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Wow! Has it really been that long since I blogged, March 2013! Yes it has been a while. For those of you who do not know me, my name is "Love" and yes I still love my lap band 3 years post op. I am at goal weight and a normal BMI and have successfully maintained that weight for 1 year now. The questions i still get asked are: 1. How much is in you band? ( I have no idea, I have not had a fill since January 2012) 2. How much can you eat? I eat about a cup to a cup to a half of food, Most meals consist of protein and veggies. I am one of those low carb eaters by choice because i still have issues with carbs. One I love them, two they get stuck, and three I lost weight better by eating on the low side. 3. What can you eat? Anything, yes I can eat most foods. The issues for me are, if I chose to eat a slice of pizza it will fill me up much quicker and I will be hunger much sooner. I do eat pizza and small burgers or sandwiches occasionally but it has to be the perfect storm. My band has to be cooperative and I have to be relaxed and take my time. Not the type of foods I eat out in a restaurant. When I eat out I usually eat off the appetizer menu or share with my hubby or friends. I am a cheap date! 4. If you had to do it all over again would you do the surgery again? That would be a big YES, lap band has given me back control over my life and my health. It is true you are what you eat, I eat healthy now and I feel great. 5. Don't you think you are too thin? NO, I am a normal BMI. You are suppose to see my collar bone and I am suppose to be able to feel and see my hip bones. Geez world it is really healthy to be thin. 6. Do you drink protein shakes or eat protein bars? Yes, I still supplement with protein bars and shakes. I do not drink or eat them daily but I always keep a good supply of them around. It took me lots pf trial and error to find protein supplements I like and that taste has changed over the past 3 years. I found the most difficulty finding a protein shake I could stomach the smell and taste of. I personally hated and still do the premixed drinks, too sweet for my taste. I ordered off a bariatric web site in the early days and used a lot of unflavored protein powders. Today, I like Pure Protein, Frosty Chocolate and Vanilla. They are my base and I add flavorings, fruit, peanut butter and ice. I never use milk to mix with unless I am supplementing them as a meal and need the calories. How did I learn to like the powders, it was necessary, I needed to eat between 90-100 gms of protein a day when I was weight training and this was the only way I could get in the necessary protein to build muscle and loss weight. You see I had plateaued for a very long time and still had 30-40 lbs to lose to reach goal. If you eat too little you will not lose weight and your body will stop losing. 7. How long did it take you to lose your weight and how much did you lose? It took me 2 years to reach goal and I lost 132 lbs. I like many of you thought I would have my weight off in a year, boy was I shocked and disappointed when that did not happen. I stalled really bad and stayed the same weight for about 6-7 months right before my 1 year date. 8. Do you exercise? Yes, exercise is key to losing and maintaining weight. These days I am not as aggressive and obsessive as i was when trying to melt off that 132 lbs but I still exercise.You have to really work to find out how your body burns calories and how many you need to maintain. Figuring all this out took me months to figure out. I used a fit bit, my fitness pal and a trainer to help me learn to use my body as a fat burning machine. Fat and muscle weigh the same, a pound is a pound and a pound of muscle does not weigh more than a pound of fat. Use this as your vision, a pound of jello is your fat and a pound of chicken is your muscle. The mass of the jello is greater than the chicken but still weighs the same. That is why when you are exercising and toning you look smaller and the scales my stall. I know silly but so true. Also when you are exercising to build muscle and tone you need to be in your target heart rate to maximize your burn of calories. Losing weight is really a delicate balance of everything and is so much more than just cutting back the calories. 