Search the Community

Its not our place to tell you if your ok with your band. Call your doctor we can not tell you these things. My thoughts here: Stop smoking weed and drinking. Smoking weed makes you consume too many calories and alcohol is just empty calories. Why waste money getting something in your body if your gonna continue to do what you did preband.

I am sorry to hear that about your friend. I have heard of this happening. I didn't have to sign anything indicating I would stay away from alcohol. I think that this can also happen with food after awhile and people can put the weight back on. I wish your friend all the best and I believe it is never too late to get back on track.

Simple carbs are addictive so avoid them like a recovering alcoholic avoids booze. Simple carbs trigger a rush of insulin, which drops your blood sugar, your body responds by wanting more carbs to fight the drop in blood sugar. It's a vicious cycle so just stay away. You can have complex carbs as they are slower absorbed and don't cause the massive release of insulin. Focus on these.

I'm super nervous about having anything to drink. Different doctors say different time limits, so check with yours. Mine said I was fine after 5 months (which was Dec 13th), so I'm going to have some wine at Xmas. I'm not a big drinker at all and have my mother's alcohol tolerance (i.e. none) so I'm going to take it slow and I'm going to be in the house, around family, so someone can call an ambulance if something goes horribly wrong, lol.

First of all yes I have been banded for three years and guess what????? If the band fails it is because of the one with it. If you are doing everything exactly to the tee unless you have a medical problem then yes you have failed the band. NancyNicole if you dont feel you are getting support here then............. Do you really think that the band is magic and its easy because its not. DO YOU THINK YOU CAN EAT JUNK FOOD THREE WEEKS OUT OR A YEAR OUT AND STILL LOSE WEIGHT??????? No you can't. I am only speaking of myself. I have been successful because I followed ALL of my doctors instructions not some. I havent eaten ice cream or doughnuts or cookies or pie or potato chips. I have had nothing but Protein, veggies and fruit. When I stopped doing all this I stopped losing period. When I went back to doing it I lost and kept losing. You can not eat and stuff yourself to the brim with the band, have a free for all cheat day, cosume massive amounts of carbs and think I/we are going to commend you for that because I HAVE WORKED HARD AT THIS. If you don't like others comments then so be it but it is a PUBLIC FORUM and as long as we post by the rules then really you don't have to read any of it. IF YOU WANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL YOU MUST: 1 STOP GORDGING YOURSELF WITH FOOD, 2 STOP EATING JUNK FOOD, 3 STOP CONSUMING GROSS AMOUNTS OF CARBS 4 STOP DRINKING ALCOHOL 5 STOP EATING THINGS THAT ARE NOT ON YOUR DIET AS PRESCRIBED BY YOUR DOCTOR 6 STOP ASKING US WHAT TO EAT AND FOLLOW YOUR OWN DOCTORS PLAN. That is all there is to it. We are not here to coddle those who fail to do as they are told to do. "Oh I had a bad day and stuffed myself" and I am supposed to be happy about that why??????? I don't stuff myself on any given day. I dont cheat I do not eat what I am not supposed to. I take offense to those who get this surgery and think they can do as they did pre band. Oh its the holidays so let me consume cookies and pie. Really???? I dont care if you like my answer or how I answer others and this was not for the OP I truly believe the band is not for you. Do what you need to do.

A friend of mine just got fired for drinking on the job. He had the sleeve done last winter. I think what has happened he was a drinker but once he got the sleeve, the alcohol was no longer absorbed in the stomach. It passed through to the intestines & had a faster & stronger affect. It became a problem before he knew it. Does any one know about this? This should be a warning for the drinkers out there.

A friend of mine just got fired for drinking on the job. He had the sleeve done last winter. I think what has happened he was a drinker but once he got the sleeve, the alcohol was no longer absorbed in the stomach. It passed through to the intestines & had a faster & stronger affect. It became a problem before he knew it. Does any one know about this? This should be a warning for the drinkers out there.

A bit scary since some vsg patients replace their food addiction with alcohol.

