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My husband and I just booked a 2 week vacation in the Mexican Riviera (long, long overdue!) at a wonderful all-inclusive resort. We're traveling in January 2013 and I will no doubt be challenged with the buffets, a la carte dinners, alcohol, smoothies, etc. However I think my husband will have a great time, we will take part in many physical activities, tours, snorkeling, diving, etc. The food and drink are not important to me. The sun, beach and relaxation are! I will ABSOLUTELY not get my money's worth in food and drink. Nor will my husband be able to make up for my small portions, by eating more himself (he's losing weight also, on a low-carb diet). And I don't care in the least! We will enjoy the resort amenities, the atmosphere, weather and other guests. We'll enjoy what we do eat and drink, and I will get my money's worth of relaxation, recharging my batteries and enjoying my slimmer body. We go out to restaurants now and usually order an appetizer for me and an entree for him (sometimes I just eat a bit of his entree). We've been to a few buffets and it just doesn't make sense to spend the money anymore. I don't miss the buffets at all. At least in an all-inclusive, I can treat the buffet as if it was an a la carte restaurant and just build my own small plate, as if I had ordered it like that on my own. It's already paid for, so less of a feeling of wasted money! Hopefully I'll be down another 30-35 lbs by then (in ONDERLAND for the first time in 25 years!) and be able to do activities I've always wanted to, but never could (zip-lining, horseback riding, para-sailing, diving, etc.)

food addiction is VERY real. In my opinion, it's the hardest addiction there is to break too. For instance, I am an ex smoker. I smoked for almost 20 years. When I quit smoking 18 months ago, I knew I couldn't have a single puff again or I'd be smoking a pack a day again. Cigarettes were 100% off limits forever. It wasn't easy, but I quit. However, I am also a food addict. I need food to live so I can't just walk away from it. So here I am, a recovering food addict staring down the face of my addiction multiple times every day of my life. Really, think about it!! Do people take an alcoholic and say "you must drink 3 beers a day, but no more! No don't cheat! Where's your willpower?" NO!! Yet, that is EXACTLY what they expect of us food addicts. It is just brutal. As far as the band, it is amazing tool, but sadly it won't fix our brains. That addiction is still there. I've lost a lot of weight in a relatively short amount of time and I still battle against my own brain daily. That desire to binge, to graze, to seek comfort food... is still very much there. Learning to tame my food addiction can only come from me. The band can't and won't help you with that. The best advice I can give you is to seek counseling for your food addiction along with the Lap Band. I really think it will make the journey a lot more manageable for you and give you a much higher chance of success with the band. Best wishes to you! Remember, you're definitely not alone.

Thanks for your message! Yes, you say it perfectly...unlike drugs/alcohol, we need food to LIVE, so it's always going to be there, always going to be around. It is completely up to me to know when to stop...it's just so easy sometimes to put it off until tomorrow...which is why I'm as unhealthy as I am. Good luck with your recovery and with the rest of your journey! I hope that everything works out great for you

Thank you for taking the time to respond. My intention of my post was to not blame ANYONE other than myself...I know that *I* am the one making the choices to put bad things in to my body. *I* am the one choosing to stop at Arby's (that was used as an illustration, an example so to speak). My point was, that MOST of the time I make the BEST choices...I eat great...but it's those FEW times that I make such BAD mistakes, make such BAD food choices that completely cancel out ALL of my good choices. Because when I make bad choices I make really, really bad choices. There is no one to blame but myself and I'm not attempting to put blame on anyone but myself. The point to my post was to just point out that for ME, i sometimes feel that I'm like a drug addict or alcoholic in the sense that I can't STOP. In addition to that I AM frustrated that my insurance doesn't cover any sort of food counseling services or bariatric procedures.....it will not stop me from moving forward because I'm lucky in the fact that my Husband's insurance DOES cover it and he can add me to his policy...but so many people aren't lucky like me to have that option. And, until someone has walked a day in someone else's shoes they can't imagine just how tough things can be sometimes Again, I appreciate you so much for taking the time to respond and I wish you all of the success in the world in your weight loss journey!

