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It's actually pretty easy to not say too much. I had a hernia fixed same time as RNY so I just told peeps had hernia operation and then I was on meds for 6 months which I couldn't drink alcohol when taking and now had to watch what I'm eating - it's best not to tell people cause they judge you!! It's the easy way out and it becomes a discussion even years after surgery by some friends and family who won't let it go...normally people who need to lose weight! I wish I had told less people. Your health is what matters people need to mind their own business and comments. If they want to get the surgery they can talk to their doctors and do research. I told a person who had easily 200 pounds to lose about my surgery cause I thought it would help and she asked how I lost my weight and she's used it against me since and has told many people...so lessened learned we don't need to try and save people who don't want to be!!

It's still got carbonation, and it's hard to see a non alcoholic flat beer as appealing no matter how enthusastic of a beer fan you are. Also, non alcoholic beers are not going to be low in carbs or calories. If this is a "recovery" thing, I have known several people who drank NA beer and it caused them to fall off the wagon because it just made them crave the real thing. If this is a calories thing, you're probably going to be better off looking for one of those low carb, super low calorie beers that don't have much alcohol anyway. Or...just don't. The carbonation is going to be the real issue here.

But won't zero/low alcohol beer still be carbonated? Seems that might be a problem. I have had some wine after 3 months with no problem except feeling guilty about the empty calories. For beer in my future, I am looking forward to realxing by the pool sipping on a cold non-carbonated type in the near future. Look into "nitro" and "cask-conditioned". There are some really good Nitro craft beers that I've had in the past. Yep, I'm pushin 70 and as they say "Old enough to know better but too old to care". 🍻

