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I've struggled with poor eating habits for as long as I can remember. I am a product of a mom who used to pack me a Peanut Butter and jelly sandwich, a snack cake and a bag of chips in my lunch every single day. Fruit as a quick snack option didn't exist. We didn't always have fruit, but we always had Snacks in a corner cabinet of our kitchen. All of our problems were solved over a cup of coffee or tea and a coffee cake. Sunday afternoons were spent watching football with a giant bowl of ice cream topped with potato chips and Doritos. At the movies, we always got the biggest popcorn and largest drink and finished it. My grandmother made me bacon and butter sandwiches as a treat. Needless to say, junk food represented a lot of things to me; family, comfort, love, life. In high school I was very thin. I took it upon myself to eat better and exercise and I succeeded. I looked and felt great. Then I got into an abusive relationship and my self-confidence was shaken to its root. To this day, it hasn't completely recovered. In college, I turned to beer and pizza and packed on a quick and stubborn 25 pounds. But I still wasn't fat by any stretch. Moving into the real world was a challenge and I ballooned in weight. Poor choices, little money and lots of alcohol contributed to adding another 70 pounds to what I'd gained in college. Then I met someone. He was interested in me, even though I was over-weight. He helped me gain some much needed pride in myself and confidence that I'd been lacking. I lost 90 pounds. Fast. But that didn't mean I was eating right. I was just eating painfully little. Soon thereafter, I reconnected with a wonderful man I'd met in college. The man I'd always hoped I would marry. And before long, we were engaged. Happiness made me chubby again. A wedding made me slim again. A honeymoon baby helped me pack on 65 pounds. But once I gave birth to our beautiful daughter, I worked to lose all of the baby weight and I was successful. I battled with postpartum depression. I battled the demons from my abusive relationship. I won. Then I discovered I was pregnant again. All of my newly discovered happiness, I literally devoured. I gained 80 pounds. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I gave birth to another perfect, healthy daughter. But this time, I didn't lose the weight. Not an ounce. For ten years, I've held onto an extra 80 pounds. I had another daughter four years ago. During that time, I was also diagnosed with gestational diabetes and I was warned that I would probably remain diabetic after this pregnancy. That should have been a wake up call, but it was not. My blood pressure began to escalate out of control. That too should have been a wake up call, but was not. The doctors had to deliver my daughter early because of my hypertension. She was five weeks premature. She swallowed amniotic Fluid during her delivery causing her to develop pneumonia and she had to remain in the NIC Unit for 10 days. Those were the most difficult days of my entire life and should have been a wake up call. I felt guilty that had I not been hypertensive, this wouldn't have happened to her. But after she came home, I still didn't change my ways. In January, 2015 I decided to get a full physical work up. I hadn't done it in a while. It showed I had serious blood pressure issues, high triglycerides - so high they were immeasurable, I was diabetic and had an extremely fatty liver. I refused to believe it. I took the medicines I was given sporadically and chose not to follow any sort of diabetic diet. I would work it out myself. But I didn't. In April, 2015 my father passed away unexpectedly. It was said his diabetes was a contributing factor to his passing. The grief was and still is overwhelming. He was my best friend. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about him and miss him. Finally in September, 2015, my family doctor told me that if I didn't do something soon, I was going to have a stroke. My blood pressure remained out of control, as did my diabetes and the triglycerides. I was experiencing a lot of reflux as well. Not to mention, I was feeling horrible. She recommended Dr. Louis Balsama. He changed my life. I learned just how horrible my health was as I went through all of the pre-surgical testing required to authorize the surgery. While my BMI was on the low end of what would qualify someone for surgery and I didn't have over 100 pounds to lose, my overall health was so poor that I quickly became a candidate for surgery. During the pre-surgical testing I also learned I had sleep apnea and I had high cholesterol. I was put on 13 pills per day; 4 pills per day to control my blood pressure, 5 to control my diabetes, 3 for my cholesterol and triglycerides and one for irritable bowel. This doesn't factor in the over the counter Probiotics and acid reflux medications I also used. I refused to live this way any longer. On 12/28/15, Dr. Balsama saved my life. He gave me a gastric sleeve. I am incredibly grateful for what he's done. Recovery was not the easiest. I was in pain, I got angry, I got frustrated. I got over it. I had 71 pounds to lose to be at a proper weight for my height. As of 1/18/16, I am down 21.5 pounds; 30% of my excess weight is already gone. In 14 pounds I will reach 50% of my goal weight. My BMI has gone from a 36 (Obese 2) to 32 (Obese 1). Soon, I will just be overweight. I no longer have sleep apnea. I no longer have acid reflux. Of my 4 blood pressure pills per day, 2 have been eliminated entirely. The dosage for 1 has been cut in half. It is anticipated that as a result of some upcoming blood tests, some of my other pills may be cut or eliminated also. In only 3 weeks. Imagine what will happen over time! I still have quite a journey ahead of me. But in 3 short weeks, my life has already changed for the better. Don't give up. Yes, this was a drastic step but it's not a magic bullet - it's a tool. Use it wisely and it will serve you well. If you don't use it as intended, there will be undesired consequences. Be smart, be diligent and be good to yourself. The surgery was the easy part, now work for what you want and you will achieve it.

