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Hey everyone, I'm looking for some advice/support with regards to my eating habits and dealing with a stall. I'm 9 months post op VSG and I had my surgery on Sept 16th 2016. My highest weight ever was 310 pounds, my surgery consult weight was 285 pounds, and I was 265 pounds the day of surgery after the pre-op liquid diet. I'm now 183 pounds for a total loss of 102 pounds since my pre-op liquid diet, and 82 pounds since the day of my surgery. My goal weight is 150 pounds and I'm 5' 7". Now I'm not new to stalls at all - I've gone through every stall in the book so far. I've had major stalls at 3 weeks post op, 1 month post op, 3 months post op, 6 months post op, and now here I am stalling again at 9 months post op. But what has me really worried this time is that I thought I had finally broke my stall a few weeks ago but my weight shot back up again today, and I even gained weight! I've been stuck at 183 pounds since the beginning of June, but I weighed in two weeks ago at 178 and I was thrilled. I had been eating 600-800 calories a day, 70-100 grams of protein, and below 20 grams of net carbs (most days being around 15). I thought I had broken through my stall but after seeing 178 that one time, I weighed in over the next few days around 180-181 even though my eating habits didn't change. I got really frustrated and told myself I'd do a little experiment...I thought maybe I wasn't eating enough, and even my nutritionist advised me to increase my calories and carbs because I've been eating this way since the very beginning post op. Starting last Friday, I tried for one week to eat 900 calories a day, still keeping between 70-100 grams of protein, increasing my water intake to over 64oz a day, and eating slightly higher carbs (below 30 net carbs per day) to try and break the stall. (By net carbs I mean I subtract both sugar alcohols and fiber from my total carb count). So I did that for a week and promised not to weigh myself for the whole week until again next Friday, and lo and behold when I weighed myself today I gained weight and am now back at 183 pounds! I don't know if I'm losing inches because I don't measure myself - but my clothes size has stayed the same and I feel like my progress pics since last month look the same. :/ Maybe that's just me though and I'm psyching myself out, but I'm feeling so upset and frustrated and depressed, I don't know what to do! I weigh and measure everything I eat down to the gram and track everything on myfitnesspal everyday. I eat clean - no ice cream, pizza, chips, etc. or other junk whatsoever. Some staples in my diet are premier protein shakes, chicken, shrimp, low fat cheeses, nuts, low fat greek yogurt, protein granola, peanut butter, and eggs. I always stick to non-starchy veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, brussel sprouts, cucumber, green beans, and spinach. Things I eat occasionally are half a slice of a high fibre/high protein low carb pita or loaf, a protein bar on long days at work where I do some heavy lifting for an extra boost, or a high fibre/high protein muffin cake (Smartcakes) sweetened with erythritol as a treat (just tried these very recently though - while they have good stats I don't know if I'll continue to buy them or avoid). During my little 'experiment' this week, I increased my carbs mainly from healthy sources: small amounts of strawberries, high fibre whole grain cereals, and lots more veggies like broccoli and cucumber. I ate more frequently in the day by adding an extra snack or small meal to up my calories to 900 a day, but I never eat less than 3 hours apart. I never eat and drink at the same time and always wait at least 30 minutes between drinking and eating. On days I'm low in fibre I'll add fibre-enhanced crystal lite to my water to get in enough fibre each day as well (still can't tolerate plain water yet sadly - makes me really nauseous). I cook using cooking spray to make sure I'm using as limited amounts of oil as possible. I take my PPI, multivitamin, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin D3 + Calcium supplements everyday as well. Here is myfitnesspal account where I have my food diary visible, so any advice on what I'm eating would be really appreciated: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/avatarkorraa As for exercise, that's been a bit of a challenge because I've been experiencing some severe chronic fatigue and muscle weakness ever since my surgery. I feel really exhausted, light-headed, dizzy, and weak all of the time, and even simple tasks like walking up the stairs has become more much challenging since surgery. I know people are supposed to feel like they have much more energy after WLS, but sadly for me it's been quite the opposite (and I'm very young too to boot - only 21 years old). I don't know if this is because I'm not eating enough or because of some other underlying health problem, though. My labs are all perfect but I do suffer from PCOS sadly, and I have pretty low blood pressure. I'm not completely sedentary though - my job requires me to do some moderate heavy lifting once a week (which is difficult to do in the state I'm in now but I try my best) and I'm certainly not housebound or anything as I'm always out and about running errands. I really do want to implement some sort of formal exercise program into my daily routine though, but sadly I have next to no energy all the time and my muscles and joints are in a lot of pain everyday. Eating closer to 900 calories this week helped me feel a little more energized, but not by much. In the meantime I'm following up with my doctor to see if there's something I can do about this so I can start exercising soon, because I really want to . Anyways, any advice/support would be really appreciated! I really want to reach my goal of 150lbs but it's so hard not to get discouraged during times like this. Seeing the scale shoot back up to 183 pounds today really scares me and I just don't know where to go from here, and I'm honestly too terrified to eat anything now. Thank you so much for reading and I wish you all the best on your respective journeys!