Here is an article I posted before. I abide by these rules to a "T" cept now, after tt surgery I am eating about 4 small meals a day instead of 6. Once my intense workouts resume, I will bump it up to 6 meals. ‘How to Lose 22lbs or 10kgs in 28 Days Without Starving or Training Like an Olympic Athlete!' By Stephen Smith BSc If you seriously want to lose 22lbs or 10 kilograms in 28 days then you must perform all of the principles exactly as recommended. Unlike the recommendations in my book, ‘Look good, feel great!', where you can pick the principles you want to use and ignore the rest and where you can even modify the principles to suit your lifestyle, these principles must be followed exactly as they are outlined. If you want extraordinary results, then you must be willing to put in an extraordinary effort! I realise that some people may be thinking, ‘But it is impossible to lose 10 kilograms of fat in a month!' I agree- it is! However, the truth is, it is impossible to only lose fat on any type of weight-loss program. You will always lose a combination of fat, water, stored carbohydrate and some muscle. Furthermore, most people who want to lose 10 kilograms in the first place are generally retaining excess fluid anyway, so a system that helps get rid of the excess fluid is certainly going to accelerate their results. Perform 30-60 minutes of aerobic exercise morning and night. Yes, you read that correctly, morning and night- 2 sessions a day… every day! No excuses. We're all busy, we all feel tired some mornings, but if you're serious about getting amazing results, then you must be willing to do everything necessary. When we talk about aerobic exercise, we're talking about exercise! Not walking around the shops, doing the gardening or doing housework. It must be exercise, which means your breathing rate increases, your face goes red, you sweat, you get tired- simple! Some examples of aerobic exercise include: walking (pounding the pavement at a brisk pace- not dawdling), cycling (stationary bike is ideal), swimming, rowing, stepper, cross-trainer, aerobic classes, boxing, etc. Use ‘thermogenics'. There are several very effective thermogenic supplementson the market that can accelerate your progress towards your goal. Those containing caffeine, green tea extracts and an extract from a plant called coleus forskohlii are the most effective. They will boost your metabolismand promote the release of fat from the fat stores. ‘Scorch' by MAN Sports is a good example. It contains a combination of 7 powerful herbal ingredients specifically designed to boost your metabolism, burn body fat and increase your energy. Unfortunately though, thermogenics are not ‘magic pills'. You can't expect to take a couple of thermogenic capsules and then go home and eat pizza and drink alcohol and expect to get results. Thermogenics only work when their use is combined with a good nutrition and exercise program. Take 1-2 capsules twice a day; once prior to your morning exercise session and once with your lunch. Don't take them later than 4:00pm in the afternoon because they may keep you awake at night. Before using thermogenics, see your doctor first and obtain their approval. Do not eat anything for 30 minutes after the completion of any exercise. As a result of using the thermogenics combined with the exercise, your metabolism will remain elevated for some time after the exercise session is finished. This means your body will burn fuel at a faster rate than normal. Any exercise causes the body to use carbohydrate (muscle glycogen and blood glucose) as a fuel source. This means that after the exercise is completed the carbohydrate stores in the body are low and the body will be forced to use fat as its fuel. If a meal is eaten immediately after the completion of the exercise session, the blood glucose level will rise, inducing the secretion of insulin from the pancreas. One of the effects of insulin is to stop fat burning in the body. Therefore, wait 30 minutes (but no longer because cortisol will rise) before having your next meal. Perform a weight training workout 2-4 times a week. Lifting weights is the most under-estimated way to lose fat fast! Now, before you start saying, ‘But I don't want to get big muscles!' or ‘I don't want to look like a man!', consider the following. The main purpose of lifting weights when your primary goal is to lose body fat is to preserve the muscle massyou already have. You see, muscle is the ‘engine' within which the fat, or ‘fuel' is burnt and maintaining or even increasing your muscle mass slightly will help ensure your body fat is burnt off efficiently. If you don't lift weights, your body will quite happily lose both fat and muscle as you drop the kilos. Lifting weights forces your body to maintain your muscle mass, therefore keeping your metabolism elevated and turning your body into 24-hour-a-day fat-burning machine! Incidentally, it only takes two 30 minute sessions a week to obtain the muscle preserving benefits of lifting weights. Have 5-6 small meals a day. One of the most common strategies people use to lose weight is to skip meals. Whilst reducing food intake is certainly an effective way to lose weight, having fewer meals is not the way to go. Many overweight people say, ‘I don't know why I'm overweight, I only eat once or twice a day!' Unfortunately, this is exactly why they are overweight. Having a mild calorie restriction is effective because if you consume less calories than you burn each day you will lose weight- simple! However, skipping meals forces the body to invoke its ‘Starvation Mechanism' because it thinks it is entering a famine. As a result, the body slows the metabolism to preserve energy. It also increases cortisol output and cortisol is the most powerful catabolic hormone in the body, which means it goes around the body breaking down lean tissue, particularly muscle. A loss of muscle slows the metabolism even further. Skipping meals also results in an increase in appetite, which forces you to eat larger amounts of food when you do eat. In addition to all these factors, the body also increases the activity of fat-storing enzymes, lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and fatty acid synthase (FAS), so when you do eat the food gets stored as fat. All of this results from simply skipping meals! By having a small meal every 2-3 hours throughout the day, your metabolism stays elevated and your body will happily burn fat all day long. Unfortunately though, most people are conditioned to having large meals and they automatically assume they will put on weight if they have 5 or 6 meals a day. The fact is, the ideal portion sizes for most people are actually quite small and in order to lose weight fast it is essential that you never feel full from a meal but you do feel satisfied. Also, most people find it difficult to have a meal every 2-3 hours throughout the day because they are so busy with work and/ or family commitments. Here are some suggestions to ensure you get your 5 or 6 meals a day. • Plan and prepare your meals the night before • Use meal replacements (protein shakes or bars) • Select foods that are quick and easy to prepare and consume Ensure each meal contains protein. Protein is a component of all cells and makes up over half the dry weight of the human body. Furthermore, the human body is a dynamic structure, which means it is constantly building up and breaking down tissue. Just imagine a bath full of water. At one end of the bath the plug is pulled out and at the other end the tap is turned on full. The water level in the bath doesn't change but there are ‘new' water molecules entering the bath and ‘old' water molecules leaving the bath all the time. The human body is exactly the same. If the body breaks down more tissue than it builds up, then it is said to be in a catabolic state. This results in the metabolism slowing down due to the loss of muscle tissue. Having a portion of high-quality protein every few hours throughout the day provides the body with a constant supply of amino acids- the building blocks of the body. This prevents the catabolic state, promotes an anabolic state (tissue building) and therefore keeps the metabolism ‘fired-up'. If only carbohydrate or fat is consumed for a meal, for example a piece of fruit (carbohydrate) for the mid-morning meal, then the body will still enter a catabolic state because it doesn't have the building blocks (amino acids) to re-build body tissues. Protein, as its name suggests, is of primary importance. Reduce your intake of high-density carbohydrates. Most high-density carbohydrates like bread, pasta, rice and cereals cause a rapid rise in blood glucose. This invokes the release of insulin from the pancreas, which in turn stores the glucose. The body stores glucose in the muscles and liver as glycogen and once these sites are full, the remaining glucose gets stored as body fat. Not only this, but insulin also stops the body from mobilising and utilising fat for fuel (burning fat). So if you want to maximise fat loss, you need to keep insulin to a minimum and the best way to do this is by reducing your intake of starchy carbohydrates without cutting them out altogether. Cutting them out totally is a philosophy of many low-carb diets on the market. However, these are very hard to sustain long-term and may lead to nutrient deficiencies. Each day, have a small amount (1-2 serves) of high density carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice, cereals); a moderate amount (2-3 serves) of medium density carbohydrates (starchy vegetables and fruits); and a large amount (5-6 serves) of low density carbohydrates (fibrous vegetables). [For a complete list of carbohydrates, see pages 136-138 of the book, ‘ Look good, feel great! ] Do not have a Treat Day. Since you are expecting an extraordinary result, it is essential that you put in an extraordinary effort. Accordingly, for the next 28 days you must follow the plan exactly as it is outlined without deviating. This means you can't allow yourself to indulge in any ‘forbidden foods'. This also means avoiding alcohol for the entire 28-day period. I know this may be hard for some people but let's face it, it is only for 28 days! By committing to the plan and disciplining yourself to see it through, you are ensuring that the results will follow. Plus, the disciplines you create to help you achieve your physical goal will have a ‘carry-over benefit' to other areas of your life as well. I wish you the greatest success in achieving outstanding results! * Before using any nutritional supplement, speak with your health care professional.

