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Anyone who doubts that food is an addiction just like alcohol or cigarettes should read this thread. I confessed my lifelong binging to my (skinny) mom a few months ago, telling her about how my sister and I would stop at the drive thru on the way home from school the moment we got our licenses, and then eat a full dinner an hour later. It only got worse the older I got. One of my earliest memories is lying in bed at about the age of 7 and fantasizing about ordering a stack of 20 big macs. I didn't want a pony, I didn't want a million bucks, I wanted 20 big macs. What's up with that?! The band is great for bingers once we get the right fill level, but I know that I would also benefit from some counseling. My mind is not working with the band right now.

OMG that's a powerful story. It has to be good for you to get it off your chest and know that it can help someone else. You know if they can call alcoholism a disease, they can darned sure call MO one too. I swear you either are suseptible to it or not, and grows into a worse and worse problem over time. If you are predisposed to MO, you are almost powerless to control it. I feel sometimes like we are banging our heads against a wall trying to communicate with the medical profession. So many of them still believe that dieting is the answer. We all know that it isn't! I am hoping that I can go from looking like Mrs. Ozzie Osborne before, to within a couple of years after getting the LB, looking like her now.

Sleeved: October 17th 2017 I’ve heard gallbladder problems are common after gastric surgery and a lot of people get their gallbladder out when they get surgery. I’m in the hospital right now and I just found out I have gallstones! Then to further testing mild pancreatitis I’m assuming that was caused from the gallstones because I do not drink alcohol. I have never had problems pre or post op (until now) wondering if anyone else has had experience like this?

You know, since surgery I have NO tolerance for alcohol anymore! I drink about 1/4 of a beer and I'm tipsy. It's crazy. Anyway, I can drink a beer (or two) if I am not eating and sitting at the table for a long while. I still can't drink AND eat at the same meal or I don't have room for food, so drinking a beer with dinner isn't an option for me. So when hubby and I go hang out at our favorite Irish Pub, I can drink maybe two Guinness, sometimes three if it's a long night. But oh, the scale hates me the next day and I get so incredibly DRUNK doing it! So I only do it about once every three months. ~Cheri

This is a life changing decision that takes time to wrap your brain around. Nothing wrong with wanting to try another path. It took me about 5 years where I was trying the idea on and thinking thru it. I talked to friends and people who had lost 100 lbs with straight diet and exercise, who’d had a lap band the revision to sleeve, plus a couple of normal sleeve. All were honest with me on their struggles, setbacks and what choices they make every day. I’m only at month 6 and the things to stay away from were already not part of my regular diet pre surgery. I don’t really drink alcohol or soda but giving up apple cider now that’s been hard this fall. I’m still wrapping my head around baking and sweets cause I love to bake. Take your time to be sure this is truly what you want.

1. Some days I can drink more at once than others. I mostly try to spread it out all day. General rule just keep yourself hydrated to the max. It helps with weight loss. 2. That just depends on your body. 3. I usually tell people I had lap band and that has helped my portion control but that I have had to change my food choices for healthier food and that I also work out a lot. Most negative people are jealous or not informed. 4. YOU WILL! Just make sure you're honest with yourself about what you eat. Track your food and exercise so you can see patterns in how you eat & exercise vs weight loss. Everyone is different and small tweaks to your plan help you specifically. 5. There is a port revision surgery available. 6. If you can't handle chicken breasts you could always try something like skinless thighs, however, I personally do not have any issues with any type of food. There have been times I have had issues but it's usually either that time of the month or me eating too fast. 7. I am down 150 lbs so far and even when i have off days I do not gain like I did before the band. You CAN gain but try to stay on top of being honest and really looking at your eating and exercise habits. 8. You CAN have alcohol but you have to think about those empty calories and sugars in it. Plus you really want to keep your cokes to a minimum for the bubbles and acid. PLUS, diet drinks can have the same reaction regular sugar does on the body in the way that it can make you more hungry. Oh and I've found through this process that my major stress relief is a hard work out. REALLY helps the anxiety levels. 9. I haven't had problem swallowing pills, but everyone is different. Not a bad idea to start a chewable. There are TONS of chewable brands out there. I use Bariatric Choice. 10. I am a 38 DDD I think i started out at like a 44/46DDD and My cup size is the same as before I lost weight I have shrunk a lot around. They are saggier even though they take up as much cup space. It really depends on how badly stretch marked your boobs are. Stretch marks are basically scars and they don't have the elasticity that the unscarred skin will have.

