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It's a bit of a side issue this, but I found myself wondering today 'If I no longer drink beer... what do I drink?' Obviously I know that there are a range of non-carbonated alcoholic beverages available, but I have to find the one that fits right as a manly beer replacement. For example, we all have afternoons where we meet the guys in a packed bar to watch an important sports game. That's really not the time to be asking for a look at the wine list. The hardcore manly drinks - say scotch - are probably a bit much mid-afternoon. But chuck a mixer in with a spirit and it immediately becomes a little camp: JD and Coke, Gin and Tonic, Vodka and Orange. Guiness is pretty flat, so that's my best solution so far... but it's bloody disgusting. So I'm on the lookout for sipping drinks that a guy can drink with pride. Any ideas?

I have done the alcohol thing but I do t think you guys understand how much there is lol. It’s gonna take days [emoji849] Thanks **I’m losing it**

I am only 6 days post-op, so I am scared to try any alcohol right now. But, my mother-in-law has been banded for about a year and a half and she drinks beer, wine, frozen drinks, and doesn't have any problems.

Cancer---my father had a partial gastrectomy for ulcers in 1972. (This was before they knew it was from H pylori and could be treated with antibiotics). NOW in 2013 at the age of 81 he has been diagnosed with gastric cancer. The remaining stomach was removed except a 5% pocket at the top. I found out that "previous gastric surgery" was one of his risk factors for development of stomach cancer when I was researching his diagnosis. THAT WAS 41 yrs from surgery to cancer. During that time, he has lead an active life....41 years worth. I made the decision to have my VSG after his diagnosis.....and no I was not afraid of gastric cancer. I was afraid of having a heart attack, stroke, diabetes etc....from my obesity. That would kill me sooner than the gastric cancer. I am sure the bariatric surgery community has ongoing studies on the long term effects of VSG. Unfortunately, we won't know those results for many years as the early sleevers start to show these effects. In life, we all make choices that may have long term effects on our health. That is why ANY decision we make concerning our health matters. Be it smoking, alcohol, drugs.....and yes food. It is an individual decision.

Hi, I am just about 5 months post op (November 2nd was my surgery date) and have lost 105 pounds. I feel great and only have about 15 pounds left to lose to reach my goal. I am consuming between 1400 and 1700 calories per day and feel like maybe that is too much. I am very active walking 2-4 miles per day and am still losing about 2 pounds per week. I have never experienced dumping syndrome and am able to eat just about anything. Of course I still stay away from anything too high in sugar and no alcohol. Does the calorie intake seem normal for 5 months post op or is it possible I'm stretching my pouch without knowing it? I try to eat small meals at a setting but find myself hungry sooner between meals than I was a few months ago. Any feedback would be appreciated...

I've been in a stall for three weeks and before hand alcohol made me drop weight. It's weird how different the body takes it. I will wait the two months my dr says

So this is for all the successful veterans out there....for those that lost what you wanted to lose, have made all the necessary lifestyle changes to be successful and continue to maintain your weight loss..... Why couldn't we do this without surgery?! The surgery was on our stomachs, not our brains. So how are we able to stick to whatever changes we've made and continue to be successful? For me, I haven't made as big of changes as a lot of others. I simply eat healthy, eat smaller portions and drink way less alcohol. I don't track, I don't measure, I don't exercise, I don't see a therapist. So why can I do this now and not the dozen times I've tried in the past? I've had some horrible emotional hits since surgery...I had to put both of my dogs to sleep, my best friend committed suicide and another good friend was just diagnosed with cancer. I exist in a fog of grief and anger and confusion over my best friend. I am overwhelmed with emotions and some days wish I could join him. I should be stuffing my face and getting drunk every night. That's how I've always coped in the past. Why aren't I doing that now? How about those of you who count calories and carbs and track everything in MFP and go to the gym and run C25K, etc.? Those are huge changes and yet you've made them. Why couldn't you simply do that before surgery? Why are you so good at the healthy lifestyle now? I'm asking because I have no answers to explain my changes. What about you?

@@Malin You are not alone..... I would have boxes stashed all over.... couple at work, in the top of my closet, on the top of the kitchen cabinets...But the best place... Laundry room, no one ever went in there but me... hehe It was bad... i was like an alcoholic stashing bottles.

I cared far too much about improving my health to cheat on my pre-op, especially with alcohol. I did call my surgeon because I was tired and weak from heavy work outs and he gave me permission to add lean meat and veggies to my diet due to my exercise regimen, but I stuck to his plan 100%. I did it for a month instead of the prescribed 2 weeks, too.

