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The test I took was annoying more than anything. There was the same question asked a different way. Do you drink more than 2 drinks at a social setting? Do you think your thighs are too big? Do you wake up thinking about alcohol for Breakfast? Do you think about your legs being too big? Try not to stress out about it too much. I'm sure you will do fine.

I went to the info session last night with my husband who came with me for support. I have some questions. Could you help me? I am 5’2 256 (I can’t believe I got so big that number is huge to me). I rejoined WW to help get the process started; I had success with it a couple times before but inevitably the weight crept back on. I am committed to a life style change and think the band will be a great tool to keep me on track, and help me attain my healthy goals. I have high blood pressure & high cholesterol that are not medicated now. I am worried about changing my eating habits, like the no drinking while eating. We go out to eat with friends once a month and we all enjoy cocktails with dinner. Will I be able to do that? How does alcohol work with the band? I know with other weight loss surgeries there is excess skin that often gets removed after. Does this happen with Lap Band? Does that also get covered by insurance? I had a couple relatives get the bypass done, and that is how they are know now...”ohh ya that’s Denise she is the one who had the bypass.” I don’t want the band to be how I am known. Do you think it is alright if I keep it between my doctor, husband, and myself? What problems or complications can happen during surgery? Are there common post op problems or complications? I need help deciding if this is the right path.

Hi all having band fitted 25th oct very nervous, although I have always struggled with my weight I have been able to lose it aswell over the last 8 yrs its been very difficult due to medical problems oesto-arthritis in my spine hips hands and feet just wanted to know some information, how does it effect your lifestyle in the sense of what you eat & drink also alcohol. All info is much appriciated x

Check and see if it has sugar alcohol in it. That can act like a laxative. Also some bars have too much fiber. I gave up trying yo find a bar and decided eatting food works much better for me.

Hi there.. Nervous is normal! I was too. I am 4 weeks post today and have lost 25lbs exactly. It's exciting because although I am a "secret sleever" (only my husband knows), people are really starting to notice the weight loss now. My clothes are looser and I am going down in size. That's all the positive stuff. On the downside? It's been hard work. The first 2 weeks postop of just fluids was rough, and to get fluid and protein in was difficult, because you kind of aren't hungry. Don't plan on social eating during this time. Then I went on to puree meals.. I hated this stage. Felt like I was eating baby food all the time. I actually went back to the liquid diet (soups, both and shakes) because it was the lesser of 2 evils. I was still struggling to get enough calories or protein in. Sometimes it would take me an hour to get one shake down. Now I'm on soft food.. Or as my dietician says "anything you can poke a fork through". I thought I would be eating much larger amounts by now. Yes, by two spoonfuls I am done. Had lunch with friends yesterday. Chicken, salad and roast potatoes. I managed one small chicken wing and 2 quarters of a tomato, and I was done. In fact, I felt overdone! Thought I was going to throw it all back up again. I didn't have any alcohol, and haven't had for 6 weeks. The issue for me with alcohol is that it is usually drunk with a meal, and you can't drink within 30 minutes of eating! So I haven't even tried to figure it out yet. If you eat cake or bread, you might find it feels like it's stuck or very heavy. I have tried a bite of each, and that's how it felt to me. So I am not game to try that again. Your nutritionist will probably tell you, that because your stomach can only hold a tiny amount of food, you HAVE to get your protein in first! So meat, then vegetables, then potatoes for example. If you don't get your protein in, then you will break down muscle instead of fat. You will end up feeling weak, looking flabby and your hair is more likely to fall out. Sad but true. Good luck! Sent from my SM-G955F using BariatricPal mobile app

How long before alcohol ? Or simply one glass of wine ?

I am 3 years post surgery, lost around 150lbs. I have settled on a meal plan that is not overly neurotic about all the stuff they said we must do at the beginning. I eat 2 - 3 meals a day. I try to eat mostly Protein - meat, fish, chicken. I don't eat much vegetables and I eat no fruit - it upsets my stomach too much. I will eat carbs when I feel like it, including sweets, and when my weight moves I adjust accordingly. I gave up all alcohol completely. My weight has gone up a max of 10 lbs, but I easily got it back in line. The whole attraction to the sleeve was that it simply gave me a smaller stomach, hence smaller ability or need to overeat. Supposedly us sleevers don't have to worry about all the mal-absorption issues of bypass surgery. Supposedly we can eat like normal people and as long as we eat a balanced diet, we should get all the nutrition we need. Which is why all the obsession over tons of protein, tons of Water, doesn't make total sense to me. I am not sure how much protein I get every day. If I had to guess my protein intake, I would probably say 40 to 60 g/day. I just eat my 2 to 3 balanced meals and I watch my weight, which has been relatively stable - certainly more stable than any other period of my life. By the way, I do aerobic exercise (elliptical) 45 min x 5 days/week. I do drink the required daily water. All seems good, except for uncontrollable heartburn, but that is another issue - maybe related, but all my doctors have given up on the heartburn. Anyway, my hair all of the sudden (last 2 months) is seriously thinning. I figured that this was probably just my time to lose my hair - I am a 58 year old male. But I have always had very full hair and never had any signs of receding or thinning. I didn't have any hair loss after surgery. In just two months, my hair is falling out rapidly and my hair thickness is visibly different. I'd hate to say I was wrong about my laid back approach to my eating - because, I really found it tedious to obsess so much about every little thing I ate, but I do like having hair! I guess what I am saying is that I would go back to the obsessive diet route prescribed by all the Sleever experts if it would get me back and keep my hair, but if there is no way that 3 years post surgery my new hair loss is from my diet, I'd rather stick with a diet that seems to be working for me. Could this be about too little protein? Or is it wrong to say that us sleevers don't need to think about mal-absorption and not sufficient for us to eat like normal people is smaller portions. Thoughts? Thanks

I get hungry. I get thirsty. But honestly in a lot of people pre-sleeve the thirst mechanism is so weak people mistake it for hunger and eat. Often when I feel hungry I have a drink and realize I was thirsty. (Honestly I am not sure where I picked that nugget up from but it seems to work for me). I was only on liquids for two days in the hospital. I was put in purees for a week once I got home. Then soft solids for a month, then normal diet. The post op diet varies from surgeon to surgeon. I'm told to limit Pasta rice and bread but I can still eat them. A lot of people limit carbs because they are empty calories or they are sensitive to them. I had alcohol last weekend. I'm almost 5 months out. Sweets taste the exactly same to me. I don't dump.

I had/ have the same problem. On another thread, someone suggested it might be caused by the I digested sugar alcohols hat are in the sugar free foods we eat or drink. I'm not sure there is much we can do about it, but probiotics or a superfood powder product might help with digestion issues. I have noticed that since I have been taking miralax daily and taking a serving of superfood powder every day, the gas has gone way down. Between month 2 and 4, the gas was really bad for me and had a methane smell (TMI!!!)

Tracy, you know how I feel. I've been at a plateau for months now.. almost a year actually. I gained 13# and lost the 13#, but nothing since. The lady that got me onto lapband info and had hers done a few weeks after me has lost 115#!!! I've lost 60# and I think that's great until I think about her and then I get discouraged. And then when I think it's been 2 years and that's only 30# a year!! BUT.. we are all different. I'm not her and you're not me. You need to take care of you and not worry about the scale or how everyone else is doing. Get rid of the things that are hurting you. concentrate on protein. Cheese, meat, yogurt. Don't make cookies if you can't resist them. Don't buy the ice cream. Let Frank take Macy out if they need it. But YOU need to take care of YOU! YOU are the most important part of the lap band journey. Do you know how awesome ALL of us would be doing if we were close enough to exercise together, call for someone to spend time with us when temptation calls, just be near each other???? But we're not and we really have to be true to ourselves. We have no one to answer to but ourselves. So keep on keeping on. Don't let it get you down. Just like an alcoholic, it's one day at a time, one meal at a time. Love ya!!!!!!!!

Sugar free thinfs contain sugar alcohols which can cause dumping.

I just found this out in my nutrition class today. She told us to read all labels and try to stay away from sugar alcohols.

My doctor says NO ALCOHOL for a year! Call your doctor for some meds.

