Search the Community

Hi all, check your sugar free items I had trouble at the beginning with sugar alcohol. Also had trouble with splenda items. I am doing much better now 6 weeks out. But I too ate Popsicle and fudge pops. When I would do one after another I figured out it was too much "fake" sugar at once. Also my doctor suggested the lactose pills before my Protein. Again my body has changed enough 6 weeks out that I don't need them. i had to keep changing my Protein powder until i found one that wasn't so hard on my system. Good luck it is a trial time period. I promise it does get easier.

Just a thought of you who are planning or going to Halloween Parties you pretty much know how to handle being around the alcohol or sweet wouldn't it be a treat to take a cake or food or something that is Sugar free or healthy no one else has to know but since it will be about Halloween why not make ants on a log you know celery with penutbutter or make and a few raisins. or deviled eggs with sliced green olives with pimento in the middle for the eyes or what version ay be , now that we have these options, have fun and not worry or your favorite kind of dip modified your way , besides you dancing , talking and mingiling and moving not to even think about what can I have , that these next Holidays will be even more enjoyable than they have been in the past.

I weighed yesterday and was the same as last week, not disappointed-almost relieved as we had a very busy week food and drink wise. We have decided no alcohol in the house for the next few weeks as we try to get ourselves 'dried' out before we go on holiday at the end of the month. I had a fast day yesterday and came in just under 600, not perfect but OK. Florinda your recipes sound amazing, do they taste as good as they sound as I know you have to make lots of substitutions? I'm only 5' 3" and there is no way I could get down into the 130s I would look ill, we are all so different. I am quite curvy and even as I have gone down I have retained the proportions. I'm aiming to get into the 150s and then review it. I'm still a long way off.

Eat from the food pyramid, eat often, eat small...I eat off an entrée size plate. A typical day for me is porridge, muesli or 2 weetbix, fruit at morning tea, ricecakes x 2 with ham cheese and tomato, or baked beans on ricecakes cakes, or tin of tuna on crackers, snack on more fruit or sakata crackers, or vita wheats x 2 with filly , apple, orange, dinner I have anything from fish and veg, salmon and salad, chicken and veg, turkey breast with melted cheese and ham with corn cob... i will make a salad with low fat feta, pumpkin pieces, pine nuts, red onion and beetroot. After dinner cut up fruit like rasberries, strawberries, blueberries, almonds x 6 and put into Greek yoghurt! Yum! I never get hungry....but keep fruit on me always. I do at least 2 aerobic step class per week and 2 full on work out days at the gym. I don't drink so alcohol is not a problem thank god. Haven't had soft drink for 6 months and coping well with just water, tea and coffee....I will have lightly sparkling water but drink this over about 1 hrs so I don't get too gassy. I have had issues with constipation and have to use laxettes c often, take benefibre and drink about 2ltrs water daily, so it's a pain...but other than that have been going great. Stay away from anything that has fat and sugar. Won't risk it....

It doesn't "cause" alcoholism! However, sometimes patients have been known to transfer their food addiction to some other forms of addiction including alcoholism, drugs, sex, shopping, gambling, etc. This is one of the biggies the Psych is looking for when they do the evaluation required for most of our surgeries. It's something we all need to be cognizant of for sure.

@@Paulajo24 congrats on you long period of sobriety (msp?) drinking, smoking - then changing to food all bad addictions which is the worse of 3 evils??? i think we all know the right answer!! 4.5ears Post op RNy!!! congrats on all your accomplishments hope alll is well @@Timmy2shirts not a dumb question as others have said some people can have cross addictions sure this can happen turning to drugs, alcohol et al no stats from me about changing addictions, but i "think" the % is small IMO your boss made yet another ignorant statement concerning WLS many people don't understand the surgery they say stupid things like "you took the easy way out" try not to let let comments made from others bother you good luck Kathy

Good Morning everyone, I've read all the responses to my initial post and I appreciate all the feedback. What I've learned thus far is this....don't stock up on Protein shakes before hand because I might not like them. Which brings me to another question. If I don't like protein shakes, would it be safe to say that I should invest in a protein supplement powder to mix to taste...you know, with a wine or some spirit...hehe, just kidding. If someone knows of a protein supplement that mixes well with everything that they might have purchased at GNC let me know what it's called. Also, I've read that these weight loss surgeries creates the potential for an individual to develop a drinking problem. Has anyone else ever heard of this? Why would that be? I would think alcohol would make your stomach burn. I did have a friend who went to Mexico to get the lap band surgery and I swear she lived off of White Russians for a while when she returned and had some serious problems due to no structured after care and no one watching he behavior. She got to forgo the pre care and after care and paid the price for that big time. Thoughts anyone? Robin

I switch from alcohol to coffee. After trying a few drinks post surgery I have found its just not for me. I enjoy sobiety.