I'm 10 months out and have been able to tolerate whatever I like in small quantities since about month 5. I eat bread, rice, fruit skins, chocolate, popcorn and on occasion drink alcohol. For me, there are no "forbidden" foods. I am painfully aware that if I get complacent I can fail at this so I still weigh and measure and keep a meticulous food journal so I know what's going in\burning off. I exercise 5x per week and wear a pedometer. All the exercise\steps synch their calories into MFP so I know whether I'm over or under. I focus on the traditional bariatric diet of Protein first, but if I want a treat with less nutrition, work it into my day. For example, I get a Weight Watchers ice cream almost daily. Today I am a bit below goal and trying to figure out maintenance. I was able to manage my weight loss eating what I like with the addition of exercise and consistent food logging. It will have to be a lifetime commitment if I hope to maintain my weight loss.

I was sleeved Sept 2nd and I had my 1st drink of alcohol last weekend. My choice was Titos vodka 2 limes and Water. My friend had the same, but she added 1 package of stevia for sweetness. Sent from my SM-N920V using the BariatricPal App

To be honest i havent heard any medical problems with drinking and i have done a ton of research. And i mite be different than others but i had surgery on feb 25 2009 and have recently started experimenting with alcohol and my tolerance hasnt changed a bit!! i was hoping to feel it quicker so it would be cheaper to go out but no such luck! lol

My surgeon says 2-3 months before alcohol but that it's never really recommended because it does slow your weight loss. Some surgeons say longer or never, but I think they are not giving a medical answer but a value judgement. Plus, you'll be a lightweight, if you weren't already. So do the first drink in a controlled environment.

Sorry Kimley that should have been minus Fiber and sugar alcohols not Protein and sugar alcohols...Having a bad brain day.....

I realized the same thing about my sister this week. We are not close at all as of recent years. She had gastric bypass in 2004 or so. Lost a significant amount of weight. Got down to a size 6 but has regained to about a 10-12. Still significantly smaller than me. And she has held on to that too. Ever since I went to law school in 2005 our relationship has soured a bit. She became very jealous and resentful of me. She became an alcoholic and drug addict. Her life has been on a downward spiral and she has told many people that us because I was a planned pregnancy and she was not. All in all I guess she felt like the only thing she had over me was that she was of average size and I was not. A couple of weekends ago I sent a picture of my weight loss progress so far. She never responded and hasn't said a word to me since. I asked my mom the other day had she heard from her and she said yes. Then she casually mentioned that she kept tellin her she was going on a diet. Then my mom told me that my weight loss was probably pushing her over the edge again. I'm not worried about her. Everything I have accomplished in my life has been through hard work and dedication, including my weight loss so far. No one is gonna rain on my parade!

