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Personally, I wouldn't. Cocktails are empty calories to begin with but also the alcohol is going to hit you very hard. I'm not sure what the recommendation is for wait time for alcohol but that doesn't seem long enough.

I never second guessed my decision to have surgery. I'd tried everything else. I'd lost weight and I'd re-gained weight. I needed this new tool in my tool box. If I'd kept doing what I'd always done (bingeing and dieting) I'd always have the same results. This was a last resort for me. I'd fought this battle for 55 years and even though I knew I would still always have to watch what I eat.. for me the choice was like antibuse for an alcoholic. I needed something to STOP the binge / volume eating. The good news is.... I may choose to eat a slice of pizza some time in the future.... but I'll never be able to eat the whole pie, and polish it off with a pint of Ben and Jerry's for dessert.

Hello November Nymphs, Some news to share and an update from me. My gastric band has been left alone for about six years without any doctor’s review or adjustment. During my annual health checks the x-ray always confirmed it was properly positioned. All this time I’ve been completely happy with it and my weight has been a stable 98-100kg with no real effort from me. Over the last six months or so I’d crept up 3kg and I’ve had some uncomfortable acidic feelings in my stomach which was easily remedied by an antacid tablet or a bite of food like a cracker biscuit. But I was munching more and more Rennies antacid tablets so sought some medical help via an upper GI x-ray and endoscopy. Turns out my band was extremely tight and food was going through so slowly it was pouching in my esophagus. Stomach acid had been leaking out too; my esophagus was irritated and had grown some nodules. These were removed and sent for pathology which showed atypical cells. Left untreated this could progress to esophageal cancer. The treatment plan is to empty my gastric band, take Prevacid medicine and Gaviscom. For three months I'm avoiding irritating, spicy and salty foods plus alcohol completely. They then want to do another endoscopy and more pathology sampling. Hope is my esophagus will have healed up. Otherwise they have far more drastic treatment options. My doctor is concerned about GERD and Barrett’s Esophagus developing if left untreated. My follow up endoscopy is booked for early October and I’ll let you know how I get on. Regards to you all. Cheers, Phil.

Alcoholism and drug addiction are the most common addictions and these are considered as illnesses which needed serious treatment. Alcoholism is an uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic drinks which affect the brain but with proper treatment, the damaging effect to the brain could be stopped. Drug addiction on the other hand is a complex disease which also affects the brain, it is a drug seeking behavior regardless of the obvious fact that it has negative consequences. But with the help of expert psychiatrists and psychologists as well as with a tranquil and beautiful residential treatment center , it will be successfully treated. Residential treatment centers are often called rehabilitation centers where patients will be staying in for the treatment process. These residential treatment centers have different structured programs designed for the patient’s needs which will help them in gaining back their balanced control of their lives. Treatments inside the residential treatment centers are very effective because they will be guided and will be given special attention by the professionals. One of the most reputable residential treatment centers is the Serenity House in Costa Rica, it started in 2007 as Casa Serenidad and have branched out as Serenity House in 2012. The Serenity House was founded by Dr. Francisco Jimenez, M.D, he was appointed as the Chief of the Department of Rehabilitation with the Costa Rican Institute of Alcoholism and Drug dependence. Dr. Jimenez is also a Medical school professor, a published author, and a prolific researcher. The Serenity House has a twelve step program with Cognitive Behavioral therapy and they believe in a holistic and integrated approach to wellness which includes traditional medicine and alternative therapies. The Cognitive Behavioral therapy used by the Serenity House can be a very effective tool which helps their patients learn how to successfully manage a stressful life situation. The Serenity House’s Very Effective Therapies The Serenity House has various types of therapies, it includes the Art therapy, the 12 Step Groups, Structured Groups, Yoga, Tai Chi Chuan, AcoPhysical Activity and Physiotherapy. The Art therapy uses art as a primary method of communication, and many people find it very enjoyable. The 12 Step Groups are primarily based on the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. The Structured Groups refer to a group therapy with a wide variety of therapeutic approaches which are employed by highly trained specialists. Yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual disciplines which will produce an internal heat, sweating and relaxation. The Tai Chi Chuan is meditation in motion which practices the mind and body and has a great value in treating or preventing various health problems. The AcoPhysical Activity is a widely adoptive and a planned repetitive movements which will help improve and maintain the body in a good condition. And the Physiotherapy is a service oriented relaxation therapy which includes Manual Lymphatic Drainage Massage, Relaxing Massage and Deep Tissue Massage. The programs of the Serenity House run from a 90 day program to the 30 day Awareness and Stabilization program. www.serenityhousecr.com

