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Read this I tried to just post the link but I couldn't get it to stay. Adjustments How to Tell When You Are Perfectly Adjusted You are losing 1-2 pounds per week. If you are not losing 1-2 pounds per week: A. You may need an eating adjustment 1. Are you eating 60 grams of protein a day 2. Are you eating 25 grams of fiber 3. Are you avoiding all liquid calories a. Soup can be sign of “soft calorie syndrome” b. Alcohol contains a lot of calories – 7 calories per gram (1) It’s also a stomach irritant c. Fruit juice is just sugar water 4. Are you making healthy food choices from a wide variety of foods? a. Are you avoiding soft foods b. You can’t just eat what’s easy c. Cheese is glorified fat 5. Are you drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day between meals 6. Are you eating too much junk a. Chips, chocolate, nuts, ice cream, cookies and other highly processed junk foods are too calorically dense to be regular parts of a healthy diet. But don’t avoid them completely to the point where you feel deprived. b. Stay out of fast food places 7. Are you getting in two servings of calcium daily 8. Do you always eat the protein first 9. Then the vegetables or fruits a. Five servings a day b. Potatoes are NOT a vegetable 10. Is your portion size appropriate? a. Meat or fish (1) 3 ounces – the size of a deck of cards b. Vegetables (1) ½ cup – the size of your fist c. Starch (1) If you eat the protein and the vegetables first you don’t need much (2) Avoid: rice, potatoes, pasta 11. You might try avoiding artificial sweeteners a. Some people think that artificial sweeteners stimulate the appetite b. They are HUNDREDS of times sweeter than sugar c. They teach you to like things too sweet d. There is no evidence that people who use them are any thinner than people who don’t 12. Avoid most diet foods a. Real food usually tastes better b. Real food is more satisfying than low calorie substitutes c. When you are only eating a tiny bit the caloric savings is not that great (1) Use a teaspoon of real butter instead of a tablespoon of diet margarine (2) The body has no way to break down artificial fats a. They may go into permanent storage b. Some people think liposuction is the only way to remove hydrolyzed fats from the body B. You may need a behavior adjustment 1. Are you eating only when you are hungry? a. If you’re not sure drink 8 ounces of water and wait. 2. Are you eating three meals a day? a. With maybe 1 or 2 small snacks 3. Are you sitting down to eat? 4. Are you eating consciously? a. No distractions, turn off the TV, put the book or newspaper away, pay attention to your food and your companions 5. Are you eating slowly? a. Put the fork down between bites b. Take 20 to 30 minutes to finish a meal c. Taking longer might cause the pouch to begin emptying 6. Are you taking small bites? a. Tiny spoon, chopsticks, cocktail fork 7. Are you chewing well? 8. Are you drinking with your meals or too soon after your meals? a. Practice water loading between meals b. You won’t be thirsty if you are well hydrated before the meal 9. Are you stopping at the first sign of fullness? a. Sometimes it’s a whisper: not hungry, had enough b. Hard stop versus soft stop 10. Do not eat between meals. Stop grazing. 11. Do not eat when you are not hungry C. You may need an activity adjustment 1. Are you getting in 30 minutes of physical activity at least 3 times a week? a. Over and above what you would do in the usual course of your day b. Could you make it 4 or 5 times a week? c. Could you make it 45 or 60 minutes? 2. Are you taking advantage of opportunities to increase your physical activity? a. Taking the stairs instead of the elevators or escalators b. Walking on the escalators instead of riding c. Parking your car further away from the entrance d. Getting out of the car instead of using the drive through e. Getting off the bus one stop before your destination f. Washing you car by hand instead of the car wash g. Playing with your kids D. You may need an attitude adjustment 1. Are you committed to your weight loss journey? 2. Are you totally honest with yourself about how much you are eating and exercising? a. Log your food and activity on ww.fitday.com for 3 days 3. Are you using food inappropriately to deal with emotional issues? a. Have you identified what the emotions are that drive your eating? b. Can you think of more appropriate ways to deal with those emotions? c. Are you willing to seek help from a qualified counselor? 4. Are you attending and participating in support group meetings? 5. Have you drummed up some support from your family and friends? 6. Have you dealt with saboteurs realistically? 7. Do you have realistic expectations about the weight loss journey? 8. Are you still obsessing about food, weight, dieting, eating? a. Obsessive – compulsive thoughts (1) Obsess about something else b. Perfectionism (1) All or none, black and white thinking c. Patience with the pace of healthy weight loss 9. Are you acknowledging your successes with non-food rewards? 10. Have you learned how to take a compliment? 11. Are you giving up diet mentality? a. Stop weighing yourself several times a day or every day b. Stop dieting c. Stop depriving yourself d. Stop defining food as “good” and “bad” e. Stop rewarding and punishing yourself with food 12. How do you feel about all the changes taking place? E. You may need a band adjustment 1. You feel like you are making healthy food choices in appropriate portion sizes but getting hungry between meals? 2. You can still eat white bread, fibrous vegetables and large portions. 3. You are having to struggle to lose 4. You are gaining weight in spite of eating right, exercising and having a good mind set. F. You may need your band loosened 1. There are times when you can’t get fluids down 2. You are vomiting too much a. How much is too much? 3. Do you have frequent reflux or heartburn at night? a. Do not lie flat or bend over soon after eating b. Do not eat late at night or just before bedtime c. Rinse your pouch with a glass or water an hour before bedtime d. Certain foods or drinks are more likely to cause reflux: (1) Rich, spicy, fatty and fried foods (2) Chocolate (3) Caffeine (4) Alcohol (5) Some fruits and vegetables a. Oranges, lemons, tomatoes, peppers (6) Peppermint a. Baking soda toothpaste (7) Carbonated drinks e. Eat slowly and do not eat big meals f. If you smoke, quit smoking g. Reduce stress h. Exercise promotes digestion i. Raise the head of your bed j. Wear loose fitting clothing around your waist k. Stress increases reflux l. Take estrogen containing medications in the morning m. Avoid aspirin, Aleve and ibuprofen at bedtime (1) Tylenol is OK n. Take an antacid (Pepcid complete) before retiring o. Try other over-the-counter heartburn medications p. See your health care provider 4. See your health care provider immediately (or call 911) if a. You have a squeezing, tightness or heaviness in your chest, especially if the discomfort spreads to your shoulder, arm or jaw or is accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, irregular or fast heartbeat or nausea. These could be symptoms of a heart attack. b. If your symptoms are triggered by exercise. c. If your pain localizes to your right side, especially if you also have nausea or fever d. If you throw up vomit that looks like black sand or coffee grounds. Or if your stool is black, deep red or looks like it has tar in it. These are symptoms of bleeding and need immediate attention. (Note: Pepto-Bismol or other medications with bismuth will turn your stool black. Iron supplements can also make the stool tarry.) e. If your pain is severe This was written by Jessie H. Ahroni, Ph.D., A.R.N.P., C.D.E., B.C.-A.D.M. All site content copyright Malcolm Bywaters and WorldWyldWeb.com 2003 Web Site Design WorldWyldWeb.