9. Since it took you 2 years to lose the weight why could you not lose it on your own? Well I guess the answer to that is yes, I could have lost the weight on my own without my band but I never, never could have maintained it for a year without my band. I view my band as my safety net, my inner voice, my conscious so to speak. It keeps me focused and honest with my self. I was a closet eater, if no one saw me eat it, it did not count. Sound familiar to anyone? 10. Do you have a lot of excess skin? No, I am fortunate and do not have a lot of excess skin. Do I have a nice tight, firm body. No, I have the body of a 58 year old women who lost 132 lbs and I am very happy with how I look in and out of my cloths. And believe me it has taken me a while to get comfortable with those words. Would I like to have some nips and tucks, yes it would be nice but my WLS does not recommend, At my last visit in June we discussed cosmetic surgery and he informed me that the benefits did not out way the risks for me. My surgery would be completely cosmetic, I have no skin break down or health issues from excess skin. So I am happy with me and my Victoria Secret Boobs! lol 11. Do you consider you are on a diet and do you get tired of watching what you eat? No, I have adopted a healthy life style. Have you ever noticed what skinny people eat, they do enjoy desserts and they do enjoy high calorie foods but they enjoy them in moderation. Moderation and balance is the key to maintaining your weight, learning that your body uses food for fuel and if your intake is lower than your needed use you will gain. So keep moving if you feel the urge to eat. 12; Do you drink while eating? Sometimes but only sips. Fluids fill me up and if I drink while eating I get stuck and PB or slime and neither is pleasant. I do not drink high carbonated beverages, I do have a soda stream and I do drink low carbonated beverages that I make using half a pump of gas I drink these only occasionally when I want to treat myself. 13. Do you drink alcoholic beverages? Yes I do drink Alcohol. I have had several bad experiences with alcohol during this journey and had to learn the hard way that alcohol and weight loss do not mix for me. I always loved martinis but have had to learn that one is not enough and two is too many. So I drink my wine and have an occasional martini on special occasions and savior the entire glass. Remember alcohol is empty calories and has absolutely no nutritious value at all and no a fruity drink is not a substitute for one of your fruits. I do not drink beer, I have tried and for me it is too fizzy and makes my stomach hurt and causes a lot of bloating. 14. Final question, what do you do if you get hungry between meals? Silly question, but here it is. I eat! I try hard not to eat in between meals and to not give into boredom eating or head hungry. I believe in planned snacks. Boredom eating is one of issues that we all have and feel and the sooner you learn to accept and deal with them the better off you will be. We all need to Analyze why we eat and when we eat. i eat when bored and like to snack late at night. So I plan snacks and makes sure they are low in calories or if high in calories they are packed with protein. I do not keep sugary treats around, I keep dark chocolate, protein bars, nuts, peanut butter and bananas, apples and pop corn for snacks. I have to seriously watch the nuts and popcorn and not have them to readily accessible. So this is my life on maintenance, is weight loss easy, NO! Is is worth the effort, YES! Do I love my Band, YES! Would I do it again, YES! Everyone's experience with lap band is different, there are basic rules yes but the key for me was finding out how lap band was going to help me. I honestly do not think about my band these days, it is part of me and how I eat. Small plates and small portions are just how I eat these days. Funny, most of my family now eats off a salad plate these days, I have quilted them into my feelings on why America is fat. Portions... Portion Control and learning to put the fork DOWN and give it 20 minutes before you go back for seconds. I wish all my lap band friends and family success and never compare yourself to others or allow others to make you feel bad about your journey. Me than: Me today:

Yeah, I've been feeling somewhat discouraged. Just came back from my vacation and gained three lbs. probably more from drinking than eating but I was very active, rode my bike every day, so thought I might stay the same or lose a little. Something about drinking any sort of alcoholic drink, and I really don't have very much, just a beet or one or two glasses of wine, makes me bloat up like a Water balloon. I should just avoid my family, their a bunch of sugar junkies and boozers LOL! pre-surgery weight 325; surgery date 2/28/2013; surgery weight 307; 8 weeks past-op weight 281.4; 12 weeks post-op 274; 4 month post-op 266.2; 5 month post-op 262.6

Ima social drinker too and believe me... I will not give that up completely but keep in mind you drop a lot of weight in the beginning and then the rest is entirely up to you with diet and exercise. Alcohol is high in calories, empty calories so you may want to wait a few months out before you drink. Also keep in Mind that you will not be able to drink like you did before... You will be drunk on very little alcohol. It's all crazy bit it will be new beginnings for all of us and skinny at that!

I'm a recovering alcoholic ... do the meetings often. It is easy to get your head spinning with all the changes. It helps to have a program of recovery in place. There is a forum here with cross-addiction threads HERE.

No matter how old I am, I always try to pull it together and look professional at work. Most of the time I succeed. Today I failed. Usually I am the youngest person in the office (really isn’t saying much now that I am in my mid-thirties) which in itself lowers my credibility. The over achiever in me also plays into this. Stress can come at you full force, or in little pieces building up. Effective stress relief is a requirement in life. I am in serious need of finding a new tool. When I was in college, I would hit tennis balls as hard as I could against the backboard. After I hurt my knee, I would go shopping. Then I would have buyers remorse and return stuff. After shopping it was baking and eating it. No chocolate for me today = tears. I saw this coming a few weeks ago when my eyelid twitch returned. The last time I had a twitch I was in college and the doctor’s resolution was to be less stressed. Ha good one! Furloughs…Potential RIF…spouses inconsistent pay…rental house…weight loss…pending surgery…knee pain…work project…3 hours in the ER…then a phone call that resulted in tears. The phone call in itself should not have resulted in me crying, but alas I had reached my breaking point. It is really unfortunate that I work in a cubicle and someone can walk up at anytime, like my boss. Everyday is a new day. Just have to hope tomorrow is a better one. Also need to find a contractor to remove the brick wall from my cubicle. Next up on the to do list: Research stress relief techniques. Need to be prepared next time. Have any suggestions? (Other than food, shopping, or alcohol.)

Alcohol is a big NO-NO if you want ur surgery to be a success.. It not only adds calories but will eventually increase the stomach capacity much more than it should go. So be careful, the side effects are what we want to avert and why we chose plication in the first place... I am 14 months out and can say that the possibility of increased capacity in plication is much more than a sleeve. So, the ball is in our and our hands only. We stay careful- we lose; we let ourselves lose- we gain..why would we want something like alcohol to rule our lives, when life can be much better without it..

Don't know if I would say that exactly, but I do prefer fitting in smaller and smaller clothes. Lol One concern I have about alcohol is my decision making when drinking. I have a very low tolerance to alcohol and have always been a cheap date. :-) I tend to eat when I drink and I'm afraid I would eat the too much or the wrong things and have to suffer the consequences (pain, nausea, vomiting). No thank you!

I truly believe that our brain signals ARE broken, I believe that our chemical approach/desire for food is exactly the same as the alcoholic or the junkies approach/desire/need for their drug. Brain scans have shown that a lot of people with substance abuse problems have an organic deficiency in certain good chemicals so, in a sense, the abuser is actually self-medicating and because the brain is lacking, it interprets it as needing to overdose to make up for the lack - a little dopamine won't do it, they must have lots of dopamine, and more, and more. I think we are the same and someday it will be proven that there is either a chemical deficiency or a mis-wiring of sorts. As for the hunger; pre-op it seemed like I could just never be satisfied, it just never registered, no matter how much volume I ate. I could eat until the point of nausea, until I could literally not put one more bite in my mouth without vomiting, and I still wouldn't feel satisfied. I think that was psychological and that it was head hunger, pre-op style. Now, it is tangibly different, but I still battle the head. Now I may *want* to eat, but any "need" I may have is strictly in my mind ... or is it? I don't know ... I ate normally yesterday, Breakfast, lunch, dinner, but when it got time for dinner I had a green salad with dressing and my hand was shaking on it's way from forking a bite to putting it in my mouth. I ate like someone was going to take it away from me and remained shaky throughout, so what was that all about? If I am very busy I can completely forget/ignore needing food, I have been out with non-op friends gadding about town or hiking and they will mention the need to stop and eat and when I ask why, they look at me and say, "because it's been 8 hours since we ate!" And I just didn't notice. When I am alone though ... food is almost all i think about ... v_v The struggle continues ...

I am hoping never to drink alcohol again because of the calories. My colleagues are frustrated by this development but I prefer being in good health. I would much rather drink a protein shake than alcohol.

I know it is major surgery but it helps to think of what you might be facing down the road if you don't have the surgery. Also ask yourself not only if you can lose the weight but also whether you can keep it off. I was 110 pounds when I went off to college. When I got married 3 years later I was 122. I got up to 150 and then went on a diet and lost down to 102. Then I gained to about 125 or 130 until I got pregnant - miscarried and got up to 140. Finally had my daughter at 29 years old and went up to 182 and would eventually get down to 172 when my daughter was about 6. Then I had an alcoholic abusive boyfriend. I got up to 185 again and then before I left four years later I was up to about 212. Then I was on my own and got up to 239. Then I had surgery for sleep apnea and then I lost down to about 180 again. I was up to 242 again two or three years later. Then I went down to 172 again and then had another bad relationship and then moved and then I GOT BIT BY A RACOON and got rabies shots. It was a very stressful time, then I went back up to 240 before I had my sleeve surgery. What finally convinced me is when I started having knee problems and could no longer walk without pain. As long as it was just worsening asthma or feeling tired it didn't seem like such a problem. I was told I might need knee replacement surgery and it would cost at least $45,000 and I felt like the price tag for the sleeve and the shorter recovery time made it a better option. Also remember that even surgeries like tonsillectomies and appendicitis operations can have complications like blood clots, infections and bad reactions to anesthetic.

