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When I go out I order an appetizer for my meal. Not many people know I'm banded so in the beginning it was hard for me . I was afraid to socialize for fear of being found out Or to get stuck. But you know what no one cares what I eat or drink for the most part. My dr said I can have alcohol I just choose not to. Got banded in July 2013 have had 3 drinks In total to date . I drink Water when I go out my answer is in eating clean and no one questions it. They can see the results and once you start to see them in you th food won't matter. Never understood the term no food taste as good as being thin until gasp dare I say it in getting thin. The success will be motivating you won't care if u go out and eat a Soup or 15 course meal.

Hi y'all! So I made my favorite meal tonight and a few interesting things happened so I thought I'd share. First of all, cooking, for me, is a labor of love - I love food, I like to experience it and I find cooking gives me a sense of comfort, especially now that I am very limited in what I eat and how much I eat. Some might think that it's torture - kind of like an alcoholic around a pitcher of margaritas, but for me I'm coming to terms with the fact that I can still cook and make fantastic food - I just will only eat and taste a little bit - as much as my band will tolerate and lately it's not much - thank goodness, since that's the reason I got the band to begin with... so here is a picture of the plate of food that I would have eaten 4+ months ago before my surgery: . I would have followed this an hour or so later with Cookies and milk or ice cream or cake. And here is what I ate tonight and I won't eat anything else until tomorrow after 10:00 and be satisfied (well almost) Still very tasty and satisfying only so much less for my body to process and break down - see this is what it feels like to be happy with the band. I'm a good cook and my family is lucky to have me - LOL. Oh - so what is it, it's homemade chicken cordon blue with chicken au jus, rice and roasted brussel sprouts & asparagus with pancetta and a balsamic glaze - it was fantastic - I used Tyler Florence's Ultimate CCB recipe - it's been my fav for 7+ years - definitely company worthy but I felt like cooking today so made it for our Tuesday dinner LOL. so the other interesting tidbit... On a different note but same dinner - curious if you ever feel like this - I got a little pissy at the dinner table because I just cannot eat it like a used to (I would say normal, like take normal bites and eat fork after fork over a 10-15 minute period vs cutting each bite up really small and chewing and chewing until it's mushy) and it's an adjustment and I just got short and snappy and kind of took it out on my husband - I'm self aware but disappointed that eating gets me edgy b/c it's hard to eat and I have to accept that I just cannot eat anymore than a little bit - that's what I signed up for but when the food is that good it kind of sucks - just being honest - I'll get over it - already am - but just wanted to voice that I think it sucks tonight - such is life for chubby me it's worth it but just part of the work that it takes. I hope some of you can relate... curious??? peace

Yeah as some of the others have posted - what exactly are you eating to make up your food intake (fully 100% honest about every little bite, nibble or sip). Measure/weigh your food to account for everything. Do you have myfitnesspal? A number of us log everything in there. My username is the same as here if you want to friend me. I still drink alcohol (and probably more than I should) so that adds empty calories and is slowing my progress. I was banded Dec 16th. My doctor gave my first fill 6 weeks post op and my second fill isn't till 6 weeks later. I'm pretty hungry too but trying my best to control portion sizes. I'm eating more frequently but small little meals. I was given 4.8cc in my 10cc band and I'm hungry most of the time too. I never feel full, get the pain in the shoulder, hiccup, nose sniffles, or any other signal but just reach a point I feel I should stop eating. I feel like I'm just on a regular eat less diet. Are you eating gluten and could you have a gluten intolerance? I've heard of many people who eat grains / gluten of any kind will just pack (keep) on the pounds, stay bloated and stay hungry. If I have bread, I notice that the scale will add a pound or two for a couple of days. Also, are you working out? Even though the scale might not be moving, maybe you're gaining more muscle. Are your clothes fitting better? Have you had blood work done recently? Could your thyroid or some other hormone be off this keeping the weight on you? I wish you the best. It's definitely a struggle when you want to be in the green and no longer be hungry. I get that. I'm just trying to have the patience needed till I get my second fill next week.

