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After my other post and seeing several other posts lately, do you think that obese are more prone to addictions, or am I being to general? I know alot of us are/were addicted to food, but with that food addiction did you find yourself easily addicted to other things? I know myself if its addictive and comes my way I usually end up addicted. Although I must say I never did drugs and the reason why was that I knew it would only take once for me to want the feeling again so I steered clear and never tried it, same with alcohol...Wonder why I couldnt do that with food Just steer clear of it hehe. I had my fair share of being a little addicted to the pokies, Phen fen, smoking, food (generalised), chocolate and many other things. What was/is your addiction/s.

I am down 52lbs since my surgery April 4th, I find that removing all carbs and sugar from diet seems to produce the best results. Whenever I eat bread,rice,potatoes I tend to loose slower, usually to get over a stall I jump on a liquid protein diet for a day and it kick starts me right back up. Excersing has definitely play a crucial part in my weight loss so be sure to get in the gym soon to help you achieve your goal. Things to avoid all together Alcoholic beverages, sugars as they cause huge eating binges atleast for me. my breakfast when I have time is egg whites and a slice of deli ham mixed together. If not I do a coffee and protein shake same as you. good luck

I am a smoker. And I was, at one time, either obessed or addicted to an online role playing game. But I don't think I was ever addicted to food. I don't drink often. Both of my grandfather's were alcoholics, and around age 25 it hit me that I could be, too, if I didn't watch myself. So two or three times a year now, I may have a couple drinks, but that's it.

1. Food: chocolate 2. Alcohol: I drank from age 17 to age 31. Not everyday, not every weekend, but enough. Now I only have a drink on New Years and my birthday and hubby's birthday. 3. Marijuana: I was a pot head from age 20 to 31. I quit cold turkey and never looked back. I didn't smoke everyday or every weekend. Only when friend's (if you can call them that) had it to offer. 4. Internet: they need an IA chapter (Internet addicted) and a 12 step program!

The simple answer is that we are addicts. Just like an alcoholic, food is used to cover up and mask pain/sadness/anger and we've abused it and our bodies for so long, it becomes difficult to stop on our own. Surgery is one answer, but it does require hard work, and some people go into it with the mistaken belief that the surgery "fixes" you so that you can eat whatever you want without dieting, or without dealing with the psychological issues of why they got to this point in the first place. I had issues with three different aspects: I had no sense of portion control. I would eat every bite on my plate and go back for more almost every time. I binge ate frequently. There was a definite loss of control sometimes - since I was using food as a comfort when I was sad/depressed. But no amount of food would ever fill the empty/sad space inside me. That was a big thing I needed to deal with in therapy. I ate horrible things - junk food, fast food, high fat/salt/carbs. I ate good things too, but the amount and frequency I ate the awful stuff really cancelled out the good foods. The only thing that the sleeve fixes permanently is the portion control, and even then it is possible to cheat yourself by eating soft foods like cake or ice cream that slide right through the sleeve. It provides a temporary fix as far as the ravenous hunger and the early days where you can't eat high sugar or fat without it causing you to feel sick, but that wears off. After that, if a person hasn't committed to changing their eating habits and really their entire relationship with food (seeing it as a fuel source instead of using it as self-medication), then they are not taking this seriously enough and likely will fail. I realized early on that it was on me to use the small amount of time to fix the other things wrong with my relationship with food. And it is hard work. But if you're not willing to put in the work, you need to see that you're throwing away the opportunity the sleeve gives you to get your life back, and that is really, really sad. I get craving stuff that is on the "bad" list. The thing is, once you've achieved goal, you should be okay to indulge in things every once in a while. But they are very rare treats, and I look for healthy alternatives, like only eating low carb, whole wheat bread or adjusting my calories if I know I want to have a slice of cake for a special occasion. This is the way normal people eat. They do well 90% of the time so they can have little treats and not feel deprived

In Europe we have a more relaxed view of alcohol use. Red wine is seen as good for you if you have a glass a day etc. I don't drink much these days, but I was the same before surgery. I went on an All-inclusive holiday about 2 months after surgery and carefully tried a few drinks here and there. I kept the alcohol content small and the drink long and tall. Every time I felt slightly tipsy for 30 minutes or so and then nothing. I am the same now. Its your birthday, have a drink if you want to

Adding to what SpartanMaker mentioned above, the other major concern with alcohol use post op is that it is a liver toxin (physiology here, no moral judgement) and that our livers already tend to be in poor shape owing to our obesity (hence the "liver shrinking" pre op diets that some programs put their patients through) and then the liver is further taxed by its role in metabolizing all of that fat that we are rapidly losing. The last thing that it needs is the added stress of metabolizing alcohol. Surgeons vary on how much this point bothers them, largely depending upon their experience with such things (and maybe their own alcohol tolerance?) Our surgeon also moonlights as a biliopancreatic (liver, pancreas) transplant surgeon, and the last thing he will tolerate is one of his bariatric patients coming back onto his transplant table.

