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Here was my pre-op diet starting 12-days before surgery: The patient may have one Protein shake for Breakfast and one Protein Shake for lunch. At dinner, the patient may consume one Lean Cuisine. Protein shake = 1 scoop Iso-Pure Protein powder with up to 2 cups of skim milk. 1. No alcohol for two weeks prior to the surgery. 2. One Chromium Picolinate 400 mcg per day can be taken for fat-burning purposes. 3. One Metamucil capsule can be taken at 10:00 am and one at 3:00 pm for hunger pangs. Drink with a lot of Water. 4. 1-2 diet drinks a day are allowed, but not to be taken to excess. 5. A green salad (no colors other than green!!) may be consumed. A zero to five calorie dressing may be used, but not to excess. (Example: Wish Bone Salad Spritzer)

If I were going by total carbs and not net carbs, there is NO way I would be in ketosis. But, I pee on the stick that measures ketones and it is as purple as it can be (160+ present). So, I think there is a lot of good research and science to back up how the net carbs affect your glucose levels differently via sugar alcohols/fiber/etc. it might be controversial, but it seems to work. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I was banded on Oct 31st too. Today is the first day I have had no pain other than a liitle tenderness deep at the site of the port. I am surprized at all the different diets. My center has a 3 phase post op diet. All three phases include Multivitamin and Calcium supplements Phase 1: Blended-Smooth, lasts for the first 2 weeks and includes a primary focus of getting in 64 oz fluids, and Proteins of 60-70 grams per day...foods up to 1/2 cup of blended/smooth such as yogurt or pureed cottage cheese, apple sauce, ect.. No lumps no chunks no pieces no strings, everything must be blended. Phase 2: lasts thru week 6 and is called the Soft food stage. Fluids and porteins remain priority. Can consume up to 1 cup per meal ( or less if feeling full). Foods must be moist and soft. avoiding red meats, shellfish, pork, bread, Pasta, rice, and most raw fruits and veggies Phase 3 is week 7 and beyond... continue with Fluid and Protein guidelines, add in foods with normal textures, at week 12 you can try raw fruits and veggies . Avoid foods with added sugar, alcohol, high fat dairy products, most pastas, rice and untoasted breads, tough skins on fruits and veggies, stringy-fiberous veggies, creamsauses or cream Soups, tough-stringing meats, poultry & seafood, grilled fried or microwaved foods, sticky foods such as gum, corn, mashed potatoes

At 7 weeks out, I can take 3 swallows of water at a time but not anytime near eating. (I was a huge water chugger before.) Have not tried any alcohol.

I had a biopsy when I had my band surgery. They said I have non alcoholic Steatohepatitis. Has anyone had this same diagnosis. They say you have to loose weight slower... Boo Hooo

And many an alcoholic and drug addict have probably said the same things. Why should I go to AA? I'll just stop going to the bars. Or I'll avoid person X & Y who want to get high all the time. WLS is not a magical pill that fixes thing. It is a tool to help long term. It's easy to say that I'm going to stick with my diet this time. This time it's going to be different. All those other hundreds of times I tried and failed were practice, but this time will be different! Not saying this to be a smart ass. It's just easy to say this time will be different. I'm sure the idea of surgery has scared some people away, they did stick to a diet, and were successful. It's no different than those that were so sure this would finally be the fix they needed but then end up gaining all their way back. I look at WLS like I would going to an AA meeting. Ultimately it is up to me to make the right decisions in leading a healthy life, but the WLS is a tool to help me be successful. It's not an easy decision, and yes, I went through all the second guessing as well. I had complications with my surgery. Did it suck? Yep. But I don't regret my decision. I worry about things like the loose skin too, but in the end I was more concerned about having a heart attack within the next 5 years because of the extra weight I've been carrying in additional to the other health problems I was facing. I'll take some loose skin over being dead before I'm 50.

