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I hope you don't mind if I answer here too. I've never had pain with my band.. once I got over the immediate post-op period. I do have a weird stretching/pulling sensation at times in my back, but it's not pain. No one knows why I feel this and I can't relate it to eating, exercising, or any behavior. I've had an upper GI to make sure the band is in good position.. it looks fine on xray. Just my anatomy I guess. I guess the stretchy/pulling sensation is the only way I "feel" it. Most of the time I could almost forget it's there. Port area isn't painful, again, once past immediate post-op stage. It is the area that is usually the most tender and usually takes the longest to return to normal. My first fill was a bit of an ouch because I was still tender. Since then they've been pretty much a breeze. I lie down, they swipe the area with an alcohol wipe, quick stick.. sometimes I have to do a mini "crunch" .. inject Fluid, remove needle, sit up, drink Water. At the beginning before I lost so much weight, they used an ultra-sound machine to help locate the port. I know some doc's use flouroscopy.. which can be bad & good. I personally don't want that much extra radiation or expense. As I understand what the sweet spot is.. is where your appetite is satisfied on a small meal and you stay satisfied for a reasonable amount of time (3 hours or longer). I think it's probably the same as or very similar to the "green zone" that you'll see on the lapband site. Hope this helps some.

I think loosening it for an overseas trip, where care may not be available is a valid option, but not one you should be doing thinking that you can eat heaps on the trip and really enjoy yourself - that is the kind of dysfunctional thinking that made us fat in the first place. You can actually indulge in unusual or out of the ordinary foods on holidays without loosening your band, and you can enjoy it thoroughly. I think yo'[d find most doctors are willing to unfill for travel becuase it ensures band safety. To think you can unfill for one special occasion, that's not a very healthy way of thinking of life with the band. You need to be committed to a lifestyle change and that means your life no longer revolves around food - the whole point of a holiday or a wedding is not how much you can eat. And with a properly adjusted band, you can eat sensibly and enjoy special meals anyway- if you cant, you're too tight. When you get to goal, you can unfill. I never did, I stayed the same weight for years with the same fill, but recently, I had to be completely unfilled for cancer treatment. Amazingly it has not caused weight gain, over time on maintenance, you do learn to eat your caloric needs one way or another - and in hindsight, I was doing a fair bit of eating around my band - sweet treats, alcohol, Snacks, they made up the gap between the caloric values of the size meals I was able to eat and what my body needed, and they were the "extras' that I wasnt eating during the losing phase. When I was unfilled, i got straight onto tracking calories and have moved onto a three meals but bigger meals and healthier foods (all the fruit, vegies and salad I couldnt eat in real quantity while restricted) and I've actually lost about 20lb more (that I really didnt need to lose). I'm finding my balance over time, but am amazed that I need well over 2000 calories a day to maintain my 135lb - so my metabolism, given all the running and circuit training I do, is definitely not shot, its actually very healthy. But I exercised vigorously all the way through my loss and never dipped below 1500 calories, I think very low calorie diets are going to set you up for having quite a deal of trouble in the longer term maintaining your weight loss. Like the poster above me, I monitor my weight, and adjust if it goes up a little - had a big weekend away with a once in a lifetime gourmet dinner with wines matched to each course for our 20th anniversary. Ate breakfast, lunch and dinner in restaurants and cafes - yeah, got home with 3 extra pounds. So its back to 1400 calroies a day and right back on the exercise regime for the next week or so to shift it. If you remain aware, know what you're eating and are sensible, it is indeed possible to live unfilld once you've lost.

You talking about these: https://www.amazon.com/Pure-Protein-Variety-Chocolate-Peanut/dp/B01126O3OY/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1488059942&sr=8-3&keywords=Pure%2BProtein%2BBars&th=1 Those are actually a pretty well trusted name in protein supplementation. The only negative I know of is the amount of sugar alcohols contained in them. If you were to too many bars too soon together, it could cause abdominal discomfort or diarrhea. Nothing too horrific, but we used to have a saying amongst the vets here, "Never trust a fart". It was because a lot of the foods we start introducing can cause that reaction. So I don't think there is any reason to doubt the validity of these bars nutritional claims. I cycle through my bars pretty regularly. These, Think Thin, Kirkland, and Cliff Builder Bars. Every once in a while I'll get a Met-RX too, but those are complete meal replacements, 400 - 480 calories!

So, I feel funny writing about this, but...has anyone else ever experienced a negative change in their social life post-op? I had my surgery back in January. Although my physical health has made drastic improvements, I'm afraid my mental health has taken a toll. I noticed people have been treating me very differently since having the surgery. I've been getting so many rude comments, I can't keep up. They think I "took the easy way out (not realizing it was actually quite the opposite: the last resort)," and/or are freaked out by all my new eating habits and restrictions or are saying cruel things like "oh, you'll just gain it back like so-and-so did anyway, you watch." A lot of them have also proceeded to claim my changed appearance "weirds them out." Some of my now ex-friends have even gone so far to complain that I "betrayed the body positivity movement by giving into society's expectations of what women should look like." What the actual heck? Even dating, something I thought would get better as I lost weight, is just as bad as it was before. Since I can't drink alcohol anymore or eat a lot of foods, guys have been pretty hostile. Although I've been private about my surgery while dating (simply stating I have a strict diet I need to follow), that hasn't stopped guys from being mean or rude. Bottom line here is I've lost a lot of friends this past year and my love life is no better than it was. I'm extremely lonely and depressed. Has anyone else ever encountered this? What can I do to change it? Why is there so much social stigma towards this surgery?

I don't want to frighten you, but I had severe nausea and violent wretching from the moment I woke up from surgery. I had a scopalamine patch, compazine IV, zofran IV, tigan injections, and I was inhaling alcohol prep pads that were held up to my nose - believe it or not, they actually helped some. I was taking all of my nausea medications as soon as they were available and the nurses did an outstanding job of watching over me and reminding me as soon as I could take my next med. I couldn't eat or drink at all my first night. Compazine and tigan helped me the most. The good news is that as the days passed it gradually got better. When I was discharged, I had some lingering nausea when I woke up in the morning that I took zofran for. I'm a little over 2 weeks out now and don't need nausea meds at all. My experience is really an outlier here. Most of the stories I've read here have been very mild, but everyone reacts to surgery and anesthesia differently.

I was put on a 4 week pre op diet, and the first 2 weeks went by not to hard at all, but the second two weeks oh man they were awful, i got just so bored having to eat basically the same thing over and over again, I hate eating the same thing like that, and then also the list of foods i was allowed...i didn't really like most of the veggies so it was really hard.. My surgery is on tuesday, and i've lost more then the required weight that they wanted me to loose so hopefully my cheating i did (was on the weekends when i was out and about mostly, and one of the days having to waitt 7 hours at the airport cause my mom's flight got delayed....ugggg cheating with gross vending machine sandwhichs just sucked but me and my husband were so hungry) doesn't hurt to much since i still lost the weight....but I know i should have been good, i just wish i had only had to do the 2 weeks that would have been so much easier cause it went by so quickly and i did so well those first two weeks.... They put me on the slim fast diet for the 4 weeks, had to do 4 instead of 2 because of how high my bmi is....unfortionately i'm not that much of a chocolate fan...(I mean yea i like chocolate but not as 5 meals a day...thats just overboard) .so yea slimfast products are like almost all chocolate especially the bars....i'm suppose to have 5 slim fast products a day including bars and shakes, and then i can eat 1 small meal, of 5 oz of lean meat and 2 cups of veggies. I guess the slimfast diet is better then just a liquid diet...but it still sucked.....I just started getting so sick to my stomach eating those dang slim fast bars, some of them are ok, when your craving a candy bar, but other then that, its not a meal fix its a craving for a candy bar fix......i found one of the shakes at least that i liked the cappacino one, but only suppose to have 2 of the meal items a day the other three had to be the 100 calorie basically candy bars...with only 1 g of protein, i don't know what thats suppose to do.......and reading about the surgeries getting cancelled cause the dang liver didn't shrink enough, it just seems pointless i don't think i would be able to go through with it again if that happened.....i'd think it wasn't meant to be, and i'd be extremely pissed....I may have cheated some, but i stayed away from mostly everything i was suppose to stay away from, i traded some of the meals with similar calorie and higher protein items, and for the most part stayed within the 1200 calories, and i didn't touch a soda not once, and i lost 5 % of my weight like they required plus an extra couple of pounds......so regardless of my cheating i think i did good, so yea for all who cheated....damn it we need food to live, we're not alcoholics who don't need the damn alcohol to live, but we need the food to live so its really alot harder to give up i think we have it the hardest of any addiction, you can't just stop eating.....you need food to live....so be proud of yourself if for the most part you did good, or you think you did good, and other then that, well screw it.....i'm just kinda rambling right now...its 2 in the morning and i don't usually stay up this late so who knows if what i'm writing makes any since...but anyways just a ramblings of a girl who wants a baby and is getting her stomach cut out to hopefully get pregnant......so anyways good luck to all you pre ops out there, don't give up, try to stick with the damn awful pre op diets....and keep your heads up high, and be proud of yourself for doing your best and taking this next step into a healthy better happier longer life

