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Thanks Bev, I had an email back from Fred advising me just to eat a low fat diet and keep off the alcohol for two weeks before my date!! Which is quite nice as I come back from holiday 15 days before my op....lol!!

My doctor allows coffee, soda, alcohol, and popcorn, so I don't have to do without those (though I don't have as much of them now). But he discourages using a straw; I want to follow that rule, but never realize I've broken it until a few hours or even a day later! I don't eat/drink out that often though, and I never use a straw at home, so it's not as bad as it could be.

I have to agree. I may not want to drink alcohol again ever. I know I won't drink beer as I gave it up about 2 weeks before surgery due to the carbonation. I tried white wine. Acid reflux city. I really wasn't a wine person anyway. I really liked vodka and light rum with juices or cyrstal light. That will be my next try but I am waiting a couple of months. If that is a no go then alcohol will be eliminated from the diet.

Like others have said, we all need to do what works for us. I'm no longer on a 'diet' (yep, I've been thin many times...been up and down that yo-yo for too many years) and there is no food or drink that is off limits for me. I'm glad I was able to find a doc with the same philosophy (straws, carbonation-he says the 'stretching the pouch' thing is a bunch of bunk, alcohol, caffeine all are allowed after healing). Everything in moderation. If I had a bunch of off-limit foods/drink then I know I'd be feeling deprived and feeling like I was on yet another diet that I couldn't do forever. I don't feel deprived...sure I some weeks lose more slowly than others, like when I drank lots of alcohol on vacation last week, but it's a lifestyle I can live with forever and I'm still losing. So, like others with not many rules, the only one I break sometimes is drinking with eating or too soon before/after meals, but even that doesn't usually effect how much I eat or how hungry I get. Best wishes all!

I am no longer Tyle 2 Diabetic! yipppeeeeee! BUT, when I went to diabetes school, they helped me develop a diet to control my diabetes. It said I could have a specific number of grams of carbs per day. I was told, like Jen says, to subtract the fiber grams from the casrb grams to be the carb grams I actually had to count. They never told me anything about sugar alcohol grams.....

Being a diabetic, I start with the carbs, subtracts the fiber, AND subtract the sugar alcohols if there are any....

No that's totally awesome Beth congrats. I hope to have a victory soon since I began to run again. PJTP- I /failed! plan was no alcohol, no snacking, run 3x per week, lots of water calories around 1000-1200. I did good with the snacking. I did my runs and I have another today and got lots of water. My calorie count was oddly enough too low even if I was sedentary which I wasn't. I have a fill scheduled that I will probably cancel since I am eating the proteins and such like I should I can only eat smaller amounts and I am under 1k a day. PS to tattle on myself I had 1 glass of wine last night during Hells Kitchen

Hussy, lol. I think there's more than a few of us who have gotten a shock at the lower tolerance to alcohol we have when we're not washing it down with a huge meal and then soaking it up with a 2 am kebab or hot dog! I cant handle more than 2 or 3 wines now and THAT will see me tipsy, whereas I could drink many people under the table before. I would never have more than one to drive, and a small one at that. I also fear that I will lose my eating caution if I've had a few and forget to eat slowly. Alcohol and food all mixed up, coming out your nose, ugh.

If you drink too much, and you need to throw up, what happens? Does it move through the band and come up or just stew in the stomach? Has anyone had this experience? What about stomach flu too?

Patty: Wrong! It is those who don't believe in the God who created them, who have spoiled our freedoms from the beginning. They are the ones who want to allow sin, yes sin, to be a part of this nation. We are a nation of Laws, not Sins. There are no “Sins” written in the legal code. Some things that are illegal are considered Sins by some – but that is a coincidence. The significance is in the Law, not the Sin. Patty: "Let everyone do as they please, that's true freedom" Halleluiah, as long as it is legal that is. Patty: "If a woman wants to have sex with another woman, let her, and if they want to raise a family, let them" Absolutely. and a man with a man for that matter. I think in 20 years society will look back at people like you and wonder how could you have been so bigoted? I was watching footage the other day of the Civil Rights era and saw a black man on the ground being bludgeoned and kicked by whites. That is the same sort of bigotry, you don’t see it - but it’s true. Patty: "Let anyone who wants to murder their babies that aren't born yet do so" There you go again, mistaking your definition of “Sins” with “Laws”. Most reasonable people have come to agree that a woman’s right to choose outweighs the fetus’ right to exist. It’s not a pleasant thought, but it is fact of life. The law calls it an Abortion, not murder. Patty: “Let's make prostitution legal" I personally see a lot of merit in that idea. Seems like we had a thread on it around here somewhere… Patty: "Let's legalize marajuana, too." Just curious, is consuming alcohol a sin too? I haven’t been drunk or high in so long I honestly don’t remember, but aren’t they pretty much the same thing? I mean seriously, what really is the difference between drinking and smoking pot? In full disclosure, I don’t do either (I don’t like being drunk or high) – but the hypocrisy in banning marijuana baffles me. Patty: God gave us standards to go by for our own good, not to penalize us and keep us from having fun. Christianity causes no divisions in this country, except for those who just want to do what they want to do and don't want anyone including God to tell them they can't do it! Liberals! sheesh! No divisions? Really? I’m just gonna pretend you didn’t say that because it is a ludicrous statement. To be fair though, I would say that religion causes divisions, Christianity by no means has a monopoly on it though.

