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Hah just read the thread. Confused about the bribe for Secret Santa.. bribe so you can get her and buy her alcohol? And if all yer bringing is cottage cheese and blueberries.. I'm bringing my own food LOL!! I'm going to see how far it is to drive from here, I *HATE* flying.. Anyone else thinking of driving from the southern area? Would be nice to have a roadie in the car with me if I decide to drive! Isn't someone in Florida? (EDITED REALLY QUICKLY BEFORE SOMEONE NOTICED MY IDIOCY?!)

you forgot the alcohol for some ...

"I was so tempted by the chocolate covered cherry that is sitting on the counter, but when I was reaching for it, I thought of you, Michelle and I said.. Nope.. not gonna do it. So now I can thank YOU!:thumbup:" Voila! & that's how all this is *supposed* to work! Yay! You motivate me, I motivate you!! After 3 years we've finally figured it out! :tt2: "From here on out I'm going to be doing everything I can to try to get my weight down. Not only to look awesome in my wedding dress but we are going to start to try to conceive on our honeymoon so I want to be at a healthy weight..." How exciting, Haydee... oooh la la!! May I suggest you check out the Eat-Clean Diet program... that's what I'm looking into... right now I'm kinda Protein shake/Atkins-ish/fruits & veggie'ing it for a quick start. I picked up a mag about it @ Borders the other day... the "principles" are: * Eat 5 or 6 small meals every day. * Eat every 2-3 hours. * Combine lean protein & complex carbs @ every meal. * Consume adequate healthy fats each day. * Drink at least 8 cups of Water each day. * Never miss a meal, especially Breakfast. * Carry a cooler of foods to get you through the day. * Avoid all over-processed, refined foods, especially white flour & sugar. * Avoid chemicals, preservatives & artificial sugar. * Avoid saturated and trans fats. * Avoid sodas & juices (& margaritas, I think :thumbup:) * Consume adequate healthy fats each day. * Avoid alcohol (oh, here it is, drat!) * Avoid all calorie-dense foods that contain little or no nutritional value. * Depend on fresh fruits & veggies for Fiber, Vitamins, & enzymes. * Stick to proper portion sizes. Sounds reasonable... & pretty much what we're supposed to be doing as bandsters... Off to switch around the laundry... everyone have a great night!

@@Missbeauty16, Great idea to brainstorm for questions to ask! You might ask: -How do I contact you for an urgent question during office hours? How do I contact you for an urgent question during off hours? -What are your rules about caffeine/alcohol/certain foods (anything that you have concerns about in your post-op life)? -What are some of the most common mistakes you see your patients make? -Which support group will I be attending? -How will you help prepare me for maintenance as I approach goal weight? -What does the support system look like in terms of a nutritionist and psychologist or counselor?

It isn’t THAT much but it will be if I keep going like this. Have to put the brakes on now before it’s too late. A distal is where they take one part of a tube and stick it somewhere else... lengthening the limb so that there is more malabsorption. That’s kind of the idea haha. I’m planning on staying on the Saxenda till my surgery - it’s really holding me accountable especially with alcohol. I had a drink on it my first night and felt terribly ill - my guess is my blood sugar went very low. So, I’ve given up alcohol and I have to say it’s really hard! It’s been my go to, to destress. Doing a lot of deep breathing and positive self talk lol.

Hey Guys, Just checking in. Its exactly a week since I was banded and I feel pretty good. Ive pulled my bandaids off and my incisions are healing pretty well. Im getting a little over the liquid stage and have introduced a few creamy Soups (with a bit of watering down) so feel a bit better, cant wait to get onto muchies in another week though. I still havent started an excercise regime but promised myself Id start on Monday. Ive still lost 5.8 kilos (12.8 pounds) so far anyway but I imagine that a bit of that will come back on on the mushie stage. Is that usual? Last night I was a bit naughty, I had a spoonfull of my friends spagetti bolognaise and chewed, chewed, chewed to death. Felt fine juts very full. After our movie I had half a glass of red wine (I would have normally had half the bottle or more or beer which is what he had - killed me). Im not sure if we are allowed to have alcohol in the liquid stage, anyone know? I felt fine just a bit tipsy but I put that down to lack of food. (With my bowl of Soup and half a glass of red wine, he joked I was the cheapest date Id ever been - true ha ha) Anyway just wanted to check in to keep me on the right path. Lily x

Ok...guys...so I couldn't wait to get home to watch it... but I didn't get a chance to until saturday. ok...I saw it... that is crazy!!!!!!!!! 1 more definite reason for me not to think of bypass..... they bypassed the reason why they turned to eating and it transferred over to abusing alcohol.... that is nuts.... but made sense....... Skeleton's in the closet must come out first......hmmmm being honest with myself is why I know the band is better for me... loosing the weight isn't the hardest journey ....is once im there keeping it off is most terrifying...because i know my emotional eating and my selfless thinking of...1 day wont' hurt..or I already screwed up might as well start tomw again..and enjoy today...and so on... it was a great show!

"Let's get excited"? Sorry, that's just not me. I'm quite serene. I'm the calm in the eye of the storm. My wife is more worked up about this than I am. I didn't even sweat when I started teaching my daughter how to drive a few weeks ago. I saw the surgical coordinator today and we confirmed my June 5th date and arrival time. He told me that despite the paperwork I'd been given by the hospital's nutritionist, my doctor only requires a day and a half of liquid diet before the surgery, so I'll get to have a Sunday brunch as my food funeral. No alcohol though He hold me I can have a drink tonight if I want, but that's it. He made it clear that the doctor expects my post-op regimen to be two weeks of liquids, two weeks of puree and two weeks of soft foods. I'm prepared for that, I guess. As for vitamins, he gave me a few samples of Bariatric Fusion Pink Lemonade Stick Packs, then I ordered a box of 60 from Amazon when I got home. I'll also have to grind up my regular pills (Lipitor, etc.) and add the powder to that as well. If the taste is horrible I'll add half a stick of Wyler's Lemonade Singles to Go. I also learned that my doctor recommends being off work for 4 to 6 weeks after surgery. I'm glad I've got a very good disability policy through my company.

Guilty ! Lol that's me, just trying to get as much information as possible as I think of things. It's really not that big of a deal for me, I'm 99% of the time the DD and prefer to drink water because of the high calorie content of alcohol and it always puts me up a couple of pounds. The only time I would actually miss it would be on a vacation.

Honestly ( and I don't think this particularly applies to the OP's husband as he obviously has addiction issues himself), I wonder how so many of us can consider our problem with food an addiction type of problem, yet fail to recognize that part of any addiction recovery is the acknowledgement of how our addiction has damaged and hurt the quality of life of those we love. This can come in the form of not being able to do the things we enjoy to robbing the people we love of a person who was once fun and vivacious or at least not as obsessive about food nor living a lie of shame. I don't think it should surprise anyone, male or female, that if we were a certian person when we met them and then ceased to even resemble that person, emotionally and physically to expect their feelings for us to remain the same no matter what. We have a responsibility here, as we did this to ourselves and to fail to take responsibility for that fact whether a relationship survives this transformation or not is to fail to take the opportunity for growth and a failure to bury for good one of the excuses we gave ourselves in the first place. It is patentedly unfair to cry "Unfair!" about this. People love to say "But what about the vows?!". Well, aren't the vows valuable both ways? Nobody says that in the case of alcoholism or sex addiction or drug abuse or even anorexia. Why would it apply only for overeating/food addiction? I think part of keeping our own vows is keeping ourselves as someone who they can be attracted to and someone who CARES about themselves. I think every person here who is doing something about their weight is making a very lovable statement about themselves. But I wonder how many have actually apologized to their spouses for letting themselves get that way in the first place?

As a girl, pre-surgery, there was a time when I could polish off a large thick crust, extra cheese, super supreme pizza from Piggy Pies. It was NOT my finest hour. Also, have you ever lived with or had an alcoholic in your family, who hid booze? My grandfather had unopened pints of booze hidden everywhere in his house. Is it staged? Or not? I can't answer that--I'm not a producer. But I do believe this happens in real life--even if the show is a dramatization. You're entitled to your opinion. I actually love this doc. So to each his or her own. (side note: it IS interesting that I don't remember ever talking to you before and you come in and comment here suddenly out of the blue -- you don't have any stats posted beyond your low low post and like count. LOL. So why not take a minute and go fill out your profile and signature ticker so we can get to know you better?)

