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Okay, so I was babysitting for a neighbor of mine. She called to see how the kids were doing. They were sleeping but I asked her if she had anything for a stuffed up nose. I was thinking she might have some sort of decongestant but I didn't see any in the medicine cabinet. She told me next to her bed, on the night stand, there was a bottle of nose spray and I could use that. ( I washed the tip of the bottle with alcohol) Also on the night stand, was a tube of lube that said it was for anal sex. It got me wondering why women do this. I could see why a guy would want to do it. I would suppose it's tighter and feels good for him. But does it feel good for her? I can't see it feeling any different than being horribly constipated. I wish I had never seen that tube of lube!

I am awaiting revision from band to sleeve so I can’t speak to your sleeve issues but some things I learned from the band may help you. First, one thing the band folks say is “they banded your stomach, not your mouth”. So no matter what surgery you choose, unless they develop one that actually zips your lips closed when you try to eat something, all the work is going to have to come from your brain and your choices. The way the tool works is that you shouldn’t feel actual stomach-based “I’m hungry” feeling after eating if a small amount if food. But you will always be able to outeat your tool. The key is to eat your planned meal, then quit and go find something else to do. You don’t “eat until you feel like stopping” because if you’re eating for reasons other than hunger (like stress, emotional upset - all totally understandable, just behaviors we are trying to change) then you can always out eat the tool. FYI, while the other surgeries *may* prohibit you from eating the “bad” foods, as you’ve learned yourself, that isn’t always the case. I’ve read of people who would melt a quart of ice cream and drink it that had RNY or if they truly can’t eat, they trade food for alcohol, drugs, shopping, sex or another addiction. So treating the underlying problem is really the best thing you can do. If you find yourself with lots of appetite, you might be able to look to your food choices to help you. I wouldn’t have believed it had I not experienced it but the carbs, sugars and even sugar substitutes really do influence that “I’m eating and can’t stop” feeling. Last spring I tried a diet program from Dr David Ludwig called “Always Hungry”. It’s a modified slow carb program which has you eating mostly unprocessed foods, with the eliminated items being sugar, potatoes and your “whites” - rice, wheat etc. Yiu can eat whole grains in the 2nd phase as tolerated. The first 2 weeks is something of a detox from the bad carbs. There is a book by the same name that explains it all. Anyway, I was astonished at how well this worked for me. I used to take my coffee with A LOT of sugar and did so the majority of my life. Now I take it with a little splash of maple syrup (about a half tsp). Had you told me I could do that 3 years ago I’d have cried laughing. This is the nutrition plan I plan to follow once I’m all recovered from surgery. I’ve already learned that oatmeal ramps up my appetite so for me I just don’t eat it. I already kicked my sugar obsession and will probably end up making my own protein shakes after surgery because the premade ones are too sweet. I had a pretty expansive palette beforehand but now I enjoy foods like brown basmati rice and beans of all kinds. Snacks these days are hummus and cucumber instead of chips and I feel so much better. Whole fat milk and cheese cane back into my life and it’s so much more satisfying. My new love is quinoa and I’ve made it 4 different ways in 2 weeks. My whole family enjoys that. This has gotten quite long so I’ll shut up now :) but I hope you consider changing your thinking about your tool. Weigh out your meal, savor it then go find something else to do. Think about changing up your macros and eliminating those high GI foods that trigger the munchies. The number one rule of Always Hungry is “be kind to yourself”, try adopting that in the spirit in which it is made. Let go of what you did. You can’t change that. But every new bite you take is an opportunity to choose better for yourself. Good luck.

Ah, crackers! They're much more challenging for me than alcohol, sugar or chocolate combined. Most crackers are unnutritious, processed slider foods that do not promote either weight loss or weight maintenance and invite me to keep nibbling on them. However, once I'd lost my weight and wanted to add nutritious calories for maintenance I found a few nutritious crackers with more Protein and Fiber (fewer net carbs) than others, including: * Wasa crackers (although not all Wasa-branded crackers are nutritious -- read the labels!) * Doctor Kracker Three Seed Crackers -- my fave. One big cracker has 100 calories, 11 grams of carbs, 4 grams of fat, 5 grams of protein, and 3 grams of fiber. I pair one of these crackers with 1 ounce of very sharp thinly sliced full-fat cheddar cheese and a little sugar-free Smuckers strawberry jam. I swear, it's better than cheesecake -- so satisfying and, best, I never want a second helping. Then there are those nasty crackers so popular because ... yeah, they're slider meth with little nutritional content: * Wheat Thins * Saltines * Club crackers And then there's the destructive chips / crisps transfer addiction! I can't even type those words without shuddering.

