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Tips for Beating the Flu <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> With the shortage of flu shots this season, here's an alternative. <o:p></o:p> Think about it, when you go for a shot, what do they do first? Clean your arm with alcohol. Why? Because alcohol kills germs. <o:p></o:p> So...... <o:p></o:p> <LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6">Walk to the liquor store (exercise) <o:p></o:p><LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6">Put lime in your <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Corona</st1:City></st1:place> (fruit) <o:p></o:p><LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6">Celery in your Bloody Mary (veggies) <o:p></o:p><LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6">Drink on the bar patio (fresh air) <o:p></o:p><LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6">Get drunk, tell jokes, and laugh (eliminate stress) <o:p></o:p> Then pass out (rest). <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The way I see it, if you keep your alcohol levels up, flu germs can't get you!!!!

My dr told me that alcohol was a serious no-go post op. She literally described it as becoming as addictive as CRACK because of the way the body processes it (post bypass)... was she exaggerating?

Evo, there is a 105 lb difference in the numbers you posted. Either there is a typo or you lost 100 pounds and didn't realize it. Alcohol is empty calories. You are not going to lose weight pounding beers. A friend of mine had bypass; lost obscene weight and gained it all back with the help of Budweiser. If you're going to drink, drink something stronger so that it doesn't take as many to get a buzz.

I have the same problem. I now limit myself to 1 (large) glass a night when I want it, but I go into it telling myself that I'm only allowing myself to drink because I will NOT allow myself to eat after consuming alcohol. I eat dinner before, and nothing after alcohol. thats my rule..out works for me

Though not an alcoholic, wine is my downfall. I drink too much in the evenings... And then I get hungry. (Something about white wine, though dry, that sparks my sugar/hunger levels....) Then, because my inhibitions are lowered, I eat things I should not. I know banding is a tool that can help control appetite and aid weight loss..... How will I handle giving up the wine??

I don't think there's much to learn from this 4 year old blog. It's pretty obvious that one should get rid of their psychological problems before having surgery. Not only do they stand to mess up (counteract) their surgery but complicate any revision if possible. It takes willpower to transition to that, I just find it easy given the health problems I have and the desire to be healthy again drowning out any voices of wanting to eat crap. One has to treat the addition like life and death and take control of it, not to mention change their mindset about food as something of comfort to something only essential for survival. It's not easy for many people, which is why they go down the road of eating crap early on post-op and wind up screwing up their WLS. Hell, how often do we see alcoholics on the verge of their liver being cirrhotic not stop? Sometimes people are just too far gone to help, and certainly some of those people are here, they won't learn, and they're destined for failure. Addicts also tend to lash out when people confront them with the harsh reality of life decisions.

I'm Post Op Gastro and wanted to know who's had alcohol or mixed drinks. If so, what agreed with your tummy and what didn't. Thanks - dz

As long as your in weight loss mode your shouldnt drink. Alcohol reduces an enzime in your body required to breakdown the fat you want to lose for 3 days. That's right one drinks significantly reduces your weight loss for 3 days. In essence, slows your weight loss down to half. Personally I dont think 20 year olds have enough experience in life to handle the mental pressure of bariatric surgery. I know I would not have for exactly what your concerned about, drinking. Good luck on your journey. Also leaving your comfort zone 3 days after surgery would not be my first choice.

Hey, who drinks what when they go out with friends, like what non alcoholic drinks do you order at the bar? Are fizzy drink off the menu for life? Thanks Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I never told anyone other than immediate family.... I go out with my friends, people from work all the time...while they are devouring greasy burgers, etc, I am very picky about what I eat, and go for the healthiest choices I can. Plus I eat like a bird. If the menu has nothing but junk like a lot of chains do, then I eat nothing...and I will tell the people I'm with why the menu is not good......I also stopped eating meat after lap band surgery. And I am one who would eat an entire large pizza at a sitting...now I wouldn't (couldn't) touch it... You will be surprised at the respect you will get from people...you will be one of the unique ones..admired for taking control of your life, being health conscious, more active with a exercise routine, looking at life from a different angle. And, when the weight starts to come off, it only multiplies. The lap band forced me to change my lifestyle, but no one needs to know that...I am after all the one getting educated and making the healthy choices. As far as alcohol, well that's a hot topic around here....listen to your Dr.

