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So what about boredom? Anxiety? Stressed? Have you become addicted to your phone or laptop? Do you just get out and move? Do you have new hobbies? Do you shop? Are you drinking more coffee/ tea than before? What about using alcohol or gambling? Have your pets become your focus? Anyone showing dogs or horses? Has your kindle list expanded with new books? Have you become a social butterfly? Is your garden in the best shape ever? Are your activities solitary or groups? Join a league of some kind? Competitive ?

I think the straw thing is due to sucking in air while you drink - I think I remember that. My doc gave out a Camelback type Water bottle that has a straw...He didn't say "no straws". As far as alcohol...I had my first drink in four months just the other day. I was a little nervous. I didn't make a good choice - I had a DiSorono and Coke. The Coke was a bad choice, but I did it and I enjoyed it - I stirred a lot of the carbonation out of it. I drank about 2/3 of it - I sipped slowly. I can tell you, however, when I got up, I felt tipsy, like buzzed, not drunk. I had another one the next day and tolerated it fine. A better choice would be a Vodka/cranberry or Vodka/Lemonade.

I realized the same thing about my sister this week. We are not close at all as of recent years. She had gastric bypass in 2004 or so. Lost a significant amount of weight. Got down to a size 6 but has regained to about a 10-12. Still significantly smaller than me. And she has held on to that too. Ever since I went to law school in 2005 our relationship has soured a bit. She became very jealous and resentful of me. She became an alcoholic and drug addict. Her life has been on a downward spiral and she has told many people that us because I was a planned pregnancy and she was not. All in all I guess she felt like the only thing she had over me was that she was of average size and I was not. A couple of weekends ago I sent a picture of my weight loss progress so far. She never responded and hasn't said a word to me since. I asked my mom the other day had she heard from her and she said yes. Then she casually mentioned that she kept tellin her she was going on a diet. Then my mom told me that my weight loss was probably pushing her over the edge again. I'm not worried about her. Everything I have accomplished in my life has been through hard work and dedication, including my weight loss so far. No one is gonna rain on my parade!

While you do eat differently, some of the difficult things of the early days settle down. By 9 months out, I could drink pretty much as before, including gulping if necessary! I choose not to drink and eat because I now understand why I shouldn't. I am now allowed to drink until 20 mins before eating and start again 20 mins after. No real hardship there. I still keep my fluids up - which we should all do irrespective of WLS. I eat Protein first, keep carbs low and take my Vitamins daily. I also remember to keep moving I eat out at least 3 times a week, socialise with friends, have the very, very occasional alcoholic drink and get on with living what is a much happier life than when I weighed 85lbs more. Yes, there is a restriction. I eat less. I have to make good food choices to keep myself healthy and full of energy. But do I miss my diabetes? My meds and pain relief? My high BP? My increasing cholesterol? My sweaty body? My lack of energy? My depression? Nope, not a bit. That's why eating differently doesn't frighten me - the good things that have happened to me post WLS far outweigh the effort I put in to eating nowadays. I know that being sleeved looks daunting pre surgery - and it is not something to do lightly, without being informed or being prepared for the difficult first weeks. By having been through it all, I wouldn't hesitate to do it again... Good luck figuring out what's best for you, keep asking questions here, there's so much advice and support from people who've been where you are :-))))

I will sound like an asshole for saying this but honestly the thread got way too big way too fast and I got overwhelmed to read and respond to it all. I know exactly what Im doing wrong and its basically everything. Im not following their directions. It's gotten to the point where lately my diet has consisted of shitty Cereal, tortillas and Peanut Butter. I have the cereal in the morning, I have the peanut butter burrito for an easy togo snack, and if I have a banana I slice some up in there too to make it a little bit more nutritious. I feel like I cant talk about this with my psychologist because shes never worked with a bariatric patient, and she doesnt know what lines to cross (I think). Im not sure if she knows when she should call the doctors (for the surgery, not general doctor I'd see for a general health check up, if i was feeling sick, etc.), and when she should call my mom. Im an adult by law, but I havent been an adult for long, by mentality/emotionally. Its so easy to get discouraged and do bad things. I dont take my Vitamins because they taste like shit. I dont drink my Water because the tap here is horrible in the general area Im living. I drink the alcohol I bought because its present, even if it was at 10am like today which shocked me. I guess me posting on here is me reaching out saying I need help. I only come here when Im desperate. When I spent 20$ on an Applebees meal (applebees appetizer sampler and a diet drink with like 3 refills), I know I fucked up.

I'm failing my surgery. I'm doing everything they said not to do. I'm not taking my Multivitamins. 'm drinking with a straw (since the stomach pains went away like 1 month out) I'm drinking carbonated drinks. I'm drinking alcohol. Typically beer or long islands. I'm a little worried about that because I had a beer and napped at 10:30 this morning. Never did that before. I'm eating shit. I just went at Applebee's and had myself the full appetizer sampler. I feel like I'm going to explode. I swear I shouldn't have gotten that surgery. I went from 315 to 268 now I weighed myself at 280. The fact I can't cook and living on my own doesn't help. I can't turn to my mom because she'd just freak. She invested a lot in this, but sometimes she forgets I have too. I don't know what to do. I'm not maintaining anymore. I'm worried

My husband is the most AMAZING, wonderful, loving, compassionate human being on the planet--- he really is the best. I could not ask for better than him. Honestly I feel guilty for not being more grateful. In addition to being a compulsive overeater, I am also an alcoholic. I have been sober almost 21 months now. Sobriety has been easy-- because if I was upset or stressed, I could always eat. Now I do not have that. I feel just like I did when I got out of rehab-- raw, frightened, overwhelmed. I have joined a 12 step group for eating disorders, but it only meets once per week. I have talked to my AA sponsor some about it-- maybe I need to talk to her more, IDK. All I know is I feel like sh*t.

