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Karla, There are some things that you can do to help ensure success and in reality they are very easy. But you have to commit to them. You can't do them here and there. At the beginning you MUST follow EVERY rule. It is later on when you get to maintenance that you can slack off a little on the following things. The following is what I did when I was in the losing phase. I was incredibly rigid (and so was Janet). I am not as rigid now...but I learned the tools so that if I needed to go back to them I could. It takes 28 days of constant use to create a habit. If you haven't been doing something consistently for 28 days it is not going to be a habit. A new lifestyle is changing the habits of the past. 1. Made a menu of all the food I was going to eat for the day and stuck to it. (If it wasn't on my menu...I didn't eat it. This allowed me to know what foods I needed in the house and made shopping and dinner planning easier). 2. Ate my protein first, followed by veggies. I didn't eat a whole lot of carbs. I was an Atkins girl so this was very easy. However, I didn't cut out carbs in total. I would have a VERY small serving of them so that I didn't feel like I was being deprived. 3. Ate 1 cup of food (most of that was protein). If I couldn't eat a cup of food or I couldn't eat much protein I knew I needed an unfill. I lost 85% of my weight completely unfilled. That doesn't mean that you can, but I think my sweet spot would probably have been right above an unfill (like 0.5) but my fill nurse kept overfilling me. If YOU CAN'T EAT YOU WILL PROBABLY NOT LOSE WEIGHT! Your body will revolt and you risk MAJOR damage to your band if you try to eat and are too filled. Even being tight when you drink protein drinks you are still going to be hungry because it goes right through...so you end up drinking more. Even the Atkins shakes have 150 calories and I have seen protein drinks upwards of 450 calories if you count all the servings that are in there. 4. You have to have a plan when you go out. Anticipate your calories. Everyone under the sun knew that I had the band so they didn't think twice when I would bring my own food with me. I am more self conscious about doing it now, but when I was losing, I didn't care. If we went to a party I would take my own food and my own drinks. My weight loss was more important to me than people thinking I was weird. I don't drink alcohol so that was never a problem for me. But if I had, I would have calculated it into my calories. I think that if you plan for that you might realize that the calories in there just aren't worth it...but then again, maybe not. 5. Exercise. Good for you on the 13.5 miles of walking...but if that isn't regular, then it isn't going to do anything. You need to do 30-60 minutes of consistent exercise 5-6 days per week. You don't need to run...walking will do just fine. Janet's main exercise is walking but as you progress you are going to have to either increase the distance, intensity (speed or incline) to keep up with the weight loss. You burn less calories as you get smaller. I think that I read earlier that you had last 45 or so pounds. My doc said that the band will usually cause you to lose 30-40% of the weight without you doing much. But if you want to lose MORE, then it is all up to you. Yeah...it is tough. Not being able to eat foods that you want, exercising when you are tired and sore, and feeling like it is a never ending battle is a BITCH. IT IS F'ING HARD. But it is worth it. The phrase...nothing tastes as good as thin feels probably means very little to you because it didn't to me. I didn't know what thin felt like. But now I do and believe me...there is no feeling quite like it. My feeling that I can do ANYTHING now is great. I don't ever have to worry about not being able to keep up or fitting in. I can just roll out of bed and face any challenge that might come my way. As for the holding pattern...it could be that you had gained and then lost. I weighed daily so I would always know. I am not saying you should be as obsessed with the scale as I was, but the scale is a tool and while you are losing it will help you make adjustments. As for the challenge, we could most certainly start one, but you also need to be able to do it on your own. Make your own challenge. We don't like to let other people down so we tend to perform better on challenges with other people, but it is very important to not let ourselves down. So I can't guarantee that what I told you will cause you to lose weight, but I didn't have a single week that I didn't lose something. My lowest week was a 1 pound loss and that was when I was overfilled. I averaged 3 pounds per week. One last piece of advice, tinker with recipes that you like. I could usually get a 500+ calorie per serving recipe down to below 300. I would be willing to look at some of your recipes and try to help you. Well I need to get going. I have an 8 mile run to get in today.

