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Am I the only struggling to take this iodine off my skin. My surgery was 4/15 and everyday I try to take it off little by little today I couldn't take it and cleaned most of it off with alcohol and cotton balls. Also to make things worse my doctor put gauze and clear film over my dermabond I tried taking one one off to see the smallest incision and of course the gauze is stuck any suggestions guys?

Oh and I just had my first glass of wine after surgery. My surgeon actually said low level alcohol intake eg half a glass of wine each evening can help with weight loss due to breaking down enzymes. I'm not a big drinker but being able to have a glass of wine tonight was nice as I was out with work colleagues. No problems with it, I don't feel any drunker than I would have done pre surgery and no discomfort.

I straightened out my food and gave up alcohol this weekend. Weighed myself today and up another pound and a half. After the disbelief passed, I realized that: 1: I forgot to take my blood pressure pill yesterday. It has a pretty strong diuretic in it. 2: I ate kalamata olives, pickles and giardiniera with my lunch and leftovers for dinner yesterday. Not a lot, but HELLO SODIUM? When I couldn't get my rings off or on without soaping them up yesterday and today, it should have triggered this realization. Anyway, I'm staying the course and staying low sodium for a few days as well. I really want to feel strong and confident next week when I have to face the NSETBEx in court for the first time since I left him last year. I've been no contact for nine months and I'm nervous.

I love my band and feel successful although I would still like to lose another twenty or so pounds. Exercise, for me, is imparative because of arthritis, etc. I eat two to three healthy meals a day, avoid sliders, chew very well and experience the food rather than wolfing it down as I did before. My surgeon was of the small frequent fills to get me to the correct restriction (wrong word to use but you know what I mean). I have twice gone in for tiny unfills when I felt the first signs of being too tight. For now it's just right. I drink a lot of liquids and can do that without any discomfort (glugging my water). I don't count calories and I eat when I'm hungry and don't eat when I'm not hungry. It's the first one that can be the most difficult as I was a very restrictive professional dieter going into this process. Now I feel hunger and eat until I feel full. My signal is a sigh. I notice, take inventory and I'm done. Sometimes I count off on my fingers 4-5 hours and note the time at which I might feel hungry again. Alcohol certainly hinders weight loss but I indulge for pain relief and enjoyment. Reading through this thread it seems like things got off on the wrong foot. Best wishes with your research. My surgeon is great but he does not discuss the banded life and I suspect has no real idea of how to guide patients in the post-op realm. I got that here when it was Lapband Talk. I found the successful banders and followed them. Now the site is mostly other surgeries and that's a bit discouraging sometimes as the revision folks post so much about their negative band experiences. I love my band.

It sounds like the band is working well for you and that's great. I think you will find you'll need to add the exercise component to have ongoing success in reaching a normal, healthy weight. Also, occasional drinks and alcohol are fine, it just can't be excessive or it will definitely hinder your weight loss efforts.

Hello my peeps! I had a great weekend filled with lots of people. I went to my CODA meeting today and talked about giving up alcohol. My head is in a very good place today. I've been more mindful about slowing down my chewing. This has resulted in better satiety and an easier time stopping when satisfied, instead of when the plate's clean. I won't get a lunch break tomorrow at all. So I'll bring chicken salad to work. My body feels better today. Lighter and cleaner.

Nothing to worry about. My psychologist asked about my eating habits, alcohol use, smoking use, have I ever been bullied in school, when did I first notice that i was getting heavy, if there was any alcohol abuse at home or if you had any kind of abuse at home as a kid, what kind of exercises I was thinking about doing. She asked me about my past weight losses. Etc... Just don't seem like your suicidal then they may delay your surgery

I read on this forum yesterday that a leak in a sleeve only happens shortly after surgery. It never happens months/years later. Is this true? Does anyone have any links/research supporting that? One of my biggest fears of having the sleeve is the possibility of a leak. BUT I honestly don't fear it happening immediately following surgery, I trust my surgeon 110%, she has never had a leak. I fear it happening 20,30,40 years down the road. Is that possible? I tried to find info online, but haven't found anything...I also tried to email my surgeon to ask her, but the way my insurance is set up, I have to email my PCP. Who could then ask the surgeon to call/email me, but that could take up to a week or more and I'm a very impatient person lol. I guess it makes sense that it wouldn't be likely to happen once the stomach is healed...but I would think it could still be a possibility if someone were to drink lots of soda, coffee, alcohol, etc...???

I'm well adjusted. But it took over a year to get here. I do not exercise. I do not weigh my portions. I drink alcohol. I do not regurgitate my food. I am losing 6-8 lbs a month. I'm happy. And I do not beat myself up about what I put in my mouth. Average meal is 1/3 cup 5 times a day I eat protein mostly. I tolerate salads as well. No bread.

