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Ok, so I will just type in my blog instead of munching. I wish I would have never found that easy peanut butter cookie recipe. Ugh, I mean really...my favorite cookie in the whole world and I can literally have a hot batch made, with prep time to consumption only kill about 20 minutes and that includes clean up! lol Last night dh really did not help matters. I kind of half heartedly laughed to myself....he asked what and I told him that my inner fat girl had something to say and was thinking evil thoughts.....long story short, we had a batch whipped up in no time! :cursing: I like the little saying "I have a thin person inside me screaming to get out. But, I can normally shut her up with chocolate cake." So, can you tell yet that I am really fighting off the munchies? I mean EVERY night at this time I have a hard time. Thank God for sunflower seeds. I am glad I found out how many calories are in wine. Now there is no fear of becoming an alcoholic.:tt1: The good news is I have lost 2 of the 7 pounds I gained during the evacuation. WOOT:w00t:! I wish weight came off as fast as it comes on. Pretty bad when you hope for a small stomach virus or something to get the weight loss kick started. Oh well, I will just keep on doing what I am doing. I know HOW for goodness sake! Done it before, now I will do it again. :frown:

I'm super nervous about having anything to drink. Different doctors say different time limits, so check with yours. Mine said I was fine after 5 months (which was Dec 13th), so I'm going to have some wine at Xmas. I'm not a big drinker at all and have my mother's alcohol tolerance (i.e. none) so I'm going to take it slow and I'm going to be in the house, around family, so someone can call an ambulance if something goes horribly wrong, lol.

I went away to atlantic city this weekend i drank diet coke and cherry vodka. The alcohol does kill most of the carbonation. Rule of thumb is that whatever proof it is is how many calories it has so 80 proof vodka has 80 calories. So my drinks were only 80 calories. I asked my doctor if i could have diet soda and he told me yes as long as it doesn't brother me. Now i can't drink soda straight up because i get some pain in my chest but with the alcohol no problem. Now i don't drink all the time maybe once or twice a month and when i do i just cut back on my calories for the day so i can have a drink or two. 3 drinks with diet coke and vodka = 240 3 drinks with juice and vodka =600

I like 'ritas too, just keep track of the calories. 4 oz. strawberry mix = 140 calories and 33g sugar, 1 oz tequila = 70 calories. So a strawberry margarita the same size as a beer will have around 600 calories and 100 grams of sugar. I realize that's a big 'rita, but if you think about it as having just 2 average sized ones, that's a lot of sugar and calories. :closedeyes: There are some sugar free mixes out there that have zero calories (not counting the alcohol), might be worth checking out.

I just confirmed a week's vacation with my hubby, son and daughter to spend Thanksgiving on the beach this year. This will be unusual for me as I usually host the big family dinner with 30 plus people and enough food to feed 60 which results in a 4 day feeding frenzy. I'm glad we're doing something a little less traditional this year as I hope to break some of my Holiday habits...gaining 5-10 pounds. What do I plan to do in Daytona? Swim, walk the beach, ride bicyles, dancing at night clubs, Christmas shopping, anything that requires me to be active. My goal will be to burn off any daily calories that are not necessary (ice cream, alcohol) and continure to lose weight while I'm there. I have approximately 130 days to get my body ready for a skimpy swimsuit. Will I be a size 8? No.... But I'll look damn good in a size 12! :shades_smile: P.S. I have officially walked 100 miles since the first week in June and have ridden 48 miles on my bike. I feel so much stronger than I did 2 months ago.

Any advice or thoughts on the use of sugar alcohol, especially those Protein bars that claims those net carbs vs sugar alcohol and Fiber subtractions from the the total carb count. I am looking for additional protein support to meet my 60 grams per day. Thanks!

