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I try to eat different stuff all the time. I purposely still drink a Protein shake and eat a Quest bar every day so I can meet my protein goals. And although most of my food choices are high protein, the shakes and bars give me the freedom to eat a balanced diet including fruit, veggies and whole grains while still getting 60-80g+ of protein. From a physiological standpoint, I like the idea of providing my body with different nutrients all the time. From a psychological standpoint eatng the same thing over and over with no variety would only be frustrating and lead to cravings and binges (for me, anyways) However, the examples you gave (pizza, chips, Bloody Mary, wings) are all pretty poor choices when it comes to healthy, weight loss friendly foods. That first meal was pretty much all carbs and the second was some protein, but laden with fat and probably carbs from the sauces. If you want variety, great, but make sure you mostly focus on lean protein and non starchy veggies. Your only carbs should be from maybe a little fruit and healthy, whole grains. Alcohol, bread and chips certainly should not be regular choices.

Yikes. I really feel like unless you are a doctor or somehow being asked, you should not insert yourself. We get excited about the weight loss and some of us have a need or desire to evangelize about it, but we have to get here on our own steam. I have two examples of help that worked with me. A friend approached me last year with a Nike Fuel band last year before I even considered surgery. She was changing to a Jawbone, and offered me the band, talking about how much fun and addictive it was to her to watch her steps every day. Then, I also have a friend who was sleeved in June of last year, who started talking to me about her plans in August of 2012 and suggested that I look into it too. I was even a little offended with her; surely I wasn't as bad off as she was, right? But I was, and she knew it. Amazing now that I sometimes thought my weight gain was invisible to others. These are two very close friends and the subject was approached very carefully. On one hand, people say rude stuff all the time to overweight and obese people; I'm sure each of us has a list in our heads of the things that have been said to us over the years. But unless you would be in the right position to stage an intervention for drugs or alcohol, another person's weight is not something I'd comment on.

@@Daisee68, Interesting question! I can definitely see your nutritionist’s point. She apparently sees your patterns at that meal as being similar to patterns that got you in trouble in the first place. And I think there is research to back up that the more variety you have at a meal, the more you are likely to eat. On the other hand, you didn’t have THAT many foods – you had 5 at the first, and 2 at the second. (By the way, my concern would be the Bloody Mary). I would ask if you were in control. If you were completely in control of what you ate, you made a sound decision, and you stuck to it, I don’t think it’s a problem. If you start with a chip and turned it into a two-course meal with alcohol, that is more of a problem.

Happy Ketosis luv, your body is now burning off fat. My breath, either I have gotten used to it, it's. my armpits, they are my bugaboo, washed with soaps, alcohol the. ( in theory to kill off skin bacteria) put baking soda there, by might call I have the same smell, rather like onions , garlic and a subtle rotting undertone. But it is what it is , on my 4th or 5th different antiperspirant/deodorant, the Arm and Hammer seems to do the best, family has never complained about it but I think I can constantly smell it. And I am also RnY but 6 months out now. Maybe my burden to bear, but I do like the 70 pounds that are no longer a part of me!

@@robinsmj it may be the erythritol (a sugar alcohol) in the Quest bar that is making you nauseous. I don't have a problem with erythritol but I tried something with maltitol (another sugar alcohol) and it made me nauseous and gave me a seriously upset stomach. Perhaps try a bar without sugar alcohols and see if that makes a difference?

Today while I was at work I honestly had to say to myself I am so thankful for my health. When you work in a hospital you think you have seen everything and then there is always something worse. The pain that people suffer, the drug addiction, alcoholism, patients with HIV, miserable infections that antibiotics wont cure, people trying to kill themselves, and the list goes on, I just have to think these aches and pains I have from being on my feet for 12 hours is nothing compared to how these people suffer daily. All the people in ICU on vents being kept alive by a machine. Some of these things just are not right. When you see these things from a medical perspective it really is an eye opener. I never in my life have seen family's who are so selfish to keep someone alive and make them suffer because they don't want to let go. Then they stand outside of ICU and argue about what the patient wants, when in fact it's not at all what the patient wants but what they want. The patients that get me the most are the elderly with dementia whose bodies work so well but their minds don't. It must really be pure hell to have a healthy body but you can't remember who your family is or where you are. I don't take life or my health for granted because it can be gone in a minute. One of my coworkers today had to leave work because her cousin was shot dead in her car because someone tried to car jack the car and she wouldnt open the door. A life gone in less then the time it takes to send a text. Life is hard and people are even harder. I am thankful today and always for everything I have. I will take my bad hip any day then suffer like others do. Take time to be thankful for everything in your life.