I know I’m almost a week late! But I’m officially 7 months post op! Yay! I went on a cruise last week (November 6-13th) to San Juan, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and the Grand Turk. I managed to NOT gain any weight while I indulged in EVERY thing that looked delicious; though I wish I had worked out more than just two days while on this trip, I probably would’ve lost more weight… At my last check up with Dr DiCicco, I weighed 253lb, I think… well I’m down to 241lb, so I lost 12. He was upset last time that I had lost so little, but he was pleased with my progress; I’m basically 50lbs down and that’s halfway in his mind, so I’m on track! He was especially happy I managed to still lose weight while on a cruise. Like I said before I was doing a no carb/low carb diet… and I completely forgot what carbs were on this cruise. Of course I had plenty of empty calories as well with the alcoholic drinks and what not, but they served bread/dinner rolls EVERY day… and I indulged cause I LOVE my bread and butter, but towards the 4th day I had to start telling them no, because I was afraid it was going to RUIN me, LoL! I didn’t get a fill, as I still feel I have restriction, though I also feel I’m able to eat a little more than I could when I first started out with the 6.3cc; I’m thinking I’ll probably get a fill come next month; it should be a little looser by then. But I’m currently in a good spot at the moment. I had no PBs or stuck episodes while on my trip, which was a blessing! So we’ll see how things are looking come December. I don’t really have any NSVs this time around. I wasn’t down to the weight that I wanted to be come November (220lbs), but October’s NSVs made up for that. This month though I’m kinda upset. I’ve been tossing clothes out left and right because they don’t fit anymore. A lot of tops that I had to buy large because of my then extra large boobies look like they’re swallowing me now. Just recently I had to attend a funeral and I had a black suit that I had worn before but couldn’t even button the jacket (so I wore a nice blouse underneath). I put it on for this funeral at the end of October, and what do you know I can button the jacket and it looks ridiculously big on me, so I had to toss it!... I ended up wearing a dress that had been given to me by a friend (18/20); thank goodness for that. So, while on my cruise they have a Captain’s Ball, where everyone dresses up really nice (ball gowns and tuxes) … so I wore this pink strapless dress that I hadn’t worn since either 2008 or 2009, I can’t remember…. But long story short… I was pretty sure that when I tried the dress on prior to going on my cruise that it fit… it was loose but it fit. Well, I get on the cruise … it’s Ball night and I get my make up done and I pull the dress on, no girdle or nothing and it’s super loose! My strapless bra is showing in the back and I cant fill out the boob area anymore… I was so disgusted and upset. Mind you I got plenty of compliments because it’s a pretty dress. But I had to rig it and I wasn’t happy about that. I had to pinch one side under my arms to tighten it a little. And I also had to pin the front of the dress to my bra so the dress wouldn’t fall down. Again everyone thought I was flipping out for no reason because the dress came with a shawl and no one could see how I had pinned everything together, but I just wanted something to FIT! Everything is either too loose or still just a little too tight. But I won’t complain… I’ll take this as a blessing! At least its not like I brought a dress and it needed to be taken OUT in order for me to wear it!... Trying to look on the bright side of things! Even my bathing suit bottoms were kind of loose. Mind you it’s a maternity two piece swim suit… the top still fits pretty good, especially in the boob area, but the bottoms are getting loose…. Does that mean I’m LOSING my caboose?! J Anyway, I guess I thought of two NSVs… for Halloween, I was a “Modern Vampire” … meaning I put on regular clothes and bought some fake teeth and popped them in m mouth… it was fun… well, anyway, I wanted to be a sexy vampire of course, so I had my boobs out and drizzled with blood, and I had on some ripped fishnet stockings and heels and …. Drum roll please….. my sister gave me an old jean skirt size 16! Mind you it’s NOT a stretch jean material, so I was amazed when I could button it and everything. Again I say, it’s still tight, and I wouldn’t wear it out just yet, but it was Halloween, so it’s okay to look a little out of place… J Next, NSV is kinda of stupid I guess but I’m really weird about wearing my arms out… I NEVER under ANY circumstances wear my arms out unless I have something to cover them with… a shawl, a small jacket, sweater, half jacket; anything BUT bare! So while on my cruise, the last day, we docked in the Grand Turks right on the beach… so I wore my bathing suit and a really pretty sun dress of course it was sleeveless otherwise there wouldn’t be a point to this story! LoL! Anyway of course I wasn’t gonna wear a sweater on the beach, so I proudly stepped off the boat with my arms BARE! I even took a picture and to my surprise I didn’t throw the picture aside like I normally would because to me my arms just look fat and disgusting and if I don’t like how my arms look then I don’t like the picture… but this one… I liked and I was surprised at myself… for being more confident! Which brings me to my last paragraph I promise! LoL! I feel like I’ve gained confidence with my weight loss. Granted I’m still disgusted by the loose skin and flab hanging, but in clothes I can really see a difference and I see my self being more outgoing. For instance on the boat there was a 70s Dance Class…it was just for fun, but normally I wouldn’t have participated because I would’ve been thinking about how I looked dancing around like a fool, but I just let loose and I had a good time. And NEVER would I wear a bathing suit in public without shorts or a shirt on, well, while on this cruise I wore my bathing suit without a shirt or shorts while on the ship and off… I even laid out and tanned a little bit… LoL! I wish my weight loss was where I wanted it to be, but it seems I’m right on target… Losing weight…Dropping sizes.. And building up my self confidence! I’m IN LOVE with my BAND!