I was wondering the something about Beer and Diet Coke. I get banded Dec 18 and looking forward to it. I will try and enjoy the company with no alcohol knowing what the outcome of being healthy will be.

Had a really shitty week - stated off well by losing 7 lbs in a week. Then heard my stepmother died after a 4 week battle. Finally finished off by my ex-wife falling off a chair last night putting up decorations & begging me to take her to the hospital. so, I had a few drinks tonight ...... well, it turned into more than a bottle of wine ..... my doc advised me 12 months before having alcohol. I'm 6 months post-op

I was told it was a no go for six months and that my doc advises no more than a glass, preferably less. Keep in mind that alcohol will also dehydrate you and that's one of the last things we want.

I am not going to try it yet, but has anyone tried alcohol? What would you drink?

I had to do a pre-op of 6 days under 1,000 calories, then 3 days liquids. The week before that was a food and alcohol filled fun fest and I don't regret it one bit! I lost all I gained plus more on the pre-op so I still went into surgery lower than I started!

VerticalSleeveTalk Newsletter Hey, Sleevers!Thanksgiving is behind us and the holiday season is officially underway! Filled with holiday shopping, festivities at work and spending time with friends and family, this time of year is can be the most rewarding. It can be hectic, too, so paying extra attention to your diet and health is even more important than usual. Use this newsletter as a reminder and some motivation to be extra cautious with your choices so that you can keep seeing the results you want from your weight loss journey. Here’s what’s coming up in this newsletter. Member Spotlight: Meet Ms skinniness! Tips for the Season: Thriving at Holiday Parties! Member Challenge: Activate Your Party Action Plan! A Big Thank-You to Our Members as 2012 Ends We know the hustle and bustle of this season make your life busy, but we hope you spend part of your holiday season with us at Alex Brecher Founder VerticalSleeveTalk.com Member Spotlight: Meet Ms skinniness! This month, we’re delighted to feature Ms skinniness in our member spotlight! She decided to get the gastric sleeve after developing diabetes and hitting a high weight of 223 pounds at a high of 5’6.” Her surgery was in October of 2011, and she’s only 4 pounds away from her goal weight of 140! The journey’s been worthwhile for Ms skinniness! Her blood sugar is within normal levels each day, and she’s able to keep her hunger in check. She has tons more energy and is a lot happier now! Ms skinniness loves being able to fit into smaller clothes. She went from a size 1x to a size 8 – and was even forced to return some size 8 Gloria Vanderbilt jeans that were too big! Getting enough Water in each day is still a challenge to Ms skinniness. She’s also working hard on avoiding mindless eating and only eating when she’s hungry. She reminds us that food is an addiction that can take a lot of effort to overcome. Ms skinniness uses VerticalSleeveTalk.com for support and information, and she loves the positive people on the board. She suggests following your surgeon’s instructions, gathering information from VST members and also doing your own research on everything so you can be confident that you are making the right decisions for yourself. An example of something she learned from VerticalSleeveTalk.com is to use a PPI to reduce stomach acid and make her less hungry. Ms skinniness also uses VerticalSleeveTalk.com as a reminder not to slip into bad habits again. With her weight loss and satisfaction, her advice seems to be working for her! Thanks, Ms skinniness, for being in the member spotlight! Congratulations on your success! Please post in the Protein snack or two for yourself and eat it when it’s time for your regular meal or snack. You can also take a healthy dish for the host to serve at the party. Sip water. Carrying a glass of water around gives you something to do without adding any calories to your day. Another benefit of drinking water is that you know you shouldn’t eat solid foods when you’re drinking fluids. Avoid alcohol. Alcohol is a source of calories that you just don’t need. Worse yet is that it lowers your inhibition. That means that you’re less likely to resist unhealthy holiday foods. Member Challenge: Activate Your Holiday Action Plan! This newsletter’s challenge is related to our advice on holiday parties. The challenge is to choose a specific strategy designed to get you through the holidays without interfering with your weight loss goals. You can take one of the suggestions listed above, or choose your own. Some other ideas are to keep healthy Snacks at work so you’re not tempted by unhealthy snacks and to record each treat that you eat in your food record instead of pretending that it doesn’t count. Tell us in the Member Challenge Forum how you complete the challenge! Was it easy or difficult? What tips do you have for other VerticalSleeveTalk.com members? We also want to know anytime you go back and complete an old Newsletter Challenge, which you can find in the archived Newsletter Forum. It’s never too late to try a Newsletter Challenge! A Big Thank-You to Our Members as 2012 Ends As we close out 2012, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank each member. We truly appreciate your support. We value each member, whether you post many times a day and use all of VerticalSleeveTalk.com’s many features, or whether you log in infrequently to read just a few posts. You, the members, are essential to VerticalSleeveTalk.com’s success, so a heartfelt thank-you to each of you! 2012 has seen rapid increases in the number of members, the beginning of regular newsletters and the launch of mobile apps to access all of the forum’s features. Big plans are in the works for the coming year, and it promises to be an exciting ride. We’re glad to have you on board! Of course, we’re always open to member suggestions, so please feel free to contact any board administrator. That’s it for this month’s newsletter. We hope it was inspirational and helpful. Have a safe and peaceful holiday season, and take care of yourself and each other, Alex. ============================================================== If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: {unsubscribe}