The beef broth and protein shakes are for the pre-op diet and the 1st week post op. Some people continue to drink the protein shakes to get in the recommended daily protein. I rarely drink the shakes after the 2nd week post-op. I moved onto creamy soups and and a lot of chicken run through my food processor until very very finely chopped. I believe anyone that has 85% of their stomach removed will lose weight. You can't help but lose, if you are limited to 4oz of food every few hours. Now the big question is, where is your hunger coming from? Only you can figure that part out. Is it from emotional eating, boredome, stress, or is it because you have hunger pangs caused by the hormone ghrelin? From my own experience, I knew that my hunger was real (even though I had eaten 2 hours earlier, I'd be hungry again). It wasn't until I talked to my surgeon that he told me that I had an excess of the hormone ghrelin (produced by the stomach). The bigger the stomach, the more of the hormone produced. The surgery stopped my hunger pangs. I have not had that nagging sense of hunger (other than my stomach growling) since surgery 7 weeks ago. And 4 or 5 oz of food keeps me satisfied, whereas before, I could eat 1 lb of steak and know I'd be raiding the fridge in 2 hours. And I don't have any cravings anymore for certain flavors. Whereas before, I'd think about something that would taste good and I couldn't get the thought out of my head until I ate it. Don't get me wrong, you can sabotage yourself after surgery. There are foods, called slider foods, that are calorie dense (ice cream, peanut butter) that pass through the stomach quickly, so it's possible to eat more. And it is possible to just graze all day on snacks that are high in calories. The sleeve gave me the control over my eating that I needed. I really think of it as an addiction that you can't quit and never touch again. Other addictions can be quit and never touched again. But what if a heroine addict, smoker or alcoholic knew they had to take some every day or their body would die? What if they had 75 TV channels that ran commericals for cigarrets every 10 minutes during their favorite programs? Or had reality programs (like the best places to pig out or the food challenges) devoted to the best places to get their fix and showed people taking drugs and loving it? Could they just reduce the amount they took? Ok, rant over. :-)

So my sleeve surgery is Monday but my very limited pre op diet of seven days gas been awful. I knew aspartame gave me mugraines so avoided that ingredient but got primere with sucralose and popsicles with the same as well as crystal light pure made with truvia which is stevia and a sugar alcohol My tummy has been hurting every day. I finally ate a bite of my mom's veggie omelette and was told if my blood sugar went hypo I could eat yogurt so my blood sugar wasn't quite hypo and I had nonfat Greek honey yogurt. Sure felt better but felt so guilty for cheating and like hope I'm not messing up my stomach prep for surgery Last night after crystal light pure, I threw up once with six episodes all this foamy stuff. Sorry tmi. Number two s been all the runs as well so called weight clinic nurse and they are having me quit all artificial sweeteners as they and I feel they are the culprit and allowing me Protein powder...found one with 25grams of protein and sweet with stevia which is a nature made plant and I can have it in skim milk!!!! Yay So stomach is already way happier and tge Protein Powder taste good not chalky Anyone else with similar problems... cheating, malabsorption??etc??

The show is about general addiction. They have a history of focusing on drug/alcohol addiction, but have been branching out lately. They had a gambling addict, a rage addict (also a drug user), etc.

I'm not saying I'm a drinker, since I'm underage, but this was really interesting. AWOL or Alcohol WithOut liquids. They came out with a machine where you inhale the alcohol, like oxygen, so you can get the buzz without the extra calories. It goes to the lungs instead of the stomach. I thought for WLS patients who enjoy the buzz but have trouble drinking, this is a like a 'loophole.' I have a couple links. Skip to 3:23 in the video if you don't want to watch the whole thing. I'm having trouble deciding my thoughts on this. It's the same thing as drinking but it reminds of me drugs too much, I think. What are your thoughts? http://www.ebasedprevention.org/oewn/awol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sqGgMXIllA