See when your doc clears you for alcohol; it's (like everything else, it seems!) different for all of us! Now that I'm a year out my doc gave me the go ahead for beer (my personal preference for general everyday drinking LOL) but I generally avoided it until he told me "ok now". I don't like wine, but I did have vodka and orange juice, and some cocoanut rum and crystal light lemonade (odd but strangely tasty)

One problem with doing coke is you don’t know what it’s cut with, and that could also make you sick. I’m not a prude or even anti-recreational drugs in particular, but with this surgery I think an occasional drink if you’re not an alcoholic or an occasional toke, if it’s legal where you live and doesn’t make you ravenous are pretty much the reasonably safe options. I now get drunk from one drink, so be very careful driving.

Coke is like this, you will feel fantastic for like an hour and then you have to do more, I was starting to use coke in addition to my drinking when I finally hit bottom and got sober. I am an alcoholic to the core, so I simply have to abstain from drinking. Having said that, I am an addict too and cannot use any form of drug or I will abuse it even something as simple as Benadryl. I will abuse anything that makes me feel good, hence my food addiction. I am a food addict and that is what led me to getting up to 440 pounds. Food was the only thing I had left to abuse. I was 9 years sober when I got sleeved and 3 months after getting sleeved I relapsed and almost died. Like literally almost died, my wife had to call 911 and I had to be taken to the ER. Why did this happen? I didn’t protect my sobriety and once I couldn’t abuse food anymore my alcoholism and drug addiction came back with a vengeance. I am sober today by the grace of God and very fortunate I did not die the night I relapsed.

as I have also questioned my decision, the best we can do is work the program. As I spent 6 years working in a drug and alcohol treatment center, treating eating disorders is like any other addiction. Day at a time, go to meetings, surround yourself with like minded people.

You may already know about the risks of replacement addictions, or even be fighting them yourself. The theory is that food is an addiction for pre-op bariatric surgery patients. Weight loss surgery helps you break your addiction to food, but it leaves a hole and puts you at risk for other addictions ranging from drugs and alcohol to exercise. Replacement addictions may be more common than you realized. This article describes research that found that 21% of gastric bypass patients in one study developed alcohol abuse problems over the next seven years. That is one out of every five gastric bypass patients! Being aware of the risk can help you avoid the pitfalls. You can also try to prevent negative addictions, such as drugs and alcohol, with positive ones. For example, you can fill the “food void” by taking up a new hobby such as gardening or art, or spend more time volunteering or exercising. Are you concerned about replacement addictions? If you are a post-op patient, have you developed any? Have you taken any steps to prevent them? If you are a pre-op patient, have you been warned about them? Are you planning any steps to prevent them?

Check liver light! Now that was funny! Regarding the posts about the calories in alcohol - yes, those are liquid calories, but in my case, the danger of weight gain from drinking has been the overeating afterwards. All common sense would go out the window. Now, I don't (can't) do that, and I hope I never do! There was a time when I drank sweet frozen and mixed drinks and didn't pay attention to the calories. I was pretty big, larger than I was when I started this VSG process. Well, one day I actually read the label on the frozen mixers and I actually cried at how many calories I had been drinking in mixer alone! No wonder I was so big. I have never touched those mixers since then and have had maybe half a dozen margaritas in the last ten years. Now I only drink wine, or alcohol mixed with a no/low calorie mixer.

