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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!

Well, all these introductions seem fairly recent. Interesting, since I actually joined this forum when it first started a year ago. :-) It's interesting how much we all really do have in common. As for me, my name is Leatha. I am 43 yrs old, about to be 44. I am single now, since 1998. I was married over 20 yrs and have two beautiful children. Mimi is 22 and Jeremy is 18. Mimi and her husband currently live here in Texas with me and my son is in Ca. with his father. We just returned to Texas after living in northern Cal for nearly 2 yrs. In that time, I had my band placed by Dr. Albert Wetter in San Francisco. I originally sought surgery in Texas, but due to having Systemic Lupus and a history of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, the guy I wanted refused to do my surgery. I travel 100% for my job, so it didn't really matter where I lived. My daughter and son-in-law wanted to move to Cali to be closer to my ex-husband and son, so I went with them for awhile to help with expenses. I had met another lady online who also had Lupus and had a history of clotting problems who raved about her surgeon, Dr. Wetter so my mission in moving was more selfish. I had banding in mind. We moved in August, 2002 and I gained an additional 20 or so pounds. I reached my all-time high of 250 lbs. At 5ft even, my body was ready to give-in. My cholesterol reached a whopping 309 and I had to make a choice of whether I was going to fight this monster or die. I wasn't through living, so I put in motion my quest to be banded. I was banded successfully on May 29, 2003 and was the first person ever to have a vena cava filter placed at the time of my lapband surgery. Thankfully, I never developed high blood pressure or diabetes, but I knew those weren't far behind, if I made it much farther without a cardiac event or stroke. To date, I have ONLY lost 55-60lbs and am currently un-filled due to a recent diagnosis of slippage. Interestingly, my slippage has been totally silent, until I recieved an overfill from someone who called my 'slippage' 'pouch dilation'. Even with pouch dilation, he should have UNfilled, instead of overfilling. Even then, I only had nighttime reflux which I had not had at all before. As for my history with weight. I was a very vivacious teen. Very curvy but petite. I thought I was 'fat' at 124. Boy, what I wouldn't give to be that 'fat' again. Interestingly, I went from that 18 yr old at 124 to nearly 200 lbs by the time I was 20. All I can attribute that to is depression and a change of activity. I married a man who didn't dance or swim, which I had always done with gusto. We ate out instead. Not his fault really. I allowed it to happen. Again, I think depression played a large role. I, too, am the daughter of an abusive alcoholic and have done much research into co-dependency and the over-eating correlation. I find to be a very common link to many, but not all of us. So, that's quite alot about me before and up until now. Now, I am waiting for tomorrow morning, so I can call Denise, from Inamed, back. She called on Friday. I missed the call, but I'm sure it has to do with my emailing Don Mills to tell him I'd been told I had slippage. I am also on a quest to locate a surgeon in the DFW area who actually sees new patients and takes my insurance too.I really would like to get this slippage seen about before it presents with more serious complications and I really cannot afford to gain any of this weight back. I had just gotten to a place where I could see the 180's coming and now I'm just trying to keep from gaining. So, thanks for allowing me to return to the group after so long. It has been a really great, but busy year. Thank God I was allowed to live it. :-) Leatha May 29, 2003 Dr. Wetter 250/194/wherever I stop, but not here.