I've noticed since the operation on the 10th May that it doesn't affect how much alcohol I can consume, if anything I seemed to be able to consume more in a session. I'm now making a conscious effort to not let alcohol take place of the food I was once able to eat. Is anyone facing this potential dilemma? I'm not an alcoholic as I only have drinks once a week on the weekends however I do believe I need to manage it.

I enjoy alcohol. I loved various IPA's (type of beer). I am sure that love got me some extra poundage. After surgery, I stayed away for 3 months. Now, the same beer with the carbonation hasn't been that attractive, plus, taste has changed. Red wine, ok, but again, not the same. I have found vodka either served bloody mary style or with cranberry juice is ok. I do find you feel tipsy faster and I would not drive even with one. the best part of the drinks I just listed, you can go virgin and nobody would know. You also start to count the calories and make choices. Again, I like to drink, I would never say don't, it just becomes harder.

@ Those pills were awful. I was on them for a little while. What a horror show. @@goplay94123 When he wants to go for drinks, get bottle Water or coffee. You don't have to drink alcohol when you meet someone for drinks. I think it is better to not drink as a female on a date, so you can stay alert.

1 month post op and wanted to know when you tried alcohol for the first time, I have 3 Christmas parties to attend and will be surrounded by it! Per my MD can't have any til month 3 just wanted to see if anyone bent the rules out there!

Hi all! I have a few friends that have had bypass surgery and one who's had the band. My friends that got the gastric bypass all dropped a lot of weight but many of them had issues, (1 didn't heal properly and had to keep going back in, 1 became an alcoholic, 1 is losing muscle mass due to the rapid weight loss and gets dizzy spells etc.). My friend that got the lap band had no ill effects, (beside the normal food restriction adjustments), but she feels like she hasn't lost much and her band is almost full. I am really torn because I definitely need to lose. I have been heavy my whole life, (literally, for as long as I can remember), so I relish the thought of losing weight but, at the same time, gastric bypass makes me very nervous. My mother knows a woman that can't *stop* losing and is skin and bones now. Have any of you had problems losing with the band, (while following the basic instructions and food program)? What made you choose the band over bypass? What has been the key to your success? Have you had any loose skin issues? (I have heard that lap banders have better skin "snap back" because of the slower loss... have you noticed this)? I am not a sweet eater, usually. My issues are late night snacking, a love of all things starch, (especially bread, bagels etc.) and a sedentary lifestyle, (both for work and hobbies). Any insight you can give would be GREATLY appreciated! I don't mind losing a little less if the surgery is safer, (and I feel Lap Band IS a less invasive and, therefor, safer options on the whole), but I don't want to go through the whole process only to feel hungry 24-7 or lose only a small amount of weight. I have looked to impartial studies comparing the 2 processes but most of them are by one or the other school of thought, thus making one wonder if they aren't skewed. If you know of any recent, accurate, comparisons please let me know. Thank you, in advance! Shannon

One bottle of burbon is approximately 17 shots and equals around 1200 calories. You are doing this in one night each weekend??? I would have to agree with you, this is a problem. But I'm not sure its even categorized as a cross addiction because seriously...to drink an entire bottle of bourbon in an evening....it's kind of a different problem that you need to get a handle on quickly. On the weight loss side, it's empty calories, but on the "drunk" side...a bottle of hard liqour an evening, even if you only do it one evening is bordering if not in the functioning alcoholic category.

I had my first wine at 3 months. Had hard liquor cocktails by about 5-6 months. I don't get buzzed any quicker than before (bummer), but alcohol will give me gastritis if I drink more than a couple days in a row. But I wouldn't dream of drinking alcohol only 1 month out. Incision is not healed yet and nothing is worth the risk of causing damage so soon.

