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I felt the same way. I tried so many other programs and diets, including organic/vegetarian as well. At the end of the day, I didn't stick to it and went back to old behaviors. I had my sleeve surgery done pretty recently and have no regrets. The weight will come off. I honestly don't feel hunger, sometimes in my head but it doesn't really matter because I can't really eat anyway. So, to answer your question, it works. However, my understanding is that you do have to adjust your lifestyle and make some lifelong decisions about nutrition and exercise in order to maintain the loss. I've seen others post here that they gained their weight back but I've also seen so many more success stories. One of my main concerns was addiction transfer. I made a conscious decision that after the surgery, alcohol would no longer be consumed by me. I haven't ever really been into booze beforehand but know that many patients do turn to alcohol and I don't want to be one of them. I also spent over 6 months in counseling to make sure I knew what I was in for mentally and had an established relationship with someone for after the surgery as well. Hope that helps!!

The crystal light mock alcohol drinks are so good, you could easily pour it into whatever glass and blend in at a party or whatever. The margarita one even has a tequila-ish after taste

Most docs, mine included would like you to stay off alcohol for at least 6 months. My NUT said it would be "OK" after 3 months. The things you have to be careful of is one the behavior changes...getting the "munchies" and remember that alcohol flushes not only the water from your system but also the B12 so moderation is the key. My NUT reminded me that spirits (vodka, whiskey ect) do not have carbs its the stuff we mix with them..but stuff like beer, liqueors and stuff are loaded. Also alcohol is wasted calories..like a 4 oz glass of wine has 100 empty calories. Good Luck

I was given the okay for alcohol in moderation after a month. Moderation is the key. If I do drink it should be no more than 1 a day. Honestly though it doesn't sound enjoyable. I'm waiting for a while before I try it.

I was also told a year but that my dr understansd around the holidays you may want to have ONE glass of wine or a beer. I'm so thirsty all the time; I think trying to drinking alcohol would be bad for me. I got some stuff to flavor my water (lime and lemon) but I thinkc rystal like actaully has alcohol flavored drink mix now that is still zero cal, zero sugar. I might try some of those

Exactly! I have suffered from this for as long as I can remember! I've done the alcohol scrubs, betadine scrubs, to the extreme rock scrubs u know the one u use on ur feet! It is not dirt and does not go away. I have gotten it to lighten up but it comes right back. All the doctors and dermatologist I've been to all said "just lose weight and it will go away!" I didn't find out what it was until I did my own research and found Acanthosis. I can't even begin to describe the ridicule from family, "friends" making such ignorant and hurtful comments. And for someone who suffered with it too she should've known better!

I'm 22 and going into a health field as well after college. THe docs told me the same thing about alcohol. I've already decided that for a while I"m going to be just drinking cranberry juice and sip on it all night to keep the image up. It's good to see there are some people this end of 20 on this website haha. Good Luck with the surgery!

Mine said nothing other than no beer and no alcohol the first week.... Was debating only 1/2 glass tomorrow and tracking it. Not sure yet

My Dr. said no alcohol for 6mths after banding , and then just wine. No more Rum & D.Coke

I had my first alcoholic drink after I lost the first 100 lbs.... 6 months after banding. It was vodka and water w a splash of cranberry...heavy on the water.

I was banded January 6th and just had my first alcoholic drink 3 weeks ago. It was a margarita.

I'm two years post op and have lost 140 lbs. My last fill was over six months ago. Recently, I find myself getting stuck at almost every meal. No matter what time of day I eat my first meal, I'm going to the bathroom or grabbing a cup because it's coming back up. This happens within a few bites of the meal. Today, we went out to eat after church. I had taken literally two bites of my meal and had to excuse myself to the restroom. Once I cleared myself out, I was able to eat almost all of the remainder of my meal. Then, we had family over for Christmas this evening. A few bites into the meal, and I was grabbing a Solo cup to spit up my food. Now, about two hours and a glass of wine later, I was able to consume two helpings of brocolli casserole with no problems. I have no idea what is going on. I do know that consuming an alcoholic beverage before my meal seems to allow me to eat, but I can't do that all the time. Any ideas on what the problem may be?

Thanks again. Like I said I know he would want me to be healthy for my children. I am also in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. It's been almost 5 years. Eating was my outlet for all those years and no I don't have that anymore. I want to make good choices but I'm not sure how to do that.

I was told by my NUT that after surgery I'll feel the effects of alcohol quicker. I asked if it effects the blood/alcohol level and she had no idea. Just seemed odd to think you may feel wasted after half a drink but still be way under the legal limit to drive!

