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food addiction is VERY real. In my opinion, it's the hardest addiction there is to break too. For instance, I am an ex smoker. I smoked for almost 20 years. When I quit smoking 18 months ago, I knew I couldn't have a single puff again or I'd be smoking a pack a day again. Cigarettes were 100% off limits forever. It wasn't easy, but I quit. However, I am also a food addict. I need food to live so I can't just walk away from it. So here I am, a recovering food addict staring down the face of my addiction multiple times every day of my life. Really, think about it!! Do people take an alcoholic and say "you must drink 3 beers a day, but no more! No don't cheat! Where's your willpower?" NO!! Yet, that is EXACTLY what they expect of us food addicts. It is just brutal. As far as the band, it is amazing tool, but sadly it won't fix our brains. That addiction is still there. I've lost a lot of weight in a relatively short amount of time and I still battle against my own brain daily. That desire to binge, to graze, to seek comfort food... is still very much there. Learning to tame my food addiction can only come from me. The band can't and won't help you with that. The best advice I can give you is to seek counseling for your food addiction along with the Lap Band. I really think it will make the journey a lot more manageable for you and give you a much higher chance of success with the band. Best wishes to you! Remember, you're definitely not alone.

Not dumping but maybe your body can not tolerate alcohol.

My guess is the alcohol. Dumping is a bit different.

Which is exactly the point. Healthy skepticism is not bad. But look at both sides of the picture. Do not automatically dismiss a study because of where some of the funds came from. Just keep an open mind. And science is generally not based on one study alone but the replication of research findings by other independent research groups. So the authors of the original article that I cited came to the following conclusions: However, the one thing that the authors cannot overcome is the fact that food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) are notoriously unreliable. People regularly underreport how much alcohol they consume, for instance. I barely remember what I ate for lunch, and that was just a few hours ago. There's simply no good way to get around this shortcoming, though the fact that the authors detected something of a dose-response (i.e., the more artificial sweeteners a person consumed, the less likely he or she was to develop cancer) strengthens their case. Additionally, there is the nagging issue of confounding. People who drink artificially sweetened beverages may have other health habits that are responsible for lowering the recurrence of cancer. Perhaps people who drink more Diet Coke also eat more celery. The authors did their best to adjust for such confounding, but there's always the possibility that something goes undetected. Overall, I find the result interesting but unconvincing. If artificial sweeteners really do decrease the recurrence of cancer by more than 20%, then they should begin a clinical trial pronto. That is why I thought the authors of the article presented a well balanced article. And also their conclusion was to target more research to prove whether these findings were real or due to other confound issues.

This may sound dumb as hell, but I almost wish I'd get stuck ONCE, just so I know I have the band!! On the other hand, I've always been afraid of stuck, PBs, etc., so I'm careful most all the time. But even still, I have gone a bit brain dead from time to time, and still…..nothing stuck. Is it my anatomy?? The only thing I did have happen, was at a party two weeks ago. I drank mucho plenty of wine, and ate whatever appetizers were out. I ate a little bit of the dinner (chicken & salad), but mostly wine and finger foods. They had karaoke, and every time I took a breath to sing, little burps came out. No one heard it, but it was so frustrating. I had that issue for a good hour or two. I only have that happen after drinking too much. Eating too much doesn't cause it, but throw in the alcohol, and I become a little burp machine

