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I believe that my surgeon likes to try to avoid crossover addictions, which is why alcohol is such a no/no under his program.

My doctor's told us that drinking alcohol is a no no. They reported that our stomachs are greatly reduced and is absorbed at a much faster rate and that people have died with WLS from drinking alcohol. Now was this a scare tactic or what? I don't want to risk it. But on the other hand, I might take a sip here and there. Why not?

Sorry for your loss, but don't let that deter you from what's right for your health. Just from what you've said, it is way more likely it was drugs/alcohol than.. the band. The band doesn't do anything to your brain to cause a coma. And if you're weighing gastric bypass because it's safer.. statistically the band is safer. Very bizarre situation, but I doubt it has anything to do with the lap-band.

Everyone is different but I find myself doing more physical things outdoors that I have not been able to do in years. I have become a gym rat to try and get into the best shape of my life. I am trying to get away from a lot of the things that contributed to me becoming obese in the first place such as sitting in the house watching TV or at the computer all day. I am trying to spend much more time doing anything that is physical that my weight prevented me from doing before. Now that I have all of this new found energy, it is a blast to work in the yard, the garage and any other projects I can come up with. Now as far as an addiction, I would have to say shopping. I love bargin shopping and now that I wear a size large instead of a 4x, it opens up a whole new world to me. I hated shopping before so this is kind of a surprise that I enjoy this so much. I was not there and do not know the context of what was said about replacing the eating addiction with another addiction but I will tell you this, there are many healthy addictions you can have, they do not all have to be bad. I am a little obsessed with being healthy now, I figure if I went through WLS, I got a second lease on life. I eat healthy now and do not drink alcohol or put anything in my body that does not have nutritional value. I will be the first to admit that I am a little overboard on this but I feel so much better and there is absolutely no way I ever will slip back to my old bad habits.

We have been going out or having people in more than usual due to the holidays, plus had a little getaway. I drank both nights on our vacation and here and there for about a week or so. Have not gained but I haven't lost either. I'm pretty sure the alcohol is stalling out my weight loss. Not worth it! I just need to remember that when some one offers me a glass. No thank you! I may need a rule for myself to take me through the season -- one night per week or something like that. As for transference, I am very happy to be planning exercise the way I used to plan eating. Instead of wondering about stopping off somewhere for a treat or thinking about that cheese in the fridge, I find myself worrying over getting another walk in before it's dark. This amazes me.

Replying to #1 Post on 12/14/2016 - "Every who has had surgery already, how are you feeling?! How was your experience? And to everyone waiting for their surgeries, are you excited?! Hows pre op going? I'm assuming most have started by now and if not are you dreading starting like I was?! haha, i have 2 more sleeps till my surgery and I'm so ready for it to be over with!!!!" I am doing good, other than not sleeping much (cat napping all weekend - not one ounce of REM sleep since Thursday night) but I am sure that is expected with the excitement of anticipation of my surgery tomorrow. I have already lost 11 ;bs with this clear liquid diet that I have been on for 3 days (pre op), I'm already feeling like a better me - working towards the best me! I haven't packed my bag yet, but I have everything I need, just need to put it in the bag for the hospital. I am single, and was concerned about coming home from surgery alone, so I will also be packing a back to take with me when I leave the hospital because I will be staying at my daughter's home until I feel comfortable bringing my new tummy home. I essentially have purchased everything I need, the Protein isolate, (I am not doing the whey, I am doing the P Protein Isolate powder because of being lactose intolerant. I bought the Biotin tabs for hair loss prevention & support, the Vitamins, the protein waters, gas tabs, chapstick, and other items. I picked up my prescriptions from the pharmacy already, and waiting to head to the hospital in the morning. i plan to do my BEFORE photos tonight & my final pre surgery weigh in, and if I can figure out how to save info on this website, I will update my profile. I plan on taking it easy today, and just continuing to drink drink drink these Clear Liquids up until bedtime tonight. . I am super excited, I am the "glass have full" kind of lady, and I always look for the positives, in life, and not put emphasis or focus on the negatives. I look for the lessons to be learned from them, and how I can turn them into positives, you know LEMONS into LEMONADE. I am sure we all have had or will have some concerns about this life altering decision we have made, and procedure we have had or are about to have, and I hope that we won't let the negative thoughts rob us of the positive impact this will have in & on our lives. We all want and need something better, or we wouldn't have made the choice to do this. I hope we can continue to glean from each others post all of the wisdom shared by those who have already had their procedures, knowledge that we have, and real life testimonies about our day to day successes. I know there may be some pain and discomfort (that is true with any surgery), I know that this new tummy & new lifestyle will require some getting used to, but I a more than confident that WE CAN DO THIS!!! so let's take the bull by the horns and ride on to victory!!! (and NO I have not been drinking - alcohol, LOL) just super excited for all of us!!!! have a great day! Happy Weight Losing Everyone!!!

I already posted on here earlier, but something is bugging me so here I am again! I am trying to figure out where the 1/2 cup 'rule' even comes from. I was never told to weigh or measure my food - ever. Why do some doctors tell their patients to do something that is only going to make them miserable and add more guilt to a person that has already been made to feel like a failure and had to resort to major surgery to lose weight? Overweight people have trouble restricting their food intake - there are lots of reasons, physical and emotional, for why they can't do it, but that's beside the point. The point is, to tell an overweight person who just had major surgery to limit their food intake to 1/2 cup and expecting them to be able to do it is like telling an alcoholic to limit their drinking to 1 shot and expecting them to do it! The whole point of the band is to give us the ability to limit our portion sizes. After surgery,and once the swelling goes down, we are often just as hungry as before banding because the band is not functioning yet. It needs to be adjusted. Once the band is properly adjusted our portion sizes get smaller and we need less food to stay satisfied. I just don't understand the 1/2 cup thing. I was taught to eat slowly, take small bites, chew each bite thoroughly and to stop after 20 minutes whether I had food left or not. When you aren't extra tight (like without a fill or even after 1 or 2 fills) you can get a larger amount of food in within that 20 minutes because the food is going down easier and so, while the 20 minute time limit did limit my portion sizes somewhat, I was able to eat way more than 1/2 cup in that time. The idea of the band is to give us the willpower that we overweight people don't have because we feel hungry if we don't eat large quantities of food. How can a doctor expect us to have willpower just because he put a band in us when it isn't functioning yet? Okay, done with my rant!!!

Met Dr. Diccicio for the first time today. Of all three of the potential surgeons I have consulted with and had to pay $45.00 co-pay, I found my guy. Dr. Diciccio didn't talk at me and he didn't act all self important. He answered all my questions and he didn't treat me like I had no right to know the why this and why that. He explained to me why the liver has to be shrunken before surgery even though I'm not an alcoholic and I haven't worn out my liver. He said even obese people have an enlarged liver that can be reduced by a ten day liquid high Protein diet. I have to have my legs scanned for clots (which I had in 2004), I have to have a cardiac clearance and I can have surgery in about six weeks. Yay!

I ended a long term relationship (16 years) with an alcoholic back in April 2016. I strongly recommend Alanon for you. No one deserves to be treated like this EVER! I'm so thankful to be living life on MY TERMS and doing what is best for ME. That includes weight loss surgery! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

If you don't crave it, then that's actually a good thing. The alcoholics I knew of, actually craved it. What makes you want to drink?

This got me to think, I would say my root cause to my obesity is both genetic and that I am addicted to food. Ever since I was little I have been the big kid. I come from a family who was obese. My grandpa was 500 pound man, my mom was overweight, and multiple other family members as well. Also addiction runs in my family, so the whole addiction part is what gets me today. I love food like an alcoholic loves liquor. It has always been that way up till now. Addiction runs in my family as well with many different vices. My vice and my downfall is food. It is a comfort in all of its glory. I saw my grandpa with the same addiction tragically lost his battle back when I was a sophomore in high school because of his obesity. I thought I was ready to change my life outa high school and had the lap band put in place. Then life happened and that addiction came back stronger than ever. It took me five years of soul searching to finally tell myself "hey, its time" and get healthy. I fight this addiction and the obesity factor everyday. What keeps me going on this path of my new healthy self is knowing that in the future when I have kids I will be around for them, I will be able to live longer than my grandfather, also I am finally happier than I was 100 pounds ago.

I'm also dealing with this issue. I had surgery July 9,2016. I was losing pretty steadily, but this past month has slowed down a lot. My dad is an alcoholic, and I've always been a "drinker". One of my first questions after surgery was..."when can I drink vodka again?" Now though.... I don't feel like I'm a drinker, I feel like an alcoholic. I'd rather drink liquor than eat food. (Since we can't do both at the same time) I also don't want to not drink ever again, sooo I'm having a hard time deciding to seek help. This is definitely complicated and scary and something all wls patients should consider and think about prior to surgery. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using the BariatricPal App

Hehe, I like that. I'm surprised even HR HAS to have your surgeon's name. There are all SORTS of HIPPA rules these days! It's really none of their business. Funny thing about my boss, I know she's an alcoholic -- or at least has an issue with alcohol. And is at times very promiscuous. I could tell stories -- that SHE has shared, no less. The you-know-what in me wanted to ask if her alcohol problem was still making her loose and slutty.

leeann71, I'd say the root cause of my obesity was the sexual abuse in my childhood. Only happened once but what a profound, deep scar it imbeded on my spirit. I turned to food to soothe me in my alcoholic, dysfuntional home. Food was my friend and was AlWAYS there for me. It never turned away from me, called me names, made me feel unloved or inadequate. It was readily and easily available. Overeating put me in a stupor and buried those emotions I didn't want to deal with. I think food was the way I survived my "childhood". I put it in quotes because at times, it wasn't much of one. One of the results of this is I live in South Texas, a few thousand miles from my family. I'm going to Michigan in July to attend a wedding. I'm actually not looking forward to being in that environment again. I wish there was some kind of "brain cleaner" so I could flush those memories out. God, why is it so hard to put the past IN THE PAST and just move on? What I wouldn't give to flip a switch and just get on with my life without the past. I guess I need to see the flipside and realize--that very past which was so difficult at the time, has made me the strong, independent woman I am today. It also gave me the absolute determination to loose 75 pounds and join the Army so I could leave that small town and get an education, in both the world and at college. Got out of the Army and quit smoking--weight came back with an absolute vengence. That's what brought me to weight loss surgery. Took the same determination to escape that small town I had in my twenties and applied it to the surgery. Now here I am, strong, independent and a smaller size to boot! Clothes are falling off and a regular thrift store shopper--out of sheer necessity. Sorry to go so long and off on a tangent. Blessings, Kathleen

I have no idea what percentage actually fail, but likely the majority of the ones that are deemed failures or have significant regain are the ones that did not use the time right after surgery to relearn how to eat properly. They expected the sleeve to do all the work and all they'd have to do is "eat less" of the same foods they've always eaten. My doc said that anyone can lose weight the first year, even if the eat crap foods all the time. But when the body's metabolism adjusts over to how you eat after surgery, it will make it possible to regain easily if you're still eating high carb, high fat/sugar/sodium low quality/nutrition junk. The weight loss is not permanent unless you throw out all your eating habits and crutches and start learning how to eat proper portions, healthy, whole foods and limit bad/crappy foods to very occasional times. Junky foods should be eliminated from your meal times for the rest of your life - bread, crackers, alcohol, fast food, fried foods, high sugar/fat/sodium prepared foods... all banished to every once in a while, and only in small portions then. You can still have them, but not in the quantity or frequency you used to have. Some things might need to be eliminated completely if you have a serious addiction and you can't control yourself, or if they are a "slider food" (where you can eat a large amount of a food/drink without it being restricted by your sleeve - like crackers or ice cream). You have about 1 year or so where the portion control from the sleeve and the lack of hunger allow you control to adjust how and what you eat. It really is all about a stripping of old habits and establishing new ones. Good Proteins - fish, chicken, turkey, dairy - should be the bulk of your meal time, followed by healthy vegetables and a small portion of complex carbs if you have room (brown rice, whole wheat Pasta, beans). There are almost always healthy recipes and workarounds for most of the foods you love, and you can be happy having small portions (like 2-3 bites) instead of eating the entire thing (if that's what you used to do), but you have to commit to changing your relationship with food to make WLS work for you. Exercise is also an important part of the process, but the food relationship is the main thing to get figured out ASAP.

Why did you choose sleeve vs RNY? What protein shakes do you like? What is a good vitamin to take? What are your favorite purees? Help, I'm three weeks post-op and I've stopped losing weight! What should I take to the hospital? When can I go back to work? How can I prevent loose skin? If I take 50 million mcg of biotin every day and get all my protein in, can I prevent hair loss? When can I eat pizza/popcorn/birthday cake? When can I drink alcohol? When can I drink coffee and isn't it true that drinking coffee will leave you a dry, withered husk of a person with all your vital fluids sapped out of your body? Don't get me wrong -- I am not mad at anyone for asking these questions (though truth be told I wonder why people don't try a little harder sometimes to read up on things in advance and figure out they've all been asked many, many, many times before). It's more that I have been here a long time and don't feel like I have anything new or enlightening to add, and it's time for the newbies to get some practice answering the most frequently answered questions. Good luck y'all! I will stick around but will be trying to dial back my talkativeness.

I'm 5 mos post op and can definitely eat more than 4 oz at a time. For me daily life is all about getting in my Protein and limiting carbs and fat. So much protein comes mixed with either carbs or fat or both. I have not found anything that upsets my sleeve yet, so I have lots of options, but get sick of chicken and fish. I love working out so that is not a problem for me. It is probably the best part of my day. I too drink alcohol occasionally, but try and limit it to rare occasions. I don't even find that I get drunk off a glass or two like I've seen others post. I think the biggest difference is just planning out your meals more to make sure you are getting the right macronutrients and correct percentages for the day. Also it helps with your grocery shopping. It really isn't all that hard, just sometimes I still crave sugar. It is definitely worth it.

Hi everyone, or should I say anyone:frown:? (Doesn't seem that anyone reads my blogs.) Oh well, they are still good for me to reflect. I am having some difficulty with having NO RESTRICTION! I didn't feel that I was overeating, although I haven't been writing every mouthful down, and when I got on the scale this morning, well, it says I gained 7 lbs.over the weekend!:willy_nilly: I KNOW EVERYONE'S FIRST THOUGHT. It is water retention. The problem with that theory is I have had VERY SWELLED ANKLES ALL THE TIME, in the past. I have not had this problem ever since surgery which has been an unexpected, wonderful surprise. One would think that if water retention is back, so would the swelled ankles. They are not. Soooo, let's do some self examination. On the positive, I joined the gym and I am committed to it(worked out on Friday& this morning):thumbs_up:My diet...uhhm, ok.... I enjoy social drinking on weekends. Haven't had any since surgery, until... Stayed home Friday night, had 2 white russians(with 1% milk), just looked up the cal count~each were 350 cal:sneaky:. I made spaghetti for supper~homemade sauce using splenda to sweeten a little/60, low carb noodles/190cal, and venison hamburg(its low in fat/180cal). I have no restriction, so I ate probably much more than should of but still less than my old self. Saturday>I made eggs and bacon/240cal(I had my granddaughter overnight & she doesnt eat much but LOVES eggs&bacon), then had spaghetti leftovers for lunch/430 cal. I ate a baked chicken breast for supper/200cal, then we went out to our club with friends and I drank. Trying to keep cal/carbs low, I first had a diet coke&rum(1st time since surgery that I drank soda, no excuses, just forgot)70cal. My hubby reminded me then and I was glad because I HATED the drink. Next I drank a Bay Breeze(coconut rum, pineapple jc, cranb jc), I love sweet drinks and thought this 1 would be kinda good for me. Because it's sweet, I also thought it would be extremely high in calories, looked it up, only 160 cal. Then my g/f bought me 2 "applesauce" shots:crying:, 150cal ea. By this time, I was really in the drinking mood so I had my hubby go to Rutter's(a mini mart)to get diet iced tea. I asked and was allowed to bring in our own drink to mix with the clubs alcohol. So I had "diet" ice picks rest of night(about 6 shots of vodka)=around a whopping 500 more calories. So, now that I do the math, I added 1030cal just from drinks!:sad:Before we left, I ate 2 hot dogs they had on the grill(because they looked sooo good and were a buck/300cal)2200cal all together. On Sunday, we went BACK to the club for a "shrimp feed". I got a doz steamed shrimp/60cal, shrimp salad/220cal, potato salad/160cal, 1c shrimp bisque/240cal and a red beet egg/80cal. Then I got 1 drink because someone had it and it "looked good", a dirty girl scout(coffee liquer,cream de menth, baileys& vodka with milk)/340cal.(It was delicious) It makes the fact that I drank 2 full glasses of lemon water not mean much:sad_smile:. Later that night, I had more of my leftover spaghetti/430cal. And for snack, I had another pop/100cal. WOW! Not to mention the things I may have eaten & just don't remember. Ok. I get why I didn't LOSE. But really. Is all the above 7 POUNDS worth??! Actually, I am soo embarrassed when I write down my calorie intake. I did not realize what I do to myself. I go back to my job after 3 wks off on Wednesday. I go for my first fill on 11/25, 2 days before Thanksgiving. I NEED the RESTRICTION. That is soo obvious. Drinking may be out of the question. Maybe I will "reward" myself with a drinking night out after every 50lbs lost. I am not sure yet. But I MUST GET MYSELF back on track...even before the fill...I cannot afford to go backwards. Do I intentionally sabotage myself? I am sooo good at analyzing everyone else(they always come to me for advice) but am HORRIBLE at it for me:embaressed_smile: Any advice?

Red wine glasses are larger so there is more room for oxygenation of the wine. The average pour should be 4-6 ounces. The calories In wine come from the alcohol(sugar) look for wines with a lower alcohol level. Stay away from heavy red wines like Cabernet or zinfandel. They have higher alcohol percentages. Pinot Grigio or most sauv Blanc have lower alcohol percentages. Skinny Girl products including margaritas and spirits have lower alcohol percentages and they are pretty good. If you are drinking spirits try them on the rocks with a wedge of citrus. The majority of calories I'm cocktails are from the mixers.

Hey Everyone! Questions here! I just turned 21 last August and I've been on a pretty strict plan on making better choices with what Alcohol I consume but I was wondering if there are any low calorie drink recipes you have? Or have you completely stopped intake of Alcohol all together? My sugery is in a few weeks and I'm willing to make any changes to be successful. I know nothing carbonated, of course but I know you could drink the calories away if I wasn't paying attention. What is everyones opinion? Thanks guys!

My doctor told me alcohol would be absorbed into my system a lot faster after banded, so it might be best to start with careful moderation. I try to avoid the stuff, but there are social occasions when I do imbibe.

Having the sleeve is easy like having a mastectomy is the easy way out of breast cancer or not drinking is the cure for alcoholism. The sleeve is simply a surgery...it's only one part of curing obesity.

Do you have steri strips still on? OMG that adhesive itched so bad! Rubbing alcohol helped remove the residue and calm the itch.

There are new colors this year too! One look at the sugar content makes me quickly put them down. Even the " sugar free" is full of sugar alcohol. Orange jelly Beans are what I'm missing the most at Easter. Loved those so much but can live without them.

I've done a low carb/high protein/high healthy fat diet for my entire six-month insurance-required nutrition program. I've over 90 pounds doing it. I keep my carbs under 20 per day (and under 15 most days). I have whittled from 2000 calories down through 1800 and 1500 to about 1200 calories per day for the past few months. I have cut out alcohol, only because at my calorie-level, I just can't justify using up any calories that won't provide some nutritional value. It has worked super well for me. My surgery is two weeks from tomorrow, and I am gunning for 100 pounds down when they wheel me into the OR. Good luck!