There were five kids in my family and my mother died of cancer when I was 14, 2nd from the bottom of the line but eldest girl so I suppose I took on the nurturing role in the family. I was also the "good girl" out of the two girls, lol. Possibly being raised a Catholic it added to my guilt when it came to dealing with my father and still trying to be the good girl. Others in my family could give up on him but I just wasn't capable. He had some form of psychological disorder also compounded and medicated with alcohol. Of course I over compensated with my own kids never to be like him and make them feel the way I did growing up. For me I used his alcoholism as an excuse as to why he treated people as he did especially his own family. It's hard to take back the years where you let a sick parent rule your life. I probably didn't get the help from therapy I needed to deal with it but still recommend it if possible. Maybe it will help with the strength factor I never had. Good luck, Nancy.

I agree with restless. I think you should wait longer. Although a cocktail is liquid so there should be no trouble getting it down I don't think it is appropriate at this stage of recovery.It is also full of empty calories which is something I am sure you don't really want. I drink wine on a fairly regular basis and thought it would be difficult to go without. I haven't had any alcohol since I started my preop diet 5 weeks ago and its actually been easier than I thought. I haven't missed it at all. Its up to you what you decide but I am sure you will feel better if you stick to your Dr's plan.

Although odds are you'll find someone on here who says yes...I think the answer really should be no. You're still healing and alcohol is pretty counter-productive to that. Plus, many of us lose inhibitions as we drink and that can mean eating/overeating. At 9 days post op letting your band seat well, letting your "innards" heal etc are most important right now. Since your doc isn't available to ask (I'm assuming?) I say better safe than sorry. Give him/her a call on Monday though and ask, so you'll know for next time.

I think Ive lost another couple of pounds this week but not wanting to get weighed until just before op. I am doing alright with it sticking to things under 3g of fat per 100g as advised by Gary. Im also not drinking alcohol ie favourite tipple wine as I am partial to a few glasses at night but up until now not really thought of the consequences its doing to my liver. So now Im terrified Dr Chris will open me up and say not today love. your livers in bad condition and not give me the band:crying: I am desperate to get it over and done with. Jx

Hi Iam getting banded on the 26/06/09 and I am paying for it myself. I have been told to go on a low fat diet for 2 weeks which I have done successfully, but I am really worried about my liver. I am not an alcoholic or anything but I do like a glass of wine or two in the evening with my meal and have done this for many years. Now I am worrying if and when the Dr. opens me up and says my liver is too bad. Oh I am worrying about everything at the moment and my husband thinks I am overreacting cause Im so nervous but it is something I haven't thought about until now. Has anyone had any experience of this. Really appreciate any replies. Being banded in Belgium and havent had any blood tests yet as get them the day before the op owing to it being performed in another country. Jx:sad:

I did see those at Walmart today but I didn't get them because it said 3 grams sugar alcohol. I have enough gas all the time that I am afraid to try them now. I like the peanut nougat ones a lot.

Luckily I have no immediate family nearby except my sons - one who won't talk to me because I won't support his alcohol addiction and the other lives in Henderson and doesn't see any good reason to get a driver's license ... so I don't have to worry about snoopers. The reaction of your family is exactly the reason I didn't tell anyone I was doing this and since my return, the only thing I've told anyone is I had hiatal hernia repair surgery (which isn't a lie as Dr. A did find a sliding hiatal hernia and he repaired it) In hindsight, I now wish I had not told anyone ANYTHING however, hindsight is 20/20. I figure when I continue to lose weight there may be questions and the best I can come up with is that since I was on the liquid diet following the "repair" surgery, and my stomach had shrunk (not a lie :thumbup:) and I was finally losing weight, I decided to take this time to get on a healthy diet and exercise regime and lose as much weight as I can. In reality, it really is NO ONE's business but your's and your husband's. I think your family has been watching too many movies or something about Mexico ... print out things from this forum and let them read them ... surely they wouldn't believe that we are all "fake" and will start to see that you will be in the BEST HANDS and that you will come home afterwards. Hang in there and hang onto those "balls" -- family is family; however there is no reason you can't stand up for yourself all the time!

