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Hi All, I am back newly banded 4-2-04. I am wondering why I do not have more energy. On my 4th day post op I felt great. I must admit I did a lot of things around the house and I probably overdid just a bit. Then I was so tired yesterday (slept alot) and today is better but not the same as Tuesday. I read all the archives and there seemed to be a lot of people who went back to work 3 days after surgery. I did have some problems in surgery with adhesions so it took longer and I was allergic to anesthesia so I awoke sick as a dog. I am feeling like a wimp! I usually bounce back quickly from everything. I know I am older that a lot of people and that could contribute. My job is not a sedentary one so I took this week off to recuperate. I am just hopeing I start getting back to normal soon. I really thought it would be a piece of cake and hardly any down time. I was wrong. Do you have any words of wisdom for me. O....btw my doctor told me it would be better for the band if I did not drink alcohol. He said it could contribute to erosion of the band. I for one do not want to go through that again, not to mention the cost. I am opting for no alcohol now and in the future.

It sounds like it is not a good idea for you to be drinking alcohol right now. I love wine and martinis, but my focus is on my health, which is more important than drinking. No judgement, but we all have to recognize our limitations when it comes to post-surgery life. If I never have a glass of wine again, but get back my health and can do the things I want to do physically, it will be totally worth it. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

First off, I'm so sorry for your losses. I work in cancer research and I know the trials that families go through, especially if it is a long, drawn-out process. I lost my mom in 2015 from a heart attack, and in a strange way I'm thankful she passed quickly and that's something I don't think I'd say unless I worked in the field I do... I have had depression from a very young age, and I had to explain to the psychologist how my last major depressive episode was 2015 after my mom died (complicated relationship), and I was also planning my wedding, which was also super stressful. She asked me if I thought my feelings about my mom were regular grief or true depression, and I think it's important to know where the grief ends and the depression takes over. My own med history says I was on prozac, zoloft, paxil, celexa, and wellbutrin for my depression, not all at the same time of course (age ~15 - 22ish). I have depression and bipolar and alcoholism on every branch of my family tree, so I was careful to explain the situations I was under while taking these meds, and how I handle it now. If you show your resilience and that your coping mechanisms are healthy ones, they should clear you. The fact you are seeking help and are on a stable dose of antidepressants shows you take initiative to properly help yourself, instead of self-medicating with food of alcohol, for example. Best of luck!

1000 calories is pretty high at 3 months. I am 5 months out and average about 800/day. Try lowering your calories abs experiment with your diet. Certain foods inhibit weight loss in certain people. Artificial sweeteners, chemicals in processed foods, caffeine, alcohol etc. Stick with it and try different approaches. You can do 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

Hi everyone:) this is my first thread, I've been reading some of these posts for the past two weeks and am excited to join this amazing support group! I am getting sleeved on the 30th of May and am going through a roller coaster of emotions. Surprisingly my biggest concern (besides the obvious concerns with surgery) is after the weight comes down, what's the likelihood of excess skin? Any recommendations for tightening it both pre/post op? I was an athlete my entire life and always in great shape until I quit all sports in college and gained 100 lbs (thank you dominos and alcohol! Lol). Anyway, any and all suggestions are welcome and I wish you all the best on your individual journeys.

I would definitely ask your surgeon about when you are cleared to exercise, your regular doctor would not be able to tell you that. Also ask your surgeon about alcohol. Many practices have different recommendations. My surgeon did not clear me for alcohol until 6 months out. I am a little over 14 months out and the bubbles from prosecco and Moscato don't bother me now but they may have 3 months out from surgery. I don't remember where I got my soft food recipes from but for regular food I usually use www.skinnytaste.com and www.emilybites.com

I feel like we had the exact same psych eval. I went home from my appointment so bummed out. I was told I need to seek outpatient therapy for coping with anxiety, and to abstain from alcohol for at 3 months before they will revisit my case. I honestly drink a few drinks a couple times per YEAR, like on holidays like New Years and 4th of July., but my mother is also an alcoholic so that pretty much means I am too. I've also been diagnosed with GAD (general anxiety disorder) and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) well over 10 years ago, and have been medicated since. (Prozac only- no benzodiazepines)...now he tells me I'm bipolar according to my testing, and questions. So frustrating!! I totally understand what you are going through!

