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....erm ....not to put a downer on things but .....um, isn't this a bit like alcoholics discussing their favourite cocktails?? hmmm?

Most foods have the nutrition information right on the label. They will say if there is sugar alcohol in them. Are you going to have trouble giving up the diet coke when you get your band? We aren't supposed to have anything carbonated.

I've pretty much been drinking nonstop. (Sadly no alcohol.) My surgery is the 7th. I get into the office and have all my beverages lined up -- tea, crystal light, protein shake. If I'm in the bathroom every 5 minutes, I can't kill anyone. LOL Hang in there, Stitches! Sent from my SM-G970U using BariatricPal mobile app

Start keeping a list to keep your sanity! Like the bumper sticker KILL THEM ALL; GOD CAN SORT THEM OUT LATER! Keep muttering This Too Shall Pass! And it will! I knew I had NASH, let's see, non alcoholic Steatohepatitis, is what it really means, in lay terms a Fat Liver, so I did a Liver-shrink the entire month of August 2018, for every week you do it your liver shrinks 4%, so mine was between 12-16% smaller for my surgery. It worked, it worked, and my surgeon complimented me on my mini-liver, told me it was as smooth, small and healthy as a new-born calf, once I was certain he didn't plan to sell me for veal, I was complimented for my hard work. But you do turn into a Stormin' Norma foe awhile. Tomkitten, my son, said like the lepers in the Bible he should have been in front of me carrying a sign" DANGER-STARVING MAMA-BEWARE EVERYONE! But it worked, I lost 15 pounds, felt I had done something to be prepared, and it ended well on Surgery Day! And those are lofty goals.

I have to admit that I missed all my goals on Thursday and Friday and drank alcohol and ate fried foods. It was BAD - To make matters worse, I could eat ANYTHING - it's almost as if I magically lost restriction with the BAD foods - I am back on track today, and miraculously, my restriction is BACK!!!

Newbie here. I have been researching WLS for a while now and am thinking the Plication is the way to go. However, I'm deeply afraid of the emotional/head hunger that I will probably experience afterwards. I have realized that I'm addicted to food, as much as an alcoholic or drug addict is. So, my fear is that when I get that urge to "binge" or reach for the comfort food in times of stress, since I won't be able to do that after the surgery, I'm afraid I'll have a lot of trouble emotionally with that. Right now if I try to resist it, I actually have episodes of anxiety that just get worse until I give in to the temptation. Have others experienced that and how do you get through it once you've had the surgery? Since there is no turning back once the surgery is done, how does one move forward through those difficult emotional times? Thanks for your input!

It isn't unheard of. Yoyo dieting seems to effect your body's natural set point where it starts going into "its a famine, slow everything down" type of mode. Try timing some Protein (25g) before and after a workout. I don't know why (and as far as I can tell no one else knows either) but certain ethnicities do better with carbs and others with protein. It just may be some things that our ancestors had that allowed them to pass their genes forward long ago. I have experimented enough with myself to know that I do really well when I am eating meat and a few vegies. If I throw too much fruit in the mix, I start gaining. You are in a strange netherland. If you are not already, log your food and see what combination works for you. When you start googling this, you will start realizing "a calorie isn't really a calorie." A piece of wood has calories. But those calories can't be absorbed. Alcohol has calories, but not all are absorbed. Some people seem to more easily absorb certain calories. Hormones effect this too. If you find some good research, please share it with the group.