I have been declared the Queen of Cosmos on another board. I just want to mention that in case we start handing out alcohol titles here. :wink2:

Also your body might be trying to catch up "inchwise" with the weight loss. I find if I stall, I kick the scale under the bed for a few days and get out the tape measure. Also I have noticed that if I have a glass of wine or a "high sodium" day, I gain about a pound and it takes about two days to loose it. I think the alcohol and/or sodium makes me hold in water weight.

OK. So it has been 4 months since I was banded. I have been eating less and less. I weighed yesterday and my scale has not budged. Got so frustrated. I said screw it and made some pralines. Of course, hubby doesn't know that. I have hidden them and are secretly eating them without him knowing. Like a junkie or alcoholic hiding their drinking. Thing is, I know it's wrong but I do it anyway. No one one is forcing me to do it. I think to myself Just one more. Like a drug. I feel alone. Even with hubby in the house. And now he is admitting he needs to have surgery to repair a huge problem he has. I think I dread it more than he does and that is saying a lot. I remember how he was so many years ago with his other surgery. He does not handle pain well. It also doesn't help that he is a smoker. He is not pretty when he is in withdrawal. I feel guilty because I just want to run and hide. It's not like this condition arose overnight. I had some plans to go on a little trip with my daughter in a month, but he told me I may have to not go so I can take care of him. I figure if he has put it off for this long, he can put it off a little longer. Then I get to feeling guilty for thinking that way. Then I look for something to eat. Lord help me.

