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Too make a long story short - here it is: i had the lapband surgery in August, 2010....my BMI was only 36 but i had diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis in my knee. It is now 8 months later and i no longer am on diabetic medication. I am down almost 50 pounds and 6 pant sizes (i am 5'9). I should be so skinny because i vomit almost every day and not by choice! Either it is the food i am trying to digest or i am still eating too fast - at work for lunch i eat mashed potatoes and soup for fear of running to the bathroom - Its funny - i can drink alcohol no problem and chips (potato, tostitos, corn chips, the like) and chocolate in any form! When I cook for my family I sometimes forget and try to eat - MISTAKE! So i end up just tasting a little of this and a little of that - which seems to work fine. OK thats it for now - do not want to bore any of you....hope to hear from you soon..thanks for listening and for letting me share....

The program I'm going through (Kaiser) says to never have regular coffee (b/c of the caffeine, decaf is fine) or alcohol ever again after surgery. They say that it can cause ulcers. That in some cases people have ended up in the ER b/c they vomited blood after trying alcohol for the first time after surgery. So for me since I'm not a coffee or adult beverage person anyway, I don't plan on drinking these things. These are on the never eat again list for me. Plus, why risk getting an ulcer. And I would think you wouldn't want the empty calories from the alcohol. Because every program is different, it surprises me that you're allowed caffeine and/or alcohol after a certain amount of time when my program says never again. @ LA2ATL - you're never supposed to mix drugs and alcohol. Whether you've had surgery or not. Big no no!

I consider myself to be a success story and although I've worked hard, losing the weight wasn't all that painful. I agree that you just have to do what works for you and figure out using trial, error and research. For me, tracking my food intake would have been extremely painful so I didn't even consider it. I don't eat rice, bread or pasta--that's kind of been my thing. I exercise like a madwoman--that's been my other thing. I DO drink alcohol, eat dessert when I'm out, eat popcorn and candy at the movies, use whatever dressing and sauces appeal to me and have a large skim latte every morning. Be sure to read up on Bandster hell and don't get all worked up about it. That's my biggest piece of advice. I would also not cheat during your pre-op diet and while you're recovering. There's plenty of time for treats. Those terrible days of broth and Jello are such a distant memory. It feels like it was someone else. Good luck! Be patient, be strong and this will be the best decision you've ever made.

Hello, this may be a weird and stupid question, but with alcohol affecting us differently now, does cooking with wine affect us too. I know when u cook with it, it evaporates. But I didn't know if it would be different with us!

We eat out at least once per week. I don't have any trouble. Sometimes I will split with one of my kids or husband & sometimes I order my own and take leftovers home. I can pretty much eat whatever I want - I try to eat "healthy" - I stay away from breads, meats can be difficult depending how they are cooked. This lapband has not stopped me from eating out or having an occasional alcoholic beverage - I just need to think about my choices.

Interestingly I have seen in more than a few places the fact that alcohol can definitely contribute to a stall. A few places said that one way to stop losing if you reach goal and keep losing more than you want to (imagine THAT problem!) that a drink a week can help you stop losing. Hearing that is enough to have me backing off from drinking, at least until I reach goal.

Hi all, Not sure if you will see this since this thread has been out a while.... As a single 40 something, alcohol is part of my social experience, and I don't want to give it up. I enjoy good wine, dinner parties that include this, good beer and the every once in a while, margarita. I would be lying to say that it concerns me that I can't drink....... In fact, it is part of my decision process and why I am waiting to get the VSG. I need to wrap my head around NOT drinking before I move forward.... I really appreciated the original post, very honest. Thanks for that!

Yeah, that's a good point. Sometimes I console myself with the thought that if they'd found a medical way to extract the addict gene or something, no one would be judging any of the alcoholics or junkies lining up to have it done! No one would tell them they just hadn't *tried* hard enough. Whatevs. And ugh, Marie, Whoopi, Kirstie. I'm very hopeful that one of the greatest triumphs at the end of this whole mess will be the ability to change the damn channel when one of them gets on, instead of guiltily wondering if I should get my credit card out.