I wouldn't have done anything different. What I did worked just right for me.....avoided those no-no foods, exceeded Protein and Fluid goals, learned to eat just until satisfied, not full, established new eating habits and a regular Vitamin schedule. I never did measure or track my food (besides protein and water) because I knew I would never keep it up. No sense trying to implement a plan I would not stick to. Instead, I just taught myself to eyeball my portions and learned the limits of what would let me lose vs maintain vs gain. That turned into a new lifestyle I can easily maintain. Likewise, I knew I would not keep up with an excercise program so I never bothered with that either. Basically, I would start doing now whatever you think you will be able to do forever and be very mindful of what foods you need to consume to lose weight vs foods that could cause weight stalls/gains in the future. Also make sure you have a plan in place for dealing with stressful events in your life. Those seem to be the trigger point for when many people start to regain weight. For me, seeing a therapist and getting on antidepressants was what I needed to help me cope since I refused to use food and alcohol as a crutch like I'd always done in the past.

Yeah, the RNY bypasses a few inches and the OAGB/MGB bypasses several feet. I don't know what's "full" about RNY that isn't "full" about OAGB/MGB but it surely isn't the bypass part. Maybe the "full" refers to the pouch that fills fast and gets ... full? Or the full absorption of carbs in the part of the intestine they somehow mangle to attach to that pouch that we're spared from? Or the full-on dumping? Or the full coffers of American surgeons who refuse to learn OAGB/MGB because RNY pays well? I don't know. All I know is a) do Optifast b) caffeine omg c) alcohol = pray to JeBuS and omg and areu4realomgomg d) Optifast e) Being fat definitely isn't a complex chronic condition, it's just about willpower. Or something. Anywho. ...