First, I think you should take your time deciding. This is something that you don't have to do today, or tomorrow, so make sure you're 90% confident in your decision before you do it (there is always some doubt, even in the highly motivated- that's normal). I don't know if, at 23, I would have been motivated to succeed in the same way that I am now. My life was just very different then-- going out with friends was a much bigger portion of my lifestyle than it is now. That said, I know reverie is a young and successful bandster so you may be more like her than me To address some of your points: Fills-- unless you are truly phobic of needles, I seriously wouldn't worry about it. My doc uses a numbing something or other and the needle feels like pressure- no pain for me at all. I just don't look at it and it doesn't bother me Some people have issues with finding the port, so I know that the experience CAN be worse for some people, however, the no-pain/no-problem fill experience seems to be more common. Band Slippage-- yep, that's scary. But it happens in 5% of cases and it does seem to be associated with band abuse; either being too tight and thus vomiting a lot, or perhaps with continued over-eating after band placement (I'm a little less sure about that one). It could happen. But it's against the odds. Carbonated beverages-- this is the thing I was most upset about pre-surgery. Post-surgery-- it is seriously no big deal. Look, I used to have a major Diet DP addiction and I LOVE beer. But, weighed against obesity, it was no contest. Giving it up ended up being a total piece of cake. I'm really surprised now about how much I cared before. However, that said, I'm 35 and my drinking is almost entirely about taste and enjoyment and is not as much about socializing and social lubricant as it was when I was in my twenties. Not that there is anything wrong with that! But it would have been mentally harder for me then, I do think. Now I drink wine and some liquor (mostly wine). Since wine is my favorite alcoholic beverage anyway, this worked out for me. Not Being Able to Eat Certain Foods-- This one seems to vary greatly. The tighter the band (in general), the more this is an issue. My band is not tight-- it is just enough to allow me to have less hunger and hunger satiation with smaller portions of food but it doesn't STOP me from eating. I can still overeat if I don't put my fork down. So I do have to exercise some self-control, but in trade, I can eat pretty much everything. I've never been stuck. I've never PB'ed, slimed, or vomited. And here's hoping I never do! Excess Skin-- You're young. I bet this would mostly take care of itself. In any case, to me, it's no less attractive than fat and you can hide skin with clothes. I don't love the excess skin. But, it's 1000 times better than where I was before. Failing-- This is where dedication comes in. This is where education about what you TRULY can expect and not expect from the band comes in. This is where educating yourself on what you will have to bring to the table comes in. There are some people who the band doesn't work for. There are more people who don't work the band, and there are the most people who significantly reduce their excess weight and become healthier. I will tell you, though, that 40-60% of excess weight lost is the average. My surgeon was very clear during the education process that if you were going into this expecting to be skinny at the end, you were setting yourself up for disappointment. The odds are, you will not lose all of the weight you want to. The odds are, you might even still be overweight when all is said and done. You should be aware of that, and be ready to accept it as a possibility should you go through with WLS of ANY kind. That said, just as there are some people who don't lose anything, there are some people who lose everything. It's probably a combination of luck and motivation. I've beaten the odds so far-- I've lost 73% of my excess weight and I'm still losing, but I don't know if I'll make it to my goal of "normal BMI". We'll see! But I do believe that I've been pretty lucky because 2 small fills have gotten me to my sweet spot, my body is cooperating me despite my copious wine consumption and relative lack of exercise to this point, and I haven't had complications to struggle with.

The therapist who did my psych eval has worked with bariatric surgery patients for 14 years, and talking about transfer addiction is something she talks about in every eval she does - more as a caveat to preop candidates that the need to learn to cope without food is serious business. I think another factor for many is that being seriously overweight leads to social isolation for many. Once the weight is lost, those who may have felt socially isolated may enjoy becoming more socially active, but a feeling of awkwardness can remain. Alcohol can numb the awkwardness, but given the way many postops have a lower tolerance for alcohol, it can be a problem.

Think of alcohol as eating dessert! Each drink is a cookie or donut or whatever!! Shawn

A lot of the "rules" have to do with certain foods that are a) really unhealthy or b)can be trigger foods for other bad eating habits. Realistically, there isn't really a lot of foods that you "can't" eat. Carbonation can make you uncomfortable, high fat food and high sugar foods might make you nauseous. Alcohol and coffee are typically not great on a perfectly intact stomach, so a surgically modified stomach has more chances for additional problems, plus all the empty calories. All these things do not happen to everyone and a lot of these so called rules apply to those that had bypass surgery and may not necessarily lend themselves to the sleeve surgery. I really don't have a problem eating or drinking anything. However, I have made a commitment to be as healthy as possible, using the surgery as a tool to restrict my caloric intake. I might have a different mindset than a lot of people that feel that eliminating certain foods or drink, is denying things in their life that they must have. You are going to get a lot of answers to this question, just like you will get a lot of answers about diet, exercise, activities post op etc. Every Dr. seems to follow a different playbook. Really there seems to be no real fast rules to anything post op. My suggestion is to follow faithfully what you Dr and nutritionist plan out for you. That way you have the proper support system in place and they can answer your questions in a way that makes the best sense for you particular situation.

