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I spent the past week in Florida (my first real vacation since my VSG just over a year ago). We had a blast!!-- 1 week at Vero Beach and a couple days at Disney (Magic Kingdom). I was surprised and excited to see how wonderful vacation is as an average sized person. I wore a bathing suit, played in the sand, kept up without getting out of breath, my feet didn't hurt, and it wasn't NEARLY as HOT as I remembered other vacations to be. LOL. I felt comfortable in my own skin & fit in all the rides -- I skipped my family's last trip to Disney bc I was embarrassed I wouldn't fit on some rides-- anyway-- It was AWESOME! So... About the food: For the most part, I eat very well at home. Very few packaged food (only dairy, nuts, Protein supplements, and peanut butter)) and the rest of my diet is fresh produce and meats. As for our trip, I decided to take a vacation from my way of eating while on vacation. I still focused on protein and ate small portions, but I went a little wild on my choices of Snacks at Magic Kingdom. My husband (who also follows a low carb/ high protein diet) says, "there's no rules on vacation!" LOL My confession: at Disney I ate a Mickey icecream bar, a fruit smoothie, 5 French fries, and shared an icecream sundae with my husband. GASP! I also had 3 alcoholic beverages during my week (of which I can only drink about 1/3 ). Confession continued: nothing tastes as good as I remembered. Nothing gave me the high it once did. I didn't crave it. I didn't love any of it. And afterwards, Those poor food choices made me feel tired & down... Just no energy. That trash did nothing good for my body. Junk makes you feel like junk. So I had a WONDERFUL vacation, but I'm happy to be back to my normal eating & drinking habits. Here's a few pic of my trip along with some food & beverage choices. And a pic of the safety bar on a ride that doesn't keep me very safe bc I'm so much smaller than my husband now. HAHAHA.

I have kept to the diet described in my Surgery Bible. I do not eat anything that my nutritionist says is objectionable. I know me. If I start binging on foods that are sorta on the list of bad things. I will explode! I know of 1 person that lives in my building that had the same surgery. He lost some weight. But started eating all the same FAT and SUGAR stuff he ate before. That is not for me! I have a long journey before I am through. I will not eat pizza. I will not eat Junk food. I am a FOOD ADDICT. If I start down that road, The Gremlins in my head will tell me SURE IT IS OK. Eat what you want. Your tummy is all shrunk up. No problem. BULLCRAP! I have to not give in to my cravings. now Addictions. I have been Sober from Alcohol for over 24 years. I had just switched Addictions from Alcohol to Food. I had to learn how not to drink 1 day at a time. I am learning how not to Eat as an Addict. This to me is a WAR that I aim to win! 1 meal at a time!

Hi, all. This has been my best day thus far. My sister brought me home yesterday, and we were in traffic for at least two hours with four cranky kids. By the time they left, I needed some Tylenol and a nap! I will admit that I have been very lucky in that I have not experienced any nausea or vomiting, and I have had no real problems getting in my liquids. I'm not sure if it's the hernia repair or what, but I sometimes get some gas back up after I swallow anything. It definitely was worse when I tried to drink a Protein shake to get in some protein. I don't know if it's the milk, but I'll try again later this evening. My incisions aren't that bad. I'm keeping ointment on them. A couple of them are starting to itch, which I'm taking as a good sign. I was able to get out by myself for a bit today. I just ran a couple of errands and to the grocery store. A little tiring, but very good. The most frustrating part of this process (which I hate to admit) is that I have to give myself a shot of Lovenox. My sister had given me the shots the past few days, so today was the first day to give myself a shot. Sadly, it took me about 2.5 hours to administer the shot. I just couldn't put mind over matter for some reason. I went through about 10 alcohol wipes and 2 crying sessions before I just did it. It's embarrassing that I had so much trouble and that the cycle probably will repeat tomorrow, but I only have four more days of it. I think I can make it through it. I'm glad everyone is doing much better! It's a one-day-at-a-time process.

Thank you VSGAnn! Yeah, I thought if I gave up all sugar, fast food, carbs, soda and alcohol during my 6 month medically supervised diet, then it wouldn't be so difficult after the surgery... 9 days to go!! So excited!

