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1st Thanks everyone for your replies! (History: I had a bad stay at the hospital, long story short, during my surgery my spleen was bruised causing me a great deal of pain, I complained of pain in the hospital and it fell on deaf ears, this was extremely tramatizing. After being discharged I went to another hospital through emergency and found out about my spleen. So this has damaged my relationship with my surgeon and I haven't been folowed by a specialist since that day. I have tried to find another surgery but this has been difficult I'm currently on a waiting list.) I wanted to say that in the first three months I followed every rule to the "T" when it was possible. I say this because alot of days I had NO appetite and found a day or two going by and I hadn't ate anything. It's been really hard to get in the required amount of liquids but 99% of the time I drink Water only! On the days when I did eat, I ate only what I was suppose to eat. meaning mostly Protein my diet was more lean and green than anything . What I ate: Lean ground turkey loaf with onions and green peppers, some sort of green veggie, if I used fat to cook it was a dash of olive oil never any breads no red meat or pork either baked or grilled chicken or turkey, no starch! Breakfast a egg and lean turkey sausage, very simple thinks low sugar fruits cantalope, honey dew. lots of fresh string Beans. On this diet I lost an average of 1 pound a week . three weeks after surgery I lost 11 pounds that was 4/2/12 since then I've been averaging about 1pound a week total weight lost is 22 pounds. Last month I have been off schedule feeling depressed and helpless I said F- this and I have ate a few lunchmeat sandwhiches had some choocolate, a few chips here and ther but honestly I can't even eat a a orange without feeling full so I figure even on my binge I hardly ate much due to my reduced stomach uhgggg!!! Oh another thing, I dont have any of those food trackers or fitness trackers mentioned in the or any online tools i'm just learning of these things. I hope this helps other when giving me advice with my issue. I never been a soda or juice girl or at least i havent been one in the last 10 years due to diabetes. I don't drink coffee or tea, I dont smoke nor drink alcohols. I only drink Crystal Light beverages outside of water. Please let me know if I left out any thing that would help you all to help me!

Last month I was all cleared for surgery and then 7 days into the pre-op diet, I freaked out and cancelled the surgery. I started thinking of all the things I would have to give up ALONG with the food and I started feeling depressed. The 7 days that I was on the pre-op diet made me feel like I was getting a glimps of my future without food and (I'm not going to lie) alcohol. I was highly irritable, short tempered, and hated that everyone around me could eat what ever they wanted and for the rest of my life, I would never be able to do. My husband and I LOVE (and make it a point) to try different kinds of food and drink from different cultures and such. For example, we traveled to Jamaica and made it a point to eat jerk chicken from a street vendor (always the best way to go for authentic)and had to, in the spirit of Jamaica, drink a Bob Marley. Went to india and of course had to have authentic indian food, went to mexico and (well you get the point.) I'm 31 years old and am a newly wed (2 years.) I'm afraid that if I "can't" eat, we'll never have fun and my husband will think I've turned into a "skinny brat." It's been a little over a month since I cancelled my surgery and I feel guilty about it every day. I am really considring rescheduling, but I am afraid I am not over my initial fear of losing more than food. I'm afraid that down the line my husband will not like me. What's a girl to do? I'm so confused.

It's a fact that after VSG, your stomach is much, much smaller. Thus, alcohol pretty much goes directly into your bloodstream. Alcoholism is higher to VSG people because of it.... You get that high fast , kind of like smoking crack goes right into a crack head's system, and they are hooked. I've read about it researching VSG. Also, when you lose weight, you feel better. You go out more. So, you are probably drinking more often. It's a risk you weigh. You know beforehand the statistics, and keep them in mind. My procedure is Friday. Can't wait!

great topic. Seems I am not alone in the bad childhood department. To keep it short, my was diagnosed skitso when I was a baby. Dad was a drug addict, alcoholic grandparents raised me, Dad wasnt really around. I started gaining weight after quitting smoking pot 6 years ago. It was my medication. I replaced it with food and now here I am 100 lbs later. Time to do some work, mentally and physically.

