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IIRC, rapid weight loss can lead to gall bladder disease, so if there are pre-existing GB issues, some surgeons remove the GB at around the same time as doing the surgery. Again from what I remember, the number of people who get gall bladder problems with WLS is about 1/3, and there are a few things you can do to "stack the deck" a little if you don't have your GB out at the time of surgery. I posted those in another thread, but they include coffee (obviously decaf at first), fruits and veggies (when cleared to eat them), low-fat diet, slower weight loss, and (oddly) moderate alcohol consumption. I'm not a doctor tho... talk to your doc if you have questions :cursing:

My understanding is that 2-3 days a week of strength training is a healthy place to start in your lifting. Some of he seasoned lifters are training 5-6 days a week. That is not for me yet. Do you have any experience with lifting? If not, you may want to start out light, such as 20 lb dumbbells, and go from there. A trainer will also help you get off the ground running towards your strength training goals, so to speak. Try 4 sets of 12-10-8-8+ per rotation, increasing the weights by +5 lbs in each set. Your rotations can consist of any number of lifts, but it is good to break them up into 3 days of push exercises, pull exercises and leg exercises. Give your self at least a day of rest in between lifts and do not repeat a rotation of like exercises ( eg push ) more then once per week. Remember, muscles are made in the kitchen. You will build the best results in the least amount of time if you focus on eating a well balanced set of macronutrients and limit foods that will not help you towards your goal such as bread, dairy, alcohol, sugars, high fats and high sodium. Eat a lot of lean Protein. The recommendation is to eat .92 g of lean protein per ideal body weight. For example, my ideal body weight is 180 so my lean protein is 170 per day. I try and hit this daily, but sometimes do not make it. Plan on drinking a lot of Protein shakes because you will not be able to eat enough in order to maximize your results. For example, I drink 3 protein shakes a day in the morning, after a workout and right before bed, shooting for close to 40 g per shake as a guy. Women have smaller frames so should shoot for the optimal amount of 30g protein a day. I know- it is not fair. Women also have a lower BMI ideal weight so do not need nearly as much protein as a guy. However, the .92 scalar still applies to both sexes. The other 50 g or so I source from lean Proteins like chicken. Always balance out your protein in a meal with good fat and carbs in order for the protein to be broken down into amino acids optimally for your growing muscles. I probably eat about 1800 calories per day ( often times less because, damn, it is hard work to eat that much) and stay close to 185 lb at 16 % body fat. You might pay attention to other amino acid supplements before and after working out to maximize muscle response during and after lifting, respectively. For example, I always take an amino acid supplement called catalyst before both strength training and cross fit sessions. The result of taking this supplement is very noticeable in the power I have during a session. I sometimes take creatine after working out to force more Water into the muscles during the repair cycle. Not every time because creatine can raise your blood pressure if you have an issue with that. I do not as my blood pressure is usually 190 / 70 and my resting pulse is 44. It is also very important to eat or drink a recovery protein food after working out. This is the optimal time to be consuming protein as your muscles are open for nutrients ready to be fed. Try to eat or drink within 20 minutes. It is also important that your Protein Shake be high quality whey with a good amount of BCAA in it. Again, the BCAA chains are amino acids in their basic for and optimal for being consumed by your muscles during repair. I haven't deviated much from this weight of 185 in a couple months, but have changed my body composition substantially without that much work. I really can appreciate that my body fat % dropped from 19 % to 16 % and is still dropping as the weeks go by. My goal is to hit 10 % by October. I exercise no more then 1 hour a day (on cross fit days) and most strength training days are no more then 30 minutes. See the rotations below. It is not that much work and I feel comfortable with expending this amount of time each week. In fact I look forward to the relatively short, but intense sessions daily. I take at least 1 day off a week to just relax or do some walking, hiking, etc. Drink plenty of water to flush out the toxins created from lifting and eating protein. By a lot, I mean 1-1.5 gallon a day. Depending on how far out you are, you may not be able to do this. Try your best. Finally, aim for 7-8 quality hours of sleep a night. Your body, and specifically, your muscles, repair the most while you are sleeping, so do not skimp on sleep. Again, I am sometimes lax in this area for many reasons but I do try. If you have trouble sleeping a natural sleep aid with melatonin in it will help. I will post some more information about an example workout in a few minutes.

