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Nuchnush,BLKLYNgal87,Ms Anti-Band,JerseyGirl68,Sassygirl106,Tess,donewithdiabetes its true.............. people get be insensitive, rude, dumb, et al!!!! unbelievable they open their mouths without thinking - but.............. ignorance is NOT bliss!!! we know it is/can be a struggle at times staying "true" - but we ALL can/will be successful comments that i heard (and the unbelievable meth/alcoholic comment!!! )are crazy i/you don't need to hear such things my head is not in the sand - i know i must continue to be diligent with all my eating,portions drinking et al........... end of my "bad" comments, to the good............. luv ya all kathy

I rarely drink. I live near a moonshine store and recently on girls night out, we sampled the shine. I was VERY buzzed!!! I've noticed I can drink very little and get pretty drunk...but then I sober up very very fast. I'm usually sober by the time my girlfriends are getting buzzed. Does the alcohol hit your bloodstream faster??? I thought it only did this to gastric bypass people

My nurse from my general practitioners office told me that I would end up a drug addict or an alcoholic! I was absolutely floored! Needless to say every time I go in for a checkup since surgery I make sure to make a comment like....well still not on any meth thank you! Lol Some people can be really rude and insensitive to other people! Grrrrrrrr!

I had to do the 6 month doctor supervised weight loss also for my insurance. I too was put on a 1500 calorie diet. I would try and do it and give up after a couple of days. I was losing 1-2 pounds a month until I quit smoking after 22 years of being a smoker and gained 10 pounds. I lost some of that but overall I didn't lose any weight. However, I was able to start walking and exercising which is something I hadn't been able to do before because I would get so out of breathe. My insurance recently approved my surgery though!! (Aug 9th Yay!!) I've increased my walking to 5-6 days a week and knowing my pre-op diet is two weeks away I'm starting to really limit my calories. I wouldn't stress about the 1500 calorie diet. We wouldn't be wanting the lap-band if we could do it on our own!! I would take small steps and focus on other behaviors also. For me that was quitting smoking, start exercising, increase water intake, cut back on caffiene and limit alcohol. Good luck!! These 4-5 months will go by before you know it!

Had my 3 Mon Post Op Check up today and weighed in at 165 lbs. Dr said that I was way ahead of where I should be and if I continue burning calories at this rate I'll end up ay 120 at my 1 year check up. Of course I burst out .... "Oh hell naw, that's too too small". She agreed with me and moved be all the way to the last stage of the game. Added bread, Pasta, grains, tri tip.. pretty much no restrictions just not alcohol, sodas and unhealthy foods. She wants me to take my 1000+ calorie burn all the way down. Absolutely no more cardio... Only body building/sculpting. Focus all on muscle building. She also wants me to increase my calories from 700 to 1200 and try and eat until I feel stuffed. I was like... "Lady you don't have to tell an Ex fat person that twice... Don't mind if I do pig out." LOL Blood test were awesome... Just need to increase me Iron during my monthly cycle since um flowing pretty heavy now. So yes... This was a MAJOR NSV for me. My entire life I've had to watch everything I eat and feel and look fat. Now... I officially feel like a skinny person not having to worry about cardio, low cal diet and my clothes not fitting. Kinda excited about the body building process... Yahoo for me!

Funny, when I go out to dinner with my BFF i often eat from her plate instead of ordering.. She is so supportive, it's unbelievable. Went to Miami with her & a few other friends at 6 mon post op. They were trying to get a list of alcohol to get from the wine & spirits store, before I could say anything, she jumped right in for me & told them not to get the strong stuff that I used to drink. Awesome having a supportive friend.

It is generally recommended that you not drink alcohol for one week prior to weight loss surgery. After your surgery, your liver may become extremely sensitive. Because alcohol damages the liver and is considered a toxin, you could be setting yourself up for pain and further liver damage by drinking during the week before your surgery.

I gotta 'fess... I'm a daily weigher! It is a right 'mare to see the scale jump around... but I only take 'real' notice of it on a Saturday (that was the day I was sleeved). I try not to let it affect my mood; sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't! Not a fast day today, but I have really aware of what I am eating... I am realising that I need this awareness everyday - and that can only be good, right? There were Snacks available in work but I didn't bother... also made the hubby to a healthy tea of turkey and roast veggies... totally delish! Also went to Curves, and the trainers there told me that I had made huge improvements; that I had cracked the techniques and that I looked better. I was also told in work that I looked smaller and what a lovely flat tummy I had...lol... that lady doesn't know about my TT and she never will... I think she was fishing but I just told her that I am awesome at crunches and how wonderful Curves is for toning...heheheeeee! I am also pushing the Water as much as I can and although I am peeing like a race horse it does seem to curb hunger and the urge to nibble! I'm thankful for this thread... and I think Oregon's idea of creating a group is good idea... how do we do it? Fast day tomo ... kinda looking forward to it! But, I have prom night Thursday where there will be a lot of goodies, no alcohol as I am driving... and then Friday we have a works night out and I am gonna be honest, I am gonna sink a few ciders and enjoy them... I might fast Sat to try and balance things out... see how the hang over goes...lol

A lot of sugar free cookies and such have a pretty high amount of sugar alcohol as well which my nut told me to stay away from a lot if sugar alcohol as well since it can also cause dumping

Not suppose to have any alcohol for 1 year after surgery. Can cause ulcers.