My life started out in a really great place. My dad was a retired Aerospace engineer turned Dentist and my mum stayed at home with us. When I was 7 he was diagnosed with cancer and died when I was 10. We all had to stand by and watch him fall apart not being able to do anything. My mom became an alcoholic after he died and my older brother pretty much avoided us at all costs. My mom married an abusive man who blew all my dad's life insurance policy on himself and then left her. I raised my younger sister it was hard doing all that at that age. When I was 13 my mom got arrested for assaulting an officer when she was drunk and making a scene. She continued to get DUIs and get arrested for years. I turned to food to make me feel better. I developed a passion for baking and cooking and learned how to cook well on a budget -- of whatever I could scrounge up from my brother and my part time after school jobs. So I guess it was just really emotions. I didn't want to burden my little girl with my problems, I was supposed to be the strong one who could handle it. So I ate my feelings and hid them from her. Luckily my mom just recently pushed a little too far and got mandatory rehab. She finally realized what she was doing to us. She was so supportive and loving but just not a mom -- she was like a really cool friend. She is 2 years sober now and I think I really needed that to deal with my issues and my problem with food.

When I went for my gallbladder ultrasound I was told that they found something and required to have a Ct done. With my insurance, you don't meet with the surgeon until you finish all of your pre-op testing and a 12-week class. I've finished everything, now I'm just waiting on my referral to the surgeon (should hear from them anytime). And no, I don't drink. My mom is an alcoholic and just the smell of alcohol makes my stomach turn.

Isn't it funny that most folks (except those who've battled weight) don't understand that for many of us, food is an addiction. However, unlike alcoholics, druggies, gamblers, we can't just stay away from our addiction...therefore making it the toughest to fight. Not to mention that people brand you as lazy and weak (but any of the other addictions people now believe its a disease). I don't think anything can prepare anyone for this major loss. We've just got to stick together and lean on each other for support!

What happened that they thought your liver was was larger than normal? You have not seen the surgeon yet! Who examined your stomach to determine this? Do you drink alcohol a lot? Just curious. This is one the few things I did not have to go through yet.

My alcoholic stepmother just told me I'm taking the easy way out by having rny. I almost started crying because she was being so harsh. Then I thought, well, drinking alcohol and beer all day everyday is taking the easy way out of life... And with me having irritable mouth syndrome (anything comes out...no filter at all, lol) I told her I felt the same way about her. So now I'm a troublemaker! lol This is going to be very strange when I lose weight. The "FAT GIRL WITH NO FILTER" has always been my catchphrase. Now I have to come up with a new one!

My name is Rachael. I am a mother, a nurse, and a very fat person. I was given my first diet pill at age 10 by my mother... I couldn't take pills so I struggled to get the huge pill down. I don't know that I ever did or that it worked or if I even really needed it! I see pictures of my self and I am a bit chubby but not obese at all at that age. I remember being teased about being fat and large at an early age. I remember carving the word fat into my arm at around 12 years old. I remember hating my body and thinking my life would be perfect if I weren't fat. Years flow by I am in high school I am 5 7 my wt a HUGE 155. In retrospect that isn't that tall or fat but at the time I felt unattractive. I had a period at age 16 were I had a lot of dates no sex but boys asked me out and told me I was pretty....... I did have big boobs and a full soft figure. I think I undervalued myself in some respects but was a fun, gregarious person. I met the man I eventually married he seemed to think I was attractive. We moved in together 2 years later. I did my first "successful" diet at age 20 . It was a liquid Protein diet run by a doctor. My dad paid for it and I achieved my ideal weight of 130 lbs. I bought a tiny bikini short skirts and tight jeans. I went to community college for 2 years then nursing school. By the time a graduated in 1983 I had regained the wt I lost plus 30 or 40 lbs. I married at age 22 wt 170 ish ....continued to gain year after year hitting 270 when I got pregnant for the first time. I lost wt during the pregnancy but regained during breast feeding. Rinse and repeat x 2 more kids over 7 years. At age 33 I was 300 plus lbs but active and healthy. Years flow by my life hits a snag or two my husband developed into an alcoholic and we have marriatal problems. We split for the first time when I was 38 wt 345 lbs 3 kids ages 12, 7, and 5. Living as a single mom for a year was hard we got back together kind of to buy a nice house in VA and be a family. The difference was we kept separate rooms. I had become used to sleeping by myself reading if I wanted to and did not want to hear my husband snore or reek of alcohol. Today I am thinking about why I decided to have the surgery. I have become increasingly UNABLE. I can not: walk up stairs, walk any distance comfortably, fly comfortably, ride a bike, get up from a sitting position with anything like ease, and take care of myself alone. I have a laundry list of things I want to be able to do a BUCKET list if you will. Chase my grandson walk up or down stairs without a rail fly to Africa on a mission ride a bike take a hike buy a small car and fit in it ride a motorcycle Meet someone and be attractive enough to attract them I sometimes want to do a skit like Jeff Foxworthy (not that its very funny) YOU MIGHT BE MORBIDLY OBESE IF you can't wipe yourself without hurting your wrist you can't climb a stair without a reinforced rail get up out of a low couch without assistance well you get the idea i have a million and they all make me want to cry life as a fat person in America is not much fun .....the ridicule is one thing ......the discomfort of chairs that bind you is another...... and the comments people feel free to make is yet another. Yes I am responsible for my situation I know that but it does not make me sub human or less valuable as a person. I know I have lost friends, one in particular that I relate to my weight and my inabilities. This makes me sad and mad. I am a disappointment to my children though they love me they worry about me when they should not have to. They miss being able to do things with me or having to do things for me. They want a Mom they can count on and not have to worry about. I want them to have that as well. That's why I am doing this surgery to be ABLE.

I was just thinking about this! I went out last night and had a little too much to drink. To add to my hungover headache, I decided to weigh. Bad idea. I gained 2 pounds from last night. No more alcohol for me for a while.

Well first if you were an alcoholic would he insists that you drink with him? Or would he tell you to take cocaine? No 1 knows what it's like to live in your body except for you. Can you compromise with some of your food choices. I've never eaten deer meat. Does it have to be fried? There are some foods that I don't eat everyday or even once a month. That doesn't mean that I don't eat those foods as a treat on a rare occasion.

I feel for them but distance myself as well. I'm glad I've been thru so much as child with their alcohol problems as an adult I don't drink and I've never done drugs. I'm a Christian as well you and you bf are in my prayers. Kudos to him for staying clean for so long

You have made the right decision!! I was sleeved on June 1st and have lost 44 pounds already and 25 inches! It was not only the best decision I ever made for myself, but more importantly, as it turned out, it was a life saving one for me. When he got in there to do the surgery, my organs were so covered in fat that my prognosis was very bleak... I would not have lived another year or two the way I was going and the scarey thing is... I didn't even KNOW it!! I had so much liver damage from fat that you would think I was an alcoholic (and I don't drink). I mean, I had shrank my fatty liver with the pre op diet before surgery, but the damage was already done. Thank God the surgery has stopped it's progression and now I can live a long healthy life (God willing). Don't let anyone talk you out of this most important endeavor... it might just save your life! Just do it! Good luck to you!!!

I don't tell people at work because of exactly that. I've gotten to the point where I also can't trust myself to hold my tongue. I'm not going to take comments about what I eat and not respond with questions like "Are you sure that alcohol fueled orgy you told everyone about was good for your health". "Has the doctor checked your liver lately becuase with your level of drinking I'm sure it's got problems." People should mind there own business! Very rarely do people say things because they want to be helpful. They say it to be superior.

I know you didn't mean it to offend anyone I was joking. As far as relapsing its a fact of life my mom is a life long alcoholic so are most of her siblings. She's fallen off the wagon more times than most. Its a daily struggle no shame in it. Dust yourself off and get back on.

"HetKF" posted this a while back, and I found it tonight.... Some great info here. Also: Looking for resources on food addiction. books, there are so many, which ones stand out? I know this sleeve will only be a tool. Never want to gain this weight back! OA and Celebrate Recovery... Know they have helped many ppl. Others? Thx Living to Eat: Do You Have a Food Addiction? By Meghan Vivo Jane sneaks out of the house at midnight and drives six miles to the local 7-Eleven to get a chocolate bar. This has become a nightly ritual. She's gaining weight and feels profoundly ashamed of her lack of self-control. Though she vows to stop this behavior, she can't seem to shake the craving night after night. Jane is a food addict. In many ways, food can closely resemble a drug - caffeine and sugar offer a quick pick-me-up while carbohydrates and comfort foods can help soothe and relax the mind. Some people use food, like drugs, to feel at ease in social situations or to unwind after a long day. If you think about food constantly throughout the day, have compulsive cravings for certain types of foods, or waste more than half of your daily calories binging on unhealthy Snacks, you may be one of the 18 million Americans who suffer from food addiction. What Is Food Addiction? Food addiction, like any other addiction, is a loss of control. Food addicts are preoccupied with thoughts of food, body weight, and body image, and compulsively consume abnormally large amounts of food. Even though they understand the harm caused by their behavior, they just can't stop. Food addicts tend to crave and eat foods that are harmful to their bodies. For example, people with food allergies may crave the foods they are allergic to, while diabetics may crave and overindulge in sugar, despite the adverse effects. Food-aholics generally gorge on fat, salt, and sugar in the form of junk food and sweets. If they are feeling depressed, lonely, or disappointed, they consume large amounts of chips, chocolate, or other comfort foods for a "high." As with most addictions, the high wears off, leaving the person feeling sick, guilty, and even more depressed. Because the addict is out of control, she will repeat the same eating patterns over and over again in an effort to feel better. Compulsive overeaters often eat much more rapidly than normal and hide their shame by eating in secret. Most overeaters are moderately to severely obese, with an average binge eater being 60% overweight. Individuals with binge eating disorders often find that their eating or weight interferes with their relationships, their work, and their self-esteem. Although compulsive overeaters or binge dieters often struggle with food addiction, eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia are also considered types of food addictions. Unlike drug and alcohol addiction, which have been recognized by the medical profession for years, addiction specialists still question whether food can be genuinely addictive. Is the obsession with eating a true addiction, or just a bad habit? Some experts are quite skeptical of putting food in the same category as drugs or alcohol. They argue that people like junk food because it tastes good, not because they are physically incapable of controlling their behavior. Others contend that individuals who abuse substances in excess of need, despite the harm it can cause, are addicts, whether the substance is alcohol, drugs, or food. In some cases, food addicts trying to break the habit claim to experience both physical and emotional withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, insomnia, mood changes, tremors, cramps, and depression. In an animal study at Princeton University, researchers found that after rats binged on sugar, they showed classic signs of withdrawal when the sweets were removed from their diet, which suggests foods like sugar can be addictive. Brain imaging studies conducted by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have found that food affects the brain's dopamine systems in much the same way as drugs and alcohol. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with feelings of pleasure and reward. When psychiatrist Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and her colleagues compared brain images of methamphetamine users with obese people, they found both groups had significantly fewer dopamine receptors than healthy people. Moreover, the higher the body mass index, the fewer the dopamine receptors, which may explain why it is so difficult for some people to lose weight and keep it off. Are You a Food Addict? Whether the obsession with food is a true addiction or simply a bad habit, one thing is clear: Your health is on the line. Obesity, psychological disorders, and diabetes are just a few of the health risks associated with compulsive eating. If you're worried that you may have a food addiction, FoodAddicts.org recommends that you answer the following questions: [*]Have you ever wanted to stop eating and found you just couldn't?[*]Do you think about food or your weight constantly?[*]Do you find yourself attempting one diet or food plan after another, with no lasting success?[*]Do you binge and then "get rid of the binge" through vomiting, exercise, laxatives, or other forms of purging?[*]Do you eat differently in private than you do in front of other people?