Yes. Exactly. Even if something bad is happening, we can see how being normal sized makes it better. that is why I quit drinking and wanted to lose weight. You just know there is the possibility of something bad happening and you don't want withdrawals nor not being able to get to the hospital. My appendix burst when I was at 305 and the smoking and weight made recovery horrible. I was around 280 when a disk herniated in my back and I wondered if there was an MRI tube my size. None of these are my worries anymore. No alcohol, no smoke, and fairly normal weight. (Now if I can just get to a place with a normal pollen count I'll quit worrying about breathing through allergy season).

When first making the decision to open up to the tool of bariatric surgery I simply assumed that the sleeve would be the procedure that I preferred. This was due to having the full run of my plumbing and perceived ability to eat the foods I wanted, but restrict the amounts. Seemed simple. My younger sister had bypass 15 years ago and I just didn't think that "aggressive" a procedure would be needed for me. After all.....I've lost large amounts of weight in the past through diet and exercise....I just needed a little help......or so I was believing. My physician who was discussing this with me eased me into the conversation and led me to find my way to the surgeon I've selected. I've been to his group presentation.....the first required step. Even after listening to my sister and seeing her progress.......for 15 years......and for secretly thinking in some small way that she took the easy way out.........I didn't "get" it. That presentation really altered my thinking about restrictive and absorptive restriction. I realized in that group session my "hero" status as the big brother doing it on his own......over and over again......was a stupid cycle. I needed to get all the help available.....every tool in the toolbox to get the lifelong results I strived for. Dr Carlson addressed the full room and fielded every question asked. An hour went by....then more.......he'd long since made his informative presentation.....yet stayed to discuss our concerns. A lot of "ah-ha" moments were had. I heard the lady seated behind me speak to her friend, "The sleeve is what will work best for me". My wife, seated beside me, was quiet. She reserved her comments until much later when we were driving home. She proceeded carefully fearing that she knew my mind had already been made up on the sleeve. It was a relief to her when I acknowledged that I felt I needed the bypass.......like my brave little sister did so many years ago.....doing her own research.....as a young woman on her own.......when most folks hadn't heard of such. One of my issues is reoccurring reflux. Some nights it can be really bad. It subsided greatly once I completely cut out alcohol from my intake on April 2, 2015. Back in early April of this year I'd begun resuming the fight to loose my weight. I'd taken evaluation of my current state of living. I loved to grill out.........really loved it. It is therapeutic. I loved to crack open a cold beer and fire up the coals. More beer throughout the cooking and serving everyone had me relaxed and happy. After dinner, I'd normally get drowsy due to several beers......then it'd be time to hit a couple tequila shooters and another beer......or a rum & diet coke or two. I'd get my relaxed and happy state back. It was clear which non-essential calories to drop first......cut out the beer and liquor along with seriously revising the menu on my plate. Guess what.....these were the nights the reflux was bad. Drinking + spicy food (the only kind off my grill ) = reflux. I discussed this "revelation" with my wife. She pointed out a few times since when I'd complained of reflux....since I'd cut out alcohol. I realized she was right......it was still occurring but less often. I have decided that I'd prefer the bypass.......but don't even know yet if I'm approved for it. The waiting and suspense of insurance is driving me nuts. Don't get me wrong.....I'm glad the procedure isn't something as easy to get as a bad tattoo.......but I wish it was more straightforward from the insurance company standpoint. Down the road the results I get from the bariatric will certainly lessen the costs I'd otherwise pose to them, right ? Sorry for the rambling. I'm just eagerly impatient and ready to get this ball rolling in the direction that will lead to successful and long lasting health provided I continue to do my part. I'm checking stuff off the mandatory list at least.....and this website and the