I’m really thinking about doing the lap band again. I had signed up a few years ago, then became pregnant so that stopped my Quest. My Husband’s open enrollment is coming up and I’m pretty sure I will have him add me again. My insurance doesn’t cover ANY bariatric surgery, weight loss programs, etc. Not that I feel ‘entitled’ to everything, but it does amaze me that my insurance SPECIFICALLY says they don’t cover bariatric surgeries, weight loss programs, etc. but that they DO cover dependency programs (drugs, alcohol, etc). Ummmmm, food IS my DEPENDENCY!!!! It has caused me to have high blood pressure, borderline diabetes and who knows how many other health issues!!! I guess people that don’t have an eating problem have a hard time seeing that I can’t just STOP eating, that I can’t just STOP making stupid food choices (fried foods, heavy carbs, sweets, etc) but I truly can’t! I mean, do those ‘people’ that think it’s easy to just drop 100 pounds by stepping away from fattening foods think I LIKE shopping in plus-sized stores? Do they think I LIKE only being able to find 60-year old woman shirts instead of cute, trendy shirts? Ummm no. If I could lose the weight I would. I’ve tried. I just don’t have the willpower. I don’t think that the lapband will solve my problems over night. I have heard countless times that it is 10% band and 90% person. Well I have 90% in me…it’s that 10% that I’m missing. Most of the time I WANT to eat better. Most of the time I WANT to make better choices, it’s just that every once in awhile I screw up SO badly (Chinese buffets, candy, over eating, etc) that totally messes up and cancels everything GOOD that I’ve chosen to do. I’ve never seen a person (me) take SO long to lose 10 pounds, but go off the deep end for a few days and gain it ALL back, plus 5. I truly feel like a drug addict at times with my out of control eating. I know what I should eat….I can be headed to the store to buy something ‘normal’ and then I pass Arby’s and can’t resist pulling in to their drive thru. As I’m pulling in I will tell myself I will only get something small, a simple cold cut sandwich. As I pull up to the menu I see all of the delicious food, so instead of a cold cut sandwich with no mayo, I decide to get a grilled chicken sandwich, but at the last minute I change it to a crispy chicken sandwich with cheese AND ranch dressing, but I will not order crisscut fries…until the sweet lady in the squack-box asks if I would like to make it a meal…and since I’m thirsty anyway I say “yes please”…because I mean, if I’m already getting the sandwich and drink the Crisscut’s are practically FREE anyway..but I WON’T eat them all…and then when she asks what kind of drink? I say Pepsi, because everyone (according to the news) knows that diet soda ‘causes’ Diabetes anyway, so I might as well drink the GOOD STUFF if I’m going to drink soda!!! I pull out of the drive thru and before I’m even on the road I’m chowing down on my fries. I drive to the closest park (so no one can watch Miss-fatty gorge herself) and eat every, last bite of everything in the bag. Being SURE to check for any lost fries that may be hiding underneath the napkins in the bottom of the bag. When I’m done I’m remorseful. I ask myself WHY I ate all of that and WHY I needed to even stop in the first place. I vow to NEVER do it again and to make better choices from this point forward….but somehow I can never keep my word to myself. …Now tell me how I’m NOT the SAME as a Meth addict? Or an alcoholic??? I don’t LIKE my kids laughing at my fat butt when I bend over in front of them. I don’t like NEVER being checked out when I go to a bar with my Husband. I don’t enjoy always being told how ‘nice’ I am and that I have such ‘pretty' eyes. I want to hear I’m BEAUTIFUL. I want to put on a pair of pants and not have to jump up and down to cram all of myself down inside of them. I want to slide those same pants on and not say a silent prayer that they will still button and zip. I want keep my legs crossed more than a few minutes without the circulation being cut off and causing leg pain. I want to walk in to a store and not be breathless. I want to chase after my kids at the park instead of sitting on a bench waving at them when they ask me to play. I want to be healthy. Is that really too much to ask??? End of my rant….just had to get it off of my chest. If you’ve made it this far, thanks!

Some drugstores sell adhesive remover. If you can't find it your doctor may have some. It comes in the little packs like the alcohol pads.

I used rubbing alcohol and it came right off. Be mindful not to rub it directly on your incisions.

My doc said no alcohol at all! I didn't really drink before surgery but now since getting banded 3/28/12 i haven't had a sip.