I was putting together my preop and postop plan to get myself in peak condition for surgery and I thought that some of you may be interested in what you can do to help yourself heal after surgery. I am a nurse, a lot of this I have learned over the years from managing surgical patients and from doctors. I hope that maybe some of information below will help someone recover from surgery faster and heal better. If you have any chronic illnesses or diseases be sure to speak to your doctor, in other words, don't solely take my word. ------------------------------------ Building up your Protein levels so you are in peak health for surgery is the #1 thing you can do for yourself since it is protein that facilitates healing of the stomach staple line. If your blood levels of protein and albumin is low your chances of suffering from delayed healing is greatly increased. I have started drinking 2 Protein shakes a day as a way to increase my protein stores and as a way to start getting used to the shakes so it is not such a shock mentally once that is all I am eating. PREPARING FOR SURGERY; Everything you would expect your MD to have told you. Now until 2 weeks from surgery; Below will prepare your body for surgery 1) Increase protein intake to at least 1 gram per kilogram of body weight. For my weight (260lbs) I SHOULD eat at least 120 gr of protein daily. 2) Take Omega 3's daily - Among Other Things (AOT) it will help your hair postop 3) Take Multivitamin daily 4) Take Vit C daily - AOT it helps healing 5) Take Zinc daily - AOT it helps healing 6) Take amino acids, L-Glutamine and L-arginine - AOT it helps healing 7) Take Coenzyme C-10 - AOT it helps healing 8) Take probiotic - prepares your gut for the change to liquids and possible antibiotics postop 9) Drink at least 1 ounce of Water per Kilogram of body weight daily. At least 10 days before surgery you MUST STOP below things; Causes bleeding or interacts with anesthesia 1) Stop Vitamin E, K, C and B including your daily multivitamin and all other herbals 2) Stop Fish oils, aka, omega 3's 3) Stop drinking green tea, alcohol, caffeine, aspartame (equal) 4) Stop eating cayenne pepper, ginger, flax seed, tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant, sugar, fried foods, transfats and MSG, fatty fish such as salmon 5) Stop Aspirin and NSAID's ONLY take the 5 things listed below from 10 days up to the day before surgery; 1) Zinc 2) amino acids (L-Glutamine and L-arginine) 3) Coenzyme Q-10 4) Probiotics 5) Prescription medications okayed by your surgeon Postop Day 3; RESTART everything below as okayed by your doctor; 1) Restart everything that you stopped 10 days before surgery 2) Keep your protein as high as you can; try for 1mg/kg (this helps healing and minimizes hair loss)

I was told no caffeine or alcohol for the first 6 months. I live on herbal tea and Vitamin Water Zero, the squeezed flavor is amazing!

There are many challenges. will you think ahead and not put yourself in a place where you have few options but to eat poorly? how much alcohol is in your life? ( no judgement, just huge amounts of calories and bad choices if alot has been imbibed). will you tire of the limitation and being unable to eat like your friends and therefore stretch out your sleeve or will you eat slider foods? there have been very successful young people but they were willing to change their attitude to food and exercise. for me it was "am i willing to do whatever it takes?" i waited years to get the surgery until the answer was a resounding yes. I wish you the best of luck.

I see someone posted about going out and haveing a drink how long after surgery can u have alcohol ? And I like fruity drinks I wonder what kids I can drink any ideals?

Trying to wrap my mind around this. You eat 1100 calories of good food (not carby or starchy), exercise and still regain 50#? What kind of exercise plan do you have going? Is your sleep good? Do you drink lots of water and keep alcohol to a min? Is it true you are eating smaller meals over that 1100 calories or not? I did not get that out of the thread unless I overlooked it. Small to me means 200-300 calories at a time which means 4-5 oz protein and perhaps 1-2 oz of veggie. What are your overall macros? Something like 50/30/20 (protein, carb, fat) or 40/30/30 or something else? If you are doing these things then Yikes. That is a scary scenario. Have you considered increasing calories? 500 below your targeted tdee will mean weight loss, but 1000 (or more) below will mean "starvation mode" and metabolic issues long term. Most of the time metabolic issues can be fixed by making calculated changes to diet, exercise and lifestyle - without something like a revision. Hormones need to be brought back into balance for proper metabolic response. I do hope you can find resolution.