@ - thanks for the post, very interesting read. @@MaryCatherine Umm, no. I wish it was, but it really isn't that simple. It is a good model. But the problem is people take it too literally. Hormones affect this, the food type affects and individual responses to different types of calories actually makes a difference. Most interesting article I've seen on this subject is here: http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2013/10/cocktail-science-do-alcohol-calories-count-digesting-spirits.html To make matters more complicated, just try and figure out how many calories are in your home cooked dinner. We are just doing gross estimates. But all that said, it is not a bad indicator, just not perfect and I would caution about being too dogmatic. The reason I'm posting this is some people will say "I burned 3500 calories yesterday, but I didn't lose my pound." That's where this tool breaks down. You really have to log food/calories over a period of time. Your long term trend is what is most important. When you are honest with yourself, you will see when you started adding extra calories, and how that is affecting your weight...but that will only show up in the course of a month, not day by day. I hope I not discouraging people from keeping track of calories, carbs, fat and Protein. Just realize these are hardly perfect numbers. I am looking to stay around 1100 calories and 100g of protein (more on heavy workout days). This has kept my weight consistent for nearly 18 months. I am about ready to experiment with a 5/2 method of controlled fasting (very interesting idea brought up by @lipsticklady). All we can do is be very honest with ourselves with our tracking, and pay attention to the scale and if you are really serious with the calipers to see what your percentage of body fat is. All the scale and calorie charts really do is act as tools. Hmm, familiar theme, just as your sleeve is a tool, so are these.

Ive lost 13 pounds since preop. So three punds gone since surgery. Weightloss starts in boobs n face firsf. You will have load rumbling noises in belly. You will feel liquids going down and settling in the belly after surgery and you'll know when u r full. I'm on day 3. I've just stuck to clear chicken soup broth with no salt because it puffs up my face n shuts my eyes (i found this out from hospital soup). I had ricola cherry lozanges for throat. Vitamins (chewable) and pills to swallow are going down fine. Ive had no throwup or neausea at all today. I never threw up thank goodness. I am taking antibiotics for uti and anti neaseau meds when needed. I find I Still very much am needing pain meds mainly at night because there's more movement in day. It was fine to stroll around house today and stand up for a while organizing bedroom. It helped to elevate my legs on pillow in bed at night to take pressure off lower back. Neck might b sore so u might want to use rolled up towels to put in groove of neck when lying down. I did this even in hospital bed. Starting to clear my throat out and getting voice back. Forgot to mention car ride home... Used pillow on back and in front under seatbelt and water with bag incase of nausea. I was ok. Have driver drive very slow. I still have a uti and burns when urinate. It was caused by catheter and catheter was initially used because I was unable to apply the mildest pressure to urinate normally after surgery. Ladies, There is also a mid rash down there probably from all these meds. So drink a lot. I'm using breathing tester they sent me home with n lungs r getting stronger on day three. Headache is still here. Belly cramping started mildly for first time last night. But mainly when I talked too much. Hiccups and burps do hurt belly. Worst thing so far is intense burning with liquid pain killer, so try to get solid. It was litterally like alcohol on an open wound n I did cry out in pain. I learned to dilute it in h2o. I'll write more in several hours. Feel free to ask questions if u come across this thread.

Nikki - Although some may disagree, I don't believe that any of us who got to the point of WLS, are ever really cured 100% from our eating issues. Sure, we make changes; control what we eat, exercise to varying degrees, and follow the band rules (albeit, not always perfectly). But food addiction is no different than any other addiction, in as we can fall back into old habits & behaviors at any time. That's why one of the 12 step program mantras is that they're always "in recovery"; never "recovered". I couldn't agree more. With food, it's actually more difficult, because you can never completely stop eating, as you can with using drugs & alcohol. As far as concerns about complications with the band, yes, I think about it, too. Although, now that I've got a few months under my belt, I don't think about it quite as much. But, sure, it's always in the back of my head, especially since I had the band with plication. I'm doing pretty well, so I figure I'll pay close attention, see my doctor regularly, and deal with complications IF they arise.

Oh I agree a puff on Friday is ok - Or a glass of wine wont kill any of us - But every single person on this site has a addiction issue - None of us could control our weight and food intake! That is a fact, so my view we have to be even more careful during this journey that we are not transferring out addiction to food to say pot or alcohol. We all did this to get healthy and see no health benefits from Pot or Vodka, One thing i know for sure I will die way younger then i should have due to beating he hell out of myself and playing way to hard with Vodka, lifestyle and smoking! Nobody can dispute that fact, I just hope all the work we all are doing to get healthy can offset the damage we have done already

Idk, I only focus on myself tbh but I’d hate to be the person not properly warned that a brand new alcohol addiction is possible.

I had a VSG in September. I was permitted to have raw vegetables at three months, along with carbs. I haven’t had any issues with veggies but it does seem like the few times I’ve had “conventional carbs” like a piece of bread or a little pasta it hasn’t agreed with me so I avoid them (I make “sandwiches” with low carb or cauliflower tortillas, or on lettuce, when I want something like that.) Alcohol they told me to wait at least six months, preferably a year…I’ve had alcohol twice, and while I havent gotten ill or anything it is a lot of empty calories and I can’t have club soda, tonic water, diet soda as mixers or something like beer or White Claw because of the bubbles. Be warned; the first time you drink after that long and after losing six months worth of weight, it’s going to hit you much harder. Be careful.

I also find this an extremely judgmental statement. So occasional alcohol consumption = not preserving your health? What about balance and moderation? WLS doesn't mean our lives are filled with NEVER's and CAN'T's. My program is the same. I also am in sales and travel for business nearly every week. Drinking is a big part of the industry and my companies culture. I am also known for liking to drink and having a high tolerance. My first business trip was a week long, and I had about one drink a day. I had beer and Mai Tais (I was in Hawaii). I honestly had no desire to drink, I just did it to be social. After being gone a week, I weighed myself and gained 2 lbs. I was eating fairly healthily and very little, so I can only contribute it to the alcohol and sugar in the mixers. So because I'm not willing to sabotage my weight loss, I'm giving up drinking until I'm at goal (or go on vacation, lol). I'm explaining both my not drinking and my negligible eating on vague stomach problems, so tying them together helps deflect the questions I receive. Call me vain, but vanity is my main motivation. Vanity about how I look in a mirror. I'm single and the fact is a much narrower set of men are attracted to me than would be if I were thinner. But also vanity when I'm not able to hike up a hill or climb a pyramid with my friend. I hate the feeling when I'm completely winded and have to take breaks doing some activity that my fit friends have no problem doing. It's not the physical feeling, but this internal cringe and embarrassment of being fat, and knowing I'm being judged for it. I agree with this as well. Why is being reversible the most important factor for you? At first I considered reversible solutions because I thought, I'm not that big, I don't need/want my stomach removed. But then I started reading and found that the VSG was the right fit, and I do want a lifetime solution, not just a temporary one. You said you want to maintain on your own. Maintenance is the hardest part of weight loss. I think most of us at our weight has been successful at losing, but then we go back up again. I want/need the help to do both, lose and maintain. I'd suggest finding a surgeon to talk through your options with. You'll want a surgeon who is patient and good communicator, so you may have to try a few (my surgeon has no patience and is terribly brusque, for example) I looked at both as well. I eliminated the balloons because of poor reviews. On RealSelf it only has a 50% "I'd do it again" rating vs. 100% for the sleeve and 97% for Bypass. The reviews there and other places also spoke of extreme and constant nausea, so that was a deal breaker. For the Lapband has a 54% "I'd do it again" rating on RealSelf. I also read about all the negatives like erosion, slipping, lack of results. I also have a good friend who had the Lapband many years ago, and still has hers. She says she loves her lapband and has no problems. But I'm with her often and know she has a lot of digestive issues. She may deny it, but I can't help but think they are related to her band. I did go through a period of pretty extreme lightheartedness and general exhaustion weeks 2-3. I got a B12 shot and then I felt almost normal. Not sure if the shot helped, or a coincidence, but I know I'm going to get another shot in a month! At this point I probably couldn't do any kind of sustained physical activity. I'm told it's because of my low cals (300-400). But there are many on this board who are very active soon after surgery including running marathons. You'll just have to give yourself time to heal, then long term you should be able to do everything you could in the past, and even more being lighter and healthier.

From what I understand of these surgeries - the lapband is being dropped by most surgeons because it erodes and slips - it works for many people, but more and more are having them removed due to those issues. The balloon is usually for people not as obese as you are, as it is a short term fix for restriction, and I only know one person that had it and had issues so it didn't work well for her. Also if you are too worried about alcohol and a client's 'opinion' of you not drinking you need more reflection on what you really want/need. Your health preserved or a two minute observation on not consuming liquor. Really? You ARE morbidly obese. I am not trying to be unkind - I started at 41bmi, so that was me too. There are no quick, handy cute fixes.

