Search the Community

I don't count my calories, but definitely don't eat too many. even if that was the case, I burn a ton of calories at the gym! I have always practiced no drinking 1/2 before or after a meal (or more). It's like no matter what I do....I'm stuck!! No alcohol !

Are you counting cals? Try using my fitness pal and log EVERYTHING. There has to be a missing link somewhere. Go back to basics. No drinking while eating. Protein first. Do you drink alcohol?

My surgery is Dec. 18th. About 2 weeks ago I came off all caffeine and started practicing eating very slow. One week ago I stopped all alcohol and made a conscious effort to chew each SMALL bite at least 30 times. This weekend is my last weekend to have caffeine free carbonated beverages and to start a high protein diet. Next week I will start replacing one meal with a protein shake. I'm also pushing water, water, water. Start now making changes. I for one didn't want to be detoxing off caffeine and soda while trying to do my 2 week pre-op diet. I would go postal!

Hi - I was disappointed that the video did not include anyone who had been overweight their entire life. I think that is the most common profile of obese adults. Everyone I currently know who is obese has been so since high school or before, I went on my first real diet at age 6. I am 56 and this week was the first time in my entire life that I did not shop in the plus size (or, as it was known 50 years ago for children, the "Chubette" department). And, at 207 lbs now, the only reason I am now a large in some things and not plus size is because Americans are so big that they've made the sizes larger! The video made me feel that I don't have a legitimate reason to be fat. I didn't have fertility treatments. I was never a professional athlete or military person who had to learn to eat for a new lifestyle. But I do know about nutrition, about exercise -- I am smarter than the average bear and it didn't do me any good! No one has worked harder or longer at weight loss than me -- except for the millions of other regular people who have also been fat all their life! Can I blame genetics? Sure, why not? But this video message said that you had to have a good reason to be fat and the implication is that only those people, those legitimate obese people deserved weight loss surgery. How about recognizing that life is different now for most Americans - there are less physical jobs, even school is more sedentary as less kids walk to school, flavor enhancers in our food has altered our tastes, etc, etc. I don't think we need to showcase only those weight loss surgery patients who are deemed presentable enough to be spokespeople for the cause. This attitude plays right into the crazy and punitive insurance policies around WLS. Denying so many people who need it, yet paying, without question for rehab for alcoholics or drug users. Or denying people if they go below a BMI of 40 while they are in the pre-op phase, or cancelling surgery if they gain a single pound! It's the same judgmental, condescending, belittling attitude that predominates society in general, and the medical profession in particular, around obesity. A colleague of mine at work had her VSG surgery scheduled earlier this week but it was cancelled because they found a cyst in her lungs. She has been complaining to doctors for ten years about pain in her chest - to the touch -- not just simply being out of breath. The only answer she got was "loose weight". Not a breathing test or even a simple X-ray - just a lecture. Now she is facing thoracic surgery and G-d knows what else! If doctors had treated her like a grownup instead of a non-complaint child, she would have had this taken care of years ago. it's the same attitude as this video -- some fat people are worthy and some are not. I am very happy that I had the surgery, but I am truly regretful that I didn't have it when I was much younger. I have suffered in my personal life and in my career and while I take responsibility for my decisions, I do not take responsibility for the cavalier and cruel attitude of the medical profession that for most of my life, did not give a damn. Regards, Ellen

How much do you usually smoke in a day? I quit by decreasing the number of cigarettes I smoked over a two month period. I slipped and had a cigarette last Christmas and it stalled my chance of beginning the process to get surgery. I think the medication Zyban (Wellbutrin) helped a little. I think the hardest thing is the fact that you have no reward system when you have to give up food on top of smoking. I think that is why the statistics say there is a high rate of addiction and alcoholism among many that had bariatric surgery. I've been in therapy so that I don't start going down that slippery slope. I wish you the best of luck. Like you said, you can't lie about it to your bariatrician because it will cause problems later down the road. Smoking interferes with your body's ability to heal after surgery. The thought that you will never get to smoke again for the rest of your life is hard to swallow. Think about all the positive things you will gain by quitting; a new, healthier life.

