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I saw my NUT yesterday and it turns out I should eat more. I have lost 50 pounds and I am on the higher scale of weight loss. But still within the expected range of 2 to 5 pounds per week. Well, I told her I can only eat 1/4 cup. I have been cleared to have 4 meals per day rather then 3 and I should spend a full 30 minutes eating to stretch my pouch. I asked about a bunch questions about food choices. Her answer, within reason and being mindful that empty calories are not our friend, I was told, it's okay to have coffee and alcohol. She did mention absorption rates are faster with WLS. If I drink either too fast I'll have a jolt. Take it slowly at first to see how it goes. I was warned about alcohol being a danger for WLS patients as far as substituting one addition for another. Instead of food, alcohol. Her point was, we should have a happy relationship with food.

Double check what is in the shakes. See if there are sugar alcohols.

Hey Guess when did your weightloss plateau? I am 6 months out and struggling getting off my last 30 pounds. I eat super healthy, no alcohol, take my vitamins, drink my liquids and workout 5 days a week.

Looking good Chris!!!! My DGD is a flower girl for my DD's sister's (on her Dads side) the latter part of June. My DD was complaining about how much the dress was, and hers....many things I will help with, this is not one. When she got married, and her 3 half sisters were in the wedding, I ended up buying their dresses, because their father is still worthless. Now I understand this is not the fault of ANY of his kids---but the one who is having this HUGE blow out wedding, with the dinner, dance...the whole 9 yards, has been with the boyfriend for 5 years, they have 2 sons, fight like crazy, he has been arrested twice for domestic abuse, and has been hospitalized from an attempted suicide! I am just staying as far from it all as possible. She actually sent me an invitation, but with Rick recovering I will not be able to attend---doggone it! Poor girl had no upbringing, I feel for the kids. I may not be perfect, but I have common sense, and am not addicted to alcohol and drugs, so at least when the Dad flaked, my DD had me and my family and eventually Rick and his family. His last 4 kids, had, make that have, no one. He is divorced now from their Mom, who is so involved with the new man, she ignores and prefers them to be with their Dad, who is a raging alcoholic, living with another alcoholic. Wonderful way to raise 3 teen girls! A bunch of losers....sad to say! I really, truly am not saying this simply due to our history and divorce. It really is a sad and scary situation. Mandy--will Abi eat raisins? The ENT suggested them to me, for nutrition before I had my nose cauterized. Just make sure she brushes well after eating them. They are worse on teeth than a Hershey bar! And keep lots of hydrogen peroxide around, it will take the blood out of most anything. Without harming the colors, in say sheets or furniture. Is Abi out of school then for the year with all this going on? Poor sweetie!!! Been keeping busy getting things together for our trip this weekend, and also for the big Anniverasary party coming up. Ordered several things online. Looking to buy several more! $$$$$ this is NOT cheap! When we did Ricks folks 60th anniversary there were 4 siblings, all sharing in the cost, if not the work, one sister and I did it all!!! But in my family, I am it. My brother is unable to contribute, he will be helpful in getting the yard work ready, and other than that, this is my baby! But I have to do something 50 years is such a special accomplishment! Wish me luck!!! Beannie, must not be getting her phantom signal at night---I miss her! And Darcy is hiding out in that new cabin pretending to rough it---but we saw the "cabin" and it is amazing!!!! I might be guilty of hiding out there too!!! I am so lazy today---I am still in my jammie pants----it is rainy, and was so cold this morning---I just refuse to go outside!!! The place we are supposed to be going this weekend is in the mountains, and is known to be cold at night---but in the paper this morning, the state wide weather forcast shows their low tonight to be 28. And Rick expects us to camp out????? We may have to have a change of plans!!! I'm just not that brave! Well my granddaughter is awake, and investigating the fact that Granny has a new computer---she has pronounced it COOL. But I am likely to lose everything if she keeps messing around, so will quit and post it now!!! Take care everyone!!! Kat

