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My parents were both alcoholics. My Mom died from alcoholism and my Dad was sober for 20 years before he died of cancer. So growing up was a little creepy at times but after I became an adult I moved out of state. My Mom and I never did grow close again but my Dad and I became very close. I was such a daddy's girl. I know what you mean about your Dad. I wish I hadn't known the creepy side of my Mom but I am glad I got to experience my Dad for the first time as an adult. Without alcohol he was pretty damn cool. Not sure if you want to hear this or not, not sure of the appropriateness of writing it but I'll throw it out there. Just my experience but 9 times out of 10 when someone is nearing the end of their life you kinda get the old person back. The better personality. Manage the pain and you might just get to see the "old" Dad once again. I've had so many patients that were demented, dying, in pain... they were difficult at best to care for. But I knew when the end was coming because suddenly they are aware of what is going on and their dementia goes away temporarily and you get to say what you have to say. It might happen.

Just wanted to put this out there for those soon to be surgeries. I've read so much about how bad the gas will be the first few days and the necessity for the Gas-X DISSOLVABLE Strips. You might want to get them ahead of time. They may not be easily found in stores (although Wal-Greens has them). They were about $6.00 per 18pkg, recommended 2-3 at a time. Wal-Mart does not carry them in store(or not in all stores) CVS does not either. Amazon had them listed from about $9 up to $30. Crazy prices. It's been said they are discontinuing them but I suspect they will probably come back at a higher price due to increasing needs due to bariatric surgeries etc...All I could find were the mint flavored but I'll probably need them for fresh breath anyway. I got 4 boxes to be safe....I had to order because our nearest Walgreens is 50 miles away. Trying to make sure I have everything needed for the first week or two. Found that zero Gatorade too. I'm just ready to get this party started. Cooking supper tonight, all I could think of was how I'm going to miss my veggies. Crazy right, ok with giving up alcohol and desserts, I'm going to miss my steamed veggies, cabbage, asparagus. I only have a 24 hr liquid diet but, I'm going to start a week earlier and be diligent the last 3 days. Dr. said no need but this is one time I'm going to go with my gut. I'll abide by his orders afterwards. (smile) Have a great weekend everyone!

