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I wasn't given an "don't ever eat this" list, only a list of foods to avoid or limit, which includes alcohol. My surgeon's view is that as an adult, I have to decide to make better choices to assist this new tool. With that said, I do avoid high sugar and high carb foods, carbonated beverages (even sparkling water), and alcohol.

There are many challenges. will you think ahead and not put yourself in a place where you have few options but to eat poorly? how much alcohol is in your life? ( no judgement, just huge amounts of calories and bad choices if alot has been imbibed). will you tire of the limitation and being unable to eat like your friends and therefore stretch out your sleeve or will you eat slider foods? there have been very successful young people but they were willing to change their attitude to food and exercise. for me it was "am i willing to do whatever it takes?" i waited years to get the surgery until the answer was a resounding yes. I wish you the best of luck.

For post WLS patients the hypoglycemia after booze would be reactive, and it can cause you to pass out. Alcohol is extremely carb-dense, and its liquid so it will be absorbed very quickly, your body will respond in kind by releasing tons of insulin into the bloodstream. The booze will past through your digestive tract extremely quickly and the insulin will lower the glucose in your bloodstream by far more than you can handle. This problem gets compounded if you haven't had much to eat or drink, as in water, not booze, in the prior few hours. At any decent concert one can be there for hours.. even worse if they're burning off energy standing, walking, moshing, etc., and not sitting, out in the heat, it only gets worse. Sometimes people need to learn the hard way that their bodies can't take much post-op.

He reportedly was shipped off to a monkey farm...but this was per her alcoholic father. So I who knows what happened.

3 ounces OJ 16 ounces chocolate milk Half a Mc donalds saugage egg and cheese KfC chicken snacker small root beer float one peice chocolate easter candy Plain double cheeseburger 16 ounces 2% milk half a snickers bar Handfull of fries, mayo, ketsup.. hershey sunday pie Chocolate milk 24 ounces Gulps of OJ... who knows how much, didnt even pour it into my 8 ounce cup. NOTES: I am not even adding it up. Worked really hard in Water aerobics today though.. went a half hour early and swam with the kids, raced them backwards crawl ... its the only way I can swim fast enough to give them some competition. I won a few times. Some lady was holding "Margaretta night" and I said "on a wednesday, now thats alcoholism" I said it so only a few could hear and it was old ladies.. and i wonder why I have no friends. lol I also could teach that class so much better than she could!!..(In my mind.. not my body,,lol) I guess thats why college graduates dont teach water aerobics at the YMCA too often.. My daughter goes and cant even get a workout yet she is too lazy to work out for real.. oh well, she lost 12 pounds and is at 143# and I just want her to keep it off, so... shes the smallest and youngest girl in the place. AND I found out she wont get naked in frount of the ladies.. she uses a dressing room! Age 17.. thats just stupid.. and i told her so.. ok I will add up those stinking calories and stuff tomarrow. I hate looking at this but I hope it will ne nice to look back upon when I have restriction.!! Chins up girl!

Hi everyone im new and needing information. Im type II diabetic so I have tried all forms of artficial and natural sweetners. I caint tolerate sugar alcohols at all. My questions are this? Once I have surgery I will need to get lots of protein. Are all the protein drinks sweetened with sugar alchols? Thanks u guys seem to be very knowledgeablevand friendly

THC is not a problem here at all (Oregon), but my NP did say no smoking and no edibles. Tinctures, oils, and the like are fine, though. However, she does not allow pot, alcohol, or tobacco within three days before surgery. I take tincture sublingually for pain whenever I need it....which is less and less as I lose weight and the stress on my joints eases. Sent from my SM-G925V using the BariatricPal App

have you tried taking some alcohol on a q-tip and cleaning it? could be just residual but is it happening alot?

I took a two week cruise 2 months post-op and just made serious choices and conscious decisions on what to eat at meals. I don't drink alcohol, so that wasn't a problem, but I read that if you do drink alcohol you have to be careful because with our smaller stomachs it'll get us drunker faster.