So I'm a year out from sleeve surgery with no complications other than my gallbladder removed 3 weeks after sleeve. About a month ago, I noticed pain under my right rib cage intermittently, but usually after I ate. Not terrible and not all the time. It's started to become worse and more frequent. About a week or so ago, I went out with friends and had a drink - not even a whole drink. I got this really weird reaction, pain and cramping from the middle of my back up my spine into my shoulder blades. It's hard to describe but it was very uncomfortable and odd. That night I had the abdominal pain all night and into the morning but it was also radiating to my back. It was Saturday, so I went to the ER. They did a CT scan, blood work and both were fine. The only thing they found was a urinary tract infection. I don't think that was the cause of the pain. I've taken the antibiotic and I still have the pain issues pretty frequently. I have an appointment with my MD, I'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced anything similar and what was the cause? As a side note, I've also noticed that my alcohol tolerance has gone way down over the last couple months. Like one drink hits me the way 3 drinks might have affected me 2 months ago. Weird, so I've stopped drinking at all till I know what's going on.

I'm also 8 days out and have been trying different things too. Protein shakes have been hard to choke down so I started trying some soft foods (before my NUT's time) just to get my protein in and I've tolerated almost everything (except chicken as well). I have yet to have a full feeling, not sure I can actually feel my stomach. I don't do anything SF because it has the sugar alcohol in it and it does cause me stomach pains. I quick smoking, gave up my "occasional" glass of wine (or two), and can't eat...yes I'm really pleasant these days...hardly.

Congrats on the good news. I like how non judgmental my surgeon is, too. She is the first medical professional who understands weight issues for some of us are genetic and psychological, not just a willpower thing. In her info session she compared obesity to alcoholism - some people had no problem controlling alcohol intake and others had a genetic predisposition for addiction, and that for obese folks the hunger factor is what sets them off in seemingly self destructive behavior. Problem is, it's still fashionable to call obese people lazy and publicly ridicule them. I understand that guilt feeling abs not waning to show your face. But also I sided where you might be without the band? 50 lbs heavier than your start weight??? You're doing a great job. 50 lbs is no small amount, I don't care how heavy you are! The docs are there to make sure you're at the magic fill. The support groups help you get out of your head. Make sure you are physically hanging out with banded people too!

It is normal, but needs to be addressed. Just like alcoholics/drug addicts don't go for help because they know they will miss it. It rewards them just like food does for us. You're taking the first step by admitting you have a true addiction .. Now you need to get your head in the right place. The sleeve helps, but not without the right mind set. Therapy is most likely the best option if you believe it's going to continue to be an issue. Pre- op I panicked and ate everything in sight to where I was so disgusted in myself it made me face the fact that I was no better than the town coke head .. It's like I hit rock bottom... I was seriously pathetic and I cringe just thinking about. Good luck.. We're all here for you!

I have been eating like a crazy person for the last few weeks. My restriction is adequate, but at night I eat the wrong foods all evening long. Evening always was my problem. I'm not gaining any weight, probably because I'm exercising. But I don't understand why I'm doing this. My life situation is not exactly ideal, but it hasn't changed recently. My mood has been good. I'm not stressed about anything. I don't get it. I've started writing in my journal again, hoping that something will occur to me to explain this behavior and help me change it. Then again, I'm wondering if part of the explanation could be that overeating is just a bad habit that is going to rear it's head from time to time, similar to a relapse for an alcoholic. What do you all think? Nancy

I just read that over-exercising and weighing oneself frequently are common "transferred addictions." One of OPRAH's gastric surgery guests last week had become an alcoholic. The REALIZE band program includes online support to help with diet, exercise, goal-setting, AND emotions. Speaking of OPRAH, yesterday's was "Does this CLUTTER make my butt look FAT?" Great show!

Superbowl Sunday breakfast- protein drink lunch- low carb tortilla with ham and skim mozerella rolled up Will be taking a crockpot of teriaki meatballs to the party later. I figure 3-4 meatballs and something off the veggie tray should do me for supper. The alcohol is a different story. Taking a bottle of Merlot with me, empty calories but oh-so-good. Yeah right~~~I ate so much crap today. chips and dip, brisket, beans, tortilla chips and guacamole, etc... Gotta getta grip tomorrow.