Bob -- The one thing I miss about being at goal is that martinis are a no-go these days! I can't handle that much alcohol without my weight's help. I primarily drink wine these days -- first, because I really enjoy it, and second, because of the lower alcohol content. I might start with one (seriously though, only one) mixed drink at a nice dinner or a party, but generally, I find that I have a better time and can stay out longer if I stick to wine. One thing I've noticed too is that wines with high acidity don't work that well with the band (they bother me more now.. maybe because the wine is spends a little time in the pouch, instead of going straight down). So, I find that big reds are great and, while I still enjoy Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Torrontes and Albarinos, a French white Burgundy (read: Chardonnay) is always a safe bet. I hope that helps! I'm 3+ years out and drinking isn't an issue. Just be sure not to drink so much that you are hungover to the point of being sick, or to drink so much that you sabotage your weight loss. Cheers -- and best wishes for your success! Catherine

If the OPs intent was to find out about drugs affecting the sleeve, I would say the two biggest to worry about would be weed and alcohol. Once your stomach is reduced in size, I have heard the alcohol hits you way faster and way harder. Weed would of course make you get the munchies which could lead to overeating and making yourself sick or stretching your sleeve. I can’t see any other drugs really causing a problem. Then again, anything you have to swallow could be a problem benzodiazepines and opiodes things of that nature. Here’s an idea, don’t do drugs and you will be fine. If you drink, limit it to 1 or 2 drinks and stop. There, I have solved this problem for everyone.

I have no experience with drugs, but I have plenty with research... so just a few words of advice 😆 If you have an addictive personality, it is very easy to transfer your addiction from food to alcohol (most common), but drugs, shopping, and other addictions as well. This is an incredibly difficult journey you're about to go through. Give yourself your best chances and stay away from the other vices - as you've discovered, it is MUCH easier to get drunk quicker, forget your precautions, and end up like you have now in a place that isn't fun. Plus alcohol dehydrates you. Have some water on the rocks instead 🥂

I take blood thinner normally for an artificial heart valve, so I had to do Lovenox shots for two weeks before surgery and a week or two afterwards. They are no big deal. You pinch the fatty part of your stomach, clean it with alcohol wipes, and do the shot. It doesn't hurt too bad unless you don't grab a fatty part . . . then it hurts like a #$%^&! You might bruise a bit, but even that's not a big deal.

I find sugar alcohols and other artificial sweeteners make me gassy and they also cause me to crave carbs so I don’t consume them anymore. Problem solved. YMMV I’ve heard of Devrom but have never tried it. I think folks in the DS Surgery Forum may have more experience with it so you might try posting your question over there. Good luck! P.S. Eating processed food /simple carbs (e.g. cereal) could also be contributing. I would minimize eating them as they may impair weight loss & maintenance, and could cause smelly gas. Do you have the issue if you just eat dense protein and vegetables and nothing else?

HI, my Merry friends. Haven't logged in a while. I got promoted at the 1st of the year, so I have been super diligent at work. The home internet was down; but, we got it fixed last weekend. Not to mention I set up a wireless network this morning and am loving using my company laptop from anywhere in my house!!! I have had 1 fill and am not really restricted. I have been struggling with the weight loss. 12 lbs to date, which I feel should be more. I have been journaling my food and watching everything that goes into my mouth. Have had 0 alcohol since New Years Eve and just can't believe the scale only says 12lbs... I am waiting for that sweet spot and until then I will keep making good food choices and going to the gym, but wish I saw a bit more results wise on the scale... Hope everyone is well, I am sure I will be able to check in more now that I have the internet stuff worked out...