I sometimes miss food, he was my best friend! But then I look in the mirror and see the 80lb transformation four months later, the absence of discrimination, and wearing clothes I've saved for 10 years, I don't regret any of it. It's awkward in social settings because everything social seems to revolve around food and alcohol, but I love the new me. I miss my 'ol pal Ronald McDonald, just like I miss my ex-wife. We had some good times, but they both could care less about me!

I used it as a tool to curb my eating disorder, but now it just seems like everything I do is preventing it from working. On top of the alcohol (to be fair, I only drink like once a month now), since discovering costco my general health has gne down too. For example, I went to Costco on Sunday.......I bought a 36-pack of diet drinks, 15-pack of tamales, 60-pack of Waffles, and a 30 pack of burritos. All but 4 tamales are gone.....The waffles are 190 calories, the tamales are 300, and the burritos are around 300....so that is around 5000 calories a day..........come to think of that, its quite a bit............a lot more than I expected. I was expecting 2.5k or 3k... Is 600 calorie liquid diet even possible, honestly? I really SHOULD contact the doctor's, but I felt realllllllly guilty and ashamed (both of self-guilt, and what they said, that I failed (without using those words) and I should have lost more)

Look back over all the posts you've made under this username. From the beginning, you've made the choice not go comply with any of your doctor's instructions. Alcohol, chips, pizza... You've been repeatedly advised to get yourself back on track with a low calorie, high Protein diet which you refuse to believe will work. Oddly, it's worked for so many of us who choose to actually do as advised. You and I had our surgeries at about the same time. You are young, male, and your BMI is higher than mine. You should be at or close to goal by now but you are refusing to follow plan. I know what I'm saying sounds harsh, but it's reality. No one here can give you better advice than your doctor -- advice you refuse to follow. Only you can decide to make the changes you need to succeed and I hope you do. I know you can.

To loose weight is an everyday commitment, if you are not ready to give the 100 % do not do it. Before I got banded My friend did it, I saw how well she looked, she told me she was not diabetic anymore and I started thinking about it, I did research and I learned as much as I could about my options. Then, I decided to do it. On the 25th of the month it will be 10 months since my surgery, I had lost about 55lbs. My friend stop loosing weight after I had my surgery, she has put all the weight back and she is always complaining about the band, now she is telling me she will take it out to see if they can give her the sleeve. i don't think her insurance is covering because the band is not damage. But she is my friend and I see what she is doing wrong, she is eating small amounts of food all day long, she eat everything fried most of the time. she has never stop drinking alcohol, every weekend she has an excuses to drink, she can easily have 10 margaritas in one night plus 10 or 15 Tequila shots. Can you imagine the amount of calories a margarita has? it scare me. She eats ice cream almost every night and when I bring up why she is not loosing weight she start defending her actions, obviously she is in denial, it is getting to the point we are only talking once a week because she doesn't want to admit she is the reason she is not loosing weight not the band. The band is a tool to loose weight like your glasses are a tool to see better, but they only work if you put them on. So YOU have to do the work. Good luck to the newbies, be positive and now is worth it. Peace and harmony!

i smoke just about every evening, just a little toke or two on my pipe, my equivalent of an after work martini. i don't get the munchies, and i love not having the calories from alcohol. i'm so curious about how i will feel after surgery when i smoke. and for the record, i'm an incredibly productive member of society.

I have no regrets and would do it again in a heart beat!! I am seven months post surgery, down 130 pounds and have reached my initial goal but I am continuing to adhere to the program as there is more to loose. My medical issues are gone and I feel and look better than I have in decades. That being said, the concerns expressed in this thread were my concerns as well in the beginning. I really enjoyed food and the social engagement around food and alcohol. Specifically my biggest issues were volume of food eaten and proper choices. As a result of the sleeve operation I am better equipped, physically and mentally, to deal with food issues now than at other times in my life. The initial post op journey is my commitment to a better me. I want to do it so I can continue to enjoy the things that are important to me and my loved ones. I regularly go to dinner with my wife, attend business dinners and functions and participate in all family outings. The sleeve has changed my life for the better! At seven months post op I can eat anything I want but choose to be on the program. I can still eat a great Tuna steak, or cheeseburger, just not all of it. I can still socialize, but need to manage the temptations. For me, it's about choice. The sleeve has helped me physically, limiting the amount food I can eat. The strong will to be successful and stay with the program has helped me manage choices. I think sometime we rely on the physical changes, i.e. sleeve or band, etc, and less on the mental readiness for what is to come. It could very well be the toughest part of the entire change in our bodies.