Hello everyone! I'm back from my trip and happy to see all of you are doing well. Long, congratulations on another great accomplishment -- I think you already deserve the gold medal, but if Janet is making you do another 10 pounds for the gold, I know you will do it. Such a great inspiration! Julie, hope you have other people helping out making pies and ice cream as it sounds like a lot for just you to do! I'm sure it will be a great time. Sounds like fun. Wish I could be there too. Meredith, just another week! That will go by fast! You're doing great, and I know you'll do great after your surgery too. I loved that you "cheated" with olives. LOL. I too love olives and pickles and crave them sometimes, so I completely understand. I was like you when I did my 2 week liquid diet -- I felt great and was so sick of food by that time that I too was happy to get started with my new life. Pam, so happy that you are feeling better. I also love that your boys said "wow" at last. I think it's true that when we're with people everyday, it is harder to notice the changes. I'm sure you'll get lots and lots of compliments at your reunion. Have a great time. Laura, what a nice experience you had with that woman. It's nice to talk in person to another bandster, isn't it? I have one friend that I met on LBT that had the same surgeon as me and we try to get together after the support group meetings to talk and we e-mail several times a week. I guess we're "lap band sisters." Janet, all I can say is "Wowzeeee!" You look fantastic and soooo skinny -- I'd never ever guess you were ever a fat chick. Love that color of your blouse on you -- so pretty with your skin and hair. Laura, so sorry you are still bothered with TOM. Oh my goodness, that's the ONE advantage of getting old. I don't miss that at all. Charlene, so sorry about your hubby's surgery being postponed, but have faith that it will happen before summer is over. Glad they are so careful so your DH is not in danger. Love your Dr. Garth -- saw some new shows recently - he and his dad are great with their patients. Well, I went to the Lake of Ozarks and behaved pretty well, had a delish margarita one night and a couple of other frozen drinks (someone brought one of those tubs you mix with vodka) and they tasted really great (considering I've had no alcohol since probably Nov. or Dec. LOL. I only had two meals that were not strictly on my plan. One was a chopped salad at an Italian restaurant that has a famous parmesean salad dressing and we went there ESPECIALLY for that salad. But I ordered a small and didn't touch the roll or butter, so that was a victory for me. That same night we met some other friends at a pizza place and the only thing I could order was some pasta with a pink sauce with shrimp, so I ate the shrimp and had a few bites of the pasta and then I offered it to another girl who ate some and so I wouldn't eat the rest I opened the salt shaker and dumped enough in it that would make me not want it. But I was bad and didn't get any exercise in (four days). But the good new is, is that my shoulder which has been bothering me for almost 2 months didn't hurt today when I went back to the gym, so I think that 4 days rest was what it needed to finish healing. So, that's a good thing. I won't weigh until my regular day on Tues., so I hope I did okay. But I had several NSV which I want to share. One of my friends I've always thought of as "thin" gave me an outfit to try on. She said, "it's a little snug on me, but I think it will fit you, so try it on. If you like it you can have it." I said, "oh, I don't think that will fit ME." But OMG, it DID! I couldn't believe it. However, like everyone else, when I look in the mirror, I still see the old me, not the new me when I look in the mirror. Well, after that, there was no stopping me. One of the girls had set up a fashion show at the Dress Barn at the outlet mall and I was shocked at what cute clothes Dress Barn has! Well, to say the least, I spent the most money (by a large margin). I was so busy trying on clothes that I could probably have counted it as exercise (only kidding). But too many cute things and I made it into a size 16 without elastic!! Oh what a thrill! It's been over 10 years since I've had on any pants without elastic. So I'm happy happy now. LOL. And, I was able to wear Large tops and even some mediums. That's a big difference from 3X and 4X I was wearing in January. Just had to share all this good news with my friends here on LBT. Thanks to you all for your support every day. I love you all. Linda

Good luck Glou..., I wasn't strong enough to break up with my alcoholic toxic father until he died and now there is peace! Take care Nancy.

I have two bags of sour mix, and a bigger can of pineapple juice. It looks like I am an alcoholic too, instead of carrying it up to the third floor I have it at work. I have it in the back but people still see it when they get nosy!!

Ok! I got a big thing of Margarita Mix, a big thing of Pina Colada mix (slurp), and a small thing of Zing Zang's bloody mary mix.. this is a semi-regional thing, if you like bloody marys, this is the best mix evah. Russ probably thinks I up and turned into an alcoholic.

