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Sugar alcohol, from what I have read, comes in many different varieties. It is hydrogenated sugar, and cannot be absorbed by the body. Because it cannot be absorbed by the body, it can ferment in the intestines, and may cause digestive upset in people. Some of the "sugar alcohols" do have a caloric value. I am not a chemist, but this is my understanding of how they function. Basically, they are a form of chemically engineered sugar, and as such are used in the category of foods considered to be "highly or overly processed". I don't believe that it's a great idea to use those products...if we truly want to change our health for the better with loosing weight, why would you want to ingest chemicals? IMHO, in the long run, simple unprocessed foods are healthier. Many on the forum have written about their "sweet tooth", and I am a self confessed chocoholic. I would think it healthier to have 1 small piece of the real deal than to use the chemicals. Your mileage may vary...best wishes to you as you continue your journey!

Fiber is not used by the body for energy, that is why it can be subtracted from the carb count on a low carb diet. However, lots of low carbers count everything. It's a personal preference thing. I have always paid attention to the net carbs, even though all carbs are logged. I do think subtracting sugar alcohol carbs might not be the best practice. Sugar alcohols are metabolized differently by different people. To be on the safe side, I count them.

I don't know the medical science behind the drinking and the band- but my surgeon's post-op instructions stated no alcohol until 6-8 weeks after banding (then all the usual caveats about calories etc.). I held out until the 4th week after surgery and was fine. I am a big social drinker (weekends only) and light beer was my favorite. I quit all carbonation on the pre-op diet - so I don't drink light beer anymore. Instead, i do a shot of clearl liquor (lowest calories) usually absolute vodka - then fill the rest of the glass with ice and water. I then add in crystal light or equivalent. I can drink 4-5 of those during the night - same buzz as before the band (i've noticed no difference) and never sick etc. I'm like you - i count in the calories and i continue to steadily lose weight. I can't tell you what will happen if you try any alcohol in the 2nd week - you may want to check other threads on here - as i'm sure it's been discussed. BEST OF LUCK TO ALL OF US IN OUR JOURNEYS!

Yes, thank you. The decision is Lap band. I know of 5 people who have had bypass, one is DEAD, another is an alcoholic, and the other three have gained their weight back. Yesterday I had my first interview -- about 2.5 hours of talking to the shrink, nutritionist and the PA. Now we're waiting for my insurance to come through. peace.

Alcohol has never played a big part in my life. Probably helped by the fact that I hate wine (don't stone me, please!) and that my driug of choice was food. So I haven't bothered to drink since being sleeved. However, with the festive season looming, it might be nice to have a non-fizzy go-to drink. I am slightly apprehensive about drinking anything (heard the horror stories of how quickly you can get wrecked) but what's your experience of introducing alcohol to your sleeve? And what's your favourite tipple now? Thanks...

