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Then it would be a good idea to say that in your question, wouldn't it? Speaking only for myself, the dealbreaker for me is the presence of sugar alcohols. My sleeve doesn't have a problem with them but my gut sure does. I've lost my taste for sweets, anyhow, so seeking out sugar-free, lactose free ice cream isn't on my radar. I mean I did say can we? And ahhhh ok thank you

I Love this post.. Not banded don't even have a date. But very happy when I do get the band I can have an alcoholic beverage once in a while

I had surgery on July 17th this year. I didnt really follow the post surgery diet. (I know bad!) I recieved my first fill august 20th, where I weighed 245. I have religiously worked out since then, 5 times a week for an hr everyday.. im very athletic and do bootcamp classes, run atleast a mile everyday or the tredmill! Also, I've been eating leancuisine meals religiously through out the weekday. breakfast- oatmeal & apple (200 cal) Lunch- Lean cusine (250 cal) Dinner- Lean Cusine (300 cal) and I usually eat 1 cup cottage cheese through out the day. So like 800 cals a day. I do have a cheat day on saturdays but i never go crazy.. just let my self drink alcohol. lol Also, I need a fill but kinda broke right now. (I can't wait!!) I have changed my life style so much!! Its awesome! Although, I weighed 231.6 this past Saturday morning. I cheated over the weekend drank/ate alot.. Today I weighed 237!!! WTF Its been like 3 months and ive only lost 10 LBS!! How are all of yall losing so much weight?? I dont get it! What am I doing wrong?! Cheating one day a week should NOT make me gain that much.. im sure its Water weight and ill prob be like 234 tmrw. But still thats only 11 lbs down! HELP ME PLEASE!!! Amanda, July 17-surgery ( 250 ) August 20- first fill (245) Current- 235

No I would never buy a 6 pack for myself. but if my husband bought some I would just have one of his and he could have what I dont drink. I love beer and im OK with not having soda for the rest of my life. but there is something about pizza and a cold beer in the winter its delish!!! how long out did you wait before you had an alcoholic drink

Danila I'm sorry you have to do all liquid. My surgeon has done over 3000 sleeves and I don't have to do all liquids until after surgery. I'm on low carb (Atkins style - just had an omelet and bacon yumm). I heard from some you tube videos of people that went to this surgeon we actually get a last supper the night before surgery! Anything we want including alcohol. Yea!! Anyone else get a last supper?

I still love all my old favorites, but I do find myself seeking out healthy foods I never really bothered with before. I do indulge in pizza, baked goods, chocolate, deserts and alcohol on occasion but I don't really crave any of them. The biggest addiction I've developed is for mixed nuts and Peanut Butter. Gotta have a bit everyday or I start "jonesin" I wouldn't worry about your tastes changing. If you don't like pizza postop then you won't miss it. I'm actually excited about all the new foods I've discovered and prefer to eat over the chips and candy and fried junk I used to eat (and love) everyday.