For health reaaons, 1 drink a day is considered max for healthy for women. It's pretty easy to go over that if you often have a glass of wine with dinner (i think a serving is 5 oz). I don't think I'd call a woman who has 8 drinks a week an alcoholic, but have more than is healthy. I think the reason is your body handles alcohol differently post sleeve. I have gone through times when I was having more than my 7, but like now I haven't had ANY in around a month for health reasons (recovering from surgery) I have a girlfriend who is not a wls patient, going through a difficult divorce and she definitely drinks 2x the amount that is recommended for women. Not sure I'd call her an alcoholic, but it's more than is healthy. Anyway, empty calories, doesn't help you build lean mass, lots of reasons to limit jt.

I'm curious - just what is a "mild alcoholic"? True alcoholism is an emotional and physical dependence on alcohol and there isn't anything "mild" about it.

I just wanted to add what happened to me yesterday with regards to alcohol. I am 2 years post op. I must say I feel the effects of alcohol so much stronger than before. Yesterday I had a friend over and although I only drink occasionally thought it would be fun to get a bit tipsy. I had 3 carbonated ciders mixed with vanilla vodka. The cider was 4.5% alcohol as well so I really didn't have any mixer with it. I got so drunk so fast and before I knew it I was staggering around and falling down drunk! I passed out and in the middle of the night was doing the dry heaving. It was also coming out as diarrhea. I wanted to die! My stomach wanted to get rid of the alcohol but my band was preventing it from coming up. My husband asked me how much I'd had to drink and was surprised to hear I'd only had 3 drinks! Please use caution my friends. I will never EVER do that again! So not worth it.

One person told me that by getting wls showed how weak I was... And that I was never going to be happy or that I was going to become an alcoholic or drug addict because I was already addicted to food ... Anyways and all this coming out of the only two ppl I trusted enough to tell them about my plans ... Now looking Back I think it was all jalousie because they are also fat! Now we don't talk!

Like @@jss1988 said, I had a pretest to take before meeting with the psychologist (basic psychological stuff, self-worth, family history). Then when I met with him, he warned me about some of the issues that can arise as we start to lose weight, i.e., you'll be getting more attention, how to deal with that,, also he warned that victims of sexual abuse may struggle with certain weights if the abuse occurred when you weighed a certain amount, there may be memories that you have to deal with along the way. He asked about my support network, warned that some WLS patients will look to replace food addiction with alcohol, answered my questions, and sent me on my way. It was pretty painless: mostly an informative meeting.

Just to be clear, I didn't say (or mean) that someone who drinks more than 7 5-ounce servings of wine per week is an alcoholic. But a woman who drinks more than this is drinking more than the broadly acceptable definition of a "social drinker." There are lots of other (defined) terms that describe other alcohol drinking behaviors, e.g., alcohol abuse, problem drinking, binge drinking, heavy drinking, underage drinking, blood alcohol levels, patterns of alcohol consumption, episodic drinking, etc. For those who want to go deeeeep into this subject, here's a place to start: http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/research/guidelines-and-resources/recommended-alcohol-questions BTW, I agree that substances that can derail weight loss and weight maintenance include not only too much alcohol, but too many sugary foods, other high-carb foods, calorie-laden drinks, nuts, salty Snacks, and any other slider foods.

Many folks don't know the definition of "social drinking." For women it's one serving of alcohol a day for no more than 7 drinks a week. (BTW, 12 ounces of wine is at least two servings.) For men it's 2 drinks a day for no more than 14 drinks a week. More than that and you're no longer a social drinker.

