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They say its a possibility. And patients with addiction are at higher risk of relapse. I personally I have been abstinent for 3 yrs! Thank you Jesus but of course im still at risk.. after the surgery your body absorption reacts differently to substances.. (prescriptions,Alcohol etc )

Obesity bias. We all hear about, and some of us experience it, in the workplace and in social situations. But obesity bias lurks elsewhere, in places where you’d least expect it because the people involved are so well-educated. It lurks in what I call the “helping professions”. Teachers, ministers, people who ought to know better. Because of that, I addressed the last chapter of Bandwagon to medical professionals. Telling them how I feel about obesity bias is important to me personally, and awareness of the issue is important to us all, fat or thin, young or old. Politicians, educators, and the media can help (if they can just get their heads screwed on straight), but those of us who suffer from obesity can help by refusing to tolerate it. That’s why I’m reprinting my obesity bias chapter here: I want to put the fire in your belly. Curious? Read on. AN OPEN LETTER TO MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS You wouldn’t guess it to look at me now, but I was once obese enough to qualify for and have bariatric surgery. I was so fat that I got stuck in turnstiles, had to use handicapped stalls in public restrooms, and dressed in drab garments that looked like they were made by Omar the Tentmaker. I was so fat that children would point at me and giggle. So fat that I couldn’t fit in a booth in nice restaurants. So fat that fellow airline passengers groaned when I sat down in the seat beside them. Despite all that, I think I've been pretty lucky. I haven't suffered as much of the obesity prejudice that others like me have faced. My career might have been more successful if I was thin, but I was never aware of obesity bias in a workplace and I advanced further in my career than I ever could have dreamed possible. But I have experienced obesity prejudice, and some of that has come from you: the health care professionals with whom I've entrusted my physical and mental health, and that's a special kind of betrayal. I’m not a doctor; nurse; nutritionist; dietician; surgeon; exercise physiologist; physical or occupational therapist; medical, laboratory, radiology or surgical technician; or psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker, so I can only make assumptions about what motivates you in the practice of your profession. It’s probably a mix of things: the need for a paycheck; love of science; the expectations of your families, teachers and employers; laws and ethics (both written and unwritten); the desire to relieve suffering; and compassion for your patients. In reality, compassion seems to be undervalued in both the medical community and society at large. I'm told that medical students undergo training so grueling that it would be considered inhumane in any other environment. Then they leap into a practice that requires them to balance patient care with business, financial, insurance, legal and ethical issues that their formal education did not fully address (if at all). Americans of any profession live in a paradoxical society. We praise the athlete who finishes out a game despite a serious injury while we pop pain pills for the aches in our own inactive bodies. We give our children television sets, video games, cell phones and junk food, but don't have time to play with them or encourage them to exercise. Our government mandates the publication of nutrition information on food packages that we are unable or unwilling to understand. We admire the underweight women pictured in celebrity magazines while we wait in line at the supermarket to purchase a cartful of super-processed, calorie-rich, nutrition-poor food. During our daily trip to McDonald's, we recoil when we see an obese person enjoying the same meal that's on our own tray. We think, "What a pig! I would never let myself get that fat. Why doesn't she go on a diet? She must be too lazy or too stupid." Then we stuff another fistful of French fries in our mouths, take a big swig of Coke, and secretly loosen the button on our own straining waistband. The meal we have just eaten could feed a third-world family for a week, but neither our greediness nor their neediness concerns us. Somehow the careless eating habits of a normal weight person, the anorexic eating of an underweight actress, and the starvation of an impoverished child are all okay, but the overeating of an obese person is reviled. Despite the societal stigma associated with it, obesity isn't the shameful plight of "other" people — lazy, unlucky, immoral people. It can happen to anyone. It happened to me, and it can happen even to well-educated medical professionals like you. I am by no means lazy. God has given me many blessings, and I do my best to live in a moral fashion, but through a mysterious combination of nature and nurture, I suffer from the chronic disease of obesity. It is no easier for me to cure myself of this disease than it is for someone to cure herself of asthma, epilepsy or diabetes. I find it ironic that the only current "cure" for diabetes - gastric bypass surgery - is so often considered to be unnecessary “cosmetic” surgery when an obese person seeks it as treatment for their disease. When I asked him for a referral to a bariatric surgeon, the physician who diagnosed my Type 2 diabetes (who happens to be morbidly obese himself) told me, "You don't need something that drastic. You just need to try harder." Telling me that was as helpful as telling a patient with a broken leg, "Let's just wait and see if this gets better on its own. If you concentrate hard enough, that bone will mend itself." That same doctor told me many times to exercise more and eat less. We live in a small town and I see him and his family in local restaurants and stores, but never at the health club owned by the hospital with which he is affiliated. The most strenuous exercise I've seen him do is to repeatedly lift a fork to his face as he plows through a plate of Mexican food. Do I sound bitter? I suppose I am, and you would be too if you had been treated by your fellow human beings, including medical professionals, the way I have been treated. To hear me talk, you might think