Hello Everyone, So much to say, where to begin? Hmmmmm. Ok, so I had RNY Gastric Bypass surgery back in 2013 when I was topping the scales at 289 at my heaviest. Having been on every diet under the sun by age 16, being approved for WLS was the greatest thing to ever happen to me. At the ripe age of 23, I had the idea that if my weight was under control then my life would be great, my life would have meaning, I would be happy. Growing up hating yourself because of what you look like is so lonely, it's so painful, and a prison that nobody can set you free from. As I have grown and matured over the years since my surgery I have gained a greater understanding of the why behind the what. What was the issue? I was obese, but why was I obese? The why is not addressed when someone signs on the dotted line after being approved for WLS. I am 7 years out of surgery and I had to learn the why through grueling life experiences that ran me face first into, well...ME. I will forever be grateful for the tool that was given to me through my surgery but I have come to realize that if the why isn't dealt with then my tool will be of no use to me. After my surgery I lost 132 pounds from my heaviest weight going from 289 to 157 and I loved it! I was on top of the world fitting into my size 8 jeans and able to wear whatever I desired but soon my life started to spiral downwards. Since I was no longer able to overeat, I substituted that for an unhealthy relationship, drugs and alcohol. To the naked eye my life seemed great because from the outside everything looked wonderful. The reality is that I sold myself a lie when I convinced myself that when I lost weight my life would automatically be great. Don't get me wrong, losing weight is wonderful but in my case it was much deeper then the extra pounds I was carrying. I needed healing from a life long battle of rejection, abandonment and emotional wounds that shedding 132 pounds didn't cure. I maintained my lowest weight of 157 until 2015 along with my out of control pain pill and adderal addiction and emotionally abusive relationship but it all came to a head when I found God (don't tune out if you don't believe as this is my truth and my experience) in January 2015. In surrendering my life to God and with His power, I was given the strength to leave that relationship and leave the drugs behind and thats when the real work began. In the last 2 years I have gained about 50 pounds and have come to realize that I never dealt with the real issues that caused me to almost be 300 pounds in the first place. I am in a really good place in my life right now as God is helping me tackle the root issues of my brokenness that manifests itself in self destructive behaviors like compulsive overeating or substance abuse. Emotionally I am at a place now that I wish I would have been when I had my surgery, in a place that I can appreciate the tool that has been given to me but more importantly having an awareness of what is going on within. I believe that I had to gain this weight to really appreciate not only what I have but knowing that my weight can't make me or break me. I no longer live in fear that I am not good enough like I did for my whole life leading up to WLS. I allow myself to feel and not numb my emotions with outside things which has been a constant in my life. So unlike most stories of feeling like a failure after regaining weight, this is a success story and one that is still being written! I want to document my journey to losing the regain and hope to encourage, inspire and open the dialogue to similar stories like mine. This is life peeps, if we aren't growing, we are dying. I started on Tuesday going on walks and getting back to the basics and am down 5 pounds and my goal is to get to 150. I know I can do this and would love the support from my fellow WLS community. My first time around, I did it alone but i know that there is power in unity and community. Be Blessed family. I have attached a progression picture of me at my heaviest, my lowest and now. -Mari

I quit Testosterone Replacement Therapy, after 2 years on it. I was not on steroids !!!! Its testosterone replacement therapy, it makes a man at 40 years old, feel great, high sex drive, etc.. It is not pills and 5 different steroids going to you stomach. Its one low dosage intermuscular injection per week. I do not drink alcohol, or smoke nicotine. I quit cold turkey, ["weaned off, TRT with very low dosage weekly shot"], 5 weeks before my successfully , gastric bypass surgery , I am still currently off TRT probably forever. I am 40 years old, ex powerlifter. I am currently 6'3" 299 lbs , i lost 48 lbs as of today in 3 weeks. I only choose gastric bypass surgery because my insurance covered it 100%, i knew it was not reversible, going in. I was told I could continue TRT for life 4 weeks after post op. but now I read No NSAIDS and no Steroids , and they are to opposite things ???? because they can? cause ulcers in the new smaller stomach, and around the staple line. That being, said I am prepared to quit TRT forever !!! But I don't understand why ? It makes no sense. I know for a fact my natural testosterone will come back in a few months, being off TRT, I am not worried about that. *****These are some things that I cant understand and it makes no sense to me , during 4 week post operation. ******* NSAIDS is an appreciation for "NONSTEROIDAL anti-inflammatory drugs" but then it says you CANNOT take Steroids' either ????? Can someone please explain to me how that makes sense ? One is NON STEROIDAL and one is STEROIDALl ?????? Now on to the Clomid brand name drug name is clomiphene , it can be taken by men or women, i have read many posts about women using Clomid post operation to get pregnant !!! there doctors said it was fine but , as I did further research Clomid is a NSAID !!!!????? how does that make sense ??? Clomid taken by men post cycle therapy off TRT will help a man boost testosterone 200% i have done it before in the past it works bringing back natural testosterone levels. The Clomid comes in crushable form pills and liquid too, obviously because , after gastric bypass surgery, your body does not absorb medication like it did before. This is a serious post for people who know what they are talking about please respond with personal stories or any knowledge or insight that you have would be appreciated thank you.