I went to today for my 3rd weigh in/fill and was down another 10 pounds! Wooooo-hooooo! Every time I zip up a size 18, I still can’t believe it! It’s strange that I can pretty much predict down to the pound how much I’m going to loose every month…and yes, I only weight once a month. My mom asked me if I’d lost as much as I was hoping for, and I told her, “yes,” because even though I was hoping to loose 12-15 lbs, I knew that was unrealistic, and I knew going in that I was going to be down about 10 lbs. And really, when you think about it, what difference is two more pounds going to make? It’s not. It’s not like people won’t notice that you’ve lost 38 pounds, but they WILL notice 40? A steady loss of 2 lbs. a week is fine with me, hell, it’s more than fine; it’s GREAT! So, here’s what’s weird…and this is sooooo difficult to explain to people who haven’t been banded. At my last fill, I actually felt real restriction, so for the first time in my life, I don’t obsess over food. I don’t binge. I don’t eat and eat and eat and then eat some more. Food has become a non-issue. When anyone asks where I want to eat, I tell them I don’t care; because I really don’t. It’s just not a big deal. So, what’s the problem? Here’s the problem: For almost my entire life I’ve been an addict. My eating disorder had as much of a hold on me as heroin would have on a junkie, or booze would have on an alcoholic. Now, when I’m not hungry, or I’m satisfied…when I’m not “using” food, I associate that feeling with “binging”. Does that make sense? It’s just that it’s been that way for SO long, that my mind has trouble accepting that I’m satisfied and not hungry, and it’s NOT because I’ve eaten everything in sight…it’s because I’m banded. So, I’ve walked around these past 5 weeks thinking, “Shit! I can’t believe I did that! How could I have eaten all that food? How could I go back to “using?” Then, I have to actively remind myself that I haven’t gone back to my old ways; I haven’t binged. It’s just strange…a good strange, but very unsettling all the same. And, get this; I go in and tell my nurse that I don’t think I need a fill, but I’m not sure. She hooks me up and has me drink the “stuff,” and she says, “Oh yeah, you need a fill.” I ask her how she can tell, and she says that she can tell by how easily the liquid is going down. So, as I’m getting ready to leave, she reminds me that I won’t be back for three months, but if I need a fill I need to let them know. My thing is this; I won’t know if I need a fill. I didn’t know this time! I tell her this and she says, “Well if you find yourself getting hungry, then you know you need a fill.” O.K…I didn’t get hungry this time. And I won’t get hungry next time. I guess what I do, is just push it out of my head and ignore it. I joke around that I’m really good at being hungry, but I guess, it’s not a joke. It’s kind of pathetic in a way; I’m so used to being hungry that it’s normal now. Ah well, I guess that’s a concept only a former fat kid can grasp. At any rate, I will close saying this: My life is so GREAT that I can’t believe it’s MINE!

On my two month anniversary I wanted to give an update and share some of my experiences. Month 2 was very different than month one. The lesson I learned was that if I want this journey to result in weight loss, I'm going to have to DIET. I might have secretly hoped that this surgery was magical and that the gastric plication gods would bestow upon me a brand new body in a matter of weeks but I knew better. The first month was easy weight loss as i couldn't get over 700 calories a day while only drinking or eating soft food. After 6 weeks I could eat more regular food. The surgeon told me that I would only be able to eat 2-4 oz at a time and he was right. I do feel hungry every 2-3 hours and that requires more calories. I was stuck at 213 for about two weeks so I decided to track my calories with the myfitnesspal app. OMG, mystery solved, I was eating/drinking 1600+ calories a day and more (who knew alcohol was 70 cal an ounce and protein bars can be 300 cal each). When you eat small amounts, they can add up! I moved the scale down 5.5# within 5 days by making better choices and staying under 1200 calories. Do I feel restricted? YES. Do I feel deprived? NO. Do people I eat with know I'm different? NO. Do I feel normal? YES. Do I miss my old stuff-your-face lifestyle? NO. Do I exercise? NO. Would I do it again? ABSOLUTELY! I can eat everything but to give you an example of restriction, I can only eat 1/2 to 3/4 of a lean cuisine entree, depending on the density but I can eat almost a whole can of clam chowder soup. I can only eat 3 pieces of a sushi roll and if I wait 20 minutes I can eat a fourth. I can drink as much as I want (just not with food) and a half bottle of water will take away my hunger for 30-45 minutes, sometimes more. When I feel really, really hungry, it usually means I need to burp. 5 hours without food is my limit, so I have to plan accordingly. Watching other people eat large quantities of food does not make me wish for my old stomach back, it makes me ill. So, grand total I've lost 42 pounds, 22 since the surgery two months ago. For me, the plication allows me to DIET comfortably. In the past 1200 calories would have been serious deprivation, today, 1200 calories is comfortable. They say you shouldn't diet, you should make a lifestyle change. I feel this surgery allowed me to make a lasting lifestyle change.