[*]Has a doctor or family member ever approached you with concern about your eating habits or weight?[*]Do you eat large quantities of food at one time?[*]Is your weight problem due to your "nibbling" all day long?[*]Do you eat to escape from your feelings?[*]Do you eat when you're not hungry?[*]Have you ever discarded food, only to retrieve it and eat it later?[*]Do you eat in secret?[*]Do you fast or severely restrict your food intake?[*]Have you ever stolen other people's food?[*]Have you ever hidden food to make sure you have "enough?"[*]Do you feel driven to exercise excessively to control your weight?[*]Do you obsessively calculate the calories you've burned against the calories you've eaten?[*]Do you frequently feel guilty or ashamed about what you've eaten?[*]Are you waiting for your life to begin "when you lose the weight?"[*]Do you feel hopeless about your relationship with food?If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you may have, or be in danger of developing, a food addiction or eating disorder. Although food addiction is not nearly as intense as alcohol and drug addictions, you may need help regaining control of your life. Treating Food Addiction Change is never easy, and overcoming food addiction is no exception. It will require a combination of discipline, healthy eating habits, and exercise. In many ways, treatment of food addiction is similar to drug and alcohol addiction. The first step to recovery is recognizing and accepting the problem, and identifying which foods cause allergic symptoms and cravings. However, unlike drug and alcohol addiction, food addicts can't quit cold turkey. Everyone has to eat. Instead of taking drastic measures, make the following changes gradually, one small step at a time. Reprogram your taste buds. If you eat tons of sugar-laden foods, your taste buds get used to the flavor and you will start craving sweeter and sweeter foods. When buying foods that aren't supposed to be sweet, like Pasta sauce, bread, and crackers, make sure they don't have added sweeteners like fructose, dextrose, and corn syrup. Slowly try to limit sweet or salty foods in favor of fruits and vegetables to restore the sensitivity in your taste buds. Plan your meals. Food addicts often hide food or binge when they are alone. One way around this is to avoid hiding a stash of food in your car, desk, or nightstand. Also, plan out healthy meals in advance, portion out single servings on smaller plates, and eat scheduled meals at the dinner table. If you eat in front of the TV or while talking on the phone, you're more likely to eat large amounts of food without realizing it. Though it may take a few weeks to change your eating patterns, your brain will eventually get used to smaller portions of healthy foods and generate fewer snack-food cravings. Moderate your hunger. People with food addiction tend to take an all-or-nothing approach to dieting, bouncing from ravenous to overstuffed. A useful tool to moderate food consumption is to rate your hunger on a scale of zero to ten, zero being starving and ten being overstuffed, then try to stay between three and five. If you wait until you hit zero, you may not stop eating until you reach ten. Know your weaknesses. Everyone has a list of foods that are hard to turn down. If you can't resist a fine loaf of bread at a restaurant, ask the waiter not to bring the bread basket to your table. If you can't walk past an ice cream parlor without stopping for a scoop or two, take a different route. If you have a habit of eating Cookies or popcorn while watching TV at night, read a book or walk the dog instead. If these tricks don't work, stop buying unhealthy foods at the grocery store. If it's in your kitchen, you're probably going to eat it. Deal with the real issues. Typically a food addict will numb unpleasant feelings with food. If you stop relying on food, you can learn to tackle problems head-on and let yourself feel the sadness, anger, or boredom without using food as a crutch. Find healthy ways to cope. For food addicts, the next salt or sugar fix becomes the dominating force in their life. The best treatment is to find other ways to fill the void, like working out, hiking, going out with friends, or talking to a therapist. Exercise sparks the same pleasure centers of the brain as food, and offers a similar high without the guilt. If you're not physically hungry but you're struggling to resist a craving, brush your teeth, drink Water, leave the house for a few minutes, or choose a healthy substitute like yogurt instead of ice cream or baked chips instead of potato chips. Give yourself a break. The guilt people feel after overeating perpetuates the addiction. They're sad because they ate too much, so they turn to food for solace. Learn to forgive yourself and don't get discouraged by minor setbacks. Food addiction can be a serious problem. Just ask the people who habitually visit the drive-thru at midnight or load up on candy bars on a daily basis. To beat the addiction, sometimes all you need is motivation to change and a few lifestyle modifications. In more severe cases, you may need to seek help from a food addiction group like Overeaters Anonymous, a mental health professional, or an addiction treatment center. In either case, a shift in outlook must occur: Eat to live, don't live to eat.