How to Lose 22lbs or 10kgs in 28 Days Without Starving or Training Like an Olympic Athlete!' By Stephen Smith BSc 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 is like telling a Alcoholic not to go to AA or a drug addict not to go to drug rehab it is a illness so is obesity. They could not stop on there own they needed some help this is no different. Maybe if they tried and go with you to a support meeting to see what it is really all about to get a full understanding they would not be so quick to judge. People need to walk a mile in other peoples situation before passing judgement. And Beside love ones are suppose to be the least judgemental of all they love you and should stand by you and be understanding! When I told my family they were like when where which surgery are you doing they were on it and I am getting a revision from lapband to bypass so this is my 2nd and last surgery!

My surgeon explained that any alcohol will pass through your pouch so quickly , like dumping due to the high sugar content! And thus causing you to become very drunk due to the rapid absorption.. It is a huge no no for his patients! Your only such a short time out... Major healing still occurring.. Can't imagine vomiting would be wise

Hi Jumpseat, Memory loss or "black outs" are a sign of a problem. Sometimes we trade addictions, food for alcohol or another substance, when our lives change so dramatically. Big congratulations on your huge weight loss. You're much more of a "light weight" when it comes to blood alcohol level than in the past. Speaking from experience I suggest you see your doctor or a therapist to evaluate where you are and maybe where you are headed. Best of luck

Don't know if you are still here to read another response, but to answer your question yes my taste buds seem to be different. And my nose! food is more intense in flavor, seems to have too much salt, and there are days when everything stinks -- smells like fish. My beloved coffee, now decaf, tasted like poison for a while and occasionally still does. I don't drink, so cant comment on that specifically. I do hope the nurse told you a smaller amount of alcohol will have a bigger effect now that you are banded. But it sounds like you did ok, anyway. Typing here, just like emails, can be hard to put into words exactly what you mean to communicate--especially since no one can hear your tone, hesitation, or inflections. And can be interpreted and misunderstood so easily and hard feelings created when none of that is intended. I think this thread went downhill fast and Im sorry about that. I think most people who post here, including those who try to voice their concerns for fellow banders decisions, are trying their best to be supportive. And are actually very supportive and compassionate people when someone else reaches out. My advice for all banders is to give yourself the very best foundation for success possible right from your first consultation with the doctor. Ive had trouble letting my favorite old habits encroach on my new lifestyle and regretted allowing that to happen--for me it only took one time to roll right back into the very thing Ive gone to such extreme lengths to change! Im halfway to my goal, feeling really good about that, on a roll -- and just last week my doctor told me we have a long way to go. Im not letting that comment discourage me; he knows it gets tough after the honeymoon. I can only hope Im tougher So I hope you are able to get the support you want for the long haul and hang in there no matter what! ~hiddn

After many discouraging and unhelpful responses... I guess I'm going to give this a go somewhere else. I think people's morality gets too involved on this site. I'm sure I've been called a lots worse than stupid by a lot better. I am following the diet and have lost 23 lbs so far, and do not regret my little two glasses of wine, which is hardly my normal intake of alcohol. Been there, done that, eff off.

We actually have one of those Margaritaville machines that shaves ice. I just haven't taken the time to figure out a low-cal flavoring to make it happen. It does make good margaritas (none since I've been sleeved tho) but there's no reason you can't make other non-alcoholic slushie drinks too. I am actually thinking about making a slushie mojito drink for company tonight. I went to the Dallas farmer's market and bought big beautiful limes and a mint plant. I've never heard of frozen mojitos, but why not? It might be my first alcoholic beverage since sleeving - except for a taste of wine a couple of times. The wine just doesn't sit well with me. Kinda burns my stomach, know what I mean? And thanks for the encouragement. Yesterday was tough for me. I don't know what happened. I just kept snacking after dinner on cocoa dusted almonds and regular almonds. Sort of like I used to not be able to quit when I was out of control. But today has been fine and I have had nothing but healthy, small quantities of food all day.

So, having a shake or two a day at this stage, and have bought tubs of Isopure chocolate (yum), GNC vanilla (yum) and Isopure unflavored (yuck). Trying to mix flavors up a bit and thought I'd share two things that are pretty delish. 1.) 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint oil in either the chocolate or vanilla. Yeah, it's alcohol, but a miniscule amount in a 12-oz drink. Even a few drops is noticeable flavor! 2.) For a mealtime shake, adding a 1/4 cup of pumpkin, some nutmeg and cinnamon to the vanilla powder with 12 oz of Water or milk. Really good and filling too.