Transfer addiction is "a thing". It's real and it can happen. Statistics show that alcoholism rates are higher among WLS patients than in the general population, as is divorce and other things. It's an accepted truth. I'm not sure what the statistics are, but it's a risk, not a certainty. They tell us this so we can be knowledgeable about it, and act accordingly to mitigate the risk for ourselves. I'm almost 2 years post op, and I don't drink any more than I did preop. I do shop more though - and while I'm not addicted, it is a fun pass time, and I do use it to avoid food. When I'm home all day with nothing to do, I want to eat, so I shop instead. Some people exercise, some people clean, and probably some don't do anything to distract themselves. So, your boss is probably right about her sister in law, but that doesn't mean it will happen to you. What happens to you is up to YOU.

When WLS post-op patients can no longer soothe their anxieties and other unpleasant emotions with food, they may transfer their food addiction to alcohol, sex, shopping, gambling, drugs, cigarettes, etc. I don't know how many people suffer transfer addictions. However, they're a very well known risk of WLS. But they are NOT guaranteed after WLS for the majority of patients. But the risk is why most surgeons urge that new WLS patients don't drink for X period of time post-op. There are so many new behaviors and disciplines to work on post-op (which, if you groove them in strongly, actually WILL determine your long-term success) that you should avoid anything to derail your progress. Some people do (and some don't) follow this advice. I think that most social drinkers start to drink occasionally post-op. Like CGJ said, most people do NOT become addicted. FTR, I'm 7 weeks post-op today and have sampled alcohol twice since surgery: 1 oz. wine (at a party) and 1/2 ounce scotch (after dinner one night). I'm not sensing any urge to drink even as much as I did pre-op.

Almost 17 months out here and while I will have a few drinks here and there, I've not become an alcoholic yet.

It is a serious risk, addiction transference is a real risk post WLS. I personally know someone who DIED in her 40s after losing weight post bypass due to alcoholism. She was type 1 diabetic, got uber skinny, went off the rails so to speak (left her hubby and kids) and died an unemployed alcoholic. However, most people don't do this. Let's say it happens to 5 percent (I made that up do not know the stats) it is all part of the calculated risk. I had 100 percent chance of early disability and premature death without surgery with a BMI over 50.. If you think you are at risk, freaking don't drink at all. I choose to socially drink but have rules/boundaries around it just like I do with food.

Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol causes alcoholism.

I'm pre-surgery, and don't think I know it all -- that's for sure, but I agree with the last post by Shiloh0772 about the Oprah show. Alcohol use is highly discouraged by surgeons (from what I learned in the patient education class). Smokers are also advised or required to quit smoking prior to and after surgery to avoid complications. Besides, when you want to improve your appearance and health by having gastric surgery, why would you want to mess things up by getting addicted to alcohol or drugs. People who drank before (especially those with alcoholism, admitted or not to their surgeon) and people who trade their food addictions for alcohol because of depression (or any other reason) are just harming themselves and risking complications. That's why support groups here and thru the various surgery clinics, and even some support groups elsewhere are so important, but it's up to the individual gastric surgery patient to reach out for help. It's also a factor I'm sure in why the Surgery Centers make you go thru a psychological evaluation before surgery. I have a really nice psychologist at the Bariatric Center of Kansas City that I not only saw for the psych evaluation, but also for continuing care pre-operatively and plan to have sessions post-operatively as needed.

Oprah did a show years ago when gastric bypass was becoming popular. Many individuals failed to work the mental health part and transfered their food addiction to alcohol. It in no way says that it is definitive that WLS causes alcoholism.