I waited a month per me drs instructions. Be up front with your doctor so he can be honest about how long you should wait. But I have never have a problem with alcohol. Other than I have noticed my band get tighter.

Hi heartfire, I have a therapist to talk to who probably would have been a much tougher screener than the psych eval that I got through the surgeon's office. She knows I have issues, my dad was an alcoholic and as we all know that is another issue that can go on forever. When he died he had a heart attack and was actually clutching onto a glass of scotch when he had it and they had to pry it out of his hand after they found him dead on the floor. There's not much of a line between alcohol and sugar if you think about it. I felt like I needed a jump start and starving myself wasn't the kind of jump start that would work for me. I think if my surgeon had said, yes you are not doing well on the band and we'll talk about gastric bypass now I would have gone with it because I would have seen it as an option that would have been easier. I know you think that's crazy but it's true! Anyway since my daughter is getting gastric bypass next month I met with her nutritionist and she was really nice and offered to meet with me or email etc... I get to go through all the pre-op stuff all over again with my daughter so it helps too to relearn certain things. I've been a Weight Watcher since 1973 or 1972, and probably haven't been in about 4 years but still know basically the point situation and have all my books. I may join or see if I can just follow it on my own. I haven't completed decided yet but I meet my surgeon in a month and hopefully my ticker will start to move!!!! I want to love my band like everyone else here, but I think we'll just be friends for a while first! Thanks brandyII.

As a compulsive over eater I can't eat like a normal person. Just as an alcoholic can't drink like a normal person. I don't drink because my drug of choice is food. It has and will always be. That's why every day is a struggle for me. Keep vigilant and try to get support from where ever you can find it.

We see that all the time at my work, it's called self medicating, but things like marijuana and even alcohol can not only be among other things, gateway drugs, but also mask true underlying issues, and eventually lead to a severe drop in mood, and even suicide, it's like putting a bandaid on a deep wound, and it's very hard because patients will swear up and down that they do better on it, it's hard to get it into their heads that it is a matter of time.........

After surgery I will continue my usage as well it's a self medication and I'm not seeing any harm in MJ it's not the same as tabacco and alcohol and it is true that not everyone gets the munchies and for those who do get the munchies it's because you smoke before you eat....you have to eat before you smoke so your tummy can be already satisfied all you should need is a tall cold glass of Water but everybody is different so just do what works for you Sent from my SM-G900T using the BariatricPal App

I see a lot of folks saying that frozen yogurt is bad... The non frozen yogurt has 0 fat; 5 Mg cholesterol; 150 Mg sodium; 510 potassium; 15 carbs with 15 grams coming from sugars; and 11g of Protein. The frozen yogurt from Brahms has 2 grams of fat; 10 mgs of cholesterol; 60 Mg of sodium; 6g of sugar and 10g of sugar alcohols; and 4 g of protein. It is no sugar added and has the splenda label Would the frozen yogurt be bad to use as a Protein shake base? I like the consistentcy better but ive heard a lot of negative remarks regarding frozen yogurt. Reg yogurt is fine.... I actually like cottage cheese better as a base though; yogurt plain tastes so bitter. Any insight? I cant do Greek yogurt; it is too acidic for my tummy. Thanks y'all. I have not been sleeved yet but ive started incorporating Protein shakes for Breakfast to get the habit established.