Mediterranean chicken 4 chicken breasts 1/2 c fresh basil, chopped 1/8 c fresh thyme 1 c white wine 5 cloves garlic, chopped Large can chopped tomatoes or 3 c.chopped seeded fresh tomatoes 3/4 c sliced kalamata olives Salt pepper to taste 1 tbls evoo Cut each breast into three pieces lengthwise, salt and pepper Heat oil in large skillet Brown chicken in oil until brown on all sides, remove from pan Add garlic,herbs and wine to pan, heat on medium high until alcohol is cooked off, about 3 minutes Add tomatoes and olives...simmer 10 minutes until reduced by about 1/3 Add chicken and cover. Cook about 7 minutes until chicken is no longer pink Serve with orzo or quinoa Delicious!

See, you don't have to blow off your new way of eating - I think I would miss the copious amount of alcohol more.

I went to New Orleans just a few months out of surgery. I lived on shrimp there! Acme Oyster House was a big favorite with the group I was with. I wasn't partaking in copious amounts of alcohol that trip so I tried to find other things to do. So I signed up for a haunted history tour. It was fun and incorporated my new active lifestyle into my love of history and ghosts!

"When to start drinking alcohol?" It's not mandatory that you start drinking. :-) But I would advise you to start immediately before the surgeon starts cutting! I know it made me feel less tense. :-P

Sooner or later you'll find yourself in a situation where you have little or no control over the food served. That doesn't mean you have to abandon all your band eating skills or go hungry. The key is to have plans, even for unpredictable situations. Social eating poses all kinds of challenges to the bariatric post-op. How to resist the dessert cart? How to refuse an extra helping of potatoes that Mom mashed especially for you (with just a little gravy)? How to chat with nine people and still concentrate on taking tiny bites? One recommendation applies to all social eating situations: do not experiment with new foods. You don't know how well they'll go down and you don't want to disgrace yourself in public. This has been a challenge for me because I love to try new foods, especially when I travel, but taking food risks in public is just not worth the potential pain and embarrassment. How easily you can pull off social eating will depend in part on whether your hosts or fellow guests know about your weight loss surgery (a topic worthy of an article of its own, so stay tuned). Sometimes I think my new eating habits are harder on my friends than they are on me. For example, a few months ago I went out to lunch with a group of women, including a friend (we'll call her Kathy) who knew me when I was fat and knows I had weight loss surgery. This was not the first time I had dined with Kathy since my surgery, so I was a bit surprised to realize that she was studying me as I ate. "Is there a problem?" I said. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't stare," she answered, "But I just can't get over the way you eat now." "Isn't it great?" I said with hearty enthusiasm. "Um, yeah, I guess so." There was an awkward pause. Then she rallied and said, "So how many dogs did you say you have now?" I have survived many post-op social eating occasions with acquaintances who don't know about my weight loss surgery (and I'd rather keep it that way). Most of them keep their opinions about my eating (if they even notice it) to themselves. Sometimes they ask, "Don't you like the food?" (I answer honestly, yes or no), or "Are you diabetic?" (yes), or "Are you allergic to nuts? (no). Sometimes I have to use Kathy's change-the-subject method of getting out of an awkward moment (asking the hostess for the recipe, or a portion of dessert to take home, works well as both a compliment and a distraction). Advance planning is crucial for successful social eating. Try to find out what will be served and decide what you'll eat. Eat something before you leave home, because the old advice to save your calories for the party is risky business for a post-op. Imagine how irresistible the buffet table is going to look if you haven't eaten for 10 hours. You're not just risking extra calories at that point - you're risking a stuck episode, a productive burp (regurgitation), or sliming - because you're too hungry to eat carefully. If at all possible, bring some food that you can eat and share with the other guests (tell the host or hostess you're going to do this or it might get whisked away and stashed in the refrigerator). If you know alcohol is going to be served, bring a pitcher of a non-alcoholic beverage you like and announce that you thought everybody might like to try your special punch or fruit tea or whatever it is. Stand-up can be easier than sit-down affairs because everyone is busy balancing a plate, cutlery, beverage and conversation and it's easier to sneak off and ditch the food without being seen. At sit-down meals, I'll grab my plate and a neighbor's (making sure it's empty first, of course) and head for the kitchen saying, "Do let me help clear the table" or "Can I get you anything while I'm up?" (that's hard to pull off in a restaurant, though). Speaking of stand-up affairs, finger food is a terrible idea for bandsters. Human teeth are just not designed to take a small enough bite of anything solid enough to be held in the fingers, so proceed with caution. Whether you're standing up or sitting down, cutting up your food into tiny pieces and occasionally moving it around your plate with your fork are good ways to camouflage your spare post-op eating style. And one last piece of advice: please do not give your uneaten food to your host's dog (or cat, or potted plant), no matter how hungry the dog claims he is. You have no way of knowing if the food is even safe for the dog. My dogs are four-legged garbage cans, and they have even worse judgment about food than I do!