A relative of mine experienced problems with dental anesthesia resistance as a result of marijuana. Not sure if this issue is documented in literature. My recommendation is to not use marijuana (unless medically necessary), tobacco or alcohol. Pre op I drank alcohol. Post op no more. Several o my relatives died on a ventilator from lung cancer due to smoking. I have never smoked a cigarette in my life and never intend to, though I was forced to be a passive smoker in my childhood (grew up in a smoking home). My suggestion is that, if possible, get rid of all substances. By if you cannot, then go for moderation. I want optimal health and am of the opinion that marijuana, alcohol and tobacco do not optimize health.

Congrats on the good news. I like how non judgmental my surgeon is, too. She is the first medical professional who understands weight issues for some of us are genetic and psychological, not just a willpower thing. In her info session she compared obesity to alcoholism - some people had no problem controlling alcohol intake and others had a genetic predisposition for addiction, and that for obese folks the hunger factor is what sets them off in seemingly self destructive behavior. Problem is, it's still fashionable to call obese people lazy and publicly ridicule them. I understand that guilt feeling abs not waning to show your face. But also I sided where you might be without the band? 50 lbs heavier than your start weight??? You're doing a great job. 50 lbs is no small amount, I don't care how heavy you are! The docs are there to make sure you're at the magic fill. The support groups help you get out of your head. Make sure you are physically hanging out with banded people too!

Umm, sure it is. We have already proven to ourselves (and everybody else) that we dont have what it takes to stick to the diet & exercise thing on our own. Many of us have tried every other gimmick under the sun to lose weight, and failed. We are food addicts (most of us anyhow). If there were a surgery that could cure alcohol, drug, gambling, or porn addictions would there be any objections to using those surgeries? I think not. We have a weakness when it comes to food. Therefore we NEED help. We need this to be as "easy" as it can be. And let me tell you, after over 6 months with my sleeve, when your stomachs capacity is 6-8oz total, it's pretty damn easy to not eat a 16oz steak, or a whole pizza, or 4 slices of cheesecake. When someone makes the remark "that's the easy way" I have to agree. Last I checked we are always searching out easier ways of doing almost everything. Cars are so much easier than bicycles The Internet is easier than encyclopedias Tractors are easier than a horse & plow Debit cards are easier than writing checks or carrying cash Pre prepared foods are easier than scratch cooking Since when is making something easier a bad thing?

I am one of those low BMI people, 35, with my co-morbidity (hate that word) is sleep apnea, which has its own health risks in addition to obesity, and my waist measurement is 38", which also puts me at higher risk for many health conditions. I'm less than 5'2", and though I was under 200 pounds when I got surgery on Monday, I was recently very close to 200 lbs. Weight is irrelevant if you don't consider height as well. I have been obese for much of my adult life and I know that my health will greatly improve with this procedure. I have a feeling that as people with low BMIs have the surgery, and significant reduction in many health challenges, the insurance qualification may lower. In fact, it used to be 40 BMI, and is now 35 with a co-morbidity, which is why I and many of us have qualified for the surgery. Generally, I am actually an active person who ate well, but certainly too much. I don’t eat red meat, and haven’t for decades, I don’t drink alcohol, take drugs or smoke. I work at a standing desk with a treadmill that I walk on part of the time, and I ride a seven mile bike ride around three times a week. I drink only Water. I haven’t had sugar of any kind since April 5 of 2011 (no sugar, agave, maple syrup, honey or fake sugars). Over the years, I’ve done tons of diets, including two medically supervised fasts twenty years apart. The only time in my life where I was able to keep myself at a great BMI was when I was on Phen Fen for two years. The reason I was so successful is it was the only time in my life that I have ever FELT when I was full. The feeling of when I am full has evaded me except for this time period, and it has been the great challenge of my life. On Phen Fen, I felt full with much less food, and was able to stop without emotional eating for years. However, that medication was discontinued. Now, having done the sleeve, I don't feel hungry, and I do feel full. I realize this is less than a week out, and that I likely have 6-18 months to make these changes permanent, or I might as well have not done the surgery, but I'm feeling hopeful for the first time in my 49 years that I might be able to achieve and maintain an healthy weight. I hope we are careful not to judge each other, and to offer support. This is such a scary thing to do, but I am grateful to have had the opportunity to do it, and for the support of this group.