I just got sleeved on the 14th and wanted to share some of my experience. I was previously banded at age 30 and lost nearly 100lbs. But by age 38 I had complications and had it removed. Now at 40 I had regained more than half the wt lost. So I elected for the sleeve. I chose to go to Mexico because it was less than half the cost of having it done by my original surgeon. As an RN of 18 years I wanted to share some thoughts on StarMedica in Juarez. But first I should say I chose to drive to El Paso and I traveled solo so my wife could care for the kiddos. I woke up on Friday early and made my family a pancake breakfast (had a bite of one myself). Then got on the road for El Paso. 810 miles and 11.5 hours later and I was there. I went by Wal Mart to pick up a heating pad (very helpful post op) and some slippers. I also (full disclosure) had an excellent "last meal" at JnL Cafe of enchiladas. Then headed for the Holiday Inn Express for the night. I had a little confusion with scheduling my transport from the Airport long term parking but got picked up with another sleever at 1245 at the main entrance of the Airport. I was given the name of Sergio by my coordinator but this was not who picked me up. I did ask about Sergio and where I was being transported to before my luggage got in the van (I know, paranoid much?) The ride across the border was maybe 25 min with a 30 second stop at the border. Once at the hospital, we were met by a fireplug of a Mexican with salt n pepper hair, in khakis and a blue Members Only type jacket. This was Dr. Caulderon. He helped translate the admissions paperwork for the other sleever I'd ridden over with then said he would be back. The admissions clerks asked If I could speak spanish and i indicated a little. Well, it was enough. I was going to sign their standard documents regardless so WTH, I figured. I gave them my money order and DL for them to copy. Once Dr. Caulderon came back he took me for a chest X-ray (was film....I have not seen few in a few years). After that it was up to the 2nd floor for my room. Now, I have worked in HUGE Metro hospitals and tiny community hospitals over the past 2 decades. This was somewhere in between. Clean, a good size, style was a bit dated but not more than a decade (no lime green tiles here). The bed was a later model Stryker electic model. There was a couch/padded bench appx 28"wide by 5.5 to 6' long. Was a big picture window and a spacious bathroom with shower (lukewarm water at best). Shortly after Juan my nurse came in, he said he had 4 years of experience and that he was one of 4 male nurses at the hospital. He wanted to start an IV but honestly his technique was that of one of my 2nd semester nursing students. I am a fat man so veins are hard to visualize but not palpate. Anyway, Juan brought gloves but did not wear them. And I never saw him wash his hands and there is no alcohol hand sanatizer in the room (all of which is SOP in the US in the 1980s). The nurses also wore white (standard in the US in the 1980s), which I prefer. Juan spoke almost zero english and on his second attempt got the IV cath in but, because he forgot to take the tourny off my arm got blood on my gown, bed,and floor. "Oh Mi Dios! Mucho Sangre!" I reached over and popped the tourney off for him and it stopped. The lab draw later was a bit of a trial (same deal,poor technique,no gloves or handwashing) that took 4 sticks. And in my opinion could have been avoided if a policy was in place for the nurse to draw the blood samples when the new iv cath was started, and before flushing. So I just kept reminding myself that I was not there for the nursing care but the reported success of the surgical team. I then hung out in the room until about 630p when I was wheeled to pre-op. In preop the nurse gave me some IV meds which as best I could understand were for relaxation. The anestheologist came by for a couple minutes, the surgeon too and then I was wheeles into the OR where I scooted onto the table. That is all I remembered until post op. Was back in my room by 845p and up walking by 10p. The next day was a mix of walking and getting IV pain meds. Best part was my nurse. Adalyna spoke excellent english, answered several questions, got me a remote for the TV and got me a password for the WiFi (all were beyond my limited spanish to ask for). She actually had good clean technique changing my dressings. Late in the day Dr. Caulderon got myself and 5 other new post op pts together and gave us discharge instructions. That night in addition to the IV pain meds, I got 10mg Valium for sleep. The next morning I woke up, packed my bag, took a whore's bath (couldn't face a tepid shower) and made my bed and cleaned my room. At 930a I was taken downstairs and got on the Taxi back. Took appx 1.5 hours on return. Mostly sitting in line at the border. US border officer asked me what I was bringing back and I told him of the Ketorolac (non controlled pain med) Omeprazole (acid reducer) and Antibiotic. No problems. The driver dropped me off at my car in long term parking about noonish. Then, 810 miles and 13 hours later I was home. I stopped and got some chewable gasX on the way cause the gas pain was rough. Also stopped every hundred or so miles to walk around to stave off DVTs. Well, that is my story.

Post op they recommend no alcohol for a year and a lot of doctors won't even operate on you unless you quit smoking because it can complicate and slow down the healing process. If you are pre-op, I would strongly consider this as an opportunity to quit the use marijuana since you can't use it for a while and find something else to fill that gap for a while. You might find a much healthier option (and depending on where you live... More legal option). Remember, the whole reason people get weight loss surgery is to aid them in making drastic lifestyle changes to better their health. In the grand scheme of things, the recreational use of marijuana and an alcoholic beverage is peanuts compared to the changes in food consumption you will be undergoing. I know it's just advice and ultimately it's your decision to make... But there are lots of ways to relieve stress after a long hard week. Maybe go for a spa visit or something along those lines. Who couldn't go for a good face massage!

I didn’t post this earlier because this board was a place for hope and optimism and I didn’t want my failures to bring the hopes down. Currently I find myself spiraling out of control and just waiting for the happy release when I hit the ground. I started this band process in October of 2008, today, I’m down 3lbs since then. That hurts, and what hurts more is that it’s not the band, it’s me. I eat the wrong things because they’re convenient and because they’re there. I don’t live alone, so there are things in my house that are easy to eat that are wrong and I know they’re wrong but I do it anyways, and then I hate myself for it. And I don’t know why I can’t stop doing that. I don’t want to admit these things at a group meeting because… what the fuck? How is that even possible? What kind of person knowing makes the wrong choice and gets depressed over it, only to repeat the cycle hours later? That’s psychotic and that’s what I find myself doing. It’s painful and stressful to sit and think horrible things about yourself after every meal. And I know, before you say it, I know that I should just make the right choice, but even I don’t know why I don’t. Please believe that if it were just that simple I would already have done it. I’m exhausted all the time. I have one full time job where I have to work as hard as possible every minute to prove myself as there seems to be some kind of stigma against younger workers that they’re lazy and ineffective. I have two part time jobs so I can help out my parents, who aren’t doing so great right now. I take three classes so I can finish my undergrad degree, and I’m exhausted. I’m also exhausted from being disappointed in myself when food comes. I’m not giving up, and I want to win this fight, but I’m so exhausted that I don’t know when I can. I find it complete bullshit that alcoholics and people addicted to drugs get sympathy and drug programs and get to take leave of absences from their jobs to work out their problems, but they can avoid liquor when they’re done and they can have prescriptions that keep them from detoxing, but overweight people face food everyday multiple times a day and the support is…. Only from other people fighting alongside you. We all have the people in our office who put candy on their desk or encourage us to make bad choices, and ultimately those choices are our own to make, but could you imagine finding out a coworker was an alcoholic trying to remain sober and you put out a little bowl of nips? Maybe the parallels are only in my head. I have meetings schedule with Dr. R. and Phyllis and they frighten me because this struggle with weight is the one thing I’m not completely honest about. I want to pretend that I have it all under control and that it’s not controlling me. I need to control everything and this is the one thing I can’t and it makes me feel powerless and at its mercy. Beating this will be my greatest victory and sense of control, knowing that If I get it under control, I can handle anything, but until then it’s my biggest fear and insecurity. When we line up on the battlefield, I have my brain and my band, and the opposing side has found a way to neutralize my brain and the band just isn’t designed to win on its own. Until I can fix that, I will lose, and hate every minute of it. I’m sorry this was so long.