We all know exactly what weight gain is; the scale goes up in numbers, our clothes start to get tight, it takes more effort to get out of a chair, the seat belt is tighter and we just don’t feel as well. We all know what weight loss is; the scale shows us a lower number, our clothes hang funny and fall off of us, people start complimenting us about the way we look, we feel better, and we need less medicine. But weight maintenance is something that we all have failed to understand. We have gone up and down in our weight our entire lives, struggling to keep the weight off, gaining weight over and over again. Gaining it has always been easy, I just look at brownies and I would gain two pounds. I never understood my neighbor who was always a perfect size 8 and ate everything in sight. We all know people like that. What has always been missing, is weight maintenance – it was something that I had never achieved. It was elusive to me. I was a constant yo yo. I would lose the weight and thought I could maintain my weight loss but those old habits would sneak back in and sabotage me one more time. The frustration grew every time that I would go down and then back up again and many times with a bonus extra pounds. Each time getting more and more frustrated. When you buy a new car you shop around to get the best deal and then you pick the one that best suits you and your lifestyle. When you pick it up, it comes with a manual, a set instructions and guidelines. You need to put gas into the gas tank to make the car move and every 3, 0000 mile change the oil. Then every once in a while you need to take it in to the dealer who opens it up and looks inside. They make some adjustments and then they give you a bill. You pay the bill and then you are on your way. You need to wash and wax your car so it always looks good. Well, if you think about this is the same as having Bariatric Surgery. The new car is the same as your new pouch. You decide what kind of surgery that is best for you and your lifestyle. You shop around for the best surgeon. You are given a set of instructions from your surgeon, just like you received with your car. You need to feed yourself protein and water to keep you going. Every few months you need to see the surgeon, to check under your hood to take sure your blood levels are good to keep you going in the best condition. You doctor will give you some suggestions to keep you running well and keep you on the right road to weight loss. You exercise and continually add more fuel. But then one day you stop checking the oil and washing the car. A rattle appears out of nowhere and you get used to the new noise coming from the right front of the car. A door ding shows up and you do not even notice the second or third one. You forget to check under the hood. For the bariatric patient this is the time that they start to stray from their doctors program, they start to gain a little weight, we go back to some of our old habits without even thinking about it. This is where we all start to get into trouble. We think we do not need support group anymore, after all we have lost a lot of weight and we think that we are doing just fine. Then all of a sudden we have a wreck, we got on the scale and it is up by 20 or 25 pounds. It is time to call the Auto club tow truck. We need to get towed back to the right road. The Maintenance Road. We all have heard the new Weight Watchers ad campaign, that diets do not work, every one of us know that diets do not work. We have tried them all and look where we ended up; heavier and more frustrated. The only thing that will have lasting effects on us is when we are ready to make lifestyle changes. These changes will make us not only lose the weight but to keep it off for life. To lose weight and keep it off, the best approach is to focus on lifestyle changes and develop an eating plan that's enjoyable, yet healthy and low in calories. This approach will result in weight loss that you can live with - that is, that you can maintain over a long period of time. We need to attend support groups and get a constant stream of positive motivation to keep us on the Maintenance Road. It is easy to get lost and to end up in a dead end; your support group can direct you back at anytime. We are here to help you achieve the goals that are important to you. We each need to learn to make it a Lifestyle that you can live with and enjoy day in and day out to continue to maintain your weight loss. Successful Make it a Lifestyle weight-maintenance strategies Now that you have lost the weight, you can't stop your hard work. Weight maintenance requires daily exercise, healthy eating, a long-term commitment and constant attention. The following habits are essential for you to develop to achieve long term weight maintenance: Healthy snacks and meals - Focus on low-calorie, nutrient-dense foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Keep saturated fat low and limit sweets and alcohol. Remember that no one food offers all the nutrients you need. Choose a variety of foods throughout the day. Remember to eat two bites of dense protein to one bite of anything else. Exercise program - One of the most important things you can do for weight maintenance is to continue a aggressive exercise program. Studies suggest that it only takes 30 to 60 minutes of moderately intense physical activity daily to maintain weight loss. Moderately intense physical activities include swimming, fast walking, biking, and hiking. Know and avoid your food traps - Know which situations can trigger you’re out-of-control eating. The best way to identify these food traps and emotional eating is to keep a food journal. For as long as you find it helpful, write down what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you're feeling and how hungry you are. This will help you understand and stay in control of your eating behaviors. Regularly monitor your weight - People who weigh themselves at least once a week are more successful in keeping off the pounds. Monitoring your weight can tell you whether your efforts are working and can help you become aware of small weight gains before they become larger. Be consistent - Sticking to your new lifestyle plan during the week, on the weekends, and amidst vacation and holidays increases your chances of long-term maintenance. Attend Support Group - Getting support is critical, whether through a friend, family member, trained professional or support group, can ultimately mean the difference between your success and failure.