I'm nursing a grudge against my doc, but I'm not. My obese doctor is a really nice guy, and I have genuine respect for the talented, hard-working people who practice the "helping professions". But not for one minute do I believe that any of them are qualified to judge me. That privilege is reserved for God. Sometimes it's the most kind and well-intentioned people who inflict the most hurt and humiliation on an obese person. To suffer that at the hands of professionals who ought to know better has been especially hurtful and disappointing. When I first moved to Tennessee, I went to see Dr. X, the family physician recommended to me by a local friend. He gave me a prescription for my high cholesterol (essential, he said), refused me medication for depression (not necessary, he claimed), and told me I must lose weight (also essential). I asked him how I should do that. His response was, "It's simple. Put the fork down. Eat less and exercise more." When I said, "That's easier said than done," he answered, "You don't need to talk about it. Just do it." (He also inexplicably refused to give me a referral to a nutritionist, psychotherapist or weight loss support group.) From this experience I could only conclude that my obesity was due to a fatal lack of willpower. I reported that conversation to my friend, who said, "That's probably because Dr. X used to be very heavy himself, and he thinks if he can lose weight, anybody can." The fascinating thing about that factoid was that although Dr. X was specially equipped by his own experience with obesity to give advice, support, and compassion to an obese patient, he was unable or unwilling to offer me any of those things. I don't know what his problem was, because I never got to know him better. I found another family doctor (the obese one) and never returned to Dr. X for medical care. I've also experienced obesity prejudice in a mental health setting. For a year or so I attended a support group meeting for behavioral health patients at our local hospital. The woman who facilitated the group was an addiction specialist - entirely appropriate considering the high proportion of drug and alcohol addicts in the group, but even she laughed when I told the group, "It's all very well for you to talk about abstinence. You can completely give up drugs or alcohol and survive just fine, but if I completely give up food, I'll die." I'll admit I often say funny things with a serious expression on my face, but how was that statement funny when tears were running down my face? I've even experienced a subtle form of obesity prejudice in a bariatric medical practice. In the past five years, I've used the services of two different hospitals with well-established, well-respected bariatric surgery programs. I won't name them because medically I have no bone to pick with them, but I will describe them because they reveal a lot about themselves in their bariatric facilities' design. One facility is supplied with plus-size patient gowns; wide benches and chairs; wide hallways and doorways; big exam tables with sturdy step stools beside them; large, easy-access restrooms; specially-equipped operating rooms; large-size blood-pressure cuffs; and many other accommodations for large-sized patients. The other facility has none of that, and if a patient is too large to fit through the door that leads to the exam rooms, his or her consult may take place in the waiting room, in the sight and hearing of other patients. So much for patient confidentiality, huh? Both of these facilities have given me excellent and considerate care, but only one of them gives the impression of having thought deeply about what its patients really need. And speaking of what bariatric patients really need, I also have a word for the general surgeons who are jumping onto the bariatric bandwagon in hopes of increasing revenue: please, please don't lift that scalpel until you've established a complete patient education and aftercare program, employing the services of the experienced nurses, nutritionists, psychologists, exercise physiologists and other bariatric professionals who can make or break your patients' success. When you have your team assembled, please make sure they're all singing from the same sheet of music. One of the most common complaints I hear is that staff members in a single bariatric practice issue conflicting instructions - for example, the surgeon says you should eat 1/2 cup of food per meal, but the nutritionist says you should eat 1 cup. My response to this is always: follow the surgeon's advice until you're able to clarify the issue. But bariatric surgery patients, especially new ones who are trying to learn dozens of new facts and behaviors, do not need their bariatric team adding to their confusion. Just as you should not underestimate your patients' need for education and support, nor should you underestimate their intelligence. Surely as a scientist you can acknowledge that human intelligence is not inversely proportionate to body size, any more than it's related to skin color, ethnicity or religious belief, but I must remind you that mental faculties do not decrease as body size increases. While I appreciate any efforts you make to communicate clearly, it is not necessary to talk down to me. And baby talk is out of the question. I will never forget the doctor (about 15 years my junior) who explained to me that while I (age 50) was catheterized for surgery, I would "go pee pee" into a bag. I am not a child, and I will thank you to treat me as an adult. If you want me to call you "Doctor Smith", please address me as "Ms. McMillan" (or, if you are of a southern persuasion, "Miss Jean"). By now you may be thinking, "I don't have time for any more of this nit-picking," or, as a nurse practitioner once said to me, "I don't have any more time for you today. I have sick people to see." But before you run off, I also want to say this: Thank you for all that you do, for your arduous studies, hard work, and long hours; for the risks you take, your research, your continuing education; for being willing to treat a complicated and chronic disease like obesity with an expensive medical gadget that's being refined and improved even as I write this, even as you walk through the operating room doors to perform weight loss surgery on another patient. Keep up the good work, partner. None of us would get very far on the bariatric bandwagon without you!

Obesity bias. We all hear about, and some of us experience it, in the workplace and in social situations. But obesity bias lurks elsewhere, in places where you’d least expect it because the people involved are so well-educated. It lurks in what I call the “helping professions”. Teachers, ministers, people who ought to know better. Because of that, I addressed the last chapter of Bandwagon to medical professionals. Telling them how I feel about obesity bias is important to me personally, and awareness of the issue is important to us all, fat or thin, young or old. Politicians, educators, and the media can help (if they can just get their heads screwed on straight), but those of us who suffer from obesity can help by refusing to tolerate it. That’s why I’m reprinting my obesity bias chapter here: I want to put the fire in your belly. Curious? Read on. AN OPEN LETTER TO MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS You wouldn’t guess it to look at me now, but I was once obese enough to qualify for and have bariatric surgery. I was so fat that I got stuck in turnstiles, had to use handicapped stalls in public restrooms, and dressed in drab garments that looked like they were made by Omar the Tentmaker. I was so fat that children would point at me and giggle. So fat that I couldn’t fit in a booth in nice restaurants. So fat that fellow airline passengers groaned when I sat down in the seat beside them. Despite all that, I think I've been pretty lucky. I haven't suffered as much of the obesity prejudice that others like me have faced. My career might have been more successful if I was thin, but I was never aware of obesity bias in a workplace and I advanced further in my career than I ever could have dreamed possible. But I have experienced obesity prejudice, and some of that has come from you: the health care professionals with whom I've entrusted my physical and mental health, and that's a special kind of betrayal. I’m not a doctor; nurse; nutritionist; dietician; surgeon; exercise physiologist; physical or occupational therapist; medical, laboratory, radiology or surgical technician; or psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker, so I can only make assumptions about what motivates you in the practice of your profession. It’s probably a mix of things: the need for a paycheck; love of science; the expectations of your families, teachers and employers; laws and ethics (both written and unwritten); the desire to relieve suffering; and compassion for your patients. In reality, compassion seems to be undervalued in both the medical community and society at large. I'm told that medical students undergo training so grueling that it would be considered inhumane in any other environment. Then they leap into a practice that requires them to balance patient care with business, financial, insurance, legal and ethical issues that their formal education did not fully address (if at all). Americans of any profession live in a paradoxical society. We praise the athlete who finishes out a game despite a serious injury while we pop pain pills for the aches in our own inactive bodies. We give our children television sets, video games, cell phones and junk food, but don't have time to play with them or encourage them to exercise. Our government mandates the publication of nutrition information on food packages that we are unable or unwilling to understand. We admire the underweight women pictured in celebrity magazines while we wait in line at the supermarket to purchase a cartful of super-processed, calorie-rich, nutrition-poor food. During our daily trip to McDonald's, we recoil when we see an obese person enjoying the same meal that's on our own tray. We think, "What a pig! I would never let myself get that fat. Why doesn't she go on a diet? She must be too lazy or too stupid." Then we stuff another fistful of French fries in our mouths, take a big swig of Coke, and secretly loosen the button on our own straining waistband. The meal we have just eaten could feed a third-world family for a week, but neither our greediness nor their neediness concerns us. Somehow the careless eating habits of a normal weight person, the anorexic eating of an underweight actress, and the starvation of an impoverished child are all okay, but the overeating of an obese person is reviled. Despite the societal stigma associated with it, obesity isn't the shameful plight of "other" people — lazy, unlucky, immoral people. It can happen to anyone. It happened to me, and it can happen even to well-educated medical professionals like you. I am by no means lazy. God has given me many blessings, and I do my best to live in a moral fashion, but through a mysterious combination of nature and nurture, I suffer from the chronic disease of obesity. It is no easier for me to cure myself of this disease than it is for someone to cure herself of asthma, epilepsy or diabetes. I find it ironic that the only current "cure" for diabetes - gastric bypass surgery - is so often considered to be unnecessary “cosmetic” surgery when an obese person seeks it as treatment for their disease. When I asked him for a referral to a bariatric surgeon, the physician who diagnosed my Type 2 diabetes (who happens to be morbidly obese himself) told me, "You don't need something that drastic. You just need to try harder." Telling me that was as helpful as telling a patient with a broken leg, "Let's just wait and see if this gets better on its own. If you concentrate hard enough, that bone will mend itself." That same doctor told me many times to exercise more and eat less. We live in a small town and I see him and his family in local restaurants and stores, but never at the health club owned by the hospital with which he is affiliated. The most strenuous exercise I've seen him do is to repeatedly lift a fork to his face as he plows through a plate of Mexican food. Do I sound bitter? I suppose I am, and you would be too if you had been treated by your fellow human beings, including medical professionals, the way I have been treated. To hear me talk, you might think I'm nursing a grudge against my doc, but I'm not. My obese doctor is a really nice guy, and I have genuine respect for the talented, hard-working people who practice the "helping professions". But not for one minute do I believe that any of them are qualified to judge me. That privilege is reserved for God. Sometimes it's the most kind and well-intentioned people who inflict the most hurt and humiliation on an obese person. To suffer that at the hands of professionals who ought to know better has been especially hurtful and disappointing. When I first moved to Tennessee, I went to see Dr. X, the family physician recommended to me by a local friend. He gave me a prescription for my high cholesterol (essential, he said), refused me medication for depression (not necessary, he claimed), and told me I must lose weight (also essential). I asked him how I should do that. His response was, "It's simple. Put the fork down. Eat less and exercise more." When I said, "That's easier said than done," he answered, "You don't need to talk about it. Just do it." (He also inexplicably refused to give me a referral to a nutritionist, psychotherapist or weight loss support group.) From this experience I could only conclude that my obesity was due to a fatal lack of willpower. I reported that conversation to my friend, who said, "That's probably because Dr. X used to be very heavy himself, and he thinks if he can lose weight, anybody can." The fascinating thing about that factoid was that although Dr. X was specially equipped by his own experience with obesity to give advice, support, and compassion to an obese patient, he was unable or unwilling to offer me any of those things. I don't know what his problem was, because I never got to know him better. I found another family doctor (the obese one) and never returned to Dr. X for medical care. I've also experienced obesity prejudice in a mental health setting. For a year or so I attended a support group meeting for behavioral health patients at our local hospital. The woman who facilitated the group was an addiction specialist - entirely appropriate considering the high proportion of drug and alcohol addicts in the group, but even she laughed when I told the group, "It's all very well for you to talk about abstinence. You can completely give up drugs or alcohol and survive just fine, but if I completely give up food, I'll die." I'll admit I often say funny things with a serious expression on my face, but how was that statement funny when tears were running down my face? I've even experienced a subtle form of obesity prejudice in a bariatric medical practice. In the past five years, I've used the services of two different hospitals with well-established, well-respected bariatric surgery programs. I won't name them because medically I have no bone to pick with them, but I will describe them because they reveal a lot about themselves in their bariatric facilities' design. One facility is supplied with plus-size patient gowns; wide benches and chairs; wide hallways and doorways; big exam tables with sturdy step stools beside them; large, easy-access restrooms; specially-equipped operating rooms; large-size blood-pressure cuffs; and many other accommodations for large-sized patients. The other facility has none of that, and if a patient is too large to fit through the door that leads to the exam rooms, his or her consult may take place in the waiting room, in the sight and hearing of other patients. So much for patient confidentiality, huh? Both of these facilities have given me excellent and considerate care, but only one of them gives the impression of having thought deeply about what its patients really need. And speaking of what bariatric patients really need, I also have a word for the general surgeons who are jumping onto the bariatric bandwagon in hopes of increasing revenue: please, please don't lift that scalpel until you've established a complete patient education and aftercare program, employing the services of the experienced nurses, nutritionists, psychologists, exercise physiologists and other bariatric professionals who can make or break your patients' success. When you have your team assembled, please make sure they're all singing from the same sheet of music. One of the most common complaints I hear is that staff members in a single bariatric practice issue conflicting instructions - for example, the surgeon says you should eat 1/2 cup of food per meal, but the nutritionist says you should eat 1 cup. My response to this is always: follow the surgeon's advice until you're able to clarify the issue. But bariatric surgery patients, especially new ones who are trying to learn dozens of new facts and behaviors, do not need their bariatric team adding to their confusion. Just as you should not underestimate your patients' need for education and support, nor should you underestimate their intelligence. Surely as a scientist you can acknowledge that human intelligence is not inversely proportionate to body size, any more than it's related to skin color, ethnicity or religious belief, but I must remind you that mental faculties do not decrease as body size increases. While I appreciate any efforts you make to communicate clearly, it is not necessary to talk down to me. And baby talk is out of the question. I will never forget the doctor (about 15 years my junior) who explained to me that while I (age 50) was catheterized for surgery, I would "go pee pee" into a bag. I am not a child, and I will thank you to treat me as an adult. If you want me to call you "Doctor Smith", please address me as "Ms. McMillan" (or, if you are of a southern persuasion, "Miss Jean"). By now you may be thinking, "I don't have time for any more of this nit-picking," or, as a nurse practitioner once said to me, "I don't have any more time for you today. I have sick people to see." But before you run off, I also want to say this: Thank you for all that you do, for your arduous studies, hard work, and long hours; for the risks you take, your research, your continuing education; for being willing to treat a complicated and chronic disease like obesity with an expensive medical gadget that's being refined and improved even as I write this, even as you walk through the operating room doors to perform weight loss surgery on another patient. Keep up the good work, partner. None of us would get very far on the bariatric bandwagon without you!

