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Thanks for all the good wishes! Right back at cha, of course. OK to answer some questions... I've had two fills. I don't count calories or journal but I've pretty much built this diet on grilled salmon with dill sauce and tomato Soup, because these are the two things that make me VERY happy, yet are kind to the scale. I also exercise like a madwoman, with three weight training sessions (no trainer, but I've had them in the past) and four or five really intense spinning classes a week. Plus I live in NYC so I probably walk more than many, just to get from place to place. I rarely cheat, and when I do it consists of drinking alcohol, eating a few french fries off my kids' plates, a skim latte or a whole wheat oatmeal raisin cookie. Nothing I've felt too bad about. Best of luck to everyone. Lots of people struggle with finding that good restriction level and I was lucky enough to hit it early in the game. I think that's why this has moved along more quickly than for some.

I have thought about that too. My dad was an alcoholic too, and I have had my years of drinking too much. But for the last 5 years, I never drink.....so I am hoping that alcohol won't be the addiction for me. I just went and got a bunch of yarn...yup, yarn, so I can start making scarves for a friend of mine, she sell them. I know that I need to have my hands busy. If I can't eat...then I have to have my hands moving and doing something else. So, I am hoping that I will be busy making scarves all winter long, so I have some time to understand this new me. I hope that you will find something wonderful to do with your family. I also hope that I can transfer my food addiction to jogging ..... or something. Well, I can dream can't I?!?! I am having my surgery on October 12th....so it is just around the corner. Good Luck to you!!!!

Is anyone else a little concerned about this? At my Psych evaluation yesterday my therapist gave me a few photo copied articles out of OH Magazine (obesity help) and it was talking about how when people get wls and lose the addiction to food, the addiction transfers. Some of the women starting having a shopping addiction, one started smoking, one started drinking, ect. I also learned that as a child of BOTH parents having been alcoholics I have a 90% chance of having a drinking problem if I were to ever start. Luckily, as seeing what jerks my parents could be when they were drunk, drinking has never been my thing. But What one of the girls said really caught my eye. She said having been almost 300 lbs when she went out she never wanted to dance or anything but she got down to 135lbs she felt beautiful and wanted to party. I could see that. So I know I will have to pay extra attention to make sure my "addiction" is shifted towards something else. Like working out or doing something with my husband and kids. Anyways, I just thought I would share and see if anyone has an input?

I too am obese with no co-morbidities YET. Well hopefully their won't be any because on on my way to a healthier thinner me. I know can understand where you are all coming from, I used to eat very healthily, or so I thought, now I realise just how MUCH i was eating! Obesity and healthy don't go together, because being obese we are at much higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes etc etc. But being skinny isn't synonymous of being healthy. A lot of skinny people can be alcoholics, drug addicts, so that's not healthy either! But I do agree w Emily Grace, we need to be honest with ourselves to be able to address our problems but as mommyoftwo says, obesity is a complicated and multifaceted disease, cause it is one, and it's not as simple as 1+1=2, that's why obesity is such a big problem! Good luck to all of you in your journey!

Wondering.......are there still banded folks who drink alcohol?? I'm not interested in drinking. But not even a casual glass of wine in the years? Doesn't bother me really. Worth the sacrifice. :biggrin:

I am right there with you. If you had a problem with drugs, alcohol, dietibites I wonder if those same people would say "just take this one pill or sip of wine or taste of cake"? I think NOT. The problem as I see it is that most people to not see obesity as a disease. The only way that I have found to help is to respond by saying "Sure, in a little while." Most offen what happens is they forget to ask again. This works better at parties then when you are one or one. I have found that if you just say "no" then what happens is a power strugle. I once had a family member that said to me on my birthday that if I did not have a piece of my birthday cake they would be really mad at me and would not talk to me any more. Go figure?

One of the reasons my doctor told me not to drink alcohol is because it will hit our system quicker. He said I'd get drunk before I realized it, then most likely start vomiting and that's exactly what you don't need to do. When I pushed the point, he did say that a glass of wine every so often would not hurt. Beer was definitely a no-no just because of the carbination.

Carbonation doesn't work for me. And my alcohol tolerance is WAAAAY lower than it once was---partly because my food intake is much lower, and partly because I just don't drink much any more. So a very little alcohol goes a very long way for me. Alcohol can impede loss--liquid calories slide in really easily, and can reduce inhibition so that you eat carelessly. For these reasons, my doctor totally vetoes it for the first postop year (when he wants us to completely revamp our habits). Does that mean I haven't had any alcohol? No. I'm 8 months out, and while I have yet to have a whole drink, I do take sips of my husband's drinks when we're out. Hey, a bloody mary is a vegetable! But you can, in fact, make room for it in your life, as long as you are aware of the possible pitfalls.

I have not had the band done yet..... hopefully in Dec once insurance approves :smile2: But im wondering and afraid my social life will be ruined. Im only 22 so im still in the bar/club stage and is wondering how I will be able to have a cocktail or two? Does anyone still drink beer or mixed drinks? Can you even drink any of that? Does your band restrict it? I am looking forward to going to the bars/clubs in a sexy outfit tho It won't take me hours of trying to feel comfortable in jeans and a black shirt (to make me look slimmer) cant wait :mad:

I smoked pre-op, and have for a solid 15 years. I've also quit 3 times since surgery, and I've gone back to it. For me, it's all mental. I've been pretty open about my past use of alcohol and illegal substances to self-medicate. My family is a big booze fest, and it's in my genes for an addictive personality. I didn't eat compulsively, or really even emotionally, but I was a volume eater. Every time I quit, I want to eat even though I am not hungry. I went on Wellbutrin for a few months to help with the withdraws from nicotine, and it did help, unfortunately I do not suffer from depression or any other anxiety or behavioral issue and when I took Wellbutrin it made me manic, and it was very unhealthy for myself and my family. I also lost my appetite on Wellbutrin and slipped down to 118lbs for a couple of weeks. I was absolutely miserable on Wellbutrin (Zyban) which is prescribed and used a smoking cessation drug. Chantix is out due to my reaction to Wellbutrin. I do smoke a lot less than what I did pre-op. But, I do still smoke. I hate the withdraws, I hate being that out of control, and I absolutely hate being a slave to nicotine. BUT, I know that right now I am not ready to quit. I will quit when I get pregnant. There is a small part of me that wants to quit, but there's a bigger part of me that thinks this is all I do, this is my vice, this my weakness. I've tried everything except hypnosis, and that's because the area we live in is nothing but a bunch of scam artist hypnotist, or I'd be doing hypnotic therapy to quit smoking. I can't do the patch because that makes me worse, and I feel horrible when I use them. No offense taken. I'm not advocating smoking for anyone, but I also know that I'm only human. I like smoking, it's my destressor, it's the one thing I do now that I guess you could say that is my guilty pleasure. I don't eat a bunch of candy or junk food. I only drink socially, and I obviously have not nor will I ever go back to using illegal substances.

Kat, I just read your last post. I really hope it won't dampen your spirits too much, because you're going to see the boys. As for Rick's niece, I'm with you. She won't ever get her act together if they try to bail her out. Alcoholics and drug addicts are cunning, and they'll continue down the path of destruction until they decide they've had enough. It just causes more heartache for their loved ones. My father was an alcoholic, as are a couple of my sisters, and one of them was doing drugs for awhile. I don't know if she still is, I haven't spoken to her, but that's a story for another time. I'll send positive thoughts that you're able to enjoy your trip in spite of everything.

I am also feeling like backing out. My banding is scheduled for Oct. 14 and my family is not all that supportive. They don't get why I can't just stop eating and exercise without this. I am also worried about no alcohol because I like to have a beer now and then. :-(

Did a little over 200 miles today I think. Stopped before 2 pm a little west of Phoenix in a town called Buckeye. Janet... I think you were off by about 100 miles yesterday because we still have a little over 200 to go. May or may not come in tomorrow. I have an optional stop planned for Quartzsite, but depends on whether or not we feel like stopping there or going on. I'll tell you what... it's HOT and Earl is complaining a LOT! He's not going to like being in DHS a few weeks early! Stopped for coffee and short visit w/Eva... other thread... this morning. There is a STARBUCKS right next to the parking lot of the building she works in. So that's where we went. Hip hurting a little again today, but walking just fine. Kind of funny... as we walked up to the SBX, part of the sidewalk was all blocked off with yellow "crime scene" type ribbon. It appears that someone tried to create a "drive through" window!! Windows broken out and all boarded up and frames pushed in. Someone was a little too anxious for their coffee!! LOL! Another funny story... I bought so much wine in Buffalo...7 bottles on our wine tour, and a case of the homemade stuff from the guy my nieces know. So Earl had the case stored on the floor next to his chair. This morning he decided that since there were just a few bottles left he'd get rid of the box. So he took the remaining bottles out of the box and laid them on their side one by one. He quickly found out that the cork had popped on one of them when we went over the mountains yesterday! Several of us bought 1 or more bottles of something called "Walleye Wobbler" at the very last winery we stopped at. By that time... 5th winery, we were "happy" and this gal at that winery was a kick... said she doesn't drink but uses all the wines her boss sells in recipes. So she was rattling off all these recipes she'd made up with all these different wines while giving us generous "samples" to try. So we were all quite taken with the WW and with the recipes she said she used it for... sauteing mushrooms, scallops, etc. So... she sold a lot of bottles of it. So a couple of days ago I get a text message from my sister, Barb asking if the WW is supposed to be "bubbly" like champagne!! I told her I didn't remember it being bubbly. So I emailed the other gals and asked them... they didn't respond. But.. that is the bottle that popped it's cork! I'm having a glass now and it's definitely not quite right. I called and talked to the gal at the winery today and told her what happened and she said the calibration was off on a couple of their scales resulting in this problem with the WW. She said it was perfectly safe to drink, just might have a little more alcohol content. But it's definitely not as tasty as what we sampled. But she's shipping me another bottle.

The one thing I did was journal, and I'm not talking about blogging where we write for other people's enjoyments, or entertainment. I'm talking about a private little notebook that only YOU can read. Mine is full of doodles, emotions, some pages are tear-stained, some are nothing but absolutely positive affirmations and things that would get me through the next day and struggle. I wasn't an intense emotional eater, but I did/do love food. I would eat out of boredom sometimes, and while I didn't battle emotional eating, I had other venues of self-medicating that I battled and will battle for years. Least to say, my biggest concern with transfer addiction was and still is alcohol and substance abuse. Since I can't use food, I'm always afraid of the next big life tragedy that will inevitably happen. I won't lie and tell you that I'm above falling into the trap of transfer addiction. I have to fight the desire to drink, illegal drugs are definitely a no no considering my husband is a military cop, and I would not only be risking my life, but I could screw his military career, not to mention losing my son. So the concern with substance abuse is not as heavy as the alcohol abuse. I firmly believe finding other coping mechanisms will be absolutely the most beneficial thing you can do for yourself. Writing was my coping mechanism. Even to this day, I pull out that journal, and read through it. I smile, I cry, and it takes me back through my hellish recovery and I remind myself that I am stronger than any addiction. I remind myself that I survived a horrific surgery and recovery, and that my life has a purpose. One thing that I've learned over the last 2 years since I started my WLS journey, is you have to forgive yourself. Don't punish yourself, recognize the behavior, and have a plan of attack to overcome the urge to eat your emotions. I'd rather just drink my sorrows away than eat any day of the week. That's the only thing that got through my ordeal. It's not always easy, it's not always daisies and rainbows, but it's so worth it. Believe in yourself, and believe in your sleeve.

I think the hard part about stopping soda is the fact that besides water (usually only at the gym) and wyler's (bascially tha same as crystal light, but I like the taste better)raspberry flavor, it is the only thing I drink. I don't like ice tea, or stuff and I don't drink alcohol, yeah, so it will only leave 2 things I drink and basically only one, since I only drink plain water at the gym.

Please don't consider this a lecture, more of a statement of fact. I come from a family of addictive personalities. For me and my sisters (though they have never been as over weight as I have) it's food; for my brother who is a recovering alcoholic it was alcohol, pot and smoking. He gave up the alcohol and the pot but can't give up cigarettes. He is the only smoker (well his adult son smokes) in our immediate family (our dad was a smoker). He had a heart attack at like 43 (had to have stints put in); and tried to stop smoking. But it has not taken. He can not stop smoking. So yes I know quitting is horrible and in my brothers case not happening (his wife does not smoke). If you have gone this far please try to stay with it. Can you speak with your PCP about the new perscriptions? Again I am not lecturing. My brother says that in all the NA and AA meetings he attends most people there chain smoke because it is the only thing they left.

Sorry you've had such a rough time. While most of us have a good experience with the VSG, it's important to hear that just like any surgery, there are risks. It's too bad you ended up in the minority that encounters difficulties. I'm less than 100 lbs overweight and have been happy with my surgery; I had some nausea and other issues in the 3rd week, but that went away within a few days and I've felt fine since. I think it's very important to tell your surgeon flat out that YOU don't think you are healing well at all and demand that he address your concerns, as it sounds like your quality of life has decreased an awful lot. I'm not sure why you have bile coming up, I think your pyloric sphincter may have been damaged during the operation (bile is normally in the small intestine, not stomach). I would definitely mention this particular issue to your surgeon, as that sounds a bit suspicious to me. Also, I just wanted to comment for any others who might read this thread - Iron absorption is not affected by this, as iron is absorbed in the small intestine, not stomach. Iron absorption will be reduced while you are on a PPI, so it's recommended to take an iron supplement until you are no longer taking PPIs. The only things absorbed in the stomach are alcohol and aspirin. B12 is absorbed in the small intestine with the help of something called the intrinsic factor, which is produced in the stomach. The amount of cells producing it is decreased after surgery, so B12 deficiency is, indeed, a possibility. However, taking a shot resolves that problem, and I think these shots are only to be done once every month or 3 months, so it's not as huge of a commitment, as, say, taking care of the diabetes one could develop from being morbidly obese.

I felt the same way the week of my surgery and kept thinking "Am I sure" and then the "what if I fail" - all sorts of things go through your mind. I will tell all of you, that it has been the SINGLE BEST DECISION I have ever made for myself and has been the one thing that has helped me to lose more weight than I ever have before. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love my band. I have changed my eating habits, but not so drastically that I'm miserable. I actually ENJOY my Protein first and find myself craving it. I don't miss soda pop and I was never one to really drink alcohol, so I don't miss that, either. Wiggling into a size 16 dress today made it all worth it for me. One day I hope to see a 12. Trust me - the surgery will be over and you will be so happy with the results in about six months or so. :thumbup: Good luck to everyone and if you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me. I remember being a new bandster and feeling so lost!

Jason and others, this is what I was recommended to eat. Yes it mentions low-fat Proteins, but does not emphasize them. This is from a leaflet from my consultant and is what is recommended in the UK. Successful eating with a band, divided into Green (eat freely every day), Amber (eat with cautions, eg weekends only) and Red (avoid or eat only for treats). They said Green foods should be 85% of the total. Amber foods: 10% (just 2-3 times a week). Red foods: 5% (try to avoid). Also keep the band active every 4 hours with a Cereal bar, banana or piece of fruit. GREEN * Low-fat Protein --Chicken/lean meat --Fish --Quorn (artificial vegetarian meat) * Low glycaemic index GL/GI foods --Basmati or wholemeal rice --Baby new potatoes, jacket potatoes, sweet potatoes --Porridge (but not instant porridge) --Pumpernickel or wholemeal pitta bread --Rye bread --Beans, pulses and lentils --Wholemeal Pasta * Fruit in natural form --Citrus fruits --Apples --Pears --Bananas * Fresh vegetables, except squashes, avocadoes and parships * Airdried homemade popcorn without butter or sugar * Low-fat cereal bars if used as an alternative to Breakfast * Dark chocolate (minimum 70% solids) with no sweet filling AMBER * Higher sugar fruits --Berries (a portion is 12, or 6 strawberries) --Melon/watermelon --Mango, papaya, cherries, grapes * Soft foods and ready meals that can be eaten with just a fork --Mashed potato --Shepherd's pie, cottage pie, fish pie --Creamy pastas --Haggis * Crispy foods --Multiple crackers --Biscuits [=Cookies in American English] --Crisps [=potato chips in American English] (Snack-a-jack ricecakes are better) --Packet popcorn --Cheesy biscuits * High sugar vegetables --Squashes --Parsnips * Sugary or nutty cereals --Muesli or children's cereals --Crunchy nuts --Anything with sugar, frosty or honey in the title RED * Fatty proteins and fatty vegetables --Nuts, seeds, avocados --cheese [if necessary have the Low-low brand of low-fat cheese] * Modified fruits --Juices (including home-made, organic and no added sugar juices) --Smoothes (including home-made etc) --Tinned and dried fruits, jams * Sugars (including natural) --Honey --Sugar --Milk/white chocolate --Toffee --Hot chocolate and coffee shop "Christmas special drinks" * liquids (Soups if replacing a meal) --Slimfast shakes or equivalent --Alcohol --Fizzy drink --Milk as a stand alone drink (lattes, Cappuccino, hot chocolate), although OK to add to tea/coffee * Fats --Creamy pasta sauces --Oils, including olive oil, mayonnaise, butter --Pannacotta, creme brulee, pecan pie --High fat gourmet ice creams --Cheese spread

Great advice.....I fell off the wagon today....as I was upset that I only lost 3lbs in a month....but tomorrow I will start again.....food too is my drug.....and it only hit home when food was compared to alcohol.....as a drug.....I would not keep alcohol around an alcoholic....I need to find another fix.....to trick my brain when I am having a bad day.....food always = happiness = sadness.....I need to divorce junk food forever ....its just causing me to be unhappy

White carbs are to an overweight person as alcohol is to an alcoholic. We all struggle to stay away from them but try or you may open Pandora's Box. Lose the weight first and get into good habits before you start eating pasta and bread.

I have to ditto mamasugar as well! you will be in my prayers!! I have alcoholics and pill addicts in my family so I know exactly what you are going through! You have a tough road ahead of you but if you let god in he will guide you and protect you! Please take care of yourself and your children.

Hi April.. My name's April, too. Here's the deal with VSG: you won't care about food after this surgery, so there is NO slipping back into old habits. You will lose the HABIT after the surgery. However, it's always a good thing to be evaluated by a food shrink, aka nutritionist, so you won't cross-adict to something else, like for instance, alcohol or drugs. Because after this surgery, you really won't care about food anymore, so if food is your crutch now, you'll have to wean yourself off the crutch or find a more healthy crutch - like exercise - so you're doing something good for yourself, because food will become something you simply don't care about any longer. It won't taste the same and you'll lose the Ghrelin so you won't feel hungry basically at all. I know it sounds too good to be true, but it is. If you're not sure what Ghrelin is, click on the word to know more.

Don't stress. Your surgeon needs to have you list out what you've done on your own to lose weight my list looked like this: Paid Programs for Weight loss: Weight Watchers - 4 years 99, 2003, 2005, 2007, on all attempts I attended weekly meetings, and weigh ins. Stuck to the program lost anywhere between 30-60lbs, but would gain it back. Nutrisystem in 2006- lost about 20 pounds but the cost of food, and having to prepare a complete meal for my son was far too expensive. Weigh Down Workshop: Faith based weight loss program offered through my church. Lost 50-70lbs over 2 years. Exercise and various physical changes: 1 hour 4 times a week of hip hop abs for 1 year - lost 40lbs, hurt my knee and had to quit working out, a year later joined 24hr fitness and worked out with weights, and isolated core. Lost 20-30lbs, but moved and gained the weight back Behavioral modifications: Park furthest away from the store front when going shopping, ate off a smaller plate to help cut portions, ate slowly and extended my meals over 30 minutes, cut all fried foods out of my diet, cut out soda and alcohol Diet Attempts: Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, Atkins (several times), FenPhen, Adipex, herbal weight loss supplements such as Metabolife and Slimquick. I lost weight with all of these attempts, the issue isn't losing, it's keeping my weight off. I added that last little tidbit at the end. My insurance coordinator faxed my sheet in directly to the insurance company. My surgeon signed off on it. I had to do this for both my band and revision.

I wish I had your band - cuz mine doesn't do a darn thing for my compulsion to eat and I have optimal restriction.. I will eat my dinner - be physically full and still want to eat and I'm 3 yrs out. I try and distract myself - but if that doesn't work - I eat a 100 snack pack popcorn - They are my lifesavers - and yes sometimes I do eat 2 - but really after eating one I have taken care of the hand to mouth issues.. I don't keep dangerous foods in my house - period - If you were an alcoholic you wouldn't leave a bottle of booze on the kitchen counter.. When I go shopping - I look at the junk - candy - cheese puffs - and say - ah hell no they aren't worth it - and if I just need something (a treat) I buy 1 candy bar - I buy 1 small bag of chips - cuz after it's gone - it's gone.. I am like Sparky - I have great intentions of just eating 1 - 100 cal snack pack of cookie or whatever it happens to be - but end up eating the whole box ( or the whole whatever it is) - sugar is my heroin - it's my drug of choice - if I start I don't quit - so I make sure I only have 1 serving at my disposal.. There are certain things I can control – like Ice Cream for the most part – I have sf stuff in the house and I can limit myself to a serving – but if a bag of reese Peanut Butter cups were in the house – forget about it – they would be in my stomach – or in the trash.. I have my trigger foods – that I really try to stay away from. I have an addiction - I am in recovery for the last 3 yrs - but the want is still there - do I act on it no - but the desire is with me. The foods that I want to eat are all sliders so my band doesn't do a darn thing about stopping me.. What stops me is that I have lost 115 lbs and I feel so much better - I never want to be morbitly obese again.. I don't want to go back there - so I don't eat the crap that got me there in the 1st place