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I know that feeling, had a birthday weekend and my body craved simple things after. Had 1 small piece of cake and I felt like I drank alcohol.

For me personally, I have a hard time with sugar free foods because of the sugar alcohols. Everyone is different though. The key is moderation!

#1. I agree, around 6 weeks. #2. Regarding the fruit. Fruit is high in carbs and most diet plans want you to keep your carb intake fairly low. Also, many fruits are very fibrous and can cause a blockage(stuck episode) and that's not something you want so early in your recovery. #3. Jean's right again. Worthless calories. I've allowed myself one beer or one glass of wine per week. Sometimes none and sometimes two. I've found I really don't miss alcohol as well as many other foods. #4. Most doctors and nutritionists do recommend no fluids up to 15 minutes before and 60 minutes after a meal. I have to say I don't follow this rule and I'll tell you why below. I drink right up to a meal. Sometimes, if I'm excessively tight, I need the liquid to help my meal pass through my stoma(not often). I will also drink right after a meal but only if I have satiated my appetite. But, you should follow your doctors advice. Now my caveat. As we all travel down our own paths with our bands, we all find ways to make it work(or not) with our bodies. In the beginning I followed the rules as closely as anyone. But as we became familiar with each other(me and my she-band) I've made some adjustments that work for my band and also aid my weight loss journey. Such as drinking during or after a meal. I found that sometimes I had to drink just so I could consume enough of my food to keep up my nutrition levels. I've never drank fluids just so I could eat more food. I'm the one in control over this element of my weight loss plan. You are not here yet. And it takes time to get to the green zone and understand how your body communicates with your band. For some, it's 3 months and others, years. So be patient and follow the rules till you have some experience under your belt. tmf

This is my story. I’ll try to keep it as short and to the point as I can, and I’m not going to tiptoe around this. I was banded December 22, 2009. That was the day I was reborn, and my life changed in ways I never dreamed possible. I believe that for many of us; the ones with “true” addictions, it takes “rolling around in the gutter” before we can begin to rise up. My darkest days were when I was in the throes of my eating disorder. I can honestly tell you that if it weren’t for my children I think I would have killed myself. I used find comfort in imagining how I would “do it.” I was just so tired. Everyday was the same as the last. I would wake up and know that I was going to lose that battle with food, yet again. Some days I’d lose it before breakfast. Some days it might take me a few weeks before I finally lost control. Once, I made it over a year and lost 71 pounds…only to gain every ounce, and then some back again. So, I just wanted it to end. I just wanted peace. And don’t get me wrong; I refer to my eating disorder in the past tense, but it’s not a “past tense” thing at all. I consider myself to be a “recovering addict.” An alcoholic doesn’t get to say, “I used to be an alcoholic,” and I don’t get to say, “I used to have an eating disorder.” I DO have an eating disorder. I have to remember that or it will sneak up on me again and kick my ass. So, I say all that to really say this; people have to come into their own truth in their own time, and sadly, some never come into their truth at all. If you would have told me that one day I would have to be careful and remember to eat, I would have told you that you were crazy. If you would have told me that someday I would no longer be obsessed by food, I would have never believed a word of it. If you would have told me that one day I would give up sugar, I would have told you that you had the wrong girl. If you would have told me that I would no logger be plagued by, “when, where, what and how much do I get to eat, I would have told you, “Not in this lifetime.” But all of those things, and so much more has happed. My life is so great that I can’t believe it’s mine. Food is simply not that big of a deal to me any more, and I am so blessed to have this wonderful “tool” to help me succeed I’m free! I’m happy and really; the weight loss, those 60 pounds; that is “secondary.” YES; secondary; the peace of mind; that’s the PRIMARY benefit. Dropping 60 pounds in 5 months; that is simply an added bonus. I’m free! I’m happy and I am so BLESSED! So, all of you people who whine about liquid diets, or not getting to eat a bunch of junk or having to work out, or gaining weight, or the pain and discomfort of eating too fast or not chewing enough, or stretch marks, or not being able to pig out like you used to on holidays or special occasions…ENOUGH ALREADY! SHUT UP! I GET SO SICK OF THE UNGRATEFUL ATTITUDES! IF the bad is not working for you, it’s probably for one or two of the following reasons: You need a fill. You’re drinking with meals. You’re not working out. You’re not eating “protein” first, or taking in enough protein.. You’re “grazing” or eating a bunch of height/empty caloric foods You’re not “listening to your body,” when it tells you that you’ve had enough to eat. You’re not using the band as a “tool;” You’re expecting the band to do everything for you. Being banded is not a lifestyle change; it’s a lifestyle OVERHAUL. So, in life; if you're not getting the results you want, either change what you're doing or live with.

I did not have a required pre-op diet, but I self imposed one. I cut out sugar, caffeine, high fat foods and alcohol. I put myself on a 1200 calorie restriction and practiced the eating habits I'd need after banding. I started logging my food intake on myfitnesspal.com, which I'm still using and love. This made my transition to post-op eating much easier and I lost 9 pounds before the sugery. I did not have any vomiting issues afterwards. I'm two weeks post-op today and just started on pureed food. I've lost a total of 19 pounds all together. I used Tylenol with Codiene for pain control afterwards. It's the only one I can tolerate. I was also sent home with anti-nausea meds, but never needed them. Hope this helps.

Its been a while and stress at work more than anything has kept me from the very good routine I had started with visiting the site and posting to my blog, but better late than never... right? Well it will definitely have to be right in my case because my preliminary phases have been stretched out a little. This past Thursday I had my lab work, ultrasound and upper GI. I have to admit I was shocked by the speediness that I was able to get everything done and be out of the hospital. It was a truly effortless day. I am not scheduled to see the docs again until next month but I finally heard from the folks at the sleep study center and I have an appointment on the 26th. I have heard more than once it will not be a good night's sleep and I may have to do it twice. The 2nd appointment is 2 weeks after that first and then I have to see their doctor in early October. Since I was told the appointments for the nutrionist and psychologist does not occur until after those phases, in my mind I do not see myself getting a date (if its all approved..still have to keep my fingers crossed on that) until Thanksgiving or later. That actually might not be a bad idea..in fact, if possible I might even push for mid-December so I can recovery during the Xmas holidays with my family. As my title suggests, I consider the late dates to be a step back, but not like the other 2. First..the smoking thing..I would like to say I kicked it cold turkey but I have not:thumbdown:..still working on it. I have cut back to damn near nothing which is why it makes me angry when I actually smoke. I get the urge more for the "habit" reason than the physical need for nicotine since I actually went a whole day without one. It still makes me feel like crap if I have one, so the insanity of it just pisses me off. :smile2: Like I said work has been a real source of stress and I took time off as a result and ended up totally falling off my wagon of small portions, good food choices and just being more active and I am SURE I have gained back at least 5 of the 8 lbs I lost. I can feel it. I feel horrible. I just lost my damn mind. I binged on all of my favorite things. Chinese food, fast food, wings, and alcohol meeting up with thin girlfriends for drinks. Horrible! And of course..like it goes..more I ate..more I got tired and less active. Yes, I am totally disgusted with myself! :smile2: But today..is a new day..I am back in the right frame of mind. Because I understand it is truly all about how I think and IF I think about what I am doing. I simply have to get my focus back and remember my goal. I am also going to re-visit the discussion with my husband about the surgery because I certainly cannot go to the sleep study without telling him since he may be a little concerned and/or :confused: if he comes home from work and I am not in the bed. I am going to simply advise him that my point of discussion is not to get his permission or for him to agree but to give him the opportunity to go to an appointment with me and/or one of the upcoming information sessions I want to attend. I also want him to understand I would like to have his support, but with 2 supportive daughters than can help me with the physical and emotional issues that may arise, if I don't it will not deter me. It really is that simple. Please keep me in prayer.

Its been a while and stress at work more than anything has kept me from the very good routine I had started with visiting the site and posting to my blog, but better late than never... right? Well it will definitely have to be right in my case because my preliminary phases have been stretched out a little. This past Thursday I had my lab work, ultrasound and upper GI. I have to admit I was shocked by the speediness that I was able to get everything done and be out of the hospital. It was a truly effortless day. I am not scheduled to see the docs again until next month but I finally heard from the folks at the sleep study center and I have an appointment on the 26th. I have heard more than once it will not be a good night's sleep and I may have to do it twice. The 2nd appointment is 2 weeks after that first and then I have to see their doctor in early October. Since I was told the appointments for the nutrionist and psychologist does not occur until after those phases, in my mind I do not see myself getting a date (if its all approved..still have to keep my fingers crossed on that) until Thanksgiving or later. That actually might not be a bad idea..in fact, if possible I might even push for mid-December so I can recovery during the Xmas holidays with my family. As my title suggests, I consider the late dates to be a step back, but not like the other 2. First..the smoking thing..I would like to say I kicked it cold turkey but I have not:thumbdown:..still working on it. I have cut back to damn near nothing which is why it makes me angry when I actually smoke. I get the urge more for the "habit" reason than the physical need for nicotine since I actually went a whole day without one. It still makes me feel like crap if I have one, so the insanity of it just pisses me off. Like I said work has been a real source of stress and I took time off as a result and ended up totally falling off my wagon of small portions, good food choices and just being more active and I am SURE I have gained back at least 5 of the 8 lbs I lost. I can feel it. I feel horrible. I just lost my damn mind. I binged on all of my favorite things. Chinese food, fast food, wings, and alcohol meeting up with thin girlfriends for drinks. Horrible! And of course..like it goes..more I ate..more I got tired and less active. Yes, I am totally disgusted with myself! :thumbup: But today..is a new day..I am back in the right frame of mind. Because I understand it is truly all about how I think and IF I think about what I am doing. I simply have to get my focus back and remember my goal. I am also going to re-visit the discussion with my husband about the surgery because I certainly cannot go to the sleep study without telling him since he may be a little concerned and/or if he comes home from work and I am not in the bed. I am going to simply advise him that my point of discussion is not to get his permission or for him to agree but to give him the opportunity to go to an appointment with me and/or one of the upcoming information sessions I want to attend. I also want him to understand I would like to have his support, but with 2 supportive daughters than can help me with the physical and emotional issues that may arise, if I don't it will not deter me. It really is that simple. Please keep me in prayer.

I could use an online friend(s) too (I'm in NC)- my surgery is September 26th. I'm getting both excited and nervous! If anybody has vitamin advice, I could also use them! I know Walmart sells liquid vitamins, but I'm not sure how good they are for surgery. I think it has alcohol in it to make them liquid. I know that Centrum makes Vita-Mints that are melting- I just need to compare stats to make sure it has everything needed!

as far as alcohol goes...I stay away from drinks with high calorie additives and also anything carbonated. So..it's mostly wine I drink. I do so sparingly for the most part and this works for me...but I didn't really start drinking wine till I was around six months or so post WLS.

According to my discharge directions "avoid alcohol (it's empty calories, and irritates the new stomach)". There are two phases to weight loss surgery - the weight loss phase and the maintenance phase. The weight loss phase is short - perhaps 2 years for sleeve patients. It is important to maximize your weight loss during the weight loss phase, so I recommend not drinking an occasional glass of wine during the first 2 years.

Another thing I've found is that I really and truly have to separate drinking wine from eating. It can be a little uncomfortable to drink liquid too close to eating a meal. But if that liquid is alcohol, holy toledo that hurts.

First and foremost, I want to apologize if I inadvertantly hurt your feelings. I did not bash you, I merely provided your post and highlighted what you said to show how destructive we can all be to ourselves (I'm including myself in this). I beg to differ that this is getting out of hand, this is what many people need to hear and read. See the post above yours. I know when someone esle wrote things similar to what we are writing, it helped me stay on my post-op diet. It helps to know why and sometimes it helps to have the point driven home time and time again. This is serious business, it could be your band. I know no one would EVER wish harm to another person here. And we who have been there do not wish harm to any of you, either. That is why we take the time (and believe me, it takes a lot of time for me to type what I do-I'm not that fast, nor am I very accurate) to write these things and point out the things that are said to you. We all want you to be successful. I want ME to be successful, I'm not right now and I could use a swift kick in the pants re: my simple carb intake but that's for another thread I'm sure I'll start soon. It is soooo easy to fall into the trap of complacency we were all in that made us fat. Simply put we didn't have to work at it. It was easy. We sat on our butts for the most part and we ate what we should not have (there are rare cases where it is something endocrine, but that is VERY infrequent). Lets face it, it is HARD to lose weight, even with this band. It is ESPECIALLY hard to be in Bandster Hell. Everyone of us who is posting about why you shouldn't ramp up your post-op diet has been there. We DO know what it feels like, we know what it's like to be all emotional and wonky and depressed. I know that it was very hard, I cried some days because I couldn't figure out why I wanted this band that I worked so hard to get, out of me. I was desperate to chew, I wanted something of substance, I am addicted to food. I am an addict. But I had to control that addiction for a few weeks to allow this tool that I now have to heal so that it can help me overcome this addiction. Like alcoholics or drug abusers, we will always have this addiction, we need to learn how to overcome it and use the tools we have to get a handle on it. One of those tools is the band and we all want new bandsters to keep theirs for as long as possible. That is why we will always speak out on threads like this. I know no one is saying to the OP to eat steak or taffy (thanks, Wasa), but a lot less can be just as destructive.

This list is from an actual lap band handout... Situations which could make Lap Band surgery a poor choice for you: You have an inflammatory disease or condition of the gastrointestinal tract, such as ulcers, esophagitis, or Crohn's disease. You have severe heart or lung disease that makes you a poor candidate for surgery. You have some other disease that makes you a poor candidate for surgery. You have a problem that could cause bleeding in the esophagus or stomach. That might include esophageal or gastric varices (a dilated vein). It might also be something such as congenital or acquired intestinal telangiectasias (dilation of a small blood vessel). Your esophagus, stomach, or intestine is not normal. For instance you might have a narrowed opening. You are pregnant. (If you become pregnant after the LAP-BAND System has been placed, the band may need to be deflated or removed. The same is true if you need more nutrition for any other reason, such as becoming seriously ill.) You are addicted to alcohol or drugs. You have an infection that could contaminate the surgical area. The same is true if you need a procedure that could do the same thing. You use aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs often. You cannot or do not want to follow the dietary rules that come with this procedure. You are not emotionally stable.

I'm worried about mine. I had mine last week. She asked me a lot of questions, if I'm depressed, coping after surgery, emotional support (which is mostly my husband) etc... On the computer test I took before the eval with the shrink, they asked me a lot of religious questions. They were very vague. Most of them were things like "Do you have deep religious beliefs, Do you feel God with give you support for this surgery, etc... Like 15 of them. But all of them seemed really questioning deep religious beliefs. I do believe in God, but don't feel like it surrounds my every day life. So, most of the questions I answered NO. When I got to the eval, she showed me thest. It showed that I had no religious background, and that I should look for other means of emotional support. That's bogus. I do have a religious background, and do believe in God, It's just not an active thing every day that runs my life. UGH! They probably think I'm an athiest. I did question the Dr. about what this had to do with the surgery. She couldn't answer. They mostly want to make sure you're not crazy, and you know what the surgery entails, and that you have support after. She said some people get divorced, start drinking, doing drugs, etc... It changes your life, and some people don't know how to cope. I also told her I don't feel like I would do the drinking, and drugs thing, as it's a problem in my family. My brother is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict. He's been sober for 1 1/2 years. She did write all this down. Now I feel like I shouldn't have told her all that. I feel like I was honest, and now it may hurt me. Am I being too paranoid? I'm not crazy, and have a wonderful support system (my husb and who I've been married to for 18 years) He's totally supportive of this surgery, as he knows how miserable I am with all this weight, and unhealthy. Have you ever heard of anyone getting denied because of the eval. I'm a little nervous. Oh... and she tried to get me to come back for another appt. saying she does hypnosis, and stuff. I don't really believe in hypnosis. Sounds like maybe she was just trying to make more money off of it. What do you guys think??

I used it on clear liquids, and had no problems. Big thing, no carbs, no alcohol, shrink the liver. I think you are good. Good luck, can't wait to hear how you do on the other side as you begin your new life.

It's very frustrating when people are ignorant enough to think that WLS is an easy way out. Obesity is an addiction that one can't possibly hide from the world (at least that's my opinion); if there was an easy way out for an alcoholic or drug addict no one would critisize them for taking it. The fact that there is any way out at all is good news for those with the problem.

RNYTalk Newsletter By Hey, RNYTalk Members!Time flies when you’re having fun. If you’re like those of us here at RNYTalk.com, you can hardly believe that January is already over! How are you doing on your New Year’s resolutions? If you’re still following them, great job! If not, that’s okay. It’s never too late to go back to following your resolutions or to make a few new ones to help you meet your goals for 2013. Whether you’re on track or need to get back on track, we hope this newsletter will provide inspiration and ideas to help you succeed. This is what we have for you this month! Please be Respectful on the Boards! Member Spotlight: Meet worm2872! Valentine’s Day: Show a Little Love the WLS Way! Bypass Challenge: Celebrate Yourself This Valentine’s Day! Keep reading for more on each of these stories, and when you’re finished, come on over to RNYTalk.com for more motivation and information. The conversations never stop! And, as always, please free to drop us a line if you have any comments. We love hearing from members! See you on the boards! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder RNYTalk.com Please be Respectful on the Boards! We started RNYTalk.com to help gastric bypass patients and people who may be interested in getting the bypass. We are very proud of the array of resources on the site, and recognize that you, our members, are our most valuable assets. From the conversations on the boards and feedback we receive from members, we know RNYTalk.com has been successful in reaching out to thousands of members and making a positive difference regardless of where you are in your weight loss journey. One of the most valuable features of RNYTalk.com is its welcoming, respectful atmosphere. Because of some recent incidents on the board, we’d like to remind you that rudeness is not tolerated. Board etiquette is outlined in the dinner with wine. Before starting your weight loss journey, you may have celebrated by exchanging boxes of chocolate and eating too much fat and sugar at home and at work. On your pre-surgery diet and after surgery, these unhealthy choices are no longer for you. High-fat, high-sugar foods aren’t part of your weight loss surgery diet. Chocolate truffles can give you dumping syndrome, and alcohol with dinner can make you lose your control and overeat. So what can you do to enjoy Valentine’s Day – with or without a special someone – while keeping your weight loss on track? We have a few ideas. Give your sweetheart flowers instead of candy. Opt for broiled lobster or chicken with vegetables instead of steak with creamy mushroom Pasta. Skip the refined pasta at dinner. Instead, try a small amount of orzo or another whole grain – but only eat it after eating your Protein and vegetables. Choose strawberries for dessert instead of chocolate cake and ice cream. If you still have chocolate cravings after dinner, sip sugar-free hot chocolate instead of going for the chocolate truffles. There’s nothing more romantic than dancing. Burn a few extra calories with some slow dancing before watching a movie after dinner. Picking out a few slow songs to dance to with your sweetheart will show how much you care. Take a walk. A short after-dinner walk lets you and your valentine enjoy the fresh air and focus on each other. Don’t have a valentine? Call up one of your single friends and take a leisurely walk together. You’ll both benefit from the chance to chat. Make a Valentine’s Day card. Do you remember how good it felt to get them from your friends when you were in elementary school? Making one instead of buying one lets you put your own personal touches on it. These are just a few possibilities for enjoying your Valentine’s Day without interfering with your health. Everyone should be able to enjoy, not dread, this happy holiday, and we hope these suggestions are useful as you make your plans. Member Challenge: Be Your Own Valentine! The Member Challenge portion of the newsletter is an opportunity for you to try something new or discover tricks that’ll help you with your weight loss and health. It’s not a competitive challenge; it’s just a way to challenge yourself to achieve new goals. This month, we’re sticking to the theme of Valentine’s Day. Some people think that Valentine’s Day is only for couples, but we’re going to let you in on a little secret: anyone can celebrate Valentine’s Day, even if you’re by yourself. Take advantage of the occasion to show yourself how much you love and appreciate yourself – especially as you work toward becoming healthier. The challenge this month is to show yourself how much you care about yourself and appreciate your efforts to become healthier and happier. These are a few of our ideas to treat yourself without going off your weight loss surgery diet. Get a massage, facial, manicure or pedicure. Try a calorie-free chocolate treat, such as chocolate chapstick or chocolate-scented body lotion. Make or buy yourself a Valentine’s Day card. Frame a “before” and “after” picture – with or without your sweetheart – in a Valentine’s Day-themed frame. Try a dance class – you’ll burn a few calories and may meet a special someone! If you are dedicating February 14 to a special someone, take a few moments to treat yourself, too, or treat yourself on another day. Use one of the above ideas, or come up with your own way to celebrate Valentine’s Day without missing a beat in your weight loss journey. We’d love for you to tell us how it went in the Challenge Forum! Sharing your ideas and experiences gives you a sense of purpose and helps other bypassers hit their own challenge goals. Don’t forget that the archived Newsletter Forum is always there for you when you’re ready to try an old challenge. We’ll leave you with these thoughts of Valentine’s Day, hoping that they’re warm enough to carry you through the rest of the cold winter. Keep up the great work with your weight loss journey, and we’ll see you on the boards! Thanks as always for your support. Take care of yourself and each other. Sincerely, Alex ==============================================================If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: {unsubscribe}

In my arsenal at the moment is - a Feather all stainless razor Mitchell's Wool Fat shave soap. I'm addicted to this stuff. The best soap / cream I've ever used. It has icon status amongst wet shavers. It comes in a ceramic bowl with a loose cake of soap. I grate mine and then press it back into shape so it forms to the bowl. I have always used an alum block. I don't use it anymore, since starting to use Wool Fat. I have a pot of Trumper Coconut Oil cream that I use instead of Wool Fat sometimes. But I always got back to the Fat. Post shave I slap on some Trumper Sandalwood Skin food. It's a great as a soothing aftershave. I'm anti aftershaves containing alcohol.

This is my first post, but I figured I'd reply since it was a concern of mine as well. I really, really did not want a tube up the junk. When I woke up, the foley catheter was in. It was stuck very securely to my inner left thigh (I still have some sticky residue two weeks later, need to get an alcohol pad on that). I was not remotely interested in seeing it (difficult at that point anyway) or touching it (infection is bad!). I have a very vague recollection of someone coming in, lifting my gown and doing an ultrasound on my bladder. At least that's what I think it was, I was still halfway out of it. I slept a bit than a doctor came by and said something like, "Two hours ago you didn't have any urine but now you do," referring to the bag. I guess they were concerned about retention, but I was just dehydrated a bit from not getting enough to drink (in my opinion anyway). The nurse and care partner came in a couple of times to do "foley care" where I think they just wiped around the urethra a bit to keep it clean. Any time they moved the bag from the bed to the IV pole and vice versa so I could get up and walk around, I felt a strange little twinge from the catheter. It's hard to explain; it wasn't pain, it wasn't discomfort, it was just weird. Finally, the next morning my nurse removed it. He first removed the saline injected in the balloon used to hold it in place, then told me to take a deep breath and then let it out when he said so. I felt him pressing down on my stuff just before he told me to breathe out; he pulled it out during that breath. He said something about it helping when the patient bears down a little. Overall, it was nothing really. Besides, I was tired, hurting a little, drugged up... I didn't give a damn who saw it, removed it, whatever to be honest. I was given six hours to pee on my own, came in just 15 minutes under. It stung just a little but wasn't bad by any means. Hope this helps!

Doctors' philosophy on this vary from a few weeks to never again depending upon their experiences. The basic issues are: Healing - alcohol is somewhat corrosive to the stomach lining so one needs to give things a chance to heal first, Alcohol tolerance - rapid stomach emptying means it tends to hit faster, and with less (i.e., a "cheap drunk") so care must be taken there, Transfer addiction - we can no longer satisfy whatever addictive tendencies we have with food, so it is easy for transfer that addiction to something else, like alcohol, drugs, shopping, gambling, etc. What was a casual habit of a glass of wine with dinner occasionally can easily turn into full blown alcoholism. Liver health - starting as morbidly obese, or worse, our livers are not usually in very good shape to begin with (hence the "liver shrinking" pre-op diets that are often prescribed) and the liver is further stressed from its role in metabolizing all that fat that we are rapidly losing. It doesn't need any more stress from ingesting a known liver toxin like alcohol (not a judgemental thing, just our physiology at work). My surgeon is also a biliopancreatic (livers and pancreas) transplant surgeon, so he is in the no alcohol as long as we are losing weight camp (and ideally forever) and indeed we sign a contract to that effect - he doesn't want any of his bariatric patients coming back onto his transplant table! Those are the issues in play, and some aspects bother different surgeons to different degrees, so they have different policies. Check with what your surgeon's policy is, and decide for yourself - we are all adults here.

It really doesn't matter what you do for a living, You will always have food around you and if you don't learn how to live with your band and the temptation of food, you won't be successful. We all still need to feed ourselves and our family ( if we have one). It's not like an alcohol or drug issue where we can avoid or triggers. We still need to eat to live. Just my opinion...I've made enough excuses about my job being the cause of my obesity, but the reality is that I ate more than I burned off. Best of luck to you.

Hello all! Just a question for all the vets out there, just trying to determine if what I am "feeling" is actually ketosis? This happened during pre-op, and immediately after the surgery. Then it stopped during my stall, and now that I am out of the stall it started again. My symptoms...It feels like I have the constant taste of alcohol in my mouth, almost like a burning sensation. It doesn't seem to be coming from my mouth per se, but more from like the inside of my body and my mouth is acting like an exhaust system for the vapors (not a very good description, but the best I could come up with, sorry). It's like...like I am doing gargles with vodka all day long!!! It's just a very weird feeling/taste that I can't get rid of, no matter how much water I drink. And I also have a constant feeling of something stuck in my throat, although that may be unrelated? Also, when you were in ketosis, was the smell limited to just your breath or did you excrete it through your body as well? I am just curious... Thanks all!

I am 2 weeks out from surgery and am wondering when and if I can have a cup of coffee in the morning and perhaps an adult beverage? The nutrionist said you can't have an adult beverage for at least 18 months. Did anyone else hear this? I miss my coffee. Thanks!

my surgeon said no coffee no alcohol after surgery !! that's it i had de-caffeinated 2 weeks post op it went well but tasted bad i started coffee again 2 months post op, since i just need it otherwise id sleep all day i think am fine ,, just have to drink more Water

My doctor allows coffee, soda, alcohol, and popcorn, so I don't have to do without those (though I don't have as much of them now). But he discourages using a straw; I want to follow that rule, but never realize I've broken it until a few hours or even a day later! I don't eat/drink out that often though, and I never use a straw at home, so it's not as bad as it could be.