Fat-Shaming sucks. Addiction-Shaming sucks. Bald-Shaming sucks. Shaming-Shaming sucks. There’s no way around that. It’s just plain true. There is too much shaming going on all around us. My question is: As good as it is to call the world out on their shaming behaviors, would we maybe be better off working on ourselves and, if we are health care professionals, working with our patients, to focus on the ways they shame themselves? AND OTHERS? At least simultaneously to trying to put an end to “Other-Shaming.” The purpose of this post is twofold: · To have each reader assess themselves in regard to their own shaming-ness, and · To suggest we help individuals stop shaming themselves while we simultaneously encourage the masses to stop. There are Tweets and Posts galore inviting us, inciting us, and urging us to help stop the Fat-Shaming done by society! I agree these are worthwhile efforts and must be done. What I don’t see very often on Social Media are statements encouraging people to get help to stop shaming, bullying, and beating up on themselves. We want an end to shaming, an end to bullying and an end to domestic violence. Check it out! All of that occurs within many an individual’s head! Here are some recent posts from social media, along with my posted responses: “Stand up to #weightbias! Sign the #petition to end fat-shaming and weight bias today.” My response: “Yes, please! Also work to stop #SelfShaming and #SelfBias. Sign up for therapy in your community!” “Why We Need to Ban the F Word: Fat-Shaming” My response: “If you believe people deserve to be treated well (and I do), please start by treating yourself well in your thoughts, words and actions.” “Once a person has obesity, it’s too late." One more way to #dismiss people with #obesity.” My response: “I hate that people dismiss those with obesity. I hate even more how those with obesity often dismiss themselves in so many ways.” “I believe that the morbidly #obese population is stigmatized, abused, neglected and mistreated by most facets of society.” My response: “I hate it, but those suffering from morbid #obesity also abuse, neglect, and mistreat themselves through negative self-talk, self abuse.” “Don't blame the person, rather treat the disease.” My response: “Don't blame patient for factors related to obesity they can't influence. Hold them accountable for those they can.” Please be clear about the message I am sending. I do hate the very real fact that society shames people who suffer from obesity. I hate that many people, including doctors and other health care providers, solely blame individuals for being obese. It’s horrible that a person is dismissed because they carry extra weight. No doubt. I know from both my personal and professional work, as well as from life experience, that I can influence my own behavior a lot more quickly than I can influence the masses. Typically, a person has an emotional connection to an issue if they are working to right some wrong related to that issue. Not all, but many people fighting to end societal Fat-Shaming, have “some skin in the game,” as they say. I am one of those people. Much of my work is done in a bariatric center where we aim to help those suffering from obesity, both physically and emotionally. Many health care providers, people who are personally struggling with their weight, along with family members and friends, all work together to try to end fat-shaming. Keep on keeping on with those efforts because they are worthwhile! In the meantime, are you, regardless of your size, weight, color, or religion, looking within yourself in an attempt to “clean your own side of the street?” Do you have biases about other groups of people being stigmatized? And more importantly, are you aware of, and working on, the ways you stigmatize, dismiss and shame yourself? Calling a person who suffers from obesity an ugly name, overlooking them for a job, dismissing their opinion or making a critical comment to or about them is wrong. It is equally despicable that people say things like, “I wouldn’t date a bald man,” or “He wouldn’t be right for the job. He’s bald.” My husband is bald and he struggles emotionally because of it. Have you (to include anyone suffering from obesity, alcoholism, drug addiction or any other ridiculed member of society) made ugly comments about bald people? It is disturbing that subjectively unattractive people are considered less intelligent, are helped less frequently by the public if they have a flat tire, and are hired secondarily to “beautiful” people. Have you (to include anyone suffering from obesity, alcoholism, drug addiction or any other ridiculed member of society) made ugly comments about unattractive people? How dismissive it must be to be a person who is part of an ethnic minority to have people call you a hateful name, to overlook you for a job you are very qualified for, or assume negative things about you. Have you (to include anyone suffering from obesity, alcoholism, drug addiction or any other ridiculed member of society) made disparaging comments to or about minorities? Religions are always good fodder for shaming, dismissing and bashing. Have you partaken? “You don’t look like one of them,” said my doctor to me when I shared that I am a recovering alcoholic and addict. One of them. A patient in a therapy group of people suffering from obesity said, “I cannot, for the life of me, understand why an alcoholic doesn’t just stay away from the bar.” To which I responded, “What is it like for you when someone asks why you can’t just push away from the table?” Wrong is wrong and it is wrong when any of us engage in dismissive or shaming conversation or behavior. Check yourself. Youre human and that means you have your own prejudices. You’ve likely engaged in your own dismissive comments about groups other than the one(s) you’re most closely aligned with. Relax, I’m not shaming you! I’m asking you to look at your own side of the street. Does it need sweeping? We all need to keep a broom nearby because we are all guilty of judging others at times. In my work, it is a priority to help people stop shaming themselves. Negative self-talk is a powerful way in which we shame ourselves. Yes, you do it, too! “I’m such an idiot!” “How could I have done such a stupid thing?” “What is wrong with me?” “I don’t know why I even bother. I never follow through anyway.” The list of examples illustrating negative self-talk, or stinkin’ thinkin’ is endless. Every single negative statement you make about yourself is dismissing the value of the person you are. Ironically, the shaming statements people make about themselves are representative of their own internal shame. The negative self-talk says, “There’s something wrong with me.” “I don’t feel ok about myself.” Isn’t it odd that we run around making a fuss about stopping the masses from shaming people when we spend some much time shaming ourselves? I’m thinking we would all be better off if we “swept our own side of the street” first. When we treat ourselves more tolerantly and we are accepting of others who we tend to dismiss, then it’ll make more sense to focus on what the masses are doing wrong.

