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I can only speak for myself, but I am most certainly a food addict. I don't think or see why anyone would "want" to be a food addict. I think it takes a lot of guts and courage to admit any kind of addiction. In the simplest form, the reason I know that I am food addict is that here I am, I'm intelligant, I know exactly what causes me to be morbidly obese, I know exactly what ill effects this weight causes my body, intellectually I know what I can/should do to correct it (and have done it to the tune of 1,000 (yes, one thousand) pounds over 50 years (my parents took me to a diet dr. when I was 7), and yet here I am....powerless over food....and still morbidly obese. I was very beautiful, and all this weight distorted my looks and robbed my self esteem. It has caused isolation and insecurity that I cannot even describe. I am invisible to most of the world. It is no fun not to be comfortable in your very own skin. Yet, I'm am SO extremely scared to have any kind of weight loss surgery, I'm on the fence about having any at all. Close friends and relatives are scared for me have surgery, due to the inherent risks and complications. It is a HUGE decision. I am not overexagerating when I say it is the biggest decision I'll ever make and I am not making it or taking it lightly. If other types of behaviors are addictive - such as illegal and prescription drugs, alcohol, smoking, gambling, sex, just to name a few - why not food?? It doesn't surprise me one iota. I live it everyday and so do lots and lots of others. It is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. It has basically ruined my life.

In my work, I find that one of the most common explanations people give for their struggle with diets and with obesity is “I’m a food addict.” When asked what this means, most people explain that their inability to maintain the weight lost from diets and the fact that most or all of the weight eventually returns is proof of their “food addiction.” Additional evidence they cite is that their eating is “all or nothing,” that they can completely avoid so-called “forbidden foods” or binge on them with regularity, but nothing in between. This kind of reasoning is called reasoning from the converse. This is where you have a conclusion or an end state and you then go backwards to explain the cause and use the existence of the end state as proof of the cause. This invariably leads to circular logic that goes nowhere. Here’s how it works: “I am a food addict which explains why I cannot moderate my intake of certain foods, and my inability to moderate my intake of certain foods proves that I am addicted to them and am therefore an addict.” But does it? There is actually another, more accurate explanation. There are three facts that must be considered: 1) 95% of people will regain most or all of the weight they have lost on a diet within five years. 2) Many, if not most diets teach avoidance of “forbidden foods,” not moderate consumption of them. 3) Very few diets or weight loss regimens are successfully maintained indefinitely. These facts are very important to our discussion because they are true for almost EVERYONE who has tried to lose a significant amount of weight. Therefore, either everyone who has failed to keep their weight off following a diet or eventually resorts to eating “forbidden foods” is a “food addict” or there are other explanations for this phenomenon. But why is it that so many of the people I meet are eager to call themselves “food addicts?” Most people are uncomfortable acknowledging that they are addicted to alcohol or illicit substances such as cocaine or heroin, so why is being a so-called “food addict” easier to acknowledge? I believe it is because the label “food addict” removes the feelings of guilt and shame that so many people experience when they regain weight after all of the work they expended in losing it. It is absolutely heartbreaking to lose the weight, have people notice that you’re thinner and then a year later you’ve regained the weight and everyone knows it. It would be very tempting to blame this on a disease called “addiction.” “It’s not my fault that I regained the weight and am obese again…I’m a food addict.” I can certainly understand the desire to be free from responsibility from your obesity or weight regain; however, it’s not necessary to fall back on the explanation that you are a “food addict.” Perhaps if we looked at the facts about weight loss, there would be no need for all of the guilt and shame and the resulting need to explain it away by calling it an addiction. Review the facts that I mentioned earlier. The overwhelming majority of people regain the weight they have lost from a diet, very few diets teach moderate eating of “forbidden foods” (so you’re left with only knowing