During the WLS Seminar, the surgeon mentioned that the dietician is going to tell us all that we must not drink coffee. Forget the Starbucks, no more Dutch Brothers, skip the home brew. This, my friends, was devistating news to me. See, I don't drink alcohol. I've never smoked and never even thought of touching drugs. But coffee...oooh coffee. I drink it all day long. I would rarely buy the good coffees (Starbucks, Dutch Bros) but I would drink a pot of coffee a day. When asked the reasoning behind that idea, the surgeon said the focus needs to be on giving your body only what it needs. "Okay", I thought, "I totally get it, I can do this!". Saturday was my grande finale. That night, I ran the coffee pot parts through the dishwasher and put it all away. Sunday I tried a cup of black tea, then some diet green tea with ginsing later in the day. No caffiene headache, and I felt pretty good. Monday was pretty successful too. Yesterday though...yesterday was a doozie. I REALLY wanted a venti white chocolate mocha frappuccino from Starbucks. As in, it was all I could think about all day. I had a headache, I was tired, and seriously doubting my decision to go 'cold turkey' on this whole caffiene-free thing. A coworker suggested grabbing a Pepsi, but again, my focus is on transitioning to what my body needs not what my head wants. So I resisted. Has anyone else had to give up anything (besides the yummy food!) to get in the right mindset for surgery.....or do you think it's better to "live it up" while you can pre-op since you'll essentially never have some things again (if you stick to the plan)?

I have a problem. It's not a big problem. Some may say it's not a problem at all. However, I feel as though I have begun to let this little thing begin to take control of my life and I do not like it. What pray tell am I talking about? Is it pills? Illegal drugs? Alcohol? The scale (again)? Nope, it's none of those things. It's the one ounce cups they gave me at the hospital. You know what I'm talking about. Those cute little plastic cups that are so clearly marked with 1/2 and 1 ounce for liquids. Yes, those are the ones. I can't seem to drink anything with out using them. I even keep a running total of the number of 1ounce cups I have consumed on a nearby piece of paper. I don't understand why I can't look at a glass or a cup and figure out how much I've had to drink. I know it's not that hard to do but for some reason, I have become reliant on my little one ounce cups. I've even included a photo of my obsession. I don't need them when I am out and about. I can look at a 20 ounce bottle and figure out how much I've had from it. Same thing with my 14ounce Lean Shakes. But for some reason, when I come home and put my liquids in a regular glass or cup, I lose all ability to do simple math and I NEED my handy little cup. My husband is getting sick of my little cup obsession. He has even asked when I will be done using them. I had to be honest and tell him that I wasn't sure. I need to be careful with what i say to him or he's likely to go hid my little cups with my scale and only allow me to use them once every week. Actually, that may be a good thing. For the record, I felt very thin this morning but was unable to check my progress due to not knowing where my scale is. This is getting old VERY fast. LOL So, I have found my new crutch to hold on to for now. My little cups. I have thought about why I need them only at home, and I think I've figured it out. I have to keep a food log for the first two months after surgery (this includes liquids). I am not sure how many of you have to do this as well, but for the record it's a pain in my ever shrinking butt. Before I eat or drink anything, I have to put down the start time, what it is, and then when I am done, I have to fill in out much I've had and the end time. I can't just go get my mush for dinner and sit down and enjoy it. I have to go through all this documenting and by the time I get to sit down and try to enjoy my mush, it's not hot anymore. All I want is hot mush. It's bad enough I am having mush to begin with, can't it at least be mush to my liking? I am sure you are all aware that mush isn't that good anyway so to have to take the extra few seconds to fill out this form which in turn makes it lukewarm, only adds to my hatred or my food log. I don't get much to eat, let me enjoy what I do get. Ok, my rant about my food log is done for now. I am sure it will come up in future blog posts. So, back to my little cups. I know I have to give them up soon. I know there is no real need for me to hold on to them. I wonder if deep down I'm worried about taking in too much liquid even though I know my body will "let me know" if I do. Or it could be that I'm worried I won't get enough liquids in even though I know that's not possible with the amount I drink. So, I am going to make a pack. I am not going to use my cup after I finish with my current crystal lite drink. Just saying that has struck fear in my heart. My inner voice is even laughing me right now. "Come on Trish, you can do this. You drank just fine without these little cups before surgery and you can do it again. So, wish me luck and let me know if you are still using the little one ouncers as well. If so, maybe we can stop together. The good thing to remember is that relapse is part of recover. So if I slip up and use it again, I can just consider myself one step closer to recovering. *side note, I was a Drug and Alcohol counselor for years...not sure how good I was after reading my last few statements* Anyway, here I go, drink is finished and the little cup is going bye-bye. I promised myself I wouldn't cry, but now I'm not so sure. As I place the cup in my recycle bin, I can feel the emotions welling up inside. The only thing that is helping me through this (and helping me not take it out of the trash) is the knowledge that I still have a whole stake of one ounce cups in the cabinet. You know, just in case I need them.

