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Hi there Congrats on your surgery firstly... the big step is over and done with. Secondly did you not get info from a nutritionist at all? You're 10 days out from surgery I think, so far too soon to be on solids. If you do a search on the board you'll find several dietary guidelines which might help. As a rough idea I had to do: First 10 days post op - clear liquids (which included skimmed milk, no added sugar fruit juice but not citrus ones), clear soups and Optifast shakes. Days 10 to 20 - Full liquids - soups with no lumps in yoghurts and all of the above. The next 7 days - Mushies and all of the above Day 28 for the next 7 days - Soft foods - chicken, fish, eggs, and all of the above. Day 35 onwards - normal foods but still no alcohol until 2nd month, and no gassy liquids or caffeine. I hope this helps - it is just a guide and you'll see various different ones on the forum, but at least you'll get an idea of roughly where you are. Don't over do your sleeve, you've worked hard to get where you are and don't want to risk a leak or anything getting caught in it and infection setting in. Good luck.

Good Morning and Welcome to June... Darcy - Have you made an appt with Your Doc yet? Hopefully it turns out to be nothing but better to be safe.. Sorry to hear about Ava ~ ouch in the pocketbook ~ Hopefully your babies will get to feeling better soon. Hi Kat ~ Praying that you get the call and everything can move along for you and DH. I have not had time to read back on your trip ~ Hope you all enjoyed it and relaxed. You got it girl... Donna ~ My Heart and Prayers go out to you. I have seen on my ex's side what alcohol can do to a family. Hopefully he will make a turn around. Eileen ~ Mine are coming more common since Dec ~ early menapouse is what the Doc says. Hopefully it is not true but it's expected I guess. Beanie - I have a call into my Lawyer cause I really do believe that I am entitled to the whole thing. But in order to get him to sign off on the house I will use anything at this point to keep the peace and the house and it's contents. Believe me I would rather not give him a dime for all the emotional crap I have had to take from his bottom of the barrel family and that is putting it nicely. I will be taking cell phone / ins pymt off the top... sounds like you all had a good time this weekend Patty ~ was it hard to set up the Tivo? I would really love one but am still not sure. I order movies from Net flix and those sit around my home for like a month. I was thinking they were going to call and tell me to send them back.. Pat ~ Sorry about your friend {{HUGS}}} I love your golf course yard.. Especially your ride ~ I could go round and round on that all day.. Even make money giving rides. Cindy ~ glad you are ticket free.. Betty ~ Are you getting any rest yet?? Becky - Happy Belated Birthday Sherry ~ have you checked out Ebay for the Gun he wants? That is good that he is working to offset the cost.. " EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH ~ SHERRY" Dianne ~ I bet once the Snacks are out of the picture for you and ME - we will see a differance.. Carol ~ Hi Well here we go another day in the neighborhood. Just pluggin away and waiting for the insurance lady or adjuster to call. Total loss is what the adjuster told the collision place.. See how much they will be offering is the next question? Other than that this would be the first weekend he would get the boys for overnights but he already said he would rather not take them till he has his apt ready? humm all the flippin fighting and now he does not want them. A$$ Well tomorrow is pay day and hoping to get some bills out of the way at least on my side, little does he know that there is a garnishment on his check. Kids are doing great and ex SIL is taking them to the park to ride bikes today. Other than that not a whole lot going on today. I bring in Breakfast tomorrow that is todays delimma.. Crap why did I agree???

I never thought I had a problem with the carb addiction thing. I've read so many posts on here about someone having just 1 or 2 Cookies or some bread and being thrown into a tailspin of cravings. I never got that because I have no problem eating just one. Well then I visited family for Christmas and spent the week splurging on all of my moms great homemade sweets as well as bread, potatoes and alcohol. Boy, did that trigger the cravings! I felt like crap, but still wanted more sweets. It was a relief to get back on plan when I returned home. Took about 3 days to detox, I felt so much better and my cravings for healthy stuff returned. My head (that likes the crap food) has finally given in and admitted that my body knows best.

I can totally understand where you are coming from. I am a self-confessed and proven food addict. I am absolutely powerless over food, particularly things with sugar in them. I will honestly tell you that just as an alcoholic drinks to self-medicate, I used to eat to numb my emotions and fill some void. I have really found a lot of help in Overeaters Anonymous. You can go to their website (www.oa.com) and find a meeting (either a face to face meeting in your area or a call in phone meeting you can do from home). My philosophy is take what you need and leave the rest from the meetings. I am doing pretty well right now but I know it is a process that will take time. Good luck with everything! :-) Katie

