and not for a long while after surgery

Tomorrow will be 12 weeks into my banded life and I still don't have a single regret to report! I've never been more sure of my decision, and it's been many years since I've felt healthier and better about who I am! I just spent 11 days on the best beach vacation ever! A girl's trip to Gulf Shores, AL was just what the proverbial doctor ordered, and I'm home tanned, relaxed, and more than a few inches smaller than I was when I left!! How's THAT for vacation? Perfect if you ask me. I lost a whopping total of one pound while I was gone haha! But towards the middle of last week I noticed that my bathing suit (which I spent a lot of time in) was fitting very strangely. It felt too big in the stomach for starters, but then I noticed that the bra cups in it were all deformed looking. I realized that the girls had shrunk! YEEE HAW!! There's hope on the horizon my friends! I admit I was a little concerned about vacation eating, especially since I didn't get a fill before I left, but I had decided that I wasn't going to stress about it. I ate very well.. I ate normal sized portions, and had no problems with wanting to snack between meals. I drank at least one frozen alcoholic concoction every single day while I was on that beach.. along with lots of water and lemonade. I felt a little restriction at times which was comforting, and let me know my band was doing its job, and had a couple of "stuck" episodes that were mild, and lasted only a few minutes. I ate LOTS of steamed shrimp! Mmmmm! I miss that yummy steamed shrimp.. the kind you can get on the Nebraska prairie just doesn't compare. One highlight of my trip that I must share ~~ I PARASAILED!! Oh yeah! I stepped right outside of my comfort zone and flew high above the Gulf of Mexico! I absolutely loved it and will do it again if I ever get the chance. I felt like super woman when I was done, and I kind of still do! I was without a scale for the entire vacation, and that freaked me out a little.. I figured that I'd have gained a pound or two by the time I got home, even though it was pretty obvious that I'd left a few inches down in Alabama somewhere! I was pretty happy when I stepped on that scale yesterday and realized that there was no gain, and I could still be friends with both the scale and the mirror! I'm happy to be home.. and while I didn't use a gym even once while I was gone, I did have the sand to walk in so I got a little added exercise I guess! It's back to the gym for me this week! I'm also looking forward to adding a daily fruit smoothie to my diet! Hey~ it's my healthy version of a daily frozen concoction that will remind me of the beach as I delve back into reality! Thanks Aunt Jan for introducing me to the wonderful smoothie! My other butt is getting closer.. I can feel it! I hope you all have had a safe and happy Independence Day if you're in the USA~ and mostly, that you spent it with the people you love! That's all for this week ~ thanks for stopping by! Follow me @ http://www.myotherbutt.blogspot.com

My very good friend that had gastric sleeve had transfer of addiction. Thank god she is sober now but she lost 100lbs and within 6 months from first drink post op she was diagnosed with alcohol abuse disorder. I doubt it would disqualify you but I imagine there will be more than the standard questions in your psych eval for you because of that history. Honesty is always best for your safety.

Hope they didnt spend a fortune on this study. People with major depression use all kinds of substances to numb out...food, drugs, alcohol, sex, ...food releases endorphins (ergo comfort food) it affects the hypothalmus the pleasure center. You can feel, numb. sleepy, coma like, comforted for the moment. All addictive substances work the same way. However a person with a MDD will not overeat lettuce and an alcholic will not overdrink milk. Each chooses chemically altering , brain altering things Psych med hugely affect weight gain and metabolism. I added a med that I totally forgot about and then gaimed ike 60lbs. But I wasnt eating more. I went to all kinds of doctors, who either ruled out hypothyroidism or frankly didnt beleive me that I was not overeating. "Calories in Calories out" PAHLEEZE. They I remembered this drug that was added, research it, caused weight gain, removed it and weight came off. It affect sex drive too...so save that study money. Depression can make people eat..then eating wheat flour and sugar for an addict will set up a chemical dependency and then the depression/wt gain vicious cycle is in motion. Then your in chicken or egg territory. Basically its addiction and when you a depressed you want to alter your feelings fast and often. And if you are a sugar addict, the quicket way to get the sugar craving going is drinking alcohol. Its like injecting sugar right into your veins. If you are not an alcoholic, you will then be off on a food binge from a drink. . HOW DO YOU GET PAID TO DO THESE STUDIES???? HIRE ME PLEASE

I have not been banded yet, but I was wondering can you still drink alcohol occasionally? Or is that not really allowed, I'm not saying like all the time, but at a party is it ok to have one drink?

I enjoy wine...a lot. Drinking to get drunk is not the point. I just think enjoying a glass of good wine (preferably with friends) is about one of the best things in life. That hasn't changed with the band. I prefer dry red wine which usually has less calories than whites (which are often sweeter). I drink slower and order a glass of water along with my wine these days, but "feel it" faster so I haven't had more than 2 glasses. Since restaurants/bars serve different amounts, I usually ask the bartender or server to let me know how many ounces are in each glass (usually 3-5 oz but sometimes 6; they have equipment to measure properly for you, so they may as well use it). It's not too hard to find a glass of wine at or around 90-100 calories a glass and not too hard to find those calories in a day. Alcohol converts to sugar (carbs) in the body, and will still be used by your body as fuel, unfortunately it's more likely to make you want to eat than make you feel full. But if you're deciding between a glass of wine and a 100 calorie pack, they're both throw away calories as far as I'm concerned. Just about what gives you most pleasure.

I am not going to sugar coat this.. I am a sorry if you are offended by this comment.. First of all you need to stop going to these lounges.. i understand that you enjoy going out with your friends but you need to concentrate on becoming healthy. You got this surgery because you were overweight and this was the last decision on how to become health and a normal weight.. Your friends if they are your real friends they will understand whats going on. Alcohol isn't a very good thing to have that many times a week for anyone. excessive alcohol can cause damage. Watching you tube videos you will see that it can cause you to stop or delay weight loss.. You might want to consider going to a gym instead of going to the lounges.. I would think that once a week is okay but not three to four times a week. Another issues is carbonation isn't very good you are or can stretch your band because of that... which then leads to slip bands and complications.

I'm sorry but I have to say it. Your drinking is excessive. Not long ago there was a research study that showed in families where the males were alcohics; the females were statistically more likely to be obese. In my family there are a significant number of male alcoholics and most of the females are overweight. The compulsion to drink is closely related to the urge to eat when you are'nt hungry.