Wow. Sounds like you have a lot going on in your life. I am sorry to hear how alone you are feeling but try to remember that there are so many people going through alot of the same issues that you are- reach out for support in place of that comfort food. I know it is much easier said than done but if you can do it just once a day it will minimize the negative effects of your emotional eating habits. Surround yourself with supportive people who won't judge you- even if it comes from the forum instead of people in your life. I went 3 months at a time on 2 different occasions without seeing so much as a pound loss and the less progress I saw the more I felt like it was pointless and it wouldn't hurt if I slacked off in the gym or snacked a little more since I wasn't losing anyways. I found myself eating with my emotions instead of my logic and then feeling guilty about it and doing the ol hide the evidence routine too so I know how that feels. This band only works with our discipline. But dont be too hard on yourself for slipping up- even for alcoholics the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. You've done that much. Changing your life won't happen over night and it won't come naturally but you can do it with alot of effort and focus. Stay inspired and stay hungry for your life instead of just hungry for food. "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." If its an option for you, lean on your faith as much as possible and pray for strength and guidance. Im not married but Im sure it's not easy having to balance your need to take care of yourself with your duties to take care of your husband but I would think its impossible for you to give of yourself to your husband what you dont have to give. Judging by the way you speak of his surgery Im thinking its not something too critical? But if it is I guess that comes with the territory to deal with his issue first if it is more critical but if you were approved to be banded your health issues could be critical too. Just try not to lose yourself in all this chaos. You have every right to take the time out that you need for yourself to be healthy and happy. You have as much obligation to yourself as your husband so don't feel guilty about that. But it may do you some good to open up to your husband and let him know how you're feeling and come up with a plan to deal with both of your battles together so its not just all on you to care for him and yourself and therefore push you into the comforting arms of food. Focus on the good and not just the bad- you said the scale hasn't moved so at least you're NOT gaining! Thats a victory in itself for those of us fighting the battle of the bulge. Sorry I can't be of more help but if you ever need someone to vent to or an accountablity buddy feel free to message me. Dont hold in your feelings or they'll just show up on the scale. Best of luck and stay strong! You may have lost that particular battle with yourself but you havent lost the war. My prayers go out to you and your husband!

I don't drink wine, Moscato or champagne. I just drink Kombucha. It's a fermented tea that has naturally occurring alcohol in it but it's better for you lol. I drink that stuff and don't dump at all. I'm almost 10 months post op. Hw-273 Sw-226 CW-136 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

Wow. I can't believe they did that, especially since he hasn't consumed alcohol in 6 months.

The Oh Yeah protein wafer bars are "okay". Most of the ones out there are chalked full of carbs and sugar alcohol which gives me horrific gas. I wasn't willing to eat them when I could chew up 3oz of beef jerky, and kick the carbs and sugar alcohol.

The ingredient in sugarfree stuff is probably malatol or another alcohol sugar. One problem is that the substitute sweeteners can cause a lot of gas and "D" if you eat to much of it. I think that I'd have the regular/real chocolate on occasion and really enjoy it rather than the sugar-free stuff...

I want to throw up just reading about drinking alcohol, I'm 2 weeks out????

Google "Alcohol after Bariatric Sleeve" and you'll find plenty of information on it. 2 weeks out and over a bottle and a half of wine as well as other drinks, probably not smart. A couple of ounces a few months out, probably not a huge deal.

Ok, all caught up I think .... What's everyone doing for NYE? I'm going to Mexico (how come there is no Mexican flag emoji?)! I booked this when I planning on having had plastic surgery in the fall and thought all I'd be able to do is lay by the pool and mix alcohol and painkillers But ps didn't happen, so I'll just be relaxing. Now relaxing isn't my kind of vacation, I like to see new places and do new things generally. But despite that I'll try to have a good time!

My surgeon advised me to wait a year, and I did. Alcoholic beverages are empty calories, which as a new Bandster you need to avoid. Also, post banding, less alcohol will have a greater effect on you. The best approach is to discuss this with your surgeon.

