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Here is some advice I can give you. Eat off small plates (cake plates) this is a mind game when you see the plate is full. Put your fork completely down between bites. When you don't feel empty and more stop eating and you can eat somemore later. Try little bites of things to see if it still agrees with you or that you even like the taste of it. Use a table spoon when serving out your plate. Alcohol. hummm, I just tried it for the first time and what I had would have been a gulp for anyone else but it too me all day until I gave up on it. I hope this helps you and good luck.

I had some invasive questions asked in mine. Like drug alcohol problems, if I ever was abused, if I see a counselor, those were the ones that stand out to me

I started drinking Mio water flavor enhancers...sugarfree though. .so not sure if it contains sugar alcohol

from: https://www.lapband.com/ Important LAP-BAND® System Safety Information Indications: The LAP-BAND® System is indicated for weight reduction for patients with obesity, with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of at least 40 kg/m2 or a BMI of at least 30 kg/m2 with one or more obesity-related comorbid conditions. It is indicated for use only in adult patients who have failed more conservative weight reduction alternatives, such as supervised diet, exercise and behavior modification programs. Patients who elect to have this surgery must make the commitment to accept significant changes in their eating habits for the rest of their lives. Contraindications: The LAP-BAND® System is not recommended for non-adult patients, patients with conditions that may make them poor surgical candidates or increase the risk of poor results (e.g., inflammatory or cardiopulmonary diseases, GI conditions, symptoms or family history of autoimmune disease, cirrhosis), who are unwilling or unable to comply with the required dietary restrictions, who have alcohol or drug addictions, or who currently are or may be pregnant. Warnings: The LAP-BAND® System is a long-term implant. Explant and replacement surgery may be required. Patients who become pregnant or severely ill, or who require more extensive nutrition may require deflation of their bands. Anti-inflammatory agents, such as aspirin, should be used with caution and may contribute to an increased risk of band erosion. Adverse Events: Placement of the LAP-BAND® System is major surgery and, as with any surgery, death can occur. Possible complications include the risks associated with the medications and methods used during surgery, the risks associated with any surgical procedure, and the patient's ability to tolerate a foreign object implanted in the body. Band slippage, erosion and deflation, reflux, obstruction of the stomach, dilation of the esophagus, infection, or nausea and vomiting may occur. Reoperation may be required. Rapid weight loss may result in complications that may require additional surgery. Deflation of the band may alleviate excessively rapid weight loss or esophageal dilation. Important: For full safety information please visit www.lapband.com, talk with your doctor, or call Allergan Product Support at 1-800-624-4261.

To having a Lapband…. Well there are Dr. O’Brien’s eight golden rules. 1, Eat three or less small meals per day 2. Do not eat anything between meals 3. Eat slowly and stop when no longer hungry 4. Focus on nutritious foods 5. Avoid calorie-containing liquids 6. Exercise for at least 30 minutes every day 7. Be active throughout the day 8. Always keep in contact with your aftercare specialist And there are the basic band eating rules. 1. Small bites 2. Chew until mushy 3. Eat slow (wait about 1 minute between bites) After this it starts to get foggy, many doctors with many different opinions and advise. There is: 1. Don’t drink while eating 2. No carbonated drinks 3. No straws 4. No NSAIDS 5. No alcohol So what do you do? Who is right?? Every doctor is different. An example is let’s compare my doctor and my good friend CalorinaGirl’s doctor: Drinking while eating: My doctor says it’s fine as long as you wait the minute between bites & sips. CG doctor says NO drinking while eating and wait 30 minutes after you eat. Carbonated drinks: My doctor says if you want that’s fine but he sees most patients prefer not to because of the discomfort in drinking the carbonation. CG doctor says NO. Straws My doctor says if you want and it doesn’t bother you, fine. (I use a straw on occasion). CG doctor says NO. NSAIDS My doctor says Yes. CG doctor says NO. Alcohol My doctor says count the calories. CG doctor says prefer not, but if so use sparingly. I would say that both CG & I have been successful with our banded journeys, we both follow our band rules (doctor’s orders) and have seen the results. So who is right????? YOUR DOCTOR IS RIGHT! That is the person you put your money and life into so why not trust them? My point is this journey is not cut and dry, black and white. This journey is what you make of it. Trust in your doctor and listen to them. Make your choices based on that.