Beer is liquid carb, pure and simple. But it's not just the carb count, it's the alcohol itself. Alcohol is the only carb metabolized as a fat. It screws up your liver. Alcohol and sugar follow the same pathway through the body.

Two weeks out and I had a great martini Saturday night. Well half a martini to be honest but no issues at all. My instructions say no alcohol while taking pain meds and those were done day one.

Hi tyvette04, Good luck for ur surgery, I know how u feeling mine is due on 15th of May. By time I start get nervous as well especially when u have to follow all the advices u have been given about the food, ur medication, stopping alcohol and cig. Very Hard to cope, plus preparing itself and ur family needs as well. But I found that u can make thing easier by having a check list of everything u need and try to follow and cross out what u did and plan for the rest. As well I tried to drink cammomile and using the lavender oil plus some relaxation technics. They all plus many other things u can use to keep u positive. Also keep praying that keep u positive as well. When u feel really down just keep thinking about the new figure u well have and the new you u well b, just imagine ur new life and how happy and positive it will b when u not struggling again to find a dress for a party can fit u. I wish u best of luck and remember we all here for u, supportive and will keep praying for u Keep us updated with ur progress

I never went into this journey blind. I knew this was just a tool to help me with this life long struggle of losing weight. but i have fallen back into the same old pattern. The only difference is i cant eat much. i dont eat alot of bread or those kind of carbs veggies make me extremely gassy even though i was blaming bread im nvr thirst so i have a hard time drinking water. i still can drink alcohol like i used to which i plan to give up starting tomorrow so that i can get this back on track. what through me off is the stall i have been in for a long time. i cant shake it. but now i have even gained 4 pounds. what the heck. the once a week that i do have a beer or two or more you wouldnt think would stop my weightloss. the carbs i dont eat you think would help but it aint. the most i might consume for calories is 1000 cals. that if i am eating bread or candy or crap like that. im frustrated im disappointed. i dont know what to do with myself. and the slips with the food or the drinkin is all cause im disappointed. I think i am gonna try boot camp and see where i go from there because i cannot handle this. this feels worse than when i would diet before. except before i know i consumed to many calories. where now i aint even eating 1/4 of them and still no loss.grrrr. anyone else experience an almost 2 month stall? my weight has maybe changed by 2 lbs in the last month or 2. i still have 90lbs to lose before my goal and i am almost 5months out and still only down 42lbs. HELP

I would wait until 6 weeks. I drink a few beers a week now, and have since 3 months out. You will get there. You are healing now! Way too soon to pour alcohol on that fresh staple line.

I wouldn't. Your new sleeve is very swollen and raw inside. That drink might make you hurt for days. Alcohol on a new wound burns like crazy, right? Imagine that inside you! My doc said six months for alcohol. I waited 4 months.

I don't know. I haven't had a specific time set to when I can have alcohol, but I'm about 6 weeks out and don't think I would try it yet. But then again, I'm a chicken LOL!

I am 12 days po and I need a drink. My husband is annoying and although I am not really a drinker... the low sugar skinny margarita in the cabinet is looking very tempting. How long did u wait to have a drink?

Has any developed drug or alcohol problems prior to surgery? My doctor say its a big possibility for surgery patients?

I'm your gal on this one!!! I had my surgery done in Germany (I live in Hawaii) while on a year long trip! After the surgery I took the train back to Amsterdam for 3 weeks, then started traveling FULL TIME for the next 4 months! And my loss was steady and good. It wasn't always easy because I couldn't find a lot of things in Europe that we have here and sometimes my energy level would wain. But I would recommend packing some Protein liquid shots and mixing that with Water or juice and some Protein powder and Protein Bars so you be sure and get your protein in. There is always yogurt in Europe so that worked for me for Breakfast (and the upside is you won't be interested in the pastries after your surgery). Italy was a tough one, so I always found a place that had minestrone soup; I think I was the only tourist there that had no Pasta, pizza or wine! But the gelato is divine. The toughest part will that you will be eating very little and cannot take the leftovers with you usually; and so many of the restaurants are locally owned and they seem so hurt when you don't eat! I would suggest a little flexible cooler and put things that you know you can eat in it for the plane. For me, I always had to have some saltine crackers or pretzel thins to help keep my stomach settled. I never worried about calories while traveling; it was all about protein and what my tummy could tolerate. Just eat slowly and forget about the alcohol for now; it probably won't taste good anyway. I am chronically A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF A SLEEVER on my Sunday blog, which is sort of a travel / weight loss blog; you might want to take a look at the link below and look at months Nov -Feb and you will see I was in many different countries and I made it work! I am now 10 lbs from goal..... Good luck; and you'll do just fine!

Is that bad?? Not alcohol. just brothy soups and protein shakes. Am I going to bust a staple?

Hi there! I'm scheduled to be sleeved by Dr. Aceves in about two weeks. Question for those who have gone before I travel frequently for work, mostly internationally on one to two-week trips. I'm quite worried about sticking to my diet during these times, and making sure that I'm not sabotaging my progress with work/business trips. I have some control over my schedule and could put a stop to travel for a period of time - but I also want to be realistic that this is a challenge I'll need to face at SOME point. So, two questions...thoughts on how long I should wait until I'm back to traveling? And thoughts on how to manage once I do travel? I'm pretty sure I'll fail if I take ALL the trips that are on the books for my team this summer (see below), but wondering which ones might be doable. Any advice for those in similar situations? Here's some details on the trips I need to consider (quickly so I can tell my boss): 5.5 weeks after surgery: Mexico for four days (I've pretty much taken this one off the table) 7.5 weeks after surgery: Italy for four days 10 weeks after surgery: Korea, Taiwan, and South Africa over 15 days 14 weeks after surgery: Brazil for four days 16 weeks after surgery: Australia, India, and Denmark over 15 days On a broader note, this is part of how I stay fat in the first place (and pack on 10 lbs a year). I treat these trips like I'm on vacation with little/no food and alcohol monitoring. Which would be fine if they were once or twice a year. I don't envision changing jobs in the near-term, but if success with the sleeve means avoiding all these trips for a year until I'm down in my weight and then figuring out how to manage the travel, I'll do it. Advice?!