How soon after "your" (anyone) surgery did you drink alcohol.... My good friend is leaving this weekend and is having a going away party at a bar. I really want to drink :confused1:, but I'm worried I might get sick while I'm out :sick: and then ruin my evening..... My surgery date was 7/8/09.... Any advice?:drool5:

those who eat well are also foodies - unless you are strictly bound to meat & potatoes or cafeteria eating I like anything sweet - so as not to taste the alcohol is my deal!

Although my dietician and doc told me no alcohol for 6 months after surgery, I went on a 2-week cruise 3 months after my banding and my surgeon said I could drink - in moderation and being very careful to choose my empty calories wisely...he said to stay clear of mixed drinks with sugary/fruity mixes and that I could drink a glass of wine a half hour before dinner...or as a nightcap. I was very careful and had a BLAST and was able to enjoy a bit of alcohol with the other 5 couples who were with us. As far as the cake I passed on those types of desserts for fear that the doughy cake would swell up and cause blockage, so I stuck with a tiny bit of Creme Brulee, or a small bit of Flan, etc. I did enjoy some sorbet types of desserts too. I was too afraid to eat much else in the way of desserts. I did not feel deprived either! I walked every day on the cruise and did manage to get to the gym...I swam every day as well...and despite all of the food available on the ship 24/7, I still managed to lose 5 pounds between my weigh-in the week before I left (when I got a fill...smart woman !!) and when I went back 2 weeks after I returned from my cruise for my next fill!!! So celebrate responsibly!! Happy Birthday!!

PJTS (posting just to say) – hi! For those who missed me, thanks, I missed you too. For those that didn’t miss me, OUCH! For those that didn’t even notice I was gone, Double OUCH! Now, to get caught up (my last post was #15156 – you guys have been busy): Reunion – never gone to one. My 40th will be coming up in a few years, perhaps then. Purses – Nope. Don’t carry one usually. Only when going out special (that is, maybe 1/year) Running – not gonna happen. Triathalons – Never. MILs – don’t have one. My mother is a great MIL according to DH and my sibling’s spouses (present and past) Scale victories – YAY! Scale lack of movement – it will happen. Patience. Buy new scales. Buy new batteries. Move the scale. Don’t move the scale. Avoid the scales. Blame menopause, water, exercise, salt, spouses, life…. Facebook – nope. It would be you guys so why go to another place for the same people? Obviously Im missing something. Pics/personal info here – nope. Just too many weirdos in cyberspace. Voices in head – Doesn’t everybody hear them? Marital stresses – hope you can work through them, or find the solution (whether together or apart) Struggling – I can SOOOOOOOOOOO relate. Job hunts – hope they are successful Home renovations – love to do them, hate living through them (and yes, I know that is somewhat schizophrenic but having multiple personalities helps me cope) Sales – Well as I hate shopping, a sale is of limited value to me. Children – new or soon to be – Congrats School – for those that have children heading off to them – another sign of them becoming adults; for the adults returning to it – have fun! Surgeries – Good luck; hope they are successful Drinks – alcohol is our friend! Mojitos/Ginger O’s/other KC /Lu concoctions – yumm! Animals – putting them down is sad; happy for those adopting Karma – gotta love it! Men - (enough said) Our get together in 2010 – when? Where? Who’s organizing? TV shows – not into them – any of them. Not reality, not cooking, not talk shows. News if I missed my internet and newspaper for the day. Summer – it is gone (never really arrived here); of course in Aussie it is coming – your ‘winter’ pics look better than this summer here though, Fanny. Hair – thinking I need a new style, but HATE the growing out phases. Gray IS a color! Mushrooms/other phallic symbols – no comment required. Bandiversaries – congrats! Sports – nope Pain meds – I prefer the alcohol kind, but any in a pinch. Sizes and weights – I will NEVER understand. People who are shorter than me, the same weight as me are in teeny-tiny (that is, single digits) sizes. Me, Nope. How is that possible? Oh well. Pictures – have been taking lots and some have been taken of me. To me, I look the same. Still fat. Feeding others dogs/kids/plants…it’s wrong. Permission first. Otherwise expect grief and/or lawsuit. Relationships – do what is right for YOU. Not your family. Not your child. Not your parents. YOU! Family drama – sorry for those having them. So, what’s happening?