Carbs can cause excess gas, sugar alcohols etc Tummy noises are pretty normal.

I'm 3 weeks out..have lost so far 11 lbs..I noticed in my arms and face a lil..I know I'm not yet losing as fast as I want.. but God willing im heading towards my goal weight..180.. I'm happy everyone here decided to go along with surgery. .I don't feel so left out... what I think I will miss out on is my get togethers..margaritas! !.. does anyone drink alcohol after surgery? ? If so how much can you drink? Does it burn?

So I when to see my doctor he cleared me to eat regular food, but I have some questions regarding wraps, breads(turkey sandwich) broccoli, salad and alcohol. I asked so many questions that I forgot to ask him about these. How did u guys eat on a regular diet.

Hello Everyone!!!! Today is my Big Day !! This time last year I changed my life. I had VSG. If you followed me in the beginning you would know that i had a lot of problems. I was sick for about 4-5 months after having the surgery and I had a lot of regret because people were having more success than me... After a while and some tweeks in vitamins things started to turn around... By my 6 months I had lost 100lbs.. this was revealed on Christmas Day.. Then I met my weight loss goal of 160lbs on Feb 27th.. I have been maintaining since then between 153-160.. Today I weighed in at 152lbs. I am not going to say that my journey has been easy because it hasn't .. It took me a long time to come around.. I had a love hate relationship with food for a long time... There are still foods that i cant or don't eat and I don't push it.. I just let it be.. I so not do pasta, rice or breads.. I will so sliced bread every now and then. I work out 5-7 days a week. I workout with a personal trainer 2 days a week, I walk, I'm running now.. The longest was 3.5 miles this pass weekend. I have done 3 5k's and i have one scheduled for next Sat which ill be my 4th and my 2nd obstacle run... I box, lift weights, hula hoop and I can walk up hills and stairs like its nothing. I eat 3 meals a day with 1-2 snacks.. I still measure my food. I don't drink with my food, nor do I drink alcohol. I do use a straw and i have been using one since 3-4 weeks after surgery per my docs approval. I pretty much follow the rules 85-90% of the time.. but I will say I love dark chocolate and I do partake, lol. No cakes or cookies and no other candies, just chocolate.. I love my new life now... I learning to love the new me everyday!!! I have let go of a lot of pain that got me to my point of unhappiness and over weight.. I have forgiving a lot of people and I have told a lot of folks where can go to... I surround my self with positive folks and My Husband has been my Number 1 Supporter. In this last year, I have been to multiple concerts, 4 weddings, zip-lined indoor sky dived.. danced the night away in 4 inch heels and I have even been in a size 2... My beginning wt was 273.6, I am now in small tops and dress. size 4-6 pants, my feet even got smaller I went from a 10 to a 8.5. I have had my wedding ring re-sized twice and it needs it again. Links have been taking out of my watch.. I just have so much energy.. and my favorite thing to do is to cross my legs... I am off all meds, cpap, and pain management. I have gone from seeing my docks every other week to once a year now!!! There are so many NVS I cant count but I'm sure you get the just of it... and along the way I have meet some awesome people in the weight loss community!! I'm super excited about today!!!

It took me about 9 months into the band to realize that I used food to cope. While I was losing I was on a natural high and when I hit goal all of a sudden I actually got depressed because I no longer had the high of losing. Once I had lost the weight and I no longer ate to cope I was in big trouble. I went to a therapist and he said I had to make a choice, either find a new way to cope or cut out some stress. That's why many people become alcoholics after WLS. They can no longer eat to cope and so they turn to another vice to take its place. Learning that you stress eat is helpful in the process though and is a great step in making changes in your life whether it be finding better ways to cope with stress or ultimately making the decision to eliminate some of the stress in your life. I'm trying a mixture of both right now but I'm not ready to cut out some of the stress that I probably should. At least knowing what I'm dealing with and making the decision to put up with it is my choice and it sometimes makes it easier.