I was 47 with a 35 BMI, the minimum my insurance would cover. Looking back, I would have had the surgery at a lower BMI to avoid the negative feelings I had about myself as my weight continued to grow and dieting continued to fail me. After a certain age, which is different for all of us, our metabolism slows making weight loss much more difficult. This surgery is the absolute BEST thing I've ever done for myself physically. Prior to the surgery, I shared many of the concerns others share on this site. While I never suffered from eating disorders or food obsessions, I certainly loved to eat and eat well. I cooked frequently for myself and large groups of friends, and my lifestyle is social -- most of my social activities revolve around eating and drinking. So what has changed? Nothing, and everything. I still love to eat, and I still love what I eat. Other than pre-surgery and the first 2 months or so after, I haven't counted calories, haven't tracked macros, etc. The pre-surgery diet, although it felt brutal at the time, was extremely beneficial in getting my mind used to smaller portions. Knowing that I could do it, even with my whole stomach intact, was empowering. The post-surgery diet, which included counting calories for ~2 months, and more importantly accurately portioning my food (½ cup, ¾ cup, etc.), allowed me to gauge what a "sleeve" meal should consist of and look like. My social gatherings still revolve around food and drinks. I still cook for large groups. I still eat whatever I want. Pizza, pasta, French fries, etc. In that respect nothing has changed. I didn't drink alcohol for almost a year, but now I have a glass or two of wine almost every day, plus the occasional vodka (Deep Eddy Ruby Red vodka with water -- in Austin, TX they call it "pink crack). What has changed is that I mostly only WANT to eat things that are high in protein and otherwise healthy. Rather than wake up and drink 2-3 Diet Cokes, I drink water all day, every day. And not only do I not miss the soda, I crave the water. I carry it with me everywhere. If I've portioned correctly, I stop eating when my plate is empty. If I happen to add more to my plate than the recommended amount, my stomach tells me I've eaten enough before my plate is empty. I have more energy, I feel stronger physically, and I don't hate the mirror or the camera. FOOD: I eat every 3-4 hours. Breakfast is typically either: 2 eggs + 2 strips bacon, or a bowl of Kashi Go Lean high protein cereal with Fairlife (higher in protein) milk. Sometimes I go wild and use Fairlife chocolate milk on the cereal - LOL! Lunch: if not leftovers of last night's dinner, usually it's 6 Triscuits with lunchmeat and cheese, or 6 saltines with chicken or tuna salad. Not sure why, but 6 seems to be my magic number when it comes to crackers. If I want a sandwich, I eat a sandwich, but I buy those little party rye loaves with the tiny pieces of bread and I always toast them -- like a grilled cheese sandwich, but with meat and cheese. I will add horseradish to roast beef, or chipotle mayo, spinach leaves, tomato slices, or whatever. You'd be surprised how flavorful and satisfying you can make a tiny little sandwich. And I savor every bite. Dinner: Salmon, chicken, steak, shrimp, fish -- I have at least one of those every night for dinner, broiled, grilled, sautéed, stir-fry, or occasionally fried in coconut oil. Sides include a green veggie and a starch -- rice, pasta, potato. Those are mostly for my husband. I eat the protein, plus a very small portion of the sides. The fourth meal, either between lunch and dinner, or after dinner depending on what time we eat, is the same as what I described for lunch. I don't prioritize fruits or veggies, but I eat them when I want or when my body tells me it needs them. I get random cravings for oranges or salad, which I think is my body's way of telling me I need them. Also, I eat every meal now on a salad plate rather than a dinner plate. It's a small thing, but helps with portion control and to combat the visual impact of a nearly empty plate. THE DOWN SIDE: For me, months 3-9 were the most challenging, and mostly with social environments. I'm one of the people who didn't share my journey with my friends. After the third month, the weight loss was drastic. Month after month I dropped size after size. A good thing, right? Of course. But trying to maintain the secret, sit at a dinner table filled with food and friends, and eat at most a cup of food with no wine or cocktail? Sheesh, that was hard. The worst part was having overweight acquaintances ask me about the secret to my success. I wanted to share this amazing gift with everyone, but I chose not to trade the privacy of my personal health journey to become an ambassador for bariatric surgery. Now the questions have died down and I'm just normal me. I weigh myself 4-5 days a week. I hit goal about 8 months after surgery, and since then (21 months) I've gone +/- 3 pounds. If I eat pizza or fries, it's a small portion and not on a regular basis. Same with dessert. I'm actually satisfied with one Hershey kiss. Bizarre. It's like everything our doctors told us -- eat less, move more, eat healthier, use moderation. What seemed impossible to accomplish on a regular-sized stomach became simple with a tiny one. Sorry for this long post. I read everything I could find on this site pre-surgery and it really helped to have so many different perspectives from so many people. Our journeys are all different, and what works for some may not work for others. It's normal to feel nervous. But if you were to tally the regrets on this site, they would mostly be that we didn't take this step sooner.

OMG I have created MONSTERS........lol Ok I have a question, oh I am sure y'all know me by now. I was thinking if your stomachs arent growling is being hungry just mental? Do we wait until the tummy growls to eat, and when it doesnt is that what they call "mental hungry". See I am an emitional eater so I think I can count on one hand the times I have eaten b/c my tummy was growling. What do you guys think?? Oh and I came across this is my great search for knowledge into my food addication and thought I would share it with y'all. Dear Kotex, I recently noticed that the peel-off strip of my pantiliner had a bunch of "Kotex Tips for Life" on it. Annoying advice such as: - Staying active during your period can relieve cramps. - Avoiding caffeine may help reduce cramps and headaches. - Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day to keep you hydrated and feeling fresh. Try Kotex blah blah blah other products Obviously the individual behind this was someone who has never possessed a functioning set of ovaries. Go ahead and tell a menstruating woman that drinking 6-8 glasses of water will help keep her feeling fresh. See what happens and report back. I'll wait. While you're at it, dump out the coffee at work and remove the chocolate from the vending machine. I garan-friggin-tee that the first responders will be females who just ovulated. Look, females don't need or want tips for living on feminine hygiene products. Younger girls are already hearing "helpful" crap like that from their elderly relatives. Veteran females have already concocted their own recipes for survival, many containing alcohol. Printing out crap advice while sneaking in ads for the brand that was already purchased is just plain annoying, not to mention rude, and enough to send a girl running to the Always brand. Mostly we'd like to forget that we even need these products. It's not a fun time, but DO NOT try to cheer us up by adding smiley faces or bunnies or flowery cutesy crap to your products or the packaging. Put the crap in a plain brown wrapper so we can throw it in our carts discreetly and have it blend in among the chocolate and ice cream!!! There is nothing more annoying than having a blinding pink package announcing your uterine state to everyone in the store. So take your tips for living and shove them right up your azz. Ovarily Yours, Miss PMS