Did you look for those marshallow mud pie bars with only 1g sugar alcohol -- they are absolutely delicious I'm telling you

So sorry about your dog, Candace. Hope she heals well, and quickly! Have a wonderful time in France! We'll be waiting to see photos. Are you renting from Car?? I remeber seing dialogue between you. That seems like it would be a really fun thing to do. How could we forget you?? We love you! Yes, I did talk to Steve. He is still cultivating the internet relationship with the Philippine gal who is almost young enough to be his daughter (36 vs. 20)! We mostly talked about his oldest son, who at 16 is now living with his girlfriend. If Steve and/or his (estranged) wife don't take control, he'll soon be a grandpa and I'll be a great-grandma! DIL is an alcoholic who lives in LALA Land! GS girlfriend allready had one scare in that arena! Steve is more focused on going to the Philippines to meet his internet girlfriend, who continues to chat me up on FB. AT least she is now calling me "mam" instead of "mom". GRrrrr! I told her two nights ago that if Steve had money for a trip, it needed to be to Spokane to take control of the situation with his son! I talkd to GS other grandparents about the same time. Nothing they can do. GS has been allowed to call the shots. Thinking of asking Tracy if she wants to take a "road trip" to Spokane (and Montana to deliver Steph's breast cancer quilt), and we can visit GS and try to knock some sense in to his head!! We were looking forward to driving to NY until DHs talked us out of it. So nice to have a gardener in residence here! Ice packed Lortab daze sounds very pleasant at the moment. I need an escape! So happy for your new job. DD got laid off from her high school health room job. She was there 4 years. Today was her last day and there wasn't even a decent "farewell". Nurse she works for just told her she was going to a staff luncheon so DD may as well go home because there was nothing more to do! She was pretty hurt. Tried to get her to go to lunch with me but she was too bummed out. Didn't you just love that warm CA air, Karri??! I love it down there and I don't think the summer heat would bother me a bit. Up here I am ALWAYS cold. Everyone else can be in short sleeves and I'm wearing a jacket or sweatshirt... even a hooded sweatshirt. Lunch was not good. Went with ladies from church for a birthday luncheon for one of them... fancy tea house... not exactly my cup of tea.. pun intended! I should've made a more intelligent choice.. like quiche, but I ordered soup and spinach salad. So.... by the time they added my pot of tea, tax and tip, i paid $17 for a small bowl of tomato soup and spinach salad that had absolutely nothing in it but a few slivers of almond and some mandarin oranges. I was expecting some onion, bacon bits, boiled egg.... something. So I got absolutely no protein. And the service was so slow we were there going on 2 hrs. Good company, at least, but I left somewhat annoyed at what I got for the money. And I realized the spinach wasn't going down well, so I ate very little of the salad. Welcome, Connie!

Hey don't get too worried about needles, you'll just feel worse for when it does happen. For me I'm used to needles but honestly I hated getting the fill, my nurse did it and it was the first time - the surgeon was there watching over but like I said it was his first time, the thing that hurt the most was him pushing on the port and I heard a clicking noise and then it hurt a little bit (not from the needle) and needless to say I burst out crying for no reason lol. But that's just me. At the moment feel pretty good, straight after I got it done, I felt like a numbing feeling in my mouth but they didn't numb the area just wiped it with the alcohol wipes so don't know what was up with that. I was planning on transitioning into foods over 3-4 days but I was so hungry at lunch today so I had a tin of spaghetti which was really soft as it absorbed lots of liquid, I had that 20 minutes ago and although it didn't fill me completely I feel like I could already eat more which sucks =( The only discomfort I really had was having to hold my stomach afterwards to make sure it didn't bleed which it didn't. Also yesterday straight after the fill my throat felt tight and I was paranoid that I was going to be too tight and not be able to eat, but nothings come back up so I guess I'm good. I hope everything goes well for you for your first fill.