I can highly recommend an 80/20 approach. Do right 80% of the time, don't stress about being perfect. I've had way too much alcohol (don't worry, not daily or ever alone); I've had weeks where I didn't exercise, I've had days when I went way over my calorie goal, I stopped taking iron months ago, I have to make sure I don't eat popsicles all day long, every day. Damn, I love those. And you know what? I got all the way to my goal and beyond. Because this is a long journey, and it's not about perfection. Sure, your team will tell you so-and-so, but nobody does everything right, all the time. So there's a choice; do everything right for a short time or do some things right for the long haul. Which do you want?

My program is very conservative, particularly about alcohol. The transference of addictions was the main concern, as nutritionist, surgeons, psycholologist, and nurses all discussed with me during all stages of this process. I drank maybe a glass of wine a month before surgery, so didn't quite understand what the big deal was. Well after they showed the research during our various meetings...I no longer questioned the importance of being aware of this problem. Combine the research proven issues of addiction, empty calories, stress on the liver after a major surgery, not to mention my new tummy is so small I really don't want to waste space on alcohol...I choose not to go against my program's rules in regards to alcohol. Just not worth it in my opinion. But something I've learned on boards...some people rationalize/loosely interpret their programs rules...so my words or the words of way more experienced/successful others is taken offense to or just ignored anyways no matter how much logic is provided. Folks will do what they want to do period. Again this seems like program recommendations, where is the research you speak of that was presented to you ? I would like to see that.I am a librarian so research is my thing. However, I'm leery of spending my time locating the research for you when a simple Google search using the key words, "alcohol dependence bariatric surgery" returns quite a few results. Seems like this issue is no secret. If I thought it would make a difference & you would use this info in a responsible manner, I'd hop on that research for you. But Something tells me that you are going to do what you want to do anyways. What I don't get is why not save time & take your surgeon's & the many folks on this board's word for it. I mean we can't all be blindly following our programs plans without logic & reason... right?

I think it's way too soon and I am not even sure if we are allowed to have alcohol since it can dehydrate you. Plus those drinks have way too many calories. Just think if a drink is worth after all you have done to get your surgery. At least in my own opinion, I wouldn't like to go back to an OR. I already let my doctor cut me once and I want it to work.

