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Wow, touching story. You've had a challenging life, but you are strong, stronger than you know. Be proud of your accomplishments and your decision to help yourself have a healthier life. My mother grew up in many ways like you, but during the depression in a home with a alcoholic father and 8 kids who never had enough to eat. Her dad would go off for weeks and leave them all without money or food. The children would eat whatever neighbors or the church would drop off and sometimes there wasn't any food and they ate walnuts from a walnut orchard they lived next door to. Her Mom took in laundry to try and earn money to buy food. My Mom would tell me they would be so hungry and they would pull out this big wooden box of walnuts and cry and eat them. She married at 17 to get out of the house and be one less mouth to feed. Because of her past Mom became a addicted to food which is understandable, but she passed that addiction on to her children. We use to go to the store and get foods, especially sweets and gobble them up before my Dad would come home from work. Sneek binge eating was normal. She would hide the box or wrappers in the neighbors trash cans so Dad wouldn't find out. A couple of weeks ago Mom said to me "but what will you have to look forward to" when I was talking about eating after the surgery. How about a healthier life Mom? She didn't get it. In her adult life Mom became heavy from the binge eating. Now that she's almost 80 she has lost some weight but she still has her addiction. So I understand how our life experiences can lead to food addiction, although sometimes understanding that doesn't change it. I did this surgery in hopes this tool will force me to get a handle on binge eating and my food addiction. I'm only 11 days post-op and I've wondered what the heck have I done! Will I ever eat again?? I'm scared of changing my relationship with food and if I can do it. Going into this I felt strong telling myself I can do this and that I was ready. I took a long time to think about it and research it knowing it was the right decision for me. This hasn't been a cake walk physically for me and I"ve had some problems and set backs. I knew this wouldn't be easy, but I didn't think it would be this hard either. I haven't had solid foods since December 4th and I watch others eat and smell the food cooking in my house and I can't eat it. I am grateful not to be hungry. Good luck in your life saving, life changing journey.
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Just some advise from someone 2 years out of Sleeve Surgery
skinny_me_1970 posted a topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
I had the gastric Sleeve surgery almost 2 years ago … was 260 and now about 160 … lowest weight 155. 1. You will have regrets within 6 months of surgery for emotional reasons like not soothing yourself with food - you will need to break up with food and see it only has a way to keep u alive and once in a while eat something really good but only have a little or u will pay dearly in nausea and pain. U will start Turing to food with more flavor because u can only eat so much so u will want to enjoy it. Naturally thin people do not look to food a friend. 2. Start weight training as soon as u are ready - I started 1.5 months after surgery. I got a personal trainer because I’ve always been afraid of the gym but I was more afraid of loose skin. Although I do have some loose skin I’m in my 40’s - I look pretty good for loosing 100 pounds. I didn’t start cardio until after I lost most of my weight because I feel like I eat more with cardio. 3. If you start loosing your hair - don’t panic. I had my entire hand filled with hair for several weeks of showering. I thought I was going to die. It started 4 months from surgery. As a fat women - I ALWAYS had awesome hair so loosing it was HARD. I paid a lot of money for different fixes but it probably wasn’t worth anything. It slowed down and after a year and a half - it’s better - not back to 100% but I’m a good 90% normal. Try to embrace it and maybe cut it off to start a new you. 4. Would I do it again? HELL YES! Is it hard, yes. You can no longer count on food as a friend. You cannot eat and drink at the same time (makes me feel sick). I miss taking advil when I had live a pain. You have to watch your alcohol intake. If you over eat - u will pay and u want to die. However, I no longer will like I embarrass my family with my size, I can ride on rides at any amusement parks, I can climb stairs without stopping, I am seen by people without the look of pity, i don’t feel uncomfortable all the time, the list could go on for hours. You start a whole new chapter of your life. Best of luck -
on vacation, no fills yet, gaining
MaggieB replied to jdulac's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Dont beat yourself up. I was on vacation a couple of weeks ago - 9 days in an RV with my parents came home for a day then we went on a 7 day cruise. No fills yet, banded June 10th. I gained 5lbs but it was lost within 10 days or so. I guess most of it was water retention from eating out, salty foods, alcohol on the cruise etc. -
Protein shakes that won't give stomach aches?