My doc said no alcohol at all! I didn't really drink before surgery but now since getting banded 3/28/12 i haven't had a sip.

No Telly I'm not OK. P'Susan attacked me in a PM she sent privately to 3Loves telling here she was associating herself with me and I was unstable. I don't bother P'Susan and steer clear of her and her problems, but this is the end of the road with her attacking me to my friends in PM's she doesn't have the guts to put on the board. How can someone who consumes all the wine and drugs she does consider anyone unstable. I do neither. I put my trust and faith in God and I do neither drugs or alcohol and now she is sending messages to 3 Loves about me. I won't stand for another minute of this psycho abuse. Yeh, now I'm fine Sweetie, just a lot to get off my chest. Love you Telly

I never had any kind of heartburn or acid reflux before surgery - didn't even know what it felt like. Now....4 years after surgery, I have it all the time. I've changed my eating habits - I eat only 2 meals a day and naver after 3pm. I don't eat fatty or fried foods and no alcohol. Still, I can hardly spend a single night sleeping horizontal or even sleeping at all because the reflux is so bad. I'm actually going in tomorrow for an "un-fill". My gastroenterologist thinks the band is too tight (only 4 cc's) and I'm scared to death that I'll gain weight. Above all I want to keep this weight off (91 pounds lost!). I just want to find out if anyone else is experiencing this as badly as I am?

Here's an interesting hypothetical. What if they had a surgery to cure alcoholism, or nicotine addiction? What if that surgery was available to everyone? Would the general consensus be that alcoholics and cigarette smokers are weak for having the surgery instead of quitting on their own? Would those surgeries have such a stigma?

Concerned that this whole thread was hijacked by alcohol - how to drink, when to drink, what to drink, can I ever have fun drinking again????? You are young so I get the mentality to an extent. Maybe you compensate while being obese by being the fun, drinking girl? And maybe your fear is more than just the being able to drink part - maybe it's the changes about how others will see you once your at normal weight and aren't the life of the party? Also not dominating the thread, your health issues. What is more important? Put your priorities in order. With fertility the main one, do you want every chance to resolve the PCOS while you can before premature menopause, or do you want to worry about drinking? Go to counseling and bring all this up and get it sorted out. I wish you the very best in your decisions and the future joy of good health.

I would stay away from the drinks since alcohol affects the liver and the whole reason behind the liquid diet is to shrink your liver for a safer surgery.

