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Hi, Through the help of AA meetings and the 12 step program I have been in recovery from alcoholism for the past 4 years. Since giving up alcohol, cigarettes and other mind altering substances my weight has sored which has led me to getting banded. I am getting banded on 21st May and I am worried that it the surgery might not be enough. I am worred that my eating habits are more psychological than through hunger. Does anyone have any advice they can give me? Will banding be enough to overcome this? Thanks Anne xx

I believe the original poster asked about using weed in conjunction with being sleeved. I also believe it is no different than asking about alcohol or sex or exercise. If one is going to use weed let's encourage them to do it in the healthiest manner, just as we would advise eating and drinking in moderation. There are lots of subforums, subgroups, threads unrelated to vsg on this site, such as gay/lesbian, Christian, men's room (where I believe this thread is).

Agreed. We have to read the labels. Sugar alcohol is different than artificial sweetener. It's a carb. And not good for us with blood sugar problems. I will probably look around for the liquid stevia. My fily really went nuts when my sister pulled out the computer and searched Truvia. We all thought it was natural. My mom had a fit. She thought she finally found the golden ticket!

[ GEEE I wonder what from???? Just Wondering Terry:) Mark Hughes, Herbalife's Founder, Dead at Age 44 Stephen Barrett In May 2002, Herbalife founder, chairman, and chief executive officer Mark Reynold Hughes, was found dead at his $27 million oceanfront mansion in Malibu, California. In a series of articles about the death, David Evans (Bloomberg News) reported: Hughes died after a 4-day drinking binge, apparently from an overdose of alcohol and the antidepressant drug doxepin. His blood alcohol level was 0.21% (more than double the "drunk driving" level). He was being treated by a psychiatrist for a drinking problem. Hughes said many times that he had been inspired to start his company after his mother (Jo Ann Hartman) died from taking diet pills. However, Hartman's autopsy found that she died of an overdose of Darvon, a narcotic painkiller. At the time of her death she was 5-foot-6-inches tall but weighed only 105 pounds.

I was told no alcohol for 6 months after my surgery because beside being empty liquid calories, it's a gastric irritant. My 1st drink was at around 8 months post-op. I was on a business trip and ordered an appletini. I felt fine until I tried to stand up.Oooof!

It might pinch here and there, but other then that it's not bad. . when they clean it after with alcohol that tends to sting but it's not bad. . . I had mine taken out before i left the hospital.

Shannon, I didn't get flagged on anything, and I literally had hit every single "major" life event in the year before my surgery except giving birth. I had recently married, had a child graduate high school, got custody of another high school age step-child, moved, bought a house, separated, lost a very close friend/family member, major health problems. The only things I got flagged for were being an ex-smoker and my psyche told me that I WOULD become an alcoholic. So far so good. Don't lie to the psyche evaluator, but you don't have to dig up ancient history. If you tried pot in high school, it's a non-issue. Just leave that out. Unless, of course, you're IN high school right now! LOL

I took small pills from day 5ish after returning home and it was not an issue. I tried crushing larger ones (the ones that are safe to crush, not all are so check with your doc)! but the taste was SO bad I ended up cutting in half and swallowing the 2 pieces. After a couple of months even large pills were not a problem. I take a time release Calcium that's pretty big and it's a non-issue. I DID find that Mucinex gave me kind of a tummy ache when taken on an empty stomach. It's s largeish time release thing and having a couple crackers before hand solved that problem. Alcohol: YMMV, but I don't find that my tolerance is significantly less, (some, yes, there is almost 100 pounds less of me to metabolize it after all), but one drink does not put me under the table as I was led to believe. It's probably as much of a factor that I avoid food\liquid together (it's one of "the rules" AND it makes me uncomfortable to put liquid on top of food so I just don't) so I tend to drink on more of an empty stomach than I used to.

There are some tasty chocolate-flavored Protein bars out there! I am right there with you, Globetrotter. I haven't lost very much since February (less than 10 pounds) and most of that came off during two weeks time. I can eat wonderfully and exercise daily burning hundreds of calories and not lose a single pound. I can eat some carbs and drink some alcohol and not gain anything. And then for no reason, when my eating and exercise is great, I gain weight. And then I lose it even though there is no reason. And I can't figure out why. It doesn't make sense. The 3500 calores = 1 pound is not accurate for me. And when I don't get rewarded or punished, I tend to make bad choices (popcorn!). I suspect some of it might be due to monthly cycle stuff although I no longer technically have a monthly cycle. I had an endometrial ablation, so I don't get a period, but I think I still get the hormone influx, but I can no longer track it to that. I think part of it is that I am down to the harder to burn stuff. And it is in my problem areas (upper thighs/butt/belly), which are harder places to tone/exercise. I definitely have some psychological stuff. I tend to eat popcorn when I'm alone and working. I like salty/crunchy Snacks better than I like chocolate/sweet snacks. I tried protein chips instead of regular chips, but I don't like the flavor. At first, they were a good substitute for the crunch craving, but they taste so bad, I'd rather have 100 calories of actual chips than something that tastes bad but is better for me. I could get the crunch from raw veggies, which is actually my preference except I have braces, which makes eating raw veggies hard to do. I log my food daily, and I think that is a big part of me keeping on track usually. I am even thinking of doing a day or two of photographing what I eat just to see if it will help me make better choices. I have a blog, and if I had to photograph it would I be willing to eat it? Personally, I think the biggest down fall for me is the calories in drinks. I don't know a lot of calories in drinks, and they tend to surprise me more than anything. Summer drinks tend to be higher in calorie (like lemonade). I had a Gatorade the other day and didn't realize until after I had drank it that it had 39 grams of carbs in it.

I am a little less than one month out from surgery and last weekend I went out clubbin and did shots(tequila & washington apple) I can't remember how may I had but it was several. I didn't have any problems. The weekend before that I was at a party and had a few mixed drinks (crandberry and vodka) without any trouble. I wasn't thinking and grabbed a beer and that didn't go so well... I just felt like I had to burp but could for a bout 15 minutes (pretty uncomfortable) but then I let out a wicked burp and felt better. Needless to say I will be much more careful to avoid beer. Now what I will say is be cause of the high calories in alcohol if I go out drinking then the next day I run an extra mile and try to tack on an extra 25-30 minutes to my exercise routine. It kicks my ass but I reason it out in my mind that if I want to party I am going to have to pay for it.

My surgery date is Sept 2nd!!! Just started my liquid diet today, and I must say that so far so good! I was pretty nervous about it, but for now, it seems doable. I did cut out my caffeine, alcohol, and sugar intake about 2 weeks ago, so I think it helped that I didnt cut everything at once. Hopefully the next few days keep going smoothly! Also, just wanted to add the following items to bring to the hospital, other than the gas-x strips and pillow, which are a great call: 1. Chap stick 2. sleeping mask 3. Baby wipes Good luck everybody!!!

Hi guys, I hope everyone had a great holiday! I had 5 days off, thanksgiving, 2 birthdays, a company party, a friday night out with friends with alcohol, and an episode with a party size bag of peanut M&Ms over the past 10 days. I also didn't exercise or track my food, Protein or Water. I've gained 3 lbs!! I'm not sure what came over me but I think I lost my mind! It just still seems like so much work...I just wanted to relax and enjoy my time off. However, the m&ms were me stressing over not doing anything right. I realize that now... So today, I am back on track but feeling like crap for what I've done. Any words of wisdom??

I know the OP meant to be funny, but these threads often end up being a battle of who's rules are right. It's not so much each little detailed rule, it's the glib attitude toward "bariatric rebellion" that concerns me. It's "let me see how far I can push the envelope" and get away with it. Then to announce it, have others chime in, it ends up sounding like the no alcohol rule is silly and encourages behavior that does not lead to success. The hard, cold truth is that weight loss is hard, and maintenance is harder. One bad decision won't break any of us. One drink won't make us fat or drunks. However, a general attitude of "let me see what I can get away with" seems like a bad idea to me. For me, I know that I can't maintain perfection forever. None of us can. We are humans, and most of us are in this boat because we couldn't refrain from eating and drinking too much. So, knowing that, I do strive for perfection every day. If I set that as my goal, I figure I won't be too far off the mark at the end of the day. If I strive for less, I'd probably be further off. I know if I had allowed myself too much latitude in the beginning, I would be worse off today. I had to learn new behavior, and I had to learn that I AM capable of following a plan that leads to success, and I learned what it takes to do that. The early days are what set me up for success by establishing new habits. It's the easiest time to do that, so my advice is to take advantage of the gift you have.

My program is very conservative, particularly about alcohol. The transference of addictions was the main concern, as nutritionist, surgeons, psycholologist, and nurses all discussed with me during all stages of this process. I drank maybe a glass of wine a month before surgery, so didn't quite understand what the big deal was. Well after they showed the research during our various meetings...I no longer questioned the importance of being aware of this problem. Combine the research proven issues of addiction, empty calories, stress on the liver after a major surgery, not to mention my new tummy is so small I really don't want to waste space on alcohol...I choose not to go against my program's rules in regards to alcohol. Just not worth it in my opinion. But something I've learned on boards...some people rationalize/loosely interpret their programs rules...so my words or the words of way more experienced/successful others is taken offense to or just ignored anyways no matter how much logic is provided. Folks will do what they want to do period.

I'd like to know if there is any "valid" info on it as well! Instead of just everyone else's useless rude comments! Lol Why judge someone for being truthful when you could just give them insightful encouragement instead? I have not drank alcohol, soda, or anything else I wasn't supposed to but Lord knows if I did I wouldn't post it on this board people are way to hypocritical. Lol I'll ask my nut for real medical examples of why not to drink soda and alcohol and try to post it on here when I can.

Just an FYI...even though the buzz feeling goes away, the blood alcohol levels leave our bodies more slowly so you shouldn't drive because your blood alcohol level will still be elevated even though you maynot feel the classic effects of being buzzed.

I will be a self-pay and have no intention of wasting $15,000 on a drink of alcohol. My brother the alcoholic however would have cut himself open for a drink of alcohol. Most alcoholics justify their consumption in every way possible. Also from what I've read and been told, the affects of that bad choice might not be seen for weeks. So I hope no one experiences a leak and is hospitalized

I know the OP meant for this thread to be light and tongue and cheek. But I have to say, seeing some people consuming alcohol just weeks out from surgery kind of floors me a little. Not only do you have a line of staples going down the whole entire sleeve that haven't even begun to heal yet, you are already trying to sabotage any weight loss efforts by consuming empty, non nutritious calories at a critical time where proper nutrition is important for healing. Like I've said before, I don't care what people do after your'e all healed up. Drink alcohol, eat sweets to your hearts content. You're only hurting your chances of not reaching your weight loss goals and in danger of the whole surgery being all for not. That's none of my business. What I don't find funny and won't condone are people making light of behaviors that could potentially harm and put you right back in the hospital. For goodness sake, care enough about yourself to at least heal properly before you choose to continue self destructive behaviors that caused you to have surgery in the first place. I suggest you find a video of a sleeve procedure on YouTube and watch it just to see the amount of healing that needs to take place after you see your little sleeve that looks like Frankenstein when they are done. The doctors aren't telling you not to drink for a certain amount of time just for shits and giggles.

Not "faults". CHOICES. As long as your choices aren't endangering your health, share away. We've all been there. But if you're drinking multiple alcoholic beverages weeks out from surgery, prepare to get your ass handed to you. By most of us AND your doctor. And if you feel that drinking and eating things you shouldn't be just weeks out from surgery is justifiable, then I SMH at YOU.

Having read the statistics on those after bariatric surgery becoming alcoholics I'm not surprised by some of this but it certainly scares me so please guys look after yourselves and your bodies

I have been 'writing' my life's journey for a little over 47 years. Early this year (2015) I finally admitted to myself that I need help to get to a healthy me. I'm 5' 4" and 225 pounds, I just called myself thick and sexy. Truth is I have been the least healthy in the past 8 years than in my entire life. I am a married mother of 3 or 4 (31, 24 and 19 yr old children and a 22-month old Chiweenie). Retired USAF, after 24 yrs (1987-2011). I, like most on this journey, put everything and everyone before myself. Since my Mother's passing, in 2006 (she was only 57 and passed from obesity-related complications), I have totally lost the focus and drive that kept me moving forward. My life came to, what felt like, a screeching halt. My health plummeted ... migraines, sciatica, Fibromyalgia, Nueropathy, anxiety, depression you name it, i had it. Narcotics and epidurals for physical pain, antidepressants, alcohol and food for the pain one cannot see. I was not aware that once forward momentum halts, all those life issues that one had so far 'successfully' out run (and not properly dealt with) catch up with a fury. Don't get me wrong, my life is no more difficult nor easier than anyone else's. But this post, unlike anything else in my life, is just about me. My feelings about myself (which were always positive) began to take a negative direction. So when I realized I was avoiding photos, social media and sometimes reality itself I decided to deal with my issues and stop running in place. Luckily, my earlier life decisions (USAF) allowed me to easily access the medical and mental health assistance that I desperately needed and still use today. My decision to have gastric bypass surgery was all mine. No one else, in my life, (well maybe my Dr) even thought I was 'overweight.' I'm Puerto Rican - and culturally, we tend to accept thickness with age. (See, I still call it anything but 'obesity!) When I asked my Dr for the referral (April 2015) he was all for it. When I finally received the insurance approval, in August, I sat there with my mouth wide opened as I read the document that brought it all home for me. There were two words on that document that stood out as if the font size were different, in bold, underlined and followed with many exclamation points although that was not the case. 'Morbidly Obese' As the oldest living female in my family (at 47 yrs old), I was following in the same footsteps as all the strong, wise, loved (albeit unhealthy) women who died way before their time. That's when I knew I had certainly made the best decision for myself and my family. My 24 yr old got married last year (2014) after graduating college and moved away with her Army husband. My 31 yr old got engaged and moved away less than a month later. He just married earlier this month and blessed my life with news of my first grandchild due in Spring next year. My 19 yr old realizes how good he has it and will need to be put out of our home by brute force. (That goes for my Chiweenie too!) My husband is 6' 4" and loves me 'no matter what' he just repeatedly tells me, "You'd better not die on me! I couldn't take it." All of them are reason enough for my decision to have this surgery in 2 days. But the truth is, I am having this surgery for me. My health, my life, my happiness and of course my life's next great chapter.

Hello everyone! My surgery is coming up on March 7, so i'm reading everything I can get my hands on to try and stave off the nervous feelings. That's how I came across this forum I'm excited, and nervous, and that seems to be the norm around here. I am loving reading everyone's stories. I'm a self-pay, 30 years old, and live in Dallas. I've not had much experience with surgery, i think i've only been put under twice in my life, the last time was when i was 20. I've never been skinny, but my weight started piling on a few years ago when i started a company and working 80 hours a week, sitting at a desk. I'm now up to 240lbs, with a 39 BMI. I have high blood pressure. As a social drinker, i'm really nervous about what the surgery is going to do to my social life afterwards. To be honest, this is actually a huge concern for me, since it is so important to my lifestyle. I'm not an alcoholic, but I drink pretty consistently about 2-3 times per week. I smoke when I drink too. Obviously, i'm going to want to limit that behavior in the long term, (I don't think I will have a problem treating myself right during the healing process), but I don't want for the social drinking part of my life to be over yet. So this is my experience so far - I'm planning on updating as events warrant. I go in for my pre-admission bloodwork tomorrow morning, and just started on my pre-surgery liquid diet. Thank you to all of the participants on this board. It's making me feel better by the minute. Laura <3

I feel the same way. I only told a few close family members about my decision, and a few very close friends, but I know my friends wouldn't care if I ate less at lunch, or even just had Water while they ate, they care about me, and want me to feel good about myself so skipping the guacamole and chips at lunch will make our relationship stronger in the long run. As for the alcohol, I'm not going to lie, I do enjoy it as well, but after the first 6 weeks from what I have read up on here, you can still enjoy it in moderation, so you wouldn't be completely nixing it from your life forever.

Here is the link to eggface: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.ca/ I think your meal plan for the day sounds pretty reasonable. If you are looking to cut a little from it, I agree with the above, maybe some sugar free jam. Also, what kind of dressing are you using on your salad. Regular Caesar dressing is very high in fat, calories and carbs. And I think a little bit of chocolate isn't going to kill you either (but a whole bad of m&m's that is a different story). I am a firm believer in moderation. I agree with UTGal99, that it is unrealistic the expect that you will NEVER eat any kind of treat ever again. I have to laugh when I see people say that they will NEVER eat cake, chocolate, fast food, alcohol, or anything bad EVER again. The sleeve is a tool and you DO have to change your habits and adopt a healthy lifestyle. But to place the expectation on yourself that you will never eat anything bad ever again is just setting yourself up for failure and self-deprecating behavior. The cycle of eating, shame and guilt, and eating more is so burned into our brains, that so many people continue to do it even after the surgery. From the beginning, I choose not to count anything. I watch what I eat, have changed what I eat, and I have worked with my sleeve to be successful. Do I eat chocolate sometimes? Yup! Do I eat ice cream sometimes? You better believe it! Do I feel bad about? Not a chance! I didn't get the sleeve so I could live the rest of my life on a strict diet. The key is I eat these things in moderation. And I know my weaknesses. The surgery did NOT give me any more will power. I have chosen not to keep trigger foods in my house. If they are there tempting me, I will eat them. This may be a stance that you may have to take. I may have lost more slowly that some, but I am still losing 20 months post op and am below my target weight. You need to find a system that is going to work for you. Look back at what you were doing before that was working. The point is, it has to be something that you can live with for the rest of your life, not just for the here and now to lose the last few pounds. If it is not sustainable, you might lose, but you will most likely end up gaining back.

My doctor had no problems with alcohol or carbonated beverages other than the carbonated might cause pain. I rarely drink but I did have a couple glasses of champagne on Christmas day. .