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Thank you everyone for the great ideas on feeling full! I'm on a one week liquid only plus 90 grams of protein shake diet for preop. Sounds like there's quite a bit of variety when it comes to the preop diet, but I've been told no milk or milk products, no sugar, no caffeine, no alcohol (which would probably just make me looped off a sip at this point!) sooooo yeah #hungry. I'm glad I really only have to do tomorrow without the band because FRIDAY is the big day!! But I'll also be on this same diet for 4 weeks postop! Hoping just having the band with a little fill will stop me from being so darn hungry :/

KJcasegreg, If your stats are correct, you have succeeded TREMENDOUSLY! I can't even imagine what it took to get you there. DO NOT get down on yourself. You are remarkable to have come this far. And I do agree that you should talk to a professional. You need to let out your feelings in a safe way, and not turn to alcohol. Remember, not only are they empty calories, but drinks will adversely affect your kidneys and liver, which post-surgery are already working OT. Don't sabotage your success. I wish you luck, friend....and keep chatting with us. We are here for you!!!

I've lost around 70 lbs in 6 months, docs, fam and friends are happy. The most important thing is I'm not happy. I still feel fat, which I hate that word. I drink to be happy,calm, just me. I use to call myself an alcoholic, not drink like I use to. I feel sas and depressed like this surgery was and wasn't the best. I never knew I was "fat" I thought it would make me happy Happy nite

This is one of those things that you will get a different answer to. For me, my surgeon was fine with it. About the only thing I DON"T drink from a straw is coffee and wine. Some will say never, ever. Coffee, alcohol and carbonation are other things that is debated. There are lots of folks that are banned forever from all the above. My only no no is carbonation. I can live with that. I'm a year out now and I can safely say my sleeve has not exploded, stretched or any other bad thing from using a straw since a couple weeks post op. That is me, though, I will always say follow your surgeons direction. Good luck to you! You are gonna love your sleeve!

Hi all, I have been reading up on all y'alls posts for a few weeks now and finally have gotten up the nerve to post myself. I have been overweight all my life. It runs in my family. My father had WLS when I was in high school (2000). Long story short, he has had some complications over the years, but is doing okay right now. My sister had a gastric bypass a few years later. She has been successful, and while she still has to work at it every day, she is happy and healthy. I had lap band surgery in 2005. I was successful, or so I thought, for a while. I hit my goal weight, but realize now that I was not healthy. I was frequently burdened with acid reflux and severe restriction. In one instance, I ended up in the emergency room on the 4th of July in the middle of the night because I could not keep Water down and I was severely dehydrated. I had been dealing with a doctor that I didn't particularly mesh well with, and who I felt was not terribly concerned with my health, but more with the money (my father had paid out of pocket for my surgery). That night in the emergency room, I was able to get in touch with my sister, who had me give the emergency room staff her doctor's name. He and his partner were a God's send. About a month later, I called him again because I was having restriction issues again. He was able to see me immediately and was able to see that my problems had been stemming from the fact that my band had slipped. He immediately rushed me into emergency surgery to remove my band. I was still not covered by an insurance that would pay for a surgery, and both my parents were out of the country at the time, so we held off on making any decisions on future surgeries. I tried to keep the weight off myself. I knew I couldn't realistically keep it all off, but I hoped to be able to keep a majority of it off through exercise and nutrition. It worked for a while. I had a personal trainer and went to the gym every day. I eventually ended up in a very destructive relationship. I became severely depressed and ended up gaining back all of the weight I had originally lost. I ended the relationship a year and a half ago, and a year ago my ex passed away, having lost his battle with alcoholism. Getting another surgery has been something I have been thinking about for a long time but had not been in a good place mentally or emotionally. I did not want to jump into a decision while I was dealing with so much happening in my life. I feel ready now and I have pretty much decided on the sleeve. It still scares me though. It took me three days to finally pick up the phone and call my doctor's office to make an appointment. I have an appointment next month and have already started a list of questions to ask him. I have not told my family yet that I am thinking about doing this again. I know they will be supportive, but I also want to be absolutely certain before I involve any of them this time. Thankfully I now have insurance that covers the surgery. My biggest concern is taking time off work and people I don't want to tell finding out. I work in a very customer facing business, and I don't know yet how I am going to handle all the questions I know I am going to inevitably going to get from my clients. I look forward to getting to know some of you on this journey, and all appreciate all the support.