My surgery is scheduled for august 13. My dr put me on a 2 week pre op diet of clear liquids, including sugar free jello, sugar free popsicles, broth, water with crystal light, etc..and the whey protein powder drinks or isopure (whey protein isolate) My dr told me the sagging skin also depends on your age, and amount of weight youre losing. the younger you are the more elasticity your skin has. but like the others said working out will help that. for the hair loss, ive heard biotin works, and ive heard they make special shampoos with that in it....also thats another reason its so important to get your 70 grams of protein in a day bc it helps with that. As far as the alcohol, you may still like the taste but you'll probably never be able to drink it the same way as now. & ive learned youre not supposed to drink any alcohol for at least a year, and even after like someone else said it is empty calories, pure sugar and no nutritional value..so youre probabbly not going to want to fill up your little stomach with something you get nothing from. Good luck with your surgery, 12 more days for you! I have 11 and I can NOT wait!!!!

I'm pre-op and curious about the rules for drinking alcohol after a VSG. Right now, I really enjoy a glass of wine with or after dinner, not every night but maybe a couple of times a week. Will I still be able to do that after surgery? What about other kinds of alcohol -- a gin & tonic or whatever? So what about it, sleevers? Do you drink? If so, what? And when?

I've been drinking a lot lately and haven't had any issues. I realize it's wasted calories but I don't mind losing slower at the moment. I'd wait a month or so after surgery before trying alcohol, I'm not sure why everyone waits longer apart from the empty calories issue. Just make sure you drink plenty of Water and I would recommend trying to drink BEFORE you eat instead of after. I've been big on redbull+vokda lately. I have to go a little slow on these since there is some carbonation. Wine, mudslides, margaritas, straight whiskey, and I've even had a couple beers although I have to drinks these REALLY slowly and pour them into a glass so they defizz faster.

- Tone! This can make quite a difference, though it won't get rid of all sagging skin. Start weight training as soon as your doctor will let you. - A week out and I have maybe twice. I feel kind of crude saying it, but it was liquid, since I'm only having liquids. My doctor told me if I hadn't gone 5 days post surgery to use a dulcolax suppository (But not the tablets) - My NUT said that Biotin is something I can start taking at 6 weeks to help decrease hair loss. I think the other two kinda hit the nail on the head that it's about nutrition. - I was not required to do a pre-op diet. The surgeon only required Clear Liquids for the day before the surgery and nothing by mouth after mid***ht the ***ht before. - I can't comment on this one. I am not a big alcohol drinker anymore and I've planned to pretty much quit alcohol completely now that I'm post-op. Haven't tried it yet.

Here's an interesting hypothetical. What if they had a surgery to cure alcoholism, or nicotine addiction? What if that surgery was available to everyone? Would the general consensus be that alcoholics and cigarette smokers are weak for having the surgery instead of quitting on their own? Would those surgeries have such a stigma?

Yeah it's best to wait at least 9 months until having alcohol to prevent developing ulcers. And my nutritionist advised no carbonated drinks so no beer...I have a had a vodka cooler but have to be careful of sugar. I can have most wines

I have had tequila/orange, margaritas and wine with no problems. Sometimes I will have a beer but I reduce the carbonation by either putting in tomato/clamato juice and/or ice. Sometimes the beer works, sometimes it don't. The big issue is alcohol minimizes weight loss so I limit it to 1-2 drinks per week.

