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I would do it over in a heart beat. I not only have lost 75 pounds since banded on Aug 22, 2005 I have learned alot of things about myself. The first being that I did this to myself. I always said that I was heavy and I did not really know why. I truly did not think that I ate that much. Now I know that I truly did. I also realized that there is not a magic pill out there that will just take all the damage away that I have done to myself. I am responsible for myself. I did not put the weight on overnight and I will not take it off overnight. The band is a tool not a sure way to loose weight. Being overweight is not any different from being addicted to drugs or alcohol it is just a different addiction. We have to live with the addiction everyday. I am responsbile for me not my band. Of course my band will let me know if I ate the wrong food. I think alot of people can loose weight but if you don't change your frame of mind and thinking and are able to except yourself and forgive yourself then you will be a skinny unhappy person. Just remember that not all skinny people are happy and not all fat people are unhappy:>

Every single night since I started the preop diet until now postoperative, I dream about food! They're pleasant dreams! I regularly read a blog written by a woman who was banded a couple of years ago and she wrote about this in one of her posts as well. She said that she had read that drug addicts and alcoholics do this same thing, dream about using, while going through detox. It's just amazing to me that food has such control over my life! I've always thought that I had an addictive personality and my addiction was food. My grandfather was an alcoholic nearly his entire life. Most of the people in his family are overweight. This includes my mom and my aunt along with myself. I truly feel like addiction is a hereditary disease. Does anybody else feel like that? The bad part is there is no getting away from food--- it's ALWAYS there and you HAVE to have it in order to sustain life! I just pray that with the band I'm going to be able to finally develop a healthy relationship. Overall, I'm feeling really good. I was banded 5 days ago. I stayed at the hospital overnight. I haven't been out of the house yet and I'm thinking it would do me a world of good to actually go someplace. I thought about going to the movies but don't think I'm ready to deal with the smell of popcorn just yet! I don't go back to work until January 28th so I've still got time off before truly getting back into a routine. I'm thankful for that because I'm still getting tired pretty easily. I don't see my surgeon until the 30th so I won't be starting mushies until after that but as you can probably guess I'm really EXCITED about the next phase! Hope everyone is doing well!

@@pixystix0116 - I can only share my experience, everyone is the same in that we are all VERY different. So with that said, let me tell you what I did to prep...I walked for at least an hour every day. I went to the gym 3x a week to lift. I was very faithful two weeks before surgery on the diet, got rid of alcohol, caffeine et. al. Surgery day came, because I was in as good shape as I could get. Surgery took less than 30 minutes. I was up and walking within minutes. The first day was rough only because of the dang IV and the drain plug. After both were removed I didn't need any pain killers. Would walk all the time. I had the surgery on a Tuesday. Flew home Friday morning (added an extra day, because I always plan for the worst case). But Saturday I went to an University of Oklahoma football game and my son's fraternity "Dad's Day" celebration. So pain on surgery day 1 - eh 5, after that 1-2. So much better than when my appendix burst. That took nearly six weeks to recover from.

Has anyone heard or asked about why sugar alcohols and hard sugar free candy is bad? I am just wondering