There certainly seems to be a stigma with regards to WLS. I have not told anyone that i had it done except my daughter and daughter in law who have been very supportive of me. People consider you weak that you cannot stick with a diet or exercise routine. The thing that they don't realize is that this is NOT the easy way out. I went through a living hell the first week out of surgery. I couldn't keep anything down--not even Water. My blood pressure soared sky high along with my heart rate after sugery *( all my pre op heart tests came out completely normal) The nurses and doctors said i was in great health and a good candidate for WLS after reading the results of a long list of pre op testing I endured. My only big health issue was my BMI which still wasn't so high as to not make me a Sleeve candidate. I just don't get it. If people are drug addicts or alcoholics no one thinks it's horrible for someone to go into rehab. They applaud them for getting the much needed help. So why do they critisize the obese who have an eating disorder or metabolic disorder. I have had food addictions and metabolic syndrom that caused me to lose weight very slowly even with the strictist diets. Now since the sleeve surgery, I can finally control my addictions to food and food no longer controls my life. I have the tools needed to finally beat this and become thinner and to look at food in a new light now. I tried every diet in the book and nothing worked long term. what the general public doesn't realize is that we STILL have to work hard with diet and excercise to lose weight but the great thing is that the VGS has given me the tools i need now to accomplish this because it's like a long acting diet pill. I have no real hunger and it only takes very small amounts of food to fill me up. I have chosen healthy foods to eat even though I am still on pureed foods now but plan on making healthy eating now a long term goal for the rest of my life.... No more snacking on chips and salsa, potatoe chips, pretzels, candy, ice cream, Trips to fast food places when out, eating large portions of food then having seconds and raiding the fridge at night. I have no desire for any of that anymore and since i took such a drastic step to do this, I plan on using this as an advantage and I'm not trying to sabotage my efforts by experimenting with foods that i used to eat. WLS has come a long way. I know in the past a lot of people died from the bypass back in the seventies and eighties and on when the WLS was not perfected and many obese patients were not screened like i was with all the pre op testings. I'll never forget when i was in nursing training and there was a by pass pt in the recovery area that was like 400 lbs and the Drs had to do CPR on this guy. I heard rude remarks from doctors or residents about this poor man.... i thought it was so unethical and rude. Now days the medical profession recognizes obesity as a disease and not just a weakness in character or a stigma that we are just pityful lazy people that don't care for ourselves nor have respect for ourselves enough to lose weight. I'm so happy we have finally able to come out of the closet and for it to be recognized as a real disease. Believe me i had tried EVERY diet under the sun. I even did the Optifast and lost 70 lbs only to gain it all back in two to three years. Fad diets never work in the long run. Anyone can lose twenty pounds or ever fifty on a diet but it will come righ back on once we slip into our old habits of over eating again...... Hooray..... I will beat this now.... I have confindence and I am so grateful for this surgery.... It has given me a new chance on living versus dying a slow death. I wouldn't recommend this surgery for anyone. If you are young and can diet and excercise and get counseling I'd certainly try that first of all. The WLS should be a last resort but in my case it was. I took the risk but glad that i did now.