dlm94 replied to froggie456834's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
I agree - either lactose, sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners. Do you eat any other "sugar free" foods? Do you have bad reactions with them? I do not do well with any of those, so avoid them all (incld Splenda). I am using a protein powder called About Time. You have to order it online and it isn't cheap. It is naturally sweetened and is 100% whey protein isolate. I haven't had any problems with it all. Good luck! -
Hi everyone. Just to keep those of you who already know me updated: I have gone to orientation and have a schedule date to begin my options classes through Kaiser. My graduation will be in May and Was told my surgery is possibly in June... The only problem and/or controversy I have is that I'm planning to go on a vacation in November (that would be aprox 5 months post op) and was wondering if anyone knows If it would be okay for me to go on my cruise to the caribbean for my 21 birthday.. I would be swimming, snorkeling, hiking, dancing, etc. would this be risky or should I be fine by then? Also, another thing that has me thinking alot is that I know after surgery I can't drink alcohol, and it's not too bad for me since I dont drink alot, but I have always wanted to party it up for my 21st bday! I've been waiting 21 years for this day! But I want to get the surgery and better my health and future: Maybe I can have just a drink or 2? ahh I can always date my surgery till after the trip... So the question is: Do I want to go on my trip: party it up: and enjoy my onl 21st bday ill ever have and have been waiting for or should I get my surgery...be healthier.. thinner.. and go on my trip..and also save money by not having to buy alcohol.. ive gotten different opinions from many people and it usually comes out 50/50! They tell me well you might as well get the alcohol and party hard for your 21st bday then have your surgery, whats the rush, the different of 7 months differnce going to do? then they also tell me... you should just get your surgery and get it over with, start your change because you will run into other vacations in the future... (but this is my only 21st! ha for all you older folks (which I indeed respect) this is big for me!) so... opinions?!?!? also.. i was thinking of risks... god forbid something begins to hurt or something happens over there... how would i get help being stuck on a ship? many possibilities.. please feed back!
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Awesome story Sherrie! I am so happy the sleeve is working for him and his mind/conditioning is losing the battle! My background is similar also, mom was abusive, dad an alcoholic...but we always had food! I definitely did not get the emotional support I needed while growing up and here I am...picking up the pieces. I wish you and your husband well <3
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My friend drinks. Can she still have the lap band surgery?
BetsyB replied to Laundromatlady's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Her surgeon MUST know of her alcoholism prior to surgery. This is potentially a matter of life and death. My mother was not honest with her doctor prior to a surgery near the end of her life. I pulled the anesthesiologist aside and told him---it was imperative. She still experienced delirium tremens--a minor surgery landed her in ICU because of complications due to alcohol withdrawal. Had they not known in advance, they would not have been prepared, would have wasted time trying to determine what was wrong. Alcohol withdrawal is very dangerous--very. It needs to be carefully medically managed. It's utterly immoral to subject a surgeon to her risks without informing him. He puts his license on the line every time he performs a procedure. Knowingly jeopardizing HIM with her actions is pretty heinous. Legal liability aside, living with the knowledge that a patient came to harm on your watch is HORRENDOUS. What a horrible, ill-thought plan. -
Be fore I get into the nitty gritty of this post let me tell you about my background. I had the sleeve done on 11-2012 and was by far the best decision I ever made. I will advise anyone with a weight issue to proceed with this procedure. I weighed in at 393 pounds the day of surgery and after two and a half short years I got down to 218 lbs ( dream goal is 210). I have been large all of my life (311lbs in 10th grade) and at 38 years old I felt great about myself. I was losing 8-10 lbs a week at my prime and slowly stopped as I was able to consume more food but nothing to be alerted about. I noticed at my smallest weight I was very weak and kept telling myself I need to get stronger if I was going to maintain this weight. Before my procedure I could not control my food intake but had no alcohol issues at all. If I had 3-4 drinks a month and that would be a lot for me. Food was my deal back then not alcohol. So about two years ago I went out with the boys and one of them bought me a beer. I was like what the hell, I'll have one (first in 2 years). It took me about an hour to drink the entire bottle. As time went on I notice that the one beer turn into a six pack in a week then into a 12 pack over a weekend. I slowly started drinking regularly and with that I slowly started to put weight back on. I took a step back to evaluate what was going on just to find out that I was still consuming the same amount of food that I did before but my weight was increasing. The concern now is that the alcohol is taking over the place of the food issues that I had. Having a food issue pretty much all of your life was normal to me but now trying to figure out if you have an alcohol problem is what I am struggling with. How did this happen and why all of a sudden now? It took everything in me to get myself to have the surgery and now I am facing another hurdle to get over. To this day I am still struggling on this issue an I can't stress enough that if you get faced to introduce alcohol back in you diet please DON'T do it. You may think you have control but chances are you won't. This is a small reach out to anyone that may have had a similar issue. Please reach out if you think you may have any advice or a similar story. Thank you for your time Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App
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It is incredibly common to swap one addiction for another. WLS means we can no longer sustain an addiction to food, but there are plenty of other vices out there to turn to. That's why there has to be mental/emotional work along with the physical change of surgery. I have always feared alcoholism as it tore my mom's whole family apart. So I have always had strict rules for myself around alcohol. I never drink when I am upset/depressed. I never drink alone. And I never drink at home unless it's a special occasion (like a party or friends/family are visiting). But my addictive personality has led me to other things, like video gaming addiction and exercise addiction.
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Am curious when it is safe to drink a little alcohol again? I am missing partaking of adult beverages on Friday evenings...I am only 4 weeks out so I am sure it is way too soon. But just curious, I have heard wine is probably too rough, perhaps too acidy and that post op 3 months is ok to try a little of something like a frozen drink, daquiri, margarita or pina coloda perhaps?...I am sure this has been asked before but I'm a neeby so please indulge me with your experiences/recommendations. Thanks!
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Anybody Got Post Lap Band Blues????
Nette Fosters replied to nursesweetc's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
This is so true! The band stops us from over-eating. But over-eating used to be my self-medication for feeling: Sad Angry Bored Lonely Trapped Insecure, etc. Basically anything I didn't want to feel. A surprising number of otherwise "normal" middle class moms and average people do become alcoholic after restrictive weight loss surgery like the band or the bypass. If we are prevented from using one medication (food) to quiet those dark, scary feelings, it might be an easy shift to quiet them with a different medication (alcohol.) What helped me was to start to speak up more. Not that I was silent before but now, if I'm angry I'm much more likely to speak directly to the person who caused that feeling and be more open with them instead of stuffing the feelings. "Honey, when you slammed my car door as you got out because you didn't like what I said, I felt physically startled and then kind of angry. I'd really prefer you tell me with your words when you're mad instead of with loud behaviors." (To my teen daughter yesterday afternoon.) I get to express my feelings, I figure, as long as I'm not being mean about it. Now that I've been doing this for a while, my daughter sometimes does it to me too, which is a much better thing for me to have modeled for her than for her to learn to over-eat over feelings which is the example I was raised with. And if I'm feeling bored or lonely, I can get up and try to improve my situation. Call someone, read a book, go for a walk with the dog, etc. Speaking honestly (but with love and the intention not of hurting the other person but of teaching them about my reaction, so we ultimately have a closer relationship) and doing actions (besides over-eating) when I'm faced with life's ...challenges, has let me lose a lot of weight, given me energy I didn't used to have and helped me enjoy better relationships with friends and family. Good luck with your own journey. :-) -
Told to stop losing!
piercedqt78 replied to qnz234's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I am dealing with some MAJOR medical issues right now, and I had to see a rheumatologist for the first time yesterday. He was reviewing my medical history and saw that I have had WLS, he questioned why I did it and I said I was 244 pounds, at 5'5 and morbidly obese, he looked me in the eye and said, that is the average sized American why do something so drastic? I was floored. I have never had a doctor ask me why I didn't want to be morbidly obese anymore. I explained to him that I wanted to be healthy, and extend my life. I said the average American also smokes, and drinks alcohol on a regular basis, but I don't do either of those things either. He dropped it, but still I was stunned that he said at 244 pounds I was average for an American, and he was surprised I had surgery. I'm glad I did it, and I think it will help me deal with the problems I'm facing now, but it was still shocking to hear. I am 5 pounds under my goal, and I have had several people tell me that I need to stop losing weight, or ask me if I knew how to stop losing now that I'm at my goal. My mother lectures me all the time about getting too thin, or not eating enough. I am in a size 8, and I don't think I'm too thin at all, I'm very comfortable at the size I am right now. I would love to have the access skin removed, and that will probably make me a size 4, but I'm not doing it for the size, I want to do it to help with the constant rash, and sores that I'm dealing with in the folds of my skin. I am however affraid that when they take off all the extra skin I WILL be underweight. I'm 5'5 and 130 pounds now, is that going to put me in the underweight catagory? That is a question I NEVER thought I would have to ask. -
I have drinks with my friends a couple times a month. It has not hurt a thing. I just dont drink any carbonation, and I dont drink alcohol with carbs or mix it with anything sugary. Higher proof, hard alcohol is "carb free"... still affects the blood sugar, but looks good on a nutrition label. I am a Baccardi on the rocks girl, and it hasnt slowed me down yet.