12/5/08 My first fill! Yeah! What a ton of weird feelings. I never had anyone walk me through what it was like to have a fill, so I am going to put it down here. Well first I should say that Dr. Kirshenbaum is the one that did my fill and every doctor is probably different. So I went in and they weighed me. I don’t mind getting on the scale as long as the numbers are going down. I went into the exam room and there was a sonogram machine on one side of the table. So I laid down on the exam table and the doctor came in and felt for my port. No problem. That was easy. He cleaned my tummy with alcohol and then betadine. He asked if I was ready and after I said yes her poked me with the syringe. It didn’t hurt at all. He worked on getting all the air out of the syringe/needle. I had a little stinging sensation a couple of times, but I think that was either the saline hitting the inside of the port or from the needle being in where I’m not used to having a needle. J He had 2 syringes. One had 1.7 of saline in it and the other had like 2.5 of saline. He put the 1.7 in my band and then had me stand up. So now I have a needle sticking out of my tummy. Yeah it was as weird as it seemed! I drank some water without any problem. So now he puts more saline in and says drink some more water. OMG! I it just stayed in my pouch. Just sat there! It felt so strange. I wanted to cough it up or something. He took out about .5cc and then no problem. Now we did the dance. He put in .4cc and I took a drink and there was a definite hesitation in my pouch and then a tiny burp down there and it drained. He took out .2cc and I could drink and a tiny hesitation and then it drained. He took out .1cc and no hesitation now. I can drink and it was just fine. 2.8cc for my first fill. I know the number is arbitrary, but still nice to know. I took food with me so I didn’t have to worry about what I was going to eat. It has been a habit that has been working pretty well. Even if DH and kids eat at McDonalds I have something to eat. So anyway I had some cottage cheese and chicken salad. No problem. I went to TGI Fridays and had a grilled chicken breast. Small mindful bites and no problem. I can’t believe that .10cc more and I would be too tight. That is only a couple of drops of saline. Amazing. I guess the band is much touchier than I thought. I think some doctors have set amounts for fill. (.5 for each one or something.) I’m glad Dr. K isn’t like that. Fill till restriction then pull back just enough. Sounds good to me. Oh then he pulled out the syringe. WEIRD!!!!! No pain though. I will go back January 9th for my second fill. I even got to meet someone from lapbandtalk.com! That was cool too. The girls in the office today recommended this thrift store for cheap in-between jeans. So I look for jeans and I finally see this one pair of petite jeans. There were a size 18P Sonoma brand for $4 so I thought I would get them and they can be a goal. I started in a size 22 and they are baggy, but my only jeans so I wore them today. So I just got home from Denver (7 hr drive) and I hold them up and say to myself that there is NO WAY, but I'll try and see how far I get...they will be my first pair of "goal jeans". Guess what...yep! THEY FIT!!!! Not comfy enough to lounge around the house, but I can wear them out if I want to. WOW! What a day. My first fill and this!

It’s Sod’s Law that the one person that I expected to support me in this procedure has been the only one person that hasn’t. Damn that Sod and his bloody law making! Without wanting to sound like an angry young (ahem!) man and post my second negative post, I thought I would try and do it in a defensive way rather than go in with guns a-blazing. The gloves were originally taken off as I pressed the “new post” button - but they have duly been put back on. In fact, I have retired to the changing room, away from the ring to write a considered response with the help of a bit of Rufus Wainwright serenading me and a hot cup of jasmine tea. Actually, forget that - I am going to have to snipe a bit, so decaf coffee it is. Firstly, I won’t bother going through my reasons for undertaking this surgery. If you want those, you can easily read through the swathes of words I have on the subject. Secondly, I will start my defence a bit absurdly. I will start with a list of mistakes that I made leading up to the surgery and a few of my most outstanding weaknesses. This way, I can be judged in full for the actions I took. Thirdly, I intend to iterate why this blog was set up and why I continue to push people here instead of talking about it face to face. Fourthly, I will try and defend the accusations that have flown recently and put them in their place once and for all. I won’t be going over it again - so listen carefully! Lastly, I intend to lose some weight with dignity and pride and hopefully a bit of happiness - so if you don’t like it - back off and let me get on. Please. So, as detailed above, I launch my defence with point 1. Go read. The biggest mistake I made before undertaking this step was not to make the decision with my partner. Instead I chose to research and make the decision entirely alone. I chose to not discuss my fears with anyone and let the decision be made before I told a soul. When I did tell, it was already well decided in my mind that I would do it. In hindsight, I would probably have realised that this was to be a shared experience and needed buy-in and approval from everyone affected. I do admit that the way I did it was perhaps selfish. I won’t defend it, as I believe now it should have been done another way. My second mistake - but one that I am not so sure was entirely wrong, was not to inform my friends until it was all done. This was again because the procedure was so huge to me that I wanted to be in and out of it before anyone could grill me and make my life too stressful before I undertook the seemingly controversial operation. I think that they now feel slightly distant from me as I was unable to share this with them - which perhaps I should have done. My excuse for that is hopefully well understood and forgivable. My weaknesses can be pretty much listed out verbatim. I am well aware of them and pretty much everyone who knows me is also very well read on the subject. Again, I won’t excuse the failings - just lay them out on the table. I am absolutely CRAP with money. I don’t quite understand its value and I can’t hold onto it as long as I should. It has gotten me into some dire situations and I am aware that it has caused some distress to those around me. Never ever lend me money. Ever! I am a frightful coward. Everything that has any kind of danger attached fills me with dread. I hate roller coasters, flying and high speed. I cower at spiders and tremble at heights. If you are looking for courage in a burly man - look elsewhere. I am pretty stubborn. Once I have decided upon something - that will always be the right thing in my mind. It takes a lot of persuasion to talk me around to another point of view. Some people may well recognise this as arrogance! I was (no more) a big drinker. I binged and usually got very “bombastic” in the process. Imposing one’s personality on friends and stranger can be quite daunting for them. Using booze as a crutch to overcome my utter shyness and inability to have a conversation with people was probably not the best therapy. I have many other weaknesses, but are probably irrelevant for this post - so I will stop self-flagellating. [*]This blog was set up for two reasons. I needed an outlet where I could do a bit of cathartic self-therapy. Writing everything down in this way seems to be a brilliant tool for exploring one’s mind and really coming to terms with issues that bother you. I recommend it for anyone undertaking a journey like this that they have concerns about. Even if you don’t publish it - write it down. The honesty you can deliver to a uncaring, uninterested computer screen is immense. The second reason was to enable my friends to read my reasons behind my decsion and see more into the process. It gives them the full picture without taking up my entire life talking about it. If people want to know, they go to my blog. Also, I figured it would help people contemplating the operation in the future see the thought processes I went through stage by stage and help them to come to terms with the options available. I’m not entirely sure my readership is that enormous nor whether people actually take in what they read in between the rambling sentences. But, from the few comments I have received, it is ringing a similar chord with other people who have had the surgery. Time will tell if this helps anyone else. [*]Now, the accusations! This blog is simply self-indulgent crap. Well, it has been an important part in my decision and coming to terms with opting for the surgery. It has also helped others close to me to fully understand what I did. Whereas with talking and conversation - they would only have had the full story. I just wouldn’t have the time to quote the articles in teh blog to all my friends. I can’t really defend the “crap” bit. I didn’t cater for the feelings of my partner when I made the decision on my own Yes I did. I shouldn’t have made the decision on my own, but her feelings were very much considered and put into the equation. The trouble is - I didn’t accurately predict what her feelings would actually be. Hence the discussions should have been made. Half of a defence there. I wasted money on the operation when I could have invested in the family unit and dieted instead like most people. Sorry - but there is no basis to that one. Firstly - here is a fact. Of all diets - only 3-5% are successful in the long term (reference Dr Jessie H. Ahroni Ph.D., A.R.N.P.). A whopping 95 to 97% of people who diet are wasting their time! I have tried dieting and my mental and physical make-up is such that I was one of the 95-97% of people who failed. I tried for 15 years. This was a last resort as you will probably know by now from my self-proclaimed cowardice. Secondly, me paying for a surgery to keep me alive for many more years than previously expected IS an investment into the family unit. Imagine my salary over, let’s say, 20 years. Lastly, the money spent on the operation is approximately how much I overspent on food and alcohol over two years. So, in conclusion - this has not only cost nothing - it has actually put money BACK IN to the family unit (remembering my fiscal weakness - you may wish to check these facts!). Along with that, it is giving me the opportunity to live a bit longer. So, there you have it. Now I intend to get on with my new life, in a slightly different way than I had originally planned - but get on with it I shall. Originally posted at: Lap Band Blog

I tell them I'm eating healthier, smaller portions, gave up drinking beer & all alcohol except wine. I also tell them that I'm in the gym at 5 am 4 days a week & have a personal trainer. All true, I just don't mention the surgery part because its personal.