Hello Hello! It has been many months since I last posted here. The last time i posted was concerning me developing a problem with alcohol after the sleeve. Well, that problem has been resolved and I no longer abuse alcohol. I admit it was bad and I was drinking whisky literally as soon as I got up, sneaking it at work, and all through the night. I managed to wean myself off after not quite 2 months. I feel great and my liver feels great too. (Used to get pains in my abdomen after drinking but they are gone.) So this is what I'm here for now. For the past 6 months I've been eating crap. I used to be so good on my low-carb diet. Then I started to allow the carbs back in. I was eating everything that I knew I shouldn't. You name it, I ate it. Ice cream, Cookies, cakes, candy, Pasta, mashed potatoes, bread, rice, take-out, I ate it all. As a result I gained 6 lbs. I became horribly depressed and didn't even try to stop from eating this stuff. I simply chose not to weight myself anymore. These past two weeks were the worst. The other day my supper was 2 Hostess orange cupcakes and a pack of Hostess crumb mini donuts. My belief that I was gaining weight was so strong that I convinced myself I could no longer wear the new clothes I bought and was considering buying larger sizes of clothing. I felt so fat. Then one morning I decided to weight myself before showering. Not only did I lose those 6 lbs I gained but I lost an additional 4 lbs on top of that. I'm now at the smallest I've been post surgery and only 10 lbs shy of my goal weight. So should I go back to my low carb diet or should I continue eating crap?

Oh.....I get it! I am eating high protein and vegetables along with the supplement protein drinks. Like tonight I had left over roasted chicken breast and a tossed salad. I have a husband that likes to eat healthy as well as I do. Now I am on the hunt for some high protein bars with sugar alcohol as the sugar substitute. Good luck to you and shame on your shipmates....

Drink in moderation and remember to include the calories. Also be aware that alcohol often gives people the munchies which could sabotage your diet efforts. A glass of wine is probably one of the better options.

I am sorry you had a bad experience with your surgery. I just wanted to tell you that as a nurse for years, your nurse was very unprofessional and maybe inexperienced. An incident of tachycardia ( yes, heart racing ) is not a reason for a nurse panicking, especially in front of a patient. Many people wake up from surgery and it takes awhile for their vital signs to adjust! As for the horror stories - you should hear the ones I hear following emergency department visits out and about town. I will hear stories about visits that I was personally present for, and their versions are dramatically different from what I witnessed. That is not to say that in "their" perception they are describing it is not true but often when the outcome is not as they expected for example; waiting longer than they wany; not getting the medication they want; expecting chronic conditions to be "fixed" in an ER visit; or having the physician tell them that they cannot do anything form them. Someones visit may go as follows: they come in with their child with a cough and fever and have to wait 20 minutes for the current triage; after triaged they have to wait 20 minutes to come back; after coming back they have to wait 20 minutes for the doctor to see them because we have 2 motor vehicle crash victims; a chest pain; a baby being transferred and a pshych patient taking up a bed; we draw blood; it takes 2 attempts; the chest x-ray takes 30 minutes because the MVC victims are being done; Respiratory Therapy does a breathing treatment; we give medication for the fever (generally we have to wait an hour for it to kick in). During all of this time, the child is fussy and crying but VS are stable except the fever. Baby is fussy, and it takes 2 nurses to give the antibiotics; Finally, the fever comes down; the labs are good and the doctor prescribes some more antibiotics and they have to wait for 20 minutes for the discharge paperwork. Baby is still fussy because they are sick, but we cannot make that go away! After all of this, here is the point of the story, in our perception - this was a totally stable patient and a 3-4 hour ER visit is the norm with everything going on. The patients story which I heard the next day in the store was: Baby was really sick and it took hours in the ER to even be seen - they did not care that she was crying and hot. When we got in the back the nurses did not even know what they were doing and stuck her twice to get her blood. Even though she was screaming they made us wait forever and then they did not even admit her - they just sent her home with p prescription and told us to give her tylenol, We are never going back to that place! I know this is a long story, but while I do not want to minimize the risks, on all of the horror stories, how many of them were done by physicians that were not researched; in facilities that were not the greatest; did not comply with pre op and/or post op instructions; had pre existing conditions that they do not disclose on thier stories such as smoking; alcohol or drug usage?? I agree with the others that have posted, the risk of obesity and its health related problems are looming out there and shaking thier fist at us on a daily basis!! We are going into this with great expectations and not without thought and prayer, you can do it. And, if you ever have a nurse do this again, ask her calmly to take her own pulse before panicking!!!!

