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Soo ... I actually had bread and alcohol, and so much other stuff at 3 weeks out. BUT, I knew this was not wise. I didn't come here asking if it was a good idea, I knew it wasn't. And I took full responsibility for the gain I had that week, and if I had had any other complications for it. I think it comes down to accepting personal responsibility.

You are correct, some programs are way more thorough than others. I met with one nutritionist, one time... and it wasn't even weight loss surgery specific things we covered. It was mainly about nutrition basics. Then I had a group class that went into more specifics, but in no way could it or did it cover everything. But that's when I stepped up to the plate and did as much research as humanly possible, including reading threads on this forum. I was never going to allow my program nor my NUT to tell me everything I needed to know. I probably, no... definitely, know more than my NUT knows about nutrition for bariatric patients. I felt like she was there to fulfill a requirement, but didn't know the specifics about bariatric surgery or nutrition related to that. Some people are looking for validation to break the rules, and others truly don't know the rules. But I don't think its safe to blame just the doctor for that. I think we should know things like... not to drink alcohol or eat bread at 1 month post op. Those things are common sense. And those are what get under my skin.

Many times when people come on here to post, especially to post questions about eating things before they should, I.e. advancing diet stages early, eating pizza or carbs, drinking alcohol, it is not that they are underprepared. They are seeking validation or at least trying to find others that have done the same without experiencing a negative outcome. I was given clear instructions on diet progression, what vitamins to take, foods to avoid, and even rate of weight loss to expect. Maybe there are a few programs out there with less preparation but most seem to have a 3-6 month prep time. This is just my experience from being here.

Update: 20 weeks. Down approx 36lbs. Overall, I'm pleased. Slow and steady wins the race, and so far - knock on wood - things just keep headed in the correct direction; i.e. no re-lapse. I admit that it could be even better if I cleaned up some habits. I still eat fast food on the regular, and I was drinking A LOT of beer. I'm in the process of trying to cut back on the alcohol, so am excited to see what happens without an extra 1000 empty calories a day....

At work, I used a cover story of an illness, non life threatening or especially serious, to explain how little I eat, and not drinking alcohol. Despite my "explanation", I'm convinced some people believed I am seriously or even terminally ill. The last meeting I was at with my president in attendance, he avoided me like the plague! My company is non US based, and in that culture serious illnesses are taboo. So I make a definite effort when I'm around my non US colleagues to look my absolute best, be upbeat and energetic, etc. But it's clearly not entirely working

OA isn't a diet group. It doesn't have a specific diet. No one knows that I had WLS except one person. She shared with the group that she had WLS. We text each other daily to offer support for our special needs. Nobody looks into your business. They know only what you tell them. It is a 12 step program patterned after Alcoholics Anonymous. If you go online, find a meeting near you and attend. You will find everyone helpful and supportive right out of the gate. Working the steps has also had positive affects in other facets of my life. Overall, a very positive experience.

Juniors cheesecake Sugar free low carb 290cals, 20g total carbs (0g sugar, 16g sugar alcohol,1g fiber, 3 net) 5g protein Everyone ate some before I could take a pic lol so here's the assortment

copied from google.... Paleo=Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, healthy fats and oils. Avoid: Processed foods, sugar, soft drinks, grains, most dairy products, legumes, artificial sweeteners, vegetable oils, margarine and trans fats. What You Can't Eat on Whole30 Dairy. This means no cheese, cow milk, yogurt, cream, sour cream, kefir, and butter. ... Grains. This means no corn, rice, quinoa, wheat, rye, millet, sorghum, amaranth, buckwheat, bulgur, or sprouted grains. Alcohol. ... Legumes. ... Added Sugar. ... Carrageenan, MSG, and Sulfites. ... "Junk" Food. Paleo eating is a long term lifestyle, while Whole30 is meant to be a reset for your system. ... Whole30 diet eliminates all the same foods as paleo but also includes limits on: Sugar in all forms, including honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar.

Hello All. I had my gastric sleeve surgery on June 16, 2016. I lost about 25lbs the first month and then suffered the loss of my father who was my best friend. After I lost my dad I ceased losing weight. I mourned the loss of him for quite some time...I still do really. For at least the first year after losing him I was in a horrible depressed state and didn't follow the rules of how I should eat post sleeve. I was eating until I felt sick, eating unhealthy foods and drinking (not alcohol) my calories. Finally after a year I figured out how to live day by day without him and started feeling happy and positive again. I started following the rules and being super vigilant with my health. I dropped 40 lbs in two months! Whoa. Then, after those two months of excellent weight loss I found out my husband and I were expecting. I went to my first sonogram excited and two seconds with the wand on my belly she told me it was twins! I was instantly excited as twins run in my family (I am the aunt to two sets of twin boys from the same mother.) After the excitement wore off I feared the pending weight gain. I told myself I was going to watch what I ate and not give into wild pregnancy cravings. I lied to myself. I gained 68lbs total through the pregnancy. After giving birth I lost an initial 37lbs the first two days postpartum. Then another 10lbs the following week. I have been stuck at 48 total lbs lost for months now but I also haven't been following the rules of how I should eat post sleeve again. It's time to get my butt in gear. Anyone else a couple years out starting over? I am just looking for tips and possibly success stories for motivation! HELP!

I’m hoping that I start losing it soon. I don’t eat carbs, drink juice or alcohol. I should be losing way more. It’s frustrating.

Like the old mantra Don't try to drown your sorrows in alcohol, they can swim. The few that don't swim do float to the top!

Good luck with your upcoming gastric bypass!! I hope you’re working on resolving any emotional eating issues as the new surgery won’t prevent you from eating poorly or overeating. It is also common to lose less weight with a revision versus an original surgery. But if you follow recommendations to eat dense protein first then non-starchy vegetables, and to avoid sugar, processed food, simple carbs, alcohol, and liquid calories, you should be successful. This new way of eating needs to be a long term lifestyle change, and not just until you reach your goal weight. You can do this!

Here I grow again! I had surgery three years ago. It was a roller coaster ride, like everyone else. I did the pure liquid no carb pre op diet. I underwent surgery and after the initial feeling of having been through a bar fight, came out the other side ready to go! I was compliant with the whole thing, It was an amazing experience as the weight seemed to just melt off. . . until it didn't. I got down to about 250 pounds and hit a very long plateau. In response I went to the gym. . . A LOT. I managed to drop down to 210 pounds and decided to go in for skin removal surgery. Things went backwards from there. The plastic surgeon was HORRIBLE. He didn't place a drain, I developed a seroma the size of a pringles can (1 liter) and had an incision infection. The seroma kept filling up even after I went to a general surgeon to have it cleaned out and a drain placed. I was not able to exercise because of the pain. Old habits die hard. I became sedentary again, and I've gained back up to 257 pounds. Bad eating habits. A non supportive spouse. Too many carbs. Not enough exercise. Seroma is still there. I went back to my PCP yesterday and weighed in. Much to my horror I was at 257. When I looked at my weight history, 30 pounds of that has slowly crept up since January of this year. Compliance cannot be overstated. I went out and bought protein bars and yogurt. I'm cutting out any and all alcohol, and back to counting carbs. Since I'm a full time law student (at 46 years old with six kids at home) finding time to exercise regularly can be a challenge. Today I'm going to work some time after class into my schedule to go to the university's gym for at least 45 minutes to an hour each day (I have class 3 days a week). I didn't go down this long, and difficult road just to wind up back where I started. Glad to find this forum

kuddos to you for wanting to take the step. I too got to a point I said "enough"!! I can't do this anymore. I'm a social person who is around food and alcohol all the time. But as I became this person who just regretted the constant food pain from eating so much and drinking just to drink. I pulled the plug and without a word to my friends I did it. I didn't want anyone to influence me from not doing it. I'm tired of not being in any social media pictures, pictures at functions with my kids or husband. I just avoided the camera all together. I follow the latest styles and couldn't achieve any look being the weight I was. I'm 4 day post op. only my family is aware of my surgery and I will find out who my true friends are in time. but right now, it's about me and getting a grasp of my life again. I know in my heart that when I achieve my goal weight and know my confidence is strong, I will make more friends. Already have, this forum is awesome!