Here it is....black & white...the reason I still have waaay too many wobbly bits still 2+ years on... Restriction is suppose to mean "feeling full" but in my experience the term restriction means exactly that, food is literally restricted, it's not that I feel full, it's that I can't eat much, which sucks because instead of feeling satisfied it leaves me with head and eye hunger. I CAN'T eat the food, but I'D still LIKE to...so, while the mechanics work, it doesn't take care of the desire. My mistake is that I wanted the band to act more like a wand and CHANGE me, instead of the reality that it can only be used as a tool to help me change myself. I didn't and don't want to "DIET" anymore...I still have the urge to overeat regardless of what the band is capable of. Hence sabotaging by eating "around" the band, Ice cream and chocolate and alcohol when I can't get the bread & chips into me. My desire to binge is as strong today, 2+ years post band op, as it was the day I paid money in desperation to get this fat monkey off my back The only thing that has grown stronger is my own resistance. I STILL DO NOT WANT to DIET anymore..I'm sick of it, which is why I got the band and is why I misunderstood what the band does. I have given the band more power than it or I posses...It is a Band not a Wand If I didn't eat when I wasn't hungry, I wouldn't have needed the band...so how do you change desire? I have reasons why I want to lose weight and reasons why I don't want to diet...I am conflicted and as a result ambiguous!! I suck!! Only thing I can do now is come to terms with my very obvious emotional need to stuff my face!! P.S....I am going to stick to the apt to dump this on 'those with the needle', and more than likely get poked with said needle also

Hi shoes, Are you in Ireland? What I mean by obstruction is, getting "stuck" on food, having to excuse myself after a bit or two to go and hurl it back up in the loo... My band was obviously too tight. It got to the point that I couldn't even drink fluids, it was pretty bad so I had a complete unfill last sept. Restriction is suppose to mean "feeling full" but in my experience the term restriction means exactly that, food is literally restricted, it's not that I feel full, it's that I can't eat much, which sucks because instead of feeling satisfied it leaves me with head and eye hunger. I CAN'T eat the food, but I'D still LIKE to...so, while the mechanics work, it doesn't take care of the desire. My mistake is that I wanted the band to act more like a wand and CHANGE me, instead of the reality that it can maybe be used as a tool to help me change myself. I didn't and don't want to "DIET" anymore...I still have the urge to overeat regardless of what the band is capable of. Hence sabotaging by eating "around" the band, Ice cream and chocolate and alcohol when I can't get the bread & crisps into me. My desire to binge is as strong today, 2+ years post band op, as it was the day I paid money in desperation to get the fat monkey off my back The only thing that has grown stronger is my own resistance. I DO NOT WANT to DIET anymore..I'm sick of it, which is why I got the band and is why I misunderstood what the band does. If I didn't eat when I wasn't hungry, I wouldn't have needed the band...so how do you change desire? I have reasons why I want to lose weight and reasons why I don't want to diet...I am conflicted and as a result ambiguous!! I suck!! :blushing: Only thing I can do now is come to terms with my obvious emotional need to stuff my face.

I thought I didn't have any before pictures.... But I found some that were taken on New Years Eve 2007-08. That is the only way I could get in front of a camera, with a few drinks in me.... The other was taken in June 2007. The current pictures have all been taken in the last month (alcohol free :blushing:).

Morning gang~ Janet.... you look AMAZING in those photos! WOWZERS! And regarding the Juniper Berries reference... are you telling me I can have gin?! LOL. Kidding. Back in 2001-2002 during my struggle with infertility and 10+ IVFs, I didn't have a sip of alcohol for two years. And ever since then really lost my taste for it. I will have one glass of wine on special occasions, but that's it. I am a cheap date these days! Really.. on vacation, DH was commenting how much less our bills are now that I am eating off the appetizer menu and he is eating less and no dessert! : ) Apples.... Happy Anniversary Baby, got you on my mind. <singing> Meredith, Meredith... you made me laugh and cry regarding the olives. You have no permanent damage my dear. : ) After all, we are only human! You are almost done! Keep up the good work!!! TOM is visiting AGAIN, darn it. And he's back with a vengeance and 9 days early! Actually had to cancel my gym today... feeling horrible, crampy and accidents. And of course I had my annual appt with the gyn for tomorrow but had to cancel b/c they can't do pap. Any of you menstruating women notice a change in your cycles after being banded and losing weight? My cycles are ALL over the place and crazy heavy! TMI I know. I had the 0.2cc put back in yesterday... and I know it's early to say, but I think I am either VERY close or at my sweet spot! Things going down well but feeling very satisfied after a small amount! yeah!!! Have a great day everyone! xoxo peas