I don't think it's a good idea either. Your stomach is basically new, like a babies stomach. That's why we start at liquids, the work our way up to solids again....so that our stomach can heal. Alcohol is very strong and has a lot of sugar. You may dump:( I'm sorry that you can't celebrate with alcohol, but just having this surgery is a celebration in itself:)) Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday!! Personally, I think you should probably wait a bit longer, but I also don't think a few sips will hurt you. I had a glass of wine at about two and a half weeks out. Most people would have screamed at me if they knew. I'm not a drinker by any means (have only had alcohol one other time since being sleeved), but it was a special occasion and I wanted to have a little bit. It didn't hurt me. But, be aware that it can't be good to have alcohol this early out, so if you do please please please limit it to a very small quantity. Whatever you decide, enjoy your birthday!

My dr said to avoid beer and wine if I had to have a Coctail a 1/2 shot of good vodka was best due to the way the sugar breaks down. Maybe it's slower in vodka so the stomach can process it better since it's so small. She recommended having it with A sugar free beverage-not straight shots and to nurse it. Again, they recommend waiting 3 months which won't be until Jan. 11th for me. To tell you the truth, I'm struggling with food at every meal -I don't need more worries or issues by experimenting with alcohol! My husband's 50th B'day is Jan. 25 so maybe I'll indulge that night!

Exactly why I am doing this study. People ask this question so many zillions of times a month. I am going to have data to share for the one zillion and one time someone asks when they can have alcohol and why can't they have beer, etc.

This is the best thing you will ever do for yourself, and you won't regret it. Do everything your dr. tells you to, and take advantage of the opportunity to truly change your way of life. Don't go back to old habits of eating unhealthy food. You will lose hair, but it passes and you won't be bald, though it will feel like you are losing an insane amount of hair. You won't ever feel hungry the same way again, and there is no reason to be an alcoholic. Start working on those triggers that make you turn to food now, and find new ways to cope. Some people will comment on your loss, and some won't. I just told people I changed the priorities in my life, limit my food portions and exercise more: all true. I occasionally tell people I had surgery, especially if they are struggling with weight, just because I don't want to lead them on, but it really isn't an issue. My health is improved beyond expectations, I have a ton of energy, shopping is a delight, and although my husband has always been a true friend and partner, our relationship is like new after 25 years of marriage. You are doing a good thing for yourself, this is exciting! Good luck.

Like alcoholism and drug addiction obesity is a disease. Thankfully one that can be conquered with interventions, but whether biological or environmental for many people is is much more than a matter of willpower. It's not something we "get over". That doesn't make the pre-op side of my life a failure. It means there were things beyond my control that required medical intervention to tend to. Attaching shame to them much like other addictions is part of what makes people reticent to seek help. Pre-op me was a cool chick. One who was smart enough to identify a problem and address it. She was never a failure.

I'm really frustrated today (aka PMS.) I keep reading and hearing women cracking insults about themselves, afraid to post pictures, afraid to show their arms, afraid to "feel" beautiful. Get over it. If anyone honestly thinks that I "think" I look sexy, you are dead wrong. I'm a fat, flabby, frizzy, wrinkled, puffy 250 pound blob of human flesh that used to weigh 315, so I've got body parts hanging over stuff I can't find. I have 11.5 boat feet that shoe stores don't carry sizes in. I look like a circus freak in heels considering my girth and height. I come from abusive parents - father is dying of alcoholic related liver problems while mother fights the law from putting her in the funny farm. I sweat too much, my skin rubs, I'm morbidly obese. When I look at my naked body, I see a stupid, loud-mouthed, fat, disgusting body. But ya know what, I don't pay attention to the outside. The outside is what GOD created, the inside is what I created. AND I'M DAMN PROUD. Next time I see even the slightest negative remark come out of anyone's posts, I'm coming there to doll you up leathers and feathers, makeup and sparkles. I'm going to show you how sexy you really are from the inside out! Here's my latest Marilyn pose. I'm damn hot, and I don't care what anyone else says.

@Ylime probably a bit more prone to scratching as it doesn't have the flush face, I got the rose gold and lavender special edition and when the band gets dingy I can just scrub it with soap and a nail brush and get it new looking. I have gotten it muddy gardening and just cleaned the back off with alcohol wipes and it was fine.