I'm three months out and have tried both beer and wine. It didn't get me drunk at all, just very dehydrated. You will feel the alcohol flow but depending on your body's reaction, you will either get plastered or just dehydrated. Personally, at 4 weeks out, I would wait. At least, you have something to look forward to later on.

Thank you. You helped me feel encouraged. Right now in life I can say my number one reason to really want to lose weight at this time in my life is health. I could not say that a few years ago. So ok, I will start there. I just quit drinking alcohol a few days ago because my body can't do it anymore and I feel the best in a long time. Everyone tells me I look so refreshed. The calories i got from 1-2 bottles of wine a day was outrages. It's going to be a hard road because that was a routine i did after work. Working night shift has also taken a toll on my body. Beginning Sept i have switched to day shift although I will take a huge money cut.But my health is suffering with high blood pressure and sleep apnea. You are the first person to even discuss all this with. Thank you. I feel I just released a load. I need support so bad or I'm going to dye. Thank you

I'm glad you have realized that drinking was not helping you live a healthier life. This might sound kinda harsh, but I don't mean it that way. Everyone in life goes through stress and disappointments, at one point or another. We really have to decide on not using those times as excuses. We have to learn to deal with those times, not with food or alcohol, but figure another way. Anything, going for a walk, reading, taking a soak in the tub or a craft of some kind. Also staying with a support group will also help. I wish you all the best. You can do this!!!

I've been a member for a while, but lately I've been dealing with something I thought other sleevers (particularly if you're pre-op and looking for things to watch out for) might want to be aware is a possibility. Because it's embarrassing and I'm going to drop some personal truth bombs I set up a new account to do this. All my life, I've been fat. As a child, I got ridiculed. As an adult, I never felt like I even existed. At the size I reached, I was basically a non-entity, an ugly piece of furniture people walked around but never really looked at. For some reason, despite ongoing therapy, I was never able to get past the notion that once I started losing weight, things were going to change. I would be a PERSON, and I would be LOVED and I would be WORTHY. Nothing changed except the size of my ass. Oh sure, I get more attention now, but it's fleeting attention. I still don't have the connections I hoped for, and I think maybe that's because I went my entire life not knowing how to form them. I thought I understood all the possible risky behaviors and cross addictions. I'm not an alcoholic, I've never tried cigarettes or drugs, didn't even finish my pain pills after surgery and I really needed them. I was OKAY, right? Wrong. I started meeting guys, with the genuine intention of finding someone special...but it just kept not happening. They all seemed to like my body, though, so I convinced myself for a while that the sex was just good and liberating and everyone does it, so why shouldn't I have fun with it? It's not fun, though. It started to become desperate. That moment when I was with someone and things peaked, I mattered - I was the only thing that mattered. For that moment, it felt good, and I started living for that feeling. Men, women, couples, posting pictures online - once I even posted a craigslist ad in another state exposing myself and asking for chat friends. Ended up taking a day off work and carrying on a conversation with over 30 men at the same time just trying so hard to feel like I was desirable and cared for. I knew it wasn't okay. I knew every discussion, every encounter, was just going to end in tears. I was just too out of control to stop. It wasn't until recently that I really figured out what was really at the root of what I was doing. I'm not engaging in the behavior anymore, but I'm still struggling really hard with the feelings. I wish I could say that I knew how to prevent this from happening, that I had some magic answer, but the truth is I don't. I've BEEN in therapy, taken meds, tried to fill my life with other things, and still ended up finding myself out of control. It would be nice to say, "do XYZ and this won't be you", but I can't - though maybe reading this can help someone else who might be going through it to feel like they aren't alone. You aren't. You are valuable, you matter, and you are worth more. So am I. I'll check this account from time to time, and if you need to talk to someone who gets it, I'll talk to you. NO worries about anonymity, I won't say a word.