Pre-Op Diet for LAP-BAND Surgery About two weeks before your LAP-BAND surgery, your surgeon will have you begin a special diet. The pre-op diet is important because it is designed to get your body ready for surgery and make recovery easier. You will need to lose fat around your stomach and liver, as well as shrink the liver itself. If the liver is too large, the surgery may have to be postponed. The diet helps reduce potential bleeding that can accompany surgery by reducing fatty triglycerides from around the liver and spleen. A primary part of the pre-op diet is a Protein supplement. Myocel, a Protein powder, is designed to lower the fat content of the liver, maximize recovery, and promote weight loss. Myocel can be mixed in with skim milk, Water, fruit juice, or fat-free yogurt. Foods that will need to be decreased in your diet include high-sugar foods, high carbohydrate foods (including bread), fats (such as butter), fatty meats, fried foods, whole milk products, and alcohol. Your diet will be limited, but foods that may be included are yogurt, fruit, Cereal, eggs, oatmeal for Breakfast and lean meat or fish with green vegetables for dinner. Pre-op diets may vary between surgeons and patients, but you should always follow the recommendations of your doctor. My surgeon suggests either 6 carnation instant breakfasts a day or 4 atkins shakes for 1-2 weeks preop...

I'm 100% with Hazel on this. She covered it all..... Now that I'm 4 months out, there isn't any eating situation that concerns me. If we go out to a restaurant, I order a meal, eat what I can, and either leave the rest or take it home. The ONLY reason you would have a stuck episode, is if you take too big a bite, and don't chew thoroughly. Taking small bites & chewing well isn't obvious to anyone you eat with. You are eating.....that's all they see. As Hazel said, if your social life involves drinking on a regular basis, you will have problems losing weight. There is not a lot of room for regular alcohol intake on any weight loss plan, because there aren't any nutrients and your body can only store it as fat. That, and drinking brings on loose eating for many; it does for me! If you DO drink, count the calories, and make sure you don't consistently blow your daily allowance. Maintenance is another story, but it doesn't mean that you can throw caution to the wind. Relax, and take the time necessary to "reset" as Hazel mentions, and get re-aquainted with food, and what will ultimately be your new "normal". Good luck!

Your month pre op?idk maybe you ment post op but thats crazy!!!!! I was told around 7 to 8 months or later! I didnt have issues but i did feel my stomach kind of burn or sting but other then that i was good. I felt like i handled my alcohol like i would have pre op but not drinking and going out every weekend has saved me a fortune so it was only once and god knows when ill drink again but not anytime soon!

It was just an alcohol pad. Never had a reaction before.

There are a number of reasons someone's liver can be enlarged. For us who are obese it's usually a nonalcoholic fatty liver, but it could be caused by hepatitis, autoimmune conditions, alcoholic fatty liver, cysts, gallbladder issues, mono.. It doesn't sound like she had any identified problem aside from maybe NAFLD. OP - I'm so sorry, I can imagine this is fairly traumatic. I do wonder if it's just the surgeon's level of skill, confidence, or just the liver size that determines a surgeon's plan of action. It does seem to vary widely - for example, I was 325 pre-surgery, 321 on surgery day, and only had a prescribed diet of Clear liquids the day before surgery, no pre-op diet. My surgeon didn't mention any problems with my liver. Do you have any comorbidities that might have affected it? I am surprised that on that low of calorie diet that you didn't lose more than 8 pounds. I really hope you hang in there and follow the diet again (You can do it!) and kick those 20 pounds to the curb so that you can get your surgery done. After this whole ordeal, you deserve to be dropping some weight and feeling great.