Hi there, I have a consultation with Dr Ashton at the Healthier Weight Centre in January, my BMI is 36 and I am absolutely set on getting a band. However, my family are not so keen and are constantly trying to put me off. They are saying I am too young to have this done (I'm 30) but if I continue as I am I'm just going to get bigger and bigger. Can someone tell me about their experience is of the band, what happens after it's fitted in terms of what you can eat, discomfort, the impact on your life. can you continue to have a normal social life i.e drink alcohol etc. Can you see where the port is after it's healed, can you feel it under the skin? Are the scars from the surgery big? Sorry for all the questions...

two months should be your minimum. You are too early. Your stomach is not healed (the incision) and if you can picture pouring alcohol on a fresh wound....that's basically what you would be doing. I am a huge wine fan, but even I waited two months (actually 3 but who's counting). Really, it's not a good idea and you also don't know how it will effect you. The last thing you want to do is find out it makes you drunk quickly at a company party!!!!

Does anyone know when it's okay to have alcohol again? Just like a glass a wine or something?

I was told to avoid it the first 6 months. I have found drinking alcohol does guarantee me a STALL...sometimes for up to a week. I try to avoid it now, not just because of the empty cals, but because of the frustrating stalls afterwards.

I have dumping if I eat sugar alcohols or some dairy. I had the sleeve.

College was fine. I had no issues, my professors all let me keep Water and Snacks with me, everyone was understanding, it was actually very easy to maintain my weight there since many college folks are so health-conscious. I stayed away from alcohol for a full year though. It simply wasn't worth it to me to risk permanent damage to my body. Now, I can go out for a night of drinking, but I must give myself lots of time (1.5 hours minimum) to digest food. Mixed drinks take forever because my stomach capacity is small, so I end up pretty much just drinking straight shots, but I pace myself carefully with plenty of time between drinks (and I NEVER MIX CLEARS AND DARKS). If I try to drink too much, I'll vomit. If I mix, I vomit. My sleeve is very good at telling me when enough is enough. Unlike many people, my alcohol tolerance didn't really change, and after all the weight loss, I still don't really feel much of a difference in the amount it takes for me to get a buzz. But enough people have expressed a lower tolerance, so be careful anyhow! Lastly, drinking is seriously overrated. I wouldn't do it too often, sleeve or not. Campus culture can be nuts, and it's not good for your health overall to drink so much. I definitely feel the pressure, so I just limit the nights I'll drink, and encourage my friends to take part in activities outside drinking (bowling, trivia, dancing, etc). Learning to have fun and participate in social activities outside of food/drink has been really helpful!

Before you have gastric bypass they warn you of a few things. 1. You can gain the weight back 2. Alcoholism is a possible side effect after surgery 3. food that used to fill you up or make you sick won't do that as much after awhile 4. Smoking cigarettes causes ulcers post-op My mom always says no matter how much I'm warned - I've always had to learn every lesson the hard way. Gastric bypass was that way too. My story is just a warning for all you newbies out there - all the stuff they warn you about is real. Hey, I'm Kaylee and I had my surgery when I was 20 years old on June 11, 2012. I was 280lbs. In less than 8 months I got down to 150 lbs, 130lbs lost. For the first 9 months I was insanely strict. If it wasn't a lean Protein or a non-starchy vegetable I wouldn't eat it. Couldn't pay me to eat a carb. While this is good health wise and I'm sure made my surgical team sing - it was the start of my inevitable failure. I was so strict that after awhile all the foods I had denied myself even a nibble of became so enticing I felt ravenous. My first screw up was picking up smoking again almost a year after I quit. Pure stupidity, I was just bored and thought I could do it socially, wrong. Got ulcers and have had them for over a year and a half. Without acid reducer pills I'm in a lot of pain. Breaking that golden rule led me to break other rules because hey, I already screwed up right? I started having those forbidden foods I had not allowed myself to even look at for such a long time. Bites turned into mouth fulls turned into plate fulls. Then came introducing wine back into my life. I suffer from depression and when you don't have to put effort into getting drunk anymore it is so appealing. I fought depression with wine and started drinking every single night - going through a box of wine every 3 days or so. I then moved from sunny south Florida, away from all my friends, to cold Missouri in the middle of January 2014. I fell into a deep depression and my drinking got worse, and since I was waiting for all my stuff to arrive in the moving truck I lived off hot pockets, bagels, pretty much anything I could toss in a microwave or toaster. I ate crap, drank daily and smoked like a chimney for pretty much the entire year of 2014, all the while pretending my scale didn't exist and convincing myself my clothes were shrinking and I wasn't getting bigger. I was too ashamed and terrified to look at the scale. I finally got up the courage to face what I had done to myself the start of January 2015 and got on the scale. 204lbs. In the span of one year I had gained 54lbs. I felt disgusted with myself and cried for days and days and beat myself up emotionally. I failed everyone, especially myself. But nothing good comes from beating yourself up over what you cannot take back. I can't take back living on bagels and wine for an entire year. What I can do is fight to get back to 150lbs though. So on January 12 I quit smoking, quit drinking every day and have reduced it to just Saturday's with my boyfriend at home versus my downtown-bad-habit-factory, and have gotten close to back to basics but allow myself some freedom - for example for lunch on days I work out I let myself have my chicken and veggies inside a wrap [carbs are my crack] instead of depriving myself of anything I want. I want very badly to get back down to 150lbs... I'm terrified I never will and have somehow ruined this "one and only chance" I've made up in my head. Like I had this wonderful gift of being thin and now that I messed it up I'll never get it back, but I know that type of thinking won't help me. So I'm going to keep going and hopefully someday get back to it. If you've actually made it this far, thank you, I really needed to get this horrible guilt off my chest. I feel like an absolute failure but getting it out helps. So advice to all you n00bs: 1. Yes you can gain it back, I'm an example. 2. Becoming an alcoholic is a real risk you need to watch out for post op. 3. You will be surprised how much food you can get into your body if you really try 4. If you quit smoking never pick it up again, I didn't even have a desire to smoke and managed to become a pack a day smoker again within a month. Not even one after you quit. And most of all - NEVER EVER stop using your scale. I ignored what I was doing for so long and that's how I ended up gaining the amount I did. If I had just looked a couple months before and saw 175lbs I would've done what I'm doing now back then. I would have never let it get this bad if I had just swallowed my pride and looked. I'm lucky that I caught myself when I did because I was headed towards being morbidly obese again. Good luck to you all - try not to make all the mistakes I did. If my story can prevent one person from making one of my many mistakes I'd be happy.