Thank you so much for the information. Unfortunately, we have exhaused all possibilities. The Dr's say my husbands liver is non functioning and his lab levels are too high even to think about a liver transplant. They won't do treatment because it will shorten his life. He has diabetes and hasn't ever drank alcohol but has last stages of cirrohsis. It is called NASH. He has been sick for awhile but like I said we didn't know. He never complains. He has liver cancer on top of the cirrohosis and it is in the portal vein. Two days ago he had 16 pounds of Fluid taken off of his belly. The work before that , 10 pounds. I don't want to sound like I've given up but I have to be realistic. I am trying him on some natural things that will help cleanse his liver and Vitamins. That is all I know to do.

We are all addicted to something, whether it be food, alcohol, work, drugs, adventure, pills, bulimia, sex, etc. Food has been my addiction. Alcohol was my family addiction on my mother and dad's sides of the family. We are here to change our addictions, and I wish I were 50 instead of 66 (when I had better health). But I sure plan on living the best life I can now that I am sleeved! Best of luck Nancy!

Yes - the pre- op diet is a challenge. Just keep your eye on the prize and tick off each day that you get through. The first 3-4 days are difficult but after that you will get into the 'zone' . When ketosis starts, I bought a non alcohol mouth wash from the chemist - they say they work better than Listerine. Your mouth will feel like the bottom of a bird cage - with the feathers - so your breath might not be great! You might want to warn people about that as it can be a bit embarrassing - everyone is different so see how you go. Good luck - this is a short term pain for a long term.. weight loss! The best thing I ever did!

I am wondering if it is the wine. The first time I drank 3 glasses of wine I could not eat the entire day the next day. Some say the sugar alcohols cause the swelling of the band. I really don't want to try again and find out.

I have been using food to alleviate stress- even though I know it doesn't really work, I will feel bad (physically and emotionally), should try other things. Bottom line is, this is a tool and you have to still make choices- and the band isn't around our head or emotions. So, I backslide, and then I pick myself up, dust myself off and start over- but still from a MUCH better place than where I would have been pre-band. So, please don't judge. No one is perfect, if I were I wouldn't have needed a band. I still will eat slider foods, I still will go through good times and not good times- but my band will be there to help when I choose to use it (which I do choose more often than not). And I have found that I don't go as "crazy" as I did pre-band- I can't! The band won't let me. It's a learning process, a mental process, and a marathon, not a sprint. I am NOT trying to justify eating poorly, etc- I know it's MY choice, no one is making me eat badly. I know B-52 says he CAN'T eat badly, but I still can- ice cream is my nemisis, and it's a total slider food, though I can't eat nearly what I used to. Perhaps my band isn't tight enough (though I think it is, it's the slider foods that I should be avoiding anyways that will go down even with a tight band). Each time I backslide, I learn something- one of my favorite LOL movies is "what about Bob" with Bill Murray. I'm baby stepping it SO I agree in theory with you, but you liken it to being an alcoholic- which I agree with- but unlike alcohol, you can't live with out food, so it's harder to just avoid. I hope I'm expressing myself here- I guess the point to this post is I'm not perfect, but my band helps me even when I'm not perfect, and as I go on this journey I learn new things all the time and I just- to quote my favorite Disney movie- Keep moving forward. Nicki

Stephg, praying for you. I got sleeved 12/9/13. Surgeon said the number 1 reason people are readmitted is dehydration and to keep the Water flowing. We're told not to use straws. I had my post op followup at 10 days. Surgeon said I could move to soft foods. I had a 1/2 scrambled egg and it was delicious. I never knew an egg could taste so good. At 3 weeks nut appointment she said we could eat anything nutritional. Get Protein and veggies and fruit in that order. No coffee, caffeine tea, alcohol. soda, carbonation. No liquids 1/2 hour before or after foods. It's full time job keeping track of it all once the Vitamins are added in. Sugarfree popsicles are my salvation. Hang in there, and let us know how you are doing. Keep that water going.

I’ve noticed a number of posts lately from bandsters who are non compliant due to stressful situations in their lives. I am very sympathetic to anyone dealing with difficult situations but not so sympathetic with those who deal by eating too much, or eating poorly. I can’t help but think it’s just an excuse to self sabotage. If you were an alcoholic, you would avoid drinking during stressful times. Otherwise, you would be back to drinking uncontrollably again. Same for us foodaholics...and yes, I'm a foodaholic. If stress makes you reach for a cookie or a taco, what makes you think you won’t eat a box of Cookies or a ton of tacos? We must must must find better outlets for our stress. It’s bad enough when things are not going well, but to risk your success on top of that to me is just completely destructive. I’m not saying I have the answers, I just think this is a topic worth discussing.

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: