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I have my sleeve surgery scheduled for Feb 24. I have noticed on this site that every Surgeon has a different set of rules, guidelines etc. I have noticed that a lot of Surgeons have their patients on a 2 week liquid pre op diet. My final 4 hour consultation is Wed, Feb 18 where I meet with NUT and get all do's and don'ts etc. This Surgeon does not require a 2 week liquid pre op diet. I am thinking that I may want to be proactive and do the 2 week "cleansing" diet on my own just to be safe. I am starting to wean myself off of coffee ( 1/2 decaf down to all decaf) and have discontinued any alcohol consumption. I would appreciate any feedback or insight. I am very excited and ready to get this process going.

You probably should have stuck with soft/liquids after being stuck on the shrimp, for a day. The alcohol might have dehydrated you too. I find after alcohol I am tighter and need to rehydrate slowly before I can eat. Just take it easy, you'll get back there.

Hello all. I am struggling with making the decision for lap band. My weight has flucuated between 300 and 140. I am at least 205 to 210 right now and sick of being a yo yo. It puts my BMI only at 33.5-34. I am actually healthy with no weight causing conditions except for a bad knee and chaffing. I eat really healthy just too much and my sugar craving I only give into about once a week. I don't do alcohol or caffeine. I actually manage to get to the gym maybe 8-10 times a month and walk at home some days for maybe 30 minutes each time. This is where I struggle. During a horrible divorce and ensuing custody battle that still is going on I got down to 140 at one point with eating very little. Maybe 3-5 bites of food at a time a few times a day. This seemed to be alarming to people and they were concerned for me. The only times I have been able to keep myself at a "normal" BMI is eating 1200 calories a day and working out at least an hour 5 days a week. Working full time, having a special needs son and still having some time with my husband I just can't spend that much time at the gym or exercising. So in all that what I see is that it's no socially acceptable more me to eat very little UNLESS i have surgery that limits what I can eat. I can't find my balance and honestly I like being thin and being able to wear cute clothes, not have my thighs rub together. I feel more attractive and more socially acceptable when I am thinner. Any thoughts?

It's a conversation with a psych about your life - medical history of course, family history, eating patterns throughout life, patterns of use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs, addictive behaviors, mental tendencies, family and support systems. By reading the report from my psych eval (last week), I realized a few of the things they're looking for.: 1. Any pattern of addictive behavior, tobacco, alcohol and other drug abuse. 2. Any pattern of violence, anger, irritability, short-temperedness, grouchiness, etc. 3. How much you're *committed* to succeeding with this surgery, e.g. how much you've learned about it, can you articulate the process and why you chose your particular surgery, how it works, what you know about the pre- and post- op diet. 4. How much your family and "support system" knows and is prepared to help you with lifestyle changes. There was a long (160 multiple choice questions) psych-profile type computerized test following the interview. Like many of these tests, it asks the same things in separated questions with slight variations, opposite phrasing, different angles, etc. One of the things the conclusion about me stated was that I was likely to be not very good about following practices and recommendations post-surgery, because I hadn't talked about preparation in the home, reading up on recipes and food preparation, and I had no specific plans for a post-surgery exercise program.The psych report sounded pessimistic about my success and recommended that I be offered several alternatives and, if surgery is chosen, a lot of follow-up "advice" and "coaching" would be necessary. So watch what you say - whether the surgeon pays much attention to this will vary, I suppose. But definitely you want to create the impression that you are fully committed to success, and will follow all the advice and avail yourself of ALL the help and support you are provided. Make sure that it's clear that you fully buy-in to the psycho-babble rah-rah touchy-feely cloud of unicorns pooping moonbeam energy support systems surrounding the surgery itself. For me, a "2 hour" appointment with the psych was 40 minutes of interview and 20 minutes of computer-driven questions, so $500/40 = $12.5 per minute (I'm self-pay) for a shrink to question my motivation and commitment. I love the US medical system, I really do. I make my living from medical billing and follow-up.

