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Debra, I think what hurt the most was my mom rolling her eyes when I started telling her about the lapband. Yesterday we went out for 'Nanny's day out' <what we call my mom> and I had one plate with meat/veggies and it wasn't loaded then I took a plate and got about 1 spoon full of 4 desserts, which I didn't finish off. Then she looked at me and said 'you going to get another plate?' with a look that said 'I know you are'. Well, I didn't eat any more than her skinny behind. She's skinny because she had 60% of her stomach removed years back because of ulcers. No matter what we do, we MO people are perceived to be fat pigs that can't control themselves. But alcoholics are 'sick' and get all the help they can. Anorexics are 'sick' and get help. Insurance helps them and employers have programs set up for their 'illness'. Well, they have the same choices that we do: to drink that alcohol or not eat same as we have a choice to eat more. Ok, my soapbox is getting a good workout!! Sorry.

Obesity is the last of the 'politically correct' prejudices. It's so true. The sad thing about having a food problem is that everyone can see your problem. Almost all other human 'problems' can be hidden from the general population, drug abuse, sex addicts, alcoholics, racists whatever...but obesity is obvious to others what your problem is and so everyone feels it is ok to comment on it or feel superior to those who struggle. Here's what I never understood...why are you superior if you are an alcoholic or a smoker or a drug abuser? No one ever has to smoke, drink alcohol or do drugs but we all HAVE to eat. Its easier to give up something completely than to 'limit' it. I have been obese all my adult life. It has held me back in soooo many ways. I hope losing this excess weight will help me to 'dare' to do some of those things I should have done a long time ago. Here's to new horizons!

There are some really great HEALTHY sweetners! Stevia also comes in flavors so experiment a little before you write it off. You get used to it. Besides Stevia, there is: Lo Han or Liu Han (inulin) Feeds good bacteria in intestines (somewhat expensive but I've recently tried Dr. Mercola's New whey chocolate Protein bars and they were pretty damn tasty!) Yacon – Peruvian Tuber (FOS) Syrup: Amazing therapeutic properties. The body is not able to break it down as sugar and it passes through and then promotes the good bacteria in the intestines. Tastes like a cross between honey and molasses – a good, inexpensive brand is Amazon Therapeutic (brown glass jar and red label) sells for $16 for 16 oz jar (can probably find it cheaper on-line). I use this stuff a lot and I love it! I'm not a fan of honey or molasses but this stuff has a fantastic rich, sweet, taste. I use just a drop in my oatmeal and it tastes fantastic! Xylitol – Has antibacterial properties. You should always carry mints (look for Spry mints) or gum sweetened with this if you can’t brush after a meal. It’s being used more and more in foods and toothpastes and such! Very healthy and affordable! Erithratol (sp) is also antibacterial. This is a sugar alcohol so it can cause digestive upset if you eat too much. It tastes more like 'real' sugar than Splenda or any of the other artificial sweetners. You will have to do a little research to find which ones of these have high glycemic index. I know Erithratol is low but not sure about the others....

nah, everyone knows about my surgery that I hang out with and so on the occasion we meet for lunch or go out at night nothing's changed for me but I order differently at the places we meet. I've not found anywhere that didn't have something I can have....... except that I've not tried alcohol yet(but I generally drink at home, and not out and about) and I don't feel like baking right now so I don't have some of the treats for others that I normally have. pretty sure I will feel like baking later on. 90% of the time I'm just at home with my family so nothin's really changed there.

I love the quotes. My son is suffering with depression and alcohol abuse and has recently decided to seek help. I sent him these quotes as they are relevant to so many life decisions. Thank you for sharing.

It is so hard the first few weeks. I remember watching the Food Network while at home recovering the first week post op and feeling so sad and sorry for myself like I would never get to eat again. I'm glad each week is getting a little easier and so proud that are following your plan and not using food or alcohol to deal with things. That is an emotional challenge for us all and where the saying on here that "they operate on our bellies and not our brains" comes from as we all learn to deal with our emotions. Following the post op plan/guidelines helped me a lot the first few months because it kept me focused. I kept a whiteboard to track my water and vitamins early on. Keep up the good work!