Good Morning! So I didn't find a dress yesterday, I think I am going to have to resort to a skirt and a top.. My boobs are really so swollen still. I tried on a size 8 dress that was to big in the waist and to tight on top lol. So today I am off to find a size 6 black skirt and a festive top. Wish me luck! Today is hubby and my 19th wedding anniversary :thumbup: we are going out to a very very nice restaurant tonight! Yesterday I went and got another little fill. I think I could use a smidge more. I am not eating alot but still want some damn Christmas cookies. Gahh. My doc made me promise to get in one protein shake a day. I am going to be one of his poster children lol. I had to send pics for their website before and afters and I am going to be doing seminars and working possibly in the office. I am excited. When I was in the waiting room all these wonderul people were all asking me tons of questions.. it seems like just yesterday I was one of them pre lapband and wanting to be thin. Here I am someone they can see as a lapband success story. I think helping others who are struggling with their weight would be a great thing to do with the rest of my life. My old boss offered me a position with the company again and after talking with hubby decided NO THANKS.. It was great great money but 99% of them were alcoholic, pot smoking, pill addicted men. They all smoked cigarettes in the office and I am a reformed smoker. I really never want to be in a working enviornment like that again. We do what we have to when the money is right but hubby said my health and sanity is worth more than any amount of money. Isn't he amazing? I can't believe how deeply I am still in love with that man after all these years. I hope everyone has a great day and sorry for my rambling... I have had 4 cups of coffee already lol. xoxo

Why not have a "virgin" drink? Then, you're still being sociable with your friends, no one will question that you're not drinking because you have a drink in front of you. Unless, of course, the purpose of the drink is to get buzzed or drunk, but then, you're not really drinking for the social aspect but to get drunk. So my advice...really THINK about why you're wanting to drink. It's empty calories, it can be hazardous to your healthy, etc. If it really is to be sociable, you can do that without the alcohol.

Alcohol seems to relax the band and now my food addiction has a buddy. I have gotten to the point where I drink with many of my late meals and I get a double whammy of calories. All the trips to the gym and healthy food is not going to help if I keep this up. The weight loss has been stalled since last June.

You are all scaring me!! Wow this thread is discouraging. I am going to be banded on October 14 and I have done tons of research but I am still very confused. I am getting MANY mixed messages. I was told no alcohol and have read several posts of people drinking to excess on the weekends. Huh?? Did I miss something here? Also, I was told that small pills and supplements would be fine and I am reading that everything must be liquid?? Reading also about folks eating all the wrong stuff when I thought that all the wrong stuff is supposed to make me sick?? I really want this to work but some of the stuff on these forums is discouraging :-(. Also the mixed messages are confusing me to the max! HELP

Being in the medical field and also having had this done, this was my experience. First, I had to fill out a questionaire. The answers to these questions are reviewed by the pyschologist and he writes up his thoughts and what the literature supports as your strengths and weaknessess. Then he commented on the different parts of the test and what he saw as my strengths and weakness. Then he asked more open ended questions about my weaknesses. Mostly, he was looking to see if I have any additions (alcohol, drugs, food whatever), my coping skills, my percetions of certain situations, behaviors, what drives them and what I did to cope with them. The reason they do this is to insure that mentally, you are aware of what lifestyle changes you are going to have to make and your coping skills. Everyone wants to believe they are ready, but past history is what they are looking at. Bad behaviors tend to repeat themselves and multiple way of obtaining support is crutial. It is so different thinking that you are ready and actually going through it. My mind was made up to do this and I lost weight before with a strict diet and excercise for 4 years, so I know what sacrafices I had to make. Unfortunately, I had half my thyroid out causing me to gain weight, I virtually had no engery and slept most of the time. This is how my weight went got out of control. I am now 12 days post op and thought I was going to loose it yesterday. I am self employed, do not drink alcohol, can not eat can not exercise and had to deal with a stressful work situation. I did call my friend who does the same type of work and she help me work through it. Today, I got my staple out and can eat more. Unfortunatetly, I had a huge hiatal hernia and it is tight, so thick pureed foods is not good now. But, it just feels good to know I can eat more if I want to.

