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For all you wine drinkers - just saw this new ad for low sugar/low carbs brand of alcohol & with very good review! Go to website to see all the varieties! You best believe someone is ALWAYS creating healthier versions of cheers ; )

@Sheribear68 Ouch! So sorry to hear about your friend!!! ((hugs)) TG you are escaping that fate with every day of your lifestyle change!!! I know how you feel and can relate! And for anyone who is genuinely interested in hearing my journey and not just a rubbernecker, I will discuss the specifics. But for anyone else who looks at me, there is no doubt that I'm somewhat fanatical religious about making good choices--cuz like you, we have some big strikes we deal with. But sadly, no one likes reformed smokers or reformed alcoholics. So we do just have to live our lives. And sometimes the best testimony is through action rather than words. Live your life hon. Let your friends feel safe, coming to you when or if they are ready. ((hugs))

@KarenLR75 my BMI is 54.7 I believe so pretty high. My surgeon hasn’t mentioned anything to me about calling it off due to the size of my liver or anything. I do have “Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease” which I believe most morbidly obese people have. Mine is mild if I remember correctly. Either way, I will do better and hope everything works out on Monday. If we could give up food that easy, no one would be big and there would be no need for weight loss surgery. It’s a tool to help with smaller portions, which lead to healthier choices.... eventually, no or minimum bad cravings. So, I don’t try to beat myself up too bad. I’m sure surgeons realize that people will cheat. How can we not? If you don’t, please share some will power :)

Sad to hear that you are having a rough time. Definitely consider two things (if you can): get a personal counselor (I had one a little before my surgery) and find a support group (ask NUT team or surgeon's office--people go before and after the surgery). I went through a mild downer about the 3rd week. I think it was withdrawal from alcohol, caffeine, food, everything!). I also work from home, so I am sitting looking at walls ALL day or food commercials! I am 6 weeks post-op and can go to fit classes and it is helping me to be around people. Keep your head up! I love also watching Dr. Voung's videos on YouTube and he keeps me going.

@fluffychix You crack me up! I make my own homemade "poo pourri" with clove essential oil. rubbing alcohol, and water. Not a refreshing scent, but it definitely does the job of covering up the "poo" smell.

Hi Johnny, we're here to help. I was sleeved in Feb. 2018, then revised to RnY in Oct. 2018 due to reflux. I think it was worth it. 1. How long did you take off work? I'm told 2 weeks. I usually work from home at a computer. Was there much pain? I took 2 weeks to return to a desk job. Pretty much the same as the sleeve and similar pain level. 2. How long before you could work out again? I had other complications that skewed this one, so I won't comment. 3. Did you lose more weight than you wanted? No, I still had about 20# to goal and it took me 4-5 months to get there. 4. Did it resolve your acid reflux (if that was the reason)? Absolutely and immediately. 5. Were you able to enjoy good food at special meals (holidays, etc.) with RNY? I'm terrified of losing ability to have a nice meal with family. What does a normal meal capacity look like at a year out? I have less restriction with my RnY than I did with the sleeve. I am eating 1-2 cup meals now (10 months out). 6. Are bowel movements normal at some point? No problems, in general. 7. Could you drink alcohol again? I'm fine going months without but at some point would like to enjoy a glass of champagne again. I can't right now as carbonation is brutal. I enjoy the occasional 1-2 glasses of wine. I can't handle carbonation, though.

I have Barretts as well, and a precancerous Barretts polyp to boot. RNY was the only viable option. Best thing I ever did. No more GERD at all. I will have another endo in a couple of months to check the status of things. For me, no sugar was a no brainer. I didn't want to risk dumping, and I just feel so much better without it. No great sacrifice there. Alcohol was also a no brainer, as is coffee and soda. I LOVED my coffee, but I am not going to do anything that will risk the anastomosis or cause damage to the pouch or esophagus. I am a GI nurse and I have seen first hand the amazing damage that alcohol can do the WLS tissues. It's pretty horrifying and for me, not a risk I'm willing to take. With a history of tissue changes (Barretts), I'm keeping it clean for the long haul. Best wishes to you.

I had VSG on 11/30/2012 and have kept off about 110# in the 6.75 years since then. I am ~ 25# overweight but right about at my original goal. I'm 5'11" (male), 195#, 34" waist, very fit and active, etc. I was down to 175# when I ran marathons but have had a few hip issues that are now resolved and had a minor regain. I actually really like how I look / feel at this weight as I looked a lot older at the lower end. I'm pretty happy with my weight loss. But since about 2 weeks out I've had ridiculously bad GERD. I get an annual endoscopy (familial cancer syndrome) and ever since VSG, I have had erosions show up from the reflux. This last time it was diagnosed as Barrett's Esophagus, which is a pre-cancerous syndrome. I cannot control it fully with meds. I either take 5-6 PPI (200-240mg esomeprazole magnesium) or 6-8 extra strength Zantact (900-1200mg ranitidine). These are of course way above the recommended limits and in the case of the PPI there are long-term risks associated with it they don't want for me as I need good bone density for my hip implant. The bariatric surgeon (University of Wisconsin) has recommended for years that I convert to RNY and after the Barrett's Esophagus diagnosis, my PCP and the genetic cancer team both strongly recommended it as well. So I'm going to do it despite not really wanting to. I have been approved by my insurer and have an early November surgery date. I have several concerns, most notably that I don't really have more than 25# to lose or I drop to the < 18 BMI range and I don't want to be there. The surgeon says he will make a larger pouch and a smaller bypass portion but it's still there and I work out all the time so I already know I will lose more than I want in the beginning. I guess I have a bunch of questions. Feel free to answer any and all if you've had this type of revision: 1. How long did you take off work? I'm told 2 weeks. I usually work from home at a computer. Was there much pain? 2. How long before you could work out again? 3. Did you lose more weight than you wanted? 4. Did it resolve your acid reflux (if that was the reason)? 5. Were you able to enjoy good food at special meals (holidays, etc.) with RNY? I'm terrified of losing ability to have a nice meal with family. What does a normal meal capacity look like at a year out? 6. Are bowel movements normal at some point? 7. Could you drink alcohol again? I'm fine going months without but at some point would like to enjoy a glass of champagne again. I can't right now as carbonation is brutal. I'm just reluctant even though I know I have to do this. Any re-assurances would be helpful.

My day 22-36 SOFT diet says 700 cals/day, all foods on pureed diet. Separate fluids from meals (30 minutes before and 30 minutes after), aim for 90 grams of protein, meal replacement protein shakes, grits, soft, moist, diced and ground protein items, fruit (without seeds), canned fruits or cooked fruits, 4-6 small meals per day, chew chew chew, 64oz water, vitamins. Maintenance starts at day 37, adding one food item at a time and 1000 calories per day with 90-100 grams of protein, meal replacement shakes, all foods on pureed diet and soft diet if needed, separate fluids from meals, 5-6 small meals per day, 3 meals with 2-3 snacks, scrambled eggs, creamy peanut butter 1 tbsp, use calorie app, 64 oz water, bariatric vitamins, chew chew chew, use baby spoon/fork/plates, each meal should be 1.5 cups or less in volume. No straw/carbonation/alcohol, no rice/bread/tortilla/pasta/popcorn, no fried foods or high fat meats, no raw fruits/dried fruit, no seeds/nuts, no celery/broccoli/corn/cabbage. I would definitely check with your own surgeon as they may have a different plan... but maybe this will help~!

All you really need is a good quality high protein powder to make your own shakes if you like high protein is important while limiting carbs and sugars preop! Also if you can start to cut out sodas and alcohol it will help a lot.

