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I don't know of any surgeon who would approve alcohol during the first 30 days post-surgery. Mine said to wait a year, and then only indulge occasionally. Some say it's OK after 3 or 4 months. Be aware, though, that transfer addictions can be a huge risk. I know of several people (on internet forums) who've become alcoholics after WLS because of transfer addiction. and yes - people with RNY are more prone to ulcers than people with VSG.

I drink alcohol - but not a lot (never really have because alcoholism runs in my family, so I never wanted to risk it. I definitely have an addictive personality, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if I have the genetic predisposition to become alcoholic). I'll have a drink maybe three or four times a year, though. But only one or two at a time (you get trashed very quickly after surgery, so one or two is pretty much all it takes....) I don't do nicotine because I was a heavy smoker for about 15 years. It was HORRIFIC to quit, so I don't even want to take a puff. It's WAY too tough to quit. I once bummed a cigarette from a friend after a one-year quit and was back to smoking full-time within a couple of weeks of that, so I'm not doing that again. I know I'd be back to smoking in no time, and after being cigarette-free for over 20 years, that would be awful. Weed - well, I'm in my 60s. I don't think I've done that since I was in my 20s. NSAIDs - nope. I take Tylenol now. The PA in my surgeon's office said a very occasional NSAID when nothing else is working might be fine, but as a regular thing, no.

I'm talking about the shooter, all signs, as of now, point to him being a crazy left winger, mad that she is not liberal enough. As of now, no one, except the father is linking anything to the tea party or and tea party people. I wasn't aware of us holding bar tenders responsible for drunks drinking too much. Personal responsibility, I know libs hate it, but its something that has to find it's way back into our society or we'll continue falling apart. I literally had to read that post like 5 or 6 times to get my head around you saying that. A drunk kills someone and you blame the bartender? Are you kidding me. What if he got drunk at home? Do you blame the Jack Daniels company? Or Grey Goose? I've not heard of any bartenders being help accountable for a drunk killing someone. The most I've seen in that aspect is when a minor kills someone while under the influence, the police will go after whomever they got the alcohol from. Personal responsibility, again. If a 17, 18, 19 year old is capable of making choices on their own, I don't think that anyone should be responsible for their actions except for them. Why are you so against PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY? It doesn't make any sense to me. Will you also want to go after the gun maker and ammunition maker of the weapon and bullets that killed these people? There is not plenty of blame to go around, there is blame on the person who pulled the trigger, period. The only arrogance I've seen is from the people saying that this is something that it is not. To demand an apology from anyone other than the shooter is arrogant, and ridiculous.

Yep flagyl definitely causes a violent reaction if mixed with alcohol. I can attest to that as when I was younger I was taking it and went to a party. I figured the alcohol wouldn't hurt it would just make the mediaction less effective(thats why you can't drink with most antibiotics). Well I think I had 2 drinks and I have never been so sick in my life. It was awful. Flagyl is quite a common drug. Its prescribed for recurrent/resistant yeast infections amongst other things.

Thanks, Silly Kitty and everyone else. I guess my fear is that my relationship with food is like an alcoholic--one cupcake and I would end up losing control. Perhaps I should go into this with the mindset that I may very will slip up from time to time, and not beat myself up when I do. I can always get back on track by keeping the ultimate goal in mind. I really appreciate your reassurance!

After a friend of mine guessed what I did based on what hospital I was in, said to me "I hope you had the therapy that told you that your gonna become a sex addict and alcoholic now". Where do ppl come up with this stuff. The next week he asked me if I was tired of throwing up yet. I proudly told him I haven't thrown up at all.

Net carbs are calculated by taking total carbohydrate grams and subtracting fiber and sugar alcohol grams. The remaining carb grams are considered a given product’s net carbs. Low carb diets consider certain carbs such as fiber and sugar alcohol “non-impact carbs”. Non-impact carbs are carbs that you can’t metabolize or use, so they don’t count, so to speak.

My name is Kendi and I definitely have an addictive personality. I am addicted to food and have to watch my alcohol intake. I could easily choose to go down the wrong paths, but instead I work at staying vigilant & supplement my addictive tendencies with healthier options. By that I mean that when I sense that my emotions are in a place where I could easily cave into my addictions, I have to consciously choose to replace my addictive behaviors with healthier activities. {Alas I have not reached the place of love & devotion to exercise as some of you have (I still have to FORCE myself to exercise Every da@n day)}, but I have learned to supplement my unhealthy desires into more positive activities like reading a book, doing some sort of art / creative work, sewing, etc. The latter activities help me unwind without harmful consequences (of course with the exception of possibly creating UGLY fashion but that's a different issue)... in reality, I am waiting for the day that I don't have to feel the struggle. I wish my brain would automatically choose healthy behaviors vs. addictive ones. I dislike feeling like I have to fight myself in order to overcome my automatic & initial tendencies... I guess what I am wondering is when do our new habits become the permanent lifestyle change we are all working towards?