I had a lapband placed four years ago and had good success. Steadily lost weight and went from 275 pounds to 155 pounds. About four months ago, I was so happy with my band and the progress that I'd made. I felt like I was at my goal and the whole process had been wonderful. Then I realized that I'd been having problems for the past 8 weeks, which helped me lose that last 15 pounds. I was to the point that I could barely sip water. Barium XRay confirmed that I was almost completely blocked. Since I'd recently moved across the country, I didn't have a surgeon, and since I live in a remote area, the closest weightloss surgeon was 2 1/2 hours away. After a frantic few days of trying to find a surgeon that would see me before taking a few weeks to evaluate my records, and more importantly evaluating my insurance, I went to an emergency room three hours away. The ER doctor removed the fluid from my band and I was able to drink again. When the surgeon saw me the next day, he was concerned that the ER doctor had punctured my band - my stomach looked like sausage after all the times he poked me trying to find my port. I've been going back every 4 weeks to get my band filled back. I gained 30 pounds almost immediately but have gotten to the point that I am no longer gaining. From the beginning, this surgeon has wanted to do a revision. He thinks my band slipped and it will happen again, so he is afraid to fill my band to where it was before. Furthermore, we just realized that my band is leaking. So, something needs to be done. Since my original surgery, I have gone off my blood pressure meds (blood pressure was really high even the highest doses of meds that I could take) and the pre-diabetic issues (insulan resistance) have gone away. However, my blood pressure has shot up over the last few months and I'm going to have to go back on meds soon if something doesn't happen. I talked briefly with my surgeon this week about where to go. He is talking about RNY or a sleeve and would prefer RNY. He feels RNY would be safer to let my stomach heel after surgery. I am just not feeling the RNY and am leaning towards a sleeve. At this point, we are trying to figure out my insurance because my (new) primary covers surgery, but only if it is the original surgery and I've gone through the whole approval process with them. My secondary, which I used before, does not have the hospital that I'd have to use for this surgeon in their network. So, I have some time to think about where to go. If my primary won't cover the revision, I have two options. The first is to pay some out of pocket. The second is to find another surgeon that does practice at a network hospital. I like the surgeon that I'm going to now, mostly because he spends a lot of time with me discussing concerns and options. But, I'm sure there are lots of other good surgeons out there. So, questions that I have: Maybe it's safer to have the RNY rather than having my stomach sleeved during a revision, but is that a real concern? I think I'd rather go through the tedious process of liquid/soft diet for the weeks/months than to have the issues involved with RNY. I'm just not feeling good about the RNY. Next question - if I do have a sleeve, what can I expect as far as pre-surgery diet, time in the hospital and overall recovery time, and diet once I am recovered - i.e. I've seen discussions about alcohol, carbonation, not using straws, etc.... I've read through the website, but would appreciate any information and advice I can get.

I can only tell you about my experience. And I went through the same nervous/excited feelings and thoughts. As far as food and drinks and alcohol go, I was able to eat anything and drink anything I wanted at 1 year. Up until then, I could eat and drink anything I wanted, but Frankensleeve was still adjusting and would grumble and complain sometimes. My hunger feelings went away, starting the week after surgery. I only feel real hunger now - meaning I can feel my stomach complaining it's empty. But daily head hunger and food cravings are a thing of the past. I'm now in control of my food and for the most part, really don't care what I'm eating. The hardest part was getting out of old habits, eating when I'm bored or eating because I think it will taste good. I've had a few moments where I'll pass the donut tray at work and just have to have 1, but it's only 1, I don't have to eat 4 or 6 to be satisfied. Or during the holidays, I'll allow myself to over eat a bit on all the goodies. The difference is, now I know I'm in control and can easily go back to my regular eating and drop the weight. I'm in control now. The hunger no longer controls me.

Hang in there! I am 6 weeks out and I can have both alcohol (a sip or two) and pizza (about 1/2 a slice). It's enough that I feel like part of the group and not enough to be harmful to my daily regimen. Also, pizza is not a bad food in small amounts.

When it comes to alcohol it depends on what mood my band is, to what I can drink. See my doc has never said drinking was bad so I drink on occasion when going out etc. Since being banded I have become a big wine person. Maybe you can try to find a sweeter wine. I prefer a sweeter white wine which is nice with meals. If you cant find one or dont want to try, here are a few suggestions. White russian Baileys and milk Vodka and orange juice Vodka and cranberry juice grapefruit juice and vodka Pina Colada Bloody Mary martinis Whiskey sour Amaretto Sour Happy Anniversary

I can eat most any animal protein, legume, cheese and eggs up to 4 ounces per meal. No dairy (yogurt, milk, almond milk, soy milk, sugar free pudding, cottage cheese, etc) until the six month mark. At five weeks 1/2C vegetables are added but no corn, peas, or potatoes. At six weeks 1/2C of fruit was added once a day but not to be consumed at the same meal as the vegetables. I can substitute another serving of 1/2C vegetables for the fruit if I wish but not the reverse. Have to take one Co-Q 10 and 12 grams of fiber supplements per day plus a Bariatric vitamin three times a day. 64 oz of water of which at least 32 ounces is plain water with no added flavorings. Sugar free Popsicles, sugar free jello are permitted. Absolutely no snacking on anything between meals and no caffeine or alcohol. Some limited carbs are added in when I reach 75% of my weight loss. However I was advised to try not to start back on carbs if I can.