It is my belief that we are all wonderful magnificent bundles of energetic love. That is our true or authentic essence. We know this when we are born, but somewhere along the way we disconnect from our authentic self; and in the process we learn to speak the language of harsh self judgment and negativity. One of the ways to tell if you are “disconnected’ is that you approach the task of losing weight from a place grounded in hatred and contempt for your overweight body and perceived lack of willpower. Your self talk may sound something like this: “I hate my body, I can’t wait to lose weight, I can’t go to that party looking like this, I can’t believe I ate that, I am so mad at myself, I know better, I should do better”. If that sounds like you, and you would like to re-connect with your authentic self, I suggest that you take a different approach to losing weight. Honor the role that compulsive eating and excess weight have played in your life. Be kind and gentle with you. If what you want more than anything is to have a slender healthy body and you do something to sabotage that, that ‘s the time you need an emotional HUG, not a beating. Know this: whenever anyone is acting in a way does not honor their highest good they are disconnected from their truth. They are just trying to feel better. Overeating is often an attempt to self nurture. I suggest that you try releasing your excess weight and the behavior of compulsive eating from a place grounded in the energy of Self Love and Compassion, not self degradation and frustration. Many people describe food as their best friend; something they can count on that is unconditional and consistent. They use the behavior of compulsive eating to soothe a broken heart, calm an anxious mind, let go of a crazy day at the office, lift their spirits, reward themselves, or connect with family and friends. I’ve even had people tell me they don’t know if they’d be alive if they didn’t have food to turn to in particularly dark times for if they didn’t have food to numb their feelings they fear they would have turned to alcohol, drugs, or even suicide. Can you relate to any of these concepts? If so can you see that you were/are using food to try to feel better, not because you are a bad or weak person? In terms of excess weight, people have told me it made them feel grounded and strong. It was their identity. Others have said that it has protected them from the anxiety associated with dating and intimacy. I’ve had people tell me their weight gave them an excuse to not really “go for it” in their lives. If they didn’t get the job they wanted or didn’t have a date, they blamed it on their weight. Below is an excerpt from my e-workbook “Live Your Highest Good Make Peace With Your Body and Food” that may lead you to greater insights as to why you carry with you excess weight. So think about this: What role has your excess weight played in your life? If your weight could talk, what would it say? As you answer the following questions be aware of any significant or uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, impulses or sensations in your body. Notice if you are able to stay focused or if your attention wanders. 1.Close your eyes and picture the people who raised you standing in front of you. Imagine that you are at your heaviest weight. If your weight could talk, what would it say to them? 2.What would your heaviest weight say to your siblings or other relatives? 3.What would your heaviest weight say to any other significant people from your past? 4.What would your heaviest weight say to significant people in your life today (partner, spouse, coworkers, friends.). Take some time and really think about this. Your Healthy Weight Voice Now imagine yourself at your ideal healthy weight. And imagine those same people standing before you. How do you feel now being with them without your excess weight? Do you feel strong and empowered, or do you feel somewhat scared and vulnerable? What would your healthy weight voice say to: The people who raised you? Your siblings or other relatives? Other significant people from your past? Significant people in your life today? Reflection: What have you learned through this exercise about the role excess weight has played in your life? Who would you be without your weight? Try this exercise the next time you take a shower: As you wash each part of your body bless it and send it love. Speak to your body as if you were speaking to a child or friend whom you love unconditionally. Thank your body for being there for you. Remember that no matter how much you stuffed it, starved it, exercised it or not, it keeps getting up and showing up for you every day. Bless and love your head, your eyes, your ears, your nose, your mouth, your chin, your neck, your shoulders, your arms, and your hands. Bless and love your back, your chest, your abdomen, your hips, your genitals, your thighs, your calves, your ankles and your feet. If you have excess fat on your body love it and bless it. Thank it for having been there for you. Know that you created it to serve as a protective shield for you to keep you centered, grounded, and safe. Now visualize yourself standing before a gateway on a beautiful hill or on the crest of a wave. Your entire life lies behind you and below you. See that every experience of your past is tied to you by silver and golden threads. Pause and review these experiences... all the joys and all the sorrows... all the adventures it took to bring you to this point... remember all your struggles with your body and your weight. Observe it all, bless it all, thank it all...especially the struggles. Now untie the threads attaching you to the past, and with all the love you can muster, let your excess weight know that it is safe for it to go now. Tell it that you are releasing it with love and gratitude, and you are now ready to learn new ways to love and nurture yourself. Release it all and bless it all. In releasing your attachment to the past, you claim your power in the present. WOW!!! How did that feel???? Take time to write any reflections, thoughts or feelings that surfaced while doing the shower exercise. You may even want to write a love letter to your body!! Have a beautiful day! Live in Love, Louisa