FORGIVE THE LENGTHY MESSAGE. NEED TO GIVE CONTEXT I am wondering if any one experienceD this my starting weight was 139kg before surgery on the 15th of January 2023 on day of surgery it was 131kg 2 weeks post-op i was stalled for 8weeks which was not a bother to me at the time i healed quite quickly with no complications and was moved to solids within 3 weeks by the dietitian too. between January and April i lost some weight down to 111kg Since april i have not lost anything. I have gained and lost 3-4 kg since April till date which is September 6th 2023 I do everything many people say on every platform which had never been a challenge namely Monitor what i eat: I eat between 88 - 1200 calories I have more protein than anything eggs, lean meat, chicken, fish, shrimps carbs are mostly bulgur wheat. which i have sparingly 2ce a month. Plantain i have daily to balance my protein intake but not as much as protein. I prob have more grams of protein a day and that includes protein water. I work out 4-5 days a week for up to 1:30 - 2:00 hours each day In April i worked out more 4 days a week 2ce a day 2day time cardio 1:30 hours night time strength training. no weights heavier than 25kg I take 2-3 liters of water throughout the day no compared to 3 months ago. Up to 1liter during my work out and the rest throughout the day. mostly sips. I do get hungry but try to drink water to quench or use the plantain (carb for the day) to satisfy myself i take my vitamins biotin and all recommended as well as powdered collagen Recent bloods shows everything within normal range. I am going into my 5th month and i am still 111kg Since April. My dietitian is numb on what is going on, the nurse recommended liquid collagen ( which makes no sense) and have said hormones.... but hormones cannot affect this 5months straight. I did bloods to check my thyroids and it showed elevated parathyroid (no idea what that means)..... not gotten an explanation as my vitamin levels and calcium levels are normal my nails are very soft and brittle and my hair falls like the weather ( only blessed to have a full head of hair but cant say it is helpful soon) No ...... the clothes i wore in April are still the same September. measurements are the same..... the only win i am getting from this is that my knee and ankle dont hurt as much when i workout. i dont burn out as i used to and i work out more than i used to before which was walking up to 50k-70ksteps a day. I have never been one who drank alcohol and haven't started post surgery. I have never been one who ate junk food like crisps, tacos, burgers. I have not been diagnosed diabetic nor with PCOS i noticed when i had no carbs in my diet i lost fast but when i introduced carbs as suggested by the dietitian everything came on hold I NEED SOME SIGN THAT I AM NOT IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE OR A LONG DREAM!!! Cos it feels pointless having done the surgery not to be an effective tool Anyone in a similar predicament before

Thanks for pointing those out! The use isomalto-oligosaccharide instead of soluble corn fiber, so I might be able to handle them and the nutritional info looks good. Only slight red flag is the amount of sugar alcohol, but I think I'd be willing to give them a try. Do you know any brick-and-mortar stores that sell them? I just googled them - looks like Vitamin Shoppe carries them. I may swing by today and pick one up!

Thanks for pointing those out! The use isomalto-oligosaccharide instead of soluble corn fiber, so I might be able to handle them and the nutritional info looks good. Only slight red flag is the amount of sugar alcohol, but I think I'd be willing to give them a try. Do you know any brick-and-mortar stores that sell them? I just googled them - looks like Vitamin Shoppe carries them. I may swing by today and pick one up! Yes, I got ones at Vitamin Shoppe to try. Mine only had 2 flavors. Online they come in a lot more though.

My file will be submitted to Carefirst BCBS (DC Plan) tomorrow (5/26) morning. Here are my vitals: Age 30 Female Height: 5'3" Type II Diabetes (diagnosed 5/10/2011) Hiatal Hernia Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease = Metabolic Disorder Weight at surgical consult: 205 Current Weight: 198 Goal Weight: 127 Carefirst BCBS through DC. Only insurance concern is that I have had two three month diet plans that went like this: My weight doctor: Visit 1/3/2011, visit 1/17/2011, 2/1/2011, 2.16.2011, 3/1/2011, and 3/17/2011, with a primary care visit in early April - should be OK for this one. My other weight program was a visit on I think 1/20/2010 and another visit on 4/9/2011 with a primary care visit on 1/21, blood work on 2/16 and a neurologist visit on 3/17/2010. I have good documentation of visits, receipts, medical notes, etc. but there could be an issue with the fact that I did not go to the weight specialist between 1/20/2010 and 4/9/2010.The insurance coordinator at Bluepoint Surgical group seems to think that we can get approval because my documentation is good and it shows that I have lost weight but can't keep it off.