It has been great reading your thoughts and experiences on alcohol! Thank you for sharing on this touchy topic and staying civil. My surgeon's practice puts alcohol in the "never or very limited" category. Pre-op I might have a glass or two of red wine per month or I might go months without any. Red wine has many benefits to our health and I am not at risk for addiction or overuse. I am four and a half weeks out and I had a glass of red wine last night at a benefit. (I was happily hydrated prior to and drank water along with it.) It took me 2.5 hours to drink it but I was grateful to enjoy it. At that rate, I felt no effects of the alcohol. My philosophy is that I am gladly giving up many, many things in pursuit of better health. An occasional glass of red wine is beneficial to my heart and my sanity. I am not trying to push my philosophy on anyone else. We all know what is best for ourselves and, beginning with this surgery, we are on each our way to improved lifestyles. I wish every one of you the best and am beyond grateful for this community!

Hi back from holiday in Cyprus and happy to say I lost weight whilst there ! Three stone thinner than when I visited in May too. So glad I had this surgery. It's great to see that you are flying along with your weight loss. I am slow but steady so I'm hoping this will continue. Dined out last night but took a container with me and brought home what I did not eat. Might as well get the value as you are paying for it! So far I have stayed away from sweet stuff and no alcohol has passed my lips since early July. Never thought I would say it but not bothered if I ever have it again. All the best to you and any other UK sleeves reading this

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.

That’s good advice. I had my sleeve on 11/11 and experienced very little pain at the five incisions for the scopes and I also had a hiatal hernia repaired. The worst part for me was gas on the left side for the first 48 hrs. It eventually subsided after I started passing gas and going to the bathroom. The other incision points only ache mildly at this point, but overall it’s WAY Less than what I expected going into this. Best advice is stick with the liquids slowly throughout the day, avoid anything with sugar or even sugar alcohols, try to walk at least once or twice daily and above all, pat yourself on the back for having the strength and courage to get the sleeve done! You’ll do great.