Thanks kids for all the kind words and especially the unfailing support. Last July I found LBT, with no real plan for banding, just curiousity, but not really thinking it was something I'd ever really do. I was sure I'd have to get bypass since my insurance doesn't cover the band, and I was terrified about it. In the beginning I spent hours here, reading stories like my own, and thinking ohhh how great banding could be. I read about the american surgeons, and then got my curiousity piqued about the mexican surgeons and groups. Prior to LBT, going to Mexico for anything had never even crossed my mind. But the more I read here, the more clear it became to me that this was it, this was what I needed to fix the mess I'd made of my body and my health. Mexico just might be something I could actually do! Once I knew I'd found what I'd been looking for I began seeking a way to get it done. That was in the beginning of September. I researched Drs across the USA and Mexico. I researched the different bands, and decided I liked the Midband, and then after a couple of phone conversations, and many emails from previous patients, decided on Obesity Goodbye's package. Once all that was decided; I brainstormed with my husband to gather funding for the procedure and trip. I read posts from others and how they did it without insurance help. How money was borrowed, begged, saved, financed, multiple credit cards maxed etc... Like many others, we put up some from savings, and financed the rest through a medical loan company. We realized my husband couldn't really go as the kids were in school, and he had no vacation time left for the year. I asked my mom to go and she gave a resounding YES! The senior bandsters gave me great packing advice, what to do/not do, what to take/leave at home, what to look for, what to buy/avoid, and what to expect in general while in Tijuana... I do believe Delarla gave me sound advice regarding the donkeys/alcohol/mexicali's... though I can't find it, I remember laughing my ass off... and in the end feeling very prepared and barely nervous about it all. We got to Tijuana on Sept 20 and I was banded on Sept 21. Weight loss successes aside, I'm so very proud of myself for taking this on, and getting it done. I'm very happy about the success with it all, but proud mostly that I actually went through with such a previously unbelievable thing. The rest is just bonus bang. During my research, and initially after banding I wasn't absolutely convinced it would work for me. Every other promising weight loss venture had failed me, and hadn't cost nearly as much, so my mind had a hard time accepting that the band wouldn't fail me too. One year later, I get it. It will work for me if I work with it. If I don't it's gonna sit there waiting patiently until I do. I bought more Vitamins and Protein powder today at walmart. I've still got work to do!

Indio Girl 55 - Thanks for the well wishes and prayers, which one can never have too many of. I feel priviledged to sharing a band date with someone who has been so successful with her band. The doctor diagnosed my staph infection as 'cellulitis'. I've heard of MRSA but I'm not really sure that's what I have as the infection site is not open and oozing which really has me stumped because I have no breaks in my skin. My family also razes me because I'm such a stickler about getting them to wash their hands and clean everything and spray everything with Lysol, alcohol or antibacterial products. I'm just thankful the antibiotics are working as the infection is going away. It's 94 degrees where I'm at today. I can bet you are REALLY warm in Palm Springs.

I’m 62 pounds lighter since my May 28th LAP-BAND® surgery. In eighteen weeks, there has been such significant weight loss and, more relevantly, so much positive change in my health that I can hardly remember the time when I was medically obese and “lost.” First, let’s dispense with the formalities. Need to know exactly what LAP-BAND® surgery involves? Click on The LAP-BAND® I : "Entering the zone" | Babyboomers.tv. Want to know how civilians react to news that I’ve elected to have surgery? Click on http://babyboomers.tv/content/LAP-BAND®-zone-ii-dealing-civilian-response. Interested in hearing about my status and what happens next? Read on. In addition to monthly post-op visits with Dr. Gellman, my bariatric surgeon, -- click on www.northshoresurgical.net -- I’ve lived through 4 months now as a post-operative LAP-BAND® patient. It doesn’t feel that much different than following Weight Watchers, Atkins, and other weight loss programs. Except … I’ve had laparoscopic surgery to help cure my lifelong addiction to food; There is this device inside of me banding the upper portion of my stomach; The LAP-BAND® is a “tool” to help me cut down on food consumption; While my 62-pound weight loss has been sensational, the doctor reminded me this week that the band was inserted for a reason and it’s time to tighten it now. So, this is a different reality for me. The band will be tightened in a few days by injecting saline solution into a port which has been surgically inserted on the inside of my stomach epidermis. The net result is that the band will be tightened and my little stomach pouch (the “stoma”) will feel full with less food. I’ll have to go back on a liquid diet for a few days to allow the stoma to adjust to its new tighter reality. Aside from my regular visits with Dr. Gellman, I also attend a monthly support group with other post-op patients. These groups are enormously helpful for both the camaraderie of those who have been through my same experience as well as for the practical advice I get from participants. At the last group, the topic was “How have you changed for the better or worse following surgery?” I believe life is drastically different (and better) since surgery. However, I’m still a LAP-BAND® rookie so I asked the group “do you all tell people that you’ve had LAP-BAND® surgery?” Interesting responses: “it’s none of anybody’s business”; “nobody has to know”; “they don’t understand”; and, “I only tell my closest friends and relatives”. I understand. Even though I’ve gone public on this website for the entire world to know my story, there are specific people in my life who don’t know about my decision to go through with LAP-BAND® surgery --- most importantly, my mother and father-in-law. They are in their 80’s and they just wouldn’t understand the surgical procedure (or the need for it). Mind you, they are each thrilled to hear about and see my weight loss progress. The best advice to come from the support group, however, has been “If anyone asks how you lost the weight, tell them you’re on Weight Watchers.” This echoes a similar sentiment from Dr Gellman, who reports: “so many of the patients in our practice simply default to “Weight Watchers” when asked how they lost the weight. There is logic here … the final phase of post-operative eating adjustment encompasses a diet that is very much like the Weight Watchers protocol: Eat fruits and vegetables liberally; Follow portion control: 1 ounce of meat = size of a matchbox; 3 ounces of meat = size of a deck of cards; 3 ounces of fish = size of a checkbook; Medium apple = size of a tennis ball. [*]Use little, if any, sugar; [*]Choose lower fat foods; [*]Avoid fried foods; [*]Eat 3 meals a day; [*]Exercise regularly, preferably 3 or 5 or 7 times per week (I walk 4 miles every day;) Who, among us, has not seen this movie before? And yet it really is unlike the thousands of diets I’ve previously been on. I think it has a lot to do with my commitment to a new way of life once I agreed to the surgery. And, I strongly believe in my ability to do this. Also, there is the reality that the little stomach pouch won’t hold the huge quantities of food I had become accustomed to eating. But, if we’re honest, I believe it’s that I don’t want to betray the promise I made to myself: this time, it’s for good and will be different than before. At our tender age when death and illnesses are dodging us, who is gonna argue? I’ve learned from my support group that the post-op fellowship strongly resembles Alcoholics Anonymous: it’s critical to keep sharing your feelings and to report any incident(s) of falling off the wagon. Fine with me, so far. But then, I’ve never really had a problem losing weight --- it’s maintaining my goal weight that has always done me in. For now, I take it one day at a time. The weight loss has been thrilling and I’m extremely grateful for my newfound health and mobility. I’m off blood pressure medicine, I don’t need the sleep apnea machine and my knees have magically stopped hurting during my 3-4 mile daily walks. As for the outside world and how to respond to the queries about “how did you do it?” … I smile like a Cheshire cat and reply that my answer lies in a renewed commitment to exercise and a diet of fruits, vegetables and healthy proteins. I guess my real shorthand answer can be “I’m going to Weight Watchers.”