SleevePlicationTalk Newsletter Hey, Sleevers!Thanksgiving is behind us and the holiday season is officially underway! Filled with holiday shopping, festivities at work and spending time with friends and family, this time of year is can be the most rewarding. It can be hectic, too, so paying extra attention to your diet and health is even more important than usual. Use this newsletter as a reminder and some motivation to be extra cautious with your choices so that you can keep seeing the results you want from your weight loss journey. Here’s what’s coming up in this newsletter. Tips for the Season: Thriving at Holiday Parties! Member Challenge: Activate Your Party Action Plan! A Big Thank-You to Our Members as 2012 Ends We know the hustle and bustle of this season make your life busy, but we hope you spend part of your holiday season with us at SleevePlicationTalk.com! Our members are what make the forums so encouraging and valuable. While you’re there, feel free to contact us about anything. We love hearing from members! Enjoy the newsletter. Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder SleevePlicationTalk.com Member Spotlight: Still Searching! Please post in the Member Spotlight forum if you want to be featured in the newsletter’s member spotlight section or if you want to nominate another member. If you prefer, you can also send Alex Brecher a private message telling us that you want to be featured. Everyone has a great story to share. Thanks! Tips for the Season: Thriving at Holiday Parties! The holiday season is challenging for all people who’re trying to control their weight, and it’s even tougher for weight loss surgery patients. You’re not just concerned about weight loss. You’re changing your lifestyle, and staying on track takes a lot of effort. If your surgery was recent, you’re still getting used to your new eating patterns and food choices. Holiday parties can interfere with your best intentions to stay on track. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, parties can be regular events at work and the homes of family and friends. Frequently overeating can not only derail your weight loss, but also lead to surgery-related complications, such as feeling overly full or dumping syndrome. Whether you’re a weight loss surgery veteran or this is your first holiday after getting the surgery, these tips can help you enjoy the holiday parties without doing damage to your diet. Eat before you go. You don’t want to go into the party on an empty stomach. If you’re starving when you get to the party, you might be tempted to grab whatever’s available – which probably won’t be that healthy. Enjoy the party. The holidays should be about appreciating people. Use parties as opportunities to spend time with coworkers and other people who mean a lot to you. Focus on enjoying the party, not on hiding yourself in the food. Take care of yourself. Make sure there’s something at the party that you can eat. One option is to pack a high-Protein snack or two for yourself and eat it when it’s time for your regular meal or snack. You can also take a healthy dish for the host to serve at the party. Sip Water. Carrying a glass of water around gives you something to do without adding any calories to your day. Another benefit of drinking water is that you know you shouldn’t eat solid foods when you’re drinking fluids. Avoid alcohol. Alcohol is a source of calories that you just don’t need. Worse yet is that it lowers your inhibition. That means that you’re less likely to resist unhealthy holiday foods. Member Challenge: Activate Your Holiday Action Plan! This newsletter’s challenge is related to our advice on holiday parties. The challenge is to choose a specific strategy designed to get you through the holidays without interfering with your weight loss goals. You can take one of the suggestions listed above, or choose your own. Some other ideas are to keep healthy Snacks at work so you’re not tempted by unhealthy snacks and to record each treat that you eat in your food record instead of pretending that it doesn’t count. Tell us in the Member Challenge Forum how you complete the challenge! Was it easy or difficult? What tips do you have for other SleevePlicationTalk.com members? We also want to know anytime you go back and complete an old Newsletter Challenge, which you can find in the archived Newsletter Forum. It’s never too late to try a Newsletter Challenge! A Big Thank-You to Our Members as 2012 Ends As we close out 2012, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank each member. We truly appreciate your support. We value each member, whether you post many times a day and use all of SleevePlicationTalk.com’s many features, or whether you log in infrequently to read just a few posts. You, the members, are essential to SleevePlicationTalk.com’s success, so a heartfelt thank-you to each of you! 2012 has seen rapid increases in the number of members, the beginning of regular newsletters and the launch of mobile apps to access all of the forum’s features. Big plans are in the works for the coming year, and it promises to be an exciting ride. We’re glad to have you on board! Of course, we’re always open to member suggestions, so please feel free to contact any board administrator. That’s it for this month’s newsletter. We hope it was inspirational and helpful. Have a safe and peaceful holiday season, and take care of yourself and each other, Alex ==============================================================If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: {unsubscribe}