Hi All, Welp I am almost 1 yr post op (Jan 17th) and I hit my goal. The reason I am writing is to find out if anyone in the Lake Stevens, WA area would like to get together? I feel really silly putting this out there...it's kinda lame I know... It would be wonderful to get together and share a plate somewhere. I am 37 and very happily married. I work for Boeing. I have 3 kids (19, 18 and 10). I have been told I am normal and I love to laugh. I would just like to meet a friend that understands WLS and meet someone who understands meals of string cheese and having absolutely no alcohol tolorance.

I would follow whatever your doctor's instructions are. They all seem to have their own ideas on the topic so it's best to just stick with whatever yours says. Personally, I stay away from alcohol most of the time because of the calories. If I do indulge once in awhile, I'm just careful to count the calories against my daily allowance.

So my grief counselor has suggested I try Wellbutrin. Things have been especially bad for me lately because its coming up on the 1 year anniversary of my friend's suicide. We've also been exploring some buried emotions from my brother's death that I never really got over (apparently drowning them in alcohol didn't make them go away ;(. ). At this point I'm having difficulties experiencing any sort of emotion besides sadness.....most of my days are spent going through the motions and putting on a show for others and quite frankly I'm exhausted. She thinks the Wellbutrin will help me with the biochemical issues I may be having that are hindering my healing process. So I'm going in to see my PCP on Friday to get his OK for the Rx. So anyone else taking it for depression? How's it working for you? Just wondering if there are any weight loss/weight gain/appetite issues I could expect by taking this medication. Any other weird side effects? I've taken Prozac and other SSRIs in the past for anxiety and stress, but the main problem was I could not sleep while on them. Not sleeping was worse than the reasons I was taking them in the first place so I had to stop.

Since surgery it has been pretty easy sticking to my diet plan until the 4th rolled around. We had a BBQ, and had friends over. This was the first party I have attended since surgery. I completely blew it, I ate crackers, chips, dips, not-lean burger w/o the bun, and even a damn hotdog w/the bun. I did manage to stay away from the alcohol though. I was pretty down on myself for going off the wagon, and still kind of beating myself up over it. I feel so guilty, and a little ashamed. I am back on track now though, and plan to stay on track. I just wonder if everytime an event rolls around I am going to fall off again, and that is a bit discourging. On a good note, I am allowed 4oz of food now instead of 2. I am also allowed to start adding more solid foods, salad, and even fruit on occassion. Last night was the first time I tried 4oz of food, and it seemed like so much food too me. I still have no restriction, so I am still getting hungry between, meals. But it is so nice to go up to that 4oz. I am just worried I will start gaining weight now. I am having a hard time getting my 64oz of water in a day too. I come close like maybe 50-60oz. Its hard to just sip all day. I tend to gulp, and learning to sip is a real challange.

This might be the wrong place to post this??? Hi All, Welp I am almost 1 yr post op (Jan 17th) and I hit my goal. The reason I am writing is to find out if anyone in the Lake Stevens, WA area would like to get together? I feel really silly putting this out there...it's kinda lame I know... It would be wonderful to get together and share a plate somewhere. I am 37 and very happily married. I work for Boeing. I have 3 kids (19, 18 and 10). I have been told I am normal and I love to laugh. I would just like to meet a friend that has had WLS and who understands meals of string cheese and having absolutely no alcohol tolorance. Please let me know...

My surgeon was very frank about the reasons to not go with the band, the biggest reason being its too hard to cheat and has the lowest long term success rate. Basically no matter how filled you are you can still get fat if you transfer addiction toward alcohol or milkshakes. Either way, my decision was based on the long term information on the procedures and was not ready to remove part of my stomache.

I think you do need some counselling - but we all do. We have to learn about the emotional issues underneath why we abuse food. Many addicts use food, drugs, alcohol. gambling etc to displace feelings of hurt, anger, helplessness - it sounds like you have not faced these issues and are determined to continue to abuse because you don't know what else to do. Don't beat yourself up over this - it is your addiction. Get some psychotherapeutic help and find a Dr. or clinic who will see you and in no time, you will be back on track and alot healthier both mentally & physically. Best of luck - let us know how you are doing.