Last time I posted a lot of bad stuff was going on with me health wise..here is the link to my last post to catch you up with what i'm talking about. http://verticalsleevetalk.com/post-operation-vertical-sleeve-gastric-surgery-vsg-questions-answers/7593-help-has-happened-anyone.html Now the good news! This is day 4 of me really trying to get in Protein as well as Fluid since I have been feeling better. I have not thrown up during these 4 days. The only thing I do notice is first thing in the morning when I wake up I feel really sick. But once I drink/eat something, about 30 mins after I feel better. I've never had this before so I don't know if the sick feeling is my body telling me I need to eat or what. I have been doing really well with the eating protein part. I am now getting anywhere between 60-100g a day! I have 6-7 small high protein meals a day. I think my tummy is stretching a little bit (which the doctor said is good) because I can be comfortable after eating half of a turkey sandwich. For dinner I had a turkey burger patty and was able to finish all by two bites of it. But everything seems to be going well I am not dizzy/ light-headed like I was before and I am still loosing. My Questions: 1. When do you think I will be able to have sushi? I AM DYING HERE! HAHA 2. They doctors told me to stop drinking 30 mins before my meals, not to drink during my meals, and to wait 30 mins after my meals before drinking. I have been doing this, but i find it annoying and hard to do at time. Is this something that I will always have to do? Or is it mostly in the first X amount of months that I have to do this? 3. Will I ever be able to have Sprite or 7up ever in the future. I am not much of a soda drinker at all, and I realize it does stretch your sleeve. I'm talking a soda every once in a while. The only time I had soda was when I would go out to resturaunts or something. Lately I have been craving sprite (it's wierd), but do any of you down the road (6+ months post op) have soda at all? Also wondering for New Years about the soda thing cause I usually mix alcohol with soda, by then i will be almost 7 months post op. My surgery date was June 11th,2010, I am down 80 pounds. Thanks everyone

I had been struggling to get enough protein in, but I'm doing better now. I am on mushies now, so I'm enjoying being able to have other choices for my protein. I'm never going to have alcohol again. I don't want to do anything to jeopardize my success/health. I wasn't sure if you were referring to my pina colda sugar-free popsicle comment, or the reply. Today was a great day! I felt good all day.

You stated that you had already had your protein shake for the evening...Do you only drink one protein shake a day? How many grams or protein are you taking in? The minimum requirement is 60 gms/day but you can have more. 60-80 gms is the basic for women. It is what makes you feel full. As for the alcohol...I would steer clear. I do occasionally have a glass of wine, but I didn't try it until I was almost a year out.

Who said you can't have alcohol after being banded? I've been banded for almost 3 yrs now and enjoy an occasional glass of wine or margarita. You just have to watch the calories. There's nothing about the band that would preclude alcohol. Except that it lowers your inhibitiions on eating crap! Enjoy one in a while! Marci