Hey, Banders!Thanksgiving is behind us and the holiday season is officially underway! Filled with holiday shopping, festivities at work and spending time with friends and family, this time of year is can be the most rewarding. It can be hectic, too, so paying extra attention to your diet and health is even more important than usual. Use this newsletter as a reminder and some motivation to be extra cautious with your choices so that you can keep seeing the results you want from your weight loss journey. Here’s what’s coming up in this newsletter. Member Spotlight: Meet Mis73! Tips for the Season: Thriving at Holiday Parties! Bander Challenge: Activate Your Party Action Plan! A Big Thank-You to Our Members as 2012 Ends We know the hustle and bustle of this season make your life busy, but we hope you spend part of your holiday season with us at Alex Brecher Founder LapBandTalk.com Member Spotlight: Meet Mis73! Mis73, aka Missy, is this newsletter’s highlighted member! She’s a 39-year-old Michigander who has fought through obstacles to achieve her current weight loss of 168 pounds. Her high weight was 421 pounds, and her goal weight is 160, at a BMI of 27.5. She has multiple sclerosis and knew that her obesity was making the symptoms worse. So, she decided to get the lap-band and focus on the obesity because that’s something she could control. Missy says that the “biggest difference is, I am happy. I am happier than I have been in literally decades.” She’s gone from needing a handicapped parking pass and a motorized cart for grocery shopping to being able to take her son to the zoo and walk around for hours! Other great moments have been dropping below 300 pounds, fitting into blue jeans for the first time in 20 years, fitting in the seat at her daughter’s band concert and seeing her father’s look of pride and joy after seeing her for the first time – 100 pounds lighter. Missy’s biggest challenge right after surgery was to avoid exacerbating her multiple sclerosis, since symptoms can appear after trauma, such as surgery. Luckily, she was able to avoid a full-blown relapse. Missy used LapBandTalk in the early days for reassurance that her experience was normal. She’s grown to depend on the friends she’s made here and she continues to “offer education and support to others.” She has plenty of advice to offer. She suggests meeting with a nutritionist who specializes in bariatric patients and to keep your food to a cup per meal. Also, learn everything you can about the band: what it is, what it does and how you can succeed with it. Missy, we are so glad that you are finding happiness. We know that it will just get better for you as you keep losing weight, and it’s a pleasure to be able to share in your weight loss journey. Thanks for being in the Member Spotlight! Please post in the Protein snack or two for yourself and eat it when it’s time for your regular meal or snack. You can also take a healthy dish for the host to serve at the party. Sip Water. Carrying a glass of water around gives you something to do without adding any calories to your day. Another benefit of drinking water is that you know you shouldn’t eat solid foods when you’re drinking fluids. Avoid alcohol. Alcohol is a source of calories that you just don’t need. Worse yet is that it lowers your inhibition. That means that you’re less likely to resist unhealthy holiday foods. Bander Challenge: Activate Your Holiday Action Plan! This newsletter’s challenge is related to our advice on holiday parties. The challenge is to choose a specific strategy designed to get you through the holidays without interfering with your weight loss goals. You can take one of the suggestions listed above, or choose your own. Some other ideas are to keep healthy Snacks at work so you’re not tempted by unhealthy snacks and to record each treat that you eat in your food record instead of pretending that it doesn’t count. Tell us in the Bander Challenge Forum how you complete the challenge! Was it easy or difficult? What tips do you have for other LapBandTalk.com members? We also want to know anytime you go back and complete an old Newsletter Challenge, which you can find in the archived Newsletter Forum. It’s never too late to try a Newsletter Challenge! A Big Thank-You to Our Members as 2012 Ends As we close out 2012, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank each member. We truly appreciate your support. We value each member, whether you post many times a day and use all of LapBandTalk.com’s many features, or whether you log in infrequently to read just a few posts. You, the members, are essential to LapBandTalk.com’s success, so a heartfelt thank-you to each of you! 2012 has seen rapid increases in the number of members, the beginning of regular newsletters and the launch of mobile apps to access all of the forum’s features. Big plans are in the works for the coming year, and it promises to be an exciting ride. We’re glad to have you on board! Of course, we’re always open to member suggestions, so please feel free to contact any board administrator. That’s it for this month’s newsletter. We hope it was inspirational and helpful. Have a safe and peaceful holiday season, and take care of yourself and each other, Alex. ============================================================== If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: {unsubscribe}