I had my RNY Gastric Bypass on November 14, 2016 and lost most of my weight in the first 9 months. I started this journey at a maximum weight of 360 pounds, and on my day of surgery, weighed 334 pounds and am down to 234 pounds. When I was released from the hospital after my Gastric Bypass, I wasn't sent home with instructions to stay on any PPIs or antacids, so since I was feeling great, I stopped taking my daily regimen of Pepcid. In February earlier this year (2017), I had a perforated intestine that nearly killed me (became septic) and was hospitalized for nearly a week after they repaired the hole in my intestines (near the pouch). I went through another treatment for H. Pylori and was on strong oral antibiotics for 6 weeks, and then have been continuing 20mg of Prilosec every day (have recently started weening myself off of it). In mid-April, I became severely constipated and impacted and was back in the hospital with a diagnosis of Prostatitis. Since then, I have suffered from chronic constipation and have had solid plateaus for several months at a time. I am posting my story because I am trying to see if anyone else out there has gone through anything similar, and I would like to understand if anyone lost more weight after their first surgical anniversary? I am having a Resting Metabolic Rate test tomorrow morning, so I am trying to figure out why I'm not losing more weight, but thought I would post and see if there is any hope. I am taking Probiotics (Culturelle), multi-vitamins, Calcium/D3 chews, and get all my protein and water in every day. I also exercise at least 2-3x per week. To get by, I wind up taking milk of magnesia roughly every other day...I only recently stopped taking Stool Softeners...I had been taking a Stool Softener (2x at night, every night for months). Ironically, I notice things move more easily on their own when I drink a glass of red wine after dinner, but don't want to depend on alcohol to help me go. So, I'm posting because of 2 things: the constipation and the amount of weight loss (the length of time, the plateaus, etc). I am hopeful that as I reduce the Prilosec that things will get better as my body starts producing more acid. Keeping my fingers crossed. Any thoughts?

"A food addiction addict". Hahahaha. Redundant, much? That's like saying, "an alcoholism alcoholic". By the way, addicts aren't "pathetic". There are many, many studies that prove beyond reproach that addiction is a disease just like cancer or diabetes. People like yourself who insult addicts are the truly pathetic ones. Tell me something, genius. Where did you get your psychology degree? I assume you have one since you're playing armchair psychologist and pretending you're qualified to make these statements. As someone who does have bachelor's and master's degrees in psychology and will be finishing up my doctorate soon, I actually am qualified to diagnose and treat. I can see clearly that you're a rude, lonely, bitter, uneducated, uninformed, judgmental idiot who thinks they know it all, but actually knows nothing. I'm also guessing you're probably quite old, which likely contributed to your bitterness. Bummer. On June 12, 2017 I had my gallbladder removed, my lapband removed and revised to an RNY. HW: 402, SW 306, CW 257, GW 185

I have drank Guiness, and other beers, and wine and have been fine. I think the alcohol relaxes the band therefore making it pass through easier. I don't drink pop though, only a few sips here and there. Maybe just try a little at first and see how you feel. High in calories but you gotta enjoy a treat now and then! Enjoy!

I am having my surgery on Tuesday and had/have a lot of the same concerns but from reading posts on here and talking to my NUT I think we will be able to have a normal life after awhile. We will just have smaller portions and need to limit our alcohol a bit more but I don't think that we can never have a drink again. Mine NUT said a drink or two down the road will be okay just not carbonated. That is a biggy for me because i love beer! But I will love being thin and healthy more!

OK, here's the 411... you will not be able to eat (more than a couple bites and I mean a couple of bites!) or drink (other than Water or Protein shakes) for the first 2-3 months. After that, you will be able to eat about a palm size portion of food at one sitting but still will not be able to drink liquid while you eat or it will be very painfull for you. Drinking alcohol is not a good idea. After 3-4 months, maybe a small glass of wine once or twice a week but that's it. The thing is, you don't need to eat a lot or drink alcohol to have a good time, to relax, or to socialize. You need to realize this, really understand this, and know that if you do the sleeve you can still have a good time, relax and socialize ... it just won't include (a lot) of food or (much if any) alcohol. Life style change. That's what this is about. That's how we lose weight, and that's how we gain a new life.