Some helpful reminder info will come in handy when thinking about fills/adjustments. Great information. I have seen this information before and it is really good. How to Tell When You Are Perfectly Adjusted You are losing 1-2 pounds per week. If you are not losing 1-2 pounds per week: A. You may need an eating adjustment 1. Are you eating 60 grams of Protein a day 2. Are you eating 25 grams of Fiber 3. Are you avoiding all liquid calories a. Soup can be sign of “soft calorie syndrome” b. Alcohol contains a lot of calories – 7 calories per gram (1) It’s also a stomach irritant c. fruit juice is just sugar Water 4. Are you making healthy food choices from a wide variety of foods? a. Are you avoiding soft foods b. You can’t just eat what’s easy c. cheese is glorified fat 5. Are you drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day between meals 6. Are you eating too much junk a. chips, chocolate, nuts, ice cream, Cookies and other highly processed junk foods are too calorically dense to be regular parts of a healthy diet. But don’t avoid them completely to the point where you feel deprived. b. Stay out of fast food places 7. Are you getting in two servings of Calcium daily 8. Do you always eat the protein first 9. Then the vegetables or fruits a. Five servings a day b. Potatoes are NOT a vegetable 10. Is your portion size appropriate? a. meat or fish (1) 3 ounces – the size of a deck of cards b. Vegetables (1) ½ cup – the size of your fist c. Starch (1) If you eat the protein and the vegetables first you don’t need much (2) Avoid: rice, potatoes, Pasta 11. You might try avoiding artificial sweeteners a. Some people think that artificial sweeteners stimulate the appetite b. They are HUNDREDS of times sweeter than sugar c. They teach you to like things too sweet d. There is no evidence that people who use them are any thinner than people who don’t 12. Avoid most diet foods a. Real food usually tastes better b. Real food is more satisfying than low calorie substitutes c. When you are only eating a tiny bit the caloric savings is not that great (1) Use a teaspoon of real butter instead of a tablespoon of diet margarine (2) The body has no way to break down artificial fats a. They may go into permanent storage b. Some people think liposuction is the only way to remove hydrolyzed fats from the body B. You may need a behavior adjustment 1. Are you eating only when you are hungry? a. If you’re not sure drink 8 ounces of water and wait. 2. Are you eating three meals a day? a. With maybe 1 or 2 small Snacks 3. Are you sitting down to eat? 4. Are you eating consciously? a. No distractions, turn off the TV, put the book or newspaper away, pay attention to your food and your companions 5. Are you eating slowly? a. Put the fork down between bites b. Take 20 to 30 minutes to finish a meal c. Taking longer might cause the pouch to begin emptying 6. Are you taking small bites? a. Tiny spoon, chopsticks, cocktail fork 7. Are you chewing well? 8. Are you drinking with your meals or too soon after your meals? a. Practice water loading between meals b. You won’t be thirsty if you are well hydrated before the meal 9. Are you stopping at the first sign of fullness? a. Sometimes it’s a whisper: not hungry, had enough b. Hard stop versus soft stop 10. Do not eat between meals. Stop grazing. 11. Do not eat when you are not hungry C. You may need an activity adjustment 1. Are you getting in 30 minutes of physical activity at least 3 times a week? a. Over and above what you would do in the usual course of your day b. Could you make it 4 or 5 times a week? c. Could you make it 45 or 60 minutes? 