RNYTalk Newsletter By Hey, RNYTalk members!Thanksgiving is behind us and the holiday season is officially underway! Filled with holiday shopping, festivities at work and spending time with friends and family, this time of year is can be the most rewarding. It can be hectic, too, so paying extra attention to your diet and health is even more important than usual. Use this newsletter as a reminder and some motivation to be extra cautious with your choices so that you can keep seeing the results you want from your weight loss journey. Here’s what’s coming up in this newsletter. Member Spotlight: Meet kristy3k! Tips for the Season: Thriving at Holiday Parties! Member Challenge: Activate Your Party Action Plan! A Big Thank-You to Our Members as 2012 Ends We know the hustle and bustle of this season make your life busy, but we hope you spend part of your holiday season with us at Alex Brecher Founder RNYTalk.com Member Spotlight: Meet kristy3k! Our Member Spotlight this month is on kristy3k from Oklahoma. Kristy3k has a family that many people only dream of: she has been married for 21 years and she has a 19-year-old daughter, a 15-year-old son and a 12-year-old son. She works as a USPS worker. As she says, she played the “constant blame game” for years as she blamed her weight gain first on her pregnancies and then on her night-shift job. Her wake-up call came when her father passed away last July. Finally, kristy3k realized that she needed to take control of what she could – her weight. Her high weight was 340 pounds. After a lot of research – including many hours lurking on RNYTalk.com! - kristy3k got the gastric bypass done in February of this year. Since then, she’s lost 149 pounds and is well on her way to her goal weight of 165 pounds. She tells us that she’s had so many highlights in her life since the surgery! Just a few include not having to use the handicapped stall in public restrooms because she couldn’t fit in regular stalls; not being out of breath all the time; and not being the “fat mom.” She gets a kick out of her kids telling her she’s skinny, and one of her greatest moments was when her husband was able to wrap his arms around her again. Throughout the process, kristy3k has gained a lot of self-esteem and general happiness. She still wonders how she let herself get so big in the first place, but she’s determined to continue her weight loss journey. She loves RNYTalk.com because she can get information and inspiration from it anytime. Everyone on the boards is “so upbeat.” Kristy3k is modest enough to say that she is hesitant to offer weight loss tips, but she suggests eating your Protein, drinking your Water, exercising and above all, being patient! We know you’re doing all of those things, kristy3k, and thanks for sharing them and your story with us! Please post in the food choices. Holiday parties can interfere with your best intentions to stay on track. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, parties can be regular events at work and the homes of family and friends. Frequently overeating can not only derail your weight loss, but also lead to bypass-related complications, such as dumping syndrome. Whether you’re a weight loss surgery veteran or this is your first holiday after getting the surgery, these tips can help you enjoy the holiday parties without doing damage to your diet. Eat before you go. You don’t want to go into the party on an empty stomach. If you’re starving when you get to the party, you might be tempted to grab whatever’s available – which probably won’t be that healthy. Enjoy the party. The holidays should be about appreciating people. Use parties as opportunities to spend time with coworkers and other people who mean a lot to you. Focus on enjoying the party, not on hiding yourself in the food. Take care of yourself. Make sure there’s something at the party that you can eat. One option is to pack a high-protein snack or two for yourself and eat it when it’s time for your regular meal or snack. You can also take a healthy dish for the host to serve at the party. Sip water. Carrying a glass of water around gives you something to do without adding any calories to your day. Another benefit of drinking water is that you know you shouldn’t eat solid foods when you’re drinking fluids. Avoid alcohol. Alcohol is a source of calories that you just don’t need. Worse yet is that it lowers your inhibition. That means that you’re less likely to resist unhealthy holiday foods. Member Challenge: Activate Your Holiday Action Plan! This newsletter’s challenge is related to our advice on holiday parties. The challenge is to choose a specific strategy designed to get you through the holidays without interfering with your weight loss goals. You can take one of the suggestions listed above, or choose your own. Some other ideas are to keep healthy Snacks at work so you’re not tempted by unhealthy snacks and to record each treat that you eat in your food record instead of pretending that it doesn’t count. Tell us in the Member Challenge Forum how you complete the challenge! Was it easy or difficult? What tips do you have for other RNYTalk.com members? We also want to know anytime you go back and complete an old Newsletter Challenge, which you can find in the archived Newsletter Forum. It’s never too late to try a Newsletter Challenge! A Big Thank-You to Our Members as 2012 Ends As we close out 2012, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank each member. We truly appreciate your support. We value each member, whether you post many times a day and use all of RNYTalk.com’s many features, or whether you log in infrequently to read just a few posts. You, the members, are essential to RNYTalk.com’s success, so a heartfelt thank-you to each of you! 2012 has seen rapid increases in the number of members, the beginning of regular newsletters and the launch of mobile apps to access all of the forum’s features. Big plans are in the works for the coming year, and it promises to be an exciting ride. We’re glad to have you on board! Of course, we’re always open to member suggestions, so please feel free to contact any board administrator. That’s it for this month’s newsletter. We hope it was inspirational and helpful. Have a safe and peaceful holiday season, and take care of yourself and each other, Alex ==============================================================If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: {unsubscribe}