Mine says a year for several reasons. 1 - Alcohol can be irritating to a healing pouch. Possible ulcer risk, also. 2 - There is a high risk of transfer addiction. It's not uncommon for weight loss surgery patients to become alcoholics. Most of us had a food addiction and need to learn to deal with our problems without turning to food or other substances for comfort. Avoiding alcohol while we are learning this is important. 3- High risk of liver damage and/or failure. While we are losing weight fairly fast (primarily during the first year) toxins stored in the fat are released into our bodies. Our liver is working overtime to process these toxins. Adding alcohol can be dangerous at this time. The danger lessens as weight loss slows and stops. Always follow your own doctors instructions. Each doctor has his own instructions based on their own personal experiences and observations.

Hey there!! Im not sure if you've read throughout my comments to other people but I have said things to her several times over the past 3 months (I tell everyone I started working out/eating healthy in October) about me cutting out carbs, alcohol, working out like crazy, lifestyle changes, etc... So she can't use the excuse that I never brought it up! I should have clarified more in my original post, but this girl and I are definitely not best friends! We were in high school but we weren't as close in college and then after college, she moved several hours away and every time we would talk, all she would talk about is brag about her job and how much money she made (and not that it matters, but I never said a word even though knowing that I make and have made significantly more than her) because I never want her to feel in competition with me, yet she always has. If my BEST FRIEND lived 30 minutes away, holy crap, we would try to talk our husbands into living together! I would stalk her daily haha! That's what close friends do so I'm glad you've got that with your BFF! I honestly hoped when we both moved fairly close again that we would re-kindle the high school days and become closer, but to me, I find myself pulling away even more. I'm waiting for my old high school friend to show herself, but unfortunately I think she is gone.

My doctor plainly said to avoid it as much as possible. He didn't want to give me a specific "go drink alcohol" permission lol. I started though about 3 months out. But I don't drink often. One drink a month or so. Less sometimes.

Oh, I've said a few comments over the past few months… Every time we see each other, it's over meals or at social events where everybody is drinking EXCEPT me. So, one of the first times, it was just her and I and we went for sushi… well, she ordered wine and 2 sushi rolls, salad, soup and edamame. I typically would have ordered 2-3 rolls when her and I used to go for sushi, and this time I just ordered 6 pieces of sashimi (raw fish) and only ate 3 of them and took the rest with me. She would say "is that all you're eating? You aren't going to order a glass of wine?" and I would respond with, "Nope, no alcohol for me because I don't want to drink my calories anymore and I've cut out most carbs so no rice.. just going straight protein tonight!" Most recently when I saw her about 2 weeks ago, I finally ordered a beer and I said to her "This is the first beer I've drank since your engagement party which was back in October! Been trying to stay away from those carbs!" and her response… "Oh wow, that's a long time." That's it. I gave her every opportunity! I've mentioned how I've been working out every day, getting back into running, going to the gym, eating right, etc… Not a single compliment. Oh, and to the others who have commented, I appreciate the advice! She is definitely not my best friend by any means, she was in high school, but we have definitely drifted apart in terms of closeness. All of my really close friends are extremely supportive of me getting healthier!

I so agree had a few of those yesterday!! Made me very upset starting to think are they right!! But they are not told my step father !! who weights over 300 lbs if it was so easy why hasn't he done it??? They wouldn't take a The alcoholic to a bar three times a day and put a shot glass down and say this is all u can have and see you at noon and five!!! And don't forget your family and friends are their drinking in front of you!! I love it when people say but you won't be able to eat this and that when your done bullshit I will be able to I just won't have to eat it all!!!

No that shouldn't effect the outcome of your evaluation. What they are looking for is unaddressed issues that could prevent you from being able to do the weight loss or other issues that would cause you to choose another addiction such drugs, alcohol or smoking. Don't stress about the Psyche evaluation. It's not as scary as it seems.