I'm with your Dr. Before I did anything drastic barring your band hasn't slipped , I would ask for a complete unfill just to give yourself time to do more research. Let my band calm down & then eventually start to fill again , slowly. I'm over 3 years out & have still not met my goal. I started at 267 and now at 222. My lowest was 215 but then had a regain up to 240 because I didn't have much restriction & was just tired of my surgeons tiny, tiny fills and the nasty attitude of his staff so I didn't see him for about a year. I could eat whole sandwiches, Cookies and I was drinking alcohol. All of that was my fault. I transferred my records to a new surgeon that gave me a barium test & saw that I didn't have much restriction . He gave me the fill of life . I'm now very restricted and am back on the losing side but it's very slow. I think because I'm not getting much sleep. The band is not easy. I doubt I'll have another surgery if it eventually fails but I'm a testament to the fact that wls is not the easy way out. Ive worked harder with this than I've done any other diet ever. I wish you the best and hope you get this worked out.

I look at it this way. Addictions are all the same. For some it may be drugs or alcohol. For others its foods. When a addict decides to clean up, all it takes is just one time to slip back to where they were. So when it comes to certain foods, I feel its best to abstain than to take a chance. If any of us really had the willpower to control ourselves prior to the surgery, we wouldn't have needed the surgery to begin with. Today its a couple sips of soda or a bite or two of bread. Tomorrow its a whole glass and a 12 inch subway. I have worked too hard and put myself through too much to take a chance. I am in this for the long haul. Eating to Live not Living To Eat!!!!

Erin, so glad you had a nice weekend! I’m jealous about the Harry Potter ride and the alcohol! LOL I do fully understand where you are at and living and not being hindered by our surgeries and fully agree with you. I can’t wait to get there myself, but waiting to feel comfortable with being fully healed. Almost there! I’m dying to have salad, and will be asking my doc about it next week at my 6 week apt. Although wanting it and being able to handle it are two separate things!

my surgeon and nut are 8 hours away so I don't have follow up care. It never occurred to me to ask about alcohol when I was there though because I'm not much of a drinker. So guess I wasn't worried about how soon I could add it. That's good information to know though! Thanks!

My doc said ABSOLUTELY NO alcohol for 6 months after surgery. I understand that old habits die hard but for me.. With all the hard work and stress of getting to the point of surgery.. I don't understand why peeps would even dare to push the envelope. Thanks for sharing... The route we chose isn't an easy one.. Guess we will all have those challenges along the way!

Well I've paid for flights, deposit and insurance and have to do a 2 week low fat diet with no alcohol ready for operation on 8th April, my only worry is that my passport won't be here in time. Its kinda cool though as I can't worry bout op as more worried bout passport.

Hi, Welcome Mena and Lallie, you sound like you are doing really well. Dreamingbig I do hope that you are feeling better every day. I am so sorry about your grandfather, what an awful shock for you when you had just had your surgery. It sounds like you you will miss him so much. I am thinking of you. Just take every day at a time because you have had all your pre op concerns, your grief for your grandfather and getting over a major op to cope with over the last week, as well as your eating and drinking to get your head around. Kim, I am not sure what calorie levels i should be aiming for. Since I started more solid food my calories have gone up a bit, and my protein down a bit. I am still managing 40g protein without the protein shakes that I was having but as I can't really have too much meat yet, and I really couldn't cope with the pureed forms again, I think this is a temporary thing. My calories are under 1,000, but I was having 500, again with more proper food but less protein However, this is probably only short term too. I am not sure whether this is right or wrong though, and all our regimes are different. Erin, I think you did really well over the weekend. I don't think that safe always means healthy, and not having a problem while you were there was much more important than whether you were having chips or not. I think that you are absolutely right about rejoining life and the positive impact on how you feel , as well as not letting your bypass rule your life. I am 100% with you there. I think that the advice is not clear, and can be conflicting. I really want to know what might cause dumping, what is bad for my pouch and what are healthy eating principles separately. Then I can make decisions. If alcohol is something that is fine in moderation, as long as you don't dump and are careful to sip it, then why not. I really am coming to the conclusion that if all our regimes are so different that this is not an exact science. On top of this we all respond differently on an individual basis so surely we just need to carry on listening to our bodies and push the limits gradually. I think the weekend was everything you needed and you have realised that you can do these things without anything untoward happening and that is so positive and empowering. I am also pushing the boundaries in little ways and had tiny bits of meals out over the weekend which was a real relief. Not sure why I have diarrhoea after meals but it is better than constipation. Just a little difficult to cope with when out and about. I hope that is temporary! We are booking holidays like mad so I am hoping that I can continue as I am going and can eat and drink something wherever we go. Life is too short and I was so worried that I would be unable to do these things so I feel so much better knowing that I am rejoining the normal world. Take care all of you. Claire