I like this but I think the alcoholism transference is more complicated than soothing with alcohol instead of food. We are skipping the mental component that a lot of people didn't really live life before WLS and are now enjoying life, sometimes in a way they never did before, and they are just going off the rails on partying. Some of us did that in College when everyone else was doing it, no need to repeat. There are other people that never had that chance and didn't learn the lessons of partying early on (all parties are the same, seriously, facts, thus one doesn't matter more than the next). Which is why more comprehensive post-op therapy is necessary for a lot of people. I don't want to derail this convo, I like where this is going but I still feel like everyone really ignores the mental and emotional aspects of massive weight loss for some people.

PlutoMars: yes take a deep breath! Do clear liquids this really does help. It you have been mainly following the preop diet you should be ok. If not at all, there may or may not be issues. My dr doesn't require one and I was fine with a 43 BMI. Also the beer: technically yes. It's carbonated and that is a big nono for most RNY patients. Too much air in the pouch and alcohol can be processed poorly by us (see UPMC study) . But I know a lot of people that can do alcohol and carbonation a year or two out. It is just not recommend. 1 1/2 weeks off work is really pushing it. Some do two and are fine with no complications. I'm still at three but may need more since I had to have a second surgery for a stricture. Only time will tell. Good luck to you! Let us know what you need. :-).

I did smoke marijuana after a bad accident where I broke my pelvis and femur. It helped with the pain and I found I did not need as many narcotics. I did not like smoking, but edibles were not an option then (3 years ago and I'm not anywhere near any states where it was legal). This was a topic that did come up in my support group and there was one guy that became a fanatic about researching CBD products. A couple points that stood out to me.... 1)Be careful of the source of the hemp used. If it's cheap, it probably comes from out of the country and hemp is often grown as a "cleanup plant" in toxic and/or radioactive industrial sites. Not something I'd want to consume! US sourced hemp is VERY regulated (in order to make sure the THC level is low enough to make it legal) and usually organic. 2) look at the extraction method used. Stay away from the processes using solvents like butane or hexane (again, the cheaper way to do it.) Olive oil doesn't typically produce a full spectrum product that contains all the cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids. That leaves alcohol and CO2 methods. Alcohol is the oldest plant extraction method dating back centuries. CO2 is the newest, high tech method but possibly doesn't produce a full spectrum product either. So for those of you that may be looking for a legal CBD product, this was the company this guy liked...... Www.enerhealthbotanicals.com And although a combo of THC and CBD is proven to be the best for pain, CBD alone does provide some relief, and so many other health benefits. I have a friend with MS that has greatly benefited. Google endocannabanoid system for some interesting info.

Nicolanz beat me to it...but I was going to bring up caffiene and tobacco. Many people are addicted to one or both of those substances, but I doubt all of those addicts steal, cheat and lie to get their fix. Some may lie to their spouses about not smoking, but who lies about coffee? If you do, you've got bigger problems than just being addicted. But the point is, addiction can certainly exist without these behaviors. I know more than one functioning alcoholic. They don't think they have a problem because they've never missed a day of work, or had a DWI, or wrecked their car. But they can't leave the house without a beer or 2. Where ever they go, they are drinking. They may never admit to "needing" it, but you won't catch them without it. Is that an addiction? I think it is but I'm no doctor. As for eating, here's what my life looked like for over 20 years. First of all, I never hid food or sneaked around eating food behind anyone's back. I never lied or cheated. But I ate all the wrong stuff. Basically, I ate fast food for every meal. I never cooked. If I bought groceries, it was cereal, cookies, chips, peanut butter and bread...not much else. The oven was for pizza box storage, not for cooking. I nearly set my apartment on fire once because I attempted to preheat the oven too cook a frozen dinner, but I forgot it was full of old pizza boxes. When I bought my meals at whatever drive thru I went to, I bought way too much. It was extremely carb heavy. My blood sugar must have been through the roof, and after a few years, I was on my way to being insulin resistant. If I tried to restrict my calories, I had massive blood sugar drops every 3 hours like clockwork. Anyone who has ever bonked knows exactly how that feels. That negative reinforcement trained me to eat before that happened...and specifically to eat carbs (sugar) because that was the surest way to avoid that awful feeling. I know now that eating those carbs caused the rise and fall of blood sugar, which caused my feelings of temporary satisfaction, followed by increased insulin production which lead to the inevitable crash...unless I ate again before it happened (which I trained myself to do). It was a self inforcing pattern that lead to massive weight gain and overall poor health. I made some poor decisions, in part because I didn't know any better...which is my fault, nobody else's. As the weight piled on, it became ever more difficult to give a crap about my health. After a while, you get to the point that you feel you're too far gone so why try? Again...I don't know if this was an addiction. It certainly fits the description of damaging behavior that I couldn't stop. Even when I made up my mind to have VSG I was still in the dark about this stuff. I thought I could have surgery and it would only allow me to eat half a whataburger per day. That 6 months with the nutritionist really paid off for me, she opened my eyes and lit a fire in me to educate myself on food and the damage certain foods caused. Now....if I could only have one....the knowledge or the sleeve, I'd take the knowledge. But there is no denying that the sleeve gave me a push over that insurmountable hump that I couldn't see around before surgery...a push that I continue to ride into a better way of living.