I started out at 332 BMI of 57. My doctor wanted me to lose 10 percent body weight before surgery . Due to an unresolved blood clot my surgery was delayed and I ended up losing 50 pounds. I've lost 70 pounds since surgery. My nurse practitioner recommended that I see an oncologist about my thyroid because I'm losing weight slowly. My food plan I really hate to call it a diet is very conservative and I exercise 7 days a week. Back to your original question I'm currently around 212. My doctor didn't do the sleeve so my choices are lap band and bypass. It was recommended that I do bypass because I had so much to lose but I really was not hip on that surgery. Not sure whether I would have done sleeve if it was available my doctor does now do it though. I guess my main comments to you would be to lose the weight you want with the band you're going to have to be really dedicated. To me that would mean being really conservative in your food habits and not drinking alcohol. Admittedly I'm not a drinker so that's not a problem for me. Alcohol is nothing but calories there's no redeeming value to it. I'm not going to debate red wine that's not really a valid argument when someone has 200 pounds to lose. And I'm not trying to be mean spirited because I was in the same boat. Not to belabor the point but I would also plan that exercise will become a major part of your life. A lot of people on this site say that the weight just fell off and they didn't have to do any exercise; but I think that sends the wrong message. As mentioned above I exercise everyday when I say everyday I mean every day. Though I am meeting with an oncologist in January and maybe we'll find a hormone reason for my slow weight loss.