I am not sure if this is true, but I read somewhere that it takes eight weeks to break a habit. So if sugary things can be avoided for that time it might help people break the habit of eating sweet things. However I know that it is easier said than done. I feel sugar cravings are on a par with alcoholism and we have to give sugar up completely. It is a terrible ordeal but it has to be done. I have given up sweets etc since I was banded on June 21st 2007 and now I am scared to taste any at all. I feel that if I have just one sweet or chocolate I will not be able to stop and I do not want that. I am getting good though. About this time of the year we have very large tins of sweets and choclates being sold very cheaply in the supermarkets. I bought two of these tins for my co-workers and did not have any myself and now my husband has won another tin of sweets and they will go to my co-workers as well. They all eats loads of sweets etc and none of them are overweight. I know I sound like a "goody two shoes" and to be honest I do feel quite pleased with myself, but on the other hand I could fall off the wagon at any time and then I will feel a fool boasting about it. I musn't get too smug. Sorry about this being long

I would sit down with this man and have a long talk. Why is he sabotaging you? If he just wants some pie, fine, he can keep it in the car and eat it when you are not around. Sugar is my downfall too, and my husband came home with ice cream and candy right after I was banded. I yelled and he either threw it out or hid it somewhere, which is fine with me. He does have this passive-aggressive thing going too, which means he frequently reminds me of what he is giving up for me, but I can't let that get to me. I just smile sweetly and tell him that marriage is always a sacrifice for both people. A lot of us have enabling spouses just like alcoholics, who pretend to be treating us with things we love (booze or sugar), while they really have another agenda entirely.

The situations i keep running into is having an alcoholic beverage! Im doing great on my diet not very hungry at all just resisting the holiday party is whats hard for me!

@@ML573663, You’re getting some good news on this thread. Yes, it is possible to lose over 100 pounds your first year after getting the sleeve! It does not happen to everyone, but it can happen to you if things fall into place. First, you need surgery to go well. You can get a good start by choosing a good surgeon and by following all of the pre-op instructions you are given and losing whatever weight you can before surgery. That helps surgery be safer, so you have a lower chance of complications, and it helps you have fewer side effects, so you can get focused on losing weight after surgery as soon as possible. The main factor in how much you lose in the first year is…you. You will lose a lot more if you follow all your post-op diet instructions as you progress to the solid foods diet. If you rush the liquid and pureed stages or you do not get enough Protein or fluids, you’re more likely to have complications or to have trouble transitioning to solid foods. After you get to solid foods, you can lose a lot more if you follow the diet instructions, including what to eat and how much to eat. You can also help yourself out by exercising. If you are one of those patients who is just itching to “progress” back to whatever got you into trouble in the first place, such as drinking alcohol or eating brownies or wings, you will probably not lose weight as fast. Good luck!

Hey, whats up, i am a student at university of ottawa in canada. I'm 3 weeks out of surgery. Going into 3rd year next year, I know how you feel, about the eating in public thing....i think that as fat people, we think that people are watching everything we eat. I know that i always look at what others eat and i judge people, (i feel like an asshole) Anyways, yeah, i always thought if i would eat well, but then if somebody would see me eat some junk food they would snark and be like, no wonder he's fat...whatever, i think it might be true to some degree, but on my 10 day pre-op diet i thought for sure i'll have to become a lie master (not sure about telling my friends yet). But guess what...not 1 time did anyone ask about my eating changes. I guess people don't really put it high on their list of important things to know, lol its silly now that i think of it, but it's not because i REALLY thought it would be a big issue. I am having mixed feelings about the alcohol, i am for sure not drinking beer anymore, 1. It has a LOT of extra crap, carbs calories....2. Carbonation, not good for the band. I might be tempted to have a low carbonation beer in the summer one day, something like a corona or something, but it will be in a long time. 3. Hard liquor is probably the best bet for drinking, although alcohol still has calories, the more alcohol dense, the better. 4. there is the issue of casual drinking and getting shitfaced...if thats the plan, might not be too good, throwing up is bad for the band, slippage is not fun. I think it's going to be weird not drinking, but my health is more important, plus alcohol is not that great for you in big quantities. (low doses have proven beneficial health effects) But drinking too much...no. So yeah, Hope it helps you somewhat. if you have a questions send me a private message or post on this thread or something. Good luck