My surgeon was adamant to not take Flinstones or children’s vitamins post-WLS. He recommends Centrum or One A Day vitamins or their generics (e.g. Kirkland brand vitamins at Costco). I take One A Day Women’s 50+ Healthy Advantage vitamins (2x per day) because they don’t contain iron, which I take at another time. Note: You don’t have to be over 50 or a woman to take them. Heme iron absorbs better and doesn’t cause GI issues like ferrous sulfate. I take Proferrin ES, which I buy online. Most chewable vitamins contain sugar alcohols, which I can’t take post-GB because they cause nausea & vomiting. YMMV You do not have to take chewable vitamins after bariatric surgery. Make sure you get complete lab work at least once a year to see if you need to take more or less of any vitamins or minerals as every BODY has unique requirements. And if you have vitamin deficiencies BEFORE surgery you should correct them as quickly as possible and discuss them with your surgeon and PCP.

The nurse who showed me how to inject myself said it only burns if you don't give the alcohol enough time to evaporate. She was right. The only ones that hurt were when I got in a hurry. I did them for 2 weeks after surgery.

I've seen some great posts here, so I'm hoping I'll get a response. Sorry that this is so long. I was sleeved end of April. My starting weight was 200lbs. I am 5'5, and 55 years old. I was sleeved in Thailand, because this is where I live now. I wasn't given a liquid diet recommendation, just no alcohol, and watch fat and carb intake. I ate normally the night before surgery. I had broth for 2 days, then they had me on scrambled eggs for two days. After that I ate chicken, regular chicken that I needed to chew a lot. Here I am about 5 months out with a weight loss of 30 pounds. I don't do much cardio, because of a bad knee (the reason for my sleeve was to lose weight for a major joint replacement in October). I lift every other day for 1.5 hours and I use 10 to 20 pound weights for arms and shoulders. I've noticed inches lost, but not nearly as much weight lost as I expected. The only advice the doctor gave me is to cut out all grains, rice, potatoes, dairy, sugar and fruit. In other words, just eat protein and veg. I was told to take a multi-vitamin, iron, and calcium with a D supplement. And drink lots of water. I was very strict the 1st two months (and still no major weight loss), started "slipping" at the beginning of July with oatmeal or whole grain bread once a day. Went a little nuts toward the end of the month with the occasional chocolate and chips, and in August really refocused myself. Still nothing. My average calorie intake is between 850 and 950 right now. I woke up today with sore joints (not sore muscles). Please, I know you aren't doctors (mine is inaccessible, due to location), but I'd appreciate your suggestions. Thank you so much! Also, at times of the day I seriously feel ravenous...not just hungry, but I could seriously eat anything. I'm a lot hungrier during the day than I expected to be.

Hi all...had surgery tuesday and got home thursday evening. Everything went well and the doctor even fixed a hiatal hernia that I didn't know I had. Surgery was about 2hrs long. I have 5 incisions and 1 is really sore because they worked it a lot. It feels like alcohol being poured on an open wound so, I'm taking my Percocet routinely. I had 1/4 cup pudding and 1/4 cup cream of wheats today and it's hard getting my water in. It's after 8pm and I still need another 20 ounces to drink. I'm thinking I'll go with protein shakes tomorrow so I can get some nutrition with my liquids.

LOL yeah there were times when I was like... OK Crap... start deep breathing to get some of the alcohol to process before you end up face down on the bar. It sneaks up quickly! It does seem like the "Drunk" doesn't stick around for as long though too, which I found interesting.

Caroline125, sweet Miss Caoline in North Carolina, are things going better for you? I am your surgery twin from Ohio, so I'm going through all this with you. I started my Verdompt liver shrinking diet on August 1st, my body is somewhat resigned to it by now. I have lost 12-13 lbs as of last Monday. Is it fun? Not Really Am I glad I'm doing it? Not especially, I call it a Dietary Purgatory, takes forever, not a comfy place, takes a lot of praying to get set free. But I will do it, I remember my surgeon in July when he palpated the area on my abdomen where he will be working, felt liver margins under my right ribs, not a good sign,means I have NASH, non alcoholic steatohepatitis, means I have a fat flubbery liver.Looked up, said" You will be doing,my diet?" Busted, no eat a little of what tastes good up until my surgery ! Wahaa!💦 For every week you are on a liver-shrinking diet your liver gets smaller by 2.4%, so if I can stick it out my liver will be 12% smaller. So bravely I set forth. I know what you are feeling n mine is a little better, I start out to do things, get a quarter to half-done, it's like a vacuum cleaner switched on and suckedmy strength out and I too get weak and dizzy. It is rough to pose as a Southern Belle, rapidly fan myself and say" Lawzey me, I do feel slightly faint. I believe I will just sit down!" See I'm still built like a plowhorse, somebody would slap me on the rump and tell me to get out to the field and start plowing. I try telling them I'm delicate, refined and think i' m are and sturdy like brick. Yeah if you're allowed salt , just a smidge. Herbs and lemon pepper are better, love it on a baked tilapia fillet. Try getting more fluids in, that's what I got told when I complained of dizzy. I think it just means when I collapse I'll make a splashing sound. Can you add a protein shake or 2,? 700 is low on calories, my diet is 1000 and a lot of people's are higher than that and they still are losing weight. How about a tossed salad with low cal diet dressing? I can have 2 T as long as they don't total over 90 cal. And it doesn't have to be. Skinny Gal, I've Equate, Ken s Steakhouse and Western brand low cal, like a French but it tastes the same as the full strength. If you need anybody who understands your trials and sorrows i'm available.

I had a few sips of scotch around 3 months out or so to test the waters. I've since had a few glasses of scotch (2 or 3) and a number of beers, one night I consumed 8 bottles at a club. Not that I'm advising anyone do that though. Best to feel out your tolerance at home (and to make sure you don't dump from the alcohol). I can say that I'm a little disappointed that I can drink... just one more thing I shouldn't really be able to do, but can. So it's going to be more will power now since I know I can drink if I wanted to.

Hi all: Went out with a group from work last night and was able to enjoy myself drinking my delicious, delicious ice water with lime. But I'll admit, I really wanted to order a manhattan. I've only ever been a 1-2 drinks a week kind of guy, but I really enjoy those 1-2 drinks. Have you started drinking? When did you start? How did it go? Anything to worry about? I was something of a margarita connoisseur, but I'm worried about the sugar content. I've heard you can drink, but you may feel the effects very quickly. What should I be thinking about here?

I am awaiting revision from band to sleeve so I can’t speak to your sleeve issues but some things I learned from the band may help you. First, one thing the band folks say is “they banded your stomach, not your mouth”. So no matter what surgery you choose, unless they develop one that actually zips your lips closed when you try to eat something, all the work is going to have to come from your brain and your choices. The way the tool works is that you shouldn’t feel actual stomach-based “I’m hungry” feeling after eating if a small amount if food. But you will always be able to outeat your tool. The key is to eat your planned meal, then quit and go find something else to do. You don’t “eat until you feel like stopping” because if you’re eating for reasons other than hunger (like stress, emotional upset - all totally understandable, just behaviors we are trying to change) then you can always out eat the tool. FYI, while the other surgeries *may* prohibit you from eating the “bad” foods, as you’ve learned yourself, that isn’t always the case. I’ve read of people who would melt a quart of ice cream and drink it that had RNY or if they truly can’t eat, they trade food for alcohol, drugs, shopping, sex or another addiction. So treating the underlying problem is really the best thing you can do. If you find yourself with lots of appetite, you might be able to look to your food choices to help you. I wouldn’t have believed it had I not experienced it but the carbs, sugars and even sugar substitutes really do influence that “I’m eating and can’t stop” feeling. Last spring I tried a diet program from Dr David Ludwig called “Always Hungry”. It’s a modified slow carb program which has you eating mostly unprocessed foods, with the eliminated items being sugar, potatoes and your “whites” - rice, wheat etc. Yiu can eat whole grains in the 2nd phase as tolerated. The first 2 weeks is something of a detox from the bad carbs. There is a book by the same name that explains it all. Anyway, I was astonished at how well this worked for me. I used to take my coffee with A LOT of sugar and did so the majority of my life. Now I take it with a little splash of maple syrup (about a half tsp). Had you told me I could do that 3 years ago I’d have cried laughing. This is the nutrition plan I plan to follow once I’m all recovered from surgery. I’ve already learned that oatmeal ramps up my appetite so for me I just don’t eat it. I already kicked my sugar obsession and will probably end up making my own protein shakes after surgery because the premade ones are too sweet. I had a pretty expansive palette beforehand but now I enjoy foods like brown basmati rice and beans of all kinds. Snacks these days are hummus and cucumber instead of chips and I feel so much better. Whole fat milk and cheese cane back into my life and it’s so much more satisfying. My new love is quinoa and I’ve made it 4 different ways in 2 weeks. My whole family enjoys that. This has gotten quite long so I’ll shut up now :) but I hope you consider changing your thinking about your tool. Weigh out your meal, savor it then go find something else to do. Think about changing up your macros and eliminating those high GI foods that trigger the munchies. The number one rule of Always Hungry is “be kind to yourself”, try adopting that in the spirit in which it is made. Let go of what you did. You can’t change that. But every new bite you take is an opportunity to choose better for yourself. Good luck.