Happy new year people! So I was totally going to see if anyone wanted to do coffee (think that was mentioned a couple of months ago by someone, heh) when I was back in NZ but it was super busy for the three weeks I was back, so... yeah. Hi Pockets! I've had my band for 7 years as of last December (I'm 26, I got the band when I was 20), and it's worked really well for me. One thing that I thought was rather major that they DIDN'T tell me about when I got it was the potential for indigestion/heartburn when you get to your goal weight (or rather, just past the sweet spot on the band). I don't know about anyone else here, but I had never had indigestion before I got to my goal weight a few years ago, and every time I've had it since it has hurt a hell of a lot - not sure if this is because it gets aggravated by the band or not, but either way. Heather (at Dr Fris' office on the North Shore) just sort of shrugged it off and we agreed that having the band tight enough to help me stay at around 56-57 kg (just above my 'ideal' weight, think my 'ideal' is 55kg...) was too much, so now I just aim to stay around 58. I've also noticed that it tends to be triggered by stress half the time - I moved to Europe, no one here knew, I got indigestion several times; I told a friend at work, no indigestion since. Go figure. There are, of course, other complications like slippage, etc, but like Laura said, I found the benefits have far outweight the risks. Actually, Dr Fris told me that a patient of his had moved to London, the band slipped, and he flew all the way back to NZ to go to Dr Fris rather than get it fixed in Europe. That suggests to me that any problems caused by that are manageable on the short term at least! Oh, like Laura and AJ said about the band not working/changing habits, I remember discussing the band with a neighbour who told me a friend of hers got the band, then while still on the liquid diet was melting chocolate so she could drink it... Needless to say she never lost any weight... People who don't know much about it (or don't want to know...) tend to think it's the easy way out, but it is just a tool you can use, like listing everything in the weight watchers book or calorie counting or some such. Like AJ said, you can sabotage it (like with the chocolate drink mentioned above)... On the flip side though, it is a rather strict tool as if you forget about it and take a big bite of a sandwich or eat too much too quickly you will definitely know about it (more so the further along you get). Changing your eating habits takes a bit of getting used to - I still find that I have to pay attention when I visit my family as I wasn't living at home when I got it so they never slowed down their eating along with me (my ex-bf did, really appreciated that! Funny thing is he still eats slower now - when he has time to, anyway, heh) - old habits die hard I suppose. Other little things I've noticed are that I've turned into a bit of a light weight on the alcohol front (I used to be able to handle it really well, my tolerance has halved I think - I don't drink very often, but when I do, anyway. Mind you, the nutritionist at Dr Fris' office also told me to drink a glass of wine a day...)... I've also noticed that flying long haul can really mess up my eating patterns now - flying from NZ to Europe or vice versa generally has me surviving on one or two meals a day for a few days, compared to three plus Snacks... Just little things, but it's interesting when you start noticing the non-weight related changes. I really like that if anything happens the band can be adjusted or, if needed, removed. I like that there is the option if needed, though considering how much my abs/stomach hurt after the surgery to get the band in there I think it'd have to be something pretty serious for me to get it removed, heh. Ok, I've rambled on for ages... Ahem. On the other front, I went to Dr Fris' office when I was back in NZ (the same day I flew in, no less!) and got a top up - I hadn't gained as much weight as I thought, thank goodness (scales at a specialists office here said I was 65...! Dr Fris' scales said 60... Argh.). Had half a mill of solution added - tiny tiny amount, but talk about feeling it... Fortunately I could use the long haul travel excuse when visiting friends... This is the first time I've had to totally rely on Heather for advice as usually my intuition regarding the band is really good, but I just haven't been feeling it lately. It felt loose and I was hungry a lot of the time, but then I went to Bremerhaven on a work trip two weeks before coming home and I was barely able to eat for the entire weekend (epic stress = no food apparently!). It took a little while to settle as well, as usually I'm back to normal within a couple of days (I've never had to do the liquids after inflation thing), but I was feeling a bit restricted all the way up till Christmas... Guess this was a fine line inflation, really, but it's feeling pretty good right now. My grandparents did a full roast meal for my family the night I left NZ and I managed my usual serving of that fine, so that was good. Now I just need to get the running sorted out again and try and get my knees to stop screwing up and I'll be good to go (or rather, stay at the same weight, or perhaps fit into my favourite pair of jeans again - I fit them at 58kg or less, lol) again. Heh. Actually, on a more light-hearted note - I'm familiar with the problem of not being able to fit some clothes because they weren't a large enough size (some - I was size 18 at my heaviest, 96kg - this was mostly preventative surgery because the pattern was 'gain weight no matter what I do' and the only way appeared to be 'up'... But I did have a couple of instances of not being able to buy stuff I liked cos it didn't go to size 18...)... Now I've discovered that if I'm not careful and, say, get to my goal weight (which I'm not planning on, I decided a couple of years ago that 58 is where I'd rather be), I will be too small to fit clothes from Kathmandu and Bivouac, which is where most of my clothes are from... Oops. Aldesa - I'm with Laura on this one, that sucks! Are they able to do anything about it? Laura - go you! You can do it! What's your goal weight again? And how far away is your 21st? Hmm. I'm making a nice big pot of Soup and I can't remember how long it's been boiling for. Oops again. Forcing myself to eat something before I pass out again. Yay jet lag!

Ryan, I'm so thankful that you have a dr. that is checking you out thoroughly. Ulcers are not anything to fool around with. Thank goodness you found out about this before your banding! This may postpone your surgery, but it's not stopping it. Please be careful in the types of food that you're eating. Spicey foods and alcohol will aggravate ulcers. This will be "repaired" and you'll be "back in the saddle". Take care and please don't get too discouraged. "This too shall pass." The peace and solitude at the lake are exactly what you need right now. Take care!

I thought the holiday’s with the band would be easy Well no ……I ate so much less than I would normally ( I ate less that 1 slice of pizza when everyone around me was on their 3rd slice) tried to make good choices but the holiday food got me Turkey, Ham ,cold cuts, Italian food, Chinese , Cookies , chips (not at the same time) In addition to Christmas and new years I have my birthday on dec 30- tried to eat a time bit of steak on my birthday and ending up throwing it all up (does not taste good at all coming up Most of the time I was ok with a couple of bites…..had a few restrictions some gagging but for the most part stopped when I thought there would be a problem. It is so hard to eat my tiny plate….slowly when others are devouring mounds of food and drink Always the last one at the table..wanting to eat more but unable because I knew the pain would be unbearable…found myself hungry a lot ..then would eat something bad then pain Felt sorry for myself .mad at myself and the world and other time happy with the band The worst part was the alcohol--- i used to like the flavored beers (lemon, lime ect) can’t drink them now because of the carbonation……even mixed drinks I like with soda so not too much to drink…mostly sober in a room full of half drunk people …not so much fun Am having a hard time getting back to normal….miss food want to eat but know it will cause pain Maybe I should so back to liquids for a few days and restart my system On new years I weighed in at 209.4 --- from 230+ before surgery aug 22 its working I know it will get better but its hard Bad foods that go down real easy Snapple Lemonade Chips Cereal (sugary ones) Peppermint candy canes Cake

Hi, based on the mixed reviews I thought I’d respond. I got my lap band at NYU by Dr. George Fielding who is a veteran in the field and has the band himself, obviously I have world renowned physicians assisting me. So I’ve had really terrible experiences with changes in altitude, and they last longer than 48 hours, which caused concern each time because these forums tend to say it only lasts 24 to 48 hours. The first time I was 100% sure something was wrong with the band was after when I hiked over 1500 feet up a mountain. Three days later I was in the emergency room and they did all the tests and the lap band was fine and in the same place. I had to have it loosened but that was the first experience that it was so terrible by the third day I could not even drink water without throwing up. The next time was when I came from a flight to Mexico, that was pretty bad but only for about 24 hours, I already knew this might happen so I stayed on liquids. This most recent time I spent four days in the Adirondack mountains, I am now on day four of absolute torture. I was able to eat an avocado at night a day ago, only after drinking some alcohol, however otherwise, I have thrown up absolutely everything including coffee with milk, I can’t even eat soup and I am completely exhausted. Since I’ve been to NYU three times in the past two years after changes in altitude I’m not going to go again because this is the longest time I spent up in the mountains so I’m assuming that’s why it lasts so long — but just beware that different people have different experiences and you have to take a break and really relax and let everything get back to normal if you’re having side effects like me after drastic changes in altitude.

My brother is a highly intelligent man. This was proven decades ago, when IQ tests (performed while his teachers and parents tried to figure out why he was a miserable little bugger) showed a genius level IQ. I know that sentence sounds unsympathetic to my brother, but we were all miserable - our parents, his teachers, me, and my brother. The decades that have passed since then haven't given him any more common sense or made him any less miserable. A good example of that is his reaction when I first talked with him about my weight loss surgery. This highly intelligent and (by then) well-read man said, "Wow! So, you have the surgery, and then you eat anything you want and you still lose weight!" Well, no, I told him. Not really. In fact, nothing like that. During the 6 years of my weight loss surgery journey, I have (over and over and over again) witnessed bariatric patients who came out of the operating room after surgically successful procedures still wondering why they couldn't eat anything want and still lose weight. Their disappointing weight loss was and is a perpetual puzzle to them because somehow they had not grasped that behavioral change is required for weight loss success. It's easy to label those patients as stupid or ignorant or deluded, or to blame their bariatric team for failure to properly educate those patients about what would be required of them both pre- and post-op. All of those things could be a factor. In March 2012 I attended 2 sessions of a required pre-op nutrition and education class. My BMI then made me obese, but not morbidly so. I had gained weight after a complete unfill and was preparing to say goodbye to my beloved band due to medical problems aggravated by my band, planning to revise to vertical sleeve gastrectomy in the same procedure. The dietitian leading the class was a perky, pretty 20-something girl, adorably pregnant, who had clearly never struggled with her weight before. Her slightly condescending attitude was hard to take, but about halfway through the class I thought I could understand her attitude. She had just named a long list of foods we should not eat after surgery (including fried foods, candy, baked goodies, soda, alcohol, salty snacks, etc.) when I heard a woman nearby say bitterly, "I don't know. That seems like an awful lot to give up." Since I had known the before and after of WLS, I was strongly tempted to respond to her, but I held my tongue (wisely, for once). I don't know just why so many people think that WLS is magic, that you can eat anything you want and still lose weight; that you don't have to give up a single food or behavior or attitude in order to succeed. Maybe we can blame that kind of thinking on the media, or maybe we can blame it on the deeply-entrenched denial that tends to go along with obesity. But the fact is, you can't eat anything and still lose weight unless you're dying of cancer or AIDs or some other fatal disease, and probably don't want to eat a single bite of anything anyway. And I'd trade dying of cancer for WLS sacrifices and success any old day, wouldn't you?

I guess I have carbonation too, but it is mostly in the form of soda Water... with a little lime and perhaps vodka to dilute the bubbles. oops, should I admit that? Actually, I am a social drinker, I have mentioned that before. Be really careful fellow sleevers as a "dab will do ya" when it comes to alcohol. I go to happy hour with my girlfriends a couple times a month and we all order the same drink (see above) in a very tall glass. All that was inspired by me trying to find the lowest carb/lowest calorie drink that you could still suck down and feel like you've drunk something! Actually, every once in awhile I have a diet root beer. When I was obese, I didn't drink root beer, but somehow now it is this over the top sweet delight that makes me feel like I have had something really really decadent. I dunno, I am far enough out from my original surgery that I think my tummy is my mature size. I don't worry too much about it - I just try to eat small. I do get hunger, but normal humans experience hunger. I feel like that is what I experience now compared to the overwhelming drive to eat - constant hunger I used to have. I can honestly say, the sleeve has for me lived up to all the hype.

This week I started a weekly Wednesday night Facebook Live series called Food Addiction: FAIR and FIRM. During the program, I commented that when I was told, “Connie, you’re an addict,” after the initial shock wore off, I felt a tremendous sense of relief. For the first time in my life, certain things made sense to me. Let me speak to the shock part first. Yes, I drank - a lot – in college. So did everyone else I knew. So did everyone in my family. In fact, most of the people in my family drank a whole lot more than I ever did! After I got married, I quit drinking on a regular basis. When I did drink after that, I usually drank to get drunk – true. It’s also true that I drank less after I got married because I started taking codeine – very rarely, at first – for bad migraine headaches. Over time, however, I took it daily because codeine helped me to not feel. Anything. At most, I took maybe three in a day. I thought addicts took lots and lots of pills! So when I was given the alcohol and drug addiction screening, I was certain I wouldn’t meet any criteria for alcoholic, and most definitely not for drug addict. Well, I got one heck of a case of the “Yeah buts…” in a hurry when the therapist said, after scoring my test, “Connie – you’re an alcoholic and a drug addict.” As she talked to me about the items that indicated addiction on the test, every one of my responses to her started with, “Yeah, but…” For example, “Yeah, but I could have answered that question either way.” “Yeah, but I don’t drink nearly as much as most of the people I know, especially the people in my family.” “Yeah, but, drug addicts take a lot of pills throughout the day.” “Yeah, but I was able to take care of my kids and work and go to school.” “Yeah, but I’ve never been in trouble with the law.” When I had exhausted all the “Yeah, buts” I could think of, imagine or create, I got quiet and let it sink in. I am an addict. And then I felt it. Relief. It made sense. What made sense to me about my being an addict is understanding, for the first time, the reasons I continued to do things that went against my own values. I started to understand the reasons I did things I said I would never do. It began to make sense that things I promised I would stop doing seemed impossible to stop doing. I am an addict. I have a disease that “hijacks” the brain. When I am in active addiction of any kind: the disease of addiction that affects my brain doesn’t allow me to listen to reason but stays locked in denial mode the disease of addiction that affects my emotions keeps me in a protective mode so I defend myself by blaming other people and things for my behavior the disease of addiction that affects my spiritual self says, “do what feels good in the moment” and hides the part of me that says, “what I value is good and decent” the disease of addiction that affects my social self, brings out the loud, obnoxious, hurtful voice I am capable of using the disease of obesity that affects my physical being takes dangerous risks, eats poorly, doesn’t exercise and doesn’t care Accepting the truth that I am an addict was a relief. NOT AN EXCUSE. I understood my poor choices better. It made sense that it was so difficult for me to follow through with the convictions I made to myself and the promises I made to others. I began to understand why my behaviors went against the person I wanted to be. Addiction is a brain sickness and a soul sickness. And a protector. All at the same time. Food, alcohol, shopping, pain medication, and other things I engaged in addictively protected me from my feelings. That is what I wanted most of all. To not feel. I didn’t want to feel the reality of my sadness, my anger, my pain and my shame. The trade-off for not feeling was to use addictive substances/behaviors and betray myself by doing things I was embarrassed about, ashamed of, and seemingly unable to control. Being an addict was in no way an excuse for the behaviors I engaged in. It’s very uncool to use being an addict as a way to avoid taking responsibility. “I danced with the boss’s husband at the holiday party. What can say – I was drunk.” NOT COOL. “I told her off but she had it coming and besides – I was drunk and couldn’t keep my mouth shut.” NOT COOL. For food addicts, it is similarly bogus to make excuses for overeating because the kids were acting up, you were late for work and got yelled at, your mother was sick, or your spouse ticked you off. Each one of us is 100% responsible for our behavior – even if we have addictions. If we have an addiction, once we realize that truth, we are responsible for getting help and learning healthy ways to deal whatever life brings us. We are responsible for learning to deal with our feelings in appropriate ways. We are responsible for learning to work through losses, past abuse or neglect, present hardships, frustrations with family and friends, and all of life’s realities. Without the use of addictive chemicals or actions. The addictive substance or behavior, whatever it is, isn’t the problem. Sure, alcohol is a problem for alcoholics. Certain foods are problems for food addicts. Shopping is a problem for shopaholics. But those are only the surface problems. Addictive substances and behaviors are symptoms of the real problems, which are almost always rooted in shame: “I’m not good enough.” That shame stems from many possible places. To treat addictions, we must first remove the substance or behavior. No, one cannot eliminate food from their life. But they can eliminate the food(s) that cause them problems. Once we are free of chemicals or the addictive behaviors, we can work on the real problems and choose who we want to be. When we don’t “use,” our actions can reflect our values. “Connie – you’re an addict.” WHAT A RELIEF! I understood why I couldn’t STOP doing things I didn’t really want to do. I finally knew there was hope. I knew I could learn to live life in healthy ways and according to my values. But I first had to be willing to live without the addictive chemicals and behaviors. So I needed help. I couldn’t do it alone. And I didn’t have to. Together, we can support one another into a life of RECOVERY. What a relief!