Let me speak to the shock part first. Yes, I drank - a lot – in college. So did everyone else I knew. So did everyone in my family. In fact, most of the people in my family drank a whole lot more than I ever did! After I got married, I quit drinking on a regular basis. When I did drink after that, I usually drank to get drunk – true. It’s also true that I drank less after I got married because I started taking codeine – very rarely, at first – for bad migraine headaches. Over time, however, I took it daily because codeine helped me to not feel. Anything. At most, I took maybe three in a day. I thought addicts took lots and lots of pills! So when I was given the alcohol and drug addiction screening, I was certain I wouldn’t meet any criteria for alcoholic, and most definitely not for drug addict. Well, I got one heck of a case of the “Yeah buts…” in a hurry when the therapist said, after scoring my test, “Connie – you’re an alcoholic and a drug addict.” As she talked to me about the items that indicated addiction on the test, every one of my responses to her started with, “Yeah, but…” For example, “Yeah, but I could have answered that question either way.” “Yeah, but I don’t drink nearly as much as most of the people I know, especially the people in my family.” “Yeah, but, drug addicts take a lot of pills throughout the day.” “Yeah, but I was able to take care of my kids and work and go to school.” “Yeah, but I’ve never been in trouble with the law.” When I had exhausted all the “Yeah, buts” I could think of, imagine or create, I got quiet and let it sink in. I am an addict. And then I felt it. Relief. It made sense. What made sense to me about my being an addict is understanding, for the first time, the reasons I continued to do things that went against my own values. I started to understand the reasons I did things I said I would never do. It began to make sense that things I promised I would stop doing seemed impossible to stop doing. I am an addict. I have a disease that “hijacks” the brain. When I am in active addiction of any kind: the disease of addiction that affects my brain doesn’t allow me to listen to reason but stays locked in denial mode the disease of addiction that affects my emotions keeps me in a protective mode so I defend myself by blaming other people and things for my behavior the disease of addiction that affects my spiritual self says, “do what feels good in the moment” and hides the part of me that says, “what I value is good and decent” the disease of addiction that affects my social self, brings out the loud, obnoxious, hurtful voice I am capable of using the disease of obesity that affects my physical being takes dangerous risks, eats poorly, doesn’t exercise and doesn’t care Accepting the truth that I am an addict was a relief. NOT AN EXCUSE. I understood my poor choices better. It made sense that it was so difficult for me to follow through with the convictions I made to myself and the promises I made to others. I began to understand why my behaviors went against the person I wanted to be. Addiction is a brain sickness and a soul sickness. And a protector. All at the same time. Food, alcohol, shopping, pain medication, and other things I engaged in addictively protected me from my feelings. That is what I wanted most of all. To not feel. I didn’t want to feel the reality of my sadness, my anger, my pain and my shame. The trade-off for not feeling was to use addictive substances/behaviors and betray myself by doing things I was embarrassed about, ashamed of, and seemingly unable to control. Being an addict was in no way an excuse for the behaviors I engaged in. It’s very uncool to use being an addict as a way to avoid taking responsibility. “I danced with the boss’s husband at the holiday party. What can say – I was drunk.” NOT COOL. “I told her off but she had it coming and besides – I was drunk and couldn’t keep my mouth shut.” NOT COOL. For food addicts, it is similarly bogus to make excuses for overeating because the kids were acting up, you were late for work and got yelled at, your mother was sick, or your spouse ticked you off. Each one of us is 100% responsible for our behavior – even if we have addictions. If we have an addiction, once we realize that truth, we are responsible for getting help and learning healthy ways to deal whatever life brings us. We are responsible for learning to deal with our feelings in appropriate ways. We are responsible for learning to work through losses, past abuse or neglect, present hardships, frustrations with family and friends, and all of life’s realities. Without the use of addictive chemicals or actions. The addictive substance or behavior, whatever it is, isn’t the problem. Sure, alcohol is a problem for alcoholics. Certain foods are problems for food addicts. Shopping is a problem for shopaholics. But those are only the surface problems. Addictive substances and behaviors are symptoms of the real problems, which are almost always rooted in shame: “I’m not good enough.” That shame stems from many possible places. To treat addictions, we must first remove the substance or behavior. No, one cannot eliminate food from their life. But they can eliminate the food(s) that cause them problems. Once we are free of chemicals or the addictive behaviors, we can work on the real problems and choose who we want to be. When we don’t “use,” our actions can reflect our values. “Connie – you’re an addict.” WHAT A RELIEF! I understood why I couldn’t STOP doing things I didn’t really want to do. I finally knew there was hope. I knew I could learn to live life in healthy ways and according to my values. But I first had to be willing to live without the addictive chemicals and behaviors. So I needed help. I couldn’t do it alone. And I didn’t have to. Together, we can support one another into a life of RECOVERY. What a relief!