Hi everyone. First I want to say that the night I found this website I really cried. I don't know a single other person with a lapband and I didn't realize how much I needed support and understanding like this. yay. I have been browsing posts for a couple weeks and thought I would jump in and share about myself and get all those intro questions out there. My name is Rebecca, I am 30 years old. I currently live in Saline, Michigan (near Ann Arbor) and am married with 2 children. I am an attorney but currently at home with my babies. Why am I so fat? In my head I know it is because I consume more calories than I expend. right. Apparently so does every female on both sides of my family. I think I use food as a comfort and a stress management tool. When I see my daughter reach for her binky for comfort I realize its just like me with a snickers bar. Without an almost constant influx of Snacks (even healthy ones) I feel out of control. I basically gained 20 or so pounds every year since I was a teenager. There was a period from when I was about 18-23 that I drank fountain drink Pepsi almost nonstop and ate complete garbage. At that point I had some success with weight watchers. I also spent a lot of time at the gym (with my new husband - working out is his "thing") but I never really felt like that helped. I feel a real disconnect with my body. I never know if the weight I am lifting is enough or too much. I never know if I have done enough cardio. I can talk myself into 1 minute being too much. My first year of law school I think I gained 40 pounds. It was a stressful time for me and I managed in every way that I could. If heroin had been available to me I think I would have used that. At the end of my first year of law school I began to go on job interviews and felt more judged than I ever had before. I noticed people walk on the other side of the hallway when I was coming (really? I am not going to take up that much room!) I knew that I had to do something - if not for my health or vanity than because it was going to be necessary to succeed professionally. I wanted surgery. My Surgery - I had my surgery at the Wish Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. (no, it is no longer there). Dr. Hanafy was my doctor, although he broke his hand the day before and a doctor from the Seattle Wish Center did my actual surgery. I had it done laproscopically. I have a 10 ml band. My pre-op weight (the highest of my lifetime) was 369.5. Three Hundred Sixty Nine and One-Half Pounds! I am 5'10. My BMI was 55. My surgery was on November 19, 2004. I self-paid through a payment plan because insurance denied me. I think the principal was about $14,000.00. (as a note, I had first tried to have surgery in March of 2003 from Dr. Legrand Belnap. I was denied by my insurance because I did not have a history of medical issues (i.e. I don't go to the doctor when my back or knees hurt because I know why they hurt). Also, to be honest, I didn't feel comfortable with that doctor. He gave me a breast exam that I thought was unnecessary and a bit predatorialish and there was a weird energy there). After surgery I was all gung-ho to only eat 1/2 cup of food at a time, drink Water throughout the day but not 1/2 before or after eating. I bought these little rubbermaid cups that were 1/2 cup to use as my dishes. I stopped drinking carbonation and alcohol. I strictly followed the liquids/then squishies/then softies regiment. I remember the first few days drinking the exact amount of Protein shake every two hours because I was worried about getting enough protein to recover quickly. I was in my second year of law school and had a five-day break for thanksgiving and I couldn't miss any other days. Post-Surgery - I lost twenty pounds the first two weeks. I was thrilled. But once I reached the eat-1/2 cup of solid food stage everything went downhill. I would eat one-half cup of food and then I was hungry and distracted within an hour, which was annoying and frustrating. My doctor would only do 1/2 cc of fill at a time. It did not work. I lost my willpower and began to eat more so that I could function in my life. (it is also annoying when you are a self-pay because you pay for adjustments!) I did reach a point at about 2.5 cc that my stomach became irritated and I could only drink liquids so I immediately had it taken back down to 2 ccs. At 2 ccs I was not full after 1/2 cup of food. But what is full? I don't think I really knew if I was full or not. Maybe I was just not psychologically satisfied with that amount of food. There was also the issue of: this is my lunch hour, I have to eat now and I won't have time to eat again in one hour so I better eat as much as I can. My husband called my lapband my "bulimia button" because it operated to make me throw up at will, not really to restrict my eating. I knew no one else with a lap band and felt isolated and alone and frustrated. Oh yeah and the Wish Center closed and my doctor moved away so I had no doctor either. The other doctors around would not see me unless I paid an "enrollment fee" and went through a bunch of preliminary B.S. I lost about fifty pounds in the first year and 1/2. Then I became preganant with my first baby - a suprise. (I don't think I could have become pregnant unless I lost that weight). I was really sick and throwing up and worried about displacing the band. I had a doctor reduce the lapband back to no fill. That baby is two years old now. I did have a fill after the baby, but had it reduced again when I was pregnant with my second for the same reasons. My second baby is three months old now. Where I am now: Currently, my lap band is not filled. I gained about 20 pounds in my second pregnancy and have lost that in the last three months. I have been counting calories and breastfeeding. I calculated my Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) and subtracted 1000 so that I would have a deficiet of 7000 calories per week. 3500 calories = 1 pounds so if I eat 7000 less than my BMR I should lose 2 pounds a week. I did not account for the approximately 500 calories needed to make breastmilk. I try to be active and take my 2 year old and baby to the park and such regularly but I don't account for that in my calorie goals. So I try to eat under 2000 calories a day and it seems to be working. I am currently at 327, I think 320 has been my lowest post-lapband weight. I am thinking about getting a fill and giving the lap band a try. There is a Barix Clinic in Ypsilanti and I hope they will give me a fill without making me pay a lot to enroll in a program. I hope to get support from this website and look forward to connecting with more of you. I want to be a bandster, I just feel like a wanna-be My links: http://www.myspace.com/eyevoryshiny my myspace, updated pretty regularly http://www.flickr.com/photos/rebeccarandom my pictures at flickr I will try to post a before and current when I get a chance.

You are "here"! I am so anxious and I have weeks yet, I can't imagine the night before - and no alcohol, lol! Good luck, God bless!

I haven't had alcohol yet but I use the Crystal Light liquid now with water. When I do plan to have a drink, I want to try Vodka w/ ice water and I'll squirt some of my Crystal Light liquid for flavor. I want to stay away from the sugary drinks

I drink Vodka and I am almost at 3 months. I consider the Calories in my Daily food Plan. Sugar is a worry if you are using Mixers. My tummy tolerates Alcohol much better than Food, and it is more enjoyable.

That's been my experience with alcohol post-op as well. I get buzzed/drunk from way less alcohol now than I did pre-sleeve, but I also sober up super quick.

It is clear to me from your post that we have very different opinions on what being supportive to your partner means and that is ok. Everyone is entitled to run their marriage the way they want. The OP asked for advice on getting support from her spouse, and I thought telling someone you would drink in the home of an alcoholic behind their back, was not a good example of how to do this. I probably shouldn't have responded, but sometimes you just can't help it. I'm sorry my post bothered you.

Thanks for your responses. I don't drink alcohol but I do or did eat many many sugary carbs.

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

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

When did everyone start to drink alcohol?

First, I would like to say Karen2012 you are definitely not alone. There are tons of posts on here about the same exact thing. (Search "mourning food") I was sleeved on 6/11 and I can tell you that I went to three parties with tons of food during my pre-op diet and have been to 3 parties post-op. I have cried at almost every single one. Plus I live with 2 adults and 3 children who are allllwayyyysss eating! I am totally frustrated too! You have to remember that it's early, our stomach have to heal and our heads have to catch up! I too was able to have refried Beans, salsa, sauce and sour cream 3 weeks post op...eat up...but I do miss the tortilla chips myself...two and a half weeks and I can have them!!!!! I can't wait! It is getting easier day by day! @Benjamin - I have a couple of things to say. First, you must remember that everyone has different relationships with food, and for that matter cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, etc. Some people get over addictions easier than others. Next, she is early out...don't you remember what it was like those first few weeks? Speaking as a woman who is 5 weeks out...I am still having a very difficult time "breaking up" with food. Perhaps gender even makes a difference? After all, men are from mars... Good luck to you Karen2012. I am learning that it does get easier!

I've never been a PMT sufferer except occasionally in months where I've really been hard on myself - like at around Christmas time - all the alcohol, rich food etc, then I'll suffer. Months when I treated myself well I'd be surprised by the arrival of my period, absolutely no warning signs, and I've never been one to plot it on the calendar. Since banding, I've had PMT every single month. Sore boobs, bloated tummy and cranky moods. Its weird. I've never had a return of period pain since I had my first baby though thank goodness. I'm not on the pill as I got fixed after my last baby :clap2: and I've never suffered any sort of gynaecological problem at all.