Yeah, I've been feeling somewhat discouraged. Just came back from my vacation and gained three lbs. probably more from drinking than eating but I was very active, rode my bike every day, so thought I might stay the same or lose a little. Something about drinking any sort of alcoholic drink, and I really don't have very much, just a beet or one or two glasses of wine, makes me bloat up like a Water balloon. I should just avoid my family, their a bunch of sugar junkies and boozers LOL! pre-surgery weight 325; surgery date 2/28/2013; surgery weight 307; 8 weeks past-op weight 281.4; 12 weeks post-op 274; 4 month post-op 266.2; 5 month post-op 262.6

Kind of fell off the wagon the last month. Worried that I'm returning to my old habits. Been on vacation, and not eating real healthy. I skip Breakfast. I eat a healthy lunch. My dinner isn't the healthiest (but I'm restricted from eating too much) Worst thing...have had 4-5 alcoholic drinks about every other day for the past 3 weeks. The drinking will go down to about 1 day/week starting next week when I'm home, but worried. The positive thing: when I used to drink, I'd eat a TON of junk food. Now, I'm too full, and the sleeve stops me from eating much. Maybe it isn't so bad, but it feels like it. I'm getting good exercise while I'm gone. (Ran 3miles yesterday, and am walking a lot & playing ball with my kids) Waiting to weigh until I get home. I don't think I've gained any, but haven't lost any either. Started this at 331 February 15. Sleeved 2/26. 3 weeks ago I weighed 250. Need to get this plan back on track

I had my 2 year Surgiversay this past Sunday (2/22/13). My starting weight was 336 lbs. I now weigh 223 lbs. I avoid fast food, anything fried, refined sugar, alcohol and carbonated drinks. I know I would have lost more weight sooner If I would engage in some form of exercise, which I refuse to do. No excuses, not lazy but I feel I have sacrificed plenty. Enjoying my new lifestyle. I remember the days of struggling to tie my shoes like it was yesterday. Never going back!

Even though this is 100% not recommened. .Getting a huber needle, a bottle of saline, a 1cc syringe, alcohol and a pair of gloves seems way cheeper than the $175-$300.00 these people are paying... oh and don't forget the bandaid...........thats about less than $10.00,,,but going septic is about $150,000.00 per treatment.....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Don't worry Cheri, I have always enjoyed your posts over the years and I understand why you haven't been as active lately as I see your bundle of joy in your avatar. But I think you diminish the power addiction has over some people. It isn't as simple as making a choice. It is difficult to explain to someone who may not truly know addiction (speaking to the general audience, not just you, Cheri). It is like trying to explain green to a blind person. If you were to look back to when I first went into rehab ... look back at all the events that led to it, you would wonder how any sane person could do these things to themselves. But that is the key word there ... sane. At first, when I abused alcohol, it was fun. Then it became a job ... then it became my tormentor. I no longer drank for enjoyment, I no longer drank to escape or blackout. I had completely lost the power of choice. I remember many times driving home from work (45 minutes) saying to myself that I was not going to stop at the bar, but then remembering this promise at midnight ... at the bar ... wondering how I even got there. Addiction is a cunning, powerful baffling foe for some. Again, we all know our own experiences and we see through those glasses. Addiction may have more facets than you realize.

All of you are warriors. Keep up the fight. I am too. I had a mixed day with the food. It went fine up through lunch but I ate a carby dinner which didn't do me any favors. I went to an FA meeting. Not my cup of tea. It was very different from my OA meeting in tone and content, which surprised me. But I gave it a try. I'm living with my mom while I am going through this divorce. My girls are living here too, but they're away at college at the moment. My mother is becoming increasingly angry day to day and it's getting very hard to take. She's lashing out at me and to avoid taking the bait, I spend a lot of time out of the house at 12 step meetings or at the movies. Anybody who says food addiction is not as serious as alcohol or drugs has not lived with a food addicted raging parent. Enough whining. I got my stairs in and because my knees have been hurting so much lately, I scheduled my cortisone shots for tomorrow. I was bummed about that, but then realized it's been six months since my last shot in just one knee, compared to pre WLS when I had shots in both knees every four months. So that's progress. If I hadn't fallen on the ice three times this winter and then twisted my knee badly attempting Zumba a few weeks ago, I could probably have waited another month. But it is what it is. Tomorrow high Protein and low carb and lots of Water. I did drink a lot of water today. Carry on, Warriors!