What's the name of that spray? I got my first fill today and almost passed out. I was expecting this topical solution, felt the alcohol swab, thought, humm that must be the topical stuff, NOT. Then he says, ok this will feel like a bee sting, just what I wanted to hear, then I get attacked by killer bees, and this burning starts. I asked how many bees, then that passed and I started getting this nasty taste in my mouth which made me sick to my stomach, then I started getting hot and clammy. Then they started fanning me, I felt like such a wuss. Then he did the fill. After I got my color back, I sat up and sipped some Water, then I was ok. BUT, I do want the name of that spray. The doctor said there was something you rub on, but it took 1/2 hr for it to take effect and it didn't work all that well. Needless to say, I will be telling him about this spray stuff. FYI, he started me with .75. I have had liquids tonight, but feel absolutely no difference than yesterday or before the fill. I expected to be super tight.

"I feel skinnyyyyyy, oh so skinnyyyyy....." So this happened. I'm back to my lowest post op weight today. Yay. This is big. I've been bouncing into and out of Onederland for SIX months. A month and a half ago I made some big changes to my food and behaviors. It resulted in the loss of ten pounds I gained back from my low weight last year up to that point. So today I'm back down to 193, back on track, and feeling great. Less than fifty pounds to goal. I started thinking I'd make a list of what's going right. When I can't figure out why things are slowing down or going in reverse, I'll pull out this list and see what I'm doing or not doing. Here goes. Feel free to add your own tips to this thread. Tracking food in MyFitnessPal. Weighing daily. Going to OA and CODA meetings. Therapy every two weeks. Planning food the day before and committing it to my OA sponsor. Staying under 1200 calories a day. No fried food. No carby Thai noodles. No movie crapcorn. Two fruit or p rotein shake s nacks a day. Measuring out nuts instead of guessing the portion. No alcohol. Healthy, boring, simple foods like eggs and cheese and yogurt and meatballs. Way fewer processed foods. Bye bye bread. Just because I drop it in the salad bowl doesn't make it salad. Log it. (See nuts, measured, above.) Journaling. Listening to weight loss and addiction recovery podcasts. Obeying my band. It says "enough"? I stop. I have found that this same fill level that I have been at since August suddenly is just right. Before these changes, I was contemplating another fill because I was able to eat too much. But even then I would get stuck on certain foods if not chewed thoroughly. I wisely took my NP's advice and cleaned up the food and drink before getting a ninth fill. I don't need it now. I'm at the sweet spot, the green zone, the holy grail of band land. It took about four weeks for me to stop daydreaming about the perfect meal and missing my fried foods. Today I crave veggies and simple meals. It's a miracle. But I can't stress enough how important the "head and heart" work is. I am working very, very hard on the emotional and spiritual recovery from my food addiction. Like every day. No kidding. So anyway, just wanted to share this joyful stuff and ask others to pile on. What's going right for you?