Nice to meet everyone! I just turned 21 last month and am a junior in college! I'm majoring in Sociology and am going to do a program once I graduate to be state certified to be a Drug and Alcohol Addiction Counselor. My father was killed in an alcohol related accident about a year and a half ago and it has changed my mind about wanting to major in Business. I recently got a place with My amazing boyfriend and my younger brother. I am pretty much a mom to my little bro (he's not so little-19 years old) I love hanging out with my family and going to the lake/river or goin out to the desert to watch my boys (bro and boyfriend) race dirtbikes! We live by the beach and I am happy to say that next summer i might've actually lost enough weight to wear a bathing suit down there!

I go out a lot. I still personally, order a regular meal and just eat what I can usually about 1/3 to a 1/2 of it (appetizers usually have a crapload of calories, not worth it). If I can plan ahead I do.. I like to check out the menu and see what I can eat. Generally just look for anything grilled, baked or broiled and doesn't have a sauce on it... Or if I don't know the calories, I just try to guess, and eat a small amount, I don't over do it. Don't get the bread basket, a salad, soup, dessert, soda, alcohol.. then a meal isn't so terrible. I don't get sick or puke, I haven't had any problems yet. But if you do, then you may want to be more careful.

I agree with Heather and Vicky but also recommend you journal what you are eating and measure for a few days. Most of us eat a lot more than we think. Are you drinking empty calories? When is your next follow up appt? Do you have good/adequate restriction? I think you are losing at an appropriate rate myself. I have lost slower than many yet faster than I have in the past pre-band. I think what we all have to remember is that the goal is to not only to lose weight, which most of us have done MANY times, but to maintain the loss. That is the key. At this point I have good restriction and I think the only way I wouldn't be losing 1-2# a week would be if I was having empty liquid calories, ie juice, cream and sugared coffee, alcohol, milk shakes, smoothies. Hang in there and know that we can all reach AND maintain our goals! Joan

I've been eating out on an average of 2-3x/week since being banded! For me,it's been about food choices....high Protein, lowfat,low carb,no alcohol. Why waste calories on liquor when I can eat! I don't count calories,i don't weigh or measure my food.The band is fickle,sometimes I could"eat the hair off a ragdoll" & other times,when stressed at work, I can't eat much.

I would ask your surgeon how they feel about carbonation after surgery. My surgeon says no way no how, my fiance's surgeon says once in a while is ok. You probably will get drunk faster since you can't have liquids after meals and there won't be anything in your stomach to absorb the alcohol. You probably won't be able to drink the way you used to, but see how you feel. Take it slow at first. My doc says no booze til 6 weeks post op, but every surgeon is different.

There are a lot of different answers to this, but personally I still drink sometimes, and I did once in a while throughout my weight loss with no negative effects--not to say that is the case for everyone. My doctor doesn't have a problem with alcohol. I do seem to get tipsy faster (probably because I weigh much less than I did before), plus I definitely want to avoid having a hangover with vomiting, so I usually drink less at a time than I did pre-band.

Brief back story: about 2 years ago I had what I thought was a gallbladder attack. I went to the ER because I couldn't stop throwing up and my stomach hurt really bad. They did tests, and said it's most likely my gallbladder. They recommended an ultra sound that my PCP at the time wouldn't give me. Fast forward to last month. I had 2 more short what I thought were gallbladder attacks again in the same day. So I went to the ER, they took some blood, gave me some fluids, and scheduled me an ultra sound for the next day when I told them my old PCP wouldn't schedule me one. I got the ultra sound done. My gallbladder is fine. My liver is enlarged twice the size it's supposed to be. More blood tests later and my new PCP (who I like, she seems really nice) emails me this: "I think the liver changes are due to nonalcoholic hepatosteatosis (also known as "fatty liver.") The best thing you can do is diet and exercise for weight loss." This is Kaiser's explanation of NASH: Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH): Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is liver inflammation caused by a buildup of fat in the liver. The fat buildup is not caused by drinking alcohol. Because of the inflammation, the liver does not work as well as it should. NASH is part of a group of liver diseases, called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, in which fat builds up in the liver and sometimes causes liver damage that gets worse over time. Healthy lifestyle changes, such as eating healthy, staying active, and slowly getting to a healthy weight, may help protect your liver from damage. Follow-up care is a key part of your treatment and safety. Be sure to make and go to all appointments, and call your doctor if you are having problems. It's also a good idea to know your test results and keep a list of the medicines you take. How can you care for yourself at home? Stay at a healthy weight. Control your cholesterol. Talk to your doctor about ways to lower your cholesterol if needed, like getting active, taking medicines, and making healthy changes to your diet. Eat healthy foods. This includes fruits, vegetables, lean meats and dairy, and whole grains. If you have diabetes, keep your blood sugar at your target level. Get at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week. Walking is a good choice. You also may want to do other activities, such as running, swimming, cycling, or playing tennis or team sports. Limit alcohol, or do not drink. Alcohol can damage the liver and cause health problems. When should you call for help? Call your doctor now or seek immediate medical care if: You have yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes (jaundice). You have pain in the upper right part of your belly (abdomen). Watch closely for changes in your health, and be sure to contact your doctor if: You have swelling in your legs or belly. Your skin itches. This is what I expected it was. I started googling as soon as I heard my liver was enlarged. I google a lot. And I found a couple interesting articles/pages. There seem to be mixed reviews for whether surgery is helpful or harmful. The websites I've read said that there are two types of fatty liver disease. Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), and that the only way to tell which one you have is by a liver biopsy. I haven't had one of those done, so I'm wondering if my doctor is correct. I don't want to say she's not since she's the doctor, not me. But who needs a medical degree when you have the internet? When I think about it, NASH fits because my liver is enlarged, and in NASH there is inflammation. Having read that wls may not be good, it made me worry a little. So I played phone tag on Thursday with the bariatric department and they said I could still have the surgery. But I'm still skeptical and nervous. I'm nervous b/c of the reduction of food and wondering if I can really do this, plus I don't want to get all the way to surgery for them to poke me to find out my liver isn't ok to get the surgery done. I want to know for sure that my liver is ok before I get to that point so there isn't any, go home and try again later. And then there's my family. The only people who know I have liver disease are my doctor and my boyfriend. My family keeps asking if I got any results about my gallbladder and I keep telling them I'm still waiting. I know I should tell them, but I feel embarrassed, ashamed. I don't want a bunch of questions about it. I don't want to have to explain that my having liver disease is the result of being fat and eating badly. I can't imagine it ending well. I don't know what to do. Any advice? Here are links to the websites I've read and a few quotes: http://www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/nash/ -The only means of proving a diagnosis of NASH and separating it from simple fatty liver is a liver biopsy. -Weight loss can improve liver tests in patients with NASH and may reverse the disease to some extent. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-alcoholic_fatty_liver_disease -A biopsy (tissue examination) of the liver is the only test that is widely accepted as definitively distinguishing NASH from other forms of liver disease, -gradual weight loss may improve the process in obese patients; rapid loss may worsen NAFLD. The negative effects of rapid weight loss are controversial: the results of a meta-analysis showed that the risk of progression is very low. -A recent meta-analysis presented at the Annual Meeting of American Association for Study of Liver Diseases(AASLD) reported that weight-loss surgery leads to improvement and or resolution of NASH in around 80 % of patients http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nonalcoholic-fatty-liver-disease/DS0057 http://www.emedicinehealth.com/fatty_liver_disease/article_em.htm -The definitive diagnosis of fatty liver disease can only be confirmed by liver biopsy -In patients who are morbidly obese, bariatric surgery to promote weight loss is very effective in decreasing liver inflammation and NASH. http://www.uptodate.com/contents/patient-information-nonalcoholic-steatohepatitis-nash -Although other tests may suggest a diagnosis of NASH, liver biopsy is required to confirm it. -Weight reduction can help to reduce levels of liver enzymes, insulin, and can improve quality of life. Weight loss should be gradual (no more than 3.5 lbs or 1.6 kg per week) since rapid weight loss has been associated with worsening of liver disease. http://www.liverdisease.com/nonalcoholicfattyliver_hepatitis.html -Excessively rapid weight reduction or starvation techniques can actually worsen or even precipitate progression to cirrhosis and liver failure. Has anyone here had / have NASH and had the surgery? Have anything to say about it?