This is going to be long so if you don’t care about the story part, skip to the bottom for the numbers. I never thought I would be here, post-op from WLS surgery, especially a surgery that removed most of my stomach but here I am, and I am thrilled to be here. I grew up in a healthy, athletic family, really athletic, at the Professional level. We had healthy food and some not so healthy comfort food, but always real food in the house. I was always athletic, but slightly overweight growing up. Then in college, I started to yo-yo. My weight would change between 20 and 40 pounds. Then I had a baby, BOOM. I gained 70 pounds with the pregnancy and never lost it. I started working with Tech Startups in the dot com era and we had all the perks. Free food, free alcohol, all day every day. I moved up the ladder and with all the five star hotels came high calorie free meals. Extensive business travel meant eating out 5-6 days a week 3 times a day. On the days at home the eating out continued because I was so exhausted from the work week. I was healthy with low to normal blood pressure and not diabetic most of this time. I was a healthy fat person for a long time until I wasn’t. I was active. I exercised, I could walk circles around even my thin friends in a mall. Then 10 years ago, diabetes. It was easily managed with pills and diet, so it didn’t create drastic changes. I never took it very seriously because I was never really extreme in my high sugars. Then about 4 years ago it seemed like things took a turn, I could never lose more than 20 or 30 pounds. My ability to exercise and be active seemed to diminish. Carrying all that weight was finally catching up to me and my body was breaking down and suffering. Then last year, high blood pressure came. After taking high blood pressure meds for 2 weeks that made me sleepy and made it almost impossible to run my business. I decided to have WLS. I had researched and looked at WLS for years. I read WLS forums and talked to people, but always talked myself out of it. I finally decided that even if I died on the table that was better than dying slowly. So I knew I was ready. I went through the process very quickly. Almost not trusting myself to drag it out and I felt a real necessity to get the weight off quickly. I went from my first visit with the surgeon to surgery in 8 weeks. BCBSIL was wonderful and the whole process was fast and easy for insurance approval. Another deciding factor that WLS would work for me, was because the post-op diet was something I was already familiar with. Low carbing? Sign me up. I had been an avid low carber off and on with varying levels of success for years. I realize now that the reason I was never successful was I gave up in stalls, but with the sleeve there is no giving up during a stall. I have always enjoyed low carbing because for me it makes my mind sharper, it is like doing coke or Adderall (no, I have never done either but I have been told the experience in great detail multiple times from multiple people). I have never viewed it as a punishment but a perk. My issue prior to surgery has always been portion control. I skipped meals, focused on work and then would be ravenously hungry, and consume a whole days plus worth of calories all at once, or maybe in 2 meals. Even low carbing and eating healthy I would eat huge amounts. A 12 to 16 ounce ribeye is 900-1300 calories. I was lucky to have an uneventful, rapid and easy recovery. I had very little pain, went back to work as soon as I came home (I work for myself), and stopped taking the pain meds within 36 hours of surgery. I met my Protein goals after the 2nd day. I eat all of the foods I enjoy, just in small quantities. I was lucky in the sense I never ate or liked a lot of the things that people have issues with giving up post-op. So I don’t have issues with avoiding them. I gave up sugar years ago to try and control my diabetes. I gave up alcohol for the same reason. I was already years out from either of these things when I had surgery so I didn’t have to give them up post-op. Okay that is by backstory and how I got to the point surgery and why I felt it would work for me. This is where I am now. Numbers The weight I have on here is the weight when I first went to the Dr. It is not my actual highest weight. HW 377 SW 358 CW 231 Total weight lost 146, 134 since first surgeon visit, and 127 since surgery. Inches lost Measurements in Inches Bust (fullest part of bust): 20 Pecs (just above the bust line): 15 Ribs (top of rib cage just below the bust) : 21 Waist: 25.5 Abdomen: 22 Hips: 17 Right Upper Thigh: 8.5 Right Lower Thigh: 9.5 Left Upper Thigh: 8 Left Lower Thigh: 10.5 Right Calf: 2 Left Calf: 2.25 Right Upper Arm: 6 Left Upper Arm: 5.5 Total 172.75 I wore a tight size US Womens size 28 plus and a comfortable size US Womens size 30 plus. Now I wear a Misses 14/16 I am almost to a 12. I have boundless energy to match my personality. I am so active in my everyday life in big and small ways. I don’t hurt all over anymore at the end of the day like I did before. I thought that was natural, because I had been so heavy for so long, I didn’t think there was a different way to feel, I thought that was norm. Now I know the difference. I feel like I have taken 20 years off my age. So that is my story, if you read it all, thanks. I hope it can help someone. Obviously I am still not done. I need to lose at least another 50 pounds and once I get there I am going to evaluate and see if I want to lose another 20 or 30. I never thought that would be an option, to get my weight that low, but I think now it is a possibility.

I had my sleeve on September 14th and had my first drink about 4 weeks later. I also enjoy an occasional cocktail, and know all about the empty calories so I switched from my regular rum and coke to vodka and diet cranberry juice - which has become my new drink of choice. I still enjoy a cocktail or 2 about once every 10 days or so. My surgeon had told me that I had to be careful with alcohol because l would be feeling the effects sooner that I expected. I didn't experience that but think it was because I sipped the 2 drinks over a period of 3 hours. On the benefit side, the alcohol helped my bowels move as I am constantly constipated from all the Protein I am taking in.

I am limiting my alcohol consumption to holidays. Thanksgiving Day, etc. I am not drinking alcohol at football parties, etc. It has to be a "real" official holiday. Had lapband surgery 10/12/16