so, i started drinking again about 3 weeks after my surgery. wine is a good drink to start back with. it will help you to gauge how you do with it. some people get wasted really easy. i like to think that i dont but i do feel one glass of alcohol, where i barely felt it before. i am a margarita lover as well, so i will give you my homemade recipe. you might want to cut everything in half: 3 limes 2 shots or 1 large shot of tequila 1 shot or 1/2 large shot of triple sec it has WAY less calories than the mixes in bars and besides, it tastes WAY better!!

I have yet one more theory on tolerance, You have very little food in your stomach AND the liquids slide right through and hit you hard and fast. Yet more wise advice: Vodka, whisky, gin, grappa, cognac, rum or any other distilled alcohol, with no sugar added (all turned into alcohol) have zero carbohydrates. Beer has lots and so does wine (red more than white, but still a lot.) A good rule-of-thumb is anything even slightly sugary or malty has carbs. Alcohol is sugar in another form (better, I'd say) and not a calorie is lost. You still get the energy. But no carbs, natch. The carbs have all been magically turned into booze. However, they severely delay weight loss. I guess they keep the liver too busy. All those "empty calories" must bounce about a lot. Atkins died before he'd come to a conclusion on the matter, though I remember him recommending a glass of vodka rather than beer, wine or, supreme sin, fruit juice. But booze not only delays fat loss; it withholds Water and puffs you up. Distilled alcohol is still a miracle little understood and appreciated.

Hi all. Here is my questions... I am not nearly ready for a drink but do wonder WHAT to drink when I am. Yes I am thinking way ahead I know. Here is my thing... I love Rita's but I am sure the sugar content in them will be terrible for sleevers. Beer you are not supposed to have because of the bubbles or something?? Mixed drinks with juice have sugar in them too. What is safe to drink that wont send you into dumping syndrome? Thanks for any advice yall have!! I just want to make sure that I dont do anything that will cause me to have any problems down the road.

Donna B, In regards to the suger-coating remark by Yoda I will say that I tried to be as honest and sincere as I could be. I now know Texas family code like its my favorite book. If the state of Texas terminates the rights to this baby the family has no recourse, its over, done. It also opens the door for anyone else to challange thier rights to all thier children, including any they may have later. Once they have been deemed unfit by the state of Texas, it will always be open for question. Not that its easy to have someone deemed unfit. You can be a convicted prostitute in Tx and still win your kids in court. As I said before it took me 3+ years to win in court. The first time my brother showed up drunk and his wife was so high she couldn't stand still. They both straight up told the judge they couldn't pass a drug/alcohol test. Guess what? They beat me that day. I lost the first time out because I didn't wait the full 6months before I filled against them. The ruling was overturned while we were in mediation 1 hour later by a higher judge, but I gotta tell you it was awful. The great thing is you don't have to go thru any of this. If you and DH decide to go thru with this most of the legal hurdles are done. The actual adoption portion of my case was a breeze. Home inspection and going to court on adoption day. I cried, so relived to be done with that part, it was so awesome to have her name changed to mine just before she started pre-k. I just didn't want any confusion, I wanted her always to be known as Hannah A. It is a hard job, I work full time and I sometimes feel my best friends and my neice are raising her more than me, I always get to be the heavy, freak out inside when she displays behavior that reminds me of her sisters or her birth mom, and get to deal with my brother when he decides to pop up with the 3 girls he has left to "visit" which is code for sit on my couch and shoot daggers at me with his eyes. Shes half black for goodness sake and not even his, but that didn't stop him from dragging the whole thing out in court as long as possible. I just do my best to keep her from thier poison, avoiding them whenever its possible. I have been honest with Hannah about her adoption as age appropriatly (sp sorry) as I can. Moving away is not an option for me, I work for my Dad and he needs me, so I am in essance a sitting duck. Its all worth it, I have never once thought I made a mistake doing this. She is the love of my life. I saw someone mentioned in one post that you might be concerned about what trauma this little boy has been thru and what kind of special needs he may have. It might take a while to teach him to trust you or to learn coping skills (appropriate behaviors) or he may just take to a stable family like a duck to water. You can't tell at that age if your blood children are going to have ADD or ADHD, mood or personalty disorders, and if you start teaching coping skills early on your giving them the skills to deal with everything life is going to throw at them. I know I made this post very personal and I apoligize if its a little too long. This is a subject that is very close to home for me. Please let me know how it all works out and know that I am saying a prayer for yall. Candy

The hospital did put a catheter in me. It was inserted in my vee for urine output---once I was peeing on my own the next morning they took it out. I don't know what your hospital's protocol is regarding that. I'd say don't be afraid---I never even felt it and it was inserted while I was still out under anesthesia before they took me out of post-op recovery and to my room. It was absolutely no problem at all for me. As for your events--my advice is to just go and enjoy yourself. Alcohol and food aren't what make a good time. Sure, they contribute to the fun, but you can have plenty of fun without them, they're not necessary. I'm willing to bet too that your friends and family will accommodate you with whatever you have to do for the sake of your health and what you're trying to do. Just tell them, explain it to them. They'll understand. I don't think it'll ruin anyone's time! They'll just appreciate the fact that you are there celebrating with them. Drinking alcohol does not make memories---it's YOU that make memories. How do I know? I'm a recovering alcoholic for 21 years and have gone to many important events and not drank and no problem for anyone!

Had weight loss surgery 7 years ago. 2 years into it started drinking heavily. I use to drink maybe 2 or 3 drinks a year. Now I'm a full blown alcoholic in recovery. My ex wife also hade bypass and started to drink alot but was able to control it. Anyone else struggling with the cross addiction?

I haven't - but I know it's fairly common. I was never a big drinker since alcoholism runs in my family (so I rarely drank), so I knew that particular transfer addiction wouldn't be a problem for me - but so far, nothing else has been. It's happened to others I know, though...

What this article tells me is that food addicts 'fall off the wagon' a whole lot more than those who are addicted to alcohol or drugs, or just about anything else. I also think the reason is that you can live without booze..without drugs, without just about everything that's bad for you. You can't live without food though. It's everywhere and the temptation can be overwhelming whether we are walking into a restaurant or a grocery store, or even watching those endless food commercials on TV. I know that the medical community does not see food as as addiction but I don't care what anyone thinks. I know that my brain lights up like a pinball machine when I see food. I also know that I react differently when I eat than when someone who is not a food addict acts. I still live to eat...but just not in a detrimental way. I love food, I love how it tastes, and I love everything about it. Which is why I have to be mindful all the time. ALL THE TIME. I'm three years out from WLS and I'd be lying if I said I got this. Because I don't. Every day I make choices to eat healthy and volume appropriate. Most days I do, but some days I do not. The band helps. It helps alot. But I can eat around the band if I so choose. I can self sabotage if I so choose. I can get fat again in a heartbeat if I am not careful. Whether this woman uses WW or WLS or hypnosis, or voodoo...it's still going to be a struggle and I do not judge, nor do I feel anything but sympathy and empathy for her.

When I had the nausea and lightheaded feeling I was told by the nurses to smell a alcohol pad. And it worked! Also I went through the same thing. Cooking for the family and u cant even eat it. I am now 6 weeks post-op and I cook what I eat for everyone. I just use turkey or chicken instead of beef. And so far no one has had any complaints. So it will get better! Hang in there...lol yoco28

I am not truly planning out what to eat while in maintenance stage since I only had surgery yesterday, but a Facebook pal posted this and I wanted to share. http://www.halotop.com/flavors/ They have around 5 net carbs per serving because there are 9 grams of Fiber and 5 grams of sugar alcohol. Sent from my SM-G360T using the BariatricPal App

I am attending a halloween party on Saturday and we were asked to bring some type of alcoholic beverage. I'm a few days away from a month out so I wouldn't even consider drinking but it makes me wonder about upcoming holiday parties and I am wondering if it will ever be ok to drink. I prefer wine but my doctor has not said anything about alcoholic beverage restrictions. Does anyone know the general rule behind this?

Bear in mind that someone who confesses that they are trying to compromise your success because they are jealous of you is someone you should have limited contact with. If you were trying to give up alcohol and you found out she was slipping it into your glass because she didn't want you to be free of alcohol (perhaps because it would draw attention to her own problem) what would you say? I would confront her directly that you know she isn't happy for you or proud of you, and in fact admitted to trying to sabotage you. I'd inform her that you'll be limiting contact for the time being because that is absolutely not the behaviour of someone who loves you. It sounds as though as long as you are bigger than her, she feels superior to you. I don't keep toxic people around me. I'm not going to disown someone in my family for praying that I will fail in life, but I'm certainly not going to invite poison to my table, either.