Girl, I hear ya. I love an ice cold beer, especially on a holiday like this. But I am three weeks out and now way am I trying alcohol, much less anything carbonated. Figure this craving will pass like any other.

Sunday, June 14, 2009 Surgery as surrender Having once been married to an alcoholic and having attended Alanon for many, many years, I've learned a lot about addiction. I know that we are addicts because we are addicts. Environmental issues can impact the predisposition of our genes, but once our addictions are triggered, we are addicts because we are addicts. I also know that in order to recover you have to be willing to do whatever it takes. You surrender your will to God and become willing to do whatever it takes, to go to whatever lengths it takes. For an alcoholic or drug addict that may mean going through rehab, going on meds to treat depression that could drive them back into addiction, working the 12 steps constantly, going to 90 meetings in 90 days, calling a sponsor and being sponsored, and never ever touching another drop of alcohol because once they start they can't stop. In a very real sense this surgery represents my surrender. I will always have to eat to live. Everytime I pick up food it can trigger my addiction. Having attended many Overeater's Anonymous meetings, I can testify that very few people are able to permanantly keep their weight off. Only those who are capable of being really anal seem to succeed. Weighing, measuring, checking every ingredient, counting carbs, calories, points, filling out food plans. These may all be good things but I'm not capable of them--at least not for long. Just the thought of doing these things gives me a panic attack. I hire people to do my paperwork and attend to details because I'm so bad at it. I've accepted my ADHD as a gift and I no longer try to be good at what I'm not good at. I do what I'm good at, which is being a highly flexible, very creative, gifted teacher. I generate ideas like confetti. My lesson plans are barely a guideline. By having this surgery, my stomach will become the weigher and the measurer. I can follow the simple food guidelines which will take me from clear liquids to 1000-1200 calories a day of healthy food without having to make food plans the rest of my life. Unhealthy food and too much food will make me very uncomfortable. I'll experience satiety--a completely unfamiliar feeling. And I'll be reprogramming the addiction center in my brain. It won't be easy. I'll still be triggered by the sight, smell, and taste of food. The surgery will be a jumpstart on food sobriety, like going into rehab. I'll still have to surrender my food to God every day. But with my body cooperating instead of fighting it, I stand a much better chance of success. This is the length to which I am willing to go to acheive food sobriety and better health. This is my surrender to God. If your stomach offends you, if it causes you to stumble, if its an obsession that takes you away from being able to love God above all and your neighbor as yourself--tie it off.

Sunday, July 26, 2009 Celebrate! Several people posted the past 2 days about having kids with major addictions. Some are taking care of grandchildren or have never seen their grandchildren due to removal from birth parent due to child endangerment. My heart goes out to everyone dealing with addiction with their grown children. I have attended Alanon for years, gone to counseling, work currently a little bit with Celebrate Recovery. Spent some time posting back to those struggling. My first husband had an issue with alcohol. One of the best things I'm doing is dealing with my own addiction to food. I see codependency as closely tied into food addiction. Tough love and taking care of ourselves in relationships aides our own recovery and sets a good example to the other addicts or potential addicts (like our children) in our lives. I had a wonderful Sunday. Church this morning and then a luncheon with a group that 20 years ago sponsored several Ethiopian refugees at a former church. One of the refugees was out here visiting with his wife and kids. We all reminisced about that time and some of the funny cultural differences and situations that arose. I ate a little bit of everything that looked good to me but did not overindulge. Then I sang on a praise team at a special service this evening. We're a multicultural church and we had our annual Taste of Reconciliation. I had a few tastes of various countries, focusing on protein, a little of this and that. Did not overindulge. Didn't want to bp in the middle of a song on stage. LOL. Then we moved into the sanctuary where my praise team and invited singers and groups from other churches also sang--sometimes in other languages. We had a dynamite short sermon, dynamite music of all styles, I got to sing in Spanish. Haven't sung all summer since choir took a summer break. People left on such a spiritual high. Loved it. Worship; acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with our God; 12-step recovery groups; spreading the good news of the Gospel and how we can recover even from our addictions; having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, I try to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all my affairs. Today was a gift. So many of the elements of recovery were there. Many of the things most precious to me were celebrated. God is good all the time, All the time God is good.