I eat out all the time w/ hubby or alone. I never seem to have any issues ordering. if I'm w/ hubby, we split a meal, I ask for my own plate. He lets me choose what were gonna eat, based on what i find that has the most Protein. i too find that the appetizers are not much in protein and are often deep fried. (I try to stay away from all fried foods and foods w/ sauces) If i'm out shopping and need to eat something, I often stop in at a taco place and get a chicken soft taco, ask for a fork, throw out the shell and just eat the inside. (it's like a cheap chicken salad) and I'm full when I'm done. or, if there is a subway in the area, i'll just ask for some tuna. Cost's me either $1.00 or $1.50 and that's a cheap lunch too, and I'm full from that lil cup of tuna. i try not to pay for things i'm not going to eat, so just ask and they will often accomodate you. When i was at a casino at the coast recently....i went to the restaurant and asked for a small side order of crab. I told them about 1/4 cup was all i wanted. They charged me $3.00 for the side of crab and it was loaded w/ protein. see what I mean....be creative....it works. you will lose the most amount of weight in your 1st 6 months.......so I am staying away from most all foods like sauces, potatoes, candy, chips, alcohol, beads, Pasta, (carbs in general) trying to mostly only eat protein foods. Best of luck to you.... It's not hard at all, you just need to be creative sometimes. just because it comes that way, you don't have to eat it. I also have a "medical card" issued from my surgon, allowing me to order 'child portions" from a menu. I've only had to pull it out once when they told me that was intended for children under 12.......lol ...... it worked!

You did the right thing. Sounds like he's picking up right where he left off from when drinking before... Yes, i'm married to an alcoholic...He is a hard working, ethical, responsible, loving person but he is an alcoholic. THat's hard to say, and most people would never DREAM that I or him have this problem. He does not beat me mentally or physically when drinking but boy does it get on my nerves...He's a daily drinker of beer and on an occasion drinks Jim Beam. THat's the part i hate, the Jim Beam...I left for a year and a half because he used to drink and start bitching but he learned to not do that now... I love him and it's sad. It has started to affect his liver, he says he's getting ready to quit (right before he pops the top on another cold one), maybe he will maybe he won't i can't control that. All i can do is watch and wait and see. I pray he does soon. People who know him at work would really be surprised that he can be as high functioning as he is if they were to see him this next weekend...Take care...

Interesting article in the Toronto Star today. BATTLING OBESITY TheStar.com - Health - `Only way' to freedom `Only way' to freedom After desperate bids to lose weight, at nearly 400 pounds Barrie mom took life-saving step Feb 02, 2007 04:30 AM Karen Bridson-Boyczuk Special to The Star Rating her pain level at an eight out of 10 between morphine shots, Barrie resident Rachel Buttery sits in her Michigan hospital bed and says she doesn't miss food yet. A day after undergoing gastric bypass surgery, the 33-year-old, 393-pound mother of two says she's just thrilled that she will, no doubt, finally be able to keep her New Year's weight-loss resolution this year. Ontario's provincial health insurance paid the $24,000 (U.S.) cost of her surgery because of long waiting lists here and the deteriorating state of her health. Buttery's surgery, on Jan. 3, involved creating a tiny pouch out of the top of her stomach and attaching it to her large intestine, completely bypassing the rest of her stomach and her small intestine. "They keep bringing me different kinds of broth and Jell-O, but I'm partial to the ice chips," says Buttery, who admits it was her addiction to food that led her down the road to morbid obesity. "I'm sure I will miss food eventually. But there's nothing I can eat that would be better than doing what I'll be able to do when I lose weight." At five-feet nine-inches tall, Buttery's Body Mass Index is off the charts at 61. A normal body mass index is between 18.5 and 24.9. A person who has a BMI of 30 or more is considered obese. Buttery has a degenerating left hip and must undertake more than an hour of walking in the morning to become fully mobile. Her blood sugar levels are at the high normal range – not diabetic, yet, her doctors say, but getting toward Type II diabetes. She has an enlarged spleen and an enlarged and fatty liver and she suffers from sleep apnea, a condition where her airway becomes obstructed when she sleeps, cutting off air flow and periodically choking her. Surprisingly, her blood pressure and cholesterol levels remain fine. But as her husband Paul Buttery says, that's for now. "She's fairly healthy, but how long will that last?" he says. Her surgeon, Dr. Tallal Zeni, says Buttery's excessive weight is life-threatening. "If she doesn't lose weight, there's a high risk of other medical problems all coming together to shorten her lifespan." A person with a BMI of 40, where morbid obesity starts, is more than two and a half times more likely to die than someone with a healthy BMI. Obesity has been linked to various cancers, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and depression. Buttery's fight with weight began in childhood and, after the birth of her first daughter 11 years ago, it slowly climbed, hitting its peak of 399 pounds this September. Since then, her life has increasingly been affected by her weight. "If you go to a friend's house, you think, `Okay, what can I sit on that won't break?' You worry about fitting through the turnstiles in stores. At restaurants, you can't sit in a booth. When you get into somebody's car, you pray to God the seatbelt is going to fit." No longer able to fit into airline seatbelts, even with the belt extension, Buttery turned to bus travel with her family a few years ago. But even that proved uncomfortable. Buttery spent hours unable to urinate on a 13-hour trip to Cincinnati in 2003 because she couldn't fit into the bathroom at the back of the bus. One option was surgery to reduce her stomach to a pouch that holds just under an ounce of food. But the decision wasn't made easily. First, she says, she worked very hard to lose the weight on her own. In the past five years alone, Buttery has joined the Weight Watchers program on four occasions and lost varying amounts each time. With the help of a personal trainer, with whom she worked for a year, Buttery managed to lose 32 pounds. Lifting weights, walking on the treadmill, counting her points, Buttery was moving in the right direction, says GoodLife Fitness trainer Shelly McNamee. "But her emotional attachment to food and the extreme stress that she was under in her life kept sending things out of whack," McNamee says. She was upset to hear Buttery had gained back the weight she'd lost, plus another 30-odd pounds since they stopped working together a year ago. Gaining back the lost weight, and then some, is typical for most dieters and often a key factor in how people manage to sink further into obesity, says Zeni, who performed Buttery's three-hour surgery at St. Mary Mercy Hospital. "With traditional medical weight loss, we see successful, long-term weight loss in just 1 to 2 per cent of patients," he says. "But with this surgery, we have an 80 per cent success rate five to 10 years out." But there are risks. The laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass – the kind of stomach-reducing surgery recommended for Buttery – has a fatality rate of one in 200, the risk of bowel leakage and potentially fatal blood clots, and a six-week recovery time. "It's not a surgery one should go into lightly," Zeni says. "But for people who are trying to lose weight and have other medical problems, it's the only way to get the weight off and keep it off." Zeni stresses it is not a magic bullet. "You've got to be committed to it for the long-term," he says. "Everybody is going to lose weight for the first year and a half (on average, 70 per cent of the excess weight is lost by this point), but you want it to be successful over a lifetime." For many, Zeni says, dieting and exercise alone just can't get people to where they want to be. "Once you get to a level of morbid obesity, for whatever reasons – genetics, metabolic rate, appetite – maintaining the weight loss is just unsustainable." That was Buttery's story. Now recovering at home from her operation, she says she saw surgery as her only way out. After having no trouble sticking to her diet and exercise plans for weeks and sometimes months on end, Buttery would find something in her life would go wrong and her fitness regimen would begin to unwind. "Any time I get stressed, that's what I do. I eat," she says. "And nine times out of 10, I don't even realize I'm doing it. I'd just go to the fridge and I'd just start grazing." It also hasn't helped having a husband who is a professional chef and loved to "love her with food," and thinks she looks no different than the day he met her when she was 17, Buttery says. Food produces a euphoric haze for her, like a drug, she says. "But food is the one thing you can't take away. You don't need alcohol to live, or drugs or cigarettes. But you can't not eat." Meanwhile, some people in Buttery's life feel she's taking the "easy way out." They point to such high-profile gastric bypass patients, like singer Carnie Wilson, who have gained back a surprising amount of weight given the medically reduced size of their stomachs. Zeni says this can be a result of the stomach being stretched out again by food, by the connection between the stomach pouch and intestines stretching out to accommodate more food or because of other unknown factors. "Some people are eating 1,000 calories a day after the surgery and they are still not losing, even when the pouch has not stretched," he says. "So there's more to it than we know at this time." Ten per cent of patients will gain back about one-third of the weight they initially lost, while another 10 per cent will gain back more than that, Zeni says. "It's not 100 per cent. But compared to traditional medical weight loss, it's really excellent. Ultimately, those who are successful still maintain less than 1,400 calories a day and (continue to) exercise." According to a 2004 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, gastric bypass surgery cures diabetes in 77 per cent of cases, cures or improves high blood pressure in 78 per cent of patients and ends sleep apnea for 86 per cent of patients, Zeni says. Buttery approached the Ontario health ministry last fall to get it to pay for her to have the surgery in the United States. Waiting lists to have the surgery in Canada are, for certain surgeries, several years long. Ultimately, Buttery's stomach will be able to hold about two to three ounces of food at time. But she says she's not worried about how she will cope when life gets difficult and she simply can't eat a whole box of chocolates, as she had in the past. "I've been reading a book on food addiction and I've got a support group I can go to in Barrie," she says. Between that, the four hours of nutritional counselling she received through Zeni's office and the help of her husband, who has vowed to cook up healthy foods from now on, Buttery says she's got the support she needs. She removed some serious stressors in her life, she says. Worry that she's set a bad example for her daughters has also fuelled her drive to make this work, Buttery says. "I've got to stop the cycle." For now, she's focused on how much fun she'll have with her family. "I'll be able to go horseback riding and swimming," she says. "I've got pages of stuff I've not been able to do in years. I haven't been able to go on a roller-coaster ride in years. I used to be a real roller-coaster junkie."