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Alcohol is a hobby in my relationship. Worried. Get sleeved this month.
Christinamo7 replied to Nikkipit's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
hopefully you can find other things to replace the alcohol with. I know for me, right now, I have a glass of diet cran grape rather than a glass of wine, and if people are around, they really don't know the difference. let me tell you this is going to be a wild ride! but I also feel like it has saved my life. my hope and prayer is that you will be able to grow together through this. Also know that how it is in the first few months is not how it will be forever, so in the early days when you have more restrictions remind him it will not *always* be like that. and Dub, I'm not going to quote your whole post, but thank you for sharing your story in such a detailed way. You're just the best. -
Indulge, but remember alcohol is sugar so take it slow
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Jsemmig, No Alcohol. When I had my Psyche visit I asked the Dr what would disqualify a person from getting approved. He said if you were an alcoholic because you cant drink alcohol during your recovery period. My surgeon told me the same.
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Why is alcohol banned post op -forever???
Rainbow_Warrior replied to Sherry Rice's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
No brainer. Although I was not an alcoholic, my job and social life meant a fair chance of social drinking. Then there were the long Australian east-coast summers of 5.5 to 7.5 months. So, I could end up with 3000-4500 extra calories per week ... like adding an eighth or ninth day per week to my calorie consumption. I probably won't be a teetotaller but I can see my drinking being cut to four to six drinks per fortnight average, probably less ... and I'll keep those for important events or occasions. -
Try chicken/beef broth Clear protein Shake protein - no alcohol Protein water
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When can you have your first glass of Wine?
Froggi replied to Yaherd's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I was told by my doctor not to drink alcohol for a year after being banded. After that in moderation. -
Why is alcohol banned post op -forever???
Sherry Rice posted a topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I understand that for 6 months following surgery that alcohol is banned. But why not after that? As long as its not often?? Confused in Dallas -
Questions for those 6 months to a year post-sleeve
Guest replied to skybelle18's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
11 months out .. Dropped 80 in 3 months and havent lost or gained a pond since. It is my fault. I eat pretty much the same as I did pre surgery, but not as much. I Also I cut soda and alcohol (for the most part.) My appetite returned to full blast after month 3. I can eat a whole pizza without blinking an eye and very little side effects, I do not make a habit of this however, -
Did you/ are you planning to drink any alcohol before you start your pre-op diet?
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So, Alcohol before pre-op
joatsaint replied to elenasal's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I wasn't much of a drinker pre-op, but if I had the desire to drink before I started the pre-op diet, I would have. But I wouldn't drink once I was on the diet. Alcohol has too many worthless carbs. -
No wine/alcohol for one year?
seaforest replied to shanshan's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
It may depend on the type of surgery you have. My surgery team said one year. I'm going with it because I've met a number of people now that have had bariatric surgery and alcohol became a problem for them. I don't want to become an alcoholic and I'm wary because it runs in the family. Oh, and yes, I work with individuals in recovery from addiction. -
To loose weight is an everyday commitment, if you are not ready to give the 100 % do not do it. Before I got banded My friend did it, I saw how well she looked, she told me she was not diabetic anymore and I started thinking about it, I did research and I learned as much as I could about my options. Then, I decided to do it. On the 25th of the month it will be 10 months since my surgery, I had lost about 55lbs. My friend stop loosing weight after I had my surgery, she has put all the weight back and she is always complaining about the band, now she is telling me she will take it out to see if they can give her the sleeve. i don't think her insurance is covering because the band is not damage. But she is my friend and I see what she is doing wrong, she is eating small amounts of food all day long, she eat everything fried most of the time. she has never stop drinking alcohol, every weekend she has an excuses to drink, she can easily have 10 margaritas in one night plus 10 or 15 Tequila shots. Can you imagine the amount of calories a margarita has? it scare me. She eats ice cream almost every night and when I bring up why she is not loosing weight she start defending her actions, obviously she is in denial, it is getting to the point we are only talking once a week because she doesn't want to admit she is the reason she is not loosing weight not the band. The band is a tool to loose weight like your glasses are a tool to see better, but they only work if you put them on. So YOU have to do the work. Good luck to the newbies, be positive and now is worth it. Peace and harmony!