coffee. My husband is having his coffee but he doesn't know it is 1/2 decaf. Dr. Callery Bariatric Surgeon Administrators Posted 13 October 2012 - 02:12 PM You’ve asked a great question. What is the effect of caffeine on sleeve gastrectomy? To answer your question, I did a search of the medical literature on PubMed, the index for the National Medical Library. I couldn’t find any articles that address your question directly. Incidentally, there were no articles that addressed the effect of caffeine on gastric bypass either. Next I searched for both sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass and coffee. Again the medical library search engine did not return any articles. Thus, so far there have been no studies performed on sleeve gastrectomy patients or gastric bypass patients that would permit or discourage caffeine or coffee use. Most surgeons recommend that gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy patients avoid caffeine or coffee. These recommendations stem from research work that has been done on non-weight loss surgery patients. Before looking into this further let’s distinguish between caffeine and coffee. Caffeine is an alkaloid chemical that has stimulant effects on the central nervous system as well as other parts of the body. Caffeine is a moderate stimulant of gastric acid production. In some studies it has been shown to decrease lower esophageal sphincter pressure and thus potentially promote reflux. In other studies, the effect on sphincter pressure is not so clear. Coffee is brewed from the coffea plant. Coffee contains numerous biologically active chemicals including caffeine. The degree to which these compounds are present in a given cup of coffee depends on the specific species of coffee plant as well as the roasting and processing methods used to bring the coffee to market (see article by Van Deventer below). Even the type of filter used in a coffee maker will change the types of plant oils that remain in the brew. Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD or GORD) is reflux of stomach juices into the esophagus. GERD can cause heartburn. There are several full medical articles attached at the bottom of this reply. Please download these for further information. Coffee/caffeine and gastric acid stimulation There is general agreement that caffeine and coffee are two factors that stimulate stomach acid production. According to Cohen and Booth (1975) “Decaffeinated coffee gave a maximal acid response of 16.5 per hour (mean)which was similar to that of regular coffee, 20.9 mEq per hour, both values being higher than that of caffeine, 8.4, on a cup-equivalent basis.” Thus there are chemicals in coffee aside from caffeine that have potent acid stimulatory effects. In this study, decaffeination did not reduce acid stimulation. Further information about decaffeinated coffee was put forth by Feldmen et. Al (1981): “At equal concentrations, decaffeinated coffee was a more potent stimulant of acid secretion and of gastrin [an acid stimulating gut hormone] release than peptone [a Protein meal acid stimulus]. The ingredient(s) of decaffeinated coffee that accounts for its high potency in stimulating acid secretion and gastrin release has not been identified.” Coffee, caffeine, and esophageal reflux There is considerable controversy in the medical literature as to the effects of coffee and caffeine on esophageal reflux. Here are the conclusions to three articles on the subject. The full article summaries are added below. Wendl (1994) writes, “Coffee, in contrast to tea, increases gastro-oesophageal reflux, an effect that is less pronounced after decaffeination. Caffeine does not seem to be responsible for gastro-oesophageal reflux which must be attributed to other components of coffee.” Boekema (1999) and associates came to an opposite conclusion: “Coffee has no important effect on gastro-oesophageal acid reflux in GORD [GERD] patients, and no effect at all in healthy subjects.” Zheng (2007) conludes, “In conclusion, this large monozygotic co-twin study provides evidence that BMI, tobacco smoking and physical activity at work facilitate the development of GER, while physical activity at leisure time appears to be a protective factor. The association between BMI and frequent GER symptoms among men may be attenuated by genetic factors. In addition, heavy coffee intake may be a protective factor of GER in men and lower education may be a potential risk factor in women.” CONCLUSIONS Caffeine, and more so, coffee and decaf coffee stimulate gastric acid production. Caffeine and coffee may promote gastroesophageal reflux. Caffeine and coffee are just two of many factors that promote gastric acid production and gastroesophageal reflux. Clinical Implications: For sleeve patients who suffer from gastroesophageal reflux, it is best to avoid caffeine and coffee. For sleeve patients who do not have reflux, I do not see any reason not to enjoy coffee or use caffeine products in moderation. For gastric bypass patients, most surgeons recommend against caffeine and coffee because the acid stimulation that occurs may contribute to the development of anastomotic ulcers. Since there are many other factors involved in the development of these ulcers (alcohol, cigarette smoking and nicotine, and NSAID drugs), it is impossible to know how important the role of coffee and caffeine is. Most surgeons are thus saying avoid coffee and be “better safe than sorry.”

glad you are feeling better... my NUT didn't want us on carbs for the first year... or as minimal as possible as there is little nutritional value... I have one "real" carb once a week, when we go out to dinner, I have one of their little rolls that are so yummy and warm... this is my "treat" and I look forward to it... I savor it and eat it S L O W L Y... otherwise those kind of carbs are GONE from my diet, along with carbonated beverages, regular sugar, alcohol, and a few others that have zero benefits for my new life style ... good luck and take care, this will be but a memory, very, very, soon!