I was told no sodas because it can cause erosion of the band. I just had a fill yesterday, now I am at 6cc in a 10cc band. So far so good, but then again I am only aloud liquiquids, so it's kinda hard to tell if the fill is working yet I guess. But I would def, stop the sodas and I was told alcohol can irritate the band for some people to. I am a wine drinker myself, but haven't had the nerve yet to have a glass since my surgery. Good luck to ya.

:bow: :bow: No, I don't drink at all (alcohol, that is), but I LOVE gadgets, etc. Anything that comes in a set of 4-6 had to be for some sort of food/drink related thing. If they weren't drink markers I was going with some sort of origami napkin ring type thing... lol Bring on the puzzles!! P.S. PnP - I got to your puzzle thread late - don't stop!! I can't decipher the Eminem license plate (stuck on LR), but I'm ready for the next one!!

I live in OHIO and am having my surgery done in Mexico. Even if I have to go back there for fills, it will be less expensive than having it done here. I look at the price tag as an advance on all the money I won't be speding on food, alcohol, diet coke, and fat lady clothes. Considering I eat out at least once a day-I should be about even in a year! I am not trying to downplay the costs-I had to borrow against my retirment, but I refuse to put myself off any longer. I would take a second job, do a home equity, beg or borrow from relatives--ANYTHING. I have spent two months researching the foreign doctors and truly believe we are going to see more and more of this. Our American doctors are forced to spend so much on malpractice insurance--I don't blame them, but I'm not playing that game. I also have some risk factors-but nothing losing the weight won't cure. GO FOR IT-make it happen yourself and quit being at the mercy of the health care system!!

If you eat a balanced varied diet your shouldn't need to be cleaned out... Your body will do that one it's own and I bet if you asked....most bandsters living a good bandster life will tell you that part of their life has changed dramatically since being banded.... I am regular, more frequent, and have very normal looking movements because I am not eating fatty foods, drinking alcohol and have an overall balanced diet.

Terry, that is pretty typical with alcohol.

Movin on I can definitely relate to you right now. I had my surgery on the 7th so we are pretty close. Tonight my husband will bring home Taco Bell for himself and my daughter. I'd about kill for real food right now but instead am still on Clear Liquids until tomorrow and then will only be on Protein Shakes three times a day until Friday when I can transition to soft foods. I also had a VERY close relationship with food. I love my carbs and I love the taste of food period! So much so that two full plates was within my range of consumption and hence why I am where I am today. Part of this process is that we have to change the way we look at food. Change our entire relationship with food. Eating has become such a pleasurable thing for us that it has become unhealthy. Much like an alcoholic, some people can drink and not have it interfere with their lives, others can't. We are like those people. It's a difficult thing to digest (no pun intended). Add to that the depressive aspects of surgery, general anesthesia and pain medications and things aren't looking too cheery right now. All I can recommend is to try and keep focused on the big prize and not the immediate gratification that food offers us. We will eventually be able to eat food again (yes even peach cobbler on occasion) but we will eat very differently than we used to in terms of both quantity and quality. We will eat healthier and be healthier as a result. We will love what we see in the mirror instead of loathing it. We won't have to struggle to get off a couch or be ashamed of our size for any reason. This period of time (the first month) is probably the most difficult for us. Hang in there, hook up with other people who were banded in February (there is a great group of people in the February 08 support group), who can relate to what you are going through. We will both get through this while enjoying sunny Florida!!! Hugs!