After a tremendous amount of research on the Gastric Band and Sleeve I decided to get sleeved. After going through all the approval processes, I was sleeved on May 24, 2013. I was super excited and looking forward to the new "thin" me!! After surgery the Doctor said everything went just as planned. I was feeling very nauseous and sick. I felt like my head was going to come off.. the doctors said I might be going through caffeine withdrawl?? I asked for pain medicine... they said they were waiting on my doctor to prescribe that. I asked for something for nausea and one nurse gave me alcohol pads to smell.. it actually worked. I was in a lot of pain and finally had my friend who is a nurse call the hospital and find out what was going on. The night nurses were clueless... they gave me water with a straw when I told them I had sore throat... they brought me Tylenol pills to swallow when I asked for pain meds... I told them I couldn't have that... even on the wall it said "ice chips only". They said they would cut the pill in fourths if I wanted them smaller. Again, I had done a lot of research and I knew what I could and couldn't have. My doctor came back to the hospital at 10pm because someone finally got ahold of him and told him what was going on.. he was very upset at the hospital personnel. I so sick and in pain that my doctor ordered a swallow test to make sure that the sleeve was done correctly. That test turned out good. The next day was Saturday, I was still sick and nauseous and for some reason my kidney's shut down. Not good.. and I was still so sick. On Sunday, the kidneys started working again.. thank God! I was very sick but ready to go home. I was released on Monday. I was weak and couldn't wait to get home. My next follow-up appointment with my doctor was the next Thursday. I was still feeling nauseous but I could keep down popsicles and water. At my appointment I showed my doctor a HUGE bruise on my stomach. It was as black as dark grapes and as big as a cantaloupe. I could tell my doctor was surprised. All he said was "that's were you bled out". He told me not to be concerned. By the weekend, I was puking up stomach bile and couldn't even keep down water. I called his office and he told me to come in on Monday. On Monday, he admitted me to the hospital. His exact words to me were "You look like hell". I was dehydrated, weak and nauseous. It was horrible. In the hospital they did another swallow test and an MRI. Swallow test went well... the MRI showed I had a HUGE Hematoma in my stomach. I was 15 inches long. It was bigger than any of my organs... the doctor said this is what was making me so sick. So, they put a drain in and sent me home. I felt ok for about two days then the puking and nausea started again. I was readmitted to the hospital the following Monday for dehydration and nausea. Another MRI showed that the drain was not in the hematoma anymore and the blood was still about 12 inches long. Apparently, all the heaving and puking had moved it. The doctors put two more drains in and after a few days sent me home. After about two days, I was puking and couldn't keep anything down again. After the following week I was readmitted to the hospital for surgery to remove the hematoma. By this time, the hematoma had "jellied" and the doctor said he got out most of it but not all. He said he would literally have to scoop it out with his had to get it all. What was left was like trying to slurp Jello through a straw. The next week I was back in his office still sick and nauseas. Through the whole process I had tried all types of medicine to help with the nausea. I had to wear a patch behind my ear and my two weeks vacation from work turned into a six week sick leave. It took me six weeks to work through the nausea and dehydration. It was a horrible experience and every day I wished I wouldn't have had the surgery. Night and day puking stomach bile was a nightmare. Since surgery I have lost 41 pounds... I love losing the weight and how it makes me feel. I feel tremendously better and have put the six weeks behind me and choose not to dwell on the negative. The weight loss is super slow right now and that is kind of frustrating. However, I've never lost 41 pounds in 14 weeks before so I'll take it. I've been reading about stalls so I know this his normal and the weight loss will continue... I will reach my goal eventually!!! I do appreciate that my doctor did all he could to make me feel better.. I don't blame him for what happened. I am greatfull to finally be feeling like a human again. Would I choose surgery if I know what I know now.. I am not sure?? It was the worst 6 weeks of my life... and I really felt like I was going to die. When I reach my goal I might have another opinion.. maybe it will be worth it... we will see. Nothing that's worth it is ever easy!! If you haven't had the surgery yet, do your research. Mistakes can happen... you need to be prepared and keep in touch with your doctor daily if needed. My doctor texted me almost daily to see how I was doing. Good Luck to everyone!!!