Dating with no food involved... A unique one which I have found to be quite fun is going to the shooting range, either rifle or pistol and my opportunity to instruct a new shooter allows me to reveal my patience, my ability to communicate effectively (considering my life depends on their safely handling a loaded weapon) and my supportiveness in being positive even if they aren't proficient on their first try. I'm a firm believer in ladies learning how to use firearms with deadly proficiency because after all....a "restraining order" is just a piece of paper. Another is Go kart racing....assuming you have dropped enough through surgery a fun playful competitive race on some go karts can bring out the kid in all of us. Karaoke - even though they are hosted in pubs and taverns for the most part there is no requirement to consume alcohol. Regardless if you're an adept singer or screech like a wet cat in a bathtub showing a little vulnerability in your lack of singing ability in front of a crowd may reveal how playful and supportive your date can be or bring the "a*****e" factor into the spotlight. Paintball/Laser Tag - You're moving, swerving, dodging, and finding cover, the thrill of the hunt, all while burning a few extra calories. Museums/Art Galleries - Raise your culture level or see if your date has some added culture you never knew about, and its a great forum to talk and share ideas on what you experience there. The Zoo: Lions and Tigers and Bears...oh my...but let's get real, we both know you wanna run right for the monkey cages to watch them fling their own feces at each other. Hope that sparks some inspiration.

My name is Stephanie. I'm a 35 year old wife an mother. My husband and I have been married for 12 years and we have an 11 year old son and a 4 year old Daughter. We live in the Sierra Nevada Foothills of California and live on a lake. My husband and I own and operate a landscape Company that has been in business for 13 years. He is a contractor and loves doing landscape design. I have been a mortgage broker for 13 years of my life and 3 years ago during the recession decided that enough was enough. So I went back to school and got my Bachelors and now work for the State of California in HR. I really like my job, it's fun and exciting and changes daily. I have been chubby all my life. I was born 9lbs 8 oz. People called me the Michelin Tire Baby which then evolved into such horrid nicknames like "fat daddy" or "fluffanie". I wasn't one of those really fat kids, at 11 years old I was 92lbs.. Sounds like a lot actually considering my son is 11 and is 70 lbs if that! Lol! Anyways, I have always carried in extra weight. The only time I was thin was at 17 when I was strung out on drugs. I weighed 118. I got married and was 165, had our son and rocked 190, had our daughter and now in tipping the scales at 235. I've become someone I don't even recognize. I have always been about self love and body image and love your curves and shit so for me this is not a much about vanity as it is about health. I actually have pretty high self esteem and think rather highly of myself! lol!!! 3 years ago my Daddy died. He was my best friend, my beacon and my biggest supporter in life. He accepted me for ME and always built me up and told me I was beautiful and fearless and unique and he taught me how to be strong and never to take shit from anyone. He was my rock and without him I have this huge hole in my heart. He died of: diabetes, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, and other illnesses caused by a poor lifestyle. He is full blooded Mexican and grew up in Lard and Pork Fat and All kinds of artery clogging goodness. I remember he used to put mayonnaise on everything!! Even tortillas and in Beans and he even just made mayo sandwiches!! He fried his eggs in bacon grease and smoked 2 packs a day and was a raging alcoholic most of his life. And yes he was FAT.. I will never forget the way I felt when he left me.. And I hate the way I feel without him. He was only 62... He never got to meet my daughter, his granddaughter... My son misses him every day. My husband gets choked up every time we talk about him, my sister and I relate everything we do to him and sob in each others arms on occasion. I decided I don't ever want my kids to feel like this... The fact that he lived such a careless lifestyle was selfish of him!! So my reasoning for this surgery (VSG) is based on my health. I want to be healthy and live a long healthy life for my kids and grandkids. I want to be here for my little sister for as long as I can, I don't want my family to see me die slowly and know that I did this to myself. I'm doing this for ME and my KIDS because I love myself as much as I love my Kids. I know it won't be easy.. And it will be a long journey of trial and tribulation. I also know it's kind of risky an may be considered drastic to some but I have never been one to back away from a challenge.. My sister asked me the other day, "well what if something goes wrong Steph? What will happen Ito you if you do this?" I just looked at her an said, "what will happen if I don't?"..........

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.