So the big day is closing in…and I’m starting to freak the hell out!!! I’m scared as frack for a multitude of reasons and my trepidation is increasing with each passing day. Tomorrow I start my pre-op diet. I did try to be good this past week, at least in the beginning. But then I seemed honestly, legitimately more hungry than usual and my junk food cravings were unbearable. I would be good all day then come home and give in to the ice cream in the refrigerator or feel the intense need to stop at 7-11 on the way home and pick up a candy bar (or two). This definitely didn’t help my nerves. If I can’t even go two days without chocolate, how the heck am I supposed to go two months without solid food? What if I really can’t do this? What if I fail? Sure, I’d considered the possibility of failure going into this. I know the statistics. I know it doesn’t work for everyone. I know a lot of people find ways to eat around the band and manage to eventually gain back any weight they lost in the beginning stages. I knew that I might never reach my goal or that I might, in the long run, not lose any significant amount of weight at all. I knew these things from the beginning, but all those images of skinny me at my sister’s wedding this fall, or my ten year high school reunion next year, or me in a sexy outfit in a bar in the city getting hit on by cute boys sometime in the foreseeable future, were the possibilities my head focused in on. I figured once the changes had been made to my body from this surgery I wouldn’t be allowed to pig out. I wouldn’t be able to binge on junk food. And I’m a good girl; when there’s a rule I follow it. So long as I had a hard and fast reason to eat better, I would stop being able to rationalize the bad things I ate, and I would succeed. Or at least that’s what I believed—or what I wanted to believe. But I know it’s not going to be that easy. I’m going to be fighting those cravings all the time, especially in the beginning and If I couldn’t say ‘no’ this week, how will I do it next week, and the week after that, and for the rest of my life? Will I find a way? Or will this just be another failed attempt of mine to lose weight? And that’s not all that scares me. Because let’s be honest here—I didn’t get to be 315 lbs by not liking food. In fact, I love food. And I don’t just love food. I love sitting down and stuffing my face with mass quantities of disgusting, bad for me food. Right now I’m living at my parents house, since I had no money when I graduated vet school, and decided to stay at home for a year or so and save up money to buy my own place (which I will be moving into in a couple of months, but that’s a blog for another day.) Anyhow, the point is that even though I’m living at home, I’m 27, an adult and a doctor who is responsible for many lives on a daily basis. I should be adult enough to be responsible for my own life. My choices should be my own and I shouldn’t have to hide things from my parents just because I’m living under their roof at the moment. And yet, I do. I don’t hide boys, or pot, or alcohol--I hide food. When they go away and I know I’m going to have the house to myself, I think—“oh yay! I can stay in and watch a movie and order an entire pizza and eat it by myself.” I know this is not a healthy view to have on food, or on life in general, but it’s the way my mind thinks. I actually look forward to the opportunity to binge. And now I won’t be able to do that again—ever. Which is good. I shouldn’t ever do that. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to. And knowing that I can’t use large quantities of food to comfort myself is scary. Now I might actually have to deal with my emotions and to be perfectly honest, I don’t even think I know what my emotions are any more, I’ve been eating them down for so long. And then there are the minor scary things. I’ve never had anesthesia before or even spent a night in the hospital (except the sleep studies I had to do) both of which I will have to do next week for the surgery. How will the recovery go? Will I be in much pain? How will I survive a week at home with my mother without the possibility of escaping to work? (that last one is definitely the scariest.) So well, the freak-out isn’t exactly over, but I guess I’m done ranting about it for now. I’ll probably be back a few more times this week as D-day approaches. Tomorrow I think I’m getting weighed and measured by my PT at the gym so I’ll have some accurate starting stats to share with you. Until then, I’m going to try and convince myself that a week of Medi-Fast and fat-free, no sugar added yogurt sounds delicious.

Well it's Boxing Day here in Australia and Christmas is over. Had a great day yesterday with family and friends. I cooked for everyone, turkey, ham, roast pork loin, lots of vegetables and salads, pudding, sweets. I did really well and ate my Protein and vegetables. Wasn't even hungry when we sat down for lunch but I joined in anyway with eating, didn't even finish what was on my plate but what I ate was delicious. I had one teaspoon of pudding and a one teaspoon of a yummy dessert I make and I was satisfied. After lunch everyone was struggling with overly full tummys and the urge to sleep. I was energetic and constantly on the move cleaning up etc. I didn't have any alcohol, was never a drinker anyway but I did have a glass of non alcoholic wine and sipped on that throughout my meal. Jumped on the scales this morning and I'm two pounds down from yesterday, must have been from all the effort I put into cooking for everyone yesterday. The first Christmas I have truly enjoyed food wise because I enjoyed a bit of everything without the over stuffed feeling. Hope you all had a fantastic day with family and friends and to those that did have that bit extra no guilt feelings the next day!!! The effort will be better spent on getting back on track and moving forward.

Whoo Hoo! I can finally update my Ticker! One “ten pound head” (with my fat face) gone and nine or so more to go. I think I win the award for slowest weight loss pre-band…actually, probably not as I’ve run across quite a few others here who also weren’t allowed to lose much on their Six Months of Lingering Torture. I know, I know, you’re saying what’s so torturous with not losing much weight??!! Gee I REALLY feel sorry for you BG! I’m telling you if you’ve come to this point in your life where you feel desperate enough to get WLS, then you’re ready to make the change, and you want it to start happening sooner, rather than later. I’d describe my feelings much like an alcoholic would about ‘hitting bottom’. For me, and I think many others, we had some sort of turning point, or ‘moment’ where we hit bottom and decided to consider WLS (I’ll share my moment another time). It’s actually been hard while you’re researching and learning all this not to be able to put it all into practice. I swear it's made the time go slower too, probably because you don't have as much to do (tracking calories, exercising, planning/cooking diet meals). If you’re someone like me (professional dieter) who is always either gaining or losing it’s been weird staying about the same weight. I haven’t stayed about the same weight this long in I don’t know when! So ‘breaking’ my plan, and actually starting my stricter diet this last month of the Six Months of Lingering Torture, has been a great feeling. I started my dieting last Monday and haven’t really been cutting the calories too drastically yet (I’m planning to step things down) as I didn’t want to lose a TON of weight this month. Well, you can all call me an ‘April Fool’ if I mess this whole thing up and get denied! Time to update my Ticker tomorrow…FINALLY!...I hope I remember how! Me, Summer 2010: “Lost Weight? Me? Thanks for noticing!”

My surgeon's "official" word is no alcohol again, but "un-official" is just to be careful on both volume and frequency. It will go to your liver quicker and stay there longer. I have had both wine and gin since my surgery and while before I would drink about 1 drink per hour about 1 time per week, I have limited it to 1 drink per evening every few weeks.

Like Indiogirl said... this is just a tool...this is not the case where "the surgery is doing the work for you" that is an illusion. You. have to work this. I have lost about 100 lbs in 6 months. I have a very good friend banded longer (a lot longer) than I, who has lost almost nothing. Y? I go to the gym 2 hrs a day 5 days a week. I eat Protein first....then veggies and salad. I stop eating by 5pm. I go to support groups, keep in touch w/ my dr, and kept getting fills (and an unfill) till I got where 3 meals do the trick, and I am not hungry. I cut waaaaaaay down on alcohol. I dont eat sweets. so what do I eat?? hmm.....salads, cottage cheese, soy crisps, homemade healthy chilis and Soups. seafood. veggies. very little red meat. Protein shakes. nuts. Peanut Butter....I keep healthy snax around (the cottage cheese and soy crisps are my fav!!! ) but also heart healthy nut packs, baby bell cheeses, EAS shakes......I cook at the beginning of the week to make sure there is something around for me to grab quick, because if I get starving, it isnt good.....eggs are also good protein, and have gotten a bad wrap.....hang in there!! You have to make a decision to put yourself back on the map. its really as easy as that, and no one is busier than I am. I have triplet 3 yr olds, a 5 yr old, and no outside help. My youngest son also has a disability so throw in many hours of appts, and therapies every week, and I still get myself to the gym. its all about priorities......!!!

What worked for me was following a very normal, but portion controlled diet - that's foods from all food groups - Protein, carbs, fruit, vegies. Three healthy meals a day exactly as I would have done when trying to lose pre band. Limited Snacks and treats, but sure, occasionally you can have a treat. Limit alcohol, fatty foods and sugar. So I might eat Cereal and fruit for Breakfast, a salad with protein for lunch and more protein and salad for dinner, with the occasional Pasta or rice dish. I worked up to it, but pretty much run for 40 minutes five days a week and go to a couple of bootcamp sessions (which are pretty brutal). I lost easily but slowly (if you consider 100lb in 2 years slow, I dont) and maintained effortlessly ever since, EVEN with an unfilled band. My band was a tool. It meant I stuck with my plans through the endless challenges such as meals out, holidays, parties and just bad weeks but it made me satisfied with much smaller portions. It never stopped me wanting bad foods, it didnt even stop me overeating, since when I had a mind to I could graze on chocolate and Cookies all day. I worked on that bad habit. Looking back, i think the band worked on my mind as well as my body. I really did finally say 'grow up and accept what you have to do" and I just got on with it. I find people nowadays just gratify their every whim and I've really become a person who thinks before she acts in terms of not only eating, but spending money too!