I think it depends on whether you're getting the results you want. I've been eating 1000-1200 calories per day and exercising 500-600 calories 5 days per week since around month 3 or 4. My weight loss has been slow and steady pretty much the entire time. I eat what I like, including small treats and occasionally, alcohol. I'm 5 pounds from goal and loving my new lifestyle. At the rate I'm going, I expect I'll go below my pre-defined goal of 145, maybe as low as 135, (an even 100 pounds loss) but I doubt seriously that I'll settle there. If I do, I do, but I feel\look fine now and I'll feel fine at 145 in 5 pounds. Wherever I "land" I'll set a 5 pound range on either side of it and focus on maintaining that range. I feel like I've set myself up for a maintenance calorie goal of 1250-1300 which seems like a lot to me right now, but I'm sure I'll find a way to adjust. :-)

Mark: don't give up on yourself. You have just started. I wonder what it would have been like 45 years ago when I was 21 if this had been available. It won't be easy, but with help from some professional in the mental health field who understands eating disorders you will pull through. I can tell from your story that you would probably, probably, I say, be a good candidate for Overeaters Anonymous. It is a 12 step program based on AA for those of us who use food in the why the Alcoholic uses alcohol. You might try a few of those meetings and I bet you will find some support to get you through this initial stage. When it comes to certain foods I loved, I say, I can't have them "one day at a time." Maybe I can have them in moderation at some time in the future but for today I need something healthier. I would definitely stay from cooking videos and cooking shows for a time. Out of sight out of mind. You will make this by letting the band work for you and you work for the band.

I hate to be the buzz kill but I would be super careful with alcohol. I would kick soda and avoid alcohol until you have reached your goal. I know, I know. No fun. When I had my lapband, I was drinking a month after. Totally sabotaged my weight loss and honestly replaced food for a while. Now with my revision I plan on avoiding alcohol, if I go out I plan on ordering Water with lemon- or a virgin drink. A few sips can turn into a whole drink, then 2 drinks... Sounds boring and will be boring, but let me tell you NOTHING sucks more than letting alcohol slow your weight loss. Take advantage of this stage of your surgery, in the start is when you can really drop some serious weight. I have worked in Bariatrics for over 6 years, I've seen hundreds of patients ruin their surgery because of alcohol choices. The last thing you want to do is make alcohol apart of your journey and make it seem "normal", get use to your new life alcohol free, after 9+months (or reaching your goal) of KNOWING how your new stomach works start introducing alcohol. /endbuzzkill.

Broke my halo is spot on !! You won't need/ want or desire it. Initally it BURNED my new stomach- your tolerance will be a 1/4 of now, you can't eat to off set the alcohol-- I can eat OR drink not both. Until your at goal- give it up-- the carbonation will stretch your pouch, cause pain and delay you, the alcohol burns and increases calories. Your new sight post sleeve is to get to a healthier weight, smaller pant size, learn a new lifestyle--- refocus and good luck !

I'm scheduled for the VGS on the 7th May. I'm really looking forward to my life changes ahead. I know it will be hard but one of my biggest concerns is not being able to drink the alcohol of my choice (Jim Beam with Coke Zero) anymore as ill feel full. I socialize every weekend and I will be impacted by this change and wanted your thoughts and views on this subject. What do people drink when socializing? Are you restricted? How long did you have to wait before having a drink?

All surgeons and NUTs are different. For instance, I've heard a lot of people say they were told to avoid alcohol for a year or even forever, but I just recently asked my surgeon and he said I'll be fine to drink this week, just one month post-op. I only start soft foods this week and "regular" food in a couple more. Good luck with your stall! I had a bad one last week and finally broke it this weekend.