Okay, so I know that there are a billion threads on here about friendships/relationships changing after surgery, but I'm needing advice on this specific situation. **Keep in mind, nobody knows about my surgery except my husband and mom, so to the outside world, it appears that I've cut out all carbs, alcohol, sugar, etc... And I work out every day. If people have asked, I say I substitute Breakfast and sometimes dinner with Protein shakes. So here's the situation- This friend and I have been friends (best friends all through hs) since 3rd grade... About 20 years. She has always been anywhere from a size 2-6 and has been at a 6 for years. My point is, she's always been tall and skinny. For years, we lived several hours apart so we would only see each other maybe 4 times a year. Coincidentally, back in the fall, we both got promotions in the same week (different industries and companies) and ended up in the same state about 30 minutes away. Needless to say, we see each other about once a month. She is getting married in October and I'm a bridesmaid (as was she in my wedding 5 years ago). I had my surgery in December and have lost 65 lbs. I have gone from a size 22 down to a 14. Everybody, and I mean everyone from family to strangers that I have only met a few times have given me such wonderful compliments! Of course, my family, members of my sales team, friends, etc... know this has been a life long struggle of weight loss and gain, and while everything else in life is great (career,marriage,social life), the weight is always my insecurity. So, each time I have seen this friend, I've dropped 20 lbs, 20, and then the most recent 20 totally 60 lbs when I saw her a few weeks ago. Crickets. She has not once given me a compliment or even acknowledged that I have lost weight. She is one of the most OBSERVANT people I have ever met in my life. She notices every detail of an outfit if a complete stranger walks by. Yet, she says nothing to acknowledge my shrinking body. Now, I know I did not do this to seek approval from her, however I'm a very honest and blunt person and it absolutely kills me that I've given her every opportunity to acknowledge this change and NOTHING. Here's the kicker... Last week, we were texting and she was telling me how she had just seen one of her other friends and that friend had lost 10 lbs and looked so great! "Her arms were so tiny! She is so excited! Of course I told her how great she looked!" .... I about lost my mind!!! Well, this Wednesday, I have to go with her and her sister to shop for bridesmaid dresses... Maybe Wednesday isn't the appropriate time to say something, but I need advice, specific advice, on how to address this, what to say, when, etc... Help, people!!! I don't think I can stay quiet any longer!!!

Nancy, so sorry to hear about the pain and the luncheon gone bad. I have sad news to report...this will happen again..so don't beat yourself up too bad. I am almost 3 years out from my surgery and I fall off the wagon and do dumb stuff from time to time. Sweets are my downfall so the desert sounded fantastic to me. My doc said we are addicted to sweets and carbs and just like smokers and alcoholics have problems with these items, we have problems with sweets/carbs. You have done great. You had the surgery, you do your homework and you know you were a bad girl. That is half the battle. The yummy desert is gone and the luncheon is history. Move on, take a walk and pat yourself on the back. You did this ONCE..not all week..not all month..Be proud of yourself and keep moving forward. You can do this - we all have been in the boat with you and I for one, understand.. Melinda in Florida

Check with your doctor. Only he/she can give you the correct answer. And remember...alcohol is empty calories so when you drink, be very selective. I stay away from mixed drinks. The added ingredients on top of the alcohol can make a cocktail calorically lethal. I tend to stick to wine....better bang for the buck.

How long after surgery before I can have a drink

Vogue, I love Mio and it sounds great to put it on crushed ice! You did great to only gain 2 pounds. We won't be on a cruise, but the all-inclusive resort is a very large property. They have golf cart shuttles to get around, but I intend to walk. It is approximately 1/2 mile from the beach to the restaurants. I believe there are 7 pools, so I can exercise in the Water also. The rooms do have small refrigerators that they provide free beer, water and soft drinks in, but I could take some shakes and put them in there. There is a lot of free alcohol provided in the room also, but not an issue for me as I have never been much of a drinker and have given it up totally now. I would rather eat my calories! Interesting you would mention the chocolate cake. All the best Desserts are chocolate! However, I have found since my sleeve that even one bite of a true chocolate dessert upsets my sleeve terribly. Or perhaps it is more correct to say my intestines are upset. It makes me bloated and miserable. I am not sure why.