I have EmblemHealth GHI and they had a six month requirement of medically supervised nutritional monitoring and counseling, but no weight loss benchmark. I was 4 months in when, in June 2018, they revised the criteria to eliminate the requirement. The major bariatric organizations and institute (See, e.g., American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery's Updated Position Paper on Preoperative Supervised Weight Loss Requirements (March 2016) have all come out with position papers saying that these types of requirements serve no medical benefit, are not supported by any scientific evidence and only delay necessary treatment--which can harm patients (particularly those with co-morbidities like Type 2 diabetes). If you (or anyone else) is denied coverage because you have failed to meet this arbitrary and ridiculous requirement, you have a very good basis for challenging the denial. This requirement only serves as a barrier to necessary treatment for patients who stand to benefit from it. The new position advocated by most major institutes and associations is that surgery should be determined based on the BMI you present with at your initial consultation with the bariatric surgeon. EmblemHealth is hardly a trailblazer when it comes to loosening their approval standards and criteria, so if they did away with this requirement you can best most other companies will be revising their policies in the near future. I would definitely fight hard if any body's carrier denied coverage based on your purported failure to meet this arbitrary and pointless requirement. Although this may be slightly off topic, many insurance companies have other similar absurdities in their requirements. For example, many require that you do not have an active eating disorder. With few exceptions, every person who has a BMI over 35 (and definitely if you're over 40) likely has an active eating disorder (binge eating, carb addiction etc.) likely has an eating disorder (binge eating). This should not be a basis for denial of coverage. Putting these two condition for approval together and you have nothing but a hardened barrier to treatment that is not imposed on any other medical condition. If a person has an addiction to drugs or alcohol, most insurance companies provide in-patient coverage for detoxification and rehabilitation. Could you imagine if insurance made that coverage contingent on the addicts ability to prove they stayed off their drug of choice for 6 or more months before they would cover the cost of rehab??? In the case of obesity, diet and exercise alone does not work for the morbidly obese, so why impose a requirement that they lose 5-15% of their body weight as a condition for surgery. Worse yet, some carriers require patients to show they they failed a to lose 5% of their body weight after 6-24 months of supervised medical dieting. This creates a perverse incentive for a morbidly obese patient to go through counseling, but ignore the advice and not lose weight (all the while allowing their health to deteriorate). These types of requirements need to go. Do what you need to do to qualify for the surgery you need--but fight your ass off with the carrier if your denied coverage based on these arbitrary (but strictly enforced) requirements.

