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Thank you for sharing your story and to keep updating! the last fill i received was in July 2014 and i was pretty happy with where i was, i also learned the quirks and was very slowly losing/maintaining the weight. About 3-4 days ago, i couldn't get any food down and Water was uncomfortable. I have a herniated disc and the pain was more bothersome than normally so i attributed my tight band to that. Well then band pain came, a different kind of "stuck" feeling that i cant even explain. That same night i woke up coughing/vomiting. i started freaking out thinking my band slipped and got back to my doctor's office the next day (yesterday). She took out all the saline to let my stomach rest and i have an upper GI Friday to check the position of the band and if there is any damage. I never had reflux before so i dont understand how this can just happen out of nowhere and so aggressively. I dont understand how the band can just magically become too tight and show symptoms now. Anyhow, i am afraid to eat!!! i feel like a recovering alcoholic in a bar. Just one drink and im going to spiral. I've been trying to stick to a liquid diet but the hunger is REAL! Not to mention my i am in my brothers wedding June 6 and my bridesmaid dress currently fits right now... I'd be mortified if the day comes and i cant get into it. When you were unfilled, did you have this fear? I dont know what to do about it. I'm scared i'll end up gaining lots of weight.

I was a Sept Sleever., Just stopped by to wish you all the best!... IF YOU do what the Dr tells you to do and drink your water.... YOU WILL succeed. If you lose 50 lbs like I have seen so many do, and then start eating Oreos, and chips instead of your protein and veggies............. you will fail. My wish is that everyone that is fixing to have this surgery done is that you follow the directions and do not get slack after a few months, thinking I can do this... YOU WILL FAIL. This is not a miracle. You do have to follow directions and rules. Do not ask after a month, why am I not losing, Can I drink alcohol.......... SLAP!!! SLAP!!!....... you will not lose every DAY, or WEEK. you will STALL, for what seems to you months. You WILL lose some hair..... to you it will seem like you are going bald, you are not. If you get in your protein and take your vitamins, this will help you. NO you cannot have this surgery and in 8 weeks go out and drink like you used to. If I can help any of you please let me know. I have gone from pushing out of 18W to a 8P. I have talked to people that knew me BEFORE surgery that did not know I had it and they do not even know who I am, and I am talking people that I was close to. This is a lifestyle. eating change....... You are doing the surgery to SAVE your life or make it better, please do not slack off after you have lost a few pounds, and there will be some of you that will do this. I am here to help, please let me know if I can help you. Drink that water and have a Blessed day!

I was on Protein shakes 3 weeks then started the other stages. Yiu have ti be real careful too. No processed sugar caffeine the list my doctor gave me goes on and on. No alcohol soda ever!! I was told. Hope it gets better for you hon. Sent from my LG-H631 using BariatricPal mobile app

I am 10 days post op and still on a liquid diet. I guess everyones instructions are different. I was told no alcohol for 6 weeks.

On thanksgiving I was 4 weeks out my doc said non carbonated alcohol was fine. Hard boiled eggs are also on my soft foods list. If you drink your protein shakes calories don't matter, you will lose fat and keep muscle. I get about 500-1000 calories a day, just depending on the day but 10 days out I barely ate anything.

Weight Loss surgery is NOT A MAGIC PILL. You will HAVE to follow the rules, you will not lose 25 lbs a week, you will GAIN and you WILL LOSE, but you have to give your body TIME to HEAL.... Get in your WATER, and AS MUCH PROTEIN as you can.. do not come back in 3 weeks and say when can i drink Alcohol...........etc... you either WANT to do this (lose the weight) OR you Really just THOUGHT you DID....... Holler if I can help you!!!!! DO NOT COME BACK IN 2 4 5 12 weeks and say YOU are GAINING, THERE IS NO WAY.... you are gaining...... you are not drinking your water....... COME BACK in a year and THEN CRY you have gained weight, if SO , YOU are the reason........NOT the surgery!!!!!! Please if I can help ANYONE. Let me know, been there DONE THAT and some!!! ROCKING SIZE 8P... and FEELING & LOOKING WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Must remember I was pushing out or Women's 18P

I will never smoke again! It taste like an ashtray that was nicely disguised once the drink took control of my senses. Note to self...you can NOT handle alcohol anymore! Ridiculous! Dang it!!! It was the ONE time I got to leave without the kids for a day!!! I wanted to celebrate!!

Oh yes!! Some even dump on sugar alcohols. It depends on your system how long it lasts. Be careful. :-)

I am so thankful for all the support that is being poured out! That is what so many of us need. I am treating my eating as an addiction that is no different than an alcoholic. It is that serious to me. keep checking in yall. I weigh on monday mornings so I will try to post my results, hopefully it may be an encouragement to someone!

Over what period did you gain the 15 ish lbs.? Are you tracking your food and drinking your water? Are you following your doctor's plan? 15 is significant enough that I would stop drinking again. Not so much for the empty calories in alcohol, but the mixers and accidental snacking that can go with it. Can you call your dietician?

My 2-week liquid diet countdown is about to begin. In a way this is a fair test of my commitment to VSG and more importantly the post-surgery dieting necessary to achieve the weight loss. It is time to get serious, establish my commitment, and get a do-over dealing with my obesity. Yes, obesity, I have hidden from admitting my situation, much like an alcoholic denies being a drunk, I am a foodaholic which in many ways is worse. I am tired of looking in the mirror and "remembering" my lighter days. It is too easy to say that my weight problem began when I quit smoking; but, facts are - I simply enjoy eating and when my taste buds recovered - my oh my - did things taste better and we all know what happened next. My issue is more than just losing the weight (100 lbs.), its about dropping the associated health risks, diabetes, high blood pressure, more drugs than I care to list, cholesterol, and a family history of heart attacks. I bought an assortment of protein drinks, soups and vitamins to start a dietary journey to a lighter me. Having read what so many others have posted in their topics, I believe that I too can show the same determination and will be reading and posting often. Have a great week, and thanks for being out there and sharing your successes.

If you're following the program but not losing any more weight then you probably reached the maximum weight loss you can get with your sleeve. Of course if you aren't happy with that weight you can still push your body more by increasing your exercise. Your nut will help you with maintenance. If you don't start eating sugar and alcohol again you shouldn't have a problem with it

I've always just followed the program.... 1) minimum 64oz Water. (I usually get more like 70-80oz.); 2) eat when I'm hungry and just until satisfied, not full (this has become even more important the farther out I get because I can eat a lot more than before and if I tried to eat to fullness, I would probably stop losing and /or gain) 3) 60-70g protein/day (I can only do this with a 30-40g Protein smoothie in addition to regular food) 4) Snacks and meals are always protein first, then veggies, fruit and whole grains ( a balanced diet is important for proper nutrition and a healthy body) 5) whole food based Multivitamins and whatever additional supplements your bloodwork indicates you may need (I still take Extra Vitamin D and B12 sublingual, but discontinued Iron and Calcium after labs showed those levels were high) 6) stay active (I don't have a regular exercise routine, but my job and recreational activities are very physical) 7) don't obsess over the scale. (NSV's like how I feel, how I can move, How my clothes fit, how my knees and ankles don't ache everyday, and how my blood pressure is back to normal are all more important to me) At this point I consider myself in maintenance. I guess if I set my goals a lot lower, I might be frustrated, so you may want to readjust your expectations if this is happening to you. Since I was already eating healthy and as much as I want, I haven't changed a lot. I added more fruit and higher fat food options to try and slow my weight loss, but that was 17 pounds ago. I haven't lost anything in about 3 weeks, so I don't know if this is a stall or if I'm done. No way to know and no sense fretting over it. And yes, I do indulge in Desserts, breads, alcohol, and other "no-no's" but always in moderation and completely guilt free.

Like many others my mini meals are pretty much Snacks too ???????? I eat every 1-2 hours something very small and I try to keep it Protein packed: My sleeve doesn't like jerky which makes me sad, I loved it prior to wls ???? Pumpkin seeds raw or sunflower or pistachios Honey roasted almond slices from trader joes Laughing cow cheese wedges in light Greek yogurt low fat with flax meal - I ❤️chobani: pumpkin spice, apple cinnamon, oats, black cherry, apricot Dried apricot, dried apples Lean seafood, chicken, turkey, pork, beef ---- chewed super slowly in small portions "food should taste good" tortilla chips in sweet potato (I'm on a hunt for the pumpkin flavored ones ????) Oven baked ruffles Protein bars: think thin in creamy (not chunky) Peanut Butter, Premier Protein crisp, balance bar in mint, Power crunch Lenny & Larry Vegan protein Cookies from Vitamin shoppe ???????????????? very addictive high carb but good protein (double chocolate & lemon poppy????) Yasso frozen Greek yogurt bars Protein shakes: premier protein chocolate mixed with unsweetened almond milk and powdered peanut butter Sauteed roasted or steamed veggies Soups and stews Drinks: Water, all types of teas ...green, white, oolong, chai, black, flavored non flavored , herbal ????☺️????(I never drink soda or juice and alcohol, rarely have coffee) Guilty pleasure: Pumpkin spice & peanut butter Oreos ????????????"hello, my name is sandi and I'm a Cookie Monster"

@Tallysfunny - my father threatened to take me off his health insurance policy and then when that didn't scare me, he threatened my suregon. Said he'd find something to hold against him. It was my surgeon who ultimately decided that he was uncomfortable doing my surgery and denied me as a patient even after my consent forms were signed and everything. And unfortunately, I don't know if I'll ever be at peace with any decision. If I don't do it, my heath will continue a steady decline. If I go through with it and my dad finds out, my relationship with him will be at its lowest point yet. So.. I just don't know. :/ @Chitowngirl - I was also on 2000mg of Metformin, for all five years. Part of it, I was switched on and off of both the generic name (gluphenogue or something like that) and extended release on both, also. But good Lord, did that medicine tear up my stomach something awful. And after numerous bouts or nausea/vomiting on it, I'd still gain weight. I'm mighty impressive, huh? @BigGirlPanties - first of all, what a fabulous username! I do have the support of my friends and roommates. The first go around, I had my mom's support but she can't find it in her to support me this time. She has said that if I do this, she doesn't want to know anything about it. I hope that it didn't come off that my father and I have a good relationship, because we don't. We're at each other's throats all the time, especially after he stopped me from doing this the first time. He's a recovering alcoholic that firmly believes that every single problem can be solved with a twelve step program and he also firmly believes that by doing this, I'm taking the easy way out. Hell no - he's got no idea what he's talking about. @jh5497 - That's exactly what I've been thinking and I feel like if I don't do this, I'm not doing it because I want to keep my parents happy and in turn, making myself miserable. I'm really, really stuck. And I was thinking that I could do this and keep it under wraps from my dad - I'm a junior in college with an apartment by school so he doesn't see me that often. I don't think he would think anything amiss if I was losing a few (a lot?) of pounds every six/eight weeks when he saw me, right? Haha I've had a lot of time to toss this all around. Thanks so much for your replies. I have a lot to consider. Tomorrow, I'm actually going to go to a seminar for a new surgeon and see how that goes. Going to make an appointment for next week and sit down with him and get a feel for what he thinks. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping everything falls into place.

It’s March! Trees are leafing out and the green of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations surrounds us. This brings to mind that instead of wearing green, we should be eating more greens…and yellows, oranges, reds and purples. Include the colors of the rainbow in your veggie choices. Veggies have vitamins, minerals, water, fiber, and anti-oxidants. Having a smaller stomach pouch after surgery makes it a challenge to get in more veggies. Veggies you can sip instead of chewing to applesauce will make it easier to get in your vegetables. Think about blending veggies with protein powder to help increase your protein intake. Focus on non-starchy veggies. There are several ways you can sip your veggies. One way is to experiment with blended smoothies. A blended smoothie has 3 main parts: fresh or frozen produce, ice cubes, and a base. The base can be water, milk or yogurt. For bariatric patients, a base can also be protein powder or ready to drink protein shakes. You’ll need a good blending machine like NutriBullet, Ninja or Vitamix. Look for a blender with at least 1000 Watts for best results. Next time you make a protein smoothie, throw in a handful of raw spinach or kale, cucumbers, shredded purple cabbage, frozen veggie blend, fresh herbs or something from your garden. Fruits are often a part of a smoothie, but you will need to calculate the carbs to stay in your carbohydrate goal. Another idea is to make a non-alcoholic Bloody Mary. Stir a tablespoon of unflavored protein powder into 6 ounces low sodium V8 vegetable juice. This V8 is a blend of several vegetable juices. Throw in dashes of lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce, stir again and the pour over ice. Unflavored protein powder can be added to vegetable soups. Sprout’s has unflavored whey protein powder in the bulk bins, which is a way you can test taste this protein without buying a large canister. One tablespoon provides 10 grams of protein. If you use whey protein isolate, remember to keep it under 140o F. to prevent the protein from curdling. Healthy sipping!

I’m brand new to the game but I’ve been having some thoughts about my long term plans around some foods. For me this whole process has really made me look at the way I treat food and how I act around certain foods. I have parents with alcohol addiction, but I never made the connection between that and my chronic overeating until recently. I have addictive tendencies, and there are certain things that will cause me to spiral out of control. Long term, I’m not sure I can ever reintroduce candy. I binge on candy like nothing else on this planet. Chips and crackers, I have a lesser but real problem with. Does this mean I will never eat anything sweet or salty ever again? Doubtful. But I’m not sure I can ever bring home a bag of gummy bears or sit in bed with a bag of salt and vinegar potato chips again, nor do I need to. This wasn’t bringing me the happiness I thought it was.

Okay!!thank u soo much!!so are u like allowed to have a bit of alcohol or its a total no!?

@sleevedreamer so in 18months how much did u lose??r u happy with the new life?can u drink alcohol or we can never drink at all!?

The problem for me is that when I drink, I want to eat. I nibble and snack and since food and alcohol so often go together, I'm learning to be careful now.

AND the fact with othEr addictions you can live the rest of your life avoiding and not being tempted ( alcohol, smoking, drugs) survive and be just fine!! NOT the case with food-- you have to eat-- encounter the exposure If you will, to survive--- its a daily Mental screw job!!

Started my pre-op diet today and went over all the post-op dietary details with my husband who will help care for me. All the sudden it's hit him that I'm really doing this and he's started to panic. He was initially supportive when I started this journey six months ago but is now saying he'd like me to postpone the surgery and give dieting another chance...removing 3/4 of my stomach is extreme and unnatural...I'm going to be miserable during Christmas (surgery is 12/21)...I won't be able to stick with the plan and make myself sick...I'm just going to stretch out my new stomach, etc etc. I keep trying to reassure him that I'm confident in my decision, it's only one Christmas I'll be sacrificing (by not eating Cookies or drinking alcohol), despite my terrible track record with diets this time will be different, I will follow the doctors guidance so I won't get ill, etc. He tells me he is so scared about this he's not sleeping and thinks about what a bad idea this is all day long. He's begging me to reconsider. Anyone else have a family member/friend they had to "sell" on the idea of gastric surgery? Any good stories, videos, resources I should share with him to help out his mind at ease and reassure him that this really is a good decision for long term health? I need him in my corner and will need his support to get through the early months. Right now he's a negative ball of nerves. Advice appreciated. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

It's a free world. We're all "allowed" to do what we want, so that would include having as many drinks as you want. If you have truly educated yourself on all the potential risks of alcohol after WLS (both today and long-term), only YOU can determine whether you choose to remain compliant with your bari program. My program also recommends abstaining from alcohol FOR LIFE, and my personal choice is to follow that recommendation, for a lot of reasons. Yet another example of how different we all are...

So all is going well with the eating. I love that I'm eating less and losing *clap* *clap*. But now 7 weeks out, I need an alcoholic beverage. I have one of the most conservative programs and they advise no drinking EVER again. Well that's not going to happen. I meet with my dietitian next week and we need to set a realistic goal. I'm at the bar right now with friend as they sip on their wine and I just can't watch them weekend after weekend. If I'm allowed one glass of alcohol a weekend that would be amazing! Of course I would choose wisely and log the calories etc. Sorry I needed to rant as I sip my Water in the bar.

I had my first drink at 3 months out. It was a glass of wine and it hit me HARD. When you do have your first, don't have it while you are out, have it at home so you can see what impact it will have on you. I am almost two years out and I still get loopy after a beer or two and I lived in a sorority house for two years -- I can (could!!) hold my alcohol. I cannot eat after I drink or vice versa, so if you do feel buzzed, don't plan on food sobering you up like it used to and don't plan on being able to drink Water to pass it through faster. Another reason to have your first few drinks at home. Wine and other sweeter drinks give me heartburn that feels like death is trying to claw it's way out of my chest. I do like a bloody mary, or a vodka cranberry or vodka lemonade either made with 0 calorie "juice". I am not advocating drinking against your doctor's plan, but I am saying that if/when you do, do it smartly (is that even a word??) and cautiously.