I don't get. I love my wine and tequila and rum like the next person. I was having wine shipped to me a small winery in California, but when I decided on surgery I stopped the shipments. I buy the expensive tequila and rum because I like it on the rocks or straight up - not reprocessed rot gut stuff for me. 'I'm not 20 any more. I'm now 6 weeks out and focusing on getting and being healthy. I don't miss having a glass of wine, or tequila or anything. nor do I feel I need to or want to. I've been out with friends twice and on both occasions encouraged them to have their wine.... I just stuck with water. At 3 and 4 weeks your incision is still healing. Just cuz you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there. It's about 10 inches long. If the incision was on your leg, would you way it with alcohol? My surgeon recommends waiting 1 year. I may wait that long or I may not. I don't have a plan at this point. But I know this, I opted for surgery to be a healthier me. I know all the ways to cheat the system, but I'm only cheating myself. Once I have my eating in balance and I've achieved my goals then I look at enjoying a 'normal' life. So I have to ask...what is more important to you? Vodka, Wine or a better life?

Jeezus. I am NOT a drugg addict, nor am I an alcoholic. I have NOT inundated you with PMs for months now. In fact this thread is the first time I've even noticed you were around in months and I was only trying to help and welcome you back to Boise if you were moving back. You are being vicious Dody and I've NEVER done anything to you. The reason you got mad at me is because you flew off the handle at the Mods for not deleting a post which harshly attacked me, and then when you didn't think my husband and I were going to back you up in your hysterical rantings at the Mods, you blew up at me and sent me tons of PMs telling me that my husband wasn't defending me and how your husband would have handled it differently. I tried to explain to you that my husband and I both felt the Mods had done their job and done it well. We weren't offended by them, why on earth should you be? I never asked you to defend me. I never asked you to be my best friend. I never attacked you. I never followed you around on threads and tried to destroy your reputation and make you look like a nutcase. But that's what you seem intent on doing now. I hope you enjoy it. You have become that which you were so upset over when you defended me way back then. Bravo. I will not respond to anymore of your posts. I will not be part of the insanity that you and a few others continue to bring to LBT.

This surgery is not a qucik fix, its just a tool to help us fight this disease. Its very challenging and not an instant fix. food addiction will be a lifeling battle just like for alcoholics, you have to be ready to fight the fight. But remember you cant do it alone, get to a local support group or jin Weight wathchers. They sometimes have a 100 plus group<but either way they will rally around you> we can still eat with a band so if we donthave help it can be overwhelimng. Get that appt asap, tell yourself you are worth it> frankly your dr needs to step up and offer resources,ask him what he can recommend. Also see a therapist who specializes in weight loss, that has helped me alot. I am surprised your dr didnt recommend gastric bypass instead of lapband.....but look at the bright side with the band you are in control. I own a rental in queen creek so I know where you are, maybe one day we can compare pictures after our success!

I had my band placed in 2006 and there were no Protein shakes & eat this & eat that. I was told to cut my meals in 1/2 & chew, chew, chew. I did not eat bread for a year (my own choice.) and no pealings (apple, baked potato, tomato, hot dog skin, etc.) Small sips of Water & up, up, up the quantity. Eat protein 1st, vegetables 2nd and fruit 3rd. I was told to "listen" to my band, not to drink a beverage with my meal & forget soda pop & alcohol. I never had Bander Hell, but then I was off sugar products because of my borderline diabetes, so I didn't have to come down from a sugar high. I love my lap band. It has saved my life!

ok the alabama meet and greet is now set in stone. details is as listed below. place - springvalley beach food there. and you are allow to bring food in the park if you would like to. they do have Lifeguards on duty. they are located 2 miles north of Blountsville off of Hwy 231 on County Road 55. you can map Quest it if you need be, if you have never been there like me. and remeber.... No alcohol is permitted. No diving is permitted. this is going to be a family meet and greet so bring your boyfreinds,husband,wifes, girlfreinds, and kids. and also please have a good time. this is what this is all about. meeting everyone and enjoying the day. and remember they have alot of pools and slides to enjoy so bring the swim suits :w00t: and enjoy. :wink2: this is a list of people coming so far. i will update it when new people tell me they are coming. 1. jason r,wife,and 2 kids 2. kaninag and husband 3. fordgal88, husband, and kids 4.swneighbours 5.gone 4 ever 6.naynayto2, daughter, and grandson 7.venzwife 8.southern missy 9.debbut ok if you are going to bring someone thats not listed please let me know.

Someone at my job commented to me yesterday, my first day back after the surgery, he said this: Make sure you don't become addicted to something else. A friend of my wife was a food addict, had a gastric bypass, and is now addicted to alcohol. Turned out she had an addictive personality that was not discovered in her psych profile. I was stunned, and realized that now, everyone will be full of advice, good, bad or weird, and I have to take it as it comes. As long as you are true to yourself and sticking to your goals, things will change if you want them to.

I try and stay away from splenda, Ive heard bad things about it. anything with sugar alcohols make my ass explode!!! cannot tolerate that stuff. I knoe fiber one bars don't have sugar alcohols in it, but it does have sugar. Im going to try experimenting with stevia, its a natural sweeter that is made from a plant. it has something like 10x's the sweetness as sugar. I bought it at Trader Joes. I like it because it is not a chemical, it is a plant. good luck, amy

Well, I decided to start this journal to try and keep track of how often my head demons seem to overcome me. Maybe, I can figure out how to ward them off better. It all started this week, after Valentine's day. My husband bought me a bag of chocolates (which is something I asked for for Valentine's day:confused: ). Since then, I have had no self control. I decided that I needed to go through withdrawal, and then my control would come back. I was doing very well, until last night. Yesterday, I went to my nephew's b-day party and managed to do quite well resisting everything there, such as pizza, nachos, and cake. Then they sent us home with a party favor bag for my son. In it, it had a couple of debbie's brownies (my absolute favorite). I ate half of one and tried to pig out. The problem is, that once I decide to pig out, it becomes a very hard task. It's like, I then decide to plan my pig out, but can't seem to get in everything I want. So I go crazy. This is what I ate last night: gold fish (100) bbq chips (15) cracker-1 cottage cheese-2tbs meatloaf veggies-2tbs chocolate chip cookies-6minibites brownie-1/2 I know, that after reviewing all of this, it doesn't look like a lot. I keep reviewing it to see if there is anything I missed because I felt stuffed last night. This morning, I feel terrible. The problem is that I am an "all or nothing" type of person. Either I have full control, or I have none. I feel so gross and bloated. I also worry about my band and the damage I do to it by not following the rules. O.K. I think I know what the problem is. The problem is, that I drink too much. I have 2 mixed drinks every night. This takes away all of my self control. I know I have a problem, because I can't go a whole night without drinking. I know I need to stop, or at least decrease, my drinking. I just think I am too analytical, and when I am sober, I tend to think about things too much. I used to be a pothead, and think that this is why. Since being banded, I realized that I had to choose: the band or weed. And I chose the band. I haven't smoked weed in over 3 months. O.K. I was a functional pothead and am a functional alcoholic. I still go to work and do really well all day long, until about 7pm, when it is time to relax. I do use alcohol to relax. I admit it. Weight-loss wise, I have done really well. I have lost 63 pounds in less than a year. I know that if I didn't have weed or alcohol in my life, I could have lost more. My goal is to be down to 145, or 135, by my one year anniversary. So once I gave up weed, I knew that sooner or later, I would have to give up alcohol, as well. I think, no I KNOW, that it's time. I just don't know. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to try. I hope I have the strength...

It’s winter time and still cold and gray. The big holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year are over, but some of us haven’t weaned ourselves from holiday sweets and alcohol that crept into our daily and weekly menus. And now Valentine’s Day chocolates are on the horizon, not to mention Super Bowl, Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day parties. Whether you’re slogging through your pre-op diet or you're trying to maximize your post-op weight losses or you're at goal and trying to figure out maintenance or you're a long-time WLS veteran – how do you stop occasional treats or variations from your normal eating routine from turning into daily bad habits? Specifically, what are some victories you’ve had in cleaning up your eating act?

I am sorry that you are feeling this way, however, I have been banded since September 2nd, and have lost 28 pounds on sheer will power alone, I have yet to get a fill. Please don't make assumptions about us all getting banded because we have no will power. I was banded because I realized I needed HELP. I am sorry for this, and people will probably get mad, but if we have no desire to do some of the work ourselves, we will fail. I say this only because my surgeon, nutritionist, and all of the research says that the band is a TOOL! It is not a miracle. And I know you asked for people not to say this but it does get better. If we don't work on our mental issues with food and being obese, then nothing is going to change. This is a life changing event, and you have to look at it as so. I hate posting things like this because I am SO NOT PERFECT!! At the end of the day, I am a food addict, just like and alcoholic loves alcohol...it is hard to go every day (and sometimes I slip up-we are only human) without my fix. But every day it does get better. As for the diet pills, I would talk to my doctor, if I were you. They never really did much for me. I really do wish you the best of luck on your journey, and remember too...everyone's journey is different. So take what I am saying with a grain of salt, but think of your band as a tool.

Hi everyone! Thanks for all the good advice so far. I have my surgery scheduled on August 23. I have a few questions now that it's almost "go time". 1. The breathing tube/catheter..... Is this done while your asleep? Placed and removed? I hope so. How bad was it? 2. Alcohol- I'm a social drinker, and I have a few trips comming up this fall after my band with a drinking crowd. Does alcohol affect you differently with a band? Lower tolerence? Vomiting? I'm not going to blow it out, but do hope I can have a few drinks with friends. Any clues would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Alcohol is killer when trying to lose weight. Up until last Sunday, I hadn't had anything for three months. I decided that day would be my day; APPARENTLY to make up for lost time! Yep - feelin' NO pain. Friday nights was our night for drinks and appetizers. I would pick up an assortment of finger foods at Trader Joe's, and we would chill out will plenty of EVERYthing. I miss doing that, but I don't miss the way I felt; the next day, and the steady flow of pounds packed onto my already obese body. We're going to Vegas for three nights over the 4th of July, and I imagine I'll allow myself some drinking then. But I don't think that I'll be repeating the Memorial Day bash anytime soon. It took three days to recover!!! But I do love the red wine..... :wub:

Agreed. We don't tell alcoholics to just have three small drinks a day and we don;t tell a drug addict to have three small hits a day, but we tell overweight people to just have three small meals a day. We tell other addicts to abstain, becasue we know if they have even one drink or drug, they be back on it full force, but you can't just give up food! It's unrealistic that without some help we can do it alone. It is also the reason that we need to be vigilant after reaching goal, becasue the food demon will always be a monkey on our back. My analogy was more about how people that can control one thing in their life, just don;t understand why other people can't control the same aspect. Much of the food problem and the other issues I mentioned are pyschologically based. And personally, I do think the people unable to control finances or continually pick the wrong mate have a weakness. Exactly the same way they see our weight issue as a weakness. With how hard I'm working at this weight battle, even with the band, I don't feel like I'm cheating at all, but understand that others might. I don;t really care as long as I end up thinner. If the other people hired a professional accountant to handle their finances and got control would I say they "cheated"? NO! If the girl got rid of the bad boys by getting a shrink to help figure out why would i say she cheated? No, we would pat them on the back for getting their life in control! We'll just have to start educating people as much as possible!

My Nurse Practitioner allows for non carbonated alcohol at the one month mark, in moderation. As I am not a drinker, it is a non-issue for me, but yes, some programs allow for it.

My plan allows for alcohol after one month. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Remember alcohol metabolizes as sugar so I'd be careful ........ but have fun[emoji873]

This is so smart! My doctors also told me to wait a year before I have a drink. My best friend is getting married in July so I have the bachelorette weekend and wedding with no alcohol I will just have to psych myself out! Pregnant for the day lol

I've had a couple of skinny margaritas. Definitely felt the alcohol burn going down. Don't think an occasional drink is going to cause you to lose control of your diet. I'm 8 weeks out btw.

Well I've been looking at this surgery for several years. I wasn't always overweight. In fact, I was an athlete in high school and college. I also spent several years in the military. I started gaining weight in 1998. I would diet and exercise. Take the weight off for awhile and then gain it back, plus more. My Mother died from Diabetes in 2005, and she always warned me to watch my weight. I didn't listen. I got up to 400 lbs in 2008 and I was so depressed, disturbed, angry, and ashamed. I tried Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers, Herbalife, South Beach Diet. Nothing worked. My blood pressure, cholesterol, and A1C were raising to dangerous levels and I had no way to stop it. So in 2010 I began going to seminars searching for a surgeon. It was hard for me to accept going this route. I felt like I was a " loser" because I couldn't discipline myself and control my appetite. It was hard to ask for help. But! I was an alcoholic and I went to detox and rehabilitation in 1993. I haven't had a drink or drug in 21 years. I believe that food can be a dangerous addiction and I needed help. So after having my insurance denied in 2012, I switched insurances in 2013. I had a surgical consult on April 22, 2014 and my weight was 466 lbs. My highest weight was 477 lbs in January 2013. I did the tests and followed my nutritional plan because my goal was to be under 400lbs by my surgery date. I had my surgery on November 4th, and on November 3rd I weighed 399 lbs. My last weigh in was last Wednesday and I was 378 lbs. I feel great!! I am so glad that I made this decision to change my lifestyle. I apologize for the length of this, but thank you for asking me because this was therapeutic for me to recall :-) :-). What's your story? Jeffrey (New Jeffrey).