There will always be two answers to this question : 1. Don't drink, it's empty calories and can upset your gastro system; 2. Drinking is fine in moderation, just like everything else. Personally I drink a maybe 1 or 2 times a week. I have lost nearly 100 lbs and am close to goal weight, so you can drink and be successful. I didn't get the lapband so I could live, what I consider, to be a restrictive lifestyle for the rest of my life. I got it so I could live a healthy and fun lifestyle. I was upfront with my Dr that yes I plan on drinking in the future. You know what he said? He said in a month you can drink anything you want. You don't have to be perfect all the time. But do it safely by listening to your Dr. Also to address the whole "studies" issue. Yes there seem to be new studies coming out all the time about the benefits of alcohol. For example a new one came out finding a link between increase bone density and having 2 drinks daily.

There is a book called "When food is Love" by Geneen Roth that I read many years ago. I still reference it sometimes and it discusses using food as a crutch to make ourselves feel better. I literally ate my problems pre-op and I'm now having to deal with all those issues, both internal and external, on a realistic basis rather than eat food to cover them up. It's very similar to an alcoholic, but my drug was food. I see a therapist regularly and I talk to her about the crazy urges to eat junk food. I do well so long as I keep myself busy and keep the junk out of the house. My splurges are that I allow myself chocolate flavored Protein bars for breakfast and I do allow myself one single serving bag of cheetos a month. For me, it works because I know that I CAN have something that meets my craving, but I can't have a ton of it. The sleeve definitely helps with that!

Lean heavy on support systems, they are fantastic! Unfortunately for me it ment 3 weeks of not going out on weekends with my friends. Get me in a bar with whiskey and a bunch of chain smoking friends and it's game over! Lol. My doc said you need to shrink you liver prior to surgery. If its too large when they get in there they will stop and not complete the surgery. I have to take a nicotine test prior to going under. I stopped all fried foods, alcohol, and cigaretts.

Good for you. My date is exactly one month from day, 8/20. Yesterday was my last pre op appointment with the surgeon. Had a panic attack on the road and my husband had to talk me down. No pre op diet for me. Here's the instructions I got 1). Stop taking birth control pills 30 days before. Good thing I'm poet menapausal 2). No alcohol 2 weeks before. So I have 2 more weeks to get my happy on. JK 3). No aspirin or other painkillers 5 days before 4) stop blood thinners 5 days before. These last 2 do effect me. A 24 hour clear liquid diet. I'm scheduled first so he can getme back on my insulin pump ASAP Now I am oppressing about a bad blood work/EKG/chest X-ray result like another August sister just had. Getting those on 8/6.

Interesting question! I know I was/am addicted to both. It's a conscious effort to ask myself "am I physically hungry, or am I head hungry?" Head hungry is when you want to eat just for the sake of eating, not for hunger. As a food addict, I still struggle with this. Thankfully, the band definitely keeps the physical hunger at bay so at least I'm not battling that anymore along with it. The big portion thing is also so true! It's funny, even now over 6 months after being banded, I still have eyes much bigger than my stomach. At home when I can measure food it's not a problem, but when I eat out I habitually end up with more food than I could possibly eat. Like today, I went out to lunch with my kids, and I had a single crab cake for lunch. I decided I also wanted a salad so ordered that too. I had about 3 bites of the salad and wasted the rest. Ordering the salad was a dumb move on my part. I couldn't even finish the crab cake! The sad part is, before being banded, the crab cake would've been just an appetizer. I would've ate it all, the entire salad, a big entree, and maybe even dessert. Now, there is just now way I could possibly eat even a quarter of all that at one meal. Any kind of weight loss surgery patients have to be very aware of trading addictions. We are definitely more at risk for drug addiction and alcoholism so it's smart to be aware of.