Cowgirl Jane you are one of my favorite ladys to listen to for words of wisdom. Today is a new day and it starts "Right Now" this meal, limit you carb intake and know that when you have alcohol it take 3 days to clear out of your system so you will start seeing the weight loss come back on the scale. Thought a cold beer does sound good it is a treat and you enjoyed it, simple. Dont beat your self up over it. Now that is a new day just get back on track and be encouraged all your hard work will keep you going on the path you were meant to be on!!

I felt the same way about water/broth/SF anything. I could not do SF puddings to much on sugar alcohols. I wanted apple juice and I dislike apple juice never have I asked for or wanted it. I found some in glass bottles shaped like apples. It was expensive but soo good. I diluted the juice it was yummy and I wanted apple sauce.

This forum is like an alcoholic going to AA. You get the understanding, compassion and support from people who share the disease; fight the same fight, and know exactly what you're going through......because they're living it.

I like the Pure Protein Revolution bars, 20gm Protein. 190 calories 6g Fat, 10g Net carbs (17, less the 7 Sugar alcohols) I like them better than the other Pure Protein Bars, and my NUT approved, but only 1 a day. My Walmart carries them, costco by me does not.

Has anyone tried the Pure Protein crunch bars? I happened to pick up a box of them at costco yesterday after reading the label for a few minutes thinking about it. The package my local Costco had contained 6 of each kind: Double chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch and Double Chocolate vanilla Crunch. I wish they had a little bit more protein per bar (only 17g), and a little less carbs (14g per bar with 5g sugar, and 4g sugar alcohol), but they only come in at 190 calories per bar. I've had one of each kind and they taste like you should be eating a delish candy bar. Just wondering thoughts from anyone else on here that has tried them. I have a few boxes of Quest bars, but it's always good to have a variety. Makes for a great snack or Meal Replacement. I find they seem to fill me up more then the Quest bars do! Attached a couple of pics of the Peanut Butter:

I must say that I am almost a year out and had my first drinks about 3 weeks ago. Never has alcohol hot me so hard. I've never been a big drinker. Maybe a beer once every 6 months. Well needless to say I went out with some friends after a funeral and after my third beer I don't remember much. I thought ok if I do it again I'll be able to just drink a couple...but again I drank more than I knew and as well blacked out. I've learned that if I am going to go out which will be fairly rare I need to make sure I have a friend with me to make sure I stop or ask the bartender to cut me off. This was never a problem for me before but after much stress lately I found it relaxing. Bad habit I need to break.

What are grits? Sounds intriguing! To answer the drink question I've been having lots of Water, green tea. If I want something sweet mango or apple juice. Not bothered by alcohol much but did have a glass of red wine. To be honest I think my taste buds have changed as I used to love it and now it doesn't feel right

I live in Denver and do use mj recreationally. I waited for several weeks after surgery but my doctor and nut said it was fine. I DO get the munchies and am sad about that. It DOES settle my stomach when I'm nauseous. It has A LOT less calories than alcohol. So while I'm sure everyone is different, I won't be using mj regularly anymore after I move out of state next month. Not to say I won't occasionally partake, but the munchies are enough to deter me from being a regular user. Plus, it's illegal in Texas.

My birthday is coming up and I've been scouring the internet for low calorie, non carbonated alcoholic drinks. So far, it appears there are several low cal vodkas available, I'm just having trouble finding mixers. I've read clamato is healthy and low cal but is just sounds disgusting. If anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears. And yes, my Dr. has said it's okay to have an adult beverage on special occasions as long as I track it into my daily calorie intake.