This is going to be long so if you don’t care about the story part, skip to the bottom for the numbers. I never thought I would be here, post-op from WLS surgery, especially a surgery that removed most of my stomach but here I am, and I am thrilled to be here. I grew up in a healthy, athletic family, really athletic, at the Professional level. We had healthy food and some not so healthy comfort food, but always real food in the house. I was always athletic, but slightly overweight growing up. Then in college, I started to yo-yo. My weight would change between 20 and 40 pounds. Then I had a baby, BOOM. I gained 70 pounds with the pregnancy and never lost it. I started working with Tech Startups in the dot com era and we had all the perks. Free food, free alcohol, all day every day. I moved up the ladder and with all the five star hotels came high calorie free meals. Extensive business travel meant eating out 5-6 days a week 3 times a day. On the days at home the eating out continued because I was so exhausted from the work week. I was healthy with low to normal blood pressure and not diabetic most of this time. I was a healthy fat person for a long time until I wasn’t. I was active. I exercised, I could walk circles around even my thin friends in a mall. Then 10 years ago, diabetes. It was easily managed with pills and diet, so it didn’t create drastic changes. I never took it very seriously because I was never really extreme in my high sugars. Then about 4 years ago it seemed like things took a turn, I could never lose more than 20 or 30 pounds. My ability to exercise and be active seemed to diminish. Carrying all that weight was finally catching up to me and my body was breaking down and suffering. Then last year, high blood pressure came. After taking high blood pressure meds for 2 weeks that made me sleepy and made it almost impossible to run my business. I decided to have WLS. I had researched and looked at WLS for years. I read WLS forums and talked to people, but always talked myself out of it. I finally decided that even if I died on the table that was better than dying slowly. So I knew I was ready. I went through the process very quickly. Almost not trusting myself to drag it out and I felt a real necessity to get the weight off quickly. I went from my first visit with the surgeon to surgery in 8 weeks. BCBSIL was wonderful and the whole process was fast and easy for insurance approval. Another deciding factor that WLS would work for me, was because the post-op diet was something I was already familiar with. Low carbing? Sign me up. I had been an avid low carber off and on with varying levels of success for years. I realize now that the reason I was never successful was I gave up in stalls, but with the sleeve there is no giving up during a stall. I have always enjoyed low carbing because for me it makes my mind sharper, it is like doing coke or Adderall (no, I have never done either but I have been told the experience in great detail multiple times from multiple people). I have never viewed it as a punishment but a perk. My issue prior to surgery has always been portion control. I skipped meals, focused on work and then would be ravenously hungry, and consume a whole days plus worth of calories all at once, or maybe in 2 meals. Even low carbing and eating healthy I would eat huge amounts. A 12 to 16 ounce ribeye is 900-1300 calories. I was lucky to have an uneventful, rapid and easy recovery. I had very little pain, went back to work as soon as I came home (I work for myself), and stopped taking the pain meds within 36 hours of surgery. I met my Protein goals after the 2nd day. I eat all of the foods I enjoy, just in small quantities. I was lucky in the sense I never ate or liked a lot of the things that people have issues with giving up post-op. So I don’t have issues with avoiding them. I gave up sugar years ago to try and control my diabetes. I gave up alcohol for the same reason. I was already years out from either of these things when I had surgery so I didn’t have to give them up post-op. Okay that is by backstory and how I got to the point surgery and why I felt it would work for me. This is where I am now. Numbers The weight I have on here is the weight when I first went to the Dr. It is not my actual highest weight. HW 377 SW 358 CW 231 Total weight lost 146, 134 since first surgeon visit, and 127 since surgery. Inches lost Measurements in Inches Bust (fullest part of bust): 20 Pecs (just above the bust line): 15 Ribs (top of rib cage just below the bust) : 21 Waist: 25.5 Abdomen: 22 Hips: 17 Right Upper Thigh: 8.5 Right Lower Thigh: 9.5 Left Upper Thigh: 8 Left Lower Thigh: 10.5 Right Calf: 2 Left Calf: 2.25 Right Upper Arm: 6 Left Upper Arm: 5.5 Total 172.75 I wore a tight size US Womens size 28 plus and a comfortable size US Womens size 30 plus. Now I wear a Misses 14/16 I am almost to a 12. I have boundless energy to match my personality. I am so active in my everyday life in big and small ways. I don’t hurt all over anymore at the end of the day like I did before. I thought that was natural, because I had been so heavy for so long, I didn’t think there was a different way to feel, I thought that was norm. Now I know the difference. I feel like I have taken 20 years off my age. So that is my story, if you read it all, thanks. I hope it can help someone. Obviously I am still not done. I need to lose at least another 50 pounds and once I get there I am going to evaluate and see if I want to lose another 20 or 30. I never thought that would be an option, to get my weight that low, but I think now it is a possibility.