Actually, I was told not to have any alcohol at dinner but I CHOSE to anyway. I know bad me, but I didn't think my f*cking story was going to be dissected by obnoxious downers with no life!!!! Who the he11 are you to question me and my actions? Like I said this was my experience and would I recommend Dr. Aceves to others? Absolutely!!! So my suggestion would be for you to get over yourselves and allow this to be a support board again.

You are going to get a myriad of answers on this board about alcohol. They are going to range from YOLO to never again. Your Dr. and your nutritionist are going to weigh in on it as well. I think that the general consensus is to wait 4-6 months even a year in come cases before drinking. Some here start back much sooner than others. There's also a group like myself that has committed to getting as healthy as possible and has decided that I can do without alcohol until the time that I have gotten myself to my goal. Alcohol, for me, was a trigger food. Start with a few cocktails, get some food down, get a few more cocktails in so on and so forth. It's important to know a couple of things, first, you have a lot smaller stomach so the alcohol is going to hit you way faster and reasonably harder than it would otherwise. secondly, alcohol is hard on the stomach in general. You have a pretty delicate sleeve going early on, so the longer you let that heal, the better off you are going to be long term. Lastly, give some thought to why you had the surgery to begin with and try and connect the dots to any habits that you had in the past that might deter your success. If alcohol played a role in that, like it did for me, then would it not be in your best interest to just let it go? Good luck in what ever you decide.

So far nothing. I haven't tried alcohol or strangely enough ice cream, but I also haven't had a desire for them yet.

I read Chapter 5 today. I am still working on being honest with myself. I am hopeful but don't know that the 12 steps will work for me. My faith is weak. I know that, now that I am not able use food like a drug, I see the emptiness inside. Over indulgence with food has robbed me in a very real sense. Food has intoxicated me and like an alcoholic has black outs, I've had time outs, time away from real life issues. I suppose food was the tool that enabled avoidance behavior in me. I numbed myself out with it and so it was like being drunk. With each binge, (and my "volume eating" were binges), I suffocated a portion of my abilities. And now I need to sort things out. I'm working on Step 2...And I believe in God! But I have not really surrendered my will and life over to him, (Step 3) because if I really had I would not have obsessed myself in food all these years. But it looks as though I'm going to need to obsess over myself in order to "Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of myself" (Step 4) at some point soon. And that's about all I am able to comment on at this juncture. I've got work to do and all I can do is try.