I have a different view of our addiction to food. No one would tell an alcoholic to have three small drinks a day, no one would tell a drug addict to have three small "hits' a day and no one would tell a cigarette smoker to have three small "drags" a day. They dont tell them that b/c they know it's impossible. One drink, one hit, one drag and they're back hooked. Well you cannot give up food and you try to have three small meals a day, but then you eat one extra bite of something you shouldn't, ice cream, chips, bread, whatever triggers you and bam it's all over and your out of control again. That is why people who have WLS are successful when they could never be before. They now have a tool! A new "thermostat" that says you've reached the right temperature, shut down the furnace. Will we still have to work at it? sure. But basically we're already experts at working at it. Most of us have been on diets most of our life. I think we just had broken thermostats that needed help. Cheers to our bands! And wishing us all a smooth ride with few complications! LOVED READING THE LAST STRAW STORIES! Thanks for sharing!

I hit 308 2 years ago. I decided to give up alcohol and most carbs. I dropped to 282 before becoming banded. At 282 I was really struggling to lose any more weight. I was reading a book about God grace. In this book it said that if there is an area of your life you need help with you should reach out and seek help. From that point on I did that. I can truthfully say I don't even remember how I found my surgeon. Everything just fell into place. I went out of Network but because there wasn't a Bariatric Surgeon in my area they approved it. Julie

Hi. I'm just 5 weeks post-op. My NUT said not to have alcohol for about a year out. Just wondering if anyone with GB has tried drinking alcohol earlier than a year out, and what kind of reactions you've had. Thanks. It's the holidays and everyone's drinking at parties, and just was thinking about having a sip.

I'll be really honest with you, for me it's interesting. . . in the beginning i hated this stupid sleeve. . . i really did, then when i went for my 1 1/2 week doctor appt after the surgery and saw i lost 32 lbs i thought "huh, interesting". . . then after 7 weeks i lost 53 lbs all together, now at 11 weeks, i've lost 63 lbs. . .i don't like that when i want to go out to eat i have to request a carry out box right away cause i know i'll only eat about 5 bites of the food. . .i know that i can't go to a buffet anymore, that it would be a major waste of money. . .who after all wants to spend $10 for a buffet and all you can really have is 1/2 piece of meat loaf or a bowl of Soup???? I really hate that i have hunger pangs and eat something too fast and it gets stuck that you have "i need an ambulance" pain for about 20 - 30 minutes and have slimming for that same about of time. . . I don't like that i can't drink alcohol as i used to and that my taste for cokes, and coffee have changed and i really hate those beverages now. . . but all in all, would i do it again? yes i would, my hatred for my obesity is stronger than my dislike for this sleeve. . . the weight loss makes me happy, i feel healthier, i no longer snore, that means my apnea is gone, my heart rate is 45 - 48 bpm that means that my heart doesn't have to work so hard anymore . . cardiologist took away the nitroglycerin pills. . . my knees don't hurt so much anymore, i have more energy and can bend and pick up things . . i'll be able to see my daughter graduate from university, i'll see her get married, and have kids, i'll be able to see those kids grow up and maybe even attend their graduations too. . .so you see that weight loss is so much better. . . no i will never be able to eat normal again. . .so i have to get used to that idea, i have to be careful about what i eat cause i could eat "around" my surgery and gain weight, now that would be humiliating! I would love to eat some chocolate, or some chinese food, or fried chicken, but that would forfeit the purpose right? So i stick with my Protein foods, and the healthier stuff and sugar free stuff. . . god knows maybe i'll eventually get used to all this . . . after all old habits die hard, 48 years of over eating and stuff and being fat, fat, fat, and so sloppy looking, and literally rolling about, not being able to fit into plane seats, asking for extensions for the seatbelt, how sicking. . . so now it's time to change old ways, will take a while, but one day i'll overcome and then I'll be thin one day!!! good luck with your decisions.

Thanks for your reply and pointers! I wish I could upgrade to business class but even for just one-way it's over $3000 more. But I did get a seat behind the bulkhead for my 11.5 hour leg so that will make it easier to move around and stretch. Maybe I'll try begging the ground crew to let me sit in business class since I can't eat or drink alcohol. (Ha ha)

Not all surgeons require the liquid diet. Mine didn't at all and he has done over 1800 sleeves. Just Atkins style for a week low carb. And I get a last supper the night before surgery including alcohol. I feel very blessed!