Kimr, yes I did cave and have some carbs. I'm hoping that getting back on track with upping my protein will take care of it. No alcohol for me though, I gave that and cigs up in 93...just too much partying and I decided to change my lifestyle and gave it up. Strangely I didn't gain any weight, I stayed about 135 for years then in my mid 40's I began to pack on the pounds... I'm not going to freak out yet even though I gained 2lbs, I'll just keep plugging along and hope things go back to normal. Whatever that is. :-)

Most CLIF bars aren't that suitable for us as they are targeted to a different audience. My nephew, who is an RD in training, uses them sometimes before workouts as their nutritional profile of protein, carbohydrates and fat fits that use, but isn't ideal for keeping calories low as we need. The Quest bars are pretty good as they are low in sugar, and what carbohydrates they have are mostly fiber, which we tend to need post-op. Pure Protein bars are similar in numbers, though with less fiber and more dependence upon sugar alcohols, which some people have problems with (and others don't). Generally, I don't use the bars much except when convenience is needed (I keep a couple in the car and in my gym bag if I need something when I'm out and about) as there are better choices of real food when at home. But as a convenience food, they aren't all that bad, and early out we often have to compromise on ideals to get in what we need.

Ok, so please note, I do not advocate drinking alcohol after WLS. Bad things happen to good bari peeps, mmmmkay? Having said that, if you have a lot of stress in your life, this whacked crash diet from the 70's Vogue, sounds compelling on the surface! bahahaha!

Of course, I'm not advocating you drink alcohol after WLS...

I applaud your honesty :thumbup:Emotional eating is HUGE for me too. I wish there was a cure for it, but unfortunately it is a demon I have to face myself. I think acknowledgement is HALF the battle, so kudo's to you for at least spotting it! I make phone calls and talk to people when I get upset now. Kind of like an alcoholic would do if stressed out and really wanting to drink. I call my "SPONSER" (lol) and talk about it.. get it out.. without choosing junk food to ease my pain. WE CAN BEAT this....

Hi Trish Olson, Thanks for your feed back, I am not much of a drinker, but I do have wine once in a while. Some of the postings I've read show that some go through many psychological changes and may develop dependencies, such as the over use of alcohol and behavior changes like maybe becoming compulsive shoppers and over spending. I believe it is very critical to make sure that if one has any underlying issues that may cause overeating and a sense of comfort derived from food that lead to binge eating - it is critical pre-surgery to seek that help beforehand find out what is going on that may be causing it, Because of my choice to seek surgery and realizing my bad emotional eating habits, I chose to see a psychologist so that I can sort through my emotions now. I'm finding that some of it is coming from traumatic events experienced in my early child hood, but the great thing is that I am addressing it and facing my demons head on. I truly want to change my life with regard to my weight, but also to have a complete transformation in the areas of mental and spiritual health.

How soon after surgery did you start drinking wine? I miss my occasional glass but I'm fearful of the effects. I had my first glass of wine about 5.5 months post-op. And thereafter I started drinking wine pretty regularly -- maybe 4-5 nights a week, but only 4 ounces. I'm on maintenance now and drink a glass of wine (4-6 ounces) OR one shot of single malt scotch (not both!) about 5 nights a week. I drink it extremely slowly and truly savor it. I'm truly a social drinker -- don't binge drink in any way. And then sometimes I just get bored with it or out of the habit and don't drink for a month or two. But I will definitely say that wine / alcohol affects me a little more than it did pre-op. Everything they say about alcohol's effects on WLS patients seems to be true for me.