Hi Ladies, Thank you so much for sharing. I think this is the most useful thread I've read on LBT. I'm failing my band. I was banded on Sep 23, 08. I have lost a total of 20 lbs only over the course of 4 months. From Thanksgiving to Christmas I lost only 2 lbs. From Christmas to today, I think I have lost only maybe 1 lb. I have been drinking liquids with all of my meals. I have been eating out. I have been having alcohol 1-2 nights per week when going out. I have been having soda and other carbonated/caffienated beverages. I have not been measuring my food. I have not been taking 20 minutes to eat a meal. I have been snacking on salty tortilla chips in bed before falling asleep, I have not been exercising at all. I'm kind of a disaster... I'm trying to change. Here is what I have done over the past 2 days to 1 week to change: * Today I waited 30 minutes before and after my meals to drink liquids. Woo Hoo! This is the hardest one for me! * Today I had a Protein Drink, and consciously tried to increase my Water intake, which I know is deficient... I'm getting maybe 50 oz a day? * Today I skipped a work party at a bar so that I wouldn't be tempted to have french fries and booze. * For the past 2 days I have had no sweets except a teaspoon of honey in my morning tea, a few squares of very dark chocolate, and 1 or 2 tangerines. * For the past 2 days I have tracked my calories meticulously. * On Monday I joined a Flamenco dancing class for exercise (that was so much fun)! It is only once a week, but that is an improvement for now. Tonight I had a salad and some chicken with tomatoes and mushrooms for dinner. I should have stopped post salad but I couldn't! Why can't I stop when I know I'm not hungry anymore? I ate some chicken (a pretty good choice for me). I feel full, not overly full, but definitely not hungry. If I felt like this after my other meals, I'd probably not feel the need to snack in between meals (my Snacks aren't too bad: tangerines, yogurt... okay, and tortilla chips, I get major salt cravings). I've been having problems with food getting stuck, PB a few times a week and feel like food gets stuck at least once a day. Is this normal? How often do you all PB/get stuck and just slime but no PB? For a while I tried to eat just Soup because I was so uncomfortable... but then I was just grazing all day because I never got full. I feel like I can finally tolerate chicken again and am planning to try to have tuna for lunch because I know it is more filling than soup (which I had for a full week for lunch & dinner). I think I do better with substantial Protein for meals. But, I shouldn't be able to eat a whole can of tuna in one sitting should I??? The other night I had nearly 3 slices of a large pizza. That is way too much food right? And yes, I know I shouldn't be eating pizza. I'm eating 1500 calories a day, and I'd guess this is about half of what I was eating pre-band. I weigh 178 and am 5'2". How many calories should I be eating a day? My goals for tomorrow are: *Write down everthing I eat. *Eat 1500 calories or less. *No sugar other than my 1t honey, fruit, and a piece or two of dark chocolate. *NO SODA!!! This one is going to be tough. *No drinking liquids around my meals. This one will be super-hard too. * Eat chicken or tuna for lunch and dinner to try to feel fuller. Thanks for listening. If you have answers to my questions please help! -Hilary