I don't think that the alcohol will be an issue at all. As long as you stick to real moderation, you don't have to worry about it affecting your weight or impacting your liver in any lasting way. The smoking is a bigger issue. It really is strongly, strongly recommended that you not smoke for at least four weeks before surgery. While even a couple of days of not smoking produces some benefits (reduced carbon monoxide levels, for example), quitting for less than 4 weeks before surgery may actually increase respiratory risk from anesthesia. I know this sounds insane, but it makes sense if you consider that when you stop smoking, your lungs increase their production of mucus as they heal. These extra secretions help you hack out the crud from smoking----and in the long term are beneficial. But they're not beneficial if you are combining them with anesthesia, abdominal pain that prevents coughing to clear the secretions, and so on. Smoking 2 weeks before surgery really ups your risks. Quitting for 2 weeks before just isn't enough. I'm a former smoker, and know that drinking and smoking often go hand in hand; when I quit smoking, I had to give up drinking for quite a while. If you can't separate the two, that'd probably be the safest route for you to take.

Thanks for the replies. :thumbup: I knew the alcohol would be less likely a problem. The smoking thing I was more curious about, and your response, Besty, is dead-on for a habitual smoker. I come from that rare breed where for me it really is a social drug just like alcohol, though, so I don't have the build-up of lung damage from smoking. I don't know how fast lung damage occurs from it, but I'm guessing it's not too much from 4-5 cigs/day for 4 days. :thumbup: For perspective, IF I do smoke over this trip, it will only be the second time in 2010 that I've smoked at all. I don't get out a lot, LOL! So I'm not worried about going through hacking or withdrawal or any of that. Your comment does tell me what the surgeon is concerned about regarding smoking, though, which is helpful. I wasn't sure if it was because of the nicotine possibly constricting blood vessels, or what. I'll ponder how the information might apply in my case as a very infrequent social smoker. :smile: I know that the cigs and alcohol aren't necessary to have fun.... If that was the case, I'd only be having fun a few times a year, and that certainly isn't true! It's pretty much something I only do around a particular group of friends, and I don't see them often. Now I think I'm probably more concerned about not stopping my BC early enough.... heheh

My Dr advised no drinking the first six weeks and suggests no alcohol at all due to empty calories and carbonation in beer and champagne but didn't say its banned all together.. I'd ask your Dr directly about this though!

I just wanted to post these because I just realized today that I am just "before I am half way" to goal. The Promises If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us — sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them. The Promises; Alcoholic Anonymous (‘The Big Book’) pages 83 – 84 The Hidden Promises And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone-even alcohol. For by this time sanity will have returned. We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot flame. We react sanely and normally, and we will find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it. We are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptation. We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality—safe and protected. We have not even sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us. We are neither cocky nor are we afraid. That is how we react so long as we keep in fit spiritual condition. The Hidden Promises; Alcoholic Anonymous (‘The Big Book’) pages 84 – 85

YES....they attacked me! Believe it! I only weigh in when I go to my doctor, which is ever 2-4 weeks. I have only been banded a little over a month, so I am still trying to guage how this will work for me and the amount that I can expect to lose. I went in for my first fill and my total loss since banding was ONLY 10 lbs! I knew what was to blame.....it wasn't my effort....my eating.....my band....it was a margarita and a mojito. I decided to go out to dinner the night before my appointment to celebrate with a friend. I am not a bi drinker, but I will have drinks on occasion and this time, I wasn't thinking very clearly. I know that alcohol makes me retain water like CRAZY! BAD IDEA....really bad idea. According to my Endocrinologist, I had lost 20 lbs since January. According to my at home scale, I had lost 25 lbs from my heaviest, so to see a 10 lb loss was deflating to my ego. Any other time, I would have been beside myself to lose 10 lbs in 4 weeks, but I just expected more. WHY IS THAT STUPID NUMBER SO IMPORTANT TO US? My clothes fit better. Everyone I know says I look like I have lost weight, but it's the scale's opinion I trust....WHY? I have another fill on 4/18/2010.....we'll see what happen then. No more margaritas or mojitos....for a really long time! MORAL OF THE STORY.........Don't drink and weigh-in.

I still drink about the same amount as before, only I don't drink beer anymore. If I have a vodka and tonic, I add lots of ice to knock the bubbles out. Also, I put less vodka in (like only one shot) and more tonic, mostly so I can have more drinks. Haven't had any bad effects. Just keep in mind if you are drinking and eating, too, the alcohol could affect you food judgments. Just take care. And have fun!