Three basic answers to this question - 1 - ask your surgical team, as this is medical advice and doctors have different advice and opinions on this varying from a few weeks out to never again. 2 - do a search on this site for "alcohol" as this comes up frequently (like yesterday) and you will get as many answers as you like. Yesterday's thread was actually more civil and less nannying than usual. 3 - ask yourself why is it important that you have "X" (beer, wine, liquor, pizza, cake, pie, whatever) to celebrate some occasion, and how does this relate to the problem that led you to WLS in the first place? Is it possible to celebrate without "X" one year?

Welcome to the forum. I would suggest as a trial, that you eat like a banded person should, and try a high Protein diet for a week or two. Start with 6 to 7 ozs of protein like steak, chicken ,any meat (chili meatloaf, turkey etc and add a salad and and veggies, like green Beans,broccoli. Limit your carbs like potatoes, bread, Pasta and rice to 1/2 c portion, once a day. Make the bread 100% whole wheat and no more than one piece a day. Add two pieces of fruit a day. No more than two alcoholic drinks PER WEEK. Eat the meals very slowly, chew every bite of meat very well and don;t drink with your meal. That is roughly the way you'll eat when you get to the maintenance part of life as a banded person. A lot will depend on how much exercise you'll be willing to do as well

I think it's good if it gives you the strength to deal with an alcoholic parent(s) without letting them control your life or bringing you down with them as they normally do. I don't know if those meeting would have helped me while my father was alive maybe I just went to the odd few and still suffered from depression and anxiety myself. Now I go to therapy and it helps along with medication. I guess I needed support but didn't know what kind to get when I was younger or maybe couldn't put it into action as my father was such a powerful force in my life. Now I don't have to worry about him anymore and hope that I don't have to deal with any of my children or siblings in that way in the future.:smile2: brandyII. I would never knock a group like that as I know it helps a lot of people, I guess with me it just wasn't what I needed. I'm better in a one to one setting like therapy.

Thanks for chiming in, Valentina! I appreciate it. Congratulations on your weight loss and for maintaining it! Might I ask you how hard it's been to stay on the straight and narrow for five years? At five years in, do you feel you've pretty much conquered your food cravings and old eating habits, or is it akin to alcoholism, where you pretty much have to literally take it one day at a time for the rest of your life? Also, might I ask how much skin you had removed and if your insurance paid for it? I understand the skin surgery is *far* more uncomfortable than the sleeve surgery, so my sympathy is with you, and I hope you recover soon, and that you might continue to report in on how that is doing, as I believe my wife will be looking into that after a year or so (as per the requirements of her insurance) ((we're going to go through the sleeve process together - we're at the stage where the surgeon has received our documentation and we hope to have our info sent to the insurance company for evaluation soon). Again, thank you *so* much for answering - it means a lot to talk with someone who's been dealing with the effects of this drastic procedure in the long term! -Lyle Tucker

I had my pre-op appointment on Wednesday and I 'only' have to do the pre-op diet for 10 days: 3 shakes a day (Vanilla Bariatric Advantage) that I can mix with Water, almond milk, or low-fat milk; 2 plain non-fat yoghurts of no more than 100 calories each, and sugar-free jell-o or ice lollies to snack on if I feel like it. I'll switch to Clear liquids only 48 hours before the surgery, have 2tbsp of milk of magnesia the day before, and nothing to eat or drink from midnight on the 20th until the 22nd by the sounds of it: my surgery is scheduled for the afternoon of the 21st. The advice I got was no caffeine or alcohol at least 24 hours before, but I already cut both out earlier this week. I'm also avoiding carbonated drinks (even though I could have anything sugar-free if I felt like it), to get used to the post-op restriction. So far (1 day!!), so good but I did notice that every other ad on TV seems to be for food

I'm not generally an ice cream person, but Blue Bunny makes a sugar free vanilla/caramel bar that is half covered in chocolate. It does have malitol in it, so if you're sensitive to malitol (or sugar alcohols), don't even try it!! Anyway, it's pretty good and 70 calories....doesn't taste like sugar free to me!!

if you are and adult child of an alcoholic you may attend meetings. the death of parents cant change that. my father has been in recovery for 30 years. he sponsers and goes to many meetings. i never saw him drunk, but i go to meetings. the status of your parents, sober or deceased does not change anything.

Hello: I was sleeved on November 6, since then I've doing OK, I have lost 30 pounds and I've been on stall for more than 2 weeks now!!!!!!! But let be honest with you: Since the third week I've eating solid food, sweets, chips, carbs, and alcohol :thumbup1:!!!!!!!! (small portions) I know, I know is horrible but you know is christmas time and everybody like to eat and drink in this time of the year. I feel so bad because it looks like everybody here is eating healthy food, Protein shakes:thumbdown: and Protein Bars, but I'm notttttt!!!!!! I'm afraid to fail....Please help guys.