Umm, sure it is. We have already proven to ourselves (and everybody else) that we dont have what it takes to stick to the diet & exercise thing on our own. Many of us have tried every other gimmick under the sun to lose weight, and failed. We are food addicts (most of us anyhow). If there were a surgery that could cure alcohol, drug, gambling, or porn addictions would there be any objections to using those surgeries? I think not. We have a weakness when it comes to food. Therefore we NEED help. We need this to be as "easy" as it can be. And let me tell you, after over 6 months with my sleeve, when your stomachs capacity is 6-8oz total, it's pretty damn easy to not eat a 16oz steak, or a whole pizza, or 4 slices of cheesecake. When someone makes the remark "that's the easy way" I have to agree. Last I checked we are always searching out easier ways of doing almost everything. Cars are so much easier than bicycles The Internet is easier than encyclopedias Tractors are easier than a horse & plow Debit cards are easier than writing checks or carrying cash Pre prepared foods are easier than scratch cooking Since when is making something easier a bad thing?

:clap2:Well today is better. I went for my first office visit since my surgery on Sept. 27,2007. I was glad to see my doctor. I was not so happy with him. I was hungry and felt I had left 2 messages and no one returned my calls. I wasn't in the state of emergency, no fever, nothing I felt I should call him on his cell about. But all in all I had left 2 messages. Sweet as he is, He turned it all around and said u know no matter what you can call my cell !!! Well I couldn't give a response so...He is very likeable and cute so what's a woman to do. I had lost 10 1/2 lbs so he was pleased wth me. I go back in 3 weeks for my 1st fill. He really shoots from the hip, no playing around kinda guy. Kinda harsh buts says he can't sugar coat any part of this or we run with it. Simple we use any excuse in the world to make adjustments for our crazy life style. One thing that he told me the day before the surgery, which I have to say kinda made me stand up and take notice was... He was talking to 2 other women besides myself, all getting the surgery & says look all three of yall ladies are wearing slip on shoes. So you can just throw them on and throw them off. Saying yall have made adjustments for your obesity. Which while thinking kinda pissed me off, but I had to be real or I will never get to the bottom of why I was ever over weight in the 1st place. Like he mentioned grabbing a chair without arms. I guess things we never really take notice of. My thing was seems like every time I went there everyone was larger than me. Yeah like me being 257 lbs. was small. What a joke, so I was justifiing me being severly morbitly obese. Just another excuse to excuse my lifestyle. Like a drug addict, well I only smoke a little weed or alcohol, I drink only on weekends, I'm not on the streets making an a$$ out of myself or beating my kids or the cops being at my house cause someone was out of control. Just all excuses to justify why we do what we do. By the way I do not do drugs or drink alcohol, lol So I know 1 thing for sure I have to get down to the real facts of why I seemed t not be happy , which I have loads of fun, or just seem to want to destoy my life. One thing about all this surgery, yeah I want the fine body, but my health was falling so much, I just want to be lighter & live so much longer !!! Now there I said the real TRUTH!!! :clap2:

You are definitely right about it not being the easy road. The REASON I am so heavy is because food is an addiction...a friend...the devil!! I am sure most people who are heavy will agree that the reason they want to have the lapband is because they can't control the amount of food they eat. We are all hoping to beat this addiction, which is worse than being a drug addict or an alcoholic because we do need food to survive. It is not easy to say goodbye to our old lives. The head hunger (mind games) are hard to handle some times but I agree that we have to FIGHT the demons to make this work. We are going to slip up sometimes...that is normal because we are not perfect. I fight with myself everyday.

i agree with SS. also i think because we are in this situation you need to consider self-sabotage. we have all done it, that is why we are here.sadly. if your surgery is validated, and you are in fact sleeved, and your labs are all normal. do try a do over. do the shakes for 6 weeks, then 30mgs of Protein for three meal, and no carb Snacks. drink all the darn Water and take the power multivites. if you are sleeved, that is unchanged. (anyone with a vertical sleeve can still drink Hershey syrup) you did do this surgery for a reason, get you mind set, get a goal, take baby steps, in one direction, go to the gym, and be good to yourself, no not snack bad, you don't reward alcoholics with booze if they have been sober for a few months.. please keep a good thought and keep us posted

My grandfather used to make liquor and the bulk of any alcohol is sugar. Not a professional but is drinking alcohol customary? I have a friend that goes out sometimes and drinks ice Water but tells people its vodka if they ask to keep the peer pressure down...lol Sent from my Nexus S 4G using RNYTalk

Would like some input about an upcoming trip... It is s Business Convention and I am trying to figure out a non carbonated, sugarfree, alcoholic beverage to sip on (a weeks worth of business dinners). Prior it would be Bacardi diet or Mike's lite hard lemonade, neither of which will work now. Doc gave me ok to have alcohol but I have no clue what other types of drinks to have. Thanks!

I would avoid both at that point. Youy stomach incision will be barely healed at that point and the alcohol can be very detrimental to your new, healing stomach, and cigarettes actually impede healing. So the reasons to avoid so soon out are really to avoid leaks and ulcers rather than the usual "empty calories/not good for you" reasons. I had my first wine at 3 1/2 months out and it really didn't affect me at all. But, if you really feel like indulging on the 15, I would maybe experiment in the safety of your own home beforehand to make sure the alcohol or cigarettes don't make you hurl or something. As for non-Water things to drink, I used Mio and Dasani flavor drops, drink dilute organic juices, Propel Zero, Sobe Lifewater, K2O, and Vitamin Water. And of course lots of Protein drinks.

Ok I confess..... Last night instead of going straight to school... That evilness subconcious knocked out my lapband diet angel.....and ...made me decide to stop at WallyWorld(WalMart).... for what....for some SUGAR! sugar free candy that is....hey..hey I know what you are thinking ...it is not as bad as some of these other posts...but calories are calories...no matter what it is that you eat.... (ha! I recognize that today...what about last night....dumb..dumb) any hoot......I convinced myself I was going in to buy a bag of the sugar free peanut crunch only.....ha..... I bouth a bag of the sugar free peanut crunch...a bag of the sugar free reese's Peanut Butter cups and a bag of sugar free coffee chews. So I go back in the car...drive off to school and while driving had about 4 peanut crunch's, 3 peanut butter cups and 2 coffee chews.... there went a hard days work of exercising! Oh...and then I hide the bag and receipt in my bag and left it in the car last night.... after class guess what I was doing...yep ..:teeth_smile:.pucking...... Darn that evil voice for winning...... I was just out of control! Point is....we are no different than alcoholics...a sip of that drink...is still a drink!:crying:

I very truly feel your pain. I was sleeved in 2009 and I did fantastic the first 6 years. I lost 149 lbs and 9 dress sizes. At first, I wasn't even exercising and the weight just melted away daily. When I got down to the weight limit that could not be exceeded on an elliptical machine that I borrowed from a sister, I started exercising on it. Eventually, I was using the elliptical for an hour, non-stop, 5 days a week. Everything began to change in December 2014. My father passed away and he was the be all end all of existence for me. I am the youngest of 13 kids and was totally a daddy's girl. He was very ill already, but he ended up dying on my mom's birthday from a heart attack in his sleep. I was the first one to get to his house after my brother who was taking care of him called us all. When I got to my dad, his eyes were still open. My brother was dealing with the coroner and the police officer. I really freaked out and thought I'd better close his eyes before my other sisters or my nieces and nephews saw him. So I did. I closed my father's eyes. My heart broke in half right at that moment. I kinda lost my sh*t. My doc ended up putting me on Xanax and Ambien. Fast forward a few months to April 2015, I ended up getting divorced. Then 15 months later in July 2016 my mother died. Her heart stopped, and during CPR administration, her ribs broke and one pierced her lung. It filled with fluid and because she'd had respiratory issues most of her life, they couldn't help her. She died after 3 agonizing days in the hospital. Then in 2017, I was transferred from one job post to another. They weren't even going to tell me until right before I showed up for work, I found out sooner by accident. I'd been at that post for 10 years. It was a retaliation from a supervisor who knew that I knew too much information about illegal activity that went on under his nose. Literally, every year something horrible was happening to me. The anxiety, depression, and meds led to me not giving a sh*t about what I ate and a lot of drinking. I was drinking every night. I wasn't exercising anymore. I was eating anything I wanted to eat. It was still very little food, because I had a lot of restriction. But I was eating every kind of junk food you can think of. I was eating at all hours of the day. I was grazing, as they call it. I could eat every 3 hours. And the alcohol was just straight shots of tequila. By 2022, I had regained most of my weight and gone back up 6 sizes. You can lose weight again. You can detox from carbs. You can go back to protein shakes. This past May, I started dieting (on my own) because the doc wanted me to lose weight before he'd do the revision. I was drinking a protein shake for breakfast and for lunch, then I was eating a good, solid, very low carb (even zero carb) dinner. No alcohol. In 30 days, I lost 30 lbs. And this was before my surgery. It is absolutely possible, but you have to make the effort and you have to have the discipline. The first 3-4 days are tough as you detox, but then it just gets easier and easier. I wish you luck, friend.

Hi, I have staples in that were very itchy. My Mother suggested taking a q-tip and putting alcohol on the incisions. She says this helps with bug bites as well! Take care!

Bandit: Alcohol consumption is still OK while banded but there is the empty calories to consider. The other thing about drinking while banded is it takes less to get you tipsy. The more you drink the less you have sense about you and you could do harm to yourself and the band. THis means that you would not listen to the warning signs of being full and you could overeat. Just use common sense when drinking and have a limit set. When I feel my nose go tingly I stop drinking. That is usually after two drinks now. So I keep my social drinking at a two drink max. Just my guidelines so you do what works for you. I also try to not eat or snack when I am drinking. Doctor choices are a HUGE thing with me now. I won't tell you to not go to Mexico or even outside of the US for your surgery. I will tell you if you chose to do that to make doubly sure you have aftercare set up close to home before you have the surgery. THis is imperative for good weight loss results. You should be followed by someone that is caring and supportive and interested in the whole package not just putting the band in and then telling you to fly be free. Just my two cents here.

The answer to the question would be true, maybe true, partially false or False. So a question would be, i have never had a problem with alcohol

How about iced tea with fruit in it, and it would be a mock Tom.Collins. Here's a story about the real thing. I tended to being colicky, probably got on my parents nerves, they were to have a cousin or aunt to watch me for a while. Went down to the neighbor good pub to have a few. Mama drank a double Tom Collins, came back home, nursed me , evidently the strained amount of alcohol was just enough to cure my colic and I never had it again!

So everyone says (including my surgeon) not to drink for 30-60mins after eating because it washes the food out of the pouch into the larger part of the stomache....but I can't stop drinking! It's usually Water or milk, (I don't do alcohol or sodas) and that, by far, has been the hardest habit to break after being banded. I've been told to ask the waitresses at resturants to not bring you a drink at all, but what about when you're home? Drinking water is an obsession of mine or something...I can't not drink...lol I know I'm sabotageing my own weight loss by doing this...so help me! How can I stop?

The only thing I can add to the excellent advice above is this: We sleeved our stomachs, not our heads. Doing the sleeve work on our heads is just as important as the surgery we went through, but it's WAY harder, IMO. At my psyche appt, the counselor told me that I have an addictive personality and I will always be addicted to something. She went so far as to tell me that I WILL become an alcoholic, but she still gave me the approval for surgery! I started seeing a counselor several weeks ago, for the addictive behavior and some other issues related to my weight. WLS is not her area of specialty, but she's helping me see where and why I mistreat myself. Once I know those things, and it takes time to learn, then I can remove the bad stuff. I agree with removing the temtation foods from the house if you can't bring yourself to use moderation with them. Maybe, once you're back on track, you can learn how to work those things into your diet in a healthy way. For me, knowing that I can have sweets or chocolate later makes it easier to give them up now. Good luck on your journey! You've done great so far, so this is just a bump in the road for you. You will succeed!!!