I just joined this forum today and this is the exact reason. I am 8 years post op and had amazing results. Over 110lb weightloss. I knew all the warnings of gaining the weight back and not replacing food with alcohol etc. I truly thought all the warnings did not apply to me! I kept my post op weight for approx 5 years really without any effort. Ate pretty much what ever I wanted and still no weight gain! I WON- was my thought! Then 3 years ago my mom died and i fell apart. Eating didnt change but the daily wine drinking started. My weight slowly crept up over the next years and i am now 40+ pounds up from where I want to be. I really dont even know what to do. I have an extremely stressful life and really do not want to stop the wine completely so will cut back but I do not know what to even eat anymore! Has anyone else been here? Where did you start? Specifically-what did you do. I feel so ashamed of myself. I feel like i had such a gift of a second chance and have blown it ((.

Today is my one year bandiversary. I am at the lowest weight I have been in decades. I started at 302 and today weigh 194. I've lost 108 pounds and have just under 50 to go. Almost all of the weight so far was lost in the first 7 months. Then I bounced around with the same five pounds up and down for the next five months. This past two weeks I became energized again and I now believe I will make it to my goal weight this summer. Life with the LapBand is incredible. Although the band doesn't stop me from overeating (that's my job) or from choosing high calorie foods, it does help me to stay satisfied on less food for several hours. In other words, the hunger that always derailed all of my previous dieting attempts is solved. The band takes care of hunger between meals. All I have to do is ... everything else. Everything else means choosing solid Protein and passing up carbs. Limiting alcohol which is pure sugar and has the added side effect of allowing me to feel it's ok to nibble while I drink. Everything else means no snacking between meals. Snacking wakes up my hunger. Everything else means no tv eating. Ever. Everything else means walking. Taking the stairs. Every day and lots of times a day. Everything else means saying no to helpful people who suggest just one bite won't hurt. I know better. Everything else also means ... ... Working on the reasons I turn to food instead of to people. ... Seeing a therapist twice a month. ... Going to OA and to CoDA. ... Believing in success and never letting go of the goal. I didn't get WLS to be prettier or sexier. I didn't even really get it because of all of my health problems -- high blood pressure. sleep apnea. GERD. Debilitating osteoarthritis. Swelling in my feet and legs. A dozen different medications to take each morning. Horrible lower back pain. I got WLS because my life had narrowed to unbearable dimensions, where I found myself at age 53 in an emotionally abusive marriage with a raging narcissist. Marriage counseling failed. I ate every night into what I call my food coma. If I had my food, all the chaos around me would temporarily go away. Until it didn't. I knew that I could never get myself and my college age girls out of that environment while I kept eating. I had to stop. I couldn't stop. But I had to stop. I looked into WLS and started the process. My husband was coldly critical but didn't say much. I didn't ask permission. My daughters were very supportive. I got my surgery. I started exercising. I dropped weight quickly and felt better immediately. A few months later, when his rage escalated, I took my girls and the dog and left him. I haven't looked back. My divorce is in process and it's the most painful thing I've ever done. He continues to try to manipulate the three of us from afar and has stalled the divorce at every turn. It's costing me a fortune. It's worth every penny. I stopped losing weight five months ago. Last week my divorce therapist and I talked about this. My identity as a wife - poof. My identity as a mom - fragile with my girls away at college. They don't need me every day anymore. My identity as a daughter - in extreme flux since I'm living with my mother right now. She has control and anger issues herself, and that's a daily struggle. I spend a lot of time outside of the house. It's time to focus on my new identity. My head is back in the game today. I'm making better choices. I'm making new friends and finding social things to do instead of living like a hermit. I'm working on the underlying psychological issues that allowed me to live for years as if I didn't matter. I know that without WLS I would have never stopped eating. If I'd never stopped eating, I would still be on that couch, waiting to die. I am proud of the changes I made in the last year. It is so much more than going down in size. I have truly recovered my self. The self that I buried under food all of my life. I'm scared witless about finding a new house and starting over. I'm scared to make decisions for myself. I was told my whole life that I didn't know what was best for myself. I don't believe that anymore. Today I know better. I know that I made a good decision getting my LapBand and I made a good decision leaving and filing for divorce. I will make good decisions when it comes to a new home and taking care of my new body. I see threads on here often asking if WLS changes a relationship or harms a marriage. I'm one person who got WLS because I needed the strength to do what I knew I had to do. Happy surgiversary to me. My whole life has changed and I couldn't be more grateful.