You are correct, some programs are way more thorough than others. I met with one nutritionist, one time... and it wasn't even weight loss surgery specific things we covered. It was mainly about nutrition basics. Then I had a group class that went into more specifics, but in no way could it or did it cover everything. But that's when I stepped up to the plate and did as much research as humanly possible, including reading threads on this forum. I was never going to allow my program nor my NUT to tell me everything I needed to know. I probably, no... definitely, know more than my NUT knows about nutrition for bariatric patients. I felt like she was there to fulfill a requirement, but didn't know the specifics about bariatric surgery or nutrition related to that. Some people are looking for validation to break the rules, and others truly don't know the rules. But I don't think its safe to blame just the doctor for that. I think we should know things like... not to drink alcohol or eat bread at 1 month post op. Those things are common sense. And those are what get under my skin.

I am almost five months post op from having my Verticle Gastric Sleeve. I had my surgery at the INT hospital in Tijuana, Mexico. Right off the bat, I have to say, it is the best thing I have ever done for myself. I feel SO much better, having lost 90 pounds so far. And I know that I look better! My family has had mixed reactions. But I am thrilled! I have always been heavy, fat, fluffy, large, obese, what ever you want to call it. Once, when I was pregnant with our second child, I was so nauseated, I lost about 30 pounds at the beginning of the pregnancy. My doctor told me to eat more. I told him how nauseated I was, how I just couldn't eat. He said "You have to force yourself to eat!" And I thought "Just my luck! THE ONLY TIME IN MY LIFE I AM SUPPOSED TO FORCE MYSELF TO EAT, AND I AM NAUSEATED!!!" Never before or since has anyone ever told me to force myself to eat!! I had my surgery the middle of June this year, and have lost a total of 90 pounds so far. I now wear a size 12, and am coming up fast on a size 10. (I tried on a pair of size ten slacks this morning, and they fit, but are tight. Didn't buy them. Just wanted to see if I could get them on!) But what a thrill. I know that as a child, I went straight from children's sizes to a women's size 16! Never, ever wore a size smaller than a 16. And gradually since my marriage (40 years ago!) I have gained a few pounds each year, taking me to an all time high of 260 lbs. I am a travel nurse. My specialty is Labor and Delivery. I love to work with laboring women! Don't so much care for delivered women or babies, but I love the laboring women! I have been working as a travel nurse for about 5 years now. A travel nurse contracts out, through an agency, to work for a hospital for a set number of weeks, usually 13 weeks at a time. At first I only worked contracts around Iowa, my home state. Then about three years ago, I took a contract in California, and have been working off and on in California ever since. I have been at my current contract for over a year. At the end of each contract here, they have just kept offering me extensions. So I have stayed here. I love it here in Merced, CA, but my current contract is over in a few weeks, and I have decided to go home,. My husband is lonely living alone, and it is of the highest importance to me is to keep him happy! When I initially started working in California, I thought I would use my time here to get thinner. I had an image of everyone in California being tan and thin and good looking. (The Hollywood Image I guess.) But it didn't work that way. I was lonely, living all by myself with no family or close friends, and I cooked and baked, and ATE! (Did I mention that I LOVE to cook and bake? Wish I had discovered this talent 40 years ago, I would have been a chef instead of a nurse!) I gained almost 40 pounds living in California by myself. So about a year ago, I started considering having bariatric surgery. My first cousin IS a bariatric surgeon, and I even went for a consultation with him. However, our insurance wouldn't cover it at all, and even though he offered to do the surgery free of charge, I would still have to pay the hospital and anesthesia charges out of my pocket. So I opted for going to Mexico and having the surgery there. I have previously expressed on this board my mixed feelings about my surgery in Mexico, so won't repeat it here. But the end result has me thrilled to death! I love the results I have gotten, and am so happy with my outcome. I couldn't ask for better results. No complications other than a persistant fatigue that hounded me for the first 4-6 weeks post op. But now am over that, and loving the way my life is now. I get so many compliments on how I look, and how much I have lost. Everyone has been so nice about it. I can't say enough about how my friends have supported me. It is going to be interesting to go home in a few weeks and see how my friends there react to me. When I first told my four children I was going to have the surgery, they all expressed displeasure and negativity about it. My son's mother-in-law had a Roux-N-Y surgery (another bariatric surgery) about 8 years ago, and she lost a huge amount of weight. But has gained it all back. She drinks quit a bit, and I think her alcohol consumption has contributed to her weight regain significantly. A good friend of mine who also has always been heavy had a Roux-N-Y procedure 9 or 10 years ago, and she too has gained most of her weight back. I look at them, and it re-doubles my determination not to gain my weight back. I want so strongly to maintain the loss I have achieved and continue on till I get to goal. (Also, I have given away ALL my fat clothes, so I HAVE to stay this thin, or go naked which would NOT be a pretty sight!) I told my husband at the outset, when he expressed his concerns about my having surgery, I am not doing this to look better, I am doing this to FEEL better. And I can say without a doubt, I feel SO good now. My joint aches and pains are gone. My chronic fatigue is gone, I have Loads of energy. I have been able to quit my arthritis medicine, my cholesterol medicine, my allergy medicine (who knows about that one!), my blood sugar medicine (I was a Pre-diabetic) and my blood pressure medicine. So I KNOW that my health has improved! What more could I ask for? My only regret is that this procedure wasn't available 30+ years ago!!!