Please take that with a grain of salt. That looks like a fitday graph. I use it too and love it. Problem is, it isn't always accurate with the breakdown. The other day I had kidney Beans. We cooked them here and I think home-cooked dry kidney beans showed up when i logged it as having 14g of fat (see below)! Ummmm, no, try 0g of fat. Also, the calories were too high. If anything looks a little off, look at the label of the item you are eating and enter it as a custom food. I have about 20 custom foods I entered that I eat on a regular basis. Nutrition Facts <table><tbody><tr><td colspan="2">Amount Per Serving </td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><table><tbody><tr><td>Calories </td><td colspan="2">330.3 </td></tr><tr><td>Calories from Fat </td><td colspan="2">131.3 </td></tr><tr class="Bar2"><td colspan="5"> </td></tr><tr class="View_FoodLabelRow"><td class="Name">Fat </td><td class="Amount">14.9 </td><td class="Unit">g </td><td>23 </td><td>%</td></tr><tr class="Minor View_FoodLabelRow"><td class="Name">Saturated Fat </td><td class="Amount">1.9 </td><td class="Unit">g </td><td>9 </td><td>%</td></tr><tr class="Minor View_FoodLabelRow"><td class="Name">Polyunsaturated Fat </td><td class="Amount">7.4 </td><td class="Unit">g </td><td colspan="2"> </td></tr><tr class="Minor View_FoodLabelRow"><td class="Name">Monounsaturated Fat </td><td class="Amount">4.8 </td><td class="Unit">g </td><td colspan="2"> </td></tr><tr class="View_FoodLabelRow"><td class="Name">Cholesterol </td><td class="Amount">0.0 </td><td class="Unit">mg </td><td>0 </td><td>%</td></tr><tr class="View_FoodLabelRow"><td class="Name">Sodium </td><td class="Amount">344.6 </td><td class="Unit">mg </td><td>14 </td><td>%</td></tr><tr class="View_FoodLabelRow"><td class="Name">Potassium </td><td class="Amount">653.1 </td><td class="Unit">mg </td><td>19 </td><td>%</td></tr><tr class="View_FoodLabelRow"><td class="Name">Carbohydrate </td><td class="Amount">36.9 </td><td class="Unit">g </td><td>12 </td><td>%</td></tr><tr class="Minor View_FoodLabelRow"><td class="Name">Dietary Fiber </td><td class="Amount">12.0 </td><td class="Unit">g </td><td>48 </td><td>%</td></tr><tr class="View_FoodLabelRow"><td class="Name">Protein </td><td class="Amount">14.0 </td><td class="Unit">g </td><td>28 </td><td>%</td></tr><tr class="View_FoodLabelRow"><td class="Name">Alcohol </td><td class="Amount">0.0 </td><td class="Unit">g </td><td colspan="2"> </td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"> </td></tr><tr><td><table><tbody><tr class="View_FoodLabelDvRow"><td class="Name">Vitamin A </td><td class="Prct">0 </td><td>%</td></tr><tr class="View_FoodLabelDvRow"><td class="Name">Calcium </td><td class="Prct">5 </td><td>%</td></tr><tr class="View_FoodLabelDvRow"><td class="Name">Vitamin D </td><td class="Prct">0 </td><td>%</td></tr><tr class="View_FoodLabelDvRow"><td class="Name">Thiamin </td><td class="Prct">17 </td><td>%</td></tr><tr class="View_FoodLabelDvRow"><td class="Name">Niacin </td><td class="Prct">5 </td><td>%</td></tr><tr class="View_FoodLabelDvRow"><td class="Name">Vitamin B6 </td><td class="Prct">10 </td><td>%</td></tr><tr class="View_FoodLabelDvRow"><td class="Name">Phosphorus </td><td class="Prct">23 </td><td>%</td></tr><tr class="View_FoodLabelDvRow"><td class="Name">Selenium </td><td class="Prct">3 </td><td>%</td></tr></tbody></table></td><td><table><tbody><tr class="View_FoodLabelDvRow"><td class="Name">Vitamin C </td><td class="Prct">3 </td><td>%</td></tr><tr class="View_FoodLabelDvRow"><td class="Name">Iron </td><td class="Prct">27 </td><td>%</td></tr><tr class="View_FoodLabelDvRow"><td class="Name">Vitamin E </td><td class="Prct">15 </td><td>%</td></tr><tr class="View_FoodLabelDvRow"><td class="Name">Riboflavin </td><td class="Prct">6 </td><td>%</td></tr><tr class="View_FoodLabelDvRow"><td class="Name">Vitamin B12 </td><td class="Prct">0 </td><td>%</td></tr><tr class="View_FoodLabelDvRow"><td class="Name">Manganese </td><td class="Prct">39 </td><td>%</td></tr><tr class="View_FoodLabelDvRow"><td class="Name">Copper </td><td class="Prct">20 </td><td>%</td></tr><tr class="View_FoodLabelDvRow"><td class="Name">Magnesium </td><td class="Prct">18 </td><td>%</td></tr><tr class="View_FoodLabelDvRow"><td class="Name">Zinc </td><td class="Prct">12 </td><td>%</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>

I can relate to your thoughts about alcoholism and food - My son is going through treatment and I can see the same ideas. It is going to be a struggle all of our lives. I don't believe that I eat around the band but I do like wine and have a glass or two every eveinging and think that is one of my problems. I will measure my food when I am home (have to be gone 3 days this week - one of which is to see my surgeon) and will make my goal to NOT gain this month with the holidays! I will start fresh on Jan.1 and make this year a success!!:cursing:

I know that I was addicted to food prior to surgery. I wa an emotional eater. I craved sweets. On June 26,2008 I had my surgery. At first I had part of my port incision that took a while to heal. Since my surgery I have lost 38.5lbs (a little over 5 months). There are times that I feel that I am compared to a coworker who had surgery several months prior. At 5 months she had lost 65lbs. She has now reached 96lbs. My surgeon tells me that I am right on track. Each time I have been in to see him at 6 weeks I have lost 4lbs. At this rate it will take me several years to accomplish my goal. My coworker has been told that she is losing too fast. They took some of her fill out and her weight still did not slow down. I am frustrated and happy all at once. Help any suggestions? Wondering if should get another fill when see surgeon on Monday. I still feel tightness especially in mornings.:whatchutalkingabout uote=Tabithan;1077322]I wonder if food addiction is somewhat genetic. Like alcoholism - if your parents are alcoholic, you have a much stronger chance of being an alcoholic. Wonder if that works the same, with food. My mom always struggled with her weight - she was never as big as me, but she was always yo-yo dieting, and I started dieting when I was 13. So I wonder if there is some genetic link.... SD CHICK - It's exci5int 5hq5 you will be seeing the surgeon- will you be getting a fill as well?? You've gotta fill us in on whether you feel more restriction after. Wish you the best on this!!! I'm excited to go through this journey with you. Let us know, everyday, how it works with your December goal to measure everything. I did well yesterday - today, I TOTALLY VIOLATED A BAND RULE - I purposely had tea with my afternoon snack - and it my meal slid right down - I already have hunger pangs from it. I hope I have learnt my lesson. I also nibbled on some leftovers my friend brought over -no clue how many calories that held!! Arrghhh - where is the SELF CONTROL???? But so far, I am on track with my three goals - measure everything, 1500 calories a day and writing everything down. I am struggling with getting in all my Water, however!! TOMORROW will be a better day!!! I have found out that in the past, when I am not doing too well with the band, I stay away from LBT like the plague. But I realized, that hurts, rather than helps me - Pushes away the time it takes for me to get back on track as I don't want to be accountable for my failures with my eating. I will try to stick here, document it all - through THICK or THIN. I hope you will do the same, and stay with me as well, fellow strugglers!!! How did you do, fellow strugglers, through the weekend?? GOOD OR BAD - let's put it out there!!! :wub:

I, too had a leg DVT caused by a torn meniscus. Mine was last Sept. and I immediately went on Coumadin. I had my band surgery the following February while I was still on it. I know you are overwhelmed right now, as I was initially but I honestly didn't find it hard to manage while losing the weight. I just recently was taken off of it as the clot had dissipated. The biggest thing to remember is consistency in your diet. Just get familiar with the foods high in Vitamin K and eat minimal amounts of them consistently. I had to have a blood test every week for months. Most weeks required a dosage change to keep my levels in the right range - no big deal. In relation to the band, the only affect was I would bleed much more than normal from a fill! We just used 2 bandages and my stomach would be bruised for a week afterwards. I was in the early stages of losing so I did not drink alcohol then, but prior to WLS I was okay with drinking in moderation. My advice would be to relax for a couple of weeks and feel sad about the DVT. Mine completely ruined my 50th Bday party celebration plans! After that, get back on track and just be more careful about your diet than you were even before. 3 months is not that long - I took them for over 8 months partly because I chose too. You will do fine.

I used to look forward to Friday nights with friends and a few beers. Since I've hit restriction I still look forward to Friday night but I only have one beer which most times I can't finish. My doctor said that the only reason that we shouldn't drink alcoholic beverages is that they are empty calories. He said that a drink here or there won't sabotage your weight loss and won't stretch your pouch.

Alcohol & sugary drinks cant stretch your sleeve, but they are empty calories. The stomach after sleeve cannot regrow to th esize it was before, but people who regain find ways to eat the junk that slides through easily and adds up the calories. People who stick to the Protein First rule continue to feel the restriction of the sleeve. It does relax abit after surgery and can hold more, but that is why changing habits of what is eaten is important. It may be cliche, but the sleeve is not a magic cure, it is a tool that when used properly can mean maintaining healthy weight loss. Ultimately each of us is responsible for the outcome.

Where did I say that? No, there's alcoholism. There's probably a lot less than what's usually assumed in America (sometimes, AA meetings aren't the solution to being a bad person/having a life that needs fixing), and a lot more than what's usually assumed in many parts of Europe (sometimes you're not fun, you're just a drunk). The truth is probably somewhere in between.