folks here are already helping me find answers to the tons of questions I have. My mandatory checklist: Attend the group session---done in early June. Meet with the bariatric program's & surgeon's nurse to review my case and 8 pages of medical Q&A i was to complete--done this past week. Meet with surgeon on official visit----scheduled for July 1. Meet with program's nutritional guru----first of the 6 visits is on July 7. This I understand will be the "start" date of the mandatory 6 month timeline to surgery. Meet with psyche guru----awaiting appointment scheduling now. Internal scope evaluation of stomach and other plumbing-------to be scheduled after visit with surgeon I still don't have any type of official indication that bypass is a covered procedure (United Healthcare). I don't know if I can hang on 6+ months before getting this latest umbilical hernia taken care of. I want to get on to eating the foods I'll be living by after the surgery......eat like I've had the surgery......begin accelerated weight loss now......not wait until the surgery. I just want to be sure that I can't lose "too much" on my own that the insurance balks and says, "No way buddy.....you got this.....do it yourself". I can do a lot off by myself.....but I fail to keep it off. I don't want to sabotage my chances for coverage. So many questions that I'm sure will be resolved and clear in the weeks ahead......it's just right now I want to get going with progress of some type......no matter if it's from bypass or from my jumping onboard with the new plan. The compelling reasons for the need to get going are probably no different than most other folks here: I'm having back spasms from reoccurring back injuries due to herniated T-12 vertebrae. Spine surgeon stated that bariatric surgeon can do more for my spine than he could with back surgery. Sounds legit. Umbilical hernia is driving me nuts. It's worsened when back goes out and my posture and such gets weird. Knees are shot....ortho doc says I need knee replacements sooner than later....he's saying 5 years tops.....plus hip, too. He also stated that 200 lbs off my frame would push those replacements back a long time. I already feel some benefit in my knees from the initial pounds coming off. Swelling in my ankles is greatly reduced. Sorry again for the rambling. I'm jittery after finishing up the last day of miracle steroids (4th round with them since April) on my back. The side effects are sleeplessness for me. I get jittery after the 6 day cycles. I'm hoping for a good long sleep later today....tonight. Aside from dropping the alcohol, fried food and reducing sugar & starch intake (doing these).........what can you advise me to do? What other dietary-related actions? Breakfast choices now are oatmeal (made with Water and small amount of salt) vs sausage biscuits and such. lunch & dinner has me eating lots of salads. Snacks are nuts, fruits like blueberries and apples and occasional whole grain toast with small amount of health choice butter substitute or Greek Yogurt. Drinking tons of water. 40oz of coffee every day during the first portion of the day......a lot, I know. I use nonfat creamer and Splenda or Equal (10 packs for 40oz coffee). I'm still having 2-3 20oz Diet Mt. Dew's every day. Sounds like a ton....but it's way down over the number I used to drink. I go to one a day on days off....but do poorly during workdays. No more drive thru's and only salads from fast food restaurants. What else should I be doing? Should I order the "Big Book on Bypass" and get started on it ??????? Stir crazy and tired of my 46 years of fat fighting. 5 years ago I burned off 120 and felt like a new man.......still have many of the 2X & 3X clothes. I saved most of them.....refusing to toss them due to that being symbolic of me throwing away my hope of wearing them again. I lost that weight.....but failed to keep it off. The brief period at that reduced weight was enough of a taste of healthier living that I have craved ever since. Virtually painfree and full of energy. Leaner.......able to wear my old high school letterman's jacket and button it up......too small still, but at least it would button up. Another 100 pounds off that and I feel like i'd be walking around feeling like a Gazillion dollar lottery winner. I may never get a winning lottery ticket.....but I'll be supremely happy to get 200 lbs off........and MAINTAIN that level. So ready to get this machine krunk up and in gear and burn some rubber down the track. This waiting is like sitting there with the engine revving up but the parking brake locked in place...........