Honestly I hadn't thought about focusing on stress relief but you are right if I learn to manage the stress it may help manage the eating triggers. The kids and I are going to attend a counseling works support group which starts in Sept. No offense about the alcohol. I'm aware of the research and that does worry me which why I brought it up here. Thank you all for your words of encouragement. I did "better" this week but still a way from back on track.

I'm not banded, I'm VSG but I sure have seen A LOT of folks switch to alcohol and it's scarey. It isn't really enjoyable to me near as much since surgery. I feel blessed on that front. I gotta watch myself when it comes to clothing shopping. Is it an addiction. I don't think so. It's a heck of a lot if fun after having everything hang wrong on me. I have a lot more choices and I like it. I'm about over it now though so not addicted...lol...I'm waiting on that exercise addiction to hit. I exercise but to be a little more compelled to do so would be great!!

Thanks for the info! Since I'm not drinking beer anymore a friend suggested I smoke pot to make up for my lost alcohol buzz. Well, I've smoked in the past and KNOW it just makes me want to eat and then go to sleep. I didn't think the munchies and sleeve would go together very well so I did not take her advice. Thanks for the affirmation that I made the right decision! LOL.

Pitiful isn't it Miss Mac, when a grown man with a perfectly healthy wife takes his own mothers social security check and collects money from the government each month. He does have some health issues but mostly because of life choices (alcohol) that he claims he can't work. I gave up a long time ago trying to convince my husband and mother in law that they are not "helping" him by making excuses for him. As long as it has not directly impacted my immediate family I decided it was not my business. As far as being home with my kids who are 13 and 15 I think they need me more now than when they were babies. I like being the house that there friends hang out at and being the driver for there excursions. I know there friends and hopefully know most of what is going on in there lives. An update, my husband apologized to me and said he was going to fix things. There is more to the story in that 10 years ago he and said brother inherited a 2 family house from a relative. The house had a large mortgage and has been a money pit for years. About 8 years ago I let my husband talk me into taking out a mortgage on the house we live in to pay back taxes and legal fees incurred with the house. He said his brother would know that when they sold the house both mortgages would be paid before splitting any profit. I have been begging my husband for years now to sell the house and pay back our mortgage so our home is secure and I am not left with a problem if something happens to him or his brother. This I guess is the root of why I am so upset with the tv situation although it appears unrelated. I want my and my childrens future secure (without using my inheritance) and to not be financially tied to this irresponsible brother and his wife. Maybe this last fight will be the issue that finally pushes him to resolve this house issue. Thank you all so much for listening to me. All of your comments have been valuable to me as someone to talk to.

Hi smithpy--so sorry you are struggling. Those major life stressors can (and do) derail us big time. BUT, you are NOT IN DENIAL of the reasons for your weight gain, and that is something to pat yourself on the back for!!! You are taking ACTION!!!You have gotten great words of wisdom here so far from the above posters (as we all always do!). Please remember too, though, that you first have to get your responses to all the STRESS in your life under control before you can recommit to your WLS healthy eating habits and lifestyle. (You know-- Are you paying attention to how important it is to be GOOD TO YOURSELF EVERY DAY? Moms tend to put ourselves last, and that usually means zero time for US. Do you meditate? Do you do deep breathing? Do you take a fun short-term class/workshop? Do you meet a friend? Do find a self-help book of interest? Do you enjoy nature? Do you sing a motivational song, even if you can't sing? Do you journal? Do you buy some dumb little special thing for yourself once a week? Can you have just 4 hours a week that can be JUST YOU time that someone cares for the kids? etc etc? ). Only you know the answer to this, and of course it is not expected that you respond in any way to this here. Please do not take offense--you mentioned alcohol, and I'm sure you are aware of the potential of transfer addictions with WLS patients. Just wanted to offer a caution. You don't say how old your kid(s) are, but get them on the bandwagon with you, and create some FUN stuff to do together--both in healthy meal prep AND with fun exercise activity. Don't go this alone. This is a TEMPORARY setback, and you will clean up your habits and move on to your healthy lifestyle again! You go girl. . .