Thanks for the words of caution. I'm very sorry for the pain it's caused you but glad you're approaching your big change with appropriate care. My father was an alcoholic and he went the opposite route. When he sobered up, he replaced alcohol with food. He blew up quickly before he even realized the replacement that was going on. We definitely need to identify our own cumpulsive patterns. We are like this because we couldnt exert control over certain things. My doc recommends cutting out alcohol altogether and I'm leaning towards following his advice.

Yes, thank you for the wonderful post. It's absolutely true and the epidemic of bypass patients becoming alcoholics - to the point where I've read that it doubles your chance of alcoholism - is not something to tiptoe around or assume you'll avoid. Any addictive behavior can transfer and you'll read about hundreds of crossover addictions if you look and do your research. A few rare people make those addictions fitness but you'll see many more instances of other, less beneficial ones. I definitely tended to lean on food in times of stress and I find that now, especially a few years out from surgery, that I'm more likely to lean on alcohol these days. Things that I never once would have abused or considered prior to surgery are things I have to be careful about - I had an issue with sleeping pills to help me sleep last year. Why on earth would I feel the desire to take them once the need was past? But it can happen - with anything - if you have unresolved addiction issues. It's enough of a worry for me that I refused pain meds after the birth of my daughter. The nurses and doctors are drug pushers and must have asked me a dozen times if I wanted them in the hospital as well as a bottle to take home. No, I don't take chances and I didn't need them. I have to go the safe route these days. ~Cheri

Empty calories, and high in calories. I do have a non carbonated alcoholic drink every so often, maybe once a month, but I did not have one until I reached goal, I reached goal in six months and had a mixed drink at about fourteen months out. I hope this helps. My doctor said a year, some say six months. I'd err on the side of caution, but I'd also follow YOUR doctor's plan.

I drink beer and really any alcohol. Yes" you get buzzed very fast-be careful. I hate drinking a lot now because I have had a few black out moments-and made a huge ass out of myself. I had to learn what is my new amount that I can drink and be ok. I drank 6 beers the other night. I only drink on a Friday or Saturday. I hooe that im not stretching my sleeve out but beer was all that was avail at the time.

Awesome, I get so tired of people doing #4, 7, & how soon can I have alcohol. I am like what? I never plan to let any of those things cross my lips again.

I don't drink carbonated alcohol, and I count it in my daily calories, but once in a while I have a drink. Normally wine or white russian (CALORIES!!)..those are casino days when I'm not planning to eat anyway.

At 2 weeks post op, the first thing I see is the Baked potato. A lot of drs are different. We were given specific instructions on how to eat and what to eat. first 2 weeks clear and full liquids, weeks 3 &4, High protein foods Puree'd, nothin gstringly, plenty of fluids, 80 oz.plus Protein shakes, protein up around 60-90. EVERy DAY. No white carbs, no pizza, not even WW bread It took me about 7 months before I was brave enough to eat Pzza topping. Tried WW bread at 6 months, paid dearly for that. 6 hrs stuck. Contact your nutritionist, get suggestions. You are still in the healing stages. You now have a band around the stomach. heal and let the stitches set, walk and learn how to make menus during this time. Not to mention the 5 glasses of wine. I bet that blew you away , not having any solids to soak up that alcohol. Dont get me wrong, I like to splurge as well. I had to fight to get this band and I think that nothing taste as good as thin feels. I am 14 months out, down to a size 6/8 and I did not get here by eating like a normal person. l have had lots of temptations. and some I have given into. You need to get things in order if you are going to make this band help you lose any weight at a steady rate. Take this time slowly, make menus , learn how to eat slowly, lean how to eat good healthy foods. It's a tool, not a miracle. I am at the gym 5x week, walk 4 miles 7 x week , muscle is the name of the game. If you are not moving, you're not losing. Use that energy. Good luck.

food anesthetised me. When I ate, nothing bothered me. But I paid big time for it...ballooning up to nearly 270 lbs. on a very small frame. I was morbidly obese and heading towards life in a wheelchair. I absolutely could not walk away from a half eaten meal. I could eat copious amounts of food and I felt entitled to finish all of it. I'm working on the core psychological issues with a therapist now because I fear gaining it back even though I've met and exceeded goal. I know that I have a problem that is both physical and psychological. Just today, I went into the fridge at work to portion out some eggplant parm and spaghetti that I had leftover from lunch yesterday. Even now, it was hard for me to throw away the extra spaghetti. I really wanted to eat it even though my life is 1,000% better than it was a year ago. I see it as an addiction same as any other addiction. If I was an alcoholic and found a bottle of booze in my fridge...I'd probably have the same issues with throwing it out as I did with the spaghetti. But I'm not an alcoholic and many a time, I've poured the lefover wine in a bottle down the sink because I didn't want to bother putting the bottle back in the fridge with only a glass or so remaining. Wish I could do that as easily with food. I see this as a lifelong battle and am just hoping that now that I have my life and mobility back, I never take it for granted again and use that as my incentive. Good thread! Thanks for letting me respond.

I feel your pain on the wine thing. I am a home brewer (beer). My friends, my social life, everything has been brewing and beer. Beer club meetings where we all share our latest creations, brew fests, micro breweries, this was what I did when I took a night off from being a mom. The day I found out I was approved was a Friday. We got a sitter, and all my friends and I went to a beer bar where I said goodbye to all my favorites ... I explained to my Maharajah IPA(my favorite beer) it was not him, it was me ... and had one last glass. And I have not had a beer since. HARD to do. Unfortunately, I have had to separate from spending time with most of my beer buddies as that is just what we did together. Now I work out at least 1/2 an hour every day ... usually more, but that is my minimum. It keeps me motivated to stay away from the no no foods when I just burned off calories. I do not enjoy working out. I do not enjoy giving up beer. I miss laughing with my friends while tasting an awesome new release beer. On the flip side ... I have lost 40 lbs in less than 3 months!!! My first fill was 10 days ago, I had no restriction before, and almost none now. I eat three times a day. 4 oz of Protein, 1/2 - 3/4 cups of veggies with every meal. I even puree spinach, bell pepper, and fresh basil into my eggs before I scramble them in the morning so it will make a bigger portion until my fill. For me, this was a life changing decision and I am in 100%. The thing that helps me stay on track with not drinking alcohol or eating the wrong foods is journaling. I journal on line, enter every bite of food i eat. I have been at 800 calories a day since two weeks prior to surgery. 800 is ot a lot of food (tons of veggies help). I'll be damned if I'm going to have a couple of drinks and blow a third of my calories for the day doing so. Butter, yea friggen right! I would NEVER waste those calories on a full fat condiment either. Start journaling, every bite. It is totally what keeps me on track. If it's truly what you want, to lose the weight, make the decision. Best of luck!