For perfume, my current faves are Kenzo Jungle L'Elephant (super-spicy, but I love it so much), and some Middle-Eastern attar oils that I got as a blind-buy from Ebay. One of my coworkers had one and I loved it so much that I bought it and two more. The brand is Al-Rehab, and the oils are AMAZING and the scents last so much longer than a regular perfume because they have no alcohol in them. Another of my prized perfumes is Hermes L'Ambre des Merveilles. Since I don't smoke and I don't drink a lot, I tend to splurge on duty-free perfumes when I travel (usually cruises). I'm also a make-up addict, even though I very rarely wear it. I absolutely love Cargo's long-wearing glosses (I think it's a different formulation than the ones you can get at Kohl's) and Tarina Tarantino's gem glosses (picked up for a steal at Nordstrom Rack). I like Dior's Addict Fluid Stick, too. They're pricey ($35), but they really last a long time and they really do wonders at making my lips look fuller. ' I really want to try out the ColourPop brand. You have to buy it online, but the prices are extremely good ($5/eyeshadow), and the rest of the line is not much more expensive) and they're generally very well reviewed. I have super-picky, sensitive skin, so I have to be very careful about what I put on it. Even a lot of stuff made for sensitive skin will break me out (Origins' sensitive line, for example, even though I love the way it smells). I am currently using Cerave Hydrating Cleanser, which I was extremely surprised that it worked, since usually drug-store brands of skin care break me out horribly. It's been the best thing ever for my skin! It has no foaming/suds action at all, so it feels like a lotion, but you wash it off and your skin is perfectly clean.

Some people who have never been there just can't understand. "There" can be many things, including: weight problems substance abuse problems mental health problems Can an alcoholic stop drinking just because they know they should? Can someone who is depressed just snap out of it? I think this is one of those things that your husband just can't understand.

16 months out, 10 pounds below goal (for 7 months). Maintaining with 1400-1600 calories (I don't count calories or track food, so this is a guess based on a few random spot checks) Basically eating a regular balanced diet of protein, veggies, fruit and whole grains. I eat whenever I'm hungry (6-7 times/day) and only until satisfied, rarely till I'm full. I usually don't plan ahead, I just eat what looks good in the grocery store or whatever I'm in the mood for. Work days are 10-12 hours long (sometimes more) on the road with no lunch break, so I keep protein bars, mixed nuts and jerky handy, but prefer to try and find real food, even if it's a hot dog, a banana, an apple, or the toppings off a personal pan pizza. But I Always eat a healthy dinner and snacks when I'm home. I still drink a protein smoothie everyday....24-32oz fluids and 30-40g protein. That leaves me free to not have to focus on protein at every meal/snack. I also eat dessert, candy, cookies, chips, cake, potatoes, rice (mmmm-sushi), and drink alcohol, but all in moderation and certainly not every day. No exercise, but I have a physical job, strenuous ranch chores and active lifestyle.....skiing, hiking, kayaking, rafting, horseback riding, etc. with toned muscles and six pack to show it. Just livin a "normal" skinny life.....and lovin it!

Glad to be here with all of you. Last night was a big success. I was the DD for my pals and drank one glass of cranberry juice and about ten glasses of Water all night. food was planned and moderate. The band we saw was quite good. Today I have a birthday outing to a restaurant/winery with another dear friend, planned weeks ago. She will understand and I'll just have tea. Her 20 year old son is going through alcohol detox right now. No explanations will be necessary. After I posted here about this, I had an incredible feeling of lightness the rest of my day. It was like, OK. A decision was made. By me, nobody else. I'm taking charge of my life. This is good. And it is. I'm not stressing over the weight gain. It will come off, sooner rather than later. I logged in MyFitnessPal yesterday and I may do that again for a while. Get a reality check. Busy weekend for me with food and social events. Birthday outing at lunch. Movie night with my bestie. No crapcorn. Tomorrow a couple I became friends with this year is taking me out for lunch for my birthday. It's all good.

I have smoked before WLS and after. I have not had a case of the munchies, but I also haven't had most of the same thoughts about food as I did before surgery. Food is not as all consuming as it once was. So being high is being high without the munchies (for me). I find that when high, it's also a lot easier to get more fluids in. I have not had alcohol since surgery, that was more of a trigger for me to overeat then pot was.