Thank you for telling us about your struggles. I am struggling with smoking, and I have probably made worse food choices since scheduling my surgery. I also watched my good friend finally lose the weight that he always hated, and seem so happy for many years. Then I watched him become an alcoholic. Then he died when he crashed his motorcycle in a one vehicle accident because he was so drunk. And it does not matter who you are or how much you think you are against these actions. We have badges. I never thought it would be one of us driving drunk. I am so grateful that nobody else was around him to get hurt or killed. I miss him so much still. I know it is wrong, but I just try to forget that he ever existed so his memory cannot hurt me.

I made the decision and was banded in June. I've lost about 35 lbs so far. I am considered a slow loser at 1 lb a week. Probably because I haven't given up alcohol. Just know that the band is simply a tool. You can eat around it and if you don't exercise your weight loss is much slower. I do love my band but I have to constantly remind myself of that because it can be frustrating when you don't feel restriction like you should (don't have enough fill) and don't lose. There is the bad point of that and it does happen. If I were to do thing differently I probably would have paid more attention to how much food I was intaking early on. I seem to be up and down on the scale and its not fun. Best of luck to you with your decision.

Hi Everyone, All addictions have one thing in common- they numb you out to what is happening in the moment. They offer instead, an intense sensory experience which either absorbs all of your attention or distorts reality. You may think you’re having a real moment, but you are not, because your addictive activity, such as food, drinking, or drugs, is actually disconnecting you from your true emotions and, therefore, making it difficult for you to connect with others around you. My food addictions always came along when I am happy or miserable and sometimes bored to death. Then when we get to the time in our lives and we feel like we can never lose the weight because we are so fat, we think what the heck let’s just eat anything and any amount we want, We know honestly that is NOT the answer. “People who are hungry for more real moments often us addiction to get a temporary hit of happiness” But because the feeling of happiness that that we get from our food addiction is only temporary and then it becomes a vicious circle of always eating the wrong things and overeating. So the happiness is only temporary, you can’t feel good without the bad behavior of abusing food. This is how you get hooked into you addictive behavior of using food for comfort. Addictions are so socially acceptable in America that, often people don’t even realize that they have one, especially when it comes to eating food. Food is NOT something that we can simply say I am never going to eat again. If it is an alcohol addiction then you can say—I am never going to drink alcohol again. Food is something that we are going to have to deal with for the rest of our lives. For me I had to make a lifestyle change. It is like going back to school. I had to start reading labels, planning my meal and using a journal and keep track of everything I put in my body. If I didn’t have “bad” foods in my home that would tempt me to eat them—then they would not be a problem. I learned to make healthy choice including snack and what I craved. If it was something sweet like a desert I learned how to make some healthy ones. It take a lot of effort and a immense amount of time, to plan my meals, shop for my food, and read labels and keep track of what I was eating. I know it takes a lot of time to keep a journal, but it will really be helpful to you. I use this site: http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/ . I know there are other sites that people use. Do what works for you when it comes to keeping track of your food. You also need to exercise. Having a food addiction is NOT an easy thing to deal with. Start asking yourself when you want something to eat—do I just WANT this food or do I NEED to eat this food. Most of the time it is you just “want” to eat the food. Find something else to do—like posting on this board and talking with other about their addiction. I wish you nothing but success, but I want you to know that this is something that we all will struggle with. I am here to help in any way I can. Hugs, Suzanne