How can you socialize and stick to your food plan? Sooner or later you'll find yourself in a situation where you have little or no control over the food served. That doesn't mean you have to abandon all your band eating skills or go hungry. The key is to have plans, even for unpredictable situations. Social eating poses all kinds of challenges to the bariatric post-op. How to resist the dessert cart? How to refuse an extra helping of potatoes that Mom mashed especially for you (with just a little gravy)? How to chat with nine people and still concentrate on taking tiny bites? One recommendation applies to all social eating situations: do not experiment with new foods. You don't know how well they'll go down and you don't want to disgrace yourself in public. This has been a challenge for me because I love to try new foods, especially when I travel, but taking food risks in public is just not worth the potential pain and embarrassment. How easily you can pull off social eating will depend in part on whether your hosts or fellow guests know about your weight loss surgery (a topic worthy of an article of its own, so stay tuned). Sometimes I think my new eating habits are harder on my friends than they are on me. For example, a few months ago I went out to lunch with a group of women, including a friend (we'll call her Kathy) who knew me when I was fat and knows I had weight loss surgery. This was not the first time I had dined with Kathy since my surgery, so I was a bit surprised to realize that she was studying me as I ate. "Is there a problem?" I said. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't stare," she answered, "But I just can't get over the way you eat now." "Isn't it great?" I said with hearty enthusiasm. "Um, yeah, I guess so." There was an awkward pause. Then she rallied and said, "So how many dogs did you say you have now?" I have survived many post-op social eating occasions with acquaintances who don't know about my weight loss surgery (and I'd rather keep it that way). Most of them keep their opinions about my eating (if they even notice it) to themselves. Sometimes they ask, "Don't you like the food?" (I answer honestly, yes or no), or "Are you diabetic?" (yes), or "Are you allergic to nuts? (no). Sometimes I have to use Kathy's change-the-subject method of getting out of an awkward moment (asking the hostess for the recipe, or a portion of dessert to take home, works well as both a compliment and a distraction). Advance planning is crucial for successful social eating. Try to find out what will be served and decide what you'll eat. Eat something before you leave home, because the old advice to save your calories for the party is risky business for a post-op. Imagine how irresistible the buffet table is going to look if you haven't eaten for 10 hours. You're not just risking extra calories at that point - you're risking a stuck episode, a productive burp (regurgitation), or sliming - because you're too hungry to eat carefully. If at all possible, bring some food that you can eat and share with the other guests (tell the host or hostess you're going to do this or it might get whisked away and stashed in the refrigerator). If you know alcohol is going to be served, bring a pitcher of a non-alcoholic beverage you like and announce that you thought everybody might like to try your special punch or fruit tea or whatever it is. Stand-up can be easier than sit-down affairs because everyone is busy balancing a plate, cutlery, beverage and conversation and it's easier to sneak off and ditch the food without being seen. At sit-down meals, I'll grab my plate and a neighbor's (making sure it's empty first, of course) and head for the kitchen saying, "Do let me help clear the table" or "Can I get you anything while I'm up?" (that's hard to pull off in a restaurant, though). Speaking of stand-up affairs, finger food is a terrible idea for bandsters. Human teeth are just not designed to take a small enough bite of anything solid enough to be held in the fingers, so proceed with caution. Whether you're standing up or sitting down, cutting up your food into tiny pieces and occasionally moving it around your plate with your fork are good ways to camouflage your spare post-op eating style. And one last piece of advice: please do not give your uneaten food to your host's dog (or cat, or potted plant), no matter how hungry the dog claims he is. You have no way of knowing if the food is even safe for the dog. My dogs are four-legged garbage cans, and they have even worse judgment about food than I do!

I gave up alcohol entirely because of the empty calories.

Alcohol has lots of sugar in it and when drinking it, this could decrease your ability to lose weight but also, it loosens you up enough to make poor eating choices. Open ended choices will not give you the best results. Maybe have some parameters if you won't give it up. I do understand your conflict. I had a diet soda addiction for over 35 years. No caffeine now and no carbonation for me. The trade off is worth the weight loss for me. I hope you can reconcile the drinking and the weight loss. Good luck.