It is my belief that we are all wonderful magnificent bundles of energetic love. That is our true or authentic essence. We know this when we are born, but somewhere along the way we disconnect from our authentic self; and in the process we learn to speak the language of harsh self judgment and negativity. One of the ways to tell if you are “disconnected’ is that you approach the task of losing weight from a place grounded in hatred and contempt for your overweight body and perceived lack of willpower. Your self talk may sound something like this: “I hate my body, I can’t wait to lose weight, I can’t go to that party looking like this, I can’t believe I ate that, I am so mad at myself, I know better, I should do better”. If that sounds like you, and you would like to re-connect with your authentic self, I suggest that you take a different approach to losing weight. Honor the role that compulsive eating and excess weight have played in your life. Be kind and gentle with you. If what you want more than anything is to have a slender healthy body and you do something to sabotage that, that ‘s the time you need an emotional HUG, not a beating. Know this: whenever anyone is acting in a way does not honor their highest good they are disconnected from their truth. They are just trying to feel better. Overeating is often an attempt to self nurture. I suggest that you try releasing your excess weight and the behavior of compulsive eating from a place grounded in the energy of Self Love and Compassion, not self degradation and frustration. Many people describe food as their best friend; something they can count on that is unconditional and consistent. They use the behavior of compulsive eating to soothe a broken heart, calm an anxious mind, let go of a crazy day at the office, lift their spirits, reward themselves, or connect with family and friends. I’ve even had people tell me they don’t know if they’d be alive if they didn’t have food to turn to in particularly dark times for if they didn’t have food to numb their feelings they fear they would have turned to alcohol, drugs, or even suicide. Can you relate to any of these concepts? If so can you see that you were/are using food to try to feel better, not because you are a bad or weak person? In terms of excess weight, people have told me it made them feel grounded and strong. It was their identity. Others have said that it has protected them from the anxiety associated with dating and intimacy. I’ve had people tell me their weight gave them an excuse to not really “go for it” in their lives. If they didn’t get the job they wanted or didn’t have a date, they blamed it on their weight. Below is an excerpt from my e-workbook “Live Your Highest Good Make Peace With Your Body and Food” that may lead you to greater insights as to why you carry with you excess weight. So think about this: What role has your excess weight played in your life? If your weight could talk, what would it say? As you answer the following questions be aware of any significant or uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, impulses or sensations in your body. Notice if you are able to stay focused or if your attention wanders. 1.Close your eyes and picture the people who raised you standing in front of you. Imagine that you are at your heaviest weight. If your weight could talk, what would it say to them? 2.What would your heaviest weight say to your siblings or other relatives? 3.What would your heaviest weight say to any other significant people from your past? 4.What would your heaviest weight say to significant people in your life today (partner, spouse, coworkers, friends.). Take some time and really think about this. Your Healthy Weight Voice Now imagine yourself at your ideal healthy weight. And imagine those same people standing before you. How do you feel now being with them without your excess weight? Do you feel strong and empowered, or do you feel somewhat scared and vulnerable? What would your healthy weight voice say to: The people who raised you? Your siblings or other relatives? Other significant people from your past? Significant people in your life today? Reflection: What have you learned through this exercise about the role excess weight has played in your life? Who would you be without your weight? Try this exercise the next time you take a shower: As you wash each part of your body bless it and send it love. Speak to your body as if you were speaking to a child or friend whom you love unconditionally. Thank your body for being there for you. Remember that no matter how much you stuffed it, starved it, exercised it or not, it keeps getting up and showing up for you every day. Bless and love your head, your eyes, your ears, your nose, your mouth, your chin, your neck, your shoulders, your arms, and your hands. Bless and love your back, your chest, your abdomen, your hips, your genitals, your thighs, your calves, your ankles and your feet. If you have excess fat on your body love it and bless it. Thank it for having been there for you. Know that you created it to serve as a protective shield for you to keep you centered, grounded, and safe. Now visualize yourself standing before a gateway on a beautiful hill or on the crest of a wave. Your entire life lies behind you and below you. See that every experience of your past is tied to you by silver and golden threads. Pause and review these experiences... all the joys and all the sorrows... all the adventures it took to bring you to this point... remember all your struggles with your body and your weight. Observe it all, bless it all, thank it all...especially the struggles. Now untie the threads attaching you to the past, and with all the love you can muster, let your excess weight know that it is safe for it to go now. Tell it that you are releasing it with love and gratitude, and you are now ready to learn new ways to love and nurture yourself. Release it all and bless it all. In releasing your attachment to the past, you claim your power in the present. WOW!!! How did that feel???? Take time to write any reflections, thoughts or feelings that surfaced while doing the shower exercise. You may even want to write a love letter to your body!! Have a beautiful day! Live in Love, Louisa

My packet from my surgeon says to be careful with alcohol not only because it's a slider but also because you may get intoxicated quicker than you're used to. I still say go and have fun! (Just be mindful :-) )

Sliders are empty calories that you can comsume that can bypass your stomach without getting any nutritional value back. Ice cream, because it melts, alcohol, etc are some of these items.

Go!! I wouldn't necessarily drink at that stage because it was empty calories but that's just me. Alcohol is a slider so just be careful.

Alcohol is big no-no so close to surgery. Not only is it a blood thinner, it adversely effects your liver. The whole reason surgeon put people on pre-op diets is to shrink the liver to make it easier to work around and less risk of accidentally injuring it. Alcohol this close to surgery would be a big mistake.

my surgery is on the 10th and my doctor has me on a full clear liquid diet i cant have any solid and absolutely no alcohol or cigerattes for the 5days pre op..

Depends on your Dr. My Doctor says no caffeine or alcohol at all during pre-op phase. Also NO CARBONATED beverages after ever... Reason is the carbonation expands your stomach and you can cause erosion and slippages. What a bout some mineral water with a twist of lime? I know its hard when we are use to doing those things. We are going out to Celebrate a friends birthday and I am doing water with a twist of lime only. I might have a crystal light margarita flavored water before I leave the house but I need to give my all to the pre op diet. Best of luck and have fun!

question: my surgery is on the 11th of may...yay me! i am on shakes twice and small meats for lunch. tonight my gf and i are going out. can i drink alcohol with coke zero??

My NUT advised not drinking alcohol for a t least 6 mths. She also said if I was determined to drink, to drink what I call "hard liquor" mixed in something non carbonated. Remember, your tolerance level will have changed deamaticlly also. If you do decide to drink, be extremely careful.