Congratulations on loosing 50 lbs!! It's disheartening I know to regain, but it does happen. You can start losing again if you work at it. You will get different responses to this.. but what I've been taught is that the band is supposed to DIM your hunger. Making it a little easier to control your impulses. It's always possible to eat more and to make poor choices, the band doesn't take over for you. I was told to eat 3 oz of Protein (I actually ate 4oz at the beginning of my journey because I was SMO ~ super morbidly obese ~ and have gone to 3oz as I lost) and 1/2 cup of low carb veggies. Try not to eat white carbs.. white potatoes, white rice, Pasta, bread, white flour products, corn...As these items TEND to be high glycemic and will make you hungry sooner. After eating your protein and produce.. move away from the table. If I am still hungry 20 minutes after I finish my meal, my nurses say I can have more veggies. I'm usually not physically hungry. Oh.. I can eat.. head hunger is almost never quiet.. but actual physical hunger is usually abated by the small meal. Yes, I see that you are saying that you have no control over what you put in your mouth. I know it is difficult, but you do have control. As someone said on another support list today.. food addiction is very difficult. With alcoholism or drug addiction, you can put the addiction in a cage and never let it out. With food addiction you have to let it out of the cage at least 3x a day. If you can't eat solid food comfortably, you may be too tight. When you are too tight it's so much easier to eat soft foods .. and those tend to be higher calorie. You need to be able to eat solid, but tender protein and vegetables. And a tiny tiny bit of whole grain. I have also had all my fills done by the nurses. I have seen my doctor in passing, but never had him do a fill or even an exam room visit with him. I'm perfectly fine with this. I think I might end up seeing him next week on my regular appt as he has started seeing patients on Wednesdays and that's the day of my appt. If you feel the nurses are competent regarding fills, and other follow-up, great. If you are unhappy, then you could ask to have an appt with one of the surgeons, or maybe even look for another bariatric practice. I'm not sure I buy the "no will-power" thing, but I will grant that maybe you really don't have any where food is concerned. Would you be willing to try to learn some techniques to develop some willpower? Look into behavior modification books. A very good one is "The Beck Diet Solution" by Judith Beck. It's not a diet per se, but a guide on how to deal with disordered eating and sabotaging thoughts and actions. Try putting yourself on a feeding schedule, if you know you're going to be able to eat again in a few hours, it might be a bit easier for you. For example: I have Breakfast at 7am. steel cut oatmeal with walnuts & apples & 1 turkey sausage patty or link. If I get hungry before lunch, I let myself have a high protein snack around 10am. Lunch is anywhere from Noon to 1pm depending on my schedule. smoked salmon/reduced fat cream cheese, veggies. PM snack is about 3 hours after lunch. today was a small apple and a cheese stick. Supper is usually about 6:30pm chicken breast & veggies. If I really want something ..and I haven't exceeded my calories, I will have 100 cal. snack (or less) before bed. I try to keep it to a cup of tea, but sometimes I'll have a bit of almonds. I also make myself drink 32 oz of Water between breakfast and lunch. Another 16 oz before supper and the last 16 oz after supper. This doesn't include any flavored drinks or tea I might have. I'm not perfect (fell off the wagon and ate a half box of saltines yesterday.. dang it), but every time I fall off, I get up and try again. You might also try keeping track of your food intake on a website such as The Daily Plate on LIVESTRONG.COM - Calorie Counter, Weight Loss, Food Calorie Counter, Nutrition Facts | LIVESTRONG.COM. I know other folks here really like fitday.com. The website All Things Food and Diet - FatSecret also has it's fans. Just chose one that works for you and use it. I think it's very helpful to record what I'm taking in. I can also make a printout when I go in for my appts and the nurse and I can discuss where I'm doing well and where I need to make changes. I know you said you exercise, but it might be that your body has become accustomed to what you are doing, you may need to do some extra or some intervals. Do you belong to a gym? If you do, see if they have any trainers who will work with you for a short period of time. I know I used to think that hiring a trainer was an indulgence.. and it is to a degree, but they can be very helpful. And not all of them are expensive. Does the bariatric group you're involved with have support groups? Do you attend? If they don't have any, may I suggest joining this one online? SmartBandsters : Smart_Bandsters health.groups.yahoo.com/group/SmartBandsters/ I hope I haven't come across harsh and unfeeling. That's not my intention at all. I'm impressed at how far you've come and am so glad you're reaching out for help.