I don't regret it at all. Its been the easiest weight loss to date. That being said, I wish I had committed more to not drinking alcohol and exercising more early on. I'm down 65 lbs in 16 months. I 'm sure I would be at goal already if I had done those things. Good luck.

Well I was about your age when my dad first had to go to detox, actually he still worked then and they made him. There are five kids in my family and most were extremely angry at him. We did an intervention once and that was the craziest thing ever, no professional, just 5 very angry children and one alcoholic confused and laughing parent. I hope you don't have to deal with them on your own even though I know how family dynamics can be and you could have 10 brothers and sisters and still being the only one dealing with them. So good luck and if you ever need to get it out and share I'm always here, take care brandyII.

Tommaney, Good thread cuts to the core, my father started detox facilities in 1986 after his father died and I can't count how many programs we put him in between then and 2006 when he died. Good luck to you I know how hard it is and can't imagine how it must be to have both parents alcoholics and be living with them, if you can survive this you can survive anything!! brandyII.

No to carbonation...works OK flat if you must have the taste. With Alcohol you should always count the calories as they add up, and do impact our resistance to food.

Yay! I got my first fill this morning! I'm so happy, it's ridiculous. Even if I don't reach restriction from this fill, at least I now know that this journey has really started and is really progressing, and as long as I do the work, I can expect to get results. I can't even describe how that feels. It's euphoric! Even though my surgeon had indicated I would likely have a fill at this appointment (4 weeks post-op), I still had paranoia that it might not happen. I'm just that kind of girl--a worrywort! Well, when the nurse escorted me into the exam room, I saw all the accoutrements of a fill already laid out for the doctor, and that soooo made me happy. Never have the sight of needle, syringe, and alcohol swabs given me such a thrill! When the surgeon came in, he asked me if I was on soft solids yet (which I am) and if I wanted my first fill. I don't think he even got to finish the question before I was shouting my "YES!" It turns out that my surgeon does his fills by feel--no barium swallows or flouroscopy. He had me lay back on the exam table and lift my head in a mini-crunch while he located the port. Then came the needle. Now, I'm on the fence about needles; they don't totally freak me out, but I don't love them, either, so it was a little odd for me when, after the initial stick, he spent maybe 15 seconds wigglnig the thing around to get it in precisely the right spot. I can't say it was totally comfortable, but I can't say it was painful, either. It was just a weird sensation. Once the needle was in place, he started the injection, backed it up to be sure it was correctly entering the system, then completed the fill. The whole appointment was like 5 minutes (with another 40 minutes spent completing my form, waiting, weighing in, and getting my vitals checked). After the fill, he gave me a small cup of water to drink and said I could come in after 3 weeks if I felt I needed more restriction. The fill itself consisted of 3.0 cc of fluid. That made me quite happy, since I dreaded getting only 1 cc at a time. The surgeon claims that most patients feel restriction between 3 cc and 8 cc. Right now, I'm not entirey certain what I feel, since I've been instructed to have my first post-fill meal as liquid, then progress slowly back through the stages until I'm on solid foods. The water at the dr's office went down with no issues, so I felt a little worry that I might not have any restriction at all. When I got home, I had a protein drink for lunch, and it took me 45 minutes to drink the 8 oz. I didn't have any trouble with it at all, but I thought I could feel it going down in a way I hadn't before. Whether that's restriction or just swelling, I guess we'll see, but I'm feeling fairly optimistic. And full off just liquid, which is nice. Hopefully that will continue. Anyway, that's my first fill experience. I'm crossing my fingers that the band kicks in and starts holding up its part of this bargain, since I only lost 3.4 lbs since my last dr's visit.

Lol. Lupita you are about to receive a lot of commentary. My reply would be if you want a drink then get one and sip slowly. Keep in mind that alcohol may affect you a lot faster now and in a more dramatic fashion. Don't count on being able to drink the whole thing. Just use caution and stop when it's enough.

Have been banded for 3 1/2 years; never drink alcohol or carbonated beverages. Did you trying drink pineapple juice? Sometimes the enzymes will help you.