2. Are you taking advantage of opportunities to increase your physical activity? a. Taking the stairs instead of the elevators or escalators b. Walking on the escalators instead of riding c. Parking your car further away from the entrance d. Getting out of the car instead of using the drive through e. Getting off the bus one stop before your destination f. Washing you car by hand instead of the car wash g. Playing with your kids D. You may need an attitude adjustment 1. Are you committed to your weight loss journey? 2. Are you totally honest with yourself about how much you are eating and exercising? a. Log your food and activity on ww.fitday.com for 3 days 3. Are you using food inappropriately to deal with emotional issues? a. Have you identified what the emotions are that drive your eating? b. Can you think of more appropriate ways to deal with those emotions? c. Are you willing to seek help from a qualified counselor? 4. Are you attending and participating in support group meetings? 5. Have you drummed up some support from your family and friends? 6. Have you dealt with saboteurs realistically? 7. Do you have realistic expectations about the weight loss journey? 8. Are you still obsessing about food, weight, dieting, eating? a. Obsessive – compulsive thoughts (1) Obsess about something else b. Perfectionism (1) All or none, black and white thinking c. Patience with the pace of healthy weight loss 9. Are you acknowledging your successes with non-food rewards? 10. Have you learned how to take a compliment? 11. Are you giving up diet mentality? a. Stop weighing yourself several times a day or every day b. Stop dieting c. Stop depriving yourself d. Stop defining food as “good” and “bad” e. Stop rewarding and punishing yourself with food 12. How do you feel about all the changes taking place? E. You may need a band adjustment 1. You feel like you are making healthy food choices in appropriate portion sizes but getting hungry between meals? 2. You can still eat white bread, fibrous vegetables and large portions. 3. You are having to struggle to lose 4. You are gaining weight in spite of eating right, exercising and having a good mind set. F. You may need your band loosened 1. There are times when you can’t get fluids down 2. You are vomiting too much a. How much is too much? 3. Do you have frequent reflux or heartburn at night? a. Do not lie flat or bend over soon after eating b. Do not eat late at night or just before bedtime c. Rinse your pouch with a glass or water an hour before bedtime d. Certain foods or drinks are more likely to cause reflux: (1) Rich, spicy, fatty and fried foods (2) Chocolate (3) Caffeine (4) Alcohol (5) Some fruits and vegetables a. Oranges, lemons, tomatoes, peppers (6) Peppermint a. Baking soda toothpaste (7) Carbonated drinks e. Eat slowly and do not eat big meals f. If you smoke, quit smoking g. Reduce stress h. Exercise promotes digestion i. Raise the head of your bed j. Wear loose fitting clothing around your waist k. Stress increases reflux l. Take estrogen containing medications in the morning m. Avoid aspirin, Aleve and ibuprofen at bedtime (1) Tylenol is OK n. Take an antacid (Pepcid complete) before retiring o. Try other over-the-counter heartburn medications p. See your health care provider 4. See your health care provider immediately (or call 911) if a. You have a squeezing, tightness or heaviness in your chest, especially if the discomfort spreads to your shoulder, arm or jaw or is accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, irregular or fast heartbeat or nausea. These could be symptoms of a heart attack. b. If your symptoms are triggered by exercise. c. If your pain localizes to your right side, especially if you also have nausea or fever d. If you throw up vomit that looks like black sand or coffee grounds. Or if your stool is black, deep red or looks like it has tar in it. These are symptoms of bleeding and need immediate attention. (Note: Pepto-Bismol or other medications with bismuth will turn your stool black. Iron supplements can also make the stool tarry.) e. If your pain is severe