In ALL my years of heavy domestic and international biz and for-fun travel, I have NEVER sat on a parked plane for 8 hours. That's insane. Really. They should be passing out heroin, not alcohol.

@@cwhitt456 - Yeah it's normal. Good for you to look before you leap. It is a life changing decision. The fact that convinced me was behavior change alone results in long term weight loss with about 5% suceed through behavior modification vs. nearly 80% (going by memory) who succeed with WLS. You might want to check with the Cleveland Clinic who did some of the best long term studies on Sleeve surgery. I am surprised how few guys do this vs women, but the numbers are what they are. I am very glad I found out about WLS. In 2014 I thought I had a stroke. It turned out to be something stress related, but it was the first light on my dashboard that I needed to lose weight. I diligently did weight watchers, but with my travel, it was hard to stay on track. I found out about WLS on a pod cast, and started researching (Cleveland Clinic study convinced me). I had mine done in Mexico (just didn't want to mess with insurance, and it was affordable enough). It's worked wonderfully. Only thing I regret is not knowing about it when I was your age. It is a tool. Don't think it's "FM" (freakin magic). It requires work and diligence, but it is an amazing tool. Absolutely changed my life. That said, some things to consider: * Do I have a couple of weeks to recover? Might not need it, but with my scheduled I figured out there were only two days in 2014 I could have the surgery. * Significant other? When a partner loses weight, it can change a relationship. Sometimes women like the chunky guy because he is less likely to stray because fat guys have fewer partners. They get nervous when that changes. * Emotional issues with food? We got fat for some reason. Get your mind right before. * Can I get in the best shape possible before the surgery? It will speed up your recovery and you will thank me for suggesting it. * Can you go without smoking, coffee, alcohol for several months? You want the stomach to heal. Good luck, feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

Ditto what everyone else said. I've heard horror stories from folks who had carbonation and ended up in severe pain. Plus, I was told it could cause band slippage by making the upper part of the stomach swell. I was banded on November 6 and I've had alcohol. I had some wine and some tequila, but not a huge quantity because of the calories.

I read somewhere.. this body processes this way 1st. Alcohol 2nd. Carbs 3rd. Fat 4th. Protein So I think, if you consume alcohol and carbs, you're that much farther away from your fat. And it makes sense to me, when I look at my uncle. He use to be a professional trainer, and fit and proud. He's now an alcoholic. He's got a huge gut, and weighs about 280lb now. He works out EVERY SINGLE DAY twice a day. He is doing nutrisystem, to a T. But his major downfall.. he drinks like a fish. He has beer with him IN THE GYM. He always drinks alcohol with meals. So you'd think with as much as he works out and as little as he eats, he at least wouldn't be able to maintain such a huge belly.. and yet, he does. All because of Alcohol.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about judgments & why people feel compelled to judge others. People post a lot here about feeling judged by friends and family members for deciding to have surgery, or feeling judged by skinny people for being fat in the first place. Personally, I have been fortunate that not one single negative word has been said to me with regards to having surgery. My family and friends have all been very supportive. Intellectually, I know I am (or have been) judged negatively by other people for my weight, but I honestly don’t usually notice those judgments. If I do happen to notice or feel judged by somebody, I don’t generally internalize the judgment and allow it to continue to affect me. But it seems to me that there is also a fair amount of judgment happening among members of the WLS community. Sometimes it’s subtle and sometimes it quite overt, but it’s all judgmental bulls**t that says more about the person making the judgment than it does about the person being judged. Here are just a few judgments I have observed being made here and elsewhere among members of the WLS community. Some of these judgments have been directed at me, some I’ve observed in others, and one or two I am guilty of making. Everyone who needs/wants WLS has a food addiction or depression or very low self-esteem. If you say you don’t, then you are either lying or in denial. People who go to Mexico for surgery are less prepared mentally and emotionally than those who have surgery in the US. My surgeon does things the “right” way. If your surgeon tells you something different, he/she is wrong and I am justified in telling you to ignore your surgeon’s instructions. People who slip up on the preop diet are not ready for surgery and will likely fail. People who do not follow instructions to the letter in the first couple of months post-op are not committed to the process and will likely fail. People who do not commit wholeheartedly to an exercise plan postop are not committed to the process and will likely fail. People who drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or smoke weed postop are not committed to the process and will likely fail. People who come here posting questions without first searching for the answer are dumb or lazy. People who credit their faith with helping them get through this process are annoying and should not talk about their faith in relation to WLS. People who are atheist or agnostic are missing the most important part of life and should be pitied. People who have plastics after WLS are vain. People who struggle to put their own needs ahead of others aren't trying hard enough or valuing themselves enough. I’m sure other folks can think of more, and there is also a whole raft of judgments that we frequently make against ourselves. The point is that none of these judgments are true and none of these judgments are supportive or helpful in any way. We all have our own path to travel, and I believe we each generally do the best we can at any given time. At various times, my “best” will be better than some and not nearly as good as others, and that’s true for everybody. I don’t know if judging others is a way to feel better about ourselves, or just a bad habit we fall into, but it certainly does seem to come naturally to us. In my opinion, reaching out for support is a healthy, intelligent, and wise thing to do. Let’s try to respect the courage it takes to be here, and check our judgments at the door.