Mind you, this information is for people with whole functioning stomachs. Not fresh surgical lines, staples, and a stomach reduced to the point where a small ulcer could be major.: Put simply, alcohol irritates your digestive system. Drinking – even a little – makes your stomach produce more acid than usual, which can in turn cause gastritis (the inflammation of the stomach lining). This triggers tummy pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in heavy drinkers, even bleeding. On the less serious end of the scale, drinking can make it more difficult to digest food and absorb vital nutrients. That’s because alcohol reduces the amount of digestive enzymes which the pancreas produces to help us to break down the fats and carbohydrates we eat (1). (1) NHS Choices website, Gastroesophageal reflux disease: introduction. The Information Standard member organisation. Last reviewed: 29/05/2014. Available at:http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Gastroesophageal-reflux-disease/Pages/Introduction.aspx Thank you ! That is the most helpful comment Iv read on this entire thread ! Interesting and also thought provoking, makes sense too.

I would just like to pose this question... Why would you feel the need to drink so soon after surgery while your stomach is still healing? Why would you take a chance after coming this far to mess things up and possibly hurt yourself? Even though there may not be evidence that it will hurt you, why would you chance it? You could wait at least a couple months out until your stomach was fully healed. Who knows what kind of affect alcohol has not only on your new stomach but your other organs because the digestion in your stomach is now different. Those are just some of the questions I would ask. Just because you can, doesn't mean it's good for you. If you need to drink that badly that you can't wait until your stomach is fully healed then I think there may be a problem.

Personally I spoke to my therapist before surgery about alcohol and decided I would not touch it until I felt I had replaced my addiction with something healthy... It's just too risky to me. The way I see it is - alcohol never meant anything to me before surgery and I'm going to keep it that way! Once I get to a point where I am healthy, happy, and alcohol is purely a social activity then I will experiment a little. The only thing I worry about is my 21st birthday will be approximately 6 months post op in October. Most people know 21st birthdays usually end up in young people getting sick, passing out, or ending up in the hospital with alcohol poisoning ... so the peer pressure will be strong to go crazy but I'll have to reign those crazy friends in and remind them I have something more important to me.

Just because one can drink 6 glasses of alcohol weeks after surgery and be "fine" after does not mean one did not cause damage to their sleeve or self. This is when the slippery slope begins. Oh I had 6 glasses of alcohol and I'm good so it's ok! Let me try again! Oh I can have 6 glasses of alcohol and still lose weight so that means I did good today. Some of these post are concerning indeed. Trust me I'm no alcohol police. I'm 3 months out and have had a glass of wine twice. And plan to certainly drink A glass of wine during special occasions and social gatherings in the future but I wouldn't have dare compromised my healing process by downing alcohol 2 weeks after surgery which is a critical part of healing. My post is not to judge or make anyone feel bad because what is done is done this post comes from pure concern of some of the dangerous actions taking by some.

I just have one question. Why would you deliberately and intentionally do something that can harm yourself after just going through a procedure meant to give you a second chance at a healthier life? Something that goes against every NUT and doctor's advice that I've ever seen. A little something to think about. Alcohol is a diuretic. Now think about how your stomach has been altered and the amount of Water and Protein you need to consume daily. Your chances of dehydrating skyrocket when consuming alcohol and even more so in extremely large quantities. This post both saddens and angers me, especially when you think about how many people want/need this surgery for a better life and are denied or have to pay out of pocket and you see people being nothing more than irresponsible. @LipstickLady I'm right there with you...I said it, it's out there.

the benadryl tablets are pretty small - i was definitely allowed to take tablets that size whole. But since benadryl is not extended release, you can always cut them in half or crush them and take them. Most kids liquid medicines have a lot of sugar or sugar alcohols so I personally would try to avoid the liquid form of benadryl.