Im 7 months out and have been cleared to have an adult beverage. What are some good options that wont bother my stomach and not alot of calories?? I know to stay away from carbonation. Any ideas??

We sabotage ourselves for a lot of reasons, and at different times. Two things seem to be a theme for me. One is my fear of deprivation. I'm the well-educated child of well-educated, middle-class parents, so I've never been deprived of food, but since I've been deprived of a lot of other important stuff (like personal safety), food has always been my comfort. Another thing that can hold us back is that the physical weight loss journey goes a lot faster than the mental one. When I had lost 50 lbs, I felt like I had to pause, rest, take a few deep breaths, and gather up the strength and resolve to go on. The 50 lbs was a little more than half of my excess weight, but it was so disconcerting, so out of synch with my beliefs about myself, that it could have been 500 lbs. I don't think there's anything wrong with taking a short weight loss vacation, but I've seen a lot of very successful bandsters lose their way for years after a vacation that feature candy, Cookies, alcohol, etc. Thanks for your honesty in posting this. It reminded me of how far I've come, and also of how helpful counseling has been for me, especially after WLS.

I started my wls journey in June. Completed everything the end of August. Then the wait began. I did awesome in Sept----quit alcohol, started eating only 1 meal a day, had a positive attitude---lost 15 lbs and felt like I could conquer the world with my new vsg sleeve. My stupid insurance didn't approve me till Oct 23---yesterday. Well, being the flawed human I am, I lost it the end of Sept with all the stress of waiting and started back to my old bad habits---eating everything and anything, drinking alcohol, etc. Now I'm up 12 of those 15 lbs lost, so embarrassed of my self and the wls place gave me a choice of surgery dates. I was hoping for a few weeks to get mentally/physically prepared. Not going to happen. They have a date of Nov 6 available with the pre-op appt on Nov 1. That's next week. If I don't take it, (I booked it but am sorry I did), I will have to wait till the beginning of Dec. I feel like it would be better for me mentally to wait the extra month---my dh thinks I'm just making excuses and thinks I should go ahead with it. I really could use your input and throughs. Am I just making excuses, putting it off and being afraid??? I would value your opinion and thoughts a lot.

I'm a newbie, and my surgeon also recommends obstaining from alcohol for a year, mostly due to carb. intake=cravings and slows weight loss. (Same for complex carbs. like pasta, crackers Nut. said from MY HISTORY with weight gain and loss-carbs create overwhelming cravings for more. Although a lot of the stomach that produces the harmone is removed, the rest of the stomach could still, for SOME PEOPLE, create carb. cravings!) once I'm down in the 100's again, I may revisit this recommendation. (I could do a few sips if a good, ice cold vodka, if I HAD to-lol!)

thank you all so very much for your kind words and words of encouragement. To Lozjacko, yes in some way maybe he did do me a favor in leaving me with him being an alcoholic. I had gotten to the point of not handling it very well emotionally. The late nights of his drinking, not knowing whether he would come home at all or whether he had had an accident and was dead, the worrying so yes, it is a relief. The hardest part for me, well, we were high school sweethearts and I still love that person, but he isn't that person any longer, he's changed. If only I could go back about 8 yrs...I came across my video camera today that had a video of Christmas '08, our last Christmas together, happier times, we were laughing, extended family was in it, it was a good trip down memory lane but sad. I pray every night that he seek help in the Lord and come to his senses that he realizes he needs help with his drinking. Such a waste. He's college educated, had a very important corporate job that he lost, its just sad. Now is the time for me. Me to get healthy and instead of getting my big girl panties on as they say, I'm gona get my skinny girl panties on someday...ha Here's to ya'll.

The doctor i go to states 6 months from being banded with both alcohol and carbination. But every dr. Is different

Good! I'd be interested to hear whats going on with bob. My sister had bypass yrs ago when they ripped you from stem to stern. She lost about as much as you, but the last couple yrs she's put a lot back on. She has a head problem, switch food for alcohol. She wants LBS, but my Dr won't do it. Not b/c its not safe, but b/c of head issues. Good luck!