Oh yeah Flat Whites are perfection. I haven't had one since surgery. I might splurge on one today There are lots of good options at Starbucks. I used to be addicted to white mochas, a triple venti white mocha was my drink of choice for years. It has like 900 calories though, a 1/2 day of calories, and I would get a coffee cake with it. I broke myself of that habit years ago. If you can carry your own sweetener and learn to love black coffee of very little cream, you really don't have to give up your coffee forever. You just have to be smart about it. I have given up basically everything with surgery, no alcohol and a laundry list of other things. I'm not giving up coffee. Plus after surgery your mind can be foggy and your concentration not what it used to be and coffee helps.

alcohol works well too

I agree with the others about it likely being the shakes. Check the artificial sweetener they use in the shakes & the yoghurt. The sugar alcohols are renown for causing bloating, discomfort, diarrhoea, etc. Wouldn't hurt to try the plant protein shakes & dairy equivalents to ensure it’s not a lactose issue but if you didn’t have issues with dairy before you shouldn’t now. (After surgery some people do develop a lactose intolerance but it usually is temporary.)

Okay I've always had mental issues, clinical depression, anxiety, ptsd and a history of being abused as a child yadda yadda (the stereotypical poster child for low self esteem)... But never once did I think losing a bunch of weight would be the sole solution to all my life problems, but yes it has greatly improved my quality of life, health wise most importantly and I wouldn't change my weightloss journey for anything in the world, yet I've always understood no matter what I will always be a damaged person. That is not to say I can't change and I consider myself a work in progress but sometimes I'm not sure what I'm doing. Before I always had a child like mind and was considered naive, innocent and easy to take advantage of (but part of me actually knew what was going on, just too meek to say anything and I often play dumb to avoid conflict). I had only been in one relationship in my 34 years of life (that relationship lasted 12-13 years) and when he moved on I just completely gave up on living and hardly went outside for 8 years, just stayed in my room and rotted away and hoped everyone forgot I existed and that I would just eventually die. For years it was told to me that I was disabled and just beyond help and I'd be better off living my days in group homes or facilities for the mentally ill and despite me knowing it was untrue I just gave into whatever everyone said about me until that one day I the found fire and strength in me to turn my life around. 3 years later and everything is much different now, people can't believe I'm the same person. I finally got over my fears and learned how to drive, got a car ,got a job, live on my own in and...got the sleeve which means I dropped a lot of weight. I've grown up and changed a lot...Except in one area where I am very much like a teenage girl. My "love" life. While I'm attracted to men it's like their a whole different species and I don't understand them at all. Even when I was in the relationship with my ex he left me because he wanted someone "in better shape." So I always assumed I'm gross and unwanted with a big part of it being because of the weight. So last summer I weighed about 200 pounds. I had just started fixing myself up more and my mom introduced me to this guy she thought would make a great friend since we were both shy and had similar personalities. Our friendship grew into a little more over the 4 month span but he never wanted anything else from me so I respected that, but he knew I liked him and we had been intimate on a few occasions and all of a sudden he just stopped and just wanted to stay platonic. I later found out that he had someone else but never told me and it crushed me. He said something to the effect of "When you get smaller you'll be a killer and I'll be bummed that you don't like me anymore." Yet the women he chose is heavy set as well and she is 19 years older than him and not to be mean but she is a known drunk, so yeah it was a major blow and I felt like crap. Despite my mom saying "It's not you, just he has his own deeps issues and prefers women who he feels need him." I still took it hard and looked everywhere for some sort of validation as a person and because of it I put myself in dangerous situations. In the quest of opening my eyes and seeing what else is out there, wanting to feel desired and connect with someone... I went on random dates with pretty much any guy who showed interest, even strangers who showed red flags from the beginning by repeatedly insisting I drink alcohol when I said I don't drink or as soon as I got into this one guy's car after talking to him on the phone for 2 weeks thinking he was going to take me out somewhere first thing he did was grabbed my boobs and stuck his tongue down my throat. I tried going to social atmospheres like bars and clubs, but it's really not my thing. I'm just really horrified at this point about dating because I feel like the majority of men are creeps and I'm not sure how to go about finding a decent one or knowing when I'm ready to.

I'm doing okay so far, but won't even take a taste of alcohol for fear I'll take it up again. We went to a party last night and it was not as hard as I thought it would be to not have a drink. Sent from my SM-N976V using BariatricPal mobile app

I think I may have been an alcoholic before surgery, on top of having a food addiction. I'm only 2 mos post sleeve surgery, and have loved not being tied to having to have a drink every night after work. I'm terrified that if I take one drink, it will turn into a daily issue again. I also worry about my liver, without the proper anatomy to properly process alcohol, what damage would that do. I'm just going to opt for trying not to drink alcohol again. Sent from my SM-N976V using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi.i had my gastric band on 26/1 14.feeling excited and so well after suffering for so long with the excess weight my body couldn't cope with.i dieted 2 wks pre op on milk diet Which was hard and then a wk 1000 cals including no more than 100 g carb a day.a wk after surgery and I had lost 181b!! Haven't weighed since.a day post op suffered badly with trapped wind causing chest pain and back and shoulder pain and luckily after 2 days it went.wasnt nice and I had a little shoulder pain on occasions but this has gone for over a wk now.i am on sloppy diet now and enjoying it.wasnt hungry for 10 days post op But have hunger at times now.not severe but I know a good sign my stomach has healed well.got my first fill on3/2/.havent drank alcohol since new yr, love diet coke but will struggle with a nice mixer to go with vodka.even if u don't drink alchohol pubs don't offer a lot of low cal non fizzy low cal drinks! I would recommend anyone who has had the weight struggle I have had for 30 years.i am an expert at weight loss but even better putting it on lol xxxx

I am 5 foot 2 inches, I am a nurse so I am very active and walk a few miles a week in addition to work. I have just started riding a stationary bike as well. My calories fall around 800 a day with about 70 to 80 grams of protein. I don't drink alcohol. I was pre diabetic before surgery.