@@JustWatchMe - Wow, what a post. "Without food, without drugs, without alcohol. This is serious stuff for an addict to tackle." YES!! While it's not alcohol for me, it is certainly food and could have been written about my relationship with it. I could have easily slipped into a relationship with the other two, I steered away out of fear of addiction. Just know that you are NOT alone. Thank you for putting it all out there, it took courage and strength, both traits I admire in you. I made yesterday's goals, including exercise. Not my favorite thing, but I got it done. Can you feel me rolling my eyes? Today: B - 8 oz shake w/fiber L - Quest bar S - 8 oz shake w/fiber D - homemade pizza (making my own crust and sauce to control portions & ingredients!!) 813c, 88p, 38nc 72 oz Water & 1 hour of exercise I've already conquered a 30 minute Jessica Smith video and plan to walk the hood with the husband this evening. I'll check back later. Take care of you.

Ok, big leap into accountability for me today. Ready? Hotshot here got on the scale after a couple of weeks. Easter, my daughter home, my birthday, blah blah blah. I'm up to 205.6 this morning. That's 11 pounds higher than my lowest weight so far. I know exactly why I've gained. It's cocktails and wine. Wine is pure sugar and as a BONUS (!) it leads to eating carby yummy foods without inhibition. No matter how many stairs I do, or how many miles I walk on my lunch hour, I've managed to gain instead of lose. Even with this latest tight fill that really is noticeable. This latest fill is probably perfect. I can eat CORRECTLY successfully. If I eat too fast or too big of bites, I get stuck immediately. No GERD, no other problems. It's probably exactly where the band was intended to be, restriction-wise. So. I am NOT beating myself up over this. But I want to share my feelings about it, so here goes. I'm sad and angry that I have to give up alcohol if I want to lose weight. I enjoy the buzz. It's been my treat when everything around me has been stressful. I have a glass of wine or two at home and mellow out. On weekends I go out with my girlfriends and let my hair down. But it's not working for me. It's too many calories and it makes me not care about the food I'm putting in my mouth. I also frequently sip my wine while I eat when in a restaurant, which is a big band no no. Why? Because I'm relaxed and I don't care. Problem is, I do care. Another reason it's got to go instead of cut back is that I am a food addict. I already go to two 12-step programs, OA and CoDA. I don't have time in my week for a third. And I know me. It can get to that very quickly. When I was 28 I joined OA. A couple of months into abstinence from overeating, I had this same epiphany. I had to give up alcohol in order to keep my food abstinence. It was briefly hard. I was in my twenties and loving life as my body went from obesity to normal size. I didn't know how to socialize without that lubricant. But I gave it up. I gave it up for over 10 years. I'm going out tonight with my best friend and another friend. We go out and we drink and we bitch about our exes and we listen to bands and we eat and we laugh and we drink some more. Tonight I go out with them. Tonight I won't drink. My bestie knows my life history. She was my friend before and during and after my teetotaling days. I'll explain my decision to her and I'll probably have a feisty conversation about it, but ultimately she will be okay with it. I'll be okay too. The problem is I'm sad. I didn't want to have to go back to being a non drinker. I didn't want to live without a buzz. But my goals are bigger than that buzz today. I want to achieve my normal weight once and for all. It also puts into stark relief how I desperately need to find healthy daily ways to comfort myself. Without food, without drugs, without alcohol. This is serious stuff for an addict to tackle. I've been dealing with my nosy non drinker mother making judgmental comments about the wine bottles in her pantry. At least this will solve that problem. I know some of you may understand this. Not all of you will. When I gave up alcohol at age 28 it really was a non event. After the first few weeks, I didn't miss it much because I was on a weight losing high. I dropped 130 pounds in two years after that. But I picked up a spending problem on the way. I bought clothes I couldn't afford. Pick your poison, huh? I'm operating in "keep me teachable" mode these days. When all else fails, follow directions. My directions today are no booze, eat Protein slowly, up the exercise. I've upped the exercise successfully over the last month. That's a big plus. I've slowed my eating and focus on protein at my meals. That's working well. Now goodbye to the booze. Goodbye, booze. It was sure fun while it lasted. But you bit me in my skinny ass. You're outta here. I can't update my ticker from my cell phone and I won't log into the PC site from work. But my weight today is 205.6. I'll update the ticker from home when I can log in from a laptop. No Merlot is going to cost me my hard-won Onederland. Or keep me from getting to my goal weight. Thanks for listening.

I can't speak from personal experience but is it possible to cut one or two out everyday until you're off completely. I'll pray you'll be able to quit. I thought about one more thing. I used to drink alcohol a lot that it became an addiction. I just went cold turkey because my husband asked me to. Is there someone that you can be a reason you'll quit?