I just returned from a cruise and came home 1/2 pound lighter than when I left! It was a little frustrating at times - cruises are known for their good food, in abundance! The good thing about it is that the portions are not huge so you can order a few courses and eat a bit of each and not overdo it. I'd order salad and an entree at dinner (when everyone else ordered appetizers and soup besides) and only eat a few bites of each (I'm really tight, had a fill just before I left - I wanted to be tight, I know that's weird but I couldn't bear the thought of gaining anything) I ordered dessert almost every night at dinner and still lost that 1/2 pound. Some tips: I took the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible. I walked a lot on shore excursions (I tried to choose ones that I knew involved lots of activity) I didn't drink calories - I know that's really hard for some people, but I'm not a huge drinker so not having alcohol wasn't that huge a deal for me - I'd rather have ice cream than a margarita. I drank water. I didn't eat anything between meals (that wasn't that hard - I ate enough at meals that I wasn't hungry between meals, half the time I wasn't hungry when I sat down to a meal either!) Have fun on your cruise!

Many people enjoy a drink after being banded. I've had one or two recently, however when I do, I am sure to count them in my daily calories. Alcoholic drinks are nothing but empty calories so just be careful not to over do it.

You shouldn't have to put off the surgery. At 10 weeks out most people are feeling pretty normal. You probably won't be able to try very much of the cuisine (or any of the alcohol) offered in the all inclusive package, but I'll bet you'll be having so much fun otherwise, you won't miss it.

Wow! Hard core dude. LOL. Great it's worked for you and your bro. Congrats on your weight loss. I do agree that from my viewpoint, you have to be willing to say "screw food" -- at least in the WLM--in order to lose the quickest and get to goal without potentially setting yourself up for stalling out too soon and losing focus. I do think many of us have to completely change and break up with the foods that contributed to our poor eating behaviors. Otherwise, like alcoholics, we run the risk of recidivism. The beauty of the initial weeks out from surgery and the honeymoon period is that it presents an opportunity to break up with old habits and almost painlessly build new healthy habits and learn new food ways of eating. Thanks for showing us your plan!!! p.s. I never really had ANY post op pain or pain in refeeding...

It's hard to describe but after the band, I'm not really craving the junk like I used to. I don't know what it is but I haven't been in a fast food restaurant for over two months and I don't miss it. Can't explain why. Also, I can have less and feel sated. The tricks that have worked for me are: 1) Keep small snack portions handy. those 100 calorie cookie packs are a life saver for me. If I'm craving sweets between meals, I do one. Same for 70 calorie pudding cups and yogurts. Plan it into your allocation for the day. Still have sweets. 2) Eat something healthy and blocking before the treat. Baby carrots do it for me. Five or six of those fill the pouch and get a little blockage at the opening so when I have a tiny slice of pie, I'm full. If you're planning daily milkshakes, sundaes, alcohol binges, etc, the band is not going to work well for you. You might do better on a malabsorbtion procedure like RnY which won't let your body absorb all the calories and put you into dumping syndrome if you try. Cal

When I was 5-6 months out, my plan called for: 3 meals per day of no more than 3 ounces each, no snacks other than protein shakes None of the following: grains, starchy veg (potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, corn), refined sugar/sweets, alcohol No more than 850 calories per day, no more than 60 grams of carbs per day minimum 64 oz of fluids per day minimum 75 grams of protein per day Track all meals, snacks, vitamins & supplements on a logging program or app (I used myfitnesspal and still use it).

Hi everyone. I am young and social and so a lot of going out means times spent at bars. I know alcohol is full of empty calories and all that. I know carbonation is out of the picture and I'd like some cocktail ideas to be able to drink if I go out other than alcohol on the rocks, wine or cranberry vodka. Hopefully nothing too fancy because a lot of these places are more like sports bars than fancy places so something reasonable. Any ideas?

I dieted the whole six months prior to surgery and lost 40 lbs. My nut gave me a goal each month, such as cutting out soda, fried foods, alcohol, sweets, etc. When you stop each of them slowly, it is easier to keep avoiding them in the long run. I quit most things in the first month, cuz I was so excited to lose weight. Since this surgery is a lifestyle change, it is good to get a head start on this before surgery. Good luck!