This may really sound dumb but here it goes. My boss hates the concept of bariatric surgery. She insists it causes someone to become an alcoholic. I really don't think this is true. I know her sister in law that had gastric bypass is an alcoholic but honestly don't think the surgery caused it alcoholism runs in her husbands family. Did anyone else hear of something like this?

I had the VSG, I don't have an issue with Challot or Brisket. I don't drink wine because I do not enjoy the taste, but say Kiddush over Kedem Grape juice. I don't have any issue with drinking alcohol either, so I would say it may not be a problem, depending on your haggadah and how long you have in between the cups.

Yup. I've been up and down. Mostly up now, but I recently maintained (by the skin of my teeth) 140 pound weight loss from 2006 to 2010. I've been slowly and steadily gaining from 2011 till now (with hypertension and arthritis). Went on a crazy juice fast 2 years ago and lost 40. I remember in the height of maintenance every one would comment on how good I looked wherever I walked around the hospital where I still work. And because I maintained it for so long, many felt like it was safe to do so. I've since learned to appreciate the people that don't mention body weight (here excluded). A how you doing and a smile can go a long way....all that to say, people are used to me carrying around liquids, watching what I eat, making green smoothies in the break room and leaving for lunchtime power walks!! When the weight loss occurs, I'll just say "I'm back on the wagon like a recovering alcoholic, I let it go too long this time." When I loss the weight before, I was excused of having WLS by a couple of jealous chicks....I do like the medically-supervised weight loss plan and doing some liquids meals for a while, too.....And at the end of the day, it's nunya d@mn business!!!

I've been worried about sliding back too. I've started having alcohol and notice that I eat the WRONG food when I drink. I missed having fun with my friends so I reintroduced alcohol, but I feel like it is stalling my weight loss. I want to find a good balance but don't know how to do that....I need to get back on track too!

When I see posts online about weight regain -- and when posters describe what has happened -- they use language that describes some of these behaviors and emotions: * snacking * grazing * no longer tracking their intake * "falling into old habits" * their exercise programs got sidetracked * "not paying attention" * feeling much less restriction from their sleeve after, typically, a year post-op * experiencing life stress and soothing themselves with food * feeling disappointed that weight loss didn't make them sufficiently happy or resolve their problems * being angry with themselves * depression * lack of support from family members * overt antagonism from family members about their weight loss * deaths of close family members * social isolation * inability to manage successfully psychiatric drugs * WLS complications they've not fully recovered from or resolved * medical problems unrelated to WLS, e.g., cancer * alcoholism or drinking too much It's a jungle out there. That's why I'm now in therapy (for the first time in my life) and will remain in therapy throughout my first year post-op and probably for the two years thereafter. I think the easy part of WLS is losing the weight. I've done that at least 40 times. This time, I hope / plan to keep it off.

Sympathies to all my fellow arthritis sufferers out there -- youch. My own surgeon has no problems with his patients taking anti-inflammatories (!) but I know it's not a good idea and so I stay away from either over-the-counter versions or the ones prescribed by rheumatologists who seem to have nothing else to offer. I recently started using an anti-inflammatory gel called Voltaren and I think I'm getting some relief from that. My arthritis is better with exercise and that keeps me moving -- an hour in the car and I have to get out and walk, walk, walk. I have a drink that works well for me as an anti-inflammatory -- I fill up glass bottles nearly to the top with Water then add a splash of unsweetened cranberry and a half a cup of aloe vera. Seems to help a lot, as does ginger tea. I've tried to identify particular food triggers but not much luck with that -- was off of Nightshades for almost a year (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes) but did not seem to notice a difference there. I do know other people who found eliminating those really helps them. Last year I started taking collagen -- we get Great Lakes brand. I mix a tablespoon into my Greek yogurt along with a few nuts, a little GF Cereal, etc. (so it's not a slider for me) -- the collagen is tasteless and jacks up the Protein (six grams on top of the twelve for the yogurt). I love cooking with homemade stock! We roast or grill an organic chicken weekly and all the bones, etc. go into the freezer bag along with veggie ends, etc. then we boil them all up from time to time to make chicken stock for soups, sauces, etc. For dark stock (beef, lamb, etc.) the oven needs to be at 500 then put the bones in for 20 minutes to release, then into the stock pot with the veggies, herbs, etc. I always add a bottle of wine (alcohol cooks off). Freezes very well. The addition of stock into dishes made with ground meat makes it soft and yummy -- easy to swallow, etc. And so flavorful. Thanks for a great thread! It's raining here today and maybe a good day for boiling up some chicken stock -- freezer is getting full and there are a zillion leeks out in the garden that need harvesting. Stock here we come!

