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Lovinghusband1979 - - my hubbie felt exactly like you do before my WLS. He would tell you too that I never tried, that I was lazy and didn't want to exercise, and that my diets only lasted for maybe a week or so. . . For about 2 1/2 years before surgery we used to haggle the subject til i was green in the face. . .(I initially wanted the lapband) then finally I asked him just to come to the orientation with me. . . he agreed to that. During the orientation he asked TONS of questions (poor other people never got a chance hehehe) but when we left that evening, he told me that he does not support me with the band at all. . . but he does support me with the sleeve because it seems the safest. . . I almost fell over. I couldn't say anything except, "thanks hon" . . . from there, because I was self pay, my surgery was 1 month later. He worried so much about the decision we had made, he saw how fast the weight was coming off and he worried it wouldn't stop and i would die or something. . . well I'm going into my 3rd year post op now and have surpassed my surgeons weight goal for me by 12 lbs. I remain at 200 - 210 lbs and at 6' tall, look and feel awesome. . .I don't have to be embarrassed waddling down the aisle of a plane and asking the stewardess for the extension belt to make the seatbelt fit, I can now feel comfortable and "normal" sitting in that 17" seat. . . I have more energy to do things and don't feel like i need a breathing aparatise just to climb a few steps. . . my sleeve prevents me from overeating! Yes, I do like my alcohol and the occasional treats, but can't do the whole thing only a bit. . . at 3 years out i still can't eat more then my 7oz lean cuisine or 6 oz hormel dinner. . .the sleeve has given me back my life and that is something NO ONE should ever be denied. . . we are all different inside and we all feel, hurt, and cry differently. I made a big difference in myself and once where i was that "lazy can't diet girl" now am a good looking chick! I still don't go to gym and kill myself because why should I? I do natural exercises, I walk 1/4 mile x 2 every day to my car because i park far away from work. . I walk to my mailbox which is down a very steep hill and walk back up EVERYDAY. . .I do yard work, house work, go swimming, horseback riding and hiking when I want to. . not when I'm forced to do it. . . you may be pleasantly surprised at your wife and her success. . . what your doing at this time is assuming she is going to fail because of what you've seen previously, but we don't know the future. . don't deny her life back, she is fat because there may be an underlying problem. . . help her live her life, however, if she is wanting to do this because her sisters have it and that is all, then that is a very poor reason to get this surgery. . . one needs to be mentally prepared for this surgery, I know of several people who have successfully committed suicide because they could not handle the mental part of this surgery. . .it's not easy at all, it's a tough surgery and one needs to switch really fast and be prepared to go with it because once it's there, there is no turning back. . . at 3 years out there are still days i regret this but not as much now as in the beginning. . . good luck and the best of luck to the both of you.

I feel like every now and again I need to have a de-fill and a little normality for a month, only problem is the weight comes back on. So is this my story for the rest of my life I ask myself? I cant eat and drink alcohol, its one or the other, or else I put weight on I'm also scared that when I get my next fill, I wont lose the weight I have put on. Is this normal do you think?

Loving husband- look at it this way... The surgery will give her the tool she (in your description) seems to lack in order to stop over eating. It's not a cure all and yea surgery of any kind is dangerous, but so is diabetes and high blood pressure and a heart attack, which is where your wife may be headed. This is a scary process and a Life altering ordeal so if you love her for better or worse, then let her know you are scared but you support her need to be healthy. If you love her through sickness and health, then recognize she is sick.. I'm talking as someone in her shoes and feel I have a sickness. You may see it as a weakness, an in many ways I suppose that's fair, but it's like any other disease.. Alcoholism, sex addict, drug user, it makes you ill and unhealthy. She's making the bravest decision ever right here and right now I guarantee that what she needs is your understand that this is something she needs to do, and you don't have to understand why, just that it is the way it is and support is all you can offer now or you will risk losing your wife after all!! Please consider counseling... Both of you or you alone can only gain perspective and calmness. I did that for me and asked my husban to go and at first he had some of the same things to say you did, but after the initial shock wore off and he learned about the surgery (by going to the weight loss seminars with me), and research and also just listening to my needs and fears.... Then he was totally supportive and goes to all my appointments and has taken the time off for mY surgery and the days after. That's really all I can say, cause you will stand to gain peace if you accept it isn't about you. It really isn't. This is not a life threatening surgery and the down side of what can manifest if she doesnt get help will be more life threatening! Keep that in mind. Give her a hug and a kiss and then commit yourself to learning and accepting everything she has to deal with. Her recovery and success will greatly be affected by your attitude... So please for her sake and your marriage, just accept she needs your love and positivity only right now!

Are you an alcoholic? Can we be friends? :aureola:

Aww man. That's long. Btw did you have to tell him it's for weight loss surgery in advance? Do you get a piece of paper from them on the spot to give to the doctor, how does that work? Why would they assume you'd be an alcoholic?

Kiki, I only saw the psyche doc once for about an hour. She determined that I WILL be an alcoholic! LOL I'm glad I don't have to return. Good luck! You're getting closer!!!

1.5 years out, have been around the same weight for a year now. Like LilMissDiva mentioned above, you'll have your "bad" days occasionally, and the possibility of regaining 2-3 lbs is always there, but it's easy to stop. I can't vouch for what things will be like 3.5 years down the road, but just taking things a year at a time, I don't see myself gaining any significant weight a year from now. To gain weight with the sleeve, you really have to eat a LOT of junk food - you won't be able to consume large enough amounts of normal foods to cause weight gain. I've had a few periods of 2-3 days of non-stop chocolate consumption, but I don't find it too hard to get back on the wagon. I always make sure I hit the gym hard at least twice a week no matter how busy I am, even during weeks when I work 80 hours. Most weeks I work out 3-4 times/week. If I notice I've put on a pound or two, I just rein myself in a bit - I go back to drinking water with my meals instead of alcohol when I go out, get a medium latte instead of a large in the morning, etc. All those "sensible choices" that women's magazines always harp on about are an awful lot easier to make once you've had the sleeve.

Hey everybody, Globetrotter here, long time no post! As some of you may recall, I returned from deployment one year ago this month. Life has been a whirlwind of adjustment ever since and I have become a stranger on our forum. In the year that I have been home I have lost "only" 40 lbs, bringing my post-op weight loss to 130 lbs. I am 18 months out from surgery and am still not at goal, which is just so frustrating and demoralizing. I am 15 lbs away from surgeon's goal and 40 lbs away from personal goal. Anyone who remembers me here knows that I have been a slooow loser from day one, always fretting over it, but now it really has slowed to about one or two pounds a month. In the last 7 months I have lost only 15 lbs. I exercise at least 4 days a week, for several hours at a time. A typical day of exercise for me includes a TRX class, followed by a yoga class, followed by 2 hours of tango. I still eat a lot of Protein but I will admit - I eat s*** now. I have allowed myself to eat french fries, chocolate cake, alcohol, whipped cream, bread, etc. I am incredibly lucky that, a year and a half out, I still do not have real hunger, but my tastebuds rule. I have fallen off the path my brothers and sisters, and I know that falling away from the Forum has NOT helped. I've got to get to goal folks, I've got to. I am 5'3" and 164 lbs, I am still fat. Yes, I am active, yes I look 100x better than when I started, but my chub still prevents me from running that mile, from achieving that yoga pose, from enjoying those killer stillettos longer than an hour. I plea for your help in returning me to the fold and helping me across that finish line. I didn't know if there is a place in the forum now for long term sleevers, a place to discuss the changes in metabolism, the challenges of acheiving goal after the first year when you've beena slow loser, all that. I look forward to hearing from you. =) Globetrotter

Though not a recipe I wanted to share a product review that I just posted on my WLS blog: Product Review: Arctic Zero Gluten Free whey Protein Ice Cream! After hearing LIPO‘s Frank Surace rave about the gluten free, whey protein ice cream from Arctic Zero I asked him to write a product review on it. It’s also low cal! I SCREAM..YOU SCREAM..WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM..(a product review) Who doesn’t love ice cream? Frozen custard? Frozen yogurt? Sorbet? Gelato? I love all of these frozen treats, but since my weight loss surgery (Roux-en-Y) do they love me? Not so much. So I’ve been on a mission. Find a good tasting “ice cream” type of dessert that’s low in calories, high in flavor. I’ve looked high, I’ve looked low and now I don’t have to look anymore. This week I found Arctic Zero, an all-natural, smooth and creamy ice cream replacement that tastes great plus it’s guilt-free when it comes to fat and calories. Arctic Zero is a frozen Protein shake that will satisfy your ice cream craving. Arctic Zero comes in pints and bars. The pints come in 7 flavors….Chocolate, chocolate Peanut Butter, coffee, Cookies & Cream, Mint Chocolate Cookie, strawberry, and vanilla Maple. Each pint is only 150 calories. Yep, only 150 calories for a whole pint! The bars come in 4 flavors (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and orange cream). They are only 85 calories per bar. Only 85 Calories per Bar! Arctic Zero is gluten free, fat free, contains no sugar alcohols. It is suitable for lactose intolerants and has a low glycemic index making it suitable for Type 2 diabetics. And here’s the best part: Each pint has 14 grams of Whey protein and 8 grams of Fiber. 150 CALORIE PINT NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION 85 CALORIE BAR NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION But how do they taste you ask? So, ok, I’ll tell you. I tried the Vanilla Bar and the Coffee ice cream. The Vanilla bar whey protein ice cream was awesome. It was a nice size ice cream bar that has a chocolate covering. It had no after taste but more importantly, after I finishing, I felt that I had just eaten a “real” ice cream bar…and I was satisfied. The Coffee ice cream was amazing. I would recommend that you keep it out of the freezer for a while, allowing it to melt a bit. It’s smooth and has a nice texture. I scooped a little into my bowl, then a little more. Before I knew it I had eaten over ½ the pint. But here’s the great part…that was only about 80 calories. So if you’re like me and love frozen treats, you have got to try Arctic Zero! And you know the Arctic Zero gluten free whey protein ice cream product review wouldn’t be Frank’s Place if we didn’t have a song, so…….(couldn't enbed the YT video).

I want to be 100% honest here because I need some straight answers & I want all the support I can get through this process. I have been in recovery from drugs and alcohol for a little over two years now. I take my recovery very seriously & want to protect it. I have recently been told that there is a high rate of relapse in recovering people who get weight loss surgery because they can't use food to comfort themselves anymore. Has anyone else had any experience with this issue. Please share with me. I want a happy healthy life free from addictions. Id you are in recovery, how did you cope?

well if i was regretting surgery before... IM DEFINITELY regretting it now! they found a leak last week. i was discharged after 6 days. they placed a stent which is painful. the acid is the worse!!!!! i dont know wdf to do!!!! seriously. my throat feels like its pouring alcohol on an open cut. im on 20mg of omeprazole 2x a day. i dont know how much more of this i can take!

today was my first day home & i really wish i wouldve stayed in the hospital. i just finished throwing up and its so disgusting & burns so bad!!!! im actually mad that i pushed to go home so bad! i shouldve stayed. this morning i found out my prescription portion of my insurance was not active so i couldnt get my meds until just a few mins ago. when i say nightmare, im talking about nightmare!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the acid is like triple & burns so bad that it feels like someone is pouring alcohol on an open cut. i dont wish this on my worst enemy. i just really wish i could go back to normal. this is just crazy!!!! :'(

Drug addiction is considered a contraindication for bariatric surgery. Success with the band especially requires the patient to take personal responsibility for their eating and exercise behavior. Based on decades of experience with my brother's drug addiction (painkillers), personal responsibility is not in addicts' vocabulary. I feel empathy for your friend because I struggle with my own addiction (food), but it seems to me that she's got to prioritize her issues, put the drug thing on the top of the list, deal with that and stay clean for a year or so before she tackles the obesity issue. My fear for her would be that if she had WLS and was no longer able to turn to food for comfort, stress, etc., she would end up going back to some kind of chemical addiction. On a more practical level, drug & alcohol addiction do a number on the addict's liver. Part of the liver lies on top of the area on the stomach where the band is attached, so the surgeon has to be able to handle it safely. If it's enlarged or diseased, the patient's surgery is much more risky.

Personally I have found that there are two groups of people here. Not saying one is right or better, I've just noticed two trains of thought. The first is people who are desirous to mold their life around their sleeve. The others are desirious to mold the sleeve around their life. The problem is that some from each group think that their position is the only "right" one. I craved "fast food" when I was first able to have real food. I headed for In-n-Out and got a Protein burger (a burger without a bun). I had that and some fries. It was good. But it hasn't appealed to me since. pizza on the other hand... I have about once a week. I also go out for mexican about once a week-I don't do the chips and slasa anymore. Nor do I eat the tortillas. There is no where that says we can't have fast food during the losing part of our program. I think with thoughtful choices or small portions almost nothing should be "forbidden" I have seen others post about how they chose this tool so that they would not have to be on a "diet" the rest of their lives. I have seen people who post that they still drink soda or alcohol. If that is how they choose to work their program than that is their choice. I opersonally choose to have a dessert almost everynight. A piece of chocolate, a scoop of ice cream whatever. I try to keep it around 100 calories. I figure that that means I will lost about 1 pound less each month. I can live with that. I figure I will be eating this way the rest of my life, so for me I chose to work my sleeve around my life. that being said-I have also decided that my purpose is not just to lose weight but to get healthier-So in addition to eating less, I am working on incorporating "clean" foods into my life. So that will seriously limit my fast foods in the future. But considereing pre-op I ate out about twice a day, I think my twice a week now is a big change already. So Rico-you have to decide about fast food-and if you choose wisely you don't HAVE to wait until you reach goal.

Vodka mixed with some crystal light! (I order vodka on the rocks...water, no ice and take a crystal light packet with me) It's good and it will make about 3-4 drinks easily! Wine does very well for me still and it's my favorite but I'm not planning on drinking hard alcohol anymore. I get wasted so quick, it's horrible! I cannot handle it and I'm still over 200 lbs.

I'm 10 months post-op, down 55kg and obviously eating much smaller portions. Alcohol does affect me much more quickly than before. I won't drive now after even just one drink because I really have no sense of BAC. Fortunately (for me) I don't drink a lot because it interferes with dancing!

Yeah, I've learned (the hard way) to limit alcohol intake since the sleeve. Among other things, these days I'm a light weight -- literally!

A friend of mine is getting banded a few weeks after mine. We got together to talk about it, but I'm worried that he isn't going to be able to make those changes as well. He likes to drink a lot, which is where a lot of his weight comes from. He said that he lied to the doctor about his alcohol consumption, and he doesn't plan to tell him about it.

Lynnette, If you are a medical professional like myself, you can do your own fills but the preferred method is having another medical professional do it for you. Theres no reason for al the slander you are getting from everyone & actually I find it extremely immature. We are all adults on this site & if we don't agree with what you are doing then no one needs to reply, I mean really people???!!! After all you are going to do what you want to do anyway. Having said that, please please please make sure you re-sterilize that needle each & every time you use it. You can boil the needle for a good 5 mins then let it air dry on a clean surface(wiped with alcohol is good NO BLEACH). I wish you didn't have to do this & I wish you the best. Understand if you don't use sterile technique you can get your port infected which can run up your tubing & eventually get to your band itself so please proceed with extreme caution. I know people who got banded in Mexico & what they have had to do is basically lie telling the new doctor that the one who originally did it is no longer doing it or is not available for your schedule. I'm not condoning lieing or stealing or self-medicating but I do understand its going to happen. Good luck!!

Try smelling rubbing alcohol when nauseous and when there are smells around the house you don't like. Actually smell it once in a while, even when you are feeling ok. A nurse recommended this at the hospital and it made me feel much better. I still do it if I overeat. Also, as unpleasant as suppositories can be, they worked better for me than pills. I couldn't imagine swallowing a pill and feeling nauseous at the same time. Lastly, at the hospital it was recommended that I sip 3 times out of a 1 ounce cup, but I had to sip 6 times for a week or two. We are not all the same. If all else fails, call your doctor again and speak up. You are your best advocate. Make them listen to you. Be ready to explain exactly how many ounces you have drank in X number of days or hours and everything you are doing to help the process along. Best wishes!

I have the most amazing friend. She was so excited and open and told everyone about her decision to get her sleeve. It was because of her courage and strength that I have decided to embark on my own journey. I will be meeting with the surgeon in a few weeks and I am so excited, ready to embark on the road to a healthier me. I even found out my insurance does cover it!!! That said the one thing that I have struggled with is deciding if I was going to tell everyone or not. My husband is very supportive and so is my awesome friend, but after a lot of thought I have decided I am not telling anyone, with the exception of some friends and anyone I meet or know that is struggling with obesity themselves. My MIL is a nurse and she will not be supportive and I know she will say I need to do it on my own as she did 30 years ago. When I mentioned my friend having surgery all she said was "well...you have to be careful so many of them become alcoholics, or shopping addicts, I see them all the time at work" . Mind you I wasn't saying I was thinking about it or anything. She also talks about everything and everyone, not in a harmful way at all, she is not mean spirited, but is always talking about various peoples health and medical issues ect. After discussing this with my husband I have decided to not tell my in laws or anyone in his family. This is a very personal choice and I feel I want to keep it private. I wish I too could scream it from the mountain tops like my friend, but I fear that any form of negativity will keep me from being successful. Am I a coward??? :confused5:

I had the same thing happen to me just a few days after being sleeved - I had taken a dose of liquid Nyquil (which ALWAYS works great for me) before realizing it has alcohol in it and that it probably wasn't a good idea... but on my one week post op visit with my surgeon I asked him about it, and he said it's totally fine to still take it. Hope you start feeling better soon!

I tried about 2 oz of wine at 6 weeks out and tolerated it well. I am now at 8 weeks out and enjoy about 3-4 oz of wine every once in a while. Hard liquor, has higher alcohol content will make you a "cheap drunk" as my surgeon would say. A little goes a long way. I tried but it burned too much on the way down, so I don't think I'm ready for it yet. Carbonated alcohol drinks (and non- alcoholic) are also a no-no for at least 6 months. They expand the stomach, and can stretch it. Healing continues for a long time and you don't want to chance a leak. From what others had mentioned on this site, Treat yourself with a small drink when you reach a goal you've set for yourself. Eventually you will be able to have a little more,but, alcohol are empty calories. They can slow down your weight loss. Keep that in mind too.

Ahhh.. No one knows. Mystery to be solved. Maybe since your bodies are in a catabolic state your liver has an increased working load due to the fact that its processing and burning up your body's own fats rather just storing them. Alcohol consumption would increase its load and which may cause harm to the liver itself.. From a doctors perspective- Why create a problem too soon Yay go me (null)

What does your surgeon's office suggest? I am coming up on six weeks. My surgeon said it was fine for me to have small amounts of alcohol, and to just take it slow to find my tolerance and most importantly, be sure not to get sick. I had about two ounces of wine over dinner tonight. Dinner lasted over an hour. Vodka with some V-8, or even better, Snap E. Tom, is a nice drink for me. I never drank that combination before. I just sip it so slowly. I feel a slight effect from the alcohol, but it doesn't put me over the edge like it does some people. Of course, like I always say, call your surgeon's office and see what they say.