Here's what you can expect. You're going to be asked a serious of questions from either the HAMD or MADRS test for depression. You can look up samples online. A lot of people that suffer from obesity and have a BMI that qualifies them for surgery also suffer from depression. Many also have addictive personalities and abused food, drugs and/or alcohol in the past (or may be presently abusing). Having a history of depression or addiction does not disqualify you from surgery, but the psychologist need to show that you are being treated and that you can handle this procedure. They need to know that you have a support system in place to help you with this transition. Having this surgery is not going to cure all your problems--it's just going to make you thinner and PHYSICALLY healthier. If you gained weight because you have underlying issues, those issues need to be addressed (and you need to show that you are continuing to addressing them). That covers you for mood disorders, but they are also screening for other issues including personality disorders (borderline personality for example). People with borderline personality disorder (and other personality disorders) don't do very well with surgery or the changes that occur after surgery. If you are suffering schizophrenia, you may also have issues post-op. This will likely show up in your medical history, but you'll be screened anyway. If you have bi-polar depression, you can have problem coping with this surgery and many of the anti-psych drugs used to treat bi-polar depression cause weight gain, and that would need to be taken into consideration. I am not sure that any of these issues alone will disqualify you from surgery, but you're going to need to show that you're conditions (if you have one) is well controlled for at least a year and that your treating physician believes you are psychological prepared to handle the stress of surgery and the changes that it may bring. Aside from questions that are probing for the above issues, you'll be asked specific questions to determine whether you have considered the consequences of having this surgery and how it may effect your life. I would just answer these honestly. This is what I said in my interview (paraphrasing) 1. Why do want weight loss surgery? (asking to make sure you have realistic expectations and have a healthy outlook on this process) I don't want to have weight loss surgery. I wish I didn't need it, but I do need this surgery to become a healthier person. The cosmetic benefits are secondary. If the surgery just made me a healthy person, but I stayed just as fat as I am now, that would be fine too. However, that's not the way it works and I need to lose this weight to be healthy. Being fat is one thing, being sick and dead is another entirely. 2. If that's the case, Have you Tried Dieting and Exercise to lose the Weight? Absolutely, I have been dieting most of my adult life (or was between diets). i can lose weight, but keeping it off has been a problem. Most recently I went on a strict doctor supervised diet where I lost 40 pounds, but could never get below a certain point. I did everything by the book but just hit a plateau. After two months, it became frustrating and I started to slip. Within another 6 months, I gained back the 40 pounds I lost and then some. That's been the story of my life. Dieting and exercise just doesn't work for me or almost anyone that has more than 70 pounds to lose. That's not my opinion, that's what virtually every study shows. 3. Why do you think you gained this weight? Everyone is going to have a different answer, but in my case I gained the weight a little at a time. I was thin as a kid. Even in my early 20's, I worked out every day and watched what I ate. I even had a six pack for a while. Once I started working, that disappeared. I started gaining a few pounds every year. Then I would diet to lose the weight and it would creep back on quickly after I fell off the diet horse (with a few extra for good luck!). I am now 44, so if you take a normal person my height with a normal weight at 24 and add 4 pounds a year on average you end up being me. It wasn't noticeable at first, but it sneaks up on you and suddenly you realize you're the fattest guy in the room. (obviously, this doesn't apply to everyone--but that's how it happened for me). 4. Can you commit to changing your lifestyle after this surgery? Absolutely. It's not going to be easy. Nothing about this process is easy, but I either commit to change or I am going to have a very short life. I have two little girls and they need their daddy to walk them down the aisle when their time comes. I also need to do this for myself. I love being alive and I want to feel healthy again. 5. How does your family feel about you having this surgery? My wife is nervous, but supportive. My mom is behind this 100% and my dad is very nervous about it, but he supports me too. I have told anyone else in my family. I think they would support me, but I just don't feel like they need to know at that point in time. 6. This type of surgery can change the way you feel about yourself and the people around you. How do you think it will effect your relationship with your wife? I believe it will improve our relationship. My wife is a thin person, who watches what she eats. I know she loves me, but she's not happy that I am heavy and she is scared about the effects that being a diabetic may have for me. Being heavy (and diabetic) also can, in my case, cause sexual side effects for men and I think that losing the weight can only help me in that regard. I think you get the picture. Don't lie, but they want to know that you understand what you're getting into and will be able to handle the difficulties and changes that come from surgery. Good luck!