I don't watch The View, maybe caught a couple episodes when it debut's. I thought the whole premise of the show was to get women of varying ages and varying opinions, to speak on certain topics so the public could realize there are a wide range of opinions on any given subject out there. I thought it was up to each individual watching to take the discussion, to form their own opinions.. I was banded in '09. due ortho injuries resulting in multiple surgeries, I wanted to have enough nutrients to heal well. I requested a slow. gradual fill which I'd hoped would coincide with the end of surgeries. 8 surgeries in 4 yrs; 2 with lots of blood loss that rendered me unknowingly, extremely enimic. It hasn't been easy but I did lose 100lbs in those 4 yrs. In 2013, I experienced band complications of my own doing- picked up smoking cigs after 5yrs smoke-free, due to extreme mega- stress. The stress inflamed the band site. Smoking inflamed the band site, Alcohol increase inflamed the band site & a too-tight adjustment following the last of my surgeries further complicated already well-inflamed band site. I ended up awake all night with those uber annoying, hacking, night coughs. Then, the acid reflux. Burning all the way up my esophagus to my throat-OW! Then on top of the cough wake ups, I began also waking up an additional 2-3x's a night, vomiting blood that pooled in my tummy from the acid. I had the band loosened & gained 15lbs in 4 mos. The gastric symptoms were treated with omniprozole & some other liquid tummy med & it healed nicely. The PA put back 1cc and it seems ok though there are nights I still cough all night. Still trying to figure out the new sweet spot. I've lost 10 of the 15lbs I'd gained so am now @ 95lbs lost, 5yrs out. Even with all that, I'm not considering tossing the band and giving up. I'm pretty confident that once my mind's in a place where I have reduced that mega-stress enough to stop quitting smoking again, my tummy will stop being so inflamed & the band will again do its' job. I have 25-30lbs to lose to get to my goal weight. I'm not offended by Rosie's comments @ all. It is what it is. My PA informed me the band has had a low success rate in general; that I'm an exception to the rule. So what! I'm glad I'm still in the 50% group of band successes. I took Rosie's comments with a grain of salt; it's just her opinion based on whatever she knew @ that point in time. We've all done research to chose whichever WLS we get. What I discovered that informed my decision to get banded would probably offend the sleeve & RNY people. Who cares? We're all in this together, learning as we go, even Rosie. Anyone who makes their WLS decision based solely on "Rosie said..." should maybe consider a lobotomy instead of WLS, IMHO.

Sounds like everyone is doing well Started my new job and I love it so far - even if it is a bit daunting with all of the new systems to learn - everyone is super friendly and it is wonderful to get to talk about books all day. I am glad that I get to be on my feet for many hours at a stretch again - I think not working during the summer - even though I have been getting more movement in than ever still makes it rough to keep that scale from creeping up if your diet isn't perfect. I saw a thing on T.V. with Oprah's trainer guy - Bob Greene and he mentioned that it sucks but if you are a woman your diet needs to be almost prefect if you are not going to exercise, and if you do exercise you need to do it most days of the week - whereas men can get by with less working out and eating can be worse because of the muscle mass - bah! Looking at my calendar I am down a little over 3.5 lbs from the same day last month - I will definitely take that! I would love to drop back down into the 170's by the end of the month - that's about 3.3 lbs - it isn't much by man my body is stubborn at giving up the weight these days. Hope you guys have fun with all of the dancing - sounds wonderful! And Sheryl I would not want a Mormom BF either - I think I have a bit too much heathen in my past lol. It's interesting many of our family situations - thinking about Cathy's post - my mom was pretty much a single parent in the 60's - other than the decade she stayed married to the raging alcoholic who tortured us. My own mom is pretty cold and distant - we have never had that warm and fuzzy mom daughter relationship and I know we most likely never will. I think most of the time I have felt like I was a burden and an annoyance to her - there were those times when I was younger, and a huge pain in the ass that she let me know that she wished I had never been born - I know this has to be incredible frustration venting from one who doesn't know how to handle it any other way. But its not something that ever is erased.The longer I live the easier it is for me to see the connection between the innate sense of unease and panic I have always had (when nowhere and nothing is safe) and using food for comfort - bury me under a blanket of bread and gravy haha.