::::: pasting what I wrote on a similar topic:::: With those drink squirt things. ( Mio, etc ) it's easy to have low sugar or sugar free drink fluids all day.... There's free filtered Water on the ship. I mixed a Mio-type drink with seltzer over crushed ice and stayed happy I purchased trial sizes of Protein powder and grabbed milk cartons from the Breakfast station and purchased a $1 from dollar store to use to mix any of that in... If you let them know, Carnival will take out the overpriced water, soda etc from the room fridge and allow you to use to store your medically necessary items. I explained that I needed it to store medicines and food related to my medical condition. No further questions were asked except if I would need receptacle to dispose of needles (like for diabetic injections) I had a few alcoholic drinks. Maybe 3 the entire cruise. You will feel the alcohol faster but it seems to wear off just as fast. ( it really doesn't but our post op bodies trick us into thinking it does ) ... Being mindful of that I didn't drink everyday With most cruises, there are so many opportunities to walk and even more. Water aerobics. Zumba on LIdo deck , the gym. Or just taking the stairs instead of the elevator. I did a LOT of room service. And I had that chocolate cake every night. I came home with less than 2 extra pounds that were well earned with no regrets. That's what vacations are for

With those drink squirt things. ( Mio, etc ) it's easy to have low sugar or sugar free drink fluids all day.... There's free filtered Water on the ship. I mixed a Mio-type drink with seltzer over crushed ice and stayed happy I purchased trial sizes of Protein powder and grabbed milk cartons from the breakfast station and purchased a $1 from dollar store to use to mix any of that in... If you let them know, Carnival will take out the overpriced water, soda etc from the room fridge and allow you to use to store your medically necessary items. I explained that I needed it to store medicines and food related to my medical condition. No further questions were asked except if I would need receptacle to dispose of needles (like for diabetic injections) I had a few alcoholic drinks. Maybe 3 the entire cruise. You will feel the alcohol faster but it seems to wear off just as fast. ( it really doesn't but our post op bodies trick us into thinking it does ) ... Being mindful of that I didn't drink everyday With most cruises, there are so many opportunities to walk and even more. Water aerobics. Zumba on LIdo deck , the gym. Or just taking the stairs instead of the elevator. I did a LOT of room service. And I had that chocolate cake every night. I came home with less than 2 extra pounds that were well earned with no regrets. That's what vacations are for

Sounds like my first marriage Mine too!! Mine too as well! When I quit drugs and alcohol I was told " you need to change your playmates and your playground" or you will eventually go back to your destructive ways. I know the same will be true of WLS.

Katierichie, don't be disappointed with yourself over a few cocktails since you only have your girls weekend once a year. We have a sleeve, but we are still human and we give in to temptation on occasion. Tell your friends you NEED to go shopping and walk as much as you can to offset the alcohol and a little extra food. Alcohol is not an issue for me as I have never really been one to drink. I think when traveling I do tend to eat more than what I need because I have no way to refrigerate the remainder.

Hey Mooncat! I also will be traveling soon with my little sleeve. By the time we go 'wheels up' for out scuba vacation I will be about nine weeks out from surgery. Since my first month is an all-liquid diet, I will be well into smooshies and soft foods by the time I leave. My sister did ask if I would consider hold off the surgery until after our vacation. My reply was - NEVER. I may not be able to eat everything my dive buddies eat, but I can participate in everything and enjoy a glass of Water while they have their cheeseburgers in paradise. I plan to take dry Protein power to mix with purchased bottled water for use on the plane and in my room. The Protein powder will be my fall-back when good meal choices are slim. We will have menu options such as Soups and and lots of fresh-caught ocean fish that I am really looking forward to eating. I will miss eating the cibatta bread, but that isn't on my list of edibles any more. Staying very hydrated will be my primary goal, so I will be bringing several of my favorite water bottles. Where we are going has the best-tasting pure water right out of the tap, so filling a bottle and keeping it handy will be easy. Then my next goal is to to maintain the right amount of protein. My dive buddies and I usually end up dropping a few pounds over the vacation, even with eating as much as we normally do - its an active vacation with lots of lifting, moving and swimming. I suppose I will miss the alcohol part of our vacation, but I don't often drink at home, so it shouldn't be too tough to bypass. I really don't feel 'deprived' any more like I did pre-surgery when I choose to not eat/drink something that isn't going to work for me. I guess I've turned a page on that, and it makes me happy. I anybody has some special tips that helped them during travel, please chime in!