I am 5 weeks out and have 3 to go before I am supposed to have carbs like chips or food that is not soft. I eat a few chips a day 4-5, because I like the crunch and salt. I eat a few cashews a day, not for the Protein but because they taste good. I also drink while eating and it really does limit what I can eat. The rule I want to break is having alcohol. I am not a big drinker and can go without any for months. The problem is I have a guys weekend coming up next week and for the last 10 years it has been drinking , cards, gambling, movies etc. I do all the cooking so my food will not be an issue but I do want to get a buzz on. I am 5 weeks out and Dr says no alcohol for 6 months. I think that is a weight loss thing not a recovery thing, but still I want to follow the rules.

I suffered with gout prior to having surgery. I was on Indomethecin for arthritis and it never really helped with the gout. I had to go off of it in July of last year (one month prior to 8/5 surgery) and haven't taken it since. Luckily, I haven't had a bout of gout in over 2 years now, but it is probably the most painful thing I went through. I had it at the same time that I had a stress fracture in the same foot. needless to say, the boot I had to wear for the fracture was hell on the gout pain! I have been cautious about red meat. I still eat too much, but I was told that played into the gout a lot. Also, if you drink alcohol, that will increase your chances of a gout attack. My podiatrist calls it "vacation gout", as many peopel drink on vacation and come back with it. Good luck and hopefully we won't experience it again !!!!

PrincessErin, you can order virgin drinks that look and taste as good as having alcohol. If you are a beer drinker unfortunately carbonation is bad too. Having one normal drink will make you legally drunk so maybe that is a good thing for some people. My big issue is my diet caffeine free Pepsi, I will truly be mourning that!!!!

My class went really well yesterday. I had a pre-admission appointment as well. They did blood work and an EKG. I also received a bottle of soap to wash my abdomen the night before and the morning of surgery. The class I wish I had taken earlier. It was very informative and gastric bypass specific. I finally learned what my DR expected as far as straws, caffeine, alcohol, etc. I am not going to lie. I am a little nervous about not being able to drink alcohol for a year.

Me tooooo!! I'm so "not ready" in a way... I'm worried about all of the following: A. My apron tummy B. My boobs C. The skin on my upper thighs D. My love of alcohol E. My love of delicious, rich food F. What if it doesn't work? Will my new body be pretty? Will I be pissed that I can't drink? Will I be pissed that I can't eat? What if I try and screw everything up? Is it worth having the body that I want or should I just let it go? But then again, I really hate that I get winded on stairs and can't tie my own shoes or see parts of my body without hurting myself. It sucks that it has to be this drastic. The other part of me is super excited...

I was told no alcohol for a year. The reason for this is your liver is working overtime to process all the toxins released from the fat you're burning, and most of that fat is lost in the first year. If you drink alcohol when your liver is already stressed it could cause liver failure. The second reason for the alcohol restriction is the high risk of cross-addiction. We all suffer from some sort of food addiction. When you remove the substance a person was addicted to, they will be susceptible to other forms of addiction like alcohol, drugs, sex, or shopping. After a year we've learned new coping skills and it may be safe to have alcohol in moderation with less risk.

Sometimes on the weight loss journey, the scale stops moving... Our bodies may be taking a break and we just need to persist... Yet sometimes its helpful to mix things up... You Control 3 Variables: Fitness, food, & supplements... Fitness: - There are 3 variables we control: frequency, duration, and intensity - Frequency: how many times per week are you working out? Might be time to bump it up to 5 days per week. - Duration: how long are your workouts? Might be time to bump the workout from 30 mins to 45 mins. - Intensity: how focused and intense are your workouts? Might be time to weave in some interval training, super-sets, CrossFit, etc. important variables are frequency and intensity; high quality workouts 4-5 days per week is a recipe for success - are you doing that? Nutrition & Lifestyle: - Food: getting in enough calories and all your Protein? - Water: being hydrated helps your metabolism by around 25% - Wine? Alcohol is a "volumizer", you'll retain Water and your metabolism will function slower. You may want to abstain or minimize until your goal is achieved, then it's about moderation for maintenance. Supplements: Are you making sure you are getting in your Vitamins and minerals and enough protein? If not make sure you are supplementing.