I was a 31 BMI I also made my mind up and in the next week I was on a plane to Mexico and never looked back. I had no complications. I was out sightseeing and shopping 2 days later with no pain. I eat like a totally normal person now. The portions people are suppose to eat. I have only lost about 35-40 lbs since August but I also haven't worked out or changed my diet and i still drink alcohol. I just eat less. I plan to lose that extra 25 before summer and get on my exercise program after the new year. Good luck to you it's the best thing Ive ever spent my money on.

I believe diffrent types of feedback are necessary it allows the original poster to decide what they may or may not want to try to help themselves along their journey. Also must remember these are just our opinions and experiances and should always still check in with their doc before changing something dramatically since we are not doctors just people who have "been there" so to speak. The one thing I have noticed that is upsetting to me though is when someone posts something such as " help I messed up. I ate to many calories today or I splurged and ate ice cream and not my Protein or I had alcohol and way to much" instead of getting an its ok we've been there or you can bounce back! You have the ones who instantly start with why did you even get a band if you were going to stick to your old life and so on as If they have never once made a mistake with their band. Believe me I have made quite a few and I'm sure ill make many more along the way the band made my portion ability smaller it did not reset my brain or change my tastes buds so ofcourse I'm going to flub up now and again. I think thats where the original poster was going with it. That some people instantly lash out because they have been successful instead of trying to be supportive.

In general I don't think alcohol should be part of someone's post weight loss surgery lifestyle. Would you make a habit of eating a candy bar or nice cream sundae I doubt it. Some of the people who will tell you it's okay to drink alcohol will be the first to tell someone they shouldn't eat Greek yogurt with fruit in it because of the sugar. Personally I don't understand the logic in that. Before anyone says that red wine is good for you I don't think the sugar you get from the wine is really worth the health benefits that you're going to get.

If your dr said its ok to drink alcohol this early on... Then I would follow his advice. I am not the one to ask about bending the rules because I was super strict with myself so weight would come off sooner than later. 2 years out at goal and I still barely trust myself with a cheese stick or a boneless wing....lol. I didn't drink until I lost the first 100 lbs... And then it's rare but I will enjoy a non carbonated adult beverage every once in awhile... And this from someone who dines out a lot and entertains frequently. For me the calories just aren't worth it.

I'm 19 and am a nursing student. I am 3 days post-op and am doing great. I would highly recommend getting the surgery done but you have to be ready to make a huge commitment to changing your lifestyle. Most surgeon's recommend waiting until at least 6 months after surgery to start drinking and then you should be aware that you are drinking empty calories so until you get down to goal weight you should really take it easy. Alcohol also absorbs quicker so you will be a cheap date. I wouldn't expect to go to parties and be able to drink like you used to. I'm in a sorority at college so know the party scene well but my sisters and I know that when I get back it'll be different than we are used to. You just have to be SUPER careful. I'm so excited to be back at my goal weight and be healthy again that all of these changes are SO worth it Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!