So when did everyone have their 1st drink? Be honest ppl

There are many things that I'm sure all of us do that doesn't follow our Drs orders, and there are many things we do we know we shouldn't do. Some of them really aren't that bad, like I drink out of a straw, all the time. I eat desserts like cake and cookies probably at least twice to 3 times a week. The key to these 'bad' behaviors is moderation and admission. If you feel like you need to drink in a social situation and your sleeve tolerates it, then go for it. I drink with my sleeve. I did wait 6 months, and I have maybe half a drink every few weeks or so, also as a social thing. I do think that alcohol is empty calories and is probably hindering you from losing more weight faster. Another key reason many Drs don't want us drinking is due to transfer addictions. If you have had a true food addiction, it is easy to transfer that addiction to alcohol, gambling or even sex. If you want to drink, you are an adult, and you're the only one that can modify this behavior if you're really concerned about it, otherwise, congrats on your sleeve.

Congrats on cutting out the alcohol. You can do this and maybe think of something to do right after work i.e. listen to a great meditation cd to unwind you. I love www.brainsync.com ....good luck on your journey.

I'm glad you have realized that drinking was not helping you live a healthier life. This might sound kinda harsh, but I don't mean it that way. Everyone in life goes through stress and disappointments, at one point or another. We really have to decide on not using those times as excuses. We have to learn to deal with those times, not with food or alcohol, but figure another way. Anything, going for a walk, reading, taking a soak in the tub or a craft of some kind. Also staying with a support group will also help. I wish you all the best. You can do this!!!

Thank you. You helped me feel encouraged. Right now in life I can say my number one reason to really want to lose weight at this time in my life is health. I could not say that a few years ago. So ok, I will start there. I just quit drinking alcohol a few days ago because my body can't do it anymore and I feel the best in a long time. Everyone tells me I look so refreshed. The calories i got from 1-2 bottles of wine a day was outrages. It's going to be a hard road because that was a routine i did after work. Working night shift has also taken a toll on my body. Beginning Sept i have switched to day shift although I will take a huge money cut.But my health is suffering with high blood pressure and sleep apnea. You are the first person to even discuss all this with. Thank you. I feel I just released a load. I need support so bad or I'm going to dye. Thank you

Sweety I sympathize w u bc we know that food nd stress, unfortunately go together for those of us w a food addiction. It is no different for an alcoholic whose been wo it for many yrs, nd then life hits them in the butt nd they turn to their old comforts. One thing they both have in common, a support group. Ik u said that its not possible but pat urself on the shoulder bc u r asking for help when u cuda stayed in ur misery. With all of that said, and Idk how u feel about this but I'm going to suggest you gt a private room and speak out ur issues to God, He knows yes, but speak it and ask Him for strength nd mercy, be humble but bold in what you need from Him. I am a true believer nd ik that if u were not going to be successful, He wud not have allowed u to get this far. Next, do as the OP said, start small. Start w the water issue, only. Try it for a week, pray for strength! I'll pray too for you:) next, stop eating one of the trigger snacks nd add a protein drink in its place, pray nd I will too. Then try the next thing to stop, just one thing at a time. But believe in what ur doing nd y. As you r doing these few things, pack ur boxes to distract u, pray that God will give u ur New home, if it be His will, I will pray too. Pm me if u want to pray together:) id be honored. As for ur job, again, instead of totally stressing, give it to God, nd believe He will deliver to u, a job w ur name on it! Again, if u don't believe that u can do it alone, ADD God and know, He wants to help u. Also know that there are many here who want to help but u gotta start by helping urself nd uve started tryn bc u posted here. Proud of u. As UK, u ended up in the hospital alrdy, nd u don't wanna keep doing that bc of the infections u cud get there, the bills to worry over, u get what I'm sayn. I just want u to STOP, look at where u were preop nd now postop. Stop, take a breath, nd just take one day nd problem at a time, don't add to what u feel is the end of the world bc its not. Just be still. Sorry for long post but not for trying to help u. I truly hope that som1 says somthn to help u:)) u r awesome, brave, strong, beautiful nd human...dont keep beating urself up! It won't be worth it AT ALL. MAY GOD cont to Bless u. {{{{Hugs}}}}. Dee

I do the muscle milk RTD and Isopure RTD. As a matter of fact I had my first alcohol drink with 1oz vodka and 10 oz Isopure as the chaser....my tolerance for alcohol is awful....but I got 20 gms of Protein in while sipping! Sent from my iPad: Sleeved 4/24/2013 by Dr. Farrell @ UNC Hospital---Started: 239lbs--Goal: 150lbs--Current: 200.9 lbs