No sugar for me. Besides making my joints hurt, I do not want to risk dumping syndrome. No alcohol, soda, or coffee, either. I have Barret's esophagitis and do not want to risk any further damage to tissues. I have also seen the incredible damage alcohol can do to the anastamosis after WLS (I am a GI nurse.) After WLS, every bite needs to be as nutritious as possible. We can't hold much volume, and there can be decreased nutritional absorption from what we do eat. We have to eat the healthiest diet possible, with very little room for junk. All my 6 month labs came back really good for the vitamins, protein, and iron, complete blood count, and chemistry, so I know I am doing it right. I do not eat processed foods or anything artificial. No soda or artificial sweeteners. The liver works very hard during rapid weight loss. It doesn't need any more work from processing junk. Refined grains and carbs jack up the insulin levels which result in fat storage, so that is why WLS eating plans are low carb. My carbs come from fruits and vegetables/legumes - very little from grains. So in a nutshell, yes, there are foods you will give up - many for life because they simply are not good for you and will not help with your weight loss and maintenance. BUT..... you will discover so many healthy alternatives that after a while, the crap food doesn't even taste good anymore. My daughter made a gluten free cake today to test out a recipe for a wedding cake. I made a rare exception and had a tiny piece to help her assess texture and taste. It was a good cake, but so nauseatingly sweet I(I have not eaten sugar for 8 months) that I couldn't have taken a second bite if I wanted to. It has no appeal whatsoever. A few frozen grapes is about all the sweetness I can take. Your tastes change as you change your lifestyle. You can't look at these "forbidden" foods as deprivation. You have to reframe your thinking to see them as harmful and to look forward to the amazing payoff of eating healthy choices. Feeling so much energy, wearing small sized clothes, able to exercise without pain or getting winded, walking into a room and being one of the SMALLEST people there instead of the biggest, .... the list goes on and on. Any dietary "sacrifices" need to exchanged for a wonderful new life that awaits. Again.....you have to look at the benefits you GAIN - not the stuff you give up.

Prolly need to list both good and bad things I did, after all as one of you has reminded me this is great inspiration for all my surgery buddies here on BariatricPal... so here goes... The Good: I ate mostly veggies, and used tofu, chicken, seafood and occasional beef stir fry bits for my protein. Kept protein at the top of my mind 365: protein went in first ahead of everything. Remembered to drink milk, at least every few days. I take the bari vitamins religiously. Bought a scale and got on it daily: every morning just to check. Started walking as soon as my surgery permitted (for me it was one week which surprised me), eventually ramped this up to walking, squats, light short runs then bicycling, biking is the easiest and most fun. Absolutely stopped buying the bad things I used to eat before and did not allow them even into the house, this includes Baked Lays BBQ Potato Chips, white Asian rice for steaming Chinese style, and cut back on sushi, my weakness. I also gave away my rice steamer. Smartest thing I ever did. When Pouch signals I'm full -- hiccups, tightening chest sensation, nausea -- I stop eating. Late at night when I crave a salty snack, I eat either a little kimchi or a couple pickle slices, instead of the potato chips that I used to. Does the trick. The Bad (Naughty): I resumed red wine drinking after surgery and you are not supposed to. I retried beer and cocktails too. Eventually lost all taste for those. Cannot resist Reunite Lambrusco: it's fairly low in calories (but high in sugar). So far Pouch has taken to lambrusco fine but dislikes other alcohols. I enjoy it in extreme moderation, about two ounces an evening if that. No weight gained as a result. But other bad things, I do not exercise as much, as hard or as often as my surgeon wants. I also do not drink any protein shakes. Except for wine, I have always just kind of hated sugar and sweet things and all protein shakes taste gross to me, like a milkshake. So I have to get my protein in other ways and mine are tofu and cut up chicken thighs for the most part. Stuff the Pouch did and I had nothing to do with I think: My appetite died after my RNY procedure. I maybe eat a cup of food a day and that's almost forcing it. I have no sweet tooth and prefer hot, salty and spicy, so I never eat ice cream, candy, cake or pie. I do eat an occasional small piece of cookie when drinking my weekly milk. I have way more energy now so I exercise more than I did pre-surgery, but I believe it's because of my weight loss. I hope this is inspirational and helps!

I don't weigh anything or count calories. My portion size is about the same as the palm of my hand (or less if I feel satisfied quickly). I do keep a food diary, to make sure that I'm eating healthily and I probably eat 5 or 6 times a day. Last week, I went on holiday and had alcohol and one or two desserts, and I still managed to lose a pound (although I did quite a lot of swimming and walking). Maybe I'm just lucky in finding a way of eating that works for me. If weighing and counting calories works for you, then it's super that you've found the strategy to suit you! 🙂

Many of us had the same feelings. I cried all the way through pre-op, wondering if I should get off the stretcher and leave the hospital! This decision is huge and definitely takes courage, but for me, one the best I've ever made. I have a brand new body and I am loving it every single day, with all the things I can do now. OK, so you have to commit to a new, healthy lifestyle! For sure! No shortcuts there. You have to reframe your thinking so that you see the new changes as part of your new, healthy life - not as deprivation.Yes, you have to give up the crap - but you get so much more in return. I started making these changes long before surgery, but have solidified them since surgery. I think a great motivator is starting to get the weight off and once you can start enjoying new things (like smaller clothing sizes, activities that you couldn't do before, etc.) it becomes easier and easier to embrace the healthy changes, because the payoff is so great. For me, those changes are: no wheat (I have been gluten free for years already), but now do not eat refined grains - only whole cooked grains. No sugar and no soda of any kind. No juice. These were biggies, but I feel SOOOOOO much better without sugar. It's not even a temptation anymore. No coffee or alcohol because I don't want to risk any irritation (I already have Barrett's esophagus with a pre-cancerous polyp removed, and as a GI nurse, I've seen the really ugly side of WLS patients who start drinking again.) No processed foods, period. If it comes in a box, it's not for me. Lots more veggies, low carbs, higher protein. Intermittant fasting is a very powerful weight loss and maintenance tool to use later on in the journey, Lots of exercise. For me this started out by getting 10,000 steps a day. (My step tracker never leaves my wrist and is my best little buddy.) Gradually, I've added a lot of other exercise components, and they get more fun and more motivating as I see strength and muscle definition increasing. This is a journey. You start out with baby steps and commit to follow the plan. Do not cheat. Don't let your mind even go there. Some people look for ways to flirt with forbidden foods or ways to game the system. This is a recipe for failure. Your determination to be successful is the greatest predictor of ultimate success in this venture. Develop some mantras to get you through the temptations.: "I AM NEVER GOING BACK!" "IT'S JUST NOT WORTH IT!" "I CAN'T HAVE THAT NOW, BUT I WILL HAVE IT LATER, DOWN THE ROAD." You can do this. Learn from the mistakes of others and be motivated to avoid their pit falls. The fact that your mom lost weight successfully is a good predictor of success for you. You just have to make sure you take your vitamins and keep on top of the nutrition.

Doesn't matter if anything bad happened to anyone else. What matters is if it happens to YOU. Why even take the risk? Hernia surgery is going to be a big deal and keep you out of exercise a lot longer than just waiting a few extra weeks. You gotta look at the big picture of the rest of your life- not just now. It's like someone asking if they can cheat with sugar or alcohol or pizza and that it's OK if others do it without consequence. Just be patient and do something else like walking, stretching, yoga, or non weighted isometrics.

My first goal for 2019 was to lose 50lbs by 50 years old. I turn 50 on Saturday and this morning i finally met my goal!!! 50lbs lost since 01/4/19 and 25lbs since surgery 7/23/19... woop woop!!! We just got back from New Orleans and I realized that i didn't need to eat or drink alcohol to truly enjoy myself, its who you surround yourself with! My sister came over from London, my daughter and her partner, my nephew plus 3 of my best friends and we had a blast!! The celebrations will continue for the next 2 weeks while other friends and family arrive from abroad to celebrate this milestone withme. #50lbsby50yearsgoalachieved

Don't panic. You can get back on track. You were pretty vague. How did you fall off the wagon? Was it too much food, the wrong foods, alcohol? If you provide more detail, we can be more helpful.

I used to be a low carb keto blogger (fluffychixcook.com) and so I was aware of all the new products on the market both for low carb keto and sugar free/grain free ingredients and food products. These came on the market a few years back and I liked that they used erythritol as a sweetener and were dark chocolate for extra polyphenol action and also had inulin in them as fiber for more pre-biotic support of your gut. I liked their taste as well, and if you do "net carbs", then one serving is only 2g of net carbs because you can subtract fiber and erythritol (sugar alcohol) carbs. Oh, and you can now buy them in many grocery stores with the other chocolate chips.

I told NO ONE except my husband, brother, and my kids. My parents, friends and co-workers do not know I had surgery. When asked, I have two responses: 1) "Over 90% of people who lose weight gain it all back. Please ask me in a year and if I am successful in this process, I will share with you then." 2) "I am working very hard to lose and maintain permanent weight loss. You are welcome to do what I am doing: NO wheat, no sugar, no alcohol, no soda, no juice, no caffeine (by this time I have already lost them), no processed food, no refined grains, no artificial sweeteners/colors/flavors, low carb, high protein, lots of veggies, intermittent fasting, and a 1-2 hours of exercise a day." I would consider a heart-to-heart with an obese person who seems to be at rock bottom and willing to do whatever it takes. BUT... interestingly, no morbidly obese people have asked - only overweight people who need to lose 20 or 30 pounds. Surgery is not for them, but healthy lifestyle is what they need to focus on, so that is what I share. Some have appeared genuinely interested, but a couple of days later I see them eating cupcakes and junk, so it seems there are more curiosity seekers than those who are really ready to make changes.

I could only drink sips of red wine at first. Im 10 months post op now and I can rarely finish a full 5oz glass...unless I nurse it over a few hours. I have red wine maybe 1-2 times a week. Normally, I can also drink 1oz servings of straight gin occasionally (like once a week maybe, if that). Now, when on vacation or during holidays, different rules apply, lol I usually stick to the same red wine and gin, but will add skinny mojitos and tequila shots to the mix. I generally stay away from mixed drinks (too much sugar). And beer (I don’t like it). I do get affected by the alcohol relatively quickly, but said effects wear off quickly as well (compared to pre-op). And I definitely drink much, much less than I did before.

What alcohol are you able to drink k ? Also what would be the amount you have ? Frequency ? Sent from my SM-G930P using BariatricPal mobile app

Okay so Anna, I’ve seen your recent pics and it’s possible that instead of having 9 pounds til goal, you’re already there. Not saying you should quit, but just saying please don’t beat yourself up if that 9 pounds takes a while. You’ve lost so much excess fat and that coupled with the fact that you were just at 35% BMI on surgery day that it’s gonna be a struggle. My college graduation weight was 132. I was 5’7”, in great shape and was upset because I’d gained 7 pounds from my all-time low from a year before. Looking back I was pretty darned skinny and I felt fat. SMH. My goal will be to end up somewhere in the 145-155 range. Of course I’d feel better about it if I live at the lower end of that range, but since I’m still in the upper 160’s now I honestly have no clue if that’s achievable and/or sustainable. One thing for sure though is that ever getting back to 132 just isn’t realistic and I’d just be setting myself up for a lot of mental angst to even try. Re snacks for your daughter: Mostly that depends on her personal tastes. I’m completely a savory freak. One reason this program is working so well for me is that I love meat and dairy and cheese. My snacks are p3 packs, beef jerky, cheese sticks, a handful of olives and feta cheese, cottage cheese and pumpkin seeds, hummus and pork rinds with veggies, etc... If I have something sweet it turns my hunger into overdrive and I start craving things I don’t need and it takes half the day to get it back under control. Therefore I don’t even dare have things like flavored yogurt or protein shakes or fruit. Don’t even get me started on wine and other alcohol. Sadly those things also turn on my hunger.

I get it (RH=delayed dumping) with all the same symptoms from: 1. Meals with way too much fat/richness. 2. Cheese/meat boards (too much fat in it and the cheese is an issue) 3. Too many carbs/sugar (real ice cream, desserts, too much sugar free dessert, chips, crackers, pretzels, popcorn, rice, bread, fruit, root veggies: potatoes, sweet potatoes) 4. Hidden sugars in restaurant food 5. Too much alcohol It's not enough to be a deal-breaker for me. Just gives me extra incentive to eat "on plan" healthy food that is very lean and low. I'm actually very very happy eating this way and don't miss the old ways. I think it's actually developed and gotten worse the further out I am.

Okay so since about month 2 PO, I’ve been doing TRE most days. I came across that method almost accidentally. My sleeve is so tight in the mornings that trying to get in a morning meal was hurting me and then I found myself intentionally putting off until later in the day that first meal at the same time I started reading about IF. Well, the whole concept of eating only when hungry instead of when you’re “supposed to” eat made sense to me so I did a mostly 16:8, or 14:10 (on hungry days). I mostly listened to my body. Now I’m 6.5 months PO and some bad habits were creeping in. I found myself using up valuable space with things like salad, parmesean crisps, pork rinds, pickles, kimchi, etc BEFORE I was eating protein. Oh yeah.... wine/alcohol was prominent in my diet for a 6 week stretch between mid-June through end of July. Lots of family events, 2 weddings, a vacay to NOLA and a girls night out. As a result, I only lost 12 pounds during almost 2 months so I decided I had to get very very serious starting July 23. Since then I’ve lost 13 pounds and I’ve kept on top of pre-planning and logging my food For me, the planning heavily involves when I eat as importantly as what I eat—hence the rotating IF schedules. I was doing really great until last Friday (my daughters white coat ceremony and emotions running all over the place due to some other family drama). Long story short, my daughter and one of her besties (a girl I hired as one of my techs a few years ago) wanted to go out to eat in celebration and I succumbed and took them out to our fave Mexican restaurant. I was actually pretty good— measured out 10 tortilla chips, 1 flour tortilla, and ate the insides only of one of my daughters chicken enchilada, and had a single skinny margarita, but it gave me a 1.6 pound bounce when I weighed 2 days later (lord only knows what it could’ve been the next day) Lol, previous Sheri would’ve rolled her eyes at someone who complained about gaining less than 2 pounds after eating out, but I was disappointed in myself and knew I had a decision to make. So.... we can’t forever avoid special occasions and the self-flagellation that follows , so I decided to get more aggressive with the IF for just a few days (or however long it took to rid me of the bounce) and it worked. Sunday I did 20:4, Monday I did 16:8, Tuesday I did 20:4, and by yesterday am I had gone from my Sunday am bounce weight of 172.4 down to 169.0. I’m now back on a “maintenance” TRE of 16:8 for the rest of the week and thankfully have no plans to eat out for at least a few more weeks.

Alrighty. So am back from vacay. This was my first real "indulgent" vacation since going into maintenance. I've been on a couple road trips since deciding to stop weight loss, but those were weekend trips and not all-inclusive ones, nor was I surrounded with endless food and drink. So how did it go? Well, the lead up to the trip had a little fear-of-the-unknown going on. I worried that I would have nothing healthy-ish to eat and I'd strave, or, that I would eat everything I see like I did pre-wls. Turns out there was nothing to worry about. Was there a lack of healthy-ish choices? No. There were always choices everywhere I went that fit into my normal eating (salad, grilled chicken or some protein), whether it was on the resort or off it. So I didn't have to pack all those packages of beef jerky, chicharron and protein powder, lol. The kids ended up eating my jerky and chicharron and I gave the protein powders to a bartender. Did I eat everything I saw? Yes and No. I did sample many things that I normally would not eat (I'm talking to you sugary desserts, fruits and some bread-like products), but only bites, not full portions. My restriction took care of that. Also thanks to my restriction, I learned after the first day that I need to pick and choose what I want to sample, because I literally have no room to try everything (I had to hurl twice the first day due to eating too fast and too much). So I only tried the stuff I really wanted to, and if after sampling it, it was only OK tasting, I'd put it aside. Only really yummy stuff got a second or third bite. It's sobering to realize that a lot of stuff really only looks good, and just tastes meh. However. I drank alot of alcohol. I did limit myself to maybe 5-6 mixed drinks of the super sugary kind (I'm talking to you pina coladas and margaritas) for the entire trip, but I was basically a bottomless pit for skinny mojitos and tequila shots. Also, I formed an addiction to these mini chocolate chip cookies that they served in the coffee bar. They were like a version of a not-so-sweet, not-so-buttery shortbread-type cookie with chocolate chips in them. They were about the size of poker chip and I swear I must have eaten at lest 10 of them a day. Along with 4-5 Americanos a day.... I did log everything I ate (to be best of my ability...I had to eyeball everything), and according to the stats, I averaged about 3000 calories a day over the last 8 days. And roughly half those average daily calories came from my cookie and alcohol consumption, yikes. In all, despite the record-breaking calorie intake, I managed to weigh in exactly a mere 1 lb more than before I left. Which means I've at least found my upper calorie level, of sorts* *Though I did run way more than usual though, as well as generally burn more cals what with all the walking/water sports/dancing/heat-enduring, so need to take that into account... So what was the lesson learned? Well, that I'm not going to suddenly explode with massive weight gain if I indulge. But I WILL slowly gain weight back if the indulgence continues beyond a short period of time. 1lb a week over a year is 52 lbs. And that is not acceptable to me. So back to figuring out my sweet spot...