Oh and about the alcohol: 1 fancy drink during the whole cruise was enuf for me. Now I have nowhere to store that fancy monkey-head coconut I got my fancy daquiri in!!! I'm not a huge drinker and they're quite pricey onboard...

Hello, My wife and I are going on a 7 day cruise to the Caribbean. This is great but as you know they serve great food with lots of carbs. Here is my plan - fish and seafood for the Protein, stay away from breads, Pasta, breads, and the dessert bar. Eat small amounts in 4-6 meals... Ok it sounds good, but have you been on a cruise? This is going to a possible torture test. But my new stomach I sure will quickly remind me if I do some stupid. Any suggestions? Note: I am not taking my Protein shakes or mixer. If I did those suckers would be going overboard. Another question - Alcoholic drinks... Who can go on cruise or to an island without having a topical drink. Yes, I am going to blow my carb count, and was told not to have alcohol for a year.. So what will happen if I do... I heard that during the first year with your new stomach, that drinking one drink has the affect of drinking 5 drinks. So you will get drunk faster. True? So I just want 1 drink... A day. Anyone have any experiences or suggestions? Just want to have a good ... normal vacation. We leave mid-April. I will let you about any Caribbean gastric stories when I get back.... OK, any recommendations or comments... Thank you...

Heya all! So sorry about being quiet. So much stuff happening! Firstly, we had a public holiday today, yay! We are in Johannesburg for the long weekend - one of my university friends is turning 30. Our country is totally up in arms about our paralympian Oscar Pistorius who killed his girlfriend - thinking she was an intruder. Shot her through the toilet door. Everybody is freaking out. With the first time ever a court case being televised. You have never seen such mayhem, wherever you go you hear people talking about it. Our crazy southafricans! Also, my partner and i bought a house! First time ever! Extremely excited but also nervous as hell. We are moving in the end of May. It's 10 minutes from the beach and now we can get a dog, yay! Have been having some health issues lately. I have either an ulcer or gallstones. Contacted my surgeon's office and i need to go in for an endoscopy on 7 april. I think it might be an ulcer though. Constant burning sensation right in the middle below my boobs... Really horrible. And when i sometimes eat or drink tea, then i get terrible cramps and have to go to the loo. TMI, but my tummy is runny and yucky. Ofcourse my surgeon's assistant emailed me saying that Doc is asking whether i still smoke... ???? Of course i still do, as this i see as my coping meghanism currently - you know about the hectic paychological problems i have been having. Working through major issues. I dont overeat or drink alcohol at all - i smoke. I know know know it is bad and i really want to quit in the near future, but i know if i am dead honest i wont be able to do it now. I will go off my handle. Of course if i am having a stomach ulcer as i am suspecting i know how terrible smoking is for that. So i have cut down a lot on it. But i am preparing myself for a serious crapp-out session awaiting me on 7 april... Oi vey! My weight has been standing still for months now almost ;-( But i havent been diligent with exercises and also meal planning. I basically eat the same things over and over - quite boring. Dont think i've been getting enough protein in. I am upset with myself yeah. But i am also learning to be kinder to myself. So i will be getting back on the wagon diligently doing everything i should and working out menus and such. And get on with those damn exercises! I really hoped i would get addicted to it and have the high as some people report - but this has yet to happen ???? At least i am not gaining. Ok time for bed for me almost 1:30 in the morning over here! Hope you are all well, my dear friends! xxx