always recommend talking to your doc about it, see if you can duplicate it at your next appt. He knows your insides better than anyone at this point. For me this type of pain could happen for a variety of reasons. I would recommend experimenting a bit with the following things and see what works for you. Too big of a sip liquid too hot or too cold Using a straw Drinking something that's been through the blender aka had air infused it in Drinking too close in time after I've eaten (and if it's close enough its more than pain it's puking) Drinking something when my stomach is completely empty and I should be hungry And alcohol does this for me too so I'm avoiding it for the most part. The top of my stomach is now like a funnel so often times it makes weird dinosaur sounding gurgling noises. And if i push it too much, then I'll get the pain because of the back up in my esophagus. Hope this helps you understand some possibilities. Hope you figure out what it is for you.

My name is Irene and I'm a 57 year old divorced woman who lives with her mother. My younger brother lived with her and he died about 3 years ago and wanted me to live with her since my 3 daughters were now married and on their own. It's been tough. In 2009 when he was diagnosed with cancer in March, within 6 months I gained 30 lbs. I gain weight very quickly!! I went up to 291 lbs. I'm 5'2" - you can imagine!! End of Sept 2009 I joined FA - a 12 step program and lost 145 lbs relatively quickly and kept it off. However, things fell apart for me when my brother died in Aug 2011, my daughter had gotten married in May 2011, the oldest daughter was going to marry at the end of the year and my youngest baby was moving into her dad's house with her boyfriend (they married in 2013 at Disney World!). I had the Empty Nest Syndrome really bad!! At the first wedding May 2011, I was a size 6 and at the last wedding, Feb 2013, a size 22. I feel ashamed. I feel like a failure. I've thought of WLS for years and was concerned about altering myself with bypass surgery. I hadn't heard many positive things about the lap band. Recently I heard about the sleeve and that sounds like a good fit for me. My youngest had the surgery done in May 2014 and has been very successful with it. My oldest will have it done in Nov 2014. My middle daughter is obese; so is my mother, my sister and both brothers. My father was an alcoholic (I learned that alcoholic fathers tend to have obese daughters...). I have Kaiser insurance. I love the 6 month wait because I feel I need time to prove to myself that I can commit. I want to gradually accept the changes. In the past (I've been dieting on and off since I was 17 yrs old), I would have paid out of pocket to have it next month (or sooner); now I know that's addictive behavior for me. I want this experience to be different. I want this to be the final diet. My middle and youngest daughters, their husbands and I joined the YMCA at end of Jan 2014 and I've gone to exercise at least 4 times a week to mostly 5 - 6 days a week. I don't see it as a chore or something I have to do. I see it as movement and "recess" - I look forward to going. I love doing it with my daughters because we enjoy each other's company. When I have a tough day at work, I just picture myself in the pool. We do deep Water treading. I'm not a swimmer. I get quite a workout doing that, the elliptical and I was doing belly dancing once a week but my weight really prevented me from enjoying it. I look forward to getting the weight off and joining the girls! I also tried yoga and was not quite limber enough. Still, I want to try again as soon as possible. I babysit my great-nephew (my dead brother's grandchild) every Sat since he was 4 months old (he's 17 months old now) and chase him all day - no TV on my watch! I laugh all day with him, hardly have time to eat and enjoy life when I'm with him. I get quite a workout playing - the best way to do it, in my book!! So I began my journey in Aug 2014 by attending meetings. I've met with the Nutritionist. I already have sleep Apnea and have the machine to bring with me to surgery. I am having trouble with the diet I'm supposed to be on right now; I feel resentment about following a diet!!! I feel like I'd better hurry up and have a "last meal" - of whatever junk I want to get in. I hope this is temporary because I'm supposed to be losing weight... I also fear that I "can't" do it. I want to be motivated, I want to just DO IT - and then I fall apart. I'm going to work closer with the Nutritionist and see how they can help me. I know this is a long entry, but if you have read this far, do you have any suggestions? I do hope I can get on track - this forum has been inspirational for me so far!