I was cursing along and down 60 pounds when it just stopped..Right before I hit that stall I started to drink, not like an alcoholic but a few a week. I had stopped vlogging, writing down my food and even forgot what I was doing. The weight came back SO FAST! I went to the dr because I was too tight, I was getting stuck a few times a week and having re-flux. Got an unfill then a small fill. Last visit was Nov and I was 219 today I am 241..I was down to 186 I had my thyroid tested twice! I am now suffering from all the crap I did before, swelling, pain in feet, depression and all over lack of energy. The band is there.. I feel it when i am on my period, it is tight then. When I eat Protein first it work..but I do not do that. I have been told and I tell myself I am a failure at weight loss everyday and it hurts my soul. I am so incredibly done with this and can not face this fat girl anymore.. How do you get back to the basics? How are you living with the band, I mean really living!

I had my RNY Gastric bypass on January 7th of this year and it felt I had finally found the solution I was always searching for. I began preparing to have the surgery the September prior and it felt like every moment that went by I was just waiting for the day to start my life over; like I was only half present during holidays, dates, or work and half counting down the hours. I got down to about 100 lbs this past June, just in time for my birthday; but, ill admit I hadn't been consistently playing by the rules, I started smoking again, drinking alcohol, picking at foods when I'm cooking, not taking vitamins, not exercising and loading up on the carbs. My weight loss had stopped and it seemed like I had lost all motivation to get it up and running again. It wasn't until last Monday that I was re awoken. A week ago I watched my boyfriend have the same surgery, with the same surgeon and later recover in the same room. I remembered how hard starting out was for me and I knew that I needed to be strong for both of us. I feel alive again, and I won't dare lose focus again. I bought new vitamins that I have been taking vigilantly, drinking my water and making better food choices. I'm still working on the exercise but ill get there. I'm grateful I got the opportunity to change my life and I'm even more grateful that I get to experience this journey with the person I care for most.

First of all I am proud to be a member of this site. It is wonderful to hear the stories of those who have been banded and those in pre-band status. It helps to read forums about the successes and the concerns, the achievements and the lessons learned. However, I wanted to reach out to those whose journey to Lap Band was slightly different. You see, My journey began at birth. I was born with a defect that was not treated until July 10th but caused me many issues throughout life. I was never an overweight child or teenager. I stayed active and in shape BUT I was sick. As a baby, I couldn't digest most formulas and I had a hard time with breast milk. Ended up with PET milk and karo syrup. As a young child, I had multiple stomach viruses. At the age of eight, I learned that falling asleep after I ate lead to choking in my sleep later on. This was chalked up to having a weak lid (whatever that means) and bad family history. During my college years, I began to develop ulcers. I was placed on a daily regiment of Protonix and sent home. By 30, I was experiencing fatigue, slight hair loss, and pain whenever I ate certain foods. At 31, I had enough and I requested to be sent to a specialist. I had an Upper GI which confirmed the presence of a hiatal hernia. One I was born with. Told that I could live with it and sent on my way. At 32, the list of foods I was unable to digest without pain was growing by leaps and bounds: NO fruit, no raw vegetables, no cakes, no desserts, nothing with tomato paste, no spicy foods, limited greasy foods, no carbonated drinks, no alcohol. I virtually had to watch almost everything I ate. I was in pain when I ate and pain when I wasn't eating. My vitamin levels where awful and my immune system not the best. I was exercising but not losing weight. I was surviving off of starch. I met with the specialist who performed and EGD - or scope on my stomach. Afterwards, He said he understood why I was in pain. The hernia had went from small to moderate size, Gastritis, GERD, reflux, and signs of Sleep Apnea. My stomach was a hot mess. All relating to the fact that my Hernia was never treated and 33 years later the damage was evident. My part in it all: Im sure I sped the process along with my awful College eating habits - aka eating when I had a chance and not getting anything remotely close to proper rest.) I remember sitting through my Pre Surgery Informational Class shaking my leg because I was in so much pain: I had just ate chicken and mashed potatoes and cole slaw. Yes I know: not the best - but anything I ate caused me pain. Well, the doctor sat down and discussed my options with me. LapBand seemed the best option. As of July 15th, I feel so much better. I actually rest when I sleep now. My thoughts are clearer. Outside of the pain of surgery, My stomach feels much better. I did start the protein shakes a month before my surgery. Two shakes and one meal for four weeks, which greatly helped with the abdominal pain and agitation. Two weeks before surgery, I had a protein shake every 3 hours and water in between. NO food. Yes I lose 24 lbs before surgery: though I was not very thrilled during the process. My doctor informed my loved ones that not only where things better than he anticipated during surgery, but my surgery went well and everything looked good. I wanted to share this story with those who are experiencing the same issues. Please note that your journey may be slightly different: It may not have started with the desire to lose weight or high blood pressure or diabetes or bad cholesterol, BUT I want you to know You are NOT alone. Many adults suffer from Hernias they know nothing about. They are not aware of the symptoms and just think they have stomach viruses and ulcers. If you are living on Maalox or Pepto or Mylanta: I am talking to you. If Nexium and Protonix are not working: I am talking to you. PLEASE get checked out. Have your children checked out. What seems like a small problem may lead to very bad complications later on in life. There is a better way of life available to you. I am and aim to continue being a witness to this fact. Thank you for reading this. Good luck on your Journey. Most importantly, Love yourself ALWAYS.

I have done wine but nothing fizzy. Fizz scares me but I do have concerns that it is too soon for alcohol

It could. I would check with my doctor. We've gone through too much to mess it up with alcohol. I'm afraid to even have a glass if wine.

I believe that alcoholic and non alcoholic fatty liver are quite different and cirrhosis is far less common with non alcoholic. The fat is actually in our liver cells (though if we are obese we'll almost certainly have more fat than is ideal around our organs too), and the overall size of our liver increases. The Optifast pre-op diet is aimed at decreasing the fat in our liver cells and so the size of our liver. I believe we can decrease the size of our livers by diet, so VSG should really help. Amazingly it's low carb that is most important. Good luck. It's v common these days (due to growing rate of obesity) but far better to be without!

thanks. the dr did say that this could potentially develop into cirrohsis of the liver way down the line which struck a chord with me since my father past from that at age 42 (granted he was an alcoholic and i do not drink). so i have to take care of this immediatley

now my internal organs are fat. I had my abdominal u/s friday and the gastroenterologist called me like 2 hrs later to tell me i had fatty liver. awesome, just what i wanted to hear..... I know that this is pretty common with obesity. He advised me not to take any motrin/advil/tylenol and try to lose more weight and to not drink alcohol (which i dont anyway). So my question is does this affect the surgery in anyway? does the pre-op diet take care of all the fat around the liver? my surgeon didnt say there was a specific amount of weight that he wanted me to lose just that i would be on a liquid diet for 2 weeks when the times comes.

I'm a June post op, but have a question for some of you that are a little further out... Have any of you tried alcohol yet? If so, when? I'm 5 weeks and going on a sunset cruise with my fiancé. I would love to have one drink to celebrate my bday, but I'm scared. Lol

Yeah, its a good thing i got my scale too, what i thought was a small portion of turkey turned out to be 3.5 ounces. Guess i need to adjust more. A another thing- i knew it for a while but proved it on the preop diet- bread makes my stomach bloat- and the more i eat bread the more i crave bread. So i gave it up almost completely. Whole grain only once or twice a week, only once slice a day. So when i was doing my "breakup sex" with food (LMAO!) and had ff burgers x5 in last 2 weeks- i thought i gained 10 pounds, but was not nearly as bad as that. I had a boston cream donut and thought "that wasnt as good as i remember" . But unfortunately the Whopper burgers are still fantastic to me. And i always cheated with sugarfree russell stovers chocolate, but those sugar alcohols are no good for my diabetes either. I managed to give up diet pepsi the first 2 months of my counseling. But the nurse practitioner is a tough cookie and scolded me enough to do it. Now It isnt as good as i remember either. Gonna see the doc this week, tell him i am ready now, send in the insurance request for my RNY pleez. Hope my taste buds change re the sweet stuff and the burgers.