I just found this forum. This is what I need. I'm an RN and have been a Case Manager, for a small hospital, since last August. Prior to that worked ICU, Nursing Home, even owned and operated a Board and Lodging Home for 5 years. I had surgery in Mexico 11/2011. Lost 55# right away. Then started with alcohol slowly, then it turned to every night. My weight loss stalled, and gained 8# from March '12 to Feb'13. Have been dry since Feb4th. Lost 5# so far. Nice to fell normal again. I am so surprised that I had a problem with alcohol, esp. with my job and seeing the devastation that alcohol causes in peoples lives. I'm on the right track now, still get cravings but having no alcohol in the house sure helps. I hope I can help others and we help each other on this forum. Linda

I just volunteer to be the designated driver! I find that alcohol affects me more quickly now than when I was 63kg heavier and it's just not worth the risk of overeating due to lowered inhibitions, or to my driver's license. I still have a great time and I remember it all the next day!

I have been thinking about how I got to where I am now. How I got to be so unhealthy. I love food and food is a big part of socializing in American society. I was talking to a college friend of mine and they are big too. We came up with the following explanation. It doesn't fit EVERY situation but I think it is possible to sum it up for most bandsters. We are "Food Aholics" (FAs).We love food and like to socialize with others. The main difference between FAs and alcoholics and drug addicts is that you have to eat in order to live. We can't just abstain from alcohol or illicit substances. It's not possible for us to step away from our "drug" and continue to live life. We have made the conscious choice to make changes in ourselves and our lives by getting banded. We want to live our lives and be happier than we were. I think that some of us are "wired" for tastes of food. I love the taste of some foods. I love it so much that it goes to excess. That's how I got to where I am, I know it. I read a lot in the forums and my heart goes out to those that are chastised for getting the band or making choices that they are being judged for. I would advise that you focus on you and to hell with the nay-sayers. At the risk of sounding uneducated, "Haters gotta/gonna hate." There are some people that want you to stay bigger so they can feel better about themselves. You don't need those types of idiots in your life. If someone asks you how you are doing, and you told them about getting banded then educate them on how it works. The best remedy for ignorance is education. Good Luck!

Since 3 week stall broke about 5 days ago, I'm down 8. I'm happy again. But hunger is always there between meals now. It's hard but I need to keep pushing water in and avoid temptation to snack. I eat three meals and two protein shakes. Meals are high protein low carb. My carbs are under 20g now. Under 50g / day when I was stalled so I think I need really low carbs. Regarding alcohol, my docs/nut says to avoid it the first year. Im assuming there are a couple of reasons for that: 1) alcohol is liquid carbs/calories and 2) people tend to replace one addiction with another (i.e. food with alcohol). I've seen some YouTube sleeve blog videos where they stated that they definitely have slowing started drinking a lot more alcohol post sleeve. That being said I don't have an addictive personality and if I want to have a glass of wine or a marguerita on a special occasion, I will.

I've been lurking on this site for a month or so now, thinking of surgery in January after my insurance changes.....like a lot of posters on this topic, my biggest challenge is with powerful cravings that I can't seem to fight. I don't have out of control hunger, I'm not an emotional eater, and aim not a binge eater. I track my food, and can see patterns of these cravings ruining days/week long string of healthy eating. I'm worried surgery might be futile if the cravings are still with me.....or if they return 2+ years into maintenance. As a last ditch effort while I wait for January, I started taking naltrexone (which is used in the diet drug Contrave- I can't take Contrave because of the Wellbutrin in it, so my dose of Naltrexone is usual dose they use for alcoholism).......and it has been amazing. I don't crave sugar/fat *at all* and also kicked a diet soda habit. I lost 10lbs this month with the same diet minus the crap I used to eat to satisfy the cravings. I've never been a drinker but I do find it interesting to read that there is a link between WLS and alcohol abuse. It's only been a month, so I can't speak to long term results....but so far I am enjoying being free from those cravings.