Skinny/lipgloss Hello, I was banded June 7 and had all the thoughts you are having. I started the official process in February 07, however prior to that I thought about it, researched it and on and on. Once I went to the first orientation meeting in February, I was so excited. But as the band date got closer, I had thoughts; what if something happens, how can I give up the foods for ever or eat so little, can I have alcohol, why don't I just go back to weight watchers ( for 100th time), etc. but then I realized I really needed this and I could do it. I have had a couple glasses of wine at a time a week out from surgery, just sipped! Someone asked me yesterday if I was hungry or how could I give all that up? It is easier once you have made the committment!!! You will do GREAT!!!

Good for you! Mind over matter! Personally, I enjoy egg nog. I will have a little shot glass size of Southern Comfort Vanilla Spice eggnog (no alcohol in it) every once in a while at night. I'm not completely giving it up & a shot satisfies me.

Pertaining to Gastric Reflux...from the gastrologist's directions sheet (used with permission): MODIFICATION OF LIFE STYLE RECOMMENDATIONS: *WATCH DIET --Avoid provoking foods (see list below) --No eating for 2 - 3 hours before going to bed --Eat smaller meals *EXERCISE --Avoid vigorous activity for 1 - 2 hours after meals --Bend at knees and not waist *ELEVATE HEAD OF BED 4 INCHES -- BY USING 4x4 BOARD OR 4" BRICK UNDER LEGS OF BED *AVOID WEARING TIGHT FITTING CLOTHING *STOP SMOKING AND DRINKING ALCOHOLIC beverages *REDUCE WEIGHT GERD: PROVOKING FACTORS: *FOODS --Mints --Tea --Chocolates --coffee --Tomato --Fatty or Fried Foods --Black Pepper *ALCOHOL, CIGARETTES, COFFEE (INCLUDING DECAFFEINATED) *LYING DOWN WITHIN 3 - HOURS AFTER A MEAL *DRUGS --Nitrates --Calcium-channel blockers --Anticholinergics --Theophylline --Oral B2-agonists --NSAIDs --Antispasmodics --Phenothiazines --Tricyclics --Neuroleptics --Narcotics

Why WLS? You actually answered your own question when you said "all of my efforts to lose significant weight have either failed or yo-yo'ed". The band is a tool to help you avoid that outcome. I've read about the restrictions after lap band, and some of them are simply the restrictions that any diet should have: avoid sweets, avoid white, bready foods, chew slowly, stop when you're full, control portion size, exercise lots, and so on. Additionally, there are some WLS-specific restrictions: NO (?) carbonated beverages (there goes my love of Diet Coke), NO alcohol (I'm not a lush, but I love a summer beer or vodka cocktail), NO (?) caffeine (so I can't even have coffee?), plus a lot of scary things about how for instance taking a whole pill can lead to chain vomiting. A lot of docs actually allow carbonated beverages after a period of time with the band. But each doc is different. But soda is bad for you, period, so if you do without it for a period of time, you may not feel compelled to drink it again. I was NEVER told that I could not have alcohol or caffeine. I drink (damn, I'm a PARROT HEAD! Do you think I'd go to a Jimmy Buffett concert and party in the parking lot without a good rum drink?????) and I have caffeine (I love a big steamy mug of hot tea in the morning). I have 5.8ccs in a 10cc band and I can take two Tylenol at once with no problems. All those other meds I was taking for diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are all things of the past -- which is why I did this in the first place. I have NEVER vomited, post-banding. I've PB'd but it was my fault for eating too fast every single time. Second question, what are the real limitations? I have read so much, conflicting stuff. I know you can't shouldn't eat, for instance, Snickers' bars (and why would I want to sabotage myself that way), but what about coffee? Carbonated beverages? Alcohol? Do I have to give up all of life's little pleasurable vices for this goal? See my comments above. Getting a band is NOT going to prison. You are still able and supposed to enjoy life. The only beer I really like, I can't buy in the States (Belikin, which is brewed in Belize) so no beer is not a question I've ever really had to address except when I was in Belize just over a month after surgery. Yeah, I had one but I had to drink it slowly. I've eaten birthday, a few M&Ms, I don't like coffee but I LOVE hot tea and I drink it. I don't miss Diet Coke. I stopped cold turkey and never looked back -- except that I mix it with rum, which pretty much takes the fizz right out of it. But, I reiterate, it is ALL THINGS IN MODERATION. If you pig out on anything, your band will stop you from going too far. If nothing else, no more food can get into the pouch and you will feel very uncomfortably stuffed and will have to stop. Believe me, you only have to experience that too-full feeling once and you'll remember you want to avoid it. It's like you ate 3 plates of food at Thanksgiving dinner and one of every dessert. Ugghhhhh. I've read a lot about things getting "stuck" in the stomach pouch if you eat to fast, or if you swallow a large pill, or something. What does this mean? Vomiting? Discomfort? A stomach pump? Along with being obese (BMI of 41) and having sleep apnea (a comorbidity; if insurance companies weren't so difficult, I'd be a shoo-in for the surgery), I'm a hypochondriac. What are the real RISKS post lap-band, versus just discomforts. Discomforts I can live with (assuming, of course, the benefit is worth it -- see my first question). Stuck is exactly that...it sits in one place and you wish it would move. Occasionally, you will cough the stuck bite back up (productive burp or "PB") and when that happens, if's actually a relief. But it IS NOT VOMITING. It is regurgitation of that stuck bite or two. Vomiting is when your stomach muscles force all the contents of your stomach back out. Two very different things. Lose the weight and all your aches and pains will disappear and you won't want to be a hypchondriac any more...you'll be too busy enjoying life. The risks are somewhat minimal. Slippage can occur, though not often, and many, many docs actually stitch the band into place to prevent that (mine did). If your band gets too much fill, you can develop a night cough and acid reflux, all of which is easily remedied by you admitting you have the problem and getting a slight unfill of even as little as .2 cc. I remember some posts from a man who turned out to be allergic to one of the components of his band and had to have hit removed. That was one person. Risks of anesthesia and surgery itself are separate things and your docs should advise you of those risks, but they are pretty small percentage risks. Finally, some health-related stuff. I know most/all here aren't doctors, but I have a fatty liver (diagnosed w/ultrasound) and quite possibly a duodenal (not gastric, that's important) ulcer. Am I disqualified from the surgery on medical grounds? Fatty liver ... the pre-op diet is designed to reduce your fatty liver. Stick to the pre-op diet and you'll be fine. A duodenal ulcer needs to be treated but shouldn't keep you from surgery unless it's not responsive to treatment. I will say unequivocally that getting the band has not compromised my quality of life in any way or amount. On the contrary, it has improved my life immeasurably. I think most people here would agree with me. Go to a seminar and ask the presenters your questions, too. (Many seminars have a patient or two there you can talk to as well. i've done this for my surgeon.)

Years down the road and in small portions. Just remember food addiction is a real very hard thing to overcome, but with the tool you are about to receive you can do it!!! Several months after my surgery I couldn't figure out why I still wanted food when I wasn't hungry and if I ate it I got so sick. So I was looking up YouTube videos of other WLS perps and I watched one that put it all into perspective. She said a food addiction is the worst of all addictions if you think about it. A drug addict simply avoids the people and places their drug of choice is. Same for an alcoholic. A food addict has to eat to live. It was an ahh haa moment as well as a duh moment for me. Once I had the mindset I was eating 3 tiny meals a day my Protein and Water just to live and for no other reason I was the most successful. When you start thinking about food find a good distraction like walking for 5 minutes and drinking a bottle of water.

I am adding my two cents here. FF--get ready to raise your blood pressure again because you anger is RADIATING off the pages. Yes, your band did not work for you. We hear you. BUT you are allowing your less than satisfactory experience taint your view of others and that is simply not right. No one said you were in the wrong and no one commented on your experience. What people here were asking was more follow up to a post that said "my band does not work" but then offers no more details. Talk about dropping a load in the forum but with no information. So people asked follow up questions--there is nothing wrong with that. So, you jumped to the conclusion that people were picking on Swirl which is simply not the case. I too have to ask (because someone asked before) why do you stay? To continue to share your bad experience and be mean spirited in this forum? I get you want people to know the band does not work for everyone but truly folks--you are embarking on major surgery here with a doctor cutting open your intestines. You should know all the risks and the failure rate before you allow yourself to lay on the operating table. If people do their homework, they will find articles and statistics on the success and failure rate on this surgery. Second, if someone comes into this journey saying "I want cheeseburgers" and they want to eat cheesecake, cake, and Cookies but in limited portions, then they are setting themselves up for failure. There, I said it. NO LIFESTYLE CHANGE WILL WORK UNLESS THE PERSON REALLY WANTS TO CHANGE. That's like saying to an alcoholic "well I am apporaching soberity as I can have one drink a day instead of none". Or the drug addict can have one joint a day. NO--doesn't work that way. Addicition comes in many forms but overweight people are addicted to food. You can cure an addiction by saying "well I can have just a little" because a little is never enough. Sorry but that's just the truth. So, FF and Swirl, yes, the band doesn't work for some but for others it works but people self sabatoge themselves by saying it doesn't. So it didn't work for you. We get it. But for the majority of us, it has and enabled us to have totally differnt lives. Don't diss the people that have made the effort to get the most out of this journey. It's insulting and rude.

WHAT.!?! If your doctor gives you permission to have a drink he/she is probably an alcoholic? Are you kidding?

I had my surgery april 7th and am doing great sticking with my liquids now on soft mushy until may 5th yay. but im wondering about drinking alcohol im not talking about a whole bottle of vodka but just one or 2 mixed drinks like i like vodka and water with crystal light or vodka and cran? what about that or what about miller lite? im not sure and never thought about bringing up to dr until now and its the weekend. can i please get some advice.

I haven't drunk alcohol since being banded...I was a featherweight before it. But I read this response in a thread about addiction transfer to alcohol and it seems to indicate to me that our bodies DO respond differently to alcohol: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/626201-post5.html

I allowed myself to have a beer for Christmas. Haven't had alcohol since being banded on 10-25-07. Tasted great and I satisfied my craving, drank Water the rest of the evening. My surgeon told me that I can have a drink if I want, they suggest staying away from it due to the calories. A friend of mine who had the bariatric surgery gets giddy on two glasses of wine, I guess it affects everyone differently, so just be careful.

You'd have to look up the carb content but yes it will hinder your pre op diet- so will the vicodin. You are trying to shrink your liver before surgery to reduce risk of injury to it- and both alcohol and vicodin are not conducive to shrinking the liver by any means. You really would be endangering yourself to not go off both of those before surgery.

Another thing to keep in mind is that for some (like me) alcohol makes you eat more and not think 100% about what you're putting in your mouth. I've gone out with friends a few times and had a fair amount to drink (I'm definitely more of a lightweight now) and I ate horribly, more than I should have, and got stuck quite a few times. Not pleasant.

I avoided cheez-its for like, 7.5 months after surgery, but had some 2 weeks ago in an impulsive gas station buy on a road trip It was a 3 serving bag and I got through 2 servings without even realizing it! Never. Again. the cheez-its are BANNED! I was so successful keeping them out of the house (those and other crackers are my "I will devour this whole bag/carton" type foods) and now I have to try harder to eliminate gas station stops--like packing a bag ahead of time for nutrition needs! Did that last roadtrip (after the cheez it meltdown) and was wickedly successful. Protein shake and a yogurt if I needed one or both. Otherwise...I don't think I've had any huge slider screw ups like that. Unless you count alcohol. there are sadly days where I drink my calories from bad things like that instead of eating real people food. #workinprogress anyone?

I began my 3 week pre-op December 1st and was banded the 20th. Since beginning this journey I am down 55 pounds - averaging about 5 pounds per week. Its definitely not easy. I see a trainer twice a week and work out at least 3 times a week on my own. I calorie count and try to stick to 1000 - 1200 calories per day. For me at this point its all will power, I feel little restriction and do get hungry a couple hours after I eat. A personal choice for me was cutting out caffeine, alcohol and red meat. I think that has helped. We are all doing well! Mar

*laughs* You didn't piss me off, Donna. In fact I agree with you. At our support group last week (which really is kind of pointless at only 1.5 hours per month in a group of 25 people) several people talked about what a crock the psych eval was and how stupid the questions on there were. They pointed out how many questions about drugs and alcohol were on there and asked how in the world that pertained to getting the band. I guess what they were overlooking was that while those questions might not be relevant to them, there is a very real chance that they might be very relevant to the next person. I too have a very hard time with blanketing everyone with the same conclusions based upon the "normal" or "typical" responses from a test study group. Everyone is an individual and letting a stranger speak to you for a few hours out of your life to determine something so important about you is down right scarey. I guess it comes down to this. They'd rather be safe than have us be sorry. Getting a bit healthier, mentally or physcially, before going through something so extreme can't be all bad. It's not a permanent "NO", it's just a "Get a little better first so you can have better success" kind of a thing. Like Crystal said, it's not a patch you can pull off and return to old habits. I was just reading and posting on the thread about what others think of your weightloss, and it really hit me. It's time for some serious issues in my life to be dealt with as I progress to my physical goal. Otherwise, my mental state will have a heck of a time dealing with my physical state. I think those pre-tests picked up on that - for me anyway. And his advice was right on the money, "Whether it be me or another counselor, you need to start seeing someone to help you through this."

You are not a failure!!!! This journey does not end as soon as you get the lapband. This is ongoing. Every temptation, thought, of craving of food. You said you feel like a drug addict.... thats because its the same thing!! But with food. Every addiction wether its food, drugs, alcohol, gambling does not stop over night. One thing can not make it go away. You will slip up. If you dont you arent human. After you do you just have to be sure to tell yourself...I CAN do this. And I WILL do this because i'm worth it. And you continue your journey. Also about any addiciton, there is always an underlying factor. It may be worth your time to seek a therapist. It can really help. There are ones that deal with over eating. I also feel that just like a drug/alcohol road to recovery , we should have sponsors too. Please feel free to email me ANYTIME you need someone to help you through a rough spot...a craving, a weak moment. YOU CAN DO THIS!