I officially start pre-op diet on 10/30 but I decided to start tomorrow and get off this last meal roller coaster. Then I started thinking... Halloween no candy, No alcohol. Dinner with friends - nope, Moms 70th birthday party, holiday parties - will still be on puréed foods... Just trying to think ahead and plan for challenges. I keep telling myself it is a new way of living and the liquid diet is temporary. I'm hoping that by my Vegas trip in mid-January it will all be worth it when I fit comfortably in the airline seat!

Does anyone have a glass of wine or a drink on a daily basis?

I was told by my Dietitian that while losing weight rapidly your liver is working harder. So when you drink during rapid weight loss you are giving you liver something else to process so it isn't ideal. Which is the primary reason they say no alcohol for a full year, since that is when you are losing the most rapidly. Just a helpful tip to think about.

I took them in hospital and then quit after a discussion with the doc. I didn't like the heprin/coumadin risks, but for some its vital so do what your doc says, but feel free to question. It shouldn't be routine..it should be patient based. That said, I gave myself those types of shots (hormones and meds) for three years while trying to have or carry a successful pregnancy. A great deal of your problem (and any normal human) is that it's counterintuitive to stick a needle in your body...so you have to get over the mental game. I myself had to do it alone, no one could talk to me, look at me, bother me, etc. Total silence. Like a tummy poking ninja stealth.... A tip to avoid pain and bruising (which should not happen with each shot). The best thing to do is to ice the area by holding an ice cube on your shot location for a min or two, then quickly wipe with the alcohol swab and inject quickly into the location. (Have your shot all ready to go, alcohol pads open and on top of their container). Additionally if you pinch about an inch worth of skin and fat up and then do the icing and injection, pinching firmly but not hard, you will find it goes easier. If you find the ice a pain, just do the pinch. By the time you are done with the shots you will be an expert. The ice helps with the med stinging and can reduce bruising if you are hitting a blood vessel (there is nothing dangerous to hit in the fat so don't let that freak you out). You can also bruise by going in too slow. See....I got nothing out of the baby attempts, but it did make me an expert on gut shots so there's a silver lining out there right? heh heh

That can be tricky cause often you need to eat a lil something before indulging which we often can't because we get full as someone else said first time I drank wine went straight to the tummy and it burned a little. I felt little sick. Seems like I got tipsy quick just after one glass. I would drink really slow and perhaps eat a very very small meal first. Alcohol can be difficult for that reason cause most people have to et first and we can't eat much once we get restriction. I would play it by ear

Check with your doctor, of course. What I can tell you is I drink wine every night, i log it in myfitnesspal so the calories are counted. Alcohol does relax the band and makes you hungry, hence the reason some docs say no alcohol (my opinion). My doctor did not have any restrictions regarding it. Honestly I think I had a glass of wine the day after surgery and no I'm not an alcoholic. Anyway, that's my experience with it.

There's nothing in my instruction binder on alcohol. I waited about 3 mths before I had wine tho - and that first glass made me tipsy! Now I drink about 3-4 glasses a week and I'm fine. I drink a beer occasionally too - I know I'm not sposed to have carbnonation, but I do anyway! Marci

Has anyone been told how long to wait before consuming an alcoholic beverage.'low cal' of course! Wanted to celebrate my sisters new job!

I am now on the countdown- 7 weeks until surgery. I am so anxious and just want to start getting everything prepared and ready. What are some things I should be getting ready now? I have been asking the coordinator (whom I think is great) if I can get a pre and post op diet information and she keeps putting me off saying she will get it to me later. Should I be worried about this? I have a low BMI so I think I only have to pre-op diet for 3 days, but I am cutting out all alcohol, sweets and grains starting Nov. 1 (Surgery date Dec. 17 with Dr. Ponce De Leon). I cannot lose more than 6 pounds or I will be below my BMI for the surgery. Any help would be great. I think I would just feel more at ease if I could start planning now.

I've used body wraps for years. I just get a few a few times a year (they're expensive) but, I DO believe they help with the shape of my body. For example, before the first few wraps I got (that particular year, I got a package of 5), I did not have an hourglass shape to my body. After the wraps I had a more defined hourglass shape. At that time, I did at least 3 a month a part. If you continue to eat well, not overeat. Avoid alcohol.... drink water, I believe the shape or the "tightness" does stay. I just had one a couple of weeks ago. I look forward to having more in the next few months.