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

I found this on a lap band site in Longview, Tx. I found a lot of good information here about what to and not to eat during the different stages. Hope it helps. Week 1 Days 1-2: Clear Liquids, at least 32-64 ounces per day) sip…sip…sip Days 3-4: May add Protein drink Look for Protein drinks with 24-30 grams of protein Try different supplements prior to surgery to find what you like Mix only with skim milk or Water Goal is 60-80 grams/protein per day Liquid Protein supplement 3 times daily between meals and before bed Remember to go slowly (4 ounces = ½ cup) Take thirty minutes to drink 4 ounces When you feel full –STOP Begin liquid or chewable Vitamins and Calcium Vitamins need to be “complete,” can take any brand Calcium, try Viactiv chews (3 different flavors) Days 5-6 May add V-8 juice, then cream Soups and applesauce Day 7 May add low fat yogurt and low fat pudding Yogurt needs to be plain (no fruit or nuts added in) Week 2 Days 8-9 Start full liquid diet Add thinned out oatmeal, cream of wheat, baby foods NO grits, rice, Pasta or Peanut Butter Day 10 May add thinned out mashed potatoes, cottage cheese (low-fat) Days 11-12 Continue low fat and sugar free full liquid diet Continue protein supplements Can add bananas to Protein shake for volume and flavor Days 13-14 SLOWLY add soft boiled or scrambled eggs, baked potato and canned fruit (packed in water) Suggestions for Thin/Clear Liquid Diet Water –bottled or tap Apple juice, cranberry juice, grape juice –choose “lite” variety if possible NO orange or grapefruit juice, too much acid and sugar Gatorade, Propel or Fruit 2.0 Diet Snapple and other diet drinks (NO sodas or carbonation) Iced tea, no sugar added (may use NutraSweet, Splenda, Stevia, and Sweet & Low) Hot tea, no sugar added coffee, no creamer or whole milk, use skim milk or low fat milk Crystal light (avoid the orange and raspberry tea flavors, too acidic) Sugar free Jell-o, sugar free popsicles Broths, any variety Sugar free Kool-Aid Protein Drinks: Read the labels Protein greater than 15 grams per serving, ideal is 24-30 grams per serving Carbohydrates need to less than 10 grams per serving, ideal is less than 5 grams per serving Sugars less than 5 grams per serving Atkins Advantage shakes Carb Solutions Isopure/Zero Carb whey Protein Stacker Protein Drink LaBrada Pro-V Suggestions for Full Liquid Diet Thin liquids listed above Sugar free pudding V-8 juice, tomato juice Cream soups (need to be strained) Applesauce (no sugar added) Baby foods Cottage Cheese (low fat) NO Starbucks, smoothie King, Jamba Juice or other high calorie drinks NO low carb ice cream (no, you may not even THINK about it)! Week 3 –Soft Diet (the Mashies) Soft fruit (banana, melon, strawberries), watch out for fruit with skins (grapes, apples, plums) Well-cooked vegetables (mushy, not crisp) –may have broccoli crown and asparagus tips, not the stalks No celery or corn Small amounts ( ¼ - ½ cup) of rice, pasta (soft cooked and well chewed) Eggs, any style Toast –crackers, breadsticks, melba toast. No bread or tortillas Whole grain Cereal, with or without low fat milk Potatoes –mashed, baked, boiled Any Beans or lentils, low fat refried beans Protein Bars Atkins Advantage South Beach AdvantEdge Cliffhanger Protein: Moist skinless chicken, ham, turkey Fish or other seafood –baked or grilled (NO frying) Lean ground beef –make sure it is moist, no bun Canned tuna, chicken or turkey packed in water Low fat and low card lunchmeats (read the label!), NO hot dogs Eggs, low fat milk and low fat cheese Protein drinks/powder DO NOT EAT: Steak Pot roast Stews Your doctor will tell you when you can start these foods, usually about three months post op. Week 4 –Regular Diet Gradually add regular foods, add one food at a time and assess tolerance Eat three meals per day at set times Sit down to eat Eat slowly, fork down between bites Chew 25 times before swallowing Small portions (use a smaller plate) When you feel full –STOP NO grazing!! NO liquids with meals or for 1 hour afterwards Avoid cheap calories –ice cream, (yes, even low carb ice cream), Cookies, cakes, pies, chips, nuts, candies, chocolate, high calorie drinks (including alcohol and wine) No carbonated drinks No dried fruits or popcorn No greasy, fried fatty foods No high calorie gravies/sauces Use light tub margarine (Smart Balance, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter) Light or fat free salad dressings No butter or sour cream Use olive oil or canola oil No fast food Once you are on a regular diet, decrease or stop mashed potatoes, rice and pastas Continue protein drinks (you may always need a supplement) Continue Vitamin and calcium supplements Fill up on protein and vegetables, not on carbohydrates, fats and sugars If hunger is a problem, you probably need more protein Begin exercising and continue to increase duration and frequency. LAP-BAND POST-OPERATIVE DIET INSTRUCTION Consumption Foods to Choose Weeks 1 and 2 Liquids only: Room temperature clear liquids until nausea resolves, then may have full liquids hot or cold. Slowly drink 4-6 ounces of fluids 6 times per day. Drink water between meals Skim/fat free milk Slim-fast Optima Broths Low fat strained cream soups 100% juice (limit to 4 ounces per day) Week 3 Consume puree texture foods: Limit to ½ cup at a time to prevent stretching pouch Consume meals at least 3 hours apart Consume water or no-calorie liquids (crystal light, tea, sugar free drinks) Wait one hour after “meal” to start fluids pureed or baby foods Soft scrambled eggs Sugar free-low fat pudding Fat free yogurt (no fruit or nuts) Hot cereals, thinned Applesauce Low fat cream soups Week 4 Consume soft foods: Limit to ½ cup at a time Consume meals at least 4 hours apart Consume water between meals, waiting until 1 hour after meals Scrambled egg Soft canned vegetables Soft canned fruits (packed in water) Tuna or chicken salad Week 5 Transition to solid foods: Slowly add 2 ounces of protein 3- 4 times per day Slowly add 1-2 ounces of vegetables 3-4 times per day Stop eating as soon as you feel full Chew all foods to applesauce consistency (about 25 times) Do not drink liquids with meals Solid foods as tolerated macaroni noodles Sliced lunch meats Raw fruits and vegetables as tolerated Avoid stringy, fibrous foods and non-tender cuts of meat Avoid white bread, popcorn, coconut

I did "splurge" as you say occasionally all the way thru my loss phase and did just fine. Entered maintenance and maintained easily for 6 months, but now I'm struggling a little. I put on 5, take off 4. That said, it's summer and I to have a beer\skinny margarita now again and my social life is much more active than it used to be :-). My workout schedule is regular, but it seems like I'm just a couple of pounds over where I want to be right now, and I'm working new ways to be successful in maintenance. So, I've adopted kind of a "weekends off" schedule for food indulgence. I keep it light 5 days per week (shake for Breakfast, salad for lunch, Protein bar snack, sensible high protein dinner, no alcohol) to allow a little more flexibility on the weekends. For me, cutting any one thing out entirely is not the way I want to live. I just need to maintain the appropriate balance!

I posted about this yesterday. Here's a repeat! You may be experiencing excess acid production and sometimes this leads to reflux. Many VSG patients have reflux post-op. For some it resolves with time, for others it ends up being fairly permanent. The good news is that it is quite well controlled with medication (a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) such as Omeprazole (Prilosec) often by itself or in combination with another med). There are many theories as to the why patients develop Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) post VSG surgery: 1. The new long narrow shape of the stomach make the mobility of the acids more easily progress up into the esophagus. 2. The sphincter muscle between the esophagus and the stomach many have mobility issues post-op due to the surgery. Often these will resolve with time and healing. In some cases, there may have been some scarring or injury to the sphincter during surgery that can result in a more permanent condition. 3. During post-op healing (which can take up to 6 months to fully heal), the lining of the stomach is very sensitive and more likely to react to the acids being produced. This can cause some spasms that may push the acids upward into the esophagus. 4. Some patients may develop a hiatus hernia. A hiatus hernia is a widening of the diaphragm at the point where the esophagus passes from the chest into the abdomen. When you have a hiatus hernia, the stomach slips into the chest and the sphincter at the end of the esophagus is less effective. The hiatus hernia can be surgically repaired (and often patients have this pre-op and it is found during VSG surgery and it is repaired during the VSG!), which should also help resolve the sphincter mobility problems. 5. And of course, eating foods that irritate the stomach or cause excess acid production, such as citrus fruits, tomatoes, garlic, onions, spicy foods, foods high in fat, alcohol, and caffeine should be avoided in the early post-op stage. If you are progressing well following the elimination of many of the foods suggested above and are taking a PPI, you can begin to try to reintroduce one of these foods at a time and assess your tolerance. Laying down after eating can also increase the likelihood of GERD and should be avoided. Good luck!