So now that I have "officially" accepted responsibility for my weight gain over the years, now I'm trying to figure out what led to this roller coaster life I lead! My last blog, I talked about being on phen-phen and loving it... then getting married and 2 kids later - poof I'm topping 259.6 lbs! But there is a lot in between that time span that I need to reflect on! So - in my late 20's and early 30's - newly married, fabulous job, living in DC - smoozing with the politicians, climbing the work latter, away from my mom.... hmmmmm - can't think of a single reason emotionally that I should have gained weight... I think I stayed a size 10ish - wavering between an 8 and 12 probably - so not too bad. Though, again, I thought I was HUGE! But honestly, other than eating out, and enjoying an adult beverage (oh and not working out) - I'd say life was even for me during this time! Moving into my 30's - 2 kids now! Moved to Atlanta - lived in the burbs with the white picket fence (literally, a white picket fence)... hanging in the cul-de-sac in my sweater sets.... I gained about 40 - 50 lbs with each kid - though I lost "most of it" each time - but stayed in the 170s - 180's for the most part. I played tennis on the neighborhood tennis team - and in my late 30's, started running... I got down to a size 8 - 10 again and looked and felt good! Then BAM! It hit! My daughter is in kindergarten - teachers think something is "not quite right"; tests begin... nothing unusual - but still something "is off".... she enters 1st grade... and now the fun begins.... without going into the details of how we got there... we found out my daughter was dyslexic! The end of the world!!! We thought we had to brightest (her IQ by the way is 1 point below Genius), most perfect child... oh my god... what are we going to do? What did I do? I went into Mamma Bear mode.... started looking at private schools that specialize in dyslexia, started taking her to special tutoring sessions (driving an hour home from work to pick her up, then driving another 45 minutes to the tutor, waiting an hour, then driving an hour back home (rush hour). We started eating in the car - snacks on the way there, dinner from Mickey D's or Chick-fil-a on the way back... 3 x per week!!! I stopped running - who has time for that when you have a full time job, 2 kids, and this new "the world has ended" weight on my shoulders? My daughter was accepted in the top school - whew!! but that meant commuting 1.5 hours each way every day... but I was willing - because it was only supposed to be for 2 - 3 years (a transition school, where there is remediation and you go back to the "real world"). So we ate in the car...ALOT!!! My daughter isn't gaining weight because she is active (see a pattern from my mom here?)... but she is also on ADHD meds with acts as an appetite suppresent. I however, am gaining weight... not on the tennis team anymore, and definitely not exercising! Now add in my son - the pre-schools are saying he has some issues too - oh here we go again - at least we know what to look for this time - right? But we have him in a pre-school that is for advanced kids - and he is falling behind - and the teacher is bullying him - yes bullying a 4 year old. He went into a depression - 4 year old!!! He was the happiest kid - every day is a good day - and then boom - depressed! We pulled him out of that school and went to another school - he was happy, but not learning - but happy :-)! In Kindergarten - we decided to nip it in the bud - have him tested and boom - he is dyslexic too (it is hereditary and I probably had it but overcame it with my intellect and my dad is). We enter him into the same private school as my daughter - and now have $50,000 in tuition plus uniforms... plus the commute... and eating on the go! But - it was only temporary - right? So we did it... and then.. came the time for my daughter to be retested (every 3 years) and to start thinking about the next school..... I remember it clearly... I had just started a software development leg of my company... I was 30 minutes from walking into a board room filled with CEO's and CIOs from major companies (7 of them) to pitch my latest product.... and the psych called.... "Hey Krista - just wanted to let you know I'm coming up with some "weird" results for Natalie".....pause...."I'd like to run some additional tests"....pause...."I think she may be on the autism spectrum...and by the way I think she comes by it from her dad"! THUMP!!! OMG!!!! Did she just say AUTISM? OMG!!!!! So I compartmentalize that, and do my presentation... them come out and just CRY!!!! Turns out... after the initial testing and 2 second opinions... she is on the spectrum... and my husband is accepting that he may be too - but what is he going to do about it at almost 50 years of age?... Now my world is crumbling... AGAIN!!!! I have to find a new school, I have to put her in a "social skills" class (she was "shy" all this time - not autistic), I have to rearrange my life... AGAIN!! My world ended during this time - how can this be? So I started taking Lexapro to "deal" - and I probably drank way more wine than I should any given week... and I most definitely ate out every meal and did not exercise! OK - so, I found a school - only it is 2 hours from our house... my son is still at the dyslexia school - the complete other direction... so now what? Oh - sell our house and move closer! We also decided to go ahead and move our son to this school as it is a school for all types of learning differences! So - we move, move schools, and I also decide to sell my businesses.... I had to make changes - I had to do something!! But selling my business turned out to be a VERY bad idea (I'll write more on that another time)... and turns out, my son has Asperger's too - OMG - TWO KIDS on the spectrum!!!! Though actually with my son, they don't know how to diagnose him - so they just gave him that DX - he really has more working memory issues and his IQ is on the low side! So - moving from my past - I think I did very well overcoming my mother and childhood stuff... I did very well with moving up the corporate ladder, and I did well early in the childhood raising area.... My weight gains - major weight gains started when trouble hit my perfect little life! I turned to food (and alcohol - though I wouldn't call myself an alcoholic) to solve my problems - to comfort me! Food was the one staple that was there - no matter what - I could count on a drive-thru... I could count on a good sushi meal (I mean like $50 - $60 of sushi for me alone)... I could count on a bottle of wine! I can see the crisis that hit - I can see how I used food - but what I don't know yet, is how will I overcome the "next" crisis?????? More to come as I figure out this journey! Look for my scary boss story coming next - this is when I hit the top of the scales!!!