Ok, so of course we're all entitled to our opinions. And if you weren't here inviting our opinions, then what? If you post here or anywhere, surely you must be prepared for descent as well as people who pat your back and tell you you're making great decisions? I don't get that, honestly. Here is why I think this has danger all over it. This is your treat--roughly. (But since this isn't happening once every so often and appears to be happening daily, maybe you should just call it what it is: dessert. You are a recovering alcoholic. I have enough alcoholics recovering or otherwise in my family who've been there and done that, printed the t-shirt with the 12 steps...who will bold faced tell you: sugar is as sugar does. Doesn't matter if you're drinking it or seeking it out to eat it. And that need will build. It's like wrestling with a siren. You won't be content eating it now and then, or every day. Pretty soon it evolves to eating it preferentially for a meal in addition to dessert cuz it's easy and IT HAS PROTEIN! And it's easy. And tastes great. And IT HAS PROTEIN!!! You admit that you are under goal (congrats again, btw) and have wiggle room to experiment with fire swallowing once more. Well, that is a painful thing to watch from an outsider looking on. Can you succeed and only have a "taste" or a swallow? Maybe. But our chemistries as addicts don't really change so much. The propensity and RISK is hugely more than someone who does not share the addictive nature. Here's are some links about the connection between sugar and alcoholism/cravings: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20648910 https://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/new-study-finds-link-between-a-sugar-cravings-and-alcoholism https://wellnessretreatrecovery.com/sugar-and-dopamine-link-sweets-addiction/ (I could go on...but why?) Again, you're entitled to live your life as you see fit. I agree you have that right. But coming here expecting that only those people who agree with you can post to your thread is not a logical expectation. I do not even begin to think that everyone will agree with me, or even like me--for that matter. But if I see new clothes on the emperor and it's really just him nekkidy...I'd appreciate someone telling me. I would tell them the king is nekkid. (And I think learning to make low carb sugar free treats is a much better choice, BUT it's still dancing with fire for the alcoholic who MUST have sugar or sweets or die--unless they totally kick it.) Again, I'm giving my opinion that is probably not popular. But you are free to do as you want as an adult. So I'm not judging you and finding you lacking personally. But your actions are questionable from my perspective. And sorry your sick, xyz, feeling down, fill in the blank...none of those things actually figure into the equation--instead they are rationalizations for the choices you're making. So EVEN you don't believe they are good healthy choices for you. But I am sorry you're sick and feeling blue. That sucks. ((hugs))

First, congrads on your decision and good luck with your surgery. But would you mind asking your surgeon some questions? We need some fresh opinions (in my stale opinion!) These things have been discussed many times here at LBT, but all the surgeons have different opinions, so what's the latest opinion on: 1. Carbonation: Does it cause erosion? Does it stretch the pouch? Or do we avoid it simply because it causes gas pains? 2. Alcohol: Does it cause erosion, or do we avoid it because it's empty calories? 3. Drinking before and after meals: How long to wait after eating? What are their reasons for these rules? 4. NSAIDs - is there any new information regarding them causing erosion? Any new info out there? Anything you can share would be greatly appreciated. I've had my band one year but I still get tons of different information, so I'm curious what today's docs are saying. THANKS! Oh, anyone can add to these questions.

carbonations....I completely gave up soda pop and all carbonated drinks 3 weeks before surgery. I was a HUGE Pepsi drinker but I don't miss it at all and actually feel better for not drinking it! I thought it would be harder, but it was a breeze. (smoking is definitely harder habit to break). My doctor said no to carbonation so I don't really care why, I just don't do it. plus, too many people on here have said it causes discomfort and i just avoid the feeling I guess. As for the NSAID's. I am still not quite sure what exactly it is. What drug in there is bad? Are there prescription meds like that or just over the counter? Is just one time use bad or extended use? (example: having cramps and all a friend has is aleve.. is it bad to take just that once?) I am a fan of Tylenol for any aches and pains. Do sleep aids have NSAID's in them? I need to know what exactly I am looking for!!! (someone help me answer this!!) Alcohol: I don't drink really anyway. Hate beers and wines. If I am anything it is more a strawberry daquiri type girl. Or Amaretto Sours (yummy!). But maybe once or twice a year at most and not to a drunk phase. However, I have a feeling that being friends with Lisa is going to bring out the freak in me while visiting!!! As with drinking before/after meals... it is kinda hard for me to control the before factor since because of my job I can't "plan" my meal time. So, if I have been drinking Water like I am supposed to all day long, sometimes I am eating just after drinking water ("this one is for you Lisa"). As for drinking during... I do order a water with the meal to not get a strange look from the waitress but I don't drink it. Once in a great while I have to take a ultra small sip just to wet my throat but never enough to water anything down. More like a larger swallow of my own spit than a drink. Drinking after... I can have more control about and generally avoid.