I've had no problem with beer - I choose the light variety all the time though as it does really make a difference in calories consumed. when drinking from the bottle straight though you may find it a bit hard to swallow because of the carbonation. I found beer easier to drink from the glass. It's no fun when you take a nice swig and it all comes back up and maybe hits somebody in the face (unless it is someone who is giving you unwanted attention). That's been my experience with beer. Other alcohol, no problem. :Banane34:

I had to take mine off, and all nail polish off my toenails. In addition to that, I had to bathe in dial soap, no body spray, no lotion, no wash, shampoo or conditioner, it was all dial soap, no deodorant, I was able to splash alcohol on my underarms. I had my surgery at a military hospital so least to say they're regulations are a little more stringent than others. For my gallbladder surgery 8 months post-vsg, I didn't have to do any of that. Same surgeon too. It could be that gb surgery was short, like 1 hour, and my revision was going to be extensive and pretty lengthy, plus I'm a horrible surgical candidate so the least amount of issues they had monitoring my stats the better.

YES....they attacked me! Believe it! I only weigh in when I go to my doctor, which is ever 2-4 weeks. I have only been banded a little over a month, so I am still trying to guage how this will work for me and the amount that I can expect to lose. I went in for my first fill and my total loss since banding was ONLY 10 lbs! I knew what was to blame.....it wasn't my effort....my eating.....my band....it was a margarita and a mojito. I decided to go out to dinner the night before my appointment to celebrate with a friend. I am not a bi drinker, but I will have drinks on occasion and this time, I wasn't thinking very clearly. I know that alcohol makes me retain water like CRAZY! BAD IDEA....really bad idea. According to my Endocrinologist, I had lost 20 lbs since January. According to my at home scale, I had lost 25 lbs from my heaviest, so to see a 10 lb loss was deflating to my ego. Any other time, I would have been beside myself to lose 10 lbs in 4 weeks, but I just expected more. WHY IS THAT STUPID NUMBER SO IMPORTANT TO US? My clothes fit better. Everyone I know says I look like I have lost weight, but it's the scale's opinion I trust....WHY? I have another fill on 4/18/2010.....we'll see what happen then. No more margaritas or mojitos....for a really long time! MORAL OF THE STORY.........Don't drink and weigh-in.

I do understand the frustration! I was banded on Aug 13th, and lost about 10 lbs post op on liquids and mushy foods. Between my 1st fill in Sept and my 3rd in January I gained and lost the same 5 pounds. I was hungry all the time, and breaking down and snacking at night. I told myself that since I "could" eat 3 pieces of pizza that my band wasn't working and I kind of gave up a little. I didn't really gain, but I certainly wasn't making losing progress. I knew as soon as I sipped Water after that last fill that it was different. I could FEEL the water sip slowly draining from my pouch. I hadn't felt that at all yet. Also in the past month my fiancee found out his cholesterol was insanely high... so high and off the charts they couldn't calculate it. He's spent the past 8 months thinking he's been supportive of my diet needs, when he hasn't been at all. There was still snack food and junk food in the house. He was still ordering pizza and chinese food and getting ice cream multiple times weekly. Although I wasn't eating as much as I had before I was absolutely having little bits of all of that. I would tell myself the band wouldn't let me eat more than I should... I was deceiving myself. I knew that none of it was OK to have so often. a piece of Pizza once a month.. OK. 2 or 3 pieces of pizza a couple times a week... NO. He's also a big night time eater, and as I struggle the most after 7pm it was killing me. I'd be tired and what little willpower I had through the day had been eaten away. He'd want me to make something at 9 or 10 pm.. basically a 2nd dinner. So I was constantly around food and preparing food and eating food. Now we're on a very strict diet and he's sticking to it. Bringing his cholesterol down is very important... his dad has had 2 heart attacks. As bad as this may sound, his bad cholesterol has been great for me! He isn't bringing junk food home. He isn't ordering out. He isn't eating all night. I am spending a lot of time in the kitchen preparing healthy meals, packing them for both of us for work, making sure we have healthy Snacks for the kids to eat too... no junk for the kiddoes either... high cholesterol runs in his family, not taking any chances with the girls. He's actually lost 10 pounds in the past couple of weeks and is very excited about it. I'm down almost 10 in that time too.... So... what I needed for success has been the band being at the right place, AND the home being in the right frame of mind. I need absolutely nothing in the house that I can or want to snack on. Even with restriction I'd eat a bowl of ice cream if it was in the house. Get the junk out of the house. If there are others in the home who really want it, have a chat. They can pig out all they want at school or work or out with friends, but the home is healthy food... and not a lot to snack on healthy or not. Even doing this for a month or two- to get into the swing of it- will help. I know that if I can stick strictly to a diet for a month it's so much easier to say no to the bad foods. I turned down pizza and wings last week at work! from the BEST pizza place in town. No birthday cake either. I know I'm not ready to even have those things in small doses... because I do think I understand now that food is an addiction for some people. I am one of them. I get a taste of chocolate and I'll do what it takes to get more. I would hide it so nobody else could have any. i would eat junk in secret so nobody would see me... if they didn't know it didn't count. Cereal is a HUGE problem for me. Thankfully our girls are strange and hate most cereals so we just don't need them in the house. It makes Breakfast on school days a pain, but it keeps me from ahving 2 bowls of cocoa puffs while watching Grey's Anatomy. I'm no expert on all of this, but I have lost and gained hundreds of pounds over the past 20 years... ever since I was a 150 lb 5th grader and went to Weight Watcher's camp. I know that food is an addiction. People without this problem can't understand it. Just like I can't understand an alcoholic's need to drink constantly... I don't really care for alcohol much anymore. One or two glasses of wine a month are fine for me. But I accept that some people can't say no to the drink. Can't say no to a bong or crack pipe. I can't say no to my problem foods when they're around. It's how I made it past 300 pounds. So. If you're feeling frustrated try ridding your home of everything you'd snack on or eat too much of. Others in the home may whine at first, but it actually will be better for them too in the long run! and it doesn't have to be forever... but ask them this. If your husband/wife had a heart attack and you HAD to follow a low sodium/low fat heart healthy diet... you'd do it, right? So why isn't it important enough to support you and your weight loss? The thing you underwent surgery for? I couldn't get him to understand this until he had to change his diet for his health, and he's since apologized for not being as supportive as he thought he was being. Having my band in a nice spot of restriction has helped. I can't eat very much at one time right now, but having no snacking options has been a Godsend.

For the past oh 3-4 weeks? I've had either Big Red or Dr Pepper (regular not diet). Now, keep in mind, I have maybe 2 ounces in a rocks glass over ice and I've only done it less than a handful of times. In a glass over ice, I think the carbonation tends to fizzle out rather quickly. I know I suck more air (pre-op experience) when drinking directly from a coke can or bottle than a glass so that's my method. I don't let it become a habit or an every day thing since I'm still in the losing stage. I typically have my "cocktail" when we're outside bbqing on the weekends because I'm not cleared for alcohol still and I'd like something besides WATER or half cal gatorade. Rarely do I finish the whole 2 ounces too. I just want the taste of something different.

My problem is that when I have a goal I automatically try to sabotage myself. It sounds like you may be the same way. Try to take it one day at a time... cuz eating is an addiction... just like alcohol and drugs. When you fall off the wagon, don't just say the hell with it, if I've eaten this one bad thing, I might as well as eat that other bad thing, this is exactly my style, and it has been really hard to break, but it is possible. I totally agree with meggiep... you need a goal outfit. Mine is a little navy blue dress in a size 14... That may seem ridiculous to some of the losers now, but wow that is a huge goal for me!! Anyway, take your goal outfit and hang it where you can see it where you normally eat, be it in the kitchen, living room, or bedroom. When you are stuffing yourself silly and you look at it, it will make you feel sick.

I can totally understand where you are coming from. I am a self-confessed and proven food addict. I am absolutely powerless over food, particularly things with sugar in them. I will honestly tell you that just as an alcoholic drinks to self-medicate, I used to eat to numb my emotions and fill some void. I have really found a lot of help in Overeaters Anonymous. You can go to their website (www.oa.com) and find a meeting (either a face to face meeting in your area or a call in phone meeting you can do from home). My philosophy is take what you need and leave the rest from the meetings. I am doing pretty well right now but I know it is a process that will take time. Good luck with everything! :-) Katie

I'm on the Shore when I'm in NZ too, in Birkenhead.. Heh! Hi Aldesa! The metabolism thing I mentioned I only noticed at about... what... year 3? I really noticed it when I did that multisport race though, not sure if it had changed much before that though. Was just something interesting (and cool!) I noticed. Mind you, when your two team mates throw temper tantrums that would do a two or three year old proud - because they're hungry - and you don't, it's kind of noticeable, haha. That morning tightness, yeah I get that. Food is a bit slow in the morning (mind you I usually have a bowl of muesli, so could be that), and gets better during the day. I've found if I don't eat a proper breakfast (or claim coffee is a meal, has happened when I'm in a rush) I can hardly eat anything the rest of the day... Felt like things needed a kick start or nothing would quite wake up for the rest of the day. Can totally understand why you loosened it, when I just started going out with my ex I was quite tempted to get it loosened... Being in Dunedin meant that that involved organising an appointment, getting flights that I would not be able to afford at short notice, getting the time to go up there anyway... I managed to talk myself out of it, and just told him, which was funny cos he totally didn't know what I was going on about it seemed. His family visited NZ a couple of years ago (he's Norwegian) and that actually had an interesting situation. Had had a fill the week before and it hadn't quite settled - that and there was a tendancy for cooked breakfasts while they were here for some reason - so I wasn't eating much. His mum noticed, then visited my family when in Auckland and saw a formal photo of me before my graduation ball for high school... Ball dress, hair done, makeup... And 40kg heavier. Haha. She got so worried about me and started bringing it up with my parents that she was worried that my mum ended up telling her - she understood a lot quicker of course! The airline thing isn't just me! WOO! I wasn't sure if it was pressure changes (Dr Fris assured me I could be an astronaut afterwards if I wanted, I was more concerned about if I could go diving), or if it was sitting down for 24 hours. Hmm. Must be the pressure then. Y'know, my favourite part of flying (after I've gotten well into the journey and I just want to get off the plane!) is when I'm on, say, Air New Zealand, and they say they have a 'light option' meal available. Less wastage when I only pick at it, haha. You're allowed to be biased! Heh. Yeah, on the subject of exercise I just got back into running this week. I only managed 3km! 3! And my legs hurt! 4 months ago I ran 10! Not impressed. Legs need to get their act together. Mind you, the 4 months off was all my own fault. And I may have slipped in the past few months and eaten whatever I want (including more chocolate) and not done much exercise..... Oooops. Probably put on the 3kg I happily lost without noticing last year. And yeah, Heather's really nice, but so skinny! Mind you, she never made me feel like she was judging me cos I was overweight. None of them in that office did - a good thing else I wouldn't have got past the first meeting with any of them, let alone get to the surgery. The only time they gave me a judging feeling was when I ended up getting the band overfilled and Dr Fris told me I couldn't just rely on the band to do the work for me.. Ehm. The "I've been there, done that" angle would be nice though. Haha, Aldesa, I was wondering if I should mention wine... My alcohol tolerance has halved since I got the band, I think. I'm not a big drinker, usually, anyway, but feel the effects a lot quicker. It does go down way too easy. I have to admit that's one of the ways I cheat a little if I'm going out for dinner and feel under pressure to 'look normal' eating. Start with a glass of wine and then it feels like my stomach is really relaxed so I potentially won't have as many problems (set menus are so annoying!). Probably not the best idea, but I figure seeing as the band worked otherwise, I can get away with it if it isn't all the time. And everything in moderation, including moderation, right? Also, the nutritionist there told me to have a glass of wine a night. Have to do what I'm told, afterall. Hehe.

I would wait till you are back on solids, then it's fine I mean I can't imagine it would feel good if you aren't eating at all. But remember, alcohol has a ton of calories.. so try to limit it to special occasions.

Yeah, I think you and hubs need to talk...he probably doesn't know what else to do to celebrate other than a nice dinner. Maybe suggest other things to him that you both would enjoy that don't revolve around food. As for your co-workers, do they know you had surgery? If so, then maybe they won't mind skipping the bar celebration this year. If not, enjoy your non-alcoholic and non-carbonated drink of choice, because they're paying, aren't they? Get something with an umbrella!