Ask for a Skinny Girl Margarita next time they are approximately 100 calories. Or you could do Vodka and Crystal Light, bring your own packets in your purse. Instead of Cranberry Juice Cocktails. Get the alcohol with no juice and add Crystal Light packets.

Hunger, now, is a totally different animal. I don't crave food like I used to. I snack because I have to get calories in, not because I am hungry. But, what I do feel is body hunger. Meaning that my body feels a lack of nutrition, and so I eat. I relate it to a fire. I can feel there is less heat being produced, so I throw another log on. I am very active now, and my story is going to be different, for sure. When I say active, I mean I run 5 miles at a pretty good clip. Do an hour of aerobics at the gym and lift weights for and hour about 3x a week. So, I have to eat pretty much throughout the day in order to get enough calories to sustain that, but the feeling is still there and was before I was this active. As I told my wife when I was 1 month out, if I didn't have to eat, I wouldn't. That is how much I cared about food. Now, going on 7 months out, I enjoy eating, and can eat pretty much anything, but everything is different, which, for me, is what I needed. This morning, I took the kids out to Breakfast. They let me order off the senior menu which consisted of 1 egg over easy, 1 piece of toast (buttered, Whole wheat) hash browns and sausage link. I at 3/4 of the egg, two small bites each of hash browns, sausage and toast. I WAS STUFFED! I am the cook in the family and made a huge traditional Turkey dinner for Thanksgiving. The family asked how I could do it, being around and making all this food while I couldn't eat that much. I told them that I really didn't care. It's not like being a bartender who is alcoholic. I can still eat. I can be around food. It doesn't bother me at all. The sleeve just keeps me from scarfing down huge amounts of food. So, yes, it is totally normal to not care about food. This is not true for all sleevers, so I consider it a blessing. I have heard of the recent surgery folk eating popcorn (I started back after 2 months) and even read a post from a lady the other day who was asking why it hurts when she eats solid food ... she was one week out ... :banghead: What do you tell these people? 300 calories/day in the first two weeks ... sounds a little low, but not too bad. I was getting about 400-500. Two Protein shakes (2 x 160) and some other broth. How much protein are you getting in right now. Early, early on, you have to get your liquids in. If you don't, you're looking at an ER trip to get hooked up to an IV. Just keep following your program closely. If it sounds crazy, it is.