Welcome all the newbies!! Dreaming, I'm so glad you're doing well! I spent the weekend in Orlando at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. It was a nice getaway for my boyfriend and me. I ate a Bevita breakfast cracker for breakfast. Four come in a pack. I had one. For lunch I ate a few chips. Not healthy but I was scared to try anything and crunchy works because I can chew it up so well. I did partake in part of an alcoholic beverage. A few sips here and there over the course of an hour while waiting in line for the new Harry Potter ride. I am aware we aren't supposed to drink. I am also aware I am living life and not hiding away because of my surgery. For dinner we went to Bubba Gump's at the City Walk. I asked to order off the kids menu and was told no, but after I explained my situation I was allowed to order. I ordered popcorn shrimp and mashed potatoes. I ate 2 popcorn shrimp and 2 bites of mashed potatoes over the course of the entire meal. Very slowly and very carefully. I also had a few sips of my boyfriends drink and water. This morning I had a bite of cereal at the continental breakfast and hummus with crispy crackers for lunch at a yummy restaurant called Tu Tu Tango. For dinner it was back home and back to my regularly scheduled program. It was nice to know I could be "normal" and participate in life without feeling completely alienated from what I enjoy. It was important to me not to get sick or overdo it. My goal is to keep my pouch working for me but not be condemned to a life of yogurt. So there ya have it. That's my update. I'm down 25 pounds. Starting weight:219 Date if surgery: 214 Today: 194 I'm almost 6 weeks out. I have a friend who is a personal trainer and she is going to show me a workout I can do at home with my teenage daughter.

Yes, between the small portions and no alcohol my hubby is thinking of taking me out more!! Haha! Thanks for all the positive comments. I love that I'm not the only one figuring out how to make the sleeve work for them without letting them work for it!

I think my acquaintance (who has told me many times he spent 40 years drinking too much) has some manner of alcohol-specific brain damage. And he needs friends, but my weight is not a topic of discussion. I will accept, "you look really good," "you must have had your surgery, it looks like you're doing it right," etc... But not "wow see I told you you'd be hot if you lost weight" or something like that. I might have to break his nose with my newfound elbow.

Living with addiction is hard, I kept trying to fix things only to realize I could only control myself. I hated who I had become, I let myself become consumed with his alcoholism and lost myself completely. This was the beginning of my weight gain, the more out control his drinking became the bigger I got. Use this time apart to get clarity, who are you, who is he, do you value the same things, you'll rediscover yourself. When you are clear about yourself you won't get sucked into his drama, its his not yours, your yelling and name calling keeps you stuck in his game. Who knows what time apart will give him, just know your boundaries and limits so that if you do reconcile the rules are clear. I divorced and my ex died from his alcoholism.