My husband and I are going to Hawaii in October. We have never been there before. I was sleeved Aug 15th, I will be about 8 weeks post op then. I am still on soft foods, having trouble getting my water and protein minimums. I am very nervous about being a "downer" when it comes to eating and drinking (alcohol). Really want to have a great time. Plan on hiking, visiting memorial, shopping and of course the beach. We will be going to Oahu. Any recommendations on local food choices or just how to survive and still have fun would be appreciated! Thank you. HW: 276 SW: 257 cw: 241

The hospital I had my surgery just had a support group meeting talking about alcohol and they basically said what you said, if you are going to have a drink, don't drive. They said because we are bypass the rule changes from one drink an hour to one drink every 2 hours and even if you don't feel drunk it stays in your blood stream so if you get pulled over you will probably blow high enough to get a DUI. They also told a story about a woman who had a drink, thought she was fine and killed a pedestrian, so definitely not worth the risk! I know you already answered your question but just wanted to re-affirm for you!

I am going to answer my own question.....I found a medical study that was done and they drank 5oz of wine and on average it took 108 minutes for the alcohol to leave the blood stream, but it also said it really matters if you are drinking on an empty stomach and within the 1st year after surgery which both can mean it will take even longer to leave your blood stream. The 108 minute average was based on both male and female who were over a year postop. It can also greatly affect your blood sugars if you are not used to it or drink a lot. After reading the article I have decided that since I do not have a ride, I am not going to risk it and I will just order something without alcohol and enjoy the conversation instead

Does anyone know how long the effects of alcohol stay in your blood stream after gastric bypass? I can't remember and I am going out for an after work drink next week with some co-workers and wondering how long I should wait to drive. I know that normally it is a drink an hour, but not sure if that is the same after surgery. I am 8.5 months out and will probably drink a glass of wine which I have tried and can tolerate fine.

My doctor told me 6 months. I had my first drink at 7 months, a beer, and it was ok, the carbonation of it made me feel a little bloated, but I could drink it, just took a while. Now at 8.5 months out I drink the occasional glass of wine and I am fine, I do feel drunk very fast, usually 1/2 a glass and it hits me, lasts a little bit and goes away....Be very careful since even though it wears off and you feel fine, your blood still has alcohol in it and you can easily get a DWI when you feel fine. I went to a party about 5 weeks ago celebrating a friends engagment and I drank, probably the most I have since surgery and I did fine, but planned a ride home. I had about 4 drinks the whole night. Just remember people get addicted very easy after surgery, so don't make it a habit! I would go off what your doctor tells you and follow that advice. I hope you are doing well!

For those who drink...how far out from surgery did u start drinking again?

quick question - are you eating anything like Atkins Bars? or anything with sugar alcohols in them? I was losing fine, then I started adding in an Atkins Bar a day or even 1/2 of one, and my weight stalled out for almost 3 weeks. I finally realized maybe it was the Atkins - so I cut them out, and holy crap did the weight start falling off again! So maybe if you are doing any bar supplements or something like that, give them up for a week and see how it goes?