I really need help. I'm almost two years out. I'm not eating or exercising like I should and alcohol has also added weight. I "know" what I need to do but I need help doing it. Started exercising again on Monday. PS... Lots of change in my life and just now getting on track -- divorce, going from being a stay at home mom to a FT employee, etc.

No no alcohol, I won't be drinking at the party either. The wedding is in Mexico at the end of August and I'll see if my nut n dr clear be for a small amount then. Right now I'm really trying to play my the rules with everything. How much water do u get? I'm averaging between 45-50 oz daily.

Have you had any alcohol yet?

I had surgery 2/17/14. I was 288, 258 day of surgery. I had been in a stall for a month between 206-209. So I did a 3 day liquid diet and then ate food for 3 days and got down to 202. Then I went on vacation for the weekend. I snacked a little more than normal, but it had no alcohol and didn't eat extravagantly. I got home and got on the scale and I gained 8 EIGHT pounds!!! This is so discouraging, I was only gone for 4 days, and 2 of those days i spent driving to and from NC to PA. I don't understand this. I thought I was bloated and I hadn't pooped in 2 days so I took some miralax when I got home... I went, but I didn't really lose anything. Have any of you experienced this? I'm so discouraged! I was gonna go on another liquid diet to try and flush out anything. I'm 5 months out. I really thought I would come home from vacation in onderland. any advice would be appreciated!

Ok sorry, I feel like I'm always posting on here! I had been in a stall for a month between 206-209. So I did a 3 day liquid diet and then ate food for 3 days and got down to 202. Then I went on vacation for the weekend. I snacked a little more than normal, but it had no alcohol and didn't eat extravagantly. I got home and got on the scale and I gained 8 EIGHT pounds!!! This is so discouraging, I was only gone for 4 days, and 2 of those days i spent driving to and from NC to PA. I don't understand this. I thought I was bloated and I hadn't pooped in 2 days so I took some miralax when I got home... I went, but I didn't really lose anything. Have any of you experienced this? I'm so discouraged! I was gonna go on another liquid diet to try and flush out anything. I'm 5 months out. I really thought I would come home from vacation in onderland.

Hello! I particularly like any alcohol with a few squeezes of Mio liquid Water enhancer! They have tons of flavors & they are all delicious! Easy to carry with you as well! If I'm out at a restaurant or bar I ask for the alcohol chilled and splash in the Mio that will be in my purse I'm 26 & also very social so anything to still have a good time and keep my calories low is great ! ( be careful tho, I'm also a two drink max with these they can be strong !) Bren