It must be making you crazy to see all the different surgeons' instructions on this as well as a million other issues. I've read all the responses so far (I think) and don't recall seeing this tidbit which came to me from my original and current surgeons and was confirmed by the surgeon who vetted my book (Bandwagon): Alcohol is a gastric irritant, and it can cause inflammation and (eventually) ulcers. Just something to keep in mind. My personal comments on this heated issue are: 1. Alcohol is liquid calories with no nutritional benefit. Yes, some people believe that there are health benefits in drinking moderate amounts of red wine, but if you have to use the health excuse to justify something you're going to do anyway, well....OK, go ahead! 2. Alcohol loosens your inhibitions and makes eating something stupid (or drinking a second or third glass of wine) seem like a really good idea. Finally, thanks for starting such an entertaining thread. I haven't seen so many irritable, rude, defensive, ornery, inflammatory posts on a single thread here in quite some time. I know what my excuse is: it's 99 degrees outside at almost 7 pm. That's enough to make a saint cranky.

I could have written your post in the past. In fact I HAVE written something VERY similar. I just recommitted to my band a few months ago... and wow.. what a difference it is to work with the band when I am MENTALLY ready and on board. You have to be proactive in the choices you are making. Pasta and ice cream shouldn't be in your diet right now. Period. Down the line, when you are in maintenance... sure... add them in, but right now you need to focus on Protein and low sugar and carbs. Period. Small portions. Exercise. Water. Lots of water! YOU need to do these things. The band is there to help keep you satiated on smaller portions.... it isn't there to stop you from eating. I can always eat around the band. Trust me, I am an ice cream addict... and ice cream will ALWAYS go down. So I forbid it now. I treat it like an alcoholic treats alcohol. You say you can't eat protein. Then you are either too tight, not chewing well enough, or eating too fast. I too thought... I can't eat chicken, I can't eat beef, I can't get these healthy foods down. I was mad and angry, and blamed the band for my poor food choices. In reality... I WASN'T READY! Well guess what... I COULD eat those things... when I slowed waaaay down, kept my band at a looser restriction, and really focused on pre-measuring my portions and STOPPING when the food was done. Did I want to eat more? HECK ya! Do I stil? Heck ya! I ALWAYS want more food. That is why I am FAT. I have to trust that the head hunger will pass (it does) and that the small portions will keep my body satiated (they do). Start over. Go back to basics. you are still so fresh into this! The sleeve is another restrictive surgery. If you still make poor food choices, you will get poor results. I too thought of revising. Hell I scheduled a revision at one time!! But after a lot of soul searching I decided to give it one more HARD try. I have lost 32 pounds in the past few months. I FEEL great. I FEEL supper motivated. It has NOT been easy. This is NOT what I thought being banded would be like. I thought it would be easy. Effortless. Boy what a shock when it wasn't. YOU CAN DO THIS! Sit down and really think about what you have been doing so far. Are you following the rules? Are you measuring your portions? Are you chewing slowly? Are you not drinking with meals? Are you exercising? We are all here for you. For support. Hang in there!! If there is nothing medically wrong with your band... please... give it another shot. It can really be a great tool if used properly!!

Well ME personally I was banded 6/5 and last weekend I went out and got drunk. Am I going to turn in to an alcoholic to replace my food addiction? Hell no. Do I drink often? Nope. You are given directions/instructions and you choose whether or not to follow those. I chose not to for an evening. I'm 23 yrs old and to never drink again even sounds ludicrous. Would I have had a drink 2 weeks after surgery? Probably not. But to each their own.