I haven't been on these forums in so long!!! A lot of life changes/busy schedule kept me away but I have to come back to share good news with all of the amazing online friends who have been there for me throughout this entire journey. 1.5 Year Post-Op Stats: Highest Weight: Around 360 Current Weight: 190 Biggest Size: 34 / XXXL Current Size: 12 / L The topic title is "Forever21" because I've never been able to shop at that store for pretty and cheap-y clothes my entire life though desperately wanting to - and now it's become a staple of my college wardrobe. I can't believe I'm under 200 lbs. I didn't think I would be so successful since I have PCOS. I haven't had any complications from the surgery, with the exception of hair loss (which seems to be recovering) and brief bouts of acid reflux (not significant enough to be a concern). My life? Well, I'm doing things i never dared to dream about. Shopping, traveling, dating, exploring, and enjoying. I'm still not used to the positive male attention. Sometimes I freak about that I can "fit" into places and buckle plane seatbelts and stuff. Just enjoying life and living it the way I've always longed to. I am so grateful that I did this. I beg anyone who is hesitant or has fears of doing this surgery to come to me with questions, I will answer any. But I must be completely honest and state that I do not, in any way, believe that the surgery is entirely or even mainly responsible for my success. It truly is just a "tool." I have put in a lot of hard work into getting the results I have. It takes a lot of serious time and dedication. Funny mini-success: -A guy I used to know asked me out, not realizing that he knew me back when I was over 300 lbs. He would not believe that it was actually me until I showed him my ID. Man, was he embarrassed! You don't realize how truly overweight you were until you notice that new people you meet just accept you as "one of them" and not their one super morbidly obese friend. It's weird being part of the gym crowd. It's weird dating fitness enthusiasts and realizing they wouldn't have given the old me a second look. It's weird getting comments like "oh you wouldn't understand, you're not fat." Really, really weird. Making new friends and having them never know that I was (and on the inside, still feel like) super morbidly obese. I feel like I sometimes need to "come out of the closet" and confess this to them! I still don't recognize myself in pictures/video, but in a good way. Sometimes I feel like the world/my reflection is trying to trick me into thinking that I'm average-sized, because I can't believe that I'm no longer so overweight. I've been thinking seriously and I believe these are the most important steps to take in order to make the best use of this surgery and to hopefully get similar or better results than I have: -Start a simple walking regimen at least two weeks before the surgery, and keep it up afterwards. -Weight train. I'm serious. Don't put it in your "to do later" list. Start doing it now because the strength and muscle building will seriously burn fat and make your loose skin look SO much better. -Take good Multivitamins. -Don't ever get back on the cycle of eating sugary/fatty foods because it will be very hard to stop. -DON'T cheat on your pre-op diet. Prove to yourself how serious you are about this. -Avoid smoking/alcohol. Some concerns/negatives: -The hair loss (somewhat resolved) now that my weight has stabilized. No weight gain so far. -I no longer feel the same amount of restriction. I still can barely eat a fraction of what I used to, but now I can have a small salad, a meal of 4 oz Protein + side, and a tiny dessert. Basically, I can fit in the minimum amount that a healthy eater should be having. But it's no longer just 1/2 a cup of cottage cheese! -It is still a little uncomfortable to have fizzy drinks. I'm so happy with my life right now. I feel like people give me more respect and listen to what I say, which can actually be frustrating at times. People treat me immensely better, and although it feels good, I feel sad that it took all this weight loss for it to happen. I'm talking giving me free stuff, opening doors, going out of their way to do things for me. Why the hell am I getting special treatment? It still feels similar to unfair treatment I got from being obese, only now it is positive. I go out of my way now to treat everyone with equal respect and courtesy. Update: I'm looking into getting surgery to remove a lot of the excess skin that I have. Thank you for all of the support in the past few years - I hope to have more great updates in the future!

Sleeved October 17, 2017. I’m out with friends tonight and I got a fruity drink with barely any alcohol mainly just juice lol but I’ve been holding onto it most of the night cause I’m nervous to drink it. Will one light drink do anything? I know to stay away from it but I’m nervous

I'm pretty sure you know what the answer is going to be.... Not being judgey at all, but you're 9 days out and want to drink alcohol? It's going to be ages before that desire gets entertained by anyone. Professional or not. Alcoholic beverages are nothing but empty calories and I'm not sure if you've had the sleeve or bypass but drinking that stuff can make you sick or give you stomach ulcers. You're fresh out of the hospital. Don't do it. Avoid alcohol like it's the plague for the next year or so. If it's something you really must know, then heed the previous person's advice and ask your surgeon. But I vote... Don't do it. Hw-273 Sw-226 CW-135 GW-130 Size- 4 or 6, Small in sweats. Small in shirts. depends on how it's cut or made. Bra Size- 36C Surgery Date- April 26th, 2017 RNY "Only those who try will become" FFX

I have yet to figure out why people are so rude sometimes. I have read many posts about alcohol on this forum and they all have rude comments so don’t feel too bad. Use the search bar to find the other posts and you will see others have commented about having alcohol very soon after surgery and being fine. My surgeon said something about 6 weeks but I have been tempted. I’m 4 1/2 weeks post op. I have read that it is easier to become a binge drinker after surgery and some do actually become alcoholics so just take it slow.