Everyone is different, so I can only speak from my experiences, but many of the fears, rumors, advice has turned out to be far, far off base. I am not promoting or endorsing any of my particular choices for others, but I've found that I can still have anything and everything I like to eat and drink and more. I rarely exercise, I can drink any form of alcohol I like, with no difference in tolerance from pre surgery. No special gear, eating utensils, measuring devices, apps, fitness gear is necessary. If anyone is told they need any of those things by other post vsg individuals, they really don't (unless it is the advice of a surgeon/doctor). But, hey ...if it works for you or makes you feel better, by all means go for it. Weight goes up and down. Stalls happen. Weight gain happens. Its not hard to get back on track. Paying close attention to what my body is telling me is one of the big differences for me. hair falls out, hair grows back. With a large weight loss at an older age, there is extra skin that I may or may not address at a later time. My latest lesson is that there are extremely unpleasant consequences to missing B12 supplements for very long: shaking, numb hands and fingers bruises weakness breathlessness extreme...very extreme, joint pain debilitating back pain Sometimes I'm not hungry and don't eat all day. Other days I eat constantly.

Here's to recommitting! I am with you! I am 2 1/2 years post op and I gained back 10lbs. I never reached my goal of 140 but I was happy and comforable at about 150-153. About a month ago I went back to MFP and that's helping me keep things in check. I was definitely eating way more than I needed to be. I was just diagnosed with hypothyroidism this week. So I am sure the combo of eating carbs, drinking alcohol and the thyroid issue did not help much. I have also been under a lot of stress. I am hoping that by trying to get back on the plan I can finally get to my goal weight. These extra 10lbs feels like I am carrying a brick around my neck. It is strange how much more you feel your body weight once you have lost so much. I know we can do this! We have to remember what we felt like before we started this journey and that should help give us a kick in the rear I don't ever want to be heavy again and catching old habits early is a good start.

New sleevers often ask about drinking and the sleeve. Here is why it's a bad idea. Last night went out for a drink with a friend. Ordered a decaf coffee with a shot of Jack Daniels. Was doing OK sipping it. After I was done I asked for a coffee refill. Instead the waitress brought another coffee and JD. I should have sent it back but I didn't. Shortly afterwards an Indian woman from the rez is making rounds in the bar with Indian jewelry for sale. For those of you not in New Mexico, this is fairly common. Anyway, I bought some earrings for $40 that I had no intention or business buying. Ok, they are gorgeous (sterling hoops inlaid with opals) but my shopping self control was shot with the second drink. Don't sleeve and drink! (Unless you can afford it).

I still somewhat follow the rules as well. I exercise some, I don't eat heavy carbs often, junk food is a no no, and I've always drank alcohol since 5-8 weeks out so I still drink. I'm maintaining just fine, but I would never test the waters and push the envelope with a whole milkshake and bread and burgers. I'm not that daring.

OK, caveat here: I'm 55 so not in your age group. I am 6 months out from my surgery, have dropped a little over half the 100 pounds I plan to lose. I don't exercise much beyond walking, and I have been very relaxed with my food intake. My daily goal is to meet protien needs then from there, whatever I want. I lose an average of 7 to 10 pounds a month which is very slow compared to many others. I do find that I have floppy arms, but I've always had issues with my upper arms. Beyond that, my belly apron is receding and the skin is firm. The skin on my legs is also firm. If I exercised, I'm sure it would be even better. In fact, I'm planning plastics, but really only my arms and boobs. I think the response of our skin is genetics, age, life experience (I've had two kids and had a massive abdominal surgery.) Pre-weight gain, I never had the apron till I hit 170 and as I drop back that direction, it looks like it may go away. Believe me, I'm crosssing my fingers!! My doctor suggested exercise, moisturizing and hydration for optimal skin thickening. I also believe that rapid weight loss contributes to the skin bagging. I use baby oil gel, body butters and oil formulated for scars and stretch marks. And I drink a LOT of fluids, and avoid sodium and alcohol. Best of luck!