Anul - you can eventually add back alcohol, just know it has calories, which slows weight loss. My sister had lapband 4 years ago and is still a pretty heavy drinker...(it runs in the family;) She has lost about 80 lbs and the weight loss has sort of stopped. She knows if she quits drinking she would lose more, but she is down to a size 10 or 12 and is very happy about her weight loss. Just a personal decision on what makes you happy. I too enjoy a glass of wine or two and don't see me giving it up completely. We should definitely all stay connected w/ our Jan 13th date! I am so excited. I ate a reasonable dinner last night out w/ friends, and then got home and ate a 4th meal!! What is wrong with me??? That is why I am excited about the band. I really thought I was hungry, but I know I couldn't have really been physically hungry. Hoping the lapband will nip that in the bud.

Hey all. Hope you all had a Merry Christmas. Sorry for going on hiatus for so long, I had a lot of shizz going on. I have been pretty much a food and exercise wreck. No working out. Eating huge amounts of crap. I had to sit myself down after Christmas and get real honest with myself. It is pretty obvious that I am addicted to sugar. Addicted as a drug addict is to his drugs. I can't just have a little bit. This was really brought to light when I was polishing up a huge (think 1 lb size) bag of M&Ms. I was so sick to my stomach yet I kept popping those bitches in my mouth as if I could not get enough. I have been doing a lot of research on it and it seems that I just have to get myself off the stuff. I am now on day three and feeling mighty shitty. Pretty much everything has sugar in it. It basically fucking sucks. But I am not going to be able to lose anymore weight if I don't get off the candy crack. I have read that it takes about 4 days of withdrawal and then on the 5th day you feel much better. Well after today I will be halfway there. I really think I understand now how difficult it is for an alcoholic. Anyhow that has been my past few days. I have enjoyed the biking adventure, and I am way jealous of y'all down there. Ican'y wait until it warms up here.

Gas advice? Feel free to fart frequently. Move around a lot to break it up. Hot bath can get you farting. Some people swear by gas-x. Others by papaya. Walk around and do something noisy so people don't know you're farting. I like to sharpen pencils. LOL. For me, avoid sourkraut. Avoid chocolates with the sugar alcohols instead of the sugar. Also, some SF high protein granola bars or protein bars have chicory root or its active ingredient, inulin in them. As Jim Carrey would say, "Do not go in there."

Dee - I think that one step at a time is a good approach. I have also been drinking too much wine, I am not sure why exactly. Well, some of it is alot of partying and socializing. I have had both the best summer ever (fun, friends, activities) and a pretty freaking rotten one (death, sadness, that mournful feeling of a whole life just ending in a trainwreck - Betty). So, then maybe the glass of wine also becomes a "decompression" from the pain which is the bad part. Anyway, I don't get drunk and don't feel like an alcoholic, but there really isn't a good reason for me to have a glass or two everyday. I don't wish to quit, but I can cut back and feel good about that. I am now doing that. I personally feel that dependance on junky food is actually worse. I work very hard to keep soothing foods out of my life (ice cream, cakes etc) because they make me feel physically horrible and trigger over eating in general. I am blessed that since the sleeve ice cream makes me "dump" - it is hellish and I tell you cured me of reliance on my favorite "sedation" - ice cream. I know how stressful travel can be - especially when you do it alot like you do (I used to). when I was obese I used business travel as an excuse to basically eat whatever whenever since time zones and plane schedules makes for an even more "disorganized" view then my daily eating life was (it was disorganized already, travel made it worse!). I don't have a good answer, but when I travel now, I put on my "be tough" mindset because it is so easy to fall into overindulgence when I am lonely, stressed and overly tired. Anyway girl, I hope you can turn your work life into something happier. I really believe that having a life you love is one of the keys to success over the long run... and we are likely to live longer too!

Dubchild I'm 3 1/2 weeks post surgery, lost 19 lbs. I have a group of friends who we get together once or so a month for a few beers, wings, watch the game and generally BS. As you can see from the various posts doctors orders vary widely. From reading posts from other threads it is apparent that many men are able to have a occasional drink. I would check with your surgeon and explain the situation. My plans are to try a lite beer in a few months, I'm more concerned about the carbonation rather than the alcohol content as most of the light beers have minimal alcohol content. With the wings peel off the skin and enjoy one or two, with both moderation is key. Until a few months pass I would simply say to the guys that you have been on a doctor ordered diet and no booze right now. Make use there is some non carb drink to enjoy. People aren't going to count how many wings or drinks you are having. Rest assured the best is yet to come, don't miss the good times- just make a plan. Congratulations on your success! Curiously I believe that you, Marine, and I are the only men in the feb group.