Hi. My name is ms.sss and I am a human being. I drink alcohol, coffee and carbonated water almost daily. I eat deep fried foods, fatty foods, and desserts on the regular. I eat popcorn (smothered in butter and lots of salt). There were 4-5 straight days just after Christmas where my diet for the entire day(s) consisted of solely alcohol and pecan butter tarts, no joke! I smoke cigarettes and drive well above the speed limit. I smoked pot almost every weekend last summer. I have not filed my personal income taxes for the past 2 years. If I'm home, I eat lunch on the couch with laptop, and binge watch TV for hours on end. I haven't taken my vitamins/supplements in over year. I didn't brush my teeth before I went to bed last night. Sometimes (sometimes!) I worry that people will read what I post and get the wrong idea/message...like I'm eating too little, or too much, or just unhealthily. Or that I'm wholly irresponsible or going down the path the h*ll. Or, that someone with a different temperament than mine will do as I do and get unexpected results. But we are all adults here and we each can make decisions on our own lives without putting any onus on some stranger on the internet. In the end, I don't assume any responsibility for your actions, nor your reactions to mine. I will commiserate with you, make suggestions, share a joke, and offer up my own personal experiences. But what you do with your lives is on you*. * Clarification: You == the collective "You", NOT the OP nor anyone else on this thread specifically.

Congrats on your appointment Maureen! I'm 3 months post op & I don't think there's anything I can't eat. I haven't tried bread, other than low carb wraps & those are absolutely fine. Honesty I went into this thinking I was giving up like, idk all sorts of things. I really thought, I'd never be able to eat them again. And even 3 months out I'm realizing that's not going to be true for me. Nothing has made me sick. This has all been super smooth sailing for me. That said, it means it's really up to me to say NO to all sorts of things. If that makes any sense? Like I sorta thought if I ate sugar or something, I'd be horribly sick like many of the members of this site. I haven't tested sugar much, but I had a tablespoon or two of creme brûlée at one point, I was fine. I've had halo top a couple times, I was fine. So far, I've had chicken, steak, ground beef, turkey sausage. All has been absolutely fine. Oh pizza! I have had pizza since surgery. Probably 10 weeks post op? I had a serving about the size of a slice of bread & I was fine. Is it something I'm purposely eating on a regular basis, no. I was at a thing & that was what was served. I haven't had alcohol or soda since surgery. Neither of them means anything to me so it's no hardship on me not to have them. I drink a lot of coffee & my doctor is fine with it. I also use straws - he's fine with that as well. You'll find a lot of varying opinions about that here. All in all, I feel exactly the same as I did before - in a good way. I don't really feel like much has changed for me except my stomach is much smaller & I eat much less. It's still up to me to make smart choices, but it's MUCH easier for me to do that with a stomach this small.

I eat fairly simply. Never been a spicy food person so no loss there. The only carb I knowingly eat is rolled oats. I can eat fish, all meats, eggs & cheeses. My tastebuds still are not fond of many vegetables & fruit I used to love though. The only takeaway food i’ve tried is Chinese chicken & cashews (without the cashews). As I can only eat small amounts, I focus on protein and eat little or no vegetables or salad - three/four spoons of protein (half a sausage, a small lamb cutlet, small chicken leg) & a small cauliflower floret & i’m done. Takes me three days to eat two scrambled eggs. I eat slowly & mindfully. If i’m stressed (like worrying about what I can eat when dining out) my body shuts down & I can eat even less. (I’ve had to calm several concerned wait staff stressing everything tasted delicious & the reason i’ve barely touched my meal is just me.) I find it hard to get my fluids in each day. Alcohol is an occasional treat now - I can nurse a gin & tonic for hours. Tolerated my first glass of champagne last week. Yay! Only vomited food once. I just wish the gurgling would stop and the hair loss. Listen to your body. Find what works for you. Everyone’s experience is different. Yes, you will have to change your diet & find healthier foods to eat. But this is a new and better world. Enjoy!