today i decided to actually write down what i have been through and how i've overcomed so i can see that i really, really have overcome some hard times and being overweight and getting healthy is my next hurdle to overcome. I started supporting myself and working at 14, I was fiercly independent. Had a loving family, however, they were very strict religiously and me being the oldest of 3 girl, I was often severly punished, borderline abusive. I decided to get my own apartment with a friend of mine, had already bought my 1st car and ran away from home at 16 (actually, just left a note saying I wasn't coming back and told them where to find me if they needed me and they chose to let me stay on my own). Was very, very wild, did everything I never was allowed to do at home. Drank, slept around, experimented with drugs....Met my 1st husband at 17, married him about a year later when I was 4 mo's pregnant. Had my darling baby boy at 18 and vowed to show him so much love he wouldn't know what to do with it. Unfortunately, my husband started to abuse alcohol and crack cocaine and once I figured this out, it was too late. When he was high he would hit me, throw things at me, strangle me, do so many humiliating things that after trying to leave him for years I finally succeeded. Stayed in battered womens shelter with baby till i could find place of my own. Husband continued to stalk me and anyone I dated he would beat up or intimidate them. Starting coming to my job threatening to kill me and to kill my co-workers and company got police involved and he began to chill out. Then he started again, calling me telling me he new where I lived and was going to shoot up my house or bomb it. Finally, he went to jail. I moved home for a while, but my religious parents kicked me out of the house because I would go hang out with friends or go to the club and drink with my friends. Once they kicked me out (they kept my child, which I didn't fight at the time, because I was so tired and trampled I just wanted to worry about me for a while - which was horrible, selfish and completely unfair to my baby but I was 21 and stupid). My life became all about drinking and going clubbing all the time, left child a lot with parents. Started to get my shit together at 22 then went to prison for a year because of drug smuggling for the Jamaican mafia (don't ask!?!) an airplane with a 100 lbs of weed (stooopid choice). I had had a job and everything but my partying and care of my son was cutting into my budget and I insanely thought I could get away with doing this outrageous act! Prison was so difficult as I was in a city where I knew no one and I DESPERATELY missed my child and was so ashamed of what I had done. I had never even had a ticket and it was such a crazy time in my life. I got out of prison and got my child back, got on welfare, got section 8 housing. Soon I found a a job paying $7 hr it was very difficult because I tried to be honest at first on applications asking if I had ever been convicted of a felony. Then, I got a better job paying about $15 hr. I was able to get off welfare and get my own apartment no longer on public housing at 25. Then life came crashing down around me again. The company I was working for got shut down and I stupidly started selling crack (another great decision) then I started doing it myself! How could I do this after seeing my ex-husband and so many friends become so sad and drug addicted and lose any semblance of the person they were before? Why on earth would I do that to my child after having already went to jail and stay away from him for a year? Why would I take a risk like that? I have so, so much guilt and anguish over this and to this day I apologize to my son on the regular. My only guess is that I had not yet been diagnoed with being bi-polar and I was making crazy, crazy decisions with horrible repercussions. So, eventually I was addicted and spent a year doing crack, trying to hide it from my friends and family. It was the worst year of my life. I woke up one day and prayed to God for help, I just knew I couldn't do this to my son or myself. I quit cold turkey, and at 26 moved to new city with my child where my best friend was. She helped me greatly I love her and we are friends to this day (since high school!) Eventually, I met a man that was a few years younger then me and got into relationship with him that was full of ups and downs, hot and cold and I was so in love with him. I had dreams of marrying him one day, unfortunately, he did not love me as much as he loved his burgeoning rap career and his record label and his groupies (imagine that!) this relationship ended abruptly after a few years, worst heart break of my life, some of the worst pain I had ever felt and ate until I got fat. I then worked my up from a customer service position to doing sales for this .dotcom company. Eventually, I was making $50,000 a year - I thought this was sooo much money, and for me, it really was. I was finally able to really take care of me and my son the way I always wanted to. Fast forward to 29, met love of my life, he proposed after 3 mo's and got married 3 mo's later (now getting even fatter). At 31 I decided I wanted more of a challenge and felt I could make even more money and there was really no where to grow at my job. I applied, interviewed and was hired at another .dotcom and this has been my employer for the last 3 years. I now make around $120,000 + a year. ME, I did it, I actually made a success out of my life after all of that. I also bought my first house at 33... all this and never graduated from high school and never went to college, grew up in a poor burt loving family - beans and rice and top a ramen were normal meals. I was also sexually molested, me and my sisters were by a family friend for years when were were young, but that is another story. I was raped several times in teens and early twenties, yet, i still moved forward. Now 34, married almost 4 years (still in love), son is 15, raised a great, smart, loving, moral MAN and raising a lovely young 16 yr old step-daughter whom i adore. i'm loyal to my friends, and my husband. i'm smart, funny and will be pretty again once i lose 60 l bs. I CAN DO THIS! Oh, yeah and now I quit smoking which I have been trying to do since I was 17! Sometimes you actually have to write down and look at things in your life to learn from them, let go of them and forgive yourself. I'm so glad all of this is ANONYMOUS!