Those damned grocery store displays is right. We are surrounded by temptation, damned commercials, damned ads in magazines. But Tricia is right, the first line of defence is keeping a 'clean' house. I have 3 young kids, 11, 8 adn 6. I often feel as though I have to have 'something' in the house, 'for them' But often I am eating more than each of them. So I am starving my kids off sugar. That can only be a good thing, or at least training them that treats are for weekends. But certainly I feel your pain. I am all for throwing them in the garbage. I had to do that with much of the crap candy from Halloween that my kids had. I didnt' even want them to eat it. Good luck with this, it is a very difficult thing to do. hugs here is a good article I read on Canada.com Michelle Lang, CanWest News Service; Calgary Herald Published: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 KANANASKIS, Alta. - With an abundance of cheap, high-calorie food all around us, eating is replacing cigarettes and alcohol as the new "drug of choice,'' says a University of Calgary scientist. At an Alberta obesity conference on Tuesday, Jaideep Bains argued food may have more addictive properties than many people realize, with both eating and drugs activating the same regions of the brain. Back to Body & Health A molecule called orexin, for instance, is critical to stimulating appetite and also makes the brain more sensitive to the effects of cocaine, noted the neuroscientist and assistant professor at the university. "It's not drugs and alcohol that are the drug of choice these days it's food,'' Bains said. "Feeding behaviours are not dissimilar to addictive behaviours.'' The Alberta Obesity Summit is a two-day conference bringing together scientists from across North America to discuss their research into the growing problem of bulging waistlines. Bains also told the conference that stress appears linked to eating and addiction, triggering both behaviours, particularly binge eating and relapses in recovering substance abusers. He noted stressed-out university students, for example, may "pig out'' during exams. "Stress could make cravings (for food and drugs) more profound,'' he said. "There's also some thinking it could relieve stress. That it's a coping mechanism.'' Another presenter at the conference said it's never too early to start tackling weight problems, arguing a predisposition to obesity could even begin in the womb. Rhonda Bell, a human nutritionist at the University of Alberta, noted a Dutch study of pregnant women who were malnourished when their country was occupied during the Second World War had children with increased obesity rates. Bell's own research in animals also suggests early eating habits have a profound impact on weight gain later in life. In one study, Bell introduced fructose, a type of sugar, into the diets of rats between seven- and 12-days old when they would normally be feeding on milk from their mothers. The rats grew up to be 20 per cent heavier at 12 weeks old than rats who consumed a normal diet in the first weeks of life. Her research also found rats on high carbohydrate diets passed their weight problems onto their offspring. ``We look at kids and say `they can eat anything. They're so resilient.' But that isn't always true,'' she said. University of Calgary scientist Keith Sharkey said research presented at the conference suggests obesity is a disorder of the brain that's also strongly influenced by early life experiences. He said more research needs to be done to understand obesity so scientists can advise policymakers on how best to intervene in the problem. "We're not in any doubt as to what we have to do,'' said Sharkey, who helped organize the conference. "We're in doubt as to the best way to solve it.'' © CanWest News Service 2006 Oh ya, and love yourself enough. <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

I found out that Crystal Light is the best mixer for drinks and a great way to get your Water in! Yeah, Yeah...what about the alcohol?! Oh well....would you rather drink the sugar-filled fruity drinks and carbonated drinks like beer or rum and coke?? I take a regular bottle of water (16oz) and put 2 packs (extra flavor) of Crystal Light Lemonade, shake well and then drink the top off...down to the label and fill with ice cold Vodka....OMG!!!!! Yummy!!!! and if you freeze it until it slushes...WOW! I also made it with the Crystal Light Fruit Punch and Jack Daniels....that is REALLY good! I happened to stumble upon this concoction in Austin, TX in my hotel room....I made a Crystal Light Fruit Punch and my DH's Jack was sitting there and I got to thinking....and when I think....WHOA NELLY! And by golly! It was the bomb! So to answer the question...."To booze or not to booze?" Why not! But you just have to find a way that is best for you...and I think I found mine. The only down fall is most bars can't do this so I think I will stick to a Bloody Mary or just Jack or Crowne and water w/some lime. :heh:

I would do it over in a heart beat. I not only have lost 75 pounds since banded on Aug 22, 2005 I have learned alot of things about myself. The first being that I did this to myself. I always said that I was heavy and I did not really know why. I truly did not think that I ate that much. Now I know that I truly did. I also realized that there is not a magic pill out there that will just take all the damage away that I have done to myself. I am responsible for myself. I did not put the weight on overnight and I will not take it off overnight. The band is a tool not a sure way to loose weight. Being overweight is not any different from being addicted to drugs or alcohol it is just a different addiction. We have to live with the addiction everyday. I am responsbile for me not my band. Of course my band will let me know if I ate the wrong food. I think alot of people can loose weight but if you don't change your frame of mind and thinking and are able to except yourself and forgive yourself then you will be a skinny unhappy person. Just remember that not all skinny people are happy and not all fat people are unhappy:>

I think the day will come when you cannot smoke ANYWHERE except the privacy of your own home. Newborns in Texas are routinely tested for the presence of drugs and/or alcohol and can be taken into custody by CPS if they test positive. I think at some point in the future, a similar test will be done for nicotine.

How to Lose 22lbs or 10kgs in 28 Days Without Starving or Training Like an Olympic Athlete!' By Stephen Smith BSc If you seriously want to lose 22lbs or 10 kilograms in 28 days then you must perform all of the principles exactly as recommended. Unlike the recommendations in my book, ‘Look good, feel great!', where you can pick the principles you want to use and ignore the rest and where you can even modify the principles to suit your lifestyle, these principles must be followed exactly as they are outlined. If you want extraordinary results, then you must be willing to put in an extraordinary effort! I realise that some people may be thinking, ‘But it is impossible to lose 10 kilograms of fat in a month!' I agree- it is! However, the truth is, it is impossible to only lose fat on any type of weight-loss program. You will always lose a combination of fat, water, stored carbohydrate and some muscle. Furthermore, most people who want to lose 10 kilograms in the first place are generally retaining excess fluid anyway, so a system that helps get rid of the excess fluid is certainly going to accelerate their results. Perform 30-60 minutes of aerobic exercise morning and night. Yes, you read that correctly, morning and night- 2 sessions a day… every day! No excuses. We're all busy, we all feel tired some mornings, but if you're serious about getting amazing results, then you must be willing to do everything necessary. When we talk about aerobic exercise, we're talking about exercise! Not walking around the shops, doing the gardening or doing housework. It must be exercise, which means your breathing rate increases, your face goes red, you sweat, you get tired- simple! Some examples of aerobic exercise include: walking (pounding the pavement at a brisk pace- not dawdling), cycling (stationary bike is ideal), swimming, rowing, stepper, cross-trainer, aerobic classes, boxing, etc. Use ‘thermogenics'. There are several very effective thermogenic supplementson the market that can accelerate your progress towards your goal. Those containing caffeine, green tea extracts and an extract from a plant called coleus forskohlii are the most effective. They will boost your metabolismand promote the release of fat from the fat stores. ‘Scorch' by MAN Sports is a good example. It contains a combination of 7 powerful herbal ingredients specifically designed to boost your metabolism, burn body fat and increase your energy. Unfortunately though, thermogenics are not ‘magic pills'. You can't expect to take a couple of thermogenic capsules and then go home and eat pizza and drink alcohol and expect to get results. Thermogenics only work when their use is combined with a good nutrition and exercise program. Take 1-2 capsules twice a day; once prior to your morning exercise session and once with your lunch. Don't take them later than 4:00pm in the afternoon because they may keep you awake at night. Before using thermogenics, see your doctor first and obtain their approval. Do not eat anything for 30 minutes after the completion of any exercise. As a result of using the thermogenics combined with the exercise, your metabolism will remain elevated for some time after the exercise session is finished. This means your body will burn fuel at a faster rate than normal. Any exercise causes the body to use carbohydrate (muscle glycogen and blood glucose) as a fuel source. This means that after the exercise is completed the carbohydrate stores in the body are low and the body will be forced to use fat as its fuel. If a meal is eaten immediately after the completion of the exercise session, the blood glucose level will rise, inducing the secretion of insulin from the pancreas. One of the effects of insulin is to stop fat burning in the body. Therefore, wait 30 minutes (but no longer because cortisol will rise) before having your next meal. Perform a weight training workout 2-4 times a week. Lifting weights is the most under-estimated way to lose fat fast! Now, before you start saying, ‘But I don't want to get big muscles!' or ‘I don't want to look like a man!', consider the following. The main purpose of lifting weights when your primary goal is to lose body fat is to preserve the muscle massyou already have. You see, muscle is the ‘engine' within which the fat, or ‘fuel' is burnt and maintaining or even increasing your muscle mass slightly will help ensure your body fat is burnt off efficiently. If you don't lift weights, your body will quite happily lose both fat and muscle as you drop the kilos. Lifting weights forces your body to maintain your muscle mass, therefore keeping your metabolism elevated and turning your body into 24-hour-a-day fat-burning machine! Incidentally, it only takes two 30 minute sessions a week to obtain the muscle preserving benefits of lifting weights. Have 5-6 small meals a day. One of the most common strategies people use to lose weight is to skip meals. Whilst reducing food intake is certainly an effective way to lose weight, having fewer meals is not the way to go. Many overweight people say, ‘I don't know why I'm overweight, I only eat once or twice a day!' Unfortunately, this is exactly why they are overweight. Having a mild calorie restriction is effective because if you consume less calories than you burn each day you will lose weight- simple! However, skipping meals forces the body to invoke its ‘Starvation Mechanism' because it thinks it is entering a famine. As a result, the body slows the metabolism to preserve energy. It also increases cortisol output and cortisol is the most powerful catabolic hormone in the body, which means it goes around the body breaking down lean tissue, particularly muscle. A loss of muscle slows the metabolism even further. Skipping meals also results in an increase in appetite, which forces you to eat larger amounts of food when you do eat. In addition to all these factors, the body also increases the activity of fat-storing enzymes, lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and fatty acid synthase (FAS), so when you do eat the food gets stored as fat. All of this results from simply skipping meals! By having a small meal every 2-3 hours throughout the day, your metabolism stays elevated and your body will happily burn fat all day long. Unfortunately though, most people are conditioned to having large meals and they automatically assume they will put on weight if they have 5 or 6 meals a day. The fact is, the ideal portion sizes for most people are actually quite small and in order to lose weight fast it is essential that you never feel full from a meal but you do feel satisfied. Also, most people find it difficult to have a meal every 2-3 hours throughout the day because they are so busy with work and/ or family commitments. Here are some suggestions to ensure you get your 5 or 6 meals a day. • Plan and prepare your meals the night before • Use meal replacements (protein shakes or bars) • Select foods that are quick and easy to prepare and consume Ensure each meal contains protein. Protein is a component of all cells and makes up over half the dry weight of the human body. Furthermore, the human body is a dynamic structure, which means it is constantly building up and breaking down tissue. Just imagine a bath full of water. At one end of the bath the plug is pulled out and at the other end the tap is turned on full. The water level in the bath doesn't change but there are ‘new' water molecules entering the bath and ‘old' water molecules leaving the bath all the time. The human body is exactly the same. If the body breaks down more tissue than it builds up, then it is said to be in a catabolic state. This results in the metabolism slowing down due to the loss of muscle tissue. Having a portion of high-quality protein every few hours throughout the day provides the body with a constant supply of amino acids- the building blocks of the body. This prevents the catabolic state, promotes an anabolic state (tissue building) and therefore keeps the metabolism ‘fired-up'. If only carbohydrate or fat is consumed for a meal, for example a piece of fruit (carbohydrate) for the mid-morning meal, then the body will still enter a catabolic state because it doesn't have the building blocks (amino acids) to re-build body tissues. Protein, as its name suggests, is of primary importance. Reduce your intake of high-density carbohydrates. Most high-density carbohydrates like bread, pasta, rice and cereals cause a rapid rise in blood glucose. This invokes the release of insulin from the pancreas, which in turn stores the glucose. The body stores glucose in the muscles and liver as glycogen and once these sites are full, the remaining glucose gets stored as body fat. Not only this, but insulin also stops the body from mobilising and utilising fat for fuel (burning fat). So if you want to maximise fat loss, you need to keep insulin to a minimum and the best way to do this is by reducing your intake of starchy carbohydrates without cutting them out altogether. Cutting them out totally is a philosophy of many low-carb diets on the market. However, these are very hard to sustain long-term and may lead to nutrient deficiencies. Each day, have a small amount (1-2 serves) of high density carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice, cereals); a moderate amount (2-3 serves) of medium density carbohydrates (starchy vegetables and fruits); and a large amount (5-6 serves) of low density carbohydrates (fibrous vegetables). [For a complete list of carbohydrates, see pages 136-138 of the book, ‘ Look good, feel great! ] Do not have a Treat Day. Since you are expecting an extraordinary result, it is essential that you put in an extraordinary effort. Accordingly, for the next 28 days you must follow the plan exactly as it is outlined without deviating. This means you can't allow yourself to indulge in any ‘forbidden foods'. This also means avoiding alcohol for the entire 28-day period. I know this may be hard for some people but let's face it, it is only for 28 days! By committing to the plan and disciplining yourself to see it through, you are ensuring that the results will follow. Plus, the disciplines you create to help you achieve your physical goal will have a ‘carry-over benefit' to other areas of your life as well. I wish you the greatest success in achieving outstanding results! * Before using any nutritional supplement, speak with your health care professional.<!-- google_ad_section_end --><!-- / message -->