When it comes to food I'm not fussy I will eat whatever. The reason I had the band done is because I simply ate too much even though it's not take away or bbq meals. I never really had a problem with junk food only had it on occasion. drinks on the other hand are my weakness (not alcohol) I love my soft drinks and energy drinks. Is it possible to lose weight while still having drinks? I can cut to the sugar free range but I must have drinks. Of course I still do drink Water but I can't do without my drinks. I asked the doctor and he says diet soda is ok but just gotta watch out as it's still calories. Can't be too much calories though right?

Day 29: I am grateful that we are able to pay all our bills and not have credit card or other debt. We do occasionally use a 6 month no interest thing on big purchases (most recently 10 tires) because I hate paying interest. Well I have really enjoyed this challenge even though I have failed miserably. Weight this morning was 212.4 and I only went alcohol free on 3 days. I did stay within my 4 ounce limit with only a few deviations though. I am just too weak....

What I'm about to share with you, I do not recommend or condone. Everyone is different and everyone's doctors and WLS teams make different recommendations. I'm just sharing my personal experience since that is what you asked for. I also echo @@jessjames message Prior to surgery, my hubby and I would enjoy a glass of wine (3-5 oz.) with a steak dinner about every 6 weeks or so, so I was not a big drinker to start with (haven't been since my early 30s). After surgery, it was at least 6 months before I had my first glass of wine and I kept it to about 2-3 oz. I felt the effects of the alcohol in my system much faster than ever before; not a real buzz per se, but that warm feeling all over and especially in my joints. It's been that way ever since; and we still don't drink any more frequently than before my surgery. A couple weeks ago, we were in Pigeon Forge on vacation. We visited one of the new, legal moonshine retailers where I choose to sample some of the various flavors of moonshine. The samples were poured into a very small cup (what I know as a communion cup) so you don't get much "shine" in a sample. However, I did sample several different flavors and would estimate that I got almost the equivalent of 1.5 - 2 ounces of moonshine. Needless to say, I got quite a buzz going and felt the effects immediately. Since I knew what wine did to me, even in small amounts, I expected this type of effect, but not to the level it was. The effects did not last long since hubby and I were walking quite a bit and did eat lunch immediately afterwards. And if anyone is wondering, no I did not buy any moonshine to take home Also, since there is no nutritional value to any alcoholic beverage, I choose to limit my consumption of such because I would rather use those calories on something with substance. Regardless of my experience with alcohol, it is in your best interest to follow the recommendations of your WLS team.

My surgical team recommends no alcohol for 3 months after surgery and it hasn't been three months for me yet, but I haven't had ANY pain or nausea since surgery. I'm attending an event tomorrow night and would like to enjoy a glass of wine but I don't want to get sick or jeopardize my new pouch in any way.