Just sorta my story. Hope it is ok to post. I have battled weight my entire life. My sister was the skinny one, I was the "husky" one. Oh how I hated that word. Seriously, who calls a kid "husky" for crying out loud!? Is that supposed to make a kid feel better than calling them fat? I remember being little and my Aunt would joke around saying my sister was "the stick of butter" and I was the "tub of butter." Amazing how even adults can make kids feel bad about weight, huh? I never really remember being a happy kid. I hated going to school. My home life was not a great one. My parents divorced when I was about 3. My Mom had a lot of personal issues of her own that I don't think she really ever knew how to deal with. She moved us from place to place. She dated different guys. She depended on alcohol a lot. Let me get this out here from the start though. I LOVE my my with all my heart. She may not have always been the best Mom, but she is MY Mom. I love her. Having said that, my childhood sorta sucked. I know now that I suffered from depression, but there was no one there to notice or do anything about it. The one comfort I had was food. I turned to food when I was bored. I turned to food when I was sad. Let me tell you, I was bored and sad a lot. When you are a teenager and you have a weight problem, you also have self esteem issues. You do not like yourself. All you want is for someone else to like you. That is pretty damn hard when you don't like yourself. Sadly, when you do not like yourself, it then becomes easy for people to use you. You let it happen because, although it is negative attention you are getting, it is still attention. So at a young age I was doing things with boys that was not appropriate. Things that, if I could go back and stop myself from doing, I most definitely would. Crazy how something like weight can totally throw off how you view and feel about yourself, huh? I made it out of the teenage years and into young adulthood. I met my husband when I was 18. (Ok, still a kid really!) By the time I was 20, our daughter was born. Well, she was born on May 20th and I turned 21 on August 11th. He met me when I was overweight. He accepted me as the person I was....someone who was overweight. He saw me for and loved me for the person I was on the inside. I was so thankful for that. However, I still did not love myself. Over the years I still struggled with my weight. I also struggled with my depression. I actually did not get diagnosed and treated for depression until a few years into our marriage. There were ups and downs with that and the weight. In 2000, I lost 91 lbs while doing low carb. My husband and I were actually separated at the time. (We separated 3 times throughout the years. Don't worry, it has a happy ending since we are back together now and stronger than ever!) However, low carb was a temporary fix. I went through some hard times, the depression came back, and so did the weight....along with some extra. I then just gave up with the weight loss. I accepted the fact that I was destined to be fat forever. Fast forward to 2011. In August of 2011 I broke my ankle. Not a big deal, right? Yeah, it really wasn't. Well, not until a week later when I started to have some serious pain and the cast I had on got really tight. I went to the doctor and they decide it would be a good idea to just check and make sure I hadn't developed a blood clot. Turns out I hadn't developed one blood clot.....I had developed TWO, one of which had already moved up into my thigh. I was immediately rushed over to the hospital and admitted. I spent the next 10 days there as they tried to get the clots under control. It was at that point that I realized I seriously could have died from that. I could have died and never saw my daughter grow up and have a successful career and family. It was not directly because of my weight, but my weight was a factor. Once I got out of the hospital, I was on blood thinners for months, having to go to the doctor sometimes as often as every 3 days to have my blood drawn. Not fun, let me tell you. Fast forward to January of 2012. I will spare you the details, but I had to have an emergency hysterectomy. Not really life or death, but again another health issue. However, the part about THIS surgery that really made me start to think about the lap band surgery was the cost. I have health insurance. I work for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, so obviously that is the insurance I also have. Since I started working for them, I also got to know the criteria to be met for the lap band surgery. I mean, I had thought about it in the past, but never thought I could actually afford to do it. However, here I found myself in January having this emergency surgery. THIS surgery meant that I had met my out of pocket maximum of my insurance at the start of the year. For the rest of 2012, all of my medical bills were covered 100% by my insurance. That REALLY made me start to realize that lap band WAS possible for me. I mean, working for BCBS of IL, I knew that with my BMI and my health history, I more than qualified to meet the criteria. With my out of pocket max being met, it would be no cost to me. Why in the world NOT go for it?!?! So, one day in March I decided to go for a consult. I found info about a lap band surgeon in the area who was in my PPO network. I called and made the appointment. By May I had met with the surgeon, I had gone through the 3 hour psych evaluation/dietican evaluation, etc, and I had sent it for preapproval with BCBS. Within 3 days I had my approval back from the insurance company. This was REALLY going to happen. I still couldn't believe it. I then, however, had to wait until August for the actual surgery because I wanted to save up my paid time off at work. A week before surgery the doctor called and told me there was something "suspicious" with my EKG and they didn't know if I could have the surgery. I freaked out. Now, normal people would freak out over the abnormal EKG, right? Me? I freaked out over the idea of maybe not being able to get he surgery. Messed up, I know. So I ended up having to get an EEG done and was able to get it back and the results to the surgeon A DAY before surgery. Everything was fine and the surgery went on as planned. Surgery took place on August 7, 2012. On the day of surgery I weighed 304.5 lbs and wore a size 26 jeans. Today, December 22, 2012, I weigh 252.8 lbs and wear a size 18 jeans. I do not regret my decision for a moment. Six months ago, I am sure I would NEVER had told someone my weight or clothing size. Am I where I want to be right now? No, however, I am proud of how far I have come. I know the road ahead is not an easy one nor will it be a quick one. I WISH it was a quick one. My doctor scolds me all the time for being frustrated that I have not lost more. I am impatient. I admit it. I want this weight gone NOW. I know that is not going to happen, and I am slowly accepting that. I do know I am heading in the right direction though. I am heading in the HEALTHY direction. So yeah....that is me and my lap band journey.

I agree with all of you but one day I would like I be able to have one piece of pizza on rare occasions. :-). No I do not want to make a habit of it!!! I gave up bread/buns, pop, ice cream and alcohol for life. I cut a lot of carbs out years ago. However, I like the 300 calorie meal and 100 calorie snack rule. I just never ever want to be the eater I was before. I did this to help control my intake.