I was 2.5 months out when I tried to drink a hard cider for my birthday. I had maybe 1/4 C. before I passed out on the couch. Tried again this last weekend, got maybe 1/2 C. down and got super sleepy again. I'm wary of trying hard alcohol, I think it may be a little hard on my sleeve.

just beware of the ones with "sugar alcohols"......gives me rumbly bumbly stomach.........BAD GAS........don't do them at work............lolol Yep Pure Balance - Peanut Butter is my fav but the chocolate brownie is good too. Quest bars taste good but are super dense ....I find them better if I nuke them a couple seconds

Alcohol is on my surgeons No Forever list.

There are two answers for this. Medically, your nurse practitioner is correct. Emitionally, why go down that path? Alcohol is a slider with nothing but empty calories. No nutritrional value at all. I'm like you, 2 or 3 times a year I would socially drink. I think I waited a year and was almost to my goal weight before I allowed myself to have a drink. I didn't want allow anything between me and my goal. But I'm probably a little overboard of this .

You need to get an unfill. Alcohol is definitely not smart. Call and talk to your doctors office about payment plan if you must, but get it fixed! Transfer addictions are real!

You need to find a way to get unfilled. For one, you're begging for a slip with it being too tight for months. The fact you're using alcohol as a way to eat is downright dangerous. It's not horribly uncommon for people to have transfer addiction, or essentially trade addictions, after bariatric surgery. By drinking as a way to eat you're putting yourself at high risk for alcoholism. More than just your band is at risk, your overall health is at great risk. Find a way to get an unfill before you do serious damage. Best wishes.

Alcohol is killer when trying to lose weight. Up until last Sunday, I hadn't had anything for three months. I decided that day would be my day; APPARENTLY to make up for lost time! Yep - feelin' NO pain. Friday nights was our night for drinks and appetizers. I would pick up an assortment of finger foods at Trader Joe's, and we would chill out will plenty of EVERYthing. I miss doing that, but I don't miss the way I felt; the next day, and the steady flow of pounds packed onto my already obese body. We're going to Vegas for three nights over the 4th of July, and I imagine I'll allow myself some drinking then. But I don't think that I'll be repeating the Memorial Day bash anytime soon. It took three days to recover!!! But I do love the red wine..... :wub:

Sorry to hear about your situation. Alcohol has a ton of calories which could be a factor for not losing weight. Also if you are not getting what you want from your doctor then yes I would find another one. I have been blessed with my doctor and so I know there are good ones out there. Good luck!

Just stay away from carbonation and you will be fine with anything else. 2 months is plenty - it's not like alcohol is magically bad for your staples or something, it's just the empty calories they want you to steer clear of.

Sugar alcohols will do it, and not in a good way. That being said, I have a confession to make. A few years back while I still was still working, I used to keep a jar of jelly Beans on my desk. This one man that worked in the office was not only a jerk but pretty much cleaned out my jar each week. I enjoyed people helping them selves but most people would take a few but this guy would take huge handfuls and put some in his shirt pocket for later.I let him know one time that he was welcome to bring in a bag every once in a while to fill the kitty. He looked at me and said "why would I do that when you will do it?" Wrong thing to say to me. Next day, I went and bought 3 bags of the sugarfree jelly belly beans. It says on the bag not to eat more than a few because of the of the high content of sugar alcohols in them. He was all over them by 9am. I made sure I got up and left my desk area when I saw him coming. The warning on the bag is true. That's all I'm saying. To add to my delight, I let him know after the fact that those were sugarfree. He never ate another one of my jellybeans.