Make sure you do your research before going to Mexico for surgery I ended up going to Mexico Bariatric Surgery Center in Mexico what a huge mistake first of all I can say Mexico is not the cleanest it when it comes to being sterile and following protocol for safety measures my Iv fell out and was dragged on the floor the nurse that wanted to reinsert the needle back into my arm. They have a little Tin Cup to keep alcohol and cotton balls together. the tin cup had people's blood on the rim. the showers had bloody bandages clearly not clean. Never once did they change their gloves from Patient to Patient. To top this off I had my surgery they removed 95% of my stomach which here in the States that is not recommended. I returned back here in Michigan and I knew something was not right I decided to go into the hospital to get checked out they lacerated my spleen I was lucky to be alive I immediately contacted Mexico bariatric center they told me that my diagnosis was incorrect that I would have died there basically saying that a CT scan was wrong I tried to contact them raising matters that needed to be corrected for safety purposes they seem to not really care I thought I did my research and it was pretty thorough at what I was looking at boy was I wrong nearly costed me my life!

I have not been in your position with the pain but I have been depressed in the past and I can feel your struggle in your words. I would for sure get a new therapist if they are not listening to you and realizing that you need help and not telling you to just deal with things. As far as the weight gain, the lack of exercise usually isn't the biggest cause. Some people can lose without any exercise at all. I totally understand your frustration to have your options so limited but you can only control so much. You are doing the best you can. I would look at your calories and you'll probably have to lower them to get the weight to come back off again. Alcohol is usually pretty high in calories, so it might be the main culprit. So for motivations sake, quitting the alcohol might make the weight gain stop and then when you feel better in control of your life you can make more diet changes and then lose the weight too. Sometimes just having something that you can control when everything else feels so out of control helps ground you and give you the mental stability to deal with things. So controlling your diet and calories could be a good start. I wish you the very best though and take care!

No, it's not something you can "avoid", but if you are "cheating" on your pre-op, that's not "surviving"...that's cheating. You are not going to die from an all liquid pre-op diet. If you feel like you are dying, drink MORE. I kindof understand the mentality of your DH. He figures if you cheat now, you'll cheat after. One slide and off the wagon you will go (like an alcoholic is prone to do). Thank goodness the band is NOT like that. With a whole lot less will power than you've had to try to drum up in the past, you will be able to control yourself after banding....MUCH MUCH easier. I think that is the beauty of it!

I'm not young, so I don't belong here, and I promise to get out. Just a thought. There are bandsters who switch "additions" from food to alcohol, and end up in major trouble. Also bandsters who lose their hair because of getting empty calories and not enough protein. Just a thought.

I wasn't given any restrictions but I restricted myself while I was on Vicodin. If you're on pain meds and you drive, you're driving while under the influence and can get in serious trouble. It's just like alcohol. So if you're off meds, you should be fine.

Can someone bring you some protein based snacks that don't require refrigeration, I'm thinking like beef jerky, nuts, protein chips, protein bars or shakes and they can wipe the packaging down with alcohol to prevent contamination before it goes in your room and then you can keep them in your room? I've never seen a hospital that doesn't allow a person to bring in food or snacks that isn't on a special diet. You might have to get firm with them that you need the added protein

Hey y'all. I'm a new member and this is my first time posting here. It's been an incredibly long time since I talked to ANYONE who has had RNY, and I'm just trying to reach out and find others who maybe understand what I've been/am going through. I had my surgery when I was WAY too young. I was 23, and totally confused being healthy with being thin. About a year and a half into it I had lost about 150 pounds, but became severely depressed. Then that thing none of us thinks is going to happen to us happened to me--my mysterious food addiction transferred to opiates, then to alcohol, then to alcohol AND opiates, and unfortunately I made it all the way to meth, where I stayed for way too long. I've been clean for a little over 2 years, and I'm actually making positive moves in my life, but I feel very unhealthy and not as happy as I wish I was. I've also become addicted to sugar, ugh... ANYWAY. I should probably save anything more for the "Journeys" forum, just wanted to throw a line out there and see if anyone else has experienced something similar to this? Or if maybe there is an addiction transfer forum/post someone can direct me to? I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks for reading. Have a good one <3