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.

During the weight loss phase, drinking any alcohol will slow it down. There are conflicting schools of thought on this, but I found it to be true for me. Our bodies do not recognize alcohol as any type of food source, and given that, can only store it as fat. The other issue is the food cravings alcohol brings on, and the tendency to eat more when alcohol is involved. Now that I've said ALL of that, I'm going to a BBQ on Memorial Day weekend, and plan to drink. I haven't had wine or anything else in three months, and I'm looking forward to that first (and maybe 2nd) glass of wine. I'm guessing it will slow down my loss for that week, but I'm willing to suffer the consequences. I miss wine too, even though I don't drink it every night. More like once a week, but then I can drink a good 1/2 to 2/3 bottle. I love it, and getting a little loopy is totally fine with me

Hang in there. I also had wine issues and yes it will halt your weightloss for a while. Every time I stop, the scale starts moving and that feeling of seeing the scale move again is amazing and motivating. Please seek therapy right away or maybe even just an AA class to get started. I was warned against alcohol as a substitute for food after surgery. I did not take seriously as I was always on control of my wine. For some reason, it escalated after surgery and took a lot of mindfulness to stay away. I am sorry for the loss of your family. I understand completely, I lost my mum 3 days before surgery. I would like to think they would want us to do better and take control our progress and do all we can to continue. Understanding the process it took to get this far, make changes now. Start with putting away the wine which I know is easier said than done, reach out to a local wls support group as meeting others in similar situations help when done on person, most importantly you are your greatest motivator. What do you hope to accomplish with this surgery and what are you doing to be accountable? Also, best food tracking tool to be accountable in regards to food is myfitnesspal app. You log everything you need thereby knowing exactly what you put into your mouth. It counts calorie intake, water intake, fat content, etc. Please start there for diet setbacks. Good luck! Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Honestly...you've answered your own question about "why" you haven't lost more. I promise you I know that adding in the wine will dead cold stop you in your tracks and derail you--and if it's true transference/alcoholism--can and will kill you after contributing to massive regain. Please get help?!!! Please. We can't provide the kind of help you need--an addiction specialist and someone very well-versed with bariatrics and food addiction as well. I'm so sorry about your mom and sis. And sorry your doc is an asshat!!

I have been clean and sober 7 years. I am active in aa and my home group is actually an online group. So for any women that has drinking our drug issues and need advice or want to talk, message me. I'll give you my number and we can talk. Men too, I can help guide you to a feeling make in this area. I always say I'm a "true addict". I take anything and make it unhealthy; cutting, sex, drugs, alcohol, and especially food. I'm not trying to make my message a public service announcement, but I want those struggling with other unhealthy coping mechanisms to know that they're not alone.

So does anyone out there suffer from the inevitable ending of the day glass of wine.?! I'm sure alcohol has attributed to some of my weight gain and I'm scared of it continuing to be a problem going forward after surgery because it's a liquid. I know I'll have to scale back but I have a very stressful job and family life and long for that evening relaxing glass of wine. How do I cope? Thoughts??

I was never much a drinker - if I drank more then twice a month, that was a lot. I would always prefer to eat my calories, from large amounts of carbs, rather then drink them. My doctor has always said that having a small glass of wine every day, cannot hurt you, unless you are one of those people who have a problem with alcohol. You do need to count that 100 cal into your daily totals for the day. I very much enjoy my wine now, (maybe 2 or 3 times a week), and savor that glass like it is a dessert.

I really appreciate it everyone. I do my best to ignore but some days it gets to me. I have a therapist so we talk about it as well. I've done 10 months now of counseling and will continue throughout the whole bariatric process. I told my family last night that I didn't want to deal with my problems the same way they do. They have issues with alcohol and my brother with both food and alcohol. They've refused to get help my whole life. It annoys me even more because I went out, got a psychiatrist, psychologist, dietician, surgery etc. And im still told you might fail, what makes this any different? Like look, I'm getting help...something they REFUSE to do for their problems. I REFUSE to be just like them. I really do appreciate the kind words of encouragement from everyone. I won't let their negativity stop me. I can't wait till I'm a year post op and they shut their traps. [emoji38] Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app