Indigestion and heartburn are caused by an increased or decreased secretion of acids and other digestive enzymes in the abdomen. Symtoms include burning, a feeling of fullness and gaseousness in the abdomen. Reflux esophagitis is the medical name for heartburn. The acid reflux is caused by the flow of gastric juices up the esophagus. Indigestion and heartburn are usually caused by overeating, obesity, chocolate, fried foods, carbonated beverages, alcohol, coffee, and cigarettes. Eliminating these causes is the first step in preventing occurrences of indigestion. Eat small meals, eat slowly, limit intake of fluid during meals, avoid spicy foods, eat whole-grain carbohydrates such as bread, brown rice, and pasta, and avoid eating fruit with or after meals. The following remedies for indigestion can be found in health food stores. <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=center><SCRIPT type=text/javascript><!--google_ad_client = "pub-6167988213978292";google_ad_width = 180;google_ad_height = 90;google_ad_format = "180x90_0ads_al";google_ad_channel ="5878910303";google_color_border = "FFFFFF";google_color_bg = "FFFFFF";google_color_link = "339933";google_color_url = "000000";google_color_text = "000000";//--></SCRIPT><SCRIPT src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Peppermint in tea or tablet form contains menthol and has an antispasmodic effect on the digestive tract. It relieves gas and stomach cramps. Chamomile in tea or tablet form has antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory and gas-relieving effects. Slippery elm bark in tea or tablet form helps form a protective coating in the stomach. DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) is an anti-ulcer agent. Ginger in tea or tablet form relieves gas and reduces bloating and pain. Aloe vera gel helps soothe the stomach. Activated charcoal tablets or capsules are useful for gas pain. Charcoal absorbs medications and should not be taken within two hours of taking any medicine. To relieve pressure at night, use blocks to raise the head of the bed frame at least 6 inches. This will lessen the pressure on the stomach and prevent stomach contents from moving into the esophagus. Wait a couple of hours after a meal before lying down. Sleep on the left side of the body, the stomach is lower when lying on the left side. Stress, obesity, and pressure on the stomach can cause indigestion. These causes can be eliminated by participating in regular exercise such as walking, bicycling, swimming, or yoga. Avoid strenuous exercise immediately after a meal. Aromatherapy can relieve an upset stomach. The following essential herbal oils can be used in an infusion or diluted with almond or olive oil (four drops of herbal oil with an ounce of almond or olive oil) and massaged onto the abdomen: Peppermint Marjoram Fennel Coriander Always consult a physician before proceeding with any remedy.

Move ON .... sorry if that sounds rough or rude. but it would be like being a recovering alcoholic and your friend getting mad because you would not have a drink to celebrate his birthday. maybe youcould try to explain it in a way he/she would understand but I'm betting you have already tried that. Good Luck with what ever you decide

SylviaT: I think the stuck feeling is the same as the golf ball people talk about. I may be wrong since I am not yet banded and am just going on what I have read. I found this info from the bandsters group and thought it had some great advice. Question: "Hi Everyone, I hope someone can help me who has experienced what I'm currently going through. I had a slight .1 cc fill last friday and ever since I have been coughing up flem and bits of my food at nighttime. I try not to eat after 6:30p. Not to sound gross, but it is mostly flem and liquid. When I get up from bed and walk around, I am totally normal and fine. Do you think it is because of the slight fill or do you think it is a slippage or Hiatal hernia? I had a hiatal hernia repaired last year due to the band. Please let me know if anyone has experienced this." Answer: "That sounds like reflux. Whether it's from your recent fill or a hernia or change in eating, I can't say. But what I do know is it is not something to be ignored. Some things to consider: -Do not lie flat or bend over soon after eating -Do not eat late at night or just before bedtime -Rinse your pouch with a glass of water an hour before bedtime -Certain foods or drinks are more likely to cause reflux: o Rich, spicy, fatty and fried foods o Chocolate o Caffeine o Alcohol o Some fruits and vegetables Oranges, lemons, tomatoes, peppers o Peppermint -Use baking soda toothpaste instead o Carbonated drinks -Eat slowly and do not eat big meals -If you smoke, quit smoking -Reduce stress -Exercise promotes digestion -Raise the head of your bed (not just using extra pillows which can actually worsen reflux) -Wear loose fitting clothing around your waist -Take estrogen containing medications in the morning -Avoid aspirin, Aleve and ibuprofen at bedtime -Take an antacid (Pepcid complete) before retiring -Try other over-the-counter heartburn medications -See your health care provider Try some of these changes and if you don't get relief, I would suggest a visit back to your fill person." I hadn't thought of rinsing my pouch at night by drinking water. I haven't even read them, so I wanted to post them here! Audree