You are definitely in the right place! You will find tons of great folks here who are more than willing to answer your questions based on our personal experiences. The most difficult part of post-op life? Many folks who suffer from obesity are food addicts. There are a number of similarities (and differences) with addiction to other things such as alcohol or drugs. Some experience a type of "withdrawal" from their former eating habits. The big difference being that it seldom manifests with physical symptoms such as a drug addict would experience. It is usually more of a mental challenge - often described as losing a best friend and often resulting in depression. The good news is that it is usually short-lived. Watching the pounds melt away usually puts you in a pretty great state of mind! Maintaining your goal weight - I believe that maintenance should be practically seamless from what you were doing during the rapid weight loss stage. The only change should be a gradual, nice and easy increase in your calorie intake until you determine what your daily calorie number is to maintain your goal weight. Your surgeon and his/her team will likely drill into you that the surgery is a tool. Far and away the most important part of the process, what I call the Prime Directive - lifestyle changes. And you develop those changes during the first year following the surgery. The really cool part is the surgery makes those formerly impossible changes, possible. Finally, start maintaining a food log. And never stop. Do a search here on the forum for the thread "A Little Too Skinny". You might find it interesting. Gym rat - I lost 130 lbs in thirteen months and did not visit a gym a single time. I chose instead to walk. At least four times a week (often more), 20 minutes each time to begin with and slowly building up to two and half to three miles and 45 to 60 minutes each time. But that was my choice. What's important is that you get active and stay active. There are many, many options for doing that. I'm sure some of the folks here will chime in with their choices. Whatever you do, find something that you ENJOY. If you hate your choice, it's not sustainable. Keep trying as many things as you need to until you find something you enjoy. Remember that staying active is not synonymous with working yourself to exhaustion. That's not sustainable and more importantly, it's not necessary. You're gonna love the new you!!

Thanks for you input everyone! I decided against drinking a soda last night and I don't think I'll even try it for at least another couple of years, I'm fine with tea and will continue to drink that. I tried drinking alcohol, but have completely lost the taste for it - I only had a couple of sips of one two weeks ago and wasted my money, not a bad thing...I wasn't much of a drinker anyway, but when I was I was the life of the party and people miss that. So do I, but it's okay...I'm still good company, just not the happy drunk everybody grew to know, love and look forward to. LOL

The reason he is withholding fruit for the first month is because they are high in acidity. Bandsters are prone to GERD/reflux, especially immediately after surgery because the stomach is already acidic due to the lack of solids. it's a good idea to avoid the fruits for now. It's also important to remember that if you start to develop GERD like symptoms to avoid other foods/drinks that increase acidity (so remember our fruit conversation, but things like coffee and alcohol are also culprits). Once you are past the first month, experiment because some fruits can be hard to eat. Fibrous ones are the most difficult (ie oranges).

mustaphr WELCOME WELCOME to sleeveland you are doing terrific not "officially" 3 months - and you've lost 52 lbs!!!! GREAT!!! there is a saying "knowing the problem is 1/2 the battle"!! (something like that) things you don't have a total grip on yet - you are working on correcting them!!!! you know you must drink more water (you are not alone with that issue - many others have that problem too ) chewing slowly - yes thats very important (vomitting is no fun ) drinking alcohol - glad that you are trying to curb that recording your food - that is great to do (but to be honest, i don't record enough ) smoking - no lecture, you know its bad for you i never smoked but i realize thats a very hard addiction to deal with - but I know you can do it, you will be successful Ok, out with the bad, in with the good you are eating properly, exercising - doing many things right Not to forget, you are losing lots of weight too!!! continue to work on fixing your "issues"/problems and you will become a healthier, happier person, looking forward to a longer life keep up the good job good luck kathy congrats

Hello all; this web site was very informative and supportive in my Gastric sleeve journey. So I am sharing here some information that would be helpful to all: Gender: Male Age: 40 Height: 173 CM (5.6 feet) Weight at day of Surgery: 259 Pounds (117.5 Kg) Weight today August 8th 2013: 207.4 Pounds ( 94.1 Kg) Surgery date: 15-5-2013 Surgent: Dr. Hekmat Mattar - Abu Dhabi - Highly recommended - an amazing doctor food intake: between 400 and 1000 cal's depending if am excising or not that day. I am practically eating everything except sweets, sugar, and bread). I am still eating them, but quantities are close to nothing on a weekly basis. Water intake: 1 to 2 liters per day. That is a problem, I should increase Fluid intake as I noticed in the weeks I drink more water, I loose more weight even with less training. Main exercise activity so far: brisk walking 2-3 times a week. between 4 and 8 km per walk. No weight lifting yet... did some scuba diving two weeks ago which helped a lot continue the weight loss. Planning to start going to the gem next week to continue the weight loss. Medicine and Vitamins intake : in my last visit to the doctor he was not happy at all that I am not taking my medicine and vitamins as he prescribed. He scheduled me for 3 shots of Calcium. Also he stressed on quiting smoking taking Pariet 20 mg to protect the stomach from acidity and Centrum every two days as Vitamin supplement. The Good: no major complication so far, losing weight incredibly fast, eating everything (much smaller portions). fully functional at work after 5 days of the surgery. exercising (though not regularly) The Bad: water intake not enough, not recording food any more, not getting used yet to chew enough. When I don't chew the food enough, I will definitely be vomiting. I am drinking alcohol again, but only once a week, one or two glasses of wine of blended whisky. Just trying to feel normal The Ugly: I am back to smoking cigarettes two weeks ago this is really ugly. I am feeling its effect on my stomach and its making my energy low again. I am working on quitting. Hopefully more intense exercising will help... Below image has my weight progress over the last 84 days. GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU

My doc specifically said say goodbye to sodas and alcohol, of course I tried both, I don't recommend that you so, cause the feeling will make you miserable, YOU Have been WARNED! Sent from my iPhone using LapBandTalk

And folks that are on or approaching the pre-op diet - the goal is to shrink your liver, this vital organ is lifted with a small retractor to get at your stomach . Yes the benefit of losing weight prior to the surgery is great, but reducing the size of the liver is what is crucial as most of us who are over a healthy BMI have some level of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. What that means is that your liver is large, puffy, and soft - My surgeon compares it to the texture of foie gras and it can be very easily damaged if you do not comply with your diet protocol. You want to talk about the mother of all complications - inadvertently slicing your liver is not good. Low carb diets rapidly shrink the liver and change its texture and size for a safer surgical procedure. Every Doc has a different protocol - my surgeon does not have his patients do liquids but rather Atkins induction in the weeks prior to surgery. Every gram of glycogen has about 3 times that in Water attached to it - thus why we drop weight so rapidly on a very low carb diet initially - the water is going as we burn off our glycogen (stored carbohydrate) stores. Here is a good read about how our bodies metabolize glycogen stores. http://www.justinowings.com/understanding-bodyweight-and-glycogen-de/ None of this is easy - it is very much about discipline, turning yourself around to learn how to really take care of ourselves, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. No, not easy, but hands down probably the nest thing you will ever do for yourself and your health in the long run.

prebiotic is what the microbes eat, and probiotic is the microbes themselves. here is one list I found of ways to repopulate your good flora...Eat your Sour pickles! Sources of Bacteria to Repair Damaged Gut Flora We must eat new bacteria in order to replace bacterial species lost by antibiotics or unhealthy diets. Probiotics -- specialized bacteria that grow in milk products Spices and herbs -- plant products abundantly contaminated with bacteria that digest plants Fresh vegetables -- bacteria are on the surfaces of plants unless the vegetables are cleaned or cooked Fermented foods -- Bacterial growth leading to acid or alcohol production has beed used in the preparation and storage of many foods and provides a rich bacterial resource. Environment -- Bacteria are transferred to our hands and face from other people, pets and surfaces, unless hands and the body are continually washed. Sanitizers and frequent washing of hands and surfaces eliminate acquisition of environmental bacteria to repair damaged gut flora. Social isolation and hygiene block repair of gut flora. Replacement -- experimental replacement of damaged with healthy gut flora (fecal transplant) has been very effective in curing many diseases without significant risks, but is restricted by the medical industry.

Trader joes sells these and they can be found in grocery stores and some gas stations. I am glad you like them. If I recall, they have kind of high carb from sugar alcohols (17 g) and calories are also kind of high (270) per bar. They are big so may fill better than other bars. http://www.amazon.com/thinkThin-Chunky-Peanut-Butter-2-1-Ounce/dp/B000CRHQN0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375758703&sr=8-1&keywords=think+thin+bars The Cookies and cream is also good. Still a good option if you enjoy them. Some others that I have enjoyed are nu go slim, pure Protein and Quest.

Hunger/Cravings/Emotional/Habitual: [ FEEL FREE TO RELATE AND LAUGH WHILE READING ] If you have lived as a human on this planet we like to call Earth, you have experienced these different forms of eating habits. For some us, we have mastered the eating maze and are healthy and happy individuals. For some of us, we were just blessed with good genes that kept and continue to keep us skinny. Others may choose other methods of dealing with hunger and/or engage in habits that keeps them thin (but are in no way beneficial to their health): anemia, bulimia, drugs, even smoking (so I have been told). And then there is the rest of the world, the majority, who simply eat. Well as promised, I stated that I would share as I learned. So here we go. Three days ago, I started to have a strange craving for salt. I figured I just wanted something salty: French fries or something. The first day, I tried saltine crackers- didn't work. The Second Day, I broke down and got a small fry from McDonalds - after three fries and a terrible time swallowing it- I threw the rest away. I figured chips would hurt worse than fries so I didn't go there. By the third day, I was ready to pour salt in my hand and eat it. I ended up eating mashed potatoes with salt and Cajun seasoning. I wasn't really hungry nor did I want any of the things I mentioned. I just wanted the salt. We are conditioned to believe that cravings are ALWAYS remnants of are past BAD eating habits: nothing good can come of it. So I didn't mention it to the doctor. Well, I had a routine follow up scheduled the next day: blood, urine and so forth. Come to find out, I was Dehydrated. One of the symptoms associated with Dehydration is craving salt. Upon finding out this information, I told my doctor about the last three days. He listened and then he explained. There are several types of eating habits, but to simplify here are four main types: hunger or regular, cravings, emotional, and habitual eating. Hunger: Regular - Biologically Necessary Eating: When the food you have previously consumed has been digested and used, the body sends off signals to the brain to start the process of alerting you ( growling stomach, headache, and so forth) that you need nourishment. Insert a bunch of doctor talk here....and then arrive to the point. You need to eat small portions throughout the day to keep your system fueled and your blood sugar levels regulated. Cravings: Mostly a mental hunger but can occasionally be a symptom of a bigger health issue. Cravings are greatly linked to the wonderful neurotransmitters we call endorphins: the feel good stuff. Deserts, fast food, candy, and so forth can all be linked to cravings associated with the release of endorphins. Giving into a craving WITH MODERATION every now and then is not a bad thing. As my doctor has stated once before: deprivation is the mother of all diet breaking habits. Deprive yourself of something long enough and you will most likely binge when you do eat it. A few potato chips did not make you overweight OVER NIGHT. It took Several Bags of Chips over Several Nights to add the pounds. MODERATION is the key. Keeping a food log is a great help in this department. You will begin to see patterns in your eating habits. For example, when and what types of cravings you have and how you dealt with them. And if you find yourself craving something over and over again, do not hesitate to talk to your doctor or nutritionist. In some cases, as it was with my need for salt, there may be a greater medical issue at hand. Emotional eating: Well this topic needs no introduction and has a simple explanation: attempting to make us temporarily feel better through eating. We usually engage in emotional eating during times of Stress, Grief, Anxiousness, Indecision, Depression, Helplessness, and so forth. The best way to combat this eating habit, is to locate the source of the problem. Eating rarely if ever solves the problem that is causing the strong and usually negative emotion. Exercise, counseling, reaching out to others, and sometimes taking time to heal oneself are all great tactics. Once again keeping a journal of what triggers the emotional eating will help you get a better grasp on the problem at hand. NOW WE MOVE ON TO THE UNIVERSAL EATING HABIT ACCURATLEY NAMED HABITUAL (OR RITUAL) Eating: ITS JUST WHAT WE DO. I believe that most people indulge in this eating habit and the following are some examples of when we do it: You are going to the Football/Baseball/Basketball/Hockey game: Hotdogs, Chips, Beer, Liquor. You are going to the movies: Popcorn, Coke, Pretzels, Funnel cake, Pizza or whatever the concession item of your choice is. Its the Holiday Season: I must have all of the usual favorites: Grandma's turkey, Great Aunt's Caramel Cake, Your Spouse's Sweet Potatoes, Your Neighbor's Candy Yams, Christmas Punch, and so forth. The Girls Venting Session: must have Ice Cream of some flavor and LOTS of it and alcohol. The Birthday party: most have party favors and Cake. Men's night: Steaks, Burgers, Chips, Ribs, and Beer. You are bored and in the house doing nothing: Must. Eat. Whatever. Its just what we do. LOL. MOST of us do it and have been conditioned all of our lives to do it. This conditioning has been formed through family traditions, societal norms, peer influences, workplace etiquette, school related gatherings, church and community functions, and almighty MEDIA (just to name a few). The best solution to this is MODERATION. Also, start a new tradition of your own. When all else fails, before you eat something ask yourself the following ( I practice this daily): Are you hungry, have you eaten this lately, how do you feel, and what are you doing at this moment. I usually find that asking myself these questions leads to further questions and eventually to answers. I will either talk myself out of it or I will understand why I am doing it. MOST IMPORTANTLY, No man has ever survived without making mistakes, without setbacks, or without occasional over indulgence. It just happens. Do not beat yourself up about it. Just continue to move forward. You will only be as successful as you allow yourself to be. Surround yourself with supportive people, practice good habits, start new traditions, keep a journal, exercise, and ENJOY your second chance at life. You only live once.

I would start with detoxing from the carbs. Go back to a liquid protein diet for at least a week and begin back with the protein and steamed veggies. This is the rest of our lives and slips are going to happen. You recognized what is going on an asked for support. That is the first step to getting back on track! Congrats for that!! As food addicts we have ups and downs in our struggles to maintain our weight and after our sleeve it is absolutely no different except we have our sleeve to help us. I think we know when we are beginning to weaken and our resolve isn't so strong. It's scary because we actually know what we are about to do just like an alcoholic is with a drink. That is why I love this forum we are told exactly what we need to hear and it helps us to get it back together!! Good luck to you and I wish you the best!!

I had my surgery in late Jan 2012. Hit goal about a year later, losing 135 pounds. Due to stress/illness, I dropped 10 pounds past goal. But now I'm maintaining just below goal (between 127-129) most days. I noticed a HUGE increase in what I could eat a few months ago. I still can't touch nearly the portions I used to eat prior to surgery, but my volume has easily doubled or tripled. I have to be very vigilant to avoid the treats and slider foods, grazing during the day. Those will easily bump up my carbs beyond 100-150g per day and calories into the 1500 range! I don't drink soda, happy to give it up. But I do enjoy coffee a couple of times a week, have to watch the sugar content. I only have a glass of wine every month or so for social occasions, never a big alcohol drinker. I'm resetting myself these past few weeks because I just FELT better when I ate a clean diet. I sleep better, think better and just want to get back to that. So I started back up with my trainer at the gym, she is kicking my butt. Drinking Water like crazy, Protein first, watching the carbs and cutting out sugar! You can do it, just remember what you went through to get this far, the pain, the recovery, the cost!

Pretty thick, what happens when you have alcohol, if you don't mind me asking. Symptoms like I am describing? Thank you! Me too.

I can no longer tolerate alcohol. Not a bad thing, I wasn't much a drinker to begin with but I realize it's not for me anymore - period. I hope you feel better soon.

Alcohol usually loosens the band initially (some may try and correct me...I know it doesn't physically loosen the band...it's just a common term for it which actually means it relaxes the stomach allowing more food through than normal) and then tightens you up the next day as your body dehydrates some. You may have slightly dilated your pouch. You could call your doc and ask to get some fluid out and that might be the best course of action. If it was me, I'd take some liquid motrin to help bring the swelling down, go on liquids only for a few days, and hydrate hydrate hydrate.