how to eat them or not eat them), and most people find it very difficult if not impossible to stay on a regimen of controlled eating for extended periods of time. These are the problems faced by almost all human beings who try to lose weight, not just those who are “food addicts!” So what is the explanation when someone actually succeeds in losing weight and keeping it off? Great question…and the answer is not that these rare souls are not “food addicts” or that they are “recovered food addicts.” The National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) is an organization that keeps tracks of “successful weight losers” who have lost 30 pounds or more and have kept it off for at least one year. What should immediately catch your eye is that “success” is defined as losing 30 pounds and keeping it off for one year. So if losing 30 pounds and keeping it off for one year is considered “successful,” if you’re morbidly obese and manage to lose 100 pounds and keep that off for several years that would be incredibly successful! Extensive research has been done on these folks over the years and the most recent study has discovered 7 common habits which most of the 6,000 people studied have in common. 6,000 participants in a study is a strong number of people and one where the conclusions drawn are likely very robust. Interestingly, the researchers noted that 90% of the folks in this study who finally lost the weight and kept if off had a previous history of losing weight and putting it back on. Therefore, the overwhelming majority of people were not successful on their first try. The seven habits of successful “losers” were: 1. Engaging in 200+ minutes of exercise of moderate intensity per week, 2. Limiting TV watching to less than 10 hours per week, 3. Eating a low-calorie, low-fat diet with less than 30% of calories from fat, 4. Consistency – relatively little food variety and the same daily pattern of eating, 5. Eating breakfast, 6. Avoiding emotional eating and binging and limiting consumption of fast food to less than once weekly and, 7. Monitoring yourself such as documenting calories and/or fat. Notice that every one of the seven habits is just that…a pattern of behavior. There is no mention of the characteristics of the 6000 people. It’s not about who they are, but rather what they did and continue to do. So what do we make of this “food addiction?” Neuroscience is recognizing the difficulty human beings have in resisting certain foods that we can call “engineered foods” that are high in sugar, salt and other additives. These foods are designed by fast-food companies and food manufacturers to be irresistible because they cause certain reactions in the brain that make it hard for us to say no. But these are challenges for us all. In fact, mass consumption of these “engineered foods” is likely one of the great contributors to the obesity epidemic. They explain why we, as a society, are getting fatter. Perhaps we will discover that some individuals (for neurological or other reasons) have a more difficult time resisting these “engineered foods” enriched with sugar, salt and other additives, and that these individuals are the true “food addicts.” But what would knowing that you are one of these individuals change? What would a “food addict” do differently to lose weight and keep it off? The addiction model says that the addict should completely abstain from using the substance or drug. Should “food addicts” avoid all food (impossible) or just the ones they are “addicted” to? And how would we know which ones those would be? The most commonly cited addictive “substance” in food is sugar, but we’re not at all certain. There is also another problem. Much of the research on binge eating indicates that designating certain foods as completely “forbidden” and avoiding them results in feelings of deprivation and their becoming even more desirable which often results in binging on them when you finally give into temptation. Perhaps someday there will be treatments for true “food addicts” if “food addiction” actually exists. What is more likely however; is that these folks will simply have to work even harder than most of us to stick to the seven habits that are detailed above. In the meantime, consider giving up the label of “food addict” and instead, recognize that losing weight and keeping it off is a tremendous challenge, but an achievable one. If you’re thinking of beginning to address your own personal “battle of the bulge” either for the first time or the twentieth time, or if you’re feeling hopeless and thinking there is no point in even trying, fear not…most successful losers apparently made several unsuccessful attempts before they finally got it right. And if you are thinking of starting yet again…the seven habits detailed above are a great blueprint to follow.