What procedure did you chose and why did you chose it over the other options? I chose gastric bypass. After researching the 3 main types of WLS and consulting with my surgeon, we agreed that it would be best given the amount of weight I needed to lose and my lifestyle and diet at the time of the consultation etc. What was the general reaction from family and friends? Initially my parents were apprehensive about it. I took my mom with me to my first appt and I explained the procedure and the pros and cons to my dad. They came around and are two of my biggest cheerleaders. My boyfriend was supportive from the start and he is in the pre-op phases of WLS himself. All of my friends have been supportive and excited for me. Surprisingly a lot of them already knew someone that had WLS. Most of them gave that attempt at flattery "Wow really you're not even that big!" which I know is mostly their way of playing nice but nobody was against it or tried to talk me out of it. Everybody who knows about it has been nothing but supportive and excited to watch my journey. What was the biggest surprise during the process? How relaxed I was going into surgery. How minimally uncomfortable and in pain I was after. How long was your recovery? I took 3 weeks off from work but truthfully I could have gone back after two. But I was very fatigued during those first few weeks and having difficulty with getting in my liquids and with some foods. I didn't want to be sick at work. How fast did you lose the weight? I've lost 66 lbs so far. I lost 30ish in my preop and the rest since surgery 8 weeks ago. I'm averaging about 3 lbs a week, sometimes more. How has your life changed since having the procedure? I no longer need to shop in specialty stores for clothes. I enjoy exercise more. I'm more confident. I'm happier. I dont wake up with back and knee pain. I don't huff and puff on a walk or hike like I used to. I'm appreciative of little victories, like touching my toes or being able to cross my legs comfortably. I no longer feel trapped in my body or enslaved to food. My social life has slowed down unfortunately. A lot of my friends are foodies and love to go out and eat and drink and party and I can't eat the way I used to with them, and though alcohol isn't prohibited, it's not recommended since gastric bypass patients have increased absorbtion of the alcohol and because it's mostly empty carbs/sugars, i choose not to drink. To be honest, I'm a little afraid to. Would you do it again? In a heartbeat! Any regrets? Only that I didn't explore this sooner. Or visit the world famous San Diego Donut Bar What should I be aware of? Just because your body restricts your food intake doesn't mean your brain will follow it. You will still want foods. Things will trigger you. You'll test the waters. Know what affects you. If you're choosing RNY, know what makes you dump. Know what you're "i'm completely full can't eat another bite" feeling is. That one extra little bite can be the difference between your meal being done and your meal being spit back up and wasted. Don't compare your progress to others. Some people seem to lose 10 lbs overnight. Some people go over a year and don't hit their goal. Your journey is your journey, don't try to put yourself next to others. What, if any, foods do you miss that you can no longer have? Regular sushi rolls (with rice, sauces etc). It sometimes is hard to find a place that can do riceless rolls without having to show them a picture or without being charged extra.

Just a lot of determination. Also I stick to a high protein diet and no alcohol. I have to be honest I don't exercise but I do ensure I only eat 900 cal a day. You will get there remember everyone is different and will loose at differing rates. Keep strong xxx

so i have read posts about when it is ok to drink alcohol post surgery but when do you need to stop pre surgery? with the holidays coming up and parties to go to, i don't want to mess anything up before surgery.

Please do, that is why I changed Dr.'s as well... I was seeing someone at a clinic I visit off and on because I hadn't chosen a 'real' PC and each time I went in for weight loss appointments, the lady made me feel like crap. If she doesn't want the money my insurance will pay her with, so be it. Even though we are bigger people, we still deserve compassion and respect for our problems. Some people will never experience food addiction and so it is hard for them to wrap their mind around it. For example, A long time ago, I had a conversation with someone I love dearly about my food issues and they asked me why I didn't just "put the food down." I about went crazy when they said that, which is why I am also being very selective in who I will tell. I don't need to be insulted over my weight issues. You wouldn't belittle an alcoholic or a drug addict, so what makes us any different?