Alcohol does it to me. If I have one glass of wine weight loss would come to a dead stop. When you figure calories and such it really shouldn't but I've seen others post the same comments. What if you knock out all alcohol? Just try it for two weeks. Not a drop, see what happens. Might make the difference.

Kind of makes you realize how much of an addiction food can be. I tried comparing food addiction to alcohol addiction in a conversation with my brother once and he wasn't buying it. I hadn't done any research on the subject at the time, it was just a thought. I know now after researching WLS that it's a real thing. I can imagine that an alcoholic might have the same self destructive and impulsive thoughts when a commercial comes on about alcohol. I think about all of the bad foods that I love that got me into this mess while driving around but the scars on my gut quickly remind me why I shouldn't give in to the urge.

How long ago did you have your surgery? My program doesn’t have any restrictions on alcohol (which I don’t know that I agree with). Anyway, you do want to be careful - your new tummy is sensitive, you’ll feel tipsy or drunk a lot quicker, there are a lot of empty calories and (most disturbing to me) there are certain studies that have shown post WLS patients can have a higher tendency for alcohol dependence. Addiction runs in my extended family, so that is something I’m going to be careful and mindful of. I’d give it at least a couple months and then start with something easier on the stomach. I don’t even know what that would be - red wine ?

Oh my, I just want to hug you. I'm so sorry! I can't imagine your loss and pain. I don't know if I have any suggestions for you except this: Please try to love yourself as much as your sister loved you, please don't turn to alcohol to soften the pain. It's so dangerous for us now. Are you in any form of therapy? I feel like this is a really big thing and maybe too big for me to come up with any helpful words or ideas. Dealing with loss and grief like this, even for people who aren't dealing with what we are, is already so hard. Of course you are struggling and feeling like you are going to drown in the pain. Of course you are turning to other things because our old standby of food for Comfort is gone. I have so much compassion for you, I wish I could help you. Do you have someone to talk to, you said your sister was your best friend, do you have another person in your life you can talk to? I want you to know you can message me, if you need an encouraging word or just want to chat.

Different doctors seem to have different opinions on what causes slippage and erosion. As someone who has a doc that never said anything about alcohol causing problems, I do have beer every now and then. Some days, I'm too tight and the bubbles are uncomfortable, other days it works okay. It does fill you up, because after a certain amount of time not eating much, your stomach does shrink back to normal size, so a beer is going to fill you up for a while. liquid calories, blah blah blah, I try and avoid drinking on a regular basis, and keep it for special occasions, but yeah, I still drink beer and other things.

People in AA are the WORST. Talk about evangelical ex alcoholics! That's totally normal what you're feeling, by the way. I did for quite some time. Now I just look at them and empathise. I've also struggled with bringing the subject of WLS up to some friends and family members who I think would benefit from it, but I'm over that now, too. They know they're fat, and they know that WLS is a great option as they have seen me be pretty darn successful with it. I only hope they decide to do something about it before it becomes sadly too late.