I posted this in the general food section of the site but thought i would put it here too for my fellow Aussies.. CalorieKing has some good food ideas, i joined up and finally made my way around the site, but you can make up your own menus with their suggested food and it counts the calories for you so basically after you put in your details it calculates what your calory intake should be and works it from there. EG: (First number is cals, 2nd is Kj) Breakfast (x) 3/4 cup of low fat milk, 1% 86 361 (x) 1 cup of Uncle Toby's Fibreplus 106 441 (x) 1 cup, mashed (225g) of Fruit, fresh: banana, raw, edible portion 200 835 Meal Total 392 1637 lunch Load Meal | Save Meal Cals kJ (x) 1 serving, 100g can drained (90g) of John West: Fish, canned: Light Tuna Tempters, Onion & Tomato, Drained 81 340 (x) 3 cracker (3.2g) of Arnott's: Crackers: Jatz 97% Fat Free 39 162 Meal Total 120 502 dinner Load Meal | Save Meal Cals kJ (x) 1 small serving of fruit 50 210 (x) 1 serving of Steamed Fish with Rice and Broccoli (View Recipe) 323 1342 (x) 3 cups of tea or coffee, black 36 162 (throughout day) (x) 1 carton (200g) of Yoghurt: Fruit Flavoured, Fat-Free / Diet, Average All Flavours 94 390 Meal Total 503 2104 Snacks Load Meal | Save Meal Cals kJ (x) 1 tablespoon of peanuts 168 693 (x) 2 cups of popcorn, air-popped 54 225 Meal Total 222 918 Food Total Cals kJ Day Total 1237 5161 This is an example when i was playing around trying to figure it all out.. Then at the bottom after all that it says: You have used 1237 out of your net daily budget of 1470 calories and have 233 calories remaining. 17% of the calories are from fat, 29% from Protein, 54% from carbs and 0% from alcohol. Anyhow i thought it was great and helps when making those choices of what to eat to ensure you arent eating too much or too little.. AUSTRALIA: CalorieKing.com.au - Australian Online Diet and weight loss club. Lose weight for good! AMERICA: CalorieKing - Diet and weight loss. Calorie Counter and more. Shell

I went out to a H.S. reunion on Saturday night, and I had 2 glasses of wine, and sipped on a shot of Jagermeister. At the time, I seemed to stomach the alcohol just fine, and I made sure to have a few sips of Water before bed to wash everything down. I got up on Sunday, and drank some water. But we were going out to eat with some friends, and didn't get to eat until like 1pm. We ate at a hibachi, and I had a couple of pieces of sushi, plus a little bit off my husband's hibachi meal. It should definitely have been enough food to fill me up, but my stomach still felt funny, and my brain interpreted the sensation as hunger. Knowing that I had eaten enough, I didn't allow myself to eat again until around 6:30 pm. So basically I suffered all day with a feeling like hunger, and didn't do anything about it except drink water. Then, at 6:30, I ate dinner, leftovers from my husband's hibachi meal. I ate what I felt should be enough, and then stopped. I was STILL feeling hungry. I waited half an hour, and then ate some low fat ice cream. FINALLY, the feeling of hunger went away. So, my theory is that I had acid stomach and my brain was just reading the signals all wrong, that's why the milk-based ice cream helped. Does this sound like a feasible theory? I'm also concerned, because I feel hungry again all day today. I had my usual Breakfast Protein mix, and then I ate a half of a Panera bagel that someone evilly brought to work... then another half a couple of hours later. Too much food, I know! Am I just worrying too much? Could I have messed up my band that easily?