I was just telling someone last night about this. Saw one girl who is 4 days post op already purée food and eating mash potatoes and gravy. First thought was I thought you were only allowed protein shakes and water first 2 to 3 weeks. It was freaking me out. 1 girl 3 weeks out said she was feeling so good going to a friends party wanting to know if she could drink alcohol. Really ? These are the same ones who are going to poo poo on this surgery. Yes I know it's hard but why do they want to be fat all over again? Makes no sense to me

I have to be at work at 6:50am I can eat when I first wake so I have to have Breakfast about 6:30 before I leave for work. Last night my area had a "Dining for life" at specific restuarants which means that if you eat at participating restuarants then 25% of your meal tickets get dedicated to the philadelphia center (our Aids prevention and treatment center) I gathered about 9 people to go with me last night and for the first time had some alcohol since my surgery. One single delicious frozen strawberry swirl maggie. mmmmm. One enchilada, a few chips, and a few bites of Beans. Sounds like so little to me but in reality so much less than I used to eat. I tried to eat a tortilla covered in butter like I used too before my food got there because I was starving. One bite and my band said..."Are you crazy" and I put the tortilla down Anyway back to the main part of my story, and a Question. This moring I obviously woke up late bc if noone else has tried this alcohol effects you much more aggressively now. I usually wake up at 5 today I woke up at 6:11. So I had to get dressed, take a shower, and make myself pretty in 30 mins. I was going to grab breakfast to go...but dang it. What is breakfast to go now? Everything comes wrapped in a biscuit, a croissant, or atortilla ( which I can't eat unless it is soaked in sour cream sauce apparently) My Dr. told me to eat breakfast. Now I am up here hungry and confused. What do you guys have for take out breakfast?

I'm now almost 4 months out from having a LapBand to VG conversion and I would like to summarize my experience. Positives 1. "Caught food", Sliming, etc is almost a non issue. I have had it happen ONCE off of overcooked eggs, and one other time off of chicken was not chewed up well enough, both times I tried to drink Water afterword. This is in contrast to the same issue that would happen several times per week, sometimes several times per day with the band. I can now eat chicken (even white meat!) , pork, beef, bread, raw vegetables, citrus, etc, (All of these would get caught with my band during proper restriction) without worying where the nearest bathroom is. I do stay away from overcooked eggs (mostly scrambled) though. 2. Back pain is completely gone! My surgeon concurs with my belief that either the port or band was setting off a few nerves which would cause referral pain to my back. 3. Very little hunger. What hunger does exist is taken care of nearly IMMEDIATELY after eating. 4. Alcohol makes me DRUNK very fast and with very little of it, but I hardly drink anyway. 5. NO food RESTRICTIONS (after a while). The first 10 weeks I had some pretty undesirable dumping effects from fats and sugars, even from basic Protein shakes. Most of these effects have disappeared. I still dump from very high sugar content foods (maybe more than 25grams of sugar), but this can vary. For instance, I have eaten a Drumstick brand sundae cone and haven't dumped, even though it contains quite a bit of sugar. I can also eat approximately 4 oreos without dumping, yet if I were to immediately "chase" it with liquid, thus "washing it through", I would most likely dump, at least if it were early in the day. For some reason, dumping is worse in the morning. Dumping seems to occur in about 10% of VG patients, and is assumed to go away. I suspect it will disappear completely within a year. On a related note, I get tired of many artificially processed type foods such as oreos, snack foods, etc. For some reason, my senses of taste have changed and have become extremely turned off by artificial flavorings. Many such products will make me queesy, but they will not make me dump. Also, if I eat and then "Wash through" the food, I am not hungry again like I was with the LapBand. As far as I can tell, it is next to impossible to "Wash through" any solid protein source or fruit/vegetable... I have yet to do it, the water simply goes through around the food. 6. I CAN BURP!!! No more "stuck air" that has to take the long way out. I have virtually no gas now, unless of course, I eat a gassy food like bell peppers. Negatives: 1. Acid reflux. I ABSOLUTELY MUST take a proton pump inhibitor daily, otherwise I will have moderate heartburn. This effect is supposed to fade over 6-12 months as the pouch stretches, but I have had little to no stretching as of yet, and am becoming annoyed with this side effect. 2. Initial dumping. As I stated earlier, this effect is mostly gone, but it can sneak up if I eat junky/processed/fast food. Or items with alot of sugar and then "chase them down" with water or such. Dumping seems to occur in about 10% of VG patients, and is assumed to go away. I suspect it will disappear completely within a year. 3. It can be difficult to drink fluids. One must CONSTANTLY remember to drink enough Fluid, BEFORE eating, otherwise you may subject yourself to dumping induced by washthrough, or worse, the water may come back up. 4. You may be fatigued for up to the first year after surgery, this comes from the severe caloric restriction and weight loss. My first 10 weeks were hellishly draining. I no longer have energy problems as long as I get my 150grams of whey protein per day and FORCE myself to eat enough each day. OVERALL I am totally satisfied. I am currently at 223, the slimmest I've ever been and am still losing weight. Mind you, the lowest weight I ever attained via LapBand was 238, and that was with a constant "I'm starving" sensation. That physical sensation is now gone. While it was VERY easy to "out eat" the band, it is fairly difficult to outeat my VG, sure it may be possible with carb laden foods that compress down to nothing when chewed, but overall, the physical desire eat, AKA hunger pangs, have simply been removed. Related to this last point, I should reiterate the fact that I must FORCE MYSELF to eat enough protein to keep up with my active lifestyle (surgeon is recommending 150g-250g per day total). When I say FORCE myself to eat, I don't really know how to explainit, other than the fact that once I consume a certain amount of calories, I no longer have the desire to eat. I could fill up my calories with relatively empty carbohydrates which will leave me tired the next day, or I can eat all of my protein first and then consume carbohydrates if I feel like it. In other words, I could physically eat more at the end of the day, but after a certain quantity of calories, I simply cannot mentally stomach another bite of food. For lack of a better explanantion, it's almost as if the "eat food" circuit in my brain shuts off at this point.