In my work, I find that one of the most common explanations people give for their struggle with diets and with obesity is “I’m a food addict.” When asked what this means, most people explain that their inability to maintain the weight lost from diets and the fact that most or all of the weight eventually returns is proof of their “food addiction.” Additional evidence they cite is that their eating is “all or nothing,” that they can completely avoid so-called “forbidden foods” or binge on them with regularity, but nothing in between. This kind of reasoning is called reasoning from the converse. This is where you have a conclusion or an end state and you then go backwards to explain the cause and use the existence of the end state as proof of the cause. This invariably leads to circular logic that goes nowhere. Here’s how it works: “I am a food addict which explains why I cannot moderate my intake of certain foods, and my inability to moderate my intake of certain foods proves that I am addicted to them and am therefore an addict.” But does it? There is actually another, more accurate explanation. There are three facts that must be considered: 1) 95% of people will regain most or all of the weight they have lost on a diet within five years. 2) Many, if not most diets teach avoidance of “forbidden foods,” not moderate consumption of them. 3) Very few diets or weight loss regimens are successfully maintained indefinitely. These facts are very important to our discussion because they are true for almost EVERYONE who has tried to lose a significant amount of weight. Therefore, either everyone who has failed to keep their weight off following a diet or eventually resorts to eating “forbidden foods” is a “food addict” or there are other explanations for this phenomenon. But why is it that so many of the people I meet are eager to call themselves “food addicts?” Most people are uncomfortable acknowledging that they are addicted to alcohol or illicit substances such as cocaine or heroin, so why is being a so-called “food addict” easier to acknowledge? I believe it is because the label “food addict” removes the feelings of guilt and shame that so many people experience when they regain weight after all of the work they expended in losing it. It is absolutely heartbreaking to lose the weight, have people notice that you’re thinner and then a year later you’ve regained the weight and everyone knows it. It would be very tempting to blame this on a disease called “addiction.” “It’s not my fault that I regained the weight and am obese again…I’m a food addict.” I can certainly understand the desire to be free from responsibility from your obesity or weight regain; however, it’s not necessary to fall back on the explanation that you are a “food addict.” Perhaps if we looked at the facts about weight loss, there would be no need for all of the guilt and shame and the resulting need to explain it away by calling it an addiction. Review the facts that I mentioned earlier. The overwhelming majority of people regain the weight they have lost from a diet, very few diets teach moderate eating of “forbidden foods” (so you’re left with only knowing how to eat them or not eat them), and most people find it very difficult if not impossible to stay on a regimen of controlled eating for extended periods of time. These are the problems faced by almost all human beings who try to lose weight, not just those who are “food addicts!” So what is the explanation when someone actually succeeds in losing weight and keeping it off? Great question…and the answer is not that these rare souls are not “food addicts” or that they are “recovered food addicts.” The National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) is an organization that keeps tracks of “successful weight losers” who have lost 30 pounds or more and have kept it off for at least one year. What should immediately catch your eye is that “success” is defined as losing 30 pounds and keeping it off for one year. So if losing 30 pounds and keeping it off for one year is considered “successful,” if you’re morbidly obese and manage to lose 100 pounds and keep that off for several years that would be incredibly successful! Extensive research has been done on these folks over the years and the most recent study has discovered 7 common habits which most of the 6,000 people studied have in common. 6,000 participants in a study is a strong number of people and one where the conclusions drawn are likely very robust. Interestingly, the researchers noted that 90% of the folks in this study who finally lost the weight and kept if off had a previous history of losing weight and putting it back on. Therefore, the overwhelming majority of people were not successful on their first try. The seven habits of successful “losers” were: 1. Engaging in 200+ minutes of exercise of moderate intensity per week, 2. Limiting TV watching to less than 10 hours per week, 3. Eating a low-calorie, low-fat diet with less than 30% of calories from fat, 4. Consistency – relatively little food variety and the same daily pattern of eating, 5. Eating breakfast, 6. Avoiding emotional eating and binging and limiting consumption of fast food to less than once weekly and, 7. Monitoring yourself such as documenting calories and/or fat. Notice that every one of the seven habits is just that…a pattern of behavior. There is no mention of the characteristics of the 6000 people. It’s not about who they are, but rather what they did and continue to do. So what do we make of this “food addiction?” Neuroscience is recognizing the difficulty human beings have in resisting certain foods that we can call “engineered foods” that are high in sugar, salt and other additives. These foods are designed by fast-food companies and food manufacturers to be irresistible because they cause certain reactions in the brain that make it hard for us to say no. But these are challenges for us all. In fact, mass consumption of these “engineered foods” is likely one of the great contributors to the obesity epidemic. They explain why we, as a society, are getting fatter. Perhaps we will discover that some individuals (for neurological or other reasons) have a more difficult time resisting these “engineered foods” enriched with sugar, salt and other additives, and that these individuals are the true “food addicts.” But what would knowing that you are one of these individuals change? What would a “food addict” do differently to lose weight and keep it off? The addiction model says that the addict should completely abstain from using the substance or drug. Should “food addicts” avoid all food (impossible) or just the ones they are “addicted” to? And how would we know which ones those would be? The most commonly cited addictive “substance” in food is sugar, but we’re not at all certain. There is also another problem. Much of the research on binge eating indicates that designating certain foods as completely “forbidden” and avoiding them results in feelings of deprivation and their becoming even more desirable which often results in binging on them when you finally give into temptation. Perhaps someday there will be treatments for true “food addicts” if “food addiction” actually exists. What is more likely however; is that these folks will simply have to work even harder than most of us to stick to the seven habits that are detailed above. In the meantime, consider giving up the label of “food addict” and instead, recognize that losing weight and keeping it off is a tremendous challenge, but an achievable one. If you’re thinking of beginning to address your own personal “battle of the bulge” either for the first time or the twentieth time, or if you’re feeling hopeless and thinking there is no point in even trying, fear not…most successful losers apparently made several unsuccessful attempts before they finally got it right. And if you are thinking of starting yet again…the seven habits detailed above are a great blueprint to follow.