I have to say this has been an interesting thread to read with the back and forth banter over who or what is better for America. As a healthcare provider, a Registered Nurse, I can tell you that I know of not 1 doctor or nurse I've ever worked with want the government to take over our healthcare system. I worked in critical care for my entire nursing career, and half of the nurses I worked with in the 90's were Canadian, because they couldn't get a job in Canada after they graduated from nursing school. Not only did they have to come to the US to work, they shared their knowledge of the Canadian healthcare system with all of us. I can tell you, if the government takes over our healthcare, services WILL be rationed. It happens in Canada everyday. People die waiting to have heart bypass surgery. They don't just go to the ER and end up having emergency surgery like we have here. They only do heart bypass surgery at a few selected hospitals there, and many times the hospital that provides the service will be a 2 to 3 drive from where they live. They also have age limits on procedures. For example, a 70 year old person is considered to old to have bypass surgery, so they just have to live the way they are until they die. They don't take into consideration how the persons' general health is either. There are a lot of people who are 70 that look and feel like they are 50. It's not just heart bypass surgery, it's any kind of surgery. If you need to have your gallbladder out, you may have to wait a year to have it done, and hope you don't die from what we call a "hot gallbladder" before the surgery date finally comes. A hot gallbladder is extremely painful, plus has an infection that will spread throughout your entire body. So, no, I don't want the government taking over our healthcare. Procedures we perform here on a daily basis during emergency situations a lot of the time are not done to the patients who need it there. It was mentioned that Medicaid and Medicare were very expensive to run, which they are. However, a lot of the problem is abuse of the system and fraud. I am disabled now, and when I lost my job due to an infection I caught in my lungs from a patient I was caring for, I had nothing coming in at all. I had a house, car, utilities, groceries, and all other necessities I had no money to pay them with. I had to be off work a year and a half before I was even eligible for disability, much less any other kind of help. Savings doesn't last long when you have to pay for everything with it, I can assure you. However, I was told at the social services office that they had people in their 40's that had been in their system their entire lives. I wasn't eligible for Medicaid, because I didn't have any small children. I wasn't eligible for Medicare, because I wasn't considered disabled until the year and a half was up. So, don't even try to tell me that Medicare and Medicaid work right. They sure do let a lot of hard working people who have either fallen on hard times, or gotten sick fall through the cracks, like me. Here is a subject we all know about, and that's the food we eat. Mr Obama has decided we shouldn't be able to eat fast food, or drink cokes, so he's going to tax them heavily. I'm surprised he let the taxes go up on cigarettes, since he's a chain smoker himself. I guess when you're the president, it doesn't matter how much things cost. I don't think we should all have to pay these outrageous taxes on food and soft drinks just because Obama has decided we don't need them. Who is he to tell anyone what they should or shouldn't eat or drink. Alcohol is already heavily taxed, but Cokes? This is going tooooooooooooo far people! Also, if you think back to when all of these financial companies and other businesses started to fail, it was Freddie Mac and Fannie May that started the whole thing. Those were government run programs that the democrats were in charge of. But, the responsible people, such as Barney Frank, don't take any responsibility for what happened. They told everyone that those 2 entities were stable right before they failed. What a joke! As far as the government taking over the car industry, that's a scary thought to. The reason the American auto industry got into the financial ruins they are in now was caused by the unions. It's rediculious for a person working in a auto plant to make $40 per hour. Nurses sure don't make that much money. I would think a nurse would be worth more money per hour than someone who helps build a car. Give me a break! I used to work for a company that had the same union the auto workers have, and they didn't do anything to protect our jobs when the home office decided to take our government contracts because they couldn't get their own. I am a conserative and proud of it. Do I accept my momthly Social Security check? You bet I do. I paid into it my entire life from the age of 16 until I became disabled. I don't feel at all guilty about the money I recieve every month, after all, I earned it. I will get down off of my soap box now, I just had to put my 2 cents in. I guess I'm just tired of hearing about how great Obama is when he is going against everything this country has ever stood for. He's definitely not the kind of change I was looking for. His race has absolutely nothing to do with it at all. Before long, he's gonna have us as socialistic as the European countries. What a sad day that will be for America. Joan