Like you, I'm at goal, and I tend to find myself being a little obsessive about what I can and can't eat. Outside of drinking my butt off in college, I'm not much of a drinker, so I don't really have a hard time not having alcohol. I could, however, happily eat an entire bakery in one day. I only each chocolate around Christmas, or I will end up eating it way too often otherwise and I generally don't eat sweet stuff on a regular basis. I don't see a problem though with having something sweet and a glass of wine on special occasions. I had cake pops the first few days after my last plastics procedure, I have a few bites of cake when it is ordered at dinner events (a few times a year) and sometimes when I feel like it, I get myself a blueberry muffin from Starbucks. If anything my sleeve has helped limit my all or nothing mindset because I know that in theory I can eat whatever I want but I can only have a little bit of it so I'm no longer in danger of eating the entire pan of brownies. One piece and I am quite content. I think you should enjoy a piece of cake and a glass of adult beverage today. Life is about living and the few extra calories won't hurt you. Maybe add an extra workout into your day today as a way to offset the calories and to assuage any guilt you might feel.

Kristen, that is great news. I will pray for a successful outcome. Just follow all the directions, don't drink alcohol (another subject for another post) and you will do great. Solve the emotional eating piece and develop good substitutes that are not food or alcohol. God bless you!

1. Don't worry about losing weight after the first surgery pounds fall off. It usually takes three months and several fills after surgery for the physician to fill the band enough such that it gives you really great restriction. Many people lose 20 lbs right after surgery, and put back on 5 or 10 lbs before the band has been filled enough. Those pounds will definately come off again. 2. Stay away from alcoholic beverages, they are enjoyable and a source of comfort, but it will significantly slow your weight gain. 3. I can no longer enjoy a beer. The carbonation is such that it prevents me from eating anything on my plate. 4. Don't view the lap band as the magic band. You still have to help it work by changing some bad habits. Here are my bad habits: alcoholic beverages, popcorn and eating while watching the television. The lap band does not prohibit my intake of either alcohol or popcorn (for that matter, anything that is crispy and crunchy I can still consume in large quantities). Therefore, I must keep the beverages and popcorn out of my house. The lap band does not prevent me from watching television. in summary, if you had bad behaviors before the lap band, you will have bad behaviors after the lap band. 5. The lap band does work!! Even if you are a horrible cheater like me. While my weight loss is not as fast as I want, I have pretty much done everything to cheat it, but I have still lost weight, and am not gaining it. Want to know anymore?

I discovered that I am intolerant of Xylitol, one of the "alcohol" types of artificial sweeteners. It causes gas, cramping, etc. I take some Gas-X when I inadvertently consume some and it takes care of the problem. It seems strange that you would be intolerant of all of those artificial sweeteners since many are not even chemically related. Does your surgeon require you to consult with a nutritionist as part of your pre-op plan? He/she would be the best person to help you with this issue. This should only be a problem for you during the liquid diet phases. Good luck........Dan

Great question! I would love to hear about new "addictions". I'm sure working out is super popular. I was a foodie before surgery (not long ago) and I've really enjoyed learning about new food combos that are super healthy and tasty. I *highly* recommend http://theworldaccor...e.blogspot.com/ for recipes and honest blogging about her WLS journey! I've heard bad things about patients going back to their food addiction or moving to drinking alcohol excessively. That's terrifying.

No I am not an alcky I have not had alcohol for 3 or 4 months, but I do like the taste of beer. Thanks for the reply

I agree with everyone! Starting weight/BMI, how your body reacts to the caloric deficit, your age, current health, amt. of physical activity, etc. will all play a part in #s lost at 6 months or a year. My dr. recommends no alcohol, for example, until a year post op. He asked, "Do you want to lose 100 pounds in a year?", Duh! Then he recommends limiting carbs as much as possible the first year. I love my bread (I almost inhaled a fresh loaf of Italian bread! I figured sniffing it didn't have calories, but boy the smell of yeast...yes, that is definately my addiction!) I'm doing well too, weight loss wise so I know it's hard to not get excited and then raise our expectations when the scale is behaving nicely! if I keep going at the rate I'm going, 100 pound loss is realistic somewhere between 6-12 months-I hope! I've lost 42.5 lbs. total since Pre-op in August-Start-278; DOS-255.5; 3weeks post-op-11/1/12-235.5. I know once I can tolerate more foods and my calories increase (currently staying at 600), I'm going to have to join a gym. (I'm thinking family membership as a Christmas gift for husband and daughters with some fitness attire. This way I know I'll get my membership...sneaky!)