I was in your exact shoes with my surgeon and his reasoning for making my goal weight 150lbs was because I am considered large frame. I have huge ankle, knee joints, seriously, my husband can not wrap his hand around my ankles, and I am extremely barrel-chested (wide ribcage). So, after much consideration, and really thinking of what I would look like at 150 vs. 125, I was content with 150lbs as my goal weight. I went below my goal weight and at my lowest, 119lb, I was too small. My bones were protruding, you could see the blue veins through the skin on my neck. I purposely gained weight to give me a maintenance weight average of 125-130lbs, and in that range I am perfectly content. Actually, I was perfectly content at 150lbs, I still had boobs, I still had some curviness to my figure. I was wearing a 7/9 and with the drop of 20-25lbs, I was wearing a size 2 jeans, and xtra small tops, so even though I didn't drop major pounds, I lost lots of inches, and sizes. I got there in a healthy manner. I didn't starve myself, or not eat certain foods. Once I hit the 150 mark, I did start adding in more calories and carbs per his instructions, and it took another 4 months to lose those 20-25lbs so I was doing my damnedest to not lose anymore weight. I also had zero issues maintaining between 125-130lbs. I personally didn't mind the bounce on the scale considering my choices in eating in moderation, and not restricting certain foods. It's just how I want to live my life post-VSG. So, I accept the bounce on the scale, if the scale bounces up to 131-132, I'm cutting the alcohol and white carbs for a few days, but I'm not really dieting, just being more mindful of what I'm eating and drinking.

It must be making you crazy to see all the different surgeons' instructions on this as well as a million other issues. I've read all the responses so far (I think) and don't recall seeing this tidbit which came to me from my original and current surgeons and was confirmed by the surgeon who vetted my book (Bandwagon): Alcohol is a gastric irritant, and it can cause inflammation and (eventually) ulcers. Just something to keep in mind. My personal comments on this heated issue are: 1. Alcohol is liquid calories with no nutritional benefit. Yes, some people believe that there are health benefits in drinking moderate amounts of red wine, but if you have to use the health excuse to justify something you're going to do anyway, well....OK, go ahead! 2. Alcohol loosens your inhibitions and makes eating something stupid (or drinking a second or third glass of wine) seem like a really good idea. Finally, thanks for starting such an entertaining thread. I haven't seen so many irritable, rude, defensive, ornery, inflammatory posts on a single thread here in quite some time. I know what my excuse is: it's 99 degrees outside at almost 7 pm. That's enough to make a saint cranky.

Bufflehead-this is exactly what I'm wondering about. I'm pre-op. I don't drink alcohol "alot", but love champagne. I know carbonation is bad and understand why. What are the "rules" around wine etc. down the line post op? Thanks.

I have no problem believing the statistics quoted on the show of 30% of WLS patients end up substituting the addiction to food to something else. I think as Carnie Wilson said, it takes an addictive personality. I believe if those same people managed to lose the weight courtesy of WW or Jenny Craig, they would have done so by swapping addictions. An alcoholic who manages through AA or jail time or whatever to quit drinking would probably have the same liklihood (30%) of falling into another addictive situation. And all would have an even higher incidence of repeating the addiction. But with alcoholism for instance there is no band equivalent to keep you from drinking, as our bands limit how we can eat. She (Carnie) stated she is still addicted, she just finds other things to fixate on...now hers may be trying to "fix" other people or telling the world about her problems! As for the other guests, a woman who is less concerned with how the problem is affecting her family than being referred to as an alcoholic or an addict...it seems to me that is just the tip of the iceberg with her problems!! They also went into detail with the alcohol issue of how it affects the body different now, getting drunk on less, in a quicker time, and sobering up quicker. If you have any sort of addictive personality, that would be a big, huge draw! My brother has an addictive personality. When he was young it was pot. He got hurt in an accident and was side lined long enough recovering to escape that addiction, instead it was then his prescription meds. Well with my folks, and the Dr. they handled that one. Then it turned to alcohol. He struggled with alcoholism for years. His accident left him with brain damage, and the Dr.'s told us with his new level of behaviour he likely would never quit. Through a mix up he ended up forced into sobriety years later. He has been sober for over 7 years now. And now he has 2 new addictions, ones he fully recognizes, and intends to keep. He sees what is happening to him. Now he smokes cigarettes, he never did til his mid 30's! And he drinks coffee...tons of it. He has no less than 20-25 clamp top jars of coffee beans in his kitchen. He grinds and brews his coffee...but he is always shopping for new types...it is so wierd!!! Now he has suffered ( dealt with, or whatever) with all these addictions through his 44 years, but the one thing he has never turned to??? Food!!! He is 6'3" and never has weighed more than 155 pounds!!! Then there is me....We would have made Oprah's head spin!!! I do wonder if most people recognize their own tendencies to addict to things. Maybe that should be part of the psychological work up prior to banding. I agree Oprah seemed really rude to the nurse. The comment was uncalled for, all of us knew we were fat, just as she did when she was, we don't need it pointed out to us especially on national TV! Maybe seeing that will keep us from doing those things if we remember it! Kat