Nope. I can eat anything. I have tried it all. Only thing my surgeon bans is carbonation. Have not tried that and don't intend to. That said, after you are recovered, that is when the real work begins. I am actually a year out as of today! I have not barfed, slimed, dumped or had any adverse reactions whatsoever to anything. Just because I can eat it doesn't mean I should. I eat very healthy 80 % of the time. I eat better 15% of the time and I eat good about 5% and by good its anything goes. Each surgeon has their own idea of what their patients can and can not consume post op. There are lots of folks who are told, no coffee, no bread, no alcohol, no this and no that. For me, it was just carbonation. I can live with that. I am still a work in progress, I have realistically about 13 pounds to go. Even though my goal is 130, I don't think I will look good or feel my best at that weight. Progress has been very slow the last few months but that was to be expected. I know you have heard that the sleeve is a tool and it is. It is a wonderful tool but it still takes a lot of hard work and permanent changes overall. You can do and If you love your sleeve half as much a I do, it will be the best thing for your health you have ever made! Best of luck to you!

First, welcome LaLa And, it is SO natural to be scared. Use this forum as much as you possibly can to find out about the whole process. Knowledge is power. Also, you can read about what people are gong through at various stages in their journeys and think to yourself "What will I do when I come to this? How will I best handle it?" As far as the starch thing goes -- omg I was such a carboholic. Sourdough was like crack for me! lol! I never never never would have thought I could get over my addiction, or at least get it under control. But, here's what worked for me. I treated this surgery like what it is: a SURGERY. On my stomach. And to best protect that staple line while it's healing, you *cannot* eat things like sourdough! For quite a while. I went without the starchy things from the beginning of my 2 week pre-op diet to several months afterward, and you know what? It was like a detox. So yes, you will be putting yourself in a position where you could harm yourself medically if you eat that stuff, and for em that's what it took to break its hold on me. After your stomach is healed and you're cleared for real food, be very careful about reintroducing that stuff because by its very nature it causes you to want more. As far as the alcohol goes... well you will need to be drink free for a while to let your stomach heal. Once you're cleared to drink, please be very VERY careful with the alcohol. Many WLS patients get into trouble with what is called a "transfer addiction" with alcohol, because it is liquid and goes down easy, and when you can no longer indulge in a food addiction it can be very easy to transfer that addiction to alcohol. Be very very very careful if you feel you may be susceptible to this. Do you have access to a counselor? if your program had you take a psych evaluation, perhaps you could see that person some more or have them recommend someone to you can talk to. If you truly are not ready, they will help you get to a place where you are. And remember, we all had nerves about this. So we're all here to help you with yours!

I wasn't afraid to have my surgery in Mexico (Tijuanna) this past January because I personally knew of horror stories from procedures performed in the U.S. I knew a woman that went home and died 5 days later. I knew another woman that never woke up from the surgery and was in a coma for months and months until she eventually expired. In 2003, my sister had surgery and had to have two follow-up surgeries. I can vouch for the fact though that Mexico's level of sterilization is not up to standards with the U.S. I don't know how they can change dressings, etc without rubber gloves. I would always clean myself with alcohol after they tended to me. I'm almost 2-months post op and have had not issues or complications other than reflux which I've always had.

Hi everyone I'm Lala, this is my first post. I'm hoping to get some support from people who have already had the gastric sleeve. I'm really scared about having this surgery done. At first I was excited I was pumped and ready to go but know that my surgery is less then a month a way i'm terrified ( April 2, 2014 to be exact ) I'm worried that I wont be able to stop eating starch ( Pasta bread things like that ) those are the foods that I love. I'm also afraid that my alcohol intake is not healthy ( as of recently I have quit drinking, but its difficult ) I don't know if I should push my surgery date back or what? I will not cancel it because I have givin them 8,000 ( im a self pay) and they aint keeping my money but I could reschedule it nfor a later date ( like 5 years later lol ) I'm open to any advice that anyone has for me. Thanks Lala

About a month post op I had a rum and pineapple juice at our company's holiday party at a restaurant. No problem, and no big buzz. Now I'm staying away from alcohol because (a) I'm concerned it will weaken my resolve against eating junk food; and ( I'm trying to take in as few carbs as possible.

When was your first sip of alcohol after surgery? How was it?