I eat breads sometimes........ pizza sometimes. I miss my diet Pepsi sometimes but I drank waaaaay to much of it before. I think I waited 2 months before drinking alcohol. Sometimes I do drink beer.

Correct. Liquid in food doesn't count, strong coffee doesn't count,alcohol definitely doesn't count - it dehydrates rather than hydrates but a lot of things do. And checking with your own doc is always a good idea.

Home from our little trip down south. We had a blast at the wedding and had a good time with everyone. Made some new friends. Ate way to much and enjoyed it. Doc won't be happy. Oh well. My Doc never lied about anything with the band. He was very upfront in what it coule HELP ME do. That it was a tool for me to use. Apparently right now I don't choose to use it right. I'm always amazed at the people that complain about not losing weight with the band. The band is no more different that using Jenny Craig, Weight Watcher's Gas-By-pass, Rny, or any other program. If you don't use it correctly and follow the rules, you ain't gonna lose. All it ends up being is a waste of your time and everyone else involved. Sometimes I think to myself, why am I not losing? What am I doing wrong? Well, I seem to forget that sometimes it just isn't the quantity of food I eat but also the quality of the food I eat. Can someone actually eat ice cream for their meals and lose? What about the little bites of stuff, The alcoholic drinks? It all adds up. I for one am so glad that I did not have the By-pass. I know 2 people who had it and and have seen the awful struggles they have. Yes they lost the weight and than gained some of it back. But on top of that, they have serious medical problems now. I also believe that my best friend lost her life to it. The health problems that having her intestines shortened caused. I'm not sure God intended for the colon to work that way properly. if He had, He would have shortened it Himself. I will be forever greatful for my Band. Now what I need to work on is getting my head back in the game. I need to quit whinning about it. My band is working, I'm not. As much as I would like to think it is my band, it's actually me. Jane, I think Haydee is meeting with the priest this week. We should know something soon. That is unless I missed something also.

Is/are there any rules that you simply cannot follow, no matter what? i.e. some people have found it virtually impossible to not have even a little tiny bit of liquid w/meals, others drink carbonated drinks, etc. Also, how soon after wls did you have your first alcoholic beverage? TIA, everyone!

I always understood that you shouldn't put any ointments or creams on fresh incisions. Check with you doctor before using anything on them. You don't want to risk infection. I only used alcohol wipes to make sure they stayed dry and clean. I am 9 weeks post op and my incision are slightly pink, two of the smaller ones you can hardly see anymore.

Oh yeah, I've noticed. It takes quite the balancing act to drink and smoke and still manage to lose the weight. I don't care about not eating but I gotta have my alcohol. As far as a suggestion, let me know when you find a good one please.

Okay I am a fat person. I like to eat. I have been overeating for most of my life, If I was not overeating I was probably on a diet. I have been able to maintain a healthy lifestyle for a time but I have always returned to my bad habits. I am wondering if i will be miserable without the option of eating unless I can find something that can replace whatever I am getting from the food. After this proceedure I will not be able to eat. I have heard stories about people who have WLS and become alcoholics or drug addicts. I was curious about what some of you who are post-op have done to replace the food?

Haydee - There is a scientific basis for the way you feel, you're not just imagining it. You have reinforced the food=pleasure connection for 30-something years...creating very real, physical neurological connections that take TIME to re-direct. That's why people tell you to be good to yourself and find other ways to derive pleasure for yourself...it helps to create NEW pleasure pathways in your brain. (Same for addicts/alcoholics.) But that all takes time.... it takes about 90 days to really get over the hump. That's what the addiction specialist told us at the rehab center....and that guy knew his stuff!

Whoa, I don't even remember writing that last night! I figured out the problem... these were leftover mojitos from a week ago, but I was thinking it was the "mixer" that hubby had made. Well, what I forgot was that it already had tons of rum IN it... but when I prepared it, I did two jiggers of the "mix," then added two MORE jiggers of rum, then added a splash of club soda. But the alcohol was so strong, I had to add more soda. NOW I KNOW WHY! Holy cow, no WONDER I was spinnin' by the time I went to bed and was still feeling woozy this morning... And I have NO idea where the clowns thing came into my thinking. However, I agree with plain: Sexual innuendoes have no business on THIS very serious thread, Carrie. tsk tsk

I will probably catch a lot of flack, but here's my opinion: Have that 6 oz of wine. I know there are empty calories there, but you could do worse. Don't let the alcohol persuade you get "snacky", and let this be a one time thing on your pre-op.

I have never heard of Splenda giving you gas. The Sugar Alcohols like sorbitol, manitol, etc. can give you terrible gas. A lot of things that say they have Splenda in them on the front of the package actually have a lot of sugar alcohols. These are not low calorie, but do not digest like sugar and do not cause a spike in blood sugar, so they are used by diabetics. Most of the sugar free candies have this in them, even though they say "Made with Splenda".