If your drinking is causing problems--and from your post it is--perhaps you should give AA a try. It is free and they are all dealing with addiction. You didn't mention anything about getting drunk, but you are relying on alcohol in an unhealthy way and that is a drinking problem. Anyone who has beaten addiction to anything (food included) will tell you that relapse is a place you usually go through on the path to recovery/health. There is no shame in having a problem.....as long as you don't let it steal anymore years from you. Best of luck.

You can do both...I am! I eat whatever I want, just very small portions. I have been to dozens of restaurants since my surgery and have never went without...and still lose weight. I have even had alcohol, not much but I have. I fortunately am not much of a carb/sweets person so I may have a bit of an advantage but it can be done! Never say never, shouldnt even been in the vocabulary. Best of luck to you, it does work and you will do great!

I'm going to throw this out here just for the sake of proving the point. Cycling carbs and calories while exercising sufficiently is a very effective strategy to strip body fat. Men lose fat more easily than women. Why? Because a man's body consists of more lean muscle tissue than a woman's. And a man's hormonal makeup is more geared toward anabolism. I like to eat. I don't like to feel deprived - and I like ice cream... No... I LOVE ice cream. I want to eat as much food as I can, while still losing body fat. Here is an example of my last 8 day period. For the first 5 days I ate relatively good foods and stayed in the 2000 calorie a day range - which is a deficit for me. I kept simple carbs to a minimum while making certain I was eating sufficient grams of Protein to protect my lean muscle mass. Then I let myself up off the mat and in the last two days I ATE... and I ATE A LOT... In the last 2 days alone I ate a combined 3000 calories plus of JUST ice cream. That does't include the mexican food at Bandidos or the alcoholic beverages or any of the other intake. I no doubt consumed somewhere around 4000 calories each day. But now I will settle back into a deficit for 5 more days, limiting those simple carbs but still keeping my protein intake sufficient enough to protect my lean muscle mass. This is certainly too extreme of a swing for most people here, but the general principle still applies. The high calorie days and sufficient exercise keep your metabolism white-hot, yet the lower calorie days keep your lean muscle tissue protected. The end result is a reduction in body fat, while not feeling weak and sluggish or depriving yourself. I have used this principle for quite awhile and have more and more muscle definition as each month passes. If you don't believe me check out my gallery. My abs are becoming more and more defined as body fat continues to strip away. It's a slow but steady process but it is very effective. When I first started I had to dig through fat to find my port. Now the damn thing sticks out like a tumor because there's so little fat over it.... I have struggled with low fat / low carb / low calorie diets and sedentary lifestyles just like everyone else. I did Atkins and so many other fads... They don't work long term... You must have a permanent lifestyle change to be successful - band or not. The proof is in the pudding as they say... Search LBT and you'll be bombarded with threads and posts about people eating 800 calories a day and not losing weight... There's a new group of them that comes along every few weeks... So many just end up throwing in the towel and declaring the band didn't work for them... This isn't stuff that my surgeon or nutritionist gave me. It's research and trial and error I did on my own to get results. Save yourselves the headaches and struggles and learn from the mistakes of those who've gone down this road before you. My advice for women trying this technique would be to do sufficient cardio 5 days a week at 40 minutes a session, working all 3 target heart rate zones. Add in two strength/resistance training sessions a week. Continually challenge yourself and increase intensity of your workouts as they become easier. Everyone's activity levels are different, but for the sake of argument I'd increase calories by 100 every 5 days until you achieve about 1200. Then every 5-7 days take 2 days and run that number up to 1800-2000 and then slam back down to 1200 for another 5-7 days. Repeat this cycle and you will strip body fat... and you will have so much more energy and not feel like you are dieting so much.

why cant you go out for dinner ? have a salad before you leave the house and then have an appetizer for your dinner. skip the alcoholic drink , or just have 1 and sip water or seltzer the rest of the evening. you can still live your life you just may have to make adjustments. Also, Applebees does a weight watchers menu and most resturants have a "lighter menu" too. You're going to need your friends so dont give up everything just to loose weight. good luck !

You betcha!!!!! From what I understand, when we had this surgery, not only were our tummies removed but some hormones and other "stuff" we may not know we needed. It makes sense to me, however, when some of these hormones are removed, people do stuff they never used to. . .turn to drugs, alcohol, sex, get more emotional, get angry, etc. . . I did that too. . never was a drinker, but recently I could easily become an alcoholic. . .thank goodness I have control not to do that. . .but it's definately there, that and wanting to go crazy on carbs. . . at 3 years out this is not a good thing (no wonder some people fail with this surgery after a while). . . I had posted a post about my hubbie hurting my feelings by telling me I had gained weight, well after having had a pity party with myself and LOTS of self talk, I told him thank you cause even though I did not gain weight (according to my scale) it made me realize that maybe I'm doing bizzare things which i didn't do before. . . and then I realized that yes I'm snacking like an idiot on carbs and between meals and yes I was drinking alcohol A LOT!!! Sooooo, i stopped that dead in its tracks. . . think head hunger is murder? Try stopping every thing cold turkey! If i wasn't crazy before, I will be now! hahaha. . . but it's only temporary cause once my body gets back on track, I will be ok. . . . PS: For you stats folks, I don't have proof of my findings, only observation. . . .

Misinformation about Weight Loss Surgery If you have ever who has discussed weight loss surgery with uninformed individuals, you know that the initial reaction is likely to be negative and backed by false information or no information at all. Many people who have not investigated weight loss surgery believe that the surgery is a quick fix for lazy people. They may think that you can walk in off the street and leave from bariatric surgery a couple hundred pounds lighter; that you chose to ignore your weight for years; and that all bariatric surgery is the same;. Wrong, wrong and wrong. These misperceptions contribute to the stigma associated with weight loss surgery. People may look down on surgery as the “easy way out” for “lazy people,” instead of as a tool for hard-working people to have the opportunity to lead the healthy lives that everyone should have the chance to lead. You already know that you’re not lazy and that bariatric surgery is not a magic bullet; the next time you run across an uninformed, disparaging individual, you can patiently explain to them the steps of the process and the hard work you and every other successful weight loss surgery patient puts in. Not Everyone is Eligible for Weight Loss Surgery You can’t just “go get bariatric surgery,” and this is an important fact to understand to reduce the stigma associated with weight loss surgery. Each weight loss center has strict eligibility requirements that you have to meet before you can become a candidate. In general, patients must be morbidly obese, with a BMI over 40, or have a BMI over 35 and have health complications related to being overweight; for example, you might be eligible if you have a BMI of 35 and already have type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol levels. Most clinics have additional eligibility criteria that you need to meet before being considered as a potential bariatric surgery candidate. You need to have been overweight for several years, usually over five years. You also need to show that you have tried, unsuccessfully, to lose weight multiple times through diet alone. You cannot be a smoker or be an abuser of alcohol or drugs because the additional health risks from surgery will be too great. Pregnant women or women who want to become pregnant soon should not have bariatric surgery because pregnancy is only safe after your weight is constant. The decision to have surgery requires significant consideration and planning. Bariatric Surgery Requires Preparation Bariatric surgery itself does not guarantee permanent weight loss success, and much of the responsibility for losing weight will be up to you. Even after going through the screening process and learning that your clinic agrees that some form of bariatric surgery is right for you, several steps remain before you can undergo the procedure. The steps are in place to ensure that you are likely to succeed with the surgery and are not signing up on a whim. You will meet your bariatric team members, including your surgeon, dietitian and psychologist or psychiatrist. In most cases, you will undergo a psychological interview or series of tests to make sure that you are capable of sticking to the required diet. You may be asked to follow a specific diet for weeks before your scheduled surgery to demonstrate your commitment and ability to succeed after the operation. This step may also be required by your health insurance company for your bariatric procedure to be covered. There are Risks People need to understand that you can’t take bariatric surgery lightly. Each type of surgery has risks, although different processes are riskier than others. The lap band is relatively low-risk, with minor concerns of the band slipping out of place or infections at the incision site. Roux-n-Y gastric bypass carries a higher rate of complications, including ulcers, spleen injuries, leakage through staples and deficiencies of micronutrients, such as vitamin B-12 and iron. Nobody would choose to have a bariatric procedure if they weren’t convinced that they had tried all of their other options to get healthy. It’s a Long Process Bariatric surgery is a crucial milestone, but it is early in your weight loss journey and bariatric care plan. After surgery, you will continue to have follow-up appointments with your surgeon as dictated by your health and type of weight loss surgery. You will also meet with your dietitian regularly to stay on track with your diet. Most clinics have optional or mandatory support groups to motivate you and provide opportunities to ask your surgeon and fellow patients questions in a group setting. The surgery does not take off any weight. It’s a tool to make it easier for the patient to follow the proper diet for the long term. Contrary to what some people may believe, you do not lose any weight during the surgery. All of the weight that you lose is because of changes to your diet. The surgical procedures help you eat less by limiting the size of your stomach and making you feel full faster. Even if you lose 100 pounds in your first year, which is a standard benchmark for success, you may still have more weight to lose. Once you reach your goal weight, you still need to watch your diet and exercise regularly to keep the weight off. In Conclusion You’re already familiar with the intensive efforts required for weight loss surgery, but unfortunately, most people are not. This often leads to negative reactions when you tell them about your procedure. An important step you can take in reducing the stigma is to explain that the procedure is a component of an overall program to improve your health through lifestyle modifications.