I’m like @FluffyChix. Definitely not a teetotaller either & support the drinking as little as possible. I had a G&T at 6wks out at my cousin’s 40th. Took 4 hrs to drink it. If I’m going to a party I take my own - gin mixed in a small 300ml tonic or soda water bottle - cause I control the amount of gin I add. Drink slowly over hours & let the tonic/soda go flat. Had a small glass of champagne for Christmas & after 3hrs I poured half of it down the sink. (I know.😩 Such a terrible waste of Moet!) Sorry @Fatboyslim1 Great suggestion but I just can’t do the diluting of wine. 😱 Alcohol will mess with your weight loss & addiction transference is real. Be careful. Go slowly. Weigh the risks (pun intended) before indulging.

@@butterfly23 Yes I would be thankful nothing rude was said vs. nothing at all. My nlaws always say the wrong thing. I have a sister n law who was heavy as a child then as a young adult began with drugs and alcohol. She lost all of her weight and even more than she should. I have know her for 30 years now and never knew her as heavy. Yes, she is still heavily addicted to drugs and alcohol and barely eats anything. She has now become a type 1 diabetic because she basically damaged her pancreas. She is 5'7" and if she weighs 100lbs I would be shocked. Anyway, about 6 months after my surgery which she knew I had, she saw me and informed me that I was loosing way too much weight and I looked sickly thin. I still weighed over 200lbs at the time. I knew she was scared I might become thinner than her and that was her real motive. I have not seen her since August, I have lost quite a bit of weight since then and am 7lbs from goal. I don't look forward to the next time I see her because I am certain rudeness will come shooting out of her mouth. My mother n law would usually make comments about both my weight and my husbands and she was obese herself. It's just strange how people think it is ok to say whatever they want. Be glad......and congratulations on your progress!

I feel your pain. The agony of the unknown is horrible. Almost worse than the reality. I have been a big time Diet Coke junkie (and I mean junkie) for a long time maybe 20 years! Yikes that makes me so old. I loved it! Probably some what like an alcoholic. Well I drank it like normall right up unil 48 hours before surgery. I suffered for at least a week with horrible headaches ( I think it was caffeine) but I don't really know. Could have been stress, no nicotine too. I am pretty proud of myself. However I have had some pretty bad moments. Where I just want to eat, drink coke and smoke and I feel crazy. I feel as if I have taken it one day and some times one hour at a time. I feel as if I am living on air. And since I quit smoking and had surgery I have had this horrible cough. I don't know if it is chest cold or all the toxins from the nicotine coming out. Well any how I would wean my self off of the pepsi now and deal with the headaches now if you can. But I doubt I could have until they said you have surgery you can never have it agian. That is probably the only reason I gave it up. But I am feeling better about it all. So far I have stayed away from people eating, drinking coke or smoking. I don't think I am quite ready to deal with it in my face. I am in hiding. Good Luck!

The sugar alcohol in this is erythritol which per Wikipedia has less of a laxative side effect than some of the other sugar alcohols. Sugar alcohols like mannitol and lactitol are actually used as laxatives.

Eating is a survival behavior. We must eat or we will die. We are therefore hard-wired to find pleasure in food. It's the same reason we find pleasure in sex and find babies and children irresistibly cute - survival of the the species. The things that keep us alive and perpetuate the species are designed to be pleasurable so we will do them. Please don't try to overcome the love of food and pleasure you find in food. Abstinence works for drugs and alcohol because we don't need those things to survive. You will not be able to stop loving food - nor should you!!! If you don't find a way to enjoy your new life, you will either fail miserably, or succeed more miserably. Continue to enjoy cooking and healthy food. That's what we are supposed to do. All that junk food and unhealthy food we fed those cravings never satisfied because our bodies were really screaming for nutrition. When you find ways to give your body the nutrients it needs - that you can also enjoy - you will finally satisfy those cravings for good!!! I'm a foodie for life!!! Shelly