Hi guys! Just caught up and I am so glad I am up to date with this busy thread - I get busy during the day and tell myself I need to login or I am going to have a heck of a time catching up - I am sure is it the same for us all. Okay first off - does anyone have our list of names - I spent 45 minutes one day trying to dig through our massive thread and find it to no avail - I would be hugely grateful if anyone could share Or even give me an idea of what number of pages it might be located. Coops thanks so much for the Amazon link to the menopause book - I am going through it though I still am having somewhat regular periods - gonna be 50 this year in October woo It really feels like an emotional rollercoaster somedays - just like I have lost my mind haha. Beautiful corsets ladies - Feed and Jane you look lovely! I am still getting used to having anything touch my middle with clothing - I spent so long in tent-sized clothing, right at the edge of 5x and needing specialty clothes that I think that only now am I realizing what clothing that actually fits looks and feels like - even things that fit perfectly sometimes make me feel very exposed and afraid people will stare and make fun on me (when my squishy is very well hidden in clothes.) As hubby says "no more hobo clothes" (you must image the little designer from The Incredibles saying this lol.) Sarah - I am so sad to hear that your dear friend is struggling with drugs. My ex before my husband, whom I was with for many years was a recovering heroin addict - we lived in NYC and I experienced him falling off the sobriety/clean wagon which was agony for all of us around him (an episode of Intervention is about the level of madness I am talking about). I also grew up in a home with alcoholic family members - I seriously believe I am an addict with food - its just my drug of choice. Know that she is the one who has to want it - no matter what, she will be the one that does it for herself. I know that if I can quit smoking after 28 years of 2 packs a day then anyone on the face of this earth can stop their addictions too. One day at a time. That same partner also came out of the closet during that time - (I call this time my floral dress era - desperately trying to feel pretty again) and within a year he had contracted AIDS - he is still living with aids but doing much better - living in L.A. and seems happy. I feel like I dodged a serous bullet with that one. Speaking of one day at a time - I went to my very first Overeaters Anonymous meeting last weekend. I enjoyed it very much and plan to keep going - I was inspired by the honesty and sharing of the group - when I spoke I bawled like a little baby haha (maybe its those pesky menopause demons) and the group was very accepting of the fact that I had surgery - they were very interested in hearing about my experience. There were big folks and little ones - many had lost 100's of lbs and gained them back - some had maintained - just like all of us. I will check out other meetings around my area and see what those are like - it felt like a good reboot and have been seriously detoxing from the sugar since that meeting last Saturday. Here's a question, what are your guys bounces ranges and how to do determine them? Florinda - I am sorry you felt that you had to conceal your losses, but I am thrilled that you have lost your regain and then some! Learning to be kind to ourselves is just as big a part of all of this as anything. Lets all work on seeing how far we have come - I know I look to all of you as wonderful, inspiring successes, each and everyone one I can confide in and reveal the best and worst - the hardest of my struggles. I had great success off the bat with 5:2 then have struggled a lot with the holidays - it is my own fault really - it has been an orgy of baked carbs...I never used to like this stuff, but now it is the easiest thin to crunch up and goes down easy -I then I get lightheaded and woozy, oftentimes sick...just like a needle in the arm lol. I never got a goal weight from my docs or nutritionists, but one of them did mentioned that he thought I would end up at around 175. So that has been my upper limit with this recent gaining frenzy - or I should say that is my freak out weight lol. My husband just wants me to be happy at any weight around where I am - he seems to love my body - squishy and all - trying to come around to his viewpoint. I have noticed that cutting out even a bit of the sugar has helped tremendously this week with cravings - I have a milk issue with lattes, and when you get right down to it milk is a carb/sugar even if it is loaded with good stuff - I swear I would go drink milk from a cow on the side of the road if it was an emergency haha. I feel very successful at not having latte's on the way to work, at work, or on the way home from work every day this week - remember this is Seattle, that is a HUGE deal haha Love you guys

I live in Texas and mj is still ilegal here, I am against using it recreational but for using medically if needed. I respect that, I actually do like to hear others point of views as long as they aren't attacking someone else's way of life. Like my personal opinion is I'm against the consumption of alcohol period. Even though it is legal I'm against it. Marijuana is legal here for medicinal purposes (soon to be recreational) and it has improved my quality of life drastically.

I was dreaming about drinking last nigh...lol. I wonder what my doctors guidelines are for drinking, he seems to be pretty easy going. I mean, I was drinking coffee maybe 11 days out, eating a regular diet at 2.5 weeks out, keeping in mind that I was tolerating everything wonderfully (thank God). I wonder if I could even tolerate alcohol at this point, because when I ate a raw onion? It burned my tummy and I felt a little nausea.