Oh yeah Smokin!! HAHAHA Sometimes though, not such a great thing...work xmas party tonight consisted of many people plied with alcohol and feeling free to say how great I looked, which was cool, it is nice to be complimented....and then I get one guy come up and say before even saying hello, so are you married yet?? In front of 5 other people, and I am totally not interested in him and WTF!!!??? I turned tail and got out of there quick smart! Then laughed about it all the way home!! :wink2:

I was wondering if it works like that too. I've heard it can, but I don't know how to gauge it personally. It's rush season at work (until after Christmas), and I'm always running around like a chicken with its head cut off!! There's so many issues during our rush season, we all live stressed.. a lot of people blame their smoke and/or alcohol addictions on our jobs lol. I am extremely tight since my revision surgery, but the past 2 days have been the worst. Nothing goes down until after dinner (and I'm home). Could just be coincidental.. could be supposed TOM (I take B/C back to back as not to have a real TOM).. maybe stress? Wish I knew.. I'm going to get a little unfill and I'd hate for this to just be something passing.

I had a lot of diarrhea and called the nutritiionist because I think that it is the protein shakes. I am diabetic and use the low sugar. He told me to change to the regular, not low sugar ,because the sugar alcohol causes some people to have diarrhea. I did this and no more problem. Thank god. The sugar content is not that much greater and my blood sugars, so far are stable.

Clearly this is a difficult post for me to write, because this is the sixth time I've wiped it out and started over. So forgive me for poorly constructed sentences, the occasional grammatical error, and even -- heaven forbid -- typos. I've always been the lazy perfectionist... if I can't do something perfectly, I don't want to do it at all, and since I can (very) rarely do something perfectly, I find myself not making the attempt all that often. Nonetheless, here I am. Again. I had surgery on January 31st, 2005. I thought I'd be done with this whole "weight loss thing" by now. And here I sit, only 44 lbs down from where I was, with about 100 lbs still to go. What went wrong? In June, I completley changed careers, and I'm a full time graduate student now in addition to working a full time job. About that same time, my wife and I divorced, for the 2nd time. (Yes, from each other, for the 2nd time.) For 3 months, I was a "full time dad" too, but now they've gone to live with their mom and I miss them terribly. Lesson: life happens at a pace most people can barely hang on. But, we do. Somehow. Maybe nothing went wrong. Maybe I expected too much, too fast. Maybe as long as I'm making progress, that's all that matters. Lesson: I didn't get fat overnight, so I'm not going to lose weight overnight. But, the fact of the matter is that I'm not making progress. In fact, I've gained 18 lbs in the past 3 months, so I have to think that something's not right. I was having bad reflux at night and thought I needed an unfill, so I got one. And now, though I can't eat like I did pre-band, I eat too much, and I eat stupid stupid foods. And, if I eat at night, I STILL have reflux. Lesson: don't eat at night. And when I started gaining weight, I left my support group. That would be you guys. I'll be honest -- I don't find a lot of accountibility here, because you guys are just so loving and understanding, and despite what the world thinks about how quickly a weight-loss-surgery patient should lose weight, we know better. But, in the past, accountibility is what's always helped me lose weight. What I find here instead, though -- overflowing constantly -- is love and grace. And somehow, that's what it really feels like I need. What kind of group would this be if forgiveness and understanding were sacraficed for the sake of harsh accountibility? Not one that many (if any) of us would stick with, I suspect. Lesson: when things get hard, don't run and hide. The band isn't working for me. It's not tight enough. What ever shall I do? Duh. This "tool" isn't right for me because it's not restrictive enough; fortunately, it's an adjustable tool. Clearly, I need to get off my ass and get an adjustment. Lesson: the band is a tool, and you have to have the right tool for the job. Even with all of that, I'm still so damned stubborn. When the band was tight enough, I was PBing all the time, because I ate food I shouldn't eat, and in quantities that I KNEW I couldn't handle. Why? Because I'm addicted, and addicts make really stupid choices. Lesson: sometimes the band isn't enough. There are alcoholics on antabuse who still drink, despite the reaction. There's a 12 step program for people like me. I used to go. It used to help. Then things got hard, and an ran and hid. Lesson: when things get hard, don't run and hide. Hmm, that one sounds familiar. So now I now exactly what I need to do. Should be easy from here on out, huh? Lesson: there's a mile between knowing and doing. But at least I know what I should be doing. I miss you guys. Can I come home?

The reason behind the eval is they want to be sure that you dont turn to drugs alcohol or sex as a way to cope with emotional issues I would go into the therapy you may have a shorter time than you think .the therapist could clear you based on your sessions. choochie:cool: