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I asked that question today when I went in for my first fill. We have a number of wedding's to attend this summer and other events and I would like to be able to have a drink or two at them. He said it was ok to do it "occasionally" but to remember that alcohol contains calories and sugar and will slow down the weightloss. I am to avoid anything carbonated too, so soda mixers are out. I specifically asked about a margarita and he said that would be ok, since it wasn't carbonated - just to do it occasionally - not like everything night of the week or anything - once a week at the max. But if I see my weightloss progress really start to slow down I may have to re-think my priorities!!

Fholts, I am praying for you right now. Sometimes I think things are out of our hands and we have to ask God for help. He will not let you down. I have experienced alot of the same things you are going through but I know everyone's is different. I have a wonderful husband, he makes a wonderful living, and takes care of us very well, but I'm just 2 weeks out banded and I try to keep up with him but when I can't he gets really mad and tells me to just go to bed. I rode 4 wheelers for over 6 hours yesterday and helped my son work on his before he wrecked and today I just don't feel good and it's his day off so now he's pissed off at me. I tell him I'm doing the best I can. Then my son who just had the accident, he's almost 19, living at home, loves to party with friends and drink alcohol. It's so hard on our marriage and I pray everyday God will take care of him and us. He says he's enlisting in the Army and although I will never quit crying when he does I know it's for the best for him. Just try to think positive and try to take some time each day if your religious to ask for God's help, and we'll all be praying for you as well. Try when your attacks comeon to go some where peaceful to get your thoughts together and relax. You can do this and we're all here if you need to talk, pm me I would feel honored to talk to you or just post on here we're always here for each other. In a way we're all family. We have had something done to our bodies that just not everybody has, so we have a bond. Love you and sending hugs your way, Sherri

If you seriously want to lose 22lbs or 10 kilograms in 28 days then you must perform all of the principles exactly as recommended. Unlike the recommendations in my book, ‘Look good, feel great!', where you can pick the principles you want to use and ignore the rest and where you can even modify the principles to suit your lifestyle, these principles must be followed exactly as they are outlined. If you want extraordinary results, then you must be willing to put in an extraordinary effort! I realise that some people may be thinking, ‘But it is impossible to lose 10 kilograms of fat in a month!' I agree- it is! However, the truth is, it is impossible to only lose fat on any type of weight-loss program. You will always lose a combination of fat, water, stored carbohydrate and some muscle. Furthermore, most people who want to lose 10 kilograms in the first place are generally retaining excess fluid anyway, so a system that helps get rid of the excess fluid is certainly going to accelerate their results. Perform 30-60 minutes of aerobic exercise morning and night. Yes, you read that correctly, morning and night- 2 sessions a day… every day! No excuses. We're all busy, we all feel tired some mornings, but if you're serious about getting amazing results, then you must be willing to do everything necessary. When we talk about aerobic exercise, we're talking about exercise! Not walking around the shops, doing the gardening or doing housework. It must be exercise, which means your breathing rate increases, your face goes red, you sweat, you get tired- simple! Some examples of aerobic exercise include: walking (pounding the pavement at a brisk pace- not dawdling), cycling (stationary bike is ideal), swimming, rowing, stepper, cross-trainer, aerobic classes, boxing, etc. Use ‘thermogenics'. There are several very effective thermogenic supplementson the market that can accelerate your progress towards your goal. Those containing caffeine, green tea extracts and an extract from a plant called coleus forskohlii are the most effective. They will boost your metabolismand promote the release of fat from the fat stores. ‘Scorch' by MAN Sports is a good example. It contains a combination of 7 powerful herbal ingredients specifically designed to boost your metabolism, burn body fat and increase your energy. Unfortunately though, thermogenics are not ‘magic pills'. You can't expect to take a couple of thermogenic capsules and then go home and eat pizza and drink alcohol and expect to get results. Thermogenics only work when their use is combined with a good nutrition and exercise program. Take 1-2 capsules twice a day; once prior to your morning exercise session and once with your lunch. Don't take them later than 4:00pm in the afternoon because they may keep you awake at night. Before using thermogenics, see your doctor first and obtain their approval. Do not eat anything for 30 minutes after the completion of any exercise. As a result of using the thermogenics combined with the exercise, your metabolism will remain elevated for some time after the exercise session is finished. This means your body will burn fuel at a faster rate than normal. Any exercise causes the body to use carbohydrate (muscle glycogen and blood glucose) as a fuel source. This means that after the exercise is completed the carbohydrate stores in the body are low and the body will be forced to use fat as its fuel. If a meal is eaten immediately after the completion of the exercise session, the blood glucose level will rise, inducing the secretion of insulin from the pancreas. One of the effects of insulin is to stop fat burning in the body. Therefore, wait 30 minutes (but no longer because cortisol will rise) before having your next meal. Perform a weight training workout 2-4 times a week. Lifting weights is the most under-estimated way to lose fat fast! Now, before you start saying, ‘But I don't want to get big muscles!' or ‘I don't want to look like a man!', consider the following. The main purpose of lifting weights when your primary goal is to lose body fat is to preserve the muscle massyou already have. You see, muscle is the ‘engine' within which the fat, or ‘fuel' is burnt and maintaining or even increasing your muscle mass slightly will help ensure your body fat is burnt off efficiently. If you don't lift weights, your body will quite happily lose both fat and muscle as you drop the kilos. Lifting weights forces your body to maintain your muscle mass, therefore keeping your metabolism elevated and turning your body into 24-hour-a-day fat-burning machine! Incidentally, it only takes two 30 minute sessions a week to obtain the muscle preserving benefits of lifting weights. Have 5-6 small meals a day. One of the most common strategies people use to lose weight is to skip meals. Whilst reducing food intake is certainly an effective way to lose weight, having fewer meals is not the way to go. Many overweight people say, ‘I don't know why I'm overweight, I only eat once or twice a day!' Unfortunately, this is exactly why they are overweight. Having a mild calorie restriction is effective because if you consume less calories than you burn each day you will lose weight- simple! However, skipping meals forces the body to invoke its ‘Starvation Mechanism' because it thinks it is entering a famine. As a result, the body slows the metabolism to preserve energy. It also increases cortisol output and cortisol is the most powerful catabolic hormone in the body, which means it goes around the body breaking down lean tissue, particularly muscle. A loss of muscle slows the metabolism even further. Skipping meals also results in an increase in appetite, which forces you to eat larger amounts of food when you do eat. In addition to all these factors, the body also increases the activity of fat-storing enzymes, lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and fatty acid synthase (FAS), so when you do eat the food gets stored as fat. All of this results from simply skipping meals! By having a small meal every 2-3 hours throughout the day, your metabolism stays elevated and your body will happily burn fat all day long. Unfortunately though, most people are conditioned to having large meals and they automatically assume they will put on weight if they have 5 or 6 meals a day. The fact is, the ideal portion sizes for most people are actually quite small and in order to lose weight fast it is essential that you never feel full from a meal but you do feel satisfied. Also, most people find it difficult to have a meal every 2-3 hours throughout the day because they are so busy with work and/ or family commitments. Here are some suggestions to ensure you get your 5 or 6 meals a day. • Plan and prepare your meals the night before • Use meal replacements (protein shakes or bars) • Select foods that are quick and easy to prepare and consume Ensure each meal contains protein. Protein is a component of all cells and makes up over half the dry weight of the human body. Furthermore, the human body is a dynamic structure, which means it is constantly building up and breaking down tissue. Just imagine a bath full of water. At one end of the bath the plug is pulled out and at the other end the tap is turned on full. The water level in the bath doesn't change but there are ‘new' water molecules entering the bath and ‘old' water molecules leaving the bath all the time. The human body is exactly the same. If the body breaks down more tissue than it builds up, then it is said to be in a catabolic state. This results in the metabolism slowing down due to the loss of muscle tissue. Having a portion of high-quality protein every few hours throughout the day provides the body with a constant supply of amino acids- the building blocks of the body. This prevents the catabolic state, promotes an anabolic state (tissue building) and therefore keeps the metabolism ‘fired-up'. If only carbohydrate or fat is consumed for a meal, for example a piece of fruit (carbohydrate) for the mid-morning meal, then the body will still enter a catabolic state because it doesn't have the building blocks (amino acids) to re-build body tissues. Protein, as its name suggests, is of primary importance. Reduce your intake of high-density carbohydrates. Most high-density carbohydrates like bread, pasta, rice and cereals cause a rapid rise in blood glucose. This invokes the release of insulin from the pancreas, which in turn stores the glucose. The body stores glucose in the muscles and liver as glycogen and once these sites are full, the remaining glucose gets stored as body fat. Not only this, but insulin also stops the body from mobilising and utilising fat for fuel (burning fat). So if you want to maximise fat loss, you need to keep insulin to a minimum and the best way to do this is by reducing your intake of starchy carbohydrates without cutting them out altogether. Cutting them out totally is a philosophy of many low-carb diets on the market. However, these are very hard to sustain long-term and may lead to nutrient deficiencies. Each day, have a small amount (1-2 serves) of high density carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice, cereals); a moderate amount (2-3 serves) of medium density carbohydrates (starchy vegetables and fruits); and a large amount (5-6 serves) of low density carbohydrates (fibrous vegetables). [For a complete list of carbohydrates, see pages 136-138 of the book, ‘ Look good, feel great! ] Do not have a Treat Day. Since you are expecting an extraordinary result, it is essential that you put in an extraordinary effort. Accordingly, for the next 28 days you must follow the plan exactly as it is outlined without deviating. This means you can't allow yourself to indulge in any ‘forbidden foods'. This also means avoiding alcohol for the entire 28-day period. I know this may be hard for some people but let's face it, it is only for 28 days! By committing to the plan and disciplining yourself to see it through, you are ensuring that the results will follow. Plus, the disciplines you create to help you achieve your physical goal will have a ‘carry-over benefit' to other areas of your life as well. I wish you the greatest success in achieving outstanding results! * Before using any nutritional supplement, speak with your health care professional.

It was a great experience. It was a little challenging just getting into a routine with meals. Breakfast and lunch were easy. I brought Protein drinks for when I first woke up. Then eggs and a little bacon or cottage cheese for breakfast. Lunch was some carved meat. Dinners were all at the buffet. Not drinking alcohol was not a problem at all. But I did find that getting all my Water in was a challenge Best advice I have, is when you go to the buffets, take a small plate. It is much easier to not take too much since I did not bring my scale. Next one is in 8 weeks! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

thank u for ur kind words and support...the center i'm going to offers individual therapy and group therapy..the individual therapist will get to the root of the problem...the group therapy is where the actual eating dis-order will come in2 play...my therapist has also suggested i go to support groups for over-eaters and not just bulemics....some centers handle all eating dis-orders....this one is specifically designed for bulemics and aneroxics...it's an in-patient/out-patient center...i've asked my new therapist if there is anyone else in there with a lap band...and like i've mentioned b4...she said "its very common"...i still have a hard time admitting i have an eating dis-order...but i fight with food...i fight to eat...i fight...i fight...i feel guilty when i eat..some go to drugs and alcohol when they r stressed i go to laxatives and now i find myself vomitting when i am stressed...i'm getting a grip on the mental part...starting to feel like myself again...losing my image...i feel like i'm waking up from a bad dream...but the other part has a strong grip on my mind...i'm scared to death of food

For me it just works itself out if I stick to my calorie goals. The first night that I was "allowed" to drink according to my nutritional guide, I had two drinks (which worked out to about 200 cal). I got a buzz but then I was hungry with no calories left for the day, which made for a miserable evening. Worse yet the alcohol definitely seemed to make my hunger worse. To avoid being hungry I need to plan my entire days intake around those two drinks in the evening, and its just not worth the hassle, so I rarely drink at all anymore.

I never realized before surgery how much of my social life revolves around food. All my thin friends always want to go to restaurants, and I used to think it was just me. People also are surprisingly pushy about getting me to drink alcohol, like I'm some sort of weirdo if I don't get a drink. They're always asking when I can eat or drink things. "Let me know when you can ______!" I also had no idea that after surgery you can't take ibuprofen (used to eat it like candy), that I would have to separate eating and drinking liquids, and that soup is a bad idea. The pre-op class was really surprising for me. The salad thing also surprised me but I can eat a little salad with my other food just fine, and straws and diet soda don't really cause me any issues. I'm fortunate that I haven't found anything I can't eat yet. I ate popcorn at the movies this weekend (got a kids' pack) and diet soda and was perfectly fine.

My favorites for TOM are cocoa almonds.. almost like chocolate covered almonds but with only 5 carbs per 1/4 cup and these delicious "Supreme Protein" Protein bars. Specifically the caramel nut chocolate flavor, you have a chocolate outer coating with little crisp rice (like krackle), nougat and real caramel. 15g protein, and 5 sugars, (15 sugar alcohols). They are crazy good and fake low carb pretty well. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001RD6L98/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=solacefarm-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B001RD6L98&adid=1S7GY74BPCPYDT2DCPQH& Walmart has them too, looks like GNC as well.

Yes! I don't feel there's a problem with it if you're aware that they have "empty calories" and you plan for it. Also, I drink more water with alcohol as it can dehydrate you (and makes my band tighter too).

Maybe during the maintaining stage...but until then during the losing phase you need to count your calories, measure your portions and stay away from fatty food, sweets, fried food and alcohol. If you don't your loss will be pretty darn slow and you will become frustrated and have more chance to fail.

I would question what they're using to clean skin with when operating and filling you? Is it something like scrub care or hibiclense that have germ killing properties for up to 24 hours after used? Or are they using something not as strong. The same would go for fills. I know alcohol swabs are used in fills, but some drs use stronger germ killing agents. You might want to ask about these. Are you seeing a wound specialist now. I know in my area they have wound care centers- mostly used by diabetics and others having problems healing. I had a friend with cancer with a wound specialist as she was getting vacuumed shut after a surgery. She also had type 1 diabetes so it was really hard on her body and took constant vigilance of keeping everything clean. To the extent that she had to get rid of her small dogs and cats. And had someone come in to declutter her house and deep clean it.

I agree - it is the easiest start to my day! The whole point to the not drinking liquid calories IS THE USELESS liquid calories i.e. milkshakes, Frappuccino's, alcohol - there is nothing useless about 150 calories and 20 grams of Protein as a meal! My Dr also requires us to get 65-75 grams of protein in a day - I can't eat enough food to get that much in, and protein supplements are HIGHLY recommended in order to meet the dietary requirements.

My doc said alcohol was ok after I was back on solid foods. I don't drink alcohol but I would guess that if you're eating only 1/2-1 cup of food at a meal, the alcohol could hit you faster.

My alcohol habits really havent changed, with the exception of not drinking them with my meals now. I will have 1-2 glasses of wine, or martinis, or mojitos, or whatever about once a week, maybe twice a week. I understand it is high calorie, but right now I can afford the extra calories. I can afford the extra calories because I am making really good food choice right now. If my weight loss starts to stall or plateau, I will reevaluate. Until then, bottoms up! :rolleyes2:

I am curious as to what's everyone's thoughts on Alcohol with band. Obviously I know that alcohol has many empty calories and sugar and beer has carbonation that isn't well either. But I am curious as to when you first started to introduce alcoholic beverages into your life again. What have your Doctors told you regarding alcohol? Does anyone have a healthier drink of choice?

It is my opinion, that if you don't change... at least some... you won't be successful maintaining the weight loss! I do agree that your core values, your basic personality etc. don't change but morbid obesity has a way of twisting how some of our social interactions are. Maybe a way to look at it is like this... did becoming a parent "change" me? yes. Did my career experiences over the past decades influence the person I am today? yes. Did feeling more physiclly confident, feeling less pain, feeling more attractive after losing weight change me? yes. I like to think that the real me has a better chance at shining through without the fatsuit! There are people who experience some temporary insanity ...ha.. that is a joke... during the transition. Anxiety, hyper mania type behaviors can surface. There is good old addiction transference too. I guess it is a question to the universe - if someone who abused food and used obesity to numb themselves from the world switches to alcohol, shopping, gambling or whatever - did they really change or is it that the underlying concerns are just more obvious? I don't know the answer to that. What I think is that I am alot more honest, about deep things than I ever felt entitled to be before That sounds strange but the happier I am with myself, the less I feel the need to please others? So, yes, i think losing massive weight does change us... at least some.

Soft Foods Diet: Beverages: Water, tea, coffee, sugar or fat free coca, Crystal Light, sugar-free Kool-aid, sugar-free Tang, sugar-free lemonade, Diet-Snapple, Diet V-8 slash, skim milk, lactose free milk, light soy milk AVOID: sugar sweetened drinks, coca, carbonation, caffeine or alcohol others: sugar-free popsicles, fruit n juice popsicles, sugar free Jello, sugar free pudding soup: low fat cream Soups, soups of any kind AVOID: full fat cream soups, full sodium soups starches: cooked Cereal, cream of rice, cream of wheat, malt-o-meal, thinned grits or oatmeal, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, crispy toasted bread AVOID: sugar-sweetened cereals, cold cereals, bread (unless toasted), Pasta, ritz crackers or soda crackers unless light and all other starches meats/protein: low fat cottage cheese or ricotta, low fat yogurt, low fat cheese, egg, tuna, canned chicken (with light mayo only), shaved deli meats, ground beef, ground turkey (Cooking methods: baking, broiling, slow cooker, foil wrapped) AVOID: Dry meat or poultry, mixed dishes (ie lasagna), beef (other than ground because it's hard to digest) vegetables: cooked, canned or pureed (soft-able to be mashed with fork) AVOID: Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, onions, snow peas, asparagus, celery, raw vegetables fruits: cooked, canned or pureed, unsweetened applesauce, and bananas (fruits only occasionally) AVOID: Cherries, berries, citrus fruits, grapes, plums, most raw fruits fats: margarine and I can't believe it's not butter spray Hope this helps!

Alcohol wipes!

Alcohol or oily like baby oil

You can support your co worker. It's up to the family to do an intervention. If they dont know how to start the process, send your co worker resources in your area for alcoholism. There are also support groups for family members. Sent from my SM-G930T using BariatricPal mobile app

I made a gin and tonic for a guest at my house this afternoon and, not gonna lie, it was really hard to not make one for myself. I haven't had a drink since Sunday morning, January 22. It was the last day of my cruise and the deadline I set for myself to get serious about my pre-op diet. I also had done a few 2-6 day periods of sobriety/liquid diet in December/January to start practicing for the post-op period. All that to say I'm a pretty serious drinker, and this is hard for me, but I'm going to try to wait at least 12 weeks before I have a drink. I did it when I was pregnant with my daughter, I can do it again now. However, whenever you do decide to have your first post-op drink, do NOT start with a margarita. I imagine you will make yourself quite sick from all that sugar at once. Remember, we're not super prone to dumping syndrome like RNYers, but it can happen to us, too. I was doing low-carb around the holidays as part of my pre-op preparation and I had several vodka & Protein waters, which was totally drinkable. I'd start with that, since then you are just introducing one new thing, a neutral alcohol. Good luck with your choice! Sent from my Nexus 5X using the BariatricPal App

timmytommy, ColieCallwell, I'm surprised you wouldn't be approved if you lost too much weight durring the process. I thought insurance used your starting weight for approval. This just proves how everyone's path to surgery and requirements are different. timmytommy, what you'll need to accomplish during your six-month pre-op depends on what your insurance requires and what your doctor/ surgeon wants/needs to prove that you're physically and mentally ready for surgery. You may be required to do the following: Begin a medical weight loss program Lose weight Have psychological evaluation See a registered dietician (RD) See an exercise therapist or get on an exercise plan Attend a support group for bariatric patients Reduce soda/ alcohol Stop smoking/ using tobacco products Make dietary changes Increase protein Start a vitamin/ Supplement routine Sleep studies/ Maintain CPAP/BiPAP compliance Labs/ Tests: blood panel for CBC, thyroid function, B12, HgbA1--for prediabetes/diabetes, other vitamins EKG/ cardiac stress test EDG (esophagogastroduodenoscopy) Good luck!

- Tone! This can make quite a difference, though it won't get rid of all sagging skin. Start weight training as soon as your doctor will let you. - A week out and I have maybe twice. I feel kind of crude saying it, but it was liquid, since I'm only having liquids. My doctor told me if I hadn't gone 5 days post surgery to use a dulcolax suppository (But not the tablets) - My NUT said that Biotin is something I can start taking at 6 weeks to help decrease hair loss. I think the other two kinda hit the nail on the head that it's about nutrition. - I was not required to do a pre-op diet. The surgeon only required Clear Liquids for the day before the surgery and nothing by mouth after mid***ht the ***ht before. - I can't comment on this one. I am not a big alcohol drinker anymore and I've planned to pretty much quit alcohol completely now that I'm post-op. Haven't tried it yet.

My surgery is scheduled for august 13. My dr put me on a 2 week pre op diet of clear liquids, including sugar free jello, sugar free popsicles, broth, water with crystal light, etc..and the whey protein powder drinks or isopure (whey protein isolate) My dr told me the sagging skin also depends on your age, and amount of weight youre losing. the younger you are the more elasticity your skin has. but like the others said working out will help that. for the hair loss, ive heard biotin works, and ive heard they make special shampoos with that in it....also thats another reason its so important to get your 70 grams of protein in a day bc it helps with that. As far as the alcohol, you may still like the taste but you'll probably never be able to drink it the same way as now. & ive learned youre not supposed to drink any alcohol for at least a year, and even after like someone else said it is empty calories, pure sugar and no nutritional value..so youre probabbly not going to want to fill up your little stomach with something you get nothing from. Good luck with your surgery, 12 more days for you! I have 11 and I can NOT wait!!!!

With doing the boot camp exercising, your body is changing; and a weight gain is not uncommon as you are building muscle, not fat. That being said, STOP the alcohol as much as possible; all empty calories!!! Have Water with some fruit in it (or bring one of those flavor dispenser/packets with you)...be the designated driver... that stuff is not doing you ANY favors... Next find out if there is a bariatric center near you and if they have meetings, a lot of centers have to have a monthly meeting for post-bariatric members to keep their certification. It has been proven that if you attend these meetings you are more likely to succeed in your endeavor! Helpful hints are always given at these, including easy recipes! try "The World According to Eggface" for recipes, she's got some great stuff... your weight loss is nothing to sneeze at...it's great! when was the last time you lost that much weight in that amount of time?!?! If you are like the rest of us, the answer is "never"! Don't discount yourself...you can't compare yourself to others! And lastly, remember, Protein FIRST! Good luck, you've got this!