Sooo... I have started my pre- Op diet. My surgery isnt until August 29th but my surgery team and I have decided that I would do it for a month instead of just 2 weeks. I've been on it for almost a week now and it's actually not bad at all! I've had to weigh in yesterday and I have lost 4lbs in less than 1 week on it already. I've read some ppls diets and see that they get put on strictly liquid mine is not. My diet is as follows: Breakfast: Protein shake or fruit Lunch: 4-6 oz of lean protein ( fish or chicken) and unlimted Veggies Snack: Protein shake or fruit Dinner: Same as lunch Snack Protein shake or fruit If I dont have time to cook, there are a select list of lean cuisines or healthy choice dinners I can eat, but I have to add at least 1 cup of veggies to the meal. No carbonated, sugary, or alcoholic beverages. I have been eating salad with 6 oz of grilled chicken in it for lunch and salmon with assorted veggies depending on the night for dinner. I'm not a big fan of milk or protein shakes but I have found that the Special K brand strawberry flavor is pretty good which i drink for breakfast, and I will snack on fruit in between meals or have another protein shake depending how hungry I am. So far its been great. I havent been hungry and have been able to ignore cravings. My boyfriend and I even went to the movies last night and I snuck us in sandwhich bags filled w grapes and water with mio. Didnt even think or have the urge to get my usual popcorn and Icee. GO ME! I've also been going to the gym on my nights off and do an hr on the treadmill and if I work I walk the stairs at night 16 flights!!!! Its a killer. lol But I'm doing it and I feel very proud of myself. I have to say I feel very lucky to have such supportive friends and family. 2 of my cousins and 1 of my friends and my boyfriend have all decided to join me on my month long pre op diet. Everyone around me is so encouraging, I couldnt ask for a better support team. Even my co-workers i have told are extremely supportive and I am greatful. I pretty much have an appointment or 2 a week from this week on. I've done my pre op testing, met with the anestesiologist and the nutrition classes. I have my Upper GI next week, THen meet w the psychiatrist again the following week, then meet w the MD , Surgeon and Nutrtionsit the week after that... Then SURGERY!!! I also got my schedule at work today and I am off the entire month of Septemeber. I hope that is enough time. My nurse manager is aware that I am having the surgery and told me to take all the time I need to heal. Cant take care of others until you're healthy yourself. I also got my approval letter in the mail from my insurance. All my ducks are in a row! Just waiting for the Big day and I am soooo READY!

BAHAHAHAHA!!!! Wow, I needed a good belly laugh...thanks, jensjoy28! Vsginkc, I felt just like you do. My surgery date was June 19th. I stopped smoking back in March, then cut out sodas & a significant amount of carbs in April, & then even more carbs & caffeine & most alcohol in May. I knew if I waited until right before surgery, I would HATE having to give up everything all at the same time...and I knew that I would probably fail. There was no way I was going to jump through all these damn hoops & not give myself the best chance I could to be successful. Today, at a little over 6 weeks out, I feel great. I've lost 44 lbs so far, I'm exercising, not smoking, eating real food that is well prepared, and although I've had a very small amount of wine twice, I'm certainly not having a cocktail every day. Even if you have waited til the end to start giving the other stuff up, it CAN be done, and it will help you to feel so much better postop, which makes it harder to go back to our old ways later. Good luck to you!

After my first informational & NUT sessions, i started cutting back on caffeine, fast foods & other junk foods along with alcoholic beverages. I also started not drinking 15 mins prior to meals & not drinking until 1 hour afterwards. And not eating after 7 pm. All that was difficult initially but it was habit forming. with all of that, my post op transition hasn't been too difficult. While I didn't know about this forum until 5 mons post op, the handbook my center gave me prepared my tremendously. I must say, had I known about this forum pre-op, I think the horror stories would have added more anxiety for me. I have a habit of over analyzing. so I probably would've chickened out. Some folks like a lot of information, for me, less was better. I relied on the information in my handbook & informational sessions. This worked for me.

Don't know much about alcohol but I too wanted to try some wine...I thought they actually made healthy ones specifically for dieters?

My mom and a friend both have the Lapband and still have some drinks. My mom has said that she can't drink alcohol and eat, you have to do one or the other. My dietician said that carbonated beverages aren't good for the band. She suggested wine as the go to drink which is primarily what drink when I do drink. The thing with Lapband is you have to be willing to adjust your life and habits to it. It won't adjust to yours, so if you aren't willing to do that you will have really think about things before adopting the banded lifestyle.

Happy anniversary! That said, yes, I tried wine from my husband's glass and it gave me headaches. So did beer. It's either too early or my alcohol tolerance has gone to hell for good. Meh ... No loss, no mourning.