I did make sure to get all my protein in, and I ate NO junk, no processed food. I tried to make every single bite as nutritionally dense as possible. I made soups, green berry smoothies, ate a lot of yogurt and cottage cheese, home grown pumpkin and garden veggies, some fish, a little fruit (like 1/2 apple or a mandarin orange.) I was also using lentils and other legumes, as well as still using some protein powder. No grain based carbs, no nut butters, very limited fruit. I reached goal very quickly and have maintained now for a year. I am now plant based and do not even try to count calories any more. I still get about 60 gm of protein a day, but I eat whatever I want now and as much as I want. I am never hungry. Mind you, I get in about 10 servings of fruits/veggies a day, eat a moderate amount of whole grains, plenty of legumes, nuts and seeds, but no sugar, simple carbs, processed or junk food, No soda, no alcohol, no caffeine. Never felt better, have tons of energy, no pain, no sleep apnea. Blood pressure is normal now, and my fatty liver is now normal. Cholesterol plummeted to 152, as did my LDL and triglycerides. Losing over 100 pounds made a world of difference - a whole new life. But going whole food plant based (WFPB) took it to a whole new level of health and wellness. My other fat life seems like a distant dream now - and I'm never going back there! Bottom line - success at lifelong weight loss means making lifelong changes in food choices, habits, exercise patterns, and lifestyle. We must let go of the things that made us fat in the first place, and embrace the new things that will bring us success for the long term. It can be a scary journey, but worth every step!

Those alcoholic drink alternatives sound really good. I'm not a heavy drinker, but if I go out to a bar I certainly don't want to be sipping on tap water lol. I'm glad to hear it hasn't been that bad for you! I hope I'm just as lucky. I'm glad you mentioned the bathroom habits, as unglamorous as it may seem haha. I am not regular in that department and am looking forward to some regularity on the liquid diet.