Welcome. I am new too. I haven't set my surgery date yet but will have the sleeve with Dr Aceves. I am happy for you that your wait is less than a week away! I totally relate to being overweight and obese forever - started for me at age 5 or 6 and then obese since high school --for past ten years or so I have been around 300lbs on a short 5'3" body. I think that food addiction is harder than nicotene or alcohol because we can't just quit eating food altogether. Please post about your surgery experience and about whether you get any vacationing in at the same time.:tongue_smilie:

Maybe during the maintaining stage...but until then during the losing phase you need to count your calories, measure your portions and stay away from fatty food, sweets, fried food and alcohol. If you don't your loss will be pretty darn slow and you will become frustrated and have more chance to fail.

I know everyone seems to have a different pre-op diet. I have 2 weeks of liquids with 1 sm protein rich meal per day. Does anyone know what effects alcohol will have during the pre-op diet? Not a big deal, just trying to gather information so that I understand the whole shrinking of liver thing.

Rubbing alcohol works really well to get that crap off! Drench a paper towel and then rub over areas. It will either rub off or loosen the spots enough to pick off easily. Have fun!

Thanks for all the great tips, my post op appt is tomorrow so I will definitely ask about the remover:-D, but if I can't stand it I will try the oil or alcohol tonight!

I started out with a relatively low BMI and had a self-pay surgery with Dr. Lopez in Puerto Vallarta mid-August. It was the best health-related decision I've made in years. I've lost just 50 pounds, am eating SUPER healthfully and I don't miss processed foods, bad carbs, alcohol and diet soda. And I have my passion back for my workouts. God bless this crazy sleeve!

Nyquil tends to leave the warm fuzzy inside (at least for me it does) due to the alcohol content. I can imagine it might be extra warm since not having much of a stomach to handle it as well. I'm glad it went well and seems like you're much better.

I can't eat anything with any type of sugar alcohol in it. It's way too embarrassing. The gas is so loud it sounds like a freight train. That malitol stuff is bad news. I am going to try hard to give up all sugar. All it does is snowball and make me want more. The nutritionist at my last support group said our bodies don't even know the difference between sugar free either, and it will do the same thing. That's depressing.

Five weeks ago, banded and hopeful. Today, I'm down 23 lbs and so happy about that! Not a super fast loss, but I'll take slow and stead and PERMANENT any day over fast and yo-yo! I'm finding that summer time is the most challenging time for me - although there are many fresh fruits, veggies and healthy options out there at this time of year, for me and my husband, there are many social engagements including barbecues, outdoor concerts, farmer's markets, weddings, and other really wonderful events. The events for me are not a challenge, and I'm finding that the food at the events is not the problem, but I am one to enjoy a glass or two of wine or a cocktail with friends at these events. While I'm still losing, I'm thinking that I'd do myself a bigger favor if I stuck to non-alcoholic beverages and watch the weight come down faster. But like I said above, it's not all about losing it fast - I am learning a new way of living right now, and if that life involves an occasional cocktail or glass of wine, so be it. This week has been full of festivities related to a dear friend getting married tonight. I haven't exercised as much because work has been insane busy and we've had engagements every night this week. But isn't that what life is all about? Some weeks are busier than others, it's all about having balance and taking care of myself. I feel like I've been doing a pretty good job in that area. Will I have a glass of wine tonight at the reception? YEP! My daughter turned 18 on Thursday and headed out to Denver (about 4 hours away) for the weekend. As life would have it, she ended up in a fender bender, wanting to come home, not sure about her future move to Denver for school, and so upset (poor baby!) My old mode would have been to hit the pantry since I couldn't be right there to help her. But this time, (luckily her dad is over there), I was able to deal with the problem, feel the emotions I was having, and not stuff them down with a bag of chips. I just talked them out, and I felt better than the food would have made me feel. Again, life happens. So the ups and downs can still happen without dousing them in food - I am learning a whole new way of being, a new way of dealing, and I feel good that so far I've been able to take on stress (good and bad stress) in a healthy way. Hope all of you out there are doing well, remember it really is a JOURNEY and our bands are helping us physically manage hunger while we learn to deal with the other habits and head issues that have made us obese. It is so much easier to understand old patterns, look at them for what they were and change them when I'm not constantly starving. I LOVE MY BAND!!! My best - D

I waited around 3months out for a glass of wine, and have just stuck to this alcohol. I have had three beers (in holidays in the Baltic Countries) and it took me ages to sip them down and didn't feel that great. I usually have one or two glasses of wine with friends during the weekend though.