Hi Setagirl, I am feeling ya. I might actually be able to help. I had the same problem as you and it nearly drove me insane, but it helped me figure my body out. I discovered that my appetite is largely dependant on blood sugar swings. if it swinging around wildly, I am hungry and seek out sugar with vengence. A few years ago I put myself on a low GI diet and stopped craving sweets for the most part. If I vary from this I start craving again. Up until that point I was putting on weight again and it pretty much stopped. I also realised I had an alcoholics relationship with chocolate. It I eat even I tiny amount I start craving it again and I can't stop. It's worth a try. I also find I get really depressed on the high Protein diet they recommend. Like you I can't digest it; even after twelve years I still can't deal with chicken. The only think I can suggest it pureeing it. That seems to help me.

Yes I think everything is under control:scared2: not. Im absolutely C***ing myself. But I have got the flights, painkillers, soup, glass mugs and stretchy clothing organised. I think when I read kathys post it really scared me so I wish I could get my brain organised as easily. I attend a weight management course but havent really taken it seriously until 2 weeks ago. I know after first week I lost 3 and a 1/2 pounds so hoping to do the same again this week as I have been really good. No alcohol for over a fortnight except on Satuarday at my friends silver wedding anniversary and I can assure you it went straight to my head. So no more I want my liver in 1/2 decent condition for op. Anyway time is creeping up cant believe its came round this quickly. J x:sad:

hands up here for the 26th june too!!:smile: getting very close now homecare think i have everything prepared lists upon lists..:wink: been on the low fat/no alcohol diet from sunday doing ok but not too strict as the hard work will really start from the 27th june!! how are you getting on got everything sorted ready to go.. and still looking forward to having the surgery?? i just wish it was tomorrow then could get it over and done with so i can stop worrying about stupid things and get on with the weight loss battle:rolleyes2: take care

I can chime in on ths discussion. I went on a cruise in May and drank alcohol just about everyday, usually with dinner or at the pool. I don't drink wine, so usually had one of those fruity drinks or my standard amaretto & 7-up. Thr carbonation in the mxer was a bit uncomfortable sometimes, but a burp usually took care of that. I did feel the liquor a bit sooner than before the VSG, but not too much. It probably affects people differently. Other than on the cruise, I am lucky if I have 2-3 drinks a month. And as for the weight gain - I actually lost 2 pounds while on the cruise!

Singing a religious song at a concert is not tantamount to establishing a religion. How do you not get that? Schools that ban all references to religious life are taking it to an absurd extreme, you'll get no argument from me on that. Then who decides? Who makes the decision if prayer can be in school or a religious song? This is where you get division. If it was good enough for our founding fathers children to be taught biblical morals and to pray to God in school, then it should be good enough for our children. Who ever decided to ban it anyway? If they didn't like it, they could tell their children not to say the prayers with the others, or they could home school or set up private schools that excluded God from them. This is where we, as a Christian Nation, went wrong. We allowed the minority who didn't believe in God to infiltrate the rest who did. And, in case you didn't know this, the words Under God are not part of the original pledge. In fact, when I was a kid, I was taught the "real" pledge that puts the emphasis on indivisible, the way it should be. I knew that 'Under God' was added at a later date. Indivisible just means undivided. We stand as a nation together, undivided. That has nothing to do with undivided in our religious beliefs. And so what if 'under God' was added later? It only confirms and endorces that even the government in 1954 under Eisenhower's presidency knew that God was the reason for this Nations greatness and power. He understood that it was only by God's grace that we were a blessed nation. Do you see when the tide in this country turned? It wasn't much longer after that time when prayer was removed from our schools. This is about the time of this countries moral decline and it's jump in everything of no virtue. (abortion rates, the gay movement, out of control crimes and prisons filling up to capacity, sky high divorce rates, people living together was acceptable, drugs in the 60's which brought drug addictions and alcohol abuse, murders on the rise, and I could go on) It's been downhill since then. When you choose to remove God from a Nation, you remove his blessings as well.