I think that we just have some apples and oranges here... Excuse the spiritual stuff in the picture it was the best comparison I could find at the moment Why “Everything in Moderation” is Killing People Published on October 12, 2013 Written by: Kris Gunnars. I can’t stand it when the “Everything in Moderation” mantra is pushed as the right solution for everyone. There are biological reasons why some individuals can’t consume certain things in moderation, no matter how hard they try. That’s because many people are literally addicted to the junk foods they are consuming. Just like with other addictions, the only thing that works is abstinence. For addicts, moderation fails… every time. Many People Don’t Even Know That food Addiction Exists In the past few decades, literally hundreds of studies have explored how certain foods can lead to addiction (1). However, food addiction has yet to make it into the mainstream and many health professionals don’t even know that it exists… yet. I’ve seen many dietitians and other health professionals literally discouraging people from completely removing the addictive foods from their life. They say that such “extreme” methods are doomed to fail and will lead to feelings of deprivation. Even though these people mean well, they fail to understand how hopeless this approach is going to be when applied to food addicts. Chances are that people who are true food addicts will never succeed if they try to eat “in moderation.” They will continue to eat large amounts of junk food and suffer all the horrible consequences for the rest of their (much shorter) lives. There Are Biological Reasons Why Some People Just Can’t Consume Junk Food in Moderation Food addiction has a biological basis (2). Humans are hardwired to seek out behaviors that release a neurotransmitter called dopamine in the reward system of the brain. This is interpreted by the brain as “pleasure.” Many activities release dopamine… including eating behavior, sexual behavior and all kinds of things that make us feel “good.” This dopamine-driven reward is NOT a bad thing when it happens under natural circumstances. The problems appear when do things that release more dopamine than we were ever exposed to when our brains were evolving. Whereas real foods cause a relatively mild dopamine release, highly engineered junk foods that are loaded with sugar can have a very powerful effect (3). Interestingly, this is exactly what happens when people take drugs of abuse like cocaine… large amounts of dopamine are released in the reward system of the brain. For people with a certain predisposition, this can lead to full-blown addiction (4). When this happens, the “reward seeking behavior” takes over… logic and reason fail and the individual starts succumbing to cravings, despite knowing that it is causing physical harm. This is the reason smokers can’t just decide to “smoke less” and alcoholics can’t just decide to “drink less.” The logical part of their brain doesn’t have control anymore. People who binge eat and can’t control themselves around junk food have the exact same problem. Of course, this is all a drastic oversimplification. Addiction and the brain are incredibly complex subjects and there are many brain centers and neurotransmitters involved. My Personal Experiences With Addiction I can support this with some personal experiences… I am a recovering alcoholic and a drug addict… sober since January 4th, 2007. I’ve been to 6 rehabs, a mental institution, jail more often than I can count and several trips to the emergency room due to overdose. I was also a smoker for many years, but managed to give that up after multiple attempts. The reason I’m telling you this, is to demonstrate that I know how addiction works. I’ve been there… succeeded, and failed, many times. A few years ago, I realized that I had been developing an addiction to junk foods. Full-blown addiction, nothing more, nothing less. I had completely lost control over my consumption… I used to binge all the time and often ate thousands of calories in a sitting. I struggled with this for years. I tried literally everything… cheat meals didn’t work, cheat days didn’t work, pills didn’t work, supplements didn’t work and various different diets failed. “Moderation” sure as hell didn’t work either. Eventually, I realized that I was experiencing the exact same symptoms as when I was addicted to drugs. The cravings, the thought processes, the failure to set rules, the complete lack of self control… being addicted to junk food was the same as being addicted to amphetamine. Exactly the same. Just like with drugs, the only way I have ever been able to stop eating junk foods is by completely removing them from my life. Moderation failed, every time. As soon as I managed to give up the addictive foods completely, I lost weight… with pretty much no effort. I have since spoken to many of my friends who are also recovering drug addicts. They didn’t struggle with binge eating like I did, but they have confirmed that craving ice cream feels the exact same as craving a drug. Even though there are no reliable statistics available, I am personally convinced that food addiction is much more common than most people think. If you have problems with binge eating or have repeatedly failed to set rules about junk foods, then perhaps this is something you should look into. It might end up saving your life. The Other Side of The Story – Restrictive Dieting and Eating Disorders There is a strange dilemma here… there are also studies showing that restrictive dieting can cause binge eating and lead to eating disorders (5, 6). For this reason, being flexible with your diet may be a good idea for a lot of people. Some people can and maybe even should include some junk foods in their life, without feeling guilty, in order to reduce the likelihood of developing an “unhealthy relationship” with food. This approach can work for some people, NOT others. I personally think that people who have already succumbed to food addiction will not succeed unless they manage to avoid junk foods completely. For these people, the “everything in moderation” message, which literally discourages them from doing the only thing that works for addiction, is seriously harmful. This is just one of many examples where there are very few “truths” in nutrition that can be applied across the board. While including junk food in moderation can work for a lot of people, it is a complete disaster for others. What is The Solution? When it comes to addiction, abstinence is only the beginning. Sticking to it in the long run (preferably for life) is the real challenge. People who truly have food addiction may need much more than just a firm decision to stop eating the addictive foods. Fortunately, there are psychologists, treatment programs, self-help groups and 12-step programs (free) that can help with this. One thing is certain… a person with true addiction will never, ever be able to consume their “drug of choice” in moderation. Telling a food addict to eat junk food “in moderation” is just as ridiculous as telling a smoker to smoke in moderation, or an alcoholic to drink in moderation. It simply does not work, period.