I’ve been drinking since 3 weeks post surgery. My work is very social and I️ tend to have an outing at least once a week or so. I️ asked my surgeon and he was comfortable with alcohol consumption as long as it was in moderation and not sugary sweet drinks, like daiquiris, piña coladas, or sweet mixers. No issues here.

I was banded on the 19 of March. My last day in the hospital they gave me a barium drink so they could do an exray. Soon after I was hit with diarrehia. They suggested Imodium for that. On the 23 and 24 there was no diarrehia but last night it hit again in full force. I'm sure it's because most of the liquids I've drank, like a pitchure of crystal light, have sugar alcohol in it. But looking at labels, so does most other diet liquids. I had a slim fast shake for breakfast and was hit about 3 hours later. What suggestions do any of you have to get nutrients without the sugar alcohol?

The doc required an egd(scope) before he would go in for my lapband removal. Soooo..I thought I would share with you guys my experience. Removed my top only left on my bra and put on a surgical gown. Left on my pants, etc. They put in an iv and little sticky things on your chest to monitor your heart, do a blood pressure and the finger thingey for oxygen levens and heart beat. They have a spray that spray in your mouth to numb your throat and your gag reflex. It tasted like a combination of bananas(banana flavored), but more like 100 proof alcohol and pop rocks. And VERY bitter. They tell you not to breathe while it is in your mouth so you dont inhale the numbing spray. Then they do the other side. Soon you feel like you cant swallow, and your cheeks, tongue, lips and throat are numb. Then the put the sedation thru your iv. I dont remember anything past that point. They call it a 'twilight sleep' but for me it was more like a 'midnight sleep' Woke up, no sore throat or anything it takes between 20 and 30 minutes. They tell you not to drive, so you need a driver, and even after the sedation wore off in an hour or so, you are a bit addled for the rest of the day. Still no sore throat, and no after effects of the sedation. Anxiously awaiting the call for my band removal! Lisa

I had my sleeve done a week ago, 7/7/14. I have been sober for 3 years, I used alcohol as well as food to numb my feelings and emotions. I am hoping this surgery will help with my food addictions and that I can still stay sober as well.

Are there any sleevers in recovery from drug addiction/alcoholism? I ma set to be sleeved on July 24. I am a recovery and would like have somebody to discuss cross addictions and the additional problems posed w being sleeved for somebody in recovery, such as no longer having food to help me manage my emotions. Thanks!

Hi👋🏻 JC . I'm having my sleeve soon. Got my pre op next week. I've done lots of research over the time I've been waiting. With the hair loss it's down to the hormone changes we go through after removal of most of the stomache that from month 3 people notice some hair loss. This stops usually at about 12 months to 18 months when your hormones regulate themselves better. I too have fine hair and although not a deal breaker I was concerned . I've read that expensive suppliments will not alter the hormonal changes . It's viral though to get your daily chewable vitamins in without fail and protein requirements. Take heart that the hair loss as a result of surgery are temporary and the benefits huge. I love a drink on the weekends and have learnt from others that you may be able to enjoy a small drink but it will affect you faster than before surgery so take it very careful and the overwhelming message is do not drive😅. Im going to try and have the mindset to avoid alcohol for as long as possible and enjoy the weight loss . That's the plan 😉 All the very best on your journey to a healthier you X

im on my 3rd fill. a little bit on the aggressive side. 1st fill .5 2nd fill .3 3rd fill .5 so... 1.3cc in a 4cc band i have been keeping a daily log of my weight. i know, i know you are supposed to weigh in once a week or so, but for now, this is what i want to do. i notice when i have an alcohol to drink, i level out on my loss. note to self: DONT DRINK. duh and double duh. iam beginning to really notice a difference with this last fill. im really excited about it. not only that, i can now walk, sit, and stand with no hip pain. i so so so wish i was not such a lazy girl and could just get to the gym on a daily basis. geez.

just because you can not have the alcohol does not mean you can not drink. lots of really pretty fruity drinks out there and no one but you will know that's what alcoholics do find something they love without the alcohol