I had a glass of wine 7 weeks out at Xmas - went down fine. Since then I have had gin and low cal cranberry at a wedding and 3 glasses of wine at new years eve. It does not affect me at all. Don't get tipsy or anything. All gets logged onto my fitness planner and still manage to stay within my calorie limit After the silly season is out of the way I don't see myself wasting empty calories on alcohol! Just know your limits and you'll be fine

When I had my Psyche evaluation I asked the Dr what would disqualify me from being approved for the surgery. One thing he stated was being an alcoholic since I would need to refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages during my recovery from surgery. As for you. You should seek the help of a qualified medical professional who can offer you guidance and treatment.

Sadly I did cheat on mine.... I was good the first week but i cheated the most when i was supposed to be on clear liquids (smart right?) I ate countless bags of chips, nuggets and fries from McDonald, giant bacon burger and fries from jack in the box, brownies, and I drank one large sprite from jack in the box. Oh & a baked potato from Jason's deli the afternoon before my surgery my "last meal". I felt extremely bad & thought they were going to have to cancel the surgery but thankfully I was still able to have mine.Perhaps because I'm 23 and haven't really done too much damage to my liver even tho i drank like a fish (alcohol). I definitely had no self control and would advise no one to do what i did. Trust tho i won't be making that same mistake post op! I like my life lol

Wow, these are some great numbers. congratulations. I was banded January of this year and am down around 50 pounds depending on what I call my start weight. My restriction as been very difficult to get but I am now on about my 4th or 5th try and have some restriction. My big issue as been drinking alcohol. Not only is that empty calories that add up extremely quick it also leads to reckless abandonment when making food choices. I am committed now and hope to make great progress. I am at 329 and trying. Good luck guys!

So listening to the same brain that got you in this state instead of listening to your surgeon is smart! Instead of getting pissed off about how the surgeons have different requirements how about doing what your told and then dealing with it. I'm on my 3rd day preop diet and although there have been tough moments they pass. If I'm giving into the negative mental pity party I'm screwed before I even have the surgery. Our biggest battle is the psychological one and if our mindset sucks then this experience is going to suck. A dr. told me yesterday to focus on doing this one day at a time like recovering alcoholics and drug addicts do. I also focus on the prize. Plus I want my surgeons job to be easier since he's going to be digging around my innards. And I see this as the natural consequence of being so damned over indulgent all those many years. Quite frankly suck it up and get over yourself. You have a chance at a whole new life and if that doesn't make you happy no amount of weight loss will either. Sent from my SM-G900V using the BariatricPal App

yep - all good things cost us lol - it's surprising how many calories are in alcohol - and I agree - it's just not worth it! Best of luck at weigh-in!

Hi Angel and Welcome, There really isn't anything I can't eat... I am careful with bread as I sometimes have difficulty with really soft types... but other than that... I can eat everything I used to eat but in smaller amounts. I find that I do not crave carbs as much as I crave Protein now. I try and avoid high calorie things that are liquid as the band does not restrict Fluid intake... so... I avoid ice-cream... milkshakes... cream Soups... alcohol etc. The biggest changes are that I chew everything REALLY well and I don't drink fluids with or for one hour after eating. I also do not drink anything with carbonation or take ibuprofen. Hope that helps. Darcy

I can't eat tortillas, either. I avoid bread, pasta, and other starches and sweets, but probably could eat them if I wanted to. I do have dessert sometimes. When eating out my husband and I will share something and he even eats less, which is good for him, too. I drink little alcohol, but do have some when the occasion calls for it. Sometimes I want to eat a big portion of something, but I'm not hungry for it. I have also given up some behaviors: I no longer have to check the desks at school to see if I will fit; don't have to worry about booths in restaurants or seats in airplanes; don't have to wear baggy clothes to hide the rolls; and don't think I'm the biggest person in the room wherever I go. Giving up many liquids takes getting used to, as well as "pigging out" on huge amounts of food. It takes adjusting, but is every bit worth it to be healthy and more of a normal size.

I can tell you that my favorite alcohol beverage is... beer ? Although, I get very mixed responses when asking people, Dr's, etc... about carbonation. My nutritionist said it was okay in moderation, and that the carbonation shouldn't really be a problem after 6 months. Some people say you can never sip a diet coke or beer ever again. If getting healthy means I have to sacrifice beer for the rest of my life, so be it, but I wouldn't mind the occasional microbrew every now and again...