I am so very sorry to hear about your loss. That must have been devastating for you. I cant relate to losing a child but im no stranger to loss. Im 28 y/o and already had to deal with more loss and disasters then most people see in their entire life. My father died in a car accident before i was born, my grandmother of a stroke (drank herself to it) when i was 12, my uncle at 13 (heart attack), my other uncle at 14 (hypothermia), at 16 my step father lost all but 3 of his fingers in a work accident and i had to help my mom take care of him, I started taking care of my mom at age 22 when she was in a car accident that left her unable to work and her husband divorced her because he didn't want to take care of her (yep, after she quit her job to take care of him from his accident), At 23 my mom had a heart attack requiring surgery(lived). At 24 my husbands grandfather passed away from brain cancer, and that same week i found out my mom had breast cancer. She had double mastectomy with one side getting infected and opening up (about the size of my fist) and a 6 month recovery. This caused her to be unable to have chemo or radiation. After she healed she started the journey of reconstruction but unfortunately after the expanders were put in she developed MRSA in one side and then a week later the other side (both had to be taken out and she was hospitalized). Then she developed it again in her hand and shoulder (hospitalized again). She went home with IV antibiotics (that i cared for). She progressively got more sick and on my 25th birthday she was hospitalized with a rare condition called steven johnsons syndrome (severe allergic reaction that causes the body to burn from the inside out).She was hospitalized again (sad thing is i cant remember why now) and missed the baby shower for my first(only) child. I had a complicated childbirth (emergency c-section) with a complicated recovery (pre-eclamsia AFTER). When my son was 5mo my mom had another heart attack requiring surgery (a rare reaction from the sjs that caused the original stent to be overgrown with tissue). My Uncle passed away soon after. My mom remained pretty healthy after that but i progressively got sicker. My aunt passed away (drugs and alcohol caused her liver to fail). I lost my job (the department was dissolved) a month after i bought my first home (thankfully got a new job right away). A year long journey led my doctors to discovering I have a severe immune deficiency. I ended up getting sick for about 2 months that was finally diagnosed by my immunologist as pertussis. A week later (Jan) my mom was hospitalized with pneumonia (she came home with oxygen). Unfortunately after that (and many tests) it was discovered her breast cancer had come back and metastasized to her lymph nodes and pleura (lining of lungs). Its stage 4 and terminal. Theres no cure but she started chemo with the thought to prolong her life . She was hospitalized again with pneumonia that required multiple chest tube placements. She resumed her chemo which she did pretty well on with symptom reactions but bad on with others (her potassium and anemia levls kept dropping causing her to be extremely lethargic). last month her WBC droped really low and she got sick. When i checked her O2 and saw it was really low i insisted on bringing her to the ER (she's stubborn and hates going). They said it was good because 6-12 more hours and she would have been septic. They admitted her again but her o2 wouldn't stabilize. I get a call at work the next day and im told there transferring her to ICU and intubating her. She was intubated (and essentially in a coma) for 2 weeks She had strep pneumonia, strep in her urine, influenza, and fungal empyema . On 4th of july they released her to come home and she has been weak ever since. I have been her caring for her but she isn't getting better. She still cant stand from the toilet, cant care for herself, she barely eats, and she keeps getting a cough. She has lost 70lbs since Jan. Yesterday we had the follow up oncologist appointment and he told us because of her condition it wouldn't be wise to re-start chemo. He said that if they did she had an extremely high chance of catching another illness and dieing. Without chemo she has less than 6 months to live (he said with her condition now its more like a few months). so were in a crossroads of what to do. Risk chemo (which she was pretty much like a zombie on most days) and hope she doesn't catch anything (extremely hard with me having an immune deficiency and always getting sick) OR let the cancer kill her. Im struggling with the thought that i will be 28 y/o without any parents. My mom is my best friend and the thought of losing her kills me. I keep thinking about how close she is to my 2 y/o son and how he's going to grow up and not remember her or how significant she was in his life. And she will never know any other children i have. She has taught my son SO much, i just cant imagine her not being there to teach my future children. OMG im so sorry for spilling my life story. I know this is probably more then anyone wanted to know, but as its 4am and im unable to sleep its really helpful to get it all out of my head. Sorry for the TMI but thank you for the place to get it out. Snowkitten, you have a lot on your plate right now. Sometimes it helps, just being able to tell someone, even strangers. There are a lot of wonderful, caring people here and you will make friends and be able to share the anguish you are going through. I am truly sad about your dear Mother. I am proud of your decision to have WLS so that you can live a good life for your 2 year old son. He needs you around for a long time. (((Big HUG)))