Showoff? lol. Me? The woman who's been bouncing from 183 to 186 to 189 back to 183 since Labor Day? Believe me, I have done nothing BUT make the wrong decisions, apparently. (And, I know you were kidding, Marie:p .) I had company Labor Day weekend, from South Africa, so I wanted to share with her some of my favorites that she'd never heard of, such as Italian Cream cake. , Bluebell ice cream, so I gained 3 lbs that weekend. Then off on a tangent, these things just kept creeping into my behavior, so I've been bouncing merrily through the holidays making just enough wrong choices that I couldn't get past it. Thank goodness I could keep it under semi control or I'd be back to 200 by now. I have personally proven that yes, carbs/starches/refined sugars are indeed addictive and yes, once you stray into them the THIQ(technical term I learned in Drug and Alcohol counseling school) in our brains is definitely alerted and begins seeking more. This happens in heroin addicts, alcoholics and those of us who seek food as our drug of choice. It really does release endorphins that make us feel better, like love or hugs and well, being single, my endorphins know there is no love or hugs so when I feed it, it doesn't know moderation, it just WANTS more!! I am a victim of my own inner endorphin monster:( , but I'm working on it. I've put him in a cage with a tiny silicone band around his little pointed head. That way he's unconscious MOST of the time. Like an addict, he sometimes wakes up and his withdrawals cause him to do things he wishes he didn't do, but he does them anyway and holds my body hostage until he gets what he wants. As long as I'm vigilent about doing my exercise and drinking my water and eating my protein, I can keep him unconscious, but when I slip one wrong darn thing in there, he wakes up and goes searching for more. So, there's my confession. I, too, have a monster, just like Nancy and Lisa and Alex and Marie and Paula and Jack and Ryan and all of you other addicts. lol. I can't kill him, but I can darn sure cut off his oxygen supply long enough to regain control. I AIN'T NO QUITTER!!:banana

That comes across pretty harsh. My friends would never question my choices, but a well meaning coworker, or the spouse of my husband's boss, might get a little noisy. I am only looking for and offering up ideas for people who want to be part of a festive occastion without alcohol. Maybe they dont want questions or maybe they just want some ideas for beverages other than water or tea. Sometimes its easier to carry the proverbial solo cup. HW 385 SW 359 CW 338 Sleeved 10/5/16

Think of this as a lessons learned thing Sweetpea. Stay away from fast food joints. There is nothing healthy for you there. Would you go into a bar if you were an alcoholic? Food is our addiction and until you see some real results, it will be hard to walk away from yummy yummy bad food. Start to investigate yummy yummy good food. It's out there...just search for it. Look up websites, make better choices. Heck, I bet there's even a healthier version of a taco salad. You can eat refried bean and tomatoes and even a dash of sour cream. This way, you can eat a taco salad and not feel bad. Good luck....you can do this!

Hi, I have staples in that were very itchy. My Mother suggested taking a q-tip and putting alcohol on the incisions. She says this helps with bug bites as well! Take care!

I'm too afraid to stray from my doctor's orders. So if he says 2 weeks of Clear Liquids, I'm doing it. I learned that applesauce is a clear liquid. What if you have some of that. I'll tell you, I can only eat half of the little motts container, and I have to save the rest for another time. Last night I ate a little too much, and I felt uncomfortable, just overfull.. didn't like it. I think the object is we don't want to make our stomachs have to work too hard to digest. Right now it's healing. Maybe I'm just overly cautious, but I'm not even going to THINK about a yogurt or mashed potato until Sunday!! I am looking forward to my stage 2 for the variety! Also.. I found Crystal Light popsicles at walmart. sugar free, cold, like a treat, I eat 2 a day usually. If your'e doing popsicles, make sure they are sugar free. and watch the ones in the grocery store that say no sugar added, cause even they have sugar alcohols in them, and you don't want that. Good luck!

My surgeon's "official" word is no alcohol again, but "un-official" is just to be careful on both volume and frequency. It will go to your liver quicker and stay there longer. I have had both wine and gin since my surgery and while before I would drink about 1 drink per hour about 1 time per week, I have limited it to 1 drink per evening every few weeks.

I think it varies. I drink coffee and take a fiber supplement daily. I also am allowed alcohol buy choose not to have it. Follow whatever your doctor says!

I'm Miss Wisconsin...oooh wait...maybe not... I'm Jennye...27, soon to be 28...live in Wrightstown, WI which is between Green Bay and Appleton...hmmm...single...same situation as Michelle and Alexandra said earlier...alcoholism...unfortunately we still own the "condo from hell" together and it has been on the market for 2 years...he has moved out and hopefully once it sells I can finally wipe my slate clean...been dating but nothing promising... I'm the mommy to my little rat Rummele who is a little tiger cat and my beast Fischer, a Vizsla and the best damn walking partner in the world...put it this way...if he thinks I'm not going for a walk he runs upstairs, opens my dresser drawer and starts prancing around with my socks... I'm currently in pursuit of my Masters...Management and Organizational Behavior and have worked at Wisconsin Public Service, an electric utility for 8 years. I've been at a standstill for the past few weeks with my band...my nice and tight fill ended up being too tight thanks to some antibiotics bothering my tummy and stress from my Mom having a stroke...now with the unfill...watch out...bolt it to the floor...I'm getting another fill hopefully back to my comfy tight on the 16th...so far I have lost 69 lbs...I'm hoping to lose another 31 leaving me at 150. Other than that...I've been MIA for some while and trying to get back into the board...I've missed you guys!