Animal protiens are best if you have any leeway in your choices. Also, Greek Yogurt has a variety of flavored. Dannon Light and Fit is low in carbs too. It helps with any desire you may have for fruit too. You can also get goo protein bars (whey protein). Again make sure they are low in sugar. Sugar alcohol as a sweetener is okay in the bars. Atkins and other some other brands are good.

It's called trichotillomania and I am not in the position to diagnose people but my guess would be that before surgery you would have been living with an underlying anxiety or stress issue. Maybe your mode of coping mechanism was eating, cooking or planning meals previous to surgery? Now that you are unable to use that coping mechanism, you are pulling hair... That's OK and well done to you for picking up on it. People develop very sophisticated means of directing their attention energy into tasks, chores, hobbies etc and can quite successfully 'cope' through this. Meaning that they can continue to live quite happily.... but if the coping mechanisms are noticeable to others or you are prioritizing carrying out the behavior without the ability to anticipate negative impacts on yourself, others or your lifestyle; drugs, alcohol, obsessive behavior like shopping, eating, gambling or even self harm etc ... Then the means of coping has become toxic to you, not helpful at all. We all carry 'baggage' and most people aren't aware... Just look into some cognitive brain therapy, counselling or whatever form of help you feel most comfortable with. Above all, remember that you are human and humans are strange, complex and amazing animals . . . we all need a bit of help figuring out what is really up with us. Xx

Oh my.."protecting our kids from alcohol" Alcohol kill more people with the diseases it causes, drunk driving, fatal drunken fights, domestic violence than all drugs put together...and that's not mentioning broken homes, child abuse and permanate mental issues for children of alcholics

I recently had a girls weekend. At one of the bars, I noticed they had small cups (like the ones you buy for your bathroom to rinse your mouth). I asked the bartender to use those cups instead of the larger ones. The large cup just exhausted me to look at it. To know I had THAT MUCH to drink overwhelmed me. I had about 2 1/2 of the small cups. Mostly vodka with a splash of cranberry. I got a little buzz, but not too bad. Definitely could not have eaten and drank all of that. I opted for alcohol instead of food that weekend. lol...I didn't gain any weight and wasn't yacking either, so all in all, I guess I handled it pretty well.

Some fell off, and some I picked off (I'm terrible I could not resist. More tempting than any scab) , and the rest I used rubbing alcohol on to remove the sticky stuff.

My dr gave me some sort of gauze pretreated with some oily stuff. I think it was at my two week follow up, when it was time for the tapes to come off. They were in packets like the alcohol swabs. He also gave me alcohol swabs to use. Susan.

Can you drink alcohol at all after the surgery or ever? I like to drink and fear that part of it?

Surely to God you don't mean drink as in alcohol. Have you not read about your post op diet? I think you need to understand what you're up against. 20 days is really soon for that kind of vacation. Can you postpone the surgery? This is a really critical time in your life. My surgeon won't allow alcohol for a whole year after surgery! Much less 20 days!!!

Do you mean an alcoholic drink?! 20 days out is too soon to be drinking! Your stomach is still healing, and you need to stick with your post op diet. You are risking a leak if you don't allow your new little tummy to heal properly. And yes, soups would be great to order...as long as its okay with your doctor at that time. You may have a hard time watching everyone else eat and drink I think. Just sayin'.

Shelly, the jury's out because recovery sucks but I want and NEED to lose weight. That's a fact and I'm not getting any younger and my health is at risk. It's only going to get worse. I already feel healthier after the Optifast. And bottom line, I couldn't do it on my own. This surgery is like "antibuse" is to an alcoholic. It is a tool to help me acclimate to a healthier lifestyle. I've heard from other testimonials that they may have had reservations at first but once they got their behaviours down and the weight started coming off, most people don't regret it. Hope that helps, Ruth

Typically speaking you seem to be going through the official grieving process, maybe just a little more enhanced. Here's some thoughts or ideas to try; 1) ask your boyfriend for more support and not to eat Pizza Hut or trigger foods in front of you. 2) take a walk or plan an activity when he is having dinner. 3) seek counselling or look for local support groups (or just pretend your an alcoholic and go to an AA meeting for support- lol) joke 4) think of the reasons that you decided to do such a drastic change, health, think about your goals, personal and scale. 5) find some guided meditation on the Internet and listen to that. Ground yourself. Now I say this and I'm 2 days away from surgery so I can't fully relate. Perhaps next week I'll be posting the same but I know I'd love it if someone was telling me that it is normal. Tell that boyfriend of yours to be more supportive!! Lol Take it easy and keep me informed! Shelly