Misinformation about Weight Loss Surgery If you have ever who has discussed weight loss surgery with uninformed individuals, you know that the initial reaction is likely to be negative and backed by false information or no information at all. Many people who have not investigated weight loss surgery believe that the surgery is a quick fix for lazy people. They may think that you can walk in off the street and leave from bariatric surgery a couple hundred pounds lighter; that you chose to ignore your weight for years; and that all bariatric surgery is the same;. Wrong, wrong and wrong. These misperceptions contribute to the stigma associated with weight loss surgery. People may look down on surgery as the “easy way out” for “lazy people,” instead of as a tool for hard-working people to have the opportunity to lead the healthy lives that everyone should have the chance to lead. You already know that you’re not lazy and that bariatric surgery is not a magic bullet; the next time you run across an uninformed, disparaging individual, you can patiently explain to them the steps of the process and the hard work you and every other successful weight loss surgery patient puts in. Not Everyone is Eligible for Weight Loss Surgery You can’t just “go get bariatric surgery,” and this is an important fact to understand to reduce the stigma associated with weight loss surgery. Each weight loss center has strict eligibility requirements that you have to meet before you can become a candidate. In general, patients must be morbidly obese, with a BMI over 40, or have a BMI over 35 and have health complications related to being overweight; for example, you might be eligible if you have a BMI of 35 and already have type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol levels. Most clinics have additional eligibility criteria that you need to meet before being considered as a potential bariatric surgery candidate. You need to have been overweight for several years, usually over five years. You also need to show that you have tried, unsuccessfully, to lose weight multiple times through diet alone. You cannot be a smoker or be an abuser of alcohol or drugs because the additional health risks from surgery will be too great. Pregnant women or women who want to become pregnant soon should not have bariatric surgery because pregnancy is only safe after your weight is constant. The decision to have surgery requires significant consideration and planning. Bariatric Surgery Requires Preparation Bariatric surgery itself does not guarantee permanent weight loss success, and much of the responsibility for losing weight will be up to you. Even after going through the screening process and learning that your clinic agrees that some form of bariatric surgery is right for you, several steps remain before you can undergo the procedure. The steps are in place to ensure that you are likely to succeed with the surgery and are not signing up on a whim. You will meet your bariatric team members, including your surgeon, dietitian and psychologist or psychiatrist. In most cases, you will undergo a psychological interview or series of tests to make sure that you are capable of sticking to the required diet. You may be asked to follow a specific diet for weeks before your scheduled surgery to demonstrate your commitment and ability to succeed after the operation. This step may also be required by your health insurance company for your bariatric procedure to be covered. There are Risks People need to understand that you can’t take bariatric surgery lightly. Each type of surgery has risks, although different processes are riskier than others. The lap band is relatively low-risk, with minor concerns of the band slipping out of place or infections at the incision site. Roux-n-Y gastric bypass carries a higher rate of complications, including ulcers, spleen injuries, leakage through staples and deficiencies of micronutrients, such as vitamin B-12 and iron. Nobody would choose to have a bariatric procedure if they weren’t convinced that they had tried all of their other options to get healthy. It’s a Long Process Bariatric surgery is a crucial milestone, but it is early in your weight loss journey and bariatric care plan. After surgery, you will continue to have follow-up appointments with your surgeon as dictated by your health and type of weight loss surgery. You will also meet with your dietitian regularly to stay on track with your diet. Most clinics have optional or mandatory support groups to motivate you and provide opportunities to ask your surgeon and fellow patients questions in a group setting. The surgery does not take off any weight. It’s a tool to make it easier for the patient to follow the proper diet for the long term. Contrary to what some people may believe, you do not lose any weight during the surgery. All of the weight that you lose is because of changes to your diet. The surgical procedures help you eat less by limiting the size of your stomach and making you feel full faster. Even if you lose 100 pounds in your first year, which is a standard benchmark for success, you may still have more weight to lose. Once you reach your goal weight, you still need to watch your diet and exercise regularly to keep the weight off. In Conclusion You’re already familiar with the intensive efforts required for weight loss surgery, but unfortunately, most people are not. This often leads to negative reactions when you tell them about your procedure. An important step you can take in reducing the stigma is to explain that the procedure is a component of an overall program to improve your health through lifestyle modifications.

I'm surprised how emotional I've been. I cried a couple of times during the last 3 days of recovery "for no reason" that I could put my finger on. This is a big deal. I think there is a lot of emotion that will come up. But I would have a talk with your husband about how he can better support you. For the short term, I'd consider asking him not to talk about food in front of you. It sounds like it's a hot button issue for you, and he will hopefully help make things easier, not harder, if you tell him what's going on inside your head... For me, it was alcohol... I made my DH put everything in storage and asked that we keep a dry house for a few months... We usually had a scotch or two (or some other drink) before bed every night, and I knew I'd feel really left out if he were drinking when I couldn't...

I am going to compare this to another time in my life where I had to make a big change. I did cry then, I had such a hard time coming to terms with the fact- not drinking alcohol ever again. As time went on I stopped looking at my whole life but one day at a time, sometimes one hour at a time. this is a big change you are making. it is a change that you are making, not your family. Everyone eats and you will be smelling food forever more! start to think about the changes you are going to experience once your body changes. It will be a bigger high than the smells of the family breakfast, really it will be much better!! I try not to think only of weight loss. I have experienced a great loss of inches since I started this life. I also can exercise & walk so well now. I don't get winded, I don't feel the same aches and pains. Is all of this worth it??

Amanda, we are so in the same boat. I did the 3 month insurance required diet and lost, but the whole time I just kept telling myself I was making better choices and choosing to eat smaller portions - I never really had a hard time with it and didn't have that "I'm STARVING" feeling, like I do on most diets. I had my pre-op on Wednesday and my pre-op diet consists of 3 or 4 replacement/protein shakes and a small Lean Cuisine type dinner. I tried to do some of it on Wed night, but didn't go so well. So on Thursday and Friday I tried to follow it, and now I feel like I'm STARVING! When I was on the 3 month diet I hardly ever felt hungry, went hours between my morning shake and lunch shake without a problem, and now I can barely go 15 minutes without thinking of something I can have, or feeling the need to eat. My stomach is rumbling and I'm grouchy and I feel like I did on every diet before. :-( My doctor wants me to lose 10 pounds in 7 days - I thought it would be easy, but since I lost over 20 pounds already that quick weight loss isn't happening now. Hopefully it will be fine no matter what - the nurse said since I've already lost a lot and I'm not that big anyways (one of the ONLY times I've ever heard that for many years!!!!) that even just a few pounds should be fine. Oh, and adding to the stress of a starvation diet I now have PMS, and I can't take anything but Tylenol. Or alcohol. I feel bad for my family having to live with me for the past couple of days. Thanks for letting me know I'm not the only one having a hard time with this. Yesterday I ate about 1-2 cups of pistachios....definitely NOT on my pre-op diet. ~Kelly <3

Post your username and you'll have 20 friends in an hour. If you're using it on your phone, go to summary and it will show you your friends' status updates, including their exercise..which motivates me the most! I keep my diary public. For any public diary, your friends can go in it and see what you're eating, drinking, and exercising on a daily basis. I find that this keeps me honest. You'll see that I have eaten sweets and carbs on occasion...and even that I've had alcohol. I figure I should post everything so that I can see trends later (if needed) and to keep it honest for those who are following me. I'm Lissa912 on there. Feel free to add me, just note that you're from VST if you use a different username there than here.

Rachael, i think they refer to alcohol as "empy calories." Not good to drink alot. I know its ok to have a little now and then, but overdueing, like food - isn't great. Remember, smaller portions and moderation kathy sorry for the interruption,/crash but...... Lissa, i see you have been creeping "down" in weight to losing 91 lb - how terrific is that? congrats kathy

Ever hear of transfer addiction? Don't start drinking now just because you can't eat. I think a little alcohol here and there is fine, but it's strange that a non-drinker would suddenly start craving it, IMO. My psyche told me that I would "definitely" become an alcoholic, so I've been very stringent on how much and when I drink...and I never drank much pre-op either. Good luck!

Before my surgery I rarely drank more than a few sips of my husbands cold beer every blue moon. Starting last week I have been craving alcohol just out of the blue. Has any one else experienced this? Is it some kind of deficiency? I don't think alcohol has any nutritional value but I'm wanting it for some reason lol.