Lately, I’ve been thinking about judgments & why people feel compelled to judge others. People post a lot here about feeling judged by friends and family members for deciding to have surgery, or feeling judged by skinny people for being fat in the first place. Personally, I have been fortunate that not one single negative word has been said to me with regards to having surgery. My family and friends have all been very supportive. Intellectually, I know I am (or have been) judged negatively by other people for my weight, but I honestly don’t usually notice those judgments. If I do happen to notice or feel judged by somebody, I don’t generally internalize the judgment and allow it to continue to affect me. But it seems to me that there is also a fair amount of judgment happening among members of the WLS community. Sometimes it’s subtle and sometimes it quite overt, but it’s all judgmental bulls**t that says more about the person making the judgment than it does about the person being judged. Here are just a few judgments I have observed being made here and elsewhere among members of the WLS community. Some of these judgments have been directed at me, some I’ve observed in others, and one or two I am guilty of making. Everyone who needs/wants WLS has a food addiction or depression or very low self-esteem. If you say you don’t, then you are either lying or in denial. People who go to Mexico for surgery are less prepared mentally and emotionally than those who have surgery in the US. My surgeon does things the “right” way. If your surgeon tells you something different, he/she is wrong and I am justified in telling you to ignore your surgeon’s instructions. People who slip up on the preop diet are not ready for surgery and will likely fail. People who do not follow instructions to the letter in the first couple of months post-op are not committed to the process and will likely fail. People who do not commit wholeheartedly to an exercise plan postop are not committed to the process and will likely fail. People who drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or smoke weed postop are not committed to the process and will likely fail. People who come here posting questions without first searching for the answer are dumb or lazy. People who credit their faith with helping them get through this process are annoying and should not talk about their faith in relation to WLS. People who are atheist or agnostic are missing the most important part of life and should be pitied. People who have plastics after WLS are vain. People who struggle to put their own needs ahead of others aren't trying hard enough or valuing themselves enough. I’m sure other folks can think of more, and there is also a whole raft of judgments that we frequently make against ourselves. The point is that none of these judgments are true and none of these judgments are supportive or helpful in any way. We all have our own path to travel, and I believe we each generally do the best we can at any given time. At various times, my “best” will be better than some and not nearly as good as others, and that’s true for everybody. I don’t know if judging others is a way to feel better about ourselves, or just a bad habit we fall into, but it certainly does seem to come naturally to us. In my opinion, reaching out for support is a healthy, intelligent, and wise thing to do. Let’s try to respect the courage it takes to be here, and check our judgments at the door.

First time I heard of the sleeve causing gout and I have done a lot of research in the past 2 yrs. my husband has gout. If you are put on the right medications you will be fine. It is caused from high uric acid. He was told no alcohol or organ meats. He is not a drinker so that is not a problem. Did you dr say it was related to the surgery?

Hi chrissy we, ve already been chatting but to let other fellow brits know, i, m 6 days post op and 16 lbs down including pre op diet I, m a northern girl lol and had my surgery done at thornbury hospital Sheffield although all my other pre and follow up consultations Will be at the nhs northern General hospital with my surgeon dr patel. My post op diet is 3 days liquid followed by 3 weeks pureed then soft/mushy and crispy. Then stage 4 is solid textured diet 3-6 months after my sleeve, I guess I will know through triel and error when my stomach is ready for this stage. Dr advice is no alcohol for 12 months post surgery but I know some drs in America say 6 months, I know I will attempt a small glass of wine around Christmas, which will be about 5 months post op, I may find I no longer desire a drink, but I do like a glass with Christmas dinner so i, m not depriving myself lol.

Hey girl! I feel you. My surgeon told me no alcohol for 6 months but seems it's because of calories rather than safety. I'm 7 weeks out and I've tried wine, beer and liquor (I've told y'all I'm a rule breaker....but I'm 100% honest with my support group and medical team) and beer was by far the worst. I mean two drinks and I was hurting.... thik it's the carbonation. Wine and liquor I did fine with but I'm VERY careful about the amount and I drink extra water. Good luck!

Hey girl! I feel you. My surgeon told me no alcohol for 6 months but seems it's because of calories rather than safety. I'm 7 weeks out and I've tried wine, beer and liquor (I've told y'all I'm a rule breaker....but I'm 100% honest with my support group and medical team) and beer was by far the worst. I mean two drinks and I was hurting.... thik it's the carbonation. Wine and liquor I did fine with but I'm VERY careful about the amount and I drink extra water. Good luck!

I was told no alcohol for a year

I am 8 months post op and have been at a stall for 2 months. So, i finally made an appointment to see the bariatric surgeon to find out what is going on. I saw him today. It was very interesting. Thought I'd share. He basically told me that the sleeve is working just fine, but my diet needs work. He told me that most of what I was taught about the diet is wrong. His recommendations FOR ME are: Protein first, but get all protein from fresh sources no Protein shakes NO DAIRY NO ALCOHOL No beef Jerky no cheese sticks only really "good" quality cheeses in limited amounts only a bariatric Multivitamin (no other supplements needed) first thing in AM- a big glass of Water daily breakfast- coffee and a piece of fresh fruit lunch- a great big salad dinner anything fresh and lots of fish. My exercise regimen is ok Im gonna start going to weekly educational/support meetings with weekly weigh ins. I got a copy of his new book and so far it is really good. it is available on Amazon. "Ultimate gastric sleeve success: a practical patient guide to help maximize your weight loss results" by Dr. Duc C. Vuong" ...feeling hopeful