Tell the morons at the VA that they're "emotional eaters " too, it just might not show up on the scale. It might show up on the unseen scale, like high BP, heart problems, sleep issues, etc. I bet if you asked them if any of them had grabbed a chocolate when they were stressed, relaxed after a long day with a n alcoholic drink, or ever lit a cigarette ( or something else ?) to calm themselves, you'd get a resounding " yes ." Well I bet you money they would pay for AA, drug rehab, or wharever else the the medical addiction was. But God forbid anyone need a little help to with a food problem!!! Keep fighting , and if you cant get help from VA, consider a CareCredit Card for your surgery. I think you just make monthly payments, like a car payment. Good luck to you ! YOU DESERVE TO BE HEALTHY AND HAPPY !!!

I'm just going to put it out there. I was just like you. I started Protein bars early out. I never had a problem with them. Never. I just stopped them last week at 4 & 1/2 months. I did nibble on many things and still do. I've tried everything (no alcohol -I don't drink). But sometimes I've been so frustrated feeling so blah I just want to feel comfortable. I haven't denied myself anything I do want. I've had popcorn at the movies, Halloween candy, rice Pasta, breads, casseroles and I've been ok. Not every meal and of course in small amounts. I don't feel like a failure, and I know others out there will respond shocked. If you want to talk more message me.

I read that you will get drunk much faster with the sleeve because you don't have a big stomach with lots of food in it to soak up the alcohol. The liquid goes right through your stomach into your intestines and into your blood stream faster! Just be careful the first time you do drink in case that happens! Make sure you're with someone you trust! Better to be safe then sorry!

I had a few sips of champagne at dinner 3 weeks post-op to be polite. I'm not really a big drinker, so this wasn't something I was overly concerned about. Once your stomach is mostly healed after six weeks without complications, there's no reason you can't have alcohol, you'll just need to understand that you're drinking your calories and your stomach is smaller, so there is a greater chance that you are now a lightweight since you don't have 80% of the stomach that used to be able to hold more alcohol. Sip...slowly, lol.

Wine at about 4-5 months....started with 1/2 to 1 glass. Vodka cocktails around 6-7 months. I've had whiskey, rum, cream liquors (Amarula, Rumchata, etc) since then. Normally I might have a drink 1-2 times a month, but when I was on vacation I had 1-2 cocktails pretty much every day. I was never a "cheap drunk", and surgery has made no difference in my alcohol tolerance. I did discover I could drink a lightly carbonated drink like hard cider if I pour it over ice and let sit awhile, but definitely can't drink beer....my sleeve can't do bubbles.

Drank alcohol?! Beer?! Wine?! Liquor?! How much?! Etc?! Thanks. I was thinking my surgeon said 6 months.

My Dr told me that I would be eating Protein shakes and smoothies the rest of my life! So, I went to Amazon website and bought five super healthy shake and smoothy recipe books for a dollar each plus shipping (about four dollars per book!) I bought a Nutri-bullet. I went to the local organic food store and bought whey protein, B-12 sublingual drops without alcohol. I , fresh berries and spinach. I am armed and ready! I plan on making Protein Shakes with berries and spinach for the entire family. I will let you know how it goes. The recipes look really appealing!

To everyone who is having post WLS alcohol issues... I want to update. It is a struggle to handle addictions. I believe food was my primary addiction. After wls I was unable to "use it" in the same way and alcohol use got out of control. I have attended AA, though not as faithfully as many, but also I have gone to counseling. I realize that I have issues with anxiety and issues with dealing with stress. I have to cope with these things and a substance is not a solution. I believe spiritual and emotional growth are key. However, I want to note that it is not easy and it is an everyday struggle to stay healthy and whole in every way. The battle is no doubt worth it! valf

Me too guys I'm passing all social event this year will be focusing on the new life changes but like @@briefs199 said I will miss alcohol the most ;)