for a very brief time I missed gin & tonic (i stopped all alcohol after gastric bypass because I don't want the calories). now i don't miss it. in fact, i miss NOTHING pre-surgery. I am 1.6 months post-surgery. I very much enjoy the new way that i eat. I enjoy not drinking alcohol, eating bread, consuming white sugar, eating white rice. i find that i enjoy my food more than in the past. my eating is more mindful. i am learning new tastes and new foods. it's fun.

I suspect there are as many different "food issues" on these forums as there are members. One person's safe and routine manner of eating can conceivably be another one's downfall. We need to be very careful about generalizing personal experience and biases to others when posting here. Members of Overeaters Anonymous will admonish against the use of sugar, wheat (flour), and alcohol, while lifelong members of, for example, Weight Watchers will espouse the importance of moderation and a well-balanced diet including the use of alcohol and wheat-based foods. In addition and, for example, those with a starting BMI of 50 are going to face different ongoing post-operative food issues than those with a starting BMI of 35. When it comes to the vertical sleeve gastrectomy, subsequent weight loss, and weight loss maintenance, one size most definitely does not fit all. Aside from individual patient differences, everyone's surgeon seems to have different ideas about both pre- and post-operative diets. My surgeon, for example, did not require me to lose weight or go on a liquid diet before the surgery. I underwent the procedure on Thursday, December 13th and, on day 9, he instructed me to move to soft solid foods due to chronic diarrhea and a day-5 readmission to the hospital for dehydration and hypotension. Of course, my surgeon also sutures the new pouch after stapling it with self-absorbing stitches to further protect his patients from themselves. When asked, he replied that he had absolutely no concern that I might spring a leak on day nine by eating a piece of feta cheese or poached egg. According to the research literature, in the vast majority of patients, the new stomach is completely sealed by day 14. In a very small percentage of patients, that seal could take as long as 21 days to permanently set. That means that in 100 percent of all VSG patients, the staples are serving no practical purpose after day 21 and, for most patients, after day 14. The goal of the post-operative diet progression is to slowly introduce foods of increasing density as molecular density is directly related to stomach contractions. That is, most of us are restricted to a clear liquid diet for the first 14 days in order to avoid any stomach contractions while the new stomach is still adhering to itself. What would happen if you tried to eat a 3oz piece of Ribeye steak on day 22? Due to the relative high density of that particular cut of meat and the fact that your stomach will still be swollen, you will most likely feel very uncomfortable and then end up "coughing up" everything you had just eaten. Chances are you won't try that again until the second or third month when all the swelling is gone. As for "damages," those would be limited to whatever you paid for that Ribeye steak you just threw up. Pressure and discomfort notwithstanding, you would not have hurt your new pouch at all, not by the end of week three. Writing entirely for myself, I didn't undergo the vertical sleeve gastrectomy so that I could live on low-fat cottage cheese, plain poached eggs, and liquid Protein drinks for the rest of my life. I most definitely plan on eventually eating pepperoni pizza, hamburgers, and everything else I used to eat before the surgery with the one and only exception of carbonated beverages. Of course, the portions will be quite smaller than they used to be, which is why I'll lose the weight I need to and then keep it off. I didn't become obese by eating one gingerbread man or drinking one small cup of eggnog at a Christmas party. By the way, the Withings Wifi Body scale has been a very useful tool in helping me monitor not only weight loss but relative lean vs fat body mass. It's important to make sure we're not losing muscle but only fat. Meeting our daily minimum protein requirement is very important. The scale also links directly to the MyFitnessPal.com account. Best of luck to all the relatively new sleevers!

I remember seeing them somewhere and it seemed that the sugar alcohol was pretty high. Last night at support group my band surgeon said sugar alcohol is pretty much the same as sugar and really discouraged us from eating it. I just mainly hate the way it gives me horrible gas. I have enough gas already.