I think its the sugar alcohol in it..

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.

Only if I have any excessive amount of sugar alcohol. If it's just a tiny amount I'm good, but any more than a little and it's pretty bad. I'm pretty good about avoiding it though so it's a rarity that I go over the amount that my body can handle.

Hi all! So I just came back from vacation where I ate solids, drank alcohol and had edibles! Good times! But don't worry, I am back to my dull healthy life I did read some post about drinking after the sleeve and was super cautious about it. However, for me, I was able to handle my alcohol just fine. For reference, Im a whiskey girl and I drank it straight to avoid soda and sugar. I also had some vodka spiked mimosa's. Now, I'm not much of a smoker and prefer alcohol to marijuana but every once in a while I'll have an edible. This time, I had half a gummy worm and experienced a full high! After laughing uncontrollably for 2 hours I knocked out for 4 hours! Then I woke up an ate a full meal! No restrictions! The following day I had a small bite of the remaining half of the gummy and felt the SAME high as the night before. I ate 6 chicken wings and a chicken tender! Thats a whole lot of food for me right now. Personally, edibles are not my favorite distraction but this was definitely a different experience post surgery. I am SOO happy I didn't eat the whole gummy. BE WARNED!

So, I did see my doc about this - she practices alternative as well as traditional medicine. She started me on a product called Gaba Ease - intended to reduce the "adrenal response" - ie panic chemicals from our body. Well, I took 3 doses, and it wasn't until the 3rd dose that i figured out it was making me worse. I had a temporary but very very scary reaction - twice I was driving down the road and had to pull over because i thought i would faint - both times happened about 20 minutes or so after taking a dose. I felt like I couldn't breath and I actually considered calling 911 while i still could. It passed fairly quickly, but it wasn't good. The last time it happened I felt ill for hours and when I met a friend for a big hike he actually told me I looked a little green. I regained my strength and we hiked just fine... but it was several hours of suckage. Their theory is that i had a paradoxical response - meaning the herbs did the exact opposite what they were supposed to. My personal theory is that since my blood pressure is normal/low - that I had a sudden blood pressure drop. We won't find out because she decided it was not wise for me to continue that. She switched me to HTP 5 but I admit I haven't taken any - it is like I am afraid of feeling worse I guess. I hate green tea, but am willing to try it. I have posted about this before, but coffee is my primary "addiction transference" substance. I figure it beats alcohol, gambling, wreckless sex and maniacal shopping etc. but my coffee consumption got crazy wicked high over the summer. I have been cutting back over the last month or so and am moving toward going decaf/no coffee in preparation for my plastic surgery. I did that before my VSG too because last thing i need is to go through withdrawals while recovering from surgery! I am probably consuming 1/4 of the caffeine that I was a few months ago and yet my anxiety is actually amped way up. I eat pretty clean otherwise - mostly meat,seafood greek yogurt, cheese, green veggies and Protein drinks. I will note another small thing. I had let my weight creep about 5# above goal early in the summer - I think i hit 163. I am down to 155 and dropping (intentially) and I can't help but wonder if some of this goes back to the food reduction, the letting go of the weight. I have been doing the 5:2 thing - but I don't notice higher anxiety on fast days, it is just that in general I am eating less. Our bodies are complicated and I am guessing that I am experiencing something that has both physical and emotional components - just as I believe my overeating and obesity had both. the point of my original post really is that i am surprised that this is showing up so late in the journey, but I do see it as another aspect of myself that "needs work" and that I continue to work through as part of my transformation. The biggest difference between the new me and the old me? I am talking to friends and family about it, I am not trying to hide my discomfort and unease. I am being a genuine person and when I was obese I think i often tried to bury many of my inner struggles and i just don't do that anymore and I feel proud of myself for that small victory.