I wanted to post an update, even though it’s kind of difficult for me to share pictures this year. I’m three years out from my surgery. My start weight was 242 (I’m 5’1”) and my goal was 135 pounds. I reached my goal about 17 months post op. I was never really able to stay at 135 very easily but maintained almost effortlessly between 137-141 pounds. I was quite happy there and have no problems with that weight, even if it technically puts me in the “overweight” category. The BMI chart is a creation of evil, anyway. Two years post op I chose to get pregnant. I gained 35 pounds between hormone injections and pregnancy. I delivered my daughter almost four months ago. Today I weigh 143 pounds. I’ve been working to shed the baby weight. As before, the last 10-15 pounds just don’t want to come off. I know that my body will change a lot in the coming year as I get back to where I was prior to having my daughter. Right now I’m feeling pretty insecure about my hips/thighs and upper arms. I also don’t like that I feel “lumpy” – my smooth hourglass figure isn’t back yet. But I can't deny that it felt good to climb into my size 20 jeans today to snap a quick picture. The ruffled top I'm wearing doesn't really help show the difference but I'm pretty sure two of me could fit into those pants. Today I wear a solid six and a small in most tops (sometimes a medium) so I really cannot complain. I don’t want this to be a post about my diet or lifestyle; I’m here enough that you can easily search out what I have to say about those things. I do want to stress that my third year was harder than the previous years. For starters, going from maintenance into a gain was HARD, even if I did it to have a healthy child. Shifting into loss again has been a real challenge. I also find that the farther I get from surgery, the more I see that very little of my unhappiness stemmed from my weight. My weight was a symptom of the damage I had going on inside of me. Sure, I had some genetic causes to help me pack on the pounds. But the majority of it was all in my head. The sleeve was not my magic bullet. It doesn’t just work on it’s own. The only thing it does for me is keep me from burying my sorrows or my stresses in a tub full of ice cream (darn lactose intolerance) or from eating a pan of brownies. I can still eat ice cream (and suffer for it) or eat those brownies one by one. Working on ME and trying to find ways to not rely on food or alcohol in times of stress has become critical and while it's not a daily struggle, it can still be a challenge at times. I still feel no hunger. But I do get hormonal and have the desire to eat. I do get sad and have the desire to eat. I do sit and mindlessly do what other people are doing if I’m not paying attention. I say this over and over again and I’m going to repeat myself for the umpteenth time: If you do not work on the issues that made you fat in the first place, you are going to have a very difficult time with maintenance. Maintenance is by far the hardest part of this process and it DOES NOT END. There is no finish line, there is no “GOAL!” there is just the need to stay continually vigilant and to avoid slipping into those ingrained, years-old habits and feelings. This is not about food for most of us. This is certainly not about food for me. This is about me using food to self-medicate, to hide, for pleasure, as a cornerstone of socializing – as everything BUT fuel and sustenance. Removing my stomach only gave me portion control; it did not fix anything that caused the issues in the first place. I’m heading into my fourth year and I’m pleased to say that I would do my surgery again in a heartbeat. I’m happier than I have ever been in my life, even considering the small personal struggles I've had to face since surgery. This surgery didn't just help me lose weight. It gave me a chance to live a better life. I can beat myself up and be unhappy about little, minor things but at the end of the day, I’m 100 pounds lighter and once upon a time I would have given anything to look the way I do now. ~Cheri

I'm learning so much more on the internet than I am from my physicians! I received instructions from the hospital on how to take care of my drain, but they weren't the entire instructions (as per the instructions I found on the internet). Nowhere in my verbal or handout instructions did it say I was allowed or required to change the dressing - just empty, alcohol wipe, bend and close. I know this is gross, but I did sniff the output before flushing it down to make that it actually wasn't the fluid. The output didn't have a smell, so I deduced that the smell was the dressing. I walked to Walgreens and bought saline, gauze pads, and tape. Removed the film (which had been loosening due to my showers anyway), cleaned my wound, and redressed it. I feel so much better now (no smell, and the pain has decreased significantly). When any of you had it, did you get specific instructions in terms of the dressing?

It IS worse than quitting drinking... You don't need alcohol for survival, but you do need to eat. We ALWAYS have to practice our addiction, but we have to control it. It's a curse!

Eating is a survival behavior. We must eat or we will die. We are therefore hard-wired to find pleasure in food. It's the same reason we find pleasure in sex and find babies and children irresistibly cute - survival of the the species. The things that keep us alive and perpetuate the species are designed to be pleasurable so we will do them. Please don't try to overcome the love of food and pleasure you find in food. Abstinence works for drugs and alcohol because we don't need those things to survive. You will not be able to stop loving food - nor should you!!! If you don't find a way to enjoy your new life, you will either fail miserably, or succeed more miserably. Continue to enjoy cooking and healthy food. That's what we are supposed to do. All that junk food and unhealthy food we fed those cravings never satisfied because our bodies were really screaming for nutrition. When you find ways to give your body the nutrients it needs - that you can also enjoy - you will finally satisfy those cravings for good!!! I'm a foodie for life!!! Shelly