I just called my bariatric nurse line and verified with them what I can take. There's nothing I can't really take, but have to be careful with anti-inflammatory medicine and I might be extra sensitive to the sugar and alcohol in some of the cough medicines, but was told to dilute it. Thanks for the suggestions =)

My surgeon said never to eat more than 1,000 calories per day. He also suggested that no meal should ever exceed 300 calories and that no snack should ever exceed 100 calories. His instruction was to eat only if hungry and to transition to a maximum of three meals a day, preferably two, and a maximum of 3 snacks per day. No alcohol. No caffeine. My surgeon has never been obese and follows this diet himself. He had no body fat. He practices what he says. I am trying to follow his advice for long-term success. He told me that RNY is the best procedure for maintaining long-term weight loss. I trust his advice, particularly because he follows it himself. I am 2.5 weeks post op and battle low energy. I am forcing myself to walk long distances. I love having the restriction in my stomach. I am very grateful for this surgery.

It's a figure of speech. Much like when an alcoholic says they "fell of the wagon" it means they're drinking again, when a Lap Band patient says it they mean they've reverted back to old unhealthy eating habits.

I had my gall bladder removed laproscopically when I was 30... some 20 years before being banded. I can tell you that recovery was WAY worse than the band. I was out of work for a month. With the band it was 5 days! I also was on my preop during the holidays and had a pretty glass of Water with lemon with me at all times. I didnt cheat either and had a great time sans the food and alcohol! You can do it!

I had to go through one too and it was a very strange experience. We discussed my support systems with friends and family and who cooks at home and what do we cook. We talked about my history of diets since I was very young. We talked about my job and if I drank alcohol, my education, exercise habits, etc. But we never discussed food as an addiction. He did ask how I planned on handling food choices when I traveled for work. The head part of this whole thing is huge. I have been very successful so far since surgery, though I have eaten things I knew weren't good choices now and then. Yesterday at work I suddenly found myself in the kitchen looking for something sweet to eat because I had this sudden craving. I wasn't hungry at all. There was some toffee popcorn and I ate several pieces of it then I got myself the heck out of there. Then I wished that I hadn't done it. The great thing about the sleeve is that it minimized the calorie damage since there is no way I can slam down food like I once did.

I work in a psychiatric facility. We see a lot of post op WLS patients in crisis on our unit. Stress eating, emotional eating are coping mechanisms that people have a difficult time giving up because they helped them get through tough times. Plus, people think, "I can stop this," when they feel better because they don't connect the actions with the improvement. We continue behaviors because we get/got a benefit from them. Plus, we see post surgical people with cross addictions, and studies are showing now that alcohol use is a big risk for addiction for RNY patients because of the way it is absorbed. If you take away something that you relied on to alleviate stress, there can be emotional fall out. Honestly, this is a HUGE fear of mine. I have been some shade of chubby not only my entire adult life, and for most of the time of my childhood I can remember! I am worried, but hopefully self aware to seek help if needed. I am lucky, given what I do, I have a lot of friends who are mental health experts to keep an eye on me. I can't imagine how hard it would be with out that kind of support.

I was just telling someone last night about this. Saw one girl who is 4 days post op already purée food and eating mash potatoes and gravy. First thought was I thought you were only allowed protein shakes and water first 2 to 3 weeks. It was freaking me out. 1 girl 3 weeks out said she was feeling so good going to a friends party wanting to know if she could drink alcohol. Really ? These are the same ones who are going to poo poo on this surgery. Yes I know it's hard but why do they want to be fat all over again? Makes no sense to me