I had surgery on the 21st and was able to attend a class reunion on the 30th. I took bottled water with me...and wasn't ready to dance but I think that its because I was still getting used to being alcohol free. I was a party monster prior to surgery! Lol

I drink beer often. I have no problems with it but I count my calories. Having the surgery has not changed the way how fast alcohol affects me. I think it's different for everyone just make sure you account for your calories and take it slow when you have your first drink until you know how it will affect you. And also don't drink until you are fully healed (6-8 wks after surgery).

Being hungry isn't my problem either, truthfully there are very few times when I ever feel hungry. I just like food, and I like eating, I thought I was over food but I still need to work on that. Because my hair is falling at an alarming rate, and my hair is my one true vanity, nothing but Protein is passing through these lips. I love this sleeve, because it has stopped me from gaining weight during my weeks of madness, I have never been so happy about getting full so quickly. Thanks to the sleeve the damage to my weight loss was minimal. Now I just keep repeating to myself that food is not the boss of me. I remember telling my mom once that food is an addiction, and it is. In my opinion it is the hardest addiction, because you can't quit food. You can quit smoking, drugs, alcohol, but you can't quit food. But like you said, I am aware, and I know that with my faith and my will, I will succeed.

I was told no alcohol for at least three months. You are still healing from surgery; I'd pass on the wine.

I usually order what I would usually do but try to stay away from the carbs. I still drink alcohol, and when I'm out to dinner, I'll drink it up until the point where we're eating, then I'll stop. The other day we went out for Mexican, I had shrimp and crab enchiladas which sucked! Anyway, they were basically grilled shrimp and canned crab with some sauce on top of two cheese enchiladas. So I just had the seafood, left the enchiladas alone, had some grilled veggies and that was it. There was Beans and rice as well, but I gave that to the dbf. Today at lunch I ordered an arepa from the food cart outside of my office. An arepa is like a Mexican corn cake that they top with grilled veggies, meat (I chose shrimp) guac and pico de gallo. They serve it with a side of rice. All I ate was the arepa and that was it, threw the rice out. Once and a while I'll order just an appetizer, but a lot of them are either deep fried or dips which I kind of consider a "slider food" Hope I helped!

I have Connecticare and I wondered this too! My insurance lists the requirements are: Must meet all of the following: 1. The individual is age 18 or over. 2. The individual has a Body Mass Index of between 35 and 39.9 with one or more of the following life-threatening, obesity-related comorbidities: cardio-pulmonary problems (Obesity-related cardiomyopathy, Obstructive sleep Apnea (w/AHI >15), Pickwickian syndrome, Respiratory insufficiency, Hypoxia at rest ), Type II diabetes, CAD, Medically refractory hypertension. OR The member has a BMI of 40 or greater that has either persisted for at least 1 (one) year or is associated with one or more of the lifethreatening, obesity-related comorbidities listed above. 3. In the two years prior to the surgery, there must be documentation of participation in at least one physician-directed weight loss program for a minimum of six months. Such a program must consist of dietary therapy (utilizing a dietician/nutritionist), a low calorie diet, structured exercise program and behavioral modification. The documentation should contain the physician’s notes detailing the member’s progress through the course of the program. 4. There must be evidence of a psychiatric or psychological evaluation demonstrating no barriers to the understanding of, and compliance with, the surgical procedure and required postoperative medical and dietary care. Members with active alcoholism, drug abuse or an uncontrolled major psychiatric disorder are not medically appropriate for bariatric surgery. My Bmi is 37.9 and I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol. I am scheduled for an in-lab sleep study because I failed the at home test (apnea lInk), so I may have obstructive sleep apnea. As for the medically refractory hypertension, well, my bp is relatively controlled with my medication. My dr. doesn't think getting an approval will be an issue so it's also nice to hear that you were approved.

Cut the soda and alcohol for a week to eliminate that possibility. Smaller bites and lots and lots of chewing to avoid getting stuck. I'm on fill 5 and it's difficult to remember to slow down, take small bites and chew, chew, chew after years of scarfing down food. But when I follow the rules, I don't get stuck, don't burp(unless I eat too much) and don't throw up.

I was told no sodas because it can cause erosion of the band. I just had a fill yesterday, now I am at 6cc in a 10cc band. So far so good, but then again I am only aloud liquiquids, so it's kinda hard to tell if the fill is working yet I guess. But I would def, stop the sodas and I was told alcohol can irritate the band for some people to. I am a wine drinker myself, but haven't had the nerve yet to have a glass since my surgery. Good luck to ya.