I am so very sorry to hear about your loss. That must have been devastating for you. I cant relate to losing a child but im no stranger to loss. Im 28 y/o and already had to deal with more loss and disasters then most people see in their entire life. My father died in a car accident before i was born, my grandmother of a stroke (drank herself to it) when i was 12, my uncle at 13 (heart attack), my other uncle at 14 (hypothermia), at 16 my step father lost all but 3 of his fingers in a work accident and i had to help my mom take care of him, I started taking care of my mom at age 22 when she was in a car accident that left her unable to work and her husband divorced her because he didn't want to take care of her (yep, after she quit her job to take care of him from his accident), At 23 my mom had a heart attack requiring surgery(lived). At 24 my husbands grandfather passed away from brain cancer, and that same week i found out my mom had breast cancer. She had double mastectomy with one side getting infected and opening up (about the size of my fist) and a 6 month recovery. This caused her to be unable to have chemo or radiation. After she healed she started the journey of reconstruction but unfortunately after the expanders were put in she developed MRSA in one side and then a week later the other side (both had to be taken out and she was hospitalized). Then she developed it again in her hand and shoulder (hospitalized again). She went home with IV antibiotics (that i cared for). She progressively got more sick and on my 25th birthday she was hospitalized with a rare condition called steven johnsons syndrome (severe allergic reaction that causes the body to burn from the inside out).She was hospitalized again (sad thing is i cant remember why now) and missed the baby shower for my first(only) child. I had a complicated childbirth (emergency c-section) with a complicated recovery (pre-eclamsia AFTER). When my son was 5mo my mom had another heart attack requiring surgery (a rare reaction from the sjs that caused the original stent to be overgrown with tissue). My Uncle passed away soon after. My mom remained pretty healthy after that but i progressively got sicker. My aunt passed away (drugs and alcohol caused her liver to fail). I lost my job (the department was dissolved) a month after i bought my first home (thankfully got a new job right away). A year long journey led my doctors to discovering I have a severe immune deficiency. I ended up getting sick for about 2 months that was finally diagnosed by my immunologist as pertussis. A week later (Jan) my mom was hospitalized with pneumonia (she came home with oxygen). Unfortunately after that (and many tests) it was discovered her breast cancer had come back and metastasized to her lymph nodes and pleura (lining of lungs). Its stage 4 and terminal. Theres no cure but she started chemo with the thought to prolong her life . She was hospitalized again with pneumonia that required multiple chest tube placements. She resumed her chemo which she did pretty well on with symptom reactions but bad on with others (her potassium and anemia levls kept dropping causing her to be extremely lethargic). last month her WBC droped really low and she got sick. When i checked her O2 and saw it was really low i insisted on bringing her to the ER (she's stubborn and hates going). They said it was good because 6-12 more hours and she would have been septic. They admitted her again but her o2 wouldn't stabilize. I get a call at work the next day and im told there transferring her to ICU and intubating her. She was intubated (and essentially in a coma) for 2 weeks She had strep pneumonia, strep in her urine, influenza, and fungal empyema . On 4th of july they released her to come home and she has been weak ever since. I have been her caring for her but she isn't getting better. She still cant stand from the toilet, cant care for herself, she barely eats, and she keeps getting a cough. She has lost 70lbs since Jan. Yesterday we had the follow up oncologist appointment and he told us because of her condition it wouldn't be wise to re-start chemo. He said that if they did she had an extremely high chance of catching another illness and dieing. Without chemo she has less than 6 months to live (he said with her condition now its more like a few months). so were in a crossroads of what to do. Risk chemo (which she was pretty much like a zombie on most days) and hope she doesn't catch anything (extremely hard with me having an immune deficiency and always getting sick) OR let the cancer kill her. Im struggling with the thought that i will be 28 y/o without any parents. My mom is my best friend and the thought of losing her kills me. I keep thinking about how close she is to my 2 y/o son and how he's going to grow up and not remember her or how significant she was in his life. And she will never know any other children i have. She has taught my son SO much, i just cant imagine her not being there to teach my future children. OMG im so sorry for spilling my life story. I know this is probably more then anyone wanted to know, but as its 4am and im unable to sleep its really helpful to get it all out of my head. Sorry for the TMI but thank you for the place to get it out.

I lost my younger brother July 3, 2012. We were very close and only 13 months apart. He literally collapsed in the hallway walking to the bathroom in front of his girlfriend. Despite autopsy and toxicology testing, no COD was found. Healthy organs, no aneurysms or clots, blood alcohol .03, no street drugs and normal, therapeutic levels of his Rx drugs for ADHD. I was beyond devastated and functioned on a " bare minimum" mode for over a year. Other than making it to work, I didn't leave the the house. I tried to numb myself by eating and drinking. I went to bed in an alcohol haze every night. And the clincher is I didn't WANT to feel better. I'm sure you all are no stranger to these feelings. Not sure what happened, but after about 18 months something just switched in my head and I decided I didn't want to be in pain anymore. This surgery, among other things was my way of taking back control of myself. I still miss him every single day and it's hard to comprehend that we will never again talk and laugh and be able to share our lives and childhood memories. But he was always kind of a "troubled soul" so I can only hope he's found peace now. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of you with lost loved ones, especially for those of you that are having to watch it happen.

I lost my ex boyfriend a year and a half ago to his alcohol addiction. I am currently watching my mom battle incurable breast cancer that has spread to her bones and brain. It is the hardest thing I've ever had to witness and deal with in my life.