Yes. The question is SHOULD you. Alcohol after surgery can cause a few problems. 1. Addiction transfer- if you have a food addiction prior to surgery, it's a lot easier to move from one addiction to another when you can't compulsively eat anymore 2. The way your body processes alcohol after surgery is a lot different. Most people lose their tolerance and are flat out drunk after a few sips. So don't ever drink and drive after surgery. Not even one drink. For someone who is alcohol sensitive after surgery ONE alcoholic drink to a bypass patient is the same as almost SIX to someone who hasn't had the surgery. Your blood alcohol % flies through the roof really quick. Some people have no problem with it but most can't drink like they use to. 3. It's calories. As fun as drinking is (I'm 22 so I've only drank for a year and now I have given it up which is hard with my social life), it's not a necessity. My program has a flat out no alcohol for a year policy but not everyone is like that. I'm not taking the risk alcohol after surgery can bring so I plan on waiting a couple years.

I didn't have any alcohol for at least a year after surgery. But I do know people who have some at like 4 months they seem to be okay but be careful it doesn't take much!! Also, I like Crown with diet coke and found I was replacing it for foods because of the low calorie, carb count. It was like a dessert treat and I quickly put a stop to that. That is a slippery slope I don't want to go down.

Avoid any alcohol containing mouthwash. Alcohol = drying. Biotene has a great soothing mouthwash and they also have a line of other dry mouth products, toothpaste, a moisturizing gel (they have gum also but that's a no no). PLUS the mouthwash contains similar enzymes to the ones you have naturally in your saliva that help to fight the bacteria that cause tooth decay and periodontal disease. Dry mouth is BAD for your teeth. Dry mouth = increased bacteria + food we eat = the increased possibility of rampant decay. Like any of us need to also deal with that situation!

Hi newgrandma, I have arthritis in my knees right now but my mom has it in her fingers and other joints and my dad has it in his hip and back. He's had a hip replacement and invertebrea drilling before the age of 70. I have no cartilage between my knee cap and leg bone and develop spurs from the impact. Last year I had the spurs smoothed off by my surgeon but my diagnosis is stage 4 chondromalacia and he says I'm too young for knee replacements. I function OK on an anti inflammatory diet, i have salmon oil everyday, no wheat, try to limit alcohol (being sleeved has made it easier lol) and when I do mountain stuff like skiing and hiking I take lots of turmeric. I also ice afterwards. When it's really bad I'll take tylenol arthritis, it seems to work ok but i have to be in tears to take meds. I've seen what over medicating has done to my dad, he started loosing his mind at 65 and now that he's 70 he has officially been diagnosed with Parkinson's. I also think over medicating leads to cancer of the pancreas. Has your surgeon offered to do laproscopy and dremmel off any rough bits/spurs? Where do you have your arthritis? I can tell when I do my Tuesday yoga class that my L hip feels sharp when I do certain motions. I hope I'm not following too closely in my dad's footsteps.

The nurse at the hospital gave me a trick for feeling nauseious, if you put an alcohol swab or any cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol on the bridge of your nose and breath in through your nose slowly and out through your mouth. It really worked for me and I never heaved. As for the taste, everything changed for me I loved the chocolate pre op and then after I hated it (still do) I found I love the fruite ones (Syntax nectar Lemonaid ) is my favorite, but all the fuite ones are ok with my new pallet. I am now 4 weeks post op and eating soft food but it too is dificult to find what tastes and feels right, don't worry you just need to find what works for you. I hope you feel better soon. I am 2 days post op and feeling miserable. My left side pulls constantly, I have been dry heaving since gettin home from the hospital yesterday and have a bit of blurred vision. So please excuse any typos. I am having buyer's remorse as well. ALl I want to do is sleep. I wake every 1.5 hours though amd walk, do my respiratory therapy and drink another ounce of something. I have been taking prvacid and gasx and they are helping some but I am having strong hunger pangs as well. Nothing tastes good. I am trying to drink a Protein shake today as my 1 ounce every 15 minuts. But, I know I have missed alot of them since I keep sleeping so much. I am praying for all of us to get better. For now, I am a bit depressed and miserable.

I agree with what everyone said, but I will also add this... alcohol lowers your inhibitions, so you might eat things that aren't great choices and end up not feeling great and that would ruin the celebration... Focus on making the graduates and your family and friends the things you celebrate, not food and drinks. Become the group photographer if you need to keep your hands busy. (you can just use your cell phone for this) Or dance up a storm in a new outfit that fits your new fab self!

Three weeks post op you def dont want bubbles... also 2oz will put you over the legal limit... your body cannot process alcohol the same way now... they say no alcohol for at least a year for a reason.

You may want to speak with your doctor. I'm four months out and I haven't had any alcohol or soda. I've heard the carbonation is a killer. It's tough since it's your 21st! It's also a lot of empty calories.....but I would definitely ask. A nights worth of fun isn't worth hurting yourself! Happy Birthday!