I don't know if this will help but I was also really sick with nausea, not as long as your daughter but still sick. At one point they gave me everything they could so the nurse had me smell an alcohol wipe and it really helped. Once at home I kept a bottle of rubbing alcohol right by me the first few weeks and would smell it when a wave of nausea hit. It really helped me. I hope your daughter feels better soon

I go in for my first appointment tomorrow. Some 2.5 hour Weight Management / Nutrition Class my insurance company says I have to attend. I bet there's a lot of you here that are like me: We could teach the class with what we KNOW we're supposed to do... LOL! Why do I want to get sleeved: Selfless Reasons: My two beautiful daughters (1 & 4 years old) I want to run and play with them without huffing like an old steam engine, or without paying for it with back, hip, knee, ankle, and foot pain for the next three days. For my wife: We recently found out that my wife has an autoimmune disease that if we cannot get it into remission has a mortality rate of around 10 years. By the time we know if this disease is going to prove fatal to her: Her mother also has an autoimmune disease (a different one) and may not be with us anymore by then. Her father is a chronic alcoholic and will not help me with his granddaughters. My own parents are on the other end of the country, and will be in their 80s by the time we know. I cannot be so selfish to not take the best care of myself I can if I’m going to have to raise my girls by myself. It brings me to tears to think of these two amazing little girls all alone in this world, just because daddy couldn’t get his weight and health under control. I cannot, and will not fail them. Selfish Reasons: I want to be buff again. I worked as an Air Force Cop, and at the time I was 190 lbs with a 50” chest and a 32” waist. I could run 10 to 15 miles with over 100 lbs of gear on my back like it was a stroll through a park. I’d like to get as close to that as I can. Back in the early 90s I went to a nude beach on a dare from a hot Australian girl I met while scuba diving in Cancun. I’d love to have the confidence to do it again. There’s no way in hell I’d subject anyone to seeing me like that with the way I look now! If the time with my wife is short, I want us to experience anything and everything she wants. This has gone beyond just “I want to be skinny” for me. It will affect my whole family. Thanks for reading. I'll be back as soon as I know more about my times and dates. R

Keep in mind that many store-bought Protein bars (especially the "low carb" and "low sugar" ones) use sugar alcohols than can cause some pretty serious flatulence at best and have a rather strong laxative effect at worst. So be careful eating too much/many of the sugar alcohols. If you're not familiar with sugar alcohols, see http://breakingmuscle.com/nutrition/what-you-need-to-know-about-sugar-alcohols

I just joined this forum today and this is the exact reason. I am 8 years post op and had amazing results. Over 110lb weightloss. I knew all the warnings of gaining the weight back and not replacing food with alcohol etc. I truly thought all the warnings did not apply to me! I kept my post op weight for approx 5 years really without any effort. Ate pretty much what ever I wanted and still no weight gain! I WON- was my thought! Then 3 years ago my mom died and i fell apart. Eating didnt change but the daily wine drinking started. My weight slowly crept up over the next years and i am now 40+ pounds up from where I want to be. I really dont even know what to do. I have an extremely stressful life and really do not want to stop the wine completely so will cut back but I do not know what to even eat anymore! Has anyone else been here? Where did you start? Specifically-what did you do. I feel so ashamed of myself. I feel like i had such a gift of a second chance and have blown it ((.

Since nobody addressed the alcohol I will. When you are allowed alcohol seems to vary from surgeon to surgeon. I have read some surgeons are no alcohol ever, for a year after surgery or not until you get to the maintenance phase. I am allowed to have alcohol in moderation at 6 months. I have been told that many post WLS people become a cheap date. They get buzzed MUCH quicker post surgery than pre surgery due to the change in anatomy. Therefore, I would not try alcohol for the first time when you are out with clients. You may want to try that glass of wine at home or a non-business event with a designated driver.

You will be fine by then. Take it easy on the booze though. Until you're sure of how your stomach handles alcohol, one drink could have you stumbling drunk, which is unpleasant when you're at home, forget vacation!

The purpose of they psych exam is to determine if you have any underlying issues that need to be resolved that would prevent you from successfully following the regiment after surgery. They will probe you about how you became overweight. Do you have addictions such as smoking or drinking alcohol to excess. Did you overeat because of stress? In my case, I had a 6 diet coke per day habit. I went cold turkey when I decided I wanted the surgery. I went through a week of withdrawal syndrome (severe headaches). When I saw the psychologist, I told him what I did and he seem pleased. (I took a proactive step towards surgery before I was told I had to.)

LOL! Glittereyes, I've been married to a wonderful man who has spoiled me relentlessly for the last 36 years. I haven't had surgery yet, but he is cutting out all alcohol and snacks with me (a huge effort on his part!) and will be going on the same diet as I when "the time comes". Talk about 100% support!